Rise & Fall

by Wendy Meadows

  Pulling on her jacket, Cassy left her vehicle and approached James. Leaning against one of the cruisers and wrapped in blankets was a sobbing girl of about seventeen, and a wide yet vacant-eyed boy who had his arm looped around her shoulder in comfort. They were being asked questions by one of the deputies, possibly Wolinski.

  Noyce directed James to the base of the tower where a crumpled shape lay. Judging by Jim’s expression as he turned away briefly, the shape was indeed a body.

  The two of them talked briefly, then James returned to his car.

  “What happened?” asked Cassy as he passed. His face had gone gray, even in the low light Cassy could tell.

  “Some kids were messing around up there,” he said, indicating the tower. “Phil found a bottle of liquor, though they deny drinking any.”

  Cassy looked over to the surviving couple. Her heart went out to them. Such childish mistakes sometimes lead to tragedy. Such tragedy.

  “One of them fell?”

  “Another girl. Apparently she just flipped over the edge and that was that. We’ll have to wait and see what Bloom says in the toxicology report but you’ve got to assume they were getting high, or drinking or something.”

  For some reason Cassy believed that the kids weren’t drinking. The boy and the girl had an innocent appeal to them. As for the unfortunate girl at the base of the tower, well it was impossible to tell.

  “You should go home,” said James. “Or even better, go back to the Four Seasons. I know it’s not your duty, it’s mine, but I did ask you to look after her. Besides, weren’t you on a date?”

  Now that she thought of it, ditching both Eloise and Leonard—or was it Lionel?—with no explanation was pretty rude of her. Though it spoke volumes that she didn’t feel the least bit guilty.

  “Yeah, sorry,” she said. “When I saw you get the text I knew something had happened.”

  “Do you want my job, Cass?”

  The answer was of course ‘yes, I do. Let me solve every crime in Havenholm.’

  “No,” she said.

  “Then I suggest you leave the scene of an ongoing investigation and make sure my date’s all right. Please. And say I’m sorry to her.”

  It wasn’t the only apology she was going to have to make that night. The first was to Lemmy (Leonard?) and the second was to Dot for yet again failing spectacularly despite her best efforts. But in the face of the tragedy that had occurred not twenty feet from where she stood, none of that seemed to matter much.

  Poor dumb kids. This kind of thing stays with you forever.

  It was a busy day as Saturday always was, though Cassandra had noticed that the store wasn’t as full as it could have been. Passing trade and, now that it was the height of the summer holiday season, an influx of vacationers swelled numbers but it was the scarcity of regulars that had her concerned.

  “I swear if I see another person walk past the shop window carrying one of those bags with that dumb smiling cauldron on it I’m going to cast a spell so powerful and outrageous and spectacular that—”

  Dot coughed loudly, interrupting Cassy who was turning a light shade of purple.

  “Hon, let it go,” she said. “Besides, what spells do you have like that? Are you going to put a hex on them so that they can’t find their car keys? Perhaps they’ll feel a light chill no matter how high they turn the thermostat? Or maybe they’ll be unlucky in love, which judging by your example doesn’t need a spell anyhow.”

  It should have made Cassy even madder, but somehow Dot’s mockery soothed her more than it bothered her.

  “Oh, believe me, I have a few nasty spells up my sleeve,” she said, not proud of the boast. “And just what do you mean by ‘unlucky in love’?”

  “Darlin’ I’ve tried. Lord knows I’ve tried,” said Dot. “Have I not given you every opportunity? Maggie told me that you just walked out on her nephew last night. He was a good man, you know.”

  By the time Cassy had made it back to the Four Seasons both Eloise and Lenny (she was sure that was his name) had left. Cassy had been hoping to get there in time to have dessert but had had to pick up a pint of ice cream on the way back home.

  “He was sort of dull.”

  “Not to worry. I heard he was seeing this little redhead now anyway, so…”

  Cassy nearly choked. That was a quick turnaround. She felt a little hurt to think that she had been so easily replaceable. That emotion soon passed when she realized that it meant that Deputy Jones was now free. It almost distracted her from the whole Hocus Pocus affair. There was one thing that had been preying on her all day.

  “You know the hunting towers up by the lake?” she asked. Dot picked up a cloth and began wiping down windows on the inside.

  “I heard. Something bad happened, right?”

  “A girl died. Fell off the tower.”

  “Do you suspect foul play? Because I know you always do.”

  She wouldn’t admit to as much, but the thought had crossed her mind.

  “Three kids went up there, I’ve got to guess as a dare or to make out or whatever kids do. One of them falls off and perhaps it’s an accident.”

  “Perhaps?”

  Cassy rubbed the bridge of her nose with her finger and thumb. She recalled the image of the angular body at the base of the tower and swiftly dismissed it.

  “They found a bottle of drink up there but the kids denied drinking it.”

  “And you believed them?” Dot paused mid-wipe for an answer.

  “I did, actually. That tower has been the place Old Donald goes to drink.” Old Donald was the town’s sole homeless man—tramp would be a more accurate description, or maybe hermit, as his circumstances seemed to be entirely agreeable to him. “He’s always up that way on his own. I wouldn’t be surprised if that bottle they recovered was his.”

  Dot continued to clean. “So what if it is? Are you saying that the girl was pushed, if she wasn’t drunk? And who pushed her? You know Cass—not everything is a crime. Sometimes people fall off things and it’s not anyone’s fault. Accidents happen.”

  Accidents do happen, it’s true. But accidents don’t provoke the kind of reaction she’d seen on the surviving kids’ faces the night before. They’d been more than upset, more than inconsolable. They had been scared.

  The tinkle of the bell heralded the arrival of Patty—late for her shift but seemingly oblivious to it. Cassy came up to her swift enough to startle the young woman.

  “Pats, help me out here.” She took Patty under her arm, which was awkward as she was a few inches taller than Cassy. “I need two things from you.”

  “Is one of them doing a stock inventory? Because I don’t think I could do that.”

  “Nothing like that,” said Cassy, though she did consider it now that it had been mentioned. “Did you ever go up to the hunting tower by the lake?”

  It wasn’t the question Patty had been expecting, though she was relieved that she didn’t have to take stock today. She twirled her braids through her fingers. “Yeah. I used to when I was a kid. It was kind of a hangout for all the losers. But I grew up and became not-losery.”

  “Any idea who goes up there now?”

  It took all of a second for Patty to reply. “The Newsom twins. My little sis goes up there sometimes. All the oddball kids do. It’s a place they can just get out of the way.” Patty stopped abruptly as if something suddenly made sense to her. The pieces of some previous interaction were finally coming together. “You’re investigating something, aren’t you?”

  “Not necessarily,” said Cassy, weakly.

  “I overheard some people talking on the bus. It’s true, isn’t it? Someone was murdered out by the lake?”

  “Not murdered,” interrupted Dot. “We don’t know that yet.”

  “If I gave a description of some kids to your sister do you think she could identify them?”

  For dramatic effect, Dot dropped her sponge into the bucket of soapy water at her feet. “Cassy!”

  �
��I’m just a concerned citizen is all,” said Cassy defensively.

  “That’s enough.” Dot came right over to where Cassy was standing. “That’s enough, Cassy. One of these days you’re going to get yourself in trouble. The safety of this town is not down to you. Every time you go off on one of your little adventures I get worried.”

  This was certainly a lie, thought Cassy. Dot was always the first to back her up. She wondered what had the woman so upset.

  “I’m worried for you, Hon. I really am. What with this rival store, walking out on Lionel, and now this latest death you feel the need to go snooping after. You need a vacation.”

  “Maybe one of those Murder Mystery cruises!” exclaimed Patty.

  It was cute, beautiful even, that Dot cared for her so much, but Cassy knew her own mind and knew that she was keeping things together. Even so, she did take the hint.

  “Okay. You’re right. I won’t get involved.”

  Relieved, Dot returned to her work.

  “I’m not going anywhere near the hunting tower murder—I mean accident,” said Cassy. She picked up her bag, checked her purse, then slung it over her shoulder. “But I am going to expose those charlatans over at Hocus Pocus.”

  To expose Hocus Pocus as a fraud, fake and a phony front for what amounted to dishonest vultures (a phrase which Cassy had developed on the short walk from the Spicery to the magic store) she was going to have to do some tests on their best-selling products.

  She approached the lair of the three witches with bristling anger, but composed herself before entering. The automatic doors slid open with a swoosh but Cassy did not step through. From the corner of her eye she spotted two kids, no more than seventeen, though the boy could have been younger. They were inspecting the contents of a bag, and printed on the side of the bag was the smiling cauldron. Its inane grin did nothing but raise Cassy’s ire once more. Determined to educate the youngsters, she strode over while formulating a speech as she went. The girl looked up at Cassy as she got near and met her with the saddest eyes she’d ever seen. Although that wasn’t entirely true. She had seen this sadness before out by the tower; that very same look of unbelieving fear.

  “I’m sorry,” said Cassy, though she wasn’t sure exactly what for. “I was there last night with the police.”

  “Yeah. You’re not a cop.” The boy whose hair covered most of his face had the right to sound so dismissive.

  “No,” continued Cassy. “I’m just concerned is all. It’s terrible what happened to your friend. I know what it’s like to lose someone like that. Although I can’t possibly know what you’re going through, I can empathize.”

  Judging by the way the boy’s face softened Cassy had done enough to appease them. To let them know she was genuine. The very last thing she wanted was for them to think she had anything but their best interests at heart.

  “No need to be concerned for us,” said the girl. “We’ll get through it.”

  Cassy admired her outlook. The girl lifted up the Hocus Pocus bag and shook it.

  “We’re going back to the tower tonight,” she said. “My father told me that it would help us grieve if we did like a little ceremony, you know? To honor June. My dad’s normally right about that kind of thing.”

  “If you don’t mind me asking, what’s in the bag?” She didn’t want to say anything, but it pained her to think that they were going to lay a tribute to their friend using things bought at Hocus Pocus. It just didn’t seem right. It was the boy who answered.

  “June was all into that mystical stuff, you know? Potions and candles and all that nonsense.”

  Cassy bit her lip. The girl reached into the bag and retrieved a few things; a little totem, a candle, and tiny vials of clear liquid. It was of course just water, despite what the label said.

  “Jonno says we should burn it, but I say bury. We can’t go lighting fires out in the woods.”

  “Burning’s more mystical,” enthused ‘Jonno.’

  “Is that what you were doing the night she died?” asked Cassy, unable to hold back her inquiring mind. “Did you go up the tower so June could do her ‘mystical’ stuff?”

  “We didn’t do anything wrong,” snapped Jonno, retreating. “It’s only water anyway. Who cares? It made her happy.” The last word made him choke.

  Cassy reached out to lay a hand on his shoulder. “I’m not saying you did anything wrong, darling.”

  “We were just doing a few spells,” said the girl. “It’s not like it’s real. It didn’t do anything.” She glanced furtively at Jonno who looked away. “You’re that lady from the Spicery, aren’t you?” Cassy nodded. “Then you know that none of it’s real. Magic can’t do that to you.”

  A chill passed over Cassy’s skin. “Do what?”

  “We didn’t do anything. She just went dizzy and fell off. It was an accident. Nothing more.”

  Now was not the time to interrogate these two kids. They’d been through enough already and no doubt Sheriff Noyce had grilled them all night. They just wanted to remember their friend in a way that made sense.

  “You should burn it,” said Cassy. “Make a bonfire and burn it all.”

  Cassy’s second visit to Hocus Pocus became a shopping spree. Under the watchful gaze of Morgana (or was it Circe? As if it mattered…) who was painting her nails as one of the other sisters counted the cash float, Cassy patrolled the store feigning curiosity. She reached the back wall where all the small vials were stacked. She tracked down the very same one that the kids outside had shown her. The label informed her that it was a ginseng and Kava root infusion. Both ingredients were well known to have revitalizing effects but Cassy knew all too well that the resulting mixture should have been a deep yellow and not the clear liquid she saw before her. Holding the vial between her finger and thumb, Cassy shook the bottle while holding it up to the light. It was as pure as anything she’d seen.

  In a moment of wild impulse, she took one of each of the dozens of varieties that adorned the shelves, sweeping them into her arms, then practically marching them to the sisters. She dumped the load in front of them as if she’d returned from a successful hunting party.

  “Would you like a bag?” asked Morgana looking up from her nails.

  “Does it have that cauldron on it?” said Cassy.

  Morgana smiled. “Why yes, it does.”

  “In that case, no,” said Cassy, chasing away the smile.

  Circe looked over Cassy’s haul with a squint. “I should warn you that excessive consumption may lead to unwanted side effects.”

  “I’ll be just fine,” said Cassy, composed.

  “And you’re mixing a lot of remedies here. If you want I can talk you through them and find out which one is best for you.”

  “No, seriously. I’ll be a-okay.” Cassy caught herself being abrupt when she knew that the best way to get info from people was to connect with them. She changed tactic. “I’m just such a believer in this stuff,” she said, indicating the pile of little bottles, then turning to the rest of the store, “It really is a good alternative, isn’t it?”

  “Well, we sure do love it,” replied Circe. “It’s our third store. And we’re expanding online too.”

  “Good business sense really,” said Cassy as she remembered her website hadn’t been updated since Clinton. “You know what? I will have one of your bags. That cauldron guy’s cute.”

  Her little bottles of tap water were bagged up by one sister as the other priced them. Cassy paid by cash as the card machine wasn’t yet working.

  By the time she left, Jonno and his friend were gone, no doubt on their way back to the hunting tower. She hoped that whatever they got up to, whether it was burning or burying the offering to the friend they had lost, that it started the process of healing for them.

  As she walked back to the Spicery, Cassy passed the alley at the back of Hocus Pocus. She happened to look up just as the third sister who was named Esme exited from the rear door. The orange glow of a lighter lit up h
er face as she ignited the end of a cigarette. Through the veil of smoke she spotted Cassy and took a deep drag. Smiling weakly Cassy waved then moved on.

  “What does ‘cash, no card’ mean to you?”

  Cassy was interrogating poor Patty as they closed up shop and the younger girl was trying her best to keep up.

  “That they prioritize traditional forms of payment. In keeping with the theme of their store, a back-to-basic approach to customer relations?” Patty looked satisfied with her response.

  With a loud clatter Cassy pulled the shutter down over the entrance of the Spicery. “What it says to me is untraceable income. Seriously, they’ve been open for over a week now and they haven’t sorted card transactions? This is their third store, Patty. You don’t get that far without focusing on the details like allowing your customers to pay.”

  Treading carefully over the recently mopped floor, Patty turned off the lights one by one at the main switchboard. As darkness fell on the small room, several jars of phosphorescent ingredients glowed with a soft ghostly green light.

  “You know I love you, right?” asked Patty in a way that Cassy knew was a prelude to a personal attack. “But you’re taking this too seriously. It’s become a personal vendetta, except that they’ve done absolutely nothing to you.”

  “Mark my words there’s something going on there,” said Cassy. She wasn’t ready yet to tell anyone about her suspicions about the link between the three sisters and June’s unfortunate fall from the hunting tower. Even if there was a provable link at this stage, a possible motive eluded her completely.

  “What are you going to do about it?”

  ‘Aye, there’s the rub’ thought Cassy. She was of course powerless to do anything for the moment. “Can you look up their other stores for me?” When it came to matters of research, Patty was Cassandra’s go-to girl. Computers were like an alien world to her, but Patty was a natural and could find anything online. It wouldn’t be much trouble to track down the other two Hocus Pocus stores.

  “Sure,” said Patty. “What should I look out for?”

  “Anything suspicious.” Just what that might be, Cassy didn’t know. “Any related news stories at all. Grand openings. Big sales. Cholera outbreak linked directly back to them. You know, anything.”