Witch I May, Witch I Might

by K. J. Emrick

  At least, not usually it didn’t.

  “Have you tried to call Willow on her cellphone again?” Kiera asked.

  “Yes. She still isn’t answering. I don’t know if that means she shut it off, or if she just isn’t answering anyone’s calls for fear it’s a trick by the police. Did you try?”

  “Sister Addie, you know I don’t like to use those infernal contraptions. I will leave them to the younger generation. Like you.”

  Addie’s fist hit the steering wheel. “I can’t believe she would do this! Of all the childish, irresponsible things she has ever done this has got to be the worst.”

  Kiera didn’t argue. “Our sister has always thought of herself first, and others after. I tried to do my best to raise you both when our parents died. With her I may have failed somewhere along the way.”

  That wasn’t what Addie had meant at all. “You were the best sister-slash-surrogate-mother a couple of teenagers like Willow and I could have asked for. Mom and Dad were there for us when we were just kids. You were there for us after. If Willow refuses to live up to the life lessons you tried to impart on us, then that’s on her.”

  “At the moment,” Kiera sighed, “it appears to be on all of us.”

  They pulled up in front of a very nice house, two stories high with gabled windows on the second floor and a wraparound porch and rosebushes out front that were wrapped with burlap against the winter snows. The attached two stall garage had both doors drawn down so that they couldn’t see if there were cars inside. They would have to trust that someone was home. If they weren’t, the chances of coming back before the police got here to talk to Percy Pokins would be slim and none. Addie wanted his answers first, before he had a chance to filter them for the cops.

  “Come on,” she said to Kiera. “Let’s go knock on the door.”

  She had to watch her step in the snow. The front of the house was lit up with light fixtures made to look like old time lanterns but the stone path from the driveway to the porch was dark. She snugged her coat tighter. With the sun down, it was getting even colder.

  The knocker was in the shape of a lion’s head with a metal ring in its mouth. Fancy, Addie thought to herself as she banged the ring against the strike plate. It made a little tapping sound with each swing.

  “There’s no way that will be loud enough,” Kiera pointed out.

  Addie lifted a hand to place it against the head of the lion. “I agree.”

  Pushing some of her Essence through the door, she created an echo of a single knock that boomed through the inside of the house.

  BANG BANG BANG

  “There.” Kiera nodded. “That will do nicely.”

  They didn’t have to wait long before they heard the sound of several locks being undone, and the door opened.

  An older man stared at them through thick-rimmed glasses. His skin was lined deeply with wrinkles. His crisp white shirt and black slacks were obviously expensive, under a heavy felt robe. On his wrist was a heavy gold watch, which he made a point of looking at before he spoke.

  “Do the two of you have any idea what time it is?”

  “Mister Pokins?” Addie asked him. “The Percy Pokins who is an attorney and is friends with Autumn Lynch?”

  His eyes blinked back at her through the glasses. “Yes. That’s me. I’m sorry, do we know each other?”

  “No, we don’t. I’m sorry to tell you this, sir, but Autumn Lynch is dead.”

  “What?” he said, shock raising the pitch of his voice. “Who are you? How dare you come here and say something like that to me? I should call the police, that’s what I should do.”

  “We’re actually here for the police.” Addie knew it was a little bit of a lie... well, actually more than a little bit. At the moment telling white lies didn’t bother her in the least. “My name is Addie Kilorian. This is my sister Kiera.”

  Now Percy Pokins’ eyes got very wide, magnified comically by the glasses. “Ah. I see. Well, then you’d better come in.”

  Kiera looked at Addie, the obvious question written across her face. Addie shrugged. “Apparently our reputations precede us.”

  Percy chuckled as he stepped aside for them to enter. “My dear, you don’t live in Birch Hollow for as long as I have lived here without knowing about the Kilorian sisters from Shadow Lake. I’m a little fuzzy on the details but I know that whenever there’s trouble in that town, it’s the Kilorians the selectmen come running to. In fact, didn’t you and your sisters have a hand in arresting one of the selectmen there a few months back?”

  “Yes,” Addie told him. She didn’t go into the details. It wasn’t a story she liked to tell. Most stories that began with a murder and ended with a complete shakeup of the local government weren’t happy stories to tell. Although, there had been some humor, and some romance, and some intrigue sprinkled into that tale as well. If it had been a cozy mystery novel, she certainly would have read it.

  Down the hall to the left was a living room full of leather furniture and floor to ceiling bookcases and throw rugs over hardwood floors. Percy went to a side table just inside the door and picked up a glass decanter of liquor.

  “Drink, either of you? I have the feeling whatever you’re here to say is going to require a little fortification before I listen to it. Scotch? Whiskey?”

  “Is it Irish whiskey?” Kiera asked.

  “It is, in fact. I have it imported.” He seemed almost proud of himself as he lifted the short-necked bottle off the serving tray and presented it to them for their inspection. “I find that the Irish do it best, no matter what those upstart American companies like Jim Beam or Maker’s Mark might try to tell us. This is a Teeling Whiskey Company reserve. Twenty years old.”

  “In that case, I would love a glass. No ice, please.” Kiera smiled at him.

  “A neat two fingers of whiskey it is, then.”

  “Make it three,” Kiera told him.

  With a smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes Percy nodded his appreciation of her request and poured out the amount she asked for. “A woman after my own heart.”

  Addie was a little surprised that her usually very prim sister was accepting a drink of hard liquor from a man they didn’t even know. A very big drink of water, from a possible murder suspect. She didn’t say a word though. It had just been that kind of day.

  Percy poured the whiskey in a wide-bottom glass. Then he picked up a small bottle with a rubber eyedropper—water, Addie realized—and put three or four drops into the drink before handing it to Kiera. A little water would spread the oils in the whiskey and open up the bouquet. It made for a better drinking experience. Addie’s father had actually taught them that. Whatever else they might learn about Percy Pokins, the man certainly knew how to serve his alcohol.

  “There we are.” He poured one for himself and put the stopper back in the whiskey bottle. “Now, what is this nonsense about Autumn being dead? I just saw her today and she was in fine health, I can tell you that.”

  Addie pounced on that information. The admission that Autumn was here was the first step in showing who really did kill her. “When was she here, Mister Pokins?”

  “She came here directly from dinner with her new husband. It was a little after six, I should think. She and I are old business acquaintances. She was here to see me about a legal matter.”

  Here, he said. Autumn had come here to see him. But, she was killed back at the Nash Palms Motel. They were sure of that. “Did you go back to her motel room with her?”

  “Certainly not!” he insisted, waving his own glass of whiskey around to emphasize his point. “I had another client to see at seven o’clock. I didn’t have time to go anywhere. Autumn was here and then gone again, and I assure you that I did not follow her. You may check with my other client, if it comes to that.”

  Addie nodded, but she didn’t say anything. What could she say? Percy had an alibi that kept him busy during the time when Autumn had been murdered and kept him away from the murder scene as w
ell. Once again, their attempt to find a different suspect to pin the murder on had failed.

  She fisted her hands at her side. Alan did not commit this murder, and neither did Willow. It had to be someone else. She was left with Corbin and August, the husband who had nearly passed out upon hearing his wife was dead, and the brother they had no reason to suspect. Everything was pointing to their own family and in truth Addie half expected her or Kiera to come under suspicion next.

  The facts would clear everyone. They just needed to find all the facts and then the truth would come out. She had to believe that. Yes, Willow was in Birch Hollow today for some reason they had yet to learn, but there was no way she had gone to that motel. And Alan hadn’t been here at all.

  Although… he had been out of the house for a long time. He said it was just a walk in the woods but what if he’d driven up here instead?

  Nonsense, she told herself. He doesn’t even have a car.

  “This is very good whiskey,” she heard Kiera saying. “You must have paid a fortune to have it imported.”

  “More than I care to admit,” he chuckled, “but it was worth it.”

  “I see. Well, you must be doing quite well for yourself as an attorney.”

  With false humility, he shrugged a shoulder. “I get by.”

  “Interesting. Tell me, how is it that Autumn was able to afford your services?”

  He waved his drink again. “I don’t like to talk finances, but Autumn didn’t have to worry about such things now that she married Corbin.”

  “Did she marry him just for the money?”

  Instead of answering that one, he laid a finger next to his nose, and winked.

  Which was as good as saying, yes.

  “Then why was she here?” Addie pressed.

  That, however, was a question too far for Percy. “I’m sorry, but I can’t say. You may be the christened protectors of that little town of yours, but you aren’t law enforcement. Even if you were, I wouldn’t be able to answer that question because of attorney-client privilege.”

  “You realize that she’s dead now, don’t you?”

  “So you’ve said.” The news seemed to finally sink in for him and a little sadness touched the corners of his eyes. “However, you must realize that the confidentiality between an attorney and his client doesn’t end at death. It continues on, and the only entity which can break it is a court of law. Autumn and I had done some business in the past regarding family matters when her mother married August’s father. She trusted me then, and she trusted me today, and I won’t violate that trust in any respect.”

  “Wait,” Addie said. “So, Autumn’s mother married August’s father? That means they aren’t actually brother and sister?”

  “Precisely. I know, you wouldn’t expect it, right? What with their names being so similar and having to do with times of the year and such. But it was just a fluke. They’re actually step-siblings. No blood relation at all. Autumn took her step-father’s name when he adopted her, after the wedding. Still, Autumn and August were quite close, from what I understand.”

  That was interesting, but it wasn’t exactly damning evidence of anything. More than that, it looked like it might be all they’re going to get from this man. He seemed like a good person, with a sticking point for the rules he lived and worked by.

  Kiera finished the rest of her drink with one swallow. “Thank you for your time, Mister Pokins. Can we come back if we have more questions?”

  “Certainly. I enjoy the company of pretty ladies such as yourself the same as any other man. I might be older, but it would be an honor to host you at my house. Perhaps we could play a game of cards next time.”

  He was looking directly at Kiera as he said it, and the implication in his suggestion was plainly obvious. He was asking her on a date.

  “That’s very kind of you,” Kiera said with a small smile that lent some allure to her expression. “Are you sure you can’t tell us anything else about why Autumn was here?”

  “I’m sure. I’m sorry, but I simply can’t.”

  “Ah. Then thank you for your time, and your hospitality, Percy. I enjoyed the drink, and I love your home. It is simply gorgeous.”

  “Thank you,” he beamed. “Money can’t buy happiness, but it can buy a nice home in New England.”

  He chuckled again, like he’d said something very amusing.

  Kiera smiled with him. Addie felt the Essence she put into her next words, compelling an answer. “What is it you specialize in that’s built such a fortune for you?”

  “Divorces, actually. I specialize in divorce settlements. That’s where the real money is.”

  His lips clamped shut suddenly, even as his eyes got wider behind the lenses of his glasses. He must have realized that he’d said too much and wondered why he’d said anything at all.

  Kiera had only encouraged Percy to give out a little bit of information that he had no reason to hide anyway. The answer said so much, but if he had tried to hide that clue behind his shield of privilege, they might never have figured out why Autumn was here.

  Percy was a divorce attorney. A very rich, obviously very talented, divorce attorney who Autumn had specifically stopped in Birch Hollow to see. On her honeymoon.

  It wasn’t much of a leap to understand Autumn wanted to get a divorce. She’d married into money, and now a quick divorce would get her a nice payout.

  If her new husband, Corbin Reif, had somehow found that out, it would give him a very big motive for murder.

  Finally, Addie had found something that helped both Alan and Willow. A reason for the murder. A solid motive. All they had to do now was find the murder weapon itself and with a little magic, that shouldn’t be too hard. Not for the Kilorian sisters.

  Feeling pretty good about things for a change, Addie thanked Percy for his time, and started for the front door. Kiera lagged behind, shaking Percy’s hand, saying a few kind words that were actually a thinly veiled spell. Percy would remember this as a nice visit, and nothing more. He wouldn’t feel the need to call the police to confirm anything they had said, or to report the visit to the authorities later on.

  Addie wondered if maybe Kiera had another reason for lingering. She and Percy had seemed to strike a chord with each other. In the middle of everything else, could her older sister have found someone who sparked a romantic interest in her?

  Maybe. Although, Kiera’s last serious relationship had been with a fallen angel. Any Typic was going to have a hard time topping that kind of romance.

  In the car, while she waited for Kiera, Addie started the engine to stay warm. The dash lit up, all the controls and the digital display. The odometer reading reminded her again that she needed to have the car serviced soon…

  She stared at the numbers. It hadn’t occurred to her earlier when she saw this, but the odometer was too high. There were miles on here that she didn’t put on the Jeep herself.

  Someone else had been using her car.

  Who? She was the only one with keys. The Jeep was supposed to have been at Stonecrest all day today. Kiera had been in the kitchen cooking from midmorning on and Addie hadn’t gone anywhere. She did some quick math in her head, based on the odometer numbers. Seventy-five extra miles. That was quite a bit of driving. Where would someone have gone, in her Jeep, just to return it to Stonecrest?

  She gripped the steering wheel harder. It was twenty-five miles from the center of Shadow Lake to Birch Hollow. Seventy-five miles would be enough for one trip up, and then back to Shadow Lake, and then back up here again.

  Addie drove here to find Autumn’s husband and step-brother. That was twenty-five of those miles.

  The other fifty miles would be exactly the length of a round trip from there, to here, and back to Shadow Lake again. Someone had used her Jeep to come here.

  To commit murder.

  Chapter 7

  “Are you sure we should be here?” Kiera asked her. They were just pulling into a parking space outside of the police sta
tion. The question was a little late, in Addie’s opinion.

  They were here. They were doing this.

  “Yes, I’m sure,” she said. “I know we were going back to Stonecrest to find Willow, but we have to do this first.”

  “You still haven’t told me why.”

  Addie stared through the windshield, both hands on the wheel, and chose her words carefully. “I think I know who killed Autumn Lynch. I’m going to prove it.”

  “Oh? Do you care to tell me who that would be, Corbin or August?”

  “I don’t want to say,” Addie told her. “Not until I’m sure. Can you stay here? This is going to be a one-woman job.”

  Kiera studied her oddly. She had to know there was something else going on, but if so she didn’t say anything. She simply nodded and settled back into the contours of the passenger seat to wait.

  Addie got out of the Jeep, taking her keys with her, making sure to keep her face turned away from Kiera. She would have left the engine running for her sister, considering the cold, but she needed her keys for this. This wasn’t going to take long. She hoped.

  The real reason she didn’t want to tell Kiera what she was thinking was simple, and at the same time it was so very complicated. Both Corbin and August were strong suspects in this mystery. Autumn had been about to divorce Corbin for his money. August wasn’t her real brother. A good mystery writer could craft an airtight case around either of those two.

  The thing of it was, they weren’t the only ones here at the Birch Hollow police station. There was a third man here, and it was that man who Addie suspected more than anyone else.

  Alan. Kiera’s son.

  It killed her to even think it, but the pieces were falling into place around him. She just hoped she was wrong.

  The building was a two-story brick structure with square corners and a curved overhang suspended above the doorway. There were lights in the windows and lights around the front door and a floodlight illuminating the town seal affixed to the side of the doors. It was all very serious looking. Even at this hour of the night, officers came and went through a side entrance between the building and the parking area for their black and gold patrol cars.