Witch Me Luck

by K. J. Emrick

  “So,” she asked him, “how do you know Marcelle?”

  “Oh, Marcelle and I go way back. I met him on a case once that involved a stolen set of baseball cards from the museum. He’s one of those guys who just draws you in and before you know it, you’re friends.”

  “They have baseball cards here at the museum?”

  “They did,” he explained, “once. It was some special travelling exhibit that attracted a lot of attention. The wrong attention, as it turns out. It all worked out for the best in the end. I got the cards back for him. We’ve shared a cup of coffee from time to time ever since. He doesn’t have any family here in Birch Hollow. Just a lot of friends. Looks like I’ll have to take him up on that offer for dinner at his place now.”

  She laughed at him. “I think it will be fun.”

  “Oh, me too,” he said, honestly. “I just hope things in our towns settle down between now and then. I’d hate to cancel on him because someone else turned up dead. The way things are going, Birch Hollow and Shadow Lake are going to outpace places like Chicago in terms of major crimes per population.”

  “We should do it next week,” Addie suggested. “Dinner with Marcelle, I mean. As long as we can get a handle on this Belladonna situation.”

  She lowered her voice when she said the evil witch’s name, and no one at the table was paying any mind to them anyway, but he only gave her a confused look in reply. Maybe he didn’t want to talk about it here, she thought. In the car on the way over would have been the perfect time to mention it but she had been flustered still by her encounter with Herman, and excited for Lucian and his award, and it had slipped her mind. Well. She could wait to ask him until they were alone again. That, of course, brought back to mind Lucian’s invite to his place, and the secret something he wanted to talk about.

  Hmm.

  Their conversation drifted to other things, and included the people at the table sometimes, but mostly it was just them. She loved that they could just sit and talk like this, even when there wasn’t some murder going on and no one was being arrested. There was excitement in their relationship, in spades, but they were so much more than that. They were good for each other. Almost… magical.

  For a while, as they talked, it was like none of the bad things in her life mattered. Not evil witches. Not Wells of Essence hidden underground. Not weird and creepy stalker constables. None of it.

  People occasionally flowed past their table on their way into the dining room or out into the hallway. Addie assumed they were going off to find the restrooms or maybe step outside for a smoke. She saw Abierta slipping out at one point, and they laughed when she didn’t stop but instead quickly mouthed the word “bathroom.” A few people stopped at the table, even, to congratulate Lucian on his award tonight. Alex Candor was among them, the only officer from the PD that Addie had seen so far. He arrived after almost everyone else was already there, but at least he came. It was more than she could say about the police chief. Wait until she saw that man again. He was going to get a piece of her mind.

  Mostly, however, it was just her and Lucian. Addie liked it that way.

  Still, it would have been nice to have more of his police officer friends here. Maybe they just didn’t like fancy dinners. Maybe they were all busy tonight. Lucian was right about the way crime had increased in Birch Hollow and other towns in the area recently. She knew it was because of the dark magic influence of Belladonna Nightshade. They had to stop that witch. Of course, to do that, they had to find her first.

  The waiters were just bringing the salad course to the tables on silver serving trays when they heard a woman’s shout from the hallway.

  Lucian was out of his chair immediately. Several other people stood, unsure what to do, but by then he was already out the door. Addie followed, wishing that she’d worn sensible shoes instead of heels. In her defense, she thought to herself, she hadn’t planned on running tonight. Dancing, yes, but not running.

  And she hated herself that she was already looking around to see where Abierta was, but she knew what her friend really was. Sometimes being a witch and knowing everyone else’s dirty little secrets really sucked. If someone was hurt, Abierta might be the reason for it.

  Thankfully, her friend was not the cause for the shouting they’d heard. Out in the hallway they found Marcelle, and a young woman he was holding against the wall. His hands were clamped roughly around her shoulders. His face was red and angry. It was this woman they had heard screaming, and this was why.

  The woman had thick curls that she had dyed a deep shade of purple. The color matched that of her strapless dress. Her face, with its high cheekbones and button nose, would have been pretty if not for the way she was snarling at Marcelle.

  “Let me go! Let me go, I have a right to be here!”

  “Non!” Marcelle shouted back at her. “You have no right. I have told you many times not to be around me anymore. You will go, and you will go maintenant! Security! Security!”

  The woman did a wrenching twist of her hips and pried herself out of Marcelle’s grip, which seemed to Addie to be no easy feat. He was a lot stronger than his narrow frame would suggest. He glared at the woman as she turned on her heel and started down toward the dining hall again.

  “I’ll go where I want to go,” she insisted to Marcelle, “and you can’t stop me. Get used to it!”

  “This is outrageous,” Marcelle blustered. “Security!”

  From the other end of the hall, a hulking brute in a gray shirt that was at least a size too small for his muscles came lumbering into view. On both shoulders he was wearing patches with the museum’s logo on them and the word “SECURITY” was stitched in gold on the right side of his chest, where a badge would have gone. His wide leather belt held a flashlight on one side, and a radio on the other. With hands that size, it was doubtful that he ever needed anything more than that to do his job. His face was pinched and pockmarked, and his eyes were close set. Addie couldn’t help but wonder if he might have escaped from the museum’s Neanderthal exhibit.

  Taking one look at this mountain of a man, the woman stopped in her tracks, and threw Marcelle a hard glare. “You’re going to have this guy throw me out? What’s the matter, aren’t you man enough to do it yourself?’

  Marcelle sniffed as he folded his arms over his chest. “I do not need to soil my hands any further. That is his job.”

  “Not your personal servant, Mister LeBlanc,” the mountain rumbled. “Lady just needs to sit for a spell, so she can calm down, I expect. If she paid for a ticket, same as everyone else, can’t just throw her out.”

  “I did!” was the prompt reply. The woman reached into the low neckline of her dress and took out a thin slip of paper. Addie recognized it as a ticket to tonight’s event, the same as the ones she and Lucian had purchased.

  Of course, Addie’s was in her purse, not her dress. Also, she was very certain the woman wasn’t wearing a bra…

  “See?” the hulking security guard said, as if that settled it. “She’s paid to be here.”

  “That is not your concern!” Marcelle exploded. “She is to be removed from the premises immediately. Tu comprends? That is an order, Roderick.”

  Roderick? Addie looked at the man and put the name to the face. Yes. He definitely looked like a Roderick.

  He held out one huge hand to the lady and she took it dramatically, obviously throwing it in Marcelle’s face that she was going to get to stay. Marcelle sniffed again as they walked away. He wasn’t happy.

  When he turned around and saw Lucian and Addie standing there he gave a start, surprised that anyone had been there to watch that scene. Obviously, he hadn’t noticed them before. “Well,” he said, putting the tips of his fingers to his forehead. “That was not one of my better moments, to be sure. You must forgive me. I was not expecting to see Sheila here tonight. We are over, or so I keep telling her, but still she will not leave me be. She came here tonight to try to get back together with me. I told her no but that wa
s not good enough for her.”

  “Yes, we saw what happened next,” Lucian told him. “You had your hands on that woman, Marcelle. Sheila, was it?”

  “Yes. Sheila Davenport. She will always be the worst six months of my life. But surely, my friend, you understand how crazy some women can be? Er, no offense, Addie.”

  She arched an eyebrow. “Why would I take offense at that?”

  He flustered under her level stare. “Well, I just meant… sometimes things go wrong. Relationships fail. Not everyone can just walk away. That is all I meant, I assure you.”

  “Of course,” she said drily, not ready to let him off the hook that easily.

  Lucian cleared his throat. “That doesn’t explain why you had her shoved up against the wall.”

  “Ah, mon ami,” he exclaimed, “that I can explain. She attacked me! I had to defend myself, of course.”

  Lucian gave him a sharp look. “From where we were standing, it really appeared to be the other way around.”

  “But… look.” He held up his left arm, pulling back the cuff to show them angry red scratches. “See? You see this? She is un fou, insane, crazy in the head as they say. It is like this every time she is in the same room as I. She can not be controlled. I just want her to move on and leave me alone but always, she returns.”

  “That’s why you tried to get the security guard, Roderick, to remove her from the building?”

  “But of course. She is my Achilles heel. My siren song. Whenever we are together, she ruins me. That is why I cut her out of my life. Or, tried to.” He took a deep breath and tugged his sleeve down again. “That is enough sad talk. The spectacle is over, time for the awards dinner. You must receive your reward, my friend! This night must be about you, not the sad past of Marcelle LeBlanc. We will talk about this later, yes?”

  Addie appreciated him saying that. All she had wanted was a nice, normal night out with her boyfriend without any problems popping up. Just one night. After all, everyone made mistakes in the past that just wouldn’t stay in the past, no matter how much they might want them to. There were a few boyfriends of her own who Lucian would never meet, if she was lucky.

  “All right,” Lucian said after a moment. “If you’re sure that’s what you want, Marcelle? If you need to press charges for a restraining order, then we can interview both of you and get statements for—”

  “Non!” he interrupted swiftly, his French accent suddenly very thick. “I mean, that is not necessary. I’ve only just these scratches and that is all. Roderick will see to her for the rest of the night. If there is a problem later, I will find you. Now, go. Go on, both of you! Enjoy this wonderful dinner we are hosting and remember to thank this amazing woman at your side when you accept your award!”

  They were able to laugh together at that, at least, and it broke the tension for everyone. Lucian took her by the hand and together they walked back to the multipurpose room and their dinner. There were a few looks sent their way from the other tables, but no one had gotten up to see what was going on. Abierta was still at her chair, she noticed guiltily, sitting close to her date. One or two of the selectmen from Shadow Lake cast her a questioning glance but then went back to their dinner when she nodded that everything was under control. Their interest had started and ended with Sheila’s one scream. Now they were back to their own conversations and drinks.

  “Can we just leave it at that?” she asked Lucian when they were back at their table. “I mean, as a police officer don’t you have to intervene?”

  “Probably,” he admitted. He held her chair out for her, and then sat down himself. “Neither of them wanted to press charges but we’ll have to at least do a police report. I’m worried about the way Marcelle described their failed relationship. It could lead to something worse if someone doesn’t do something. Yeah. Someone will need to go see them tomorrow and take statements, if nothing else. Alex Candor is here somewhere. I’ll ask him to take care of it.”

  That seemed like all they could do for now. Addie had to wonder about the injury to Marcelle’s wrist, however. It could have been made by Sheila attacking him, like he’d said. Or, it could have been from her trying to defend herself against him when she was being shoved up against the wall. They hadn’t seen what started everything, and obviously there was a lot of history between those two. Were they making a mistake by just letting it go? Maybe. But if neither Marcelle nor this Sheila woman wanted anything done, that would have to be the end of it.

  The salad course was over and done, not that Addie would miss her garden salad too much. Grazing was not her style. Now the waiters were bringing out the main course. Lucian had ordered the steak, but Addie had wanted to try the lemon pepper trout and she was glad she did. It looked delicious when it came, and for the next little while they lost themselves to enjoying the night again. Addie kept an eye on her friend Abierta, making conversation with the others at her table, but hardly touching her food. Addie wished they could have sat together. It would have been more fun for both of them.

  People came and went from the room occasionally, and the hum of voices filled the room along with the clink and scrape of silverware on plates. Waiters rushed here and there, refilling glasses, bringing condiments upon request, and smiling so hard Addie was sure their cheeks would be stuck that way at the end of the night.

  Everything was perfect. Addie wished she could freeze this moment in time and save it in a bottle. Unfortunately, there was no spell that could make that happen.

  It was when the dessert trays came around that Lucian’s fork hesitated over his slice of red velvet cake. The look on his face was strange, his focus on the far side of the room. Addie immediately knew that something was wrong.

  When she followed the direction of his gaze, she immediately saw what it was.

  Over there, sitting at a table, a woman raised her glass in a salute. She was tall and pretty, her legs crossed languidly in a shimmering and slinky blue dress with short sleeves and a neckline that left very little to the imagination. Her almond eyes sparkled with disdainful mirth. Her long, blacker-than-night hair fell loosely around her perfect face and smooth shoulders.

  Belladonna Nightshade winked at them, and then drank from her glass.

  Addie had to restrain herself from sending a blast of magic across the room that would surely incinerate her, but would also destroy everything and everyone else around them. As much as she wanted to take the evil witch down, she wouldn’t risk anyone else’s life to do it.

  “Lucian,” she whispered under her breath, “there she is. Go arrest her!”

  He pulled his attention back to Addie, reluctantly tearing his gaze away from Belladonna. “What? I don’t know what you mean.”

  Of course, Addie thought to herself. He didn’t want to talk about Belladonna in public. He knew everything they suspected her of doing. She was dangerous, in every sense of the word. He didn’t want to risk anyone else’s life either, after all. “Okay,” she said, still at a whisper, “I understand we have to be careful with all these people here, but you’ve got an arrest warrant out for her. You could call in your department and surround the place and drag her in, right? If you did that she couldn’t get away without using her magic and there’s no way she would reveal herself like that. Not with everyone watching. She won’t risk being found out as a… you know.”

  “I do,” he agreed. “She’s the same as you and your sisters—”

  “No, she is not.” Her voice was flat. “Me and my sisters are very different from Belladonna Nightshade. She’s evil. We’re not.”

  “Well, sure. There’s that.” He took her hand and kissed her knuckles tenderly. “I know the difference between good and evil.”

  “You’d better.”

  She smiled, partly for the gesture, and partly because she caught the dark shadow that came over Belladonna’s face when she saw Lucian lavishing attention on her. Let her look. She didn’t have Lucian. Addie did.

  He smiled with her, and his fingers p
layed with hers in a way she very much enjoyed. “Shouldn’t you have been able to sense her presence when we arrived? You know… magically?”

  “Ordinarily I can tell when there’s another strong practitioner of magic around, yes, but she’s fond of using some sort of spell that masks her from my senses. You remember I told you about the first time we met? I didn’t know who she was until it was almost too late. Even this close, she just looks like a hooker trolling for johns.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. That dress is kind of…” He caught himself, clearing his throat. “It’s not bad, for a woman her age.”

  “Nice recovery,” Addie told him sarcastically.

  “Thank you. I wonder why she’s here?” Lucian said, his eyes turning back to Belladonna. They went there a little too easily in Addie’s opinion. “I doubt she’s a fan of civic duty or community outreach, or awards ceremonies either for that matter. You think she’s here because of you?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe.” That was exactly what Addie had been thinking, too. It was far too coincidental that she would just happen to be here otherwise. “Tell you what. You can ask her all about it after you arrest her. Are you going to take her now or wait until she leaves? It might be safer if we wait until she leaves but like I said, she’ll be much less likely to use magic in here. She won’t try to escape by using her magic if she thinks people are watching.”

  “Yeah, you keep saying that, but I seem to remember your younger sister using magic to disappear from the back of a police car in full view of half a dozen of my officers. It took me a week to convince everyone it was just an optical illusion.”

  Addie frowned, because she remembered that, too. Willow had put everyone in a bad spot with that move, selfishly disappearing just to keep from being charged with a crime. Granted, she didn’t commit that murder, but it was still a bad move that had put everyone else in the family in danger, spurred by inexperience and youth. Willow was only two years younger than Addie, but maturity didn’t always track along with your birthday.