Witches in Wonderland

by J. D. Winters

  We were racing along, singing and laughing and welcoming adventure. And suddenly I noticed a huge, ragged man running alongside our car. I stopped singing and stared at him, wondering what on earth he was doing out there. He was dressed in a loose shirt and baggy pants, just like always, and he had a string of beads that looked like a rosary wrapped around his wrist like a bracelet. As I watched, he seemed to be praying on his rosary beads, one at a time, as he ran. No one else seemed to notice him. I tried to call to the others, call him to their attention, but they were singing and…and… and then we hit the skids, as usual, and everyone was screaming and I was still watching that man. The car was sailing through the air, and the man jumped at us, an epic collision. And sure enough, he managed to turn the car away from the water. I craned my neck to see what had happened to him, and he was still counting off his rosary beads. But now we were going over a cliff. That was when I started screaming too, and then someone was shaking my shoulder and calling, “Haley, wake up,” and I opened my eyes to find Mandy trying to wake me.

  I caught my breath and turned to her. “Thanks,” I said breathlessly. “It was just a bad dream.”

  She nodded as if she knew all about it. “About the accident, right? In the lake?”

  I stared at her. “Did your sister….?”

  She nodded. “She was in that same accident.”

  I frowned, feeling wary. “Who are you Mandy? What are you doing here?”

  “My sister was…is Piper Vega. You and she were roommates in college. You both went into the lake together. And you both…” Her voice broke and she shook her head, shaking the emotion away. “I heard you were back here in Moonhaven. I had to come and see for myself.”

  I swallowed. “You know that I don’t remember anything about that.”

  She nodded again. “Sure.”

  “And your sister?”

  She shrugged. “Haven’t seen her. That’s why I’m here.”

  “You expected to find her here?”

  She shook her head. “Not at all.” She took a shaky breath and met my gaze, chin high. “I heard about you, about how you’d returned from that watery grave. How you had supposedly come back to life. And I began to wonder. If you could do it, why not my sister? Maybe you could explain that one to me.”

  I stared at her, shocked and shaken. And yet…because it was Mandy, because I thought I knew her, at least a little, I didn’t feel threatened. I knew she was searching for a way to heal a broken heart and I really felt so sorry for her. I was pretty sure there was no way I could help her. I was pretty sure there wasn’t even any way my grandmother could help her.

  “Tell me about Piper,” I said. “Tell me what she told you about our friendship.”

  Mandy smiled a bit tremulously. “She didn’t have to tell me. I saw it for myself. You were always coming home with her to stay for the weekend. I loved you almost as much as she did.”

  So that was it—that was what had given me that safe and comfortable feeling with Mandy from the start. She was a warm, loving person and her affectionate nature showed in her manner. You couldn’t help but pick up on it and you automatically wanted to return it.

  But I had to be realistic. I had to tell her the truth. There was no way I knew of to try to do for her sister what had been done for me. And I wasn’t even sure what that was.

  We talked for another ten minutes or so, then went down to breakfast and another talk-this time with Krissy, just to bring her up to speed on Mandy’s background.

  My phone buzzed and I was pretty sure I knew who it was going to be. I got up and walked outside to take the call.

  “Hey,” I said.

  “Hey back,” Clarissa answered. “Get over here as fast as you can. Things are happening. We’ve got poachers.”

  “At the Haunted House?”

  “You got it. I just saw Phyllis sneaking in through the garden shed and I’m pretty sure Hector is in there. I’m calling in the cavalry.”

  “And who is that?”

  “You, silly. Get over here. I’ll be waiting in the gazebo out back.”

  She rang off before I had a chance to protest. I grumbled to myself a bit, but I knew I was going to go try to help her. I was already feeling guilty about not being there to back her up yesterday. But I also knew I wasn’t going to tell Mandy and Krissy where I was going and who I was meeting. Something told me they wouldn’t approve.

  And I could hardly blame them. After all, there was a murderer running around loose. Unless of course, you bought the case against Gordon. Which I did not.

  I hopped into my little clunker of a car but before I started the engine, my phone buzzed again. This time it was Bentley.

  “Hi Bentley. What’s new?” I said, knowing he’d probably been up all night and wouldn’t want to hear me whining about having to man the comforting post at the Sheriff Station until two.

  “Just wanted to give you a heads up. I talked to some of my more scientifically inclined friends about those ashes, and my old mentor was so intrigued, he came on over to get the straight scoop on it all. He took a look, did some tests, and he’s pretty sure someone of the witchy persuasion—probably a warlock or a sorceress--was burning Mare’s root and foxglove seeds along with some flying lizard remains to create a powerful potion.”

  A warlock or a sorceress. Yes, I was beginning to realize that had to be what we were dealing with, and it made me shudder a bit.

  “Interesting. To what end?”

  “Regeneration.”

  I frowned, immediately on edge. “You mean like—bringing someone back to life?”

  “More likely a return to youthful appearance.”

  I frowned harder, not sure what that could mean. Still, I quickly ran over the names of those who were there that night and came up with two possible super-witches--Gran Ana and Clarissa were both possibles. Now how to prove either of them stoked a small magic fire on that second floor landing?

  But wait. When you came right down to it, who cared? Fires on landings were frowned upon but hardly enough to call the police on when the ashes were cold and they were two days old. Or were they?

  The thing was, I could hardly see Gran Ana caring enough about youthful appearance to be setting fires in old houses—even if the Haunted House had been in the family all that time. But Clarissa—she was another matter. She seemed to care a lot about beauty. Just how old was she, anyway?

  “Thanks Bentley. I’ll talk to you later. I’ve got an errand to run.”

  Something in my voice must have alerted him.

  “Where are you going?” he said suspiciously.

  “Never mind. I’ve got to guard my privacy you know.”

  His voice became a bit sharper. “No, really Haley. Where are you going? You know there’s a killer out there. You ought to let people know what you’re doing….”

  “Hey, I’ll call you later. You know I don’t have many secrets from you. I’ll tell you all about it when it’s over.”

  “When what’s over?”

  “Bye.”

  Not sure why I was so intent on not telling anyone about my alliance—such as it was—with Clarissa, but something deep and instinctual was at work here. I might be doing something stupid, but this was my decision and I wanted to take my own chances. No second guessing from the audience, so to speak. I’d stepped into this situation on my own and I planned to take it as far as it went, then punt. Sort of trying my wings. Let’s face it, I had as much riding on my own judgment of my skills and strength as Gran Ana did when she tested me. I had to know.

  Chapter 19

  I parked a block away from the house and made an approach toward the street, this time coming from below. I didn’t want to risk being seen by any cops, if they were still guarding the place, though I don’t know why they would still be there. After all, Gordon was arrested for the crime. The police had caught their man, and all we were doing here was cleaning things up. Right?

  I walked the better part of the block, and th
e upper story of my house began to bob into view, larger with every step. Going back to my childhood home again, after having that dream last night made it look somehow different. It looked colder and stranger, and seemed to loom over the street. It was like it wasn’t just a haunted attraction anymore, but for me was really haunted with bad memories that were just on the tip of my mind.

  I had distracted myself thoroughly enough with these thoughts that someone could sneak up on me. A hand grabbed my shoulder, and pulled me into a tree-shaded place just kitty corner and across the street from my house. Small hands, but unbelievably strong, so that even when my martial arts-trained instincts kicked in, I couldn’t shake loose or pull my attacker’s weight out from under them. I was forced against a fence, and flipped around.

  Then I stared into the face of the woman who’d grabbed me.

  Clarissa still had a hand over my mouth, but flipped it around to just be a single finger, held on my lips, shushing me. She brought that finger up to her own lips, which were unsmiling. Her other hand was tugging a little nervously at the ubiquitous chains and the voluminous strand of scarfs she wore. The red peacock glass cuff holding her scarves shimmered in the early morning sunlight and a few beads rattled as she moved.

  Something was different. It was almost as though there had been a filter over her lately, making her seem amusing and congenial, and now it was gone and the real Clarissa was emerging. There was something cold there. Something not very nice. But was it her? Or was it me?

  “I don’t like being manhandled,” I said, trying to cover how basically embarrassing it was. I was a tough girl. Clarissa was barely a slip of delicate femininity, but she’d pulled me around like I was nothing. Was there any end to the surprises this woman held?

  “I couldn’t shout, and you didn’t respond when I whispered,” she said, voice very low and urgent. “Come on. We’ll go to the gazebo and plan our invasion from there.”

  We walked across the street like a tag team, hunkering down. It was maybe a little ridiculous, since it was just a residential street, and there was no reason we two girls shouldn’t be having a stroll across it.

  But tension filled the air. It was the start of a nice, rather sunny day, but it felt like we were passing through a terrible fog, one that wouldn’t let us see more than inches ahead of ourselves. Something could come out of that fog at any minute and we’d be in trouble. I felt the sudden need for a timeout—a pause to readjust expectations. What were we doing here?

  We slipped into the yard and made our way to the gazebo. Strange how that little structure with it’s gingerbread molding and curly-cue window framing felt like a refuge, even though it was practically without walls. We sat on the crumbling bench and Clarissa threw back her beautiful ebony hair and smiled at me.

  “Thanks for coming,” she said.

  I nodded. “I feel a responsibility to help with securing Hector,” I reminded her, not feeling as open to the camaraderie we’d been sharing lately.

  But she didn’t seem to notice. “Believe it or not, I’ve grown very fond of you.” She patted my hand affectionately, but her eyes were still cold.

  “Oh. Well….”

  “I like your quick mind, your strength, your realistic way of looking at things. I even like the fact that you’re Gran Ana’s granddaughter. That item alone gives this a fitting cloak of retribution.”

  She said that last word as though enjoying it as it curled around her tongue.

  “Retribution? For what?”

  “Past sins. Oh, Gran Ana. But never mind, that’s all water under the bridge. Just leave it at this. I think we’ll be able to work very well together. Once things settle down.”

  This was beginning to bother me. She seemed to be assuming a closeness between us that just didn’t exist. Who was this woman?

  “Clarissa, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I glanced over my shoulder at the house. “Look, are we going to secure Hector or are we not?”

  “All in good time.” She held her hand up and listened intently, then turned back to me. “I’m waiting for a sign. It won’t take long. But the time must be right.”

  I sighed. “Clarissa…”

  She pointed back the way I’d been looking. “Look at your house. What do you see?”

  Look at the house yourself, is what I wanted to spit out at her. I had just about had it, but I decided to play nice, if just for the time being. Maybe she would respond in kind. I turned, glanced around at things, and shrugged.

  “It’s the house. No guards anymore. Nobody parked there but…” And then I saw, around the street, almost out of view, the bright red sports car. Phyllis’ car.

  “Phyllis is still here?”

  “Yes, she is.”

  That surprised me. It had been at least half an hour since Clarissa had called me about Phyllis. I thought she’d probably come to look for something for Gran Ana. Or even for herself, though I didn’t think it was very likely that she would find a copy of Kenny’s will or anything like that. So what would she be here for?

  I turned back to look at Clarissa, who then pointed at some hedges along the fence that must have been maintained by the city, since they hadn’t grown ragged and wild with neglect like the rest of the yard.

  “I ducked here when that car drove by. I watched her park and get out, and she threw something into those bushes!”

  “Well, what are we waiting for?” I said, rising impatiently. “Let’s explore those bushes. I’m surprised you haven’t already. ”

  “I was waiting for you, of course. I told you we’re a team. Let’s go.”

  This all seemed manipulative and phony and I was losing all faith in Clarissa. She seemed such a transparent liar. What was she up to anyway?

  “Clarissa, wait a minute,” I said, reaching forward to touch her shoulder.

  She glanced back, one eyebrow raised in question and very carefully removed my hand. “What’s the hold up? Hector is inside the house, and just moments ago, Phyllis went in, too.”

  “Yes, but what is she doing here?” I said, getting fretful as I began to imagine all kinds of things that might be happening in the house. “We’ve got to talk to her. I’ve got to see if she’s okay.”

  “Not until we see what she threw into the bushes.” She stared at me, her eyes turning red as rubies in a way that struck sudden alarm into me. “Don’t you see what’s going on here? Hector is in a dangerous state and if Phyllis could do something to agitate it….”

  “How in the world would she know how to upset a ghost,” I started, feeling very shaky, but stopped myself. Of course I knew how Phyllis could learn all sorts of things about ghosts, about any kind of magic. She could get it from Gran Ana. And the state I saw her in yesterday, passed out and under some kind of spell, with her locked away like some kind of… what was the word? Zombie, I guess, but not the movie kind. The voodoo kind. “We have to get in there and check on her.”

  “First, check out the bush,” Clarissa said. “You go.”

  I was feeling more and more rebellious toward this woman. “Why me? You saw where she threw it.”

  “I’ve got other pressing elements I’m dealing with. I have more experience with ghosts, and I need to attune myself to Hector’s wavelength. I must try and figure out what he might be attempting here. We can’t leave anything to chance.”

  She stood right next to the porch, out in the open, closing her eyes. She pulled her scarves out by one end, separating out a crimson beauty which had a little amulet attached at the fringe. I’d seen her holding that little ivory figure before and she held it in one hand as though presenting it, while she continued to tug out other scarves, each a sort of pull chain for other small items such as rings and strings of beads, all decorating the pieces of silk that flowed around her neck. They all rattled and chimed as though creating a small symphony of sound for her. It all seemed a little crazy.

  But what wasn’t crazy was the power that was coming off of her, magical power that I was get
ting more and more sensitive to. It was a little like seeing ghosts as transparent apparitions, where they looked like they were there, and not, at the same time. Hard to explain to someone who hasn’t seen that sort of vision, and just thinking about it gave me a headache.

  In fact, this whole setup was beginning to bother me quite a bit. What was Clarissa planning? What did she expect from me?

  Well, at the least, she wanted me to look in the bushes, and I supposed I could do that. Reluctantly, I walked over to the hedge by the side of the house. I looked at it, and knew I wouldn’t have to search long. There was a broken part of the hedge, branches pushed down and to the side making a hole large enough to put your fingers in, though it was thick and dark enough in the hedge that I couldn’t see exactly what was there.

  I reached in slowly, carefully, and after a few inches my fingers tapped against bare, cool metal. Very gently, I used the tips of my fingers to learn more about it without grabbing it. Slender, small… curved…

  Something rustled on the further side of the hedge. I pulled my hand out immediately and looked just in time to see a bushy red tail disappear behind the greenery. Suddenly, I felt bolder. Mandy was here, in hiding, and keeping an eye on me to make sure I didn’t fall into any traps. A wave of relief swept over me. I hadn’t realized how scared of this woman I really was, but I didn’t have time to dwell on it.

  “What is it?” Clarissa said, appearing right behind me without warning, making me jump and gasp.

  I looked at her and almost cringed. She was looking more and more like some evil Cruella sort of witch. What had happened to her beauty?

  I turned around, and knew I didn’t want to tell her about Mandy. I couldn’t tell you why, but I felt I had to keep my foxy friend a secret. Only a second passed before I realized that wasn’t what Clarissa was talking about.

  “It’s something metal. I didn’t want to just grab it without seeing it first.”

  Clarissa, looked at me scornfully, then slipped her little hand into the hole and came out with the object. I gasped.