Witch Trials (A Mackenzie Coven Mystery Book 5)

by Sonia Parin

“There’s a trick to it. Think of yourself as a chameleon, blending in with your surroundings.”

  “I’ve never been a chameleon and what if I re-emerge all wrong?”

  “Only a cosmetic surgeon can do that. You are who you are. Otherwise, I’d be strongly encouraging you to get a tail. They are very handy.” Luna flicked her tail. “When I’m bored, I can entertain myself with it and, when I run and want to turn a sharp corner, it works great as a rudder, helping to keep my balance. Of course, you would have to get a whole new wardrobe to accommodate it...”

  Blend in...

  “Are you at least trying?”

  “Yes, just give me a minute.”

  “Here’s something else that might help. Look at the space in front of you and imagine becoming just like it.” As Luna watched her, she tilted her head from side to side. “No, that’s obviously not working. How about... Oh, yes. Zap all the color out of yourself.”

  “You’re pulling my tail.”

  “You’re not trying.”

  “I am.” Lexie gritted her back teeth and pressed her eyes tightly.

  “Yes, I can see you’re trying now. But... you need to do it effortlessly.”

  “Try doing it effortlessly?”

  Luna paced around muttering to herself. “I think you’re having trouble understanding the concept. As the saying goes, the Devil is in the details and that’s probably preventing you from simply doing it. Don’t be hindered by the details. Try this. When you dive into a swimming pool, you are suddenly lighter. You’re floating. See, change is possible without even thinking about it.”

  Lexie scratched her head and waited to be reprimanded for being a slow learner. Instead, Luna shot off into a frenzied sprint around the office, clearly intent on releasing her frustration.

  “Feeling better?”

  Luna’s ears twitched. “I hear people coming. It’s now or never.”

  Air. Water... They were both clear and yet... one could add color to both. Could she really drain all color out of herself?

  Luna planted her paws on her knees and yelled at her, “Zap the color. Now!”

  Moments later, the door to Marcela’s office opened.

  Zoe and Zach strode in, followed by the detective.

  “Please take a seat,” he offered.

  Lexie pressed her hands against her eyes. Had she managed to disappear?

  “... You purchased a gateway incantation from Lexington Catering...”

  Taking a peek between her fingers, she saw Luna leap up onto the desk. She sauntered across it and sat facing Gerard. The fact he didn’t look her way didn’t mean anything. The fact she could see Luna meant... well, when Luna had been invisible before, she hadn’t seen her. Then, at Lexington Catering, Lexie had seen a faint shape. If they were both invisible... it stood to reason that Lexie would be able to see her the way she always saw her...

  She gave up trying to wrap her head around the concept for fear her head might explode.

  Luna pushed a pencil off the desk. When it rolled off and fell on the floor, the detective’s attention wavered and broke away from Zoe. He looked around... and right past Lexie.

  “He can’t see you,” Luna said.

  Yes, but could Luna see her?

  “Yes, of course I can see you. Just because I’m invisible doesn’t mean I’m blind.”

  Surely Luna wouldn’t lie to her. And... if the detective had seen her, he would have said something.

  Lexie scooped in a breath and gave him a small wave.

  Nope. Nothing.

  Yay! She was invisible!

  “Purchase a gateway incantation... Why would we do that?” Zoe defended herself.

  “Mrs. Baker, I saw you go through the gateway.”

  Zoe denied it with a shake of her head. “You must have imagined it.”

  Her husband shifted in his chair. Lexie decided he would break first. The detective only needed to fire off a few key questions, putting enough pressure to make him break into a sweat.

  “Fine. Yes... we did go through a gateway,” Zoe confessed.

  The admission took Lexie by surprise.

  “But only because we thought we were following a clue,” Zoe added.

  Likely excuse, Lexie thought. How did they know to swap their car for a horse-drawn buggy?

  “How did you know to also swap your car for a horse-drawn buggy?” the detective asked.

  “Because the instructions said so.”

  “Where did you find the clue?”

  Zoe and Zach exchanged a look. Either they could read each other’s minds or they’d been married long enough to perfect the art of silent communication.

  “We were curious... about the crime scene. We snuck in and Zach noticed the piece of paper poking out from under the bathtub.”

  “Why didn’t you hand it over as evidence?”

  Zoe made a show of wringing her hands. “We didn’t see any harm in it. We were in shock and desperate to keep ourselves busy. We could only think about throwing ourselves into the program and trying not to think about the murders too much. Getting on with the game has been our way of coping. It’s been traumatic for us. You might be used to murder and mayhem, but we’re not. We can’t be held accountable for our erratic behavior. Needless to say, without counseling, we’re trying to do the best we can to cope with the stress and trauma. For all we know, we’ll be scarred for life.”

  “What exactly did you hope to find when you intentionally traveled to the past?”

  “Some clues come in the form of instructions. Such as, walk ten paces and look up. They don’t always make sense, but ours in not to reason why... We had no idea what we’d find. We only knew we had to look...”

  “And when you traveled to the past, how did you know to go straight to that particular suite?”

  Zoe shrugged. “Because it’s the suite where Lauren and Lance were killed in. We figured, since we found the clue there, when we traveled back in time, we would find something in the same place. It was all for nothing. In the end, we came back empty-handed.”

  The same suite!

  What if great granny Hensley left some sort of clue in her suite to be discovered in years to come? Going by Luna’s description of the scene, she’d been reluctant to relinquish her power. They couldn’t be sure Tillie had taken them for herself. Luna hadn’t stuck around until the end.

  They had to make sure.

  Have you been listening to me?

  Luna leaped off the desk and sauntered over to her. “I’m trying to decide if you’re holding me responsible for the gap in information. I stuck around long enough. I told you, your great aunt Tillie was starting to sense me. I didn’t want to risk giving myself away. I can see you pursing your lips. I guess you’re trying to hold back the burning need to snap at me but can’t risk speaking out loud for fear of discovery. You should use this time to appreciate our working relationship. It’s give and take. That means you take what I give you without criticism but with lots of gratitude. I now realize you could have blasted me with a mental rebuke, but you didn’t. You are to be commended for your patience and self-control.”

  Be warned, my patience has worn thin.

  “How did Lou-Anne and Steven Reid fit into your escapade?” the detective asked.

  “We’ve formed an alliance. When Zach and I found the incantation, we shared it with them. At first, they were reluctant to follow us, but eventually they did.”

  Lexie noticed they didn’t mention an existing acquaintance. If they knew each other, why hide it?

  “The detective is being too soft on them,” Luna said. “In his place, I’d be growling in their faces. He’s not even using his special O’Rourke voice.” Luna glanced at Lexie. “You’re not saying much. Is something wrong?”

  Lexie had fixed her attention on the detective. Moments before, she’d wondered how Zoe had known to swap their car for a horse-drawn buggy. As soon as the thought had taken shape in her mind, she’d heard the words spill out of the detective.


  Had she picked up a new power or had he read her thoughts? No... if he’d read her thoughts, then he would have at least looked around the office. Unless... Unless, since she was invisible, he thought he could read her thoughts from a distance.

  “Or you might have picked up a new power,” Luna remarked. “You could call it the power of coercion.”

  Or the power of influence.

  Lexie tapped her chin as a thought wove into her mind. She’d never cared for blueberry pie and yet, she’d ended up conjuring it, but only after hearing someone mention it was their favorite comfort food. Who had it been?

  “What are you trying to allude to?” Luna asked.

  To the possibility that someone had such persuasive powers, they might have persuaded Lauren into reading the incantation out loud in the bath.

  Luna’s mouth gaped open. “I think you are onto something. Can you remember who influenced you into conjuring the pie?”

  The night before, she’d been talking with...

  It would come to her...

  “If you’re looking for a suspect,” Zoe said, “You should turn your focus to Bill and Susan Faraday. They didn’t get along with the McCullens.”

  “Why?”

  “There had been some sort of ongoing dispute. They’re trying to break into the major leagues. From what we hear, Lauren spread rumors about them.”

  “Why didn’t you provide that information before now?”

  Zoe lifted her chin. “It’s not my place to spread rumors.”

  I’m having difficulty believing her. It’s all too convenient. The finger of suspicion is pointed at her and suddenly she remembers the bad blood between someone else.

  “Are you trying to change the subject because you can’t remember who compelled you to ask for blueberry pie?” Luna asked. “You’re too young to start losing control of your memory.”

  “Now... If you don’t have any more questions, Zach and I would like to get back to the program. We don’t wish to lose any more ground.”

  “Before you leave, I’d like you to hand over the incantation. And... Needless to say, the request to remain at Gainsborough Mansion remains. That means, no more trips out.”

  Zoe and Zach left without a murmur.

  The detective leaned back against a bookcase and brushed his hand across his chin.

  “He thinks he’s alone in the room. I hope he doesn’t do anything to embarrass himself.”

  He drew out his cell phone and keyed in a text message. After a few moments, he received a reply. Putting away his cell, he left Marcela’s office.

  Lexie released a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding. “Okay... How do I make myself visible again?”

  Luna shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “What?”

  She gave her paw a lick and brushed it against her face.

  Lexie jumped to her feet. “What if I stay invisible forever?”

  “Impossible. Why would you do that? Unless you really do have self-image issues and think no one sees you or pays any attention to you. You know you are a beautiful being and deserving of everything your heart desires. You don’t need others to approve of you—”

  The detective stepped back inside the office. “Are you two coming or not?”

  Chapter Eleven

  “I must say, the detective has an admirable sense of humor. He could have given you away at any time. Instead, he chose to play along and pretend he couldn’t see you.”

  Lexie strode on ahead, grumbling under her breath, “You made me think I was invisible.”

  “You can’t blame me for wanting to get back at you. You dismissed my injuries as inconsequential. Who knows how long it’ll take for my fur to grow back. I must confess, even without the need to seek vengeance, I would have been hard pressed to ignore the opportunity to have fun at your expense. It was quite amusing to see you sitting in the corner and thinking you were actually invisible. To your credit, you didn’t do anything to disgrace yourself, such as poking your tongue out at the detective.”

  Ignoring Luna, Lexie caught up with him. “Do you think Zoe and Zach are innocent?”

  “I’m prepared to believe their story, but only for the time being.”

  “You must be annoyed to have missed the incantation.”

  He turned to her and pressed a finger to his lips.

  “I think he wants you to be quiet.”

  When he gestured for her to follow him down the stairs, she hurried her steps.

  “This is intriguing. He is either going to share something worthwhile with you, or he is waiting until we get outside to laugh at the preposterous idea that you could become invisible.”

  As they strode across the grounds, Lexie tried to empty her mind. Instead, she muttered silently and tried to come up with a rebuke.

  Luna laughed. “You’re experiencing one of those moments when you want to fire off a smart reply but can’t come up with anything.”

  She’d become so engrossed in the task she nearly collided with the detective who’d come to a sudden stop.

  “No, I don’t believe them,” he said, “We went through the suite and the bathroom with a fine toothcomb and didn’t miss anything.”

  That could only mean... “They were there during or right after the incident.”

  He nodded.

  “Why didn’t you arrest them?”

  “No concrete proof.”

  “But... But... You have your O’Rourke voice. You should have used it.”

  “New guidelines have come into play. We are... somewhat restricted.”

  “You too? What is this world coming to when people with power can’t use it?”

  Lexie ran through the sequence of events in her mind. When Zoe had come down the stairs with everyone else and Lexie had asked if she’d heard the scream, Zoe had said she’d mistaken it for someone’s celebration. Had she lied? Assuming she was the curious type, she might have gone into the suite to investigate, found the dead bodies and the incantation scroll. Thinking no one would miss it and that it could come in handy, she’d procured it for herself.

  The detective nodded in agreement.

  “At some point, I’m hoping I’ll get used to people reading my mind.” She looked around them. “Luna and I were playing around with an idea...”

  Gerard looked down at his feet and seemed to come to a defining decision. “Okay. Let’s hear it.”

  He actually had to think about it? Lexie considered not sharing her ideas, but then realized it would defeat the purpose of wrapping this up as soon as they could. She wanted to go home. “We were thinking the killer knew the consequences of using the incantation inside and so... tricked Lauren into reading it.”

  He drew out the small scroll.

  “I’d be careful with that. Luna and I received a similar scroll and it had small print, even smaller print and some sort of booby trap.”

  He gave her a lifted eyebrow look that spoke of amusement.

  “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  He looked up from the scroll. “Part of it is missing. It’s been cut off.”

  “I’m guessing it’s the part which warned against speaking the words inside. You saw the gateway. Can you imagine the consequences of opening something like that in a confined space such as a bathroom? I bet you anything the missing part clearly says you must make sure you’re out in the open and, most importantly, you must be driving a horse-drawn buggy. I’m guessing that last part is some sort of safety measure to avoid someone inadvertently speaking those words and accidentally falling into a gateway.”

  “He looks genuinely intrigued by your theory,” Luna mused. “I wish I’d come up with it. Then he might have changed his mind about not liking me.”

  Lexie scooped Luna up and hugged her. “The McCullens must have been getting close to something. What if they’re the ones who purchased the incantation for the gateway and someone intercepted it, someone who wanted them dead? They tore off the essential instructions
and returned it to the drop off place setting into motion their evil intention to kill Lauren and Lance?”

  He gave a pensive nod.

  Since Zoe had been the one to then find the scroll and use it, the finger of suspicion would have to be pointed at her. But Lexie thought that was too obvious. Maybe the killer hadn’t counted on the scroll being found so quickly. “Hey. Lauren and Lance died soon after the treasure hunt, which means, they found the scroll outside.”

  Gerard nodded. “It was hidden in a tree. I’ve since had the phone records checked and Lauren received a call from Lexington Catering, which connects her directly to the supplier.”

  “He waited until now to share such pertinent information? Would you like me to bite him?”

  Lexie scratched her under the chin. “That must have been at lunch time when she left to take a call.” The catering company had contacted Lauren... not the other way around. “Are you sure Lexington Catering is in the clear?”

  “Are you getting another theory?” Gerard asked.

  “How hard would it be to imagine... What’s his name?”

  “Elijah Edmondson.”

  “How hard would it be to imagine Elijah is also after the treasure, a.k.a. great granny Hensley’s lost magic? Suddenly, there’s a group of guests intent on finding it. So he takes matters into his own hands and decides to get rid of them, one by one.”

  The detective put his hands up. “One suspect at a time, please. At this rate, I’m surprised you haven’t suspected your cat.”

  Lexie grinned. “That’s silly. Why would I suspect Luna? Hang on. Did Elijah Edmondson give you the name of the person who placed the order?”

  “He couldn’t tell me. Here’s the thing. He called Lauren, so there’s a record of that. But there’s no record of Lauren calling him on her cell. According to Elijah, the order was placed by phone. We checked the Gainsborough Mansion landline and, sure enough, a call was placed to him. The person didn’t identify themselves but they left instructions to call Lauren’s number to alert her when the order was ready to be collected.”

  Huh?

  Someone had gone to a great deal of trouble to remain anonymous. In the process, they’d involved Gainsborough Mansion and Lauren McCullen. And, by default, Marcela.