“We just ran into Dani,” I argued. “She said she’s dealing with the funeral arrangements.”
The laugh Lorna let loose was hollow. “Of course she is.”
“She said you insisted that she handle it,” I added. “I know you’re going through something, Lorna, but your children are struggling ... and badly. You need to step up for them.” I was taking a circular route to my verbal assault.
“Well, if Dani said I told her to do it, then I did.” Lorna leaned back in her chair, her eyes red-rimmed and puffy. “What do you want? I didn’t invite you here. In fact, I don’t want you here at all. I think you need to get out of my house.”
“We’re not leaving.” I refused to back down and pinned her with my bossiest look. I learned it from my mother ... and Aunt Tillie ... and, well, Marnie and Twila. Actually, every woman in our family had a patented bossy look.
“I could make you leave,” Lorna insisted. “I could call Chief Terry right now and have him haul you away.”
“Good luck with that.”
Lorna’s expression was defiant for a full ten seconds ... and then her face crumbled. “What do you want?” She sounded exasperated, on the verge of tears. “I’m not joking when I say I’m in no condition to deal with whatever it is the two of you want. I’m at my limit.”
I had trouble reconciling the woman I saw before me with the murderous witch I was picturing in my head. She was the only suspect, which meant she had to be a masterful actress. “Are you mourning Adam or Paul this morning?”
Confusion washed over Lorna’s face. “I ... what do you mean?”
“Paul Masterson,” I pressed. “He was found dead in his house this morning. It seems birds pecked his eyes out.”
“What?” Lorna’s eyes went wide. Yes, she was very good.
“No one knows how the birds got into his house. He was sitting in front of a steak and somehow the birds got in, ripped out his eyes and left him to die. I found him because I was going to question him about his relationship with you.”
Lorna’s hand flew to her mouth and the fright reflected back at me was heart-rending. Something was off about this situation ... other than the obvious, that is. “You’re wrong. Paul isn’t dead. I just talked to him on the phone last night.
“He said everything was going to be okay and not to worry about people finding out about our relationship,” she continued. “He said he had Landon and Chief Terry in hand and they wouldn’t be able to spread the information. I told him you knew, but he didn’t seem worried that you would have the guts to print anything in the newspaper.”
“I’m not generally a fan of salacious gossip,” I countered. “I wouldn’t print the details of your affair without reason.”
“I’m guessing that Masterson’s death is a good reason,” Aunt Tillie noted. “I mean ... that’s two men you’ve slept with who have died in the same week, Lorna. You’re not having a good run of it, are you?”
“No. I ... .” She rubbed her forehead and then burst into tears. The torrent was so fierce I was caught off guard, forcing me to look to Aunt Tillie for guidance.
For her part, she looked equally perplexed. “Are you sure she’s our evil witch?” she asked after watching Lorna’s shoulders shake and her body convulse for a full thirty seconds. “She doesn’t seem evil.”
Oddly enough, I was having the same doubts.
“Witch?” Lorna sputtered, snot running down her lip. “You think I did this, don’t you?”
I exhaled heavily and debated my options. Finally, I just went for it. We were out of time for subtlety. “Whoever is doing this is a witch. There’s no doubt about that. We assumed because of your mother’s background that you were the witch in question. Now, though ... .”
“If you’re an evil witch, you should tell us now,” Aunt Tillie commanded, her voice full of authority. “If you’re not, we’re genuinely sorry for your loss and hope you ascribe to the ‘no blood, no foul’ rule.”
I wanted to sink under the table and hide. “Let’s handle the witch question first,” I suggested. “Are you controlling the birds?”
“No.” She shook her head emphatically. “I don’t understand why you would ask me a question like that.”
“Before your husband’s business exploded — something that has yet to be explained to my satisfaction — a flock of birds alerted over Hemlock Cove,” I explained. “They’re called harbingers.”
“I know what harbingers are.”
“Because your mother was a witch?”
Lorna nodded stiffly. “How did you figure that out?”
“It’s common knowledge in certain circles. Some of the residents in Hemlock Cove have long memories.”
Lorna’s gaze moved to Aunt Tillie. “Like you? How long is your memory?”
“If you’re asking whether I told her about your mother, I am ... to a certain extent,” Aunt Tillie replied blithely. “It wasn’t only me. There were others. I was always under the assumption that your mother was a witch for show and nothing more. If she had traces of the craft in her, they had to be minor. What’s happening now isn’t minor.”
“It doesn’t sound like it,” Lorna agreed, a thoughtful wave washing over her twisted features. “My mother was a witch, but not the sort you’re rumored to be. She didn’t do evil things. I can promise you that.”
“What about you? Do you do evil things?”
“Of course not.”
“I saw you on a bench at the edge of the square the day after Adam died,” I argued. “Birds were circling.”
“They were? I don’t remember that. I don’t remember much about that night. I was drunk, if you want to know the truth. I’ve been drunk since Adam died.”
“We can smell it,” Aunt Tillie offered.
I pretended she hadn’t spoken. “Birds attacked at the ritual last night, too. We managed to fight them off. Your mother died in a strange farm accident. Your sister went missing without a trace. All of those things put together make for a very dark story. I’m sorry, but ... I’m going to need more than your word that you’re not a witch.”
“Well, I don’t have more than my word,” she shot back. “My mother’s death was suspicious to me, too, but there was no one else around. I have no proof it wasn’t an accident. If I ever get proof, I’ll go after the individual responsible. My mother was a good woman.
“As for my sister, well, Diane was always hard to contain,” she continued. “She shared my mother’s gift, though it seemed to be enhanced. When my mother tried to control her, shut down the spells she was casting, she ran away. She hasn’t been back since.
“The magic skipped me. I’m not a witch. I don’t have any power.”
Aunt Tillie shifted on her chair. “Magic often skips generations,” she acknowledged. “Or it will bless one child and leave another bereft. There’s often no pattern or reason. That said ... what about your daughter?”
I jolted at the notion. I hadn’t even considered Dani.
“My daughter is another story,” Lorna acknowledged. “She’s evil all around. She always has been. That one was born bad ... and there’s nothing I can do about it. If you’re searching for an evil witch, look no further, because she’s the one you want.”
Ugh. That was so not what I was expecting.
Twenty-Six
I couldn’t comprehend what I was hearing.
“How long have you known that Dani is a witch?”
“Since she was five and set the curtains on fire when I wouldn’t give her ice cream,” Lorna replied, matter-of-fact. “That’s why all the curtains are flame retardant now.”
“But ... I’ve never seen her manifest.” I ran through the brief conversation I’d had with Dani. “I’ve seen her around since she was a little kid. She’s never exhibited any magical ability in front of me.”
“Did you exhibit your magical ability in front of others?”
“No, but ... .” She had a point.
“I wanted her to be a good gi
rl,” Lorna offered. “I really wanted that more than you will ever know. I thought there was a chance I could fix things with her. Adam always refused to see what she really was, said I was overreacting and imposing my fears of my sister on her. But I always knew, deep down, that she was something to be feared.”
I was utterly flabbergasted and didn’t know what to say.
Aunt Tillie never had that problem. “What can she do?” She was all business. “You said she set the drapes on fire when she was a small child. Fire magic is rare in kids that age. Did your mother have fire magic?”
“I don’t know much about witchcraft,” Lorna admitted ruefully. “I was upset when I was a kid and realized that I didn’t have any magic. Diane was always my mother’s favorite because she was powerful.
“My mother didn’t hate me or anything, I don’t want you to think that,” she continued. “It was simply inevitable that she bonded closer with Diane. They had more in common.”
I stirred. “Why did Diane run away? You mentioned that your mother was trying to rein her in. That can’t be the only reason.”
“But it was.” Lorna insisted. “Diane always thought she could do whatever she wanted, hurt whoever she wanted, claim whatever boy she wanted. If she couldn’t do it with her natural charm she would use magic.
“My mother provided for us with her potions, love spells and the like. She understood that she was setting a bad example for Diane, but when you have children to feed, well, sometimes you have to make hard choices.
“She spent a lot of time talking to Diane, explaining the nature of magic and why it was never good to embrace the dark arts,” she continued. “Diane would always laugh with me afterward — we shared a room and she liked to talk badly about Mother — and said that she was wasting her potential. She said she wouldn’t be the same way.
“My mother made a few mistakes with Diane when she was small, laughing when she did something that wasn’t so nice simply because she used magic to do it. She was often tickled by Diane’s antics. As Diane grew older, she realized she’d created a monster of sorts and had no idea what to do about it.”
“I remember your sister,” Aunt Tillie offered. “She hid the fact that she had gifts well. I never saw anything in her that would suggest she was evil. I have to give her kudos on hiding her true nature.”
“We were aware of you,” Lorna explained. “Your family was held in high regard in some witch circles, including the coven my mother joined. Most witches knew enough to steer clear of you. The power that emanated from your family was otherworldly.
“Diane was a bit infatuated with you for a time, Miss Tillie. You probably don’t remember. She followed you around to try to catch you casting spells. She never could. As for your nieces, there was a time she tried to befriend them. She wanted Winnie because she believed she was the most powerful, but she would’ve taken any of them.
“They were a tight-knit circle, though, and you couldn’t separate them. Diane grew frustrated that she couldn’t make inroads and eventually wrote them off. She said they were weak compared to you and not worth her time.”
“It’s not that they’re weak,” I countered. “They simply have other gifts. They prefer to nurture rather than tear down.”
“Which is something that wouldn’t have appealed to Diane, even on a superficial level,” Lorna acknowledged. “She liked feeling powerful. She always wanted to be in charge.”
“I’m starting to think that’s a witch thing,” I noted. “There are very few witches who don’t want to be the boss. There’s still a line that shouldn’t be crossed, but she obviously crossed it. What was the final straw for your mother?”
“There was a boy ... Daniel Robinson.”
Aunt Tillie stirred. “Wait ... the Robinson boy? Did she do that?”
I was lost. “Who is Daniel Robinson?”
“He was a classmate of your mother’s,” Aunt Tillie replied, her brow furrowed. “He was a nice boy. He had a crush on Marnie for some reason, even though she didn’t give him the time of day. He asked her to some dance and she said yes because she felt sorry for him ... and, if memory serves, she wouldn’t have had a date otherwise.
“The night before the dance, he was out running on the county highway,” she continued. “He was a member of the track team. He didn’t come home. When he was found on the side of the road, they thought he’d been struck by a vehicle, but there were no signs of that.
“They did an extensive autopsy. They could find nothing wrong with him. He simply dropped dead by the side of the road. Marnie felt horrible after, believed she should’ve been nicer to him. It was too late to give him the attention she thought he deserved.”
Lorna nodded in agreement. “He was a nice boy. I had a crush on him. Diane decided she wanted him more and went after him. She asked him to that dance and he declined. She was jealous because he chose Marnie. She was convinced that he’d only pursued her because she’d cast a spell on him.”
“Marnie would never do that.” I was adamant. “That’s not who she is.”
Lorna held up her hands. “I’m just saying that Diane believed that’s who she was. When Daniel died, my mother was suspicious. She questioned her. Of course, Diane denied it, but my mother wasn’t so easily swayed.
“One day while Diane was at school, Mother collected all of her crystals and potions and destroyed all her books,” she continued. “Then she tried to enforce a ‘no magic’ rule on the house. Diane was furious, fought with her, and then ultimately Diane left in the middle of the night.”
“Did she leave a note?”
Lorna shook her head. “No, but she told me the previous day that she’d had it with the family, hated how weak our mother was, and refused to be the sort of witch she wanted her to be. She had grand plans to go to Salem, because that’s where she heard all the best witches lived. I wasn’t all that surprised when I woke and she was gone.”
“Your mother looked for her,” Aunt Tillie noted. “Your mother wasn’t ready to let her go.”
“No, and we looked for a long time. Finally, though, my mother admitted that Diane wasn’t going to come back and she let it go. It wasn’t something that came easily to her, but she was convinced that Diane would return one day. She didn’t, not even when Mother died. I have no idea where she ended up.”
I rubbed my cheek as I absorbed the new information. “Is it possible that Diane returned long enough to kill your mother?”
“I guess anything is possible, but I would like to believe she wouldn’t do that. Even though Diane was angry ... she was still our mother.”
“Yeah, well ... what about Dani? Did she know about Diane?”
“She did. When Dani got old enough to understand I sat her down to explain about her magic. When I related what had happened to Diane, she was excited. She wanted to track down Diane and learn from her. I knew then that there was no teaching her how to be a good person. You’re either born good or bad. I firmly believe that.”
“I don’t,” Aunt Tillie countered. “That’s neither here nor there, though. If Dani killed Adam and Masterson, she’s a danger to everyone in this community. Do you think she would go after you and her brother?”
“I think it’s only a matter of time. The second Nick graduates, I’m getting him out of this town, out of her reach. It’s the only thing I can do for him.”
“Will she be satisfied with the two deaths she’s already caused?” I asked. “Or ... will she want more?”
“I didn’t realize she killed Adam,” Lorna offered. “I really didn’t. Now that I know, it makes a sick sort of sense. As for being satisfied, I don’t think anything will satisfy her now. She probably won’t ever stop.”
“We have to find her. We can’t let her carry on like this.”
“Are you going to kill her?”
“Not if we can help it. We just have to find her. We have no choice.” I flicked my eyes to Aunt Tillie. “You’re in this to the end, right?”
She n
odded, resolute. “To the bitter end. Let’s find the girl and end this. We don’t have any other options. Lorna is right, she won’t stop. With each murder she’ll get more powerful ... and she’ll believe that she can’t be stopped.”
“WHERE SHOULD WE START LOOKING?”
For once, Aunt Tillie was calm and willing to seek direction.
“I don’t know.” I pursed my lips as I sat in the driver’s seat of my car. We’d yet to leave Lorna’s driveway.
“Where do you think she is?”
“I have no idea. You’re supposed to be the head cowboy on this one. Take us to the rodeo.”
It took everything I had not to roll my eyes. “Just once it would be nice if you talked like a normal person,” I said.
“What’s the point? That won’t help us find her.”
“No ... I ... .” Something occurred to me and I blew out a sigh. “We need to go to the police station before we do anything.”
Aunt Tillie, as I expected, balked. “Why would I possibly do that?”
“We need their help. Also ... they need to be made aware of what’s going on. They’re operating under the assumption that Lorna is guilty.”
“So?”
“So Dani is out there somewhere and she’s evil. There’s every chance she could realize what we were doing at her house this morning. She might be out for vengeance.”
“So?”
I wanted to shake her until she absorbed what I was saying. “So what better way to hurt me than to go after them? Besides, if she’s really evil, she might try to get them on her side or something. We need to make them aware. They’re the sort of men who will rush to the aid of a teenager if they believe she’s in trouble. If she’s truly as powerful as her mother says and she puts her hands on them ... .” I purposely left it hanging because I couldn’t think about the possibility.
Wicked Witches of the Midwest Mystery Box Set Page 83
