by Bobbi Holmes
They discussed the Stewarts a few minutes more, and then Brian stood up and said, “I really need to get going.”
“Back to work?” Danielle asked.
“No. My cousin is coming for a visit, and I want to go to the store and pick up a few things before she arrives tonight. I’m taking the rest of the week off,” Brian explained.
They chatted a few more minutes about the upcoming visit by the cousin, and then Walt and Danielle followed Brian out of the parlor, intending to walk him to the front door. But once in the entry, Brian took a quick left and walked to the doorway leading into the living room. He looked inside and glanced around. Saying nothing, he turned again, headed for the front door, and said goodbye.
“That was close. I’m glad I thought to hide the broom,” Danielle said after Brian left the house.
“You think that’s what he was looking for?” Walt asked.
“I’m sure he was. He wanted to get a closer look at it. I know I would want one, if it were me.”
Brian sat alone in his parked car, the ignition key in his hand, making no attempt to start the engine. He glanced back to Marlow House. Once again, he considered what he had just seen when looking into Marlow House’s living room. And what had he seen? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
If Walt Marlow had used wires to lift Danielle and the broom off the floor in flight, what had he attached them to? There was nothing on the ceiling. How had they so quickly disassembled whatever contraption they had used after he arrived?
Four
Packed boxes filled the back of her brother’s pickup truck. Kathy Stewart stood by the vehicle and reluctantly handed her condominium’s key to her mother’s real estate agent. Although, technically speaking, the key and the condo had never been legally hers. If she had owned it, she wouldn’t be giving up the key right now and moving out.
“I think it will sell much faster empty,” the real estate agent said, snatching the key from Kathy’s grasp.
“I really don’t give a crap,” Kathy said dryly.
The agent startled at the retort but said nothing.
Without saying goodbye, Kathy pivoted abruptly to the truck and climbed into the passenger side, slamming the door closed behind her. The agent, now standing alone in the condominium parking lot, looked uncertain, but quickly scurried away.
“You were a little rough on the agent, weren’t you?” Kathy’s brother, Brad, asked. He sat in the driver’s seat, his hands resting on the steering wheel, the engine off.
Kathy shrugged, leaned back in the seat and groaned. “I suppose. But why did Mom have to do it? What is she trying to prove? Selling both of our condos and telling us we’re fired and have to find another job. I don’t want to find another job. I liked the one Dad gave me.”
“Yeah. That sucks. I miss Dad,” Brad agreed. “I know he could be a pain too, but at least he never cut us off like this.”
“And it isn’t like Mom didn’t know what was going on. I don’t believe that for a minute.”
“At least we have a place to stay, and it might be cool to live at the beach. And we have a little money, so no reason to look for a job right away,” Brad said.
“Yeah, the money from me selling my car. You got to keep your truck,” Kathy grumbled.
“Hey, we both agreed between the two vehicles, the truck would be the smartest one to keep. We sure couldn’t haul all our crap to Frederickport in your little car,” he reminded her. “And thank God Dad put the vehicles in our names after he gave them to us. If he hadn’t, Mom would probably have repossessed them too.”
“I guess,” Kathy said with a sigh. “I suppose if we want to look at the bright side, at least we didn’t have to dig up the rest of the dead bodies.”
They both laughed.
“No kidding,” Brad said. “Wonder what the place looks like now. Suppose they removed all the crime tape?”
Kathy shrugged. “I guess we’ll find out.”
Brad removed one hand from the steering wheel and used it to turn the key in the ignition. The engine turned on and a minute later he pulled out of the parking lot.
They drove in silence for about twenty minutes before Kathy said, “As pissed as I am at Mom, at least she hired excellent attorneys. They got us out on bail pretty quick.”
“I’m just glad the charges were dropped. I figured they wouldn’t be able to make the ones against you stick, but I wasn’t sure about the ones against me. I was facing serious time for the kidnap charges alone,” Brad said. “I still can’t believe Dad ratted us out.”
“He’s not in his right mind,” she reminded him.
“No kidding.”
They drove the rest of the way in silence. When they finally reached Frederickport, they went directly to the old Barr place, which their father had purchased months before. While it had been the catalyst for their family’s downfall, it was also the only place they could live rent-free. As their mother had pointed out, it would be a while before anyone would pay a decent price for the run-down real estate, not after the discovery of human remains on the property.
Brad pulled his truck down the long drive and parked by the weather-beaten house. The pair climbed out of the vehicle and glanced around, absorbing the atmosphere.
“It feels different,” Kathy whispered. She looked over to the barn and spied the remnants of police crime tape, one end flapping in the breeze while the other attached itself to the prickly branches of overgrown shrubbery.
Hands on hips, Brad glanced around and frowned. “You’re right. There is something different, but I don’t know what.”
“You think knowing they removed the dead bodies makes it feel different?”
Brad shrugged. “I wouldn’t call those dried-up old bones dead bodies. Anyway, I don’t know why that would make a difference. They never bothered me, did they you?”
“Not particularly.”
“I so wanted to keep the skulls. How sick would that have been?” Brad said.
Kathy laughed. “They looked wonderfully gruesome.”
“Dad just wanted them gone. Stupid Marlows, poking around here. Dad should have let me shoot them.”
“The lame thing, it turns out it was all for nothing. Considering the deal the lawyers are working out with the Jenkins family; it was stupid to attempt a cover-up,” Kathy said.
“We know that now. But we didn’t then.”
“Yes, and look where we are. We don’t have the money to tear this place down and fix it up. And I’m not looking forward to living in this dump,” Kathy grumbled.
“Me either, but for the moment we don’t have any other options. Not unless you want to get an actual job and rent something.”
“No way!”
“Okay, let’s unpack and then get something to eat.” Brad walked to the bed of the truck and pulled out a box.
After they finished unloading the truck twenty minutes later, Brad stood outside and brushed the palms of his hands off on the sides of his jeans. “You know, it really feels different here now.”
“I know. I’m trying to figure out what it is,” Kathy said.
“Before, I always got the feeling someone was ready to jump out from around the corner.”
“Exactly!” Kathy turned to face her brother. “You don’t think their ghosts were haunting this place or something, do you? And that’s why it felt like someone was about to jump out?”
“What, and now that we found their bodies, their spirits can rest?” Brad laughed at the idea and then added, “Almost as lame as thinking Heather Donovan really cast a spell on Dad.”
Kathy put her hand out and said, “Give me the truck keys.”
“Why?”
“Because you said you wanted to get something to eat after we unpacked, and I want to drive.”
“I can drive,” Brad argued.
“I want to drive. And you did say the truck was both of ours now.”
Brad let out a groan, dug one hand into a pants pocket, and pulled out his truck ke
ys. He handed them to his sister.
Kathy gave the keys a little toss in the air, caught them, and then climbed in the truck’s driver’s side.
Five minutes later as they drove down Beach Drive past the pier, Brad said, “Where are we going? I thought we were getting something to eat at Pier Café. You just drove past it.”
“I want to look at something,” she said. A moment later she parked across the street, two doors down from Marlow House.
“What are we doing here?” Brad asked.
Kathy nodded across the street. “That’s where Heather Donovan lives.”
“So?”
When Kathy did not respond, Brad let out a groan and said, “Come on, you’re not on that witch thing again, are you?”
“Something happened to our father. Something changed him,” Kathy insisted.
“And you think that something is Heather Donovan? That’s just lame, Kathy.”
“I know you think that. You’ve said it enough already. But Brad, how is it that Dad was perfectly fine one day, and the next he’s convinced Heather bewitched him. Dad, of all people. When I told him about the witches’ coven I heard about in Frederickport, he said that was lame too.”
“I don’t think Dad used the word lame,” Brad said.
“You’re right. I believe he called it silly. Same thing. He sure doesn’t call witches silly now, does he?”
Brad turned in his seat and looked at his sister. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“I am. I’ve been giving this a lot of thought,” Kathy said. “I’ve been doing some research.”
“What kind of research?”
“Let me show you something.” Kathy drove the truck from the curb. As she did, a car came down the street and parked in front of Heather Donovan’s house.
“Where are we going now?” Brad asked.
“Hold on, you’ll see.”
Several minutes later Kathy turned down Frederickport’s business district’s main street. She passed the museum and then pulled over and parked. After turning off the engine, she nodded to a shop. There was a new sign out front that read “Pagan Oils and More,” with a black silhouette of a witch riding a broomstick painted on the front window.
She turned to face her brother. “I told you I’ve been doing some research. I started when I first heard about the witches’ coven, just out of curiosity. But then this thing happened with Dad, and I dug in more seriously. You know what I found out?”
“What?”
“There are two witches’ covens in Frederickport. At least two that I know about.”
“What does it have to do with that shop?” Brad asked.
“It’s owned by one of the covens.”
Brad laughed.
“Shut up, Brad. Think of Dad.”
Brad continued to laugh, but then Kathy gave his shoulder a hard punch and he quieted.
“I still don’t get it,” he grumbled while rubbing his injured shoulder with one hand.
“The witches who opened that store, they have a YouTube channel all about witchcraft. They claim some stuff they sell has magic powers.”
“I’m sure they do,” Brad said with a snort.
“I am serious.”
Brad groaned. “Do you want to get locked up with Dad? Seriously, Kath, you are sounding crazy.”
“You know, witchcraft has been around for thousands of years. Many of the people burned at the stake for witchcraft were actually witches.”
“So, tell me, if they were real witches, then how come they didn’t just cast a spell on the people who wanted to kill them?”
“It doesn’t work like that.”
“I guess not,” he muttered under his breath. He then pointed down the street to Lucy’s Diner and said, “Can we go eat there, and then you can tell me all about this witch thing. I’m starved.”
Fifteen minutes later, Brad and Kathy sat at a booth in Lucy’s Diner, each with a menu in hand.
“So what were you telling me about this witch thing?” Brad asked.
“Let’s order first. I don’t want the server to overhear our conversation.”
Ten minutes later they sat alone at the booth, menus closed and put away, and orders taken.
“I’ve been listening to the YouTube channel,” Kathy began.
“I assume you’re talking about the witchcraft one by the owners of that store.”
“Yes. And did you know, you can’t destroy a witch by burning them at the stake like they thought?”
“No, I did not know that,” Brad said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes because he was afraid his sister might give him a kick under the table if he did.
“A witch’s power over someone ends when she dies. And the only thing that will truly kill a witch is a spell cast by another witch.”
“Tell that to all those actual witches burned at the stake.”
“Burned, but not destroyed. Those witches took on other forms.”
“Is there a point to all this?”
“I believe Heather Donovan really is a witch, and she’s cast a spell on our father. The only way to break whatever hold she has on him—we need to destroy her. But we need to get another witch to do it.”
Five
After leaving Marlow House, Brian Henderson stopped first at Old Salts Bakery, where he picked up four cinnamon rolls, a loaf of freshly baked bread, and three dozen chocolate chip cookies. The next stop was the liquor store. As he recalled, his cousin Kitty was a gin martini drinker, and he didn’t keep gin in the house. He had already picked up the stuffed olives the day before, when grocery shopping for the week. The last stop was the meat market, to buy steaks. He could have picked those up at the grocery store, but he wanted to splurge for his cousin, and the local meat market had the best steaks in town. Tomorrow night he would take Kitty to Pearl Cove for dinner, but he didn’t imagine she would feel like going out after driving in from the Portland airport. He had offered to pick her up, but she had insisted on driving herself, and she wanted to rent a car. Brian knew Kitty’s independent streak, so he didn’t bother trying to change her mind.
When Brian arrived home, Joanne Johnson was still there, finishing up. He had hired her to give the house a good cleaning before his guest arrived. He found her in the kitchen, wiping down the counter with a sponge.
Turning to Brian and abandoning the sponge on the counter, Joanne said, “There are clean sheets on the bed in the guest room, and I put clean sheets on yours.”
“You didn’t have to do that, but thanks,” Brian said after placing his recent purchases on the counter.
“No problem. I fixed the salad for tonight. It’s in the refrigerator. And I have the cheese bread on the cookie sheet, ready to go into the oven. Put it under the broiler until the bread gets light brown. But remember to keep a close eye on it. It can burn before you know it.”
“I appreciate this, Joanne. How much do I owe you?”
“I appreciate the extra work. You know, if you need me to come in regularly, once a week or once a month, I can fit you in. I have a lot more free time now since the B and B closed.” She then told him how much he owed.
“I hadn’t considered how the bed-and-breakfast closing meant fewer hours for you.”
“I can’t complain. Danielle has always been generous, and frankly, for what I do over there, she pays me far too much.”
“Yeah, one thing I’ve learned about Danielle over the last couple of years, she’s a soft touch.”
“So is Walt,” Joanne added.
Brian studied Joanne for a minute and then asked, “You like him, don’t you?”
Joanne nodded. “I really do. Now, had you asked me that question a couple of years ago, I would have given a different answer.”
“I remember. What changed your mind?”
Joanne considered the question a moment and then said, “Walt changed. When I first met him, well, frankly, he was an unpleasant man. Tried to get me fired.”
“Why is he different now?
”
“I suppose it was the memory loss. He still can’t recall anything that happened before the accident.”
“A person has to remember he was a jerk to be one?” Brian asked.
Joanne laughed and said, “I guess. At least, it feels that way with Walt. But I’ll tell you something, you might think I’m a little crazy for saying it…”
“What’s that?” Brian asked.
“Every once in a while, when I walk into the library at Marlow House and see that portrait, the one of the original Walt Marlow, well, in my mind, that is Walt. Danielle’s Walt, the one she’s married to. The one living in Marlow House now. I know it’s an insane notion, but sometimes, I do feel as if that’s who Walt really is.”
Brian didn’t respond immediately, but finally said, “No. That’s not as insane a thought as you might think.”
Brian didn’t think his cousin Kitty had aged a bit since the last time he had seen her. Although, he suspected she dyed her short brown hair to conceal the gray. Tall, slender and physically fit, she still played tennis once a week with her friends. While it had been rough on her after Tim’s death, she had moved on and kept active.
Kitty arrived shortly before six that evening. After taking her luggage to the guest room, the cousins enjoyed cocktails on the patio, and then Brian grilled the steaks. When dinner was over, Kitty helped Brian clean up the dishes. They eventually settled in the living room and had another round of drinks.
“Brian, I am impressed. You’ve finally grown up,” Kitty teased.
“What does that mean?” Brian asked with mock indignation.
Kitty waved her drink from side to side, motioning to the surrounding room. “Your home. The last time I visited, it looked like a college boy lived here. But now, it’s so clean I almost suspect you have a wife you haven’t told me about.”
“Isn’t that a little sexist?” he teased.
“Maybe.” She gave him a brief salute with her glass and then took a sip of her cocktail.
