by Linnea West
She was about to say “or we will start a witch hunt for you,” but that was going just a touch too far, even for Vinnie. She had ancestors who had been killed in witch hunts, after all. It was still a sore spot of conversation for most witches.
Thistle nodded and stood up from the bed, smoothing down the front of her dress. She followed them out into the hallway, closed the door, and then vanished with a wave and a small poof. One suspect down, two to go.
Chapter Eleven
After talking to Thistle, Vinnie and Diggy talked to Ivy and Willow in almost identical rooms from the one that Thistle had been sitting in. The only difference was that while Thistle’s was cozy and homey, Ivy and Willow’s rooms were both done in a more modern style, like the cold living room.
Both of them told almost the exact same story as Thistle had. Ivy had prepared supper and Willow had helped serve it. Ivy had followed the servers down the hall with her own tray and both women said they had witnessed Plant turning to stone, but neither of them had tried to help until it was too late.
When Vinnie asked Willow if she had tried to help Plant, she had seemed remorseful. The short, thin woman with long, flowing brown hair had shrunk back into her chair and started to cry. Willow had drawn her knees up to her chest and sat hugging them.
“I wish I would have done something more to help,” Willow said. “But even now with a clear head and some time to think, I still don’t know what I could have done to change anything. Plant was a powerful witch and she was muttering every countercurse she could think of. If none of those worked, I’m not sure I know one that would have helped.”
Vinnie asked Willow what she thought of Plant and the woman thought for a while before answering.
“Plant was a brilliant witch who was too obsessed with power,” Willow said. “I think if she would have not been named the successor of the last leader of our coven, she would simply be a helpful witch. But all of the power of leading the coven went to her head and she became cruel.”
“Can you think of anyone who could have done this?” Vinnie asked.
“I think if you push a witch hard enough, she will use her powers against you,” Ivy said. “I think Plant pushed every single witch in this coven and she pushed them hard. I don’t think it would surprise me to hear anyone’s name as the one who did this to her.”
On the other hand, Ivy seemed upset. The cook was a bit more loosely put together than the other women. Unlike the others who had perfect hairstyles, Ivy’s hair was pulled back in a loose bun with pieces escaping to fall around her face. Her navy blue dress was expensive looking and tailored to fit her, but Vinnie had to assume she didn’t wear an apron because the front of the dress had some stains that hadn’t quite come out in the wash.
“Of course I didn’t help, my hands were full,” Ivy exclaimed when Vinnie asked. “What was I supposed to do, drop the rest of the turkey to comfort her in her time of need? Maybe one of the other witches, but not Plant. She wasn’t worth the time it takes me to roast the turkey.”
Vinnie had poked a little more, asking Ivy what she thought of Plant. Ivy’s face turned red and Vinnie could tell she was pushing down her anger, trying not to get upset.
“Plant was an incredibly wicked woman,” Ivy said. “And not just in the way that we like to be as witches. I mean she took pleasure in petty things like calling people names and humiliating witches for perceived slights. You didn’t even have to actually do anything to be called out by her. Once, she called me a nasty name because she thought that I made a face at her while she was giving another one of her speeches. I had been trying to hold in a sneeze! But she ranted on for almost five minutes about what a horrible witch I was and how if she had been leader when I came to train, she wouldn’t have let me in. I’m glad she’s gone and I don’t feel bad for saying it.”
“Do you have any ideas of who you think did this?” Vinnie asked.
“I don’t like to point fingers,” Ivy said, making it seem like she very much did like to point fingers. “But if I had to pick someone as the top suspect, it would be Thistle. I mean, she is the potion keeper for the coven. It would make the most sense if she had been the one to do this.”
After asking the same questions they had asked of Thistle, Vinnie also let Willow and Ivy go home with the warning to report back to the coven the next morning. Willow had given them each a hug and thanked them for their work while Ivy had stood up and immediately teleported herself away without so much as a wave or even a second look.
“Let’s wrap up for tonight, Diggy,” Vinnie said. “I think we need to get home for some dinner.”
The two women went back to the dining room to pack up all of the magical objects into the bag. Vinnie took one last look around before declaring that the room was secured for the night. Wisteria had explained that she had put a spell on the dining room before she left that made it so that Diggy and Vinnie were the only ones who could enter until she came the next morning to take the spell off.
It always made Vinnie a bit uneasy to leave something like this to magic. Because she couldn’t produce magic, she had a hard time believing in the security of an invisible force. But there wasn’t much else she could do unless she wanted to stay here and sleep in the dining room herself.
But Vinnie’s warm, cozy bedroom was calling her home so after gathering their things, Vinnie and Diggy grabbed the travel orb and together they zoomed back through space until they landed in the entryway with two thuds; a soft thud from Diggy’s graceful landing and a much louder one from Vinnie toppling over as soon as she made contact with the floor. She didn’t think she would ever get the hang of going by travel orb.
Chapter Twelve
Vinnie threw together a quick supper of sandwiches with some lunch meat and cheese that she stacked on a few slices of crusty bread that she had left over from the day before. She also cut up a few pears and for dessert there was leftover apple pie.
As she and Diggy sat eating together in the kitchen, Vinnie couldn’t help but notice what a big hole Lavender had left in the fabric of their relationship. It wasn’t like Lavender was normally loud or overbearing, but her presence filled a space in this trio of women that just couldn’t be filled without her.
“I miss your mom,” Vinnie said.
“I miss her too,” Diggy said with a sniffle. “What if we can’t solve the puzzle? What if we can’t rescue her?”
“We will solve it and we will get her back,” Vinnie said. “But if we are going to get her back, we need to start working on the poem clue that Norhand told us. Do you remember what it was?”
Diggy had just taken a bite of sandwich, but as she was chewing she put up one finger for Vinnie to wait. Jumping down off of her stool, Diggy scurried out of the kitchen and came back holding the pad of paper she had been scribbling notes on all day.
“I didn’t get all of it down, but it was something about how witches can use spells but this thing can help when a spell isn’t enough,” Diggy said. “And then he said it would work even if they are poor, which doesn’t make any sense because witchcraft has nothing to do with how much money a person has.”
Vinnie mulled it over, knowing she wouldn’t be of much help. She had no idea what could help a spell. Maybe if they could solve this murder first, they could focus on the puzzle.
“What do you think about Plant’s murder?” Vinnie asked, abruptly changing topics. “Which of the three women do you think did it?”
Diggy sat silent for a moment, staring into the fireplace as she was lost in thought. Vinnie finished her sandwich and ate a few slices of pear, wishing there would have been time to make a fresh pie. It was getting colder out here in Minnesota and fresh, warm dinners and desserts were the best way to warm up after a cold day. Lukewarm apple pie would still be tasty, though.
“I really think any of those three witches could have done it,” Diggy finally said. “Thistle is the potion keeper, whatever that means, so she obviously knows how to make potions. Ivy wa
s really angry with Plant and even said that she was glad Plant had died. And Willow seemed sad and everything, but maybe that was all just an act. She also admitted that she didn’t like Plant.”
Vinnie nodded, getting up to get slices of the pie for them. She couldn’t wait any longer. If they had to discuss death and murder and suspects, they may as well be able to eat their dessert while they did it. The pie was already half gone, but Vinnie couldn’t help but admire the lattice work she had managed on the top of this one along with a few cut out moons and stars she had added. She had been good at making pies for a while, but now she wanted to reach the next level. That meant that her pies needed to taste and look good. With this one, she nailed that combination.
Slicing two large pieces, Vinnie slid them onto dark blue ceramic plates and brought them over to the table, dashing off to also pour two glasses of milk to go along with them. When she returned, Diggy had already started to gobble down the pie. Vinnie took a bite of her own slice and savored it before speaking.
“I do think you’re right,” Vinnie said. “If Plant were as terrible as everyone says she was, I think almost all of the witches had a reason to want her gone. So every single one of them has a motive. I suppose we will need to focus on opportunity and means. All three of the women we talked to today had the opportunity, but what about the means?”
“What does that mean?” Diggy asked before shoving another piece of pie into her mouth.
“It means did all three of those women have a way to make or get that potion and then use it?” Vinnie said. “I think tomorrow we need to focus on asking questions about potions and potion making for the coven. Thistle is the potion keeper, but I’m not sure exactly what that means. We need to figure out if others would be able to make the potion or not.”
After the women had finished their pieces of pie, it was time to retire for the night. Vinnie walked Diggy up the stairs all the way to her bedroom door which was something she used to do all the time for the young witch, but she hadn’t for several years. It just seemed right tonight.
Before Diggy could open her door, Vinnie wrapped her arms around the thin girl and gave her a big hug. Diggy hugged her back and for a few moments, they collapsed into each other, aware that right now they only had each other.
When they stepped back, Vinnie took Diggy by the shoulders and bent down to look her straight in the eye.
“Listen to me, we will find your mother,” she said. “I promise you.”
Diggy stared blankly at her for a moment before nodding her head. She opened the door to her bedroom and walked inside, saying a quick goodbye before shutting the door. Vinnie tried to pretend that she hadn’t seen the absolute dumpheap Diggy was living in. No matter how much it annoyed Vinnie, now was not the time to address it. But once they had Lavender back, they would be picking up the heaps of clothing in that bedroom.
Vinnie retired to her own bedroom, glad to see that there was a magical fire already going in the fireplace. For a long time, Vinnie had insisted on lighting her own fire which meant she had to chop wood and make sure it was well stocked and then learn how to arrange it all and light it to keep it going all night. But too often she woke up in the middle of the night in a freezing cold winter with only the tiniest fire going. Lavender had insisted Vinnie let her put a magical fire in there once it got cold in the fall each year.
Vinnie smiled, thinking of the evening just a few weeks ago when Lavender had floated in and poofed a fire in there for her like it was nothing. The thought of Lavender sent a chill through her body even though she had changed into her favorite flannel nightgown with little pink roses and trimmed in lace. It was the kind of nightgown that young children or elderly women might wear, yet Vinnie always loved to pull it out each time fall rolled around again. It was warm and cozy and could help her through all number of things, even if it couldn’t help her get Lavender back.
As Vinnie tucked herself under the pile of quilts on her bed, she snuggled down into them and made a plan in her head. Tomorrow, they needed to investigate at the coven headquarters more. They would ask about the job of potion keeper and where Thistle does her work for that. Hopefully they would have an easy time solving the case and then they could come back here to think more about the puzzle Norhand had given them. It had to be easier than they thought. That’s usually how puzzles worked.
Chapter Thirteen
The potion room was so small that it could only comfortably hold two people so when Wisteria lead them to it, Diggy actually had to stand in the doorway until Wisteria excused herself and left. Both Vinnie and Diggy had slowly spun in place, looking at every wall. Both side walls were full of shelves so high that Vinnie wasn’t actually sure she could see the ceiling. It wasn’t large enough to move around in, but the height allowed for an almost infinite storage of potion materials. The end opposite the door of the potion room had a fireplace with a large cauldron hanging over the empty spot where the fire would go. Above the hearth were hooks with many more cauldrons of every size.
“I admit that I hate making potions,” Diggy said. “But I would hate it even more if I had to do it in a closet.”
Vinnie nodded at her, having to agree with that assessment. She tried to imagine cooking dinner in this small of a space. Potion making was even worse because it could be far more serious and intense. The worst Vinnie would do would be to burn dinner while screwing up a potion may result in some terrible side effects for whoever was going to take the potion. Maybe that was what had happened here.
“Where is the spell book?” Vinnie asked, looking around.
“The spell book is hidden,” came a voice from the hallway.
Spinning around, Diggy and Vinnie came face to face with Thistle. She was standing in the hallway with a bemused look on her face.
“Can you get it out for us so we can look at it, please?” Vinnie said. “And why are you here anyway?”
“I came because I figured Wisteria would neglect to expand this room for you,” Thistle said. “She does hate potion making, just like most coven witches.”
Vinnie was about to ask what Thistle was talking about when Thistle snapped her fingers and the walls of the potion room started to move. Slowly, they moved backward and out of the middle of the floor popped a big wooden table with four chairs around it. On top, was a large old book that Vinnie assumed must be the potion book.
“Oh that’s much better, thank you,” Vinnie said.
The room wasn’t big by any means, but at least it was spacious enough now that all three of them could be inside without sitting on each other’s laps or accidentally elbowing each other every time they turned around. Vinnie and Diggy sat down and Thistle followed their lead. The instant she stepped into the potion room, Thistle seemed more at ease. This was her domain.
“If you wouldn’t mind, I’d love to ask a few more questions of you,” Vinnie said. “Yesterday we heard you were the potion keeper, but we aren’t sure what that means.”
“It means I keep the potions,” Thistle said straight faced before bursting into a smile. “Each coven must assign one member to be the potion keeper. All witches should know how to make potions, but while ancestral witches are good at passing down that information, coven witches don’t care as much. So they end up just assigning someone to keep up with the knowledge so that it doesn’t die.”
Diggy made a noise and Vinnie knew what it meant. Diggy hated to brew potions because she was impatient and always ended up skipping steps which meant she would end up with a potion that turned her arms purple instead of her hair or would make hair grow on her toes instead of giving her longer hair on her head.
“How did you end up as the potion keeper?” Vinnie asked. “I mean, if coven witches don’t care about potions, were you forced into this? You must be the only one who uses this room.”
“Oh no, I wasn’t forced into this at all,” Thistle exclaimed. “I actually would have loved to be the cook, but that position was already taken by Ivy so I settle
d for potion keeper but I’ve grown to love it. I am the only one who uses this room and I’d like to keep it that way. I find that making potions is like cooking, but with magic. It can be so cool if you really put your mind to it.”
“I’ve been learning about potions too, but I’m afraid I don’t find them as cool,” Diggy said. “Maybe you could show me something you think is cool and it might help?”
Thistle’s smile grew even wider as she jumped out of her chair and rushed to the potion book. It was propped up on the table and looked ancient and fragile, but Thistle thumbed through the pages without worry. Finally, she stopped on a page and jabbed at it with her index finger.
“Ah ha!” Thistle cried. “This is a great one to start with. Do you know your base potion yet?”
Diggy shook her head looking guilty, but Thistle brushed it off.
“No worries, you can use some of ours,” Thistles said. “We are going to make a snow storm in a bottle. Super easy, really cool, and you can’t do much harm with it.”
Diggy rushed over as Thistle read through the instructions with her. Vinnie stood up and started to snoop around the newly enlarged room. Now that there were places to look, Vinnie figured she should investigate them. She poked around under the table and looked under the lowest shelves on each side of the room.
“Let me magic you a cup of tea while we quick stir this up,” Thistle said.
A cup of tea appeared on the table and Vinnie took the chance to sit down and sip on it while Diggy and Thistle dumped ingredients into a cauldron and stirred it this way and that a certain number of times. Potion making looked like cooking, but with weirder instructions. Vegetable soup came out the same way whether it was stirred clockwise or counterclockwise.
As she sipped the tea and watched, Vinnie tried to think over the rhyming clue again. It just didn’t make much sense to her and she knew that was the point. But did the poem mean some sort of weird spell?
