A Witch's Curse

by Paul Martin

A thick, black cloud formed above the man who had her pinned to the steps as Carolyn scratched desperately at her attacker’s eyes.

  A second later, her attacker floated above her, his arms flailing, screaming like a little girl. Caleb, his face twisted in rage, had him by his hair and the skirt of the dress, then proceeded to throw the hysterical man through the air as if he was tossing out the day’s trash. The man bounced off the wall then lay on the floor, face down, unmoving.

  Holding out his hand to help her stand, Caleb asked, “Are you all right, my love?”

  Holding her sore neck, Carolyn coughed. Her heart raced and her body shook. “I think so. I couldn’t breathe to call for help.”

  “I heard you, darling.”

  “And you came to my rescue. Thank you, my love,” Carolyn said, hugging Caleb tight.

  “What would you like me to do with this scoundrel?”

  “Is he alive?”

  “Unfortunately, yes.”

  “Good, watch him while I call the police.”

  “Are you sure? I could very easily stop his heart for you,” Caleb said, his fingers clenching into a tight fist. “He deserves to die for what he tried to do to you.”

  “No! I want him alive. I want to know why he’s doing this.”

  Going to the closest phone, Carolyn dialed 9-1-1. A nearby siren sounded a moment later. “You better leave, darling. I’ll be all right now.”

  Caleb vanished as the sound of heavy boots pounded across her front porch. Carolyn opened the door to let in Chief Rose.

  Eric saw the man dressed in white on the floor and asked, “Are you all right, Miss Waters?”

  “Yes, thank you.”

  “Who is he?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t look at his face yet.”

  Chief Rose walked over to the man and rolled the body over with his foot, the veil the perp wore fell off.

  “Mr. Hargrove?” Carolyn exclaimed.

  “You know him?” Rose asked.

  “Yes, he was Grandmother’s lawyer.”

  None too gently, Chief Rose handcuffed Hargrove. Talking into his mic, Rose called for a second unit to transport the prisoner, and while they waited, Carolyn recounted the second break-in’s details, leaving out all mention of Caleb’s assistance. Any misgivings Eric might have had about her story, remained hidden behind a sympathetic mask.

  Before Rose and his deputy took an incoherent Hargrove away, Eric told Carolyn he would like to talk with her when she felt up to coming down to the station. Promising she would be there the first thing in the morning, she closed and locked the door behind them, leaned heavily against the reassuring hardness, and took a deep breath. Turning the lights back off, Carolyn headed upstairs to bed.

  Underneath the covers again, Carolyn wasn’t willing to wait for sleep. “Caleb?”

  “I am here, sweetheart.” Sitting next to her, his hand softly caressed her cheek. He slowly bent over, lightly kissing her on the forehead. He moved to her ear, whispering, “I love you more than life itself.” Then he lay alongside her, gathered her in his arms, and held her close.

  His tenderness touched her heart, but she needed more. “Caleb? Make love to me?”

  Carolyn watched in rapt attention as Caleb slid off her bed to remove his clothes. She wriggled her panties off and slid her t-shirt over her head. Caleb rejoined her in the bed, kissing her on the lips with a tender passion. His hands slowly rubbed her body while his lips left a trail of kisses down her chest, belly, and back up again. One by one, he took her stiffened nipples between his lips and gently licked them, swirling his tongue over her areolas.

  A hand strayed to her heated mound, firmly rubbing until her juices seeped onto his fingers, and Carolyn spread her legs wide, inviting him in. Caleb positioned himself so the head of his hot cock could enter her but stopped short of entry, teasing her. His fingers drew slow circles on her clit, exciting her more and more with each circle.

  Caleb did everything she could ask for. His tender, unhurried lovemaking fulfilled her every need. He played her body with just the right tune, turning her on more than she thought possible.

  He finally thrust his length deep inside her and began long, deliberate strokes, which quickly raised her building orgasm to the boiling point. Wrapping her legs around him, she pulled him closer and deeper inside her as he thrust harder, his balls slapping against her ass. Both bodies tensed as their points of sexual release exploded in mutual consent.

  Caleb continued pumping as additional waves of release coursed through his throbbing cock. Then, leaving his still hard erection inside her, he hugged her in a close embrace. “I will love you forever, my darling Carolyn.”

  “And I you, my love.”

  Chapter Five

  Carolyn walked into Chief Rose’s office a little after nine this morning and sat in the chair he held for her. “I really wasn’t expecting you so early, Miss Waters. I thought you would want to sleep in a bit after what you went through last night.”

  Carolyn gave him a reassuring smile. “I’m an insomniac, Chief. I don’t require much rest.” Although, last night, I didn't rest at all, and I don’t regret a moment of it.

  His eyebrows arched. “Oh? I didn't know. Are you up to answering some questions?”

  “Yes, sir, I am.”

  Sitting behind his desk, Eric said, “Last night, you weren’t very clear as to how you fended Hargrove off when he had you pinned to the steps. Can you give me any better details today?”

  “I’m not sure I can. I remember he had his hands around my throat and I couldn't breathe. I believe I did pass out for a second or two, I'm not positive, but I suppose I pushed him off with my legs.”

  Chief Rose nodded. “Makes sense. You also stated that he slid across the floor and into the wall, knocking himself unconscious?”

  “I really can't say for certain, Chief. All I do remember is we were struggling on the stairs, and then, all of a sudden, he was laying on the other side of the foyer. Everything happened so fast. Is there something wrong?”

  Chief Rose squirmed in his chair as if his shorts had ridden up on him, he asked, “You're positive you were alone in the house?”

  “Yes, I'm positive. Why do you ask?”

  “We tried to question Hargrove last night, after we had a doctor examine his injuries, and again this morning, but he keeps babbling on about how Caleb Harrison's ghost tried to kill him.”

  “Why on earth would he say a ghost tried to harm him?” Carolyn asked in mock surprise.

  “You’d be surprised at some of the excuses these guys come up with. Although, being attacked by a ghost is a first for me.” Rose scratched his chin and laughed. “I couldn’t arrest a ghost even if I wanted to. Hargrove did confess to breaking into your house with the purpose of frightening you to leave. He also admitted he has been siphoning money from your grandmother’s accounts for years, putting it into an offshore account he set up. When your grandmother died and he did the reading of the will, he didn’t dare risk you would want an outside audit of the books when you took control.”

  “But I don't take control for a year.”

  “No, he lied to you about a couple of the clauses in the will -- just another case of a thief being too greedy. Apparently, he thought by putting you off for a year, he’d gain the extra time he needed to steal the remaining money in the account. According to the actual will, you only lose the house and a small portion of money if you don’t live there for a year.”

  “Did he lie about my having a cousin too?”

  “No. There is a cousin. Hargrove knew all about her. He had hired a private detective to find her years ago. If you want my opinion, Hargrove didn’t contact her in the off chance she might contest the will and cause him even more problems. Guess who she is,” Rose said with a wide grin.

  “You know? Who?”

  “None other than your partner, Maggie Wells, who, by the way, isn’t mentioned in the will at all. She doesn't inherit a cent, no matter whether you live i
n the house or not.”

  “Fantastic! Maggie and I are cousins? I have family again?”

  “It would appear so.”

  “So who would get the estate if I fail to live in the house for a year?”

  Chief Rose squirmed once again. “She, uh, left the house to her...coven.”

  Carolyn tried her best not to laugh at the look on Rose’s face. “From what I understand, Chief, my Grandmother and some of her friends had a slight interest in the occult. They would meet every so often, perform séances, and do other silly things. All perfectly harmless, I assure you, Chief.”

  Flustered, Rose said. “Really, Miss Waters, I wasn’t trying to insinuate your grandmother was a...”

  “A witch? Really, Chief Rose,” she said with a faux disapproving tone. “After all, this is the twenty-first century. They don’t burn witches these days.”

  “You’re absolutely right, Miss Waters. I hadn’t really given Hargrove’s accusations any credence, but I did need a better explanation as to how you overcame your attacker and to account for his current state of mind.”

  “As my Grandmother’s lawyer, I’m sure Hargrove knew all about the house's reputation, and even some of its secrets, which is why he chose to dress as Caroline in order to scare me. Then, when he hit his head, who knows what damage the wall did to his mind?” she said with a shrug. “Plus, what man would admit to being beaten up by a girl?”

  “Or he’s simply trying to use the legend as an excuse to appear mentally incompetent,” Rose added.

  “I suppose that’s possible. You mentioned earlier he embezzled from my Grandmother?”

  “Yes, I did. Don’t worry though. Herman recovered every cent Hargrove stole.” Chief Rose chuckled. “Hargrove wasn’t a very smart embezzler. He transferred the money to an off shore account all right, only he kept the account numbers in the safe in his office. With the proper codes, Herman easily transferred the money back to the rightful owner, which is you.”

  “May I ask how much he recovered? Hargrove was quite vague about Grandmother's worth.”

  “Now you know why he was so vague. I believe the total Herman recovered was seventeen million.”

  Carolyn’s chin hit the floor. “Oh my—You’ve got to be—How much?”

  Chief Rose stood to pour her a glass of water. “Seventeen million. Ample motive to scare you from your house, or even kill you, which I’m sure is what he planned to do all along.”

  Carolyn drained the glass. “You really think so?”

  * * * *

  Carolyn floated into the store, and Maggie ran across the floor to meet her. “Carolyn! Are you all right? I got the strangest call from the chief of police this morning, telling me you would be late coming in today, but to not worry. He said you were fine, but what does the fuzz know? What the hell is going on?”

  Carolyn closed the store for the day and took Maggie to the coffee house down the street where she explained in detail the entire story of what Hargrove tried to do. She apologized to Maggie for doubting her friend then informed Maggie that she was her missing cousin.

  Maggie dismissed Carolyn’s suspicions with a casual flip of her hand, “Don’t worry, I would have done the same to you. Are you positive we’re related? You're not pulling my leg, are you?”

  “According to Chief Rose, we are. He saw the files from Hargrove’s office, and I couldn’t be happier it’s you.”

  “Same here. I knew there had to be a reason I liked so you so much when we first met. It was like we had been friends forever.”

  “I know! I had the same feeling, Cuz.”

  “So, tell me more about your plan to help free Caleb. I want to help.”

  “You can. You can help at the séance. Sarah said the more the merrier.”

  “Cool! I’ve always wanted to be in a séance. Hey, didn’t you say that all the women in your family were witches? Then, am I one too?”

  “I don’t know. We can ask Sarah.”

  * * * *

  Carolyn answered the knock on her door to find Sarah dressed in a long, gray, hooded cloak. Sarah brushed past her, asking, “Why aren’t you dressed?”

  Wondering if she had somehow become naked again, without her knowing, Carolyn glanced down and breathed a sigh of relief. She still had on her blouse and jeans. “I am dressed, Sarah.”

  “No, no, child. Your cloak, why aren’t you wearing your cloak?”

  “What cloak?”

  “The one you need to wear for the ceremony. Don’t you know anything?” Sarah asked impatiently.

  “What ceremony?”

  Sarah stared at Carolyn and rubbed her temples. “Oh, I am sorry, my dear. My mind has been getting a little forgetful these days. Are you sure I didn’t tell you about tonight?”

  “No, you didn’t.”

  “The coven meets once a month and tonight is the night. We are going to elect a new High Priestess and initiate you into the order.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You do want to join our coven, don’t you? I assumed you would, because of your grandmother.”

  “I don’t know, I never thought about joining. I would like to have been asked if I want to join, first.”

  “You’re right, dear. To be honest with you, I thought I had. My mind isn’t what it used to be,” Sarah said with such a forlorn expression Carolyn instantly relented.

  “I’m sorry, Sarah. I didn’t mean to doubt you. It’s quite possible you did ask and I’m the one who forgot. I’ve had a lot on my mind too, you know. Yes, I would very much like to join Grandmother’s coven. I would be honored.”

  Sarah brightened. “See? I knew you wanted to join us. Now, hurry. The meeting starts in a couple minutes.”

  “Can’t I go dressed like this? I’m afraid I don’t own a cloak.”

  “You can use Ester’s. I packed the robe and a few of her other clothes in a trunk in her bedroom when she became an invalid. Hurry, child. We don’t have time to waste.” Sarah headed up the stairs with Carolyn in tow.

  Sarah opened the trunk and started removing old dresses and blankets, tossing them haphazardly on the floor. At the bottom lay a carefully folded gray cloak, one exactly the same as the one Sarah wore.

  “Hurry up, child, put it on.”

  With no buttons or zippers on the cloak, Carolyn started to slip the robe over her head when Sarah snatched the robe from her hands.

  “No, no. Take all your clothes off. The only clothes you can be wearing are the cloak and these sandals,” Sarah said testily, picking a pair from the trunk.

  “You’re kidding? Who’s going to know what I’m wearing underneath?”

  “They will know, trust me.”

  “Well, if you insist. Sarah? When I join tonight, is there going to be some sort of initiation, like they do in sororities?”

  “Yes, there is a ritual for new members,” Sarah said dismissively. “Don’t be afraid, other than a small cut to the palm of your hand there is nothing dangerous about the ceremony.”

  “Oh, you mean like the Indians did in the old west? We’ll become blood sisters?”

  “Better,” Sarah said cryptically.

  Sarah’s evasive answers made Carolyn feel a little nervous, but she had come to trust the woman completely in the short time she had known her. Quickly, she took all her clothes off and slipped the cloak on. Together they hurried to the basement and into the altar room. Sarah began lighting the candles and paused at the third sconce. Carolyn watched as Sarah twisted the holder first left and then right. To Carolyn’s amazement, a short section of wall swung open, revealing a pitch-black tunnel on the other side.

  “Sarah? Where does this tunnel go?”

  “Why, to the cemetery, of course, The Wexford mausoleum to be precise. Your future sisters are waiting there now. They will be here in just a moment.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me about this before? This has to be how Hargrove got in and out of the house.”

  Scratching her head, her eyes unfocused, Sarah said,
“I’m sure I mentioned the tunnel. You must have forgotten again, sweetie.”

  “Did you forget to take your medication today, Sarah?” a voice from the tunnel asked. “You’ll need to forgive Sarah, Carolyn; she’s in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. She has her good days and her bad ones, mostly good though. She’ll be fine once she takes her medicine. My name is Adele, by the way.”

  Reaching into a pocket, Adele pulled out a small vial. “Drink this, Sarah.” While Sarah drank from the vial, Adele asked, “Why don’t I start the meeting for you?”

  As they talked, robed figures continued to file out of the tunnel behind Adele. Each carried a tall, white, lighted candle. Carolyn counted eleven women in all; at least, she assumed they were women. Under those robes, one wasn’t able to tell what sex the person might be, or even if a person hid underneath.

  Adele took her and Sarah by the arm and led them to the altar, placing Sarah to her right and Carolyn on her left. Adele raised her arms over her head, “Sisters of Wexford Coven,” she said in a loud voice. “Tonight we are assembled for two purposes. The first is to elect a new High Priestess to succeed our beloved Ester. High Priestess Ester made her choice of successor known to me before she died. She wanted Sarah to succeed her and I’m sure you will all agree. How do you vote, my sisters?”

  Silently, every sister encircled the altar and raised their candles. Carolyn assumed this meant they voted yes and raised her candle as well. Adele gave her a reassuring smile.

  “Thank you, my sisters. Ester would be glad you approved of her choice.” Adele turned to a robed figure, standing slightly to her side, to open the small, ornate, wooden box the woman held and lifted a pentagram shaped medallion with a thick silver chain attached. Adele asked, “Sarah Burns, daughter of the Goddess of Fire, do you accept our highest honor to become the next High Priestess of Wexford Coven?” As Adele placed the medallion over Sarah’s bowed head, every member bowed in supplication to Sarah.

  “Sisters, we are also here tonight to bring a new member into our fold. Our newest initiate, I am pleased to say, is none other than Ester’s granddaughter, Carolyn Waters. Carolyn, is it your wish to join the Wexford House Coven?”