Murder by Misadventure

by B. T. Lord

  “Clarisse?” Cammie questioned. “Torri made it clear her sister doesn’t make teas.”

  “You know, Sheriff, you’ve told me we’re not supposed to jump to conclusions without evidence, but maybe Clarisse really is the one using the salvia timor. Maybe Clarisse gave Beth the salvia, pretending it was one of Torri’s regular teas.”

  Cammie stood up. “We need to keep our focus or we’ll be going off in twenty different directions. Now tell me, are you’re sure the pajamas I described to you match a pair that Beth owns?”

  “We’ve occasionally had sleep overs at Lydia’s and Beth always wears those pj’s. She says they’re her favorites. I can check her bedroom dresser if you want.” Cammie withdrew a pair of latex gloves and handed them to Emmy. While the young woman went on her errand, she continued to gaze down at the salvia on the floor, her mind jumping to various conclusions – none of them good. A few moments later Emmy returned. “I checked all the drawers. I even looked in her dirty clothes hamper, but they’re gone.” Emmy gazed at Cammie. “What’s so significant about those pajamas?”

  Cammie hesitated. Emmy was pale, but obviously holding up under the stressful circumstances. However, she knew the next piece of news was going to be devastating. She rested her hand on Emmy’s shoulder and gently told her what had been discovered in the woods.

  Emmy’s hand flew to her mouth and she closed her eyes tightly as tears rolled down her cheeks. “I – I can’t believe it,” she whispered as Cammie gathered her into her arms and held the weeping woman. “Oh God, what if she drank the tea and ran screaming into the night like Todd and the coyotes found her and--” She couldn’t finish.

  “You’ve had enough for one night. I’ll take you home. We can get your jeep in the morning.”

  “No,” she replied as she pulled away and angrily wiped the tears away with the back of her coat sleeve. “Beth and Lydia are my friends. I have to know what happened to them.”

  Cammie took out her cellphone and notified Forensics of another potential crime scene. They then secured the apartment before driving the short distance to Lydia’s. Arriving in front of the building, Emmy glanced out the windshield and gasped.

  “Oh no. Lydia’s car is missing.”

  Climbing out of the Explorer, they walked up to the front door. Cammie knocked several times and rang the doorbell. When there was no response, she pushed open the unlocked door and entered. Emmy hesitated, terrified of what she might find. But she knew she had to face whatever was on the other side of the door. Throwing back her shoulders, she followed the sheriff inside.

  To her relief, Lydia’s place was immaculately neat. The DVD version of ‘Hocus Pocus’ was on the coffee table, awaiting the arrival of the get-together that was never going to happen.

  “Lydia, it’s Sheriff Farnsworth and Emmy. Are you here?”

  There was no answer. Cammie took out two pairs of latex gloves from her parka pocket and handed one pair to Emmy. “Let’s take a look around. Maybe Lydia left something that could tell us where she went. While you’re at it, keep an eye out for anything that even remotely looks like loose tea.”

  The two women scoured the apartment. Finding nothing, they re-entered the living room. Cammie carefully scanned the room once more. Just as she was about to give up, she noticed what looked like a book binding peeking out from beneath the sofa. Going over, she pulled it out.

  “Have you ever seen this before?” she asked Emmy.

  The young woman’s eyes immediately widened in shock. “That’s a Book of Shadows. The three of us were just talking about this last month.”

  Peering over Cammie’s shoulder, the two women studied the volume.

  It was a leather bound book, aged and looking very much used. On the flaking cover were the words ‘Liber Vindictae’ in faded gold. Carefully opening up to the first page, they saw a long list of names written in different handwritings on the front page. At the very bottom, written in vivid red ink, was the name ‘Bonnie Wallis.’

  “That’s Torri’s real name, isn’t it?” Emmy asked. Cammie nodded. “During our conversation, Lydia said she’d seen such a book. She was terrified of the powerful spells it contained and of its owner.”

  “Did she actually say who the owner was?”

  Emmy shook her head. “She was too afraid. But it was obvious to all of us who owned it.”

  “Do me a favor and look up what Liber Vindictae means.”

  While Emmy searched the internet on her cell phone, Cammie flipped through the delicate pages. Nearing the back of the book, one of the pages caught her attention. Opening to it, Cammie audibly gasped.

  “I don’t believe it,” she muttered.

  “What is it?”

  Cammie showed Emmy the page that had caught her attention. The young woman sucked in her breath. “It’s a recipe to make tea using salvia timor.”

  The sheriff nodded grimly. “Torri swore she never used the stuff, yet here it is in her Book of Shadows. If Lydia was frightened of this book, how did it come into her possession? And did that have something to do with hers and Beth’s disappearance?”

  “Maybe this will tell us.” Emmy held up her cellphone. “According to the translator, Liber Vindictae means Book of Revenge.” The two women exchanged worried glances. “Why would Clarisse want to hurt Beth and Lydia? I mean, she pretty much ignored all of us whenever we went over.”

  “You’re sure you never mentioned the salvia timor to your friends?”

  “I wouldn’t! I never mention what goes on at HQ, not even to my own mother.”

  “It’s entirely possible they may have heard about it from Clarisse. She’s not exactly a model of discretion. However Lydia came to possess this book, once she saw the recipe for the salvia timor tea, she may have put two and two together. Especially if her best friend ended up drinking some.”

  Emmy’s eyes brimmed with tears. “This is all so…so diabolical!”

  “I know this is painful, but is there anyone we need to notify?”

  “Beth’s parents died a few years ago. She was a change of life baby so her parents were already pretty old when she was born. Lydia’s parents live about three blocks from here.”

  “I’ll drive you back to your car before I go to see Mr. and Mrs. Costas.”

  “She was my friend. I want to go with you.”

  “Emmy…”

  “Please Sheriff,” she pleaded. “I need to go.”

  After bagging the book, Cammie and Emmy drove the short distance to Lydia’s parents.

  The house was a small ranch and the inside was immaculate.

  “Now I know where Lydia got her neat freakiness from,” Emmy whispered as they sat down in the living room across from Mr. and Mrs. Costas.

  “We’re sorry to bother you, but we were wondering if you know where Lydia is?” Cammie began.

  Mrs. Costas was a tall, thin woman, with the same blonde colored hair as her daughter. She was seated on the couch with Mr. Costas, a bespectacled scholarly type. They were holding hands and at Cammie’s words, both looked worried.

  “What do you mean?” Mr. Costas asked.

  “I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but Beth is missing. When Emmy called Lydia to see if she knew anything, she discovered Lydia missing as well. We’ve just been to her apartment. Nothing looks disturbed, but her car is gone. And we found this.”

  She held out the bagged book. The Costas’ looked at it in bewilderment.

  “I’ve never seen that before,” Mrs. Costas replied. Her husband agreed.

  “It was found under her couch.”

  “That’s impossible. Lydia is an impeccable housekeeper. She takes after me in that respect.”

  “Do you have any idea where she would go on a Friday evening that she had planned with Beth and Emmy?”

  “I—I don’t know,” Mrs. Costas admitted. She hesitated, as if trying to make up her mind to say anything further. After a few moments, she said, “She has been acting strange the last few days.”
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  “In what way?” Cammie asked.

  “Just not herself. A mother knows these things. She didn’t seem as happy and perky as she usually is. I asked her what was wrong, but she’d always tell me the same thing. ‘I’m fine, Mother, really.’” Mrs. Costas wiped a tear from her eye. “I should have been more firm with her. I should have insisted she tell me. Frankly I’m surprised she’s not at home. I know how much she looks forward to movie night with her friends.”

  Mr. Costas cleared his throat. “Actually, Lydia came by here around four o’clock today. Hon, you were at the Emporium.”

  “Did she say anything?”

  Like his wife, Mr. Costas hesitated a moment before answering. Cammie saw from the expression on his face that he was battling internally whether he should say something. She hoped patience would win in the end so she remained silent. It was Mrs. Costas who pushed the issue.

  “Well, what did she say? Maybe it will tell us where she went.”

  “She dropped off a lace tablecloth that you promised to repair for her. She looked out of sorts, so I asked her if anything was wrong. She gave me a hug and said that she had to right a wrong.”

  Emmy and Cammie exchanged glances. “Are those her exact words?” Cammie questioned.

  “Yes. And before you ask, I don’t have a clue what she meant by that. I tried to get her to explain, but she laughed it off, saying, ‘oh Daddy, you know how dramatic I get sometimes.’ Then she left.” He looked across the table at Emmy. “You two are close. She didn’t say anything to you?”

  Emmy shook her head.

  Cammie stood up. “It’s imperative that if you hear from either Lydia or Beth, you let me know ASAP.”

  When they were back in her Explorer, Emmy asked, “Why didn’t you tell them the truth about Beth?”

  “Because the arm hasn’t been positively identified yet.”

  “But you think it’s her.”

  Cammie paused, then nodded. “Yes, I do.”

  Emmy remained silent for a moment before forcing herself to ask the question she wasn’t sure she really wanted an answer for. Nevertheless, she needed to ask.

  “You think Clarisse did this, don’t you? Whatever wrong Lydia was going to right may have sealed hers and Beth’s fate.”

  Cammie took her time answering. “Our priority right now is finding Lydia and--” she added grimly, “finding what’s left of Beth. If it is indeed Beth.”

  After asking Emmy to return to the office and put out an APB on the two missing women and Lydia’s missing vehicle, a silence ensued between the two as they, in their own way, processed the events of that evening.

  After dropping Emmy off at her jeep, Cammie tried to interview neighbors, but to her surprise, she found that the majority of the apartments were empty. The only occupied homes were at the entrance to the small complex, away from where Beth and Lydia lived. It took her a moment to remember that the apartments were meant to be rented out by the week by the outdoorsmen that Mayor Bill Barnes hoped to attract to Twin Ponds. The only way to make his investment feasible was to rent out a few apartments on a long term basis.

  By the time she returned to Beth’s house, there were several more vehicles parked there. Forensics had arrived.

  Cammie called Rick and advised him to call off the search in the forest until morning. Temperatures were plunging, and she didn’t need anyone getting frostbitten. After asking him to get to Beth’s apartment to supervise the collection of evidence, Cammie took the book and headed straight to Torri’s.

  Arriving close to ten pm, she banged on the trailer door. A few minutes later, an obviously half asleep Torri answered the door.

  “Where’s Clarisse?” Cammie asked abruptly.

  Torri looked at her as if unable to understand the question. Then she shook her head.

  “She’s gone.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Cammie pushed her way past Torri and quickly searched the trailer. Torri was right. Clarisse was gone.

  By the time she returned to the living room, Torri was sitting on the couch, quietly watching her.

  “Where did she go?”

  “She needed a break. Bella is a very fussy baby who hasn’t yet learned that night time is for sleeping, not screaming. As it is, I only got her to sleep about a half hour ago, so I’d appreciate it if you’d keep your voice down. Clarisse was jumping out of her skin, so I suggested she go visit her friends in Bangor for a few days.”

  “When did she leave?”

  “A couple of days ago. Why are you asking all these questions?”

  “Does Clarisse have any salvia timor in her possession?”

  “I told you, she doesn’t do that shit.”

  “We found salvia timor tea in Beth’s apartment. We also found a Book of Shadows that belongs to you in Lydia’s apartment. The two women are now missing. Do you still want to tell me that your sister isn’t involved somehow?”

  Torri slowly rolled up off the couch and faced the sheriff. “You think Clarisse had something to do with Lydia and Beth disappearing?”

  “It’s either you or her. While you’re at it, you can also explain to me why there’s a recipe in your Book of Shadows on how to prepare salvia timor tea.”

  “Shit,” Torri muttered.

  Cammie folded her arms across her chest and glared at Torri.

  “That book has been handed down for generations in my family. It went missing a few weeks ago.”

  “If it was that important, why didn’t you report it missing?”

  “Because I kept hoping it would be returned. I had a feeling Lydia had taken it one of the last times she and Beth were here, more out of curiosity than anything else.”

  “And the salvia timor recipe?”

  “A colleague of mine back in Danvers went to Mexico and came back with salvia seeds, as well as the recipe to make a tea out of it. I don’t expect you to believe me, but even though I jotted down the recipe in my book, I never used it and never intended to.”

  “Then why write it down at all?”

  “Because my friend swore by it. And even though I’d never make it, it doesn’t mean someone down the line couldn’t benefit from it.”

  “I need the number where Clarisse is staying.”

  “I don’t know where she is, or who she’s with. I’m sure it won’t surprise you when I say we don’t exactly travel in the same circles. She just told me she’d be back in a few days.”

  “Why don’t I believe you?” Cammie asked.

  Torri lifted her shoulders. “I’m sorry about that, Sheriff. But I’m telling you, Clarisse had nothing to do with Beth and Lydia’s disappearance. Neither did I. Shit, as it is, I’m glued to that baby for now.”

  “Stay in Twin Ponds. And as soon as your sister gets back, have her contact my office.”

  Sweeping past Torri, she let herself out of the trailer.

  Climbing into her Explorer, she tried not to let frustration swamp her. She knew Torri wasn’t telling her the whole truth, but short of throwing her in jail, she couldn’t force her to talk. She had no choice but to let it go for now and concentrate all her efforts on trying to find Lydia.

  She called Emmy and instructed her to put out an APB on Clarisse. Just as she was about to hang up, a memory clicked into place.

  “Say Em, did you put out the APB on Lydia’s car?”

  “Yes, I did.”

  “Can you give me her license plate number?”

  Emmy rattled off a number. Cammie repeated it a few times before hanging up. She clicked on the recorder on her cell and listened to her voice recite the license plate of the car she’d seen pull up to Torri’s trailer in what seemed like a thousand years ago. She wasn’t surprised when the two numbers matched.

  Amidst all the lies and half-truths she’d been getting from Torri lately, at least this time the woman had told her the truth.

  I guess miracles can happen.

  She returned to Beth’s apartment, taking over from Rick after she ord
ered him to go home. She needed him well rested to take up the search for Beth’s remains in the morning.

  It wasn’t until nearly dawn that she arrived at Doc’s house. Thankfully he was asleep, sparing her from any lectures. Climbing into bed, she deliberately pushed away the memories of interviewing Beth and Lydia, of their young faces and a long future she thought they would have.

  The thought of lives cut short, no matter the age, had the potential to crush her. But as a police officer, she’d seen too many lives cut short. If she dwelled on any of them, she knew she’d be useless. And right now, she needed all her wits about her if she had any chance of finding the two women. With this thought in mind, she drifted off to a few hours sleep before she was up and out the door again.

  With the sun just climbing over the horizon, the part-time deputies, who were expert huntsmen and trackers, started the search again, this time joined by Jace and several townspeople who’d heard the awful news that Beth and Lydia were missing. Cammie broke them up into small groups to cover more ground. Joining one of the groups herself, they were about to set out when her cellphone rang. It was Doc. Expecting an argument about her long hours, she was unprepared by his words.

  “I found out what the oily substance was on the pajama sleeve. It’s bacon grease. You know what this means, don’t you?”

  Cammie’s stomach clenched as she slowly let the breath out of her lungs. “I do. The odor of bacon grease will attract more predators.” She shook her head as she looked out over the white laden forest. “We’ll be lucky if we find anything left of Beth Davis.”

  Coyotes are territorial. Depending on food source, it isn’t unusual for a male coyote to wander 40 square miles in search of food, while females stay within 8 miles of their territory. Taking that into account, the teams spread out, following any and all coyote tracks. By noontime, Cammie received the call that Rick and his crew had finally found what remained of the body several miles inland from Notch Road. They’d had to fire their weapons several times to disperse the pack of coyotes still devouring the corpse. It took Cammie an additional hour to arrive. When she did, she took in the scene and involuntarily retched. It took all her efforts not to lose her breakfast.