Spell or High Water

by Gina LaManna

  “Nothing! After the scream it was chaos. Someone called the cops — you must have already been there, actually. You found the body, right? They said it was the radio girl.”

  “Yes, I did. There was no scream when she died.”

  “Not before she died, but after.” Darren shook his head. “There were nothing but screams in that house as the girls found out what happened.”

  “You didn’t think to come forward with your story and let the police know about some guy running away from the crime scene?”

  “Look, Skye — Evian, whatever — listen to how it sounds. My product just gave the dead girl hives and I had a solid motive to want her permanently silenced. I showed up at the scene of the crime and saw a figure running away, but I can’t identify if it was a male or female for certain. No.” He shook his head. “That’s not happening. I look guilty enough.”

  “Hiding doesn’t make you look any less guilty.”

  “What would you have done? I’m innocent. I didn’t see anything. I don’t have any helpful information to offer. I’m much better off going home, minding my own business and trying not to lose my job.”

  “A job that you still have because a girl was found dead.”

  “Don’t you think I know that? Look.” Darren pleaded with me. “I didn’t tell my boss about Mary because … I goofed.”

  I squinted at him. “How do you mean?”

  “I need this job — I have serious bills to pay — and Mary is one of my best clients. When she asked for a new sample to review I might have given her something a little special. One that hadn’t been FDA approved yet.”

  I groaned. “Darren. That’s a horrible idea.”

  “I realize that now,” he said, his teeth gritted. “I even knew it at the time, but she was my best client. What could I say, no? She asked specifically for it.”

  “You should have said no! Cripes, Darren! You’re lucky all it did was give her hives.”

  “I know, I know,” he said. “And I feel terrible. But I swear to you, I didn’t kill her. You have to believe me.”

  “I’m sorry, Darren, but I think you should stay on the island.” I watched as the ferry docked and began unloading its cargo from Jersey. “It doesn’t matter if I believe you. The investigation is still open, and the police need all the help they can get.”

  “Yeah, well, you’re not the police.” Darren hiked his bag higher onto his arm and plastered a steady look on his face. “I’m sorry Mary’s dead — she really was a nice girl. But I didn’t do it, and I’m getting off this godforsaken rock. There’s still a murderer on the loose.”

  “Darren —.”

  He glanced over his shoulder as a crack of thunder boomed overhead. As he met my eyes, he smiled. The smile sent a jolt through me, accented by a streak of lightning that looked close enough to zap the waters beneath the ferry.

  I stayed in place, unable to leave Eternal Springs thanks to my past. The ferry loaded up as I helplessly watched, and in a few moments the captain signaled a goodbye toot of the horn and chugged away from the pier, carrying a potential murderer back to Jersey.

  Sixteen

  Just my luck — the rain started to fall the second I began the trek home.

  Worse, I’d been so distracted by Darren that I hadn’t had the chance to finish my latte, which left me with the choice to jog home and spill it on the way or stroll slowly, finish the latte, and get drenched.

  I opted for a mix of the two, walking at a quick pace until the latte was gone. Then, fueled by the quick jolt of energy, I dumped the empty cup in a garbage can and picked up the pace in a jog toward home. Heaving for breath, I slowed to a walk when I reached my street.

  As my house came into view I felt my energy beginning to wane, as if the very core of me was exhausted. My feet dragged, my eyes prickled with tears and my very motivation to solve this case began to feel heavy and pointless. Not only was I soaked, but I’d made several enemies with my snooping. Despite all my work, I was no closer to finding the murderer.

  Any number of people could have killed Mary. The opportunities were there: Mason walking past the scene of the crime, all the girls living in the cottage where the victim was killed, and Darren, whose story was just a little too convenient. Add in the potential for a mystery man or woman and the options were almost endless.

  I sighed, glancing up to find Bertha’s binoculars pressed to her window. The woman never quit. If only she’d bought property next to the Beauty Cottage instead of my house, maybe she would’ve seen the murder take place and solved this thing for everyone.

  Instead, she stared at me, mysterious invisible slugs and the empty road. With a start, I latched onto that last piece — the empty road. Could she have seen a man running away from the Beauty Cottage? If Darren had been right, maybe Bertha had caught a glimpse of the figure if he’d turned up the road and come our way.

  I made a sharp turn and strode up to the window. I rapped my knuckles against the glass, barely hiding a grin as Bertha leapt, startled, from her seat. If only she hadn’t been staring through my front windows, maybe she would’ve noticed what was right before her.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” Bertha snapped as she hauled the window open. “Privacy goes one way, young lady. I’m old. I’ve earned the right to peep.”

  “I’m actually here to discuss the pros of your peeping,” I said. “The other day — the morning of Mary’s murder — did you see anyone leaving the Beauty Cottage between eight and eight thirty?”

  She frowned. “Well, obviously I saw you run into Mason that day. Speaking of that, are you ever going to accept his offer of a date? It’s quite clear he’s into you.”

  Fuming, I shrugged. “I don’t know. Anyone else?”

  “Well, Edwin, but I figured he was organizing the girls for whatever press junket they were on for the day.”

  “Wait a second,” I said. “You saw Edwin leaving the Beauty Cottage?”

  “Yes. He’s the little coordinator man, correct? Hold on a second.” Bertha disappeared from the window and returned a second later holding a pageant program. “I nabbed myself one of these so I could see who I was spying on.” She tapped her forehead and it gave a hollow sort of thunk. “I’m a real thinker.”

  “You have years of experience,” I said. “You’re a snooper extraordinaire.”

  “That I am.” She happily flipped through the pages of the program, landing on the photo of Edwin. “Yep! I knew I was right. Edwin is this one.”

  “Was he in a hurry?”

  “He’s always in a hurry when he comes and goes. The man doesn’t have a slow button. Or at least, it looked that way from here.”

  “Does he come and go a lot?”

  “Just twice. That morning and once before. He didn’t stay long either time.”

  “Thanks, Bertha,” I said, and turned away. “Continue peeping.”

  “Wait a second, you didn’t tell me why! Did I help crack a case?”

  “We’ll see,” I said. “I don’t know yet.”

  Bertha slammed her window shut, plopped down on her seat, and fished a pair of binoculars from her lap. She propped them against the window and resumed her favorite afternoon activity.

  I slipped and slid up the front of my walkway, which was now slick with mud. When I made it inside I promptly peeled off my outer layers and left them on the porch. I continued to the bathroom, where I peeled off my inner layers and climbed under the blissfully hot stream of water, soaking in the lavender-scented soap and honeysuckle shampoo. I was halfway through the steamiest shower I could muster when yet another voice invaded my home.

  “This is the coven,” Margaret’s voice rang through the room. “Get dressed, Evian. We must talk.”

  I reached for my towel and tried to calm my racing heart. “How about some warning?” I clutched the fabric to my chest and pulled the shower curtain back just enough to reveal my face. “This is my private space!”

  “Yes, well, you’re the water wit
ch. We speak to you via water,” Margaret, the second in command, said, sounding bored. “Hurry. The rest of us will be here shortly.”

  Margaret’s reflection appeared in the steamy fog of my mirror. I had the urge to swipe it off, but I didn’t. The coven was already annoyed with me as a general principle, and I didn’t want to give the members any reasons to use their curses.

  I ducked out of sight and slipped into a bathrobe, shrugging everything into position so that the council wouldn’t have to see body parts that would leave them with nightmares. I wished we could find a new artifact to communicate through besides the bathroom mirror, but they were insistent.

  “Is everyone there?” I asked Margaret. “Who all is joining today?”

  “Enough of us,” she said vaguely. “Now, Evian Brooks, it has been brought to our attention that there is portal activity in Eternal Springs.”

  “That has not been confirmed.” I crossed my arms. “Yes, there’s something that seems to be slinking around here and killing my plants, but for all I know it could just be some dirt-transmitted virus or something.”

  “Why do I doubt that’s the case?”

  “I don’t know what is wrong, so if you feel like enlightening me, go right ahead,” I said, trying to keep the annoyance from my voice. “All I’m saying is that something is killing my lawn. I have no clue if it’s from the portal.”

  “Your familiar seems to think otherwise.”

  “Paul snitched on me?!” I glanced around for the toad, but he had probably heard the coven’s call and retired somewhere out of reach. “I will kill him!”

  “Familiars are bound to transmit certain information to the coven, Evian, you know this. It’s not only to protect them but to protect you, as well as the rest of our kind.”

  “Well, I’m not feeling very understanding right now. All Paul is basing his hunch on is a possible glimpse of an invisible-to-humans creature.”

  Even Margaret looked unconvinced at this. “That’s it?”

  “That’s it. Nobody else saw this thing. My neighbor was looking through the window with her binoculars as she always does and didn’t see a thing. Or, at least I assume she didn’t. She would have said something if she saw a monster in my yard.”

  “How is Bertha?” Margaret leaned forward, a slim smile on her face. “I haven’t talked to her in too long.”

  “How do you know Bertha?”

  “When we conduct our routine checks of the island I’ll often stop in and say hello to her,” she said. “After all, Bertha is the best source of gossip in Eternal Springs.”

  “No, she’s not. She doesn’t leave the house to get fresh gossip.”

  “She pays attention to what you do every minute of the day.” Margaret could barely hide her smile. “And you and the other three are the only ones we care to check up on, anyway.”

  “You use Bertha to spy on me?”

  “You make it sound so formal and invasive.”

  “Well, it is,” I said. “I wish you’d let me have some privacy.”

  “I wish the four of you had paid attention thirteen years ago,” Margaret shot back. “Because you didn’t, it’s hard to assume that any of you are paying attention these days. Especially when I’m getting reports of portal activity that you are harshly denying.”

  “I’m not harshly denying anything, I simply don’t know the facts. There might be portal activity, and if there is, I’ll give you a call and let you know.”

  “Finally, we have reached an understanding. Can we trust that you’ll look into this mess and get to the ... .” She paused for a laugh, “root of the problem?”

  I squinted at Margaret. “Hilarious. But it’s not your plants that are dying.”

  “No, it’s not, but it sounds as if the rest of Eternal Springs will be experiencing sludge in their yards if you don’t get rid of the issue. Paul explained that Bertha was already complaining about her raspberries being affected.”

  “Why me?” I asked. “Why would a portal monster come and attack me, and only me? There’s plenty of other land and plants between me and the portal. Why not hit up Cackleberries?”

  “How do you water your plants?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “How do you water your plants?” Margaret asked again. “It’s a serious question.”

  “Well ... .” I shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the next. “You know, a little bit of this, a little bit of that.”

  “Magic.”

  “I guess,” I said, hedging defensively. “But I’m a water witch! It’s in my nature. How else do you expect me to stretch my magical muscles?”

  “I trust you’re doing it when Bertha’s not watching?”

  “Sprinkle water under a new full moon; then watch your garden grow and bloom,” I said. “It’s a little booster spell my mother taught me. If I use the spell once a month under the full moon, my garden flourishes. Except this time around, of course.”

  Margaret nodded. “I’d imagine that the monster is attracted to the magical activity in your yard. When you infuse water with magic, it’s tainted. Enchanted, if you will. You can’t simply get rid of the magical traces just because the water seeps into the ground.”

  “So you think that this monster pops up from the portal, travels to my house,” I said, “and comes to feed on the water I use for my plants?”

  “I wouldn’t be surprised if the creature isn’t doing this maliciously,” Margaret said. “It could be he’s doing what feels right to him, and it just so happens the monster destroys everything he touches.”

  “How?”

  She shrugged. “Any number of ways. He might feed on life and growth while leaving behind destruction. The more light he takes in, the more darkness he leaves behind.”

  I sighed. “Sounds like a big task to get rid of him.”

  “You’re up for the job,” Margaret said with a chipper grin. “And if you’re not, you can die trying.”

  “You don’t mean that, do you?”

  “I think we’re just about done here.” She pointedly ignored my question. “Goodbye, Evian —.”

  “Wait! No help? You’re not sending anyone here?”

  “It’s not our mess to clean up. None of us wanted the portal opened. If you need help, ask those friends of yours. There are plenty of you in Eternal Springs to take care of this mess. And besides, we’ve got some political issues in the coven that need urgent addressing. I’m sorry, we don’t have personnel to spare.”

  “Fine,” I snapped. “We’ll take care of it, no thanks to you. But I have one favor to ask — and you don’t have to come to Eternal Springs to take care of it.”

  “What sort of favor?”

  “There’s been a murder.”

  “Marilyn Johnson from Jersey, yes,” Margaret muttered a sympathetic cluck. “How unfortunate. She seemed like a nice girl. And I was excited about seeing her win the pageant.”

  “Yes, so you heard about her demise.”

  “We listen to your radio show,” one of them said. “Your channel comes in very clear over here, and we don’t get any of that calypso crap that seems to be on repeat on the island. We actually hear the songs you and Leonard are trying to play.”

  “How is that possible?!”

  “Magic isn’t as concentrated outside of Eternal Springs,” she said patiently. “It doesn’t mess with the transmission waves or whatever they’re called. Signals. All that technical junk. The coven has even considered handing out cell phones to its members. Isn’t that fun?”

  “Delightful,” I said. “Can we get back to my problem now?”

  Margaret heaved a heavy sigh. “You have so many problems, Evian. What is it now?”

  “Well, you probably heard the radio segment with Tarryn the other day ... .”

  “Yes.”

  “Then you heard her claims against Elemental Beauty products.”

  “I believe the word ‘hives’ was used,” Margaret said. “I’m glad for the warning because I was just ab
out to purchase some hand lotion for the coven’s main offices. Can you imagine what a disaster that would have been if it caused hives all around? How awful.”

  “Quite the catastrophe. Anyway,” I said. “I have continued trying to track down Mary’s killer, and I have a good reason to believe that Darren Whiting is a suspect to keep an eye on. He’s the vendor for the Elemental Beauty line at this pageant, and he had motive and opportunity to kill Mary. He was at the Beauty Cottage during the time of her death — or close to it. He doesn’t have a good alibi. If he didn’t silence Mary, he might have lost his job.”

  “I don’t see how we can help,” Margaret said. “Our advice is to steer clear from human interference as much as possible, especially on the mainland. It’s not our job to press and prod and poke and pry. We’ve tried that route before, and trust me, it’s not the best way to do things.”

  “I don’t need you to seriously interfere, I just need you to tip your hand a tiny bit. To detain Darren for me.”

  “Detain him how? Where?”

  “I’m going to the police station to give them the information I have,” I said. “But Darren is already on the ferry to Jersey. It might be too late if he reaches land before the cops get after him. If he disappears, we may never find him.”

  “It’s not our job to interfere,” Margaret said again. “Mixing magic and humans is never a good idea.”

  “This is an isolated incident. Just give me twenty-four hours. Hole him up somewhere, distract him for a bit. Please, I’m begging you. Do it for Mary.”

  “The pageant won’t be the same without Mary.” Margaret frowned. “Whoever did murder her deserves to be punished.”

  “Yes! That’s why I’m looking so hard into this case. Please, I’m begging you. Twenty-four hours is all I’m asking, and then you can let him go if I don’t have enough evidence. He’ll be none the wiser if you wipe his memory.”

  “Give me a second.” Margaret turned away from the mirror and spoke in flurried whispers among her peers. There was a lot of nodding and obscure language and blurred faces. Not enough to make out a word of what was said. Finally, Margaret returned and offered me a smile. “As it turns out, Marilyn Johnson had a lot of fans in coven headquarters, what with her being from Jersey and all. We have agreed to help you.”