The Witches Ladder

by Wendy Wang

  “I opened the car door and found her foaming at the mouth, unconscious. That's when I called 911.”

  They both watched as the EMTs lifted Debra onto a gurney. “Is she going to be all right?”

  The EMT with short blond hair nodded, his squinty blue eyes solemn. He barely looked a day over eighteen. “We're gonna do everything we can, ma'am.”

  “Where are y'all taking her?” Jen asked. Debra's pale skin had taken on a grayish tint, and some part of her knew the EMT was just telling her what she wanted to hear.

  The EMT climbed inside the ambulance, glancing back over his shoulder. He threw out the words, “St. Frances.” He yanked the door shut behind him and the lights and siren came on at almost the same time.

  “Someone should call Kristen and let her know what's happened.” Jen glanced down at her phone, thumbing through her contacts for the pharmacy's number. “And the mayor, too, I guess.”

  “Don't you worry about it, Jen,” Billy said, reassuring her. “I can take care of getting in touch with her family.”

  “I just saw Kristen the other day. She came into the cafe for a pie,” Jen mused.

  “Uh huh,” he said, still scribbling in his notebook. “You'll be around if I have more questions, right?”

  “Of course.”

  “All right.” He pulled a card from his pocket and shoved it into her hand. “You think of anything else you give me a call, all right?”

  “I will.” Jen nodded, looking down at the card. It was funny that he gave it to her. She knew exactly where to find him. “Thanks, Billy.”

  “It's good to see you, Jen, even if the circumstances aren't all that great.”

  “You, too.”

  “Tell Lisa I said hi.” He gave her a smile as he walked back to his cruiser.

  “Tell her yourself,” Jen quipped, breathing a little easier now that the crisis was in someone else's hands.

  “I would, but she doesn't return my calls anymore.” He sighed. “She's the only woman I know to ever get mad at a marriage proposal.”

  Jen's eyes widened and an awkward smile curved her lips. “She is a conundrum sometimes.”

  A shadow crossed his face and he tipped his hat. “Well, I'll see you around, Jen.”

  “Yeah. See ya, Billy.” She waved and climbed into the cab of her truck. Billy got into his cruiser, flipped his lights on and made a U-turn, heading in the direction of the ambulance.

  Ruby launched herself into her mother's arms.

  “Oh, sweetie,” Jen soothed. “I'm so sorry you were scared. But I had to help that Miss Debra. Are you okay?”

  “I'm okay. Is that lady okay?” Ruby asked, her voice quivering.

  Jen sighed, hugging her daughter close. “I sure hope so, honey.”

  She kissed Ruby on the top of the head and strapped her back into her seat. Jen pulled her phone from her pocket and found the contact she was looking for and pressed the call icon on her phone as she put the truck in gear, pulled off the shoulder and made a U-turn heading back toward town.

  “Hi Kristen, It's Jen Holloway. I'm so sorry to have to tell you this but...”

  Before Jen could finish explaining everything Kristen had broken down into tears and Jen knew there was no way her friend would be able to drive safely all the way into Charleston. So Jen made a quick call to her father, asking him to swing by The Kitchen Witch to pick up Ruby. He didn't ask many questions and for that she was grateful. And as usual Evangeline was happy to watch Ruby until her father arrived.

  Evangeline took her great niece's hand in hers and led her to the end of the counter. She pulled out her special basket of coloring books and crayons that she kept just for times like these and put Ruby to work “making signs” for the cafe.

  “Go on now.” Evangeline shooed Jen out of the cafe. “Go take care of your friend. I'll take care of this little one till her granddaddy gets here.” It was moments like these Jen knew she'd made the right decision to come home and raise Ruby instead of trying to do it all by herself in San Francisco.

  Thirty minutes later Jen pulled her old truck into the parking lot at St. Frances Hospital with Kristen in tow. By the time they arrived it was too late. Debra Duguid had been announced dead on arrival. Kristen shattered into a million little pieces and all Jen could do was wrap her arms around her friend and wait for the first ebb in the wave of grief to take Kristen home. There were people to call and plans to make, but Jen convinced Kristen that all that could wait until tomorrow. The only person Kristen insisted on calling before leaving was her father. When he didn't answer his phone, Kristen left a message that both shocked and intrigued Jen.

  “Since you're not answering your phone, Daddy, you leave me no choice but to inform you that your wife of thirty-five years is on her way to the morgue. Are happy now?” Spittle wet Kristen's lips and the screen of her smart phone as she said the bitter words. “You'd better prepare yourself. Cause when the paper finds out that you couldn't even be bothered to pick up the phone to get the news they're gonna want to know why and you know what? I'm gonna tell 'em.”

  She pressed the little red phone icon on the screen of her smart phone, ending the call before the tears overwhelmed her again. “I'm sorry you had to hear that,” Kristen said softly.

  “That's okay.” Jen shook her head and called up a sympathetic smile. “No worries. It's none of my business.”

  “He's having an affair you know,” Kristen said. Her face contorted with pain and disgust.

  “No, I--I,” Jen stammered. What was she supposed to do with that little gem? She tucked it away inside her head for later evaluation. “I didn't.”

  “Well, he is,” Kristen said matter-of-factly, then she cursed him under her breath.

  “Come on honey, let's get you home. I think you've had enough for today.”

  “I should call my brother.” Kristen wiped the heel of her hand across her cheek, swiping away errant tears.

  “You can call him on the way back.” Jen rubbed the top of Kristen's arm, trying to comfort her. Kristen nodded, grief molding her face into a grimace.

  Jen led her out of the hospital, and got her into the truck. The trip home was going to take longer than the trip into Charleston from the looks of it and as she pulled into the late afternoon traffic, Jen wished the radio worked.

  For nearly twenty minutes Kristen stared straight ahead saying nothing. Her glassy blue eyes barely blinked and every once in a while, her bottom lip would quiver and Jen thought a fresh onslaught of tears might start but it didn't. When Kristen's purse began to buzz, she didn't seem to notice it.

  “Kristen? I think your phone is ringing,” Jen said. “Maybe it's your daddy calling you back.”

  Kristen nodded and grabbed over-sized Coach bag, digging through the contents -- pulling out a wallet, a notebook, several pens, some loose hard candies and couple of different prescription bottles. She laid them on the seat next to her.

  Jen glanced down. She didn't mean to be nosy, but she couldn't help herself. One of the prescription bottles stared at her--clearly longing to be read: Joshua Helms. Lorazepam. 2mg. Take 1 tablet twice a day. Someone honked a horn behind Jen, making her jump, bringing her attention back to the road. Finally, Kristen found her phone.

  “Hey,” Kristen said, softly. She gave Jen a sideways glance and turned her head toward the window. “No. We're on our way back home now.” Kristen kept her voice just above a whisper and her answers short. It reminded Jen of the way her sister Lisa used to talk to Billy on the phone -- like she didn't want anyone to know she was talking to him. “Uh-huh. Yes.” Kristen sniffled, and her tone grew squeakier, as if it was painful to say the words. “Yes. I know, I can't believe it either. Thank you. I'll see you soon.” Kristen disconnected and cleared her throat. “That was, uh. That was a good friend of mine. Just checking on me to see how I am.”

  “You don't have to explain,” Jen said. “I'm glad you have somebody you can count on.”

  “Me, too.” Kristen stared at t
he screen of her phone for a few seconds before her shoulders slumped. “I don't know what to do next, Jen. What should I do next?”

  “Oh sweetie, I know this is hard. But you and your dad and your brother will have to make some decisions together. Hopefully your mom and dad had some sort of plan in place.”

  “Yeah, I'm sure they did.”

  A few minutes later Jen pulled into the parking lot of Duguid's Pharmacy and Kristen gathered her things off the seat, shoving them back into her purse.

  “Are you sure don't want to come to my house tonight?” Jen asked. “We've got plenty of room.”

  “No, I just want to go home.” Kristen opened the door. “You're sweet to offer though.”

  Jen nodded. “Well, you call me if you need anything. Okay?”

  Kristen managed a weak smile. “I will. Thank you. Really Jen, for everything. You're a good friend.”

  Jen placed her hand over Kristen's and gave it a squeeze before Kristen slid out of the truck and hurried toward her Toyota Camry.

  “Joshua Helms,” Jen said aloud. “What's your prescription doing in Kristen Duguid's purse?” Jen waited for Kristen to start her car before pulling away and heading toward home.

  Chapter 7

  The sun sank low in the sky and Jen was glad for the longer spring days. She pulled into the long driveway leading to her father's house, the wheels crunching on the gravel. Music drifted across the yard as she approached the house, making her smile. The driveway stretched along the side of the house, curving around to a large covered parking pad, where a twenty-year-old diesel Mercedes was parked. Behind his car was a twenty-five-year-old Ford pick-up. The Mercedes was her father's. A leftover status symbol from his days as a cardiologist. The pick-up was Evangeline's. Jen parked her old truck next to Evangeline's and hopped out. The humid evening air had started to cool goose bumps broke out along her arms.

  Her father raised his hand to wave from his seat on the porch swing. Ruby's little hand shot up, too. Jen returned their waves and tromped up the steps to the rambling low country-style house. The white clapboard had benefited from a fresh coat of paint in March and it glowed eerily as twilight descended.

  “Well hey y'all,” Jen said. Ruby sat on the swing next to her grandfather, her long dark wavy hair glistened with wetness and she wore a pair of pink striped pajama bottoms and a pink T-shirt. A large book lay across her lap.

  “Hey, mama,” Ruby chirped. “I'm reading to granddaddy.”

  “I see that. Did you get the rest of your homework done?”

  “Yes, ma'am,” Ruby said.

  “Did you eat?” her father asked. Inside the house, the sound of water running drifted through the screen door followed by the clang of dishes.

  “No,” Jen said. “Where's Lisa?”

  “She called and said she'd be late.”

  “Is Charlie here?” Jen looked across the wide yard to the small cottage near the edge of the property where her cousin lived. She could see a faint light in the kitchen.

  “She's inside,” Jack said.

  Jen cocked her head listening to the sound of dishes being put into the drainer. “You're just letting her do the dishes aren't you?”

  He shrugged, a grin playing at the corner of his mouth. “She doesn't like the way I do them.”

  Jen sighed and crossed her arms, shaking her head. “She doesn't live here. You are a bad host.”

  “What?” he shrugged. “She wouldn't have it any other way.”

  “Right,” Jen chuckled.

  “Now don't go giving him a hard time,” Evangeline said through the screen door. In her hands were a blue willow dish and a red gingham tea towel. She rubbed the dish dry. “Jack and I have a system worked out, and Charlie's helping.”

  Jen folded her arms across her chest and snorted. “Oh yeah, he's got a system all right. You could sell that you know,” Jen said. “How to keep a clean house and never do a lick of housework by Jack Holloway. It'd sell a million copies. You'd be stinking rich.”

  “Yep,” Jack grinned. “And I'd a cut every single one of you out of my will.”

  “Even me granddaddy?” Ruby batted her innocent blue eyes at him.

  “Oh, no baby girl, I'd never cut you out of my will.” He kissed his granddaughter on top of the head and Jen rolled her eyes.

  “I've saved you supper,” Evangeline said. A pair of headlights flashed across the yard and a white BMW pulled into the driveway, parking behind Jen's old truck. Lisa Holloway exited her car, staring up at the porch.

  “Well, I wasn't expecting a reception,” Lisa said, reaching for the bobby pins holding her strawberry blond hair in a tight bun at the nape of her neck. She shook out her long locks, running her fingers through it as she climbed the steps.

  “Am I too late for supper?” Lisa asked, putting her hands on her slender hips.

  “Nope.” Evangeline pulled open the screen door. “Come on in and I'll heat it up for you.” Lisa raised her eyebrows and smiled. “You too, Jen.”

  “Fifteen minutes more of reading, Ruby. It's almost time to start getting ready for bed,” Jen said.

  “Awww...” Ruby sat back hard against the porch swing and stuck her lip out.

  “I'll make sure she comes inside.” Jack swung his arm across the back of the swing protectively. Jen gave her father a pointed look. He knew better than to get involved with her parenting.

  Her stomach growled and she narrowed her eyes. “Fifteen minutes,” she said and went into the house before her father could make a smart remark.

  Inside, the air was warm and the delicious aroma of shrimp and grits permeated the kitchen.

  “How long have you been here?” Jen asked Evangeline, pulling two clean plates from the cabinet. Her eyes went to the stack of clean plates and pans in the dish drainer. A stack of round “cakes” were on a plate next to the stove and her mother's old cast iron pan was sitting on the burner waiting to be used. Another pot was on the back burner with its lid clamped tightly in place. The familiar click, click, click echoed through the space before a whoosh of flame appeared beneath the well-seasoned fry pan. Evangeline had already pulled out the jar of bacon grease from the refrigerator and scooped a couple of teaspoons onto the heating metal.

  “Mmm this looks good. What's the occasion?” Jen moved closer, evaluating the rounds. She held the plate to her face and took a sniff.

  “No occasion, I just thought it'd be nice for a change,” Evangeline said, relieving Jen of the plate. With a metal spatula she lifted the first cake and set it into slick grease. It sizzled, making Jen's mouth water.

  “You know I've been thinking about playing with this recipe for the cafe,” Jen said. “Maybe we could chop the shrimp into the grits along with a little green onion, fry them and serve them drizzled with gravy.”

  “That sounds good, but I want more than just a drizzle of gravy,” Lisa said crowding in next to her sister. Evangeline flipped the cake, revealing a golden crust.

  Charlie finished washing up the last of the dishes from the first sitting and threw the dishtowel over her shoulder. “What happened with Debra?”

  Jen took a breath and blew it out. “She passed.”

  “Oh my stars, that's awful,” Charlie said.

  “What?” Evangeline's head turned sharply, her blue eyes boring into Jen. “I just saw her yesterday. How did that happen?”

  “I don't know,” Jen said, shaking her head. She folded her arms across her chest. “They think she may have had some sort stroke or seizure. I guess they'll have to do an autopsy to find out for sure.”

  “Well I was never a big fan of hers, but I'm still sorry to hear it. How's Kristin taking it?” Evangeline asked, gently lifting the edge of grit cake to check for color.

  Jen shrugged her shoulder. “Kristin will be all right I think. I mean she was a mess, of course, but she left a voice mail chewing out her daddy for not being there, so she'll be fine. I saw Billy Eisener for the second time this week.” Jen gave her sister a pointed lo
ok.

  Lisa returned a bored look. “So?”

  “So he said to tell you hi,” Jen teased. “What's going on there?”

  “Nothing.” Lisa folded her arms across her chest, ignoring her sister's look of doubt. “Is supper almost ready, Evangeline?”

  “Yes, y'all go on to the table,” Evangeline ordered, scooping the cakes onto a clean plate. For a minute, Jen felt like she was eight years old again, when her aunt had lived with them and took care of them. “I'll bring your food when it's done.”

  Jen nudged Lisa's elbow and took a seat at the planked table in the center of the kitchen. Lisa pulled a box of cheese crackers from the cabinet, sat next to her sister and began to nibble. Charlie pulled a chocolate pie from the refrigerator and cut a piece for herself.

  “Where's Daphne?” Lisa asked.

  “She had a late appointment and didn't want to come all the way out here.” Evangeline carried two steaming hot plates and put one in front of Jen. The smell of shrimp in savory gravy made Jen's mouth water.

  “This looks delicious,” Lisa said.

  “Anybody else want a piece of pie?” Charlie asked.

  “I'm good, sweetie,” Evangeline said, picking up the heavy iron pan to clean it. Jen and Lisa both had their mouths full, but shook their heads no. Charlie put the pie back into the refrigerator and took a seat at the table across from Jen and Lisa.

  A few minutes later Jack Holloway carried his granddaughter piggy-back into the house. He bent down close to Jen, grunting a little. “Give your mama a kiss good night,” he said. Ruby pecked her lips against Jen's cheek.

  “I can take her, Daddy,” Jen said.

  “Nah, you go ahead and eat your supper. I'll tuck her in,” he said.

  “All right, then,” Jen said, giving Ruby a quick kiss. “I'll be up in a minute to say good night. Have you brushed your teeth?”

  “Yes'm,” Ruby nodded. Jack straightened up and Ruby grabbed onto his neck.

  “Good girl. Say good-night everybody,” Jen instructed.

  “Good night.” Ruby waved.