by January Bain
“Would you like coffee, tea, something to eat?” I jumped up and grabbed a couple of blue and white mugs with the fancy imprint of golden stars on them and filled one, looking at her to see if she wanted the other. She nodded and sat in the booth.
“Please, just coffee.”
I filled her mug, grabbed a couple of cheese scones, three molasses cookies and joined her. Adding a generous dollop of cream to the coffee, I took a bite of the first cheese scone. Heavenly. I polished if off and began on the second one.
I washed them down with coffee, my body finally satiated.
“You were hungry,” Jennifer said with a brief smile.
“First chance I’ve had to eat in hours. Been some day.”
“You live quite the life. You’re lucky.”
“Yeah, I think so. What can I do for you?” I took a gulp of coffee. “Oh, I was sorry to hear about your trouble.”
“Ace tell you?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.
“No, but he did ask me to pass this along. Would you like to come to our Northern Lights Coven meeting tonight?”
She shrugged. She didn’t exactly look too cut up by the recent break with her fiancé. Ace had done a good job of making her feel better. Fast work.
“Maybe. When is it?”
I glanced at the wall clock. Seven p.m. “Ah, about thirty minutes from now.” Jeez, where had the day gone?
“Okay, it should prove interesting. Never been to a witches’ meeting before.”
I didn’t like the way she said it, as though we were some kind of group she’d like to put under the microscope. “We’re not a witches’ coven per se. We just believe in the goddess and doing things that improve the state of our existence, for us, and for others. Being one with nature is healing for the soul.”
“Well, nice that you found enough like-minded people in Snowy Lake.”
“Yes, very. Would you like to wait here? I need to shower before the meeting.”
“Before you go, I just had something I need to ask you.”
“I’m listening.”
“You’ve just met Ace, right? Only known him for a few weeks. How do you think he’s doing? You know, adjusting to small-town life.” She said that as if it must be the hardest thing in the world. Offended? Not much.
“He’s doing great, far as I know. Fits right in. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” I caught movement out of my peripheral vision then Tulip was reaching over and giving a swat at Jennifer’s hair left loose on her shoulders today, making it fly in all directions.
“Ouch!” Jennifer raised a hand to her head.
“Sorry, you had a huge bug caught in your hair.” Tulip gave a nod of satisfaction and marched away.
“On second thought, I’ll have to skip the meeting. Thanks for the invite, but I forgot I have somewhere to be tonight.” Jennifer got up and made her escape.
The angels made a scathing good-riddance sound, but maybe that was just my imagination. I was about to get up when Charlie and Tom came in, surprising me. They hurried over to my booth and sat down, both quite animated. Hmm, now what?
“Hey, Charm, I forgot to tell you something,” Charlie said.
“Go ahead. I’m running late, but I can take a few minutes.”
“Me and Tom were out near Spirit Springs today to look for those darn beavers that are damming Miller’s Pond and causing the water to back up into Johansson’s meadow, and we ran into some of those movie guys in the woods.”
My ears pricked up. “Go on.”
“Well, we suspected you’d be wantin’ to break the case about that accountant fellow, so we thought we’d better share what we overheard. You know, it might mean something, eh?” Tom said.
“That fancy pants who works for the director, and a couple of guys dressed in coveralls, like stage hands, were arguing. They didn’t see us. You know, we’re darn good in the woods, hunting and all,” Charlie said with a satisfied grin.
“I’ve heard that,” I said by way of encouragement. “And the assistant’s name is Bryce Stanford.” I couldn’t disagree about his fancy clothes.
“So, you’ve met him. Anyway, this Bryce guy says to the two guys, ‘You agreed to it. Now you ask for more!’ He was real mad, red in the face.” Charlie gave a chuckle.
“Did he say what they had agreed to?” Ricin. Maybe the two guys had been paid to plant it?
Charlie shook his head. “No, but then one of the guys said it was risky business and they wanted more money and the other fellow backed him up. The guy, Bryce, wimped out after they suggested they had the goods on him.” Charlie pursed his lips, looking more than pleased with himself.
Hmm, could just mean they were working on a dangerous movie stunt and Bryce wanted to keep it quiet. But my gut said they were talking about the poison.
“Thanks. Would you recognize the two men again?”
“Maybe. They had their backs to us the whole time, but I did see that one of them had a ponytail, kind of grayish. The other wore a New York Rangers hat—backward.” He gave a look of disgust accompanied by a quick Bronx cheer, otherwise known as the raspberry. Tom and I followed suit—the hat didn’t belong to our beloved Jets hockey team based in Winnipeg, after all. The whole town had begun doing that regularly since Corner Gas, a popular Canadian television show where the whole town always spit on the ground when the next town over got a mention. And wearing a hat backward was almost as cardinal a sin as wearing the crotch of one’s pants at one’s knees. That one could get the victim tossed in the creek, pants and all.
“Tomorrow, could one of you go out to the set with me if they reopen it? See if we can spot him?”
“I could go, nothin’ much planned,” Charlie said. “Well, we’ll be in touch then.”
I watched the pair walk out together, the angels over the door sighing with sweet contentment as they swayed in the breeze, announcing the men’s departure.
“What was that all about?” Tulip asked, looking up from her laptop.
“Nothing important. I gotta go clean up.”
I left Tulip in charge of the café and headed into the back. The kitchen was deserted, but it was obvious that everything was ready for the morning. That was, if we needed it. What was the deal now that the set was quarantined? I had no time to worry.
I raced up the stairs, my energy restored by carbs, and hit the showers. Twenty minutes later, I tiptoed out of my apartment, not wanting to disturb Ivana. She usually didn’t attend our meetings. Why bother her? She had enough on her plate dealing with her crazy Russian family.
“Charm, bosom friend! We go together, yes? I want to learn—what they called? Pippets? Peppets?” Ivana’s idea of the perfect outfit for a coven meeting clashed somewhat with mine. I wore a simple yellow sundress with flats, Ivana a tight red lace number with five-inch heels, her hair up in a swirling mass of fire-red curls that would defeat any man’s attempt to mess with. Her beautiful face made up to perfection, her bosom heaving from the strain of being pushed up to the rafters, she oozed sexuality like a hound dog howls for the chase.
“Poppets. Spirit dolls.”
“Dolls, yes. We make voodoo, yes?”
“Not voodoo. Spirit dolls are to send out into the universe to create good karma for someone, a vehicle of pure energy. At least that’s how the Northern Lights Coven will use them, I’m certain. It’s empowering. You know, help someone be healed or protected, make a connection between your desire for good, and its manifestation? They can bring great joy to someone you love. You go about making them by saying a little verse, As I stitch thee, So I wish thee.”
She narrowed her eyes at me, her head quirked sideways. “You use them banish, right? Get rid bad pests?”
“Ah, that’s not the best intention for them, Ivana, though in history they have been made for that purpose.” I shook my head, trying to dissuade her from such a bad idea. “Not in modern times. Not in Snowy Lake, we don’t.” I was pretty certain I spoke for everyone in this regard.
“Hmm,” s
he said, giving me a squinty-eyed look. “I use them best. For Charm.” She struck her hand over her heart in a closed fist with a loud thump, making me wince. It was her way of signaling that something really mattered to her and was not to be taken lightly. Not that I ever took anything Ivana said lightly. I’m not that crazy.
“Good.” I hoped she meant to use them to send out good vibrations, not the way she thought best, but I couldn’t get too focused on making sure or we’d be running late.
“Time to go. Want a ride to Christine’s?” I asked, knowing the answer.
“Go best bosom, yes.”
“Let’s go then.” Well, she did have a great set, lots larger than mine, and I was rather endowed.
As I drove Ivana over to Christine’s, my thoughts kept circling around the day. So much had happened. What did it all mean? And what else could my gift do? A deep sense that the whole world was about to open up left me breathless. And spooked. I shivered.
Chapter Seventeen
“Okay, listen up,” Emma, my actual best bud on the planet, who was lacking in the bosom department and proud of it—stating she’d be perky at eighty, thank you very much—clapped her hands together to get the noisy group of women to take notice. She looked good, wearing a sky-blue floor-length gown that set off her red curls nearly as spectacularly as Ivana’s today. Swirls of gold and purple hues intermixed with the predominant blue of her dress, making the silk appear alive as she sashayed about. I was happy for her. She’d recovered from her auntie’s death, put it behind her and taken up skydiving. Apparently, number one on her bucket list. Mine, catching the killer.
“Tonight, I’m going to explain the history and purpose of poppets or spirit dolls, then we’re all going to make one.”
A series of cheers followed her announcement. We’d all had a glass or three of sparkling apple cider, thanks to our hostess. It tasted so good everyone tended to forget it had the same alcohol content as beer. And Canadian beer is known worldwide as strong beer. I just loved the way the bubbles tingled my mouth. Not as much as Ace’s kisses, though. I sighed. Okay, got to keep my mind off that annoying man.
“So, the first known mention of the word poppet in the medieval world occurred in or around 1539. At that time, the name did not have a good connotation, with popular thinking being that they were the vehicles for witches and sorcerers to carry out their nefarious purposes. Of course, they were misunderstood and misused, as most poppets are designed for the purpose of good karma. They have three main uses—healing, attraction and banishment. From making straw dolls for sending troubled or bad spirits floating away on a river or waterway to—”
“Yes, stop!” Ivana held a hand up, her red-painted fingernails poised into claws. “We make straw dollies.”
“Yes, great idea.” A chorus of women all agreeing with Ivana shocked me. I was more interested in making a doll to protect a loved one, not a straw doll to drive someone away. Or maybe I should rethink that position? No. I shook my head firmly. It was either meant to be or not.
“So, if everyone’s in agreement, I’ll demonstrate a straw doll first.” Emma capitulated so quickly to Ivana’s demands that I looked toward the doorway. Had one of her legendary brothers walked in, holding us hostage? No. Okay, this was decidedly odd. Why would the entire group be having issues with persons they wanted to banish? At least in my case it made some sense.
Well, I could learn how to create one but not charge it with magic to banish anyone. The example Emma held up was quite cute, making my fingers itch to get started. I accepted the offering of short pieces of straw and cord for binding them together from my friend. I glanced at our hostess, Christine, who was flitting among the women with food and cider offerings with an air of contentment I’d never witnessed before. I crossed my fingers. Please let her have that child she so desperately wants. Maybe a poppet and matching baby tucked in a snug cradle would help?
I tuned back in to Emma’s spiel. We all dutifully followed her instructions and within the hour a mismatched assortment of straw dolls had been fashioned for posterity. I caught Tulip out of the corner of my eyes handing something off to a few of the women and frowned. I thought I’d caught the glint of golden hair.
“What are you doing?” I demanded, my mind suddenly filling in all the blanks.
“Nada,” she said, a smug look undercutting her denial.
“So help me goddess, if you’re doing what I think you’re doing…” I left the threat hanging. Much more effective.
“Charm defend honor,” Ivana declared, giving me a scowl and winding a strand of the hair around and around and around the neck of the poppet.
“I don’t need defending. If Ace chooses to spend time with another, that’s on him. Not me.” I crossed my arms over my chest, swallowing against the lump that had suddenly appeared in my throat. “Don’t you dare charge these dolls with bad intentions. I’ll never forgive you.” Of course I would. I wished Jennifer would go away too, just not like this.
“Snowy Creek—now,” Ivana said, getting to her feet with a determined look that would easily part the waters of the Red Sea. “Come.” Her last word caused everyone to scramble to their feet and troop out after her. I jumped up and followed. Maybe I could neutralize the effect with some good intentions of my own.
It was a lovely starlit evening as we marched the ten minutes to the creek at the south end of town, the air fresh with the scent of late-blooming flowers and bulbs. Snowy Creek stretched in a silvery ribbon highlighted with moonlight for a few winding miles past worked fields and stands of thick forest. Magical.
Ivana gave her doll a firm shake, a nasty look, then leaned down and set it afloat on the water. I was relieved she hadn’t sunk it with a rock or tied it to a cement block to swim with the fishes. Things were looking up.
“Hidey ho, stripper, time to go!” she said in a booming voice that made a screech-owl, well, screech—which was out of character as they had a range of calls that didn’t sound anything like a screech—and fly off in a kerfuffle of feathers and wings.
“Hey, that’s not the right verse,” Emma protested. Brave woman.
But she was right. We’d used that one last month to send a busload of strippers on their way. It had worked, though no actual harm had been intended, as we did raise the funds with a splendid bake sale to fix their ailing bus.
Nevertheless, the other women dutifully followed suit, setting their straw poppets on the water and chanting the silly little verse, led by Ivana. I had to work hard not to laugh. They really did have my back, and it appeared harmless enough, setting the poppets free on such a pretty moonlit night.
“She looks so beautiful in the moonlight.”
I whirled around, searching for the source of the words, but couldn’t locate them. I shrugged. It must have been my imagination. I got back to business.
A crunch of heavy boots on twigs and stones littering the creek bank woke me to the fact that we had company just as I set my poppet free with a hope and a prayer that Jennifer Morgan would get home safely. Soon.
“Good evening, ladies,” Constable Collins said, tipping his hat. A few southern sighs swirled around me, making me give an invisible eye-roll.
“Evening, Constable,” the women said in unison, their tones as smooth as clover honey now.
“Miss McCall, if I could have a word.” It was a definitive statement, not a casual invite.
“Sure.” I kept my fingers crossed as I followed him back up the shallow creek bed to the road. The last thing I needed was Ace getting wind of the purpose behind this particular event.
“Hey, I found nugget!” Ivana screamed with delight behind us. I studiously ignored the chorus of happy yelps that followed, and continued walking away with our Mountie down the roadway. Probably just my Auntie T.J. up to her old tricks.
“What’s the deal tonight?” he asked, stopping a few hundred feet away, well out of earshot of my crew.
“Nothing, just a bit of fun. Emma gave a class on making some
harmless little poppets and we thought we’d give them a fond farewell.” I shrugged it off.
He frowned. “I thought poppets set on water were intended to banish someone?”
Was there anything that this guy didn’t know something about?
“Not always,” I hedged. “Anyway, they were just a practice thing. You know, just to learn the basics. So, what did you want to speak to me about?”
“Well.” He cleared his throat. “Jennifer said that Tulip attacked her today in the café.”
“What? Are you insane? My sister would never hurt a flea. For heaven’s sake, she picks up ants and spiders and sets them free on the doorstep. Drives Star crazy.” I planted my feet firmer into the grass, trying to find my harmony with Mother Earth. Serenity now. “She removed a huge beetle out of her hair. That’s all. Jennifer should be thanking her. Those bore beetles have a nasty bite. Might have taken a chunk right out of her scalp.”
“Okay. She may have misread things. She’s a bit sensitive right now.”
“Yeah, well I did ask her to the meeting, but she said she was too busy.”
“Thanks for trying.”
Guilt struck. I could have tried harder. Hmm. That sucked.
“What’s going on with your case?” I asked, ready to share what I had learned today since we’d last talked.
“The pieces are coming together. You’re going to find out anyway, so I might as well tell you. We’re holding Guido Morello for twenty-four hours. The ricin was found in his RV. Under the floorboards, like you said and confirmed by the tip.”
“It wasn’t him! I mean, think about it—what does he have to gain? Howard was related through marriage, plus, if you’re skimming money, why kill off the man who’s helping you to get it?”
“Maybe Howard got too greedy? The mob wanted to send a message? Could be any number of things.” Ace shrugged, his handsome face illuminated by the moonlight and making my stomach give a little flip-flop.
“Well, I have some fresh intel.” I told him about what Charlie and Tom had overheard near Miller’s Pond.
