Witch I May, Witch I Might

by K. J. Emrick

  On second thought, it was something of a blessing that Willow was holding her tongue, and not making things worse.

  Addie put her hand on Lucian’s arm, and let it rest there. “Lucian, tell me what’s going on. There’s no way anyone saw my sister committing murder.”

  “No, they didn’t. At least she’s got that in her favor. She was driving that car over there,” he pointed to Gary’s red sports car, “and I’m sure you know that’s registered to her boyfriend. An anonymous tip led your town constable to look for Willow and he found her here. When he did he asked to look in her trunk, and lo and behold the anonymous tip was correct. There was a dead woman in there.”

  “Right. Autumn Lynch. Our friendly neighborhood constable was telling me about it. She’s not from here, she was visiting Birch Hollow, and the next thing we know she’s dead. In my sister’s trunk.” Addie shook her head. “Come on, Lucian, none of this adds up. Do you really think Willow would have let anyone near her trunk if she knew there was a dead body in it? Especially a police officer? I mean, not that Herman’s a real police officer, but he’s the closest our town has until you and the rest of your guys show up.”

  He tossed his hands up helplessly. “I know that, but now I’m here, and the rest of my department is involved all the way up to my Chief. Which means…”

  Addie scowled. “It means you have to arrest her.”

  “Yes. We do. I’m sorry, but we really don’t have a choice. The anonymous tip. The fact that Willow was up in Birch Hollow where Autumn Lynch was last seen… before she was found dead in that trunk, I mean. There’s nothing with Autumn’s body, no cellphone, no murder weapon, but plenty of her blood soaked into the carpeting. Scuff marks on the heels of her shoes indicate she was dragged to the trunk, probably after she was dead. It all adds up to probable cause. More than that. For anyone who doesn’t know you and your family, they’re going to think Willow did this.”

  “But she didn’t.”

  “It won’t matter, Addie.” Now he took both of her hands in his, and his eyes told her exactly how serious this was. “If she went in front of a jury right now, they’d find her guilty. We need to figure out who really did this. It’s the only chance she has.”

  “I’m glad you’re here,” she told him, speaking the honest truth. “I’m a witch, and I have all sorts of power I can draw on at a moment’s notice, and sometimes I still feel completely helpless.”

  “We’re here for each other.” With a quick kiss on her cheek, he let her fingers slip gently through his. “I have to take Willow back to the station now. I can’t delay it any longer or the Chief is going to have my tail in a sling. Can you and Kiera come up to Birch Hollow with us? I’ll explain everything I can when we’re there.”

  “Sure. We’ll figure this out together. Um. Alan is with us, too. Kiera’s son. You remember him?”

  “Yes. That’s fine, but he might have to wait in the car while we talk. I can explain discussing the case with the sisters of the main suspect. Anything else is pushing it.”

  “All right.” Addie was frantic to know all the details of this murder, who exactly Autumn Lynch was, who might want to kill her, and anything else Lucian might know. She understood that would have to wait. If she wanted those answers, she would have to be patient. “We’ll follow you up there. Just let me tell Willow, okay? I can do that, can’t I?”

  He considered it, and finally nodded. “Just a quick hello and goodbye, okay?”

  “I understand.”

  She went over to the patrol car. Its gold stripes and letters practically sparkled under all the artificial lighting. The officer standing guard smiled at her but didn’t try to stop her. She remembered his name was Ben Stark, and that they had met a few times, but they didn’t really know each other. He just knew who she was. Being a Kilorian had its perks. Being the boyfriend of Lucian Knight, even more so.

  At the window, she waited for Willow to look up, but her sister was apparently so deep in her own thoughts that she didn’t move. Her hair still covered her face. She sat very, very still. It was like she wasn’t even breathing.

  Addie leaned down and tapped at the window.

  Willow still didn’t move.

  Addie knocked again, louder this time.

  Willow disappeared.

  One second, she was sitting there, in the backseat of the patrol car, and in the next blink of the eye she was gone. Addie blinked, and blinked again, but Willow didn’t come back.

  In the air was the faint whiff of cinnamon.

  Addie closed her eyes and leaned her head down against the glass. “Oh, no. Oh no, no, no, no.”

  Every use of magic left a trace, something that would be noticed by anyone who knew what they were looking for. An aroma, or a flash of light, or sometimes an oily feeling on your skin. Willow had cast a spell to leave a temporary image of herself in the car. It was like a three-dimensional photograph made of light particles threaded together with Life Essence. It could only last so long and then it went poof. Like it had just done. Obviously, however, it was enough time for Willow to escape.

  How could her sister have been this stupid?

  Chapter 3

  “So what now?” Alan asked after Addie had explained the situation to them.

  They were all sitting in her Jeep again, watching the Birch Hollow officers yell orders and do a thorough, but useless, search of the area around the gas pumps and convenience store. Willow was long gone. If Addie knew her sister, which she did, then Willow would be able to stay hidden until this whole thing blew over.

  “Now,” Kiera decided for them, “we must return to Stonecrest and try to contact our sister. We won’t be able to clear Willow’s name if she continues to stay on the run like this.”

  “I think we should stick around for a while,” Addie suggested. “There’s still things we can learn here. Maybe the convenience store employee saw something.”

  “If the murder took place in Birch Hollow,” Kiera pointed out, “then I don’t see how the worker at this store would have seen anything at all. No doubt Lucian has more he could tell us, but he can’t speak to us now that he has to spend his time looking for our sister. No. We will return to Stonecrest and use the scrying circle to look for clues.”

  Addie was surprised, to say the least, and she didn’t do very well at hiding it. “You want to try using the Family Circle? With just the two of us? Kiera, that’s all kinds of crazy.”

  Every coven of witches, whether there was three members or thirty, whether related by blood or just mutual intent, had a Family Circle that they would use to focus and enhance their powers. There were certain spells could only be performed with the use of a circle. The Family Circle at Stonecrest was in the top room of the home’s tower and was able to tap into the Well of Essence under the ground. To work properly, however, it required the Life Essence of the entire coven. All three of them. Trying to activate or control the circle with just two of them would be foolish at best, suicidal at worst if something went wrong.

  “We can manage it,” Kiera promised her, as if she could read her thoughts. “The two of us can manage it together. Besides, what other choice do we have?”

  “Well,” a strong male voice said. “You could always ask someone for help.”

  They all turned to look at what had been an empty seat in the back, next to Alan, just seconds ago. Now there was a man sitting there, smiling at them with one leg crossed over the other, his arm hooked casually over the back of the seat.

  Addie swallowed against a suddenly dry throat. That was the kind of effect Philly always had on her.

  His full name was Mephistopheles Smith. Fallen angel. Kiera’s ex.

  Alan’s father.

  Only fools expected fallen angels to be demonic and ugly, with red skin and horns and a forked tail. Cloven hooves. A pointy goatee. That sort of thing. In reality, angels were always the most beautiful creatures in God’s creations. In his tight black slacks and his red silk shirt, with his caramel co
lored skin and his hair that was a shade of blonde so pure that it was gold, he had the air of a foreign diplomat. His face was all strong angles and smooth skin. His eyes were a blue so intense that it was hard to look into them for very long.

  Addie could see a lot of Philly in Alan’s face. Especially now, when they were sitting side by side for the first time.

  The last time Addie had seen Mephistopheles, he’d threatened her life, and melted one of the salt shakers in her cafe. He’d been trying to persuade Addie to side with him over the issue of visitation with Alan. Kiera didn’t want it. At least, not yet. He thought if he could get the sister on his side, then he’d be in. Instead, Addie had told him it was Kiera’s decision to make.

  He hadn’t taken that answer well.

  And now here he was, with them in her car. This was exactly why Addie had suggested leaving Alan at home.

  “Oh, come on now,” Mephistopheles said to her, answering her unspoken thoughts. Although to be fair, he didn’t need to be able to read minds to know what she was thinking. “Alan’s a big boy. He can choose to see me or not. Besides, Addie, you’re his aunt, not his keeper. He’s a grownup. All I’ve been looking for is the chance to speak my mind and now it seems you’ve brought that chance right to me.”

  Then he turned a brilliant smile on Alan. “Good to finally meet you, son.”

  Alan’s eyes were wide. “Dad?”

  “Mmm-hmm. That I am. Seems we’ve got a lot to catch up on. Starting with why nobody told you I wanted to meet you.”

  He didn’t look at Kiera when he said it, but there was no doubt that had been directed at her.

  Alan shifted in his seat, inching away from the beautiful angel. “I, uh, didn’t really know I was going to end up here,” he tried to explain. “In Shadow Lake, I mean. It was a spur of the moment decision to track my parents down, and then I was in an accident, and I kind of lost several days to this coma… plus I didn’t even know who my mother was, let alone my father.”

  Mephistopheles held out a hand. “Well. Now you know me.”

  With a smile that slowly pushed away the doubts etched on his face, Alan shook his father’s hand. “I’m glad we could meet each other. I wish it was under better circumstances. I mean, with the murder and with Aunt Willow and… are you really… an angel?”

  Addie knew this conversation was going to take the rest of the night and then some if she let it continue, and right now that was time they didn’t have. “Look, Mephistopheles—”

  “Please, Addie,” he said, with a soft chuckle. “What have I told you? Call me Philly. After all, we’re practically family.”

  “Uh, all right. Philly. We’re really pressed for time right now. Could you maybe arrange another time to see Alan? Have coffee with him or something? See, Willow’s in a real spot of trouble and we—”

  “No, I don’t think so.” This time when he interrupted her it was with a low hiss of echoes behind his words, and a red shadow that passed through his eyes. “You Kilorians have done everything you can to keep my son away from me. I’ve been polite. I’ve been patient. Well, no more. If I don’t put my foot down, then you’ll never let us have time to get to know each other. So. This is me, putting my foot down.”

  Something slammed down on the Jeep, rocking it on its tires.

  The angel smiled.

  “Enough of that, Philly,” Kiera told him, turning further in her seat, either not afraid of him or making a fine show of not acting like she was. “I know I’ve been selfish by keeping Alan to myself. You’re right about that. He deserves to get to know you as well. However, Sister Addie is also right. Willow needs our help now. We have to be going.”

  Addie wondered why she didn’t just tell him where to go, but on the other hand maybe she had the right idea. Stepping lightly with the Fallen might be best.

  Philly bounced his fingertips against his knees, a slow simmer of emotion coming to a boil just below his surface. “Tell you what,” he said. “How about a trade?”

  “What kind of trade?” Addie asked immediately, knowing that deals with the Devil—or with his angels—rarely ended well.

  “Simple,” Philly promised. “I give you information to help your sister, you promise that I can have time with Alan, say… this Friday? Around noonish, I should think. Coffee. Lunch. Conversation. All of that sort of stuff you do when you meet your dad for the first time either.”

  Alan’s eyes brightened. “I’d like that.” He turned to look at Kiera, just in time to see the disappointment she tried to hide. “No, really, I’d like to at least sit down with my father. Besides, if he knows something that can help Willow, I’m game to do my part.”

  “Excellent!” Philly exclaimed before either Kiera or Addie could argue. “It’s settled, then. This Friday, at noon. Tell you what. I’ll even do it at Stonecrest, if you like, so that you can keep an eye on me. How’s that sound?”

  Kiera obviously wanted to say that it sounded like the worst idea in the history of ideas but instead she just held her head up higher and gave a little nod of agreement. “That is acceptable. As long as it is acceptable to Alan.”

  “Friday sounds good to me,” Alan agreed right away. “You bring the takeout, I’ll supply the beer. Oh. Um, do angels drink beer?”

  Philly broke out with a hearty laugh, slapping his knee as if that was the best joke he’d ever heard. “Obviously you’ve got a lot to learn, son. Although, I much prefer a nice Arrack over ice. It’s the coconut flower sap that gives it that special flavor. Very nice. Well, now that we’ve got that settled, I suppose it’s time for me to live up to my end of the bargain.”

  Addie wanted to argue that they hadn’t made a bargain, or struck a deal, or anything like that, but the words stuck in her throat when she saw the look on Kiera’s face. Her sister was staring at Philly as if he truly were angelic. Her eyes had taken on that faraway look that teenage girls had for their first crush. Her lips were set in a little bow, just barely parted in a smile.

  Curse her Irish eyes, Addie thought to herself. Mephistopheles Smith—Philly—still had an effect on Kiera’s heart even after all these years. Even now that she knew what her ex-lover truly was. Was she falling in love again?

  Oh, this would not end well.

  “Okay,” Philly said, waving his hand over at the swirl of activity that the convenience store had become. “Now it’s my turn. Here’s what I know about your little murder over there. The woman’s name was Autumn Lynch. Kind of a lovely name, especially at this time of year when the season of autumn has just ended, and winter has begun. It’s like someone killed Autumn, just when Mother Nature was killing autumn, if you see my connection.”

  He smiled, like he was waiting for someone to applaud his cutting sense of wit.

  “We already knew her name,” Addie pointed out, impatient but still polite. She was very aware that they were in the closed confines of a car with a fallen angel. “We were hoping that you would be able to tell us some of the details that we don’t have yet.”

  His eyes, when he turned them on her, did not hold the same humor as his smile. “I see. Well. You probably want to know that she was stabbed to death, then. Right here.” He pointed to a spot just below where his heart would have been, if he was human. “One plunge of a knife, at just the right upward angle to pierce between her ribs and cut her heart. Unfortunately, the killer took the knife with them after committing this… oh, what’s the word humans use? Ah, yes. This heinous act. So. No fingerprints, no murder weapon, none of that pesky DNA to be had.”

  “That isn’t very helpful,” Addie pointed out.

  “Well, then perhaps you should do some of the work your own self?” he suggested. “Try starting with the people the victim came to Birch Hollow with before her untimely demise. That would be her new husband, Corbin Reif, and her brother, August Lynch. You’ll find them at this address.”

  He handed over a little white card that seemed to appear between his fingertips from thin air. Addie stared at it, run
ning through her mind all the possible ways that someone could kill a witch with a simple two-by-three inch rectangle of paper.

  Rolling his eyes, Philly handed it to Alan instead, who took it without hesitation. He read what was written on it, and then handed it up to Kiera.

  “This is an address in Birch Hollow,” she said. “On Bradley Avenue. It’s a motel, I believe. The Nash Palms motel.”

  Philly snapped his fingers. “Exactly! Where else would a honeymooning couple spend their time but in a motel room? Don’t worry, the brother had a separate room. It wasn’t anything kinky.”

  “But if she was just married,” Addie wondered out loud, “shouldn’t her name be Reif, too?”

  “Just married,” he clarified. “She hasn’t had time to change her name on her ID. The cops are going off what’s on her driver’s license.”

  “Okay, but haven’t the police already spoken to her husband and brother?”

  “Not yet,” he beamed. “You’ll be the first. If you hurry, that is. Thankfully your sister Willow has provided a convenient excuse to keep the nice police officers busy while you go and investigate. Willow is the adventurous one, issn’t she? Although, Kiera, I remember a few nights of adventure with you that certainly left an impression.”

  Kiera turned away, hiding her expression, and pretended to be very interested in the address on that card. She wasn’t fooling anyone, though.

  Addie pursed her lips. What Philly had told them was a start, just not a very good one. “If you really want to be helpful,” she said to him, “why don’t you just tell us who the real killer is?”

  He shook his head. “Sorry, dearest Addie. I’m coming into this one late in the game. I don’t know who the killer is any more than you or that police officer boyfriend of yours.” He shrugged, taking a moment to straighten the lines of his shirt. “There’s only one being in the universe who is all knowing, and that isn’t me. Too bad, too, because I’ve got some amazing ideas on how to restructure everything. Ah well. Genius is never appreciated in its time. Isn’t that right, Kiera?”