High Priestess

by Wendy Hewlett

  “Pardon me?” Mick asked.

  “Nothing.” Raven carefully removed the rest of the paper, revealing a fine china vase decorated with soft pink flowers and olive green vines. She leaned over to read the handwritten card –

  Even with a sun so bright,

  Shadows are cast,

  And some never see the light.

  The time has come at last,

  To step out of the dark,

  Let go of the past.

  What the hell does that mean? Where the heck was Ena when she needed her? She turned the stick around, looking for the florist’s name on the back of the card, but it was blank. Raven took her time photographing the flowers, vase, and card. She took a picture of the rhyme written on the card with her cell phone so she could study it later then placed the flowers, vase, and card into a brown paper evidence bag. She sealed the bag and wrote the date, time, and her initials over the seal.

  When she looked back into the box, there was an envelope sitting on top of a piece of cardboard that lay flat about half way down. The envelope wasn’t sealed and inside it she found several photographs of the chalice and the flowers. In one of the photos, a lavender gift bag sat right behind the chalice. Raven dropped the photos onto the table, opened the bin and found the gift bag, then placed it into an evidence bag as well.

  Peering into the box again, she pulled the piece of cardboard out. Beneath it lay a neatly folded black cloth with deep purple and bright gold embroidery which Raven recognized immediately as Ena’s robe, the one she wore to special Wicca ceremonies and rites. She ran her hand over the silky smooth material and memories from long ago flooded into her mind – hanging on to Ena’s robe and hiding behind her at a gathering of the coven. She must have been three or four and the memory was just a quick snapshot in time. She remembered watching Ena, so regal in that robe, lifting her hands in the air and reciting a rhyme. She’d been mesmerized, watching her mother call forth the four elements – earth, air, water, and fire.

  She caught herself smiling at the memory then pushed the robe to the side. Beneath the robe was the worn, brown leather cover of her old Book of Shadows, the one she’d been writing her own spells and potions in when her mother had been training her. She was eleven or twelve when she stopped having anything to do with witchcraft. Why would Ena have saved the stupid thing knowing she didn’t want anything to do with it? It was like her bedroom. Ena kept it the exact same as when she still lived there. Was she not able to let go of the past? Is that what the card on the flowers was referring to?

  Raven started to close the box up when the light caught something at the side of the box at the bottom. She pulled out the DVD cover and written on the outside in Ena’s script writing were the words ‘For Raven’. She glanced over at Mick while she tapped the DVD cover against her finger tips. Mick already knew just about everything about her, so why not just watch it in front of her. With her mind made up, she put the DVD in her DVD player and sat on the end of her bed to watch.

  The first part of the video was the same as the video she watched earlier. At the point where the previous video ended, this one continued to play.

  Tears streamed down Ena’s face after Adara told her Raven wouldn’t listen to reason. It pissed Raven off, because she hadn’t even known Ena was sick. Adara never talked to her about Ena. Even though it angered her, it wasn’t evidence Adara had anything to do with Ena’s death.

  “I’m sorry, dear,” Adara said.

  “It’s fine. I need to go lie down, Adara. Would you mind?”

  Adara looked a bit shocked. “Oh, yes, of course.” She got up and gathered her bag from the counter. “You’ll call me later?”

  “Yes. I’ll call you after I have a nap.” Ena smiled, but it didn’t reach her heavy eyes.

  Adara nodded then turned and walked out of the frame. The back door clicked closed off screen and Ena pulled her cell phone from her pocket. Her hands shook as she tapped the screen then held the phone to her ear.

  “She’s gone. You can come now.” She ended the call and slid the phone back into her pocket. Ena turned back to face the camera with a small smile, her frail hand pushing her long, mahogany hair from her face. “I don’t remember where I was when Adara came in.” She laughed at herself. “I want you to know I’m so proud of you, Rave. I was at your high school graduation and I was there when you graduated from the police academy. Did you know you’re the only one in the Bowen line to become a police officer? From what I hear, you’re very good at your job.” Her smile lit up her gentle, blue eyes, the crows feet making them kinder somehow. “So proud of you, darling angel.”

  There was a knock at the door and Ena turned to face it. “Come in, Kiara.” She pushed to her feet and had to hold onto the counter. Kiara rushed to her side and made her sit back down.

  “I wish you wouldn’t stay here by yourself, Ena. You’re too frail.”

  Ena waved her hand. “I’m fine. Really.”

  Kiara frowned at her as she removed a mason jar from her purse. “Did you see her put anything into the water or the chalice?”

  Ena shook her head. “No, but her back was to me when she was at the fridge and she took her time there.”

  Kiara put on thin, blue gloves then picked up the chalice and emptied its contents into the mason jar. She screwed the lid on and placed a strip of white tape over the lid, sealing it to the glass jar. She scribbled her initials over the seal and wrote the date and time beneath them. “I’ll get this to the lab this morning. We should get the results back in a day or two.”

  Ena dropped her head as she nodded.

  Kiara sighed and took a seat next to Ena. “You’re sure it’s Adara?”

  Ena nodded again. “No one else has had access to that water jug. Adara has been here every morning for the past month. It has to be her.”

  Raven glanced over at Mick when she heard her gasp. Her eyes were wide and her hand covered her mouth. Raven turned back to the video, wondering if Adara could really be that cold. She’d told the media about Gregor’s connection to her and Ena as well as given out her cell phone number and address and she would never have believed that of Adara. Could she also be so wrong about her being Ena’s killer?

  Kiara’s hand covered Ena’s on the counter. “I’m so sorry, Ena. I wish there was something we could do.”

  Ena smiled and her other hand came over Kiara’s and patted it. “I know. I’m sorry, too.” She nodded towards the camera. “Shall we finish this.”

  Kiara nodded and turned to the camera with her eyes pooling. “Hello, Raven. You’ve got one hell of a strong mother here.”

  Ena shook her head. “Not so strong, or I would have been able to resolve our differences a long time ago. I know you don’t want to hear it, Rave, but I’ve missed you so much. I’ll be dead within a few days and my only regret in life is not resolving our differences. I’ve missed out on so much of your life. I wish I could go back to that horrible day and change everything.” She wiped her wet eyes with the heals of her hands then looked up at the camera again. “Since you’re such a smart cop, I guess you’ve figured out that we suspect Adara has been the one poisoning me over the past month. We had the water from my jug in the fridge tested a few days ago and it came back positive for arsenic. The pitcher that was in the fridge contained clean water before Adara came in this morning. So, along with the water from the chalice, we’ll send in the water from the pitcher to have it tested again. Kiara will get the results to you.

  “I know this is going to be hard for you, Rave, because Adara has been like a mother to you when I failed miserably. I think she never wanted to give you back. I’ve asked her just about every day to talk to you and tell you how much I wanted to talk, but I’m not sure she ever did. I’ve asked her to tell you I’m dying, but I don’t think she really did that either.” She pursed her lips then shook her head and dropped it. “Maybe she did and you just really don’t want anything to do with me. I don’t know.”

  Kiara’s hand s
lid over Ena’s shoulders and she pulled her in for a hug. Then Kiara faced the camera. “We think Adara is fed up of being in Ena’s shadow. She wants the coveted role of High Priestess in the coven and the only way to do that is to get rid of Ena.”

  Raven pursed her lips, her hands fisting in her duvet. What Kiara suggested was insane. Adara didn’t care about being High Priestess. Ena was the one with the huge ego who needed to be in charge. Adara was happy to be in the shadows.

  “Of course, I don’t expect you to take my word for it, Rave,” Ena said. “I know how close the two of you are. In a couple of weeks, there will be a full moon. Go to the gathering, Rave. If Adara truly is the one who’s poisoning me, she’ll make a play for HPS.”

  Ena began to cough again. Kiara got a tissue for her then held her as she hacked up her lungs. When the coughing fit was over, Kiara said, “Let’s get you upstairs to bed, Ena. You need to rest, honey.”

  Ena got to her feet then looked into the camera again. “Goodbye, baby girl. I love you so much.” Tears flooded her eyes then spilled out and the screen went black.

  Raven sat staring at the blank screen with her hands still fisted tightly in the duvet. She heard a sniffle and looked over to see Mick’s face in her hands and her shoulders shaking.

  “Oh, for the love of God. Why the hell are you crying?”

  Mick raised her head, eyes bloodshot and puffy. “Why aren’t you? Have you no feelings at all?” She dropped her head again.

  Raven clenched her teeth. She wanted to send her fists into something and Mick was looking a little too tempting. She closed her eyes, took a couple of deep breaths, relaxing her muscles as she breathed out. Maybe her feelings were numb when it came to Ena. Maybe when someone hurts you so much, your feelings numbed to stop the hurt. God, she didn’t know. When it came to Ena, she was definitely blocking her emotions, but it was in self-preservation.

  “I’m sorry,” Mick mumbled. “That was uncalled for.”

  Raven shook it off and reached for the papers from the lawyer. Ena said Kiara would get the results of the water tests to her. She went through the papers more closely. The first several pages dealt with the house and the money Ena left. She found the lab results in the middle of the stack of pages. The water tested the day before Ena’s death did contain arsenic. Then there was Ena’s statement detailing how they discovered she was being poisoned and who she believed was poisoning her. She didn’t just accuse Adara, she stated that everyone in the coven had reason to kill her if they coveted the High Priestess roll or perhaps they wanted Kiran.

  There were questions rolling around in Raven’s head she wanted answers to. Who called 911 on the morning Ena passed? Who knew she was going to emergency, so they could hex the staff into believing Ena had cancer? Raven separated the papers, leaving the ones pertaining to Ena’s will on the table. She bunched the rest in her fist and darted out of the bedroom.

  “We’re going out,” Raven shouted as she grabbed her coat from the back of the couch.

  Mick met her in the foyer wiping her damp eyes. “Where are we going?”

  “The detachment.” She’d fill her in on the drive over.

  They were just getting in Raven’s car when Jaxon’s truck pulled in behind her.

  “Shit.” Raven got out of the car then leaned her head in the door. “Stay here.” She slammed the door then walked to Jaxon’s truck. She didn’t want to be within Mick’s hearing distance. “I can’t talk, Jax. I’m working.”

  “Screw that, Rave. Either we talk or I’m just going to follow you until you do.” His fists landed on his hips as he glared down at her. “Did you know that your phone is out of service?”

  “Yep.” Too bad it wasn’t as easy to change her address as it was to change her phone number. She stood her ground, not letting Jaxon’s assertive stance get to her. “I don’t have anything to say to you.”

  “We need to talk about this, Rave. You can’t just drop something like that on me and walk away.”

  “I can if you’re going to call me a slut.”

  Jaxon spun around and rubbed his hand over his scalp. “Jesus, Rave. I didn’t call you that.”

  “You insinuated it wasn’t yours, that I slept with other guys.” She hated being branded with the same iron as Ena. She hadn’t taken countless lovers to her bed, as Ena had. She didn’t deserve to be treated like the town slut just because her mother had been. Jaxon was the only man she ever slept with. She’d slept with a few women, but not many and she’d been in a relationship with them before she slept with them.

  Jaxon rubbed his scalp then put his hands on his hips again and stared down at the ground. At least his hands weren’t fisted now.

  “I didn’t react well. What the hell do you expect when you drop something like that on me, Rave?” He turned slightly and raised his head until they were looking into each other’s eyes. “What am I supposed to do? I love you, Rave, but I know you’ll never love me back. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do here.”

  “Neither do I and I didn’t ask you for anything. I don’t want anything from you.”

  “Ouch.” Jaxon dropped his head and turned away again.

  “Don’t guilt trip me, Jax. You hurt me this morning by insinuating the baby isn’t yours. How the hell do you think I feel? I didn’t plan this. I didn’t want this. I’m not ready to be a mother.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I haven’t got that far yet. I don’t know.”

  Jaxon turned back to Raven and she was surprised to see tears in his eyes. “I want to know my kid, Rave. I want to be a part of our kid’s life.”

  Oh, damn. When the hell could she get off of this emotional roller coaster ride? She pursed her lips tightly together to stop her lower lip from quivering, but it didn’t work. Jaxon reached for her and tried to pull her to him, but Raven placed her hands on his pecs and pushed back.

  “I can’t, Jax.” Giving him the slightest hope they could be together wasn’t fair to him and the last thing she wanted was for Riley to suddenly drive up and see them embracing or for Mick to tell Riley they’d been in each other’s arms. “I need to go.”

  Jaxon took a step back. A gush of air escaped his lungs that sounded like a short laugh, but, by the look on his face, was anything but. His beautiful blue eyes reddened and glistened. He shook his head and pulled his truck door open.

  “We’re not done, Rave.” He climbed in and slammed the door.

  Raven stood there until Jaxon’s truck disappeared down the road. He was right. They needed to talk. But, there was no sense in doing it until after she saw Simone. She got back in the car. Mick kept her head turned, staring out the passenger window. What the hell crawled up her ass? Raven left her to stare out the window. She wasn’t in the mood to talk anyway.

  The crowd of reporters had disappeared from the detachment. Who knew it would be so easy to get rid of them all? Obviously, Mick did. “You were right about talking to the reporters. Thank you.”

  Mick turned to Raven with a tight smile. “You’re welcome,” she said and turned her head back to the window.

  “Are we okay? Did I do something to piss you off?” Raven asked.

  Mick shook her head. “No. That video just really affected me. Seeing your mom like that; knowing she was dying and not being able to make amends with you.”

  Raven’s back straightened, her lips pursed tightly together. She manoeuvred the car into a parking spot then slammed it into park. “I didn’t know she wanted to see me. Adara never told me she was sick and wanted to talk to me. I didn’t know.”

  “Would you have gone to see her if you had?”

  It was a question Raven couldn’t answer. Deep down she had always hoped Ena would seek her out and make things right. She wanted Ena to come after her the night she ran away, wanted Ena to choose her over Gregor, but she hadn’t known Ena did follow her that night and called Adara to go get her from the park.

  “Do you think someone hexed you and Ena so you di
dn’t resolve your issues? Could someone have blocked your feelings for each other so you didn’t pursue a resolution to your problems?” Mick asked.

  Raven’s head snapped up and she met Mick’s stare. “Why would anyone do that? How could you even think that?”

  “Someone who was lonely and had no family of her own, wouldn’t have wanted to let you go. Honestly, Raven, you should have had an emotional reaction to that video despite your issues with your mom.”

  “That’s just crazy. Adara is the sweetest, most selfless person I know. She didn’t want to lose me, but she wouldn’t have hexed me or her best friend.”

  “Are you maybe wearing blinders where Adara is concerned because you’re so close?”

  Raven dropped her head into her hands then combed her fingers through her hair, over her scalp down to the nape of the neck. She left her hands there, massaging the tense muscles in her neck and shoulders. She was getting a headache from all the crap floating around in her brain. Between the investigation into Ena’s death, all of the Gregor Paigo crap, her possible pregnancy, losing Riley, and the possibility Adara killed her mother, there was too much. Her head was going to explode if she didn’t get a grip on all of it.

  “It’s because I know Adara so well that I know she couldn’t have done this.”

  “How do you know she hasn’t been screwing with your head all along?” Mick asked with an exasperated sigh. “It sounds like Ena desperately wanted to fix things between you for the past twelve years. Something prevented that from happening.”

  “Do you remember what Simone said about the Wiccan Rede? Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill – An it harm none, do what ye will. What you’re accusing Adara of goes against everything the Wiccan religion stands for.”

  “Well, someone has violated that rede, haven’t they?”

  “Ugh,” Raven groaned, massaging her temples in slow circles. “I’ve got too much scattered in my head. I need to lay it all out where I can see everything or I’m never going to be able to keep everything straight.” She got out of the car, retrieved her evidence kit from the trunk and headed for the back door of the detachment with Mick on her heels.