Bad Company

by Sarah Dreher

  And finally knelt and touched her feet. "May your path be firm in the ways of truth."

  Taking the sheet which she had removed from the bed and folded, she draped it around Stoner's body, sculpting the folds and creases and tying it in place. She stood back and nodded approvingly. "Move around. See if you're comfortable."

  She did. She was. The cotton robe felt as natural as her own skin.

  "Ready?" Boneset asked.

  Stoner nodded.

  Boneset picked up a dagger set with semi-precious stones, and a wooden wand tipped with a glowing crystal and carved with runes. She thrust them into her belt, took her room key from the bureau, picked up Stoner's knapsack, and turned. "Let's do it."

  Dinner was over, the rest of the company gone to their rooms to rest and wait for night fall. There was no one in the living room. As they crossed the patio, they saw Esther emerge from the first floor fire door, pushing Clara ahead of her.

  Boneset led the way over to them.

  "My goodness," Esther said, "you two look lovely."

  "Nice costumes," Clara remarked. She sniffed. "Smell good, too."

  "Thank you," Stoner said. "You look lovely, yourselves."

  They did, too. Clara wore deep purple velvet slacks and a flowing silk blouse. A large silver chain hung around her neck, and bright rings nested on her fingers like tiny hummingbirds. Esther had chosen an off-the-shoulder cocktail dress with a net stole, and gold jewelry. She looked as if she should lounge against the piano and sing sexy-sad ballads.

  “We have the stuff," Clara said. "In that bag that hangs down on the back of the chair. Don't want to risk anyone running off with it."

  "Excellent," Stoner said.

  “We’ll look out for this for you, too," Clara offered as she took the knapsack from Boneset and hung it from a chair handle. ''You don't want to spoil your effect."

  "Thank you," Boneset said. “We have one more thing to do, and we'll meet you inside the barn."

  With a wave, the Crones set off across the grass.

  Boneset led Stoner to the woods. She went to a fallen birch and peeled off several strips of bark. Tying the ends together, she fashioned a crude necklace and placed it around Stoner's neck "This is Artemis," she said solemnly. "She's with you. She's here."

  The barn was dark when they got there. Only Esther and Clara were around, waiting for instructions. Boneset went to the light board and turned it on. She adjusted the light until the entire room was in dim blue light, then added a bright pink light to the center of the floor. Motioning to Stoner to help, she moved the chairs to the edges of the barn, leaving the floor space empty.

  "Crones," she said to Clara and Esther, "your position is on the stage, under the bower. Your role in this is to keep the peace."

  "I guess 1 know how to do that," Clara announced.

  "Good. What will happen is this: when the women arrive, we'll consecrate and purify the space. Then I'll cast the circle, and purify each woman as she comes in. Next I'll invoke the spirits of the four directions and elements, and welcome their goddesses. After that, the circle is sealed and no one may enter or exit until the ceremony's completed. I'll announce the nature of the ceremony, which is to clear the air of gripes and complaints. Then each woman will be allowed to speak. While she's speaking, no one else may interrupt her." ''You run this better than a court of law," Clara said.

  "In a way, it is a court of law," said Boneset. "Natural law. After each woman has spoken, the floor is open for questions, arguments, and suggestions for conflict resolution. This will be the time when you'll have to be most on top of things. We have to walk a fine line between letting women have their say, and the whole thing getting out of hand."

  Clara nodded solemnly.

  "We have no way of knowing how long it will take at this point. But after we come to a resolution—or decide we can't find a solution tonight—I'll invite the women to write their complaints and wishes on slips of paper, and we'll offer them up to the Goddess by burning them in the cauldron." She indicated the center of the floor, where a large black pot sat on three legs. The inside of the pot was filled with wood shavings and birch bark and shreds of incense. A pad of paper and pencil lay beneath the cauldron.

  "When this is finished, I'll end the ceremony by opening the circle and inviting everyone present to feast and dance to honor the Great Mother." She looked at each of them in turn. "If you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer them."

  ''Yes,'' Esther said, "I have a question."

  Boneset inclined her head in Esther's direction.

  "This all sounds pretty mystical. What's the chance of ghosts showing up?”

  "Very slim," Boneset said with a smile. "Though it has happened that the spirits of our ancestors have dropped by. It's more likely on Samhain, or Hallowmas. Would it concern you?"

  "Not me," Esther said, "but there are some souls on the other side who don't have very good feelings toward Clara, due to past unpleasantnesses in the line of duty."

  "Aha!" Boneset said. "Thanks for reminding me. I'd forgotten about the prayer for persons and spirits of good will only. That comes just before the invocation."

  "That's all there is to it?" Clara asked with a raised eyebrow. "Does the Boston Police Department know about this?"

  Esther gave her a little push. "Stop that. It sacrilegious."

  "On the contrary," Boneset said, "humor is the role of the Crones. They know more about life, and teach us not to take ourselves too seriously."

  "Let's take this one home," Clara said.

  'We're not taking anyone home. We're crowded enough."

  “We'll move that niece of yours out," said Clara. "She's not good for much."

  “Well, that's true," Esther said. She turned to Boneset. "Where do you want us?"

  "On the stage, under that pine bower."

  They all pitched in and heaved the wheel chair onto the stage. Stoner draped the purple robe over Clara, and showed Esther how to put hers on.

  The last of the light faded from behind the windows.

  Stoner took a deep breath. Here we go, she thought. Anxiety surged through her. She didn't know what she was going to say. She didn't know what she was doing. She wasn't sure of her evidence. She wanted to run.

  Unconsciously, she reached up and touched the necklace of Artemis. Be with me, friend, she prayed. I need all the help I can get.

  Now there were voices, women coming down the hill and across the lawn to the barn.

  She took a deep breath.

  Boneset handed her a large sea shell and a sage smudge stick. Striking a long match, she set fire to the sage, then took the smudge and shell and walked three times clockwise around the inside of the barn. By the time the women reached the door, the air was pleasantly tangy with the odor of the desert.

  "Blessed be," Boneset said to each woman as they filed in silently and formed a circle.

  Barb was the last one. "Everyone's here," she said.

  Boneset nodded. "Thank you for your help." She went around the circle again, waving the smoke toward each woman with an eagle feather fan. Stoner followed with the shell. When she had made the transit, she stubbed out the smudge stick in the shell, and took out a bag of salt. As the women joined hands, she walked behind them again, scattering salt on the ground.

  Next was water. Lifting the flask high and facing east, she mumbled a prayer, then circled them again, splashing droplets of water on the ground.

  Finally she took out her wand and made one last circle, beginning at the east and moving clockwise.

  "The circle is closed."

  The women began to hum, a deep, booming hum from low in their bodies. Boneset went to the east one last time, drawing her knife and wand and raising them high. "Powers of the east," she said, "spirits of air, bless our ceremony and make us swift."

  She moved to the south. "Powers of the south, spirits of fire, bless our ceremony and make us strong."

  To the west. "Powers of the west, spirits of water,
bless our ceremony and make us wise."

  To the north. "Powers of the north, spirits of earth, bless our ceremony and bring us peace."

  Standing over her cauldron, in the center of the circle, she reached toward the sky. "Isis, Astarte, Diana," she chanted, "Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inanna."

  The other women took up the chant. "Isis, Astarte, Diana..."

  "Oh, Great Mother," Boneset intoned, "Goddess of a thousand names..."

  "Hecate, Demeter, Kali..."

  "Be with your daughters as we heal our community."

  "Inanna. Isis, Astarte..."

  "Let each women speak the truth that is in her heart."

  "Diana, Hecate, Demeter..."

  "Let each of us open her heart to the words of her sisters."

  "Kali, Inanna..."

  "Let your wisdom guide us on this night."

  She stamped her foot. The chanting stopped. "The Goddess is here."

  Stoner could feel it, the room charged with energy and lightness, as though sparkling. Around the circle to her left she could see Gwen, looking at her softly and reassuringly, as if she could send waves of love through the air itself. Sherry was there, too, between Barb and Marcy. She became aware of Stoner watching her. Her mouth twisted into an unfriendly smile. Touching her Artemis necklace, Stoner looked away.

  "Our sister Stoner has asked for this ceremony," Boneset explained. "But we all know there's been a lot of tension in the company lately, and we all know we have to heal before our show can continue."

  Murmurs of agreement.

  "Therefore, I've decided to bring us together into Stenia, the Bitching Festival. Each woman will have a chance to say what's in her heart. When we've all been heard, we'll have an open discussion and look for solutions. Our Crones…" She turned and indicated Clara and Esther. "... Esther and Clara…” Clara waved to the circle. "...aren't here as judges. They're here to see that each woman is fairly heard, and to maintain order."

  "I resent that," Sherry said loudly. ''You're treating us like children."

  "Fault!" Clara shouted.

  The other women giggled. Sherry lapsed into resentful silence.

  "Because Stoner is the one who suggested this healing," Boneset said, "I've asked her to assist me tonight. I'd like her to begin the bitching. Stoner, please step into the center of the circle."

  She was so frightened she thought she wouldn't be able to do it. It was only the distance of one stride, but her legs weren't going to move. Someone gave her a firm but reassuring push from behind, and suddenly she was there, with all the faces looking at her, ghostly in the pale blue light.

  "Uh," she said, her mind a blank. "I... uh."

  "Blessed be," someone said. The rest took up the chant, encouraging her. "Blessed be, blessed be."

  "I know I haven't been with you long," she heard herself say, "but I hope I've gained a little of your trust."

  She went blank again.

  Words came into her head. Just tell the truth.

  "I came here... Gwen and I came here... we aren't on vacation, as we said we were. We're here at Sherry's request." She could feel some of the women looking in Sherry's direction, surprised. "She approached me because she was concerned about some of the things that had been happening. The mysterious disappearances and reappearances of props. The theft of the flashlights. The bench with fresh paint that wasn't marked, so that Roseann ruined her clothes. All small occurrences, but, she said, they aroused her suspicions."

  She stopped for breath. The room was silent. She could feel the tension from Sherry's direction. The alertness, like a tiger watching its prey, waiting for the right second to pounce.

  "After we arrived," she went on, "Sherry showed us something the rest of you don't know about. It was a threatening letter."

  There was a soft gasp from the circle.

  "At first we were inclined to dismiss it as a prank. A childish one. But then the note disappeared from my bureau drawer, from our locked room. Later it was returned, fastened to one of my shirts with a knife. An electrician's knife."

  The room was very quiet.

  She went on to detail the entire scenario. The tampering with Roseann's script. The mysterious prowler in the barn late at night. The broken ladder. The attack on Seabrook. Roseann's torn clothing. The marijuana planted among Boneset's herbs. Rebecca's "director's notes" criticizing Roseann. The missing music. The changed marks that directed Roseann too close to the edge of the stage, the silicone spray that led to her fall.

  "It was obvious that someone, for whatever reason, was trying to sabotage the show. Someone was trying to make Roseann feel she wasn't welcome among you, so that she would quit and relinquish the lead to someone else."

  "Hey!" Marcy squeaked.

  "Fault!" said Esther.

  "But, as you can see," Stoner went on, "Roseann wasn't the only target. Rita, Boneset, Sherry, Barb, Divi Divi, even Marcy was the object of mischief."

  "I was?" she heard Marcy whisper.

  Stoner turned to her. ''You were. I'll get to that later. It seemed to us that the point of these incidents was to turn the company against itself. It almost worked. But our perpetrator made a serious mistake."

  She paused for dramatic effect, feeling like a character from a detective story. Hercule Poirot grabbing center stage.

  "You see, the woman who did these things wasn't satisfied to make trouble among you. It wasn't enough of a challenge. This woman is so convinced she's superior to the rest of you that she decided to increase her own excitement by victimizing the very people she'd hired to solve the case."

  She caught Sherry's eye through the dim light. "Didn't you, Sherry?"

  ''You have got to be kidding," Sherry said coolly.

  "Fault!" said Esther.

  "The game was too easy," Stoner went on, looking directly at Sherry. "You had to up the ante. When you found out Gwen and Marcy were driving in to Bangor together last night, and Divi Divi and I would be away, you saw your chance. You had someone, one of the other guests of one of the staff, tell Marcy her ex-lover Jennifer had called, and would call her back in the evening. That got Marcy out of the way. Then you volunteered to take her place. But before you left, probably during dinner, while you were supposedly overseeing the kitchen crew, you sneaked upstairs, picked the lock to our room, and took Gwen's night shirt from behind my robe on the bathroom door. You knew I'd find it missing when I got ready for bed."

  “Wait a minute!" Marcy broke in. "You mean Jennifer wasn't really going 'to call?"

  "Fault!" Clara bellowed.

  "No, she wasn't." She turned her attention back to Sherry. "You claimed the truck had developed engine trouble. That gave you an excuse to stay in Bangor over night."

  "It did break down. I had to take it to the garage."

  "I think," Stoner said, "if we call the garage, we'll find you never showed up there. Meanwhile, Gwen asked you to call and leave me a message of... well, of a personal and affectionate nature. But you didn't. Your exact message was... 'See you in the morning.' You knew me well enough to know how I feel about Gwen, and how that message would make me crazy. You figured I'd blow my stack, which I did. You figured we'd have a fight, which we did. What you didn't count on was the way Gwen and I feel about one another."

  "I can't believe I stayed here and waited for Jennifer to call," Marcy muttered, "and she was never going to call in the first place."

  "You see, Gwen and I love each other. So, even though you could cause trouble between us for a little while, we come to each other from a position of love. Deep in my heart, I know Gwen wouldn't knowingly hurt me. When she said she hadn't done what I thought she'd done, a large part of me believed her." She turned to Gwen. "Here, in front of these women as witnesses, Gwen, I want to publicly apologize for doubting you. It was unworthy of me, and it was certainly unworthy of you."

  "Stop it," Gwen said. ''You'll make me cry."

  "Fault!" said Clara.

  She went back to Sherry. ''Your plan backfired, She
rry. Today, while Gwen pretended to be so crazy in love with you she wouldn't leave you alone for a minute, I had plenty of time to do a little looking around on my own. We found your secret room, Dodder. We found the locked boxes. We found the surveillance equipment. We found the computer disk, and we found out how you managed to get into everyone's room."

  "You're lying," Sherry said. ''You're trying to pin this on me because you're jealous of Gwen and me…"

  "You know what did you in, Sherry? Your arrogance. You really can't believe anyone could be smarter, more clever, or more attractive than you. But I'll let you in on a secret. Every woman in this room is smarter, more attractive, and just generally better than you."

  “Well, I hate to break it to you," Sherry said, "but Gwen is attracted to me."

  "Sherry," Gwen said from the shadows, "I wouldn't sleep with you if we were the last people on earth, ship-wrecked on a desert island, and I was drowning in estrogen."

  Someone in the darkness laughed.

  Sherry stepped out into the light in the center of the floor. She was smiling.

  "Excuse me," Boneset said. "Sherry, you'll have your turn."

  Stoner touched Boneset's sleeve. "Let her speak."

  "Okay," Sherry said, strolling casually around the circle. "You've had your fun. Now let's talk about what really happened." She stopped in front of Stoner. "I never asked you to come here, for any reason. You were guests here just like everyone else. And I can prove it." She reached in her pocket and drew out the merchant's copy and carbon from a VISA transaction. "You paid for your own room and board. With your credit card. Here's your signature." She shoved it under Stoner's nose.

  It certainly looked like her signature in the dim light. But she hadn't forgotten the Xerox of the guest register. With a little practice, Sherry could easily have made a decent forgery.

  "Do you really think," Sherry asked, addressing them all, "I'd hire someone to spy on you, and then have the gall to expect them to pay their own room and board?"

  There was some confused murmuring.

  "That's right," she went on, "spy on you. Because that's what she's claiming I did. Hired an outsider to spy on you, my sisters. You've known me for years. I've given my heart and soul for this company. You know how generous I've been, having the rehearsals here every year. I've put a lot of my own money into Demeter. But that's not the important part. We're all sisters, and a couple of outsiders are trying to tear us apart."