A witch had been here, and she had flitted away on the wind.
Joyce sat down on her bed, looking out the window. The sudden shock of hearing someone in her house was now dissolving into a simmering anger. She felt hurt and betrayed, even if the person had not been anyone she knew.
The problem was, she was pretty sure she did know them. There was only one person that could be desperate enough to snoop through other people’s locked houses.
Celestial.
The anger twisted like a living thing. It was fair enough for Celestial to go looking for evidence to clear her name. It wasn’t fair to commit crimes of her own in her quest for information.
With a heavy heart, Joyce thought about her collection of gris gris bags. She knew that it looked bad. No one needed that many at a time and it could certainly be construed as premeditated. Belladonna was well known for its poison just as it was for its scent and beauty.
A little might lull you to sleep, but drink too much and you sleep forever.
She shook her head, feeling the anger riding the keen edge of sadness. She liked Belladonna. The flowers were beautiful. It was not an uncommon thing for a witch to have.
It was uncommon for a witch to make so many spell bags. Joyce knew this, too. She was only trying to help out Victoria though. She didn’t just have gris gris bags for sleeping and soothing—that used belladonna—she had bags for luck, bags for love, spells for good fortune.
Victoria sold so many of these spells she literally couldn’t keep up. Joyce had just been trying to help her keep the shelves stocked. The little product was more popular than ever before.
“I didn’t kill her... Why would I kill her?” She asked the quiet, still air. Her eyes trailed over the window frame, getting angrier by the moment as she visualized Celestial sitting right there on the sill before she disappeared with a flash of magic.
Surely, she must have known Joyce would sense it. The honorable thing to do would have been to stay and explain herself. Then again, if someone was mean enough to break into your house, you couldn’t count on them to be honorable, could you?
She bowed her head to her lap, wishing there was something she could take out her frustration on. She didn’t kill Isabella. It was as much a mystery to her as it was to everyone else in town.
She also knew Celestial was not the kind of person who could have framed an innocent person. She didn’t have it in her and that’s what was making Joyce so angry.
Joyce thought well enough of Celestial that she couldn’t kill or frame anyone. Clearly, Celestial did not have the same regard for her. Not if she could go so far as to break into her house.
It implied that Celestial thought she might be guilty. Joyce’s anger only rose as she realized that the other witch thought she was capable of murder.
Joyce felt violated in every way. Not just her private space that had been disrespected, but her very reputation. Hurt in this situation could show itself in many ways.
For Joyce, it was plain anger, born of betrayal.
Chapter 22
Opal’s new house with a big pool was the talk of the town. Even more so when she announced a pool party to christen it with. She had invited everyone she knew and quite a few people she didn’t. Her enthusiasm was infectious.
Celestial could not avoid hearing about it. All of her friends—as well as herself—had been invited. Random customers could also be overheard talking about the big party at the mansion.
This was not the time to have a party. Not when murder stalked in every shadow. Celestial hadn’t imagined that anyone would get excited about it, let alone want to go.
It was a great opportunity for the killer to strike again. So many people had been invited that not even Opal would be able to keep track of them all. Slipping something into someone’s drink would be far too easy.
Over the few days before the party, Celestial tried to warn all of her friends. She couldn’t believe that they proved impervious to good sense. Everyone in town wanted to go to the party. After so much stress, tension and grief, they needed a chance to wind down.
Celestial was the only one being a party pooper.
Nobody thought that Opal could be guilty. Celestial protested that all the killer had to do was be present at the party. Anyone could spike food or drinks, it didn’t have to be Opal. The only way to stay safe was to avoid the party altogether.
No one listened to her. The town had been under stress for too long. This was the party of the year and no one wanted to be left out.
The afternoon before the party, Celestial begged Dakota to see reason. She was struggling with the fact that the entire town couldn’t see what a risk this was. Surely, her best friend would listen to her if he couldn’t follow plain common sense.
“Please, Dakota.” Celestial leaned across the counter of her shop. “Just don’t go. We can get a pizza or something. It’s too dangerous.”
He gave a deep sigh, shaking his head at her. “I can’t miss it. It’s become a big event, you know. How could I just stay home after the entire town has been talking it up?”
She reached out to touch his hand. “Surely, you can see where I’m coming from?”
He looked right into her eyes. “I do. But I also think you might be a bit paranoid.”
She took her hand back gently. She wasn’t mad. She was feeling persecuted and that was almost the same thing. She brought up her best smile for him, even though it hurt her.
“Enjoy the party.” She couldn’t manage enthusiasm. Polite was the best she could muster. “If you change your mind, I’ll be at home watching Criminal Minds.”
He laughed as he turned away. “You enjoy your evening too. It sounds riveting!”
She laughed softly as he left the shop. He meant well. He was probably disappointed that she wouldn’t be there having a good time with him.
While Celestial prepared to head home and keep her head down, the party at Opal’s kicked into full gear. People flowed across the gardens, the back deck and the poolside. It was one of those fantastic parties where there were so many faces you could be surprised by the conversations at every turn.
The mood was high, and it was clear that everyone needed a good time. There was a kind of frantic energy to it though, as if the exuberance hid a dark vibe of stress that throbbed through the undercurrent of emotions.
Music hummed through the ground as people danced. It seemed as if everyone in town just wanted to forget the stress of the recent events, just for a little while.
Opal was throwing herself into the vibes, laughing and dancing with carefree enthusiasm. The party was everything she had hoped it would be and more. She was excited about her house and over the moon with the amount of people that had come.
She knew that the right location and setting would be a huge draw. Seeing the crowds of people moving through the house and grounds she was extremely satisfied with herself.
After a few hours, Opal headed to the kitchen for her bowl of special punch. She had to elbow her way through the crowds and plenty of people reached out to her, congratulating her on the party.
“Good show Opal!” someone called.
“Yeah!” A voice came from the opposite direction. “Great party!”
She grinned, waving towards the smiling faces.
“Just wait.” She laughed. “The best is coming up!”
Everyone cheered as she hurried through into the kitchen. She raised the big glass bowl carefully, walking slowly out to the main table so she didn’t spill a single precious drop.
“This is my very special punch.” She raised a ladle and started pouring it into cups. “It’s from a secret recipe.”
“Secret huh?” A young man gave her a grin as she handed him a cup. “It must be good, then.”
She smiled up at him. “It is.”
He stepped away, sipping from his cup. Several others pressed forward, reaching out. Suddenly Opal was surrounded by people as she handed out cups of dark liquid.
Then someone screamed.
Opal dropped her ladle in surprise. The crowd parted. She saw the very first person that had taken a cup was on his hands and knees by the pool.
The cup rolled away, spilling shadowy drops across the ground. The young man coughed and held his throat, going red in the face.
Not far away, a young woman collapsed. Her eyes fluttered shut as she hit the ground, limbs loose as a corpse.
All around Opal, people began to look into their cups. Then at her.
More people fell, some to their knees, others flat to the ground. The rest of the guests took a big step back, watching as the others fell prey to the sudden sickness.
From the cups beginning to scatter the ground as they were dropped by bloodless fingers, it was plain to see the only people who were sick were the ones who had drunk the punch.
Several eyes swiveled to Opal who still stood over the bowl, looking over the ruin of her party with wide eyes.
Chapter 23
Celestial was in the shop early, much earlier than she would usually open. She had heard a few reports on the radio and couldn’t sit at home. She busied herself around the shop, the familiar motions of tidying up and making the stock presentable soothing her.
She wasn’t surprised when she saw the rangy shape of a wolf loping across the road outside. She hurried to the door to let Nikoli in.
“You missed a hell of a good time.” He said gruffly, voice clinging to the wolf’s growl.
She smiled, but not happily. “I knew it was going to be a disaster.” She said. “I’m not pleased to be right.”
Before they could sit down to talk a movement outside drew their attention. As if she had materialized from nowhere, Opal waved through the window. She looked like she had been crying and her face was white. Celestial gestured for her to come in.
“Oh, my dear.” Celestial went and took her hands. “Some willow bark tea? Something warm and soothing will be the best thing for you.”
Opal nodded wearily as she sat down in one of the wicker chairs. Celestial went to make the tea, bringing out small steaming cups. Nikoli eyed them warily.
“Do you use belladonna in your recipes?” He asked wryly.
“Actually, I do.” Celestial said, taking a hearty sip. “Not in this particular one, but in a few. A small pinch isn’t enough to hurt anyone. It’s a good relaxant as well as an antioxidant.”
“You might want to ban it, at least for now.” His eyes slid to Opal, who was hunched down in her chair, holding the hot cup but not sipping from it.
“Opal?” Celestial asked gently. She felt bad for Opal, but it wasn’t like she didn’t warn her.
The wide, sad eyes left the liquid in the cup and swam up to find Celestial. Opal shook her head a little.
“I didn’t hurt anyone, Celestial. I couldn’t. Anyway, it was my party. I wanted everyone to have a good time.” She dropped her eyes back to her lap.
“I don’t know how people got sick.”
Nikoli put his cup down, not drinking it. “Opal, the punch tested positive for Belladonna. Not just a pinch to enhance alcoholic effects or relax someone. A high dose. It’s a very near thing that no one was killed.”
Opal looked up at him in shock, sitting up so fast she dropped her cup. The glass shattered and amber liquid splattered across the floor.
“No!” She cried, looking wired enough to jump out of the chair. Her sudden burst of energy drained away as quickly as it had come, leaving her crumpling back into herself again. Celestial quickly cleared away the broken shards with a dustpan. She was full of questions but thought it was better if Nikoli asked them.
“Opal.” He said gently. “You could be locked up right now. You know that, don’t you?”
She looked up at him, her eyes frantic. “I was at the hospital. I wanted to get checked out... I thought maybe it was food poisoning or something.”
“No. It was the punch.” Nikoli’s stern tone left no question.
“But people already suspected me!” Opal was approaching a place of such stress it wasn’t clear if she was going to collapse or cry. “Now everyone is going to be sure I did it!”
“Now, slow down.” Nikoli said soothingly. “It would be very stupid for a murderess to stand right over the murder weapon just as her victims fell prey to it. People may think many things, Opal, but no one thinks you’re stupid.”
She looked up at him with shaking hands. “They don’t have to think I’m stupid to think I’m guilty. Common opinion will take the easiest path, just like a creek flows towards a river.”
“Well, public opinion is not going to convict you.” Nikoli took a step towards her. “There is a lot to look at before we can consider you as the killer.”
“I didn’t kill her!” She shrieked, fists clenched in frustration. “I just wanted to have a good time. Dammit, she never let me have any fun. Now look. She’s destroying my life from beyond the grave.” Opal shook her head in frustration.
Celestial took a sip of her tea. It didn’t escape her that she was the only one drinking it. She had prepared it, so that wasn’t surprising. It wouldn’t take long for everyone in town to lose their trust in each other.
Opal looked up at Celestial, shaking her head again.
“Well, you’re off the hook this time. You weren’t even there.”
Celestial shrugged. “My only alibi is my TV though.”
Nikoli grunted with laughter. “If it was a smart TV with a camera on it, that could be valid.”
Celestial grinned over her cup. “That sounds suggestive.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You said it, not me.”
“Joyce was there.” Opal said softly. “She was in the kitchen when I went to get the punch.”
“Good, Opal.” Nikoli said encouragingly. “Try to pin down as many details as you can. It’s a mess right now, with people coming and going from the hospital and the police tracking down everyone who was at the party. There are only a few of us, so it takes time. But you need to remember as many people as you can who could have had an opportunity.”
Opal shook her head again. “There were so many people. I invited everyone I saw, and they invited even more. There were tons of tourists, people I had never seen before.”
Nikoli met Celestial’s eyes and they shared a grim look.
“But the whole dark coven was there.” Opal whispered. “All of them, even Victoria. She’s not known for her dance moves, is she?”
Nikoli nodded encouragingly. “It’s true, she’s not known for frequenting noisy parties. But if you say Joyce was in the kitchen when you picked up the punch, we’ll need to identify others that could corroborate your story.”
Opal looked at her lap again, fussing with her fingers.
“I wouldn’t even know where to start.”
Nikoli sighed. “Well. That means, neither do we.”
Celestial shared another glance with him. This one was far more than grim.
Chapter 24
Celestial found some irony in the fact that she was again preparing tea for people other than herself. She hoped that trust had not degraded so far that her closest friends would be afraid to drink it.
Evening was falling fast, and everyone would arrive soon. Well, Dakota and Tamara, who had physical forms to move, would be ‘arriving’. Bella and Della would be floating... Ghosting... Teleporting? Who knew?
They had made a rough plan to meet at Celestial’s house at the end of the day to discuss the situation. As the light turned from gold to gray, she saw Dakota striding across the lawn. From the way he staggered away from the nearby bushes, it seemed he had materialized inside it. The crown of twigs only supported her theory.
Dakota came in, letting a breeze in with him. The butterfly clinging to his jacket became Tamara in a great flourish.
“I should have known better than to trust your spells, Dakota!” She huffed.
“We’re here, aren’t we?”
“That bush almost tore my wings.”
/> “Sit down.” Della said as she drifted through a wall. “You don’t know how to miss things like that until you’re dead.”
Since there was no answer to that, Celestial brought the tea to the table and handed out cups to the corporeal members of her circle. Athena circled nearby. Tamara squeezed Celestial’s hand.
“How are you?”
Celestial sighed. “Tired. Tired of all of it.”
“Well, it’s pretty obvious now that it's Opal.” Dakota took a mighty gulp of the tea.
“Why would you say that?” Celestial asked, truly curious. He shrugged.
“She always wanted the money and her sister was brutal to her. Sometimes the simplest explanation is the most correct.”
“Honestly.” Tamara swirled her tea. “It was Joyce, clearly. She wanted Sergio.”
Celestial shook her head, biting her lip. As usual, her mind was bubbling over. “That doesn’t explain why either one of them would poison the entire party.”
“Yes, it does!” Tamara and Dakota sang in unison. Celestial waited for them to speak, amused.
“She had to, to make it look like she was innocent.” Dakota said with exasperation.
“Of course Joyce would, to shift the blame on to Opal. Everyone already thinks it’s her.” Tamara took a sip of tea.
“If the living are quite done.” Bella said dryly. “I think I have an important point. Why are we not looking more closely at the dark coven?”
Celestial shook her head. “There just isn’t much evidence.”
“Oh?” Della answered. “How about the fact that Isabella was talking publicly about dark magic? She was directly blaming Victoria and the others, publicly proclaiming them as dark witches.”
“That doesn’t mean—” Tamara tried to interject but Bella spoke over her.
“Ordinary human folk had started to get wind of her. They were believing her. Is that not dangerous?”
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