Wicked Witch Murder (25 page)

“I
t was thanks to you that we weren't all burned to a crisp,” said Lucy, speaking to Rebecca Wardwell. “You sent Oz and he got Ike Stoughton's attention, banging at a window until he came out of the house and heard the drumming and smelled the smoke. He discovered Abby wasn't in her room and came looking for her.”

Lucy and Rebecca were seated on Miss Tilley's camelback sofa, sipping smoky cups of Lapsang souchong tea. Diana was there also, seated in a fine antique Windsor chair, on the opposite side of the fireplace from Miss Tilley's Boston rocker. Rachel was passing the cucumber sandwiches.

“I had nothing to do with it,” said Rebecca, fingering the large cameo that was fastened to the lace collar of her dress. It was made of plum-colored silk, with leg-o'-mutton sleeves and a full skirt that reached all the way down to the black satin slippers she was wearing, signaling this was truly a special occasion that demanded footwear. “Oz does what he wishes. He follows his own inclinations.”

“Well, I wish there was some way I could thank him,” said Lucy.

“No need, he is entirely self-sufficient,” said Rebecca, biting into a molasses cookie.

“It must have been absolutely terrifying,” said Miss Tilley, with a quaver in her voice.

“Oh, it was,” said Lucy. “There was nothing we could do except pray for help. I never expected Ike would be the answer to my prayer.” She lowered her head. “I really thought he had murdered Malcolm, making it look like he was the victim of a satanic ritual.” She turned to Diana. “And you had no idea that the coven killed Malcolm?”

Diana shook her head. “No. He always went to England every summer for a few weeks. Nobody seemed concerned, and since he'd made me high priestess, I thought it was my responsibility to fill in while he was gone. Then when I learned he was dead, I carried on with the practices he taught me. Little did I know the coven were just tolerating me, grooming me to be their next sacrifice. I was never in charge. Lady Sybil was calling the shots, convincing the others to revive some ancient version of the craft.”

Rebecca nodded. “There are a lot of different traditions in the craft. They were practicing a much older, much darker druidic religion that involves human sacrifice.”

“Like in
The Wicker Man,
” said Rachel, refilling their eggshell-thin cups from a fresh pot of tea.

“A most interesting film,” said Miss Tilley. “I'd read
The Golden Bough,
of course, but it was quite amazing to see how these wicker giants were really constructed and used.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Lucy.

Rachel set down the teapot. “It's a film. They did a re-make lately. It's about a cop who goes to a remote British island to investigate a disappearance and discovers the people there are practicing witchcraft. They build a giant figure of a man out of wood and vines, sort of like a cage, and they put sacrificial victims inside and burn the whole thing to ensure an abundant harvest.”

Lucy wasn't convinced. “Are you saying my ancestors, your ancestors, did this?”

“Maybe, if they lived in the British Isles. They painted themselves blue, too, and the Romans found them to be fierce opponents in battle,” said Miss Tilley. “The women fought alongside the men, bare-breasted.”

Lucy bit into a cookie. “Okay, but this was all a very long time ago, right? How come the coven wanted to bring it back?”

Diana tossed her hair back over her shoulder. “I'm not sure they all did. I think Lady Sybil was the instigator, for reasons of her own. She worked on Peter and the others, convincing them that this was the one and only true religion. Peter was easy—he'd built up a lot of resentment against Malcolm while he worked for him all those years. Malcolm didn't pay him enough. He couldn't make his mortgage payments and was losing his house. Malcolm wouldn't teach him the secret of his magic tricks and treated him like a subordinate instead of an equal. Sybil's a smart lady, crazy smart, and she knew just how to play him,” said Diana, shrugging. “As for the others, I think they were carried along by the thrill of it all, but they were watchers, not doers.”

“What kind of people would take part in something like that?” demanded Rachel.

This was the very question that Lucy was struggling to answer, and she leaned forward, eager to hear what Diana had to say.

“It's easy to think of them as demons, but they're not,” she said. “Not at all. Just regular folks looking for a little excitement in their lives. And remember, they all drank that potion that Lady Sybil cooked up….”

Rebecca leaned forward to interrupt. “The police said it was belladonna, which has hallucinogenic qualities.”

“And once Abby spoke up, the others began to leave. But even so, they're all being charged as accessories to murder and attempted murder,” said Lucy. “There's plenty of evidence, since they left a trail of e-mails, and those things never go away. Some members complained that burning Malcolm took too long and that's why they were going to stab us first.” She paused, remembering tht dreadful night and how she'd feared she'd never see her family again. “Personally, I hope they all rot in jail for a very long time.”

“Not Abby, I hope,” said Rachel. “The poor child needs psychological care, but since she confessed to killing her mother…”

“Tut-tut,” clucked Miss Tilley. “Is it true?”

“Not at all,” said Diana. “She did give her tea made from belladonna, but that's not actually lethal. Of course, it probably didn't help, considering the woman was ill to begin with.”

“Why ever did she do it?” asked Miss Tilley.

“She was very angry with her mother for not sticking up for her against her father,” said Diana. “She wanted to see a dermatologist about her acne, and she wanted a cell phone—she wanted to be like the other girls, and they wouldn't let her. She felt like a prisoner.”

“Oh, dear,” exclaimed Miss Tilley.

“Exactly,” continued Diana. “And then she felt so guilty about it she started drinking the stuff herself and refusing to eat. Rachel's right—Abby does need psychological help. She's struggling with a lot of issues. I hope she gets it.”

“Well, looking on the bright side, I think her father is beginning to understand the situation,” said Rachel. “He's spoken to Bob about taking her case.”

“I know I owe him a huge debt since he saved my life, but I still think he's abusive and controlling,” said Lucy.

“He's getting help,” said Rachel. “Bob says he's really devastated by his wife's death and totally confused about how to handle a teenage daughter.”

“He's not the only one,” said Lucy. “Sara's driving me nuts.”

“I have some relaxing herbal tea I can give you,” said Rebecca.

“I can give you a reading,” offered Diana. “Give you an idea what to expect in the future.”

“Thanks, but I don't think so,” said Lucy. “I'm taking life one day at a time.”

“It's the only way,” said Miss Tilley. “I find that the older I get, the more exciting life becomes, and I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.”

They sat for a moment; then Diana turned to Lucy. “Remember that first day, when you came to my shop and you said you didn't believe in witchcraft?”

Lucy nodded.

“I wonder,” continued Diana, “do you still feel that way?”

Lucy considered, thinking over the past few months. “Everything you said came true, didn't it?”

Diana nodded.

Lucy smiled ruefully. “Let's say I'm open to the possibility.”

“So mote it be,” said Diana, raising her cup.

“So mote it be,” they all said, joining in.

Witch's Brew

2 rubber gloves

One 16-ounce envelope unsweetened grape drink mix

One 16-ounce envelope unsweetened orange drink mix

2 cups white sugar

3 quarts cold water

1 liter ginger ale

1 liter cola

 

Fill the gloves 3/4 full with cold water and tie the open end in a knot. Lie one flat in a small baking pan. Arrange the other palm down on a freeze-safe container, allowing the fingers to hang down the side. Freeze overnight.

 

Combine the drink mixes, sugar, and water in a large punch bowl and stir until completely dissolved. Add the ginger ale and cola.

 

Briefly run the ice hands under cool water, then cut away the glove. Add the hands to the punch, floating one inside the bowl and placing the other over the side. Serve immediately, as the fingers melt quickly. Makes about 20 servings.

Witch's Cauldron

1 750 ml bottle Midori

63 ounces orange juice

12 ounces vodka

32 ounces club soda

 

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl with ice. Makes 15–20 servings. (Recipe from Midori.)

Beastly Bugs

For these cookies, use your favorite sugar cookie recipe, cutting the dough into 2-inch rounds and baking. Frost when cool with your favorite butter cream icing, which you have tinted with food coloring. Cut licorice laces into 1-inch pieces and place three pieces on either side of the cookie for legs. Add a gumdrop for the head. You can decorate further with small chocolate chips, candies, or colored sugar.