Pretty Witches All in a Row (34 page)

“My goodness, what’s going on?” Ellie exclaimed, coming out of the kitchen carrying a tray laden with tea cups and cookies.

“Ellie… I’m so glad you’re alright,” Annaliese smiled, taking the tray from her hands. 

“Of course I am, why wouldn’t I be?” Ellie gave them a puzzled smile.  “Will one of you please explain what’s going on?  First Rose shows up but she’s not here two minutes before the police start pounding on my door.  What are the neighbors going to think?”  She took a seat, looking between them expectantly.

“What did Rose say to you when she arrived?” Nick countered with his own question, needing to fill in the blanks.

“She was acting a little strangely,” Ellie admitted with a faint frown.  “She said she was worried about me and barged right in.  I would have invited her in myself if she had given me a moment.”  She shook her head disapprovingly.  “I was about to make her some tea to settle her nerves when the Officer’s knock came, and she tore out of here through the back door.  What is going on, Sergeant Gibson?”

“We have reason to believe that Rose might be the killer,” he replied grimly, taking a seat on the couch and her brows drew up in surprise.

“Rose?  Now that is about the last thing I expected you to say.”  A faint smile passed over her lips.

“We don’t know for sure, Ellie, but she’s been acting oddly.  Some of the things she said to me were a little threatening.”  Annaliese sat down beside Nick on the couch.  “Did she say anything like that to you?”

“She seemed very agitated and intent on getting into my house, but she agreed to a cup of tea readily enough.  She never made any violent move towards me.”

“I think it’s for the best if the two of you stick together until Rose is apprehended.  Ellie, I’d like it if you could pack up a few things and we can head back to Annaliese’s place.  Does that sound alright to the both of you?”  Nick looked between the two women.  What he wanted to do was bring them both in to protective custody but he sensed this was the closest he was going to get.

“Alright, if you think that’s best,” Ellie nodded.  “It’ll take me a few minutes to put some things together.  Annaliese, why don’t you have that cup of tea?  Sergeant Gibson, there’s coffee as well that I made for Officer Reyes, I don’t see why it should go to waste, do you?”

“Thank you, Ma’am,” he nodded.  A cup of coffee was probably a good idea; it was going to be a long night.

“Do you need a hand packing?” Annaliese offered, but Ellie shook her head, patting her shoulder fondly.

“No, I can manage.  You sit and enjoy your tea, dear; you look like you could use it.  I’ll be as quick as I can.”

Annaliese nodded, raising the fragrant cup to her lips and taking a sip.  “I can’t believe it was really Rose,” she murmured softly.  “Maybe something else scared her off?”

Nick shook his head, picking up the cup of coffee and taking an experimental sip.  It was nice and strong, a little sweeter than he normally liked, but definitely drinkable.  “Innocent people don’t run at the first sign of cops,” he disagreed.  “Either way she’s hiding something, and I aim to find out what that is.”

“I hope she gets brought in safely.  The last thing we need is a cop to shoot first and ask questions later.”  Annaliese pulled off her denim jacket, holding the wealth of dark hair away from her neck for a moment.

“Hey, we are not all gung ho, trigger happy cowboys out there with a license to kill.  Most police officers will only shoot when absolutely necessary, trust me, it’s more trouble than its worth to shoot someone.”  The paperwork involved alone was enough of a deterrent to keep them in line.  “Are you alright?  You look a little hot under the collar.”

“I am suddenly really warm,” Anna admitted, pulling her top away from her body to let in a little bit of air flow.  “I think I’ll go to the bathroom, run some cool water over my wrists, I’ll be right back.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?  Do you want me to come with you?” 

“I think I can manage going to the bathroom by myself thanks,” her lips twisted into a familiar smile.  “I’ll be right back.”

“Yell if you need a hand.”  Nick winked at her, knocking back the rest of his coffee and reaching for one of the cookies on the plate.  What was it about old ladies that gave them such a powerful urge to feed total strangers? 

With a low chuckle, he popped the entire cookie into his mouth and reached for another, blinking as the movement produced a wave of dizziness.  He froze, his hand outstretched halfway to the plate, mouth full of cookie as the room dipped and swayed.  “Hey…” he managed to get out, before toppling to one side, the darkness claiming him. 

Chapter Eighteen

Annaliese stepped into the bathroom at the end of the hall, catching her reflection in the medicine cabinet mirror over the sink.  Her cheeks were high with color and there was a fine sheen of sweat on her forehead.  Turning on the cold tap, she let the stream course over her wrists and hands, instantly savoring the cool water. 

Why was she suddenly so hot and flushed?  Maybe it was a stress reaction?  Only she didn’t feel stressed, she felt feverish and a little dizzy.  Catching on to the side of the sink with one hand, she pulled open the medicine cabinet, hoping to find a thermometer or something useful. 

Among the various over the counter bottles of common remedies there were several old fashioned, antique bottles of yellowed glass.  Lavender water, castor oil, thieves vinegar, powdered alum and a full bottle of St. Jude’s Tincture of Laudanum.  Annaliese stared at the bottle, what was Ellie doing with laudanum?  A wave of dizziness passed over her and she struggled to clear her head, closing the cabinet as quietly as she could manage. 

Thoughts racing as fast as her heart, she started to piece her way through the arguments Nick offered for the case of Rose being the killer.  Ellie didn’t have an alibi for any of the murders.  She was known to all of the victims, she would have been granted entrance to each of their homes easily.  As long as Anna had known her, she hadn’t held down a job.  Anna had assumed she was retired and earning social security but she had no proof of that.  Ellie was a member of the coven and known to her, and there was no way of knowing whether or not Ellie was her real name…

An ornate jewelry box on a shelf above the toilet caught her attention, and without really knowing why, Annaliese found herself moving towards it, hands shaking as she raised the lacquered lid.  Inside were earrings and necklaces organized neatly, but what immediately caught her eye was a gold locket on a long chain.  The same locket she’d seen in her vision.  Fingers trembling, she picked up the necklace.  Barely time to gasp in surprise, Annaliese felt the room spin away as she sank into another vision, finding herself on an old southern plantation.  Sharing the witch’s body, she walked briskly away from the grand house towards the slave quarters, lantern held aloft in her hand.  The full hoop skirts bobbed and swayed with her quick steps, and she could feel the tight corseted bodice of the old fashioned dress pressing into her, making it difficult to draw a full breath.  Yet still she hurried on, nearly overwhelmed with the sense of anticipation. 

Bursting into what was little more than a hovel, she was surprised to see not the dark skin of an African slave but a wizened old woman with Eastern European features.  The woman huddled before a small fire, her steely gray hair covered by a black babushka and a shawl around her shoulders despite the muggy heat of the night.  She spoke in heavily accented English.  “Did you bring it?” 

“Yes, of course.”  Annaliese heard the reply given with a soft southern drawl.  Setting down the lantern, she retrieved a large square of material from the voluminous pockets of the dress and set it on the table, revealing a hodgepodge of expensive looking mixed jewelry, gemstones winking in the firelight. 

“
Bun, foarte bun
.”  She nodded in satisfaction, drawing the jewels close.  “You are certain you wish to do this?  Once you begin down this path, you can not turn aside.”

“It’s what I want.”  Annaliese could feel herself nodding vehemently before a wracking cough seized her and there was nothing but the struggle for air for long seconds.  As she pulled away the delicately embroidered square of cloth from her lips, she saw that it was stained bright with blood. 

“Very well; you must drink this.”  She poured hot water into a small wooden bowl, swirling it a few times before offering it to her.

Accepting it, Annaliese caught the scent of lemon verbena, ginseng and something else she couldn’t identify, but seemed very familiar.  Perhaps from the tea Ellie had offered her earlier?  “And this will make me immortal?”

“As long as you follow through with the ritual sacrifice, you will live forever,” the old woman nodded, an enigmatic smile on her lips. 

Without hesitation the potion was drunk, and Annaliese felt the rush of excitement sweep through her.  “I am ready.”

“Do you remember the spell that I taught you?  It must be precise or
voinţă a voi neactiv
… eh… it will not work.”  The caution was given.

“I’ve been practicing, I am ready.”  The words were repeated, and Annaliese could feel the choking anticipation grabbing hold of her, almost like madness.  The need to complete this before it was too late. 

“Very well.”  The old woman drew back a hanging sheet, revealing a young slave girl lying motionless on a crude pallet, surrounded by a pentacle drawn in charcoal.  “I have given her the potion.  That is also key; you must both have the same elements within you, or the transference will not work.  Here.”  She held out the long slender dagger that Annaliese recognized as the weapon that killed Meiliyn and the other woman in the 40’s vision. 

“Must I always use this dagger?”  The athame was accepted with trembling hands.

“No, but the incantation must be completed in same instant as death.”  The old witch replied, stepping back to allow her to pass.  “It will be easier if you do this before she wakes.”

A nod was given and Annaliese watched with sick fascination as the killer drew closer to the young girl, kneeling beside her carefully, she passed her hand across the girl’s brow, smoothing back the dark hair. 

Prin lumina acestei lumânări

Conjur puterile întunericului

The words were clear as a bell to her now, though she still couldn’t quite fathom their meaning.

Să îmi dea puterea

Să îmi recapăt tinereţea şi să îmi dea viaţă de-a pururi

Unable to look away as the killer’s gaze focused on the girl, Annaliese watched as the dagger was placed over her chest, her own heart beating so hard and so fast, she thought it might burst at any moment. 

Aşa cum am spus aşa sa fie

The rush of power that went through her as the dagger plunged into the girl’s heart was different somehow, though she couldn’t identify why.  Gleeful laughter reached her ears as she heard the killer laugh triumphantly.  Feeling powerful and strong, the constriction around her chest disappeared.  Annaliese realized it hadn’t been the tightly bound corset that made it difficult to draw a breath before, it had been an infirmity, likely responsible for racking cough. 

“I feel… so alive!” she cried out joyfully, cheeks wet with tears.  “You were right; this is everything you promised and more!”  Turning, she faced the old witch.  “Will I have to do this again or am I cured?”

“You are cured of the consumption, Miss Lilah. But in order to live forever, you will need to repeat the sacrifice.  The higher the sacrifice the more powerful the spell.”

“What do you mean, the higher the sacrifice?”

“This girl was nothing to you,
nimeni
.
 
The effects of her life force on your body will not last long; soon you will begin to age as anyone else.  If you sacrifice someone you truly care for, the effects will be that much more powerful.”

“I understand.”  She rose from the body and turned to face the old woman.  “Is there anything else you aren’t telling me?  Anything else I should know?”  Annaliese could hear the skepticism in her voice along with something else, the anticipation began to rise again as she approached her. 

“No, that is everything you need, I have held up my end of the bargain.”  The woman’s eyes focused on the jewelry as she began disentangling it and examining it in the dim light. 

“I can never repay you enough.”  The knife rose and fell, stabbing the old witch in the back.  With a surprised grunt, she toppled to the floor with a dull thud.  Lilah knelt beside the body, checking to make certain she was dead, removing the heavy gold locket from around the old woman’s neck almost as an afterthought.  Carelessly she tossed it onto the pile of jewelry on the table and wrapped it up in the cloth again, replacing the bundle in her pocket. 

Moving faster now, she scanned the room for anything else useful, but decided there was nothing of value to be found.  After wiping the athame off on the hanging sheet, she slipped it into her other pocket, pausing before a cracked mirror hanging on the wall to check her appearance.

Annaliese finally saw a clear picture of the woman responsible for so much death.  Shining ebony hair hung in long curls, perfectly framing her face.  Blue eyes, bright with excitement shone back at her as she smiled at herself.  Ellie’s blue eyes.   In the prime of life, Ellie was breathtakingly beautiful, obviously wealthy from the cut of her dress and the jewels in her pocket. 

All at once, Annaliese slammed back into her body, moaning weakly as she found she was lying on the bathroom floor.  Real panic swept through her, the adrenaline boost countering the effects of the laudanum she’d ingested.  Thank the Goddess she’d only taken a couple of sips of the tea!  But what about Nick?  They had to get out of there before Ellie figured out they were onto her…

Easing open the bathroom door, Annaliese saw no sign of Ellie in the hallway.  Creeping as silently as she could back to the living room, her heart stopped when she didn’t see Nick right away.  But then she spotted him, passed out on the couch and Anna let out the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.