The Trouble With Witches (26 page)

Tink
beat a hasty retreat down the hall without saying another word.

"I apologize for
Tink's
manners," Juliet said with a frown. She pointed to the couch. "Let's sit down. May I get you anything?"

"No," Abby said, taking a place next to me on the couch and smoothing her hands over her lap. "I'm afraid we haven't been completely honest with you, Juliet."

Perplexed, Juliet's eyes traveled from Abby's face to mine. "In what way?" she asked as she sat in a chair across from us.

"We're at the lake investigating the disappearance of a young woman you know, Brandi Peters."

Juliet's eyes widened and her face went pale. "You're private investigators?"

Abby leaned forward. "Oh my no," she said in a soft voice. "We're only here to help a friend. Maybe you remember him? Rick Delaney?"

Juliet's hands plucked at the hem of her tunic.
"The reporter?
Yes, I remember him." Her eyes moved to a spot over our shoulders. "I told the sheriff everything I know. I don't know what more I can tell you."

Oh, yes you do, I thought. I turned to Abby and watched while her eyelids drooped and she placed two fingers on her forehead. In a second they flew open and she fixed her stare on Juliet.

Dismay played across Juliet's face while she witnessed Abby's performance. She exhaled a deep breath.
"All right.
I wasn't completely honest with the sheriff. But I had my reasons."

"And they were?" Abby asked in a gentle voice.

Juliet clasped her hands tightly in her lap. "You both live in a small town. You know how rumors can get started." She gazed down at her hands. "We've worked so hard building a good reputation with the people who live here. And if word got out—"

"What word?" I interrupted.

Juliet flipped her hair over her shoulder. "There are so many misconceptions whenever people choose to live together in a group like we do," she said, not answering my question.

Abby's eyes slid to mine and she gave her head a slight shake. "What kind of misconceptions?" she asked.

"They assume we're a cult, and with that, all their preconceived opinions come into play."

Abby watched Juliet closely.
"Such as?"

She plucked at her tunic again. "You know, sex, illicit drugs, mind control, those kinds of things…" Her voice grew faint and she tugged on her bottom lip. "Brandi is a very troubled young woman…" She hesitated. "Her behavior forced us into asking her to leave."

"What kind of behavior?" Abby asked.

Juliet abruptly leaned forward, and her eyes searched Abby's face. "She tried to seduce my husband." Her voice was hushed.

Well,
that
put a new spin on things. I opened my mouth to speak, but Abby placed her hand on my leg, silencing me.

Abby's eyes never left Juliet's face. "What happened?"

Sitting back and wrapping her arms around herself, Juliet hugged herself tightly. "One afternoon, Jason found Brandi naked in our bed." Her eyes flared for a moment. "Brandi could be very brazen sexually. Prior to the incident with Jason, several times we caught her trying to sneak off the compound at night."

"And you don't allow that?"

"Of course not."
Juliet uncrossed her arms and leaned forward. "That's not what this place is about. We're here for spiritual growth, not running naked through the pines. Things of the flesh are within the sanctity of marriage. I had qualms about Brandi when she first came. But I ignored them—she seemed so lost, so in need of our help—I went against my better judgment."

Abby nodded sympathetically. "She left after you confronted her?"

"I never saw her. Jason was here by himself when it happened. He said the scene got ugly when he rebuffed her, so he left. When he returned, she was gone." Her voice sounded flat and repetitive, like she was retelling a story.

"You believe him?" I asked.

Her eyes narrowed in a flash of temper. "Yes, I believe him. Jason adores me. And I adore him. The girl was a troublemaker from the start."

"A bad influence on
Tink
, no doubt, too," I said.

She nodded her head vehemently. "Yes, she was. As you know, Ophelia, after what I told you last night, we have enough problems with
Tink
. I didn't need Brandi encouraging disobedience." Juliet relaxed against the back of her chair. "We thought she'd returned home to her parents until the sheriff stopped by asking question."

"Don't you think you should've told him about the scene with Jason?" I asked.

"What would that serve? She was gone and we didn't know where. Telling the sheriff about what she tried to pull with Jason wouldn't help him find her." She crossed her legs. "Jason wanted to, but I discouraged him. He doesn't get out among the community as much as I do. He's too busy with his studies, so he has no idea how tenuous our acceptance is."

"You really think if it got out about Brandi's behavior, it would affect your standing with the town?" Abby chimed in.

"Yes. I'm not some idealistic New
Ager
that believes all is peace and love in the outside world. I understand human nature. People always think the worst, whether it's proven or not. Can you imagine what one whiff of scandal about an alleged affair between my husband and a girl young enough to be his daughter would do?" Her head turned and she gazed out at the trees growing around the deck. "We'd have to leave this beautiful place," she said wistfully.

I looked at Abby to try and detect what she thought, but her face was expressionless.

She stood and smiled down at Juliet. "Thank you for being honest with us," she said, laying a hand on Juliet's shoulder.

Juliet reached up and grabbed Abby's hand. "You won't tell anyone, will you?" Her face was etched with concern.

"However painful it might be for them, Brandi's parents have a right to know what was going on, but we'll leave it up to Rick," Abby said gently.

"But—"

Abby patted her hand. "It will be all right. Don't worry."

Juliet stood and followed us out the door and to the edge of the porch steps.

As we drove away, I saw her in the rearview mirror as she wrapped an arm around one of the posts and sagged against it. The men working in the garden earlier were gone.

"I feel kind of bad about Juliet, Abby," I said, returning my eyes to the lane ahead. "You really pried the story out of her."

"I know. She assumed since I'm a psychic, I'd read her mind and know the truth anyway."

I gave a small grin. "Yeah, that 'I think I see, I think I see' routine really worked."

Abby smiled and turned toward the window. "I saw someone do that on TV once."

"
Darci
would've been really proud of you for the way you handled Juliet."

Abby chuckled. "Oh, I'll never be as good as
Darci
."

My face grew serious. "Do you think she was telling the truth?"

"About the failed attempt at seduction?
Yes. You spent time with them last night; what do you think? Is Jason a cheater?"

"No," I said with conviction. "She was right when she said he adores her. You could feel the chemistry two feet away. And I sensed he's very protective of her. No, he wouldn't do anything that might hurt her."

"How about Brandi?
Would he hurt her?" Abby asked.

I thought about the body in the lake. Could Jason be responsible? Had the scene been so ugly, it ended in Brandi's death? And he'd disposed of the body in the lake? No, we'd agreed the body wasn't decomposed enough.
Last night Jason seemed personable and charming, not a killer.

"Did you hear me, Ophelia?" Abby asked when I didn't answer.

"Yeah, I was thinking about it. No, he's different, but I can't see him provoked enough to kill. He's too cerebral, if you know what I mean."

"Meaning he's too smart to kill?" Abby asked with a grin.

"No." I stopped and tried to think of the best way to describe Jason. "I don't think he's passionate enough to kill. The only things I think he truly cares about are his studies and Juliet."

"But if he thought Brandi represented a threat to his marriage?"

"Not even then. I got the feeling last night that both Juliet and Jason are very secure in their marriage. He would know Juliet wouldn't believe anything Brandi might tell her."

"What about Juliet? She's determined to protect the reputation of their group. Would it be enough of a motive for murder?"

"No, I think she's too dedicated to truth and enlightenment for murder. Someone like that usually doesn't see killing as a solution to their problems."

By now we'd reached the cabin. I put the SUV in park and started to open my door.

"Wait," Abby said, laying a hand on my arm. "What do you think about
Tink
?"

"
Tink
?
What about her?" I looked at Abby in surprise.

"What's your impression?" she asked.

"I think she's a mixed-up kid who's had some tough breaks." I turned my head and gazed out the windshield. "She likes to play games with people. She ditched her meds, you know." I returned my eyes to Abby.

"Yes, I saw that, too."

"And I'd just bet," I said, with a quick nod of my head like I knew what I was talking about, "as soon as she was out of sight of the main house, she made her escape. She's probably running loose in the woods right now, and Jason will be out looking for her before nightfall."

Abby's mouth twisted in a small grin. "You're probably right. The child has spirit." Her expression turned serious. "That's all you saw?"

"Yeah," I said, wondering what she was getting at.

She shook her head and got out of the SUV. With brisk strides she headed toward the cabin.

"What?" I said, and scrambled out. "What did you see?" I ran to catch up to her.

Abby shot me a look from over her shoulder. "Ophelia, that child's an extremely powerful psychic."

Instead of going into the cabin, Abby detoured around the building and went through the side yard to the deck. By the time I reached her, she was sitting calmly in a chair talking to
Darci
.