Transylvania's Most Wanted (3 page)

Tom thanked the foreman for his time and
went into the T.C.P.D. building, up the stairs to the inspectors’
offices and found Miss Kensington. Red had telephoned her already
and she told Tom she was ready to go, but as they started out the
offices, several ladies of the typist pool ran past, headed for the
cafeteria. Miss Kensington and Tom followed them there to see what
the fuss was. They were gathering by the windows, to look out the
windows at the train station.

It seemed the train bringing the prince and
princess and their entourage to Transylvania City was just then
crossing over the Black River Bridge, and a large crowd had gone
down to the station to catch a glimpse of them.

Miss Kensington and Tom watched for a
minute, before heading down to the garage.

Pendle Hill is located in a small clearing
within a large, dark forest west of Transylvania City. To arrive
there, one has to follow a winding, narrow, rough road that passes
through a forest of some of the most twisted, knotted trees
imaginable. Miss Kensington told Tom these trees were called
Knotted trees and Tom thought they looked like something out of a
nightmare. Right then the trees were mostly devoid of leaves, but a
few hung on still. And even though it was daytime, the cars
headlights hardly seemed able to penetrate the blackness and mist
of the forest.

When they came to the clearing, the road
ended at a pair of tall, black gates. As well, Pendle Hill is
surrounded by an impenetrable hedge ten feet tall.

No one was tending the gate, but Tom could
see some cottages on the other side and some witches walking around
in black dresses, so he started to roll down his window to call to
them, but Miss Kensington said that was not necessary. She pointed
at the gate and Tom looked to see it begin creaking open on its
own. He put the car in gear and drove inside the village.

It wasn’t so much a road they followed, more
of a path that weaved among the cottages with thatch roofs and a
few trees. Miss Kensington instructed Tom to head to the center of
the village as they passed close to stumps covered with odd things
– lit candles and small clay jars, black cats at rest, and often, a
witch practicing her dark art. As he drove through the village, Tom
was witness to sudden smoke apparitions, blue orbs, and even acts
of levitation.

“Where we headed?” he asked.

“There.” Miss Kensington said pointing
ahead, where, built partially inside the hollow of a large Knotted
tree, was a cottage. “The Eldest Sister lives there, she is nearly
a thousand years old.”

Hanging from the lowest branches of the
tree, were a number of trinkets and wind chimes and above them in
the higher branches sat several black vultures. Tom reluctantly
parked underneath them.

Tom and Miss Kensington got out the car and
approached the oval-shaped door of the cottage, which creaked open
on its own. He followed Miss Kensington inside as the door closed
behind them. A fire was roaring in the fireplace and placed on the
window sills and shelves were lit candles, but still the room was
dimly lit.

“It’s been a long time Domitilla,” a voice
said and as Tom looked toward where it had come from a candle
alighted on a table without anyone placing a flame to it. He saw
the witch sitting there then.

Looking at her, you would have never
expected her to be nearly a thousand years-old. Not that he knew
what a thousand year-old witch should look like, but she was not
shrunken by age or bowed over, in fact except for her long, grey
hair and a somewhat large nose she looked quite remarkable, as her
face was not much wrinkled and her skin still firm.

“It has sister-witch” Miss Kensington said
humbly.

“Oh please call me Pricilla,” she said.
“Inspector Flynn,” Pricilla said turning toward him. “I am honored
to meet you.”

“Thank you,” he said removing his hat. “How
do you know who I am?” he asked thinking some witch intuition must
be involved.

“Your picture in the newspaper,” Pricilla
explained seeming to realize Tom had expected some more magical
cause. “Most recently your wedding announcement.
Congratulations.”

“Oh, yes” Tom said. “Thank you.”

“Come over and sit by me, both of you.” Miss
Kensington and Tom did as she asked and came and sat at the table.
“Why have you come to see me today?”

“It’s probably nothing, but we are looking
for a witch named Pandora. Do you know her?” Miss Kensington
asked.

“I know of every witch, yes.”

“Does she live here in the village?”

“No,” Pricilla said. “Does this have
something to do with the prince and princess that are coming to
visit?”

“Well yes,” Miss Kensington said. “Pandora
came from that realm also.”

“
Yes I knew that. For that
reason I don’t think Pandora ever felt like she was one of us. She
has, for the most part, lived a very solitary life out in the
woods, although she comes here to ask some question or another
every now and then.”

“When was the last time she came here?”

“Just yesterday.”

Miss Kensington and Tom exchanged glances.
“Why did she come here yesterday?”

“She wanted to go into town. I don’t think
she ever has before.”

“Did she tell you why?”

“She said she wanted to find a friend or
hers.”

“Did she mention this friend’s name?”

“No.”

“Did she say anything about the prince and
princess’ visit to Britannia?”

“Well, I had just read that in the paper
that morning, and I remembered she was from there, so I told her
the two zeppelins were coming to Britannia and she reacted in such
an odd way.”

“
She became
angry?”

“No, not at all,” Pricilla said. “That’s not
what I mean. She acted like she’d already heard that news. She said
‘Oh yes, isn’t it wonderful. I’ve been waiting such a long
time.’

“She said she’d been waiting?” Tom
asked.

“Yes.”

Miss Kensington and Tom exchanged glances
again.

“And as far as you know she has not come
back from town yet?”

“Not that I know of. She’s not in any kind
of trouble is she?” Pricilla asked. “If so I would like our lawyer
to represent her. Witches have legal rights just like anyone else
now days.”

“She’s not in any trouble,” Tom said. “We
were just checking up on her.”

“
She did tell me she was
looking forward to seeing how the princess had grown-up these many
years.”

“Did she happen to say where she would be
staying in town?”

“No, but I did tell her she would need to
apply for a permit to be in the city.”

“She walked from here?”

“She was planning to, but I told her we
could call for a cab.”

“A cab picked her up?”

“That’s right.”

“A black cab or a yellow one?” he asked
knowing there were two cab companies in the city.

“We always call for the yellow cab.”

Tom looked at Miss Kensington then and
nodded that they could be on their way, but before he was able to
stand up, Pricilla grabbed his hand. Tom glanced at Miss Kensington
as Pricilla turned his hand over so the palm was face-up and then
she picked up the candle and let a few drops of wax drip into
it.

Then Pricilla studied the shape the wax
took. After a moment she looked at Miss Kensington. “Fulgur virga,”
she announced, and Miss Kensington promptly turned toward Tom as if
she’d been told he had leprosy or some similar ailment.

“What does that mean? he asked.

Miss Kensington looked at Pricilla, but it
seemed Pricilla meant for Miss Kensington to explain.

“It means like lightning rod,” Miss
Kensington said, “but not exactly literally.”

“What then?’

“It means you have a special gift,” Pricilla
said. “Like lightning is drawn to the lightning rod, you are drawn
to trouble or rather it is drawn to you. It is a curse, it is a
blessing.”

“I understand the curse part, how’s it a
blessing?” he asked.

“I think you enjoy the danger,” Pricilla
told him. “It suits you and I feel a storm coming.”

“
How did I come to have
this curse?”

“It happens. Some people are born losers,
some born lucky. Others have no luck at love and some others are
lucky at cards. Life is part what we make of it and part what is
dealt us. You are a lightning rod. A curse maybe, but also a
blessing, since you have been given unique abilities. Every coin
has two sides,” she said as a coin suddenly appeared in her hand.
She flipped it over and over with her fingers. It was a Roman coin,
Tom thought, on one side was Caesar, on the other was a sword.

“Thank you for seeing us, Pricilla,
sister-witch,” Miss Kensington said.

“You should visit more often. You are not as
much of an outcast as you think Domitilla,” Pricilla told her. “You
still have friends here.”

“Thank you.”

Tom thanked Pricilla for her time also, and
then he and Miss Kensington headed for the door that creaked open.
They walked to the car, climbed in, and started out the
village.

“You don’t put any faith in her saying I was
a lightning rod for trouble do you?” he asked.

“I’m afraid I do,” Miss Kensington replied.
“I would not take her warning of a storm coming lightly
either.”

“Sometimes my mother would get a bad feeling
whenever I or one of my brothers was late coming home,” Tom said,
“but most times it was nothing.”

“But sometimes she was right?”

“Sometimes.”

“Well witches are right more times than your
mother, and Pricilla is right more times than most witches.”

“
I guess I’d better not
sit too close to anyone then,” he joked, but Miss Kensington failed
to see the humor in this remark. Something was clearly bothering
her. “I guess you don’t have a photo of Pandora in you secret mug
book?”

“No,” Miss Kensington said. “But I know
where you might find a picture of her.”

“Where?”

“Drive over to the
Transylvania City
Raven
building on Hangman’s Street. Ask to see Lou
Mitchell.”

“Who’s he?”

“A longtime photographer for the paper. When
the zeppelin from the U.R.R.K. came here twenty two years ago, a
lot of photographs were taken of it and the refugees arriving here.
They should have a file of them still. Lou will know where to find
it. Tell him it’s a favor for Miss Kensington. Just so you’ll know
and keep it under your hat – Lou’s the one that secretly takes
pictures for my witches’ mug book.”

“I’ll do that.”

Tom drove back to town and dropped Miss
Kensington off and then had one stop to make before he would go to
see Lou Mitchell.

As he passed Mulberry, Tom saw the street
was barricaded off on both ends of the block now and the demolition
crane had been finished being put together. He was curious to know
why the street right next to the TCPD building was blocked off if
they were going to be working toward the other side of the block.
So he decided to stop and ask when he spotted the supervisor.

“Did they ever tell you what this crane has
been brought here for?” he asked.

“No,” he said. “My company just rents out
the cranes. What they do with them is their business.”

“Who rented the crane?”

“Heck if I know. All I was told was to have
everything ready to go by 12 o’clock. All I’m waiting on is for the
wrecking ball to be delivered and to make sure whoever rented this
thing, that they got a licensed crane operator to operate it. I
can’t give them the key until then.”

“Nobody has showed up yet?” Tom asked
looking around.

“Not yet.”

“
Well, thanks,” he said,
heading back to his car. “Good luck.”

“It’s the oddest thing,” the foreman said
looking around for someone coming to meet him.

Tom got back in his car and drove two blocks
to the City Hall building and parked. As he started up the
sidewalk, he spotted Inspector McElroy coming toward him,
apparently coming back from an early lunch.

“
Hey Mac,” he said. “Do
you know where the office is inside here where a witch would go to
get a permit to be in the city?”

“It’s down in the basement,” McElroy said.
“You want me to show you?”

“Sure.”

“You working on a case?” McElroy asked as
they went up the steps of the building.

“Not really. You heard about the prince and
princess coming here?”

“Every time I walk by the typist pool.”

“Well a witch that was exiled from there
twenty two years ago – her name is Pandora, Red wants me to track
her down so he can talk to her.”

“I see,” McElroy said as they went through
the doors and then down the stairs. At the bottom of the staircase
they turned down a long hallway.

“I heard you have security detail at the
Hotel Triumph tomorrow night,” Tom mentioned. “Are you going to
take a date with you?”

“I’m thinking I’ll just go alone.”

“Might be more fun if you asked someone to
go with you,” Tom said as they entered a small, dank office with a
wood counter that ran the full length of the room.

“I wouldn’t know who to ask.”

A young, fairly attractive girl greeted them
at the counter. She smiled at them like she meant it and she just
seemed to be bubbling with excitement. “We don’t get many men in
here,” she said. “Especially not handsome, young ones like you
two.”

Tom showed her his detective badge. “Maybe
you can help us,” he said.

“I hope so. So you two must be from here. I
haven’t met many people my age here. It seems what young men I do
meet are always from out of town,” she said giggling then like
there was something funny about that.