Witch Hunt (29 page)

There was more, but Diane couldn’t stomach it. Preacher Cody was getting what he had asked for … and more. The witch hunt, like a contagious disease, had begun to spread.

“‘For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord — ’”

“Oh, shut up,” Leigh said. He had been quoting the Bible for so long, she was beginning to think in
thees
and
thous
.

The palm of his hand made sharp contact with the soft flesh of her cheek. “Don’t ever tell me to shut up again.”

She ignored the pain. “You had no right to involve my parents in this.”

“Would you rather your parents were groveling in filth and disease?”

“Of course not. I do appreciate that you were able to help them, but — ”

“Preacher Cody helped them.”

“ — but you had no right to bring them into this.”

“They hired me to help you.”

“If they paid you money, it was to protect your ass. I’m not stupid. I’ve read the papers. If the parents hire you to deprogram their child — even if he or she is an adult — you can most likely get out of criminal prosecution for kidnapping. But I swear to God, I’ll sue you in civil court.”

“You don’t even know who I am.”

“I know who you are.”

“So, can your witches cure people of alcoholism? Was your husband ever able to resurrect your parents’ souls?”

“No.” She hated to admit it, but as hard as he had tried in the early days of their marriage to help her parents, he had never been successful.

“So, how can you deny the power of Jesus, the living God?”

“I’m not denying the power of God … if there is one. But people have the right to choose for themselves what they want to believe.”

“Would you let your children drink bleach from under the kitchen sink because they have some inalienable right to choose to believe it won’t hurt them?”

“Of course not.”

“No. Because you know it would hurt them, and because you love them, you would slap their hands and take the bleach away. It’s the same here, Leigh. I love you, and I see you as being a spiritual child. I’m not going to let you harm yourself because you claim the right to choose. And in turn, you must make the same choices for those children of yours that you profess to love.”

Oh, my God
, she thought sadly.
He’s beginning to make sense
. “How do you know that these witches are bad?”

“Because … well, for instance, Preacher Cody told me that on that plane when he sat across from the Hawthornes, his faith — the faith that God had given him in his moment of enlightenment — was stolen away from him. No good power would have had such an effect on him.”

“I’ve heard the story, Preacher Cody. Ever think that God took away your fear in Afghanistan, and in a weak moment you merely took it back? Are you so perfect that you’re incapable of backsliding all by yourself?”

“Preacher Cody has been blessed by the grace of God. His weakness did not come from within; it was imposed upon him from without.” He sounded agitated. “I have to use the toilet. I’ll be back.”

“What, the pot I’m using isn’t good enough for you to piss in, too?”

“No.”

Leigh was relieved to hear him leave.

When her mother had taken the blindfold off her, she had seen that she was in a small room in what appeared to be a shed of some kind. A rusted horse harness and old hand plow were in the corner on the dirty wooden floor. She had glanced out the window and seen that the area was farmland. It had been daylight then. She wondered what time of day it was now. She struggled with her wrist bindings. If she could only free herself, she would be able to escape. She had to. Otherwise she had the feeling Preacher Cody might win. He had been in the
CIA
, and his brainwashing techniques were good; she didn’t know how much longer she would be able to resist. If she had come into this with a firm foundation of belief, she felt she could have been stronger, but as it stood, his advantage was great.

Behind her, Leigh heard the tinkling of glass breaking. Then she heard the window slide open.

Her heart raced with fear. “Who’s there?”

“We’ve got to be quick.” It was Marek’s voice.

Relief flooded Leigh. He released her wrists from their bonds, she pulled off the blindfold, then quietly followed him out the window and into the night.

“Are my children okay?” They were in Marek’s truck and on the road into town.

“Physically they’re fine.” He cleared his throat. “Vivian told them that you had run off and deserted them because of the danger we’re facing, because you’re not one of us.”

Leigh’s face became hot. “Did they believe her?”

“I don’t think completely. But, well, they are children, and they’ve been through a lot lately. To be honest, I don’t think they’re quite sure of anything anymore.”

“Did anyone ever notify the police I was missing?”

“No.”

Leigh felt tears threatening. “How long did they have me?”

“It’s been three days.”

That was only three days?
“It seemed like weeks.”

“I can believe it.” A small flame illumined his face for a moment as he lit a cigarette. “Did they get to you?”

“Almost, but not quite.”

“I’m glad you were strong.”

“How’d you find me?”

“Tracking is one of my gifts.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem.”

“Did you see the man who was in there with me? Was it Preacher Cody?”

“He had some kind of surgical mask and a baseball cap on. It could have been. I’m not sure.”

“Damn. That means he’ll get away with it.”

The orange tip of his cigarette became brighter as he took a deep drag. “Of all of us, I know you’ve got it the roughest; being in the middle, not belonging to either camp.”

Leigh thought about it. It was indeed hard on her to be an outsider caught in the middle, but until now she hadn’t realized what remaining outside could do to the children. Whom, besides herself, did they have to rely on? Whom could they completely trust? And if she wasn’t one of them, how could they truly relate to her in the manner necessary to sustain that trust? Something Marek had once said came back to her now. “You said that a witch could be made?”

“Yes.”

“Explain that to me.”

“Everyone has power, but in most it’s latent. If a person’s born into a family of witches, they’re usually born with power. Other people, because of past-life development, can be born with awakened power no matter what the circumstances of birth. Some have power awakened through their own efforts — mystical devotion or involved meditative practices, for instance. Even Jesus — since I’m sure you’ve probably got him on the brain right now — told his disciples that they were capable of performing even greater miracles than he. The fact that man has a greater potential is generally accepted.”

He drew deeply on his cigarette.

“Now, a witch can use his or her power to help awaken power in another. What form that power will take — what particular gifts it will awaken, for instance — depends entirely upon the makeup of the person in question. And of course, if it’ll be used for good or evil also depends on that person’s character.”

“Craig said witchcraft was a folk religion.”

“It has religious elements, a way of relating to the inner and outer worlds. The roots are found in some of the earliest imaginings of mankind. Many of us acknowledge and incorporate the old religion into our lives. Others just play with the power without giving the spiritual laws much thought.”

“What are the religious beliefs?”

“Well, to sum up, I guess that life is neverending, it just changes form. Birth, life, death, and rebirth are the landmarks of existence that are celebrated. We believe ourselves to exist within a greater intelligence, which is imagined, for the purpose of worship, as a god or goddess, each representing different aspects of the whole. By worshiping a ‘god,’ it’s possible to tap into and possibly manifest the quality he represents: wisdom, healing, courage, creativity, fertility.”

Leigh thought about it for a while. “I like that. I really do. It makes sense.”

“I think so.”

Leigh knew she couldn’t straddle the fence any longer. If Preacher Cody represented what the other side was, then she didn’t want it for herself or her children. True, Cody had manifested a miracle with her parents, but she had witnessed witchcraft miracles as well. Neither manifestation of power was superior.

On the other hand, the Hawthornes weren’t the most wonderful people. Maybe that’s what Craig had meant when he said that he had left home because he didn’t want to lose the magic to the politics of power. Maybe the magic was an extension of the religion, whereas the power alone tended toward corruption. If so, her children did indeed need guidance if they were to develop their gifts in a healthy direction. The responsibility fell to her.

“Can you … will you make me a witch?”

Marek took another bright drag on his cigarette. “Initiation is a rare and intimate affair. I would need to consult with Helena.”

“Can we do that now? I don’t want to waste any more time.”

“You don’t want to go home first?”

“No. When I return to that house, it’ll be when I truly belong there.”

Helena sat across the kitchen table from them and sipped a cup of tea. It was two o’clock in the morning.

The Janowski home was conservative and suburban.
Beware the witches
that might be your next door neighbors
replayed in Leigh’s mind as she studied her surroundings. She shook her head in an effort to exorcise the preacher from her mind.

“If you’re going to survive the days ahead, you’re going to need power.” Helena said. “We’ll help you.”

Leigh was relieved. “Should I eat and sleep to regain my strength first, or what?”

“No, actually the fact you haven’t eaten or slept will be to your advantage. It helps break down the obstacles your rational mind will try to impose.”

“Then we can do it now?”