A Risky Potion Page 5

  The plants and trees glistened after the rain, turned into jewels by the setting sun. I was reminded just how beautiful the gardens were after a rain, how vibrant and alive. As an earth witch, I was connected to the ground and the plants and the animals, all that existed outside the city and the people. I was at home, thoroughly at home outside the house. In my youth, I often slept outdoors, on the cool, lush grass that felt softer than any bed. I missed those nights. Those were the hours where I discovered what it meant to be a witch.

  I reached the orchard without meeting anyone or anything that seemed suspicious. I wondered if some undeclared witch, in her wildform had tried to get inside my house. That made sense in a way, although I had no witch enemies. The spells were designed to stop only those who meant me harm. As I passed under the dripping trees, I felt a sudden chill, a sudden animosity, something real. For a moment, I wondered if Clarissa was in the orchard, for she could produce the same cold fear.

  No, it couldn’t be Clarissa. She had no reason to sneak. She went where she pleased.

  I thought of Bernice, but that made no sense either. Bernice might know where I lived, but she hardly presented a threat.

  I was about to turn back when I spotted it.

  The white snake.

  In the fading light, I had failed to spot it, and now I was but a foot away.

  Far too close.

  Chapter 6

  The snake struck, and I felt its fangs sink into my calf.

  Then, before I could even speak, the snake turned and darted around a tree. I thought to go after it and determine if it was venomous. Then, I looked at my calf. The puncture marks were small and already starting to close, with only a drop or two of blood to mark the spot. Before my eyes, the skin almost healed itself. And with a lack of pain, I surmised that the snake wasn’t harmful at all. So, I simply turned and went back to the house.

  Cassandra and Paula were in the kitchen when I returned. Since the snake had left no wound, I didn’t even bother to tell them about it. I knew they were unlikely to walk through the orchard, so they would be safe. I was almost certain the snake had been scared off entirely. Snakes didn’t invade human space very often. The ones that did often didn’t live to see the light of the next day.

  By bedtime, the puncture wounds had healed entirely; I found it difficult to find them. That suited me. Sleep arrived quickly. I didn’t dream, at least no dream I could remember.

  Happy Blendings had been open but an hour when Allie charged up to the counter. I could tell that she was more than one step past ordinary anger. She approached some sort of boiling point.

  “Aunt Sam,” she said. “I need a place to stay.”

  “Settle down,” I said. “And tell me why you need a place to stay.”

  “Because Ethan Gallagher is moving in with mom. And I don’t want to be in the same house with the two of them.”

  “Have you talked to your mother about this?”

  “I tried. I really tried. But I got out about two words before she blew up. You know mom. She can fly off the handle at a moment’s notice.”

  I did know Tessa, the fire witch, and while Tessa did have a short temper, so did her daughter. At that moment, though, I wasn’t about to remind Allie of that fact.

  “I understand,” I said. “And yes, you can stay with me. But before you do, give Genevive a call. Perhaps they have an extra room you can use for a day or two.”

  “Day or two? No, I don’t think you understand. I’m moving out, completely.”

  “Consider this,” I said. “What if you simply swapped with Ethan?”

  “Swapped?”

  “Yes, he comes to your house, you go to his. After all, after he’s gone Ada will be all alone. Perhaps, she’d like to have a roommate.”

  Allie looked at me a moment. “That does make sense, especially since you already have Cassandra and Paula. Would you, could you talk to Ada about it? I mean, you know her better than I do.”

  “Before I do, you have to think about what you’re doing.”

  “I have thought about it.”

  “I know, but you’ve only thought about getting away. You haven’t thought about getting on.”

  “Getting on?”

  “Every house, every home operates at a certain rhythm. Think about it. You and your mother, no doubt, have established an order of things. Someone gets up first. Someone showers first. Someone does laundry first. Someone takes out the trash. Someone cuts the lawn. There is a long list of things that have to be done, and who will do them. When you move in with someone new, you have to reestablish all those little things. Who gets which side of the fridge. Who washes and who dries.”

  “I never thought of that.”

  “And it’s not easy,” I continued. “It takes compromise and reordering your life, your habits. So, before I approach Ada, I want you to make a list of how you do things now. Make it as complete as possible. And you have to assure her that you’re flexible. You’re willing to forego your preferences, if it will make both your lives easier. There is nothing so off-putting as someone who insists on having her own way.”

  “Got you, Aunt Sam. I’ll do exactly what you say. And when I have my list, I’ll bring it to you. How’s that?”

  “Works for me, Allie.”

  She gave me a quick kiss and smiled her way out the door. I had no doubt Allie would write up a list of habits and druthers, and I hope I would never have to give the list to Ada. Allie and Tessa needed to straighten out their little fracas and remain together. Why was that so hard to understand?

  Phineas and Chuckles arrived, and for the moment, I forgot about Allie.

  “What is on the smoothie menu this morning?” Phineas asked.

  “Well, since I have a wealth of peaches, it’s peach and watermelon and mango and some alfalfa.”

  “Sounds yummy, but I think wheatgrass is in order. Can you bring it to the patio?”

  “Of course.”

  In a few minutes, I was out on the patio with Phineas and Chuckles, and I knew what Phineas wanted to hear.

  “You’re set,” I told Phineas. “The coven and all the other witches in Goodsprings will help with the portal project.”

  “That’s wonderful,” he said. “I was hoping I could count on you.”

  I reached down and scratched my leg, which had started to itch. I was reminded that I had been bitten in exactly that spot.

  “Poison ivy?” Phineas asked.

  “When has an earth witch ever been stricken with poison ivy?” I asked.

  “What was I thinking?” Phineas asked. “I take you have talked to the new vampire?”

  I nodded. “I have, and I don’t see her as any sort of threat. But then, I know very little about vampires.”

  “They can be unpredictable. Yet, I trust your judgement. If you don’t see me for a day or two, don’t be alarmed. Chuckles and I must prepare for the portal.”

  “Prepare? Is there something you should tell me?”

  “I don’t think anything on this side will be a problem. On the other side, well, it isn’t Goodsprings, Georgia. Things are different.”

  “Don’t tell me,” I said. “I’ll just forget.”

  He laughed. “I doubt that. I find you have an excellent memory.”

  “That’s only because you always get the same thing—wheatgrass.”

  Chuckles crowed at that, making me think the rooster liked my joke. I went back inside, and it seemed that as soon as I was behind the counter, the itch disappeared. Odd. But I wasn’t going to complain. Itches could be maddening.

  It seemed I was no sooner behind the counter when Tessa marched in, and she seemed as angry as Allie had been earlier.

  “You told Allie to move in with Ada?” Tessa said without an opening “hello”.

  “No,” I said. “I told her that it might be feasible, once she worked out the details with Ada.”

  “That’s crazy,” Tessa said. “She’ll stay home with me.”

  “And Ethan,” I added.

  “And Ethan. But that shouldn’t be a problem. They like each other.”

  “Like has nothing to do with it. You’re changing up the batting order, and well, some people are bound to have ruffled feathers.”

  “Isn’t that a mixed metaphor?”

  “You know what I mean,” I said. “Allie feels you agreed to live with Ethan, without even talking to her. She has feelings, Tessa.”

  “As do all of us. I don’t see where her feelings are any more important than mine.”

  “No, but they’re important. You have to work out these things.”

  Right then, Ada walked into the shop, and from the look on her face, she wasn’t looking for a “detective special”.

  “Hello, Samantha,” Ada said, purposefully ignoring Tessa. “What is this about Allie moving in with me?”

  “She’s not,” Tessa said. “She’s staying home.”

  Ada looked at Tessa. “Well, I suppose I could talk to Allie about it.”

  I could see that the two women were heading for a mashup, and that would be a bad thing.

  “Look,” I said. “Nothing has been decided. Not one damn thing. So, for the moment, keep your powder dry everyone. I suggested that Allie explore living with Ada because one, Allie wanted to move, and two, Ada was going to be all alone once Ethan moved out. While that seemed like a feasible idea at the time, I’m not so sure it is, since it would seem some people can’t sit down and think rationally.”

  Ada and Tessa both glared at me, but I wasn’t going to back down. They had to understand that they needed to compromise, just like everyone else in the world.

  “I suppose we could sit down and talk about it,” Tessa said.

  “I will be alone,” Ada said. “And a roommate would h
elp with the expenses.”

  “Allie doesn’t make a lot of money,” Tessa said.

  “I don’t need a lot,” Ada answered.

  “Everyone go to their corners,” I said before they could lapse into an argument. “Let’s pick a time and a place for this discussion. We do not want to solve this here and now.”

  They looked at each other and then at me.

  “Fine,” Tessa said.

  “Fine,” Ada said.

  “Fine,” I said.

  Before we moved any further along the “let’s talk” continuum, the door opened and Ethan entered. I told myself that his appearance would no doubt drive both women to distraction. The fireworks were about to fly, and it wouldn’t take a fire witch to start the action.

  “Ethan,” Ada said.

  “Ethan,” Tessa said.

  “Ethan,” I said.

  Ethan held up his hands, as if he recognized a difficult situation when he saw one.

  “Before you say a word,” Ethan said. “I need Ada and Samantha to come with me.”

  “Not me?” Tessa asked.

  “Not unless you want to traipse through the weeds around Lake Windermere,” Ethan said.

  “Why would we do that?” Ada asked.

  “Because there are a bunch of vultures circling a spot, and people think it’s some kind of carcass.”

  I wanted to ask Ethan why I needed to go, and then I figured it out. Someone had already been out there, and that someone had discovered a body, a human body. Ethan, Ada, and I weren’t needed for some deer or coyote.

  We left Tessa behind, and I was certain she would soon be back at Good Eats, cooking up lunch. As we rode out in a police SUV, Ethan talked.

  “I don’t know who it is,” Ethan said. “All I was told was that it’s a corpse. The site has not been disturbed, except for what the vultures might have done.”

  “Who found the body?” I asked.

  “Genevive,” Ethan said. “I don’t know what she was doing out there.”

  “Talking to the Otter King,” I said. “They’ve become friends.”

  “Makes sense,” Ada said.

  We did traipse through some rather boggy land to reach the site. We found Genevive leaning against a tree, and from her pallor, I surmised that the corpse was not a pretty sight. Yet, I was unprepared for what we found.

  The corpse lay in a small, open space of green grass. What struck me immediately were the clothes, still nice and clean, as if there had been little struggle. What struck me next was the stake driven into the center of the woman’s chest, because the corpse was clearly a woman. From her clothes, I knew the dead person was Clarissa, the vampire. I didn’t need to see her face to know that—if I could have seen her face. No one could.

  The head was missing.

  Ethan turned to Ada, and a look passed between them. I couldn’t tell if it was a good look or a bad one. Clarissa had barely entered their lives, and now she was dead, as dead as anyone. If they were devastated, it didn’t show. Neither did they show any elation. For a moment, they just stared.

  Then, they went to work.

  “Okay, Samantha,” Ethan said. “Who does it look like to you?”

  I wasn’t sure they really wanted me to answer.

  “It’s okay,” Ada said. “We know. We want to make sure we’re not jumping to conclusions.”

  “Clarissa,” I said. “I think it’s...was Clarissa.”

  The Gallaghers nodded—and got to work.

  I had to admire Ethan and Ada. They treated the death of Clarissa as they would have treated any murder. It was obvious from the beginning that her death was not natural. That she wasn’t totally natural didn’t matter.

  I walked to Genevive and suggested she take me back to the smoothie shop. The Gallaghers would want to talk to her about the body, but they had other priorities.

  “It’s awful,” Genevive said as we went to her car.

  “You didn’t see the head, did you?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “It wasn’t there.”

  “Did you talk to the Otter King?” I asked.

  “No, I didn’t get a chance. I found the body and called the police.”

  “That’s exactly what you’re supposed to do.”

  “You don’t think the Otter King killed her, do you?”

  “I hope not. I doubt that he did, although he might be able to. He doesn’t strike me as that kind of creature.”

  “Well, whoever it was, he was powerful. It looked as if the head were ripped off, not cut.”

  “You noticed?” I asked.

  “I had some time to study the body.”

  “Well, don’t say anything to anyone,” I cautioned. “Not until you’ve talked to the Gallaghers. And even then, ask them what you can reveal. The police often hold back details that only the killer could know.”

  “Don’t worry Sam, I’m not going to tell anyone. In fact, I’d rather forget it all.”

  Genevive was feeling better by the time she dropped me at Happy Blendings. I wasn’t. I felt sluggish for some reason, and I hoped I wasn’t coming down with some cold or infection. I mixed myself a virus “special” with extra orange and lemon juice, as vitamin C was always recommended.

  “You all right, boss?” David asked.

  “A bit slow this morning.”

  “You look pale, well, not as blushy as most mornings.”

  “Blushy?”

  He laughed. “English was never my best subject in school.”

  I felt less “blushy”, which was part of dealing with the public. You never knew what germs were brought in by customers. I was lucky I wasn’t sick more often.

  “What did you find?” David asked. “By the lake.”

  “A headless body,” I said.

  “Wow...wasn't expecting that. No head around?”

  “No, and that’s another issue. What happened to the head?”

  “Someone we know?”

  “Clarissa,” I said.

  “The Gallaghers’ cousin?”

  I was about to correct him, but then, I remembered how young Clarissa looked. David would never believe that she was the Gallaghers’ mother.

  “She’s the one.”

  He thought a moment. “I guess she would be easy to recognize, even without a head.”

  “She was a striking woman.”

  We chatted for a few more minutes, wondering just how the murder might have occurred, although while it certainly looked like a murder, that didn’t mean that Clarissa hadn’t died in some accident. Someone might have taken the head, just to muddy the water. I didn’t mention the stake in Clarissa’s chest. That was a detail the Gallaghers might have wanted to keep quiet.

  I had the “detective special” smoothies ready for the Gallaghers when they arrived. I knew they would need the extra iron after the shock of finding their mother dead. I joined them at an isolated table.

  “You told Genevive not to tell anyone, right?” Ethan asked.

  “I did,” I said. “She understands, and I’m sure she’ll keep things to herself. How are you two doing?”

  “She was our mother,” Ethan said. “But we really didn’t know her.”

  “Not like a child should know its mother,” Ada added.

  “So, it’s not as if we can’t investigate, although some people might want us to recuse ourselves.”

  “Yes, but Clarissa was a distant cousin,” I said.

  They both looked at me a second before they understood.

  “Yes,” Ada said. “She couldn’t possibly be our mother.”

  “That would make things very awkward,” Ethan said. “I suppose the autopsy will reveal some differences.”

  “But you don’t have to explain them,” I said. “The oddities are just that...oddities. Let the coroner explain them.”

  “If he can,” Ada said. “This will, no doubt, be the strangest investigation we’ve ever attempted.”

  “The stake alone will foster all sorts of rumors,” Ethan said.

  “Speaking of the stake,” I said. “Have you found Bernice?”

  They shook their heads.

  “I sent her out to the motel by the Interstate,” I said. “I have no idea if she was around Lake Windermere last night, but you can check.”

  “We’re going to,” Ada said. “She is suspect number one.”