2 Yule Be the Death of Me (23 page)

There was a
knock at the window and she slowly pulled herself upwards to see who it was.
Much to her surprise, a police officer in full uniform was standing outside the
car. He knocked again on the window and gestured for her to get out.

Not wanting to
disobey, she did as he wanted and opened the door. She reached to the floor to
grab the radio when suddenly he yelled at her. “Hands up right now.”

Octavia
changed her mind and raised her hands up. “It’s just a radio. I was waiting for
Deputy
Arkins
to signal me. We’re working together.”

The policeman
opened the Jeep door and grabbed her roughly by the upper arm. “Get out of the
car, nice and slow.”

“There must be
some kind of mistake here.” She spoke softly upon exiting the vehicle.

“Put your
hands on the back of your head and turn around slowly.” The policeman ordered
as a second police car came screeching into the church parking lot.

“Yes sir.” She
did as he asked. “May I ask a question?”

“Shut up and
stay still.” He ordered.

“Yes sir.”

The newly
arrived officer on the scene flanked the first one. “Have you found Deputy
Arkins
yet?”

“I imagine
he’s inside for Sunday mass.” The first officer replied.

Miss Octavia
shook her head. “He’s in trouble, that’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.”

The first
officer raised his voice at her. “Now take your hands and place them apart on
the roof of the car.”

“Yes sir.”
Miss Octavia complied.

He started to
frisk her, working his way from her upper shoulders, patting down her
midsection until he stopped at her waist where her the pockets of her winter
jacket were stuffed full of magical spell supplies to take care of Natalie once
they caught her. “What have you got in your pockets?”

“Charms.” She
replied. “Little trinkets I use for my work.”

He reached
into her pocket and pulled out a small bottle of holy water. “Alcohol?”

“Holy water.”
She corrected him. “Like I said, just little charms I use to do my work.”

He reached
into her pocket again and pulled out a small purse gun with a polished pearl
handle. “Is this one of your tools you use for your job?”

“That’s not
mine.” She protested. “Where did that come from?”

He handed it
to the second officer who looked it over as he pulled out a small hand-mirror,
some dried rose petals and foxglove blooms, five small birthday cake candles,
and a plastic baggie filled with dirt. “Just what exactly is your job?”

“I am Miss
Octavia and I am in the business of helping those who seek answers from the
spirit world.”

“It’s loaded,
Hank.” The second officer confirmed.

“So, you were
planning on surprising him after church?” The officer named Hank asked her.

“Please, you
must listen to me.” She continued to plead with him.

“That’s all we
needed.” Hank produced a pair of handcuffs and pulled her arms down behind her
back. “Miss Octavia, or whatever name you do business under, you are under
arrest for threatening the life of Deputy Joshua
Arkins
.”

“What?”
Octavia’s voice jumped up and octave. “Now just a minute.”

He snapped the
cuffs onto her wrists and spun her around. “You have the right to remain
silent.” He continued reading her the Miranda Rights, ignoring her requests to
speak with Joshua.

“Do you
understand these rights?” He asked.

“Yes, but if
you’ll just get Deputy
Arkins
out here I’m sure he’ll
be able to explain everything.”

“We’re taking
you down to the Sheriff’s office where you will be provided with the
opportunity to speak with a lawyer.” Officer Hank replied as he escorted her to
the second officer’s police vehicle.

“Joshua.”
Octavia yelled out as loud as she could. “Can you hear me?”

Hank opened
the back door and shoved her inside. “Take her down to the station. I’m going
inside to inform Deputy
Arkins
what has taken place.”
He informed the second officer as he slammed the door closed.

“Shall I call
for more backup?” The second officer asked.

“There’s no
need to get the whole church riled up. I’ll sneak in and get him nice and
quiet. You head back to the station.”

“Affirmative.”
The second officer climbed into his car and sped away with Miss Octavia.

Hank glanced
at the pile of items that he had pulled out of Miss Octavia’s pockets. He
snatched the plastic baggie with the dirt inside and opened it. He took a long
smell and smiled. “Graveyard dirt. How thoughtful.” He reached in and grabbed a
handful just as the glamour spell dissolved away to reveal Natalie’s true form.

She turned
back to face the church and listened to the sounds of the mass. She dropped a
handful of dirt into her mouth and chewed it slowly. The dark energy stored in
the cemetery dirt revived her, repairing the toll being on holy ground had
taken.

She climbed
into Joshua’s Jeep, pleased with how easy it had been to subdue and tie up
Officer Hank. Lucky for her, she had flagged him down from the street only a
few blocks away from the church on his standard morning patrol.

 Having
recognized her from the missing person fliers, he had been more than happy to
give her a ride. Away from the holy ground, she had felt her dark magic return.
As she distracted him with a bogus story about her disappearance, she snagged
his Taser gun and fired. A short drive later to the wooded area behind River
Road, she handcuffed him to a tree and cast a sleeping spell on him. He’d be out
of her way long enough to finish her task.

As Natalie
turned the Jeep on, she focused her energy and assumed the form of Vivienne
Finch once more. She stepped on the gas pedal and pulled out of the secluded
parking spot.

Suzette Powell
came running out from the front entrance of the church and waved her arms
wildly as the Jeep sped by with Vivienne behind the wheel. “Vivienne.” She
called out as the vehicle made a right turn and disappeared into traffic,
oblivious to her pleas.  “Don’t be childish.”

She turned to
go back into the bake sale when a flyer on the church bulletin board caught her
eye. It was a photograph of a woman and a child and the police phone number was
listed below to call if anyone had seen either. She pulled the handle on the
door to go inside when she suddenly placed the face. “Oh, my God.”

She rummaged
through her purse to find her cell phone.

“Did you find
Vivienne yet?” Clara asked as she emerged from inside the church. “We need her
to help setup the hot drink station downstairs.”

“Clara, I just
found that missing woman.” Suzette grabbed her found and called the number. “I
found Natalie Burdick.”

Before the two
women could say another word, a blood-curdling scream erupted from inside the
church.

“What in
heaven’s name is going on in there?” Clara asked Suzette.

They both
dashed inside as several parishioners pushed past them with their cell phones
held close to their ears in conversation.

“Edith? What’s
going on?” Clara asked one of the choir ladies.

“Two men have
been attacked downstairs. Blood everywhere they say.” Edith wrung her hands
nervously. “Who would do such a thing?”

Vivienne
dreamt that she had the power to fly, just like the birds. She simply flapped
her arms and with a sudden jolt she was soaring over the tree tops and feeling
the breeze blow against her face. She climbed higher into the blue sky and then
soared toward the ground with an exhilarating rush, watching the buildings
below become larger.

Suddenly, she
found herself entangled within a flock of wild geese, honking and pecking at
her furiously. She tried to shoo them away, but they did not scare off.

The honking
became a shrill ringing. She covered her ears but it wouldn’t go away. The
ringing continued over and over until at last her eyes sprung open and she
bolted upright from the sofa.

It was her
cell phone that had stirred her from her deep sleep. She clumsily grabbed at
it, trying to focus on the name and number displayed on the screen.

With a swipe
of her fingers, she answered it. “Hello?”

“Vivienne.
Where are you?” Kathy’s voice was filled with concern.

“I’m at home.”
She croaked, her throat dry. “I dozed off waiting for Joshua to call me.”

“You need to
get yourself over to Cayuga Memorial right now.”

“What’s going
on?” She shook the sleep off.

“Joshua was
hurt over at the church bake sale along with one of the church ushers.” Kathy
explained. “Hasn’t anyone called you?”

Vivienne
snapped awake. “What do you mean he’s hurt?”

“I don’t know
anything else.” Kathy replied. “Clara searched the church high and low but
couldn’t find you.”

Vivienne
glanced at the wall clock. It was nearly half-past two in the afternoon. “No
one called me.” She jumped off the sofa, still groggy.

“Why did you
go home?” Kathy asked.

“I thought I
could sneak a quick nap in before the bake sale.” Vivienne lied.

“You better
get over there and find out what’s going on.  Do you need a ride?”

“No.” Vivienne
raced out into the living room and grabbed her winter coat off the wall rack.
“I’ve got my car here.” She stepped into a pair of beat up sneakers and grabbed
her keys. “I’m on my way.”

“I’ll let
Clara know you’ve been found.”

“Thanks for
letting me know.” Vivienne hurried out the front door and nearly tripped as she
hurried to the car. “I’ll call you back when I get some more information.”

The drive to
the hospital was a blur, but somehow she managed to get there safely. After a
frantic conversation with the admissions desk, she was given access to Joshua’s
room on the fourth floor.

As she
entered, she was relieved to see that he had no roommate to share it with.
Sheriff
Rigsbee
was sitting in the visitor’s chair
next to the bed where Joshua was reclined with his eyes closed.

Most of his
head was wrapped in bandages, an IV dripped pain medication into a vein on the
top of his left hand. His face looked puffy and swollen.

“Joshua.” She
could barely get his name out of her mouth.

Sheriff
Rigsbee
stood up from the chair and walked over to her.
“Vivienne, I’m glad you’re here.”

“What happened
to him?” She asked.

Zeke
Rigsbee
was dressed in his full duty uniform, but today he
looked less than happy to be wearing it. “Someone attacked him and Carlton
Jones in the men’s room at Our Lady of the Lake.” Zeke turned back to get
another look at his bruised and battered body. “They used a wooden baseball bat
from the church’s recreational supply room.”

“Carlton is in
better shape. He’s unconscious, but expected to recover.”

Vivienne felt
her lower chin quivering as she stared at Joshua lying so helpless in the soft
light of the hospital room. “Who did this?”

“The last
person anyone would suspect.”

“Natalie
Burdick?” Vivienne asked him.

“Why do you
suspect her?” Zeke asked.

“It’s a long
story.” Vivienne shot back.

“Natalie and
Connor Burdick are still missing persons at this point.” Zeke spoke softly.
“But if you have some information that might lead to their whereabouts I’d like
to hear it.”

“I don’t know
where they are.” Vivienne wiped the tears that started to flow from the corners
of her eyes. “Who do you have in custody?”

“The woman
known as Miss Octavia.”

“What?”
Vivienne shook her head. “No, she wouldn’t have done this.”

“My officers
found her hiding inside Deputy
Arkins
’ Jeep in the
church parking lot this morning. She was carrying a gun.”

“No, you’ve
got it all wrong. She was helping him to capture the person who is responsible
for everything that has been going on.” Vivienne tried to explain.

“Perhaps you
and I should take a ride down to the station and you can tell me whatever it is
that you’ve been holding onto.” Zeke offered her his hand.

“If it will
free Octavia, I’ll go.” She replied. “But, I need a few minutes with Joshua
first.”

“Of course.”
Zeke nodded. “Would you like me to wait?”

“No, you go on
ahead.” Vivienne walked over to the bedside table and stared at Joshua. “I’ll
drive down in a little while.”

Zeke gave her
a reassuring smile. “Joshua is a strong man. He’ll pull through this.”

Vivienne
reached out and stroked his left arm gently. “Yes, he is.”

“I look
forward to hearing your story.” Zeke quietly stepped out of the room.

“Joshua, I
don’t know if you can hear me but I’m going to talk to you anyway just in case
you can.” Vivienne sat down in the chair and listened to the rhythmic
monitoring devices that beeped and chirped in the quiet hospital room.

“We really
underestimated her power, but she’s not going to get away with this. I’m going
to go down to the station and set things right.” Vivienne waited for some sort
of sign that he heard her. She stared as his chest would rise and fall with
each breath.

“Open your
eyes, Joshua. Please, let me know that you’re still in there.” Vivienne grabbed
his hand in hers and squeezed it. “Give me a sign that she didn’t destroy your
mind with a spell.” The tears dripped from her face and splashed onto his
blanket.

“Please come
back to me. Come back to us. Come back to the life we’ve just begun to start
making. I don’t want to walk another step without you by my side.”

She stared and
waited for a sign, but there was none. He remained motionless. “I know you’re
still in there. I can feel it.” She spoke softly. “You need to reach deep down
inside yourself and find that will to come back.”

One of the
nurses, a kind looking woman with very short hair stepped into the room.
“Excuse me, I need to check on his wound dressing.”

Vivienne
sniffed back the tears remaining. “Of course.”

“I’m Carol,
the evening nurse for Joshua.” She walked to the other side of the bed and
gently tipped his head to the side. “A little bit of bleeding, but not bad. I
expected to see worse.”

“Really?”
Vivienne felt a little bit of hope flare up inside her.

“Given the
severity of the injuries, he’s recovering remarkably fast.” Carol crossed over
in front of Vivienne and checked the flow rate on the IV monitor. “He must have
some angels watching over him.”

“I know he
does.” She smiled weakly. “Has he woken up at all?”

“My shift just
started a half hour ago, so I haven’t been here.” Carol reached into the pocket
of her scrub coat and pulled out a tablet device. “Let me check his chart and
see what we find.”

“Thank you.”

“He’s remained
unconscious since he was transferred up here from emergency.” Carol gave a
quick check to make sure the IV site wasn’t irritated. “Don’t give up hope.
He’s definitely a fighter.”

“Are you going
to be here all night?” Vivienne asked.

“I’m here
until seven in the morning.”

“Will you give
me a call if he happens to wake up?”

Carol nodded
and tapped the tablet with a plastic stylus that was hung around her neck with
a little chain. “I’m assuming your Vivienne Finch.”

“Yes, I am.”

“You’re listed
as his third emergency contact, behind Sheriff
Rigsbee
and his brother, Hunter
Arkins
.” Carol confirmed.

“His brother?”

“That’s what
it says here.” Carol put the tablet back into her pocket. “I’ll call you the
moment he wakes up.”

“Thank you,
Carol. It really means a lot.” Vivienne slowly pulled herself up from the
chair. “I need to go down the Sheriff’s office and take care of some business.”

As Vivienne
stepped out of the hospital she heard the whine of an ambulance siren and then
another. She was really starting to hate that sound and part of her just wanted
to run home and put a pillow over her head and be done with it. It was the
sound of terror and death. The sound of pain and loss.

Pulling out
the parking lot she watched as the first ambulance sped toward the emergency
entrance with lights flashing.

As she drove
along Maple Street, she had to pull off to the side to let another ambulance
speed past her on the way to Cayuga Memorial.

When she
arrived at the Sheriff’s office, she walked into the sights and sounds of
complete pandemonium. Desk officers were swamped with phones ringing off the
hook, people shouting and nearly running into each other as each tried to be
louder than the other.

Vivienne
walked past the information desk and headed down the all-too-familiar hallway
that led to Sheriff
Rigsbee’s
office.

As she passed
the water cooler, she was pulled to the side by one of the officers whose name
she never could seem to remember. All she could recall was that his pencil-thin
black mustache looked like a pathetic attempt to appear older and have
authority, but it failed to work on both attempts. “You?”

“I’m sorry,
it’s been a long day.” Vivienne apologized. “I can’t remember your name.”

“She’s here.”
He shouted to the others and then spun her against the wall roughly. “I got
her.”

“What the hell
is going on?” Vivienne screamed in frustration.

“You must be
crazy to come strolling in here after trying to poison half the town.” He
quickly snapped some handcuffs on her wrists.

“What are you
talking about?” She asked as he spun her around to face him.

“Vivienne
Finch, you’re under arrest for multiple counts of attempted murder.” The
officer was joined by several others who looked at her as if they had just
caught Jack
The
Ripper.

“This is a
mistake.” She sputtered.

“You have the
right to remain silent.” The officer continued.