Body Bags & Blarney (20 page)

Vivienne
tapped her finger on the newspaper photo. “Those two figures in the dark
hoodies. Hunter said that he saw them outside of Kathy’s store before he was
attacked. When I probed Seamus Kilpatrick’s memory of the day Father William
was killed, he ran into someone who looks like one of these guys too.”

Miss Octavia
took a deep breath. “You think they might be the ones using the amulet?”

Vivienne
pulled the paper off the map and leaned close. “Okay, so let’s start with the
magical voids.” She scrutinized the detail of the streets and landmarks and
came to a stop at the approximate location of the Cayuga Cove library. “This
was the first event that seemed abnormal, when Seamus Kilpatrick collapsed
after his confrontation with Father William at the Luck of the Irish carnival
meeting.” There was a diamond that marked the location of a magic void.

“There it is.”
Octavia marveled.

“We might be
on to something here.” Vivienne scratched at her chin. “But we need to trace
the order of the events to see if anything jumps out.”

Miss Octavia
hustled over to the apothecary cabinet and rummaged through another drawer
until she returned with a pencil and old-fashioned wooden ruler in hand. “Ready
when you are.”

 
Vivienne paused for a moment to make sure she
had the correct order for the chain of events that followed. “After that, there
was the fire at The Formal Affair Catering.”

“What’s the
address?” Octavia asked.

Vivienne
studied the map and placed her finger on the location of Suzette Powell’s
former business. There was another red diamond to mark a magical void location.
“That would he right here.”

Octavia lined
up the wooden ruler and drew a faint line from the first point to the second.
“Got it.”

“The next
event I can think of would be when Nathaniel and Tristan won the lottery.” She
moved her finger across the map. “Carriage House Antiques is right here.”

Octavia lined
up the ruler once more and traced a line to the new point which also had a red
diamond marking in front of it. “Keep going.”

“I found
Father William dead at Our Lady of the Lake church.” She moved her hand across
the document to a red diamond that marked the location.

“You’re doing
great Vivienne. Keep it up.” Octavia remarked as she traced the line.

Vivienne ran
the timeline through her head and then pointed to the Shoreline Baptist Church.
“I think the next event would be the tent collapse at the revival meeting
here.” Just like the other location, a red diamond awaited Miss Octavia’s
pencil and ruler.

“Goddess
protect us.” Octavia muttered as she completed the next line on the map.

Vivienne
stared in disbelief at the image that the connected points and lines created.
It was a perfect five pointed star, otherwise known as the pentagram. “What
does this mean?”

Octavia’s hand
trembled as she held the pencil. “This isn’t good.
 
This isn’t good at all.”

“What do you
see?” Vivienne asked with trepidation.

Octavia
pointed to the first location. “You’ve done enough ritual casting to know where
you begin casting the pentagram symbol.”

“With North to
represent the element Earth.” Vivienne replied.

Octavia
nodded. “Because you’re casting light magic. Beneficial spell work.”

Vivienne
stared at the map. “Of course.”

“Well, whoever
is casting this pentagram is starting with the inverse.” Octavia pointed out.
“The library is at the southern point of this map.” She folded her arms
together. “Dark magic. Nothing but evil going on when you invoke that.”

“But there are
more diamonds on the map.” Vivienne pointed out. “What else could be on there?”

“It wouldn’t
be complete without a circle cast around it.” Octavia replied.

Vivienne
pointed to a diamond on Spruce Street. “Clara’s Diner, where Clara found a rare
coin last week.”

Octavia set
her pencil on the diamond and awaited the next address. “Where to?”

“Let me
think.” Vivienne pointed to the location of Trade Winds Clothier. “There was
the theft of the jewelry from Kathy’s store.”

Octavia
started to put her pencil down when Vivienne stopped her.

“No, that’s
not right. There was the miracle shot made at the basketball game at the high
school before that.” Vivienne pointed to a diamond closer to the location of
Clara’s Diner.

“Okay, first
the high school and then Clara’s Diner?” Octavia asked. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”
Vivienne nodded. “Joshua told me about it yesterday morning when he was reading
the paper. We didn’t find out about Kathy’s store until a little bit later.

 
Octavia carefully followed the locations and
curved the lines around the end points of the inverse pentagram. “Is there
anything else?”

“No.” Vivienne
took a deep breath. “Are there any more diamonds?”

“Just the two
in front of your home.” Octavia pointed to the middle of the star. “Placing you
right in the center.”

Vivienne
sighed. “So I’m part of this?”

“The circle
isn’t finished.” Octavia pointed out. “Five points to the star, five locations
around each to complete the circle.”

“Each one of
these voids that marks the points on the pentagram has resulted in some sort of
wild surge of magic that results in random luck striking whoever happens to be
nearby.” Vivienne puzzled out. “So we can pretty much conclude that whoever is
doing this is following the steps to casting a complex ritual.”

“That’s got to
be it.” Octavia agreed. “I’m willing to bet that each of these steps was timed
according to an astrological reading, utilizing the moon phases and planetary
alignments.”

“Casting
something of this magnitude would require a massive amount of magical energy.
There isn’t a talisman in the world capable of holding that much.” Octavia
reasoned. “It would need to be recharged with the purest form of magic.”

“My grimoire?”
Vivienne asked.

“Exactly.”
Octavia snapped her fingers. “Every time that you unlock a new spell in that grimoire,
you are increasing the power of generations of family magic that is stored
within. Think of it like a rose, slowly opening each petal until it hits peak
bloom. That magic is undiluted, pure as pure can get. The portals are unrefined
sources, good and bad mixed together in a witch’s brew of conflicting energies.
Whoever is doing this knows that and has been specifically targeting your
grimoire.”

“How do I stop
them from stealing my magic?”

“There’s not a
place in town you can safely hide it without being found. It is detectable by
even the most novice of sorcerers.” Octavia warned her.

Vivienne
stared at the map. “Any guesses as to what exactly our stalker is planning to
do with this ritual?”

“This is a
huge symbol, encompassing nearly the entire town.” Octavia looked at the map
with dismay. “We’re talking a major spell being powered here. I think I better
take this to the Elder Council right away while we still have time.”

“As much as it
pains me to say it, I have to agree with you.” Vivienne spoke softly. “But, you
need to take my grimoire with you.”

“Taking it to
the Elder Council would be the only place that would safely conceal it from
discovery.” Octavia protested. “But you’ll be at a terrible disadvantage when
it comes to casting spells for self-defense.”

“I’ll have
what I can recall from memory.” Vivienne did her best to smile. “Makes me wish
I had been studying a bit more before this all happened.”

Octavia
reached out and pulled Vivienne into a warm embrace. “Honey, I have no doubt
that you will be able to take care of yourself. But remember, your grimoire
recharges your own magical energy within your body. When it is taken away,
you’re not going to be able to recharge your battery so to speak.”

“There’s no
other choice.” Vivienne hugged her back. “Maybe the Elder Council will be able
to figure out what is going on and send help before anything happens?”

Miss Octavia
sniffed back some tears. “I hope so, child. Goddess knows you deserve so much
better than what you’ve had to endure here in Cayuga Cove.”

“I’m going to
miss you so much.” Vivienne sniffed back tears of her own. “Let’s go get my
grimoire before any more of this ritual can be completed.”

“Yes, but I
want you to swear that you will not let anything happen to you before I get
back.” Miss Octavia held out her right hand and wiggled her pinky finger.
“Pinky swear?”

Vivienne
couldn’t help but smile at the silly gesture. She did the same and they
entwined pinky fingers. “Pinky swear.”

“Ain’t no magic
more powerful than the pinky swear.” Miss Octavia smiled. “So don’t even think
about breaking it.”

Vivienne
grinned. “I think someone left that page out of my grimoire.”

“Every school
child knows that, Vivienne.” Octavia led them both to the front door and turned
the open sign around to read ‘closed’.

Vivienne
grabbed their winter coats from the floor rack. “Now let’s put a stop to this
madness before it’s too late.”

They bundled
their coats up and stepped out into the chilly mid-afternoon sunshine.

CHAPTER
SIXTEEN

It had been
seven days since Vivienne had last seen or heard from Miss Octavia as she
journeyed into the realm between worlds where the Elder Council kept court. As
she waved goodbye to Stephanie after another busy Monday, she locked the back
door and returned to the work area where they had kept their calendar of store
orders and other town events on a large board near the computer and cash
register.

So much had
happened as she glossed over the past days. Last Tuesday, one part of the sad twist
of events had been laid to rest. With no concrete evidence to point to foul
play, the medical examiner had ruled the death of Father William undetermined
and released the body for burial. The next day, he was given a proper funeral
and laid to rest on a beautiful spring-like afternoon when the weather actually
topped forty degrees. The service at Our Lady of the Lake was subdued and
graceful, celebrating the life of a remarkable man who never drew attention to
the good deeds he graced Cayuga Cove with over the years. Vivienne had
introduced herself to the new priest who seemed somewhat unsure of how to
proceed with the parish. She gently suggested that he resurrect the Luck of the
Irish Carnival committee to honor his predecessor and ease the fears of the
church members who were fearful of sudden change.
 

Taking her
advice, Father Daniel O’Reilly, fresh out of seminary school, stepped into his
new role as church leader with the blessing of the Mother Superior and the
nuns. With his baby-faced light brown hair and blue eyed looks, quite a few of
the parish members were skeptical about his ability to lead the congregation.
But, he soon proved them wrong by jumping right into what Vivienne suggested
and appointed her in charge of the food vendors. She took it upon herself to
honor Father William, pooling money and resources to ensure that everything
would run smoothly for the Carnival which was scheduled to run on the Saturday
and Sunday before Saint Patrick’s Day. It wasn’t easy trying to balance her
business with the carnival planning, but she found a way to make it work. Also,
staying busy kept her mind off of the shadow sorcerer who it seemed had
suddenly had their ritual casting come to a halt with the removal of the energy
source they had been pilfering from her grimoire.

By Friday, it
had seemed like things had returned to the calm normal that everyone longed
for. Hunter Arkins, who had been living secretly at Joshua’s home, continued
following leads that he hoped would solve the mystery of who broke into Kathy’s
store and removed all the costume jewelry from the display case. Yet, the trail
had gone as cold as the weather when a polar vortex swung down from Canada and
put a deep chill on Cayuga Cove and many other Northeastern states. Alexis
Warner did turn over the missing store key when questioned by Officer Drexler,
but there was no proof linking her to the crime and she was free to go about
her business. Kathy vowed to have nothing more to do with her and let the whole
incident go in an uncharacteristically live and let live gesture. She was
suddenly more cheerful and bright-side looking than ever before.

It came as no
surprise to Vivienne when a double date with Kathy and Hunter was booked on her
schedule for Saturday evening. It had started when he had offered to install a
new lock and alarm system for her, warding off the chances of a future incident
and giving her peace of mind.

In return,
Kathy had called Vivienne each night leading up to the date, dropping little
hints here and there that something other than a professional collaboration had
been blooming. It seemed the lock on the door hadn’t been the only one that
Hunter had changed. Cynical, glass half-empty Kathy Saunders was actually
finding the ability to throttle back and enjoy life again. Her heart, once
cautiously guarded and off limits to anyone, was freed by Hunter’s zest for
life and his free-spirited attitude.

Joshua had
been the most skeptical of all, especially when Vivienne confessed her feelings
that his brother could be the sorcerer that had been stalking her. It had
caused a little bit of tension between them, but it was soon put to rest when
Joshua confirmed that the necklace she had seen on his neck was one that was
given to him by their eldest sister, Lily, who lived in Santa Fe.

Vivienne
eradicated her doubts as to Hunter’s motives and apologized profusely by baking
him a special Treavis cake after she discovered that one of his favorite
flavors was pistachio. Not one to hold a grudge, Hunter laughed off the mere
suggestion that he could wield magic as he demonstrated he couldn’t even
shuffle a deck of playing cards without spilling them all over the table. He
had also eased her fears about what Kathy would think if she discovered that
Hunter was a werewolf. He assured her that he had years of covering his tracks
and would not reveal his secret until he was absolutely sure that she was
capable of handling such life-changing news. He promised that when the time
came to let her know, he would make sure they were all together to provide
support. That was all she needed to know that proved he was indeed a good man.

They had
awoken to four inches of fluffy white snow on Sunday morning, which led to an
afternoon with the two couples enjoying a bit of sled riding out on Whiskey
Hill, on the outskirts of town. Kathy and Hunter had provided a thermos of hot
mulled cider and some smoked turkey and cheddar sandwiches for lunch, leaving
Vivienne and Joshua to provide her homemade French macarons for dessert. Life,
as Kathy was now frequently noting to anyone who would listen, was grand.

As the sun set
on the Western horizon, Vivienne looked over the schedule for the upcoming week
while finishing her cleaning at the bakery. There was the last carnival
planning meeting at the library on Wednesday night. On Thursday, she had a
large order of butter cookie dough to make up and store in the cooler for
shamrock cookies to sell at the carnival.

Friday night
was an early closing for the bakery so that the vendors could start setting up
their booths and food trucks for the grand opening of the Carnival on Saturday
afternoon. As head of the food vendors, she would do a final check to make sure
all the health department papers and licenses were in order. Afterwards, she
would join Joshua, Kathy, and Hunter for team trivia night at Slate’s Pub &
Grill where they would battle through a few rounds of questions, beer, and
chicken wings in the hopes of winning a twenty-five dollar gift certificate. It
was the start of what Vivienne had hoped would be a couple’s date night.

Satisfied that
her week was planned to perfection, Vivienne turned off the lights inside the
bakery and headed for the Monarch Grocery. Joshua was working the next two
evenings on the night shift, which meant she could have dinner whenever she
pleased. As she drove down Main Street, she was happy to see the new shamrock
LED lighted decorations adorning the lamp posts. The town once again looked
happy and festive, such a grand turnaround from the previous weeks.

She had become
so enamored with looking at the lights that she missed the turn off on Weyer
Place to lead her to the Monarch. Rather than turn around right away, she
instead decided to check out the amber glow sunset from the community park at
the edge of town where she would drop off Joshua on full moon nights to run
free in the woodlands. Only now, he would no doubt run with Hunter through the
woods. She pulled into the deserted parking lot, staring at the spectacular
layers of purple, yellow, and orange that the sunset was providing. Mother
Nature put on such amazing spectacles for mortal eyes, yet so few ever took a
moment to take in the wonder of it all. Perhaps if more people did, she thought
to herself, the world would be a more peaceful place.

She parked her
car at the edge where tiny waves lapped at the shore, glimmering with a coating
of ice on the smooth rocks along the beach. Although Cayuga Lake was a part of
her life, she had never lived along the shore. Lake life, as those who were
fortunate enough to own property with lawns and docks extending out into the
clear blue water called it, was different from anything else in town.

Here, during
the warm weather months, neighbors slept with doors unlocked and mingled freely
along narrow roads that wound around small waterfalls and creek beds that
emptied into the lake. There was always a small gathering somewhere where
cocktails were served and light appetizers enjoyed. The yards would be filled
with strings of twinkling lights where fireflies would try in vain to compete
against their electrified rivals for dominance in the lake-cooled summer
breeze.

It was a
lifestyle that was far beyond the means of most of the citizens in Cayuga Cove.
Property taxes were sky high, with even more outrageously priced properties
that soared into the six digits for even the most modestly appointed cottage.
Family properties had been sold to out-of-state summer dwellers from New York
and the Jersey Shore who had the money to spend. Although they were always
welcomed by the locals, there was an underlying resentment that many families
felt after being driven off their ancestral land by the upper class from the
coastal region.

Vivienne’s
family had never owned property along the lake, but they had vacationed at
several rental cottages while she had grown up. Back in the day when a week’s
rental was scarcely more than a few hundred dollars. As she relaxed in her
Toyota Matrix, she wondered if perhaps she would be able to afford a place on
the shore in the future. Maybe if things worked out with Kathy and Hunter, they
could all go in on a summer property to enjoy the good life with? Of course,
she chided herself mentally, that was a long way to go in the future. There
were several more steps for her and Joshua to take to even consider that. She
took a deep breath at the sunset once more and blamed her dreaminess on the
relaxing state it had put her in.

But her
relaxation was short lived as she turned to leave for the Monarch Grocery and
noticed her headlights reflect off something at the edge of the woods. She drove
slowly forward, curious as to what it was. As she drove past rows upon rows of
marked parking spaces in the lot, she saw that the simple chain strung between
posts to mark off the lot perimeter was broken and resting on the pavement. Her
eyes followed the path into the brush where she saw her lights reflect off the
license plate of a black SUV.

Vivienne
pulled up as far as she could and turned off the ignition. She opened the door
and heard the sound of the other vehicle’s engine running. “Hello?” She called
out. “Do you need help?” There was no response.

With her cell
phone firmly in her grip, she proceeded forward through the brush and came upon
a Cadillac Escalade. It was jammed against two trees, where the sides of the
front hood were crumpled together. “Hello?”

As she pushed
through the last of the brush that partially obscured her view, her eyes locked
onto the green garden hose that was stuffed into the tail pipe and threaded
along into the back window which was rolled up just enough to keep the deadly
fumes inside the passenger cabin. “Can you hear me?” Vivienne shouted with
concern. She charged forward and reached for the passenger door handle. It was
locked and did not open. She banged on the window and noticed a female
passenger unconscious but still belted into the seat.

Vivienne
frantically scoured the area around the car and found a large rock about the
size of her hand. She reached back with all her might and smashed it against
the glass. It cracked but did not break. She pounded a few more times as the
cracks spider-webbed outward before one final blow caused the entire window to
smash inwards, covering the woman with glass.

She carefully
reached her hand into the cabin and pulled the handle to release the door lock.
After pulling the woman away from the deadly fumes, she climbed into the cabin
where a male passenger was slumped forward onto the steering wheel. She reached
over and turned the engine off. She would have to go around and pull him out
from the other side.

Racing around
the back of the vehicle, she pulled the driver door open and was about to free
the man when she noticed the gaunt complexion to his skin. With wild eyes, now
opened and dried out from the lack of moisture, he was long dead. As she stared
in shock at the grisly discovery, his features became familiar. It was Johnny
Guido.

With sudden
horror, Vivienne backed away and returned to the girl who she hoped was not
Alexis Warner. As she knelt down to feel for a pulse, she fought back the urge
to break down and cry. It was indeed, Alexis Warner. “What have you done?” She
asked softly.

Her fingers
went down to her neck where she felt a weak pulse. “Oh Alexis, what in the
world have you done?”

Using her
witch senses, she could feel that Alexis’ spirit was preparing to leave her
body. She had been able to refrain from casting any spells for a week,
conserving the energy inside her that would not recharge with the absence of
her grimoire from the mortal plane of existence. “Stay with me.” She ordered as
she pulled out her phone and dialed emergency services.

As they were
not too far from town, help would arrive within ten minutes but Vivienne knew
she would not last that long. “I was hoping to save this for myself, but you
leave me no choice in the matter.”