Call Of The Witch (17 page)

Lilith palmed my chest and lightly pushed me
aside. “We have to close the circle.” She handed me the athame. “Do
you want the honors?”

“
Sure.” I took the crooked
dagger, aimed it at the ring of fire, and snuffed it out with a
circular sweep of my hand. Nothing ceremonious about it. I turned
to Lilith again. That come-hither look was in her eyes now. She
crowded me up against the coffee table, pressed her warm body to
mine, and laced her hands around my waist.

“
You know,” she cooed. “I
did something for you. Now how about you do something for
me?”

I knew what that meant. “Uh, well you know….”
I pried her arms off me, grabbed my clothes and headed for the
door. “I really have to go. I’m sorry. It’s this case, you know.” I
hiked my thumb up over my shoulder. “The guys are waiting.”

“
You’re going out the door
naked?”

“
Yeah, I’ll get dressed on
the way. Oh, I almost forgot.” I hurried across the room and
snatched up Kelly’s underwear off the table. “I’ll see
you.”

I don’t know if she was more pissed about me
running out the door buck-naked, or about the sand I scattered all
over the table and floor when I snatched up the underwear. Knowing
Lilith, it was more the former than the latter. She folded her arms
at her chest, shifted her weight onto her left hip, and tossed her
hair back over her shoulder. It’s a form of posturing akin to a
bull snorting and stomping the ground before charging. I shut the
door behind me without looking back.

I was halfway to the car when I heard it: a
mini sonic boom followed by a loud crash and the sound of broken
glass hitting the floor. I guessed it was a zip ball, a
power-packed sphere of electric energy the size of a grapefruit,
that she conjures up in the palm of her hand, mostly when she’s
angry. It’s a great way to release a horde of pent up frustration,
but murder on walls and furniture when discharged in the house.
Still, better there than on me.

After getting dressed by the car and pulling
away from the house, I had to consider where to go. The Brewbakers
would have been the logical choice. I imagined Brittany might
appreciate me relieving her before Spinelli arrived. For some
reason, though, I just couldn’t bring myself to go there. I needed
time to gather my thoughts first and sort them all out.

I’m not much of a drinker, and I especially
don’t care much for drinking alone. But the thought of finishing
the cold one I started at home seemed like a good idea. So I turned
the car onto Jefferson and headed to Lenny’s Bistro, a quiet little
place where I knew I could order a cold drink and a light snack and
no one would bother me.

Boy was I wrong.

Silvia Belmonte is a bleached-blond,
Generation-Y dynamo with a hard body, perky naturals and an
infectious smile guaranteed to make you smile back. As barkeeps and
waitresses go, she’s topnotch; a gifted gal who can take an order
for a party of eight without a pad and never miss a trick. Same
goes for names. That she remembered mine every time the old Tony
Marcella went into the restaurant was remarkable enough, seeing I
barely went there more than a few times a year. But she floored me
when I walked into Lenny’s for only the second time since my return
to prime and she greeted me like an old friend.

“
Tony!” she said, calling
my name from across the bar. A half dozen heads turned to see who
caught the attention of the woman who captivated theirs.

I bellied up to the bar, smiling
reciprocally, and I shook the hand she extended to me. “Silvia,” I
said. “You remembered my name.”

“
Yeah, why not? You
remembered mine.” She peeled a napkin off the top of a stack
without looking and laid it down in front of me. “Whatcha havin`,
beer?”

“
Make it a Lite, will
ya?”

“
Coming right
up.”

“
Oh, and no head
please.”

“
No head. Got it.” She
grabbed a chilled beer mug from the chest and began filling it from
the tap. “Speaking of which, where’s your girlfriend?”

“
Excuse me?”

“
Lilith. That’s her name,
isn’t it?”

“
Lilith. Right. You think
she’s a witch?”

“
What? No, of course not.”
She set the beer down in front of me. “It’s a joke,” she said,
shaking her head. “See, you said no head, and I said….” She
stopped, thought about what she was going to say and then let it
drop. She made a face as if it were a bad idea. “Forget
it.”

“
I’m surprised you
remembered her name,” I said. “I don’t believe I ever brought her
here.”

“
She shook her head. “You
didn’t, but you mentioned her the last time you were
here.”

“
Did I?” I took a long sip
of beer.

“
I believe you used the
word, suffering, to describe your living arrangements.”

“
Suffering? Did I say
that?” I took another long sip and set the mug down on the
napkin.”

“
You were living in a tiny
apartment with her and her cousin.”

“
Ursula. That’s right.
Wow, you do have a good memory. You know I should tell you. Lilith
is no longer my girlfriend.”

“
Oh?” She leaned in
closer, propping her elbows up on the bar and presenting a
marvelous view of her cleavage. “Is that a fact?”

“
We’re married
now.”

“
Married?” She reeled
back, crossed her arms and stole a glimpse down at my ring finger.
“You’re not wearing a ring.”

I looked at my bare finger. “It was kind of
sudden really.” I knew she thought I was only blowing her off.

“
Sudden?”

“
It was one of those
things.”

“
I see.” I knew she didn’t
see, “Well I suppose congratulations are in order then.”

“
Thanks.”

“
How’s your old
man?”

“
Who?” I admit, I didn’t
catch on at first.

“
Your father?”

“
My Fa…. Oh, my father.
Yes, he’s good. Still down in Florida, you know, enjoying
retirement.”

“
Is he?”

I think she knew I was lying. I found myself
absentmindedly rubbing the back of my neck, something I often do
when I lie. I wouldn’t have known that if Lilith hadn’t pointed it
out to me. Apparently she catches me doing it a lot. I smiled up at
Sylvia and waited for her to do the same. She never did.

“
Hey, you know who’s
here?” she said.

Another change of subject. I welcomed the
distraction. “No. Tell me.”

She gestured toward the lounge, directing a
nod at a booth in the corner. “Your buddy the cop.”

“
Spinelli?”

“
No, the other one. Money
bags.”

“
Carlos?” I don’t know why
I didn’t think of Carlos first. I suppose it’s because he was
probably the second to last person I wanted to talk to at that
moment; the first being Sylvia, as I had become uncomfortable
talking with her about Lilith and the factious Tony Marcella
Senior. I picked up my beer and motioned a sweep in that direction.
“You know I think I’ll head on over there and say hi to him. Would
you send my tab to the table?”

“
It’s on the house,” she
said, raking up my soggy napkin and wiping the bar with a towel she
kept over her shoulder. “Consider it a wedding present.”

I don’t know why, but her comment sent a
chill up my back. I pictured Lilith sitting up in bed waiting for
me to come home to consummate our marriage once and for all. I
gestured a salute with my beer as a thanks. “Nice talking with you,
Sylvia.”

She saluted back. “Same here, Marcella.”

Marcella. Funny how coming in it was Tony;
going out it was Marcella. I guess that’s another one of the
nuances of marriage.

Carlos saw me as I approached his table. He
was talking to a longhaired brunette sitting opposite him, close to
the open end of the booth as if poised to make a quick get-a-way if
needed. I could see her long legs reaching under the table, her red
dress riding high up on her knees, her slender arm, sleeveless,
outstretched on the table with her hand wrapped loosely around a
long-stem wine glass. I saw Carlos straighten up in his seat as I
got closer, his expression changing from surprise to concern.

“
Tony! What are you doing
here? Is there a break in the case? Did Brit call?”

I waved off his concerns and came around the
booth to gain a full view of his date. She looked up at me in
wonder, and I damn near fell over at the sight of her. She was
beautiful. Stunning even. She flipped her hair back off her face
and smiled. I smiled back, offering my hand. “Hi there. I’m Tony,”
I said. “Pleased to meet you.”

She took my hand, and the warmth of it melted
the chill that had followed me all the way from the bar.
“Pleasure’s mine,” she said in a sweet Southern drawl. “I’m
sure.”

I like to think she neglected to tell me her
name. Maybe she did. I can’t say for sure because I didn’t catch
it. All I could hear was her angelic voice acknowledging my
existence with a heartfelt, ‘Pleasure’s mine’. And I know she meant
it because she said she was sure.

I let go of her hand and my peripheral view
returned. I noticed a tabletop candle flickering skittishly in her
company, its amber light basking in the reflection of her eyes.
Further, off to the edge of my awareness was Carlos, his hands
gesturing to get my attention. I could not give it to him. Only she
had the power to release it.

I watched her drop her head and bite her lip
teasingly. My eyes fell away and down the plunging red v-line of
her dress. A gold necklace glistened against her mocha skin. It lay
in smooth flow and gathered in the soft nook between her
breasts.

“
Tony!”

I blinked and found myself in conspicuous
absence of manners. I looked at Carlos. His dropped jaw told me I
had already overstayed a very thin welcome.

“
Yes?”

“
What are you doing
here?”

“
I came for a drink. Here,
move over.” I nudged Carlos further into the booth and slid in next
to him. “I don’t mean to interrupt. It looks like you two are
sharing an intimate moment.”

“
Well as a matter of fact
we––”

“
I’m sorry,” I said,
ignoring Carlos completely. I reached across the table and tapped
his date on the back of her hand. “I’m afraid I didn’t catch your
name, darling`.”

“
It’s Lauri,” she said.
“Lauri Shullit.”

“
Laurie? That’s a pretty
name.”

“
She spells it without the
E at the end,” said Carlos, the gloating I-told-you-so tone of his
voice masked in sarcastic politeness.

I could hardly believe it. Dominic had
totally convinced me that Carlos’ girlfriend, his phantom Lauri
without the E, was a figment of Carlos’ imagination. Between the
coincidence with the spelling of her name and Carlos’ description
of her, it seemed pathetically obvious he made her up. Yet there
she was. And I knew it couldn’t have been a set up because Carlos
had no idea I’d be going to Lenny’s. The surprise on his face told
me that much.

I leaned back in the booth and folded my
hands on my lap. I felt happy for Carlos. At least a part of me was
happy. I was glad he hadn’t stooped to making up girlfriends out of
desperation for keeping up with Spinelli and me. For surely his
Lauri without the E could hold a candle, if not a torch, to Lilith
and Ursula. She was beautiful beyond compare.

Still another part of me was worried. Carlos
is no slouch in the looks department, but he is getting up in
years. Even as a young detective just starting out, he never
brought home beauties like Lauri Shullit. Then again, as a young
detective, Carlos wasn’t worth millions.

I leaned forward in my seat again and propped
my elbows up on the table. “Without the E?” I said. “Is that
right?”

She smiled thinly. “That’s right.”

I smiled playfully. “I don’t believe
you.”

Carlos said, “Tony.”

“
It is,” she
said.

I ignored him. “Nooo. Let me see your
license.”

“
Tony. Stop
it.”

“
Carlos please. I’m
curious. You don’t mind, do you Lauri?”

“
Not at all,” she said.
Carlos elbowed me in the side, but it was too late. Lauri was
already reaching into her purse for a driver’s license. She took it
out and handed it across the table to me.

“
New Hampshire,” I said.
“You’re from out of state.”

“
Just over the
border.”

I read her name aloud. “Lauri A. Shullit.
What do you know? Look at that, Carlos. She does spell it without
the E.”

“
I know that,” he said,
not bothering to look. “That’s what I said.”

“
Yes, but look.” I held
the license closer to his face with my finger underlining her
birthday. “She has a birthday coming up next month. She’s going to
be twenty-one.”

I saw his eyes drop to the license as if it
were on fire. “Oh wow. Ha-ha, look at that.” He peered across the
table at Lauri and cracked a nervous grin. “You’re gonna be
twenty-one.”

She pushed the wine glass aside and dragged a
water glass into its place. “That’s right. I mention that. Didn’t
I?”

I handed her license back to her. “That’s
okay. I’m not going to say anything.”