Page 45 of Home Is Where the Witch Is
The business of murder.
Ivy had been brought back to Mosswood especially for this meeting. She sat at the table as an honored guest, her hazel eyes drinking in the atmosphere in a way that made her seem like she was trying to absorb enough of the vibes around her so she could float on their wavelength. Rosie watched, intrigued. Maybe that was exactly what the medium was doing.
“He’s here,” she declared, drawing a few raised eyebrows from the others in the room, Rosie included. When they had called Aata at the motel room, he’d been a little reluctant to step forward and kind of unhelpful with the information he had provided, and the second time they had called him he hadn’t said anything at all. To have him here, now, was interesting to say the least. Wondering whether Aata would prove helpful this time around, Rosie looked at the medium.
“Is he feelin’ chatty?”
Ivy paused, her eyes gaining that far-off expression as she listened to the dead man in the room. “He said let’s get on with it.”
Rosie blinked. “Glad to have him on board.” Ghosts, she had decided, were really weird. She’d take living magical beings over the dearly departed any day of the week.
“He wants me to take the lead on this,” Ivy said straightening in her chair. “That way he can communicate with me directly. That okay with you guys?”
“Fine by me,” Rosie said with a glance at her peers, who mostly nodded their agreement. “Are they all here?” she asked Chaoxiang.
“Yes, they’re waiting.” The Chinese witch was wearing a long red robe with wide sleeves that he could tuck his hands into. It was an outfit Rosie had only ever seen him wear once before—at her wedding—so she took it to mean it was an outfit specifically for formal occasions. In her jeans and thin cotton blouse, she suddenly felt very underdressed.
“I say let’s get this show on the road.” Hella clapped her hands before leaning over the table. A rush of her magic saw the empty glasses on the table filled with sparkling water and slices of lemon. “Bring them in.”
“Together?” Emperia asked. Rosie could tell by the expression on the Arctic witch’s face that she thought it was a bad idea, but she wasn’t going to take any chances when they were this close to discovering the truth.
“Together,” she confirmed with a definitive nod. Emperia glanced at Hella, and the fierce little drag queen went to fetch their suspects. The three witches filed into the room one after the other, each with different emotions playing across their features.
Alain looked more serious than Rosie would have thought possible. His hair was swept back from his face in a way that let a few tendrils brush his chiseled jawline. There was no flirting from the Frenchman now, as he shuffled in to stand before the Council.
Medea seemed downright pissed to be there. Her dark eyes flashed with indignation as she followed Alain, her nose wrinkled as though having to breathe the air in his wake was enough to make her want to barf. By her side was a portly, balding man that was briefly introduced as her legal representative.
The last to enter the room, Tya, seemed almost despondent. Her gaze was fixed on the ground, hands held at her sides before she stopped walking and clasped them nervously in front of her.
“You all know why you’re here,” Chaoxiang announced, looking at each of the suspects in turn. “The time has come to bring the killer of Aata Taylor to justice. Our medium, Ivy, will be questioning each of you.”
Medea instantly bristled like a hog disturbed in the woods. “What? Here? In front of everyone else?”
Ivy spoke before anyone else could answer for her. “Best to have everything out in the open. That way no one can be accused of misconduct.”
The use of the word 'misconduct' made Rosie think about Aata putting forward a vote of no confidence in the Council.
“Let’s begin.” Ivy brought her hands together, steepling her fingertips as her gaze drifted to the unassuming-looking witch at the end of the suspect line. “Tya. You were annoyed that Aata hadn’t disclosed his true nature to the Council. You thought this could influence the outcome of the election. As the only person running against Aata, his secret coming to light could have made or broke your chance at sitting on the Council. Your Calling spell was promising, but we couldn’t find your brother to corroborate your alibi.”
Tya lifted her chin, showing a little of the defiance Rosie had come to expect from her throughout her time completing the Ordeals. Ivy leaned slightly to her left, eyes losing focus again, as Rosie watched her communicating with Aata. Her attention then switched to the Greek candidate, who had drawn herself up to her full height and was staring Ivy down. Ivy didn’t even so much as blink, a small smile hovering in the corners of her lips before she banished it.
“Medea. You were… uncooperative with the Council’s investigation, to say the least. From not allowing them to perform a Calling spell, through to refusing to answer questions, you seemed determined not to help them with their enquiry and have a serious prejudice against magical creatures. We were told by a witness who saw you arguing with Aata at the motel shortly before his time of death—a witness who heard him callyoua monster.”
With a characteristic sneer, Medea ignored the way Ivy seemed to listen to Aata once again.
“Lastly,” Ivy began, her attention turning to Alain, “but certainly not least, we have an ancient blood-feud between two primal races. Something that runs centuries deep, crossing oceans and spanning lives. Even though you had never met Aata before this election, you were duty-bound to despise him. And he you. Thankfully, you’re cleared due to your alibi and the results of your Calling spell.
Alain had pressed his lips together so tightly, they'd turned white. His nostrils had flared, and the seriousness Rosie had witnessed earlier had devolved into pure disgust. It was so strange to her that someone like Alain, who had obviously suffered discrimination at the hands of people like Medea, could also be the type of person who would hold prejudice and hatred against another.
Now the facts had been laid bare, Ivy sat back in her chair. She considered each of the suspects in turn, still ‘listening’ to Aata by the looks of it. Rosie watched her with interest, dying to know what Aata was saying.
In the end, Ivy sat up straighter in her chair. “Would you all like to know why Medea killed Aata?”
“This is an outrage!” Medea shrieked. “I will not stand here and be accused of this ridiculous crime by some kook from Backwater USA!”
“First, I’m fromSavannah,” Ivy drawled, offense bleeding into her smooth tone. “Second, if you think I’m making this up then you have nothing to worry about. After all, wouldn’t I need some kind ofevidenceto prove that you had just cause to commit murder?”
At the mention of evidence, Medea’s mouth fell open slightly. It was almost a micro-expression, but she didn’t cover it up quick enough for Rosie not to notice it. “You don’t have any evidence,” the Greek witch hissed.
