Chapter Fifteen
“Josh, this is Noah and Chelsea,” Anna said. “Chelsea is my cousin from Winter Haven.”
“Hi,” Joshua said.
He felt foolish in his Halloween costume, a Civil War Union soldier, sneakers on his feet. But he had to wonder about the young couple; Noah was a strip of bacon, Chelsea a fried egg, their costumes looking almost like bags. Chelsea was covered in white except for the yolk at the center of her body. Noah’s face and arms were the only parts not bacon.
Anna had opted for a traditional witch costume, her head covered with a black wig and a peaked witch’s cap. She had brought along one of her own Wiccan broomsticks.
“Josh wants to go to the cemetery,” Anna said. “Would you two like to join us?”
Noah said, “Sure, Why not? Sean and Trip are probably doing their ghost hunting.”
Anna turned to Joshua. “The police throw Sean and Trip out every week.”
The four of them left Anna’s back yard and piled into her car, which had been repaired, even the crack in the windshield.
The Fruit Ridge Township cemetery was only a few miles from Anna’s house, off the main road into town, on another dirt road. Anna made a left, driving past a dairy farm and bowling alley.
Joshua felt tired. He had worked a long shift, only punching out an hour ago. He had invited Colbie, but she declined. He was relieved, and Bacon and Eggs seemed harmless.
“What high school did you go to?” Noah asked.
“I went to Fruit Ridge,” Joshua said.
“What year?”
“Last year.”
“I graduated from Winter Haven High,” Noah said. “High school sucked.”
“Yeah. It did.”
“I like college a lot more.”
“Noah, did you know Anna is really a witch?” Chelsea asked.
“She’s got her broom.”
“She does Wicca stuff.”
“Like what? Make medicine? Make things out of twigs?”
“She can do more than that.”
Anna and Joshua exchanged looks in the front seat.
“Wicca is a religion,” Anna said.
“You worship trees?” Noah asked.
“Those are Druids. But Wiccans do look for connection in nature, to find energy in living things, in male and female. Where creation lives. Creativity never ends, it’s constructive.”
Anna turned into the old cemetery, gates open. She drove to the end of the lane then turned off the car.
“Josh and I are going to look for a grave,” she said. “You two can go with us or wander around.”
“I’ll bet Sean and Trip are at one of the mausoleums,” Noah said.
Anna handed Josh and Noah flashlights. Noah and Chelsea went in one direction, Anna and Josh in the other, agreeing to meet at the car later.
“Did Max tell you where Davey is buried?” Anna asked.
“No. But kids are usually buried near their parents or grandparents. Davey might be in a family plot.”
“Davey’s full name would be David White. How old was he when he died?”
“Dad said he died before the fire. I was three at the time, so Davey might have been older, five or six.”
“We’ll just have to walk around until we find some Whites. This could take a while.”
They heard a gasp, then a whoop of laughter.
“I’m sure Sean and Trip didn’t appreciate having their spirit walk interrupted,” Anna said. “They take themselves seriously. Noah can be a clown.”
“I wish I could meet more kids from school. Maybe it would help me remember. It’s like I didn’t go to school at all.”
Joshua illuminated each tombstone he and Anna passed. They found family plots, generations of Fruit Ridge families. A breeze blew through Anna’s witch hat.
“My mom is buried out here,” she said. “Over by that weeping willow.”
“My mom should be buried here, too.”
“Let’s keep looking. Maybe we’ll find her.”
They passed a few more family plots and single graves before moving on to another lane that brought them to the middle of the cemetery.
“Here it is.” Joshua stepped closer, reading the name. David James White. 1991-1996. A simple, upright headstone. No angels, no lambs. No flowers.
Davey has been forgotten, Joshua thought.
“Sad, isn’t it?” Anna asked.
“Have you ever met his mother?”
“Yes. My dad plows out Alice’s driveway every winter. She made him cough medicine once. Strange woman.”
“Just strange?”
“She’s a recluse. Very religious.”
“My dad has been telling me more lately. It’s like he’s opening up. He told me he loves me.”
“Wow. That’s something my dad has never said to me, but I know he does. Mom said it to me all of the time when she was sick.”
“You look at all of these graves out here,” Joshua said, “and how many of these people ever knew anything about really loving someone else?”
“You’re getting to be a philosopher, Josh.”
He smiled. “I’ve changed, right?”
“Maybe you’re just growing up.”
“Hey! That’s not an orb!”
The loud voices came closer. Anna and Joshua saw Noah and Chelsea with two other young men, wearing dark hoodies, one carrying a smart phone that he was showing to Noah.
“If it’s not an orb, what is it?”
“Trip, it’s a bug.”
“Leave him alone, Noah,” Chelsea said.
“I saw something by Marilyn Thompson’s grave,” Trip said.
Joshua turned around. “Stay away from there, man.”
“Hey, we weren’t causing trouble.”
The other boy approached them. His hood covered his head, but Joshua took in the round, freckled face. “Hi, Anna.”
“Hi, Sean. This is Josh.”
“Spirits can hang around for days after death,” Sean said. “Trip saw the orb at Marilyn’s grave. I knew her, she and my mom used to bowl together. How she died...wasn’t right.”
Anna shook her head. “I wish the police could find who did it, but there were no witnesses except Lois.”
“Bonnie was there,” Joshua said.
“She needs to be careful,” Sean said. “Maybe you can help her, Anna.”
“I’ve been using protection spells on myself,” Anna said. “Everything I know.”
“I wanted to show you something,” Sean said. “The old Curtis house is past these cornfields out back. Trip and I found something weird. At first, we thought it was a Halloween prank, but it had been there for a while...”
“What is it?” Anna asked.
“Follow me.”
Anna and Joshua followed Sean to the back graves, stepping carefully through the woods to a clearing. Looking ahead, Joshua saw the corn stalks. Rows and rows.
“The Curtis house used to be one of the grandest houses in Fruit Ridge,” Sean said. “Abandoned for decades. Trip and I have been in the house a few times, but it’s dangerous. Rotting floors.”
Sean ducked into the corn rows, Joshua providing the light, Anna behind him. Her witch’s cap tangled in a corn stalk, but she pulled it away.
“Was I ever here?” Joshua asked.
“Probably. Now with me, though. But I think we’ve all been here.”
The walk through the corn took a few twists, Anna almost tripping on some tall weeds.
“This better not be a prank, Sean,” she said.
“I couldn’t make this up.”
Sean ducked out of a space between rows, diving into the row to his left.
“It’s right here.”
Joshua caught up and shined his light in the direction of Sean’s pointing finger.
On the ground, surrounded by leaves, weeds, and corn shucks, was a short set of old cement steps. At the top, a black cloth covered a dead animal, the decayed legs sticking out.
“I think it’s a dog,” Sean said.
“Why didn’t you call the police?” Anna asked.
“I didn’t want the cops to know Trip and I were out here.”
Joshua came closer. A tablecloth with gold embroidery on the edges. Stars in the corners. Some letters. The design felt familiar.
His mother’s hands, slipping a long needle into the black cloth. He had watched her made the stitches.
The animal’s remains smelled bad, but Joshua gripped and pulled at the cloth.
“What are you doing?” Sean asked.
“Nothing. Just looking at the design. Someone put time into this.”
Sean sighed. “I better get back to Trip. I don’t want Noah to see this; he’d take pictures and put ‘em on Facebook.”
Sean turned to leave. Joshua handed Anna the flashlight and she followed Sean. He grabbed at the cloth in the darkness, the dog’s remains sticking. He was repulsed, but he knew this cloth, it brought a memory.
He stepped up behind Anna, stuffing the cloth under her witch costume skirt. Anna stiffened, but kept going.
They made their way back to the cemetery; Noah, Chelsea, and Trip standing by Anna’s car.
“We’re going to a party at Club 18 in Falls River,” Noah said. “You want to go?”
Anna shook her head. “No. But I can take you back to your car.”
Sean rolled his eyes. “Club 18. All the girls who hang out there are sixteen. Trip could end up in jail.”
Trip, his blond hair blowing in the breeze, said,”That’s why I’m dating Brandy. She’s fifteen and has to be home by nine.”
“You ain’t right.”
“You ever show Brandy your orbs?” Noah asked.
“She likes ‘em more than you.”
Anna and Joshua stared down at the cloth, spread over Anna’s kitchen table.
“Are you sure your mom stitched this design? It looks recent.”
“Maybe it was kept in storage somewhere.”
“She stitched the pentagram perfectly.”
The five-sided star took up the middle of the table. Anna touched the edges while studying the stitches. “Are these letters?”
The middle of each edge boasted what looked like capital letters. “This could be an ‘E’.” She slipped her fingers around the edge. “A ‘B’...”
“Mom’s initials.”
“What had she planned to use this for? Some ritual?”
“Why was it out there?”
“Maybe we should show this to Bonnie.”
“Can I keep it here for a while? I’m afraid that if I take it home, it might disappear.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“Did you have fun?” Colbie asked.
“It was all right. We hung out with two ghost hunters and bacon and eggs.”
“Those costumes are stupid.”
Joshua was glad to be out of his costume, changing into pajama bottoms and a T-shirt, sitting in his dad’s recliner. Colbie sat on the living room couch, candy wrappers strewn on the coffee table in front of her. She had eaten half a bag of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. The Milky Ways remained unopened.
“Were you afraid to go out tonight?” Joshua asked.
“I felt tired. I only like Halloween for Trick or Treating.”
“How come you don’t like Anna?”
“I never had a problem with Anna. She never liked me, though.” Colbie picked up the remote control, channel surfing until she came to a movie. “Zombies are so gross. I like ghosts and vampires.” She resumed surfing. “Oh. Poltergeist. Much better.”
“That little girl’s hair is almost as blonde as yours,” Joshua said.
“Carol Anne? She’s a pretty little girl.”
“You don’t want to be a model?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
“You could make money.”
“I don’t always worry about money.” She unwrapped another Reese’s, the orange paper falling to the table. “I was thinking about when we were in the attic...”
“Yeah?”
“You haven’t kissed me since.”
“I would kiss you, but you have peanut butter breath.”
“Josh!”
They both laughed. “Colbie, I wish I could remember how close we were. You’ll have to be patient with me. You’re so pretty, any guy would want to kiss you.”
“Not pregnant, they don’t.”
“You won’t be pregnant forever.”
“Maybe I should call MTV. Be on Teen Mom.”
“I’m about as useful as some of the guys on that show.”
“You remember Teen Mom?”
“Amber and Gary, right?”
“Are you having a memory?”
“I don’t think I’ve watched the show since before I got sick. Why would I remember Teen Mom?”
“We would watch it together sometimes. Before I got pregnant.” Colbie grabbed the remote, finding MTV. “This is some other show, but we would watch Hoarders, too. We watched it with Grandma.”
“Have you heard from her?”
“Not since Lois died.”
“Was Lois buried at the cemetery?”
“She was cremated. Max said the state police are getting involved.”
“They won’t find her killer, I’m sure of it.”
“Why?”
“You know why, Colbie. And whatever you and Brenda are doing, please keep Anna out of it.”
Colbie’s eyes didn’t leave the TV screen. “Anna is already a part of it. Ask her what she knows, the days leading up to when—“ Colbie jumped from the couch, almost toppling from her pregnant belly.
“What?” Joshua asked.
She dashed down the hallway to the bathroom. Joshua heard her retching.
Colbie went to bed after taking some Pepto-Bismol. Joshua went upstairs after the movie was over.
Dealing with Colbie was like having a little sister. He wondered, aside from her looks, what could have drawn him to her. Anna was more understanding and patient. Colbie didn’t seem like the type who could handle taking care of a baby.
She’s lucky Dad and Brenda are so willing to help, he thought.
He passed their room, the door open. His father was asleep in bed, Brenda in a chair watching TV.
Joshua stepped in. Brenda looked up as he entered. “Hi. Have fun tonight?”
“Yeah. Is it okay if I ask you something?”
“About what?”
“Are you practicing witchcraft? Like my mom did?”
“I’ve always been a little interested—“
“Her spell books?”
“Have you been talking to Bonnie? Or Ruth?”
“Yes.”
She rose from her chair. “I don’t want to wake your dad. Let’s go downstairs.”
Joshua followed her to the kitchen. Brenda was wearing a yellow terrycloth robe over a slinky blue nightgown. Her red hair was loose down her back.
Brenda took the milk out of the fridge. “Sounded like Colbie had too much candy.”
“I guess the baby doesn’t like peanut butter.”
Brenda poured them both a glass of milk. “I took a look at some of Liz’s things when Max and I moved in together. Not much made it out of the fire; a few writings, like journals, but no spell books. She wrote some spells down, but I only learned about Harvester from Max. Liz had started out with Hecate or Demeter, typical of Wicca, but I guess Harvester found her.”
“What do you know about Harvester?”
“He has many faces. Sacrifice plays a part. You ever hear of Belial?”
“No.”
“He’s a demon derived from Lucifer or Beelzebub. He likes human sacrifice. These...entities have a way of misrepresenting themselves. I think that’s what Liz fell into. She saw what she wanted to see, and she couldn’t know all of Harvester’s faces.”
“Dad called him a demon.”
“You could see it that way. Max wanted you to be careful, but your curiosity couldn??
?t be stifled. You had talent. You made a plate rise from the table, almost threw it like a Frisbee at Max.”
“Why?”
“Some disagreement over money. Max needs to cut the cord. For the both of you...”
Joshua smiled. “He’s a good dad, though.”
“Yes, he sure is. You’re lucky, Josh.”
“Could I see Mom’s stuff?”
“I gave it all back to Max. But you can tell Ruth I have no spell books. I’m sorry about Leo, Marilyn, and Lois, but none of them ever liked me. No one could compare to Liz.”