Bones of a Witch (26 page)

“Have I seen Tony Marcella?” said Froggy, after
peeling his attention away from Spinelli long enough to hear the
question. “Are you kidding?” He seemed to look my way without
looking at me, yet the entire time we were at his door, Carlos and
Spinelli standing shoulder-to-shoulder with me behind them, I
couldn’t shake the feeling that he could see me clear as
day.

“That’s right,” Carlos answered. “Marcella is
your neighbor, isn’t he?”

Again Froggy looked up, his eyes seeing right
through me. “Sure, he’s my neighbor. Why, what’s wrong? Is he in
some kind of trouble or something?”

“No.” Carlos shook his head. “We just wanted to
know if you had….” he looked at Spinelli and smiled, “seen him
recently.”

“You want to know if I’ve seen
Tony?”

“Yes.”

“Recently?”

“That’s right.”

A thin smile crossed his lips and I could swear
he actually winked at me. “No, sorry gentlemen, I haven’t seen
him.”

I could not see Carlos or Dominic’s face, but I
could imagine their smiles ebbing like a tide. “Really? You haven’t
seen him?”

“That’s what I said, isn’t it?”

“You realize we’re not here to arrest him,”
said Spinelli.

Froggy stiffened his shoulders and threw them
back, drawing a deep breath, as if preparing to shut the door on
the conversation. “Just so you know,” he said, his voice punctuated
with a sense of finality, “Tony Marcella is an honorable man. If he
wants you to see him, he’ll let you see him.” And then he did in
fact slam the door on the conversation.

Carlos and Spinelli stared at the door for the
longest time, neither wanting to be the first to turn and face me.
But I’m an equal opportunity gloater. I tapped them both on the
shoulder and said, “Well? What do you say to that?”

The two turned around slowly. “He saw you,”
said Dominic. “He looked right at you.”

“No, he looked through me, as if I wasn’t
there.”

Carlos said, “I’ve got to go with Dom on this
one, Tony. He clearly saw you, and lied thinking he was protecting
you. Face it; the spell didn’t work.”

“No, it worked. He doesn’t know me that well,
not enough to lie to the cops for me, anyway.”

“Let’s try another neighbor,” said
Dominic.

“No.” I took a quick glance down at my watch.
“We don’t have time. We have to get going. I can work on the spell
on the way to Salem. Besides, the energy is stronger there,
remember? Just like with the scrying, I can perfect the spell once
we get there. You guys on board?”

“Do we have a choice?” asked Carlos.

I nudged them toward the stairs. “Yes. Go
peacefully or under protest. If you choose the latter I’ll give
your home phone numbers to Froggy.”

“Then by all means. Let’s roll.

Dominic Spinelli:

Don’t ask me what kind of hair Tony has got up
his butt, or maybe it’s a witch’s broomstick; I don’t know. He’s
been on my case a lot, though, ever since the botched stake out at
the boardwalk. It’s not my fault we didn’t catch Putnam then. Sure
I could have thought about holding up the train by radio sooner
than I did. And yes, maybe keeping the gas tank at least half full
at all times is recommended for all unmarked units in the
department, but it’s not actually SOP that’s written down anywhere.
That said, I have to draw the line at the shootout in the church
parking lot. I’m the one who was getting shot at, not him. I mean,
I ranked highest in my class at the academy for marksmanship. If I
couldn’t hit the guy it’s because he couldn’t be hit…so easily that
is.

Anyway, I guess old Putnam called Tony’s cell
while I was fixing the flat tire. He told Tony to meet him at
Ingersoll’s Tavern with something called a gate key, which turns
out to be the thing that Tony went swimming for in the church
baptismal pool the night before. Guess he knew it was special. It
seems this key is really a kind of encryption decoder for Lilith’s
Book of Shadows, also known as the grimoire. Why Putnam wanted it
is beyond me. The important thing is that Tony had it, and that
gave him the crazy idea that he could use it to his advantage to
catch Putnam. The plan was simple. Make himself invisible and stow
away in Putnam’s van. That way Putnam would unknowingly deliver
Tony right to the girls. Once there, Tony would get the drop on
Putnam, put him under arrest and free the girls.

It could have been a great plan, except for one
thing: Tony couldn’t make himself invisible to a blind man. It was
the funniest thing, though, watching him and Froggy exchange
glances like we couldn’t see what was really happening. I mean,
clearly Froggy could see Tony. He looked right at him several
times. The funny thing is that I think Tony really believed he was
invisible. Carlos thought it was hilarious, too, only he’s better
at hiding his amusement than I am. Naturally then, as Tony got more
and more pissed, he directed his anger more and more towards me.
Needless to say, it made for an extremely long night.

We headed out for Salem around ten-twenty. Tony
thought he might perfect the cloaking spell along the way, or maybe
even in Salem, as he felt sure the residue energy he experienced
there from centuries of witchcraft activities would deliver the
success he sought. Personally, I didn’t think it would work for a
second. I don’t think Carlos did, either, but he’s a good yes man
for Tony and wouldn’t say anything disparaging about his plan
unless he truly thought it would put him in unreasonable jeopardy.
I guess that’s why the two of them got along so well for all those
years.

We rolled into town about eleven-thirty and
found the downtown district only mildly abuzz with nightlife, and
most of that was generated around Ingersoll’s Tavern. There the
neon façade lit up the street well enough to see faces out front
from a block away, which is where we parked to keep from drawing
attention to ourselves. I was sitting in the back seat, and as I
started to get out Tony grabbed my shirtsleeve and eased me back
in.

“You know what Dominic?” I could tell from the
tone of his voice what was coming. “I was thinking maybe just
Carlos and I should go in. Why don’t you stay out here and watch
the building?”

I pulled my arm back with a jerk. “Watch for
what?”

“Putnam, you know, in case he pulls up with the
girls in the van.”

“I thought you didn’t believe he’d bring the
girls with him.”

“Well, we don’t know that for sure, do
we?”

“Bullshit. You don’t want me with you because
you’re still punishing me for what happened yesterday and earlier
today.”

“No I’m not.”

“You are, too. Carlos?”

“I’m sorry, Dom.” I can tell you
that’s what Carlos said, but what he meant was,
Oh, please, Dom, don’t make me say no to Tony. You know I’m
his boot-lick`n yes man. I do whatever he tells me.
Man, it’s enough to make a guy sick.

“Look,” said Tony, his tone surly now. “This is
a police operation and I’m giving you an order.”

“What? This isn’t a police operation. It’s not
even in our jurisdiction.”

“Drop it, Spinelli. It’s done. Now
I want you to wait here and watch for Putnam. Carlos,” he gave him
the
Let’s Go
nod.
“Move it.”

And with that, Tony and Carlos got out, pulled
their coattails down over their weapons and walked the block to
Ingersoll’s Tavern, leaving me to stew in my anger like a scolded
child. I waited till they were out of sight before hopping out and
getting in behind the wheel so that I wouldn’t look like a total
buffoon.

The first few minutes I don’t think I was
really paying much attention to my surroundings—pissed as I was—but
then I noticed twice in about a ten-minute span a dark-colored van
slowing down as it drove past the tavern. On the third go-a-round I
readied my hand on the door, prepared to jump out and take Putnam
down single-handedly. That, I thought, would show the great Tony
Marcella who was boss. Unfortunately, the van I thought might be
Putnam’s, turned out to be just a ride for a bunch of teens looking
to score something from a street corner druggie. I knew it wasn’t
any of my business, but I was feeling particularly agitated and I
wanted to do something about it. So I waited for the van to pass
before getting out and approaching the thug on the corner. I
figured if I couldn’t take Putnam down, I could at least clean up a
single street corner for one night. Consider it my contribution to
the betterment of Salem and its fine people.

A lot of times I take people by surprise when I
tell them I’m a cop. Guess it’s because I not that big a guy and
because I look much younger than I really am. No doubt that’s what
the kid on the corner thought when he saw me coming. Not only
didn’t he run from me, but he actually coaxed me around the corner
into the shadows to offer me a deal. Knowing I couldn’t bring him
downtown, I went along for the jest.

“So, wha`sup, man?” he said, stealing glimpse
over my shoulder to make sure I wasn’t followed. “You lookin` to
connect?”

“Maybe,” I said. “Whacha got?”

“Shoot, name it. 007`s, 151`s, Oxy, Dust. Maybe
you’re a Black Whack guy, eh?”

“What?”

“Oh, I know, you like to sink a little
Butu?”

“You got all that on you?”

“Dude, you luna? You ain’t the heat, man are
ya? I ain’t lookin` fo no blista, Bro.”

“Me? Do I look 5-O?”

He stepped back to size me up proper, and
having satisfied his suspicions, replied, “No, I guess
U-cool.”

“Right then, so what do you say?”

“I say you ain’t told me what`chu
want.”

“You didn’t tell me what you had on
you.”

“Shit I didn’t, sucker. I don’t mule no shit
`round here. I can get ya what ya want, but I run clean, man.” He
nodded up into the night sky. “That’s a witch’s moon flyin` up
there, Tyro. I don’t pack on a witch’s moon. Bitch’ll bust ya, know
what I mean?”

I turned and glanced back over my shoulder. The
moon filled barely half its outline. “What is a witch’s moon?” I
asked.

He drew a soured smile and then dropped it
quickly. “Serious?”

“Yeah, I never heard the
expression.”

“Then you ain’t from `round here,
Cubby.”

I shook my head. “No, I’m new.”

“Dude, you sup the witch thing?”

“Sup? Do you mean do I believe? Of course, most
definitely.”

He nodded. “Then you should know; witches don’t
die easily; least ways `round here they don’t, especially if they
was hanged. Legend says a witch’s moon brings the spirits of dead
witches out for revenge. They fly around in the mist looking for
people doing bad things, and if they see ya doin` something wrong,
they kill ya.”

“Do they, now?”

“Damn straight, `less you hangin` a witch at
midnight on a witch’s moon. Then all the spirits stay in the spirit
world and wait to receive the newcomer. But I don’t spect they is
hangin` no witches tonight, eh?”

“
No, I don’t `spose. Do most of
the town’s people believe that? Is that what Ingersoll’s Witness is
all about?”

The kid’s eyes narrowed sharply with that
question. “What did you say you wanted, Bro?”

I shook my head. “I didn’t.”

“Dude, you asking a lot of
questions.”

“Yeah, and you’ve been a nice guy to answer
them.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out my badge. “But I’m
watching this corner now, Cubby. If I see you soliciting drugs
around here again I’ll take you down. Got that?”

“Man, you don’t chill. You da heat.”

“So I lied. Now beat it.”

The kid eased back a couple of steps before
turning around and sprinting off into the shadows. About then the
van full of teen drove by again on a slow roll. I held my badge up
to the driver and he hit the gas, speeding off in a squeal of
smoking tires. Man how I love this job sometimes.”

Carlos Rodriquez:

I felt bad for Dominic when Tony told him to
wait out in the car instead of letting him into the tavern with us.
But I agreed with Tony that someone needed to stay outside and
watch for Putnam’s van. I know Dominic thinks I’m Tony’s yes man,
and I suppose I can see why that is. But what he needs to
understand is that nine times out of ten Tony’s right. The trouble
is I don’t know when that tenth time is up, and unfortunately
that’s usually when the shit hits the fan the hardest. Never was
that more evident than when Dominic walked into Ingersoll’s Tavern
not fifteen minute behind us. He seemed especially excited about
something, but Tony squashed that quick as a lick.

“I don’t care about some two-bit drug pusher.”
Tony’s outburst turned heads in the tavern from one end of the bar
to the other. I suppose I couldn’t blame him, though, I mean for
blowing up like that. I’m sure the thought of losing Lilith had him
sitting on a razor’s edge. But I also know Dominic, and I knew he
must have thought that what he had to say was important enough to
come inside and voice it. For that reason I should have mediated a
truce, but I didn’t. I don’t know; maybe I am Tony’s yes
man.