Pretty Witches All in a Row (33 page)

“Rose… I understand that you’re upset, I just don’t get why,” Annaliese began, “I’m perfectly safe here with Nick; that’s why he’s here, to keep me safe.  Why don’t you stay here with us, there’s safety in numbers, right?”

“Yeah, ‘cause that would be a laugh-fest,” Nick muttered under his breath only to receive an elbow in the ribs from Annaliese.  What did she expect from him?  Rose was the one acting like a… well, a witch.

A hiccupping laugh left Rose’s lips, tears spilling from her eyes.  “It’s too late.  I tried to make it work, tried to give you a chance.”  Her head shook slowly as she backed towards the door.  “It didn’t have to be this way, think about that in the short amount of time you have left.  You had your chance; the next time we meet, you’ll be sorry.” 

“Rose…” Annaliese’s voice was barely above a whisper.   

As far as Nick was concerned, Rose couldn’t leave fast enough.  He kept his arm around Annaliese, prepared to push her behind him if she suddenly went off the deep end, which from his vantage point, was just a short step away. 

“Goodbye Anna, I’ll see you on the other side.”  Rose gave her a sad little smile.

The pair stared at the door long after she took her leave; Nick for one wasn’t quite sure what to make of the episode.  “Okay, that was just… creepy,” he muttered finally, shutting the door and locking it firmly.

“I know, right?  I’ve never seen her like that before; she was coming apart at the seams.” 

“I’m calling it in.”  Nick drew out his cell phone, pulling up the number for Brady to begin with.

“You’re calling what in?”

“The incident.  That was a threat, Annaliese.  ‘It didn’t have to be this way…you’ll be sorry’?  That lady is one sandwich short of a picnic basket,” he snorted, lifting the phone to his ear. 

“Nick, hold on a minute, what are you saying?  You think she might be dangerous?”

“After that performance, you don’t?”  

Annaliese reached for his phone and snapped it closed, holding it against her chest.  “I’ve known her for a long time, there’s no way she could be the one killing off our fellow sisters.”

“Anna, give me the phone.”  Nick held his hand out, impatience lending a gruffness to his voice. 

“Okay, so she’s acting a little cuckoo.  Who wouldn’t with all the stress we’ve been under, wondering who’s going to be next?  But she would never, ever hurt me,” Annaliese insisted, holding firm to the phone and Nick took a step closer to her, his hand still outstretched. 

“I’m trying to look out for you, protect you like I promised.  If she’s not the one then she’s got nothing to worry about, but I have to keep my team informed, for their safety as well as yours.”   

Annaliese didn’t seem so convinced and she took a retreating step backwards, away from him.  “Keep them informed of what, exactly?  She didn’t actually do anything.” 

“Did we not both hear the same conversation?  Look at the facts, Anna; she’s got dark hair that could have been longer in the past when you saw that vision.  She’s got the knowledge to pull off an involved ritual like the killer has been doing.  She didn’t have an alibi for any of the murders.  She’s connected to all of the victims through the coven, like your pendulum said.”  He ticked the reasons off on his fingers. 

“The pendulum also said it wasn’t Rose when I asked it point blank.”

She had him there…  “It did, but it also said that Veronica didn’t have red hair.  Appearances aren’t always what they seem.  What if Rose isn’t her real name?” he suggested, a triumphant look coming to his face.  The longer he thought about it, all of the pieces seemed to fall into place.  “You said you thought the death took place back in the 1940’s, so what if that was Rose and like you said, she’s somehow able to rejuvenate herself?  It makes sense that Rose wouldn’t be her real name, it’d be the identity she’s living under now.”

“What about her family?  She comes from a wealthy, powerful family.”

“So she says; have you ever met any of them?”

“Well… no, I haven’t, but that doesn’t mean…”

“It’s easy to throw around a name, especially if you never have to produce them.  It explains the money and not having to work… hence no need for a social security number in day to day life.”

“What about the house, she would need identification to buy the house, wouldn’t she?”

“Give me two hours and I could come up with an ID for you that says you’re fifty-five years old, a platinum blonde and Chinese to boot.” Quick like a bunny, he snatched the phone back from her and flipped it open.  “Annie, you said it yourself, she’s come unglued.  She’s… Hey Brady, let’s get a BOLO out on Rose Spencer.  She was over here spouting some fairly crazy, semi-threatening things.”

“You got it, you want her picked up?” 

“No, not yet.  Let’s just get eyes on her if she gets spotted.  Are you at the Wentworth place yet?”  Nick checked the time, it wasn’t too late, barely nine o’clock. 

“No, we’re set to arrive in about an hour, I was getting ready to stop off and get some dinner first.  There’s a black and white at her place now.  Why, do you want me to head down there earlier?”

“No, go ahead and keep to your schedule.  I’ll have to call this in to Troyer as well; he’ll want to be kept in the loop.”

“Good luck with that, he’s all set on it being the Goedel woman.”   

“It still might be, this is more of a hunch.  I’m just gonna let him know that Spencer is back in the game and she’s acting a little erratic.”  A lot erratic, but he knew Troyer wouldn’t want to hear about his gut instinct.  The man wanted cold, hard evidence, of which they were in short supply.

“Alright, I’ll put the word out.  I’ll call you if anything turns up.” 

“What’s a bolo?” Annaliese asked as soon as he was off the phone. 

“Be on the lookout… sometimes it’s called an APB or all points bulletin.” he explained, searching through his phone for Troyer’s number. 

“That makes it sound like she’s a criminal.” 

“It’s keeping people informed, that’s all,” Nick assured her, dialing the other Sergeant.  The call was short and sweet; Troyer seemed to take the update as an interesting tidbit, but nothing more.  He agreed they should keep tabs on her and instructed Nick to let him know if she turned up again, so he could think about reallocating their resources. 

Nick leaned against the kitchen counter after the call was completed, phone pressed against his lips.  “I’m wondering if maybe we should go to Rose’s and take a look around?” 

“Isn’t that illegal?  Don’t you need a search warrant or something?”  Annaliese turned in her seat to face him, a skeptical look on her face.

“It is if I go, but if you go, her BFF… that sounds like the most reasonable thing in the world doesn’t it?  Checking up on a friend after you’ve had this big fight with her.”

“That wasn’t a fight that was… I don’t know what that was exactly, but breaking into her place?  I don’t know, Nick; that sounds like an invasion of privacy.”

“Haven’t you been over there a million times?”

“Well… yes.”

“And wouldn’t she let you go over there if you asked her?  Hell, wasn’t she demanding you come with her tonight?”

“Yes, but that was to go with her, not poke around in her house without her knowledge,” Anna shook her head. 

“We might find what we need to clear her, or… we might find some real hard evidence.  Either way, don’t you want to be sure?”

Annaliese dropped her gaze to her hands, lips pursing as she thought it over.  “I don’t need evidence to tell me she’s not the killer,” she said finally.  “But let’s go take a look so I can prove it to you once and for all.”

“That’s my girl,” Nick winked, pushing away from the counter, he helped her out of the chair.  “Go get your shoes on, let’s go while the gettin’s good.”  Once she was gone, he pulled out his phone again, sending a quick text to both Brady and Park with his intent to roll over to Rose’s place and take a look around. 

He hit ‘send text’ when the phone buzzed in his hand, and Brady’s number appeared on the caller ID.

“I was just texting you,” Nick answered.  “What’s up?”

“Whatever it was about, you’d better cancel it and get down to the Wentworth place,” Brady replied, and Nick could hear the barely suppressed urgency in his voice. 

Annaliese chose that moment to appear at the bottom of the stairs. “What’s going on?” she asked, tugging on a short denim jacket.

Brady was saying something into the phone but Nick missed it at Anna’s entrance.  “Wait, what?  Hold on a sec, Annaliese.  Say that again Brady?”

“I said Rose showed up at the Wentworth place a few minutes ago.  The cop on the scene just saw her go inside.” 

“How far are you from there?”

“I’m on my way now, ten or fifteen minutes tops.  Park is en route as well.”

“We’re on our way.  Call the uniform back, have him consider Rose as armed and dangerous, but not to get too trigger happy, she may not be our perp.  Tell him to get in there now and make sure everything is alright, don’t take no for an answer.  I’d rather the city buy her a new door and issue an apology than have another murder on our hands.”

“You got it.”

“Rose showed up at Ellie’s place.  Come on, we’re heading over there.”  Maybe it wasn’t appropriate to bring her into a potentially dangerous situation like that, but he’d be damned if he was going to leave her home alone while he went off chasing after Rose.  If it turned out not to be her and something happened to Annaliese, he’d never be able to forgive himself. 

Annaliese didn’t argue, in fact, she was quiet until they were in the car, speeding through the streets of Portland.  “What do you think we’re going to find there?” she finally asked in a subdued voice.

“Hopefully… nothing.  Just the two of them enjoying a cup of tea together, pissed off at the interruption and Rose gets a perfect opportunity to chew me a new one.  But I have this feeling… something bad is gonna go down tonight, and I’m not willing to take chances with any of your lives.”

She was silent at that, turning her head to look out the window.  Nick was getting to know her well enough to see she was stressed out to the hilt, hands clenched tightly into fists, nails leaving little half moons indented into her palms.  He wished he had something more encouraging to offer, but for the moment he concentrated on getting them there in one piece. 

The street was deserted when they pulled up at Ellie’s little house.  There was no sign of his team or the policeman, the front door was closed up tight and there were muted lights on inside the dwelling.

“Stay behind me, close behind me, okay, Annie?”  Nick made sure she met his gaze.  If she didn’t grasp the utter gravity of his words he was going to handcuff her to the car.  Annaliese nodded, her expression solemn, a tinge of fear behind her eyes.  He wanted to take away that fear and reassure her that everything would be alright, but there wasn’t time and besides, it might be a lie. 

They approached the house at a brisk walk, and Nick drew his gun, holding it low.  Annaliese did as she was told, remaining behind him, one hand on his shoulder and he wasn’t sure if that was for her comfort or his.  He raised his hand and knocked loudly.  “Open up, it’s the police.” 

Less than five seconds later, the uniformed policeman answered the door, stepping back to allow them entrance.  “Sergeant,” he greeted them with a nod.

Nick stepped in, eyes darting over the room.  “Everything alright here, Officer… Reyes?” he read off the man’s nametag. 

“Yes sir, Ms. Wentworth is fine; she’s in the kitchen making some tea.”

“And Rose Spencer?”  Nick ventured deeper into the house, gun still drawn by his side, something felt off, even though the uniformed cop seemed calm.

“She ah… she left, Sir.”  Reyes had the good grace to look a little uncomfortable as he replied, scratching the hair on the back of his neck. 

“She left…” Nick stopped and regarded the younger man, no trace of amusement on his face. 

“Yes, Sir.  She left through the back door just as I arrived on the scene.” 

“And you didn’t go after her; instead you stayed behind to have some tea?”

“Sir, my orders were to keep Miss Wentworth in my sight, I couldn’t leave to pursue the subject without leaving her,” Reyes explained hastily. 

“Right…” Nick replied tightly, going to the rear sliding door.  “How long has she been gone?” he asked, looking outside at the tree lined yard.  The back of the property abutted a greenbelt, the trees and foliage too dense to see much from his vantage point.

“Just a few minutes,” Reyes replied, looking at his watch. 

“Long enough that we have no idea what direction she’s disappeared to.  It’s not like we’re in the middle of nowhere, she could have easily slipped through the trees and emerged on the road and hopped a bus for all we know.”  His disgust was palpable as he holstered his gun with short angry movements. 

“Ellie’s safe, that’s the important thing.”  Annaliese squeezed his shoulder.

“Yeah, that’s true.”  Nick offered her a brief smile, the sting of disappointment still fresh. 

Park showed up at the door, gun drawn, she immediately lowered it as she spotted them.  “Did she…?” 

“Spencer skipped out the back; Ellie’s in the kitchen,” Nick replied succinctly.  “Alright, here’s what I want.  Update that BOLO, I want Rose picked up for questioning, she is to be considered armed and dangerous.”

“She’s not armed…” Annaliese objected.

“We don’t know that, we don’t know much of anything where she’s concerned right now.  Besides, just because she might not be carrying a gun doesn’t mean she’s not armed.”  He gave her a pointed look, gratified to see her nod of acknowledgement.  “Park, take Reyes and Brady and search the woods behind the house.  It’s not that big of an area, I think it’s only about a quarter mile deep and a half a mile wide.  Call for backup and see if we can’t get more bodies for the search, but honestly, I think she’s long gone at this point,” he sighed. 

Brady poked his head in the door; face falling as he stepped across the threshold.  “Did I miss it?” 

“Come on, I’ll update you as we go.  Reyes, you’re with us,” Park replied, waving him towards her as she left via the rear slider.  Brady nodded and followed along, not considering anything unusual in their hasty departure.