The Trouble With Witches (19 page)

Winnie straightened and stared at
Queenie
, her eyes round with astonishment.

Queenie
gave Winnie one last glowering look, turned and marched out of the kitchen. Our last sight was her tail, held high and still puffed out in a cloud of black fur, disappearing around the corner.

It was becoming a morning ritual to drink my first cup of coffee out on the deck. I enjoyed the quiet and the feeling of being alone. My only companions were my own thoughts and whatever wildlife wandered by. Today, from my spot on the deck, I watched a mother duck with half-grown youngsters moving stately along the shoreline. Every now and again one would pause and stick its bill in the water, capturing a juicy bug. And as they did each morning, the crows cawed in the distance.

Greeted each morning by crows and sung to sleep each night by the loons. I knew from now on I would never hear their calls without remembering this place.

Scratching on the glass doors interrupted my musings. Looking over my shoulder, I saw Lady with her nose pressed against the glass. Her tail waved while she looked at me with anticipation.

"You want to go for a walk, don't you?"

Her head cocked and her tail wagged faster, as if she'd understood me.

"Okay," I said, walking to the door and sliding it open.

She let out a short bark and ran to the kitchen door. I followed her.

"Shush," I said, and snapped the leash on her collar. "If you wake everybody up, you won't get to go.
Darci
will want to go detecting and Abby will want to mix up some potion. And we'll be busy trying to keep them both out of trouble."

Grabbing a sweatshirt from the hook by the door, I threw it on over my T-shirt and sweatpants and off we went.

I wanted to avoid the path to Walks
Quietly's
cabin, so we went in the other direction. Soon we came to another path leading down to the lake. Maybe from there I could get a closer look at the ducks I'd watched from the deck. I whistled for Lady to follow and headed toward the path. But when I rounded the corner, I saw we weren't alone.

Walks
Quietly
sat on a boulder at the edge of the lake.
Tink
sat at his feet on a blanket. His hands rested lightly on his knees and his head was bent toward the girl.

Tink's
face wore a rapt expression as she stared up at him.

His deep voice carried up from the lake and he appeared to be telling
Tink
a story.

Wordlessly, I motioned for Lady to sit, and I listened.

Many years ago when the earth was young and the stars were new, there were two brother eagles. Elder Brother was thoughtful and respected others. Younger Brother was arrogant and thought of no one but himself. Younger Brother wished always to best Elder Brother.

One day as the morning sun greeted the world, Elder Brother decided to fly as high as the clouds. Up and up he flew, his strong wings beating against the wind.

From his lofty place in the blue sky, he saw the mountains with white peaks below. Rivers snaked through lush green valleys carrying water to all the villages. Forests of great pines, white birch, and red maples stretched across the world beneath him. The beauty he saw swelled his heart and made him glad.

Happy in his flight, he slowly returned to earth and told Younger Brother of all the wonders he had seen.

Younger Brother asked, "Why did you stop? Why didn't you fly higher and higher?"

"I am satisfied with the wonders I have seen and wished to return to continue in the ways of our father," Elder Brother answered simply.

The next day Younger Brother thought about what Elder Brother had accomplished. "I can do better," he thought. "I am stronger, I can fly higher, and I can see more wonders than my brother."

Younger Brother took flight. He flew over the white-peaked mountains, the lush valleys, and the great forests, but he didn't see their beauty. All he wanted was to fly higher and higher.

And while he did, the sun grew hotter and hotter. But Younger Brother didn't care. All he thought of was beating his brother. He glanced down once and saw the earth, a small round ball below.

"I am higher than any eagle has ever flown. From here, I could rule the world," he said. He flew higher still.

The sun beat down so hot on his head feathers that they began to smoke. Still he did not stop his upward flight. Finally he could stand the heat no longer and he swiftly returned to earth to cool his burning head and neck.

Once he'd safely landed on the shore of a great lake, Younger Brother saw his reflection in the quiet water. All the beautiful feathers on his head and neck were gone. He was bald and ugly.
No longer a handsome eagle who could rule the world.

"Younger Brother, you will rule the world, as you wished for in your arrogance and rudeness." The voice of the Great Spirit drifted across the lake. "But not as a mighty eagle. You will rule as one who cleans the earth of dead things, of carrion. None will admire you and all will shun you."

That is how the bird known as the vulture came to be.

Tink
smiled up at Walks Quietly. "And the lesson of the story is, 'Be careful what you wish for, you might get more than you expected.' "

Walks
Quietly
patted her head. "That's right, little one," he said, smiling.

I didn't think the man knew how to smile.

Tink's
head suddenly whipped in my direction and violet eyes glared at me.

Lady, remembering her new friend,
Tink
, gave a happy bark and headed down the hill.

I had no choice but to follow.

Lady ran up to
Tink
and planted wet, doggy kisses all over the girl's face. Laughing,
Tink
threw her arms around Lady's neck and gave her a hug, while Walks Quietly watched the scene with a fond expression on his face. But when he turned toward me, his expression changed and hard brown eyes stared at me.

Embarrassed at being caught eavesdropping, I hung my head.

"Do you spy on people every day?" His tone seemed soft, but it carried a reproach.

Refusing to be intimidated, I stood straighter. "No, I don't spy on people—" I stopped, remembering yesterday. "Okay, so yesterday I watched you uninvited—"

"That's the definition for spying, isn't it?" Walks
Quietly
cut in.

"All right, I was spying. There, I confessed." I fisted my hands on my hips.

A slight smile played at the corner of his mouth.

"But I wasn't spying today," I said defensively. "Lady wanted to go for a walk."

Walks
Quietly
reached out and patted Lady's head. "So this is Lady.
Tink
told me about her. Nice dog."

Lady turned her attention from
Tink
to him, and with one swipe of a pink tongue licked his hand.

He gave her a genuine smile.

"Look, I'm sorry I interrupted you," I said. "I really didn't mean to overhear your story, but I kind of got engrossed in the tale."

Walks
Quietly
stood slowly, as if his joints ached. "It's an old tale, but one people would do well to remember." He reached down to
Tink
and pulled her to her feet. "You'd better get home, little one, before they miss you," he said in a kind voice.

"Do I have to?" she pleaded.

"Yes," he replied.

She gave Lady a hug and me a frown, before scurrying up the hill.

Walks
Quietly
followed her, passing me without speaking.

On the way back to the cabin, my mind felt like it was twisted in knots. So many things had happened; so many things didn't make sense.

"Where have you been?" a voice from behind me said.

I skidded to a stop and whirled around. "Rick. What are you doing here?" I glared at him. "And what are you doing jumping out of the trees, scaring me like that?"

He chuckled. "I didn't jump out of the trees, but I'm sorry if I startled you." He fell into step beside me. "What are you doing out here so early in the morning?"

"Lady wanted to go for a walk." I gestured toward the lake. "I ran into Walks Quietly and
Tink
down there. Neither one seemed happy to see us. Wait—let me rephrase that," I said with a wry grin. "They were happy to see Lady, but the same can't be said for me."

"Not winning any popularity contests?"

"Nope."

Rick gave me a playful nudge in the ribs. "Hey, Jensen, I still like you."

"Right," I said in a sarcastic voice.

"No." Rick placed a hand over his heart. "I really do like you, Jensen. I—"

"Will you stop?" I lifted a hand, halting the stream of words. "It's too early in the morning for joking around."

He kicked a small stone across the lane. "Okay. I heard from the forensic accountant," he said, changing the subject.

"What did he find out?"

A smug look crossed Rick's face. "You're not going to believe it. After what he learned, I stayed up past midnight surfing the Web for more information."

My curiosity poked its little head out. "Well, tell me."

"Juliet Finch is Violet Butler's great-niece," he said with a flourish.

"No
sh
—
er
, no kidding?"
I caught Rick's sudden grin out of the corner of my eye. "So they own the place?"

"No, it's held in a trust, but Juliet has lifetime rights."

"The Butlers never had any children?"

"No, they raised Violet's niece, Mona, as their own. She was a devoted daughter to them. Even took care of Violet after Victor Butler died." Rick paused and gave me a sideways look. "In fact Mona and Violet died together in a house fire back in 1995.
Seems Violet liked smoking in bed."

"Any other family?"

"Not that I could find. There was a sister, must've been
Tink's
mother. She died a couple of years after Violet and Mona."

"Of an illness?"