“And that’s the problem, isn’t it?” Haley asked.
“Yeah, but did the cops or anyone think it could have been any of us back then? We were kids, terrified kids,” Renee said.
“But we found her,” Vince said. He looked over at Rocky. “Or Rocky did. He knew right where to go. How the hell was that?”
Rocky shook his head and felt a self-mocking smile curve his lips. “I heard her,” he told them.
That was greeted by silence.
“You know, you could be on top of the suspect list,” Jack said.
“Oh, please,” Haley said, waving a dismissive hand in the air. “It wasn’t any of us. I know it wasn’t any of us.”
“And Rocky was in California when Carly Henderson was murdered,” Jack said. He looked at Rocky a little sheepishly. “I checked that out.”
“You wouldn’t be a good cop if you hadn’t,” Rocky told him.
“What did Melissa’s family say at the time?” Devin asked thoughtfully. “What did they think she was doing?”
“She told her mother she had a ride, and she walked out of the house to meet him. Or her,” Haley said. “Her mother never got over it. She died about ten years ago. Heart failure. I’d say it was a broken heart.”
“Does she have any siblings, especially any still living in the area?” Angela asked.
“She had three older brothers, and Joshua is still here. The cops talked to him at the time, of course, but you can interview him again,” Jack said. “I talked to him myself after the latest murders, but you might come up with something I didn’t.”
“You’ve got to solve this, Rocky. None of us will ever really be right if Melissa’s killer gets away with it,” Vince said. “If we can do anything to help—anything—just ask.”
“Consider it a pact between old friends and new,” Haley said.
Jack smiled. “We don’t have to poke holes in our fingers and swear in blood or anything, do we?” he asked his wife.
“I hope not,” she said, then looked at Rocky earnestly. “I’ll do my best to think of anything that might help. Not that we didn’t at the time, but...”
“But you’re adults now. And you see the world a little differently with the passage of time,” Sam told them.
“So...in the midst of this, a weird question, maybe,” Haley said. “But I did work really hard on dessert, so who’s still hungry?”
Everyone laughed, clearly relieved for a chance to leave the past behind for a few minutes, and agreed that dessert was a great idea.
Haley smiled, and Devin rose quickly. “Want some help?” she asked.
“Sure, thank you.”
“Want me to get the coffee?” Jack asked her.
“That would be great,” Haley said with a smile for him.
Dessert and coffee were served, and as if they’d made a silent agreement, everyone kept the conversation light. The locals all apologized to Devin for thinking that her aunt had been a real witch—a real spell-casting, broom-riding witch—when they’d been kids.
“I’m actually surprised we never met,” Haley told Devin. “My mom went to see your aunt often, but not about...you know, spells or anything. My dad said your aunt should have had a degree, because she was the best therapist he’d ever met. He said she had a way of putting things into perspective for people, and that she told stories that were like parables, helping them figure out what to do.”
“Thank you, Haley. It’s nice to hear she was thought of that way,” Devin said.
“Unfortunately, the world is also full of idiots,” Jack said. “You should see the old reports I found on your house, Devin.”
“Oh?” she asked.
“People reporting weird lights and sounds—oh, and a ghost that walked in those woods next door. Some old guy—he’s dead now—complained to the police about your aunt conjuring up the dead. People get really crazy ideas. Sometimes it’s almost possible to understand how we hanged a pack of innocent people.”
“It always seems sad to me that the ones who wouldn’t stoop to lie were the ones who wound up dead,” Haley said.
“Thankfully, those days are over,” Devin murmured, then looked at Jack. “If they weren’t, Auntie Mina wouldn’t have made it to her ripe old age—she’d definitely have been hanged.”
Haley laughed. “Well, since the practice of witchcraft was illegal and punishable by death, they would have hanged half the people living in Salem right now.”
Soon it was time to leave. Despite the heated exchange when Rocky had first mentioned the athame to Vince, everyone parted on the best of terms. When Rocky and Devin started out, Haley stopped them.
“Devin, even if this jerk goes away again, I hope you know you’re always welcome here,” Haley told her. “We’d love to see more of you.”
Devin thanked her as Sam, getting into the rental with the others, called back to Rocky, “See you at the hotel.”
“You got it,” Rocky said.