“That’s what you’ve said but how could she be happy if she killed me?” asked Beryl.
“I’m not sure but if we were able to bring you forth, we’ll try for her as well,” said Rachel. She turned to Parker who still had his book open in his big hands. “Where was Cressida buried?”
“I don’t know,” he said looking through the pages. “There’s nothing in here about where she settled or where she died.”
“Then we have much more research to do,” said Rachel. “Beryl, can we trust that you’ll stay close and wait for us?”
“Yes,” she nodded. “I want to make this right. It’s been heavy on my heart for a long time now.”
“I’m not sure you can make this right, Beryl,” said Irene. “You imprisoned Hezekiah in that mirror for more than two-hundred years. Nothin’ is gonna make that right but I’m sure he appreciates the thought. What we gotta help the children figure out, is what’s killin’ the folks now, here today.”
“Whatever I can do, I’ll do it,” she said with a remorseful expression.
She apologized over and over again to Hezekiah who only kept nodding. Deep down he was angry but nothing was going to give him his time back.
Now, it would be a waiting game to try and find out where Cressida and her husband were buried. And unfortunately, waiting wasn’t something they had time to do.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Everyone was searching for the gravesite of Cressida Hymel. And everyone was hitting a brick wall, even the team known for their exceptional research. It appeared that she hadn’t died in Louisiana at all. But where did she go?
“This is giving me a headache,” said Rachel.
“I know, honey,” said Kennedy, “but we have to figure out where this woman went after potentially killing her grandmother. And why kill the grandmother?”
“All good questions that we’ll get to ask one day soon,” said Parker. “Cressida must have been a popular name though. I’ve found four Cressida’s that died between 1852 and 1861.”
“Four?” frowned Rachel. “Were any named Cressida Hymel?”
“No. Cressida Westworth. Cressida Merriman. Cressida Jones. And finally, we have Cressida Bourgeois.”
“Parker, that can’t be a coincidence. That’s an unusual name, just like Beryl. What if,” she said hesitantly, “what if Cressida became very good at killing off family members. Especially husbands.”
“Shit,” muttered Parker. “Hymel’s first name was Jordie. He died in 1834. That’s only a few years after the incident with Hezekiah.”
“I think we’ve found our witch and it isn’t Beryl,” said Suzette. “I think Cressida learned a few things from her grandmother and put them into practice. We need to follow her trail and see what happened with this woman.”
With everyone heads down, searching the internet and online databases for marriages and deaths, they uncovered a horrible truth about the innocent Cressida. When Hezekiah asked Beryl to come to them once again, she did so without hesitation.
“Hello, Beryl,” he said with an empathetic smile.
“You’re being very kind to a woman that cursed you,” she said with an apologetic grin. “I do feel terrible for that.”
“That tells me all I need to know,” said Hezekiah. “Besides, we have other things to discuss and address.” Hezekiah turned to Luke to allow him to take over.
“Beryl, was Cressida aware that you were her grandmother?” he asked cautiously. The old woman stiffened, looking at the expectant faces.
“No. I did not tell her. There didn’t seem to be a reason. She was but an infant when she was left with me. I was still a relatively young woman of childbearing age. It didn’t feel wrong.” She hesitated and then looked up at them all again. “Was it?”
“I’m not sure it was wrong, Beryl,” said Kennedy. “That’s not for us to decide. However, we do think that Cressida found out.”
“But how? No one would have known. No one…” She slouched, nearly crumpling to the earth, then straightened again. “No one except her mother.”
“Yes. Yes, we think your daughter was helping her in some way. Cressida was married seven times, Beryl. Each time her husband died suspiciously. By the time the sixth one died, people were getting very suspicious. She was accused of poisoning her husbands.”
“But you said seven,” she said looking at them.
“Yes, well apparently one of her lawyers was quite smitten with her. She must have been very beautiful,” said Luke.
