“Okay. Ah, I’m sorry. That was rude of me.”
“I’m used to it.”
I winced and she laughed. “Don’t worry about it. I know nothing about either witches or demons, and you’ve answered plenty of my stupid questions.”
“True. Okay, There’s another witch… Freya. She lives near the coven but she wasn’t at the hotel today. I talked to her briefly the night of the fire, but I want to talk to her again. Let’s stop at her house on the way to the morgue.”
Freya lived two streets west of the coven, in a cute Victorian-esque house that was on the smaller side for Trinity Park.
Her eyes were exhausted, her face pale when she answered the door.
“Hi,” I said. “Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?”
She shook her head. “Gemma asked us to cooperate. Come on in.” Her face suddenly turned and she held a hand up to her mouth, pointing through a doorway on her left to a small sitting room. “I’ll be right back.”
I glanced at Kyla and we both strolled into the sitting room. The wallpaper was old and peeling, and someone had painted a few swatches on the wall, all in various shades of white and off-white.
Freya returned a few minutes later, sipping a glass of water. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“No, we’re fine.” I wanted her to sit down. She looked like she was going to pass out.
She smiled at whatever she saw on my face. “Morning sickness.”
“Oh, wow. Congratulations.”
“Thanks. I haven’t told the father yet. It’s… complicated. Anyway.”
She sat down, crossing her long legs in front of her. Unlike most of the witches, she didn’t practically radiate contempt when she looked at me.
I ran her through the night. One of the neighbors had called Freya when she’d spotted flames, and Freya had contacted the rest of the coven as she made her way to the house.
“How come you didn’t live in the main house?”
She shrugged. “Personal choice. My grandmother left me this house and I’ve been slowly doing it up. I’m an introvert, and while I love visiting the coven, I get way too overwhelmed with the constant talking, fighting, laughing, and everyone poking their nose into everyone else’s business.”
“Fair enough.” I glanced at my notes. If Freya had anything to do with the fire, I’d eat my pretty diamond lanyard. But she could probably help me with a few other questions.
“I’m interested in the power levels of the witches killed.”
Freya clammed up, shooting me a suspicious frown. “You should ask Gemma about that.”
“I’m not looking for your secrets. I’m looking for motive. Tell me who was left behind when Gemma and the others went to New York.”
“Um, most of the coven. It was really only a few who went. Originally, Nellie was going to go to New York and Gemma was going to stay here, but Gemma changed her mind a few weeks ago. I guess she just wanted to get away for a few days.
“I think Gemma had a word with Evie— sort of told her that even though Nellie was staying behind, Evie needed to keep an eye on things.” A smile trembled around Freya’s lips. “Nellie was getting a little cantankerous in her old age. She mostly wanted to be left alone with her plants. God, I can’t believe she’s gone. Can’t believe they’re all gone.”
Kyla shifted, drawing Freya’s attention to her. “Were there any grudges within the coven? Any threats, or bad blood?”
Freya smiled. “You’re talking about a large group of women, all of different ages and power levels, whohaveto get along for the good of the whole. When we do, it’s amazing. There’s nothing like female friendships, you know? But it can be bad, too. The power hierarchy changes as witches grow in power, and others retire or stop practicing magic. The coven has grown substantially over the last few years as we got a reputation for being both stable and powerful.”
“Any other covens threaten that stability?”
She shrugged. “Not really. We keep to ourselves for the most part. Gemma says she’s too damn old for territory disputes. I have to ask, why are you investigating this?”
“Evie could have been in that house. She asked me to help.”
Freya shook her head. “You could have told her no. Insisted it was too sticky with the coven. But you care.” She was silent for a moment and then heaved a sigh. “Not all of the witches in that coven hated you, you know. Some of them missed you, thought you’d come back one day. I just thought you should know that.”
