Be Careful What You Witch For (A Family Fortune Mystery) by Dawn Eastman Page A

happened so we can get Dylan out of prison.” Vi pounded the table and the dogs looked up.
    “What can we do, Vi? We don’t know anything.” Mom shuffled her cards and laid them out in front of her.
    “We can start by talking to whoever was there that night,” Vi said.
    “Vi, did you see anything unusual?” I asked.
    “What
wasn’t
unusual? People in robes, chanting, fire in the cauldron. I was amazed!”
    “But did you see anything that might relate to what happened to Rafe?”
    Vi sat back and took up her knitting. She claimed she couldn’t really think unless she was knitting, but her talents only stretched to scarves and hats. Occasionally she branched out into dog sweaters, which she foisted onto her clients. This time, something very long and purple dangled from her needles.
    “I saw Rafe talk to that big guy.”
    “Lucan Reed?” Diana asked.
    “Yeah, that might be it. They didn’t look friendly, almost like they were arguing. They only spoke for a minute and then Rafe stalked off to the other side of the circle. It was really dark, so I couldn’t see much.”
    “What about you, Clyde?” Alex asked.
    “I was so busy keeping track of the food and making sure things didn’t blow away or get lost in the dark that I didn’t pay attention to who was talking to whom. I didn’t notice Rafe at all until he fell in the center of the circle. I thought he was having a heart attack,” I said, and glanced at Diana. It couldn’t be easy for her to be reliving that night.
    Diana nodded. “I didn’t pay much attention to what other people were doing, either. I was focused on the ceremony and what I needed to do.”
    Mom, sitting next to Diana, patted her hand.
    “Look, honey.” Mom sat back in her chair and scrutinized her layout. “The cards say Dylan didn’t do it. If I’m reading this right it was a woman who was responsible.” We all leaned forward. It did seem as though there was a female presence in the situation, but just like every other divination technique, it was open to interpretation.
    “Let’s get out that pendulum thingy,” Seth said.
    Alex put his head in his hands. A simple divination technique, the pendulum swings in a “yes” or “no” direction in response to questions. He had never been able to work the device and he was too competitive to just let it go. The pendulum had become his nemesis.
    Vi picked up her tote bag, allowing her knitting to fall to the floor.
    “Alex, I need to check on Clyde’s alarm system. Want to help?” Dad asked. He was no fan of the pendulum, either, and the two of them disappeared.
    We spent about forty-five minutes with the pendulum with no results. Vi had just taken possession of the crystal to ask another question when the doorbell rang and triggered a clamor of barking and scraping of chairs.
    Vi got to the door first. After peeking through a small crack, she swung the door only far enough so she could fill the opening.
    “Hello,
Officer
Andrews.” Her voice was icy. “What can we do for you?” She crossed her arms, and I could tell she was blaming Tom along with all the other police officers for Dylan’s arrest.
    “Can I come in, please, Miss Greer?” Tom’s voice floated in from outside.
    “We’re really very busy right now trying to figure out how to get Dylan out of
jail
.”
    “I know. That’s why I want to come in.”
    Vi glanced back at Diana, who nodded her consent. Vi swung the door wide to a somber Tom Andrews dressed in his street clothes. He raised a hand in greeting.
    “Well, let the man in, Vi,” said Dad. He and Alex had come to see what was happening in the front hall.
    “I’m so sorry, Diana,” Tom said. His foot got caught in the welcome mat and he stumbled through the door. He stood up straight and smoothed his jacket. “I had no idea they were planning to arrest Dylan. I would have warned you, which is probably why they didn’t tell me. They seem to think he’s a flight risk.”
    “Who’s ‘they’?