“Then she should come here immediately and bring her work with her. My students are good, Matthew. The best. They’ll see things you and I have been conditioned not to see.”
“Yes. Like vampires. And witches.” Matthew ran his fingers through his hair. Chris looked alarmed at the transformation in his tidy appearance. “I don’t like the idea of more humans knowing about us.”
Matthew’s words reminded me who did need to know about Benjamin’s latest message. “Marcus.
We need to tell Marcus.”
Matthew dialed his number.
“Matthew? Is everything all right?” Marcus said as soon as he picked up the call.
“Not really. We have a situation.” Matthew quickly told him about Benjamin and the witch he was keeping hostage. Then he told Marcus why.
“If I send you the Web address, will you have Nathaniel figure out how to monitor Benjamin’s feed 24/7? And if he could find where the signal is originating from, that would save a lot of time,” Matthew said.
“Consider it done,” Marcus replied.
No sooner had Matthew disconnected than my own cell phone rang.
“Who now?” I said, glancing at the clock. The sun had barely risen. “Hello?”
“Thank God you’re awake” Vivian Harrison said, relieved.
“What’s wrong?” My black thumb prickled.
“We’ve got trouble,” she said grimly.
“What kind of trouble?” I asked. Sarah pressed her ear against the receiver next to mine. I tried to flap her away.
“I received a message from Sidonie von Borcke,” Vivian said. “Who is Sidonie von Borcke?” I’d never heard the name before. “One of the Congregation’s witches,” Vivian and Sarah said in unison.
14
“The coven failed the test.” Vivian flung her satchel-size purse onto the kitchen island and poured herself a cup of coffee.
“Is she a witch, too?” Chris asked me in a whisper.
“I am,” Vivian replied instead, noticing Chris for the first time.
“Oh.” He looked at her appraisingly. “Can I take a cheek swab? It’s painless.”
“Maybe later.” Vivian did a double take. “I’m sorry, but who are you?”
“This is Chris Roberts, Vivian, my colleague from Yale. He’s a molecular biologist.” I passed the sugar and gave Chris a pinch on the arm to keep him quiet. “Can we possibly talk in the family room?
My head is killing me—and my feet are swelling up like balloons.”
“Somebody complained to the Congregation about covenant violations in Madison County,” Vivian told us when we were comfortably ensconced in the sofas and armchairs arranged in front of the TV.
“Do you know who it was?” Sarah asked.
“Cassie and Lydia.” Vivian stared morosely into her coffee.
“The cheerleaders narked us out?” Sarah was dumfounded.
“Figures,” I said. They’d been inseparable since childhood, insufferable since adolescence, and indistinguishable since high school with their softly curling blond hair and blue eyes. Neither Cassie nor Lydia had let her witchy ancestry keep her in the shadows. Together they had co-captained the cheerleading squad and witches credited them with giving Madison its most successful football season in history by inserting victory spells into every chant and routine.
“And what are the charges—exactly?” Matthew had switched into lawyer mode.
“That Diana and Sarah have been consorting with vampires,” Vivian muttered.
“Consorting?” Sarah’s outrage was clear.
Vivian flung her hands up in the air. “I know, I know. It sounds positively lewd, but I assure you those were Sidonie’s exact words. Happily, Sidonie is in Las Vegas and can’t come in person to investigate. The Clark County covens are too heavily invested in real estate, and they’re using spells to try to shore up the housing market.”
“So what happens now?” I asked Vivian.
“I have to respond. In writing.”
“Thank goodness. That means you can lie,” I said, relieved.
“No way, Diana. She’s too smart. I saw Sidonie question the SoHo coven two years ago when they opened up that haunted house on Spring Street, right where the Halloween parade lineup begins. It was masterful.” Vivian shuddered. “She even got them to divulge how they suspended a bubbling cauldron over their parade float for six hours. After Sidonie’s visit the coven was grounded for a full year—no flying, no apparating, and positively no exorcisms. They’re still haven’t recovered.”
“What kind of witch is she?” I asked.
“A powerful one,” Vivian said with a snort. But that’s not what I meant.
“Is her power elemental or based in the craft?”
“She’s got a good grasp of spells, from what I hear,” Sarah said.
“Sidonie can fly, and she’s a respected seer, too,” Vivian added.
Chris raised his hand.
“Yes, Chris?” Sarah sounded like a schoolmarm.
“Smart, powerful, flying—it doesn’t matter. You can’t let her find out about Diana’s children, what with the Bad Seed’s latest research project and