Fury From Hell (20 page)

“Jennifer?  This is my Aunt Cora!  She was in the neighborhood and stopped by to pay me a visit and you…fell asleep after lunch so I didn’t want to disturb you and — say hi!  Cora?  Jennifer.  Jennifer…Cora.  Anybody want some tea?  Water?  Something stronger?”

Betty stumbled through the introductions and stood up ready to flee into the safety of the kitchen as she saw thunder clouds of accusation brewing in her friend’s eyes.

“Jennifer, what do you remember of today?” Lady Ariella questioned.

“Bad dreams.  Coming here to talk to Feinster about…a problem I’m experiencing…with work.  And, eating, then coming into the living room and feeling this heavy thing cover me and then — nothing.”

“Let me clear up some things for you now.  Kamali, please make us all some tea.”  Lady Ariella waited until Betty left the living room before speaking.

“My name is Cora Wadsworth.  I am also known as Lady Ariella, the High Priestess of the East Raven coven that Betty – Kamali – is the eldest member of, and she’s been a member for the better part of 5 years and is an initiated First Degree witch.  She’s a good and dedicated priestess but high-strung, not quite as trusting in the Mother as I’d like her to be at this stage.  I’m sure being an officer of the law has something to do with her skepticism.  Getting back to you, she clearly has a strong bond with you and that is what may have saved your life.”

Jennifer jerked as if she had been electrocuted. 
Kamali?  Feinster has another name?  And she’s a witch?!
  Ignoring her confusion she focused on what was important.

“Saved my life?  But I wasn’t in any danger.”

“On the contrary, yes, you were and still may be.  I can’t explain it all since you are not familiar with anything of a spiritual nature but you had a demon that was living within you.  That demon may have killed a man and that murder may well be pinned on you as, in essence,
you
did the crime.  In reality, you are as innocent as a young babe.  But, in the eyes of the law that you uphold, you already know how what I have just said will sound to a judge or a jury.”

Jennifer nodded her head slowly.  She knew that she had to move with caution and great care around this Cora-Lady Ariella person because while Betty’s friend appeared rational she was actually stark raving mad.  As soon as she could, she would escape to the kitchen and have a word or two with Betty about choosing better friends.

But, if this woman is right??  Then everything would make so much sense!

“While you’re planning on having a talk with Kamali about my sweet eccentricity, I suggest you listen to me for a little longer.  These bad dreams, can you share them with me?”

Jennifer stilled. 
How did she know?  Is she really a witch?
Jennifer shook off the thought.  Telling this sweet batty woman who looked like someone’s well-toned New Age youthful grandmother about her wild dreams would make even this crazy nut think Jennifer needed help.

“It’s just probably some street meat I ate.  I’m sure it’s nothing for you to concern yourself with,” Jennifer looked over at the clock above the gong.  “Would you look at the time?  I need to get going and catch the train back home.  Would you excuse me?”

A vise grip restrained Jennifer from fleeing.

“There are other ways for me to get the dream out of your mind.  I’d prefer if you told me.  And, yes.  I am a good witch.”

Spooked by the age-old look in Lady Ariella’s eyes, Jennifer settled down on the couch again and after taking a deep breath re-told her dreams. 

“Then, when Betty saw the news story on Derrick Palmer in the burnt out motel room in deep Brooklyn that clinched it.  The blond guy from my dream?  I swear that was him!”

“Now that you’ve told me your story, what do you think of
my
story?” asked the High Priestess.

Just then, Betty came back in with a tray of mugs and a bowl with a number of different teabags in it, a small jar of honey and a white and gold sugar bowl with the sweetest little ornate silver sugar spoon sticking out of it.  Betty set the tray down on the coffee table and took a seat on the other side of Jennifer so that she was now flanked on both sides.

Jennifer looked at Betty who gave her a winning smile and looked back at Lady Ariella who tilted her head and awaited a response.  Taking a deep breath Jennifer realized she had to find the truth and she had a limited number of people to go to for the trouble that was coming her way if things were as they seemed.  Trust was something she had never given away freely; it was too easily abused by those she had loved in the past.  But what choice did she have today?  Her life seemed just about over even though in the last few weeks it seemed as if her life had been about to take off.  But to where?  With the memory lapses and strange behavior where could any of it lead?  With a sinking feeling, her gut told her the High Priestess would be able to tell her.

“Your story may have some merit…possibly.  What kind of demon?”

“A Fury.  It’s an avenging demonic spirit that comes to right the wrongs done and kill the wrong-doer.  It has a fondness for protecting women.”

Scrunching up her face, Jennifer said, “That doesn’t sound so bad.  Sounds like this thing wanted to help me find Kyma’s killer, right Betty?  ‘Cause after I banged my head is when things began to get clearer about the case and then when I started OD’ing on the caffeine and Red Bull, I had the stamina to keep up with all of the energy I felt streaming through me.”

“Oh, yes.  The Fury would have assisted in unblocking some…obstacles in your particular mind/body pattern to allow you to be a more effective tool for it to work through.  So yes, initially the Fury was a boon to you.  But in time, the Fury would avenge the murdered woman, take your soul and use your body until it was no longer useful.  Oh, and in the meantime, to keep the Fury in tip-top shape, it would have made you kill men on the side and…consume their life-force.”

Jennifer looked green around the gills again.  “Oh.”

Betty looked at Lady Ariella who had an apologetic look on her face.

“So, how often does this thing need to feed?” asked Jennifer.

“Each one is different in their needs.  It depends upon the Fury’s age and its propensities.  When was the original murder — when the Fury possessed Jennifer?”

“Early morning on Halloween,” Betty blurted.

“Hmm, not quite two weeks ago.  And you recall only this one blond man?”

“Yeah,”

“Don’t keep anything from me.  What else is there, my dear?”

“There are three rounds missing from my gun but I’m pretty sure that I would have only needed one shot to kill the blond guy since it was…close range.”  Jennifer dropped her eyes and shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

Lady Ariella understood immediately. “I see.  So, where do you think the other two bullets went?  Maybe shot into the room?”

“If I set a fire, there did not need to be any other shots.  The one shot was risky enough as that may have been heard…”

“So, Lady Ariella.  Do you think that maybe…?” Betty trailed off as the High Priestess gave a slight shrug of her shoulders. They both looked at Jennifer.

“There’s only one way to find out for sure…” Lady Ariella said.

“…you have to go in and see,” finished Betty.

“Yes.”

“Ah…Ladies?  Go in where?”

“Inside your spirit,” the witches said in unison.

***

Jennifer looked back and forth between the two women who were both trying to outtalk one another.  Betty jumped up and kicked the lead crystal ball that enclosed the Fury.  Then, she picked it up and held it towards the High Priestess.

“So what do we do with it?”

“The Earth Mother did it so it should be buried in the earth.  Bury it in your garden.  It will keep there.  The Goddess’ natural magic will keep the demon in check.”

“What do I have to do?” asked Jennifer.

“Nothing!  Sit down and relax,” Betty said, pacing with the sphere in her hand.  “Right now is the easy part for you.  In the next few weeks when things start coming to light about the Palmer murder…?”  Betty noisily blew out a breath and before continuing.  “I don’t know.  But for right now?  Things are under control.  Just sit tight.  I’m gonna go bury this thing and be back in a jif.”

She walked into the kitchen. Jennifer and Lady Ariella heard Betty rummaging through the supply closet before banging out the back door.

Jennifer turned to Lady Ariella who was tidying up the living room and picking up the tiny shards of glass.  She watched the woman meticulously sought out every last piece of glass and dropped them on the white cloak.  The High Priestess moved with grace and verve.  She was also studiously ignoring Jennifer.  Shrugging, Jennifer leaned forward and snagged the remote and flicked on the TV trying to find something to get her mind off of everything.  She came across
Independence Day
, the Will Smith blockbuster movie, and grinned.  The movie had just started a little while ago; Jeff Goldblum was riding inside on his bike and Harvey Fierstein was an irritating worry-wart telling him something was really wrong.  Goldblum was unflappable.  Jennifer watched and wished for time to go back to the day she first saw the movie well over a decade ago. 

“God, he’s hot,” Lady Ariella came to stand just behind the couch and watched the screen.

“Don’t you mean was hot?”  Jennifer looked up at the High Priestess with a hint of a smile and a twinkle in her eyes.

Lady Ariella made a sound that was suspiciously giggle-like.  Jennifer noticed the older woman’s cheeks turn a faint shade of pink.

“At my age, that man is still
hot
.  I’ve seen recent pics of him on Google and he makes me shiver all over.  Now turn it off.  We need to chat before Kamali comes back in.”

Trying to hide her smile, Jennifer clicked it off and turned to make room for Lady Ariella on the couch.

“There’s no real way to say it except to say it.  Jennifer, your life is going to have to change.  Now that you’ve been touched by a denizen of evil you will have to be very careful.  Evil will think you belong to them.  The only way to deter them would be for you to begin practicing some kind of faith.”

“Like going to church?”

Lady Ariella paused then smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes.  “Not quite.  For many who go to church, they partake of the service, communion and the fellowship with the other parishioners.  That’s
not
what you need.  You need a hard tangible practice that is actionable.  Then, if any other evil entity appears you’ll know how to disarm it and protect yourself, as Kamali did for you today.  Does that make sense?”

Her eyes bore holes into Jennifer who knew what Lady Ariella was trying to tell her but she didn’t want to accept it.  Not yet.  It was all too much.

“I’m not going to become a witch or whatever you both are.  I can handle this on my own.  I’ve got a Bible at home.  Crosses are easy to acquire as well.  So’s Holy Water.”

A sad ghost of a smile trembled upon Lady Ariella’s mouth.  “Yes, you know the implements used in every hack horror movie ever made in this country, Miss Holy Holden.  But, do you have the faith to make those implements
work?
  The items alone do absolutely
nothing
.  The force, the activator, is one’s faith.”

Lady Ariella studied Jennifer peering into her eyes almost as if she could see her soul.  She continued but tried a different tack. “What do you believe in Jennifer?  Do you believe in something greater than yourself?”

The young detective’s mind went blank.  She blinked a few times hoping something would come to her mind to rescue her from this woman’s perfectly reasonable question. Nothing came.  Not one spark or iota of an idea.  Nothing.  There was nothing.  She had nothing she believed in…not one ounce of faith in anything other than her gun and her badge.

She had faith that she would win the lotto someday — and that came true.  The way things were going though she wasn’t sure if she’d live long enough to even deposit her winnings.

“I…think I believe that I will wake up every morning.  That I will be able to protect myself from harm if I have my gun and…that I will be okay financially.  I have — faith — in those things.”

Lady Ariella reached out and patted Jennifer’s hand and held it for a long moment between hers.  “Your life hasn’t been such a good one thus far has it little one?”

Jennifer pulled her hand back but Lady Ariella’s motherly nurturing had found a toehold.  Looking into the older woman’s eyes she blurted it out before she had time to think it through.

“Today this guy I just met did some kind of card reading thing and it said that there were a lot of bad omens around me and that — that I may die.  That things are happening around me that are out of my control.  At least, that’s what I understood.  Do you know if this is true?  Am I going to die?”

The back door opened and they heard Betty rumble in putting her digging implements back into the supply closet.

Jennifer shook her head and willed the tears back.  She was much too weepy these days.  She could hardly bear to become a waterworks again.

Lady Ariella grabbed both of Jennifer’s hands and pressed them between her own.“If you were supposed to be dead you’d be dead already.  Kamali
saved you.
  Remember that when you’re thinking about whatever that reading was.  It’s clear that whoever this guy is, he’s part of the Goddess’ plan as some of what you need to know was revealed through him.  I beg you, keep
Independence Day
in mind.  Everyone in that movie was faced with a challenge that they never dealt with before.  They had to have faith in something greater than themselves because they were tasked to save the planet and all the people in it.  It took courage, defiance and guts.  All the things we Americans love, right?  That’s what you need to think about and those are the qualities you need to look for in yourself.  You’re in a fight right now and it’s a dirty one.  One that if you don’t use every single trick in the book you can, you won’t be around long enough to try something else.  Being part of a coven would accelerate your learning curve and give you some much needed support.  You think about it.”  Lady Ariella patted the back of Jennifer’s hand, got to her feet and went into the kitchen.