The Witch's Will Read online

  “Yikes. Why are you at her funeral?”

  “Boss is paying me.” Destiny flashed her a smile. “We’re hoping she left the marina something. I’m here on its behalf.”

  “I guess that’s why most everyone is here, huh?”

  “For the will reading? Yeah, I’d think so. She was kinda a recluse.”

  “A racist recluse.”

  “Which, as we all know, is the most lovable kind of recluse.”

  Lady was still getting used to Destiny being friendly with her. It was a fairly new development. When Lady had first come to Dark Lake, Destiny had tried her best to run her out of town. As it had turned out, she had been going through a rough time. A friend and coworker had inadvertently caused the death of a guy she liked. She’d wanted to sort the whole mess out on her own, but Lady had thrown a wrench into things. Destiny was forced to confront the truth sooner than she would have liked.

  “Speaking of lovable, you’re really taking after Ms. Poole, huh?” That wasn’t to say Destiny couldn’t still be annoying. “Look at you! You’ve got the little bun going on and everything.”

  Lady swatted Destiny’s hand away from her hair, which was indeed in a bun. “Look, I didn’t dress like this by choice, okay?”

  “Just how much do you owe her? You let her dress you up? Seriously?”

  “It seemed easier to just go along with it than argue. She gets vindictive when I argue.” Of course, now that she realized basically the whole town was attending Lucette Antonie’s funeral she might have rather faced a few more chores. She decided to change the subject. “So, this dead lady is Dom’s grandmother, right?”

  That got an interested hum from Destiny. “So, you heard about that, huh? Yeah. Don’t expect him to be here, though. They really didn’t get along. I’m not sure he’d want anything if she did leave him something in the will.”

  Lady couldn’t help herself. It sounded like Destiny knew more on the topic than Otsuya did. “What’s the deal there? I heard he was, like, the black sheep of the family or something.”

  Destiny didn’t look like she was against gossiping, though she did throw a quick look around before she started. There were some other people on the sidewalk making their way toward the funeral home, but they weren’t within eavesdropping distance. “I think his mother was more the black sheep. The Antonie family was super old fashioned in Lucette’s day. They’d do these arranged marriages and stuff, ensure the family line stayed powerful. Of course, you don’t see that much in this day and age. It’s not like there are a ton of magic-using families kicking around that they hadn’t already married into. Pickings are slim if you’re not into incest. Dom’s mom never actually married, though. She got knocked up by some guy passing through town. Apparently, it was a huge scandal back in the day. I don’t really know all the details. Either she got kicked out or left. She died young.”

  “How’d she die?”

  Destiny shot Lady a warning kind of look. Lady didn’t think she would answer at first, but she only lowered her voice before continuing. “I heard she killed herself. Don’t take my word on it or anything. That’s just what I heard. Dom hasn’t exactly opened up to me about it, and it’s not something you just come out and ask— Anyway, Lucette took him in after that.”

  “So, he grew up in a mansion.”

  “I’m not sure that’s a plus, given who must have raised him. We weren’t friends back then. I didn’t actually move here until middle school.”

  Now it was Lady’s turn to shoot Destiny a look. “Are you telling me, for all the grief you gave me about being an outsider, you’re an outsider too?”

  “Hey, I’m less of an outsider than you.” They were coming up on the funeral home parking lot. “But, yeah, technically.”

  Lady snorted. “Whatever.” She stopped alongside Destiny. There were a lot of people milling around the entrance of the funeral home. Lady didn’t want to press through a crowd to get inside. Clearly neither did Destiny. “So he’s really not coming to the funeral?”

  “He’s really not coming,” said Destiny. “I mean, I guess anything is possible but I’d be shocked to see him here.” She motioned to the crowds. “Can you even blame him? Who wants to wade in to all that.”

  “Someone who stands a good chance of inheriting something.” Lady understood hating your family, but she didn’t get turning your nose up at the idea of money.

  “Like I said, I don’t think he’d even want it if it came from her.”

  Dom didn’t strike her as a particularly well-off or wealthy individual. “What does he even do for a living?”

  “Odd jobs.”

  “Like what?”

  “Some stuff at the marina. Oh, and he gets money for putting his sigil around. They wear off when they’re used, so he has to reapply them a lot. Oh, and he works at the library a lot.”

  “With Crispin?”

  Destiny raised her eyebrows again, like she hadn’t expected Lady to know that. “Yeah. He and Crispin are pretty tight. I think he’s kind of boring, but that’s not really any of my business.”

  Lady’s attention was grabbed by Ms. Poole forcing her way out of the front of the funeral home. She waved an arm over her head. “This way!” she called, her voice obnoxiously loud.

  Lady glanced back at Destiny who immediately pinched her sleeve. “I’m going to try and slip in with you, if that’s all right.”

  Lady nodded. “Yeah, I think I’d prefer that, actually.” She made her way toward the entrance. She actually had to shoulder her way through a crowd like she was trying to force her way into a concert venue.

  “They’re at capacity,” Ms. Poole said with a sigh when both girls reached the door. “I don’t know what the old bat was thinking— Oh, scratch that. I can probably imagine what she was thinking. I’m sure she’d be delighted by all this.”

  “They’re at capacity?” Lady repeated, having a hard time comprehending that. She had never heard those words used in conjunction with the idea of a funeral home.

  “Don’t worry,” said Ms. Poole, patting her on the shoulder. “We’re on a short list.”

  “There’s a short list?” That was even more difficult for Lady to comprehend.

  Ms. Poole’s cold gaze fell upon Destiny. She raised an eyebrow. Destiny raised a hand in greeting. “Hi, ma’am.”

  Ms. Poole sighed. “The both of you come on then.” She turned and barreled into the funeral home.

  Destiny tugged on Lady’s sleeve and gave her a grin. Lady made a point of rolling her eyes. They walked in together, arm-in-arm. Truth be told, she really was thankful to have Destiny along. They might not know each other all that well, but it was still a heck of a lot better than she knew most anyone else in town. She tried her best not to lose sight of Ms. Poole. They were all heading into the chapel. It was large, but most of the pews were filled already. Ms. Poole wasted no time in heading right to the front. Lady swallowed the saliva accumulating in her mouth. It felt weird just strolling up to the front like she belonged there. She could feel everyone’s eyes on her as she passed.

  The front two rows of the chapel were emptier than all the rest. No one wanted to presume that they were allowed to sit there, it seemed. Lady immediately recognized Shannon as one of the few sitting up front. Evidently, Shannon recognized her as well. She was looking elegant with her lace collar and high cheekbones. She twisted around where she sat when Lady slid in beside Ms. Pool to sit in the pew behind her.

  “Well, hi there,” said Shannon with a smile.

  “Hi.” Lady returned the greeting awkwardly. “I’m, um, sorry for your loss.”

  “Oh, that’s very sweet of you.” She reached out and patted Lady on the shoulder. “I’m so glad you could come.” Shannon nodded to the two women on either side of her. “I don’t think you’ve met my daughters yet.”

  Right. She had daughters. Lady remembered Otsuya mentioning two sisters. Both of them were wearing large, floppy hats. That in and of itself was odd. They were black,
but Lady wasn’t sure that made them normal attire for wearing indoors, to the funeral service itself. Not that Lady was any kind of authority on funeral tact. This wasn’t even someone she was family to. They were the mourners.

  Like Shannon, neither girl looked to be in very low spirits. They had their mother’s bone structure but none of her elegance. It probably had something to do with the way they were looking down on Lady. It was a strange thing to realize you were immediately being looked down upon. It was plain in their expressions, though. Both girls had their chins up. They were tall girls and they regarded Lady down the long pale slopes of their noses. They definitely looked like sisters. Lady would have even believed they were twins, but she couldn’t say for sure. It may have just been the dim light, the matching hats, and the way they applied the sharp wings of their dark eyeliner exactly the same. Their hair was the same dark color as Dom’s. It fell in waves around their shoulders.

  “This is Adora and this is Fabia.” Shannon motioned to each of the girls in turn, but Lady forgot which one was which almost immediately. “You should all be around the same age.” She clapped her hands together as if to emphasize that piece of happy news. “You should all go out some time. They need some girlfriends. They don’t spend nearly enough time socializing with other kids, if you ask me.”

  The girl on Shannon’s right—Adora maybe?—frowned. “We’re not children, Mother.”

  Shannon rolled her eyes and waved a hand dismissing her. “Oh, you’re all still children to me. You don’t realize how young you are. Just wait until you’re my age.”

  “Crispin!”

  Lady jumped and looked to Ms. Poole. She had raised her voice in order to be heard at the back of the chapel. Lady felt herself sinking low where she sat instinctively.

  “Don’t try to hide back there! I see you! You get up here and sit next to me!” Ms. Poole didn’t seem to think twice about yelling to be heard, even if it did earn her a lot of odd looks.

  Lady didn’t spot Crispin until he stood. His head was bowed, but she could see the pink spreading over his round face. He shuffled sideways, mouth moving in what was no doubt an unending string of apologies as he scooted in front of people like he was trying to go to the bathroom at the movie theater. Poor guy. Lady wanted to move over and let him sit on her left side. Unfortunately, Ms. Poole was already on that side.

  “Everyone is being so silly today. Why didn’t you come sit by me?” Ms. Poole asked as he sat down beside her. “What were you thinking?”

  “That I didn’t know the deceased that well and don’t, um, belong up here with the people who are mourning the most?” Crispin’s eyes landed on Lady. She was leaning forward so as to be seen on Ms. Poole’s other side. Her hand was raised in a wave. “Hey, guys,” he said, raising his own hand in a halfhearted wave to Lady and Destiny beyond her.

  “He does have a point,” said Shannon. She was turned in the pew again. “Mother didn’t like him much.” She smiled. “No offense, dear. I think you’re lovely.”

  “T-thanks? I’m, ah, really sorry for your loss.”

  “Thank you; you’re a doll.”

  Ms. Poole clicked her tongue against her teeth in a decidedly disapproving way. “That woman was too eager to make enemies, if you ask me.” No one had asked her, but she continued like they had anyway. “More people attending her funeral than the establishment can hold and yet no one wants to sit in the front. If that doesn’t say something about the woman, I don’t know what does.”

  Lady was frozen where she sat. What could she even say? It wasn’t like she had any control over Ms. Poole. She wanted to disassociate herself with her but wasn’t sure how. There she was bad-mouthing the deceased right in their relatives’ faces. Lucette herself was only a few yards away in a casket.

  Shannon nodded. It was a miracle she wasn’t quick to anger. “I do wish more people would sit up here.” She sighed, loud and dramatic. “It is a sad state of affairs. I’m afraid most of these people are here just because they want to attend the will reading. If only mother hadn’t been such a recluse later in life.”

  “I think her becoming a recluse might have been the best thing to happen to this town,” Destiny said softly into Lady’s ear. At least she had the common sense to whisper where no one else could hear.

  Music came on suddenly. It was a melodic, sappy song that sounded like a standard addition to any basic funeral mix tape. It was being played too loud, but Lady was thankful for that. It had quieted people down, at least. All eyes turned to the front, like they expected the service to start soon. Lady prayed that it did. The sooner this was over with, the better.

  It wasn’t long after that that a man made his way to the pulpit. The music quieted down and he spoke at length about this and that. Lady hadn’t been to many funerals. The few she had been to kind of blurred together in her mind. This one wasn’t much different. Aside from the weirdness that preceded and would likely follow it, the service itself was pretty generic. A guy paid to speak, spoke. No one came up to give their own speech or say what Lucette had meant to them.

  ***

  Things migrated to the cemetery afterward. Thankfully, it wasn’t far. They didn’t have to wait about a procession of cars. Lady wasn’t sure how they would have managed that. Lucette was loaded into a hearse that went down a dirt road behind the funeral home. A few people chose to drive but most just walked after it. Ms. Poole complained the whole time about her knees, but it didn’t seem to be directed at Lady. They had agreed that going and getting the car from the shopping center was a waste of time.

  The graveyard was large and old. Lady liked it. She’d always been a fan of graveyards. They were nice quiet places, and the old ones were interesting to explore. The graveyard she was at now seemed like it would be especially interesting to learn more about. “Why are some of the graves gated off?” she asked no one in particular.

  “That actually serves a twofold purpose.” Crispin was quick to answer. Of course he would know something about the history of the place. “It marks where an influential family of Dark Lake was buried. Here, that also means they were a family of witches. Either they were born or married into one. The families obviously like to keep their graves together, but they also make the rest of the town a little nervous. A gate makes everyone happy, more or less. If you go to the oldest part of the graveyard, you’ll actually find that some of the graves are even walled off.”

  Lady looked to Ms. Poole. “Do you have family buried here?”

  “Of course I do.” Ms. Poole didn’t elaborate on that.

  ***

  The Antonie family had a large, pretty corner of the cemetery all to themselves. It was shaded by dogwoods and surrounded by a brick wall and iron fence. Aside from the graves, there was also lovely statuary inside. Lady counted at least two stone tombs with heavy padlocks on their doors.

  There was an awning over Lucette’s grave. Red crushed velvet was draped under and over several rows of fold-out chairs. There weren’t enough chairs for everyone. Lady was determined not to sit this time, never mind what Ms. Poole said. There were people who deserved to sit in those chairs more than her. Thankfully, Ms. Poole didn’t insist that she sit. She seemed fine with simply having Lady stand nearby. Destiny and Crispin stood next to her as well. They clearly didn’t feel comfortable sitting either.

  The service at the graveside felt fairly standard as well. It was hard for Lady not to rock onto her heels and back again out of boredom. She still had a will reading to get through after this. It didn’t help her bad mood that she was way too hot in her all black get up. She could feel sweat beading on her forehead and neck. She was probably sweating her makeup right off her face. God, she hoped the will reading at least took place somewhere indoors and with air conditioning.

  ***

  Finally, the funeral was over and done with. It took Lady a minute to realize as much. She had been lost in her own head, thinking about the fact that she needed to swing by the store and grab Lion some m
ore cat food. That led to her wondering what Ms. Poole planned on cooking for dinner. She was still planning on cooking, wasn’t she? It was a long day they were having. Maybe they would pick up take out. It had never happened, but there was a first time for everything, right?

  “Thank you everyone for coming.”

  Lady jumped a little. Shannon had stood and turned to face the considerable number of people gathered at Lucette’s graveside. She was flanked by her overdressed daughters. They had both added oversized sunglasses to their ensemble now that they were outside.

  “If any of you would like to join us at our family home for the will-reading, you’re welcome to come. It was what mother wanted.” Shannon was smiling, but it was an uncertain smile. Lady got the impression that even she wasn’t sure what was in Lucette’s will. “I assume most of you know where that is. If not, I’m happy to give instructions. Just ask.”

  Ms. Poole stood and rested a hand on Lady’s shoulder. “Go get the car and bring it around for me.”

  Lady did as she was told. Destiny tagged along. Crispin tried to do the same, but his aunt grabbed him by the arm, preventing him from leaving. Lady didn’t stay to find out what Ms. Poole had to discuss with him.

  “Well, that was fun,” said Destiny. It was plain by her tone that she was being facetious. “All those people at her funeral, right? You can tell they really loved her.”

  “I wanted to melt into the floor for a while there,” Lady mumbled. She looked around to make sure no one would overhear her. “That Shannon lady is pretty weird, isn’t she? She didn’t seem too torn up about her mother’s passing.”

  Destiny raised her shoulders in a shrug. “I don’t know. I don’t really know her all that well. She’s kinda odd, I guess. Not as odd as those daughters of hers, though. Now, they’re a real piece of work.”

  “A Door and Fabio.”

  Destiny snorted. “Yeah, those are better names. Let’s go with those. Seriously, though. You can’t name your kids like that when you’re rich. You’re just setting them up for a life of snobbery. It’s irresponsible.”