KISS THE WITCH (28 page)

“
Yes?”

“
And so I determined the
frequency of the bugs set in our phones, picked up a few wi-fi
receivers of my own, set them to the same frequency and then
planted them outside Ferguson’s office.”

“
Did it work?”

“
Did it? Just
listen.”

He pulled out his Merc-Vector mobile device,
launched a specially configured app, which he designed, and hit the
play button. What Carlos and I heard next blew our socks off. The
first voice on the recording was J.P. Ferguson’s. The other man’s
voice we may never know.

“
Biocrynetix Laboratories.
J.P. speaking.”

“
Yeah, it’s
me.”

“
Why are you calling me
here? I told you not to call me at the office.”

“
Relax, Ferguson. The
lines are clean.”

“
What do you
want?”

“
Tell me what Marcella
knows.”

“
He doesn’t know anything.
The man is inept, and so is his bumbling idiot partner.”

“
Why did he come back to
see you?”

“
Because he knows about
QE647.”

“
He’s getting close
then.”

“
No. He’s not getting
close. Everything he knows he could learn on the
internet.”

“
Does he know you killed
Williams and Delaney?”

“
Of course not. As far as
anyone is concerned, those were accidents.”

“
You should not have
pushed Delaney onto the tracks. That was foolish.”

“
No. He had to go. He knew
too much.”

“
You should have let us
worry about that.”

“
Why?”

“
Because Marcella knows it
was not an accident. He saw the tire marks. It is only a matter of
time before he checks the tires on your car against the tire tracks
at the crossing. Right now, he thinks they came from Snow’s hummer.
But he’ll figure it out soon enough.”

“
All right then. I’ll get
rid of the car if that’s the only evidence pointing to
me.”

“
Good.”

“
Anything
else?”

“
Yes. Don’t leave town.
We’ll be watching you.”

The line went dead there. I looked at
Spinelli, uncertain how to respond. “Dominic. I don’t know what to
say. This is amazing. We’ve got Ferguson dead to rights with this
recording.”

“
Tony,” said Carlos. “I
thought you said this was no longer our case.”

“
No. I didn’t say that. I
said Howard Snow’s murder was no longer our case. Ferguson killed
Williams and Delaney in our jurisdiction. His ass is
ours.”

Carlos still did not seem pleased. Dominic
asked, “What’s wrong?”

“
Don’t know. It seems too
easy. Sounded like the caller baited Ferguson.”

“
He’s right,” I said,
considering it. “This won’t get thrown out of court on a
technicality. Will it?”

“
Nuh-uh.” Spinelli shook
his head faintly. “Don’t see how. It wasn’t a police operation. We
didn’t coax him into saying anything.”

“
What about illegal wire
tapping? We didn’t have a court order to record that.”

“
Don’t need it. It’s not
our bug. Harrison vs. Cook County already set precedence for this.
In that case, a county prosecutor recorded inflammatory evidence
gathered from a cordless phone conversation a drug dealer had with
his currier. This is practically the same thing.”

“
All right then. Let’s get
with the D.A.`s office. Have them petition the court for an arrest
warrant immediately. With luck, maybe Ferguson will give up his
co-conspirators in a plea deal.” I reached out and shook Spinelli’s
hand. “Nice work, Dominic.” I went to let go and he squeezed
tighter.

“
Tony.” His expression
grew serious. “Will you be my best man tonight?”

I have to admit, he took me by complete
surprise. I fully expected he would ask Carlos that question,
especially in light of recent circumstances. Perhaps because of
recent circumstances, he asked me. I answered him the only way I
could.

“
Sure,” I said, and
returned the squeeze. “I would be honored.”

I looked at Carlos. He turned away. I
assumed he felt alienated, even dejected. “Carlos.” He turned to
me. “Listen, if you’re feeling left out because Dominic asked
me––”

“
What? No. That’s not it.
I’m good with that.”

“
So why the long
face?”

“
No reason.”

“
Carlos.”

“
Okay, Tony. Here’s the
thing.” He took a deep breath and let it out in a huff. “It’s good
if we can nail Ferguson for Williams’ and Delaney’s murder, but
that doesn’t fix my Vette, does it?”

He turned and left the room, I assumed for a
long walk so that he could vent. Dominic and I took bets on how
many Snickers bars he would returned with. Dominic bet three. I bet
five. When he did not come back, we started to worry and went down
to the lobby to look for him. He was not there. Sergeant Doucette
told us he saw Carlos leave the building, but not before emptying
the candy machine of its Snickers. Spinelli and I looked at each
another, and then at Doucette.

“
How many?” Spinelli
asked.

Doucette face wrinkled from the forehead
down. “How many what?”

“
Snickers. How many
Snickers did he get from the machine?”

The answer came with a blasé shrug. “I don’t
know. Four maybe.”

“
Four? Are you
sure?”

Another shrug. “I don’t know. I suppose
so.”

“
Do you think it could
have been three or five?”

“
What?”

“
We have a
bet.”

Doucette shook his head and walked off,
thinking us both mad, I suppose, or at the very least, petty. I
don’t know. I suppose we were.

I don’t know what I expected when I first
learned Dominic and Ursula’s wedding would be a traditional witch’s
wedding. I imagined lots of magick for sure. I even expected a
wedding guest or two from the other side of the black mirror, say
Ursula’s mother, perhaps. Lilith once told me that a witch’s
wedding is one of the most sacred of all ceremonies a witch can
participate in. Bigger even than the Rite of Passage, the ceremony
that returned Lilith and me to prime just a couple of years
earlier.

Dominic, I know, was scared. He kept asking
me what time it was. Forget that he was wearing a watch; the clock
in his apartment chimed on the quarter hour every hour.

“
Wish Carlos was here,” he
said.

We stood toe-to-toe as I helped him with the
knot in his tie. “He’ll be here,” I said. “Don’t worry.”

“
I should have told
him.”

“
Told him
what?”

“
That I wanted you to be
my best man.”

“
Oh, that.”

“
I know he’s
hurt.”

“
Carlos is a big boy.
He’ll get over it.”

“
I was going to, you
know.”

“
Going to tell
him?”

“
Ask him to be my best
man.”

“
Why didn’t
you?”

I watched the lump in his throat bob as he
swallowed. “Because of what happened between you and Ursula.”

“
Oh?”

“
She told me.”

My hands froze on his tie knot. “Did
she?”

“
She told me everything.
About what happened the night of the coven ceremony, you walking in
on her in the bathroom.”

I finished the knot and cinched it tight
against his collar. “Dominic. I never meant––”

“
Tony. It’s okay. I’m not
angry. I understand. I just wanted you to know that we’re still
best friends. That’s why I asked you to be my best man.”

“
Did she tell you about
this morning?”

“
In the
kitchen?”

“
Yes.”

“
She told me.”

“
You know I thought it was
Lilith.”

“
I know. Don’t sweat it.
Everything she did, she did for me. I understand that.”

I smiled, slapped his cheek and backed away.
“You’re a good man, Dominic. I hope Ursula knows that.”

He smiled back, and the mischievous gleam in
his eye told me he had something more to say.

“
What?”

He shook his head. “Nah, forget it.”

“
No. What? You can tell
me.”

A bashful shade of pink wash over him in a
wave. “Well, it’s just that….”

“
Spill it.”

“
You saw Ursula without
any….”

“
Clothes on?”

“
Yeah.”

“
I did.”

“
Is there anything I
should know?”

“
Like what?”

“
I don’t know.” He
shrugged awkwardly.

“
Are you worried she has a
penis?”

“
What? No. Good God, no.
Why would you say a thing like that? I’m talking about tattoos,
piercings and what not.”

I laughed. “Come here.” I draped my arm
around his shoulder and pulled him in. “Dominic. Listen. All you
need to know is that Ursula is an amazing woman. She’s beautiful,
smart, witty and sexy. And the only thing you need to remember is
that you are one lucky man. Cherish her always and don’t let her go
for all the stars in heaven.”

“
I won’t,” he said, and
after a long pause, added, “Thanks, Tony.”

I smiled thinly. “You’re welcome. Now what
do you say we head over to the house? It’s getting late.”

We left Spinelli’s apartment just as the sun
was setting. By the time we reached Lilith’s house, bright orange
rays lit up the western sky like searchlights on the horizon. In
the east, a celestial changing of the guard saw a waxing moon
tripping over the treetops in a pale blue crescent.

Lilith stood at the door waiting for us as
we pulled into the driveway. She held her usual pose, arms crossed,
weight shifted onto one hip. I remember thinking she must be angry
with me, and how damn sexy she looked. We got out of the car and
the first words out of her mouth were, “You’re late.”

I strolled up the walk with an unapologetic
strut, slapped her on the ass and kissed her on the lips. “You look
beautiful, Lilith. How do you do it?”

Her expression softened incrementally.
“Yeah?” She put her arms around me, rocked up on tiptoes and kissed
me back. “And thou art most handsome as well, Master Tony.”

“
What? Oh, God. Ursula.
I’m so sorry.” I looked at Dominic. His face grew pale as the moon.
I turned back. “Ursula. Honest, I thought you were––”

“
Relax, stud. You’re all
right.”

“
Lilith?”

She smiled wickedly. “Gotcha!”

“
Oh, man you have no idea
how––”

She grabbed the front of my shirt and
twisted it in her fist. “Oh, I have an idea. You and me, pal. We
have some talking to do later. Know what I mean?”

I knew exactly what she meant. “No. Whatever
do you mean?”

“
Tony, do you really want
to air it out right here on the front stoop?”

“
Maybe. I might want a
witness.”

Spinelli said, “Look. It’s Carlos.”

I turned around and eased a full arms length
away from Lilith. “It is. Well, what do you know?”

Carlos pulled in behind my car in a shiny
new red Corvette. He hopped out, grinning like a fool and
practically bounced his way up the drive.

“
Everyone?” He said. “Hope
I’m not late.”

Dominic rushed to meet him halfway. “Man, am
I glad to see you? I was afraid you weren’t coming.”

“
What, and miss my best
friend’s wedding? Not a chance.”

I know that meant a lot to Dominic. The two
embraced like old friends that had not seen each other in years. As
they started up the drive together, Ursula appeared up at the
door.

“
Merry Meet all and love
of mine.”

Spinelli and Carlos stopped dead in their
tracks. I turned around and my jaw nearly hit the ground. Even
Lilith gasped at first sight.

Ursula looked stunning. Her wedding dress, a
hybrid of traditional and neo-pagan form, hugged her body in
braided stitching around her waist. Spaghetti straps rolled off her
shoulders, spilling down the front in a v-shape neckline, plunging
nearly to her navel. Ribbons of silk and lace lay feathered in
layers, cupping her breasts, cradling and coercing them gently
together.

Below her hips, the dress relaxed in pleated
freefall, drifting in the soft breeze squeezing through the doorway
like a restless child. I thought of Lilith; imagining her in that
same dress. In the years I have known her, I had never seen her in
such feminine light. She is all that Ursula is and more, yet she
keeps from me that which I need most. That which Ursula has and
likely does not know it. A vulnerable innocence in need of
protection.

My eyes were still taking in Ursula’s
inculpable beauty when Spinelli bumped me in his rush to her arms.
I shook my head, snapping free from a trance-like state of desire.
I saw Lilith looking at me. And I knew she was looking at me
looking at Ursula. I smiled, but she could see the guilty strings
pulling the corners of my mouth upward. She was not buying any of
it.