Chapter 15
Prim sat on the hard metal bench in her cell with her eyes closed.
She’d used her one phone call to contact her grandmother.
She’d wanted to call Dante just to hear his voice, but she couldn’t lay this sort of trouble at his feet.
Besides, if anyone could get Prim out of the clink, it was Bethany Befana.
“You’ve made a mistake, Joe,” Bethany said as she pointed her finger in the sheriff’s face. They were standing just outside of Prim’s cell, arguing about the charges.
“How can you say that? You weren’t even there, Bethany.”
“Neither were you!” the older witch cried. “You know Prim. I can’t believe you just hauled her in here without a proper investigation. You know that she’d never hurt anyone on purpose. You’re going to look like a fool when everyone realizes you incarcerated someone without any proof.”
“I have a witness statement!” he thundered. “That’s evidence!”
“It’s hearsay,” Bethany insisted as she raised her cane in the air, looking as if she was ready to beat him with it.
She didn’t use the cane often, only for aesthetics, or in this case for intimidation.
That was the only reason Prim could see for her bringing it, because she wasn’t even dressed in one of her witchy outfits or boots.
She was wearing a velour track suit, the ones she wore when she was tucked in for the night.
Honestly, Prim was shocked she hadn’t changed because she never went out in public in leisurewear.
“Put that down.” Joe used his hand to lower the cane. “Don’t make me read you your rights, too.”
“Don’t threaten me, you little weasel. My granddaughter is innocent. I demand that you let her out right now, or you’ll be looking at a lawsuit once this is all over.”
Joe rolled his eyes. “Go ahead and try it. Do you really think you’re the first witch in this town to threaten me?”
“Not the first,” Bethany said with a scowl, looking menacing with her normally tidy hair frizzing in the summer heat. “But I might be the last.”
The sheriff glared at her, while she looked as if she were ready to scratch his eyes out.
Prim cleared her throat. “Can I at least get out on bail or something?”
“They are holding you illegally,” Bethany said. “The sheriff doesn’t even have a valid arrest warrant.”
“Now wait just a minute,” Sheriff Joe started. “I don’t need one. We have what we call probable cause.”
“That’s trash,” Bethany shot back. “We’re talking about an Easton witch. A Befana descendant. One of mine. One you’ve known her entire life. Do you really think she tried to kill that toxic woman? Let’s be real, Joe. No one would blame her if she had, but we both know my Prim wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
Sheriff Joe finally looked into the cell, really studying Prim. Then when he spoke, he asked, “Why’d you do it, Prim? Jealousy? I heard she went out with that man you just started seeing recently.”
“How did you hear about Dante?” Prim asked, astonished that even the town lawman knew they were an item.
“I’m the sheriff; people tell me things.”
It was Prim’s turn to roll her eyes. “If you say so. But to answer your question, I’m not jealous. Not at all. Dante didn’t take her out on a date. They had a kayak lesson, which did not go well, and they haven’t seen each other since.”
Joe took his ball cap off and ran a hand over his bald head. “Well then, I just don’t see why you have it out for her.”
“I don’t!” Other than her being toxic and extremely difficult to work with, Prim thought, but that was just temporary. Prim would never sabotage another person just because they were annoying and hard to get along with.
“It’s not the first time you’ve attacked someone in this town,” Sheriff Joe said.
“Prim has never attacked anyone,” Bethany said before Prim could think of how to respond.
“What about the schlong pox guy?” Joe asked.
Prim wanted to scream. She was never going to live that down. Never.
“That’s enough,” Bethany said, slamming the end of her cane down on the floor, making the sharp crack echo off the cement walls. “What needs to happen is an investigation by the Magical Task Force to trace the magic that was used in Prim’s store. Then we’ll know for sure it wasn’t her.”
Prim held back a wince. She still didn’t know for sure whether she’d caused the light fixture to fall, but she knew for certain that she wasn’t the one who tried gagging McKenna with a yarn ball.
Sheriff Joe let out a huge sigh. “Fine. I’ll call the MTF, but I want a full interview with your granddaughter before I do that. Prim, are you agreeable?”
“Yes,” she said.
“No!” Bethany shot back. “Not without a lawyer here.”
“I thought you said she was innocent?” the sheriff said mildly.
“You know as well as I do that the law doesn’t always see things as clearly as the rest of us. I’m not letting Prim risk her freedom just because you’re on an ego trip.”
Prim had only on rare occasions seen her grandmother behave in such a fierce manner. Her style was usually more reserved and quietly threatening, but either way, Prim was glad to have her on her side.
“Well then, if she doesn’t want to answer any questions she can stay right there until your lawyer shows up.” Sheriff Joe started to walk away.
Bethany gave Prim a pained expression. “Our lawyer is overseas until next month.”
“Grandmother!” Prim jumped up and called, “Sheriff Joe, I’ll answer your questions. I’m not staying in here for a month.”
“Prim—”
“No, Gran. I’m a grown woman. I can make my own choices.”
Bethany clamped her mouth shut, giving Prim a look that said she’d deal with her later. Then she turned to Joe. “I’m staying for the interview.”
“That’s fine.” He grabbed a folding chair that was sitting against the wall and took a seat right in front of Prim’s cell. “Tell me exactly what happened at the store today before the light fixture fell.”
“Well,” Prim started, “we opened at noon like we always do on Sundays. One of my regulars was in the store, looking for yarn for her next project. Then McKenna and her crew showed up, unscheduled, and I was informed they were going to start filming hours earlier than originally planned. Which meant I needed to get the customers out of the store, but I was still helping Helena. McKenna got irritated and basically ordered her out so rudely that Helena left without completing her purchase. Right after that was when the light fixture fell.”
“Would you say you were irritated?” Joe asked.
“Don’t answer that,” Bethany said.
Prim shrugged at the sheriff.
Joe glared at Bethany, who just smiled at him.
“Let me ask that another way,” Joe said. “Were you upset enough that it might have caused your magic to spark out of control?”
Prim looked at her grandmother, who shook her head. Prim said nothing at first, not wanting to lie, but also not wanting to incriminate herself. Especially since she didn’t really believe that she’d been the one to cause the light to fall. Eventually she settled on, “I didn’t hex anyone.”
“Okay,” Joe said with a sigh. “What happened after that?”
“McKenna started ranting about me having five minutes to get an electrician there to fix the lights, and then…” Prim grimaced. “Yarn balls flew up into the air and one lodged into her mouth. She couldn’t get it out, so I did the Heimlich maneuver to help her remove it.”
“You muzzled her?” Sheriff Joe asked, looking horrified. “With a yarn ball?”
“No!” Prim cried. “I absolutely did nothing of the sort. I swear to the goddess that I had nothing to do with that.”
“Prim,” Bethany warned. “Stop talking.”
“Why? I didn’t do that,” Prim said again. “Why would I not deny it?”
“But you didn’t deny unleashing the light fixture on her,” Sheriff Joe said, making a note in his notebook.
“I—I was nervous. I never said I did that. Why are you writing that down?” Prim demanded.
“Just an observation,” Joe said. “Go on. What happened after that?”
Prim looked to her grandmother for guidance, knowing she’d already made a bit of a mess of things.
Bethany just said, “You probably should finish up. Just state the facts though, honey. We don’t want Officer Hasty to jump to any more conclusions.”
“I’m not jumping to anything,” Joe said. “Just taking notes.”
“Sure you are,” Bethany said, giving him the side-eye.
Prim jumped into the rest of the story, explaining how the live wires sparked so she turned off the breakers, that she couldn’t find her phone to call an electrician, so she went to Brooms That Vroom and Indigo called someone for her.
“After that I was going to go back into the shop, but my employee, Viv, said that McKenna was not in the right frame of mind and that I should probably stay away this afternoon. So I did. I went home, relaxed, got ready for my date with Dante, and you know the rest.”
“You’re telling me you weren’t in the store when Bree Peters was attacked?” Joe asked.
“Who’s Bree Peters?” Prim asked, completely lost. “You’re saying someone else besides McKenna was attacked?”
Sheriff Joe eyed her as if he were trying to decide whether she was telling the truth or not. “Who puts the spells on your knitting needles?”
Prim looked at her grandmother.
Bethany gave Joe a flat stare when she said, “I do. So does my other granddaughter, Indigo. It all depends on who has time. Why? Are you going to accuse us of attacking someone, too?”
“It depends. Were either of you in the yarn store just before 5:00 p.m.?”
“I wasn’t. I can’t imagine Indigo was either since she has her own store to run,” Bethany said.
Prim grabbed the edge of her bench and squeezed hard.
It was possible that Indigo had been in the yarn shop.
She had taken on the responsibility of handling the electrician.
But why would she have needed to be at the yarn store when Viv was working?
If the electrician had questions, he could have asked her.
Her fingers ached for her phone, wherever it was.
She was untethered, not knowing what had gone on at her own shop.
“Prim, was your sister in the yarn store this afternoon?” Joe asked.
“How should I know? I was kicked out, so I went home. Now I’m here, wasting away until you realize I’m not a monster.” She leaned forward and stared him in the eye. “Who is Bree Peters, and what do our spelled knitting needles have to do with anything?”
“You really don’t know who she is?” Joe’s skepticism was off the charts.
“I really don’t,” Prim said, getting exasperated. “Should I?”
“Probably. She’s the star of the movie.”
“I haven’t really met any of the actors yet,” Prim said. “I’ve mostly dealt with McKenna and her two assistants. I know the actors were supposed to show up today to film, but none of them were there yet when I left. Or at least they weren’t as far as I know.”
Joe made another note.
“What happened to her?” Prim asked, feeling an ache form in her gut.
“According to your employee, Viv, a pair of needles flew off the shelf and stabbed her in the face.”
“Stabbed her in the face?” Prim jumped up off the hard metal bench and grabbed the cell bars. “How? Why? Is she all right?”
Bethany narrowed her eyes. “The needles are only spelled to help guide a person with their knitting. They only activate when someone is holding them, and even then, all they do is knit. They don’t fly off shelves.”
Prim nodded. “They act more like an educational tool. The knitter can use them without utilizing the magic, or they can ask the needles to guide them with their pattern. They don’t hold enough magic to fly across rooms or, heaven forbid, stab someone.” Prim peered at Joe again. “Is Bree all right?”
“She’ll be okay, though the healer says there’s more work to do and she’ll have some scarring. Do you know of anyone who has a grudge against her?” the sheriff asked.
“No.” Prim stared at him like he had two heads. “I didn’t even know who she was until you told me. How would I know if she has enemies?”
“Because she was attacked in your store with your magically enhanced knitting needles. Do I need to say more?”
“Yes, you do, Joe,” Bethany said, towering over him like some sort of majestic goddess.
“My granddaughter is a good girl. She doesn’t hex people.
She never has. And when her magic flared out of control before, she took responsibility for it.
I don’t know why you have any reason to think that has changed.
You’re barking up the wrong tree with this one. ”
“That’s your opinion, Bethany. Not mine. You’ll just have to let us do some more investigating,” Joe said.
“Investigating.” Bethany snorted. “You know what we actually need to do? We need to get the coven in there to do a magical sweep and find out who cast those spells. That will really get your investigation going. In fact…” Bethany pulled a phone out of her pocket.
“Let me activate the phone tree right now.”
“No.” Joe took the phone from her, shut it down, and then shook his head at her. “I told you to leave this up front.”
“You told me to leave my phone up front, and I did. That one is the coven phone that we use for official business.” She gave the sheriff an overly sweet smile.
He glared at her. “No coven action. You’re way too close to the situation.” A muscle in Joe’s jaw twitched. It was obvious he didn’t want anyone else taking jurisdiction over the case, but he didn’t really have a choice. “I already agreed to call the MTF and get someone in there to investigate.”
The Magical Task Force was the arm of the law that investigated paranormal crimes. They weren’t always called in if the crime was obvious in simple cases, but the attacks on McKenna and Bree appeared to be more than Joe was going to be able to handle alone.
“Good man, Joe,” Bethany said. “Now you just need to let my granddaughter out of here, and you’ll be batting a thousand.”
“Not without bail,” he said.
Bethany’s face turned so red Prim thought actual steam might shoot from her ears. “Fine, but hurry up with the paperwork. I’m tired of this.”
“Me, too,” he said and gestured for her to follow him.
Prim stood in her cell, hands wrapped around the bars, her head spinning. Her life had exploded, and she had no idea why.