Chapter 76
Seventy-Six
Exactly one hour later, Stacey waved her hand in the air to signal the task was complete.
Kim’s own telephone marathon had been successful in some areas but not in others. She entered the squad room as Stacey reached to the printer behind her.
‘Okay, where do you want me to start?’
‘Nadine and work backwards.’
‘Okay, Nadine is the daughter of Jenna and Lance Cowley, who are the children of…’
‘Okay, too long,’ Kim said. ‘Any female relative called Smith or Davies?’
‘How did you…?’
‘Yes or no?’
‘Nadine’s great-great-grandmother was Eliza Smith.’
‘Okay, now Karen,’ Kim said. ‘Any female relative with the last name Davies?’
‘Her great-grandmother was Alice Davies. I don’t understand. How could you know that?’
Kim looked to Bryant to see if it had dawned on him yet. She could see that he was wondering where they’d heard the names before.
‘Any other female descendants left in either of those families?’ she asked.
Stacey consulted each page before shaking her head. ‘They’re the last, but I don’t get it,’ she said.
‘There are three ways to lift a curse, Stace.’
‘Shiit,’ Bryant said as he realised why the names were familiar.
‘You can use benevolent protection magic – which hasn’t worked. You can force the cursers to retract the spell – except they’re all dead; or you can destroy the witch by physical attack. Again, they’re all dead.’
Penn leaned forward. ‘So, how…?’
‘Witchcraft is meant to be handed down through the generations on the female side. If you end the female line, that’s gone, and the curse is lifted.’
‘Now they’re all gone,’ Stacey said, consulting her pages.
‘Except one,’ Kim said.
‘Ava,’ they all said together.