Charlotte left the coach and walked forward. It was colder than she had anticipated as the sun started to set. She sighed, realizing that she probably wasn't going to be able to return to the shoppe before closing. William led her from the road down the path towards a ravine. She could see the bridge above, which had both carriages and people traversing across it.

"We found them down here," William explained as the path turned to dirt. Charlotte frowned, wishing that he had given her a head's up before leading her through the dust. Other officers milled about, walking passed them with drawings and notes as well as small bags.

They walked down the hill closed to the small river at the bottom, and Charlotte could see the carnage. She covered her mouth with her coat as the smell wafted toward them. In a clearing near the river and the bridge supports, there were two corpses face down among the investigators.

"What were they doing here?" Charlotte mumbled as she walked forward. Her stomach churned from the scene in front of her. William didn't hear her, explaining her presence to the other officers.

She peeled her eyes away from the scene to inspect the bridge support. When her parents were killed, there had been a note written on the wall. She looked around, but didn't see anything for a moment.

"Were they confirmed to be witches?" Charlotte asked before her voice fell. As she walked around, there was a boulder hidden among the trees with blood dripping off of it. No one else seemed to have seen it.

"They were-" William started, following her before he noticed the boulder as well. Charlotte walked forward and nearly broke out in tears. On the rock was writing in blood.

Cast them in water. Burn them down.

Witches will be killed and buried in hallowed ground.

Charlotte could hardly look at the writing. The handwriting was identical to what she remembered nearly ten years ago. She covered her mouth as she turned to William, who was dumbstruck.

"Officers!" William shouted, gathering attention. As people crowded her, Charlotte ran through the trees. Memories from her parents' death flowed through her mind as she dashed. She could still remember the eyeless bodies that were covered in blood and dirt. 

The fear she felt as a child returned, realizing that she was a part of the targeted group.

After a moment, she leaned against a tree to catch her breath. She hadn't run like that years, and she was out of shape to say the least. A branch snapped behind her before she turned around.

"I'm sorry," William apologized between breaths. He had run after her. "I can take you home if you want."

"What's the time?" Charlotte asked after a moment. William glanced at his pocket watch.

"It's a little after six."

"Will you take me to my sister's? I told her that I would meet her for dinner," Charlotte smiled. She knew that she promised to be there when the shoppe closed if she could, which was usually around eight, but this was important. She needed to tell Lynn before word got out. 

"Of course," William agreed, leading her from the woods. They walked back through the trees, but he made sure that they avoided the boulder and the corpses. As they got to the path, Charlotte grabbed his shoulder.

"See if they can tell if any magic was involved," she suggested. William hesitated, but nodded before heading back. Charlotte waited on the path, overlooking the scene. She took a deep breath and she calmed herself.

Under her breath, she cast a simple spell as she touched her river rock. This spell allowed her to see better in the dark as well as sharpened her vision. Even from her vantage point, she could see markings in the ground from the struggle. However, there wasn't anything useful that she could see.

Although, as she turned to head up the hill, there was a faint glinting under the bridge. Charlotte dashed towards it, bounding through the trees again. William called after her as she stood over the shiny object.

"William!" Charlotte shouted as she stared at a long dagger, half hidden under some leaves. He ran up to her and followed her gaze.

"Is that what I think it is?" William whispered.

"I hope so," Charlotte replied before William called another officer over. A taller man with dark hair approached.

"Make sure that this gets back to Barker as soon as possible. This could turn the tide of the investigation," William enthused before stepping back. Charlotte looked on as the other officer carefully grabbed the dagger and placed into a small bag.

"I'll take it back right now. I think we're about to finish up. The coroner is waiting," the man informed before bidding them a good night. Charlotte nodded her head in return. William sighed, looking around.

"We should head out, then, if you're finished," he suggested.

"Yes, I think that would be good," Charlotte answered as they started to walk back up the ravine. "William, I would like to continue helping with the investigation as much as I can. I don't know how much help I can be, but I was serious when I said that I want to see the creep caught."

"I will talk with Barker to see what we can do. I know that we have a few witch officers as well, but I'm sure she would appreciate the extra help," William answered with a smile. Charlotte nodded.

"We are going to get the killer, right? We can't let the case grow cold."

"We will certainly do our best," William answered. Charlotte sighed and walked ahead. He bit his lip, wondering if he had said something wrong. Charlotte waited for him at the top before folding her arms.

"I want to make sure that you know that I am serious about catching this killer. I don't want to be afraid to go out my door every morning. You've been rather dismissive," Charlotte informed sternly. William nodded and shrugged.

"I will talk to Barker, but I'm not sure anything will change. I'm sure she would love your help, but I just want to caution you about poking your nose in places it might not belong. I would love if you helped, I just don't know what Barker will say on the matter," William disclosed. Charlotte sighed.

"Well, I guess that's the best we can do for now," she whispered, accepting his answer. He grimaced before he called the coach. 

"So, where does your sister live?"