Melody picked up her cell and tapped out a text. The reply came swiftly, and Melody said, “In an hour Ms. St. John will be in the store. Now does your mom know your ok and safe?” Melody said this in a practices mom voice.

“I told her I had to get away. I told her I’m at school with Iris.” She said, “She has dad’s truck if she really has to go anyplace. I know I will get a talking too if I get caught here.”

“Where is Iris by the way?” Piety asked while eating, “She normally is next you in everything.”

“I knew , if I told her about this, she would be burning sage and chanting crap from her new age books. I love her, but I need this to stop…I”, scalding tears brimmed her eyes and she couldn’t speak. She sat head bowed and Melody signaled the waitress, “ Can we get some to go boxes.” Melody patted the girls hand . She may have looked like a decked out Barbie doll but Melody had a way with people just knowing what to do. Clarissa leaned into her as if she could draw on the older woman's strength.  The take out boxes arrived and Melody waved a credit card at the waitress .

Latrice was just as Piety remembered her from her aunt’s funeral. She wore a purple maxi dress and a matching head wrap. The coat made from a red and black and grey wool Pendleton blanket. Its toggle closures bounced along with her lively  and over sized step. She was in her late forties and had an angular face with eyes so dark it was difficult to tell her pupils from her brown irises. Her gold bangle bracelets tinkled as she moved her hands. She embraced Piety and seemed to ignore how stiff the other woman was.

“You’re still not a hugger? Woman you need to get out of your shell.” Latrice declared surveying the store and Piety  felt like she might squirm a bit, as if somehow the place was deficient.

“I’m trying” Piety says doing her best to smile.

The witch said nothing to Melody, just a nod of acknowledgment that was returned. She then walked up to Clarissa and stareed at her. The girl was uncomfortable on the stool Piety keep by the register for Peabody for when her arthritis in her back acted up. Latrice leaned forward and took the young woman’s chin. Piety saw her nails were long and painted gold they stood out against the girl’s darker skin. The witch stared more intently into Carissa’s eyes and the quiet in the shop was unnerving. The girl like a deer in the headlights, as she stared back . Clarissa's her nose wrinkled at the strong smell of Latrice’s perfume a blend of patchouli and rose oil. Latrice said, “Yes, you do have a spirit attached to you. We have to unload that problem.”

“I love…loved Marcus he was never a problem when he was…alive. I don't want to hurt him.”

“He needs to move on boo boo.” Latrice answered and with a frown said, “I know you are grieving and the reason he is attached is his soul remembers loving you and his being here as a spirt is frustrating to him. We need him to be moving on and he will know peace in the next world.”

Turning the witch locked eyes with Piety, “Time has come for you to step up my friend, your aunty wanted to gentle you in to your heritage but unfortunately things have conspired against you for that. Unless you just want to walk away from it all. If so my offer is still on the table.”

Piety gave her a quizzical look , " Come again?"

Latrice said in a breezy matter, " I made an offer to your aunt for the place so she could retire and focus on her duties. I know I sent you that offer a few months a go."

Piety thought on it and then recalled the letter had went in the trash with in minutes of her opening the envelope. Latrice plowed on, " If you plan to learn to be a witch having all this might get in your way. I wouldn't mind helping you out, boo."

“Well damn” Piety said,  "I guess I better make a decision this important in the next 8 minutes” 

The witch made a sound like sucking on tooth. Latrice wandered about the front of the store picking up things and putting them down and Piety suddenly felt judged and dismissed. “Girl, I aint here to tell you your business, I just want to help.” The smile she gave just seemed a little to perfect and Piety felt weird , was she being overly sensitive? 

Melody leaned on a display case and had a carefully neutral look on her face. Well there was no help, the gold aura flared around Melody and Piety glanced at Clarissa the kid had a golden aura fringed in grey black.  What the hell when had she started seeing auras?!  Did that color combo mean that Clarissa was truthful and sad? Yet looking at Latrice she saw nothing. How had she turn that on? Now was that not working. Then looking at Latrice more intently she noticed her necklace was a pendant with a large green stone and that shimmered. Did that somehow block her ability to look? So many damn questions.” Thought Piety with irritation.

Latrice took Clarissa’s hand , “ So we lay this spirit to rest, it needs doing tonight preferably where the boy died.” The girl quailed and pulled away, “ I really can’t”

Latrice dug in the huge bag she carried and ignored Clarissa. The witch pulled out a small leather pouch, a grey stone that looked the size of a robin’s egg and a key, “You girly girl get this mojo bag to keep that spirit at bay while it gets laid to rest and this Piety is yours.” She handed over the key.

“What’s this?” Piety asked looking at the key. It was brass colored and looked like a short skeleton key.

“A key”

“I know that “She replied fighting the urge to eyeroll. “What is it too?”

“A lock box someplace at your house maybe? Your aunt gave it to me a long while ago. She said “Hang on to this. It’s a just in case something happens to me.” She wasn’t sure at the time if you were going to come stay with her and if you were going to be a part of our world.”

Why not give it to Glenda?

“They were seriously on outs back then. They did that, thick as thieves one minute and not talking to one another the next. You will have to ask Glenda on what specifically, I just know that she told me you get this key .”

“You just now thought to give me this?” Piety said incredulously

“Your aunt said I would know when to give it to you. Besides I got 3 kids, two cats and newfoundland dog that does nothing but drool and shed fur, so I get busy.” She pointed to the teen who was fidgeting by the door, “Now you young miss put that bag about your neck. Do not open it and don’t advertise you are wearing it. Midnight you meet us where the death happened, and we will move that boy on.”

“ But my … mom” Clarissa protested

“ You’re momma will be sleeping hard child .You are going to put this stone ( she pulled from her coat pocket) under her bed, she will sleep and not be awakened till you remove that stone. The stone is a onetime enchantment. Don’t think you can use that whenever you want to slip out the house.”

I don’t think I …

“You want to be haunted? You want your house haunted?”

“No…”

“ Good , see you tonight.” She made a dismissive gesture with her hand.

She patted Pietys shoulder, “ Look at the time I got to pick up my kids, meet up around your house at 11. I know that boy got murdered down the road a bit .” She paused by Melody and inclined her head, “Thank you dróttning” Piety looked at the key and decided it looked like one of those cheap aluminum keys you get for pad locks or lock boxes from Walmart. She rang a no sale on the register and put it under the cash drawer. She tuned back into the conversation as it was drawing to an end.

“The pack is ever loyal to it’s allies.” Replied Melody almost mechanically

Latrice smiled, “ Now Piety girl you want help finding that lock let me know , You’re auntie had a wealth of knowledge and items I wouldn’t mind getting a peek at.”

“I will keep that in mind “ she said quietly.

With that she left pulling out a cell phone to tell one of her children to keep their shirt on she was coming to pick them up.

The phone rang in her pocket and Piety answered , listened and said, “ Of course , yes whatever the doctor thinks, I will be right there.” Hanging up Piety said, “ Good thing we are leaving they are going to drill a hole in Glenda’s head to remove a clot on her brain.”

“Sounds reasonable do you need to stop by the house to look after your dog?”

“ No, he has a dog door to the garage with food and water. The cats really don’t notice I am gone unless the food runs out.”

“Cool I can text Jack and He can pick you up at the hospital.”

“ Great it’s like when I was a kid. I feel like a football.”

“Stop whining or on your next day off I will make you get a mani pedi and full on spa treatment. ”

“Don’t threaten me with a good time.” Said Piety who couldn’t shake that there was something in that interaction with Latrice that just was not quite right. At any rate she directed Clarrisa to drive herself home and let Melody take her to the hospital. 

Piety rubbed at her temples, she never thought that when Glenda had asked, shortly after Aunt Charities death for her to be her power of attorney in case of medical emergencies, it would happen.

“ Let me see if I understand this Doctor Burkall, You kept Glenda sedated to get into her head to take out the clot. That is done so now she will have a week in neuro-ICU with the shunt to keep the draining going. If she stabilizes you will remove the drain and fix the hole depending how they had to place it--plating verses putting bone back. “

The doctor nodded , ‘ yes, that is correct.”

Piety continued, “Then if Glenda does okay she would likely be moved down to a regular floor in the hospital, where you would start PT, OT and possibly speech therapy. Then with more improvement she probably would be transitioned out to home or a subacute rehab facility if she needs more time and strengthening.”

“Yes , perfect.”

“So, when will you wake her up?”

“She should be more lucid soon, you can spend a few minutes with her but understand she is pretty out of it.”

“Thank you doctor I will.”

With that doctor smiled and left the visitors lounge. Piety saw Melody looking at an outdated cosmopolitan magazine in a far corner seated on one of those chairs that could be pulled out to a cot to sleep on. She assumed that was for those families who stood vigil over a loved one.”

“ I assume I should give you the scoop.”

“You don’t have too , Along with the fur coat I got enhanced hearing and sight . The enhanced ability to scent things is not to great, but hey it can’t all be ice cream and cake.”

Piety smirked she had not ever heard the phrase “ice cream and cake” she tried to imagine what Melody looked like as a wolf and that wolf eating a large piece of birthday cake with ice cream maybe a pointed hat too.

“Go on go spend a few minutes with her, tell he to get her butt out of that bed and come to work or something.” Melody patted Piety’s arm in that congenial girlfriend way that made piety wonder how such a nice person was a co leader of a wolf pack. She assumed that to run a pack you would have to be well a bitch.