A Witch's Tale by Maralee Lowder Read Free Book Online Page A

eagerness to believe in her innocence. Mac had sensed that Alan had more than a reporter’s interest in the woman, now he could see why.
    “It was the worst experience of my life,” Myra said in a shaky voice. “The only thing that made it bearable was knowing that the rest of the coven had been spared. I never thought I would be grate ful for a case of the stomach flu, but if Mary Beth hadn’t gotten sick the night Mr. Elkins was murdered, forcing us to cancel the ceremony, you would all have been facing that judge with me today.”
    Cassie rose from her chair, crouched down beside her mother and wrapped her arms around her, resting her head on Myra’s shoulder. “If only you had come with me and Shelly to work at the shop after we canceled the ceremony , you wouldn’t be going through this either. It’s not fair that , out of all of us, you were the only one who didn’t have someone to swear that you couldn’t have been at the meadow that night.”
    “Now, what have I always told you about dwelling on ‘if onlys ’? We’ll deal with this, baby. And I want you to stop tearing yourself up over it, okay?”
    “But I feel so responsible, Mom. I should have done something, but I didn’t know what.”
    “Sweetheart, it wasn’t your fault. What could you have done? What could any of you have done? It was something I had to deal with in my own way. Thank all that’s good in the universe that it’s over.”
    Myra’s words, meant to comfort her daughter, deepened the frown on Mac’s brow. Could these women be naive enough to believe that the ugliness was over? The woman was out on bail, for G od’s sake. Didn’t she realize she still had to stand trial?
    But then Myra’s eyes met his and the message he read in them told him that , yes, she was fully aware of the problems that lay ahead, but for these few moments she chose to pretend they no longer existed. Right now all she wanted to do was to comfort her daughter.
    Pulling away from her mother’s embrace, Cassie turned to Mac, looking at him with eyes that threatened to melt the stone hard core of his cynicism. Hope glimmered in their depths, a hope so intense he felt a stab of guilt at the thought that he might be forced to deny it.
    “I know what you’re thinking, Mac, and you’re wrong. They wouldn’t have let her out if they believed she did that horrible thing. How could they have?” She continued on before Mac could explain why the system allowed suspected criminals out of jail on bail before their trials. “And why would someone have put up that much money if they didn’t believe she was innocent? A million dollars! Whoever has that much money must have a whole lot of influence to go with it, don’t you think? Somewhere out there we have an ally and I’m going to use every o u nce of energy I posses s to influence that person to come forward and convince the judge of what he must believe himself.”
    Cassie’s mention of the mysterious donor set Mac’s thoughts on another track. A myriad of questions raced through his mind, each one vying for attention. Why would anyone have done such a thing? Who had that kind of money? Why remain anonymous? Was it someone who truly believed Myra innocent, or maybe he had some special feelings for the woman. Perhaps that was it. Being in Myra’s company for mere moments was enough for Mac to sense her unusual magnetism.
    Or could it be that Myra’s mysterious benefactor was someone who enjoyed stirring up the pot, so to speak? Could he have arranged her release simply so that he could sit back and watch the commotion it would cause?
    One thing was certai n: n o body in a town the size of Port Bellmont had that much money without having acquired a great deal of power to go with it. He’d used his influence to gain her release. How was he likely to use it next?
    Cassie looked up at Mac, a tremulous smile on her lips. “Everything’s going to be all right now, isn’t it , Mac?” Her eyes begged him to