Hunting Witches by Jeffery X Martin Read Free Book Online Page A

Keep.
    “Are you grocery hunting too, Sarah?” Nika asked. “I didn’t see you pushing a cart.”
    “No, I’m just here,” Sarah shrugged. “Everybody goes to The Store.”
    “How come you don’t go to Bell Plains? There are actual malls there to hang out in.”
    Sarah looked genuinely surprised at the prospect. “And leave town? Why?”
    Nika had no response. She was becoming pretty fond of Elders Keep herself.
    “Does your husband work in Bell Plains? Most husbands do, I find,” Sarah said.
    “Yeah, he does,” Nika said. They were wandering through the frozen foods. Nika was half-heartedly looking for peas, distracted by the conversation. She hadn’t spoken with anyone but Mark and that odd real estate agent since the move. “Are you married?”
    “My husband’s a dentist,” Sarah said. “He has an office downtown. Your teeth are pretty, though. Bright. You probably don’t need to see him.”
    “Well, if I need a dentist, I’ll be sure to book an appointment with him.” Nika reached into the freezer and brought out a bag of mixed vegetables. Some soup might be good for a chilly night.
    “You don’t know anybody in town, do you? Ain’t made a friend yet.”
    Nika stared. This was a kind of straightforwardness she wasn’t used to. Yet, there was no malice in her voice, no edge of mocking or intimidation on her face. It was an honest question. Nika figured it deserved an honest answer.
    “No, Sarah, I haven’t. I’ve been putting together my house and haven’t had a whole lot of time to get out.”
    Sarah touched Nika’s cart. “Check out. Check out and let’s go get some coffee. You want to? I want to. Come on! I’ll pay. It will be fun!”
    Don’t talk to strangers. Strangers are friends you haven’t met yet.
    Oh, the mixed messages of adolescence, and how they carry over into adulthood. Nika weighed her options carefully. Sarah was aggressive when it came to continuing a conversation, but Nika did not think she was going to pull a chloroform-soaked rag out of her purse and drag her away to a van with blacked-out windows. Sarah may have been excitable and a little flighty, but Nika didn’t sense any danger from the woman.
    “You know what?” Nika said. “That sounds good. Make you a deal. Let me go home and get everything put away, and I’ll meet you at The Meal Worm in, like, an hour?”
    Sarah bounced up and down on the balls of her feet. “It’s a deal!” she squealed. “See you there!” Then she was gone, scurrying towards the doors like a kindergartner towards the playground at recess.
    Nika hadn’t expected to enjoy hanging out with Sarah, but they became fast friends. After the first time they went out for coffee, they did it twice more that week. Nika found Sarah to be engaging and bright, and they shared interests in gardening and classic rock. They became Facebook friends, and began to message each other at night during their favorite television shows.
    “We should bring the husbands into this,” Sarah said one afternoon after a pot of coffee and some chocolate peanut butter pie at The Meal Worm. “Let’s have a double date.”
    “That would be fun!” Nika said, smiling. “Mark goes to work, comes home, eats dinner and then helps me decorate.”
    “Are you not moved in yet?”
    “Almost there,” Nika said. “Still some work left to do in the basement, then we’ll be set.”
    “Cool,” Sarah said. “Take a night off with Mike and me. We’ll go someplace fancy. Dress up and stuff. Maybe over in Bell Plains! It will be a small road trip, a nice dinner, maybe we’ll get on the Ferris Wheel! What do you think?”
    Nika nodded. “Sounds good to me! When do you want to go?”
    “Let’s do it tonight!” Sarah said. “Why wait? I know Mike won’t mind not cooking.”
    “I’m sure I can talk Mark into an evening out. He’s been working so hard at his new job.”
    Sarah clapped, like a little girl served a second piece of birthday cake. “Does Mark