Wicked Witch Murder by Leslie Meier Read Free Book Online

said Diana, shrugging. “Now can I interest you in a protective charm? Perhaps a spell to drive the pests from your garden and help the plants to grow? I hear cutworms are a big problem this year.”
    â€œNot today, thanks,” said Lucy, shaking her head. “My garden is doing just fine. But I think you better stay away from Ike Stoughton’s daughter!”
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    Back in her car, Lucy felt uneasy as she drove on down Main Street to the Pennysaver office. She’d been a reporter for a long time now, covering the little town, and she sensed trouble ahead. Ike Stoughton and Diana Ravenscroft were polar opposites, and there was bound to be friction. Good, healthy controversy was one thing, but when emotions were running high, things could get out of control. She didn’t want to see anyone get hurt, and she certainly didn’t want Sara to get caught in the cross fire. Maybe, she thought as she parked the car in the little lot behind the office, she was overreacting. But she’d seen the body in the woods, as well as other terrible sights through the years, and she knew that ordinary people were capable of doing dreadful things to each other, especially when they were driven by the conviction that they were right.
    â€œGoodness, you look serious today,” said Phyllis when Lucy walked into the office.
    â€œI was just thinking about the body in the woods,” said Lucy. “Any news?”
    â€œNot yet,” said Phyllis. “Ted’s at the press conference. He should be back soon with some answers. In the meantime, he left this for you.” She plopped a thick sheaf of papers on her counter with a thud.
    â€œWhat am I supposed to do with this?” asked Lucy, examining what appeared to be a highly technical study of the effect of rising ocean temperatures on lobster populations.
    â€œRead it and weep,” wisecracked Phyllis. “No. Read it and recap the information for the average reader.”
    â€œI think you had it right the first time,” said Lucy, heading for her desk.
    When Ted arrived an hour or so later, she knew more than she wanted to about the sex life of lobsters.
    â€œHow’s it going?” he asked, seating himself at his desk and turning on his computer.
    â€œInconclusive,” said Lucy. “Warmer water may make the lobsters mature sooner and thus reproduce at a faster rate, or it might encourage parasites and disease, which would have a negative effect. What about the press conference?”
    â€œInconclusive,” replied Ted. “The body is male, but that’s all they’re about to say at this point. They’re checking the missing persons, have some likely matches, but nothing definite yet.”
    â€œThese things take time,” said Phyllis, “especially if they have to use DNA.”
    â€œDNA tests are expensive. The ME said that’s a last resort.”
    â€œIt’s so horrible,” said Lucy, remembering the oppressive sense of evil she’d experienced in the clearing. “Nobody should end up like that, no matter who they are.”
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    Saturday afternoon, when Lucy was picking lettuce for a salad to take to the annual neighborhood cookout, she noticed a number of newly planted tomato and pepper seedlings had fallen over and were wilting. When she took a closer look, she realized they’d been neatly nipped off at ground level. Cutworms! She’d never had a problem with them before. What was going on? Was there really a sudden infestation, and how had Diana known about it? And where had she gotten that bit about fire and screams in the night? How could she have known? It was enough to make you wonder, she thought, carrying her bowl of lettuce into the kitchen.
    Lucy had been looking forward to the cookout all week. It was a chance to catch up with the neighbors, and her son Toby, his wife, Molly, and their baby son, Patrick, would be there too. Even though the young family lived