Page 92 of You'll Be Sorry

Another bright smile. Raquel wasn’t fooled for an instant. She knew a gossip hound when she saw one. Speaking of which, Mr. Man bustled over to greet the newcomer enthusiastically. Or steal the treat.

“Sounds like there were all sorts of happenings around town,” Betty continued now, patting the dog on the head. “Word on the street is the fire department deployed on another recovery mission. Thought I might see their vehicles here, given how things’ve been going. But looks like they’re farther up the road.”

Apparently, there was no getting around this visit. Then again, two could play at the information game. Raquel ushered the woman in.

The battered old journal was in full view on the dining room table. At this point, it hardly mattered. Theo had swept up the shattered light bulb and put the living room to rights by the time she and the dog had returned last night. Unfortunately the diary, already barely intact, had split into several pieces.

Theo had retrieved each chunk of papers. Now Raquel was working on reassembly, mostly to keep herself busy while she awaited anupdate from Chief Grady. Last night, the police chief had sworn her to secrecy, not that there was much to tell. To Betty’s point, their mysterious stray dog discovering mysterious human bones was becoming an all-too-common occurrence.

Theo appeared, flashing his trademark grin. The older woman feigned swooning. He laughed, taking the bread, then hanging up her coat and promising her a cup of coffee, two sugars, no cream. At least one of them felt up to playing well with others.

Raquel was tired and anxious and preoccupied. She, Theo, and the dog had spent the rest of the night huddled on the sofa in front of a roaring fire. Theo had held her tight and whispered reassuring words of nonsense. She’d stared at the flames and shuddered uncontrollably.

“Knew you had it!” Betty exclaimed now, crossing over to the journal’s earthly remains. “When Mason came back in and demanded to know where I’d shelved it…Well played, my dear, well played. So what have you learned?”

Raquel shrugged.

“Come now, you show me yours, I’ll show you mine.”

“You go first.”

Betty practically clapped her hands in glee. Just then, Theo returned with a steaming mug of coffee. Betty accepted it gracefully, turning to include him in the conversation.

“This town has a legend…of witches!” The old woman raised her voice dramatically at the final word.

“I knew it!” Theo was already all in.

So this is what Betty and Mason had been dancing around yesterday afternoon.

“One winter, a mysterious young woman appeared, half frozen, nearly starving. The villagers offered her food and shelter. In return, she assisted the elderly, administered to the sick, and tended childbirths. Except then…babies started dying.

“You know how these things go—they blamed the outsider. She must be a witch. To test that theory, they tied rocks around her waist and prepared to throw her into an icy pond. Right before they tipped her in, however, the young woman uttered a curse. She was not a witch, but as they had made her suffer, so they would suffer, losing one child every year. And that, they say, is exactly what happened.”

“You think this diary proves a real-world basis for the story,” Raquel filled in. “An account of the five infant deaths that inflamed the towns’ sensibilities and led to a young woman’s murder.”

“Exactly.” Betty set down her mug, gazing at the battered pages. “I believe this ledger, even in its current state of disrepair, might be one of the single most important historic documents for this town. I can understand anyone with an ounce of curiosity wanting to borrow it.” She gave Raquel a smile. “But I must ask for it back.”

Raquel considered the woman. Then: “No.”

For the first time, Betty appeared flustered. For that matter, so did Theo. “But if it’s part of Shereford’s history,” he began.

“It’s property of the historical society!” Betty interjected more forcefully.

“Prove it.” Then, when Betty continued to gape at her: “Do you know the name of the journal owner? Do you absolutely, positively know her place in this town?”

“Well…I mean…These are things to be determined.”

“Which is exactly what I’m doing.”

“You’re doing?”

“Yes. I’ve already learned her name.” Kind of. “I’m tracing her origins.”

Betty, no longer so amused. “You’re an outsider—”

“So was she. At least that’s what you’re positing. Besides, according to your theory, the most important accounts would be the entries of the previously unrecorded infants. Those records are all part of themidwife’s medical ledger, now in the custody of the state police. Take your fight to them.”

Betty appeared genuinely appalled. Theo, God bless him, had subtly shifted until he stood next to Raquel. United front. He had her back; he always had her back.