Free Putting on the Witch by Joyce and Jim Lavene Page A

many cases had I sat through, half asleep in many instances, listening as Joe droned on about what he’d done and why they couldn’t find the killer they were looking for? I almost had the mind of a homicide detective after so many years.
    I looked at Abdon. He was certainly powerful enough to kill Makaleigh, but then so were the other members of the council. Yet with all of them at half magic, which was placed on everyone in the castle including the Fullers, even Elsie and I could probably have killed her. That made it possible that anyone here could be guilty.
    â€œExcept the killer would be at half strength too,” Dorothy echoed my thoughts as I used her as my sounding board.
    â€œThat’s true,” I had to agree. It wasn’t going to be as easy to solve Makaleigh’s murder as I thought.
    â€œSince we are pretty sure we know why she was killed,” Elsie added, “all we have to do is figure out which of thewitches had the most to lose by her instituting the new plan to take away the penalties for non-witches finding out about magic.”
    Dorothy laughed. “You wouldn’t want to say that five times fast!”
    Brian commended her. “You are on the ball, Red. Are you taking new vitamins or something?”
    â€œIt’s love.” Elsie sniffed and put her handkerchief to her nose. “Something in here is making me allergic.” She sneezed a few times.
    â€œGirls, we should get out of here.” Olivia’s voice was like a tiny chirping sound when she spoke. What she said made sense, but it was harsh on my ears. “I’m kind of nervous being surrounded by a bunch of angry witches, not to mention all this talk about the witchfinder and all.”
    Dorothy pointed out that we would be even more noticeable if we tried to leave. “We’re squished in here like sardines. We can’t even move without hitting someone. This is mob mentality. We have to be careful.”
    Elsie, Brian and I quietly agreed.
    â€œJust be patient,” I whispered, staring into the two dots that were her pretty gray eyes in the bracelet. “We’ll get out of here soon.”
    The two dots blinked—a little weird—and she started to say something else. Dorothy quickly put her hand across the metal, silencing her mother.
    Abdon was holding out his hands for silence again. “My good friends, this is a terrible tragedy, but calling the witchfinder is no easy task, nor is it something we do lightly. We should explore all possibilities before that dread solution. Thanks to an immediate response by council member Erinna Coptus, no one has left or entered the castle since Makaleigh’s death.”
    That made everyone start talking again. The room buzzed with it, and the sound carried from the outer areas.Not all the hundreds of witches present could fit in the pink sitting room.
    â€œAre you saying that we’re prisoners here, Abdon?” a stout witch with a pointed white beard asked in a tone of pompous disbelief.
    â€œCalm yourself, Sir Hardsley,” Erinna said. “The spell only lasts for twenty-four hours. I’m sure that will be enough time to find Makaleigh’s killer.”
    â€œI suggest we all adjourn to the main hall again,” Abdon said. “We will quickly start conducting interviews of each and every witch present. The killer is still here in the castle. It won’t take long to choose the guilty witch.”
    His emphasis on the word “choose” made me nervous. Killers weren’t chosen in my experience. They were carefully discovered by unraveling their actions and the facts of the case.
    â€œWho’s going to be responsible for that?” Owen Graybeard, another member of the council, asked. “You, Abdon?”
    â€œI’m not sure,” Abdon admitted. “Perhaps the members of the Grand Council should sit together in judgment on this. That might be a better response than calling