Page 98 of The Witch

As for his relationship with Molly, the more I think on it, the more I feel certain I imagined the intimacy between them. It is not surprising he would seek kind words from our housemaid during this troubling time, but I no longer believe there was more to it than that. After all, if Molly were with child for long enough to strain her seams, then Archie must have lain with her long before any accusations of witchcraft. Surely, he would not have done such a thing.

When I lived at Pemberton, that knocker on the door used to be a comfort to me. The bear was my protector, keeping me safe from intruders. But now, I am the intruder, and the idea of the bear that guards the entrance fills my heart with dread.

Jonas and I crouch in the underbrush by the house. His eyes are sharp and shrewd as he looks at the front door. “Do you want me to come with you?” he asks.

“I do not.”

“For safety,” he adds.

“I will be safe in my own home,” I point out.

“Will you?”

“If you come with me, Archie will surely be roused from sleep. I will be but a minute.”

Jonas looks uncertain, but he finally nods and agrees.

He stays behind as I creep down the walkway to our front door. I check one of the windows as I pass by, assuring myself that the house is dark within—Archie and Molly are both deep in slumber. Then I pick up a stone and use it to break one of the panes of glass on the window. I reach in and unlatch the window from the inside, then pull it outward on its hinge. Just as I begin to climb through the opening, I hear a rustling in the bushes.

“Jonas?” I whisper.

There is no answer, but the rustling grows louder. My breath hitches—are there truly evil forces out tonight? Are they coming for me?

Just as I am about to abandon my plan and run the other way, the familiar dark figure emerges from the bushes. My heart slows, fear replaced with joy. “Gideon!”

The black cat nuzzles against me. I am so glad to see him that I pick him up and cuddle him in my arms, even though he detests it. When I put him down, he looks up at me hopefully and lets out a plaintive meow.

“You almost got me in a lot of trouble!” I scold him.

Gideon blinks his yellow eyes.

“But I reckon it is not your fault,” I say. “Witch’s teat indeed!”

He lets out another meow and nuzzles his wet nose against my hand.

“I will see if I can find you some food inside,” I promise him.

Now that I know there is no one lurking in the bushes, I slip Gideon through the open window and climb in after him.

My feet land with a dull thud on the floor of my old home, and I take a moment to inhale the familiar scents of broth and lye and cornmeal. I would love to warm myself at the hearth, but there is no time for that. Archie keeps a quantity of money in the parlor, locked in a desk drawer. It will be a simple matter to take these coins and flee.

However, my first stop is the kitchen. It is not as well stocked as when I was living here, but I manage to scrounge up a bit of cheese, and I put it on the floor for Gideon. He must be famished, because he gobbles it up. I wonder if anyone else has been feeding him in my absence—likely not. But I reckon he knows how to catch mice and birds.

The floorboards creak under my feet as I tiptoe into the parlor. Archie’s desk is in the corner of the room, and I slip across as quietly as I can. The drawer where he keeps his money is the bottom right. Naturally, he keeps it locked, but I also know where he keeps the key: in a copy of the Geneva Bible in the bookcase next to the drawer.

I slide the Bible out of the bookcase with the tip of my finger. I flip through until I get to Proverbs, and this is where I locate the key.

I put down the copy of the Bible and turn back to the desk. I start to fit the key into the lock when something stops me and makes my blood run cold.

It is a woman’s scream.

72

PRESENT DAY

JULIA

After discovering those muddy footprints, I tossed and turned for the next two hours. I finally passed out and then woke up in a cold sweat after the sun had come up. The first thing I did was check to see if the prints were still outside my door, and I felt slightly ill when I saw they had vanished. The second thing I did was check my phone and realize I had less than half an hour to shower and pull myself together before Dixon arrived.