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The beach beside town hall, Gabi noted to herself.
Gods—Katrinawas the killer. Gabi struggled to process it, but the coven had seen manicured fingernails and a blonde, slim woman. That fit. Plus, the faked witness statement. Katrina could have easily warned them to change his statement once she’d seen Joy in the cells.
And the witchcraft Gabi had sensed, which the coven had confirmed was odd and unusual... Katrina was new to town. She could have any sort of witchcraft.
Fuck, she’d been so close to Joy… Gabi’s blood boiled, but she ground her teeth and made herself pay attention to Neil.
“She grabbed me. She made it look natural, friendly, but the grip she had on my arm … I couldn’t shake her off. She said if I drew attention to us, she’d kill everyone I loved.”
“You went with her?” Joy gasped, her hand pressed to her chest. In the doorway, Gus was pale with horror.
“I tried to run,” Neil said, his voice turning weary when he looked at Joy. “I wanted to get to the phone in the nature reserve, but I should have kept running. I only boxed myself in. She caught me easily, as strong as she is.”
Neil shook his head, hands shaking above the pale sheets—anger, Gabi thought, not fright. “I should have known something was wrong when she first spoke to me. I’d seen her around the community centre—that’s how she knew me, because she took an exercise class there and I taught on the same evenings—”
“Neil,” Gabi interrupted. Her heart beat as fast as hummingbird wings. “Paulina’s assistant, Katrina, is the woman who attacked you?”
A witch from Europe, that’s what Mrs. Nazari had said. Katrina was German. Gabi was already whipping her phone from her pocket and navigating to Google to type in ‘German witches’, which brought up a hundred pages about ancient witch trials.
“Yes,” Neil answered confidently, swearing when he swayed without warning. Joy rushed over to support him and helped prop him back against the pillows.
“Be careful,” she murmured to him. Gabi didn’t understand how she could be caring and fussing this way, when all Gabi wanted to do was run out the door and arrest Katrina.
She narrowed the web search by adding ‘kills the naughty’ and after scrolling through the top five hits, she paused.
Stilled.
Once thought of as a Goddess,Perchta lives in the snowy mountains and cold valleys … watches over the good children and punishes the bad … can appear beautiful, white as ice, or old, haggard, and monstrous … sometimes the leader of the Wild Hunt … she knew who had behaved and left them a silver coin, but if anyone misbehaved, she would slit their bellies open and stuff them with straw and rubbish and vile things … marking them as bad, naughty…
Gabi speed-readthe stories of Frau Perchta, also known as Berchta, Perahta, Frau Faste, and Kvaternica. That last one … it was so damn similar toKatrina. Mrs. Nazari said she’d twisted her name.
It all fit.
Gabi took a pen and legal pad from her satchel and thrust them at Neil. “Write downexactlywhat happened to you. I’ll be back later to collect your statement.”
She paused, near the door, her body like a coiled spring. “Normally, I’d ask a witch to stand at your door in case you’re in danger, but since Paulina is a suspect in this too, I’d rather not trust anyone in her coven.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m sure I’ll be fine,” he said with an ill-advised shrug. “Who’s going to hurt me in a hospital?”
Gabi frowned, contemplating. She couldn’t leave him vulnerable. It didn’t sit right.
“My aunt has a gun and strong elven magic. I’ll ask her to guard you.” She was already pulling out her phone. “You’ll be safe.”
She left the room before he could delay her any longer.
“You’re not serious,” Gus said, catching up to her, Joy on his heels. “The waif-y blonde woman from the front desk?She’sthe killer?”
“It all fits. It’s her.” Gabi didn’t hear his reply, already phoning her aunt. When she readily agreed to guard Neil, Gabi rushed out her thanks and slid the phone back into her pocket, feeling steady, feeling scared.
She knew who the killer was. She could catch her and stop her hurting anyone else. But she had to confront this cruel witch herself.
With temperamental elven magic that was nothing to write home about—and a baton. Why hadn’t she applied for a taser?
Because she’d naively thought she wouldn’t be walking into a life-or-death situation in her first week.
“Gabi.” Joy’s hand slid into her palm, squeezing. “Are you okay?”
“Of course,” she lied, fooling nobody. “Just thinking.”
