Nemesis

“A binding spell?” Savich asked.

“A binding spell,” Deliah said patiently, “is to prevent another witch from doing mischief. Otherwise, influencing someone without their consent would be unethical—abhorrent, really—to a Wiccan.”

Brakey said, “Mom, remember that time Ricky Tucker told me you were a witch and should be burned at the stake? Said it all over town?” Mrs. Alcott didn’t say anything, simply pleated the soft material of her dress. “Made me mad and I told him so, but he laughed at me, said it was true. A week later, Ricky drove his daddy’s truck into the old oak tree at Clemson Fork, broke his legs and knocked himself out. Ricky thought you did that.”

“That’s only ignorance talking, Brakey, you know that. It was an accident, pure and simple.” She said to Savich and Sherlock, “Brakey’s father and I have heard just about everything over the years. An absurd comment by a teenage boy wouldn’t concern us at all. As far as I know, Ricky’s father had nothing to say about it.”

Ms. Louisa said, “It’s true Ricky’s daddy never said much about the broken legs or the concussion, but he was real mad about the truck.” Ms. Louisa raised her eyes to Savich and gave him a big white-toothed grin. “It was totaled. He grounded Ricky for a month. Didn’t matter because Ricky was in bed with two broken legs. The truck wasn’t insured.”

Deliah said, “I think you’ll agree we’ve been very cooperative with you, Agents. We kept to Brakey’s bargain with you. My boy Liggert is the only one who couldn’t be here. He told me it was wrong not to have Eileen, our lawyer, here.”

“Liggert’s a smart boy,” the old lady said. “One thing about Liggert, he’ll always do the needful.” Ms. Louisa cocked her head to one side, stared at them, but didn’t stop knitting, the low clacking a constant rhythm. Sherlock wondered if it drove her daughter-in-law mad. It would her.

“We’re nearly done here, Mrs. Alcott,” Savich said. “I have one final question for Brakey.” He turned to Brakey, who looked back at him like a trapped deer. “I believe you when you say you have no memory of Deputy Kane Lewis’s death. We have a way to help you remember. I want you to come to Quantico with us, and our expert, Dr. Hicks, will hypnotize you. He can help you find out what happened to you, help us all find out. We can end this once and for all, Brakey.”

“He didn’t kill anyone!”

Sherlock said, “Mrs. Alcott, someone did, and the fact is Brakey had to have been there, and he has no memory of it. We need to find out, for everyone’s sake. And Brakey can tell us what happened.”

Jonah said, “That’s bull. You can probably get him to say whatever you like.”

Sherlock said to Brakey, “No, that isn’t true. Brakey, it’s not dangerous, and it’s the only way for you to get past this.”

“No!” Mrs. Alcott shook her finger at them. “No hypnotism. I will not allow you to poke around in Brakey’s unconscious mind. I forbid it. Your father would forbid it, Brakey.”

Sherlock said, “Mrs. Alcott, your son is twenty-four years old. He is an adult, he can answer for himself. Unless he helps us, we’ll have no choice but to arrest him. The preponderance of evidence is against him.”

Deliah looked like Sherlock had slapped her. She lowered her voice, pleading now, “Brakey, you don’t want to do this, you don’t have to do this. I can call Eileen, she can help you. They cannot force you to do this, do you understand?”

Brakey looked thoughtful, then straightened, squared his shoulders. “Agent Savich, I didn’t lie. If I killed Deputy Lewis, I don’t remember doing it. I need to know, you’re right about that.” Then he looked at his mother and suddenly he looked like a little boy. “I don’t want to go to jail, Mom, I don’t.”

Jonah Alcott stepped forward. “I think Brakey had some kind of fit, and maybe he killed Deputy Lewis in some kind of fugue state. If that’s what happened, they’re not going to be fair. They’ll have you signing a confession, Brakey, right then and there, and you’ll go to jail for a long time. I agree with Mom. Don’t do this.”

“Your brother’s right,” Mrs. Alcott said. She walked swiftly to her son, took his head between her hands. “Brakey, look at me. You do not want to do this.”

Brakey’s hands came up to rest on her shoulders, strong hands, Savich saw, strong enough to bring down a man, stab him in the heart. “I’ve been so scared, Mom, but more than anything I can’t stand not knowing what happened, not remembering. Now I can know. Mom, they believe I killed Deputy Lewis. You heard them, they could arrest me and convict me anyway, surely you can see that. What if they’re right?