All Chapters of The Witch's Bottle: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Monday, January 20It was one of the worst winters in recent memory. There had been some sort of snow, freezing rain and temperatures in the teens every day. The old timers called it the Demon's Breath Winter. The only people on the streets were the shoppers and those who worked. It was the gangbangers, junkies, and welfare who stayed inside. They would get cabin fever and either start killing each other or themselves."Six-three David, and a backing unit... Report of an MVA, possible fatality... The intersection of Central and Third." This was the busiest intersection in town. It was the business section, very wealthy and built up. Three and four story buildings lined both sides of the four-lane street. It had shops, eateries, delicatessens, bakeries, all throughout the five block radius. It was a favorite par

Thursday, January 23The Marine and I left the bullpen. He would now be riding with me twice a week. It made sense, being that we were both Marines, combat vets, and were definitely cut from the Keegan Cloth, as I was now calling it. I was going to let him do everything except the driving. He'd have to prove himself for that privilege. I waited for him to get situated in the passenger seat, call us in service, and then we were off to the Super Wawa across the street.It was an overcast day as the snow had not yet begun to melt. It turned black from the filth from the street. To me, it was a sign of how quickly something so pure and beautiful can become so dark and ugly.Maxine was riding with Marcello as they pulled in alongside us against the storefront. The

Monday, January 27It was a very long weekend. To stay ahead of the investigation that would surely follow, I emailed all of the photos to Super Nerd at the Town Clerk's office before wiping them from our phones. I gave him explicit instructions to show nobody, tell no one, and keep it to himself until I gave the word. Being a historic site, and what we uncovered, they could definitely be used to our advantage. Especially since it didn't directly involve a crime committed in this century. I was pretty sure any statute of limitations had expired, or that's what I'd tell IAB.Though I was not bothered by what we found, it triggered days of weeping, mood swings, and depression in Max. She slept until well after noon on Saturday. I gave her lunch in bed, held her as she wept, and caressed her as she fell back to sl

"Six-three Sergeant, ESU is requesting your presence at 113 Fifth Avenue. A hostage situation, possible shots fired... The suspect is requesting your presence."I had sent The Marine to go get our RMP as it was still running with lights and sirens half a mile down the tracks. I waited for him with Maxine. She was bent over behind her RMP, vomiting again – the third time since the chase ended. I was starting to get worried. Marcello kept giving her water and a towel after every episode. He'd become her brother. I liked him. He would protect her.Still on her knees, with her head down, she finished throwing up and pointed at me. "I'm coming with you," she said as she wiped her mouth and stood up to stretch. I kissed her on the forehead and shook my head. I saw The Marine pull up in our RMP, get out and go to the passenger side. He s

PROLOGUE She came through the door, dropping her bag and rushing into my arms. As soon as we touched, she began to cry.                 Trembling, she held me tight. Her head pressed firmly against my shoulder.                 Shushing her quickly, with gentleness, I took her to the couch and held her, caressing her hair, cheek.                 "Bad day, huh?" I was off for the first time in two weeks, Maxine taking my spot-on watch.                 "I'm okay… I just don't understand." She began to weep again, wiping her tears. I knew I didn't have to say anything, prod her in any way. I just had to let her know I was here.