The Rede Breaker

Chapter 17: To a woman, so Heartless

The next couple of days are a blur of research for the ongoing mystery of Anarch and my new job.

No sooner than I feel myself getting somewhere in researching Anarch and his realm of horror, Leon sends over new information for planning the demonstration. As helpful as it is, I need a break and Sierra is wise enough to see it.

I make plans with Eric and Sierra to go to the local farmer's market this morning. Eric informs us he will be working today to try and clean up some of their outstanding cases. Sierra and I take turns lecturing him about working too hard and breaking commitments.

He mocks our diatribes.

Sierra and I wake up early and head down to the Moonpetal Cafe to get coffee before walking Main Street, which has been transformed into a market with stands filled with produce.

By the time we arrive, people have swarmed most of the good stands. We shop for the better part of an hour, and it becomes apparent Sierra needs this outing just as much as I do.

We are perusing a stand of over-sized watermelons when I notice Sierra glancing at me from the other side of the stand. An elderly Hispanic man with wild grey hair watches us intently, no doubt making sure we don't run off with one of his huge watermelons.

Go figure.

"So, we haven't talked about the party." Sierra says cautiously.

"I guess not. It went okay, I guess."

Sierra and I move to the next stand where a small Russian woman offers carrots and potatoes. Sierra picks up a potato and examines it carefully.

"It was great. How did you like Audrey?"

"She's nice. When she started reciting Maya Angelou word-for-word, that's when the party really started."

"And Leon. He's a little out there. Nice guy though. And that Diego is muy caliente."

"Yeah, he's a real pip."

"And then there was the guest of the night. The star of the party. The extraordinary McDreamy himself." She says. "Can't say I'm surprised. You and the doctor of love have been making googly eyes at each other for a while. But what I saw from the window last night, he's got good bedside manner."

The tiny Russian woman laughs behind the stand. We move away from the stand and find a bench in front of an ice cream shop. She bombards me with questions about Archer, most of which I am unable to answer. The more questions she asks, the more clueless I feel about him.

"The honest answer is that I have no clue. We've barely spent time together. The most we've done is rese—kiss. I don't even know if he has siblings. Or parents. I don't know a lot about him."

"Other than he lives in the mansion, drives a BMW, has a medical degree and likes kissing you?"

"I take it you approve."

"Archer seems like a really nice guy. He withstood all our questions as well as the obvious baiting by Diego and Eric. He's pretty solid. I'm more worried about you."

"Me? What about me?"

"I can't help but feel like you're distant. And being hesitant. Maybe it's because of Ambrose."

"Ambrose?"

It perplexes me to hear her say his name. Eric and Sierra have not said his name since the spell was cast. They often refer to him in veiled terms, such as that dick or the asshole. The sound of his name on her lips is troubling.

"What about him?" I ask.

"It's no secret that since your failed relationship with that monster, you've been in deep isolation as far as love goes. You've been distant from us, too. Are you holding back from all of us because of that?"

"No."

"Have you talked to him since the party?"

Sierra has a point. We exchanged a few texts, but nothing spicy or substantial. I wrote it off as him being busy with surgery or diagnosing a runny nose.

But maybe there's more to it.

"I've been busy. I barely have time to breathe. I'm not holding back, I'm just being cautious." I say. "After what happened with...Ambrose, wouldn't you want me to?"

"Ah! So, this is about Ambrose."

"Maybe. Ambrose crossed a lot of lines with me. His actions were despicable and disgusting. He hurt people. I know Archer isn't him, but I didn't think Ambrose was bad at first either."

"Snap out of it! I really need to live vicariously through you on this one. I'm far too busy with work to date a really hot doctor right now, so I need you to tighten up."

"Thanks for your concern."

"Oh, come on! Just the drama of it all."

"What drama?"

"If you haven't noticed, Archer may need to get in line behind Diego. He's got it bad." Sierra laughs.

"God. You got that from him, too? I just thought it was Eric's handiwork."

"No, he was definitely all over Archer. It was kind of obnoxious. A good show, though. It almost makes me want to fire up the apps again."

"Maybe if you did, you wouldn't have to live vicariously through me."

We return to the farmer's market to find a crowd gathered. A coolness spreads through my body as I push my way through the crowd. Sierra calls out to me as I reach the front of the crowd to find the little Russian woman lying in a pool of her own blood.

There is a noticeable hole in her sternum where heart should be.

"Oh my God!" Sierra gasps.

The coolness circulates throughout my body as I survey the market. The murmurs of the other shoppers build as the world flickers from color to black and white. The world quickly shifts back to color as I blink.

Bystanders call the police. The police arrive in less than fifteen minutes and canvas the area. They cordon off the crime scene and move the bystanders away from the body. The detectives begin interviewing everyone present at the market.

I am relieved when Diego and Eric find us. The two act professionally as they question us about the incident. I do my best to answer their questions as truthfully as possible with my limited knowledge of the events. The truth is I didn't see anything.

No one say anything.

It is as if someone was able to murder her in broad daylight without a single person witnessing it.

Diego mentions a peculiar pendant around her neck. One of the other vendors says she wore it for protection. He jokes that it didn't do her a lot of luck.

Diego guides the vendor away from us, leaving me with Eric and Sierra. Eric announces he got a picture of the pendant and asks if I, being the resident occult professor, know what it is.

It is the Evil Eye.

"Irony." Eric says.

"It's not funny. No one deserves to have their heart ripped out. She was a nice older lady."

"Nice older ladies don't typically wear the Evil Eye around their necks." I say. "How is it possible that no one saw anything? The market was packed."

"And neither of you saw anything out of the ordinary?" Eric asks.

"No. Everything was quiet and normal. Then a lady died." I say.

"What kind of beast would do that? It's inhuman." Sierra asks.

"It reminds me of Once Upon a Time when Regina reaches into a person's chest and rips out there heart, well, with a lot more blood." Eric says.

An alarm rings in my head. The only way someone can have their heart ripped out of their chest without anyone noticing would be through magic. It could be the work of the witch, or witches, who are aiding Anarch.

The only witch I know in town is Archer.

I ask Eric to take Sierra home while I run an errand. The two are bewildered that I would want to run an errand now, of all times. I assure them I won't be long and leave Main Street.

It's time I grilled Archer about his coven.