Page 111 of The Witch

“You’re not going to kill anyone I care about ever again,” Gram says to the unconscious woman.

Then she spits on her.

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1692

CAROLINE

Goodbye, Caroline,” Archie whispers in my ear. “Of all of the maidens whose souls I claimed, you have always been my favorite…”

I close my eyes, preparing for the Lord to take me. I am ready. I have been ready all my life, waiting for this day.

But before God can claim my soul, a loud bang jolts my eyes open. I behold my husband’s face before me, his mouth exploded into a burst of dark red. It takes me a moment to recognize that Archie has been shot.

His grip on my throat loosens immediately. The moment before he drops, his eyes fill with confusion. I scramble away from him, my ears still ringing from the gunshot. I manage to get out from under him a moment before he collapses to the floor.

I am breathing hard and coughing. I take big grateful gulps of air as I hug my knees to my chest. I raise my eyes to find Jonas standing at the entrance to the room, Deputy Strickland’s musket in his right hand.

“I grew weary of waiting outside,” he says simply.

Jonas gives me some time to recover from the shock. Although how will I ever recover from such a thing? I will not.

Unfortunately, we cannot dally much longer. We have precious little time before the sun rises in the sky. We must decide what to do next.

We retire to the parlor, because I cannot bear to be near Molly—with her blue lips and the curve of the babe within her—and Archie, with the hole in the middle of his face. Jonas and I sit together at the table in the kitchen, a candle between us. He wears a grave expression on his face.

“We should fetch the sheriff,” I say. “If Archie is the one who killed those girls, then your name will be cleared. You will regain your freedom.”

Jonas rubs his beard. “And you believe they will take the word of a convicted witch and a suspected killer?”

“We found him strangling Molly!”

“Only you saw that,” he points out. “The sheriff might decide we killed them both.”

“But—”

“What leads you to believe that justice will be served in Woodhaven?” Jonas gives me a hard look. “If we stay here, we will both be hanged.”

He is correct. The sheriff will never believe our story. And even if he does, we are still guilty of burning down the jailhouse with the deputy inside.

“What do you suggest we do then?” I ask.

Jonas casts a look at the stairwell leading to the second floor. “Nobody knows they are dead. Only you and me.”

“Yes,” I agree uncertainly.

“So,” he continues, “what if they are not dead?”

I shake my head in confusion. “They are dead, Jonas. Archie has a hole in his face.”

“Nay,” he says, “we are dead. We burned to death in the fire. But Archie Eldridge and Molly Howe are still alive. As far as anyone knows.”

“I see…”

“What if…?” The candle flickers, and for a moment, Jonas’s eyes look orange, like a cat’s. “What if Archie and Molly decided to leave town, to escape from the shame of Archie’s wife being found guilty of witchcraft? And of course, they would be wed, since Archie is no longer married. Then when they get far enough away, they send a messenger back to Woodhaven with word that they will be gone for a while—a long while—and not to worry.”

“And what,” I begin, “would Archie and Molly do once they leave Woodhaven?”