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Evan walked to the home of Father Lausse on the other side of town. The priest's home was fancy by town standards. It had a small front and back yard. A narrow brick walkway led up to the black front door from the snowy street. Black shutters clung to the house in stark relief against the white shingles that covered the structure. Gray smoke curled slowly out of the chimney and hung over the house in the blue sky.

Evan rapped the doorknocker several times and the front door opened. There in the doorway stood Evan's friend, Rene Lausse. He was much older than Evan remembered but the smile that greeted him and the kind blue eyes Evan knew as well as he knew himself.

"Evan Pierce!" Lausse said with amazement. "This is a surprise. Come in, come in."

Evan entered as the retired priest shook his hand.

"What brings you to Martingis?" said Lausse as he closed the door. Then he snapped his fingers in realization. "It's about the witch isn't it?"

"Actually, yes," admitted Evan.

"Then let's go into the study where we can talk comfortably," said Lausse.

The study was a large, well-appointed room. A Moorish rug covered the floor and several wing back chairs set in a semi-circle were placed in front of the fireplace. Against one of the short walls was a bookcase containing the tomes Father Lausse had managed to collect in his 60 years. On the other walls were tapestries in muted colors showing geometric shapes.

Evan warmed himself briefly in front of the crackling fire then sat down. As he settled into a chair he asked, "What's been going on in town?"

"The town has been quiet until Jean Colonie was recalled by His Grace, and Pierre Bourgogne was appointed as a new town manager."

"Why is that a problem, is Bourgogne corrupt?"

"No," said Lausse. "But he stopped attending church after marrying Claudette Prouvaire. She was a child of a dark mage, one of those we helped to capture. Some say, it was her doing and that she is the witch because shortly after their wedding, the crops of the local farmers failed."

"Have you asked him why he stopped attending church?" said Evan.

"Yes. He claims that his wife has been sick these last few months and needs as much attention as he can give her."

"Has she seen a healer?"

Lausse smiled. "My boy, you have been away too long. We have no healers in Martingis."

"A midwife then."

"Yes, Claudette has a midwife, I believe, but she remains bedridden."

"So then despite the rumors, she is not likely to be the witch if she is bedridden," Evan said. "Unless she's faking her condition."

"True."

Lausse commented no further so Evan continued, "And what about the other children?"

"There are strange stories involving all of them."

"For instance?"

"Well," Lausse began, "Andrea Chaveny, the vintner, is said to have captured the children for their blood. They say she mixes it with Chaveny's wine to give it that extra dark, red color.