The Power of 3

Salem – Evening, July 18, 1692.

She knew there was no way to avoid her execution in the morning but at least she had the satisfaction of knowing that of the five woman who were being hanged in the morning, she was the only ‘real’ witch, a fact that had escaped both her accusers and her executioners.

She had recorded all of their names and it would be these ‘judges’ and their descendants that would pay the price till the end of time. In the end it was the ‘judges’ who decided what would happen to them. Their decision to have them ‘all’ executed was on their heads. The ‘judges’ had not been shown any real proof or evidence of the heinous and grotesque acts that they were accused of performing, all in the name of the devil. Ridiculous. Most of these claims were false, a few were not. She would make no apologies for what she herself had done.

The rituals and practices that governed her life required items that may have been ‘grotesque’ in nature to some, but they were necessary and she would make no apologies for acquiring them by any means available to her. In the end, all eight of them had been convicted based on the statements of hysterical house wives, sick children and corrupt clergy, all of whom were ‘afraid’ of anything they didn’t understand or that threatened their way of life and position in the community. She knew the real reason behind these accusations, the one that really spawned the majority of them, was their lust for power and control over the residents of the town. Here was an opportunity for the ‘power hungry’ clergy and the ‘judges’ to capitalize on the fear of the unknown that had been nurtured in the community. The ‘judges’ were the worst and they would pay. Their families would pay. Their descendants would pay.

She had left clear instructions with her followers on how this was to be done and these instructions were to be passed down to each new generation of witches who were loyal to their coven. Justice would be done, no matter how long it took. The ancient and secret spell and the 'Power of 3" would be passed to each generation of witches ensuring that those who followed in their footsteps would complete the task.

The first on this path would be her 3 year old daughter Melissa who no one knew about. She had been hidden securely with one of her followers after the death of four year old Dorothy Good in jail. They were responsible for her education as she in turn would be responsible for the education of her off spring and other witches in her coven. She would never be allowed to forget what was about to happen to her 33 year old  mother Sarah the next morning and this story would be told till the end of time.

Chapter 1 Preview - January 16, 2025

Being the great grandson of the famous detective M.K. Cross isn't easy. There's a lot to live up to and it comes with a lot of responsibility. He was born in 1848 in London, England and I was born in 1990 in New York City but the standards he built into the ERA organization still remain at the forefront of the agency’s operations. The writing on the office door just says ERA but the Empire Research Agency still has its roots in discrete, private investigations. Confidentiality is the cornerstone of the agency. My father calls once and a while to remind me of that and to point out any areas that he felt might be slipping. "This would never have been allowed during his run as the head of the ERA agency." I believe it. I am the 5th M.K. Cross or M.K. Cross the 5th if you’re a perfectionist. My father was the 4th Meloh Khel Cross but he broke with tradition somewhat and named me Mark Kenneth Cross. Most people I deal with especially those in the police force simply call me Cross.

I am not sure how he is going to handle the agency being run by a woman in the not-too-distant future. I have had only one child (to this point) and I took no chances. I named her Margaret Kathleen Cross. Who knows what the future might bring, but for now, my 16-year-old daughter is heir apparent to the M.K. Cross ERA legacy.

This morning a couple of New York City police detectives had stopped by for a chat. I had been expecting that they would. There had been several deaths of very prominent NYC citizens over the past few months and although they had not as of yet, been classified as murders, the public demanded answers and that's when New York's finest usually dropped by.

In the afternoon, a very attractive brunette had also “dropped by” without an appointment. Our receptionist Teresa Percy, Terri to those of us who had permission to call her by that name, had been with the agency for 30 years and had been one of my fathers most trusted employee's. I saw no reason to change this when I took over a few years ago and I really didn’t mind that she still kept him updated on the daily activities of ERA. Terri could be quite forceful if the situation required it and through my open door, I could hear some elevated conversation going on the lobby. I thought I had better see what was going on and as soon as I entered the lobby, I could see I was going to make an exception. From the beginning of my conversation with the stunning and somewhat mysterious client it was clear to me that this would not be any ordinary investigation, should I choose to take the case. Of course, that's what made it so interesting to me. Something else. Her name had come up in the conversation I had had earlier in the day with New Yorks finest.