Revenge of the Scorned Witch

It's been three weeks since I tried to put Amanda in court-ordered drug rehab, so I decided to put the wheels into motion. I had Bryan to call in for a warrant to search Amanda's house and car so he would have a legal right to arrest her. Granted, his cover would be blown with Ellis, but I can just tell him that I was sworn to secrecy so I couldn't tell anyone who he really was. Everything will be fine with him as long as Amanda gets put away. Bryan got his warrant and served it the next morning with the Ringling Police as his back up. They found the pill bottles along with some hydrocodone pills that had belonged to someone else, and then when they checked her dresser drawers, they had found fake IDs with her picture on them. I couldn't believe it when Bryan had called me and told me all about it. Amanda wasn't going to drug rehab, she was going to jail for identity theft and drugs. It was a dream come true for me. Now with her out of the way for good, it was time for me to buckle down and not lose focus.

Just like I thought, Ellis was upset about me lying to him about Bryan. But, thankfully, he was there to back me up.

"Ellis, I'm sorry, I told Joy not to tell anyone about me being an FBI agent, but you gotta understand, I was undercover doing a sting on Amanda."

"I understand that, but aren't you from California? I thought only the Oklahoma FBI could do stings here?" Ellis questioned.

"Not true," Bryan stated. "We can go anywhere, but in this case, I was brought over here to help because nobody knows me here except, of course, our girl here." He smiles at me as he puts his arm around my shoulders.

"So, I guess since you lied about being unemployed, you're not gay either?" Ellis said facetiously. I glared over at Ellis. I don't know why I was so shocked about what he had said, but before I could find my words, Bryan had already answered Ellis's question with a little class, "Ellis, my dear, believe me, I couldn't lie about being gay. I am a queen, and I'll always be a queen, but let me assure you once and for all, you are not my type, so don't worry about me hitting on you." He snapped his fingers, then walked into his bedroom. I couldn't do anything but laugh at how he had answered Ellis's question along with the look of shock once again on Ellis's face. How I love my dear friend, he can always shut someone up with just a few words. Me, I just punch them in the mouth to shut them up.

I look over to where Ellis was still standing, "Everything ok, sweetheart?" I ask sincerely. He finally comes out of his shocked state then looks over at me.

"Yes, I'm ok." He says. "He sure got me there, didn't he?" He says with a laugh even though I could hear a bit of relief in his voice.

"Yes, I guess he did, even though he could have knocked your lights out for saying such things, but anyway, I got to go to the café. Your children might want their paychecks tomorrow." I smile and pat him on the arm as I reach for my purse, which is sitting on the table next to him.

"How are they doing over there?" Ellis asks, walking out of the house with me.

"They're doing great. Actually, I got a lot of really good employees. Preston is a really good manager. He has everything running smoothly. If you haven't noticed, I don't have to show up as much." I chuckled.

"That's good because they really do enjoy their job." He says, then gives me a kiss as I get into my pickup.

The next morning, I get woken up by my phone ringing. I glance at the bright screen with one eye barely open to see Bryan's name.

"Hello?" I say as I groggily answer.

"Hey, good, you're up." He replies happily.

"The only reason I'm up is because you woke me up." I snap a little meaner than planned.

"Sorry about that, but I got some great news, and I need you up and dressed. I'll be there in a minute to pick you up." Bryan exclaims. "Just trust me, this is good news for you, so don't argue. I'll be there soon." He then hangs up before I can even get a word in edgewise. I figured that since he woke me up, he could wait on me, so I jumped in the shower, hoping that it would wake me up a little bit. As I'm throwing on some clothes, I hear Bryan's pickup pull up outside. I let out a little grown since I hadn't even had a chance to have my morning coffee. This news better be really good, or he will probably regret it. He should know by now I don't do business without having my morning coffee first. When I answer the door, I realized how well Bryan does know me and my quirks, because as he stands before me, he is holding two cups of coffee from my café. I had to give a little laugh as I pulled the door open farther to let him come in. "Peace offering for waking you up so early." He says as he hands the coffee over. "You got some great employees working for you over there. Customers are happy, and the place looks great."

"I know, hiring Preston as the manager was a great idea. He knows how to draw in that younger crowd." I laugh.

"So, you need to have a seat." He says, gesturing at the couch. I oblige him and take a seat while sipping my coffee.

"Ok, I sat. Now tell me, what's the big news!?" I exclaim.

"Amanda is going to be sent to prison for fraud. I thought you might like a front seat in the courtroom this morning." Bryan announced.

"What are we doing sitting here? Let's go." I say as I jump up and head for his pickup. We make it to the courthouse in Ardmore just in time for Amanda's court appearance. I try to sit close enough to record the trial. We sit quietly while we listen to the attorneys make their case. Finally, it is time for the judge to make her decision. I hold my breath until I hear the words "Ten years in prison for fraud."

We couldn't believe it. The judge had given her the maximum amount of years. I reached over to Bryan and gave him a giant hug.

"You did it! Thank you so much!" I exclaim quietly.

"I didn't do it all by myself, you helped," Bryan whispers back. After court let out, we went to IHOP to have some breakfast and to discuss what was next on my long to-do list.

"Well, first of all, we need to get those fingerprints back that we took off the rifles and the other things we found in Ellis's other home," I mentioned.

"I can make some calls to see if they could speed things up." Bryan offered.

"That would be great," I say. "I'm going to start working on a little spell to give Ellis some nightmares, along with a drink to make him think he is seeing spirits everywhere." I laugh, which comes out almost like a cackle. When we arrive back at the house, Ellis is getting into his pickup to leave for work until he sees us pull into my driveway. He struts over, looking upset.

"Hey, I tried knocking on your door and calling you. Where have you been so early?" He demanded.

I jumped out of Bryan's pickup, walked over to Ellis, and looked at him straight in his eyes, then I say, "First of all, don't you dare demand that I tell you where I've been. I'm not your wife. Secondly, I never ask you to tell me where you're going or where you've been." I unlock my front door then slam it in his face, leaving Bryan sitting in his pickup.

"What's her deal?" Ellis asks, looking at Bryan.

"Really, you haven't figured it out by now?" He says, shaking his head.

"Joy doesn't like people telling her what to do, let alone trying to control her, she is her own woman."

"Well, I didn't mean to sound bossy, I'm just worried about her, that's it." Ellis whines.

"That isn't what it sounded like. The way you made it sound was that you were pissed because she left without telling you." Bryan explains.

"You know what? She can take it however she wants to." Ellis mumbles and walks into his own house.

I'm sitting at the table working on my spells when Bryan walks through the door, shaking his head.

"Now I see why you left him." He says more to himself than to me. I just glance up then look back down, not even acknowledging what he had said, but at the same time, something came over me, and I started screaming, "Why am I doing this, torturing myself with his bullshit all over again, why?" I get up from the table to flop myself on my big comfy couch.

Bryan comes over and sits next to me. "Because you are a strong woman who doesn't want him treating not only your daughters like shit but any woman he comes in contact with. He is a contemptible man who gets off on hurting women, and you're going to stop him." He said comfortingly.

I know Bryan is right, and with a new surge of energy, I go back to the table to rework the spells from before, making them stronger, more powerful.