Witch of Embers

Part 3

"That's pretty grisly stuff, right?" Rebecca asked Pluto. Pluto only meowed in response.

While supported by her interviews and research, most of that description was based on Rebecca's own imagination. It was hard to find a reliable source, as with most urban legends. But this one came with reams of evidence for her to sort through.

There were photos and articles talking about the Pullman fire from when it happened. There were interviews from the time and lists of victims and survivors. There was even some black-and-white footage from the local news station.

It made her cautious, having so much evidence and such vocal interviewees. She didn't want this to end up like Mrs. Kline all over again.

Her interviews so far had been drama-free and her video was almost complete, which made Rebecca hopeful. She pulled several photos and clips of the newsprint coverage and the smoldering building to intercut with her narration of the event. Her creation thus far was absolutely compelling. Perhaps it would overtake the Kline video.

Unfortunately, the star of the show was missing from all of these footage and photographs. There was no photo evidence of the Witch of Embers at the scene of her crime.

So Rebecca was pushing herself to track down an eyewitness account.

Bishop allegedly came back in 1952 and less than a century had passed between her return and Rebecca's attempt to cover it. She figured there would be someone in the town who remembered that day—perhaps even someone who was there at the factory. If not that, perhaps someone who read about it in the newspapers or heard gossip about it.

This video had the makings of being one of the best-performing ones Rebecca had ever done because it could be the most true.

Everyone she'd spoken to in Grover seemed to absolutely believe in the tale they shared and the tale never wavered between her interviews. She'd yet to find anyone who said it was false or exaggerated.

There was a nagging feeling in the back of her head that said this story could be real.

Her interviews in Grover had been odd. They leaned in and spoke directly to Rebecca, not to the camera, and told their tale as if they were sharing a deep, personal secret. They were completely sincere.

That was true of most of the several people around town who agreed to go on camera. None of them had been around at the time of the Witch of Embers' return, but all heard and believed in the story and could recite it from memory.

All were enthusiastic to speak to Rebecca and her viewers. Except one.

She was a caretaker in the cemetery. The woman was in her late 70s and could remember her parents talking about the factory fire. As a source, she was upfront about Bishop's demise and the rumors surrounding her death. She seemed eager and forthcoming with those questions.

But she physically stepped back when Rebecca asked about Bishop's return.

"That's not for me to talk about," she'd said. Instead, she'd given her the name of a woman who'd been at the factory when it burned. Martha Corey. Rebecca had a meeting scheduled with her the next day but wanted to write what she could and review what she'd written about the factory fire.

Satisfied she'd done all the work she could that night, Rebecca neatly stacked the pages she'd written so far and cradled Pluto in her arms, setting her at the foot of the hotel bed while her owner retired beneath the sheets.