THREE

"Hello," said Phoebe, answering the phone.

For a moment there didn't seem to be anyone on the line.

"I'm sorry," said a female voice. "I seem to have dialed the wrong number."

"That's okay," said Phoebe. "It happens to me all the time."

Phoebe started to put the receiver down when the woman spoke again.

"Excuse me," said the woman. "If I may ask, how long have you had this number? The only reason I'm asking is because I have it on my speed dial and I'm sure it's the right number."

"Well," said Phoebe, "it's been this number as long as I can remember. Who were you trying to reach, anyway?"

"I'm trying to reach an old friend," said the woman. "Her name is Penelope Halliwell."

"Oh, I see," said Phoebe. "Well, you do have the right number. Penny Halliwell was my grandmother."

"Was?" questioned the woman.

"Yes," said Phoebe. "I'm sorry to have to tell you but Grams passed away March 5th of last year. I guess we never realized that some of her friends weren't aware of it."

"We?" questioned the woman.

"My sisters and I," said Phoebe.

"I see," said the woman. "Tell me. Was Penny's death. . . sudden?"

"Sort of," said Phoebe. "She suffered a heart attack. The doctor said it was very quick and she didn't suffer much. We were a little surprised since she had never told us how bad her heart condition really was."

"Heart condition?" questioned the woman. "You're sure that's what it was?"

"Yes," said Phoebe confused. "Apparently she had suffered from a heart condition for a couple of years. One day it just couldn't sustain her any longer. You sound like you think it might have been something else."

"Oh, uh, well, I hadn't seen Penny in about twenty years," said the woman. "Since I moved away from San Francisco. I was just curious, that's all. Sometimes the actual cause of death can be unknown so the doctor just lists the most probably cause."

"I see," said Phoebe. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude but I need to make a very important phone call right now. If you'd like, you can give me your number and I can call you back later."

"I see," said the woman. "Could I ask just one more thing?"

"Okay," said Phoebe, wanting to get the woman off the phone so she could call Prue and let her know about the warlock.

"It might sound a bit odd," said the woman. "I was just wondering. What... religion do you and your sisters belong to?"

"Religion?" questioned Phoebe, thinking this was a very odd question indeed.

"Yes," said the woman. "It could be important."

"Actually," said Phoebe, "we belong to a religion called Wicca."

"I see," said the woman. "Are you and your sisters devout followers of your religion?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," said Phoebe. "I'm sorry, but I really need to make this phone call. It's extremely important. I'll be glad to call you back later and answer any questions you might have."

"I have no doubt the call is important," said the woman. "I think it's important that we talk as soon as possible. It could be as important as the call you need to make. A call about your visitor, I'm assuming."

Phoebe was speechless for a moment. How could this woman know about the warlock in the attic? She placed her hand over the mouthpiece and called for Piper.

"Our visitor?" Phoebe asked the woman as Piper came down the stairs.

"Yes," said the woman. "The uninvited guest you just had in the attic."

"How could you know about that?" Phoebe asked.

"It's why I need to speak with you and your sisters," said the woman. "Look, I can imagine what you're thinking right now. And if I'm correct, I might be able to help you. Penny was a very dear friend of mine. But I think there's one thing I can tell you right now that might help clear things up. Assuming you understand it."

"And just what might that be?" asked Phoebe as she held the phone so Piper could also hear what the woman was saying.

There was a slight pause at the other end of the line and then the woman said only two words.

"Blessed be," said the woman very slowly and deliberately.

"You're a witch?" Phoebe asked before she had even realized what she had asked.

"Yes," said the woman. "My name is Jessica Bishop. I live in Salem, Massachusetts. And I knew your grandmother for most of her life. We need to talk as soon as possible. I'll give you my number. Please call me as soon as you can."

Phoebe read back the number as Piper wrote it down. Then they said their goodbyes and Phoebe hung up the phone.

"I don't like it," said Piper.

"Piper, she's a witch," said Phoebe excitedly. "And she knew Grams."

"So she says," said Piper.

"She also knew about the warlock upstairs," said Phoebe. "If she's a witch, she probably has powers like ours."

"Or," said Piper, "this could be a trick by the warlock to get us to drop our guard. If she lives in Salem, how could she possibly know we had a warlock in our attic two minutes ago? She called practically as soon as he blinked out of here."

"Well, that makes sense," said Phoebe. "What do we do?"

"You go to Bucklands and get Prue," said Piper. "I'll call her and explain everything and let her know you're on your way. Then I'll start cleaning up the attic. At least I'll be here if our friend decides to pay us another unannounced visit."

"Okay," said Phoebe. "You really think this could be a trap?"

"I don't know, sweetie," said Piper. "I just know when it comes to warlocks, we can't be too careful. Go get Prue. We may need here if the warlock returns."

Phoebe headed out to the car while Piper dialed Prue's office number.