“She was walking like a woman. Men clomp around,” said Karen.
“Some men walk delicately,” said Paws.
“It was a woman. Not small, either. Like, she was tall. I recognized a kindred spirit,” said Mrs. Goodkeep. She had her broom with her and now she hoisted it over her shoulder, though what point she thought she was making I couldn’t tell. Nor did I care.
“I wish one of us had gotten a look at her. Did she leave anything?” I asked.
“Like a gift?” said Greer.
“Or a note. Maybe a threat,” I speculated.
“No, not that we saw,” said Mr. Bone.
“What’d I miss? You ladies better not have been attacked,” said Tank.
“I’m not sure what just happened,” I said, “and I don’t have the energy to figure it out tonight. Maybe in the morning.” I let out one big yawn.
The situation around Mintwood was heating up. Pretty soon this case would be solved. I was sure of it.
Chapter Seventeen
The next morning I got up early and left the farmhouse. Charlie had already gone to work, and even Greer had to go in early to help clean the bar. I wanted to get out of the house and check on Cesar earlier than was ideal for him, but it couldn’t be helped. Then I’d to the Daily Brew, grab a coffee, and see if I could visit with Liam for a bit. It had been a while since I’d seen him, and we were overdue to catch up.
He was very busy preparing for his big life changes. Bridget was trying desperately to gather enough secondhand clothing to run a business out of part of the Bright Lights Cinema space. Acting as the business’s part owner and consultant, Liam would be busier than ever. His eye for stylish clothes was more sought after than it had been when he’d started the Twinkle Costume Shop. His mother now helped out regularly at both places. Mintwood was hopping.
The Twinkle Costume Shop had just opened when I arrived. The bell rang as I entered the store. No one was on the sales floor, but I could hear voices in the back.
“Liam? I brought you coffee,” I called out.
Liam came speed walking out of the back room. “You are my favorite person in the whole world,” he said with a smile, holding out his hands for the coffee.
“I know. Let’s not tell Greer. She’ll be jealous,” I said with a grin.
“Right. Wouldn’t want to hurt the girl’s feelings,” said Liam with a wink.
“How are you? It’s been too long,” I said, sitting down in one of the chairs he had placed along the wall.
Liam boosted himself up onto the counter as usual. Normally he kept the counter meticulously clean and uncluttered, but this time there was a stack of thick binders next to the cash register. My friend took a long sip of coffee. Up close he looked more tired than I had ever seen him.
“Yes,” he said, “sorry I’ve been so busy. I knew how hard it was to open a store because I had done it with this one, but I didn’t really know how hard it was to open a store when you already had one going.” He smiled ruefully.
“We’ve been pretty busy ourselves,” I told him.
“I see from Charlie’s recent articles that the three of you are looking into the body that was found at the new development,” he said.
“Yes, we have been. Unfortunately, until recently we haven’t been making much headway,” I said.
“What does Jasper think of all of it? How are you two doing?” he asked. He brushed at his hair and I realized that somehow he’d gotten some glitter in it, probably from one of the more flamboyant dresses he liked to stock.
“You always want the juicy gossip,” I said with a smile.
“Of course I do. You know me,” he said.
“He isn’t thrilled about the body. Of course he said that somebody died. It also brings a work disaster down on his head right when he’d just been promoted. I think that’s why he wanted my help,” I said.
“I know from firsthand experience that problems are easier to solve when you’re in someone’s corner,” said Liam.
“Thanks for that,” I said.
“Now you’ve told me how Jasper is doing publicly. What about privately? How are you two doing?” he asked.
“Oh, that,” I said. “Has there been some drama?”
I was trying to joke, but I knew my friend could see through me. The Jasper stuff had been hurting, and I was relieved to talk about it with someone who might have some new insights. Charlie and Greer were always understanding, but maybe Liam, being a guy, would have a different slant on things. Also, given my love of gossip, I was perfectly happy to tell as many people as I was comfortable with about Jasper.
“It’s been hard and very confusing,” I admitted. “I think he wants to be with me, but something is stopping him, and I’m pretty sure it’s his grandfather. His grandfather never liked my family. My grandmother always ordered me to stay away from the Wolfs, and I have a feeling Jasper’s grandfather told him the same thing,” I explained.
“I guess that would make it pretty clear why there are problems. What do you think has changed? You two were dating, and now he’s not sure?” Liam asked.
“That’s the thing I don’t really understand. We were fine, but I do know that something changed. It must have, but I don’t have a clue what it could have been. Hopefully Jasper will tell me soon; the situation is getting harder to take as time goes on. I thought that if I gave Jasper some space and helped him out with this mystery, it would help,” I explained.
“I’m sure he appreciates your help. How could he not? Also, given your excellent track record of nosiness, I’m sure you’ll figure this out,” said Liam.
“I hope he does appreciate it,” I said. “Anyway, tell me about you.”
“I don’t have much of a life. I’m mostly either here or at Bright Lights. Have to say though, Bridget is amazing. She’s brilliant. She really has one of the best eyes I’ve ever seen. She will make a great store owner. With some practice she might even become a designer herself one day,” he said.
“I didn’t realize she was that good,” I said.
Liam chuckled. “I didn’t either.”
We chatted for a while longer. We were just having a debate about which was our favorite muffin at the Daily Brew when I saw a woman walk past the window, moving slowly. At first I didn’t recognize her, then I realized that it was Ms. Vertigo. I had never seen her on the main street of Mintwood before, which was probably why I took notice. She appeared to be having an argument with someone I couldn’t see. After a few moments, the other person shifted enough so that I recognized Orien Oakley.
My friend was in the middle of a sentence when I stood up abruptly and wandered closer to the window to get a better look. Ms. Vertigo and Oakley were heading toward the town green. When I opened the shop door to look after them, the noise caused Ms. Vertigo to turn around. She looked back at me, then quickly looked away again.
“Do you mind if I use your phone?” I asked Liam.
“Of course not. Have at it,” he said, unoffended by my sudden inattention to his story. He knew me well enough to know when I was on the scent of something important, and he simply got to work while I grabbed his phone and called Charlie.
“Have you heard anything from Hansen yet?” I asked her.
“No, and now I’m really getting worried. I called his office and they said he hadn’t been in this morning. His car is gone, but it could have been hijacked or something. I tried calling his house but there was no answer,” she said. She sounded genuinely upset, and given how stoic she usually was in the face of difficult reporting, I was starting to wonder if she didn’t have a point. Maybe something had happened to Hansen.
Still, I thought we should give it a little more time. “Maybe he had a family emergency and had to go out of town. Let’s give it until tonight. If you haven’t heard from him by then we can drive over to his place. We’ll figure it out. Also, here’s a piece of news for you. Ms. Vertigo is on Main Street,” I said.
“Do you know what she’s doing?�
�� Having sniffed a clue, Charlie perked up a bit, as I had known she would.
I told her, and Charlie was impressed. “I think you should try to follow her. Did she see you?”
“Yeah, that’s the only thing. She did see me, but Mr. Oakley did not. She knows I’m here, though, and that makes a difference,” I said.
“This did all start when Earle became a real estate agent,” mused Charlie. “He was doing really well and then he was killed. I’ll look in at the real estate agency on my end. And by the way, have you heard from Greer?”
“No, but I haven’t been near a phone,” I said.
“She called me on her way to work this morning because she thought she saw the black car again. In fact, it nearly ran her off the road. She was fine, but a little shaken up. Deacon is back in town and he was going to pick her up later and bring her home. She figures she can just leave the car at the bar,” Charlie explained.
My heart rate increased as I said my goodbyes. Greer had nearly gotten hurt. Whoever that crazy driver was didn’t have warm and fuzzy feelings toward us, to put it mildly. It sounded like the driver had deliberately gone after Greer, and I told myself that it might have been just as well that we hadn’t been home last night when the cloaked figure showed up.
Still, I was the Witch of Mintwood, and that must count for something. I didn’t know if the dark car had to do with my murder investigations or my witchy business or something else entirely. I had a feeling, though, that I was about to find out.
When I left Liam, I was intending to head home. I had told Paws I’d be back soon, so not to get too comfortable. But after talking to Charlie I started to worry about both Greer and Hansen. Charlie was right. It really wasn’t like Hansen to go missing for so long.
Walking back to the car, I passed the town hall and was suddenly tempted to go inside. I hadn’t seen the mayor recently, but his presence was always felt in Mintwood. No one was more delighted than he was about the Hayview development, to the point that he had planned a party to celebrate the purchase. More things for him to govern meant job security. At least that’s what I surmised his thinking to be. Anyhow, the party was now postponed at least until the murder was solved.
I shook off the temptation to stop in and say hello, and instead kept walking. I might not have seen the mayor recently, but I was sure I’d run into him again soon enough.
I meant to walk on, but I stopped dead when I noticed a white van parked outside the town hall. Getting out of the van was a police officer, but not one of Mintwood’s own. In fact, I recognized him as a police officer from Applewood.
I froze. Could Mrs. Earle’s body be in the back of that van? I didn’t know how that would make any sense, since they had surely taken her to the medical examiner and a morgue. Would she have come on from there? I hadn’t expected to find out where she was buried or what was being done with the body, because Detective Cutter wouldn’t know that I had any reason to wonder. I had thought about going on a random search for her ghost but had decided there was no point.
Seeing the van, I instantly changed course. If Mrs. Earle’s body had been driven right to my doorstep, how could I refuse to investigate? It was a long shot, and I was alone, but I couldn’t help it. I felt like we were running into nothing but dead ends, and this might be just the break we needed.
My heart was pounding when I reached the van, but before I could do any exploring, Tom came out of the town hall with the Applewood police officer. “Hey,” he said. “What brings you here?”
I stopped, shaded my eyes, and tried not to look guilty. “Did you know that Helen is looking for a stray cat? I thought I saw it run around the corner.”
The deputy’s eyes went wide. “She has the whole town looking for that cat. By all means carry on. She has no intention of leaving any of us alone until it’s found. Detective Cutter is very annoyed about it.”
“I can’t picture the detective annoyed,” I said cheerfully, and continued on my way, cursing my lack of stealth. Tom and the Applewood deputy stayed next to the van, careful to speak in voices low enough so that I couldn’t hear what they were saying.
I figured I’d round the corner, pretend to look for this silly nonexistent cat, and then go back and say that I had failed. But I got sidetracked before I could do that.
Since the mayor refused to have anything less than beauty and perfection in this little town of his, he had had a lovely, well-tended garden installed behind the town hall. He thought it was an important status symbol for himself and the town. Given that it kept a gardener employed, nobody argued.
Just as I rounded the corner near the garden, I caught sight of a faint movement. It seemed to be something bright and light, but I could barely see it.
I found myself smiling slightly. When I had first become the Witch of Mintwood I would have talked myself out of what I had seen, but experience had taught me to know the signs of ghosts. I wasn’t just looking at a fleck of light or a reflection. No, I was seeing a ghost move in daylight.
I rushed toward the garden and the high shrubs into which the ghost had disappeared. I couldn’t yell out, because I didn’t think I was far enough away from the policemen standing out front. It’s always a good idea to be far away from the police when you start talking to supernaturals nobody thinks exist. I hadn’t even gotten that rule of thumb from a book.
“Excuse me. Mrs. Earle?” I called out. I was now safely into the shrubs where no one was likely to overhear me.
The faint speck of light stopped moving and I heard the slight murmur of a voice, but nothing else. I stepped closer. “Mrs. Earle? I’m Lemmi.”
The bit of light I was watching moved toward the shade of a nearby tree. Once it was out of the bright sunlight, the shape of a woman became slightly clearer. “How do you know my name? How can you see me?” she asked.
“I can see ghosts. I know your name because I was with my friend Charlie Silver when we went to your house. We wanted to speak with you,” I explained.
“I remember her. I told her she could come by and I would talk to her. I shouldn’t have done that. I guess it was inevitable. Now that I think about it, I was probably going to die no matter what,” she said.
This was the moment I’d been waiting for. At least now I might get some real information.
“What makes you say that?” I asked.
“I knew blackmail was dangerous, but I thought my identity was a secret. I suppose eventually it wasn’t, though. I hadn’t taken any really serious precautions,” she said.
“Precautions from what?” I asked.
“From getting killed, obviously. Why do you want to know, anyway? What am I doing here?” she asked, looking around.
I was frustrated that she was changing the subject, mostly because I didn’t assume that I could just walk up to a newly minted ghost and ask anything I wanted. Surely she’d be quite curious and probably upset about being murdered. But the most important thing was to catch her killer, so I persisted with my agenda. I quickly explained what she might be doing in Mintwood with her body so close by. I concluded by saying that I didn’t know why the police had brought her body here.
“Being dead is awfully boring so far. Say, since you can see ghosts, have you seen my husband? He’s a short man,” she said, holding her hand at a level well below her own height.
I hadn’t thought he was that short when I met his ghost, but anyhow, I really hated to lie. In fact, there had been a period in my life when I had told myself I’d never tell another lie, not realizing that even saying that to myself was a kind of lie. Anyhow, I had gotten over it.
“I’m not entirely certain, but I don’t think I have,” I said.
Mrs. Earle shrugged. “I wouldn’t expect you to. He’s probably gotten far away from here by now. The coward.”
I decided not to persist in explaining how the ghost form worked. I had just tried, and she clearly hadn’t heard me properly. For as long as he could get away with it, I would let Mrs. Earle think that her hu
sband was far away from wherever she was. I was sure that if he knew I was doing him that favor, he would thank me. In between innings of wiffle ball.
“Anyway, I’m glad you’re here,” Mrs. Earle went on. “I haven’t seen many other ghosts yet, even though I’ve been looking. I suppose it’s my own fault that I didn’t have any family left. I don’t know where I’ll be buried.” She said all of this quickly, as if it was weighing heavily on her mind. That was understandable, even in someone as unpleasant as she was turning out to be.
“I’m sure you’ll meet plenty of other ghosts soon,” I said.
“Have you seen my dog?” she asked.
“I believe your neighbor is taking good care of her,” I said.
“That’s good. That’s what I was hoping would happen. My neighbor always loved her,” she said. She was pacing around under the tree, apparently unable to stay still. I stepped closer to her so that it would be easier for us to talk in low voices, in the hope that nobody would overhear me talking to myself.
“Do you have any idea what happened to you?” I asked.
“Isn’t it funny, but I don’t remember what I was doing that afternoon,” she said. “I do remember the name Charlie Silver, but after that everything is a blank. She isn’t the one who killed me, is she?”
“No, she isn’t. She’s my friend. How do you know you were murdered?” I asked.
“I overheard some police officers talking. I also wasn’t that clumsy. I was very careful around my pool. I would never have slipped and hit my head,” she said.
“You’d been blackmailing someone for a long time, had you?” I said.
“Yes, I had been blackmailing the real estate agency for years. They made some shady deals, and I had known about it from the days when my husband worked there. I never quite believed that he had run off, either. I always thought something had happened to him, but I didn’t think anyone at the real estate agency had killed him. He was their best salesman. Why would they hurt him?” she said.
“That’s a good question. We don’t know why he was murdered,” I said.
Miraculous Mintwood Magic Page 13