But that was a big if, and those kinds of plans were best left for later.
“I say we just go walk out in a group, guns blazing, follow the compass, and take the darn thing,” Mee-maw suggested, holding the sleek, golden device high. “They know what you two can do, now. If anyone’s watching the bakery and they don’t run for the hills the second you start summoning a storm, it’s their own fault.”
“Guns blazing?” Zoe asked incredulously, crossing her arms. “In broad daylight? Be reasonable. We only have one gun and a bunch of knives, and none of us are going to go around town shooting, calling attention to ourselves and potentially involving anyone else.”
“Look,” Patrick spoke up, crumpling up his napkin and setting it aside, “as much as we need that item, I’m not sure it would be such a good idea to just charge out there. These people are strategists, and they’ve been doing this a very long time. They’re going to be waiting for us to make a mistake, and you can believe me when I say that if we act rashly, they’re going to take full advantage.” He stretched his arms back for a moment, wincing at the movement.
I couldn’t help leaning in and putting a hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay?” I asked. “How’s your chest?”
Mee-maw snorted at that. “You’d know better than he would, Cricket. You had your face buried in it when I woke up this morning.”
I swallowed hard, feeling my ears start to burn as Mee-maw cackled at her own joke. Even Zoe shot me a grin, winking as she looked from me to Patrick.
He gave me a warm smile, slipping my hand off his shoulder and squeezing it gently. “I’ll survive,” he told me. “You did a good job dressing the wound.”
“It was the least I could do,” I replied quietly, meeting his eyes for a moment, and for a few seconds, none of us spoke.
Mee-maw was the one who finally broke the silence. “Enough of Bogey and Bacall, here. Back to business. Let’s hear it, smarty-pants,” she said, rounding on Zoe, “what do you suggest? The sooner we find my item, the better, and I say the longer we wait, the longer we risk the Organization getting their grubby little paws on it and keeping it from me until they catch you two.”
“You’re not wrong,” I conceded, pushing my plate away and propping my elbows up on the table. “Sooner or later, we are going to need to make a trip out of the bakery to follow the compass. The key is doing it without attracting the Organization’s attention and being followed.”
“Not to mention, the cop’s,” Zoe added. “I saw the guy they had posted last night. He was doing his job, I’ll give him that. They seemed skeptical already. We can’t have them see us sneaking around and give them another reason to think we’re up to something. And I don’t know about you, but I think we’ve all had our share of climbing out that stupid window.”
I groaned. “I didn’t even think about that.”
Zoe opened her mouth to say something else, but Patrick spoke up before she could. “A distraction, maybe? Depending on how many people they have on us, we could split up.”
“Didn’t we already discuss this? Have you ever watched a horror movie?” Mee-maw demanded. “That’s about the last thing we should do.”
“I’m open to other suggestions,” Patrick replied, sighing and running a hand through his hair.
“I might have something,” Zoe said, and we all turned to her.
“Well, don’t leave us in suspense,” Mee-maw told her. “Let’s hear it!”
“Here’s the thing,” Zoe began, but she was interrupted by the sound of a tapping on the bakery door. The four of us all looked at each other before Patrick got to his feet, the half-finished French toast momentarily forgotten. I couldn’t help but feel a pang of unease as he crept to the window to take a peek outside, tensing up in anticipation of a gunshot or a scream. They wouldn’t be so bold as to come knocking on the front door, would they?
Instead, Patrick turned back to us, lowering the curtain, and announced, “It’s one of the cops from yesterday.”
He was right; as we filed out of the back room and into the shop area, I could make out the stout form of Deputy Rasmusson, his arms crossed over his chest and a look on his face that said he was fit to be tied. Zoe cleared her throat and unlocked the door, allowing him to enter.
“Morning,” he said flatly, putting a hand on his utility belt as he sized up the four of us. “How is everyone today?” He didn’t sound the slightest bit interested, and his tone was cold—ice cold, actually.
My stomach sank. Whatever this was, it couldn’t be good.
“We’re all right, all things considered,” I replied, tucking some stray hair behind my ear. “And yourself?”
“Not great, to be perfectly honest with you,” Rasmusson replied.
“Where’s Sheriff Webber?” Zoe asked, although whether out of professional or personal interest, I couldn’t rightly say.
“Sheriff Webber is back at the station, working on cases that are actually urgent,” Rasmusson replied, steering his pinched gaze to her. “He’s decided that there are more important uses of his time—and Rocky Knoll tax dollars—than chasing ghosts and following false leads.”
“False leads…?” My gut churned. “I’m sorry, Deputy, but what are you--”
“Save the feigned shock, Cricket,” Rasmusson interrupted, holding up a hand and turning back to me. “You’ve done enough damage already. I’m just here to tell you all that we’re officially closing your case file, and we won’t be investigating your…claims…further. You should be ashamed of yourself. I knew it sounded shady, but you know my wife, and she feels sorry for you, so I gave you the benefit of the doubt.”
“I’m sorry?” I asked, anger replacing fear. “Wait a minute, you can’t be saying I made it all up. Why the hell would I lie about something like this?”
“Language, ma’am.” Rasmusson sniffed. “I honestly have no idea, and to be honest, I don’t care. There was absolutely nothing credible about the statement you gave to us yesterday.”
I fumbled for a moment, my mouth opening and closing. “I showed you my wounds. And what about the factory we told you about? Have you even gone to look? It’s right where we told you, right?”
“It was,” the deputy confirmed, “and it was virtually empty. All cobwebs and collapsing foundations. It looked like it hadn’t been used in years, if not decades. There’s no way they were using it for some kind of ritual sacrifice less than a week ago.”
I could only stare at him, stunned, my mind racing. I knew they’d clean it up, and I’d hoped that alone would be enough to keep the police investigating and hopefully keeping watch over the shop. But to make it look like it hadn’t been used in decades? Patrick, Zoe, and Mee-maw had all been there, too; they had seen the gallows, the Organization’s supplies. One look at them was enough to tell me they were as shocked as I was.
Clearly, the Organization had used magic of some kind, and it was throwing a real wrench in our plans.
“Listen here, pal,” Mee-maw began, jabbing a finger in his direction, “we can back Cricket up on this. We saw what they’d done to that place. Just because they cleaned up after themselves--”
“Dust, an inch thick. Sorry, but you’re asking us to believe something that is, quite frankly, impossible,” Rasmusson said, cutting her off before returning his gaze to me. “Not to mention that it’s awfully convenient for you to claim someone’s after you a day before your house burns down.”
I gaped at him, my eyes practically bugging out of my skull. “Burned down? What are you talking about?!” I shot a frantic glance in Mee-maw’s direction. “Something happened to Mee-maw’s house?”
“Not your grandmother’s house,” replied the deputy. “Yours. The one you shared with your ex, Gregory Hallowell?” He let out a dry chuckle, shaking his head. “And that note was a real stroke of genius, too—making it look like a crazy cult was after you there. ‘Surrender, Dorothy.’ That’s from The Wizard of Oz, right? Honestly, I have to give you credit for trying. Creepy.
It’s like something out of a horror movie. What we haven’t figured out yet was whether you all concocted the story to make it look like someone burned your house down to collect the insurance money, or you set the house on fire to support this cult story because you’re all batshit crazy. Trust me, though, we’re going to find out.”
But I was hardly listening to him. My ears were ringing, adrenaline was surging through my veins, and my heart was pumping so fast I felt like it was on the verge of exploding. Without even thinking about it, I grabbed Patrick by the arm, sagging against him as I ran a hand over my forehead, which had gone cold and clammy.
This was bad. This was very, very bad.
“What about Greg?” I managed to choke out. “When did this happen?”
“The very night you called us with this tall tale,” replied Rasmusson. “Your ex-husband is in the hospital right now. Your kids tried getting in touch with you for the past day and a half, but your phone went straight to voicemail. They started to get worried, and that was when they called the Sheriff’s office. And thank God they did. We’d still be chasing our tails right now if they hadn’t.”
I could feel myself growing weak and trembly, a combination of fear and anger the only thing keeping me from collapsing right then and there. The Organization wasn’t afraid of leaving a trail of destruction in their wake, and in that moment, I felt helpless to stop it. “My kids,” I stammered. “W-were they in the house?”
Deputy Rasmusson’s expression softened slightly.
“Your kids are fine, Ms. Hawthorne. Everyone is fine. Apparently, your ex-husband wasn’t even inside when it happened. When he pulled up and saw the flames, he ran in to rescue his bowling ball, and that was how he got burned. He’ll recover just fine. As for you, though…” His voice went cold again. “We have damn close to enough evidence to bring you in for falsifying a police report already. And you can be sure other charges are to follow.”
“You can’t be serious!” Mee-maw protested, and I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. “She just lost her house, her ex is in the hospital, and you’re trying to arrest her?”
“There are serious charges involved,” Rasmusson replied. “The sheriff mentioned arson, insurance fraud...”
“Hang on,” Patrick said, stepping forward and holding up a hand, but the deputy just kept going.
“And then come to find out that the warehouse you sent us to couldn’t have been the scene of a bloody crime.”
“Why would we have sent you there, then?” Patrick persisted. “You have to know that was in good faith. How often do you have three witnesses to a crime? Look, I understand how far-fetched this seems, and I know it doesn’t look good for us. But you have to believe us—we’re as in the dark about all this as you are, and if you pull out of this now, you’re risking other lives. What if these people don’t stop? That’s going to be blood on your hands. Maybe you went to the wrong factory. There are a few over there.”
I could see the deputy’s resolve wavering.
“It’s possible, I guess...” Rasmusson said, sighing, “Even if we continue the investigation, we still have to pursue the arson angle.”
“We get it, believe me,” Patrick replied. “Please. Just give it a little more time. If you don’t unearth some proof soon, you can shut the whole thing down and do what you have to do.”
There was a long, tense silence. I could see Rasmusson struggling to stay aloof and losing the battle—Patrick’s way with words was astounding. Finally, he ran a hand through his hair, looking tired.
“All right,” he said at last. “We’ll keep a guard posted outside for the next few days, unless we find proof that this was all a hoax, of course.”
It was a good thing, too, because if the Organization had eyes on the bakery, they’d surely seen us let the deputy in and were aware of our location now.
Rasmusson continued on, his expression stern. “But if that happens, there will be consequences. Not just for you, Cricket, but for all of you.”
“Deal,” Patrick said without missing a beat, extending a hand to the deputy. “You won’t regret it. I promise.”
Rasmusson only nodded, muttering to himself as he shuffled back out the door. We watched him go, in a daze, and it was all I could do to slump into a chair.
“This is bad, you guys,” Zoe said, putting her head in her hands.
“You’re telling me,” I replied. “That note…” I lifted my head. It felt like it took all my strength. “They knew we’d been there and when they found we’d gone, they torched the place to show me they could. My kids could’ve been there. The note was a threat, letting me know that I need to turn myself over to them, or they are willing to go to any lengths. What’s next? Mee-maw’s house? There’s no two ways about it. Whatever hesitance your father may have felt about involving outsiders, he’s clearly over it now. Greg could’ve been killed.”
I glanced up at Patrick, whose expression was filled with pain as he nodded sadly.
“Agreed.”
“You should call him,” Mee-maw suggested quietly. “Check on him, make sure he’s doing all right.”
“On it. We’re going to need to keep tabs on them all, now.”
Wordlessly, Zoe went to the back and retrieved the bakery phone, dialing the hospital number and waiting for someone to connect me with Greg. She handed it to me as we waited, her face lined with concern, and I could feel myself breathing heavily as I put it up to my ear.
“Mom?” The familiar voice of my daughter Lizzie came through on the other end. “Mom, are you okay?”
“Honey?” I said, relaxing a little even as I fought the urge to weep. “It’s me. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” she replied. “What about you? What happened? Where are you?”
“I’m at Cousin Zoe’s bakery,” I explained. “I’m okay. Where’s your father? Is he awake?”
“Yeah, he’s here.” Her tone had gone from worried to chilly in an instant. “He’s in a lot of pain, burns all up his arm and hand. What the hell were you doing, leaving your phone off like that this whole time? Dad told me you got hurt on a hike and I was worried sick something went wrong when we couldn’t get in touch with you.”
“Lizzie,” I began, trying to keep my voice level, “I’m sorry. I lost my phone and...it’s a long story. Is he there? Can you put him on?”
“He’s getting his burns cleaned at the moment,” she snapped, and I realized with a sinking feeling that she blamed me for this. Little did she know how right she was. “You should come here and make sure he’s okay. The smoke inhalation could’ve killed him.”
“Listen,” I pleaded, rubbing at my throbbing temples, “I can’t right now. Zoe and I are in the middle of an issue at the bakery and--”
“Are you kidding me? Dad almost died and you can’t even be bothered to visit him at the hospital?”
“I will,” I protested, “as soon as I can. I just need you guys to be patient. Things are…a little weird right now. Can you tell him I hope he’s okay?”
“Tell him yourself, if you ever decide to stop being so selfish,” she snapped, and then she hung up the phone.
I stared at the receiver as I let out a long breath. The others were staring at me, concerned and apprehensive. My heart felt like a block of ice in my chest, which was weird, because my blood was boiling as I lifted my chin.
“They thought I was a thorn in their side before?” I muttered, fists clenching as I imagined the hell I planned to rain down on the bastards that had torched my house. “They’ve gone too far. We’re going to find Mee-maw’s item, and we’re going to find it today. And then?”
I lifted my head and met Patrick’s gaze.
“I’m going to remind them why they fear witches.”
Chapter 16
“I get that you’re upset, and you have every right to be,” Patrick said, his voice calm. “But the last thing we need to do is lead the Organization right to your grandmother’s item. If they get to it before we
do, they can take their time and pick the two of you off the second we let our guard down. The strength is in the full coven.”
I turned to him, clenching my fists and holding back a serious urge to punch him as I spoke. “You were the one saying we had to find it ASAP. Now my kids almost lost their father, and you want me to sit around and wait even a second?”
“Going off half-cocked is a bad idea, Cricket. Magic and fury are a bad mix. At least check and see if Maude has anything to say about what to do first.”
“I don’t need to,” I said, with icy determination. “My last prediction right before the cinnamon buns wore off was as clear as it needed to be, if you ask me. ‘Time is ticking.’ Maude agrees with me. We need to act now. But even if she didn’t, we’re going to be here without a guard tomorrow, and that’s if I don’t get arrested for arson.” On a roll, I turned to Zoe, who looked like she was about to doze off. “And you, how can you be half asleep when the Organization just burned my house down?”
She wiped her eyes as she stood up, walking toward the kitchen. “Well…as I was about to say before I was so rudely interrupted by that police officer, I was up basically all night coming up with something that I think might make it a lot safer to look for Mee-maw’s item.”
“What do you mean?” I asked quickly, the guilt at snapping at her hardly registering past the overwhelming sense of urgency and terror that I felt pushing me to find Mee-maw’s item and finish our battle with the Organization once and for all.
“Banana nut muffins,” she said, grinning as she pulled a tray of muffins out of the oven, which had been turned off. “With a drizzle of invisibility icing.”
“Invisibility? Sweet!” Mee-maw exclaimed.
“Have you tested them?” I asked, striding toward her.
“Yeah,” she said, “but not this batch, and it’s hard to tell how well they’re actually working because you can still see yourself after you eat them. There are some…other effects and I’ve been operating under the assumption that the invisibility is getting stronger as those increase, though we won’t know for sure until we try. These ones were my most recent batch and I was asleep by the time they were finished cooking. Thank god for the “timed bake” button, eh?”
Brewing Trouble Page 13