Freaky Witches (A Mystic Caravan Mystery Book 7)

by Amanda M. Lee

  “But ... .”

  “No.” I shook my head, firm. I wasn’t in the mood to argue. We had other things to worry about. “You needed it. I’m always going to do what I believe is right for you. If you don’t like that, well, we’ll have to talk about it later. We have guests coming for breakfast.”

  Kade was flabbergasted. “That’s it? And what guests?”

  “That’s it,” I confirmed. “As for the guests ... well ... .” I told him about the Winchesters’ late-night antics, and when I’d finished I couldn’t decide if he was furious or curious. “If you’re going to yell, you need to do it in the shower. We should get ready for our guests.”

  “I don’t even know what to say.” Kade ran his hand through his hair. It was a little longer than when he first joined us. He preferred to keep it neat. I figured that was part of his military background. He was handsome either way.

  “I’m sorry I gave you the potion and made you think it was something it wasn’t.”

  “What was it?”

  “Tea with valerian.”

  He scowled. “I think I should be angry about this, but I slept so well last night I can’t quite muster the energy to start another fight.”

  “Does that mean you’ll let it go?”

  “For now. I might get a second wind later in the day, though.”

  “That’s fair.”

  He stared at me for a long beat. “As for the witches, why didn’t you wake me?”

  “You know why.”

  “Yeah, but ... I’m head of security. You should’ve called me to go with you. That’s my job.”

  “I wasn’t sure if something was really out there,” I admitted. “I thought I could’ve been imagining it. Once I saw Raven, I knew that wasn’t the case. We decided to investigate.”

  “And it was the Winchesters.”

  “They were conducting some sort of spell, but they said they didn’t have the right ingredients. It was late and they couldn’t stay. They said they would swing around again this morning.”

  “And you just let them go?” Kade’s temper ratcheted up a notch. “They could’ve been lying. They might very well be dangerous. I don’t think simply letting them go was the smart thing to do.”

  “I understand that.” I really did. “I don’t think they’re dangerous. Well, check that. I don’t think they’re dangerous to us. In fact, I think they’re a lot like us. They were searching for their own answers. I think if we join forces we might be able to figure this out faster.”

  “But ... you heard Margaret Little. She says the great-aunt is evil.”

  “I have a feeling Margaret is the evil one,” I admitted. “She has issues with Tillie for a variety of reasons. I’m not saying I believe Tillie is innocent in this — the woman has pot-stirrer written all over her — but I don’t think a petty fight that carried over from childhood makes her evil.”

  Kade pursed his lips. “Fine. I’ll follow your lead on this because you have a sixth sense about this stuff.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I’m reserving the right to be angry about the potion thing later, though. I need to think about it.”

  “Fine.” I gave him another kiss. “Do you want to make up right now and log it for the future fight? We have a bit of time before we’re expected for breakfast. It’s not much, but it might be just enough to ... .” I left the suggestion hanging.

  Kade’s lips curved. “I don’t know why I even try staying angry with you. It never works.”

  “That’s my philosophy, but you’re your own person.”

  He sighed. “Fine. Let’s make up. I can’t wait to hear what these witches have to say for themselves.”

  I HAD AN EXTRA SPRING in my step when I joined Raven, Nixie and Naida in the kitchen area. I couldn’t stop myself from humming, which wasn’t a regular occurrence, and when Raven slid her eyes to me there was a hint of devilish delight lurking there.

  “I take it your night improved upon returning to your trailer,” she drawled.

  “It improved this morning,” I corrected, glancing over my shoulder. “Have you seen them yet?”

  “No, but I have no doubt they’re coming. I wouldn’t worry about it. Besides, it’s not as if we don’t know where to find them.”

  “Good point.” I rolled my neck. “What do you think about them?”

  “I think that old witch is powerful.”

  “Tillie,” I corrected. “I don’t think you should go around calling her the ‘old witch’ if you want to remain curse-free for our stay here.”

  “Whatever. It’s clear she boasts a lot of power. But the blonde is the true threat.”

  I was intrigued. “I kind of thought that myself. Why do you think that?”

  “She’s ... something different ... from the others,” Raven replied. “I can’t put my finger on it yet, but there’s something about her that is truly terrifying. She was quieter than the others last night, but I don’t think that’s normal. She was focused on you, as if she sensed something from you that made her curious.”

  “She saw us laying the dreamcatcher that first night,” I admitted. “She was leaving the newspaper office. She didn’t say anything, but I got the distinct impression that she was aware of what we were doing.”

  “That’s because she recognizes magic in others. She’s definitely got something under the hood that’s above and beyond the others. The two loud ones have magic, but they’re not as powerful as she is.”

  “I think they often work together,” I offered. “My guess is their power is four-fold because they combine their resources. That’s normal coven work, but they’re more powerful than normal witches.”

  “That’s because they’re born witches. They didn’t seek out power after the fact. They were born with it.”

  “How is that different?”

  Raven shrugged. “They’re simply stronger. I don’t know why, although I have a few theories that revolve around blood magic. Tillie understands blood magic. You can tell. The others, I think they were probably dabblers their whole lives, even though the blonde is extremely powerful. I’m curious to hear what they have to say.”

  “I am, too. Do you think they’ll tell us the truth?”

  “As much as we’ll tell them the truth,” Raven replied. “We don’t plan to hide anything. That doesn’t mean we’ll tell them everything. I think the same holds true for them. They’re loyal to a fault, despite the squabbling. They’ll share, but they won’t expose themselves.”

  “And we’ll do the same,” I mused. “We really are a lot alike.”

  “We definitely are.”

  BAY ARRIVED FIRST, Clove and Thistle not far behind. As for Tillie, she didn’t appear to be coming.

  “She’s in trouble,” Bay explained. “My mother grounded her.”

  I wasn’t sure what to make of that. “Excuse me?”

  “She’s, like, ninety,” Raven complained. “How can she be grounded?”

  “Oh, please let me be there when you tell her she looks ninety,” Thistle pleaded. “I don’t want to miss that lovely ... explosion.”

  I pursed my lips. “I thought she was going to discuss things with us,” I said. “Wasn’t that the deal?”

  “We’re here,” Thistle pointed out. “We can discuss things with you.”

  “It’s probably best that Aunt Tillie isn’t here,” Clove offered. “She makes things ... uncomfortable ... at times.”

  I could see that. I supplied the women with coffee and then gestured for them to follow me away from the prying eyes of my fellow circus workers. You would think people often put on display for physical abnormalities would understand that it’s not polite to stare. When it came to Mystic Caravan workers, you’d be wrong.

  “How long have you known you’re witches?” I asked as I led them through the circus aisles.

  “We were born knowing,” Bay replied, her eyes on Dolph as he singlehandedly raised a tent. “Is he magical?”

  I followed her gaze
. “He’s our strongman.”

  “That wasn’t really an answer.”

  “No, it wasn’t,” I agreed, absently scratching a nonexistent itch on the side of my nose. “I’m not sure how much I want to tell you. You’re probably feeling the same way about us. The yellow snow story was entertaining, but I hardly think it’s the limit of your powers.”

  “I could say the same about you,” Bay said, her expression thoughtful. “In fact, I saw you the other night. That was an impressive showing of power. The net thing you built is ... interesting.”

  “We call it a dreamcatcher.”

  Realization washed over Bay’s face. “That actually makes sense. I saw the weave bounce when you tested it.”

  “You shouldn’t have been able to see it at all,” I pointed out. “We’re careful about what we do, who we show our true natures. I made a mistake the other night. I didn’t realize you were still in the newspaper building. Despite that, a normal human would’ve had no idea what we were doing.”

  “I’m not normal, although compared to Aunt Tillie I’m a regular Mary Sue,” Bay said. “I saw what you were doing, recognized it as magic, and was fascinated by the process. I still don’t know what it does.”

  “It detects magic. When someone with power crosses the threshold, it alerts. It’s basically a home-security system for us because we’re always on the road.”

  Bay looked impressed. Thistle, not so much.

  “We crossed it,” Thistle pointed out. “It didn’t alert when we moved over the barrier.”

  “I guess I phrased that wrong,” I said. “When evil beings — human or magical — cross the threshold it alerts. The good news is, you’re not evil.”

  “I’ll be able to sleep better at night knowing that,” Thistle said dryly, causing Clove to smirk.

  “I think it’s faulty,” Clove argued. “Thistle is definitely evil.”

  “Zip it,” Bay ordered, shaking her head. “Did you create the dreamcatcher?”

  I nodded. “I had the idea for it years ago. It took us a bit of time to perfect it. It failed several times until we got things exactly right.”

  “And is it always the same four women who build it?”

  I found that an invasive question. “Do you need four witches for all your spells?”

  Bay shook her head. “I suggested coming out to the scene to cast the spell last night,” she admitted. “I thought maybe if we could track Darren’s movements that we would have an easier time figuring out who killed him.

  “Thistle and Clove love adventures,” she continued, ignoring the ridiculous look Clove made in response to the statement. “We’ve always done stuff like this together. Occasionally Aunt Tillie invites herself along for the ride. That’s what happened last night.”

  “And why she got grounded?” I asked.

  “Oh, no, she didn’t get grounded for sneaking out of the house,” Bay answered. “She got grounded for the leggings. My mother has confiscated them at least fifteen times. They keep showing up. Mom doesn’t want her wearing them in public because they’re indecent.”

  “Yeah, and the second Aunt Tillie realized they bothered Winnie, well, that was simply incentive to wear them every stinking day,” Thistle added. “She likes poking people with her shotgun.”

  I smirked. I couldn’t help myself. They were a family. Unlike my family, it was simply inherited rather than made. “It sounds like growing up in your house was a lot of fun,” I said.

  “Then we’re telling it wrong,” Thistle groused. “That old lady is a menace.”

  “Ignore her,” Bay said, waving a dismissive hand at Thistle. “She’s a grouch most days. She’s especially annoyed at the influx of fake witches arriving in town. She finds it tacky and annoying.”

  “Because they’re not real?”

  “Because they’re pretenders and we hate fake people,” Thistle answered.

  “I get that.” I honestly did. “I prefer that those I keep close to me are real.”

  “Like that hot security guard?” Clove asked, shrinking back when Thistle gave her a dirty look. “What? I have eyes. I can see how hot he is. I can also see he’s hopelessly devoted to Poet.”

  “You’re getting married,” Thistle noted. “You’re not allowed to stare at guys when you’re getting married.”

  “Since when is that the rule?” Clove protested. “I didn’t agree to never look at a guy again. I simply agreed not to touch. Besides, even if I wanted to touch that guy she would kill me. She’s clearly more powerful than I am.”

  That was true. I was definitely more powerful than Clove and Thistle. I was still debating whether that statement applied to Bay and Tillie. “It’s fine. Kade is very attractive. I understand staring at him.”

  “See.” Clove stuck out her tongue.

  “What’s your next step?” I asked Bay. “Are you going to keep looking into the situation?”

  Bay nodded without hesitation. “I am. This is my town. A ritual death on our soil is ... troubling.”

  “Because you keep the unseemly element at bay?”

  “Aunt Tillie is the unseemly element,” Thistle countered. “We like to know who is operating in our sandbox, though. We were nervous when you guys came to town. But other than a few oddities, you seem fairly normal.”

  My eyebrows migrated up my forehead. “And what oddities are you referring to?”

  “Well, for starters, you don’t have any animals in the tents,” Thistle fired back despite the hand Bay kept slashing across her throat to silence her blunt cousin.

  “I’m sorry,” Bay said hurriedly. “We don’t mean to intrude … or trespass when we’re not invited. We were merely curious and looked really quickly.”

  “Clove has always wanted a pet lion,” Thistle offered.

  “It’s true.” Clove nodded solemnly. “I would name him Leo and put a collar on him. It would have pink sparkles.”

  “I would send him after Mrs. Little,” Thistle said. “And Maybe Aunt Tillie.”

  “Our animals are ... in transit,” I lied uncomfortably.

  “Your animals are working for you,” Bay corrected, extending a finger toward Seth as he worked at one of the game booths. “He’s a shifter.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “It’s a feeling. We don’t care, and we’re not going to share your secret,” she promised. “Aunt Tillie keyed us in that you didn’t have animals.”

  I racked my memory. “She was nowhere near the animal tents the day she stopped by.”

  “That you know of,” Thistle countered. “She’s slyer than a Kardashian seeking television time. You don’t know when she’s sneaking around. Trust me. We’ve dealt with this for almost thirty years.”

  “She’s not wrong,” Bay agreed. “Aunt Tillie can get anywhere she sets her mind to. She was probably inside your animal tents.”

  That was a sobering thought. “Well ... .” I had no idea what to say.

  “What I want to know is how Aunt Tillie crossed your dreamcatcher without alerting,” Thistle said. “I mean ... she is definitely evil.”

  “We didn’t have the dreamcatcher up when she first stopped by,” I offered. “But ... I don’t think she would alert regardless. Your idea of evil is probably far different from our idea of evil.”

  “It might not be that different,” Bay countered. “I’m not going to lie. I am curious about your operation here.”

  “I can give you a general tour,” I offered. “Keep in mind, though, I have no intention of sharing our secrets with you.”

  “I can live with that, as long as you respect the fact that we won’t be sharing secrets either.”

  “That seems a fair compromise. No lies, but if we don’t feel we can tell the truth, we’re given a pass.”

  “That definitely seems fair,” Bay agreed, her eyes moving toward the midway. “By the way, our mothers want us to invite some of you for dinner at the inn.”

  I was confused. “What inn?”

  �
�The Overlook. It’s the inn on the bluff. Our mothers own it.”

  “The Overlook?” I made a face. “Like in The Shining?”

  Thistle made a disgusted sound in the back of her throat. “Don’t even get us started. We tried to tell them. They wouldn’t listen.”

  “The inn is actually nice,” Clove said. “You should stop by.”

  “Our mothers really are the best cooks in the county,” Bay added. “They want to meet you. You won’t regret it for the food alone.”

  “Well, I’m sure I can get a few people together for a meal.”

  “Great.” Bay brightened considerably. “Now, give us a tour and tell us everything you can. I used to dream of running away and joining the circus.”

  I barked out a laugh. “I didn’t think that was a dream for most people.”

  “You didn’t grow up with Aunt Tillie,” Thistle supplied. “The circus would be a dream come true compared to her.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

  10

  Ten

  The tour with the Winchesters went as well as could be expected. After spending a full hour with them — time that was closely monitored by Kade and Luke from afar — they reiterated their invitation to dinner and then said their goodbyes. Tour buses full of witches were due to start arriving today, and they had work to complete before that happened.

  “How was it?” Kade asked, catching up to me as I slipped into our trailer to look for a hoodie. The morning was cooler than it should’ve been — a byproduct of Michigan’s wild weather patterns — and I’d taken on a bit of a chill.

  “It was fine,” I replied, pinning him with a curious look as he followed me to the closet. “Is something wrong? Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” He watched me select a simple black hoodie. “I watched them to make sure they didn’t touch you or anything, but they seemed sort of ... normal.”

  I bit back a laugh. “How did you expect them to act?”

  “The last witches we crossed paths with were evil,” he replied darkly. “They did things, purposely tried to hurt people just so they could be in charge. I thought maybe they would be like those witches.”