Greer had decided to make curry. She had also recently baked fresh bread. The house smelled glorious and was piping warm. Even my fingers were no longer cold.
“Is this the dough you had in the fridge?” Charlie asked Greer.
Greer glared at her. “I do not have dough in the fridge. I have starter. There’s a difference.”
“What’s the difference?” Charlie asked.
“The difference is that one is one thing and the other is the other,” said Greer, rolling her eyes.
The five of us each carried something to the table, then we all sat down to eat.
“First of all,” said Charlie as soon as we were seated and had served ourselves, “I want to hear what the mayor’s house is like. Second of all, why did you look like you had run through the woods?” She was putting her computer away so that she could pay attention to the food and the rest of us. She had held out until Greer started glaring at her, but now she was fully engaged.
I started with the bad news.
I told my friends all about what had happened at the mayor’s. I told them about Betty being there, alive, well, and ready to fight. I finished that part of the story with my suspicion that Betty and the ghosts hadn’t actually been looking for me, they had just happened upon me and then decided to chase after me. I said that if Jasper hadn’t been there, I didn’t know what would have happened.
“It’s high time you talked to Scarlett and Josephine,” said Charlie, glancing at Hansen to see how he was taking it.
He looked encouraging and nodded. “I totally agree,” he said. “Clearly something dangerous is going on, and you shouldn’t be left to deal with it by yourself. That’s asking too much.”
“You’re both right,” I said. “I’m going to talk to them as soon as I can, but with so much going on, I still don’t know when that’s going to be.”
“I was hoping Betty was gone,” said Charlie wistfully.
I grinned. “I was as well. No such luck.”
“What do you think the ghosts would have been doing there? If they weren’t looking for you, who or what were they looking for?” Greer wondered.
I shook my head. “I have no idea. I mean, there’s only the one house along that whole section of road. Maybe they went there to threaten the mayor as a way to get control of the town. But that does seem silly, because he wasn’t even home.”
“They might not have known he was out of town,” said Charlie.
“Good point,” said Hansen.
“Soon I’ll need to talk to Madame Rosalie and Geraldine,” I said. “I was about to ask Scarlett and Josephine if there was any news, but maybe it’s time to go straight to the top.”
“Good idea,” Hansen nodded. His strong jaw dipped low and a piece of dark hair curled over his forehead.
Charlie watched for a moment, but Hansen didn’t appear to suffer any ill effects when his kidnappers were mentioned. “Find out if the witches are ready to help against the dark ghosts.”
We all chewed in silence for a few moments, then Charlie said, “Let’s get to the good news. Tell us about the mayor’s house.” She braced her chin on her hands and batted her eyelashes at me.
In the end, we spent one of the most fun evenings I’d had in a long time. Everybody took turns telling stories. Hansen was a natural addition to our group. Despite Charlie’s efforts at trying to figure out her relationship with him, she was clearly happy that he was there.
She kept giving him sidelong glances and smiling, and sometimes they would even hold hands. A couple of times I caught him looking at her, his expression implying that he couldn’t quite believe he was really sitting next to her, and this was really happening.
Greer barely mentioned the wedding, and we were all careful not to ask her too much. Given the precarious situation with the mothers, we didn’t want to put too much pressure on her. Mostly she needed a chance to talk with Deacon about all of it. Once the two of them could hash out details of their own wedding, she would feel better.
Jasper was mostly quiet. He did tell one hilarious story of how he got entirely confused on the job site. Several of the construction workers had wondered how he managed to get the boss’s job, given that he was such an idiot. Then Jasper managed to figure out a couple of important details, and they were impressed.
A couple of times I saw ghosts wandering past the window. Charlie would look at them and her face would tighten. I knew she hadn’t given Hansen the green jewelry, and anyhow, I would have to spell it once she did for him to be able to see Paws and the rest.
Hansen didn’t know what he was missing, so he wasn’t frustrated with Charlie about not having the jewel. In fact, the only one who ever expressed frustration about it was Paws himself. He wanted Hansen to be able to see him. As far as I could tell, it was so that Hansen could compliment him. That was usually how it went with Paws.
At some point we moved to the living room. Greer had made a chocolate ganache cake for dessert, and we had tea to wash it down with. We continued eating and chatting for a long time, just enjoying each other’s company.
We were finishing up for the evening when Paws appeared in the living room window. “We need to talk,” he said, staring at me meaningfully.
“I’ll be right back,” I said to my friends.
“I could use a bit of fresh air,” said Jasper. He stood up and came outside with me, leaving the other three to chat amongst themselves. I knew Greer wouldn’t mind. I was sure she wanted an opportunity to needle Charlie about Hansen anyway.
I grabbed my coat before going outside, since the evenings were still chilly. Paws was sitting on his usual crate.
“How’s the search going?” I asked him.
He shook his head. “The three of us have been looking. It’s not going great, actually.”
“Did you happen to search over by Mayor Clabberd’s?” I asked him.
His face darkened and those ghost cat eyes glittered into the night. “No. Should I?”
We filled Paws in and talked strategy. It was a long time before we got to sleep.
Chapter Thirteen
Jasper didn’t have to leave early the next morning, since he was working just across the street that day. He wanted to go over to the Manor House and get an update from Tyler, if nothing else.
He was still chuckling over the time when I had sent Tyler packing after he’d interrupted us one time to many. As he sat at the breakfast table teasing me about it, I blushed and ducked my head. We were eating cereal and drinking coffee, and I had cut up an apple for us to split.
“I hope he wasn’t terribly offended,” I said.
Jasper was still grinning at the memory. “No. Not at all. In fact, he pulled me aside and said he hoped I wasn’t too angry at him.”
My eyes went wide. “He did not.”
“He definitely did,” he said.
“I just don’t know why he always tries to get rid of me,” I said.
“I’m sure it isn’t intentional,” said Jasper.
“You might be sure, but I’m not,” I grumbled.
He laughed some more and shook his head.
We spent the rest of breakfast talking about his work. Jasper liked to tell stories from the job site, and I liked to listen. I was more than happy to forget about the stress from the night before.
Now that we knew for certain that the dark ghosts had not gone far, there was no time to waste. My first stop today was going to be at Josephine’s. It was high time she knew what was going on. Before I went over I’d give Scarlett a call as well. Maybe she could meet us at Josephine’s.
But I also still had my personal life to arrange. “Deacon is coming back in a few days,” I said. “I thought it would be nice if the six of us had dinner.”
Jasper nodded. Recollecting the Tyler incident had put him in an especially good mood. “I was wondering about Deacon . . .”
I shifted. Greer was wondering as well. She didn’t think it was fair that he was the only one who didn’t kno
w I was a witch. Hansen finding out had changed everything.
Greer was right. The entire six of us might not have been best friends forever, but we had all known each other since high school. Sure, in high school Jasper had been cool and I hadn’t, but Deacon had been friends with Jasper since forever, and there were various longstanding relationships amongst the rest of us. Hansen was newer, though, and since he knew my secret, it was time to let Deacon know as well.
More importantly, Deacon was marrying my best friend. He deserved to know that I was the Witch of Mintwood. Even more fundamentally, he deserved to know that there was such a thing as witches.
“What about him? It’s secret-sharing time with old Deacon, isn’t it?” asked Jasper.
“It might be best if the six of us assured each other that there were no secrets between us. I just don’t know how Deacon is going to take it. You know, he’s a busy business guy these days,” I said.
“Business guys can be so lame,” said Jasper, rolling his eyes.
I pretended to throw a piece of apple at him. He just grinned.
“Deacon will be cool about all of it. You’re important to his future wife, therefore you’re important to him. I don’t think it will be that complicated for him,” said Jasper.
“Is that because Deacon is a guy?” I said.
Jasper pretended to look offended. “Are you saying guys are simple creatures?”
I shrugged and grinned.
“Probably, at least partly. Deacon is smart. We all know it. He wouldn’t want to be left out of the loop. He might also realize that it explains some of the strange things that have happened with you all over the years. And, Hansen knows,” said Jasper.
“What about the fact that you’re descended from Witch Hunters?” I said.
“What about it?” Jasper asked.
“Is that something we should tell them as well?” I said.
He glanced out the back window. All amusement seeped from him, and I almost regretted bringing it up.
“Probably. I just don’t know how to tell them, or what exactly to say. It isn’t like I actively do what Witch Hunters do,” he said.
“When are you going to tell me about that meeting?” I asked. Now that I had gone down the rabbit hole I might as well go all the way.
“I don’t know. Whenever I’m with you I’m so happy. I always hate to mess it up with difficult topics,” he explained.
“What can I say? I just bring joy wherever I go,” I said.
“Except for Tyler’s way,” said Jasper, chuckling again.
“He’s fine. We’re fine. I’m sure he wasn’t actually that annoyed with me,” I grumbled.
“You’re right. It’s fine. Next you can kick him out of the Christmas party. Who knows what my grandfather would think! He might ask you to come on in or something,” said Jasper.
“You think this is hilarious, don’t you?” I grumbled.
“Yes, definitely,” Jasper agreed, green eyes twinkling in the morning light. “But if you want to be serious, I do have a serious topic to discuss.”
He took a deep breath. “At some point I think we should have dinner with my grandfather,” he said.
“Talk about ruining the mood,” I muttered.
“I know he hasn’t always acted like he thought the best of you, but it’s been a while since you two actually had a chance to sit down and talk. Some of that is just that he’s used to getting his way, and he’s gruff sometimes even when he does get his way,” he said.
“None of the times I have talked to your grandfather have ever gone well for me,” I pointed out. “He doesn’t like me. He doesn’t want us together. I think he knows what I am, and that’s why.”
“Maybe. I’m not certain,” said Jasper. “Be that as it may, we’re together, and he’s my family. I don’t know what else to do besides try.” A desperate tone had crept into his voice. I almost felt sorry for him.
“You think your grandfather might just be grumpy?” I demanded.
Jasper raised his eyebrows at that. “The man is always gruff. You should see him in business meetings. Ruthless,” he said.
“I suppose that’s a good point,” I muttered.
“It doesn’t have to be right away. So you have time to think about it, but if we’re going to be together, this is the next step. Until my grandfather goes down an irredeemable path, I would like for the two of you to spend some time together. Maybe you could grow to like each other. I think it’s important for your differences that you get on well, if at all possible,” he said.
“That’s the thing. There are those differences. He doesn’t care that you love me. At least he hasn’t so far. All he cares about is the family legacy, and I’m ruining it for him.”
“And kicking Tyler Spin out of my office while you’re at it,” said Jasper, with one last wink.
After breakfast, we made our way outside. I meant to walk Jasper across the street, but just as we came out onto the creaking front porch, a fancy car drove up the driveway.
“Is that for you?” I asked.
“I don’t think so, but if it is, I want to be driven a long distance in luxury,” said Jasper with a slight grin.
“I’m sure your grandfather has cars just as nice as that one,” I said.
“He does. And every time I get to ride in one I appreciate it,” he said.
Jasper was determined not to be spoiled despite his family wealth. He was the hardest worker I knew, except maybe for Charlie.
I saw who was driving even before the car stopped moving. My heart did a little flip-flop. Jasper pursed his lips.
“I wonder what she’s doing here,” I said.
“Here to speak with Greer?” he offered.
“She must know that Greer will be asleep for several more hours,” I said dryly.
Jasper chuckled, then kissed me on the cheek and headed down the steps. “Don’t even say it,” I said to his back.
“Say what? The porch desperately needs to be fixed? I’m going to come over and fix it sometime, “ he said.
“Yeah, sure you are,” I shot back.
He turned around to smile at me. “I might.”
As he passed Greer’s mother he said a friendly hello. Mrs. Dice looked far happier to see him than she ever looked to see any of the rest of us.
I tried not to scowl. I failed.
Jasper had that way about him. Even cranky mothers liked him.
“Good morning Mrs. Dice,” I said, making my way down the steps with my mind racing wildly to figure a way to keep her from coming onto the porch and judging me. In the end I decided it was impossible.
“Morning,” said Mrs. Dice cordially as we met halfway between the car and the porch.
“Were you looking for Greer?” I asked.
Mrs. Dice scoffed. “I know perfectly well that she’s asleep and will be for several hours. No, I came to see you. I want to talk some reason into one of you, and I chose you. I know Charlie won’t listen. Journalists always have an agenda.”
I raised my eyebrows as alarm bells went off in my head. I was cornered and alone. I shouldn’t have let Jasper leave. I had a feeling that whatever Mrs. Dice wanted, I was not going to be able to give it to her.
“We can sit on the porch,” I offered.
“Very well,” she accepted.
I tried to keep the churning in my stomach at bay as we made our way up the rickety steps.
Mrs. Dice didn’t say anything as the first step groaned under her feet. I peered at her face to see if I could read her reaction, but her expression was carefully groomed into indifference. There was no way to tell whether or how much she was taken aback by how old porch was, but I got a hint from the way she stepped gingerly into the rocking chair, as if she was afraid it might break under her birdlike weight.
I made a show of sitting heavily in one of the other chairs, just to show her I could.
She smiled, seemingly happy, as if she knew exactly what I was doing.
“I
hope I haven’t interrupted something. I didn’t realize you had company,” she said.
“Jasper is here a lot. It’s okay. He had to get to work,” I told her.
“Of course,” she said decisively. “Well, I hope not to take too much of your time. I simply want to discuss this wedding business with you. I assume you’ve heard about it? I further assume that you’ve heard about how difficult I am. I understand that my daughter has always had an obstinate streak. I further understand that I’m a terrible disappointment to her. I’m not the kind of mother she wanted. She wanted a mother who didn’t care what she did or how she spent her time or how she presented herself.
“Instead, she got me. Demanding, high expectations, trying to run a company. Something to live up to and something to prove. All of that stuff,” said Mrs. Dice, looking off into the distance as if she was remembering fights she’d had with Greer.
It was clear that she had wanted to say a lot of this stuff for a long time, to explain herself to someone who would at least listen politely.
“I’m hoping we can put all that behind us, but I’m not entirely certain that we can,” she continued. “Still, it is my only daughter’s wedding, and I care a great deal about it. I want her to be happy. For a long time I suspected it would be Deacon that made her so. Of course I was surprised that she found him so young. When they met, she was terribly wild. There was a moment where I thought he had tamed her. No such luck.”.
I wondered vaguely why she wanted Greer tamed. “They’ve been happy together for years,” I said, trying to agree with her to the extent that I could.
She gave one sharp nod. “They have.”
“What is it you want from me?” I asked.
Mrs. Dice sighed. “I want them married at the Easton Estate. I want Greer to do what’s right by her family. I realize that you’re her friend, but you’re young. Your mother is off who knows where. I really do know what’s best.”
I swallowed hard, not knowing what to say. The idea that I would try to influence Greer’s and Deacon’s wedding choices was crazy. What did I know about wedding choices? What Mrs. Dice was really saying was that she wanted me to influence Greer’s wedding choices to be Mrs. Dice’s choices.
Mysterious Mintwood Murmurs Page 8