“And you just magically found us?” Tillie’s annoyance was on full display. “I find that hard to believe.”
“I saw the campfire from the road and decided to stop. There’s a no-burn rule in effect right now because it’s so dry.”
“I ... .” Tillie pursed her lips and furrowed her brow. “What road?”
“The one right over there.” Terry pointed. “You’re about a quarter of a mile away from the house.”
“Oh.” Tillie straightened. “Well, I knew that. I was just teaching the girls about emergency camping.”
“Right.” Thistle made such an exaggerated face that Terry had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. “You knew where we were the whole time. That’s why we’re eating berries instead of tacos.”
“Oh, taco bar.” Clove’s eyes lit with mirth, the Dogman all but forgotten. “We should get home. I love tacos.”
“Definitely.” Terry directed the girls toward the road. “Get in the truck and I’ll drive you.” His gaze was heavy as it landed on Tillie. “Do you have anything you want to say? Winnie, Marnie and Twila were worried.”
“There’s nothing to say.” Tillie was breezy as she blew past him. “I had everything under control like I always do. There was no reason to panic. I knew you would show up exactly when you did.”
“Oh, yeah? How did you know that?”
“You’re predictable.”
“Good to know. I guess I’ll be predictable and take you home, huh?”
“That would be for the best.”
“I figured you would say that.”
One
Present Day
“Are you sure this is it?”
Landon Michaels, his shoulder-length black hair freshly washed and gleaming, pulled into a rutted clearing that only vaguely resembled a parking lot and glanced around at the sparse landscape.
“This is it,” I reassured him, smiling as I took a moment to stare at the nearest tree, “This is Camp Mayhem.”
Landon arched an eyebrow as he killed the engine and removed his keys from the ignition. “Camp Mayhem? That can’t be its real name.”
“No, it was Camp Manistee ... because that’s the lake – and river – it’s closest to.”
“Camp Manistee.” He smiled. “I didn’t remember the name. Camp Mayhem has a nice ring to it, though. Come on. Let’s take a look.”
He was excited. For some reason, that excited me. I, Bay Winchester, witch extraordinaire, was thrilled to visit an old camp I hadn’t seen since I was a teenager ... and I had no idea why.
It was his idea, of course. Once he realized we’d both attended the camp — and at the same time — he insisted we find an opening in our schedules to visit. Lingering snow made that difficult for a bit, but once decent weather arrived he started pressuring me to make it happen. Finally, with the sun shining and the birds chirping, I couldn’t think of another reason to put it off.
So, here we were. My boyfriend, the man I lived with and knew I would spend the rest of my life with, was excited to revisit the camp where our paths first crossed ... even though both of us only remembered the event in the vaguest of terms.
“Let’s take a look,” I said brightly, hoping I looked more excited than I felt. In truth, while I was fascinated with the idea that Landon and I had met and crushed on each other years before we crossed paths again and fell in love as adults, I didn’t have the fondest memories of the camp. The first time I visited was as a little kid and my mother and aunts got in a huge fight that resulted in Aunt Tillie lighting the tops of the trees on fire to shut them up. The last time, I was a teenager and my mother insisted my cousins and I were driving her crazy and we needed to get out of the house. I spent a full week trapped at the camp with annoying counselors who allowed my arch nemesis, Lila Stevens, to torture me whenever the whim struck.
Between those trips (and many others, sometimes multiple visits each summer), sure, we had some fun ... and occasionally heartache when the boys and girls were officially allowed to mingle. That didn’t change the fact that I had some very bad memories of the place.
“Why did this place close down?” Landon asked, reaching for my hand. He was clearly oblivious to my trepidation.
“I don’t know.” That was the truth. Once I graduated from high school I left my hometown of Walkerville in the rear-view mirror. Camp Manistee was nothing but a distant memory at that point. When I returned years later, I had an attitude adjustment. I never thought to research the camp, though. It simply wasn’t on my radar.
“I don’t really remember it.” He cocked his head to the side and stared at one of the rundown cabins. “I don’t remember it being set up this way.”
“You stayed over there,” I reminded him, pointing toward the opposite side of the lake. It wasn’t an overly large body of water. In fact, it seemed much smaller than it had when I was a kid. That was obviously a perspective thing. “The boys’ camp was on that side of the lake. The girls stayed over here.”
Landon followed my finger with his gaze. “There’s only one cabin over there.”
“There used to be more. I think one of them fell down years ago. Chief Terry mentioned it. He was your camp counselor the year you were here, even though you don’t remember him.”
“I went to a lot of camps when I was a kid,” Landon explained. “They all melded together.”
“Did you hit on a lot of girls at those camps?” I asked. “Did they all meld together, too?”
“Oh, I’m not falling for that.” He wagged a finger in my face and swooped in to give me a quick kiss. “I’m not a complete and total idiot. You were the only girl I fell for at camp. That’s why you have such a special place in my heart.”
I didn’t believe him for a second. Not about having a special place in his heart, mind you. I believed that without a doubt. The part I had trouble believing was the bit about him falling for me when we were barely teenagers. “I think you talk big.”
“And I think I had a huge crush on you. I might not remember much, but I remember that.”
“Well ... I remember you.” That was true. “It’s kind of muddled in my head because there was a lot going on then, but I definitely remember you.” That was also true … at least I was fairly certain it was true.
“And I remember you ... and oddly enough, your mother. I remember having a conversation with her, though I’m not sure what I said.”
“I asked her about it and she says she doesn’t remember. She thought it was cute that we were at the same summer camp.”
“Cute?” Landon made a face. “It’s kismet, sweetie. We were always destined to find each other.”
I snickered, genuinely amused. “You’re throwing that word around a lot. ‘Destiny,’ I mean. You seem to be getting a kick out of the idea.”
“Oh, I am. You have no idea.” Landon squeezed my hand tighter and then pointed. “Let’s check out the cabins.”
I followed close at his side, frowning when we approached the first cabin. I had slept under its roof at least twice that I could remember — the same with the other two cabins — but the building felt somehow ominous now.
“It doesn’t look safe,” I offered after a moment’s contemplation. “Like ... maybe the roof is going to fall in or something.”
Amusement flitted across Landon’s features as he tugged me toward the cabin. “The cabin has obviously stood for a number of years, decades even. Do you think it’s going to suddenly fall down now?”
That was a good question. “I don’t know. The cabin also hasn’t been disturbed for at least five years, I’m guessing. Maybe our appearance will be enough to cause it to cave in.”
“Oh, have a little faith.” His tone was pleading and he was having too good a time for me to ruin it.
“Okay, but if the roof falls in, I told you so.”
“If the roof caves in and we’re buried alive, the last thing I will remember is those words,” he said dryly, tugging desperately on my hand.
“Come on.”
The door wasn’t locked. There was no reason for it to be. It opened with only minimal complaint, a creak straight out of a Scooby-Doo mystery. There was no electricity. There never was. I remembered carrying lanterns with us when we had to leave the cabin after dark, which was frowned upon.
During the day, light shined into the cabin from every direction through the multiple windows on every wall. The bunk beds we’d slept in — which had a rustic feeling back then and looked like odd skeletons of a time long since forgotten now — remained standing, but I wouldn’t risk climbing on one for anything.
“Did you stay in here when we were at camp together?” he asked. He was obsessed with learning everything about that camp adventure. The problem was, I couldn’t remember.
“I don’t know. You seem to forget, I came to this camp every year for a time.”
“I know, but ... are you sure you don’t remember?”
I could’ve lied to him. He never would’ve known and it might’ve made him feel better. We’d promised to be as honest as possible with one another, though, and I intended to stick to it. “I can’t remember, Landon.” I tapped my finger on my bottom lip as I slowly turned. “That was the year Rosemary was here,” I noted, referring to a distant cousin I disliked with fiery resolve. “She came to camp only once, and I vaguely remember her being in this building.”
“Really?” Landon looked suspicious. “Are you just saying that to appease me?”
“Oddly enough, no. Go check on the wall over there.” I vaguely gestured. “If I’m right, Lila carved her name in the wall next to Rosemary’s to announce they were best friends forever.”
Landon made a face. “Lila and Rosemary were best friends?”
“They were.” I nodded. “Once Lila figured out we didn’t like Rosemary and that she might have dirt on us, she couldn’t make friends with her fast enough. They were joined at the hip the entire weekend.”
“That Lila was always a class act,” Landon muttered, drawing his keychain from his pocket and using the flashlight to point in the corner I’d indicated. “Oh, yeah. Look at that.” He grinned as he focused the beam on a specific spot. “Lila and Rosemary together. That’s like the worst horror movie ever.”
I was amused despite my memories. “It’s like a horror movie reboot, because those always suck.”
He smiled as he slung an arm around my shoulders. “Yeah. I’m still sorry you had to put up with it.” He brushed his lips against my forehead. “Screw Rosemary and Lila. We’re doing better than both of them combined.”
He wasn’t wrong. “Yeah.” I allowed myself a moment to rest my head against his shoulder and then I pulled back. “Let’s get out of here. This place is dirty and gross. Plus, I’m still not convinced the roof won’t fall in on us.”
“Fine. We shall take the adventure outside.”
It was spring in northern Lower Michigan, so we had plenty of sunshine when we hit the front porch. It was early in the season, not exactly warm, but the weather was much more welcoming than it had been weeks before.
“We’re supposed to have a really hot and humid summer,” I noted as I hopped off the porch and hit the ground. “After how crappy our winter was, I’m looking forward to it. I’m sure I’ll complain nonetheless.”
“Yes, you’re nothing if not consistent when complaining about how hot or cold it is,” he teased. “Who says we’re supposed to have a hot and humid summer? It’s a little early in the season to be gauging that.”
“The Farmers’ Almanac.”
“Oh, well, if the Farmers’ Almanac says so, then it must be true.”
“Hey, don’t discount the Farmers’ Almanac. There’s a reason it’s hung around as long as it has.”
“Yes, superstitious witches.” He tickled me, causing me to squeal and hop ahead of him. “Where do you think you’re going, my little witch?”
He was feeling awfully playful. I had no intention of discouraging him. “I want to check out the lake,” I replied, without hesitation. “It’s pretty out here, even though the lake isn’t very big. It’s restful. I like restful places.”
“Which is why you live on your family’s property.”
“Hey!” I jabbed a finger at him. “You live on that property now, too. You can’t give me any grief.”
“I can always give you grief. I’m good at it.”
“You’re definitely good at it.” I swung my arms as I skipped toward the lapping waves, grinning when I reached the shore of the crystal-clear water source. “It’s beautiful out here. I always thought it would be cool to live on the water. You have to be rich to do it on the bigger lakes here, though.”
Landon glanced around, taking a moment to survey the full property. “Is the area over there part of the parcel, too?” He gestured toward the boys’ camp, which looked to be in even worse shape than the girls’ camp.
“To my knowledge. You would probably have to check with the land deeds office. Why are you so interested?”
He shrugged, noncommittal. “I don’t know. I just am. I mean ... this is where we met.”
I arched an eyebrow. “It is ... but I don’t see why it’s any better than where we met the other time. That was in a corn maze, and you know how I feel about corn mazes.”
“Yes, you love them.” He grabbed my hand and tugged me away from the water, wrapping his arms around my waist as he swayed back and forth. “As romantic as that corn maze was, this is better. You weren’t sure of me at the maze. You were sure of me here.”
That was an interesting way to look at things. “How do you know that?”
“I guess I don’t know for certain. I just feel it.”
“I was certain of you in the corn maze,” I offered after a moment’s contemplation. “Maybe not that first day, but by that last night I knew I could trust you.”
“Was that before or after I was shot?”
He knew I hated it when he brought up that incident. “Before ... mostly.” I pulled him away from the water. “It’s much too cold to get our feet wet. Let’s look someplace else.”
“Do you have a suggestion?”
“Well, if I remember correctly, there’s a volleyball pitch that way and a pool over there.”
“A pool?” Landon knit his eyebrows. “I don’t remember swimming in a pool. I think I would have much fonder memories of this camp if there’d been a pool.”
“I thought your memories were surrounded in floaty hearts because I was here.”
“Cute.” He poked my side. “Seriously, I don’t remember a pool.”
“That’s because it wasn’t built until the spring I turned sixteen.” I started out across the grounds, Landon in tow. “A local business — the one owned by Mrs. Little at the time, in fact — donated the pool.”
“She donated a pool?” Landon was familiar with Margaret Little. She was one of his least favorite people, and that was saying something because his list of annoying acquaintances was long and storied. “Why would she possibly donate a pool? That doesn’t sound like her at all.”
“I can’t remember the details.” I racked my memory. “I seem to remember some sort of competition with Aunt Tillie — like Aunt Tillie donated a rope swing for the lake and Mrs. Little had to outdo her — but I could be totally wrong.”
“Now that I could see happening.”
I chuckled as I cut around a large weeping willow. The leaves hadn’t filled out yet, but it would be a beautiful tree when it was decked out in all its glory. I remembered it from when I was younger, though it was much larger now.
“They built the pool and we enjoyed it a few years. I don’t think the camp stayed open that long after we aged out. I’m trying to remember.”
“It’s too bad.” Landon’s expression reflected yearning as he glanced around. “Seriously, this place is really cool. Kids today spend all their time on cell phones and playing video games. They’re missing out on all the fun things in life.”
“Okay, Grandpa.” I
snickered as he reached to snag me around the waist, easily evading him. “You sound like Aunt Tillie.”
“Aunt Tillie plays video games on her phone.”
“She’s also trying to devise an app in which she will curse people for money.”
Landon slowed his pace. “Excuse me?”
“It’s true. She has Sam and Marcus working for her, even though neither of them is an app developer. Her plan is to get people who want to exact revenge on their enemies to pay a fee through the app and she’ll curse them.”
Landon’s mouth dropped open. “You cannot be serious. She won’t really do that, will she?”
I shrugged. “You know how she is.”
“I do. That’s why I’m asking.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it.” I meant it. On Aunt Tillie’s lists of threats this week, the Pocket Curser — and, yes, I pointed out how that name could be taken the wrong way — was the least of my concerns. “Besides, once she realizes Sam and Marcus can’t really help her she’ll give it up and move on to something else.”
“I hope you’re right,” Landon muttered as we came to a gate. “Is this the pool?” He peered over the rusty metal fence and frowned when he realized what he thought was an enclosed field of brush and garbage actually was a covered pool. “Oh, gross. I’ll pay you twenty bucks to swim in that.” He pointed toward the murky water that showed through a tear in the cover.
I shot him a questioning look. “You do realize I’m not one of your brothers, right?”
“Sorry. I momentarily lost my head. Girls don’t play the same games boys do.”
“Oh, we would’ve played the same games,” I countered. “We simply would’ve paid better money for something that stupid.”
“Good to know.”
Once he’d managed to get the gate open, I separated from Landon and circled the pool. Given the huge amount of brush and garbage that had become trapped inside of the fence, I had to tread carefully so I wouldn’t veer too far to the left and risk walking on the cover. I had no doubt that it was weak after years of being left in place and I would fall right through it if I made a wrong step.
Wicked Witches of the Midwest Mystery Box Set Page 31