“I always assumed she left early for her trip,” he continued. “I did regret not asking her out ... but not for as long as I thought I would. I met someone that summer and we dated for a bit. That helped me forget about Vicky.
“Had I known she was dead all that time, I doubt I would’ve moved onto someone else so quickly,” he said. “I’m guessing I would’ve pouted a lot longer. That’s how I rolled back then. I was an emotional basket case.”
I wanted to believe him. Part of me did believe him. The only hint of nervous energy he showed was when I mentioned Vicky was dead. He seemed genuinely surprised and shocked to find out she was discovered in the pool. Otherwise, he appeared to be sincere.
“What about others at the camp that summer?” I prodded. “Did she mention not liking anybody else?”
“Just Joey ... but everyone hated Joey. In fact, he was so unpopular Gertie showed up and yelled because she thought we should be nicer to him. She said it wasn’t fair that we were cutting him out of activities. The guy was weird, but I was so afraid of Gertie I started hanging out with Joey just so she would like me.”
“Weird how?”
“Like ... weird. I don’t know how to explain it. He spent all his time staring at the girls and disappearing into the woods. We assumed he was smoking pot out there because he always came back with glassy eyes and acting slower than normal. No one said anything, because we didn’t want to take on the boss’s son. He was unhappy being there as it was. He didn’t like working.”
“Believe it or not, you’re not the first person to tell me that,” I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck. “Can you think of anyone else who would want to hurt Vicky?”
“I can’t. She was the nicest person in the world. Everyone loved her. I can’t believe she’s dead. Do the cops believe she was in the pool the entire time?”
“That’s the working theory. Do you remember when the pool was closed for the season?”
“The day the kids left. The workers were there when we were loading them into cars and buses. They were done by the time we were done.”
“So ... the pool was closed before you were finished with your chores.”
“It was definitely closed by the time we were finished with all the kids. I remember being disappointed because I wanted to take one more dip.”
“Well, that means someone had to open the pool and put her inside after the fact. It had to be someone who knew the camp.”
“Definitely,” Aunt Tillie agreed. “But it’s not this guy.” She jerked her thumb in Saxon’s direction. “He’s clean as a whistle. Really, Bay. I can’t believe you thought he was a murderer. Have I taught you nothing?”
I narrowed my eyes to dangerous slits. “Are you trying to irritate me?”
“Of course not. I’m trying to teach you.”
“Well, you’re irritating me.”
“You shouldn’t jump to conclusions. Ah, well. You’ll learn.” She turned a blinding smile to Saxon. “I’m glad you grew out of your pervert stage. Give up the smoking and then come see me in Hemlock Cove. I’ll find a girlfriend for you ... after we de-plaid your wardrobe, that is.” She slapped his arm. “Good job on not being a pervert. I can’t tell you how relieved I am that we didn’t have to shoot you.”
Saxon’s bewildered expression was almost too much to bear. “I’m happy you didn’t have to shoot me, too.”
“That makes three of us,” I said dryly. “We’ll get out of your hair. I’m sorry to have bothered you.”
“Don’t apologize. I’m glad to know someone is out there fighting for Vicky. She deserves it.”
On that we could agree.
Twenty-Two
Landon was not happy when I told him about my afternoon.
“So, let me get this straight,” he said when he met Aunt Tillie and me by the front door of the police station. “A ghost told you the name of a counselor from eleven years ago who could potentially be a murderer and you packed up your eighty-something great-aunt and drove to Bellaire to question him without telling anyone else where you were going. Do I have that about right?”
Ugh. When he put it that way, I came off sounding like an idiot. “That’s basically right,” I hedged. “But I don’t particularly like your attitude.”
“You tell him.” Aunt Tillie, still wearing her WBI coat, was focused on the porcelain unicorn store across the road. “I think I’m heading out to take a walk.”
“No, you’re not.” Landon grabbed the back of her coat before she could scurry away. “I’m not done expressing my dislike for how you spent your afternoon.”
“You act like I care, Skippy,” Aunt Tillie challenged, squirming against his firm grip. “For the record, I don’t. We didn’t do anything wrong.”
“You questioned a potential murderer,” Landon argued. “That was all kinds of wrong.”
“This is why you’re such a goody-goody, Bay,” Aunt Tillie muttered, lashing out with her foot and catching Landon in the shin. He grimaced but managed to keep hold of her without crying out. “He makes you want to be a cloying suck-up. Think about that next time you want to follow the rules.”
I sighed. “I don’t want to be a cloying suck-up. I didn’t even know you knew what that meant.”
“Oh, I know.” Aunt Tillie’s expression darkened. “You’re definitely on my list now.”
I balked. “Why? I didn’t do anything.”
“You think I’m stupid.”
“That’s not what I said.”
“It’s basically what you said.” Aunt Tillie turned to Landon for support. “That’s what she said, right?”
“Only if you’re going to dole out punishment in the form of bacon. I want her to smell like it for the entire night.”
Aunt Tillie narrowed her eyes. “Consider it done.”
Landon immediately released her and pinned me with a look. “You shouldn’t call your great-aunt stupid like that. It’s not fair or right. She’s a human being.”
“A genius,” Aunt Tillie corrected.
“That’s pushing things,” Landon countered.
“Do you want your bacon-smelling girlfriend or not?”
He shrugged. “She’s the smartest woman I know, Bay. The fact that you would call her stupid is ... well, frankly, it’s disappointing.”
“Nice delivery.” Aunt Tillie’s grin was smug. “I told you before, Bay. You’re living your life the wrong way. You should stop focusing on being a good girl and embrace your inner bad girl. That’s what I did and I’ve never looked back.”
I folded my arms over my chest and glared at Landon. “Is this your payback for me interviewing Saxon?”
“I don’t want payback for that. I want you to be safe. I thought we agreed we were going to talk about stuff like this before you ran off half-cocked.”
“I didn’t run off half-cocked.”
“Only a whole cock will do,” Aunt Tillie intoned, her eyes back on Mrs. Little’s shop. “I have things to do. I’ll leave you two to your argument.”
“We’re not going to argue,” I shot back.
“Oh, we’re going to argue,” Landon countered. “I think it’s best if Aunt Tillie goes about her business. She has a curse to cast, after all.”
I wanted to shake him. “She’s not casting that curse. She’s messing with you.”
“A deal is a deal, Bay,” Aunt Tillie argued. “I made a promise, and I keep my promises. Now, if you’ll excuse me ... .”
Landon grabbed the sleeve of her coat before she could depart. “Just one question. WBI. That stands for Winchester Bureau of Investigations, right?”
“Instigations,” Aunt Tillie corrected. “I perform a specific function for those who can afford my services.”
“And this is a new business you’re running?”
“Pretty much. I got the idea when I was watching a show on Netflix a few weeks ago. Private investigators make a lot of money. I’ve been looking for a side hustle now that pot is legal in Michigan and the snow
no longer needs plowing. I’m now a private investigator.”
She was opening up to Landon more than she did to me ... and her responses were frightening. “You didn’t mention that during the drive. I thought you bought the coat as a joke.” Something occurred to me. “What’s in your bag? You’ve been keeping a firm hold on it since I picked you up.”
As if to prove my point, Aunt Tillie gripped her over-sized purse tighter. “Don’t you worry about it. You’re a busybody ... just like your mother. Has anyone ever told you that?”
“That means you have something hot in the bag,” I muttered. “It’s not explosives, is it? You didn’t finally find a way to get C4 delivered to the inn, did you? Oh, don’t bother answering.” I pressed my eyes shut. “I don’t want to know.”
“I think everyone is better off not knowing,” Aunt Tillie agreed. “I’m off. You don’t need to worry about taking me home. I’ll handle my own transportation.”
“Whatever,” I muttered.
“Hold up.” Landon didn’t release Aunt Tillie’s sleeve. “I notice you’ve got a badge there. You slipped it into your pocket when you caught me looking at it. I’d like to see it before I let you go.”
“Badge? What badge?” Anyone who didn’t know her would think Aunt Tillie was an innocent senior citizen caught in a web of suspicion by her belligerent great-niece’s bossy boyfriend. Anyone who knew her, however, would recognize the truth behind her acting skills.
“Let me see it,” Landon repeated.
“Oh, geez.” Aunt Tillie made a face and dug in her pocket. “Here. Are you happy?” She shoved the badge I’d only caught a glimpse of earlier in his direction.
“This looks pretty good,” Landon noted as he released Aunt Tillie and stared at the badge. “Who did this for you?”
“What do you mean?” Aunt Tillie refused to meet his gaze. “I made it myself.”
Landon was understandably dubious. “How did you manage that?”
“I’m gifted.”
“Seriously.”
“I am serious.” Aunt Tillie’s gaze fired. “I know how to do a variety of things. Making badges is one of them.”
Landon pursed his lips and stared at her for a long beat. Instead of asking further questions, he slipped the badge into his pocket. “I’ll hold onto this. We’ll talk about you getting it back later.”
“That’s mine,” Aunt Tillie protested. “You can’t just steal my stuff.”
“I said we’ll talk about you getting it back later,” Landon reiterated. “How Bay smells will play into that conversation.”
“Hey!” Now it was my turn to be frustrated. “I don’t want to smell like bacon. You know I hate that.”
Landon ignored me and leaned closer to Aunt Tillie to whisper something I couldn’t quite make out. I tried to move closer, but he was already done, and Aunt Tillie was walking away from him before I could uncover their dastardly plan.
“Don’t even think about cursing me,” I yelled at Aunt Tillie’s back. When she didn’t turn around, I swiveled toward Landon. “What did you say to her?”
“Don’t worry about it.” Landon tucked the badge into his pocket. “If you can find out who made this for her I’d appreciate it. We’ve had a lot of fake licenses and identification cards show up over the past few weeks. Whoever made this badge is good. I’d like to talk to him or her.”
He couldn’t be serious. “You think I’m going to help you after what you just pulled?” I was incredulous. “I hate smelling like bacon.”
“I happen to like it.”
“You’re not the only one. Every man in town likes it when I smell like bacon. As my boyfriend, you should hate that.”
“I like it when people are jealous. Sue me.”
I wanted to do more than sue him. “Landon ... .”
“Bay, let it go.” He didn’t smile when he folded his arms over his chest. “I’m not happy that you talked to this Saxon guy without me. What happened to us being partners?”
I hated — I mean absolutely hated — his tone. “We are partners,” I reassured him quickly. “I knew you were busy. I wanted to talk to him. I felt it was important.”
“Even though you’re now convinced he’s not the guilty party?”
“I don’t know that I’m convinced he’s not guilty.” I chose my words carefully. “If he’s acting, he’s very good. In fact, he’s so good he missed his calling. He should be in Hollywood.
“That said, I figure whoever did this — whoever got away with murder for so long — has to be a masterful liar,” I continued. “Does that mean I think he’s guilty? No. I don’t know that he’s innocent either. I figured I would leave that to you to figure out.”
“After you’ve already questioned him, thus tipping him off that we’ll be tracking him down.”
Crap. I hadn’t considered that. “Well ... I just wanted to see his reaction. I’m sorry if I got in the way. I took Aunt Tillie. I wasn’t an idiot about it. I was perfectly safe the entire time.”
Landon rubbed his cheek as he regarded me. “We’ll have to talk about this later. I need to make sure Saxon hasn’t bolted, which means a drive to Bellaire. I would appreciate it if you would tell me before questioning my murder suspects.”
There was a chill to his words that I recognized. He was angry but didn’t want to fly off the handle in the middle of town. “I said I was sorry.”
“And I heard you.”
“Are you going to stay angry all day?”
He shrugged, noncommittal. “I have no idea. I guess we’ll have to see if you smell like bacon when I see you next. That could have an effect on my mood.”
Ugh. That was so ... Landon. “Fine.” I blew out a sigh. There was nothing more I could do. “If I have to smell like bacon all night, I expect you to get over yourself and forgive me.”
“We’ll see how I’m feeling after I talk to Saxon. Until then, please stay out of trouble. I would greatly appreciate it.”
His tone was exaggerated, telling me he was deadly serious. “I’ll stay out of trouble ... until dinner. I can’t make any promises beyond that.”
“I guess I’ll take it.”
“Great.” I leaned in to give him a quick kiss. “On a different note, Aunt Tillie says I’m a goody-goody and I would be better off as a bad girl. Do you think that’s true?”
“I like the girl you are. I don’t want you being something other than what you want to be. That said, you’ve been pretty bad today. Perhaps I shall spank you when we get home.”
“You’re just saying that because it turns you on.”
“I have to get my thrills where I can. Now, get out of here. I have to find your buddy Saxon. If he has run, even the bacon scent won’t save you.”
I had no doubt that was true. “He didn’t run. I have faith.”
FOR LACK OF ANYTHING BETTER TO do, I trudged over to Mrs. Little’s store to ask her a few questions. My relationship with the woman was strained — and that was putting it mildly — but she was the town busybody. She had information other people didn’t ... and it was exactly the sort of information I needed.
“Hello, Bay.” Mrs. Little looked annoyed when she realized I was the one entering her store. “What are you doing here?”
“I have a few questions for you.”
“Does this have anything to do with the camp?”
Of course she would jump to that conclusion. She was a businesswoman at heart. She wanted to make sure her potential investment was still a sound idea. That was all she cared about.
“Kind of,” I replied, moving toward the counter where she was unboxing new merchandise. “What can you tell me about Gertie and Earl?”
Whatever she was expecting, that wasn’t it. “Why? Do you think Earl killed the first girl? That body was there a long time.”
“That body was there from the final summer,” I confirmed. I saw no reason to lie because the information would come out eventually. “From the timetable we’ve been able to put toget
her, the kids left the camp the same day Vicky Carpenter disappeared. The pool people were also there at that time to close the pool for the season.
“Another counselor told me that the pool was closed before Vicky went missing,” I continued. “That means someone killed her and understood how the springs holding the pool cover worked well enough to shove her body in after the fact and close the pool a second time.”
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Bay, but I’m familiar with pools,” Mrs. Little pointed out. “They’re not difficult to cover. There’s a special tool for those pegs that come out of the cement. All you have to do is twist them.”
“Yeah. I get that.” I rolled my neck. “Still, most people wouldn’t know where to get the tool. That means it likely had to be someone who worked there regularly.”
“And you’re leaning toward Earl?” She screwed up her face in concentration. “No, that’s not right. I remember that summer. Earl was dead by then. He was alive when we started work on the pool and died not long after. He definitely wasn’t there for the pool’s last hurrah.”
“What about Joey Morgan? What do you remember about him?”
“Joey Morgan would’ve still been alive. He didn’t die until the fall.”
“Yes, but that wasn’t really an answer to my question,” I prodded. “What do you remember about him?”
“I remember that he was lazy.” Mrs. Little adopted a thoughtful expression. “That was all anybody ever said about him. He was lazy and didn’t want to work. That was surprising because his parents were hard workers. They both had issues, don’t get me wrong, but they weren’t lazy.”
“What issues did they have?”
“Well, Gertie was the overbearing sort.” If there was one thing Mrs. Little loved, it was gossip. She delved into stories from decades before with gusto. “She always bossed Earl around. He was a nice guy and a good worker, but he needed a firm hand. Gertie was more than happy to provide that hand.”
Wicked Witches of the Midwest Mystery Box Set Page 51