Thirteen
Clove finally caught up with us at the small park across the way. Most of the activity focused on the downtown area was at the far end of Main Street, so we were relatively assured of being able to talk without anyone eavesdropping.
“Listen,” I lectured Aunt Tillie. “we’re not trying to keep a secret just for the sake of keeping a secret. This is a stressful time for Clove. The last thing she needs is our mothers flying off the cauldron handle and adding to it.”
Aunt Tillie folded her arms across her chest. “That’s the lamest argument I’ve ever heard. You can do better.”
“We don’t have to do better,” Thistle countered. “It’s Clove’s secret. She has a right to decide when it comes out.”
“Better, but still lame.”
I frowned. “What good will come from telling them before the wedding?” I challenged, appealing to her practical side. “It will only get them worked up.”
“They’ll get worked up anyway,” Aunt Tillie pointed out. “I distinctly remember them warning you about getting pregnant before marriage. It was one of the few threats they issued.”
“I’m pretty sure they have no right to issue those threats,” Landon offered, speaking for the first time since we’d left the blacksmith shop. He’d opted to come with us, although I figured it was in more of a supervisory position than anything else. “What does marriage have to do with being a good mother?”
“I didn’t say that marriage is important to being a good mother,” Aunt Tillie clarified. “But she’s an adult. She knows where babies come from. The whole point of stressing the importance of birth control to them was because we didn’t ever want them to feel they had to get married.”
Clove stirred. “Is that what you think? Sam and I were engaged before I found out I was pregnant. By a long shot.”
“Fair enough. But that’s what other people will say.”
“Since when do we care what other people think?” Thistle challenged. “For the entirety of our lives you’ve insisted that we think for ourselves and not follow the crowd. I mean ... you’re riding a scooter around and wearing a cape while terrorizing people, for crying out loud.”
Annoyance flashed deep in her eyes as Aunt Tillie balked. “That’s a smart look.”
Thistle frowned. “No, it’s not.”
I held up my hand before this conversation could get away from us. “Aunt Tillie, only bad things can come of you opening your mouth now. Clove is going to tell them after the wedding but before she leaves for her honeymoon. That will give them time to cool down. Things will be fine by the time she gets back.”
“Please don’t tell them.” Clove’s eyes filled with tears and she looked pathetic as she beseeched Aunt Tillie. “I’m begging you. It’s important to me that I be the one to tell them. I know you don’t understand that, but ... it really is important to me.”
“Ugh.” Aunt Tillie growled. Given the way her shoulders slouched in resignation, though, I knew we’d won. “Fine. I won’t say anything. I still think this is a bad idea. They won’t be nearly as worked up as you think.”
“That would be a nice surprise,” I acknowledged. “I’m not sure I believe it, though. Still ... thank you. We need you on our side for this.”
“Oh, I didn’t say I was on your side,” Aunt Tillie countered. “I said I wouldn’t tell them. You’re on your own when it comes to keeping this secret. I have bigger things to worry about ... like Margaret and Hazel. You’re just lucky that I can’t afford to have my attention split in a third direction.”
“We feel extremely lucky,” I reassured her. “You’re the best aunt in the world.”
“You’re totally the best,” Clove enthused.
Aunt Tillie’s expectant eyes landed on Thistle.
“You’re all right,” Thistle replied after a beat. “You still tick me off.”
“I feel the same way about you,” Aunt Tillie shot back. “By the way, you’re totally on my list for that little stunt you pulled with the curse and the scooter. I will find time to dole out some retribution for that.”
Thistle made a face. “I can’t wait.”
ONCE THINGS WERE SETTLED WITH Aunt Tillie and she’d scootered off in the direction of the witches to continue her campaign of terror, Thistle and Clove returned to Hypnotic, which they’d left open and unlocked. That left Landon and me to ourselves.
“Why are you back here?” I asked. “Did the arson investigator come up with anything new?”
“This is just standard stuff. It’s normal for him to come back because once the debris has settled he can find new evidence.”
“Like what?”
He arched an amused eyebrow. “Do I look like an arson investigator to you?”
“I thought you knew everything.”
“Cute.” He poked my side. “You know that Aunt Tillie could’ve been injured by that move you guys pulled? I don’t think you should do that again.”
I didn’t necessarily want to blame Thistle, but that’s exactly what I did. “It wasn’t my curse.”
“I know, but be more careful next time. Believe it or not, you’ll miss her when she’s gone, and you would never forgive yourself if you were the reason she was hurt.”
“I’ll see what I can manage.” I rolled my neck. He wasn’t wrong. The horror I felt when I saw her fall was still fresh. “What are you guys up to next?”
“I don’t know. I’m a little out of the loop right now. What are you going to do?”
“Visit Lorna.”
Landon made a sound halfway between resignation and exasperation. “I thought we agreed you would wait for me before approaching her.”
That’s not how I remembered things. “I said I wouldn’t go after the birds. I’m just going to question her ... and work at the same time. When someone dies, I like to do a story that’s a tribute to his or her life. I need to talk to Lorna for Adam’s story.”
“Are you going to ask her about the affairs? What about Masterson?”
Both good questions. “I don’t know yet. I’ll have to play it by ear, gauge her mood.”
“I would prefer you not get into too much trouble, Bay. I don’t like this one ... and for a multitude of reasons. That bird thing is weird and I can’t help but think you dreamt about the birds because they’re somehow important.”
“I agree they’re important. That doesn’t mean Lorna is controlling them.”
“No? She was the only one on that bench.”
“Yeah, but someone else could’ve sent the birds after her. I mean ... have you considered that maybe Lisa is the one putting on the act?”
“I haven’t talked to Lisa yet. I’m sure that will be on the agenda for today. Since you’ve already talked to her she’ll be expecting us, too. That means she’ll have time to come up with a story.”
“She already told me her story.”
“And you seemed to believe her at the time.”
That was true. Quite frankly, I couldn’t decide how I felt about all the players. “I know but ... there are a variety of different things that could be happening here. I’m not saying I believe it, but what if Lisa decided that she was fed up with waiting for Adam to divorce Lorna and she snapped?”
“And ... what? Do you think she killed Adam in a fit of rage, covered it up with a fire, and is now after Lorna?”
“It’s possible, right?”
He tilted his head, considering. “I guess it’s possible,” he conceded after a moment. “I’m not sure I believe it. I need to interview her myself before I form an opinion.”
“I think that’s a good idea. While you’re doing that, I’ll interview Lorna.”
“What if she’s the guilty party? What if she killed Adam and she’s some sort of dark witch?”
The suggestion was enough to take me aback. “I’ve never sensed magic when I’ve been near her.”
“Do you always?”
“No, but ... .” I heaved out a sigh. I had no idea how all o
f this was going to play out. “I think the only thing we can both be sure of is that we have to dig. That’s all I’m going to do today. I’ll be careful. I promise.”
“I want you to text me when you leave, just so I’m not worrying. I know you don’t like feeling as if I’m hovering but I can’t help but worry. Something about this one feels off ... and that’s saying something given the other stuff we’ve faced.”
“I like facing things with you.” I squeezed his hand. “I promise to call. I’ll be fine. I know how to take care of myself.”
“I have faith in you. I always have. That doesn’t mean I can just shut off the worry. That’s not who I am.”
On that we would have to compromise. He couldn’t shut off his worry and my curiosity couldn’t be contained. It would forever be an issue. Thankfully it wasn’t something we couldn’t handle. We had that going for us.
“It’ll be fine.” I was sure of that. “I simply need some time alone with her. I think I’ll be able to figure things out better after that.”
“Fair enough. I still want a text.”
“You’ll get one.”
A DISHEVELED LORNA answered the door.
I instantly felt like an intruder. “I’m sorry. Did I wake you?”
She looked as if she’d been on a bender. I really couldn’t blame her given everything that had happened.
“Bay?” Her eyebrows drew together and it took her a moment to recognize me. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to see you.” That wasn’t a lie. Sure, I had ulterior motives, but at the heart of my visit was the desperate need to check on Lorna. “I was hoping to do a nice article on Adam. You know, talk about the things he did for Hemlock Cove, mention that he was a good family man.”
If that wasn’t an opening, I didn’t know how else to pry open a door for her to walk through and start spilling her guts.
“Oh, that sounds nice.” Vacantly, Lorna left the door open and disappeared inside the house.
I watched the empty spot where she’d been standing for a moment, confused, and then followed.
The house was dark, all the drapes drawn. The lights were on, but they seemed dim. I found Lorna in the kitchen. She was brewing a pot of tea. It was obvious she hadn’t yet showered and was still muddled from sleep.
“How are you doing?” Even though there was a possibility she was evil, I felt sorry for her. “Did you sleep at all?”
“I tried.” Lorna’s smile was tight when she turned back to me. “I was exhausted, but I managed to conk out for only about an hour and then I was wide awake. I tried to take some sleep medication — probably too much if you want to know the truth — but it didn’t really work for me. Now I feel listless and draggy, too exhausted to function, and yet I can’t sleep. It’s a vicious little cycle.”
“Sit down,” I instructed, moving to the stove. “I’ll handle the tea.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind.”
“No, you should definitely sit down.”
Lorna followed my instructions, plunking herself in one of the chairs. She didn’t look comfortable when I joined her, the dark circles under her eyes proving to be so big I thought I might be able to hide inside them.
“Where are Nick and Dani?” I asked. The house was silent.
“They’re both asleep. They were up late, couldn’t fall asleep, but then they finally passed out. I’m going to let them sleep as long as they want. It’s better for them than sitting here and wallowing. Besides, they keep asking questions and I’m not sure how to answer them.”
“What sort of questions?”
“They want to know who killed their father,” she replied simply. “I don’t have an answer for them. I’m not even sure what I should tell them. It’s all such a mess. Such a huge, huge mess.”
If I expected a better opening than this one, I wasn’t going to get it. I either had to be bold and tell her I knew about the affair or talk about absolutely nothing. I decided being bold was the best course of action.
“So ... I talked to Lisa Newman.”
I expected Lorna to tell me I didn’t understand the situation or at least swear violently under her breath at mention of the woman. Instead, she merely sighed.
“I guess I should’ve realized that information was going to come out. I haven’t really thought much about it since Adam died. It’s too much to think about.”
The kettle had begun to whistle, so I removed it from the stove and shifted it to the pad she’d already laid out on the table. “I was surprised when I heard. I didn’t realize you and Adam were having problems.”
“I don’t know that we were having problems,” she countered. “It’s more that we grew apart. We loved each other at the start. but somewhere along the way we became friends rather than lovers. I’m not even sure how it happened.
“I still loved him, don’t get me wrong, but it was more of a friendship love,” she continued. “I was hurt when I heard he had feelings for Lisa, but the more I thought about it the more I realized that it made sense.”
She was calm. I didn’t understand the phenomenon, but I was grateful for it. “Lisa said that you guys decided to stay together until after the kids graduated from high school.”
“Um ... I can’t quite remember how that came up. I know that I was in favor of that because I didn’t want the kids’ grades to suffer or anything. Adam was all for it.”
“Did you guys still share a room?”
“No. Adam slept in the guest room and I kept the master bedroom. He was leaving me the house so it made sense.”
“Didn’t the kids ask questions?”
“Honestly? I’m not even sure they noticed. Adam kept his clothes in the master bedroom and only slept in the guest room. We told the kids it was because he snored. They didn’t say a word about it. I’m pretty sure they didn’t realize we were planning on separating.”
I knew that wasn’t true because of what Dani had told me, but I decided to keep that to myself. The last thing the teenager needed was more pressure put on her. “I know it’s difficult, but can you think of any reason Lisa might want to hurt Adam?”
Lorna shook her head. “Why would she want to hurt him?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe she thought she was going to get an inheritance or something.”
Lorna waved off the suggestion as if I’d said that fat-free cheese tasted the same as the real deal. “No, that’s not even remotely true. Adam and I had already gone through our finances. He switched his life insurance policy so it paid out to the kids. I did the same. As for the rest ... it’s not as if we’re rich.”
Oh, well, that was interesting. “So you’re not the beneficiary of his insurance policy?”
“Not for at least six months. I’ll oversee the money until the kids are eighteen, but I can’t touch it. We set up my life insurance policy the same way.”
Huh. It seemed money wasn’t an issue between them. I didn’t know whether to be relieved or suspicious. “Can you think of anyone else who would want to hurt Adam?”
“No. I just don’t understand. I saw him twenty minutes before the fire. We’d been talking about the blacksmith business and what we were going to do after the divorce.”
“What were you going to do?”
“He was going to keep the business and take out a small loan so I could set up my own dress shop. I saw these neat dresses and hats at a renaissance fair and I thought they would fit in well in Hemlock Cove. That was the plan once the kids were in community college and out of the house.”
“It sounds like things were amicable between the two of you.”
“They definitely were.”
I wasn’t getting nearly as much information as I’d hoped. “Well ... I really do want to write a nice story about Adam, something your children can cherish forever. I was hoping you had some photographs I could use.”
“Absolutely.” Lorna stood. “Let me find them and we’ll go through them.”
“Sure.
” I watched her leave the room, conflicted, and when I turned back toward the stove to finish gathering the ingredients for tea I found a ghost watching me with a pair of the grimmest eyes I’d ever seen. “Adam?” I gasped.
He stared at me for a long time, a sadness so profound emanating from him that it almost knocked me over. He tried to open his mouth but couldn’t. No sound came out no matter how he struggled. It was then that I realized it was sewn shut.
“How did that happen?” I took a step in his direction, but he shook his head to stop me. There was warning in his eyes.
Then, as if on cue, birds began raising a ruckus outside. I moved to the window, pulled back the drapes, and found thirty of them – a variety of colors and sizes – circling the backyard. Some sat on an old grill, others on a fence. All of them stared directly at me.
Fourteen
I took copious notes during my time with Lorna. The interview lasted three hours, and by the time I left her house the birds were gone. Adam’s ghost didn’t linger. He disappeared before she returned with her stack of photos, which I promised to return as soon as possible.
I walked to The Whistler and wrote my article. It was a glowing piece, a profile of a man who donated his time to the town while also managing to be a good father. I avoided his marital issues. They weren’t important, at least for this particular story.
When I finished, I met Landon and Chief Terry at the diner for lunch. They were deep in conversation when I joined them and I almost felt guilty for interrupting.
“Would you prefer I sit at the counter by myself?” I asked.
“Don’t be stupid.” Landon pulled out the chair next to him. “We were just talking about what Bennett told us.”
I perked up. “Anything good?”
“It was … interesting,” Landon replied, his hand lightly brushing over my back. “It seems that in addition to gasoline he found butane on the premises. That’s what made the explosion so big.”
I waited for him to continue. When he didn’t, I held out my hands. “I don’t know what that means.”
Wicked Witches of the Midwest Mystery Box Set Page 71