Mayhem in Jinx Cove

by Savannah Mae

  “I’ve missed you, Miss Nelly,” Ben offered as he hugged my mother. “You have no idea how often I sit at home in my tiny one-bedroom house and dream about one of your famous pot pies.”

  My mother blushed like she always did every time smooth-talking Ben complimented her about her cooking. She prided herself on three things and three things only in life: her loving family, her love of the written word, and her cooking - in that order.

  Every memory I have of my life involved delicious food, books, and family. They are what made me who I am today. That’s why I felt like such a failure now. I’d had the best of everything. I’d ruined it by not being able to make good on my promise to have a thriving career and to one day be able to take care of the people who so selflessly brought me into their loving home and raised me as their own.

  My mother turned and spoke over her shoulder as she walked toward the kitchen. “You’re here just in time to help me chop vegetables for tonight’s dinner.”

  We didn’t hesitate to pitch in and help. When we were growing up, my parents always made it a point to get us involved in whatever chore they were doing. Some of the best conversations took place over housework or kitchen duties, and always with Ben in tow.

  “I’m game. What’s for dinner?” Ben clapped his hands together.

  I tuned out their conversation as I took in the old house. It still looked very much like it had when I was growing up, but something about it seemed a bit off. I couldn’t explain it if someone had asked me, but I had the sinking feeling things weren’t quite right these days.

  I glanced back at my father. He remained in the doorway, staring out the front door. I wondered what he was thinking but knew him well enough to know he’d tell me in his own time. He had that quiet, reserved way about him. I admired him for that. The only real indication he ever gave that something was amiss was a slight twitch of his eyebrow. If you didn’t know to look for it, most would never notice, but I always did.

  “Why didn’t you tell us you were coming home?” my mom asked as I turned my attention back to her and Ben in the kitchen.

  I locked eyes with Ben. “I thought I’d surprise you. Surprise!”

  “How are things in Chicago? Have you lost weight? You look so thin.” My mother reached over and put her hands on my waist. “You should eat. When was the last time you ate?”

  If you count the massive amounts of coffee I drank earlier, I’d say sometime last week, I thought, but I knew better than to say that out loud.

  “I eat all the time, Mom,” I fibbed.

  She squinted her eyes at me. “Please don’t tell me stories. When was the last time you ate? I knew you weren’t ready to live on your own. I told your father that you were simply too young.”

  “Too young for what?” My father stepped into the kitchen to join us.

  “Ned, she hasn’t been eating. Look at her. She’s so thin.” My mother pointed to me.

  Ben popped a piece of raw potato in his mouth. “She looks the same to me.”

  I took offense to that right away because we all knew when I left town, I was at least twenty pounds heavier than I wanted to be. After putting on the ‘freshman fifteen’, I added a few more for good measure. Pounds I called ‘sophomore seven’ and ‘junior jumbo’ even though design school didn’t have a traditional grade level system.

  “You’re not exactly marriage material either.” I assessed Ben’s baggy sweatshirt and torn carpenter’s pants and sandals.

  “I look good,” Ben joked, spinning in circles to allow me full view of his attire. “Don’t I, Miss Nelly?”

  “Don’t bring my mother into this,” I teased, grateful for the distraction. I think we all needed it.

  After the vegetables were chopped and the pie dough was prepared, my mother shooed us out of her kitchen, so she could add her ‘special sauce’ to the pot pies. We followed my dad into the family room.

  “How are things with you, honey?” he asked me.

  Ben busied himself with the day’s newspaper to allow us a few minutes to talk.

  “Fine. How are things here?” I asked.

  He looked at me with tears welling in his eyes.

  My heart sank. “Dad?”

  The doorbell rang, interrupting our conversation.

  “I’ll get it!” My dad yelled out to my mom.

  I sunk into my seat on the sofa, throwing my head back. “Something is wrong here.”

  “Yeah, I know. You’re acting like a stranger in your own home. Will you mellow out? I don’t see what the big deal is. Tell them why you’re here. I’m sure they’ll understand,” Ben tried to convince me.

  I could hear my father’s voice down the hallway. “Do you have to do this now? My daughter just came into town. Can’t this wait?”

  I stood up, alarmed by his tone. He never spoke to anyone that harshly.

  My mother swept past us on her way to the front door.

  “Mom, who is Dad talking to?” I asked, but she was out of the room before the full question came out of my mouth.

  My father’s voice grew louder. “Nothing has been finalized. Can’t this wait?”

  Ben and I looked at each other for a moment, then took off toward the front door to see what was happening.

  Outside on the front porch stood several men and a stern looking woman.

  A tall, slender man in a dark suit sneered at us as we approached. “Well, hello. You must be the daughter.” He held out his hand for me to shake, but I refused, nudging Ben to get in front of me. I didn’t like the look in the man’s eyes.

  “What’s going on?” I asked my father.

  He shook his head, looking directly at the man in the suit. “Nothing. They were just leaving.”

  “What’s your name, young lady?” the man in the suit asked.

  I looked at my father. “Who is this man? What does he want?”

  My father’s eyes welled with tears again. I asked again, “Dad, what’s going on here? Who is he?”

  He swallowed hard.

  The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as I looked back at the man in the dark suit. He stared at me with his dark blue eyes. I could see a flash of recognition in his eyes, as if he knew me, but I’d never seen him before in my life.

  “Who are you?” I asked.

  The woman behind him, answered, “We’re with Willis Construction. This is Zephyr, Zephyr Willis CEO. We’re here to take some measurements of the property to prepare it for sale.”

  “What? Measurements?” I looked at my father. He seemed to have aged since the last time I’d looked at him just a few minutes earlier. “You’re selling the house? The farm?”

  Zephyr snickered. “No, I am. It’s mine now.”

  Chills ran up and down my spine. “What are you talking about? This is our house. I grew up in this house. This is our home.”

  “I’m afraid not, dear.” Zephyr smiled. “Have your father explain it to you.”

  I didn’t like this man. I knew that the second I saw him standing at the door. He had evil and sadistic written all over his face.

  “Leave now.” I grabbed the front door and slammed it in his face.

  My mother sniffled behind me.

  Ben and I exchanged confused looks as my father moved to open the door again.

  “Will someone please tell me who that man is and what he’s talking about?” I asked, my voice cracking.

  My father didn’t answer. He opened the door and lunged for Zephyr, screaming. “Get off my property! Nothing has been finalized yet. Leave. Leave now!”

  Zephyr straightened out his suit jacket while the others took a few steps back from my father.

  “Ned, please, don’t,” my mother pleaded.

  Ben stepped out onto the porch, trying to be the voice of reason. “I think you should leave. Now, is obviously not a good time.”

  I didn’t know what to do. The group retreated to their vehicles. No one said another word as they peeled out of the driveway and raced down the grav
el road.

  In the distance, I could make out a group of people walking on the side of the road. I was fixated on them as I tried to wrap my mind around what I’d just witnessed.

  “What are they doing out there?” Ben asked.

  My father took a seat on the front porch rocking chair, visibly shaken by what had just transpired. My mother stood by his side, her hand on his shoulder as she quietly sobbed.

  “Mom?” I called out to her. I had so many questions.

  “I’m so sorry, honey. It’s fine. Things will work out,” she offered.

  I watched as Zephyr’s black Cadillac slowed down near the group of women. They turned their heads toward him, staring at him.

  “Melanie?” Ben touched my arm. “Do you see them?”

  I nodded. “Yes.”

  “What are they doing?” he asked me.

  My father answered behind us. “Walking. They walk past here a couple of times a day now. They’re just exercising. They’re harmless.”

  I pulled my eyes from them. “Why are the Jinx sisters walking all the way out here? Don’t they live on the other side of town? Why can’t they walk over there?”

  “Sweetheart, no need to take it out on them. They’re not harming anyone. Let them be,” my mother said.

  I mumbled under my breath. “They’re witches, remember? We can’t just let them be.”

  Ben nudged my shoulder. “Relax. I think there are more important things to worry about.”

  I kept my eye on the three women as they walked closer to the house. I could feel their eyes on me.

  “Melanie, sit down, please,” my father said. “Your mother and I need to tell you something.”

  I swallowed hard, knowing what I was about to hear would be devastating news.

  I took a seat on the porch swing, keeping an eye on the sisters as they approached. Up in the sky, black vultures flew in formation. I hadn’t noticed them earlier.

  “Do you see the vultures?” Ben asked, looking up in awe.

  “I know. Where did they come from?” I asked.

  “Vultures?” My mother looked up.

  They hovered over the lone tree in our yard. We watched them with curiosity, wondering why they’d appeared suddenly.

  The sisters stopped in front of our house. Lyra placed her hand on the fence post to lean on it.

  We watched them, waiting to see if they had something to say.

  My father waved in his usual friendly manner. “Nice day isn’t it?” he offered as a greeting.

  The sisters looked at each other, seemingly surprised by his friendliness.

  One of the twins answered, “It is now. I’m sure you feel that way too now that your miserable visitor is gone.”

  My father nodded.

  What did they know about our visitor? I wanted to tell them to mind their own business, but I was still shaken by my experience at their coffee shop earlier and didn’t dare want to give Calliope or her sisters a reason to pay attention to me. They made me nervous.

  “What do you have to tell me?” I asked my parents.

  They looked at each other, as if seeking consent from the other to continue.

  “Dad?” I pleaded.

  He was mesmerized by the vultures again. I hadn’t even noticed they’d begun to move away. The vultures seemed to be following the sisters on their journey.

  “Are they following the birds or are the birds following them?” Ben asked.

  “I think they’re traveling together,” I answered.

  “Who travels with vultures?” Ben asked.

  I nodded toward the sisters. “They do, I guess.”

  My father redirected us. “I need you to understand something.”

  I nodded, preparing myself for what he had to tell me. “Okay. What is it?”

  My mother chimed in. “Now, please, don’t read too much into this, sweetheart. We knew what we were getting into when this started.”

  “Well, we thought we knew,” my father added.

  I didn’t like the way this sounded. What were they talking about?

  “Why does that vile man think this house is his?” I asked.

  My father sighed. “Because it will be by the end of the week, if we don’t-”

  “Don’t, what?”

  “If we don’t come up with the money to pay him back,” my father finished his thought.

  “Pay him back? You borrowed money from him? Why?”

  My father and mother exchanged concerned glances.

  My mother answered. “It’s neither here nor there at this point. The fact of the matter is you went to the school of your dreams and you’re working in the fashion industry and off on your own now.”

  “You borrowed money from that man to pay for my education? Why?”

  “That’s not what happened. Not exactly,” my father said.

  “Well, what happened, then?” I asked, shocked by this news.

  “Zephyr is an investor. He made an investment on our behalf and things didn’t pan out as we expected. These things happen,” my father said.

  “No. These things don’t happen. What are you talking about? Why would you make a deal with someone like him? What kind of investment? What are you talking about?” Hot tears spilled from my eyes.

  My mother tried to offer an explanation, her voice breaking. “Sweetheart, we don’t need to fuss over the particulars. We’re moving forward. Things will be fine. I’ve always wanted to live in the big city. It will be a good change for us.”

  “Wait. What? You’re moving? That’s your plan?” I thought I’d heard her wrong. Never in my life had I heard either one of my parents mention anything about wanting to leave Jinx Cove.

  “Your mother is so tickled that we’ll be able to spend some time with you in Chicago. I hope you don’t mind living with your parents for a while again. We’ve been researching online. There are some pretty swanky neighborhoods in Chicago,” my dad said.

  “You’re moving to Chicago? But, what about your life here? What about your business and the library?” I couldn’t think straight.

  Who were these people and what had they done with my parents?

  Ben sat with a stunned expression on his face, mirroring my exact feelings.

  “It will be so much fun. I can’t wait to see where you live and meet all those interesting people you work with at Soso.” My mother hugged me.

  Up in the skies above us, the vultures flew closer. The Jinx sisters were not far behind.

  One of the twins called out to us as they approached. “Don’t you just love life here in the Cove? Isn’t it grand?”

  My father answered. “Sure is. We’ll miss Jinx Cove.”

  “You’ll miss it?” She raised her voice. “You’re not leaving, are you?” The sisters stopped.

  “We are. We’re going to move to Chicago with our daughter,” my mother offered.

  My heart sank.

  Chapter Three

  “What are you smirking at?” I asked Ben.

  He released his full, boisterous laugh. “This room. It looks like you never left home.”

  I shrugged. “So, my parents love me. I think it’s kind of cute.”

  Ben rolled his eyes. “I think it’s weird. Don’t get me wrong, I love your parents. They’re the best, but this is like a shrine to you. Doesn’t it weird you out?”

  “No,” I answered. “What weirds me out is the fact that you’re rifling through my prized possessions like a creeper.”

  He laughed harder this time. “Creeper? Is that Chicago-speak for troll?”

  I threw a pillow at him, hitting him in the chest. “Will you be serious for a few minutes? Help me figure out what to do.”

  Ben wasn’t finished teasing me about my childhood room. “For starters, get rid of all those stuffed animals. What were you doing? Trying to open your own zoo with those things?”

  I threw myself back on the bed. “Enough! Can we talk about this?”

  “Okay. Talk. Tell me what you’re thinkin
g.” Ben took a seat on the bed next to me. “It sounds like your parents have a plan.”

  “Yeah, well, their plan isn’t going to work,” I groaned. “What am I going to do? I can’t tell them what happened now. They’ll freak out. Essentially, we’re homeless now and it’s all my fault.”

  He put his hand on my leg. “Melanie, none of this is your fault. I don’t know what happened, but it sounds like that Zephyr guy may have duped them into a scheme. That’s where you need to start. You need to figure out what kind of deal they made with him and how to get them out of it. You can’t let them lose their house. They love this place. I love this place.”

  Ben was right. I had to do something. I couldn’t let them lose their home, but what was I supposed to do?

  “I love this house too. It’s my home. All of my memories revolve around this house,” I said, feeling a lump of emotion form in my throat.

  “I wonder where this guy came from. I never heard of him before today. Does he live here in Jinx Cove?” Ben asked a question I didn’t have an answer to.

  “Who knows! You’ll have to ask my parents. I don’t understand how they got involved with this man. He hardly looks like the kind of person you’d trust with something so valuable. I can’t believe this is happening.” Tears sprung from my eyes as the realization that everything my parents owned would soon be gone for good.

  Ben pulled me into an embrace. “It will be okay. I’ll do some digging and find out what the deal is with this guy. I’m sure he’ll listen to reason. You can’t just take someone’s home from them. That’s not right. I have some money in my savings. I can give it to your parents and maybe they’ll be able to keep the house.”

  I loved Ben for wanting to help, but knowing my parents, I knew they would have exhausted every possible avenue by now. They were good, solid people. They weren’t the kind of people who went into situations lightly. They would have had in-depth discussions about making any sort of deal, especially where their home was concerned.