Witchin' Around the Clock

by Amanda M. Lee

  “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.”

  “It’s a strange choice,” Chief Terry volunteered. “Butane comes in canisters and not usually in large amounts. It might be an important clue, or it might be nothing. Perhaps our murderer simply had some around.”

  “Could you track the sale?”

  “No. You don’t have to jump through any hoops to buy it. It’s readily available.”

  “Did he say anything else?”

  “Just that the gasoline was poured around the body, but none was dumped directly on Adam,” Landon replied. “There are several reasons for that. Our killer might’ve assumed it didn’t matter. This could be a first-time killer. Or our killer didn’t want to get any gasoline on clothing or shoes that could be traced back.”

  I ran the information through my head. “Where was the butane?”

  “On the other side of the workshop door.”

  I frowned. “That doesn’t make sense. The fire was already raging when Thistle and I went in. We walked through that door. Nothing was on fire.”

  “And then you were quickly overwhelmed by smoke,” Landon pointed out.

  “I don’t like talking about this,” Chief Terry lamented. “It reminds me that she’s an idiot. I prefer pretending she’s still my little angel.”

  Landon smirked as I glowered.

  “I’m not an idiot,” I argued. “I was trying to save a man’s life. I bet you wouldn’t say things like that if I’d managed to pull Adam out alive.”

  “I’d still be saying them.” Chief Terry didn’t as much as crack a smile. “You could’ve been killed, Bay, and I don’t like thinking about it.”

  “I don’t like thinking about it either,” Landon supplied, perhaps sensing trouble. He looked uneasy. “We agreed to give her a pass this time. I don’t think this is a good time for an argument … because I just ordered a bacon cheeseburger and I want to eat it without getting heartburn.”

  Chief Terry grunted and shook his head. “You’re whipped. I don’t want to fight either, but you truly are whipped.”

  I cast Landon a sidelong look. “Do you think you’re whipped?”

  “Yup. I’m addicted to you, your mother’s cooking
and now Aunt Tillie’s pig. You’re never getting rid of me.”

  “I like a man who can admit the truth.”

  “Yeah.” He swooped in and gave me a kiss. “Basically we’re still figuring things out. We don’t know if the new information means anything. It’s entirely possible that it’s not important.”

  “Well, you’re handsome and wise. You’ll figure it out.”

  “Oh, gross.” Chief Terry rolled his eyes when Landon rested his forehead against mine and grinned. “You two are officially disgusting.”

  “Says the guy who slept with my mother on the first date,” I shot back.

  A flush stole across his cheeks. “I thought we weren’t talking about that.”

  “I’ll stop talking about it when you stop calling me an idiot.”

  “Believe it or not, Bay, I don’t enjoy calling you an idiot. I love you. Always have. If something were to happen to you … .”

  He left it hanging. I didn’t need him to continue. The “I love you” was enough to melt my heart. “I promise not to run into a burning building again if I can help it. Is that enough?”

  He sighed and nodded. “For now. Let’s talk about something else. What did you do today?”

  “I spent the morning with Lorna putting together an article about Adam. The freaking birds returned.”

  Landon sat straighter in his chair. “Excuse me?”

  Uh-oh. I didn’t think that out before dropping the bird bomb. “They didn’t attack or anything. They were just outside the window … staring. They disappeared before I left. They’re beyond creepy.”

  “I’ll say. I knew letting you go there without supervision was a bad idea.”

  I cocked an eyebrow. “Supervision?”

  “There’s a danger alarm going off in the back of your brain right now,” Chief Terry volunteered helpfully to Landon. “It’s probably best you heed it and don’t make matters worse.”

  “That came out wrong.” Landon adjusted his tone. “I simply meant that it would’ve been wise for you to have backup. That’s not an insult. I just love you so much that I constantly want to be with you.”

  “Nice save.”

  “I thought so.”

  Chief Terry shifted on his chair and tapped his fingers on the Formica tabletop to get our attention. “Does someone want to explain about the birds?”

  I laid everything out for him. “And that’s not the only weird thing. Adam’s ghost was there and somebody had sewed his mouth shut,” I said. “There’s a whole dark magic thing going on, but I can’t figure out who is doing it or why.”

  The waitress had arrived to take my order and deliver Chief Terry and Landon’s food during my recitation so I helped myself to a fry from Landon’s plate. “I’m starving. Give me a bite of your burger.”

  Landon’s mouth was open in abject horror when I turned to him.

  “What did I say?” I asked defensively.

  “How does a ghost’s mouth get sewn shut?” Landon kept his burger out of my reach as he asked the question. “And you ordered a salad because you’re convinced the calories don’t count if you pick off my lunch. You’re stuck with your own lunch. You can’t have my burger.”

  I lobbed a glare in his direction and sipped my water before answering. “I don’t know how his lips were sewn shut. I could actually see the thread going through his skin … although he technically doesn’t have skin. You know what I mean.”

  “I do,” Landon confirmed. “That is freaking weird. I want you to stay as far away from Lorna as humanly possible.”

  “But … why?”

  “Because I don’t want your lips sewn shut. Believe it or not, I actually enjoy talking to you occasionally … when you’re not trying to steal my burger, that is.”

  “I don’t know that Lorna is responsible. I only know that it happened. She didn’t act as if she could see him. Of course, he appeared after she left and then disappeared again before she returned.”

  “Shouldn’t that be a sign that she’s responsible?” Chief Terry challenged. “I mean … that sounds pretty damning to me. Too bad we can’t arrest her because of birds and ghosts.”

  “I don’t know that I believe she’s guilty.” I couldn’t let the idea that I was missing a big part of the picture go. “I don’t know how I feel about any of this right now.”

  “I don’t either, but I want you safe,” Landon said. “What are your plans for the rest of the afternoon?”

  “I’m going to the festival.”

  “Anywhere else?”

  “No, Mr. Bossy Pants.”

  “I hate to say it, but you really are getting more and more like Aunt Tillie.”

  “Just for that, I’m eating bacon without you.”

  “Oh, don’t be that way.”

  “I’m going to get all hopped up on grease and you won’t be around to enjoy it.”

  His eyes narrowed. “That’s the meanest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

  I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. “I guess that will teach you a lesson, huh?”

  LUNCH DONE, I HEADED to the festival. For every one story about murder and mayhem in Hemlock Cove I write ten festival stories. We have one almost every weekend. The only money coming into town comes from the tourist industry, so that’s simply become a fact of life.

  The festival was hopping for so early in the day. The town was crawling with witches, so it was an eclectic bunch. I greeted a few faces I recognized – while steering clear of Hazel – and was almost to the ice cream truck for a treat when I caught sight of Masterson.

  He wasn’t alone. There were two witches, one I didn’t recognize and the other I did, flanking him. The blonde on his right wore a shirt with a plunging neckline that put her ample assets on full display. The other woman was Evie, and she seemed determined to snag the board member’s attention all for herself as she kept trying to box the blonde out of the conversation.

  I stared so long I lost track of time. Masterson shifted his gaze, as if sensing someone was watching him, and focused on me.

  “Hello, Bay.” He lifted his hand in greeting.

  I made a big show of shaking my head to cover my actions. I didn’t want him to know I was aware of his relationship with Lorna … at least not yet.

  “Sorry.” I offered up a bland smile. “I was just running through a mental to-do list and lost my train of thought.”

  “Happens to me all the time.” His grin was welcoming. “I love this festival, by the way. I hear a lot of this week’s guests are staying at The Overlook. That must be fun.”

  As far as I could tell, only a good fifty percent of the women claiming to be witches were the real deal. Of those, only ten percent had noticeable power … and Hazel was one of them. In truth, I hadn’t paid them much attention. Adam’s death was my primary concern. Still, sometimes white lies are the easiest way to go.

  “They’re tons of fun, but I’ve had only one meal with them so far,” I replied. “I don’t live in the inn. I live on the property, but I’m not there for every meal.” Almost every meal, but he didn’t need to know how deep my culinary laziness ran.

  “That’s great.” He flashed me one more smile and then turned back to his friends. It was clear he believed the conversation was over. That was just as well. I wasn’t sure I wanted to directly accuse him of having an affair with Lorna or wait it out. For now, I was content to let him do his thing … which apparently included looking down any shirt within close proximity. He wasn’t even sly about it.

  “What a pig,” I muttered as I turned to leave. I pulled up short when I caught sight of Nick Harris. I recognized him from the photos Lorna showed me when I was at her house earlier in the day. His hair was longer now and his gaze was sharp and focused … directly on Masterson.

  I sensed trouble, so I intercepted him when it looked as if he was going to approach the board member, flashing a bright smile that probably looked ridiculous to anyone who knew me. “So … how about some ice cream?”

&
nbsp; Nick blinked several times in rapid succession. It was obvious he didn’t expect to be interrupted. “What?”

  “Ice cream,” I repeated firmly. “I think you could use some … and I know I could.”

  Bewildered, Nick glanced around. “Are you talking to me?”

  “I am. Do you know who I am?”

  “You’re the chick who runs the newspaper.”

  “Oh, that’s sweet.” This time my smile was genuine. “I haven’t been called a chick in years. It makes me feel young at heart again.”

  “I … don’t … understand.”

  I wrapped my hand lightly around his wrist. “I still think you should come with me. Trustee Masterson isn’t going anywhere. I want to talk to you before you say anything to him.”

  Nick narrowed his eyes. “How do you know I was going to talk to him?”

  “I know a great number of things, and some of them are even useful. Come on. Ice cream is always a good idea.”

  Doubt returned, clouding his glassy eyes, but finally he nodded. “Okay, but I don’t need any ice cream. I’m not a little kid.”

  “Ice cream isn’t for little kids. It’s for those who enjoy a tasty treat. I don’t think there’s an age limit on that.”

  HE OPTED FOR BLUE MOON WHILE I ordered chocolate, with hot fudge, whipped cream and a cherry. It wasn’t bacon, but I would make sure to rub it in with Landon later.

  “See. It’s better.”

  Nick’s expression remained dour but his lips were blue from the ice cream he’d been shoveling in. “It’s good,” he conceded. “I just … don’t know that I have much of an appetite.”

  He’d already eaten half of his bowl, so I didn’t believe that. Still, he was in mourning. It was best not to push him too far. “I’m sorry about your father,” I offered. “I genuinely liked him.”

  “He was murdered.”

  “I know.”

  “You were the one who went in after him, weren’t you? You and your cousin. The one with the green hair.”

  “It’s blue this week.”

  “Oh. I liked it green.” He looked momentarily wistful and then stabbed his ice cream. “I can’t believe he’s dead. I mean … it doesn’t feel real. I keep wondering if it’s a dream. I want to wake up if it is.”