I had a sneaking suspicion I knew why, but I couldn’t volunteer my hunch in front of the medical examiner.
“I want to know how the birds got in and out,” Chief Terry noted. “It’s not as if they can open doors.”
“Maybe someone has trained birds,” Stevens suggested. “I’ve heard of stranger things.”
“What have you heard that’s stranger than trained birds attacking a guy eating a steak dinner?” I challenged.
Stevens merely shrugged. “The stories I could tell you.”
“Some other time,” Landon said dryly. “For now, we need to figure out where the birds came from and what killed him. I don’t see much blood anywhere. There has to be another reason for his death.”
“My guess would be some sort of poison,” Stevens offered. “I’m far from an expert on birds, but for him to just sit there like that ... my guess is it wasn’t that he didn’t want to move. It was that he couldn’t move.”
A horrible notion crawled into my brain and took up residence. “Is it possible he was alive when this happened?”
“I guess it’s possible,” he shrugged. “He would have to have been injected with some sort of paralytic. I guess he could’ve ingested it in some way, but we won’t know that until we note the contents of his stomach and look for injection sites.”
“Make sure you look hard,” Landon instructed. “Check between the toes and all that jazz.”
“Do you have any idea who would want to do this?” Stevens asked. “This is a really weird death, even by Hemlock Cove standards.”
“We’re working on it,” Chief Terry answered, pointing toward the door. “Make this your priority. The sooner we have answers, the better.”
“I’m on it.” Stevens mock-saluted. “This is the weirdest thing I’ve seen in years. I’m just as anxious for answers as you.”
“I sincerely doubt it.”
LANDON SECLUDED ME IN THE back corner of the yard.
“What are you going to do?”
On another day I might’ve actually feigned being upset by the question. Today, however, it seemed a wasted effort. “I’m going to gather Clove and Thistle — even though I wanted to keep Clove out of this — and head out to Hollow Creek.”
Whatever answer he was expecting, that wasn’t it. “Why?”
“Because I need to call some ghosts to me and that’s the best place to do it. There are remnants of magic left out there from everything else that has happened. You heard the circus people. They could feel the energy.”
“Yeah, but ... .”
“I also need to talk to them,” I pointed out. “The ghosts, I mean. I need to do it in a place where people are unlikely to stumble across us. I’m taking Clove and Thistle so I won’t be alone, which should appease you. We need answers.”
Landon didn’t look convinced. “It’s not the ghosts I’m worried about,” he admitted. “It’s what you’re going to do after you find the information you’re looking for.”
“I’m going to call you.”
The look he shot me was dubious. “Please. If you find out who this witch is you’re going to go after her alone. We both know it. You won’t willingly put me at risk.”
That was a fair point. “I won’t purposely cut you out either. I’ll at least tell you what’s going on so we can deal with it together.”
“Since when do you approach things that way?”
“I’m trying to grow here.” I grinned at him. “We’re a team, right? You’re making a concerted effort to include me. I’ll do the same.”
He wasn’t quite ready to let it go. “What do you expect to get out of this? You’ve pretty much decided it’s Lorna.”
“She makes the most sense,” I agreed. “We need confirmation, though. We have a boatload of other witches in town. Maybe one of them is responsible.”
“But Adam died the day before they arrived.”
“He died the day before most of them arrived. Others were in the area. I remember Thistle mentioning it. None of them were staying at The Overlook, but if I was an evil witch visiting Hemlock Cove I wouldn’t stay at The Overlook either.”
Landon looked intrigued. “Why would a random witch attack the guy who owns the blacksmith shop?”
“That’s what I intend to find out.”
He blew out a sigh and dragged a hand through his hair. “Okay. Just keep me informed ... and be careful.” He grabbed the front of my shirt and hauled me to my toes so he could plant a hot kiss on my lips. “I really did miss you last night.”
I smiled. The naked emotion in his eyes was enough to warm me all over. “And I missed you. Although ... there’s a funny story regarding Aunt Tillie I should tell you once we get a second alone to enjoy each other.”
“Once we get a second alone to enjoy each other you’re dressing up like bacon. That’s all there is to it.”
“Then after that.”
“I can’t wait to hear it.” He stroked his hand down the back of my head and pressed a light kiss to my mouth. “I’ll stick with this and see what we come up with. Maybe we’ll have a meeting of the minds by noon and be able to put this behind us and enjoy the wedding.”
“That would be nice.”
“But you don’t think it’s going to happen.”
“Oh, it’s going to happen. Nothing is going to ruin Clove’s day. Absolutely nothing.”
“THIS IS STUPID.”
Clove bitterly complained as she picked her way through the foliage separating the parking lot from the water at Hollow Creek.
“And here I thought you loved the great outdoors,” Thistle drawled. “I’m shocked that you’re not enjoying this.”
“It’s not about being outdoors ... although now I don’t want to go anywhere that’s not inside because I’m afraid birds will peck my eyes out.” Clove wrinkled her ski-slope nose in dainty fashion. “Seriously, I could’ve lived my entire life without hearing that story, Bay.”
“Hey. If I have to think about it, you have to think about it.”
“Whatever.” Clove wasn’t happy when I’d returned to the Dandridge to collect her and Thistle. She whined about wanting to stay behind and prepare for her wedding. I told her that was fine, that I would just take Thistle, and then I threatened I didn’t want to hear a single word of complaint about being left out of our adventures. That was enough to change her mind. After all, we were just talking to ghosts. That was rarely dangerous.
“I still need to take a bath,” Clove noted. “I got this special bath bomb that’s supposed to make my skin as soft as dewy petals on a misty morning.”
Thistle slowly slid her eyes to Clove. “I kind of want to punch you for actually uttering that sentence. I mean ... come on.”
“You can’t punch me.” Clove extended a finger. “It’s my wedding day. If you punch me, I’ll send Aunt Tillie after you.”
“And what makes you think she would care?”
“Because of the dreams she sent us. She cares.”
“I didn’t realize you were aware of what she did,” I said as we arrived at the water’s edge. “I thought maybe you were still in the dark.”
“No. I knew when I woke up.”
“She asked me about it,” Thistle explained. “We were still talking about all the things she showed us when you called.”
“With your horrible bird story,” Clove added. “You know there are birds out here, right?”
“We don’t have to worry about the birds.” I was relatively certain that was true. “We’re here to call Adam’s ghost. Once we do that, you can head to The Overlook and start getting ready. I just didn’t want to be alone for this.”
“What are you going to do while we’re at the inn?” Thistle asked, suspicion wrinkling her forehead. “Why aren’t you coming with us?”
“I have to end this before the wedding.”
“And you think Adam will tell you that Lorna is the one,” Clove surmised. “Once he confirms it, you’re going to head off to confront
her.”
“I don’t know if I would phrase it that way, but that’s basically it in a nutshell,” I agreed. “If all goes as planned, this will be behind us in about two hours.”
“From your lips to the Goddess’s ears.” Clove beamed as I focused on the water. “Let’s get this over with. This is my wedding day. I’m supposed to be the center of attention, not an evil witch with a bird fetish.”
“You’ll be the center of attention no matter what,” Thistle promised. “For the next few minutes, though, zip it.” She ran her fingers over her lips for emphasis. “This is a serious situation and we don’t need you spouting nonsense to distract us.”
Clove lowered her head. “That’s the meanest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
“That’s not even in the top hundred.”
“Yes, but this is my wedding day. Everything is amplified. That means you’re dead to me.”
Thistle rolled her eyes until they landed on me. “Can you get this over with? I need to get back to the inn and start drinking.”
There was something soothing about their banter. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m on it.” I raised my hands into the air, closing my eyes. I was getting better at calling ghosts.
When I first realized I could communicate with them I assumed they were in control of the interactions. That always left me feeling helpless, something I hated. Now, though, I understood I was in control. Sometimes I disliked the power at my disposal for entirely different reasons, but it was better this way.
When I opened my eyes, Adam’s ghost was floating in front of me. He looked pained, as if he’d put up a fight – and lost – when I called to him. I couldn’t help his discomfort. If all went as planned, he would be free to move on to the other side by the end of the day.
“I’m sorry I had to call you here like this,” I started.
“Is he here?” Clove stared around blankly.
“No, Clove, she’s talking to her imaginary friend,” Thistle sneered. “Good grief.”
Clove frowned. “It was just a simple question. There’s no reason to be snarky.”
“Hey, if I don’t have snark to fall back on you might as well kill me now.”
I admonished them both with a look and then focused on Adam. “I know you’ve been through an ordeal, but ... I need to talk to you. I freed you the other day. I’m not sure you remember. I made sure you could talk again.”
It wasn’t that I was expecting a “thank you” as much as I was trying to appeal to him. The look he shot me was anything but friendly.
“Saved me? Is that what you think you did?”
“Um ... yeah.”
“He doesn’t sound happy,” Clove noted.
Thistle pinched her flank. “Shh. Let Bay talk to her ghost so we can get out of here. I bet they’re drinking mimosas at the inn and we’re missing out.”
“I can’t drink,” Clove pointed out.
“That’s your problem.”
I ignored them both. I would’ve been better off doing this alone. “Your lips were sewn shut. I still don’t know how that happened. I helped you break those chains.”’
“You mean you forced me,” Adam countered. “You made me rip that thread out. I didn’t have a choice.”
I was taken aback by his vitriol. “I don’t understand. Are you saying you wanted to remain that way?”
“Of course not.” Adam’s expression was withering. “I didn’t want any of this to happen. You’re not some hero in this story. You made things worse.”
I was taken aback. “Um ... .”
“Well, that’s gratitude for you,” Thistle said brightly. “I don’t think he wanted you to free him from the shackles placed on him. Screw him. Let’s go to the inn and drink mimosas.”
That sounded preferable to what we had going on, but I was determined to get answers. “I need to know who killed you, Adam. I’m sure you don’t want to dwell on it, but it’s important. Once we have confirmation, we’ll take her down and I’ll send you on your way. It will be over relatively quickly.”
“Are you an idiot?” Fury flared in the depths of Adam’s ghostly eyes. “You can’t free me. I’m tied to her forever. She told me that … and I believe her.”
“I can free you. I don’t want to toot my own horn or anything, but I’m a necromancer.”
Thistle shot me a sarcastic thumbs-up. “Way not to toot your own horn.”
“I don’t care what you are,” Adam snapped. “You can’t help me. You’ve made things worse. She’s so angry now. Do you know what she’s going to do? Do you have any idea who’s next on her list? She won’t stop.”
“We’ll stop her.” I was firm. “You have nothing to worry about.”
“That’s easy for you to say.”
“I can protect you from her.” I was relatively assured of that. “Just tell me who did this. It was Lorna, right?”
“Ugh,” Adam growled. “I can’t answer your questions. Don’t you understand? She’s bound me to her. As long as she’s alive, I’m trapped in this limbo. She won’t have it any other way.”
“I can break that tie.”
“No, you can’t.”
“I can.”
“No!” He practically screamed. “There’s nothing you can do about this. It’s done. It’s ... over. I ... she’s calling me again.” He was grim. “She’s demanding I go to her. Do you understand that she can force me to tell her about this? She’ll know you’re on to her. She’ll kill you.”
“I’ll handle her,” I promised. “This is almost over.”
“It will never be over.” With those words, he winked out of existence, leaving me with nothing but more questions.
“Well, that was helpful, huh?” Thistle clapped my shoulder. “We should get out of here. I can practically taste that mimosa.”
Oddly enough, drinking was starting to feel like a feasible option.
Twenty-Five
The mimosas were indeed flowing freely when we arrived at the inn. The schmaltzy lovefest you would expect before a wedding was not.
“You’re late.” Mom’s expression was dark when it landed on me.
I was in no mood for her crap. “Why are you blaming this on me? There are three of us.”
“You’re the oldest. It’s your job to get the others moving.”
“Oh, well ... .”
“Leave her alone,” Thistle ordered as she accepted the mimosa her mother handed her. “She’s had a rough morning.”
“Oh, geez.” Mom rolled her eyes. “Are you going to whine like Landon about sleeping alone? I had to listen to him for twenty minutes this morning. It was ridiculous.”
“He wasn’t alone. He had Peg,” I pointed out. “And, no, I survived the night without him just fine.”
“Well, good for you.” She absently patted my arm before sidling over to Clove. “It’s your big day. Are you excited?”
“So excited.” Clove started talking about her dress ... and her hair ... and the luxurious bath bomb she had stashed in her purse. She’d already moved on from Masterson’s death and Adam’s ghost. I was not that lucky.
I paced the kitchen, ignoring the mimosas my mother and aunts tried thrusting into my hand. I couldn’t just let this go. We had hours until the sunset wedding. There was still time to work this out.
That’s when I had an idea. “Where’s Aunt Tillie?”
Mom’s forehead creased and her expression darkened. “She’s watching The View.”
“And being a pain,” Marnie added.
“When is she not a pain?” Thistle challenged. “Leave her in there. Mimosas are more fun without her.”
“She’s being a real pill,” Mom complained. “She’s got some weird vendetta against Hazel that I simply don’t understand. She needs to let whatever grudge she’s holding go. I can’t even remember why she dislikes her.”
“She hates her because Hazel wants to be in charge and everybody knows Aunt Tillie is in charge,” I answered, making my decision on the spot. �
�I’ll be back.”
“Where are you going?” There was an edge to Mom’s voice as it chased me. “You and Thistle are sharing maid of honor duties. There are things you are expected to do this afternoon.”
“I’ll be back.” I escaped through the kitchen and into the family living quarters. Sure enough, Aunt Tillie was in her usual spot on the couch, Peg tucked in beside her, and she was yelling at the television.
“That’s a load of crap,” she exclaimed. “I can’t believe they pay you idiots to spout your nonsense on television like this. I would be so much better.”
I was used to the show, so I barely reacted. “You need to get dressed.”
Slowly, Aunt Tillie tracked her eyes to me. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” I was in no mood for her crap. “There’s something I have to do, and because I can’t do it alone you’re coming with me.”
Aunt Tillie didn’t move from her perch. “Last time I checked, you weren’t the boss of me. I’m the boss of you.”
“It involves taking on an evil witch.”
Aunt Tillie’s eyes narrowed. “Hazel?”
Now I was the one who couldn’t contain my eye roll. “No. She’s a minor inconvenience. I’m talking about abject evil.” I told her about Masterson’s death, leaving nothing out. When I finished, she looked intrigued.
“Well, that is ... hmm.” She stroked Peg’s head as the pig stretched out beside her, obviously in heaven. “How did the birds get into the house?”
“Nobody knows. I don’t even think that’s important. What’s important is that we have to end this before the wedding.”
“Why? Do you think Lorna is going to take out someone else before tomorrow? If so, I can see going after her now. If not, we can wait. Once Clove is married and officially on her honeymoon, we can clean up the mess.”
“I don’t think that’s going to be an option.”
“Why?”
“Because Adam’s ghost says he’s being controlled by the witch who killed him. He couldn’t even confirm it was Lorna. He made it sound as if he’ll have to tell her we’re on to her, which means she could send her evil feathered minions here.”
Witchin' Around the Clock Page 24