“The night before the dance, he was out running on the county highway,” she continued. “He was a member of the track team. He didn’t come home. When he was found on the side of the road, they thought he’d been struck by a vehicle, but there were no signs of that.
“They did an extensive autopsy. They could find nothing wrong with him. He simply dropped dead by the side of the road. Marnie felt horrible after, believed she should’ve been nicer to him. It was too late to give him the attention she thought he deserved.”
Lorna nodded in agreement. “He was a nice boy. I had a crush on him. Diane decided she wanted him more and went after him. She asked him to that dance and he declined. She was jealous because he chose Marnie. She was convinced that he’d only pursued her because she’d cast a spell on him.”
“Marnie would never do that.” I was adamant. “That’s not who she is.”
Lorna held up her hands. “I’m just saying that Diane believed that’s who she was. When Daniel died, my mother was suspicious. She questioned her. Of course, Diane denied it, but my mother wasn’t so easily swayed.
“One day while Diane was at school, Mother collected all of her crystals and potions and destroyed all her books,” she continued. “Then she tried to enforce a ‘no magic’ rule on the house. Diane was furious, fought with her, and then ultimately Diane left in the middle of the night.”
“Did she leave a note?”
Lorna shook her head. “No, but she told me the previous day that she’d had it with the family, hated how weak our mother was, and refused to be the sort of witch she wanted her to be. She had grand plans to go to Salem, because that’s where she heard all the best witches lived. I wasn’t all that surprised when I woke and she was gone.”
“Your mother looked for her,” Aunt Tillie noted. “Your mother wasn’t ready to let her go.”
“No, and we looked for a long time. Finally, though, my mother admitted that Diane wasn’t going to come back and she let it go. It wasn’t something that came easily to her, but she was convinced that Diane would return one day. She didn’t, not even when Mother died. I have no idea where she ended up.”
I rubbed my cheek as I absorbed the new information. “Is it possible that Diane returned long enough to kill your mother?”
“I guess anything is possible, but I would like to believe she wouldn’t do that. Even though Diane was angry ... she was still our mother.”
“Yeah, well ... what about Dani? Did she know about Diane?”
“She did. When Dani got old enough to understand I sat her down to explain about her magic. When I related what had happened to Diane, she was excited. She wanted to track down Diane and learn from her. I knew then that there was no teaching her how to be a good person. You’re either born good or bad. I firmly believe that.”
“I don’t,” Aunt Tillie countered. “That’s neither here nor there, though. If Dani killed Adam and Masterson, she’s a danger to everyone in this community. Do you think she would go after you and her brother?”
“I think it’s only a matter of time. The second Nick graduates, I’m getting him out of this town, out of her reach. It’s the only thing I can do for him.”
“Will she be satisfied with the two deaths she’s already caused?” I asked. “Or ... will she want more?”
“I didn’t realize she killed Adam,” Lorna offered. “I really didn’t. Now that I know, it makes a sick sort of sense. As for being satisfied, I don’t think anything will satisfy her now. She probably won’t ever stop.”
“We have to find her. We can’t let her carry on like this.”
“Are you going to kill her?”
“Not if we can help it. We just have to find her. We have no choice.” I flicked my eyes to Aunt Tillie. “You’re in this to the end, right?”
She nodded, resolute. “To the bitter end. Let’s find the girl and end this. We don’t have any other options. Lorna is right, she won’t stop. With each murder she’ll get more powerful ... and she’ll believe that she can’t be stopped.”
“WHERE SHOULD WE START LOOKING?”
For once, Aunt Tillie was calm and willing to seek direction.
“I don’t know.” I pursed my lips as I sat in the driver’s seat of my car. We’d yet to leave Lorna’s driveway.
“Where do you think she is?”
“I have no idea. You’re supposed to be the head cowboy on this one. Take us to the rodeo.”
It took everything I had not to roll my eyes. “Just once it would be nice if you talked like a normal person,” I said.
“What’s the point? That won’t help us find her.”
“No ... I ... .” Something occurred to me and I blew out a sigh. “We need to go to the police station before we do anything.”
Aunt Tillie, as I expected, balked. “Why would I possibly do that?”
“We need their help. Also ... they need to be made aware of what’s going on. They’re operating under the assumption that Lorna is guilty.”
“So?”
“So Dani is out there somewhere and she’s evil. There’s every chance she could realize what we were doing at her house this morning. She might be out for vengeance.”
“So?”
I wanted to shake her until she absorbed what I was saying. “So what better way to hurt me than to go after them? Besides, if she’s really evil, she might try to get them on her side or something. We need to make them aware. They’re the sort of men who will rush to the aid of a teenager if they believe she’s in trouble. If she’s truly as powerful as her mother says and she puts her hands on them ... .” I purposely left it hanging because I couldn’t think about the possibility.
“She could hurt or control them,” Aunt Tillie finished, grim. “I didn’t think about that, but you’re right. They have to know.”
“Mom and the others have to know, too,” I pointed out. “Dani might be smart enough to go out there and play to their emotions. I mean ... everyone thinks Lorna is the witch. She might use that to her advantage.”
Aunt Tillie started digging in her pocket and came back with her phone. “I’ll call the inn, have them batten down the hatches. I hate to say it, but there are so many witches out there it might be better if Dani heads that way. That’s the best piece of land to defend against whatever she’s going to do.”
I hadn’t really considered that. It made sense ... and yet the notion made my stomach jittery. “Let’s just find her and go from there.”
LANDON AND CHIEF TERRY WERE in the latter’s office when we arrived at the police station. They looked surprised to see me ... and downright annoyed to see Aunt Tillie.
“Do I even want to know what you two are doing together?” Chief Terry whined. “You’re supposed to be out at the inn doing ... women stuff.”
Aunt Tillie’s expression was hard to read. There was a hint of annoyance lurking in her eyes and mischief curling her lips. I expected her to say something awful. I wasn’t disappointed. “What sort of women stuff?” she challenged.
“You know ... women stuff.”
“Like menstruation? Did you think we were out at the inn menstruating together?”
I had to press my lips together to keep from laughing at Landon and Chief Terry’s horrified expressions. This was not the time for fun and games, but Aunt Tillie wasn’t going to back down until she had her way ... and it was kind of funny.
“I guarantee nobody thought you were doing that,” Chief Terry fired back. “I’m talking about girl things, like ... hair ... and makeup ... and toenails.” He waved at my head. “That’s the sort of things women do before a wedding.”
“I had no idea,” I drawled dryly. “I didn’t realize there were rules about what women could do before a wedding.”
“Oh, don’t you start.” Chief Terry made a face. “I wasn’t trying to be sexist. It’s just ... you guys are supposed to be safe and out of trouble. Why are you out and about? This can’t be good.”
“It’s not good,” I conf
irmed. “I have something to tell you and you’re going to be angry.”
He slapped his hand to his forehead and growled as Landon slid his eyes to me.
“Do I need to sit down?” Landon asked.
I shook my head. “No, but ... we’re in trouble.” I laid it all out for him, leaving nothing out. When I finished, he looked more confused than edified.
“I don’t understand,” he said, shaking his head. “Are we really supposed to be frightened of a teenager?”
“She’s not a normal teenager,” I replied, frustration bubbling up. “You can’t think that. She’ll use your sympathy against you. You can’t fall for it.”
“Why are we taking Lorna’s word for this?” Chief Terry challenged. “I mean ... she could’ve been lying to you. Maybe she’s pointing the finger at her own daughter to save herself.”
“It’s possible, but I don’t believe it,” I argued. “You didn’t see her. The story she told ... well ... it makes sense in a weird sort of way. I never got a hint of magic off Lorna. That’s the thing that kept holding me back. There’s a reason. She’s not magical. All those surrounding her are magical.”
“Bay, I don’t want to tell you your business, but this is crazy,” Landon supplied. “We can’t just kill a teenaged girl because you say she’s evil.”
“I’m not saying we should kill her.” Wait ... was I? She was definitely dangerous. Killing her wasn’t an option unless she gave us no choice. I was firm on that. “We need to find her. We can’t let her run all over town hurting people.”
“I agree, but we can’t exactly arrest her on the say-so of her mother either,” Chief Terry insisted. “We can’t put ‘homicide by magic’ on the report.”
I got that — no, I really did — but that didn’t mean I could simply walk away. “We have to find her. Odds are she knows we’re on to her. We can’t just let her run roughshod over the town. Besides, she’s controlling the birds. She could do real damage with them if we’re not careful.”
“Just so I’m clear, why did she do this in the first place?” Landon asked. “Was she upset at her father for cheating on her mother?”
“I think that’s part of it. The other part is that she likes it. She likes being in control. I think killing her father gave her a taste of something she’d never experienced and now she wants more. She killed Masterson because he was with her mother. I’m guessing that was a way to make her mother pay. I’m not sure she’ll be all that discriminating going forward.”
“Except there’s one more person she probably has a grudge against,” Landon noted.
“Who’s that?”
“Lisa,” Aunt Tillie answered for him. “She was involved in the affairs. I very much doubt Dani will just let her off.”
I hadn’t even considered that. “We have to get to her.”
Landon and Chief Terry were already on their feet.
“We’ll check on her,” Chief Terry insisted. “You guys are done here. You can’t be involved. You need to go back to the inn and get ready for the wedding.”
That didn’t sound likely in the least. “I can’t stop until we have her. I’m sorry, but ... either I go with you or I go alone. I won’t be cut out of this.”
Chief Terry turned his expectant eyes to Landon. “Are you going to handle this?”
Landon shook his head. “She’s earned the right to be part of it. Besides, I hate to admit it, but if this kid is as powerful as Bay says she is we’re definitely going to need some magical help.”
Chief Terry made an exasperated sound that reverberated through the room. “That’s not what I want to hear.”
“Oh, suck it up, big guy.” Aunt Tillie patted his shoulder. “You’ll be glad you have us with you when the evil witch hits the fan. I guarantee it.”
Twenty-Seven
The hunt for Dani was on and we made a fearsome foursome, even as we stopped at Lisa’s shop and found it completely empty ... and devoid of bird feathers. We checked her house to ensure the same. She wasn’t there, but she also wasn’t dead. I was taking that as a good sign.
Of course, from the way Landon and Chief Terry reacted to Aunt Tillie leading the charge as we checked various locations it was obvious they didn’t feel the same way. Still, I was glad to have her around ... simply because I figured she would come in handy if it came to a magical fight. Taking on a child would be difficult.
The next place we headed was the funeral home. Dani had announced her intention to arrange her father’s memorial service. She wasn’t there. The funeral director seemed puzzled by our presence. He said he hadn’t set up a meeting with Dani, which meant she’d been lying from the start this morning. She was on to us … er, me.
That was hardly a surprise.
“Where would she go?” Landon mused as we climbed back into his Explorer.
I didn’t know the girl well enough to answer. Instead, I started digging for my phone when it dinged in my pocket. “I just know that it’s going to be Mom,” I complained as I retrieved it. “She’s probably mad we disappeared. Oh, I was right. It is her.”
“Give me that.” Aunt Tillie grabbed the phone from me, and for a moment I thought she was going to do something dramatic and toss it out of a window. Instead, she answered the call with a sickly-sweet voice that made me roll my eyes. “Hello, Winnie dear. It’s a lovely day, isn’t it?”
I sank lower in my seat because I could see my mother’s face in my mind’s eye. She was going to kill me.
From his spot in the driver’s seat, Landon looked as if he was fighting off laughter but remained silent.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Winnie.” Aunt Tillie’s inflection never changed. She remained calm. “That’s a horrible thing to accuse your aunt of. I have never in my life been so offended. Bay? I’m not with Bay. I don’t know why you would think that. Oh, this is her phone. How weird.”
I slapped at Aunt Tillie’s arm and reached for the phone. “You’re making things worse. Give me that.”
“Stop it!” Aunt Tillie extended a warning finger in my direction. “I’m in charge here. You have to do what I say.”
That seemed unlikely. “That’s my phone.”
“I don’t care. I ... what? Winnie, I’m not talking to Bay. I’m talking to myself. I’m old. I’m getting senile. Solo conversations happen all the time because my only friends are those I make up in my head.”
“Ugh.” I slapped my hand to my forehead. She only said things like that when it benefited her. Otherwise she claimed to be in her prime. This was spiraling ... and fast. “Give me that phone.” Finally, I wrestled it away from her and pressed it to my ear. “Hello, Mom. You have nothing to worry about.”
On the other end of the call, Mom was obviously dubious. “Why did you just disappear? We went looking for you because it was your turn for a pedicure.”
“I know. I just ... there’s a lot going on and I wanted to check on something. I figured I would be back by now.”
“You can remedy that by coming home this instant.”
She sounded so reasonable. I knew better. “I can’t come home just yet. We have a situation. We know who killed Adam ... and Masterson ... and is controlling the birds. We’re looking for her now.”’
“You and Aunt Tillie?”
“And Landon and Chief Terry.”
A moment of silence assailed my ears and when Mom spoke again her voice was lower. “Please put Terry on the phone.”
Uh-oh. I sensed trouble. “Mom, this isn’t his fault,” I complained, cringing at a loud noise on her end of the call. “What was that?”
“Don’t change the subject, young lady. You know I hate it when you do that. I’m not happy with you at all right now, Bay. This is Clove’s big day. She needs you here. I ... what is that?” Her temper shifted from me to something happening at The Overlook. “How did that owl get in the house?”
My blood ran cold. That’s when I recognized the noise I’d heard only moments before. “Mom.”
/>
She ignored me and continued yelling at those with her. “Keep him away from the eggs. I don’t think he would want to eat them because that’s kind of like cannibalism, but he looks rather aggressive.”
“Mom.”
I heard a loud bang somewhere near my mother and my stomach twisted.
“Mom.”
“I can’t deal with you right now, Bay,” Mom shot back, annoyance evident. “You need to get back here right now. You’re being rude to your cousin. I ... what now? Did a bird just fly into the window, Twila?”
Obviously she was no longer talking to me, but I screeched to get her attention all the same. “Mom! Do not hang up!”
She sounded absolutely exasperated. “What, Bay?”
“She’s there. Dani is there. That’s why the birds are attacking.”
In the front seat, Chief Terry stirred and extended a finger toward the ignition of the Explorer. Landon turned the key without further instruction.
“Dani who?” Mom asked.
“Dani Harris,” I replied, remaining as calm as I could. “Lorna admitted she’s powerful and she’s the one doing this. You have to find a place to hide, to shut out the birds. We’re on our way back. You can’t let her in the house.”
“We won’t let her in the house, Bay, but my guess is she’s already on the property.” Mom’s voice was calm. “We’ll fight her off. You don’t have to worry about us. I don’t think it’s wise that you come here.”
I was confused. “Why?”
“Because you’ll be the ones who are vulnerable in that scenario.” Mom said. “We’re entrenched in the inn. We can keep her out indefinitely. We’re not the only witches here.”
The inn was full of coven members. In this particular instance that was good. “I’m still coming.”
“You can’t. If Dani really is as powerful as you’re making her out to be you’ll be vulnerable when you try to make it inside the inn. You’ll be exposed. Landon, Terry and Aunt Tillie will be exposed, too. You’re safer staying away.”
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