Prelude to a Witch

by Amanda M. Lee

  “I’m not hungry.” I flashed Teddy a smile I didn’t feel. “You guys had a notebook in here a couple weeks ago. I saw it when I was looking for something to jot down some information.”

  “You need a notebook?” Teddy looked perplexed as he rummaged through a drawer until he came up with a yellow legal pad. “Will this do?”

  “It will. Thank you.” I carried the pad to the table and sat next to Landon. “Can I have your pen?”

  He removed it from his pocket. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m going to draw the runes I saw.”

  “I thought you were going to wait until I can get some luminol on those trees and take photos.”

  “I’ll use that information when it comes through. Until then, I want to see if I can match the runes I saw on the trees with anything in the books we have.”

  He rubbed my back before shifting his attention to my father. “I need you to tell me what happened this morning.”

  Dad’s eyes were still on me. “It was just my normal routine. We go to that clearing once or twice a week to pick up after the kids who party there.”

  “We should point out that nobody has been out there in almost two weeks,” Warren added, his eyes wide as he watched Clove scarf down a doughnut in record time. “Are you supposed to eat that much sugar?”

  He obviously hadn’t meant to ask the question out loud because his cheeks colored when Clove fixed him with a death glare. “Eat whatever you want,” he said hurriedly.

  Thistle’s smirk had Clove battling back tears.

  “The baby is hungry,” Clove complained. “It’s not my fault that I’m eating for two.”

  “You’re eating for ten,” Aunt Tillie countered, appearing in the doorway that led to the staircase. It was only then that I realized she hadn’t been sitting at the table. “You should be eating for one and a half. Per usual, though, you don’t think about what the future holds. You’re impulsive, like your mother, and you’re going to regret it when you have to drop fifty pounds in baby weight.”

  Clove’s mouth dropped open. “Excuse me? I’ve only gained twenty pounds with this pregnancy.”

  Even though I was intent on my sketching task, I jerked up my chin. “Twenty pounds?”

  “In each thigh,” Thistle shot back.

  “That’s not true!” Clove’s voice took on a shrillness I recognized as portending an imminent meltdown. If Thistle didn’t pull back immediately, Clove would make us pay.

  Because she was Thistle, though, she refused to pull back. “Oh, get a grip. You can’t even fit in your elastic band sleep pants.”

  “I prefer sleeping in Sam’s shirts,” Clove growled, referring to her husband, a man for whom I had infinite sympathy because Clove’s moods were impossible to gauge from one moment to the next.

  “Uh-huh.” Thistle was having none of it. “Listen, I don’t want to pick on you — and the Goddess knows I don’t want to agree with Aunt Tillie — but you eat three times as much as Landon now. You’re eating way too much.”

  “Hey!” Landon’s face clouded with annoyance. “I eat just enough to survive.”

  That earned a raised eyebrow from me, but I chose to focus on my work.

  “It’s true,” Landon insisted when he registered the uncomfortable silence that had descended over the table. “I eat just enough to stay alive. Tell them, Bay.”

  “Hmm.” I feigned as though I hadn’t been listening. “Sorry. I need to focus on what I’m doing.”

  Thistle snorted as Landon growled. “At least you work out a lot,” she said. “You and Bay hike and you go to the gym for your job. Clove hasn’t been doing anything but sitting on the couch like a great lump for weeks.”

  “That’s not true.” Despite Thistle’s accusations, Clove kept shoveling bits of doughnut into her mouth. “The baby is hungry. It’s not my fault.”

  “If you keep feeding that baby it’ll be twelve pounds when you give birth,” Aunt Tillie warned as she sidled closer to me. “Do you have any idea how much that’s going to hurt?”

  I looked to her, enraged. “What have we told you about frightening her with birth stories?” I demanded.

  Aunt Tillie became the picture of innocence. “I have no idea what you mean. I wasn’t doing anything.”

  “Yeah, right,” Thistle muttered. “You know I have to deal with her when she has panic attacks in the middle of the afternoon. Do you know how many times she’s held up a watermelon and compared it to an orange to explain the birthing process? I don’t know either, but it’s a heckuva lot.”

  The men at the table cringed in unison as Thistle painted the terrifying picture. Warren ultimately stepped forward to soothe his daughter.

  “You’re beautiful,” he reassured her. “Don’t listen to them. They’re just messing with you.”

  “That is the Winchester way,” Dad agreed. “We should stop picking on Clove and start picking on Bay. Have you decided on a honeymoon location? I’d really like that to be my gift.”

  “We have been talking about that,” Landon said, his hand still moving over my back. “There’s an island Bay wants to visit – Moonstone Bay. You shouldn’t have to pay for the trip, I have money put away.”

  Dad insisted. “I want to pay for it. I’ve been gone for much of Bay’s life. It’s the least I can do.”

  Landon darted his eyes to me. “Bay won’t come out and say it, but she wants me to allow you to pay for the honeymoon. How about we split the difference and you pay for the plane tickets and I’ll handle everything else?”

  I thought for certain my father would argue, but he nodded. “Fine, but when you guys build that house, I’m going all out for a housewarming gift.”

  Landon leaned back in his chair, relief radiating from him. He hated arguing with my father, if only because he knew it agitated me. “I’ll give you the dates and you can purchase the tickets.”

  “Great.” Dad beamed at him. “I’m also going to buy cooking equipment for your new house. I was at the guesthouse the other day; you two have three pots.”

  “That’s because we don’t cook,” I replied, finishing up my first sketch and ripping it from the pad.

  Landon took it from me and stared. “Do you recognize this?”

  “No.” I stared at the drawn rune for a moment and went back to drawing. “I only got a good look at two of them. I think there were four, a different one on each tree.”

  Before Landon could speak again, Aunt Tillie took the drawing from him.

  “This looks familiar,” she said. “Where did you find this?”

  “They were drawn in blood on the trees,” Landon answered. “Bay saw them even though they shouldn’t have been visible. The Michigan State Police are sending out an evidence team. I’m going to have them spray luminol on the trees and photograph the runes.”

  “That’s smart.” Aunt Tillie cocked her head. “I swear I’ve seen this before, but I can’t place where.”

  “You can help with the research later,” I suggested.

  “Yeah, that doesn’t sound fun.” Aunt Tillie said. “Who has the bedroom right at the top of the stairs?”

  Dad straightened as the conversation shifted yet again. “I wondered where you disappeared to. I believe we told you to stay on the main floor.”

  “If I only did what I was told I would have no fun at all,” Aunt Tillie groused. “Your laundry is gross, by the way. It smells like mildew. You need to make sure your clothes are dry before you toss them in the hamper.”

  Dad’s glare was dark. “You went through my hamper? What is wrong with you?”

  “Oh, there are so many ways to answer that question,” Thistle drawled. “I’ve started a list. Would you like me to recite it?”

  “Not really.” Dad said. “Tillie, as thrilled as we are when you visit — and we are truly thrilled — it would be great if you didn’t go through our things when you’re here.”

  “Yeah, I’m going to keep doing what I want.” Aunt Tillie moved to the ot
her side of Landon and sat. “What were we talking about again?”

  “Nothing important,” Landon replied. “I need to get actual statements before you guys return to picking on Clove’s eating habits.” He reached out to snag one of the doughnuts at the same time Clove decided to claim it.

  “That’s the last maple and bacon one,” Clove announced, refusing to move her hand.

  “I know. I can smell it.” Landon kept his hand in place. “Haven’t you eaten, like, five of them?”

  “One,” Clove protested.

  This time Warren couldn’t contain his snort. “What?” His expression matched that of his daughter when she was trying to cover up for saying something stupid. “I had something caught in my throat.”

  “Yes, laughter,” Aunt Tillie said. “Clove, I’ve seen you eat at least three doughnuts and I was upstairs for twenty minutes. I’m sure you inhaled another two while I was gone. Give the doughnut to the glutton.”

  “Thank you,” Landon said as he took the doughnut. “It’s nice to be loved.”

  “Oh, I don’t want you to have it because I love you. I just don’t want Clove eating until she explodes.”

  “Hey!” Clove’s eyes went wide. “How many times do I have to tell you that the baby is hungry?”

  “Just until I believe it.” Aunt Tillie folded her hands in her lap, suddenly demure. “I believe Landon has official questions.”

  “I do,” Landon agreed, groaning as he bit into the doughnut. “Oh, this is like heaven in a tiny little cake. Bay, you need to talk your mother into making these. I’m sure they’ll be even better from her kitchen.”

  Teddy glowered at my future husband. “That’s my recipe.”

  “And they’re awesome, but Winnie is the best cook in the world. You’ll never hear me say otherwise.”

  “Mostly because Aunt Winnie won’t feed him if he says anything other than that,” Thistle offered.

  “I can neither confirm nor deny that.” Landon brushed off his hands. “So, why were you in the clearing this morning?”

  “To clean up,” Dad replied. “Like I said, the kids haven’t been out there partying in recent days. They’ve either toned it down or moved someplace else. I go out there to check for returnables and trash twice a week. We don’t want to draw in bears.”

  “Or Bigfoot,” I offered absently.

  “Oh, you just had to go there,” Clove seethed. “You’ll give me indigestion.”

  “Sorry,” I said. Clove’s Bigfoot fear was the stuff of legends.

  “Have you heard anything at all out there the last few days?” Landon asked. “I’m pretty sure she was killed out there last night. Did you hear any vehicles in the area? Any voices?”

  Dad shook his head. “No. Sorry. I was shocked when I saw her.”

  “Did you touch her?”

  Dad hesitated and then shook his head. “No. I’m sure that sounds awful. Most people would jump at the opportunity to help, but I could tell she was dead.”

  “It’s good you didn’t touch her,” Landon said. “Keep your eyes open the next few days. It’s unlikely, but some killers like revisiting the scene of the crime.”

  “Who was it?” Thistle asked. “All we know is that it was a young girl.”

  I ripped off the second drawing and placed it on the table as I regarded her. “Paisley Gilmore.”

  Thistle’s mouth dropped open. “Are you kidding me?”

  “She’d been stabbed several times.”

  “I guess we know why you wanted Bay.” Thistle’s lips twisted. “She wasn’t a very pleasant girl, but I wouldn’t wish that on anybody.”

  “You and me both,” Landon agreed. “I just wanted Bay to see what we were dealing with given ... well ... given everything that happened with Paisley.”

  “I assume she was one of the girls involved in that kidnapping plot,” Dad said. “I didn’t recognize her.”

  Across the table, Clove stopped eating long enough to grab my second drawing. She made a face as she studied it. “This thing is evil.”

  Amused, I held out my hands. “I never pretended to be an artist.”

  “I’m not talking about your drawing. I’m talking about the rune. It’s definitely evil.”

  I was confused by her response. “Why would you say that?”

  “I didn’t say that. The baby did.”

  I shifted my gaze to Thistle and found her staring at Clove with the same dumbfounded confusion I felt. “The baby?”

  “That’s what I said.”

  Before I could question her further, Chief Terry barreled into the room.

  “What is it?” Landon asked, instantly alert.

  “I sent a couple of uniforms to inform Paisley’s parents,” Chief Terry replied grimly. “They weren’t home – and it looks as if there’s been a struggle.”

  4

  Four

  Even though it was clearly the last thing he wanted, Dad agreed to take Clove, Thistle and Aunt Tillie home. I told him to consider it a wedding gift, which made him smile, but he was clearly troubled as he watched me head off with Landon and Chief Terry.

  “We’ll drop your car at The Whistler,” Landon said as he hopped in the passenger seat. “Terry can pick us up there.”

  I turned to Chief Terry. “Are you okay with me tagging along for the ride?”

  “Of course.” He shot me a warm smile. “I’m always happy to have you with us.”

  That was a bit of an exaggeration, but I let it go.

  During the drive to The Whistler, Landon was mostly quiet. When he finally did speak, it wasn’t about the case.

  “Are you okay with the deal I struck with your father?”

  “About the honeymoon?” I had to laugh despite the circumstances. “Of course. I was okay with you turning him down.”

  “See, I don’t think you actually were okay with that.”

  “Well, I was.”

  “You weren’t.”

  “I was.”

  “No, you wanted me to accept because it made things easier for you and your dad. It hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing.”

  That was true. “Things are getting better between us.”

  “They are, but you’re still dealing with some residual resentment from your childhood. It’s okay to feel what you feel.”

  “I know. I just ... don’t want to argue. It was a good compromise.”

  “I’m glad.”

  After we shifted to Chief Terry’s vehicle, the conversation swiftly turned to Paisley and her parents.

  “It’s possible someone broke into the house, killed Richard and Anna, and took Paisley to the clearing,” Chief Terry said.

  “You didn’t find any bodies at the house,” I said. “None of it makes sense to me. I can’t shake the feeling that what happened two weeks ago ties into this.”

  “How could it tie in?” Landon asked. “You wiped all their memories.”

  “I did, but I’ve never really done that before. Maybe I failed.”

  “Are you suggesting the other girls somehow went after Paisley for payback? How would that benefit them?”

  I had no idea. “I don’t know. Paisley wasn’t technically the ringleader. She had a powerful personality, but that doesn’t mean she was in charge.”

  “So, who did this?” Chief Terry swung into the Gilmore driveway. The family vehicles — both of them — were parked single-file on the pavement. “Someone decided to snuff out that girl’s life. I need to know why.”

  He wasn’t the only one. “Let’s check inside.”

  Landon and Chief Terry took the lead, the former glancing over his shoulder twice to make sure I was okay. Once inside, weapons drawn, they swept the main floor. I figured the uniforms had already done the same, so I went straight to the living room.

  It did indeed appear as if a struggle had taken place. The coffee table rested on its side, the items that had been placed on top strewn about the room.

  “Was the television on when your officers came in
?” I asked as Chief Terry joined me.

  “I didn’t ask. Why is that important?”

  “I don’t know that it is. I’m just trying to get a picture of what happened here. The remote control is on the couch.” I pointed for emphasis. “There looks to have been a glass of some kind on the table thanks to the ring. It looks like it’s from a wine glass.”

  Chief Terry followed my finger. “You think someone was home, relaxing, and then something happened.”

  I held out my hands. “That makes the most sense.” I moved to the television and pressed the power button. An HGTV show flared to life before I killed the power. “I’m guessing it was the mother.”

  “Because that’s a chick show?” Landon asked as he swept through the open archway. “I checked all the upstairs bedrooms and closets. There’s nothing. No one is here.”

  “HGTV is not a chick channel,” I shot back. “You’ve watched it with me.”

  “Only when we were really bored and you weren’t in the mood for Netflix nudity.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Yes, because I often police your viewing habits,” I drawled. “That sounds just like me.”

  “Fine. It could’ve been a man.”

  I bent over to study a broken wine glass. “There’s lipstick on the glass. I think it was the mother.”

  “I kind of want to pull a Winchester and say something mean,” Landon lamented. “Maybe add a little ‘I told you so’ dance to the mix.”

  It made me smile. “Don’t ever let my mother hear you say something like ‘pull a Winchester.’ She will melt down.”

  “Good to know.” Landon dragged a hand through his shoulder-length hair. “I don’t know what to make of this. Both the vehicles are in the driveway. There’s no blood. ”

  “What about cell phones?” I asked. “Did you find them?”

  “No, but that’s a good idea.” Landon shot me a wink. “It’s a good thing I have you.”

  My gaze fell on a framed photograph on an end table on the other side of the room. It featured four smiling teenagers striking a pose in their designer outfits. I recognized all of them. “Do you want another bit of investigative advice?”