Prelude to a Witch

by Amanda M. Lee

  “Of course.” Hannah nodded once. “I wasn’t saying anything untoward about Ms. Winchester. I’m just curious about why a civilian is involved in murder cases.”

  “This is in my town. I make the decisions on who is and isn’t involved in investigations in my town.” Chief Terry shot me a wink as he headed for the juice carafes. “I’ve known Bay her whole life. She spent a lot of time with me when she was a teenager.”

  “Because she was interested in law enforcement?”

  “Something like that.” Chief Terry poured a glass of orange juice. “Bay’s father was not in Hemlock Cove when she was younger. Tillie often had the girls and would involve them in ... games. I regularly got called to the scene of those games and had to instill a few life lessons. Bay developed an interest in law enforcement then.”

  That was as good of a lie as I’d ever heard him tell. “It’s true,” I said. “I like to solve mysteries.”

  “I guess that makes sense,” Hannah said. “You became a reporter, so naturally you like to put the pieces together.”

  “Yes.” I forced a smile I didn’t feel. “I love puzzles.”

  Landon slipped his arm around my waist and tugged me toward my chair. “My Bay is a genius at puzzling things out. I’m always glad when Terry involves her.”

  “Well, if it’s okay to discuss the case in front of civilians, I spent a lot of time looking at the photographs of the scene last night,” Hannah said. “I was hoping to go out there this morning for a better look. There’s something about it that feels familiar.”

  I was taken aback. “Seriously?”

  She nodded. “I’m almost positive I saw something like those runes when I was on a case in Salem two years ago.”

  “Salem, Massachusetts?”

  “Yes.”

  I slid my eyes to Aunt Tillie. She looked as interested in the new tidbit as I was.

  “There are witches in Salem,” Landon noted as he sat next to me.

  “This town’s decision to turn itself into a fake paranormal haven makes me think that somebody wants the populace to believe that witches are killing people,” Hannah said,

  “I assume you don’t believe in witches,” I asked.

  “I guess that depends on your definition.” Hannah said. “Wicca is a real religion and the practitioners are real people. Their religion is far removed from the stuff of Hollywood. They don’t capture children and sacrifice them to gods. That sort of witchcraft is nonsense.”

  “I don’t know,” Aunt Tillie said dryly. “When they were younger, there were times I wanted to sacrifice Bay and her cousins, especially Thistle. There’s all different kinds of magic.”

  “People find magic in small, everyday things,” Hannah said. “Some might look at Bay and Landon and assign magical qualities to the fact that they found each other and fell in love.”

  “You don’t assign magical qualities to that?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “I’m what would be considered ruthlessly pragmatic,” she said. “I don’t believe in soulmates. That idea is straight out of romance books. I don’t believe in destiny. Life is a series of actions and reactions.

  “You and Landon, for example, found each other at a time when you were open to a relationship,” she continued. “It was about the timing, nothing more.”

  I pressed my lips together and glanced at Landon, who was frowning. “Well, I believe in destiny.”

  “As do I,” Landon interjected. “Bay is my soulmate and I believe we were always destined to find one another.”

  “What if you hadn’t?” Hannah was serious. “What if you two had never crossed paths? Would you still be soulmates?”

  Landon rested his hand on my knee under the table. “I think if you’re meant to find each other, you do. Bay and I were always meant to find one another.”

  “It’s a sweet thought, but I can’t get behind it in practice.”

  “That’s sad for you.” Landon squeezed my knee. “As for the scene, we can take you there.” He flicked his eyes to me. “It’s probably best if you go and smooth the way with your father.”

  “Absolutely. I kind of want to get another look around the area.”

  10

  Ten

  Dad, apparently hearing the vehicles pull up, met us in the driveway of the Dragonfly. He seemed confused when Chief Terry introduced Hannah.

  “A profiler? Here?”

  I slipped my arm through his, tugging him toward the inn. “I’ll tell you all about it and then I’ll meet you guys at the scene,” I said, casting a pointed look my fiancé.

  Landon looked as if he wanted to argue the point, but he simply nodded.

  I dragged Dad into the inn, waiting until the door was shut to speak. “I don’t have much time. She’s a profiler. She used to date Landon when they were at the academy. She’s starting to really bug me, but I have to pretend otherwise because it’s undignified not to like your fiancé’s former girlfriend simply because she speaks her mind.”

  Dad chuckled. “That’s a lot to unpack. For the record, Landon often bugs me, but I don’t doubt for a second that he loves you. I’m certain he doesn’t harbor any feelings for this Hannah.”

  “I’m not worried about that,” I said. “He’s as irritated with her as I am. I just need you to know that she might be hanging around. Don’t mention any of the witch stuff. She doesn’t believe in witches, but she’s sharing a roof with Aunt Tillie, so that’s going to lead to problems. I should probably get out there now.”

  “Because you’re worried she’s hitting on Landon?”

  “Because she doesn’t believe in witches and there’s clearly something otherworldly going on here.”

  I cut through the inn and exited the rear door. I was about twenty feet from the inn when I glanced over my shoulder, my gaze instinctively going to the windowed laundry room ... and my heart lodged in my throat.

  The ghosts — what else was I supposed to call them? — were back, hovering in the glass. Their reflections were dark, their eyes bright with hatred, and the glass appeared to ripple as they stared at me.

  “Who are you?” I asked. “What do you want?”

  The reflections didn’t answer. Perhaps they couldn’t.

  “If you have something to tell me, now would be the time,” I groused. “I mean ... if you’re going to keep showing up, there must be a reason. You need to tell me if you expect me to help ... or do something else.”

  Still nothing.

  “I could smite you if that’s what you prefer,” I offered.

  The reflections began to dissolve and were gone within seconds. This time I was certain I’d seen them. Were they following me? Was it something else?

  I checked the windows three more times before reaching the tree line. The shapes didn’t return, so I forced them out of my mind as I traipsed through the woods in search of Landon, Chief Terry and Hannah. I found them within a few minutes.

  Hannah stood in the center of the clearing, staring down at the spot where Paisley’s body was found. Chief Terry and Landon were positioned outside the circle, and Landon’s gaze immediately sought out mine when he heard me.

  “Is your father okay?”

  I nodded as I moved closer to him. “He is. He was confused ... but now he’s not.”

  “Hannah is getting a feel for the area.” He studied my face. “You’re pale.” He pressed his hand to my forehead. “Like ... really, really pale.”

  “I’m fine,” I reassured him, flashing a look toward Hannah and cringing when I realized she was staring at us. “It’s just hot out.”

  Landon waited a moment longer and then nodded. It was obvious he didn’t believe my “hot” excuse, but he knew better than to question me in front of Hannah. “What’s your plan for the day?”

  “I have work to do at the office.”

  “Keep the doors locked when you’re in there.”

  “Brian wouldn’t be stupid enough to come there in the middle of the day,” I scoffed.
/>
  “Keep the doors locked,” he said. “I installed that security system for a reason.”

  “Fine.” I didn’t bother to hide my eye roll. “I’ll probably spend some time in Hypnotic too. Well, that is if Clove isn’t being annoying. She’s seriously driving me nuts these days.”

  “Have some sympathy for her. She’s uncomfortable with the changes in her body. It doesn’t help that you guys keep freaking her out by telling her she’ll never lose the baby weight. That just makes her eat more.”

  “She won’t lose the weight if she keeps eating the way she does.”

  “Does that matter?”

  “Wouldn’t you be upset if I didn’t take off the baby weight after I popped out our first kid?”

  He chuckled at the way I’d phrased it. “I would not. I’m the sort of man who loves a person and not a body type.”

  “Oh, whatever.”

  “It’s true. You need to leave Clove alone.”

  “Fine.” I shifted my gaze back to the tree that had the rune on it yesterday. Hannah was staring at it now, likely trying to pretend she couldn’t hear us. “I should probably head to town.” I tugged on Landon’s shirt sleeve. “Do you want to walk me to the lot?”

  He answered without hesitation. “Absolutely. Terry, can you stick with Hannah? I’ll be right back after I walk Bay to her car.”

  Chief Terry was well aware what we were really doing and nodded. “No problem. It’s smart to walk her back when there’s a killer on the loose.”

  “My thoughts exactly.” Landon linked his fingers with mine as we headed back, waiting until we emerged from the woods to ask the obvious question. “What is it?”

  “I saw those ghost things in the window of the Dragonfly,” I whispered. “They were watching me when I headed out to meet you guys.”

  “And?”

  “I tried to communicate with them. They didn’t respond. Then they disappeared. They’re gone now.”

  “What do you think they are?”

  “I don’t know, but I think they’re connected to what happened to Paisley.”

  “Obviously.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m not keen on you running around on your own when these things are out there.”

  “I don’t see that we have much choice,” I said. “You cannot spend all your time checking in with a civilian. Hannah is already suspicious.”

  “I don’t know that she’s suspicious,” he hedged. “She is curious. She finds our entire relationship odd.”

  “Which means your relationship with her was nothing like what we share.”

  “I believe I already told you that.” He stroked his hand down the back of my head and then tilted it to meet his insistent gaze. “We flirted and ... did other things. I didn’t want anything bad to happen to her, but what I felt for her wasn’t even a shadow against what I feel for you.”

  “I’m not being insecure,” I reassured him. “I know you love me. But I don’t understand how you could have fallen for her in the first place. She’s boring. Other than the hair, we have nothing in common.”

  “Well, believe it or not, baby, the only type I had before I fell in love with you was beautiful blondes. In that respect, you are my type.”

  My cheeks colored. “I’m not beautiful. I’m ... cute.”

  “You’re beautiful. You don’t want to argue with me about that. You’re right about Hannah, though. She does not believe in the paranormal. She’ll be looking for an explanation on everything that happens between now and then ... human explanations.”

  “That’s a pretty tall order in the Winchester house.”

  “I guess it’s good she can’t see ghosts staring back at us from the windows.”

  I blew out a sigh. “I can’t be around her. I need to use my magic to dig.”

  “You’re only telling me that because you think it means keeping a safe distance from me, too. I’ll figure out a way for you and me to get time together.”

  “Private time or investigative time?”

  “Both.” He was firm. “I’m going to figure this out. Hannah doesn’t need to be with us every moment of every day. She’ll go off on her own eventually. She has a process.”

  “That means she’ll wander around on her own. That’s probably not good.”

  “It’s not,” he agreed. “We have to deal with it. Speaking of that, what are you really going to do now that you’re separating from us?”

  “I’m going to research that Salem thing she mentioned. There’s probably more to it than even she knows.”

  “Okay. Be careful and keep in touch.”

  “Don’t I always?”

  He growled and leaned in for a kiss. “You do what you want and run off willy-nilly. You give me ulcers and nightmares.”

  “And I’m guessing that’s not fun for you.”

  “Not even a little. We’re in a weird spot right now. We have to be careful and trust one another.”

  “I trust you more than anyone. That thing you said about destiny and soulmates, I believe that. No matter what, I was always meant to find you.”

  “Of course you were. I’m a catch. I believe I’ve pointed that out multiple times.”

  I laughed. “I’ll get in touch if I find anything in the research that can help.”

  He gave me another kiss and then released me, waiting until I was halfway to the front of the inn to call out. “I love you, Bay.”

  I smiled. “As much as Peg?”

  “Don’t push it.”

  “That’s what I thought.”

  I LOCKED THE FRONT DOOR OF THE office as Landon demanded, but only because I wanted quiet time to myself. Given Aunt Tillie’s leggings, I had a feeling she was going to be looking for some place to shelter.

  I booted my computer after taking a lap around the office. Viola, the resident ghost, was nowhere to be found. Unlike the ghost who lived in the office before her, Viola enjoyed gallivanting around town.

  I searched for “Salem” and “runes” and came up with so many matches that I had to winnow it further. I added murder to the mix. Hannah had mentioned the incident was two years ago, which made finding what I was looking for all the easier.

  “What are you looking at?” a voice asked as I settled in to read a news article from back then.

  I found Aunt Tillie staring at me from across the desk. “How did you get in here? I locked the door and set the security system.”

  She snorted. “Security systems can’t stop me. You know that.”

  “Yes, well ... .” I looked down. “What happened to your inappropriate leggings?”

  “I decided to change.”

  “You mean Mom made you change.”

  Her scowl took up half her face. “Your mother is horrible,” she said, whipping out another pair of leggings from the backpack she wore. “I knew she would be a pain and bought more than one pair.”

  Even I had to admit that was mildly genius. “By wearing the leggings this morning and putting up a fight when she tried to take them away, you set the stage for getting away with the second pair. If you’d given in easily, she would’ve known something was up. Well done.”

  “I’m a genius,” she agreed. “Seriously, what are you looking at?”

  “You heard Hannah at breakfast this morning. She said a similar incident happened in Salem two years ago.”

  “She’s not a believer, so I don’t really care what she says. She doesn’t know anything.”

  “She knows about human behavior.”

  “I hate to break it to you, but I don’t think she’s very good at her job. She’s no Shemar Moore.”

  “Is anybody?”

  “No. That man is beautiful and I want to rub myself all over him.”

  I made a face. “That’s a bit of an overshare.”

  “I have to watch you and Landon pet each other like puppies at a stroking contest so I don’t really care what you think.”

  “Fair enough.”

  “I’m serious about that. She
watches you and Landon as if there’s some sort of trick being played on her. Be careful.”

  “I’m not afraid of her where Landon is concerned. They dated a long time ago and it wasn’t serious.”

  “I’m not saying you should have anything to fear romantically. Her interest in your relationship could lead to interest in other things. We really don’t need her digging into our family.”

  “What do you suggest I do to fix things?”

  “I have no idea. I have bigger things to deal with. Namely Willa. I’ll come up with a way to get her out of town if it’s the last thing I do.”

  I went back to staring at the story on the computer screen. “This says a teenager was killed in the woods outside Salem. Her blood was used to paint runes on the trees. The runes were believed to be tied to the four elements.”

  Aunt Tillie straightened. “You mean the four corners.”

  “I think that’s what they’re getting at.”

  Aunt Tillie tugged her lower lip. “Anything else?”

  “There is something that Hannah left out,” I said. “The murder in Salem was tied to a similar murder, also in Salem, that happened twenty years before.”

  “The same circumstances?”

  “Yeah. What do you think that means?”

  “I have no idea. I’m not much of a researcher.”

  I was quiet a moment. “Thistle has been busy with other things and can’t really do research for me right now. Any suggestions on who might be able to help?”

  “Ignore Thistle. Her nose is out of joint because Clove is having a baby and you’re getting married. She’s the only one who hasn’t moved forward. She’ll get over it on Christmas.”

  “What happens on Christmas?”

  “That’s when Marcus will propose.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I know all and see all.”

  She was full of it, but if she was so determined about the date I figured she had inside information. She and Marcus were tight. He helped her with her pot field, so maybe he’d confided in her.

  “I’m happy for them,” I said. “He’s good for Thistle.”