Whispering Pines Mysteries Box Set 3

by Shawn McGuire

  “Donovan doesn’t even know if your dad has opened the thing. Right?”

  I nodded.

  “Wouldn’t acting normal confuse him?” he suggested. “Dillon wants to go to that coven gathering tonight, and there’s no way you’ll stop him. If we act normal and don’t let ourselves be flustered by that thing, your dad’s going to dismiss the doll in an hour. Not reacting could confuse Donovan, flush him out, and we’ll catch him.”

  Tripp remained quiet as I paced the little room, letting the pieces of his suggestion swirl and come together in my mind. “I don’t want him going anywhere by himself. I’ll have to go to the coven gathering with him.”

  “You don’t think he’d find that odd?”

  “Not really. We had a discussion in the loft earlier about Wicca and how he was raised around it. I mentioned that certain aspects of Wicca appealed to me but that I hadn’t thought of joining. If he asks, I’ll tell him our conversation piqued my curiosity.”

  Tripp’s eyes narrowed as he analyzed this plan. “That will probably work. You shouldn’t do this by yourself, though.”

  My immediate reaction was to object. I could handle Donovan on my own. We were talking about my father’s life, though. Donovan had already taken my grandmother from me and might be responsible for other deaths as well. I couldn’t risk letting him strike again.

  “I’ll call Reed. I’m not sure I ever told him about the harlequins, so now’s the time. I’ll also call Morgan. She’ll put River on the job.”

  “I can help keep an eye out for him during the gathering.”

  I considered that but said, “I’ve got a different assignment for you.”

  “Which is?”

  “To distract Rosalyn. I’ll tell her we’re pushing our luck with the coven by asking them to let me attend, so there’s no way they’d let her in too. You need to keep her here. Watch a movie or something.”

  Tripp groaned. “She’ll make me watch some romantic comedy, won’t she?”

  I smiled and squeezed his hand. “Probably. Going undercover does involve sacrifice.”

  “For the family of the woman I love, I’ll sit through every romantic comedy ever made.”

  I thought about that for a second. “Not sure they’re worthy of that much sacrifice, but I love you for the thought.”

  “I’ll say it now, so I don’t have to say it later. Be safe.”

  I stood on tiptoes to kiss him. “Always.”

  While I made phone calls, Tripp left to tell Dad and Roz I had to address an issue regarding Suzette Thibodeaux and would be right out. That turned out to not be too far from the truth. Reed started filling me in on details he’d gathered the moment he answered his phone.

  “You were right,” he said in lieu of a more traditional greeting. “Lily Grace is innocent.”

  “Did she tell you what was going on between the victim and Oren?”

  “She did. Now I feel itchy, like I should take a shower using steel wool instead of a loofah.”

  “You use a loofah?” I grinned at the silence that followed. “What did she tell you?”

  “According to Lily Grace, Ms. Thibodeaux had been, um, propositioning Oren.”

  “Propositioning? As in—”

  “Yes!” He interrupted me from guessing at the details. “It started as a joke about a year ago. He was helping Ms. Thibodeaux with her groceries over at Sundry. Lily Grace was there with Oren so heard it all. Ms. Thibodeaux thanked him and made a comment about how if he ever got tired of Lily Grace, he should give her a call.” Reed paused, clearly not amused with this. “Ugh. I might be sick. She said she wouldn’t mind having a ‘strong young buck’ around the house.”

  “Pull yourself together, man. You have to remember, before she got sick, Ms. Thibodeaux was a beautiful, healthy woman. Which is probably how she got into so much trouble with the other villagers.” A thought occurred to me. “Wait a second. A year ago, Oren would only have been seventeen.”

  “I was wondering when you’d put it together. I’ve got nothing against older women. But I do have a problem with older women hitting on minors. That’s why his dad was so worked up about it. Apparently, Ms. Thibodeaux was amusing herself by calling Oren and checking on whether he’d thought any more about her offer. Oren was embarrassed about the whole thing so didn’t tell Gil. Finally he couldn’t take it anymore and put her on speakerphone so Gil could hear. He about blew a gasket.”

  “And thought threatening her in public was a good idea?”

  “Yeah, I mentioned that to Lily Grace. She says she told Gil the same thing. She also swears that she and Oren were with Gil all night after the celebration. He was so worked up, neither of them wanted him to be alone until he settled down. I verified that with Oren.”

  “Okay. That’s two people we can cross off our list.”

  “Three. Oren, Gil, and Lily Grace.”

  “She was never really on the list. Remember?”

  “Yeah, yeah, whatever. I went to see Lorena after that.”

  “Wow. You’ve been busy.”

  “I’m here on school break and promised I’d be available to work. So I’m working.”

  “You’re entitled to a little R&R, you know.”

  “Right. And the sooner we wrap this up, the sooner I can get to the relaxation part.”

  Couldn’t argue with that. “What did you find out from Lorena?”

  “She claimed she stayed home all Friday night because she didn’t want to attend the event. She wouldn’t explain why. Says it’s not relevant to the investigation.”

  Lorena Maxwell had an entirely different personality when on duty at Sundry versus being off work. She was helpful and courteous in her position as assistant store manager. She made sure the store was always spotless and let everyone know her goal was for customers to have a good experience when shopping there. On the flip side was the Lorena Maxwell I’d overheard at Hearth & Cauldron Thursday afternoon, gossiping about a dying neighbor like her life depended on it.

  “Was anyone able to verify her claim?” I asked.

  “That she was home all night? Her next-door neighbor’s kids and grandkids are visiting for a week. They celebrated at home with them Friday night and said they saw lights on in Lorena’s place. They did not see Lorena, however. Lorena claimed she was watching TV and knitting all night. She showed me a sweater she’s working on.”

  “Like that proves anything.”

  “That’s what I told her.” He sighed heavily. “I don’t know. I don’t think she did anything but can’t conclusively eliminate her.”

  “We’ll keep her on the list but at the bottom until we know for sure.”

  “That works. Is there something else you called me for?”

  “We’ve got a problem with Donovan again. This time, I’m pretty sure it’s legit. My dad just opened a harlequin that resembles him.”

  I could practically hear him thinking in the pause that followed. “You never fully explained those things to me. I knew he made them. I knew one was found in Yasmine’s tent. What exactly are they supposed to mean?”

  I settled back in my desk chair, almost relieved to be telling him. “Donovan claimed to have a ‘gift’ to know when someone was about to die.”

  “I knew about that.”

  “He claims when he ‘receives’ information about someone, he goes into a trance and is compelled to make a ceramic harlequin that will look like the victim when they die. Like some twisted calling card for death. Remember the Yasmine doll?”

  Yasmine Long, the young woman I discovered in my backyard the day I arrived in Whispering Pines, had died of dehydration brought on by complications of ricin poisoning. The little Yasmine harlequin Tripp and I found in her tent was shriveled and skeletal as though dehydrated.

  “I do remember it.” He turned somber, as he always did whenever we spoke of the half-sister half-cousin he’d never met until seven months ago. “I didn’t understand it until now. Did you find any others?”

 
“One. It was supposed to look like my grandmother. It was blue and appeared bloated to look like Gran had drowned.” My turn to offer a moment of silence. “The doll my dad just received had a similar look, blue and bloated. Tripp thinks Donovan is messing with me by making it appear that Dad will die the same way his mother did.”

  “Twisted bastard,” Reed hissed. “Do you have a plan?”

  “There’s a coven gathering at Hearth & Cauldron tonight. Dad wants to go. I’m going, too, so I can keep an eye on him. I’d like you to patrol the exterior and be on the lookout for Donovan. I’m hoping River Carr can help you with that. Maybe Jagger and Emery too. Tripp is staying here with my sister to keep her safe.”

  “So I get to stand around outside in the cold again,” he grumbled.

  “Bundle up, Deputy. I’ve got to call Morgan next. I’ll ask her to bring a thermos of her hot chocolate.”

  “That almost makes it worth it. Almost. I feel like I should get special compensation for this.”

  “How about I let you keep your job?”

  After a second’s pause, “Fair trade. I’ll call Jagger and Emery. See you at Hearth & Cauldron at what time?”

  “I guess the technical full moon was at ten forty-eight this morning. They’re holding the gathering at ten forty-eight tonight.”

  “Why not make it midnight?”

  “Couldn’t tell you. I’m not privy to the scheduling committee’s decisions.”

  After Reed and I finished our business, I called Morgan to tell her what was going on.

  “Oh my Goddess. I agree completely. You must come with your father tonight. He shouldn’t be alone until this is resolved. I don’t understand how Donovan has stayed hidden in plain sight for so long. His kiln for firing the ceramics was at his cottage. Since the new renter didn’t want the kiln, it was disassembled and sold to a school in Duluth.”

  “He could have made them elsewhere.”

  “That’s true, he could have. That’s an awful lot of pre-planning on his part.”

  “Frustratingly, he’s a very patient man.” I told her about Reed patrolling the exterior of Reeva’s shop and asked if she’d bring him hot chocolate.

  “I’m happy to. And before you ask, I’ll make sure River helps as well.”

  “That reminds me, I never got any of your Midwinter tea blend the other night. Do you have any of that left?”

  “I’m almost out. It was very popular. I’ll whip up another batch.”

  “What’s in it?”

  “Dried apple pieces, dried orange peel, hibiscus blossoms, blackberry leaves, almonds, dried carrot, star anise, cinnamon, silver linden blossoms, dried cranberry, pomegranate arils, and rose petals.”

  “That sounds complex. Just going to whip up a batch, hey?”

  “I already have the ingredients. All I need to do is gather it all into a bowl, give the contents a little blessing, and divide it among smaller containers.”

  I smiled. “All done with the proper intent, I assume.”

  “Always. Everything you do should be done with intent and purpose. The intent for drinking tea or consuming a meal, for example, should be to nourish and care for your body.”

  “Does chocolate cake count?”

  Her voice held a hint of amusement when she answered. “As long as you consume your cake mindfully, there is nothing wrong with a treat now and then.”

  “Is that what the double servings of eggnog cheesecake and gingerbread I saw on your plate was last night? A mindful treat?”

  Without missing a beat, she replied, “One serving was for the baby.”

  I laughed. “What will be the intent of the coven gathering tonight?”

  She turned serious again. “A full moon gathering is always to honor the Goddess and, among other things, represents abundance, the manifestation of desires, and protection. Tonight’s full moon, called the full cold moon or full oak moon, also honors family and home as the Goddess recently gave birth to the Oak King. Performing a cleansing ritual is advised before a gathering. Negative feelings from others in our lives can affect the way we feel, and we don’t want to bring that into the coven. You, for example, are surely holding onto some negative Donovan vibes at the moment.”

  “You think?”

  “And you seem to be a bit irritable because of that.”

  Far be it from me to harsh the coven’s vibe. “What kind of cleansing?”

  “A simple smudging will suffice. Although a soak in salt water will also work. If you choose the bath, dim the lights and light a candle to create a soothing environment. Perhaps burn some incense. Ten minutes will do.”

  At my non-response to this suggestion, she continued. “With the focus on family tonight, it’s ironically appropriate that your father is here.”

  “The last time I came to a gathering, your coven members weren’t so happy.”

  “They didn’t know you yet, Jayne. You have proven yourself since then.” She let out a small, tired sigh. “You have tasked me with much, and there are only a couple of hours before we gather. Be sure to arrive no later than ten thirty if you’d like to be smudged. Whichever cleansing method you choose, take a moment to get into the proper mindset before entering Reeva’s shop.”

  “How about baby wipes? Will those work for cleansing?” Not that I had any. I just liked to poke the witch from time to time.

  “Only if they’ve been properly smudged. Blessed be.”

  We hung up, and the thought going through my mind, other than the need to tell my dad to go soak mindfully in salt water for ten minutes, was that with any luck, we’d have Donovan Page in custody in a few hours.

  Chapter 18

  With not quite two hours left before Dad and I had to report to Hearth & Cauldron, I needed to find a robe. The coven witches wouldn’t let me participate in their ritual, but being properly dressed, and of the correct mindset, was simply good manners. What a difference from the first ritual I’d attended. I had no idea what to expect then. I hadn’t even planned to go. Morgan felt observing a coven in action would be helpful for me to better understand Wicca and, therefore, my fellow villagers. So I went . . . and was almost lit on fire when Flavia sent burning embers flying at me.

  “Morgan cleansed me with sage last time,” I told Dad once he’d declared the midnight-blue robe from Gran’s collection blessed and ready for me.

  “You want me to smudge you?”

  “Either that or I have to go take a bath.”

  His brow creased and then smoothed with understanding. “Salt water.”

  I slipped on the robe, and it honestly felt like Gran was hugging me. For a moment, I considered never taking it off. Instead, I wrapped my arms around myself and gave it a hug in return.

  “I never once,” I told him, “expected you and I would be preparing to attend a coven gathering together.”

  He dug around in Gran’s armoire for something. “Honestly, when I first decided to come for a visit, this was high on my list of things to do.”

  “Us joining a coven?”

  He laughed. “No, not that. But I’m happy we’re doing this together. Since your grandmother died, I’ve thought about the village quite a lot. I left angry and with bad feelings toward the entire community. It’s time I start correcting that.”

  A thrill rushed through me. He wanted to right his wrongs. This meant his feelings about Whispering Pines were changing. Tripp and I would be able to keep Pine Time open. I couldn’t ask for a better Christmas gift.

  Rosalyn and I were good now, and Dad was home. My family’s wounds were healing. Mom and I still had work to do, and eventually one of us would have to make the first move toward repairing our bruised relationship. Me moving here and converting the house into a B&B was a big step. Even though she had no warm feelings for the house or the village, she saw I had the ability to be a businesswoman, like her, and sustain a steadily growing business. Of course, I had Tripp’s help. She had to do everything on her own when she opened her day spa.

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nbsp; “Ah-ha!” Dad emerged from the armoire with a smudge stick in hand.

  I breathed in deep while he waved the smoking sage slowly around me, and then I sneezed.

  “And with that,” he joked, “I think you’re ready.”

  Rosalyn, of course, pouted over not being able to go with us. “I could be Wiccan. Let me come. I’ll sit in the corner and learn.”

  “Tonight is about the ritual, not learning,” I told her. “If you’re truly interested, I’ll tell Morgan. You’ll be here for almost three weeks so will have plenty of time to learn a little from her.”

  She crossed her arms and flopped onto a chair in the great room. “Maybe I’ll call Martin.”

  “He’s busy tonight,” I said.

  “How do you know? What’s he doing?”

  Tripp stepped up and distracted her with a handful of DVDs. “I thought you might like to watch one of these.”

  She gave a sideways glance at the stack in his hands and then lit up. “Ooo. You’ve got Sleepless in Seattle?” Her eyes drifted further down the stack “And Bridget Jones’s Diary?” She gasped. “I’ve always wanted to watch Notting Hill.” She glanced up at Tripp with round, glistening eyes. “You’ll watch with me, right? I’ll cry, so be prepared for that.”

  She took the stack from him and arranged them in viewing order. If there was anything fortunate about not having other guests booked right now, it was that only Tripp, River, Dad, and I would see Rosalyn wandering the house in her pajamas with a box of tissues. We didn’t need guests seeing that.

  “I owe you,” I told Tripp off to the side.

  “I’ll come up with a payment plan.” He winked and wrapped me in a hug. “Why do you smell like sage?”

  “Dad smudged me. Now I’m ready for the ritual. Speaking of which, we’ve gotta go. Have fun.”

  “I’m guaranteed to be entertained, even if it’s just watching your sister go through the gamut of emotions.”

  ~~~

  Hearth & Cauldron was ready for the coven. Along with a roaring fire in the huge stone fireplace, Reeva had placed candles all around in lieu of using electric lights. Holly sprigs, dried sunflower heads, and sunflower seeds formed a wreath at the center of the long table. A three-wick white pillar candle, eight inches in diameter, stood in the middle of the wreath. A little thrill made me shiver. I was excited to be a witness to whatever was about to happen.