Even Witches Get the Blues (Wicked in Moonhaven~A Paranormal Cozy Book 1)

by J. D. Winters

  I shrugged. “Suit yourself,” I said. “I’ll just go see the police.”

  I turned on a dime and I was out of there. Once in the car again, I took another look at my copy of the deed. It certainly looked legit. But how would I know? I was no lawyer—at least, I didn’t think I was. But maybe I ought to find one.

  Chapter Two

  I’d just started the engine when the passenger’s door opened and the woman from the bar and grill slipped in, slapped her bottom down on the seat and closed the door. She turned toward me, looking earnest.

  “Sorry about how Scotty acted,” she said quickly. “He knows his claim to the place is probably bogus, so he’s scared.”

  I raised an eyebrow, wondering why she thought I wanted her advice. She read my look of skepticism and sighed.

  “Hey Haley, I know you probably hardly remember me. I’m Luanne Bolivar. I was a few years ahead of you in school. We never really got to know each other well, but I know you remember my sister Krissy. You and she were very tight—until…well, you know. When it all blew up. But she still considers you a close friend and I thought I’d let you know what’s been going on around here since you been gone.”

  Since You Been Gone.

  The Kelly Clarkson song began drifting through my head. I almost began humming it, but I managed to cut that out right away. I looked at the woman who’d called herself Luanne and I considered her offer. Hey, I’d be a fool to turn her down. I was here. I was meant to be involved somehow—though I had no idea why. Maybe I should listen a little. Information comes in handy at times.

  Looking at her I realized she was prettier than I’d thought—and younger, too. She was wearing white shorts and a lacy white top with a bright red heart embroidered over her left breast. Her shiny rust-colored hair was cut into a sort of short pageboy and freckles dusted her nose. If things weren’t so crazy and I didn’t have to be so careful, I might have liked her. As it was I was suspicious of everyone.

  “Krissy is your sister?” I said, more as a filler comment than anything else.

  “Yeah. And Molly. You remember her? Our baby sister. She’s fifteen now and thinks she knows everything.”

  I smiled and nodded, noting the sweet look on this woman’s face when she mentioned her youngest sister. “Sure,” I said. “They do that, don’t they?”

  “Yeah.”

  “So what is Krissy doing these days?”

  An enigmatic emotion shadowed her eyes for just a moment. “Oh, the usual things. After you left for college, she seemed kind of lost for awhile. She didn’t know whether to find a college somewhere herself, or to start on a career path. So of course, you know Krissy.” She tried to laugh but it came out hollow and sad. “She screwed up, got in trouble, left town. Headed for San Francisco. We haven’t seen her for a long time.”

  I could hear the pain in her voice, though she tried to hide it. I felt a quick surge of compassion for her, but I frowned. I had to keep my guard up. No telling what I was going to have to do before this strange escapade was done.

  “Hey listen. I’m really sorry. Uh…let me know if you hear from her, okay?”

  She nodded, lips pressed together and I realized she was trying hard not to tear up. I didn’t know her, and yet, she touched me in some deep, empathetic way. I looked out the car window, trying to get things back on an even keel.

  “Did you know that Shane was back, too?”

  I turned and stared at her. Something about the way she said it let me know Shane was considered special to me. Or to whomever I’d once been.

  “Really?” I said, watching her eyes. “I didn’t know.”

  She nodded, giving me a half smile. “He’s changed even more than you have.”

  Impossible.

  I toyed with the idea of trying to get more information, but I hesitated. It was tempting to want to confide in her, to ask her questions about my past and my reality. Her face had a candid, open look but I knew she wasn’t here just being friendly. She was trying to find out my plans, what I was going to do about the deed I held. If I told her the truth, if I let on that I didn’t remember her or anyone else in this town, I would put myself in a weakened position, and I wasn’t going to do that. I was going to have to feel my way around for now.

  But I had to get on with things. I looked up and saw a raven in a Monterey pine, staring down at me. A shiver went down my back.

  “Listen, do you know any good lawyers?” I asked Luanne.

  “Lawyers?” She blinked. “I guess that new guy might be good. His office is right over there, across the square. The cute little adobe? His name is Saint something.” She looked at me curiously. “I thought you were going to the police.”

  I nodded. “I am. But first I want to get some legal advice.”

  “Oh.” She thought about that for a few seconds and I was pretty sure she was hoping to gather information to take back to Scotty. That would only make sense. “You want me to go with you?” she asked hopefully.

  I shook my head. “Nope. I’ve got to do this on my own.” I gazed at her pointedly and she got the hint.

  “Oh. Okay. I guess I’ll see you later.” She opened the car door, then looked back. “But where are you staying?”

  Good question. But was I staying? Who knew? “I haven’t decided yet.”

  She looked hopeful again. “Do you want to come over and stay at our place? It’s just Molly and me these days. We’ve got plenty of room.”

  “No. Thanks, but no.”

  “Oh. Okay.”

  She got out and closed the door and I gave her a quick wave and drove off. But that didn’t mean I felt good about blowing her off that way. It was just that I was in a vulnerable, precarious position here, and I couldn’t afford to make a misstep. I couldn’t afford to make friends with someone who might actually be working against me from the start. There was just no way of knowing.

  Working against me….at what? I was still walking on quicksand.

  I parked in front of the lawyer’s office, but sat there for a few minutes, frozen. This was all so crazy. What was going on?

  I didn’t remember this town, these people. But then, I didn’t really remember anything much. I could name singers of popular songs, but I didn’t know the sister of one of my supposed best friends. That didn’t make any sense.

  But even weirder—I had this certainty inside, this urge pushing me forward, that I was on a mission. I was meant to be here, meant to carry out instructions that I didn’t understand.

  Why? Who? I didn’t know.

  My heart was beating steadily. I closed my eyes and tried to catch a sense of panic. I should be panicking, but there was nothing. I was calm. I was steady. What was wrong with me?

  “Ice water in your veins.”

  That phrase came out of nowhere but I had a feeling I’d heard it before, and it had been aimed at me. Oh well. Maybe I’d always been this way.

  I grabbed the deed and went into the picturesque building, entering an empty waiting room and looking around for the lawyer.

  “Bentley St. Ames, Attorney at Law,” said the nameplate on the door. The diplomas hanging on the wall gave the same name, so I knew it was probably the one I was looking for. I focused on the prim-looking, dark-haired receptionist busy on the phone at the moment. She glanced up at me, looked displeased, and gestured with her pen that I was to take a seat.

  I wasn’t willfully contrary. At least, I didn’t think I was. But I couldn’t sit still so I wandered around the office instead, looking at the pictures and diplomas on the wall, and a table set up with an ongoing game of chess on a beautiful onyx board. It looked like Black was winning, though I was no chess aficionado, so couldn’t tell for sure.

  From the looks of it, I didn’t think the receptionist was one of the players, although she did give off vibes that reminded me of those girls in school who are always eagerly raising their hands and saying, “Oooh, oooh, teacher, pick me!” You know the kind I mean. The ones who volunteer to be hall mo
nitor so that they can keep kids they don’t like from getting to the bathroom when they need it.

  Right now I could tell she was irked that I wasn’t sitting still in one place, but I was too antsy to do what she wanted. I went on with my tour, turning to look out a window that opened on to the back yard. Something was going on out there. I heard someone shouting instructions, and then there was a crashing sound, and someone was yelling.

  The perky brunette finally hung up and turned to face me with a pasted-on, very phony smile. “Do you have an appointment?” she asked crisply.

  “No,” I said. “I’d like to talk to…”

  “Sorry he’s busy right now. I can fit you in….” She studied a log book open in front of her on the desk, tapping her pen the whole time. “Let’s see, how about next Thursday at three. Will that do?” She looked up with a mock expression of question on her face.

  “No,” I said back. “It won’t. I’d like to see him right now. I don’t have a lot of time to waste.”

  She looked shocked at my impertinence. “Sorry my dear, we don’t work that way. This is the office of an attorney at law. He can’t see anyone who just feels like dropping in. He’s a very busy man.”

  I nodded impatiently. “I understand that. I’m busy too. I won’t take up a lot of his time. I would just like him to take a look at this deed I have and tell me….”

  “Next Thursday at three.” She glared at me. The phone rang. She picked it up and suddenly looked like she was sitting at attention, shoulders back, ready to serve.

  “Oh, yes Judge Randalf. I have that information right here.”

  I didn’t waste any time. I walked quickly into the lawyer’s private office. One glance told me he wasn’t in. But the voices from the back hinted at where he might be. I headed out the back door, completely ignoring the receptionist yelling for me to stop.

  “Wait! You can’t go back there!”

  I paid no attention, throwing open the back door and stepping out, down a few wooden stairs and into the yard, turning with the sun in my eyes, trying to see what was going on. I had a hunch the illusive lawyer had to be one of the men milling about out there.

  “Look out!” someone shouted.

  I turned, still half blinded by the sun, and the next thing I knew I was being tackled like a running back coming in for a touchdown. Someone grabbed me from the side and I hit the ground just as something big and heavy came down inches from where I’d been. The crash was terrifying. I closed my eyes and waited to see if I was dead yet. No such luck. I’d been hit, but all I could feel was the weight of the man who’d thrown me down.

  “Are you okay?” he said roughly.

  I opened my eyes and stared up into his. “Hard to say until I try to see what works and what doesn’t,” I said as steadily as I could.

  He grinned and shook his head. “That was some bad timing, lady,” he growled at me. “Jeez.”

  He began to pull himself up and I started slowly, very slowly, to find my feet again. I looked around the yard. A couple of men who looked like gardeners were standing to the side, giggling. The man who’d saved me—well, pushed me out of the way of disaster--—was saying something to them in Spanish and laughing. He wore slacks and a crisp white shirt and was handsome as all get out. Black hair, dark eyes, chiseled chin and a swagger. And those dark eyes looked a little too knowing whenever they glanced my way.

  Okay, so he’d had his body all over mine. Didn’t mean a thing, sport.

  The receptionist was at the back door, looking down disapprovingly.

  “Sorry Mr. St. Ames, I couldn’t stop her,” she said, flashing daggers my way.

  “That’s okay, Sherrie. I can handle it.” He waved her off and turned back to me.

  By now I was taking in the whole scene. These men were building something out here, something that looked an awful lot like….

  I glanced at the large object that had almost squashed me flat. It looked like….

  I turned to the lawyer. “What the heck?” I said, astonished.

  He grinned again. “Yup,” he said. “It’s just what it looks like. I’m building a giant chessboard. And you almost got flattened by the White Queen.”

  The White Queen lay where she’d dropped, looking sort of embarrassed about it all. Made of some sort of resin or thick plastic and about eight feet tall, she gleamed in the filtered sunlight. I looked out at the other pieces being moved across the checkered pattern. Right now it looked like various squares of sod were being settled in, but I could see the ultimate goal—a giant chessboard made of large patches of different lawn turf.

  The whole area was shaded by tall trees--pines mixed with some sort of broadleaf. It seemed like a small enclave, a secret garden in the heart of downtown Moonhaven.

  “Wow,” I said. “This is going to be gorgeous when you get it finished.”

  He nodded, looking a bit smug. “My thoughts exactly.”

  “But…what is it for?”

  “For? For playing chess, isn’t it obvious?”

  “Yes, but who’s going to do the playing? Got a local colony of giants?”

  He waved his arms as though I were being particularly obtuse. “Tourists of course. I’m totally onboard with the new plans to turn this town into a tourist destination. I’m doing my part as an enthusiastic new citizen of Moonhaven.”

  I smiled. Despite his slightly pompous tone, he seemed endearingly happy about doing this.

  “Great,” I said. “But I’m not a chess player. And I’m not a tourist either. What I need is a little legal advice. Isn’t that what you do with your time? The official stuff, at any rate.”

  His smile vanished. He gave my skinny form a sharp glance and grimaced. Obviously, he wasn’t impressed by my casual attire. Faded jeans and a threadbare t-shirt that said Monterey Pop Festival, 1967 didn’t convey the image he probably looked for in a paying client.

  “Sorry,” he said, his gaze suddenly cool and distant. “No pro bono. I’ve done more than my share of that lately.”

  I looked at him. His own clothing was the worse for wear since his magnificent leap into the dirt in order to save my life—or at least my dignity.

  “I guess neither one of us is dressed to kill,” I pointed out.

  His face changed quickly and he looked around as though afraid someone might have heard my words.

  “Hey, watch your language lady. You don’t want to leave a door open for demons.”

  “Demons?” That certainly seemed an odd thing to say. Demons? What—was it Halloween already?

  He looked even more uncomfortable, as though he now regretted his own words as well. “Sure. They’re always trying to get a foothold.”

  I shook my head, not sure if he was playing with me or serious. “I don’t want to mess around with demons,” I said, half kidding.

  “No, you don’t,” he said seriously. “Or maybe you weren’t around during that last little fracas we had with the bastards. And if not, you’d better study up on them if you plan to live in this town.”

  He wasn’t kidding. I wasn’t really sure what to make of that. But before I could think of anything to say, he got back on track with the money stuff.

  “Sorry, I’m just booked up and…”

  “I can pay,” I interrupted firmly, though I wasn’t sure how. The credit card was in my possession, but was it valid, was it current, was it for real? Who knew?

  He glanced at my torn jeans again and raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sure.” I sighed. “Hey, I want to do my part, too. That’s why I want to clean up Scotty’s Bar and Grill and change it from the eyesore it is today.” I pulled out my deed. “Can you take a look at this and tell me if I’ve got the power to take my family’s café back?”

  He held off. “Scotty’s Bar?” he said, searching my face. “For real?”

  I nodded.

  It took him at least another minute before he took the deed from my hand. He spent all that time staring at me, as
though he was sorting out things in his mind.

  “Haley Greco,” he said at last. “Wow. You actually came back.”

  I could stare too. And hadn’t he said he was a new resident? “How do you know my name?”

  He took the deed and glanced at it. “I’ve met your grandmother,” he said. “And believe me, that was a trip.”

  That gave me a jolt. I had a local grandmother? Who knew?

  “She told me she was going to try to get you back here. Looks like she succeeded.”

  The way he was looking at me brought on all kinds of conflicting emotions. There was something in his gaze that gave me shivers—as though he knew too much about me for having just barely met me. I was way out of my comfort zone. And I needed to get this task done. I didn’t need complications.

  “The deed,” I reminded him. “What do you think?”

  He nodded, studying it again. “Yeah, there’s no doubt. You’re the owner. Your parents signed it over to you years ago. Too bad you haven’t been around to defend your position on this. Scotty’s going to put up a hell of a fight. But we should be able to handle him. It might take a few months, but….”

  “A few months! I don’t have a few months.”

  I had no idea why that thought came tumbling out. That urgent something that kept pushing me on was pushing again and I knew my time here might be limited. I needed to get this done quickly.

  He handed the deed back. “The wheels of justice grind slowly, sweetheart. It’ll take however long it takes.”

  I bit my lower lip. I knew I was looking stormy and rebellious, but I couldn’t help it. Something beyond my control was at work here.

  “Hey, you know what?” he said. “You ought to go see your grandmother. She could help you with this.”

  No!

  Oh yeah, “rebellious” was now my middle name. I didn’t know why, I didn’t know where, but I knew that the last thing I was going to do was go see my grandmother.