[A Wicked Witches of the Midwest 10.0] Murder Most Witchy

by Amanda M. Lee

  “It sounds healthy to me.” Thistle was blasé as she studied her fingernails. “If you want, I’ll make Marcus beat him up. I think that might teach him a lesson.”

  Despite myself, I couldn’t stop the snicker from escaping. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “Or, even better,” Thistle leaned forward as I pulled into the parking lot at Barnaby Mill, “we could all hide in the bushes and jump him when he’s not looking.”

  “And then what?” Clove was horrified. “Are you suggesting we kill an FBI agent?”

  Thistle scorched Clove with a “well, duh” look. “Yes, I was thinking we could all go to prison as our final act. Of course not, you idiot! I’m suggesting that we wrestle him down, make him eat some dirt, poke him until he apologizes and then give Aunt Tillie the okay to curse him until he cries.”

  I rubbed my chin as I turned in my seat to stare at her. “I can see you’ve given this some thought.”

  “I was bored last night between harassing calls to his voice mail.”

  I pursed my lips but couldn’t stifle my smile. “I’m dying to know what you said in those messages, by the way. I get the feeling they were ugly.”

  “Oh, you have no idea.” Thistle brightened at the memory. “Aunt Tillie would be so proud that I remembered some of the words she wanted me to forget she said when we were kids. I even remembered the Latin ones. I made a list and used them all.”

  “Well, that’s something at least.” I turned my attention to the corn maze. “At least Becky and Doug aren’t here. I’m not sure I could get through the day if they were.”

  “Yeah, well, let’s get moving.” Thistle shoved open the door. “I wasn’t keen on coming, but this place looks cool. I can’t wait to check it out.”

  MY INTERVIEW with the owner took only about forty minutes and when I was done with the tour – making an extra-long stop by the bookcase I was so in love with – I realized I’d lost Thistle and Clove. I wasn’t overly worried. The area wasn’t that big and they were too old to wander off and get lost in the woods.

  I made my way to the parking lot, stopping by the hot chocolate stand before conducting my search. I was lost in thought, worry about Landon and our relationship threatening to overwhelm me now that I didn’t have anything to focus on, so I didn’t immediately notice the figure moving in at my right until he was almost upon me.

  I jolted at the familiar face, barely managing to keep from dumping my hot beverage on his well-pressed shirt as I sucked in a breath. “I didn’t see you there, Chief Terry. You frightened me.”

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart.” Chief Terry looked rueful as he tilted his head to the side and studied my face. “I called your name, but you didn’t answer. I thought something might be wrong. So … what’s wrong?”

  I forced a smile for his benefit, shaking off the melancholy and hoping I looked relaxed rather than haunted. “I was just thinking. Nothing is wrong. Why do you think something is wrong? Did someone tell you something is wrong?”

  Chief Terry chuckled, the sound low and warm as he pressed a hand to the back of my neck and guided me away from the crowd. “I might’ve had a visit from the FBI fairy. Wait, that came out a little more derogatory than I thought it would.”

  “I understand,” I said dryly, leaning against Chief Terry’s police cruiser as I sipped my hot chocolate. “Do you want some?”

  “It looks good, but I’ll get my own on my way out,” Chief Terry replied. “I think you could use the sugar. I can’t remember the last time I saw you this pale. Well, actually, that’s not true. I know the last time – I believe you saw a woman die in front of you and were covered in her blood.”

  Viola. That’s the death he was talking about. Chief Terry had been almost as shaken as Landon that day. Not quite, though. I didn’t think it was possible for anyone to be more shaken than Landon. I’d witnessed the death, but he carried the bulk of the burden.

  “I’m fine,” I said, forcing myself to meet his steady gaze. “I’m just … tired.”

  “Yeah, you know I talked to Landon, right?”

  My faux smile slipped. “Since when are you guys such good buddies?” I groused. “Don’t you remember when you hated him and thought he was terrible for me?”

  Chief Terry answered without hesitation. “Yes, and I was wrong.”

  “He … did something that I’m not exactly happy with,” I explained. “I’m sure it will work itself out eventually. There’s nothing to worry about.”

  “I’m sure it will, too,” Chief Terry said. “You two are like magnets. You can’t stay away from one another. It’s actually kind of cute when it’s not stomach-turning. He told me what happened.”

  “All of it?”

  Chief Terry nodded. “He was so upset that day, Bay. You need to know that. He wanted to talk to you, but he couldn’t risk anyone hearing him on the phone.”

  The thaw working its way through my innards stopped as realization washed over me. “You talked to him that day?”

  As if sensing he’d stepped on a landmine Chief Terry took an inadvertent step back. “I’m part of the task force running the investigation.”

  That was news to me. “I see.”

  “Bay, what are you thinking?” Chief Terry was understandably alarmed. I never shut him out. He was there for me when I was a kid, always going out of his way to take care of me when I struggled because my father wasn’t around. I was never angry with him. I never withheld emotion from him.

  “It doesn’t matter.” My spine stiffened as I licked the chocolate from my lips. “I should probably find Clove and Thistle. We need to get going.”

  “Wait a second.” Chief Terry grabbed my wrist, earning a glare for his efforts. “I said something that set you off. What is it?”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “It clearly matters to you,” Chief Terry countered. “What did I say?”

  “It’s not a big deal.”

  “Bay.” Chief Terry let loose with a low growl. “I can’t make things better unless I know what’s wrong. You need to tell me.”

  “You didn’t do anything wrong,” I said, briefly resting my fingers on top of his. “You didn’t lie to me. You didn’t tell me that your life was in danger and you couldn’t risk getting away to make a phone call that day. The only thing you told me was that Landon managed to get away to call you, even though it was far too dangerous to call me.”

  Chief Terry’s face drained of color as the ramifications dawned on him. “Bay, that’s different,” he chided. “He had a special phone hidden close to where he was staying and I was the only one that phone was authorized to call. The number was spoofed so if anyone checked they would think he was calling someone else.”

  “Oh, well, that’s convenient.” I feigned brightness. “The thing is, you live in the same town I do. If he was really worried – if he was really sorry about what happened and wanted to do something to make me feel better – all he had to do was ask you to get a message to me.”

  “Honey, that’s easy to say, but a man doesn’t want to ask another man to take care of his woman when he can’t do it himself,” Chief Terry argued. “It’s especially hard in our situation.”

  “Because I think of you as a surrogate father?”

  Chief Terry’s expression softened. “Not just that, but thank you for saying it. That makes me feel all warm and gooey inside.”

  “That won’t work.” My tone was icy. “I’m still going to kill Landon.”

  Chief Terry’s smile tipped upside down. “You won’t be happy until this completely explodes, will you?”

  “I won’t be happy regardless,” I shot back, tears filling my eyes. “Dammit!” I swiped haphazardly at my cheeks. “Why can’t I stop crying? It’s ridiculous. I don’t want to cry.”

  “Well, that makes two of us,” Chief Terry noted. “I don’t ever want you to cry. If I had to guess, I’m thinking Landon doesn’t want that either. Did you cry when you were with him earlier? Is that why he w
as so miserable?”

  Something occurred to me. “Did he stop to see you again after our talk?”

  “I … um … .” Chief Terry looked around the grounds, uncomfortable. “He most certainly did not if it’s going to get him in more trouble.”

  “I’m not sure how much more trouble he could be in, but I’m just so … freaking tired.” I almost yelled the final two words but managed to catch myself before drawing unwanted attention. “You don’t need to worry about this. Everything will be … well … it’ll work out how it’s meant to work out.”

  “Yeah, I don’t like the sound of that,” Chief Terry muttered. “Bay, I know you’re angry and I believe you have a right to your feelings. I always believe that, for the record. But Landon is miserable. He’s blaming himself for hurting your feelings.”

  “Good.”

  “He didn’t mean to do it,” Chief Terry offered, ignoring my grim detachment. “He loves you, Bay. I wasn’t sure if he was a good match for you at the beginning, but the boy loves you more than anything. Don’t let this thing fester. Neither one of you deserve it.”

  “Can I ask you something?”

  Chief Terry clearly wasn’t expecting a question, but he held his palms turned out and shrugged. “Always.”

  “Did he send you here to make sure I was okay or because he thought you might be able to soften me up and make things easier for him later tonight?”

  “I … think you need a nap or something,” Chief Terry said, averting his gaze. “You’re clearly exhausted.”

  “Yeah. That’s what I thought.” I spun on my heel, relieved to find Thistle and Clove approaching. “Let’s go,” I barked. “I have things to do and I don’t have time to mess around here.”

  Thistle widened her eyes as she glanced between Chief Terry and me. “What did you do?”

  “I have no idea, but I need to get back to Hemlock Cove and warn Landon,” Chief Terry replied. “You might want to take the keys from her. She’s not drunk, but she’s running on rage and that’s almost worse.”

  “I heard that,” I snapped.

  “I know you did.” Chief Terry looked morose. “Sweetheart, I was only trying to help.”

  I wanted to say something to make him feel better – it wasn’t his fault, after all – but my anger wouldn’t let me. “I’m not sure anything will help right now.”

  “Don’t say that.” Chief Terry glanced at Clove for help. “Don’t let her make things worse.”

  “I’m pretty sure that’s inevitable at this point.”

  Seven

  I dropped Thistle and Clove at Hypnotic before heading home. I gave them a terse rundown of my conversation with Chief Terry – something they wisely opted not to comment on – and then embraced the solitude as I drove out of town.

  It’s weird. The month Landon was gone I felt abandoned and hated being alone. Now that he was back and practically begging for forgiveness, the only thing I wanted was solitude.

  I steered my car toward the guesthouse, although I recognized the inherent dangers in doing so. Landon would probably seek me out there. I wasn’t sure how I wanted to handle our next interaction. I was angry enough to say things I might well regret at some point, and I needed to cool down. That meant I couldn’t risk running into Landon.

  I parked at the guesthouse, figuring Landon would attempt to approach me at The Whistler first. I told him I had an assignment, and that generally meant returning to the office to write my article before heading home. Once he realized I wasn’t going to the office he’d head for the guesthouse and find my car. I wouldn’t be there, though. No, I would be at The Overlook. He wouldn’t dare look for me there, because he was afraid of the older generation of Winchester women.

  The days were still warm enough that I didn’t need more than my hoodie to stay warm during the walk to the inn. I was feeling better about things, stronger at least, when I let myself into the family living quarters at the back of The Overlook. I expected to find Aunt Tillie sitting on the couch watching her afternoon programs, but the room was vacant. That was fine. I wasn’t in the mood to explain myself or expand on recent life upheavals. I avoided the kitchen, where I knew my mother and aunts were likely preparing meals for the guests, and instead used the back stairwell to cut through the second floor and descend again in the main part of the inn.

  It was the weekend, and the inn was fairly well booked. Mom said they had one open room and expected it to be snatched up by a walk-in. That meant a steady stream of guests would wander in and out of the lobby. Landon knew better than to show up and pick a fight in the middle of my mother’s place of business.

  Er, well, I thought Landon knew better than that. I pulled up short when I shuffled into the small library off the main foyer and found him sitting in our favorite spot on the couch and staring at me.

  “What are you doing here?”

  Landon’s smile was sly. “Well, I came to town to spend time with my girlfriend, but she doesn’t seem keen to play nice. I thought it was probably wise to get a room to make sure I had a roof over my head tonight.”

  “That shows what you know,” I shot back. “The inn is booked.”

  “No, they had one room available,” Landon corrected. “I happened to arrive at a good time and secured the room in question.”

  My mouth dropped open as realization washed over me. “You can’t be serious. You’re going to keep my mother and aunts from making money on that room? That’s … not nice.”

  Landon snorted, genuinely amused. He seemed to have a bit of his swagger back. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. On one hand, I liked it when he was feeling good about himself. On the other, his ego tends to get out of control if someone doesn’t take him in hand.

  “This family is rarely nice,” Landon said. “Besides, I’m paying for the room, so your mother isn’t losing out on any money.”

  “I … you’re paying?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is that because Mom wouldn’t let you stay otherwise?”

  Landon shifted on the couch, knitting his eyebrows. “That’s not exactly how it went down. I’d be lying if I said our initial interaction was pleasant. It seems I’ve got to win over the entire family again. I guess it’s good I’m up to the challenge.”

  “Are you? Up to the challenge, I mean.”

  “I’m not leaving this inn until we make up, Bay.” Landon was earnest as he shifted the book he was perusing upon my arrival. “I’m not kidding. My heart hurts when I look at you.”

  I wanted to go weak in the knees and forgive him. Pride wouldn’t allow me to take the coward’s approach, though. “Yeah? Well, my heart hurt every time I thought about you for an entire month.”

  “I was doing my job, Bay.”

  “I have no problem with you doing your job,” I shot back. “I knew when I fell in … when I started dating you … that you might have to go undercover. That was hard, but I could deal with it.

  “Sure, if you listen to my family they’ll say I was pathetic and whiny, but I was dealing with it,” I continued. “My problem is with the fact that after you ran into me – and had another woman hanging all over you, for the record – that you couldn’t be bothered to call me.”

  “I told you that wasn’t an option.” Landon extended a warning finger. “I’m also not happy that you cut yourself off before saying you fell in love with me. Are you saying you don’t love me any longer?”

  The question jolted me. “I … no.”

  “That’s good, because I would really prefer not crying in front of people,” Landon muttered. “Bay, if there was any way I could have called you that night, don’t you think I would’ve done it?”

  “You found a way to call Chief Terry.”

  Landon’s expression remained neutral, but I could almost feel the panic rolling off of him. “I … what?”

  “You heard me.”

  Landon worked his jaw, but no sound came out. I decided to help him out of his predicament.

  �
��You talked to Chief Terry that night,” I reminded him. “You managed to get a message to him. All you had to do was ask him to come to me – or hell, even text me – and apologize. All you had to do was ask him and he would’ve gotten me a message.”

  “Bay, I didn’t even consider that,” Landon admitted, his voice going weak. “I didn’t want to have to use the man you consider your father as a proxy. That didn’t seem fair … or right.”

  “Oh, but letting me cry myself to sleep every night for the past four nights was right?”

  “No. I … did you really cry yourself to sleep?”

  Admitting it a second time seemed too painful to consider. “No. I was absolutely fine. I didn’t cry. I threw a freaking party.”

  “Bay.” Landon struggled to his feet, a pleading expression on his face. “I am so sorry. You will never know how sorry I am. If I had to do it over again, I would swallow my pride and send Chief Terry to you. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  “That doesn’t matter now. You did hurt me.”

  “I didn’t mean to do it, though,” Landon protested. “Bay, I wouldn’t hurt you for the world. You know that.”

  “I thought I knew that.”

  “No, you know that,” Landon argued. “Deep down inside, in the part you’re hiding because you’re furious with me, you know I’d never purposely hurt you. In fact, I’d die before I did anything of the sort.”

  I stared at him a moment, the emotion washing over his handsome features tugging at me even as the anger refused to retreat. “That doesn’t change the fact that I feel sick to my stomach and want to throw up when I look at you.”

  Landon pressed his lips together and forced a watery smile when two guests wandered past the library door. They peered inside, perhaps even considered entering, but the looks on our faces were enough to turn them away. Landon waited until he was sure they were out of earshot before continuing.

  “I love you, Bay,” Landon gritted out. “I am sorry for hurting you. I will do whatever it takes to make it up to you. I won’t let your anger drive us apart.”