A Breath of Witchy Air

by Amanda M. Lee

  “You definitely should have.”

  LANDON AND CHIEF TERRY secured me in the latter’s office, forcing Ashton into a conference room so he couldn’t overhear my statement, and calling for a paramedic team from the county hospital to come by and check Steven, who they locked in a cell and left a deputy to oversee.

  They waited until we were alone in the office to ask the obvious question.

  “What happened?” Landon asked, handing me a mug of hot chocolate from Chief Terry’s Keurig.

  “I don’t know.” I hated being put on the spot. “It happened really fast.”

  “What happened?”

  “He caught me on my way up to the building. I was distracted. There were a few things I wanted to check on, so I was focused on that when he came out of the woods,” I explained. “At first I thought he was just out searching for his stupid game stuff, but then he got weird.”

  “Define ‘weird,’” Landon prodded.

  “I don’t know. He started talking about the wailing witch or the Witch of the Wails – like one of those things is better than the other – and then he started talking about how everyone in town talks about us as if we’re witches and that somehow meant I knew how to find this witch.”

  Landon sat in the chair next to me and screwed up his face into an expression I didn’t recognize. “I don’t think I understood anything you just said.”

  I wanted to be angry, but I couldn’t blame him for the confusion. I wished I didn’t understand anything I said. My life was so much simpler before this stupid game.

  “Okay, the thing is, I was already on edge thanks to my visit to the highway,” I started.

  “Was one of them there?” Landon asked, perking up.

  “They were all there.”

  “All? Isn’t that unusual?”

  “Very. They were acting strange. I don’t even know how to describe how they were acting and it isn’t important for this conversation. They confirmed they were all playing the game, though, if that helps with your investigation.”

  “I don’t know that ‘helps’ is the right word,” Chief Terry countered. “We can’t use the word of four ghosts as confirmation. If I put that in a report I’ll be laughed out of the department.”

  “You’re the head of the department,” I pointed out. “You can simply order them not to laugh.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “I do. I also know you can’t go on my word alone. It’s not good enough for what you need.”

  “It’s not that it’s not good enough,” Landon argued. “It’s that we’re in a bind when it comes to justifying reasons for narrowing an investigation. We all answer to someone, Bay, even Chief Terry. That doesn’t mean we can’t drill down thanks to this new information.”

  “There’s more,” I said. “All of them report a rare game item appearing near them right before they broke off and went somewhere they shouldn’t have gone.”

  I explained how the game worked and what happened with each girl. “So basically they were all lured to a private area and then things went dark.”

  “Literally dark,” Landon noted. “They all said they were trapped in darkness, right? Was that before or after they died?”

  “They don’t seem to know.”

  “I’m not sure how helpful it’s going to be knowing either way,” Landon said, dragging a restless hand through his hair. “Did they say anything about their deaths?”

  “Like what?”

  “Do they remember dying?” Chief Terry queried. “Do they remember seeing a face before whatever happened to them happened?”

  I shook my head. “No, but that’s not uncommon. If a death is brutal, most times the spirit doesn’t want to remember. I’ve rarely run across a ghost who wanted to talk about his or her death.”

  “It would be easier if they could just tell us who to look for,” Chief Terry grumbled.

  “It would be,” I agreed. “Getting into that game is more important than ever. I’m going to guess that the developers won’t open it up for you.”

  “They’ve been avoiding us,” Landon countered. “They’re based in Traverse City. The bureau has sent agents to the office four times in an attempt to talk to them. No one is ever there, although the sign on the door makes me think they’re rarely there anyway.

  “When we first called, we tipped them off to what we were looking for. That was probably a mistake,” he continued. “They’ve since forwarded their voicemail service to an attorney who is stonewalling us.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me.” I sipped my hot chocolate and stared at my boots as I swung my feet in front of the chair. “I made the mistake of believing they would do the right thing because it was the right thing, but Thistle and Clove pointed out it’s unlikely they’ll do that because they’ll end up bankrupt if it’s proved a killer used the game to stalk women.”

  “I don’t disagree that they’re in a tough spot,” Landon said. “They could still do the right thing. Now that we know for sure all four girls were playing, we can put more pressure on the developers. Of course, telling them how we know will be tricky to get around.”

  “What about Upchuck?” I challenged. “Isn’t he here to hack the game? Why hasn’t he done that yet?”

  “You need to stop calling him that,” Landon warned. “He doesn’t like it.”

  “I’ll stop when he refers to me as Ms. Winchester rather than ‘the secretary.’”

  Landon looked as if he was going to argue, but ultimately changed course. “That actually seems fair. I’ll tell him. As for hacking into the game, it’s not like television. It takes a long time and it’s complicated. He has to break chains and slide behind firewalls and make sure he doesn’t trip over … um … alarm-type things.”

  I stared at him for a long moment. “You have no idea what he’s doing either, do you?”

  “Not a clue.” Landon smirked. “Computers aren’t my forte. The important thing is that he knows what he’s doing. He’s the best my office has to offer.”

  “Is that saying much?”

  “I don’t know. I’m the best field agent my office has to offer. Is that saying much?”

  Oh, now he was simply playing dirty. “He’s not you. You’re a much better agent.”

  Landon’s expression softened. “You might not like him personally, but he’s good at what he does.”

  “I’ll have to take your word for it, because as I far as I can tell he hasn’t done anything yet.”

  “He’s working hard.”

  “Fine. He’s working hard.” I didn’t bother to hide my eye roll. “He’s not important to this particular conversation anyway. We’re talking about Steven.”

  “Who you say was threatening you,” Chief Terry offered. “As far as I can tell, he wasn’t overtly threatening you.”

  “Screw that,” Landon argued. “She warned him to step back and he didn’t listen. She should’ve shot him, as far as I’m concerned.”

  “You’re still worked up about last night,” Chief Terry said. “The good news is that we can use that as an excuse if necessary. I’m not sure things are as cut and dried as you want to believe. He didn’t put his hands on her.”

  “He could have,” Landon barked.

  “He came from the woods, too,” I pointed out. “I had the stories the girls told me in my head when I saw him and I couldn’t shake the idea that it was weird for him to be in the woods. I’m sorry if I overreacted, but I’m not sorry I smacked him. He had it coming because he was acting like a weirdo.”

  “I don’t want you to apologize.” Chief Terry offered me a wan smile. “You did the right thing.”

  “I hope so.”

  “I know so.” Chief Terry heaved out a sigh as he stood. “Speaking of that, the paramedics should be done with him. I think it’s time to question our young friend and get his side of things.”

  “I can’t wait,” Landon said. “I think Steven and I need to have a long talk about what an idiot he is.”
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  IT TURNED OUT STEVEN wasn’t anywhere near as dumb as Landon believed. Instead of answering questions, the furious young man referred Chief Terry to his attorney – who just happened to be the same lawyer representing the game developers in Traverse City. Oh, yeah. He was also Steven’s father, and he was not happy when he stormed into the building an hour later.

  “What is the meaning of you arresting my son?”

  Larry Foreman was much more intimidating than his son, and he didn’t bother knocking before slamming into Chief Terry’s office. I shrank down in my seat and focused on my hot chocolate while Landon and Chief Terry tackled the angry lawyer.

  “He’s not under arrest,” Chief Terry replied smoothly. “He’s been detained for questioning.”

  “On what grounds?”

  “He accosted Ms. Winchester.” Chief Terry gestured to me, causing my cheeks to burn. “She was walking to the front door of her business and your son refused to let her enter the building, so she struck him.”

  “Struck him?” Foreman looked me over. “You struck my son?”

  I swallowed hard before nodding. “I did.”

  “Because he accosted you?”

  That was pushing things, but I knew Landon and Chief Terry would have issues if I strayed from the narrative. “He invaded my personal space and made me feel uncomfortable about my safety.”

  “He also refused to back away even though she asked him to give her some breathing room,” Landon added.

  “That, too,” I confirmed.

  Foreman furrowed his brow. “I’d like to speak to my son.”

  “Certainly.” Chief Terry escorted him out of the office while Landon and I remained in our chairs.

  “This probably isn’t good, huh?” My stomach flipped as I considered the trouble I might have caused for Chief Terry. “I shouldn’t have hit him.”

  “You did the right thing,” Landon countered. “Don’t ever be sorry for that. He was trying to intimidate you and it backfired. He won’t make that mistake again.”

  I hoped that was true.

  After thirty minutes with his son, Foreman strode back into Chief Terry’s office with Steven close on his heels. The attorney was cocky and confident but his son seemed the exact opposite.

  “I want to know what charges you plan on leveling against Steven,” Foreman prodded. “I also want an arraignment time set for this afternoon. I’m a very busy man and I’m not in the mood for games.”

  Instead of falling prey to Foreman’s bullying, Chief Terry leaned back in his chair and regarded the man with cool nonchalance. “Who said I was going to charge him?”

  “You took him into custody.”

  “That’s not what happened,” Chief Terry argued. “After your son’s altercation with Ms. Winchester, she called us because she was out of sorts and upset. Agent Michaels and I went to the location to check on things.

  “Your son was still unconscious, so we transported him here and called for a medical team from the hospital,” he continued. “We didn’t arrest him. We simply wanted to ask him some questions.”

  “Well, I’ve instructed him not to answer any questions.” Foreman was unbelievably smug and it made me wish I’d saved my best punch for his perfect face instead of his son’s rather odd one. “He was minding his own business when this … person … punched him in the face for no good reason.”

  “She was protecting herself,” Landon argued.

  “And I suppose your personal relationship with her has nothing to do with your stance on the subject,” Foreman said dryly. “There’s no conflict of interest here, right?”

  Landon’s eyes flashed. “You listen here … .” He moved to climb out of his chair, but Chief Terry stilled him with a warning look.

  “Agent Michael’s relationship with Ms. Winchester isn’t a secret,” Chief Terry said. “He has every right to be upset. Four bodies were discovered near the highway only a few days ago. Every woman in town is worried about her safety.”

  Foreman began to calm down. “I certainly don’t begrudge Ms. Winchester the right to feel safe. But she struck my son, and he didn’t touch her.”

  “He also didn’t back up even though she requested he do so multiple times,” Chief Terry pointed out. “I have no plans to charge your son at this time. But if he so much as puts a toe out of line while he’s in town I will arrest him. He’s to stay away from Ms. Winchester’s place of business and her home address.”

  “That’s not fair,” Steven complained, speaking for the first time. “Some of the best things in the game are out at The Overlook and she lives out there.”

  “How do you even know that?” I asked, worry returning in a flood. “Have you been asking people where I live?”

  “I was asking people about the witch legends,” Steven clarified. “Your name came up.”

  Foreman snorted. “Is that it? Do you think you’re a witch, Ms. Winchester?”

  “Everyone in town plays the witch card,” Chief Terry answered for me. “That’s part of the tourism shtick. It doesn’t really matter. Steven is not to go near Ms. Winchester’s business or home. He’ll end up behind bars if he does.”

  “He won’t,” Foreman promised, his tone oily. “You have my word.”

  “But, Dad,” Steven protested. “I need the stuff out at The Overlook.”

  “It’s a game, Steven,” his father barked. “You need to join the real world and stop living in fantasyland.” He grabbed his son by the shoulder and steered him toward the door. “How hard is it to stay away from the woman? She’s old enough to be your mother, for crying out loud. You can’t possibly want to hang around her for any reason that I can see.”

  My mouth dropped open. “Mother? He’s only five years younger than me!”

  “More like ten, sweetie.” Landon grinned as I scalded him with a look. “You’re still hot, though.”

  “Ugh. This day totally sucks.”

  “You can say that again,” Chief Terry said. “Now we have to keep an eye on that kid on top of everything else. I don’t like him.”

  I sobered. “Join the club. He didn’t overtly threaten me.”

  “Which is the only reason he’s running free. We have to watch him, even though I’m sure his father will threaten us if he finds out.”

  “Speaking of that, why didn’t you ask him about the developers?”

  “I did when we were on the way to the cells. He says he’s not at liberty to say anything. He was here for his son and his son only.”

  “That’s weird, right?”

  “You’re asking me?” Chief Terry’s eyebrows flew up his forehead. “I think everything about this one is weird.”

  “So where do we look next?”

  “We wait for Ashton to come up with some answers for us.”

  That was so not what I wanted to hear.

  Twenty-Five

  I spent the afternoon at the police station – mostly because Landon was sore and didn’t want me walking to The Whistler without him – so I was full of sugar and caffeine by the end of the day.

  “I got very little on the game developers,” I admitted as Landon sat next to me in the conference room. We were due to leave for dinner in a few minutes and I was waiting for him to finish up. “They seem to be normal guys.”

  “We did some research on them, too,” Landon said. “What did you find?”

  “Trevor Mathison and Brad Donaldson. Both twenty-five, attended St. Francis High School and graduated together. They went to a technical school in Midland where they learned computer programming, and then held a series of odd jobs until they launched Infinity Echo several months ago. According to interviews with tech sites I managed to find, they spent three years developing the game before launching.”

  “That’s basically what we found, too.”

  “I also found some gaming message boards where people accuse them of lying and hiding items in places they shouldn’t be,” I added. “That was the part I was most interested in because of wha
t the girls told me.”

  “Did you find anything?”

  “About five accusations of developer cheating, but I can’t decide if those are legitimate or sour grapes on the part of players. I mean, why would the developers cheat when there’s nothing in it for them?”

  “That’s a very good question.”

  “What about Upchuck?” I asked, changing the subject. “Has he found anything?”

  “He’s still peeling back layers. It’s slow going. He hopes to have some answers tomorrow.”

  I pursed my lips. “You just repeat everything he says, don’t you?”

  Landon grinned. “Maybe. I’ve never pretended to be a computer expert.”

  “That’s because you’re an expert at other things.” I gave him a quick kiss and closed my laptop so I could slide it into a bag for travel. “Even though the developers are hiding behind a lawyer – and a jerky one at that – I’m not sure I buy them being responsible for what’s happening.”

  “I agree.” Landon grunted as he got out of his chair, rubbing his shoulder before he thought better of it. “I’m fine,” he gritted out when I reached for his injured arm. “I’m barely in any pain.”

  “You’re in a lot of pain,” I countered. “You just don’t want me to know it.” I made sure my fingers were gentle as I ran them across his shoulder. “You probably should’ve gone to the hospital to have this checked out.”

  Landon made a face. “What fun would that be? I prefer the nurse I have now.”

  “You just want me to give you a sponge bath.”

  “I don’t need to be injured to want that.” Landon smacked a loud kiss against the corner of my mouth. “I’m fine, Bay. I’m more worried about what could have happened this afternoon.”

  “Because you think Steven is a killer?”

  “I don’t know.” Landon’s expression reflected honesty. “He’s a little too interested in you for my comfort level.”

  “He’s not interested in me.”

  “Oh, please.” Landon rolled his eyes. “He has a huge crush on you. Granted, that crush probably evaporated the moment you popped him in the face, but before that he was all about your cute little smile and the way your hips sashay when you walk.”