A Breath of Witchy Air

by Amanda M. Lee

  “They told you?”

  I nodded. “They’re ghosts now. They told me you killed them.”

  “They’re ghosts?” Danny looked as if he was on the verge of hysterical gales of laughter. “Do you expect me to believe that?”

  “I don’t care what you believe.” I meant it. Even when Danny started talking after his capture – and I was certain he would be captured before the hour was out – no one would believe him. Serial killers were known liars. “It’s true. All four of your victims are here and they’re not happy about what you did to them.”

  Okay, that was a slight exaggeration.

  “Really? You’re a freaking trip.”

  “Fine. Do you want me to prove it?” I gave Abby a long look. “You lured them to places where items from the game shouldn’t be located. They were close to public spots, but far enough away that you could isolate the girls.

  “Once you were sure they were there, you dropped some really rare item to entice them and then walked far enough away that you didn’t ding on their phones,” I continued. “In fact, I don’t know enough about the game to know if this is true, but I’m betting you closed down your phone so you wouldn’t appear on their screens, and waited for them to come hunting for whatever item you’d dropped.”

  Danny’s eyes widened. “How can you possibly know that?”

  “I know a lot of things.” I bit back a dark smirk. “When the girls arrived they were focused on their screens. They didn’t see you. You stepped out of the trees and incapacitated them. Then you put them in the back of your vehicle – which is why they saw red lights when they woke – and drove them somewhere to finish them off. They thought they might’ve been dead when they woke in your vehicle, but that wasn’t true. You waited to kill them at a secondary location because the primary locations were close enough to public spaces that you were worried about being caught. Then you dumped them along the highway and went on your merry way.”

  Danny was flabbergasted. “But … how?”

  “I already told you. I know things.”

  “How could you know that?”

  “They told me.” I licked my lips as I tried to ignore the cold biting into my skin. Aunt Tillie should’ve noticed my absence by now. At the very least she should’ve gone to the police station to check on me. Once Landon realized I wasn’t with Aunt Tillie, he’d come looking.

  Sure, he would yell and scream when he realized I’d wandered off without paying attention to my surroundings because I was too focused on the game, but he’d get over it in time for a big dessert. That was our way, and I was looking forward to continuing it.

  “Stop talking about those … idiots … as if they’re still hanging around,” Danny seethed. “They’re not. They’re dead.”

  “That doesn’t mean they didn’t come back as ghosts.”

  “There’s no such thing as ghosts!” Danny practically screeched the words, and when I looked to Main Street to see if anyone was staring in our direction I realized that no one had even bothered to look up from their screens.

  “This is a witch town, Danny,” I said after a beat. “Hemlock Cove has a reputation for a reason. Did you really think that the stories about this town – about us in particular – had no basis in fact?”

  “But … .”

  “No, no, no.” I made a tsking sound as I shook my finger. “I know you guys heard rumors about us. Steven told me.”

  “Steven is an idiot,” Danny hissed. “He’s always been an idiot. He was born an idiot and he died an idiot.”

  My blood ran cold at his phrasing. “Died?”

  “Oh, that’s right,” Danny was back to sneering. “You thought I only had four victims. You’re behind the times, Ms. Winchester.”

  I ran my tongue over my teeth as my stomach clenched. Well, crap. That wasn’t good news. “Why would you kill your friend?”

  “Because his father told him what kind of questions you guys were asking and he figured it out,” Danny replied. “He accused me of being a killer. I mean … can you believe that? We’ve been friends forever.”

  “You are a killer.”

  “He still shouldn’t think that of me.”

  “Oh, geez.” I stared at the darkening sky. The storm Landon worried about was almost here. I thought it might hold off until later in the day so the gamers would have plenty of time to do their thing. That didn’t look to be happening. “The storm will be here soon.”

  “That will make things easier,” Danny said. “I like storms.”

  “I think you like anything that you believe makes you invisible,” I countered. “The thing is, you won’t get away with this. It’s already too late.”

  Danny snorted. “How can you be sure? I’ve gotten away with it so far.”

  “Yes, but that was before your victims started speaking out.”

  “You claim they’re speaking out,” Danny corrected. “I don’t believe that. All I really want to do is get back to my collecting. I want the sword you stole from me in the woods for starters and then we’ll move on to my second collection, which is even better than the first. Why can’t you understand what I’m saying?”

  That’s when the final piece of the puzzle slipped into place. “Oh, my … you’ve been killing game players because you think it’s the same as collecting them.”

  Danny smiled widely. “Exactly.”

  “The girls were probably at different levels.” I looked to them for confirmation.

  “I was level ten,” Laura offered.

  “Fifteen,” Abby said.

  Jennifer was sheepish. “I was only level four. I’d just started.”

  I pressed the heel of my hand to my forehead. “You were collecting them by level.”

  “I like collecting things,” Danny admitted. “I’ve been that way since I was a kid.”

  “That’s why they weren’t sexually assaulted.”

  Danny’s expression reflected horrified disbelief. “Why would I possibly want to do anything of the sort?”

  “Most serial killers are sexually-based offenders. They either get off on the sex or the kill itself.”

  “I’m not a serial killer!”

  “Oh, but you are.” I took a step back and shook my head. “Good Goddess, Danny, what you’ve done here is almost worse than I’d imagined … and I didn’t think I could come up with anything worse than what I’d already pictured. I didn’t think anything like that existed.”

  Danny shook his head. “I didn’t kill them. I merely added them to my collection. They’ll live there from now on.”

  “They don’t live anywhere.”

  “They do. You just don’t want to see.” Danny’s eyes turned cold. “Why are you trying to ruin this for me? You’re going to be the first entry into my new collection. That’s a place of honor … and to have climbed up the levels so fast despite just starting, that means you’ll be ultra-powerful when I claim you.”

  “I’m not playing the game, Danny!” Why couldn’t he understand that? “I don’t know why you think I am, but I’m not.”

  “Your picture is in the game.”

  “Oh?” I considered for a moment before it hit home. “Aunt Tillie!”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Aunt Tillie used my photo because she said no one wanted to work with her because she was too old.” I was talking more to myself than to him, but Danny seemed agitated by the news. “I was furious when she did it. I guess I have double the reason to hold this over her head going forward.”

  “You’re not the bad witch.”

  “Oh, I’m a bad witch. I’m simply not the one you’re looking for.”

  “Now I won’t get anything for collecting you.”

  The matter-of-fact statement jerked me back to reality. “I’m not going to let you ‘collect’ me.”

  Danny was beyond listening. “So now I’ll have to kill you and track down that crazy aunt of yours so I can actually start my collection. Ugh. This whole day is going to
be such a waste. You and Steven sucked up all my time, and for nothing. Nothing!”

  I took another step back and held up my hands when Danny reached into his pocket and withdrew a wicked-looking knife. It looked like something straight out of a game … a game I never wanted to play.

  “You don’t have to kill me,” I said. “It’s not necessary.”

  “I can’t let you live. You know that.”

  “Everyone will know after today no matter what.”

  “Because of the ghosts?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, I don’t believe in ghosts.” Danny lunged at me, jabbing with the knife. I was expecting it, and managed to sidestep him.

  I turned and ran in the direction of the newspaper office. It was the opposite direction of safety – wherever Landon and Aunt Tillie were hanging out – but for what I had planned I needed privacy. Safety was no longer my concern. Stopping Danny before he could murder again was the only thing I cared about.

  I heard Danny swear under his breath as he gave chase, but I didn’t look over my shoulder, instead increasing my pace until I stomped up the steps of The Whistler and swiveled fast so I had the door to my back. I wasn’t surprised to find the four ghosts hovering between Danny and me. I’d called them in my head while I ran. This time I recognized what I was doing as it happened. That, at least, was progress.

  Now it was time for something even more impressive.

  “Swarm,” I ordered, my voice low and fierce.

  For a moment the ghosts remained where they were, confusion etched on their faces. “Swarm,” I repeated, leaving no room for doubt at what I meant. “Get your revenge. Win the game.”

  Abby tilted her head to the side. “Win the game?”

  I nodded. “He tried to beat you. Now it’s up to you to beat him.”

  “Swarm?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then we shall swarm.”

  The ghosts turned in unison, solidifying enough that I knew the moment Danny realized what stood between him and me. His face turned as white as the ghosts racing at him. He tried to run in the opposite direction, but overcorrected and slipped on a patch of ice before dropping to the ground.

  “No! You can’t do this! You’re ruining the game!” He screeched the words as he covered his face. No one listened to his pleas. Least of all me.

  I sank to a sitting position and rested my cheek on my knees so I didn’t have to watch the decimation of Danny Roberts. I knew he had it coming, but it was a rough way to go.

  Thirty

  The storm hit hard and fast … just like the ghosts. As the wind and snow whirled, mixing together with the shades I yanked back from the abyss and creating a white tapestry of death and destruction, the girls all looked back at me in unison.

  “You can go,” I said. “I shouldn’t have brought you here. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I was doing it.”

  “We can go now,” Laura agreed, her countenance already fading.

  “Where will we go?” Abby asked.

  “Someplace better.” I was sure of that. “Don’t look back. Only look forward.”

  I wasn’t sure they heard me. They dissipated before I finished speaking, leaving me alone with Danny’s body. I wasn’t alone long, because Chief Terry and Landon picked that moment to appear in the middle of the mess.

  “Bay!” Landon headed straight for me rather than Danny, leaving Chief Terry to look over the boy’s remains. “Are you okay?”

  I nodded and forced a smile for his benefit. “I’m fine. He never laid a hand on me.”

  “Then how did he end up like this?” Chief Terry asked, bending over the body and lifting a lifeless hand. “Did he just drop while chasing you?”

  That was an interesting question. “No. I … um … had help.”

  Chief Terry cocked an eyebrow. “Help?”

  Landon understood right away. “Are they still here?” He pushed my hair from my face. “Do you need to do something with them?”

  “They’re gone. I let them go.”

  “Good.” Landon licked his lips. “I can’t lift you because of my shoulder even though I really want to. Can you walk on your own?”

  The question seemed absurd. Of course, from his perspective I looked to be cowering in the snow. “I’m fine.”

  “I don’t think you are, but we need to get out of here.” Landon gestured toward the increasing snow. “The forecasters say this one is going to be a doozy.”

  “I really am fine.” I grunted as I got to my feet and dusted off the seat of my jeans. “Where’s Aunt Tillie?”

  “She came looking for you at the police station, complaining bitterly about you stealing her phone,” Landon replied, snagging the item in question from the step by my feet. “She wanted to come, but we told her to stay behind because she’d slow us down. She threatened us with terrible curses, of course, but agreed to stay behind.”

  “Well, at least something good came out of the day.” I descended the stairs and stopped next to Danny’s body. I understood now why he went after me. I understood how Aunt Tillie got the sword that made her a hero. Danny dropped it to entice her – thinking she was me – and messed up when she claimed the item. It was a simple error that could’ve turned deadly for Aunt Tillie and me. “What will happen to him?”

  “I’ll call the Medical Examiner’s Office and get them here right away,” Chief Terry answered. “It would be poetic justice to leave him out here like he did with his victims, but I don’t think the town council would like that.”

  “No.”

  “What will the medical examiner find, Bay?” Chief Terry looked concerned.

  “I don’t know.” That was the truth. “He doesn’t look as if he has a mark on him, does he?”

  “No. That’s what I’m worried about.”

  “I didn’t touch him.”

  “We’ll still have to come up with a story that doesn’t involve ghosts for the report.”

  “Then we will.” I couldn’t let myself get worked up about something so trivial. “We should head back to the inn. I’m starving.”

  “That’s because you didn’t eat enough breakfast,” Landon chided, linking his fingers with mine. “It’s the most important meal of the day for a reason.”

  I let loose a hollow chuckle. “You sound like my mother.”

  “I think that’s the meanest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

  “I’ll make up for it later.”

  “I’m looking forward to that.”

  TWO DAYS LATER the storm cleanup was completed and the town emptied of tourists until later in the week. I took advantage of the lull to head to The Whistler, ready to tackle decorating chores. I figured I would start small – perhaps pick a paint color and take down the tacky artwork – but I found Landon already inside the office with a tape measure when I arrived.

  “What are you doing here?”

  Landon merely glanced over his shoulder as he jotted down numbers on a yellow tablet. “It’s Sunday.”

  “So?”

  “So I don’t have to work.”

  I should’ve realized that when he left the inn right after breakfast. “So you decided to use your day off to work with me?”

  Landon nodded. “You’re the boss. Consider me your employee.”

  That sounded mildly fun. I stripped out of my coat and sauntered over to look at the pad of paper. “What are you measuring?”

  “The walls. I figure we’re going to need to buy masking tape so we don’t ruin the woodwork, take down the art you clearly don’t like and pick up some paint samples. I thought we could start here and then take the paint samples home this afternoon.”

  I’d had worse offers. “And you just decided to do this during breakfast?”

  “I’ve wanted to do this since you took possession of the building,” Landon corrected. “We haven’t had time. Once I finished up everything at the station last night, I figured I had some time. Today would be a perfect day to get a jumpstart on your new b
usiness.”

  I pressed my lips together, although I couldn’t decide if it was to stop myself from crying or smiling. “Well, that’s … really nice.”

  “I like spending time with you. I also like measuring things. It seems like a fun project.”

  “Yeah.” I sat on the corner of the desk and looked around. “I’m thinking purple.”

  Landon followed my lead and stared at the ecru walls. “I like purple.”

  “You don’t think it’s too kooky for a business?”

  “I think it’s just kooky enough.”

  I snickered. “Good. I want some nice art prints, too. Although I’ve been considering talking to Thistle to see what she can come up with.”

  “She is a good artist,” Landon agreed, carrying the measuring tape to the far wall. “By the way, I didn’t want to bring it up in front of your family last night but I have a bit more information if you’re interested. I haven’t wanted to push things because you’ve been a little quiet and contemplative. I don’t want to force you to talk before you’re ready, but I figured you’d want to know.”

  “Does the medical examiner have a cause of death?”

  “He does.”

  “And?”

  “Aneurysm.”

  I was dumbfounded.

  “His death is being ruled natural causes,” Landon continued. “They found Steven’s body in the trunk of Danny’s car. Steven’s father is furious. He’s turned on the developers and plans to sue them for his son’s death.”

  “Why doesn’t that surprise me?” I muttered, finding my voice. “So … an aneurysm. How is that possible?”

  Landon shrugged. “I don’t know, sweetie. How is anything you do possible?”

  “I didn’t touch him.”

  “I know you didn’t.”

  “I ordered the ghosts to touch him. I told them to swarm him.”

  Landon didn’t look bothered by my admission. “Do you think that upsets me? He had a knife. He was going to kill you.”

  “Only because he initially thought I was playing the game. After that, he was simply covering his tracks. I mean … he killed his own best friend. How sick is that?”

  “It’s definitely sick,” Landon agreed “The thing is, we’re not sure Steven wasn’t part of all this.”