Witch You Well

by Colleen Cross

  Carolyn noticed immediately and made a beeline for Tonya's table.

  Great.

  I glanced towards the entrance a few feet away where Mom stood just inside the doorway. She had somehow gotten wind of Pearl's plans. One look at her face told me how worried she was.

  I walked back towards her and took her aside. "We've got to neutralize Aunt Pearl." She was already a murder suspect, and now she was spoiling for a fight. Now wasn't the time for Carolyn's attention-getting antics. "Can't you talk some sense into her?"

  Mom shook her head. "She won't listen to me. At least being here means she's not snooping around the guests' rooms." The housekeeping job was meant to keep her busy and out of trouble, and it wasn’t hard since she could use her magic to automate tasks. Our idea backfired once she snooped in Tonya's room. I thought back to the development plans and feared the worst.

  Mom tugged on my arm. "Do you think Pearl knows about Sebastien and Hazel?"

  "I don't know. Hazel and Pearl haven't spoken to each other for a couple of months now. If she knows of Sebastien and didn't mention it to the sheriff, she looks even more suspicious." If I didn't know Aunt Pearl I would suspect her too. Everything she did seemed suspicious. Aunt Pearl liked to create a stir. If she knew of Hazel and Sebastien's affair, I had no doubt Tonya would discover it soon enough, if she didn’t know already.

  We tracked Carolyn with our eyes as she slinked across the dance floor towards Tonya's table. My pulse quickened as I updated Mom on Pearl's arson attempt at the gazebo. "It seems weird that she went to the gazebo to retrieve her wand. If someone stole it, how did she even know it was there in the first place? She must have known it would be confiscated as evidence."

  A light bulb suddenly went off in my head. Aunt Pearl's Carolyn Conroe act was also magic, and much harder to pull off than her flaming stick at the gazebo. "How can Aunt Pearl do magic with no wand?"

  "She's using something," Mom's face darkened. "What, I don't know yet. I just wish she'd stop and think about the rest of us sometimes. I've got to get back to the inn. Keep an eye on her, Cen."

  Mom left and Carolyn sat down alone a few tables away from Tonya.

  I was so deep in thought that I had walked up to the bar without even realizing it.

  "The usual?" Brayden winked and placed a cranberry soda on a coaster in front of me.

  I would have preferred a stiff drink, but I supposed we were back to the usual. Appearances could make or break a political career, and as his wife-to-be, anything I did reflected on him. At least that was how Brayden saw things.

  I sipped my soda while he attended to other customers. Given the circumstances, maybe his choice of drink was better. Even an eyedropper of alcohol seriously lowered my inhibitions and willpower when it came to Brayden. Alcohol also interfered with my powers, and a quick scan of the room told me I might need magic to intervene with my aunt. Aunt Pearl—aka Carolyn—had again vacated her seat and now sat on the corner of Tonya's table. She belted out Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend in a deep, throaty voice. She tilted her head back, diva-like.

  Carolyn leaned further back until her hair dangled above Tonya's drink. Tonya pulled her chair back as Carolyn reclined even more. She winked seductively at her male admirers just as her hand slipped off the table. She lost her balance and rolled off, directly onto Tonya Plant's lap.

  Tonya screamed.

  I leapt from my bar stool and jumped between the two women faster than you can say “some like it hot”.

  I pulled Carolyn upright and off Tonya. Tonya's mouth dropped open in shock. She wore an angry expression and her designer dress wore a glass of wine. "What the hell are you doing?"

  I scowled at my aunt before turning back to Tonya Plant. I pointedly ignored the red stain spreading across her pale yellow dress. Thankfully she was so busy cursing Carolyn that she hadn't noticed it yet. That gave me the opportunity to undo it. One chance with a spell that I hadn't practiced in years.

  One, two, three, make it not to be...

  I snapped my fingers, held my breath and hoped for the best.

  I had rewound time back ten minutes earlier. At least that's what I had aimed for with my rusty magic. It seemed to work, since there was no red wine stain, no upturned table, and no Carolyn. We were back in time, a minute or so before things had deteriorated.

  Now I just had to make things right. I snapped my fingers twice and cast a friendship spell.

  It worked.

  The two women were suddenly fast friends instead of adversaries. Carolyn Conroe sang River of No Return and leaned against Tonya's table.

  "Bravo," Tonya giggled, clearly delighted at being noticed. The only red tone on her yellow dress were the pale pink rosettes. Tonya sipped her wine and enjoyed Carolyn's serenade.

  Carolyn raised her arms and held the final note.

  The bar fell silent for a few seconds until Tonya clapped. Carolyn bowed and the other patrons joined in the applause. Carolyn blew them a kiss and bowed.

  I was very pleased with my alternate ending, though Carolyn clearly was not. She flipped me the finger and glared from across the room.

  I smiled and waved. It was one of those rare times that I wished I had practiced my spells more. If I had, Aunt Pearl would have also remained unaware of my actions. Nevertheless, there wasn't much she could do about it now.

  Exhausted, I returned to my seat at the bar. The spells had zapped what little energy I had left.

  CHAPTER 14

  "You need a real drink." Brayden watched both of us as he placed a bottle of red wine and a glass on the bar. It was a bottle of Witching Hour Red, our finest vintage. He poured a glass and set it in front of me. "Just pretend she's not here."

  I stared at my glassful of alcohol, momentarily alarmed that my rewind spell had impacted Brayden to the extent that he had forgotten he was mayor. I studied him for a moment before concluding that it wasn’t about that at all. He was instead worried that I was about to cause a scene with Carolyn. Alcohol would incapacitate me.

  So be it.

  I downed half the glass. "I can't ignore her. I'm worried about what she might do next."

  Brayden knew we were witches—at least sort of. He thought it was just a weird part of our family ancestry. Oh, he was vaguely aware of Aunt Pearl's Charm School and Mom's herbal potions, but he didn't take that stuff seriously. He equated it to things like astrology and palm reading. He just thought we shared weird hobbies. Regardless, we were always careful not to do our magic in front of him.

  He was completely oblivious to the fact that I had just rewound his life by a few minutes. Too bad he couldn't completely forget our engagement. I agonized over how to break the news, especially since he was at this moment being very sweet to me.

  "I'll keep an eye on Pearl. Just relax, Cen."

  Few men marry into a family of witches easily, and on some level Brayden knew what he was getting into. I could never explain my situation to anyone who hadn't grown up with us in Westwick Corners. It just made sense for us to marry. The logic of it depressed me. Just because it was easy to marry him didn't mean that I should.

  I sipped my wine, plagued by guilt over the oblivious souls in the bar who remained unaware that I had erased the last few minutes of their lives and replaced them with an alternate version. If only I could turn the clock back and prevent Plant's murder. It was too late for that. The most I could do was help Sheriff Gates track down the killer and see justice served.

  Aunt Pearl, or rather Carolyn, followed me to the bar. She swore under her breath as she lifted her wineglass. "You complain about my magic." She tottered on her stilettos, threatening a second wine spill. "You're over the top, Cendrine West."

  For a split-second I felt like a scolded five-year-old. Then I regained my senses.

  "Go change, Aunt Pearl." I used my magic only as a last resort, but if any occasion warranted it, this one did. The whole town's future rested upon Aunt Pearl's civility. But I had to be careful, since undoing another wi
tch's magic invited all sorts of trouble, even if she was my aunt.

  Especially a witch much more powerful than I.

  "Sssh." She held a finger to her lips. "You'll blow my cover."

  "Are you drunk?" It was hard to tell if her unsteadiness was caused by her four-inch heels or too much alcohol.

  She ignored me.

  "Like my new dress, Cen? I just got it." Aunt Pearl shook her head as she hiked her dress high up her thigh, exposing skin. She balanced precariously on the stool. Her full wineglass tilted dangerously, threatening a second spill.

  "I don't mean just a wardrobe change. Ditch the Carolyn act."

  "But I was just getting started." Aunt Pearl pouted. "She's one of my favorites."

  "Please, Aunt Pearl. We need to talk. You realize you're the only suspect in Sebastien Plant's murder?"

  "You're accusing me of murder?" Aunt Pearl slammed her wineglass down on the bar, sending wine all over the bar.

  "Of course not.” I wiped wine droplets off my face. “But all the evidence points to you and no one else. I also need to talk to you about Hazel."

  "What about Hazel?" She eyed me suspiciously.

  "Not here." I was afraid to even bring up Hazel and Sebastien's supposed affair, but I had nowhere else to turn. It invited disaster, since Aunt Pearl didn't keep secrets very well. "We need somewhere private to talk."

  She immediately brightened. "Let's go to Pearl's Charm School. But only if you agree to take my magic course."

  "You'll change out of that ridiculous outfit and return to normal?" At least as close to normal as Aunt Pearl could get.

  My aunt nodded. "I want my wand back, too."

  "First things first." I couldn't do much to get her wand back, but I wasn't about to tell her that. My immediate priority was to neutralize Aunt Pearl before she did further damage. "I'll enroll at your stupid magic school, but only if you promise to stop your tricks for the rest of the weekend."

  Her expression brightened immediately. "You will?"

  "Yes." I regretted my promise already. "But only if you get our grand opening back on track and answer the sheriff's questions about the murder." Pearl's Charm School specialized in charms and spells, two areas I was woefully deficient in. I had no desire to improve, but I was willing to do whatever I needed to placate Aunt Pearl and stop the carnage. "I'll meet you at Pearl's Charm School in half an hour."

  I had barely finished my sentence when Aunt Pearl made a beeline for the exit and was gone. I scanned the bar and noted with satisfaction that the bar patrons had resumed playing pool, darts or whatever it was they had been doing before the Carolyn Conroe side show. Some of the locals had even left. The Witching Post slowly returned to its normal half-empty self.

  Tonya Plant sipped her wine alone. The investigators had finished with her room, but she didn’t seem in a hurry to return to it. She looked more contented than grief-stricken.

  I watched her and wondered about their relationship. They seemed a happy couple, but no one really knew what went on in a marriage besides the two people in it. That was especially the case for public figures like the Plants.

  I doubted that Tonya had the physical strength to harm him. He could have easily disarmed her. The same held true for Aunt Pearl, though my aunt was a witch and could summon supernatural strength at the tap of a wand. She had no reason to, though.

  Only a man similar in height to Sebastien Plant could have done it, since some of Plant's wounds were on top of his head.

  I knew from watching crime shows that eighty percent of victims were murdered by their spouse. Tonya could have gotten someone to kill her husband. If she knew of Sebastien and Hazel's affair, she had a strong motive. As Sebastien's wife she had to be a suspect, but I wasn't sure if the sheriff knew of the affair or not.

  One thing I was certain of was that Tonya was no grieving widow, and I intended to prove it.

  CHAPTER 15

  It was almost ten p.m. when I arrived at Pearl's Charm School. My spirits lifted when I saw the lights on. Aunt Pearl was safely inside and out of trouble, at least for the moment. As I grew closer I spotted a neon sign in the shape of a broom in the front window. Beneath the green broom flashed Open-Open-Open in neon white.

  Aunt Pearl's hatred for highway signs didn't seem to extend to her own shingle. She was anything but subtle. I didn't like Aunt Pearl's obvious flaunting of a school for witches, but it was nice to see the old schoolhouse put to good use.

  As I pushed the door open a bell jingled to announce my arrival. The old schoolhouse looked much the same as I remembered from my elementary school days. Even the paint and linoleum were unchanged.

  "In here." My aunt's voice echoed down the hallway and I followed it into the first classroom. The school was built in the early 1900s with two classrooms, plenty for the population in those days. It had closed a few years back once we could no longer afford our own school staff. Nowadays local children were bused to the big school at Shady Creek, a sad sign of the times.

  Aunt Pearl was busy lighting votive candles on the windowsill.

  "What is it with you and fire?" I walked towards the front of the class and took in my surroundings. I had to admit that the candlelight gave the room a certain ambiance. It was, in a word, charming.

  I wasn't about to admit that to Aunt Pearl though.

  "Oh, Cen, relax. Do you have to be so serious all the time?"

  "Maybe I wouldn't be if I didn't have to constantly bail you out of trouble." Honestly, Aunt Pearl amounted to a full-time job sometimes. And I had enough problems of my own right now.

  "I'm not in any trouble, and I can take care of myself. Stop worrying about me," Aunt Pearl said.

  "You're in plenty of trouble. If I don't worry about you, you'll destroy our little business before it even gets off the ground," I said. "Why did you lie and say you were with Mom? She said you weren't. You don't have an alibi, do you?"

  Aunt Pearl rolled her eyes and let out an exaggerated sigh. "You just never let up, Cen."

  "This is important, Aunt Pearl. If we don't steer the investigation in another direction you could be charged with murder."

  "Fine." She crossed her arms and glared at me. "I was with Hazel. She arrived this morning."

  "I don't believe you. You two aren't even speaking to each other.” I sighed as I thought of my brother. Poor Alan.

  "We called a truce, Cen. Tough times called for tough measures."

  "What tough times?" I was confused, but I also felt a surge of hope. "Is Hazel still here? Maybe she can change Alan back to his human form."

  Aunt Pearl shook her head. "No, things were never fine. There's something very serious going on, and Travel Unraveled is right at the center of it. We had to stop the development."

  "About Alan, I know he's anxious—"

  "Not now, Cen." She raised her hand, palm out in traffic cop fashion. "We're at war."

  "We have to run a business here, Aunt Pearl. Sebastien Plant could have brought us huge publicity," I said. "Now we'll be known as the place he was murdered. When did Hazel get here?" Two motivated witches were exponentially worse than a single one.

  My aunt shrugged. "I think around nine a.m."

  "Right around the time of the murder." I scanned the room but saw no sign of Hazel. "Where is she?"

  "She left for London an hour ago."

  My shoulders sagged in defeat. Almost back to square one for the investigation and my hope of Alan returning to his human form vanished.

  As Sebastien's lover, Hazel also had a powerful motive. Aunt Pearl's alibi didn't count for much, considering it came from another potential suspect. "Did anyone else see you two together?"

  "No." Aunt Pearl shook her head. "We basically stayed here and drank coffee, just patching things up."

  "That's the most ridiculous lie I've ever heard.” I crossed my arms and raised my brows. "You two never sit around. Hazel wouldn't travel halfway around the world just to talk."

  "Okay, so maybe we visited the
gazebo. Hazel and I followed Sebastien Plant to the gazebo, intending to shame and scare him a little so he would leave town. That's when we saw his attacker, the guy in the black hoodie. We had nothing to do with his murder, I swear. Hazel was so upset by it all that she immediately left town. Tell the sheriff that."

  "Why can't you tell him? On second thought, don't. Mentioning Hazel just invites a whole bunch of questions that will expose us as witches. Explaining that she can basically teleport herself here in minutes just complicates things." So did her affair with Sebastien Plant, but I was banking on her innocence too. It seemed easier to find the real killer than prove Hazel and Pearl's innocence. "Tell me what you know about the guy in the black hoodie. He's our only real lead so far."

  "It's been a long day, Cen. Let's both get some shut eye." Aunt Pearl stood and ushered me towards the hallway. "I'll hatch a plan to dig ourselves out of this mess."

  I raised my arms in protest. Aunt Pearl's plans would almost certainly invite more disaster. On the other hand, any more objections from me only made her uncooperative. "Okay, fine. But I want to talk to Hazel and corroborate your story."

  I took one last look around and realized that my aunt been working on the old schoolhouse at about the same time we updated the Inn. She caused a lot of trouble, but she also got things done like nobody's business. Pearl's Charm School looked and felt like a real school. The student desks had all been refinished and there were new school supplies in the shelves that lined the walls. The only difference was the crystal ball on the teacher's desk and a blackboard filled with magic spells instead of arithmetic.

  "Is that what I think it is?" I walked over to the blackboard and studied the familiar object in the chalk tray. "I didn't know you had a second wand."

  "I don't."