Landon Calling

by Amanda M. Lee

  “I have gloves in my pocket,” Bay replied, making a face as she giggled. “There’s no reason to get worked up. I just like warm air blowing on me.”

  “Hot air. I guess that’s why you ended up with this one,” Chief Terry said, jerking a thumb in my direction. “He seems to have an endless stream to share with anyone who will listen.”

  Bay snickered as I shook my head.

  “Don’t encourage him, Bay,” I warned. “It will only make him play to his audience longer.”

  “Whatever.” Bay focused on Chief Terry. “Chris Wilson is that blond guy Landon works with. I think Landon is in competition with him, even though he doesn’t want to admit it.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “I am not in competition with him.”

  “That’s not how it seemed to me.”

  “There can’t be a competition if I’ve already won,” I explained. “I’m a better agent, so I’ve won there. I also go to bed with you as often as possible, so I’ve definitely won there.”

  “Oh, so sweet,” Bay cooed, amused.

  “Oh, so wrong,” Chief Terry mimicked Bay’s voice as he cuffed me. “That’s my little sweetheart. Don’t talk about doing … those things … with her.”

  I couldn’t stop myself from smiling at Terry’s discomfort. “Would it help if I told you we do nothing but read books together when we’re in bed?”

  “Yup.” Chief Terry focused out the windshield as he navigated the road. “That’s exactly what I want to hear.”

  “That’s not true,” Bay protested, earning a stern look in the mirror from Chief Terry.

  “It’s true in my world, missy,” Chief Terry barked, shaking his head for a moment until returning his attention to me. “So this Chris Wilson guy gets under your skin, huh? Why is that?”

  “He doesn’t get under my skin.” I focused on the blurring trees outside my window, Chief Terry didn’t stare at my profile too long. I would surely crack if he did.

  “Bay, why does this Chris Wilson guy get under Landon’s skin?” Chief Terry called out.

  “I’m not sure,” Bay answered. I could feel her eyes on the back of my head. “Landon was in a good mood until he saw Chris. Then he hit on me … but in a backhanded way, as if I wasn’t a real person, simply Landon’s girlfriend. That agitated Landon.”

  “That irritates me,” Chief Terry said. “He didn’t touch you, did he?”

  Bay shook her head as I finally tore my eyes from the scenery. “If he touched her he’d be dead,” I said. “Don’t worry about Chris Wilson. He’s a douche. I already handled the situation by introducing him to Thistle and Aunt Tillie.”

  This was apparently news to Bay, who gave a delighted laugh and clapped her hands. “Did you really?”

  I nodded. “I thought he deserved it.”

  “That’s thinking on your feet,” Chief Terry said, amused. “How did Aunt Tillie take the introduction?”

  “She’s convinced every cop in town is here to arrest her, so she’s hyper-vigilant,” I replied, watching as Chief Terry turned off the main drag and headed into a residential neighborhood. “Part of me is entertained by how annoyed she is. The other part is worried she’s going to do something stupid.”

  “I can see that,” Chief Terry said, his expression thoughtful as he glanced in the rearview mirror and searched for Bay’s gaze. “Are you excited about moving in with this ruffian, Bay?”

  It wasn’t his smoothest transition, but I knew Chief Terry was interested in getting Bay’s take on the situation. I told him about the change in living arrangements a few weeks back. At the time, he’d accepted it without complaint because Bay had just been through an ordeal and he didn’t want to make things worse. Now that she was fully recovered, he felt safe to probe.

  “I am excited,” Bay confirmed, bobbing her head. “We’re going to decorate together and everything. I’m going to make Landon move furniture.”

  I smiled. “I’m going to do it shirtless so she swoons.”

  Chief Terry scowled. “That right there – your insistence on making everything with my sweetheart sexual – is why I don’t like spending time with you, Landon. You know that, right?”

  I shrugged, unbothered. “I’ll close up my apartment in about two weeks, and then I will officially move into the guesthouse.”

  “But Thistle and Marcus will be there for a spot of time yet,” Chief Terry pointed out. “How is that going to work?”

  “I thought they’d sleep in Thistle’s room and we’d sleep in Bay’s room,” I answered.

  “Our room,” Bay automatically corrected, catching me off guard.

  For some reason the simple clarification warmed my heart. “Our room.”

  “So freaking sappy,” Chief Terry muttered, shaking his head. “I know you’re going to have separate bedrooms. But won’t there be a lot of fighting?”

  “There’s always a lot of arguing in that house,” I replied. “I’ll put a line of tape down the middle if Bay and Thistle get out of hand.”

  Bay was offended. “Hey! I never get out of hand.”

  “It’s rare for you to fly off the handle,” I conceded. “It does happen when you’re upset, though, and you’re bound to get upset with that many people spending that much time under one roof. Don’t bother denying it.”

  Bay turned to Chief Terry for help. “I don’t get out of hand.” Her voice was plaintive as she searched Chief Terry’s kind face. “Tell him.”

  “She doesn’t get out of hand,” Chief Terry automatically offered, causing me to scowl.

  “You always take her side,” I said. “It’s annoying.”

  “That’s because I’m always right,” Bay said.

  “She is,” Chief Terry agreed.

  “And we’re done with this conversation.” I focused on the small bungalow in front of us as Chief Terry parked his vehicle. “What can you tell me about this Donna Emery?”

  “She’s in her thirties,” Bay answered. “She owns the yarn store. She seems nice, but a little … um … particular about the type of people she hangs out with.”

  “What does that mean,” I asked, turning in my seat so I could study Bay’s face. Her cheeks were redder than they should be. “Do you have an issue with this woman?”

  “No, it’s not that,” Bay replied hurriedly. “It’s just … well … .”

  “Let me take this one,” Chief Terry suggested. “Donna is extremely religious. I mean … extremely religious. She goes to church services on Sunday and Wednesday nights. She goes to a Christian reading group on Mondays. She’s extremely devout.”

  I wasn’t sure where he was going. “Is that bad?”

  “Of course not,” Bay answered. “It’s just … people in town are convinced we’re real witches.”

  Things slipped into place for me. “Oh.”

  “Yeah.” Chief Terry shot me a knowing look. “Donna is a nice woman who gives her time freely to help the elderly. She even runs a donation program for new mothers. She’s a good woman.”

  “She just happens to hate witches,” Bay supplied.

  “Did she ever say anything to you?” I asked. “How does she know you’re a real witch?”

  Bay snorted. “Everyone knows. They pretend not to know, but everyone knows.”

  “They suspect,” Chief Terry corrected. “Don’t get all … melancholy. No one cares what Donna thinks.”

  “And what does she think?” I asked. “You still haven’t told me.”

  “She thinks Aunt Tillie is the Devil and that she’s training us to take over the world so we can end civilization as we know it.”

  Bay’s answer was so absurd I could do nothing but laugh. When she didn’t join in, I realized she was serious. “She said that to you?” I was incredulous.

  “She’s never attacked us or anything.” Bay said the words as if that was supposed to make me feel better. “I hope nothing bad has happened to her.”

  “Still, why are you here?” I asked. “You don’t need to put up with
this for a woman who treats you in a derogatory manner.”

  “That doesn’t mean I can’t help,” Bay replied. “Good deeds are in the doing, not the saying.”

  “Oh, that was almost poetic, sweetie,” I teased, “but I don’t believe it for a second. I think you wanted to get away from all of the cops and agents. You’re just as squirrelly around them as the rest of your family.”

  “I am not,” Bay protested, her eyes widening. “I happen to love cops and agents.”

  I crossed my arms over my chest and waited.

  “Well, I love you and Chief Terry,” Bay hedged.

  “And we love you,” Chief Terry said, smirking at her conflicted expression. “Well, at least I love you. I’m not sure about this lug.”

  I managed to drag my eyes from Bay and focused on Chief Terry. “Why do you always have to make things worse? Sometimes you remind me of Aunt Tillie.”

  Instead of being offended, Chief Terry pressed his hand to his heart and mimicked Aunt Tillie’s voice to perfection. “That’s the meanest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

  Bay laughed so hard she was still shaking when I helped her out of the vehicle. I took a moment to feather my fingers over her cheek and rested my forehead against hers.

  “You’re okay, right?” I kept my voice low.

  Bay patted my shoulder. “Landon, you’re more upset about him than I am. He didn’t hurt my feelings. What he said didn’t bother me in the least.”

  “But … you walked away.”

  “I smelled fresh doughnuts. I’m a glutton, not a coward.”

  Her simple answer was all I needed to relax. “Good.” I pressed a quick kiss to her mouth. “There will be more of that when I’m not on the job.”

  Bay grinned. “Good to know.”

  We followed Chief Terry to the front door, my gaze wandering to the pile of newspapers accumulated on the front porch.

  “That doesn’t look good,” Bay mused. “This is at least four days’ worth of The Detroit News. How long did her sister say she’d been missing?”

  “She said she hadn’t talked to her in at least three days,” Chief Terry answered. “I might have to do a more formal interview and pin down that information.”

  “What can you tell me about her?” I pressed. “I know she owns the yarn store, but does she have any children? What about a boyfriend?”

  “She was married,” Bay replied. “I think it lasted about three years. They met at the church and were very … pious.”

  “Yeah, I heard it that time,” I said, extending a finger “You didn’t like this woman. Admit it.”

  “I’m pretty sure it would be wrong to admit something like that when she might be missing.” Bay tilted her head as she scanned the side of the house for hints of movement. “I don’t see anything yet, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything.”

  Bay can see and talk to ghosts – something that threw me for a loop when I discovered her powers not long after we started dating. I was attracted to her from the moment I saw her at the opening of a corn maze in late October of the previous year. I was undercover with an unsavory group of bikers, and she let her mouth get away from her. At the time, I didn’t realize it was a family trait. Still, I couldn’t get her out of my head.

  I kept running into her, and each time she was doing something goofy, like talking to herself or wandering around a cornfield at night. When I learned the truth I took a step back. I still don’t understand why. It wasn’t the magic that upset me as much as the lying she did to cover things up. Still, after giving it some thought, I realized she didn’t have a choice. She didn’t know me well enough to risk her entire family. With Winchesters, trust is earned, not freely given.

  When I came back into her life after a small break, I never looked back. Now, a year later, I can’t imagine life without her. People call me schmaltzy and co-dependent. I don’t care. She’s what I want. Hemlock Cove is where I want to make my future. This place, these people … this is home now.

  “Where did you go?” Chief Terry asked, narrowing his eyes. “Were you thinking about that douche you work with?”

  “He was thinking about me,” Bay teased, grabbing my hand. “Didn’t you see the moony look on his face? He only gets that look when he’s thinking about me.”

  “You’re so smart,” I teased.

  “Oh, geez.” Chief Terry pinched the bridge of his nose and stared at the sky. “Sometimes I think someone up there … or even right here in Hemlock Cove … is testing me. You, Landon Michaels, are my test.”

  “What did I do?” I asked, confused.

  “You made my little sweetheart happy.”

  “Shouldn’t that put you in a good mood?” I challenged.

  “You’re also a pervert,” Chief Terry added.

  “Can’t win them all.” I gripped Bay’s hand tighter. “Let’s see what we can find here and then go from there. I already don’t like the newspapers on the porch, but that’s hardly proof something nefarious happened.”

  “Agreed,” Chief Terry said, his expression turning somber. “Let’s see what we can find. We don’t have probable cause yet to enter the house if we don’t see something suspicious through the windows, but there’s nothing stopping us from searching the grounds. Bay, if you see anything or anyone … .”

  “You’ll be the first to know,” Bay finished. “Let’s do this.”

  Five

  By the time we got back to the inn we were no better off than when we had started. The house was quiet, no sign of Donna, yet everything was still around the house so we had no reason to enter. Bay walked the property perimeter twice, even peering through the windows in hopes of seeing a ghost as she made her slow progression around the house. But there was nothing there for her witchy powers to suss out.

  The Overlook’s foyer buzzed with activity when we entered, people practicing using the new fingerprint scanner on Twila. She was in her element – even though she was playing dead – and reveled in the attention as everyone maneuvered around her prone body. Bay effortlessly stepped over her as we passed, not bothering to look down as we made our way to the dining room.

  Steve sat at the table with Winnie and Marnie, the trio enjoying coffee as they chatted. I didn’t miss the dark look on Chief Terry’s face when he caught sight of the women who generally spent their time fawning over him. They barely looked up when we approached, their attention trained on Steve.

  “There you are,” Winnie said, finally flicking her eyes to Bay. “I expected you back sooner. Did you find Donna?”

  Bay shook her head. “The house is quiet and empty.”

  “She’s probably at church,” Marnie suggested. “Did you try looking there?”

  “No, that never occurred to me,” Chief Terry deadpanned, causing Marnie to arch an eyebrow as he sat on the chair next to Steve. He gave my boss a long appraising look and then rolled his eyes. “I don’t suppose I could get a cup of coffee?”

  On a normal day Marnie and Winnie would’ve jumped to their feet to be the first to serve him. Today neither one of them so much as shifted on their chairs.

  “The pot is right there,” Winnie said, waving down the table. “You know where the mugs are.”

  Bay pressed her lips together and darted an amused look in my direction. She realized what was happening right away. Truth be told, even though she would hem and haw and make disgusted noises as she mimed barfing, I knew Bay would relish the thought of Chief Terry getting together with her mother. He was already a father in her heart. Being able to legally call him that would simply be a bonus. For his part, Chief Terry refused to make a move on any of the battling Winchester sisters no matter how hard they pressed him. I was pretty sure he didn’t want to risk offending anyone, which meant none of them would get the chance to be happy. It was something I filed away to discuss with him at a later date, when curious witches weren’t loitering around every corner.

  “I guess I do,” Chief Terry grumbled as he grabbed three mugs from
the stack on the buffet and tipped them over so he could pour coffee for everyone. He shoved mugs for Bay and me in my direction when he was finished and proceeded to glower at an oblivious Steve.

  My boss appeared fascinated with the witchy women sitting across from him – even though he had no idea they were really witches. “So, you raised Bay, Clove and Thistle as sisters even though they’re cousins, huh? That was probably smart on your part.”

  “They’re all exceedingly close,” Winnie said.

  “Sometimes too close,” Chief Terry muttered.

  “How can they be too close?” Steve asked, legitimately curious.

  “Because they find more trouble together than when they’re apart. When they’re together they find a lot of trouble,” Chief Terry replied after sipping his coffee.

  “I’m pretty sure that was an insult, but I’ll let it slide,” Bay said. “Are there any more doughnuts?”

  Winnie smiled and nodded. “I saved some of the ones with sprinkles for you. They’re in the kitchen.”

  “Yay.” Bay pushed herself to a standing position and glanced at me. “Want one?”

  “Are you really going to share your doughnuts with me?” I couldn’t help but be surprised. We’re one of those couples that tend to hoard our favorite foods – even from those we love best. It’s unattractive, but … there it is.

  “You shared your doughnut with me this morning.”

  “I’ll share another with you now,” I said. “I don’t want to eat too much before dinner. I’m guessing your mother and aunts have something special planned.”

  “We do,” Marnie confirmed. “Prime rib.”

  Chief Terry groaned. “My favorite.”

  “Well, you’re invited,” Winnie said, wrinkling her nose as she carefully looked him up and down. “You’re always invited for dinner.”

  Bay briefly locked gazes with me before disappearing into the kitchen. I smiled as I watched her go, not realizing that Steve was staring at me until I’d spent a good thirty seconds watching the kitchen doorway. “What?”