“Hey, Cade, won’t Devin know that the necklace is missing?” I asked, looking the piece of jewelry in my hands.
“I switched it with a replica necklace. She’ll never know,” he said, winking at me before walking inside.
He was right everything would fall into place, it just had to.
Earl was in for a surprise at his wedding.
26
I watched as Aunt Tilly got all made up for her wedding. Her hair was in a fancy updo, and it was a far cry from her super casual look. Her face was glowing, but I wasn’t sure if it was from pure happiness or it was just the makeup that was causing it. I hoped it was the medicine because after she heard Devin and Earl’s recorded conversation, she wasn’t going to be happy.
“You look beautiful, Aunt Tilly,” Agnes said, squeezing our Aunt’s hand and smiling at her.
She did look beautiful, but I couldn’t make myself tell it to her. I knew what was supposed to be the happiest day of her life was going to turn out to be a nightmare. Her heart was going to break on her very own wedding day.
“Malady, when are we going to tell Aunt Tilly?” Sadie whispered in my ear.
She even whispered perfectly. You know how some people whisper too low while others whisper way too loud? Well, not her. She did it like she did everything else, perfectly.
“We wait until she’s walking down the aisle, and then we play it over the speakers,” I told her, watching Aunt Tilly laugh and smile as she told the lady painting her nails all about her hubby to be.
Our plan wouldn’t have worked if any humans would have attended the wedding, so we had to put a spell on every human in town. We gave them all the flu, including Daniel.
He called as I was leaving to go to the hair salon and informed me that he wasn’t going to able to the wedding because he was very sick and I had to act surprised and a little disappointed. Not too much though because then he would have known something was up.
“She’s not going to take it well,” Sadie said, biting her lip.
“I know, sis, but we can’t let her marry this man. She thinks she knows him, but she doesn’t, and she thinks she loves him, but she doesn’t. It’s all going to work out,” I told her, repeating Cade’s words from the night before.
She gave me a sweet smile before sitting down in a chair so the hairdresser could put her hair in a braided crown hairstyle that Aunt Tilly picked for us all to wear.
Hearing the bell above the door ring, I knew someone had entered the salon. Turning around, I saw Devin waltzing in and Cade following behind her carrying everything she needed to get ready for the wedding.
“Just put all of my bags over there,” Devin told Cade, pointing to the corner of the room.
When she couldn’t see him, Cade rolled his eyes as he sat all of Devin’s things down and walked over to me.
“Where’s Abigail?” he asked, looking around the room.
I didn’t know where she had gotten to and knowing Abby she could have been anywhere. But, then I saw her coming out of the bathroom. She was already dressed, and she looked stunning. “There she is,” I told him, pointing in her direction.
He looked at her, and a small smile played on his lips. “I always wondered what she’d look like in a white dress. Is everything in place for operation take Earl down?”
“Yep, I just hope we can get him to confess to murdering Bobby.”
Agnes yelling caught my attention and caused me to turn to face her. Cole was sitting on a chair beside her, and she looked she wanted to burn him with a hot curling iron. “We are not walking down the aisle together, Cole. You’re not even walking down the aisle at all. Christopher is the only guy walking down the aisle.”
“Why do you keep trying to fight this connection between us?” Cole asked, spinning the salon chair around.
“Because there is no connection at least not for me,” she said, looking at her hair in the mirror.
“You want me to try harder to win your love? Is that what it is? I’m on it,” he said, jumping up from the leather chair and running out of the door.
“Cade, why are you so normal and Cole is so, well, not normal?” Agnes asked, shaking her head.
“You think I’m normal?” he asked, walking out of the salon laughing.
My heart was beating one hundred miles an hour as I waited on the wedding to start. I hoped that everything went as planned.
“Why do you look like you’re the one with the wedding jitters? Shouldn’t that be reserved for the bride and the groom?” Devin’s annoying voice asked, her perfume causing me to scrunch my nose up in disgust.
It was almost as bad as Daniel’s sexy lumberjack cologne. Almost.
“I just want everything to go perfectly for my Aunt Tilly. I don’t want any bumps in the road for her today,” I said, acting as normal as I could around her.
“Are you sure that’s the only reason you’re all jittery?” she asked, making a bead of sweat pop out on my head.
“Yep, that’s it. Aunt Tilly has put her heart and soul into planning this wedding,” I told her, forcing a smile in her direction.
She looked at for about three minutes without saying a single world before shrugging and walking away.
“Bridesmaid’s grab your bouquets. Let’s get his show on the road. I’m getting married!” Aunt Tilly shouted, waving her bouquet of red roses in the air.
She looked stunning. Tucking Devin’s necklace in my hand, I picked up the small bouquet and took a deep breath.
Walking toward the door, I gave myself a pep talk. You got this. Tilly was not going to marry a con man, power stealing warlock whose last name was Reeks. You’re doing her a favor. She’s going to love you for this. She’s not going to hate you for running her wedding.
Earl and Devin were going down.
27
Red roses were scattered all over the backyard, and the rose petal aisle that led to the rose covered gazebo was the picture of perfection. If a couple that was actually in love had planned to get married under there, it would have straight of a romance novel, but because Aunt Tilly planned on marrying Earl it was straight out of a horror movie.
The soft, romantic music starting playing and that was our cue to walk down the aisle one by one until it was Aunt Tilly’s turn to make her grand entrance and then that was when I pressed the button on the back of the pendant and revealed to Aunt Tilly she was marrying Andrew Reeks.
He lied to her about everything, his love for her, his name, his intentions, and even his British accent. Which was a deal breaker because everyone loves a British accent.
Abigail walked down the aisle first because she demanded too. Gripping her small red bouquet, she strutted like she was on a high fashion runway. In true Abigail Norwood fashion, she always found a way to make sure all eyes were on her.
Agnes was next, and she looked absolutely terrified because unlike her sister she hated all eyes being on her. Being the center of attention wasn’t her thing. You could tell by the way she rushed down the aisle.
Sadie walked perfectly down the aisle, and you guessed it, she looked perfect.
After what felt like forever it was finally my turn to walk down the aisle. I just wanted to get the show on the road, so I rushed down the aisle as fast as I could. My eyes linked with Earl’s and my heart dropped down into my stomach. Just the sight of him made me sick.
Coming to a stop at Sadie’s side, we watched as Christopher walked Aunt Tilly to what she thought was her future. That was my cue.
Taking a deep breath, I pressed the button, and Earl and Devin’s conversation played from all of the speakers instead of the music that was supposed to be playing.
Aunt Tilly came to a stop when she heard the two voices.
“What kind of spell did you use on Tilly Norwood? It’s stronger than any love spell I’ve ever seen,” Devin’s voice boomed from the speakers.
“One that I mixed up myself and if I have to say so myself it worked like a charm. She hangs all over me,�
�� Earl said, laughing.
Aunt Tilly looked at Devin. “That’s you, but who’s the man?” she asked.
Devin didn’t answer her, he just sat frozen in place. I wanted to answer Aunt Tilly’s question, but I didn’t have to because there was more to the recording for her to hear and it would explain everything.
“Once she marries you and has her powers syphoned, we can take her magic and run, Dad,” Devin’s voice said and then she cackled with laughter like the wicked witch she was.
“My British accent must be very good because she’s eating it up like candy,” Earl said in his phony accent. “I’m going to marry her, steal her powers, and then we’re going to move somewhere far away.”
Hearing someone sniffle, I looked in the direction of where it came from and saw Aunt Tilly with tears streaming down her face, her black eyeliner making black streaks in the process. “Is your name even Earl?” she cried, throwing her bouquet at Earl’s head.
“No, it’s not. My name is Andrew Reeks,” he said, smirking like he wasn’t sorry and knowing what I did about him he wasn’t sorry. He wasn’t the type of guy that felt remorse.
“And why is she calling you Dad?” Aunt Tilly asked, pointing at Devin.
“Why do you think, Silly Tilly? She’s my daughter,” he replied as Devin got up from her seat and stood beside her father.
They were quite a daddy-daughter duo. Their life’s mission was to hurt people and ruin their lives.
“So, you put some kind of self-created love spell on me?” Aunt Tilly asked, trying to make sense of it all.
“Yep, and it’s pretty effective for my first love spell,” he bragged, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his dress pants.
“I hate to burst your bubble, Andrew, but during my time away from Cat’s Cradle I had a protection spell against all spells on me during my time in New Orleans’. I wasn’t under any kind of love spell, I actually fell for you,” Aunt Tilly said, the sadness in her voice making my heart shatter.
“Now, that’s sad,” Devin said, looping her arm through her father’s.
“You’re pathetic, both of you,” Mara Blackwater said, walking to Tilly’s side and taking her hand.
“Now if you’ll confess to killing Bobby, we can have both of you arrested and we can eat the wedding cake while they cart you away,” I said, tossing my bouquet over my shoulder. I was getting tired of holding it.
“We didn’t kill him. We were going to, but someone beat us to it,” Devin admitted, smiling. She was sick.
“Who? Who else would want to kill Bobby? You’re the one good suspect, Earl or Andrew or whatever your name is,” I told him.
“There’s a lot about Bobby that you don’t know. He didn’t have someone watching me because of the money that I took. No, he was watching me because he wanted your Aunt Tilly’s powers too. He was a warlock just like me. She’s a very powerful woman,” Earl said, winking at my Aunt.
“You’re disgusting!” Aunt Tilly yelled at him.
She was right, he was disgusting, but I was still stuck on the part about Bobby being a warlock.
“Well, if you didn’t kill Bobby than who did?” Aunt Tilly asked, narrowing her eyes at them.
It all clicked together in my mind. I had assumed the magic I felt coming from the family meant they had been touched by magic in some way “I did,” a familiar voice said from behind me. Turning around, I saw Helen Matthew’s all dressed like she was ready to attend a wedding. “I killed my brother.”
That didn’t make any sense to me. Why would she have murdered her own brother? I saw her grieving his death and if that wasn’t real then I wasn’t sure what to believe.
“Why would you do that?” Sadie asked.
“Because he took my powers away years ago as a so-called punishment for using them way too often for his liking or at least that’s what he said. But, he was just greedy, he already had my powers and his. I guess it wasn’t enough because when he found out I wanted Tilly Norwood’s powers, he decided he wanted them as well, so I killed him,” she said as she checked over her freshly manicured nails. “Shoot, I think I chipped a nail.”
She had just confessed to killing her brother, and she was upset that she had a chipped a nail. I couldn’t believe it.
“I’m not following,” Agnes said with her hands behind her back.
“What are you not following? I murdered my brother. I killed him, do you understand now?” she asked, looking at Agnes as if she was stupid.
Agnes was very smart, but I didn’t understand why she was confused by Helen’s confession.
“Oh, I understand I just wanted to make sure I got it on tape so I could play it for the police when they got here,” Agnes said, waving her phone in the air.
Looking around the backyard, I noticed that Devin and Earl/Andrew was gone. I was glad to be rid of them. My main focus was Helen Matthews.
I had just cracked another case, but I couldn’t have done it without my family and the Blackwaters.
When they weren’t driving me crazy, they were pretty helpful.
28
After Dale had picked up Helen, we decided not to let the perfectly good wedding cake go to waste, so we had a celebration in honor of Aunt Tilly dodging a bullet by not marrying Earl Reeks.
Looking around, I saw everyone but Aunt Tilly. After combing the house, I went outside and finally found her in her garden. It was her favorite place and where I should have checked in the first place. It was her spot.
“Aunt Tilly, are you okay?” I asked, walking through the garden so I could be by her side.
“I’m not, but I will be. It’s just I really feel in love with him, Malady. I wasn’t under any kind of spell,” she said, her voice weak from all the crying.
“I know, Aunt Tilly, but look at it this way at least your last name isn’t Reeks,” I said, attempting to make her laugh, and it worked.
“You’re right. I would rather be a Norwood instead of a Reeks any day of the week,” she said, pulling me in for a hug.
“Come on, let’s go eat some cake before they eat it all,” I told her, leading her to the house.
When we walked in Cole beckoned for me. That was never good. “What is it?” I asked as I walked up to him.
“Do you think you can convince Agnes to join me at the movies tomorrow?” he asked, sounding like a nervous sixth grader who just wanted to go on his first date.
She wasn’t going to agree to it, but I would at least mention it to her. “Sure, I’ll do my best.”
His face lit up, and he gave me a great big bear hug. “You are the best.”
I would have told him ‘Thank you,’ but I couldn’t breathe, so I couldn’t talk.
“Cole, let her go. You’re cutting off her oxygen,” Cade said, snapping his fingers and loosening his twin brother’s grip on me.
“Oh, sorry, I guess I got carried away,” Cole said, smiling at me before walking in Agnes’ direction.
She looked super annoyed as he talked to her about who knows what. “Hey, Abby, isn’t it your turn to take our voice for a spin?” Agnes yelled across the room.
Abigail nodded her head and ran to her sister. The all too familiar hum indicated that the voice was changing bodies rang through my ears.
“Oh, thank goodness,” Abigail said, grinning from ear to ear.
“That was cold, Agnes,” Cole said, but he couldn’t stop making googly eyes at her to even pretend to be insulted.
Agnes rolled her eyes and marched up the stairs. “She’ll come around,” Abigail told Cole before making her way to Cade and me.
“How does it feel to be free of Devin?” she asked Cade.
“It feels amazing. I can’t believe my mom made me think that I was really going to have to marry her,” he said, relief etched all over his face.
I had a feeling that they were about to get super sappy, so I made a quick beeline for the kitchen. I didn’t want to hear it, so I grabbed a piece of the cake and went to sit on the front porch.
Just as I was enjoying quiet time after the crazy day, I heard someone coughing, and it sounded like they were going to cough up a lung. Looking up, I saw Daniel Price walking up my driveway in pajamas. Yep, Daniel Price wasn’t wearing a suit. I just about choked on my cake.
“Aren’t you supposed to have the flu? Shouldn’t you be in bed?” I asked.
He looked horrible and so unlike himself. His hair was even messy, but I had to say it made him seem more real.
“Yes and yes, but you solved another murder case without me. I have to say I feel really left out,” he said, his voice all scratchy.
“Maybe you’re like a bad luck omen, and that’s why we can never crack the case together,” I told him as I rocked back and forth.
“Nah, I’m just going to say that you’ve had a lucky streak, but the next murder case I’m going to figure it out. You just watch,” he said, shivering even though it was ninety degrees outside.
“Daniel, I think you need to head back home and get in bed,” I told him, sitting my cake on the small outdoor table beside me before he caught a whiff of the sugary sweet frosting and barfed all over the porch.
He closed his and eyes and took a few deep breaths before getting up. “Yeah, I think you’re right,” he said, as he wobbled down the steps of the porch.
“Are you going to be okay to drive?” I called after him.
“Yeah, I’ve got this, Suzie Q. It’s cute that you’re worried about me though,” he said, winking at me before climbing into his car and speeding off.
Even when he was sick he was still a flirt. Daniel Price was something else.
29
The whole town was finally rid of the flu, so keeping with our new tradition Grandma Misty hosted a celebratory dinner in honor of solving another murder.
Cursed on the Second Date Page 13