“Ugh. I hate teenagers.” Chief Terry’s expression turned dour. “This is why I never had children.”
“I thought it was because you were too busy watching us,” I challenged.
Chief Terry’s expression softened. “That was a privilege.”
“Oh, I’m going to puke, you guys are so cute,” Landon moaned. “Can we focus on our mutual problem? It seems to me that Hemlock Cove is collectively going crazy. I’m talking about the entire town, not just the residents. Maybe someone put something in the water.”
“I don’t think that’s it,” I countered. “In fact, I … .” I trailed off, a hint of movement in the corner of my eye catching my attention as I stared through the front window. I couldn’t be sure, but I was almost positive that I saw … no, it wasn’t possible.
“What were you about to say?” Landon’s face filled with concern when I forced my eyes to his. “Are you okay? You’re not considering jumping on this kid, are you? I’ll take one for the team and knock him out if you are.”
“It’s not that.” I licked my lips and focused out the window again. “I think I have an idea.”
“About what’s causing this?” Chief Terry shifted from one foot to the other. “Well, don’t keep me in suspense. What is it?”
I hopped to my feet. “Follow me.”
Nelson filed into line with Landon and Chief Terry, morose.
“Not you.” I wagged my finger to halt Nelson. “You need to go home and lock yourself in your bedroom until we figure this out. That means no dates, no texts, no online sexy live video time.”
“Is that really a thing?” Landon asked, intrigued. “If so, we should be doing that when I’m out of town. That way I’ll be able to see your face and know if you’re trending toward a meltdown.”
“We’ll talk about it later.” I patted his hand. “I’m not joking, Nelson. Go home and hide. We’ll be in touch as soon as we can.”
LANDON AND Chief Terry weren’t keen on skulking through the night to chase after a shadowy figure they were convinced I had imagined, but they followed me all the same. Ignoring their heavy sighs and the dubious looks they exchanged when they thought I wasn’t looking was a battle, but I was almost positive I recognized the person cutting through the town square a few moments earlier.
My suspicions were confirmed when we rounded the corner and came upon the wishing well. A short and squat woman leaned over to stare inside as she sprinkled some sort of dust over the opening. I couldn’t hear what she said, but I was dying to hear an explanation. I decided to approach her with a calm and respectful tone. She’d earned it.
“Gotcha!”
Aunt Tillie practically jumped out of her skin when she swiveled, one hand moving to the spot over her heart and the other gripping her winter hunting hat – complete with furry flaps – so she could tug it lower. “You scared the crap out of me, you moron!”
Aunt Tillie smacked me as hard as she could, rocking me backward. Landon caught me before I could fall, slipping his hands underneath my armpits to keep me from hitting the ground.
“That hurt,” I complained, rubbing my cheek.
“Bay, put your feet flat on the ground,” Landon gritted out. “You weigh a ton.”
I scorched him with a dark glare when I regained my footing, jerking my arm away and crossing my arms over my chest. “Excuse me?”
“I didn’t mean it that way,” Landon said hurriedly. “It’s just … your jacket is really thick and it adds weight to your very slim frame.”
“Nice save,” Chief Terry offered.
“This isn’t my first go around on the Winchester Ferris wheel.”
“I’m done talking to both of you.” I held up my hand to quiet Landon and focused on Aunt Tillie. “Exactly what are you doing sneaking around here in the middle of the night?”
“It’s not even six yet,” Aunt Tillie countered.
“It’s dark.”
“It’s late fall in Michigan. Of course it’s dark.”
“Don’t try to distract me,” I warned, my temper coming out to play. It had been a really long day and I was starting to wish I’d taken up Landon on his pajama day suggestion. “Aunt Tillie, I know you have something to do with the strange things that are going on around this town. You need to spill your guts right now.”
“Oh, well, that’s just rich!” Aunt Tillie exploded, her vehemence catching me off guard and forcing me to take an inadvertent step back, smacking into Landon’s chest. “I can’t believe you’re accusing me of something as terrible as cursing the wishing well to create bad wishes when I was just walking around the town square after dark and minding my own business.”
I narrowed my eyes as I stared her down. “Who mentioned anything about cursing the wishing well?”
“I certainly didn’t.” Aunt Tillie effortlessly shifted tactics. “You must’ve imagined me saying that. Have you considered getting your ears checked?”
Landon made a disappointed throat-clearing sound. “I heard you say it too.”
“I think you’re trying to entrap me,” Aunt Tillie announced. “You’re ‘The Man’ and that’s what you do. I want a lawyer.”
“You’re not under arrest,” Chief Terry pointed out. “Yet.”
“You’re on my list.”
Despite her insistence on denying culpability, Aunt Tillie seemed off her game. I couldn’t help but take pity on her. Sure, that pity was mixed with a healthy dose of rage, but it was there. “What did you do?”
“I just told you,” Aunt Tillie shot back. “I cursed the wishing well and now it’s coming back to bite me. I blame you.”
I was understandably taken aback. “Me? What did I do?”
“You caught me trying to reverse the curse,” Aunt Tillie replied, not missing a beat. “I would’ve been long gone if you would’ve minded your own business.”
“Forget that,” Landon instructed, his tone grave. “Tell us about this curse. Is that the reason Nelson is being threatened with burning at the stake?”
Aunt Tillie screwed up her face in confusion. “Who is Nelson?”
“Nelson Lyons,” I replied. “He mentioned something about making a wish last night. That has to be why all of the girls of a certain age in this area are drooling all over him.”
“And don’t forget Mrs. Leery,” Landon added. “She said she wished that things would be how they used to, and then she had sweaty sex in The Overlook parking lot with her husband.”
“Oh, gross.” Aunt Tillie wrinkled her nose. “I’m glad I didn’t see that. You just know that guy looks freaky without his clothes on. Blech.”
“Yes, because that’s the most important thing,” Chief Terry deadpanned, shaking his head. “Why would you curse the wishing well? And why am I asking that question? Other police chiefs don’t have to ask that question. It’s as if I’m being punished.”
“I think it has a little something to do with your attitude,” Aunt Tillie sniffed.
“Don’t push me,” Chief Terry hissed, lowering his tall frame so he could be at eye level with Aunt Tillie. “Why did you do this? And how soon can you have it fixed?”
“I did it because I was playing a little game with Margaret Little,” Aunt Tillie replied, squaring her shoulders. She knew she was caught, but there was no way she’d curl into a ball and let every angry person in the neighborhood kick her while she was down. “The curse was meant to hit the first person who made a wish. I assumed that would be Margaret.”
“More than one person has been exhibiting odd behavior since making a wish” I pointed out.
“I became aware of that a little while ago,” Aunt Tillie hedged. “I think … um …maybe I made an error when I cast the spell. That’s why I came back here to reverse it.”
“And?”
“And I’m not sure the reversal spell will work because I can’t exactly remember how I cast the first spell.”
“But … didn’t you follow a spell recipe?” That was one of those Winchester witch
rules we were never supposed to ignore. “You always said … .”
“I know what I said, little miss freakout,” Aunt Tillie snapped. “There might’ve been wine involved when I cast the first spell. It wasn’t something that was supposed to be ongoing. It was simply supposed to be a one and done.”
“Well, it definitely hasn’t turned out that way.”
“Tell me something I don’t know,” Aunt Tillie muttered. “There’s something else. I guess if I’m being honest I’ll own up to that, because … well … I’m a responsible person.”
“Oh, I can’t wait to hear this,” Landon said, exhaling heavily. “This is going to be all sorts of suck. I can already tell.”
“The spell took on another peculiar trait,” Aunt Tillie offered. “I designed it so when Margaret made her wish she’d get what she wanted for a bit and then it would turn.”
My blood ran cold. “Turn how?”
“Oh, you know.” Aunt Tillie swished her head from side to side, as if she was trying to evade a pesky fly. “You’d get what you’d want and then after a while you’d get a little more than you want.”
“I don’t understand what that means,” Landon interjected. “Did she just explain something?”
“I think she means that people will think they get what they want and then realize they should’ve been careful about what they wished for,” I suggested. “That’s why Nelson was having such a good time earlier today. He got what he wanted – a ton of girls throwing themselves all over him. By the time the evening hit, his wish morphed into everyone else being jealous because he stole all of the women in a certain age group.”
“Oh.” Landon rolled his neck until it cracked. “What does that mean for the Leerys?”
“I’m guessing it means that because she wished for things to go back to the way they were, they’ll land on a time in her life when things weren’t so good.”
“And what about Danielle and the Star Trek dude?” Chief Terry asked. “She’s not going to hurt him, is she?”
“I didn’t hear about that one,” Aunt Tillie admitted. “She managed to get her hands on a real celebrity? This won’t end well.”
“I’m more worried about the flying kid,” I said. “What happens if he starts crashing?”
“Wait … someone is flying?” Aunt Tillie looked impressed rather than embarrassed. “Even when I’m drunk I pack a powerful wallop. If I knew I could make people fly I would’ve cast this spell a long time ago. Is he wearing a cape?”
“Just a hoodie,” I replied, my annoyance bubbling up. “Aunt Tillie, how could you do this? The entire town could be affected by this time tomorrow.”
“The good news is that I tried to dump a reversal spell in there,” Aunt Tillie offered. “The bad news is that I don’t think it worked.”
“How is that even remotely good news?”
Aunt Tillie shrugged. “I can mark that mixture off my list and go on to the next one. It’s progress.”
“Oh, man!” I slapped my hand to my forehead, weariness overtaking me. “This is, like, the longest day ever.”
“You’re in big trouble,” Landon snapped, wagging a finger in Aunt Tillie’s face. “I’ll lock you up for this one.”
“I’ll help,” Chief Terry added.
“Oh, right.” Aunt Tillie rolled her eyes. “I can see that police report now. Senior citizen curses wishing well and boy flies. They’ll lock you up for being mentally unbalanced before I ever see the inside of a courtroom.”
Landon must’ve realized she spoke some truth because he lowered his voice. “You’re still in big trouble.”
“And all I heard was ‘wah, wah, wah.” Aunt Tillie made a face. “So … who wants to get some cake? I need to recharge my batteries, and I think cake is the only thing that will make that happen.”
Every single time we have to do something together I wish I were an only child. It’s nothing against you, of course, but I read that only children are happier and more successful. There would’ve been nothing holding me back if I were an only child. I … Twila, are you even listening to me? Yank the gum out of your hair and pay attention.
– Winnie Winchester, age 14, bossing around her sisters
Nine
“I don’t see why you’re giving me attitude. This isn’t my fault.”
Aunt Tillie hadn’t stopped talking from the moment Landon forced her into his Explorer. She rattled off a seemingly endless diatribe on why she was being persecuted and how ‘The Man’ was out to get her. I risked a few glances at Landon during the drive, found him stone-faced and grim, and worried that things would get worse before they got better.
“I’m sorry about this.” I kept my voice low even though Aunt Tillie kept talking in the back seat. “I know this isn’t how you wanted to spend your weekend. I … am so sorry.”
Landon made an exasperated sound in the back of his throat as he reached over and grabbed my hand. “Don’t apologize for something you’re not responsible for. You didn’t do this. I hate it when you go all martyr on me.”
“I’m not being a martyr,” I corrected. “I might not have done this myself, but we all figured out that Aunt Tillie was up to something before we actually caught her in the act. She was acting weird and we should’ve realized it was a spell gone amok. Who else could’ve possibly done this?”
“I resent that,” Aunt Tillie sniffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “This is something that could’ve easily happened to any of you. You guys have done much worse.”
I balked. “What have I done that’s worse?”
“Don’t you remember when you were sixteen and you cursed Lila Stevens so her pants kept ripping whenever she bent over? She also made that terrible farting sound when it happened. Come to think of it, that was a good curse. Do you remember how you did it?”
I was mortified to be reminded of that. “Aunt Tillie,” I growled. “That was a long time ago … and it was nowhere near as bad as what you did.”
“Says you.” Aunt Tillie rolled her eyes. “Lila almost went crazy that week. She had that meltdown and tried to yank out your hair. She knew it was you, but couldn’t prove it. Good times,” she sighed over the reminiscence.
“I fail to see how Bay messing with a demented bully when she was in high school is the same as you cursing a wishing well and allowing people to fly,” Landon argued. “You’ve hurt innocent people. Bay went after a guilty person.”
“Oh, you’re only saying that because you’re sweet on her,” Aunt Tillie complained.
“I am sweet on her,” Landon agreed. “In fact, I’m so sweet on her there are times I wish I could go back in time and take care of the Lila situation myself. That has nothing to do with this particular spell.”
“If you agree to keep what I’ve done to yourself I’ll totally make it possible for you to go back in time and terrorize Lila,” Aunt Tillie offered.
Landon narrowed his eyes as he met Aunt Tillie’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “Don’t push me.”
“Oh, fine.” Aunt Tillie tsked as she offered a half-hearted wave. “I still maintain this isn’t my fault. It could’ve happened to anyone. It’s like when there’s a slick spot on the road. Is the innocent driver who hits it first responsible for the seventy-car pileup?”
“That depends,” Landon answered evenly. “Did the first driver cast a spell to cause the slick spot?”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“That’s what I thought,” Landon grumbled, releasing my hand so he could vigorously rub the back of his head. “You make me tired. You know that, right? You make me so tired that my scalp itches.”
“That’s probably lice.”
“It’s not lice. Where would I get lice?”
“I heard the government has a special lice breeding program and they’re trying to infiltrate their enemies with mutant bugs,” Aunt Tillie replied. “Maybe they’re using you as a test case. You are ‘The Man,’ after all.”
“So very tired,
” Landon muttered.
I shot him a sympathetic look. The weariness was back, pinching the area around his eyes and making him look older. Life was weighing heavily on him these days because we had so much going on. I was desperate to make things easier for him.
“Landon, why don’t you drop me off at the inn and head back to the guesthouse,” I suggested. “You can take a bath and go to bed early. I have a feeling this is going to take a family effort to correct, and I know you’re tired, so … you should get some rest.”
Landon’s expression was unreadable when he shifted his eyes to me. “Why are you handling me?”
“I’m not handling you,” I protested.
“She’d better not be handling you,” Aunt Tillie grumbled from the back seat. “If she’s handling you she’ll get lice, because they hop to your private parts. I read that in a magazine.”
“Be quiet back there,” Landon barked. “You’re in enough trouble.”
“Sheesh. Where did your sense of humor go? Did the lice eat it?”
“I can’t even look at you,” Landon groused, heaving out a sigh. His eyes were thoughtful as they roamed my face. I knew what I wanted to say to him, but I didn’t get a chance because he opened his mouth first. “Bay, we’re in this together. This is no different than the other crazy things we’ve been forced to overcome. We’ll get through this.”
I wasn’t convinced. “You’re so tired, though.”
“I’m not tired. We got ten hours of sleep last night. I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine.”
“She’s not wrong,” Aunt Tillie said, resting her cheek against my seat as she leaned forward. “You do look a little tired. Maybe you should try getting more vitamin D. With the lack of sun this time of year many people suffer from a deficiency. I think you’re probably one of them. If you’re feeling drained and exhausted, that’s probably it.”
“Oh, well, as luck would have it I’m feeling irritated and annoyed,” Landon clarified. “I’m pretty sure that has something to do with you.”
“It could be the lice,” Aunt Tillie countered. “Maybe they ate your funny bone.”
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