Witch Way to Beauty and the Beach

by Jane Hinchey

  “A winner is better than a quitter,” Gran piped up. I whipped around and mouthed “Shut up!”

  The Griffins put their heads together and whispered amongst themselves. Jacob stood back, hands shoved in his pockets, an expression of utter boredom on his face. I studied the good-looking teenager and surmised Kristin was right. Jacob was a player. I didn’t miss the way his eyes traveled over Jordan, resting on her chest for an obscene amount of time. I stepped in front of her, blocking his view.

  His eyes shot to my face and an insolent grin twisted his lips while he dropped his gaze, blatantly staring at my bust. My palm itched with wanting to slap his face. Curling my fingers into a fist I sucked in a deep breath. What a conceited little twerp. He’d kept it well hidden, until now. I narrowed my eyes.

  “Did you tell your parents about the beer?” I snapped, then immediately regretted letting him goad me. I wanted his parents to let him perform in the talent competition, not ground him.

  Jeremy’s head snapped up. “Yeah, yeah, we know all about it. Jacob is such a good boy, taking the blame for his friend.”

  “His friend?” I blinked in shock.

  “Yes.” Kathleen nodded. “Ethan should have known better. Really. But boys will be boys.”

  I almost exploded. This time it was Gran who shushed me, tugging sharply on my hair. I looked at her over my shoulder and she shook her head. Before I could say anything, Jeremy declared that Jacob could perform tonight after all and the trio exited the store, not before Jacob threw me an insolent wink on the way out.

  Chapter Seventeen

  I had no time to reflect on Jacob or his parents, other than to mentally file away how similar he was in appearance to his uncle. It was uncanny. Jacob could easily pass as a younger version of Daniel; he was his uncle’s doppelgänger.

  But I had no time to ponder on that. A coachload of tourists swarmed the store, keeping us busy, wanting history books on the lighthouse and romantic novels to read on the beach. Thankfully Gran had hung around to help and Archie was in his element with so many people making a fuss over him.

  After the tourists left, bags heavy with purchases, we had a steady stream of locals right up until lunchtime, when it quieted down. Gran headed off; she’d spied a tourist she’d liked the looks of and he said he was joining the tour group down on the beach for a pre-lunch dip.

  “Make sure you take your bathing suit!” I called after her as she darted out the door.

  “No promises!” I heard her shout as she hurried away.

  “She wouldn’t, would she?” Jordan turned to me, eyes wide. I gave her a reassuring smile but made no guarantees. With Gran, you just never knew.

  The bell above the door jangled and Hannah stepped inside.

  “Morning, Hannah, you here to see Jordan?” I asked.

  “If that’s okay?” Urgh, I wanted to hug this girl so tight. She was hurting so much and her parents couldn’t drag themselves out of their own fog of grief to help her.

  “Actually, Jordan, you can head off if you like. Go hang out, rest up for tonight. And—” I held my hand up so she couldn’t interrupt. “Full pay. It’s not fair you missed out on yesterday’s wages.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely. Saturday afternoons are always quiet. I’ll probably close up early, but for now I can manage on my own.”

  I made myself busy rearranging a display that had some empty spots after the swarm of tourists had descended. I liked that they’d bought so many books; it was a great problem to have.

  I unashamedly listened while Jordan gathered her gear and told Hannah about the Griffins coming into the store earlier. Hannah rolled her eyes at Jacob’s antics.

  “Sounds about right.”

  “You two were an item once though.” Jordan slung her backpack over one shoulder.

  “That’s what he told everyone, but it’s not true.” I remembered Hannah had told me the same thing. They’d gotten drunk and Jacob had told his buddies they’d slept together. Douche.

  “I didn’t realize how much Jacob looks like his uncle.” I interrupted, steering the conversation away from Jacob’s appalling treatment of Hannah. “I thought his looks came from his dad, but now I’ve seen them together I realize they come from his uncle.”

  “I guess.” Jordan agreed while Hannah looked thoughtful.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  She tapped a finger to her chin. “I just thought of something. Something that makes it all make sense.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Emily. Going out with Jacob. I mean she’s known him for years and had shown no interest whatsoever before. She once told me she likes older men, that the boys our age are too immature.”

  “What are you saying? That you think Emily was dating Jacob’s uncle?” Jordan screwed up her face at the thought.

  “What? No!” Hannah snorted. “No, I’m saying she went out with Jacob because he looked like his uncle. She’s not going to go out with someone old enough to be her father, but she could fantasize that Jacob was his uncle. That would explain why I got the feeling she wasn’t really all that into him.”

  Oh. My. God. Hannah was right, righter than she knew. What if Emily was having an affair with Daniel Griffin? What if he was the father of her child? He was running for mayor, a secret like this would ruin his career. At least Emily was seventeen and not under the age of consent, that could have landed him in jail. But still the age gap alone was enough to send the town into a tailspin.

  Clamping my lips shut, I ushered the girls out of the store, promising I’d see them tonight at the performance. I closed the door behind them and leaned against it, heart pounding. It fit. Daniel would have the brains to use a burner phone, not to mention the disposable income to purchase one. Hannah said Emily had asked her to meet her at the beach that night because she had something to tell her. Maybe it was about the affair and the baby. And Daniel turned up to stop her, only found her unconscious on the sand and took the opportunity to silence her once and for all.

  But why attack Sarah?

  Pulling out my phone, I dialed Jackson.

  “Hey, babe,” he answered. Babe! He’d called me babe. It was the first time he’d ever called me that and I was all a flutter. “Harper? You there?”

  “Sorry.” I cleared my throat. “Jackson, has Jacob’s DNA test come back yet?”

  “Not yet. Why?”

  “I think the baby daddy is Daniel Griffin. It fits. Hannah just told me that Emily had a thing for older men—and Jacob is the spitting image of Daniel. I think Emily was going out with Jacob as a cover. And I saw Daniel at the beach the night of the fire, wearing a tie.”

  “Wearing a tie isn’t a crime,” Jackson pointed out. “And all of what you told me is purely circumstantial. We need evidence.”

  “We’ll get that when the DNA comes in.”

  “That will prove if Jacob was or wasn’t sleeping with Emily. And even then, it doesn’t prove Daniel killed her.”

  “You’re such a buzz kill,” I muttered, hating that he was right.

  He chuckled. “Just… don’t do anything stupid, okay? Cornering a killer is never a wise move. Leave it to the professionals.”

  “Jackson Ward, I think you’ve forgotten who you’re speaking to,” I said in mock outrage.

  His sigh was loud down the phone. “Please, for the love of God, be careful.”

  “I will.” I blew him a kiss down the phone, then hung up. It immediately buzzed. Seeing Jenna’s name, I swiped the screen, screeching into the phone, “I think I know who killed Emily!”

  “You do? Who?”

  “Daniel Griffin!” I glanced around, double-checking I was alone in the store. I was. But to keep it that way I flipped the sign to closed and locked the door.

  “What are you going to do?” Jenna asked. “Confront him?”

  “What? Heck no! I need proof. Proof I’ll take to Jackson. If we can find the burner phone that Daniel used to communicate with Emily�
�”

  “Burner phone?”

  I filled her in on the latest news of the investigation.

  “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” I could hear the excitement in Jenna’s voice.

  “Probably not, but go ahead.”

  “We need to search Daniel’s house. The phone has to be there.”

  “Jackson will be pissed if he finds out.” I hesitated.

  Jenna snorted. “Errr, what is it you always tell me? It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than it is for permission. It’s not like that phone will be lying around for anyone to stumble across. We need to get into his house. Come on, not like you to wimp out.”

  “It could be dangerous—he killed Emily. Tried to kill Sarah.” I felt it only fair to warn her we could potentially be walking into a killer’s den.

  “Has Sarah remembered anything?”

  “Only that she got a text—a text she thought was from Jacob— asking her to meet up at the beach hut. Jackson says the text came from the same number as the burner phone.”

  “Sooooo.” There was a moment's silence while Jenna mulled over what I’d told her. “Sarah goes to meet Jacob. But he doesn’t show. Instead, his uncle turns up. She wouldn’t feel threatened—she knows him—she’d feel safe.”

  “Exactly! And he’d already doctored the beer. So this time his actions are pre-meditated.”

  “But why try to kill Sarah?”

  “Because he’s worried Emily confided in her about the affair and the baby. I think killing Emily just happened. An opportunity presented itself and he made a split second decision. But then he didn’t factor in Emily having two best friends she may have confided in.”

  “Do you think Hannah is in danger?” Jenna was following my train of thought.

  “I’m not sure. He may have heard what she told the police—that Emily had wanted to tell her something but then she’d caught her lighting the fire and they’d fought. He may already know that Emily didn’t have a chance to tell Hannah anything.”

  I could hear a rustling in the background. “What are you doing?” I asked.

  “Looking out the window. I have the perfect view of the town hall—lots of activity today with the cleanup from last night and prep for tonight.”

  “And?”

  “And I’m looking to see if mayoral candidate Daniel Griffin is in attendance. While I wait, let me tell you why I called.”

  I clapped a hand over my mouth. “I’m so sorry. I jumped right into my theory and didn’t even say hello. I’m a bad friend.”

  “Yes. Yes, you are,” she teased, chuckling. “So I’ve been working on trying to find out who it was that broke in here the other night. The balaclava-wearing bandit.”

  “I’d almost forgotten about that in all the excitement,” I admitted. “Did they take anything?”

  “Nope. Not sure what they were after, but it looks like nothing was taken. But I managed to get some video footage from the security camera next door. They caught the intruder as he was leaving, conveniently carrying a black balaclava.”

  “Oh my God—who was it?”

  “The weirdest thing. It was one of the fox’s from the compound. Leon Johnson.” The compound was a campground just outside of the town limits where fox shifters lived in a commune type setup.

  “I don’t know him. What’s his deal?”

  “That’s just it, I have no clue. It’s not like we’ve had any stories featuring any of them of late—they’ve been keeping a low profile.”

  “So what are you going to do? Go to the police?”

  “I thought I’d chat with Jackson about it. I mean Leon was on the premises illegally, but he didn’t damage anything or take anything—other than scaring the bejesus out of me.” More rustling. “Ah-ha! I was right. He’s here, schmoozing with his public.”

  “What?” I couldn’t keep up.

  “Daniel Griffin is at the town hall. Meaning now’s our chance to search for that phone. I’m coming to get you. I’ll be there in a few.” The phone went dead before I could respond.

  Gathering up my bag, I unlocked the door, glancing at Archie, who’d jumped down from the armchair where he’d been snoozing. “What do you think, Arch? Think you’d make a good lookout cat?” I couldn’t leave him locked in the shop and I would not turn him out on the street.

  Meow. “You’re right. You’d make an excellent guard cat. Come on, let’s go for a walk.” Scooping him up, I let myself out of the shop to wait for Jenna outside.

  Chapter Eighteen

  I knew from experience that we could walk to Daniel’s townhouse in a matter of minutes, deciding we’d be less conspicuous if we left my car at the back of the store rather than parked on the street outside of Daniel’s place.

  “Stop worrying,” Jenna told me as we hurried down Main Street and swung to the right at the corner. “Just use your magic to hide us. It will be fine.”

  “Why didn’t I think of that?”

  “Because you are so used to not using your magic it doesn’t occur to you to, you know, use it and make your life easier.” We’d walked so fast I was puffing by the time we reached the gate to Daniel’s townhouse. “Now would be a good time to weave some of that magic, Harper,” Jenna hinted, cocking one hip as she waited impatiently.

  “Oh. Right. Here, hold Archie.” I shoved my cat at her, wiped my hands on my shorts, closed my eyes, then cast an invisibility spell over us. “Did it work?” I whispered.

  “No idea,” Jenna said dryly. “I guess we’ll find out.” She handed Archie back to me. “Now stand back and let me do my magic.”

  “You have magic?”

  “I have fae skills. Close enough.”

  Pulling a clip from her hair she expertly picked the lock on the gate. Within seconds it swung open and my jaw fell open. I had no idea she had such hidden talents.

  “I’m an investigative reporter. And sometimes a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do to get the story.”

  “I’m lost for words.” Following her down the front path, I waited while she dealt with the front door lock.

  “Uh oh.” The door had sprung open silently and Jenna had stepped inside, I was close behind when she suddenly stopped and I ran into her.

  “What?” I whispered.

  “Alarm.” She nodded at the keypad on the wall that was now flashing, showing that we had seconds to punch in the correct code before it alerted the entire neighborhood to our presence.

  “Actually, I might have this. Shut the door,” she said. I quietly shut the door and watched as she pulled out her phone, scrolled through the apps until she found the flashlight app and angled it toward the keypad. The light, shone on just the right angle, highlighted the four common keys pressed. We just had to get the right combination. She got it on the third try, with seconds to spare.

  “Girl,” Jenna grinned, “told you I had skills.”

  “You are amazing! Where did you learn that?”

  “I saw it on TV.” She nodded, proud of herself.

  I turned, examining the room with my hands on hips. “We need to be quick. We’ve no idea how long Daniel will be gone. He could be back any minute.”

  Jenna slapped me on the rear. “Better get moving then, Jones.” She grinned. “I’ll take downstairs, you take up. Archie, keep an eye out.”

  I’d set Archie on the floor, but now he jumped up on a hallway table and dutifully sat, facing the front door. I couldn’t contain my laugh. He looked so cute. Then I headed up the stairs, taking two at a time. Daniel had shown me the secret book he’d kept his spare keys in. If he had one hidey hole like that, I’d bet he had another. A perfect hiding place for a burner phone.

  I went through the entire bookshelf, carefully pulling out each book, examining it for secret compartments before sliding it back. The minutes were slipping by and we’d barely scratched the surface.

  “Ah, Harper?” Jenna said from behind me.

  “Yeah?” I kept searching, not pausing in my task until I heard a st
range noise. A click. Almost like… a gun being cocked? Straightening, I slowly turned, eyes widening at the scene before me. Daniel was back. And he had a gun against Jenna’s head.

  “Out,” Daniel snapped, waving the gun to indicate I join them. I did. Slowly.

  “How can you even see us?” I asked. “I cast an invisibility spell.”

  “I had a little witch cast her own spell over this house.” He sounded smug, and I narrowed my eyes.

  “Emily could spell cast?” I hadn’t known that.

  “Shut up and get over there!” He shoved Jenna toward me and waved the gun at us, ushering us over to the living room. “And don’t even think of using magic to protect yourself. This house is warded to repel all magic.”

  Now that I’d gotten over the initial shock, adrenaline kicked in. I glanced at Jenna who was as calm and cool as a cucumber. I swear nothing rattled her. Standing by her side, a gun aimed at us, I reached my hand out and wrapped my fingers around hers. She squeezed, but neither of us took our eyes off Daniel.

  “Now what?” Jenna asked. “You just going to shoot us here? If you do that, you’d better be prepared to run, long and hard. We’d be missed and there’s no way the cops wouldn’t pin it to you. Our DNA is all over this place, not to mention you’d have a hell of a time getting rid of the bloodstains. No little witch to help you anymore. Probably shouldn’t have killed her.”

  I glanced at Jenna out of the corner of my eye. Was she crazy, goading him like that? She squeezed my fingers again, and I sucked in a slow deep breath, trying to calm my thundering heart. Then it clicked. She was buying time. The longer we kept him distracted the better our chances of catching him off guard and disarming him. I had no idea how—especially if my magic wouldn’t work within these walls.

  “Why did you kill Emily?” I asked. If I was going to die, I at least wanted to know why he’d done what he’d done.

  “Actually, it wasn’t me. I would have thought you’d have it all figured out by now. Miss Marple.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “You say it wasn’t you? Yet here we stand, at gunpoint.”