“Oh, that is just … ridiculous,” Landon hissed, pressing me tightly against him as he struggled to his feet. My dead weight proved to be too much, and Chief Terry had to help him, making sure Landon was steady with me in his arms before taking a step back. Landon shifted my body so he could keep me close as I rested my head against his shoulder. “They were just shot at, you moron!”
“Perhaps they did that themselves and then faked the call,” Noah said. “Your girlfriend could be putting on an act for all we know.”
“I will beat the snot out of you if you ever say that again,” Landon spat, tightening his grip. “Bay’s in shock. She has blood all over her face, you jackass! Thistle and Clove are white as sheets. The trajectory of the bullet that blew half of Viola’s head off obviously came from a high angle.
“None of these girls have a gun, and they haven’t had time to discard one,” he continued, his chest heaving as he built up a full head of steam. “They have no motive for killing Viola. We have a serial killer on the loose. Whoever did this has access to multiple weapons and an agenda.”
“It could be the mothers out at the inn,” Noah argued.
“Shut up!” Landon bellowed, causing every head in the back yard to snap in his direction. “Stop acting like an idiot! Stop being so myopic you miss what’s right in front of you. Whatever is going on has absolutely nothing to do with Bay, Clove and Thistle, and everything to do with something that happened in this town years ago.
“This is nothing more than history taking over the present,” he continued, his nostrils flaring. “All of these older women are hiding a secret, or at the very least an ancient grudge. Bay, Clove and Thistle are trying to help their aunt. If you could pull your head out of your ass for five seconds you’d realize that!”
Noah was taken aback, his mouth dropping open under the full breadth of Landon’s fury.
“Landon, maybe you should take Bay out of here,” Chief Terry suggested, obviously worried things were about to escalate. “I’ll take care of the investigation. You take care of Bay.”
“Agent Michaels should stay at the scene,” Noah said. “This is an ongoing investigation, and it does not revolve around his personal life.”
“That did it,” Landon snapped, taking an aggressive step in Noah’s direction. Noah had the grace to look apologetic, but only briefly. “Everything in my life revolves around Bay right now. She’s my priority. Chief Terry can handle this scene. There’s absolutely nothing I can do here, so I’m taking Bay home.”
“I have to question her first,” Noah countered. “It’s procedure.”
“She’s not ready for questions!” Landon was so angry his hand shook as he pointed his finger in Noah’s face. “When she’s ready, I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to listen to your boneheaded theories. Until then, stay the hell away from my girlfriend!”
“Landon, take Bay home,” Chief Terry instructed. “Take Clove and Thistle with you. I’ll come out to the inn as soon as things are settled here and take statements. I’ll take them so we won’t risk an … incident.”
“Whoopee,” Landon said, gripping me tighter. “That’s the best thing I’ve heard all day. Come on, Clove and Thistle. We’re out of here.”
My cousins dutifully fell into step behind Landon as he stalked toward the back gate. I was relieved to be going home. Noah wasn’t quite done yet, though.
“Agent Michaels, if you leave this scene against protocol I will be forced to file a complaint with the home office,” Noah said.
“Knock yourself out,” Landon said. “Actually, if you could literally knock yourself out, that would be even better.” His tone softened as he addressed Clove and Thistle. “Come on, guys. I’ll get you home.”
“I JUST want to see her.”
I sat in the bathtub at the guesthouse an hour later, the steaming water washing over me as I tried to scrub my skin clean. I could still feel Viola’s blood on my face, and I worried it would be a permanent stain.
Landon had dropped Clove and Thistle at the inn and told them to explain everything to our mothers before expressly forbidding anyone from bothering us at the guesthouse. Of course that was a challenge for my mother, and she arrived shortly after with a tray of food and a stubborn disposition. Landon met her at the door, and I could hear their discussion from the bathtub.
“Winnie, she’s okay,” Landon said, his tone weary. “She’s in the tub. She needs to relax. Once she gets out, I’m putting her in pajamas and we’ll eat the food you brought down. Then I’m forcing her into bed.”
“What are you going to do?” Mom sounded worried.
“I’m going to be with her the entire time,” Landon replied. “I won’t let her out of my sight. I’ll take care of her. I promise.”
“Who’s going to take care of you?” It was a sweet question. She was right, though. Landon needed someone to make him feel better, and I sure wasn’t up to the task.
“I’ll take care of myself,” Landon said. “She’s alive and safe. That’s all I need. A good night’s sleep will do a world of wonder for her. Make sure Thistle knows to be quiet when she comes home. Aunt Tillie is back at the inn, right?”
“She is, and she had an absolute fit when she heard what happened,” Mom said. “She’s been grilling Clove and Thistle. I told her to knock it off, but she doesn’t listen to me.”
“You make sure she knows I’ll pitch an absolute fit if she comes down here and goes after Bay,” Landon warned. “Bay has been through enough for one day. It’s going to be quiet here for the foreseeable future, and Aunt Tillie doesn’t do quiet.”
“I’m leaving this to your discretion, but I still want to see her,” Mom pressed. “She’s my daughter.”
“And she’s my heart,” Landon said, his voice cracking. “She’s naked in the tub. I don’t think she wants you in there. Quite frankly, I’m going to be naked in the tub with her in a few minutes. I know I don’t want you in there when that happens. You’ll be ruined for all other men after that.”
Mom was silent for a beat. “You’re a sick man.”
“You can punish me tomorrow,” Landon said. “We’ll be at the inn for breakfast. Until then … everyone should back off.”
I didn’t hear the rest of their conversation, but I knew Landon ushered Mom out the front door because the silence after her departure was disconcerting. He was quiet when he rejoined me in the bathroom, wordlessly shedding his clothes before climbing into the tub and settling behind me. He shifted my body so we both fit, and then rubbed my back as I rested my head against his chest.
“I suppose you want to know what we were really doing there,” I said finally.
“Nope,” Landon said, kissing my forehead. “I can figure that out on my own. It doesn’t matter. Viola is dead and you’re alive. I’m going to thank whatever goddess blesses your life and watch you sleep all night. We’ll talk about the rest of it tomorrow morning.”
“I … .”
“Bay, I don’t know what you’re going to say, but I don’t want you apologizing or feeling guilty,” Landon said. “We’ll deal with it tomorrow. For the rest of the day let’s just … let it go.”
“Okay.” I pressed my eyes shut and let his steady breathing lull me. “I love you, Landon.”
“I love you, sweetie. I don’t think you can possibly understand how much. Now … rest. That’s all that’s going to help right now.”
Twenty-Eight
I woke to a heavy weight on my back, and it took me a few seconds to realize I’d shifted to sleep on my stomach during the night. Landon covered the bulk of my body with his, almost as if protecting me from something only he could see, and the fingers on our right hands were interwoven.
I pressed my eyes shut, savoring the moment and hoping sleep would reclaim me. The wish was fleeting, though.
“I know you’re awake,” Landon murmured, brushing a kiss against my cheek before rolling off me and settling back against the pillows. I shifted toward him, sighing as he
slipped his arm under me and tugged me close.
“How did you know I was awake?”
“Because you make little sighing sounds in your sleep, and you stopped making them a few minutes ago,” Landon replied, smoothing my hair down. “You always do that right before you wake up.”
“You’re pretty observant.”
“I’m a professional.”
I snickered and the act was enough to shake some of the emotional weight from my shoulders. “Do you know this much about everyone or just me?”
“Just you,” Landon replied. “I’ve spent a lot of time studying you.”
“Did you sleep at all?”
“I slept all night, Bay,” Landon said. “I had every intention of watching you sleep for ten straight hours, but that lasted twenty minutes before I joined you. I guess I was exhausted, too.”
“Because you were worried about me?”
“I’m always worried about you, little witch,” Landon teased, tickling my ribs. He didn’t expect me to laugh, but I flashed him a warm smile. His eyes sobered as he scanned me. “How do you feel?”
“I’m okay, Landon,” I said, and I mostly meant it. “I’m sorry I fell apart yesterday. I’m not sure what happened.”
“You could’ve been killed.” His response was simple … and brutal.
“I didn’t register that at the time, though.”
“You saw Viola’s life snuffed out in a heartbeat and you retreated a bit to regroup,” Landon said. “It’s normal.”
Now he was just making excuses for me. “I’ve seen death more times than almost anyone,” I countered. “Only Aunt Tillie has seen more of it. I talk to ghosts, for crying out loud. I shouldn’t have fallen apart like I did.”
“Bay, there’s a difference between talking to a spirit who refuses to let go and realizing you shared the last moment of someone’s life with them,” Landon said. “I love you dearly, but you have a tendency to act tough when it’s not necessary.
“Yesterday you couldn’t muster the energy to act tough,” he continued. “It’s okay. I’m glad you let me take care of you, because I needed to do that.”
“Well, if you insist.” I burrowed my face in the hollow of his neck as he chuckled and rubbed my back. I was happy to spend the entire day in bed just like this, but I knew it wouldn’t happen. “So, what happens now?”
“We spend five more minutes here and then see what Thistle is doing in the other room.”
That was an incredibly simplistic answer. “I mean about the case.”
“I was talking about the case,” Landon said. “I haven’t gotten any new information. My phone is in the living room. I forgot it there when we went to bed.”
I widened my eyes as I shifted my chin to lock gazes with him. “But … won’t you be in trouble if your boss called? Noah said he was going to tattle on you.”
“I don’t care.”
“But you could be in big trouble.”
“I don’t care.”
“Landon!”
“Bay!” Landon tugged on my waist to pull me higher so we could be eye to eye. He was serious when he started talking again. “You’re all I care about right now. My boss will understand that. If he doesn’t, well, I’ll deal with it later.”
“Landon.” My heart rolled at the earnest expression on his face. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Don’t say anything,” Landon said, pressing my head back to his chest and hugging me close. “Do you have any idea how I felt when I heard you’d been involved in a shooting?”
“I wasn’t shot, though.”
“You could’ve been, Bay,” Landon argued. “I’ve come to expect a lot where you’re concerned, but I swear my heart stopped beating for a few seconds. Losing you would’ve broken me. You have to understand that.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry,” Landon admonished. “You’re alive. You’ll be okay once we solve this thing. You dodged a literal bullet this time. I’ll be happy with that and ignore the rest of it.”
“For how long?”
“Five more minutes.”
I snickered, warmth running through my chest as I realized exactly how much I loved him. “Fine,” I said, giving in. “I guess you’ve earned your five minutes.”
“Oh, sweetie, I’ve earned five days of whatever I want,” Landon countered. “You can pay up when everything is settled.”
“You drive a hard bargain, but I’ll take it.”
“YOU look better than you did,” Thistle said, her hair tousled from sleep as she eyed me from the couch.
Landon pressed his hand to the small of my back and urged me forward, keeping me close as he settled in his favorite armchair and tugged me on his lap. “How are you, Thistle?”
“I’m fine,” Thistle said, her tough nature coming out to play. “I feel bad for Viola, don’t get me wrong, but I’m okay.”
Landon wasn’t convinced. “How is she, Marcus?”
Marcus, his shoulder-length blond hair messy from a night of hard slumber, offered Landon a wan smile. “She’s okay,” he said. “She took Fay’s death harder than Viola’s. I woke up eight times to make sure she was okay, but she’s good.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Landon said, shifting his attention to the end table where his phone rested.
“It’s been quiet,” Thistle said, almost as if reading his mind. “We’ve been up for an hour and we haven’t heard a peep.”
“Maybe the battery died,” I suggested.
Landon grabbed the phone and checked the screen, showing me the battery bar at half full. “I have zero messages or emails, sweetie,” he said. “It looks like all that worrying you did about me losing my job via text message was for nothing.”
“Do you really think you’re going to lose your job because of Agent Maggot?” Thistle asked, her eyes widening. “You were mean to him and all, but he totally had it coming.”
“I’m not worried about losing my job,” Landon said. “Noah needed a hard dose of reality yesterday, and I’m not sorry for giving him one.”
“I was kind of turned on,” Thistle said, earning a dark look from Marcus. “I still love you best, Marcus, don’t worry. Landon was just all … growly. He carried Bay around like a superhero and threatened Noah with bodily harm at the same time. It was totally hot.”
“I know you’re saying that to irritate me, but I’m fine with that observation,” Landon said.
“I’m serious,” Thistle argued. “I almost fell in love with you myself yesterday.”
I laughed as Landon uncomfortably shifted beneath me. “Now everyone in the family loves you,” I said. “Well, maybe not Mom. I heard you two in the hallway last night. She wasn’t thrilled with you, but she was worried about your emotional health.”
“Your mother will be putty in my hands by the end of breakfast.” Landon’s confidence was often overwhelming. Today I welcomed it. “She understood why I wanted you left alone. She might not have agreed with it, but she understood it.”
“Well, I’ll tell you who didn’t understand it: Aunt Tillie,” Thistle said. “She was fighting mad last night. She wanted to come down here and check on Bay, but Winnie threatened to body slam her if she tried. I was actually rooting for them to wrestle.”
“I wish I’d seen that,” Landon said, grinning. “I think Winnie would’ve won.”
“You were there in spirit,” Thistle said. “Winnie completely unloaded on Aunt Tillie, too. She said if Aunt Tillie wasn’t keeping secrets we wouldn’t be putting ourselves in danger trying to clear her name. Then she said that she was sick of Aunt Tillie’s secrets, and she had better spill them or shut her mouth. I choked on my wine when she said that because I couldn’t stop laughing thanks to the look on Aunt Tillie’s face.”
“What did Aunt Tillie say?” I asked.
“You know her,” Thistle said, waving off the question. “She said her private life wasn’t for public consumption and she never asked for our help. She said
we were busybodies and she couldn’t understand where we got that from because she was a private person and didn’t encourage that sort of behavior.”
Landon and Marcus snorted in unison.
“Then she said that not everything in life could happen at the speed Winnie wanted, and she was sorry you were almost hurt but there was nothing she could do to fix things,” Thistle added. “I think she thought that would shut your mom up, but Winnie exploded and told her she was full of herself and then sent her to bed without dessert.”
Laughing felt somehow wrong given Viola’s death, but I couldn’t stop myself. “Did Aunt Tillie go to bed without dessert?”
“Yeah, but we caught her in the kitchen trying to steal a pie. Winnie slapped her hands with a wooden spoon,” Thistle said. “It’s midweek, so there’s only one couple at the inn. They declared it the best dinner theater ever.”
“This is a mess,” I said, shaking my head. “If what happened yesterday isn’t enough to loosen Aunt Tillie’s lips, I have no idea what will.”
“We’ll handle that when we get up to the inn,” Landon said. “I’m going to put my foot down and force her to tell me.”
Thistle barked out a hoarse laugh. “You’re going to force her? Did you sleep so long you forgot who you’re dealing with?”
“I’m not messing around with her one second longer,” Landon said, his tone grim. “We’re missing part of the bigger picture it. It’s extremely annoying because I know whatever Aunt Tillie is hiding could solve everything. She’s just too stubborn to care.”
“I think she’s covering for Patty,” I announced.
Landon shifted his eyes to me. “Why do you say that?”
“It’s something Mrs. Gunderson said to me yesterday,” I answered. “When she said it, I almost felt a light bulb switch on over my head.”
“Well, don’t keep us in suspense; out with it,” Thistle prodded.
“Mrs. Gunderson said Aunt Tillie was a pain, but she was loyal,” I explained. “She said Aunt Tillie valued her family more than anything else, but would never break her word. She also said Aunt Tillie would tell the truth about herself to save us, and the only time she would struggle in a situation like this is if she was keeping someone else’s secret.”
Charms & Witchdemeanors (Wicked Witches of the Midwest Book 8) Page 26