Charms & Witchdemeanors (Wicked Witches of the Midwest Book 8)

by Amanda M. Lee

  “I don’t know, Bay,” Aunt Tillie answered. “Whoever it is knows Patty’s secret and the part everyone played in bringing about a terrible thing.”

  An idea occurred to me. “What happened to the baby? You said Victor raised him. Did he know about his mother? Could he be out for revenge?”

  “I don’t know, Bay,” Aunt Tillie replied. “I’ve been trying to track him down, but so far I haven’t had any luck.”

  “Well … crap,” I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck. “You answered a lot of questions but we still don’t have all of the answers.”

  Aunt Tillie stretched and put her pruning shears in their leather sheath. “Welcome to the real world, kid.”

  Thirty-One

  “What do you think?”

  I searched Landon’s face for clues as we stood in the doorway between the library and foyer. Steve remained at the table, seemingly content to let my mother and aunts regale him with stories as they showered him with food and attention. He was a nice guy, and although I would’ve preferred meeting him under different circumstances I was glad he was here.

  “It gives us more information, but it doesn’t give us answers,” Landon said, rubbing his thumb against my cheek as he thought. “It sounds like something horrible was done to Patty and Victor, but that was so long ago.”

  “Can you find the son?”

  Landon nodded. “I think that’s the best place to look. What are you going to do? And if the answer is anything other than get back in your pajamas and curl up with a good book while waiting for me we’re going to have an argument.”

  I pressed my lips together, unsure how to answer. “Um … .”

  Landon blew out a frustrated sigh. “What are you going to do?”

  “I don’t want to fight,” I said. “In fact, that’s the last thing I want to do.”

  “I don’t want to fight either,” Landon said. “You have your ‘investigative reporter’ face on, though, and I know that means you’re not going to sit still. You can lie to me and try to make me feel better and wait for it to blow up in your face or tell me the truth and risk the consequences.”

  “I don’t ever want to lie to you,” I said, inadvertently hurt by his words. “Why would you say that?”

  Landon held up his hands in a placating manner. “Okay, ‘lie’ probably wasn’t the best choice of words,” he said. “You do have a tendency to think you’re doing something simple and safe, and then keep doing it even as things fall apart. Don’t even think about denying it.”

  He had a point. “I’m going to the newspaper office and demand answers from Edith,” I said. “Aunt Tillie said she was a lot more entrenched in that group than she let on. She might know something.”

  “The problem is that we can’t use the information she gives us,” Landon said, “at least not right away. We have to be careful with this, Bay. Steve likes you – and he seems to love your mother and aunts – but he’s not in on the big secret. How will you explain information you get from Edith?”

  I shrugged. “I thought we’d cross that bridge when we come to it.”

  “Ugh.” Landon made a low growling sound in his throat. “I’m not keen on the idea of you wandering around town. We don’t know that you’re a target, but we don’t know you aren’t.”

  “I’ll be careful.”

  “Were you careful yesterday, Bay?” Landon challenged. “It seems you tried to be as careful as possible and only chance saved your life.”

  “I don’t know what you want me to say,” I said. “I can’t change who I am. I can help this investigation. I promise to be careful. What more do you want?”

  “I want you safe,” Landon replied, not missing a beat. “I want to be able to separate from you today and know I’m going to crawl into bed with you tonight. I want to know that you’re going to be around to sit on my lap … and laugh … and argue with your cousins.”

  “I will.”

  “You can’t promise me that, Bay,” Landon said, drawing me in for a hug. “I can’t change you, though, and I don’t want to. I need you to be really careful. Pay attention to your surroundings. It’s important.”

  “I will.”

  “Okay.” Landon pressed his lips to my forehead and continued to hug me, only shifting his body when Steve joined us in the hallway.

  “What’s going on?” Steve asked.

  “Aunt Tillie gave us some information,” Landon replied. “I’ll fill you in on the way to the police station. We have to drop Bay off at the newspaper office first.”

  I balked. “I might need my car.”

  Landon stilled, a flash of irritation drifting across his face. “Bay … .”

  “Do you really want to leave me stranded without a vehicle?” I asked. “That doesn’t seem like the safe way to go.”

  “She has a point,” Steve said.

  “Don’t encourage her,” Landon admonished, his eyes stormy as they latched onto mine. “You text me every twenty minutes. I don’t care if it’s only to say you’re still alive and out of trouble. If you miss a text, I’m coming for you.”

  “I’ve got it,” I said, smiling despite myself. “Do you still want me to text you dirty things when you’re with your boss?”

  Landon’s face cracked into a genuine smile. “Always.”

  “You two are something else,” Steve said, shaking his head. “By the way, did I mention I’m going to stay here tonight? I thought my presence would anchor Agent Glenn, so I figured staying in Hemlock Cove was the best option. I’m really looking forward to it.”

  “That’s because you haven’t seen the dinner theater yet,” Landon said. “That sentiment won’t last.”

  “Do you want to bet?”

  Landon shrugged. “I’ll bet a pound of pot roast these women drive you batty before you even realize what’s happening.”

  “You’re on.”

  I FOUND Edith staring out the window in my office. Her expression was forlorn, and I couldn’t help but wonder what she was thinking about. I decided to get right to the point.

  “I know.”

  Edith turned, her eyes somber. “What do you know?”

  “Aunt Tillie told me all of it,” I said. “She told me about her competition with Mrs. Little to see who could win Victor. She told me about Patty’s pregnancy and how she had to give the baby up for adoption. She also told me you were part of the horrible little group that found out the truth and tortured Patty.”

  “I guess Tillie has been talking quite a bit,” Edith said. “I didn’t expect that of her. I thought she would keep Patty’s secret forever.”

  “Keeping secrets is a funny business,” I said, sitting in my desk chair. “It always seems there’s a viable reason, but in the end love of family will always trump it. Aunt Tillie wanted to protect Patty because she knew she did wrong by her. She told the truth because she didn’t want to do wrong by her family.”

  “Hmm.”

  “What’s your excuse?” I challenged.

  Edith jolted at my tone, frowning. “I don’t think I deserve your attitude,” she said. “What happened back then was a … lark. It was nothing more.”

  “A lark? I think it was a lot more than a lark,” I argued. “You played games with people’s lives and irrevocably changed them. Patty lost everything.”

  “And Tillie played a huge part in that,” Edith spat.

  “She did, and she knows she was wrong,” I acknowledged. “She knows she did a horrible thing. She tried to help Patty the best way she knew after the fact. You couldn’t let things be, though. You had to let Margaret Little bully you into going after Patty.

  “Have you ever asked yourself why she did that?” I continued. “I think it was because she was so miserable she could only be content if she ensured other people were unhappier. She didn’t go after Patty because it was the right thing to do. She did it to make Aunt Tillie pay.”

  Edith snorted. “How do you figure that?”

  “Aunt Tillie felt guilty
for ruining Patty’s life,” I answered. “Victor’s attention turned ugly, and she was the reason he was forced to leave town. The times were different then, and Patty couldn’t raise a child on her own, especially in a place as small as Walkerville. Patty made the best decision she could for her child and found him a good home until you all stepped in and told Victor where to find his son. Victor was so bitter he claimed the child for his own. Do you think that boy screamed when he was torn away from the only parents he’d ever known?”

  “I … don’t know,” Edith said. If ghosts could cry, I think she would’ve been shedding tears.

  “Victor was bitter and violent,” I said. “He attacked Aunt Tillie. Did you know that?”

  “I … there was a rumor,” Edith sniffed. “It wasn’t true.”

  “It was true,” I snapped. “Uncle Calvin fought him off. Instead of pressing charges, they came to an agreement, forcing Victor out of town. Aunt Tillie felt guilty for using him, so she gave in and let Victor off the hook.”

  “Victor was a sad individual after what happened,” Edith said. “Tillie was the one in the wrong, but she managed to move past things without repercussions. She never faces any repercussions!”

  “I see through you now, Edith,” I said, my heart rolling. “The stories about Uncle Calvin coming in and you hitting on him were true. It wasn’t because you had a crush on him, though. It was because you let Mrs. Little twist your mind and build up this vendetta against Aunt Tillie. Even death couldn’t make you let it go.

  “Aunt Tillie knows what she did was wrong, but she tried to do right by Patty,” I was now fuming. “Patty was never the same, and I don’t blame her for hating Aunt Tillie and the rest of you. You earned it. Aunt Tillie respected her enough to leave her alone after she gave up the baby. Instead of letting it go, though, your bunch attacked when you found out about him.

  “How did you find out?” I asked. “How did Mrs. Little find that information, and how did she convince you to wield it as a weapon against Patty?”

  “She knew a man in the county’s records bureau. He helped her look through old records,” Edith replied, her head hanging. “She knew Willa wasn’t really Tillie and Ginger’s full sister decades ago. Because that information would’ve benefited Tillie, she chose to keep it to herself. She knew long before Ginger died, and hoped it would turn into something she could use.”

  “Well, great,” I said. That didn’t really surprise me. “So Mrs. Little stumbled over the information about the baby and realized Aunt Tillie helped Patty hide her pregnancy and give the baby up for adoption. Why give that information to Victor?”

  “Because we thought Victor should know,” Edith replied. “I still think he had a right to know. That was his son, too.”

  “Yes, but Patty told him she was pregnant and he walked away,” I snapped.

  Edith balked. “I … no. He was surprised when we told him about the baby.”

  “That’s probably because he figured Patty got rid of the baby after he refused to take responsibility for him,” I said. “He didn’t know she carried the baby to term. Abortion was one of those things nobody talked about, then. With years of bitterness fueling him, he took that kid. How do you think that kid was treated? Victor was violent and angry. Victor had a right to be angry, but that kid deserved the life Patty wanted him to have.”

  “I didn’t know,” Edith protested. “Margaret said that Victor had a right to raise his son. She said that Tillie made up the story about Victor attacking her. I … Tillie deserved to lose at least once in her life!”

  “Oh, she lost,” I said, shaking my head. I used to feel sorry for Edith, but now all I felt was contempt. “She lost her sister … and her husband. She did her best for Patty, but came up short. Aunt Tillie’s life hasn’t been perfect. You jerks were just so covetous you couldn’t see past it.”

  “Tillie could’ve helped us with spells,” Edith argued, refusing to back down. “She could’ve made our lives better. She refused because she’s selfish.”

  “You can’t make someone’s life better with a spell,” I countered. “You can’t make someone love someone else. You can’t make someone have a happy life. You can ask for good luck and fortune, but those often backfire because karma is a bitch and the world always finds a way to sort things out.

  “Tell me about Victor’s son,” I continued. “He has to play into this mess. The people being killed are all tied to that secret, to that one spot in time. You’re probably lucky you’re already dead or you would’ve been on the list, too.

  “The only people left to hurt are Mrs. Little and Aunt Tillie,” I said. “I don’t care about Mrs. Little. She’s earned what’s coming to her. I do care about Aunt Tillie, though. She’s not perfect, but she tried to make things better.”

  “I don’t know what happened to Victor,” Edith said. “You saw him. You know where he is. You said he didn’t remember anything.”

  “I don’t believe Victor is the murderer,” I said. “I think his son is.”

  Edith’s mouth dropped open but no sound came out.

  “Victor claimed a son he never wanted and raised him to hate the people who ruined his life,” I said. “It makes sense. You know it does. I have no idea where Victor was for most of his life, but he’s back in the area now. He’s close. I think that means his son is, too.

  “He went after the mother who gave him up first,” I said. “That wasn’t enough, though. He wants everyone to pay. I have to find him. So I need you to tell me what you know about Victor’s whereabouts after he left Walkerville.”

  “I don’t know a lot,” Edith said, her eyes downcast. “He wasn’t allowed back in town because of the thing with Tillie. That didn’t stop him from sneaking back from time to time.”

  Well, that was interesting. “When?”

  “I saw him probably five times or so after he was banished,” Edith answered. “He usually came after dark. I talked to him a few times and he seemed … odd. He always asked about Tillie and Calvin. He was obsessed with her.”

  “Because of the game,” I said. “He thought she really cared even though she dumped him right away. He grew resentful. Patty giving up his child probably added to that. Mrs. Little was part of the game, so he hated her. Fay, Viola and you knew about everything but did nothing to stop it. You’re all dead now.”

  “Victor always seemed agitated when I saw him,” Edith said. “In fact … yes … I think the last time I saw him his hand was bleeding because he kept scratching at it whenever he was upset. He wanted to go after Tillie, but I told him it was a bad idea. He got angry and yelled at me. He called me a bitch and said I would get what was coming to me. Then he left. That was the last time I saw him.”

  “Do you remember when that was?”

  “I … .” Edith screwed up her face in concentration. “I can’t really remember,” she said finally. “I died relatively close to that time. All of my memories from that week are kind of jumbled.”

  “What about Victor’s son?” I pressed. “He would’ve had him by that point. Did you ever see him?”

  Edith shook her head. “Victor said the boy was a handful. That’s all I know.”

  “I need you to be absolutely sure, Edith,” I said. “Do you remember anything else that can help us?”

  “Just that … well … Victor’s daughter lives here in town.”

  I stilled. “Who?”

  “Carolyn Manchester,” Edith said. “She comes in to place ads occasionally. She married one of the Manchester boys, but her maiden name is Donahue. I know because I saw her placing an ad a couple of years ago and she laughed about it with the clerk who helped her.

  “She said she never visited Walkerville as a child,” she continued. “She knew her father was from here, but he never had anything nice to say about the town. She even said her father was angry when she moved here.”

  “I know Carolyn,” I said. “She’s a nice woman.”

  Edith shrugged and held up her hands. “I
don’t have anything else to tell you, Bay. That’s all I know. I swear it.”

  “Well, I guess it’s a start.”

  Thirty-Two

  I knew where Carolyn lived. It was just around the corner and within easy walking distance. Landon’s admonishment about playing it safe echoed in the back of my brain, though, so instead I headed for my car.

  Because Brian was out of the office all day – he sent me an email claiming he had a great idea about boosting ad revenue and was following up on it – I was surprised to find a second car in the parking lot. I pulled up short, my heart hammering as I wondered whether I was about to find the trouble Landon was so worried about, but when I studied the occupant I realized I recognized the profile.

  Agent Noah Glenn didn’t look happy. I guessed he Steven had reamed him out and he wanted to take his misery out on me. He didn’t get out of his car, though, instead glaring at me as I shot him a challenging look and climbed in my car.

  I called Landon right away.

  “Hi, sweetie,” Landon greeted me warmly. “Did you decide to do a dirty phone call instead of a text?”

  “Maybe later,” I said, frowning as Noah stared daggers in my direction. “Did you know Agent Glenn is in the parking lot of The Whistler?”

  Landon chuckled. “I did.”

  “Do you want to fill me in?”

  “Director Newton sat down and went through all of Noah’s evidence with him when we first got to the police station this morning,” Landon replied. “He then poked holes in each piece, and Noah … did not take it well. He accused me of somehow poisoning Director Newton against him.”

  “How did that go over?”

  “Not well,” Landon said. “Chief Terry almost exploded when Noah accused you of faking your reaction to Viola’s death. Director Newton essentially told Noah to shut up. He’s been tasked with keeping you safe for me.”

  I groaned. “Landon!”

  “That’s the way of the world, Bay.” Landon wasn’t even remotely apologetic. “I want my woman kept safe.” He adopted an alpha male voice. I could practically see him thumping his chest.