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

by Amanda M. Lee

  “What are you doing?”

  I jumped at the voice, scowling as I turned to find Aunt Tillie standing behind me. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m pretty sure I’m doing the same thing you are,” Aunt Tillie replied. “Carolyn Manchester is Victor’s daughter. I just figured it out, and came to talk to her. I guess you beat me to it.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “You figured it out? How?”

  “I … have keen deductive skills, and it just occurred to me.”

  She was lying. I could always tell. “You went to the newspaper building looking for me and stumbled across Edith, didn’t you?” I challenged. “She’s feeling pretty low and was easy pickings.”

  “You’re smarter than you look sometimes,” Aunt Tillie said, glancing in the car. “Are you going to steal this thing? If so, I think it’s a waste. Your car is nicer.’

  “This is Noah’s car,” I snapped. “He got in trouble this morning, and as punishment Landon sent him to follow me.”

  “That sounds like punishment,” Aunt Tillie said. “You live a pretty boring life, unless you’re into watching people grope each other, that is.”

  “Ha, ha,” I said. “I can’t figure out where he went. I talked to Carolyn, and when I came out Noah was gone.”

  “What did Carolyn say?” Aunt Tillie asked, unconcerned about Noah’s apparent disappearance. “Did she tell you where her brother is?”

  “Clay.”

  “What?”

  “His name was Clay.”

  Aunt Tillie stilled, her excitement diminishing. “Was?”

  “He died ten years ago,” I said, cringing at the momentary flash of pain that crossed Aunt Tillie’s face. “He was killed in a car accident with his wife.”

  “So it’s not him,” Aunt Tillie said, disappointed. “That takes us back to square one.”

  “Not quite,” I said, opting to put her out of her misery. I wasn’t particularly thrilled with the idea of emotionally bolstering her after she lied to us for days, but I didn’t want her upset either. “Clay Donahue had a son named Shane. He would be about my age now. He was obsessed with his grandfather, and has been performing community service at Victor’s retirement center.”

  “Holy blue balls,” Aunt Tillie exclaimed, causing me to roll my eyes. “Victor probably complained to Shane about what we did to him, and Shane decided to get revenge for his grandfather.”

  “I think that’s close to the truth,” I confirmed. “Carolyn told me her father doesn’t have dementia, which means he was putting on an act for us. He’s probably been slipping out of the retirement center with Shane. They had very lax security the day we were there.”

  “Well, that’s just a bite on the butt,” Aunt Tillie said, shaking her head. “Victor was behind it after all.”

  “Kind of,” I said. “Landon is out looking for Shane right now. He wants me to go to Hypnotic and lay low. I think you need to go with me.”

  “No way,” Aunt Tillie said, her hands landing on her hips. “Landon isn’t the boss of me. I want to find Shane on my own … and Victor if he’s with him.”

  “Well, you can’t,” I said. “That’s Landon’s job and you need to let him do it. The only reason I’m still here is because I can’t figure out where Noah went. I thought he should know what’s going on.”

  Aunt Tillie made a noise in the back of her throat that suspiciously sounded like a chicken. “You just have to be the good girl, don’t you? After all this flaming asshat has done, you still want to be nice to him. You need to learn to kick your enemies in the butt and move on, Bay. Your life will be more enjoyable that way.”

  “That’s pretty funny coming from a woman who spent a year desperately trying to help a woman she wronged and then kept her secret for sixty years despite the fact that she hated you.”

  “You bug me sometimes, Bay,” Aunt Tillie grumbled, glancing around. “Where do you think Agent Gasbag went?”

  “I don’t know,” I said, scanning the sidewalk. “Unless … maybe he had to go to the bathroom.”

  “He’s probably watering a tree like a typical man,” Aunt Tillie said, her eyes landing on a small stand of trees across the road. “Let’s go bust him.”

  “Eww! I don’t want to see that.”

  “Then shut your eyes,” Aunt Tillie said, grabbing my arm as she dragged me across the street. “I can’t wait to catch him breaking one of his beloved rules. I’m going to do a little dance when I make fun of him. You can join in if you promise to kick him in the butt when you’re done.”

  “I’ll pass,” I said dryly, ducking my head beneath a tree limb as I followed Aunt Tillie. “Make sure you give him fair warning we’re coming. The last thing I want to see is Little Agent Glenn.”

  I slammed into Aunt Tillie’s back when she ceased moving forward. Because she’s shorter than, me my chin clipped the top of her head. “What the … ?”

  “Crud on toast,” Aunt Tillie whined.

  “Well, thank you so much for joining us, ladies,” said a man who gestured to a small clearing in front us with the gun clenched in his hand. “Why don’t you have a seat next to our FBI friend? I think we need to have a talk.”

  Son of a … . “I blame this on you, Aunt Tillie.”

  “Yeah, I’m going to blame Margaret. That sounds more fun.”

  “YOU must be Shane,” I said, dusting my dirty hands on my jeans as I sat on the ground next to Noah. He had an angry red mark on his cheek and looked furious.

  “And you must be Bay Winchester,” Shane said, flashing an evil smile as he held the gun flat against his chest. “I didn’t get a chance to properly introduce myself when you came to see Gramps at the retirement center, but I’ve been watching you.”

  “I know,” I said, working overtime to tamp down my fear. “That’s why you killed Fay after she talked to us at the senior center and Viola after she talked to us in her yard.”

  “Actually, Viola was already on my radar because you talked to her at the senior dance,” Shane said. “It was a coincidence you were in her yard when I did the deed. I had already planned on killing her.”

  “Well, bully for you,” I said, helping Aunt Tillie get comfortable next to me. “What’s your plan?”

  “I’m going to kill you.” Shane’s response was perfunctory. “I’m going to kill all of you, for that matter. Everyone here … everyone out at that inn … and everyone in that unicorn store.”

  I exchanged a quick look with Aunt Tillie. We were in a vulnerable position. Shane was armed – and apparently crazy – and Landon thought I was on my way to Hypnotic. It would be at least ten minutes before he realized I wasn’t where I was supposed to be. If he was busy looking for Shane, it would be a lot longer.

  I decided to distract Shane with questions. If he was unbalanced, he might be happy to boast about his exploits. “Why did you kill Fay?”

  “I saw her talking to you at the senior center,” Shane replied. “I knew that I was safe as long as everyone kept my secret. That was unlikely given the participants, though. When I saw her talking to you I knew I had to act.”

  “She didn’t tell us anything,” I pointed out. “You killed her for nothing.”

  “She was going to die anyway,” Shane said. “Everyone involved in ruining my grandfather’s life has a date with death. Granted, you changed my list and when and how it was all going to unfold because you stuck your nose where it didn’t belong, but I was still going to kill her.”

  “You look like Victor,” Aunt Tillie said, looking Shane up and down. He was thin, very little muscle definition, and his nose was long and sharp. “That’s not a compliment.”

  “Aunt Tillie,” I hissed, shaking my head.

  She ignored me. “Did your grandfather put you up to this, or did you come up with it together?”

  “My grandfather has been planning his retribution against you old biddies since you ruined his life,” Shane replied. “He even enacted his own plan fifty years ago, but he lost his nerve.
He didn’t get it back until we started chatting more regularly.”

  Fifty years ago? Wait a second … . “Edith,” I said, exhaling heavily.

  “Why are you bringing up that nag now?” Aunt Tillie asked. “She’s already dead. She can’t die twice. Worry about us.”

  “That’s what I’m saying,” I said. “Victor killed Edith.”

  “Oh,” Aunt Tillie said, her eyes flashing. “I guess that makes sense.”

  “Is Edith the busybody who worked at the newspaper?” Shane asked, intrigued. “If so, yeah. My grandfather poisoned her food. He couldn’t stand her. He said she was a judgmental harpy. I find a knife or gun more fun, but Gramps wanted to do it quietly.”

  “And he got away with it because they didn’t have sophisticated forensic tools back then,” I surmised. “Edith’s death was originally ruled a heart attack. We only knew about the poisoning because she told us.”

  “How did she tell you?” Noah asked, speaking for the first time. “You just said she was dead.”

  “Oh, er, well … .”

  “That doesn’t matter,” Aunt Tillie interrupted. “Focus on the big picture, Fed. How did he get you over here?”

  Noah’s cheeks colored. “I had to … relieve myself.”

  “I told you,” Aunt Tillie said, slapping my arm for emphasis. “He was peeing in the bushes. That’s against the law. You know that, right?”

  “I didn’t have a lot of options since I was put on babysitting duty,” Noah spat.

  “Yes, and you’re doing a marvelous job,” Aunt Tillie deadpanned. She didn’t look worried. I expected to find an underlying current of tension wafting off of her when I leaned closer, but it wasn’t there. In fact, she was perfectly calm. “So Victor killed Edith and lost his nerve. Then he spent fifty years hating everyone else for his own shortcomings, and when he got you under his thumb he realized you could do the dirty work while he sat back and enjoyed your handiwork.”

  “Not quite,” Shane said. “Grandpa lost his nerve after Edith, but he’s older now. He doesn’t have anything to lose. Everyone knows he won’t end up in prison because of his age. That knowledge gave him a little … courage … so to speak.”

  Things were finally slipping into place. “Victor killed Patty, and you killed Viola and Fay.”

  “Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!” Shane crowed. He was clearly deranged.

  “How did you know that?” Noah asked.

  “Because Victor doesn’t have the stomach for a messy murder,” I replied. “He poisoned Edith fifty years ago and then got frightened. When he came back to finish what he started he used the same method. He got away with it then and probably figured he could get away with it now.”

  “Yeah, he’s not the sharpest tack in the wall these days,” Shane said, scratching the side of his head with the barrel of the gun. “When he realized the cops knew within hours that it was a poisoning he panicked. He wanted to frame someone else. I suggested that unicorn lady, but he was more interested in framing the witch.”

  Noah’s eyes widened. “Witch?”

  “The whole town is full of witches, Noah,” I said. “Don’t worry about it.”

  “Nice deflection, blondie,” Shane said, shooting me an incredulous look. “Doesn’t your friend realize you guys are magic?”

  Crap on toast! “Did your grandfather tell you that?” I challenged. “He’s off his rocker. Where is he, by the way? If you’re doing this together, why isn’t he here to finish the job?”

  “He’s collecting the last member of our happy group,” Shane answered, grinning.

  “Margaret,” Aunt Tillie said grimly. “Criminy! I don’t want to see her before I die.”

  “We’re not going to die,” I argued.

  “I know,” Aunt Tillie said, patting my knee. “I’m just being ornery. You’ll be fine. Just … relax.”

  “Oh, no, you’re all going to die,” Shane said. “We’re just going to have a little talk before it happens. And look, here come our final guest of honor now.”

  I heard the sound of shuffling feet before I saw Mrs. Little. She was disheveled, her eyes swollen and hair standing on end. When she saw Aunt Tillie and me she burst into tears.

  “I can’t believe they got you, too,” Mrs. Little sobbed. “It’s the end times!”

  “Oh, shut up, Margaret,” Aunt Tillie snapped. “You’re being a baby.”

  “They’re going to kill us!” Mrs. Little wailed.

  “I hope they start with you,” Aunt Tillie said, infuriating me enough to pinch her wrist. “Ouch!”

  “Shut up, hags,” Shane ordered, rolling his eyes until they landed on Victor. “Hey, Gramps. I’m glad to see you got her out here on your own. Good job.”

  Victor looked markedly different from the day we met him at the retirement center. His white hair was smooth and in place, and his eyes keen. I had to give him credit. He was a master manipulator.

  “Well, I see the gang is all here,” Victor said, moving into the clearing with a bright smile. “I wasn’t sure it would work out – especially when I went out to the inn and found Tillie gone. I guess she came to us, though.”

  “Hello, Victor,” Aunt Tillie said, her tone icy. “The years have been … .”

  “Kind?” Victor prodded.

  “I was going to say beat-you-with-a-stick ugly, but I think you’ve already figured that out on your own,” Aunt Tillie said. “You’re a jerk, by the way. I haven’t seen you in almost sixty years to tell you, but I didn’t want to forget.”

  “You’re still a pip, Tillie,” Victor said. “For the record, the years haven’t been kind to you either.” He shifted his malevolent eyes to me. “Hello, Bay. It’s so good to see you again. You look just like your mother.”

  “This is no time for insults,” I said. “Why don’t you tell us what you want so we can get this show on the road.”

  “Wait a second,” Aunt Tillie said, her mind clearly busy. “How do you know Bay looks like her mother?”

  “Lucky guess?” Victor held up his hands, as if playing a part as a soap opera villain.

  “He slipped back into town multiple times after he was banished,” I supplied. “He spent most of that time spying on you. He took a brief detour to kill Edith and get married at some point, but he’s been obsessed with you ever since you broke up with him.”

  “You mean used me, right?” Victor challenged. “She was never interested in me. I was nothing but a game to them.”

  “It’s not like you’re a prize,” I said. “You’re a murdering psychopath who abandoned his own kid.”

  Shane furrowed his brow. “What?”

  “Ignore her,” Victor instructed. “She’s full of it.”

  I saw an opportunity to drive a wedge between the two of them and I took it. “Didn’t you know that, Shane?” I asked. “Your grandfather knew Patty was pregnant with his child but told her he didn’t care. Because an unmarried woman couldn’t raise a child on her own without a certain stigma attached, Aunt Tillie helped her until she gave birth, and then they gave your father up for adoption.”

  “That’s not true,” Shane protested. “My grandfather raised my father.”

  “That’s right,” Victor said.

  “Only after Mrs. Little found out about Clay and told Victor,” I said. “She thought Victor didn’t know about his son. He might not have known Patty gave birth, but he certainly knew she was pregnant, and he turned his back on her.”

  “That’s a lie,” Victor hissed, extending a gnarled finger. “You shut your mouth!”

  “You shut your mouth,” Aunt Tillie shot back. “You abandoned Patty and your son. Then, when you found out things didn’t go as you thought, you ripped that child out of the only decent home he’d ever known.”

  “And then you emotionally and physically abused him and his sister throughout their childhoods,” I added, internally crowing as Victor’s face turned a mottled shade of red. “Your children knew you were a monster, and they ran as soon
as they could. Their one mistake was not telling Shane what you were and leaving him to be manipulated by you.”

  “No, that’s not true,” Shane said, shaking his head. “I … I would know if that was true.”

  “Your father was a good man,” I said. “That must’ve been Patty’s genes and Victor’s wife’s influence. He probably didn’t want to poison you against your grandfather, even though that’s exactly what he should’ve done.

  “Your aunt says you’re very intelligent but fell behind in school and gave up,” I continued. “Then things got worse when your parents died. I don’t think you had a chance. Unfortunately, though, you get off on killing. This isn’t about revenge for you. You enjoy hurting people – just like your grandfather.”

  “Shut up!” Victor screeched, spittle appearing at the corners of his mouth. Man, he was really red. “That’s not what happened. I was used and abused by these … whores.”

  “Mrs. Little and Aunt Tillie treated you badly,” I said. “They know it. Aunt Tillie admits it. Mrs. Little will never admit it because she’s sad and pathetic. She’s only happy when others are miserable. I think she’s going to be the miserable one going forward because she’s out of friends.”

  “Hey!” Mrs. Little scorched me with a murderous look. “How did this become my fault?”

  “Shut up, Margaret,” Aunt Tillie ordered. “Let Bay talk.” She was focused on Victor. I was convinced she sensed the same thing I did. Instead of thinking of a magical way out of this situation, nature – and karma – would do the heavy lifting for us.

  “Victor, what you did was worse,” I said. “Patty really loved you. You used and abused her just like Mrs. Little and Aunt Tillie used and abused you. You abandoned a child in the process, though. Then you stalked someone who didn’t care about you. You’re pathetic.”

  “Stop it!” Victor howled, his right hand crossing his chest as he rubbed his left arm.

  I knew it!

  “What’s going on?” Noah asked, finally sensing a shift as Shane focused on his grandfather.

  “Get ready,” Aunt Tillie ordered. “Hey, Victor!”