Chapter Three
Six months later…
Sadly, neither the police nor the coven could solve Coraline’s murder. A couple of months of cold leads and dead ends, and Amelda left Coventry to track down the potion. She was determined to find out who made it and make them tell her who they’d sold it to.
Remy and Annika had been left in charge rather than one of the Aunties. None of the older members of the coven had been interested in assuming leadership. Truth be told, everyone was on edge and didn’t want to paint a target on their backs. We all knew it was possible that the killer could strike again.
Witches in Coventry had stopped eating anything that didn’t cook themselves. There were no more gatherings or festivals. Essentially, Coraline’s killer had taken the first step in ending the Skeenbauer reign. I’d become afraid that they would stop practicing magic all together and drift off like the Tuttlesmiths had.
“We have to do something,” I said to Remy over breakfast.
“About what?” he asked as he handed Meri a piece of bacon.
“The one time you’re not tuned into my thoughts,” I said and rolled my eyes.
“I promised you I wouldn’t do that anymore,” he said with a reassuring smile. “Are you okay? You seem grumpy.”
“Oh, do I?” A sudden rush of heat crept up from my chest to my face. “What do you mean by that?”
He just looked at me stunned. Meri too. I realized that was exactly what he was talking about, but I had no idea why I’d suddenly become so angry.
Before I could think too much about it, the heat in my face seemed to sink into my teeth. My mouth turned sour and I got that weird watery sensation in my molars you get right before you get sick.
My stomach lurched, and I had to jump up from the table and make a run for the bathroom. I made it in time, but barely.
In a flash, Remy was beside me holding my hair. Meri joined us and rubbed against my side. I wanted to tell him not to do that, but it actually made me feel better.
The wave of nausea subsided, and Remy helped me to my feet. His face was a mask of concern.
“Where did you get the food we were eating?”
“At the grocery store,” I said. “We weren’t poisoned. Think about it, you’re not sick at all, are you?”
“No,” Remy answered. “I feel fine.”
“I must have just caught a bug or something.”
“You caught something all right,” Meri snarked.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.
“What I mean is that there is nothing healing magic can do for you, and no, you weren’t poisoned.”
Meri just stood there staring at me while I looked back and forth between him and Remy. Something was definitely wrong with me, but Meri was saying I wasn’t sick.
“Nothing’s wrong with you,” Remy said.
“Hey, I thought you said no more mind reading.”
“Sorry, you just look so upset,” Remy said. “I think what he means is…”
But I put the pieces together before he could get the rest out. “You mean, I’m… I’m going to have a baby? We’re going to have a baby?”
My hands instinctively went to cover my stomach. At the same time, the excitement caused all of the blood to rush to my head, and I almost swooned.
“Let’s go sit down,” Remy said.
“No, I’m fine. I want to go to the store and get a test. We need to know for sure,” I said.
“You are going to stay here with your feet up, and I will go to the store,” Remy said.
“Absolutely not. I am not helpless. I feel okay now, and I think the fresh air will do me some good.”
“Meri, talk some sense into your mistress, please,” Remy said.
“He’s right. I think the ride might upset your stomach again,” Meri said. “We can go sit out on the patio if you want some air.”
“If I am pregnant, is it going to be like this the whole time?” I asked.
“You are perhaps one of the most important pregnant women in the world,” Remy said. “We’re going to protect you.”
“From what?”
In my excitement, I’d almost forgotten that there was a potential witch killer on the loose. A witch killer who had tried to take me and the entire line of Skeenbauer witches out at my wedding.
“Right,” I said. “Okay, I’ll stay here.”
What I didn’t say was that I was determined to figure out what had happened to Coraline. Remy might not approve, but I was not going to spend my whole pregnancy, if I was pregnant, locked away at Hangman’s House.
While Remy was gone, I called Annika, and told her she should come over. She said she was supposed to be heading into her shop to do some inventory, but that I had intrigued her.
“Do you have anything for breakfast?” Annika asked.
“As a matter of fact, I do,” I said.
“Well then. It would be a shame for me to skip breakfast if I don’t have to,” she said.
Annika arrived a few minutes later with Gunner. I wasn’t expecting him, but I hadn’t thought about how she was going to get to my house. It made sense that Gunner gave her a ride since Remy was with me. We really needed to think about getting her a car.
“You don’t have to serve me breakfast,” Gunner said as he stepped through the doorway. “I was just going to give Annika a ride to work, and she said we were stopping by here first.”
“Oh, it’s no problem at all,” I said. “Guys, sit down in the kitchen, and I’ll get you some coffee.”
“You’re supposed to be sitting down with your feet up,” Meri said.
“I’m going to use magic to make the breakfast. It will take me two minutes,” I said and shot him a look.
“Why are you supposed to be off your feet?” Annika asked, but the glint in her eye told me she probably already knew.
“Let me get breakfast and we’ll talk,” I said.
I made some food for the two of them and myself as well. As soon as the nausea passed, I was super hungry again.
We had biscuits and gravy with a side of bacon and hazelnut coffee to drink. “I hope you don’t mind the flavored coffee,” I said to Gunner.
“Coffee is coffee,” he said. “Besides, it’s good. Thank you. This sure beats stale donuts and the sludge they call coffee at the station.”
“If you had told me that your breakfast options were that bad, I would have made you breakfast,” Annika said as she gave Gunner a playful poke.
“Who are you kidding, my love, you jumped at the chance to come here and have Brighton make you breakfast. You hate making your own meals,” Gunner teased back.
“But I’d do it for you,” Annika said and kissed him on the cheek. She turned her attention back to me. “So, Brighton. Tell us the big news.”
“Why do you assume it’s big news?” I asked.
“Because you called me over here in the morning and made a second breakfast just to get me here,” she said and waved towards the dirty pans I’d used when I’d actually cooked breakfast for Remy and myself.
“I don’t have anything confirmed yet, but Remy’s at the store buying a test. I wanted you to be here when I found out.”
“Congratulations!” Annika said. She jumped up from her chair and hugged me. “You’re going to be the best mama.”
“I haven’t told you anything yet, and I haven’t taken the test,” I said.
“You don’t need to,” Annika said. “I can just tell. Congratulations.”
I think for a second, it stung that I didn’t accept what she was saying, but this all meant so much to me. I just wanted confirmation.
“I really want it to be true,” I said.
Annika offered me a soft smile. “You’ll see,” she said.
“I’m sorry. I feel bad, and I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings,” I said.
“Hey, Brighton. It’s all right. I know how important this is to you.”
It wasn’t that I didn’t believe her. I
n a way, I already knew it was true too. It’s one of those things you just know, but I was afraid to hope. I needed something to tell me it was okay for me to accept the gift the universe had given me, and at that moment, it all came down to a little plastic drugstore pregnancy test. If it was positive, then I could let myself rejoice.
“I just want so badly for it to be true,” I said.
“I know,” Annika gave me a hug, “and when it is, you can make it up to me by naming her after me.”
I laughed. “I don’t know if the world can handle two Annikas. Plus, neither of you will ever know which one I am calling for.”
“You can give her my middle name,” Annika said. “Cassandra is a lovely name and shortens up to Cassie nicely.”
“That is a wonderful name. How did I never know your middle name? Wait, we haven’t even confirmed I am pregnant yet, and how would you know it’s a girl?”
“You guys are hilarious,” Gunner said. “I like the name Summer, but I’m keeping the name for if I ever have a daughter.”
“I love that name too,” Annika said.
“Who said I’m going to have this daughter with you?” Gunner teased.
That was when I noticed it. When Annika playfully smacked Gunner’s arm, I saw the ring on her finger. No, it was two rings. A diamond solitaire and a halo of diamonds against it. Annika was wearing an engagement and wedding ring.
“What did you do?” I asked and narrowed my eyes at her.
“I’m sorry, I hadn’t told you yet. I was actually going to come over and tell you after work today. It all happened so fast, and I promise you, we didn’t leave you out.”
“Yeah, it was just me, Annika, and some guy who worked in the license office as witness. Oh, and the judge too,” Gunner said. “We eloped, but we’re going to have a wedding.”
I found myself not hurt at all, but instead I was overjoyed for them. “So, you weren’t picking her up for work this morning,” I said with a smile.
“You’re not mad?” Annika asked.
“No, Annika. Nobody said you had to want the same things as me when it comes to getting married. I’m so happy for you both. Congratulations.”
That was around the time Remy came home. He was a little pale, but I brushed it off as nerves. It wasn’t just me that was going to have a baby. Remy was going to be a father if I was pregnant.
“Let’s get this party started,” Annika said.
Remy took the box with the test in it out of the store bag and handed it to me. His hand shook a little when he did, and I thought it was sweet.
“Okay, here goes,” I said.
I went upstairs and used the bathroom on the second floor. There was one off the living room, but I couldn’t handle the thought of them waiting outside the door while I peed.
The instructions said to wait three minutes to read your results, but I didn’t have to. That little plus sign lit up like it had been waiting it’s whole life for me.
My breath caught in my chest as I set the test down on the back of the commode. I was going to have a baby. Annika had been right about that, and I had to wonder if she was right about it being a girl too.
When I left the bathroom, I found Remy sitting on the stairs waiting for me. At least he hadn’t been right outside the door, but I understood. He wanted a private moment between just us.
Remy stood up as I came out of the bathroom. “So?” His anticipation was palpable.
It was in that moment I realized how much he wanted a child. He’d never said much to me about it because he knew how worried I was that I couldn’t get pregnant. But I had, and I’d been able to fulfill both of our dreams.
“I’m pregnant,” I said.
His answer was to rush over and pull me into his arms. I felt his breath hitch, and I knew he was near tears. I did start to cry because I was overjoyed and so ecstatic that I’d made Remy that happy too.
“Well, now what do we do?” I asked. “Annika and Gunner are down there, and they’re going to want to know too.”
“We tell them,” Remy said. “What else would we do?”
“You’re not supposed to tell anyone until you’re three months along just in case,” I said.
“Just in case of what, Brighton? Nothing is going to happen to you or our baby. You’ll have the entire coven protecting and supporting you,” Remy said with a big smile. He kissed my forehead. “Okay, let’s go tell my favorite cousin and her new husband.”
“You knew they were married?”
“I figured it out based on the rings on their fingers and the look on Annika’s face when she saw me noticing the rings.”
“Okay, let’s go tell them.”
Remy took my hand and we walked down the steps. Annika was waiting near the bottom. Gunner had his arms around her like he was half hugging and half restraining her from darting up the steps. It made me laugh.
“I’m pregnant,” I said.
Gunner let go of Annika, and she charged over and wrapped me in a hug. “I’m going to have to call grandmother, or you will. Maybe Remy should,” she babbled.
“Amelda is out there trying to find the poison the killer used. It’s important work,” I said.
“But this baby is more important,” Remy said. “She’s going to want to be here so the entire coven can protect you.”
“Finding the person who tried to kill us all is protecting us,” I said. “The problem isn’t going to go away just because I’m having a baby.”
“It might,” Meri said.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Well, what if the whole thing was intended to keep you from having this child? That’s why they struck at the wedding. Well, aside from that being when everyone was together. If the coven protects you and you have the baby, then it’s game over,” Meri said.
“Then, they’re just going to try and kill my baby. I can’t let that happen.”
“I’m not so sure they will,” Meri said. “They would need something far more powerful that that poison to kill this baby.”
“You guys are acting like my baby is going to be some sort of demigod,” I chuckled, but nobody else laughed. “Come on, guys. I know there’s a prophesy and all that, but are you really saying my child is going to be… I don’t know… like the most powerful witch?”
“I’m going to call Amelda,” Remy said.
He didn’t have to answer. Nobody did. I understood then how important my baby was to the coven, and maybe the world?
What I also understood was that the baby was mine. She, if Annika was right, was the most important thing in the world to me. Whatever was going on in the world, I wanted to experience the joy of having my baby because it was an experience I never thought I would have.
There was also the niggling thought at the back of my head that if no one else could find the killer and protect my child, then I would. There had to be a way to figure it out without putting myself in physical danger, but I decided to sit on those thoughts for a while. It was the wrong time to bring it up.
Remy put his phone down on the coffee table. “There’s something else,” he said grimly.
“What?”
“Actually, I’m surprised Gunner is still here,” he began. “I figured you’d get called in for something like that.”
“For what?” Gunner reached for his pocket. “Oh, crap, my phone must have fallen out in the car again. I have to go,” he said and kissed Annika. “Remy, can you take her to work?”
“I can.”
“What is going on?” Annika asked when Gunner was gone.
“Well, he’s about to go outside and find out that someone died at the store,” Remy said.
Suddenly, it all made sense. He was pale and shaken when he came back from the store, and it wasn’t nerves.
“Was it a witch?” I asked.
“It was, and she was dead when I went into the store. At least, she was so far gone that I wasn’t able to save her. They took her away in an ambulance, but she was…”
“So, do they think it’s a murder?” I asked.
“They called in a deputy and were trying to call Gunner, but no, I don’t think they believe it was a murder. She died after eating a sample, but none of the other shoppers got sick. No other witches were in the store,” Remy said. “It’s not like they’re going to find poison in her system, since it was a witch poison.”
Chapter Four
Remy took Annika to work, and I had an idea. I could find out from Bob who was handing out samples in his store. That person could have been the murderer, or at the very least, they’d know where the food had come from.
“You up for a trip back to the store?” I asked Meri.
“Brighton, there was potentially a witch killer there less than an hour ago.”
“Yeah, and we need to catch them. I’m not going to eat any samples, if that’s what you’re worried about,” I said.
“You need to let everyone else handle this one,” Meri countered.
“No, I’m not staying cooped up in this house like a prisoner. In fact, maybe that’s what they want. I’m an easy target if all I do is sit around this house all day,” I said.
“Whatever, you’re right. Let’s go to the store.”
I sent Remy a text message and we got in my car. Meri sat in the passenger seat with his head out the window as we drove over to Bob’s store.
By the time we got there, Gunner and any deputies were gone, so I knew they must have ruled out foul play already. I walked through the doors and immediately felt that something was off. There was a sadness in the air, and I knew that the witch who had died hadn’t moved on. She lingered there just on the other side of the veil.
I made my way over to Bob’s office and knocked on the door. He didn’t say anything at first, but I knew he was in there, so I knocked again. Eventually, his gruff voice came through.
“Yes?” He sounded frazzled. That was to be expected since someone had just died in his store.
“It’s me, Bob. It’s Brighton. Can I come in?”
“Oh, yes. Hello, Brighton.”
I opened the door, and found Bob sitting at his computer. It looked like he was going over security footage. The camera view was of the sample station.
Over the Broom Page 2