Mystic Falls

by Vickie McKeehan

  Instead of letting Lianne answer for herself, Leia chimed in, “Lianne’s parents are still waiting for Tuttle to release the body. Imagine that? We don’t know why it’s taking so long. Lianne volunteered to stay in Coyote Wells until then and oversee the paperwork for the funeral out of town.”

  Lianne finally spoke up. “I stopped in for a to-go order at the restaurant at closing time and Leia was good enough to ply me with liquor while I waited for the food. I guess we lost track of time.”

  “You bet we did,” Leia went on. She held up a bottle of Chianti. “A little something to toast our newfound friendship, the three of us.”

  Gemma noted both women were already tipsy and well on their way to being plowed. “Good thing you guys decided to get off the road. I’d hate to think Lando Bonner had to book his own sister for DUI.”

  “He’d do it, too,” Leia assured her friends as she uncorked the wine. “Sometimes that man is such an ass.”

  “No argument there,” Gemma said. She angled toward Lianne. “You okay? You look like you need to sit down.”

  “I’m just exhausted. I thought about dropping by the shop, but just couldn’t muster up the energy.”

  Gemma slid her arm through Lianne’s. “Come on, get comfy. I’ll pour you a glass of this wine and you’ll sleep like a baby. We’ll have ourselves a regular gabfest, just the three of us.”

  “I wouldn’t mind a distraction to keep my mind off…what we’ll have to do for Collette. I’m not looking forward to the funeral.” Lianne blew out a breath. “That sounded so stupid. No one looks forward to a funeral.”

  “You need to chill,” Leia commanded before bobbing her head toward Gemma. “That’s why I brought her here. You’ve always been good at diversions.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It’s not an insult. It’s a compliment. You always had that ability to rise to the occasion, whatever it was. Like that time when we were twelve when Van Coyote threw grape soda on us coming out of the drug store. Remember what you did?”

  “I ran after him.”

  “You did, and when you caught up to him, you grabbed him by the back of his collar and pulled him to the ground, sat on top of him, and read him the riot act.”

  “I do remember Van promising to never do that sort of thing to anyone else.”

  Leia chuckled. “You put the fear of God in him. The night Van took me to the prom he was still talking about you taking him down that day.”

  Gemma roared with laughter. “What is Van doing these days?”

  “He married Nova Redfern. They have two kids, making Paloma a great-grandmother.”

  “Paloma still doesn’t like you. She’s ecstatic Van broke up with you.”

  “Ha, that’s what she thinks. I kicked her precious Van to the curb. I heard Mallory made a complete ass out of herself at the book club. What a bitch!”

  Lianne tittered with laughter. “You guys are so much fun to be around. I wish I had a history here like you do.”

  “Stay,” Gemma prodded. “Stay in town with us and you will. Don’t go back to Portland. Don’t let the killers---whoever they turn out to be---scare you off. Move in to your sister’s house. We’ll figure out the rest as we go. I’ve already told you the job at the store is yours for as long as you need it or want it.”

  A tear ran down Lianne’s cheek.

  “No reason for tears,” Gemma chided. “You may have lost your only sister, but play your cards right and you have two right here willing to step into that role. We’ll be your support. When things get tough, we’ll be your strength in numbers.”

  Lianne began to sob. “I don’t know what to say.”

  Gemma and Leia circled their friend, wrapping their arms around her. “No need to say anything. We’re here for you. That’s all you need to know right now.”

  “Where’s the dessert?” Leia asked, disappearing into the kitchen to look for chocolate.

  Gemma followed, setting out grapes and strawberries and truffles to go with the vino. She directed everyone back into the living room where they could spread out their goodies on the coffee table.

  Lianne bit into a truffle. “These aren’t so bad. I thought the way everyone talked they’d be terrible.”

  Gemma started laughing. “I’m touched. Maybe it means I’m getting better. If only I could find Gram’s recipes, the real ones, the ones she brought from Spain and not the ones on these index cards.”

  “Where do you suppose she hid them?” Leia asked, biting into a succulent piece.

  “Your guess is as good as mine. I’ve torn this house apart and turned up nothing except her stash of weed, and an old stamp collection, which I assume belonged to my grandfather.”

  “The recipes have to be around here somewhere,” Leia determined. “Maybe she put them in a safe deposit box.”

  “Been there, done that, the day after her funeral. I found business papers in there, but not much else. I’m out of hiding places. Maybe I should ask her. You know, like a séance. She was a psychic. Or maybe we’d need a medium for that? Maybe Gram could help me from the other side.”

  Lianne let out a gasp. “Get out. I must really be drunk. Did you just say your grandmother was a psychic? For real? She must’ve been awesome to know.”

  “She was. And like an idiot I walked away from her.” Gemma sent Leia a furtive look. “I guess I walk away from a lot of people. But I’m done with that.”

  “Glad to hear it. Can we really pull off a séance with just three people?”

  “No idea. I’m new to this paranormal stuff. I just found out after coming back here so it’s not like I have anything to guide me. After being out of Gram’s life for so long, I either didn’t pay attention to what she did or didn’t care to connect the dots. I look back and realize now that there were a lot of people coming to the house to get her to help them with their problems. I just thought she had a lot of friends. Now, I know she spent her time helping each person on a case by case basis, depending on what their problems were.”

  “How fascinating?” Lianne said.

  “Yeah? It really isn’t something I go around bragging about though, especially when I’m around Lando. He acts like I might as well be a card-carrying fortune teller wearing a tinfoil hat on my head waiting for the ‘sight’ to hit me out of the blue, waiting for me to go into a trance. It’s as if he thinks I’m about to run a scam on anyone who comes within ten feet of me. Not just that, it’s as though I’ll embarrass him if I dare whip out my crystal ball. Oh, the humiliation of that.”

  Leia snickered. “Men. Just look how he overreacted at learning about Zeb. Did you see his face? I thought he might pop a vein or have a stroke right then and there while he ate his steak. How do you put up with that?”

  Gemma rolled her eyes. “A week ago you were all about family loyalty, threatening to beat my ass in the ground if I were to break his heart again.”

  “Yeah. Well. Lando can be a major pain. Even Luke says so. I should call him up and invite him over here, introduce him to Lianne.”

  Lianne’s face turned gray. “What? Now? No way. I look a mess. My eyes are puffy, my hair needs washing, and I’m just too depressed to meet anyone new right now.”

  Leia patted her hand in understanding. “No pressure. We’ll make it another time then.”

  “There is one thing I don’t understand,” Lianne began. “If you’re psychic, why can’t you find out who killed my sister?”

  “That’s a tough one. I did see a blue sedan and two killers burying the bodies so I know that much.”

  Lianne chewed the inside of her jaw. “A blue sedan? There were two people involved in killing Collette? My God, she never had a chance, did she? If you’ve seen the car we should try to find it.”

  “I’ve tried, driven up and down every street in town. My guess is the killers hid it away in a storage unit somewhere under lock and key.”

  “That’s even more depressing.”

  “It doesn’t mean I’
m giving up,” Gemma stated. “If I could just find a way to spend more time looking into it, I’m sure I could get another image or two.”

  “If it helps, I’ll come into work tomorrow.”

  “Not until you feel you can face all the busybodies. After all, you’d be interacting with folks throughout the day who’d constantly be bringing up Collette’s death. Do you know this, do you know that? That’s a lot to deal with at this point.”

  Lianne sniffed and swiped her nose. “You guys really do think of everything.”

  Gemma handed her a Kleenex. “You just relax until Tuttle releases the body, do your preparations for the funeral like a good sister. I just went through this with Gram. There’s a lot to it, more than you know. Make a list of questions and details. Help your parents out as much as you can. That’s all you can do.”

  Leia nodded. “Then when it’s all done, come back to Coyote Wells prepared to make this place home. If your parents give you a hard time about it, just consider this. We all have family issues we have to deal with, some of us on a daily basis. There’s friction between Lando and me. And Gemma’s had to stand up to a very difficult mother. Until recently the mother won.”

  “Thanks for the reminder,” Gemma said with a snarl.

  Lianne turned to stare at her. “But you did stand up, right?”

  “It took Gram’s death to bring me to my senses.”

  “How so?”

  “Don’t get me started. When it comes to my mother it’s better if I keep her at arm’s length.”

  “But you said I should share my problems, my feelings. You should do the same thing. I’d really like to know.”

  “Genevieve Channing Wentworth is a bully, a piece of work no one wants to stand up to. Not ever, unlike anything you have going on with your own parents, my mother is always looking to get the upper hand and keep it, even if she has to blackmail a person to do it. That’s how she manipulates, using emotional blackmail. Look it up. It’s real.”

  Lianne made a face. “She sounds awful. I’m intrigued to hear the rest.”

  “Well, for starters, I’ve been begging her to tell me who my father is, but she refuses. That’s the one thing Genevieve insists on keeping to herself. She prattles on about everything else but when it comes to telling her own daughter the truth about her parentage, she refuses to give it up.”

  Lianne sipped her wine. “That sounds like something right out of a first-year psyche class. She’s using that to manipulate you. If she tells you then she has no more leverage. Is she a drama queen type? Because they thrive on stirring up chaos and keeping it going.”

  “Big time. It’s punishment. Genevieve’s always been big on punishing the people around her. So see, your parents are probably reacting normally to the situation by voicing their concerns. They’re simply saying they don’t want their surviving child to go back to where there’s danger. In their own way, they’re looking out for you. Be grateful.”

  “When you put it like that…I suppose it’s not so bad.”

  Gemma smiled. “See, it’s all in how you look at the situation.”

  Leia drained the wine from her glass. “You’re lucky Marissa raised you. I’ve always wondered what would’ve happened if you’d stayed. Would you have worked in the candy store and become a chocolatier?”

  “Is it chocolatier or chocolaterian?” Lianne asked.

  Gemma hoisted her glass, beginning to feel the alcohol kick in. “I like chocolatier, but it doesn’t matter what people call me as long as they continue to buy the product.”

  Leia looked around the room. “Where’s your latest batch?”

  “Right side of the plate. I call them Marissa’s Delight.”

  Leia picked up a plump piece and took a bite. “Mmm. This is good. Major good.”

  “Really?”

  “You have a winner here. What’s in it?”

  “Trade secret. I’m not asking you to tell me how you make that yummy sauce that goes over the angel hair pasta you serve with salmon. So…”

  Leia nodded. “I get it. But I thought you said you hadn’t found Marissa’s recipes?”

  “I didn’t. I created this one from scratch.” Gemma glanced at Lianne and saw that she’d sunk down into the cushions. “Come on, guys. You might as well sleep here tonight. No sense in driving. You guys are plowed.”

  Leia started to argue, but decided she did feel like taking a nap. “Okay. But just for a few minutes.”

  “I have two guest rooms. Come on, help me get Lianne into the first one down the hall.”

  “Sure. Girl can’t hold her liquor.”

  Gemma burst out laughing as they tried to get Lianne to her feet. They ended up half-dragging her into the bedroom where they unceremoniously dumped her onto the mattress, face first.

  “How about you? Do you need help?”

  Leia looked insulted. “Me? I’m used to drinking with the customers.”

  “If you say so.”

  After saying goodnight, Gemma watched her friend teeter down the hallway holding onto the wall. The sight brought back memories from their misspent youth.

  As Gemma wobbled into her own room and crawled under the covers, it felt good to have friends again, friends to confide in, friends to rely on, friends to lean on.

  22

  Four days after that sleepover, the entire town turned out for Marnie’s funeral. The Medicine Bridge Fellowship Church---a hundred-year-old building that stood at the corner of Water Street and Eagle Feather Drive---was filled to an overflowing crowd.

  There were so many people Gemma wondered how the beloved teacher could’ve ever made someone mad enough to kill. But as organ music reverberated off the pristine walls, it occurred to her that Marnie had encountered at least two people angry enough to do just that.

  Sitting in the back row, she squirmed on the uncomfortable hard pew and perused the backs of heads among a throng of mourners. It was easy to spot Lando, already seated near the front with his patrol officer Payce. Across the aisle, Leia and Luke were sitting together with their mother.

  It was difficult to believe anyone in this church could have participated in Marnie’s death. While Gemma was willing to give most the benefit of the doubt, it didn’t prevent her from taking a hard look at many others. She had no trouble accounting for all the members of the book club. They were scattered throughout the church. For some reason the women had chosen not to sit together. Although Mallory and Holly were the exception to that. Those two huddled together like two giddy middle schoolers discussing their latest crush.

  Not even Vince Ballard escaped her scrutiny. Nor did Marnie’s former boyfriend Daryl Simmons. But since she had no real proof of anything there was no reason to dwell on any one person by staring at their heads and wondering about guilt or innocence. She doubted they’d confess their sins just because she willed them to do so with her weak powers of persuasion.

  Since most of the residents of Coyote Wells had some degree of tribal blood running through their veins, Marnie was no different. The soft-spoken teacher had been born and raised here, leaving only long enough to get her degree. Now, Marnie’s spirit would forever be part of the town.

  Gemma listened to several eulogies, dabbed her eyes when the speeches moved her to tears and wished she was somewhere else. By the time the funeral chant started up, signaling the end of the ceremony, she was ready to get out of there.

  Sitting close to the doors proved advantageous for a quick exit. She bolted outside on the lawn, scanning the cars lined up at the curb. She even marched through the parking lot to check out the vehicles there. She circled the church twice, coming to a stop when everyone gathered to watch pallbearers load Marnie’s casket into a hearse.

  Luke ambled up beside her. “You look like you just lost your best friend. I didn’t realize you and Marnie were that close.”

  “No, we weren’t. I’m just trying to see if anyone drove up in a blue… Oh, forget it. I’m tired of trying to explain it. What are you doing here
?”

  “Marnie and I were old friends. We went steady back in eighth grade, remember? And at the time of her death, I’d talked her into teaching a Saturday morning class out on the reservation for any adult who wanted to learn to read. Her death is such a loss for all of us. Besides, this is a small town. When one of us has troubles, it gets noticed. Marnie’s loss will be felt for some time.”

  “Do you know anyone who had a grudge against her?”

  “Lando asked me the same thing. Marnie was a good person, a good teacher. Her students loved her. She was popular with the faculty as well. So, no, I can’t think of a single soul who would want to hurt her.”

  “Everyone says the same thing about Collette and yet they’re both dead. So how is it that two women fell victim to a killer or killers?”

  Luke’s eyebrow shot up. “You think two people were involved?”

  “Yeah, but don’t mention that around Lando. Here he comes now with Leia. Just keep it out of the discussion. I don’t feel like an argument today.”

  Luke gave her a strange look. “Okay, but he should know about it.”

  “He does. He just thinks it’s a hokey smoke and mirrors thing…” Her voice trailed off when Lando and Leia got within earshot.

  Leia had tears streaming down her face. “It’s tough saying goodbye to one of our own. And by that, I’m not excluding Collette, it’s just that we went to school with Marnie since first grade.”

  It was almost too much to handle, thought Gemma as she looked out over the crowd, now scattering toward their cars. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I could use a drink.”

  “Good idea. I say we head to the Duck & Rum,” Lando suggested.

  Gemma left her Volvo in the parking lot and piled into the backseat of Luke’s 1988 Grand Wagoneer with Lando while Leia rode shotgun. “Don’t you have patients to see?” Gemma asked Luke.

  “A few. Ginny Sue knows to text me if anything turns into an emergency. But there’s nothing major on the horizon.”

  “Not even an overdue baby?”

  “Luckily no one’s due until June. What about you? Aren’t you worried people will go crazy without their chocolate fix?”