“Why would you get the fortune if Bonnie divorced her husband?”
“Our father had three broken marriages and he wanted to assure himself that his children didn’t follow in his footsteps. I was married and divorced once, which is why I didn’t receive my whole share of his estate, but if she divorces the money reverts back to me since I’m the oldest.”
“It sounds like you have only yourself to blame,” Noah said. “Untie them before this really gets out of hand.”
“It kinda already has,” Petunia pointed out.
Connie clenched and unclenched her hands into fists, edging closer to Tony. “However are we going to explain Noah and Petunia? If we kill them, it won’t fit into the whole murder suicide thing.”
“Not to worry. After I kill them, I’ll dispose of their bodies out of town. I can’t imagine they’d be missed.”
“I most certainly will be,” Petunia declared. “I have an aunt and grandfather who will most certainly go to the sheriff if I simply disappear.”
Tony sneered, “You really are overstating yourself here. From the talk in town, I think that’d they be most happy to rid themselves of you, Petunia.”
“You do know that one is a witch, right? I bet right now she’s trying to put a spell on us,” Connie suggested, reaching into a drawer as Tony had the gun still trained on Petunia and Noah.
“I don’t really believe in witches,” Tony said, just as Connie pulled a revolver from the drawer.
Tony turned just in time, cracking off a shot that downed Connie. Before Tony has a chance to say anything, Pansy bounded up with claws bared. He sprang onto a table and flew through the air, his claws grazing across Tony’s face. Tony whirled in shock and Noah moved forward, delivering a right hook to down him. The revolver flew through the air and when it fell to the floor, a shot rang out.
“No!” Petunia screamed, as Noah dropped like a rock.
Petunia raced forward and kicked the revolver across the room as Tony moved forward, but Noah staggered to his feet, shoving him. Tony fell into a bookshelf, falling with each of the leather-bound books pummeling him as they struck his body.
She moved to untie the Bonnie and mayor, but Connie staggered to her feet, the gun in her hands that she must have fished out of the drawer to use against Tony. Blood was specked across her shirt, but the bullet only had grazed her.
“Put the gun down, Connie. You have nothing to gain now. Tony betrayed you and there’s no sense in killing Bonnie and the mayor now. It’s over.”
“Lake Forest will have one less witch in town.”
Connie squeezed the trigger, but before she got a shot off, the sheriff yelled, “Freeze,” from the front door as he burst though it.
Connie pointed the gun at the sheriff, giving Pansy a kick as he crept closer.
“How dare you kick my cat,” Petunia said, racing forward.
“Get out of the way, Petunia,” the sheriff yelled.
The gun exploded and Petunia hit the floor as another shot rang out, this time delivering Connie a deathblow. When Petunia’s eyes snapped open, her grandfather made way into the room via the patio door.
“I told you to stay back,” Sheriff Pinkerton said.
“That woman shot my granddaughter.”
Noah moved over to Petunia to check on her, and she sat up painfully. When she checked inside her shirt, there was no blood, only a bronze pendant that her aunt had given her the day before as a lucky charm. It seemed that today was indeed her lucky day.
“My pendant saved my life,” Petunia said.
“I wish I could say that for my shoulder. Lucky for me Tony wasn’t a good shot,” Noah said.
The sheriff untied Bonnie and the mayor after he cuffed Tony, who was just coming to.
“Petunia saved our life,” Bonnie said. “My brother Tony and our maid, Connie, planned to kill us, making it look like a murder suicide.”
“I’d never believe that,” the sheriff said. “Even with your relationship problems with your husband.”
“What relationship issues?” the mayor asked.
“Everyone knows that you’ve been less than faithful, with Florence by the very least. It’s going to take one heck of a campaign to earn the trust of the residents of Lake Forest again, if you still plan to run for mayor again.”
“Especially when they find out what happened here today and about your affair with Connie,” Petunia said.
Mayor Hopkins hugged Bonnie and when they parted, he said,” I’m so sorry for what I’ve done. I can see that my affairs almost cost us our lives.”
“No help from my brother. I had no idea he was that greedy. He might not have inherited as much when our father died, but he certainly got enough to make him comfortable. He must have squandered all his money.”
“Well, he did bet on the ponies, didn’t you say?” the mayor said.
“Yes, but I didn’t know it was to the extent that he lost all his money.” Bonnie turned to Petunia just as sirens were heard. “Thanks, you really saved our lives.”
“I think the sheriff did that when he showed up.”
“If it wasn’t for your cat Pansy, we both might have been goners. I’m sorry Noah got shot.”
“Not my first time,” Noah said. “I certainly didn’t think that I’d have to worry about being shot in a town like Lake Forest.”
“Then you might want to pick better company,” Pinkerton said. “Where Petunia is, trouble will follow.”
“Now, now, Sheriff,” grandfather said. “There’s no sense in insulting my granddaughter.”
“So, you’re not CIA after all?” Pinkerton asked him.
“Retired, actually. It would seem I had the wrong idea about Florence. I assumed she was compiling information about Lake Forest corruption, but I was wrong. She must have been doing something else altogether.”
“Yes, like trying to extort money from me,” Bonnie said.
“She wasn’t doing that,” the mayor said. “You were trying to pay her off so that she’d leave Lake Forest.”
“Is that what she told you? Dear husband, you need to think with your brain for a change. I met with Florence, sure, but she demanded cash to leave both you and Lake Forest.”
“But I broke it off with her. You know that, Bonnie.”
“Yes, but you were seen with her the day before she died.”
“I did, but she wanted to talk to me about how you were trying to pay her off.”
“Is that all, or were you planning to leave town with that tramp?”
“No, I told her I’d never leave you. I love being mayor.”
“Of course you do, dear, and if you don’t change your cheating ways, I won’t be supporting you with any more of my money.”
“I don’t understand,” Petunia began. “How did you know the mayor had been seen with Florence the day before she died, and I thought you told me you were the one trying to pay Florence to leave town?”
“First off, let’s just say the UPS guy is quite chatty and told me all about it the day before Florence died. He’s been delivering here for years now and thought I had the right to know. And secondly, I guess I didn’t want to admit that Florence was trying to extort money from me. Sorry.”
Sheriff Pinkerton let the paramedics in, who then attended to Tony, who was still dazed, and Noah, who was bleeding. “Leave Connie’s body where it is. The medical examiner will be here soon. This is still a crime scene. I’d like to build a strong case against Tony.”
“We could help with that,” Petunia said. “We heard Tony admit to drowning Florence in the lake and putting her body in the pool. I just haven’t figured out which one of them was obsessed with watching the Investigative Discovery channel and literally plucking a crime from one of the shows to actually perpetrate here.”
“That would be Connie,” Bonnie said. “She even watches that show in the kitchen. It would seem she was the one who let Tony into the backyard to plant the body in the pool. That morning I woke up late and Con
nie rushed me out the door. She even promised that she’d make sure to take the dogs outside.”
“Did someone check on the dogs? They were passed out in the front yard when we arrived.”
“Oh, great. I suppose those beasts will be in here shortly,” Pansy said. “I’m so out of here.”
Pansy left through the patio door and Noah was escorted outside, following out the stretcher that Tony was on, out to the waiting ambulance.
Petunia asked. “Am I through here? I’d like to go to meet Noah at the hospital.”
“You should get checked yourself,” Bonnie said. “You took a bullet to the chest.”
“She’s right. I believe if you hurry, you can ride with Noah to the hospital,” Pinkerton said.
She went out front and there were two ambulances. She climbed into the back of the one Noah was in. “It’s the sheriff’s orders,” Petunia said.
“My shoulder is really hurting. Can’t we get to the hospital now?” Noah asked.
The paramedic climbed out and hopped into the driver’s side. As the engine started, Petunia gazed over at Noah, who smiled. “What are you so happy about?”
“That we are both here to see another day. I thought I lost you. If it wasn’t for that cat of yours, I might have been a goner.”
“Well, you were hit after the gun fell, thanks to Pansy, so he didn’t help all that much.”
“Oh, but he did. It gave me the perfect chance to jump Tony. I was glad we left your grandfather behind, but I had no idea he’d come with the sheriff, guns blazing.”
“I wonder how he’s going to get out of this. He’s only a retired CIA, not active, and he shot Connie, killing her.”
“I don’t know what will happen, but I hope the sheriff does the right thing and helps him out of this mess.”
Noah nodded and they both fell silent now as the ambulance reached the hospital. They both were lucky in many ways. Petunia didn’t understand the importance of the medallion that her aunt had insisted she wear, but she’d certainly thank her when she saw her next.
Chapter Sixteen
Aunt Maxine, Wanda, and Hazel gazed at Petunia at Mystical Remedies. “I’m so glad that you’re okay,” her aunt said.
“Thank you for the medallion. It saved my life.”
“As it did mine, dear, let me say I’ve had my own instances of bullets flying during a robbery. I told Estelle that I lost it when she wanted it back. It was given to me after I was given my license from Witches Affairs.”
“Is that the only repercussion for turning your back against them?” Petunia wanted to know.
“Yes, for now. The sheriff paid them a visit and threatened to jail them. Something about a warrant for their arrest in Kalamazoo. If they decided to leave town quietly, he’d allow them to, providing they did so quickly.”
“I don’t think he much cared for the whole frog incident at my house that day. The sheriff should know that I’m not capable of doing anything like that. I only make potions that actually help people feel better,” Petunia said. “I have more important things to worry about, now. Noah wants to speak with me about something and that has me worried. I’m sure by now he’s aware that I’m a witch. He’d be a fool not to think that.”
Aunt Maxine squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry, just be honest with him. You have nothing to worry about.”
Petunia cocked a brow. “Oh, and I suppose you’ve told a man you were interested in that you were a witch?”
Aunt Maxine and her witchy friends began to laugh uncontrollably. “No. Actually, but I’m sure you’ll fare much better.”
“But Aunt Maxine, why should I tell him anything?”
“Do you like this man or not?”
“Yes, but what if he refuses to have anything to do with me when he finds out?”
“You’ll see that won’t be the case.”
“Now hurry up, dear,” Wanda said with a snicker. “You don’t want to keep that handsome neighbor of yours waiting.”
Petunia so did not want to discuss this with her aunt and her aunt’s friends. There was something that was more important now. She gazed over at the clock on the wall and she had only ten more minutes before she had to head over to Noah’s house.
“So, what happened to my grandfather?” Petunia asked.
“Oh, didn’t Sheriff Pinkerton tell you?”
“No. He wouldn’t tell me at all. I would have called Sunnybrook, but I didn’t want to alert them that he had gone on the lam.”
“He must have worked something out by now, since he’s living on Cedar Creek Road in the Tudor on the corner.”
“Why didn’t he tell me?”
“He will in time. The sheriff contacted the CIA, who insisted he was an active agent.”
“So, basically they covered for him. Well, at least my grandfather isn’t locked up or at Sunnybrook.”
“I half expect him to run for mayor in the next election. That would be interesting.”
Petunia laughed all the way out of Mystical Remedies. She tugged on Pansy’s leash on her way over to Noah’s house, catching sight of her grandfather taking a stroll with Clara, with Cora walking a comfortable distance behind them with daggers in her eyes. Petunia was glad to see Clara out of Sunnybrook and with her grandfather. She could tell that Clara had a thing for him. Petunia just shook her head and kept moving. She wasn’t sure what it was about on her grandfather’s end, but he sure seemed to look happy with Clara on his arm. She just hoped the next time he took part in an investigation, it would have more merit. Of course, it did seem legitimate to him at the time. Anyway, she was just happy that he was no longer in that nursing home. Now, Petunia only hoped that Cora wouldn’t start trouble for any of them.
“Take me home first. I don’t see why I have to go over to Noah’s house. It’s not like he wants to talk to me,” Pansy said.
“He definitely doesn’t want to do that. It’s shocking enough for me to hear you speak.”
“Well, you know who to blame for that one.”
Petunia itched her nose. “I know. You don’t have to be constantly reminding me. I could still try to change you back, you know.”
“And grow a third head, I think not.”
She sighed. It was all for the best, anyway. She sure didn’t want to harm Pansy any more than she already had. “I do want to thank you for helping us out at the mayor’s house.”
“It’s not like I can risk losing you. If you died, what would happen to us cats? There’s no way I’m going back to the pound. Too many stupid dogs for me. And speaking of dogs, there is one, now.”
Sure enough, Melvin was on the porch, panting away. When Petunia walked in the door, Noah said, “It’s about time. I didn’t think that you’d show.”
Pansy hissed at Melvin, who gave the cat a lick over his face.
“Yuck,” Pansy said. “I liked it better when this stupid dog was afraid of me.”
Pansy jumped on the desk when they went through the door, making way over to the keyboard, staring at the screen.
“Are you here to talk to me, or worrying about that cat of yours?” Noah asked.
“No, I came to speak to you, but what I don’t know is why …”
Noah walked over to the wall, opening a panel that had a bar hidden behind it. “How about a glass of wine?”
“Sure, if it’s white and sweet.”
Noah poured two glasses of wine and motioned Petunia to join him in the dining room. “Please sit, Petunia.”
Petunia sat opposite Noah and took a sip of the wine, enjoying the taste. “So, what gives?”
“Did you give me a love potion?” he blurted out.
Petunia’s eyes widened. “What? You’re kidding, right?”
Pansy ran into the room, sitting at Petunia’s feet. “I can’t wait to hear this.”
“I-I … what makes you think I can, or would, do anything like that?”
“Let’s not play dumb, Petunia. I now know that all the rumors about you being a witch tha
t are circulating in town aren’t false. I’ve seen bubbles appear from your nose when you sneeze, and herbal salves you’ve made turned an old woman with arthritis into a marathon runner. Therefore, it’s natural for me to wonder if you’ve given me a love potion.”
“I’m not sure why. I might make healing potions, but I don’t think it wise to give a love potion to anyone. I can’t play God with people’s lives.”
“I just don’t understand how this works with you. Can you wiggle your nose and make things appear, then?”
“Nope. Potions are as far as it goes. Sorry to disappoint you.”
“Don’t be. I was hoping you hadn’t done that. Now I know for sure that what I feel for you is real.”
Petunia’s heart beat hard now. “Feel for me?”
“I really like you Petunia and I hope that you’ll still want to date me, providing we’re not involved in a case.”
“Oh, gee. I’m out of here,” Pansy said, darting from the room.
“I-I suppose. I hadn’t really given it that much thought,” Petunia said, jumping up. “I think I need to get home now. I’m still trying to recover from everything that happened. I can’t believe how you and I were both shot. We sure went through an ordeal together.”
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean you have to leave. We could have a few glasses of wine and discuss our budding relationship.”
“Relationship?”
“Well, yes. I have no interest in anyone else in Lake Forest and I rather enjoy our little adventures. I’d much prefer going out to dinner, though.”
Petunia’s heart hammered even harder as Noah stood, walking over to her. He tilted her head upward and gave her a peck on the lips. “Now run along home if you wish, but know this. I’m not planning to let you go. I’ll be picking you up at six for dinner.
Petunia took Pansy home, shaking her head the entire way. Noah certainly didn’t seem to be that upset that she really was a witch, he was just happy that she didn’t give him a love potion. She really liked Noah and hoped that one day she wouldn’t be so afraid of him. She didn’t want to get hurt and rather enjoyed them working together on cases. They were unlikely partners since she was a witch, but, it was certainly the beginning of what she hoped would grow into a much more meaningful relationship.
Meows, Magic & Manslaughter (Lake Forest Witches Book 2) Page 16