I couldn’t hear who yelled the observation, but Lila’s face was murderous as she swung around. Her antics had drawn a crowd, and a small group of people were laughing and pointing at her as she tried to cover her … um … assets. When Lila’s gaze landed on me, she scorched me with enough hatred to set the town ablaze.
“I know you did this,” she hissed. “I don’t know how, but you’re going to pay.”
Lila turned and ran from the fair, her hands covering her exposed panties as she made a beeline for the parking lot. When she was gone, Landon focused on me. I expected him to yell. I expected him to tell us how immature we were. I expected something – anything really – other than what he said.
“So where did we land on that ice cream?”
Eighteen
“So he didn’t say a word about it?”
I leaned back on the couch in the middle of Hypnotic and shook my head as Thistle passed me a glass of iced tea. “Not one word.”
“Do you think he’s waiting until later to fight about it?” Thistle asked, settling next to me.
“I can usually tell when he’s holding something inside and trying not to explode,” I said. “That’s not how this felt.”
“Is that how it felt this morning out at the Dandridge?”
I frowned. “That’s exactly how it felt. Have you talked to Clove?”
Thistle shook her head. “She got a call this morning and took off without saying a word. I’m assuming it came from Sam.”
“I hope that’s a good thing,” I said.
“Well, maybe they’re spending some quiet time together,” Thistle suggested.
“Sam said he was going to take her to the fair before … well, before I ruined his day.”
“It wasn’t your fault, Bay,” Thistle said. “What were you supposed to do?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. It still felt … disloyal.”
“Were you worried when you found it? Did you think he was going to try to keep you from calling Landon?”
“For a second,” I admitted. “He never got overtly angry. He did snap at me a few times, but I think he was frustrated more than anything else. I don’t blame him.”
“Do you think he did it?”
“No.”
“Are you saying that because Clove is going to spend six months in bed if he’s guilty?” Thistle asked.
“Listen, I’m not going to lie; I really want Sam to be innocent,” I said. “He was … worried this morning. While I’m sure part of him was worried for himself, the other part was worried for Clove. He didn’t want her to be upset.”
“Is that why he separated from her last night?”
“Yes. He said he wanted some time alone. And, let’s face it, spending the night at the guesthouse with the rest of us would have been ridiculously uncomfortable.”
“That’s putting it mildly,” Thistle said. “What did you tell him this morning?”
I shifted uncomfortably, averting my eyes. “What do you think I told him?”
“I think you told him that Clove is sensitive and he has to be careful with her heart,” Thistle said. “I think you told him that in his efforts to protect Clove, he should be careful not to hurt her at the same time.”
“How did you know that?”
“Because I was considering going out there and having the same conversation with him,” Thistle said, getting to her feet and pacing in front of the register. “I’m really afraid Clove is going to be … ruined … in all of this. If Sam is guilty, she’s never going to get over it.”
“I know.”
“I know I like to tease her … .”
“And bully her,” I added.
“I don’t bully her,” Thistle protested.
I arched an eyebrow.
“Fine. I bully her a little. It’s fun, though.”
“It’s only fun for you,” I said. “It’s not fun for Clove.”
“After everything that’s happened the past year, I think losing Sam would be too much for her,” Thistle said.
“I agree.”
“So, we have to try to prove Sam’s innocence,” Thistle said.
Where had that come from? “We do?”
“Do you have any other suggestions?”
“That seems like something outside of our wheelhouse,” I said. “If we had a direction to look, I would say it’s a great idea. We don’t have anywhere to look.”
Thistle ceased her pacing. “Who do we know in town who is having money problems?”
“I don’t know anyone in town who is having money problems,” I said. “That’s not something people generally volunteer. And there are too many tourists in Hemlock Cove to possibly narrow down a manageable search list.”
“We could do a spell,” Thistle suggested.
That was an interesting idea. “What kind of spell?”
“I don’t know,” Thistle said. “We could try to modify a locator spell.”
“You want to conjure a ball of light and follow it to a murderer?” That sounded like a terrible idea.
“Do you have a better idea?” Thistle challenged.
I swished my lips around as I thought. I finally gave in. “No.”
“Then I think this is what we have to do,” Thistle said.
“Fine. I think we should ask Aunt Tillie for help, though.”
Thistle balked. “Why?”
“Because our spells always go awry if she doesn’t help us.” That was hard to admit, but it was the truth.
“Fine,” Thistle said. “We’re never going to live this down. You know that, right?”
Unfortunately, I did. “Let’s go out to the inn and talk to her as soon as you’re done here.”
“Where is Landon?”
“He’s checking in with Chief Terry and then meeting me back at the inn.”
“What are you going to tell him?” Thistle asked.
“The truth.”
Thistle rolled her eyes. “What are you really going to tell him?”
“The truth,” I repeated. “I’m not going to lie to him. I told a tiny one this morning. It was miniscule. He was still upset by it. I’m not going to lie. We’re not doing anything wrong.”
“What if he wants to come?”
“Then he can come.”
“Wow. You’re growing as a person and a girlfriend,” Thistle teased. “I’m shocked at the maturity you’re showing.”
“Two hours ago we were trying to make Lila dance like Michael Jackson,” I reminded her.
“That was mature fun,” Thistle said. “Even Landon didn’t have a problem with it.”
“Yeah. I’m still trying to figure that one out.”
“I think we’re a bad influence on him.”
“I think you’re right.”
The door flew open and Clove stormed into the store. When she caught sight of me on the couch, she headed straight for me. “You!”
Uh-oh. “Me what?”
“I know what you did,” Clove said, her long dark hair flying as she stomped her foot on the ground. “Sam told me everything.”
This was a slippery slope. Was she angry because I talked to him behind her back or because I found the mask? “I … you’ll have to be more specific.”
“The mask, Bay!”
“It was an accident,” I said. “I saw something in the bush and I just went over to look at it. How was I supposed to know what it was?”
“You didn’t have to call Landon,” Clove said. “You know Sam is being framed. Instead of helping him, though, you turned on him.”
“I couldn’t not tell Landon,” I said. “He has a right to know – and I’m not going to lie to him. That’s not fair to him.”
“It’s also not the right thing to do,” Thistle said. “I know you’re upset, Clove, but you can’t blame Bay for this. She was in a no-win situation. She had to tell Landon.”
Clove crossed her arms over her chest. “No, she didn’t. She could have pretended she didn’t find it.”
“That’s not fair,” I said. “You know I couldn’t do that. That would have been a betrayal of Landon.”
“Oh, so it’s okay to betray my boyfriend as long as yours is happy,” Clove said. “Is that what I’m getting?”
“You’re out of control right now,” Thistle said. “You need to go home and … I don’t know … relax or something. Get a drink. Take a bath. You’re going to say something you regret.”
“No, I’m not,” Clove said. “I couldn’t possibly regret telling the truth. That’s Bay’s stance, so it’s going to be mine now as well.”
“Take a breath, Clove,” Thistle instructed. “You’re talking like a crazy person.”
“I’m not crazy,” Clove said, lowering her voice. “I finally see what’s going on here. You guys don’t want me to be happy, so you’re purposely going after Sam to make sure I’ll never be happy.”
“Oh, yeah, that sounds just like us,” Thistle said. “We don’t want you to be happy.”
“You don’t,” Clove said, her lower lip trembling. “That’s why Bay thinks it’s perfectly okay to force Sam to break up with me.”
All the air in my lungs escaped with an auditory whoosh. “What?”
“That’s right,” Clove said. “Sam broke up with me this afternoon.” The tears that had been threatening to fall finally broke free.
“No,” I said. “I talked to him this morning. He said he just needed some time alone. He didn’t want to worry you.”
“That was before you found the mask,” Clove said. “Now he knows he’s in real trouble.”
“That doesn’t mean he wants to break up with you,” Thistle said. “It only means he’s having a rough week.”
“A rough week?” Clove’s voice climbed an octave.
“Hey, we’ve all been there.”
I knew Thistle was going for levity, but now was not the time. Clove was beyond reason, and she was very close to losing it.
“Clove, what did Sam say exactly?” I asked.
“He said that he didn’t want me to be near him while the cops were sniffing around,” Clove said.
Well, that didn’t sound so bad. It sounded as though he was trying to protect Clove. “He’s trying to make sure you aren’t hurt.”
“He also said that he doesn’t think it’s a good idea that we see each other right now,” Clove said. “He said that he couldn’t take care of me and himself. He said he’s sorry, but for right now I have to stay away from him.”
My heart sank. “Oh, Clove, I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t talk to me,” Clove snapped. “Don’t you ever talk to me again! You are officially dead to me, and I’m not just saying it this time.” She turned on her heel and stalked out of the store, blowing past Landon as she did.
Landon let her go, wisely taking a step back instead of engaging, and then he fixed his gaze on me. “Do I even want to know?”
“Sam broke up with her,” Thistle said.
Landon’s face was unreadable. “Did he say why?”
“He said it wasn’t good for her to be around him with all of this going on,” I said.
“That sounds to me like he was trying to protect her,” Landon said. “He’s rising in my estimation.”
“And Clove has a broken heart,” I said.
“Clove is hurting right now,” Landon said. “She’s also safe. We’ll just have to deal with the … moodiness.”
Thistle and I scrunched our faces up in twin looks of disapproval, causing Landon to blanch. “What?”
“Moodiness?” Thistle asked. “Is that your way of saying you think Clove is being a silly female?”
“That’s not what I said,” Landon said. “I said she’s safe. If she wants to be depressed for a few days, I think she’s earned it. Sam is doing the right thing.”
“Sam is doing the wrong thing,” I countered. “He’s doing exactly what I told him not to do.”
“Maybe that’s why he’s doing it,” Thistle mused.
“What?”
“Maybe it’s payback to you for calling the police when you found the mask,” Thistle said.
The thought was sobering. Would Sam be that petty? Landon must have read my mind, because he immediately shook his head. “Don’t do that,” he said. “You can’t blame yourself. You did the right thing. If Sam is doing this to hurt you, then he’s a jackass.”
“You just said you had more respect for him,” I said.
“That was before I thought he might be doing it to punish you,” Landon said, his expression dark.
I exchanged a look with Thistle. “Well, we definitely have to go ahead with the plan now,” I said.
“What plan?” Landon asked, exasperated. “Wait! I don’t want to know. No, tell me. Wait! No, I definitely don’t want to know. Oh, crap, just tell me.”
Thistle smiled at him. “It’s going to be a fun night,” she said. “You’d better get something to eat now to bolster yourself.”
“How did a day that was going so well go down the toilet so fast?” Landon asked.
“I think it’s us,” I replied. “We somehow do it to ourselves and everyone around us.”
Landon reached over and pulled me in for a hug. “Just tell me the plan. I’d rather know now than spend the rest of the afternoon worrying about it.”
“We’ll tell you on the way to the inn,” Thistle said, grabbing her purse from behind the register.
“Why are we going to the inn?”
“We need Aunt Tillie,” I said.
“I was wrong,” Landon said. “Things just got worse.”
Nineteen
“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” Landon said, peering through the front window of his Explorer as he followed the ball of light speeding ahead of us. “I said after the last time that that would be the last time. Now, I’m here doing it again. Unbelievable!”
“Stop your bellyaching,” Aunt Tillie barked from the backseat. “You love this stuff and you know it.”
From the passenger seat, I risked a look at Landon. There was a small smile playing at the corner of his lips. “Is she right?” I hadn’t meant to say the words out loud.
Landon arched an eyebrow. “Does it look as though I’m having fun?”
“Kind of.”
Landon shook his head. “I must be crazy,” he said.
“You didn’t have to come with us,” I said. “We could have done it on our own.”
“Do you really think I would have rewarded you for telling me the truth by abandoning you?”
“I don’t think truth is something that should be rewarded,” I muttered.
“You’ve had a rough day,” Landon said. “You’ll feel better when this is over. I might even be convinced to give you a massage … if things don’t completely blow up in our faces in the next hour.”
“How has my day been rough?”
“You thought you were helping Clove and then you ended up hurting her,” Landon said, his eyes trained on the road. “You could’ve pretended you didn’t find the mask.”
“No, I couldn’t have done that,” I said. “I wouldn’t betray you that way.”
Landon darted his eyes to me briefly. “I know. That’s not what I meant. You could have tried to protect Clove by doing the wrong thing. You didn’t.”
“Clove will understand that,” Aunt Tillie said. “She’s all caught up in her own head right now.”
“I hope so,” I said.
“Trust me,” Aunt Tillie said. “She won’t be able to stay angry with you. It’s not in her. She’s not mean and vindictive like this one.” Aunt Tillie gestured to Thistle, next to her in the backseat.
“I am not mean and vindictive,” Thistle protested.
“Hey, those are the reasons I like you,” Aunt Tillie said. “You remind me of me.”
“That’s the meanest thing you’ve ever said to me,” Thistle pouted.
“Not even close,” Aunt Tillie replied, unruffled. “You probably don’t remember, but w
hen you were six I told you there was a lion living in the woods and it wanted to eat you.”
“I do kind of remember that,” Thistle said. “You said it was only after little girls who lied and that it was waiting for me because I stole your gold necklace. I was afraid to leave the house for a month.”
“See, you had it coming,” Aunt Tillie said.
“There’s just one problem with that,” Thistle said. “I didn’t steal your gold necklace. Bay accidentally broke it and then blamed it on me.”
Aunt Tillie swiveled, and I could see her fixing me with a look in the rearview mirror. “Is that true?”
I shrugged. “I was trying it on and it broke. It was an accident.”
“And you let your cousin take the fall for you?”
“Oh, please! She’d probably done six other things to you that week and gotten away with them,” I said. “She was probably due to get in trouble.”
Aunt Tillie considered the statement. “You’re probably right.” She pointed at the glowing orb as it made a sharp left. “There.”
“I see it,” Landon grumbled. “Hey, isn’t this the road to the Dragonfly?”
He was right.
“Is anything else out here?” Landon asked.
“Not really,” Thistle said. “There are some old cabins, but I don’t think they’re decent enough to stay in right now. I heard some developer was looking at them.”
“Are you sure?” Landon asked. “If the Dragonfly is the only thing out here then … .”
“Then it means whoever robbed the bank lives there,” Aunt Tillie said.
“It could be a guest,” I reminded her. “It could be someone farther down the road and we forgot someone lived down there.”
“It could be,” Aunt Tillie said. The ball of light zoomed to a stop – right over the Dragonfly. “Or it could be someone at your fathers’ inn.”
This sucked.
“We don’t know anything yet,” Landon said. Instead of parking in the lot he pulled up the road a bit and shut off the Explorer’s lights. “Let’s not panic until we know something. Can you kill that light?”
Aunt Tillie snapped her fingers and the orb dissipated.
Landon swiveled in his seat. “What do you guys want to do? Do you want to spy on them?”
“Spy? That’s undignified,” Aunt Tillie said.
Witch Me Luck (Wicked Witches of the Midwest Book 6) Page 14