I racked my memory, trying to put a face with the dim edges invading my memory. I knew who had attacked me. I also knew it wasn’t Sam.
“I know you’re awake.”
The voice jolted me. Nick. I kept my eyes shut, hoping he would think I was still out.
“I saw you shift, Bay,” Nick said. “I know you’re awake. If you sit up, you’ll probably be more comfortable. You look like you’re folded up on that seat.”
Apparently he wasn’t as dumb as I initially thought. I wrenched my eyes open, the dashboard of a car swimming into view. That would explain the motion sickness. We were in a car, and it was moving.
“How are you feeling?” Nick asked. “I didn’t mean to hit you so hard. I didn’t have time to think about what I was doing.”
“You’re the robber.” My voice was thick, and I wet my lips as I straightened in the passenger seat of Nick’s car. My head screamed, agony washing over me, but I tried to keep the evidence of pain from my face.
“I didn’t have a choice,” Nick said. “I need the money.”
I touched my head tentatively, thankful there was no blood on my fingertips when I pulled them back and studied them. “Why do you need the money?”
“I’m in debt,” Nick said. “I … people are after me.”
“Debtors? You know you can just change your phone number, right? Bankruptcy laws are really lenient now.”
“Not debtors,” Nick said. “Well, debtors. They’re not my main concern. I know they’re going to take my house. They’re not enough to make me rob a bank, though. I’m not insane.”
All evidence to the contrary. Instead of saying that, though, I waited.
“I need money to pay off a loan shark.”
I should’ve been surprised, but I wasn’t. I’d sensed something “off” about Nick. This had to be it. “Do you have a gambling problem?”
“How did you know that?”
“Just a guess,” I said. More like witchy intuition, but he didn’t need to know that. “How much do you owe?”
“Half a million.”
Good grief. “Why would they let you borrow that much?”
“It’s more than one loan shark.”
Of course it was. “What were you thinking?”
“It’s a sickness,” Nick said. “I can’t help myself. Those horses were just so … pretty.”
“You lost that much money gambling on horses?”
“Gambling addiction is a real thing.”
“I know it is,” I said. “I just don’t understand how you could get that far into debt without admitting you needed help.”
“I kept telling myself that I would win big and fix everything,” Nick said. “Every time I told myself that I borrowed more money and made things worse. And worse. And worse. They can’t get much worse now.”
“And yet you never stopped.”
“I couldn’t,” Nick said. “Do you have any idea what the guys loan sharks send out to collect debts look like?”
“I’ve seen it in movies.”
“It’s worse in real life. They don’t shower … or brush their teeth.”
Well, that was a nice picture. “I don’t understand how you thought robbing a bank would be the answer.”
Nick shrugged as he navigated the country road. I recognized our location. We were heading back to The Overlook. Why? What was Nick’s ultimate goal?
“I needed money,” Nick said. “I thought about leaving the country, but they have ways to find you if you’re not careful. Plus, you need a passport. Did you know that?”
“Did I know you needed a passport to the leave the country?” He was dumber than I remembered. “No. I had no idea.” It doesn’t hurt to play along with crazy people.
“Well, you do,” Nick said. “That costs money, and it takes weeks to get one. It’s so stupid.”
“So you decided to come home and rob the Hemlock Cove Savings & Loan? That doesn’t seem the best idea.”
“I had no intention of ever coming back here,” Nick said. “My parents moved away, and let’s face it, this is the most boring town ever. They don’t even have a Starbucks. When I got the invitation, though, I got an idea. It made so much sense. It was as if everything finally fell into place. I couldn’t ignore it and it could turn my luck around.”
“What made you think the town bank had enough in cash to pay down a debt that big?”
“I thought all banks had millions of dollars. That’s what it shows on television.”
Was he this stupid in high school? “How much did you get from the bank?”
“Don’t you know? I would think your FBI boyfriend would have told you.”
Funnily enough, I’d never asked. That one was on me. “He doesn’t tell me the specifics of his job. It’s none of my business.”
“But you’re so close,” Nick said. “He’s obviously into you.”
“I should hope so. We’re dating. I would hope you wouldn’t date someone who you’re not ‘into.’”
“I’ve never dated anyone I was into,” Nick said. “I guess you’re lucky.”
“I guess so.”
“How did you two meet?”
He was so … blasé. It was as though we were two old friends catching up. I decided to play along. “He was undercover. There was a murder in a corn maze. We just kind of … connected.”
“I heard about that murder,” Nick said. “You solved it, didn’t you?”
“Kind of.”
“Is he the guy who was shot?”
“He is.”
“Wow. I’ve always wondered what it was like to be shot. Did he say whether it hurt?”
I rolled my eyes, and the movement caused my head to throb. “He was shot. He could have died. It hurt.”
“Does he have a scar?”
“Yes.”
“Is it ugly?”
I often found myself running my fingers over the scar as Landon slept, wondering how close I had come to losing him before I could really know him. There was no way I was sharing that with Nick. “It’s not so bad.”
“He’s tough, isn’t he?”
“He is.”
“Does he treat you right?”
“Well, he doesn’t hit me over the head with … whatever it is you hit me with … and throw me in a car,” I said. “I guess it depends on how you look at it.”
“Listen, I didn’t want to attack you,” Nick said. “I wasn’t lying when I said you grew up to be hot. In fact, I was going to invite you on a great trip when I got enough money to run away. I realized that wouldn’t work when I saw you with your boyfriend.”
“Is that when you shifted your attention to Clove?”
“She’s hot, too,” Nick said. “Actually, you’re all hot.”
“Thanks … I guess.”
“Thistle is hot, but she looks mean. Is she mean?”
“You have no idea.”
“How does Marcus put up with her?”
“They’re good together,” I said, aggravated with the conversation. It was as if Nick had ADD. I guess, upon reflection, he was this way in high school, too. Live and learn. “Where are we going?”
“Back to The Overlook.”
“Why?”
“I need your help.”
That wasn’t likely, but I was trying to keep him calm. “With what?”
“I can’t find my money.”
Oh, well, that figured. “Let me get this straight, you stole money from the bank and then you attacked Mrs. Gunderson and stole money from her, and now you’ve lost it?”
“It’s not my fault.”
He was officially pathetic. I decided to change my plan of attack “Why did you finger Sam Cornell? How did you think you could get away with it?”
“It was a fluke,” Nick said. “I was looking for an outsider. He didn’t seem to have any friends. I was talking to Jesse Wharton and he told me that Sam was sprucing up the Dandridge. I thought he was a perfect patsy. He didn’t have a lot of ties. That
was before I found out about Clove, but even after I found out it didn’t matter. I had to do what I had to do.”
“So you made an anonymous call to the police and fingered Sam after the robbery?”
“I honestly didn’t mean to hurt anyone,” Nick said. “Someone screamed, and I jumped and the gun went off. I never wanted to hurt anyone. I don’t even remember the woman who was shot.”
“She died. You know that, right?”
“I know,” Nick said. “I feel bad. I can’t fix it, though. She’s already gone. Dwelling on stuff like that only makes you depressed. You have to let it go. I think that’s your problem. You dwell on things. You know, if you let it go you’ll feel better. You know that, right?”
Not entirely. “Why did you go after Mrs. Gunderson?”
“I needed more money,” Nick explained. “I thought if I robbed every business in town I might have a chance to buy myself some time. I realize now that was a stupid idea.”
At least he was the one who said it. “How much money did you manage to get?”
“Twenty thousand.”
I wanted to laugh, but it didn’t seem appropriate. “What’s your plan now?”
“I have to run,” Nick said. “Twenty grand won’t last me forever, but I should be able to get away. I only want to start a new life.”
“So why did you come after me?”
“I don’t have a choice,” Nick said. “I need your help.”
“I’m not helping you rob someone. You’re fresh out of luck there. My boyfriend is with the FBI. He wouldn’t like it.” And I wouldn’t rob someone if my life depended on it – which it technically did in this specific circumstance.
“I know that,” Nick said. “I need you to help find my money.”
I swiveled so I could face him, ignoring the screaming pain shooting through my neck. I must have hit the ground harder than I thought. “Are you saying you really lost the money?” I thought he was kidding before, or maybe it just didn’t register fully. If I didn’t think he was stupid before … . “I thought you were just making excuses.”
“It’s gone,” Nick said.
Things started slipping into place. “Did you hide it in the greenhouse?”
“How did you know?”
“Your lie about looking for Aunt Tillie’s pot didn’t make a lot of sense,” I said. “You know very well she would never plant pot in a greenhouse.”
“I can’t believe she’s still planting pot when you have a Fed staying on the premises so often,” Nick said, laughing as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “She must have a death wish.”
“Landon would never arrest her.”
“Because of you?”
“Because he loves Aunt Tillie.”
“He’s a good guy,” Nick said. “I still wish you would run away with me, but I can see why you’re attracted to him. He’s a good-looking guy.”
This conversation was getting uncomfortable. “Nick, what do you think I can do for you?”
“I need you to find my money. I hid it in a pot in that greenhouse. I was worried your mother or aunts would find it if I hid it in my room. Now it’s gone.”
“I don’t know where it is,” I said.
“Someone had to take it.”
“It wasn’t me.”
“I know that,” Nick said. “I just need you to find it.”
He wasn’t making any sense. “I don’t know where it is.”
“Yes, but you have ways of finding it.”
Now I was definitely confused. “What ways?”
“You’re a witch,” Nick said, matter of factly. “You can do a spell.”
Well, crap. And I thought things couldn’t get any worse.
Thirty-One
“What’s the big plan now?” I asked, staring at the front of The Overlook from the passenger seat of Nick’s car. “Do you expect me to magically divine where your stolen money is?”
“That would be great,” Nick said, turning to me expectantly. “The faster you find my money the faster I can get out of this crap town and start my new life.”
“You’re going to start a new life with twenty grand?”
“I don’t think I like your tone,” Nick said.
“Oh, well, with the throbbing head wound and back pain I guess I must have lost my charming personality somewhere between here and the Dandridge.”
“You need to find it,” Nick said. “I’m sick of your attitude. You’re treating me like I’m stupid.”
I wonder why? “I don’t know where your money is.”
“Well, you need to find it,” Nick said. “I can’t leave this place with nothing. I’ve been through too much.”
“You’ve been through too much? You killed Amy Madison.”
“That was an accident,” Nick said. “You have to let that go.”
“You fingered Sam and ruined his life.”
“So what? He’s not your boyfriend.”
“This whole thing is breaking Clove’s heart.”
“She’s hot. She’ll get over it.”
He wasn’t just senseless, he was soulless. “I don’t know how to find your money.”
“You’re a witch. Do a spell.”
“Oh, well, why didn’t I think of that?” I grumbled. “Um, let me think.” I tapped my chin, irked. “Bibbidi, bobbidi, boo. Money I want to find for you. This is completely moronic. I could use a gin and tonic. Bibbidi, bobbidi, boo.”
“Cool,” Nick said. “Where is my money?”
I wanted to smack him. If I didn’t think he would smack me back, I would totally do it. “It’s not here.”
“It has to be,” Nick said. “I put it in the greenhouse. Maybe we should go out there. If you’re closer to where I hid the money your chant might work.”
I considered the suggestion. The chant was never going to work – and not just because I didn’t want it to – but if I could manage to get out in the open I might be able to escape. The problem was, I had no idea whether Nick was armed. If we ran into a guest – or worse, one of my relatives – there was no way I could guarantee their safety.
“We have to be careful,” I said finally. “I don’t want anyone else drawn into this. We have to act normal when we walk to the back of the property. We can’t draw attention to ourselves.”
“See. Now you’re thinking.” Nick opened his door. “Don’t try to run. I’d hate to have to shoot you.”
Well, that answered that question. “I won’t try to run as long as you leave everyone else out of this.”
“Good,” Nick said. “Let’s get going. No offense to you, but I’d like to find someone fun to spend some time with. You’re hot, but you’re nothing but a killjoy. How does that Fed put up with you and the constant nagging?”
I hate him.
“WHERE did you hide the money?” My head felt two sizes too big for my body, and all I really wanted to do was sleep.
“Over here.” Nick ambled to the far corner of the greenhouse and pointed to a stack of pots. “I put it in the one in the middle.”
“Did you search through every pot? Maybe you accidentally put it in the bottom pot or something.”
“Do I look stupid?”
He didn’t really want me to answer that, did he? “When was the last time you saw the money?”
“I put it here the night before last,” Nick said. “When I came down here last night, though, it was gone. That’s why I was making so much noise. Duh.”
Seriously, I hate him. “So it was down here for only a day. That’s what you’re saying, right?”
“Yes. Someone had to take it. Who has access to the greenhouse?”
“Technically it belongs to Aunt Tillie,” I said. “We don’t lock it, though. Anyone could come in here.”
“I’ll bet it’s Tillie,” Nick said. “She’s been mean to me since I checked in. I think it’s because she knows you’re attracted to me.”
Yeah, I was pretty sure that wasn’t it. “It wasn’t Aunt Tillie
.”
“Are you saying she’s above stealing money? I heard she gave Lila a mustache.”
That was still funny. “I don’t think she’s above stealing money,” I said. “I do think she’s incapable of keeping quiet about it if she did. She would have bought something big. She’s had her eye on a new snow plow for months.”
“Oh,” Nick said, rubbing his forehead. “I guess you would know best. What about your mother? She looks like she would steal. It’s always the prim ones who get down and dirty behind closed doors.”
“You should tell her that.”
Nick frowned. “Someone stole my money. You have to find out who, and you have to do it right now because I can’t spend one more second with you. You’re such a downer.”
“I’m a downer?”
“You just harp and harp on stuff,” Nick said. “You never let anything go. I know it’s a woman thing, but you have no idea how annoying it is.”
“You’re a murderer and you’re annoyed with me?”
“See!”
I bit my tongue to keep from screaming at him.
“Now, say your spell again and find my money,” Nick said.
“That wasn’t a spell. I don’t have a spell to find lost money.” Actually, I could probably whip one up, but I had no intention of helping Nick.
“Well, you’d better think of one,” Nick said, pulling a handgun from his pocket and leveling it at me. “You’re running out of time. I think you might need some motivation.”
I glared at him. “Do you think a gun is going to motivate me?”
“Treating you like a human being hasn’t been working,” Nick said. “I’m flexible. I’m willing to try multiple things. I do that in bed, too, just in case you’re still interested.”
“You hit me on the head and threw me in your car,” I said. “You kidnapped me and dragged me to my mother’s inn and now you’re holding a gun on me. How is that treating me like a human being?”
“You just won’t let things go,” Nick said. “Do you think you get that from your mother?”
I wish he would hit me over the head again. “What if someone else took your money?” I suggested.
“Who? Oh, do you think your boyfriend took it? Is that why he left you alone today? Do you think he took my money and ran?”
Witch Me Luck (Wicked Witches of the Midwest Book 6) Page 23