Life's a Witch

by Amanda M. Lee

  “Good morning everyone,” Landon said, taking his usual spot next to Aunt Tillie.

  I sat next to him, offering Twila and Marnie tight smiles while trying to avoid eye contact with my mother.

  “How was your night, Bay?” Rosemary asked.

  “I slept well. Thank you. How was your night, Rosemary?”

  “The bed was lumpy.”

  I darted a worried look in my mother’s direction and saw the clenching of her jaw. All the mattresses at the inn were less than a year old. I’d slept on two of them and knew the beds were comfortable. “That’s too bad,” I said. “Other than that, how was your night?”

  “I guess you didn’t hear what happened last night,” Aunt Willa interjected. “You ran off and missed the big show.”

  Uh-oh. “What big show?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Mom said.

  Something told me that wasn’t true. Something also told me that if Mom told the story yelling might be involved. “Okay.” I grabbed the platter of pancakes and held them so Landon could dish some onto our plates. “What is everyone doing today?”

  “We’re going to the festival,” Marnie replied. “Aunt Willa and Rosemary want to see the town and Hypnotic. We’re going to make a day of it. What are you guys doing?”

  Landon made a face, his plans going up in smoke. “We haven’t decided yet,” he said. “We might just hang around the guesthouse.”

  “I thought you were going to the festival?” Aunt Tillie teased. “Wasn’t there some bold talk of winning stuffed animals for Bay?”

  “Things change. Move along.” Landon used his best no-nonsense tone, but Aunt Tillie wasn’t about to be dissuaded.

  “No. You said you were going to the fair to get sick on junk food so you could avoid dinner tonight.”

  So much for us being allies. “What did you do last night that has everyone so upset?”

  “I didn’t do anything,” Aunt Tillie challenged, crossing her arms over her chest. “Why do you always assume I’ve done something?”

  “Because we know you,” Landon replied, nonplussed. “You’ve obviously done something. I’ve seen happier people at natural disaster sites.”

  “I think we should all go to the festival together,” Mom announced, taking me by surprise.

  “I think that’s a terrible idea,” Landon said.

  “Yeah, I’m not going to the festival,” Aunt Tillie said. “The people in town give me gas.”

  Most of the guests snickered.

  “I wasn’t talking about you,” Mom clarified. “I think that the rest of us should go as a family, though. How does that sound?”

  “I’m pretty sure I’m going to be sick,” I answered, knowing I was digging myself deeper but unable stop myself. “I feel a plague coming on.”

  “I think I’m going to be sick with her,” Landon added. “We’ll probably be bed ridden.”

  “Pervert,” Aunt Tillie muttered.

  “You’re not sick,” Mom said. “Everyone is going.” Now she used her no-nonsense tone.

  “Mom … .”

  “Don’t even bother arguing, Bay,” Mom replied. “After last night, you owe me.”

  “She doesn’t owe you anything,” Landon countered. “If she doesn’t want to go … .”

  “Don’t push me,” Mom warned.

  “Don’t push me,” Landon shot back. “I … .”

  The sound of someone clearing his throat by the main dining room door caused everyone to turn in that direction, killing the potential argument. Chief Terry, Hemlock Cove’s top cop, shuffled uncomfortably as he watched the scene.

  “I’m sorry to interrupt,” he said.

  “You’re not interrupting,” Mom replied, hopping to her feet. “Have a seat. The pancakes are still warm.”

  “So is the bacon,” Marnie said, lifting the plate. My mother and aunts were locked in a never-ending competition to see who could win Chief Terry’s affection. I have no idea what would happen if one of them ever actually took first place.

  Landon reached around me and grabbed three slices from the plate, earning a dark look from Marnie. “Have a seat,” he said. “You too can enjoy our breakfast from hell for the low, low price of being someone who doesn’t want to kill me.”

  “I’m not sure what that means, but I’m not here on a social call,” Chief Terry said.

  Landon shifted in his chair, his sarcastic mirth turning to worry. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m glad you’re in town this weekend. We found a body.”

  “What kind of body?”

  “A dead one, pervert,” Aunt Tillie supplied.

  Landon wagged a threatening finger in her face. “I’m going to make those active wear pants come true if you’re not careful.”

  Aunt Tillie rolled her eyes. “Promises, promises.”

  “Who died?” I asked.

  “I’m not at liberty to say just yet,” Chief Terry replied. “I need Landon to go out to the scene with me.”

  Landon and I exchanged a look. “I guess I’m on the job,” he said. “I would worry you did this, but I know where you’ve been the last twenty-four hours.”

  “Ha, ha.”

  He brushed a quick kiss against my cheek and stood, grabbing his bacon for the trip. “Can you drive? My truck is at the guesthouse.”

  “Sure,” Chief Terry said. “I’m sorry for ruining your day.”

  “Oh, you haven’t ruined our day,” Mom said, her voice full of faux sugar. “Now Bay doesn’t have an excuse to ditch the festival.”

  My heart sank as my stomach rolled.

  “Actually she does,” Landon said, causing hope to flare. “I need her to come to the scene with me.”

  Aunt Willa frowned. “You’re taking Bay to see a dead body? That doesn’t sound very sanitary.”

  “I need her to … look things over and tell us what she sees,” Landon explained.

  “Why?” Rosemary was confused.

  “Because I need her with me,” Landon replied, glancing at Chief Terry for support. “You don’t care if she comes, do you?”

  Chief Terry shrugged. He knew something was going on, and even though he wasn’t sure what it was, he clearly wasn’t in the mood to argue. “The more the merrier.”

  “Oh, darn,” I said, standing and gracing my mother with a rueful smile. “I guess I’m going to miss out on the festival. What a bummer.” She couldn’t argue with Landon and Chief Terry about the necessity of my presence at the scene without tipping Aunt Willa and Rosemary about why they wanted me there.

  “Fine,” Mom said, giving in. “This isn’t over, though. We will have a talk about this.”

  “I can’t wait.”

  Eight

  “Does anyone want to tell me what was going on at breakfast?” Chief Terry asked, navigating his Dodge Durango from The Overlook’s driveway and heading out of town. “Things seemed tense.”

  “Oh, no. That’s how they always are,” I replied from the back seat.

  “No one needs your sarcastic tone, missy,” Chief Terry warned, although his eyes twinkled as they met mine in the rearview mirror. He never stayed angry with me.

  “It’s … a long story,” I said, adjusting my attitude. It wasn’t Chief Terry’s fault my mother wanted to kill me.

  “We have twenty minutes until we get to Hollow Creek,” Chief Terry replied. “Spill.”

  “My Aunt Willa is in town,” I started. “She brought Rosemary.”

  Chief Terry furrowed his brow. “Rosemary? Isn’t she the cousin who terrorized you at camp that one summer?”

  “How do you know that?” Landon asked, surprised.

  “I know everything about Bay,” Chief Terry replied. “She had a rough childhood sometimes. That Rosemary teamed up with Lila. I remember that because she was upset. I don’t like it when she’s upset. I’m a softie where she’s concerned. Why are they here?”

  “We have no idea,” Landon replied. “They’re clearly up to something … and they haven�
�t said a pleasant thing since they arrived. Aunt Tillie is planning mayhem, and Winnie is struggling to hold things together.”

  “How are you handling it, Bay?” Chief Terry was always sympathetic and kind.

  “I’m not the same kid I was back then,” I reassured him. “Rosemary can’t get to me like she used to. I’m more … self-confident ... now.”

  “That’s because you have a handsome boyfriend who carries a gun,” Landon interjected.

  Chief Terry snickered. Even though he fought Landon’s interested in me for a long time, he was resigned to the fact that we are a couple now. In fact, he’d grown fond of Landon … although he probably would never admit it. “Yes, Bay. You’re popular now because you’re dating an FBI agent.”

  I rolled my eyes. “It’s not that … although you are studly and handsome, sweetie,” I said. “For several years there, when I was younger, I couldn’t seem to find footing. Everyone thought I was weird, and Lila was always out to get me. Sometimes it felt as though I was suffocating.”

  “And that’s why you left town and moved south,” Chief Terry supplied. “I remember.”

  “And then I found out about a different kind of suffocating,” I muttered, my mind wandering back to my years in southeastern Michigan. When I was a teenager, the idea of fleeing to a big city where no one knew about the Winchester witches seemed an attainable dream. The reality was different, and once I returned to Hemlock Cove I knew I was home to stay.

  “You needed that time to find yourself,” Chief Terry said. “You came back a much happier person. I know you didn’t like it down there, but it was good for you. By the time you came back, you could hold your own and didn’t need Thistle to fight your battles.”

  “Thanks for the pep talk!”

  Chief Terry rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean, Bay,” he said. “You’ve always been my favorite … mostly because Thistle was mean and Clove used to cry on a dime to manipulate me. I used to worry about you, though.”

  “Well, you don’t need to worry about her now,” Landon said. “That’s my job.”

  “Whatever,” Chief Terry muttered. “Tell me about Willa. I don’t remember anything good about her.”

  “As far as I can tell, there’s nothing good to remember about her,” I replied. “She knows exactly how to get under Aunt Tillie’s skin. Granted, that’s not hard to do, but she seems to get off causing emotional upheaval.

  “So far she’s gotten in digs about Mom’s food, the beds at the inn, Landon’s hair, Sam’s job and Aunt Tillie’s parenting skills,” I continued. “She seems to be on a mission to make us all miserable.”

  “Why did Winnie allow her to stay?”

  I shrugged. “I’ve been asking myself that very question for two days now,” I answered. “The only thing I can come up with is that my grandmother wanted peace in the family, and this is a way for my mother to do what she couldn’t.”

  “Your grandmother was a good woman,” Chief Terry said. “She was easy to get along with. Tillie and Willa were the exact opposite. They are older than me, but my father told me some stories about the two of them.”

  “Like what?” Landon prodded.

  “I’m getting this all secondhand from stuff my father told me, so take it with a grain of salt. Apparently Willa went after Calvin at some point,” Chief Terry replied. “Everyone in town knew Calvin Hoffman was head-over-heels for Tillie. That didn’t stop Willa from going after him out of spite.”

  That didn’t surprise me.

  “There was some hair pulling and threatened curses,” Chief Terry continued. “They screamed at each other in the middle of a festival dance, and Tillie swore up and down she would turn Willa’s hair green and make her teeth fall out.”

  “Wait a second,” Landon interjected. “Calvin’s last name was Hoffman. Why isn’t Aunt Tillie’s last name Hoffman?”

  “Aunt Tillie claims there’s power in names,” I answered. “She never changed her last name. My mother and aunts changed theirs briefly, but after the divorces they all changed them back.”

  “Why don’t any of you guys have your fathers’ names?”

  That was a good question. “When we were born we had hyphenated last names,” I explained. “Aunt Tillie insisted we would be unprotected if we didn’t keep the Winchester name. I think that was a power play. It doesn’t really matter now. I’m Bay Winchester. I don’t really remember having a different last name. When our mothers returned to their maiden names they also switched ours.”

  “Didn’t your fathers put up a fight about that?”

  “Have you seen our fathers put up a fight about anything?” I challenged.

  Landon waited a beat, letting me rein in my temper before continuing. “I take it things aren’t any better between you and your father since we cast that truth spell on his guests.”

  “It’s fine,” I said. “I ran into him in town three days ago and he was perfectly … pleasant.”

  “Is that code for something?”

  “Landon, it’s fine,” I said, too weary to analyze my troubled relationship with my father. “I can only deal with one family crisis at a time. Aunt Willa and Rosemary win right now.”

  “Well, you might think that’s the end of the conversation, but it’s not,” Landon said. “If you don’t want to talk about it right now, I’ll let it go. I’m going to bring it up again, though. Prepare yourself.”

  “I’m working to tamp down my excitement even as we speak.”

  Landon turned his attention to Chief Terry. “Tell me about the body.”

  “Our best guess is that it’s a teenager,” Chief Terry replied. “We don’t have an identification yet. He’s been in the water for some time. The medical examiner should be there when we arrive. It looks as though he was stabbed, though.”

  “Have any local kids been reported missing?”

  “No. That’s troublesome. What’s more troublesome is that he was dumped at Hollow Creek.”

  “Isn’t Hollow Creek where I found you guys searching for buried treasure last year?” Landon asked me. “You were all out there pretending you were on a picnic, but then you found the body in the cave. That’s the same place, right?”

  I nodded, smiling at the memory. That was long before we hooked up. He was suspicious of us that day. I didn’t blame him.

  “I know what you’re thinking about,” Landon said. “I knew you guys were up to something, and I was dying to know what it was. I think that’s when I knew I was a goner where you were concerned. I couldn’t stop myself from thinking about you.”

  “You know I’m in the same vehicle with you guys, right?” Chief Terry asked, scowling. “She’s still eight with pigtails where I’m concerned.”

  “It’s not as though we did anything,” Landon countered. “Bay, Clove and Thistle were out there searching, and they were all terrible liars.”

  “Oh, you’re so smitten,” Chief Terry taunted.

  Landon was nonplussed. “I’m not going to deny it,” he said. “Back then I was just trying to figure her out.”

  “And how is that going for you?”

  “It gets easier every day,” Landon replied, leaning forward when he caught the telltale swirl of emergency vehicle lights. “I take it we’re almost there.”

  “Yeah,” Chief Terry replied. “Bay, if you see anyone’s ghost, keep quiet about it. Make sure you’re careful. There are going to be a lot of people out here who won’t understand why you’re here. I think we should lie and say you two were together and she would’ve been stranded if we didn’t bring her along. I can’t control this scene with county people here.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Landon said.

  Chief Terry parked and Landon hopped out first, opening my door and grabbing my hand. “Stick close to me,” he whispered. “I have to look at the body. If you see something … .”

  “I’ll be careful,” I promised.

  Landon squeezed the back of my neck with his free hand. “I love you, Bay.
Even when we fight – and we’re still going to talk about your father – even then, though, I still love you.”

  “I love you, too,” I murmured.

  Landon planted a quick kiss on my forehead and then released my hand. He was on official business now. You don’t hold your girlfriend’s hand at a crime scene. I wordlessly followed him, cringing when I saw the county medical examiner poking the body with a gloved finger. Chief Terry wasn’t exaggerating when he said the body had been in the water for some time. The smell was pungent from twenty feet away, and the bloated carcass barely resembled anything human.

  I turned away. There was nothing for me there. If I was going to help, it would be in another area. I was careful as I moved around the scene, watching where I stepped to make sure I didn’t contaminate evidence.

  I drew a few strange looks before Chief Terry made a big show about explaining my presence. After that, I was largely ignored. Most of the foliage was thick and I avoided stepping in any of it. I kept an eye on Landon, who impassively knelt next to the body and carried on a conversation with the medical examiner. I had no idea how he managed to do his job – and do it well – when I was often overtaken by the plight of human misery. In Landon’s mind he needed to know the “hows” and the “whys.” In my mind I was stuck on the “what ifs” and “what could’ve beens.”

  I trudged down to the water, rolling my neck as I took in the scene. Even though I’d always liked Hollow Creek, I rarely visited the location. It was out of the way. It was a fun picnic spot when we were younger, but each generation took it over and made it their own. Teenagers partied on the banks during the summer, while adults gravitated to the multitude of other lakes and streams.

  I was studying the murky water when something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. I moved closer, leaning down for a better look. When I realized what I was staring at, I straightened.

  “Landon!”

  Landon jerked his head in my direction, surprised. “What’s wrong?”

  “There’s a wallet in the water here.”

  Landon and Chief Terry moved toward me, Landon gently nudging me out of the way with his hip – making sure to keep his glove-covered hands from touching me – and stared in the direction I pointed.