Life's a Witch

by Amanda M. Lee

  “Get a bag,” Landon instructed.

  Chief Terry retrieved an evidence bag as Landon dug into the water. He pulled the sopping wallet out and opened it, digging through it to retrieve a driver’s license. “Does anyone know a Nathaniel Jamison?”

  Chief Terry and I exchanged a look.

  “He graduated from Hemlock Cove High School two years ago,” I said. “He’s a local boy. He’s not a teenager, though. He should be at least twenty by now.”

  “We can’t be sure the body is Nathaniel,” Chief Terry cautioned. “Not yet, at least.”

  “If it is, it might explain a few things,” Landon said. “Most people don’t report a college kid missing if he’s not under regular parental supervision. His parents might not know he’s missing.”

  “He only has a mother in town,” Chief Terry replied. “Patty Jamison. She was a pretty attentive mother, as I remember. His parents divorced years ago, and his father left town. I’m not sure how much he sees his kids.”

  “He has a sister, right?” I asked. “I think her name is Chloe.”

  “Yeah, she’s still in high school,” Chief Terry said. “I think she’ll be a senior this year.”

  “If he’s home on summer break, wouldn’t his mother and sister know he’s missing?” I asked.

  “I guess we’ll have to ask them,” Chief Terry said, his face grim. “The quickest way to find out if that’s Nathaniel is to find out when he was last seen. We can feel Patty out about the wallet first. Hopefully news about the body won’t have spread to town yet. This place is pretty isolated.”

  “I guess that’s our next stop,” Landon agreed, lowering his voice. “Have you seen anything else out here?”

  “If he’s a ghost, he’s not here now,” I replied. “That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s not stuck here. He could be home … or still trying to control his reality. Now isn’t the time to try to find him. There are too many people watching.”

  “I agree with that,” Landon said. “If it becomes necessary, I’ll bring you out here later so we can look around when it’s only the two of us.”

  “You’re just looking for an excuse to get out of another uncomfortable evening with my family,” I said, going for levity. Given the body on the riverbank, though, I immediately regretted my words.

  “It’s okay,” Landon said, as if reading my mind. “Let’s head back to town. There’s nothing more we can do out here. We need answers, and the only way we’re going to get them is by talking to friends and family.”

  “Yeah,” Chief Terry said, blowing out a frustrated sigh. “Let’s go. Whatever happened out here was terrible, but our answers are back in town.”

  From his perspective, he made sense. Something inside of me told me there was more to discover at Hollow Creek, though. Unfortunately there was absolutely nothing we could do about that right now.

  Nine

  “Are you sure you want us to leave you here?” Landon asked, glancing around the quiet high school parking lot worriedly. “We can take you back to the inn before we question Nathaniel’s mother. I wish we could take you with us, but it’s unprofessional, and I don’t want to leave you in the Durango for hours if we’re going to be in there for a bit. You might die of heat exhaustion.”

  “Are you saying you don’t want to lock me in the car like a dog?”

  Landon smirked. “You know what I mean,” he said. “Chief Terry doesn’t mind taking you back to the inn.”

  “If I go back to the inn I’ll be stuck going on an afternoon outing with Aunt Willa and Rosemary,” I reminded him. “I’d much rather be marooned here.”

  Landon didn’t look convinced. “What are you going to do? It’s summer. School is out.”

  “Yes, but summer school is in,” I countered. “There are bound to be a few kids forced to take classes, and there’s a basketball court on the other side of the building. The boys spend hours there every day. Maybe some of them can give us some insight into what Nathaniel was doing.”

  “We don’t know that it’s Nathaniel yet,” Landon cautioned.

  “I know that,” I replied. “Odds are it is him, though. I’m not going to tell them he’s dead. I’m only going to feel them out for what’s going on at Hollow Creek these days.”

  “That’s not a bad idea,” said Chief Terry, leaning against the front of the Durango. After leaving Hollow Creek we drove into town. Neither Landon nor Chief Terry could come up with a legitimate excuse to bring me when they questioned Patty Jamison. That’s when I suggested they drop me off at the high school. “Teenage kids are less likely to open up to law enforcement officials. A pretty blonde is another story.”

  “Yes, I love it when you suggest using my girlfriend’s looks to entice other men,” Landon muttered.

  “They’re not men,” I reminded him. “They’re teenage boys. I think I can handle teenage boys. Besides, most of the teenage boys here have a very high opinion of Aunt Tillie. That can work to my advantage for a change.”

  “Do I even want to know why teenage boys like Aunt Tillie?”

  “I don’t,” Chief Terry said, nonplussed. “If I know why they like her I’ll have to arrest her.”

  “She doesn’t sell them pot, does she?” Landon asked, his face twisting as he contemplated the ramifications. “Wait … I don’t want to know.”

  “She doesn’t sell them pot,” I said. “Actually, she doesn’t like sharing, so the pot is all hers. They know about the wine and pot, though, and they think they might be able to snow her into sharing. She encourages that … even though she has no intention of giving them what they want.

  “Plus, well, ever since the teenage boys found out Aunt Tillie was teaching the teenage girls how to fire guns they’ve been trying to get on her good side so she won’t talk badly about them when she’s holding one of her clinics,” I said.

  Landon narrowed his eyes. “I told her she couldn’t teach those girls to fire weapons,” he said. “Are you telling me she’s still doing it?”

  Uh-oh. “I’m telling you that Aunt Tillie has a way with teenagers that can’t be measured or fathomed,” I replied.

  Landon made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat. “Okay. I guess you’re safe here in the middle of the day,” he said finally.

  He was too cute for words sometimes, especially when he became protective and territorial. Yes, I know that sends a bad message. Sue me. He’s adorable. “You realize I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time, right?”

  “I realize that I would be mighty sad if you weren’t around,” Landon countered, leaning over to give me a quick kiss.

  “Ugh. I’m officially grossed out by you two,” Chief Terry complained. “It’s like watching a small child kiss a perverted older man.”

  “Why does everyone think I’m a pervert?” Landon was annoyed.

  “I think it’s probably your hair,” I teased, squeezing his hand. “Call me when you’re done so we can meet for lunch and compare notes.”

  “We’re meeting in town, right?” Landon pressed. “I do not want to risk going back out to the inn with your mother displaying all the telltale signs of having a major freakout in the next few days.”

  “We’re definitely meeting in town,” I said. “I only want to talk to a few of the kids to see what they know about Hollow Creek. It’s always been a party place for the kids during the summer, but I’m kind of curious what kind of parties go on out there these days.”

  “I’ll call you when we’re done,” Landon said, giving me another quick kiss.

  “Stop kissing her,” Chief Terry ordered, climbing into his Durango. “It’s gross.”

  “Get over it,” Landon shot back.

  Sometimes I think they should be filmed for a reality show. I watched them leave, waving until they pulled out of the parking lot, and then headed in the direction of the school.

  Hemlock Cove is tiny. Each graduating class has only about fifty students. That means students of various ages hang out in the sam
e place, so I wasn’t surprised to find ten boys playing basketball behind the high school when I rounded the corner.

  I scanned the faces, hoping for one I recognized. The only familiar one belonged to Dakota Evans. He was one of the boys making regular stops at The Overlook. He was as good a place to start as any. I was about to head in his direction when I noticed a dark figure detach from a nearby tree and move toward me.

  I narrowed my eyes, the sun making it difficult to focus. Jim Welby was almost on top of me before I realized who he was. “Hey, Bay.”

  “Hey, Jim.” We’d gone to high school together, although he was a year older. He was always nice, but I had the feeling he believed every whispered rumor about Aunt Tillie and lived in fear of anyone bearing the Winchester name. “What are you doing up here?”

  “I’m handling one of the summer school classes,” Jim replied, gracing me with a smile. “The pay is nice, and I’m saving up to buy a big-screen television.”

  “Well, at least you have a goal,” I said, laughing. “Are you taking a break?”

  “When I decided to become a teacher I fancied myself changing lives and helping kids learn the important lessons in life,” Jim replied. “In truth, I’m basically acting as a glorified babysitter and trying to figure out a way to stop the kids from smoking pot in the bathrooms between classes.”

  I snickered. “Some things never change, huh?”

  “It was more fun when I was the one smoking the pot,” Jim said. “My kids are in reading chapters right now – which means they’re really making plans for what they’re going to do tonight and staring at the girls’ legs because it’s shorts season.”

  “I didn’t even know they had summer school on weekends,” I admitted.

  “There are two choices,” Jim explained. “They can go two hours a day Monday through Wednesday or they can go six hours on Saturday. Believe it or not, some of them opt to put everything on one day – even if it ruins their weekend – because it’s easier.”

  “That’s the choice I would make,” I said. “Other than that, how is it going?”

  “It’s going pretty well,” Jim answered. “How are things with you? I see you around quite a bit, although I don’t bother you because that FBI guy is usually with you.”

  “Landon,” I said. “Yeah, he’s here almost every weekend.”

  “You guys seem close.”

  “We are,” I said, briefly wondering whether Jim was trying to feel me out for a specific reason. “How about you? Dating anyone?”

  “Not really,” Jim replied. “Hemlock Cove’s dating pool is fairly limited – especially when all the good ones are taken by FBI studs.”

  My cheeks burned and I decided to change the subject. “Did you know Nathaniel Jamison very well?”

  Jim shrugged off the conversational shift. “Fairly well,” he said. “He graduated two years ago. He was smart, but didn’t apply himself. He was much more interested in sports than anything else. Why do you ask?”

  I ignored the question. “Was he good in sports?”

  “He was good by Hemlock Cove’s standards,” Jim replied. “He was the starting quarterback. He pitched for the baseball team. He was a fairly decent wrestler, too. I think Nathaniel’s problem was that he thought being good by Hemlock Cove’s athletic standards meant he was good by other people’s standards, too.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I heard he tried out for the football team at Central Michigan University – that’s where he goes to school now – but he didn’t even make it off of the practice field the first day,” Jim answered. “Nathaniel was an alpha jock. He got his self-worth from being an athlete. I think that’s how he got girls, too. I don’t think the change in his social status was something he expected.”

  “You’re saying he was popular with the girls here because he was an athlete, but he was just another kid at Central,” I said. “Have you heard anything about him recently?”

  “He’s been hanging around playing basketball,” Jim said. “I think he’s been working some of the farms for money, too. That’s what I heard anyway. Why are you asking?”

  I bit my lip. “I can’t really say,” I said. “Not yet, at least.”

  “Does this have something to do with your FBI boyfriend?”

  “He has a name,” I replied, smiling. “I really can’t say yet. Thanks for the information, though.”

  After chatting with Jim a few more minutes I left him to return to his class and moved toward the boys on the court. Dakota was the first to acknowledge my presence.

  “Hello, Ms. Winchester.”

  He always was a smarmy little thing. “Hi, Dakota.” I glanced at the rest of the boys. “How are you guys doing today?”

  “We didn’t do anything,” one of the younger boys said. Upon closer inspection, I recognized his freckles. He was Chuck Johnson’s son.

  “You’re Charlie Junior, aren’t you?”

  Charlie widened his eyes and nodded. “You’re not here because Ms. Tillie sent you, are you?”

  “Why would Aunt Tillie send me?”

  “She hates all the boys in town … except for me,” Dakota said, puffing out his chest. “She loves me.”

  “Trust me. She doesn’t love you,” I countered. “If she’s nice to you, it’s because you’re bribing her or she wants something from you.”

  Dakota made a face. “You don’t know. Ms. Tillie could like me.”

  It was doubtful, but stranger things had happened. “I need to ask you guys a few questions,” I said. “What can you tell me about what goes on at Hollow Creek these days?”

  Dakota exchanged a look with one of the blond boys to my right. “Why do you want to know?”

  “Why don’t you want to tell me?” I challenged.

  “Maybe we don’t trust you,” the blond boy said. “You do date that FBI guy.”

  “Ms. Tillie says that he’s working undercover to bust us all,” Charlie added, clapping his hands over his mouth when he realized what he said. He had a lot in common with his father, including the inability to control what came out of his mouth.

  “Aunt Tillie lies,” I said. “You guys should know that. Didn’t she tell all the girls in your school that you were only after their virtue?”

  “That wasn’t a lie,” Dakota said. “We are horny beasts.”

  I narrowed my eyes. I was really starting to dislike him. “I’ll tell Aunt Tillie you didn’t help me. Is that what you want?” Aunt Tillie’s reputation was a double-edged sword. I was hoping to use the pointy end on Dakota.

  “Fine,” Dakota huffed. “Hollow Creek is still the party place in the summer. You’re too old, but I’m sure you might get some takers if you sniff around and everyone is really drunk.”

  “I’d take her,” one of the other boys offered.

  “The FBI dude carries a gun,” Charlie said. “He’ll shoot your thing off if you’re not careful. That’s what Ms. Tillie says.”

  “Don’t worry about the FBI dude,” I said. “I only want to know what’s going on at Hollow Creek. Do you guys go up there every weekend?”

  “Pretty much,” Dakota said. “Now we can’t because we know you’re going to send your boyfriend out there to arrest us, though.”

  “Landon doesn’t care that you guys are drinking along the creek bank,” I said. “That’s outside the purview of the FBI.”

  “Not when he’s ‘The Man,’” Charlie whispered to another boy.

  “When was the last time you guys saw Nathaniel Jamison?” I asked, tamping down the urge to smack Charlie.

  Dakota’s eyebrows flew up. “Nathaniel? Is that why you’re here? That dude is trouble.”

  “How so?”

  Dakota shrugged. “He’s turned into a real tool. He’s always talking about being underappreciated. He’s also been looking for ways to make money, and keeps calling us high school babies.”

  “If you’re high school babies, why does he hang around with you?”

 
; Dakota shrugged. “You’ll have to ask him.”

  “When was the last time you saw him?”

  Dakota’s gaze bounced between the boys. “I think it’s been a few days,” he said, dribbling the basketball. “It might even be a week. I’m not sure.”

  “Have you been down to Hollow Creek during that time?”

  “We usually go Fridays and Saturdays,” Dakota replied. “But now that ‘The Man’ will be staking the place out we’ll have to find a different spot.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Okay. Thanks.” I turned to leave and then stilled. “One more thing,” I said, swiveling back to face the boys. “What else does Aunt Tillie tell you guys about Landon?”

  “She said he can’t control the gun in his pants or his hand,” Charlie answered, ignoring the groans from the other boys. “She also says he’s ‘The Man’ and ‘The Man’ is going to bring us all down if we’re not careful.”

  “Thanks, Charlie,” I said. “I’m glad to see you inherited your lack of filter from your father.”

  “Mom also says I have his tendency to be a jackass, and I’ll make some woman miserable one day.”

  I can see that.

  Ten

  “Hey, sweetie,” Landon said, dropping a kiss on my forehead before sitting next to me at the diner table. I’d been nursing an iced tea for a half hour waiting for his arrival.

  “Hi, sweetie,” Chief Terry mocked, kissing my forehead for good measure before sitting on the other side of me.

  Landon scowled. “Keep it up,” he said. “It’s not going to be funny when I pound you.”

  Chief Terry didn’t look worried. “Don’t make me laugh.”

  “How did things go?” I asked, sipping my iced tea.

  “It’s Nathaniel,” Landon replied. “He’s been missing for days. His mother wasn’t sure he was actually missing because he’s been all over the place and spending nights with old buddies since he got back to town. He never apprised her of his location, so she didn’t report him missing.”

  “Are you sure it’s him?”