“The kids who planted that field could be dangerous, too,” Landon pointed out. “We burned thousands of dollars of profit yesterday, and someone will want payment for that product. Bay was at the field with us. Three of those boys saw her there, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know she’s involved in all of this. If they try to go after someone for payment … I need Bay to be able to protect herself. She can’t like this.”
Aunt Tillie sighed, still unconvinced. “They all piled on top of me and made an Aunt Tillie sandwich yesterday. Someone has to pay for that.”
Landon pursed his lips to keep from laughing at the unintended visual. “You can keep the curse on Clove and Thistle for the day,” he offered, earning a hard cuff from Thistle before stepping far enough away that she couldn’t reach him. “They’ll have a rough day having to be nice to everyone at the store. They won’t be in danger, though.”
“I still need to cast a curse on Bay.”
“I don’t care if you make her smell like Brussels sprouts,” Landon said. “She did take on Rosemary and Brian last night, though, and you hate both of them. She’s had a rough couple of days. Can’t you just … let this one slide until the case is solved, and Willa and Rosemary are gone?”
Aunt Tillie sighed, the sound long and dragged out. “And what do I get if I do?”
“What do you want?”
“I want a Polaris Ranger,” Aunt Tillie replied, not missing a beat. “It should be red, and tricked out with all the bells and whistles.”
Landon glanced at me, conflicted. “I don’t think I have the money to pay for that right now.”
“I don’t expect you to pay for it,” Aunt Tillie countered. “I’m not heartless and greedy. Well, I’m not greedy enough for you to go broke buying something for me. I want to be able to buy it myself and not hear one word from any of you about it being dangerous.”
“Fine,” Landon said, giving in. “Go nuts. It’s your money.”
“I also want to leave the curse on Thistle and Clove until sunset.”
“I can live with that,” Landon said.
“I can’t live with … the idea that I’m thrilled with the suggestion,” Thistle said, groaning and kicking the cabinets.
Aunt Tillie beamed. “We have a deal.”
Great. I would be free and clear in moments. I risked a look in Thistle and Clove’s direction and found them scorching me with duplicate scowls. Whoops! I guess I had one little problem left to deal with.
Twenty-Four
After an uncomfortable breakfast that included Thistle and Clove saying some truly sweet things to Aunt Willa and Rosemary (which made them unnecessarily suspicious and paranoid), I fled The Overlook before my cousins could get me alone. Landon knew what he was doing when he arranged for Aunt Tillie to spare me, and I couldn’t help but wonder whether that was part of her retribution. She wanted Clove and Thistle to be angry with me. It played into her game.
Landon was worried. He didn’t say it, but I could read it in the set of his shoulders and the furtive looks he cast in my direction during breakfast. He wanted me to stay home and keep my nose out of this case, yet he knew it was impossible given where we were with the investigation. I was the only one who could talk to Nathaniel. That made me important.
After waiting two hours for Nathaniel to show at Hollow Creek, I gave up and headed back into town. Landon and Chief Terry were brainstorming at the police station, and I figured three minds were better than two. Plus, I kind of wanted to mess with Landon after he messed with me over this morning’s curse. He had it coming.
I parked in front of The Whistler, figuring I could stop in and check my email and the page count for this week’s edition before heading to the station, when movement caught my eye across the way. Three figures – two I’d seen enough of in recent days to recognize outright – headed behind the high school. It was Charlie and Dakota. I had a feeling the third figure belonged to Stephen Brooks, but I hadn’t gotten a good enough look to be sure.
I decided to follow them, stopping long enough to text Landon what was going on and then pocketing my phone. He would be angry, but I felt I performed due diligence by texting him my location. I wasn’t exactly thrilled with the way he teased me about the curse. Well, to be fair, I was actually more worried about Clove and Thistle jumping me when I wasn’t looking. It was easier to blame him, though.
I kept close to the high school as I approached, attempting to hide my shadow and listen before confronting them. They were animated as they talked.
“This is a nightmare,” Dakota said.
“What are we going to do?” Charlie asked.
“We’re not going to do anything,” Stephen replied. “It’s out of our hands.”
“I don’t think they’re going to agree that it’s out of our hands,” Dakota countered. “They’re going to blame us for losing everything.”
I waited for them to continue, but when they didn’t I realized it was time. I rounded the corner, taking the three boys by surprise. “Who is this ‘they’ who is going to blame you?”
Dakota frowned. “Are you following us?”
I considered lying, but it felt a waste of time. “I saw you when I was parking at The Whistler,” I replied. “I texted Landon to tell him where I was going, and then … yes … I followed you.” I put the Landon tidbit out there right away in case they had any ideas.
“Were you listening?” Charlie asked, fidgeting nervously.
Dakota roughly cuffed him. “That’s why she wants to know who ‘they’ are, stupid!”
“Oh, right,” Charlie said, lowering his eyes.
Despite the fact that I knew they had been up to illegal activities – and one or more of them might be involved in Nathaniel’s death – I couldn’t help but feel sympathetic regarding Charlie’s plight. His biggest problem was that he had no backbone and was desperate to fit in. I remember being desperate to fit in when I was his age. Of course, as a Winchester, I didn’t lack a backbone. It was genetically impossible.
“So, are you guys in trouble now that the pot field has literally gone up in smoke?” I asked.
Stephen narrowed his eyes to dangerous slits. “We have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I’m sure you think that’s going to fly, but it’s not,” I said. “We know you guys are involved. What we want to know is whether you’re involved alone or you have someone else working for you.”
“You don’t know jack shit, lady,” Stephen snapped. Up close and personal I recognized him from the night of the party. He was one of the only kids who didn’t try to run. He stood back and watched everyone else panic while Dakota and Charlie mucked things up for the entire group. He puffed out his chest in an attempt to scare me. I refused to take a step back. “You’re crazy if you think we had anything to do with that field.”
“I might be crazy,” I conceded. “I often think my family is going to drive me there eventually. I’m not wrong about this, though. I think you guys planted that field. I also think you’re in over your heads with whoever ‘they’ are. Are ‘they’ the ones who killed Nathaniel?”
Charlie shouted, “We don’t know anything about that.”
“I know that’s not true, Charlie,” I argued. “I know you guys were at Hollow Creek the night Nathaniel was murdered. I don’t know whether you were directly involved, but I’m pretty sure Nathaniel’s death is tied to the pot field, too.”
“And what makes you say that?” Stephen challenged.
“Nathaniel was a known drug dealer who was seen flashing money all around town,” I replied. “He was also reportedly in financial trouble. Is that because you guys tried to cut him out of the business? Did he go out there that night to steal product? Is that why he’s dead?”
“We had nothing to do with Nathaniel’s death,” Dakota said. “We’re not killers. How can you even think that?”
“Because you three are calling attention to yourselves right now,” I said. “You’re the ones t
he police are looking at.”
“Oh, my mom is going to be so mad at me,” Charlie whimpered. “This is going to be worse than your dad going nuclear about having to go out and get your truck after the other night, Stephen.”
“Shut up,” Dakota said, smacking the back of Charlie’s head hard enough to whip it forward. “You’re being a baby.”
“Don’t hit him,” I warned.
“Don’t tell me what to do,” Dakota shot back.
“I think our nosy friend here needs a lesson in what’s acceptable, don’t you?” Stephen asked, taking a step forward.
Uh-oh. I didn’t like this one bit. “Did you miss the part of the conversation where I told you that I texted Landon where I am? Just for the record, I told him who I’m following, too.”
Stephen slowed his pace, but only marginally. “I think you’re bluffing.”
“Go ahead and touch me and find out,” I challenged, my voice stronger than my courage. I didn’t like the vibe Stephen gave. Charlie was a definite follower, and Dakota fancied himself a big man in a small pond. Stephen was something else. There was true menace clouding his soul.
“Oh, I’m going to touch you,” Stephen hissed.
“If you touch her, I’ll break your hand.”
The sound of Landon’s voice caused my heart to flip, and not in the ridiculous romantic way it usually did. I forced my gaze to remain on Stephen, refusing to back down as Landon approached.
“We weren’t doing anything,” Charlie offered, his voice quaking. “Please don’t shoot my thing off.”
“Shut up, Charlie,” Landon snapped, his eyes flat as they fixed on Stephen. “I’m not kidding. If you touch her, you’ll regret it.”
“She’s the one who came here hassling us, man,” Stephen said, taking a step back and allowing me to release a pent-up breath. “We were minding our own business … .”
“I don’t care if you were helping old people cross the street,” Landon said, cutting him off. “Don’t even look at her.”
“Why would we want to look at her, man?” Dakota asked, rolling his eyes. “She’s … old.”
Oh, well, great. That was just what my ego needed today.
“Get moving,” Landon ordered, stepping behind me and resting his hand on my shoulder.
“This is a free country,” Stephen argued. “We can hang out here if we want to.”
“Get moving or I’ll arrest you,” Landon countered.
“For what?”
“Whatever I can make stick,” Landon replied. “I’ll start with threatening Ms. Winchester and then hold you until I have the evidence to charge you for the pot field. That’s going to be a felony. You’ll do big time for that one.”
“We had nothing to do with that field,” Charlie said, his voice weak. “I swear I’m innocent.”
“No one believes you, Charlie,” Landon said. “You might want to talk this out with your parents. The first one to come in and confess gets the best deal. I’m thinking that’s your only course of action.”
“We don’t need deals, because we’re innocent,” Stephen said. “My father told me that you don’t have a case. You don’t have anything on this. You and your … girlfriend … are poking around to see if you can find anything. Everyone knows that you can’t.”
“I guess we’ll have to wait and see on that one, won’t we?” Landon’s voice was harsh.
“I guess so,” Stephen challenged. He stared Landon down for a moment and then broke eye contact. “Come on, guys. We don’t have to put up with this.”
Landon waited until they were gone before grabbing my shoulders and forcibly swiveling me so I faced him. “Are you trying to kill me?”
I frowned. “I texted you what I was doing,” I argued. “What more do you want?”
“I want you to keep your head in the game and not risk our entire future because you’re in a foul mood,” Landon snapped. “What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking that they were doing something hinky behind the high school, and I wanted to see what it was,” I replied, miffed. There was no need for his attitude. “That’s why I texted you who I was following and where I was going. I thought those were the rules.”
“There are no rules if you die on me, Bay,” Landon raged. “I … you … we … I can’t deal with you being in danger. It kills me.”
I softened my stance at his admission. “I only wanted to listen. They said something about ‘they’ being angry about everything being lost. I think they’re working for someone.”
“Oh, you don’t think the high-schoolers are drug kingpins? I’m shocked!” Landon waved his hands in the air for emphasis. “Think, Bay! You cannot die on me. I can’t take it.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. Between Landon’s meltdown and Clove and Thistle’s imminent payback, I was having a terrible day. “I don’t want to die on you,” I replied, lowering my voice. “I don’t want you dying on me either. That doesn’t mean I go after you yelling because you’re in a dangerous situation.”
Landon tugged a restless hand through his hair. “I know I’m being a hypocrite,” he said, his voice shaky. “It’s not fair. I’m not going to pretend it’s fair. You sit at home all week wondering about me and I pitch a fit when you do anything.
“I can’t seem to help myself,” he continued. “The thought of something horrible happening to you … it paralyzes me sometimes. When I got that text and knew what you were doing I thought my heart might actually explode.”
“I can take care of myself,” I reminded him. “I did it for a long time before you came along.”
“That’s not good enough for me, Bay,” Landon said. “I need to know you’re safe. I’m sorry. I think I’ve been pretty good about including you … and bringing you along on adventures … but I draw the line at you dying on me. You can’t die on me. I forbid it.”
I pursed my lips to keep from laughing. “Well, I forbid you dying, too.”
“I think I can live with that,” Landon said, reaching out to snag my hand. “I don’t want you to stop being you. You have intuition … and power … and heart. You also have a mouth that doesn’t know when to quit sometimes. Just … be careful.”
“I will,” I said. “I’m sorry you’re upset.”
“I’m sorry I’m upset, too,” Landon said, pulling me in for a hug. “I think Aunt Tillie cursing you to smell like bacon might make me feel better.”
“You have to let that go,” I hissed. “It’s starting to bug me.”
“It’s going to bug you a lot worse if she curses you to smell like Brussels sprouts and I don’t stop complaining for days,” Landon said, linking his fingers with mine and dragging me around the building. “Come on. If you’re good I’ll buy you lunch.”
“Just no Brussels sprouts, right?”
“Definitely not,” Landon said.
I pulled up short when we rounded the corner, frowning when I saw Nathaniel floating next to a nearby tree.
“What is it?” Landon asked.
I didn’t answer him. “What are you doing here, Nathaniel?”
“You’re on the wrong path,” Nathaniel said, his eyes flashing as his wispy aura darkened. “You’re not looking in the right place. Those guys are my friends. They wouldn’t hurt me. They’re too … cowardly … to do that.”
“If we’re on the wrong path, who did kill you?”
“It wasn’t them,” Nathaniel said, his expression grim. “It’s right in front of you if you bother to see it. It’s … right in front of you.”
I opened my mouth to question him further, but he dissolved before I got a chance. Landon flicked a worried look in my direction, but patiently waited.
“He says it wasn’t them,” I said finally.
“Do you believe him?”
“He has no reason to lie.”
“Did he say who did it?” Landon pressed.
“He said it was right in front of my face but I wasn’t seeing it,” I said. “I think we’re mis
sing something else.”
“I think that’s the story of our lives,” Landon said. “We’ll figure it out. We always do.”
I hoped he was right. Nathaniel was destined for an afterlife of pain if we couldn’t put him to rest. A killer was running free, and I worried Nathaniel was only the first victim if we didn’t figure this out soon. Things were getting out of hand.
Twenty-Five
“I can’t go in there.”
“You have to go in there.”
“They want to kill me.”
“They’re actually low on the list of people who want to kill you today,” Landon said, pushing me into Hypnotic and watching Thistle and Clove spin in unison in my direction. “Well, I might’ve been wrong on that front. They look pretty ticked.”
“Welcome to our store,” Clove intoned robotically. “We’re thrilled to see you.”
“Yes,” Thistle said. “We’re very glad to see you.” She took a step in my direction, causing me to slam into Landon when I involuntarily stepped back.
He put a reassuring arm around my waist. “If I leave her here with you guys, are you going to play nice?”
“Yes,” Thistle said. “I have a very nice game I want to play with her.”
Landon sighed. “Why don’t I believe you?”
“Because we lack the ability to tell the truth right now,” Clove said. “We’re really happy about it, too.”
“Hey, look at that,” Landon said. “You’re starting to get the hang of sarcasm.”
“You are such a … wonderful man,” Thistle said, scowling. “I want to do wonderful things to you.”
“You know what? I’m staying to eat with you guys after all,” Landon said, moving toward the couch in the middle of the store. “I offered to buy Bay lunch, but she insisted on seeing you guys first. I think she’s feeling a little guilty because Aunt Tillie lifted the curse on her and not you guys.”
“Thanks to your boundless wisdom, that is our happy lot in life today,” Thistle agreed, making a face as she slapped her forehead.
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