by Amy Boyles
“Oh, you mean like do I have a terminal brain injury? Well, my family might say I have a serious case of brain damage, but I’m not sick, if that’s what you mean.” I tried laughing at my joke, but the man simply stared at me.
I cleared my throat. “Yeah, anyway, if I could have a look at those caskets.”
He nodded. “Follow me.”
He took me to a back room filled with, well, caskets, exactly what I’d asked for. For a moment I was wondering how the heck this was going to work out, because I hadn’t glimpsed Daisy and I didn’t know if I would.
“Here’s the newest model that arrived,” the man said.
I waved at him dismissively. “That’s great, but I’d really like to check these by myself. I’d like to have some alone time, you know. I mean, this casket and I are going to spend eternity together. I need absolute silence to figure out which one I’d like to spend that time with.”
The man gulped. “So you want to be alone?”
I nodded so enthusiastically that dark strands of hair fell in my face. “Yes. Morbid, I know. But I’m sure you’ve seen it all in here. I only need a few minutes.”
He grimaced. “If that’s what you’d like. Though this is highly out of the norm.”
His name tag read Charles. “Well, Chuck, if I may call you that—I’m an out-of-the-norm sort of gal. I wasn’t sure if the brain joke clued you in, but I definitely am.” I started shooing him toward the door. “Now, if you’ll please give me a few minutes…”
Chuck pointed to a door at the end of the room. “Only you’re not allowed in there. We have a family there right now, and they need privacy.”
Bingo. Found my girl.
With that, Chuck left me. Okay, great. Here I stood, all alone in a roomful of caskets. I shivered. This place gave me the creeps. Since I knew the funeral director wouldn’t want me to upset the family, I figured the only way I could get Daisy alone was to get her in the caskets with me.
To do that, I had to use magic. Or stupidity. Or in my case probably a little bit of both. As I stepped over to the door behind which I knew I’d find Daisy, a queasy feeling wrung out my stomach.
What was I doing here? Seriously. Sera had been released from jail. She was still a suspect, but there hadn’t been an arrest. Why couldn’t my questioning of Daisy wait until later? Let her get home, relax, and then I could talk to her.
What was such a hurry that I felt like I needed to interrupt her time while she was making funeral arrangements for her sister, for goodness sake?
How had I fallen so low? I almost laughed. I wanted my family safe and sound—I mean, I wasn’t the only person who had that desire in life. But to show up and start making someone else miserable when they were mourning—that was low, lower than I felt comfortable going.
I took a deep inhale and decided I’d talk to Daisy later. I mean, so what that she wasn’t really pregnant? So what that her sister was the one who’d introduced Daisy to that creepy leprechaun? So what that the incantation papers had been stolen from Maisie’s house and a scary tornado of power, heck-bent on destruction, had ruined her house?
I mean, what did any of that matter?
Sera was out of jail. Grandma and Reid were out of jail. I didn’t actually have to solve this because what happened to Maisie could’ve been Maisie’s own fault. In fact, that’s probably what had happened. Maisie had been playing around with spirits and magic that she wasn’t supposed to be dabbling in. She stole the pages from Caroline, ended up cursing herself, which was why she blew up like a balloon, flew out the window and popped overhead.
Maisie had done it to herself, and here I was chasing a crumb trail all over town and almost getting killed in the middle of it. Instead of being at the funeral home accosting Daisy, I needed to be at the sheriff’s office telling him about the papers and how Maisie’s death was accidental.
Because clearly it was—that’s what I needed to be proving, not that her sister had somehow had something to do with Maisie’s murder.
“What are you doing here?”
My breath caught in my throat, and I coughed, whirling around to see who’d spoken. Standing on the other side of the open door stood Daisy, glaring at me.
“What?” I said surprised. “Listen, I’m not here to bother you. I came to find a casket for myself.”
Wow. How easily the lie slipped from my tongue.
Daisy shook her head. “I know you talked to Scott this morning.” She strode over to me and grabbed my wrist. “Just what do you think you’re doing?”
I tried to pull from her grasp, but her fingers were like little vices. I pried my nails under her digits and pulled her off.
“Listen, you’ve got the wrong idea.”
Blazing anger lit up her eyes. Daisy grabbed me by the collar, pulling me to her. Listen, pregnant or not, I was not about to be manhandled by some lady.
“I’m not here to fight,” I said.
“Then what are you here for?” she demanded.
I tried to back away. “I’m leaving. I’m not here for anything.”
“Tell me or I’ll make sure Sheriff Terry puts your sister in prison and throws away the key.”
I gasped. “You wouldn’t dare.”
Daisy released me. I skirted back. “Wouldn’t I? Why are you trying to ruin my life?”
Then I realized what this whole thing was about—the nonexistent baby! Daisy was PO’d about the fact that we’d told Scott she wasn’t really pregnant.
Maybe I could use this to my advantage.
“Something attacked me last night,” I said. “Something in Maisie’s house. Scott said the same thing had come after him, too.”
A flicker of fear ignited in her eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“There’s no baby, Daisy. I know that. No point in denying it. Did you kill Maisie because she’s the one who introduced you to the leprechaun? The man who promised you the world but didn’t deliver?”
Daisy covered her face with her hands. “There was a baby. There was. I think. Maybe.” She sank down in a nearby chair. “For so long I wanted to have a child. Scott and I had tried forever to make it happen, but it never did. I simply couldn’t conceive. Then Maisie told me about Walter and his wishing power. She said he could help me. I was skeptical, of course.”
I pulled a tissue from a pocket in my purse and handed it to Daisy. She dabbed her eyes and delicately blew her nose.
“But I went to Walter anyway. Heck, I was out of options. I figured, what harm could it do? How could it be any worse than what was already going on? Being barren, I mean.”
I sat in a chair across from her. “Right, I get it. Many couples struggle with infertility.”
Daisy nodded. “So I went to him. I had to give him something, of course. A price he wouldn’t name until my wish was granted.”
“But your wish was never granted,” I said.
Daisy shook her head. “No. The wish didn’t happen for me. I never conceived, though the magic that Walter worked made it appear as if had. That’s why I grew.”
“So it was a false wish,” I said.
Daisy nodded. “I met with Walter last night. He made a promise to me, that I would have a baby. My belly is full, I’ve had a baby shower and all I’m doing is waiting to give birth.”
I raised my hand. “Whoa. Wait. That’s not right. You’re not pregnant. You can’t give birth. You’re experiencing what medical science would call something like a false pregnancy. I’ve read about it. It sometimes happens to women. You don’t really have a baby.”
“No, I will have a baby.”
I rose and placed a hand on Daisy’s shoulder. “Daisy, there isn’t a baby. I’m sorry. But there’s not one. You’re not pregnant. There isn’t a child. You know that, too. That’s why you’re drinking wine.”
I stroked her hair. “Maybe at some point you will have a baby, but not right now. It’s okay. Is that what happened to Maisie? Did she find out you weren’t really
pregnant? Is that why it all went so wrong?”
Daisy looked up at me. Tears filled her eyes. “No, the baby had nothing to do with Maisie. She took me to Walter, but that was the end of it. I don’t know what happened to my sister. I have no idea.”
“She may have been dabbling with dark magic,” I said. “I saw the papers in her room.”
Daisy shook her head. “I didn’t know anything about that. Nothing. If she was, Maisie never told me about it.”
I frowned. “But why would she have done something like that? Was there something Maisie wanted? A man? Love? Was there a person she desperately wanted but couldn’t have?”
Daisy blew her nose into her tissue. “I don’t know.”
“Think, Daisy. If there’s anything you can tell me, please do it. It would mean all the world to me.”
My phone buzzed from my purse. I fished it out and read a text from Roman.
You still alive?
Yes, I texted back. Talking to Daisy. Boy, and I thought I had issues.
Wow, he answered, she’s got more than you?
Ha-ha. Very funny. I’m almost done. Should be out in a few minutes.
I’ll be here waiting. Do you need me to come in?
No.
I put the phone back in my purse. “Daisy, really, is there anything you can think of that would help us? Anything at all?”
“There may be one thing,” Daisy said between sniffles.
“Sure. What is it?”
Daisy cleared her throat. “There was one man. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before. She mentioned it in passing, so I didn’t put too much stock in it. But now that you mention it, I think she cared about him.” Daisy laughed bitterly. “In fact, I know she did. But enough to turn to the dark arts? I don’t know.”
“Anything you can say that will help us,” I said. “What is it? Who was it?”
Daisy bit down on her fingernail. Her lower lip trembled, as if she was afraid either to tell me or to even contemplate whatever this truth was.
I knelt in front of her. “Daisy, I know you’ve been through a rough time in the past day, but what if this man was the cause of your sister’s death? Maisie was an experienced witch. She wouldn’t have accidentally cast a spell like that on herself, and my sister didn’t cast it, either.”
Daisy nodded. “I know. It’s the whole moon thing, isn’t it? I’ve been having some problems with my own power lately.”
“See?” I said. “You know what I’m talking about, and you know my sister had no reason to harm Maisie. But someone else might have, and whoever this man is, he might’ve known who it was, or he might have done something himself. That’s all I want, Daisy. All any of us want is to discover the truth. Please, help me bring the person who killed your sister to justice.”
Daisy blew out a deep breath. She wiped the tissue over her nose and leaned back in the chair. “I can’t be certain that anything ever happened between them, but I know my sister was in love with a man.”
“Yes,” I said, hope rising in my chest. “Yes? Who was it?”
Daisy picked at the tissue, ripping it to shreds that she let float to the linoleum floor. “I can’t believe I didn’t piece it together until now.”
“That’s okay,” I said. “Better late than never.”
She nodded dumbly. “I don’t know why I didn’t see it before.”
“See what?”
The look on Daisy’s face sent a sliver of ice straight to my heart. “See that my sister was in love with Walter Scales.”
THIRTEEN
“Maisie had a thing for Walter Scales,” I said to Roman when I returned to the car.
His eyebrows shot up. “Interesting. The leprechaun?”
“The one and only.”
I sat in the SUV, warming up. “I’m not sure what to do about that information, though.”
Roman nodded. “I agree. We’ve already spoken to him, and he didn’t say they’d had any sort of relationship.”
“But he might not,” I said. I sank, wedging my back into the cushion. “I’m going to be honest; I’m tired of this entire thing.”
Roman chuckled. “It’s a strange one, I’ll give you that.”
“We’ve got a woman who went to a leprechaun in order to get pregnant. Well, she ends up blowing up and showing all signs of pregnancy, but apparently she’s not. Then her sister dies in a weird manner. We find old spells beside her bed, and they get taken by some sort of tornado creature. No one seems to know exactly how she ended up with the papers, and the woman who they originally belonged to, Caroline, doesn’t know how she lost them and swore she isn’t the one who tried to get them back.
“So if it wasn’t her, who was it?” I said.
Roman smirked. “Your guess is as good as mine. Come on. Why don’t we take a break? See your family and how they’re getting along.”
“Where are they? Did they go home?” I said.
Roman shook his head. “I think they’re in our motel room.”
My two sisters, two grandmothers and Brock in one cramped motel room?
This should be fun.
As he nosed along the road, I continued my tirade. “Then we’ve got a husband who’s not talking to his wife because of all the weird goings-on, but he doesn’t realize she isn’t actually pregnant. Oh boy, was she mad at me about that one.”
Roman scowled. “Let her be mad. You’re only trying to help Sera. We don’t want anyone going to jail because they were wrongly accused.”
I sighed. “Right.” I placed my forehead on the cool glass, letting the cold creep over my skin. It felt good, soothing.
We reached the motel, and I hopped out. My family was scattered around the room, scrolling on their phones and reading magazines that they’d magicked from the air somehow or another, I assumed.
“Where’s Brock?” I said.
Sera’s gaze flickered up to me. “He went to grab some coffee. He’ll be back soon.”
“Okay,” I said. “What’s going on here?”
“We were just waiting for you so we could leave,” Milly said.
“Leave?” I repeated, surprised. “Don’t you want to stay, find out who did this so that Sera will be cleared from anyone thinking she’s a killer?”
Grandma fluffed her hair. “I think that’s a wonderful idea, Dylan, but can’t we do that from home? This has been a strange little trip.”
“I’ll say,” I said. “We’ve got lots of clues, but none of them are adding up. Not one.”
“Well, dear,” Grandma said. “Why don’t we leave then? That way we can go home, get our heads screwed on tight and then figure this whole thing out.”
I nodded. “I think you’re right. It’s been a long day. I say we get packed up and ready to go.”
I felt a wave of relief wash over me. It had been an odd two days.
Sweat creeped up my back. I yanked on my collar. “It’s hot in here,” I said. “I’m going outside to get some air.”
I stepped outside. A chilly breeze swept over me. Roman followed me. He started loading things into the SUV—purses, bags, what we had brought.
I squeezed his arm as he passed. “We need to get my car before we leave,” I said. “Can you ask Grandma and Reid where they left it?”
He nodded. “Sure thing.”
As I stood outside, I saw Brock pull up. His sleek car was ebony, European, sporty and could probably fly a thousand miles an hour if it had to.
He got out. I flashed him a bright smile. “Did you bring me a cup of coffee?”
He handed me a paper container from a carousel. “Anything you want. I’ve got a mocha, a latte, black coffee, you name it.”
I shook my head. “I’m fine.” I put on a serious expression. “Listen, I’m sorry about what’s going on between you and Sera. I had no idea you were in a fight when we called you here.”
Brock’s handsome features darkened. “It’s not a big deal. It’s my own fault.”
I wanted to desperat
ely ask what was going on, what had happened, but I knew he would tell me if he wanted to and me prying wouldn’t help a bit.
“I’ll tell you what’s going on,” he said.
Well, apparently I wouldn’t have to cheat, steal and lie for the information.
Brock sighed. “She thinks I’m seeing someone else.”
My jaw dropped. “What?”
Brock shook his head. “I’m not. At all.” He laughed bitterly. “I don’t want to see anyone else. She’s the only one for me.”
My eyes narrowed. “Then what makes her think you are?”
Brock raked a hand through his hair. “I went to see an old friend of mine. A woman. She was going to do some work for me. The woman lives in a small town not far from y’all. Sera ran into us while we were having lunch.”
I grimaced. “Lunch? And you forgot to tell my sister that’s what you were doing, I take it.”
Brock nodded. He slipped a hand in his pocket and pulled out a box. He handed it to me. I opened the black ebony case. Inside sat a large diamond flanked by another diamond on either side.
I whistled in appreciation. “It’s beautiful.”
Brock smiled. “My friend designs rings. I was having her help me with this. We decided to go to lunch instead of talking about it in her store because I wanted privacy.”
My face twisted into a frown. “And Sera saw you.” I paused. “But what made her think something was going on?”
Brock slipped the ring back in his pocket. “I was acting weird, I guess. I didn’t expect to see her, so I came up with a lame excuse and she didn’t buy it.”
“Not if she’s this mad at you,” I mumbled. “What’d you say?”
Brock tipped his head back to glance at the sky. “I told her that it was an old friend of my adopted mom’s and she wanted to give me her recipe book.”
I howled with laughter. “Yeah, that’s a horrible excuse. No wonder she didn’t believe you.”
Brock’s face reddened. “Yeah.”
I rubbed his arm. “Look, I’ll try to talk to her, see if I can help in anyway. I know this is hard for you, and I don’t want the two of you to break up…I’ll work on her.”
He smiled. “Thanks. Now, I’d better get inside and deliver these to the ladies.”