“This isn’t my fault.” Nelson looked pathetic cowering next to Chief Terry. “I have no idea what they’re talking about. I didn’t do anything.”
“Shut your trap,” Chief Terry snapped, shaking his head. “I’m sure you’re at the center of this. I haven’t figured out how yet, but I’ll get there.”
“We need to clear these kids out,” Landon suggested, cringing when one of the girls grabbed Chief Terry’s arm and tried to bite him. “The more they feed off each other, the more out of control this situation gets.”
“Oh, thanks,” Chief Terry drawled. “I couldn’t have figured that out without you.”
“Stow the sarcasm,” I ordered, moving toward the center of the room. “We need to approach this rationally.”
“Be careful, Bay,” Landon admonished, shooting a warning look at one of the male students when he moved to intercept me. “If you touch her I’ll pound your face in, kid.”
“She’s a witch, too,” the boy shot back. “She probably gave Nelson his powers.”
“I don’t have any powers,” Nelson whimpered, tears filling his eyes. “I don’t know what they’re talking about. I’m innocent.”
“I don’t believe you,” Chief Terry challenged. His mood was worse than Landon’s when he realized that the inn wasn’t serving bacon for breakfast on a weekend day.
“Okay, we need to clear these kids out before the mob mentality gets even worse and we’re overrun,” I said, climbing on top of the table and letting loose with a sharp whistle to get everyone’s attention. “We’re done here. You guys need to go home.”
The teenagers stared at me for a moment, seemingly confused. The next thing I knew they returned to their fight, at least five of them reaching for Nelson at the same time to wrench him from Chief Terry’s grip.
“Okay, that won’t work,” I muttered.
“It was a nice try, sweetie,” Landon said, gesturing with his hands so I’d move closer to him. “Now get off the table. I don’t like you so exposed in the middle of a mob.”
“I’m not done.”
“Oh, you’re done. Hey!” Landon barreled to his right, grabbing one of the girls when she purposely swiped at my foot in an effort to tumble me off the table. “I’ll punch you, too. Don’t even think about attacking her.”
“You can’t punch me,” the girl shot back. “I’m a minor.”
“I don’t care. I’ll punch you and throw you in jail. I’ll enjoy it, too.”
“Hey!” I bellowed loud enough to garner everyone’s attention, the diner falling into an eerie calm as I raised my hands. “Did you guys know that they’re giving away free doughnuts and hot chocolate at the high school right now? Yeah. If you leave at this exact second, they’ll probably have plenty for all of you.”
“That’s not going to work,” Landon whined.
To my surprise – and utter delight – the kids exchanged low whispers before shuffling toward the door. One of the boys – I think it was Shawn Gusterson – extended a warning finger and poked it in Nelson’s chest. “This isn’t over.”
“It’s over,” Chief Terry growled, keeping Nelson under his arm until the last student left the diner.
The second they were gone, Landon ran to the door and flipped the lock. I had no idea where the waitresses went, but I had a feeling they were hiding in the back.
“Okay, that worked,” Landon conceded, shaking his head. “It shouldn’t have worked, but it did.”
“That will teach you to doubt me.”
“Oh, let it go, Bay. I didn’t believe you saw a flying man. I thought you dreamed it. Sue me.”
“I’ll make you pay later. You don’t have to worry about that.” I turned my attention to Nelson. “Do you want to tell us what’s going on?”
“I don’t know what’s going on,” Nelson replied, smoothing his rumpled and ripped shirt as he regained his senses. “I came in for a burger and fries, and the next thing I knew the other kids were jumping on me and accusing me of being a witch.”
“I can vouch for that,” Chief Terry offered. “I was sitting at the counter having a slice of pie when things completely blew up out of nowhere. I have no idea how it happened.”
“But you blamed me,” Nelson sniffed, crossing his arms over his scrawny chest.
Chief Terry remained calm and unmoved. “That’s because you’re the central figure in all of the hate. You had to have something to do with it.”
“I did not.”
“You most certainly did.”
“I did not!”
“Okay, this is getting us nowhere.” I rubbed my forehead and sank into one of the open chairs at the table to my right. “Believe it or not, this isn’t the weirdest thing we’ve seen today.”
“She’s not exaggerating,” Landon volunteered. “We’ve seen a lot of weird things.”
“I think they all have to be connected,” I added.
“But how?” Chief Terry challenged. “How can what happened here tonight be explained?”
That was a very good question.
Make a wish, Clove. If you’re going to wish for a better family, pick something else. I’ve wished for that every year, and all I get is more time with Aunt Tillie. Trust me, you don’t want that.
– Thistle urging Clove to blow out the candles on her birthday cake
Eight
“Nelson, you must’ve done something.” I kept my voice even, void of recrimination, and hoped I looked friendly rather than accusatory when I locked gazes with the shaken teenager. “Think hard. What did they say to you before they attacked?”
“They said I was a witch and they were going to make me burn.” Nelson was matter-of-fact. “I’m not a witch. Do you see a wart on my nose?”
“That’s extremely stereotypical,” I chided, earning a stern look from Landon. He was right. Focusing on that right now probably wasn’t my best option. “They must’ve said something before that … and you shouldn’t judge people just because you don’t understand the true meaning behind a word.”
“That will be enough of that,” Chief Terry warned, grabbing the chair next to me and turning it around so he could straddle it. “We need to figure this out, because it’s hardly the weirdest story I’ve heard all day.”
“Did you see a dude in a hoodie fly?” Landon challenged. “How about two senior citizens having extremely vigorous car sex? Yeah, we’ve got you beat.”
Chief Terry leveled his eyes on me. “Do I even want to know?”
“He’s prone to dramatic meltdowns at odd times,” I replied. “He’s handsome, so I ignore it.”
“Ha, ha.” Landon flicked my ear. “I’ll have you know that I wasn’t dramatic in the least before I started spending time with your family. Then, one night in a cornfield, I saw a bunch of women in matching tracksuits and my life was forever changed.”
I couldn’t help being offended. “I was not wearing a tracksuit.”
“I was shot and everything,” Landon added.
“In your memory of that night was I wearing a tracksuit? That’s so … disappointing. Maybe I should upgrade my wardrobe.”
Landon smirked as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know why people think I’m dramatic. You’re clearly making me a more balanced and sane individual.”
“I hate spending time with you guys when you’re in this kind of mood,” Chief Terry complained. “It’s like I’m bearing witness to your verbal foreplay. It makes me feel filthy and dirty.”
“Me too.” Landon winked before turning serious. “We’ve seen a few odd things today. What have you seen?”
“Well, for starters, Marvin Hyland started his day by giving a hundred bucks to anyone he saw on the street,” Chief Terry offered. “I thought he’d flipped his lid – or was still drunk from last night, because you know how he is – but it turns out he came into some money and wants to literally spread the wealth.
“Danielle Simmons has locked herself in her house and the neighbors swear up and dow
n that some movie star is locked in there with her,” he continued. “Apparently they’ve been … um … spending quality time together. I knocked on the door, but no one answered, and I honestly doubt that a Hollywood star is locked in a house in Hemlock Cove.”
“What movie star?” I asked.
“I don’t know. That guy from Star Trek.”
I brightened considerably. “She has William Shatner locked in her house? We totally need to stop there before heading back to the inn.”
“Not that guy.” Chief Terry made a face. “It was one of the guys from the new Star Trek.”
“Oh.” That was mildly disappointing. “I still might want to stop by, although I’m nowhere near as excited as I was a few seconds ago.”
“Do the thing with your hands again,” Landon prodded. “You know what that does to me.”
“Don’t do anything gross,” Chief Terry ordered, shaking his head. “This entire town is falling apart. The last thing I need is you guys adding to the mayhem.”
I pressed the heel of my hand to my forehead as I considered our options. The only lead we had was standing next to the table picking his nose when he thought no one was looking.
“Nelson, I need you to run me through your last twenty-four hours,” I instructed, narrowing my eyes when I saw him stare at the booger on the end of his index finger. “If you eat that I’ll kick you in the nuts.”
“I wasn’t going to eat it!” Nelson was mortified to be nearly caught in the act. “Why would you think that?”
“You just looked … hungry.”
“Gross.” Nelson made an exaggerated face.
“Nelson, seriously, what have you done that’s out of your normal schedule over the past twenty-four hours?” I prodded. “There has to be something.”
“There’s nothing,” Nelson snapped. “Other than that party in the woods last night, which I didn’t even stay for because I heard the football team mention the possibility of wedgies, there’s nothing.”
“What party?” Chief Terry asked.
“The kids got bored and partied in the woods on the other side of the festival grounds,” I supplied.
“But … why? It’s cold.”
“Yeah, but that spot stays warm because it’s close to the Laundromat and all of the dryer vents empty into that little corridor over on the other side of the new wishing well,” I supplied. “We used to do the same thing when it was cold when I was a teenager.”
“Oh, my little party monster.” Landon ruffled my hair.
“I didn’t know that.” Chief Terry was clearly conflicted. “Why didn’t I know that?”
“I’m guessing it’s because most teenagers don’t admit to the local police chief when they’re going to illegally drink and fornicate in semi-public,” Landon offered.
“Ugh. I hate teenagers.” Chief Terry’s expression turned dour. “This is why I never had children.”
“I thought it was because you were too busy watching us,” I challenged.
Chief Terry’s expression softened. “That was a privilege.”
“Oh, I’m going to puke, you guys are so cute,” Landon moaned. “Can we focus on our mutual problem? It seems to me that Hemlock Cove is collectively going crazy. I’m talking about the entire town, not just the residents. Maybe someone put something in the water.”
“I don’t think that’s it,” I countered. “In fact, I … .” I trailed off, a hint of movement in the corner of my eye catching my attention as I stared through the front window. I couldn’t be sure, but I was almost positive that I saw … no, it wasn’t possible.
“What were you about to say?” Landon’s face filled with concern when I forced my eyes to his. “Are you okay? You’re not considering jumping on this kid, are you? I’ll take one for the team and knock him out if you are.”
“It’s not that.” I licked my lips and focused out the window again. “I think I have an idea.”
“About what’s causing this?” Chief Terry shifted from one foot to the other. “Well, don’t keep me in suspense. What is it?”
I hopped to my feet. “Follow me.”
Nelson filed into line with Landon and Chief Terry, morose.
“Not you.” I wagged my finger to halt Nelson. “You need to go home and lock yourself in your bedroom until we figure this out. That means no dates, no texts, no online sexy live video time.”
“Is that really a thing?” Landon asked, intrigued. “If so, we should be doing that when I’m out of town. That way I’ll be able to see your face and know if you’re trending toward a meltdown.”
“We’ll talk about it later.” I patted his hand. “I’m not joking, Nelson. Go home and hide. We’ll be in touch as soon as we can.”
LANDON AND Chief Terry weren’t keen on skulking through the night to chase after a shadowy figure they were convinced I had imagined, but they followed me all the same. Ignoring their heavy sighs and the dubious looks they exchanged when they thought I wasn’t looking was a battle, but I was almost positive I recognized the person cutting through the town square a few moments earlier.
My suspicions were confirmed when we rounded the corner and came upon the wishing well. A short and squat woman leaned over to stare inside as she sprinkled some sort of dust over the opening. I couldn’t hear what she said, but I was dying to hear an explanation. I decided to approach her with a calm and respectful tone. She’d earned it.
“Gotcha!”
Aunt Tillie practically jumped out of her skin when she swiveled, one hand moving to the spot over her heart and the other gripping her winter hunting hat – complete with furry flaps – so she could tug it lower. “You scared the crap out of me, you moron!”
Aunt Tillie smacked me as hard as she could, rocking me backward. Landon caught me before I could fall, slipping his hands underneath my armpits to keep me from hitting the ground.
“That hurt,” I complained, rubbing my cheek.
“Bay, put your feet flat on the ground,” Landon gritted out. “You weigh a ton.”
I scorched him with a dark glare when I regained my footing, jerking my arm away and crossing my arms over my chest. “Excuse me?”
“I didn’t mean it that way,” Landon said hurriedly. “It’s just … your jacket is really thick and it adds weight to your very slim frame.”
“Nice save,” Chief Terry offered.
“This isn’t my first go around on the Winchester Ferris wheel.”
“I’m done talking to both of you.” I held up my hand to quiet Landon and focused on Aunt Tillie. “Exactly what are you doing sneaking around here in the middle of the night?”
“It’s not even six yet,” Aunt Tillie countered.
“It’s dark.”
“It’s late fall in Michigan. Of course it’s dark.”
“Don’t try to distract me,” I warned, my temper coming out to play. It had been a really long day and I was starting to wish I’d taken up Landon on his pajama day suggestion. “Aunt Tillie, I know you have something to do with the strange things that are going on around this town. You need to spill your guts right now.”
“Oh, well, that’s just rich!” Aunt Tillie exploded, her vehemence catching me off guard and forcing me to take an inadvertent step back, smacking into Landon’s chest. “I can’t believe you’re accusing me of something as terrible as cursing the wishing well to create bad wishes when I was just walking around the town square after dark and minding my own business.”
I narrowed my eyes as I stared her down. “Who mentioned anything about cursing the wishing well?”
“I certainly didn’t.” Aunt Tillie effortlessly shifted tactics. “You must’ve imagined me saying that. Have you considered getting your ears checked?”
Landon made a disappointed throat-clearing sound. “I heard you say it too.”
“I think you’re trying to entrap me,” Aunt Tillie announced. “You’re ‘The Man’ and that’s what you do. I want a lawyer.”
“You’re not under arrest,�
� Chief Terry pointed out. “Yet.”
“You’re on my list.”
Despite her insistence on denying culpability, Aunt Tillie seemed off her game. I couldn’t help but take pity on her. Sure, that pity was mixed with a healthy dose of rage, but it was there. “What did you do?”
“I just told you,” Aunt Tillie shot back. “I cursed the wishing well and now it’s coming back to bite me. I blame you.”
I was understandably taken aback. “Me? What did I do?”
“You caught me trying to reverse the curse,” Aunt Tillie replied, not missing a beat. “I would’ve been long gone if you would’ve minded your own business.”
“Forget that,” Landon instructed, his tone grave. “Tell us about this curse. Is that the reason Nelson is being threatened with burning at the stake?”
Aunt Tillie screwed up her face in confusion. “Who is Nelson?”
“Nelson Lyons,” I replied. “He mentioned something about making a wish last night. That has to be why all of the girls of a certain age in this area are drooling all over him.”
“And don’t forget Mrs. Leery,” Landon added. “She said she wished that things would be how they used to, and then she had sweaty sex in The Overlook parking lot with her husband.”
“Oh, gross.” Aunt Tillie wrinkled her nose. “I’m glad I didn’t see that. You just know that guy looks freaky without his clothes on. Blech.”
“Yes, because that’s the most important thing,” Chief Terry deadpanned, shaking his head. “Why would you curse the wishing well? And why am I asking that question? Other police chiefs don’t have to ask that question. It’s as if I’m being punished.”
“I think it has a little something to do with your attitude,” Aunt Tillie sniffed.
“Don’t push me,” Chief Terry hissed, lowering his tall frame so he could be at eye level with Aunt Tillie. “Why did you do this? And how soon can you have it fixed?”
“I did it because I was playing a little game with Margaret Little,” Aunt Tillie replied, squaring her shoulders. She knew she was caught, but there was no way she’d curl into a ball and let every angry person in the neighborhood kick her while she was down. “The curse was meant to hit the first person who made a wish. I assumed that would be Margaret.”
Make A Witch Page 7