AUNT TILLIE conjured the locator spell in the middle of Chief Terry’s living room, clutching the shovel close to her chest as the blue light flared to life and zipped out the front door.
We followed, Aunt Tillie climbing into the front seat of Landon’s Explorer while Marcus and Thistle hopped in the back with me. Everyone else rode in Sam’s vehicle, and he followed Landon closely as we drove out of town.
We’d been on the road only five minutes when I realized where we were heading. “And we’re going to be right back where we started,” I murmured.
Landon’s eyes flicked to the rearview mirror and our gazes met in the reflection. “Did you say something?”
“We’re going back to the corn maze,” I replied. I didn’t know how I knew, but I did. “This is where we started a year ago, too. Sure, it was a different corn maze, but we’re right back at the beginning.”
“At least our mothers aren’t wearing tracksuits this time.” Thistle rarely looked on the bright side of things, so I offered her a wan smile for the effort.
“Yeah, at least there’s that.”
My brain was in turmoil as I considered what we would be walking in to. Davis had to be involved. That didn’t mean he was the only state trooper we might find ourselves up against, and whoever was out there was bound to be armed. Doug was also a factor. He was clearly involved the night Becky was killed. Whether that meant he intended to flee the area after the fact was anyone’s guess. Whether he was still alive was another question. Perhaps Davis killed Doug and dumped his body someplace remote, hoping to use the man as a scapegoat should things go south.
That still didn’t explain why Becky was killed in my yard, or why they did such a poor job of framing me for a crime I didn’t commit. None of this made sense.
The blue light bobbed to the right as we crested the hill that looked over Barnaby Mill and headed toward the corn maze. I wasn’t surprised when it hovered over the middle of the display. Chief Terry was here. Hopefully he was still alive. That’s all that ultimately mattered.
Landon parked in the lot, casting a look over his shoulder and shaking his head as I joined him on the gravel. “There are no other vehicles here.”
“Chief Terry is here,” I argued. “The locator spell couldn’t be bamboozled by a police officer and a drug dealer. That’s not how it works.”
“I’m not saying that,” Landon cautioned. “I’m merely saying that this smells like a setup. Davis clearly has something up his sleeve.”
“But … how?” I protested. “How did he know we would be able to find him?”
“I’m not sure,” Landon admitted, shaking his head. “Maybe he drugged Chief Terry, slipped something in his drink at the bar. Maybe whatever it was loosened his lips. Maybe Chief Terry told him about the witch stuff.”
The thought hadn’t even occurred to me. “No, I don’t think that’s it,” I said after a beat. “Think about it. If someone told you that a year and a half ago, would you go to a corn maze in the middle of the night because you thought people would use magic to track you down?”
“No,” Landon hedged. “I don’t understand why we’re here, though.”
Something occurred to me. “Why were you here that day?”
“What day?”
“The day Aunt Tillie and I ran into you,” I replied. “Why were you guys here that day?”
“I … don’t know what you’re asking.” Landon rubbed the back of his neck. “Becky had friends who worked here, and Doug said he liked corn mazes so … .”
“So you really had no reason to be here,” I finished. “That woman didn’t really like Becky. No one did. She was hateful and mean to everyone around her. They needed a specific reason to be at this corn maze.”
“What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking that there’s something here that they want,” I replied. “Davis mentioned the corn maze in passing that one time. He said his uncle owned it.”
“I … you’re right.” Landon licked his lips. “Holy crap! I totally forgot about that.”
“Maybe they hid something in the maze,” I suggested. “Maybe they didn’t bring Chief Terry here because they were hoping we would follow. Maybe they brought Chief Terry here because they’re grabbing something from the maze and they didn’t want to leave him alone in case he decided to run.”
“He might not be in any condition to run,” Landon warned. “When we find him, you have to understand that … he might be hurt.”
“If they’ve hurt him, I’ll make them pay.”
Something about my expression must’ve convinced Landon I was telling the truth, because he shuddered and grabbed my wrist. “We’ll make them pay if they’ve hurt him. We still have to approach this logically. This is a big area to cover.”
I flicked my eyes to the field before turning my full attention to Aunt Tillie. “I have an idea.”
“Oh, geez,” Landon muttered. “That’s even more terrifying to hear coming out of your mouth than it is when Aunt Tillie says it.”
“Isn’t that the truth,” Aunt Tillie muttered, rubbing her lower lip. “What do you have in mind?”
“Do you remember that time when we were kids and you convinced us to go mushroom hunting in the woods with you?” I asked. “You wanted morels for that sauce you liked. Mom said she would cook it, but you had to pick the mushrooms. You decided that sounded like too much work, so you cast a spell to illuminate the mushrooms and then took us on the search after dark so the mushrooms stood out.”
Aunt Tillie snorted, taking on a whimsical expression. “You guys had a lot of fun that night. You thought I created a world just for you.”
“We did.” I enthusiastically bobbed my head. “We need light. We have a lot of people, but we need to cut off as many avenues of escape as possible. If they run we need witches in every direction to stop them. We’ll have to split up. We won’t get close enough to save Chief Terry as a group.”
“I get what you’re saying.” Aunt Tillie glanced around, jerking her head back and forth. “I have just the thing.”
Landon stared at her a moment, his face blank. “Why do I think this is going to be something I won’t be able to explain if other law enforcement shows up?”
Aunt Tillie merely smiled. “Because I don’t do anything small. Split everyone into groups. I’m coming with the two of you – don’t bother arguing – but make sure everyone else has each side covered. We’re about to teach some lowlifes a very rough lesson.”
“Oh, well, at least I can’t say you guys are ever boring,” Landon muttered, striding toward the back of his vehicle. “I have two guns back here for Marcus and Sam. They might need them.”
“They won’t,” Aunt Tillie said. “I have my shovel. Everything will be fine.”
“And what’s up with the shovel again?”
“You’ll find out … it’s going to be glorious.”
Thirty
“Yup. I knew this was a terrible idea.”
Landon rested his hands on his hips as the illuminated ghosts Aunt Tillie conjured flitted about the corn maze. She colored them with a rainbow in mind, a hundred different colored lights weaving through the stalks of the maze. The ghostly ball of light next to Landon happened to be purple and wore a solemn expression as it hovered nearby.
“I think it was a smart way to go,” I countered. “If someone driving by sees them, they’ll simply think it’s a Halloween thing.”
“I get that.” Landon glared at the purple ghost as it floated closer to him. “But why is this one following me?”
“Maybe he likes you.”
“It’s a she,” Aunt Tillie interjected, moving next to me. “I made her look like you. Can’t you tell? She bats her eyelashes at him whenever he opens his mouth.”
“Huh.” Landon smirked as he tilted his head to the side and the apparition mimicked his actions. “She’s kind of cute.”
I thumped the side of his head to get his attention. “Stop hitting on the ghost.”
&n
bsp; Landon straightened. “I wasn’t hitting on her.”
“I’m much cuter.”
“Of course you are.” Landon kissed my cheek before turning to the serious situation waiting for us in the corn maze. “Odds are we have at least two armed people inside this maze. I’m armed, but … if something happens run for safety first and run your mouths second. Do you understand?”
I automatically nodded even though I wasn’t sure I could follow those instructions when it came down to it. There was no sense admitting it to Landon, because that would only lead to an argument.
Aunt Tillie refused to play, even for five minutes before we walked headlong into danger. “I’m going to run my mouth. I think you already know that. Lying about it would simply be a form of disrespect.”
Landon lowered his gaze and pursed his lips. “I need to know Bay won’t be hurt. I need to know that if something happens to me that you’ll be there with her when she runs.”
“Nothing is going to happen to you,” I snapped. “I won’t let it.”
“I can’t believe I’m saying this to you instead of Aunt Tillie, but you are not omnipotent,” Landon shot back. “This is a dangerous situation, and it hasn’t escaped my attention that I’m walking into this dangerous situation with my girlfriend and her great-aunt at my side. The only reason I’m doing this is that I can’t figure out another way to do it, and I know you’d find a way out if I tied you up and locked you in the Explorer.”
“If you try that I’ll kick you in the nuts,” I warned. “I was going to do it the day you came back. I won’t hold back if you try to keep me out of this.”
“I know that, but it’s not why I want you with me,” Landon said. “I need you with me because I can’t do this alone. We’re a team.” He darted his eyes to Aunt Tillie. “All of us.”
“Oh, you’re a smooth talker.” Aunt Tillie poked his side. “Marcus and Thistle are to the east. Marnie, Twila and Winnie are to the west. Clove and Sam are to the south. If someone runs, the ghosts will alert us to their locations. They’re more than just flirty friends … and the ones I put pumpkin heads on can scream if necessary.”
Landon nodded and un-holstered his weapon. “Okay. I don’t know what to expect in here. We can’t leave Chief Terry. He’s family, too, and as part of this family the only thing we can all agree on is that we don’t leave a man … or witch … behind. So, let’s go get him.”
LANDON LED the way, keeping his eyes focused forward as we treaded lightly through the maze. The walls were wide enough to allow us to walk three abreast, Aunt Tillie and me slightly behind Landon as he held his gun and carefully picked his way forward. By the time we got to the first fork in the pathway, an obvious question occurred to Landon and he fixed Aunt Tillie with a pointed look.
“Follow Bay.”
“I said I was going first,” Landon hissed.
“Not that Bay. I was talking about Ghost Bay.”
As if on cue, the purple apparition floated through a wall and beckoned for Landon to follow. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was giving him a “come hither” look. “Why is she so slutty?” I asked in a normal voice before remembering where I was and lowering it. “I’m nowhere near that slutty.”
“You are, but you don’t see it,” Aunt Tillie countered, gripping her shovel with both hands. “It’s a little sad, but now isn’t the time to talk about it.”
“I’m not slutty.”
“They say admitting it is the first step to recovery.” Aunt Tillie patted my arm. “Of course, I doubt ‘The Man’ wants you to recover.”
“You’ve got that right,” Landon muttered. “Come on.”
You might think following a purple ghost conjured by my eccentric great-aunt – a woman who was carrying a shovel to a potential gunfight – would be a nerve-wracking situation. You’d be right. However, I couldn’t focus on how ludicrous the entire thing was because I could practically hear Chief Terry calling for me in my heart. He was all I could think about.
My mind brushed up against Chief Terry’s. At first I thought it was my imagination. The second time I knew he was close … and alive. I couldn’t read his mind or thoughts – and the experience was fleeting – but I felt him. I could barely contain my relief. “We’re almost there.”
“Not that I doubt you, but how do you know?” Landon asked.
“I feel him.”
“Of course you do,” Aunt Tillie said. “You’re closest to him, after all. He’s probably been thinking about you this entire time.”
The thought both warmed and tortured me. “He’ll be okay.”
“Of course he will.”
The sound of shuffling corn stalks caused Landon to lift a finger to his lips. We waited a moment … two … three … but nothing else moved. And then someone spoke.
“I know you’re there. You might as well come out.”
I recognized the voice right away. It was Trooper Davis.
“Stay here,” Landon whispered. “I’ll try to talk him down.”
That was an absolutely terrible idea, and I grabbed his wrist, digging my fingernails into the soft flesh there to let him know I meant business. “I’m going with you.”
“No, you’re not.”
“I am.”
“No, you’re not.”
“Oh, geez.” Aunt Tillie took me by surprise when she shoved between us. “Let me handle this.”
“Wait!”
It was already too late. Aunt Tillie sauntered through the next opening, shovel in hand, and took a wide stance as she stared at something only she could see. Landon and I scrambled after her. Landon had his weapon pointed when he moved to Aunt Tillie’s side.
I kept to the back a bit, taking in the scene and locking gazes with a dazed Chief Terry. He sat on the ground, his cheek bruised and his hands cuffed behind his back. The expression on his face when he saw me didn’t reflect happiness.
“Are you crazy?”
Landon remained calm as he stared down Davis, who stood near the center of the small clearing. The figure to Davis’ left wasn’t who I expected to see.
“Rhonda?”
“Not who you were expecting, huh?” Rhonda shook her head as she scorched Davis with a dangerous look. “I can’t believe you let this happen.”
“And I can’t believe you’re blaming me,” Davis shot back. “I didn’t call and tip them off.”
“You know what I can’t believe?” Chief Terry bellowed, his eyes seemingly sharper now that he had something tangible to focus on. “I can’t believe you brought her into the middle of something like this! What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking that I knew better than leaving her behind,” Landon replied, his tone even. “I was thinking that she was going to fall apart if we didn’t find you. There was no keeping her back.”
“You’ve got that right,” I muttered, narrowing my eyes at Rhonda. She didn’t seem alarmed by the change in circumstances. “I guess I should’ve seen this coming, but … I’m still a little confused. I knew there was something off about your visit, but I never considered the fact that you weren’t approaching me to talk about your sister as much as you were trying to find out if I knew what was going on out here.”
“Yes, well, you’re clearly not very bright,” Rhonda said. “I figured that out when you checked into my mother’s bed and breakfast under your own name the same night you visited the diner.”
“Why do you even work at the diner if you’re otherwise employed?”
“Because I know how to keep attention away from me,” Rhonda replied, smoothing her hands over a dark hoodie that I couldn’t help but recognize as mine. “My sister was the opposite. She told everyone who would listen what she was doing. That’s why when I decided to take over the operation I knew enough to keep my old job.”
“You took over the operation?” I continued asking questions as Landon and Davis stared one another down. They both had weapons pointed at each other.
“Someone had to,�
�� Rhonda explained. “You can’t let the likes of Becky and Doug have access to that much money when they have no idea what they’re doing.”
I rubbed my cheek, doing my best to ignore the purple ghost mimicking my actions to my right. “So Becky and Doug started – and I’m guessing they started small – and you and Davis here took over. How did that happen?”
“I listened to Doug and Becky talk about their operation and realized they were both idiots. They had no idea how big they could score if they did things right,” Rhonda replied. “Of course, I couldn’t let Becky know that I was her new boss. That wouldn’t have gone over well.”
“Yeah, I’ve got her diary.” I bobbed my head in agreement. “She hated you. She thought you were manipulating your mother. I thought she was crazy – and she definitely wasn’t what I would call sane – but maybe she wasn’t as out there as I originally thought.”
“No, she was flat out bonkers.” Rhonda was extremely matter-of-fact. “She was uneducated, crass and watched far too much reality television. She wanted to be a Kardashian instead of the person who robbed the Kardashians blind. She never understood the strength in being the good one on the outside and only allowing the cracks to show inside. She always wanted to be the star of the show.”
“Yeah, I’m starting to think you’re flat out bonkers, too,” I supplied. “Life is not a television show.”
“No, but I’ve found that using television as a way to explain things to those not as intelligent as myself is far easier than taking the long route to answers,” Rhonda said. “I’m all about cutting corners.”
I could believe that. “So Doug and Becky started small, probably cooking themselves and selling to random customers,” I mused. “Then they grew bigger, right?”
“Yes, and Becky’s mouth grew bigger at the same time,” Rhonda confirmed. “She liked to chat – and loudly – about how much money she was making. She didn’t realize she was actually making peanuts. She was a terrible worker and never made much money. They weren’t pulling in big money. I saw the potential. I simply didn’t tell my sister what was going to happen, or that there was about to be a shift in the business model.”
Murder Most Witchy (Wicked Witches of the Midwest Book 10) Page 29