Hook, Line, and Murder

by Tegan Maher

  The tea was starting to kick in and I was feeling floaty. I giggled. "She only does that for effect, though I admit, as a fan of Bewitched, I think it's a nice touch."

  Rae smiled, then turned her focus to the TV. "Close your eyes," she said.

  Following the order was easy, and the last thing I heard was Max complaining about watching another episode of NCIS.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  IT TURNED OUT THE FABRIC was a match for Missy's clothes, but Hunter was unable to get a judge to grant him a search warrant for another judge's boat without some sort of evidence. Apparently, acting weird wasn't enough.

  They did manage to extract DNA from the samples Hunter'd scraped from under my nails. I'm not sure how he managed to pull the strings it took to get results that quickly, but I didn't question it. I spent the day on the couch, and Rae pumped as many healing herbs as she could into me.

  By the next day, I was feeling much better but was nowhere near back to normal. We put off the cookout, and Bobbie Sue showed up with Justin and three bags of food. She took one look at me, and I thought her head was gonna explode. She was at least as mad as everybody else, mostly because she felt helpless. It wasn't a feeling she experienced often, and she didn't deal with it well.

  "Let me get my hands on him," she said, "and he'll know what a beatdown's like. And if there's anything left of him by the time I've worn myself out, I'll hand him over to Earl."

  Though I didn't doubt her stamina, it was nice to know she had a backup plan. We had no idea who'd attacked me, and for his own sake, he'd better hope it stayed that way. Family, magical or not, was family, and I had a large one with a lot of creativity.

  Aunt Beth had come to relieve Rae so she could go check on the store. I was feeling good enough to sit in the kitchen with her while she mixed fresh batches of herbs, both for Raeann's coffee blends and to replace the ones we'd used to get me through the last couple days.

  The pressure in the room changed, and Addy popped in, accompanied by Ruth. She'd just been there a few hours before, but she fussed over me like she hadn't seen me in a week.

  "I'm so sorry about what happened to you," Ruth said. I still couldn't see her, but she'd figured out how to project her voice. "That's some double shiner you have there."

  "Thanks," I said. "I'd love to tell you where I got it, but it was an anonymous gift."

  Lucky me, between the knee to the face and the backhand, both my eyes were a lovely shade of blackish purple with yellow highlights. It was awesome. At least Aunt Beth had made a balm that had mostly healed the split lip already.

  Aunt Beth cleared her throat and raised a brow, looking in the direction where Ruth's voice had come from. "Addy, are you going to introduce me to your guest?"

  Addy furrowed her brow. "Can you see her or just hear her?"

  It was Beth's turn to look confused. "Well of course I can see her. Why wouldn't I? She's right there."

  "Uh," I said, glancing back and forth between Beth and the spot where she was looking. "Nobody else can, except TJ. We can if we're touching her, but other than that, we can't."

  "That's odd," Beth said, scrunching her forehead in thought. "She's as visible as Addy is."

  Lifting a shoulder, Addy said, "Ruth, this is my sister, Elizabeth. Beth, this is Ruth, or at least that's what we call her."

  "Have you made any progress, Ruth?" I asked.

  "No," she said, sighing. "I can see the light, and it's pulling me, but I can't go to it." She paused for a minute. "Did she say your name is Elizabeth?"

  "Yeah," Aunt Beth responded. "Why?"

  Ruth didn't answer right away, but the air where I thought she was shimmered. I tilted my head sideways and squinted, trying to catch a better view. Slowly, she became visible. She was wearing a look of intense concentration.

  "Because that's my name. Except I go by Lizzy." Her voice was soft and her gaze unfocused, as if she was looking inward.

  She gazed at Addy, then flicked her attention to me, her expression changing from concentration to elation. "That's right. My name is Lizzy."

  Then her face collapsed. "But that's all I can remember."

  "That's okay," Addy said.

  "It's not exactly all," I told her. "I can see you now. Maybe we couldn't see you because you couldn't see you. Now that you've remembered that, I bet it won't be long before you remember everything else."

  I fired off a quick text to TJ, filling her in on the news. She responded that she'd run the name through the recent obits and see if she could find a match.

  For the first time, something was shaking loose, and I had high hopes that everything else would soon be cleared up, too.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON, I was going stir crazy. I'd been stuck in the house for three days, and it had rained most of Tuesday. Wednesday, TJ called. They'd found two women named Elizabeth in the obits. The age was about right for both of them, but neither obit listed the cause of death or a picture.

  During our excursion to the barbecue competition and fair, we'd gotten to know their sheriff, so I asked Hunter to put a call in to him as soon as TJ texted me.

  I'd just about driven Shelby crazy with my pacing and fidgeting.

  "We need groceries,” she said. "Would a ride to Piggly Wiggly take the ants out of your pants?"

  "Yes!" I said. At that point, a trip to the 7-eleven would have been like a vacation to me.

  "On the way back, maybe we'll stop for a pedicure," Shelby said, looking at the chipping paint on her toenails. "Lord knows I could use one, and it'll give Coralee a chance to lay eyes on you for herself. It's made her nuts that she hasn't been able to come see you for herself."

  "That sounds amazing," I said. Anything to extend the outing for an hour or two, plus I'd missed the girls and I needed a pedi, too. My paint wasn't in any better shape than Shelby's.

  We'd only gone through a few aisles at the store when I realized I wasn't quite as healed as I thought I was. I'd popped a couple Advil before we left because the tea made me sleepy, and even through it, my ribs started to hurt.

  Even though I didn't say anything, Shelby caught the hitch in my step as I tried to keep from jarring myself.

  "All right," she said. “Let’s grab some meat and teabags, and we're out of here." She grabbed a couple boxes of Froot Loops off the shelf on her way to the tea, then circled around past the meat and picked up a couple packs of chicken and hamburger. We headed through the frozen section on our way to the register, where she tossed in a couple bags of tater tots, and we were golden.

  Miss Mary Sunshine was the only one at the registers.

  "That's Kasey Ball," I told Shelby as we waited in line.

  "She looks as lovely as you described."

  She was right; Kasey looked about as happy as somebody with a toothache. Her limp blonde hair was greasy, and her clothes were rumpled. Basically, she looked about the same as she had the last time I was there. When she saw me, her expression became downright sour.

  "Well looky who it is," she sneered. "The snobby, nosy witch. Looks like you got high and mighty with the wrong person, and they took you down a peg or two."

  Because I was in pain, I was already cranky, and she didn't help. I tamped down the urge to do something horrible, but I hadn't thought about Shelby.

  She leaned across the conveyor belt and got right up in Kasey's face and stared into her beady little eyes. "Stop bein' ugly and apologize."

  Kasey huffed through her nose. "For what? I think it's funny. All those rumors about her being some big bad witch. She doesn't look too big and bad now."

  Shelby's temper was short on the best of days, and today definitely wasn't one of those. I saw her shoulders go tense, and a faint glow shone on her shoulder through the thin T-shirt.

  "Shel," I said, "it's not worth it."

  Kasey snorted. "What's she gonna do? Turn me into a toad?"

  I heaved a sigh and rubbed my face when the hereditary Flynn witchy grin spread across She
lby's face. At least the angel kiss had stopped glowing so it wasn't going to be anything too extreme.

  "No," Shelby said in a low voice after considering her for a second. "You're already close enough that I don't think the spell would do much." She tilted her head to the side. "Though I don't see any warts. Let me fix that for you."

  What looked like a zit started to form on Kasey's chin. It turned brown and crusty, and as a final flourish, three dark hairs sprouted out the middle of it.

  "There," Shelby said. "Now the look's complete."

  Kasey's hand shot to her chin, and her eyes grew wide with fear. "What did you do?"

  "Less than I wanted to," Shelby replied, motioning to the groceries. "Check us out, and if you say another bad word about my sister or our family, you'll have a whole lot more than one little wart to worry about. Now ... apologize."

  Kasey narrowed her eyes. "If I do, will it go away?"

  "No," Shelby said. "If you don't, another one will grow right between your eyes."

  "I'm sorry," she ground out, running our groceries across the scanner.

  When she was done, Shelby handed her the cash and gave her a sunny smile. "You have a good rest of the day now, you hear?" She grabbed the grocery bag and flounced toward the door.

  I knew I shouldn't encourage her, but when I glanced over my shoulder to see Kasey looking at her chin in horror in her compact, I couldn't help but grin. It hurt my ribs, but by the time I got to my truck, I could barely walk I was laughing so hard.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  WE WERE STILL SMILING when we got to the Clip N Curl, and it felt good to have some humor lifting the gloom. Coralee said as much when we walked in.

  "Y'all look awful happy, though I have to say, those particular shades of green and yellow around your eyes don't do anything for your complexion. I'm assumin' nobody's tried to clean your clock yet today," she said, spraying half a can of Aqua Net onto the fancy updo she'd arranged on the woman in her chair.

  "Nope, not today," I said. "Hey Alyse!"

  "Hey Noelle, Shelby," Alyse answered. "Whatcha into today?"

  Shelby was looking through the wide array of polishes on display. "Noe was about to lose her mind sitting at the house, so we went to the grocery store and figured we'd stop for pedis if you can squeeze us in."

  "As a matter of fact, I can," she said. "Sue Ellen Kirby and her daughter just canceled. Chicken pox."

  "Not that I'd wish those on anybody, but I'm glad you have time," I said. "The last thing I want to do is go back to the farm. And thanks for takin' care of Erol and Norman the last few days."

  The woman in the chair was so busy texting on her phone that she wasn't even involved in the conversation.

  Belle popped in and frowned when she saw her. "People these days. Back in the day, girls came to the parlor to gab and relax. She hasn't looked away from that phone since she got here." She crossed her arms and hmphed. "Rude is what it is."

  I had to agree with her and arched a brow when Coralee had to tap her on the shoulder. She startled and looked up, her big hair staying perfectly in place. "Oh,” she said, sitting up straight. "Are you all done?"

  "Yeah," Coralee said dryly. "When you're finished with your conversation, I'll check you out."

  The woman had to good grace to blush and stuff her phone into her bag. I noted she used a top pocket so it was in easy reach, though.

  As soon as she paid and pushed out the door, Coralee turned to me, a look of concern on her face. "So how are you doin'? Really?"

  "Fine," I said. "I'm more pissed that he got the drop on me than anything. I'll be ready next time."

  "Hopefully there won't be a next time," Alyse said, shuddering.

  "I'm with you on that," I said. "But if there is, I won't be caught unawares."

  She filled the pedi tubs, and the hot water felt like heaven. The lavender and citrus scent was both calming and refreshing, and we chatted for a while about nothing and everything.

  I had my head leaned back against the padded pleather headrest, my eyes closed, while we debated whether or not the city council would vote to allow another chain pizza place to build within city limits. They were half for and half against.

  "Personally, I don't think we need one. It's not like the other does much business with locals, anyway. We all know Duck's is the best around," Coralee said.

  Shelby hummed her agreement, and the bell above the door tinkled, announcing a new arrival. I peeped one eye open and blew out a disgusted breath when I saw who it was.

  "What?" Alyse whispered. My expression must have reflected my distaste.

  "That's the woman who showed herself at Brew and Bobbie Sue's for free meals," I said.

  Shelby arched a brow. I'd told her the story. "I can see it," she said. "There's most definitely a stick up her butt."

  Alyse smiled. "Well Coralee's just the one to pull it out for her."

  She went over and whispered something in Coralee's ear, and she glanced askance at me. I nodded.

  She put on her customer smile and turned toward the lady. "And what can I do for you today, ma'am?" she asked in her perkiest voice.

  "I need a trim and a color," she said, her nose in the air. "Do you have a salon-quality platinum? I realize this is a small town, and the last thing I want is orange hair."

  "Of course." Coralee said, sweet as pie. "Hop on up here, and we'll get you started."

  "I'm kinda surprised she's gonna wait on her," Shelby said.

  Alyse lifted a shoulder as she toweled off my feet and began to massage the lotion in. "I don't think I've ever seen her refuse anybody."

  I lost myself in the foot massage, figuring Coralee could take care of herself.

  Chatter resumed, though town gossip was kept light and impersonal. Rule number one when it came to private gossip was sorta like fight club—what happened in Keyhole stayed in Keyhole. The woman in the chair stayed mostly quiet and maintained a lemon-sucking expression throughout the process.

  Coralee chatted up the lady, asking about what all she'd done while she was in town. Ms. Snooty answered in abrupt sentences, obviously not wanting to engage in conversation.

  Alyse had just started glossing the topcoat onto Shelby's Purple Passion polish when Coralee pulled the woman up from the sink and toweled her hair dry. I did a double take and could hardly believe my eyes. I cleared my throat, and the other two girls glance at me. I motioned toward Coralee and the old bat with my head, and they followed my gaze.

  Shelby's eyes went wide, and she coughed to cover a laugh. Alyse, on the other hand, didn't know what to do. Half the woman's head was a lovely shade of purple that would have gone perfectly with Shelby's toenail polish, and the other half was bubble-gum pink.

  "So how long are you in Keyhole?" Coralee asked.

  "I'm leaving this afternoon, right after I talk to the city council. I have some family land I want re-zoned."

  "City council, huh?" she said.

  "Yes," the woman replied, sniffing. "That's why I wanted my hair done. Even in a backwoods town like this, I didn't want to appear before them like some ragamuffin with my roots showing."

  "Well I can assure you, that won't be a problem," Coralee said. "There's not a hint of grey showing from your roots."

  She continued to blow-dry, then asked her how she wanted it styled, keeping her turned away from the mirror.

  "A french twist will do nicely, if you can manage to do one that looks chic rather than clumpy."

  "A french twist is one of my specialties," Coralee said without a care in the world. "Would you like to check the color first to make sure you're satisfied? I think it's exactly what you asked for, but I understand you had some concerns regardin' my skill."

  "Yes," the woman said. "Perhaps that would be for the best."

  Coralee spun her around and the woman screamed when she saw the cotton-candy colors. "What have you done?" she screeched. "I demand you fix it, right now. You said it was the color I asked for, and this most certainly i
s not!"

  Coralee raised her brows. "Oh, it's what you asked for, all right. I understand you've been goin' around town rippin' places off for freebies. I assume you had the same intention when you sashayed through my doors."

  "Fix it," the woman barked, starting to panic.

  "Pay what you owe," Coralee examined her fingernails. "Noe, how much did she get Brew and Bobbie Sue's for?"

  I lifted a shoulder. "She got us for nine bucks. Bobbie Sue's was probably ten or twelve."

  She turned back to the old windbag, who by that time had gone a fabulous shade of burgundy. "So we'll call that twenty bucks. You said you visited the diner and the Cheshire Cat, and I have to assume you pulled the same BS there. The diner was probably ten bucks or so, too, but the Cat's a little pricier. I'll call that twenty. So, that's fifty bucks worth of food you skipped out on."

  The plucky blonde institution pretended to consider for a minute. "I'm not charging you for the hair color. It's what you asked for by ripping off my friends, but it's not what you wanted, so I'll eat that. So, it's gonna be a hundred bucks to set things right."

  "A hundred bucks?" the woman gasped, outraged.

  Coralee nodded. "Yup. The cost of the food, a generous tip, and an additional fee for being mean. As a matter of fact, make it a buck twenty."

  "And you'll fix this ... this ..." She motioned helplessly toward her hair.

  "I will," Coralee said.

  The woman fished in her pocketbook and pulled the money from her clutch purse. "Here, take it. But it's highway robbery, and I'm reporting you to the city council for such shameful business practices."

  Coralee lifted a shoulder, counting the money. "Do what you gotta do, sugar. I just did."

  The woman stood there, mouth agape, then snapped, "Now fix my hair."

  Another woman pushed through the door, smiling.

  "Oh, I don't have room in my book today, and I'm full tomorrow, too," Coralee said. "But come back Saturday, and I'll put you back to rights. Would you prefer morning or afternoon?"