As I was filling my travel mug with coffee, Tripp walked in.
“Late night?” His tone was conversational, like he didn’t really care one way or another.
“Not as late as yours.” The bratty tone in my voice made me cringe internally.
He narrowed his eyes, trying to understand what I meant, then said, “Alex stopped by to show me—”
“I’ve got to get to work.”
“Jayne.” He grabbed my arm as I walked past and spun me to face him. “What’s wrong?”
I jerked free of his grasp. “Nothing you need to worry about. See you later.”
When I got to the spot where the driveway met up with the campground, I put the Cherokee into park and burst into tears. I wasn’t even sure why I was crying, but the release of pent-up emotions felt good. I was immensely sad about what Dad went through that night so many years ago. I was angry that Alex was so damn pretty. I was angry that Tripp hired someone who was so damn pretty. I was devastated that Tripp seemed to have moved on already. It was my fault. I knew I was waiting too long and didn’t expect him to hang around forever, but I thought he’d give me a little more time.
When my tears finally stopped, I lowered the visor and looked at the puffy, dark-circled eyes staring back at me.
“This is exactly what you were afraid of,” I told the Jayne in the mirror. “You know you can’t trust guys. This is why you waited, to see what he’d do to break your heart. Good thing you didn’t let this go anywhere.”
Excuses, excuses, Jayne in the mirror replied. You’re justifying not taking a chance with him. You don’t know that he’d break your heart. And you don’t know why Alex was there last night. Tripp said she stopped by to—
A flip of the visor silenced Jayne in the mirror. I didn’t want to hear reason right now. I just wanted to be mad. Or sad. Or whatever it was I was feeling.
~~~
Halfway to the Barlow cottage, I came upon Morgan walking alongside the road. Checking first to be sure there were no cars behind me, I pulled to a stop and lowered my window.
“Blessed be, Jayne.” She took one look at me and frowned. “You didn’t rest last night, did you?”
“Trust me, I tried, but no. If I got an hour of sleep, I’d be surprised.”
“Mama is ready for you. She was up very early in anticipation. I probably should have waited until this morning to let her know you were coming. I don’t think she got much sleep either. You’ll stop by to see me later and tell me how it goes.”
It was more a command than a question. I promised I would, and then she continued on to Shoppe Mystique. I pulled to a stop in the cottage’s short driveway and let Meeka out of her crate in the back. She immediately ran over and squeezed between the plants that made up the hedge surrounding Morgan and Briar’s garden. She’d want to play with Pitch, Morgan’s all-black rooster.
From behind the hedge, Briar exclaimed, “Well, Meeka. I assume your presence means that Jayne is here as well.”
“I’m here, Briar,” I called.
“The front door is open. Come on around.”
Beneath the wisteria-covered pergola in the backyard was a small round patio table where Briar had set up a tea service for us. There was also a bowl with cut-up fruit and a plate with a dozen miniature poppy seed muffins. It was so charming, so thoughtful, I almost started crying again.
“Sit,” Briar beckoned. “I’ll run inside and grab the tea. I waited on that until you got here so it would be good and hot.”
As with the other night when she insisted on giving me dinner, Briar wouldn’t let me tell my tale until I had eaten first. Considering I hadn’t had dinner last night, or gotten the chance to grab anything for breakfast before Tripp interrupted me, I was okay with this plan.
“All right,” she said when I’d finished eating all but four of the little muffins. “Tell me what you’ve learned.”
I wasn’t sure how long I spoke, but I started by reminding her about how Effie and Cybil had agreed with what Gran had written in her journal. I recounted my conversation with Honey and Sugar. Then I explained how Laurel had given me insight into Flavia but couldn’t give details about Priscilla’s death since she hadn’t been there that night. Finally, I told her about the conversation Morgan and I had with Blind Willie the night before.
“Good Goddess.” Briar sat back in her chair. “That’s a lot to take in.”
“What can you add to that? You told me once I had all the pieces, you’d help me arrange them into a whole story.”
“Let’s do that, then.” She added more tea to our cups. “You already know that we can mostly disregard what Effie and Cybil told you. Those three—your grandmother and Effie in particular—were inseparable back then.”
“What about your mother? I thought Gran and Dulcie were so close.”
“Oh, they were, but you know how things go. New people come into your life and hierarchies shift.”
“Did something happen between Gran and Dulcie?”
Briar picked apart the mini-muffin on her plate, stalling. “Nothing happened. It’s just . . . you understand that people can behave differently depending on who they’re with?”
“Of course.”
“Lucy and my mother had a history together. My mom taught your grandmother about Wicca and gardening. Your grandmother offered Mama and me a new life. Theirs was a more practical relationship. When Effie came, the friendship between she and your grandmother was instant.”
That explanation didn’t sit right with me. “Briar? What aren’t you saying?”
She released a heavy exhale. “My mother felt that Lucy’s attitude changed with every person who came to live here. Lucy had every right to be in charge, the land was hers and your grandfather’s, after all. They didn’t have to let any of us stay here, but they did, and Lucy seemed to become more of a ruler.”
Whispering Pines is my kingdom and I am the queen here.
“I think Lucy regretted some of her decisions,” Briar continued, “but once they were made, she didn’t feel she could change them.”
“You mean like telling the villagers that Flavia killed Priscilla?”
She paused for a sip of tea. “That was a big one. So was forcing Rae and Gabe to leave town. Priscilla’s death was an accident, but just so Rae could forgive herself instead of running away, it would have been better for the villagers to know the truth. Hiding it just led to more conflict.” She took another sip. “As for Honey and Sugar, they saw some things but nothing important. And, they were just little girls at the time. It doesn’t matter how good they claim Honey’s memory is, she was only ten, Sugar twelve. What do you remember from when you were ten or twelve years old?”
Good point. “Bits and pieces but not much. What about you? What do you remember from that night?”
She finished her tea and placed the cup back on the saucer. “I agree with everything Blind Willie told you. Flavia was determined to get the girls to fight that night.”
“This is where it seems something is still missing. I can understand wanting to help Priscilla get a guy, but Gabe was already with Rae. Horace and Karl were spoken for. My dad, well, I don’t really know what his situation was. He supposedly liked a girl but wouldn’t tell Gran who she was. There had to be other eligible boys in the village. Why did she target Gabe? And why didn’t he do anything about it? Why didn’t he put a stop to things that night and take Rae home?”
“He tried,” Briar promised. “You should’ve seen him. Once he realized what was going on, he tried to stop it, but every word he said was shot down by either Flavia or Rae. Priscilla had been after him for weeks, and Rae saw this as her chance to stand up and finally end it.”
“Willie didn’t tell me any of that. He must’ve been taking Honey and Sugar home at that point.” I pictured the scene in my mind. The three girls in the center, Gabe helpless on the side. “I still come back to, why Gabe?”
“You tell me. What possible reason could a girl have for putting
a boy in such an uncomfortable position?”
I sat back, linked my fingers behind my head, and stared up into the wisteria canopy, my tight neck popping when I did.
“Flavia had to be really angry about something,” I began. “Of course she was angry; Flavia is always angry. Maybe Gabe did something to Priscilla and Flavia wanted him to pay for it?” I lowered my eyes to Briar. “Was he the father?”
“No, he was not the father. I honestly don’t know who was, but I’d stake my life that it wasn’t Gabe.” Briar’s eyes gleamed. “Keep talking it out, you’re on the right path. Flavia was angry . . .”
I stood and paced around the small patio, hands on my hips. “Was she angry at Rae for some reason? Did Rae do something to Priscilla?”
Briar shook her head, so I continued pacing.
“Okay, she was mad at someone, but not Rae. Not Priscilla, they were best friends.” We’d be there all day if Briar didn’t give me a clue. Wait, I was ignoring someone from that triangle. “She was mad at Gabe. Why?”
“This is the reason I wanted you to understand everything else first, so all these moving pieces”— she threaded her fingers together—“would merge for you at the end.”
I returned to my chair. “Is Flavia lesbian? Was she mad at Gabe because she wanted to be with Rae?”
“Now that would be a twist.” Briar had a good laugh at that. “No. Flavia wanted Gabe.”
Who was this guy? “Did every girl in the village want him?”
Briar chuckled at this. “Pretty much. He was good looking, had a great future ahead of him, and oh my Goddess, could he make us laugh. We loved being around him because he was so funny.”
“So Flavia wanted him, too? I thought she liked Horace. Or Karl.”
“Flavia’s wanting to be with Gabe had nothing to do with liking him. There was one girl in particular who did like him, quite a lot, and Flavia decided she wouldn’t let her have him.”
Reeva liked Gabe.
I sank back in my chair. “Reeva? Flavia has Horace, hits on Karl, and won’t let Reeva have Gabe either?”
“This was still a little before Reeva became interested in Karl.”
I was becoming increasingly frustrated with this. Every answer twisted around and created another question. I covered my face with my hands. “Briar, I just want to know what happened. I did the work. I understand all the pieces now, I think. Please, will you just tell me what happened?”
She patted my knee. “Very well. Gabe really was a great guy, but he made one very large mistake.”
“What did he do?”
“He slept with Flavia.”
I felt a little nauseous at that revelation. “Wow. Huge mistake. Why would he do that?”
“You’d never guess from the way she presents herself now, but Flavia was a real beauty. When we were teenagers, she took great pride in her appearance. She did her hair and makeup every day. She wore miniskirts that showed off a pair of very nice legs. The reason Priscilla was able to tempt Gabe the way she did—”
“Was because Flavia taught her how.”
Gran’s words from the 1979 journal echoed in my ears: Dillon thinks she offered them sex. I wish I could say this comment surprised me, but it doesn’t.
I sat on the edge of the chair, vibrating with anticipation for the punchline. “All right. He sleeps with Flavia and instantly regrets it?”
Briar smiled. “You’re being mean, but yes, he did. This unfortunate event happened shortly before he and Rae got together.”
“So he’d already been thinking about Rae?”
“As far as I know, yes.”
I bit back a smile. “Flavia sleeps with him to keep him away from Reeva, but didn’t realize Reeva had already passed him off to Rae?”
“Basically.”
“Why does Flavia hate Reeva so much?”
“That,” Briar said with a frown, “I can’t answer.”
“Did Flavia expect that Gabe would want to be with her?”
“Honestly, I think she did. She’d already lured Horace and Karl. Your dad, well, he was kind of untouchable because of who he was. By that time, your grandmother was ruling the village with a firm fist. None of us girls wanted to have to deal with her wrath, so we stayed away from Dillon.”
Poor Dad. No wonder he wanted to get out of here so badly.
“I’m sure Flavia had been expecting Gabe to follow like the other boys had.”
“And it backfired. Is that when Flavia went to the dark side and caused the rift in the group?”
“That’s when.”
“The fight that night,” I reasoned, “really had nothing to do with Priscilla getting together with Gabe.”
“Nothing whatsoever. Priscilla was feeling very vulnerable right then. She had this baby and no idea what her life was going to become. Flavia was, and is, very persuasive. She convinced Priscilla that she could get Gabe, but, as you now know, it wasn’t to help make Priscilla’s life better.”
“It was all to mess with Reeva’s life.”
“Exactly.”
I shook my head, once again blown away by human behavior. “The irrational wrath of a teenage girl.”
“You know that for Flavia, not being in control of her public persona is the worst possible punishment.”
“Which is probably why Gran sentenced her to just that in the end.” I blew out a breath, exhausted by this puzzle. “Because Flavia had to have her way, a girl died. And none of you did anything about it. Except my dad.”
Briar stared past me into her garden. “I can’t explain our lack of action that night, Jayne. People tend to not want to get involved with other people’s conflicts. As teenagers, we were used to adults stepping in to stop our fights.”
“That’s exactly what Blind Willie was about to do when my dad made his move.”
“Perhaps it was morbid curiosity,” Briar continued. “Maybe it was because we’d been summoned and told we had to be witnesses. Perhaps we simply wanted to find out how far things would go. Regardless of what happened, I assure you we all suffered greatly for our choices that night.”
I couldn’t argue with her about that. I’d witnessed street fights with tons of spectators during my time as a patrol officer, and honestly, if I hadn’t been a cop I can’t say that I would have done anything. Of course, those weren’t fights between my lifelong friends. I’d like to think that would have made a difference.
“I want to bring everyone from The Pack together. Including you. I want to go through this one last time to make sure there are no other twists needing to be uncovered. Somehow, this all ties to my grandmother’s death and that’s the piece that’s still missing.”
“When and where?”
“The conference room at The Inn just as quickly as everyone can get there.”
~~~
It took nearly an hour, even with the help of the walkie-talkies, to get the remaining members of The Pack—Briar, Sugar, Laurel, Honey, Flavia, and Reeva—together in the conference room. It was interesting to watch Flavia and Reeva together. The tension between them was silent but palpable, especially when Reeva took Flavia’s preferred chair.
“Why are we here?” Laurel wanted to know.
“I know you have that reunion group taking over The Inn,” I acknowledged. “I’ll be as fast as I can with this.”
I’d had an hour to go over everything in my mind, so it didn’t take me long to rehash the how’s and whys of the night Priscilla died. Sugar, Honey, Laurel, and Reeva listened raptly, since they hadn’t been there to witness the events. Briar nodded in silence, agreeing with me. Flavia sat with a pained expression on her pale face and didn’t argue with even a single point.
“There’s something that occurred to me as I was putting all the pieces together,” I said. “There’s one person I keep forgetting in all of this. I was so focused on what happened to Priscilla, I kept forgetting to ask about the baby. What happened to the baby?”
“Velma sent him away,” Reeva sai
d.
“How do you know this?” I asked.
“I offered to help her with him,” she explained. “Velma was an older lady, in her sixties at that point, and not able to get around very well. There was no way she could have cared for an infant. I had graduated from high school and was looking for a job, so I asked if she was interested in hiring me as a nanny. She decided it would be too painful to have the child here in the village. He’d be a constant reminder of Priscilla, so she asked her niece to take him.”
At least he stayed in the family. “None of you have any idea who the father was?”
For the first time since entering the room Flavia spoke. “You’ve forgotten one other Pack member. Perhaps you should talk with your father.”
Chapter 28
I sprinted to the station and sent an instant message to my dad. Hope you got the email I sent a few days ago. If a video call is possible, I need to talk to you. It’s urgent but not an emergency. It took multiple tries, and when it finally went through, he said he was busy at that moment but could do a video call in two hours.
Those were quite possibly the longest two hours of my life. To pass the time, I wandered the commons and spoke with some tourists, although what we talked about, I couldn’t say. I stopped in at Grapes, Grains, and Grub to get lunch to go and brought it back to the station.
“Wasn’t sure what you’d want,” I told Reed, “but since you’re all health nut now, I got you a veggie burger and side salad.”
“Why are you buying me lunch?”
Because his mother was a horrible person. “Just felt like paying it forward today.”
He gave me a wary glance but let it go at that. “Did you get the answers to all your questions?”
“There are two left, and I’m hoping those will be answered in about a half-hour.”
I explained that I would be speaking with my father shortly and while I would be in the station, the only reason I should be disturbed was if the building caught fire. Reed gave me a salute and promised to be on alert for flames.
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