Wicked Witches of the Midwest 9

by Amanda M. Lee

  Even though I was irritated, I couldn’t help but smile. “Thank you both,” I said, shooting a victorious look in Noah’s direction. “I’m glad you appreciate my input.”

  “I always appreciate your input,” Landon said. “Just don’t fall down and get hurt. I have plans for you later.”

  “Don’t make me smack the crap out of you,” Chief Terry warned, extending a finger. “You know I don’t like that.”

  “That’s exactly why I do it,” Landon said, his grin cheeky. “What did the fire inspector say?”

  “He said it was a simple accelerant,” Chief Terry answered after a beat. “It was common lighter fluid and it was put in a plastic bottle. There’s nothing to track with either purchase because both can be found at any gas station in the area.”

  “That’s a bummer,” I said, leaning over so I could collect the head of a broken unicorn. “So someone tossed a Molotov cocktail through the front window in the middle of the day and took off without anyone noticing. How does that happen?”

  Chief Terry shrugged. “That’s a good question,” he said. “I’m not sure how it is that no one saw what happened. Whoever did it obviously waited until the street was clear.”

  “That’s still gutsy on Main Street during a festival,” I pointed out. “Granted, this isn’t one of our biggest festivals, but there are still plenty of tourists in town. The inn was at full capacity Friday and Saturday.”

  “Yes, but The Overlook is always at full capacity,” Chief Terry said. “Your penchant for dinner theater has spread throughout the state. People want to stay at the inn because they’ve heard the food is the best in the area and the dinner theater can’t be matched.

  “I was at a new technology symposium in Traverse City about three weeks ago and I met a sergeant from a sheriff’s department in the Detroit area, and when I mentioned where I lived he immediately asked me about the crazy women who perform a different skit at every meal,” he continued. “I knew it was you before he mentioned the inn named after a hotel in a Stephen King book.”

  “Yeah, why did your mother name the inn that?” Noah asked. He appeared genuinely curious. “Did they want people to fear being murdered in their beds?”

  “Actually they didn’t name The Overlook after The Shining,” I replied. Answering Noah’s question was grating but I figured I should be civil for Landon’s sake. “They named it The Overlook because of the bluff on the other side of the property. It overlooks the town.”

  Noah wasn’t convinced. “They had to have known about The Shining.”

  “I honestly don’t think they did. That’s not their type of entertainment. They’re much more interested in Martha Stewart and home improvement shows.”

  “And what about your great-aunt?” Noah pressed. “She’s almost a character right out of the book.”

  I wanted to be affronted on Aunt Tillie’s behalf, but she loved that movie and book, and I was fairly certain she would take that as a compliment – especially if she could take an ax to his head. “She didn’t have anything to do with naming the inn,” I explained. “She owns the property, but it will go to my mother and aunts in equal portions when she dies.”

  “So will they sell it when that happens?” Noah asked. I couldn’t tell if he was simply manufacturing conversation or really wanted to know. “I would bet that property in this area would go for a lot these days given the tourist base. She’ll probably die in the next year or two, right? It might be worth even more then.”

  My heart skipped a beat at his callous words. “Aunt Tillie will be around a lot longer than a year or two.”

  “Of course she will,” Landon said, stepping between us. It was as if he sensed trouble was about to manifest. “Don’t say things like that to her, Agent Glenn.”

  “I wasn’t trying to upset her,” Noah protested, holding up his hands in a placating manner. “It was a simple question. That woman is old.”

  “Yes, well, evil never dies,” I shot back, annoyed.

  “Knock it off, Noah,” Landon ordered, taking me by surprise when he rested his arm on my shoulder. He generally went out of his way to be professional when we were together on a case and others were present. Of course, Chief Terry didn’t care about our relationship, and Landon got off on irritating Noah. “Stop trying to rattle her. I don’t like it.”

  “I’m not trying to rattle her,” Noah argued. “I was trying to make conversation. I don’t understand why she’s here anyway.”

  “She’s here because I want her here, and she knows the store better than we do,” Landon said, the lie seamlessly rolling off of his tongue. “I’ve never been in this store other than one time when I first came to town. Bay will notice anything that’s out of place.”

  “Isn’t that Chief Terry’s job?” Noah challenged.

  “Do I look like the porcelain unicorn type?” Chief Terry asked. “Bay has been in here recently. She agreed to help us. There’s no reason for you to get your panties in a bunch. She’s not bucking for your job.”

  Now it was Noah’s turn to be offended. “I don’t wear panties, so that is an offensive comment.”

  “No more offensive than you trying to unnerve Bay with talk of her great-aunt dying,” Landon said. “Aunt Tillie is in her eighties but she’s young at heart. Besides that, Bay is right. Evil never dies.”

  “And that woman is completely evil,” Noah muttered under his breath. If he thought we didn’t hear him, he was sadly mistaken. I was fairly certain he wanted me to hear him. He liked pushing my buttons.

  “I’ll tell her you said that,” I said calmly. “I’m sure it will earn you a prominent place on her list.”

  “I have no idea what that means,” Noah said, blasé.

  “You will,” Landon said, urging me toward the far side of the store. “Now, keep looking around. We need clues. We have to be missing something. Find it.”

  “I THINK it feels like a teenager.”

  Suspicion had been niggling the back of my brain for the past four hours, so when we finally took a break from searching the store and questioning downtown shopkeepers I gave voice to what I was feeling.

  Landon, a glass of iced tea in his hand, slid me a sidelong look as we sat next to each other in the diner. It would’ve felt like a cozy meal if it wasn’t for Chief Terry and Noah sitting across from us. Actually, to be fair, I would’ve been fine with Chief Terry being present. Noah is a tool, though.

  “Why do you say that?” Landon asked.

  I shrugged. “It’s just a feeling I get,” I replied. “I mean … who goes after porcelain unicorns? You said yourself that the accelerant was simple lighter fluid. If we had a real firebug, wouldn’t whoever was doing it get more joy out of going fancy?”

  “I guess that’s true in theory,” Landon said, rubbing his chin. “Arson is different from other crimes, though, Bay.”

  “How?”

  “He means that the psychology is different,” Noah supplied. “The kind of person who likes to start a fire is very different from the sort of person who shoplifts … or even commits murder. We’ve both studied this extensively, so you shouldn’t feel bad if you don’t understand what’s going on.”

  I furrowed my brow as I glared at him. “I don’t feel bad. Wait … did you just call me stupid?”

  Noah balked. “Of course not,” he said. “I merely stated that you couldn’t be expected to understand the ins and outs of an arsonist’s mind. You work for a weekly newspaper, after all.”

  Okay, this time I was certain he was insulting me. “You listen here … .”

  “Okay, that’s enough of that,” Chief Terry said, grabbing my hand when I tried to reach around him and tug on Noah’s hair. I had no idea what would happen if I got a hold of him, but I really didn’t care. “Bay, keep your hands to yourself.”

  “How can you take his side?” I was incensed.

  “I’m not taking his side,” Chief Terry said. “Agent Glenn, stop poking Ms. Winchester. I understand you’re trying to
see how far you can push her – and possibly Landon by extension given what happened last time you were here – but I’m going to put up with only so much.”

  “I am not poking her,” Noah said, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “You’re definitely not poking her,” Landon agreed. “I’ll kick your ass if you try.”

  “Stop being a pervert,” Chief Terry chided, shaking his head. “Why do you always have to go there?”

  Landon shrugged, unbothered. “I have limited space in my mind,” he explained. “I have room for Bay and our case. Everything else gets muddled.”

  “You’re so sick I can’t stand it,” Chief Terry groaned. “She’s still a little girl. That’s how I see her.”

  “Yes, but she’s not my little girl,” Landon said. “She’s my … sweetie.”

  “Oh, you’re very charming today,” I said. “I think you’re going to be rewarded later.”

  “I know I am.” Landon leaned forward to give me a kiss. I didn’t miss the hateful expression that flashed across Noah’s face. It was brief, but obvious. If Landon thought all of the hard feelings regarding Noah’s failure in Hemlock Cove a few weeks ago were forgotten, he had another think coming.

  “She’s my little girl,” Chief Terry said, slipping his hand between Landon and me and smacking Landon’s lips with his fingertips. “She’ll always be my little girl.”

  The admission warmed my heart. He was always giving and wonderful where I was concerned, going out of his way to spend time with me when I was younger. When I was upset, he’d listen to my complaints. When I was happy, he’d encourage me to keep being happy. He wasn’t my father, but he was my biggest male role model.

  “Thank you.” My voice was small when I uttered the words, but Chief Terry offered me a wink to let me know he’d heard them.

  “Oh, now I’m going to puke,” Landon said, slipping his arm over my shoulders. He enjoyed teasing Chief Terry, but I knew he didn’t mean it. He was often fascinated by our relationship. “Go back to what you said about it being a teenager, Bay. Why do you think that?”

  “Because I feel as if something is off here,” I answered, unsure how to explain. “The emotions tied to the deed somehow feel young to me.”

  “Yes, but we don’t solve crimes with intuition,” Noah pointed out. “Only idiots do that.”

  “I use my intuition on every case,” Landon corrected, his gaze steely. “Stop insulting her. I’ve had it.”

  “You’re not my boss,” Noah shot back.

  “I’m your superior,” Landon said. “If you have a problem with that, I’m sure you can take it up the supervisory chain. I’m fine if you want to file a formal complaint.”

  Landon might’ve been fine with it, but I wasn’t. “Landon … .”

  “It’s okay,” Landon said, squeezing my shoulder. “Noah has been angry ever since Aunt Tillie was proven innocent. He hasn’t gotten over it. Frankly, I’m sick of the drama.”

  “I don’t want to be the cause of you getting in trouble at work,” I said.

  “You’re not the cause of any work trouble,” Landon said. “You’re the cause of all my personal life happiness.”

  “Oh, barf,” Chief Terry said, wrinkling his nose. “That was the schmaltziest thing I’ve ever heard.”

  “We’re still making up for the fight last night,” Landon said. “What do you want from me?”

  “A little decorum would be nice.”

  “I agree,” Noah said. “You’re completely unprofessional, Landon.”

  If Landon was mildly irritated before, he was on the edge of a meltdown now.

  “Then file your complaint,” Landon prodded. “I look forward to answering it with some things of my own. That’s your right as an agent, and if you feel I’m not doing my job, I think you should make our superiors aware of the situation. I can respect that.

  “What I can’t respect is the way you’re talking down to Bay and dismissing almost everything Chief Terry says,” he continued. “You’re not smarter than everyone in the room. You know that, right?”

  “I’m smarter than her,” Noah shot back, jerking his thumb in my direction. “She thinks a kid is doing this when we know the statistics on arson. It’s a man in his twenties, thirties or forties. It’s always a man in that age group.”

  “I agree that the odds lead us to believe that’s the case,” Landon said, his voice low. “There would be no need for statistics if everything happened exactly one way, though. There’s always an exception to every rule.”

  Noah was incredulous. “Does that mean you agree with her?”

  I saw the pained look on Landon’s face when he glanced at me.

  “No,” Landon replied, his cheeks flushed. “I don’t happen to agree that it’s a teenager. That doesn’t mean I don’t think she has a right to state her opinion.”

  “But she’s wrong!”

  “You don’t know that,” Landon snapped. “She’s been right more times than I can count. I never want a teenager to be guilty, because that means they’re losing a life they haven’t even begun to live yet. But I learned a long time ago not to count Bay out when it comes to investigating a case. She’s smart and has the best instincts of anyone I know.”

  Pleasure bubbled in my stomach at his words. “Thank you.”

  “I agree with Landon,” Chief Terry said. “The odds of it being a teenager are slim. I would never bet against Bay, however. She has a feeling for these things, and she’s very rarely wrong.”

  “Well, I have a feeling, too,” Noah said. “I have a feeling I’m going to solve this and she’s going to be left looking like a fool.”

  Aunt Tillie taught us at a young age that it was better to win than be right. If you can do both, though, you can be queen of the world. Is that misguided? Sure, but for some reason that was the lesson I latched onto now.

  “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see who is right, huh?” I challenged.

  “I guess so.”

  “Ugh,” Landon grimaced. “Why do I feel this is going to get worse before it gets better?”

  “Because you’ve met the Winchesters,” Chief Terry answered. “It’s not just that they don’t like to lose, it’s that they refuse to do anything but win.”

  “You’ve got that right,” I said, rolling my neck until it cracked. “Where is the waitress? I want my lunch. I’ve got a lot of investigating to do this afternoon so I can win.”

  “Yup, it’s definitely going to be a long day,” Landon said, lifting his finger to get the server’s attention. “I’m going to need some pie, too. Pie always makes things better.”

  “So does winning.”

  TWENTY-THREE

  With little forward momentum on case one, Landon and I left Noah with Chief Terry and decided to tackle case number two. Landon made up a lie about wanting to check out local stores to see if anyone remembered selling lighter fluid. Because it was still barbecue season in Michigan, that number would be huge, even in Hemlock Cove. We headed toward the Dandridge.

  That’s where we found Maggie, Richard, Clove and Sam poring over Sam’s collection of old maritime books on the side patio.

  “Did you find anything?” I asked, pouring myself a glass of iced tea from the pitcher at the center of the table and sitting in one of the comfortable Adirondack chairs. Landon did the same, settling next to me with a heavy sigh. He looked exhausted even though we’d been working only a few hours.

  “We found a lot of interesting things,” Clove replied. She seemed to be calmer since given a task to focus on, and I didn’t miss the fact that Maggie sat next to her and they appeared to be getting along extremely well. “We even found a blog online referring to old maritime disasters with some theories about what happened to the Gray Harker.”

  “I’m also thinking of going back to that name because it will add to the mystique,” Sam added.

  Landon made a face. “Can we get rid of the ghosts before you see little dollar signs dancing in your head?”<
br />
  “I’m just saying that I’m considering it,” Sam sniffed. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

  “You didn’t offend me,” Landon said, holding up his free hand. “I don’t like it when Bay is in danger and I literally can’t see the enemy. I didn’t mean to snipe at you. I’m just … tired.”

  “It’s only three,” Clove said, glancing at her phone screen. “How can you be exhausted? You’ve been working only a few hours.”

  “Yes, but Bay and Noah have been getting along like Aunt Tillie and Mrs. Little, and it makes me tired,” Landon said. “I don’t mean to be such a grouch. I really don’t. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay,” Clove said, sympathy rolling off her in waves directed at my boyfriend. “I understand what it’s like to be around immature people. I grew up with Bay and Thistle.”

  “Hey!” I leaned forward, annoyed. “I’m not the one being a baby. That would happen to be Agent Diarrhea Mouth.”

  Maggie snorted. “Who are we talking about?”

  “Agent Noah Glenn,” Clove supplied. “We met him for the first time a few weeks ago. He arrested Aunt Tillie for murder. It’s been all downhill since then.”

  “I can see where that would be irksome, but why are you fighting with him, Bay?” Maggie asked.

  “I was arrested, too,” I supplied.

  “You were arrested for breaking and entering,” Landon clarified. “You weren’t arrested for murder.”

  “He still suspected us … even when we were almost shot.”

  Landon leaned back in his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Don’t remind me. I still have nightmares.”

  I took pity on him and patted his knee. “I’m sorry. I forget how sensitive you are sometimes. I can call a ceasefire with Noah if you want. I don’t have to compete with him to solve the fires. I know I’m better than him. Heck, you know I’m better than him. That’s all I need.”

  Landon barked out a laugh, taking me by surprise. “Right there! Just now you reminded me of Aunt Tillie. I thought Thistle was most like her, but you have a few of her mannerisms.”