Wicked Witches of the Midwest 9

by Amanda M. Lee

  “I’ll bet that terrifies you,” Sam said. “I know it would terrify me.”

  Landon shrugged. “Surprisingly, I’m fine with it. I don’t care if you keep competing with Noah. I want him to lose.”

  “That’s because he’s a loser,” I muttered.

  “He is,” Landon said, squeezing my hand. “Tell me what you found out about the Gray Harker. We’re nowhere on the arson case, so we’re focusing on the tanker for the rest of the afternoon.”

  “Well, we have official documentation about how the Gray Harker was found when it reappeared,” Richard supplied. He looked to be enjoying his research. He was quiet most of the time, but he leaned forward, excitement lining his face, and fixed me with an appealing smile. “There were rumors for years about how it was found, but three years ago the Coast Guard scanned all of its files into PDFs and put them online. You just need to know where to look.”

  “My father is something of a maritime geek,” Sam explained. “He loves stories about boats … especially ghost stories.”

  “Did you develop the interest before or after you realized your son could see ghosts?” I asked.

  “Before,” Richard replied. “The fact that Sam can see ghosts is an added bonus.”

  “Okay, hit me,” Landon prodded. “What did you find?”

  “There are a lot of stories out there that turned out to be untrue,” Richard answered. “I remember hearing one about blood being found on the deck. According to official reports, the Gray Harker was found drifting in Grand Traverse Bay. It was sighted by a pilot flying over the bay and then disappeared in the fog.

  “It kind of grew to be legend for two weeks because people kept seeing it, yet no one could find and board it,” he continued. “That all changed on a November day in 1989 when the Grand Traverse Marine Patrol found the boat.”

  “Did they board it right away?” I asked.

  Richard nodded. “They checked it out from end to end that day,” he replied. “No blood was found. All of the crew’s belongings were in the sleeping compartments, but nothing of value was left behind.”

  “That could either mean that everything of value was stolen or they had nothing of value to begin with,” Sam offered. “I would lean toward the former, except it was a work boat. Who would take anything of value with them on a work boat?”

  “I can see that,” Landon said. “So their belongings remained in the cabins and there was no blood. What about the lifeboats?”

  “All attached to the ship and accounted for,” Richard said.

  “What happened to the tanker after that?” I asked, rubbing the back of my neck. I smiled when Landon absentmindedly reached over and started kneading out the kinks for me.

  “The owner had already filed an insurance claim on the ship so it was forfeited to the state,” Sam said. “It was sold at auction and the new owner changed the name. It’s changed hands more times than I can count since then.”

  “Is that normal?”

  Sam shrugged. “I think there’s high turnover in freighters, tankers and other stuff, but this seems a little extreme to me. No one kept the tanker for more than two years.”

  “Which could mean they knew it was haunted,” Landon mused. “I mean … that’s what you’re saying, right?”

  “I think that’s a definite possibility,” Sam said. “Even people who aren’t as intuitive as Bay might’ve sensed that something was wrong with the ship. I’m betting sensitive people were plagued by nightmares.”

  “There are also stories in online forums about creepy things happening on the tanker,” Clove said. “One person claimed that he saw a ghostly captain staring back at him from a mirror two nights in a row. Another guy claimed that one of his crewmates swore up and down that someone was running around the deck with a machete … but he could see through him and thought it was a ghost. He jumped overboard and drowned as he was trying to get away.”

  “I don’t give a lot of credence to online forums,” Landon said. “They have forums for people who have seen Bigfoot, too.”

  “Yes, and Clove is on one,” I teased, smirking as my cousin scorched me with a dark look. She was notoriously terrified of Bigfoot. It was a running joke in the Winchester household. “Just because it’s online in a forum, that doesn’t mean it’s not true.”

  “There are so many stories about the Gray Harker – and the various other names the ship sailed under over the years – that I’m hard pressed to ignore all of the stories,” Sam said. “Even if only a fraction of them are true, that means a lot of bad things happened on my tanker throughout the years.”

  “Which means these ghosts are really mean,” Landon surmised, shaking his head. “Well, I didn’t like ghosts before. I really don’t like these jerkoffs – especially because they’re terrorizing a small child.”

  “They probably don’t realize they’re terrorizing a small child,” I said. “To them, they might simply be trying to communicate.”

  “Well, either way, we need to find out what happened and send them on their way,” Landon said. “I don’t want Annie terrorized, and I’m not thrilled with the idea of Bay putting herself at risk to protect Annie.”

  “No one is thrilled with that,” Clove said. “Aunt Tillie is working on a way to communicate with the ghosts. She thinks she might have something soon.”

  Landon didn’t look impressed with the announcement. “Is that a good or a bad thing?”

  Clove shrugged. “I guess it depends on how you look at it,” she said. “On one hand, Aunt Tillie is walking around in a Mardi Gras mask just because she wants to irritate people. On the other, she’s so terrifying even ghosts live in fear of her. It’s a double-edged sword.”

  Landon pursed his lips as he considered the statement. “You have a point,” he said. “I guess I’m Team Aunt Tillie.”

  “Now there’s something I never thought I’d hear you say,” I teased.

  “You and me both, sweetie.”

  “DO YOU want a bite of my hot dog?”

  Landon’s grin was devilish as he shoved the messy concoction he’d just finished putting together in front of the festival’s hot dog stand in my face.

  I rolled my eyes at the lame joke. “You obviously don’t want to kiss me if you plan to eat all of those onions,” I said, pointing at the hot dog, which was piled high with chili, mustard and onions.

  “Oh, I’m going to kiss the crap out of you later,” Landon said, taking a huge bite of the hot dog and chewing as he studied me. He waited until he swallowed to speak again. “Aren’t you hungry?”

  “I am,” I said, nodding as I sat at the nearby picnic table and slid over so he could get comfortable beside me. “I was just thinking.”

  “About what?”

  “About the ghosts on the ship,” I replied honestly, seeing no reason to lie. “If someone came on board, how did they manage to kill everyone without at least one person getting away? What happened to all of the bodies?”

  “I don’t know,” Landon said, using his napkin to wipe the corners of his mouth. We considered heading out to the inn with everybody else for dinner but ultimately decided that spending some time alone held more appeal. “They could’ve been weighted before they were tossed overboard … or maybe they were transported in a different boat and dumped elsewhere.”

  “I still don’t understand why no one escaped,” I pressed. “Wouldn’t you at least try for a lifeboat?”

  “That depends on what kind of situation they were dealing with. Maybe they didn’t have that option.”

  “But … how?”

  “I don’t know, Bay,” Landon said. “Maybe there were a lot of people boarding the ship and they were armed. The waters of Lake Michigan are cold even in the summer. They might not have wanted to chance it … or they might not have been given the choice.”

  “Whatever happened, I know it was bad,” I said. “I keep seeing flashes, and some of the ghosts have wounds. Their clothes are bloody.”

  “Isn’t tha
t normal?”

  “Actually it’s not normal,” I replied. “I never saw Edith with food all over her face even though she died in her dinner. Viola had her head blown off and she looks normal. Erika was sick when she died and I didn’t see any hint of that.”

  “You have a point,” Landon mused, finishing the last bite of his hot dog. “What do you think it means?”

  “That it was violent … and terrible … and bloody … and really fast.”

  Landon’s eyes were thoughtful as they locked with mine. “I know you want to solve this – and I want to solve it, too – but I don’t want you making yourself sick over this. We’ll figure it out.”

  Would we? I was beginning to have my doubts. Still, he clearly wanted to relax for a few hours without letting the real world ruin our fun. “Well, we can’t do anything about it tonight,” I said after a beat. “How would you feel about going to the festival?”

  The corners of Landon’s mouth tipped up. “We are at the festival.”

  “I know, but I thought you could win me a stuffed animal … and then we could spend some time in the kissing booth … and then I might even let you get to second base in the House of Mirrors.”

  Landon visibly brightened. “You had me at second base.”

  “Clearly,” I said dryly. “That explains the onions.”

  Instead of responding, Landon smacked a hot kiss against my mouth. “You’ll learn to live with the onions,” he said. “If you eat onions, too, then we’ll both stink. You won’t even notice.”

  He had a point. “You’re on.”

  “WHAT ARE you going to name this one?” Landon asked, staring at the stuffed octopus in my arms and shaking his head. It took him twenty minutes and thirty dollars to win the stuffed animal – which probably would’ve cost five bucks in a store – but he didn’t give up until he claimed the animal I wanted. He was good like that.

  “I was thinking of naming him Ollie,” I replied, watching as Landon handed two tickets to the woman running the door at the House of Mirrors before following him inside.

  Landon snorted. “Ollie the octopus? That’s original.”

  “I could name him Landon,” I shot back. “There are times I think you have eight arms.”

  “That’s a compliment, sweetie,” Landon said, pressing his hand to the small of my back as he ushered me into the first room. It was wide and rectangular, boasting at least a hundred mirrors … and they all made me look fat.

  “Ugh. I hate it when they make me look short and fat,” I said, making a face. “I like it better when they make me look tall and thin.”

  Landon studied his reflection in the nearest mirror. He looked to be about four feet tall with a unibrow and receding hairline. “Yeah, let’s find more flattering mirrors,” he said. “I don’t think the onions are going to be the turnoff tonight if this keeps up.”

  I giggled as we moved to the next room, pulling up short when I saw the myriad of reflections looking back at me. For a few seconds I thought the room was filled with people in dated costumes. Then I realized I was looking at the ghosts from the tanker. It was as if they were locked in the mirrors and trying to get out, each extending their hands in my direction, fighting against the glass they couldn’t break because they had no form.

  I stilled. “Landon … .” I wanted to warn him that we weren’t alone. I wanted to yell at him to run. I wanted to demand that we escape.

  I didn’t get the chance.

  “What the … ?” Landon’s face drained of color as he glanced from mirror to mirror, his arm instinctively slipping around my waist and tugging me close.

  I was dumbfounded. “Do you see them?” My voice was barely a whisper.

  “I see them,” Landon said, smoothing my hair as he stared down the evil captain. He knew the ghost in the captain’s chair was the one who almost knocked me out the night before. “Oh, baby. I see them.”

  TWENTY-FOUR

  “How?”

  My hands shook as Landon gently pushed me to a sitting position on a picnic table bench outside of the Hall of Mirrors. He wrapped his hands around mine – his fingers warm – and forced a wan smile.

  “I’ve always been gifted,” Landon explained. “I guess your version of being gifted simply rubbed off on me.”

  I didn’t believe that for a second. “Landon … .”

  “I don’t know how it happened,” Landon said, keeping his voice low as he watched people milling about the festival. His shoulders were squared and he emitted a dark vibe when anyone looked in our direction. He was clearly sending a message: Don’t come over here.

  “But you really saw them, right?” I pressed. “You didn’t make that up, did you?”

  “I saw them, Bay,” Landon said. If his patience was wearing thin, he didn’t show it. “I saw the guy in the captain’s hat for sure. I saw at least three others, too. I focused on the captain, though. He’s the one who knocked you down. I hate him.”

  He was so vehement I couldn’t help but smile. “You can see ghosts!” I was in awe.

  “I guess I can,” Landon said, squeezing my hands. “It’s okay.”

  He was strong and secure in his identity, but for the first time I saw doubt reflected in his eyes. That’s when I realized he was putting on a show for me. “Are you angry?”

  Landon stilled, surprised. “Why would I be angry?”

  “Because you didn’t see any of this before you met me,” I pointed out. “Maybe you … I don’t know … blame me or something.”

  “I don’t blame you,” Landon said. “I don’t blame you for anything. This isn’t your fault. You need to stop worrying about crap like that. It drives me crazy … and I do blame you for that.”

  “But … you saw them.”

  “I did,” Landon confirmed, seemingly unbothered. I knew better, though. I could feel his agitation, although it was also tinged with excitement. “Right before it happened, do you want to know what I was thinking?”

  I wordlessly nodded.

  “I was thinking that I wanted to see the ghosts because I don’t like you being exposed to an enemy I can’t hope to fight,” Landon admitted. “I’m not joking. Like thirty seconds before we walked into that room, that’s what I was thinking.”

  “Well … voila!” I barked out a laugh. “You got your wish and you really are magic.”

  “I always knew I was magic,” Landon said. “Only someone magic could win your heart.” He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to my forehead before resting his cheek against the spot he kissed. “It’s going to be okay.”

  We sat like that for a full five minutes, quiet and introspective, and then Thistle showed up and blew our bonding moment to smithereens.

  “What are you doing?” Thistle asked, annoyed. “Is this some new form of foreplay I haven’t heard about? I’ll bet you saw it on The View or something, didn’t you?”

  Landon scowled as he pulled his head back. “We were just … bonding.”

  “You’re so bonded I’m surprised you haven’t fused together,” Thistle said, clearly missing Landon’s annoyance as she sat on the bench next to me. “Winnie commented on you missing family dinner, by the way. You’re going to hear about that if Landon wants his bacon tomorrow morning.”

  “Well, great,” Landon said, smoothing my hair. “I always love a good lecture before greasy goodness.”

  “We just wanted a little bit of time to ourselves,” I explained. “We’re going to head back to the guesthouse and go to bed early.” We hadn’t really talked about that, but it seemed like a good idea in light of recent developments.

  “I think that’s code for sex,” Thistle explained to Marcus, earning an eye roll and headshake. “You guys are fiends. I’m starting to agree with Aunt Tillie on that one.”

  “Awesome,” Landon drawled, making a face. “Well, I don’t want to disappoint you, so we’ll be proving you’re right when we leave in a few minutes.”

  “You can’t leave,” Thistle said, her eyes thoughtful as
they bounced between us. “Is something wrong?”

  “Nothing is wrong,” Landon answered hurriedly. I could tell he wanted time to digest what happened before announcing it to the family. I didn’t blame him. “We’re just … total sex fiends and want to grope one another.”

  I widened my eyes. “Really?”

  “Well, it’s not exactly a lie,” Landon said, resting his hand on my shoulder as he straightened. “What are you guys doing here? I didn’t think you were going to be festival-bound tonight.”

  “Chief Terry was at dinner and suggested we attend the festival,” Marcus explained. “He’s worried someone is going to set another fire. He wants us to walk around and see if we find any suspects.”

  “He does?” Landon was clearly surprised. “Why didn’t he tell me that?”

  “He said you were already down here with Bay and figured that’s what you were doing.”

  “Oh.” Landon glanced at me, sheepish. “I guess I probably should’ve been doing that, huh?”

  “Yes, well, that would’ve been more productive than eating hot dogs, winning me an octopus and dragging me into the kissing booth,” I teased.

  Landon barked out a laugh and the sound was reassuring. He was confused by what happened – we both were – but he seemed fine. “Well, I guess we should pair off and look around then,” he said. “Is anyone else here?”

  “Sam, Clove, Maggie and Richard are on their way,” Marcus answered. “Maggie and Richard are really excited to be part of an arson investigation, by the way. They’ll probably find a hundred different suspects.”

  “That doesn’t sound bad to me,” I said. “They have fresh eyes. They might see something we don’t.”

  “That’s a definite possibility,” Marcus said.

  “Aunt Tillie wanted to come,” Thistle added. “She said that she would make a great arson investigator – you know, she could do it professionally – but she also didn’t want to put on regular pants, and Mom insisted when she saw today’s offering.”

  It took me a moment to realize I hadn’t seen Aunt Tillie since this morning. “What do today’s leggings look like?”