“They have eyeballs all over them,” Thistle replied. “Like thousands of pairs of eyeballs.”
“It’s like her thighs are staring at you,” Marcus said, involuntarily shuddering.
“I’m not worried about her thighs,” Thistle said. “I’m worried about other parts. Her butt, knees and … other stuff … appears to be staring, too.”
“Okay, well, that is just frightening,” Landon said, horrified. “So she didn’t come to town because she refused to change her pants?”
“Pretty much,” Thistle said. “Winnie threatened her with great bodily harm – and a missing wine vat – if she didn’t wear something that covered all of her naughty bits. Aunt Tillie was offended.”
“I can see that,” I said, smirking. “Well, I guess we should break up into five teams and look around then, huh?”
“Definitely,” Thistle said. “Maggie and Richard are together. Sam and Clove should be here within the next five minutes. Chief Terry and Agent Glenn can do whatever it is they want to do. That leaves just the four of us.”
I turned to Landon and offered him a soft smile. “Do you want to be my partner?”
Landon returned the expression. “Always.”
“Oh, that’s so sweet,” Thistle said, wrinkling her nose as she reached between us and grabbed my hand. “I’m going to be Bay’s partner, though. You can be partners with Marcus.”
Landon’s forehead creased. “Why would I want to be Marcus’ partner?”
“Because you like to do that male bonding thing.” Thistle was blasé. “You guys are friends. You’ll be fine.”
“But … .” Landon darted a furtive look in my direction. “We want to stay together.”
“I know you do,” Thistle said, tugging harder on my arm. “I need Bay, though.”
“Why?” Landon challenged.
“Because I want to know what you two are hiding, and she won’t tell me until you leave the area,” Thistle replied, shoving me away from Landon and toward the shopping area. “We’ll see you while we’re doing rounds … and don’t even think of trying to steal my partner until she’s shared all of the gossip with me.”
With those words, Thistle pushed me so hard I had no choice but to stumble away from Landon. How did this even happen?
“WHAT are you hiding?”
Thistle isn’t exactly known for her patience and she’s much more intuitive than people give her credit for. That’s why I wasn’t surprised when she shoved me behind the ticket tent and forced me into a spot where I couldn’t escape.
“I’m not hiding anything,” I sputtered, slapping away Thistle’s hand when she tried to press it to my forehead. “What are you doing?”
“You’re pale,” Thistle explained. “I thought maybe you had another incident and that’s what Landon was hiding. Oh, and don’t bother denying that he was hiding something. You’re both terrible liars.”
Because Landon worked undercover, he was actually a terrific liar. Thistle and Marcus simply caught us off guard after a troubling incident. “I … nothing is going on.”
“Knock it off, Bay,” Thistle snapped. “I know something is going on. You might as well tell me.”
“I … .” I didn’t want to betray Landon’s trust because he was clearly struggling with what happened, but I didn’t see the sense in lying to Thistle.
“What is it?” Thistle pressed. “I’m practically salivating here. This must be good.”
The time to lie was over and I knew it. “Landon saw ghosts when we were in the House of Mirrors.”
Thistle stilled, her face unreadable. “Ghosts?”
“We walked into one of the rooms and the mirrors were filled with ghosts,” I explained. “One of them was the captain from the tanker. I’m fairly certain the others were from the tanker, too, but they were less recognizable.”
“Did he see the ghosts in real life or only in the mirrors?”
The question caught me off guard. “I … don’t know,” I answered after a beat. “Why does it matter?”
“Because mirrors have mystical properties,” Thistle replied. “Maybe these ghosts are so powerful they can make anyone see them. It might not mean what you think it means.”
What did I think it meant? Even I wasn’t sure. “Landon took it better than I expected,” I admitted. “He didn’t seem bothered. He said he was magical and made a joke about it, although I could tell that he was kind of flustered, too.”
“Do you blame him?” Thistle challenged. “He just saw ghosts for the first time.”
“Second time,” I corrected. “He saw Erika that night when we almost died in the cove. That’s how he knew to come to us.”
“I forgot about that,” Thistle said, rubbing her cheek. “I always assumed he saw Erika that night because she forced the issue. We would’ve died without him, and somehow she made him see it. It was … serendipity or something.”
“I always thought that, too,” I admitted. “Tonight, though, well … was different.”
“Don’t jump to conclusions,” Thistle admonished. “You don’t know what happened because it could’ve been several different things.”
“Like what?” I prodded, genuinely curious. “What else could it have been?”
Thistle held her hands palms-up and shrugged. “It could’ve been the mirrors. It could’ve been these ghosts. It could’ve been a mutual hallucination.”
I made a face. “Do you really believe that?”
“I’m not sure what to believe,” Thistle answered. “I’m not ruling out the possibility of it being the mirrors, though. These ghosts seem to be particularly strong and they’re working in tandem. We’ve never faced off with a group of ghosts like this before.”
She had a point. That hadn’t occurred to me before. I licked my lips as I regarded her. “Do you think it’s possible for one person to somehow … I don’t know … shift things so an ability can be shared?”
Thistle’s eyebrows rose. “Do you think that’s what happened? Do you honestly think you’re sharing your ability with Landon?”
“I have no idea what to think,” I said. “Right before it happened Landon claimed he wished he could see the ghosts so he could help protect me.”
“Well, that’s it right there,” Thistle said. “You’re not sharing your ability. Landon is stealing it.”
I pinched her arm for good measure and scorched her with a dark look. “This is not funny.”
Thistle jerked her arm away and rubbed it. “It’s a little funny,” she said, annoyed. “That hurt, by the way.”
“It was supposed to hurt,” I shot back. “You’re just lucky there isn’t any dirt nearby because I would totally make you eat it.”
“Oh, yes, you’re terrifying when you threaten me like that,” Thistle deadpanned. “I’m going to have nightmares about you and your terrifying pinching fingers of death.”
“Will you be serious?” I challenged, annoyed. “What if … what if … ?”
“What if what?”
“What if I turned Landon into a witch or something?” I asked, finally giving voice to my real concern. “Is that possible?”
“I think that’s highly doubtful,” Thistle answered. “We both know that witches are almost always female. Even Sam, who has witch blood, isn’t very powerful. As far as we know, Landon’s mother was a dabbler in college, but she wasn’t a born witch.”
“That only bolsters my theory.”
“Bay, you didn’t make Landon a witch,” Thistle said, snickering. “At best you made Landon so codependent he willed himself to see ghosts so he can protect you. At worst these ghosts are so powerful that they did it all on their own.”
“Which do you think it is?”
Thistle shrugged, helpless. “I don’t know. You’ll probably have to test the theory.”
“How?”
“Viola is running around,” Thistle said. “She’s been driving me crazy with old stories. You might want to bring her around Landon. If he sees he
r, then your theory about him manifesting a power is true. If he can’t, that means whatever is happening is unique to the ghosts from the tanker.”
“I’m honestly not sure which outcome I prefer.”
“I get that,” Thistle said. “If Landon can see ghosts now, you’re not alone. He’ll also be tortured like you when it happens. I get why you’re torn.”
“I … .” Was she right? Did I want Landon to see ghosts so I wouldn’t be alone? “I don’t want Landon to see ghosts,” I said finally. “He already deals with so much. I think this would be too much.”
“I think Landon should be the one who decides how much is too much,” Thistle said. “You said yourself that he wished he could see ghosts so he could help you. Let him deal with it in his own way.”
“I really hope this is a case of strong ghosts and not shifting abilities,” I said. “I like things how they are. You know, I’m the paranormal expert and he’s the law enforcement expert. It’s a nice balance.”
Thistle smirked. “I think it’s a nice balance, too,” she said. “Don’t worry. You’ll figure it out.”
“We should probably get back to the festival,” I said, as I took a step toward the walkway. “I … .” I broke off when something caught my attention.
Thistle followed my gaze to the box of items hidden in the corner of the small alcove. “What’s that?”
I tugged off the cloth covering the box and knelt, frowning when I saw three plastic containers. I grabbed one and opened it, lifting it to my nose so I could inhale. I coughed as the pungent liquid assailed my olfactory senses and handed it to Thistle.
“What do you make of that?” I asked.
Thistle sniffed the liquid and made a face. “It smells like lighter fluid.”
“Yup.”
“Who would leave a box of lighter fluid in a spot where no one can find it?” Thistle asked. “I mean … that doesn’t make sense and it’s definitely not safe.” It took her a moment for the realization to sink in. “Oh!”
“Oh,” I intoned, bobbing my head as I reached for my phone. “We need Landon.”
“Let’s just hope a real person is doing this and not ghosts,” Thistle said, returning the cap to the bottle. “Otherwise, that will cause two unfortunate worlds to collide.”
Now that was a terrifying thought.
TWENTY-FIVE
“Do you think they’ll be able to find fingerprints on the canisters?”
Landon had been mostly quiet for our drive back to the guesthouse. While I enjoyed our easy camaraderie, I was also dying to hear what he thought of our discovery.
“There’s always a chance,” Landon said, pulling into his regular parking spot and killing the engine. “I don’t know what to think about it. Why would someone hide their supplies in that location?”
“So they wouldn’t risk being seen carrying it on a busy night maybe?”
“I guess that’s a possibility,” Landon said, rubbing his chin. “I don’t know … it feels … weird.”
I figured that wasn’t the only thing that felt “weird” in his world right now. “Do you want to talk about what happened in the Hall of Mirrors?”
Landon shifted his contemplative eyes to me. “Not really.”
“Okay.” I didn’t want to push him to talk before he was ready. “I told Thistle what happened, by the way. I’m sorry. I know you wanted to keep it to yourself, but she tricked it out of me.”
Instead of reacting with anger, Landon smirked. “She tricked it out of you? How did she do that?”
“She’s a powerful witch.”
“Did she cast a spell on you?”
“No, she asked,” I replied. “She did it in a mean way, though.”
Landon snickered, amused. “I don’t care if you tell her,” he said. “I figured you would the second she insisted on you being her partner. It’s okay. What did she say?”
“She said that she thought I was freaking out about nothing.”
“I would agree with that,” Landon said, capturing my hand and rubbing his thumb over my knuckles as he stared at the dark guesthouse. “Why are you freaking out at all? I would think this is normal in your world.”
“You’re not a woman. That’s pretty far from normal in my world.”
Landon knit his eyebrows, confused. “I’m definitely not a woman,” he agreed. “That would change our relationship and there would be more fights over the body gel in the shower. There would also be more pillow fights.”
I snorted. “That’s such a man thing,” I said. “You know women don’t have pillow fights, right? That’s something dreamed up by movie directors in the eighties.”
Landon made an exaggerated face. “Oh, you just ruined everything for me, woman! How could you be so cruel?”
I pressed my lips together and gave him my best wide-eyed look. “I’m truly sorry.”
“I suppose I’ll survive,” Landon said, lifting my hand so he could kiss the palm. He was putting on a good show of being fine with everything but I knew his mind was busy with the possibilities. “What did Thistle think?”
“She thought there were several explanations,” I replied. “The first would probably be the best for everyone. It could be the ghosts. They’re extremely powerful because there’s so many of them in a small location and they’ve been feeding off each other’s powers.
“Mirrors can sometimes serve as a portal,” I continued. “You didn’t see the ghosts standing there. You saw their reflections. We both did. It might be an isolated incident.”
“Okay. What else could it be?”
I shrugged. “Well … you said yourself that you wished for the ability to see ghosts right before it happened,” I said. “It could be something of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Of course, you could be a genie. If so, I wish for an entire day in bed with no one to bother us.”
Landon grinned as he squeezed my hand. “Yes, Master. I’ll get right on that. Do you want me to dress up in one of those I Dream of Jeannie pink outfits when I grant your wishes?”
“That might be freaky, but I’m up for anything once.”
“Good answer,” Landon teased. “What was her other suggestion? You said she had a few.”
“The other suggestion was mine,” I clarified.
“And?”
“And I’m wondering if I somehow fed you some of my magic – er, some of my ability I guess would be more apt – without realizing it.”
The admission took Landon by surprise. “Can you do that?”
“Not that I’ve ever heard of before, but that doesn’t mean it’s no possible,” I answered. “I honestly don’t know. Thistle suggested putting you close to Viola so we can see what happens.”
“We can do that,” Landon said, choosing his words carefully. “I would rather sleep on things tonight if that’s all right. It’s a lot to take in, and we didn’t get much of a chance to deal with that before we went on the hunt for the arsonist.”
There was something surreal about the way he phrased it and I couldn’t help but giggle. “We don’t live normal lives. You realize we’re sitting in your truck talking about seeing ghosts and searching for a firebug, right? What do you think normal couples do on a midweek night?”
“I don’t really care,” Landon said. “You’re not normal and I love you just the way you are. We’re not a normal couple, and that makes me happy. As weird as things get, Bay, I love every minute I spend with you.”
I could think of a few minutes when that wasn’t true, but I wisely opted against ruining the moment. “I love every minute I spend with you, too.”
“Good.” Landon leaned over and gave me a soft kiss. “Would you care to love thirty minutes in the bathtub with me? I feel tense and would like to relax.”
“You had me at bath.”
“Now we only have to think of a way to add bacon to our night,” Landon teased, pushing open his door. He waited at the front of his Explorer for me to join him. The night was beautiful and I lifted my head to the
sky. Even though it was still summer by the calendar, the moment the sun set I could feel autumn creeping into the breeze. Fall is my favorite season, and it was almost here.
“It’s almost time for the fall festivals,” I mused, slipping my hand in Landon’s for the walk up the pathway. “Soon everything will be pumpkins, corn mazes and ghost stories.”
“I like pumpkins,” Landon said. “We should buy some to carve this year.”
“That sounds fun.”
“I think we can avoid the corn mazes, though. I’ve had enough of corn mazes to last a lifetime.”
“I have to cover the opening of several corn mazes for The Whistler,” I reminded him. “You don’t have to come, though. It’s weird to think it’s been almost a year since we met, isn’t it?”
“I don’t think it’s weird,” Landon countered. “This has been the best year of my life. I can’t wait to repeat it.”
The words warmed me. “This has been the best year of your life?”
Landon nodded, amused by the way my cheeks flushed. “Of course it has,” he said. “You’re a righteous pain and your family is crazy, but I’ve never been happier. I hope you feel the same way.”
“I do,” I said. “I … .” I didn’t finish what I was saying – and it was definitely going to be romantic and schmaltzy – because something caught my attention close to the bush by the front door. I narrowed my eyes as I stared, instinctively ceasing my forward momentum.
“What’s wrong?” Landon asked, instantly alert. “Do you see something? Is it the ghosts?”
“I’m not sure what I saw,” I said, licking my lips. “I thought I saw movement by the bush but I could’ve been imagining it.”
“That’s not likely,” Landon said. “You’re not prone to dramatic fits about stuff like this. Your family and dinner hour is always theatrical, but you’ve got your feet on the ground for the other stuff. Stay here.”
Landon released my hand and moved toward the bush. I opened my mouth to call him back, but it was already too late. A small figure detached from the bush. I recognized it right away. It was too small to be a threat and too terrified to give me pause.
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