A Witch Before Dying

by Amanda M. Lee

  “They started this wailing when we told them about Adele’s death,” Landon said. “It was like one of those funeral scenes you see in movies with a bunch of braying women throwing themselves on the ground to get attention.”

  “Yeah, you probably shouldn’t give the eulogy.” I patted his arm and smiled. “Just for the record, I would totally bray for you.”

  “Aw, how sweet.” Landon grinned. “It wasn’t normal grief, at least as far as I could tell. They wanted time to regroup before questioning and they were loud in arranging it. That’s the feeling I got, anyway.”

  “We found the response strange,” Chief Terry said. “Now, no two people grieve exactly the same way, but the entire family fell apart when we told them. It wasn’t the sort of thing that I can easily describe … and it’s certainly not something I want to experience again.”

  “Okay, so you want me to go along and … what?”

  “See if they’re faking.”

  “How am I supposed to know that?” I challenged.

  “You read people,” Landon repeated. “You see things that we don’t. Plus, well, they’re all wearing pagan jewelry and stuff. I recognize some of the symbols from the square this morning, but others I don’t. I figured you might know what they mean.”

  “So you do have an underhanded reason for wanting me with you.”

  “I always want you with me, because I’m a good boyfriend,” Landon countered. “Every moment without you is hell.”

  “You’re laying it on a bit thick.”

  “I knew that the second I said it.” Landon’s smile was flirtatious. “Will you go with us?”

  I nodded without hesitation. I was curious to meet the family. This way I wouldn’t get in trouble for sneaking around behind Landon’s back to get the goods on the Twiggs.

  “I’d love to go with you,” I said. “I don’t have much else to do anyway. Thistle is trying to track down those symbols I couldn’t identify. She thinks they look like they come from an alphabet, too. We’re trying to figure it out.”

  “That sounds like a solid plan.” Chief Terry leaned forward. “How did Margaret react to Adele’s death? I planned to talk to her myself, but you stole my thunder.”

  “I’m sorry.” I wasn’t really, but I batted my eyelashes so he’d refrain from barking at me for interfering. Chief Terry rarely lost his temper, but when he did it was almost always because I stuck my nose in where it didn’t belong. “I thought she’d probably heard by now, but she had no idea on the identity of the victim.”

  “Was she upset?”

  “Yeah. She looked shocked at first. She recovered pretty quickly, but I could tell it surprised her. Then she did a big song and dance about how the troupe can’t back out of the festival because they signed a contract.”

  “Really?” Chief Terry arched an eyebrow. “That’s interesting.”

  “I thought it was kind of mean.”

  “Oh, it’s definitely mean,” Chief Terry confirmed. “It’s also helpful. If the contract requires the Twiggs to stay in town that gives us more time to sort through all of the weird threads in their relationships.”

  That sounded ominous. “Do you think they’re suspects?”

  “Stranger murders are pretty rare,” Landon pointed out. “They’re the exception rather than the rule.”

  “So that means you think Mrs. Twigg knew her killer,” I mused. “It would be easier for everyone to swallow if an outsider was the culprit.”

  “We don’t know anything yet,” Chief Terry said. “Hopefully we’ll know more this afternoon.”

  “Yeah, that would be nice.” I flicked my eyes to the diner door when the bell overhead jangled, cringing when I caught sight of Scarlet Darksbane. I exhaled heavily as I sank in my chair, hoping she wouldn’t look in our direction. Landon slid me a sidelong look as I did, suspicion lining his face.

  “What did you do?”

  “What are you talking about?” Chief Terry asked.

  “She did something,” Landon replied. “She’s shrinking in her chair.”

  “That is a horrible thing to say about the woman you supposedly love,” I hissed.

  “Oh, that won’t work on me,” Landon countered. “You did something. Spill.”

  I didn’t get a chance to answer, because Scarlet picked that moment to stalk to our table. She didn’t look happy as her gaze bounced among our faces.

  “Can we help you, Ms. Darksbane?” Chief Terry asked, his tone amiable.

  “I don’t know,” Scarlet replied, pinning me with a gaze. “I was looking for Ms. Winchester because I have a few questions.”

  “What questions?” Landon asked.

  I briefly wondered if I could escape without him noticing. The odds weren’t great, but if I moved fast enough … .

  “I want to know why she was questioning Mrs. Little about me and insinuating that I might be a murderer,” Scarlet said.

  Crap. So much for escaping.

  “Oh, well, fun.” Landon gripped my wrist to make sure I didn’t flee. “I think someone left a little something out of her story when telling us about her day. What do you think, Terry?”

  Chief Terry’s eyes sparkled. “I think we should all have lunch together so we can get caught up,” he said. “How does that sound to you, Bay?”

  It sounded terrible. I was caught with no hope of evading the question, though, so lying was my only option. “That sounds great,” I gritted out.

  “I thought you’d think so.”

  SCARLET SAT ACROSS FROM ME, Landon and Chief Terry to either side. Her gaze was heavy as it pored over my face. She waited until we all ordered to speak again.

  “So, you think I’m a murderer, huh?”

  That was a loaded question. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I lied. “I said nothing of the sort.”

  “That’s not what Mrs. Little said.” Scarlet’s tone was accusatory.

  “Mrs. Little is mentally unbalanced,” I supplied. “I don’t like to speak ill of the crazy, but she’s three feet shy of a balanced cauldron.”

  Landon shot me a warning look. “Mrs. Little isn’t a fan of the Winchester family.” He chose his words carefully. “She’s … um … a bit anxious at times.”

  “That’s code for crazy,” I added.

  “Bay.” Landon shook his head to quiet me. “You’ll have to excuse Bay, Ms. Darksbane. It’s been a long day and we’re exhausted.”

  The look Scarlet shot Landon was full of flirtatious energy. “Please. Call me Scarlet.”

  I fought to keep from throwing up in my mouth. “Oh, gag me.”

  Chief Terry flashed me an amused grin before smoothly taking over the conversation. “Tell us a bit about yourself, Scarlet. What made you decide to move to Hemlock Cove?”

  “Well, this area is famous in certain circles,” Scarlet enthused. If I had to guess, she was in her early thirties. The way she reacted to the question made her seem much younger. “I’ve always been a proponent of the craft, and when I had a chance to move to a community that not only doesn’t frown on my lifestyle but embraces it, well, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.”

  “The craft?” Landon knit his eyebrows. “I’m not sure I understand.”

  “Witchcraft,” Scarlet supplied. “I’m a witch … just like everyone else in town.”

  If she thought everyone in Hemlock Cove was a real witch, she had another thing coming. “Someone said you wanted to move to town earlier, but because we didn’t have any open retail space you were forced to wait. Why didn’t you settle someplace else instead?”

  “Because I wanted to live in Hemlock Cove,” Scarlet replied. “This place is magical. You’re a witch, right? Tell me you don’t feel the magic.”

  I was a witch pretending to be a person pretending to be a witch, so that was a difficult question to answer. “I feel a lot of things here,” I replied, narrowing my eyes when I caught Chief Terry’s gaze roaming Scarlet’s long legs. “Right now I’m bordering on an ulcer.
”

  Chief Terry forced his eyes to me, surprised. “Do you feel sick?”

  “She’s just being Bay.” Landon rested his hand on my knee under the table. Whether he meant for the contact to bolster or quell me, I wasn’t sure. “Where did you grow up, Scarlet?”

  “Ohio.”

  “Where in Ohio?”

  “Oh, around.” Scarlet was being purposely vague. “But I’m happy to be here now.”

  “Even though we just had a brutal murder?” I asked pointedly.

  Scarlet met my gaze. “That’s certainly a tragedy. Still, I’ve been to several big cities. The crime rate in Hemlock Cove is surely smaller than places like Chicago or Detroit, right?”

  “You might be surprised,” I muttered.

  “It’s a pretty safe area,” Landon said. “There will be issues wherever you choose to live, but Hemlock Cove is warm and wonderful.”

  “How long have you lived here?” Scarlet asked, effectively cutting me out of the conversation as she focused all her attention on Landon.

  “I’ve only technically lived here about two weeks,” Landon replied. “During the past year, though, I’ve come to think of Hemlock Cove as my home.”

  “Because you visit a lot?”

  “Because Bay is here.” Landon’s simple answer caused my growing anger to abate. Er, well, at least a little.

  “You’re lucky,” Scarlet said, flicking her eyes back to me. “You caught yourself a good one.”

  “I didn’t really catch him,” I said. “I like to think we caught each other.”

  Landon smiled indulgently. “Actually, I believe I caught her. I’m the lucky one.”

  Scarlet didn’t look convinced. “Even though she accuses random newcomers of being murderers?”

  “I didn’t say you were a murderer,” I snapped, agitation taking over. “I merely asked about your background.”

  “You asked Mrs. Little about my background,” Scarlet corrected. “You could’ve asked me about my background and saved both of us a little effort.”

  “Meh. I believe anything worth doing is worth doing right.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means that Bay’s blood sugar is low and she needs lunch,” Landon answered for me. “She’s had a rough day. I brought her with me to the crime scene this morning, and I’m starting to think it was a bad idea. She seems a bit … upset.”

  “Really? You took your girlfriend to a crime scene?” Scarlet seemed intrigued. “Why would you do that?”

  Wait a second … .

  “Because I wanted her help,” Landon replied, ignoring the tilt of my head as I stared at Scarlet. “She’s very good at figuring things out. She’s the smartest woman I know, and when Chief Terry explained that there might be ritual aspects to the scene I thought she might be able to help.”

  “You seem to admire her a great deal,” Scarlet noted. “I can’t say that I’m not a little jealous.”

  “I do admire her,” Landon confirmed. “She’s very good at what she does, and most of the time she has impeccable manners.”

  “I must bring out the worst in her.” Scarlet licked her lips in what I assumed she thought was a tempting manner. That was about all I could take.

  “Why did you act so surprised when Landon said he took me to the scene?” I asked, catching everyone off guard.

  “I’m sorry.” Scarlet adopted a blank expression. “I’m not sure what you’re getting at.”

  “You seemed surprised,” I pressed. “You acted as if you didn’t know I was there … or that there were ritual aspects to the scene.”

  “I still don’t understand,” Scarlet hedged. “Why wouldn’t I be surprised? I’ve never heard of an FBI agent taking his girlfriend on cases.”

  “Bay … .” Landon was confused.

  I held up my hand to still him. “It’s just … you were there this morning,” I prodded. “I saw you on the sidewalk. You were behind Mrs. Gunderson and you were watching the scene.”

  “You were there?” Landon leaned forward, intrigued. “What were you doing up at that hour?”

  Scarlet’s face twisted into something hideous for a split second before she smoothed her expression and forced a smile. “I couldn’t sleep. It’s a new town and I’m excited to be here. When I heard all of the hoopla, I had to see what was going on.”

  “I see.” Landon darted a curious look in my direction, clearly waiting to see if I would press her further.

  I had every intention of pressing Scarlet Darksbane. I wanted more information before I did it, though. “Oh, well, it must’ve been quite the midnight extravaganza for you.”

  “It was terrible.”

  “Hmm. The thing is, you looked right at me,” I reminded her. “I know you saw me.”

  “Of course I saw you.” Scarlet forced a smile. “I simply forgot you were there.”

  She was lying. For what reason, I couldn’t say. “Well, I’m sure it was hard for you to wrap your head around. No one expects to wake up to murder right after they move to a small town.”

  “Definitely not.” Scarlet played with her empty straw wrapper before turning to Chief Terry. “Tell me about the town.”

  “What do you want to know?” Chief Terry asked.

  “Anything you can think to tell me. I want to know everything about my new home.”

  Scarlet purposely stared at Chief Terry while Landon watched me. When I shifted my eyes in Landon’s direction, I found overt curiosity staring back. He knew better than questioning me in front of Scarlet. He would wait until we were alone to do that.

  Scarlet was definitely up to something. That didn’t make her a murderer, of course, but she told a lie that was easy to disprove. How could that possibly benefit her?

  Nine

  “Where are we going?”

  I hopped in the back seat of Chief Terry’s official vehicle and fastened my seatbelt as Landon and Chief Terry got settled.

  “The husband is out at The Dragonfly,” Chief Terry replied. “The troupe members are spread out, but the immediate family is there, so that’s where we’ll start.”

  “Great. I can see Dad at the same time.” I was making a concerted effort to spend more time with my father, smooth the frayed edges of our relationship. This would allow me to get a visit out of the way and I wouldn’t look suspicious to the guests at the same time.

  “I’m glad it worked out for you.” Chief Terry’s response was muted, although I couldn’t decide if that was because we were heading out to question the family of a murder victim or the fact that he disliked my father. They had a bit of a competition going. It was probably inevitable given the fact that Chief Terry picked up my father’s slack after my parents divorced when I was a kid.

  “So, do you want to talk about lunch?” Landon asked as Chief Terry navigated toward the main highway.

  I knew he wouldn’t let that slide. “I had a really good Reuben,” I said. “I liked it.”

  Landon made a face. “Not that.”

  “Oh, well, you’ll have to be more specific.”

  In truth, lunch was a tedious affair. Scarlet did her best to act sweet and innocent, flirting with Landon and Chief Terry whenever the opportunity arose. She also evaded questions like a pro. I figured I was the only one at the table to notice, but it was fairly obvious – and unbelievably aggravating. That was on top of the fact that she kept “accidentally” rubbing her foot against mine. I couldn’t help but wonder if she was aiming for Landon and catching me instead, but I kept the suspicion to myself. Of course, by the end of the meal I came off looking aggressive and obnoxious despite my best attempts to appear friendly. Being a Winchester, I was used to that.

  “Why didn’t you mention that you saw Scarlet at the scene last night?” Landon caught me off guard with the question.

  “I didn’t know it was important. There were several people on the sidewalk watching when I left.”

  “Yes, but you specifically noted Scarlet’s presence,” Land
on noted.

  We were back to that pesky “feeling” business again. “I don’t know. Maybe because whenever I’m around her I can’t help being suspicious.”

  “Why?” Chief Terry asked, drawing my attention to him. “You clearly don’t like her. You generally wait to get to know someone before disliking them. It’s not like you.”

  “I can’t explain it. Whenever I’m around her it’s like someone is running fingernails across a blackboard. She makes me want to punch someone.”

  “Her?”

  “And Mrs. Little.”

  Chief Terry smirked. “Well, if you don’t like her, there must be a reason. Do you think she’s the real deal?”

  I shrugged. “How should I know?”

  “You’re a witch,” Chief Terry pointed out. “I thought maybe it was like dogs or something. I thought you could identify a witch just by sight … or smell … or something.”

  That was the most ridiculous thing I’d ever heard. “It’s not as if we walk around sniffing each other’s butts.”

  “I’m pretty sure I didn’t suggest that,” Chief Terry said dryly. “I only thought you would, you know, recognize one of your own.”

  For some reason, the fact that he singled me out as something other than human irked me. It was probably the remnants of a lunch gone bad, but I was annoyed. “Whatever.” I crossed my arms over my chest and stared out the window.

  Chief Terry opened his mouth to say something – I’m sure it was an apology – but Landon made a throat-clearing sound and shook his head. I didn’t miss the exchange, but it infuriated me all the more.

  By the time we pulled in at The Dragonfly I was in a righteous snit. Landon opened my door and helped me out, giving my face a searching look before resting his hands on my shoulders.

  “You don’t do well with a lack of sleep,” he said after a moment. “I know you’re cranky, but there’s no reason to take it out on Terry.”

  Guilt swamped me. “I’m not.” I scratched the side of my nose before leaning over and poking at my ankle. “I just … I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”