by Morgana Best
I could have stayed in this furniture shop all day, and not just for the air conditioning. Everything was priced very reasonably indeed, and they had everything from huge couches to coffee tables, beachy desks, and cute little chairs. I found the cushions I wanted immediately, aptly named marine stripe, and also bought some large jute rugs on sale at a bargain price.
I locked my finds in the car and walked to the closest supermarket. The air conditioning in there was lovely, too. I headed straight for the potato section. They had a scarcity of potatoes. I selected the oldest looking ones and paid for them, but they didn’t seem soft and I knew that the soft potatoes were the ones that were green. Furthermore, none of them were sprouting.
I walked out the door and was hit by a wall of heat. The town had five supermarkets, and it took me an hour to check out the potatoes in each one. All potatoes looked fine.
I decided to try the closest plant nursery. In fact, I thought it was the only one in town. I drove to the edge of town and parked directly outside. Storm clouds were gathering, and I expected there would be a thunderstorm. I walked in and headed straight for a big sign declaring the vegetable section, but a man stopped me on my way. “Are you looking for anything in particular?” he asked me.
“I want to grow some potatoes,” I lied.
“Yes, it’s perfectly fine to plant potatoes now,” he said.
“Do you have any for sale?”
“Only seeds. Did you want seeds?”
I shook my head. “No, I wanted potatoes that are sprouting.”
He nodded. “Yes, this is a good time of year to plant potatoes. Do you know how to plant them?”
“No, but I thought it would be easy enough.”
“There are plenty of videos on how to plant potatoes on YouTube,” he said with a shrug.
“So you don’t have any potatoes for sale? Where could I buy some?”
He shrugged. “Not in Lighthouse Bay. We’re the only plant nursery around here.”
I thanked him and went back to the car. It was then that I remembered where I had seen the sprouting potatoes before. How could I have forgotten? It was a little shop where Aunt Agnes bought a particular brand of organic coconut water. I had only been there on one occasion with her, but I remembered where it was.
I started the car and headed off to the organic shop. If they didn’t have potatoes, then I was going to give up.
I was in luck. As soon as I walked in the door, I spotted a big green tub full of sprouting potatoes, with a handwritten scrawl on a piece of cardboard stuck in the top that read, Growing potatoes. Cheap.
I walked over to it and picked one up. It was sprouting profusely. I had no doubt these potatoes were green.
A shop assistant came over. “We didn’t think we would sell any of those,” she said with a laugh, “but they’ve been very popular. It’s a real bargain, because they’re all organic.”
“Have lots of people been buying them?” I asked her.
“No, just one couple. They bought the lot, apart from the ones they left there in the bottom. I haven’t seen them around town before.”
A couple? I thought. “They could be friends of mine,” I said, thinking on my feet. “They asked me to get them some the other day, but I haven’t found any. I’ve looked all over town for sprouting potatoes to plant. Perhaps they bought these. If it was them, then I won’t buy them any potatoes. What did this couple look like?”
“The man was tall with dark hair, and the woman was tall and looked strong.”
“Was his face quite red?” I asked her.
“Yes.” She looked uncomfortable.
“Had he been drinking?”
She fidgeted. “Yes.”
Chapter 21
I left the organic shop as fast as I could, pulling my phone from my jeans pocket. To my dismay, the battery was flat. Never mind, I had a charger in my car.
I went straight to my car and plugged in the phone with the engine running. I unstrapped my shoes and threw them over the back. I was just about to drive to the police station, when I saw there was enough charge on the phone to call them.
The desk sergeant informed me that the detectives had left for the day. I left a detailed message saying I was sure I had discovered the murderers. I couldn’t tell whether or not the sergeant was convinced by what I said, but he told me he would make every effort to contact the detectives as quickly as possible.
I drove off into the dark, carefully, given that it was raining heavily now. It didn’t take me long to get out of town, and soon I was on the narrow winding road that led to Mugwort Manor.
My heart was racing. It was Jack and Megan Murphy after all, maybe together, or perhaps it was just one of them. They were holidaying in town, so there was no earthly reason for them to buy potatoes, whether planting potatoes or otherwise. They were staying in a motel with no cooking facilities, so it wasn’t as if they intended to cook them. No, they had bought those green potatoes simply to murder Paul Williams.
I suddenly noticed the road was brighter and at first I thought the moon had come out from behind the clouds despite the rain still coming down heavily, but then I realised it was a car coming up behind me.
“Idiots!” I said aloud. I slowed down and moved over to the edge of the road to allow them room to pass me. The vehicle sped up and shone its lights on the Mazda, and then I realised they were not headlights—they were spotlights. It was the Murphys, and they were coming after me. I thought I had caught a glimpse of Jack Murphy near the organic shop.
I increased speed and grabbed my phone. I looked in the rear view mirror to see the car almost upon me. I changed gears to try to get more power. Just as I did, the car bumped into me and sent my car lurching forward. The turn off to Mugwort Manor was coming, but there was no way I could make the turn at this speed. I had no option but to go straight ahead. I was terrified—this was a lonely road that stretched for miles.
I grabbed the phone. I wildly tried to hit redial while driving fast in the rain, and thankfully somehow managed it. The desk sergeant answered at once. “It’s the Murphys!” I yelled. “They’re trying to run me off the road!”
“Where are you?” the sergeant barked.
“On the Woodlands Head Road. I’ve just missed the turnoff to Mugwort Manor, so I’m heading south.”
Another bump from behind sent the phone flying out of my hands, along with the cord attachment.
I wondered if this was the end. Aunt Agnes’s little blue Mazda was no match for a powerful ute with a huge bullbar.
It hit me once more, viciously, and the Mazda went over the edge. I screamed, and covered my face with my hands.
The car came to a rest. I realised I was still alive, so I hadn’t hit any large trees. Thankfully, I had landed in tea tree scrub. I knew I had to get out of the car before the Murphys shot me.
Claustrophobia at once overcame me. The car door was jammed. In a panic, I kicked it and kicked it, but it wouldn’t budge. I tried the passenger door, but it was stuck too. Luckily, it was an old car with manually operated windows. I rolled the window down and climbed out. I landed heavily on my arm in the mud.
My face was wet and sticky. I reached my hand up to my forehead and pulled my hand away. It was covered with blood.
A bee buzzed past me. A split second later, I realised it wasn’t a bee. It was a bullet.
I took off running, my bare feet hurting. Thanks to my vampire sight, I could see in the dark, and my pursuer or pursuers couldn’t. The spotlight was turning, searching for me, but there was plenty of cover.
I ran as fast as I could, my vampire speed not working for me this time. I would have to find out how to control it. Maybe it was the bump on my head stopping it.
I hid behind an old burnt tree trunk and looked back. The spotlight swept over my car and then stayed there. My heart sank when I realised I had not come as far as I thought I had. A wave of nausea hit me. I couldn’t be sick, not now. My head was pounding. I chanced another look.
The spotlight was still fixed on my car. Did this mean the Murphys were coming after me now?
I saw a figure moving through the light. One figure.
I tried to move, but I was too dizzy. I looked around for a rock, anything to use as a weapon, but there was nothing. I crouched down even more. My heart was beating so hard I was afraid the shooter would hear it. I saw the figure stand and turn, and at the same time, I saw headlights of another car coming fast. I fervently hoped it was the police and not a passer by.
I watched the car draw closer, willing it to stop. It stopped behind the ute, its headlights illuminating the back of the vehicle. Within seconds, the spotlight was moving around the gully. Was this the other Murphy come to help?
The light stopped, trained on the person with the rifle. I saw Jack Murphy clearly. Jack swung around and shot at the light.
The relief was so strong I felt I would faint. It wasn’t an accomplice; it was someone who had come to help. I only hoped whoever it was hadn’t been shot.
Then I saw a blur, and another shot rang out, just as I heard sirens.
I leant back against the tree, tears of relief streaming from my face. That had been a close call.
“Pepper?”
I peeped over the log again. “Pepper!” The voice came again, more urgently this time. I knew that voice.
Lucas.
“Here. I’m here.” I tried to call out loudly, but I heard my voice come out as a squeak.
I called again, more loudly this time, and then stood up, clutching my head.
And then he was there, holding my shoulders, looking over me urgently. “Pepper, have you been shot?”
“No.”
“What are your injuries?”
“My arm, my head.” I burst into tears and flung my hands around Lucas’s neck, sobbing.
Lucas held me to him, ever so tightly for a moment, and then pulled me away. He took off his coat and flung it around my shoulders, and then pulled a flask from his pocket. “Drink this,” he said urgently.
I held it to my lips and tasted it. Witches’ Brew. Did he know I was a vampire? Surely he must. In the little I knew about first aid, I knew that someone with injuries must not drink alcohol. As he was a vampire, he knew the healing powers of Witches’ Brew. “Drink it all now,” he said. “The paramedics will advise against it.”
I was right. He must know. I drank it as fast as I could, feeling its healing powers flowing through me. “Thank you,” I said. “Jack Murphy tried to shoot me.” I burst into tears once more.
Lucas pulled me to him. “You don’t have to worry about him now,” he whispered into my hair. “You’re safe with me.”
We stood that way for an endless moment, until Lucas called out to the police. I didn’t hear what he said; the shock was starting to kick in. If I hadn’t had the Witches’ Brew, goodness only knows what would have happened to me. Lucas scooped me up and carried me as if I were a lightweight, all the way up to the top of the ridge.
A semiconscious Jack Murphy in handcuffs was sitting slumped against the back tyre of the police vehicle, in the rain. Detectives Oakes and Mason hurried to us. “Are you all right?” they asked me in unison.
“She’s hurt her arm and has that nasty gash on her head,” Lucas said.
Detective Mason shone his torch at my head, and then gasped, so I expected it wasn’t a nice sight. I gently reached out to touch it, but it hurt horribly.
“The ambulance is on its way,” Detective Oakes said.
“I don’t want to go to hospital,” I said, suddenly scared.
“Let’s just see what they say,” Mason said in a soothing tone, shooting a look at his partner.
The ambulance came to a stop right then, and I was ushered into the back of the vehicle.
After a series of questions, and then staring into my eyes with lights, they pronounced that I did not have concussion. They wanted me to go to hospital for observation, but I refused. “Okay, so you don’t have concussion, but you must get help immediately if you vomit or feel faint,” one of them said sternly.
“Will I need stitches?” I asked them.
“No, but don’t ask me how. You’re going to have terrible bruising for at least a week. You’ll need to be on painkillers for a few days.”
I started to nod, but it hurt horribly, so instead I said, “Okay. Thanks.”
“Your arm isn’t broken, but it’s badly bruised as well. Take it easy for a few days to a week to let the bruising subside.”
“You’re going to have a bad headache for a few days,” the other paramedic said. “You’ll need to keep off your feet. Hold still.”
I squealed as they did something to my left foot. It hurt like hell. I suspected a bit of twig had been impaled in there, but I didn’t want to know.
“When did you last have a tetanus injection?” one of them asked as he applied a strong smelling lotion to my sore feet.
“Five months ago.” I thanked them again. “Can I go now?”
They tried to talk me into going to hospital once more, but I refused.
“Just stay there,” the taller once said. “I’ll go and get one of the officers to help you to their car.”
He soon returned with one of the detectives and Lucas. “I’m taking you back to Mugwort Manor,” Lucas said, “and then the police will be over to take your statement, if you feel up to it tonight.”
“Yes,” I said. “I’d rather get it over with.”
Lucas turned to Detective Oakes. “Could you open my car door for me?” he asked. “And do you know where I can turn the car around on this road?”
“About fifty metres down the road to the right,” Detective Oakes said.
“Would you mind calling Mugwort Manor and telling the Jasper sisters that I’m taking Pepper home now?” Lucas asked him.
The detective said he would call them at once and explain the situation.
Lucas scooped me up in his arms again. “I can walk,” I said weakly, hoping Lucas would disregard my words. He did.
Lucas deposited me ever so gently into the car. He reached across me to fasten my seatbelt. Even though I had almost been murdered and had a head injury, I couldn’t help but tremble at his closeness. He put a blanket over my legs, and tightened his coat over me.
He didn’t speak until we had turned around and were heading back to Mugwort Manor. “Here, drink this.” He handed me a tall flask.
“Thank you.” I tasted it. Again, it was Witches’ Brew. I looked at him. “Injured people shouldn’t drink alcohol.”
He looked over at me. “No.”
So he did know, or at least suspected. If I drank it, I was admitting to being a vampire. I briefly considered it might be a trap.
I made the decision. In that moment, I knew I trusted him. I drained the flask quickly.
“Are you feeling any better?”
Had I imagined it, or was that relief in his voice? “Yes, I’m starting to. Thanks so much for coming. How did you know where I was?”
He didn’t answer for a while and I thought maybe he wouldn’t. Finally, he said, “I just happened to be listening to the police radio, but that needs to stay between you and me.”
I nodded, but it hurt. “Ouch!”
Lucas slowed down. “Pepper, what’s wrong?”
I hurried to reassure him. “I’m okay. I just nodded and it hurt like crazy.”
“You need to be lying down and warm,” he said. “That’s a nasty head injury. I’m surprised the paramedics didn’t make you go to hospital.”
“They said I don’t have concussion, but I’m going to be badly bruised for up to a week. I must look a sight!” I said, unable to keep the embarrassment out of my voice.
“Not to me.” To my utter shock, his hand reached for me. His fingers gently curled around mine.
Chapter 22
The aunts swarmed around Lucas’s car like flies before I even had a chance to get out. Linda was there, too.
“Shouldn’t you be in a hosp
ital, dear?” Aunt Agnes said as soon as she saw me.
“I agree with you,” Lucas said dryly, “but she refused to go. The paramedics said she doesn’t have concussion, but to keep a close eye on her, and any feeling faint or vomiting is a cause for alarm.”
I struggled to get out of the car. Lucas was there in a flash, scooping me into his arms once more. I self-consciously put my arms around his neck.
“She needs to get warm and lie down,” he said in an authoritative tone.
The aunts hurried ahead, while Linda held a large umbrella over me. “Into the living room,” Aunt Agnes said. “The fire’s going.”
Lucas made to deposit me on the couch, but Aunt Agnes said, “No, she’s dripping wet. She’ll have to change out of those wet clothes in a hurry.” She turned to Lucas. “You’ll have to leave the room, but you can come straight back in when she’s changed.”
Lucas did as he was told. My aunts helped me out of my soaking dress. It was clinging to me, and I noticed that Lucas’s coat was soaked, too. “Lucas’s coat,” I said.
Aunt Dorothy took it and draped it over the fire grate. Aunt Agnes wrapped a huge fluffy bathrobe around me. The aunts helped me to the couch and covered me with a light blanket.
Once I was lying down, the room stopped spinning. “Everything hurts,” I said.
“I’ll fetch you some painkillers,” Aunt Maude said. She left the room, and then Lucas returned, apparently having been given permission by Maude.
What I really needed was Witches’ Brew, but I could hardly ask for any in front of Lucas. Sure, he now knew I was a vampire, but I couldn’t risk him knowing about my aunts, assuming he didn’t already know. They had certainly been keen for him not to find out. I also couldn’t implicate Linda. I had to keep their identities from him.
In no time at all, Aunt Maude returned with some painkillers and a large glass bottle. “Take these painkillers with this energy drink,” she said, bending over me and winking. “Try to drink the whole bottle of energy drink.” She winked again.