“I want to tell Bay the truth,” Landon admitted as they exited Chief Terry’s office. “I don’t have a problem telling her because I know she won’t print it in the newspaper. Gibson has other ideas.”
“If I had my druthers, I’d tell her, too. But we’re not in charge.”
“That doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
“Join the club. We have no choice. For this one, at least, Bay is on her own.”
“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.”
Alien Inspiration
If these guys can kill each other with glowing sticks why would they ever do anything but hack off heads and call it a day? Although, to be fair, that mind-choking thing they can do is cool, too. I would love that power. Maybe I should become a Jedi.
Thistle makes the mistake of watching Star Wars while suffering from PMS
Eight
Oceans rise. Cities fall. Magic survives.
Landon met me at the guesthouse before dinner. He looked beaten down when he entered, but he mustered a smile when he saw I hadn’t yet left for the inn.
“Hey.”
“Hi.” I felt uncomfortable. Generally, eavesdropping didn’t fill me with such guilt. This time was different. We were at odds, and it was nothing we’d created. Outside forces were at play, which meant we weren’t sabotaging ourselves. I should have been comforted by that. It didn’t quite work out that way, though. “How was your day?”
“Long.” Landon tossed his keys on the console table by the door. “Yours?”
“Long.”
He grinned. “I’m a little sad that’s all we can share.”
“Me, too. We’ll get through it.” I had faith in that. We’d been through much worse. “They put together a taco bar at the inn tonight. That should perk us up.”
“There’s nothing tacos can’t fix.” Landon cupped the back of my head and gave me a soft, lingering kiss. “How about we eat fast and then come back here? I could use some quiet time tonight, just you and me.”
He wasn’t the only one. “Sounds like a plan.”
“Good. Don’t put any onions on your tacos. It might ruin the plan.”
“I’ll consider it.”
THE INN WAS DEVOID of guests until the following day, so the parking lot was empty. I was glad for it. We let ourselves in through the back door, the one that led to the family living quarters. I wasn’t surprised to find it quiet. Other than Aunt Tillie, everyone was in the kitchen preparing dinner.
“What are you doing?” Landon asked when he realized Aunt Tillie was at the small table in the corner of the room rather than her usual perch in front of the television.
“Making plans,” Aunt Tillie replied, refusing to look up from her task. “Someone has to be in charge of this thing. I’m best suited, so the responsibility falls to me.”
Landon flicked his eyes to me. “Do I even want to know what she’s talking about?”
“Alien invasion,” I answered automatically.
“Ah.” Landon merely shook his head. “What aliens are we fighting?”
Aunt Tillie didn’t answer. Apparently she couldn’t concentrate and ramp up the snark at the same time. That meant she really was interested in whatever she toiled over.
“Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” I answered for her. “That’s the only thing that explains why Mrs. Little is acting out of sorts.”
“Chief Terry visited her,” Landon offered. “He said she seemed fine, didn’t have trouble making eye contact and knew when and where she was. He didn’t think there was anything to worry about.”
Hmm. That was interesting. “When did he see her?”
Landon shrugged. “After you told us she was acting weird. That was at lunch, so not long after.”
“Well, she stopped in at Hypnotic after that,” I said. “She was definitely acting weird. She invited Aunt Tillie for tea and doughnuts at the bakery.”
Landon’s mouth dropped open. “Was she serious?”
“She seemed to be.”
“Is there a chance she could’ve poisoned the tea and doughnuts?”
“I hadn’t even considered it. That’s plausible. You should add that to your list, Aunt Tillie.”
Instead of firing off a snappy comeback, Aunt Tillie simply nodded. “Okay. That sounds fine. I’ll do that.”
Landon and I exchanged weighted — and amused — looks.
“Well, we’ll let you get back to your plotting,” Landon said finally. “If you need help finding a scientist to create a cure for the virus, let me know. I’ll point you in the right direction.”
I lifted an eyebrow as Landon pointed me toward the kitchen. “Virus?”
“I saw that movie,” Landon explained. “Nicole Kidman, right?”
“That was like the fourth movie,” I corrected. “There were three others before it.”
“So? They all end the same way, right?”
I shook my head. “The first three movies have downer endings. There is no stopping the alien invasion in them. It’s impossible. The world gets taken over by the pods.”
Landon furrowed his brow. “That doesn’t sound very upbeat.”
“I don’t believe it’s meant to be upbeat.”
“Well, thankfully the pod people are only in Aunt Tillie’s mind. You don’t have to worry about that.”
“Good point.”
We left Aunt Tillie to her alien invasion battle plan, stopped in the kitchen long enough to talk to my mother and aunts, and then hit the dining room. Sam, Clove, Marcus and Thistle were already seated when we entered.
“I didn’t know you guys were coming for dinner tonight,” I noted as Landon poured two glasses of wine. “Did they suck you in with the taco bar, too?”
“That and Clove wants to make sure none of the aliens have taken over family members,” Sam said dryly. “She won’t let it go ... even though I told her it was ludicrous.”
Ah, we were right on schedule. Aunt Tillie had managed to work her magic on Clove. That meant Twila was next. “Well, it’s not really her fault,” I offered. “We spent the better part of the afternoon with Aunt Tillie. She’s very convincing when she wants to be.”
“She’s a menace,” Sam argued. “Clove spent an entire hour checking all the door and window locks. Do you have any idea how long she’s going to keep me up tonight?”
“Sounds promising,” Landon offered.
“Then I’m telling the story wrong.” Sam scowled. “You don’t understand. Clove gets ... worked up ... about stuff like this. I’ve had to talk her down from her Bigfoot fear at least five times since she moved in. Bay doesn’t get like this, so you have no idea what it’s like.”
“Bay has her own brand of lunacy,” Landon countered. “You’ll learn to deal with it. I mean ... if she’s up and has a lot of energy the answer is to turn that energy into another activity.”
I slid him a sidelong look. “You’re probably not going to want to mention anything like that in front of our mothers.”
“Duly noted.”
“Besides, I can’t be distracted,” Clove said, her eyes fierce. “I’ve been giving it a lot of thought. I think Aunt Tillie is right. It’s aliens. That explains the guy with the burned hands Bay saw. It explains all the secrets. What else could it be?”
I cringed when Landon’s hand landed on my back. It was large and warm, and usually I found comfort in a simple tactile exchange such as this. I knew that wouldn’t be the case tonight. “What guy with burned hands?”
Uh-oh. I scorched Clove with a dark look. “You have such a big mouth.”
Clove wasn’t apologetic in the least. “Hey, we’re being invaded by aliens. The size of my mouth has nothing to do with that.”
“It will if we shove something in your mouth to shut you up,” Thistle countered.
“Don’t you care that aliens are probably taking over people we know all over town?” Clove challenged, her voice going shrill. “How can you not care about that?”
“Oh,
man.” Sam slapped his hand to his forehead. “I think I need to get drunk.”
“If you do, you’re stuck here for the night,” Thistle said. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”
“It might be easier to foist her off on everyone else so I can get some sleep.” Sam looked resigned. “Seriously, where’s the whiskey?”
“It looks like Sam is going to get drunk,” I said to Landon. “That might be fun. Do you want to join in?”
“No.” Landon’s eyes flashed with warning when they locked with mine. “What guy with burns did you tell your cousins about?”
Crap. I was going to kill Clove. Aliens were the least of her worries. “You know how she is. She makes things up. She freaks out over nothing. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”
“Except she was very specific this time,” Landon pressed. “Were you out at the scene today?”
He already knew the answer to that. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Landon’s lips curved down. “Bay ... .”
“Hey, you can’t push her to answer your questions when you won’t answer hers,” Thistle interjected, her temper on full display. “Relationships are give and take. You’re not giving anything, so you can’t take anything.”
“That was almost profound, Thistle,” Landon drawled. “But you’re not part of this conversation. I was talking to Bay.”
“She’s right,” I argued. “I can’t tell you what I was doing this afternoon.”
“Who said that? When did that become the rule? You most certainly can tell me what you were doing this afternoon.”
I sucked in a calming breath. A riotous fight between the entire family would not help matters. “You can’t share information with me.”
“I’m under orders not to.”
“That means I can’t share information with you. We’ve already discussed this.”
“We’ve discussed that you won’t – not can’t, but won’t – share information with me as payback,” Landon clarified. “There’s a big difference.”
“That doesn’t change the fact that we’re in something of a quandary.” I refused to back down. “You’re the one who said we both have jobs to do.”
“And now I’m totally regretting it,” Landon complained. “Can’t you just let it go?”
“Can you?”
“I ... .” He worked his jaw, his expression unreadable. Finally, he threw up his hands and shook his head. “I refuse to let this derail us. I get that you’re upset because I can’t share information with you. I don’t blame you. I can’t help the way you want me to help.”
“I’m not pressing you for information. I’ve been good.”
“You have been ... for the most part. You’ve gotten a few passive-aggressive digs in, but that’s to be expected.”
“So ... what’s the problem?”
“The problem is that I don’t like not being able to share every aspect of my life with you,” Landon answered. “I mean, I never talked with you about cases you weren’t involved in — and you never asked, which I’m grateful for — but I miss working with you.”
I wanted to be angry, but it wasn’t easy when he opened himself and invited potential ridicule. “I hate this.” I rubbed my forehead. “I can’t wait until this over.”
“Oh, the aliens are never going to leave,” Clove said. “It can’t end unless we end it.”
Landon spared her a glance. “Maybe someone should cut her off.”
“Nope.” Sam shook his head. “We’re staying here and getting drunk. That’s the only way I can get through this.”
Landon snorted. “Good luck with that.” He slowly tracked his gaze back to me. “I don’t know how you got out there today — and don’t bother denying you did because it’s not worth the aggravation — but you need to be careful.”
“Because you’re worried I’ll get burned?”
“Because I’m worried about all of it,” Landon admitted. “You think I’m keeping stuff from you, but in truth, I know very little. You’d be surprised how little I really know.”
I remembered his conversation with Chief Terry, and my heart gave a sigh. “It’ll be okay. I promise. Don’t worry about me.”
“Worry goes with the job description.” He poured himself more wine. “I’m starting to think Sam’s plan to get hammered might be a good one.”
“You won’t feel that way tomorrow when you have to go to work.”
“Good point.” He drank half his glass. “You don’t think it’s aliens, do you?”
“Of course not. It’s a government drone. Perhaps there was a chemical onboard that no one is supposed to know about because it could cause sickness … and death … and possibly mutations.”
Landon’s eyebrows shifted. “I don’t think that’s much better, Bay.”
“I guess it depends on how you look at it.”
“And how are you looking at it?”
“With the most analytical eye I can.”
“I guess I can’t ask for more than that.” Landon briefly pressed his forehead to mine. “Don’t get in trouble, Bay. I’m terrified I won’t be able to get you out of whatever you stumble over. Be careful.”
“I’m always careful.”
“Be way more careful than that.”
IT WAS ALMOST MIDNIGHT when I slipped out of bed. Landon snored lightly, the covers drawn around him as he slept on his side. He was dead to the world ... and would stay that way if I had anything to say about it.
I lightly rested my fingers on his forehead, murmuring as I planted a lullaby in his mind. It was a spell Aunt Tillie had taught me. I’d been caught casting it once before — and Landon hadn’t been happy — but I was more adept at it now. I was certain it would work this time.
We had a problem we couldn’t escape. He loved his job and believed he was doing good work. I believed that, too. Mostly he worked crime scenes and took down murderers. This time he was doing someone else’s bidding ... and he hated it. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t follow orders. He would, even if it took a toll on him. Because I loved him, I didn’t want him to put his job at risk. It would break his heart to lose his position, and that was the last thing I wanted.
On the flip side, I couldn’t stop myself from being curious. I didn’t consider myself a conspiracy theorist — I left that to Aunt Tillie — or an alarmist. Clove had us covered on that front, after all. I couldn’t simply walk away from what I knew, though. Something — whether an airplane or drone — went down in that field. Now the federal government was trying to cover it up. That didn’t sit right with me.
Landon knew me well enough to understand I couldn’t let it go. He wasn’t the type to ask me to curb my instincts to make him more comfortable. Sure, he worried about me. Sometimes I thought he worried too much. Then I realized the real reason he worried, and it dulled the leading edge of my agitation. He worried because he loved me, which sometimes felt miraculous. He also worried because he’d seen some of the worst things this world had to offer through his job, and he wanted to protect me from that. It wasn’t a terrible inclination.
Part of me wanted to walk away from the story because it would’ve been easier on both of us, but that wasn’t in my nature. I had to see.
So, I planted a lullaby in Landon’s head to make sure he wouldn’t wake up. He needed a good night’s sleep. Then I slipped out of the guesthouse and headed toward the access road that led to the field on foot. It was only a mile and a half away if I cut through the trees. If Clove was with me, that wouldn’t have been an option because of her Bigfoot fear. I was alone, though, and I wasn’t afraid.
Okay, I was mildly afraid. It wasn’t the woods that frightened me; it was the possibility of running into federal agents. I had to be really careful ... and quiet. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to see anything. But I had to look, and it was safer to look at night.
I followed a path I knew. For years, Clove, Thistle and I had played in these woods. We were knights s
torming a castle, and G.I. Joe agents saving the day, and occasionally the Crocodile Hunter because ... well, he was just awesome. There were no crocodiles to hunt, but we enjoyed pretending.
Tonight, I was simply Bay Winchester and I was on a mission.
I made most of the trip in relative silence. The normal sounds of the forest didn’t frighten me. I knew the animals that lived there, mostly opossums, raccoons and the occasional coyote. A few people swore up and down that a mountain lion had been seen in the area, but I didn’t believe that. The bear sightings were more troublesome, but I learned at a young age that as long as you stayed away from a bear’s cubs you were fine.
It wasn’t until I was almost to Potter’s Field that the normal woodsy concert given by owls and bugs gave way to different noises. Instinctively, I ducked behind a tree and focused on the field. Lighting was an issue for obvious reasons, but some sort of flood lamps had been moved into the field. They were pointed directly at the charred earth, and at least ten people appeared to be walking a search grid — exactly like the one I saw a few hours before — across the property.
I inched closer, resting a hand on a tree trunk as I tried to get a better look. I was lost in the scene in front of me, but that didn’t mean I forgot the area behind. When a twig snapped, my body stiffened. I knew I wasn’t alone, but it was already too late when a hand covered my mouth and snapped my body back.
“You’re in so much trouble.”
Alien Inspiration
Landon fancies himself Han Solo, but there’s no way that’s how it would shake out if this were a Star Wars movie. I’ve got it all figured out. I would be Han Solo. Thistle would be Chewbacca. Winnie would be Princess Leia because she’s good at being bossy. Marcus would be Lando because he’s chill … and then some. Clove would be R2D2 because she’s small and I don’t understand half of what comes out of her mouth. Twila would be an Ewok because there are times I think she would take a rock to a laser gun fight. Bay would be Luke Skywalker because she’s a whiner. Marnie would be Boba Fett because she’s willing to sell people out when she’s in a bad mood. That leaves Landon to be C3P0. He likes to be everyone’s moral compass, so it fits. He also walks like he’s got a certain something-something gumming up the works. Now, if we could only find his “off” switch.
Close Encounters of the Witchy Kind (A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Fantasy Book 6) Page 8