Haven Witches

by Emma Watts

  For the rest of the afternoon she didn’t respond to my questions and eventually she avoided them altogether by telling me she had to go run some errands. That seemed to be her excuse anytime she didn’t want to talk.

  Chapter 16

  I didn’t sleep much that night. I found myself tossing and turning and thinking about the case. I kept seeing Rick’s body lying in a pool of blood. I went through every scenario in my mind. It was possible that Gloria and Matt were behind it but everything so far pointed to Nina and Gary, then of course there was Sylvia and Tobias but what did they have to gain? Sure, she would have the money to buy that expensive wedding dress and Tobias wouldn’t have to keep working some dead-end job scrubbing boats, but was that worth killing her father and brother? And as for Liam, he might have wanted to kill him if he found out that Daniel was holding back on him and trying to get out from the agreement. Then again, all Daniel would have needed to do was bring up the gold without anyone knowing, store it, get it switched to cash and he could pay his way out of the agreement but that would have raised too many red flags. Those around him knew that he didn’t have that kind of money. So who was it? Without access to clues that the police had, I was going on hearsay. Nothing more than what I had seen or heard. Not exactly evidence, now was it?

  I trudged down the stairs that morning with my bathrobe wrapped tightly around me. Henry was in the kitchen making breakfast. Seated at the table were both Jamie and River. They smirked as I walked in.

  “Morning, Henry.”

  “Morning, ma’am,” he said in his thick British accent.

  “Henry, call me Kelly, please.”

  “Certainly.”

  “By the way how did your date go?”

  He went red in the face. “Date? Yes it was lovely.”

  I snickered to myself then reached down to pat Winnie, and she growled. I pulled my hand back and circled around giving her a wide berth. Jamie laughed. “It takes a while for her to get used to people. Don’t worry, she’ll soon warm up.”

  “Are you referring to your sister?” River asked before stuffing a piece of toast into his mouth. I glared at him and he burst into laughter. Both of them did as I joined them at the table.

  “So how’s the investigation going?” Jamie asked.

  “Oh you know about it?”

  “Ivy told me. After Henry and her had their cozy little meal here. Which reminds me. How did it go, Henry, did you seal the deal?”

  “Jamie,” I said in a reprimanding fashion.

  Henry came over with a fresh plate of toast, and some coffee. “Don’t worry, Kelly, these buffoons wouldn’t know what it means to treat a woman like a lady.”

  “Hey! I took Jamie’s sister out and had her back before ten.”

  “That’s only because I was going to leave.”

  “Did he put the moves on you?” Jamie said poking his knife at River.

  “I did nothing of the sort. I was every bit a gentleman, wasn’t I, Kelly?” He grinned, and I shook my head.

  “Here, sis, look at our latest viral video.” He slid across the table an iPad and I gazed down at a video entitled: Cop Picking Up Girls Prank! It had been uploaded yesterday, and it had already racked up over eight million views.

  I laughed and shook my head. “Is that what you two were up to yesterday?”

  “We took a trip down to San Francisco to film this one. Oh you should have seen the looks on the faces of these honeys! They love a man in a uniform.”

  I glanced over to River and he threw his hands up. “I was just filming, I swear. This was all his idea.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  I clicked the video and watched it and then spent the next five minutes flicking through some of their other videos. As I continued working my way through the videos, an idea sprang to mind.

  “You do these prank videos a lot?”

  “All the time. People love them online.”

  “And people fall for this stuff?”

  “Does that surprise you?” River asked.

  “Well, people know your faces,” I replied.

  “Not everyone does. Anyway that’s why we travel around. When we pull ones here in the town, we usually pay a couple of people to stand in for us. It’s quick money for them and it lets us continue to prank folks in this town.”

  She nodded and a smile formed on her face.

  “What if I had an idea for a new one?”

  Both of them snorted. “You?”

  “Is that a problem?”

  “No. Pitch us the idea.”

  They leaned back in their seats; River put his bare feet on the table and ran a hand through his blond hair while Jamie did the same. They were like two birds of a feather. They could have been brothers. After I pitched the idea to them they looked at each other and smiles formed on their faces.

  “Sis, that is brilliant.” Jamie pointed at me. “You know what, I can see a future of us working together.”

  “Well, don’t speak too soon, we have to see if it works first.”

  * * *

  Later that morning I made my way down to the harbor to speak to Liam. A flock of seagulls broke away from the wooden posts outside his office as a bright morning sun tried to burst forth from beneath the belly of a cloud. Sitting in his office I gazed around at the various photos on the walls, the different awards and sponsorships he was involved in. As I stood there looking at one where he’d sponsored a Little League team, Liam came up behind me.

  “That’s Haven Little League. I used to be a part of it when I was a kid.”

  “You’ve helped a lot of organizations in the town.”

  “I believe in giving back. Don’t you?”

  “Yeah, I guess so.”

  “So how can I help you?”

  “The equipment that was used in the dives, Tobias said it was kept here. Can you tell me who had access to it on the day Daniel dived?”

  He shrugged. “Sure, come with me. So, Kelly, what’s your interest in this?” he asked.

  I shot back my own question. “What’s your interest in sponsoring organizations?”

  “It’s the right thing to do.”

  “Exactly.”

  He smiled, and I got a sense that I was seeing another side to Liam, perhaps one that he had held back. He guided me outside of the offices and down to where they stored boats that needed to be repaired. “We keep everything in a log book. That way we know what went out, and what came back and who used it. So if anyone breaks anything, they are responsible.”

  I followed him inside the building and that’s when I noticed where the scuba gear was kept. It was stashed inside a mesh locker. A lock was hanging off and it was open.

  “Is that always unlocked like that?”

  “It shouldn’t be.” He walked over to a steel box on the wall and pulled out a set of keys and went and locked it back up.

  “And who carts them out?”

  “Usually Gloria, Matt, Rick and lately I’ve seen Nina helping out.”

  “Was she here that morning?”

  “Um, let me check.” He went over to a table where a gruff-looking guy with a full white beard was sitting. “Arthur, how are you?”

  “Good, Liam.”

  He thumbed through a book in front of him and then tapped it. “Matt was the one who unlocked it and the rest of the names listed here are those who brought out the tanks.”

  Sure enough, there was Rick’s name.

  “And what about you?” I asked Liam. “I know you were here when they pulled Daniels out but when they launched that morning?”

  “I was on the other side of town showing some real estate to a business owner.”

  “And the police have confirmed that?”

  He chuckled and looked at the grizzled man. “Yes.”

  I eyed him.

  “Arthur, was I here that morning?”

  “Nope.”

  “But you were?” I asked.

  “Yeah,” Arthur replied.

  “Did
you see Nina that morning?”

  “He frowned. “Daniel’s lady? Yeah, she was speaking with his son Rick just before he boarded.”

  I smiled. “Just as I thought.”

  Right then outside the building there was a large commotion. A number of the fishermen had gathered around at the far side of the dock as two men hopped off a boat yelling and shouting.

  “What on earth is going on?” Liam asked.

  As we walked out, my eyes surveyed the dock looking for them. Sure enough, there they were like clockwork. Gloria, Matt, Sylvia, Tobias, Nina and Gary were craning their necks to see what all the commotion was about. They had all responded to the anonymous phone tip.

  A fisherman, tall, about six foot two, hopped off the boat holding a large wooden chest that was covered in barnacles and looked as if it had been under the water for years. Liam elbowed his way through the crowd demanding that people get back to work. Several fishermen protested.

  “I found it. The treasure of 1857.”

  “Impossible,” I heard Nina say tossing Gary a look. He pushed forward shoving people out of the way until he made it to the front. He crouched down and snatched up one of the coins and placed it between his teeth.

  “Oh it’s real,” the fisherman said. “We dived for it. We are rich!”

  Gary turned back to Nina, and she shoved her way through the crowd to see for herself. My eyes turned to my left where Jamie and River were ducked down out of view. They had their cameras rolling and were recording everything. Every response, every action, every… outburst!

  “This is ours. This is ours!” Nina shouted grasping at the box.

  The fisherman put his hand out. “Ma’am, step back from the box. We found it.”

  “No, I have the map here.” She pulled out of her pocket the map Rick had given her and held it up in the air. Proof that she was involved. “There is no way you could have known about it. Daniel was the only one who knew.”

  “Listen up, if that money is anyone’s, it’s mine. I had an agreement with Daniel,” Liam chimed in.

  “That is null and void,” Matt said pushing his way to the front. Neither he nor Gloria claimed it, neither did Sylvia who looked on with an expression of shock, say anything. I would have given my left arm to know what was going through their minds. Unfortunately there wasn’t a spell, at least that I knew, that allowed me to read minds. Otherwise it would have made my job far too easy. Instead, that morning I relied upon the one thing that this killer was motivated by — greed.

  Gary shoved Liam back and jabbed his finger. “We didn’t come this far to have you try and take this out from underneath our noses. That gold is ours!”

  That was my cue to step in and pose a simple question in the heat of the moment.

  “How far, murder?”

  Now you would be surprised at the foolish things people will say when everything they have worked for, all their well-plotted plans crumble before them. I didn’t even have to make the gesture to the two fishermen who were in on the prank. They were perfect actors. They crouched down and reached for the gold and Gary twisted around and shoved them back.

  “I told you. That is ours!”

  “Nina,” I said. “Was Rick going to tell the police?”

  “What?”

  I continued to throw questions out there to push them into a corner.

  “He gave you the map, didn’t he?”

  She shook her head, her cheeks becoming flushed.

  “Give it up. It’s over. You both worked together to come up with a plan to get the gold from Daniel but he figured it out, didn’t he? He saw you and Rick together and that’s why you killed him. Isn’t it?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said pointing to me. “Gary!”

  He edged forward thrusting his finger at me. “You better back off.”

  “Or what? You going to stab me in the back?” I turned to the fishermen. “Take the gold. It’s yours.”

  “It’s not yours!” Gary pulled a handgun out of his pocket and told everyone to back up. Even Nina looked surprised.

  “Gary?” Nina asked.

  “This was meant to be for us.”

  “Put the gun away,” Liam said.

  He shook his head. “I didn’t come this far to lose it now. No. Back up!”

  “So you did kill Rick and Daniel.”

  “I didn’t kill Rick, his son did,” he bellowed before realizing what he had just blurted out.

  See, that was one thing they’d taught us at the academy when it came to interrogations. It was all about applying pressure. Apply it at just the right time and a perp would crack. Everyone looked on with wide eyes.

  “So you killed him?”

  He shook his head and looked at Nina. Then the penny dropped.

  “It was you, Nina, wasn’t it? You concocted the whole plan with Gary. You tampered with the tank and then killed Rick so he wouldn’t say anything. You really thought you were going to get away with it.”

  The look in her eyes, the way she looked at everyone who was looking at her, was proof enough. She got this strained smile on her face. “Daniel was a drunk. A fool. He would have lost that gold the moment he brought it to the surface,” she said looking over to Liam. “It would have gone to waste.” She paused. “He wasn’t meant to get harmed. I only wanted the money. After the way I saw his relationship with Gloria end, I knew it was my opportunity to get in and have him include me in his will, but he removed me once he caught me and Rick.”

  “You can make as many excuses as you like, at the end of the day you killed two people, robbed a mother of her child and a sister of a brother and father.”

  Gary stepped forward. “Nina, come on!”

  She shook her head, a final sign of reluctance. “It’s over, Gary,” she said in a quiet voice. He reached in and grabbed her by the hand and instructed the fishermen to pick up the gold and carry it over to his waiting SUV. But before they made it halfway over, Detectives Hunter and Roberts were already waiting for them.

  See, that was the beauty of desperation, and taking people to the edge. In that moment I realized why my brother was so successful at what he did. The reactions he got out of people when faced with an extreme situation brought out the truth and that was exactly what I was hoping to get out of them. And sure enough, one of them cracked. They always crack, my old academy teacher would say.

  It probably didn’t help that Rick’s name was in the log book that morning, and Nina had been seen by Liam’s employee at the scene of the crime. The rest came down to forensics and that’s where the police would do their job. And even if the darkness had infiltrated the police department, no one would be able to deny a video that would get over eight million views online. The police would be forced to follow the trail, look at the evidence and convict those who were clearly at fault. But as it stood, some things were already clear: Sylvia wasn’t down at the harbor that day as she was working at Logan’s. Liam had been on the other side of town. Tobias had been fired the day before which left only Sylvia and Matt but both of them had been under the water dealing with those they were teaching. That left only Rick and Nina with the opportunity and motivation. They were the only ones capable of tampering with the tank that day and ensuring that it was swapped out when Daniel came to the surface.

  Within a matter of minutes police closed off the area and had both of them cuffed and tossed into the back of a cruiser. I looked at Nina one final time as she was carted away. I truly believe she didn’t intend to kill Daniel, only to get him to give up the location of the gold or place her in his will, but after her plan went to pieces, desperation took over and to save face and all they had worked hard for, they opted to kill.

  Before Detective Hunter left he pushed his way through the crowd and came over to me. “I had a feeling you were going to be trouble.”

  I arched an eyebrow waiting for him to say something nasty but he didn’t. He continued, “But I think I like trouble.” He winked. “See y
ou around, Kelly.”

  “Not unless I see you first,” I replied with a glint in my eye.

  Right then I felt a hand on my shoulder. “Well done, your mother would be proud,” Ivy said. “I will see you back at the shop.”

  I nodded and turned to Jamie and River who emerged through the crowd holding their cameras high. “And that’s how you do it! Slam-dunk,” River said.

  Jamie wrapped his arm around me. “You know I had my doubts about you being here, sis, but now I think it’s going to work out perfect!” And just like that, a young female in the crowd vying for his attention distracted him. “Oh hey darling. You want my autograph?”

  River came up alongside me. “So you think you are gonna stick around?”

  “Maybe.”

  “C’mon, after that killer date I took you on?”

  “I admit it was pretty smooth but maybe next time you can cook.”

  “Cook? What’s that?”

  I nudged him in the gut and we both laughed.

  As the crowd gossiped, seagulls wheeled overhead, and the sun stretched out over the horizon, I felt a warm sense of peace. Although I knew it wouldn’t last, in that moment I relished it. As I made my way up to Afterlife Bookstore, a cold breeze blew against my skin and I heard a voice whisper in my ear. My head turned thinking someone was standing beside me but no one was there. It sounded familiar. Who was it? For a moment I didn’t think I would know, then it became clear as I heard it again.

  “It’s good to have you home, Kelly.”

  “Mom?”

  THANK YOU FOR READING

  Haven Witches Book 1

  Haven Witches Book 2 will be out soon.

  Please can you leave a review, even if it’s just 10 words.

  A Plea

  Thank you for reading Haven Witches Book 1. If you enjoyed the book, I would really appreciate it if you would consider leaving a review. I can’t stress how helpful this is in helping other readers decide if they should give it a shot. Reviews from readers like you are the best recommendation a book can have. Without reviews, an author’s books are virtually invisible on the retail sites. It also let’s me know what you liked. You can leave a review by visiting the book’s page. I would greatly appreciate it. It only takes a couple of seconds.