Cookie was old, and so was her friend the store owner. Was that why the chief had come back to speak with her again?
That didn’t sound good. That didn’t sound good at all.
“Morning!” said Cam, strolling in with his usual morning energy, dressed as usual in jeans and a t-shirt. He maintained that there was no need to get dressed up for the work he did. “Half the time I just end up wrestling a vampire in the mud anyway,” he’d complained.
Now I felt like a deer in the headlights, even though I wasn’t doing anything wrong.
“Oh, is that the paper? Sports section, please,” he said.
“I’ll give you the paper in ten minutes, which is about how long it’s going to take for you to fill your plate with food anyway,” I told him.
I continued to scan the article, but there really wasn’t much in terms of new details. After a few minutes I accepted that the only new item of information I was going to get from the paper was that the brothers had been killed at night. I wasn’t surprised by that. In theory they could have been murdered first thing in the morning, but the article put the kibosh on that theory. They had been killed not long after they had been at the haunted house.
In short, my family members had been the last ones to see them alive.
Before I did anything else, I had to talk to Grant. The days were cold on the coast of Maine at this time of year, so I bundled up snugly before heading outside. Grant must have been thinking along the same lines, because he met me next to the cliff, heading for the mansion to look for me.
The ocean was blowing such a strong wind that I shivered, even in my coat. We both had gloves on for our morning mini-date, making holding hands in this weather easy. He smiled at me, showing his dimples, and squeezed my fingers just a little. My stomach fluttered.
“How are you?” he asked. His voice was deep and slightly raised to carry over the noise of the sea.
I squinted into the sun, searching his face, then smiled. “I’m good and I do love investigating. There’s just a lot going on. I feel bad about the murders, not to mention the fact that the haunted house is closed and the murderer is still at large.
We started walking slowly along the bluff, with Grant still holding onto my hand. He was dressed in his cape, and his hat somehow managed to stay on even in the wind. There was no way the hat could stay on naturally; it had to be an enchantment. I wanted to ask him how he did it, but I decided to let it be for now.
In the distance I could see Rose scampering around the yard. When Grant looked her way, his eyes flared. He was afraid of cats.
“How is your investigation going?” I asked. In his official capacity he had access to information and resources that I did not.
He shrugged and shook his head. “It could be going better. We haven’t had a lot of time and we don’t have access to the bodies. We discussed trying to get a look at them, but there really is no good way. The risk of discovery is too great. The only thing we’ve been able to determine is how they were killed.”
I raised my eyebrows. The article in the morning paper hadn’t said a word about the killer’s method. This might be a useful clue! “How?” I asked, when Grant didn’t elaborate on his own.
He glanced into the distance and grimaced. “I really shouldn’t be telling you. It’s not information the public has access to. I will anyway, though,” he hastened to add when he saw that I was about to protest. “They were both murdered using a heavy object. Blunt force to the head.”
“So there’s no proof that they were murdered because of magic?” I asked.
“No, a magical method wasn’t used. Technically the heavy object could have been enchanted and then used to bash them, but we just don’t know. I’m not certain we’ll know for sure until we’ve found the killer and had a chance to talk to him or her,” he said.
“Have you examined both crime scenes?” I asked.
“Yes, I have. There were a lot of footprints around both of them, but that was to be expected with both the old and the new decorations scattered around the park. The scarecrows in town were being viewed by the public, after all,” he said.
“Do you think it could be more than one killer?” I asked.
Grant used his free hand to scratch the back of his neck. “It’s certainly possible. It’s difficult to take down two young warlocks in their prime. It also sounds like they were expecting trouble, so they wouldn’t have been unprepared. Yet they’re still dead,” he said.
I had thought the same thing, and I appreciated how nice it was to talk a case over with Grant.
A feeling that someone was watching us suddenly trickled down my spine, making me glance back at the house. I knew my mom was busy, so it wasn’t likely she’d see us holding hands. And that thought reminded me: I had to get up the courage to talk to her as soon as possible, and find out what she thought about my dating Grant. Grant had given me time to figure everything out, and that time was up. We couldn’t keep hiding our bond from my mother any longer.
As if reading my mind, Grant said, “I would like to take you on another date. It was almost all I thought about while I was away.”
I flushed despite the cold. “I’d like that as well. I’m going to talk to my mother. I promise. As soon as I get a chance. Like, in the next couple of days,” I told him. And I meant it.
The idea of asking my mother’s permission had had a chance to settle in my mind, but I didn’t know how she was going to react. Okay, I told myself, there was only one way to find out.
Grant squeezed my fingers again. “I’m here if you need me. I know this is a big deal. I’ve seen others start the dating process. Witch and warlock families can be intense,” he said with a slight smile.
I thought of the Brewer sisters and all the ridiculousness that had gone on around their visit to Haunted Bluff. Yes, the witch and warlock dating world could certainly be ridiculous.
“I feel better about it with you, though,” I said. “I wasn’t expecting to. You’ve been great about everything having to do with my crazy family.” I tried to look into his eyes and again ended up squinting into the sun. He laughed and held his free hand over my eyes so I could see. I smiled.
As if we didn’t have a care in the world, I rolled up onto the pads of my feet and kissed him. He kissed me back, and we stood that way for a while.
Finally he pulled away slightly and flushed. “There’s something else I need to talk to you about,” he said.
Worry crept into my stomach and latched there. Was he actually upset with me? The way he had just kissed me made it seem unlikely, but still, he had come home and we had not had a moment alone. That was serious. Also, he had been a bit quiet since his return. I had thought it might be because of the murders; we were both deep into an investigation, after all. But now I was doubtful again. Was he upset with me for putting off talking to my mother? At this point I had to admit it to myself: that was in fact what I had done.
Grant’s jaw tightened, and I braced myself as my heart twisted. I stepped back and kept my eyes on him, wondering if kissing him had been wrong. It had taken a lot for me to do it, and he had seemed to like it, but now he had something else to say. We started walking again and he dropped his head. His eyes stayed on the ground as he searched for the words.
“I should have been here,” he said. “The Deadly brothers were up to no good. If we know anything, we know that. Even their older brother didn’t have faith in them. Dorian said they had gone rogue. It’s terrible that they’re dead, but they definitely weren’t here to do anyone any favors, and especially not the Garbos.”
“What do you mean you should have been here?” I asked. I was confused. Here I was thinking that he was going to talk about our personal relationship, and instead he seemed to have returned to the case.
He made a frustrated noise. “What I mean is, I travel a lot, but there’s plenty to be done right here. We knew that the holidays was a big time of year in Shimmerfield. Two dangerous characters came to this hou
se and I wasn’t here to protect you.”
I nearly threw back my head and laughed. I couldn’t quite believe what I was hearing. “Of course you weren’t here to protect me. We don’t need protection. Cookie may behave ridiculously, but this place is a fortress. We have favorite characters living in the basement and unsavory characters living in the barn. They’re everywhere. If Aunt Meg worries about one thing, it’s that no one will date her daughters because of all the ridiculousness that goes on around this family. Trust me, we’re lucky to have you even part of the time. Work is work. You have to go where the cases take you. We can take care of ourselves.”
I believed my words, but if I had told the whole truth I didn’t always feel them. I missed Grant terribly when he was away.
He glanced sideways and shook his head. “I feel a responsibility. It’s my job. I live here now too. I have to be a part of the solution,” he said.
I felt so bad that he was upset that I stopped walking again and used my free hand to take his. Now we were standing still, facing each other. The sun had disappeared behind the clouds, so I could see his face without squinting or shading my eyes.
“I promise,” I said. “We didn’t even know why they were here. We would have been fine. You’re apparently always only an enchanted flight away anyway,” I told him with a smile.
He sighed and glanced at the house. I followed his eyes but didn’t see anything of any note. Then he looked back at me. “You’re right,” he said, “I know you are. I can’t just drop everything and stay here all the time. You have your mom and Cookie and everyone else. I’m going to leave Lizzie out of that list, because who knows what she would do in a crisis. But you even have some supernaturals who would come to your defense. I just worry. I suppose I have to let that go.”
He didn’t look the least bit happy about it, though, so I tried again to comfort him. “You can worry,” I said, “but you still have to work. You’re the most important investigator in the supernatural world. That means something. Your time is always going to be in demand. I understand that.”
He released my hands to cup my face and look deeply into my eyes. “It’s just that when I heard they were dead . . . and then that they’d been murdered, I thought about what I would do if something happened to you.” He trailed off.
I covered his hands with mine. My heart was hammering in my chest. “You’re here now. That’s what matters. Let’s catch this killer together,” I told him.
For a moment he searched my face. Then he grinned. “Yeah, they’re going to regret the day they ever show up at Haunted Bluff Mansion. Mark my words.”
Chapter Fifteen
Grant’s deputy, Jason, called him then; it was time for him to get to work. He walked back toward his cottage, while I went back into the house to get my bag and head to town. I had come out and was just about to get into the car when I stopped dead. There was something tugging at me, and I paused mid-stride to figure out what it was. When I did, I turned on my heel and went back into the house.
My mother would be in her office, and now was as good a time as any to talk to her. I hadn’t finished reading about dating rules, but that didn’t matter. Grant and I both knew the next step. He had to come to a family dinner. That would make our relationship official if Mom was willing to confirm it. After our mini-date on the bluff, my conversation with her could wait no longer.
Back inside, I glanced at the closed library door and realized that Cookie must still be in there with the chief. I tried to ignore the unease in my chest as I passed the door. For a quick interview, their conversation was taking an awfully long time.
When I reached my mom’s office, the door was open and her head was bent over a pile of papers. I knocked on the door jamb and stepped in.
She murmured a quick come in. “Hey, Mom,” I said.
She glanced up at me. “I don’t really have time to discuss Down Below right now, honey. There’s too much to work to do, even with the haunted house still closed. The supernaturals are not happy about it.”
“I didn’t actually want to talk about work,” I said. I sat gingerly in the chair opposite her desk, as if that would help anything. For a few seconds she kept reading. Then she stopped and glanced up at me.
“What did you want to talk about? I can’t help how Lizzie is behaving, you know. Nor your brother either. They’re adults, and they’re making their own decisions,” she said. “And that topic really isn’t that pressing either. If we could discuss it later, I would appreciate it.” She bent her head back down to the pile of papers in front of her, and I almost lost my courage.
Then I thought of Grant and pulled myself together. Yes, Mom had a lot of work to do, but other things were important too. There was never going to be the perfectly right time to discuss this with her, and the fact that I had been waiting for that perfect moment was silly. There was always going to be a closed haunted house or a murder or two or a ridiculous visitor. Maybe even a ridiculous grandmother. Our lives were busy, and Grant’s and my relationship would just have to work around that fact. Since my mother had to be involved, I wasn’t about to give her the choice of brushing me off. It was now or never.
“Just tell Lizzie to behave herself,” said my mom, seeing that I hadn’t taken the hint and left.
Without thinking, I pulled the small book on dating out of my pocket. I had kept it there in hopes that I’d get time to read it thoroughly, but I had been too busy and too afraid of what it might say. Now I plopped it on her desk right in her line of sight.
She jumped back for a moment and looked at the front cover. Then she frowned. “You want to help Lizzie date? I don’t think Kip is going to be interested.”
My mouth dropped open a bit. I hadn’t thought she’d ever noticed that Lizzie was hopelessly in love with the leader of the hunters.
“Besides, her parents would have to be involved,” she went on. “You know that after the third date the parents need to confirm. It’s a dinner invitation and everything.”
“Yeah, I know that,” I said.
She was about to move on when she frowned again. “How do you know that?”
“I know that because I’ve been reading the book,” I said evenly.
“Why are you reading the book?” she asked.
I had her full attention at last. For better and for worse.
“I know that because there’s someone I’m dating. We’ve reached the third date, and I’ve been trying to work up the nerve to talk to you about it. With everything going on, that’s been difficult. I realize now that I’ve been waiting for the exact right moment. The only problem is that the exact right moment doesn’t exist. You’re always busy, and there’s always something going wrong. This family is too big for there to ever be peace and quiet for long.”
My mother was still frowning at me. To be honest, I had never seen the expression her face was making at that moment, but I plowed ahead because there was no stopping. Even if I tried to walk back my comment, she would follow me. Now she wanted to know who I was dating.
“If everything is actually going well, Cookie will cause problems just to shake things up. She can’t stand a quiet evening,” I said.
My mother nodded. She knew this to be true. But now she was not to be deflected. “Who are you dating?”
I swallowed hard. From the way she asked the question, I couldn’t tell if she already knew. “I’m dating Grant.”
My mother’s eyebrows raised slightly. “And so you’ve been reading that book?”
“Yes, I have. To be honest, I haven’t gotten as far as I would have liked. I just knew that I had to talk to you about it. I know what the next step is,” I said.
“You want me to formally invite him to dinner?” said my mom.
“Yes, that’s what I want. I know that if Dad were here he would be involved. But he isn’t. We have gone on three dates and I really like him. I’d like him to come to dinner. Officially,” I said.
“You both understand what that mean
s? Your brother is going to have to approve as well,” said my mom.
“He’ll approve. If he doesn’t, he knows I’ll never approve of anyone he dates, and he wouldn’t want that. Besides, he looks up to Grant. All the guys do. He’s great to have around.”
I wasn’t sure if I should be trying to convince her how great Grant was or not. So far she had barely showed any reaction to the news that I was dating His Majesty of Magic. This conversation was not going as I had expected it to at all.
“He was great to have a around the estate in a professional capacity,” said Mom a little meditatively. “Now I’m seeing that you think he’s great have around in a personal capacity as well. I must confess that I’m surprised. Maybe I do work too much, but I’ve always known that my kids were very independent. You’re adults, and you’re capable of making your own choices. I’m sad to say that I hadn’t noticed that you and Grant were dating.”
“It wasn’t exactly something we were advertising. We needed to see where it went first. After the third date, though, you needed to be told,” I mumbled.
“Dating a warlock is a big deal, but I suppose having you date a civilian would be a big deal too. Maybe even more difficult. Dating a warlock won’t be easy, though. It isn’t,” she mused.
“Right,” I said.
She sighed, picked up the book, and flipped through a few pages. A slight smile blossomed on her face. “You know this is my book? My mom gave it to me. I used it when I was starting to date your father. That was a terrifying time. If you think Cookie is difficult now, imagine what she was like when she was younger. Your father sure was determined, though. He had seen me across the room at a party and made a beeline for me. I had tried to slow things down, but it didn’t work. He walked up to me that night and asked if I needed a dating manual. One of these.” She held the book up in front of her nose.
“I had no idea what he was talking about. I thought he was brash and rude. We had our first three dates over the course of a week. It was fast. He would have gone faster except that we were both working. It really was a whirlwind. I had never been happier,” she added thoughtfully.
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