Witch of Mintwood Mysteries 7-9

by Addison Creek

  “Anna’s been invited. We don’t know if she’s coming. I don’t think she’s the one who killed you, though,” I explained.

  “Of course not. I don’t suppose she’s found a second color of clothing to wear, has she?” Isabel asked hopefully.

  When I shook my head the ghost nodded sagely. “I didn’t expect so.”

  I was about to tell her exactly who I did think killed her, but the older woman held up her hand.

  “I don’t want to know,” she said. “All will be revealed soon enough. If I have to see them all again I’d like there to be one last time when I simply see them as annoying and not murderous.” She looked at the bar, sadness overtaking her bravado for the first time.

  “We didn’t always get along perfectly, but I never thought . . .” She shrugged. “I guess I was the one who owned the house.” She somehow seemed to be implying that she was the focal point of problems, a possibility that her family had alluded to as well.

  “How long until they arrive?” Greer asked over her shoulder as she got the bar ready.

  “Not long now,” I told her.

  Just then there was a knock at the door. “It’s open,” I yelled.

  Charlie came in holding a stack of papers, with Hansen and Penny following right behind her. I glanced at Charlie’s face to see how she was taking the addition of Penny to the gathering, but I couldn’t read anything there besides concentration.

  “Afternoon,” said Charlie brightly. She looked all business. Unlike Greer and me, who, as Isabel had so charmingly pointed out, looked tired, Charlie used concealer like a master. She looked like her usual wide-awake and chipper self.

  Or maybe she was just more capable of running on four hours of sleep.

  I certainly wasn’t.

  “Thanks for hosting this,” said Hansen as they came in.

  “Thanks for having me,” Penny added. “So sad about the Gray woman. A real shock. Don’t know who would kill a nice old lady.”

  “She calls me nice again I’ll yell,” Isabel yelled from the bar.

  Charlie, Greer, and I had a lot of practice not reacting in front of other people when ghosts were talking, but it was still difficult.

  “Hey.” Liam came through the door carrying a plate of food. “I know we couldn’t eat bar food. Man am I glad to be getting out of work early today. It’s been so boring I could cry.”

  “Tourism not picked up again?” I asked.

  Visitors to Mintwood had left in droves after the discovery of a body. The fact that the death had happened the previous summer apparently didn’t change anything. We were hoping that if we could catch the murderer, the tourists would come back. Detective Cutter had even gone so far as to make a statement in the paper saying that he didn’t think anyone else was in danger.

  Slowly, other guests started to arrive. I got busy helping Greer behind the bar and lost track of who was coming and going.

  Still, it wouldn’t be long before Isabel’s murderer was revealed.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Despite all the witchy stuff Scarlett’s return had made me think about, I was still focused on solving the case of the skeleton at the library. To say that tourism had fallen off since the discovery of a skeleton was an understatement, but though other townspeople might be focused on the loss of tourist income, I was more concerned with finding justice for Isabel.

  “Actually, the number of books people are taking out of the library has skyrocketed,” Mrs. Snicks confided to me at the bar.

  “Oh?” I asked.

  “Yes, borrow a book, possibly see skeletal remains seems to be the thinking. People are morbid. Of course, there are no remains left to see,” she shrugged. “Still, I can’t put books on the shelves fast enough.”

  I nodded sympathetically, although Mrs. Snicks didn’t seem to think being overly busy was a problem.

  “Customers also think I’m some sort of font of information, which of course I’m not. I try to stay informed, but it’s difficult when no one knows anything. This case seems particularly difficult,” she said, looking at me with wide eyes. I wasn’t sure if she wanted me to tell her something or what. Word had gotten around that I did a bit of investigating. By which I mean, Detective Cutter had complained about it to everyone he ran into.

  “I’m sure the detective will solve it soon,” I said to Mrs. Snicks. She made a face.

  The Gray family didn’t arrive all together, nor was I sure why I had expected them to. Lucky came first, then Skip arrived in a separate car with his wife Margarita and her mother. Turned out Isabel had had twins, and they arrived together. One of them appeared to be the mother of Anna, so she was with them. Truly, there were eventually so many people I couldn’t keep track of all the roles and relationships.

  Anna was wearing her customary black and looking as sullen as all get out. Her eyes skated over me as if she didn’t want her family to know she knew me.

  Dana and Horace arrived together, Dana dressed all in black and supported by Horace. Charlotte and the rest of the family came in one by one, and finally they were all there.

  By then the bar was nearly full, with many people looking around in wonder at the crowd. Greer’s clientele was most not the summer people, she mostly saw the locals, guys in biker jackets with grizzled beards, laborers, young people home from college for the summer and glad to be back. That was the crowd she felt most at home with, much to her mother’s dismay.

  “Does this have something to do with the fact that you’re a witch?” Jasper’s voice in my ear made me jump.

  “What are you talking about?” I asked him. He was standing very close behind me, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, in a very good way.

  As happy as I was to have him nearby, I still had a niggling worry that life would have been a lot easier if I hadn’t fallen for someone who was descended from witch hunters.

  “This gathering. All these people. The fact that you always happen to figure out who the murderer is before the police,” said Jasper. “The fact that you put yourself in danger all the time. I have to watch you go out in the middle of the night. Do you have any idea how hard it is for me?”

  “I’m a modern woman,” I told him, even though I didn’t really believe it. The idea that he was worrying about me as I went out at night made my fingers tingle. It had never occurred to me that there would eventually be someone sitting there worrying about me.

  Now it made perfect sense. I often worried about Jasper, so I knew exactly what it felt like.

  I worried when he went to construction sites and I worried about how controlling his grandfather was. I worried because he lived out at the lake by himself.

  Jasper was the most capable man I had ever seen, but I still was allowed to worry.

  “I worry about everybody I care about. It doesn’t have anything to do with whether you’re a modern woman or can stand on your own two feet,” he said. “We worry about the people we love.”

  “I’m sorry. I can’t help being a witch,” I whispered.

  “I would never want you to be anything but who you are. I’m just trying to understand. I’ve dated interior designers, a baker, and a marketing exec, but never a witch. If I had dated actresses I’d probably have a better understanding of their habits, but it hasn’t happened that way.”

  My mouth split into a smile at that.

  “So, you’re going to unveil the killer in front of all these people?” said Jasper.

  “That’s the plan,” I said.

  “What if they turn violent?” Jasper asked.

  “I doubt they will. I think the murder was specifically because of Isabel,” I said. “I don’t think the killer is a danger to anyone else.”

  “I hope you’re right,” said Jasper.

  “In case I’m not, I also invited Detective Cutter,” I said with a slight smile.

  Jasper was still standing behind me, and I could feel him smiling as well. I could also feel a lot of eyes turn in our direction. W
e still hadn’t made any sort of real public statement, but I knew that was coming. For now, just knowing I had Jasper behind me, literally and figuratively, was enough.

  “Am I interrupting?” Hansen asked.

  “Not at all,” Jasper and I chorused together.

  “Totally believable,” said Hansen dryly.

  “Did you want anything in particular?” I asked.

  Hansen paused and bit his lip.

  “Actually, I wanted to ask you about Charlie. She and I have been doing a lot better recently. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we’ve even been sharing information about cases. It’s something I’d like to continue. I enjoy working with her,” he said.

  “She enjoys working with you, too,” I said.

  Jasper guffawed at my statement. He had moved around so that he was standing at my side, facing Hansen. It was far more normal and it drew far less attention from the Mintwood gossips.

  “Don’t insult my intelligence,” said Hansen. “She tolerates me. Mostly when she wants information on a story.”

  “All right, I won’t insult your intelligence. She sees you as the competition,” I said.

  “Would she ever view me as anything else?” Hansen asked.

  I glanced at Jasper, who was trying to look innocent, but it was obvious that the two of them had discussed this topic, and I suspected that Jasper had told Hansen to approach me about it. I wasn’t sure what to say, since total honesty wouldn't work in a situation like this. When men and women start being honest with each other, that’s when problems happen. Like relationships.

  “I think she’s starting to tolerate you more,” I said.

  “Because I couldn’t help but notice that she doesn’t like Penny,” said Hansen.

  I actually liked Penny. She had been fun at the bonfire. How many girls would want to traipse through the woods in the dark to see where a strange purple light was coming from?

  I had barely wanted to do it, and I was a witch.

  “She liked Penny fine,” I said.

  “Not really,” said Hansen. “And I couldn’t help but wonder if it was because she thought the two of us were dating. I do realize that sort of thing is interesting to everyone around here. Confirmed bachelor reporter finally gets a girlfriend; maybe he’s been hiding her this whole time. Charlie would never care about such things. I mean, does she even know if her own editor has a boyfriend or a husband?”

  I was about to respond, but then I realized I had no idea. I knew Lena didn’t wear a wedding ring, but Charlie had never mentioned a significant other for her editor. And I realized at the same time that it was because Charlie couldn’t begin to care if anyone had a life outside the newspaper or not.

  “I’m only asking because I want to know if I have any shot at Charlie seeing me as anything other than the competition. Penny and I are just friends. I can’t tell you why she’s here, but I can tell you that it has entirely to do with her and nothing to do with the fact that we’re in a relationship, because we’re not. We’re just friends. Nothing more,” he said.

  “Nothing more than what?” Charlie asked.

  Hansen gave me a significant look. Then he turned to Charlie. “Nothing. Just discussing details about the case.”

  “Your information had been very helpful in assisting me,” said Charlie.

  As usual Hansen let that go. He knew he wasn’t “assisting” Charlie just as well as Charlie knew it. Given that they both knew she knew it, he didn’t feel the need to remind her.

  If any of that makes any sense.

  But Charlie was still looking at Hansen in confusion.

  He gave a big sigh. “She told me to share this only if I felt like it was absolutely necessary, because its not my information to tell. Penny is here getting over a recent divorce. I offered her a place to stay while she sorted everything out. Caedmon is a lovely town with beautiful views and kind people. Mintwood is all right as well, of course.”

  For a split second, Charlie’s face contorted into the strangest look, as if her lips, eyes, and cheeks didn’t know what form to take. They melted into the most delighted smile at someone else’s pain that I had ever seen. Her eyes shone, her teeth flashed, her skin was clearer . . . okay, that last bit wasn’t true, but it might as well have been.

  I decided that Charlie and Hansen were confusing, and that it was all Hansen’s fault, and I gave Jasper a look to try to tell him as much. But he was too busy laughing into his drink to pay much attention.

  “Thanks so much for having us to such a super fun event,” said Anna, strolling up and speaking to us in a bored monotone.

  She had been eyeing us from across the room, and the downright sociability of her actually speaking to us shocked me, even if her tone belied her words.

  “I’m so glad you could come,” said Charlie. “It will all make sense shortly.”

  “Lucky thinks you’re just trying to get us to fight. Then she thinks you’ll want to write about it,” said Anna.

  Charlie looked aghast. “I would never use such a cheap trick.”

  “It would be pretty funny, though,” said Anna.

  “Why did you bring us here?” Skip asked, strolling up. “A lot of us are leaving Mintwood today, and we have a lot to do.”

  Just then Detective Cutter stalked in, closely followed by Tom, who as usual looked nervous to be out in the world. He should be. He had just walked into a room with a murderer.

  “Yes, I thought it was now or never,” said Charlie, seeing that the police had finally arrived. “Speaking of which, I’m going to get started.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  She turned her back to us, but I knew it gave her comfort to have Hansen, Jasper, and I all standing behind her. She also had Greer behind the bar, while Deacon had tried to sit in the seat that Isabel was occupying and Greer had very confusingly ordered him away.

  “Can I have everyone’s attention, please?” Charlie called out.

  Everyone turned. Charlie was shorter than almost everyone else there, and even her high heels barely brought her up to the height of the shortest of the other attendees. But there was an air of command about her that made everyone prepare to listen. They were all curious about what she had to say.

  “Thank you all for coming. As many of you know, I’m investigating the murder of Isabel Gray, along with my colleague Hansen Gregory of the Chronicle. We have some information that makes us think Isabel was murdered in a conflict about the deed to her house here in Mintwood,” Charlie explained.

  Murmurs went up amongst her family members. Detective Cutter crossed his arms over his chest, but his face gave nothing away.

  “What can that possibly have to do with my mother’s murder?” one of the sisters asked, looking around at her family.

  It was clear that a statement like the one Charlie had just made would bring suspicion on everybody, and they all looked appropriately uncomfortable or disgruntled.

  Except for Lucky.

  Lucky had ordered a scotch and soda and was happily drinking it. Isabel had even pretended to clink glasses with her, but Lucky obviously had no idea.

  “In order to piece all this together, we really need your help. I was hoping that someone could tell me the history of the deed,” Charlie said.

  Everyone in the Gray family turned to look at Isabel’s cousin Esther.

  “I guess I’ve been nominated,” she said.

  “Do it for Isabel,” Lucky yelled from the bar. “And so we can go home.”

  Anna went over to stand near Lucky, and the older woman looked at her in confusion.

  “Isabel inherited the house from her father,” said Esther. “I do believe Dana might know this better, maybe I can explain it clearly enough. Isabel’s father had made the deed out to both of them, but Dana didn’t want the house, or couldn’t afford it at the time, I can’t really remember. The result was that the only practical solution was that the house belonged solely to Isabel. Given that Dana could be there all the time anyhow, tha
t didn’t seem like a big deal. So when their father passed away, Isabel inherited the house, but the rest of us are still able to come visit. I know Isabel was having quite a time deciding whom to leave the house to, and she had finally decided that it didn’t make sense to leave it to all four of her daughters jointly.”

  “You would’ve thought she would want to leave it to the one who stayed there the most, Matilda,” said Charlotte.

  “I wanted to leave it to the one who would take the best care of it,” Isabel interjected.

  “Instead, she decided to leave it to Charlotte,” said Esther.

  “And when was that?” Charlie asked.

  Esther frowned. “When was what?”

  “When did she decide to leave it to Charlotte and not any of the other sisters, or anyone else, for that matter?” asked Charlie.

  “Well, now that you’re asking, I suppose it was last summer,” said Esther with a frown.

  More murmurs went up. Apparently no one in the family had noticed the coincidence that after Isabel had finalized her will with a decision about who should have the house, she had been murdered. And apparently everyone had a different idea about what that meant. Next to me Jasper shifted and glanced in my direction.

  “We’re heading for the finale,” he whispered.

  “I do believe we know all of this,” said Detective Cutter, stepping forward, apparently worried that the gathering was about to get out of hand and Charlie was about to overstep her bounds.

  To be fair, Charlie always overstepped her bounds, so he wasn’t wrong about that.

  “Yes, this is all relatively common knowledge,” said Charlie. “I think what’s special is to have us all together. I can’t take credit for that. That was all him,” she said, nodding to Hansen.

  Now Hansen stepped forward. “At first we couldn’t figure out why anyone would want to kill Isabel. She let everybody use the house. She wanted it to be shared with her family.

  “But then we got to wondering if not everyone wanted the house to be shared. Dana, I was wondering if you could just shed some light on this topic. Is what Esther told us about the deed accurate?”