“I like the idea that it’s political,” Greer agreed. “Too bad Mrs. Barnett is never going to tell us anything about the midnight rendezvous.”
“Yeah, she’s pretty good at keeping secrets,” I agreed back.
“I feel bad that Charlie doesn’t have a date to the wedding. We both do. It seems unfair,” said Greer.
She had touched on something I’d been thinking about a lot since I started dating Jasper.
“She seems happy enough single,” I said. “at least except for the times when we’ve run into Andy.” It was because Charlie’s ex-boyfriend had dumped her while they were living together that she’d ended up living with Greer and me. “I know she’s been more than happy to concentrate on her work at the paper, but I feel bad too. She likes Deacon and Jasper, but I worry that she feels like the fifth wheel a lot of the time.”
“Maybe she’ll meet a nice single guy at the wedding. Or maybe she’ll finally come around to the idea that Hansen Gregory is the one for her,” Greer mused.
“Given that she’s so observant in general, I have no idea how she’s managed to miss the ever so obvious fact that Hansen has a thing for her,” I said.
“I have no idea either,” said Greer, “but if she isn’t careful he’s going to get a girlfriend and forget all about her.”
“Charlie is pretty hard to forget about,” I said.
“Don’t I know it,” muttered Greer.
After we took care of a few chores to get the farmhouse ready for our weekend away, we were ready to pack.
“Think we should ask Paws what we need to bring?” I wondered.
Jasper had given me suggestions, but they weren’t very helpful. They were guy suggestions. “Bring good boots,” he’d said.
Yes, and eight sweaters and my tweed skirt and my cute gloves . . . come on.
“Paws wasn’t on the porch when I came home,” I said.
“He wasn’t there when I woke up this morning, either,” said Greer.
“Was he there when you woke up this afternoon?” I asked.
“I came downstairs at eleven fifty-four. Technically, that’s still morning.”
“Where could he be?” I wondered as we stood on the porch surveying the yard.
I rarely saw any of the ghosts during the day, but when I saw one of them it was usually Paws. That even he was missing in action seemed rather strange.
“Maybe he was upset after the séance failed last night,” Greer suggested.
“None of us were happy, that’s for sure,” I agreed.
A bit worried now, we started looking for Paws. He wasn’t under the porch or on the lawn. He wasn’t underneath the car and he wasn’t on his crate.
“Could he be in the house?” said Greer.
“I doubt it,” I said. “He doesn’t like going inside too much.”
Greer continued to wander around searching for him out front, while I went to the back yard shed and looked there. He had hidden various important objects in the shed over the years, including my grandmother’s wand. Maybe this time he had decided to hide himself.
Sure enough, there he was. Barely visible in the bright light of day, the ghost cat was curled up in a ball, asleep.
There were old snow shovels leaning against the wall of the shed with the scoop side facing the wood paneling. Paws was lying between the shovels and the wall. Cats usually picked places to rest that were hard to sneak up on, and ghost cats were no exception.
I knelt down and started petting Paws’ fur gently. His eyes flew open, but he relaxed when he saw that it was me.
“Hi, what are you doing here? Were you afraid that the dark ghosts would come again? You don’t have to be afraid anymore,” I told him.
He blinked several times, then started purring as he bowed his head into my hand and let me keep stroking him between the ears.
The purring got louder.
This was the first time I had ever really felt compassion for the animal. He had come all the way out to the shed, after all; he must have been unusually upset.
“I’m not afraid of any stupid dark ghosts,” he scoffed, suddenly coming alive. “What do I have to fear from them anyway? No, I came out here because of the wedding this weekend.”
I frowned. “What about the wedding? What does that have to do with you?”
Paws said, “I hate weddings. I thought if you didn’t see me you might be convinced to go without me.”
“But it’s an outdoor wedding. I thought you’d like that,” I said.
“I don’t want to go,” said Paws.
“Worried happiness is catchy?” I said.
“Right up there with fleas and ticks,” he said.
“Okay, that’s fine,” I said, standing up.
The cat’s head snapped around to look at me. “It is?”
“Of course. I don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to do,” I told him.
“Why not?” he said.
“No one gets into cat ownership and expects to be listened to. Or parenthood, I’m told,” I said.
“Quite right,” he said.
“If you want to stay home this weekend, that’s fine with me. We’re leaving tonight and we’ll be back on Sunday. Just try to get along with Tank as much as you can. You two can have the whole place to yourself,” I said.
Paws just stared at me until I left the shed and went to find Greer.
We spent the afternoon chatting as we filled our suitcases with half the contents of our closets. Only kidding, half our closets didn’t fit in the suitcases. But I did want to be prepared.
“What do you think is up with Paws?” I asked, after I told Greer that the cat didn’t want to come camping.
“Maybe he and Honolulu are fighting,” she suggested. Honolulu was a ghost cat Paws was in love with. Her owner had died and I had investigated the murder. Now she and Paws were fast friends.
“Maybe, but then wouldn’t he want to get away from Mintwood for a while?” I wondered.
“You never know with that cat,” said Greer.
“True,” I agreed.
At first I hadn’t wanted to go to this wedding either, because I had no idea what you were supposed to wear to a rustic, outdoor wedding.
Charlie and even Greer had informed me that I was being silly.
“Just wear a summer dress. Something pretty but relaxed. Bring a cardigan in case it gets chilly,” suggested Charlie.
I had heeded her advice. In my closet was a dress I had never worn before, cornflower blue with lace trim. I liked it because it nipped in at the waist but wasn’t too short. I hung it carefully inside a garment bag to take along, then decided to bring a dark pink sweater to throw over it in case I got cold.
My grandmother’s feet were way too small for me, so I couldn’t wear her shoes. Footwear was thus a problem. In the end I chose simple ballet flats for both the rehearsal dinner and the ceremony. They could easily be kicked off for dancing later, then no one could say I didn’t look nice, but I would also be comfortable.
“If a bear shows up at dinner tonight we need to be in comfortable enough clothing to run away in,” said Greer, examining a black pants suit as a possible wedding wear option.
“Black to a wedding?” I said.
“It’s apparently fine in modern times. Besides, this couple doesn’t seem picky. I’m going with something a bit different, though.” Greer proudly pulled out a green plaid blazer and tight corduroys. “I’m going to wear this to the rehearsal dinner,” she said.
I gaped.
“Yes, my mom is going to be furious,” she added with a smile.
Mrs. Dice was a formidable lady. She had no use for excuses or for everyone not behaving properly at all times. In case you were in doubt, she was the one who defined what was proper and what was not.
“I’m sure Delia will appreciate it,” I said.
Deacon’s cousin was marrying the girl of his dreams. When he was younger he’d been so preoccupied with going on all sorts of outdo
or adventures that he didn’t have time to date. Delia, for her part, had been busy trying to get her master’s degree. But they both enjoyed the outdoors, and after they met they were inseparable. Two years later they were getting married in the Maine woods.
“Which family do you think will crack first?” Greer asked as she checked the blazer to make sure it was clean.
“Huh?” I said.
“I’m going with Damon’s parents. They went along all these years not seeming to notice that he wasn’t going to have a conventional wedding. I fear they’re surprised now,” she said.
“How do they feel about nature?” I asked.
“They prefer it on postcards,” she answered.
Just then we heard the front door slam, and Charlie came running up the stairs grinning from ear to ear.
“I have an idea about who’s meeting at the Daily Brew after hours,” she said.
“Who?” I asked.
The thought had crossed my mind that Miss Violetta might be half right, and it was the Witch Hunters who gathered at the Daily Brew. The only thing that kept me from taking that theory really seriously was that thanks to Paws I had already walked in on one of their meetings, and it hadn’t been there.
“Protesters!” exclaimed Charlie happily. “I bet Mrs. Snicks has gathered a group to plan protests. She tries to get Mrs. Barnett to join from time to time. It would make sense.”
“Except that then wouldn’t Lemmi be invited to this epic gathering of county dissidents doing remarkable jobs passing for pillars of the community?” Greer asked.
“Maybe they don’t think Lemmi is dedicated enough to the cause,” Charlie suggested.
“That’s right. I am a weekend weather protester,” I said.
“What’s that?” Greer said.
“No idea. Made it up just now. Has to do with sunshine and leisurely Saturdays,” I said.
Charlie shrugged. “Fine, you can think what you like. I wouldn’t be surprised if I turn out to be right, though.”
“I’d say political protest is the most likely,” said Greer.
Just then Charlie’s eyes landed on the blazer.
“Is that what you’re wearing tonight?” she said.
To answer her, Greer put it on.
Charlie frowned. “You really like testing your mother’s patience, don’t you?”
“What patience? She doesn’t have any patience,” Greer shrugged. “Are you ready to go?”
Charlie nodded. “I just have to shower and change. Packed last night. It didn’t take long.”
“We’ve been through all the reasonable possibilities about who’s meeting late at night at the Daily Brew,” I mused. “The only one still in contention is a political meeting for an unannounced town council candidate. I need a list of current council members, then we can figure out who’s up for re-election and who might need to be replaced.”
I hated the thought of looking into the council. There were a couple of formidable names who were members, including Mrs. Sounds. It was my dearly held hope that she wasn’t up for re-election this year. If she was, that would explain why her challenger felt the need to hide in a closed coffee shop at midnight while wearing a hood.
Mrs. Sounds was a singular terror; she herself very well might be behind the secret meetings. There weren’t a lot of people around town who would dare to take on the mayor, but she was one of them.
Our topic shifted dramatically as the conversation went on The fact that Greer and I both had dates to the wedding had apparently been on Charlie’s mind.
“At first I thought I should find a date, but I know it’s too late now,” Charlie said. “People behave so ridiculously at weddings. I thought that if I didn’t get a date, I’d never hear the end of it. Then I decided that was better than actually having one.”
“So true,” agreed Greer.
“The only trouble is,” she added, “now I’ll get hit on by the weird cousin.”
“In this case that would be Deacon,” said Greer.
“Okay, one of the other weird cousins,” said Charlie.
“If only we knew a single man who enjoyed being at the center of the action and meeting the cream of the mountain crop,” I said. “For the next wedding,” I added, when Charlie started to give me the side-eye.
“Are you suggesting I ask Keith of Mintwood Mountain Mucking to the next wedding?” Charlie said. “He’s a bear of a man.”
Both Greer and I frowned at Charlie. Sometimes it was hard to tell if she was being intentionally dense or not. In this case I could honestly say I didn’t think it was intentional.
“What about Hansen?” I said.
“What about him for what?” said Charlie. “Is there an interesting story to be written about?”
Greer and I gave her that mystified look again.
“Maybe you should have asked him to be your date to the Stumper Wedding,” Greer said, deadpan.
“But there isn’t a story to write,” Charlie said.
“But he’s a good person who likes hanging out with us,” I replied.
“Oh, that.” Charlie bit her lip, looking confused. “I could have asked him, I guess,” she said after a moment of pondering. “But he’s probably busy. There might end up being a story, though.”
“Yeah, you could just have asked him in the hopes that there would turn out to be a story,” I agreed.
Charlie was looking as if she wished she had thought of this sooner.
We had all had to make compromises to go to this wedding, but they seemed worth it. I’d had to turn down three pet sitting jobs this weekend because of the wedding, cutting badly into my bottom line. Greer had reluctantly agreed to leave her dog Charger Bear at home.
I mused about all of this as we continued to get ready for the weekend, taken with the thought of what we do for our friends.
As I finished packing I realized that I was still nervous about the weekend. After what had happened the night before, how could I not be? At least Jasper was coming over and we were going to ride to the dinner together. Charlie would come with us, and Greer would ride with Deacon.
I couldn’t wait to see Jasper.
Jasper was supposed to arrive at five, and he was there promptly. Following him in another truck was Deacon.
There was no sign of Tyler Spin anywhere. I thanked my lucky stars for that.
“Why are they on time?” Greer yelled from upstairs.
“Don’t they know she’s only been awake for half an hour?” Charlie joked. She and I were sitting in the living room, ready to leave. Our suitcases and garment bags were sitting next to the door.
When I heard the trucks drive up I went to the window and waved.
There on the porch was something I had never seen before.
Paws was sitting on his crate as usual, but stacked in front of him were several suitcases, old and ratty-looking leather numbers with various stamps and stickers on them. When he saw me in the window he said, “I don’t know if you brought up Tank intentionally to be mean or if it was a pure accident, but either way I’m coming with you.”
“If I had known mentioning him would convince you to come, I would have kept quiet,” I said.
“I can’t possibly believe you,” he said.
I grinned at him and opened the front door. Jasper and Deacon came in to get our luggage. They had clearly just come from work and they both looked gorgeous in slacks, jackets, and button down shirts perfectly chosen to set off their eyes and hair. Neither of them was wearing a tie, a polite nod to the casualness of the occasion.
“Evening,” said Deacon, stuffing hands into his slacks.. “Where’s my girl?”
“She’s upstairs, angry that you’re on time,” said Charlie.
Deacon grinned and brushed past us, saying, “I’m going upstairs to take my punishment like a man.” He was going to leave his truck at our place so we could take one of our cars with us, just in case.
“How’s it going? Find any cases at the softball game?�
� Jasper asked.
“I found out that Michael waters down the lemonade,” said Charlie.
“A secret that must be revealed,” Jasper agreed. “Shall I put your luggage in the truck?” He eyed the stacks of suitcases. “You do know we’re only going for two nights, right?”
“What’s the point of driving if you can’t pack everything you want?” I said with a smile.
Jasper opened his mouth to say something, then thought better of it. Picking up the first load of suitcases, he made his way off the porch. I tried to turn my back on him before I saw his judgmental look at the porch supports, but I wasn’t fast enough.
“He’s judging your porch,” Paws whispered to me.
“Bite your tongue,” I told him.
“How is my luggage going to fit into the truck considering how much you two are bringing?” said the cat.
“It’s ghost luggage. What does a ghost cat need with luggage anyway?” I asked.
“I’ll have you know that all of my possessions are very important,” said Paws.
After Jasper finished packing the truck, the three of us decided to wait for Greer and Deacon on the porch. It was a beautiful evening, the only downside of which was that Paws was there.
Charlie and I sat on chairs, while Jasper took the rocker. He knew better than to mention the sagging.
“What do you think of this whole wedding business and Delia and Damon doing things their own way?” Charlie asked him.
He shrugged. “I know Damon’s parents just want him to be happy. His grandparents are a different matter. His grandfather is friends with mine. He was complaining about the venue and the cost. He was also complaining about the girl. He didn’t think she was good enough for Damon.”
“What did your grandfather say?” Charlie asked.
“He didn’t tell me that. My grandfather has always been very hard to work with. We have to live in the right place, we know the right people, we go to great schools. He somehow thinks that makes you more important.” Jasper shook his head.
I was heartened to see that Jasper didn’t appear to agree with his grandfather on most of those points. Between his grandfather and the fact that he was a Witch Hunter, we weren’t going to have the easiest of futures.
Witch of Mintwood Mysteries 7-9 Page 45