“This is amazing! Just amazing!” Charlie screamed. Hansen had made a diving catch in the end zone. They had won the game.
Without thinking, Charlie darted onto the field. Lots of other people did as well. Delia was making a beeline for her husband, who had performed a heroic block to make the throw possible.
Jasper and Deacon were both on the ground, wrestling playfully.
Jasper had grabbed a handful of grass and dropped it on the top of Deacon’s head.
“Boys never grow up,” said Greer.
We reached Jasper and Deacon and they looked up at us from the ground, each with mud on different parts of his face. Their cheeks were red and they were both breathing hard from the game.
“Jasper, our girlfriends decided to show up. It’s not as if we play sports just to show off in front of them or anything like that. It’s not as if we were sad not to have them here watching us the whole time,” Deacon said. His longish, dirty blond hair fell in clumps over his shoulders.
“Don’t be silly. I didn’t miss having my girlfriend here at all. It wasn’t as if I’ve been dreaming of making that Hail Mary throw in front of her for months or anything like that,” echoed Jasper, his mint green eyes twinkling up at me.
“You two are ridiculous. You’d play sports in the dark if it meant playing sports. We were busy doing girl things for a little bit. Part of why you like us is that we’re independent women who don’t just follow you around,” said Greer.
“Knitting? That is definitely part of why I like you. I still want you here to watch me play, though,” said Deacon. He hopped up and said, “But no matter. You’re here now!”
“Deacon Grate, do not hug me right now. You’re sweaty and muddy and don’t you dare,” said Greer.
She let out a squeal as Deacon wrapped his arms around her, then managed to push him off and run away, laughing as she went. Deacon started to pretend to chase her, but since he was clearly much faster than she was in real life, it was obvious that he was intentionally not catching her. She was laughing hysterically.
I looked over at the sidelines. Greer’s parents had gone home, but the Grates were watching this display of affection with interest. Greer had an uneasy relationship with Mrs. Grate, who was terrifying, so I couldn’t really blame Greer. I had only seen Deacon’s father on a couple of occasions, none of them recent. Mrs. Grate looked as well put together as I would have expected.
After that momentary glance I returned my attention to my own boyfriend, who was still sprawled on the ground looking up at me with a silly expression on his face.
“That was a pretty cool throw, huh?” he said, his eyes bright.
“Yeah, that was a pretty cool throw,” I told him.
“If you’re standing back so I won’t hug you right now, don’t worry. I’m not like Deacon. I won’t do that,” he said. Then he examined a bit of mud on his arm and flipped it off.
“I appreciate your assurances,” I said, reaching to help him up.
“Besides, given that you’re a witch, I wouldn’t want to do anything of the kind,” he said quietly, his eyes twinkling madly.
Before I had a chance to respond, he was slammed into by a delighted Damon.
While the guys play-wrestled to celebrate their victory, Delia came up to me and said, “I was sad about the reception, but I knew it would work out in the end. Now it has. Look how happy everyone is.”
We stood there for a moment enjoying the night, which was about how long it took for Delia to get swept up in the excitement again. She was the bride, after all.
As she walked away to rejoin the celebrating, I saw a shimmering shape in the darkness of the woods. It was definitely a ghost animal, but that’s all I could be sure of.
“Come on,” said Paws, who had seen what I had seen.
“Are you sure? Maybe we should just stay here,” I said.
But I knew Paws was right. My friends were occupied. Greer and Deacon were holding hands and gazing into each other’s eyes. Charlie was still standing with Hansen. Jasper, as a local celebrity, had gotten swept up in talking to various people. If I slipped away now there was a chance I wouldn’t be missed for a few minutes.
“Do you think it’s Burke?” I asked as I followed the cat.
“No, it’s animal, not human,” he said, confirming what my own impression.
“What if it’s a bear?” I asked him. He famously hated the ghost bear that lived on Mintwood Mountain.
“Then you’d be going alone,” he said.
As I slipped into the woods I glanced over my shoulder again. Everyone was still busy enjoying the evening. No one was watching the girl disappearing into the trees by herself.
There was another flash of ghost in front of us, then a large tail disappeared behind a bush.
“A bushy tail behind a bushy bush,” said Paws. “Ironic.”
“Keep going. We don’t have long. Obviously this ghost wants his privacy,” I muttered.
As the ghost kept moving away, I glanced over my shoulder once more. Since the lights from the back of the Lodge were still visible, I didn’t feel at all unsafe.
“Here we are,” said Paws.
Behind an exceptionally large tree, a ghost was waiting for us of a type I had never spoken to before. He wore a vest and held a gold-tipped cane.
“Hello,” I said. “Are you a beaver?”
“I am indeed. You are the Witch of Mintwood?” he asked.
“Yes, I’m Lemmi,” I said. “What’s your name?”
“I can’t tell you. Beavers don’t share such information until we know you better,” he explained.
“Oh, this is going to be special,” muttered Paws. “One normal interaction. That’s all I ask for!”
“What’s your name?” the beaver asked Paws.
The cat told him.
“Nice to meet you,” said the beaver.
“It feels one-sided at the moment,” said Paws.
“Maybe we’ll be lucky and get to know each other better soon,” said the beaver.
“Lucky isn’t the word I would use,” said Paws.
“Be nice,” I told the cat. “What is it you wanted to talk to me about?” I asked, turning back to the beaver.
“You’re here investigating the murder, are you not?” he said.
“I was actually here for a wedding,” I said. “We accidentally found the skeleton.”
“Who found it?” the beaver asked.
“This girl named Gracie. She didn’t take it well,” I said. “It’s a very upsetting find. Gracie made it very clear that she was upset about it.” I thought back to the yelling and crying that had brought us out of the cottages the previous night. Gracie had left immediately, not even staying for the ceremony the next day.
“What was she doing in the cottage in the first place? Was she looking for Burke?” asked the beaver.
I was about to tell the ghost animal that no, she wasn’t, when Paws jumped in.
“Who is here to help whom? Why are you asking so many questions? Are you performing your own investigation?” the cat asked the beaver.
“No. I’m merely curious about how all of this came about,” said the beaver.
“Why are you curious?” I asked.
“Burke was waiting for his body to be discovered. That’s why I’m here. He wanted his skeleton to be discovered, because he didn’t think he’d died of natural causes and he wanted to make sure his family knew what happened to him,” he said.
“I thought he didn’t have family,” I said.
“No one close, but he also meant friends who were like family. He didn’t want anyone to worry,” said the beaver.
“So, you know Burke? Where is he? Can I see him?” I asked. Finally someone had a lead on the missing Burke ghost. If he wanted to be discovered, where was he? Why wasn’t he right here?
“Yes, I know him. We all met each other here in the woods,” said the beaver. “He was a new ghost, so of course we took him under our paw.” He fl
icked his eyes to Paws, then returned them to me.
“What is it exactly that you called me out here to tell me?” I asked him. “Or did you just want to see what my investigation had uncovered? I’d really like to speak with Burke myself.”
“That’s why I asked you here,” said the beaver eagerly. “I’ve never gotten to assist in a murder investigation before. It’s rather exciting. I’d like to do my best. Burke is now a friend, so I don’t want to let him down.”
“Thank goodness for that,” said Paws.
“He isn’t here anymore, which is why I came to give you the information,” said the beaver.
“How can he not be here if this is where his skeleton is?” I asked. Ghosts had to stay where their bodies were except for short periods of time, though they could be gone from the burial place for longer if they were with a witch who was assisting them.
“When he realized that his body had been discovered, he got scared. He had already been spending time away from the campground recently and he just continued to do so. He’s come back very briefly a couple of times, but then his body was taken away. I don’t know where it’s gone. Hopefully he does.”
That was true. Detective Smith was involved in this case. I should have followed up on the location of the skeleton sooner. That might have led me to Burke, although now the ghost beaver was telling me that it might not have. Burke was afraid to show his face. I wondered why.
“Okay, so where is he, then?” I asked. It was growing colder and darker out here. I liked this beaver, but we didn’t have much time left. Someone had probably noticed that I was missing by this time. If any of my friends or my boyfriend decided to start looking for me, that would mean I had caused them worry. Since I didn’t want that, I had to get back very soon.
“Yes, let’s get on with it. We’re going along nicely with our investigation, so this will only be a little bit of help,” said Paws.
The beaver, much like Tank, did not seem terribly offended by Paws’ dismissiveness. At least in that he had some sense.
“Burke would like to speak with you. Luckily enough, he was already spending a lot of time in Mintwood. The good news is that he’s waiting for you there now. I told him that a witch was investigating and he was very relieved. He’s at the Mintwood Muddled cemetery,” said the beaver.
“Really! Is he friends with Funnel?” I asked. The old dog who stayed at that cemetery was a good friend of mine. He visited the farmhouse frequently, much to Paws’ dismay.
“That’s all I can tell you for now. You should be getting back and so should I.” Without so much as a goodbye, the beaver turned and left. I threw several questions at his retreating back, but he didn’t answer any of them.
“Whoever thought I’d be jealous of a beaver and his ability to walk away,” Paws wondered as we made our way back.
As quickly as possible I melted back into the football crowd. Almost immediately, Jasper found me and slung his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. I snuggled into him, at this point not caring about the sweat. Despite the fact that he was dirty, I wanted his arm around me.
“I got worried when you slipped into the woods.” His voice was so soft that only I could hear.
“You noticed?” I couldn’t hide my surprise.
“Of course. I’m always aware of where you are. The air changes when you’re around versus when you’re not,” he said.
“In a good way, I hope,” I said.
I felt Jasper’s ribs vibrate as he chuckled. Somehow he still felt impossibly warm.
“No, in a toxic waste sort of way. Of course in a good way,” he said.
We came to a halt in front of the Lodge, where we found Liam preparing to head back to Mintwood for the night.
Deacon came up carrying Greer in his arms. She had succumbed to his muddy hugs and changed tactics. While I’d been talking to the beaver, she had managed to dump him into the lake. They both looked soaked and happy.
“Maybe we should head back to Mintwood tonight too,” I mused. After the conversation with the beaver I wanted to get to the cemetery as quickly as possible to see if I could find the ghost of Burke.
“We can get up in the morning before it’s full light and go. I’m just too tired right now,” said Charlie. To illustrate her point, she covered up a big yawn.
“I don’t have a lot of energy either,” said Greer, shaking her head. They both did look really tired. If I looked anything like they did, we all had good reason to want some sleep.
“I’m heading back,” said Liam. “I can’t leave Mom alone at the store tomorrow. For all I know there isn’t even a store left by now.” He was still covered in mud, but he looked delighted about it.
“Good game today,” said Hansen, clapping him on the back.
“You aren’t so bad yourself for someone from Caedmon,” said Liam with a grin. “I’ll see you around soon. Next time you’re on Main Street, stop in at the Twinkle.”
“Will do,” said Hansen.
We watched Liam trudge to his car, then made plans to get cleaned up.
There were showers in the Lodge that people staying in the cottages could use, and the guys planned to take turns. Charlie, Greer, and I decided that we’d shower too.
By the time we were finished, we were all exhausted. After some quick goodnights, I fell into my bed. Greer threatened Charlie about snoring, but before I could even hear Charlie’s reply I had fallen asleep.
I didn’t know how long I’d been in dreamland when noises outside the window woke me up. At first I ignored them, but they persisted, until eventually I woke up enough to stick my head out of the covers just far enough to peer through the window.
The noises weren’t a raccoon, a deer, or even Paws.
They were a stream of dark ghosts.
They weren’t attacking Charlie, Greer, and me. They were attacking the guys’ cottage next door.
Chapter Twenty
Instantly I was wide awake. Throwing my covers off, I tore out of bed. Dark flashes of yellow blossomed through the window as my bare feet hit the cold wooden floor with a thud, waking up Charlie and Greer.
“We should have left earlier,” I muttered.
“Then we wouldn’t have been here to defend them,” said Greer, pointing to the cottage.
I could hardly see her face in the darkness. Her voice sounded terrified but steady. “Why are they attacking that cottage and not this one?” said Charlie.
“I have no idea. Maybe they got the wrong address,” I said.
A familiar voice called out to me, but by the time I silenced my heart rate enough to listen, it was gone.
“Wendell is here,” Greer muttered.
“Oh, good,” said Charlie, who sounded wide awake and alert.
There was a whining at the door and I rushed over.
“Couldn’t you have just floated through or something?” Greer asked as Paws came trotting into the room, his shiny fur standing on end.
“No, I could not have. Besides, that would be rude. There are dark ghosts here. They’re going to attack the handsome trio over there,” he said.
My friends went to look out the window, but I knew I didn’t have time for that. I had to get outside. I was the witch, after all.
I always slept with my wand under my pillow, and tonight was no different. I had grabbed it as I rushed out of bed, and now I tucked it safely into my sleeve. Given that it was so chilly outside, I also took the time to pull a jacket on over my pajamas.
I tried to open the cottage door as quietly as possible, but it wasn’t the most perfectly sealed of doors. Through the crack at the bottom I could see dark ghosts floating past. I didn’t know where he was, but Greer was right: Wendell was nearby.
I felt someone at my back and turned to find Charlie looking intently at me.
“Can we help?” she asked.
I scarcely dared to breathe. “I’m not sure.”
“Can our jewelry protect us?” Charlie asked.
“I t
hink it should. It marks you as a friend of mine. But we’ve never tested it that way, though, and I’m not sure tonight is the night to try it out,” I said.
More dark ghosts sailed past; the situation was getting worse and worse. Not only were Jasper and the rest in danger, but I didn’t know if I could even protect my roommates. Charlie and Greer both wore special jewelry, but was that enough?
Greer now came up to me in the darkened cottage. “We’re going with you. I don’t care if this jewelry helps or not. What’s the worst that a dark ghost could do to us?”
“Knowing Ellie and these dark ghosts, it’s hard to say. Maybe perform a spell on you. They could surely hurt you if they wanted to.”
“Given that they aren’t solid beings, I feel as though it would be difficult,” said Charlie.
“I’m not afraid,” said Greer. “Besides, Deacon is over there. I can’t leave him alone when I know he’s in danger.”
“So is Hansen. I don’t know what to do about that. We can’t very well tell them what I am,” I said.
I had toyed with the idea of telling Deacon, but it always seemed too complicated. Yes, he was Greer’s love, and that made things difficult, but some secrets were better kept secret.
Hansen was an entirely different ballgame. He was a beat reporter and someone who loved news. I wasn’t sure what he’d do if he had to choose between the most important story of his career and me, so I didn’t dare risk offering it to him.
Of course, he’d have to decide whether to believe me before he did anything else. Sometimes I thought he already sensed that something strange was going on with me. When I got to the bottom of a mystery too quickly, for instance, he might wonder why. But I figured he probably just thought I was paying under the table for information, or something silly like that.
As far as I could tell, Miss Violetta was the only local person who had ever assumed, for no good reason that I knew of, that witches were at the root cause of anything that happened in Mintwood.
Bored with what he no doubt saw as our irrelevant chit-chat, Paws yawned. “I’m going outside where the sounds aren’t as grating.” With that the cat disappeared into the night.
Witch of Mintwood Mysteries 7-9 Page 52