Witches Just Want to Have Fun

by Amanda M. Lee

  Galen glanced back at the game, his lips curving down when a teenager with a puffed-out chest threw a dart directly at a balloon only to watch it bounce to the side and hit the ground behind the counter with a dull thud. “Huh. I think you might be right.”

  “You’ll find sooner or later that I’m always right.”

  Galen chuckled and shook his head as he lodged the bear under his arm and linked the fingers of his free hand with mine before turning me away from the game. “I’m always up for new adventures so I’m going to take this in stride.”

  “Just think of it as a fond memory.”

  “I’m always looking for fond memories.” Galen nodded his head at two young women who giggled and whispered to one another as we passed, pointing me toward the far tent in his efforts for us to escape the crowd. “Ladies.”

  I waited until we were out of earshot to press the issue. “You have quite the effect on women, don’t you?”

  “Those weren’t women. They were teenagers.”

  “They looked old enough to drink.”

  “They’re sixteen and seventeen. They’re the Hamblin sisters. They look older, but they’re not.”

  “Oh.” I was understandably taken aback. “I guess that’s okay then. You probably have teenagers all over the place who develop crushes on you.”

  “Both boys and girls. I find it flattering and creepy.”

  I decided on a pragmatic tack. “Well … things could be worse. No one could find you attractive because of your pathetic dart-throwing skills.”

  “Good point.” Galen pressed his hand to the small of my back and prodded me toward an empty picnic table between the fortune-teller’s tent and what looked to be some sort of weird beer tent. I couldn’t quite decide what was going on under the second tent, but I was intrigued. “Let’s take a load off for a little bit.”

  “Okay.” I sat and watched as Galen rested the sad bear on the picnic table before sliding onto the bench beside me. It felt a little odd for us to be on the same side, yet I appreciated his closeness all the same. “You said earlier that you were going to tell me about some of the people in town. You’ve yet to do that.”

  “I know, and I’ve been giving it some serious thought,” Galen said, causing a warm jolt of energy to course down my spine when he slipped a strand of hair behind my ear. “On one hand, I don’t want you feeling left out when those around you start gossiping. On the other, I kind of think you’ll miss out if you don’t meet everyone on your own. It’s quite the pickle.”

  “I don’t know what to think about a guy who uses the word ‘pickle’ like that.”

  “Duly noted.” Galen wasn’t bothered at my continuous poking. “Still, I think you might benefit from meeting people on your own timetable. If I introduce you, I’ll be influencing your opinion whether I want to or not. If you meet the townsfolk on your own, you’ll be able to form your own opinion.”

  “And we’re back to this, huh?” I didn’t know whether to be amused or irritated. I settled on amused because I wasn’t in the mood for a fight. “I’m fine with meeting people on my own. I’m not going to pretend I don’t find it weird that you want to shield me from everyone else’s opinions, but I’ve decided to let it go.”

  Galen’s eyes lit with amusement. “Good for you. That’s very magnanimous.”

  I snorted. “I don’t know about that. I’m simply having too good of a time to let something so trite distract me. I reserve the right to fight over it again when it’s not so hot and I’m not so sweaty.”

  Galen leaned closer, so close, in fact, that I could feel his breath on my exposed collarbone. “It’s always hot here. You should probably get used to being sweaty.”

  His playful words caused the energy bolt to return. “Really? How did I know you would say something like that?”

  “I think you’re getting to know me on a personal level.”

  “I think so, too.”

  “I can’t help being glad about that.” I could practically feel Galen’s heart beating through his skin as his arm touched mine. “I like you getting to know me.”

  I swallowed hard as I tried to find my voice. “Well … .”

  I thought he was going to finish leaning in and kiss me – something that both excited and terrified me – but instead he darted his eyes to the right and furrowed his brow. I was so lost in the moment it took me a moment to realize Galen was no longer looking at me. When that realization finally set in, I couldn’t help being disappointed.

  “Did you find something more interesting?”

  Galen carefully shook his head as he slowly stood. “I … don’t know.”

  I tried not to be offended. “Well, I guess I won’t take that personally.”

  “It’s not that,” Galen said. “It’s … that.”

  I was confused. “What?”

  “That.” Galen extended a finger and pointed toward the side of the tent.

  I followed his finger with my eyes, taking a moment to allow my gaze to adjust to the gloom, and sucked in a breath when I realized what I was looking at. “Oh, my … are those feet?”

  Galen nodded as he stalked in their direction. “Yeah, and I’m guessing there’s a body attached. Stay close, Hadley. I don’t like the looks of this at all.”

  4

  Four

  Galen’s face was grave when he found me back at the picnic table twenty minutes later. I stayed with him after the initial discovery – long enough for him to confirm the individual on the ground was dead – and then I gave him room to work. He was the sheriff, after all. He had a job to do. I didn’t want him to feel as if I was crowding him.

  “Hey.” Galen absently trailed his fingers over my back as he sat on the bench next to me, his eyebrows hopping when he got a gander of the huge blue slush I was drinking. “Are you trying to overdose on sugar?”

  I shrugged and stuck out my tongue so he could see the blue hue. “It cools me off, which I think is going to be unnecessary now that you’ve found a dead body. That cools me off, too … just in a different way.”

  “Yes, well … .” Galen’s smile was rueful and I could read the uncertainty and disappointment behind his forced smile.

  “You don’t have to worry about it.” I squeezed his wrist to offer what little comfort I could. “I know this isn’t how you saw our date going. I don’t blame you for having to do your job or anything.”

  “I know. It’s still … disappointing.” Galen tilted his head back, staring at the sky as he rolled his neck. “I was kind of hoping that I’d be able to talk you into resuming sleepovers tonight, but I think I’ll have to back off that thanks to the knife wound in Trish Doyle’s neck.”

  There was so much about that statement I wanted to press him on that I didn’t know where to start. “It’s too soon to have sleepovers.” I meant it. “I thought we agreed to get to know one another first.”

  “I didn’t say the sleepovers required sex.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Please. I’m not new.”

  Galen managed a grin, but it didn’t make it all the way to his eyes. “I’m fine waiting. I was simply messing with you.” He sobered after a beat. “I was just teasing you. I don’t want you to think I was pressuring you. That was a stupid thing to say.”

  “I prefer it when I’m the one who verbally beats you up,” I chided. “I don’t like it when you do it. I know you were joking. Let it go.”

  “As long as you know.” Galen exhaled heavily as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m pretty sure she either died or was severely injured here. I can smell the blood on the ground. The blow was quick and efficient and the knife is still lodged in the soft tissue. I can’t pull it out until the medical examiner is done and I doubt that will be until tomorrow.”

  He was matter-of-fact and I couldn’t hide my surprise that he was sharing sensitive case information. “Why are you telling me?”

  “Because you were with me when I found her and I think you deserve to know.”

 
“I’m not a police officer.”

  “No, but you are … intuitive.” Galen pressed his lips together as he debated … something. Finally he merely shrugged. “I don’t know how else to tell you this … and May would probably be angry that I’m considering it at all … but your grandmother used to help with my investigations occasionally. I’m wondering if you might be in a position to help.”

  I was understandably dubious. “My elderly grandmother helped you solve murder cases?”

  “She’s going to pitch a fit if you call her ‘elderly,’” Galen noted. “I’m serious. She won’t like that one bit.”

  “Well, if she ever shows up and sticks around for longer than five minutes I’ll take that into consideration.” I rubbed my cheek as I studied Galen’s serious face. “How exactly did my grandmother help you with investigations?”

  “She was a witch. You’re a witch. I thought maybe you shared a few powers.”

  I glanced around, worriedly scanning the nearby faces to see if anyone heard. “Say that a little louder,” I grumbled. “I don’t think the guy over there shoving blood samples into test tubes heard you.”

  The man in question, a blond with a charming smile, lifted his chin and started shaking his head. “I heard him. It’s fine. I already knew.”

  I murdered Galen with a dark look, but he was already raising his hands when I swiveled. “Did you hear that? He already knew.”

  “I’m sorry. I should’ve thought about that before I said it.” The words tumbled out of Galen’s mouth. “I know you’re keen to keep that under wraps, big on privacy and all that.”

  “Even though everyone already knows,” the tech called out.

  “Thank you, Dave,” Galen snapped, his eyes flashing. “Don’t you have something you’re supposed to be doing … like working on the body?”

  “I’m collecting soil samples.” Dave was somber as he stood. “The blood spread pretty far from where the body is. I’m not an investigator, but to me that seems to indicate she was alive and bleeding out long enough for the blood to run down the hill and pool up here or … well … .”

  “Or she was initially stabbed down there and dragged up the hill,” Galen finished, his expression thoughtful. “Which one do you think makes more sense?”

  “I’m not the investigator,” Dave replied. “I’m a lowly lab tech. Why not have your girlfriend touch the body and answer that question for you?”

  I balked at the suggestion, jerking my shoulders. “Excuse me?”

  Galen let loose an exaggerated sigh and pinned Dave with a dark glare. “There’s a reason people say you talk too much. You know what that reason is, right?”

  “I’m fine with it.” Dave was blasé as he straightened his shoulders. “I’ll run the blood samples. I might be able to tell you which scenario is more likely, but I’m not sure it truly matters. A knife in the throat tends to suggest a crime of passion.”

  “Especially when the knife is left behind,” Galen murmured as he stared at the medical examiner, a lithe blonde who wore a short skirt and carried a clipboard in her glove-covered hands. “I’ll talk to Darlene before she leaves and ask what she thinks.”

  “She’s going to say what she always says,” Dave countered.

  “Wait for the evidence,” Galen and Dave said in unison, adopting mocking female tones.

  “Well, maybe she has a reason for saying that,” I supplied, sipping my slush as I stared at the woman in question. “She obviously seems very diligent. She’s all dressed up and came to work anyway.”

  “Darlene is a consummate professional,” Galen said. “She’s been in the medical examiner’s office for a long time. I’m glad she’s the one on this case. She’s easy to work with.”

  I stared at the woman’s long legs. “Yeah. I bet.” I realized I was being envious – and not for a good reason – and forced myself from my reverie. “So, you said it was Trish Doyle. The same Trish we saw melt down with her buddy in Lilac’s bar this afternoon?”

  “That would be the one,” Galen agreed, grabbing the slush from my hand and taking a sip without asking. “I can’t believe Ashley would do this, but … I also saw how angry they were with one another earlier. They wanted to throw down.”

  “Trish Doyle, huh?” Dave knit his eyebrows. “I didn’t realize it was her until you mentioned it. She was behind me by a year or two in high school. I always thought she was a bit … .”

  “Fiery?” Galen suggested.

  “I was going to say oversexed,” Dave replied without hesitation. “I know it’s wrong to speak ill of the dead, but that chick was always looking for someone to nail … or rather, someone to nail her. I think she slept with half the town … including you, if I’m not mistaken.”

  My stomach twisted as I pressed my lips together and slid him a sidelong look. I wasn’t exactly jealous, but I wasn’t thrilled with the revelation either. I couldn’t put a name to what I was feeling.

  Galen scowled when he saw my expression. “Thanks for that, Dave.”

  Dave was oblivious. “No problem. I’m going to talk to Darlene and then probably head back to the lab. I’ll send you a report as soon as I have anything.”

  Galen was beyond listening to Dave, instead focused on me. “It was a long time ago.”

  I held up my hand to cut him off. “You don’t owe me an explanation.” That was true. “You’re a big boy. You’ve been an adult for a long time. I’ve seen how you look without a shirt. I’m not exactly surprised you have a past that involves multiple women.”

  I was, however, surprised he had a past with this particular woman. While pretty, she seemed somehow angry and defiant to the point I had a hard time picturing Galen rolling around naked with her. That was something I wanted to keep to myself, though, and think about long and hard later.

  “Oh, don’t phrase it like that.” Galen made a face. “We were both young and dumb … and there was a bonfire. It hardly matters. It was long before I knew anything about you.”

  For some reason his insistence on explaining himself filled me with mirth. “Good to know.” I patted his arm before turning my full attention to Trish’s body. I tried to avoid staring at it from the start, but now it was as if I couldn’t look away. “She looks as if she took a beating before she died. I don’t think the knife wound is the only injury you’ll find.”

  “I agree.”

  “What were Dave and you talking about?” I asked after a beat. “What could May do that you obviously want me to try?”

  Galen heaved out a sigh. “I was sort of hoping you would forget I brought that up. I feel kind of guilty, and I’m not sure this is the time to talk about this.”

  “Well, I’m not sure now is the time to talk about this either, but it doesn’t seem we have much choice.” I forced myself to remain calm as I met his gaze. “What could May do?”

  Galen almost looked contrite as he regarded me. “Sometimes – and it wasn’t something she could do every time – but sometimes May could touch a victim and … um … see what happened to them in the last minutes of their lives.”

  The revelation caught me off guard. “Seriously?”

  Galen nodded, conflicted. “I was hoping maybe you could do the same, but … if you’re not ready … .” He left it hanging.

  I swallowed hard as I stared at the body, a myriad of emotions and feelings rushing through me as I tried to identify one thought to cling to. If I could focus on one thing I would know how to answer … at least I believed that was true. “Oh, well … .”

  “Don’t twist yourself up,” Galen said hurriedly, holding up a hand. “It’s too much to ask. You just found out you’re … .”

  “A witch. You can say it.”

  “Special,” Galen clarified. “You just found out you’re special. The rest of it was far too much to ask.”

  I wasn’t sure I agreed. “I can try. I mean … if you really want … I can try.”

  Galen momentarily looked caught and then shook his head. “No. This is
my job. It’s not your responsibility. Maybe down the line, after you’ve settled a bit, but for now I think you should just be you.”

  I couldn’t help being relieved. “Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure.” Galen smiled as he stroked his hand down the back of my head and handed me the slush. “Finish with your sugar. I have to … .” Whatever he was about to say died on his lips as he narrowed his eyes and looked at a point over my left shoulder.

  I swiveled quickly to see what he was staring at and my eyebrows hopped when I caught sight of one of his deputies dragging a swearing and spitting Ashley Conner with him.

  “I found her, sir,” the deputy announced, pride evident as he puffed out his chest. “She was in the beer tent doing the limbo.”

  For some reason, I found the thought of that so surreal I had to chew on the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.

  “Thank you for that, Roscoe.”

  My mirth shifted to confusion. “You have a deputy named Roscoe? Like on The Dukes of Hazzard?”

  Now it was Roscoe’s turn to scowl. “It’s not at all like The Dukes of Hazzard. I mean … sheesh. Does this look like Kansas to you?”

  “Georgia,” I automatically corrected. “Hazzard County was in Georgia.”

  Galen cocked an eyebrow. “Is there something you want to tell me?”

  I shrugged. “Fast cars turn me on.”

  “Remind me to host a Fast and Furious movie night,” he muttered, shaking his head before focusing on Ashley. “Do you know why you’re here?”

  “I think I’m here because your girlfriend doesn’t put out and you want a real woman,” Ashley spat, causing my cheeks to color.

  Galen remained calm. “That’s not why you’re here. You’re here because of that.” He pointed toward Darlene toiling over Trish’s body. “Do you have anything you want to say about that?”

  I didn’t consider myself an expert on reading people – lord knows I made more mistakes than I could count in that department over the years – but the look on Ashley’s face was so profound that I would’ve swore on a stack of bibles right then and there that she was innocent and had no idea the woman she called “friend” up until a few hours before was dead.