“Dru, wait,” he called as her heels clicked on the concrete. “Dru, honey, come on.”
She got into her car and backed it out of the garage. Maximillian got into his truck and backed out after her. Apparently, he intended to follow her wherever she was going. That gave us an opening.
Chapter Fifteen
“Let’s go,” Annika said as soon as they were gone and the garage door was lowered.
“You don’t think they’ll come right back?”
“Nah, she’s going to make him chase her for a while.”
We were in luck, and the back door was unlocked. It led into a laundry room off the kitchen. The house wasn’t huge, but it was much nicer than I’d expected. From the outside, it just looked like your regular suburban type home, but it was so much more.
The fit and finishes in each room had to have cost Maximillian a fortune. From the marble in the bathrooms to the tray ceilings and crown molding in the bedrooms, the whole house had been redone to look like a tiny mansion on the inside. All of the furniture looked pricy too.
That included the giant mahogany desk in what had to be Maximillian’s home office. I went through the drawers and found his important files easily. He had them in the same drawer as Langoria. They must have had shared habits form their marriage that never died.
What I found on the top of the file shocked me more than I expected. As in it wasn’t what I expected to find at all.
The first thing was a letter written and signed by Langoria:
Dear Maximillian,
While I do appreciate that you have taken care of my financially for all of these years after our divorce, I now understand why you’d like to stop. I originally fought you in court out of a stubborn sense of pride and entitlement. But you are right. I’ve been living well on your dime for long enough.
Thank you for the good years we had together, and thank you for making sure I always had what I needed. Even if you didn’t do it out of the kindness of your heart, I still appreciate all you have done.
Your friend,
Langoria
Underneath the letter was an agreement filed with the court ending the alimony payments. She had voluntarily given up the alimony before she died. Maximillian didn’t have a motive to kill her after all.
“Come on, Annika,” I said.
I found her in their pantry snooping around. Clearly she was not taking the case as seriously as I was, but that was okay. I had all of the information I needed from Maximillian’s house.
“Oh, we’re leaving.”
“Yeah,” I said. “I found paperwork in his office where Langoria dropped the alimony before she died. He had no reason to kill her.”
“Well, I mean, he might have had other reasons. We just don’t know.”
“I don’t think so,” I said.
“You sure you don’t want to look around some more. We did break in here after all. Might as well make it worth our while.”
“No, I think we should go. We’ve kinda broken into an innocent man’s house. Let’s get out of here.”
We left and I took Annika home. We agreed to meet for lunch the next day at Dumbledore’s Diner. I was too emotionally drained to feel like hanging out that night.
I really wanted to talk to Thorn, but I didn’t want to come off as needy. So instead of texting him when I got home, I just sat on the sofa and stared at my phone willing him to text or call me.
I’m in the neighborhood, can I come by?
It worked. He texted me right about the time his shift was usually over for the evening.
Sure. I’d like that. – was my response.
Good, ‘cause I’m in your driveway.
I went outside to greet Thorn as he was getting out of his cruiser. Neither of us said anything. I just hurried across the lawn and threw myself into his arms.
He kissed me quickly and then pulled back. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m just really happy to see you. I guess I didn’t realize how worried I’d been about…”
“I’m sorry about that,” he said and pulled me close to him again. “And I’m sorry I made you worry. My job is to make you feel happy and safe, and I failed you.”
“You didn’t fail me.”
He kissed the top of my head and took my hand. “Let’s go inside before your neighbors call the cops on us for indecency.”
I laughed at that. “One, I hardly think a couple of kisses is indecent and two, you are the cops. Oh, and three, what neighbors?”
“There’s always someone watching around here. Even if you can’t see them.”
“Well, that was thoroughly creepy,” I said.
“I would think it would take more than that to creep out someone like you,” he said with a soft smile.
“Someone like me?” I asked as we walked through my front door.
“I just mean someone who lives across the street from a cemetery that she happens to work in. And lives in this big old house alone. And has that hair.” Thorn twirled a strand of my hair around his finger. “And there’s something else.”
Thorn looked like he was on the verge of a realization, and I knew exactly how he felt. It was how I felt before I knew I was a witch. When the notion was nothing more than an itch irritating the back of my brain.
“Something else?” I asked.
I wanted him to figure it out on his own, because I sure didn’t want to be the one to tell him. But could he even figure it out? The humans of Coventry willfully ignored the magic around them, but was there more to it than that? Was there magic in place to keep them from questioning the strange things that went on around them? If I dropped it right then and there, would Thorn just move on to a different topic?
Part of me wanted to let that happen, but the other half knew it was wrong. I was a witch, and if he and I were going to be something serious, I couldn’t hide it from him. If for no other reason than it would take more energy than I wanted to spend just to keep him in the dark. And I didn’t really want to keep Thorn in the dark about who I was. If we were going to fall for each other, then I wanted him to love the real me.
“Yeah, it’s like… I’m not sure… Brighton, do you ever feel like there is a whole other world out there that is just beyond your reach?” Thorn asked. “I mean, I know that sounds totally nuts, but it’s like there is a veil covering something. I can almost see it. I can almost touch it, but I’m not sure how. And every time I get close, it’s just gone again. Somehow, I just move on until the next time I’m close again. Man, that sounds so crazy. I’m sorry,” he said and started to put his hat back on his head.
“It’s not crazy, Thorn,” I said. “Come sit, please.”
“You don’t think I’m nuts?”
“Not at all, and honestly, I know exactly what you mean,” I said and moved to the sofa. “Please, come sit.”
He sat down next to me. “What do you think it is?”
“I know what it is,” I said and kissed him swiftly on the lips. “But if I tell you, you have to promise to hear me out. You have to swear that you’ll let it settle instead of running out of here on me.”
“You’re scaring me,” he practically whispered.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of, but promise me that you’ll hear me out. I’m going to let you in on something I’m not even sure if I’m supposed to tell you, but it feels like the right time. I’m trusting my intuition here, and I need you to trust me.”
“Okay,” he said, and I realized he’d taken my hand. “This is so strange. I feel strange. It’s like the edges are all fuzzy now.”
“That’s because you’re close to a truth. You’re close to a truth that most humans never even see.”
“Humans?” Thorn cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes. “Are you an alien or something?” he asked with a nervous chuckle.
“No, Thorn. I’m a witch.”
“What? Like you practice all that Wicca stuff? Is that why you dyed your hair like that?” His questions c
ame gushing out, and there was a premature relief to them.
“No, not like that.” I said. “It’s not like a religion that people try to practice. I mean that I am a witch. I was born a witch. In fact, at least half of this town are witches.”
“Like, you think you have magical powers?”
“I don’t think I have magical powers, Thorn. Stay with me here. I do have magical powers. So do a lot of us in this town.”
He flinched for a second, but then recognition settled in his eyes. “That just can’t be possible.”
“I promise you that it is,” I said and stood up. “Meri, come here.”
“Why are you calling the cat?” The anxiety in his voice was almost palpable.
“How long have you lived in this town?” I asked.
“My whole life,” he said and scooted to the edge of the sofa.
“And how long as there been a big black cat living in or around this house?”
He swallowed a lump in his throat. “No. That’s not… I mean, always. But there’s an explanation for that, Brighton. It’s obviously not the same cat.”
“But it is,” I said. “And there’s no explanation for this.”
What I did next was rather drastic, but necessary. I closed my eyes, envisioned a roaring fire in the fireplace, and snapped my fingers. As I’d hoped, a fire roared to life in the stone hearth.
“What?” Thorn rubbed his chin with the palm of his hand. “You have to have a remote or something. That was just a trick. Brighton, why are you doing this?”
“Yes, Brighton, why are you doing this?” Meri asked as he sauntered into the room from the kitchen and sat down on the floor in front of Thorn. “Why are you telling a human about us?”
Thorn’s eyes went wide. “He’s talking.”
“He is,” I said. “Meri is my familiar.”
“You’re completely serious.”
Thorn’s tone had turned from fear to something that sounded more like wonder. He looked at Meri and then back at me again.
“I am, but Thorn, I think you already knew this. You just didn’t let yourself dwell on it.”
“I have seen some things, but there was always a way to explain it away. Even when I saw things that defied explanation, I could always talk myself out of believing it by the time I got home. Then I would just move on to something else.”
“That’s what happens with all of the humans in Coventry. It’s how the witches and the humans can live together without the regular folks finding out. But you seem different. It was like you were closer than the others.”
“Maybe because I spend so much more time out in the community. I’ve just seen more?” he offered.
“That could be,” I said. “But what do you think of all of this. Are you okay?”
“I could use a beer,” he said.
“Let me go see if I have any,” I said.
“Brighton.” Thorn stopped me. “You said that the last time I was here. How do you not know if you have any beer? Are you just blackout drinking every night?”
“No,” I said with a laugh. “I don’t buy any beer, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have any. The house… I don’t know how to explain it. I take care of it, so it takes care of me.”
“You mean beer just appears in your fridge?”
“That amongst other things. Coffee, snacks, money.”
“Money?”
“Oh, yeah, I’ve found a couple of stashes. Not just the money in the books either. I’ve found jars or tins of money. But I think those were hidden by Maude. I can only see them when I really need them.”
“Wait, that means she wasn’t really crazy.”
“Yep,” I said. “Now let me see about those beers.”
We drank the beers I found in the fridge in front of the fire in silence. It seemed like Thorn was letting it all sink in, so I left him alone to marinate in what I’d just told him.
“It’s getting late,” he said.
“It is.”
“I don’t want to leave, though. I’m not sure why. It’s like I’m afraid if I walk out the door, the world will change. Or maybe I’ll forget everything. You wouldn’t do that, would you? Let me in on all of this and then erase my memory.”
Suddenly, I was back at the night Remy was here. When he’d told me that I’d choose Thorn, but that he’d break my heart. Had Remy tried to erase my memory and failed? That idea freaked me out a little bit.
“I have two guest rooms, or you can ride the couch. If you want to stay, you can.”
“It wouldn’t look right,” Thorn said.
“Thorn, sweetie, no one is looking. And if they are, so be it. You’re going to crash on the sofa or in one my guest rooms. If I didn’t know you’d already told people we were together, I’d think you were trying to keep it a secret.”
“How do you know I told anyone?” he asked and pulled me into his arms again.
“Because people knew, and I hadn’t had the chance to tell anyone.”
“I’m sorry. I just couldn’t keep it to myself.” He kissed my forehead. “The most beautiful, exotic woman in town is my girlfriend.”
“So we’re still?”
“Yeah. I mean, I’m not going to break it off with you after finding out you live in a magic house full of free beer and money.”
I slapped him playfully on the arm. “Hey.”
“I’m kidding,” Thorn said, but then his face went completely serious.
“What? What is it?”
“Outside. Your front curtain is open a bit. I thought I saw someone out there.”
“Might have been a ghost,” I offered.
“Oh, great,” he said. “So those are real too.”
“Yep, and they do drop by here from time to time.”
“Maybe I will go home,” he said with a smile.
“Don’t be a scaredy-cat,” Meri said and brushed against Thorn’s legs.
“I’m not going to get used to him talking.”
“I thought the same thing, but you will. He grows on you.”
“Whatever,” Meri said.
“Whatever, cat.”
“Hang on,” Thorn said and gently pushed me away.
“What?” I asked.
“I think I saw it again. I think there is someone outside. Stay here, ghost or not, I’m going to check the perimeter.”
“My hero.”
A few minutes after Thorn went outside, he returned. “I didn’t find anyone, but there was definitely someone out there. The ground is soft outside that window, and there are footprints. Someone was looking in. I’m definitely staying.”
“What about the ghosts?” I teased.
“You said you’re a witch. I have every faith that you can protect me.”
Chapter Fifteen
When I got up the next morning, Thorn was already gone. The blankets he’d used to sleep on the sofa were folded neatly. There was a note on top.
I didn’t run off. I promise. I just had to be to work early. I won’t disappear on you. Whatever you are, Brighton, you are perfect to me. Oh, and thank the fridge for the iced coffee and bagel with cream cheese I found in there this morning. I much appreciate the breakfast.
He had a way of making me feel safe and cared for, that was for sure. And apparently, the house approved of him too because I hadn’t purchased any iced coffee or bagels. One thing was for certain, he had handled the whole witch thing well. That made me feel better.
I wasn’t quite ready to go back to the cemetery yet, so I spent the morning doing chores around the house. I used the riding lawn mower to cut my grass too.
When that was done, I showered and got dressed for lunch with Annika. She was waiting for me outside Dumbledore’s when I arrived.
We got a booth and ordered turkey club sandwiches and broccoli cheddar soup. While Annika was telling me about some new stock she was waiting on, my mind wandered a bit. I had kind of a vision or epiphany thing. Something was telling me to look at the pictures of the cemetery I�
��d taken.
“I think there might be something in one of the pictures I took before I started working on the cemetery. I took them before I found Langoria’s body.”
“Where did that come from?” she asked.
“You were talking about vintage retro floral prints. It made me think of the flowers I found with her body. I don’t know. Something just niggled in my head.”
“Ah, the old intuition. You should listen to it.”
I took the phone out and tried to scroll through the pictures again. “I need to make these bigger.”
“So upload them to your computer.”
“My computer is a garbage old laptop held together with duct tape and broken dreams,” I said.
“So get a new one,” Annika responded. “Order one or something.”
“Ugh. I don’t want to wait for it to be delivered. Maybe I could drive into town to an electronics store.”
“Nailed It has computers.”
“What?”
“Yeah, since there’s no electronics store in town, he’s got some stuff there.”
Annika had said that the electronics section of Nailed It was in the back corner past the carpet and door displays. When I walked in, Karen was busy checking out a customer. I hurried past and began my search for the computers.
Part of me hoped she hadn’t seen me because I didn’t want to tell her I wasn’t going to see her at church on Sunday. It was silly because I was going to have to talk to her. There wasn’t anyone else to check me out.
It was a small price to pay for getting a computer that day. Though, I did kind of want to retreat and order one instead.
I found the electronics section and began looking over the laptops. I’d expected them to be a lot more expensive, but even the priciest one was well within the budget I’d had in my head. It said it was a gaming laptop too. Not that I played any video games, but I thought I might start if I had a computer that could actually run them.
The computers were in boxes under the displays. In stores I’d been in before, you had to get someone to unlock the cabinet, but not at Nailed It. There was more trust in a small town.
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