Irritated as his presumptuousness—we were on intimate enough terms for him to be invading my personal space like that—my first inclination was to snatch the readers from his fingers. But considering the situation, I did as he suggested and was surprised to discover that the print was crisp and clear. I gave both men a thumbs up, then started to skim.
I must have been taking too long, because Cole said, “I see that the book is a mystery. Maybe just read the denouement.”
His suggestion made sense, so I flipped to the last couple of chapters and hastily scanned for the solution to the crime.
Once I found it, I raised my head and said, “The lawyer did it.” My shoulders dropped. “Hamilton must have been warning me about Gil, my ex was an attorney.”
“Damn!” Cole tapped the tabletop with his nails.
As the three of us sat in silence, disappointed that the book hadn’t been of any help, my mind whirled.
Suddenly, propelled by the thought that had popped into my head, I leaped to my feet and raced into the family room. There, I snatched up the estate papers from the sofa, then returned to my seat at the kitchen table.
Flipping to the next-to-last page of the document, I tried to read it. The print jumped around, and when I attempted to focus, my head throbbed.
Cole and Lucas were watching me with puzzled expressions, and I hastily explained, “I just remembered something Gil said. He told me that the person who rescued him from the river was a nice old man. I’m going to guess that the rescuer was actually the person who turned him into a zombie.”
“Seems reasonable,” Lucas said, and Cole nodded his agreement.
“Gil also mentioned that the town lawyer was getting old and he might buy the guy’s law practice.” I watched as the lights began to dawn behind Cole and Lucas’ eyes, then added, “And I informed one other person about my intention to find my dad’s killer.”
“William Mayer!” Cole exclaimed. “An attorney, like the murderer in the book.”
I thrust the estate papers at Lucas and demanded, “Can you see the words clearly?” When he nodded, I said, “Start at the second to last page and tell me what it says.”
We all gasped when Lucas finished reading and said, “This says that if Lexie dies before coming into her full power, she agrees to pass on the Ravenscraft estate to William Mayer.”
Cole stroked his chin and said, “Which would mean neither Elissa nor her parents could make a claim.”
“But how much can it be worth?” I asked, unable to believe the man who had told me to call him Uncle Will and been so kind to me was behind the attempts on my life.
“Upwards of five million dollars.” Cole said, then when Lucas looked at him in surprise, he added, “What? It’s common knowledge that the Ravenscraft abilities include a gift for investing in the stock market.”
“But...” I stuttered. “Would Uncle Will really need Aunt Pandora’s money?”
“Mayer might be from a witch family, which was how he spelled the estate papers so you couldn’t read them,” Lucas explained. “But that family’s magic is a lot weaker and less reliable than the Ravenscrafts’ powers.”
“He must have sent Gil here to force you to sign the documents,” Cole said. “Doubtlessly he was getting tired of waiting for you to give in and sign them without reading the last couple of pages.”
“Uncle Will said he would read the papers to me if I was having trouble,” I whispered. “He could have told me anything.”
“Good thing you didn’t sign,” Lucas drawled, then added, “I think you better stop calling him uncle.”
I nodded sadly. Despite having magical powers, my ability to judge men hadn’t improved one bit. .”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Payback’s A Witch
“The attempts on my life had nothing to do with my abilities,” I exhaled loudly. “It was pure greed.”
“Even when magic is involved, people’s motivation stays the same,” Cole murmured.
“Yep,” Lucas nodded. “Sex, money, or power.”
“So how are we going to bring Unc... I mean Will, to justice?” I asked.
“That will be tough.” Cole crossed his legs, then adjusted the crease in his expensive dress pants. “We’ll need to get him to confess.”
“Yeah.” Lucas frowned. “The council will want hard evidence.”
“The council?” I glanced between the two men. “Not Chief Neville?”
“If the police arrest him, he’d have to go to the county court system.” Cole tilted his head at me clearly, waiting for me to catch on.
It took me a second or two, but the lightbulb in my head finally popped on, and I said, “Oh yeah. Because that would mean a long trial outside of Echo Springs where a vengeful defendant might reveal our special abilities, right?”
“Yep.” Lucas tapped his nose. “Got it in one.”
“The Echo Springs police department keeps the town peaceful, but all serious offenses are decided by the council.” Cole stared into space, then refocused and added, “Defendants are allowed to be represented by an attorney and can ask for a jury of their peers with the head of the council acting as the judge.”
“Can I use a spell to get Will to tell the truth?”
“Maybe, if you were at your full power, you could breach his defenses,” Cole said slowly, then shook his head. “But even then the council would disallow the confession on the grounds it was coerced.”
“Looks like we’ll have to do it the old fashioned way,” I murmured.
“And that is?” Cole took a sip of his tepid coffee and made a face.
“We’ll trick him into admitting everything, and I’ll record it.” I narrowed my eyes and concentrated on coming up with a plan.
It took us a couple of hours to figure out how to accomplish our goal. Finally, we decided that I’d make an appointment for the next day telling Will that I was coming by to drop off the signed estate papers. Lucas and Cole would arrive a few minutes after me and stay in the waiting room just in case I needed them. Which was highly likely, since my scheming honorary uncle would probably try to kill me as soon as he had the documents.
My job was to get Will to tell me he murdered my dad before he added me to his list of victims. But just in case he succeeded in offing me, I didn’t want him to get the money. So instead of me signing on the dotted line, Cole did it for me with Lucas as a witness that the signature wasn’t legally mine.
We forged Elissa and Inga’s names as witnesses, and fortunately, Cole was a notary republic. He ran home to get his seal, then returned and affixed it to the document. Then we all took a moment to admire our forgery.
It was after two a.m. by the time Lucas and Cole left, but the adrenaline must still have been buzzing through my veins because I wasn’t tired. Still, I climbed into bed and shut my eyes.
As soon as I woke up, I was supposed to call Will and make an appointment for early afternoon, then text my bodyguards with the time. We’d meet in the candy store parking lot and they’d watch me until I walked through the law office door, then after giving me a few minutes to make it into Will’s inner sanctum, they’d arrive separately so as not to tip off Ezekiel that anything was amiss.
We didn’t think he was a part of Will’s plot, but better safe than sorry.
As I tossed and turned, I thought about my upcoming confrontation with death. It was a shame I had used the protection charm on Gil and that each item was only good for one spell.
If I lived, I definitely had to learn how to make my own charms. There were a lot in the trunk, but they’d eventually be gone, and I needed to be able to replace them with fresh ones.
I must have eventually dozed off because when I opened my eyes, the sun was streaming through the window, the clock read ten-thirty, and I had a pounding headache. It almost felt as if I had another hangover, but I hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol since my girls’ night with Elissa so I chalked it up to lack of sleep.
As promised, after a
quick shower, I called Will’s law office. Ezekiel told me Will had an opening at one. I dutifully texted Cole and Lucas with that information, and we agreed to meet in the candy store parking lot at twelve-fifty.
Afraid this was my last day on earth, I treated myself to pancakes with lots of butter and syrup, then deciding I wanted to look my best, I took my time getting dressed. With my hair styled and my makeup applied, I pulled one of my favorite outfits from the closet.
As I wiggled into my white denim straight-legged jeans, I hoped this wasn’t the last time I’d get to wear them. Next, I slipped into a navy and white striped dress shirt and topped it off with a powdered blue, thigh length, sweater coat. I usually wore heels with this ensemble, but flats would be way better if I had to make a run for it, so I chose my Chuck Taylor low top sneakers instead.
Having donned my warrior apparel, I headed to my rendezvous with destiny. Which evidently would take place in a small-town lawyer’s office. Not exactly the way I had pictured myself facing it, but hey, what can you do?
Lucas and Cole were already waiting for me when I parked the truck, and with assurances they would keep me safe, I marched out of the lot, down the sidewalk, and inside Will’s building.
Ezekiel greeted me with a wave and pointed toward Will’s office. I smiled my thanks and gingerly approached the partly open door.
Lightly rapping on the wood, I called out, “Are you ready for me?”
Will’s jovial voice answered, “Of course, my dear. Come on in.”
As before, my snake-in-the-grass pseudo uncle was behind his desk. He was talking to someone on the phone but held up his index finger to indicate he’d be with me in a minute, then gestured for me to take a seat.
I nodded my acceptance, then when he returned his attention to the conversation, I quickly opened my tote bag and swiped the record icon I had added to my cellphone’s home screen that morning.
Hearing Will say goodbye, I hastily withdrew my hand and rested my fingers on top of the tote bag in my lap. With my best retail smile pasted on my face, I glanced up at the man who had destroyed my childhood and waited for him to say something incriminating.
When it became clear that I wasn’t going to speak, Will cleared his throat and said, “So, I understand you’re ready to complete the paperwork for your aunt’s estate. Do you have it with you?”
“Of course.” Watching him closely, I withdrew the document from my tote bag and said, “Sorry, it’s taken me so long, but there must be something wrong with my eyes, or the print is just so tiny. It seemed that by the last page or so, everything was blurry.”
His mouth quirked upward for less than an instant, but he immediately straightened his lips and said in a kind voice, “Would you like me to read that page to you before you sign?”
“No. Thank you, but that’s all right.” Making sure my expression was ingenuous, I said, “I trust you, so I already signed them.”
“Excellent.” Will couldn’t mask his eagerness as he reached for the document and flipped to the pages that required signatures, but a flicker of unease marched across his face as he examined them. “I see you already had this witnessed and notarized. I could have done that for you.”
“No problem.” I shrugged innocently. “Cole mentioned he was a notary and since Inga and Elissa were in the store at the time and he had his seal, I thought what the heck. I might as well get it all done nice and legal in case something happened to me.”
“Although, I’m sure you have nothing to worry about,” naked greed blazed in his eyes, and the ratfink licked his lips, “it’s better to be safe.” He smiled, his little apple cheeks pink. “And as it happens Ezekiel is probably already gone, he had to run an errand for me, which means we’d have had to round up a couple of witnesses. So you’re having taken care of that was probably for the best.”
“Awesome.” I figured he’d sent his assistant away so there wouldn’t be any witness around when he killed me.
“It seems as if everything is in order.” Will’s voice reeked with satisfaction.
“Well, I should probably get going.” I started to stand to see what he’d do.
“How about we have a celebratory glass of champagne before you hurry off?” Will suggested, getting up and going over to a credenza where a green bottle was nestled in an ice bucket. “It’s not every day you officially become a wealthy heiress.”
“Aunt Pandora was worth that much?” I pretended surprise. “Wow!”
“Well, not to be immodest, but I’ve been handling the Ravenscraft finances for years, and under my guidance, your family has done very well.” He popped the cork. “Very well, indeed.”
I noticed Will blocked my view as he poured the campaign into the glasses so I figured there was a good chance he’d put something lethal in mine. He was such a weasel, I’d guessed that poison would be his weapon of choice rather than a gun or knife where he might have to get his hands dirty. I knew that I would have to make him think I was drinking it without actually ingesting any and had come up with a plan to fool him.
Will handed me the flute and returned to his chair. After he was seated, he leaned across the desk and motioned for me to clink glasses.
Once I complied he said, “To Echo Springs newest multimillionaire.”
Doubtlessly he meant himself.
As I raised the flute to my lips, I gasped and gestured behind the sneaky snake staring at me. When he turned to look where I was pointing, I quickly poured a quarter of the champagne on the floor.
Turning back to me, Will asked, “What’s wrong? I don’t see anything.”
“There was a huge spider dangling from a web,” I lied smoothly.
“Oh.” Will frowned. “I’ll have to get the exterminators in here.”
“Can’t you use a spell?” It was time to surprise him into talking.
“Uh.” Will’s eyebrows leaped into his hairline, which considering its location was quite a jump. “Who told you about my abilities?”
“A couple of little birdies,” I answered coolly as I pretended to take a sip of bubbly.
“So you’ve been asking around about me?” Will looked bemused, which I had to admit was his best fake expression so far.
“Hmm,” I answered noncommittally, hoping to egg him on. “You did seem a little too good to be true. I wanted to see what was in it for you.”
“And did you?”
“I think so,” I answered coyly. “Sending Gil wasn’t your best move.”
“Gil?” Will pretended confusion but evidently recognizing my disbelief he shrugged. “It was worth a shot. How did you deal with him?”
“Maybe I’ve learned more than you realized.” I poured a little more champagne out when Will abruptly scooped up the estate documents and tucked them in a drawer as if afraid that I’d grab them. “Now how about you explain why you killed my father.”
“I suppose there’s no harm.” Will’s eyes no longer twinkled; instead, his gaze was as icy as a glacier. “Did I ever tell you that my undergrad degree was in chemistry? No?” He smirked. “Well, you’ve just drunk my own special brand of poison. You’ll notice you can no longer move. You’ll be dead within minutes.”
“Before I die, please tell me about my dad.” Sinking back in my chair, I wondered if I had missed my calling. I was turning out to be a much better actress than I thought. “Why did you kill him?”
Will’s voice was low and soulless. “Nathanial figured out I was skimming money from the Ravenscraft accounts. I talked him into giving me a day to tell Pandora myself then surprised him and stabbed him in the heart.”
“You took away my dad’s life, and now I’ll take away your freedom. Leaping up from my chair, I snarled a grin, then raised my voice. “Cole, Lucas, I have his confession.”
As the guys burst through the office door, Will gasped, “You should be minutes from death by now.”
“Sadly for you, I’m fine.” I glanced pointedly at the pool of liquid near my feet and added, “But your
hardwood will never be the same.” .”
EPILOGUE
The Lie Is Cast
After a hastily called and lengthy council meeting, where I played the recording I’d made of my ex honorary uncle confessing to killing my father and attempting to kill me, Will was safely locked away in the council’s jail. The setup consisted of a spell-proof cell and a guard named Serb who looked like a mixture between a dog and a snake.
No one mentioned turning Will over to the police or even notifying them about what had happened. It wasn’t any wonder that Chief Neville wasn’t too fond of the magical element in his town, even if he was one of them.
Now Cole, Lucas, and I were back at my house, preparing a late dinner for the four of us. No. I didn’t miscount. Elissa had been waiting on the porch when I pulled in the driveway. Word had already gotten around that Will had tried to poison me, so she wanted to check if I was okay.
Once we filled her in on Will’s entire plot, she ended up joining us as we cooked supper.
“I still, don’t understand how Will thought he’d get away with poisoning me in his office.” I looked between the two men who had taken over my kitchen and assigned my cousin and me to making a tossed salad while they whipped together the rest of our meal. “Was he planning on nonchalantly carrying my dead body out the front door and stowing me in his trunk?”
The men shrugged, but Elissa said, “Rumor has it there was a black van parked behind his building. There were industrial sized trash bags and a shovel inside, and rental papers in the name of Gilbert Osborn.” She raised a brow at me. “Isn’t that your dead ex?”
“Yep.” I explained the whole Zombie Gil episode, then said, “Okay. Will was planning on burying my body somewhere, but without proof of my death, how could he collect his inheritance?”
Cole looked up from sautéing onions and mushrooms and said, “He’d have to wait seven years from when you disappeared, then he could have you declared dead.”
And all during that time, he’d still be controlling the estate and could continue skimming money off the top.” Lucas added without pausing in his seasoning of the four rib eyes lined up on the counter.
A Call to Charms Page 18