Justin had a demand of his own. “No. Put yours down.”
Connor refused. “That’s not going to happen.”
Justin issued him a warning. “I’ll shoot.”
Connor didn’t back down. “So will I. And let me tell you, I’m an amazing shot.”
Meg tried to talk some sense into Justin. “Please just put the gun down.”
That didn’t make any progress with Justin. “Stay out of this.”
Meg was trying to do just that, but she had a bad feeling that she would have to intervene. She had vowed not to reveal her identity as a witch, but if push came to shove and Justin fired his gun at Connor, she wouldn’t hesitate to cast a spell to veer the bullet safely away from Connor in order to save her boyfriend’s life. Meg just prayed that Connor could get Justin to put his gun down without incident so she wouldn’t have to use any of her spells.
While Meg silently prayed, Kristin called Justin out. “You can’t reason with him. He’s crazy.”
Justin snarled. “Shut up, Kristin.”
Connor made one last attempt to get through to Justin. “If you don’t put your gun down, you’re not getting out of here alive. Now you’re already going to jail. Do you really want to make things worse?”
Justin stared down the barrel of Connor’s gun and began breathing heavily. As his focus shifted to Connor’s face, he saw a distinct lack of fear in the detective’s eyes. That was when Justin’s emotions started to spill out of him.
“Things weren’t supposed to turn out this way,” Justin said. “If Nicole hadn’t been so foolish—if things had gone according to my plan, I wouldn’t even be standing here right now.”
“Clearly things went very wrong. But you have a chance to end things right now. Put the gun down before you make another deadly mistake,” Connor urged.
Justin grimaced then took a deep breath.
After a few moments, he finally followed the detective’s orders and put his gun down.
With Justin disarmed, Connor grabbed his set of handcuffs with his free hand then rushed over to Justin and cuffed him.
Kristin exhaled and expressed her relief. “Oh, thank God.”
Meg shook her head at Justin and looked at him with complete disbelief. “What did you think you were doing?”
Kristin answered before Justin had a chance to. “He killed Nicole and was trying to frame me for the crime. Before you two arrived, he was forcing me at gunpoint to write out a fake suicide note confessing to Nicole’s murder.”
Justin tried to cut her off. “Shut up, Kristin.”
“Are you going to try to deny that?” Meg asked.
Justin lowered his head and remained silent.
“I’ll take that as a no,” Meg said.
“Of course it’s a no. He’s crazy,” Kristin replied.
Justin snarled at Kristin. “You know what your problem is?”
Kristin fired back at him. “You.”
Justin shook his head. “No. You don’t know when to shut up.”
“Is that why you decided to frame Kristin for the murder?” Meg asked.
“She goes around throwing everyone under the bus. I figured she’d make the perfect cover for me,” Justin admitted.
Connor had a different question for Justin. “How about Nicole? Why did you kill her?”
“I never meant to kill her. I loved her,” Justin said.
“But she didn’t love you, and that was too much for you to take, wasn’t it?” Meg asked.
“She had a knack for picking the wrong guy. If it wasn’t Steven and his anger management issues, it was Dr. Miller and his drinking problem. Meanwhile, the right guy was standing in front of her all along,” Justin said.
“What makes you think that you were the right guy?” Meg replied.
“Because I was. We had this great chemistry,” Justin said.
“If it was so great, then why didn’t she see it that way?”
“She just hadn’t come around yet. That’s why I went to her office that night, to try to make her see what a great couple we’d make.”
“Clearly, it didn’t work.”
“I poured my heart out to her, but her heart still belonged to Dr. Miller. I thought I could change that. I pulled her in for a kiss, but she slapped me and told me to get out of her life forever,” Justin said. “In the heat of the moment, my anger took hold of me. I saw the paperweight on her desk, grabbed it, and struck her in the head with it. When her body hit the ground and I realized that I had killed her, I ran out of the office in a panic. I didn’t mean to kill her. I just got wrapped up in one crazy moment of anger.”
Meg looked at Justin with contempt. “The key word there being crazy. You’ll have plenty of time to go over that one moment in your head when you spend the rest of your life in a jail cell.”
Connor hauled Justin off to the police station where he was charged with the murder of Nicole Conway.
Meg, meanwhile, tried to find a way to pick up the pieces of her life.
Chapter Eighteen
One Week Later
The case was behind Meg, but her mourning continued. Nicole’s funeral was especially difficult to get through. Granted, all the funerals that Meg had attended were sad, but when someone was taken so early in life, it was hard not to think about what could have been. There was so much wasted potential, so many things that Nicole wouldn’t get to experience. It was heartbreaking to think about.
Like all the other attendees, Meg paid her respects. But while the other funeral-goers could only hope that Nicole would rest in peace, Meg had the ability to see what kind of rest her old friend was truly having.
With her witch powers, Meg could cast a séance spell to speak with Nicole from beyond the grave. The séance spell was one of the most powerful incantations at a witch’s disposal. Since it required deep concentration to maintain, Meg couldn’t cast it alone. Instead, she waited for her mother to return from vacation in San Diego so they could conjure Nicole’s spirit together.
When her mother had unpacked her bags and had settled in, Meg went over to her house to cast the spell. Meg and Beth took a seat on the floor across from each other, closed their eyes and focused on their chanting. Slowly but surely, a ball of glowing blue light appeared between them. Within the ball of light, Nicole’s spirit emerged.
Not surprisingly, Nicole was disoriented at first. In order to maintain the spell, Beth kept quiet, focusing all of her energy on keeping the séance going. Meg, meanwhile, brought her friend up to speed on a number of topics. At the top of the list was revealing that Meg was a real-life witch who had managed to bring Nicole’s killer to justice.
As expected, upon hearing that news, Nicole responded with shock. “That’s crazy.”
Meg couldn’t disagree. “What can I say? The world has gone a little nuts.”
“Meg. Have you forgotten that I was a therapist? I know firsthand how crazy the world is.” Nicole took a deep breath. “I just never thought Justin would do something as nutty as killing me.”
Meg’s heart went out to her friend. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am about what happened to you.”
Nicole let out a sigh. “Unfortunately, you have to look no further than my murder to see that some people are crazier than they seem.”
“I know it probably doesn’t give you much comfort, but Justin will be spending the rest of his life in jail,” Meg said.
“Yeah. Because of you. I can’t thank you enough,” Nicole replied.
Meg remained humble. “It was the least I could do.”
Nicole was insistent with her praise. “You deserve a lot more credit than you are giving yourself.”
“I would trade all the credit in the world if it meant I could have you back alive,” Meg said.
Nicole gave her a warm look. “I know you would.”
Meg got choked up. “I’m going to miss you.”
“Just know that I’m in a better place,” Nicole said.
Meg broke a smile. “That’s so good t
o hear.”
Nicole elaborated. “No one can hurt me here. Instead, I’m surrounded by an endless supply of love and joy.”
“That sounds magical.”
Nicole nodded. “More than you even realize.”
“Have you forgotten already? I’m a witch. I realize a lot about magic.”
“Trust me. This place puts a spell on you like no other.”
“Maybe one day I’ll join you.”
“When the time is right, I have no doubt in my mind that you will,” Nicole said. “Until then, seek happiness everywhere you can find it.”
Meg smiled. “I will.”
Chapter Nineteen
That night, happiness came to Meg in the form of an unexpected visit from her boyfriend. Although, she wondered if the initial jolt of excitement from seeing Connor again was about to fade. If the nervous expression on Connor’s face was any indication, this visit was not pleasant in nature. He looked like he came bearing bad news.
Over the years, Meg had learned that appearances could be deceiving. Now would be a good time for that to be the case. There was one way to find out.
“Connor. I thought you had big plans tonight,” Meg said.
“I do,” he replied.
She was waiting for a follow-up sentence that never came. For someone who clearly had a lot on his mind, none of it had made it to the tip of Connor’s tongue. Words rarely managed to elude him like this, so when a few more seconds went by without him elaborating, Meg tried to get some details out of him.
“If you have big plans tonight, what are you doing here, then?”
“Meg, there’s something I have to talk to you about.”
He was trying his best to keep a good poker face, but his nerves continued to betray him. There was never a good time to hear bad news, but with all the insanity that had unfolded lately, Meg was in no mood to have the rug pulled out from under her feet again. Not that the universe cared what she thought. Despite all of her magical powers, when it came to keeping bad things from happening in her life, she was completely powerless.
Irony aside, if more bad news was coming it would be better to hear it sooner rather than later. There was no benefit in belaboring things.
“What’s the matter?” Meg asked.
“Nothing,” he replied.
She stared deep into his eyes and didn’t buy his explanation. It was a mystery to her why he was so reticent to tell her what was going on. She made another attempt to get an explanation from him.
“Connor. You can tell me.”
“I know. I’m just working my way up to it,” he replied.
She became antsy. “The suspense is killing me.”
He took a deep breath and finally revealed what had been on his mind. “All right. I have been doing a lot of thinking, and with everything that has happened lately, some things have become very clear to me.”
Once again, he had chosen a frustrating time to cut his response short.
Meg was at wit's end. “What kind of things?”
Connor bit the corner of his lip then gazed deep into her eyes. “That I don’t want to waste another moment. The time we have is precious. It’s important to make the most of it. If we’re not, then we’re doing our lives a disservice.”
“I agree. Although, I’m not quite sure why that was so difficult to tell me.”
“Just stay with me.”
“Trust me. I’m not going anywhere.”
“The other thing that has become clear to me is that the best moments of my life are the ones that I spend with you. You have brought more joy to my life than I ever thought was possible,” Connor said.
Meg’s heart nearly melted. “That’s so sweet.”
He was not done surprising her quite yet. “There’s more.”
“What do you mean?”
Connor pulled a small box from his pocket and got down on one knee. “Meg Walton, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. So I have one question for you. Will you marry me?”
Meg was in complete shock as she stared at the four-carat diamond ring that was inside the box. For someone who usually had such keen instincts, she couldn’t have read this situation more incorrectly.
Not that she cared about her instincts at that moment. Of all the surprises that had come her way over the years, this one was the best.
Even though Connor’s proposal had been completely unexpected, Meg knew her answer immediately. Her head and her heart were completely in sync. There was no hesitation inside her at all.
So without further delay, she gave him a big smile and replied, “Yes.”
As Connor got up from bended knee and gave her a deep kiss, Meg knew her life would never be the same. That was fine by her. Not only did she welcome the change, but she couldn’t wait to see what the world had in store for her.
The End.
Sick of Murder
Chapter One
“You look awful,” Meg Walton said.
“Don’t hold back at all,” Connor Smith joked. “Tell me how you really feel.”
Meg’s detective fiancé could be as sarcastic as he wanted, but he couldn’t deflect from the severity of the situation. She didn’t need a degree in medicine to be able to see that Connor was under the weather. And with flu season wreaking havoc on Enchanted Bay, the chances were that Connor had fallen victim to the particularly nasty virus that was making the rounds.
The tell-tale signs were all there. He had a nagging cough, a runny nose, and a headache that just wouldn’t let up. In addition, when she put her hand on his forehead, he was completely burning up.
“Connor, this is serious. You’re really sick. You aren’t going anywhere tonight,” Meg said.
“But what about our plans?” Connor asked.
“They are canceled.”
“Are you sure about that? We can still do date night. I know you were really looking forward to dinner and a movie.”
“Your health comes first. And trust me, what you need right now is some rest.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. This is just a little cold. It will go away.”
Connor’s bravado served him well on the beat, but it just came across as foolish in that instance.
Meg stared deep into his eyes. “Connor, now is not the time to be a tough guy. Let me take care of you.”
Thankfully, Connor ended up listening to reason and headed to his bedroom.
Meg, meanwhile, walked into his kitchen to prepare some soup for him. She paired that with a glass of orange juice.
As a real-life witch, Meg had a number of spells at her disposal, but unfortunately, there wasn’t one to magically clear up the flu. The best she could manage was an incantation that would enhance Connor’s immune system. While that would accelerate his recovery time, it wouldn’t instantly cure him. Even with the spell, it would most likely be two or three days before Connor was healthy again.
Meanwhile, for the sake of her own health, Meg cast the immunity-boosting spell on herself. After all, she wouldn’t be able to take care of Connor if she fell ill.
Connor ate his soup and gulped down the orange juice, and then ended up crashing out within the hour.
It was a far cry from the date night that Meg was expecting, but if the last few years of her life had taught her anything, it was that things rarely went according to plan. Besides, relationships were about taking care of one another. It wasn’t an accident that in a couple’s wedding vows, the bride and the groom agreed to love, honor, and cherish each other in sickness and in health.
With any luck, this time next week, Connor would be back to his usual self. Meg was looking forward to that.
In the interim, Meg said goodnight to her fiancé and then headed home for the evening.
Chapter Two
Apparently, life wasn’t done messing with Meg that evening. A few minutes later, she pulled into her driveway back home, unaware that a new surprise awaited her.
Denise Ward was a curvy, forty-four-year-old woman who
had a round face, curly black hair, and blue eyes. She lived across the street from Meg’s house.
As Meg got out of her car, Denise was about twenty feet away, standing in front of her open mailbox, holding a stack of envelopes. Denise was so lost in thought staring at her mail that she didn’t even notice Meg.
“Evening, Denise,” Meg said.
Meg didn’t receive any response from Denise. Her neighbor didn’t even look up at Meg. Talk about being in the zone. Denise must have gotten some pretty interesting mail for her to be so oblivious to her surroundings.
Meg stood in place a few moments longer, waiting to see if Denise would acknowledge her presence. When Denise continued to just stare at the envelopes in her hand, a queasy feeling came to Meg’s stomach. From there, her instincts took hold of her, urging her to go over and check up on Denise.
“Is everything all right?” Meg asked.
Denise was so startled by Meg’s voice that she almost jumped out of her boots. “Meg,” she said. She put her hand on her chest. “You shouldn’t sneak up on me like that.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just saw you standing there, not saying anything,” Meg said.
“How long have you been home?”
“I just got back.”
“Oh.”
“So, is everything all right then? Did you get a surprising bill in the mail or something?”
Denise shook her head. “No. Why would you think that?”
“Because you have a stack of envelopes in your hand and you’re standing at your mailbox,” Meg said.
“Right. Of course.”
Concern was all over Meg’s face. “Denise, is everything okay?”
“Uh…yeah. You know how the mail is these days. Just bills, bills, bills. With some junk mail thrown in for good measure.” Denise laughed nervously.
Meg stared deep into Denise’s eyes. “Are you sure there isn’t something else going on?”
Denise shrugged. “What would give you that idea?”
“I’m just checking up on you. I want to make sure that everything is all right.”
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