“We did indeed,” Melissa said as she steepled her long, slender fingers. “We have a job for you.”
I stared at her with my mouth halfway open for a second. Her crystal blue eyes were cheerful and not a hint of anger resided on her pale porcelain skin.
“You have a job for me? Remy said that this meeting was about us tagging along on the Ghost Seekers’ investigation last night. He said that was just gossip, though. Perhaps he was wrong,” I rambled.
“No, he was right. It is about that, and it’s about a job,” she said and brushed one of her dark ringlets away from her face.
“I don’t understand.”
“The Ghost Seekers were given a filming permit because the witches on the council were afraid that denying it would be too suspicious, but as you’ve no doubt heard, their presence has caused some issues with the locals. Coventry’s citizens are private people, Brighton. Even the humans don’t like having a film crew traipsing around town, and they are showing their wariness and displeasure by calling county dispatch way too often. Pretty soon, it’s going to get out that we can’t handle law enforcement in our little town. Plus, Thorn has a job to do that doesn’t involve babysitting a bunch of paranormal investigators.”
“He does,” I said with an affirmative nod.
“But as far as I know, you don’t,” she said and smiled. “So you’re going to babysit them.”
“What?”
“You’re going to act as the Ghost Seekers’ official escort while they are in Coventry. You’ll not only make sure that they don’t catch any evidence that there are real witches living in this town, but you’ll act as liaison between them and the townsfolk. Just keep the busybodies from calling the police, okay?”
“What about their show? They’re here to catch evidence of ghosts and around here, the Ghost Seekers will probably get some pretty convincing stuff,” I said.
“Make sure nothing they get is too convincing on the ghost front, but that is secondary to protecting the witches. The Skeenbauers have even agreed to support you since the council has ruled that they can’t just turn the visitors into goats.”
“All right,” I said because I wasn’t sure what else to say.
She said they had a job for me, but nothing Melissa had said after that point made it sound like the council was asking. I got the feeling that saying no wasn’t an option. If the Skeenbauers were on board, no doubt so that they didn’t have to handle the dirty work themselves, that meant I’d have a target on my back even worse than before if I said no.
“Does the job pay anything?”
“Three thousand dollars with a two-thousand-dollar bonus if you can get them to leave town within a week without turning them into goats,” she said.
“Meri had some ideas about that,” I smirked.
“I can imagine,” Melissa’s retort came with a hearty laugh. “None of his ideas will work either.”
“You haven’t even heard them,” I said.
“I don’t need to hear them, Brighton. Meri is a good familiar under your watchful eye. Let’s keep it that way.”
“Will I be getting a check from the council this time?”
“The money has already been deposited in your bank account.”
“Wow, I mean, I assumed I didn’t have a choice in taking this job, but I guess I really didn’t have a choice.”
“You didn’t,” Melissa said with a sigh. “You can thank Amelda for that, but I think she’s warming up to you. She’s trusting you with this, and that’s a big deal.”
“That’s because she knows if I screw it up, she can just banish me. And if I won’t go, she can turn me into a bat or have me committed.”
“Keep your head down for now, Brighton. Keep impressing the town and this council. The next generation of Skeenbauer witches has a lot more reverence for you than the older generation. Plus, you’re a Tuttlesmith. Someday you could be…” Melissa cut off her sentence and cast her eyes down. “Anyway, do a good job for the council, and we’ll make sure that you’re always taken care of in Coventry.”
“Wait, no. You were saying something about me being a Tuttlesmith and I could be… what? I could be what?”
“Nothing that I can talk to you about right now. Please.” Her tone was such that I just dropped it.
Coventry and the witch clans that ruled it had their secrets. I just had to be patient, and eventually I’d know all I needed. But that meant I needed to get out there and do the job the council had hired me to do.
Two days into the Ghost Seeker babysitting job and not much had happened. The crew was getting bored, and it seemed like even the ghosts were getting bored. Nothing even close to what had happened the first night happened again, and that included the last night that we’d spent in the cemetery near the Skeenbauer Mausoleum.
I shuddered thinking of the Black Widow Skeenbauer witch inside of the crypt, but I couldn’t say anything to Kurt or the other investigators.
Fortunately, Remy had not left me hanging that night. I couldn’t sleep, but at least I had him by my side to make me feel a little less vulnerable. A deputy cruiser drove by once in the middle of the night, but it didn’t stop. If it was Thorn, he didn’t even roll down the window and wave. So, I assumed it was one of the other deputies.
On the morning of the night after we spent in the graveyard, Annika showed up bright and early with hot coffee from Bubble & Brew. She slipped Remy and me a couple of scones too.
“Sorry, I didn’t want to buy pastries for everyone, so keep these on the down low,” she whispered into my ear.
Annika, Remy, and I went behind another nearby mausoleum and ate our scones while the Ghost Seekers packed up their equipment and loaded the van.
Kurt came over to where we were sitting when they were all done. “We’re going to head over to Mother Hattie’s and rent a room so we can take showers. I can’t go another day without one,” he said.
“You’re going to rent a room just to take a shower?” I asked before I swallowed the rest of my coffee.
“Yeah, I can’t go another day. And even with dry shampoo, my hair is going to look terrible on camera if I don’t wash and condition it.”
“You’re such a girl,” Rachel said.
She’d walked up next to him and hip bumped his playfully. Kurt put his arm around her waist, and for the first time, I realized they were a couple.
“Hey, Rach. Come over here and get a listen to this,” Bobby called from a few hundred feet away.
“A woman’s work is never done,” she said and rolled her eyes.
Kurt kissed her on the head before Rachel took off to go listen to whatever Bobby had found on the recording. I was about to join them so that I could hear too, but Kurt stopped me.
“So do you just want me to call you when we’re done showering? We’re planning on spending some time investigating the courthouse before it closes. Hopefully everyone will shower quickly, and we’ll have most of the day.”
“You don’t need to get a hotel room to take showers,” I said. “I’ve got two full bathrooms at Hangman’s House.”
The words were out of my mouth before I really had time to think about the implications. I hadn’t wanted the Ghost Seekers in my house at all, and there I was inviting them in to hang out and use my showers.
“Really?” Kurt asked hopefully.
I could tell he expected me to take it back. I should have.
“Sure,” I said through a smile. “My brother is there, and my cat doesn’t like people. If you can steer clear of them, I think it will be fine.”
“We can do that,” he said. “We’ll stop and pick up something to eat and then meet you there.”
“I’ve got plenty of food too.” Once again, it slipped out and I wanted to kick myself.
“That would be amazing. Wow, Brighton. You’re really great,” Kurt said.
“Let’s head out,” I said. “I’ll let my brother know we’re coming.”
I turned around to rejoin Annika
and Remy. The looks on their faces told me they thought I was insane.
“Are you sure that letting them in your house is a good idea?” Annika asked in a tone that told me she didn’t think it was a good idea. “And you offered to make them breakfast? Are you thinking of opening a bed and breakfast?”
“We’ll help her,” Remy said.
Annika and Remy stayed in the living room and kept an eye on any of the Ghost Seekers that weren’t in the shower. The investigators didn’t know it, but Meri had his eye on them upstairs. He was there to make sure they didn’t go into any of the bedrooms. Meri had also used an illusion spell to keep the Ghost Seekers from noticing the pull-down door to the attic.
While they were doing that, I was in the kitchen cooking. I wasn’t hungry because of the scone Annika had brought me, but I had a ton of nervous energy. Thorn had been barely contacting me at that point, and I channeled that anxiety into making a feast for my guests.
There was bacon frying in one pan, and in another I made ham and cheese omelets. Before I’d started with that, I found ingredients in the pantry to make drop biscuits. Those were baking.
The Ghost Seekers could put away some food too. Most of them came into the kitchen and ate before their shower, and they returned when they were done for second breakfast. I just kept cooking as they ate up what I’d made. Eventually, I added hash browns and sausage to the menu. After an hour or so, even Remy and Annika filled up plates and ate too.
“You’re worrying,” Remy said as he sat at the kitchen table. “You’ve served everyone food twice now, why don’t you come sit and eat too.”
“I don’t know if I can eat,” I said, but my stomach growled.
“I think you can eat,” Remy said with a smile.
Annika was in the living room talking to Rachel and hoping Brody would come downstairs. He would as soon as he knew Annika was there, and that’s why I hadn’t told him. Not that I minded them getting together, but it just seemed like he should take it slow.
Rachel was going over some EVP recordings with Annika, and Annika had to pretend like she didn’t know anything about the paranormal. What she did know was that my job was to distract the GS from finding real evidence of the paranormal. Annika gave an Oscar-worthy performance pretending she couldn’t hear anything or understand what was being said even when it was obvious Rachel had caught an EVP.
After a while, Remy wandered off to find Brody, and I was left alone in the kitchen. Most of the time, I hated doing the dishes, especially when I couldn’t use magic to do them, but I still had so much energy that I went ahead and got started on them.
A few minutes later, Kurt joined me in the kitchen. He grabbed the dish towel and started drying without asking.
“You don’t have to do that,” I said, but I handed him the glass I’d just finished rinsing.
“I know, but I want to,” Kurt said. “I was taught growing up that the cook doesn’t do the dishes, so this is the very least I can do.”
“But you’re a guest,” I said.
“Yeah, that’s why I’ll let you keep washing.”
“Well, thank you,” I said and did a little curtsy.
“My pleasure,” Kurt retorted with a smile.
And then disaster unfolded. I started to laugh when I handed him the next glass, and I’m not sure if I dropped it or he did, but it shattered on the floor.
Without thinking, I bent over and tried to pick up the biggest shards. “Dang it.”
“Don’t,” Kurt warned. “Just leave it, I’ll get a broom and dustpan.”
But it was too late. I miscalculated my grip and sliced the palm of my hand open on one of the shards that didn’t even look sharp. It hurt, and I let out a yelp.
“Where are the clean towels?” Kurt asked.
“Drawer next to the stove,” I said not quite sure why.
A second later, I knew. He opened the drawer, grabbed a dark, but clean, dishtowel and knelt beside me. He pressed the towel to my hand.
“Maybe you should go get Remy,” I said.
I didn’t even think about the fact that Remy and Annika couldn’t heal me with the Ghost Seekers there. We could wipe their memory, but I was more afraid of the consequences of that than of the cut.
“No, I’m going to get you to the emergency room,” he said. “You’re going to need stitches and an evaluation to make sure it didn’t hit a nerve.”
“I’ll be all right,” I said. “Just let me go up to the bathroom and take a look.”
“Nonsense,” Kurt said, and as he did, I swooned a little. “I’m taking you to the hospital now.”
“What’s going on?” Annika asked as she, Remy, and Brody appeared in the kitchen doorway.
“She needs to get to the hospital,” Kurt said.
I wavered on my feet, and Kurt wrapped his arm around my waist and held me up. “I’ll be okay. Please just let me go to the bathroom and wash it.”
“Let us take her to the bathroom,” Remy said.
He knew that the only way they could heal me was to get me away from the others. Instead of relenting, Kurt turned us toward the back door.
“You guys, she needs to go to the hospital,” he said. “Hand lacerations aren’t something to mess around with. If there’s nerve damage, she could lose use of her hand. Waiting is stupid. She has to go now.”
Kurt continued to walk me to the back door, and I wasn’t sure what to do. My hand hurt badly, and my head was fuzzy. I couldn’t see any way to stop Kurt without having to do something to hurt them.
“All right. I’ll go,” I said.
“I’ll drive her,” Remy offered.
“I’ve got this. She can ride in the back of the van. It’s easy to wipe down,” Kurt said as he walked through the back door.
“Fine, but I’m riding with you,” Remy said.
As soon as we were out the back door, I got a bad feeling. Thorn’s cruiser pulled into the driveway seconds later. He jumped out of the car and rushed toward us.
“Can you give us an escort to the hospital?” Kurt asked Thorn.
“What happened?” Thorn asked.
“She cut her hand. I’m taking her to the emergency room. Can you give us an escort?”
“Let me have a look at it,” Thorn said. “Let’s take her back inside and wash it off before we go running off to the hospital.”
I understood why Thorn said it. He knew Remy and Annika could heal me, but he didn’t think about the fact that we’d probably already been over that argument.
“What is up with you people?” Kurt asked in frustration.
He was genuinely concerned for my safety, and didn’t realize that my friends could help me. I appreciated it even if he was misguided.
“Let her go., Thorn sort of growled.
That snapped me back into focus. I looked up at Thorn and was taken aback. It looked like he hadn’t slept. There were dark circles under his eyes, his hair was a mess, and his uniform looked dirty and rumpled. He looked like he needed to be at home taking a nap and not out working.
“I don’t know what’s going on around here, but right now, I’m worried about Brighton losing the use of her hand. So I’m taking her to the hospital. How anyone could have a problem with that is beyond me.”
By then, Bobby, Rachel, and Link had all come outside. The took a few steps toward us, and Link actually put himself in between Thorn and Kurt.
“It’s okay, Thorn,” Remy said. “I was going to ride with her. We’ll get her to the hospital and get her fixed up right away.”
“You butt out of this,” Thorn snarled.
“Thorn. It’s okay,” I said firmly.
“Yeah, man. It’s cool,” Link said. “Let’s just take this down a notch.”
“I decide when to take things down a notch,” Thorn said.
He grabbed Kurt’s arm and tried to yank him away from me. Kurt shook him off, but when he did, Thorn stumbled back into Link.
I wouldn’t know until later when I watched the
footage Toto had begun to record what happened because it was all confusing. But the end result was a scuffle where Thorn ended up throwing a punch at Kurt. Kurt shoved him back.
“That’s it, you’re under arrest,” Thorn shouted.
“Thorn, no,” Remy said in a commanding voice that I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to hearing. “You’re out of line, and you’re on video. I’d suggest you leave and let Kurt and I get Brighton to the hospital.”
Either because he was completely in shock or because Remy was using some magic to subdue his temper, Thorn backed off. He looked completely stunned, but my hand hurt. I didn’t want to stick around.
Once we were on the way to the hospital, and Kurt’s eyes and attention were on the road, Remy used some healing magic to stop the pain and heal the worst of the damage. I stopped him before he could heal it completely because it would have been too hard to explain, but with the pain gone, the injury was far easier for me to deal with.
After a couple of hours of waiting and a few stitches, I was released from the ER to go home. Annika and Brody stayed at Hangman’s House and helped Meri keep an eye on the Ghost Seekers who’d stayed behind.
They were all sitting around the living room when we got back. Rachel looked at me through slightly narrowed eyes when we walked into the house.
“Did you go to the emergency room or the salon?” she asked.
“What?” I asked.
“Your hair is different. It was bright red when you left, and now it’s got pink streaks in it.”
I self-consciously pushed a strand that had fallen out of my bun back over my ear. My hair was changing color again, and Rachel noticed.
“I had pink streaks in it before. They just show up in different light, and when I tie it back. My ponytails are usually neat to cover it, but this bun is messy.”
“Oh, yeah. I’ve seen photos of that stuff on social media. Where people have hair color hidden. Cool,” she said. I got the weird feeling that she didn’t entirely believe me, but at least that I’d dodged the bullet for the time being.
“So what’s on the agenda for tonight?” I asked. “Another overnight in the cemetery? You guys still haven’t investigated the old cemetery officially either.”
Wicked Witches of Coventry- The Collection Page 39