Missing in Jinx Cove

by Savannah Mae

  “Where do you live?” Juliana asked a little too eagerly.

  He smiled. “Not here. Anyway, get yourselves prepared to answer questions. Tell them everything you know. The more information they have to work with, the better.” He waved at the approaching officers. “Everything will be fine. I’m sure of it.” He cocked an eyebrow at us. “As long as you didn’t do anything wrong.”

  Chapter 2: The Jinx Sisters

  Lyra walked outside to summon the cats. “All right, where did you run off to this time?” she asked as she looked to her right and, then, to her left down the alley. “Whoa. What do we have here?” She squinted her eyes to see. When she realized what it was, she whistled for her sisters to join her.

  “What did they get into now?” Calliope asked as she dusted cake flour off her apron. “I swear if they tore apart my vegetable garden again, I’ll give them away. I’m tired of their obsession with stuff that doesn’t belong to them. I told you it was a bad idea for us to get pets.”

  Lyra shushed her. “Could you shut your trap about our precious fur babies? This has nothing to do with them. Look.” She pointed to the far end of the alley, behind the police station. “Looks like someone has had a bad day and it’s not even noon yet.”

  Calypso, Calliope’s fraternal twin, but eternal opposite in every other aspect of their lives, trotted out the back door. “What’s all the fuss about? We have a room full of customers and you decided to take a break?” She followed their gaze. “Who got arrested?”

  “I don’t know who they are, but they’re definitely not from here.” She watched as Detective Isaac Randall, a law enforcement transport from out of town after the former sheriff was removed, and a pair of his deputies escorted two young women in through the back entrance. “Brace yourselves, sisters. This has all the hallmarks of something big. I can feel it in my bones.”

  Calypso nodded and said, “That’s arthritis, but it sure does look like something interesting happened. I don’t know what they did, but I bet they’re guilty.”

  Lyra, the oldest of the Jinx sisters, shot a glare at her. “What’s wrong with you? You don’t know anything about those girls. How would you like it if someone said something like that about us? They’re not even in handcuffs, so they can’t be in any trouble.”

  “Well, they should be,” Calypso retorted. “Those outfits in this weather should be a crime.”

  “It’s hot outside. When we were young, we wore a lot less than they have on. And some of us had no business doing that,” Calliope said. “Besides, I think they look cute. The leather skirt and backless number the shorter one has on is different. She has the body for it. If I could get away with it, I’d wear it. Of course, I’d prefer the other outfit myself. It’s more my style. I wish I could pull off shorts and a halter top now.”

  “If you tried, people would think you were a flag waving in the wind,” Calypso muttered. “Trust me, you’ve never been able to pull off a sleeveless top. Remember when we went to Woodstock and some guys offered you money to put your clothes back on? That was a hoot!”

  Calliope turned around in frustration and walked back to the coffee shop. “I don’t know why I put up with you sometimes. If you weren’t my sister and I wasn’t—”

  “You weren’t what?” Calypso challenged her.

  “That’s enough!” Lyra raised her voice. “Here, I thought I’d invite you to join me for a conversation and instead I ended up in the middle of another one of your squabbles. I should know better after seventy years of life with you. I’ll add this to the list of reasons to put you both in a home.”

  Calypso and Calliope gave each other pointed looks, then laughed.

  “I don’t know about you, but I think I’ll take a stroll down the block to see what happened,” Calypso said.

  “You can’t do that. It will be lunchtime soon. We’ll need your help,” Calliope said as she held the back door open for Lyra.

  “I’ll be right back. Ten minutes tops. You can survive without me for that long, can’t you?” she said as she walked away. She stopped halfway down the alley and turned. “Hold on. Where did you move my car?”

  Lyra turned to where the car was parked. “I didn’t move it.”

  She jogged back. “Ask knucklehead where she put it.”

  Lyra called for Calliope, “Did you move Calypso’s car? It’s not back here.”

  Calliope returned to the door, a rolling pin in her hand. “Tell her to look in the last place she saw it.” She stopped cold when she noticed the empty parking space. “Where did it go?”

  “That’s what I want to know. Who moved my car?”

  The three of them walked in different directions in search of the car. After a few minutes, they met at the back door.

  “Call the police and report it stolen,” Lyra said.

  Calypso pulled out her phone and dialed. “This is Calypso Jinx. I want to report a stolen vehicle.”

  As she gave the operator details, Calliope and Lyra huddled together to discuss what could have happened.

  She hung up the phone. “They’re on their way. Whoever took my car better hope the police find them before I do.”

  The police arrived almost immediately.

  Calypso didn’t wait for them to ask her any questions before she blurted, “Some animal stole my car!”

  Less than a minute later, Mike, the local mechanic and hardware store owner, ran into the coffee shop. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I heard two girls were kidnapped this morning and found in your car.”

  Eddie Plumo, a lifelong resident of Jinx Cove and newly-minted sheriff’s deputy, groaned, “You couldn’t give me a minute to tell her myself?” He shook his head.

  Calypso struggled to stay upright.

  He grabbed her arm to help steady her. “Hold on now. We don’t know all the details yet because it just happened. From what I understand, an officer from Alliance, was on his way into town when he noticed a hand poking out of the trunk of a car. He attempted to stop the car. The driver and his partner jumped out and ran. He caught up with one of them, but—”

  Calypso stopped him. “Who was it?”

  “An officer from Alliance? Do you mean Anthony Bauer?” Lyra asked, referring to a young man they all knew quite well.

  “Yup. We have the car, but it hasn’t been processed yet. As far as who the perpetrators are, we don’t know that yet. You see, they’re still on the loose.”

  Mike chimed in, “They can’t get far in that heap of trash. The engine is ready to die. I bet they’re somewhere in town. Who knows? We might see them run by any minute.”

  Lyra shooed him away. “Could you stop? Can’t you see how upset Calypso is?”

  “Of course, she’s upset. Her car was stolen and used to kidnap two girls. I’d be upset too,” he said.

  Eddie cleared his throat. “I’m afraid I need to ask you a few questions, ma’am.”

  “Don’t ma’am me. You know my name. Use it. Anyway, I have a few questions for you too,” Calypso said as she motioned for him to sit on a stool by the front counter. “Don’t think you can keep things from me either. I’ll find out. I always do.”

  He gulped. “Why would I keep anything from you?”

  The sisters exchanged knowing glances and laughed.

  Eddie’s cheeks flushed. “Okay. Okay. I get it. Look, I’m not Isaac. He does things his own way. Give him a chance. He’s actually not a bad guy.”

  “We never said he was bad,” Calypso said.

  Mike tried to explain, “It takes some time to understand what it’s like to live in a town with witches. Some people – not me – get the wrong idea about how things work. I barely understand how it works and I’ve known you girls forever. He’ll come around as long as you don’t put a hex on him.” He gave Calypso a pointed look. “And when I say you, I mean you.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “For the record, I don’t put hexes on people, but I might be persuaded to if the right person came along.” She wave
d her fingers in his face. “Take that any way you want to.”

  He lurched back, hitting a table. “That’s not funny.”

  Eddie tried to redirect the conversation back to the original topic. “All of this just happened. We don’t know anything yet. It might be a good idea for you to come down to the sheriff’s office and speak with the detective. I know he has questions he’d like to ask you about the case.”

  Calypso sighed. “We saw him with two hookers. Were those the girls who were kidnapped?”

  Lyra clicked her tongue. “They weren’t hookers. What’s wrong with you?”

  Eddie’s cheeks flushed again. “I don’t know anything about prostitutes. The girls who were found in your trunk of your car are from out of town. They seem like nice people. Cute. That’s for sure.”

  “Don’t try to make a love connection, Mr. Newly Married. I know your wife wouldn’t be thrilled to hear you say that. Anything you can’t say or do in front of your significant other shouldn’t be said or done at all. Trust me, life would be a lot easier if people would remember that,” Calypso said.

  Lyra walked out from behind the front counter and peeked out the front door. “No one wants to take marriage advice from a woman who has never been married.”

  “She could’ve been married,” Mike murmured.

  “And what? Live in the lap of luxury surrounded by motor oil and grubby hands? No thanks. I prefer men who bathe,” Calypso retorted.

  Calliope let out a loud sigh. “How did the conversation turn to your love life? Did you not hear what Eddie said? Two women – the two we saw with the officers – were kidnapped and found in the trunk of your car. I could be wrong, but I think that’s more important than the gibberish about how to stay married. No one cares right now. The question is who stole your car and kidnapped those girls?”

  “If we had security cameras, we’d know the answer, wouldn’t we?” Calypso said. “If I recall correctly, you were the one who said we couldn’t afford a state-of-the-art security system, so technically, this is all your fault.”

  Lyra interjected, “No, we decided it was too expensive. What would make you think we would agree to armed guards in our shop? That’s ludicrous.”

  “It wouldn’t have helped,” Mike said.

  The sisters focused on him.

  He stammered, “Well, your car wasn’t stolen from here, so security wouldn’t have been able to prevent it.”

  “What do you mean?” Lyra asked.

  He stammered as he spoke, “Your car wasn’t here this morning.”

  Frustrated, Calypso asked, “Oh, is that right, wise one? Enlighten us with your supreme knowledge, since you seem to know so much about it. Where was it, then?”

  He gulped. “You dropped it off at the shop last night. That’s why I came here. I wanted to be the first to tell you before you heard about it from someone else. It was stolen from my shop. The thieves took that, my safe, and the keys to all the other cars on the lot.”

  “Impossible,” Calypso said. “I drove it to work this morning.”

  Calliope shook her head. “No, we drove here in Lyra’s car today.”

  “You saw my car,” Calypso said. “You know it was parked in back.”

  Lyra nodded. “Yes, we saw it, but that was yesterday, not today. Remember? You were mad at us yesterday, so you drove yourself.”

  “No.” She struggled to remember. She was always upset with her sisters. It was hard to keep track of when and why. “Why didn’t I drive it home last night?”

  “You had a couple of glasses of wine. You couldn’t drive. I drove us home,” Lyra explained. “Don’t you remember any of this?”

  She shook her head. “No, but I know for sure it was parked there this morning.”

  Lyra and Calliope exchanged glances again.

  “Wasn’t it?” Calypso urged.

  Calliope spoke in a small voice, “I honestly can’t remember. I think it was there, but I can’t say for sure if I saw it or not.” She looked at Mike. “What time did she drop it off at your shop?”

  He shrugged. “It was almost dark outside. I guess nine or so.”

  “Your shop closes at seven,” Calypso said.

  He nodded. “Yes, but you asked me to wait for you. You got there a little after nine and gave me the keys.”

  She had no memory of that exchange. “What time did we go home?” she asked her sisters.

  “Ten-thirty on the nose,” Calliope said. “I remember because that’s the time I usually have my late-night snack and I missed it last night.”

  Calypso walked to the back office and returned with her purse. “Here, I’ll prove it to you. My keys are right …” Her words trailed off as she dumped the contents on the front counter.

  “No keys,” Lyra said.

  “You gave me the keys,” Mike said. “And the thieves took them. I’m confused. You stopped by yesterday morning on your way to work to tell me you’d had some problems with the car. You said the engine made funny noises, so you wanted me to check it out. I did, and I found the problem.”

  Calypso rubbed her hand over her face. “I most certainly did not give you permission to work on my car.”

  Lyra interjected, “Wait. Did you hear what else he said? He said he found the problem. What was it?”

  He wiped his hand over his forehead. “I’m afraid to say.”

  “Talk, Mike,” Calypso said. “We can do this your way or my way. Entirely up to you.” She pulled a small novelty cauldron off the open shelving to remind him who they were. “Did you forget who founded this town you get to call home? Did you forget what we’re capable of doing to you if you cross us?”

  Jinx Cove was named for their ancestors. Their family had lived here for over a century. Nothing happened in town without their knowledge. They had gifts – gifts bestowed upon them at birth. Not much got by them, but today – Mike’s story – proved them wrong.

  He glanced around at the room full of customers. “Maybe we should talk about this someplace private.”

  Calypso looked at her sisters. “Can you believe this?”

  Lyra shrugged. “Old age? I’m sure there are plenty of things we can’t remember anymore. It’s not like we’re teenagers.”

  “Speak for yourself,” Calliope shot back. “You two might be old. I’m still good as new.”

  Mike couldn’t hold it in any longer. “I found bags of money in the engine. That’s why it made knocking sounds.”

  “You keep money in your car engine?’ Lyra asked as Isaac and another detective walked in the front door.

  “No,” Calypso answered before greeting them with a scowl. “Not now. I’m busy.”

  Isaac looked at Lyra, who offered an apologetic smile.

  “Ma’am?” he started. “Is there somewhere we can speak in private?”

  Calypso shook her head. “We know already. Someone stole my car, put a load of cash in the engine, and kidnapped two girls. Unless you have new information, I don’t need to hear anything else about it.”

  He and his partner exchanged glances.

  “The girls were kidnapped at gunpoint out by the welcome sign on Route 122. Do you know how your car ended up there?” he asked.

  “I told you. They stole my car.”

  He glanced out the window. “Who and when?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  He pulled a notebook out of his pocket. “I understand you just got off the phone with 9-1-1. Is that correct? So, you didn’t know the car was gone until a little while ago?”

  “Yes,” Calypso mumbled. “Like I said, I couldn’t call it in earlier because I didn’t know it was gone.”

  Lyra cleared her throat. “Watch your tone.”

  He jotted down some notes. “Do you know anything about the money that was found in the engine?”

  She shrugged. “No clue. How much was it? Maybe it fell out of my purse.”

  He smirked. “A quarter of a million dollars. Do you generally keep that kind of money
lying around?”

  Mike pulled a crumpled note out of his pocket. “There’s more, detective. I found this.”

  Isaac unfolded the crumpled note. Scrawled in childlike scribble was a note: Calypso Jinx is guilty.

  Chapter 3: The Abney Family

  “Melanie, your breakfast date is here,” her mother called up the stairs as she motioned for their guest to step inside. “You might as well make yourself comfortable. You know how long it takes for her to decide how to wear her hair.”

  Ben shook his head. “Some things never change. You’d think she’d run out of ideas by now. I don’t know what the big fuss is about anyway. It’s not like he hasn’t seen every look she’s ever worn. Besides, between me and you, I hope we don’t run into him today. He’ll kill my good mood.”

  “Run into who?” Melanie walked down the stairs, dressed like a girl straight off the runway in Paris. “Funny. I thought you wanted to grab a couple of donuts and coffee at Abracajava. I don’t remember anything about a mystery man.”

  He eyed her fancy outfit. “Yeah, right. You never dressed like that for breakfast with me before.”

  She assessed herself in the mirror. “What? What’s wrong with the way I look?”

  “Nothing if your goal is to make your ex jealous,” Ben said. “If you’re done with the makeover, I’d like to go. I have a plane to catch soon.”

  She grabbed her purse and kissed her mother goodbye. “I’ll be back soon.”

  Ben stopped to give her mother a hug. “See you soon. Try to keep your fashionista daughter out of trouble while I’m gone.”

  She shrugged. “I won’t make any promises. Some things are out of my control.”

  Ben opened the front door and motioned for Melanie to leave first. “Ladies who try too hard should go first.”

  She glided past him. “Men who should know better than to patronize strong women because bad things can happen wouldn’t have to make a show of being so nice. I can’t help it if everyone in town knows what everyone else does before they do it. It’s not my fault Anthony is here.”