“I thought I was the only one who noticed that,” Jack said, closing the door and fobbing the lock. “Perhaps you’re more observant than I realized.”
I rolled my eyes. “Perhaps you’re kind of a butthead.”
Instead of reacting with anger, Jack smirked. “Yeah. That’s a distinct possibility.”
I followed the line of people into the inn, pulling up short when I saw the harried woman standing behind the counter. She looked to be in her fifties, dressed well and easy on the eyes, but the woman standing beside her was another story.
“It’s the combat helmet lady,” Jack said, amused.
“I said no, Aunt Tillie.” The woman at the counter fixed the older woman with a dark look. “When I say no, I mean no.”
“Oh, chill out, Winnie.” Tillie – this must be the great-aunt Landon mentioned in passing while at the scene – rolled her eyes so hard I swear she almost fell over. “I was hardly trying to date rape you.”
Hannah choked at the words, her eyes widening. She was a pretty girl – and sweet – but I was starting to think she was something of a Mary Sue. “I … um … .”
Tillie lifted her finger to her lips and let loose with a loud and obnoxious “Shh.”
“Aunt Tillie!” Winnie barked, causing me to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. “I said no. That’s my final answer. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have guests to check in. If you need someone to entertain you, I believe Bay and Thistle are in the library.”
“I don’t want to spend time with them.” Tillie unveiled an exasperated expression only a family member could love. There was something so expressive about the elderly woman – her face carved by wrinkles and her curly short hair struck through with gray – that I couldn’t help but briefly wish I was a part of her family. “They’re obnoxious and mouthy brats.”
I raised my eyebrows as I risked a glance at Jack. He looked as amused with the conversation as I did.
“I don’t really care if you want to spend time with them or not,” Winnie shot back. “I only care that I don’t have time to spend with you right now. So … go.”
Tillie crossed her arms over her chest. “Um … no.”
“That did it!” Winnie raised her arm – whether it was to strike her elderly aunt or vigorously point a finger at her I couldn’t be certain – but the front door opening and Landon stepping in interrupted her.
“You guys made it.” Landon’s reaction was blasé as he took in the members of the team he’d yet to meet. “I’m glad you didn’t have any trouble finding the place.”
“Hello, sailor,” Laura murmured under her breath.
“He’s got a girlfriend,” I reminded her.
“He’s not married, not that it would matter to me,” Laura countered. “I’ll need to spend some time with him, that’s for sure.”
Landon either didn’t notice or care that he was the center of attention. Instead he remained focused on Winnie. “Where is Bay?”
“In the library with Thistle.”
“Oh, geez.” Now it was Landon’s turn to make a face. “Is Thistle in a good or bad mood?”
It was interesting to watch the family dynamic. Landon had been nothing but professional at the scene where the body was found – other than his brief break to check on his girlfriend and her shotgun-wielding great-aunt, of course – but he was clearly comfortable here. Winnie seemed equally at ease with him.
“Thistle is being Thistle,” Winnie shrugged. “Before you go, though, I need you to do me a favor.”
“What?”
“I need you to take this.” Winnie shoved Aunt Tillie toward Landon. “Keep it out of trouble until dinner.”
“Um … pass.” Landon’s expression mirrored Tillie’s from a few moments earlier as he pushed the senior citizen back in Winnie’s direction. “I’m in no mood for itchy underpants tonight.”
“See, he knows what’s good for him,” Tillie nodded.
Landon scorched her with a dark look. “Don’t push me. If you do, I’ll lock you in a room with Thistle and see who comes out standing.”
Tillie was unruffled. “It will be me.”
“You’re not as young as you used to be.”
“And yet I’m still young enough to beat Thistle with one hand tied behind my back.”
Landon stared her down for a moment, his expression unreadable. “Fine,” he said after a beat. “Do what you want, but leave Bay and me out of it. I’ll be in the library with your daughter if you need me before dinner, Winnie.”
Winnie glared at his back. “Does that mean you’re not taking Aunt Tillie with you?”
“I love you, Winnie, but nowhere near that much.”
I snickered as I watched him go, amused. I shifted my position a bit, eager to see the famous Bay. I finally caught a glimpse of her through the double glass doors as Landon grabbed both sides of her face to plant a kiss on her before sitting. She said something to him that made him laugh, and another woman – this one with bright teal hair – shuffled closer to the couch and extended a finger in Landon’s direction. Whatever she said didn’t impress Landon, who merely rolled his eyes.
“She even looks like the devil, doesn’t she?”
I jolted at the sound of the voice so close to my side, shifting my eyes down to find Tillie staring into the library. She didn’t appear bothered by the fact that she was invading my personal space. “I … don’t know her,” I hedged. “She seems friendly enough. I like her hair.”
“She’s the devil,” Tillie whispered. “Look out, because she’ll steal from your secret stash when you’re not looking … and then she’ll rat you out for having the secret stash when she wants to get you in trouble.”
With those words Tillie turned on her heel and flounced toward the door that I presumed led to the inner sanctum of the inn. “I’m taking a nap before dinner,” she announced over her shoulder. “Don’t let anyone drink my wine.”
Winnie offered a distracted wave. “Whatever.” She forced a smile when she finally turned her full attention to us. “Let’s get you checked in, shall we? I’m sure you’re in for a lovely stay in Hemlock Cove.”
I was flooded with doubts, but remained hopeful that was true.
IT DIDN’T take long to get settled. I left everything in my suitcase and propped it on the chest at the end of the bed. I ran a brush through my hair, studied the pretty but simple room, and then headed back to the main floor.
That’s where I expected all of the action to be, so that’s where I wanted to be.
I wasn’t disappointed.
“Knock it off.” Landon sounded grumpy. I followed the sound of his voice to the dining room. I was the first of my group downstairs. It was early for dinner, so the table was mostly empty except for Landon, the blonde I assumed to be Bay, the teal-haired siren Tillie referred to as the “devil” and a handsome blond man with long hair and a patient smile.
“I’m not doing anything,” the girl with the wild hair barked. “You’re being a kvetch.”
“What’s a kvetch?” The question was out of my mouth before I realized it looked as if I’d been eavesdropping. It was too late to take it back, though, so I boldly stepped into the dining room as if I had nothing to hide.
“Hey, Charlie,” Landon smiled. “Did you get settled in your room?”
I nodded. “It’s a beautiful inn.”
“Thank you.” The blonde flashed a pretty smile. “I’m Bay, by the way. Landon and Clove told me all about meeting your group. It must be exciting … looking for Bigfoot and everything, I mean.”
I searched Bay’s face for hints she was making fun of me, but she seemed sincere. “Oh, well, it’s my first job, so I’m not sure how exciting it will be. I’m looking forward to it, though.”
“Did you always want to be a monster hunter?”
“I always wanted to discover something new,” I clarified. “I do have an interest in paranormal things.”
“There’s no shortage of those
things here.”
Bay’s smile was benign, but I didn’t miss the look Landon pinned her with before focusing on me. “Yes, Hemlock Cove is full of randy witches. That’s why it’s my favorite place on Earth.”
Bay playfully pinched his flank. “I don’t think you needed to throw in the ‘randy’ part.”
“And yet I’m not sorry I did it.” Landon poured two glasses of wine, pushed one in front of Bay and then held up the bottle. “Wine?”
“Oh, sure. That sounds nice.” I moved closer to the table, fixing a hesitant look at Bay before grabbing the chair next to her. “So … what’s a kvetch?”
Bay snorted. “That’s what Aunt Tillie calls our cousin Clove,” she replied. “She saves the meaner names for Thistle.” She pointed toward the teal-haired girl for emphasis.
“I’m sorry.” Landon remembered his manners. “This is Thistle and her boyfriend Marcus. He’s okay, but she’s evil.”
I raised my eyebrows, amused. “I heard that.”
“Who did you hear it from?” Thistle asked suspiciously.
I saw no reason to lie – and I’m terrible at it when caught – so I wisely decided to ignore that potential landmine. “Your aunt.”
“Which one?”
“The one in the combat helmet.”
“That mean old biddy,” Thistle groused. “She’s our great aunt, and I’m totally going to make her pay. I think it’s time to put Operation Make Aunt Tillie Cry into active rotation, Bay. She’s been a righteous pain for weeks. She needs to be brought down a peg or two.”
“You’re going to make your great-aunt cry?” I nodded in thanks as Landon handed me the glass of wine and watched as he rested his hand on Bay’s back, drawing idle circles as he listened to the conversation. They seemed in tune with one another, happy in the face of the chaos. A homey feeling wafted through the room despite the squabbling.
“Oh, she’s got it coming,” Thistle grumbled. “Trust me. That woman knows how to get under someone’s skin – and not in a fun way like one of those spiders that burrows under your skin and lays eggs.”
“Oh, um … .” I wasn’t sure what to say, which had to be a first. “She seemed nice. Although … um … why does she wear the combat helmet?”
“In case Russia decides to drop the big one,” Bay answered, causing Landon and Marcus to snort in unison.
“Really?”
“Well, maybe not Russia,” Bay conceded. “She’s been waiting for someone to drop the big one since the sixties, though.”
“Yeah, she’s convinced that when the zombie apocalypse hits it will happen because of an oozing chemical weapon rather than a virus gone awry,” Thistle added. “Sadly, we’re going to be stuck with her no matter what happens because she knows how to survive.”
“She’s on your zombie apocalypse team?” The notion made me grin.
“Yeah, it’s Bay, Aunt Tillie, Landon, Marcus and me,” Thistle replied. “We figure that’s the team that has the best chance of surviving.”
“I told you that you need to bring one of your mothers, too,” Landon interjected. “You guys aren’t going to cook. I don’t want to eat anything you call cooking.”
“There’s going to be a bacon shortage in the zombie apocalypse anyway,” Bay pointed out. “You’ll be sad about food no matter what.”
“I see no reason to live if there won’t be bacon,” Landon teased.
“What about me?” Bay pressed.
“That’s a tough choice, sweetie. I’ll give it some thought.”
Bay elbowed his stomach before turning to me. “So, Charlie, tell us about being a monster hunter.”
I giggled, amused at her serious tone. “What do you want to know?”
“Everything,” Thistle interjected. “We especially want to know if Bigfoot is real and whether or not we can borrow him. Clove is terrified of Bigfoot, and she’s been bugging the crap out of me. She’s due for a little payback, too.”
“Well, how much time do you have?” I asked, leaning back in my chair.
“Dinner will be ready in thirty minutes,” Bay replied. “Is that enough time?”
“Plenty.”
“Then let’s do it.”
Surprisingly enough, I felt comfortable opening up to them. Not about the big secrets, of course, but I instinctively knew they could be trusted with the little ones. “Okay, but I’ve never seen Bigfoot. I’m convinced I saw an elf once, though.”
“Join the club,” Thistle said. “We grew up with a menstruation monster and sock-eating gnome in this house. There’s nothing you can say that would surprise us.”
I bet I knew a few things, but I opted to keep them to myself as I launched into my tale. After all, I liked them, but I didn’t know them. There was no way I could trust them with the big stuff.
Five
“I feel as if my head has been run over by a truck and then backed over again.”
I met Millie in the hallway before breakfast the next morning, cocking an eyebrow as I took in her disheveled hair and smeared makeup. I was fairly certain she hadn’t taken a shower – although that was none of my business, I reminded myself – and she looked as bad as she sounded.
“You did a lot of drinking last night,” I acknowledged, working overtime to hide my smirk. Millie was one of the few people in the group who talked to me as if I wasn’t the newbie. “Do you want some aspirin? I’m sure we can ask for some downstairs.”
“I want to crawl into an aspirin bottle,” Millie replied, shuffling toward the stairwell. “Until that becomes a possibility, though, I want a huge vat of coffee.”
“I’m sure they have that, too.”
Most of the Winchester family was already around the table, including Clove and her boyfriend. They missed dinner the previous evening, and that seemed to be the topic of conversation.
“You’re such a baby, Clove,” Thistle spat, openly glaring at her cousin. “It wasn’t really Bigfoot. You’re letting your imagination run wild. Stop thinking things like that.”
“I only think things like that because you told me Bigfoot was out to get me, and now it looks as if he is,” Clove shot back, her eyes flashing. “You and Bay like terrorizing me. Now it’s coming true. I hope you’re happy.”
I widened my eyes momentarily, worried this battle would really turn hostile. I learned fairly quickly last night that the Winchester way was to mess with one another whenever the opportunity presented. It was like that in my family until my parents died when I was eighteen. Then the laughter died … and didn’t come back for a very long time. Even when it did return, it was never the same.
“Good morning,” I chirped, drawing a few sets of eyes. “How did everyone sleep?”
Thistle stared at me with open distaste for a long time before turning back to her cousin. “Bigfoot didn’t kill Penny Schilling. I’ll bet that new vintage cauldron I found that it’s a human trying to cover his or her tracks by making it look like an animal attack.”
“I have to agree with Thistle on this one,” Bay said, rubbing her forehead. She looked as hungover as Millie, but it appeared she’d showered and brushed her hair. “The odds of it being Bigfoot are pretty slim.”
I considered arguing the point – that’s why I was here, after all – but it seemed like a lot of effort before I had my coffee. “Who is Penny Schilling?” I asked, latching on to the one part of the conversation I couldn’t make sense of.
“She’s the victim,” Millie replied, taking me by surprise with her gruffness. “Keep up.”
“I like her,” Thistle said, her lips twitching as she stared at Millie. “She could give Aunt Tillie a run for her money.”
“She tried to give Tillie a run for her money with the wine over dinner last night,” I argued. “That’s why she’s so grumpy. Do you have any aspirin, by the way? I think a couple of people are going to need it.”
“Right here.” Landon grabbed a bottle from the table and twisted the cap. “I was just about to pour some into Bay. She
’s hungover, too.”
Bay made an exaggerated face that caused me to stifle a giggle. “You’re the one who was crying about wanting to kill yourself because your head hurt so much this morning.”
“That was only until you revived me in the shower.” Landon’s grin was cheeky as he tapped three tablets into Bay’s cupped hand. “My headache is gone. You magically cured it.”
“I think that was the bacon you stole when we walked through the kitchen,” Bay grumbled. She tossed the aspirin into her mouth and swallowed half a glass of tomato juice to wash them down. “Aren’t you going to have aspirin?”
Landon shook his head and handed me the bottle. “I’m manly. I don’t need aspirin.”
“Oh, puh-leez.” Thistle snorted so loudly it jarred Millie as she tried to get comfortable with her mug of coffee. “You palmed aspirin when you thought no one was looking and you’re going to take it and pretend you’re somehow stronger than everyone else.”
Landon balked. “I did not.”
“Open your hand.”
“I certainly will not.”
Bay’s expression shifted from weary to suspicious as she turned to her boyfriend. “Let me see your hand.”
“I let you see my hand earlier. I don’t think you need a repeat showing.” Landon tried to cover his discomfort with flirting, but Bay was having none of it.
“Show me.”
“Fine.” Landon made a disgruntled face and displayed the aspirin tablets. “Are you happy, Thistle? You ruined my manly facade.”
“I still think you’re manly,” I offered, patting his shoulder as I moved to sit between him and Millie. “That should make you feel better.”
I didn’t realize that the comment could be misconstrued as flirting until I saw the amused look flit across Bay’s face. If she was bothered by my fascination with her boyfriend, she didn’t show it. I cleared my throat to dislodge the uneasiness settling in the pit of my stomach. “So … um … who is Penny Schilling again?”
“She’s the victim,” Landon replied, seemingly relieved to be rescued from the “manly” conversation. “She lives in Bellaire – it’s about twenty miles away – and she works at the resort there.”
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