Murder Comes Calling

by Raven Snow

  “My mom was—is.”

  “That’s probably how he met my mom then. It’s how he met me too,” Coreen took another cautious sip of her coffee after blowing on it a moment.

  “Really?” Coreen might not have many geographical tells as far as her origins went, but she did have the look of someone who wasn’t into festivals or parties.

  “It was by choice,” Coreen assured her. “My mother liked to go. As early as I can remember, she was taking me along with her. I’m not even sure kids were allowed at all of those places. She’d sneak me in anyway. One of her friends had an RV and a bunch of them would pile in. I’d be confined to it for a weekend… or two or three.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Coreen shrugged. “It is what it is. It’s also how Desmond ran into my mother again.”

  Rowen took a sip of her coffee. It was hot and bitter but helped her collect her thoughts. “How did that go?”

  “I don’t really know. I wasn’t there for the official reunion. It probably didn’t go great. I was really young, so I don’t have especially clear memories of what happened. I do remember my mother all but dragging him in there and pointing at me. I assume she hadn’t been able to track him down since the anonymous sex.”

  “So… he took responsibility?” Rowen asked, the beginnings of jealousy stirring within her. She felt ridiculous for it.

  Coreen snorted and took a sip of her own coffee before continuing. “After a fashion, I guess. I mean, it’s hard to deny. We look so much alike.”

  Rowen couldn’t argue with her there. Coreen certainly took after Desmond far more than Rowen did. She had ignored it back when she’d thought of Coreen as Desmond’s fiancé. It was impossible to overlook now. The dark hair, the stature, the narrow features. The similarities were obvious.

  “He gave my mother some cash. I’m sure she liked that better than child support.” Coreen took a deep breath and looked down at the table. She had started spinning her coffee cup again, like she was getting lost in her own memories. “She had… problems.”

  “Oh.” Rowen’s jealousy left her.

  “We lived in a rundown trailer park close to where a fellow who manufactured meth lived. Desmond would stop on by on his way through the state. I’m sure he got the sense that things weren’t great. He gave me his phone number in case of an emergency. Eventually, my mother overdosed. I gave the police Desmond’s number. They called him, and… The rest is history.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Like I said, it is what it is.”

  “So, he took you in after that?”

  Coreen nodded her head. “He did, but I really couldn’t tell you why. I guess he felt guilty.”

  “And you’ve stuck with him all this time?” Rowen was sure that Coreen was an adult by now.

  Coreen sat up a little straighter in the booth, like Rowen was challenging her. “I just haven’t found a good place to settle down yet. I don’t want to go back to Alabama. I haven’t found a place that feels like home… I’m not even sure what home would feel like if I did find it.”

  “For me, home is wherever your family is.”

  “Then I guess that’s why I’ve been traveling with Desmond all this time.” Coreen rolled her eyes like that was ridiculous. It was obvious she wasn’t the biggest fan of her living style.

  “You could always stick around here,” Rowen offered. She wasn’t sure what made her say that. The words had just come out of her mouth before she had realized what it was she was saying.

  Even Coreen looked surprised. She raised her eyebrows. “Yeah, I’m not so sure about that. Your family doesn’t seem to be terribly popular around here. To compound that, your family doesn’t seem to hold a terribly favorable opinion towards us.”

  “Our family, and it’s just Desmond they don’t like.”

  Coreen smirked. “Our family?” she repeated. “I’m only related to you because we share a father. That seems to be enough for the town to distrust me, but that still doesn’t make your family mean anything to me.” Before Rowen could say anything in response, she continued. “Now it’s my turn to ask a few questions.”

  “Shoot.”

  “Your family doesn’t seriously think they’re a bunch of witches, do they?”

  Rowen’s heart sank. She should have seen this question coming but she hadn’t. For some reason, she had hoped that her half-sister would be different, that she would know better than to doubt the Greensmith family’s powers. Not that she had any reason to, Rowen supposed. “What did Desmond tell you?”

  “Oh, plenty. The stuff your family got up to were all bedtime stories to me. He also told me fairy tales, though. I always assumed the witchcraft stuff was kind of exaggerated, kinda colored with some artistic liberties, you know? Then I get here and it’s like I’m supposed to believe all that stuff was true.”

  “It might be. I’m not sure which stories Desmond told you.”

  The smile on Coreen’s face gave way to a nervous laugh. “It’s like a spiritual thing, right? Like folk remedies and stuff?”

  “Sort of,” Rowen confirmed with a nod. “But it’s more than that too. We all have our particular talents. I’m good with talking to the dead, but I have some of my mother’s skills as well. I can read people’s pasts and the Tarot. I’m not as good as her, but I’ve got the gist of it down.”

  Coreen was still smiling, like she was afraid Rowen would laugh at her if she took her seriously. That was a common reaction. People were often nervous that they might be the butt of a practical joke. The smile faltered when Rowen didn’t break into a grin as well. “Seriously?”

  “Seriously.” Normally, Rowen didn’t much care if someone didn’t believe in her abilities. But this was her sister. For a reason she couldn’t name, it was important to her that Coreen knew she was telling the truth. “Here, I’ll do it for you.” Rowen reached her hands out, palms facing the ceiling.

  Coreen looked at Rowen’s hands like she was trying to hand her a live snake. “What are you doing?”

  “Put your hands on mine. I’ll show you what I can do… Well, a part of what I can do.” Reading people wasn’t always that impressive. They didn’t always believe Rowen was telling the truth afterward.

  Coreen cast a look around the coffee shop, probably taking in the other patrons. She was embarrassed. That was normal. At least she seemed to overcome it quickly enough. She reached out her hands and placed them upon Rowen’s.

  Rowen closed her eyes and tried to concentrate. Her half-sister’s hands felt odd on her own. There was a buzz between them, a kind of electricity. Coreen must have felt it as well because she snatched her hands back.

  “Sorry,” mumbled Coreen. “It must have been static.” She placed her hands back where they had been, ignoring it when electricity passed between them for a second time.

  Rowen closed her eyes again, tried to clear her head. Images sprung to her mind’s eye faster than they ever had before. It was easy to read Coreen. She could see snatches of her past playing out, feel the sadness, the happiness, the intense annoyed feelings towards Desmond. Rowen could relate to her on that last part. It was a lot to take in all at once. Rowen had to really slow her breathing and concentrate to try and make sense of all that was assaulting her senses.

  The images faded and Rowen was left with the other senses. She was better when dealing with only those. She directed herself away from Coreen’s past and tried to find something closer to now, something that would prove to Coreen that she was what she and their father said she was.

  “Are you okay?” asked Coreen.

  “Shh.” Rowen tried to tune out the ambient sounds of the coffee shop as well as Coreen. She could feel her sister’s hands twitch a bit in her own. Maybe people were looking and it was starting to embarrass her. If that was the case, Rowen needed to work fast. “You’re nervous.”

  “Well, yeah. Aren’t you?”

  Rowen wasn’t sure if Coreen meant nervous about meeting or nervous about a couple b
aristas staring. “It’s more than that. Something is bothering you.” Before Coreen could respond, she picked out a few more tidbits. “You had a dog when you were little. Your mom gave him away without telling you. It cost too much to keep him.” She left out the part where Coreen’s mother had needed the money for drugs. “You were devastated. You were more upset by that than when…” Than when her mother passed. Rowen swallowed the words before she spoke them, but Coreen must have sensed what she was about to say. She snatched her hands away.

  “That’s good,” said Coreen. “You’re good.”

  Rowen opened her eyes to find Coreen regarding her with a wary expression. Any warmness had gone from her. She was sitting up very straight, her hands firmly on her side of the table. “Have you been talking to Desmond?”

  “Yeah right.” Rowen tried to laugh the idea off like it was absurd, but Coreen didn’t share in any of the levity. Rowen let her smile fall, assuming a more serious expression. “I’ve only talked to him twice now. The first time you were there and the second time was over the phone. For all I know, you were there the second time as well. I didn’t know any details about you until today, I promise.”

  Coreen relaxed her shoulders and took another sip of coffee. She put on a good front, acting a little more casual. Rowen could tell that she didn’t mean it. She was still distrustful, still wary of being manipulated. “You’ll have to excuse me if I don’t buy into all this stuff just yet.”

  “Fair enough.” More than anything, Rowen just wanted her sister to be comfortable around her again. The conversation had been going so well up until then. “You’ll have to see the rest of my family work. Maybe you can swing by for a spell or a ritual. My husband used to be like you, but he’s come around… No pressure, though. I just wouldn’t mind if you came by for the occasional visit now that you know that we exist.”

  “I always knew you and your family existed.”

  “Oh.” Obviously she did. Coreen had even said she grew up hearing stories about them. Rowen shook her head. “Of course you do. Never mind.” A silence that quickly grew awkward followed. There was something that was still weighing heavily on Rowen’s mind. She made a conscious decision to make things a little more awkward. “What is it you’re so nervous about? Besides being here with me, I mean.”

  “I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about.”

  That was a lie, though Rowen couldn’t read as much on Coreen’s face. That wasn’t a good thing. It meant that she had a talent for lying, just like their father. “Have you met the woman Desmond wants to marry?”

  “Not really. I went to eat with her once, so I guess I know her about as well as I know you.”

  “And Desmond seems to like her?”

  Coreen shrugged. “I would hope so. He’s marrying her. Why?”

  “What happens to you once he marries? I assume he’ll be settling down with this woman and not traveling anymore.”

  “I can’t say for sure.” Coreen smiled, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I guess I’ll have to find a place to settle down, won’t I?”

  “This isn’t just a…” Rowen needed to pick her words carefully here. She could feel it. Coreen wanted to leave. If Rowen pushed too hard now, the conversation was over. “This isn’t a scheme or anything, is it? I know he was friends with my uncle. I know they were both involved in a lot of shady stuff. Is this marriage something like that?”

  “I don’t ask. Don’t know, and I don’t want to know.” That was a lie, though it was hard to tell which part. “If the past is anything to judge by, I’d be surprised if Desmond settled down. He is getting older, though. Maybe he wants to.” There was longing there. Perhaps Coreen was sick of all the traveling. Maybe she wanted to settle down.

  “Is the woman wealthy?”

  “She has a heck of a lot more money than Desmond. I don’t know if Desmond has designs on scamming her, if that’s what you’re wondering about. Not that it matters if he can’t get a divorce, and that’s something he hasn’t seemed all that worried about lately.”

  “All the stuff with Bertha? With… our grandmother?” Those words felt so strange on Rowen’s tongue.

  “Adopted grandmother,” Coreen corrected. “And yes. He’s got her estate to settle now.”

  “That worked out awfully convenient.”

  “How do you mean?” Coreen was becoming wary again, her brow creased and her lips a tight line.

  “If he was looking to make money,” Rowen said quickly. “If it was money he was hoping for and not necessarily a wife. He sort of lucked out here, didn’t he?”

  “I’m not sure you call it lucky when someone dies.”

  “Right.” Rowen swallowed, feeling her face grow warm. She didn’t think Coreen had any strong feelings about Bertha Trainer. It felt like she was simply trying to make Rowen as uncomfortable as possible, throw her off her game. Maybe Rowen was approaching a topic she didn’t much want to talk about. Rowen pressed it regardless. “Either way, I hear the house is a pretty big deal. It’s got historical significance and all that.”

  “I wouldn’t know much about it. I’ve just been dealing with the paperwork.” Coreen looked down at the phone that sat to the right of her coffee. “Speaking of which, I need to make my way to a couple of administrative offices downtown if I want to get any of this done before the weekend. I should really be going.”

  “You know you can tell me if there’s something going on.” It didn’t feel like Rowen was going to get another chance like this with Coreen any time soon. She had said the wrong thing too many times, asked the wrong questions. After this, Coreen would probably have a word with Desmond about their conversation. She had to say her peace before Coreen finished sliding out of the booth. “If you’re helping our father out with something illegal, you can tell me. I won’t-”

  “Desmond.”

  “What?”

  Coreen finished standing. She put her phone in her purse. “Call him Desmond. It sounds weird when you call him ‘father.’ Our father. You don’t really know him. He wasn’t a father to you. Hearing you call him that is weird.”

  Rowen stared at Coreen, not sure what to say to that. She was equal parts confused and hurt. “I didn’t mean to upset you,” she stammered.

  “You don’t upset me, Rowen.” The way Coreen said that was so matter-of-fact that it didn’t sound like she had any strong opinions on the matter. That was worse than being disliked somehow. “It was neat meeting you. We’ll have to do this again before Desmond and I leave.” With a halfhearted smile and a small wave, Coreen turned her back to Rowen and headed for the door.

  “Yeah, we should,” Rowen called after her. She watched Coreen’s back as she left, noted that she never looked back even once. Rowen put her elbows on the table and let her head sink into her hands. That could have gone better. That could have gone a lot better.

  Chapter Ten

  Rowen insisted on walking three blocks to the Trainer house. “Why didn’t you just tell your dad we were going to be here?” asked Willow. She was without Benji this time. This didn’t have anything to do with business and besides that Rowen had requested that she come alone. It was something Willow looked none too happy about as she trudged along. It was dark and cold and her arms were crossed in front of her, hands jammed into opposite sleeves of her furry coat.

  “I don’t want anyone knowing we’re here,” Rowen said, not for the first time.

  “I don’t see what difference it makes,” grumbled Willow, also not for the first time.

  “Help,” squeaked Peony, arms outstretched.

  “Peony is going to fall and break her neck because of you,” Willow added without actually stopping to help her sister.

  Rowen took a few steps back and took Peony by the arm. Her patent leather booties weren’t faring well against the icy sidewalk. Rowen linked arms with her cousin and walked the rest of the way beside her. It took a little longer that way, but it was the least she could do. “Sorry,” Rowen said
to them both. “I’ll try to make this quick once we’re there.”

  Willow was quick to object. “Don’t rush that part. That’s the exciting part.”

  Rowen just rolled her eyes and kept walking, half dragging Peony alongside her. Fortunately, the house wasn’t much further. Rowen hadn’t told anyone they were coming this time, not Desmond or anyone from the rest of the Trainer family. She had told Eric where she was going, though it hadn’t been easy to convince him not to come along. It was hard to concentrate around him lately. He was too supportive, if there was such a thing. He was very aware that his wife was having a difficult time. He was an easy shoulder to cry on, but Rowen didn’t need that right now. She didn’t need that easy out. What Rowen needed was to stay focused.

  Peony and Willow were not shoulders to cry on. They were shoulders that complained and shoulders that supported heads so vacant they hadn’t realized high heeled booties weren’t footwear best suited to this particular outing. They were perfect for this.

  “Go around back,” Rowen said as Willow started for the front steps. “The front is locked.” Rowen had left the back door unlocked when last she came. She hoped it still was.

  Peony separated herself from Rowen once they were walking in the grass. “I wish you’d let me bring Tina. She wanted to see this. She would have thought it was neat.”

  “We’re not doing this because it’s neat.” Rowen had to make an effort not to snap at her cousin. “This is all serious. This is very serious.”

  Peony shrugged like that didn’t make much difference to her. “She wants to see what it is I do for a living. I swing by her work at the library all the time. It’s normal for her to want to come along on something like this.”

  “This isn’t what you do for a living.”

  “If you say so.” The way Peony said that made it sound like she didn’t buy it. To be fair, Rowen asked this sort of thing of her cousins fairly often. Maybe it was what they all did for a living, after a fashion.

  Willow opened the door. Rowen heard the creak of it opening and felt a rush of relief. It would have been just her luck to arrive and find that someone had noticed and locked it back. “Don’t turn on the lights,” Rowen called after Willow, reminding her. “Use the flashlights, like we talked about.” Rowen didn’t want the neighbors noticing the lights in the house coming on. They all used flashlights, making sure to keep the beams aimed low.