“Ignore him,” I said hurriedly. “I believe he’s developed a crush on your great-aunt.”
“Crush smush,” Nellie countered. “I only have one question for you, little girl: Is your aunt single? Oh, and is she open to mingle?”
Luke, who had just joined the party after securing the animal tent to make sure nobody could enter unattended, heard the last part and turned accusatory. “Hey! You can’t steal my shtick. I’m the one who is supposed to say stuff like that.”
“Oh, stuff it,” Raven muttered. “It’s not as if either of you says witty things.”
I shifted an apologetic look toward our guests. “We’re a little cranky in the morning.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Bay forced a smile, although it didn’t make it to her eyes. “You guys are family. Trust me. I know about dealing with ridiculous family.”
Something told me that was only the tip of the truth iceberg.
5
Five
Bay hung around with Landon and Terry for a full hour. She seemed comfortable with both of them, even smiling when Terry called her “sweetheart” and offered up teasing words. She jotted down a few notes, which seemed odd until I remembered she owned the newspaper. She skirted the scene, watching the medical examiner pack up the body, then offered me a half wave before disappearing.
“You don’t think this Tillie woman is the culprit?” Kade asked Landon as the two police representatives stood from the picnic table and prepared to leave.
“Tillie is a unique individual,” Terry replied, echoing the exact statement he’d uttered more than an hour ago. “I very much doubt she killed Darren, but I can guarantee we’ll be talking to her about the shotgun.” He cast a derisive look toward Landon. “I was under the impression the shotgun had been confiscated.”
“Hey, don’t look at me,” Landon complained. “You try telling that woman what she can and can’t do. You know she doesn’t listen.”
“Well ... I’m going to talk to her this time.” Terry sounded sure of himself. “As for you guys, just go about your normal day. I might be back with more questions, but I have to follow the investigative line and talk to Darren’s friends and family first. I’m sure I’ll be back, for the coffee if nothing else.”
“You’re welcome back whenever you want,” I offered. “If we can provide information, we’re glad to help. Though I really don’t know what we can tell you.” In truth, I was bothered by the death, especially because the body was so close to the dreamcatcher. I couldn’t help but wonder if whoever took out the victim recognized the boundary for what it was. That might offer a unique problem, one only we were equipped to deal with. “I hope you find the answers you’re looking for.”
Terry’s smile was wan. “That makes two of us.”
ONCE THE TWO LAW enforcement representatives disappeared, we set about our normal day. The second delivery arrived on time, which meant we had hours to fill with actual work. The medical examiner had vacated the spot where the body was found, so that allowed me the opportunity to check out the scene.
I wasn’t surprised when Kade joined me.
“There’s not much blood,” he noted as he studied the ground. “I mean ... I guess it’s possible the dirt and leaves absorbed it, but I’m guessing he was killed elsewhere and moved here.”
I nodded as I paced a circle. “I don’t think he was killed here. Someone would’ve heard something. Sure, this spot is right behind the clowns and most of them aren’t paranormal, but still ... you would think someone would’ve heard something.”
“Everyone was exhausted after the long trip,” Kade pointed out. “Maybe they simply slept hard, like me. Of course, I had help.”
I pressed the heel of my hand to my forehead. “He wouldn’t have gone quietly. I’m pretty sure he was stabbed.”
“Which leads me back to my earlier supposition. He died somewhere else and was dragged here.”
“And dumped just outside the dreamcatcher,” I muttered.
His eyes tracked to me, curious. “Do you think that’s important?”
I held out my hands and shrugged. “I have no idea. It bothers me, though. I would be lying if I said otherwise.”
“Well, I guess we’ll have to be more careful going forward.” Kade put on his security persona as he regarded the area. “We’ll do regular spins around the fairgrounds, just to be on the safe side.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea. What if it draws attention from the locals? We’re in a precarious position here. We need to be extra careful because we’re smack dab in the middle of town.”
“Yeah, but you were convinced the blonde from the newspaper saw what you were doing last night,” Kade argued. “She seemed fine when she visited this morning.”
“Maybe because we had an audience.” I rolled my neck. “I kept catching her staring at me. I think she knows something.”
“Maybe she’s staring at you because you’re so pretty.”
I rolled my eyes. “That was ... .”
“Charming?”
“I was going to say weak.”
“I happen to think I’m charming.” He slipped his arm around my waist and pulled me close. “I also think you’re worrying too much. This is hardly the first time we’ve garnered police attention since I started this gig. We’ll get through it just the same as we’ve gotten through everything else.”
“I’m not sure this is like the other instances.”
“Why?”
“Because ... .” How could I explain the power surge I felt when close to Tillie? How could I make him understand that I was positive there was something odd about Bay even though we’d barely spoken?
“You have a feeling,” Kade surmised, his lips curving. “You think something big is going to happen here, don’t you?”
“I think we should keep our eyes open,” I clarified. “I want everyone to be on their best behavior.”
“I’m always on my best behavior.”
“I was thinking more about Nellie and Naida. They tend to ... do whatever they want.”
“Then we’ll talk to them.” He gave me a soft kiss and then pulled me in for a lingering hug. “It’ll be okay. You’re a worrier. Sometimes I think that’s good. Other times, I fear you’ll drive yourself crazy with this nonsense.”
He wasn’t the only one.
AFTER LUNCH, WE DECIDED TO take a walk around town. Kade clearly had high hopes it would just be the two of us, but he didn’t put up an argument when Luke invited himself on the trek.
“I think this place is neat,” Luke said as he stared in the window of a bookstore. “I mean ... seriously. They have all sorts of spell and charm books in there. I want to buy the love potion one. I think I would benefit from love potions.”
“You don’t need love potions,” I argued, shaking my head. “You do fine on your own.”
“I don’t think I’m going to do fine in this town,” he said dryly.
He had a point. The town was too small for him to pick up a date. Still, in my experience, love potions were never a good idea. They backfired regularly.
“Yes, well, you’ll survive,” I said. “We’re heading to Detroit after this. The pickings won’t be so slim there.”
“Good point.” He brightened considerably. “Hey, check this place out.” He moved down the sidewalk and stared at the beautifully painted window of a store named Hypnotic. The design on the window was ornate, and it was obvious someone spent a lot of time designing it. “Let’s check it out.”
“Sure.” I was as intrigued as he was.
Kade, who kept his fingers linked with mine, was clearly only along for the ride because he let Luke and me decide on the stops. He seemed more interested in studying the town from a tourist’s perspective. It was part of his security training, although he didn’t often comment on it.
Wind chimes clanged as we walked through the door, and the smell of anise and cloves was enough to put me at ease. There was something homey about the spac
e, and that was before I noticed the couch and chairs placed in the middle of the store, as if it were a small living room.
“Wow!” Luke was immediately entranced by a display of candles and headed in its direction. I was curious enough to follow.
“These are really cool,” I said as I took one shaped like a skull from the shelf. “They’re also homemade.” I flipped over the candle and studied the workmanship. “Whoever did these put a lot of time in them.”
“Thank you,” a woman said from behind me, causing me to jolt.
When I turned, I found a dainty woman with long dark hair watching me with brown eyes. She had a smattering of light freckles across the bridge of her ski-slope nose and an open and inviting smile overtaking her face. “Your work?” I asked, lifting the candle.
She bobbed her head. “All the candles are homemade. We take pride in our work.”
“We?” Another voice joined the fray, and when I turned my attention to the counter I found the green-haired woman I’d seen crossing the road the previous day openly glaring. Thankfully, her annoyance wasn’t aimed at us. Instead, it was directed at the brunette.
“Yes, we,” the first woman said.
“I made the candles, Clove,” the green-haired woman snapped. “You’ve never helped me with the candles. I do all the work ... and own the pride associated with the work.”
Clove — and the name fit her — wrinkled her adorable nose. “I’m the one who put the display together, Thistle. I’m the one who dusts the shelves and makes everything look pretty.”
“You wouldn’t have anything to make look pretty if it weren’t for me,” Thistle shot back. Oddly enough, her name fit her, too. “Stop taking credit for my work.”
I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing as I returned the candle to the shelf. “We can come back if you have other things going on,” I offered lamely.
“Oh, don’t worry about her,” Clove said, waving dismissively. “She’s in a mood. That’s pretty much normal where she’s concerned, but she’s really in a mood today.”
“I am not in a mood,” Thistle barked.
Clove, apparently used to the other woman’s foul temperament, merely shook her head. “She made a statue that she wants to display at the festival, but it’s not allowed because the woman depicted is naked. You can’t have a naked woman statue in the middle of town. Apparently it’s in the rules or something. I don’t know why she didn’t realize that would be a problem.”
“First, I didn’t carve the sculpture for the festival,” Thistle argued. She had a personality like a rabid bear, as far as I could tell. She hadn’t as much as smiled once since we’d entered. “I made it for the stables. But Marcus says it will offend parents and scare kids. I thought the festival would be the perfect place to unveil it.”
“You mean unload it,” Clove corrected. “Just admit you’re trying to get someone to take that sculpture off your hands.”
“No.” Thistle folded her arms across her chest, adamant. “That sculpture is awesome.”
“Whatever.” Clove rolled her eyes until they landed on me. “Are you looking for something particular? You’re with the circus, right? We saw you guys arrive yesterday.”
“We’re just looking around,” I replied. “Your shop is wonderful. We’ve never seen a town like this during our travels.”
“That’s because Hemlock Cove is one big out-patient mental facility,” Thistle supplied. “Everyone is off their meds, so be careful.”
It took everything I had not to laugh. In some ways she reminded me of Nellie ... which was a frightening thought. “We like the town,” I offered. “It’s quieter than our usual venues.”
“Except for old ladies running around with shotguns and combat helmets,” Luke offered.
I didn’t miss the look Clove and Thistle shared. “Is something wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong,” Thistle said hurriedly. “It’s just ... you might want to stay away from the crazy woman with the shotgun. She’s the most mentally unbalanced of them all.”
That sounded ominous. “She seemed okay to me,” I hedged. “Er, well, the leggings were a bit weird.”
“Uh-oh.” Clove made a distressed sound deep in her throat. “What leggings?”
“I’m going with clowns,” Thistle said. “She’d probably wear those freaky clown leggings in honor of the circus coming to town.”
“They were dragons,” Luke supplied.
“Oh, man.” Thistle slapped her hand to her forehead. “I thought Mom burned those. She’s going to be in so much trouble.”
Something occurred to me. “You’re related to the woman at the newspaper office, right? She knew about the dragon leggings, too.”
“Bay?” Thistle nodded. “We’re cousins. All of us.” She gestured toward Clove, too. “Our mothers are sisters. Aunt Tillie raised them when our grandmother died. We’re one big happy family.”
“Aunt Tillie is ... eccentric,” Clove explained. “She’s perfectly harmless, though. You don’t have to worry about her.”
“She’s evil incarnate,” Thistle groused. “If you see her, run in the other direction and hide. She’s completely mental.”
I spared a glance for Kade and found him fighting off laughter. He clearly enjoyed the banter.
“I’ll keep an eye out for her,” I said finally. “She was perfectly pleasant, and one of our performers has developed a crush on her.”
“Really?” Officially intrigued, Thistle rested her elbows on the counter and leaned forward. “Which performer? Please tell me it was a clown. Landon has a thing about clowns and if we invite one to dinner he’ll melt down.”
It was clear the Winchester family had a wicked way of interacting with one another. “Actually, he’s our bearded lady. Only ... he’s more of a cross-dressing dwarf … I mean, little man. It’s hard to explain.”
Thistle’s eyes lit with amusement. “Oh, I totally want to meet him. He sounds right up Aunt Tillie’s alley.”
“I kind of want to meet him, too,” Clove admitted. “It sounds like your bearded lady and our great-aunt have a lot in common, especially on the fashion front.”
I hadn’t yet put that together, but she wasn’t wrong. “Well, I’m sure we can work something out. In fact ... .” Whatever I was going to say died on my lips when the door burst open to allow the woman in question entrance. Today she was dressed in the clown leggings mentioned earlier, but sans shotgun and combat helmet. She did, however, boast a very odd gardening hat that featured a pair of scissors poking out the top.
“And here is the woman of the hour right now,” Thistle drawled, her eyes narrowing as she focused on her great-aunt. “We were just talking about you.”
“I’m great to talk about,” Tillie said breezily as she stepped into the store. “I love talking about me. But I don’t have time today. I’m here for a reason. I need some Blue Flag. I’m out.”
“Blue Flag?” Thistle knit her eyebrows. “The only thing you need Blue Flag for is money spells. You’re not allowed to cast money spells after that incident where you accidentally turned Mrs. Little into a prostitute while you acted as her pimp.”
Tillie’s expression was withering. “Who said that was an accident?”
“We don’t have Blue Flag,” Clove volunteered. “There was no reason to keep any around because the only spells you can cast with it are negative.”
“Oh, you guys suck.” Tillie made a face before focusing on me. “I remember you. You’re with the circus.”
“And we want her to take you with her when she leaves,” Thistle called out. “We think you’ll fit right in at the circus.”
“You’d miss me too much if I left, Thistle,” Tillie barked. “I could never leave you.”
“You could try.”
“Do you want to be on my list?”
I had no idea what that meant, but I was amused. “The police and an FBI agent were around this morning,” I offered. “I believe they’re going to talk to you beca
use we found a dead body on the outskirts of the fairgrounds this morning. They wanted to know who had been hanging around.”
Thistle jolted. “You found a dead body?”
“Who was it?” Clove asked. “Was it someone local?”
“Um ... I believe they said it was Darren Rappaport.”
“The cauldron curmudgeon,” Thistle murmured. “He was a crabby old thing. I can’t believe he’s dead.”
“He was a pervert,” Tillie volunteered.
“He was definitely a pervert,” Clove agreed. “Once he used one of those shark grabber things, you know with the teeth, to grab the front of my shirt and try to look down it. I was sixteen.”
Tillie scowled. “You should’ve told me about that. I would’ve made sure those teeth grabbed something else ... permanently.”
“That’s exactly why I didn’t tell you.”
“How was he killed?” Thistle asked. “I mean ... did he fall and hit his head while trying to spy on your women or did someone shoot him? Either is a possibility.”
“I believe someone stabbed him, although there was so little blood it was hard to tell. He also had a symbol carved into his forehead.”
Kade cast me a curious look. It practically screamed, “Why are you telling them all this information?” I didn’t have an answer. It was almost as if I was compelled to share with them, if only to read their reactions. There was something rather interesting about this little group, and that included the reporter cousin who made me nervous.
“Huh. I wonder what Bay knows,” Thistle mused. She was clearly talking to Clove and Tillie, but she didn’t exclude us from the conversation.
“Landon will tell her what’s going on,” Clove said. “I’m sure she’ll fill us in over dinner.”
“That must be why Terry called wanting to talk to me,” Tillie mused. “He said it was important and not to pretend that I didn’t receive the call.”
“Are you going to talk to him?” Clove asked.
Tillie snorted. “Did you just meet me? I’m going to pretend I didn’t receive the call. He’ll find me when he finds me. I’m not difficult to track down.”
Freaky Witches (A Mystic Caravan Mystery Book 7) Page 5
