“Ah.” Landon’s eyes gleamed. “Great minds think alike, huh?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s just ... two bodies found in the same pool presents a different conundrum. One body could’ve pointed toward a transitory individual, or someone who stumbled across the pool by accident. Maybe someone who lived locally but panicked after something terrible happened.
“Two bodies is a pattern,” I continued, my mind busy. “One of those bodies has probably been in that pool for twelve years. That means someone went missing almost twelve years ago and was never found. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that a second body was found in that spot. I mean ... what are the odds? That means either the same person committed two murders or one person had knowledge of another person committing a murder and getting away with it and decided to try their hand at the same thing.”
Landon was quiet for a long time. When he finally spoke, it was with amusement. “Do you know what I love about you most?”
“The fact that my family keeps you in pancakes, bacon and fresh-baked bread?”
“And pie. Don’t forget the pie.”
“How could I forget the pie?”
His smile widened. “Seriously, though. I love the way your mind works. I rarely have to explain things to you because you already get it. You could’ve made a great FBI agent.”
He meant it as a compliment, but all I could picture was Aunt Tillie’s face if I became a Fed. “‘The Man’ in the family? Aunt Tillie would melt down.”
“Wouldn’t that be half the fun?”
He had a point. “Yeah. I think I’m happy being a reporter and letting you do the heavy investigative lifting. It’s a nice thought, though, and I appreciate the compliment.”
“I love how polite you are.” He swung his legs so they hit the ground and rested his elbows on his knees as he regarded me. “We need to talk about something serious and I guess now is as good a time as any.”
My heart skipped a beat. Whenever he got that look on his face it meant something was about to go down. “Do I even want to know?”
“I think it’s probably best we get it out of the way now. One of the pieces of busywork I had to sign off on this afternoon was a report from the state-appointed shrink. Melanie Adams has been cleared to stand trial.”
Whatever I was expecting, that wasn’t it. The oxygen whooshed out of my lungs and I pinned him with a worried look. “What? Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“But ... .” I felt lost. “I thought she was being medicated.” I swallowed hard as I recovered. “I thought everyone believed she was out of her head because she was spouting off about attack ghosts.”
“The doctor says she’s lucid,” Landon replied calmly. “He says that she’s making up the ghost attack to try to get off on a technicality.”
We both knew that wasn’t true. Melanie Adams was a murderer who took out a local radio doctor, her own parents and tried to hurt Chief Terry before I sent the ghosts of her victims to attack her. The takedown had been relatively quick and painless ... but the ghosts were difficult to explain and if Melanie kept telling people I commanded ghosts to attack her, there was always the chance someone — whether it be a doctor or defense attorney — would decide to look into the situation.
“I should’ve killed her,” I muttered.
“You don’t mean that.”
“I do. She’s alive now and she could hurt my family. I definitely should’ve killed her.”
“Bay, you’re looking at this the wrong way.” Landon was calm as he got to his feet and moved to the corner of my desk. There he knelt next to me and stared directly into my eyes. “No one is going to believe her. She’s spouting a nonsense story about ghosts. You’re okay.”
“Am I?” I wanted to believe him but I couldn’t shake the niggling worry that invaded my brain whenever I thought about putting the ordeal behind me. “If my family has to live the rest of their lives under a microscope because of what I did, if you become the laughingstock of your office because you live with a crazy chick, will you feel the same way?”
He collected my hand. “I don’t care about that. You heard Leroy earlier today. I talk about you all the time ... with pride. I’ll never be ashamed of you. The witch thing is part of who you are.”
“You can’t want it to get around,” I challenged. “I don’t care what you say. I know that’s not true.”
“I don’t want it to get around,” he confirmed, his fingers gentle as they brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. “Not for the reasons you’re imagining. I’m not worried that people will laugh at me. No matter what, I’m always proud of you.
“I am worried that people might find out and believe the rumors,” he continued. “I keep picturing that movie Splash in my head. The one where they take the mermaid and lock her in a cage because they want to study her. I don’t want my witch being studied by anyone other than me.”
His smile was so charming I melted a bit. “Melanie could be a problem,” I noted. “She saw what I can do. She knows I sent the ghosts of her parents after her.”
“Knowing it and proving it are two different things,” Landon said. “Her defense lawyer will insist she stop telling that story. If she doesn’t, then he’s going to tell her to add to the mess and try to get the judge to declare her incompetent. Both outcomes benefit us.”
I wasn’t so sure. “And what if the judge believes her?”
“That won’t happen.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“I have faith.” He gripped my hand. “Now, come on. Let’s finish the busywork and head to dinner. You’ll feel better when you get some fish and chips in you.”
I made a face. “I don’t want fish and chips. Now that you mentioned Splash, it weirds me out.”
“Fine. I’ll feel better when I get some fish and chips in me.”
“Ah, now we’re getting to it.”
“We are.” He pressed a kiss to my palm and lowered his voice. “It’s going to be okay. Just ... don’t let this get to you. Everything is going to be fine. I promise.”
And because he was the one making the promise, I believed him.
WE FILLED OURSELVES WITH homestyle cooking — I went for the hot beef sandwich and Landon the fish and chips — and were in relatively good spirits when we hit the sidewalk outside the diner.
“It’s starting to get warmer,” Landon noted as he swung our joined hands. He was obviously feeling playful. “Before you know it, your mother and aunts will be dancing naked in our backyard.”
“You almost sound as if you’re looking forward to that.”
“I’m looking forward to sitting outside and watching the stars.”
I snorted. I knew him too well to believe that. “You’re looking forward to drinking Aunt Tillie’s wine and rolling around with me under the stars.”
“It’s the same thing.”
“It most certainly isn’t. In fact ... .” I trailed off when I heard a familiar sound, swiveling quickly. Sure enough, the nervous giggle I thought I’d recognized belonged to my mother. She was walking along a side street with Chief Terry — they were holding hands and staring at one another as they conversed about something I couldn’t make out — and they looked to be heading in the direction of the diner.
“Oh, man,” Landon complained as his hand went to my back. “I can’t believe we missed being witnesses to their first date. Actually, I can’t believe he didn’t spring for a better meal for their first date. Maybe I should talk to him about dating a Winchester.”
I slid him a sidelong look, amused. “Oh, really? What kind of advice are you going to give him?”
“I have secrets.” He tapped between my eyebrows. “I know the ins and outs of all the Winchester women. I could give him some much-needed advice ... and the first bit of that advice is that you splurge on a first date.”
I poked his side. “You didn’t splurge on our first date. Of course, we didn’t really have a first date.�
�
He frowned. “Yes, we did.”
“What are you considering our first date? Are you talking about when I visited you in the hospital after you got shot protecting us or when you showed up and ate dinner at the inn with the family? Either way, those are not first dates.”
“I ... huh.” Landon worked his jaw. “You know, now that you mention it, we really didn’t have a first date. I don’t know how that happened. I mean ... we just kind of fell together.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that,” I pointed out. “We fell together and didn’t fall apart ... other than that one blip after you found out what we were and needed to think.”
“And I came back in record time,” Landon noted. “Let’s not go off on a tangent about that again. I hate being reminded.”
“Fair enough.”
He leaned over and kissed my forehead. “I think we should have a first date.”
“And I think we’re already living together so that’s probably a wasted effort. Let’s just have a special date or something.”
“Like what?” He looked intrigued.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. We can talk about it on the way home.” I took a moment to rest my head against his shoulder and watch as Chief Terry nervously held open the door for my mother. They didn’t even glance in our direction. They had no idea we were there because they were absorbed in their own little world. I found it adorable.
“We can plan a special date,” Landon said, moving his arm around my back. “You didn’t get a first date, so you can pick whatever you want for our special date.”
“Dancing naked with my mom and aunts?”
“Don’t push it. We’ll figure something out. I want you to have a memorable date.”
“I have a memorable relationship. Isn’t that enough?”
“Oh, so cute.” He wrinkled his nose and smacked a loud kiss against my lips. “It’s not enough. I want you to have a date that makes every other man in this town feel stupid because he can’t live up to my dates.”
“Oh, so this is about you.”
“But of course, sweetie. You’re going to benefit, though. Don’t you worry.”
I wasn’t worried. Landon liked extravagant gestures and I had no doubt this would simply be another in a long line. “Let’s head home. As much as I’d like to spy on them, my mother would kill me. We’ll have to wait for the recap tomorrow morning over breakfast.”
“Now that’s something to look forward to.”
Ten
I dreamt I was running.
Not because I had some ridiculous urge to get in shape, mind you, but because someone was chasing me.
I had no idea who it was. I couldn’t see in the darkness. All I knew is that I was in the woods and I heard someone behind me. Heavy footsteps grew closer as I crashed through the trees, an errant branch scratching my cheek as I whipped around to see if I could get a glimpse of my pursuer.
There was no one behind me.
My heart pounded as I slowed my pace to get my bearings. The landscape wasn’t familiar. I had to know where I was running before I continued. Otherwise I would be running blind, and that was a surefire way to make things worse. Aunt Tillie taught me that. It was one of her life lessons when we were kids. It was right after the lesson on how to stalk without getting caught and right before the lesson on how to steal blackberries from the field behind Mrs. Little’s house without her seeing us. When I turned back to look in the direction I had been running, a sense of dread overwhelmed me ... and that was before I saw a pair of hands reaching for me.
I bolted upright in bed, gasping as I fought the covers. It was early, the sunlight offering a soft glow as it filtered through the windows. I knew I was safe, yet my heart was hammering at a fantastic rate.
“What’s wrong?” Landon murmured from beside me, automatically reaching out.
“Nothing,” I lied, my eyes moving toward the window. “What time is it?”
“Early. We don’t have to be up for another two hours. Come here.” He was warm as he slipped his arm around my back and tugged me close. “Did you have a bad dream?”
“It was just a dream.” I didn’t want to go into specifics because I wasn’t sure what the dream meant. “I’m fine.”
“You need sleep.” He kissed my forehead and tucked the covers in tightly around me. “Try to turn off that busy brain.”
That was easier said than done. I figured I would wait until he drifted off again and then slip out of bed. Surprisingly, though, the sound of his steady breathing lulled me and I conked out a second time.
WHEN I NEXT WOKE, LANDON was awake and watching me. “What?” I asked, rubbing my cheek. I felt self-conscious. “Why are you staring at me? Was I drooling again?”
“I like when you drool,” he replied, running his fingers over my cheek. “You have a red mark here.” He gestured toward the cheek that was scratched in my dream, causing me to frown. “Did you scratch yourself in your sleep?”
“Not that I remember.” I struggled to a sitting position and stared into the mirror on the wall. From this distance I couldn’t see the scratch well. “I’m sure I can cover it with makeup.”
“I don’t care about that.” He stroked his hand down the back of my wild hair. Bedhead was the bane of my existence and I had resigned myself to the fact that it was never going away. “You had a bad dream last night.” It wasn’t a question.
“I had a weird dream,” I corrected. “I was running in the woods and someone was chasing me. A branch scratched me.” I touched my cheek, which felt sensitive. “Someone managed to catch me at the end.”
“That sounds like a nightmare.”
“It’s hardly the worst dream I’ve ever had.”
His eyes were contemplative as they watched me. He looked as if he was about to start an argument — something I really wasn’t up for after a poor night’s sleep — but he changed his mind. “You didn’t recognize who was chasing you?”
“No.”
“Well ... maybe the stress is catching up to you.” He tugged me so I pressed against his chest and gave me a soft kiss. “What do you have planned today?”
He wasn’t the smoothest when it came to segues. I knew what he was really asking. Sadly, I couldn’t give him what he wanted. Not today, at least. “I’m going back out to the camp.”
He stopped running his hand down the back of my head and frowned. “Why?”
“You know why. Your crime scene team is done out there. I heard you on the phone yesterday. They’ve finished.”
“They have. What does that have to do with anything?”
“If a ghost is hanging around and she’s shy ... .” It wasn’t necessary to finish the statement.
“Then she’s more likely to pop up and converse with you when so many people aren’t around,” Landon muttered, dragging a hand through his hair. “I don’t know, Bay. What if our killer also decides to take a look around now that it’s quiet? You’d be alone out there.”
“Not alone. I’m not an idiot. I’m taking Clove and Thistle with me ... whether they realize it or not.”
He perked up a little. “Really?”
“Yes, really.” I poked his side. “Believe it or not, I’m not an idiot.”
“You’re the smartest person I know,” he agreed, grinning. “I knew that from your excellent taste in men.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re feeling full of yourself this morning.”
“I’m feeling better knowing that you won’t be at that camp by yourself. I thought I was going to have to schmooze you so you would include me in your plans.”
“Schmooze me?”
“Do you prefer demand?”
“No. That would’ve caused us to argue.”
“I know. That’s why I’m glad you decided not to go up there alone. That’s progress.”
I pursed my lips as I regarded him. The day was young. We could still argue. Ultimately I didn’t have the energy. “What do you have planned for your day
?”
“Questioning people who live in the area, looking at property deeds, checking local salvage yards for Hannah’s car. You know, the usual.”
That hadn’t even occurred to me. “Oh. She drove up here.”
He bobbed his head. “She did. That means her car may still be up here ... somewhere.”
“And if you find out where, that might serve as a lead.”
“See, you are smart.” He tightened his arms around me and cuddled closer. “We should probably get in the shower and head up to the inn for breakfast. I’m hungry.”
I waited. There was a “but” somewhere in that statement even though he didn’t utter it.
“If we shower together we can conserve water and help the environment,” he added, causing me to smirk.
“You’re nothing if not a consummate conservationist,” I teased.
“I like to do my part for the environment.”
“I guess we should put the planet first.”
I WAS FEELING LIGHTER WHEN we reached The Overlook. We parked in the front so we could leave for work directly after breakfast. The inn was quiet as we picked our way to the dining room and pulled up short.
It was empty.
Landon’s mouth dropped open. “Where is my bacon?”
I inclined my head toward the kitchen. “Maybe they’re running late.” Even as I said the words they felt alien. I couldn’t remember the last time my mother and aunts were late getting a meal on the table. “Hold on.” I strode to the door and pushed it open, frowning when I found the kitchen empty. “They’re not here.”
“And there’s no bacon,” Landon muttered as he appeared behind me. “I don’t like this.”
While I didn’t want to encourage him to overreact, in truth, I didn’t like it either. Aunt Tillie was like a small child. She needed to be fed on a regular schedule.
“Maybe they’re up getting the rooms ready,” I suggested. “Maybe ... they had a late night and decided to sleep in because there aren’t any guests until tomorrow. Maybe ... up is suddenly down and they’re not serving breakfast this morning.”
Wicked Witches of the Midwest Mystery Box Set Page 39
