“She should’ve stayed out of my business.” Gertie’s eyes flashed with malice and I couldn’t help but wonder how I’d missed her lunacy the first time I’d met her. “I found her out here, on my property when she was supposed to be gone. She said she wouldn’t bother me again, but she was out here.”
“I was supposed to meet her.” Randy looked forlorn. “I was late. I was doing some work for Mrs. Gunderson at the bakery. I needed the money. I figured Hannah would wait ... or leave a note and come back a different day. When she wasn’t here, I just assumed she got tired of waiting. I didn’t think to look in the pool.”
“Why would you?” The sick sensation in my stomach grew. “You found Hannah out here and killed her, didn’t you?”
“She accused me of all sorts of things.” Gertie didn’t look remorseful in the least. “She said I abused Joey, which was a lie. She said I killed Earl, also a lie.”
“They’re not lies,” Randy hissed. “You did both.”
“I most certainly did not.” Gertie straightened her shoulders. “You were an incorrigible boy. I was a good mother, taught you how to behave yourself and not be a little snot like all those other kids in town. You were lucky to have me.”
“Yes, I bet he thanks his lucky stars every night when he goes to sleep in a cabin without electricity,” Aunt Tillie drawled, shaking her head. “You started the fire the night we were out here, didn’t you, Randy? You were trying to scare us away.”
“I knew the moment my mother lost her cool again because her space was being invaded that you would make targets,” Randy admitted. “I figured she was probably angry because you found the bodies in the first place.”
“Oh, I’m definitely angry about that,” Gertie snarled. “This is private property. You and your boyfriend were trespassing. Don’t think I’ve forgotten that little detail.”
I swallowed hard. “You figured out Hannah was talking to Randy, learning things about your past, and figured she would out you to the police. At the very least she would make things you wanted buried public in her book. You came out here looking for her, got lucky and found her, and then killed her.”
“Wrong! I came out here looking for Joey because I knew that little guttersnipe had been talking to him. She spouted a bunch of nonsense, said horrible things. You wouldn’t believe the things she accused me of.”
“I believe them.” Randy briefly closed his eyes, regret lining his face. “She died because of me. I should’ve warned her. I should’ve kept her away. Hell, I should’ve known when she suddenly stopped showing up. I didn’t believe anything bad happened to her until I stumbled across her car behind the mill.
“What were you thinking, Mother?” he continued. “Did you believe the cops would assume she’d been out hiking and got lost? Did you think they would chalk it up to accidental circumstances, like they did with Dad and me?”
Gertie merely shrugged. “I didn’t really think about it,” she replied. “There was no reason to trace the girl to me, especially after I took that filthy journal she was keeping. Once I read what she had in there I knew I did the right thing.”
My stomach was so keyed up now that I was certain I was about to vomit on my shoes. I felt raw around the edges and wanted to lie down and forget this day. That wasn’t exactly an option.
“Once you killed Hannah, you probably figured throwing her under the pool cover was the most convenient way to get rid of her,” I noted, rubbing my stomach as I fought off the waves of nausea. “After all, it worked before, right?”
“It would’ve been fine if you and your boyfriend hadn’t stuck your noses into my business.”
“Yeah, well ... .” I broke off and pressed my hand into my abdomen.
“What is wrong with you?” Aunt Tillie demanded. “You’re starting to embarrass me. We’ve been in worse situations than this.”
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” That was the truth. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
“Oh, well, great.” Aunt Tillie rolled her eyes. “We’ll have to send you back to boot camp if you expect to be part of the WBI. I mean ... seriously. You’re acting like Clove, for crying out loud. I’m mortified by how you’re reacting. You need to suck it up.”
Clove? That’s when I realized what was happening. Clove and Thistle were still in the car. Er, well, they were supposed to be in the car. There was every chance they’d realized something was wrong and came looking. There was every chance they were behind Gertie and she didn’t know it.
“Come here.” I grabbed Aunt Tillie’s arm and jerked her closer to me. “Get away from Gertie.”
“Don’t tell me what to do.” Aunt Tillie slapped at my hand. “I wasn’t joking about you embarrassing me. This is undignified, Bay. I expected better of you.”
“Next time,” I offered with a bland smile.
“Oh, there won’t be a next time.” Gertie shook her head. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to put an end to things right now. I would put you in the pool, but that seems like a waste. Instead I’m simply going to end you, and then Joey and I will be on our way. We’ll set down roots someplace else.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” Randy shouted. “And you’re not hurting them. This is over, Mother. It’s done. I’m putting a stop to it right now.”
Gertie’s eyes turned to glittery green slits. “Don’t push me, boy. I won’t be bullied. You’ve had your fun. Now it’s time to rejoin the family. We need to get out of here. In fact ... .” Whatever she was going to say died on her lips as Thistle appeared in the opening. She had what looked to be a huge tree branch that she brandished like a baseball bat.
“Duck!” she ordered, her voice echoing.
I didn’t have to be told twice. I grabbed Aunt Tillie and dragged her toward the ground. Randy instinctively did the same.
The branch hit Gertie solidly in the back of the head. Her reflexes weren’t what they used to be so she didn’t have time to react. Reflexively she pulled the trigger, but the bullet flew up instead of at us. Gertie hit the ground with a loud thud before Randy finished covering his head. Everything else played out in slow motion until I could get my bearings.
“Did you get her?” Clove asked, appearing behind Thistle. She had her hand on her stomach.
“I got her.” Thistle was grim. “I can’t believe Gertie was a killer.”
That made two of us. “I think I’m going to throw up,” I complained.
“Me, too.” Clove’s face was unnaturally pale. “I’ve been stopping myself from blowing chunks for the last three minutes.”
“At least we’re alive.” I sat up and watched as Thistle kicked Gertie’s gun away from her hand. “Is she dead?”
“No such luck.” Thistle dug in her pocket. “I’ll call for help. I guess we won’t need to conduct that research after all.”
Ah, well, a bright spot in an otherwise convoluted day.
LANDON AND CHIEF TERRY REACHED the campground within twenty minutes. They were both frantic messes as they checked each one of us over, ultimately letting us head outside while they sat Randy down for a long conversation and took his mother into custody.
We could have left — they knew where to find us if we wanted to head to town — but I opted to stay. Clove and Thistle waited an hour and then took my car. Landon would give me a ride to town when it was time. Now that I knew the truth, the campground wasn’t anywhere near as creepy as it felt only hours before.
“Hey.” Landon found me skipping stones across the placid lake. “How are you feeling?” He lowered himself to the ground and cast me a sidelong look.
“I’m fine.”
“Randy said you were complaining about throwing up.”
“Oh, that.” I looked over my shoulder to reassure myself we were alone. Aunt Tillie was still running around and I didn’t want to let Clove’s secret out in front of her. “That was Clove. She was all nerved up when moving behind Gertie. She’ll need to get that bit of magic under control if she doe
sn’t want all of us to go through labor with her in five months.”
Landon chuckled ... and then sobered. “You don’t think she’d really do that, do you?”
“I don’t know. I guess we’ll have to wait and see. I’m still not sure if everything I’ve been feeling is because of her. It’s possible it was a mixture of her and the ghosts. I guess I’ll have to keep waiting that one out.”
“Well, we’ll definitely make her work on this. I don’t want to know what it’s like to give birth. That’s the only reason I’m thankful I’m a man. Well ... that and I can pee standing up.”
“Ah, small blessings.”
He grinned as he leaned over and kissed my forehead. “You’re okay?”
I nodded without hesitation. “I’m perfectly fine. I just never suspected Gertie. I don’t know how I missed it.”
“She’s a sociopath, Bay. She hid who she was extremely well. That’s what they do.”
“I guess. Are you going to look into Earl’s death?”
“Yup. We’re also going to figure out how Randy managed to steal a body from the funeral home with nobody reporting it. I expect that to be a fun investigation.”
“Good luck with that.”
“Yeah.” He gathered my hand and pressed a kiss to my palm. “I’m just glad you’re okay. I was worried when Thistle called. I guess things could’ve been a lot worse.”
“They didn’t end well for Vicky and Hannah. I’ll have to help Vicky cross over.”
“Like I’ve told you numerous times, you can’t help everyone. You can only do what you can do ... and today you fulfilled that potential to the utmost degree. You all did.”
I believed him, yet I still felt deflated. “What’s going to happen to Randy?”
“Well, he stole someone’s identification, abused a corpse, set a fire, covered up for his mother in two murders and stole a car. He’s going to spend some time behind bars.”
I hadn’t really considered that. “He just wanted to get away from her.”
“And that will be taken into consideration. He won’t get off without some time in jail, though, Bay. That’s not how it works.”
“Okay.” I heaved out a sigh and rested my head against my knees. Suddenly I felt very tired. “So, this is it? The murder has been solved and the land will be free and clear in another week. That means Mrs. Little will be able to buy it.”
“Not necessarily.”
I shifted my eyes to him. “What do you mean?”
“I was just talking with Aunt Tillie about that very possibility out by the pool. She came up with an interesting suggestion and ... well ... the more I think about it, the more I like it.”
“Ugh. Do I even want to know? If you’re joining forces with Aunt Tillie, the world is clearly coming to an end.”
“Or a beginning.” Landon’s smile was bright. “I’ve got some money put away. I’ve been making a good living and renting for a few years. Lately I’ve been paying your mother rent because I’m living in the guesthouse, but I still have a nice nest egg put away. It’s not enough for this place, but it’s a nice amount.”
I was confused. “What?”
“Aunt Tillie also has a pretty penny put away,” he continued, moving his hand to my back. “She’s agreed to loan me whatever I need to steal this parcel from Mrs. Little. She’s not even making me pay interest on the loan. In exchange, I’ve agreed to let her hang out here whenever she wants — including the big solstice party that’s coming up about the time of Clove’s wedding — with the stipulation that when we’re ready to build a house she’ll willingly retreat.”
Things were happening fast now. “Are you saying you’re going to buy this piece of property for yourself?”
“No. I’m saying I want this land for our future. It’s perfect, Bay. It’s a good investment. I should only have to take a small loan from Aunt Tillie, and she’s more than willing to give it to me because she wants Mrs. Little to lose.
“This is for down the road,” he cautioned. “We need to save up money to build a house, which is going to be expensive. We’ll still be in the guesthouse for some time. That doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the land. We can camp here, turn it into a weekend getaway. How does Camp Nookie grab you? That would only be a temporary name until we build a house, but it’s still fun. We’ll probably want to fill in the pool, but I’ll bet Marcus will be able to help me do that by the end of the summer.”
I was stupefied. “You want this to be our forever home?”
“I do.”
“But ... .” I exhaled heavily. Now that he’d said it, the idea seemed a good one. “It’ll be years before we can build, but I’ve always liked the idea of living on the water.”
He grinned. “Me, too. Plus ... this is where we met. I can’t help thinking this is where we’re supposed to grow old together. It’s also close enough to the inn to eat there several times a week. And there’s plenty of room for a dog when we’re ready.”
This time when my eyes pricked with tears I knew they were my own. “I like the idea of us being out here.”
“I do, too.” He slid his arm around my shoulders.
“I also like the idea of beating Mrs. Little.”
“We all like that idea,” Aunt Tillie barked from behind us. She’d obviously snuck up when we weren’t looking. “I can’t wait to dance naked under the full moon by the water. It’ll be epic.”
I bit the inside of my cheek and studied Landon’s profile. He looked grim at the prospect. “That sounds like fun.”
“It’ll be legendary,” she agreed, clapping her hands. “Now, come on. We need to get to the bank. Harry is handling this property. I have dirt on him if we need blackmail material.”
Landon scowled. “We’re not blackmailing him. This will be an above-the-board deal.”
“Oh, you’re so naive. Come on, Fed. We’ve got a battle to win. I can’t wait to see Margaret’s face when she finds out we’ve stolen this land. I bet she cries. If she does, I need to collect the tear, because I’ve created a new curse that requires tears from an enemy.”
“It’s not your itchy ass spell, is it?”
“You never know. Now ... come on! The future awaits. Let’s make Margaret Little cry.”
Ah, well, not all motivations can be pure. This one, however, was as close as we were likely to get.
Witchin’ Around the Clock
A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Mystery Book Fifteen
Prologue
15 years ago
“It’s time to talk about where babies come from,” my mother announced.
My mouth dropped open as stunned disbelief washed over me. I understood when we were called to the dining room that it wasn’t going to be a pleasant conversation. I expected punishment for what we did to the Baker boys — perverts, every single one of them — and maybe even a lecture on how we needed to be careful when it came to dropping the sort of curses that needed medical attention. I didn’t believe that itchy fingers and sweaty genitals were the sort of things that would draw attention to us, but my mother and aunts thought otherwise.
I, Bay Winchester, was prepared to be yelled at by the elders. I figured it was possible a grounding would be thrown in. If my mother and aunts were feeling particularly vindictive, there was always the chance we would be sentenced to spend time with Aunt Tillie. Of course, she taught us the sweaty genitals spell, so she could be in trouble, too. It was unlike her to miss a good punishment session ... and yet she was nowhere to be found.
“I don’t want to talk about where babies come from,” I countered, rubbing my sweaty palms over my knit shorts as I tried to put my thoughts in order. “I’m good ... thank you.”
“None of us want to talk about where babies come from.” My cousin Thistle, her eyes full of mayhem and contempt, looked as if she would rather throw herself off a bridge than continue this conversation. I couldn’t blame her. “If you’re trying to kill us, this is a great way to do the deed.”
My mother wasn’t the sort to back down. She recognized Thistle was in a combative mood — that was her perpetual state these days — and looked more resigned than miffed. That was a telling detail ... that Thistle somehow missed.
“We already know where babies come from anyway,” Thistle continued, her arms folded over her chest. “We don’t need a repeat of that information.”
Mom was calm. I had to give her credit. Her natural instinct would be to scream and run. She was holding it together. “Okay. I’ll play.” Her gaze never faltered. “Where do babies come from, Thistle?”
Instead of answering, Thistle rolled her eyes. That allowed my other cousin, Clove, the opportunity to shoot her hand into the air.
Thistle shot Clove a withering look. “Oh, stop being a suck-up,” she growled. “This isn’t like licking the beater, Clove. You don’t want to answer this question. It’s a trap.”
Clove, who liked being the center of attention, didn’t back down. “I know where babies come from.” The grin she shot her mother was mischievous. Unlike my mother, Marnie remained hidden at the edge of the group. She clearly wasn’t as keen as her sister to bless us with the sex talk.
Mom nodded perfunctorily at Clove. “Where do babies come from?”
“The stork,” Thistle bellowed before Clove could respond. “They come from the stork. Are we done here?”
“No.” Mom rested her hip against the counter and focused her full attention on my temperamental cousin. “We got a call from Terry this afternoon. Do you know what he told us?”
Terry Davenport was a local police officer who stepped in and served as a father figure when we started getting out of line. We’d been unnaturally close for years, ever since I informed him his dead mother was still watching over him — I can see and talk to ghosts — and he decided to make sure I got in only half the trouble I really wanted to take on.
Clove’s hand shot in the air again. “I have a guess.”
“I am going to break your arm if you don’t stop doing that,” Thistle warned.
Wicked Witches of the Midwest Mystery Box Set Page 58
