Wicked Witches of the Midwest Mystery Box Set

by Amanda M. Lee

“She could hurt or control them,” Aunt Tillie finished, grim. “I didn’t think about that, but you’re right. They have to know.”

  “Mom and the others have to know, too,” I pointed out. “Dani might be smart enough to go out there and play to their emotions. I mean ... everyone thinks Lorna is the witch. She might use that to her advantage.”

  Aunt Tillie started digging in her pocket and came back with her phone. “I’ll call the inn, have them batten down the hatches. I hate to say it, but there are so many witches out there it might be better if Dani heads that way. That’s the best piece of land to defend against whatever she’s going to do.”

  I hadn’t really considered that. It made sense ... and yet the notion made my stomach jittery. “Let’s just find her and go from there.”

  LANDON AND CHIEF TERRY WERE in the latter’s office when we arrived at the police station. They looked surprised to see me ... and downright annoyed to see Aunt Tillie.

  “Do I even want to know what you two are doing together?” Chief Terry whined. “You’re supposed to be out at the inn doing ... women stuff.”

  Aunt Tillie’s expression was hard to read. There was a hint of annoyance lurking in her eyes and mischief curling her lips. I expected her to say something awful. I wasn’t disappointed. “What sort of women stuff?” she challenged.

  “You know ... women stuff.”

  “Like menstruation? Did you think we were out at the inn menstruating together?”

  I had to press my lips together to keep from laughing at Landon and Chief Terry’s horrified expressions. This was not the time for fun and games, but Aunt Tillie wasn’t going to back down until she had her way ... and it was kind of funny.

  “I guarantee nobody thought you were doing that,” Chief Terry fired back. “I’m talking about girl things, like ... hair ... and makeup ... and toenails.” He waved at my head. “That’s the sort of things women do before a wedding.”

  “I had no idea,” I drawled dryly. “I didn’t realize there were rules about what women could do before a wedding.”

  “Oh, don’t you start.” Chief Terry made a face. “I wasn’t trying to be sexist. It’s just ... you guys are supposed to be safe and out of trouble. Why are you out and about? This can’t be good.”

  “It’s not good,” I confirmed. “I have something to tell you and you’re going to be angry.”

  He slapped his hand to his forehead and growled as Landon slid his eyes to me.

  “Do I need to sit down?” Landon asked.

  I shook my head. “No, but ... we’re in trouble.” I laid it all out for him, leaving nothing out. When I finished, he looked more confused than edified.

  “I don’t understand,” he said, shaking his head. “Are we really supposed to be frightened of a teenager?”

  “She’s not a normal teenager,” I replied, frustration bubbling up. “You can’t think that. She’ll use your sympathy against you. You can’t fall for it.”

  “Why are we taking Lorna’s word for this?” Chief Terry challenged. “I mean ... she could’ve been lying to you. Maybe she’s pointing the finger at her own daughter to save herself.”

  “It’s possible, but I don’t believe it,” I argued. “You didn’t see her. The story she told ... well ... it makes sense in a weird sort of way. I never got a hint of magic off Lorna. That’s the thing that kept holding me back. There’s a reason. She’s not magical. All those surrounding her are magical.”

  “Bay, I don’t want to tell you your business, but this is crazy,” Landon supplied. “We can’t just kill a teenaged girl because you say she’s evil.”

  “I’m not saying we should kill her.” Wait ... was I? She was definitely dangerous. Killing her wasn’t an option unless she gave us no choice. I was firm on that. “We need to find her. We can’t let her run all over town hurting people.”

  “I agree, but we can’t exactly arrest her on the say-so of her mother either,” Chief Terry insisted. “We can’t put ‘homicide by magic’ on the report.”

  I got that — no, I really did — but that didn’t mean I could simply walk away. “We have to find her. Odds are she knows we’re on to her. We can’t just let her run roughshod over the town. Besides, she’s controlling the birds. She could do real damage with them if we’re not careful.”

  “Just so I’m clear, why did she do this in the first place?” Landon asked. “Was she upset at her father for cheating on her mother?”

  “I think that’s part of it. The other part is that she likes it. She likes being in control. I think killing her father gave her a taste of something she’d never experienced and now she wants more. She killed Masterson because he was with her mother. I’m guessing that was a way to make her mother pay. I’m not sure she’ll be all that discriminating going forward.”

  “Except there’s one more person she probably has a grudge against,” Landon noted.

  “Who’s that?”

  “Lisa,” Aunt Tillie answered for him. “She was involved in the affairs. I very much doubt Dani will just let her off.”

  I hadn’t even considered that. “We have to get to her.”

  Landon and Chief Terry were already on their feet.

  “We’ll check on her,” Chief Terry insisted. “You guys are done here. You can’t be involved. You need to go back to the inn and get ready for the wedding.”

  That didn’t sound likely in the least. “I can’t stop until we have her. I’m sorry, but ... either I go with you or I go alone. I won’t be cut out of this.”

  Chief Terry turned his expectant eyes to Landon. “Are you going to handle this?”

  Landon shook his head. “She’s earned the right to be part of it. Besides, I hate to admit it, but if this kid is as powerful as Bay says she is we’re definitely going to need some magical help.”

  Chief Terry made an exasperated sound that reverberated through the room. “That’s not what I want to hear.”

  “Oh, suck it up, big guy.” Aunt Tillie patted his shoulder. “You’ll be glad you have us with you when the evil witch hits the fan. I guarantee it.”

  Twenty-Seven

  The hunt for Dani was on and we made a fearsome foursome, even as we stopped at Lisa’s shop and found it completely empty ... and devoid of bird feathers. We checked her house to ensure the same. She wasn’t there, but she also wasn’t dead. I was taking that as a good sign.

  Of course, from the way Landon and Chief Terry reacted to Aunt Tillie leading the charge as we checked various locations it was obvious they didn’t feel the same way. Still, I was glad to have her around ... simply because I figured she would come in handy if it came to a magical fight. Taking on a child would be difficult.

  The next place we headed was the funeral home. Dani had announced her intention to arrange her father’s memorial service. She wasn’t there. The funeral director seemed puzzled by our presence. He said he hadn’t set up a meeting with Dani, which meant she’d been lying from the start this morning. She was on to us … er, me.

  That was hardly a surprise.

  “Where would she go?” Landon mused as we climbed back into his Explorer.

  I didn’t know the girl well enough to answer. Instead, I started digging for my phone when it dinged in my pocket. “I just know that it’s going to be Mom,” I complained as I retrieved it. “She’s probably mad we disappeared. Oh, I was right. It is her.”

  “Give me that.” Aunt Tillie grabbed the phone from me, and for a moment I thought she was going to do something dramatic and toss it out of a window. Instead, she answered the call with a sickly-sweet voice that made me roll my eyes. “Hello, Winnie dear. It’s a lovely day, isn’t it?”

  I sank lower in my seat because I could see my mother’s face in my mind’s eye. She was going to kill me.

  From his spot in the driver’s seat, Landon looked as if he was fighting off laughter but remained silent.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Winnie.” Aunt Tillie’s inflection never change
d. She remained calm. “That’s a horrible thing to accuse your aunt of. I have never in my life been so offended. Bay? I’m not with Bay. I don’t know why you would think that. Oh, this is her phone. How weird.”

  I slapped at Aunt Tillie’s arm and reached for the phone. “You’re making things worse. Give me that.”

  “Stop it!” Aunt Tillie extended a warning finger in my direction. “I’m in charge here. You have to do what I say.”

  That seemed unlikely. “That’s my phone.”

  “I don’t care. I ... what? Winnie, I’m not talking to Bay. I’m talking to myself. I’m old. I’m getting senile. Solo conversations happen all the time because my only friends are those I make up in my head.”

  “Ugh.” I slapped my hand to my forehead. She only said things like that when it benefited her. Otherwise she claimed to be in her prime. This was spiraling ... and fast. “Give me that phone.” Finally, I wrestled it away from her and pressed it to my ear. “Hello, Mom. You have nothing to worry about.”

  On the other end of the call, Mom was obviously dubious. “Why did you just disappear? We went looking for you because it was your turn for a pedicure.”

  “I know. I just ... there’s a lot going on and I wanted to check on something. I figured I would be back by now.”

  “You can remedy that by coming home this instant.”

  She sounded so reasonable. I knew better. “I can’t come home just yet. We have a situation. We know who killed Adam ... and Masterson ... and is controlling the birds. We’re looking for her now.”’

  “You and Aunt Tillie?”

  “And Landon and Chief Terry.”

  A moment of silence assailed my ears and when Mom spoke again her voice was lower. “Please put Terry on the phone.”

  Uh-oh. I sensed trouble. “Mom, this isn’t his fault,” I complained, cringing at a loud noise on her end of the call. “What was that?”

  “Don’t change the subject, young lady. You know I hate it when you do that. I’m not happy with you at all right now, Bay. This is Clove’s big day. She needs you here. I ... what is that?” Her temper shifted from me to something happening at The Overlook. “How did that owl get in the house?”

  My blood ran cold. That’s when I recognized the noise I’d heard only moments before. “Mom.”

  She ignored me and continued yelling at those with her. “Keep him away from the eggs. I don’t think he would want to eat them because that’s kind of like cannibalism, but he looks rather aggressive.”

  “Mom.”

  I heard a loud bang somewhere near my mother and my stomach twisted.

  “Mom.”

  “I can’t deal with you right now, Bay,” Mom shot back, annoyance evident. “You need to get back here right now. You’re being rude to your cousin. I ... what now? Did a bird just fly into the window, Twila?”

  Obviously she was no longer talking to me, but I screeched to get her attention all the same. “Mom! Do not hang up!”

  She sounded absolutely exasperated. “What, Bay?”

  “She’s there. Dani is there. That’s why the birds are attacking.”

  In the front seat, Chief Terry stirred and extended a finger toward the ignition of the Explorer. Landon turned the key without further instruction.

  “Dani who?” Mom asked.

  “Dani Harris,” I replied, remaining as calm as I could. “Lorna admitted she’s powerful and she’s the one doing this. You have to find a place to hide, to shut out the birds. We’re on our way back. You can’t let her in the house.”

  “We won’t let her in the house, Bay, but my guess is she’s already on the property.” Mom’s voice was calm. “We’ll fight her off. You don’t have to worry about us. I don’t think it’s wise that you come here.”

  I was confused. “Why?”

  “Because you’ll be the ones who are vulnerable in that scenario.” Mom said. “We’re entrenched in the inn. We can keep her out indefinitely. We’re not the only witches here.”

  The inn was full of coven members. In this particular instance that was good. “I’m still coming.”

  “You can’t. If Dani really is as powerful as you’re making her out to be you’ll be vulnerable when you try to make it inside the inn. You’ll be exposed. Landon, Terry and Aunt Tillie will be exposed, too. You’re safer staying away.”

  That wasn’t going to happen. “We’re coming no matter what you say.”

  Impatience overriding her again, Aunt Tillie grabbed the phone and pressed it to her ear. “Don’t even try to keep us away, Winnie. That won’t work.”

  I couldn’t hear Mom’s response, but it didn’t matter. Landon cast a worried look over his shoulder before pulling onto the highway, holding my gaze for a moment before focusing on the road.

  “Bay, it’ll be okay,” he reassured me. “It won’t take long to get there.”

  “I know.” I stared out the window. “They’re under attack ... and Dani will be positioned between them and us when we arrive. She has a lot of room to play with … and she’ll have the upper hand.”

  “She’s still just a kid,” Chief Terry protested. “We should be able to overpower her.”

  “Are you sure?” I certainly wasn’t. “Will you be able to shoot a teenager if you get a clear shot?”

  He balked. “Why are we shooting her? We’ll just order her to stand down.”

  “I think what Bay is saying is that Dani is unlikely to back down,” Landon replied quietly. “We might have to make some hard decisions.”

  “She’ll stand down.” Chief Terry sounded convinced. “She’s a teenager. Self-preservation is the most important thing.”

  I could only hope that was true.

  BIRDS SWARMED THE SKY ABOVE THE inn as we arrived at the Winchester ancestral property. Landon parked on the driveway instead of the lot near the hotel. We were clearly visible, but we weren’t boxed in.

  “Call Winnie,” Landon ordered Chief Terry. “Find out where they are and make sure they’re okay.”

  Chief Terry viciously swore under his breath as he fumbled with his phone. It was clear the birds made him nervous. “This is the creepiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

  I looked out the passenger window and found a huge bald eagle staring at me from a fallen tree. It was a large animal, majestic and beautiful ... and it looked aggressive. “Oh, geez.”

  Landon followed my gaze. “You have got to be kidding me. I didn’t even know we had eagles in this area.”

  “I knew we had a few, but ... we can’t fight that thing.”

  “No, we can’t,” he agreed. “It’s against the law to hurt one of them.”

  I hadn’t even considered that. “Well ... hopefully he’ll stay over there.” I focused on Chief Terry as he disconnected the call. “What did she say?”

  “They’re all safe in the dining room. There are no windows in that room, so the birds can’t get in. They’ve barricaded the swinging doors. They’re safe for now, but ... .”

  “But they can’t stay there forever,” I surmised, rubbing the back of my neck as I scanned the property. “We need to draw Dani out.”

  “And then what?” Landon protested. “Are we just supposed to shoot her when she appears?”

  “No.” I would never expect that from him. “I’m going to talk to her, try to reason with her.” And, if that doesn’t work, I’ll be the one to take her out, I silently added. I couldn’t expect him to take out a teenager. It wasn’t fair.

  “You’re going to try to reason with her, huh?” Landon made a face. “Look around, Bay. She’s summoned hundreds of birds to attack the second you exit this vehicle. I don’t think she can be reasoned with.”

  I was starting to fear that, too, but we didn’t have many options. “What do you suggest we do?” I challenged. “We can’t sit here while they hide inside a windowless room. Someone has to draw her out.”

  “That doesn’t mean it has to be you.”

  Aunt Tillie, who had been quiet for a long time, st
irred. “I think he means I should be the one to try to talk to her,” she said. “He’s willing to sacrifice me.”

  “I most certainly am not,” Landon snapped, his eyes flashing. “I don’t want anyone to be sacrificed. There has to be a way to keep everybody safe.”

  “Even if you shot every bird on this property, we wouldn’t be safe,” I reminded him. “Her powers don’t simply revolve around the birds. She can do more … including set fires.”

  “So, what’s the plan?” Chief Terry demanded. “We’re going to exit the Explorer and try to get her to see our way of thinking after she killed her own father? No offense, but that strikes me as unlikely.”

  “We’re not all leaving the Explorer.” I was firm on that. “You three are staying here while I try to talk to her.”

  Landon balked. “Absolutely not. That’s not happening.”

  “She’s not going to talk in front of you,” I pointed out. “She wants to talk to a witch.”

  “That’s why it should be me,” Aunt Tillie volunteered. “I’m the most powerful witch we’ve got. She’ll respect me.”

  “She might respect your power, but anything you say to her will come off as out of tune and dated,” I argued. “I’m at least closer to her age.”

  Aunt Tillie narrowed her eyes speculatively. “Are you saying I’m old?”

  “I’m saying that in her eyes you’re old,” I answered. “She’s a teenager. Anyone older than thirty seems ancient to her.”

  Aunt Tillie worked her jaw and I could see she was debating the merits of my suggestion. Finally, she nodded. “Okay. I’ll be watching your back from here. If you have to run back ... .”

  “Then I’ll run back,” I reassured her. “It’s okay. I’m our best shot of taking her down.”

  “And what happens when she doesn’t want to be talked down?” Landon challenged, grabbing my hand before I could exit the vehicle. “I won’t risk you, Bay. I ... can’t.”

  I shot him my most reassuring smile. “I’m the only option we have. You won’t lose me. I promise.”

  “But ... .” He changed course quickly. “Let me go with you. You’ll need eyes in the back of your head with all those birds. If I’m with you ... .”