Prelude to a Witch

by Amanda M. Lee

  “I still think it’s nice.” Hannah never faltered. She was apparently determined to keep things friendly despite ... well ... my family. “You’re all close. Landon and Bay live on the property. I wouldn’t have thought that was something the Landon I knew at the academy would do, but he’s obviously adjusted to a new reality. It’s ... fascinating.”

  Landon reached for more pot roast. Hannah’s presence hadn’t stopped him from eating his weight in beef and potatoes. “Bay and I are building our dream house on a lake near here. We already bought the property. We need to save up a bit until we can start construction.”

  “And living in the guesthouse isn’t like living in the inn,” Clove added. “It really is a separate house, and our mothers only visit when they’re feeling particularly invasive.”

  “Or have cookies,” Landon added, tapping the side of my plate. “Why aren’t you eating, sweetie? You’ve had a big day, what with coming out to the scene and all that other stuff.”

  Hannah’s forehead creased. “Scene? She was at the murder scene?”

  Landon appeared to catch himself, and he didn’t look happy. “Oh, well ... .”

  “I needed Bay there,” Chief Terry interjected. “I recognized the dead girl, but that whole little group Paisley is a part of melts together in my head. I knew Bay would recognize the girl, so I asked her to come so that we didn’t have to wait for fingerprints to notify the family.”

  “I see.” Hannah gripped her fork and knife and cocked her head. “My understanding is that the girl was killed in the woods, but on property owned by three single men.”

  I straightened in my chair. “They’re not guilty.”

  “How can you be sure? Statistics indicate that it would likely be those men. It’s odd for single adult men to live and work together like that.”

  Landon finally pulled away from his dinner and cleared his throat to draw Hannah’s attention. “The Dragonfly is owned by three men we know. They just happen to be the fathers of Bay, Clove and Thistle.”

  Hannah’s expression turned serious. “That’s awkward.”

  “It is,” Landon agreed. “I agree they’re not guilty. They’ve been having problems with kids partying in the woods for several weeks. We were made aware of those problems long before Paisley Gilmore was killed.”

  “Still, we’re talking about single men of a certain age.”

  “No, we’re talking about our fathers,” I argued, annoyance bubbling up. “They’re not murderers.”

  “I would expect you to believe that.”

  I opened my mouth to argue further but Landon gripped my wrist and shook his head. Pushing Hannah would get us nowhere. We had to be smart and act strategically. That was the only thing that would get us out of this mess.

  “The food is delicious, Mrs. Winchester,” Hannah said as she beamed at Mom. “Are you a trained chef?”

  “Self-trained,” Mom replied, her eyes landing on me. It was clear she didn’t like where this conversation was heading. “Our mother was a masterful cook. She taught us everything she knew.”

  “Oh, that’s lovely.” Hannah smiled and turned to Aunt Tillie. “Are you also a masterful cook?”

  Aunt Tillie’s mood matched a crockpot of rancid split-pea soup. “The only thing I like cooking up is trouble. While we’re on that subject, Mary Kay, we need to set some ground rules. The first of which is, you’re to stay out of my business. What I have brewing on this property is none of your concern.”

  Hannah’s lips twitched but she remained impassive. “Okay.”

  “Secondly, if you see me in town, you’re to pretend you don’t know me,” Aunt Tillie continued. “I do not want to be associated with ‘The Man.’ I have business associates who will balk at seeing me with ‘The Man.’ You’re a woman, but you’re still technically ‘The Man.’” Aunt Tillie turned to Landon. “Why couldn’t they send us Shemar Moore?”

  Landon held out his hands. “Probably because Shemar Moore is an actor and not a profiler.”

  “He would still have been preferable to her.” Aunt Tillie glanced back at Hannah. “Finally, if you don’t stop saying passive-aggressive things to my family I’m going to have to put you on my list. That might not mean much to you, but it’s important you stay off my list.

  “This might be a confusing visit for you,” she continued. “You might want to psychoanalyze us and write a book or something. Well, we’re above your pay grade. Just stick to finding Paisley Gilmore’s killer and ignore the rest of us.”

  “I only care about finding the killer,” Hannah reassured her.

  “Good. Then we won’t have a problem.” Aunt Tillie snagged her glass of wine and shifted her gaze to me. “And that is how you do it.” Her smile slipped. “Where did we land on sausage versus bacon again? I’m still confused which was funnier.”

  “Definitely the bacon for Landon,” I replied. “The sausage would’ve been funnier for anybody else.”

  “Good analysis. I knew I nailed that joke.”

  “You always do.”

  9

  Nine

  I slept well, despite the upheaval of the meal, and found Landon already awake the next morning when I opened my eyes.

  “Hey.” He leaned in and kissed me before I could respond. “Did you sleep okay?”

  I nodded as I rubbed my face. I was not on my game when I first woke up, something he knew well. That’s when he tried to get me to promise things like staying out of trouble and ridiculous sex pledges that he found funny. I had no intention of making that promise today … although I wasn’t necessarily opposed to one of his pledges. “I slept hard. How about you?”

  “I always sleep hard.”

  That was true. “It’s probably because you ate your weight in beef and potatoes last night.”

  “Hey, pot roast is good.”

  I thought back to the dinner, which seemed to last forever. “What do you think about Hannah?”

  “We talked about this last night,” he moaned. “I love you.”

  “Not that. I know you love me.”

  “The proposal to end all proposals proved that.”

  I couldn’t swallow my smile. “It did, but I knew before that.”

  “Good. I wasn’t with Hannah very long.”

  “How long?”

  He shrugged. “A couple months, on and off. Believe it or not, I was dedicated to being a good agent. I didn’t have much time for personal stuff. We dated, but we weren’t devoted to one another. It wasn’t like that.”

  “Are you saying we’re devoted to one another?”

  “I’m completely devoted to you and will be forever.”

  “Oh, that’s kind of sweet.” I kissed his cheek. “I’m devoted to you too.”

  “I know. I’m handsome, make a good living and give the best proposals in the world. I’m a catch.”

  I laughed again, as I knew he’d intended. Then I sobered. “She’s going to be a problem, Landon.” I didn’t want him dwelling on it all day, but it had to be addressed. “She might be over you, but she’s still curious about how you ended up here.”

  “Anybody who knew me back then would be curious about that.”

  “Why?”

  “I had intense plans back then to end up in a huge office in a big city.”

  “And instead you settled for Hemlock Cove.”

  “I didn’t settle,” he argued. “I found you. I fell in love ... with you and this town. I don’t want to be anywhere else. We’ve talked about this.”

  “The old you would look at the new you and be disgusted,” I mused.

  “I don’t know that I would’ve been disgusted. I would’ve been confused. Old me — and I’m still young and hot so we need to come up with a different way to phrase that — would’ve taken young me aside and explained about true love and how it makes everything perfect.”

  I stared at his stubbled profile. “Okay, you’ve got me. You don’t have to say schmaltzy stuff like that all the time.”

&n
bsp; “Maybe I like the schmaltz.” He dug his fingers into my side and tickled, causing me to gasp. “Don’t worry about Hannah,” he said after a few seconds, turning serious. “She might try to shrink us all because that’s her way, but this is hardly the first time we’ve protected ourselves from law enforcement invaders. We’ll be fine.”

  I hoped he was right. “We should probably get dressed and head to the inn for breakfast,” I said as I glanced at the clock. “Hannah will be there, and I don’t want to risk her sitting through an entire meal with Aunt Tillie alone.”

  “Good idea. We could probably go faster if we showered together.”

  I shot him a dubious look. “Yeah, I’m thinking showering together will take longer.”

  “Yet I’m willing to risk it. What does that say about me?”

  “It says that you’re a pervert. If you want to shower together, we definitely need to get moving.”

  HANNAH WAS IN THE DINING ROOM POURING juice when we joined her. We drove to the inn parking lot to be prepared for whatever the day would bring, so we entered through the front door rather than the back.

  “Good morning.” Hannah greeted us with a bright smile. “Looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day.”

  Landon moved around me and broke into a huge grin before I could answer. “There’s my girl!”

  For a moment, I was confused — and a little horrified — but then I realized who he was talking to.

  Snort. Snort.

  Peg, dressed in a camouflage sweater, appeared from beneath the table and headed straight for Landon. She wriggled in ecstasy as he dropped to the floor and showered her with attention.

  “I thought this conversation was going to take a weird turn,” Hannah admitted as she watched the show. “I’m both relieved and ... baffled. Is that a pig?”

  “Peg,” I answered with a nod and grabbed the tomato juice carafe. “She belongs to Aunt Tillie. Landon loves her beyond reason.”

  “What’s not to love?” Landon demanded as Peg jumped all over hm. “She’s my little lover.”

  I watched them a moment and then shook my head. “You’ll have to excuse Landon. It’s come to my attention that he might be starved for love from an animal. I’m thinking of getting him a dog for Christmas this year.”

  “Nobody needs a dog,” Landon countered as he scratched Peg’s flank. “We have Peg ... who we don’t have to take care of because she belongs to someone else. We work too much for a dog.”

  “I could take a dog to the newspaper office with me.”

  He stilled. “You know, that’s not a bad idea. We should adopt a really big guard dog. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about Brian Kelly showing up at the newspaper to mess with you. He would crap his pants if you had a hell hound to protect you.”

  Hannah’s expression reflected curiosity. “I think I’m behind. First ... Peg the pig?” She appeared to be battling back laughter.

  “She named the pig after her arch nemesis,” Landon volunteered. “Margaret Little. They’ve been trying to kill one another for eighty years.”

  “More like seventy years,” I corrected.

  “Ah.” Hannah’s smile widened. “That’s kind of cute.”

  I could think of other words to describe it. “It’s ... just how we live our lives. Aunt Tillie is feisty. She likes messing with the neighbors. It is who she is.”

  “That explains a few things. Who is Brian Kelly? Is he one of her enemies?”

  “Yes,” I answered.

  “He’s Bay’s enemy, which makes him Aunt Tillie’s enemy,” Landon replied.

  “You have an enemy?” Hannah looked impressed. “Why is that?”

  “Oh, well ... .” What could I say?

  “Brian Kelly owned the newspaper before Bay did,” Landon volunteered. “His grandfather left it to him. There was a stipulation in his will that Bay be kept on as a reporter. Brian broke that stipulation and tried to fire her because he’s a douche. The town rallied behind Bay and she bought the newspaper after an advertising boycott.”

  Hannah’s eyes sparkled in such a way that I knew she actually found joy in the story. “I thought small towns were boring, but apparently not.”

  “Not Hemlock Cove,” I agreed as I hunkered down to look at Landon, who had shifted under the table to play with Peg. “Orange juice?”

  “Yes, please.” He shot me a pleased grin. “I kind of want to talk about this dog idea at some point. I don’t need a dog, but I think you having one is a good idea.”

  “A dog won’t stop Brian if he really wants to get me,” I replied. “But I’m willing to talk about a dog. I was considering one for your Christmas gift.”

  “Maybe we should pick out a dog together and do something else for Christmas.” Landon, now serious, crawled out from under the table. “I still want you to be careful around Kelly. I know you think he’s a schmuck, but that doesn’t mean he’s not dangerous.”

  “Who’s dangerous?” Aunt Tillie demanded as she strolled into the room from the opposite direction I would’ve expected her. On a normal morning she enjoyed sitting in the kitchen and annoying my mother and aunts as they prepared breakfast. One look at her outfit told me why she hadn’t gone that route this morning.

  “Has Mom seen those leggings?” I demanded as I cocked my head to figure out what she was wearing. “Is that a ... ?” I couldn’t finish the question.

  “Penis,” Landon supplied, making a face. “It’s from that David statue. I saw those leggings advertised online a few weeks ago and knew Aunt Tillie would end up with them.”

  I was caught between amusement and horror. “Mom will not let you leave the house wearing those,” I said. “She’ll melt down.”

  “Your mother is not the boss of me,” Aunt Tillie countered, and when she moved past me, I found that the butt crack of the leggings didn’t match up correctly on her small frame.

  “Oh, no way.”

  Landon tilted his head to see what I was looking at and burst out laughing.

  “It’s not funny,” I groaned. “Mrs. Little will take one look at her in those leggings and then track down Chief Terry to arrest her for indecency.”

  “Hey!” Aunt Tillie jabbed a finger in my direction. “This is art.”

  “If you say so.” I’d listened to Aunt Tillie’s arguments enough to know that the more attention she got because of the leggings, the less likely she was to change her outfit. “Mom won’t like them.”

  “Well, she can suck it up.” Aunt Tillie plopped down in her normal chair. She was without her combat helmet and whistle this morning, but I had no doubt they would join the ensemble before she left the house. “What’s the plan of attack today?”

  The question caught me off guard. “What do you mean?”

  “A teenager was murdered in our town, and in ritualistic fashion. We have to do something.”

  I looked to Hannah, momentarily worried, and then shrugged. “We’re not investigators.”

  Aunt Tillie snorted. “Right.”

  “We’re not,” I insisted. “This is Landon’s case. Oh, and Hannah’s case.”

  “They’re not witches,” Aunt Tillie pointed out. “Only witches can solve this case.”

  My stomach constricted and I lowered my juice to the table, my appetite vacating in an instant. “Listen ... .”

  “It’s okay,” Hannah said hurriedly, perhaps picking up on my distress. “I’d be interested in hearing a witch’s take on this case. I’ve looked over the photos of the dead girl and they’re ... troubling. I’m especially interested in the runes that were painted in blood on the trees. I can’t believe you thought to check the trees, Landon. That was good investigative work.”

  Landon slid his eyes to me and I could tell what he was thinking. He didn’t want to take credit for my discovery. He also didn’t want Hannah becoming suspicious of me. Unfortunately, he didn’t get a chance to decide what he wanted to say in response because Aunt Tillie, as was her way, took control of the conversation.


  “He didn’t find those runes. Bay did.” Aunt Tillie jerked her thumb at me. “She’s the master investigator on this one.”

  “Bay?” Hannah’s eyebrows drew together as she regarded me. “I guess I didn’t understand the extent of your involvement.”

  “It was a trick of the sun,” I lied. “It hit in just the right manner and I saw something on one of the trees. Landon called for the evidence technicians to use luminol on all the trees.”

  “Yes, Landon is a virtual wonder,” Aunt Tillie drawled. “We’re all amazed at the way his brain works.”

  I shot her a warning look. “Stop being you,” I hissed.

  “Um, no.” She shook her head. “You have to understand, Agent Mary Kay, we’re often involved in Landon’s cases. We’re the reason he’s closed so many of them.”

  I wanted to crawl in a hole and die.

  “So, you work cases with your girlfriend regularly?” Hannah asked Landon.

  “Bay is my fiancée, and she’s helped more times than I can count.” Landon’s tone was even. He didn’t look uncomfortable in the least. “You have to understand something. Hemlock Cove is not a normal town. Weird things happen all the time. Bay grew up here. She knows all the players. She’s been an invaluable source during my time here.”

  Hannah didn’t look convinced. “She’s a civilian. She’s not supposed to be involved in cases. It’s against the rules.”

  Terror rippled through me. Would she report Landon? I didn’t know her well, but she seemed a stickler when it came to rules. Clove, the tattler of our group, reminded me of Hannah ... only less whiny, something I could never say in front of Clove because it would result in a meltdown.

  “Then I guess it’s good Landon doesn’t invite Bay into cases,” Chief Terry announced as he joined us. I had never been so happy to see anybody in my life. “I invite Bay in. This is my town, after all.”