[A Wicked Witches of the Midwest 10.0] Murder Most Witchy

by Amanda M. Lee

  Davis pursed his lips. “It’s not a man.”

  Landon stilled. “What do you mean? That’s not Thistle, is it?” He moved to stride toward the body, but Davis stopped him with a hand in the middle of his chest.

  “It’s not Thistle,” Chief Terry said. He looked upset – even more upset than he had before Landon arrived – and I couldn’t wrap my head around his attitude. “Her name is Becky Patterson. I believe you know her.”

  I didn’t think it was possible for Landon to lose even more color from his face. He appeared almost chalky as he glanced between Chief Terry and the body. “Are you kidding?”

  “Do you know her?” Davis asked.

  “I do.” Landon pressed the tip of his tongue to the back of his teeth as he idly ran his hand over my shoulder. “I need to call my boss. I became acquainted with Becky Patterson as part of an undercover operation.”

  “Chief Terry has already informed us of that,” Davis volunteered. “He said he wasn’t sure how deep the relationship ran. Were you having a sexual relationship with Ms. Patterson?”

  Landon was affronted. “No! Bay is my girlfriend.”

  I considered arguing the point because I was grumpy, cold and wet, but now clearly wasn’t the time.

  “If she’s your girlfriend, why are you staying at the inn instead of here with her?” Davis queried.

  “Because … .” Landon’s eyes drifted to me, silently asking how much I’d shared with Trooper Davis.

  I took pity on him. “I told him that we were arguing because I was feeling insecure about your time undercover. I included the fact that we ran into each other at Barnaby Mill – which he’s quite familiar with because his uncle owns the property – and mentioned that was the only time I had met Becky.”

  “I don’t think ‘insecure’ is the right word,” Landon said dryly, brushing off the rest of my response.

  “What word would you use?” Davis asked.

  “Justifiably angry because I didn’t take her feelings into consideration,” Landon answered. “It was a tense situation, and things spiraled out of hand. I need to call my boss.”

  “That call has already been placed, sir,” Davis said. “We have a meeting tomorrow morning.”

  “Well, how great for you,” Landon deadpanned. “How did she die?”

  “Someone cut her throat. We’re searching the house for a murder weapon now.”

  “You’re searching the house for a murder weapon?” Landon’s eyebrows practically flew up his forehead as he glanced at the open door. “You can’t possibly think that Bay did this. She was attacked when she arrived home. That woman had no business on her property. Bay was unconscious when it happened, for crying out loud.”

  “A home she shouldn’t have been going into alone,” Chief Terry muttered, veering off course.

  Landon pinned him with a weighted look before focusing on Davis. “Bay is injured. She has a bump on the back of her head and contusions around her neck. She clearly didn’t do this.”

  “No offense, Agent Michaels, but I’ll be the judge of that,” Davis replied, his tone resolute. “For the moment, it certainly seems that Ms. Winchester is the victim of mischief or foul play … .”

  “‘It certainly seems,’” Landon snapped.

  Davis ignored his tone. “We have to follow the evidence,” he stressed. “Right now, she’s a person of interest. We obviously have to investigate the matter before we can understand what unfolded here.”

  “So … what?” I asked, rubbing my forehead. “I’m just supposed to go inside and get some sleep while you guys search my house and pack up the dead body on the front lawn?”

  “For at least the next twenty-four hours, Ms. Winchester, your house is considered a crime scene,” Davis replied. “You cannot stay here until we release it back to you.”

  I stilled. “But … where am I supposed to stay? What am I supposed to wear? All of my stuff is in there.”

  “I’ll pack clothes for you,” Chief Terry offered. “Give me a list and I’ll make sure you have everything. I’m sure you can stay at the inn until this is sorted out.”

  “But … .”

  “I know it’s not ideal, Bay, but you can’t stay here right now.” Chief Terry was sympathetic but firm. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I know this has been a terrible night for you – in more ways than one – but we can only tackle this one problem at a time.” Chief Terry pegged Landon with a dark look. “I’m sure the FBI will be able to figure out why their suspect showed up dead at your house and you were almost killed.”

  “Do you have something you want to say to me?” Landon challenged.

  “I have a lot I want to say to you, but now isn’t the time,” Chief Terry replied. “I’m going to go inside and pack some things. I’ll grab some clothes and your lady stuff from the bathroom.”

  It was a serious situation, but I couldn’t stop my lips from curving. “My lady stuff?”

  “You know what I’m talking about.” Chief Terry’s tone was unnaturally gruff. “It’ll be okay. I’ll walk you up to the inn as soon as I’m done.”

  “I can’t go to the inn.” The realization hit me hard. “All of the rooms are full. There’s nowhere for me to sleep unless I want to share a bed with Aunt Tillie … and nobody wants that.”

  “I … well … .” Chief Terry glanced at the inn, which was barely visible in the foggy night air. “What about Clove? You could stay with her.”

  “Yes, the idea of living with my cousin who just got engaged and is doing it all over the lighthouse every chance she gets sounds delightful,” I muttered.

  “What about Thistle?”

  “I’m not staying with her and Marcus either.” I rolled my neck and glanced at my car. “I guess I can sleep in my car tonight and figure out something else tomorrow.”

  “You’re not sleeping in your car,” Landon countered, drawing my attention to him.

  “Do you have another idea?”

  “Yes. I have a room. You’re staying with me.”

  The idea hadn’t even occurred to me. “But … I’m mad at you.”

  “I know you are, but you need sleep.” Landon leaned closer and studied my bloodstained hands. “You also need a bath.”

  “I’m still mad at you.” Even as I said the words I felt my resolve slipping.

  “And I love you and I’m going to take care of you,” Landon shot back. “Now, if you have no further questions, Trooper Davis, I believe I will take my girlfriend and put her to bed.”

  Davis’ face was impassive. “That’s all for tonight. I’ll have more questions tomorrow.”

  “We’re looking forward to it,” Landon muttered, slipping his arm around my shoulders and guiding me toward The Overlook. “Don’t show up until after breakfast. I’ve got a plate of bacon with my name on it, and Bay needs her rest.”

  “I’ll take it under advisement.”

  Nine

  “How are you feeling?”

  Landon kept his voice low as he led me into his second-floor room at The Overlook. I’d visited the room plenty of times throughout the years, but it felt weird knowing that my boyfriend was essentially living under my mother’s roof while we fought. I couldn’t wrap my head around it.

  “Numb.” I answered honestly. “I feel numb.”

  Landon pressed his lips together as he nodded. “Yeah. That doesn’t surprise me.” He dropped the bag of clothing and toiletries Chief Terry collected for me before we left the guesthouse on the floor and gently lifted his finger to my face, rubbing his thumb over my cheek. “I’ll bet you’re exhausted.”

  I glanced down at my filthy clothes, the rust-colored stains on my hands giving me a jolt. It was Becky’s blood. She died on my front walk. She’d been alive at some point a few hours before and then she died right next to me while I was passed out. “How well did you know her?”

  Landon followed my gaze. “Not well, Bay. She was overtly sexual and flirted with everyone who crossed her path. She wasn’t really intere
sted in me. She simply didn’t want anyone else to be interested in me.”

  “She seemed interested when I saw her.”

  “That’s because she viewed every woman she ever met as competition. She didn’t realize there was no competition because you’d won a long time ago.”

  I knew he was going out of his way to make me feel better and would say anything to achieve that goal, but I felt out of my element given our location and the events of the evening. “I’m in trouble, aren’t I?”

  “No, you’re not.” Landon rested his hands on my shoulders and turned me so I had no choice but to stare into his handsome face. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

  That’s not how it felt. “And yet I’m being punished.”

  “No, I’m being punished,” Landon corrected. “I screwed this up. I hurt you. This is coming back to bite me. You’re simply the way the universe opted to do it.”

  “Oddly enough, that almost makes me feel better.”

  Landon forced a smile for my benefit and then shifted his eyes to my ruined clothes. “I know you’re tired – heck, I can see the exhaustion on your face – but I think you’ll feel better if you get cleaned up before bed.”

  He wasn’t wrong. Still … . I flicked my eyes to the queen-sized bed in the middle of the room. “Where am I going to sleep?”

  Landon looked pained by the question. “You’re going to sleep in the bed.”

  “Where are you going to sleep?”

  “I’m going to sleep with you.”

  “I’m still angry.”

  Landon heaved a sigh that almost sounded like a strangled chuckle more than anything else. “I know you are. In fact, I encourage you to remain angry until I’ve been flogged a bit more.”

  “You want me to flog you?” I was intrigued despite my weariness.

  “If that will make you feel better.”

  I stared at him for a long time, the familiar angles of his face causing my heart to hurt. “I think you feel guilty because your undercover assignment keeps coming back to bite me. You want me to flog you because you can’t punch yourself in the face.”

  Landon cracked a legitimate smile. “Even when you’re exhausted you can read my mind, huh?”

  “This isn’t all your fault,” I noted.

  “No?”

  “You didn’t kill her, choke the crap out of me and then try to frame me for murder, did you?”

  “No.” Landon tilted my chin up and glared at the marks on my neck. They would be bright and ugly in the morning. “I’m going to kill whoever hurt you.”

  His tone sent a chill through me. “It’s okay. I’m okay.”

  “No, you’re not okay.” Landon shook his head to dislodge whatever dark thoughts momentarily took him over. “You need to clean up.” He leaned over, grabbing a bottle of shower gel from the bag Chief Terry packed before ushering me toward the bathroom. “Do you want a shower or bath? The shower would probably be quicker.”

  He wasn’t wrong. Still, I couldn’t stop myself from glancing toward the over-sized garden tub with longing. “Okay. A shower sounds good.”

  Landon followed my gaze. “A bath sounds better, though, doesn’t it?”

  “Yes.”

  “A bath it is.” Landon dropped to his knees and started filling the tub, fiddling with the plug and making sure the water was hot – as I preferred it – before turning to me. “Let’s get you undressed, huh?”

  “That would’ve sounded a lot more fun a month ago,” I groused, resting my hand on the bathroom counter to help me balance as I removed my boots.

  “It’s going to sound fun again, Bay,” Landon said, his voice grave. “I promise.”

  “I hope so, because it’s never going to be fun again if I go to prison for killing your girlfriend.”

  Landon fell silent and I realized I had taken things a step too far. I wasn’t in the mood to apologize, though, so I focused on removing my filthy jeans and top without making a mess. When I finally risked a glance at Landon I found him staring at me with cloudy eyes.

  “If you’re going to yell … .”

  Landon cut me off with a shake of his head. “I’m not going to yell. I’ve earned every hurtful thing you want to say to me.”

  “Yeah, but if you don’t yell, it takes the fun out of kicking you while you’re down.”

  “Well, you’ll have to suffer through that tonight, because I refuse to yell at you for the foreseeable future. We’ll see what happens when someone hasn’t tried to kill you for a few weeks, okay?”

  Landon prodded me toward the bathtub, and I let out a prolonged groan as I sank into the hot water. I figured he would leave me to my soak and refrain from pressing me on the big issues until I returned to the main room. Instead I jumped when he pushed me forward a bit so he could climb into the tub with me.

  “What are you doing?” I wasn’t embarrassed. He’d seen me naked so many times I’d lost count. Still, it seemed odd to share a tub with him given our fight.

  “I’m going to wash your back,” Landon replied.

  “I’m still angry.”

  “I know, and I said I want you to stay angry with me until you decide I’ve earned forgiveness,” Landon said. “I meant that.”

  He sounded so reasonable and innocent I couldn’t help but snort. “How am I supposed to stay angry with you when you’re naked in the bathtub with me?”

  “Something tells me you’ll manage.” Landon grabbed the shower gel from the floor and opened the cap. “Now lean back and close your eyes.”

  I wasn’t keen on being bossed around, but the second Landon pressed his fingers into my tense shoulder blades I let loose with a low moan and closed my eyes. “That feels … amazing.”

  “Good.”

  “I’m not kidding. You should win an award for that … or do it for a living or something.”

  Landon chuckled, the sound lightening the weight on both of our shoulders. “I’ll keep it in mind if I need to find another career. As for you, just relax. I believe I have a month’s worth of massages to make up for.”

  “That’s sweet, but if you think you can do that in one night, you’re crazy.”

  “Bay, I will gladly rub your back every moment of every day for the rest of our lives if it makes you feel better.”

  “That’s big talk for a guy who is going to get carpal tunnel from all the massages I make him give me.”

  Landon snickered. “You sound a little better, sweetie.”

  “Yeah? I’m not sure I feel better.”

  “How does your head feel?”

  “Sore. So does my neck. So does my hip from lying on the ground. The good news is that my shoulders are feeling better.”

  “That is good news.” I felt his lips brush my cheek as he continued to rub my back. We lapsed into companionable silence, the only noise coming from the inn’s furnace when it kicked on. Despite the fact that we were naked and in a tub together, there was nothing sexual about the interplay. Landon didn’t even hint at taking the bath in another direction. There was still something intimate about the experience. The shared time together seemed to bridge a gap, even serve as a salve on festering wounds, as Landon busily moved his hands over my back.

  I felt so much better … and then he had to ruin things and open his mouth.

  “Bay, I need to ask you a question.”

  “Oh, geez.” I pinched the bridge of my nose as I moved to pull away from him.

  “No, it’s not the type of question that is meant to force your hand or lead to a bad place.” Landon refused to let me move from my spot, his deft fingers remaining industrious. “I need to know, though. I feel … sick.”

  Something terrible occurred to me. “I wasn’t attacked … that way.”

  “What? Oh, well, I’m glad to have that confirmed, but I asked the emergency responder when his partner was checking you that second time before we left to walk over here. If that happened to you I would be burning down the town to find whoever attacked you. It’s bad
enough that you were tossed around the way you were. If the other happened … .”

  He left it hanging, but I knew what he meant. “I’m okay.”

  “No, but I’m going to make sure you’re okay again.” Landon rested his chin on my shoulder. “That goes for everything. I’m going to make sure that we’re okay again, Bay. I swear it.”

  “We’re okay.” I said the words, but put very little effort behind them. “I probably won’t even be angry a little bit when I wake up in the morning.” I knew sleeping close to him would eradicate much of my anger. There wasn’t much I could do about it. The idea of sleeping separate from him tonight was almost too painful to fathom.

  “We’re not even close to okay, but that’s what I want to talk to you about.” Landon’s hands stilled on my back. “I don’t want to make things worse, but I need to know something.”

  I steeled myself for some sort of delayed meltdown. I had no idea if it would be him or me doing the melting, though. “Okay. What?”

  “Why did you call Chief Terry instead of me after you woke up and found the body?”

  Whatever I was expecting, that wasn’t it. I risked a glance over my shoulder so I could meet his gaze, groaning as a jolt of pain shot through me. “Seriously?”

  “On any other day you would’ve called me.”

  “Except I haven’t been able to call you for a month.”

  “I know, but … .”

  “I don’t think you do know,” I corrected. “Every single time something stupid happened over the past thirty days, I’ve wanted to call and tell you. When Clove left her shoes in the middle of Hypnotic to dry and Thistle tripped over them and threatened to curse her with a spell that made it so she’d never fit in a wedding dress, I wanted to call you.

  “When I had a bad day and wanted to curl up on your lap, you weren’t here,” I continued. “I couldn’t even call you to talk for five minutes. You might think I’m spoiled, but I got used to having you in the same bed at least four nights a week, and when you weren’t there … .”