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

by Amanda M. Lee

  “Yeah, speaking of that, we found your shovel behind the guesthouse last night,” Thistle said. “What was it doing there?”

  Aunt Tillie’s eyes lit up. “Is that where I left it? Great. I couldn’t remember.”

  “That wasn’t really an answer,” Thistle pointed out.

  “When you ask me a question I want to answer you’ll get an answer,” Aunt Tillie supplied, her expression serious. “The full moon is tomorrow. We should have an easy time calling this woman’s ghost to us tonight … even if she doesn’t want to come.”

  “Why wouldn’t she want to come?” Landon asked, legitimately curious.

  “Because she was there to kill me and ended up dead herself,” I replied, holding up my hand when he began to shake his head. “Don’t bother denying it. There’s no sense. She thought she was there to kill me, but the killer set her up instead. I figured that out fairly quickly once I woke up with a clear head the following morning.”

  Landon clearly wasn’t happy with the revelation, but he refused to give in to his baser urges and argue. “Do you think she’ll talk to you?” He’d been present for a séance or two during his time with us. While he wasn’t a fan of them – especially how theatrical Aunt Tillie got when she had an undead audience – from where he stood it was much safer to hold a séance than cast a locator spell.

  “We can make her,” Aunt Tillie said, tapping her index finger against her chin. “That’s a good idea, Bay. We can definitely make this work.”

  “Thank you.” I pressed the heel of my hand to my forehead, something else occurring to me. “We have one other problem, though.”

  “I’m almost afraid to ask,” Chief Terry grumbled. “What’s the problem?”

  “Agent Glenn.”

  Landon worked his jaw as realization washed over him. “You think he’s been watching the property, don’t you?”

  “I think there’s a good chance he’ll watch it tonight,” I clarified. “We claimed to see something outside of the guesthouse last night. He doesn’t believe us. He’ll show up tonight to prove us wrong.”

  “That does sound like the little dung beetle,” Landon muttered. “I’m not sure what we can do to keep him away. That’s a lot of property to patrol.”

  “Don’t worry about that,” Chief Terry instructed, his expression thoughtful. “I’ll take care of Davis and Glenn.”

  “How?”

  “I’ll invite them out for a drink under the guise of trying to get information,” Chief Terry replied. “They won’t be able to stop themselves from going because they believe they’ll be able to trick me into talking. They’ll be so proud of being smart enough to figure out my manipulation they won’t recognize what I’m really trying to do … which is distract them.”

  He was probably right. Still … . “Won’t that be a terrible night for you?”

  Chief Terry shot me a fond smile. “It will be worth it.”

  “Well, that handles that problem,” Landon said. “I guess that means we have the start of a plan.”

  “I wish we had a better plan,” Chief Terry muttered.

  He wasn’t the only one, but we weren’t in the position to overlook any plan at this point. There was no choice but to embrace it and see where the path led.

  LANDON LED me to the Explorer as soon as we were done plotting. We would return to The Overlook for dinner before taking all of the laundry back to the guesthouse. Landon insisted we needed “quality time” after that. I was pretty sure that was code for canoodling on the couch – possibly naked – but there was no way I was going to argue.

  “I’m sorry about all of this, Bay.” He turned me away from the open door before I could climb inside and gave me a quick kiss. “I want to make all of the bad stuff go away, but I can’t.”

  “Oh, you mean you’re not the Goddess?” I smirked as I tapped the end of his nose. “It’s okay. Everything will be okay. I have faith. You should, too.”

  “I’m supposed to be making you feel better,” he reminded me.

  “Yeah, well, I’m not particularly busy right now, so I don’t mind picking up the extra load.” I grinned as I leaned into him, resting my chin on his shoulder as I gave him a hug. “It really will be all right.”

  Maybe it was only because we had something to focus on for the evening, but I honestly believed that. The feeling didn’t last long, though, only until my eyes landed on Brian Kelly as he shuffled in our direction.

  “Oh, geez. I really do have the worst luck.”

  Landon jerked his head over his shoulder, instinctively pushing me behind him – as if to protect me in case someone should attack – but he let his shoulders drop when he realized who he was dealing with. “Well, I was saying not more than an hour ago that I really wanted to punch someone. I suppose he’ll do.”

  Landon didn’t lower his voice, so Brian had no problem hearing him. Instead of saying something snide, Brian merely lifted his hands in mock surrender.

  “Don’t shoot.”

  “I haven’t ruled out shooting you,” Landon muttered. “What are you doing here?”

  “I came to discuss something with Bay.”

  “Yeah? Well, she doesn’t want to discuss anything with you.”

  That wasn’t entirely true, but I was mildly curious to see what Brian would do in the face of Landon’s overt animosity.

  “It won’t take long,” Brian said, cocking his head as his eyes flicked to me. The sun was almost down so the light was limited. “I have a proposition for you.”

  “Is this where you give me back my job because Chief Terry riled up the townspeople?” I asked.

  “No, although I’d be lying if I said the outpouring of support in your favor didn’t surprise me,” Brian replied. “It’s about the … other thing.”

  “I don’t know what you mean by that,” I said. “What other thing?”

  “You know … the thing.” Brian leaned closer and pointed at his crotch, causing me to stick my tongue between my lips to keep from laughing as I took a step back.

  “Yeah, I don’t want to know anything about that thing.” I shook my head for emphasis, wrinkling my nose.

  “If you try to show her that thing, I’ll cut it off,” Landon added. “Why are you even here?”

  “Because I’m done,” Brian replied, taking me by surprise with the way his shoulders slouched in total defeat. “I’m done with this town and I’m done with the newspaper. The people in town have made it abundantly clear that they will not advertise with The Whistler if Bay isn’t editor and without advertising … .”

  “You can’t keep the doors open,” I finished.

  “Exactly.” Brian bobbed his head. “According to my grandfather’s will, I don’t have many options.”

  “You didn’t have the option of firing me before I’d been convicted, but that didn’t stop you,” I pointed out.

  “Yes, and Chief Terry has been very vocal about that.” Brian made a disgusted face. “He actually hired his own lawyer to go over the will with me, point out my errors in judgment and the like. I seriously hate this town.”

  “And we seriously hate you,” Landon said. “What is your offer?”

  “I want to sell the newspaper to Bay,” Brian replied without hesitation.

  I swallowed hard as my knees almost gave way. “I don’t have the money to buy the newspaper.”

  “Wait a second.” Landon raised his hand. “How much do you want?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” I hissed. “I don’t have nearly enough money to buy it.”

  Landon ignored me. “How much?”

  “I’ll take twenty grand,” Brian said, his voice even. “That’s the bare minimum. Bay can have the newspaper free and clear for that.”

  Landon shifted his eyes to me, his expression unreadable. “Do you have that much?”

  I shook my head. The asking price was a lot less than I expected, but it was still out of my reach. “I have fifteen grand, but that’s it.”

  Landon rubb
ed his chin, his mind clearly working. Before I realized what was happening, he extended his hand and grabbed Brian’s so they could shake on it. “Deal.”

  I widened my eyes, dumbfounded. “Wait a second … I just said I didn’t have that much money.”

  Landon ignored my protest. “Have the paperwork drawn up. I want you out of that building by the first of the year. That gives you a little more than two months. I want that worked into the contract.”

  “Landon.”

  Landon slapped his hand over my mouth to silence me. “I will have an attorney go over the paperwork, so if you try anything funky be assured that I will go after you.”

  “I have no doubt,” Brian said dryly, his eyes moving to me. “As for the other … I’m assuming you need to handle that.”

  I shoved Landon’s hand away and scorched him with a dirty look before turning my attention back to Brian. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “The green … pimples,” Brian gritted out. “They’re on my junk and they appeared the day after I talked to you at the newspaper. Do you expect me to believe that’s a coincidence?”

  “Oh, well … .” I rubbed my bottom lip with my thumb and pinned Landon with a look. “Aunt Tillie.”

  “She said she was going to start out easy and make things progressively worse.” Landon’s grin was so wide it clearly grated Brian. “It was probably smart of you not to drag things out further.”

  “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

  Landon shrugged. “I’m enjoying Bay getting what she deserves,” he clarified. “We’re not fixing the other thing until we have the contract validated with our attorneys, notarized and signed. Understand?”

  “But … it itches.” Brian swiveled his hips to prove a point.

  “Be thankful it hasn’t fallen off,” Landon shot back. “Get that contract to us ASAP. I don’t want to see your face again until we have it.”

  “Fine.” Brian’s hateful gaze bounced between us. “Do you have any idea how much I dislike the two of you?”

  “Probably a quarter of what we feel about you,” Landon replied. “Get moving.”

  I waited until Brian was out of earshot before voicing my concerns. “I don’t have the money.”

  “You have the money … and the day is looking up. I can’t wait for the séance tonight.” He smacked a loud kiss against my lips before pulling back and giving me an odd look. “That is definitely a sentence I never thought I’d say.”

  Him and me both.

  Twenty-Seven

  “So … wait.” Clove spooned a huge dollop of mashed potatoes onto her plate and pinned me with a doubtful look. “You’re going to own The Whistler? How is that even possible?”

  I was still trying to figure that out myself. “You’ll have to ask Landon.” I felt as if I was floating, a visitor in someone else’s world. “I only have seventy-five percent of what Brian is asking, and I’m not sure I should purchase it at all given … well, given a few other things.”

  Landon cocked an eyebrow as he mixed his corn and mashed potatoes. “What other things?”

  “I … nothing.” I averted my gaze, causing Thistle to snort.

  “Is this what you mentioned to us right before Landon returned from his assignment?” Clove asked. “It was during that diatribe when you were manic that he hadn’t called by the third day.”

  If I could reach across eight people and pinch her without anyone noticing I totally would. Instead I feigned confusion. “I’m sure I have no idea what you mean.”

  “You’re a really crappy liar,” Thistle said.

  I ignored her. “Can someone pass the bread?”

  “You are a crappy liar,” Aunt Tillie agreed, shaking her head. “I taught you much better than that. Don’t you remember the time I told you to start crying when your mother accused you of stealing the tablecloth and turning it into a superhero cape? You pulled that off without the slightest hesitation, and your mother actually believed you were going through an existential crisis because you couldn’t be Superman.”

  “I didn’t believe that,” Mom said, shaking her head. “I simply didn’t like that tablecloth.”

  “I loved that tablecloth.” Twila took on a far-off expression. “It had roosters and lemons on it. It was gorgeous.”

  “Roosters and lemons?” Landon was dubious. “I’m sorry I missed it. That doesn’t change the fact that I know you’re lying. I want to know what you’re lying about. What are these ‘other things’ you’re talking about?”

  “It’s nothing,” I hedged, refusing to make eye contact.

  “Oh, please.” Aunt Tillie stabbed her hunk of meatloaf with a fork and lifted the entire slab to gnaw at it. “She’s considering getting an apartment in Traverse City, because she doesn’t want to stay in the guesthouse alone and she wants to be closer to you.”

  It was as if someone stuck a pin an Overlook-shaped balloon. After a sharp intake of breath everyone started talking at once.

  “What? You can’t do that!” Twila was beside herself. “We don’t want the guesthouse empty.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea because you stay here for free,” Marnie argued. “Why waste money if you don’t have to?”

  “I don’t want you to move to Traverse City,” Clove whined. “I hardly see you at all now that I moved. I think Thistle should move to Traverse City instead. We could use a break from one another.”

  “I told you before and I’ll say it again, it’s a terrible idea,” Thistle said. “You’ll be bored over there. And you don’t cook. You’ll go hungry.”

  I pressed the heel of my hand to my forehead as I leaned back in my chair. I stared at my plate, afraid to meet anyone’s gaze. Then it dawned on me that the two people I expected to have the loudest reaction hadn’t said a word.

  I jerked my head, my gaze bouncing between Mom and Landon, who were completely focused on each other as something unsaid passed between them.

  “What’s going on?” I asked.

  “What? Nothing.” Landon forced his attention to me. “You want to get your own apartment in Traverse City?”

  “It’s just something I’m considering,” I replied, my cheeks burning. “This way we would be closer if you wanted to spend a few more nights together or something.”

  “Uh-huh.” Landon’s expression was impossible to gauge. “Did you ever consider moving in with me?”

  I expected the question. I was hoping to be able to answer it without the rest of my family – and a few stray guests – acting as my audience. “Yes, but … I wasn’t sure you would want that. I know men like their space and stuff. I didn’t want you to think I was smothering you or anything.”

  Landon’s expression remained immovable. “This was all before the most recent stuff, right?”

  I nodded.

  “How do you feel now?”

  “Well, I feel like I want to live with you,” I said, tripping over the words as I tried to find focus. “I also think this isn’t the right time to talk about it.”

  “It isn’t,” Landon agreed, grabbing my hand. “I want to live with you, too.”

  “You do?” I couldn’t hide my surprise – and relief. “Really?”

  “What do you think?” Landon made a face and tapped my nose. “You drive me crazy with this stuff. Please tell me you were going to discuss this before throwing money out the window on a second place.”

  “I was … going to give it serious thought.” I shot Aunt Tillie a warning glance. “It seems like a long time ago when we were talking about this.”

  “I don’t doubt that, but no one is doing anything until we talk about a few things. And we can’t do that until we find Doug and figure out who killed Becky,” Landon said. “I swear to you that everything will be okay … and I even have a plan … so I want you to remain calm and focus on finding Doug and solving a murder over everything else.”

  “Okay.” Wait … . “You have a plan?”

  “I knew I sho
uldn’t have said that,” Landon muttered, rolling his neck and glaring at the ceiling.

  “What about The Whistler?” Clove pressed. “How will Bay buy it if she doesn’t have enough money?”

  “I have enough money to make up the difference.”

  I immediately started shaking my head. “I can’t take your money.”

  “Well, you’re going to,” Landon said, refusing to allow me the time to mount an argument. “I’m willing to give it to you, but if you want to consider it a loan we’ll talk conditions once everything is settled.”

  “A loan?” That sounded mildly better. “Will I have to pay you in bacon?”

  Landon cracked a grin despite the serious situation. “Yes.”

  “I … okay. Well, thank you. I like the idea of a loan.”

  “Good.” Landon forked a huge mound of meatloaf into his mouth, and even though I couldn’t hear through the hunk of food I was fairly sure he was mumbling something that suspiciously sounded like “freaking woman is going to drive me crazy” as he chewed.

  Instead of lowering myself to the fight, I gripped his knee under the table. “I can’t wait to start paying you in bacon.”

  Landon swallowed the food and leaned close enough so only I could hear him. “I’m going to make you wear a bacon bikini as part of the deal.”

  I stilled. “That doesn’t sound sanitary.”

  “It’s not real bacon. It just looks and smells like bacon.”

  “It smells like bacon?”

  Landon nodded, excited. “It’s scratch and sniff.”

  Hmm. That sounded interesting.

  WE HEADED TOWARD the bluff right after dinner. Mom and my aunts stayed behind to take care of the guests, including to make sure they didn’t wander out to the back of the property while we were engaged in a bit of mischief. Aunt Tillie was a wonder to every visitor, and sometimes they took it upon themselves to sneak around the property in an attempt to follow her. We wanted to make sure that didn’t happen tonight.