Hexes and Exes: Supernatural Witch Cozy Mystery (Lainswich Witches Book 2)
Page 11
Ben was flipping through the pages. He stopped abruptly when he realized exactly what it was Rowen was talking about. “You didn’t steal this from her.” It wasn’t a question the way he said it. It came off more like a hopeful kind of denial.
Unfortunately, Rowen couldn’t give him the answer that he wanted. “We can always put it back later.”
“Put it back later?” Ben repeated. He groaned. “You can’t just… Rowen, this is evidence.”
“I know that. And now I’m handing it over to you.” Rowen wasn’t sure if that counted, but she sure hoped it did. “What was I supposed to do? I’m not sure who I can trust at the police station… So, I’m trusting you.”
“We marked the pages that are relevant,” said Peony.
Ben stared at the book in his hands for a very long time. There was clearly some kind of internal debate raging there. Finally, he opened it. There weren’t many pages to read, and he read quickly. The further along he got, the more his face darkened. Finally, he put the book down. He took a seat at the table, nearly losing his balance on the way down.
“Do you know who it is?” asked Rowen. She knew everyone else in the room was wondering the same thing.
Ben nodded.
“Well?” prompted Aunt Lydia sitting, quite literally, on the edge of her seat.
“John,” said Ben.
It took Rowen a moment to place the name. “Chief Tweed?” She was genuinely surprised to hear that.
Ben leaned his head against his hand. “It makes sense,” he said, mostly to himself. “He just wanted this case to go away. He was at the party that night. He went to a lot of parties. I knew he broke the rules sometimes, but I never expected anything like this. I should have… I should have done something.”
Rowen went to him. She placed a hand on his shoulder. “You can do something now.”
Ben looked up. He nodded. “You’re right.” He took a deep breath and stood. “I’m going to need to make a few phone calls and probably leave town for a few days. We’ll need some oversight on this one. If no one’s going to come to Lainswich to investigate these crimes, I’m going to have to bring them here.”
“This is going to be rough,” Eric warned.
“We’ll have your back, though,” Rowen added.
“I appreciate it,” said Ben. “When I get word, though, consider The Lainswich Inquirer the first publication allowed to break the story.”
Aunt Lydia made a face at that. “What? I can’t talk about it until then?”
Something told Rowen the next few months were going to be rough.
Epilogue
When they finally arrested John Tweed, Julia Martinez was there to catch it all on camera. He was absolutely livid, shouting and spitting. It was the witches, he insisted. The Greensmith witches made him do it. Hadn’t they seen the crime scene?
Seeing that, Rowen couldn’t help but wonder if he and Lindsay hadn’t bonded over a mutual hatred for her family. That hatred seemed to have brought the town together, though. They didn’t love the Greensmith family, but some of them did write letters of apology and support during the trial proceedings. The ones who had stood outside their office in protest were, for the most part, apologetic.
Things weren’t perfect, but they were better. Really, that was the most that Rowen could hope for.
David had been released. Oddly enough, after the whole ordeal with his arrest, he left the family business. His parents hadn’t been thrilled, but there was little they could do.
He actually moved to Lainswich. One would think the place would be a bad memory for him. He swore up and down he found it charming though.
Honestly, Rowen was afraid it was Margo that he found charming. The two had been spending an awful lot of time together. He practically lived at the office, working— despite the fact that they didn’t pay him. Rowen supposed she could let it slide for a while. When sober, he wasn’t so bad. Plus, he had replaced the rose bush in her garden. It wasn’t nearly as nice as her old one, but it was his good intentions that mattered.
The piece they ran on Lindsay was well-received. The piece they ran on the murder investigation was even more popular. Physical copies of their paper sold out. They had to buy more server space because traffic crashed their website. Work was good.
Work was also good for Ben. Things had been tough for him after he came out against his old Chief. It had worked out for the best, though. Rumor had it, he was being considered as the chief’s replacement. Rowen thought he would be a good fit, but wasn’t sure he would take the job.
Things were going a little less fantastically for Rowen. After his brother’s arrest, Eric had been forced to spend more time away than usual. Things had seemed a little strained between them since. Instead of looking forward to his return, Rowen found herself dreading it. She was sure the next time she saw him, he would be there to break up with her.
The day came one Wednesday, when Rowen was at her desk, working on a new story. Rose let him in. “Guess who’s back in town?” she said with a smile.
Rowen was shocked to see Eric come through the door. He hadn’t told her he was coming, had he? She thought back. She didn’t think he had.
“Sorry to just drop in and surprise you like this,” Eric said, going to her desk. She stood up to greet him, and he hugged her. “I didn’t think I was going to be able to make it this week, but my plans got switched around at the last minute so here I am.”
Rowen took a step back. She looked him up and down with a sad smile. She wanted, so badly, for things to work out between them. “Here you are.”
Eric must have sensed the anxiety in her tone. “Look,” he said. I know things have been… a little strained between us.”
Here it came.
“That’s why, if you’re okay with it, I’m going to take a break from work for a while.”
“What?” Rowen asked, staring at him. She hadn’t expected that.
“I’m thinking about getting a place down here,” Eric explained, offering her a sheepish smile. “Is that all right?”
“All right?” Rowen laughed. Why he put up with her, she would never know, but she adored him for it. “That would be perfect.” She didn’t kiss him right then. She sat down with him and talked. There would be time for kissing later. Eric had made sure of that. There would be time for lots of things.
Preview of “Murders and Mothers”
(Lainswich Witches Book 3)
Things are going great for Rowen Greensmith. She and her boyfriend Eric have just moved in together. Her paper, The Lainswich Inquirer, is doing better than anyone could have predicted. The town still distrusts her witchy family, but you can’t have it all. Overall, Rowan is happy. Too happy.
Life couldn’t possibly stay that perfect for long. The unexpected arrival of Rowen’s estranged mother throws a wrench into all of that. Tiffany Greensmith simply shows up, ready to pick up their relationship like she hasn’t been missing for the majority of Rowen’s life.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, there’s also been a recent string of murders in Lainswich. It’s the most serious crime spree their small town has ever seen. The Lainswich Inquirer has its work cut out for it.
Of course, this being Lainswich, things are bound to get more complicated. As per usual, Rowen gets mixed up trying to solve the crime she’s reporting. Was it even avoidable this time, though? The more Rowen looks into these murders, the more concerning it gets – and the more certain Rowen is that the murderer might be someone she knows.
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Harper "Foxxy" Beck Series
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