by Mara Webb
“Tyson would be so pleased to know this is all done with!” she shouted over the roar of the convertible and the wind. “It’s a real weight off my shoulders now his killer is caught!”
“I think I just swallowed a bug!” I shouted back, trying to cough up whatever had just wedged itself into the back of my throat. Winnie laughed and rolled her eyes.
“We’ll talk at the house!”
A few minutes later we pulled up to the gates at the front of Tyson’s manor. They automatically opened as Winnie hit a remote in the car and she drove on through. She pulled up and we both got out of the car, heading into the large house.
“Ugh, what a day,” Winnie said and threw her keys into a bowl on the side. “Kitchen is through here, follow me.” I followed her through a corridor that opened up into a large open plan kitchen. “What are you drinking? Manhattan? Bellini?”
“It’s a bit early for me. Just a juice thanks.”
She shrugged and started preparing the drinks. “I’m so glad you decided to come up to the house, it’s been awfully lonely up here since Tyson died. Just me, in this ridiculously large building. It can feel pretty isolated.”
“Do you talk to the staff much?”
“Staff?” she said, screwing the top back on a bottle of schnapps.
“A butler answered the intercom the first time we pulled up here.”
“Bu… oh…yeah.” Winnie laughed. “I fired him. Fired all of them. I never really liked having people wait around on hand and foot. Tyson grew up rich, so I guess that’s his bag, but it doesn’t sit right with me! Here’s your drink. Pool’s this way. Come on.” I followed Winnie through to the back of the house, where a huge turquoise pool glittered under the midday sun. “It’s heated, and the view is pretty spectacular.”
“I can see that.”
Not only could I see all of Pendle town from Tyson’s back yard, but on my left, I could see the mountains at the middle of the island, and even part of the coast leading up to Delfino Bay. The view was nothing short of breathtaking.
“Quite something, isn’t it? You stay here and grab a seat. I’ll go and get these spare swimsuits and—” The doorbell rang, cutting Winnie’s focus. “Ah, blast, who’s that now? Okay. I’ll answer the door, and then I’ll get the suits. Be right back!” she laughed nervously.
“No rush,” I said.
Winnie left and I sat down, taking a minute just to stare out at the view and take it all in. Whatever peace I felt only lasted a few seconds. While staring out at the town below me something unusual happened, my vision blurred, and I started seeing double. I blinked a few times and rubbed my eyes. When I opened them again, I looked up and realized the water in the pool wasn’t moving.
Everything had stopped.
There on the other side of the pool was Benny, his long silver beard motionless, as though we were standing in a vacuum.
“Benny?” I said, confusion evident in my voice. “What are you doing here?”
“Hey there, Chelsea,” he said with his familiar warm smile. “I need you to listen very carefully. You’re in trouble. Do you remember that time I asked you for a dollar?”
I nodded my head and realized my limbs felt very heavy, everything did in fact. “Yes,” I said, the words slurring out of my mouth. I looked down at the drink in my hand and sensed something had just gone horribly wrong. “You gave me a wish.”
“That’s right. Well, I’m not really here right now, but I can be. All you have to do is say my name three times. You got that, kiddo? I need you to tell me you understand that.”
“I…yes?” I said.
Benny smiled, but I could see in his eyes he was worried about something. “Very good. Three times. Benny. Don’t forget.”
A second later everything was back to normal. A gentle breeze skittered over the turquoise water; the trees moved in the distance. I could move again, but I was faintly aware of a tingling sensation on my lips. I set my drink down and heard muffled voices arguing from somewhere behind me. It was Winnie, talking with whoever was at the door.
My phone rang. It was Deacon. I answered it, but my fingers were moving slowly.
Had I been drugged?
“Yeth?” I slurred.
“Chelsea, listen up, there’s a chance that Marty isn’t guilty after all, not of murder anyway. We’ve been talking with him at the station. He said he was trying to put something back in Winnie’s trailer.”
“Puth something beck?” I said. My mind was still working, my mouth not so much. I went to stand but almost slipped off the chair. Fear started to set in.
“Are you drunk? You sound weird. Marty said he was putting back a handkerchief that he found at the scene of the crime. It belonged to Winnie. WW, Winnie Willis.” I couldn’t believe how stupid I was. The handkerchief had said WW all this time, not MM. “He needed to finish this project for money reasons and hid the evidence so Winnie wouldn’t get arrested. It was her, not Marty! Are you still at the studio? We’re coming back now to—”
Someone snatched the phone out my hand, and I didn’t have the strength to reach out and grab it. Winnie threw the phone into the pool and in her other hand I saw a pistol. She was pointing it right at me.
“I really didn’t want things to end like this,” she said. “I’m guessing that call just clued you in. I wanted you to be asleep when this happened. This isn’t who I am.”
“But… you had anth alibi,” I said, somehow managing to get the words out.
“Yeah, two dumbo neighbors that I intimidated into lying for me. The old crone next door just came over crying, saying that the police had called her up to confirm her statement. She buckled.”
“Why?” I said. “Why dith you kill him?”
“Rage, mostly. Tyson couldn’t stand the fact that I was in love with Sam. He called me that night, said he’d been watching clips of us on set, and he was sick of being played around. He said he was going to fire Sam and finish his career. I pleaded with him not to, I promised to make it up to him. It wasn’t the first dirty tactic of his.”
“He wath the one blackmailing you,” I said as the puzzle piece clicked into place.
“Yeah, so desperate to keep his little star. He said he loved me. What a creep. Still, he’s powerful, so I had to keep playing the game.”
“But your name, you’d already signed out of the studio. You weren’t there. You left.” My head was starting to throb now, keeping my eyes open was a real struggle.
“Oh I had. But I drove back. There’s a side gate that I sneak through sometimes when there’s a line through the front. I went in and out that way. I met Tyson at the soundstage and begged him to let Sam stay, but he was completely unreasonable. Do you understand how connected Tyson was? When he blacklists someone, they are done, I couldn’t have that happen to Sam. I went there to plead with him, but he said his mind was made up. Sam was done.”
“So… you kilthed him.”
“Not intentionally. I was just so angry I grabbed the first thing and smashed him over the head. I knew he was dead as soon as he hit the floor. I ran, I ran all the way back here and called Sam in tears. He came over to the house and I told him Tyson tried to attack me. I said I killed him acting in self-defense. Sam could have turned me in right there, but he didn’t. He stayed that night with me. Do you know how hard it is having a relationship in secret? That was the first time we’d ever got to sleep together in the same bed.”
“He wasth the butler,” I realized. Sam stayed overnight with Winnie at Tyson’s house. When we turned up in the morning, he knew he wasn’t meant to be there, so he lied, pretending to be someone else. “And you were hiding in the house.”
“None of that matters now,” Winnie said. “I’m going to blame it all on you. You killed Tyson because you were upset with how he treated your mother.”
“And this?” I said, nodding sleepily at the gun pointed at my head.
“Self-defence. I’ll say that I found out you were the real murderer. You reali
zed, came here to kill me and I defended myself. I’ll iron out the details later.” Winnie pulled the hammer back on the gun, loading a bullet into the chamber. “I was waiting for you to fall asleep. Then I could drive you out to the cliffs and make it look like you killed yourself. This will have to do though. It’s quiet up here. No one will even hear the bang.”
“Benny might,” I said, using every last ounce of my strength to cling to the lounger I was rapidly sliding down.
“Who?” Winnie said, her brow knotting tight.
“Benny.”
She looked around the empty veranda and then back at me.
“There’s no one else here!”
“Benny,” I wheezed, hoping my crazy vision wasn’t just some side-effect of getting spiked.
“You’ve lost it Chelsea,” Winnie said. “Goodnight and sweet dreams, try not to get too much blood everywher—ah!”
I lost consciousness just as it happened. A blinding flash of light momentarily lit up the darkness and I heard a bang go off. My ears rang, a shrill high-pitched whistle echoing through me. Then I felt warmth, and I wondered if I was dead. There was screaming, the sound of a short confrontation, and then silence.
Someone picked me up, and I heard a voice in my ear.
“Don’t worry. I’ve got you.”
Epilogue
When I next opened my eyes I was back in my bedroom, lying in my bed. Artemis was curled up at my feet, and Deacon was asleep in the chair next to me. I went to sit up but a burning sensation in my shoulder stopped that from happening. I winced in pain, and Deacon jolted awake.
“Chelsea!” he said. “You’re okay!”
“Yeah, help me sit up. My butt is asleep.”
He did and sat down on the bed next to me. Artemis stretched awake at the disturbance and suddenly bolted over and started nuzzling at me. “You’re alive, you’re alive! Can I have food now?”
“In a minute.” I laughed. “How did I get back here? What happened?”
“Winnie shot you,” Deacon said. “The bullet went into your shoulder clean. You were taken to hospital, but by the time you got there the wound was already somehow completely healed. Is this your magic?”
Artemis moved in close and inspected the bandaged up shoulder, which still hurt like hell, even if it was ‘healed’. “That’s not Chelsea’s magic, this is powerful stuff!”
“Powerful might be a slight exaggeration,” a voice came from the corner of the room. We all jumped at the sudden appearance of the figure sitting in a chair by my window. It was Benny. Deacon jumped to his feet and pulled out his gun.
“Who are you?!” he said. “How did you get in here?!”
“Easy son,” Benny said. He waved his hand and Deacon’s gun dissolved in a whisp of smoke. “I just came here to make sure Chelsea’s okay. How’s the shoulder?” he said.
“Feels like someone slammed it in a waffle iron.”
Benny laughed. “Yeah, sorry about that. I was never good at healing magic. Time’s my specialty. I can heal it up but can’t take the pain away. Your mom should be able to help with that, she was always better at that stuff.”
“And here I thought time heals all wounds.” Artemis looked proud with himself for that one.
“Chelsea do you know this man?” Deacon said.
“Yes, sort of. This is Benny. He saved me from Winnie.” I looked at him. “Or at least I assume you did. I passed out just as she pulled the trigger.”
“She spiked your drink,” Benny said. “There was some darkness hanging around that one. She had plans in mind. Bad plans.”
“How did you know I was in trouble though?”
Benny opened his mouth to answer, hesitating for a moment. “Let’s just say I always keep an eye on those I care about.”
The door to my bedroom opened and Rudy stormed in, he took one look at me and paled. “You’re okay!” he said in relief.
“Just a smidge confused, but I’m doing all right, yeah. I didn’t expect a bed visit from you!”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Rudy said. “We’re brother and sister now. You looked after me, and I look after you.” Rudy turned and looked at Benny. “We need to start moving faster. I’m ready. If I’m going to look over things, then I have to learn.”
“You will,” Benny said. “But patience is required.”
“Wait a second,” I said as I stared between Benny and Rudy. “You two know each other?”
“As of recently,” Benny said with a smile.
“And isn’t it wonderful to have everyone back together again!” Mom said as she also came through the door. “Chelsea, good to see you alive and well darling. Deacon, sweetest, would you do me a favor and give the four of us some privacy? We have to discuss something.”
“Uh, five of us,” Artemis said from the bed.
“I think that means you too furball,” Deacon said. He looked at me. “Chelsea, are you okay here?”
“I’m fine. Go wait in the kitchen. We can talk in a minute. Artemis, go with him.”
“You get shot once and suddenly you’re bossing everyone around!” Artemis howled as he ran out the room, Deacon followed and closed the door behind him.
“All right,” I said, looking at the arrangement of unusual characters in my bedroom. Benny, the hobo wizard that had saved my life, Rudy, my estranged brother, and Mom. “What’s going on here, everyone looks like they know something.”
“Tell him Benjamin.” Mom crossed her arms.
“I’m your father,” Benny said.
“You’re my… what?!” I looked at Rudy. “Wait, why aren’t you reacting to this?”
“I found out a few hours ago,” he said. “When you were taken to hospital.”
I looked at everyone, wondering what was happening here. “Mom? Care to explain?”
“Chelsea…” she trailed off and looked at Benny. “I’ve always known who your father is. When I had you, and when I had Rudy. Benny knew about the pair of you too.”
“Okay.”
I stared at Rudy, who seemed unreasonably calm about this. “You’re okay with this?!”
“Let her finish. It will all make sense.” My eyes shot to mom.
“Well?”
“Well… we wanted to be together. We wanted to raise you both as a family, but we couldn’t.”
“Why?” I asked.
“It was my fault,” Benny said.
“Benjamin,” mom scolded. “It was no one’s fault.”
“You knew this whole time, but yet you’ve had me running around this island on this wild goose chase!”
“Delaying the inevitable,” she said. “Trust me, Chelsea, we did it for your own good.”
“Okay, someone explain before I turn everyone into a turnip.”
“When your brother was born, we lived together as a family,” Benny said. “Me, your mom, and Rudy. That’s what Lorelai and I wanted, but well… there were unexpected consequences.”
“Consequences?” I asked.
“My magic, my ability to see through layers of time, it’s an unusual ability, one that is difficult to harness. The power started to spread to Rudolph, just when he was a child. Magic like that, it’s too much for a child to bare. We tried everything we could to stop it, but it turns out it’s a natural part of being a witch and a wizard. Your power feeds your child. That’s fine with your mom’s magic, but mine was too strong, too dangerous. So I left, and Rudy didn’t have to take on my gift.”
“We went our separate ways,” Mom said. “I didn’t want to, but it was the best for Rudy. I brought Rudy up and then he kicked me out. Well, after that I went back to your father. It made sense after all, he is the love of my life.”
I saw the two of them share a look, and for the first time in my life I saw something in my mother’s eyes, something that resembled complete and utter peace. “But then you became pregnant with me,” I said.
She nodded. “Completely unexpected. Don’t take this the wrong way Chelsea darling, but you were n
ot planned!”
“Gee, don’t I feel loved.”
“I knew then that I had to leave the island, it was the only way to stop Benjamin’s magic from seeping into you. Time magic like that, it’s far too strong for the mind of an infant. It can do damage. We got Rudy away just in time, and we didn’t take any chances with you.”
“You stayed apart to keep us safe,” I said, staring between the two of them I think I felt my heartbreak in two.
“Now you understand why I’m not mad,” Rudy said. “Sure, it’s not ideal, but they did what they had to, to keep us safe.”
“Darlings I always knew you would one day find out. One day I would have to return to Benjamin. All this time my magic has slowly been fading, burning away the longer I stayed away from him. And your father… he’s not supposed to hold his power for this long, he should have passed it on a long time ago, it’s nearly sent him all the way to madness.”
“Wait,” I said. “What do you mean? Pass it on?” I looked at Benny.
“That’s a natural part of my magic. My father passed it onto me, and I have to pass it onto one of my children. I stayed away as long as possible so you could both have normal lives. Once you get this gift… your life will never be the same again. One of you has to take the power now.”
I looked at Rudy and he looked at me. I’d already seen what Benny’s power was like. It was… maddening. Layers and layers of time all overlapping with one another in the same second. It was a miracle Benny didn’t go mad years ago.
“I’ll take it,” I said.
Rudy just smiled. “I knew you’d say that,” he said. “That’s why I already took it a few hours ago. It’s done. His power is in me now.”
“Rudy!” I gasped. “Do you have any idea—”
“What it’s like? Oh, I’m getting used to it. It’s quite trippy, but hey…” He looked at Benny and smiled. “If the old man can do it, then I can too.”
“I don’t have any doubt in my mind,” Benny said. “Either of you could have handled it. I may not have been there, but I can promise I’ve always been watching, always keeping you safe. Hopefully now we can get to know one another a little better, and now Lorelai and I are back together we—”
