"But your wand was taken for evidence. It's locked up at the police station." My mouth dropped open. "Tell me you didn't remove it."
"Okay, I won't tell you. Time to call it a night." She smiled brightly and steered me towards the door.
"What if your wand held the killer's fingerprints? You might have destroyed the only evidence to clear you from the suspect list." I just hoped that the police had dusted it for prints before Aunt Pearl took it.
She threw her head back and laughed. "It's not evidence, since I had nothing to do with that man's murder. Everyone is focused on the murder, but there's been another serious crime committed. No one gave a hoot about my stolen wand, so I took matters into my own hands and got it back."
"You mean you stole it. That’s what you did when you removed it from the police evidence locker." I shook my head. "How can I help you if you won't help yourself?" Evidence tampering had far-reaching consequences.
Aunt Pearl ignored me. "I have a right to my own property."
"It's a bit late for that, but I'm not here to criticize you." I paced back and forth in front of the chalkboard. "There is one thing I need to ask. Did you know about Sebastien Plant's affair with Hazel?"
Aunt Pearl's mouth dropped open in feigned shock. "Really?"
"Don't play games with me. You're covering for Hazel, but Aunt Amber told me everything." I was exaggerating, but if Amber knew about the affair, Hazel's best friend Pearl must have known even more. "That's why the two of you went to the gazebo, isn't it?"
Aunt Pearl pursed her lips and didn't answer right away. "Okay, so I knew about the affair. I don't agree with Hazel's morals, but she would never kill Seb, so I saw no point in mentioning it. I didn't want to complicate things."
"Hazel's lover is murdered on our property and you don't think it worth mentioning?" I repeated the sparse details from Aunt Amber. "What else do you know about Sebastien Plant that you're not telling?"
"He planned to divorce Tonya and marry Hazel." She fondled the filigree star on her wand. "Hazel was worried for Seb's safety, so she asked me to help her keep an eye on him."
"A lot of good that did. I don't believe your story." The two of them were just as unlikely of a couple as Tonya and Sebastien were. Hazel was in her seventies, and Sebastien Plant was about fifty, with a young and attractive thirty-something wife. "Hazel must be forty years older than Tonya."
"Don't be so naive, Cen. Hazel transforms herself just like me and my Carolyn Conroe act. Tonya does it too." She snorted. "Men are so gullible."
My mouth dropped open. "Tonya's a witch?" I flashed back to Mom's comment about Aunt Pearl's wand being attractive to another witch. Had Tonya taken it to prevent retaliation from Aunt Pearl?
Aunt Pearl nodded.
"That's impossible. A witch would have caught on to your Carolyn Conroe sideshow."
"Oh, Tonya knew exactly what I was up to. She just played along for appearances sake. It's hard enough for her to put on the grieving widow act." Aunt Pearl smirked. "She's a mediocre witch, and her magic isn't anything to write home about. She's good at one thing though."
"What's that?"
"Bewitching men." Aunt Pearl tapped her wand on the blackboard. "You could be good at that too, if you put a little effort into it."
"You mean like what you do with your sassy Carolyn Conroe act?"
Aunt Pearl rolled her eyes. "If you spent more time at WICCA and in the magic world then I wouldn't have to explain every little detail to you. But you're finally getting it. Not only is she a witch, but she's also after something we have."
"Are you going to tell me what that is, or do I have to guess that too?"
"Tonya wants the town, Cen. That's the real reason I burned down the highway sign. I couldn't let her find it." She wiped an imaginary tear from her cheek. "I failed miserably."
"Why on earth does she want Westwick Corners? The Plants are billionaires. They practically own the travel industry with their travel shows, books, and resorts. There are tons of better places for a resort than our almost-ghost town." As the words left my mouth it suddenly dawned on me that even I didn't believe in our town's future.
Sad.
Aunt Pearl sighed. "I hope this doesn't take all night. Westwick Corners sits atop one of the earth's energy vortexes. Our vortex isn't nearly as famous as some of the others, like Stonehenge and Sedona, Arizona. We like to keep it secret. In fact, that's why the West family originally settled here. It magnifies our powers. You follow so far?"
I nodded. I vaguely knew of the energy vortex, but the lore about special powers and portals to other dimensions or worlds bordered on ridiculous to me. "I don't see how destroying a highway sign would deter her. Any decent witch would be drawn to an energy vortex."
"Only if she's close enough to feel the energy. That’s why I’m against tourism, Cen. I tried my hardest to keep her far away, but it wasn't enough. Now it's too late." Aunt Pearl's tears were real this time. "Tonya's Travel Unraveled mega resort will turn Westwick Corners into the Las Vegas of the spirit world, just another vacation stop on the supernatural superhighway.
"Everything that exists today will be torn down and paved over. I love this place, Cen. I'd rather die than watch our little piece of paradise ruined."
I had never seen Aunt Pearl so emotional before, but she was obviously off her rocker. "If anything, Travel Unraveled would have revitalized our entire town. They'll attract more people even if they promote the vortex. We'll all be better off."
"A resort for witches, Cen. The whole supernatural world will descend upon us. Our town is too fragile to be overrun by supernatural beings. It'll be a nightmare. You have no idea how bad that will be."
"But the other Travel Unraveled destination resorts aren't for witches."
Aunt Pearl just stared at me and shook her head. "You've got so much to learn, Cen. I just hope it's not too late."
CHAPTER 16
I kept my promise to Mom and escorted Aunt Pearl back to the Inn before heading home. I had no way of ensuring that Aunt Pearl remained at the Inn, but it was the best I could do. After everything she had told me, I expected more trouble, especially with Aunt Pearl and Tonya under the same roof. Something terrible was bound to happen.
I trudged through the garden towards home. I had always loved the seclusion of my tree house at the rear of the property, but tonight the isolation made me uneasy. After all, a murderer was on the loose.
I was glad that Hazel and Pearl had patched things up, but also feared that the two of them might have unleashed something that couldn't be undone. I planned to call Hazel first thing in the morning and get an account of her visit and the strange man at the gazebo. She would either corroborate Aunt Pearl's version, or I would catch both of them in a lie. The attacker in the black hoodie running across the lawn could be just a fabrication, but I had nothing else to go on.
By the time I reached my place I was half asleep on my feet. It had been a long day. I trudged up the wooden spiral staircase that led home. My tree house nestled in a massive oak tree. Over the years the original structure had been modified and added to as the branches it nestled within allowed. The tree had grown too; one of the branches actually grew into the living room.
I considered Aunt Pearl's comments about Sebastien Plant wanting a divorce. That gave Tonya a pretty solid motive for murder. But if she had committed the crime, she certainly couldn't have done it alone. Sebastien was twice her size, for one thing.
I flashed back to the note left at the crime scene. I could see the block printing as clearly in my mind as if the note was right in front of me. I mouthed the first few lines as I reached the top of the staircase:
Though you travel far and wide,
You'd be best to run and hide,
Your business was built on travel,
But it is here that you become unravelled
I froze on the porch landing as I pondered the British spelling.
Hazel was British.
Aunt Pearl was
not.
Hazel's visit coincided with the murder. While she seemed incapable of murder, I didn't really know her that well. Maybe she had done it after all.
I shivered and pushed open the heavy wooden door. As I stepped across the threshold, I decided to forget about everything and call it a night. I was dead on my feet and it was already late. For the next few hours at least, I could escape into my rustic fairy tale castle and forget about the world. All I wanted was my cozy bed and some shut-eye. All my problems would still be waiting for me tomorrow.
I saw a flash of black and white as Alan ran to the door, wagging his little Border collie tail. At least someone was happy to see me. I felt a pang of guilt as he herded me into the kitchen and tapped his dish with his paw.
I had left extra food for him when I left early this morning, but I had never expected to be gone this long. Poor Alan. I refilled his dish and water bowl and watched him wolf down his dinner as I thought about Hazel. I had last seen her a month ago, when she and Pearl had their disagreement.
Alan gave me the perfect excuse to contact Hazel. I could plead to have Alan changed back into his human form, and along the way, find out more about her whereabouts at the time of the murder.
"Thank goodness you're finally home!" A ghostly apparition floated in the kitchen doorway.
My heart stopped cold until I remembered that Grandma Vi, a.k.a. Violet West, had moved in with me yesterday afternoon under heavy protest. Her former suite at the Inn was now a guest room. We were temporary roommates until I moved out of the tree house and in with Brayden in a few weeks’ time. Neither of us liked the arrangement, but there were simply no other options.
"You waited up for me?" I felt a tug of tenderness at the thought.
"Don't be silly, Cen. Ghosts don't sleep." Grandma Vi sniffed. "Where are your towels? I can't find a damn thing in this mess. You're so unorganized."
"You're a ghost. Why do you need a towel?" Grandma Vi had passed two years ago and promptly returned to haunt us. In all that time she had never asked for a towel. I suspected she just wanted an excuse to snoop through my things without being obvious. Not that ghosts were the least bit obvious, of course.
Grandma Vi sighed and shook her head. "You wouldn't understand. Your cluttered mind is just like this cluttered house. Nothing is where it belongs."
"Towels are in the linen closet."
"I am not going in there." Grandma Vi hovered in front of me and blocked my path.
Why a ghost who traveled through walls was afraid of a closet was beyond me. "Suit yourself. Anything else?" All I wanted was a few minutes of peace and quiet to unwind before bed.
Grandma Vi threw her ghostly arms in the air. "That closet's a mess. Maybe you did pick the right profession after all."
"What's that supposed to mean?" After a frustrating day with the wedding rehearsal, Pearl's antics at the Inn's grand opening, and of course, Plant's murder, I just wanted to fall into bed and go to sleep. I turned sideways to slip past Grandma Vi.
Grandma Vi refused to let me by, though technically I could walk right through her transparent form. But I respected my elders, even if they didn't respect me.
"You have so many questions but never any answers. Aren't journalists supposed to have both?" She lowered her hands and stepped aside to let me pass. "Ooh...you're thinking about a man, and it's not Brayden."
Grandma Vi is—or at least was—a witch like the rest of us, but since becoming a ghost she could also read minds. In my tired state I had let down my guard and forgotten to block my thoughts. I hadn't even realized I was thinking about him.
It was hard not to imagine Tyler Gates' tightly muscled body underneath his sheriff's uniform. "Just the new sheriff. He started today," I said in my most innocent-sounding voice. I wasn't sure if Grandma Vi saw the images in my head or just the words, but it was creepy knowing she could read my innermost thoughts.
"We have a murder on our hands." I recounted the gazebo encounter, including Pearl's magic wand. I omitted Aunt Pearl's comments on Tonya and the resort plans because I didn’t want to upset her.
Grandma Vi hovered behind me as I removed my shoes and headed down the hall to the living room. "I'd better go do some reconnaissance." She sounded eager for something to do.
"No, Grandma. Leave it to the police." I switched topics. "Mom's worried about the impact on our hotel business."
Grandma Vi smiled. "Maybe I'll get my old room back after all."
"I doubt it." The murder would kill our business before it even started. Now we'd never recoup the renovation expenses. The only way Grandma Vi could have remained at the Inn was to room with Aunt Pearl. Their bickering would only invite unwanted attention and Grandma Vi was bound to wander around and scare the guests.
I changed the subject. "The Inn looks absolutely gorgeous." We had taken pains to make the restoration as authentic as possible, right down to the stained-glass windows and restored fir floors. "It looks just like new."
"I wouldn't know." She sniffed. "I'm banished, help captive in this stupid tree. It's persecution if you ask me."
"It's all for the best, Grandma. We need to somehow earn a living, and this is all we’ve got. You're free to visit anytime once the guests leave. It looks just like the old days when you lived there."
"Exactly how old you think I am? The place was old when I lived there too." Even in death, Grandma Vi was sensitive about her age.
"You're not old at all. Just older than me." I headed into the living room to the sofa.
"Enough age-bashing. Let's get back to the murder. It's too dangerous to hold your wedding here, Cen. You should cancel it." Grandma and Brayden didn't get along. But Grandma Vi was dead to Brayden since he couldn't see ghosts. So in fact it was only Grandma Vi that didn't get along.
"I am not canceling my wedding. Why would I do that?" At least Grandma hadn't read my mind about that yet. I flopped down on the sofa, exhausted.
She shrugged. “One can hope." Her form gradually solidified as she floated across the room and hovered over me.
I recounted the rest of today's events, including Pearl's highway pyrotechnic demonstration and her Carolyn Conroe antics. "She needs to tone things down before she drives away another sheriff. We can't have a lawless town. Can you talk to her?"
"I'll see what I can do. Now tell me about this new sheriff."
I described the showdown in my office and Aunt Pearl's grudging acceptance of her fine. "He seemed to hold his own against Pearl, though. She can't just light things on fire whenever things don't go her way." Tyler Gates was the first sheriff that had really stood up to Aunt Pearl. Maybe he would last after all.
Grandma Vi sighed. "Tell her to come see me."
CHAPTER 17
I had just drifted off to sleep when I awoke to barking outside my window.
"Wake up, Cen." Grandma Vi hovered above me. She waved her transparent arms back and forth. "Open the window. Alan's outside."
I complied and looked down to see Alan running in circles and yelping. I didn’t remember letting him outside.
Alan growled and ran a few feet towards the vineyard, reversed course and ran back under the window. He looked up at us with pleading eyes.
"I can't see in the dark. Just a sec." I scrambled out of bed and grabbed a flashlight from my nightstand before heading to the front door. Grandma Vi floated a few feet behind me. Alan bolted inside as soon as I opened the door. "I sure wish you could talk."
Alan shook his furry canine body and whined as he stared at me.
"What is it?" My voice broke as I thought of how I had just missed Hazel, and the chance to get Alan back to normal, by mere hours. I felt bad for my brother.
Alan paced back and forth before heading into the living room.
"He says go to the window." Apparently Grandma Vi could read canine minds too, or at least a human mind trapped in a canine body.
I followed him into the living room as Grandma Vi floated behind us. I headed to the window and pulle
d back the curtains. The window provided a direct view of the vineyard. Clouds partially obscured the moon, giving the night sky a hazy glow. It was light enough to illuminate the vineyard in silhouette, but not much else." I don't see anything."
Alan jumped up on the couch and nudged my arm with his nose.
"Over there?" I turned to the right where two shadowy figures stood at the edge of the vineyard, several feet apart. It was too dark to make out any features, other than they were both men with a slim build.
"That's Brayden!" Grandma Vi shook her head. "What on earth is he doing in our vineyard? I never trusted that young man. He's up to no good."
"You can't possibly recognize him from here." I squinted but it made no difference.
"You need to get your eyes checked, Cen. Or maybe you just don't want to face the facts about your beau."
"What facts?" Brayden had never uttered an unkind word to Grandma Vi. I had no idea why she despised him so much.
Grandma Vi ignored me.
"What's Brayden doing with that other guy?" Grandma Vi floated beside us at the window.
"I can't really see—" I strained my eyes but still saw only their profiles in the darkness.
"They're pacing out steps, like a Mexican standoff."
Brayden in a vineyard duel in the dead of night was ridiculous, but now that my eyes had adjusted to the darkness I saw that Grandma was right. I recognized his slow, purposeful gait. He walked in a straight line, carefully counting his steps.
"They're measuring out steps in a big square, Cen. That's exactly the sort of thing people do when they develop a property."
"They do?" It seemed an unreliable method to survey property in this day and age. "As long as it's not twenty paces and a duel, I'm fine with it." I flashed back to the Centralex development plans in Tonya's room and got an uneasy feeling. I still wasn't about to confide in Grandma Vi. I turned away from the window and headed back to my bedroom where my soft bed awaited me.
"Hold on, Cen. I hope you're not adding even more businesses around here without telling me." She sniffled. "It's bad enough getting kicked out of my own house and exiled to this messy tree fort. I guess even this tree will be cut down to make way for the asphalt jungle. I’ll be homeless." Her apparition wavered the way it did when she was really upset.
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