Witch You Well

by Colleen Cross

  "Sleeping where? They only checked in a few hours ago," Mom said.

  I looked at Aunt Pearl’s guilty expression and decided to call her on it. "You know more than you're saying again. What time did they check in?"

  "Late last night," Pearl said.

  "That's impossible," Mom said. "We just officially opened a few hours ago with our very first guests."

  Aunt Pearl shrugged. "Today's our official grand opening, and that's when they officially checked in. But they arrived around one in the morning. You were asleep. I heard them at the door and let them in. I gave them a room and just told them to come to the front desk later in the morning."

  "That's a pretty big detail to leave out, Pearl. We had our VIP guests here and we didn't even know it. Something terrible could have happened."

  "It did," I pointed out.

  Mom massaged her forehead like she was getting a migraine. "Why didn't you mention this before? We have a business to run. You can't just fly by the seat of your pants."

  At least Aunt Pearl had finally come clean with Mom. I hated secrets and resented being pulled into my aunt’s intrigue. True, Mom was a worrier, but we were all in this together, and she deserved to know everything that was going on.

  Mom liked process, procedure, and things to run smoothly. Aunt Pearl was her lifelong nervous breakdown in waiting.

  I waved my hand in dismissal. "What's done is done. Let's focus on Sebastien Plant's activities. According to Tonya, he was gone when she awoke around eight a.m. If that's true, he left sometime between four a.m. and eight a.m."

  Aunt Pearl scoffed. "Like she's going to tell the truth. Sheesh."

  "You got anything better?"

  "I guess not," Aunt Pearl admitted.

  Mom frowned. "How could Tonya possibly not notice him missing? Their suite door squeaks." Even with our extensive renovations, there were still a few squeaks and creaks around. "He couldn't get out of bed without her noticing. That guy's morbidly obese."

  "She claims she took a sleeping pill and was completely knocked out," I said.

  Aunt Pearl rolled her eyes. "Likely story."

  "Maybe she was asleep, or maybe she's lying. We need someone to corroborate her story," I said. "Do you know something different?"

  "She was sleeping all right. Just not alone."

  Another bombshell from Aunt Pearl. Her information withholding made me fear the worst. "You snuck into their room? How could you invade their privacy like that?"

  "Relax, Cen. I did nothing of the sort." Aunt Pearl smirked. "I had help."

  "Grandma Vi!" I was both angry and pleased that Aunt Pearl had enlisted Grandma Vi's help. Angry at the gross violation of privacy, but pleased that Grandma Vi's incognito visit resulted in a new lead. As long as Aunt Pearl was telling the truth, that is.

  Aunt Pearl nodded. "Your grandma was bored out of her mind in that messy tree house of yours, so she dropped by for a visit."

  I was miffed by her housekeeping reference, but also annoyed at Grandma Vi's secret late night escapades. "Who was in Tonya's room with her?"

  "Did I say she was in her own room?"

  "Pearl, cut to the chase." Mom had reached the end of her rope too. "Where was Tonya and who was she with?"

  My head spun. Our dozen guest rooms were all occupied. Tonya must have paired up with another guest, but who? An affair, a troubled marriage, and ruthless ambitions just increased Tonya's motive for murder. Yet Aunt Pearl was certain that the killer in the gazebo was a man, not a woman.

  "She was with a man who was not her husband." Aunt Pearl hummed theme music from a television game show. "Any guesses?"

  I rolled my eyes as I turned to my aunt. "Give us a straight answer for once."

  "I'm kind of enjoying myself," Aunt Pearl said. "But clearly you're not, so I'll tell you. Tonya was in another man's room. And they weren't doing a lot of talking, if you catch my drift."

  "They were having sex while Sebastien was in the gazebo?" I gasped, unable to believe I was having this conversation with my mom and aunt. Then again, I never would have expected any of this twenty-four hours ago.

  "Don't play games, Pearl," Mom said. "We've got a murder on our grand opening, and you're the prime suspect. If you know something, you need to speak up now."

  "Especially if it differs from Tonya's own account." I cracked open the door to the dining room and peered out. Tyler Gates still sat with Tonya Plant. He was taking copious notes, writing furiously. I would give a stack of pancakes to see what he was writing down in his notebook. "Quick, Aunt Pearl, catch him before he leaves."

  Aunt Pearl crossed her arms. "I am not talking to that man."

  "Forget about the fine," I said. "You're pretty much the only suspect now. It will only get worse unless you tell him what you know. This isn't the time for petty differences."

  "A five-hundred-dollar fine is hardly petty. I'll need to take in extra students to make ends meet."

  I wanted to add that she deserved every penny of that fine, but escalating the dispute made matters worse. "You won't have any students if you're convicted of murder."

  "Who would do something like this? Why frame Pearl?" Mom shook her head. "This could be the death of our town too."

  "All she has to do is tell the sheriff everything and she can clear herself." I looked pointedly at my aunt. Mom had a blind spot when it came to her sister. She considered Pearl victimized rather than reckless and irresponsible.

  "Stop being so dramatic, Ruby. You're like everyone else in this town—always overreacting." Aunt Pearl shook her head.

  I threw my arms up in the air. "Talk about overreacting. You're the pyromaniac setting fire to our very own gazebo. You sabotage everything just to get what you want. Maybe you want to erase our town off the map by burning down the highway sign, but other people matter too. If I didn't know you better, I'd suspect you just like the sheriff does." He hadn't exactly called her a suspect, but I had to scare Aunt Pearl straight. Her shenanigans and information withholding ruined our chances of success and jeopardized the whole town's future.

  Mom's mouth dropped open in shock at my tirade. Maybe I had overdone it, but Aunt Pearl's attention-getting antics and lack of cooperation frustrated me.

  "I can't imagine someone like Tonya would—or could—murder her husband. We can't just accuse her without proof," Mom said. "I actually feel sorry for her. We invited her and Sebastien here, and now he's been murdered. It's our fault in a way. We should be nice to her."

  “But what about Tonya’s breakfast potion?” I thought Mom’s sympathy was misplaced, since Tonya had plans to bewitch us.

  Mom frowned. “What potion?”

  “Cen’s confused.” Aunt Pearl clamped a bony hand on my shoulder.

  I started to protest but Aunt Pearl only gripped tighter. By now I realized that her claim against Tonya was another fabrication. Mom knew nothing about Tonya’s purported potion to render us powerless. Mom probably had no idea Hazel was here either.

  I glared at Aunt Pearl.

  Aunt Pearl scowled. "You're so blind to people's motives, Ruby. Wake up. Tonya's guilty. Everything started with that stupid highway sign. It has to go."

  "Your Charm School customers don't need a highway sign, but tourists do," I said. "They inject cash into our little economy. Your students hardly spend a dime." Witches were notoriously cheap. Why spend cash for something you could conjure up?

  Mom stepped between us. "Now, now, ladies. Be civil to one another. Fighting gets us nowhere." She turned to me. "Cen, you don’t think the Sheriff really suspects Pearl, do you? He must have other leads.”

  I shrugged. "She has a motive. She doesn't want tourism. She made that very clear with the burning of the sign. And she refuses to cooperate. Mostly it's because of her wand in the gazebo, though." Aunt Pearl obviously hadn't told Mom about Hazel's visit and her suspicions about Tonya either. That bothered me. "Aunt Pearl looks suspicious until we find the real killer.”

  Mom shook her head. "I wish y
ou wouldn't act out so much, Pearl. There's no reason we can't all coexist. You can still operate Pearl's Charm School, but you have to do it discreetly. Can you do that?"

  Pearl nodded slowly.

  While Aunt Pearl always tried to keep her youngest sister in the dark, she did listen to her.

  "Now would be a good time to go up to Tonya's room and freshen it up." Mom patted Pearl's shoulder. "Some flowers would be a nice touch."

  That sounded like a terrible idea to me, but I knew Mom was just trying to keep Pearl occupied. It surprised me that Mom didn't seem to know Tonya was a witch, but I didn't dare say anything. Things could deteriorate quickly and I didn't want to tempt fate.

  CHAPTER 24

  I got so distracted thinking about Grandma Vi's sleuthing and Tonya's mystery man that I completely forgot about Tonya's fruit plate. I assembled a generous assortment of grapes, cantaloupe, and honeydew melon along with some cheese and headed back out into the dining room.

  Tonya Plant smiled as I approached. Her serene expression seemed misplaced considering her recent loss. She stopped mid-sentence as I approached the table and put the plate down in front of her.

  "Thank you, Cendrine," said Sheriff Gates. "That will be all."

  I nodded and stepped away a few feet to the next table, where I busied myself adjusting the tableware place settings. I waited for Tonya to resume speaking but she didn't. I quickly ran out of things to do.

  I felt eyes bore into me, and I turned to see Sheriff Gates glaring at me. I moved to the next table.

  Tonya resumed speaking, but her voice was so soft I had to strain my ears to hear anything. I dropped a fork on the floor and jumped as it jangled.

  Tonya paused mid-sentence as I picked up the fork. As I straightened I looked up and met the angry eyes of Tonya Plant.

  Sheriff Gates turned in his seat. They both glared at me.

  "What?"

  "Can you give us a bit of privacy, Cendrine?" Tyler Gates tilted his head towards the kitchen.

  "Uh yeah, sorry." I retreated to the counter and refilled my coffee cup. I was too far away to hear anything more than a few snippets of conversation. Tonya claimed to have checked in very early Friday morning, which corroborated Aunt Pearl's version of events, though she said she had forgotten the exact time. Finally we were getting at the truth.

  I couldn't see the sheriff's expression, so I had no idea if he believed Tonya or not. It was essential that I get Tonya's accounting of what happened. The sheriff was dealing with a witch and didn't know it, so he needed my help. It was the only way to validate or disprove her claims and to get at the truth.

  I brightened as I realized I could refill the condiments. I grabbed the salt and pepper containers and returned to the table behind the sheriff. I walked softly and avoided eye contact with Tonya. I hoped she would continue with her story and not signal to the sheriff that I was right behind him.

  "Seb wanted to go for a walk," Tonya said. "But I was tired, so I told him to go ahead without me."

  At four o'clock in the morning? Likely story.

  "What time was this?" Sheriff Gates leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands behind his head.

  I froze. His arms were just inches from me and had the effect of trapping me in between his chair and my table. I sucked in my breath and tried not to make any noise. If Tonya took any notice, it wasn't apparent as she just kept talking.

  "Around eight or nine a.m., I think. I had taken a sleeping pill around that time, so I was dozing off." Tonya's voice was strong and clear, not the soft and broken whisper of a bereaved widow.

  "And you slept till when?"

  "I don't know...around three or so. I woke shortly before you came to my room."

  "And you saw no one during this time?"

  "No."

  According to Grandma Vi, Tonya had been with another man from around lunchtime onward. Assuming Grandma's timeline was correct, the sheriff had just caught Tonya in a lie. Only he'd never know it, unless I found a way to disprove Tonya's story. I needed to find this man. I also needed to find the gloves on the Walmart receipt. The antifreeze container was important too, but I might already have liquid proof in the Gatorade bottle. I was lost in thought, oblivious to the fact that I had turned around until my eyes locked on Sheriff Gates.

  He turned around in his seat and faced me. "You can't stay here while I'm questioning Mrs. Plant, Cendrine." His warm brown eyes locked on mine.

  "I can't exactly go anywhere. You're in my restaurant. I work here."

  The sheriff stood and waved me away as Tonya gave me a cold, hard stare. I felt a stab of fear. I couldn't give him the receipt in front of her, but it didn't seem like Tyler Gates was leaving anytime soon. The longer he stayed, the greater the delay before I could pass on my new lead. The sheriff was at a terrible disadvantage without help from someone with the complete picture. That someone was me.

  *****

  I watched from the kitchen doorway as Sheriff Gates resumed his seat opposite Tonya Plant. I super-tuned my ear until I reached a volume adequate to pick up snippets of their conversation. If she was as manipulative as Hazel and Aunt Pearl claimed, I had no choice but to use my magic to listen to discover what Tonya was up to. It hadn’t even occurred to me to use magic to amplify my hearing. Once I thought of it, it took me several more minutes because I was so rusty I had forgotten half the spell. If only I had thought to use my magic earlier. I could have been much more discreet.

  "Cendrine!"

  I just about jumped out of my skin. "You scared the crap out of me! Why are you yelling at me like that?"

  Aunt Pearl frowned. "I wasn't yelling at all. You wouldn't be using your extrasensory powers on the Sheriff, now would you?"

  She had caught me red-handed. "This is an emergency."

  "How is your emergency different from my emergencies?" Aunt Pearl crossed her arms. "You call me a troublemaker. Look at you, little miss by-the-books. It's fine for you to use your magic, but it's not okay for me?"

  "These are extenuating circumstances, Aunt Pearl."

  Mom turned around at the grill. "Are you eavesdropping?"

  "Of course not," I said.

  "Yes she is," Aunt Pearl said.

  "Only to help you, because you won't help yourself," I said.

  Mom shook her head. "Didn't we agree there would be no magic within range of the guests?"

  "I have no choice. Aunt Pearl is one of the primary suspects because of her pyromaniac tendencies."

  Mom rolled her eyes. "You're not bringing up the highway sign again. Honestly, Cendrine, you're like a dog with a bone. You just never let up."

  "Ruby's right," Aunt Pearl said. "You're always picking on me. Show your elders some respect."

  I threw my hands up, exasperated. "While we're bickering, Tonya's scheming how to ruin our town. She not only gets rid of her husband but also the guy that would have put Westwick Corners on the map. She killed him, I'm sure of it. But everything that's happened so far incriminates Aunt Pearl." I turned to my aunt. "She's trying to frame you."

  Mom's mouth dropped open. "They can't possibly think that Pearl—"

  Pearl stomped her feet. "I'm a witch, for crying out loud. I don't have to murder anyone. There are far easier ways to get rid of someone."

  "The sheriff doesn't know that. He doesn't know the first thing about witches, vortexes, or any of that stuff. Now do you see my point?" I turned my attention back to Tonya Plant and the sheriff.

  "Tell the sheriff what you know, Pearl." Mom's voice rose and I could tell she was getting upset.

  "I'll think about it," Pearl said. "But first I've got some cleaning to do." She turned and left before we could stop her.

  I didn't think for a minute Aunt Pearl was the culprit, but she was doing a pretty good job of acting like one.

  Aunt Pearl had said that Tonya had been with another man, but she refused to say who. If she wouldn't tell me, there were other ways to find out.

  CHAPTER 25

&nbs
p; I couldn't eavesdrop unnoticed anymore on Tonya Plant and the sheriff but I could find out more about the man she was spending time with. I headed to the front desk and pulled out the guest register.

  Almost all of the dozen guest rooms were occupied by couples except for three. One room was occupied by two women and another had a single woman. The third room was occupied by one Jack Tupper III. It was a stroke of luck to find only one room with a single male guest. It was a bit of a leap to rule out any of the attached men, but I had a hunch that Jack was our man.

  My pulse quickened when I saw the room number.

  It was Grandma Vi's old room. The very room she claimed to have seen Tonya together with the mystery man.

  Well, it was a mystery no more.

  Tonya's secret man was almost certainly Jack Tupper III.

  I didn't recognize his pretentious-sounding name, but it was enough to uncover more about him and his whereabouts at the time of the murder. I closed the register, pleased with my find.

  If Pearl's claims of their tryst were true, Jack almost certainly knew Tonya prior to visiting the Inn. In fact, he probably followed her here. Maybe he was the hooded man from the gazebo.

  Once I uncovered his and Tonya's relationship, I could bring the connection to the sheriff's attention without being obvious. Tonya would almost certainly deny an affair, and I couldn't exactly tell the sheriff that ghostly Grandma Vi had been stalking them. But there were bound to be things the sheriff could find, like cell phone records and such. All I had to do was come up with leads to steer the investigation away from Aunt Pearl and onto evidence that pointed to the real killer.

  I headed back into the dining room, eager to share my find with Mom. I reached the doorway and stopped in my tracks as I stared at the full dining room. Brayden sat a few tables away from the sheriff and Tonya Plant. I dreaded having "the talk" with him, but I needed to do it soon. Seeing him just reminded me of that. I wasn't looking forward to it. Calling off the wedding was huge, and we would probably break up over it.