“I was hired privately by Gracie. She found the body,” I said. That had been in the paper, so I wasn’t revealing any secrets.
“Maybe so, but I have a feeling we all know who’s going to find the culprit. Hopefully soon. I’m not used to locking my doors at night,” Mrs. Barnett informed me. With that she turned to the next customer and I left the shop.
Sometimes I wondered how much Mrs. Barnett knew about my grandmother and my family. Most of the time I thought not more than anyone else, but then she said something like that and I had to wonder.
Charlie had already arrived at the Twinkle, and the shop was quiet for once. Liam gave me a huge grin, wrapped his arms around me in a big hug, and took his tea gratefully.
“I see you told him,” I said, my voice muffled into his shoulder. When Liam finally pulled away he was beaming. Charlie was smiling too.
“I might have done,” she confirmed. “I hope you aren’t mad about it.”
“How could I be mad with the whole town knowing Jasper’s and my business and the news getting to his grandfather by sundown?” I muttered.
“Oh, don’t be such a drama queen,” Charlie scoffed. “I’m sure it’s fine. Liam is too busy running a company and being a boss to gossip.”
“Gossip is my breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You better believe I’ll never give it up,” Liam said.
I glared at him and he grinned. “I mean, only kidding. I’ll never tell.”
I rolled my eyes.
“In all seriousness, you know you can count on me,” he told me quietly.
Of course I knew that, and I smiled.
“But seriously, when you’re ready to share details, I’m all ears,” he assured me.
“Okay,” I laughed. Happiness was like a warm blanket. Jasper Wolf was my boyfriend. I was his girlfriend. And that was that.
“Anyway, I heard you two are on the case again? Those gardens are gorgeous,” said Liam.
“Right?” said Charlie. “It’s a sad case, though. Mrs. Smith loved that gardener. It’s a shame. We’re just trying to find out what happened.”
“What do you know so far?” Liam asked.
Charlie’s glance slid to me. “She has several employees. We’ve met a couple of them, including Franklin and Hamilton. The latter was pretty grumpy.”
“I did think he cared about Mrs. Smith, though,” I said. Why I wanted to defend him I wasn’t certain. He had definitely not been pleased to see us, and that included Gracie.
“Do you know anything about the will?” I asked.
“She doesn’t have one,” said Charlie. “Gracie volunteered the information when I called her today.”
I blinked several times. “So I guess the family inherits?”
“Yes,” said Charlie hesitantly.
“What?” I asked.
She just shook her head. “Seems a bit strange that she wouldn’t have one. That means Burbank and anyone else who worked for her won’t get anything.”
“Maybe the Smiths and Coswells would make sure the employees were taken care of,” I suggested. Even as I said it I knew it was silly. Gracie could barely take care of herself without servants, let alone anyone else.
“What about Franklin and the others? Louise and Rebecca?” I said.
“Louise is there the least. She works full time as a nurse and only comes on Sundays,” said Charlie. “She’s also the youngest. She’s paying off school debt and she’s unmarried. Rebecca is the cook. She used to work for the Coswells, so she’s been with the family for a long time.”
“And Franklin?” I reminded myself that he and Hamilton were not fond of each other.
“He’s been there a couple of years and is Mrs. Smith’s primary caretaker, along with Hamilton,” said Charlie. “He came with good recommendations and such. I couldn’t find all that much about him.”
I chewed my lip. None of this was much to go on. Charlie had eliminated my need to talk to Mrs. Smith about her will, but I decided I might want to anyway. In fact, her not having a will was in itself pretty odd, especially given the size of her property.
Charlie and I wanted to hear how Liam’s business was doing, so we talked about that for a bit, then went our separate ways. I had to see Jasper, go to Mrs. Smith’s and then prepare for battle . . . with Paws by my side.
I was doomed.
Chapter Nineteen
Jasper’s office was in The Babbling Brook Barn, a beautiful structure that he had renovated, located right on the lake at the edge of town. He was often there during the work day, so that’s where I went looking for him. As I pulled into the freshly paved parking lot I saw that his truck was indeed there. I hadn’t told him what I planned to do once evening came, and now it occurred to me that telling him might not be the easiest thing. He wouldn’t want to hear it, given the danger involved. To make matters even more complicated, Tyler Spin was likely to be at the office if Jasper was, and I was never happy to see Tyler. What I really wanted to do was to spin him into the next county and make him stay there.
It was subtle, but I had decided that what Tyler was actually trying to do when he repeatedly showed up at inconvenient times was to come between me and Jasper. Maybe he was a sort of overbearing employee that wanted his employer’s attention. In that theory, he was somehow worried that Jasper of all people would fall off course without his expert and annoying guidance. I knew for a fact that that was emphatically untrue.
My other theory was that Tyler was a Witch Hunter. I’d had that theory in the works for a while, and it explained everything. Tyler had appeared suddenly in Jasper’s orbit one day, and since then he had always been around. He appeared to have taken a particular dislike to me, feelings that would make an awful lot of sense if he was a Hunter.
You’d think a valued employee would have better things to do than follow Jasper around all day . . . unless following Jasper around all day was part of his job. I would have to ask at some point why Jasper didn’t seem to mind Tyler chaperoning him everywhere. If Tyler showed up this afternoon and interrupted us, I would be pushed closer to that point.
Bottom line for now: regardless of Tyler’s motivations, my own did not involve having him around when I was talking to Jasper. I intended to avoid him at all costs.
As usual there were people bustling all over the place when I headed inside to find Jasper: designers, planners, construction foremen, and people in business suits. No one took much notice of me as I made my way to the second floor of the barn.
That was rare. But maybe refreshing?
Usually I knocked and waited and was shown in to see Jasper.
This time I decided that here and today I would dispense with that nonsense.
Jasper’s large office had a beautiful view. When I walked up to the door, light was streaming out through it. The door was open, and I heard nothing inside.
I poked my head in as I lifted my hand to knock.
The office was empty.
I glanced over my shoulder. Suddenly the place had gone quiet. I was still being ignored, but suddenly I didn’t see Jasper or anyone else I recognized who might help me. I stepped into the office, unsure. Should I wait a few minutes and see if he returned? Leave a note?
The office was comfortable and neat, with a set of plans spread out on a table. I took a few steps closer, trying to divine, from the shape and size of the place in the drawings, where exactly it was.
“Looking for something?” said a dry voice behind me. I spun around as if I’d been about to rob the place. Jasper was standing in the doorway, a hard hat in his hand and a smile on his face.
“Yeah, but I couldn’t find him. As a compromise I decided to do a little light burglary,” I offered.
Jasper’s smile widened. “Really? Is it too late for you to find him?”
“I’m afraid so. I’ve already marked everything I’m going to take. Purely for compensation, of course,” I added, trying to put an official note into my voice and to keep from laughing.
Jasp
er stepped into the room and I felt a smile start to form on my lips. “That’s a pity. You must be an excellent thief to come in undetected, take what you want, and leave without anyone the wiser.”
“I’m very good at what I do,” I informed him.
“I see that,” he said. “Well, given that you’ve already made your selections, by all means take what you want. Who am I to stop you?”
“Certainly not anyone who has anything to do with this office,” I said. Now my traitorous mouth was downright smiling. He grinned in return, came over to me, kissed me warmly, and then took my hand.
“Please sit. I was wondering when you’d come.” He took the other guest chair next to me instead of going around to the official side of his desk. He didn’t relinquish my hand.
Holding his hand, I realized that I was nervous, but not about him. No, I was nervous about tonight. Puddlewood remained mostly a mystery to me, but tonight I would see it for what it was. What I had let it become. The only question was; how bad was it?
What if it put my friends in even more jeopardy than they already were?
Hansen had already been in the line of fire when Wendell arrived at the coven meeting. What else were we going to find out?
Jasper brought me back to the present with a smile. “How are you doing?” he asked, his mint eyes warm.
“Good. I’m happy. There’s something I want to talk to you about, actually,” I told him.
Something in my tone must have alerted him to the seriousness of the topic. “Is it something that my office door should be closed for?” he asked.
“I’m afraid so,” I informed him.
Once that was done, I told him everything. He had known my going to Puddlewood was a possibility, but he hadn’t expected it to happen so soon. He also didn’t like the sound of anyone named the Kingfisher.
“Sounds like a sea captain or something,” he grumbled.
“You know Paws would never put me in danger,” I reminded him.
“He wouldn’t put you in danger, yet somehow as the Witch of Mintwood you wind up there anyway,” Jasper pointed out. He was sounding more upset as we went along. What I was about to do was sinking in for both of us.
“We need to know what Ellie has up her sleeve. We’re going to have to fight her sooner or later. I’m hoping for later, but it’ll depend on what we see tonight,” I said.
“And Madame Rosalie,” he added, shaking his head. “I don’t have a lot of faith that the other coven members are going to help you. They haven’t wanted to so far. When your farmhouse was in danger, they ignored you. With us back together it’s going to be worse.”
I chewed my lip. “Before, though, they didn’t think there was much of a problem. Now that Wendell has come to a meeting with a small army of dark ghosts at his back, I think they’ll think twice. Wendell made a mistake in coming.”
“Maybe. I hope so. Still, what’s the outcome of that decision? You’re walking right into Puddlewood,” he said.
“I’ll be fine. I promise,” I told him.
“I’m going to wait at the farmhouse for you to come home,” he said. “I’d like to come with you, but . . .”
“Absolutely not,” I said. “No. We need to do this alone.”
He sighed. “You realize that if I really am a Witch Hunter . . . . at some point we might be fighting alongside each other.”
I kissed his cheek and smiled. “Hopefully it won’t come to that. And that reminds me. Have you had a chance to talk to your grandfather?” I asked.
But I never heard the answer to that question, because just then there was a knock at the door, and before Jasper could say a word the door opened and Tyler Spin stepped in. His eyes slid to me and surprise flashed in them. Then he cleared his throat and said, “Jasper, a few of the contractors would like to talk to you before you head out for the evening. There’s a baseball game on that they want to watch, so there’s a bit of urgency.”
“Tyler, hi,” I said.
“Hi, Lemmi,” said Tyler, barely looking at me as he kept all of his attention focused on Jasper.
My boyfriend had just opened his mouth to say something when I cut in. “Tyler, how long have you been working for Jasper?” I sat up straighter and turned my full attention to the intruder.
Tyler looked at me and frowned. Now that I’d spoken out of turn twice, I was an honest to goodness annoyance.
“A while. Why?” he asked.
“I’m just wondering how long it’s going to take you to realize that I’m not going anywhere,” I said sternly. “Now, Jasper and I were in the middle of a private conversation. When he’s finished, I’m sure he’ll decide for himself what to do. Until then, and I mean this in the nicest possible way, get out.”
Tyler’s mouth opened slightly and he gave Jasper a look of total shock. Next to me, Jasper was trying hard to keep a calm and neutral expression. “I’ll come find you shortly,” he said at last.
Tyler nodded, muttered something I couldn’t hear, and closed the door as I’d demanded.
Jasper looked at me, raised his eyebrows, and started crowing with glee.
“Look at you. Got tired of that, did you?” he laughed.
I glared at him and pulled my hand away. That made him sober up a little, but not much. “I’m tired of his constant interruptions. Sometimes work isn’t more important.”
“Sometimes it isn’t,” Jasper finally managed to say.
I ducked my head and looked away. I had been worried that Jasper wouldn’t be pleased if I told Tyler off, but it turned out to be quite the opposite. He looked more amused than ever.
I stayed in the office a little longer, then left, reluctantly. Jasper promised to be waiting for me at the farmhouse when I got back from Puddlewood. Greer and Charlie would be there as well. Who knew what sort of trouble the three of them would get into, or so I tried to joke. In all seriousness and in gratitude for my friends, I knew that when I was in danger, what I’d be looking forward to was getting home to see them.
Chapter Twenty
Having stayed longer with Jasper than I’d meant to, I hurried on to Mrs. Smith’s.
The place was quiet. I knocked on the front door with some reluctance, knowing that Hamilton would not be happy to see me.
After I had waited for so long that I’d started to think about leaving, the door was opened not by Hamilton but by a kind-looking woman in her sixties.
She peered at me. “Can I help you?”
I told her who I was and what I wanted.
“Oh, yes. I was told you might come around. You want to see Mrs. Smith? My name’s Rebecca. I can ask her. She doesn’t usually receive visitors this late,” she said.
“Of course. I don’t want to disturb her. If I should come back at a different time, just let me know.”
As it turned out, Mrs. Smith was perfectly happy to see me. This time she was in a small sitting room in front of a large TV. She smiled as I came in, and Rebecca shut the screen off. I’d had a moment of worry that Rebecca wasn’t going to leave me alone with Mrs. Smith, but she said she’d be nearby if we needed anything, and disappeared.
“How are you doing?” I asked Mrs. Smith.
She clutched a white linen handkerchief in her hand. “It’s terribly sad. I’ve informed Hamilton that Burbank’s family is to be taken care of,” she said.
“Of course. That’s kind of you,” I murmured.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way. He loved those gardens as much as I did. Even my dear husband didn’t love them that much. I will see them taken care of, although it doesn’t feel right to have anyone looking after them but Burbank,” she said.
“You mentioned that he had assistants . . .” I offered.
There must be a way to work this conversation around to who in her household was trustworthy and who was not, but it sure wasn’t coming naturally.
“Yes, he has a couple now and more in the summer. He assured me that they were good. As with everything else garden-related, I to
ld him that if he approved of them I was fine with it,” she said.
“Did you entrust Burbank with anything beyond gardening?” I asked.
She frowned at me. “Meaning what?”
“I’m trying to get at a motive for his killing,” I offered tentatively.
“Oh, dear,” was all she said.
“I know,” I agreed.
“I can’t think of a thing,” she said.
“Right, you know, but . . . you’re wealthy . . .” I stumbled over the words.
“One does not speak of money. It is vulgar. Burbank would never have taken advantage of me,” she insisted. “I have quite dry and responsible accountants. I have for years. They look after things.”
I swallowed and nodded. So she likely hadn’t left her vast wealth to her dog, because her accountants wouldn’t have allowed it, and yet she supposedly had no will.
“Can you think of anything strange that has gone on around here?” I asked, giving up on that topic and trying another. There was no way I could ask her outright how she felt about, say, Hamilton. The security here was good, but still, someone had been murdered and buried on the property.
She glanced out the window. “There was something. I meant to tell the detective when I saw him. I seem to have forgotten, though,” she said, puckering her brow.
We waited for several moments, but the lost thought train didn’t come back to her. I was just rising to excuse myself when she exclaimed and pointed. I glanced over my shoulder and found myself looking at a baby grand piano, behind which was a dark bookshelf with several silver picture frames placed along it. I moved closer. Sure enough, from the arrangement of the frames it was clear that one was missing.
“What are these pictures?” I asked her.
“They’re of my friend’s lily garden in France. I believe someone stole one of the picture frames. In fact, a couple of items of mine have been misplaced recently. Nothing very large, but I’ve mentioned it to Hamilton and he has promised to keep a lookout.
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