Witch Way Home: A Beechwood Harbor Magic Mystery (Beechwood Harbor Magic Mysteries Book 4)

by Danielle Garrett

  I closed the door to the sitting room and smiled up at him. “You always say that.”

  He chuckled and looped an arm around my waist. “You think Nick’s going to be okay?”

  I sighed heavily. “We’re going to have to help him.”

  Adam gave a solemn nod.

  Evangeline, Teddy, Lacey, and Posy were all gathered around the table when we pushed into the kitchen. They all looked up when we entered, a single question etched on their faces.

  “He’s still asleep,” I said.

  Adam gestured for me to take a seat while he went across the kitchen to pour two mugs of coffee. He set a mug in front of me and then took the chair beside me.

  No one knew what to say, not even enough to attempt small talk. The heaviness of the night before hung thick in the air and sucked all the normal levity from our morning routine. Lacey was the first to leave. It was past her normal bedtime. She wished us all well on her way out.

  You know things are bad when Lacey is overly polite.

  Moments later, a knock on the front door interrupted the mostly silent meal. Adam got up to answer it and came back to the kitchen a minute later. He held the door open. “Holly, someone to see you.”

  Agent Bramble appeared in the doorway.

  Adam waved her through and then left, Evangeline and Posy following him.

  “Would you like some coffee?” I asked her once the door swung shut.

  “Sure. Black, please. I don’t do anything fancy in my coffee.”

  Why did that not surprise me?

  I poured her a mug and sat back down once she was seated. “I want to thank you again for coming to my rescue last night, Agent Bramble.”

  “Just doing my job, Holly.”

  “Well thank you, anyway.”

  “In some ways, I should be thanking you.” She turned the coffee mug in her hands. “Without your help, Dune Kasey would have likely taken the fall for a terrible crime that he didn’t commit. Not to mention that Sasha Pringle would still be sitting on the council. There’s no telling how much damage she might have done in the course of her career.”

  “What will happen to her?”

  “She’s in SPA custody and will remain there until a formal trial. You will likely be called to testify as to the events of last night. Her lackey, Benjamin, has already agreed to testify in exchange for protection. It appears he was acting under her control when his crimes were committed and is not being held responsible.”

  I nodded. I still had mixed feelings about Ben, especially considering the permanent scars his actions would have on Nick’s life. But I wasn’t going to push the issue. As long as I never had to see him again, I didn’t really care what they did with him.

  “What about Agent Mache and Bill Praxle?”

  Agent Bramble frowned as she took a sip of coffee. “That’s stickier. I’ve documented your testimony on that matter but there will have to be a formal investigation. As to Mr. Praxle’s current council hearing, the council members will be advised of the new investigation and made aware that any attempts at SPA interference are unacceptable.”

  I frowned. I wasn’t sure that would do much good. It was impossible to say how many council members resided in the pocket of either Mache or Praxle, but that was someone else’s battle. I was taking myself out of the game. My only intention had been to get justice for Harvey. I’d done that and was ready to move on, even if I still hadn’t managed to figure out what my future would look like. The immediate future was clear; taking care of Nick and making sure he survived the transition to his new life as a werewolf.

  As if sensing my thoughts, Agent Bramble raised the topic. “The man who was wounded by the werewolf. He’s a friend of yours?”

  I nodded, unsure whether I should volunteer that he was only a few rooms away.

  “He will need to fill out some paperwork with the SPA. Can I count on you to walk him through that process?”

  “Yes. I’ve already explained the basics to him. I’ll bring him to headquarters when it’s time.”

  “Thank you.”

  We sipped our coffee and when Agent Bramble finished hers, she took the mug to the sink and rinsed it out. I smiled after her, wondering if she was even fully aware of what she was doing, or if the habit was so ingrained she did it without thinking.

  “Before I go, there’s one more thing.” She turned back toward me, crossed the kitchen, and reached into the bag she’d hung on the back of her chair. She flipped through what sounded like a stack of paperwork and then pulled out a single sheet. She kept it face down, against her body for a moment. “Your petition to receive your potion master’s license has been approved.”

  “My what?”

  “Harriet found paperwork in Harvey’s case notes that states his desire for you to receive your license and be allowed to live within haven society. These notes are quite old. It appears that was always his intention for you. In honor of his memory, the SPA has worked with the Haven Council to grant this as something of a final request.”

  She turned the paper over and there, embossed in dark whorls of ink, was the thing I’d been waiting for all my life. Tears sprang to the corners of my eyes as they poured over the lines and lettering.

  My fingers shook as I reached for the glossy certificate. “Is this real?”

  She inclined her head and offered a soft smile. “You’re officially free to live whatever life you choose, Holly. My advice? Choose wisely.”

  Nearly three weeks passed before Nick was willing to talk about what had happened in that alley. He stayed with us at the manor for a few days, spending most of that time asleep. One morning, he came to breakfast with the rest of us as we prepared to start our days and announced that he was going home. He thanked us for all of our help and then he was gone.

  Adam advised me to give Nick space, but I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving him alone. So instead, I’d visited him every few days. Usually for only for a few minutes—always armed with his favorite espresso drink and a handful of day-old leftovers from the coffee shop. I didn’t needle him into talking about the attack. I didn’t know how to start. There wasn’t exactly an etiquette guide for talking to newly cursed weres. Perhaps someone should write one. Approaching Baby Werewolves and Other Tricky Paranormal Problems.

  He’d been friendly, although a little less so than before the attack. He was present physically, offered smiles and nods on cue, but it was clear his mind was somewhere else entirely.

  One night, I went to see him after my shift, a bag of muffins in one hand, a mocha in the other, but when I arrived at his office, I found the door locked. No lights on behind the frosted glass. With a sad sigh I turned and left. When I arrived back at the manor I was surprised to find Nick waiting on the front steps. His face was downcast, filled with shadows cast from the soft lights that surrounded the wrap around porch.

  “Nick?” I said softly. I took careful steps up the walk, as though I would spook him if I moved faster. “What are you doing here?”

  He looked up and tried a smile. It didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Work was slow today so I closed up early. Wandered around town for a little while and somehow wound up here. I’m not even really sure why. Apparently this place is some kind of homing beacon for me.”

  I smiled gently and took my place beside him on the porch. “Well I was going to pawn these goodies off on Adam, but what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” I handed him the mocha and placed the bag of muffins between us on the steps.

  “Thanks, Holly. You really don’t have to keep this up.”

  I frowned. “I’m not keeping anything up. You’re my friend and I like doing things that make you happy.”

  He gave a small nod and sipped at the drink. “Well thank you. I probably don’t say it enough, but I appreciate it. I appreciate you.”

  We fell into a comfortable silence. After a few moments, I dug into the bag and selected the top muffin. It didn’t matter which flavor it was; I liked them all. I peeled ba
ck the wrapper and a burst of blueberry and lemon tickled my nose. “Is there no one home?” I asked, peering over my shoulder to look up at the manor. The lights were on, but they usually were. Posy said just because she was a ghost didn’t mean she wanted to be left in the dark when we were all out for the evening. Ironic, because she often barricaded herself in the attic where there wasn’t much more than a single bare light bulb that was never turned on as far as I knew.

  “I’m not sure,” Nick answered. “I didn’t knock. I got here and just needed a minute to think, I guess.”

  I nodded as if I understood, although I wasn’t sure I did, at least not fully.

  “How are you doing with everything?”

  He released a breath of a laugh. “The million-dollar question, huh?”

  I didn’t reply.

  “I wish I had an answer for you, Holly. I really do.”

  “It’s a lot to take in. I wish I could tell you that it’s all going to work itself out, but I can’t. What I can say is that we’re all here for you, no matter what happens next.”

  He nodded but kept his gaze trained ahead, staring into the neighborhood as night approached. I fell silent again and nibbled on pieces of muffin, breaking them apart with my fingers. I was scattering more crumbs than I was actually eating, mostly just to have something to do with my hands.

  “All this time, Holly.” Nick shook his head, dazed. “It was all real. Right there under my nose.”

  I remained silent. In light of everything that had happened over the past few weeks, I knew there was nothing I could add that would take away the shock he was feeling.

  Nick turned to me. “You remember that first night we met?”

  I laughed. “How could I forget?”

  A smile pulled at one corner of his lips. “You threatened to pull a gun on me but it turned out your biggest weapon was a chubby cat. You weren’t even wearing shoes capable of doing any damage. I’m pretty sure you were wearing fuzzy bunny slippers… .”

  I elbowed him. “I was not wearing fuzzy bunny slippers.”

  He chuckled and stared out at the street in front of the manor. “I came here, sneaking around, hoping to find some haunted house. That was what brought me to Beechwood in the first place. I thought there were ghosts living here and that I’d crack open some dark secret and write a tell-all book that would be turned into a movie franchise!”

  “You never told me that part.”

  He shrugged. “It was a pipe dream. The silly place my mind wandered when I was frustrated with life.”

  I gave him an understanding nod. I had a few of those myself.

  “I never thought any of this would happen, Holly.”

  “I know.”

  “I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel about any of this, you know? On the one hand, all of my suspicions turned out to be true. I wasn’t completely crazy thinking there was some other world just under the surface. But now, whether I want to be or not, I’m a part of that world and I can’t go back to my old one ever again.”

  “I wish I could have prepared you for this. You don’t know how many times I’ve wondered if maybe I should have told you the truth a long time ago, back when we first became friends. There were dozens of moments that it nearly tumbled out of my mouth.”

  He turned at that. I felt his eyes staring at my profile. “Why didn’t you?”

  I sighed. “I guess that’s my million-dollar question. In part, it’s against haven law. Now, I’m not entirely opposed to breaking—or at least fudging the lines—of the law. But some part of me worried that you wouldn’t believe me. As curious as you were about ghosts and all that, I also got this feeling that to you, it was still something fantastical. I didn’t know how you would react and I didn’t want to risk our friendship in case that you didn’t believe me.”

  He gave a thoughtful nod. “I’m not sure what I would have said to you. There’s a good chance I would have called you crazy and avoided eye contact at the grocery store.”

  “Sounds about right.” I laughed. “Hey, why don’t you come in and have dinner?”

  Nick shook his head. “Thanks but I don’t think I’m quite ready for all that just yet. If you don’t mind, I’d rather stay here.”

  “Sure. You’re always welcome here, Nick. Especially now that I’m not worried about you walking in mid-Lacey and Adam showdown.”

  He smiled at me. “As a werewolf, whose side should I pick there?”

  I blinked, surprised at the casual way he referenced his new identity. He hadn’t said it that plainly since finding out the news. I took it as a good sign and smiled. “I have to pick Adam’s because, ya know, kind of the girlfriend code. So you can take Lacey’s and we’ll start betting on their matches.”

  Nick laughed. “Sounds like a plan.”

  I pushed up from the porch, brushed a hand over Nick’s shoulders, and said goodnight. Inside, Adam was standing at the large picture window in the living room, one hand buried in a bag of trail mix.

  “You think he’s going to be okay?” he asked when I joined him. I followed his gaze and saw that Nick was still sitting on the porch, staring out into the night. A shiver of doubt snaked through me.

  I tore my eyes off Nick’s slumped silhouette and glanced at Adam. “I really don’t know.”

  Adam looped an arm around me and pulled me gently into his side. “We’ll help him through it.”

  I nodded sadly. “We’ll do our best.”

  The moon hovered in the inky sky, bright and yet somehow ominous with Nick sitting beneath it. Within a couple of days, it would be full and Nick would face his first change since being cursed. Adam had already agreed to run the forest with him during the ful moon. He tried to play it off, saying that it was to keep Nick out of trouble, but we all knew the truth. He would be there to make sure Nick didn’t hurt anyone.

  “Who knows, now that you’ve got your potions license, maybe you’ll be the one to find the cure for the curse.”

  I smiled up at Adam. “Pretty sure that’s giving me way too much credit, but thank you.”

  He dropped a kiss to my forehead.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “For what?”

  “For always being here. No matter what new insanity is unleashed around us.”

  Adam grinned. “Is this your way of warning me to buckle up again?”

  I laughed. “You never know what’s waiting around the corner. After all, now that Nick knows the truth about all of us, maybe he’ll want to get back to his paranormal investigator roots.”

  “And if he does, how would that involve you?” Adam asked, though I suspected we both already knew the answer.

  I shrugged one shoulder. “He might need a partner. Someone to show him the ropes of the supernatural world.”

  Adam cringed. “I was afraid you’d say that.”

  I popped up onto my tiptoes and kissed him. “Come on! How much trouble could we really get into?”

  Groaning, he kissed me back, then leaned his forehead against mine. “Please don’t make me think about the answer to that question.”

  THE END

  Author’s Note:

  Thank you so much for diving back into Beechwood Harbor! I hope you enjoyed your stay. Holly will be back very soon and she’s about to meet someone who will change her life forever!

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  About Danielle Garrett

  From a young age, Danielle Garrett was obsessed with fantastic places and the stories set in them. As a lifelong bookworm, she’s gone on hundreds of adventures through the eyes of wizards, princesses, elves, and some rather wonderful everyday people as well.

  Danielle now lives in Oregon and while she travels as often as possible, she wouldn’t want t
o call anywhere else home. She shares her life with her husband and their house full of animals, and when not writing, spends her time being a house servant for three extremely spoiled cats. For more about Danielle and her work, please visit her at www.daniellegarrettbooks.com or at www.facebook.com/daniellegarrettbooks.