Better Haunts and Garden Gnomes_A Cozy Paranormal Mystery

by Michelle M. Pillow

  Nolan growled and slapped his paw down close to the deputy’s shoulder. The woman had fallen just out of his reach. He jerked against the chain as if he’d tear off his own arm to be free.

  Lily grabbed the deputy by the leg and pulled her toward the stairs. Herczeg’s arms flailed above her head. Blood trailed behind her on the floor.

  Nolan howled.

  Lily hoisted the deputy up and hooked her under each arm. Her muscles strained as she tried dragging the woman up the wooden stairs one at a time.

  “Okay, we got this,” Lily said, pausing to pull up another step. “One at a time.”

  The deputy gasped as her body slumped.

  Lily lost her footing and slipped back. She fell on her backside, nearly losing the deputy down the stairs.

  “Easy, I got you.” Lily clung to the woman. “We need to get you out of here.”

  Herczeg looked around in confusion before calming enough to stop fighting Lily’s help. “I didn’t finish getting him in the trap. I have to go back and—”

  “Oh, no, no, no,” Lily denied. “I can’t let you go back down there. One arm is chained. That will have to do.”

  “If he gets free…” The deputy flinched and reached for her wound.

  “The only way we’re going back down there is if you have a tranq dart big enough to put down an elephant.” Lily didn’t give the woman a choice as she hoisted her upward to stand on her feet.

  “Tranq dart wouldn’t work on him,” the deputy answered.

  They stumbled their way upstairs. Once in the kitchen, Lily slammed the basement door. Her tailbone felt broken as she limped to the sink on a twisted ankle. Rain had started and now pounded the window in front of the sink, obscuring the scene beyond. Lightning flashed, followed by thunder. She searched the drawers and found a clean dishtowel. Wetting it, she went back to where the deputy leaned against the wall. She pressed the damp towel to the wound.

  “Hey,” Deputy Herczeg protested, even as she grabbed the towel to hold it in place. She took several breaths through the pain. “You don’t understand. That one chain might not be enough to hold him. It’s a full moon.”

  “It will have to be.” Lily looked at her hands. “Or, I guess I’ll have to figure out how this magic thing works.”

  The deputy chuckled though the laugh held no humor. “You don’t know anything, do you?”

  “What?”

  “He’s a Dawson werewolf.”

  “You’re right, I apparently don’t know what that means.” Lily grabbed another dishtowel and looped it under the deputy’s arm to tie the other towel into place. “Not perfect, but we need to keep pressure on that wound until we can get you to the hospital. Where’s a phone? We need to call an ambulance.”

  “I can’t go to the hospital.”

  “You have to. That cut is deep.”

  “I can’t leave.” The deputy grunted in pain. “Dawson wolves are one of the feral bloodlines. They’re not like other wolves. All month long they’re great people, sometimes too great, and when they shift into wolves, for the most part they’re still fine. Except for once a lunar month on the full moon, when all that pent-up anger or frustration, or whatever it is normal people carry around inside of them, just rushes out. The animal emerges, and the man disappears. They call it the Dawson curse. There’s a whole section about it in the law enforcement handbook. If you can’t get a Dawson wolf into a trap by the rise of the full moon, the only other option is to shoot to kill.”

  “But I’m a Goode. You said it yourself. Maybe I can—”

  “Some say it was the Goodes who cursed the bloodline, but all say there is nothing that can stop it. Every attempt to end the curse has failed. Nolan’s own father broke his chains and had to be put down while he terrorized a bus full of teenagers.” The deputy held her arm. “I can’t leave. I have to make sure he’s contained.”

  “I’m not letting you hurt him.” Lily limped to stand between the basement and the deputy.

  “If he doesn’t get free, I won’t.”

  “I’ll stay. You need to get to the hospital.” Needlessly, Lily pulled the door handle to ensure the latch was engaged and it was closed.

  “You go. I have a job to—”

  The deputy’s words cut off abruptly and Lily spun around, thinking the woman had passed out from the pain. Herczeg was gone.

  “Deputy?”

  The shout only caused Nolan to howl.

  Lily hurried to look in the living room. The deputy wasn’t there. Had she magically expelled the deputy from the house?

  “Think, Lily. Protect yourself.” She automatically reached to find her phone, but it was back at the hotel. She thought about what Herczeg said regarding Nolan’s father. In his current condition, Nolan was not Nolan. He was dangerous. She had seen it for herself, the wolf’s uncontrollable rage. Lily opened the kitchen drawers, searching for a weapon. Taking out a butcher’s knife, she hopped to the table and sat down, facing the basement door. Her tailbone and ankle throbbed, but she didn’t dare take her eyes away from the door.

  Seeing the blade in her shaking hands, she set it down and slid it away. There was no way she could ever use it on a living creature. She lifted her ankle and gingerly placed it on her knee. It was starting to turn purple and swell.

  She pointed her fingers at it. “Heal.”

  It still throbbed.

  “I command you to stop hurting.” She flicked her hands at the appendage. Then, desperate, she tried to talk like Polly. “Boodgy boo, squishy too, heal.”

  Not surprising, speaking nonsense didn’t work either.

  She grabbed her calf and leaned her head against the tabletop. Grumbling, she said, “This day sucks. Is it too much to ask that my backside and ankle heal themselves?”

  Heat infused her injuries, burning so hot she yelped in surprise and sat up straight in the chair. The pain lessened until it went away completely. She checked her foot, rolling the ankle. The swelling was gone. She wiggled in her chair. Her bottom was fixed as well.

  “Thank you.” She sighed in relief. Now with that taken care of, she could try to come up with a plan that didn’t involve knives.

  Eyeing the width of the floor space between the basement door to the wall, she stood and began looking around the home. The teal couch was about the right length. Lily shoved Nolan’s furniture aside and tossed the woven rug out of her way. She forcefully slid the couch across the wood floor through the path she’d created. Her feet slipped under the weight, but she kept pushing. The kitchen doorway was a tight fit, and the material ripped along the back seam.

  Once she made it to the kitchen, it was easier. She forced one arm of the couch against the basement door and then wedged the opposite arm against the wall to create a blockade. The length of the couch jammed the door closed.

  Breathing hard, she studied her handiwork. She had no idea if that would be enough to stop a werewolf, but it should at least slow him down. She heard thumping coming from the basement, followed by low growls and scratches. Chain links rattled.

  Lily crawled over the back of the couch so she could sit against the arm while facing the door. It was more comfortable than the kitchen chair. Now all she had to do was wait the curse out.

  It wasn’t the noise that pulled Lily from the haze of sleep, but silence. She’d dozed off to the sounds in the basement. It had been comforting to know that the wolf was chained. Now, in the silence, all she heard was her body brushing against the couch and the sound of her breath.

  Was it over?

  A quick glance toward the window over the sink revealed the sky was dark, but not black. Had early morning ended the curse?

  Lily crawled forward and leaned toward the door. She turned her head, listening as she inched closer slowly.

  Crash!

  Wood splintered, flying toward her face. Her uplifted hand blocked some of the shards, protecting her. She pushed back, slamming herself into the wall in fright.

  A clawed hand reached for her
, swinging violently through the hole. The couch quaked as the werewolf shoved his weight into the door.

  “Nolan, stop!” Lily felt her hands tingle, but nothing happened. What was the point of magic if it never worked when you needed it to?

  Claws ripped the couch as if he tried to anchor himself so he could pull through the broken door. The wood creaked, and she knew it wouldn’t hold much longer.

  Lily scrambled to get out of the way and fell to the floor by the back of the couch. She crawled toward the table in search of the knife. “I don’t want to hurt you. Nolan, can you hear me? Please don’t make me hurt you.”

  The sound of her voice only seemed to make the creature angrier. She wanted to run. She needed to stay. Deputy Herczeg had been clear. If he escaped, he’d hurt everyone he came across. She stayed on the floor and reached over her head to feel the tabletop. Her hand bumped the knife handle, and she scrambled to pick up the weapon.

  Everything since that first phone call from Aunt Polly had become upside-down. This was not how things were supposed to go. Nothing in Lucky Valley was what she’d expected. The town was right. This place was cursed with bad luck. Now her bad luck was going to force her to stop Nolan or die trying. One of them would not be leaving here.

  Nolan shoved his head through a hole in the cracked wood. His angry eyes met hers and he snarled violently. His body thrashed to be free.

  “Please stop,” she whispered. She dug her heels into the floor, pressing tight against the wall as she used the table to hide from his view even as she leaned to the side to watch. It took all her willpower to keep her eyes open. “I can’t let you leave. I can’t let you leave.”

  The door broke apart and Nolan surged through with a howl. The momentum sent his weight flying forward. He slammed into the wall and then landed where she couldn’t see him in front of the couch. Lily clutched the knife. She held her breath and waited. Her hands shook as she held the weapon like a sword before her.

  Any second. She had to be ready.

  Any second.

  Any…

  “Nolan?” she whispered.

  Nothing.

  “Nolan, please, don’t…” Lily grabbed hold of the table and used it to steady herself as she stood. She crept toward the couch, stepping gingerly on the pieces of the door.

  Nolan lay unmoving, wedged into the narrow space between the front of the couch and the wall, half-shifted. The bulging muscles had smoothed, taking the fur with it. Claws slowly retracted into his fingers.

  It was over. As the werewolf faded, it left a naked man in its place.

  She looked out the window. There was enough light to indicate dawn.

  Lily threw the knife away from her. It skidded under the table. She crawled over the couch and touched his hand. This time her voice was firm. “Nolan.” He gave a light moan. “Nolan, wake up.”

  His head lifted and his eyes lazily opened to meet hers. “Lily? What…?” He pushed against the couch cushion to free himself from the tight fit. “What are you doing here? What happened?” His eyes took in the disheveled kitchen, then the fact he was naked. He instantly cupped his hands in front of his privates. A broken chain hung from one wrist. “What did I do?”

  Lily glared at him. “You know what you did.”

  “Did I hurt you?” He started to reach for her, only to think better of it as he kept his hand shield where it was. “Why are you here?”

  The intimacy of the early morning light and his naked skin wasn’t helping her concentration. She climbed back over the couch to put distance between them. “I came to tell you that you’re fired. I know you were hired by the town council to sabotage the house. I know that you’re partly to blame for all the accidents that have been happening. I know why that Councilman Rana was so desperate to get you on the phone.”

  “Who told you that?” Nolan shook his head, denying her accusations. She turned to leave. “Lily, don’t go. I can explain.”

  “What’s to explain? I’m a Goode. Every step of the way, I’ve been told what that means in this town. I thought you were different. I thought you were my friend, but you’re not. I should have realized something was up the moment you handed me that stack of citations. You’ve wanted us gone from the beginning. The townsfolk... I can understand their fear of us. They don’t know us. They only know stories of my crazy ancestors. But you, Nolan? You know better. You know me. I’ve never lied to you. I’ve never hidden who I was or what I wanted.”

  “Wait, Lily.”

  This time he did reach for her, but she strode out of the kitchen, only to call back, “I’m sorry I trashed your house trying to keep you locked in the basement. I guess that makes us a little even.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Nolan strode down Main Street. His truck was in the shop, so he had no other way to get around. It didn’t matter. He’d walk all the way to Lily’s house if he had to. He knew she was mad and couldn’t blame her. The city had asked him to chase her off, and he had initially agreed. But after the citations, he’d stopped.

  Lily didn’t deserve the trouble that came her way. She deserved a chance to open her bed and breakfast, or whatever else she wanted to do with the family property. She was nothing like her ancestors were rumored to be.

  Hearing a vehicle rolling up behind him, he kept walking. Deputy Herczeg pulled alongside him and kept pace. “Glad to see you in one piece.”

  “Thanks for the ride last night.”

  “Get in. I’ll give you a lift.” She stopped the vehicle.

  He walked a few steps before stopping and coming back around. “I’m going to the Goode Estate.”

  “I figured. So am I.” The deputy motioned at him to get in.

  As they drove down Main Street, he asked, “Did you tell Lily the council wanted me to run her out of town?”

  “Why would I? I have no reason to.” Herczeg glanced at him. “The council ordered me not to help her. They promised me that you wouldn’t hurt her, only scare her. I need this job, and I believe I best serve the public by getting the Goode family out of town. Things have become weird since they’ve arrived. Last night, we had a full-on epidemic of lunar sickness. The emergency room was over capacity. The O’Donnell twins tried to put on a naked Shakespearean play by the mermaid statue. Cherry had a psychic episode and stalled fifteen cars on the interstate—all tourists, of course, one couple who was convinced it was because of aliens.”

  Nolan nodded toward her shoulder. “Is that why you have a bandage?”

  “No. Some idiot forgot it was the full moon and didn’t get into his trap in time.” She gave him a side-eyed look.

  He winced. “The good news is, my werewolf gene isn’t contagious. It should heal normally.”

  “I already checked,” Herczeg assured him. She lifted her left hand to show a bandage on her wrist. “I’m actually more concerned by the Echidna bite.”

  “Echidna came out of her cave?” Nolan shivered. The snake lady was rarely seen, and everyone preferred it that way.

  “She was cranky as hell, too.” The deputy drove out of town. “That ogre nurse, Ulga, said a scaly rash is a common side effect, and she doesn’t know how to stop it. The skin is already turning green. She said my only course of action was to find a powerful witch and hope they knew what to do. As much as I hate to do it, I’m heading out to the Goode Estate to see if they have anything that can help. I don’t have much of a choice at this point.”

  “If they can, they will,” Nolan assured her, though he would understand if the Goode family didn’t want to. It’s not like the deputy had been too willing to help the witches in the past. “The town council is wrong. Lily Goode and her family aren’t here to hurt us. She wants to make a life here, start a business, set down roots.”

  “I don’t think she’s a bad person, but I do know the bad luck returned with her.” Herczeg slowed as a car came barreling toward them. She eyed the driver as they passed and jerked her thumb several times in a downward motion to signal at him to slo
w down. The driver slammed on his brakes and skidded to a more reasonable speed. “I think she’s safer with you trying to get her out, otherwise someone else might decide to take matters into their own hands.”

  “You think I’m responsible for the graffiti and fires?” Nolan shook his head. “The only thing I did was write up a stack of legal citations.”

  “So, if it wasn’t you, who? Did the council send someone else?” Herczeg increased their speed. “They only told me you were involved. They wanted to keep it quiet.”

  “I don’t know. I thought so until the fire yesterday. That wasn’t a scare tactic. That was someone trying to do actual damage. The pour patterns on the ground were unmistakable. They wanted the barn fire to light the house. There’s nothing clean about an insurance investigation, and the city can’t consider a house that’s no longer standing as abandoned. The law is different when it comes to land. Tracts fall under wildlife preservation and there would be nothing the town could do to seize the property. This was not someone working for the council.”

  “If it wasn’t you, then that means there’s a real threat after them.” The deputy drove faster. “I may not want the Goode family in town, but I don’t want to see them harmed on their way out, either.”

  Nolan gripped his hand into a tight first. It now made sense why Herczeg wasn’t too helpful when it came to her investigations. It should have occurred to him to talk frankly with her before now. He willed the woman to drive faster.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “Stop trying so hard to control everything,” Polly scolded.

  Lily wasn’t sure if her aunt was talking to her, the lobster, or the three gnomes standing on the dining room table. She had her back to the woman while she stared at the ruined kitchen. The smell of smoke and char lingered in the air. The fire had breached the exterior wall alongside the window frame, creating a hole Lily could see daylight through. It had burnt its way onto the cabinets, streaking them with soot all the way to the ceiling. Water from the firehose had saturated the area. It pooled into the dining room and living room, watermarking the floor.