Wild Secrets (A Wilder Witch Mystery Book 3)

by Jade Wolfe

  Then she burst into tears, but I barely noticed. “What award ceremony?” I asked.

  “He won the BBC award this year,” she said. Her voice was still choppy, but she beamed with admiration. “He was so proud. The ceremony is in Richmond this year. That’s why he decided to do the reading in Wilder - it was on the way.”

  “What’s the BBC award?”

  “Brutal Body Count - the most fictional characters killed in a career. Like I said, he was so proud.”

  I swallowed my laughter. “That’s, um, an achievement.”

  She must have heard the amusement in my voice, because she glared at me. “It is, actually. It’s the most prestigious thriller award in the industry. He’s waited a long time and worked very hard for this honor.”

  I nodded, not wanting to fight with this woman. “And he was on his way to accept the award when he stopped here?”

  “Yes. It was on the way, and there is evidently a big fan of his in this town. The guy kept calling and writing letters, trying to get him to come here. It was almost embarrassing.”

  I perked up at that, remembering stories I’d heard about crazed fans of celebrities. “What was the man’s name? Do you remember?” I asked.

  “William somebody, I think.”

  I wasn’t even surprised. I thought about William, hovering near the library this morning and looking distraught.

  The question was - was he distraught about Jasper’s death, or about the possibility of being convicted of murder?

  I spent a little while letting Lavinia talk. It seemed to help her, and I thought maybe more information might be forthcoming. They didn’t have children, and Jasper Davenport apparently liked golf, gardening, and knitting, of all things. At one point, Lavinia said that she had considered divorcing him, but then laughed grimly and said she knew it would never happen. She loved him, she told me, even if he tended to be an ass. I didn’t think she was lying about that.

  Darkness was coming fast when I walked Lavinia back to her hotel, and that made me late for supper. It was after seven when I finally said goodbye, made my way home, and walked through my own front door. Dante, Jason, and Dad were already eating at the dining room table.

  Dad looked up and smiled when I came through the door into the dining room. “Hey, sugar. You’re late.”

  “I know.” I glanced at Dante and bit back a grin. “I had an unexpected afternoon.”

  “Sounds kind of creepy there, Clover,” Dad said.

  I waved his words away and pulled out a chair. “Nah, it was fine. How did the interview go?” I asked Dante.

  Dante looked up. “Let me eat first, woman.”

  I laughed at that. “Fine. I’ll trade you news for news, after we eat.”

  He and Dad both watched me expectantly. Jason didn’t pay any attention to us - the boy zoned in on food like a starving man.

  I ignored them and reached for the roast and potatoes, realizing that I was pretty hungry myself. I spooned out a plate full and started eating. If Dante could make me wait for Pete’s story, I would make him wait for Lavinia’s.

  That lasted about ten minutes, long enough for me to get a few bites of food into my belly, and then I forgot that I was waiting him out. “Well?” I asked, looking at him.

  He looked up at me and blinked. “Well, what?”

  “What happened with Pete?”

  He smirked. “I knew you’d cave.”

  “Don’t care,” I said around a mouthful of bread. “Tell me.”

  “She’s bored,” Dad said. I didn’t know if he was talking to me or Dante. Apparently Dante. “That’s why she can’t keep her nose out of this stuff. She’s bored.”

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  “Well, he’s right.” I looked around to see my mother in the corner. Oh, good. “You need a job. Or a boyfriend. What kind of woman your age doesn’t have a boyfriend?” My mother flickered in and out like an old newsreel. She was a ghost, too.

  “The busy kind?” I stared at her. “It’s been a pretty busy year, Mom.”

  “It hasn’t been that busy. You could date.” Her head swiveled in Dante’s direction. “Someone good, I mean.”

  Dante laughed. “Yeah, Clover. Quit hanging around with us ruffians and getch-yerself a real man.”

  I rolled my eyes and ignored him. “I thought you wanted me here to take care of Dad?” I asked her. “You’ll have to make up your mind.”

  “You don’t take very good care of your father. You should hire a nurse for him and go do something else.”

  Dad put down his fork and turned half around in his chair to glare at her. “I don’t need a nurse, Silvie. I just need some peace and quiet.”

  Mom sniffed and disappeared.

  “Uh-oh,” I said. Mom would take that personally. “Has she been following you out to your shop?”

  He shook his head in frustration. “All the time. She worries too much.”

  “You’d think that being dead would make you worry about trivial things less,” I mused. “I’d hate to live for all eternity thinking about things I couldn’t change.”

  “Doesn’t seem to bother her,” Dad muttered.

  I realized that they had gotten me off-subject. I turned back to Dante. “Anyway,” I said. “What happened with Pete?”

  Dante bit back a grin. “Well, his story matches Dwayne’s, first of all. He got there almost at the same time and they found the body together, more or less. Dwayne says that he thought about calling an ambulance for Pete, because he acted like he was having a nervous breakdown.”

  I thought about that. “It could have been an act, but on the other hand, if Jasper was Pete’s meal ticket I could see that level of hysteria.”

  Dante shrugged. “Me, too.”

  “So Pete didn’t give you any more information?

  “I didn’t say that. He told me to look at Lavinia Davenport, actually.”

  I thought about that. For all I could tell, I didn’t think she was faking her grief. “She seemed all right to me,” I said.

  Dante cocked his head and stared at me across the mashed potatoes. “You talked to Lavinia?”

  “Yes I did.” His confusion was delicious. I told him the story of the antique store and the fight between Bess Gabriel and Lavinia. “So I took her for coffee,” I said.

  “And?”

  “You shouldn’t have done that,” Dad cut in.

  I shrugged. “The opportunity came up. I didn’t go looking for her or anything.”

  “Still.”

  “And who knows? Maybe she said more to me because I was a woman and not the police.”

  “I keep thinking you’re going to get involved with one of these cases and get hurt. Remember what happened the last time?” He looked genuinely worried for me.

  I remembered what happened last time - I got caught on a plane with a cold-blooded killer and nearly died myself. It was terrifying in the moment, but I survived, and so did the girl I was there to save. Plus, we caught the killer.

  “What did she say?” Dante asked, sliding his plate away and leaning forward.

  “Well, first - did you know that Jasper was sleeping with Bess?”

  He shook his head.

  “Apparently neither did Lavinia, until this morning. Although she said she suspected it.” I let him process that while I grabbed our plates and took them to the kitchen. When I came back, Dante had a notepad and pen out, jotting something down. Apparently Jasper won an award and was on his way to pick it up when ‘his biggest fan’,” I made air quotes. “Asked him to stop in Wilder to do a reading.”

  “You mean he came here by request?”

  I chuckled. “And you’ll never guess who requested it.” I paused for dramatic effect, and he frowned at me. “William.”

  “William Clayburke?” Dante rolled his eyes and groaned. “I should have known he’d have something to do with this.”

  “I don’t like that boy,” Dad said, standing up to clear the table.

  Dad didn’t like
William because William had hurt me once when his affection got too overzealous and he thought we were meant to be. He nearly ripped my arm off that time.

  Maybe Mom was right - maybe I should find something safer to do.

  “So let me get this straight. William asked Jasper to come here. Jasper did, but he brought his wife when he usually just brings his girlfriend-slash-assistant. The minute he dies, they start fighting over his stuff. Pete is the only one who is upset about Jasper’s death, because that was his meal ticket.” He shook his head. “I’m beginning to think nobody loved the poor guy at all.”

  I listened while I went to the kitchen to pour us all coffee, then came back and sat his down in front of him. “Oh, no. I’m pretty sure Lavinia loved her husband. I’m not sure she liked him very much, but I’m positive that she loved him.”

  Huh.” Dante took a sip of his coffee. “Not according to Pete. According to Pete she only wanted his money.”

  “Why? She was a pediatrician before she retired. She most likely has money of her own.”

  “I asked the same question. Apparently she did have money - just not enough to pay for some kind of horse rescue thing she was trying to get off the ground. According to Pete, Jasper told her no and that’s why she killed him.”

  I tried to imagine it and couldn’t. “You don’t think Pete is just lying?” I asked. “I mean, he was there with the dead guy.”

  “After,” Dante corrected me.

  “Whatever. Lavinia was at the motel, all the way across town.”

  Dante shifted in his chair and blew on his coffee before he answered. “Well, there is one question we can’t seem to answer, and that is...when did Jasper show up at the library? The assistant, Bess, told us that he was always preferred to work early in the morning, and it was no big deal that he went to the library before sunrise. She said he did that whenever he had an event. But nobody knows exactly when he showed up there.”

  “Nobody?” Dad asked. “Not even Dwayne?”

  Dante shook his head. “Dwayne told us that Jasper insisted on his own key, because he didn’t want to wait until the library opened.”

  “Weird. And Dwayne just gave it to him?” That seemed strange to me, considering how protective of his library Dwayne was.

  Dante nodded. “Maybe he was a little starstruck over the guy.”

  The food was making me sleepy, and the more I tried to sort out the information, the more tired I got. “OK, so you think Lavinia did it because she wanted Jasper’s money. I’m still thinking Pete did it. Now, we’ve got William in the mix of suspects, and we don’t really know anything about Bess at this point. Is that right?”

  “Almost.” Dante thought for a moment. “Pete is the one person - so far - who has absolutely no motive to kill Jasper.”

  “What about Bess?” I asked.

  “She was involved in a love triangle. You know there were feelings there.”

  I nodded slowly. He was right. Just because we didn’t know the circumstances, didn’t mean there weren’t any. Maybe Bess was jealous of the wife. Maybe she found out that Jasper was going to break it off with her. Maybe she was after his money, too. I wondered if Jasper’s will would shed light on any of this.

  Dante left not too long after that. As he was going out the door, he paused and gave me a smile. “Thanks for your help, by the way. And I think your dad is right - you need to keep out of danger. Be careful who you throw questions at, all right?”

  I nodded. “I will.”

  I closed the door behind him and then jumped when my mother appeared said, “You need to work on your antique business. That’ll keep you busy.”

  “Stop scaring me. Aunt Sage already does plenty of that.”

  “What am I supposed to do, Clover? Ring the door bell?”

  “I don’t know. Knock on wood or something.”

  “That’s for luck, not mothers.” She was shimmering under the pale lamplight in the living room, near the fireplace. For a moment I wondered if she felt left out, and that’s why she was getting so bossy since she died. It made sense in a way - she had never been bossy before. Maybe it was just fear of losing control, and not being able to do the stuff she was used to doing, especially when it came to taking care of my dad.

  Thinking about it that way, my heart hurt for her. I decided to take her advice and get back to my business, and find a way to get her help, even if it was only to ask advice. Who knew, maybe I could give Bagly a run for his money.

  “Very funny.” I blew her a kiss. “I’ll think about it. I’ve got a date with a grave.”

  I caught Jason headed for his room. “Oh. Jason?” I stopped him. “Are you coming with me tonight?”

  He swallowed hard and went a little pale. “No. If you don’t mind, I’ll sit this one out.”

  I smiled sadly and watched him walk away. I didn’t blame him – I wouldn’t go either, if I could help it.

  Chapter Four

  Tonight was the full moon, and I had a date with a dead sorcerer. According to my aunt, I was in charge of keeping him in the ground, and if I failed to do the ritual that bound him there, the whole town was in danger. She never exactly specified what that danger was - for all I knew he’d give us all chicken pox.

  I thought maybe Sage was being a bit melodramatic, but I still went out to the gravesite every full moon and cast the spell that kept him enclosed. I’d been trying to get Jason to come with me, but so far he’d been the opposite of interested.

  Wilder Woods wasn’t my favorite place ever, partly because it was just generally dark and spooky and partly because I’d found a dead girl here a few months ago. Now that the Silverstones and their friend Peggy had moved away and left the land devoid of all people, I liked it even less.

  The gravesite was always just as I’d left it, probably because it was completely unmarked. According to Aunt Sage it was hidden from the eyes of casual hikers by a fairly strong deflection spell. She made me mark a rune on the back of my hand to break the spell. Otherwise, she said, I’d never find the place.

  Even with that, I had trouble finding it the first couple of times I came here. I managed to miss it once or twice and had to wander between the trees a bit in order to stumble on it.

  It was getting easier, though. I had the path more or less memorized. Left, left, right, left. Jump a small stream, and walk until the air started feeling colder. I knew to look for the burned tree that was marked with a big broken branch on one side after that. Just the tree was spooky - it looked like it was pointing back toward town, and wearing a long, long robe with a hood that was jagged at the top. In my imagination, it looked just like the sorcerer that was buried at its feet.

  And it was telling me to go back the way I’d come.

  The small clearing seemed claustrophobic, and just enough moonlight pierced the leafy canopy to let me see what I was doing. I was sure that on any night that the moon wasn’t full, the area would be completely black. I shivered and tried not to think about it.

  I unzipped the bag - a small leather duffel with protection runes burned into the leather - and pulled out a pouch of barberry, three candles and a big cardboard container of salt. I didn’t understand all that I did, but Aunt Sage had assured me that I only needed to follow directions and everything would be fine. Every time I did this, I hoped again that she was right.

  No matter how many times I asked, she refused to come with me, though.

  The hardest part was getting started. I knew the first step - making a circle of salt that was big enough for the grave and the tree, and for me to stand inside. Aunt Sage said that was a kind of protection, and it also focused the magic, so that it made a powerful cover over the dead sorcerer and kept him in place. She told me that if I wasn’t careful, I would attract more than I could handle. I didn’t dare ask what that might be; I just did as I was told.

  But then I needed to step into the circle with the grave - not fun - and draw energy from the forest and moon. I was never sure if I was doing this pa
rt right, so I just did it as best I could until I felt my hands start to shake. Only then did I sprinkle the barberry on the grave, using a lot and chanting the words I’d been given when I started this ritual.

  North, South, East, West

  Spider’s web shall bind him best

  East, West, North, South.

  Hold his limbs and stop his mouth.

  Seal his eyes and choke his breath

  Wrap him round with ropes of death.

  As we will it, mote it be.

  Next came the worst part, the part that gave me the creeps and drove me home at a run as soon as it was over.

  I opened a small cardboard box, the kind that a necklace might come in, and grabbed the first of three tiny but vicious-looking spiders by the leg. The spiders came from a jarful in the basement. It was a big jar, so I assumed Sage had been killing and saving these spiders for a long time. My stomach churned when I touched it, and I used two fingernails to grab its leg. Even though I knew it was dead, I couldn’t help imagining that it would come to life and climb up to bite me.

  I dropped it at the center of the depression with a rush of exhalation and repeated the incantation. The words flowed smoothly, as if something were pulling them from my throat. I didn’t spend any time trying to imagine what that thing might be.

  Two more times, and my work was done, but it always felt like the sorcerer climbed out of his grave and chased me through the darkness until I got back through the trees to our safe and familiar house.

  Once I got there, I just collapsed onto the verandah stairs and caught my breath. Just in time, because ugly black clouds were starting to shroud the moon. A few more minutes and I might have been wandering around in the woods all night. No thanks.

  Once I was done shivering and cursing Aunt Sage for making me do this stuff, I went inside, showered and went to bed.

  I didn’t sleep well. I never did on these nights. At least there weren’t any bad dreams to freak me out, though.

  At some point during the night, my brain had apparently decided that my parents were right, so I woke up thinking about the carriage house full of antiques and itching to get back to my little business.