Banshees and Babysitters

by Allen, Amanda A.

  Scarlett crossed her ankles and glanced around the room. There were stacks of books everywhere which wasn’t much of a surprise given that he was a former librarian and owned a rare book shop. Harper would love this room, Scarlett thought. Her gaze fixed on the black spider scarf and realized Harper had seen this room. Scarlett’s brows rose and she glanced at Quinton. His gaze had followed hers, and he was blushing again.

  Well, well, well, Scarlett thought and mentally rubbed her hands together. His phone buzzed and he glanced at it and blushed even more.

  “Tell Harper I say hi,” Scarlett said and he turned as red as her name.

  He tucked his phone in his pocket without replying and Scarlett had to smirk. “Do you have any idea what’s causing this?”

  “No,” Quinton said, “But I have been looking for a new place. People come in, they’re nice, and they leave in varying degrees of foul. I’m waiting for it to be next. I don’t know why it hasn’t been me.”

  Scarlett stared at Quinton, utterly baffled and then pulled out her phone and called Henna. It took a few minutes to explain Quinton’s story, and she had to start again halfway through when she was put on speaker for Gram, Mr. Throdmore, and Mr. Jueavas.

  “It could be a good half dozen worth of things,” Henna said. “Runes on the building.”

  “Charms being set off. Maybe that’s why some guests are worse than others,” Mr. Throdmore added. “Some are around for the breaking of the charm more than others who come and go.”

  “But then Quinton would be included,” Mr. Jueavas, Gram’s boyfriend said. “He’d be bad like Agnes.”

  “True,” Gram said. “What is different about you there, Quinton?”

  “Well…” He glanced at Harper, blushed and then said, “I’ve been here the longest.”

  “But that should mean that you’re more effected,” Henna said again.

  “I don’t know,” Quinton said. “I don’t have any idea.”

  “Is there something that is different about his place in the house? Is he in the attics or the basement or something?”

  Scarlett answered, saying, “He is down the hall from where Grant and Jen were. All the bedrooms are together.”

  “Except Agnes,” Henna said. “She’s the one in the attics.”

  “If it’s runes on the building, maybe whoever did it couldn’t get into Quinton’s room because he was here before this started and hasn’t left yet.”

  There was the sound of murmuring on the other end of the line and then Gram asked, “Is there an empty room?”

  “Grant’s room is empty,” Scarlett said. “The rest seem full.”

  “Search it,” Gram ordered. “Look for anything that isn’t right, but especially runes.”

  Scarlett reached out and ended the call.

  “You don’t have to help,” she told him.

  “I’m happy to. I have been worried about Agnes.”

  “Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “I didn’t know her well enough. I asked her a few times if she was ok, but she just snapped at me. If you hadn't show up…”

  “Ok,” Scarlett said, chucking him on the shoulder, “That makes sense.”

  “I should have done something,” he said.

  “You didn’t know,” Scarlett said. “The fault belongs to whoever did this.”

  “Agnes gets in here,” Quinton said, “She could have put those rune things in my room if she wanted to. I don’t think she’s responsible.”

  “I don’t either. I sensed she needed us. I wouldn’t have felt that if she were the guilty party.”

  Scarlett glanced around, taking a mental picture and imagining Harper in here. She would rather be like having a feral cat in a house full of birds here, but still…somehow it seemed to work. Scarlett could absolutely see Harper here, and she liked the picture of them together.

  “You really don’t have to come,” Scarlett told him, curious as to how he’d reply.

  “Of course I do,” he said.

  “Maybe you can check the hall and ensure that it’s clear.”

  Quinton nodded and then stuck his head out the door. It was so overtly uncomfortable and awkward that it just seemed clear he was up to something suspicious.

  He waved her forward without making a sound and then moved so quietly she was impressed. But they both heard the door downstairs open and the sound of voices in the foyer.

  They stopped trying to be so quiet and darted into Grant’s room.

  “What do runes look like?” Quinton whispered, closing the door quickly.

  “Funky letters,” Scarlett replied. She opened the closet doors and checked both sides. “If you see something you’re not sure of, let me know.”

  She kept moving as quickly as possible, even sliding under the bed, but she didn’t find anything. Agnes had already cleaned the room, she must have done it as soon as Jen was on the doorstep. Removing the stink of the murderer, perhaps?

  Scarlett shook her head and could see how Agnes, when she was feeling particularly sour, would move quickly like this as if she were wiping out the nasty normals. “Have you found anything?”

  Quinton shook his head, and Scarlett glanced over to but paused at the sound of heavy boots on the stairs. She was sure it was Lex and darted for the closet and inside. She winked at Quinton and shut the door, leaving him in the room by himself.

  “Scarlett,” Lex called. “I know you’re up here. I saw your SUV outside.”

  She could see through the crack in the closet and Quinton opened the door and straightened his shoulders at the same time.

  “She went down the back stairs,” he said. “A minute or two ago. We were talking.”

  “You? Got a crush on her too?” There was a growl in his voice. An angry one, but her heart skipped at the “too.”

  “Harper,” Quinton said within a moment.

  Lex snorted. His voice was mean when he asked, “You crazy?”

  “Must be,” Quinton said in that soft, librarian’s voice, but there was something in it that was steely.

  “Oh ho…” Lex said and snorted again, “Touched a nerve did I? She’ll set your car on fire when you finally dump her.”

  Quinton cleared his throat but said nothing.

  Lex, however, carried on with the questions. “What about you? What are you doing here?”

  “I lived here,” Quinton said.

  Lex snorted and then headed down the hall tracing the path that Quinton had sent him on.

  Scarlett let the closet door swing open, winked at Quinton and raced down the stairs and out the door. She crossed her fingers and darted to the side of the house and paused as if she’d been standing there the whole time Lex and Quinton had been arguing and put her phone to her ear. She dared to take a second to call Gram back.

  “Did you find anything?”

  “What are you doing here?” Lex snapped.

  Scarlett turned slowly and said, “Talking to Gram.”

  “The last thing we need is that old, interfering, nasty broad involved in yet another investigation. You and your family are trouble.”

  Scarlett turned away without saying anything and headed towards her SUV.

  “Did you hear me?”

  Scarlett got inside her SUV and took a deep breath.

  Chapter 7

  “What the…” Gram said. “Was that Lex?”

  Scarlett started the car and said, “Something is wrong at that B&B, Gram. And whatever it is, it got Lex fast.”

  “He’s a jerk,” Gram said. “Harper should set his car on fire.”

  Scarlett turned her head, watching Lex. He was staring her down, waiting for her to leave, hands on his hips. She put the car on speaker and the phone in the holder, waving at him. She was very precise when she obeyed the laws and pulled away. She watched him spit on the ground but drove away before she was tempted to tell him off.

  “How did that happen to Lex. Why Lex and Agnes but not you and Quinton?” Gram sounded as puzzled as Scarle
tt felt.

  “If I knew Gram, I’d have tried to fix it. Or at least called you to see if you knew how to fix it.”

  “I can’t help but think Mr. Muscato was involved. We need to figure out what he was doing in Mystic Cove. There has to be a reason why he was even here.”

  Scarlett sighed and suggested that Gram find out where he spent his time. She hung up and drove back to the bakery. The truth was—Muscato was most likely to have visited the places on Arbor Avenue. That’s where all the tourists went when they weren’t on the beach or with friends or family.

  Scarlett parked in her usual place in the alley next the bakery. Before she left the car, Gram had sent Scarlett the names of two shops that Mr. Muscato had visited often. They didn’t make sense to Scarlett, but one of them was the witch shop next to the bakery.

  Scarlett walked to the shop and walked in.

  “Oh, we’re closed,” the witch who owned the shop called out from the back.

  “It’s me, Tessa,” Scarlett said. “I was wondering if we could chat for a few minutes?”

  Tessa came through the swinging door of the stock room with a pile of things. It was a basket of yarns, teas, and herbs, so Scarlett took some and started putting it away.

  “What’s going on?” Tessa had watched Scarlett long enough to ensure she was doing it right and then got to work.

  “I’m trying to find the way to describe what I need.”

  Tessa’s short brown hair bounced as she turned to look at Scarlett. Her blue eyes were fixed on Scarlett’s face and then she said, “I think you’d enjoy this peppermint face scrub. I make it myself.”

  “Thank you,” Scarlett said letting her fingers play with the jar that Tessa handed her. As she spun it in in her hands, she started to explain about Muscato, Grant, the murder, Lex, and their concerns. It was just all so improbable. Mr. Muscato…who was this guy? How had things gotten this way? Who would do this and why?

  “Oh, my,” Tessa said as Scarlett finally finished.

  “So I’m wondering what Muscato wanted here, and what he might have been able to do with it.”

  Tessa’s lips twitched for a second as she chewed on her lip and then she admitted, “I was never sure if Muscato was…like us…but he knew to ask for the magicked teas and herbs. Usually tourists buy the open stock or ask for a recommendation, but not Mr. Muscato. He made it clear he wanted my magicked stuff.”

  “He did?” Scarlett’s brows rose. “I thought he was a normal tourist.”

  “Me too. Until he started asking and then I wasn't sure what he was. But he bought a lot of the herbs and teas. He wants things I didn’t have too, so I sent him to Stefanie.”

  “Stefanie’s Tea Parlor?”

  Tessa nodded.

  “Do you know what he got from her?”

  Tessa shook her head and then admitted. “There’s some…animosity between us. She doesn’t love that I sell teas. But Mr. Muscato was buying more than anyone would use on their own. We were both benefiting. He was coming in so often. At least every other day. He’s been my best customer since he got here. I’m sure it’s the same for Stefanie.”

  “I know you sell yarns and charms and such. But Gram said you were really good with teas and herbs.”

  Tessa hesitated and said, “I’m good with magicked herbs. Whether for teas or lotions or that face scrub. It’s why I don't specialize to just teas like Stefanie. She likes to pour tea and gossip.”

  “If I could find out what Mr. Muscato was buying, would you be able to tell if it were possible to change people like he’s done?”

  “I could try,” Tessa said. “I…don’t sell anything that you could do that with. But maybe. If he’d added the right things to what he bought from me…maybe.”

  “Ok,” Scarlett said, rising. “I’ll be back.”

  “I’ll be here,” Tessa replied. “To effect the sheriff’s mind so quickly. I’d have thought he was gone for you, but what you described is…worrisome.”

  “Don’t worry,” Scarlett said, winking, “We’ll save him.”

  “Will you keep dating after this?” That hadn’t been concern. That had been an attempt for gossip. Even in crisis, Mystic Cove was focused on gossip.

  Scarlett paused, tried to hide her irritation, and then said, “We’re just friends.”

  “Have you told him that?” Tessa’s expression said she thought Scarlett was lying.

  She wasn’t lying. She couldn’t refuse to date Gus and then date Lex the moment Gus took off. She and Lex went out here and there, but it wasn’t dating. Was it? Oh goodness, maybe it was…maybe she was stupid?

  “Lex is my friend and acting funny after a spell isn’t going to change that,” Scarlett lied. It wouldn’t change anything, but this conversation might. Because Scarlett was freaking out at the idea she’d been dating Lex and hadn't even realized.

  * * * * *

  “You look like someone stole your candy,” Stefanie said as Scarlett walked into the tea shop.

  Scarlett tried to smile and failed and then asked, “Do you have a tea for being epically stupid? I could really use some.”

  “I have chamomile and mint. It makes me feel better with enough cream and sugar.”

  “I suppose that will do.” Scarlett sat down at the tiny table closed to Stefanie who came back a few minutes later with a cup of tea.

  “So what were you so stupid about?”

  “Apparently being married since forever and then being single again makes me stupid as it’s possible to be about relationships. Who else can I drive away, do you think?”

  “This about the sheriff? Or Gus? You heard from him yet?” There was the insidious nature of Mystic Cove’s gossip chain. People didn't even care when it was so frustrating and in your face.

  Scarlett closed her eyes and dropped her face down to the tea table. “Why does everything have to feel so tiny in Mystic Cove? So few people and yet so crowded. Do you feel like you live in a fishbowl? Or maybe a sardine can?”

  Stefanie laughed and sat down with Scarlett, “Is that why you left?”

  Scarlett took a deep breath and said, “I left because it felt right, even though it was terrifying.”

  Stefanie’s head cocked and then she straighten up and sipped her tea. She sniffed once, took a cookie from the tray she’d brought her and said, “You druids with your knowing. It’s more powerful than people realize. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard a banshee or a warlock say that you can’t do spells and you aren’t powerful, and they never realize that you have bypassed 1000 problems that they struggled through. They don’t know that you’re not there for the fight because you know how to avoid it. Not because you can’t win it.”

  Scarlett sipped her tea and wondered about that assumption. She felt like she’d had her fair share of trouble. It wasn’t that druids avoided trouble. They didn’t avoid the hard things of life, they…maybe…just navigated the hard things a little better. And only if they listened to the knowing. The knowing wasn’t something that spoke loud or clearly. It was..instincts. It was whispers. It was quiet.

  “I don’t know about that,” Scarlett said, “I feel like I’m in the middle of some self-created trouble, right now.”

  “Well…like you said…the knowing doesn’t counteract stupidity.”

  Scarlett’s breath caught and Stefanie shrugged and said, “I don’t pretend to be sweetness and light. I’m a salty witch.”

  “I guess,” Scarlett said not feeling an ounce of guilt for agreeing. Stefanie knew what she was. So did Scarlett, and she might be blind to the feelings of others about her, but she wasn’t blind to the obvious. Besides, Stefanie didn’t seem to care about Scarlett’s opinion.

  “I need you to tell me what Mr. Muscato was buying from you. I don’t know if he was a witch or not, but if my guesses are right, I think he’s done something the people staying at Agnes’s B&B.”

  Stefanie examined Scarlett carefully and then said, “I suppose that telling you those things isn’t break
ing some sort of privacy law, but I’m not sure I believe in sharing my customer’s purchases.”

  “The knowing needs it,” Scarlett tried and watched Stefanie’s face smirk for moment.

  “I suppose since I talked up the knowing. I assume it WAS the knowing that brought you here.”

  Scarlett blinked and then lied, “Of course.”

  What had brought her here was sleuthing, gossip, and the fact that Lex was acting as if he were possessed by a particularly mean ghost.

  “Somehow, I think you’re lying, but I think I’ll help anyway. It was Tessa sent you, of course. She knew about Muscato coming here so often. She sent him when her sorry shop couldn’t fulfill his needs. Her selection and quality are sub par to mine of course. But she’s not a specialist.”

  Scarlett wondered about trying to bring these friends back together and then decided to leave them to their fate. They both spoke with enough hurt in their voice to let Scarlett know they’d been close once. That was their problem. She could only deal with so much.

  “She said your tea selection was outstanding,” Scarlett lied. Tessa said she’d help Scarlett, and Scarlett needed that info because she was not going to leave Lex as he was.

  Stefanie snorted at the lie and crossed to her records. Scarlett watched her look through the book and bet herself that Stefanie could have listed what he’d bought without needing records.

  “He was a mean little man, but he tried a little harder in here,” Stefanie said. “I told him right off, he’d mind his tongue, or I’d mind it for him, and I wasn’t throwing out threats made of wisps and pixie dust. You other folks let him walk all over you. That’s your problem. So polite you let him get away with his antics. He wouldn’t have tried that spell on me that he did on Agnes.”

  Scarlett nodded to avoid having to talk about it any more. She rose and crossed to the counter to get the list of herbs and teas that Muscato had purchased, so she could get away. Today was not the day for mean gossip.

  But then a thought struck Scarlett and she asked, “Do you think he was like us?”