Heart of the Witch (Witches of Keating Hollow Book 2)

by Deanna Chase

  Xavier ignored all of it and ran flat-out toward a black Honda SUV.

  “Son of a…” Drew knew there was no way he was going to catch Xavier before he scrambled into the SUV, so he bolted back to his own vehicle. Just as he jammed the key into the ignition, the Honda flew by him, going in the opposite direction. Drew twisted in his seat, trying to get the license plate number, but it was obscured, and he only got the first three characters. 7BN. He started to pull away from the curb but was forced to wait for a wave of traffic to pass him. He tapped his fingers impatiently on the wheel and said, “Come on, come on!”

  Finally there was a small opening in traffic, and Drew made an illegal U-turn, taking off after the Honda. He saw the vehicle a block ahead, idling at a red light. But Xavier must’ve spotted him, because the black Honda shot through the red light, weaved through traffic, and took a right turn, disappearing around the corner. Drew did his best race-car-driver impression and floored it, but when he made the turn, the Honda was gone.

  Drew let out a slew of curses, frustrated that he’d lost him and hadn’t even been able to get the full license plate number. He had, however, noticed there was a barcode in the back window. It was a rental. And along with a partial hit on the plate, that gave him something to work with.

  The deputy sheriff drove around the downtown area, searching for the Honda at least five times before he gave up and headed for Lilies and More. The flower shop, if you could even call it that, was more of a convenience store near a truck stop just north of town. They had buckets of flowers out front, but nothing resembling flower arrangements. Drew went in and inquired about Xavier, but the tattooed man behind the checkout counter just shrugged and went back to reading his High Times magazine.

  Fresh out of leads, Drew backtracked to the Sunshine Hotel, parked his vehicle down a side street, and headed for a small café across from the hotel. If Xavier came back, Drew would be ready for him. Once he was seated with coffee in front of him, he called Clarissa.

  “Hey again, boss. Whatcha need?”

  “I need you to track down information on a partial plate. It’s a rental car. Get me any information you can.” He rattled off the details.

  “I’m on it,” she said.

  Chapter 19

  The shrill sound of the phone ringing made Noel wince. She was nursing a dull headache, thanks to her poor choices the night before. Mixing wine and Moscow Mules was not a good idea. Pressing a hand to her forehead, she picked up the receiver and was greeted with a dial tone.

  She pulled the phone away from her ear, scowled at it, and placed it back on its cradle. That was the second time she’d picked up the line to find no one on the other end that morning. She was definitely being punished.

  The bell on the front door chimed, and Abby strolled in, her head held high and a smile on her face.

  “What are you so happy about this morning?” Noel asked.

  “I’m still on a high from the race last night.” She set a large coffee cup on the counter. “Drink this. It’ll make everything right in your world again.”

  Noel shook her head, already fidgety from too much caffeine. “I’ve already had two cups of coffee, Abs. I don’t think a strong dose of java is my miracle cure this time around.”

  “Ah, but you haven’t had my special blend,” she said smugly. “A little magic goes a long way.”

  Noel looked up from her computer. “You made a coffee hangover potion?”

  She spread her arms out wide and dipped into a tiny bow. “You’re welcome, dear sister. You should’ve seen Yvette before I got my concoction down her throat.” Abby simulated a shudder. “You’d think death had come for her. But now she’s fine and down at her bookstore getting ready for the holiday sale tomorrow.”

  “Other than too much booze, how’s she doing?” Noel took a sip of Abby’s coffee and savored the rich smooth flavor. The stuff was better than what they served at the Incantation Café, and that was saying something. “Yum, Abs, this is delicious.”

  “I have my moments,” she said with a smile. “Yvette is doing better than when we found her last night. Though, that’s not hard to do. Still, the tears have dried, and she’s determined to not let his drama affect her business.”

  “I suppose Isaac didn’t come home last night?” Noel asked.

  “Nope. But Yvette said she hadn’t expected him too. She says when he’s got something in his head, he usually sticks to his guns.”

  “Sounds familiar,” Noel said. “They are two peas in a pod.”

  “They used to be,” Abby agreed. She eyed the cup in Noel’s hand. “How’s that headache coming?”

  “Huh?” Noel glanced down at the now-half-empty cup she was still holding and then grinned. “It’s gone. Hells bells, baby sister. You’re a genius. I bet you could make a fortune packaging and selling this miracle cure.”

  “That’s what Clay said.” She leaned against the check-in counter and crossed one ankle over the other. “But I’m not sure it’s ready for prime time. We’re thinking about offering it as a takeout item at the Brewery.”

  Noel chuckled. “I can see the tagline now. Welcome to Townsend’s Keating Hollow Brewery… Where the beer goes down easy and the coffee fixes last night’s mistakes.”

  “Cute.” She gave Noel a smirk. “Okay. Now dish. What happened last night with Drew?”

  “Nothing,” Noel said too quickly. “He just dropped me off here.”

  “Oh?” Abby raised a curious eyebrow. “Is that why I saw you two making out on your front porch after we dropped Yvette off?”

  “We weren’t making out,” Noel insisted. Then she jerked back slightly as she processed what her sister had said. “You drove by the inn after dropping Vette off?”

  “Yeah, so?

  “So… you were spying on me! Geez, Abby. There was no reason to backtrack last night, and you know it. You just wanted to see if I invited the deputy inside, didn’t you?”

  “Fine.” Abby threw her hands up in mock exasperation. “I admit it. But it’s not my fault there was massive PDA going on. It’s not like you were trying to hide anything from anyone. You were right under the porch light.”

  Noel giggled like a school girl, thoroughly enjoying the exchange with her sister. Yes, she was slightly annoyed that Abby had intentionally spied on her and Drew, but she’d missed this sisterly bonding, the good-natured ribbing, and more importantly, the obvious desire to see that each of them was happy. Knowing that someone was one thousand percent in your corner was priceless. “I might not have really cared who saw us in that moment.”

  “Obviously.”

  The inn’s phone rang again. Noel snagged it. “Keating Hollow Inn.”

  Silence.

  “Hello?”

  Nothing.

  “Anyone there?”

  Click.

  Noel scowled at the phone and once again placed it back on its base. “That is the third time today that someone has called and hung up.”

  “Really? That’s rude,” Abby said, smoothing her ponytail.

  “It’s creepy. It makes me feel like I’m being stalked or something.”

  “Any heavy breathing?” Abby grabbed one of the witch cookies Drew had left on the counter the day before.

  Noel shook her head. “No. The first two times they hung up before I could even answer. And this one… they seemed to be trying to decide if they wanted to say something but then didn’t.”

  She shrugged. “Maybe someone has social anxiety and they are working their way up to asking for a room.”

  “Maybe. But if that’s the case, they can book online.”

  “You got me there.” Abby waved the cookie. “This is delicious. You should keep these out all the time.”

  Noel felt butterflies in her stomach when she said, “Drew brought those.”

  Abby clutched her heart. “My goodness. Could he be any more adorable?”

  No. He really couldn’t.

  “Hey sweetheart,” Noel said as Dai
sy climbed into the car. “How was your day?”

  She didn’t look at her mother as she said, “It was okay.”

  Noel frowned. Something was off with her daughter. It was Friday, school had just gotten out, and Daisy had plans with Olive for a sleepover that night. Noel had expected her kid to be bouncing off the walls. “Something happen?”

  “No.” She hugged her backpack and stared down at her lap.

  Noel didn’t press the issue while she carefully navigated the school pickup line, but the moment they got home, she told Daisy to let Buffy out of her kennel and to take her out. Her daughter did as she was told and perked up slightly when she buried her face in Buffy’s brindled fur, but her normally exuberant kid was missing in action.

  “Want some hot cocoa? How about a snack?” Noel asked, already pulling the cocoa mix out of the cabinet.

  “No thanks, Mommy. I’m just going to go play with Buffy,” Daisy said, leaving her mother standing in the kitchen with her mouth gaping open.

  “Was that my kid?” Noel asked no one. She shoved the cocoa back into the cabinet and made her way to the living room.

  Daisy was sprawled on the floor with her head propped on a throw pillow, petting Buffy, who was lying on her chest.

  Noel sat down next to her daughter and gave Buffy a scratch behind the ear. “What’s up, baby? Are you feeling okay?”

  “Yeah,” she said, but she didn’t look at her mother.

  “Tired after your night with Auntie Faith? Did Xena and Buffy keep you up?”

  She shook her head. “They both slept with me. Auntie Faith said it was the first time Xena had slept through the night since she got her.” Daisy glanced at her mother and gave her a small smile. “I think she loves me best.”

  Noel chuckled. “You’re probably right.” Even with the small spark of life, this version of Daisy was so subdued, Noel worried her daughter was keeping something from her. She’d been fine when Noel had picked her up from her dad’s house and dropped her off at school. Or maybe she was just completely worn out. Daisy didn’t spend too many nights away from Noel and almost never on a school night. Maybe that had been a mistake. Whatever it was, Noel didn’t feel comfortable sending her to Abby’s while she spent the evening with Drew. Not when Daisy was so obviously not acting like herself.

  “Listen, Daisy,” Noel said. “What do you say about the two of us having a special Mommy daughter night? We can stay in, make lasagna, and bake holiday cupcakes. Maybe watch Frozen?”

  She popped up, her eyes big and full of alarm. “But, Mom. I’m going to Olive’s, remember? It’s puppy sleepover night.”

  “I know, but if you’re too tired, you can do it another night,” Noel said reasonably.

  “I’m not tired.” She wrapped her hands around Buffy and held her close. “Besides, Buffy is excited to see Endora.”

  Noel stifled a chuckle. Endora was Olive’s golden retriever puppy, and Noel was certain it was Daisy who was excited to see her. “Okay. It’s fine. You can go to Aunt Abby’s and have your puppy sleepover. I just didn’t want you to overdo it.”

  “I’m fine,” she reiterated and then got up and carried Buffy to her room.

  “Okay then.” Noel let her daughter be and disappeared into the kitchen to make cupcakes anyway. Just because Daisy wasn’t interested in a sugar high, it didn’t mean Noel wasn’t.

  An hour later, Daisy appeared in the kitchen, her overnight bag in one hand and her empty backpack in the other. Without a word, she took it upon herself to pack dog food, puppy treats, a couple of Buffy’s balls, and Buffy’s blanket from her crate. When she was done, she slipped the backpack on and told her mother, “We’re ready now.”

  Noel couldn’t speak. She was too choked up. Goodness, how cute was that? Her child was the most adorable human on the planet. Noel crouched down and ruffled her daughter’s curly dark locks. “You’re the best doggie mama. You know that?”

  Daisy beamed.

  “Come here.” Noel opened her arms wide, and her daughter fell into her, holding on tight.

  “I love you, Mama,” Daisy said, her voice muffled against Noel’s shoulder.

  “I love you, too, baby.”

  They held each other for a long moment, and then Noel finally pulled back and took a good look at Daisy. Her eyes were bright, and her cheeks were rosy. She didn’t look tired or upset. Still, even though Noel couldn’t put her finger on it, she knew something wasn’t quite right with her daughter.

  Then Daisy grinned at her and pointed to her fluff ball of a dog. “Buffy’s ready to go.”

  The puppy was sitting at Noel’s feet, her tongue out and her tail thumping. As soon as Noel looked down at her, Buffy ran to the door and barked.

  Noel laughed. “Come on, then. I’m sure Endora can’t wait for her playmate to get there.”

  Ten minutes later, Noel, Daisy, and Buffy were welcomed into the Garrison household. The second they stepped inside, Olive and Daisy ran off squealing with both their puppies chasing after them. Whatever had been bothering Daisy seemed to have vanished as soon as she saw Olive. Noel let out a sigh of relief. If being around her soon-to-be cousin was what she needed, then Noel was on board.

  “You’re going to have an exciting night,” Noel said to Abby. “Two screaming kids and their dogs. You sure you don’t need help?”

  “Don’t even try it, Noel Townsend. You have a date tonight. Olive already ratted you out. It seems someone was trying to entice her child to stay home so she didn’t have to go out on her date.” Abby tsked. “Not on my watch, missy. You’ve been waiting for this date for how long? Years, right?”

  “Abby—” Noel said with a sigh.

  “Don’t even start, big sis,” she said, shaking her head. Then she started in on a lecture about how Noel couldn’t close herself off forever, and that she had to know that adult relationships were important, and that she deserved to be loved.

  Noel let her go on and on, because it seemed Abby might have been talking from a place of experience. When she finally paused, Noel put a hand on her arm and said, “Abs, I appreciate the ah… pep talk, but I wasn’t trying to get out of my date with Drew. I was just worried about Daisy. She was pretty despondent when I picked her up from school. And when we got home, she seemed tired or stressed. I don’t know what’s going on, but when I suggested we stay home, she closed the door on that pretty hard. And obviously, she’s excited to be here. So… Are you going to help me pick what I’m going to wear, or are you just going to keep lecturing me?”

  “Oh,” Abby said, her expression one of surprise. Then she cleared her throat. “In that case, we need to go shopping.”

  “I don’t think we have time,” Noel said.

  “Sure we do.” Abby took off down the hall and waved for her sister to join her.

  Noel followed her into the master bedroom. The space was still pretty masculine, with dark contemporary furniture, a beige bedspread, and tan carpet. If it hadn’t been for the candles on the dresser and nightstands and the bright paintings depicting sun streaming through the redwood forest, the room would’ve been pure bachelor.

  “What are we doing in here?” Noel asked her sister.

  Abby grinned and pulled the closet doors open. “We’re going to give you a makeover.”

  Noel put her hand out and started to back up. “I don’t—”

  “Oh no you don’t. You are not wearing jeans and a sweater on your official first date.”

  Noel rolled her eyes. “He’s already seen me covered in mud. I don’t think he’s going to be put off by my jeans. You saw us on my front porch, remember?”

  “True.” Abby tilted her head to the side and studied her sister. “Still, let’s give him something to drool over, shall we?”

  Noel listened to her sister chatter on about how excited she was for her, and how great it would be if Noel and Drew ended up together.

  “We could double date,” Abby said, her expression joyous. “How fun would that be? Clay and Drew are be
st friends after all. We wouldn’t have any of that awkwardness between our significant others when trying to force a foursome. It would be just like old times.”

  “Not quite like old times, Abby,” Noel said quietly. “You’d need Charlotte here for that.”

  Abby dropped one of the dresses she’d just pulled out of her closet and spun around, a horrified look on her face. “Oh, Noel. No. That isn’t what I meant at all.”

  Noel sat on the edge of the bed and was suddenly exhausted. She reached for her purse and pulled out a couple of the supplements Gerry had given her and popped them in her mouth. When she finally glanced up at her sister, Abby had tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry I upset you,” Noel said, feeling awful for saying anything at all. “I just… I always worry Drew thinks I’m a replacement for Charlotte. And I sure as heck don’t want to be her replacement in your eyes.”

  “Is that really what you think?” Abby moved to sit next to her sister.

  Noel shrugged. “She was your best friend.”

  “You were my other best friend, Noel,” Abby choked out. “I never once wanted you to replace her. I just wanted you back. When I left, I lost you. You wouldn’t talk to me and you never forgave me for leaving. But I’m back and I’m trying. I thought maybe… hell it doesn’t matter what I thought. I love you, Noel. I miss my sister and the friendship we had. I’m sorry I left, but I didn’t leave you. I was trying to outrun the pain.” She shrugged one shoulder. “Turns out that doesn’t work so much. The only way to move on is to confront the past I guess. Can we do that? Do you think you can finally forgive me?”

  Pain clutched at Noel’s heart as she remembered how devastated she’d been when Abby had left town. “I talked to you. You’re the one who stopped answering your phone.”