Witch Way Round (Witch of Mintwood Book 6)

by Addison Creek

  “Does he have to be everywhere?” Greer muttered angrily under her breath.

  Rebecca wore a flouncy dress and flowers in her hair. Charlie bristled. She liked serious individuals, and serious individuals did not go flower-picking and then tie their rewards into their hair.

  “Hi, Andy,” said Charlie with a forced smile and a bare nod in Rebecca’s general direction.

  Hansen had been intent on giving Charlie a hard time, but the arrival of Andy and Rebecca had thrown him off course. He was now looking at Andy with the utmost curiosity.

  “You’re Hansen Gregory,” said Andy, looking amazed. “You set the single season yardage mark for the state in football. I think that record still holds.”

  The expression on Hansen’s face didn’t change. I guess when it came to guys, flattery wasn’t going to get them anywhere. Still, Hansen sounded pleasant enough when he said, “Yeah, that’s right. Did you play football?”

  “Yeah, but I was a receiver,” said Andy, playing it off. Then he told Hansen his name, and a look of recognition dawned on the reporter’s face.

  “You were pretty good on the private school circuit,” said Hansen.

  Andy nodded, looking pleased that Hansen remembered him.

  “You didn’t tell me you played football,” said Rebecca.

  “Oh, yes, he was very into it in high school,” said Charlie quickly.

  “But I’m sure you’ve moved on now, haven’t you, honey,” said Rebecca, wrapping her talon-like fingers around Andy’s forearm and squeezing.

  “No one ever forgets their playing days,” said Hansen helpfully.

  Rebecca blinked at the Chronicle’s reporter in confusion.

  “What are you up to this afternoon?” Andy asked Charlie, returning his attention to his ex.

  “We’re going to make mud pies. Then we’re going to throw them,” said Greer. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve waited plenty long for lunch.” She stomped past the little grouping and took Charlie along with her as she went, expecting me to follow without having to be forced.

  As I turned around and waved goodbye to Hansen I heard Andy say, “I’m not that into football anymore, but do you want to reminisce about old times?”

  I didn’t hear Hansen’s reply.

  “We have to talk to Goldie,” said Charlie.

  “What could she possibly know?” said Greer.

  “She’s worked with Mason the longest. She must know something,” said Charlie.

  “Besides, people are pointing to Simon Simone as being the only person Mason didn’t get along with, but we all know Goldie isn’t going to like that line of reasoning,” I said.

  Greer nodded thoughtfully, then agreed that we had to talk to Goldie.

  But first we had to talk to Inspector Smith.

  We walked into the dining hall and there he was, sitting at the head of a long table with a lot of guests of the Club, most of whom were looking down, chewing carefully, and talking softly, as if trying not to be noticed at the same table as the Inspector.

  The man’s sharp eyes turn to us as we entered. I’d seen him at the Lily Pond the night before, a no-nonsense guy with close-cropped hair, dark brown eyes, and a square jaw, probably in his fifties.

  When he saw us he gestured for us to come over and join his table. He must have taken another way up from the lower level and headed straight to the dining room while we were talking to Hansen and Andy.

  “Join us,” he said. He stood up, pulled out three chairs, and added, “I’m Inspector Smith.”

  “I’m Greer Dice and these are my friends Charlie Silver and Lemmi Hubb,” Greer responded.

  I thought the inspector’s eyes flashed when Greer said her last name, and his next question confirmed it. “The rest of your family members are also here, correct?” he asked.

  “Yes, they are,” said Greer.

  “You’re members of the Club,” said Inspector Smith. It wasn’t a question.

  Greer just nodded.

  “I’m not trying to have one large meeting, just catching people as they come in. I prefer a more informal approach so as not to make anyone uncomfortable,” said the Inspector.

  As he sat back down I saw other guests coming in, including Andy and Rebecca. Despite the Inspector’s denial, it was starting to look like an informal meeting had been called. Several police officers flanked the exits, making me wonder what would happen if anyone tried to leave.

  I figured it was a good thing Paws had gone back to the room. He wouldn’t have liked this guy’s methods at all.

  As we sat, several more employees of the club came in and stood by the main entrance wearing white polos and serious expressions, David, Freddie, and Eben among them. Some of the last diners to arrive were Goldie and Mrs. Dice.

  Goldie had been crying but was now trying to hold herself together. Mrs. Dice had a comforting arm on the other woman’s back and was leading her to two seats that were relatively out of the way. Goldie held tissues and snuffled.

  When everyone had settled down, Inspector Smith stood up and cleared his throat.

  “Thank you all for coming. I know that what happened last night was quite a shock. Unfortunately, it’s up to me to tell you that Mason was indeed murdered.”

  Murmurs came up around the hall and Inspector Smith waited for them to die down. Nobody looked terribly surprised, either that he was there talking to them or that he’d ambushed them in the dining room. Lunch was served throughout the late morning and early afternoon, and guests could come and go as they pleased, so there was a fairly wide window during which the Inspector could simply wait and end up with most of the guests passing through.

  Smith continued: “As I’m sure you’re all aware, the victim was Mason, the general manager here at the Country Club. We’re doing everything we can to get to the bottom of the events of last night. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.”

  “So you’re sure it was murder?” an older woman in a brocade jacket asked.

  “Yes. Unfortunately, the murderer hasn’t yet been caught. We’re doing our best, but it may take some time. We haven’t heard back from the Medical Examiner’s Office, but when we do we should know more. I’m sure all of you have a lot of questions and are very curious, but let’s focus on the fact that a man died and I need all the help you can give me to catch the killer,” said the Inspector.

  More whispers went up around the hall.

  “But what about us?” the same woman asked.

  When the Inspector appeared confused she said, “There’s a murderer here. You can’t tell us we’re safe.”

  Smith appeared to consider his words carefully before he answered. “True. We believe that the murder was personal, but at this point we can’t rule anything out. Police officers are stationed throughout the Club and will be on duty around the clock. I will, though, advise you to travel in groups and along the approved hallways where a police officer is present. In this way we hope to minimize the risk of any more tragedies.”

  “I’d just like to go home,” the woman said. I think it was one of the Temples.

  The inspector’s patience was wearing a bit thin.

  “I’m afraid that’s not possible at the moment,” he said.

  While the two of them talked I looked around the dining room. Rebecca had squeezed closer to Andy, and Charlie had noticed the movement out of the corner of her eye and tried not to snort. Hansen in his turn was watching Charlie with an expression I couldn’t read.

  “You can’t just keep us here,” flustered one large man.

  “Yes, in fact, I can,” said Inspector Smith evenly.

  “Are you going to interview all of us?” asked the woman sitting next to the blustering man.

  “Not at present,” said the Inspector. “Still, we’re going to be doing interviews, and if anyone thinks of anything you can tell us, please don’t hesitate. At the moment I’d just like to talk to everyone who was on the lawn last night.”

  A significant number of the
people sitting around the table exchanged worried glances. Apparently there were a lot of guests who’d been on the lawn last night. My friends and the Dices were not among them.

  The Inspector looked past the guests and back toward the main entrance.

  “Are all the employees here now?” Inspector Smith seemed to be asking David, who looked down the line of people standing next to him and nodded. Eben was there with a red face, swaying gently in the heat of the afternoon. Goldie had gone to stand with David, while Freddie examined his nails, looking bored.

  “I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask all of you to stay at the Club until further notice. Please, if you think of anything that might help us with the investigation, do not hesitate to contact me. Even if it seems small and insignificant, it might be vital,” he explained.

  There was a lot of grumbling, but I doubted anyone would try to leave after what the Inspector had said. There would be police stationed at the entrance to the grounds and probably the entrance to the Club itself, he had explained.

  That is, the police would be trapping the murderer here along with the rest of us.

  When I had a minute, I really needed to track down Mason’s ghost again, preferably as soon as it got dark. I had a lot of questions for him.

  Meanwhile, one person was missing from this little gathering. I noticed and I had a feeling that the Inspector did as well.

  It was looking an awful lot like Simon Simone was guilty.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Charlie wasn’t happy, and when Charlie wasn’t happy there was only one solution: more rule-breaking.

  “I feel like we behave better in Mintwood,” groaned Greer.

  “That’s because everyone knows us in Mintwood. They already have low expectations,” said Charlie, who was speed-walking back to our room while Greer and I tried to keep up.

  “We never disobeyed the police,” said Greer.

  “Detective Cutter would beg to differ,” I said.

  Mintwood’s Detective Cutter invariably suspected that we were up to no good, having noticed all the times when I was present at crime scenes. It was a lot of times.

  This weekend I could at least be thankful that Cutter wasn’t part of the Iriswood detective force. I told myself that even if he had been, technically the crime scene was outside and we’d been inside.

  Miles away.

  “We’re going to have to go to the Iriswood Quill Bookstore,” said Charlie, a determined set to her jaw.

  We’d reached our room. As soon as we were in the door I collapsed in a chair, while Charlie went to examine her pencils and make sure they were sharp enough.

  “No!” was Greer’s first reaction.

  Then, “Why?” she wanted to know.

  “Because I need information, and their collection of encyclopedias is legendary.”

  “Legendary among whom? Also, who has encyclopedias anymore?” Greer wondered.

  “Smart people,” said Charlie.

  Greer shook her head. “If you’re so smart, how do you propose we get out of here?”

  Charlie bit her lip. “I’m going to have to think about that.”

  “I have an idea,” said Paws, opening one eye.

  “I thought you were sleeping,” I said.

  “Good,” said the cat. “That’s the best way to spy on my prey.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “You could swim there,” said Paws.

  “Are you joking?” Greer asked.

  “No, certainly not. No one would see you if you swam through the ocean,” said Paws.

  “That’s because we’d get three feet, turn around, and head back inside,” said Greer.

  “Chicken,” said Paws.

  “Cat,” said Greer.

  “We need a different way,” said Charlie, biting her lip. After a few moments’ concentration she said, “And I think I have it.”

  “I don’t suppose we can stay in the hotel room?”

  “No, we have to go,” said Charlie, heading for the door.

  “You want me to do what?” Eben was standing near one of the back entrances, which weren’t used by guests.

  “You’re allowed to leave the resort, right?” Charlie asked.

  “Only to run necessary errands,” said Eben. He sounded more proud than nervous. “When I leave they’ll search my car, then lock the trunk so no one can sneak out in it.”

  “Leave that to us,” said Charlie. What she wasn’t telling him was that I was going to use magic to help us transport ourselves in his trunk. If necessary, I could even make us invisible for a few breaths.

  “I’ll get fired,” said Eben. Despite how Freddie treated him, he actually sounded sorry about the prospect.

  “Only if they catch you. Where’s your sense of adventure?” Charlie asked.

  “I lost it when I got a job,” said Eben. “No, that’s not true. I was never actually all that brave in the first place.”

  “You should become a reporter,” said Charlie.

  “Yeah, she does ridiculous stuff all the time,” Greer muttered. “Do you think anyone will miss us?” she asked, turning to me.

  “Lots of people,” I said. I made a list that started with her family but didn’t include Andy, who I also thought would note Charlie’s absence but whose name I didn’t want to bring up.

  “Great, let’s go,” said Charlie.

  “I haven’t agreed yet,” insisted Eben, holding up his hands. He looked hot and tired and I could see him caving before my eyes.

  Or I thought I could until he held the line and repeated himself. “No,” he said, “I don’t think I can. It’s illegal. You three seem nice, but I just can’t risk my job.”

  Charlie’s shoulders fell. She could see that he was serious.

  “Then we won’t be able to leave, and we have something important to do in town,” said Charlie.

  “Sorry. I won’t tell the Inspector you asked or anything, but I just can’t,” said Eben, turning away.

  We watched him go, but he’d only gotten about ten feet away when Freddie came strutting around the corner, his tan all the more prominent against the crisp white shirt he was wearing. He flashed his white teeth in our direction, but his expression changed to one of resignation when he saw Eben.

  The three of us stayed where we were and watched the exchange that ensued, in which Freddie was apparently ordering Eben to do something that Eben didn’t want to do. Eben shook his head once, but Freddie persisted. Once he had finished he gave us a big smile and a bigger wave. Even from ten feet away I could see that his fingernails were manicured.

  “Ugh,” said Charlie. She clearly didn’t want to give up on her idea of sneaking off the resort grounds.

  After Freddie was gone the three of us turned around to head back to where we belonged, but a voice stopped us.

  The sun was beating down on all of us. Eben had started to sweat and he looked increasingly uncomfortable.

  “When do we leave?”

  “This is a new low,” Greer whispered.

  “Where’s your sense of adventure?” Charlie whispered back.

  “You think just because I work in a bar I have a death wish. It’s not like bars are actually dangerous, you know,” said Greer.

  “I bet they are during a brawl,” said Charlie.

  “Yeah, when I knock some heads together.” Greer sounded smug.

  Eben led us to the garage. After the bright sunshine outside, the garage felt very dim. I had to blink several times until my eyes adjusted. Whatever I was expecting, it wasn’t what I saw when I looked at the shiny black cars standing in rows.

  “There’s an entire fleet here!” Charlie said, shocked. “Have any of these ever even been driven before?” she asked Eben.

  “Sure, why would you think they hadn’t?” he asked.

  “Because they all look brand new,” she responded.

  “We take good care of them, so the trunk should be in okay shape, but it’s still a trunk.”

  Eben g
ave us a concerned look, and I was worried myself. I was wearing one of my grandmother’s vintage dresses, and I didn’t want anything to happen to it, even though I’d probably never wear it again. The buttons that stretched down the front kept poking into my skin, and I wondered how anyone could ever have been comfortable in such clothing.

  “Maybe we should have changed,” said Greer. She was wearing one of what her mother had described as her “old season” outfits, but Greer still didn’t want anything to happen to it.

  Charlie was wearing a new dress. Besides the ones Mrs. Dice had bought her, she had bought a couple recently herself, since—as she said—she could afford it given that I didn’t charge her much rent. She was looking distinctly concerned about damaging a new dress, even though this caper had been entirely her idea.

  “There’s a blanket in the trunk,” said Eben, leading us to one of the shiny cars, popping the trunk, and pulling out a white and green blob.

  We looked over his shoulder into the trunk, but all we saw was a flashlight and an emergency kit. Otherwise it looked brand new.

  “Are we all going to fit in there?” Greer asked.

  “One way or another,” Charlie muttered.

  Greer shook her head.

  “I hope this is worth it,” said Eben. He looked almost as skeptical as Greer, and also impressed that three of us were going to get in the trunk. His face plainly said he’d never do it himself.

  “It is,” Charlie assured him. She took the blanket and spread it out on the floor of the trunk, climbed in, and curled herself into a little ball.

  “Drive slowly,” Greer instructed Eben.

  He nodded. “Don’t worry. I started driving slowly after the first three speeding tickets.”

  “What!” Greer yelped.

  Eben grinned. “Only kidding. I’m a very safe driver. I didn’t know Mintwood residents were so gullible.” He chuckled to himself until he caught sight of Greer’s glare, which sobered him up in a hurry.

  Greer and I climbed in after Charlie, fit ourselves around her somehow, and waited for Eben to shut the trunk.

  “Don’t worry. It’s only about a five-minute drive down the road,” he said.

  “What will you tell the police if they stop the car?” I asked.