by Raven Snow
“What’s he up to these days?” asked Rowen. Searching this guy out and speaking to him seemed like a bit much, but Rowen felt like she should at least ask Ben.
Ben considered that for a moment. “Last I heard, he was spending the night in the drunk tank. That was a couple of weeks ago. He’s a mess.”
Rowen nodded. She hadn’t learned a whole lot. There was something here she was overlooking. She was certain of that. “Thanks, Ben,” she said. She spotted a middle-aged lady near the entrance to the shop, looking rather confused about what sort of place she had just wandered into. Rowen went to help her out.
“I’ll take another look and let you know if I find anything,” Ben called after her.
Rowen smiled back at him. Ben was a good guy. She hoped things worked out between him and Rose. He would make a nice addition to the family. Rowen greeted the woman. She was about to ask her if she needed any help when she noticed Eric. He was standing just outside, talking on his cell phone in a rather heated manner. Rowen excused herself and went outside to find out what was going on.
“Well, this is important too,” said Eric, his tone an exasperated one. “I don’t hear you bothering David about this…I’m not implying anything. It just seems a little ridiculous.” Eric glanced up when Rowen stopped near him. He tensed a bit, like he had stepped outside specifically to avoid this sort of attention. “I’ve got to go. I’ll talk to you later,” he said. He didn’t wait for a response. He hung up.
“Who was that?” asked Rowen, concerned. She thought back to what Tiffany had said. Why was she only noticing that he had been having trouble now? Why hadn’t he said anything about it to her?
“My father,” said Eric. He waved a hand like it was no big deal. “He wants me to meet some new clients.”
Rowen’s heart sank. She knew Eric would have to go away on business eventually, but she hadn’t thought it would be so soon after they had moved. “Do you need to go?”
Eric shook his head immediately. “No,” he said. “It’s a long way to go for just a meet and greet. There’s no point in me going all that way just for that. My parents are more than capable of doing it themselves.”
Rowen took a critical look at her husband. “Are you sure?” she asked. She was suddenly getting the impression that things were strained between Eric and his parents.
“They should be able to,” said Eric. He sighed. “Honestly, I think they just want me away from Lainswich.”
That took Rowen a bit by surprise. “Why would they want that?” she asked.
Eric shrugged. That was just to buy time. It was obvious that he knew. “They haven’t actually said anything,” he said, coming clean. “It’s just the impression that I get. They’ve been a little uncomfortable ever since David moved here. I think they blame this place for him leaving the family business—even though he was having trouble before that. I think they’re afraid that the same will happen to me.”
“That you’ll drift away from the family business?” Rowen asked.
Eric nodded. “It’s ridiculous,” he said.
Rowen thought on that for a moment. “I guess I can see where they’re coming from,” she said, trying to see it from their point of view. Eric didn’t look like he appreciated that much. “I mean, you changing your last name alone probably made them pretty nervous. It might not mean a lot to you as a family unit, but I’m guessing that it meant something to your business.”
Eric shrugged, which meant that it had. “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “I’m not. They’ll do just fine without me. They always have.”
Rowen didn’t press the matter. If Eric said he had this all under control, then he did. He wasn’t one to hide serious problems. Besides, Rowen was beginning to suspect that she had some serious problems of her own.
Chapter Six
Samantha never did call her back, and Liam never mentioned his parents saying anything about the fact that their family dog was still alive. Rowen was left to draw her own conclusions, even if they did seem a bit ridiculous. “I think the Woodwards are dead,” she announced over dinner.
Lo mein halfway to his mouth, Eric put down his fork. Murder wasn’t the best dinner conversation. “What?” he asked, looking at her from across the couch.
“I think the Woodwards are dead. It’s the only reasonable explanation I can think of,” Rowen said again, more certain than ever now that the words were out of her mouth.
Eric leaned forward and grabbed the television remote. He paused the movie they were watching and took a more critical look at her. “That’s the only explanation you can think of? Really? Which Woodwards are we talking about anyway?”
“The parents,” said Rowen. “Mildred and Pete. Those were their names. They’re supposed to be living in Florida now, but I don’t think they are. I think that they’re dead.”
“What makes you say that?” asked Eric.
“A bunch of things. I mean, when was the last time anyone in town saw them or heard from them?” she asked.
“They moved away,” Eric pointed out. “That’s not unusual.”
“From Lainswich, though?” Rowen hadn’t known too many people to leave this place for good. Heck, she didn’t know anyone who had left this place for good. “And their family home? This place was in their family for generations. You don’t just sell a family home.”
“Some people do,” said Eric. “My parents did.”
“That’s different,” Rowen insisted. “Lainswich is different. This place is small, intimate. Something like a family home has sentimentality.”
“That doesn’t mean they were murdered,” said Eric.
“No, but it’s possible.” Rowen leaned against the arm of the sofa. She propped her head up, frustrated. “I wish I could get in touch with them. If I could get in touch with them, I could put a lot of these questions to rest.”
“I thought you thought they were dead,” Eric pointed out.
“I still want to get in touch with them,” said Rowen. “It’s like I can still feel them here, even though they’ve probably moved on.”
Eric groaned and leaned back against the sofa cushions. “I don’t want to live in a murder house, Rowen. I thought we picked this house because of all the nice feelings. Now you’re getting murder feelings?”
Rowen shrugged. “There are nice feelings here, too,” she said in her defense. “There’s more good than bad, really.”
Eric groaned again. Rowen thought it sounded like an accepting groan, at least. “What are you going to do?” asked Eric. He didn’t really sound like he much wanted an honest answer to that question.
“First things first; I should probably get a second opinion from my family.” Rowen cringed even at just suggesting it. Her family wandering around her house, inspecting it for messages from the supernatural—that sounded nightmarish. Even so, it probably needed to be done. She couldn’t depend on Ben to do all the leg work for her. He had a reputation and a job of his own to keep up with after all.
Eric had a similar reaction. He winced. “Does it have to be your whole family?” he asked.
That was a fair point. Maybe it would be best not to issue an open invite. “I don’t know,” she said. “They gossip to one another a lot. I’m not sure who I can tell without the whole family coming along.”
“What about Norman?” asked Eric. “He seems to be sort of the black sheep of the family. Do they always keep up with what he’s doing?”
That was a decent idea. Rowen kept forgetting she had Norman at her disposal now. He spent so much time lazing around the family house. If properly motivated, he could be useful for plenty of things. “That’s a good idea,” said Rowen. “I’ll give him a call.”
Norman answered his cell, sounding bored. “What’s up?” he asked with a yawn.
Rowen could hear the television in the background. She took that as a sign that he wasn’t busy. He was never busy, but it was really only a matter of time before his sisters roped him into helping out at the s
tore. To his credit, he would probably be excellent at helping with the advertising and promotion. “Are you busy tonight?” asked Rowen, feeling confident that she already knew the answer.
“Why?” asked Norman, already wary. No doubt he could sense that he was about to be recruited for something or another.
“I have a bit of an emergency that I want to keep on the down-low,” Rowen explained. “I’ve been sensing something in my house, and I need a second opinion.”
“You don’t want the whole family down there snooping around, huh?” asked Norman. He gave a sigh, and Rowen heard some movement. “I guess I don’t have anything better to do. You want me to swing by there now?”
“If you don’t mind.” Rowen hung up and waited. It didn’t take long before Norman showed up at their front door.
“I told your cousins I was going out on a date,” said Norman as he stepped inside. “They didn’t even care to ask who. Can you believe that?”
“I can,” said Rowen with a laugh. She knew Norman had a colorful dating life. It was something she didn’t care to know too many details about. No one did. “How are things between you and Jeana?” Jeana was a woman he had dated years and years ago. When she had gone missing, a lot of people in town had suspected he had something to do with it. As it turned out, Jeana had just skipped town. The two had been on good terms ever since, and Rowen had suspected they might have a thing going.
Norman didn’t give her a straight answer. He waved his hand, dismissing the question. “Where is this problem of yours?” he asked instead, getting right to the reason she had called him over.
Rowen led Norman out the back door and toward the shed. Eric and Chester joined them on the way. “It’s in there,” Rowen explained, pointing. She didn’t bother to elaborate. “Just see for yourself and tell me what you think.”
Seeing that they were going to the shed, Chester gave a growl. Eric gave him a reassuring pat on the head, but that didn’t seem to help much. Undeterred, Norman proceeded. He made a sound of interest before he even opened the door. “There’s definitely something here,” he said, hand hovering above the door handle. He closed his eyes and stayed put a moment longer, just sensing. Finally, he opened the door.
Chester kept right on growling. Rowen followed close behind her uncle, eager to see his reaction. She had felt it immediately, and Norman had more experience with this sort of thing than she did. Surely, he would sense something.
“Oh, yeah,” said Norman, turning slowly in the shed, hands on his hips. He nodded. “There’s definitely something dark in here. Something bad happened…” He trailed off as if considering. “Murder, maybe?” he ventured.
Rowen turned to her husband. “Told you so.”
Eric just rolled his eyes. “You have the weirdest family,” he said. “And it’s not like I ever said you were wrong. I just hoped you weren’t right…And you might not be. He said maybe murder, didn’t he?”
“I hope I’m wrong too,” Rowen admitted, growing a bit more somber at the implications.
“Either way, it’s something bad.” Norman stayed in the shed only a moment longer. He came out looking as if he felt a bit ill. “What are you wanting to do about this?” he asked Rowen.
“Figure out what’s going on,” said Rowen with a helpless sort of shrug.
“What have you tried so far?” asked Norman.
“I’ve done a little research into the place,” said Rowen. “But that hasn’t turned up a whole lot.” She went on to tell him about finding Chester and not being able to get in touch with his former owners. She told her uncle about the Woodward sons and the fact that the realtor didn’t seem to have much in the way of contact information.
“So, you think the elder Woodwards were killed here, huh?” Norman gathered.
Rowen gave a shrug. “Something like that,” she said. “My mother saw something that might have been them when she was looking in that mirror of hers for me.”
“Did they say anything?” asked Norman.
“Yeah, but she couldn’t make it out,” said Rowen.
Norman took a long, critical look at the shed again. He was quiet. “What are you expecting me to do?” he asked, looking back at his niece.
“Honestly, I just wanted a second opinion first,” Rowen admitted. “I guess, maybe, I was hoping you could do what you did for Jeana.” When she had gone missing, Norman had helped her go in her mind back to the day it had happened. He was good at the witchy stuff, even if he was a bit of a conman in practice.
Norman shook his head. “I can try something like that, but I’m not sure it’ll be any help,” he told her. “We don’t know what happened here or when or why it happened. We know next to nothing, so unless you manage to find more out, there’s not a whole lot to work with.”
Rowen sighed. She looked back at Eric. He was down on one knee, petting Chester. “He might have seen what happened,” Rowen said, indicating the dog.
Norman gave a laugh at that. “Well, I can’t exactly get him to tell us.” He fell silent again, like something had occurred to him. “He could serve as something of a focal point, though, I guess. I mean, it’s worth a try.”
They set up in the shed. Eric locked Chester upstairs with his dog bed and some snacks. They all agreed that there was no need for the old boy to actually be there physically for this. The less he saw of them in the shed, the better.
Eric brought out candles. They were big ones scented like apricot, but Norman insisted that didn’t matter. He liked apricots. Rowen, meanwhile, drew them a circle. It wasn’t a visible one. She just directed her energy around them once they were all in there.
Eric had insisted on participating. “If I’m going to be a Greensmith, I might as well do what Greensmiths do.” Even so, he looked more than a little nervous as he sat there in the floor with them.
Rowen reached over and gave her husband a smile and his hand a squeeze. “Don’t worry,” she told him. “You probably won’t even see anything. Rose almost never does.”
That didn’t seem to help. “Great,” said Eric with a snort. “So there will just be a bunch of creepy unseen things going on around me. That makes me feel much better.”
“You’re adding your energy to the circle,” offered Norman. “You being here helps.” He reached out his hands then, to both his niece and Eric. “Let’s get started.” They all joined hands. Eric was a little reluctant, but he quickly followed their lead. “Now,” Norman went on, “Everyone close your eyes. Close your eyes, but keep picturing the shed. See it in your mind’s eye. See the floor and the walls and the shelves around us.”
Rowen did as she was instructed. It was difficult to concentrate. Even with the circle she had drawn, the energy around them felt heavy and oppressive. She did her best to picture everything anyway.
“Picture…” Norman trailed off. “The dog. Whatever his name is.”
“Chester,” Rowen and Eric said together.
“Picture Chester,” said Norman. “He’s lived his whole life at this house, I assume. I mean, I don’t think any of us have specifics on the dog. For the sake of this, let’s just assume he’s spent his whole life here. Picture him as a younger dog. Picture him playing in the backyard. Picture him near this shed…” Norman trailed off again.
Rowen’s mind wandered. She saw Chester in her mind. She saw him as a younger dog with a wagging tail and less gray in his face. She saw him with the older Woodwards. Mildred was sneaking him scraps. Pete was throwing a tennis ball for him in the backyard. She saw him with younger versions of the Woodward boys. She saw Liam chasing him, laughing. She saw a dark-haired boy that must have been Danny teasing him by spraying him with the garden hose.
The garden itself was there in her vision. It was full of color, bursting with reds and yellows and all shades of green. Mildred and Pete had spent a lot of time out in the garden. Rowen could see them sitting out here in lawn chairs, sipping tea. She saw them working tirelessly on it, even in their old age.
T
hey kept their gardening supplies in the shed. It was full of mulch and potting soil and various tools. Everything was laid out with care.
The vision got darker suddenly. Rowen heard a woman scream. She saw a flash of red and heard Chester growl. Someone was calling after him. The oppressive feel of the shed became unbearable. Rowen’s head throbbed. She tried to tough it out and see if there was anything else she could see. Nothing else was coming through.
Rowen gave up. She let go of her uncle and Eric’s hand and stood. She burst out through the shed door, desperate for air. It was a huge relief to have fresh air filling her lungs.
Eric hurried out beside her. He put an arm around her shoulders. “Are you all right?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” Rowen assured him with a nod. “That was just…It was a lot to process.”
Norman came out behind them both. He didn’t say anything; he just listened intently.
“What did you see?” asked Eric. He looked a little bit annoyed, like he was upset he had missed out on potential revelations.
“I’m feeling more confident the Woodwards were murdered,” said Rowen. She gave a sigh. “Aside from that, I’m afraid that I didn’t see much of anything that was all that useful.”
Norman gave a nod. His expression was unusually serious. “I get the feeling we both saw about the same thing.”
“What now, then?” asked Eric, still looking a bit lost.
Rowen thought back on what she had just seen. “Now, we talk to the sons,” she said. “I think it’s time we met Danny.”
Chapter Seven
Danny Woodward was not an easy man to track down. He was listed online with an address and phone number and everything. None of it checked out which wasn’t too unusual. Rowen got his last known address from Ben. That was a dead end too. The trailer he had been staying at was in a serious state of disrepair. The lot it stood on was totally deserted. Clearly, no one had lived there in a while.
Rowen finally got a lead by calling Peony. Peony was still training for the marathon. Margo and Willow had dodged a lot of the training, opting instead to come back to work. Apparently, sitting in an air conditioned office was preferable to running long distances after all. Of course, there was a decent chance Peony was just into it because of Liam. She had really taken a liking to the guy. They were spending a lot of time together lately. If they weren’t already dating, they would have to be soon. It seemed inevitable at this point.
