Moonshine & Magic

by Bella Falls

  Lavender stood up, taking the paper with her. “We need to get back and help our families get ready. Are you gonna be able to come?”

  “Count me in,” I said. “Nana and I have come to an understanding. I plan on eating as much barbecue as possible until my belly explodes. And I call dibs on at least one serving of cracklin’. Crispy tails and ears for me.”

  “As far as I'm concerned, you can have all the cracklings. We'll make sure you get them,” promised Lily. The two cousins bid their goodbyes with hugs and kisses.

  After my friends left, I rubbed my temple. Nana rushed to my side. “What's wrong? Should I make up some more potion?”

  I stroked Peach’s head and took comfort in her tiny purr. “No. It's yet another mystery to solve, and they’re all connected. But I can’t see how. Or Why. And who was Linsey's source about the curse?”

  We counted off the names of all the people who were in the know. For the most part, we could say with confidence that it wasn't any of them.

  “Mason?” Nana asked.

  I shook my head. “He’s not even here right now, and he's a detective and a professional. I don't think that he would talk to a reporter.”

  “Dash?”

  I fingered the pink key around my neck, remembering the night it was gifted to me. Would the wolf shifter betray my trust? “No.” A small amount of doubt flavored my answer.

  “Is there anybody else not in your inner circle who knew about the curse?”

  Only one possibility popped up in my memory. She wore blood red shoes and had been the first to speculate what was wrong with me from the beginning.

  “Bring me another glass of sludge, Nana. I guess I have a new reason to attend the picnic in tonight.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  The smell of barbecue permeated every molecule of the air. The annual pig pickin’ stood out as the most anticipated food event of the year. Other than fueling everybody for the night’s founding ceremony, it was a good time for everybody to fill up with outstanding food and indulge in an immense amount of fun.

  As soon as we arrived, Nana checked with me one last time before splitting off to talk to others. The decorating committee had gone all out with sparkling lights floating in the air that resembled strawberries of various sizes. Based on their twinkling pink color, I bet Goss had a hand in it.

  I searched the crowd for my friends, but my growling stomach drove me to the line at one of the large grill cookers to get a heapin’ help of shredded pork smothered in spicy vinegar-based sauce. After getting my fair share, I worked my way through the side dishes, scooping up spoonfuls of tangy coleslaw, sweet baked beans, Brunswick stew, and stacking golden squares of cornbread until my paper plate threatened to collapse.

  It took great effort to ignore all eyes watching my every movement as I weaved through the crowd. Some people scattered out of my path so I wouldn’t even touch them. All the whispers, stares, and general pointing did nothing to help me feel that welcome.

  When the crowd parted, I caught a glimpse of Linsey across the way. Lily’s sister stopped in her tracks and turned as bright as a ripe strawberry. She darted her eyes away from me and sprinted in the opposite direction.

  “Yeah, you better run,” I mumbled under my breath, shoveling a victorious forkful of barbecue in my mouth.

  The words murder and curse floated in the air around me. Maybe coming to the picnic hadn’t been the greatest idea. But what were my alternatives? Should I have stayed at home, counting the seconds until Doozy…no, scratch that…the curse took me? Or should I be out eating some of the finest barbecue in the South and drowning my sorrows in sweet tea? With stubborn resolve, I made my way toward the refreshment area.

  As I got to the end of yet another line, somebody jostled me into a nearby figure. A dollop of coleslaw smeared down the back of the innocent bystander in front of me. Before I could wipe it off, the person turned around.

  Raif glared down his nose at me with disgusted recognition. “My deepest apologies, Miss Goodwin,” he sneered, flinching away from me.

  Lady Eveline flashed me an apologetic glance from her spot in front of him, and the pieces fell together. I knew that Raif was supposed to stop by her house the same night I visited her, and she definitely knew about the curse. It had never occurred to me that she might have shared the information, but that would make sense as to why Beau knew about it as well.

  “I would think that a young woman in your condition should not be attending an event such as this,” Raif uttered in his impeccable British accent. He tightened his grip on the bedazzled leash that led down to a little pug sitting dutifully at his feet, tail wagging and tongue panting. “After all, if these be your last hours, should you not be spending them with those you love?”

  I glanced around at everyone surrounding me. Maybe he was right, and I shouldn’t be here. But if I were to drop dead at that very second, I would wish to spend it with as many people as possible. After all, why else had I returned Honeysuckle?

  “I am, sir,” I replied, standing up straighter.

  “But are you not afraid that you could pass the curse on to someone else?” The vampire picked up and snuggled his beloved pug even tighter, making kissy faces and speaking in baby talk. The longer it went on, the more I was losing my appetite.

  Lady Evangeline touched his arm. “Raif, darling, you know that's not how this works.”

  He ignored his friend’s reprimand. “I know nothing of the sort. As you keep trying to reassure me, your friend here is not the one to blame for Mr. Walker’s demise. That is, if we are to believe that the one with the curse did not genuinely commit the murder, against all properties of any death curse I’ve ever heard of.”

  A crowd had gathered around us, and my cheeks flamed under all the attention. “That's because she understands I would never have killed my own kin.”

  Raif stopped doting on his beloved pet long enough to dismiss me. “So you say. Come, Sir Barkley. Let us find more suitable company.”

  He set his pug on the ground, and the two sashayed their uptight behinds away in practical unison. I kept my mouth shut about the unsightly smear on his back. Served him right to have his perfect image dirtied up a little bit.

  Lady Eveline stayed behind as if she wanted to say something more to me. However, when Raif beckoned, she seemed torn. Mouthing an apology to me, she joined her fellow vampire.

  Having witnessed the minor kerfuffle, my friends rallied around me. They held out plates of food and cups of sweet tea as shields against any more accusers. With the music playing loud and too many people milling close by, I didn’t see how I could fill them in about the will or ask about Lee or Dash without allowing too many curious bystanders to hear.

  When the music came to an end, Nana approached the microphone and waved to the crowd. “Hey, y'all. How's everybody doin’?” She waited for the various cheers to die down. “How about that good food sittin’ in your bellies provided by our mighty fine team? Let's give them a round of applause for sitting with the pigs in their grills overnight.”

  As I scooped up some barbecue, I noticed the slight shake in my hand. The throb that I’d grown accustomed to in my arm radiated across my entire body. Sudden dizziness threatened to overtake me, and I shut my eyes for a second.

  Blythe touched my shoulder. “You okay?”

  I nodded and plastered a smile on my face. “Sure.” Maybe Nana had been right about me not coming out tonight.

  An exit plan formed in my head until I spotted Wayne, the proclaimed pirate who’d been on the fishing trip with Jed Farnsworth. Downing the last of my tea to bolster my energy, I handed my plate and cup to Blythe, who shot me a puzzled look but took my trash with a shrug of her shoulders. While the audience clapped and responded to my grandmother, I used the opportunity to weave through the crowd undetected.

  “I’m so thrilled to introduce tonight's band,” Nana continued. “It's their first debut in Honeysuckle, and we couldn’t be any prouder. Y’all give a w
arm round of applause to our very own Jordy and the Jack-O’-Lanterns.”

  The crowd whooped and hollered as a young lady with some of the longest hair I’d ever seen approached the mic, wielding a bass guitar. It had only been a year since I’d been gone, but I recognized her in an instant. I followed the loudest hollering to a nearby table where her proud papa stood up, cheering for his daughter.

  “Wayne,” I clapped the jolly pirate on the back. “Don't tell me that's your daughter.”

  “It sure is,” he exclaimed with great pride in his eyes.

  “I can't believe how grown-up she is.”

  “It happened so fast,” admitted his lovely wife, Greta, wiping a small tear from her eye.

  After an amazing cool bass intro, the band broke into a country blues song. The second Jordy wailed on the mic, I knew she was the daughter of a siren. She sang about the trouble that people can get into because of moonshine, the lyrics of the song a clever play on words between moonlight and alcohol.

  “Want to buy a T-shirt?” Wayne asked.

  “Absolutely,” I shouted over the song. “But I'll have to owe you one. I didn’t bring any money with me.”

  “That's fine as long as you put it on right now.” He handed me the shirt, and I obliged.

  By the third time Jordy sang the chorus, the whole crowd knew the words, and we all sang along. At the end of the song, everyone burst out in gleeful cheers. The talented young lady flashed a smile at her parents and bent her head so that her hair covered her face, hiding her slight embarrassment from all the positive attention.

  “She's awesome,” I told her father over the racket.

  “That she is.” He beamed at his beautiful and talented daughter.

  I waited for things to quiet down for a moment. “Hey, Wayne. When did you get back from your fishing trip?”

  “This morning. We brought in a huge haul.” His eyes remained glued to the stage.

  “So that means that Jed’s back, right? Any chance he's here tonight?” I asked.

  Wayne shrugged as his daughter started a new song. “I guess,” he said. “Isn’t everyone here?”

  I let him be so he could enjoy his daughter's performance and moved through the excited crowd, looking for the town’s head advocate. If Jed was here, then maybe he could tell me where Tipper’s will was hidden, and we could stop Aunt Nora. That mission fueled my search, and I ignored the ache in my body.

  As I snuck around the edges avoiding the attention from others, a warm hand touched my arm, and I turned. Tucker glanced at me with hope and determination. “Charli, I'm glad you're here.”

  I so did not have time for him. “Shouldn’t you be with your fiancée?”

  He stepped closer to me. “She doesn't matter right now. You do. Can we talk?”

  I tried to walk away, but he grasped me harder. “Let me go, T.”

  “But Charli, if we don't talk now, it may be too late.”

  “It's already too late.” My sharp words made him grimace.

  I couldn’t help my conflicted emotions about him. Once upon a time, he was supposed to be my Prince Charming. I knew I’d walked away from him for a reason, but never in my life did I think he’d end up being the villain and not the hero.

  “There are things I need to say to you,” he insisted.

  Like telling me that you broke into Tipper’s house? That you’re helping Aunt Nora? That maybe you’re a part of my great-uncle’s death? Questions swirled in my head and turned my stomach. “What kind of things, Tuck?”

  He opened his mouth to say something but closed it again. Releasing my arm, he ran his hand through his hair. “I’ve thought about what I wanted to say to you if I ever got a chance for over a year. And now that you’re here in front of me, I honestly don’t know where to start.”

  Typical Tucker. Full of promise, but in the end, he could never follow through. I narrowed my eyes at him, “Is there something you need to confess or get off your chest?”

  My question took him by surprise. “What?”

  The song ended at the same time that I spotted Jed standing around not too far away, eating barbecue. Two choices plagued me that I had no time to consider—stand here and see if my ex had the integrity to own up to his actions or pursue a more direct line of information we desperately needed.

  “I’ve got to go,” I insisted.

  Tucker grabbed my hand. “Wait.”

  The applause died down, and my grandmother returned to the stage. “What a great way to cap off this year’s pig pickin’, wouldn’t you say? Now, y’all finish what you’re eating and let us all head to the tree for tonight's ceremony.”

  With a twist, I yanked out of Tucker’s grip. I looked at him in disappointment. “Bye, T.”

  Hustling to catch Jed, I pushed my way against the flow of the crowd. By the time I arrived at the spot where he’d just been, he was gone. I’d have to wait until after the ceremony. Or maybe I could catch him before it all began? If I were there before everything started and then left, I, technically, wouldn’t be breaking my grandmother’s request.

  Keeping a low profile and attempting to avoid Nana, I searched for any of my friends and found Alison Kate standing with Lee. I gave my spectacled friend a huge hug.

  “I thought you were rotting away in a cell.” I clapped him on the shoulder.

  He shook his head. “I’m not under arrest.”

  “That’s good.” I wiped the beads of sweat from my brow, trying to stay upright on my unsteady feet.

  “But I’m not supposed to leave Honeysuckle, either,” he added, frowning. “Neither was Dash, but he took off anyway.”

  My stomach curdled. “You mean, he left? Temporarily or for good?” That crazy wolf shifter better not have done something stupid.

  “I don’t know,” Lee admitted. “I told him to stay put and wait things out, but he wouldn’t listen. He said something about trouble always finding him, and that everyone would be better off if he weren’t here.”

  My friend leaned in and gave me another hug. He turned his head so only I could hear him. “He also told me to give you this and to tell you that he’s sorry.”

  I pushed Lee away. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  Alison Kate tugged on Lee’s sleeve. “Guys, we’re gonna be late. We need to go.”

  Disappointment weighed on my heart. Finding out Tucker’s insides weren’t as pretty as his outsides didn’t surprise me. Learning that Dash was a coward did.

  Bitter anger burned away my dismay. In fairytales, the men swung the swords and defeated the monsters. In reality, Tucker might be on the side of the monsters, and Dash tucked his tail between his legs and ran away.

  Well, those two men might not be capable of doing the right thing, but I definitely was. Although my inner gas tank was almost on empty, I would use up all my reserves to fight until the end.

  “Lee, take me to the tree.”

  Chapter Twenty

  The Founders’ tree stood in the middle of an open field. Like many others in our region, it was a massive live oak, growing taller and wider than its relatives that beat it by hundreds of years. Town lore stated that it expanded to its current height within five years of the original three founders planting their first treasures.

  Its branches twisted and spread out wide in all directions that dipped as close to the earth and stretched high in the sky. The thick green canopy of leaves hosted long strands of Spanish moss. Benevolent energy radiated off of it on a normal day. On a night like tonight, the entire atmosphere of the area crackled with magic.

  Once we arrived, I ignored the increasing pulse of pain in my body and enlisted Lee and Alison Kate’s help to look for Jed. With all the chaos before the ceremony buzzing around us, it didn’t take long for the two of them to be pulled aside or distracted. Trying to stay hidden from my grandmother didn’t help my ability to openly run around asking questions, either.

  While walking backward, searching the faces around me, I stumbled into someone a
nd lost my balance. Strong hands caught me and kept me upright.

  I turned to apologize to my savior and found myself in the arms of Ashton. “Thank you,” I managed.

  Instead of polite acceptance, he pushed me away from him, his hands fisting at his side. “Sure.”

  “Ashton, darlin’, there you are.” Aunt Nora approached him and hooked her arm around his. When she noticed me, her smile disappeared. “Oh, you.”

  “Yes. Me.” My irritation with her extra-puckered countenance flamed my anger over her entanglement in the entire mess.

  “Why are you here, Charlotte? I would think in your current condition it wouldn’t be safe for you to participate tonight. If I looked as disheveled as you do, I wouldn’t step a foot out the door,” she challenged.

  For once, I wished with all my might that I could pass on the curse. “Gee, thanks.”

  Turning her attention back to Ashton, Aunt Nora’s face lit up. “I’ve secured you a perfect spot so you can watch me take my place as the Walker founding member.” Her eyes flitted back to mine in triumph.

  “Since when?” I blurted.

  A malevolent grin spread across her face. “Since your grandmother realized the necessity of all three families being needed to complete the ceremony.”

  “But Nana already has Uncle Tipper’s treasure. Why would she need you?”

  She held up her fingers as she counted. “It took a Hawthorne, a Goodwin, and a Walker in the beginning. I imagine your grandmother realized how much she needed me.”

  The world flashed in and out for a second, and my legs threatened to give out. I took a deep breath, willing myself not to faint. “For the ceremony only. That seat isn’t yours permanently.”

  “Not yet. But soon.” She pulled on her companion’s arm. “Ashton, are you coming along?”

  The young man looked about as good as I felt. Sweat trickled down his face, and his color resembled more that of a ghost. He hid a slight cough behind the back of his hand. “If you don’t mind, Leonora, I’m not feeling all that well. I believe that I will have to miss out on tonight’s events.” He unhooked her arm from his. “Charlotte, if you need an escort home, I would be happy to take you with me.”