Aunt Pearl swore under her breath. “You can call off the dogs, sheriff. Just be glad I decided to cooperate so you won’t get fired.”
Tyler shrugged. He spoke softly into his cell phone before slipping it back into his shirt pocket. His eyes scanned the front lawn as he pointed excitedly to a spot near the Santa sleigh lawn decorations. “Hey, what’s that? Something just moved.”
“It’s Brayden and Gail!” Mom clasped her hands together. “Cen, you did it! You got them back.”
I followed Tyler’s gaze to the Santa sleigh lawn decoration. Sure enough, Brayden and Gail were there. They were surrounded by a giant glass globe that also enclosed the sleigh. I couldn’t believe how large the globe was. But there was no time to gloat.
Gail cowered near Santa’s sleigh while Brayden pounded on the glass several feet away.
“Well, they’re back on the lawn at least. I still have to get them out of the globe.” I sighed.
They waved their arms and clawed at an invisible glass barrier as they mouthed words we couldn’t hear. Just like me earlier, they were trapped inside the magical glass globe that surrounded the lawn decorations. So close, but yet, so far away.
On the bright side, at least the snow globe’s return meant that we could see them. And that meant a much better chance of actually breaking them free from their glass prison.
It dawned on me that Aunt Pearl had never been trapped in my glass globe in the first place. If she had, Earl couldn’t have rescued her. The glass globe that imprisoned Brayden and Gail remained intact, and one spell meant one glass globe.
Why Aunt Pearl had pretended to be caught up in my spell? I had no idea why. What I did know was that my spell hadn’t saved Aunt Pearl after all. Also, my powers were only strong enough to bring the globe back into view. They weren’t enough to extract Brayden and Gail from it.
I felt hopeless. If I hadn’t actually saved Aunt Pearl, how on earth could I rescue Brayden and Gail?
25
We stood in the living room by the Christmas tree. Merlinda’s snow globe seemed to taunt us from its perch on the Christmas tree. It still emitted an ethereal glow, but the magical quality was gone. Now it just seemed eerie and sad.
Mom’s eyes met mine in sympathy. Aunt Pearl and Aunt Amber ignored the globe, seemingly oblivious to its fading glory.
I resisted the temptation to inch closer to the globe. I had no desire to see what was happening in Vanuatu. With Merlinda gone, it hardly mattered anymore.
I asked as nicely as I could. “Aunt Pearl, please help me reverse the rest of the spell.”
“You’ll never learn unless you apply yourself, Cen,” she said. “Don’t expect me to do everything for you.”
I was sick and tired of Aunt Pearl’s tough love. “But what about Brayden and Gail? We can’t leave them trapped outside in the globe. They’ll freeze to death.”
Aunt Amber shook her head. “No, they’ll be fine inside the globe. They can wait a few more minutes. Pearl has something to say, don’t you, Pearl?” She looked expectantly at her sister.
“Nope.” Aunt Pearl crossed her arms and stared at the ceiling as she tapped her foot. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, you do, and you’re going to tell Tyler…I mean, Sheriff Gates, everything you’ve been up to with Merlinda.” A hiccup interrupted Aunt Amber’s stern expression. It was a side effect of her alcohol-laced eggnog. She had resumed drinking once Brayden and Gail reappeared.
Aunt Pearl made a zipping motion across her mouth. “My lips are sealed. I’m gonna lawyer up before I incriminate myself.”
“Ah ha! You admit there was something wrong with your tea after all.” Like a dog with a bone, Aunt Amber never let up.
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Aunt Pearl paused for a moment. “Okay, maybe I spiked it a little, but not with anything deadly.”
I gasped. “You poisoned Merlinda on purpose!”
“Geesh, Cen. You make it sound so sinister. All I did—if I did anything at all—was to help Merlinda out of a jam.”
“Then tell us what you did,” Tyler demanded. “If you haven’t done anything wrong, then you have nothing to worry about.”
Aunt Pearl shook her head. “No way. I don’t trust you one bit, sheriff. Besides, anything that happened between Merlinda and me is none of your business.”
“But Merlinda’s dead,” I said. “You owe us an explanation, Aunt Pearl. I also need your help to get Brayden and Gail out of the globe before we lose them too. Before it’s too late.”
“First things first,” Aunt Amber turned to Tyler. “If Pearl won’t tell you, I will. She told me everything.”
Aunt Pearl glared at her sister, aghast. “I’m sure as heck not going to stay here and listen to your made-up stories, Amber. Especially not when you’re stinking drunk.”
“Don’t even think about going anywhere, Pearl,” Tyler said. “We need to talk.”
“I’ll do whatever I like. You can’t keep me here.” Aunt Pearl turned to leave.
“Maybe not but I can.” Mom snapped her fingers and murmured something in a low voice.
Aunt Pearl yawned and shuffled over to the sofa and sat down. Within seconds she was fast asleep, snoring.
Grandma Vi hovered nearby. “Nicely done, Ruby. I’ve never seen her so peaceful.”
I shook my head. “Wait—what about Brayden and Gail? I still need Aunt Pearl’s help to free them from the snow globe.”
Tyler frowned. He couldn’t see or hear my ghostly grandma.
“Oh, just relax, Cen,” Grandma Vi said. “You don’t need Pearl. I may be a ghost, but I’m still the best witch around. Who do you think taught Pearl everything in the first place?”
“So you’ll help me?” I no longer cared whether Tyler or Earl heard me or not. Let them think I was crazily talking to myself. It was worth it to get Brayden and Gail back before it was too late.
I had never seen Grandma Vi do much magic at all, while living or dead. She had retired before I was born. She always got her daughters to do everything for her, mostly Pearl. Grandma Vi often made promises she couldn’t keep. I just hoped this wasn’t one of them.
“I’ll consider it,” Grandma Vi said. “What’s in it for me?”
This time I decided not to answer and alarm Tyler further. Instead, I turned to Aunt Amber. “Okay, spill the beans, and tell us what Aunt Pearl was doing with Merlinda.”
Aunt Amber talked for fifteen minutes straight. When she finished, we were all too stunned to speak. She was the last person I had expected a teary-eyed confession from.
I felt betrayed. Aunt Pearl had made grandiose plans for a global Pearl’s Charm School franchise with Merlinda as her partner. It wasn’t something I ever wanted, but I was hurt that she hadn’t even asked me.
“You knew all about Pearl and Merlinda’s business plans, and you didn’t say a word all this time?” Tyler frowned as he jotted something down on his notepad. He leaned forward and waited for Aunt Amber to elaborate.
“Is this where you read me my rights?” Aunt Amber glanced back and forth between Tyler and me, fearful of what lay in store for her. “Am I under arrest?”
Tyler sighed. “Not unless you committed a crime. Did you?”
“Of course not! How can you say such a thing?” Aunt Amber crossed her arms and tried to contain her anger. “I pleaded with Pearl to tell you. When she didn’t, it left me in a bit of a pickle. Do I betray my own sister? Or snitch only to be accused of murder myself?”
“Nobody accused you of murder. You could be an accessory to a crime, though.” I sensed Aunt Amber still wasn’t being completely honest. I glanced over at Aunt Pearl who snored peacefully on the sofa.
“You mean, like aiding and abetting Pearl?” Aunt Amber shook her head. “I had nothing to do with her plan, at least not directly. I don’t see why I should incriminate myself just because Pearl won’t cooperate.”
My face flushed. “Nothing’s going to happen to you if you tell t
he truth, Aunt Amber. We do need to figure out what’s going on though. Just tell Tyler what you know, and you won’t be in trouble.”
“Cen’s right,” Tyler said. “We need to get to the bottom of this.”
“After that, maybe you’ll help me free Brayden and Gail,” I said hopefully.
Aunt Amber shrugged. “I can try, but I’m really not very good at that sort of stuff.”
It was obvious that Aunt Amber wasn’t going to try at all. I couldn’t really blame her. Once Aunt Pearl awoke, she would undoubtedly avenge her sister’s betrayal of confidence. But there were two people trapped outside. I had to rescue them, but I couldn’t rely on my aunts. As usual, they were acting like ten-year-olds. It would be comical if the situation weren’t so grave.
“It would have been nice if you had mentioned Pearl’s arrangement with Merlinda earlier,” Tyler said.
Aunt Amber glanced nervously at her dozing sister. “I wanted to tell you…but Pearl swore me to secrecy. In fact, she made me sign a non-disclosure agreement. That’s why I couldn’t mention their business arrangement. I don’t know all the specifics. Pearl was going to announce it over dinner. Just before Merlinda…” Her voice trailed off as she eyed the hallway.
“Under the circumstances, you still should have said something,” I said.
Aunt Amber shook her head as she wiped a tear from her cheek. “Oh, Pearl would have been furious if I had spoiled her surprise. That’s also why she invited Brayden to dinner. He promised tax breaks if the Pearl’s Charm School head office stayed in Westwick Corners.”
“Wait—what? Even Brayden knew all about Aunt Pearl’s business plans before we did?” I was so angry that I briefly considered leaving him in the snow globe.
Aunt Amber nodded. “Brayden and Pearl planned to do a joint press release in early January.”
I was the only ‘press’ to speak of in Westwick Corners, and opening a magic school on some far away island was hardly local news. What infuriated me most was that everybody knew but me. If Aunt Amber knew, then so did Mom. Brayden knew, and it stood to reason that Merlinda would have told Dominic. It was like a conspiracy. Everyone knew but Tyler and me. And, quite possibly, Earl.
“Not everyone.” Grandma Vi hovered in front of me, interrupting my thoughts. I hated how she always read my mind.
I started to speak but caught myself in time. I didn’t want to look like even more of a lunatic in front of Tyler, who couldn’t see or hear Grandma Vi.
I refocused on Aunt Amber. “How is a tax break that pits the town against Aunt Pearl ‘news’?” I made quote marks with my fingers. “It’s really just bad news for the rest of us taxpayers because we have to pay more tax to make up the difference.”
I couldn’t see how it would benefit the town in any way. Just as I suspected, Aunt Pearl hadn’t invited Brayden to our family Christmas Eve dinner out of the goodness of her heart. She had done it for financial reasons.
Aunt Amber shrugged. “Don’t ask me. You know I hate all that financial stuff. Makes my head spin. I just did what Pearl told me to.”
Tyler’s eyes met mine. “That reminds me. Merlinda’s arrangement with Pearl wasn’t her only significant partnership lately. Merlinda had another one with Dominic.”
“Of course. The secret wedding,” I said. “Don’t you find it odd that as newlyweds, they hadn’t discussed details about Merlinda’s flight home? If Dominic knew about that, why the surprise visit to Westwick Corners?”
“Yeah,” Tyler said. “Considering she would have already left town if her flight hadn’t been canceled because of the storm. There’s no way he could have known that ahead of time. He also needed to book ahead of time at Christmas.”
I nodded. “All the flights in and out of the Shady Creek airport were canceled this morning due to the storm, just as Merlinda’s was. There’s only one daily flight into Shady Creek. That flight never arrived, so Dominic must have already been in town before today.”
Aunt Amber shook her head. “Westwick Corners is far too small. An out of town visitor like Dominic would be noticed. Everybody knows everybody here. And they all gossip too.”
“Maybe he stayed in Shady Creek,” I said. Dominic’s flashy Cadillac rental was a fish out of water amongst the town’s pickups and minivans. His tattooed appearance would attract attention too.
I turned to Tyler, but he was already on his cell phone. He said something I couldn’t quite make out, then disconnected. He pocketed his phone and turned to us. “It turns out that Dominic’s been staying at the Shady Creek Motel 6 for about a week.”
“He was already close by but didn’t tell Merlinda?” Aunt Amber’s eyes widened. “That’s not normal newlywed behavior. Why wait to see her?”
“He told me that Aunt Pearl had invited him to surprise Merlinda. Which is really odd that he would have spoken to Aunt Pearl and not Merlinda.” I flashed back to Dominic’s arrival. How had Aunt Pearl known that Merlinda wouldn’t end up catching her flight home?
Unless she had planned something. It struck me as odd that she would even announce the new Vanuatu business venture, let alone invite other people to spend Christmas with us. She was ornery, unpredictable, and secretive. But something had gone wrong because I knew she would never have harmed Merlinda.
At least I didn’t think she would. But someone had harmed Merlinda. I felt certain that Aunt Pearl would never kill someone, but I could see her covering up a terrible accident. She never liked to admit she was wrong either. How far would she go to hide the truth?
First, her botched tea, then, the secret arrangement with Brayden, and now, this secret with Dominic. It explained why the two men were at our family celebration. But it was so unlike Aunt Pearl. I kept coming back to the same thing, though. Aunt Pearl never made mistakes with spells or potions. But the most incriminating thing of all was that she never ever extended hospitality to anyone for any reason, inside our family or out. As in never, ever.
Aunt Pearl was guilty of something. I was certain it wasn’t murder, though—or was I?
26
As my mind grappled with what Aunt Pearl was truly capable of, Grandma Vi flitted back and forth in the living room. She was visibly upset.
“Cendrine, how could you even consider such a thing? Pearl would never harm anyone.”
I don’t know what to think, Grandma. Nobody saw what happened to Merlinda, so I’m looking at all the possibilities. Did you see anything?
Grandma Vi shook her head slowly. “I was too busy feeling sorry for myself while you were all devouring your dinner.”
Wait—you can read everyone’s mind here, can’t you? Whoever killed Merlinda would have been thinking about it.
“That’s not how it works, Cen. When I read minds I only hear what I’m focused on. In other words, I have to make an effort to read a mind. With all of you in the same room talking and thinking, it’s nigh impossible to pick out one person’s thoughts enough to make any sense of it. If only I knew what was about to happen…Sorry, but I’ve got no hot tips for you.”
“But under the right circumstances…” It wasn’t too late. Maybe the killer was thinking about the crime right now. All we had to do was get the killer in the same room as Grandma Vi.
Tyler frowned. “Cen, what did you just say?”
“Nothing…uh, maybe it would be a good idea to interview each person in private.” I hesitated to call ourselves suspects but technically we all were. Even Tyler in fact. And me too.
Someone still had to get to the bottom of things. Rightly or wrongly, I felt certain that I could rule out my own family members as killers. What I couldn’t rule out was whether one of them had caused a tragic accident.
Whatever Aunt Pearl’s involvement was, the sooner we cleared that up, the better. If she had messed up her herbal tea, it was best to own up to it. If it was something worse, well, I didn’t want to even think about that. My stomach churned at the thought.
Aunt Amber looked worried. “Cen, you’re not serio
usly thinking that Pearl killed Merlinda, are you? I mean, sure, she made a mistake with her tea, but it was an accident.”
Aunt Pearl’s eyes fluttered open at the mention of her tea. “I told you, Amber, there was absolutely nothing wrong with my tea. We’ll never expose the killer if you keep talking nonsense.” She yawned and snuggled back into the couch.
I pushed the thought of a killer from my mind and turned to Aunt Pearl. “Tell me more about your secret business opportunity.”
Apart from witchcraft, Aunt Pearl’s mission in life was pretty much focused on driving as many business people as she could out of town. Yet, now, she was recruiting them. That in itself was a huge red flag.
Aunt Pearl’s eyes grew round and she batted her false eyelashes in mock innocence. “What business opportunity? I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“Your Pearl’s Charm School franchise,” I said.
Aunt Pearl gave me a blank stare. “What franchise?”
“Your Vanuatu partnership with Merlinda.” Even Aunt Pearl was exploiting Merlinda. “What’s in it for you?”
“Oh, that.” Aunt Pearl’s bony shoulders rose under her green velvet pantsuit as she shook a finger at Aunt Amber. “I knew your loose lips couldn’t keep a secret. Look, all I did was give Merlinda free room and board here out of the goodness of my heart. In return, she gave me a share of her Vanuatu business. I refused, but she insisted.”
“You kicked me out of my own house only to give my room to a stranger absolutely free?” Grandma Vi’s ghostly visage darkened into a deep shade of red. She was furious. “You told me we made money renting it out. How could you betray me like that?”
Grandma Vi now lived with me in a separate dwelling on the property. Our spacious tree house was modern, comfortable, and private--perfect accommodations for a ghost. She had moved in with me at the time we converted our family mansion into a boutique bed and breakfast, long before Merlinda had boarded in Grandma Vi’s old room. Grandma Vi’s move had been necessary because we couldn’t risk her haunting our guests. She still wasn’t over it.
Christmas Witch List--A Westwick Witches Cozy Mystery Page 14
