“Annie?”
Annie burst into tears when she saw me and raced down the front steps. She blew past Landon and threw her arms around my neck. I could do nothing but catch her.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, stroking the back of her head.
“The ghosts won’t leave me alone,” Annie wailed, tightening her grip on me. “They want me to do something.”
“What?”
“They want me to go to a boat,” Annie said. “They want me to join them there. They say I can live with them forever, but I don’t want that. I’m so … afraid!”
I tugged Annie close, wrapping her legs around my waist to make it easier to hold her as I scanned the dark foliage surrounding the guesthouse. I didn’t see any signs of ghosts, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there. It certainly didn’t mean they weren’t a threat.
I was surprised when Landon draped himself around Annie from the other side, sandwiching her between us. “What are you doing?”
“Protecting you the only way I know how,” Landon said. “If those ghosts want to get either of you, they’ll have to go through me first.”
It was an incredibly sweet sentiment … and altogether unlikely. “We have to get her back to the inn,” I said, keeping my voice low. “She’s not safe out in the open like this.”
Landon was intense as he met my gaze. “Let’s do it.”
“ANNIE!”
Belinda was beside herself when she saw me carry Annie through the front door of the inn. Instead of risking a walk even though it was a nice night, Landon herded us into the Explorer and drove us to The Overlook. The lights ablaze on every floor told me that a search was underway for the youngest inn inhabitant.
“Where did you find her?” Mom asked, her face a mask of concern as she petted Annie’s head.
I transferred Annie to her mother’s waiting arms and sucked in a breath as Belinda rocked the girl, all the while fighting off her own tears.
“She was hiding in the bushes by the guesthouse,” Landon supplied.
“Why did you sneak out, Annie?” Belinda asked. “You knew I would worry. How could you do that?”
“The ghosts told me I had to do it,” Annie said, her voice thick with phlegm. “They said I had to go to them.”
“Stop talking about the ghosts,” Belinda snapped. “There’s no such thing as ghosts!”
It was time for a very difficult conversation and I didn’t give myself time to think of the best way to approach the discussion before blurting it out. “There are ghosts and Annie is being terrorized by a group of them right now.”
Landon shook his head, incredulous. “It’s a good thing you’re not a doctor,” he said. “Your bedside manner is … terrible.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, locking gazes with Aunt Tillie as she shuffled into the foyer. Thistle wasn’t lying about the leggings. The eyeballs were terrifying. “Belinda needs to know. We can’t keep hiding this … especially with Annie is at risk. She can’t wander around the property after dark.”
“I thought you cast a spell to keep the ghosts out,” Landon challenged, focusing on Aunt Tillie. “Isn’t that what you said?”
“I did,” Aunt Tillie replied. “No spirits are getting in this house. I can promise you that.”
“Annie said the ghosts are trying to entice her to the tanker,” I argued. “How can they do that if they can’t get inside of the house?”
“That’s a good question,” Aunt Tillie said, moving closer to Annie. “Where did you see the ghosts?”
“They were on the patio,” Annie sniffed, wiping her snot-covered nose on her mother’s shoulder as Belinda rocked her. “I saw them outside. I tried to ignore them, but they kept waving their hands and telling me to come outside. I didn’t mean to do it.”
Aunt Tillie and I exchanged a dubious look. “They’re gutsy,” I said. “I have to give them that.”
“We need to widen the spell,” Aunt Tillie said. “We need to cover more of the grounds.”
“Can you do that?” Landon looked hopeful.
“We can, but we’re going to need more supplies,” Aunt Tillie answered. “I’ll call Clove and tell her to bring everything she has from Hypnotic tomorrow morning.”
“The spell is all well and good, but we need to be more proactive,” I argued. “We need to go after the ghosts. They’re strong. They’re so strong that Landon saw them tonight.”
Multiple sets of surprised eyes landed on Landon.
“You did?” Mom arched an eyebrow. “How is that possible?”
“He saw them in the mirror at the festival funhouse thing,” I explained. “Thistle thinks that because the ghosts are extremely powerful and the mirrors act as a conduit, he was able to see them.”
“That’s a possibility,” Aunt Tillie conceded. “It’s also a possibility that he has traces of the ability in his blood. His mother was a dabbler years ago. Some of that might’ve stuck with him.”
“I don’t care why it’s happening,” Landon said. “Bay is worried I’m going to freak out, but I’m fine. I’m much more interested in keeping Bay and Annie safe. What Bay failed to mention about what happened in the mirrors is that the ghosts were fixated on her. They were … beckoning. They wanted her to go to them.”
They were? I searched my memory for images from the incident and realized he was right. “I didn’t even notice that,” I admitted. “I … wow!”
“I noticed,” Landon said. “You were too distracted by the fact that I could see them. It’s okay, sweetie. I didn’t want to add to your worry, so I was going to wait until tomorrow morning to discuss it.”
“What are we going to do?” Annie asked, her lower lip trembling. “I don’t like them. They’re scary.”
“We’re going to fix it,” I promised. “You’ll be safe. That’s our top priority.”
“Does someone want to tell me what’s going on here?” Belinda asked, finally speaking up. Her expression was unreadable as her eyes hopped from face to face. “Are you saying that Annie is really seeing ghosts?”
I nodded. “She’s special.”
“I know she’s special,” Belinda spat, cradling her daughter closer to her chest. “I’ve always known she’s special.”
Mom licked her lips as she stepped closer and drew Belinda’s attention to her. “I know this is going to come as something of a shock, but … we’re witches. We have actual magic abilities. I’m sorry we didn’t tell you sooner, but we need to work as a group if we’re going to fix this situation.”
Belinda stared from face to face.
“We don’t ride around on brooms or anything,” Twila supplied. “But we are witches. We were born into power.”
“Speak for yourself about riding around on brooms,” Aunt Tillie interjected. “I’m an excellent broom rider. I’m better than Harry Potter. I could do it professionally.”
Instead of reacting with disbelief or anger, Belinda merely shook her head. “Do you think I’m stupid? I know you’re witches. I’ve known since I met you.”
My mouth dropped open. “You have?”
“Of course I have,” Belinda said. “I know you saved me in the hospital. I know that you’ve fought off several threats in recent months. I know about all of it. What I don’t understand are the ghosts. Are you telling me they’re real, too?”
I wordlessly nodded.
“Well, now I’m ticked,” Belinda said, pressing a kiss to Annie’s forehead. “I’ve been calling Annie a liar for days and you all knew she was telling the truth. I’m extremely pissed off with all of you.”
Shame washed over me. “I … .”
“Don’t speak right now, Bay,” Belinda ordered, lifting Annie so she could carry her toward the stairs. “I need time to think. I know you’re sorry, but … this is a big deal. I called my daughter a liar. That’s not fair to her.”
“Don’t blame Bay,” Landon said. “They were all trying to figure out the best way to tell you.”
“Perhaps they shou
ld’ve trusted me,” Belinda suggested, her eyes flashing. “That would’ve been better for all of us. It certainly would’ve been better for Annie.”
“I’m sorry,” I offered lamely. “We thought we were doing the right thing.”
“Well, it was the wrong thing,” Belinda said as she ascended the stairs. “I’m keeping Annie with me for the night. We’ll talk more about this in the morning. I’m assuming she’s safe for the night, right?”
“She’s safe,” Aunt Tillie said solemnly. “I promise we’ll keep her that way.”
“Let’s hope so,” Belinda said, her tone cold. “If I lose my daughter because of this, I’ll never forgive any of you.”
The words stung, but I couldn’t blame her. We all watched helplessly as she carried Annie to the second floor. Once she was gone, Aunt Tillie finally broke the uncomfortable silence.
“She’ll be fine after a good night’s sleep.”
“You don’t know that,” I challenged. “She’s upset. I would be, too.”
“She’ll be fine,” Aunt Tillie repeated. “She’s exhausted. We just explained something she didn’t know existed. It’s going to be okay.”
“How can you know that?”
“Because I’m the most powerful witch in the Midwest,” Aunt Tillie replied. “I know all and see all.”
“Awesome,” Landon muttered. “Do you know that those leggings are obscene?”
“I know that they’re amazing, and I love making a fashion statement,” Aunt Tillie countered. “As for the rest … stuff it. Now, who wants to make me some tea and get me some cookies?”
Landon remained unruffled by her tone. “I thought you’re the most powerful witch in the Midwest. Why can’t you do it for yourself?”
Aunt Tillie extended a craggy finger in warning. “You’re on my list.”
TWENTY-SIX
I was nervous when we entered the inn for breakfast the next morning. Aunt Tillie wasn’t in her usual spot in front of the television – never a good sign – and the morning news telecasters were getting off easy without her derisive comments.
Landon and I hit the kitchen. He perked up when the scent of bacon hit his nostrils. The food was already gone, though, and he looked disappointed when he realized the room was empty.
“They wouldn’t have eaten without us, would they?”
I glanced at the clock on the wall. “We’re right on time,” I said. “I’m sure there will be plenty to eat.”
“There’d better be bacon,” Landon said, following me toward the swinging door that led to the dining room. “If there’s no bacon, I’m going to cry.”
Despite how rough our past twenty-four hours had been, I couldn’t help but smile. “If there’s no bacon, I’ll go into town with you and buy you some at the diner.”
“That sounds like a plan.”
The dining room table was full of people, although the only guests were Maggie and Richard. They looked uncomfortable. Everyone silently stared at their plates. I didn’t miss the morose look on Belinda’s face as she sat at the end of the table with Annie. Marcus rested on the girl’s other side, spreading fresh blackberry jam on Annie’s toast. Nobody spoke.
Landon clearly didn’t like that.
“Good morning,” he announced, ushering me toward our usual chairs and flashing a charming smile. “How is everyone today?”
“No one is talking,” Annie volunteered. “I think they’re in a fight.” She was either oblivious to what had happened the previous evening or over it. I couldn’t tell which.
“Everyone will start speaking now,” Landon said, reaching for the bacon platter first. “It will probably be loud talking, but you don’t need to worry about that. No matter what is said, everyone here loves you and we’re trying to make sure you’re taken care of.”
Annie widened her eyes. “Everyone is fighting about me? How come?”
“We’re not fighting about you,” Thistle said, flashing a smile. “We’re not technically fighting at all.”
“Oh, we’re fighting,” Belinda intoned. “I’m still really angry with all of you.”
“I don’t blame you for that,” Thistle said, glancing to the open door frame that separated the dining room from the rest of the inn. Chief Terry smiled as he breezed inside, and Thistle relaxed when she realized he was alone. “You have every right to be angry with us. We should’ve told you about being witches … and ghosts … and magic … before now.”
“Oh, Criminy,” Chief Terry groused as he sat next to me. “What did I miss?”
“We found Annie outside of the guest house last night,” I explained. “She was running from the ghosts.”
“And these are the ghosts from the tanker?” Chief Terry was up on the latest, but he was never comfortable when we talked about the paranormal. It was as if he couldn’t wrap his mind around it. I knew he believed us, but he probably would’ve been a much happier man if he chose to surround himself with people who didn’t wreak havoc by controlling the weather and cursing each other so their pants didn’t fit.
I nodded. “They’re strong ghosts, and they want Annie for … something.”
“Speaking of that, Annie, can you tell us what the ghosts have been saying to you?” Landon asked the question as if it was entirely normal and he was trying to solve a regular case. “What exactly are they trying to do?”
“I already told you,” Annie replied. “They want me to go to the big boat by the lighthouse. They say I can live with them. I don’t want that. I like living here.”
“We like you living here,” Mom said. “We’d be lost without you.”
“You are planning on staying, right?” Twila asked Belinda. She appeared uncomfortable when asking the question, but that didn’t stop her. “It’s not safe for you to move and take Annie away right now.”
“I have no intention of leaving … at least for the time being,” Belinda said stiffly. “I’ve been saving money so we can afford a down payment on a house eventually, but I’m nowhere near that point yet. Also, if what everyone says is true, it seems this is the safest spot for Annie right now.
“You might not think I’m trustworthy or want to share your secrets, but I believe I’m a good mother,” she continued. “I wouldn’t risk Annie for anything.”
“No one thinks you’re untrustworthy,” Thistle argued. She was incredibly tight with Annie, and I could tell Belinda’s words – and swirling anger – weighed heavily on her diminutive shoulders. “That’s not why we didn’t tell you.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me?” Belinda challenged. “We’ve been living under the same roof for months. If you weren’t trying to protect yourselves, why hide something that big from me?”
“We didn’t volunteer the part about us being witches right away because we didn’t want to freak you out,” I supplied. “You were in the hospital for almost two weeks after your accident. We were worried you’d think we were crackpots and take Annie away if you knew.”
“We planned to tell you a few weeks after you moved in,” Clove added. “We talked about it. When it came time, though, we never seemed to find the right moment. The more time that passed, well, the more difficult it became.”
“I understand that,” Belinda conceded. “It can’t be easy for you, but I’ve known about the witch stuff since the beginning. I don’t remember being unconscious or how you woke me, but I had dreams after the fact.
“My first inclination that my dreams might’ve actually been real came when I saw everyone dancing naked under the full moon,” she continued. “I was surprised, to say the least, and I eavesdropped a bit. You talked about curses and spells while you were out there.”
“Just for clarification, we don’t all dance naked under the full moon,” Clove explained to Maggie, her cheeks red. “That’s something the older generation does. We don’t participate.”
“I definitely don’t participate,” Landon agreed, flipping his eggs on top of his corned beef hash and mashing everything together.
“I do like the wine, though, and I’ve gotten used to seeing my girlfriend’s mother’s boobs. Wow. There’s a sentence I never thought I’d say.”
Chief Terry slapped his hand to his forehead and glared at his plate while Aunt Tillie snickered.
“You should consider yourself lucky,” Aunt Tillie said. “Most men would pay money to see our boobs. We could show our boobs professionally if we wanted. Wait … that came out wrong.”
“Oh, it’s too late to take it back,” Thistle said. “You’re a professional stripper. Deal with it.”
Aunt Tillie didn’t appear bothered by Thistle’s tone. “I’ve been called worse,” she said, shifting her eyes to Belinda. “We’re sorry we didn’t tell you, but you have to understand that we didn’t do it out of malice.
“We love you and Annie and you’re part of our family,” she continued. “You were right about us not telling you the ghosts were real. We should’ve done it the second we realized what was going on. That’s on us. You’re wrong about the rest, though.
“Intentions count in the real world, and we’ve been working our asses off to keep Annie safe,” she said. “We don’t always do it the right way, but no one is perfect. So, if you want to be angry that we didn’t own up to the ghosts being real, that’s your right. If you want to be angry about the other stuff, well, grow up. No one was trying to hurt you. We don’t have time for childish crap with a pack of ghosts on the loose.”
My mouth dropped open. “You can’t say that to her.”
“I just did,” Aunt Tillie shot back, unruffled. “We have big things to discuss this morning. We need to put the bad feelings behind us.”
Belinda’s face was unreadable as she scanned the concerned faces at the table. Finally she heaved a sigh. “Fine. I’m not angry any longer. I’m not happy, but I can’t hold this against you. You were trying to do right by your family.”
“Good,” Aunt Tillie said, beaming as she shoved the tomato juice carafe in my direction. “Drink up, sourpuss. You’re always such a downer, but I knew it would work out.”
I couldn’t help but be agitated by her smugness. “One of these days you’re going to be wrong,” I said. “I hope to be there when it happens.”
Wicked Witches of the Midwest 9 Page 23
