Kelly had always been a royal pain in the ass, immature to a fault, but I never pictured her as a firebug. She was clearly having problems with Mrs. Little. I witnessed that at the cemetery. That didn’t explain why she would burn her own festival booth as well as Mrs. Little’s store … unless she was trying to throw off the cops.
“I don’t understand,” I admitted. “What does Kelly have to gain by setting fires? Are you sure there’s lighter fluid in this car?”
“If you don’t believe me, check,” Viola instructed, rolling her eyes. “And people say I’m slow.”
“I didn’t say I didn’t believe you,” I said. “I can’t check, though. The trunk is locked.”
“She has a hidden key in a little container over the rear tire,” Viola said, pointing toward the driver’s side. “I saw her put it there before going to find you.”
Well, that was convenient. It was also illegal for me to open Kelly’s car. Of course, I was partially raised by Aunt Tillie. I wasn’t always married to the idea of following the rules.
“You need to keep watch,” I ordered, casting a furtive look around the parking lot before moving to get the key. “If you see someone come out … .”
“I’ll tell you,” Viola finished.
I found the key exactly where Viola said I would, and I sucked in a breath when I slipped it into the lock. I lifted the trunk lid and frowned when I saw the three containers of lighter fluid sitting in a box.
“I told you.” Viola was smug.
“I guess you did,” I said, shaking my head as I reached to touch one of the containers. I thought better of it at the last second and snatched back my hand. “I still don’t get it. Why would Kelly do this? Why would she set fires?”
“I have a better question,” a chilling voice said from behind me. “What are you doing going through my trunk … and who are you talking to?”
I recognized Kelly’s voice before I could turn around. The gaze I shot Viola was murderous. “Really?”
Viola shrugged. “I forgot. By the way, she left the building and she’s here.”
“I never would’ve guessed.” I squared my shoulders, readying myself to turn around. I didn’t get a chance, because something heavy hit my shoulders and pitched me forward. I didn’t lose consciousness and I fought my descent, but the trunk was huge and once my body weight toppled me over Kelly grabbed my legs. I was in too awkward of a position to fight and could do nothing as she tossed my legs over the side and slammed down the trunk lid, plunging me into claustrophobic darkness.
“Well this just sucks,” Kelly complained from the outside. “What am I supposed to do now?”
That was an excellent question.
THIRTY-TWO
I screamed as I kicked against the trunk lid, but no help came. I heard Kelly muttering to herself as she got in the car and fired up the engine. I rolled to the side of the trunk as she sped out of the parking lot, but I had no way of knowing which direction she headed – or what she had planned.
Well, great. I was being held captive by a woman I had hated in high school and no one knew where I was. I moved my hand over my pocket and heaved a sigh when I felt my phone. I was relieved when I saw that I had service and immediately pressed Landon’s name on my contact list. He picked up on the second ring.
“Do you miss me already?” His voice was low and seductive.
“I’ve been kidnapped!”
There was nothing but silence on the other end of the phone call, so much so that I thought I’d accidentally dropped the call.
“Landon?”
“That’s not funny, Bay,” Landon said after a beat. “That’s not even remotely funny. Why would you say that?”
“Because I found out who the arsonist is. She caught me, and now I’m locked in her trunk.” I knew I should be frightened – and part of me was – but I was more angry and disappointed in my stupidity than anything else.
“She?”
“Yes, it seems we were all wrong,” I said. “Although … .” Something occurred to me. “I think I felt youthful glee at the unicorn store because the energy I associated with this person was tied up with my feelings of being young. That means I was technically right and you were wrong.”
“I’m not messing around here,” Landon snapped. “Have you really been kidnapped?”
I swallowed hard. “Yes.”
“Where are you, sweetie?” Landon said, his voice cracking. “Tell me exactly what’s going on.”
“Viola came to see me at the newspaper. She said she saw someone with a bunch of lighter fluid in the trunk of her car, but couldn’t put a name to the face,” I explained. “She took me to the car and then told me where to find the hidden key, so I looked in the trunk.”
“You looked in the trunk?” Landon exploded. “What is wrong with you?”
“Now isn’t the time for that,” I pleaded. “I’ve been kidnapped. Keep your eye on the ball.”
“I’m going to kick the ball into your behind if you don’t tell me where you are,” Landon seethed.
“I don’t know where I am,” I said. “Kelly Sheffield caught me going through her trunk and hit me. I fell inside … er, well, kind of. She tossed my legs in and then locked me in here. Now she’s driving, and I have no idea where she is.”
“What kind of a car?”
“A really crappy old Buick,” I replied. “Luckily, the trunk is big, so I’m not crying because I’m cramped or anything.”
Landon lowered his voice. “Are you crying for another reason? Are you in pain?”
“I’m embarrassed and a little worried,” I admitted. “I think … I think I should jump out of the trunk.”
“You just said you were locked in the trunk.” I could hear Chief Terry asking questions in the background, but Landon shushed him. “How can you get out of the trunk?”
“I can cast a spell to unlatch it, but … she’s driving fast so I might hurt myself if I jump.”
“Then don’t jump!”
“What happens if she keeps driving for hundreds of miles?” I challenged. “What happens if she drives to the middle of nowhere and has a gun in the glove box or something? I don’t see where I have a lot of choice.”
“You could break your leg jumping from a moving car,” Landon argued. “You could smash your head.”
“That’s better than a bullet to the head,” I said. “The longer she drives, the worse my position is.”
“No, you could let us find you,” Landon countered. “Chief Terry is sending out an alert so everyone will be looking for the car. We’ll find you.”
“We both know there are hundreds of country roads out here,” I said, fighting overtime to rein in my growing despair. “I need to take control of the situation.”
“Bay … .” I could picture Landon pinching the bridge of his nose as he held the phone to his ear, worry and dread overwhelming him. “Fine. If you’re going to do it, you’re going to have to turn off the phone and try to put it someplace safe when you jump.”
“You’re letting me do this?” I couldn’t help but be amazed.
“I’m not letting you do anything,” Landon replied. “I have faith you’ll realize that I can’t live without you and that you’ll do your very best to survive this.”
His words caused my stomach to flip. “I love you.”
“Don’t say your goodbyes,” Landon gritted out. “You’ll see me very soon.”
“I know,” I said, gathering my courage. “I’ll call you as soon as I can.”
“Just take care of yourself,” Landon said. “Push up the trunk lid after you get it open. When Kelly realizes that you’re making an escape, she’ll hopefully slow down. That will be your chance. You need to hide instead of fighting. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“Call me when you can, but don’t risk yourself when you’re doing it,” Landon said. “And, Bay?”
“What?” I was near tears.
“I love you. Don’t you dare
die on me!”
I disconnected the call and slipped my phone into my bra. I couldn’t think of a safer place. Then I blinked back tears and focused my attention on the trunk lid, muttering a spell Aunt Tillie taught me so that I could break into the pantry as a child. The trunk lid popped open and I sucked in a breath before shoving it up.
I could see the trees speeding by from my position and when I sat up, a blast of air struck me full in the face. The road behind us was empty, but I recognized where we were – Longham Drive. The road intersected with the road the inn was on, but that was more than a mile behind us.
Kelly must’ve noticed that the trunk was open, because the car began drastically slowing. She didn’t hit the brakes so hard they locked – which was a blessing – and as the car began to coast I swallowed my fear and jumped toward the nearby ditch.
I hit the ground hard, the air momentarily knocked from my lungs. I rolled to my back and stared at the bright sun as Kelly’s car screeched to a stop. I shifted my eyes and met Kelly’s hateful glare as she opened the car door. I had no time and only one option. I pushed the pain out of my head and rolled to my knees before struggling to my feet. I gave Kelly one more glance and then bolted into the woods.
The Overlook was at least two miles away. I had no idea if I could stay ahead of Kelly long enough to reach my destination.
THE GOOD news is that I know the area surrounding The Overlook better than most because I spent my childhood playing in the trees and my teenage years doing things I wasn’t supposed to do and trying to hide it from my mother. I knew the woods better than anyone.
Kelly was still chasing me, and my hip ached from my jump, so I couldn’t move very fast. I found a small hollowed out area on a hill and covered by branches, and slid into it as I waited for Kelly to either leave the area or give up and go home.
I kept one eye on Kelly as she looked behind trees and under bushes. She was a good five hundred feet away, so I pulled my phone out of my bra. It was warm from being pressed so close to my skin and seemed to be working. The first thing I did was turn it to silent so a text message or phone call wouldn’t reveal my location. I probably should’ve done that before I jumped, but I was too nervous to think about it. I typed out a text to Landon.
I’m okay. I’m on the ground.
Landon started typing back immediately, asking where I was.
I’m about two miles from The Overlook. I’m hiding right now because my hip hurts and I don’t think I can outrun Kelly. She’s searching for me.
Landon texted back that they were on their way, but I knew the odds of him finding me were slim. They would find the car, but I couldn’t remain where I was in the hollow. I would have to start moving, and that meant putting distance between Kelly and me. That also meant putting distance between Landon’s rescue attempt and me.
I have to move toward the inn. I can’t wait. I’ll meet you there.
I studied the screen, willing Landon to write back one more time before I risked leaving my hiding spot. His response was simple: I love you. I swallowed the lump in my throat and crawled out from under the branches. I could see Kelly heading toward the road – hopefully looking for her car – so I turned in the opposite direction and kept my head low as I began to limp.
The Overlook wasn’t too far. My family was there. Landon was on his way. Everything was going to be okay.
IT TOOK what felt like forever to meander my way to the family property. My hip pain progressively worsened and each step became agony, but I couldn’t hide in the woods and wait for help to find me. That would leave me vulnerable should Kelly stumble across my location. I had a feeling I’d angered her to the point she’d kill me rather than negotiate, so I pushed forward.
When I finally neared the inn, I heaved out a sigh. I was on the east side of the property – still a decent hike to The Overlook, but much closer to the guesthouse. I figured if I could make it inside there, even if I was alone, I could lock the doors and call for backup.
I increased my pace, my limp becoming worse as I pushed through trees. I pulled up short when I saw movement through the foliage, my heart leaping as I worked overtime to tamp down my anxiety. The figure moving around the small clearing wasn’t Kelly. It was someone I recognized … and I’d never been so happy to see her in my entire life.
“Aunt Tillie!”
Aunt Tillie jerked her head up at the sound of my voice, narrowing her eyes as I limped in her direction. She seemed surprised by my appearance at our ritual location – I couldn’t blame her – but she hurried to me when I stepped closer to the recognizable landmark. This was where we cast our biggest spells – and occasionally danced naked under the full moon – and it was the location of our planned séance for this evening. This was where we were strongest.
“What are you doing out here?” Aunt Tillie asked, confused. “If you’ve come to complain about the leggings … .”
I made a disgusted face as I leaned over to catch my breath. “For the first time today, I totally don’t care about your dragon invasion,” I said, grimacing. “I’m being followed. Er, I think I’m being followed. I was definitely being followed a half hour ago, but now I’m not so sure.”
“You’re babbling,” Aunt Tillie said, quickly losing interest as she turned back to whatever she was doing. Hey, what was she doing? It seemed to involve a circle and lighted candles. There was a pile of herbs in the middle of the circle. “I hate it when you babble. Get to the point.”
So much for family sympathy. “Kelly Sheffield is the arsonist,” I gritted out between gasps. “You remember her, right?”
“Yes, she was Lila’s little goat minion,” Aunt Tillie said, nodding. “I once cursed her so every time she took a step she passed gas. It just happened to be during that parade when she was on the homecoming court. People thought she was sick or something. It was glorious.”
I stilled, surprised. “You did that?”
“She was mean to you and got what she deserved,” Aunt Tillie replied, her eyes busy on the ground. She’d moved a series of small rocks into a circle on the other side of the candles. I didn’t think I could focus on two things at once given my pain. “But I can’t take credit for thinking of the curse. That was all Thistle. She wanted to be even meaner, but I didn’t think everyone would be keen on a bear attack in the middle of a parade.”
“I didn’t know you did that,” I said. “I … thank you.”
“No thanks are necessary,” Aunt Tillie said. “I fight evil every chance I get. That’s what I do.”
“Still … thank you,” I said. “She’s the arsonist. Viola came to me at the newspaper office and she said she knew who it was, but couldn’t remember the name. Her memory isn’t great, but it’s better than before she died.”
“Viola always was a forgetful nuisance,” Aunt Tillie said. “She was an annoying human. She’s a downright dreadful ghost.”
Given how angry I was with Edith at the end, I couldn’t help but appreciate the newness of Viola. She may be a pain, but she was entertaining and didn’t appear to be overtly hateful or racist. I considered that a step up in the ghost department.
“That’s really not the point now,” I said, rubbing my hip. “Kelly caught me looking in the trunk of her car. She hit from behind and dumped me in her trunk.”
For the first time since I stumbled upon her, Aunt Tillie looked intrigued. “How did you get out of the trunk?”
“I cast a spell and she slowed down when she saw the trunk lid lifting,” I answered. “Then I jumped into a ditch and started running in the woods. Landon knows I was running back to The Overlook. The bad news is that we’re still a good distance from there. We should head back.”
I moved to limp toward the inn, but stopped when Aunt Tillie shook her head.
“You don’t want to go to the inn?” I asked, confused.
“I’m in the middle of something here,” Aunt Tillie replied. “You should definitely go to the inn, though. You’re in pain and your mo
ther will dote on you. Once Landon sees you’re alive he’s going to turn into Prince Charming and fall all over himself to take care of you. You’ll be okay.”
Something wasn’t right. “But … .”
“I’m in the middle of something, Bay.” Aunt Tillie was snippy and her eyes were busy as they hopped between candles. “You should definitely go to the inn. I’m staying here.”
“I just told you Kelly is in the woods,” I argued. “I have no idea if she’s armed, but that doesn’t mean she’s not dangerous. If she’s following me, she’ll come through here.”
“Kelly Sheffield is the least of my worries,” Aunt Tillie said. “She’s never been worth anyone’s time, and that doesn’t change now because she’s suddenly decided to set fires and be a general loser of the first order.
“She’s nothing, Bay,” she continued. “She’s nothing to you and she’s definitely nothing to me. Ignore her. She’s not a threat. She’s … well … nothing.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but snapped it shut when I heard the sound of approaching footsteps. When I shifted to the right I found Kelly walking through the trees I had scurried through moments before. This time she was armed, a tire iron clenched in her hand and a scowl on her face.
“I’m so glad you think I’m nothing,” Kelly said, her anger apparent. “How about I show you just how much damage nothing can do, huh? How does that sound?”
This couldn’t be good.
THIRTY-THREE
“Huh. I guess you weren’t making up that story about being kidnapped and jumping out of a trunk, were you?”
Aunt Tillie was surprisingly blasé given the circumstances. She kept her hands on her hips as she stared at Kelly, finally making a clucking sound with her tongue and shaking her head.
Kelly didn’t appear to appreciate Aunt Tillie’s attitude. “What is that noise?”
Wicked Witches of the Midwest 9 Page 29
