Better Haunts and Garden Gnomes_A Cozy Paranormal Mystery_A Happily Everlasting World Novel

by Michelle M. Pillow

  “I feel like there’s a piece of me just out of my reach. It’s like a word on the tip of my tongue, or a melody I can start but not finish, someone’s name I can’t remember but should.” She patted her hair, checking to see if all the strands were pulled back. “Is Colt really taking a break from medical school?”

  Nolan frowned, not liking the question. “Sure.”

  “Have you known him long?”

  “He’s a siren. You should stay away from him until you’re married,” Nolan warned. “His voice lures unattached women.”

  “But he’s a he,” Lily debated.

  “Not all sirens are girls.” Nolan wanted to change the subject. “Where’s your new friend?”

  “I sent her up to the third floor to pick an empty room.” Lily’s hand glided over his and she gently tried to pry the hammer from his grip. “You don’t like her very much.”

  It wasn’t a question.

  A splash sounded, and they both glanced to Polly’s pet lobster. Herman rested in a cake pan filled with water on the kitchen counter. A small beret sat on his head. If lobsters had chins, it would be resting on the side of the pan. It appeared as if the crustacean was watching them.

  Nolan let her take the tool from him. “You are aware that your household is weird, aren’t you?”

  “Yeah, but it’s kind of a cool-weird, isn’t it?” She placed the hammer on the counter and smiled at Herman. “You look very dapper today, sir.”

  “I don’t trust Mara.” Nolan couldn’t keep the opinion to himself. He liked Lily—and not just her bizarre family and crazy life. He liked her. She was stubborn and hard-headed and guarded with her emotions. She was frustrating and contrary and sometimes made jokes when she shouldn’t. But she would do anything for those she cared about. For all her flaws, she had great strengths. She was kind, and loyal, and he liked her. A lot. More than a lot.

  “You don’t know her.”

  “Neither do you—”

  A sharp scream sounded from upstairs.

  Lily grabbed his arm. “We didn’t tell her about the ghosts.”

  Nolan ran across the house and up the stairs.

  Mara came around the corner, saw them and instantly backed away. She held up her fists, ready to fight as her eyes darted around. Finding an antique candlestick, she grabbed it and wielded it like a bat. “Stay away from me!”

  “Mara, I’m sorry, it’s just Stan. He’s ornery, but he doesn’t mean harm, I don’t think,” Lily tried to explain. “I think he just wants his shoe.”

  “What kind of place is this? Why do you have a man tied up in the attic? Is that what you do? Find drifters off the road and lure us here and…” She swung the candlestick in warning, even though no one approached her.

  “What are you talking about? What man?” Lily asked.

  “The dead guy tied up in the attic. I saw... I saw…” Mara shook, unable to finish her sentence.

  “Dead guy?” Lily pushed past Nolan before he could grab her. “Dante? Dante, answer me!”

  The panic in her voice was clear, and Nolan ignored Mara as he chased after Lily. He caught up to her by a third-story bedroom door. “Lily—”

  “Where’s Dante? Polly said my brother was tied up and couldn’t go with us today, but I thought that was a figure of speech.” Lily frantically moved to the next bedroom, and then the next. Finding all four empty, she said, “Attic.” Lily looked at the ceiling. “She said attic. There has to be an access panel somewhere.”

  Then Lily looked at the small door at the top of the stairs.

  Nolan was closer and beat her to it. He pulled the door open only to find Dante bound to a wooden chair. His ankles were tied to the legs, and his hands were pinned at his sides by the thick rope holding him against the back of the seat. He was surrounded by lit candles. Herbs were sprinkled on the floor. The smell was pungent, even without his shifter senses.

  “Dante!” Lily tried to move past Nolan, but he blocked her.

  Dante wasn’t moving, and his skin had a blue cast. Nolan didn’t want her to see this. “Lily, I don’t think you should—”

  “He’s my brother,” she cried as she pushed past him. She grabbed Dante’s face. “He’s cold. We need to warm him up. He’s got something on his skin. It’s sticky.”

  “Don’t move him,” Polly called from below. “He’s like a half-baked cookie. He needs more time.”

  “What did you do to him, Polly?” Lily’s eyes begged him for help and Nolan couldn’t refuse. “Don’t let her hurt him. We need to get him to the hospital. His body temperature is too cold.”

  “You can’t move him.” Polly tried to push her way into the crowded room. “He’s not done.”

  “Listen, witch, we’re not putting my brother into your oven after you fatten him up with cookies.” Lily tugged at Dante’s ropes. “I’ve read that fairytale and that’s not how this story ends, so you go find some other cookies because you can’t have my brother.”

  “You don’t know what you’re doing,” Polly protested. She tried to grab Nolan’s arm, but he shrugged her off.

  “Nolan, give me a knife. We need to get him out of here,” Lily insisted, digging her fingers in a knot with little progress.

  He didn’t carry a knife, but he didn’t really need one. He let his hand shift. Sharp claws extended from his fingertips, and he began swiping them against the rope to fray it apart.

  “I’m calling his powers. Marigold never should have separated you from your magic.” Polly went around the edge of the room and patted Dante on the head. “He’s not dead. He’s only half dead. It’s the only way to spark them into coming to help him. He knew what we were doing. I only tied him up so he couldn’t wander off and hurt himself. These things can be disorientating. I know his magic is here somewhere. We just need to force it to come out from hiding.”

  “Why would you tell Dante about this and not me?” Lily pushed Polly’s hand off her brother’s head. “It’s too dangerous. Look at him. I can’t lose him. Nolan, please, I can’t lose him.”

  “You’re unlucky right now. If I gave you this potion, bad luck says it would kill you before you received your powers. It’s the same reason you shouldn’t be in here.”

  A chattering sound interrupted them, followed by scratching in the wall.

  “What is that?” Lily asked.

  Nolan focused his hearing to listen to what sounded like a large rodent.

  “Don’t stop.” Lily hit his shoulder. He clawed harder. The ropes were thick, and he could only snag a few of the tough strands at a time.

  “Stop,” Polly whispered, holding up her hand. He paused long enough to see the rope healing itself as if he’d never frayed it. “It’s coming.”

  Lily grabbed his arm and squeezed tightly. Nolan automatically pulled her against him as they listened to the sound move along the wall, only to drop toward the floor. A floorboard lifted and fell in a steady tapping rhythm, tap, tap, tap, held in place by old nails. With each beat, Lily’s grip tightened, and the board pushed higher.

  Lily reached for her brother’s chair and tried to drag it toward the door. The legs scraped and caught on the old planks.

  “I’ll carry him,” he decided, reaching to lift the man and chair to get Dante out of there. The chair wouldn’t leave the floor, no matter how hard he tried to move it.

  The board finally snapped free. Nolan grabbed Dante by the arms, unable to keep his eyes off the new hole in the floor. The chittering started from within.

  Suddenly, a furry head poked up. Lily gasped and shook, making a strangled noise of fright. A fat raccoon pulled itself out of the hole and sat up, rubbing his hands together.

  “That’s the same pest that was living in the old trunk,” Lily said.

  “This is good,” Polly said. “It’s meant to happen. It’s working.”

  “That thing probably has rabies,” Lily answered, tugging harder. “Nolan, help me!”

  The raccoon hissed at Lily as if he understood her. A ye
llow flash of light came out of the animal.

  Nolan tried to pull Lily out of the way as the beam was aimed at her chest. The light followed her, striking her in the back and causing her to fall against him hard. Her eyes widened in pain as they met his. His foot slid back, hitting the wall seconds before the rest of his body. Nolan’s head hit a beam in the slanted ceiling and he felt a sharp jab in the back of his arm. Pain raced down his body and he couldn’t immediately push away. He held Lily against him.

  The raccoon leapt onto Dante’s lap and grabbed the man’s face. The animal screeched, and another yellow light shot out of its mouth. It hit Dante between the eyes.

  Lily’s brother inhaled sharply and strained against his ties. The chair tipped but then righted itself. Dante gasped, his mouth stretching wide as he breathed hard. His blue coloring corrected itself and his skin darkened.

  “There he is. There’s my fully baked cookie,” Polly said. “All this time, the naughty raccoon had stolen your magic. No wonder I couldn’t locate it.” She faced the raccoon who stood on Dante’s lap. The animal tapped its paws against Dante’s cheeks, chattering. “You’ve been carrying it all over the house, you sneaky thief, leaving magic in the walls.”

  Lily shivered in his arms. Nolan tried to release her, but she slumped, and he had to hold her upright. Each movement made him aware of a sharp object in his shoulder. In order to see to the wound, he’d have to let her go. He couldn’t.

  “What’s happening?” Nolan asked. “What’s wrong with Lily?”

  “The potion I gave her to spread out the bad luck is still affecting her. The fact she came in here at the moment she did, and the way her powers were returned to her like a flying raccoon loogie, well... all clearly bad luck. Hopefully not fatal, but definitely not good.” Polly pet the raccoon who in turn hissed at her. She snatched her hand back. “Well, aren’t you the temperamental one?” She laughed. “It looks like Dante’s familiar has found him.”

  “Polly, I need you to help Lily,” Nolan said. When she didn’t move fast enough, he added louder, “Polly, take her.”

  His arm fell to his side. Lily swung away from him at an odd angle as he tried to prop her up. Polly braced Lily under the arm and took the weight off him. As Polly eased Lily to the floor, Nolan grit his teeth and pried himself from the wall. He turned to find an exposed nail sticking out from the wood. The thick metal had been hammered through the wall, and when he’d fallen against it, he’d impaled his shoulder.

  His arm tingled, and something trickled down his back and leg. When he examined the wall, he found it wasn’t just one nail, but a line of them, spaced evenly apart. They’d also stabbed his back and thigh. Awareness made the wounds throb in pain.

  “Someone get this thing off me before it gives me rabies,” Dante said through gritted teeth. His legs jerked, but the restraints kept him locked in the chair. The raccoon had his face a few inches from Dante’s and the man couldn’t move away.

  Nolan grabbed his side. It became hard to breathe. He dropped to his knees. A gnome statue stood in the doorway, watching them.

  Polly left Lily on the floor. She grabbed the raccoon around the waist from behind and lifted him from Dante’s lap. The animal hissed and flailed his arms and legs, trying desperately to go back.

  Before he knew what was happening, he was on the floor next to Lily, still clutching his side. She was unconscious, but her chest lifted with breath. He tried to wake her by touching her cheek. She was warm against his fingers as they slid over her skin. A smear of blood was left behind.

  Lily’s closed eyes faced him. His hand slid to rest on her neck, and he felt her pulse beat against his fingertips. With each beat, his vision dimmed. He vaguely saw movement behind her. The raccoon clung to Dante’s leg as the man thrashed violently against the restraints. The chair lifted off the ground, levitating.

  “An overbaked cookie, a burnt cookie, and a broken one. This batch is not coming out well at all,” Polly said.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “I can’t believe you levitated a chair,” Lily said to her brother. “And I can’t believe I missed it.”

  She stood at the window looking into the hospital room where Nolan rested. Behind them, a nurse pushed a cart. The squeaky wheel marked her slow progress. They waited until she passed.

  “If I hadn’t experienced it for myself, I would have never believed we could do magic. We’re witches. We’re freaking witches.” Dante’s answer was soft. “How cool is that!”

  “Speak for yourself. I blew up a lightbulb,” Lily grumbled as she gestured at Nolan, “and nearly killed the only contractor willing to work with us.”

  “Yeah, your superpowers kinda suck,” Dante teased.

  “You kinda suck,” she answered.

  “You can go in. It’s not locked,” a woman interrupted. Lily turned to the nurse with the cart. Her pink scrubs were decorated with happy bunnies. Short dark hair framed her face in a pixie cut though she was far from pixyish.

  “We don’t want to wake him,” Lily said.

  “Hearing friends might do him some good.” The nurse grabbed a box of gloves off the cart and stepped into another room.

  “Don’t look at me, he’s your friend,” Dante said. “I’m not the one who broke him.”

  “Yeah, you’re just the one who made out with a raccoon.” Lily pushed open the door but didn’t enter the room.

  “Oh, hey, no,” Dante protested. “Polly had me tied up.”

  Lily arched a brow. “Do you think that makes it any less funny? You were tied up by an old lady and your spirit animal is a raccoon.”

  “I dare you to call her old to her face,” Dante challenged.

  There was no way Lily was insulting Polly. Besides, it was impossible to tell exactly how old her aunt was. “I dare you to use your powers to materialize me a cheeseburger and fries.”

  “I dare you to go in there and talk to your boyfriend.” Dante pushed the door open wider and motioned that she should go in.

  “Aren’t you coming?” Lily took one step in and stopped.

  “No. Got any cash on you?”

  “No. I left my purse at home,” Lily said. Dante let go of the door. “Where are you going?”

  “I’m going to use my powers and find a cheeseburger.” The weighted metal bumped into her and forced her to move aside. It closed her in the room. Dante strolled away, presumably in search of the cafeteria.

  Lily stared at Nolan. The view wasn’t any better inside the room. His pasty complexion didn’t put her at ease.

  “The doctors said you’re very lucky. The nail in your back missed your kidney, and the others missed major arteries. You bruised your lungs. I tried to tell them you hit a wall, but they don’t believe me. They said it looks like you fell from a height. They irrigated the wounds but said they didn’t give you stitches because that might seal in bacteria.”

  He still slept.

  “They gave you a tetanus shot,” Lily continued, unsure what else to say to him. “I’m not sure why they told me all that, but I guess it’s because we brought you in.”

  Still nothing.

  “Some council guy kept calling your phone. It might be urgent. Caller ID said Councilman Rana. I didn’t answer. It’s probably work stuff anyway. I almost forgot you had another job besides dealing with my madhouse.”

  Lily glanced around the room. Aside from the bed, portable tray table, and a wall of machines, there wasn’t anything decorative—not even a television. “I have to tell you, this room looks like a prison cell. Not very pretty.”

  “It is a cell. There’s a button on the outside that locks it down. They’re worried I’ll go all werewolf on them,” Nolan mumbled. His eyes had a glassy sheen as they met hers. “And they’re telling you because you’re a Goode, and they’re scared you’ll curse them if they don’t give you what you want.”

  “You heard that?”

  “Cheeseburger, tetanus, work, prison, I’m your hero and you don’t know what you’d
do without me.” His lip twitched. “Yeah, I heard you.”

  “Something like that.” Lily found herself going to his bedside and touching his forehead, as if that might tell her more than the doctors. He felt warm. “How do you feel?”

  He lifted the hand that had the IV in it. “Hydrated.”

  “They gave you something for the pain.”

  “It’s working. It doesn’t hurt. How are you?”

  She slid her hand to his cheek. “Apparently, I have my magic back. I think I set off all the car alarms in the parking lot without touching them, so there’s that.”

  The corner of his lip curled into a half smile. “I can see why the doctors are scared of you.”

  “It’s strange. I feel full, like I had a giant meal, but I’m hungry. My body knows the magic is supposed to be there, but my mind is just… I’m not making sense, am I?”

  “Not really.” Nolan eyed his hand and then the bag he was attached to. “Do me a favor. Is the warden still out there?”

  “Warden?”

  “Ulga. The ogre in the bunny scrubs.” Nolan nodded toward the door. He threw the covers off his lap. The blue hospital gown revealed his naked legs and bare feet. “Do you see my clothes?”

  “I don’t think you should move around like that.” Lily tried to push him back into bed. Her hand pressed against his chest.

  “I’m fine. Hospitals make me edgy.” He didn’t lay down. Her hand began to tingle, aware of his heart beating beneath it.

  She pushed harder, trying to force him to relax. “Nolan, you need your rest. I’m not sneaking you out before the doctors clear you.”

  Suddenly, he fell back, and she went with him. Lily landed against his chest, her hand trapped between their bodies. His heat infused her. The hospital gown did not provide much of a barrier between them.

  “Nol—”

  The word never made it past her lips. He kissed her, his mouth pressing tightly to hers. She gasped in surprise but didn’t pull away. The tingling intensified. His grip tightened on her waist. Her hand slid from his chest to his face and she felt her body turning to lay back on the soft bed.