A Witch Before Dying

by Amanda M. Lee

  “Because all witches aren’t nice and sweet like my mother and aunts,” I replied. “There is such a thing as a dark witch.”

  Chief Terry risked a glance at our new resident. “And you think she’s a dark witch? You don’t even know her. You haven’t exchanged so much as a greeting.”

  That was true. I had a feeling, though. How do you describe a feeling? “I know, but … .”

  “But give her a chance.” Chief Terry cut me off with a firm shake of his head. “She’s new in town and she seems genuinely excited to open another magic shop. This town can always use a new shop. The guests love it.”

  “So she’s starting a shop that will be in direct competition with Thistle and Clove?”

  “I guess, in theory, that’s true,” Chief Terry conceded. “I doubt it will cut into their business. They’re very well established.”

  “That doesn’t mean anything.” My emotions were charged and I couldn’t seem to rein myself in. “If Mrs. Little is playing nice with her, that means she’s probably evil.”

  Chief Terry was dumbfounded. “And you have the queen of evil witches living on your property.”

  “Aunt Tillie isn’t evil. She’s … misunderstood.”

  “Since when? She tells people she’s evil.”

  Sadly, my great-aunt was known to do that. She wasn’t big on conversing or making nice. “I’m suspicious,” I said after a beat. “It’s as if Mrs. Little brought in a ringer. After what happened with the wishing well … you can’t possibly think this will run smoothly.”

  “Bay, none of these festivals ever run smoothly,” Chief Terry said. “They’re always a mess. This will be no different. That doesn’t mean it’ll be an evil mess.”

  I wasn’t convinced. “What if they’re up to something?”

  Chief Terry held his palms out and shrugged. “Your family is always up to something, but we manage to survive.”

  “But … .”

  “No.” Chief Terry gave me a firm headshake. “You’re being ridiculous. Why don’t you try meeting the woman before you burn her at the stake?”

  Oh, well, that was a cheap shot. “That’s not what I’m doing.”

  “Do you want to know what I think?”

  “No.”

  “I’ll tell you anyway,” Chief Terry pressed. “I think you’re worked up because of the situation at home and you want something external to focus on. Sweetheart, I don’t know her very well, but I very much doubt Scarlet Darksbane is that thing. She seems sweet. She’s friendly and engaging. She listens and doesn’t order people around. She won’t be an issue.”

  I considered arguing further, but it seemed pointless. He wouldn’t understand and I was incapable of explaining. “Okay. Well … if you say so.”

  I could only hope Chief Terry was right. My inner danger alarm told me otherwise. Something very odd was going on here. Given Hemlock Cove’s standards, that couldn’t possibly be a good.

  Three

  Landon waited for me outside of the meeting. He looked strong and handsome leaning against his truck, his attention fixed on his phone screen. He didn’t glance up until he heard my shoes scuffing against the pavement.

  “Hey, sweetie.” He pocketed his phone and gave me a quick kiss. “How was the meeting?”

  “Oh, don’t get her started on the meeting,” Chief Terry warned. I didn’t know he was following me until I heard his voice.

  “That good, huh?” Landon brushed a strand of hair from my face. “What happened?”

  “Well, for starters, Mrs. Little made me raise my hand every time I tried to talk,” I started.

  Landon snorted. “That sounds just like her. It doesn’t, however, sound like a reason to get worked up.”

  “Oh, that’s not the reason.”

  “Here we go,” Chief Terry muttered.

  “She brought in a ringer,” I volunteered.

  Landon furrowed his brow. “Is that some weird person who makes rings in Hemlock Cove?”

  “No. It’s a supposedly new and improved real witch.”

  “Huh.” Landon kept his face impassive but I didn’t miss the way his eyes flicked to Chief Terry. “I’m going to need more information.”

  I opened my mouth to let loose with a righteous diatribe, but Chief Terry stopped me with a hand on my arm.

  “I’ve got this.” Chief Terry launched into the tale, telling it in forty-five seconds flat. I was mildly annoyed at his brevity. He missed a lot of dramatic and potentially damning stuff.

  “And that’s it?” Landon’s gaze drifted back to me. “That doesn’t sound like a reason to freak out.”

  “He didn’t tell the story right,” I protested.

  “I told the story exactly right,” Chief Terry corrected. “You’re getting yourself worked up for no good reason, Bay.”

  “That sounds nothing at all like me.” I folded my arms over my chest. “You can’t tell me that Mrs. Little doesn’t have something up those ugly sleeves of hers.”

  “She’s always got something up her sleeve,” Chief Terry pointed out. “So does Tillie. That’s why they’re such a fine pair.”

  “If Aunt Tillie were here she’d be massively insulted by that.”

  “If Tillie were here we’d all be worried about something else,” Chief Terry shot back. “I don’t understand why you’re so worked up about this. Scarlet Darksbane seems like a perfectly nice woman.”

  “Scarlet Darksbane?” Landon snorted. “That can’t be her real name.”

  “Of course it’s not her real name,” I scoffed. “That’s a made-up name. She’s trying to make sure everyone knows she’s a witch. Scarlet Darksbane is the dumbest name I’ve ever heard.”

  “You have a cousin named Thistle,” Landon reminded me.

  “And what’s wrong with that?”

  “Oh, such a good question,” Chief Terry lamented. “I don’t have time to answer it, though. And you don’t have time to do any more complaining, Bay. Let it go.”

  I had no intention of following his demand, but he slapped his hand over my mouth to let me know he meant business. I was understandably affronted. “Hey!” The sound came out muffled as I tried to pull away, but Chief Terry ignored my outrage.

  “Wonderful meeting, Margaret,” he called out. “I’m really looking forward to seeing what you have planned for the new festival. I’m sure it will be lovely.”

  “Yes, because another festival is exactly what this whackadoodle town needs,” Landon drawled.

  I slapped at Chief Terry’s hand, but he refused to move it. I tried to argue my point, but all that came out was a series of muffled noises.

  “And it was lovely meeting you, too, Ms. Darksbane,” Chief Terry added, causing me to stiffen. I slowly turned in that direction, disgust rolling through me at Scarlet’s amused expression. “I think you’ll make a lovely addition to the town.”

  “Oh.” Landon smiled at the fiery redhead. “You’re the new witch on the block, huh? It’s nice to meet you.” He extended his hand and I made a mental note to smack him upside the head with it when I was free of Chief Terry’s iron grip.

  “It’s nice to meet you, too.” Scarlet’s voice was like honey as she flashed a wide smile in Landon’s direction. She wore a corseted top that pushed up her breasts to unbelievable heights and I briefly wished for a pin so I could pop them. They had to be fake. There was no other explanation. “I don’t believe I saw you at the meeting Mr. … ?”

  “Michaels,” Landon supplied, his smile friendly. “Landon Michaels.”

  “Mr. Michaels is an FBI agent,” Mrs. Little supplied, her grin so evil movie villains everywhere lined up to take notes. “He often works with Chief Terry to keep our beautiful town safe.”

  “Oh, that’s nice.” Scarlet shifted her gaze to me. “Is something wrong?”

  “Why would you ask that?” Chief Terry queried, straightening.

  “Why do you have your hand over Ms. Winchester’s mouth?” Scarlet asked.

  “Oh, ri
ght.” Chief Terry jerked his hand away. “We were … playing a game.”

  “What game?”

  Chief Terry shifted from one foot to the other, uncomfortable. “It’s a private game. It’s not important.”

  I narrowed my eyes at the color flooding Chief Terry’s cheeks. The new witch made him nervous, and I was fairly certain it was because she was so freaking hot. Good grief. “You’re old enough to be her father,” I hissed.

  Chief Terry snapped his eyes to me. “Don’t be rude.”

  “Did you say something, Bay?” Scarlet asked, her smile never so much as threatening to drift. “Oh, can I call you that? Bay, I mean. Or would you prefer I call you Ms. Winchester?”

  “You can call her Bay,” Landon supplied, frowning when I scorched him with a dark glare. “What? Everyone calls you Bay.”

  “You’ll be calling me something else when you sleep on the couch tonight,” I warned, working overtime to collect myself. The new witch probably thought I was altogether batty. That might be a good thing, of course, but I didn’t want to make an enemy of her before I knew her true motivations.

  “Oh, are you two together?” Scarlet asked, her attention back on Landon. She looked a bit disappointed. And, no, I didn’t imagine it simply because I was determined to dislike her. “I thought Chief Terry and Bay were a couple.”

  I screwed up my face in an expression of complete disgust. “Excuse me?”

  Even Chief Terry was offended. “Bay is like a daughter to me,” he clarified. “She’s not actually my daughter but … well … she’s close enough that this fool makes me want to punch him occasionally.” Chief Terry playfully cuffed the back of Landon’s head.

  “I see.” Scarlet focused on me. “You’re dating an FBI agent? That’s … interesting.” The way she said the word “interesting” stirred my suspicious nature.

  “Why is that interesting?” Landon asked, genuinely curious.

  “You two simply don’t look like a couple,” Scarlet replied. “I thought Bay was either single or involved with Chief Terry. Now that I give it further thought, it’s clear that you two are together and … happy.”

  “We’re definitely happy,” I said. “We’re so happy we gather around the fireplace and sing every night. Oh, and we get naked and stuff, too.”

  Landon slid me a sidelong look, his expression quizzical. “We don’t often sing while naked by the fire, Bay.”

  I knew that was a stupid thing to say when it escaped my mouth, but he didn’t need to point it out. “Oh, whatever.” I expected Scarlet to leave, but instead she merely let her expectant gaze bounce between us. “So … um … you’re opening a new store, huh?”

  “I am,” Scarlet confirmed. “I’m really looking forward to it.”

  “Well, I’ll stop by one day and conduct an interview for The Whistler.” My heart wasn’t in the offer, but scrounging up stories this time of year was always difficult. This was an easy fix. “I can’t wait to see what you’ve done with the space.”

  “I would love that.” Scarlet sounded sincere, but I couldn’t make myself relax and take her at her word. “I think Hemlock Cove is a wonderful place. I can’t wait to get to know you guys.”

  “That sounds like fun. Doesn’t that sound like fun, Bay?” Landon’s eyes were unnaturally wide. I knew he was trying to mess with me.

  “It sounds lovely,” I lied, forcing a smile. “We’ll definitely have to get to know one another.” I turned to face Landon, essentially dismissing Scarlet. “You’re taking me to dinner, right?”

  “I am.”

  “Let’s do it. I’m starving.”

  Perhaps sensing that I was done with her, Scarlet didn’t let her manners lapse as she offered up a cheery wave. “I’m so glad to have met you all. I can’t wait to spend more time with you.” Her gaze lingered on Landon longest. “Okay, well, bye.”

  And just like that she turned on her heel and walked across the parking lot with Mrs. Little, their heads bent together as they plotted the end of the world.

  “Oh, she’s clearly up to something,” I said.

  Landon merely sighed. “Well, at least you have something to focus on besides Thistle and me. Frankly, I’m relieved.”

  He wasn’t the only one.

  “DO YOU WANT to tell me what that was all about?”

  Landon waited until we were seated in a corner booth at the diner – Hemlock Cove’s most romantic (although that’s not saying much) dinner option – to ask me the obvious question. I expected it, yet I didn’t have a proper answer.

  “Mrs. Little is evil.”

  “That’s hardly news, Bay,” Landon pointed out. “I was talking about your reaction to Scarlet.”

  “Oh, Scarlet.” I made a disgusted face as I gritted out her name, which made Landon smile. “Don’t give me that look.”

  “If you tell me you’re jealous I’ll be flattered. Then I’ll never let you forget about it. You might want to think long and hard about admitting something like that.”

  “I’m not jealous,” I argued.

  “Then what are you?” Landon asked. “As far as I can tell, you’re angry for no good reason. You were in a perfectly good mood when you left home.”

  “I wasn’t in that good of a mood,” I clarified. “That being said … I like that we now call the same place home. That’s kind of neat, huh?”

  Landon’s expression softened. “That’s very neat. Why weren’t you in a good mood when you left home?”

  “Really?” I rolled my eyes. “You and Thistle are being complete and total jerks.”

  “That’s how we’re venting our frustrations over the situation. Do you think it’s easy given the fact that we both like to take control? Snarking at one another is keeping us sane.”

  “Huh. I hadn’t thought of that.”

  “It will only be a few weeks, Bay. Soon it’ll be just us and you’ll be complaining that you miss her.”

  “I think that’s a gross exaggeration.”

  “And I think you’re fooling yourself, but it’s something we’ll deal with when it comes around,” Landon countered. “You’re going to miss her. It’s okay to admit it.”

  “I don’t really see how that’s the point of this conversation.”

  “It’s not,” Landon conceded. “I want to know why you don’t like the new witch. I thought at first it was because she was flirting with me, but now I think it’s more than that.”

  “I knew I didn’t imagine the flirting,” I groused.

  Landon chuckled. “You’re not jealous, though. I consider that progress.”

  I cocked an eyebrow. “Should I be jealous?”

  “Never. Should I be jealous of Chief Terry? Apparently you guys are sending out a certain vibe when in public together.”

  “She’s making that up,” I countered. “She said it because she wanted to get a reaction. She acts all sweet and nice … all wonderful with her fake boobs and overstuffed lips … but I know she’s up to something.”

  “I would comment on the fake boobs, but I don’t think my target audience would like that.” Landon grabbed a breadstick from the basket and broke it in half. “Do you want to share?”

  “Not really.”

  Landon took a big bite and swallowed before continuing. “I’ve seen you around women who flirt with me. You generally don’t like it, but you don’t react like this. Tell me what’s bothering you. I can’t help fix the problem when I don’t know what it is.”

  “It’s just … .” I was back to having to explain a feeling. I exhaled heavily to center myself. If I couldn’t confide in Landon after all we’d been through, then there was something seriously wrong with our relationship. “If I tell you something, do you promise not to laugh?”

  Landon shook his head. “No. You say funny things quite often. If you’re serious, though, I promise to help even if I laugh.”

  I couldn’t ask for more than that, right? “The thing is … I get a vibe off her.”

  Instead of laughing
, Landon leaned closer. “What kind of vibe? Do you think she’s … evil?”

  “I said I thought she was evil.”

  “Yes, but you spend an inordinate amount of time with Aunt Tillie and maintain she’s not evil,” Landon pointed out. “Sometimes I think your judgment is skewed.”

  Ugh. I hate it when he has a point. “I don’t know how to explain it,” I offered. “I didn’t see her right away, which is weird. It’s a small room.”

  “I’m not sure what that means,” Landon said. “Are you saying she was invisible?”

  “No, but she could’ve masked herself. I know it doesn’t sound likely, but … she wasn’t there and then suddenly she was there. She’s running around with Mrs. Little – as if they’re suddenly best friends or something – and Mrs. Little acts as if she’s about to pull one over on us. I don’t know how to explain it.”

  Landon leaned back in his seat and gave me a long look. “If you don’t like her and think something is up then I believe you. I’ll run a background check on her.”

  He capitulated so easily I couldn’t help being a bit sheepish. “You don’t have to do that.”

  “If it will make you feel better, I’ll gladly do it.”

  I rubbed my cheek as I regarded him. “No. That doesn’t seem fair. She hasn’t technically done anything except assume I was dating Chief Terry and flirt with my boyfriend.”

  “You obviously don’t like her,” Landon pointed out. “I’m guessing it’s because you don’t trust Mrs. Little – and rightfully so – but if you want me to check on her, I’ll do it.”

  It was a nice offer, but now, after melting down and admitting my worries, I felt a bit foolish. “No. She hasn’t done anything. Let’s wait until something unexplained happens and then you can do it.”

  Landon cracked a smile as he patted my hand. “That sounds like a plan.”

  “If she flirts with you again, though, I’m totally going to yank out her hair and make her eat dirt.”

  Landon barked out a laugh. “Now that sounds like a stimulating idea … as long as I can watch.”

  “Men are so easy.”