by Morgana Best
“So, your shares became worthless?” I guessed.
She shook her head. “No, I sold them and now they’re worth a small fortune.”
I frowned. “If you don’t mind me saying so, that doesn’t make sense. You don’t like Henry because he advised you to buy shares that are now worth a fortune?”
She waved her fork at me. “He didn’t explain it to me, that was the problem. I asked him time and time again to explain it to me and he didn’t, so I ended up thinking it was all a scam. I’m upset about that, but he did break my heart.”
“But he told you he wasn’t interested in a long-term relationship,” I said.
She narrowed her eyes. “It’s hard to explain to someone else. I guess you just had to be there. I always felt he led me on, but I just couldn’t resist him. At any rate, it’s a good thing he died overseas while I was in this country, otherwise I’m sure the police would think I had a hand in it.”
“But he wasn’t murdered, surely?” I said, surprised.
She stabbed another piece of steak, and lifted it halfway to her mouth. “He was a healthy man,” she said. “If he wasn’t murdered, then it was an accident, and if it was an accident, then it could have been a murderer trying to make it look like an accident.”
I tried to follow her line of reasoning, and wondered whether it was idle speculation, or whether she actually knew something. I felt uneasy with the woman, and there was no mundane, practical reason as to why I felt that way.
I looked up to see someone handing Lucas a package of takeaway food, and a large polystyrene cup of coffee or some liquid. This time, he left the room without so much as acknowledging our presence.
Linda noticed him go. “I tell you, if I wasn’t married, I’d be throwing myself at that hottie. There’s just something about him. He takes after his uncle in that regard. Speaking of that, I’m going to pop out to the winery after lunch.”
I muttered something, and watched Lucas walk along the street. I wondered if he was eating steak, too. My aunts were so sure he wasn’t a werewolf, but they wouldn’t tell me why. I had no doubt they possessed information that I was not party to. I knew they weren’t sharing everything with me at this time. What did they know about Lucas O’Callaghan?
After lunch, I decided to walk through town and do some window shopping. I was already beginning to adjust to the quieter pace of life here. I had initially feared I would become bored, but given what had happened since I arrived, I doubted that would be possible.
I wanted to buy a little gift for my aunts. I hadn’t bought one in Sydney because I had to cram all my possessions into my luggage for the plane. I didn’t know what they liked, but as they were always knitting, I figured they would like some wool.
I walked along the street, looking for a wool shop or a craft shop. I found one readily enough. The door was shut. It was also heavy, as I discovered when I tried to push it open. I was immediately hit in the face with a blast of icy air. It was such a contrast from the outside air that I shivered. The air was strong with the cloying scent of frangipani, jasmine, lavender, and a few other fragrances I couldn’t quite identify.
“Can I help you?” a disembodied voice asked me.
“I’m looking for a gift for my aunts,” I said, looking around and seeing the assistant. “They’re all very keen knitters, so I thought I should buy them some nice wool. Do you have any unusual wool?”
“Are they working on any projects at the moment?” she asked me over the top of a magazine.
“I’m afraid I couldn’t say,” I said. “Quite sadly, I’m no good at knitting.”
“Practice makes perfect,” she said, setting down her magazine. “We do have this lovely Merino wool here.”
I followed her to the side wall, where she picked up a skein of wool and handed it to me.
“Oh, it’s so soft,” I said, “and it’s beautiful. It’s sort of iridescent.”
She nodded. “It is expensive, but you really can’t go past superfine Merino wool as a gift to knitters. What colours do your aunts like?”
I bit my lip. “I’m not really sure. I’ve been away for years. I’ve just come back to live with my aunts.”
“You’re Valkyrie Jasper, aren’t you?” she said with renewed interest.
“Yes,” I said, not bothering to tell her my name was Pepper. I waited for her to say something else, but she did not. “Maybe I should buy some colourful wool?”
“I have some hand-dyed Merino wool,” she said proudly. “It’s hand dyed with vegetable dyes. Which one do you think your aunts would like?”
I eventually settled on some deep purple, some lime green, and some vibrant orange balls of wool.
“I’m sure your aunts will like those,” she said.
I thanked her, and walked over to a white candle. “Do you have any incense?” I asked.
She shook her head. “They sell it at the shop at the other end of the street. They have incense, candles and gifts, and birthday cards, wrapping paper, you name it.”
I thanked her and left the store. It was quite a shock to step out into a wall of heat after the icy air conditioning of the shop. I walked past several cafés, and I noticed one that I would like to return to at some point. It was only a stone’s throw away from the water, not the surf, but the nearby river. It was a shame that no cafés I had yet seen were actually waterfront, but this was quite close enough and had a lovely view of the whale watching boats and the people on jet skis.
I turned and walked along the street in the direction of the gift store, and found it easily enough. It was dark inside, unlike the bright wool store. Still, it was more magical than gloomy. A huge diffuser pumped scented steam into the air. I identified cloves, cinnamon, lemon, and rosemary, as well as a hint of eucalyptus oil. It reminded me of Lucas.
I shook myself and headed straight for the incense. Dragons Blood, a red Indonesian resin, was one of my most favourite incenses in the world. I picked up a packet and inhaled deeply. I couldn’t really afford any incense at this time, but I thought it would be good to know where everything was so that when I got my first pay from my aunts I could come here and stock up on my witch supplies. The store had all my favourite types of incense. Apart from Dragons Blood, there was frankincense, myrrh, white sage, vanilla, Nag Champa, lemongrass, rose musk, and ylang ylang.
The candles smelled delightful, too. I noted that the prices were reasonable, and I was pleased to see a good range of colours. I liked to use green candles for money drawing spells, purple candles for protection, orange candles for removing obstacles, and pink candles for romance. I hadn’t used any pink candles lately—I had just about given up on that score.
That was when I saw the silver-framed photograph, exactly the same one I had seen in Lucas’s cottage. In fact, they had an array of them, in all different shapes and sizes. When I saw the person in them, I gasped. It was the woman with the long blonde hair standing on a beach, her hair blowing in the wind. Not only was it the same woman, it was the identical photograph. And what’s more, the very same photograph was in every single frame and every single size on display.
What were the chances that Lucas actually knew this woman? Could she be a famous model? No, that was too far fetched. I dismissed that idea quickly. Lucas had made sure I had seen that photograph and had tried to tell me it was someone he knew well.
“Can I help you?” The tone was friendly. I turned to look into the face of one of the two shop assistants, who hadn’t bothered to speak to me until now. Both had been texting on their phones.
“I was shocked to see this photo,” I said. “I saw it at someone’s house the other day, and I thought it must be his girlfriend. I had no idea it was just a common photo in a frame.”
The woman shrugged. “We never sell any of those,” she said. “We sell lots of incense and candles, and those dreamcatchers over there.” She pointed to an array of beautiful dreamcatchers hanging on the nearby wall. “These frames are half price right now.”
<
br /> “I’m really not interested in those frames,” I said, “but I’ll be back in a week or so to buy incense and candles.”
“Are you sure? They’re a bargain. We’re selling at wholesale prices.”
I shook my head. “Sorry, but I don’t have any use for them.”
She nodded. “Oh well, I’ve only sold one in the last few months. It was just the other day. We only had that one out on display, but after I sold it, we decided to put all the others out on display.”
I made to turn away, but then I thought of Lucas. “Did you sell it to a tall man, broad shoulders, a bit of stubble? Dark blue eyes?”
“Yes,” she said. “I hadn’t seen him before. He must be holidaying here. He was gorgeous.” She said it with such feeling, I was surprised she didn’t drool.
Lucas O’Callaghan had bought a photograph from the store and implied it was someone important to him. Why would he do such a thing? Did he truly think all women wanted to throw themselves at him? And this was his protection?
I decided to catch a taxi to Mugwort Manor at once. I had lost my appetite for window shopping. I was irritated, and I didn’t know why. I just felt out of sorts.
After I paid the driver, I saw Lucas and Aunt Agnes in discussion. She was waving a pair of pruning shears. As I drew closer, I could hear them discussing hawthorn bushes.
“Did you enjoy your time in town?” Aunt Agnes asked me. “Next time you should take my car.”
Lucas ignored me completely, picking a hawthorn berry from the branches and turning it over in his fingers.
“Yes, I did. I did some window shopping, too.”
Still the disinterest from Lucas, but Agnes turned to me. “Where did you go?”
“I went to the wool shop and bought you and the other aunts a little gift, of wool, obviously,” I said. “I do hope you like it.”
Agnes clasped her hands in delight and pointed to the bag I was carrying. “Is it in there?”
I nodded and opened the bag so she could look inside. “Merino, my favourite!”
I could not resist baiting Lucas. “I saw some lovely silver-framed photographs in the gift shop, the one that sells the candles and the incense,” I said to Aunt Agnes.
“That’s a lovely shop,” she said, but I wasn’t looking at her, I was looking at Lucas. I saw his whole body tense.
I pushed on. “Yes, they had about fifty silver frames, all with the same photograph, a woman with her hair streaming out behind her and standing on a beach,” I said. “She looked familiar. I’m sure I’ve seen that photo somewhere recently.”
Lucas looked up at me then. His eyes burned into me, but I held his gaze. Aunt Agnes nodded absently and then walked along the flagstone pathway, snipping away at the hawthorn bushes with her pruning shears seemingly at random.
For the first time since I had met him, Lucas looked awkward. He shifted from one foot to the other. “About that photo…” he began, but I forestalled him.
“It’s none of my business,” I said. Still, I was curious, so I stood there, hoping he would enlighten me.
“Women often, err, come onto me,” he said, “so I find it useful to have a photograph as a safeguard.”
“Oh.” It was the only polite reply I could muster. This guy really did have tabs on himself. “Well then, goodbye.”
His expression showed that he was confused by my reaction, although I had no idea why. I left him standing there, staring after me, while I walked up the flagstone pathway, clutching my bag of Merino wool. My exit lost some of its effect when a huge bluetongue lizard ran across my path, stopped to hiss at me, and then disappeared into the bushes.
Chapter 16
I had only gone two steps when a police car screeched to a halt. I spun around to see Constable Walker jump out of the car and run over to Lucas. “Why isn’t your phone turned on?”
“What’s happened?” he asked her.
“We’ve been trying to call. There’s been a fire at the winery. I have to attend a burglary call, or otherwise I’d give you a lift there.” She was visibly disappointed that she couldn’t, but nevertheless, she jumped back in her car and sped off.
“Pepper, could I borrow your phone to call a cab?” Lucas said.
I pointed to the silver Porsche. “Why don’t you take your car?”
“I couldn’t get it to start just then,” he said, “and my phone’s back in my cottage.”
“Valkyrie will drive you in my Mazda,” Aunt Agnes said, still brandishing the pruning shears.
“Can’t he just borrow your car?” I asked her.
Aunt Agnes avoided my eyes. “You’ve put me in a difficult position with that question,” she said. “You know I only allow family to drive that car.”
I didn’t know that at all, but I grasped the fact that she wanted me to go to the winery to snoop. “Okay then,” I said. “Where are your car keys?”
She pulled them from her pocket and tossed them to me. I caught them with one hand, and then wished I hadn’t done so, as the keys struck me on my knuckle.
I moved towards her car, and then realised that Lucas was standing stock still. I expected he wanted to have a say in whether or not I drove him to the winery. I supposed he thought I would try to put him in a compromising position. “Are you coming or not?” I said abruptly.
He hurried to the car by way of answer, and climbed into the passenger seat. “I don’t know the way,” I told him. “Well, I know the way as far as I got the other day when I had the flat tire, just past the turn off to the lighthouse.”
“I’ll direct you.” His words were terse.
I shrugged. The man truly was unbearable. It was just such a pity he was gorgeous to look at. And then there was the chemistry. With that on my mind, I took a corner a little too fast and the car went sideways. I shot a glance at Lucas. He didn’t say a word, so that was something in his credit. I wasn’t partial to back seat drivers.
“Your distant cousin, the wine scientist, was murdered, and then there was an attempted robbery, and now the fire,” I said. “Someone’s obviously trying to put you out of business.”
“It seems that way,” he said, looking straight ahead.
“Linda Williams said she was heading out to your winery. I hope she’s okay.”
“Linda Williams?” He turned to look at me. “Why was she going there?”
I shrugged. “No idea. You saw us earlier in the coffee shop. She asked to join me, and then she said she was going to the winery. I figured she just wanted to get away from her insufferable husband.”
“It’s not open for guests at the moment.”
I wondered if Lucas knew Linda had dated his uncle. “She probably doesn’t know that. After all, she’s been going there for years so she probably thought it was business as usual.”
“Quite possibly.”
Two bush turkeys ran out in front of the car, and I braked heavily. “Sorry about that.”
Lucas muttered something.
“Okay, this is as far as I know my way. You’ll have to direct me from here.”
“Just keep going down this road and I’ll tell you when to turn off.”
I did as I was bid. “You know, I’ve been thinking, I don’t think burglaries in town have anything to do with what’s happening at your winery. No one else in town has been murdered or had cases of arson.”
“I’ve reached the same conclusion,” he said.
“No doubt that’s what the police think, too.”
Lucas pointed ahead. “Take the next turn to the left. See, just up there.”
I slowed down. I took the turn, and drove down the road a short way. He didn’t need to direct me any further; it was clear where I needed to go. Two fire trucks and two police vehicles were parked outside the closest large building.
I drove straight over to them, somewhat relieved that the fire didn’t appear to have done much damage, at least not to the outside of the buildings.
Owen hurried over to us. “What are you doing
here, Pepper?”
“Obviously I brought Lucas,” I said.
“Was anyone hurt?” Lucas asked him.
“The managers are unharmed,” Owen said. “They’re inside showing an officer the damage, which doesn’t seem to be severe, thanks to your good sprinkler system.”
Lucas made to go to the building, but Owen caught his arm. I could tell Lucas didn’t like being touched, because the tension in the air at once was palpable. “Before you go in, I need to speak to you about Linda Williams.”
“Is she okay?” I asked him.
“She’s missing. Her car’s over there, but there’s no sign of her.” I followed his gaze to a black Audi parked under a tree.
“It’s locked, and we found her purse on the ground.”
I gasped. “You don’t think she started the fire?”
Owen shrugged. “If you’re asking whether she started the fire and perished inside, no. The sprinkler system kept the damage to a minimum. When did you last see her?”
“I had coffee with her earlier,” I said. “I was at a coffee shop today, and she came over and asked if she could join me. She said she was going to the winery later.”
Owen looked at Lucas. “And you?”
“I was briefly in the café and saw the two of them talking, but then I left. That was the last time I saw Linda Williams.”
Owen turned back to me. “How was she acting? Depressed?”
“I don’t know her at all,” I pointed out. “She seemed normal to me.”
“Did she say why she was going out to the winery?”
I shook my head. “She did say she used to date Henry Ichor and she had a grudge against him. Apparently, he told her he didn’t want to have a serious relationship, but she couldn’t resist him. He also told her to buy shares. She said if she’d held them, they’d be worth a lot today, but she sold early. She blames him for that too, because she said he should’ve explained more fully. That doesn’t make sense to me, but the thing is, she had a grudge against Henry Ichor.” I looked at Lucas, but he didn’t seem upset or surprised at my disclosure.
