From the back of my broomstick, Jax sat up and looked over at Holly. “If we bring Mr. Bailey back to life then Sweets won’t need to quit college,” said Jax excitedly. “Then you won’t need to worry about finding rides into town. Win win.”
“Less talkin’, more flyin’, witches!” Alba’s booming voice rode back on the wind.
Flying into town took about half the time it took to drive in, but once we got into town, we had to park on top of Habernackle’s roof, stash our broomsticks, and take the fire escape down to the ground.
When we landed, I looked over the edge. “Char’s car is still here,” I said excitedly. “We need to get down there fast!”
The four of us scampered down the fire escape to the street and went in through the kitchen door in the back alley. I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw Gran leaning casually against the stainless-steel fridge, chatting with my mother. I scanned the room for my brother.
“He had to run to Bakersdale for supplies,” said Mom before I could even say a word.
I knew there had to be a reason we hadn’t heard screaming and yelling from the alley.
“How’s my little chickadee doing?” asked Gran, making her way across the kitchen to me.
“Fine,” I answered suspiciously through gritted teeth. “What’s going on?” I sang, curious to know what the two women had been talking about so civilly.
My mother put the lettuce she’d just shredded into a big colander on the counter. “Nothing to get uptight about, Mercy. Your grandmother was just filling me in on the preparations her and Char have been doing for Vic’s service. It’ll be Thursday afternoon.”
Even though I would have been upset if they’d been talking about the grudge my granny had against the Stone family without me, I was equally disappointed that that hadn’t been what they were talking about. The suspense was killing me.
“Where’ve ya been for the last few weeks, Gran?” I asked giving her a half-hearted hug when she threw her arms around me. “I’ve been trying to get ahold of you.”
Granny dropped her arms and scratched her chin while shifting about uncomfortably. “Oh, have you, I didn’t know.”
“I’ve left about a dozen messages on your voicemail, Gran. You knew I was looking for you.”
Granny pulled her flip phone out of the back pocket of her linen shorts. “Oh, have you? My phone’s been on the fritz.”
I groaned. “Gran, let’s be real, you just don’t want to face the issues at hand. That’s really what’s going on here.”
Granny walked past my mom’s salad making station and snagged a cherry tomato from the counter. “I have nothing to hide, Mercy dear. I’ve just been a busy woman since Char’s been gone. I’ve taken care of Regis and Phil while her and Vic were on their honeymoon. I’ve watered her plants. Char has had me doing the rounds on all of her volunteer work so that none of that got behind while she was gone. I’ve just been a busy granny,” she said with a smile and a light shrug.
“We need to have a conversation.”
Granny nodded. “I’m fully aware that you’d like to speak with me about certain historical events,” she said, looking over at my girlfriends who were taking in the conversation quietly.
“They all know what you did, Gran,” I said plainly.
“I didn’t think it was a secret,” she protested.
I looked at my mother. “Mom, have you told Gran that you can’t even date anymore because of her.”
Mom’s eyes widened. “That’s not exactly true, Mercy.”
“Have you dated since she came back to town?”
“No. But that’s certainly not because of your grandmother.”
“Then why haven’t you gone out with Detective Whitman lately?”
“Well, for starters, the restaurant has been so busy. Life is too busy right now. I don’t know how other women my age find the time to date. By the end of the day, I’m exhausted and just want to soak in the tub!”
Even though I totally understood what my mother was talking about, I didn’t want to agree with her right in front of my granny. I wanted granny to realize she’d permanently messed my mother up with the stunt she’d pulled with Merrick years and years ago.
“You still haven’t picked between Merrick and Detective Whitman either,” I pointed out instead.
My mother stopped what she was doing and looked at me with the same face she gave me when I was a little girl and asked about my father or asked about why my mother had never married. It was a patronizing face. A face you give young children who don’t know any better. I was nineteen now. I was too old for that face now. And yet here I was – looking at that face.
“It’s not that easy, Mercy. I know you want it to be. Things are so much more complicated when you get older.” She smiled at me patiently. “You and Hugh haven’t gotten back together either, right?”
I shook my head. That wasn’t the same thing.
“Why aren’t you back together with him?”
“Because I’m not looking for anything serious right now,” I answered honestly. “He is.”
“Okay, well, I’m not looking for anything serious now either. I’m much too busy. But there is a bit of truth to your point. I can’t start fresh with Mark because Merrick is still in the picture, and I can’t go back to dating Merrick until I understand why my mother tore us apart in the first place. I’m in an awkward position.”
“Ha!” I exclaimed, punctuating my outburst with a finger pointed at Gran. I felt vindicated. “I knew that was the real reason. That was my point. This is Gran’s doing. We need to lock her up in a room – just you, me, and Reign – and sort this all out!”
“Priorities, Mercy,” Mom chastised. “There are much bigger problems in the world. Like Vic’s untimely passing. We need to be here for Char right now. Gran does too. Be thankful that she’s in town and can help take care of Char in her time of need.”
“I am thankful, Mom,” I whispered.
“Your mom is right, Red. Priorities,” sang Alba. “We need to get moving on that project,” said Alba, shifting the backpack of supplies on her back awkwardly.
I sighed. We needed to hurry and get Mr. Bailey’s ghost back into his body and get on with things so I could have the conversation I needed to have with Gran before she decided to skip town on us.
“Can I have two of these tomatoes, Mom?” I asked grabbing a cherry tomato from the counter.
“Of course sweetheart. Take what you want.”
I took a handful of tomatoes and popped a few in my mouth, but kept two for our spell.
“What project are you working on?”
I glanced back at the girls. I wasn’t sure if I should tell Mom and Gran. Alba shrugged. We all knew we needed ideas getting into the morgue, but we were hesitant to share too much and have someone tell us not to try. “Well, it’s kind of a long story,” I began, inhaling a deep breath.
Just then, Char’s voice called out from the dining room. “Phil! I’m ready! Let’s go.” Char’s visored white head poked through the double swinging doors.
“I’m ready, Char,” said Phyllis. She stood up and hobbled towards her friend. “Mercy, Linda, we’ll talk about all of this another day.” She waved flippantly.
“We gotta go too, Red,” said Alba as she, Holly, and Jax followed my grandmother.
“I gotta go, Mom,” I said and gave my mom a quick hug. “We have this big project, and we have a very limited amount of time to get it done, otherwise I’d stay and chat.”
“I understand. Will you stop by another time and fill me in on this secret project?”
“Sure, Mom.”
Mom gave me one more squeeze, and then I went into the dining room where I saw Char and Phyllis just about to leave through the front door with Mr. Bailey’s ghost hot on their heels.
“Wait!” I hollered.
Char, Phyllis, and Mr. Bailey all stopped and turned to look at me curiously. I had only wanted to stop Mr. Bailey from leaving, but instead, I�
�d stopped all three. I looked at them awkwardly. “Oh, I didn’t get a chance to say hello to Char,” I said awkwardly. I wasn’t sure if the poor woman knew her dead husband was trailing just a few feet behind her.
“I’m so sorry about Mr. Bailey, Char,” I said as I gave the vertically challenged woman a hug.
“Thank you, dear,” she said, patting me on the back. “You’re all so good to this old woman. I don’t know what I’d do without all my dear friends.”
As I hugged her, I shot a telling look back at Mr. Bailey. He raised two puffy white eyebrows.
“Okay, that was really all. I just wanted to express my condolences,” I said uncomfortably.
Char stepped back and looked at me curiously, but took my dumb explanation for face value. “Okay, let’s go, Phil. We have to get down to the funeral home before they close up for lunch. Bye girls.”
As soon as they’d left, I let out a puff of air. “Mr. Bailey, I’m so glad we found you,” I said to him.
“Mr. Bailey’s here?” asked Sweets excitedly.
I nodded. “He’s standing right next to you.”
A nostalgic smile spread across Sweets’ face. “Hi Mr. Bailey, we all miss you already,” she said.
“Thank you, girls,” he said. “Tell Sweets I sure appreciate all the help she’s giving to my sweet Char.”
“He says to thank you for helping Char with the bakery.”
Sweets nodded and whispered. “It’s the least I could do.”
Suddenly, Chesney and Regis came sprinting through the dining room hot on each other’s tails. Regis came to a screeching halt right in front of Mr. Bailey’s ghost and started barking like a maniac.
Jax sucked in her breath. “Char forgot to take Regis with her before she left!”
Sweets smiled. “No, she didn’t forget. I volunteered to dog-sit for a few days. Her and Phyllis have a ton of things to do, and Regis has been acting up lately.”
“He’s not acting up,” I explained. “He can sense Mr. Bailey’s presence. He’s standing right in front of him!”
“That’s crazy,” marveled Sweets. “I had no idea that dogs could see ghosts.”
Alba sucked in her breath. “Oh my gosh, ladies. I just figured out the perfect way to sneak into the morgue!” She looked at Regis. “And this little guy is the key to making it happen!”
14
“Is someone going to tell me what’s going on?” asked Mr. Bailey on the car ride over to the Aspen Falls Medical Center where the morgue was located.
Of course, none of the girls could hear or see him, so they had no idea that he’d just posed a question to the people in the car. I bit my lip and looked out the window while Regis nipped at the air in front of Mr. Bailey’s ghost.
With one hand, Sweets reached behind her, careful to keep both eyes on the road, and patted Regis on top of the army-green bucket hat he wore on his head. “It’ll be okay, little buddy. You’ll see Mr. Bailey again soon.”
Mr. Bailey sucked in his breath. I could feel his eyes burning a hole in the back of my head. Slowly, I turned and glanced back at him.
“What exactly did she mean by that?” he asked, wide-eyed.
I sighed. “Girls. Mr. Bailey wants to know what exactly Sweets meant by that,” I said to the car.
Through the rear-view mirror, I could see Sweets’ eyes open wide. “Oops, sorry.”
Alba, sitting shotgun, looked over her shoulder. “Tell him we’re taking Regis to say his final goodbyes.”
The fluffy clouds over his eyes knitted together and his cheeks puffed out wide. “We’re going to the morgue? Why in the world are you taking me to the morgue?”
I blew out the breath I’d been holding. “We just need you to trust us, Mr. Bailey. We have a plan, but we can’t really share it right now. Can you do that? Can you try to trust us?”
“Well, I – uh,” he stammered, his mouth ajar. He crossed his short arms across his chest and snapped his mouth shut and gave me a nod.
“Thank you,” I said before turning my attention back to the view out my window.
Minutes later, the five of us, plus Mr. Bailey’s ghost and Regis stood in front of the on-duty morgue attendant. Regis, wearing a little green fishing vest with his bucket hat, yipped around our feet anxiously, as if he knew Mr. Bailey’s body was nearby.
The woman at the desk was in her mid-thirties. Her short blonde hair was swept back in a high ponytail, and she wore a silver necklace with a heart pendant that had the names Ethan and Tyson engraved on it alongside their dates of birth.
“Aww, what a cute little puppy,” she gushed as we led Regis in on his leash. As we got closer, she stood up so she could see him better. “What an adorable little outfit too!”
I bent over and scooped him up as we approached the counter. “Thank you,” I said somberly. “His name is Regis.”
“Hi Regis,” she cooed, scratching him behind his ears.
For his part, Regis waggled not just his tail, but his entire back end while panting excitedly.
Alba patted Regis on the rump. “Listen, I know this is probably a really strange request, but Regis’ owner passed away unexpectedly yesterday afternoon. His name was Victor Bailey. We’re friends of the family and are dog-sitting Regis here. He’s just been a total mess since Mr. Bailey died. He really misses his master. We thought maybe bringing him down here today and giving him a chance to say his goodbyes might make him a little more comfortable.”
The woman, whose nametag read Misty, sat back down in her rolling seat. “Oh, golly. Victor Bailey is scheduled for an autopsy today at three. Until that’s completed, that’s not really something we can do. A dog in the back room is not only unsanitary but could contaminate the body.”
Alba winced but didn’t let that stop her from pressing. “Look, Misty. We wouldn’t ask, but Regis has not stopped crying since Mr. Bailey didn’t come home last night. Mr. Bailey’s wife has so much on her plate right now, dealing with her husband’s death that she can’t handle the fact that her poor dog is depressed and sad. I just know if he could see his owner one last time, he’d relax a little for her. We won’t be long. Can’t we just slip in for a second? We’ll hold onto him tight, and we wouldn’t let him contaminate the body or anything.”
Misty shifted about uncomfortably. “Oh gosh, I’m so sorry ladies, but I’d get into a lot of trouble for allowing something like that,” she said nervously. “I’m sure you understand. Once we get the body to the funeral home, then I’m sure Regis can say his goodbye’s there.”
“But he’s really sad now!” whined Jax, sounding like a five-year-old who was begging for ice-cream before dinner.
The woman made a sad face. “Oh, poor doggy. You lost your master,” she said in a pronounced baby talk, scratching him once again.
Regis stuck out his tongue and panted appropriately.
“She’s not going to let us in,” whispered Mr. Bailey in my ear.
“Shh,” I hissed at him.
The woman looked up at me curiously.
I gave her a tight smile.
“Look girls, I know your cute little guy wants to see his master, but I can’t let you. I’m so, so sorry.”
I looked around, unsure of what our next move should be.
Alba wasted no time and surprised me by spinning on her heels and heading for the door. “Let’s go girls.”
I picked Regis up off the counter and followed the girls out.
“Now what?” asked Holly.
“Yeah, how are we going to get to Mr. Bailey’s body?” asked Jax.
“We have to get in there,” I said, looking down at my Batman watch. “We’ve only got two more hours until the autopsy.”
Mr. Bailey’s eyes were on me then. “What does my autopsy have to do with Regis getting in to see my body?”
I swallowed hard. “Girls, Mr. Bailey wants to know what his autopsy has to do with Regis getting in to see him.”
Alba nodded. “We thought it best if Regis said his good
byes before the autopsy because we aren’t sure how you’ll look after it’s done. You might look all Frankenstinean and freak the poor guy out. We didn’t want to traumatize him. We only wanted to give him some closure.”
Mr. Bailey pulled his mouth back into a thin line. I wasn’t sure if that meant he believed the lame excuse, or if he didn’t believe the lame excuse, but was going to go with the flow.
“We’ve got to figure out a way into that room,” said Alba, looking around.
“Ugh,” groaned Holly. “This is so frustrating. He’s literally just a few yards away, and we can’t get in there because of Misty.” She air-quoted the woman’s name.
“Yeah, if we could get Misty out, we’d be free to sneak back there,” said Sweets.
A thought hit me. “I’ve got it. You girls wait here, I’ll be right back.”
Alba looked up at me sharply. “Where are you going?”
“Just around the corner, I’ll be back in a minute.”
Holly looked at me nervously. “Just stand out here in the hallway?”
“Yup,” I said.
“But won’t that be suspicious?”
“Act casual,” said Alba, leaning one elbow against the wall.
Holly, leaned back against the wall and propped one foot up behind her, striking what she thought to be a sexy pose. Sweets slunk to the ground and crossed her legs like a pretzel in front of her and then leaned her head on her hands. Jax couldn’t quite figure out a “casual pose” and changed positions about five times before Alba final growled at her. “I said act casual, not idiotic.”
I rolled my eyes as I walked away, but I could hear them as I continued down the hallway.
“But I don’t know how to act casual,” whined Jax.
“Oh my god, Shorty. Just stand there.”
I rounded the corner at the end of the long hallway and followed the signs to the Human Resources office. With my heart beating crazily in my chest, I poked my head into the first door that said HR Specialist on it. There was a desk, but no one sitting behind it. I sucked in a shaky breath, inhaling the pungent stench of cheap perfume and shaved pencils, and looked back down the hallway before slipping unseen into the empty office.
Witch School Dropout: A Witch Squad Cozy Mystery #7 Page 11
