by Raven Snow
“You what?”
“I quit my job. I think…I think I need to move back here.” She got into the car and waited for Eric to do the same.
He did. There was a bemused expression on his face as they headed back to the hospital. “Just like that? You quit.”
“It’s not like they paid me that much,” Rowen said with a shrug. “Moving back will be a hassle, but it seemed like the right thing to do. I couldn’t tell you why exactly.”
Eric laughed. “Well, I’ll help you move,” he offered. “We can just get all the bad dates over with early on— helping someone move, solving a murder together.”
“You don’t have to,” Rowen said quickly. “If you just want to have some fun, I’m not against it. I don’t know if meeting Mundy and Terry and knowing the gist of what happened to your great grandfather tipped you off, but we’re a handful. And that’s sort of putting it lightly.”
Eric only shrugged. “I like a challenge.”
Rowen rolled her eyes at him, but she could tell he meant it. For whatever reason, he had liked her on sight. Even after all of this, he still liked her. Maybe there really was a chance for the two of them.
#
The police had left the hospital. That was a bit of a relief. At least now she could ask Grammy her questions without worrying about whether someone was listening in through the door.
She found the right room and knocked. “Come in,” called Aunt Lydia. Lydia was smiling when they entered, but the smile fell from her face when she saw Eric again. “Good seeing you again,” she said, though it sounded like she meant anything but.
“Likewise,” Eric said, lingering near the door.
“How are you feeling today?” Rowen asked, turning her attention to her grandmother.
Grammy was sitting up in her hospital bed, looking restless. “Just about sick of this place.”
“I think I can help with that. Lydia, if you take her stuff and sign the papers, Eric and I can help Grammy.” Rowen hated to trick her aunt, but she didn’t want to talk about this stuff in front of her.
Aunt Lydia cast a dubious look at Eric but headed for the door. “If I can even find someone who works here,” she said. “This place is just awful.”
Normally, Grammy would insist that she didn’t need help. She seldom did. This time, she said nothing of the sort. “What’s eating at you two this time?” she asked instead, as soon as the door had closed behind Lydia.
Rowen didn’t bother to pull up chairs. She went up to her grandmother’s bed and sat at the foot of it. “Same stuff,” she told her. “We went to go see Mr. Mundy. He still holds a grudge, by the way.”
Grammy rolled her eyes. “No surprise there. He always did have a temper.”
Rowen nodded, using that as a segue into her real question. “About that…Grammy, did he kill Lionel Richardson?”
Grammy’s eyes widened at the question. “Oh, goodness, no.”
“They fought though, right?” Rowen didn’t think her grandmother would lie to her, but there had to be more to this than that.
“Certainly they did, but he didn’t kill him. If anything, I would say Lionel even won that fight.” Grammy folded her hands in her lap, leaving that at that.
“Okay.” Rowen nodded. That was a relief. On the one hand, they were back to square one. On the other hand, at least she knew her grandmother hadn’t lied on Mundy’s behalf. “Well, let’s get you home, I guess.”
“Sorry, but…excuse me, ma’am?” Eric began, clearing his throat awkwardly. He cast an apologetic glance at Rowen that was more than a little worrying. “Did you kill my great grandfather?”
“Eric!” Rowen’s heart leapt into her throat at the accusation. He couldn’t really think that, could he?
“I did, yes,” said Grammy, drawing Rowen’s attention immediately back to her.
“You didn’t,” said Rowen, willing that to be true. Of course she had, though. Rowen had had a sneaking suspicion for a while, she realized. She hadn’t wanted to believe it, but her feelings were usually right.
“He was angry after the business with Mundy,” Grammy explained, not waiting for more questions. “He was angry that I was leaving him. He called me a hypocrite for being upset he had a wife. I suppose I was.”
“You wouldn’t kill someone over that,” Rowen insisted, rubbing absently at her own hands.
“It was for the family,” Grammy continued. “Everything I’ve ever done is for this family. Back then, people weren’t nearly as open to the idea of witches as they are now.”
“They’re not open to it now,” said Rowen with a frown.
Grammy waved a hand dismissively. “Well, back in my day, it could get you killed. It got your great grandmother, my mother, killed. After I broke it off with Lionel, he developed this strong moral compass all of a sudden. He was going to go to the police, the paper, whatever it took to rouse the public, let them know the Greensmiths were everything they suspected them to be. I couldn’t risk it. I couldn’t risk my family, so I suppose I became one of those evil fairy tale witches they’re always thinking we are.”
“And you kept the body all these years?” Rowen asked.
Grammy snorted. “I was always afraid he might seek revenge if he wasn’t contained. I put a spell on it. The thing was like Fort Knox. How was I supposed to know your aunt would sell the damn thing?”
Rowen didn’t know what to say. What could she say? She put her head in her hands.
“What do you want us to do?” asked Eric, taking Rowen rather by surprise.
It seemed to take Grammy by surprise as well. She gave him an appraising look up and down. “You’re quite taken with my granddaughter, aren’t you?”
Eric glanced at Rowen briefly before looking back at her grandmother. He cleared his throat. “Yes, ma’am.”
Grammy chuckled. “Us Greensmith girls are a handful, you know.”
“So I’ve been told.”
Grammy nodded. She looked back at Rowen. Her tone grew serious. “I suppose you should take me to the police station, dear. It’s time I gave a statement.”
“Grammy, no!” Rowen started to argue with her, but Eric placed a hand on her shoulder.
“It’s all right,” Grammy assured her. “This is a long time coming.”
Rowen wiped her eyes. There really was no arguing with the woman. “I’m moving back home,” she said, forcing a smile.
“I had a feeling you might.” Grammy reached out and drew Rowen into a hug. “You’ll take care of this family. This is where you belong. This is where you’ve always belonged.”
Epilogue
The bell over the front entrance rang. “I got coffee and news!” Rose called.
Rowen locked eyes with Eric and pressed a finger over her lips. If Rose saw that he was visiting, she would want to talk. Rowen wanted Eric to herself for a bit before that happened. “I’ll be out in a second!” she called, loudly enough for Rose to hear her through the door of her office.
Her office. It was so strange having one. The Lainswich Inquirer. Eric had helped her set it up when it had become clear that Lionel had gone for good. An investment, Eric had called it. Rowen was pretty sure it had been a gift. They were doing well, though. As a paper run by the infamous Lainswich witches and kin of the infamous Greensmith murderer, the Inquirer’s first edition had sold out from consumer curiosity alone. The subsequent editions kept selling out because the stories were good.
The whole family had gotten in on it. Except Terry. He and Margo had divorced. Greensmith relationships never lasted. No one could deny that Rowen’s seemed to be going pretty well, though. Maybe it was because he traveled a lot, and all those week-long absences before he came back to her made both their hearts grow fonder. As much as he was away, he’d become a regular installment in the Greensmith household. As far as Rowen was concerned, that was where he belonged, too.
She giggled when he picked her up onto the desk and kissed her on the neck. God, she loved that man.
The door opened. They both jumped and separated. “Oh!” Rose stared, coffee in hand. “Hi, Eric. Um…Want coffee?”
“Hi, Rose.” Eric coughed and buttoned the top few buttons of his shirt. “No, thanks. I’m good.”
“There’s been a murder,” Rose blurted. “Looks like the occult. The police want a word with you.”
Rowen rolled her eyes and flashed Eric a knowing smile. Witches might still have a bad rap in Lainswich, but at least it was good for business. “Sounds like a story to me.”
Preview of “Hexes and Exes”
(Lainswich Witches Book 2)
Things have been going well for Rowen Greensmith. She’s moved back home with her family in Lainswich. She runs The Lainswich Inquirer— a surprisingly successful publication. She’s never been happier. Sure, her boyfriend Eric spends a lot of time away, but she still adores him. Sure, her family is still a lot to handle, but they’re still her favorite people in the world.
When a local woman gets killed in a way that points to the occult, all of that happiness is turned on its head. The Lainswich community isn’t fond of the Greensmiths (a family of Witches) on the best of days. It doesn’t take much for them to turn against Rowen’s family.
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Authors Note
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Books by Raven Snow
Harper "Foxxy" Beck Series
1) Roller Rink Witchcraft Kindle Edition / Paperback Edition
2) Shake Your Green Thing Kindle Edition / Paperback Edition
3) A Murder Most Rosy Kindle Edition / Paperback Edition
4) Felonies and Felines Kindle Edition / Paperback Edition
Lainswich Witches Series
1) Greensmith Girls Kindle Edition / Paperback Edition
2) Hexes and Exes Kindle Edition / Paperback Edition
3) Murders and Mothers Kindle Edition / Paperback Edition
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