The Bigfoot Blunder (A Charlie Rhodes Cozy Mystery Book 1)

by Amanda M. Lee

  “I’m a witch.”

  And just like that my excitement faded. “Yeah. So is everyone in the town.”

  “Oh, you misunderstand,” Bay cooed. “I’m a real witch. My entire family consists of real witches. We can perform magic, curse those we don’t like or agree with, even control the weather on rare occasions.”

  “You’re not serious?”

  Bay nodded. “Your turn. What are you?”

  “I have no idea,” I admitted, staring at my hands. “Have you ever seen Carrie?”

  Bay widened her eyes. “Yes.”

  “I think I might be Carrie.”

  Bay chuckled, the sound taking me by surprise. “Why don’t you sit down and we’ll go over this from the beginning. I doubt very much you’re Carrie.”

  “I think you’re wrong. The only difference is that no one has ever doused me in pig’s blood.”

  “Why don’t you tell me your story and we’ll go from there? Let’s not get dramatic until it’s called for. Criminy, you remind me of Aunt Tillie. She would love to be Carrie, though you seemed terrified by the prospect.”

  I couldn’t tell if the comparison was meant to be a compliment.

  27

  Twenty-Seven

  “So … you’re a witch?”

  I followed Bay to a metal bench and sat, my mind working at a fantastic rate. I knew something was different about the Winchesters, yet … this answer seemed somehow too simple.

  “I am.” Bay bobbed her head as she rested her hands on her knees. “All of the women in my family are witches.”

  “You have powers?”

  “We have different gifts,” Bay clarified. “As for powers … well … it’s not like you see on television. Except for Aunt Tillie, of course. She lives her life by what she sees on television, so she often seems like a soap opera character.”

  I chuckled despite the surreal situation. “What can you do?”

  “I can talk to ghosts and cast the occasional spell,” Bay replied, choosing her words carefully. “We can do a little magic here or there, but we don’t make it part of our normal lives. I’m nowhere near as strong as Aunt Tillie. Most of the spells I cast need power boosts from my cousins.”

  “Like … what?”

  “We call to the four corners,” Bay explained. “That’s how our line has always worked throughout the years. We’re no different.”

  “Do you mean directions? You call to the corners of the north, south, east and west?”

  Bay looked impressed. “How do you know that?”

  “I conducted a lot of research on the supernatural in college. I remember reading something about it,” I replied. “I tried to perform the spells in the book, but they didn’t work.”

  “Did you try the spells because you suspected you were a witch?”

  I shifted on the bench, finding it impossible to get comfortable. “I tried them because I didn’t think I fit in and I was desperately looking for reasons for my odd detachment.”

  “You protect yourself, and that’s probably wise,” Bay noted. “We won’t hurt you. We can generally tell when someone is evil, and you’re not evil. I’m not sure if you’ve been worrying about that, but people aren’t born evil. It’s your heart that decides what you will or won’t be, and your heart would never let you become evil.”

  “I … um … tell me about what you can do.” I wasn’t ready to admit my abilities until I saw proof of what Bay told me. I inherently trusted her – I probably always had because I sensed the goodness within – but I was understandably leery. “What kinds of things have you done?”

  “Well, when we were little Aunt Tillie would take us on adventures. Those adventures almost always had something to do with her meting out vengeance on people.” Bay smiled as her memories pushed to the forefront. “She enjoyed messing with Mrs. Little quite often. That often involved a spell or two. The Christmas after our fathers left I was in a bad mood because of … well, a lot of things … and she made it snow to save Christmas that year.”

  “She can control the weather?” That sounded unbelievably fantastical.

  Bay nodded. “She’s done it on more than one occasion. I’ve seen her bring lightning storms down on people threatening us on more than one occasion.”

  “Did she kill them?”

  “A few. They were all bad people, so don’t worry about that. We seem to attract a certain type of enemy. Aunt Tillie doesn’t play favorites with her enemies. She enjoys smiting them no matter what they’ve done.”

  “What about your mother and aunts? What can they do?”

  “They have their own blend of magic,” Bay replied, her expression wistful. “They’re all kitchen witches. Clove, Thistle and I tend to be elemental witches, drawing our magic from the earth and air. Mom, Marnie and Twila focus their energies in the kitchen. That doesn’t mean they can’t conjure a spell when necessary. I believe they did it more often when they were younger.”

  I bit my bottom lip as I ran the information through my head. “And you can talk to ghosts?”

  “That’s also a family gift.” Bay’s smile turned strained. “It’s not exactly a comfortable gift, but I’ve learned to live with it.”

  “Is that what you were doing today? Talking to ghosts, I mean.”

  “I was here to clean graves because I do some of my best thinking when I have a secondary task to focus on,” Bay explained. “I sometimes have a conversation with Uncle Calvin when I’m here. He only seems to talk to me when I’m alone.”

  “He was Tillie’s husband?”

  “Yes. I never met him in life. However, we’ve had some marvelous conversations. He was a good man. I often think he had to be a saint to marry Aunt Tillie. He really loved her.”

  “Was he talking to you today?”

  “We had a brief conversation,” Bay replied. “He doesn’t talk to me often. I don’t believe he’s on this side. He manages to drift over occasionally, but he lives in a better place. Most ghosts who remain behind do so because they have unfinished business. They only stay until that business is settled.”

  “Do you help them move over?”

  “When I can. It’s not always possible.”

  “Have you seen Penny’s ghost? I know you’ve been looking. I watched you at her apartment. You seemed to be searching for something, although at the time I couldn’t figure out what. I saw you at the resort staring out into nothing, too. You were looking for her, weren’t you?”

  “I was,” Bay confirmed. “Sometimes when people are killed they remember exactly what happened and point us in the right direction. Other times the truth of their death is so traumatizing that it takes time for answers to come. I was hopeful Penny was still around, but if she is, I haven’t seen her.”

  “You don’t believe Bigfoot killed her, do you?”

  “No. I don’t think you really do either.”

  “I saw something,” I protested.

  “You saw a shadow in the dark,” Bay clarified. “I also saw your reaction when Jack mentioned the falling branch and how high up it was. I saw that branch. It wasn’t ripped from the tree. Well, I mean it was, but a physical being didn’t do it. Magic did.”

  I balked. “How can you possibly know that?”

  “I’ve sensed something in you from the moment we met,” Bay admitted, tilting her head to the side as she regarded me. “You’re powerful in a different way from us. There’s power inside of you. There’s no sense denying it.”

  “I … does Landon know about all of this?” I had no idea why my mind immediately flew to him. He was such a straight arrow that I had trouble wrapping my head around the idea that he could deal with something this freaky.

  “He knows,” Bay confirmed. “I couldn’t keep something like that from him. We were drawn together because we both chased the same case. When he initially found out about the Winchester witch gene he took a step back. I won’t deny that it hurt.”

  “That’s what you guys were talking about,” I mur
mured. “That’s why you were upset.”

  “I wasn’t really upset,” Bay clarified. “I was … all right, I was upset. Still, Landon came back. He needed time to think. There are people out there who will not only accept you for what you are but love you despite it.

  “That’s the key, of course,” she continued. “You want to be wary of people who want to be close to you because of your abilities. They are not to be trusted. That’s originally why we weren’t fond of Sam. We thought he wanted to be close to Clove only because she’s a witch.”

  “You obviously got over that,” I pointed out.

  “We have. Sam came to town because he researched the Winchester witches and wanted to get to know us. He fell in love with Clove because she’s Clove.”

  “And what can she do?”

  “Whine and complain.” Bay smiled. “She has certain cognitive abilities. “If you want to talk to her she can share that information. It’s not my place. I feel comfortable talking about my abilities, but I won’t gossip about my cousins.”

  “And Landon really understands?”

  “Landon is a unique individual who loves with his whole heart,” Bay answered. “He understands and looks past the magic. He isn’t always happy about the trouble it brings, but a good man will always follow his heart.”

  “Hmm.” I tapped my lip as I considered the statement. “I always thought I would have no choice but to be alone. I didn’t think people would understand. But there are times I can’t hide the things I can do.”

  “And what can you do?”

  “I … um … see things sometimes,” I admitted. It was hard to grit out the words, but I immediately felt better after I did. “I can sometimes see the past or the near future when I touch things. I saw you when I touched Mrs. Gunderson the other day. That’s why I tried to touch you later. I wanted to get another flash.”

  “That was odd, but I figured maybe you rolled that way.” Bay’s smile was impish. “What did you see when you touched Mrs. Gunderson?”

  “I’m not sure. It’s what made me suspicious of you guys. Well, to be fair, I was suspicious before I saw the flashes. The images sent my curiosity into overdrive. I saw you as a little girl. You were in this cemetery with Terry. He cried and hugged you.”

  “That was probably the day I talked to his mother after her death,” Bay mused. “I told him what I saw. He believed me, although he never wants to talk about it. He likes to pretend he doesn’t know about us. We let him because it’s somehow easier.”

  “I also saw you and Landon,” I offered. “He was upset, screaming your name. You were fighting some monster. I think it was made of mist.”

  Bay leaned forward, intrigued. “Really? I wonder if that was Floyd.”

  Something clicked in my head. “It had to be! I heard Tillie yelling, ‘I’m coming for you, Floyd.’ I wasn’t sure they were part of the same memory.”

  “They were. Floyd was an angry poltergeist. We gave him what he deserved in the end.”

  “So … he’s gone?”

  “More than a year now,” Bay confirmed. “So you see flashes of the past and future. That’s a cognitive gift. You can move things with your mind, too. I’ve seen you do it.”

  Admitting to the psychic flashes was one thing. Admitting to the other was quite another. “I … .”

  “It’s okay.” Bay rested her hand on mine to soothe me. “I won’t tell. It’s okay. I know about having a secret. I know how hard it is to deal with something you can’t control.”

  “That’s just it, I can’t control the … other,” I admitted, tears swamping my eyes. “It started happening when I was ten. I saw flashes and it haunted me. My parents kept trying to get me to talk about it, but I couldn’t.

  “Then one night the neighbor’s house went up in flames and I saw it before it happened,” I continued. “I told my parents and they checked. It was too late to help the woman who lived there. It overwhelmed me and … well … I blew up a light bulb.”

  “That must’ve been difficult,” Bay clucked, her expression sympathetic but free of judgment. “What did your parents say?”

  “Oh, they were fine,” I said hurriedly. “I mean, they were surprised, but they went out of their way to make sure I knew that it wasn’t my fault. They were always good that way.”

  “That’s good.”

  “They weren’t my real parents, though.” I felt guilty even uttering the words. “That came out wrong. They were my real parents. They weren’t my birth parents. I have no idea who my birth parents were. They dropped me off at a fire station in the middle of the night. I have no memory of them.”

  “How old were you?”

  “Four.”

  Bay took me by surprise when she stroked the back of my head. It mirrored something my adoptive mother did to soothe me whenever I was upset. “You believe they abandoned you because of your abilities, don’t you?”

  “Why else?”

  Bay shrugged, noncommittal. “It could’ve been a number of things,” she replied. “Perhaps they were trying to protect you because they knew someone might come through them to try to use your powers. Perhaps they knew they weren’t equipped to give you the life you deserved, so they opted to give you the best chance they could. You may never know why they did what they did.

  “In truth, though, they might’ve done you a favor,” she continued. “They might’ve put you in the system so you could get help. I’m a firm believer that things work out as they’re supposed to. That’s why I let Landon go without a fight when he opted to leave.”

  “Did you know he would come back?”

  “No. I felt in my heart he would, but I didn’t want to keep him if he didn’t want to stay.”

  “That’s how I want to feel about my parents,” I said. “I can’t help but wonder. Do you think they were like me?”

  “In witch families, the power is handed down from the mother,” Bay explained. “Boys sometimes get hints of magic, but they’re never as powerful as the girls. Perhaps that’s what happened to you.”

  “Do you know any telekinetic witches?”

  “Yes.”

  “You do?” I couldn’t stop the hope from expanding in my chest.

  “Aunt Tillie can move things with her mind if she puts a lot of effort behind it,” Bay offered. “I have on one or two occasions. It’s draining for us. It doesn’t sound as if it’s draining for you.”

  “I try not to do it at all,” I said. “I don’t want people to notice. It pops up occasionally. That’s what happened with the diner door when you noticed it flying out.”

  “I figured as much, but I didn’t want to push you.” Bay looked thoughtful. “It also happened at breakfast the first morning after you arrived … and the morning after you found us dancing in the field. You didn’t realize it – and I don’t think anyone else did, so don’t panic – but your spoon stirred in your coffee mug without you touching it.”

  “Oh, my … .” I felt sick to my stomach. “I can’t believe you noticed that.”

  “It’s fine.” Bay dismissed my potential freakout as if I were two years old and throwing a tantrum. “I understand why you’re looking for answers. I understand why you don’t volunteer information to anyone who asks for it. You should be careful. This is a dangerous world.”

  “But?”

  “But you’re not alone.” Bay’s smile was soothing. “You have help if you need it. You have us if you ever need to talk. You won’t be here forever. Whether Bigfoot is to blame or one of Penny’s suitors flipped his lid, you will eventually leave this place. But we’ll always be here if you need answers. Don’t forget that.”

  “Do you have the answers I need?”

  “That’s a good question. I’m not sure I can answer it.”

  “Can you help me find my parents?”

  “I … .” Bay broke off and shook her head. “There are a few spells we might try, locator spells and the like, but I doubt very much they’d lead you to what you’re really se
eking.”

  “And what do you think I’m seeking?”

  “A place where you belong,” Bay answered without hesitation. “You need to give this job time, Charlie. You can’t get every answer in the exact moment you ask the question. You need to reach out to others and let them help you.”

  “And how am I supposed to do that?” I challenged. “We’re searching for paranormal beings and hoping magic is the answer to certain questions. All the while I’ll be keeping a big secret from these people. How can I trust them if they can’t trust me?”

  Bay shrugged, her expression enigmatic. “I think that the easiest way to hide is to become the thing you believe is hunting you. Insulating yourself in this group was a smart move.”

  “But I’ll never be able to trust them,” I groused. “How am I supposed to build a life if I can’t trust people? How am I supposed to get a Landon of my own if I’m always lying?”

  “You don’t always have to lie,” Bay pointed out. “You merely have to protect yourself until you get a better feel for the people you’ve surrounded yourself with. When it comes down to it, I’ll bet there are a few you can trust in that group.”

  “Laura?”

  Bay immediately started shaking her head. “You’ll never be able to trust Laura. She reminds me of a girl I went to high school with. She’s a user and manipulator.”

  “Then who?”

  “I think Millie is more than trustworthy,” Bay offered. “Watch her a bit. I think she’s keeping lots of secrets.”

  “She reminds me of Tillie.”

  “That’s not necessarily a bad thing. I know you’ve only seen us complaining about Aunt Tillie, but we’d be lost without her.”

  “Who else?” I asked. “Do you think Chris will be okay with it?”

  “Chris seems to be a man searching for something only he can explain,” Bay replied. “I think Jack will be your greatest ally.”

  I balked, frustrated. “He’s a jerk.”

  Bay smiled. “All men seem like jerks until you understand where they’re coming from. I’m not telling you to confide in Jack right away. Simply … get to know him.”