Cursed Brides and Alibis

by Amy Boyles

“We can find out,” Rose said. “All we have to do is track him down. In a town this size it couldn’t be too hard. The mayor introduced him last night.”

  I snapped my fingers. “That’s right. She’ll know something. Rose, you’re a genius.”

  Rose fluffed her hair. “It wouldn’t be the first time I was called that.”

  “Charming,” my mother said, “was there something you were saying to me when you first arrived? I couldn’t quite hear what you wanted to talk about.”

  I’d completely forgotten that there was serious business to discuss. I folded my arms and glared at her. “You have earth powers,” I stated.

  Mama sniffed. “That’s ridiculous. What are you talking about?”

  “The same witch who gave me Corley’s name told me that.” My eyes narrowed. “Why wouldn’t you tell me that you can harness the element of earth?”

  Mama tried coiling a frizzy strand of hair behind her ear. Needless to say, the strand popped right back up and stuck out at a ninety-degree angle.

  “That’s preposterous. I don’t have any sort of earth powers. The witch who told you that was wrong.”

  “You’re lying.”

  Mama gasped. Rose gasped. Even Pig gasped.

  Broom shook.

  I had succeeded in rattling the group.

  Never, not once in my entire life had I called my mother a liar. I’d never had reason to.

  The boundary I had just crossed was a serious one. I respected my mother, and to knowingly step over that boundary of respect was a bold, if stupid move for me. In doing so, I could lose my mother’s respect.

  This could seriously harm our relationship, but I had a feeling I was right.

  Mama glared at me. “What did you say?”

  I folded my arms. “I said I know that isn’t the truth. You’re keeping it from me. You have earth powers. Admit it.”

  “You would believe an old witch before me? Your own mother?”

  I cocked my head to one side. “It’s not like you have the best track record when it comes to honesty. You didn’t tell me anything about the prophecy.”

  She sniffed. “For good reason.”

  “Then what’s your good reason for keeping this a secret?”

  She narrowed her eyes. “I’m not keeping secrets. I don’t have earth powers. I’ll forgive you for calling me a liar because you have a lot of weight on your shoulders with the prophecy and all.” She wagged a finger at me. “But don’t do it again. Now. Don’t you have a mayor to talk to?”

  I nodded dumbly. How could May Little have been right about Corley but so wrong about my mother?

  That’s when I realized she hadn’t been. Mama just didn’t want to talk about it.

  She started skimming her book and staring at Reese, trying to figure out what was wrong with the woman.

  I resigned myself to the fact that I wasn’t going to get any more information out of my mother—at least not right now.

  There was no other choice. I had to find out where Rots Smythe was staying, and the mayor could help me with that.

  But first, there was still one thing to tell my mother. I rose and stretched my arms.

  “Don’t dawdle too long, Charming,” Mama said. “We may need you back here.”

  “Okay, but that witch told me that one of your friends would be visiting town very soon.”

  Mama’s brow curled into a question. “Oh? Who is that?”

  I smirked. “Frankie Firewalker.”

  Mama blanched as I turned to go. “That’s what she told me to tell you. Care to explain more about your nemesis?”

  “Please. I don’t have a nemesis.” Mama dismissed me with a wave. “Find out what the mayor knows. The sooner we can help Reese, the better.”

  I nodded and, without another word, left.

  The mayor wasn’t in when I arrived. India sat behind her desk clicking away at her computer.

  “The mayor is out,” she said when she noticed me peering into the mayor’s office.

  “Do you know when she’ll be back?”

  India glanced at the clock. “She’s just out to lunch. Maybe an hour or so.”

  I smiled. The nervous little mouse of a woman’s gaze darted away.

  “Maybe you can help me.”

  She nodded enthusiastically. “I’ll try.”

  I tried to keep my tone light, as if I wasn’t too interested. “What can you tell me about Rots Smythe?”

  “I can tell you he wouldn’t be a good man to match.”

  The voice that came from behind me made me bristle.

  My shoulders hiked to my ears, and my entire body tensed. I slowly turned around and glared at Thorne.

  “You know, just because you can sneak up on people doesn’t mean you have to.”

  Amusement flashed in his silvery eyes. “I didn’t sneak up. I opened the door and stepped in.”

  “But you did it with your vampire powers. That makes your movements swift and silent. You have an unfair advantage.”

  Thorne strolled in. The scents of grass just after a rain and a sort of musky vanilla preceded him.

  “Why do you want to know about Rots Smythe?” he asked.

  Oh, this was tricky. If I told him, he’d be irked. “I understand he’s doing some sort of interesting work. I thought maybe I could talk to him about it.”

  Thorne sat on the lip of an empty desk. “You wouldn’t be looking for him because he had an argument with the deceased, would you?”

  I shook my head. “Oh no. Not at all. Speaking of the deceased, you didn’t find out how she was murdered, did you?”

  “Still working on it.”

  But the light in his eyes suggested Thorne knew and he wasn’t telling.

  “How’s your mother coming with the spell breaking?”

  “She’s working on it.”

  He nodded. “I was going to stop by later and find out what she’s discovered. I thought I’d give her some time.”

  “When should I tell her to expect you?”

  “A few hours. There are some things I need to do first.” He nodded to me and to India. Thorne rose to go. “But do me a favor and don’t pester Rots. You’re barking up the wrong tree.”

  “Promise,” I lied.

  Thorne stopped and glanced over his shoulder. “You know, I could almost hear your lie when you said that.”

  Stunned silent, all I could do was watch as Thorne walked out of the building and disappeared onto the street.

  My gaze slid to India. “Now. About that contact information. What have you got?”

  Chapter 8

  Outside the mayor’s office I ran into Jamison. “Dudette,” he said, his voice brimming with anguish, “is it true? Is my Reese alive?”

  Oh. Wow. How was I supposed to put this delicately? “Jamison, let’s sit down.”

  We found a bench without kudzu creeping near it and sat. I still didn’t trust that stuff. I’d been bitten once by the plant, and I didn’t exactly want to be bitten again.

  I took both of Jamison’s hands and smiled kindly. Emotion bubbled in his eyes. In the short time I’d known him, I’d never seen the man like this.

  But what did I expect? Jamison thought he’d met his soul mate. He’d even believed Corley was that woman.

  I used my I’m-going-to-break-this-to-you-gently voice. “Jamison, the woman who told you she was Reese lied. That wasn’t her.”

  He nodded. “I know. The police told me. I can’t believe it, dudette. I can’t believe that wasn’t her. We were so connected.” He gazed at the clouds, a dreamy expression on his face. “In our hearts we were one.”

  I licked my lips, trying to make my mind work to discover something that might ease his pain. “I know you felt something for that woman and I’m sorry, but have you thought that maybe she put some sort of spell on you? Magic that would make you think you felt something for her when you didn’t?”

  Jamison’s eyes bugged. “What? No, dudette. Not once did I consider that.” He exhaled
a shot of air. “Whoa. My mind is, like, blown.”

  I patted his hand. “You haven’t even seen the real Reese.”

  “I heard she was, like, in a coma.”

  I nodded. “She is. Do you want to meet her?”

  Jamison pulled his hand from mine and rubbed his eyes. “I don’t know, dudette. I’ve already had my heart ripped from my chest once this week. I don’t know if I could do it again.”

  “She came to see you, Jamison. Hearing your voice might help bring her back from wherever she is.”

  Jamison nodded. “Okay. I’ll see her. But I need some time. I have to, like, prepare myself.”

  “Come over later, okay? Maybe you can have dinner with my family. But be warned, they are strange.”

  He chuckled softly, and for the first time I saw a little light return to his eyes. “Okay. I’ll do it.”

  I gave him a hug and headed off toward Rots Smythe. The house he was staying in was in Water Town. It would be the first time I had visited the element my power was based on. Granted, I now had more earth and air magic than water, but I was still curious as to what Water Town was going to be like.

  The entrance gates weren’t gates at all. They were two fountains, one on either side of the road, spewing curling streams of water into a pool that split the road in two.

  I smiled, wondering what the tourists thought about the curling water. There was absolutely nothing natural about it, but the spectacle was amazing.

  I found a parking spot and got out. The cottages in Water Town were a sight to see. Panes of glass filled with water served as windows. Where the construct in Air Town was that they used sails atop the homes to harness the energy, in Water Town liquid flowed through the very veins of each home.

  It was so freaking cool.

  I could feel the power of the water flowing beneath this part of Witch’s Forge. Must’ve been an underground spring feeding the magic.

  I nodded to witches as I passed. Their dresses flowed similarly to how my mother’s always flowed when she walked—as if she were walking through water.

  It was a skill I had yet to master. As I watched them, I realized the witches were wearing scarves over their heads same as Mama.

  I wondered if their hair was frizzing up as well.

  I found the home that Rots was supposed to be staying at and knocked on the door. A loud crash, sounding like a bookcase had fallen over, came from inside the house.

  Worried, I twisted the door handle. “Mr. Smythe, are you okay?”

  When no answer came, I pushed the door. I peeked my head in as a hand grabbed the edge of the door from me and swung it open.

  Rots Smythe, face scowling and fur coat clad over his body, glared at me.

  “And who are you?” he said in a raspy, sniveling voice.

  “I’m Charming Calhoun.” I tried to peer around him. “Are you okay?”

  “I am fine. What do you want?”

  I had the feeling this man wasn’t about to invite me in for tea.

  I put on my brightest smile and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. I suddenly realized my hair was acting funny—all coarse and frizzy, more scrub pad than hairlike. “You may not know about me since you’re new in town, but I’m the town matchmaker. My mission is to match folks with their soul mates.”

  His scowl deepened. “I don’t need a matchmaker.”

  I shrugged. “But I heard you were acquainted with a woman named Corley Duvall. I thought maybe she was your match.”

  Rots’s eyes narrowed. “Who told you that? How do you know that name?”

  Aha! He knew her! “It’s something that’s been going around town. That the two of you are acquainted.”

  “Were acquainted,” he hissed. “From what I understand, Miss Duvall is dead.”

  “So you knew her?”

  “Yes, I knew her.”

  As we spoke, I started to feel my hair rising to attention on my head, as if it was being pulled by some sort of invisible hair magnet.

  What the heck was going on?

  I patted it down and refocused on Rots, who I did not trust one lick, if you wanted to know the truth. There was something grimy and dirty about him. It was like oil ran through his veins instead of blood.

  There was definitely something off about this man.

  “Oh,” I put on my dumb-sounding, innocent voice, “were you there when she was killed? At the gardens?”

  “I was there, but I wasn’t aware that Corley had taken on another name. I’m not surprised. She got herself into some trouble, from what I understand.”

  “With whom?”

  “Not that it’s any of your business,” he said in a distasteful tone, “but with her family.”

  “What sort of trouble?”

  “It was something about a man,” he said.

  Same thing the woman on the phone had told me. “Do you know him?”

  Rots shook his head. “I assumed it was that young man who says ‘dude’ all the time.”

  “Jamison? No, he’d only just met Corley. She pretended to be his soul mate.”

  Rots combed his fingers through his hair. “I’m afraid I don’t know any more than that. I am friendly with the Duvall’s, but I don’t push my nose into their business, so to speak.”

  “But you argued with Corley at the train station. Why was that?”

  His cheeks flushed in anger. “I don’t know why I’d be telling you, a matchmaker, anything about a platform argument I had.”

  “It was about your fur coat, wasn’t it? I heard some of it.”

  Rots tapped his foot impatiently. “She clawed at my coat, I assumed to ruin it, like animal lovers often do. I didn’t even recognize Corley until I was halfway down the platform.”

  Another crash came from the back of the house. Rots froze. “Now really, I must be getting back to my work. If you want to know more about why Miss Duvall came here, I suggest you ask her cabinmate—a young brown-haired woman. They looked to be getting on quite well when I saw them in the dining car.”

  I frowned. “I thought you said you didn’t recognize Corley until after you’d walked past her.”

  “I didn’t,” he snapped. “Now, good day.”

  Then Rots Smythe slammed the door in my face. It was a good thing, too, because I’m pretty sure my hair was standing straight up.

  I gritted my teeth. Even though my brain waves were pointing toward the sky thanks to my hair, I knew one thing for certain—Rots Smythe was lying about when he’d first recognized Corley.

  If there was something I questioned, it was this—if Rots was lying about that, what else was he lying about?

  There was only one way to find out. I had to get into that house. Inside I would find answers.

  Chapter 9

  I’d just finished setting the table for dinner when the doorbell rang. “It must be Jamison,” I announced.

  The house creaked and groaned as it elongated the dining room. I glanced at the walls curiously.

  “We only need to have four place settings, five if you count Pig.”

  The house made the room large enough to accommodate someone tall and big.

  I glared at the walls, my shoulders sagging to the floor. “This doesn’t mean what I think it means, does it?”

  Rose walked briskly down the hall toward the door.

  “Has Thorne already been here? Talked to Mama about Reese?” I asked.

  “No, why?”

  I groaned as she opened the door. “Hello, Chief Blackwood. How’re you?”

  My back sank against the wall. I’d been really, really hoping that Thorne had already come and gone. I hadn’t had a chance to speak to Mama since I’d been home. As soon as I arrived, she forced me into the dining room to set the table.

  My eyes narrowed to slits. This was all a setup. I bet she spoke to Thorne and asked him over for dinner.

  Goodness knew why. It wasn’t like the man ate anything. You couldn’t exactly offer him a cow or something for his meal. At least,
not among respectable company.

  A hand shot out from behind the door, holding wildflowers out to Rose. “These are for you,” he said gruffly.

  I rolled my eyes. Great. And now he was bribing my family.

  Pink dotted Rose’s cheeks. “Why, thank you.” She batted her lashes at him. “Come in. I’d offer you some fresh blood, but we’re all out.”

  I shook my head. Seriously?

  My mother appeared in the hallway. She’d managed to tame her hair down to her shoulders. Luckily my hair had gone back to normal once I left Water Town. I guessed the strength of one’s power had to do with how frizzy your hair got. Mama was a more powerful water witch than I was.

  It was the best explanation I had and I was going with it.

  “Thorne,” Mama said in her most gracious voice, “thank you for accepting my offer to dinner. There’s so much to discuss.”

  He handed her a bouquet of daisies.

  “Oh, daisies. My favorite. Thank you.”

  They were not her favorite. She was only saying that.

  Mama pointed her finger toward the dining room, and two vases appeared. Her flowers and Rose’s vanished from their hands and reappeared in their glass containers.

  Thorne stepped into the house, into full view. His shoulders nearly cracked the walls, they were so wide. The house was right to open the dining room. It needed it where Thorne was concerned.

  “Charming,” he said.

  “Thorne.”

  It hovered on the tip of my tongue to comment that it was rude that he hadn’t brought flowers for me, when Thorne revealed half a dozen pink roses from behind his back.

  “These are for you.”

  My stomach crashed to the floor. My mouth dried, and my lips went numb.

  I didn’t know what to say. I must’ve been standing there like an idiot, because Mama elbowed my elbow.

  “Charming,” she said through clenched teeth. “What do you say?”

  There were a thousand things I wanted to say, starting with, Is this a bribe? But I bit my tongue and forced a wobbly smile to my face.

  One corner of my mouth pushed up, and as I ticked the other corner up, the first dipped back down. I forced them both up, way up until I felt like the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland.