by K. J. Emrick
The line from Shakespeare came to Addie’s mind, the one about the lady protesting too much. Maria was laying it on much too thick. “See, Maria, the thing I’m learning about Shadow Lake is that everyone has secrets they’re trying to hide from the world. Some people do it better than others. We might have never suspected you were having an affair with Seth Hunter, if not for the other little item that we had Irma bring to us.”
“Oh, really.” She folded her arms defiantly. “Fine. I’ll play along. What little item did Irma bring you?”
“Remember the ledger books of Seth’s that you said would show him taking kickbacks from businessmen like Cavallo Raithmore?”
Maria’s face went pale as she nodded.
“Irma brought us those. Yes, I know, it’s a total breach of protocol to release those books without your permission but since she was already fired I guess she figured she had nothing left to lose. Plus, she really wanted to show us something inside. All those years she knew about your affair, but she kept quiet about it because of her job. You really goofed when you fired her, Maria. See, there’s several entries in the book that show Seth used town monies to pay for things like hotel getaways for him… and you.”
It was Lucian’s turn to sum things up. “You and Seth were having an affair. At least you were, until you killed him.”
“You can’t prove that!” Maria blurted out. “You can’t prove any of it! The hotels Seth stayed at, um, he could have been with anyone. Like Irma! Maybe it was her having the affair! You can’t prove it was me!”
Lucian shrugged, totally unconcerned with her protests. “Not yet, maybe, but once we contact the hotels in the ledger book there’s bound to be a few who remember you. If not, their security cameras certainly will.”
Maria’s hands shook as she gripped the edge of the desk. She licked her lips, and the color drained from her face. “Fine. Yes, fine. I was having an affair with Seth Hunter. My husband didn’t know. I don’t want him to know. Do you hear me? All you can prove is that I’m not the best wife in the world. I jumped into another man’s bed. That’s not a crime, and it does not mean that I killed him!”
“Yes,” Addie insisted, “it does. Like you just said, you didn’t want your husband to find out. But, even more than that, you didn’t want this town to find out. As much as you like to talk about your husband, you and I both know that you care about this job far more than you care about your marriage.”
“Well, you got me there,” Maria laughed nervously. “I like this job. Guilty as charged. I love my husband, don’t get me wrong, but I love this job more. I’m finally in a position in my life where I’m in control. I’m the one who makes the decisions. I’m the one who says do this, and it gets done. Think I get that in my marriage?”
Addie nodded. “I thought as much. I was telling Lucian yesterday, at the debate, that the elections for First Selectman are in a few months. You couldn’t have a scandal ruin your chances of being re-elected. In a town this small, an affair between the First Selectman and the town manager would be enough to end your political career.”
Maria’s jaw dropped. “How dare you. I have given years of service to this town.”
“And between you and Seth you’ve taken more than you’ve given too, is what I’m guessing. Once we take a hard look at the town’s ledger books I’m sure we’ll know a lot more about that.”
Lucian raised a hand. “My department will take care of that.”
Addie smiled at him. “See? We do work well together.”
“Well, we have guys who specialize in following money trails. It won’t be long before we know everything Maria and Seth did. Every penny of it.”
“And in the end,” Addie said, “it will lead to Seth’s murder. Won’t it, Maria?”
Behind her desk, Maria slumped in her chair. “I knew I should have fired Irma sooner.”
“She found out your secret,” Addie guessed. “Then what happened? Did you go to tell Seth it had to end before word got out? Did he refuse to break it off?”
“Yes,” Maria admitted. “Worse than that, he wanted to tell everyone that we were together. That fool actually thought he loved me. He wanted me to leave my husband for him. Well, I know from experience that when a man gets to that point he won’t ever take his claws out of you. I needed to end it, quickly and quietly. I just wanted him to die so I could put it all behind me.”
That was a cold thing to say, Addie thought to herself. Cold and calculating. Maria had always been all business, but she had put on a face for the crowds when she needed it. Like at the debate, when she had made jokes and laughed. Addie was seeing now that it really was just a mask, though. This was the real Maria Stiles.
“It’s over,” Addie said to her. “You took a man’s life, and now you’ll have to pay the price.”
Maria glared at her. “You Kilorian sisters are always meddling. Always getting in my way! I run this town. Me! At least, that’s how it should be but, oh no. Not in Shadow Lake! Here you have to get the Irish blessing of the Kilorians! I even went so far as to hire Herman Bledsoe to be a constable, but still, you’re everywhere I turn! I tried to lead you off the scent by giving you details about Cavallo Raithmore and Seth and the bribes but you wouldn’t just do the easy thing and arrest him. That man’s been a thorn in everyone’s side for years and all you had to do was arrest him but no, you had to go and look for the truth!”
Lucian stepped around the desk. “Yes. It’s what we do. Isn’t that right, Addie?”
“I’m partial to the truth myself,” she agreed.
They shared a look, and Addie shivered at the way it stirred her deep inside. That moment healed a lot of what had gone wrong between them. Maybe they were back to starting over, but Lucian was the kind of man Addie didn’t mind getting to know for a second time.
Now, he motioned for Maria to stand up. “You’re under arrest for the murder of Seth Hunter. We’ll deal with all that misappropriation of town funds and any white-collar crimes you may have committed when we’ve had a chance to go over the books with a fine-toothed comb. For now, you’re coming to the police station with me.”
He took a pair of handcuffs out of their pouch at the back of his belt, and hooked them around Maria’s wrists.
Addie had to admit, if only to herself, that he looked very sexy when he was arresting the bad guy. Even if the bad guy happened to be a woman.
Chapter 13
“You could have brought Lucian here,” Kiera said as she passed a bowl full of biscuits to Addie. “He has proven himself to be a friend several times over. He has kept our secrets. He’s welcome at our table.”
Sitting beside her, Alan filled his water glass from the crystal pitcher. “I hope I’ve earned your trust the same way.”
She reached over and put her hand over his. “You will. I know you will. I’m just glad you’re finally home. I’ve regretted giving you up every day of your life. Now we have a second chance.”
Alan smiled back at her in a way that warmed Addie’s heart. It was nice to think that this might be the way their family was from now on. “Lucian had to oversee the arrest of Maria Stiles. He’ll come visit with us some other day.”
“Right,” Willow chimed in with false sweetness. “When he gets over being mad at Addie.”
“He is over it,” Addie said, a little warning in her voice to change the subject.
Willow wasn’t done her teasing, though. “Are you sure? Because I have to tell you, when a man’s angry with you then you can always look forward to some mind-blowing makeup—”
“Willow!” Addie snapped at her. She would much rather her personal life didn’t become tabletop gossip.
Alan laughed out loud and raised his glass to Willow. “You are the fun one, aren’t you?”
She raised her glass in turn, and gave him a wink. “Nephew, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
“Hear, hear,” Kiera said, lifting her glass to join the toast. Rolling her eyes, and smiling, Addie did the same.
>
They were sitting at the long table in the spacious dining room of Stonecrest, the sisters and Alan. Doyle was curled up in the corner too, not far away, but he was keeping one eye open in case any of the meal dropped to the floor. Addie happened to know for a fact that his bowl was currently full of his own special brand of food, but she’d never met a cat who didn’t like people food better. Doyle was no exception.
The meal was part celebration for solving the mystery of Seth Hunter’s death, and part welcome home dinner for Alan. Kiera had outdone herself, with a traditional Irish feast of corned beef brisket, roasted leg of lamb with cilantro and mint jelly, champ potatoes, scones, and a cinnamony apple tart for dessert. The food was being shared, and the conversation had flowed easily between them. Alan told them story after story about his younger days, and his life now. His job. His girlfriend. It was a condensed version of the life that Kiera had missed out on.
“Speaking of jobs,” Willow said in the middle of everything, “what is the town going to do about a First Selectman now that Maria is gone? I mean, I’m sure Eleanor Griggs will win the town manager election hands down considering she doesn’t even have an opponent anymore, but will they just move one of the other selectmen up to the head position or will they wait for January and have an election? How does that work?”
Addie twirled her fork in the air. “Mac could take over for Maria, I suppose.”
Kiera shook her head. “I know Mac, and I like him, but until we know more about his… condition, I wouldn’t be comfortable having him be in that position.”
“He’s been a selectman for years,” Addie pointed out. “he can do the work.”
“Are you sure?” Kiera shrugged. “He missed the debate because of this thing he is living with. What happens if something more important is going on, but he can’t leave his house? I’m sorry, Addie. We need to know more about him.”
Unfortunately, Addie had to agree. Who was this man that had been living among them all this time? She sighed, and put that with all the other questions that would have to be answered another day. Right now, they were celebrating.
Alan took a bite out of a roll and talked around it as he chewed. “We don’t have boards of selectmen where I come from. What’s a town manager do?”
“Well,” Kiera said, sitting up straight and tall in her chair. “Essentially the town manager is responsible for the finances of the town, procurement and distribution of resources, that sort of thing. They give recommendations to the board of selectmen, and make sure the town runs smoothly based on their directions.”
“Oh, okay.” He seemed to understand that perfectly well. “It’s sort of like what I do as a public accountant back home.”
“Yes, I suppose…” Kiera turned that over thoughtfully in her mind. “Hmm. I have a rather interesting idea. What if we gave the First Selectman position to Eleanor Griggs, and gave the job of town manager to Alan?”
Addie and Willow both put their silverware aside. That wasn’t just an interesting idea, it was crazy.
Willow folded her arms on the edge of the table, looking from Alan to Kiera. “Do you think the rest of the selectmen will go for that?”
“I don’t think they’ll dare say no,” Kiera said emphatically. “After what happened with Seth and Maria I think they’ll have no choice but to accept our… suggestion. They know who the real power in Shadow Lake is.”
Alan didn’t know what to say. “Kiera, I can’t just step into a job here. I mean, can I?”
“Yes, you can. This will be perfect. You’ll be here, at home with me. The way it should have been from the beginning. We’ll teach you all about what we do, and how we protect the town.”
Addie was surprised to hear that. When she said “all,” did she really mean it? The magic, and the spell craft, and the Well of Essence buried under the ground beneath the house? All of it?
What about his father? Was she going to tell him about that part of his heritage, too? She had to at some point, but would that impact his decision to stay?
Another thought occurred to her, falling squarely into the “all” category. What about Alan’s own magic. What were they going to do about that?
When she saw Alan smile, and get up out of his chair to hug his mother, she knew those questions would be ones for another time, too. For now, Alan had made the decision to stay here in Shadow Lake.
Things would never be the same again.
Somewhere over dessert and a twenty-year-old malmsey madeira wine, Addie heard a cat clearing his throat. She looked over at Doyle, but he was still pretending to sleep, after a few pieces of lamb had been more or less accidentally dropped to the floor from Willow’s plate to be quickly snatched up and devoured by the black and white tomcat. It wasn’t him making that noise.
Surreptitiously looking over her shoulder, Addie saw Domovyk standing in the doorway to the hall. He blinked at her, and then turned around, taking a few steps, and then waiting again. His eyes found hers again. He was obviously expecting her to follow him.
“Will you guys excuse me?” Addie asked everyone at the table. She finished her wine, draining the glass, and as she got up Kiera gave her a questioning glance. “I’ll be back soon. Promise.”
Out in the hallway, the big black cat sat waiting for her at the far end by the front door. He was sitting on his back paws, tail curled around his body, eyes unblinking. His whiskers twitched when she got closer. “I would like for you to follow me.”
“Hello to you, too, Dom. I take it you finished those errands you were talking about?”
“Tak. Yes, I mean. I did.”
“It’s okay, Dom. You don’t have to translate everything for me. I wouldn’t be much of a witch if I didn’t know the basics of most languages. The spells we use aren’t just written in Gaelic.”
“I know this. Not important for the moment. I need you please to follow me. I have something to show you.”
“We’re kind of in the middle of something,” Addie pointed out with a glance back toward the dining room. “We’re officially welcoming Alan back into his family. Can’t this wait?”
He flicked one ear. “Nii. Must be now. This has to do with Alan. Something you must see.”
Well. When he put it that way. “Let me get my coat.”
The sound of four furry feet came running down the hallway behind them. “Hold on, now,” they heard Doyle say. “I’ll be coming too. As protector of these sisters, I insist.”
Dom narrowed his eyes at the other cat, but he didn’t argue. Doyle had been here first, after all. Addie didn’t think she needed a bodyguard, especially one of the black and white feline variety, but she wasn’t going to argue the point, either.
The sun was low on the horizon when they set out. Addie hoped they didn’t have far to go.
She was still hoping for that half an hour later as Domovyk led them through the forest around Stonecrest, gradually getting farther and farther away from the house. She usually liked a nice walk through the woods, even in October when most of the leaves had dropped from their branches already and every step was a symphony of dry rustling. Checking her watch, seeing how long this was taking, all she felt right now was a gradual sense of rising frustration.
After counting off another hundred steps, she lost it. “Dom, seriously. If you’re planning on taking us much farther, I’m going to have to start dropping breadcrumbs to find my way back.”
Doyle chuckled. “Heh. Breadcrumbs.”
Dom stopped in his tracks, looking up at her with his nose twitching. “I am knowing this story. Didn’t children in story lay down breadcrumbs to get away from witch who wanted to eat them?”
“Well, fine, it’s not a perfect analogy because I’m the witch in this scenario, but you get my point. How much further is it?”
When he didn’t start walking again, she and Doyle stopped with him.
“No farther,” he told them. “We are here now.”
Addie looked around her. Dom had brought them to a cl
earing among the trees where weeds and tall grasses waved in the breeze. A few wildflowers hung on to life as the world slowly turned colder. It was a nice enough spot, she supposed. She didn’t remember ever being here before, and she couldn’t imagine why Dom had led them here now.
“You brought us out here,” Doyle asked, “to see this? Is that it, boyo?”
“Hmph,” Dom mrowled. “You do not even know what it is you are looking at.”
“Neither do I,” Addie said. “So why don’t you explain it to us?”
Dom came very close to wearing a smile on his cat face. “You can not feel it?”
Addie wasn’t sure what he meant at first, but then she tried reaching out with her senses. What she felt was… nothing.
She blinked and tried again, with the same result. She couldn’t feel a thing with her magic. There was always something to feel with those extra senses. The world around her was filled with magic. She should be able to feel the life force in the trees, the plants, the air itself. Only, she couldn’t.
“What is this?” she asked, a sense of foreboding starting to build up inside of her.
“It is nothing,” Dom assured her. “At least, nothing to worry about. This is place where Skullcap Lichen grows on rocks just below soil. That is why trees will not grow here. Is also why…”
“I can’t feel anything,” Addie finished for him. “I can’t feel anything with my magic here. It’s like a big blind spot in my mind’s eye.”
“Is precisely correct.” He sat back, and looked around the clearing. “This is where Kiera’s son has been. This is why you could not find him. Here, your magic could not see him.”
Addie tried to picture it. Alan, walking away from his car crash, finding his way here, and collapsing in this clearing. It could have happened that way, she supposed. The last few days had been warm enough that he could have stayed outside… but what about food? What about something simple like having to use the bathroom?
Could he have stayed out here all this time, unnoticed and uncared for, only to show up at their doorstep two days ago?
