Missing in Jinx Cove

by Savannah Mae

  My mother blew him a kiss.

  He threw his hand up as if to catch it, then, retracted it when Calliope gave him the side eye. “Why are you here? I thought you had a big Hollywood life.”

  She took a step back and extended her arms to make an announcement. “These beautiful young women are my daughters. I’ve come to take them home.”

  “How did you know we were here?” I asked.

  She smirked. “I work for a private investigator. I have all the surveillance tools I need to do anything I want.”

  “You work for a private investigator? Shouldn’t it be the other way around?” Calypso asked. “It seems to me your skills would be in higher demand. What good would it do to work for them?”

  Detective Randall tapped on the window and motioned for Renee to join him.

  She’d watched the entire exchange with amusement from behind Stu’s desk. “That’s my cue to leave, but before I do, can I say this town has proven to be more interesting than I remembered? Have a good day, everyone.”

  Detective Randall stuck his head out. “I thought I told you to get them out of here.”

  Stu nodded. “You did.” He pleaded with us, “It’s time for you to go. Please, don’t make this any harder than it has to be. The man wants you to leave.” His gaze landed on my mother. “If you don’t mind, I’d sure like to get an autograph before you walk out the door.”

  She winked. “I can do better than that.”

  “You already proved that,” Juliana said. “How much money did you put up for a reward?”

  Her eyebrows furrowed. “Reward? What reward? Why would I offer a reward? You’ve already been found.”

  Chapter 14: The Jinx Sisters

  Lyra sat in front of the fireplace. “I don’t think I’m up for this. I’m exhausted by the whole prospect of it.”

  Calliope knelt next to her. “Me too.”

  “Did I ask either of you if you were up to it?” Calypso asked. “I don’t believe those words ever came out of my mouth. I made the decision already. It’s done. She’s one of us and those girls – the Barbie twins – are her kids. We need to keep them close until we figure out which side of the equation they’re on.”

  “Enough with the name calling. They’re human beings, not dolls. They’re quite beautiful human beings to boot with their long, luxurious red hair and all those soft curves. Not that any of that matters, but since you mentioned their looks, I thought I’d set you straight. We used to be them when we were young. We don’t need to be cruel because they’re young and we’re not. Anyway, what happened was a tragedy, but I don’t think we should meddle. Let the police do their jobs.”

  “That would be a lot easier if I knew they were up to the task,” Calypso said.

  Consuelo said, “They better be more than ready. My girls were kidnapped in their jurisdiction. They better know what they’re doing.”

  “We don’t know what they’re qualified to do. Why would we? We’ve never had a reason to rely on them to solve a crime,” Calliope pointed out.

  “That’s not reassuring at all. How can I trust them with the case if no one is sure they’re qualified?”

  Calypso’s eyes lit up. “We could put a spell on them.”

  Lyra groaned, “No spells.”

  “Why not? I seem to remember a time when there weren’t enough spells in the world to keep you occupied.”

  “That was a long time ago. I’m a different person now,” Lyra said. “If we want to do something to help move things along, we have to be smart about it. No magic. No spells. Nothing illegal.” She gave Calypso a pointed look. “Deal?”

  Calypso opened her mouth to respond, then, offered a nod instead.

  “Fine. Let’s think this through. What’s the best way to approach this without interfering with the detectives?”

  Consuelo shrugged.

  Calliope raised her hand. “I think we need to find out what they know.”

  “We asked them already and it didn’t work. They didn’t tell us much of anything,” Calypso reminded her.

  “I could put a spell on them,” Consuelo suggested. When Lyra gave her a questioning look, she said, “They promised not to use their abilities. I never made that promise.”

  Juliana slithered down the stairs, hoping to remain undetected.

  “Don’t you people have a bedtime?” Calypso groaned.

  “I’m almost thirty. I haven’t had a bedtime in years.” She looked at her mother. “I came to see if you were all right.”

  “I am. No need to worry about me. Go on upstairs and get some rest.”

  When Juliana was out of earshot, Consuelo asked, “So, who was the handsome young man at the sheriff’s office? Is he a suspect?”

  Calypso pursed her lips.

  “Yes?” Consuelo asked.

  Calypso shook her head. “He didn’t do it. I know him. He’s a sweet kid who won’t admit he’s in love with his best friend,” she said. “That’s Melanie. She’s one of us. She’s no good at it, but still, we have to include her.” She continued, “Ben was on his way to Hollywood. Of course, he didn’t tell anyone until after the eerily familiar description came out on the news. That didn’t help. If people had known he was about to hightail it out of town, they wouldn’t have been so quick to jump to conclusions, but since he and Melanie decided to wait until after word got out, he practically invited trouble to follow him.”

  “Does he have an alibi?” Consuelo asked.

  “No idea and I don’t care. He didn’t do it.” Calypso answered before changing the subject, “How come your girls don’t recognize witches?”

  She chuckled. “They can. They just don’t trust their instincts yet. That’s my fault.”

  “That’s why we’ve never seen them at the convention,” Calypso mused. “Did they know about us?”

  She shook her head. “I may have mentioned you, but never by name. I didn’t know you still lived here. You told me you wanted to move away.”

  Lyra looked around the room and sighed. “We can’t leave Jinx Cove. This is our home. This is where our family settled. Where do you call home these days?”

  Consuelo smirked. “My home is where those girls are. Don’t tell them, but a part of me died the second I heard what happened. Why would someone do this? What did they have against my ornery and naïve girls?”

  Lyra said, “There are sick people in this world.”

  Consuelo’s eyes brimmed with tears. “If I’d known they’d come after my girls, I would have—” Her words trailed off as she struggled with her emotions.

  Lyra asked, “Do you know who did it?”

  “I have an idea.” She scrubbed tears from her eyes. “I think my ex-husband and his wife were behind it. It’s a long story. His new wife and I don’t get along. I’m just glad my girls are tough as lead and they had the presence of mind to fight back.”

  “You think your ex had your daughters kidnapped?” Lyra couldn’t believe her ears. “What kind of father does that?”

  Consuelo shook her head. “No, that’s not what I mean exactly. Their father would never hurt them, but their stepmother, Andrea, well, I don’t trust her. I realize it sounds crazy, but I never believed she loved my girls as much as she said she did. She wanted her own family.”

  “And you think she wanted to do away with yours? Why? Your girls are adults. How do they get in her way? That makes no sense,” Calliope said.

  “I know it doesn’t make sense to you, but you don’t her. She’s like a parasite. She might smile in your face, but as soon as you turn your back, she’ll search for sharp objects to stab you with,” Consuelo explained.

  “Does their father know this?” Calypso asked.

  “He thinks I’m hysterical. If he wasn’t their father, I’d have put a spell on him that no one could ever undo.”

  Lyra said, “The police will want proof they could be to blame. Bad blood between you won’t be enough. Has the stepmother ever done anything to harm them? Has she ever made a t
hreat or done anything that will prove your suspicions?”

  She shook her head. “Not that I know of. The only evidence I have is what Juliana told me.”

  “Which was?” Calypso asked.

  She gulped. “Juliana has visions. Usually, they amount to nothing more than wishful thinking, but one vision really disturbed me. Chills ran down my spine.”

  “She had a vision about their stepmother kidnapping them?” Calypso snorted. “Did she also happen to see the two men who pulled it off?”

  “No, I don’t think she did.”

  Lyra and Calypso locked eyes.

  “How do we prove your ex’s new wife had anything to do with this? We can’t tell the police to arrest her without something solid to give them,” Calypso said.

  Lyra said, “I have an idea.”

  “Which is?” Calypso asked.

  “We make her come to us.” She turned to Consuelo. “If you called your ex and asked him to come to Jinx Cove, would he do it?”

  “More importantly, would he bring his wife?” Calypso asked.

  Consuelo grinned. “I knew there was a reason why I liked you. We think alike. I already came up with a plan. I know how to persuade him. He loves those girls. He’d want to help. If we make him believe the kidnappers have demanded a ransom, he’ll do whatever it takes to get them back. And that’s where my abilities will come into play. I can’t wait to see his face when he learns the truth about Bridezilla.”

  Calypso smiled. “Great. I finally get a chance to make another ransom demand.”

  “Another?” Lyra asked. “Please tell me that’s a joke.”

  Calypso winked. “Maybe it is; maybe it isn’t. Wouldn’t you like to know?”

  Chapter 15: The Abney Family

  Penelope was the kind of woman everyone admired. She was strong, beautiful, and the most ardent supporter of people in her inner circle and beyond. She was the woman you chose to be on your team. At the same time, she was feared when things went awry. She had a low tolerance for nonsense. She could mingle with the best of them, but she had no time for petty games or blatant attempts to sabotage her son.

  There was no doubt in Melanie’s mind that she believed Ben had been targeted, and she wouldn’t let the matter go without an uproar.

  “Do you have a minute?” she asked. “We should have a conversation.”

  Melanie gulped. “Yes. Sure.” Her voice sounded shaky.

  Ben tried to interject. “Mama, if you have questions, you can ask me.”

  She turned so quickly, Melanie felt a breeze on her cheek. “Oh, is that right? You want to tell me everything?”

  He swallowed hard. “Yes, ma’am.”

  She leaned forward, her tone sinister and ominous, “Ma’am? Aren’t you polite today? I’m so proud.”

  He sighed as he closed his eyes.

  Melanie didn’t know what to do other than to wait.

  “You should have told me. How dare you let me find out from our neighbors. Do you realize how foolish you made me look? My own son. Why didn’t you tell me?” She bit back tears as she spoke.

  Ben’s dimples always gave him away. He couldn’t hide his emotions if he tried. The dimples were always front and center, spilling his secrets to the world.

  “I wouldn’t laugh if I were you,” Melanie mumbled. “She looks like she wants to kill you.”

  He couldn’t help himself. He had to laugh and when he did, Penelope let him have it. She chased him around the room, her finger wagging as she scolded him, “Do you want to laugh? Do you think life is all fun and games? Sure, laugh. That will get you far. It’ll take you to Sing Sing or San Quentin with the rest of the loons who forgot how to communicate with their mothers.”

  Melanie took a few steps back, but Penelope wasn’t ready to let her walk away unscathed. “Don’t even think about it. You have my phone number, don’t you? The last I checked, I still lived in the same house, or wait a minute, did I move and forget to tell myself?”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t know what to do. I thought Ben contacted you,” Melanie explained.

  She didn’t pay attention to her groveling. “I could’ve helped you if you’d told me. I could’ve done something. I would’ve done something.”

  Ben leaned his back against the wall. “Not this time. It all happened so fast. I’m not sure it’s over yet. They didn’t arrest me, but they made me feel like they wanted to.” He swallowed a lump in his throat. “I could understand if I’d done something, but, I swear, I didn’t do anything wrong.”

  She sighed. “I know you didn’t. What I don’t understand is why they think you did.”

  Melanie chimed in, “I know how to find out.”

  Ben perked up. “Wait. You don’t mean—” His words trailed off as she grinned.

  “Yes, I do.”

  Penelope’s eyebrows quirked up. “Would someone care to fill me in? What did you have in mind?”

  Ben clapped his hands. “Great. Let’s do it.”

  “Let’s do what?” Penelope asked. She noticed the look on Melanie’s face. “I thought you didn’t know how to use your abilities. You can’t try now. What if something goes wrong?”

  “It will be fine. I’ve practiced one day a month since I was a kid.”

  Ben snorted, “Fail!”

  “I’m good at it. Ask Calypso. She taught me,” Melanie explained.

  “To do what?” Penelope asked. “I hope she taught you to leave magic alone because you have no skills in that department. I say we go with my old favorites.”

  Ben groaned, “No, please, no. I don’t think I can take another day of oil splashed across my stomach.”

  Melanie lifted a brow at him. “Oil on your stomach? Like tanning oil?”

  He blushed. “I wish.”

  “What kind of oil?” she asked.

  He rolled his eyes. “It’s stuff my grandmother—”

  “And her grandmother before her,” Penelope added.

  Ben continued, “It’s something they used to do.”

  “Brujeria, right? I love it,” Melanie said. “Granny told me her great-grandmother used to practice it.”

  Penelope corrected Ben, “They were curanderas. Healers. There was no witchcraft.”

  Melanie sighed. No matter how often she explained what it is her family did, some people refused to believe their abilities weren’t rooted in evil. They practiced white magic, helpful magic with a hint of trickery. No harm, no foul.

  Ben arched a brow at his mother. “I don’t want any part of it. Besides, I thought that was a way to get rid of bad omens. How will it help me prove my innocence?”

  She smirked. “You don’t need to know how. You just need to open your heart and accept it. Good things always happen. We can turn things around for you. Don’t you want to get your life back?”

  “I didn’t realize I’d lost it,” he said.

  She and Melanie exchanged glances.

  “You think getting dragged into the police station in handcuffs is normal? How often has it happened to you?” Penelope asked.

  He shrugged. “I’ve never been pulled into the police station before this.” He glanced at Melanie. “Not for something I did. The last incident wasn’t my fault.”

  Melanie narrowed her eyes at him. “I hope you’re not insinuating it was my fault.”

  He flashed a smile at her. “Take it any way you like. I don’t control you.”

  She waved a hand in the air. “You and I are done with this conversation. Make the decision on your own. I have my own problems to deal with.”

  Penelope shook her head. “No. Nothing is ever simple with you two. There’s always a bigger story. You might think you can talk yourself out of this, but I’m here to tell you, I’m onto you. I know your little games and they won’t work. While we’re discussing it, I think you should know, they never worked. I just let you think they did.”

  Ben smirked. “You’re smarter than we are. We get it. This isn’t a game. This is my life. I promise you, I
had nothing to do with what happened to those women. I never stole Calypso’s car. Why would I? I have a car.”

  “What do you want to do?” Melanie asked. “Should we talk to Calypso?”

  He shrugged. “What choice do we have?”

  Melanie smiled. “Good. Let’s turn this runaway train around and get you to Los Angeles.”

  Penelope gasped. “You still plan to go after all this? Why?”

  Ben bit his lip.

  Chapter 16: The Montoya Sisters

  I stared at the ceiling. “Why didn’t you tell us you knew people here?”

  Juliana hopped on the bed next to me. “Maybe she forgot. She’s not as young as she used to be.” She winked at me.

  I stifled a laugh.

  “Beatrice,” my mother said in a scolding tone. “There are two reasons why I didn’t tell you. One, I had no idea you planned to visit Jinx Cove. Two, you told me you wanted this trip to be about the two of you. I took that to mean my input wasn’t necessary. How was I supposed to know someone would kidnap you and throw you into the trunk of Calypso’s car? I figured at most you’d whisk by dozens of other small towns on your grand adventure. Who would have imagined you’d want to stop every few miles to take a picture for my blog? Why’d you stop here? Jinx Cove doesn’t offer much in the way of entertainment.”

  “But we’re here nonetheless,” I quipped. “You could’ve mentioned it when Juliana called to tell you what happened to us.”

  “I was distracted. I’m sorry. Since we’re on the subject, the Jinx women aren’t your typical small-town family. I don’t know them well, but I know enough to say they’re not people you want to cross.”

  I dared a question, “Okay, so how does that figure into your theory about Dad?”

  She sat at the foot of the bed. “I don’t know yet, but I intend to find out. I should clarify. I don’t think the sisters conspired with him to do anything. In fact, I’m positive, they haven’t. To my knowledge, they’ve never met him. That being said this is the kind of thing he’d do. He likes big productions. The more drama, the better. And what’s better than to stage a kidnapping of his own children?”

  Juliana shook her head. “I don’t want to argue about this, but I have to admit, I’m with Bea on this. Dad would never do anything like that. Maybe to you, but not to us.”