Missing in Jinx Cove
Page 10
“It was a slip of the tongue? That’s your story? He framed me for a bunch of felonies because he still has the hots for Mel?” Ben laughed at the idea.
“No, I think he got in over his head and now he doesn’t know how to reverse the damage,” she said.
Melanie hung her head. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d done something so unbelievably irresponsible.” She reluctantly offered, “Do you want me to talk to him?”
“No,” Penelope said much to her surprise. “I want you to speak to the reporter. Tawny what’s her face. Ask her about the interview. We already know Renee and the new detective can’t tell us anything. Calypso is useless when she’s angry. Lyra and Calliope will be too busy keeping her occupied and the two girls, well, they’re traumatized. I say let’s talk to Tawny and see what she knows.”
“She just reported the story. She can only go by what she’s told by the witnesses,” she explained.
Penelope stood. “Okay, then, did you want to call your ex and ask him to explain?”
“Nope.”
“That’s what I thought. Let’s talk to the reporter. Get her take on things and move on from there. If it’s true that Anthony saw a man who looks like my Ben, then, we’ll search high and low for him. I hope it doesn’t come to that, but let’s be prepared for anything. When you spoke to Juliana and Bea, what did they tell you about what happened?”
“Nothing,” Ben said.
She added, “Mostly, Juliana, the taller one, flirted with him like he was Adonis himself. Her sister had to peel her off him.”
Penelope walked over to Ben and placed a hand on his shoulder. “That’s good to know, son. We might be able to use it to our advantage.”
“Use what?” he asked.
She smiled. “Your handsome face and irresistible charm. Until we know what the story is on them, we need to stay on their good side. Flirt away, but don’t go overboard. In the meantime, Melanie and I can have a chat with Tawny about Anthony.”
Ben looked shocked. “I don’t want to flirt with them. They’re cute and everything, but—”
“But nothing. This is important. Until we can figure out who is with us, we can’t stir the pot. Be nice. Be charming. It’s what you do best,” she urged.
He shook his head. “If this is a dream, I’d love it if someone would wake me up right now.”
Chapter 19: The Montoya Sisters
I had to admit, I did get a sense of satisfaction from watching my sister squirm.
“Please, don’t make me do this,” she begged Calypso.
Lyra tried to calm her nerves, but nothing she did worked. “Honey, maybe if you close your eyes and count to ten.”
She still refused to let Calypso hypnotize her. “No, I can’t.”
My mother pleaded with her, “It will be okay. I’m right here. We won’t let anything happen to you.”
“Why can’t Bea do it? She’s more gullible than I am.”
I laughed. “Hardly. I’m not the one who let herself be tied up by a room full of witches. No wonder the kidnapper chose us. He saw an easy mark.”
My mother turned to me, a scowl on her face. “That’s enough. If she can’t be hypnotized, we’ll try it on you.”
I gulped. I didn’t want any part of it. My memory was fine. How was I supposed to remember men I never actually saw?
“She saw more than I did.”
Juliana grunted, “Thanks a lot, loser.”
“Thank yourself,” I retorted. “Can we get this over with? I’m starving.”
“We forgot about dinner. When was the last time you ate?” Lyra asked.
I shrugged. “Before the incident.”
She clapped her hands and ordered me to follow her. “This can wait. They need to eat first.”
Calypso started to protest, but Lyra slanted her eyes at her, daring her to put up a fuss.
“Fine, but they better make it quick. The longer this takes, the less likely we’ll ever find the guys who stole my car and hogtied them,” Calypso warned.
I ran to catch up with Lyra, avoiding eye contact with my family. There was no way I could win with either of them. In the end, we all wanted the same thing, but their tactics left a lot to be desired. How we got roped into a hypnosis session, I didn’t understand. My mother wasn’t into that sort of thing. She had better ways of coercing information out of people.
“I hope you like lemon chicken,” Lyra said as she perused the shelves in their refrigerator.
“I do,” I answered.
She pulled out a tray of chicken and roasted potatoes. “I made this for dinner, but with all the commotion, I never had the chance to serve it. Sorry. It never even occurred to me that you hadn’t eaten at all.”
“We can eat?” Juliana asked. “Do you have anything dairy-free, gluten-free, and Paleo-friendly?”
Leave it to her to complicate the simplest of things. Again.
“You can’t expect them to make you a special meal. This isn’t a restaurant.”
My mother shook her head. “She’ll be fine with whatever you have. Thank you.”
While we waited for the meal to warm up in the oven, we took a few minutes to gather our thoughts. Calypso was convinced we’d brought the kidnapping on ourselves, but thankfully, she didn’t believe my mother’s theory about my father setting us up. Her theory was that someone had targeted her, and we screwed up their plans. She never said it out loud, but I got the feeling she placed most of the blame on Juliana. The way she looked at her told me a lot about how she felt about her.
My mother wouldn’t let anyone talk her out of her theory. And Calliope and Lyra didn’t know what to think of any of it.
“Do you really believe hypnotizing Juliana will help us find the guys who did it?” I asked as Lyra and Calliope set the table.
Lyra shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s been a long time since we’ve hypnotized anyone.”
“Did it work when you did it?” I asked.
She and Calliope exchanged glances.
“Is that a no?” I wanted to laugh at how gullible we were to believe they could help us remember.
Calypso answered, “It worked, just not like we’d hoped. It turned out the guy we thought was guilty wasn’t.” She shrugged. “You win some. You lose some. It’s all in the way you play the game.”
My mother retorted, “This isn’t a game. This is their lives. Don’t you want to know who stole your car?”
Calypso shrugged. “I thought I did, but I’ll settle for who left the money and the weapon instead. That’s the stuff that will send me to prison. Can you see why I’m so anxious to put one of you bobbleheads under? I need answers.”
My mother shook her head. “Money and weapons? What do you mean?”
Lyra mumbled something under her breath.
Calliope tried to muffle her words by suggesting we take a bite of the potatoes. “They’re delicious. I wouldn’t have them any other way.”
“What money?” I asked. “I’ve heard you bring that up before, but no one has explained it to me.”
Calypso placed her head in her hands. “There I go again. See what kind of mess you start when you decide to be honest with people.” She focused her attention on Lyra. “I told you to let me do a little trickery-do and this whole thing would be over, but no, you had to play nice. I’m done with being nice. This is serious. Someone stole some loot and tried to pin it on me.”
“Loot?” Juliana snorted. “What is this? A 1930’s gangster movie? Who says loot?”
Calypso narrowed her eyes at her. “I do. Do you have a problem with that, red?”
She gulped. “No, ma’am. I love old-fashioned terms. They crack me up.” She turned away before Calypso could say another word.
The doorbell rang. Everyone froze in place.
“Who could that be?” Lyra asked.
Calypso slithered to the doorway. “Whoever it is better hope they have good news for us. I don’t think I could handle another crisis right now.”
Lyra placed a vegetable tray on the table. “It will be fine. Guests stop by all the time.”
“No, they don’t. This isn’t a hotel,” Calypso snapped. “Uh-oh.” She turned to Lyra. “It’s the Feds.”
A man’s baritone voice startled us, “I don’t work for the government.” His heavy footsteps shook the floor underneath us as he made his way toward the kitchen. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt dinner.” He smiled at me and Juliana. “Hello again.”
I nodded. “Hello, Anthony.”
“It smells delicious.” He noticed my mother seated at the far end of the table. “You look familiar. Have we met before?”
She purred, “I’d remember if we had.”
I kicked her seat under the table. “He rescued us.”
He smiled. “I did what any decent human being would do. I saw someone in trouble, so I did my part.”
Calypso made a growling noise at him.
His smile widened as he locked eyes with her. “Don’t you look as beautiful as ever, Calypso?”
She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Is that a question or a statement?”
The smile vanished from his face. “Would there be a different answer for either of them?”
Juliana nudged me with her elbow. “Uh-oh. Looks like there’s bad blood between them.”
He slid into the seat next to my mother. “No, there isn’t. We’re all one big happy family, aren’t we?”
Lyra stood in the doorway, a panicked expression in her eyes. “Sure. Sure, we are.” To us, she said, “We go way back. We’ve known him since he was in diapers.”
“And the stink hasn’t left yet,” Calypso added. “It’s like an omen. Don’t look too closely, your hair might start on fire.”
He chuckled. “You still have a great sense of humor. I love it!”
“And you still get on my nerves. In case you’re wondering, I don’t love it,” she retorted. “Tell me what you want, so we can end this charade. If it’s Melanie you want, she’s not here.”
His eyebrows quirked up. “Why would you think I’d look for her here? I know where she lives. I stopped by to see how you’re doing.”
She waved her hands in the air. “I’m in one piece. If you don’t get out of here soon, you might not fare as well.”
“Calypso,” Lyra warned. “That’s enough. If it wasn’t for him, you wouldn’t have your car back.”
She shot back, “I don’t have my car back. Not yet anyway. As far as I know, my car is still behind bars while the police conduct their investigation.”
He shook his head. “It’s fine. I know deep down, under those layers of harsh comments, and all the sarcastic rhetoric, she has a heart of gold. I’m not offended by any of it. Despite what she says, she loves me.” He turned to my mother. “Didn’t I see you in a movie once?”
She giggled. “Do I look like a movie star to you?”
I sighed because I knew how this conversation would play out.
Juliana must have thought the same thing because she blurted, “Yes, she was in a lot of movies and television shows and commercials and—”
He laughed. “These must be your sisters.”
I thought I liked him but listening to him gush over my mother made me want to rethink my position. I was used to people fawning all over her, but this felt different. Almost sinister. Maybe one good deed didn’t make the man. I’d have to keep my eye on him.
“Get over it. She used to be an actress and I used to be someone who cared about people’s feelings. I’m over it now. What do you want, Anthony?” Calypso asked.
He cleared his throat. “I can see I’ve taken up too much of your time already. If you’ll allow me another two minutes, I have something I’d like to run by you.” He nodded to Calypso.
“Me?” she asked. “What is it?”
“Can we speak in private?” He was already up out of his seat and headed for the hallway.
She glanced at her sisters. “If I’m not back in five minutes, remember, Anthony was the guy who did it.”
He laughed. “You’re so funny. You’ll be back in less than five minutes, I promise.”
She followed him out into the hallway, avoiding his assistance.
Lyra took a seat at the table. “Sorry about that. It’s not as bad as it seems. My sister likes to hold a grudge.”
“Really? I had no idea,” I murmured.
She laughed a nervous laugh. “It’s a long story.”
“Understandable,” my mother said. “Girls, you didn’t tell me your rescuer was so handsome. Do you know who he reminds me of?”
“No.”
She smiled, “A young Clint Eastwood. Oh, now, he was a looker. He still is.”
“Mom,” I urged. “Not now.”
She laughed it off. “One day, you’ll learn to appreciate a handsome man when you see one.”
Calypso returned to the room, a serious look on her face.
“Well?” Calliope asked. “Is he still alive?”
“Yeah, but not for long,” she answered.
We laughed.
She took her seat and said, “I think our problems just got bigger.”
Chapter 20: The Jinx Sisters
No one asked her if she wanted the Montoya family to tag along, but like every other big decision in their lives, she went along with what Lyra and Calliope wanted, even if every fiber of her being told her it was a bad idea.
“Well, it won’t be the first bad idea you’ve had, but if something happens, it wasn’t my fault,” Calypso warned.
Juliana and Bea trailed behind them as they fluttered around the house to gather supplies for their biggest spell to date.
“Are you sure he asked you to give him the money back? Maybe he said to give him the money bag?” Lyra asked.
“What’s the difference?” Calypso snapped. “Either way, he mentioned the money. How did he know it was there?”
“He’s a cop,” Bea reminded her.
“Not here, he’s not,” she retorted. “You haven’t been here long enough to have an opinion about him. You don’t know him the way we do. Here’s the facts, he’s a manipulator. He always has been. A lot of that, though, stems from his upbringing. Some people never learn how to do things on their own. They always want someone to give them a helping hand. In his case, he wants someone to do all the heavy lifting.”
“I’m not sure I know what that means,” Bea said. “How does that pertain to us and what happened?”
She narrowed her eyes at her. “If you’d stop and pay attention, you might learn something.”
Calliope gave her a warning look. “Don’t.” She smiled at Bea. “It means she doesn’t like him. She never has. Look, I don’t know if her idea has any merit, but I do find it concerning that he’d mention the money. How did he know it was there?”
“The police,” Bea said.
She shook her head. “I don’t believe that’s the case. Detective Randall isn’t friendly with many people in town. He’s still new. We’ve had our fair share of new law enforcement members here, so people are reluctant to get too comfortable with them.”
“What about the other detective? Detective Honey?” Bea asked.
Calypso shook her head. “She’s dumber than a snail in a drag race, but I doubt she’d tell Anthony anything. Everyone in town knows he’s sneaky. The only possible way he could know anything about the money is because he had something to do with what happened. Look at it this way. He doesn’t live here. He hardly ever comes to town. No one likes him.”
Lyra clicked her tongue. “That’s not true. Plenty of people like him.”
“Not since he—” Calypso started.
“Don’t say it,” Lyra warned.
Juliana and Consuelo asked at the same time, “Don’t say what?”
Calypso sighed.
“Ignore her,” Calliope said. “Okay. I found our
mother’s book of spells. If someone would go up into the attic and find the box marked ‘Don’t Touch’, we can get started.”
Bea and Juliana locked eyes.
“Don’t worry. It won’t hurt you. It’s marked that way to test people. Not many people get up into the attic, but when they do—”
“They’re dead,” Calypso finished her sentence.
“Dead people?” Juliana gulped. “Do you keep dead people around?”
Consuelo looked at Calypso and rolled her eyes. “I told you my daughters were harmless. Do you hear the fear in her voices?”
“You told them stuff about us?” Bea asked.
She leaned forward and whispered, “They know you are witches. They were afraid you’d do something to them, but I explained you’re more likely to hurt yourselves than hurt anyone else.” She laughed at her own remark. “We should start at the beginning. I told you we’ve met before. They know all about me and my life. They didn’t know much about you. Not that I’m ashamed or embarrassed by you. I’m not, but when we used to attend conventions together, most of the witches we met could do some real damage if they wanted to. We didn’t take much stock in the love doctors and the matchmakers or the whatever it is people are these days. We assume everyone we ever encounter is dangerous, because they are … potentially.”
“We’re not potentially dangerous because we don’t turn people into reptiles? Like that’s scary,” Juliana quipped.
Consuelo gave her the side eye. “I can do plenty more than turn people into critters. I choose to use my abilities for better things.”
“Like weaponizing Daddy’s wife? A lot of good that did,” Bea said. “Now what? We use this spell and what happens? Does it solve the case?”
Calypso shrugged. “It might. Mostly, it will make everyone say everything that’s on their minds. There will be no more secrets. We can quit tiptoeing around the important stuff and find out who knows what and how we can use that information to find the kidnappers-slash-thieves. I bet once we get everyone under control, we’ll learn all sorts of secrets. Who knows? We might find out what the deal is with Isaac. In case you didn’t notice, I didn’t see a ring.”