Charms & Witchdemeanors (Wicked Witches of the Midwest Book 8) Read online

  “Good grief,” Viola intoned, shaking her head. “I think you’ve lost more than the story, Myrtle. The problem is, there’s not really a story. There’s just a rumor.”

  “What’s the rumor?” I asked.

  “For years people have said Patty hid money on her property because she didn’t trust banks,” Viola supplied. “Her daddy was a bank robber. Everyone knows that.”

  I had no idea her father was a bank robber, but now wasn’t the time to press that issue when I knew I could ask Chief Terry about it later.

  “He went to prison when Patty was a teenager,” Viola said, embracing the story. “He died in prison. They offered to release him close to the end if he told them where he hid the money, but he never did. People always believed he told Patty, though.”

  I was missing something. “So Patty’s father robbed a bank and hid the money,” I said. “Do we have any evidence Patty knew where the money was?”

  “Just that she was going to lose her house about ten years ago and someone asked her if she was worried and she said that if it came down to it she had the means to save the house,” Viola answered. “Everyone always assumed it was because she knew where the money was.”

  “What about the house? Did the bank move to foreclose?”

  Viola shook her head. “No.”

  “Did Patty pay off the mortgage?”

  “I don’t know.”

  I mulled the story over. “That still doesn’t give Aunt Tillie a motive,” I said. “How can we be sure Aunt Tillie knew about the money?”

  “Because she was heard saying she was going to curse a hundred gophers to dig through Patty’s yard to find the money,” Mrs. Little supplied, her expression smug. “Have you ever heard anything that ridiculous?”

  Unfortunately, I had. Aunt Tillie always wanted to create an army of animals to do her bidding whenever she got riled up. The worst was when a local woman wanted to close the bar between Hemlock Cove and a neighboring town to cut down on all the rampant fornication. Those were her words, not mine. Personally, I don’t care about rampant fornication. Well, unless I have to see it. I don’t want to see it. Anyway, Aunt Tillie decided to curse a hundred rabbits to show up in the woman’s yard and … um … do what rabbits do. We talked her out of that.

  The best was when she wanted to curse a hundred dogs to chase my childhood nemesis Lila Stevens after a particularly brutal bullying incident. Aunt Tillie wanted them to hump her leg. In the end, she could muster the power to curse only two of them, but the outcome was hilarious – and the talk of the town for two straight weeks. Lila never did get that stain out of her favorite jeans.

  “This was obviously before Aunt Tillie was banned from the senior center,” I said.

  “Tillie and Patty never liked one another, not even back then,” Mrs. Little said. “Now you have multiple motives for your aunt to have killed Patty. What do you have to say to that?”

  Unfortunately, I had absolutely nothing good to say.

  I WAITED until I saw Landon and Noah walk into the deli in downtown Hemlock Cove at lunchtime before driving out to Patty’s house. I felt guilty for the duplicity, but I didn’t know what else to do. There was something important I hadn’t tried yet, and I obviously couldn’t do it in front of Noah.

  Being a Winchester witch is a double-edged sword. There are many good things that come about from it, including an abundance of tasty food and love. There are also a few bad things, and one of those is my ability to see and talk to ghosts.

  When I was a kid people thought I was strange and walked around talking to myself. That got really bad when I was a teenager, and it was one of the reasons I was so desperate to move away from town when I graduated from college.

  It took distance and maturity to realize that I didn’t care what people thought. Okay, I still care a little. In truth, though, the only thing I really care about is being true to myself. If Patty Grimes’ death was traumatic, there was a chance her ghost remained behind. If it did, I could talk to her and find out who killed her. I couldn’t use her statement as proof, but I could pick a direction and discover other evidence to clear Aunt Tillie.

  I opted not to park in front of the house, instead pulling into a small clearing off the side of the road. It was farther up from Patty’s driveway, so hopefully Landon wouldn’t see my car if he returned early. My plan was to get in and out.

  Another thing you should know about the Winchesters is that our plans never go smoothly.

  I hurried up the driveway, knowing I had only a limited time to search for Patty’s spirit should Landon and Noah return. I considered texting Landon to ask, but I didn’t want a record of that conversation on his phone so I let it go. I was lost in my head, the gossip from the senior center filling me with myriad ideas, so I was almost to the front porch before I realized I wasn’t alone.

  There she was. I recognized her even before she turned around. Aunt Tillie’s eyes flashed when she saw me, and I realized her hand was on the door handle and she was muttering a spell to unlock it.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, rushing forward. “Are you crazy? Your handprint will be on the door handle.”

  “They already dusted for fingerprints, nimrod,” Aunt Tillie replied, furrowing her brow. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m looking for Patty’s ghost.”

  “That’s what I’m doing here, too,” Aunt Tillie replied. “Now … shut up for a second.”

  I opened my mouth to argue, what I’m sure would’ve been a reasonable request to stop on the tip of my tongue, but it was already too late because the door popped open. Aunt Tillie looked pleased with herself.

  “It’s like riding a bike,” she said.

  “Sometimes I think you’re addled,” I said, shaking my head. “You can’t get caught out here, Aunt Tillie. If someone sees you, how will you explain it?”

  “How will you explain being out here?” Aunt Tillie challenged.

  I’d already given this some thought. “I’m going to say I was looking for Landon.”

  “Uh-huh.” Aunt Tillie didn’t look convinced. “Where is your car?”

  “It’s … hidden by some trees up the road,” I said.

  “And how will you explain that?”

  Crap. I hate it when she’s right. “How did you even get out here? Where is your car?”

  “I walked.”

  I narrowed my eyes. I didn’t believe that for a second. “It’s ten miles.”

  “I’m in excellent shape,” Aunt Tillie said. “I could be the world’s oldest Olympian.”

  “You could be the world’s greatest liar is what you could be,” I said, rolling my neck until it cracked. “Well, come on.” I shooed her with my hands. “We don’t have a lot of time and we can’t waste it arguing.”

  “I knew you would see my side of things,” Aunt Tillie said, grinning as she walked inside the house. “I think we’re going to make excellent roommates.”

  She was unbelievable sometimes. I scanned the small living room, frowning when I realized how rundown it was. I understood Patty not being able to keep up on the cleaning at her age, but if the rumors of hidden money were true, why didn’t she hire a maid?

  “Be careful not to move anything because Landon and Noah might notice,” I ordered, moving toward the kitchen. “We can’t risk putting Landon on the spot in case he discovers us.”

  “Oh, cry me a river,” Aunt Tillie said. “Landon won’t turn on us. He’s loyal.”

  “I’m not worried about Landon,” I said. “If he had his way, I would’ve come out here with him and there would be no reason to hide. I’m worried about his partner.”

  “Oh, yeah, Agent Gives-me-a-migraine,” Aunt Tillie said. “He’s a real piece of work, isn’t he?”

  “It’s funny. I was thinking the same thing about you.”

  “You’re in a mood,” Aunt Tillie said, opening the drawer of a desk and looking inside. “What crawled up your butt and died?”

  “You!�
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  “I’m pretty sure I’ve been otherwise engaged this morning,” Aunt Tillie said, unruffled. “Where have you been?”

  “I went to the senior center,” I answered. “I ran into Kenneth.”

  “And how is he?”

  I watched Aunt Tillie a moment, hoping for signs of … something. I’m not sure what I wanted her to say, or how I wanted her to react, but some recognition or reaction would’ve been warranted. I got absolutely nothing. “He’s upset about Patty’s death. He’s also pining for you but says you were mean to him and he can’t wait any longer.”

  “Well, if you want to earn the good things in life, you have to work for them.”

  “Yes, but you didn’t offer any work in that relationship and look where it got you,” I pointed out. “You’re the only suspect in a murder, and while I initially thought you didn’t have a motive, you seem to have, like, four of them.”

  Aunt Tillie stilled. “What motive?”

  “Well, first there’s Kenneth,” I said, not missing a beat as I looked through a cupboard while keeping one eye on Aunt Tillie through the open doorway between rooms. We were close enough to easily hear one another. “You say you don’t care who he dates but I’m not sure that’s true. That’s neither here nor there, though. Kenneth is apparently wooing every senior citizen at the center, so killing Patty for Kenneth makes no sense.”

  “You’re telling me.”

  She’s so frustrating sometimes I want to choke her into submission. Instead I hopped to one of the other stories. “Then I heard an earful about that mucky parcel of land next to The Overlook property,” I said. “I heard that Patty owned it and tried to sell it for condominiums. You apparently hated the idea and when you lost at the zoning board the land magically sprang a leak and it became unbuildable.”

  “That’s a damnable shame, isn’t it?” Aunt Tillie actually looked upset by the development, but I knew better.

  “Then there’s the theory that you wanted this house to sacrifice virgins to stay alive.”

  Aunt Tillie snickered. “Please tell me you don’t believe that.”

  “I don’t. That doesn’t mean a wild story can’t do damage right now. Agent Glenn looks to be ready to believe just about anything where you’re concerned.”

  “That’s because he’s a moron,” Aunt Tillie said. “Did you hear anything else at the senior center?”

  “Just one story,” I said, turning fully so I could watch Aunt Tillie closely when I delivered my gossipy tidbit. “I heard Patty was rumored to have hidden money from a long ago bank robbery, and you supposedly knew about it.”

  “Hmm. I can’t recall that.”

  She was lying. I could feel it. “I heard you were going to curse a rabble of mutant gophers to dig for it.”

  “The people in this town have outrageous imaginations.”

  “Aunt Tillie!” I exploded. I couldn’t help myself.

  Aunt Tillie jerked her head in my direction and scowled. “There’s no reason to scream, Bay. I can hear you.”

  I wasn’t sure that was true. “Is there money buried out here?”

  “If there was, it’s long gone,” Aunt Tillie replied, wrinkling her nose. “I can promise you that the story you heard is not the entire story. There is no money out here. It was gone … long ago.”

  That didn’t make me feel better. I decided to put all of my cards on the table. “You didn’t kill Patty, did you?”

  “Of course not!” This time when Aunt Tillie appeared affronted, I believed her. “How can you possibly think that about me?”

  “I don’t,” I replied. “It’s just … you’re all over the place. You’re covering your tracks. You pretend you’re not worried, and yet you’re out here searching for evidence to clear yourself. Something is going on that you’re not telling me. I want to know what it is.”

  “The world doesn’t revolve around you, Bay,” Aunt Tillie said. “I’m sorry, but this is … none of your business.”

  “At least tell me what you were doing at the senior center the other day,” I pressed, refusing to give up. “Were you there to see Kenneth?”

  “Hardly.”

  “Were you there to mess with someone else?”

  “Not really.”

  Her curt answers were about to push me over the edge. “Were you there to poison the coffee?”

  “No.”

  “I just … I don’t know what to do with you,” I complained, turning back to my task and jumping when I saw Patty’s ghostly visage staring at me from the middle of the kitchen island. “Holy crap on a cracker!”

  “What’s wrong?” Aunt Tillie asked, scurrying into the room and pulling up short when her eyes landed on Patty. “There you are, you bitch!”

  I froze, dumbfounded. Aunt Tillie wasn’t known for her tact, but that was one of the worst greetings directed toward a dead person I’d ever heard. “Aunt Tillie! You can’t talk to her like that. She’s probably traumatized and frightened.”

  “You,” Patty hissed, narrowing her eyes when she caught sight of Aunt Tillie. “What are you doing in my house?”

  “I’m looking for you,” Aunt Tillie answered. “I need answers. What happened to you?”

  “Why do you even care?” Patty asked. “We both know why you’re really here.”

  “I don’t know why she’s really here,” I offered. “I would love to hear your side of it, though.”

  Patty ignored me. “Get out of my house, Tillie!”

  “Make me, Patty!”

  I hadn’t seen Aunt Tillie this riled up since she found out the nearest McDonald’s wasn’t bringing back the McRib as a Christmas treat. “Aunt Tillie … .”

  “Shut up, Bay,” Aunt Tillie snapped. “You’re not a part of this. In fact … get out.”

  “You get out,” I argued. “I need to find answers and Patty is my best shot.”

  “What answers?” Patty asked, her fury evident as her ethereal eyes flashed. “The answer is standing right there.”

  “Where?”

  Patty pointed at Aunt Tillie. “There!”

  My heart rolled at the insinuation. “Wait … are you saying Aunt Tillie killed you?”

  “Who else?”

  “I don’t understand,” I said, my anger deflating as my worry ramped up a notch. “Did Aunt Tillie poison you?”

  “Get out, Bay,” Aunt Tillie screeched. “I don’t even know what you’re doing here.”

  “I am kind of curious what both of you are doing here.”

  I froze when I heard the new voice, my shoulders stiffening as I swiveled to face the front door of the house. My heart sank when I caught sight of Landon’s face. He looked frustrated … and terrified.

  Noah, on the other hand, looked as if he’d just discovered the Titanic and it was full of gold and he was the sole claimant.

  “I think we need to have a talk,” Noah said.

  “Well, crud,” Aunt Tillie said, frowning. “This is all your fault, Bay. I hope you realize that.”

  I didn’t have the energy to argue. “I’m sure it is.”

  Eleven

  “Bay.”

  Landon looked almost tortured when I locked gazes with him.

  “I’m sorry,” I offered, the two words feeling exceedingly lame.

  “Don’t talk to Agent Michaels, Miss Winchester,” Noah said. “I’m in charge of this case and I’m just dying to know what you’re doing here. Talk to me.”

  “I’m … um … .” I licked my lips as my mind went blank.

  “We were out for a walk and we got lost,” Aunt Tillie answered for me, her demeanor calm and collected. “It’s very hot and we thought we were going to die of thirst so we knocked on the door. No one answered and the door was open, so we let ourselves in to get a drink.”

  “Do you really expect me to believe that?” Noah asked.

  “I have no idea,” Aunt Tillie replied. “I can only tell you the truth. I’m an old lady. The heat affects me something fierce. In fact … oh
my. I’m seeing spots.” Aunt Tillie pressed her hand to her forehead and made a show of swaying back and forth.

  “Ms. Winchester, I’m sure you understand that you and your great-niece breaking into a murder victim’s house is suspect,” Noah said. “You’re going to have to come up with a better explanation than that.”

  “I had no idea this was a murder victim’s home,” Aunt Tillie said her eyes going wide. “Who died?”

  I wanted a hole to open beneath the floorboards and swallow me.

  Noah exchanged a look with Landon. He didn’t believe us, yet Aunt Tillie has a way of bending people’s minds. They can’t reconcile their suspicions with the sweet old lady they see before them. Granted, that talent lasts only until someone spends a few hours with her, but it comes in handy sometimes.

  “Patty Grimes died,” Noah said. “You know that because you’re a person of interest in her death.”

  “Patty Grimes died here?” Aunt Tillie asked. I wanted to give her an Oscar – and a swift kick in the rear end. “Why did she die here? I thought she died in her home.”

  “This is her home,” Noah said, knitting his eyebrows. “You know that.”

  “No, this Sally Osterman’s house,” Aunt Tillie countered. “I came here three days ago and visited Sally. We sat on that very couch and had tea and crumpets.”

  That was probably laying it on a little too thick.

  “Who is Sally Osterman?” Noah asked Landon, earning a shrug. For his part, my boyfriend could do nothing but watch the show with dumbfounded interest. Noah turned to me. “Who is Sally Osterman?”

  I made up a lie on the spot. “She was Aunt Tillie’s childhood friend,” I said, shaking my head. “She died in a tragic accident. She was … hit by a train. Aunt Tillie still … sees her … sometimes.” That sounded believable, right?

  “She didn’t see her here,” Noah argued. “This is Patty Grimes’ house. I’m sure you had to know that, didn’t you?”

  “I can’t possibly know where everyone in Hemlock Cove resides,” I replied. “I honestly wasn’t paying attention because we came in through the woods on the other side of the house. Aunt Tillie was having a spell and … well … I was terrified. She needed water.”