Wicked Witches of the Midwest Mystery Box Set Read online

  “Well, I guess we’ll find out when the medical examiner gets here. We can’t start questioning people until we get a time of death. To do that, we need to call Chief Terry and get him over here.”

  “How are you going to explain us finding the body? You know he gets squirrelly when talk of ghosts pops up.”

  “I’ve already got a plan. Everything is under control. Trust me.”

  Three

  “So ... you were visiting Dr. Lovelorn so he could help you with your relationship?”

  Chief Terry looked far from convinced when he arrived and Landon spun his yarn.

  Landon nodded without hesitation. “We’re committed to having a healthy relationship, and we thought Dr. Hopper could help us with our issues.”

  “Uh-huh.” Chief Terry slowly tracked his eyes to me. “Why were you really here, Bay?”

  “I just told you,” Landon snapped.

  “Bay?” Chief Terry prodded.

  I hated the way he looked at me, as though he was disappointed I would dare lie to him. He was something of a father figure — he’d spent endless hours with Clove, Thistle and me after our fathers moved out of town following contentious divorces with our mothers — so I could do nothing but stare at my shoes. I muttered something unintelligible.

  “Try again, Bay,” he insisted.

  “Dr. Hopper’s ghost found me at the newspaper office, and we came here to make sure he was really dead,” I admitted.

  Landon slid me a sidelong look. “You’re the worst liar ever.”

  “She shouldn’t lie to me,” Chief Terry argued. “Although, we’re definitely lying on the report. Stick with the relationship counseling thing. It’s much more believable than the witch thing.”

  I pursed my lips. “I didn’t want to lie.”

  “Of course you didn’t.” Chief Terry smiled indulgently. “You’re my little sweetheart. I know Landon made you lie. He’s the one I’m angry with.”

  I brightened considerably as Landon’s smile dipped. “Yay! Punish him. I’m the good one.”

  “You’re always the good one,” Chief Terry agreed, planting his hands on his hips as he returned to business and stared at the house. “The medical examiner is on his way. I’d guess Hopper died sometime during the night, but we’ll need a firmer estimate to go on. I don’t suppose this ghost gave you somewhere to start, did he, Bay?”

  I shook my head but Landon answered before I could.

  “No. He doesn’t remember what happened after he returned home from dinner,” Landon volunteered. “He’s tried to home in on the details, but it’s all a blur.”

  “I see you already tasked Bay with ferreting out the information.”

  “No, I asked him myself.”

  Chief Terry stilled. “I’m sorry ... what?”

  Landon realized immediately why Chief Terry was so surprised. “Oh, right. You don’t know the big news yet.” He plastered a wide smile on his handsome face. “Bay can make random people see ghosts now. I saw and talked to Hopper myself. It’s going to make questioning the ghosts so much easier going forward.”

  Landon’s voice was laced with false bravado, but the look on Chief Terry’s face told me that he didn’t agree in the least with the FBI agent’s assertion.

  “Are you kidding?”

  “No.”

  Chief Terry looked pained as he glanced at me. “You can make people see ghosts? Bay, that’s not good. What happens if you cause the wrong person to see a ghost?”

  “Who is the right person?” I was genuinely curious.

  “I don’t know, but there are definitely wrong people, though. Like Margaret Little. It would be great if she couldn’t see any ghosts.”

  Hmm. That hadn’t even occurred to me. Still, I felt the need to defend myself. “It’s not as if I’m doing it on purpose,” I protested, waving my hands for emphasis. “It just happened. I can’t control it.”

  “Well, you’ll have to learn.” Chief Terry was firm. “I’ll help you if need be, but until then if a ghost pops up in front of someone, pretend you don’t see it. Don’t look at the ghost. Don’t make eye contact. That way the other person will assume they’re crazy and you’ll be fine.”

  My mouth dropped open. “You want me to encourage people to think they’re insane?”

  “It’s better than putting yourself at risk.” Chief Terry was unruffled as he turned to Landon. “So, what do we have?”

  Landon winked at me before answering, as if to say “I told you it would be fine, now stop whining.” I wasn’t a fan of the expression, although he was kind of cute while delivering it. “Not much. We know he went to the diner for dinner, had meatloaf, walked home and was killed sometime after that.”

  “When did he wake up?”

  “This morning. He was going to cross over but instead heard Bay’s disembodied voice calling him.”

  I slouched my shoulders when I felt Chief Terry’s eyes barreling into my soul.

  “Bay’s disembodied voice?” Chief Terry’s voice was unnaturally squeaky.

  “I like it,” Landon enthused. “I’m going to have her use it on Aunt Tillie one of these days so we can finally win a battle.”

  I recognized he was trying to make me feel better, but I wasn’t sure that was possible. “Let’s focus on Hopper,” I suggested. “He was a relationship therapist. I think that means he didn’t have a perfect rate when it came to saving marriages. That’s a motive right there.”

  “Good thinking, sweetheart.” Chief Terry beamed. “We need to go through his client records.”

  Before Chief Terry could make a move toward the house, Hopper popped back into existence and planted himself directly in front of Chief Terry. He seemed anxious, as if he was about to blow, and unfortunately he chose to blow all over Chief Terry.

  “You cannot go through my client records,” Hopper barked. “That’s private. I promised my clients complete secrecy. You’ll ruin that if you go through their files.”

  I expected Chief Terry to ignore the ghost — I wasn’t used to the new reality, after all — but instead he reared back and stumbled to the left to get away from the apparition. “Son of a ... ghost!”

  “Geez!” Landon shot out his hands and grabbed Chief Terry’s arm before he could fall over. “Are you okay?”

  Chief Terry briefly pressed his eyes shut and shook his head, reminding me of when I was a kid and I said something goofy and he had to force himself to calm down before responding. “There’s a ghost staring at me, isn’t there?”

  My stomach twisted. “Yeah.”

  “Well, great.” He rubbed his forehead. “This is not good, Bay.”

  I looked to Landon for help and found him watching me with overt curiosity. “What do we do?” I didn’t want to panic but I was beyond acting calm. “The medical examiner will be here any minute. If he sees a ghost I’ll be exposed.”

  “You’re not going to be exposed.” Landon blew out a sigh and glanced around the yard. “I won’t let it happen, Bay. You’ve got to get your emotions under control. That’s the reason you can’t keep a lid on this. You’re making all of it happen. You simply need to figure out how and then you’ll be able to control your new ability.”

  “Oh, well, great,” I deadpanned, my temper flashing. “Do you have any tips for how I can make that happen in the next five minutes? Because that’s when the medical examiner is going to arrive.”

  “No.” Landon grabbed my arm and directed me toward his Ford Explorer. “That’s why you’re getting in here with Chief Terry and the doctor. Mike, you can’t just appear in front of others when Bay is around. You could get her in trouble. You don’t want that, do you?”

  “I don’t see how I would get her in trouble,” Hopper protested as Landon opened the door and eased me into the passenger seat. “I’m a big proponent of people being who they are and not kowtowing to the expectations of others. I don’t foresee my opinion on that matter changing simply because I’m dead.”

  “Yes, well,
Bay is alive.” Landon smoothed my hair and smiled. “She’s going to stay that way ... and safe. That’s why I’m going to show the medical examiner where he needs to go and Chief Terry is going to stay in the Explorer with you guys and ask questions.”

  “Why do I have to hang out with the ghost?” Chief Terry huffed as he climbed into the driver’s seat. “Why can’t you hang out with him?”

  “Because it makes more sense for you to be interviewing Bay in private when they arrive because we discovered the body together,” Landon answered without hesitation. “We wouldn’t necessarily be together for questioning, even though you’re tight with both of us. We need to be practical given how the discovery was made.”

  “That’s actually smart thinking,” Chief Terry said. “We can say I’m doing it in the Explorer because it’s cold out.”

  “And Mike can duck down when the medical examiner arrives,” Landon added. “That way no one will see him.”

  Hopper made a face. “I’m already dead. Haven’t I been through enough?”

  “We’re going to solve your murder, but we can’t do it if people start talking about Bay dragging ghosts around town with her,” Landon snapped. “I’m not joking. I will not help you unless you help me. I’ll let your murder go unsolved for all eternity.”

  For the first time since Hopper had reappeared I cracked a genuine smile ... that turned into a hearty laugh.

  “What?” Landon asked, confused.

  “You’re even more worked up than I am.” I grabbed his hand and gave it a hard squeeze. “It’s going to be okay. I’ll figure it out.”

  “I know you will.” Landon was sincere. “But until you do, Mike needs to hide. Use your disembodied voice to order him around if you have to. I’ll handle the medical examiner.”

  I nodded. “Consider it done.”

  CHIEF TERRY SPENT a full twenty minutes interrogating Hopper. The initial surprise gave way to curiosity, and by the time the medical examiner arrived and Hopper followed Landon’s instructions and ducked to the floor, Chief Terry was in his groove.

  “You’ve dealt with ghosts before, Bay,” he said. “Do you think it’s possible that Dr. Hopper will remember more about his death going forward?”

  I wasn’t sure how to answer. “There’s no hard and fast rule when it comes to ghosts,” I replied. “Some remember. Some don’t. Some take time to remember. Mike is trying hard to access his memories but coming up against a wall. I think the more he relaxes the more likely he is to access those memories. It probably won’t happen today, though.”

  “That means we’re going to have to go about this the old-fashioned way,” Chief Terry said. “We have to go through the client files to see if we can find someone who would have motive to kill the doctor. We need warrants for that.”

  Hopper’s head popped up. “I’ve already told you those files are private.”

  “And I’ve already told you that we don’t have a choice,” Chief Terry fired back. “Odds are one of your clients killed you. Can you think of anyone who was especially angry with you over the past couple months? It might not be a current patient. It could’ve been someone who dropped your services a while back and let the anger grow and fester.”

  “I would be lying if I said all my clients left in great spirits and went on to live happily ever after,” Hopper said. “I don’t take on killers for clients, so I don’t think it was a patient.”

  “How would you know clients were killers if they were good at hiding it?” I asked.

  “I’m good at reading people.”

  “So am I, and I’ve almost been murdered a good ten times or so.”

  “You do have a knack,” Chief Terry agreed, leaning his head against the seatback and offering a wan smile. “You’re upset about all of this, aren’t you?”

  I immediately started shaking my head. “I’m not. I’m being strong.”

  “I didn’t say you weren’t strong. I said you were upset.”

  “I just ... don’t know what to do about it,” I admitted, giving in to my childish urges to confide in him so he could fix things like he did when I was a kid. “I didn’t know I was doing it. If I don’t know what I’m doing, how can I fix it? What if I screw up in front of the wrong person and end up exposing my family? What if I explode and ruin things for you and Landon?”

  “We’ll figure it out.” Chief Terry patted my hand as he tsked. “Honey, you’ll make things worse if you dwell on it. Take a deep breath. You think better when you’re calm. I know that’s easy for me to say and you’re doing the best you can, but I really do think things will start looking up when you get a handle on your emotions.”

  He wasn’t wrong. “Fine.” I blew out a heavy sigh. “Let’s talk about something else. Maybe that will calm me.”

  “Good idea. What do you want to talk about?”

  “Um ... .” I pressed my lips together and tilted my head to the side, considering. “Thistle has a naked statue she made and Marcus doesn’t want it in the house. They’re having a battle of sorts about it.”

  “That sounds ... very freaky.”

  “Thistle won’t let us see the statue.”

  “It must be a doozy.” Chief Terry smirked. “I don’t want to see the statue, but I wouldn’t mind getting a gander at your mother’s face when she sees it. Somehow I just know that statue is going to land at The Overlook before it’s all said and done.”

  I had a feeling he was right. “Tell me something about you,” I suggested, changing the subject. “The big spring festival is coming up. That early thaw we had is a memory, so it’s cool again. Spring is around the corner. Do you have any vacation plans?”

  “I don’t really take vacations. When I do, I stick close to home.”

  “Yeah, but ... the festival is coming up,” I prodded. “It’s all about love and romance. Are you going to do anything special?”

  I expected him to answer with a resounding “no.” Instead, he turned his head to stare out the window. “What are you and Landon doing for the festival? You can leave out all the gross stuff that will make me want to break his legs.”

  Realization dawned and excitement began building in my chest. “You have a date for the festival!”

  Chief Terry balked. “I do not,” he protested, jerking his eyes to me. “Why would you think that?”

  “Because I’m not the only one who is a bad liar,” I replied. “You have a date. I ... who ... when ... .” My mind was moving at a fantastic rate. A few months ago, I sat Chief Terry down and told him that it was okay to build a life for himself. He’d spent years as the center of my mother and aunts’ attention. He didn’t choose because he didn’t want to hurt anyone. He was the one hurt in the process. On Christmas Day I told him it was okay to choose ... no matter who he settled on. The fact that he took my advice to heart was exciting.

  “Her name is Melanie Adams,” Chief Terry volunteered, causing the oxygen to flee from my lungs. “She’s a yoga instructor at that place that just opened on the highway. I met her a few weeks ago and we’ve been seeing each other for a bit.”

  I forgot how to breathe at his words, spots forming in front of my eyes. When I finally remembered, I let loose a long gasp that sounded unbelievably dramatic. “What?”

  “She’s a lovely woman,” Chief Terry said hurriedly. “I think you’re really going to like her. She has a great personality and she loves going out to restaurants and trying different sorts of food. I planned to introduce you to her when things calmed down a bit. With you taking over the newspaper and everything, it’s been a very busy time.”

  “But ... .” I had no idea what to say. I was far too old to start whining, even though my first inclination was to scream “You were supposed to date my mother.” I didn’t get a chance to say more because Landon picked that moment to return to the Explorer and pull open the passenger door.

  “Hey, the medical examiner is packing up the body and preparing to leave,” Landon announced. “Mike, that means you need to hide
. After the medical examiner leaves, you can all get out again. How does that sound?”

  Chief Terry seemed thrilled at the interruption. “That sounds great.”

  “How are you doing, Sweetie?” Landon asked me. “Are you okay?”

  I wanted to bury my head under a pillow and go to bed until the world was normal again. “I’m fine.” I placed my hands on my lap and stared at them. “I’m absolutely fine. Nothing weird going on here.”

  Landon cocked an eyebrow but didn’t press. “Okay. I’ll be back in a few minutes. Mike, make yourself scarce.”

  “Sure,” Hopper responded absently. “I’m much more interested in what’s going on in here anyway. It’s a fascinating psychological experiment.”

  “Well, great.” Landon made a face. “We’ll talk about that later. For now ... we’re almost there, kids.” He flashed an enthusiastic thumbs-up. “I told you this would all work out.”

  “Yes, everything is perfect,” I said dryly. “I can’t tell you how perfect things are. You were definitely right.” Actually, he was so completely wrong I wanted to shake him. That would have to wait for later. “We’ll wait for your signal to get out of the Explorer.”

  “It won’t be long.”

  Four

  “Melanie Adams.”

  I was still moping about the turn of events when Landon picked me up at the newspaper office shortly before seven.

  “Hello, Sweetie.” His smile was wide as he swooped in to kiss me. “How was the rest of your day?”

  That had to be a loaded question.

  Once the medical examiner had finished up at Hopper’s house, Landon decided the safest plan was to drop me at The Whistler while he and Chief Terry focused on the investigation. He stated over and over that he didn’t like cutting me out of the action, but he thought it was best for the time being until I could control my new necromancy abilities. I didn’t put up a fight because I had other things on my mind.

  “I don’t like Melanie Adams,” I announced, handing Landon my computer bag so I could shrug into my coat. “I don’t like her one bit.”