I Dream of Twila Page 5

  “Okay.” That was at least something. “Was he still in bed with you when you woke up?”

  “I … no.” Bay shook her head. “He was already gone when I woke up.”

  “Clove and Thistle, did you see Sugar this morning?”

  Thistle shook her head. “No.”

  “I didn’t see him this morning,” Aunt Tillie offered. “He usually waits for me by the front door and then I take him out on the front porch with me while I drink my first mug of coffee. When he wasn’t there this morning I assumed he was with the girls.”

  “I guess that means we need to find him.” I abandoned my breakfast and stood. “We need to break into teams.”

  “We definitely do,” Aunt Tillie agreed. “Everyone who wants to be on the winning team should come with me.”

  I scowled as all three girls scrambled to follow her toward the back door. “Wait … you’re leaving me alone?”

  “We’ll find the dog,” Aunt Tillie said. “Trust me. We’ll find the dog. You stay here and … check the closets.”

  There was something about her expression I had trouble reading, so I waited until the girls were gathering their shoes in the living room to speak. “Do you think something happened to Sugar?”

  “I think something weird is going on,” Aunt Tillie clarified. “The door was open. The dog is gone. We have squatters on our property … and they’re close. I didn’t believe that stupid story they spouted last night about checking to see if someone was in the house. They were watching us.”

  “Don’t say things like that in front of the girls,” I warned, extending a finger. “You’ll make them paranoid and you’re paranoid enough for all of us.”

  “It’s not paranoia if someone really is out to get you,” Aunt Tillie noted. “We have an open door and a missing dog. Someone is clearly out to get us.”

  She had a point, still … . “Just find the dog,” I ordered. “If something happens to that dog the girls will be inconsolable.”

  “They’re not the only ones,” Aunt Tillie muttered. “I like the stupid mutt, too. I swear to the Goddess, if anyone hurt that dog I’ll rain down fire and brimstone and make the guilty party cry.”

  “Well, that sounds … lovely.”

  “And then I’ll kill him or her,” Aunt Tillie added, her expression grim. “I’ll rip someone’s head off if that dog is hurt.”

  “That sounds less lovely. Just … find him.”

  I WAS A NERVOUS wreck as I wandered the house, double-checking all of the hidden jewelry caches and electronics to see if anything was missing. Everything seemed in place. I wasn’t sure that should make me feel better or worse.

  I found myself checking the front and back doors regularly for signs of Aunt Tillie’s return with the girls – and hopefully the dog – but every scan came up empty. They’d been gone long enough that I couldn’t help being upset.

  “Where the freaking freak of a freak are they?” I muttered, losing my temper long enough to kick the couch leg. At the exact moment I made contact there was a knock on the front door.

  I widened my eyes, surprise and worry colliding. For one brief moment I thought I’d open the door to find Terry Davenport waiting for me, bad news on his lips. Instead, when I pulled open the door, I found Cherry Brucker standing on the porch with a small satchel in her hand.

  “I … um … what are you doing here?” I fancy myself polite most of the time, but all thoughts of welcome flew out of my head when I locked gazes with the woman.

  “I need a place to stay.”

  “You … need a place to stay?” I didn’t bother hiding my confusion. “I thought you were traveling to Traverse City.”

  “That’s what I thought, too,” Cherry said. “Then I woke up this morning and everyone in my troupe was gone. They stole everything – even my wagon.”

  The information was difficult to absorb, especially given the fact that I hadn’t seen my young (or old, for that matter) charges in more than two hours. “They stole your wagon and just left you?”

  Cherry nodded. “I should’ve seen it coming.”

  She was psychic so I wanted to agree. Instead I merely held my hands palms up and shrugged. “I … um … well … .”

  “Is something wrong?” Cherry adopted a quizzical look that didn’t make it all the way up to her eyes.

  “Actually, yes.” I saw no reason to lie. “Our dog is missing – and the back door was ajar when we woke this morning. Someone tried to get into the house while we were sleeping – so I have a few things on my mind.”

  “A few things other than a houseguest, right?” Cherry flashed a rueful smile. “I don’t want to intrude. I know that you’re really busy. I saw you with your children last night, and … that’s a lot to deal with, even with your aunt’s help. Three girls almost all the same age … that’s so much.”

  “Oh, they’re not all mine.”

  Cherry stilled. “I knew that.” She said the words, yet her expression said otherwise. “Of course I knew that. They’re your … .”

  “Nieces,” I supplied. “Bay and Clove are my nieces. They belong to my sisters.”

  “Oh, well, that’s good. They seem close.”

  “They are close.”

  “And where are your sisters now? Are they dead?” Cherry’s face twisted with sympathy. “They are dead, aren’t they? Oh, you’re such a good woman for taking in your sisters’ children.”

  For a psychic she wasn’t very good at gleaning things with her mind. Of course, I was so distracted I wasn’t giving her much to work with. “My sisters are at a cooking class for the weekend. We all live here together. We plan to turn this into a bed and breakfast soon. Then, in a few years, we’ll build an inn. We need to learn a few things before we launch our own business.”

  “Oh, of course.” Cherry moved her satchel from one hand to the other and shifted her hips so her weight leaned left rather than right. “I read most of that last night. I must’ve forgotten.”

  “Well, you’ve had a trying day.” I didn’t open the door further to make room for Cherry even though she gestured several times for me to do just that. “What are you going to do now that you’ve been left behind?”

  “Well, I was hoping to use your phone.” Cherry forced a tight smile. “I need to place a few calls.”

  “Oh, of course.” I felt like an idiot, so I stepped back, allowing Cherry entrance. “Just out of curiosity, how did they take off without you realizing it?”

  “They drugged my bourbon.” Cherry looked angry as she shook her head and dropped her bag on the floor by the door. “They drugged my bourbon and I fell asleep next to the fire. The next thing I knew it was daylight, everything was gone and my hip really hurt from sleeping on a ground.”

  That sounded terrible. “I’m sorry. I don’t understand how they could do something like that.”

  “That makes two of us.” Cherry rubbed her hip, her eyes busy as they moved around the house. “This is a really nice place. You’re very lucky. It’s so … roomy.”

  “It doesn’t feel roomy most days. I have two sisters, one daughter, two nieces and an aunt who can suck all of the oxygen out of an entire house in thirty seconds flat.”

  Cherry chuckled, her eyes flashing. “Yes, your aunt is very … colorful.”

  “That’s one way of looking at it.” I flicked my eyes back to the door and sighed. “They should’ve been back by now.”

  “They’re out looking for a dog?”

  “The girls have a dog. Sugar. They love that dog beyond reason. No one has seen him since he went to bed with Bay last night. She woke and he was gone, and now … no dog.”

  Cherry didn’t look worried about my predicament. “I’m sure the dog will show up.”

  “I certainly hope so. Of course, if he doesn’t I’ll never live it down. I will always be the one who let something bad happen to the dog the first night she was left in charge. That would be exactly like me.”

  Cherry’s expression was blank. “I
’m sure the dog will be absolutely fine. In fact … yes … the dog is not only alive, but about to walk through that door.”

  I wasn’t sure I believed Cherry was a genuine psychic, but I found myself staring at the front door with unbridled anticipation all the same. And then, right on cue, the door opened and Sugar raced inside. The mutt’s tongue lolled out the side of his mouth and he happily scampered through the living room and headed straight toward the kitchen.

  Cherry beamed, her chest puffed out. “I told you.”

  “You definitely told me.” I was fairly impressed with Cherry’s magical show. “That was … pretty good.” I kept my smile in place as the girls – followed by Aunt Tillie – filed into the house and widened their eyes when they saw we had a guest. “Look who came up for a visit.”

  “Why is she here?” Bay’s blue eyes widened to comical proportions and she looked anything but happy. “I don’t want her here.”

  “Bay,” I scolded, shaking my head. “That is not how we talk about guests.”

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t want her here,” Bay repeated. “She’s … weird.”

  “I think she’s kind of fun,” Thistle countered. “She tells the future and she makes you and Aunt Tillie mad. What’s not to like?”

  Bay elbowed Thistle hard enough that she knocked the air out of her cousin’s lungs. “I’m going to make you eat dirt.”

  “And I’m going to sit on your head and watch,” Aunt Tillie added, her eyes nothing but narrow slits of anger as she focused on Cherry. “Why are you in my house?”

  Cherry forced a smile for Aunt Tillie’s benefit. “It’s a long story, but … I need a place to stay for a night or two.”

  “Oh, really? They have some wonderful inns on the other side of town,” Aunt Tillie said. “I’m sure we can arrange for you to get a ride to one of them.”

  “I’d love to stay at an inn,” Cherry said. “It’s just … I can’t. My troupe packed up in the middle of the night and they took my wagon and purse. I have no money.”

  “But you do have a bag, I notice.” Aunt Tillie gestured toward the satchel on the other side of the door. “How did that happen?”

  Cherry shrugged. “I guess they didn’t want to leave me with nothing to my name.”

  “Uh-huh.” Aunt Tillie didn’t look convinced. “So they took your wagon and purse – and you didn’t wake up while it was happening – and they left you to your own devices? Is that what you’re saying?”

  Cherry nodded. “I apologize for putting you out, but if I place a call I should be able to get someone from the renaissance festival circuit to come and pick me up. It probably won’t be today, but … . I generally wouldn’t ask, but I’m really caught.”

  She wasn’t the only one who was caught. I felt caught, too. “It’s only for a night, Aunt Tillie,” I prodded. “We can make room for one night.”

  Aunt Tillie rolled her eyes so far I thought she’d overbalance and smack into the side of the couch. Instead she shook her head and rested her hand on Bay’s shoulder. “Do whatever you want. I know you’re going to do it regardless. Keep in mind, however, that I’m in charge here and I’ll be watching our new guest as if she’s a thief and I have the only set of sterling silver candlesticks in the county.”

  “I’m not sure what that means,” Cherry hedged. “Does that mean I can stay?”

  I forced a smile for Cherry’s benefit even as Aunt Tillie prodded Bay toward the kitchen. “Of course you can stay. It would be uncharitable to lock you out in the cold.”

  “I would be smart,” Aunt Tillie grunted. “Come on, girls. Let’s check on Sugar.”

  “Where did you find him, by the way?”

  “He was locked in the garden shed,” Bay answered, her voice small as she gave Cherry a wide berth. “He’s okay other than being thirsty.”

  “And we’re going to keep him that way,” Aunt Tillie added, her voice tinged with warning as she locked gazes with Cherry from across the room. “Now that I know what’s going on I’ll be able to better prepare for what’s to come.”

  Cherry didn’t blink as she met Aunt Tillie’s gaze. “And what’s going on? Did I miss something?”

  “Probably,” Aunt Tillie answered. “You should know I don’t miss things, though. I never miss things.”

  “That’s right.” Clove bobbed her head. “That’s why she uses a shotgun instead of a rifle. It makes it much easier not to miss things.”

  I didn’t miss the way Cherry’s smile faltered as Aunt Tillie’s lips curved.

  “Yes, well, she rarely brings out the gun, so there’s no need to worry.” I ran my tongue over my lips as I gestured for Cherry to look in my direction. “I’ll show you where the phone is. I’m sure you want to make a call.”

  Cherry blinked several times in rapid succession, swallowed hard and then nodded. “Yeah, I definitely need to make a call.”

  Six

  C herry was a lovely houseguest, full of stories and energy. She went out of her way to engage the girls and me while giving Aunt Tillie a wide berth. I thought things were fine until Cherry announced that she wouldn’t be able to catch a ride with her renaissance festival cohorts until the following day at the earliest. She had to wait for a confirmation call as well.

  I was okay with that – the house is huge, after all – but I thought Aunt Tillie’s head would pop off her neck there was so much steam pouring out of her mouth. She wasn’t happy in the slightest, which left me with a dark feeling in the pit of my stomach.

  “So, how long has your family lived here?” Cherry sat in the living room drinking a glass of iced tea as I put together the weekly shopping list and kept one eye on Aunt Tillie. She kept running in and out of the room, whispering something to the girls before leaving again. At present only Thistle remained in the living room with me. Bay and Clove were off doing something with Aunt Tillie.

  That couldn’t be good. Aunt Tillie whines and complains that the girls are always up to mischief, but she often encourages them to engage in trouble.

  “Oh, well, the property has been in our family for a really long time,” I explained, forcing myself to focus on Cherry even though I was fairly certain potential mayhem lurked somewhere in the house. “I can’t remember the exact year – I’ve never been good with history – but our ancestors bought the house. It started as a one-room cabin, and the surrounding area was for farming.”

  “Oh, wow. That sounds exciting.” Cherry’s eyes sparkled. If she sensed something else was happening, she didn’t show it. Despite her prognostication about Sugar’s return, I was back to wondering whether or not she was a complete and total fraud.

  “I didn’t know them or anything,” I offered. “That was before my time.”

  “Barely,” Thistle quipped, earning a dark look from me before turning her attention back to the bookshelf she pretended to peruse. She made sure not to get too close to Cherry, but she kept a rather obvious eye on the woman’s movements. Occasionally she’d poke her head into the kitchen for a few seconds before returning to the books. It was all very suspicious.

  “How did the house grow to be this big?”

  “Oh, well, it passed through generations of Winchesters, and each generation added something to the house. At one point it was transformed into a modified Victorian, with the bulk of the original homestead taking up the back area of the house.”

  “And now you’re going to turn it into an inn,” Cherry mused, seemingly impressed. “That is a massive undertaking.”

  “We’ve been working toward this goal for a very long time,” I explained. “We love cooking, and the idea of running our own business is something we’ve dreamed about since we were little girls.”

  “Still, it must be an expensive undertaking,” Cherry prodded. “How will you afford the construction and everything?”

  “Oh, well … .” I shifted uncomfortably on my seat. That was a very direct question, one I’m sure Aunt Tillie would have an absolute fit about if I answered. “I le
t Marnie and Winnie handle the business stuff. I’m just here to cook.”

  That wasn’t entirely untrue. Cooking and baking are two of my favorite ways to spend time. I’m not interested in the business side of things – that’s why I’m going into business with Winnie and Marnie, after all – so I don’t pay much interest to the things my sisters say. I do a lot of nodding and smiling until they grow tired of repeating things to me and stomp off in a huff. Hey, it might be passive aggressive but it works for me.

  Wait … what were we talking about?

  “And Marnie and Winnie are your sisters?” Cherry’s expression was friendly, yet there was something about the way she asked the question that set my teeth on edge.

  “They are,” I confirmed, nodding as Thistle fixed the back of Cherry’s head with an odd look before scampering toward the kitchen. “I’m the youngest, so I let them battle it out for business supremacy. I’m much more interested in cooking.”

  “That’s because you’re a nurturing soul.” Cherry’s smile was so wide it almost swallowed her entire face. “You’re a giving person and you’re an absolute joy to be around. Your sisters might be the public face of the business, but you’ll be the heart.”

  Something about her words calmed me, soothed the frazzled nerves that so often took me over these days. “Oh, well, thank you.”

  “That’s why I’m here.”

  “Why are you here?” I didn’t notice Thistle ease back into the room until the question was already out of her mouth. She didn’t so much as spare a sidelong glance for me as she stared at Cherry.

  “I got left behind by my group,” Cherry replied, adopting a mournful expression. “I should’ve seen it coming.”

  “You’re supposedly psychic, so that makes sense,” Thistle agreed, resting her hands on the couch arm as she shifted from one foot to the other. “If you can see the future like you say you can, why did you get left behind?”

  “I can’t see everything,” Cherry clarified. “Can you imagine how busy one person’s head would be if they saw everything in the world?”