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

  Landon shifted uncomfortably and I took pity on him. He didn’t want to state the obvious, so I did it for him.

  “Because if Mrs. Little goes to the state police or a local politician with her story, they could make a big stink about this,” I said. “If another agency is involved from the start, Chief Terry will be able to sidestep those issues. He won’t be accused of bias and he won’t be under state or political scrutiny.”

  “Then why can’t Landon do it?” I had to give it to my mother. She was stubborn when she wanted to be. Unfortunately, she was also oblivious when she was angry.

  “Because Landon’s loyalty will be called into question,” I replied. “People could say he covered up information because of his relationship with me. It would put his job at risk.”

  “Well, then why doesn’t he just break up with you until this case is solved?” Mom suggested. “You can survive a little time apart.”

  I balked. “What?”

  “That’s not going to happen,” Landon said, ignoring Noah’s pointed stare as he rested his hand on my shoulder. “I’m not risking our relationship. Agent Glenn being here – and being involved in the investigation – can only help Aunt Tillie.”

  “I’m pretty sure I don’t see how that can possibly be true,” Mom argued.

  “We need an outside person to prove Aunt Tillie is innocent,” I said. “That’s why we’re stuck with Agent Glenn.”

  “Yes, but Agent Genital Wart couldn’t find his own tool with a magnifying glass and a set of tweezers,” Aunt Tillie snapped. “How am I supposed to trust him?”

  “I don’t see where you have a choice.” Landon was grim. “If you don’t let him in on the investigation, we could all lose.”

  I FOUND Landon in The Overlook’s library several hours later. He had a whiskey in one hand and his forehead in the other.

  “Hey.”

  Landon jerked his head up, a warm smile playing at the corner of his lips. “Hey, sweetie. Close that door and come in here. I’ve been waiting for you to show up.”

  I did as instructed and joined him on the couch, sighing when he pulled me in for a tight hug. “I’m sorry I had to be away for so long, but talking my mother into letting Agent Glenn stay here was … difficult.”

  “I can imagine,” Landon said, pressing a kiss to my cheek before pulling back. “I’ve wanted to hug you all day. Actually, I’ve wanted to hug you for several days. I just thought it would be under different circumstances.”

  “Me, too,” I said, resting my head against his shoulder. “Agent Glenn is checking into his room right now, by the way. Twila is helping him.”

  “Well, if anyone deserves Twila’s special brand of torture, it’s him.” Landon sipped his whiskey and shifted closer.

  We sat in comfortable silence for a moment, but my mind was too busy to let it last. “How bad do you think this will get?”

  “I just don’t know,” Landon answered, opting for honesty. “We may luck out and find Patty Grimes died of natural causes. A blue tint under the fingernails could mean heart or circulation problems.”

  “And the scent around her mouth?”

  “Maybe she had bad breath.”

  I knew he was going for levity, but it was hard to muster a smile. “I’m worried.”

  “I know you are,” Landon said. “I’m doing the best I can. We have other issues, though, and they’re witchy in nature. With Noah around … .”

  “We could be in big trouble if he sees us engaged in something magical,” I finished. “I get it.”

  “Do you?” Landon brushed my hair from my face with his free hand. “He cannot see you guys doing something unexplainable. Magic will make him lose his head. He’s a … by-the-book … kind of guy.”

  “Is that code for tool?”

  Landon snorted. “Pretty much,” he said. “He’s not a bad guy. He’s just full of himself. He can’t see past his first big case, and that will be bad for us if discovers the truth.”

  “What do you think he’ll do?”

  “I don’t know,” Landon answered. “I know I can’t live without you, though, so let’s not give him the opportunity to find out. Can you talk to the rest of your family and make sure they understand the consequences?”

  I nodded. “I can try. Aunt Tillie is going to be a bear, though.”

  “She’s always a bear. Try your best.”

  “I didn’t know about Kenneth and Patty,” I said after a moment. “I didn’t think Aunt Tillie had a motive. Now that she does – no matter how weak – I can’t help but feel someone is setting her up.”

  “Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Landon cautioned. “We don’t have a murder yet. Even if we do, Aunt Tillie’s ties to Kenneth were tenuous at best. She cut him loose.”

  “Actually, it was more like he got sick of her being mean to him and just stopped coming around,” I countered. “He wanted to get back with her after their big fight, but she was annoyed and said horrible things to him. I think she thought he would keep begging, though.”

  “Well, we can’t dwell on that,” Landon said. “We’re in a weird place right now. Aunt Tillie isn’t under arrest. Even if Patty Grimes was murdered, we don’t have enough evidence for an arrest. That’s good for us.”

  “She also didn’t deny being at the senior center yesterday,” I reminded him. “That means she was there. That’s bad for us.”

  “I love you, Bay, but you’re kind of a defeatist sometimes,” Landon said. “As of right now, we’re in an okay position. Chief Terry – however grudgingly – agreed to let Noah investigate with him. I’ll also be there, although not in a supervisory position.”

  “Aren’t you Noah’s boss?”

  “Technically, yes. I can’t get too involved in this, though. I have to sit back and let him do his thing. It could come back to bite us if I don’t.”

  I leaned forward and hugged him again, taking solace in his warmth. “I know you’ll help us however you can. Don’t risk your job, though. That’s too important to you.”

  “You’re more important, Bay,” Landon said, rubbing the back of my neck. “I don’t want to lose my job, but I won’t lose you. We’ll have to play it by ear.”

  I swallowed the lump in my throat. His kind words warmed me. “I love you.”

  “Of course you do. I’m a catch.”

  This time the joke landed and I couldn’t help but laugh. Landon planted a lingering kiss on me, which didn’t linger nearly long enough because that’s when Noah decided to join us.

  “There you are,” Noah said, pushing open the library door. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”

  “I wasn’t hiding,” Landon said dryly. “You couldn’t have looked very hard.”

  “This place is huge,” Noah said, settling on the couch next to me and forcing me to edge closer to Landon. “Why did they name it The Overlook? Didn’t they know that was the name of the hotel in The Shining?”

  “No,” I replied. It was a normal question, but for some reason the way Noah asked it set my teeth on edge.

  “This place is huge … and beautiful,” Noah continued, seemingly oblivious to Landon’s darkening mood. “Did you know there’s a little girl running around here, and when she saw me she yelled about ‘The Man’ and raced into the kitchen?”

  “That would be Annie,” I replied. “She’s very fond of Aunt Tillie. Ignore her.”

  “I followed her into the kitchen because I was worried she was in trouble. The women there were not happy to see me.”

  Uh-oh. “Don’t ever do that,” I said, wagging a finger for emphasis. “Everyone knows the kitchen is off limits. My mother already hates you. Do you want her to chop you up and serve you in a soup?”

  “What are they hiding in there?” Noah asked, ignoring the “soup” comment.

  “Nothing,” Landon answered. “They cook in there. They don’t do anything else. That room is just off limits. Stay out of the kitchen. There’s plenty of space for you to spread out. While y
ou’re at it, though, stay out of the greenhouse, too. That’s also off limits.”

  I hadn’t even thought of that. Aunt Tillie had been warned about keeping her pot in the greenhouse. She had a small field on the property, but it was magically cloaked so law enforcement couldn’t find it. Now would not be the time for her to break that rule and leave illegal plants out for anyone to stumble upon.

  “Um … speaking of that … .”

  Landon glanced at me. “What?”

  “I need to run a quick errand with Thistle and Clove,” I said, hoping Landon would realize what I was really doing and keep Noah busy while I checked for contraband.

  “I’ll come with you.” Landon was handsome and intelligent, but I wanted to strangle him for being slow on the uptake.

  “You should entertain Noah,” I countered.

  “But … .” Landon knit his eyebrows. It took him longer than it should have to realize what I meant. “Oh, right. I’ll come down to the guesthouse to get you for dinner after you’re done with your … errands.”

  “That would be great,” I said, relieved.

  “Which room are you in, Landon?” Noah asked. “I didn’t see you check in. I’m on the second floor.”

  “I didn’t get a room,” Landon said. “I’ll be sleeping in the guesthouse.”

  “Isn’t that a conflict of interest?”

  Agent Stick-up-the-butt was starting to wear on me. “Why would that be a conflict of interest?”

  “You’re … one of them.”

  “Yes, but Bay isn’t a murder suspect, and I’m sleeping at the guesthouse with her,” Landon said. “There’s no reason to charge a room on the bureau’s dime when I don’t need one.”

  “I’ll check with the boss to make sure that’s okay,” Noah said, pulling his phone from his pocket.

  “You do that,” Landon muttered, shifting his blue eyes to me. “Run your errand now. I’m not sure how long I can hang out with him.”

  “I’m on it.”

  Five

  “What are we doing?” Clove asked, scurrying behind me as I led her and Thistle toward the greenhouse. “We’re not supposed to go in there.”

  “We have to go in there,” I argued. “Agent Glenn is staying on the property and he’s curious. He’s bound to find his way down here, and if Aunt Tillie has anything illegal he’ll arrest her. We have to scour the greenhouse for pot.”

  “But … Aunt Tillie said there would be dire repercussions if she caught us in here,” Clove whined. “I’m going to be moving in with my boyfriend soon. I don’t want dire repercussions. I want to wear cute pants.”

  Thistle snorted. “I think you mean you want to wear sexy lingerie.”

  Clove’s cheeks colored. “You have a dirty mind.”

  “Yes, and I saw you perusing the Victoria’s Secret website last week, so don’t bother denying it,” Thistle said. “Bay is right, though. We have enough on our plate right now. We can’t risk Agent Gasbag stumbling across pot on top of everything else.”

  “But … ugh.” Clove was resigned. “Fine. If my pants don’t fit tomorrow, though, I’m going to make you eat dirt until they fit again.”

  “Bring it on,” Thistle said, watching as I opened the door and then following me inside. “Okay, let’s split up and go up and down the rows.”

  “Look close,” I instructed, opting for the row closest to the wall. “I wouldn’t put it past her to plant a pot seed along with a geranium to disguise it.”

  “I don’t even remember what pot looks like,” Clove complained, taking the middle row. “It has thorns, right?”

  “Those are roses,” Thistle replied. “Good grief. You used to steal from her pot field as much as I did when we were teenagers. How can you not know what pot looks like?”

  “Because I was always stoned when we did it,” Clove replied. “That’s the only time you could talk me into it. I was too afraid otherwise.”

  “I forgot about that,” Thistle said, tilting a clay pot forward and studying the plant. “It looks like she’s gearing up for another herb garden.”

  “Are they real herbs or witch herbs?” I asked.

  Thistle shrugged. “Both. Does it matter?”

  Did it? “It could if it turns out Patty Grimes was really poisoned,” I said. “Look for anything that could kill someone.”

  “How am I supposed to know what that is?” Thistle complained. “I can barely recognize the kitchen herbs. There’s a reason Clove has to handle all of the herbs in our store. They all look the same to me.”

  “And yet you know what pot looks like,” Clove said. “I think there’s a lesson in that.”

  “There is,” Thistle agreed. “You’re a kvetch.”

  Clove scowled, wrinkling her ski-slope nose. “I hate it when you call me that.”

  “Oh, admit it,” I interjected, hoping to diffuse the tension. “You’re going to miss this. When you’re living out at the Dandridge you won’t have to be on pot patrol. That sounds … relaxing.”

  “It does sound relaxing,” Clove agreed. “It’s just … I don’t think I should leave when all of this is going on. I talked to Sam and he cleared his schedule and wants to move the rest of my stuff tomorrow. He’s really anxious for me to move in with him.”

  Tomorrow? I knew it was coming, but … . “Clove, you’re moving across town,” I reminded her. “You’re not leaving the country.” Part of me didn’t want her to go. The other part knew it was the best thing for her. Thistle and I both had overbearing personalities – Thistle much more than me, mind you – and Clove was often lost in the maelstrom because she wasn’t as loud. “You’ll be able to keep up on everything even if you do move tomorrow.”

  Clove didn’t look convinced. “But … what if you need someone to help you search for pot?”

  “You don’t know what pot looks like,” Thistle pointed out.

  “What if you need someone to steal from Aunt Tillie’s wine stash again?” Clove pressed.

  “Then we’ll call you and you can drive over and help us,” I said, turning my full attention to my worried cousin. Something was going on here, and it wasn’t just the upheaval in Aunt Tillie’s world. “Clove, have you changed your mind about moving?”

  “No, of course not,” Clove protested. “It’s just … I know you’re going to laugh at me, but it feels like I won’t be part of the family.”

  “That’s ridiculous,” Thistle scoffed.

  “Is it?” Clove challenged. “I already feel like an outsider sometimes because you guys don’t like Sam.”

  “That’s not true,” I said. “I like Sam. We had issues at first … and I’m never going to like the way he came to town and hid his true intentions … but he loves you. You’re good together.”

  “He also saved Bay’s life,” Thistle said, referring to an incident when Sam got shot in the foot trying to save me from a crazy former classmate.

  “That, too,” I said, bobbing my head. “You’re always going to be a part of the family. We can’t all live together forever, though.”

  “Yeah, Bay is almost thirty,” Thistle said. “It’s getting a little pathetic for her to have a roommate.”

  I scorched Thistle with a dark look. “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.” Thistle beamed. “Do you want to know what I think, Clove?”

  “Not really,” Clove said, returning to her plant search.

  “I’m going to tell you anyway,” Thistle said. “I think you’re so excited about moving in with Sam that you’re letting your nerves get the better of you now that it’s really going to happen.”

  “I think she’s right,” I added, narrowing my eyes as I stared closer at a plant. Crap. “Thistle, come over here, please.”

  “What is it?” Thistle asked, hurrying in my direction.

  “I can’t be one hundred percent sure, but … is that what I think it is?” I pointed toward a small sprout.

  “Yup,” Thistle said, shaking her head. “Son of a … she’s hidin
g pot in with the other plants. We have to search every single pot.”

  “That’ll take forever,” Clove whined. “I have to pack.”

  “We’ll help you pack after dinner,” I offered. “We can even break out the chocolate martinis while we do it. It will make the work feel like fun instead of … work.”

  “That was almost poetic,” Thistle teased.

  “What are we going to do with the pot when we collect it all?” Clove asked, worried. “We have to get rid of it somewhere no one can find it.”

  “That means we’re going to have to burn it,” I said. “I don’t see another option. We’ll take it up to the ritual site and toss it in the fire pit.”

  “Or … we could smoke it,” Thistle suggested.

  “We can’t do that,” I protested. “Agent Glenn will notice if we’re high.”

  “Then he’ll arrest us and I’ll never get to move in with Sam,” Clove said.

  “Fine. We’ll burn it,” Thistle said, although she didn’t look happy at the prospect. “It seems like such a waste, though.”

  “Right now we have to worry about collecting it,” I said. “We’ll fret about wasting it later.”

  “IS THAT all of it?” I studied the clump of plants in Thistle’s hand. “That doesn’t look like very much.”

  “I know,” Thistle said. “For all the work we had to do to get it, you’d think it would be a big pile of pot. Dried, this wouldn’t even be a dime bag.”

  “You know way too much about drugs,” I said, grabbing the plants from her and tossing them on the fire. “I blame Aunt Tillie.”

  “Oh, man! I blame you,” Thistle shot back. “Why did you do that? I was trying to figure out a way to make you let me keep it.”

  “I know. That’s why I did it.”

  “You suck,” Thistle muttered, crossing her arms over her chest.

  “We’re sure we got it all, right?” Clove asked. “I’d hate to think we did all of that searching and missed something.”

  “We inspected each pot three times,” I said. “We got it all.”

  “Then let’s go up to the inn,” Thistle said, her eyes wistful as she watched the fresh plants wilt in the small fire. “I’m starving. I have the munchies and we didn’t even get to smoke it.”