Wicked Witches of the Midwest 9 Read online

  “Speaking of Thistle, do you know what she wanted Clove to do to me?” I asked.

  Sam shook his head. “I wasn’t listening.”

  I narrowed my eyes. He didn’t quite make eye contact. “I think you know.”

  “And I think I’m in a bad position, so I don’t want to tell you.”

  “Yes, but you like me better than Thistle,” I reminded him. “I was mean when you first came to town because you caught me off guard. I’ve been nice ever since.”

  “You’ve only started being nice since I saved your life,” Sam reminded me. “You’re definitely nicer than Thistle, though. As for liking you better … well … I’m not choosing sides.”

  “If you don’t pick a side then you’re going to get it from both of us,” I warned. “Aunt Tillie taught us that.”

  “Speaking of frightening women,” Sam grumbled. “Are you sure she shouldn’t be involuntarily committed?”

  “She’d only escape and mete out some truly terrible revenge if we tried,” Landon answered smoothly. “I’d rather be able to wear pants to work. I don’t think my boss will find it funny if I have to wear jogging pants instead of a suit to meetings.”

  “No, probably not,” Sam conceded. “As for Thistle’s plan, I honestly don’t know. It has something to do with clowns, balloons and the sewer, though. Clove told Thistle she refused to mess around with the sewers again and she didn’t care how much Thistle threatened her. I was kind of confused when she said ‘again.’”

  My heart dropped. “The Pennywise Gambit,” I muttered, horrified.

  Landon leaned forward, intrigued. “What is The Pennywise Gambit?”

  I shook my head to dislodge a terrifying memory. “You don’t want to know.”

  “Oh, I totally want to know,” Landon said. “I’m assuming Pennywise is the clown from It, right? I thought you hated clowns.”

  “I do. Why do you think it’s such an effective gambit?”

  “I have no idea,” Landon said. “I’m curious and terrified to hear this story. I can’t stop myself from asking, though. You need to tell me.”

  “Let’s just say that clowns aren’t the only things living in sewers that have razor sharp teeth,” I said. “We’ll have to leave it at that. I’ve blocked the rest from my memory.”

  “Well, whatever it is, Clove was dead set against it,” Sam supplied. “I thought she was going to cry for a minute when she hung up. I was almost looking forward to it because I figured she would have to stop cleaning and rest if she cried. She persevered, though.”

  I snickered. In truth, I hated Sam when he first came to town. Actually, I feared him. He seemed to know our secret, and he wouldn’t stop following me around. Eventually we found out his mother was a solitary practitioner and he was merely curious about the infamous Winchesters. Trust still came slow. I trust him with my whole heart now, though. More importantly, I trust him with Clove’s heart.

  “I can head off The Pennywise Gambit,” I said. “I think it might call for something big, though. I need to talk to Aunt Tillie.” I reached for my phone but Landon stilled me with a hand on my knee.

  “Later, sweetie,” he said. “Your war with Thistle can keep for a little bit. We need answers about the tanker first. It’s more important.”

  Sam arched an eyebrow, surprised. “The tanker? Why do you care about the tanker?”

  “We were on it yesterday,” I replied.

  “I know that,” Sam said. “I saw you right after.”

  Whoops. I’d almost forgotten about that. “Anyway, during the storm last night, I thought I saw something in the library.”

  “What?”

  “Ghosts.”

  Sam tilted his head to the side, considering. He could see ghosts, too. His ability wasn’t nearly as strong as mine, but it wasn’t weak. “I knew something was going on when you came back after the generator kicked on,” he said. “I thought maybe Landon did something dirty when no one was looking. You seemed distracted. I didn’t realize you saw ghosts.”

  “At first, I wasn’t sure I did either,” I said. “For a second I thought I was imagining them. Then, when the power went out, I thought they were going to end up on top of me once the lights came back on, and I was terrified to move. When Landon found me, they were gone.”

  “You didn’t see them, did you?” Sam asked, turning to Landon.

  “I can’t see ghosts,” Landon reminded him.

  “You did the night you saved Bay from the ship in the cove,” Sam said. “You saw Erika’s ghost that night.”

  That was something of a mystery – and a sore subject – because Landon remained miffed that I willingly walked into trouble and he barely managed to save me from murderers thanks to a patient ghost from the Civil War era who managed to track him down and warn him of my plight. We still didn’t understand why he could see Erika and he hadn’t seen a ghost since. I was of the mind that he saw her because he had no choice, but he didn’t like to talk about it very often.

  “Yes, well, I’ve never seen another ghost so that’s a moot point,” Landon said, refusing to engage on the subject. “Bay saw them, though, and then there was an incident with Annie.”

  “What happened to Annie?”

  “She saw two ghosts, too,” I replied. “I think she has the gift … although it doesn’t feel like much of a gift sometimes.”

  “Oh, you’re gifted,” Landon said, squeezing my hand. “Bay didn’t mention it last night, but this morning she remembered that one of the ghosts wore a captain’s hat. Then she remembered your tanker and looked it up.” He opened the book to the page we read earlier and handed it to Sam.

  Sam scanned the passages for a few seconds and then glanced up. “This is about the Gray Harker.”

  “Yes, but the Yeti Inferno used to go under that name,” I supplied. “I looked it up.”

  “Oh.” Sam seemed surprised. “You would think they would’ve disclosed that at the time of sale.”

  “Did you ask?”

  “I guess not,” Sam said, licking his lips. “Now that you mention it, they’re only required to disclose accidents or repairs. It’s not like buying a house. The seller doesn’t have to disclose tragedies.”

  “And we have no idea what kind of tragedy happened on the tanker,” Landon said. “All we know is that it was missing for months and the crew was never heard from again.”

  “There can’t be a happy story attached to that,” Sam said. “In the grand scheme of things, though, the history of the tanker will make for a much more intriguing haunted attraction.”

  “Yes, that’s the most important thing,” Landon deadpanned.

  “I’m sorry,” Sam said, holding up his hands. “That was a stupid thing to say. I understand that you’re worried, but … I don’t know what to do with it. I’ve been all over that tanker, and I’ve never seen a ghost.”

  “That doesn’t mean they’re not there,” I pointed out. “You know as well as I do that ghosts only show themselves when they feel comfortable doing it.”

  “But why did they go after you?” Sam asked. “Why wouldn’t they reveal themselves to me once I got the tanker back here? I’m the new owner.”

  “They’re male ghosts,” Landon said. “Perhaps they like the ladies. I know if I was stuck as a ghost, there’s no one I would rather follow than Bay.”

  “Oh, you’re so cute,” I said, poking his cheek. “You’re going to get smothered with love later, so there’s no reason to lay it on so thick.”

  “I was serious.”

  “Well, now you’re going to get doubly lucky.” I shot him an affectionate smile before turning back to Sam. “As for why they appeared to me and Annie, perhaps they saw me on the tanker yesterday and were intrigued. Maybe they followed me back to the inn.”

  “Did you go straight to the inn?” Sam queried.

  I shook my head. “No. I went to the guesthouse first.”

  “Have you seen them at the guesthouse?”

  Hmm. He had a
point. “No.”

  “What does that matter?” Landon asked, legitimately curious. “What are you getting at?”

  “I’m merely saying that if the ghosts followed her, you would’ve seen them at the guesthouse,” Sam said. “The ghosts might very well have been intrigued by the appearance of powerful witches on the deck. For all we know, they could sense your power. Why would they show up at the inn instead of the guesthouse, though?”

  “I can’t answer that because I’m not an expert on ghost behavior,” Landon said. “I’m not sure how that works. We can only move forward with the information we have in front of us.”

  “We don’t know the ghosts Bay saw were from the tanker,” Sam said.

  “We don’t,” Landon conceded. “Bay made a good point earlier – as she always does because she’s my little genius – but it would be one heck of a coincidence for a new tanker to arrive in town and have an unrelated fresh ghost wearing a captain’s hat.”

  “I agree that’s a little hard to swallow,” Sam said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m not sure what to think about it. Now I’m really glad my parents will be staying at the inn instead of out here, though. If ghosts really are anchored to the tanker … things could get ugly.”

  I understood what he was saying. “Maybe you and Clove should come back to the guesthouse for a few days,” I suggested. “That would keep you close to the inn where your parents are and then we wouldn’t worry.”

  “It would also keep you from having to fight dirty with Thistle over that room,” Landon added.

  “That, too.”

  “I’ll talk to Clove about it,” Sam said. “I’m not sure she’ll agree. She really loves living in the lighthouse. She’s a big fan of the swirling lights.”

  “Don’t sell yourself short,” I said, offering him a kind smile. “She’s a big fan of you, too.”

  Sam’s smile was so earnest it almost hurt my heart. “I feel the same way about her. I don’t want her to be in danger, though. What do you think we should do about the ghosts?”

  “There’s only one thing we can do about the ghosts,” I said. “We have to hold a séance.”

  “Oh, crap,” Landon complained. “I hate séances.”

  “We’re absolutely not having a séance!” Clove barked, throwing open the windows on the side of the lighthouse and fixing me with a dark look. She’d obviously been eavesdropping. “You know I hate séances. They give ghosts strength and they almost never work.”

  “That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try,” I argued.

  “That’s exactly what it means.”

  “Clove, you need to be reasonable,” I said, adopting a pragmatic tone. “We have to figure out what these ghosts want.”

  “Not today we don’t,” Clove snapped. “Sam’s parents will be here tomorrow. Tomorrow! We are not calling ghosts to that ship and questioning them when we know it will end badly.”

  “How do you know it will end badly?” Sam asked, glancing over his shoulder.

  “Because they always end badly,” Clove said. “It’s not going to happen this time. Nope. No way. No how. Nothing doing.”

  “But … .”

  “No.” Clove firmly shook her head. “N-O. No.”

  “We have to do something,” I said. “We can’t ignore the problem.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong,” Clove shot back. “We ignore problems all of the time. We ignored Aunt Tillie’s pot field … and wine business … and general troublemaking shenanigans. This will be no different. It can wait a few days.”

  “But what if it can’t?”

  “If the universe knows what’s good for it, it will refrain from messing with my world for one week,” Clove said. “I am meeting my boyfriend’s parents for the first time. I can take only so much.”

  Sam seemed amused. “Okay, honey. No séance.”

  I wasn’t happy with Sam’s decision, but there wasn’t much I could do about it. “Fine. No séance for now. Things might change, though.”

  “If things change, I’m going to kick the universe in the butt and hide in bed for a week,” Clove said. “I’m not joking. This is my week. I’m in charge. Don’t even think about messing with me.”

  I didn’t know how to answer, so I kept my mouth shut. Landon was another story. His voice was low when he leaned closer.

  “I think she might be scarier than Thistle.”

  Now that was a frightening thought.

  NINE

  “A nd there’s my favorite person.”

  Chief Terry Davenport smiled when Landon and I walked into the diner on Main Street. I headed straight for him, settling in the chair to his left without asking whether or not he wanted company. I already knew the answer.

  “I’m happy to see you, too,” I said, grinning.

  “He was talking about me,” Landon said, taking the chair across from Chief Terry and smirking. “I’m his favorite person.”

  “You’re not even in the top five,” Chief Terry shot back, although he shared a small smile with Landon. They weren’t exactly fond of each other upon their first meeting but they’d grown close since then, working on multiple cases together. “She’s at the top.”

  “That’s funny, because she’s at the top of my list, too,” Landon said, smiling at the waitress as she approached to take our drink orders. He waited until she was gone to continue speaking. “I don’t care what you say. I’m pretty sure I’m in your top five.”

  “I’m pretty sure you’re delusional,” Chief Terry said, shaking his head before turning to me. “How have you been? I haven’t seen you most of the week.”

  “I’ve been busy at The Whistler,” I answered. “Landon wasn’t here for the bulk of the week, so I got ahead. It’s always a busy time when we have a festival.”

  Landon snorted. “This town has more festivals than it does people,” he said. “What festival is going on this week?”

  “The Fall Hoedown.”

  “You guys have a hoedown?” Landon snickered. “I don’t even know what to make of that. You know I’m not line dancing, right?”

  “I didn’t know you did any kind of dancing,” I said. “Does that mean you’ll do other types of dancing?”

  “That means I’ll slow dance with you and that’s it,” Landon replied. “Isn’t a hoedown a one-night event, though? How can it be a festival?”

  “This town doesn’t do anything in a normal fashion,” Chief Terry supplied. “The opening dance is tonight and then we hold different dances every night until next Sunday.”

  “There are different bands each night, too,” I offered.

  “That sounds like a terrific way to cause ear rot,” Landon said, shifting when I tried to elbow him in the stomach. “What? I didn’t say I wouldn’t go to the hoedown with you. I merely said I will only dance to slow songs and only if you whisper dirty things in my ear while we’re dancing.”

  “Don’t make me thump you,” Chief Terry warned, extending a finger. “You know how I feel about that flirting thing you do right in front of me. She’s a child.”

  “She’s not my child,” Landon countered. “Last time I checked, she’s almost thirty, too.”

  “I’m twenty-eight.”

  “You’re going to be twenty-nine in a few months,” Landon said. “That means you’re almost thirty.”

  He was right. Darn it! “Don’t remind me. I don’t want to be depressed.”

  “Why would that depress you?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. Thirty seems old. When I was a kid I thought everyone over thirty was ancient.”

  “Yes, but you’re not a kid any longer,” Landon pointed out. “There’s no reason to be depressed. You’re still young and beautiful.”

  “Oh, so cute!” I gave him a quick kiss as Chief Terry scowled.

  “You two make me want to puke,” Chief Terry grumbled. “Seriously. I have indigestion. You give me acid reflux, Landon. Does that make you happy?”

  “It doesn’t make me unhap
py,” Landon replied. “Is anything else going on around town? If you need help with something, I’m fairly certain I could talk my boss into letting me stick close all week.”

  I pursed my lips as I regarded him. Landon was always looking for reasons to stay in Hemlock Cove during the week. I think the knowledge that a gang of ghosts was running around haunting people made him overly eager to remain close to me. It was kind of sweet.

  “There’s absolutely nothing going on,” Chief Terry said. “Oh, wait, that’s not true. Margaret Little says she’s convinced someone has been peeping in her windows. If you want to take on that case I’d be more than willing to hand it over to you.”

  Landon made a face. “Why would someone peep her?”

  “If you believe her it’s because they want to see her naked, and the world is turning into a haven for perverts and heathens.”

  “Do you believe her?” I asked.

  “Only a disturbed mind would want to see her naked.”

  Landon barked out a laugh. “That’s true,” he said. “I really don’t want to take on that case, though. I guess I’ll have to head back to Traverse City on Monday whether I like it or not.”

  “Why wouldn’t you like it?” Chief Terry asked, oblivious as I cast Landon a sidelong look. “Traverse City is much more exciting than Hemlock Cove.”

  “Not even close,” Landon said, squeezing my hand.

  When Chief Terry realized what he was talking about he screwed up his face. “You two get sicker and sicker every time I spend time with you. It’s like there are pheromones dancing around your heads.”

  Landon cocked an eyebrow. “Pheromones?”

  “Yes, they’re like sex scents,” Chief Terry said. “I think only dogs and perverts can smell them.”

  “Arf.” Landon barked, causing me to smile. “Personally, I think the best sex scent is bacon.”

  “You would,” Chief Terry said. “You’re a total pervert.”