Wicked Brew (5 page)

“What did you tell her it was?”

Aunt Tillie shrugged. “Oregano.”

“She’s going to be so messed up when she’s a teenager,” I grumbled. “I can’t wait until some idiot tries to sell her a bag of oregano.”

“So, she was just wandering around unsupervised?” Landon glanced at the assembled faces in turn, not believing us for a second.

“We’re horrible babysitters,” Aunt Tillie said. “That’s why these three turned out to be such sneaky adults.” She was gesturing at Bay, Clove and me as she spoke, her face guileless.

I bit my lip to keep from exploding.

Landon knelt down in front of Annie. “Did something happen?”

Annie shook her head vehemently.

“Would you tell me if something did?”

Annie shook her head again.

Landon sighed and got back to his feet. “I know something … odd … happened here.”

“Nothing happened,” Mom said. “Why are you so suspicious?”

“Because I know you guys,” Landon said. “Winnie called Chief Terry. She was panicked because Annie had gone missing. She said that Marnie and Twila were off to get the girls – which means the three of you.” He focused on Bay. “Where were the three of you?”

Bay averted her gaze nervously. “We were outside.”

“Doing what?”

“What does it matter?” I stepped between Bay and Landon.

“Because I want to know what you were doing,” Landon said firmly.

I glanced down at Annie. “Do you want more frosting? I bet my mom would love to give you more frosting.”

Mom took Annie’s hand. “Of course I would.”

“Don’t lose her again,” I warned.

Mom furrowed her brow angrily. “Don’t take that tone with me, young lady.”

Once they were gone, I swiveled so I could meet Landon’s expectant gaze. “We were doing a spell.”

“I know,” Landon said. “I’m not stupid. What kind of spell were you doing?”

“We were doing a locator spell,” Bay said. “We were trying to find Annie’s mother.”

Landon sighed as he ran his hand through his shoulder-length hair. I’ve never understood why the FBI lets him keep it so long. Landon says it’s in case he needs to go undercover. He hasn’t been undercover since we met him, though. I think he just likes it – mostly because Bay enjoys running her fingers through it. He knows it makes him look hot. “Did you find anything?”

“Wait, you’re not going to yell?” I was surprised he was being so calm.

“It doesn’t sound like you were doing anything dangerous,” Landon said. “You were trying to help. I only yell when you do something dangerous.”

“You like to yell regardless,” I said. “It gets you going.”

Marcus moved in behind me and put his hand on my neck to still me. “Do you want to piss him off?”

“I haven’t decided yet,” I admitted, leaning back into him. Spending two nights in a row sharing a bed with a restless child had taught me one thing: I missed him. He made me feel … relaxed.

Marcus kissed the back of my blue head. “I think it sounds like a good idea.”

“Did you find anything?” Landon asked.

“We were interrupted when our mothers lost Annie,” Bay said.

“And she was just wandering around?” Landon pressed.

Bay exchanged a worried look with me. We needed to come up with a better lie. Aunt Tillie didn’t give us the chance.

“She was with me,” she said. “I found her in the kitchen and thought she could use some fresh air.”

Landon pursed his lips. “And where were you?”

“I was communing with nature.”

Landon ran his tongue over his teeth, considering. “Were you doing something you weren’t supposed to be doing in nature?”

“You’ll have to be more specific,” Aunt Tillie said obstinately.

“Were you working in your field?”

“I have no idea what field you’re referring to,” Aunt Tillie lied. “I was talking to Mother Nature, and thanking her for all her blessings. Don’t try to entrap me, agent. You’re out of your depth.”

Landon scowled. “If I find out you took that girl to help you plant pot I’m going to be really ticked off.”

“I’m already ticked off,” Aunt Tillie countered. “You stole my wine. I want it back.”

“I didn’t steal it,” Landon replied. “I confiscated it for law enforcement purposes.”

“You just want to drink it.”

“Yeah, I like a functioning liver, thanks,” Landon deadpanned. He turned when he heard the front door of the inn open to allow Chief Terry entrance. “We found her.”

“Yeah, I got your text,” Chief Terry said. “I’m glad she’s okay.”

“She was never in any danger,” Aunt Tillie said. “She was with me. That’s the safest place in the world.”

Landon rolled his eyes.

“Where did you take her?” Chief Terry asked, curious.

“We were just out for a walk,” Aunt Tillie said.

Chief Terry glanced at Landon for confirmation.

“She took her to her field,” Landon said.

Chief Terry groaned. “I don’t want to hear anything about a field. There is no field.”

“Pretending it’s not there doesn’t mean it’s not there,” Landon said, throwing himself into one of the dining room chairs wearily. He snagged Bay around the waist and pulled her down on his lap. “The women in this family are making me feel old. I feel like the pot police.”

Bay swished her lips back and forth. “Aunt Tillie says she told her it was oregano, if that helps.”

“You have a huge mouth,” Aunt Tillie said.

“I’m sorry,” Bay said, rubbing the crease between her eyebrows. “I just don’t see the point in lying. He knows it’s there.”

“You’re on my list,” Aunt Tillie said, extending a finger in Bay’s direction. “You were already there because of the wine, but now you’re on top.”

“I don’t have the wine,” Bay protested. “He won’t tell me where he put it.”

“That’s because I know you’ll give it back to her,” Landon said. “You live in fear of whatever deranged thing she’s going to do next. I don’t have that problem.”

“You could have if you’re not careful,” Aunt Tillie warned.

“Bring it on,” Landon said, his fingers restlessly roaming through the ends of Bay’s hair as he thought. “Did you find anything else out about Jonathan Denham?”

Chief Terry settled in the chair next to Landon. “I found out he lost his job at Dorchester High School in Minnesota about a year after Belinda Martin graduated,” he said.

“Is that because he was sleeping with his students?” I asked.

“The official reason was cutbacks,” Chief Terry said. “The cops out there admitted the school fired him after they found out about Belinda, though. She was legally an adult, so he didn’t do anything criminal. The school can fire him for ethical breaches, though, and that’s exactly what they did.”

“So, what did he do?”

“He tried to find another job teaching, but he wasn’t able to secure one,” Chief Terry replied. “Even though nothing official was ever put in his file, apparently someone called all the schools in the state and made them aware of Denham’s history.”

“Good,” I said.

“Do you think it was Belinda?” Bay asked.

“I don’t know,” Chief Terry said. “She had every reason to do it.”

“And it might be a reason for someone to try and get revenge on her,” Landon said.

My heart stuttered. “Are you guys just assuming Belinda is dead?”

“We’re not assuming anything, Thistle,” Chief Terry said. “We don’t have a lot of facts. Technically, we don’t even have a case here. We have an abandoned child who was found wandering around the countryside in a state she doesn’t legally reside in.”

“I think something else is going on,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

“What?” Clove asked.

“I don’t know,” I said. “I just think Annie is struggling with something, and we have to give her the chance to tell us what it is. She needs time.”

“She doesn’t have time,” Chief Terry said. “Her grandparents are going to be here for her tomorrow. She’s going to be put into their custody.”

“NO!”

We all jolted at the sound of the voice. Annie was standing in the archway between the kitchen and dining room, and her green eyes were wide and filled with terror as she stared at us.

I took a step toward her. “You talked.”

Annie’s face crumpled as she dissolved into tears.

“It’s okay,” I said, reaching for her so I could draw her in for a hug. “It’s good to talk.”

Annie shook her head. Her body was trembling. I turned to Marcus for help. He immediately swooped in and gathered her up in his arms. He sat down on one of the open chairs at the table and rocked her while she cried.

“It’s okay,” he said. “We won’t let anyone hurt you.”

“He’s right,” I said. “Everyone here wants to help you. We need you to speak if we’re going to do it, though.”

“That’s right, Basil,” Aunt Tillie said, touching the top of the girl’s head as Marcus swayed with her in his arms. “Tell us what happened.”

It’s funny. I don’t remember Aunt Tillie being particularly sweet when we were children. There were times, though, and it was usually when we’d done something wrong and were in trouble with our mothers. She was the one who swooped in with a hug – and usually a reward – to make us feel better. What can I say? The woman does like her mayhem. She was often the one who encouraged us to be naughty. Now? Now Aunt Tillie was bolstering Annie the best way she knew how, and I couldn’t help but be thankful for it.

“So, Basil, tell us what you remember,” Aunt Tillie prodded.

“I don’t like the name Basil,” Annie said.

“Well, if you want me to stop using it, you have to tell me what you remember,” Aunt Tillie said. She was back to being herself, and I couldn’t help but be thankful for that, too. If anyone could push Annie into talking, it was her.

“I don’t know what I remember,” Annie admitted, her lower lip trembling. “I … it’s all fuzzy.”

“Okay,” I said, keeping my voice level. “Let’s talk about home. Do you remember being home with your mother?”

Annie nodded.

“What’s the last thing you remember about home?” I asked.

“I remember Mommy picking me up from school,” Annie said. “She seemed sad. She said we were leaving. She said we were going to move to a new place. She had a bunch of my stuff in the car.”

“That’s good,” I encouraged her.

Marcus rubbed her back. He was still rocking her, but the movements were deliberate and slight. He was lulling her into a feeling of safety.

“Did you drive straight here?” Landon asked.

“We drove a long time,” Annie said. “We had a new house. It was by itself.”

“By itself?”

“There were no other houses around like before,” Annie said. “It was just our house.”

“How big was the house?” Chief Terry asked.

Annie shrugged.

“Was it as big as this house?” I asked.

Annie shook her head.

“Was it a lot smaller?”

“There were only two bedrooms,” Annie said. “One for me, and one for Mommy.”

“How long were you in the house?” Bay asked.

“I don’t know,” Annie said.

“Did you spend a few nights there?” Bay tried again.

“Yes,” Annie said. “I was scared because of the trees by the house. Mommy slept in my room with me.”

“That sounds like a good mommy,” I said.

“I want my mommy,” Annie said, breaking off into another crying jag.

I licked my lips. We needed more information, but I wasn’t sure how hard to press Annie. I didn’t want her to forget how to talk again. “Did your mommy put you in school here?”

Annie shook her head. “I’m on summer vacation. She said I would go to a new school in the fall.”

Crap. That made sense. Annie would have only missed a few weeks of school when Belinda decided to move. That must have been part of her plan.

“Do you think your house is close to here?” Bay asked.

Annie shrugged.

“We should check with everyone that has rental property,” Chief Terry said. “If Belinda bought a house, we would have found that when we ran her financials. I think she was living off cash, but she couldn’t buy a house with cash.”

“That’s a good idea,” Landon said.

“Do you remember going somewhere with your mommy?” I asked.

Annie’s face was anguished. “I don’t remember.”

“It’s okay,” I said.

“It is,” Marcus said, increasing his rocking pace. “It’s going to be okay.”

“I want my mommy,” Annie wailed. “I want my mommy!”

Well, that was one thing we could all agree on. We all wanted her to have her mommy. I could only hope we weren’t too late.

“Well, at least she’s talking,” Landon said. He was standing in the archway between the dining room and lobby watching Mom and Winnie dote on Annie at the rectangular table.

Dinner had been tense. Everyone had gone out of their way to make Annie feel comfortable – even Aunt Tillie – and the girl had slowly come out of her shell. She was insistent on remaining close to Marcus and me, so we settled on either side of her and urged her to eat.

Finally, with the introduction of a red velvet cake, Annie agreed to let Mom, Marnie and Winnie take care of her. She looked exhausted, but she was fighting every attempt to get her to go upstairs and sleep.

“We need to find Belinda,” Bay said. “She’s the only one who can answer our questions.”

“She was obviously scared of something,” Landon said. “Why else would she pack up everything, pick up the kid from school, and then flee the state?” He turned to Chief Terry. “Has anyone checked her phone records?”

“On what authority?”

“The authority that her child was found wandering country roads alone,” Landon said.

Chief Terry sighed. “No one has reported her missing.”

“Annie has,” I challenged.

“Annie can’t remember what happened,” Chief Terry countered. “For all you know, Belinda tossed Annie out of the car and drove away.”

“Then she committed a crime,” I pressed.

“I’m not arguing with you, Thistle,” Chief Terry said. “I happen to agree with you. Everything we’ve found out about Belinda Martin seems to imply that she’s a good mother. She doesn’t sound like the type of mother who would just abandon her child. I still have to work within the confines of the law.”

“He’s right, Thistle,” Landon said. “There’s nothing he can do. We’ve circulated her photograph to other law enforcement agencies in the area. We’ve contacted Annie’s next of kin. What more do you want?”

“Yeah, and did you see Annie’s reaction when we mentioned her grandparents coming?”

Landon cracked his neck. “Yeah. That wasn’t good.”

“We need to find out what’s wrong with the grandparents,” I said.

“I’ll find out about the grandparents,” Aunt Tillie said, breezing into the room from the front door of the inn.

Landon shifted. “Where were you?”

“Outside,” Aunt Tillie said. “I like to take a walk after I eat. It helps with the digestion process.”

Landon narrowed his eyes. “Since when?”

“Why are you always such a pain in my posterior?” Aunt Tillie asked. “Last time I checked, I was an adult. That means I can wander around outside as much as I want.”

“Yes, but I don’t trust you,” Landon said. “I know when you’re lying.”

“Because her lips are moving?” I have no idea why I don’t just shut up sometimes.

“You just took Bay’s spot on the top of the list,” Aunt Tillie said.

I groaned. “I didn’t mean it.”

“Oh, you meant it.”

“Oh, fine,” I said, giving in. “Just don’t mete out any revenge until everything is settled with Annie. We don’t want to terrify her.”

“I’m not stupid,” Aunt Tillie said.

“You’re not stupid,” Landon agreed. “You are sneaky and vindictive, though.”

Aunt Tillie stuck her tongue out at him.

“Why can’t you put him on top of your list?” I whined.

“He’s got his own list,” Aunt Tillie replied.

Bay was getting sick of our arguing, so she interrupted. “How are you going to get Annie to tell you about her grandparents?”

“I’m going to ask her.”

“Nicely,” I stressed. “You’re going to ask her nicely, right?”

“Of course I am,” Aunt Tillie said. “I’m always nice.” She turned on her heel and flounced out of the room.

“Does anyone else think it’s a bad idea to let Aunt Tillie question Annie?” Clove asked.

“I love how you always wait until she leaves the room to trash talk her,” I said.

“That’s why I’m usually the one who escapes when you two get cursed,” Clove retorted.

“Yes, everyone loves a coward.”

Marcus grabbed my hand. “Now is not the time for this,” he said.

I hate it when he’s right.

“So, what should we be doing now?” I asked.

“We finish what we started this afternoon,” Bay said. “Everything is still up on the bluff, right where we left it.”

I nodded. “That seems to be our only option.”

Landon shifted so he was facing us. “I’m going with you.”

“Why?” I didn’t want to perform like a monkey for his amusement.

“Because, if you find a trail, you’re going to need someone to go with you when you follow it,” he said. “You might need someone to … .”

“What? Protect us?”

“Call for help,” Landon corrected. “We don’t know what you’re going to find.”

I sighed. He was making sense. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

“I’m coming, too,” Marcus said, following us as we moved toward the front door of the inn.

“Why are you coming?” I asked.

“I just want to be there with you,” Marcus said, his smile warm as he gave me a quick kiss. “We’ve been apart for days.”

“Oh, you two are just so sweet,” Bay teased.

Landon tugged on her arm. “You’re going to be sweet to me when all of this is over and done with.”

“I’m always sweet to you,” Bay protested.

“You’re going to be sweeter than that,” Landon said. “I’m going to want outfits.”

“OKAY,
so what do we do?” Marcus asked, looking around the bluff dubiously.

I snapped my fingers to ignite the candles. It was a calm night, and when they flickered to life, they showed no signs of going out. “You and Landon stand over there,” I said. “We need to be able to concentrate.”

“You have to be quiet,” Bay cautioned. “This spell is tricky because we don’t have anything of Belinda’s to anchor it.”

“What does that mean?” Landon asked. He was curious about our magic, especially since Bay had put on a little show for his benefit a few weeks before, but I could tell he was still leery.

“If we had something of Belinda’s it would be easier,” Bay replied. “The only thing we have of hers is Annie, and she can’t see this.”

“Is it going to be scary?” Marcus asked.

“From your perspective, it’s just going to look like a small light show,” I said.

“Like what happened at the Dragonfly during the fake séance last week?”

I nodded.

“Well, that wasn’t so bad,” Marcus said, relaxing.

“Until the real ghost showed up,” Landon grumbled.

“We’re not using the same kind of magic,” Bay soothed.

“I said I was cool with this,” Landon said. “I’m not backing out. I want to see. Don’t worry.”

Bay smiled. “I’ll wear an outfit.”

Landon’s eyes lit up. “I want to pick it out.”

“Fine,” Bay said. “If I look like a strip of bacon when you’re done, though, we’re totally breaking up.”

Landon broke into a grin. “Hey, now that you mention it … .” He gave her a quick kiss. “Get to work, woman. I don’t want to put too much pressure on you, but we’re running out of time.”

“Right,” Bay said, snapping out of her reverie. “Let’s do this.”

We returned to our spots from earlier this afternoon and settled back in our circle, knees touching knees as we crossed our legs, and joined hands. Bay started first again. Clove and I joined her moments later, our power jumping with excitement as we let it out to play.

“That is awesome,” Marcus murmured.

Landon shushed him.

I pressed my eyes shut, forcing myself to concentrate even though having Landon and Marcus watch us felt strange. After a few minutes, the feeling drained away and I was lost to the flickering magic.

The spell was more powerful now. I had no idea if it was because we were more dedicated, or if the ticking bomb that accompanied Annie’s grandparents and their arrival was propelling us. It didn’t matter.

“I’m not sure we’re strong enough,” Bay murmured. “It’s like the magic wants to be let out to play, but there are walls in the way.”

“Of course there are walls in the way,” Aunt Tillie said, climbing the hill with a huff and a glare. “Why did you have to come up here?”

“It’s pretty,” Clove said.

“Yes, but I don’t like to climb the hill,” Aunt Tillie said. She moved over to us and wedged herself between Bay and me. “Move over.”

“What are you doing?” Bay asked, shifting.

“I’m fixing your circle,” Aunt Tillie said. “It’s not strong enough for what you’re trying to do.”

“It might work,” I said.

“It won’t,” Aunt Tillie said. “It won’t work until you three stop screwing around and really give in to what you are. You’re not ready yet, and we don’t have time for you to get ready.”

Landon was leaning against a nearby tree as he watched the scene curiously. “Why aren’t they ready?”

“Because they’re scared,” Aunt Tillie said.

“I thought they were strong?”

“Of course they’re strong,” Aunt Tillie said. “I raised them to be strong. They’re not ready to give in and let the magic take over. It’s because they’re strong that they fight it. That’s not a bad thing.”

“But they need you for this?” Landon asked.

“I’m the mightiest witch in the land, boy,” Aunt Tillie said. “Everyone needs me.”

I fought the urge to giggle. She does have a way with people.

“Okay,” Aunt Tillie said, joining hands and entering our circle. “Now I’m going to show you how to do a locator spell.”

“We’re all ears,” I said.

“And eyes,” Bay added.

Clove’s stomach picked that second to growl. “What? I didn’t get dessert.”

“Focus,” Aunt Tillie snapped, her gaze fixated on the swirling lights in front of us. “Annie says she doesn’t even know her grandparents. That can’t be a good thing. We need to do this, and we need to do this right. Envision what you want.”

We were all quiet for a moment, everyone doing as they were instructed.

“Stop thinking about the cake, Clove,” Aunt Tillie chided. “It will be there when we’re done.”

“I wasn’t,” Clove protested.

I shot her a look.

“Okay, I was,” Clove admitted. “I’ll do better.”

Once Aunt Tillie infused her magic with ours, the tendrils of colorful light exploded into the air. At first, each tendril went in a different direction. The lights climbed into the night sky before arcing back inwards and colliding into a big ball of light with a spectacular splash.

The freshly joined light hovered above us. Unmoving.

Aunt Tillie got to her feet, seemingly nonchalant, and brushed the dirt from her pants. “Okay. Let’s go.”

Landon arched an eyebrow. “Where are we going?”

“Wherever the light takes us,” Aunt Tillie said.

“And what if we have to walk miles to find our destination?” Landon asked. “Do you think you can walk that far?”

“Who said anything about walking?” Aunt Tillie rolled her eyes as she reached over and flicked Landon on the ear. “You’re driving.”

Landon sighed. “Let’s go.”

When we got to his Explorer, Landon piled everyone inside. It was a tight squeeze, but with Marcus in the front seat with Landon, the four of us managed to wedge ourselves into the back seat, Aunt Tillie sitting on half of my lap and half of Bay’s. Landon paused as he was rounding his vehicle and peered into the rear hatchback. He swore under his breath as he jumped into the Explorer.

“I knew you were up to something,” he said.

“I have no idea what you’re insinuating,” Aunt Tillie sniffed.

“I had your wine in the back,” he said. “It’s gone.”

“Huh,” Aunt Tillie mused. “That’s just awful. You should probably report the theft. Stealing from law enforcement has to be the lowest of the low.”

“We’re going to talk about this later,” Landon promised.

“I can’t wait,” Aunt Tillie said. “I love a good cockfight. All that preening and posturing is good for my skin.”

“I just … .” Landon shoved his key into the ignition. “You’re definitely dressing up like bacon, Bay. I’ve earned it.”