Prelude to a Witch, Amanda Lee [ebook reader web txt] 📗

I pressed my lips together and stared at the ceiling as Landon slid me an incredulous look. Aunt Tillie’s take on the subject was pretty accurate.

“Should it be side of bacon or sausage?” Aunt Tillie mused. “Personally, I think sausage is more phallic so it fits the sexual undertones of the statement better. But ... it’s bacon, and we all know how ‘The Man’ feels about bacon.”

“You’ll have to excuse us,” Clove volunteered for Hannah’s benefit. “In addition to being codependent, we also don’t think before we speak.”

“Not even a little,” Thistle agreed as she looked Hannah up and down with fresh eyes. “So, you dated Landon back in the day, huh?” Her expression was hard to read. I’d known her long enough to understand what she was thinking, though ... and it wasn’t good. She was debating how we would take out Hannah if it became necessary. I knew because Thistle’s mind always went that route.

“I still think it’s nice.” Hannah never faltered. She was apparently determined to keep things friendly despite ... well ... my family. “You’re all close. Landon and Bay live on the property. I wouldn’t have thought that was something the Landon I knew at the academy would do, but he’s obviously adjusted to a new reality. It’s ... fascinating.”

Landon reached for more pot roast. Hannah’s presence hadn’t stopped him from eating his weight in beef and potatoes. “Bay and I are building our dream house on a lake near here. We already bought the property. We need to save up a bit until we can start construction.”

“And living in the guesthouse isn’t like living in the inn,” Clove added. “It really is a separate house, and our mothers only visit when they’re feeling particularly invasive.”

“Or have cookies,” Landon added, tapping the side of my plate. “Why aren’t you eating, sweetie? You’ve had a big day, what with coming out to the scene and all that other stuff.”

Hannah’s forehead creased. “Scene? She was at the murder scene?”

Landon appeared to catch himself, and he didn’t look happy. “Oh, well ... .”

“I needed Bay there,” Chief Terry interjected. “I recognized the dead girl, but that whole little group Paisley is a part of melts together in my head. I knew Bay would recognize the girl, so I asked her to come so that we didn’t have to wait for fingerprints to notify the family.”

“I see.” Hannah gripped her fork and knife and cocked her head. “My understanding is that the girl was killed in the woods, but on property owned by three single men.”

I straightened in my chair. “They’re not guilty.”

“How can you be sure? Statistics indicate that it would likely be those men. It’s odd for single adult men to live and work together like that.”

Landon finally pulled away from his dinner and cleared his throat to draw Hannah’s attention. “The Dragonfly is owned by three men we know. They just happen to be the fathers of Bay, Clove and Thistle.”

Hannah’s expression turned serious. “That’s awkward.”

“It is,” Landon agreed. “I agree they’re not guilty. They’ve been having problems with kids partying in the woods for several weeks. We were made aware of those problems long before Paisley Gilmore was killed.”

“Still, we’re talking about single men of a certain age.”

“No, we’re talking about our fathers,” I argued, annoyance bubbling up. “They’re not murderers.”

“I would expect you to believe that.”

I opened my mouth to argue further but Landon gripped my wrist and shook his head. Pushing Hannah would get us nowhere. We had to be smart and act strategically. That was the only thing that would get us out of this mess.

“The food is delicious, Mrs. Winchester,” Hannah said as she beamed at Mom. “Are you a trained chef?”

“Self-trained,” Mom replied, her eyes landing on me. It was clear she didn’t like where this conversation was heading. “Our mother was a masterful cook. She taught us everything she knew.”

“Oh, that’s lovely.” Hannah smiled and turned to Aunt Tillie. “Are you also a masterful cook?”

Aunt Tillie’s mood matched a crockpot of rancid split-pea soup. “The only thing I like cooking up is trouble. While we’re on that subject, Mary Kay, we need to set some ground rules. The first of which is, you’re to stay out of my business. What I have brewing on this property is none of your concern.”

Hannah’s lips twitched but she remained impassive. “Okay.”

“Secondly, if you see me in town, you’re to pretend you don’t know me,” Aunt Tillie continued. “I do not want to be associated with ‘The Man.’ I have business associates who will balk at seeing me with ‘The Man.’ You’re a woman, but you’re still technically ‘The Man.’” Aunt Tillie turned to Landon. “Why couldn’t they send us Shemar Moore?”

Landon held out his hands. “Probably because Shemar Moore is an actor and not a profiler.”

“He would still have been preferable to her.” Aunt Tillie glanced back at Hannah. “Finally, if you don’t stop saying passive-aggressive things to my family I’m going to have to put you on my list. That might not mean much to you, but it’s important you stay off my list.

“This might be a confusing visit for you,” she continued. “You might want to psychoanalyze us and write a book or something. Well, we’re above your pay grade. Just stick to finding Paisley Gilmore’s killer and ignore the rest of us.”

“I only care about finding the killer,” Hannah reassured her.

“Good. Then we won’t have a problem.” Aunt Tillie snagged her glass of wine and shifted her gaze to me. “And that is how you do it.” Her smile slipped. “Where did we land on sausage versus bacon again? I’m still confused which was funnier.”

“Definitely the bacon for Landon,” I replied. “The sausage would’ve been funnier for anybody else.”

“Good analysis. I knew I nailed that joke.”

“You always do.”

9

Nine

I slept well, despite the upheaval of the meal, and found