Three Witches and a Killer: Wicked Western Witches Book 1 (10 page)

“You’re lying,” I accused. “He told me he was on his way over to ask you about Holly.”

Turning to Buck, I asked, “And what are you doing here?”

Buck gave me one of his big smiles. “Figured I’d try out the new coffee bar, that’s all.”

Putting my hands on my hips, I gave him a death stare. “My cousins are missing and you’re sitting here with a suspect, having coffee?”

Buck raised his hand to stop me. “Now calm down, Sadie. One thing, you don’t know for sure that either one of them is missing. Has it been twenty-four hours?”

“For Holly, yes,” I nodded.

“Pax is probably out looking for her,” Buck reasoned. “I’ll bet she went down to Rock Springs to do some partying.”

Now I was really mad. “You must be thinking of Adel. Holly doesn’t party,” I pointed out.

Sighing, Buck threw a couple dollars on the counter and got to his feet. Turning his attention to Garrett, he asked, “So, do you have any idea where Sadie’s cousins are?”

Garrett shook his head. “Sorry, I don’t.”

The whole time his blue eyes were laughing at me.

“You see! He doesn’t know,” Buck told me, unnecessarily.

“Has this whole town gone plumb mad?” I thundered. “Of course he’s going to tell you he doesn’t know where they are. It isn’t that easy to get a confession out of someone, you know.”

“If it will make you feel any better, I’ll put out a BOL for Pax and Holly. If they’re in the area, someone will spot them.”

It wasn’t much but at least he was doing something. “Thanks.”

“In the meantime, I suggest you stop harassing this man. He’s just trying to run a business, that’s all.”

“Need I remind you that he is running his business out of Holly’s store … who happens to be missing,” I said, turning to glare at Garrett.

Gently grasping my arm, Buck led me outside. “Now don’t worry, Sadie. We’ll find your cousins … and need I remind you that you don’t let suspects know they are suspects,” he added.

It suddenly dawned on me what Buck was doing at the shop. He was sizing Garrett up.

“Sorry,” I said, giving him a sheepish grin.

Smiling, he padded my back. “It’s okay. All greenhorns make mistakes. Now you stay out of this bookshop until we figure out what’s going on. Maybe pay your Aunt Selena a visit. Both your aunts seemed a mite distressed when I talked with them earlier.”

“I’ll do that.”

I watched as Buck crossed the street and disappeared into the trees of Specter Square before turning to leave. Not paying attention to where I was going, I nearly knocked someone over.

I was stunned to see that it was Glory Petrova. Mrs. Petrova never came into town.

Wearing a smart summer outfit, she would have fit better at a country club than the streets of Shadow Crossing.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” I said, reaching out to steady her.

Glory offered a smile. “Sadie! Imagine running into you here.”

“I was just checking to see if Holly was in her shop,” I explained. “What about you? I haven’t seen you in town for ages.”

“Oh, I come into town now and again,” she said, waving a hand in front of her as if to wave away my words. “I’m on my way to have lunch at the Dragon’s Lair.”

The Dragon’s Lair was the only Chinese restaurant in town, and they knew it too. Their prices were way too high for my pocketbook.

“I hope you have a good lunch then,” I told her.

“Good day, Sadie,” Glory said before turning away.

I couldn’t put my finger on what exactly it was, but there was something odd about her behavior, other than just being a snobby rich witch.

Chapter Twelve

I hadn’t even made it to the kitchen before my nose picked up the comforting scent of coffee and cinnamon.

Cinnamon coffee was Aunt Selena’s favorite.

One of the reasons I liked visiting Moonstone Manor was because it always seemed so homey, which was far different than my own parents house. I loved my parents, but Mom always seemed more interested in making a showpiece out of her house, as opposed to making it welcoming.

I found my aunt sitting at the kitchen table, staring out the large window into the gardens.

“Are you okay?” I asked. “I knocked but no one answered. Where’s Aunt Sophie?”

Selena blinked rapidly as if coming out of a trance. “Oh, hello Sadie.”

Taking a seat at the table, I asked, “What are you doing?”

“Just thinking.” She shrugged.

“Where’s Aunt Sophie?” I asked again.

“Out looking for Holly.”

“I’m surprised you’re not with her. You do know Pax has now disappeared, right?”

Selena nodded. “He’s a Costello witch. He’ll be fine.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I’m his mother. I would feel it if he were in any real danger. Whoever has done this has no real interest in Pax and Holly. They are being used to lure someone into a trap and I suspect Sophie and I are the real targets,” she explained.

What she said made sense. “I guess I hadn’t really thought of that. Is that why you are not out looking for Pax?”

Aunt Selena smiled. “Of course. If I go out half-cocked, searching for my son, I would likely be walking into someone’s trap. Too bad Sophie isn’t smart enough to realize that.”

“But what if they really are in danger?” I believed Aunt Selena was onto something but I wasn’t quite ready to give up the idea that whoever was behind the murders could go so far as to kill Pax and Holly. Although my cousins were likely a means to an end, the killer probably viewed them as disposable.

Suddenly Selena’s dark eyes reflected the turmoil boiling within her. “That is why we must rely on you to find them. I don’t believe they are in any danger, but just in case they are, you should be out looking for them.”

No doubt she was right. The police weren’t doing anything so that left it up to me.

But there was still something bothering me. Even if my cousins and I were not the real targets, something wasn’t right. I decided it was time to tell aunt Selena about the person or thing stalking me, as well as what happened when I visited Winterbale Hall.

“So all you saw was a shadow,” she asked, arching one brow.

I nodded an affirmation.

“Well the wolves you heard at Winterbale could very well have been the Trevils. There have always been rumors that they were really werewolves, and I kind of believe it. Why they would disappear, I have no idea. Could be that the wolves you saw were some kind of residue left on the land, or an illusion created by a protection spell. As far as the shadow you keep seeing, that has to be a witch.”

“We live in Shadow Crossing. No doubt it is a witch, but who and why?”

Selena shook her head. “Your stalker isn’t anyone from Shadow Crossing. A mere witch wouldn’t have been able to subdue Pax and Holly, at least not without a lot of help. I can’t imagine they would have received much help from anyone here.”

“The other families are big families,” I pointed out. “They would probably have a lot of help.”

“Nope,” Selena was adamant. “The alliance of the CO5 is too beneficial to those families. If it’s the Trevils or the Petrovas … it’s someone who’s gone rogue.”

“Well who then?”

“There is only one witch powerful enough to move through our lives without us knowing. Asia Martell.”

“The Queen,” I sighed. “But why? What would she have to gain?”

“That’s what we have to find out.”

Great! Now I had a possible suspect, but if Asia was behind this, there probably wasn’t a lot we could do about it.

“What’s your next move?” Selena asked.

“I guess the only thing I can do is talk to the stranger again. He was the last person to see Pax and Holly.”

“But you’ve already tried that and haven’t made any progress with him,” she pointed out.

“Do you have a spell you can give me that will force him to tell what he knows?” I asked, hopefully.

“If I did, I would have used it myself,” she laughed. “I paid a visit to the bookstore a couple hours ago. He wasn’t budging.”

“I suppose he says he hasn’t seen or heard from them?”

Selena nodded. “I did cast on him but it didn’t work. He isn’t just some ordinary person. There’s something different about him.”

I could have told her that much.

As long as I was whining, I figured I’d bring up my Mickey D problem again. “What am I going to do about my ex in the closet?”

Leaning back in her chair, Selena folded her arms across her chest. Not a good sign.

“Until you truly find forgiveness in your heart, your reversal spell won’t work. The forgiveness part isn’t something I can help you with.”

I really hated it when Aunt Selena was so practical. Why couldn’t she just poof him gone so I could be done with him?

* * *

Although the sun was setting, the heat was still stifling. Inside my car was even worse. As soon as I got in, I fired up the air conditioner and rolled down all the windows. While I waited for the car to cool enough that I might actually be able to breathe, I dialed Pax’s phone. There was still no answer, so I tried Holly.

Nothing.

Next, I called my father’s number and was more than a little relieved when he answered on the first ring. If Dad disappeared, I’d be in a real panic. Nothing ever happened to my dad.

“Hello Sadie.”

“Dad, have you heard anything about Holly yet?”

“No. Isn’t she back yet?” he asked.

“Nope … and now Pax is gone too. I’ve already talked to Buck about it. I don’t know how much help he’s going to be. He thinks they’re off partying somewhere.”

That wasn’t exactly fair to Buck. He had indicated that he was trying to throw off Garrett. Still, he wasn’t doing enough as far as I was concerned.

“If they haven’t shown up by morning, I’ll get on it and make sure something is done,” he promised.

Although I was fairly sure the law probably couldn’t do much about the situation, it was still comforting to know the police would also be working the case.

“Thanks, Dad.”

“Until then, you stay out of it,” he warned.

“I’ll talk to you in the morning,” I told him, refusing to commit to that bit about staying out of it.

Chapter Thirteen

Since the Catnip Book Boutique was on my way home, I decided to stop in. Under normal circumstances, Holly would have had the shop closed hours ago, but tonight there was still an open sign in the window.

More than anything, I wanted to sneak up on Mr. Mysterious. Unfortunately, the bell prevented that from happening and I couldn’t remember a single spell that would silence it.

“We’re closed!” he called from the back of the store.

Ignoring him, I made my way through the rows of books to the coffee bar. Garrett was sitting in one of the chairs with his long legs propped on a table. My eyes traveled from his black boots up his blue jean covered legs, to his muscular thighs.

Tearing my eyes from his tight jeans, I focused on his face. To my surprise, he had his nose buried in a book.

Sighing, he laid the book on the table and looked up at me with icy blue eyes that managed to burn right into me. For a split second, I imagined that he could see right into my soul.

“You don’t listen too well,” he said in a tired voice.

“The sign in the window says you are open,” I pointed out.

A frown pulled at the corners of his mouth. “I must have forgotten to flip it over.”

Folding my arms in front of my chest, I gave him a cold smile. “I guess so.”

“I suppose you are here to inquire about your cousins again?” he asked, getting to his feet.

When he stood, he was at least a full foot taller than me. The fact that he towered over me didn’t do a lot to inspire confidence, but I was determined to stand my ground.

“Listen, I know that you must know what happened to them. I’m not here to accuse you of anything, I would just like your help,” I told him, hoping that adding some sugar to my words would inspire him to be nice enough to give me some info.

It wasn’t going to work.

“I think the two of them drove to Cheyenne to pick up an order of books,” he told me with a shrug of his wide shoulders.

Now I was mad. I’d tried to be nice and he was laughing at me. “You’re not fooling me. Holly always has her books shipped. She’s never gone anywhere to pick up a shipment.”

His full lips spread into a wide smile. “You’re a sharp woman. I’ll bet you can figure out what happened to them if you try hard enough.”

He was toying with me and I knew it. “What have you done with them?”

Letting out a long sigh, he leaned back against the coffee bar. His eyes traveled from my face to the cleavage between my breasts and then back to my face.

His gaze was so intimate that it was more like a caress, so much so that I was torn between wanting the feeling to continue and smacking him across the face.

“If I were you, I think I would start focusing somewhere else.”

“So, are you telling me that you really don’t know what happened to them?” I asked, making no effort to hide my disbelief.

He shrugged. “What I’m telling you is that I
want
you to find them.”

“Okay then, why don’t you give me some help then?”

“I’ll give you a hint.” His smile widened. “They’re close, but they’re not here.”

“I’m going to tell the police that you are withholding information,” I threatened, wagging a finger at him.

“If you think that will help,” he chuckled. “Personally, I think you would get a lot further if you would actually do your job.”

My blood was boiling. If I didn’t get out of there soon, I’d commit murder.

“Whatever! I’m going to like seeing you in jail, or better yet, an aquarium. That’s where you’ll be when I turn you into a frog!” I barked. Turning on my heels, I stomped out of the store.

His laughter followed me. Apparently, he felt no need to take my threats seriously. I couldn’t help but wonder if he knew about Mickey D and my lack of talent when it came to casting spells.

That wasn’t always a good thing for the one I was casting on. All one had to do was look at my ex to see that.