2. Two
TWO
O nce everybody was back at the road—we’d parked in a spot where the trees hid our vehicles—I unleashed my annoyance on Aunt Tillie.
“Just what was that?”
She was the picture of innocence. “We did what we came to do. It worked like a charm. I don’t see what the problem is.”
“First, we don’t know that it worked,” I started.
“Knowing us, it probably didn’t,” Thistle added.
“I’ll give you a tail if you’re not careful,” Aunt Tillie warned her. “You’re on my last nerve.”
Thistle had heard her fair share of threats from Aunt Tillie, and she was unmoved. “I’d look cute with a tail. Make sure it’s a cat tail. I’ve always thought I would make a fabulous cat.”
“You do like licking your own butt,” Aunt Tillie agreed on an eye roll.
“We have to see Mrs. Little in action tomorrow,” I said. “Then we’ll know if the spell worked. I don’t think doing a little dance is appropriate considering the circumstances.”
Aunt Tillie shot me a dubious look. “Who did a dance?”
“I saw you through the window. Don’t bother.” I raised my hand to her face before she could argue. “It doesn’t matter. It’s done. Now all we can do is wait to see if it worked.”
“I’m an expert on this sort of thing. It worked,” Aunt Tillie shot back. “I could do it professionally.”
“What can’t you do professionally?” Thistle asked. “I’m asking for a friend.”
“You’re definitely getting a tail!” Aunt Tillie stomped away from us and toward her truck, Crusty scampering to keep up with her. He likely knew we wouldn’t be keen on him riding with us. Just because the little monster said he was on our side didn’t mean I believed him.
“You should give her a break,” Evan admonished, causing me to jerk my eyes to him.
“Excuse me?” I was incredulous. “Why should we give her a break?”
“Because she feels bad about what happened with Margaret. She blames herself.”
“She should. We’re the ones who keep bringing the paranormal to Mrs. Little’s doorstep. It’s no wonder she lost her mind after all the things she’s seen.”
“She’s still a terrible person,” Evan argued. “Are you forgetting the fact that she tried to steal the site of your future house so she could get ahead in the Hemlock Cove real estate game? She wants to own the entire town so she can anoint herself queen.”
“I haven’t forgotten,” I said stiffly. “She needs to give Mrs. Little a break.”
“That’s what she’s trying to do. She talks big, but she feels bad.”
“Whatever.” I waved my hand. There was only so much I could take tonight. “We’re heading back to the inn for hot chocolate.”
“And cookies,” Clove said.
“And cookies,” I agreed. “Landon is there. I think we’re done for the night. You don’t have to stick around in case you have plans with Easton.” I was purposely trying to bait him. The way he narrowed his eyes told me he was well aware.
“I’m going to ride back with Tillie,” he replied. “I want to make sure she’s okay. Plus, I don’t trust that clown.”
“That clown is creepy,” Thistle agreed. “Why is she keeping it around?”
“What are the alternatives?” I asked. “She can’t let that thing loose to run around town. We’ll have a Chucky doll situation before we even realize it.”
“I guess.” Thistle didn’t look convinced. “Let’s get going. I want my hot chocolate. Then I want to go home.”
“So you can become a hermit again?” I challenged as we headed toward my car. “You’re spending all your time holed up with Marcus instead of hanging out with your family.”
“Oh, please.” Thistle couldn’t be guilted. “You spend all your free time rubbing yourself in bacon grease so you can play sex games with your husband.”
“You don’t really do that, do you?” asked Clove, looking horrified at the thought. “That doesn’t seem sanitary.”
“Okay, Mrs. Missionary Position,” Thistle drawled. “Don’t judge Bay. You spend all your time at the lighthouse.”
“I have a baby,” Clove replied. “It’s not as easy to run around like we used to.”
Thistle was haughty. “I think I’ll manage it.”
Something niggled in the back of my brain, and I was suddenly suspicious. “Are you pregnant?” I didn’t mean to blurt the question, but once it was out, there was no hauling it back.
“No,” Thistle snapped. “I mean someday. She uses that baby as an excuse for everything.”
Okay, there was definitely something up with Thistle. At first, I just thought she was snarkier than usual because she was agitated with Aunt Tillie. It was more than that. “Thistle?—”
“Let’s go.” She brutally cut me off when she yanked open the door and climbed in the back seat of my car. “I want my hot chocolate.”
Unlike Clove, who wanted information cajoled out of her with gentle words, Thistle was a harder nut to crack. She wouldn’t tell us what was bothering her until she had no other choice. I needed to play this hand right.
“Fine.” I forced a smile I didn’t feel. “Hot chocolate it is.” My vehicle was in front of Aunt Tillie’s truck, so I pulled onto the road first. Clove was jabbering away about Calvin, and how he was getting close to saying his first word.
Clove always thought he was developmentally ahead of where he should be.
I hummed to myself as we turned a curve, then hit the brakes hard enough that Clove and Thistle grunted.
“Did you learn to drive from Aunt Tillie?” Thistle sputtered. “Good grief.”
“That really wasn’t safe, Bay,” Clove said knowingly. “You should tap the brakes.”
“That’s only when it’s icy,” Thistle said.
“If she’d tapped the brakes this time you wouldn’t have ended up with a sore neck from the seatbelt.”
“I’m going to give you a sore face when I punch you,” Thistle warned.
Their words were just noise in the back of my head as I regarded the scene in front of me.
“What are you doing?” Thistle asked. “Why are we stopped?”
I put my car in park and turned off the engine. My gaze was solely on the truck in the middle of the road. It was facing us, meaning it had been coming from the direction of the inn. Both doors were open, nobody inside.
“It’s still running,” Thistle said. “I can see the exhaust.”
I bobbed my head. “The dome light is still on, so it hasn’t been sitting out here long enough to kill the battery.”
“What do you think happened?” Clove looked like a bobblehead looking in every direction so fast. “Is it Bigfoot? Has he finally come for us?”
I ignored her and got out of the car.
“This isn’t smart.” Clove made a desperate grab for me. “Every horror movie I’ve ever seen starts this way.”
“What about The Ring ?” Thistle challenged. “Or Ghost Ship ? Or?—"
“Stop talking to me,” Clove snapped.
I left them to argue and started toward the truck. My first inclination was that perhaps a dog had escaped from an open window and run into the woods. Perhaps the owners had gone after it, thinking it would be a fast trip but it had somehow turned into a bigger thing than they envisioned.
I didn’t hear a dog barking, and when I scanned the woods, I didn’t hear people calling for an animal. Everything was eerily quiet.
“Hey.” Evan almost caused me to jolt out of my skin when he appeared beside me. “This is weird, huh?”
“Very weird,” I agreed as I pressed my hand to the spot above my heart. “Make a noise next time,” I added. “I swear you just took ten years off my life.” I glanced over my shoulder and found Aunt Tillie heading in my direction. “What do we do?”
“Are you asking if we should look inside the truck?” Evan asked. “I doubt Jason Voorhees is waiting for us.” As if to prove it, he strode forward, being careful not to touch anything as he leaned in to look.
“Was it Bigfoot?” Clove demanded when Evan looked back at us. “You can tell by the claw marks on the interior.”
“I’m pretty sure it wasn’t Bigfoot,” Evan replied, his eyes moving to the trees. “There’re no signs of a struggle. I think three people were in the vehicle.”
“What makes you say that?” I asked.
“There are drinks in both cupholders in the front and an open bag of chips in the back.”
“Maybe a dog took off in the woods or something.” The more I thought about it, that seemed the likely scenario.
“I can help find a dog,” Aunt Tillie offered. “I prefer dogs to people these days.” Her gaze was on Thistle when she said it.
Rather than respond verbally, Thistle stuck her thumb in her nose and wagged her fingers. She was clearly in the mood to see how far she could push Aunt Tillie today.
“Keep it up,” Aunt Tillie said grimly. “You’re going to have all ten spots on my list before the night is out. That means ten hexes. Is that what you want?”
“I’m not afraid of you, old lady,” Thistle replied. If possible, her mood had actually gotten darker. “Stuff it.”
“All of you stuff it,” I shot back. “This is serious.”
“Okay, Clove,” Thistle replied sarcastically. “Let’s get worked up for the end of the world before we know what’s actually happening.”
“Hey!” Clove was offended. “I’m much calmer now that I’m a mother. Besides, this is clearly Bigfoot.”
“We should look in the woods,” I said to Evan in a low voice. “Just to be on the safe side.”
He cast me a sidelong look, then nodded. “You guys wait here.” He started in the direction of the trees. “I’ll be right back.”
“Evan.” Calling after him was a waste of time because he was already gone. “Man, controlling a vampire is hard,” I complained to no one in particular.
“It is,” Aunt Tillie agreed. “It’s almost as if they have minds of their own.”
We waited for what felt like a really long time.
I had no idea how long it really was, but dread continued to build around me with each passing minute, to the point I thought my heart might actually pound out of my chest when Evan reappeared.
The look on his face told me he hadn’t found a family looking for their dog.
“What is it?” I asked, gripping my hands together in front of me. “What’s wrong?”
“You need to get Landon and Terry out here.” Evan didn’t stand on ceremony. “There are three bodies in the woods, about four hundred feet in.”
I frowned. “Three people from this truck walked into the woods and died? How did that happen?”