Christmas Witch List--A Westwick Witches Cozy Mystery Page 16

“I’m not…I just thought you would have said something…” Brayden’s hurt expression said it all. He had been completely blindsided by Gail’s revelation. “I mean, we’re spending Christmas together after all.”

  I turned to Gail. “You two dated each other? When?”

  “It’s really none of your business, Cendrine,” Gail snapped.

  Brayden crossed his arms. “Well, it’s definitely my business. If there’s nothing between you and Dominic, then why hide it? What’s going on, Gail?”

  Gail swore under her breath but didn’t elaborate further.

  I turned to Gail. “I think your relationship with Dominic is much more recent than you’re letting on. Running into each other here is too much of a coincidence. Dating Brayden was just a ruse to invite yourself to our Christmas Eve dinner.”

  “I told Brayden to bring a date. I just never expected him to bring a stalker,” Aunt Pearl said.

  I glared at Aunt Pearl.

  “Is what Cen is saying true?” Brayden turned to Gail.

  Gail remained silent.

  Dominic cleared his throat and stared awkwardly at the floor.

  No answer was answer enough.

  Everything clicked into place and I knew. “Admit it, Gail. You were jealous of Merlinda. It wasn’t Brayden’s wandering eye, though. It was Dominic’s relationship with Merlinda that enraged you.”

  “Why would I be jealous of her? I don’t care who Dominic dates.” Gail’s casual dismissal contrasted with her angry expression. She spat out her words like poison.

  “Oh, but you do care,” I said. “You manipulated Brayden into dating you. Admit it, Gail. Your whirlwind romance was just a ploy to get to Dominic and Merlinda.”

  “Why would I do that? I have a boyfriend.” Gail glanced at Brayden for reassurance.

  “I’m not so sure anymore,” Brayden said. “You’re still not telling me everything, I can tell. I don’t like being used.”

  Brash and out of control Gail was such an unlikely match for staid, social-climbing Brayden. Though Brayden had brought Gail to dinner to make me jealous, he wasn’t the type to use people. He had fallen victim to Gail’s lies and manipulation instead.

  Brayden and Gail weren’t the only oddball couple. Dominic seemed wrong for Merlinda too, not that I had known Merlinda all that well in the first place. Gail and Dominic, on the other hand, made perfect sense. In fact, they deserved each other. The puzzle pieces all fit together.

  “I can explain everything, Bray.” Gail grabbed Brayden’s hand. “Let’s go somewhere quiet and talk.”

  Brayden snatched his hand away. “No. I’ve seen enough.”

  Dominic turned to Gail. “Okay, if Brayden’s breaking things off, then let’s talk. We’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”

  Unbelievable. In the wake of Merlinda’s sudden death, Dominic wanted to patch things up with Gail.

  Gail scowled at Dominic. “You jerk—I’ve got nothing to say to you. I thought I knew you. Turns out that I really don’t know you at all.”

  Dominic raised his right hand. “Gail, I can explain—”

  Any pretense of strangers was gone.

  Gail covered her ears. “Save it for someone who cares.”

  “I do care.” Dominic swallowed hard. “I just never expected this...”

  “You betrayed me, Dom. I thought we had a future together.” Her voice broke and her lower lip trembled. She was close to tears, crumbling beneath her tough exterior.

  Brayden shook his head. “I don’t believe this. I feel like such an idiot.”

  “Well, you are one for bringing that woman.” Grandma Vi floated above Brayden’s head.

  “You got that right,” Aunt Pearl said.

  Dominic sighed. “You might as well know because you’ll find out sooner or later. Even if Gail won’t admit it. She’s from Vanuatu too.”

  Gail waved her hand in dismissal. “That’s crazy. I have no idea what he’s talking about.”

  “Wait—what?” Brayden’s brows furrowed together in confusion. He turned to Gail. “If you’re from Vanuatu, why don’t you have an accent?”

  “She’s a transplanted American, just like me,” Dominic said. “We both worked for the dive shop at Merlinda’s family’s hotel.”

  Their coupledom was obvious in hindsight. They were around the same age. Both were a little pushy and rough around the edges. Their relationship hadn’t occurred to me until now because they were already matched—or perhaps mismatched—with other people.

  “You were played, Brayden,” Aunt Pearl said. “You’re just too dumb to figure out that Gail used you. She was never interested in you at all. You’re too dull.”

  “Aunt Pearl!” I said. Her blunt honesty was almost as bad as her habitual lies.

  “But…but—” Brayden’s face flushed crimson.

  I felt a twinge of sympathy for my ex-fiancé. Brayden wasn’t dumb. He was just too self-absorbed to have seen Gail for what she really was: a cold and calculating manipulator using him to get what she wanted.

  Hurt was written all over Brayden’s face. For the first time in a long time he needed us, and I wasn’t going to let him down.

  I wanted to give him a hug.

  But instead, I dished out some good old-fashioned witchcraft.

  Revenge is a dish best served cold.

  30

  My frozen spell had worked. Maybe a little too well in fact, since I had only meant to freeze Gail and Dominic, not Brayden too. Brayden was collateral damage because he was standing too close to Gail when I executed my spell.

  Oops. I did it again.

  Mom held onto Aunt Amber for support. “Whew! That was close, Cen. You almost caught us up in your spell too. Give us a warning next time.”

  “Sorry, Mom. I guess I got caught up in the moment.” Truth be told, I never expected my spell to work in the first place. Usually they didn’t because I always missed one or two important details. Today was different. I was on a roll, witch-wise.

  “Well done, Cen!” Aunt Pearl clapped her hands together. “There’s hope for you yet.”

  I beamed at the backhanded compliment as I studied our three unconscious guests. I had used a frozen spell on Gail, Dominic, and Brayden as a way to defuse the situation. Their love triangle threatened to derail our investigation just as we were getting to the bottom of things. The last thing we needed was another death on our hands.

  My spell was nowhere near as robust as Aunt Pearl’s spells, but it was strong enough to allow us a few minutes to talk amongst ourselves. Spellcasting wasn’t all that hard once you got the hang of it. I resolved to devote more time and focus to my craft. Practice makes perfect. It would be my New Year’s resolution.

  Tyler frowned. “I hope you have a plan, Cen.”

  “Of course,” I lied. My magic on the fly had frozen the love triangle and given us a few minutes to talk. Beyond that, I had no clue on what to do next.

  Earl entered the room and stopped abruptly at the sight of our three temporarily frozen guests. He stepped back, then tripped on the throw rug and stumbled backwards

  Tyler caught him just in time and steadied him.

  “Yikes! What the heck’s going on here?” Earl’s voice jumped a couple of octaves. “I better not be next!”

  Tyler shook his head. “Expect the unexpected, Earl. You should know that about the West women by now.”

  Aunt Pearl waved an arm in dismissal. “Don’t listen to him, Earl. You’ve got nothing to worry about. You know I’ll always protect—” She stopped mid-sentence once she saw us all staring at her.

  Aunt Amber smacked her lips together in an air kiss. “Aww…Pearl’s so sweet on you, Earl. What’s your secret? I’ve just never seen her like this with anybody before.”

  “Amber, cut that out!” Aunt Pearl blushed.

  Earl was embarrassed too. His flushed face blended into his red flannel shirt. He ignored Aunt Amber’s question and changed the subject. He pointed to my three temporary casualties slumped
together on the floor. “What’s wrong with them?”

  “Uh…nothing’s wrong.” I hastily made up a story to explain our comatose guests. “They’re having a nap while we figure things out.”

  “You mean like what happened to Merlinda?” Surely, Earl had been around Aunt Pearl long enough to have more than just an inkling of her witchy powers, and by extension, mine. There was just so much about our family that defied explanation.

  Earl was laid-back, but he was smart too. Which made his attraction to Aunt Pearl all the more mysterious. Maybe it was an attraction of intellects. It couldn’t possibly be her sunny personality.

  I nodded. “Yes. It should just take a few minutes.”

  Aunt Pearl smiled brightly. “What Cen really means is that we’re playing a game to see who can play dead the longest. You missed it when you left the room.”

  Aunt Amber sucked in her breath. “Really bad word choice, Pearl.”

  Aunt Pearl rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean.”

  We were really delaying the inevitable because Aunt Pearl’s games had to come full circle back to the truth. And the truth was that a killer was still amongst us.

  Earl wasn’t buying Aunt Pearl’s game nonsense, either. He shrugged and walked toward the window. “Sounds a bit sedate for you, Pearl. I’m thinking of heading home. The storm’s let up now, and the last few hours have been a little much for my ticker. I can’t afford a heart attack.”

  “Nobody’s going anywhere,” Tyler said. “Especially not you, Earl. I might need your help.”

  “Now Earl…” Aunt Pearl blushed, her normally cranky voice smooth as honey. “For once I agree with the sheriff. You’ll just be bored at home. You know how you like to keep busy. Just stay…I promise I’ll make it worth your while.”

  “I don’t know…” Earl stared wistfully out the window. “I’m feeling kind of tired. You people exhaust me sometimes.”

  Aunt Pearl stamped her foot, her sunny disposition of moments earlier gone. “You can’t leave now. I have so much planned, and we’ve barely even started our Christmas celebrations.”

  “That’s what scares me.” Earl waved his arm in the direction of our three captives. “You can’t just knock people out whenever you feel like it.”

  “Cen did that, not me. It will take her forever to fix it, though. As usual, I’ve got to make things right.” Aunt Pearl waved her arms and muttered under her breath.

  I started to protest, but it was too late.

  Dominic’s eyes fluttered open. Then Brayden awoke, followed by Gail seconds later.

  “See, Earl? No harm done.” Aunt Pearl squeezed Earl’s arm. “Just stay awhile longer, and help me get this show on the road. You won’t regret it.”

  Aunt Pearl certainly had no regrets. Exactly what I was afraid of.

  31

  Our three groggy guests scrambled to their feet. They were tired, dazed, and confused. They also looked a lot worse for wear than they had earlier.

  Brayden shuffled over to the sofa and collapsed. He rubbed his temples. “I’ve got a pounding headache. I wish I had just stayed home.”

  I put the spell back on Brayden to spare him more misery, both headache-wise and Gail-wise. Within seconds he was fast asleep.

  “Yeah, well, I’m going home. Back to Vanuatu.” Dominic turned to Gail. “Want a ride back to Shady Creek? The weather’s improved, so the roads should be passable now. We’ll wait for the airport to re-open and catch the next flight out.”

  I glanced outside and noticed that Dominic’s Escalade was once again parked in the driveway.

  “Over my dead body, sonny,” Aunt Pearl said.

  Gail snorted. “That can be arranged, old lady.”

  Tyler stepped between Gail and Aunt Pearl and dangled Dominic’s car keys. “Nobody’s going anywhere until I say so. And that won’t be happening until we know what happened to Merlinda. So start talking.”

  “Yeah, that’s right.” Earl stood behind Tyler. “You’re all staying put right here.”

  Gail fumbled in her purse for her cell phone. “What is wrong with you people? You can’t keep us here. I’m calling the cops.”

  “No need. Sheriff Gates is right here,” Aunt Amber said sweetly.

  “I meant the real cops. This is a joke. The sheriff hasn’t done anything to keep us safe,” Gail said. “I don’t know what you crazy people are up to, but I’m not going to stay here and suffer the same fate as Merlinda.”

  Dominic rubbed his head. “Me neither.”

  Gail gasped and clutched her stomach. “Wait a minute—I think somebody poisoned me too. It’s that Christmas cake. Or, maybe it’s the tea…Whatever it is, I feel terrible.”

  “Who are you accusing—” Aunt Pearl stopped mid-sentence. “Oh no, you don’t. You’re trying to frame Ruby and me!”

  Aunt Amber grabbed Aunt Pearl from behind and placed a hand over her mouth.

  Dominic leaned against the wall for support. “I’m feeling kind of sick myself.”

  Gail turned to Dominic. “We’re both going to die, and it’s all your fault. If you had just done what you were supposed to do, I wouldn’t be here right now.”

  “Whatever. I’m done arguing with you.” Dominic slumped down into a sitting position against the wall.

  “Quit stalling,” Tyler said. “It only makes things worse for you both in the end. You two are still hiding something, and I want to know what it is.”

  “Yeah--spill the beans,” Aunt Pearl demanded. “Tell us what you did to Merlinda.”

  Dominic held his hands up, palms out in protest. “I didn’t do anything to Merlinda, I swear. I am not taking the fall for this. I told Gail that I couldn’t go through with it, but she wouldn’t listen. This isn’t what it looks like. I can explain everything.”

  “The hell you will.” Gail grabbed Merlinda’s tropical snow globe from the tree and hurled it at Dominic. “You told me that it was only work. That getting close to Merlinda was all part of the master plan. Liar!”

  “Gail, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to—” Dominic ducked as the glass snow globe flew through the air.

  Fortunately, Gail’s aim was off. I lunged into the line of fire and outstretched my arm to catch the glass globe. The globe barely glowed now that its creator was forever gone. It still felt wrong for whatever remained to end as shattered glass.

  My fingers connected but only just barely. I balanced precariously on one foot and balanced the globe with one hand. It was too big to grasp with my palm. It rolled down my forearm like a bowling ball instead. The glass orb hit my chest, throwing me off balance.

  I suspected Merlinda’s globe held even more powers than what I had already witnessed, but I had no desire to test my theory. Every witch created spells a little differently. Some even booby-trapped spells to prevent tampering by other witches. Whether Merlinda had protected the globe in some way other than the magnetic repellent I had no idea. Dropping the glass globe was out of the question, though.

  I sighed in relief once I had the globe firmly within my grasp. I pressed it safely against my stomach and held it close as I regained my balance.

  Gail picked up an empty wineglass and threw it at Dominic. This time she hit her target. “You jerk! You said Merlinda would make us rich. Instead, you got greedy and betrayed me. You were supposed to kill her, not marry her!”

  Dominic held out his arms, palms out in surrender. “She’s dead, isn’t she? You got what you wanted.” His voice broke as he struggled to contain his emotions.

  “You fell in love with Merlinda.” Aunt Pearl looked knowingly at Dominic. Her voice broke. “Yet, you killed her anyway. How could you?”

  “I-I didn’t kill her, I swear. I was supposed to kidnap her, not kill her. But I couldn’t even manage that. I backed out because I loved her. I just couldn’t do it.”

  “Liar,” Gail hissed. “You’re incapable of love. You got greedy and decided to cut me out of the deal. That’s why you never returned my messages. You left me stuc
k working at the dive shop handling everything, waiting for you. You never even called once to ask how I was doing. Now I know why. Instead of kidnapping Merlinda, you’ve been romancing her all this time. You thought you could marry rich and inherit everything. Well, you killed the golden goose. I hope you rot in jail, you two-timing loser!”

  32

  Brayden snored loudly on the sofa, oblivious to the Gail versus Dominic standoff that unfolded before us. The rest of us formed a loose semi-circle around Gail and Dominic. They faced each other as if they were about to duel to the death.

  Dominic was either a criminal with no conscience or a grieving husband whose actions had gotten his wife killed in the first place. Either way, I felt no pity. He had been caught red-handed and seemed eager to incriminate Gail and shift the blame off himself.

  Dominic sighed. “We had planned to kidnap Merlinda and demand a ransom from her father. Once that happened, we would send a proof of life video showing Merlinda pleading for help. We knew Merlinda’s father would pay the ransom because he needed Merlinda and her supernatural powers back on Vanuatu. He needed her to conjure up more cargo. His whole John Frum scheme depended on it.”

  “Except you couldn’t even do that right,” Gail said. “When you didn’t call, I had to come here to make sure you finished the job. Then I find out that you’ve hooked up with her instead. We planned everything together, Dom. How could you do this to me?”

  “I told you I couldn’t go through with it, but you just wouldn’t listen.” Dominic turned to Tyler, his voice breaking as tears streamed down his face. “I broke things off with Gail a while ago, so it’s not like I’m cheating on her now.”

  Aunt Pearl snorted. “How thoughtful of you. You’re gonna get what’s coming to you, sonny.”

  I moved beside Aunt Pearl, ready to tackle her if she made a move toward Dominic. I really hoped it wouldn’t come to that. “Aunt Pearl…”

  “You threatening me, Pearl?” Dominic said. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. I know stuff about you too.”