Wicked Brew (8 page)

“Are you sure this is going to work?”

The spell ingredients Aunt Tillie had instructed Clove to gather out at The Overlook were cause for alarm. This wasn’t some bargain-basement spell that we could half-ass and pull off. This was a spell that called for precision – something my cousins and I weren’t known for.

“It’s going to work,” Aunt Tillie said.

“Have you done it before?”

“No.”

“Then how do you know it’s going to work?” I pressed.

“Because I have faith,” Aunt Tillie said.

We were inside of Belinda’s hospital room, and we’d purposely waited until Dr. Garfield finished another check on the woman before we spread out our supplies. Dawn was starting to encroach, and the day shift would start in another hour. It was now or never.

“Okay, what do you want us to do?” I asked.

Aunt Tillie pressed her lips together as she regarded me. “I need you to go outside and wait with Marcus and Annie.”

“What?” She had to be joking.

“You’re too unfocused, Thistle,” Aunt Tillie said. “This spell calls for three witches. You’re not going to be in here.”

“But … .”

“No,” Aunt Tillie said firmly. “We need someone to keep everyone out of the room while we do the spell. It’s going to take some time. I need Bay with me, and Clove isn’t mean enough to handle the Denhams. That leaves you.”

“Are you just saying that because you think I’m unfocused?”

“I’m saying that because we only have one shot at this,” Aunt Tillie said. “We have to do an awakening spell in a busy hospital while bad people are in the hospital trying to steal a little girl. What’s more important, your pride or Basil?”

“Her name is Annie,” I grumbled.

“I like Basil better,” Aunt Tillie said. “You know I’m right.”

Unfortunately, I did know that. “How long will it take?”

“As long as it takes,” Aunt Tillie said. “I don’t care what you have to do, but you make sure the Denhams don’t take Annie and no one comes in this room. I don’t care if you have to start this hospital on fire, you protect your family, and you protect that little girl.”

She was setting it up as a challenge. I knew exactly what she was doing. “You make sure you do your job,” I said. “Your legend will diminish if you don’t.”

“My legend will never diminish, missy,” she said, puffing out her chest. “This will only cement it. I am the wickedest witch of the Midwest.”

You can always count on Aunt Tillie’s ego to pull her through. “Good luck.”

“You, too,” Aunt Tillie said, narrowing her eyes. “Something tells me you might be in more trouble than we will be.”

I FOUND
Marcus sleeping in a chair in the waiting room. Annie was sitting on his lap, her head settled against his chest. I wasn’t sure if she was asleep, but she was at least resting her eyes.

Audra had arrived a few hours before, and she was slumbering in another chair a few feet away. Once we’d explained the situation, she’d been more than happy to help. She’d introduced herself to Annie – without being scary – and she’d started to build a rapport with the girl fairly quickly.

I sat down in the chair next to Marcus and focused on the closed door that separated my family from discovery. I had no idea what was going on in there, but I knew Aunt Tillie wouldn’t fail me. Not this time. Sure, when I was in high school and needed her to curse a boy because he’d dumped me for a friend, she’d told me to suck it up and do it myself – but this was different. Huh, now that my mind was wandering, I couldn’t help but wonder if Kayla Dobbins ever did find a pair of underwear that fit again.

My body was weary, but I couldn’t make myself relax. Something was about to happen – and not just in Belinda’s room.

“There she is.”

I jerked my head up when I heard the voice. I saw Jonathan Denham and his mother round the corner a few seconds later. They had another man with them, and Tom Denham was trailing behind the small group with a morose look on his face.

Marcus snapped awake, and he was cradling Annie protectively against his chest as he looked to me for answers. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he was readying himself for a fight.

“They can’t get in that room, and they can’t have Annie,” I said, my voice low.

Marcus nodded.

“Whatever I say, just go along with it.”

He nodded again.

“Oh, and if I try to kill them, just let me,” I added.

“Yeah, we’ll have to agree to disagree on that one,” Marcus said. “I’m not sure monthly conjugal visits will be enough to keep me honest.”

He has an odd sense of humor sometimes.

I got to my feet and cut Denham and Arlene off before they could get too close to Belinda’s room. “What are you doing here?”

“We’re here to claim our grandchild,” Arlene said.

“Well, Chief Terry said you couldn’t,” I replied. “He’s in charge. You’ll have to take it up with him.”

“This is our attorney, Donald Hollingsworth,” Arlene said. “He says your Chief Terry has no jurisdiction over this child.” She moved toward Marcus and held out her arms. “You can give her to me.”

Marcus shook his head. “You can’t have her.”

Arlene narrowed her eyes. “What? Are you some kind of pervert?”

“No, that would be your son,” I said.

“Stop saying that,” Denham snapped. “I am not a pervert.”

“You knocked up your student.”

“That was … she seduced me.”

“Yeah, right,” I said, rolling my eyes.

Hollingsworth stepped closer. I didn’t recognize him, which meant the Denhams had gone outside of Hemlock Cove to retain legal counsel. That was probably a good idea on their part. “Ma’am, you have to hand that child over.”

“I don’t have to do anything,” I said. “And I’m not doing that. I don’t care what you say.”

“You listen here,” Arlene seethed, wagging her finger in my face. “You’re not in control here. I am.”

“And that’s what matters to you, right? Control?”

Arlene was taken aback by my challenge.

“I get you,” I continued. “I get what you are. You’re a woman who henpecked her husband and raised a monster. You’re a woman who wants a chance to mold another young mind. You’re a woman who wants to control everything.

“I’ve known women like you,” I said. “Well, that’s not exactly true. I’ve known women who need control – one in particular – but the difference is, she still manages to know what’s right and wrong.

“Sure, she straddles the line,” I said. “She often crosses it.” Goddess, does she cross it. “She still manages to do the right thing. I don’t even think you know what the right thing is. That’s how far gone you are.”

“Oh, you’re so full of yourself,” Arlene said. “You think you know how to read people. Now, let me tell you about you. You were raised in a family of all women, and you never learned your place. You want to stand out, so you dye your hair odd colors. You want to be special, but everyone else around you has something more – something better – to offer.

“You’re insecure, and you’ve latched onto my granddaughter to make yourself feel important,” she continued. “You think, if you somehow beat me, then you’ll have everyone in your family applauding you. You still won’t be special.”

I snorted. She was trying to throw me off my game. I’d grown up with the master, though. She couldn’t shake me. Still, I needed to play the game to buy time, and I was more than willing to do it.

“Oh, you couldn’t be more wrong,” I said. “I’ve always stood out in my family, and it’s not because of my hair. It’s because I’m generally unpleasant and bitchy. That’s just how I roll. I dye my hair because it drives my mother nuts – which is funny, because her hair is so red she gives random circus clowns nightmares.

“In my family, no one has a place,” I said. “In fact, everyone is so scattered that we can’t remember what our place is from the previous day. I don’t need accolades and applause from my family because we work for a living, and we believe in earning something instead of taking it.

“Your problem is that the son you raised to be entitled turned out to also be a sociopath,” I continued. “You expected him to elevate you by virtue of his name. Instead, all he’s done is drag you down. I have no idea what transpired when you found out Belinda was pregnant with your grandchild, but I’m guessing it wasn’t pretty. You didn’t want anything to do with Annie until you realized that Jonathan here wasn’t going to amount to anything.”

“You take that back,” Denham spat.

I ignored him. “I don’t care what you want, lady,” I said. “I care what’s best for Annie, and that’s clearly not the woman who raised this piece of trash.”

“Well, you don’t have a say in that,” Hollingsworth said. “You’re not the law.”

“No, but I am,” Chief Terry said, striding into the room with Landon on his heels. He shot me a questioning look before focusing on the Denhams. “Is there a problem here?”

“Yes, this … woman … won’t let me have my granddaughter,” Arlene said.

“Well, she was instructed not to,” Chief Terry said. “I think that means she’s doing her job.”

I froze when I saw Annie start to move on Marcus’ lap. He smoothed her hair down, trying to lull her back to sleep, but it was too late. She sat up straight and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, her gaze landing on me first. “What’s going on? Is my mommy awake?”

“Not yet,” I said.

Arlene pushed past Chief Terry so she could get closer to Annie. “Oh, there’s my precious girl.”

Annie pulled back when she saw her. “Who are you?”

Chief Terry and I exchanged a look.

“I’m your grandmother,” Arlene said. “And this is your father.”

Annie shifted her face so she could look Denham up and down. She didn’t immediately say anything.

“If you’re such a good grandmother, how come your granddaughter doesn’t know you?” I asked. Aunt Tillie had said that Annie didn’t know her grandparents. I didn’t realize that meant she’d never met them.

“That’s a pretty good question,” Landon said.

“Belinda wouldn’t allow us visitation,” Arlene said, straightening. “She’s a horrible person.”

“My mommy isn’t bad,” Annie snapped.

“Of course she isn’t,” Marcus murmured, tightening his arms around her.

“Don’t you say my mommy is bad,” Annie said.

“Young lady, you’re going to have to learn that you don’t talk back to your elders,” Arlene said. “I understand you haven’t been raised with a firm hand, but all of that is about to change.”

Annie was confused. “Aunt Tillie says that you only have to respect adults if they don’t say anything stupid,” she said. “You’re saying something stupid.”

I couldn’t help but wonder what other pearls of wisdom Aunt Tillie had been bestowing upon Annie. That was a question for another time, though.

“Stupid isn’t a nice word,” Arlene replied.

“It’s not,” I agreed. “In this case, though, it’s the right word.”

“Thistle,” Chief Terry warned. “Mrs. Denham, I think it would be a good idea if you and your son came down to the station for some questions.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” Chief Terry said. “We have a few questions for you and your son. You probably don’t want to answer them here … in front of your granddaughter.”

“I have nothing to hide,” Arlene sniffed, crossing her arms over her chest obstinately.

“Okay then,” Chief Terry said, not backing down. “First off, Jonathan, when did you first arrive in Hemlock Cove?”

Denham balked at the question. “What does that matter?”

“It’s just a question. I need you to answer it.”

Denham looked at his mother for support. She nodded in his direction. “The first time I stepped foot in this … town … was a few hours ago.”

“Hmm. I see. How did you find out about Annie’s situation?”

“What do you mean?”

“We couldn’t find you,” Chief Terry said. “We had to call your parents. You had no working phone number of record. I’m just wondering when you found out that Annie had been discovered?”

“I … it was the other day,” Denham said, flustered. “I don’t remember exactly what day it was.”

“Do you remember where you were when you got the call?”

Denham straightened. “I was at the mall by my mother’s house.”

“That’s pretty interesting,” Landon said. “Because we ran your phone records this evening. Actually, we had to track back the numbers that called your mother’s phone and go from there. After we found one from a burner phone that called on a regular basis, we tracked the sale to a store in Minnesota, and you were the man we saw on store security video. We tracked the GPS on that phone, and it was in Traverse City when the call was made about Annie’s discovery.”

Denham’s mouth dropped open. “You can’t track a burner phone.”

Landon drew a piece of paper from his pocket and unfolded it. He handed it over to Denham. “That’s you, right?”

Arlene made a face. “What did you do?”