That’s your dad?”
“Yeah, and by the way he is looking at Constance, let’s just say I’m glad my mother’s not here.”
I shot her a worried look.
She patted my shoulder. “I’m kidding. I think they’re past that stage.” She leaned back and a thoughtful look came over her face.
“Is everything all right?”
“I was just wondering when I last spoke to him. He never mentioned knowing Constance, and it seems to be all everyone is talking about these days. He’s supposed to be coming by though. My mom usually makes a big meal on Sundays, and he brings over the leftovers. They’re always worried I’m not taking care of myself.”
I chuckled. “I know a little what that’s like.”
“You should stick around and ask him about Constance. He obviously knew her,” she said, waggling her eyebrows.
“I don’t know. I wouldn’t want to be a bother.”
The sound of a book hitting the floor startled us both. My gaze snapped back over to the front desk, and sure enough there was the ghost story Christina had been reading earlier splayed across the floor.
“That did not just happen,” she said.
Oh, but it had, and I knew just the ghost who was responsible. Clearly Constance had some feelings about me speaking to Christina’s dad. But I didn’t want to freak my friendly neighborhood librarian out with that bit of information. “I must have left the book on the edge of the counter.”
“You didn’t touch the book.”
“I did. I picked it up when you came around the desk. I wanted to get the title. Thought I might give it a try.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You’re working with the ghost, aren’t you?”
We stared at each other a half second before she laughed. “Your face. I’m kidding! I don’t really believe in ghosts. My grasp on reality is tighter than that.”
I laughed weakly. “Back to your father, you don’t think he’d mind if I asked him a few questions?”
“Mind? My dad loves talking about his theatre days! Don’t be surprised if he breaks out into I am the very model of a modern major general. Wait, that’s The Pirates of Penzance, isn’t it?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Brynn, we should hang out.” Christina put a hand on my shoulder. “I can catch you up on the last century.”
“I’d like that.”
I helped pack up the microfilm, then headed outside. I would have waited for Christina’s dad at the library, but the first round of toddlers made their way in for story time, and while they were certainly adorable, they were also very loud, and I wanted some time to think. Not that I really knew what it was I was supposed to be thinking about. Constance obviously wanted me to talk with her former co-star, and I just had to wait to find out the reason why.
Initially I thought I’d stay outside on one of the park benches, but the crisp wind had picked up again, sending me looking for warmth.
I headed down the sidewalk when I heard, almost on cue, a loud creak in the wind.
The sign for Charmed Treasures.
I peeked in the front window of the town’s only gift shop and florist.
Once again, I couldn’t help but note it had undergone some changes since I had last been inside. Before, all of the merchandise had been of the lacy and delicate variety, but now there were some new items added to the mix. Take the window display. The shop had always sold finely woven tablecloths, but now they were showcased flowing out from what looked to be a cauldron.
Hmm.
I opened the door. Instead of twinkling bells greeting me, a creepy laugh track started up. “Well,” I said to no one in particular, “Muah ha ha, yourself.”
I took a quick look around before stepping farther into the store.
“Hello?”
No one answered.
I looked back at the door. The open sign was clearly up. Shouldn’t be a problem if I looked around. I headed toward the refrigerators filled with flowers at the back of the shop but was waylaid by the rows of handcrafted soaps stacked against the side wall. Those were new too. As I walked over, a bouquet of scents greeted me. I picked up one of the individually wrapped bars and brought it close to my nose. It had a very unique scent. One I was sure I had smelled before, but I couldn’t quite place it. I put it down and moved on to a table covered in linen nightgowns. I placed my hand gently on the front of one of them. They were beautiful quality—the scalloped trim at the bottom looked hand sewn—but a little frilly for my taste. Next, I walked over to a glass case filled with jewelry, but before I even got to look, I was startled by a short shriek.
I spun around to see a wide-eyed, pink-haired girl with oversized jack-o’-lantern earrings standing behind the counter, looking absolutely shocked to see me.
“I’m sorry. Are you not open?”
“Brynn Warren,” she squealed, “I can’t tell you how happy I am you’re here.”
Now it was my turn to look shocked. “I’m happy to be here. I’m sorry, have we met?”
“Nope.”
I waited for her to say more, but when she didn’t, I nodded, then slowly turned away from the big smile she was giving me.
“Some of them are pretty pungent, but they do wonders for the skin,” she said, her voice still overflowing with excitement.
“Sorry?” I asked, looking back at the girl.
“The soaps. I don’t know if you noticed them,” she said, pointing at the shelf on the wall. “They’re new. And all handmade. I bet you’d recognize some of the ingredients though.” She gave me a big wink.
That was odd. I smiled weakly and tried once again to turn away.
“Listen,” she said, her voice dropping into a more serious tone, “I just want you to know I don’t believe anything they’re saying about you around town.”
A chill ran through me. I truly had no clue who this girl was or why she had been so excited to meet me, but those were things I could let drop. Rumors around town, though, that was a thread I needed to pull. “I’m afraid that could cover a lot of different topics. Who is they?”
“Liz Coleman for one. She was in here yesterday. She’s actually one of our best customers,” she said. “But once she started talking badly about your aunt, I showed her the door. After I took her money.”
I gave her a sideways look. “What exactly was she saying?”
The girl twirled the end of her shiny ponytail. “Well, you know, that the Warrens are a blight on this town. That you make people disappear. That you, I don’t know, destroy crops or something?”
“What?” I practically shouted the word. “That’s ridiculous. Why would we do any of those things? I mean, how could we do any of those things?”
The clerk suddenly looked uncomfortable. I would have thought all the previous stuff would have made her uncomfortable, but I guess we all have different tolerances. She shrugged. “Well, you know.”
I straightened up. Unfortunately, I did know what she was getting at. Witches gotta blight, I guess. But how did she know? What was going on here?
“I don’t believe any of it. I mean, not the part about you guys being . . .” She held up her hands in claws and hissed.
“Cats?”
“No, silly.”
She hissed again.
“Vampires?”
“Now you’re just messing with me.”
To some extent I was. But I didn’t mean to be. It was just all so shocking. This was the kind of gossip people spread hundreds of years ago. Anyone who knew us knew that we only ever tried to help the citizens of this town. We did not make people disappear. Or ruin crops. The mere suggestion was absurd.
Suddenly, I remembered all the planters with dead flowers at the end of people’s driveways.
“I should be going,” I said quickly.
“Sure. But come back. Anytime. I’d love to talk more about things.”
Things? I hurried to the door. I almost made it outside, when the clerk called after me, “And tell your aunt Nixie said hi.”
I spun back around in the threshold of the door.
“I just love Nora. She’s my hero.”
I was glad to have a moment to myself on the way back to the library. The sun had come out from behind the clouds and the wind had died again, but my mood had darkened considerably.
I had found of the idea of Uncle Gideon’s crow having a secret life amusing, but when it came to my aunt, the prospect was far less entertaining.
Nora’s my hero?
Nora did not have friends, let alone fans.
That being said, the shop clerk was the least of my concerns. Now that I had some distance, I found myself replaying my conversation with Mary. Again, she said Nora had always been kind to her. What could that possibly mean? And why hadn’t Nora filled us in on her relationship with Mary when the topic had first come up? I was not one to be throwing stones, given the secrets I had kept from my family, but I was starting to suspect Nora had been keeping more than a few of her own. And given the stakes of our current situation, that was, well, it was unacceptable!
Now, if I could only tell her that in such a way that she wouldn’t hang me by my fingernails.
I was so distracted by my thoughts I didn’t notice the man smiling at me from the picnic table in front of the library until I was almost right beside him.
“Brynn Warren?”
I met the man’s smile, taking in his kind eyes and white, bushy mustache. “You must be Christina’s father. Thank you for agreeing to talk to me.”
“Ben Scott. But please just call me Ben,” he said, getting up to offer me his hand. “I hope you don’t mind me waiting outside. Christina filled me in, and I thought it might be less awkward chatting about my first love if it wasn’t in front of my daughter.” He jerked a thumb back at the library.
“Of course.” I took the spot across from him at the picnic table as he sat back down. “I’m sorry if I brought up an uncomfortable topic for you and your daughter. I had no idea that Constance was . . .” I struggled to find the right word.
“An old flame?”
I nodded.
“She was certainly that. If you’d asked me then, I would’ve sworn we’d have gotten married, but life had other plans.” A touch of sadness came to Ben’s eye. “It was a bit of a shock to hear she was gone.”
“I’m so sorry.” I let a moment pass before asking, “Did you two meet doing community theatre?”
“Oh no, Connie and I went to school together, but she was a year older.” He waggled his eyebrows, just like Christina had. “Older woman.”
I laughed.
“She wouldn’t give me the time of day back in school though. It took me a while to grow into the handsome specimen you see before you.”
I laughed some more. “What was Constance like back then? I only met her recently.”
“Connie was full of life. She had the voice of an angel, and she loved to use it.” His face shone at the memory. “Do you know Roxie? She runs the dance studio in town?”
“I do.”
“Roxie was her idol. She had left for Vegas by then. I think Constance dreamed of doing the same, but she would have gone to New York. I promised to go with her. But it was all just talk.” He leaned back, planting his hands on his knees. “If things had been different, I think we both would have been happy with settling down and raising a family in Evenfall.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, what happened?”
Ben’s face darkened.
“I’m sorry if it’s too personal.”
“No, I’ll tell you what happened.” Ben looked up at the oak tree towering above us. “It was that family of hers.”
“I’ve heard it was Rippert Sr.’s will that drove the family apart.”
“The will was only the beginning. It’s what they did to her afterward. That was the real offense. And I’ll never forgive them for it.”