Page 33 of Last Witch Attempt
“I thought I should tell you what happened,” I replied. I stuck my finger in the frosting Marnie had made. “Nice,” I said after I’d eaten it. “This will be good tonight.”
Marnie’s eyebrows moved toward one another. “Everything I do is good.”
“That is the family motto,” I agreed.
“Perhaps you should stop wasting time and tell us what’s on your mind, Bay,” Mom suggested. “You’re not going to get less agitated by dragging things out.”
I pressed my hands into the counter and leaned back and forth, stretching my back. “There were arachnids at the cabin,” I said finally.
“Those spider creatures Scout fought?” Mom’s forehead wrinkled. “Why would they be here?”
“They often get hired or coerced by other paranormals.” I only knew that because Scout had explained it to me. “It’s possible they’re left over from Scout’s fight and decided to hide here.”
“But?” Mom prodded.
“Something killed those men. It wasn’t the arachnids. I fought and killed two of them at the cabin.”
“In front of Steve?” Mom’s eyes went wide.
“He was fine. Well, mostly. He’s got a thing about me taking action without supervision. He didn’t come out and refer to me as the weaker sex or anything, but I heard him talking to Landon. He asked how Landon could let ‘his wife’ head out alone.” I used air quotes.
Mom’s right eyebrow hiked. “Let?”
“Yeah.”
“You need Landon’s permission?”
I held up my hands, hoping to stop her from losing her cool. “Landon doesn’t believe that. He argued with Steve. It’s going to be an adjustment for Steve, though. There’s no getting around it. He was floored when I used a locator spell. When I took out the arachnids he looked as if he might pass out.”
“Would he have reacted the same if a man had done what you did?”
“I’m not sure it’s a man vs. woman thing. It’s more that he doesn’t understand magic. He’s gung-ho to learn—I’ll give him that—but he doesn’t understand what I’m capable of.”
“There’s more,” Mom insisted.
“I’m worried about my friends. It’s one thing for me to agree to work with the Feds. I don’t want to out them.”
“What about Evan? He was with you yesterday.”
“He found the bodies. Then he conveniently disappeared right before Steve and Spencer showed up.”
Mom nodded, taking it in. “You can’t out your friends. You’re going to have to find a way around it. I trust Steve. I don’t think he’s a bad man. That doesn’t mean the men above him aren’t bad.”
“I know that.”
“So what’s the plan?”
“There were footprints outside the guesthouse last night. They were the same odd ones we saw near the clearing last night. I think whatever this is—whatever killed the men and was controlling the arachnids—knows about us.
“I’m going to The Whistler to talk to Viola,” I continued. “She might know something. Then I’m going to use Thistle’s books to research arachnids, maybe call Scout to see what she can give me. I’m winging it. I can’t plan too far in advance.” I glanced around. “Did Steve arrange for rooms for the rest of his team?”
“You mean the three agents who aren’t in the know about the paranormal?”
“Those would be the ones.”
“He said they weren’t staying here but would be making the drive from Traverse City to Hemlock Cove regularly and maybe having a meal or two with us. I’m not sure that will stick. He seemed a little nervous about it too. I guess we’ll see.”
“Did he say anything about them being in town today?”
