Better Haunts and Garden Gnomes_A Cozy Paranormal Mystery Page 5

  “Oh, no, the house is fine,” Polly dismissed with a wave. “You can pass it.”

  “That’s not how it works, ma’am,” Nolan said.

  “Oh, sure it is. Now, come inside. I’ve been waiting for you.”

  Nolan frowned. This was the person who wrote him the note? He felt a little like a fool for trying too hard. He reached up and mussed his hair into its usual careless style and pulled his shirt from his jeans.

  Nolan had already inspected the property and thought he knew what to expect, but when he walked inside, the house was in pristine condition—especially for being built in the 1800s. Tarnished doorknobs looked polished. Deteriorating wallpaper had been rehung, the brittle tears mended as if they had never existed. He breathed deeply, trying to smell a trace of the mildew and mold.

  There was no non-magical way they could have done all the work that needed to be done.

  This complicated things. If they could do this much in one night, there was no way citations would scare them off. He would have to take things to the next level... whatever that meant.

  “See, fit as a fiddle, fine as a cat, hairy as a werewolf in the full moon.” Polly winked at him. “No need to inspect.”

  “Masking an issue is not the same as fixing it. I have a job to do,” Nolan said.

  “Not tonight. Tonight, you’re my special guest.” The woman winked again. “And I have plans for you.”

  Nolan wasn’t sure how to answer. Was he... on a blind date... with Polly?

  His friends’ wives were always trying to set him up. How did he back out of this without hurting the woman’s feelings?

  He tilted his head to listen for movement. He focused his shifter hearing. At first there didn’t seem to be anyone else in the home. Then with relief, he heard low voices coming from somewhere in the house.

  “Whatever is in here won’t change anything,” Dante Goode’s voice said from upstairs. Nolan stepped closer.

  “Florus, I think things have already changed for us,” Lily drawled. There was a wryness to her tone. “There is no going back. We can’t ignore the present for the comfort of the familiar past. Now open that damned thing.”

  “You might want to retract those glowing eyes, or you’ll give yourself away. They only now found out they’re witches.”

  Polly’s voice drew him from his eavesdropping. He realized he’s started to shift in his effort to hear the conversation between the siblings. His nails had thickened and extended. The points of his teeth began to push his lips forward.

  “They didn’t know?” he asked in surprise as he calmed the beast within.

  “People only know what they know.” Polly gave a little skip as she tried to lead him toward the dining room. “And what they don’t know, they rarely know they don’t, like you.”

  “Like me?” Nolan didn’t follow her as he continued to peer up the stairs. Gnomes were placed on the steps. He guessed that Lily must really like garden gnomes. She did have a lot of them around the property.

  “Why, yes, I do like you,” Polly said. “You’re all squishy-squashy.”

  Nolan frowned. That wasn’t a compliment. At least it didn’t sound like one.

  “Sugar bee, Florus,” Polly called, “our dinner guest has arrived.”

  The siblings instantly stopped talking. Silence followed Polly’s announcement. Nolan heard movement and a clicking sound.

  Seconds later, a loud scream pierced the air.

  Lily.

  Nolan didn’t think, just reacted. He darted up the stairs. The wolf inside him picked up her scent. He moved to go to the third floor. A large, furry creature jumped down the stairs and he dodged the animal, not sensing it to be a threat as he ran to face whatever was happening.

  “What was that?” Lily demanded, breathless.

  “I think it was a raccoon,” Dante answered, sounding just as shaken. He crawled out of the small storage space at the top of the stairs. The door had been locked, so Nolan hadn’t been able to inspect inside.

  “It was the size of a tank.” Lily appeared from one of the third-floor bedrooms, where she apparently had hidden. Her hair had been pulled back to the nape of her neck. Her eyes instantly found him and she gasped.

  Nolan ducked his head, hoping she’d think his partial shift was a play of shadows across his face.

  “Whatever was in the trunk, I think the monster raccoon ate it. But is it any surprise my inheritance is an empty old trunk with a giant hole chewed through the side so killer raccoons can jump out at me?” Dante stood, dusted his knees, and then followed his sister’s gaze to Nolan.

  “I heard a scream. Is everything all right?” he asked Lily. As confusion registered on her face, he realized she didn’t know why he was there. He shifted awkwardly on his feet. “The raccoon is gone. He ran downstairs, more afraid of you than you are of him.”

  “Doubtful,” Dante said. “He tried to attack my head.”

  Lily’s eyes darted to her brother and then back to him. “Did you bring another novel?”

  “Novel?” He didn’t understand what she meant by that.

  “Stack of citations,” she clarified. “We haven’t had time to get to everything yet.”

  “Ah, oh, um…?”

  “I invited him to dinner,” Polly yelled from below.

  “We have nothing to eat in this place,” Lily called back, “so I’m not sure how we’re going to serve dinner.”

  “You worry more than you should,” Polly scolded. She sounded closer than before and appeared at the bottom of the stairs moments later.

  Nolan made a move to leave. There was no reason to stay where he wasn’t wanted, and the entire situation had become uncomfortable.

  “Oh, the food’s coming.” Polly pointed her finger toward the ceiling. “I’ll get the door.”

  “We’ll be down in a second, Polly,” Lily said. “We just want to check this room first.”

  Nolan didn’t hear anyone outside. “I’ll be…” He let his words trail off into an incoherent mumble as he turned to follow Polly.

  “There’s nothing in there,” Dante said, shutting the door before Lily could go back inside. He held his arm out to make Lily go down the stairs before him.

  Nolan glanced between the siblings and then led the way down. When they reached the bottom level, he said, “You’ve done a lot of work on this place in a short time.”

  He’d meant it as a conversation starter but could see by the expressions on their faces they didn’t take it as one. An uncomfortable silence filled the front hall. The more he tried not to look at Lily, the more he found himself glancing at her.

  “It wasn’t us,” Dante said. “Polly took care of it.”

  “It looks nice.” Nolan followed them into the dining room.

  “Thank you.” Lily paused close to him. “I’m sorry if I was rude. It’s been a demanding day and I’m trying to keep it together but—”

  Something splashed before she could finish. Nolan wasn’t sure how he’d missed it, but there was a children’s pool on the dining room table with a lobster inside.

  “That’s Herman,” Dante said, “Polly’s friend.”

  Lily covered her mouth and started to laugh. She tried to speak, but the laughter only increased. She placed her hands on the back of a chair and leaned over.

  “Lily?” Dante asked, apparently concerned by the behavior.

  “Insane,” Lily said, gasping for breath. “All of this is insane. There’s a pet lobster on the table. Garden gnomes are taking over the yard. Our only relative is a crazy lady who thinks we’re witches—and even crazier, I believe her.” She gestured at Nolan. “This guy... I don’t even know why he’s here for a dinner party we didn’t know we were having, in a house that should be falling down around our heads, from a mother who—”

  Her words stopped abruptly, and she walked from the dining room toward the kitchen.

  “Yeah, sorry about Lily. She’ll be fine in a moment. She’s under a lot of stress right now,”
Dante said. “She didn’t mean any of that. Those citations and this house have her a little on edge.”

  “And our lawn is on fire,” Lily called. “Of course. Why not?”

  Nolan sprang into action. He rushed toward her. An orange glow lit her face from outside the window. She didn’t appear to be in a hurry to stop it as she watched the flames. He darted toward the side entrance and tripped on a gnome on his way down the steps to the yard. The fire seemed contained on the lawn, but he wasn’t sure how long that would last. He ran around the side of the house to where he kept a garden hose in his truck bed.

  Polly paid a pizza delivery boy. Not many people would come to the Goode house. The kid looked glassy-eyed as he handed the box to the witch. Nolan didn’t have time to wonder if the kid was under a spell as he grabbed the hose.

  He sprinted to the side of the house and attached the hose before turning on the water and returning to the back. Lily stood inside the back door, watching the flames.

  Nolan sprayed the fire, trying to hit its base. As the flames lessened, Dante joined his side and tried tamping a few down with his foot.

  When they finished, Nolan dropped the hose and took several deep breaths. He tried to detect who might have started the fire, but the smell of smoke and accelerant masked any scent. Dusk was settling over the surrounding valley and forest. He focused his eyes on the nearby tree line, but anyone who had been there was long gone.

  Realizing he was using his enhanced senses, he closed his eyes before the siblings saw the inner glow.

  “Get out,” Lily stated.

  He glanced up at her in surprise. “What?”

  She lifted her finger and traced cursive letters in the air as she pointed at the burnt grass. “Get out.”

  He went toward her and climbed the steps to join her in the doorway. Sure enough, the words “get out” were spelled on the law in scorched letters.

  Dante gestured at the siding. “Someone’s not very creative but they’re getting their point across.”

  Nolan turned to see the same message spray-painted on the house. “That wasn’t here last week when MacIver’s office asked me to inspect the property for the trust.”

  “Who would do such a thing? We just arrived in Lucky Valley.” Lily hugged her arms over her chest and shivered.

  “The…” Nolan started to answer, compelled to ease her worry, but then stopped himself.

  “What?” Lily studied him.

  Since they both stood by the back door, she was closer than she’d ever been to him. The fragrance of flowers and a light perfume wafted over him. His body stiffened in response, and he moved down a step to put distance between them.

  “I can tell you were about to say something. Do you know who did this?”

  “The Goode family doesn’t have the best reputation.” Nolan wanted to be diplomatic in his response, but there was no pleasant way of telling someone they were a pariah because of their ancestry.

  “What Marigold sin are we paying for now?” Dante muttered, not looking like he expected an answer.

  “Everyone knows the Goode family is…” Nolan paused. None of this was his place to say. He was supposed to encourage them to leave, not make friends with them.

  “Is…?” Dante prompted.

  “Insane?” Lily suggested.

  “Neglectful?” Dante added.

  “Broken?” Lily arched a brow in his direction.

  “Powerful.” Nolan lowered his voice.

  “Powerful?” Dante laughed. “Because of the trust money? Maybe once, but not anymore. There are only three Goodes left that we know about and, believe me, powerful is not a word I’d use to describe us.”

  Nolan knew there was no point in pretending he didn’t know. “Not powerful as in politically influential, though I suppose that is part of it. Powerful as in powerful. Magic. Witchcraft. Spells. Potions. Curses. The whole gamut.”

  “You too with the witches?” Dante kicked at the wet, scorched earth, disrupting it.

  “Do you know what Lucky Valley is?” Nolan questioned.

  “A town?” Dante said.

  “An old ghost town that my family supposedly founded?” Lily didn’t take her gaze off of him.

  “A place to get pizza,” Polly announced, appearing from the kitchen. She pulled Lily’s arm. “Come, come, dinner’s ready.”

  Lily stumbled back but continued to follow Polly as if she had no choice.

  Dante started to move past him but then stopped. “She doesn’t date.”

  “What?” Nolan turned his attention away from the women.

  “Lily. She doesn’t date.” Dante slapped him on the shoulder. “Thought I’d save you the trouble of trying before you embarrassed yourself.”

  “I wasn’t going to ask her out,” Nolan denied.

  “Whatever you say.” Dante chuckled. “But I see how you look at her. I’m telling you, she won’t be interested. Better men than you have tried.”

  Nolan wondered if Dante knew he sounded like a jerk, or if he really thought he was helpful with his warning. At the man’s smirk, he guessed jerk.

  Two could play that game.

  “Let me save you some trouble. This town is full of supernatural creatures—and they blame your family for taking all of their good luck, amongst other transgressions.” Nolan let his eyes flash with a shift. The man gasped as he brushed past. “I’m telling you, so you know that fire and spray paint are just the tip of the iceberg. Not everyone is happy you’re here to claim your inheritance.”

  Chapter Six

  “You know something, don’t you?” Lily cornered Nolan in the living room. She had wanted to ask him that very question all through the awkward meal.

  Polly had insisted they eat, despite the fact there had been someone setting fires on the lawn. The woman had ended up doing most of the talking during the meal to distract them. And, as much as Lily wanted to stand up and shout how ridiculous it was to eat after such an event, every time she tried, her legs felt shaky and she found herself reaching for another slice of pizza, as if shoving food into her mouth would plug the noise about to come out. The impulse didn’t appear to be completely hers.

  Why Polly had invited the man to the house was beyond her. He wasn’t inspecting anything, and he didn’t look like he wanted to be there. Actually, he looked like he’d been forced at knifepoint to sit at the table with them—a table that showcased a live lobster who stared at them while they ate.

  Nolan had avoided Polly’s questions by giving non-answers, and there was some kind of weird thing going on between Nolan and Dante. Her brother had practically glared in the man’s direction.

  When he didn’t answer, she prompted, “Well?”

  “I know a lot of things.” It was like the man tried to be frustratingly obtuse on purpose. Each time Nolan spoke, his words seemed measured and purposefully enigmatic.

  There were times in life when you met someone, and the conversation flowed naturally. She felt like that should have been the case with Nolan, but for some reason there was a block between them. He kept himself on guard.

  “About the fire,” Lily clarified.

  For a brief moment, she had considered letting the flames have the house. Her emotions were torn when it came to the Goode Estate and Lucky Valley. Maybe it would be better if there was no house to move to. The urge to run away was strong.

  “You were about to say something before Polly dragged me inside,” Lily insisted. “Do you know who’s threatening us?”

  He looked as if he might lie to her, but then sighed. “Your family doesn’t have the best reputation in town. People here are afraid of you. I wouldn’t expect them to show up at your door with a welcome casserole anytime soon. So, no, I can’t say who did it. I can say there are probably several people who could have done it.”

  Lily appreciated his frankness. “I’m not my ancestors. I don’t know who they were or what they did.”

  “I believe you.” He nodded. “But I’m not sure that wil
l matter.”

  Lily sat on the couch. The firm cushion wasn’t inviting, but she didn’t care. She braced her elbows on her knees, leaned over and ran her fingers into her hair to hold her head. Her voice soft, she asked, “Have you ever been drained to the point of emotional exhaustion?”

  He didn’t answer. She didn’t expect him to. It was an overshare of information.

  Still, that didn’t stop her from looking at him expectantly. “How do I fix it? Who do I need to win over in town? How do I find out who wants us gone enough to do these things? Are we in danger?”

  Nolan stared at the empty fireplace next to the couch.

  “Never mind. This isn’t your problem. For all I know, you probably want us gone too. You did try to convince us to sell at the attorney’s office.” Lily leaned back. She looked at the fireplace that held his attention. She considered the light fixtures and old furniture. She tried to imagine living in the old house with Jesse and Dante.

  Home. That is all they ever wanted.

  Echoes from the past whispered along the edge of her consciousness. There were memories on the fringes of her thoughts, memories from childhood that she never thought about. She had never let the past stop her, so why should she start now?

  Lily stood. “I’ll contact you when we’re ready for the next inspection. And we will be ready. You can let whoever know that we’re not leaving Lucky Valley. I don’t care if every contractor in a hundred-mile radius turns us down. This is our home now, and we’re going to—”

  “I’ll help you.”

  The words were quiet, and she wasn’t sure she’d heard him.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that.”

  His eyes met hers. “I said I’ll help you. I know this town. For the most part, they’re good people, but you won’t know what you’re getting yourself into if you go poking around. Things are not what they seem, and people like their secrets.”

  “Why would you help me?” What was his angle?

  “You have to bring this property up to code, that’s just the law, but in my past career I was a contractor. Actually, I worked almost every job on a construction site. I can get you up and running.”