Enchanted Island Mysteries : Serena & Grant Page 4

  “Daisy’s parents are both Woodland Fairies,” I said. “This is their gift of thanks.”

  The forest floor shifted under our feet, and the three dozen or so lightning bugs fluttered around us before zooming away.

  “That’s our cue,” I said. “We just follow the light to leave.”

  He grabbed my hand and we took a couple steps in the direction of the fireflies before once again being thrown into the pitch black night.

  “Now what?” Grant asked.

  “Just reach out your hand and the tarp will open and let us out.”

  We stepped outside back into the chaos of kids running around and playing games at the booths and parents looking exhausted chasing after kids. The smell of popcorn and sugar hung in the air.

  “That was amazing. Let’s go get Tamara though,” Grant said. “I don’t like the idea of leaving her alone for very long.”

  We walked back up the side of the tiny maze. I was going to tell Daisy it was another wonderful year inside, but when we passed the entrance, her sister, Willow, now stood guard. At the same time, I noticed the bench where we’d left Tamara was empty—except for her bouquet of flowers, now trampled and missing blooms, with a note underneath.

  Chapter 9

  “Don’t touch it.” Grant extracted his phone. “I need to call it in before I open it.”

  “We’re wasting time,” I said. “What if there’s a clue in there! Did you notice that Daisy wasn’t at the maze entrance when we walked by?”

  He held up his hand and continued to talk in the phone for a few more seconds before saying goodbye and turning back to me. “It has to be done this way. And, yes, I noticed she wasn’t there. I want you to do something for me.”

  “Okay.”

  “You mentioned earlier today how odd it was for Jack to have been in the garden. The place where his body was found, was it near the daisies? I’m not a big flower guy, so I don’t know.”

  I closed my eyes and brought up the garden. That was more Tamara’s territory, but I had a general idea of where things were planted. “It’s hard to say. Tamara keeps the vegetable and herb garden in a different location due to soil and sun exposure. The roses are along the white picket fence so they have a place to climb, and then she plants the daisies and other flowers sort of in front of the roses. But where Jack fell? Yes, I’d say he fell right in front of a section of roses and daisies.”

  He blew out a breath. “That still doesn’t narrow it down.”

  I slapped my forehead. “I can’t believe it took me that long to put it together. I just realized what you were asking.”

  He handed me a small notebook he took from his jeans’ pocket, complete with a mini pen attached. “I want you to write down the text messages you got from Jack. Verbatim if you can remember them that way. I’m going to look at the note.”

  As he took out a pair of latex gloves from his back pocket, I couldn’t help but marvel. “It’s like you got Mary Poppins’ endless pockets.”

  He snorted. “I was a boy scout. I always come prepared.” He placed a hand on my shoulder. “I want you to listen to me. I’m in charge here. I know what I’m doing. I need you to keep calm. If you don’t think you can do that, there’s no shame in walking away right now and letting me finish this on my own. In fact, it’s exactly what I should do.”

  “You may find this difficult to believe, detective, but this wouldn’t be my first assist in a murder investigation.”

  I could tell he wanted to say more, but he shook his head. “That’s for later.” He opened the note and read aloud. “I know Tamara has what Jack stole from me. Give it back if you ever want to see your friend again. And ditch the cop, or I swear she’s dead.”

  “Oh, toadstools!” I felt like I’d been punched in the gut.

  Again, Grant extracted his phone and made another call. It was only a few minutes, but it gave me enough time to get hold of myself.

  “Toadstools?” he mused after he hung up.

  “My mom didn’t let me curse, so I had to improvise.”

  “So here’s a new development. The sheriff says you’ve actually been deputized and have helped him out on a few occasions.”

  “That’s true. Usually it’s for mundane things and when they’re shorthanded at the station.”

  He frowned and cocked his head to the side. “You’re gonna have to fill me in later. I can’t wait to hear this story. Anyway, the sheriff also assures me you will be an asset here. He said we are to do what the note says to an extent. But I need you to follow my orders exactly. Understood?”

  I nodded, still trying to calm my fear inside.

  “Did you get those clues down for me?”

  I looked down at my scribbled notes. “Yes. In the first one, he called Tamara by the name Lucy. He said, ‘Lucy look up.’ And then in the second one he said, ‘I am my namesake.’ The third one just said he was sorry.”

  “Lucy look up,” Grant repeated. “First, do you know anyone named Lucy?”

  “No.”

  “Who or what do you think of when I say the word ‘Lucy’ to you?”

  I shrugged. “Lucy from the Peanuts strip. Maybe something to do with football? Wasn’t she the girl who always moved the ball when Charlie Brown would go to kick it?”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, I think so. Who or what else?”

  “Maybe I Love Lucy?” I mused. “Like Lucille Ball.”

  “Was Jack into those kinds of thing? Comics and television?”

  I snorted. “Jack was into Jack.”

  “Fair enough.”

  “He did like music,” I said. “I do remember that.”

  “So maybe we think of bands or songs about Lucy. And what about the namesake clue?”

  I threw my hands in the air. “I don’t know. I replied back something like Jack the Homewrecker.”

  “Harsh, but okay. What other Jack names can you think of?”

  About that time a boy and girl walked by holding hands. They were both carrying pails in the crook of their other arms. “Jack and Jill. Jack Sprat. Jack and the Beanstalk.”

  Out of nowhere a ball skidded across the grass and hit Grant’s legs. He bent to pick it up as a little girl around six ran our way, her pigtails flying out behind her. She was dressed in a gold sheet that was sewed so her arms and legs each had their own holes. When she slid to a halt in front of us, she threw her arms and legs out wide, making her look like a flying squirrel.

  “Who’re you supposed to be?” Grant asked as he threw the ball in the air and caught it.

  “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”

  “How about a trade,” he said. “You sing the song, and I give you back the ball?”

  “Okay!”

  I was only half listening. My mind was focused on Lucy songs. It wasn’t until the little girl got to the end that I snapped to attention. “I got it!”

  Chapter 10

  “Whaddya got?” Grant asked as he tossed the ball to the girl.

  With a toothy grin—minus one front tooth—she sprinted back over to her parents.

  I was shaking so hard, I couldn’t speak. Grant took my hands in his and looked me in the eye. “In this together. You’re doing great. Now, what did you discover?”

  “Twinkle Girl gave it to me in her song. Talked about a diamond in the sky. Which brought me to—”

  “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” we both finished.

  “Very popular Beatles song,” I said.

  “Diamonds?” Grant frowned. “Jack stole diamonds from someone?”

  My heart fell to my stomach as I turned and looked around the park. “I know who the killer is too! I just don’t know where Jack hid the diamonds!”

  “You are doing amazing, Serena,” Grant said. “But we take this a step at a time. So the first clue tells us he stole diamonds. And now we work on the second clue.”

  “What about the killer? What about Tamara? Shouldn’t we be—”

  “No,” Grant said firmly. “We need to s
olve this first before we can get a plan around for saving Tamara. We don’t even know where she is.”

  “Oh, I can find her.”

  He frowned. “How? We have no idea where she’s being held.”

  “I can do a location spell,” I said. “I’ve done them plenty of times.”

  “Again, let’s cross that bridge when we get there. Let’s get the second clue. Jack told Tamara he’d stolen diamonds, now let’s think about where he’s hidden them.”

  “Well, we don’t have a beanstalk in the garden, so that’s out,” I said. “Jack, Jack, Jack.”

  “Jack Sprat?”

  I ran through the nursery rhyme in my head. “No. I don’t think Jack hid diamonds on a platter.”

  “And you don’t have a pail at the house?” Grant asked. “Maybe he hid them in a bucket?”

  I shrugged. “Maybe. I think we have one in the garage.”

  “Okay. Other Jack names you can think of?”

  “Jack Be Nimble?” I asked hesitantly.

  “Do you have a candlestick in your house?”

  “Yes, we have quite a few of them,” I said. “And I guess if it’s a small diamond, he could somehow hide it there. Maybe in the wax?”

  “Isn’t there a Jack Horner nursery rhyme?” Grant asked.

  I quickly ran the lyrics through my head and screamed. “That’s it! I know where the diamond is!”

  Grabbing his hand, we sprinted across the park over to where Mayor Stone stood standing guard over the six pies Tamara and I baked. We were both winded when we stopped in front of the mayor.

  “Did you guys just compete in the three-legged zombie race?” Mayor Stone asked.

  Shaking my head, I laid my hands on the mayor’s chest. “Please forgive me for what I’m about to do.”

  Without waiting for a reply, I passed an apple pie to Grant and then grabbed one for me and started to dig. Mayor Stone started shouting as pie crust and pie filling flew everywhere. When our first round was a bust, we each grabbed another pie.

  “Now see here,” Mayor Stone said, “I demand to know what’s going on?”

  By now we had a crowd, but I couldn’t waste time explaining. Not when I had a diamond to find and a best friend to save. Grant had just grabbed another pie when my palm wrapped around something hard.

  “I got it!” I cried as I held my closed fist in the air, flinging the last of the filling off.

  Grant took the diamond from me and used his shirt to wipe the diamond clean before displaying the stone in his opened hand. I’d never in my life seen a diamond so big. It took up his whole palm.

  Grant whistled as Mayor Stone’s tirade died down. “I’ve never seen a diamond this big.”

  “Me either,” Mayor Stone said. “And it was in the pie?”

  I laughed, but it was more of a hysterical laugh because I couldn’t believe this was happening. “Just like Jack Horner. I ran through the rhyme in my head, and I got to where he sat in a corner eating his Christmas pie, then he sticks in his thumb and pulls out a plum. And that’s when I knew! Jack must have went into the kitchen after he packed his stuff, and either he heard or saw the killer and decided to hide the diamond. Tamara had told me he was desperate. He said someone was after him because of something he’d taken and he was afraid for his life. So he hid the diamond in one of the uncooked pies Tamara had on the counter.”

  Chapter 11

  “Great job, Serena,” Grant said. “You said you know who the killer is?”

  “I do.”

  “Good. Now, let’s go get a car and finish this. ”

  I turned to Mayor Stone. “I’m so sorry I ruined the pie eating contest again this year. Please forgive me.”

  Mayor Stone waved his hand. “Don’t you go worrying about that. I don’t know what’s going on, but I hope you tell us soon, Serena.”

  “I will, promise!”

  Grant grabbed my hand, and together we raced across the park toward the bakery. We were almost to the edge of the park when I spotted Daisy sitting on a park bench eating a corn dog.

  “Wait.” I stopped and pointed at Daisy. “I’m pretty sure I know who the killer is, but I’m curious as to what Daisy meant when she said Jack stole something from her.”

  Without saying anything, Jack all but dragged me to the bench. A startled Daisy watched us with huge eyes as we practically ran her down.

  “Daisy, I don’t have time to explain,” I panted, “but what did you mean when you said Jack stole something from you?”

  Daisy’s green eyes flew to Grant and her face turned pink. “Oh, it’s nothing.”

  “Daisy,” I said between gritted teeth, “I’m only asking because it’s important.”

  “Matter of life and death,” Grant said. “Promise. And nothing you say goes beyond here.”

  Tears pooled in Daisy’s eyes, and her bottom lip trembled. “He stole my heart. He stole my self-worth. He made me think I was special, only to cheat on me with Tamara. He never even told me it was over.” Tears fell down her cheeks, and she wiped them away. “He took way more from me than I was willing to give…and I don’t know how to get it back.”

  I closed my eyes, sighed, sat down beside her, and batted down my dress. “I’m really sorry, Daisy. Jack was a jerk. We all knew that. But you can’t let your self-esteem be wrapped up in what someone else thinks of you or how someone feels about you. You have control and power over that, not some random person in your life.”

  “I know,” she whispered. “I just need some time to get over it.”

  On impulse, I leaned over and gave her a hug. “Stay strong.”

  I leaped up from the bench and motioned for Grant to follow me. In two strides he caught up with me and together we jogged back to the bakery, me cursing the dress the whole way. We were almost to my car when my cell vibrated. Without missing a beat, I reached down and yanked it out of my strapless bra.

  “Whoa.” Grant shook his head as if clearing it. “What the—where—why?”

  “How else was I going to carry a phone?” I looked at the text and then thrust the phone at him. “It’s bad.”

  Grant took the phone, stopped next to my car, and read aloud. “You better have found it by now. Meet me at the cemetery in fifteen minutes or I start cutting Tamara.”

  “Get in,” I growled. “Time to show this witch just who’s boss.”

  Grant dropped down next to me in the passenger’s seat and buckled his seatbelt. He didn’t say anything as I beat down the bottom half of my dress enough to where I could move the steering wheel safely. “I didn’t argue about you driving because I’m well aware you know the island way better than I. But I’m going to insist you buckle up. It’s the law.”

  Grinning, I strapped myself in, which also helped keep the dress from springing back up. “I wouldn’t admit this to just anyone, but I’ve been waiting years to take her down.”

  Chapter 12

  “It’s Rose Winterbourne, isn’t it?” Grant asked.

  I nodded and pulled out onto the deserted street. “Yes. I knew for sure when we pulled the diamond out of the pie. She’d said earlier that Winter Witches love their ice, and everyone knows ‘ice’ is—”

  “Another name for diamonds,” Grant finished. “Very clever. Maybe you should be the detective?”

  I snorted. “That’s more my cousin Shayla’s job. She’s the detective in the family.”

  “I need to meet this Shayla,” Grant said. “Especially if she’s the reason this isn’t your first murder investigation.”

  “Just don’t bring it up around Mom,” I said. “She wasn’t too happy with Shayla, and it wasn’t even Shayla’s fault.”

  “Now that we know who the killer is and where she’ll be, I want you to stay in the car when we get inside the cemetery. I’ll call for backup, and we can get this done nice and quick.”

  I threw back my head and laughed. “You have no idea what you’re going into. Trust me, you’re gonna need me.”

  “Listen, Serena,
I appreciate all you’ve done so far, but now I need to do my job. I don’t want to come off like—”

  “You’re being a pompous know-it-all jerk?” I turned left onto Hallowed Drive. “Look, I also know Rose, and she’s not bluffing when she says she’ll cut Tamara. Winter Witches are a lot like their name—very cold and unemotional. They also can do some crazy things with water, ice, and snow. Please just call the sheriff and tell him to bring the Binder to the cemetery and hurry. I don’t know how long I can hold her off.”

  “The Binder?” Grant asked.

  “Sheriff Hawkins will know.”

  Sighing, Grant fished out his cell. “I’m going to need a crash course in all things witchy if I plan on staying in this position.”

  “But you do plan on staying, right?”

  He smiled. “Yeah, I guess I do. I mean, seriously, how can I go back to arresting regular humans after taking down a witch?”

  “You haven’t taken down anyone yet, cowboy.”

  He winked. “That’s Little Boy Blue to you.”

  I glanced at the clock while Grant spoke to the chief. My time was up. I drove through the archway of the cemetery entrance and passed the first tier of graves. In the distance I could see Rose’s car.

  Grant disconnected the call. “Sheriff Hawkins said he’ll be here in about ten minutes. I think we should just wait for my backup. That’s protocol.”

  “I don’t think so. We’re out of time, and I’m not letting Rose hurt Tamara.”

  “Fine. I’ll go in…you wait here in the car.”

  I snorted. “How’re you going to take her down?”

  “I’m the law here. I even have the badge and handcuffs to prove it, remember?”

  I sighed in frustration. “Rose is a Winter Witch. You saw a little of what she is capable of tonight. Your metal handcuffs won’t work. I remember once when we were teenagers, her older sister got busted for shoplifting. After Deputy Hexton handcuffed her, Rose’s sister waited until his back was turned and then did some kind of spell that froze the metal cuffs. Rose ran over with an ice hammer, tapped the cuffs, they shattered, and both girls took off down the street.”