Ghost Mortem (Ghost Detective #1) - Jane Hinchey Page 0,65

since I was lying right on top of it. Holy heck, Brett Baxter had been right about the witches. Had he suspected his aunt? But he hadn't mentioned her specifically when I asked him about his case, and Ben had made no mention of it in his notes. But to be fair, Ben hadn't taken any notes on Brett's case at all.

I was feeling strangely calm as I lay there and put all the pieces together. Somehow Mrs. Hill must have got wind that Ben was looking into the whole witchcraft thing and killed him before he could out her. Which was a tad extreme. I also noticed something else. The numbness pervading my body was fading and I was getting a pins and needles sensation in my fingers and face. I couldn't have gotten the full dose since I hadn't drunk all of the tea. I could only hope Mrs. Hill failed to take that into the equation.

She was flicking through a book, licking her finger and pinching the corner of each page, scanning the contents, only to lick and flick again. Eventually, she settled on a page. "Yes. That should do it," she murmured before she picked up a knife. A big, sharp-looking knife that looked strangely familiar. Was it Ben's? Of course, lying here solving the mystery of Ben's murder was one thing, but seeing that knife in her hand, the way the candlelight glinted off the blade, drove it home to me. She intended to kill me, right here, right now. I had to do something. I couldn't lie here and accept my fate so meekly. Easy enough to say if I weren't partially paralyzed. I willed the drug to leave my system faster, experimented with moving my fingers, seeing how much movement had returned, all without tipping her off. Get her talking. Distract her.

I made a garbled noise in my throat and she glanced at me, almost surprised to find me on her floor. "Oh, I suppose you’re wondering what's going on, Audrey dear?" She sounded positively friendly.

"You see, my silly nosy nephew was poking his nose in where it doesn't belong and stumbled upon this." She indicated the room we were now in. "So of course he wanted to know all about it, and wanted to join my coven. I couldn't have that. The truth is, I'm just a dabbler. I needed a hobby to keep me occupied during the winter months when the garden is dormant. And I actually got the idea from Brett himself." She laughed. "He was spouting on about his theories one Sunday at lunch and he landed on magic and witchcraft and I admit, it piqued my interest. I mean it's mostly herbs and crystals and meditation, you know? But I created a wonderful tonic for my garden. Have you seen my hyacinths this season?"

I hmmd in my throat. Keep talking, Crazy Pants. "The last thing I needed was Brett telling everyone. I mean, really? Witchcraft?" She tsked. "Then the stupid boy goes and hires my neighbor to investigate! Can you believe it? He thought I was lying about not having a coven and that brain of his, well, it just doesn't fire on all cylinders I'm afraid. So of course every woman he crossed paths with was a potential witch and he just had to know. You know?"

I knew they were both bat shit crazy. Instead, I blinked and made another murmuring noise in my throat.

"I didn't mean to kill Ben." She was examining the knife now. "I popped over to make sure he understood that what Brett had hired him for was pure nonsense. He was in the kitchen, cleaning up—such a house proud young man—and he was hand washing some cutlery he didn't want to put in the dishwasher, so I picked up the tea towel and began drying. I didn't think anything of it. And then..." She paused and I gurgled for her to continue. "I got a little agitated. He's sharp. Put two and two together straightaway and asked me outright if I was practicing witchcraft. And he kinda turned toward me and I was just so shocked I shoved this into his belly." She indicated the blade in her hand. "I don't know who was more surprised!" Her voice went up and she clutched at her pearls. "Me or Ben. I mean, I was aghast and I pulled the knife out and he's clutching his stomach and blood is coming out and he