A Ghoulish Midlife (Witching After Forty #1) - Lia Davis Page 0,43

shrill voice. “They found a body!”

My blood ran cold. My mouth hung open for a few moments before I asked, “Not another one?” What the hell was going on? “Before I came back to Shipton Harbor, the town had seen like one murder in its entire existence? Now we’ve had how many in the two weeks I’ve been home?”

“This is number two,” Owen said. “I was almost three.”

“Is it supernatural?” I asked.

Olivia shrugged. “How would we know?”

That was a good point. Sam wouldn’t know how to tell, and if Drew knew, he wasn’t telling. None of us were sure yet what in the world Drew was.

Alfred set another plate at the table and pointed to Olivia. She gave him a pleasant smile and dug in. “Thanks, Alfred.”

“Where’s Sammie?” I asked.

“Oh, on the way home last night Sam’s mom called and asked for him to come stay, so we dropped him off. It’s so nice having the grandparents close.”

I nodded. That would’ve been nice for me when Wallie was little, but Clay had insisted we live in Philadelphia, near his family. His uncle was the next best thing.

I loved my husband with all my heart, but I wouldn't have let Wallie stay with his mother for a whole night for all the money in the world. Or free babysitters.

Clay got his dislike for magic from his mother. She thought people with powers were the devil. So, no, I wouldn’t let Wallie stay with her for long periods. I once caught her pouring Holy Water over my son’s head after the first time he showed signs of using magic. That was the last time she kept him for more than a few hours. Even then it was because I had no choice.

I was lucky in that Uncle Wade was Clay’s father’s brother and thought Clay’s mom was crazy. Wade and I bonded over that.

Sam called a few minutes later. Olivia jumped when her phone rang, making me laugh. After answering it, she relayed information to us. “The coroner has loaded the body up. It was pretty bloated, but it looks like it was Betty Knolls.”

I gasped. Betty was my aunt’s friend and the town’s realtor. How in the world was that possible? Olivia put her hand over the phone mouthpiece. “What?”

“Betty was supposed to be my realtor. She was friends with Aunt Winnie. But when I got to town and called her, her daughter told me she retired and moved to Florida. But she was a witch, not a necromancer. I guess that kills our theory that if she’s a hunter she’s after necromancers.”

“Uh…” Olivia shook her head. “Betty didn’t have a daughter. Just a son.” She returned her attention back to Sam on the phone. “Can you get us in to check and see if it’s a supernatural death?” A few seconds later, she hung up. “Let’s go!”

Thank you, Sam.

I ran upstairs to change clothes and do something with my hair. It looked a mess, so I slapped on a ball cap that said I Smell Children, a nod to my favorite witchy Halloween movie, and headed for the stairs.

When I went back downstairs, I found Alfred cleaning up after breakfast. “You better get upstairs when you’re done and lock yourself in the bedroom. The construction crew will be here any minute.”

Alfred nodded.

“Okay, I’ll see you in a bit.” I jogged outside to find Olivia behind her steering wheel of her 4-Runner and Owen in the backseat.

“I guess you’re with us now?” I asked.

He grinned at me. “That okay?”

I shrugged. “I guess.” He was nice enough. I kind of felt guilty for judging him based on his appearance. Besides, he could verify if Betty was killed by magic. I wasn’t a hundred percent sure what to look for.

Olivia drove us straight to the hospital and circled around to pull into a small alcove. “This is where they take deliveries, but the morgue is right down the hall,” she said. “Makes it easier and more discreet to load and unload bodies without the public seeing.”

Nodding, I unclipped my seatbelt and got out, noting Sam holding the hospital door open for us. “We need to hurry. I haven’t been able to think up an excuse for why you’re here.”

“We won’t be here long. Owen and I will be able to tell if it was death by magic. Then we’ll leave.” I slid past Sam and entered the hallway that led to the morgue.

We came to a sliding glass door that opened automatically. I really didn’t want