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 NO PAW-DON FOR YOU

CORRINE WINTERS
Copyright © 2022 by Corrine Winters

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical
means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission
from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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 CONTENTS

Also by Corrine Winters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Preview
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34

Also by Corrine Winters

 ALSO BY CORRINE WINTERS

Kitten Witch Mystery

Dramatic Paws
Momentary Paws
Temporary Paws
Probable Paws

Sudden Paws
Tricky Paws
Lethal Paws
Perilous Paws
Hidden Paws
Dangerous Paws
Wild Paws
Tart Paws
Mysterious Paws

Familiar Curses Mystery

Witch’s Treat
Broom Mates
Witch Please
Occulture Shock

Hex and the City

Witching & Moaning
Life’s A Witch
Bottom Witch
Boss Witch
Payback’s A Witch
 ONE

Casper had always been a town of magic. Many of the residents

were of the shifter and witch community. But now, the small
mountain town was taking on a new reputation.
A place to disappear. And not by choice.
It had been almost a week since Donovan had disappeared.
Donovan had come to Casper because his brother, Collin, had been
among the dozens of men who had disappeared from the Casper
area. He stayed behind after his brother had been found dead. Part
of the reason he had stayed was because he wanted to see justice
for his brother’s murder. The other part was because of the budding
relationship between him and Oona Edwards.
After Donovan had been missing for a couple of days, Lilith
McRae, one of the local witches and Oona’s best friend, pulled her
aside and said, “I know that it is going to be torture, but I think that
we have to go visit Donovan’s mother and tell her that he’s missing.”
“I know,” Oona moaned. “But this will kill her. First, she loses
Collin and now she’s lost Donovan. It’s hard enough on me. I can’t
imagine how awful it will be for her.”
“She has to know,” Lilith said. “She’ll know that something is
wrong when Donovan doesn’t go visit her this weekend, like he does
every weekend. I’m surprised she hasn’t already figured something
out, since he hasn’t been calling her. It’s better that we tell her
exactly what happened so she isn’t left in the dark and wondering.”
Sighing heavily, Oona replied, “I know. I do appreciate you
going with me. I don’t think that I could handle this task alone.”
Donovan’s mother actually took the news a lot better than either
Lilith or Oona expected.
“He’s not dead,” she said.
 “I hope not,” Oona said softly, trying not to cry.
“He’ll be found alive,” Mrs. Erickson said. “I know deep in my
heart that he will.”
“We’ll do everything that we possibly can to make that happen,”
Lilith promised.
After having lunch, the two women headed back to Casper.
“Her confidence actually gives me a little bit of hope,” Oona
said.
Lilith hugged her and said, “Me, too.”
“You know that I love him,” Oona confessed.
“It is pretty obvious,” Lilith said. “He loves you as well.”
“We have to find him,” Oona said.
After she had a good cry on Lilith’s shoulder, Oona went back to
her shop. She arranged historical and ghost tours to tourists who
came to Casper. However, Casper had a real scary story going on,
and it had nothing to do with ghosts.
For the last several months, strong, healthy men between the
ages of eighteen and thirty or so had been disappearing. They were
there one minute and gone the next. There had been no sign of a
struggle and there were no clues left behind.
A few of the men had been recovered—dead. All of them,
except for the two who were found completely burned up, showed
signs of being overworked and starved. They also had yellowish-
orange flakes found on them.
The flakes had been identified as wulfenite, which was a
popular crystal in the health and spiritual circles. It not only helped
balance emotions and heal relationships, the crystal was used to
help balance the solar plexus and sacral chakras. It was known to
help people accept the negative aspects of their life in a healthy way
and helped them get rid of their fears. Overall, it had very positive
qualities.
That was why no one could figure out why it was being mined
by these men who were suspected of being forced to work under a
very dark witch, named Gila Gambel. No one could figure out why
such an evil person as Gila would want such large quantities of a
mineral that had such positive qualities.
 Although law enforcement, shifters, and the witches had
searched for the mines, no one could figure out where they were.
The best that Lilith could figure out was that Gila was using a very
strong spell to keep the sites hidden.
Tamara Kendry, a witch and Lilith’s mentor, brought in her niece,
Emily. Emily Malabar, who was thirteen, was a powerful witch in her
own right and was the unofficial manager of Lilith’s shop, Waysilver.
Emily took all of her classes online, so she had a lot of time on her
hands.
“Good morning, Boss Lady,” Lilith smiled at Emily.
“Eh,” Emily said.
“Why ‘eh?’” Lilith asked.
“More dreams,” Emily said, simply.
Emily was somehow spiritually connected to Gila’s undertaking.
She felt the evil and often had dreams about the tunnels and the
men who were kidnapped. It was more than regular dreams though.
Once, Emily had fallen asleep in her room in Thermopolis only to
wake up on the side of Cowboy Mountain in Casper. She had
somehow been transported through her dreams.
Gila was well aware of the connection and had threatened the
little girl more than once. Gila was more powerful than most of the
witches around and could easily have hurt Emily. However, she knew
that if she went after Emily, she would be annihilated as all the
witches in the area would gather together and use their combined
powers to destroy her.
“Did you dream about anything in particular?” Emily asked.
Emily shook her head and said, “Just the usual. I dreamt about
the tunnels and the sounds of the mining. I could hear the whispers
but I couldn’t make out what they said. I had flakes of wulfenite on
my jammies when I woke up this morning.”
“I’m so sorry that you are going through all of this,” Lilith said.
“I wish that I could help you.”
“As soon as we stop Gila and help the men, then the dreams
will stop and I’ll actually be able to sleep at night again,” Emily said.
“I’m going to go back to the workshop and take a nap.”
 Mochi, a lynx cat and Emily’s familiar, followed her back, as did
Toho, a small black cat who was Lilith’s familiar.
“I’m worried about her,” Tamara said. “But there is nothing that
we can do to keep her safe. Even Tara’s charms and spells don’t
seem to be working.”
Tara George was a healer witch, who sold lotions, potions,
soaps, and teas in her shop.
“I don’t know,” Lilith said.
“Did you and Oona go down to talk to Donovan’s mother?”
Tamara asked.
“We did. I was a little surprised at her reaction. I expected her
to be devastated over the news, but she said that she knew
Donovan was alive and that he would be okay,” Lilith reported.
“A mother’s intuition has a lot more magic than a lot of the
witches’ power around here,” Tamara said. “I do hope that she is
right and she isn’t holding onto that belief to keep herself from
having a complete meltdown,” Tamara said.
“I know. Losing one son was bad enough. I can’t imagine the
pain of losing two,” Lilith replied.
“She is getting to be more brazen,” Tamara said. “Before, she
was just taking single men who were alone—except for Cody and
Jackson. Now she seems to be going after anyone she can.”
Cody had been a free climb mountain climber who had come to
Casper for the competition. Jackson had been a long time resident
who was about to go to college. He was going to participate in the
free climb competition to try to get some extra money for college.
They were the third and fourth of the men to go missing. They had
gone to Cowboy Mountain one afternoon to get some practice in.
Hours later, their friend had reported them missing. When
authorities investigated, they found Cody’s car, his truck full of
untouched mountain climbing equipment. Both men were missing.
There was no sign of a struggle. No one knew what to think at the
time. Now, everyone was aware that there was a problem, especially
since more and more men had turned up missing—some of whom
were later found dead.
 The mundane folks in town were extremely confused, as only a
few of them knew that there is a large witch and shifter community
in town. One of the theories floating around was that there were
aliens abducting the men.
However, those who know about the magical community knew
that there was an evil witch behind it. However, the witches’ counsel
hadn’t been able to prove it with tangible evidence, so they felt like
they couldn’t do anything with her.
“I heard that she even went after a married man who had two
kids,” Lilith said.
“Yeah, John Jones,” Tamara said. “What I don’t understand is
why this hasn’t made national news. You would think that the
number of men who had gone missing in a city as small as Casper
would be noticed.”
“I don’t know. It hasn’t even been reported by the local
newspapers much. Just an occasional ‘Another Man Gone Missing in
the Casper Area’ headline,” Lilith said. “Then the story just
disappears.
“The people in Casper, at least, are figuring things out. Women
aren’t letting their sons, boyfriends, brothers, or husbands out of
sight,” Tamara remarked. “Not that it will save them if things keep
going the way they are. She’s taking them in pairs now. She took the
two tourists almost right in front of their families a few weeks ago.”
Lilith nodded and said, “It is certainly a terrifying ordeal. We’ve
got to find a way to stop her.”
“I know. I’m just as concerned for Emily as I am for the men.
The dreams, the visions, and the connection to Gila are way too
much for a thirteen year old girl to handle,” Tamara said. “It would
be too much for me to handle, and I’m quite a bit older with a lot
more experience.”
“I know exactly what you mean,” Lilith said. “Unfortunately, I’m
afraid that it’s only going to get worse for her. I have a feeling that
she is the key to solving this mystery.”
“I’m pretty sure that you’re right,” Tamara said. “Unless all of
this kills her before she has a chance to solve anything.”
 TWO

Oona dropped by Lilith’s shop the next morning. Emily was at the
front counter.
“You look terrible, Miss Oona,” the young witch said.
“Thank you,” Oona smiled. “I feel the way that I look. As a
matter of fact, you look as tired as I feel. You are still having those
dreams, aren’t you?”
Emily nodded. “They are coming every night now. I think that
Mochi is starting to know when they begin though, because
sometimes she wakes me up before I go deep into the dream and
end up somewhere else.”
“That’s a good thing. I’m so sorry that you are going through
that,” Oona said.
Emily just smiled tiredly at her. “Lilith is in the workshop. She is
actually working on some of the orders that we have, plus making
some jewelry to put in our displays.”
“I heard that she has taught you the trade and you are a
talented silversmith, too,” Oona said.
A spark of excitement flashed in Emily’s eyes and she said, “I
have learned the ways of the force. I made these earrings.”
Emily pulled her hair back so that Oona could see the silver and
turquoise earrings that she wore.
“They are gorgeous. That takes a lot of skill,” Oona
complimented.
“Thanks.” Emily smiled shyly.
Oona headed back to the workroom, where Lilith was working
on some bracelets that a customer had ordered a couple of weeks
ago.
“What’s up?” Lilith asked.
 Just then, Tamara arrived, smiled, and said, “Oh, look, it's a
party.”
“I just came by to see if Lilith wanted to come over for a movie
and some pizza tonight. Of course, you and Emily are invited as
well,” Oona said.
“Actually, we are going to the event center to see that country
band that has come to town,” Lilith said.
Lilith and Tamara exchanged glances and Tamara said, “Yes,
and you are going to come with us.”
“I’m not really in the mood to go on a public outing,” Oona said.
“Besides, how good do you think that a band called ‘Chicken Fried
Steak’ can be?”
“Their name was just supposed to reflect their country
background,” Lilith said. “Although I do have to admit that it’s a little
weird.”
“They have great reviews, though,” Tamara replied. “I hear that
the lead singer, Nash, has an incredible voice.”
“I don’t know. Like I said, I’ve not really been in the mood to go
out lately,” Oona stated.
Just then, Emily came into the back and informed her, “If I have
to go, you have to go. End of story.”
The young witch crossed her arms and did a quick nod of her
head.
“Isn’t that the move that Jeannie of I Dream of Jeannie did
when she made spells happen?” Oona said. “Are you trying to
bewitch me?”
“No, Samantha on Bewitched would twitch her nose. I can’t
twitch my nose,” Emily said.
Everyone laughed. It was good to see that Emily still had her
sassy sense of humor even after all of the trauma that she had
experienced.
“Fine,” Oona said. “I’ll go, but only because Emily is forcing me
to. But I’m not going to like it.”
Everyone laughed at that statement.
“Suit yourself,” Lilith said. “You can sit in your seat with your
grumpy face all you want to. At least you’ll be out of the house.”
 “I’ll come by and get you,” Tamara said. “You had better be
ready to go or I’ll send Emily in after you.”
Emily smiled at Oona and wiggled her eyebrows at her.
“Is that another spell movement?” Oona asked, teasing her.
“Yes,” Emily said. “Since ponytail bops and nose twitching are
taken, I have to find my own unique way to cast spells.”

LILITH ARRIVED A LITTLE EARLY. She had paid for the floor seats,
close to the stage. The tickets didn’t cost that much, and she liked
being able to see the performance with her own eyes instead of
having to watch it on the big screens they hung above the stage.
She found the four seats and had just set her jacket down when
she heard loud voices coming from the back of the stage. Curious,
she moved a little closer.
“You are complete morons! I can’t believe that after all of this
time, you can’t set everything up the way that I want. The purple
and red lights are supposed to cross with the orange and blue lights.
The blue and purple lights don’t go together!” Nash screamed at his
light set up crew.
Then, Nash yelled again, “And you are just as stupid! You know
that I like to have the amps off to my right and not my left. You
know that I need to have the mics off to the side, since I’ll be using
the portable one. Come on, Bobby, you’ve done this a hundred times
and you still can’t get anything right!”
The Bobby in question, who looked to be his sound tech guy,
said, “I know what you like. But this stage is set up different than
the other stages you’re used to. We have to set things up according
to how the stage is prepped.”
“Quit making excuses, idiot. Just do what I tell you to!” Nash
yelled. “Tell Shane to get his butt in here.”
Shane, who Lilith remembered from interviews as Nash’s
manager, apparently showed up backstage a couple of minutes later,
because the shouting started all over again.
“Why in the world am I in Casper, Wyoming? It’s cold here. The
wind never stops blowing. The event center is very small?” Nash
complained. “You need to start doing a better job of lining me up
some primo gigs or you’re fired.”
“If you weren’t such a jerk to work with, I would be able to get
you gigs in bigger places. You made the guy in Denver so angry that
he said he would never have you back in his place, even if you
managed to sell a million platinum albums. The guy in Cheyenne
pretty much said the same thing,” Shane said. “Casper is one of the
few places in the area that hasn’t blacklisted you, and if you keep
this up, they’ll do the same thing.”
“We can’t make any money here. Only half of the seats are even
filled and it’s a small venue,” Nash yelled.
“And if you don’t start treating people better, you won’t even get
this,” Shane replied.
“Shut up and get out of my sight,” Nash roared. “You make me
sick.”
Shane made some kind of response, although Lilith wasn’t sure
what it was, since he said it a lot quieter and it sounded like he was
walking away.
“Am I at a country music concert or am I at a hockey game?”
Lilith asked herself.
Tamara, Emily, and Lilith strolled up to her after the fight had
finished.
“She wasn’t going to come,” Emily said. “But then, I just turned
myself invisible and goosed her. I kept doing it until she got off the
couch and into Tamara’s car.”
One of Emily’s strong and unique talents was that she could
become invisible for up to ten minutes. That was a very handy skill if
she felt like getting into mischief.
“Isn’t it illegal for her to use her magic in a bad way?” Oona
complained. “Where’s Dana? I’m going to make a complaint to the
witches’ counsel.
Dana Craig, a witch who owned a motorcycle shop and rode
with the motorcycle club, Casper Mountain Angels, was also a
member on the security team of the witches’ counsel. The security
team was designed to enforce the rules.
 “She used her magic with great intentions, so she would be
fine,” Lilith said.
“Grrr,” Oona said, but she had a slight smile on her face.
The Nash that appeared on stage was much different than the
one that Lilith had heard earlier backstage. He was all smiles and
greeted the fans warmly.
“How are you doing, Casper? I’m so happy to see all of you!” he
roared into the mic.
The crowd gave him the obligatory claps, whistles, and
greetings.
Then, all of the sudden, a dark look came over his face. He
motioned for one of the security guys to come over to him. He
rapidly spoke a few words and pointed to a person in the audience.
Lilith was close enough to hear that Nash was annoyed by someone
in the audience and that he had a restraining order against the guy.
The security guy walked over the man who Nash had pointed
out. After a brief conversation, the security guy headed back to the
stage and spoke with Nash.
Lilith heard the security guy say, “The restraining order says
that he can’t come within five hundred feet of you. He is much
further than that, so he can stay.”
“I’ll have you fired for not doing your job,” Nash snarled at the
guy. “I’ll deal with that little idiot later.”
“Nice fella, isn’t he?” Emily remarked.
“He does seem to have a very sunny disposition,” Tamara said,
her voice dripping with sarcasm.
“He probably wasn’t always this way. Too many people let their
fame go to their heads,” Lilith replied. “But this will be the last time
that I give any money for any of his concerts or music. I just can’t
support a jerk like this.”
Lilith quickly relayed what she had heard when she first arrived.
“His mama forgot a spanking or two while he was growing up,”
Tamara remarked. “If she would have whooped him a couple more
times, he might not be such a jerk.”
“I don’t know. Some people turn out good or bad regardless of
their upbringing,” Oona said. “I know that childhood plays a huge
part in your development, but at a certain point in your life, you
know the difference between right and wrong and you can make
those kinds of choices. This includes how you treat people.”
“I agree with you there,” Lilith said.
Although the rest of the concert went very well, Lilith was left
with a very bad taste in her mouth when it was over. The man just
gave off a whole lot of bad vibes.
 THREE

Once the concert actually got started, Lilith had to admit that the
man could sing. Like most singers, his voice sounded even better in
real life than it did on the radio. He mostly sang cover songs, and
did a great job of belting out songs from Garth Brooks, George
Strait, Travis Tritt, Randy Travis and a whole bunch of other country
singers. In between those, he even had a couple of his own songs
that he crooned.
“He does sound good,” Oona admitted.
“That he does,” Tamara agreed.
“He does give concert goers what they paid for, but to me, how
a person treats everyone around them is more important than
anything else,” Lilith said.
“People like him let their success go to their heads. They forget
that there are thousands of people out in the world that are just like
them. How many people are singing their hearts out on social media
just waiting to be discovered and would keep their humanity once
they make it?” Tamara observed.
“Part of the problem is that they think that they are the entire
show. They completely forget that without the rest of the people
around them—like the sound guy, the lighting guy, and the guy who
sets up his gigs—they’d be nothing,” Lilith said.
“I think that it’s the same with a lot of businesses. They forget
that it is the workers who make their business successful. You treat
your workers terribly, production goes down or they just quit, and
then where are you—nowhere,” Oona added.
“That is very true,” Lilith said.
After the concert was over, Lilith, Oona, Tamara, and Emily
headed outside. They spotted Chrysalis near the tour bus and
headed over to talk to her. Although Chrysalis wasn’t from the area,
they still knew of her. She traveled with Nash as his spiritual advisor.
She also liked to make potions.
“How are you?” Lilith asked her.
“I’m good. I didn’t realize that traveling around all the time
would be so exhausting,” Chrysalis said. “And I never knew how
much I would kill for a home cooked meal.”
They laughed and said, “Fame has its price,” Lilith said.
“I guess so,” Chrysalis said. “To be honest, I don’t know that it’s
worth it.”
“We heard him, um, talking rather loudly to some people before
the show. Does he do that to you too?” Lilith asked.
Chrysalis gave a hollow laugh, shook her head, and said, “No,
but it’s not because he likes me more or respects me more. He’s
afraid of me. I am a witch, after all, and he has seen all the horror
movies.”
“There is something to be said for television,” Tamara laughed.
“Take care of yourself.”
Lilith, Oona, Tamara, and Emily headed over to The Well, which
was a bar and grill. It was owned by a mortal, named Melissa, who
was well aware of paranormal communities that lived in the area.
Soon after they arrived, Nash showed up with a beautiful
woman on his arm. He spent the next half hour being all smiles to
the people who wanted his autograph.
Melissa brought them some nachos and sweet iced tea and then
sat down with them.
“He’s all smiles with the fans but he is a total jerk to the
waitress,” Melissa reported. “He wanted to run a tab, but I refused
because I know the type. He would stiff me in a heart break. And
just because he’s being a jerk, I’m adding in a tip of twenty percent
to the bill just because I know he won’t give the waitress anything.”
“It’s funny that people who are famous and rich are the ones
who pull that kind of stunt. I remember a couple of years ago a very
famous actor went into a club, ordered drinks for everyone, and then
refused to pay for them because the club should have been happy
that he was there. They actually had to take him to court,” Lilith
said.
“I remember that. He had just finished another big movie in a
very successful franchise,” Oona said. “I had the biggest crush on
him until that happened. As far as I’m concerned, you can be the
hottest man in the world, but as soon as you start acting like a jerk,
you become very ugly in my eyes.”
The women watched the scene unfolding in front of them with
amusement. Nash’s girlfriend was all over him, fawning on him, and
dropping little kisses on him. She fed him French fries, and once
even wiped his face with a napkin for him.
Melissa shook her head and grinned.
“I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if she started picking up his glass
and holding it to his mouth while he drank from it,” Melissa stated.
Everyone laughed, and Lilith said, “If I didn’t know better, I
would think that he was paying her to act like that. No self-
respecting human being would do that.”
“Some would, though, just because they are that excited about
being with a celebrity,” Emily said.
The other women agreed with her. After a little bit, they decided
that they were going to head out. Tamara and Emily would stay with
Lilith since their house was an hour away and Lilith always had a
room ready for them.
“I think that Oona came out of her stupor a little bit tonight,”
Lilith said once the trio got to her place.
“Maybe just a tiny bit,” Tamara said. “I doubt if it will last,
though. I hate to say it, but you know as well as I do that the
chances of Donovan coming out of the mine alive is next to nothing.
I don’t know how she’ll handle it if and when he is found.”
“That is for sure,” Lilith replied. “To be honest, I don’t know how
I would be if I was in her shoes.”
“Me either. The best that we can do is be there for her,” Tamara
said.
Then, she stretched, yawned, and said, “I need to get some
sleep. I think our little sleeping beauty has already passed out in
there.”
 “I just hope she is able to get a good night’s rest,” Lilith said.
“I’m worried about her, as well.”
“I am too,” Tamara said. “It’s a lot for a little one to bear.”
After Tamara went to her room, Lilith sat on the couch and
pulled open the drawer of the end table. She hesitated for a brief
second and then pulled out the ring that she had stashed in there.
Tamara came out of her room and saw that Lilith was holding
the gold ring that had an emerald center with tiny diamond hearts
on either side. When Lilith saw Tamara looking at her, she hastily
shoved the ring back into the drawer.
“I thought that you were going to bed,” Lilith said.
“I needed a drink of water,” Tamara said.
“You know, you can take bottles of water into your room,” Lilith
replied.
“But then I wouldn’t be able to come out and see you looking at
the ring that Josiah gave you,” Tamara said.
Josiah Campbell was the homicide detective for the Casper
Police Department. He and Lilith had dated for the better part of a
year and Lilith had fallen hard for him. Everything had been great
until he’d started acting strange, breaking dates, and keeping
secrets. Then, Lilith found him at a restaurant with another woman
and discovered that she was staying at his house.
She had asked Josiah about everything, but he kept saying that
he couldn’t talk about it until he figured everything out. He kept
asking her to trust him and told her that he cared about her.
However, when the strange woman opened up the door to his house
when Lilith went over to talk about their relationship, Lilith was
done.
“You haven’t talked to him at all?” Tamara said.
“Nope. He’s called a few times, but I’ve heard everything he has
to say already,” Lilith said. “How many more times do I have to hear
him apologize and tell me that he cares about me one minute and
then see him with another woman the next?”
“I don’t blame you for being upset,” Tamara said. “I think that
you handled it a lot better than I would have.”
Lilith just smiled at her friend.
 “How are you going to work cases with him if you haven’t talked
to him?” Tamara asked. “Or are you even going to continue working
cases?”
Lilith had been hired by the police department as a consultant
or a liaison between the police and the public.
“I don’t know. I’ve thought about not acting as a consultant
anymore, although I do have to admit that I like the challenge. In
my mind, Josiah’s and my relationship will be strictly business and
nothing more,” Lilith said.
“How is that going to work? You know that partners talk about
things outside of their professional life,” Tamara said.
“I honestly don’t know,” Lilith replied. “I guess that I’ll just cross
that bridge when I get there. Maybe no one else will be murdered in
Casper. We have had a higher than normal rate of murders in this
town lately. Maybe things will just settle down and everyone can get
along.”
“Sure, they can,” Tamara said. “And I’m going to be the next
head of the witches’ counsel.”
“You had better talk to Edna about that,” Lilith laughed.
Edna Quirk was a tiny old lady with a full head of curly silver
hair. She was of indeterminate age and full of vim and vinegar. After
the last head of counsel ended up being busted for running a human
trafficking ring of shifters, Edna had taken over and worked hard to
make sure that the witches in counsel were truly white witches.
“Edna is immortal. I’m sure that she is going to be the leader
for at least the next century. Her first ride probably was a
broomstick,” Tamara laughed.
Lilith laughed. Tamara always did have a way of making her feel
better.
“Let’s get some sleep. We never know what tomorrow is going
to bring,” Tamara said.
She had no idea how profound her words were.
 FOUR

Lilith felt better the next morning. She and Emily stopped by the
bakery shop. Emily opted for some hot chocolate and a maple glazed
donut. Lilith got her favorite—a mocha and a cherry cheesecake
Danish. They also bought a salted caramel latte for each of the cats.
“I can’t believe you got Mochi and Toho addicted to these
things,” Lilith told Emily.
“That’s what you get, leaving me alone for hours with them
locked in the workroom. You had to expect that I would do
something,” Emily retorted.
“Yeah, but get them hooked on salted caramel lattes? And on
top of that, you taught them how to use the iPads to look for shows
to watch. Toho found my Netflix account, and now he spends hours
watching Supernatural, critiquing it,” Lilith said.
“Just think about what else I can teach them when you go off
investigating murders,” Emily replied, rubbing her hands together
and giving an evil laugh.
“You’re a turkey, you know that?” Lilith said.
“Thank you. Gobble, gobble,” Emily retorted.
They headed over to Waysilver. Lilith began prepping the store
to open it, while Emily broke out her laptop. The rule was that she
had to get her school work done before she could do any of her
managerial duties for the shop.
Oona dropped in before they opened and asked, “Have you
heard the news?”
Lilith’s heart dropped. She was afraid that Oona would report
that more men had gone missing from the area.
“Nooo,” Lilith replied. “What news would that be?”
 “Nash’s body was found lying on the stage at the event center
this morning by the clean-up crew,” Oona reported.
“He mouthed off to one person too many,” Emily stated. “It can
happen.”
Oona nodded and replied, “Yes, it can. People have been killed
for a lot less.” Then she looked at Lilith. “Are you going to work the
case with Josiah?”
“Probably. We can be completely professional. It might be super
hard,” Lilith admitted. “However, I’ve always managed to do what
needs to be done.”
Emily was already picking up her stuff and moving to the
workroom. Since she had a bullseye on her back from the evil witch,
Gila, Lilith always made sure that Emily was locked in the workroom
and also in the shop. It might not stop the witch, but hopefully, it
could slow her down.
Josiah called her about three minutes later.
“Good morning. How are you?” he asked.
“Good. I hope you are,” Lilith replied curtly.
“It looks like we have another case at the event center. I can
drop by to pick you up,” he said.
“No thanks,” Lilith said. “I’ll drive. I’ll see you there in about ten
minutes.”
She hung up before Josiah could say anything else to her.
Lilith looked at Toho and Mochi and said, “I need you guys to do
more than watch television programs on the iPad. Your job is to
protect your witch, Mochi. Toho, I should be safe enough, so I need
you to help Mochi keep an eye on things, and not just Castiel.”
“But he’s my favorite character,” Toho argued.
“I like Crowley,” Mochi said.
Lilith just shook her head. She knew that as silly as the cats
acted, they would both die before they let anything happen to Emily.
Toho had saved Lilith’s life on more than one occasion.
She locked the door to the workroom and then to the shop itself
before hopping into her truck and heading over to the event center.
Josiah had just arrived, and they walked in together.
 The manager of the place ran over to them and said, “I’m so
glad you’re here. They guys came in to clean and sanitize the place
and they found Nash lying on the stage.”
“Who had access to the place after the concert was over?”
Josiah asked.
“I locked up after the major cleanup was done—you know,
picking up the trash, mopping spills, and that type of thing. We
came in this morning to do the rest. The body wasn’t there when I
left last night. I don’t know who could have got in,” the manager
said, his voice shaking.
He was pale and his eyes bulged. He looked like he was going
to be ill any second, although there wasn’t any gore. Nash was lying
on the stage, his eyes closed, and his arms folded over his chest. He
looked like he had simply gone to sleep.
“When I came in, I saw him. I walked over and tapped him on
the shoulder because I thought he was asleep. He was cold and
stiff,” the manager said.
This time, he did rush off to be sick in a nearby trash can.
One of the officers came from backstage and said, “None of the
doors back there had been jimmied. There were no signs of a forced
entry. No one came in any of the front doors, either. That means
that whoever came in to dump the body here either had a key, a
skeleton key, or a nice pick set.”
Josiah patted the officer on the back and said, “I appreciate it.
Good work.”
Lilith spotted something on the body and walked a little closer.
“Josiah, look at this,” she said, pointing at the eyes.
“Pennies on the eyes?” he asked. “I wonder what that means.”
“In a lot of cultures, you need to have money when you die so
you can get to your final destination. For example, in Greek
mythology, you need money to pay the ferryman, Charon, to take
your soul across the River Styx to Hades. There, your soul will be
judged and sent to Elysium Fields or heaven, Tartarus or hell, or
purgatory, which is the in-between state for people whose souls are
equally good and bad,” Lilith said.
“What if you don’t have the money?” Josiah queried.
 “You’d be stuck as ghosts, not able to exist in any world,” Lilith
explained. “The killer put money here, but not much. I wonder if it
was a symbol of eternal damnation and that the killer wanted Nash’s
soul to never find any kind of peace.”
“That makes sense,” Josiah said. “After all, the majority of
people don’t kill others because they want their victims to be happy
and find peace. Only mercy killers want that, and I’m guessing that
this does not fall into the category of a mercy killing.”
“I doubt that. Oona, Tamara, Emily and I were here last night
for the concert. He was extremely nasty to the sound guy, light guy,
and his manager while they were backstage. It was loud enough
that I could hear them from my seats. Then, when he came on
stage, he saw someone he didn’t like and tried to have him removed
from the arena, but apparently couldn’t,” Lilith told him. “Based on
what the manager said, Nash is a jerk to everyone.”
“So, what you’re saying is that there are going to be a whole lot
of potential suspects,” Josiah said.
Lilith heaved a heavy sigh and said, “That is exactly what I’m
saying.”
“Lilith, I wanted to talk to you,” Josiah started to say.
Cedric, the medical examiner, who was also a bear shifter,
happened to arrive before he could continue.
“I hear that there is someone here who needs my assistance,”
he said.
“Yeah,” Josiah said. “It seems that this guy came here for a
concert last night and ended up staying for the long haul.”
Cedric moved closer to the body and said, “Hmm, pennies.
Someone didn’t think very highly of him.”
He removed a couple of instruments from his bag and then,
after a few minutes reported, “His liver temperature indicates that
he’s been dead since about two in the morning.”
“That works with what the manager said. The manager told us
that the body was stiff when he tried to wake Nash up,” Lilith
replied.
“The fella does look like he’s taking a nice nap there,” Cedric
said. “The blood has settled along his back, which tells me that he
was laid down like this around the time of death or just after.”
He motioned to a couple of other people standing nearby. “Get
him loaded up and take him back to the morgue.” Cedric looked at
Josiah and Lilith. “I’ll let you know what I know as soon as I know
it.”
“Sounds good. Thanks, Cedric,” Lilith said, and then turned to
Josiah. “Let’s go take a look inside of his tour bus and see what we
can find.”
Lilith headed out the door, walking briskly, not giving Josiah the
chance to say anything personal.
The place where Nash spent his time and slept was a mess.
There were small potion bottles everywhere, most of which were
empty. There was a shot glass that was sitting on the table that had
just a smidge of liquid inside of it.
“Someone’s a baseball fan,” Lilith said, holding up the glass with
gloved fingers. “At least a fan of the Kansas City Royals team.”
The shot glass had an insignia of the team’s logo, a crown, on
the front of the glass.
“We’ll take that with us, since it looks like it was used very
recently,” Josiah said. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and we’ll find some
DNA or fingerprints on the glass.”
He pulled out an evidence bag and put it in, signed the bag and
dated it, to make sure to maintain the chain of evidence.
They looked around a little more, but there didn’t seem to be
anything of interest. Lilith thought that it would be nice if Nash had
kept a journal with a note saying, “If I turn up dead X killed me.”
Josiah looked around the rest of the area, which was a complete
mess and said, “We’ll let the crime scene peeps come in and take
care of the rest of this stuff.”
They turned to leave when the tour bus driver started to get on
the bus.
 FIVE

“Hold on, sir. You can’t go on the bus. It’s a crime scene,” Josiah
told him.
A confused look crossed the man’s face.
“What are you talking about?” he asked. “It always looks like
this after a show. Nash comes in here and parties, tearing the bus
up. He pays me extra to clean everything up before we head out.”
“Who are you?” Lilith asked.
“My name is Dave. I’m the bus driver for Chicken Fried Steak,”
he replied. “Why are you guys here?”
“As we mentioned, this is a crime scene. Nash was found on
stage this morning. He’s been murdered,” Josiah replied.
Dave absorbed the information for a moment, looking down at
his feet for a moment. Finally he just shrugged.
“Well, I can’t say that I’m too awfully surprised by that,” Dave
replied. “That kid had a knack for ticking off everyone that he came
in contact with.”
“Was he rude to you, too?” Lilith asked.
“He tried a couple of times. There was one point when I pulled
off on the highway and told him to get off my bus. I refused to move
until he did. He actually apologized and promised that he wouldn’t
ever do it again,” Dave reported.
“Did he?” Josiah asked.
“For the most part he didn’t. If he started getting a little
mouthy, I just shut the partition so I couldn’t hear what he was
saying,” Dave said. “He was just like most bullies. They shut their
yapper and back off when someone stands up to them.”
“Is that why you kept driving for him?” Lilith asked. “Because
you figured out how to make him leave you alone?”
 “That and because he paid double that all the other groups did.
He had pretty much ticked off everyone else and was running out of
choices,” Dave said. “His family is very rich and Nash is an entitled
turkey who seemed to think that money means you get to treat
people however you want to.”
“You didn’t seem too upset when you learned about his death,”
Josiah noted.
“I’m not. Like I said, it wasn’t a surprise. I doubt if there will be
too many people who are going to be upset about it, except maybe
his family, and I’m not even sure about them. Nash hadn’t exactly
been nice to them either,” Dave reported.
“Is there anyone who you could think of who might actually
want to kill Nash—enough to go through with it?” Josiah asked.
“Who wouldn’t?” Dave responded.
“Where have you been while all of this is going on?” Lilith
asked.
“As soon as I parked the van and the concert started, I went to
the hotel. Like I said, Nash likes to party on the bus after the
concerts, so I just leave it here and go do my own thing. The hotel
will verify everything,” Dave told her.
“Well, for now, the bus is off limits,” Josiah said. “Go on back to
the hotel room and don’t leave town.”
“Ay, ay, Captain,” Dave said, giving a mock salute and heading
back outside.
“I think we’ve covered everything here, at least for now,” Josiah
told Lilith.
“Let me know if anything else comes up,” Lilith said. “Have a
good day.”
She headed for her truck. Lilith felt Josiah’s eyes follow her. She
almost felt bad, but then reminded herself that it was his behavior
that caused this rift between them.
That afternoon, Cedric called Lilith.
“How are the cubs?” Lilith asked.
“Growing like crazy,” Cedric said. “Driving their mother crazy.”
“That’s the job that they signed up for,” Lilith replied.
 After a bit more small talk, Cedric said, “I’ve sent an autopsy
report to Josiah, so he might be giving you a call after a bit. Nash
was poisoned with jimsonweed. It usually takes half an hour to an
hour to take effect.”
“How was he poisoned?” Lilith asked.
“Someone took about a hundred to two hundred seeds of the
flower and ground them up into a powder, which was then slipped
into his food or beverage,” Cedric said. “The symptoms include
hallucinations, pupil dilation, heavy thirst, blurred vision, and
problems with his speech. If there was anyone around him
observing, they would just think that he was drunk.”
“Which doesn’t seem to be too farfetched, since it seems as
though drinking was one of his favorite things to do,” Lilith said.
“It gets worse. After the poison takes effect, he would have
problems breathing, his heart rate would go through the roof, and
then he would have seizures. I can tell you that this would not have
been an easy death,” Cedric said.
“If someone picked their poison meticulously, then they would
know that it wouldn’t be a fun way to go,” Lilith observed. “Of
course, he had a lot of people who hated him and probably would
have enjoyed the thought of him suffering.”
“I agree with you,” Cedric said. “I need to get back to work. I
have a young man in front of me who died in a car accident. Such a
tragedy.”
“Take care of yourself,” Lilith said.
A few minutes later, her phone rang again. It was Josiah.
“I’m guessing that you talked to Cedric?” he asked.
“I did,” Lilith replied.
“You know, I was thinking about something. How was his body
transported from the bus, or wherever he was killed, to the stage?
There weren’t any scuff marks on his shoes, and his clothes were
perfect and didn’t show any indication that Nash had been dragged
anywhere,” Josiah said.
“If his killer was strong, he could have been carried. However, a
hundred and eighty pounds of dead weight would have been a
struggle. Plus, the killer would have had to open the door while
holding Nash, because there was no dirt or rocks on his clothes,”
Lilith mused.
“There could have been two killers and they moved the body
together,” Josiah said.
“That is certainly one theory that would work,” Lilith said.
She tapped her chin for a second and said, “You know, I saw a
dolly behind the stage. It’s possible that the person was able to get
him on the dolly and simply wheel him into the event center. It
might not be easy wrestling the dead weight, but it would be easier
than carrying him in.”
“That is a definite possibility,” Josiah said. “I’ll have one of the
guys pick up the dolly so we can test it for DNA and fingerprints,
although, in reality, most of the people could come up with a
legitimate reason for touching the dolly.”
“Sounds good. Let me know if you find out anything
interesting,” Lilith said, and hung up the phone.
Emily looked up from her computer and rubbed her eyes.
“Looking at this thing for too long can definitely give a girl a
headache,” Emily said, rubbing her eyes with her fists, making her
look like a little girl.
“Do you have one of those screens that is supposed to protect
your eyes?” Lilith asked.
“Yeah, but they don’t work when you’ve been staring at a
computer for a long period of time,” Emily said.
“Can you take a break?” Lilith asked.
“Yeah. I’m done for the day,” Emily said.
About that time, her tummy rumbled loudly.
“I guess I had better feed the beast,” Lilith said. “Let’s go get
some lunch.”
They went to their favorite Mexican food restaurant. Lilith
watched in amazement with how much food such a thin young girl
could put away. Of course, she was in her growing stage and she
used a lot of energy trying to keep up a protective shield around her.
Speaking of the evil that harassed Emily, Gila drove by Waysilver
extremely slowly as Lilith and Emily arrived back from lunch. She
tried to stare at Emily, but Lilith stepped in front of her, blocking
Gila’s view. The evil witch’s head was turned for so long, she almost
rear ended the car in front of her.
While the honking and resulting chaos ensued, Lilith ushered
Emily into the building.
“You know, everyone is afraid of her, but I get the feeling that
she’s afraid of me,” Emily said.
“She likely is. You’re the one person who can stop her evil
shenanigans. You can see what she is doing and every once in a
while, you find something tangible so the rest of us can eventually
track down her mines,” Lilith said.
“I really wish that it could be sooner rather than later,” Emily
said. “I’m ready to go back and be a normal person again.”
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible, Boss Lady. You are a very
powerful witch and after everything that you’ve been through,
nothing will ever be the same again,” Lilith told her.
“Okay, I wish that it can be sooner rather than later so that I
can actually get a full night’s sleep,” Emily said.
“That might be doable,” Lilith laughed.
“Can I go practice making some bracelets?” Emily asked.
“Absolutely,” Lilith said.
“Good. Since you are going to be out and about solving another
murder, I can keep up with the orders,” Emily said.
As though to prove her point, Lilith’s phone rang.
“Hey, I just got a report from one of the lab techs,” Josiah said.
“What did they find out?” Lilith asked.
“The shot glass that had a tiny bit of liquid in it tested positive
for Jimsonweed,” Josiah said.
“Wasn’t that the one that had the insignia on it from the Kansas
City Royals?” Lilith asked.
“The very same,” Josiah replied.
“Well, we know the manner and cause of death. We know the
delivery system. The person who killed Nash knew of his partying
habits after his concerts,” Lilith said.
“Unfortunately, that could be just about anyone—even some of
his fans—if he has any left,” Josiah said. “I was just reading a report
where he had got into an altercation with a fan when he was playing
in Cody. The man wanted an autograph and approached him after a
concert. Nash went off on him.”
“I’m going to guess that he didn’t have much of a career left
even if he had lived,” Lilith said. “Thanks for the info. I’ll talk to you
later.”
 SIX

Lilith sat down behind the counter, her chin resting in her hands.
This was one of those kinds of cases that seemed like it might never
be solved. Only this time, it wasn’t because there was a lack of
evidence or suspects. It was because there were so many suspects.
Everyone hated Nash and it seemed as though they had a good
reason.
She wondered whether he ever realized that he had alienated
everyone and that he was essentially alone. Maybe he never got
lonely because he was so enamored of himself. Kind of like that line
from the song that Emily sang once in a while. “I never get
lonesome because I treasure my own company.”
Although she knew that he did it to himself, she kind of felt
sorry for him. She wondered if he had always been a jerk or if he
became a jerk after he got a little bit of fame under his belt.
Lilith stood up and was about to head in the back to the
workshop to work on a set of intricate earrings that Emily wasn’t
quite skilled enough for when the bells on her door rang. She looked
up with a huge smile to greet potential customers and saw that it
was Josiah and the blond girl.
“Hello. How can I help you?” Lilith said, struggling to keep her
voice professional and her smile plastered on her face.
“Please. Go ahead and introduce yourself to Lilith,” Josiah
encouraged the woman.
“My name is Christine Sorenson. I’m actually Josiah’s biological
sister. Our mother put me up for adoption when I was about a year
old because she was so strung out on drugs that she couldn’t take
care of me,” the woman said.
 Lilith froze. This was the last thing that she had expected to
hear.
“She went to rehab after that and got clean, so she decided to
raise Josiah. I’ve always known that I was adopted and I’ve always
wanted to know who my biological parents were, but I didn’t try to
find out anything because I was afraid of hurting the parents who
raised me. They were the best parents ever,” she explained.
As the woman talked, Lilith looked back and forth from her to
Josiah and thought that maybe she could see a small resemblance
between the two of them.
“About a month and a half ago, my biological parents were
killed by a drunk driver, so I thought that it would be a good time to
reach out to my biological family to see if there was any kind of
connection there. I found Josiah,” Christine said.
“I didn’t believe her at first. Neither of my parents ever said a
word about me having an older sibling. I figured that she was just
coming around to run some kind of crazy scam on my family. I did a
DNA test on herself and myself, and discovered that we’re siblings. It
took me a while to wrap my mind around the whole thing. To be
honest, I was in complete shock. In a way, I felt betrayed by my
parents because they hadn’t ever said anything about her,” Josiah
explained. “I don’t know whether they were ashamed that they gave
her up or were afraid that I would try to find her.”
“Once he figured out that I was telling the truth, it was kind of
crazy. I wanted to know everything about my parents and how it
was to be raised by them. Like I said, I had the best adopted
parents ever, but I wanted to know my roots. I had a million
questions,” Christine said.
“Since she lived in Florida, once I knew for sure that she was
my sister, I let her stay in my guest bedroom. Once I got my brain
together and could explain everything to you, you didn’t want to talk
to me. I guess I don’t blame you,” Josiah said.
“I told him from the outset that he should explain to you that a
strange woman had arrived claiming to be his sister and he needed
to investigate. It would have been that simple. But noooooo, he
didn’t want to listen to me,” Christine said.
 “Men never want to listen to women,” Lilith said, smiling at the
woman.
Lilith felt weeks of pent up tension oozing out of her muscles
and body. She was certain that she was about to melt into a puddle
of mush on the floor.
“I’m sorry that I hurt you and stressed you out,” Josiah said.
“I understand and I accept your apology,” Lilith said.
“It’s been a long day,” Josiah said. “Christine is going back home
tomorrow, because she has to go back to work. Why don’t we go
out for dinner and start on the case tomorrow?”
“I think that you and Christine have a lot of catching up to do.
I’m behind on some of my murder shows. Toho and I will binge
watch some of those. I’ll get to know Christine the next time she
comes up for a visit,” Lilith replied.
“That sounds lovely. Who is Toho?” Christine asked.
“Toho is my pet cat who has an incredible attitude and has
developed a craving for binge watching Supernatural and drinking
salted caramel lattes, thanks to my shop manager,” Lilith said.
“You rang?” Emily said, coming out of the back. “Mom is waiting
for me outside.”
“Be safe and try to get some sleep tonight,” Lilith said, hugging
the young witch.
“She’s your office manager?” Christine asked, watching Emily
hop into the car with Mochi.
“She’s a protégé,” Lilith said. “Does all her school work online
and then runs my shop too. I contribute a lot to her college fund.
“Christine and I are going to head out. Are you sure that you
don’t want to come with us?” Josiah asked.
“I’m sure,” Lilith agreed. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Lilith went home that night with a huge smile on her face. She
had missed hanging out with Josiah, and she was glad that she
found out the truth. She was still a little frustrated that he didn’t
simply trust her with the truth from the very beginning, but she
supposed that he had to do things in his own time.
After making herself some dinner, she took a shower and pulled
on her favorite jammies. Then, she slid the ring that Josiah had
given her back on her finger.
Christine’s plane left at ten, and Josiah was in Lilith’s shop
shortly after.
“You mentioned that there were several nasty altercations
before the concert. Let’s start with some of those people. They had
the opportunity and motive,” Josiah said.
“Sounds good. Let me lock up Emily and the cats,” Lilith said.
She went to the back room and was shocked to see Emily sound
asleep on the couch in the workroom. Mochi looked up and put a
furry paw to her mouth as though she was shushing Lilith.
Her heart went out to the little girl, because those nightmares
were taking a toll on her mentally and physically.
“Let’s talk to Shane first. He has a rap sheet. He’s been busted
for assault a couple of times. It appears that our band manager has
a bit of a temper,” Josiah said.
“Sounds good,” Lilith said.
Shane was in his hotel room when they arrived, and was not too
happy about having to stay in Casper.
“It’s about time you got here. Let’s get the interrogation over
with. I have other business to take care of,” he said.
“I heard that you got into an argument with Nash the night he
was murdered,” Josiah said.
“Yeah. We argued about every night. He’d always get stressed
before an event and it was like he was possessed and some kind of
demon came out and took over his body,” Shane said.
“Why did you stay with him if he was such a jerk?” Lilith asked.
“Because I was pretty sure that he was going places. At least I
did at first. Then, he kept making everyone angry and there were
some venues that refused to have him back. He brought in the fans
and made them money, but even the managers of some of those
places decided that the money he brought in wasn’t worth the
annoyance,” Shane said.
“Where were you when he was murdered?” Josiah asked.
“That depends on when he was murdered,” Shane retorted.
“Just tell me what you were after the concert,” Josiah ordered.
 “I came back here to take some jimsonweed to calm my nerves.
Then, I was so sleepy that I just headed to bed. I was sleeping
alone all night long,” Shane reported. “I didn’t kill the dude.”
“Until we get this figured out, I need you to stay in town,”
Josiah said.
“I don’t know about that,” Shane said. “I’ve seen that some
cases can go cold and take forever to solve. I have a life to get back
to.”
“You can give me a few days and then we’ll touch base,” Josiah
said.
“Who’s paying for all this stuff?” Shane asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe you could write it off as a business
expense,” Josiah said.
“Very funny,” Shane said, making a face at him.
“The tour bus should be cleaned out in the next day or so. You
could probably stay in there if you wanted,” Josiah suggested. “We’ll
just put some jersey barriers in front and behind the bus so you
can’t zoom away in it, until we’re ready for that to happen.”
Lilith had to hide a smile because Josiah actually moved his
hand like he was driving off.
Bobby was next. He stayed at the same hotel, so they just had
to go down a flight of stairs to get to his room.
“Shane warned me that you were coming,” Bobby said.
“We know that Nash went off on you the night he was killed,”
Josiah said.
“Yeah. It happens on a regular basis. He used to be a decent
guy. I’m from the same town Nash is from. When he started playing
music, he discovered I had a talent with sound technology. He was
great to work with until he started getting big and famous. Then he
turned into a jerk,” Bobby reported.
“Why did you stay with him?” Lilith asked.
“At first, I did it because it was a job. But then, I started getting
noticed by some of the other bands out there. I have a job lined up
after this gig is over. I had no reason to kill him because I was done
with him anyway,” Bobby said. “As a matter of fact, I owe it to him
that I was able to get a better gig with people who pay better and
will treat me better. Plus, they are doing a lot better in the market
now than Nash was. He was going into the toilet fast.”
“Where were you when Nash was killed?” Josiah asked.
“I’m going to guess I was asleep. I love beds that don’t move,”
he replied.
They left him after cautioning him not to leave town.
“I like the guy,” Lilith said. “He was very calm and soft spoken.
He already had a plan.”
“He doesn’t have a record either,” Josiah said. “We’ll keep him
on the radar, though. Sometimes, the killer is the person that you
least expect it to be.”
 SEVEN

“Who’s next on our list?” Lilith asked.

“How about Chrysalis? She always traveled around with him.
She’s supposed to be his spiritual advisor. Apparently, she wasn’t too
good at it, since he was such a nasty jerk,” Josiah said.
Lilith smirked. “Chrysalis is a witch. She likely just helped him
relax and meditate. I know that she made potions for him, so he
could relax or stay healthy or whatever else he wanted to do.”
“Another witch? You guys are just crawling out of the
woodwork,” Josiah said mockingly.
“Just like cockroaches. Only these cockroaches could turn you
into a toad if we wanted to,” Lilith said.
“Isn’t that against the rules?” Josiah asked.
“Only for us witches who choose to be white witches. There are
many others out there, such as Gila, who just don’t care and will do
whatever they have to do to get what they want. If that means they
need to toad-ify you, they will,” Lilith said.
“Toadify? Is that even a word?” Josiah asked.
“It is now,” Lilith said, shrugging her shoulders.
Chrysalis was just two doors down from Bobby. Josiah had just
raised his fist to knock when she opened the door.
“I figured I would be next.” Chrysalis said.
“Are you psychic?” Josiah asked.
“Nope. I have a cell phone,” she said, holding it up. “Bobby told
me that you had just left his room. Since I’m close, I figured you’d
be stopping by.”
Chrysalis gestured for them to come inside.
“In answer to the questions you are going to ask, no, I did not
kill Nash, nor do I know who did,” she said. “And to answer your
next question, I was here, alone, in my bed. I love staying at hotels
because the beds are fluffy and soft. Plus, the cable is free.”
Josiah laughed and asked, “Are you sure that you aren’t
psychic?”
“I’m sure. I just watch a lot of cop shows,” she replied.
“How long have you been traveling with Nash?” Lilith asked.
“Mmm, maybe two years? I’d have to find my planner to know
for sure. He didn’t treat me the same that he treated other people.
He was probably afraid that I would turn him into a toad or
something,” Chrysalis said, looking at Josiah.
Lilith choked back a laugh at the look that briefly crossed
Josiah’s face. She wasn’t sure if it was horror or panic.
“I wouldn’t have done that though. To be honest, even though I
knew it was stupid, I had kind of fallen in love with the guy,”
Chrysalis said. “I never let him know it though. He was a womanizer.
He picked up women and put them back down like most people do
their dessert forks.”
“I think that is a bad habit that a lot of famous people get into.
Kind of like having all that power it just consumes them,” Lilith said.
Chrysalis nodded and said, “He had been getting worse to the
other people around him. It didn’t help that he had developed a
nasty drinking habit. When he wasn’t singing, he was drinking.”
“So, what did you do for Nash?” Josiah asked.
“Mostly, I just made him potions that have chamomile and
lavender in them to help him relax. When he first started out, I
would help him meditate and practice mindfulness. But eventually he
got too impatient for that. This was going to be my last tour with
him,” Chrysalis said.
“What does mindfulness mean?” Josiah asked.
“It means that you are only focusing on the here and now.
Close your eyes,” she said.
Josiah looked at Lilith who nodded at him, telling him to listen
to Chrysalis, so he closed his eyes.
“Now, take in a deep breath to the count of four, hold it to the
count of four, and let it out to the count of four,” Chrysalis said. “As
you do that, I want you to clear your mind of everything. If you
need to, picture yourself using an eraser and wiping it clean.”
Josiah breathed just as she instructed.
“Pay attention to your senses. Focus only on what you hear
right now. What you smell. What you taste. What you feel and see,”
Chrysalis said.
After a minute or so, Chrysalis said, “Practicing mindfulness is a
great way to deal with anxiety and even depression, because you let
go of your immediate thoughts and worries. When you have a
chance to let go of them, even if it is just for a short amount of time,
you will be able to analyze the issues from a different perspective.
You can either figure out a solution to the issues or decide that you
can just let them go.”
“I can see why that would be handy for anyone,” Josiah said. He
looked at Lilith and asked, “Do you know about this?”
Lilith laughed. “Of course. I also meditate every day—
sometimes more often when I’m stressed out.”
Josiah looked at her for a second as though he was amazed that
he learned something new about Lilith.
Then, he turned his attention back to the case and asked, “Is
there anyone else we should talk to?”
Chrysalis thought for a minute and said, “You might think about
talking to Blake. Blake and Nash were best friends when they were
young. Blake lived with his father, while he was growing up. When
Nash got his band started, Blake was his number one fan. Blake did
all of Nash’s advertising and helped make Nash famous. Then, once
Nash got big, he started treating Blake like garbage. I think Blake
just came to the concert last night because he was visiting his
mother who lives in Casper and he still likes the music. I also think
that Blake might secretly wish that they could become friends again,
but I’m pretty certain that the only person that Nash could be friends
with was Nash.”
Josiah wrote down everything she said and then thanked her for
her time.
“We might have more questions later, so please don’t leave
town,” Josiah said.
 Chrysalis sighed and said, “Okay.”
Their next stop was Blake’s mother’s house. Blake was packing
up and getting ready to go back home to Nebraska where his father
lived.
“Where were you last night?” Josiah asked, beginning to feel
like a broken record.
“I was here, hanging out with my mother. That was the whole
reason I came to Casper,” Blake replied.
Then, Blake said, “You’re barking up the wrong tree here. I
couldn’t have killed Nash, even if I had wanted to. There was no
way that he would let me get anywhere near him. I went to the
concert last night and he tried to get me kicked out of the venue.”
“Why is that?” Lilith asked. “We heard that you guys used to be
best friends.”
Blake cast Lilith a baleful look. “Yeah, we were. A long time ago.
Then, he started making a name for himself and decided that people
like me, from his hometown, didn’t have a place in his life. He turned
on me like a rabid dog.”
“That must have hurt,” Lilith said.
“It did at first. Maybe it still does a little bit. But I’ve moved on
with my life and I’m doing my own thing,” Blake said. “If you really
want to know who killed Nash, you should talk to Bambi. She was all
over him like stink on doggy doo.”
“We’ll do that. Meanwhile, you need to stick around here for a
while in case we have more questions,” Josiah said.
Blake looked at him and said, “Is that entirely necessary? As I
mentioned, I couldn’t have gotten close enough to him to kill him.
He would have screamed bloody murder and called the police before
I got within a mile of him. Besides, you have my phone number. You
can call.”
“It’s protocol,” Josiah said. “I would rather talk to people in
person than on the phone. It’s the personal feel.”
Heaving a heavy sigh, Blake flounced onto the couch. “Fine. But
only for a day or so. I have to get back to my life.”
“He’s a character,” Lilith said once they got into Josiah’s truck.
 “He’s something. He might not have been able to get close to
Nash, but I’m not convinced that he’s innocent. People find all kinds
of ways to get a job done if they are determined,” Josiah said.
“I concur.”
“I am going to head back to my office and take care of some
paperwork. Should we stop by and pick up something for your office
manager?” he asked.
“Yeah. Tacos are always good,” Lilith replied.
Josiah leaned over and gave her a quick kiss before she hopped
out of his truck.
“I’ll see you after a while,” he told her.
“Sounds good,” Lilith said.
Emily was waiting for her in the back room. The camera in the
showroom displayed the video on a computer in the workroom, so
Emily knew that she was coming.
“Are you trying to starve me to death?” Emily asked.
“Nah. I wouldn’t do that to my favorite teenager,” Lilith said.
“I’m the only teenager that you know,” Emily replied.
Lilith just smiled and shook her head.
“I see that you and Josiah are back together again,” Emily
stated, looking at the ring on Lilith’s finger.
“We are,” Lilith said, grinning.
“I’m glad that all of the drama is over, but don’t be getting all
sappy on me,” Emily said.
“I don’t get sappy,” Lilith protested.
“Yeah right. Whatever you say. Just remember the statistics I
told you about,” Emily said. “I’ve told you that more than half of all
marriages fail.”
“We’re a long way from getting married,” Lilith said. “When it
happens, I’ll make sure it’s because we are going to be together
forever.”
“You’ll be together until death do you part. No one is going to
talk about how his death will part you. You know how to make it
look like an accident,” Emily said.
“Emily, I can’t believe you said that,” Lilith exclaimed.
Emily just smiled and winked at Lilith.
 EIGHT

Josiah finished up his paperwork and headed back over to

Waysilver to pick up Lilith. It was time to go have a little chat with
the trophy girl that had hung all over Nash the night that he was
murdered.
“Bambi?” Lilith asked, raising her eyebrow. “What kind of name
is that?”
“I’ve actually known a couple of women who were named
Bambi. I guess their mothers had a thing for Disney movies,” Josiah
said.
“I guess that’s better than being named after some of the other
Disney characters, like Scar, Tramp, or Goofy,” Lilith said. “However, I
did once go to school with a girl whose name was Skittles after her
mother’s favorite candy.”
“Still better than Whatchamacallit,” Josiah said.
“True. And some people might think that I’ve been named after
a demon, so I guess I can’t judge other people,” Lilith said.
Josiah simply smiled as he pulled into the parking lot of a hotel.
She was staying at a different hotel than all of the others.
Bambi sat on the bed while Josiah and Lilith took the chairs that
were in the room.
When Josiah said, “I guess you know that we’re here to talk to
you about Nash,” Bambi burst out in sobs.
Although the buxom blonde woman seemed to carefully wipe
the area under her eyes, Lilith was certain that she didn’t see any
tears.
I guess that would ruin her make-up.
Then, Lilith chastised herself for judging people again. She
reminded herself that different people grieved in different ways.
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
little Una Manners and her nurse, Nanny Gray, who were standing directly
outside.

Nanny was a cherry-cheeked, middle-aged woman, whose open countenance

expressed a kindly disposition and an even temper.

"Good morning, ma'am," she said to Mrs. Maple, who knew at once who her
visitors must be. "We have called to know if you can supply us with milk and
butter. We live at Coombe Villa. This," indicating her with a smiling nod, "is
little Miss Manners, my master's only child."

"Pray come in," Mrs. Maple responded hospitably. "I guessed at once who you
were, because in a country place like this, one soon gets to hear all about
strangers who come into the district."

They entered the kitchen at Mrs. Maple's invitation, and Una glanced curiously
at the old man on the settle, who turned his eyes upon her and regarded her
gravely.

"Father," said Mrs. Maple, "this is the little lady who has come to live at
Coombe Villa, and this is Mrs.—"

"Gray," Nanny said as she shook hands with Mr. Norris. "I hope you are quite
well, sir?"

"Quite, thank you," he answered. "And how do you like this part of the world,
little Missy?" he asked, turning his attention to Una.

"Oh, so much!" she replied promptly. "I love the country, and it is so very
beautiful here! May I sit down with you on that long seat? I never saw one like
it before!"

"It is a settle," the old man informed her, with a smile that somewhat softened
the hard lines of his face.

"It is very comfortable," the little girl remarked, "and so cosy, with its high
back!"

"I take it you do not know much about country life and country things?" he
hazarded. "Perhaps you have always lived in town?"

"Yes, in London mostly; but I have been to Paris and Rome, and to many
foreign places, with my father."
"Have you, indeed? You are quite a traveller, then. Now I have never been to
London in my life. I always held no good came of running about."

Una looked puzzled at this view of the subject. She glanced at the old man's
face with bright, interested eyes, and then she caught sight of his open Bible.

"What have you been reading about this morning?" she enquired.

"About the Israelites and the Philistines," he answered briefly, surprised at her
question.

"Is that your favourite part?" she next asked.

"I don't know that I have a favourite part. It's all good reading, because it's
God's Word."

"Yes, of course it is; but I think I like the New Testament best, for it is all about
Jesus, you see. I have the Bible that used to belong to mother. Father gave it
to me as soon as I could read. My mother is dead, you know; she died soon
after I was born."

"How long since was that?"

"Eight years ago."

"Ah, then you are not quite so old as our Bessie, but very nearly."

"Are Nellie and Bessie your grandchildren?"

"Yes. They call me 'Granfer,'" the old man explained, smiling.

"Do they? What a funny name, but I think I like it! I don't believe I've got a
grandfather; I wish I had," Una said thoughtfully and regretfully. "I suppose you
love Nellie and Bessie very much, don't you?" she added.

"Certainly; they are both of them good children. You have already made their
acquaintance, I hear?"

"Yes, and I should like so much to be friends with them if they will let me. Do
you think their mother will let them come to Coombe Villa sometimes?" she
asked, glancing at Mrs. Maple, who was by that time deep in conversation
with Nanny.
"I have no doubt that she will. I hope your father will like this neighbourhood. I
suppose he is a Londoner?"

Mr. Norris was a very curious old man, who liked to be well informed about his
neighbours, for he took a lively interest in every one.

"Father was not born in London," Una explained. "He has often told me he
was brought up in the country, and he knows all about country things—
animals, and birds, and flowers! Oh, no, father is not a Londoner!"

There was a moment's brief silence, during which Una regarded the old man
earnestly, her soft, dark eyes fixed on his somewhat grim face with eager
interest.

"I wonder if you would think me very rude if I asked you a question?" she
enquired presently in doubtful tones.

"That would depend what the question was," he answered cautiously, but with
an amused twinkle in his eyes which the little girl was quick to notice.

"It is only that I should like to know how old you are," she said frankly; "that is,
if you are quite sure you do not mind telling me!"

"I am seventy-nine. Ah, that is a great age, little lady!"

"It is indeed!" she agreed. "Seventy-nine! But a great many of the Bible people
lived much longer than that! You must be very wise, Mr.—, I don't know your
name. Should you mind if I called you Granfer, like Nellie and Bessie do?"

"No," he answered, in evident surprise, "I do not mind; but perhaps your father
would not like it, my dear?"

"Oh, yes, he will! Father always likes what I like if it's right; and if it's wrong, he
tells me, and then, of course, I don't like it any longer!"

Mr. Norris smiled amusedly at this somewhat involved explanation.

"You are very fond of your father, I suppose?" he remarked enquiringly.

"I love him better than any one else in the whole wide world! He's so good and
kind, and so clever! You should see what beautiful pictures he paints!"

"Is your father an artist?" Mr. Norris asked with keen interest.
"Yes. He paints landscapes, and people give him lots and lots of money for
them. Last year he had a lovely picture in the Royal Academy, and after it was
hung, he took me to see it; and do you know there was such a crowd round
father's picture that he had to lift me up to look!"

Una spoke with loving pride, but without a thought of boastfulness.

"I suppose you know a great many artists?" questioned the old man anxiously.
"Did you ever meet one called Norris?"

The little girl shook her head, wondering at her companion's suddenly agitated
manner, for he alternately clasped and unclasped his hands, whilst his brows
were knitted, and his lips were tremulous.

"Ah!" he muttered, "it would not be likely!"

"No," said Una, "I don't know any one called that. Is he a friend of yours?"

"Not exactly. He is my son!"

The child lifted a pair of puzzled eyes to the old man's countenance, and, as if
in reply to their questioning look, he continued:

"My only son! I've not seen him for fifteen years—ay, fifteen long years! Maybe
he's dead by now!"

"Was he lost?" she enquired softly.

"Ay, lost!"

"But how could that be?"

He made no reply, and Una felt with the quick, true instinct of childhood that
he did not wish to be questioned further, so she sat very quiet for a few
minutes. At last she said:

"Perhaps you will find him again some day! I suppose you pray to God about
him, don't you?"

At that moment Nanny broke in upon their conversation.

"Come, Miss Una," she said, "we must be going, for I know we must be taking
Mrs. Maple away from her household duties!"
"I am ready," Una replied as she rose to her feet; then she turned to Mrs.
Maple and asked coaxingly: "May I see the little lamb whose mother died?"

"Surely, my dear," was the ready answer. "Father, will you show them the
lamb, or shall I?"

"I will, Mary."

The old man arose, and after a few farewell words to Mrs. Maple, Nanny and
Una followed him into the yard. He led the way to an outhouse, and on
opening the door the little lamb skipped out. It was quite tame, and Una was
delighted to pat its curly back and stroke the inquisitive nose it pushed into her
hand.

It was with difficulty that Nanny at last bore her young charge away, insisting
that she really must go home.

After their departure, Mr. Norris returned to his daughter, and found her eager
to talk of their visitors.

"Mr. Manners is an artist!" she exclaimed. "Mrs. Gray—Nanny as they call her
at Coombe Villa—has been telling me all about him. She says he is a very
popular, successful man, a good father, and a kind master. He lost his young
wife soon after little Miss Una was born. Doesn't she seem a sweet little
thing?"

"Yes," the old man agreed, smiling, "she does. She asked if she might call me
Granfer."

"What a strange idea! I heard her chattering away to you; she is not in the
least shy!"

Mr. Norris sat down in his accustomed seat again, whilst his daughter flitted in
and out of the kitchen. He was thinking how Una had said: "I suppose you
pray to God about him, don't you?" And realising for the first time that though
he called himself a Christian, he had harboured angry, bitter thoughts against
his only son for fifteen long years, had spoken of him with hard words, had
blamed him as undutiful, and had never once mentioned his name to the great
Father of all.

Granfer turned over the leaves of his Bible with a trembling hand, and finding
the fifteenth chapter of St. Luke's Gospel, slowly read the parable of the
Prodigal Son; then he closed the Holy Book, and his heart was uplifted in a
fervent prayer that he might be allowed to see his only son, David, once
again.

CHAPTER IV
THE BOOK-MARKER

Six weeks had elapsed since the day when Una had become acquainted with
Granfer, and she now saw him often, for she had become very friendly with all
the inmates of Lowercoombe Farm.

Mr. Manners, who was a quiet, reserved man, had never paid a visit himself to
the farm, but he allowed his little daughter to go there whenever she was
asked, and was pleased to see Nellie and Bessie at Coombe Villa.

One beautiful May morning found the artist at his easel in his studio, and Una
busily employed at a small table with pencils and colour-box of her own.

"What are you about, Una?" her father asked, noticing how absorbed the child
appeared in what she was doing.

"I'm making a book-marker for Granfer's Bible: I promised him I would paint
him one. Do you think you could sketch in the letters for me, father?"

"I dare say I could," he answered, smiling, "if you explain what you want."

Una held up the narrow strip of cardboard which she had been engaged in
cutting out.

"I thought I would put a verse from the Bible on it," she said.

Her father nodded, and taking the book-marker from her hand waited for
further instructions; but the little girl looked undecided.

"Could you help me to think of a good verse, father?" she asked.

"A suitable verse I suppose you mean." He thought a moment. "How would
this do: 'As thy days, so shall thy strength be'?"

"Oh, I think that would do beautifully!" she cried, and she drew near and
watched, whilst he carefully pencilled the words on the card.

"I shall paint the letters in blue and gold," she told him. "Granfer will be so
pleased!"

For the next half hour there was silence in the studio, both father and
daughter working industriously.

At last Una exclaimed, in tones of satisfaction:

"There! It's finished! Won't Granfer be surprised to see how neatly I've done
the lettering! Look, father!"

"Yes, you have done it very nicely, Una. You seem to be extremely fond of that
old man?"

"Oh, yes! I thought he was rather stern at first, but he isn't a bit now! You
remember all I told you about his son who was lost, don't you, father?"

"Yes."

"Nellie says he went away to be an artist like you, and no one ever heard of
him again! That's why Granfer was angry with him! Granfer wanted him to be
a farmer, but he couldn't, because of his talent!"

"His talent?" Mr. Manners repeated in questioning tones.

"Yes, his talent for painting, you know. Nellie says it wouldn't have been right
for him not to have been an artist."

"What do the people at the farm think has become of him?"

"Mrs. Maple thinks he may be living still, and Nellie and Bessie keep on
hoping he will come home. They never saw him, because he went away
before they were born, but their mother has told them all about him. Granfer
thinks he must be dead."

"Perhaps he hopes he is, if he was such a trouble to the old man."

"Oh, no, indeed, father! He would dearly love to see his son; he told me so
himself! He says that he prays to God to let him live to see his boy again! Of
course he isn't a boy now! Mrs. Maple says he may be a married man, and
have little children of his own. I should like to run down to Lowercoombe Farm
this morning, and give the book-marker to Granfer. May I go, father?"

"Certainly you may, my dear; but tell Nanny where you are going."

Una flitted away, and found Nanny in the kitchen.

"Off to the farm again!" the good woman cried. "Why, you almost live there!
That old man seems to be wonderfully attractive to you, Miss Una. I can't think
what you see in him to like so much, for my part; he seems rather cross-
grained, I fancy!"

"You think that because you don't know him as well as I do," the little girl
responded promptly. "His manner is rather stern perhaps, but it is only his
manner, and you know, Nanny, you always say that one should never judge by
appearances. I think he is really a very good old man!"

"You told me yourself that he drove his only son away from home, Miss Una,
and folks in the village say he has never forgiven him!"

"Oh, they are wrong, indeed they are! He has forgiven him! You don't
understand Granfer a bit!"

"And I suppose you do," Nanny said, laughing. "Well, run along to the farm
then, and give the old man your present. I'm sure he ought to be pleased!"

Una felt sure he would be. With Crack at her heels, she went out into the
bright May sunshine, and passed through the garden gate into the road. The
hedges were full of wild flowers, and the air was sweet with their delicate
scents, the perfumes of hawthorn and wild hyacinths. But Una did not pause
to gather herself a nosegay to-day, though her soft brown eyes dwelt
admiringly on the wealth of flowers, for the artist's little daughter possessed a
beauty-loving soul, and her quick glance took in all the glory of the May
morning.

Presently she heard a deep bark, and in another moment, Mr. Maple's sheep-
dog bounded towards her in a transport of joy at the meeting. She put her
arms around his woolly neck, and gave him a loving hug.

"Oh, you dear old Rags!" she cried. "Good fellow! Good doggie!"
Rags approved of these terms of endearment; his brown eyes were brimful of
affection as he stood by Una's side, his big body wriggling with excitement
and pleasure. Crack jumped about barking and whining, for though he was on
friendly terms with Rags, he did not wish Una to make too much of him. So the
little girl patted Crack too, that he might not be jealous, and with a dog on
either side of her went on her way. At the turn of the road she met Mr. Norris,
who was looking about for Rags.

"Well, little Missy," he said, smiling, "I suppose this fine morning has enticed
you out-of-doors. I wondered why Rags had deserted me, and I guessed
some one he knew must be coming down the road!"

"Are you going for a walk, Granfer?" Una enquired.

"No. I have been to look at the sheep in this field for my son-in-law," he
explained, indicating a meadow adjoining the road, "and now I'm going home."

"Are you in a hurry? Please sit down here," pointing to a log of wood close to
the hedge. "I have something for you, Granfer."

The old man willingly complied with her request, and Una seated herself by
his side. She had wrapped the book-marker in tissue-paper, and she now
handed him the little packet, saying:

"It is for you, for your Bible. I cut it out this morning, and painted it myself!
Father sketched the letters for me, but he did not do anything else towards it! I
wonder if you will like it?"

By this time Mr. Norris had taken the book-marker from its wrapping, and was
regarding it with a pleased smile.

"Yes, I do indeed like it," he said heartily. "Thank you, my dear. I feel quite
touched that you should have taken so much trouble for me!"

"It was no trouble; I liked doing it! What do you think of the verse?"

"'As thy days, so shall thy strength be.' It is a grand promise—a blessed truth!"

"Father thought of it," Una told him complacently. "I asked him to think of a
verse, because I knew he would be more likely to think of a good one than I
should. I shall tell him what you say about it."

"I have never seen your father except in church on Sundays," Mr. Norris
remarked.
"Why don't you come to see him, Granfer? He would be very pleased if you
did, I am sure; but you see he has not much time for visiting, that's what he
always tells people; he has so much work to do."

"Painting?" queried the old man.

"Yes. He is at home this morning; but generally when it is fine, he is out-of-

doors, because he is painting a picture of a little bit of the wood at the back of
our garden. It is to be called 'A May Morning,' and it looks as though you could
pick the hawthorn and the bluebells! Oh! it will be a lovely picture when it is
finished," Una declared with enthusiasm. "I am sure he will show it to you, if
you would care to see it!"

"I should not like to intrude," the old man said gravely; "but I should much like
to know your father."

"I will tell him what you say!"

"It is possible he may have met my son. I could explain to him what David was
like!"

"David!" cried Una. "How strange! Father's name is David too!"

"Is it, indeed?" Granfer's voice was full of interest. "I suppose there are
hundreds of Davids in the world!" he added.

"Father and I were talking of your son this morning," Una said, "and I am sure
if father could help you to find him he would. You must come to Coombe Villa,
and see us; or, perhaps father will call at the farm. I will ask him."

"Pray do so!" The old man rose to his feet. "My birthday comes next week," he
remarked; "I shall be eighty years old. I shall look on this pretty book-marker
as a birthday present from you, and I shall value it as long as I live."

CHAPTER V
UNA LEARNS A SECRET
"GRANFER was very pleased," Una informed her father on her return home.
"I met him on my way to the farm, so I gave him my present then. He liked the
verse so much, and I told him it was you who thought of it. And oh, father, he
so much wants to see you!"

"Why?" Mr. Manners asked quickly.

"He wants to speak to you about his son. I asked him to come here, but he
said he would not like to intrude. Then I said, perhaps you would go and see
him at the farm. Will you, father dear?"

Una was leaning against the arm of the easy chair in which Mr. Manners had
settled himself comfortably to read the daily newspaper; now she rested her
head upon his shoulder, and lifted her brown eyes pleadingly to his face as
she added in coaxing tones:

"He does want to see you so much!"

"I am very busy at present—you know that, Una," her father reminded her.

"Oh, yes, but some evening perhaps you will be able to call at the farm. We
might go together."

"Well, I will not promise, but I may go some day!"

"Oh, thank you, thank you! I know Granfer will be glad! It is his birthday next
week; he will be eighty. Isn't that very old, father?"

"It is a great age, certainly. By the way, I'm going to walk into the village after
dinner, Una; will you care to go with me?"

"Yes, indeed, father!"

So after their midday meal, father and daughter started off together, with
Crack in attendance as usual. The little girl chatted all the way about the many
objects of interest they came across during their walk—a bird's nest in the
hedge with five blue eggs in it, which Mr. Manners' sharp eyes caught sight of,
and the many flowers which blossomed everywhere.

"How kind of God to make the world so beautiful!" she exclaimed, when her
father called her attention to the view visible through a gateway—a sweep of
fair meadow-lands dotted with sheep and lambs busily engaged in cropping
the grass. They stood a few minutes watching a group of lambs at play,
skipping around each other, and jumping one by one on the top of a little
hillock, and down again. Una laughed to see the pretty creatures so happy,
clapping her hands with enjoyment of the scene.

Their destination was the village shop, which was also the post-office; and
while Mr. Manners was transacting his business Una stood in the doorway
looking up and down the street. Presently she uttered a little exclamation of
mingled joy and surprise, and ran back to her father.

"Granfer is coming!" she cried. "He will be passing here in a minute! Won't you
come and speak to him now?"

She caught hold of her father by the hand, but he gently disengaged the
clinging fingers as he answered kindly but firmly:

"No, Una, I cannot speak to him now."

"But father—"

"You hear me, my child, I say no; I cannot do as you wish. Remain where you
are. There is not the least necessity for you to stop Mr. Norris now, as you
have already seen him to-day."

Mr. Manners turned again to the counter to conclude his business, and Una
realised that she must say no more; but she was so disappointed that it was
with difficulty she kept back her tears.

When they left the shop, Granfer had disappeared from sight. Mr. Manners
took his little daughter's hand and pressed it softly, glancing affectionately at
her sober face.

"What an impetuous child you are!" he said. "Why do you so much want me to
know your old friend?"

Una was silent, because she did not want to show how near she was to
crying, and she was afraid if she spoke her father would notice her emotion.

"I have a very good reason for not wishing to see Mr. Norris yet," he
continued. "I wonder if my little daughter can keep a secret?"

She looked up with a rather watery smile as she answered quietly:

"I think I can, father!"

"It has to do with Mr. Norris' only son."

"Oh!" Her voice full of great excitement.

"I think he is coming back, Una. I believe one of these days he will go home to
his father, and ask for forgiveness for the long years that he has kept away,
but I do not wish to see Mr. Norris before I am quite certain."

"Will he come soon?" the little girl asked anxiously. "Will he be here by
Granfer's birthday, next week?"

"Yes, I think he will. Can you keep the secret, my dear?"

"Oh, yes, indeed I can! I will not tell any one, not even Nanny!"

"No, not even Nanny. It is a secret between you and me."

"I feel so thankful!" Una cried, "So very thankful! But I did not know you had
ever met Granfer's son!"

"Very likely not; but nevertheless, I know him quite well."

"Is he a good man, father?"

"Not nearly so good as he ought to be, my child. He has done wrong in

keeping away from his own people all these years, but his father was hard on
him and he determined never to return till he was a successful man. He did
not think his father would grieve for him; he believed himself still unforgiven, or
he would not have stayed away. He forgot that God would soften his father's
heart."

"How pleased they all will be at the farm!" Una exclaimed in bright, glad tones,
"Mrs. Maple, and Nellie and Bessie, and the farmer! As for Granfer—well, I
really cannot think how he will feel when he knows God has answered his
prayers at last!"

Una stepped lightly along by her father's side; all traces of her recent
disappointment were gone; her heart danced with joy, and her whole
countenance shone with pleasure as she thought of the great happiness in
store for her friends.

The knowledge of the secret between her father and herself filled the little girl
with a sense of importance, and she was delighted to think that her father
trusted her.
"I don't know what has come across you, miss," Nanny declared when she
was putting Una to bed that evening; "you're in such high spirits that one
would think you had heard good news!"

"So I have, Nanny, but I must not tell you what it is, because it's a secret—only
father and I know it yet, and one other person, I suppose. By-and-by you and
every one in the neighbourhood will know as well."

"Dear me, is it a very wonderful secret, then?"

"Yes, very wonderful; but you must not ask me what it is."

"I don't mean to, dearie."

"It's an answer to prayer, Nanny, I may tell you that much. I feel so happy and
thankful to-night that I don't believe I shall be able to sleep a wink!"

"Oh, yes, you will. Have you thanked the good Lord for the cause of your
happiness, Miss Una?"

"Yes, over and over again!"

"That's right! Sometimes when folks are very happy they forget to thank God,
and that seems so ungrateful, just as though they only went to Him when they
remembered something they wanted. Ah, we're ready enough to ask, but
we're not always so ready to give thanks; we're too apt to take the good things
as if they were our due."

Nanny tucked the bed-clothes around her little charge, and, after kissing her
affectionately, put out the candle and drew up the blind to allow the moon to
flood the room with its pale, peaceful light. Then she said, "Good-night," and
went downstairs, smiling to herself as she thought of Una's secret, and
wondering what it could possibly be.

Una lay awake for some time watching the moonlight and a little twinkling star
that peeped at her through the window; but by-and-by her eyelids grew heavy,
and she was soon wrapped in a sweet, dreamless sleep.
 CHAPTER VI

UNA'S ACCIDENT

THE garden which surrounded Coombe Villa was what is generally called a
wilderness garden, because plants and flowers of all descriptions and colours
grew together, and flourished unchecked. On the morning following that day
when Una had been told the secret which had given her so much joy she
arose early, and went into the garden to have a run before breakfast with
Crack. The little girl and her dog raced round the garden paths together till
both were tired, and presently Mr. Manners joined them.

"Come and look at the flowers, Una," he said, "and gather a bouquet for the
breakfast table. We will have some of these pansies to begin with. I believe
there are some lilies of the valley in that shady corner!"

Una darted away to look, and returned with a few sprays.

"How sweet they are!" she exclaimed. "Father, I do love flowers, don't you?"

"Yes, my dear, certainly I do. Some one once called them the 'poetry of the
Creator'; was not that a beautiful thought?"

"Granfer does not care for flowers much," Una remarked; "that seems strange,
does it not?"

"To you, no doubt; but there are a great many people who do not like flowers,
just as others do not like poetry or music. By the same rule, there are those
who cannot admire a fine view, but I am glad my little girl loves beauty and
can appreciate the crowning works of God."

Una glanced up into her father's face, and, meeting his smile with one equally
bright and loving, she cried:

"Oh, father dear, I am so happy to-day! I can't help thinking of Granfer, and of
how glad he will be when his son comes home! I hope he will come very
soon!"

Mr. Manners was silent, but he kissed his little daughter's upturned face
tenderly; and then they went indoors to see if breakfast was ready, and Una
busied herself in arranging her flowers in the little glasses that always
ornamented the table at meal times.

The morning passed uneventfully. Una learnt her lessons as usual, and in the
afternoon went for a long walk with Nanny, returning by way of Lowercoombe
Farm, where they found only Mrs. Maple at home, Granfer having gone to the
village, and the little girls not having as yet returned from school.

Mrs. Maple and Nanny enjoyed a long chat together, during which Una was
allowed to wander where she pleased. She inspected the fowl-houses and
cowsheds and stables, finally venturing to climb a few rungs of the ladder
which led to the hay loft. But she was unaccustomed to climbing, and grew
dizzy when she looked down and realised she was some feet from the
ground. She commenced to retrace her way, feeling rather nervous and shaky,
when suddenly she made a false step, missed her footing, and fell upon the
hard stone floor of the stable, with one foot doubled back under her.

At first she was too faint to utter a sound, but presently when she tried to
move, and a sharp twinge of pain in her foot told her she had injured it, she
called aloud for assistance. Mrs. Maple and Nanny came running to her
immediately, the latter in a terrible fright when she caught sight of the little
girl's pale face.

"Oh, my darling!" cried the faithful woman. "What has happened?"

"I fell off the ladder, Nanny," Una responded faintly, her lips quivering with
pain, "and I have hurt my foot!"

Nanny lifted the child in her strong arms and forthwith carried her into the
house, followed by Mrs. Maple, and placed her on the settle in the kitchen
whilst she proceeded to draw off the boot and stocking from the injured limb.
The foot was already beginning to swell, and Nanny's face was full of concern
as she examined it, and poor Una winced at every touch.

"It is a bad sprain, I fear," Mrs. Maple said. "She cannot possibly walk home!"

"And she is too heavy for me to carry!" Nanny exclaimed. "What is to be

done?"

"Why, she must stay here with us," Mrs. Maple answered promptly. "We will do
the best we can for her!"
"Oh no, no!" Una cried; then, fearing she appeared rude and ungrateful, she
looked appealingly at Mrs. Maple and exclaimed: "I would so much rather go
home, please, because father would be so lonely without me. If Nanny would
go and tell him that I have hurt my foot, and cannot walk, he would come and
carry me back."

"Yes, I think that would be the best plan," Nanny agreed. "Is the pain very bad,
dearie?"

Una nodded. Her eyes were full of tears, but she bravely tried not to cry, and
to smile cheerfully.

"I will start at once," Nanny continued. "Keep up your spirits, Miss Una, I shall
not be long!"

After her nurse had gone Mrs. Maple brought Una a glass of milk and a slice
of home-made cake. The little girl sipped the milk and tried to eat the cake, but
she was in too much pain to do more than nibble a small bit, and Mrs. Maple,
seeing the state of the case, did not press her to eat, but talked to her in her
bright, cheerful fashion till Una smiled in spite of her suffering. Then, Nellie
and Bessie returned from school, and were much concerned to find their little
friend had met with an accident, and asked her scores of questions.

"Why, I've been up and down that ladder ever so many times," Nellie declared,
"and I never fell off once! It's not in the least difficult to climb!"

"Ah, but Miss Una is not used to climbing, I expect," Mrs. Maple put in kindly.

"No," Una agreed with a rueful smile, "and I wish I had never tried!"

Nanny was as good as her word, and was not long absent. She returned in
less than half an hour with her master. At the sight of her father all Una's
fortitude gave way, so that when he sat down on the settle and lifted her upon
his knee she laid her head upon his shoulder, and burst into a flood of tears.

He consoled her as best he could.

"Don't cry, my darling," he whispered, "you'll make yourself ill if you do, and
though you have given your foot a nasty twist, I dare say you'll soon be
running about as well as ever again."

Una tried to suppress her sobs, and Mr. Manners turned to Mrs. Maple with a
smile.
"It was good of you to offer to keep my little girl here," he said courteously,
"and I am most deeply grateful to you for your kindness; but I think I had better
carry her home. She is not used to being away from me, for you see she is my
only child, and we have never been parted."

"That I can understand, sir," Mrs. Maple replied. "I know she must be very
dear to you."

"Perhaps you will allow Nellie and Bessie to come and see her every day until
her foot is better?"

"Yes, certainly, sir!"

"Thank you. Now Una, my darling, you must try to be brave, because I am
going to carry you home, and however gentle I am, I fear I shall hurt your poor
foot a little. Say good-bye to your friends now!"

Una lifted her face from her father's shoulders, and turned it towards the
motherly countenance of Mrs. Maple. The kind woman kissed the little girl
affectionately.

"I hope you will soon be well again, my dear," she said gently. "Good-bye!"

"Good-bye," Una answered, "and please give my best love to Granfer!"

Then she was borne off in her father's arms, whilst Nanny hurried on in front
to make preparations for the little invalid. Mrs. Maple, with Nellie and Bessie at
her side, stood at the door watching the retreating figures.

"Isn't he a nice gentleman, mother?" Bessie said. Then, receiving no reply,

asked: "What are you thinking about, mother?"

"I was thinking that Mr. Manners is very like someone I used to know years
ago," she answered with a sigh. "When he spoke, I declare the sound of his
voice gave me quite a shock, and I could have almost thought it was my
brother David, especially when he was talking to his little girl!"

"Is Mr. Manners really like Uncle David?" Nellie enquired eagerly. "If so, I think
I should love Uncle David dearly!"

Mrs. Maple smiled, but her face remained thoughtful, and all that evening she
was puzzling over the wonderful likeness between Una's father and her lost
brother. She was unusually silent, and said but little about Mr. Manners to
Granfer; but when she was alone with her husband she told him how she had
been struck by the artist's appearance and voice.

The farmer listened in surprise.

"Why surely, Mary, you do not mean to say you think this Mr. Manners is your
brother David?" he exclaimed in incredulous accents.

"I do not know what to think," she replied; "perhaps I am foolish and fanciful,
but he was so like what David might be if he were alive! Oh, if God would only
send David home!"

CHAPTER VII
GRANFER'S HEART'S DESIRE

IT was the evening before Granfer's birthday, and Mr. and Mrs. Maple had
gone for a stroll together, leaving the house in the charge of Nellie and Bessie,
with instructions that they were to wash up the tea things and feed the poultry
during their parents' absence.

Granfer sat in his accustomed seat, for though it was May, and the weather
quite mild, there was a cheerful log fire on the hearth, and the old man was
glad of the warmth.

When the children had finished their duties, they joined their grandfather, and
Nellie commenced a conversation by saying:

"Your birthday cake in the larder looks delicious, Granfer! Mother has baked it
beautifully!"

"She showed it to me," he replied. "Ah! I had hoped the little lady from
Coombe Villa would have been here to tea, to taste it; but I suppose it will be
some days before she will be able to walk as far as this?"
"Yes," Bessie answered, "though her foot is much better. Mr. Manners called
us in to see her when we were coming home from school to-day, and she can
walk a little; but Mrs. Gray says the sprain will pass quicker if she rests her
foot a bit longer."

"Oh, Granfer," Nellie cried, "we saw the picture Mr. Manners is painting; he
showed it to us; wasn't it kind of him?"

"Very kind," Mr. Norris agreed; "he seems a nice gentleman."

"He is indeed! Mother says he is like Uncle David!"

"Eh? What?" cried the old man.

"Like Uncle David, Granfer, and he's called David too!"

"Yes, yes!"

He gazed thoughtfully into the fire, and presently two big tears gathered in his
eyes and rolled slowly down his withered cheeks. The little girls looked at him
in mingled surprise and awe, and Bessie crept to his side and laid her soft
cheek against his shoulder.

"Don't cry, dear, dear Granfer," she whispered. "Oh, don't cry!"

"Ah, child," he answered sadly, "if I could but have my heart's desire, and see
my boy once more; and if that is too much to ask of God, I wish I could know
that my harshness did not spoil David's life!"

"Why, here come mother and father back already!" Nellie cried in
astonishment as the door opened, and her parents crossed the threshold.
"They cannot have gone far!"

The children noticed at once that their mother looked agitated and flushed,
but, though her eyes were full of tears, they shone with a bright, glad
expression. She came to her father's side, and took one of his hands in a firm
clasp.

"Father, can you bear news—blessed news?" she asked simply. "Oh, my dear
father!"

He looked at her doubtfully, and she continued in hurried accents very unlike
her usually calm tones: