A Call to Charms by Leanne Leeds

Author:Leanne Leeds [Leeds, Leanne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781950505111
Publisher: Badchen Publishing
Published: 2019-07-05T04:00:00+00:00

* * *

“I don’t like him,” Gunther whispered as we sat in the soft leather booth. Melissa chatted with her brother, her eyes shining as her lips curled into a smile. I felt frustrated. Someone may have hurt Tabitha, she could be dead, she could be captured somewhere and held against her will. What were we doing? Waiting for the lasagna.

I don’t know why you would like him , I thought to Gunther in response to his whispered statement. He’s a drug dealer, he’s a murderer, and even if he wasn’t any of those things? He has all the charm of a bear trap waiting to spring shut on your leg.

Gunther nodded and frowned. Gunther Makepeace and Michael Hayden were as opposite as two men could be. Gunther was warm and caring and gentle. Michael Hayden’s energy was cold and controlled. If Gunther was a soft teddy bear, Michael was a razor-sharp knife. There was nothing to like about the man.

As if he picked up vibrations from my thoughts, Hayden turned.

“I take it you have returned to our humble little town because of Tabitha Stevens’ disappearance?”

“My mother let me know she was missing while we were on the tour,” I told him. “We got back as soon as we could.”

“I understand that Ms. Stevens was no longer a friend of yours, Ms. Astley,” Hayden said as he nodded toward his sister. “Why were you concerned enough to return to Mickwac?”

“Because she’s my friend,” I told him coldly. Maybe Michael Hayden couldn’t understand why someone would care about someone else even if that someone else was upset with them. Sociopathic monsters probably didn’t care about people unless those people were useful to them.

“I told Charlotte that Tabitha is probably fine,” Melissa announced cheerfully to the table, oblivious to the tension between her brother and me. “Mr. Stevens didn’t seem concerned at all about where Tabitha was last night when I saw him at Pocket Burgers. I bet she went off camping in the woods or something.”

“Does she do that a lot?” Kyle asked. “Solo camping trips?”

“I don’t know that she does it a lot ,” she answered. “She’s gone on like three or four trips on her own. The last time was two months ago. I offered to go with her but she said she wanted to use the time for meditation and bonding with the land.”

“What did she mean by ‘bonding’ with the land?” Aidan asked.

“It’s just a phrase we use at Avalon Grove,” Melissa shrugged as her brother looked sharply at her. “It means nothing specific. It’s just, like, learning to be one with nature and stuff. Tree-hugging, I guess? I don’t know, I go to Galveston to become one with nature. I like bonding with the beach better.”

Harley appeared at the head of our table and displayed a bottle of wine to Michael. Once he nodded, she poured a small glass for everyone and then backed away quickly, leaving us alone again.

“I need to wash my hands,” Melissa said waving her hand toward her brother.

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