Read Online A Witching Well of Magic: A Cozy Mystery (Witchy Women of Coven Grove Book 2) by Constance Barker - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Constance Barker
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at least initially. However, they ran out of things to talk about rather quickly and all that was left to try and discuss had to do with Bailey’s new world, her powers, and this magic she was exploring. And she couldn’t have that talk.
“ So, I saw Trevor and Gloria last night,” she said.
Ryan paused, the second half of his sandwich on his way to a delicious end. “Is that so?” He asked. “How’d that go?” She expected him to sound perhaps sheepish, but instead he seemed sharply concerned.
“ Uh… it went okay, I guess. It was brief. Dad, Trevor said you quit the paper.”
Her father only shrugged, and then nodded once.
Bailey waited for more, but no more came.
“ I thought you were fired,” she said when it was clear Ryan wasn’t going to elaborate himself. “I thought you all got into some kind of argument, and that afterward, you know… you didn’t work there anymore. Why would you quit?”
Ryan chewed his bite of sandwich thoughtfully. He was ordering his words, Bailey knew. He never said anything without thinking first. Not like she did.
“ I never said I was fired, for the record,” he told her when he was good and ready. “I just said I no longer worked there. But, as for why; Trevor and Gloria want to keep the story of Martha Tells going, and I thought we should lay it to rest with her. Her murderer is in prison, justice is served, her funeral was perhaps undeservedly lovely.”
“ But?” Bailey urged.
He sighed, and laid his sandwich down. “But, they’re convinced there is still more to find. They keep digging, into everything and everyone and they keep coming up empty handed. I understand that they want there to be more, but at this point they're just firing into a crowd. And they’re focusing all of the paper’s resources there, as well.” He shook his head, and when Bailey peered at him he kept his eyes pointedly somewhere other than her.
“ Dad,” she asked cautiously, “what else?”
“ I don’t want to alarm you,” he said. “But they asked a lot of questions about you. Since you found Martha, and then found Poppy as well. Chloe figured into that part, but they seemed hung up on you and where you came from. They dug up that you were adopted, and it became a conversation that then became an argument. I wouldn’t have them investigating our family, so I told them in no uncertain terms that their questions were not welcome, and that we wanted to put this whole awful business behind us.”
“ And then you quit?” Bailey wondered.
“ No,” Ryan said. “Trevor and Gloria wanted to know what I had to hide, and started saying things… things about your recent association with the bakery women. I told them you were just working there part time, but they seem to think there’s something else going on. Trevor seemed reasonable, for a moment, but Gloria said something rather strange. Something about how all their work being pointless. Trevor seemed to think she was talking about re-branding the paper, and I said the Coven Grove Weekly—Daily, now, I suppose—had always been more about local news and uplifting stories and public announcements and generally keeping the people here up to date on the wider world.” He scrunched his face up with disgust. “Not this new trend of looking for tragedy where it no longer exists.
“ Trevor offered me more money to follow up on some of the leads they had, and promised me there was a story to find but…” Ryan shook his head sadly. “I couldn’t do it if it meant using you, Red. It just wasn’t right. I could tell they weren’t going to drop it, so; I quit.”
Bailey wasn’t sure she could speak clearly, so instead she just hugged her father. He didn’t know it, she knew, but he’d given her and the Coven a huge advantage, and one they hadn’t even known they needed.
More than anything she wanted to tell him they were right. There was more to it. And Ryan, for his part, seemed to sense this. “Is everything
“ So, I saw Trevor and Gloria last night,” she said.
Ryan paused, the second half of his sandwich on his way to a delicious end. “Is that so?” He asked. “How’d that go?” She expected him to sound perhaps sheepish, but instead he seemed sharply concerned.
“ Uh… it went okay, I guess. It was brief. Dad, Trevor said you quit the paper.”
Her father only shrugged, and then nodded once.
Bailey waited for more, but no more came.
“ I thought you were fired,” she said when it was clear Ryan wasn’t going to elaborate himself. “I thought you all got into some kind of argument, and that afterward, you know… you didn’t work there anymore. Why would you quit?”
Ryan chewed his bite of sandwich thoughtfully. He was ordering his words, Bailey knew. He never said anything without thinking first. Not like she did.
“ I never said I was fired, for the record,” he told her when he was good and ready. “I just said I no longer worked there. But, as for why; Trevor and Gloria want to keep the story of Martha Tells going, and I thought we should lay it to rest with her. Her murderer is in prison, justice is served, her funeral was perhaps undeservedly lovely.”
“ But?” Bailey urged.
He sighed, and laid his sandwich down. “But, they’re convinced there is still more to find. They keep digging, into everything and everyone and they keep coming up empty handed. I understand that they want there to be more, but at this point they're just firing into a crowd. And they’re focusing all of the paper’s resources there, as well.” He shook his head, and when Bailey peered at him he kept his eyes pointedly somewhere other than her.
“ Dad,” she asked cautiously, “what else?”
“ I don’t want to alarm you,” he said. “But they asked a lot of questions about you. Since you found Martha, and then found Poppy as well. Chloe figured into that part, but they seemed hung up on you and where you came from. They dug up that you were adopted, and it became a conversation that then became an argument. I wouldn’t have them investigating our family, so I told them in no uncertain terms that their questions were not welcome, and that we wanted to put this whole awful business behind us.”
“ And then you quit?” Bailey wondered.
“ No,” Ryan said. “Trevor and Gloria wanted to know what I had to hide, and started saying things… things about your recent association with the bakery women. I told them you were just working there part time, but they seem to think there’s something else going on. Trevor seemed reasonable, for a moment, but Gloria said something rather strange. Something about how all their work being pointless. Trevor seemed to think she was talking about re-branding the paper, and I said the Coven Grove Weekly—Daily, now, I suppose—had always been more about local news and uplifting stories and public announcements and generally keeping the people here up to date on the wider world.” He scrunched his face up with disgust. “Not this new trend of looking for tragedy where it no longer exists.
“ Trevor offered me more money to follow up on some of the leads they had, and promised me there was a story to find but…” Ryan shook his head sadly. “I couldn’t do it if it meant using you, Red. It just wasn’t right. I could tell they weren’t going to drop it, so; I quit.”
Bailey wasn’t sure she could speak clearly, so instead she just hugged her father. He didn’t know it, she knew, but he’d given her and the Coven a huge advantage, and one they hadn’t even known they needed.
More than anything she wanted to tell him they were right. There was more to it. And Ryan, for his part, seemed to sense this. “Is everything