Read Online The Witching on the Wall: A Cozy Mystery (The Witchy Women of Coven Grove Book 1) by Constance Barker - Free Book Online Page B

bottom, written in, Bailey herself.
    Avery’s eyebrows creased. “Are you a suspect?”
    “ I found the body,” she said. “The person who finds the body is always a suspect. How do you know I didn’t kill Martha myself and call it in to keep from being suspected.”
    “ Why would anyone kill someone and then call the police?” Piper asked, incredulous. “It doesn’t make sense.”
    “ Exactly. And neither of you thought to put my name on the list because you’re biased in my favor—not because you were thinking it through rationally.”
    Avery and Piper shared a look, and then stared at Bailey.
    “ Did you kill Martha?” Avery asked carefully.
    Bailey rolled her eyes. “Of course not—that’s not the point. The point is, we know everyone in town. Everyone knows everyone here, it makes it hard to be objective. It’s not as easy as just pointing people out and following ‘clues’. This isn’t a Poirot story, and we’re not the police.”
    “ We can still help,” Piper said sullenly. She winced suddenly and put her hand to her round belly. “James agrees, I think. That, or he’s cranky, one or the other.” She breathed through it.
    “ She’s right,” Avery said. “And maybe baby James, too. We should be doing something. The whole town should be banding together over this.”
    “ Over what?” A pleasant voice called from the doorway, slightly ajar as Chloe poked her head through. She entered the rest of the way, carrying a small box that no doubt had something delicious inside. “Hi, kids,” she said, smiling broadly, “what are you all talking about?” She glanced at the books on the table, and frowned. “The Caves?”
    “ We were just gossiping, Chloe,” I said. “Piper and Avery think—”
    Avery shot me a warning look.
    “— that I should focus on something… distracting and academic to try and get over finding Martha,” I finished.
    The whispers got a little louder, but not more numerous. They were suspicious, I thought, nattering on about… about Chloe? Don’t trust her, they seemed to say, don’t trust anyone, everyone’s a suspect, she came in at a convenient time, didn’t she? Bailey had to squeeze her eyes closed and rub her temples.
    “ Everything okay?” Chloe asked.
    “ Just a headache,” Bailey muttered. She shook two more aspirin from a bottle that was almost gone—she’d picked it up the same day she’d found Martha—and swallowed them down without water. Funny how easy that got with practice.
    Chloe nodded slowly. “Sorry I haven’t been by,” she said. “But I was thinking about you. I brought you a cupcake. Actually, a couple. I made one yesterday but… didn’t see you so, I figured I’d bring them to you.”
    In fact, Chloe had never visited Bailey here before—or anywhere else, for that matter. It seemed more than a little odd, but Bailey was mostly just thankful for a distraction from Avery and Piper’s crusade.
    “ How did you know she’d be at the library?” Avery asked, feigning casual disinterest in the answer.
    “ Because Bailey retreats to the library when she’d stressed,” Chloe said slowly, confused at the question. “Everyone knows that.”
    Piper shrugged, and nodded and then peeked in the box Chloe sat down on the table between the three of them.
    “ Thanks, Chloe,” Bailey said. A cupcake didn’t quite seem to appeal at the moment, but maybe it would later.
    “ So,” Chloe said. “How are you getting along?”
     
    “ That’s the question of the day,” Bailey groaned. “I’m okay, really—that’s for all of you. Bailey Robinson will be fine.”
    “ Good,” Chloe said. “That’s good. What all did you see in there? If you don’t mind my asking.”
    “ It was all in the paper,” Bailey sighed.
    “ I saw. But, nothing you left out?”
    The three of them tried to act as casual as they could. Avery and Piper busied themselves with the cupcakes. The ones that were for Bailey were obvious—they were the