“That’s unusual. Not even family heirlooms or mementos?”
“The will specifically forbids me from taking anything,” Lindsey said. “My aunt did not like me. The feeling was more than mutual.”
“And she made you her executor?”
“It was her last slap at Lindsey,” said Lorelei—or Lorel, as Lindsey called her. “Our mother was vindictive and mean and making Lindsey the executor was her way of rubbing Lindsey’s nose in the fact that she was getting nothing, and we were getting everything.”
Rhi reached out and put a hand on her cousin’s forearm and gave it a little squeeze. “She knew that Lindsey wouldn’t refuse. She’s always been there for us, no matter how awful Mom was.”
“Which is why,” Lorel said, looking at Lindsey, “we’ll be giving you half of everything.”
Lindsey shook her head. “The will specifically states I get nothing.”
Rhi snorted. “Once we inherit, she can’t tell us what to do. If we want to share our good fortune with you, then we will.”
“You are sweet, but it’s unnecessary. Anyhow, the will has stipulations against that.”
“Our mom stole your mom’s half of the shop and left you and her with nothing. She wouldn’t even help when Aunt Lace needed treatment. She let her own sister die because of some feud that didn’t even matter. We’re just giving back what’s rightfully yours, and we won’t take no for an answer. We’ll fight it in court if we have to.”
I listened to the exchange, fascinated. Clearly the three cousins had grown up close, despite the twins’ mother being a toxic bitch. Or that’s what I took from the conversation. Lindsey’s eyes had misted and she gave a watery smile to her cousins, too choked up to speak.
Right about then I decided that I’d be taking the sale on, no matter what the stuff inside looked like. Aunt Mitzi sounded a little too much like Aunty Mommy for my taste, and these women deserve better.
“I’m sorry,” Lindsey said to me, cheeks flushed as she crumbled a cookie on her plate. “You don’t need to hear us airing dirty laundry. Aunt Mitzi wasn’t so bad. She took me in after my mother died.”
“Because she could turn you into Cinderella and berate you constantly, while making you do all her scut work,” Rhi said. “Don’t go painting her into a saint. When Aunt Lace died and Mom couldn’t hurt her any more, she decided she’d go after you. She didn’t take you in out of the goodness of her heart; she did it to make it easier to mess with you.”
“She sounds like a winner,” I said.
“She was anything but,” Lorel said. “Much as we wanted to love her and even did, we could see what she was. None of us want to keep anything that reminds us of her. So every last little scrap has to go.”
“After that, we’ll get an exorcist in here and make sure she’s gone before we open up our own store,” Rhi declared.
“Rhi!” Lindsey admonished. “Don’t say things like that. Miss Wyatt will think we’re crazy.”
“Why not say it?” the other woman argued. “Mom always said she’d haunt the place. You know as well as I do that if she could stay and make our lives miserable, she would. An exorcism is the only way we can be sure.”
“And if that doesn’t work, we’ll nuke it from space,” Lorel added darkly.
I laughed at that. “First, everybody please call me Beck. Second, I’d totally do the same.” In fact, I was thinking I should have already done some sort of cleanse on the estate to make sure Aunty Mommy really had toddled off to hell when she died. “Now, are you ready to show me around?”
“Sure,” Lindsey said, standing. She hesitated. “You should probably know that this place really is a little weird. I’m not saying that Aunt Mitzi is haunting the place, but—” She shrugged.
Curiouser and curiouser. Did that mean someone else was haunting it? There were strange sounds and unaccountable cold spots? What kind of weird were they talking about? I wanted to ask, but figured they wouldn’t tell me the truth at the risk of sounding like lunatics. Anyhow, I’d find out soon enough.
I stood as the twins did. “The town is famous for its mystical heritage. It would be strange if therewasn’tsomething odd in most places here, right?” I said brightly.
Lindsey’s smile was slightly strained. “We’ve definitely gotoddcovered. Come on. I’ll show you.
“Don’t worry,” Lorel said as she took my arm. Rhi took the other. “We’ll make sure you’re safe.”
I smiled. Magic pulsed in my blood. Little did they know that I was probably far more strange than whatever was going on in the building. I pushed my shield out to encompass Ajax, who padded along at my heels. Whatever might happen inside, I wasn’t about to risk him, even if all we were facing down were giant dust-bunnies.
ChapterFour
We enteredthrough the back of the shop. Dusty shades covered the windows. Thin carpet covered the floor. Lindsey flipped a switch and a crystal chandelier cast warm light over the space. French, I’d guess. Probably from the seventeen hundreds and wired for electricity. A good omen for the rest of the merchandise.
I glanced around. I was wrong about the carpet. It was a rug. Chinese, antique, hand-knotted, and made of silk. Its colors were still vibrant and a quick scan didn’t reveal any stains or damage. Glass cabinets jammed with all sorts of things crowded together along the walls. In the center stood a glass-topped oak pedestal table. The pedestal column was shaped like a tree, its limbs stretching to hold up the glass table top. At the bottom, carved roots spread out in a circle to create the base. Four matching chairs with purple silk seats completed the set.
