Wicked Brew by Amanda M. Lee Read Free Book Online Page B

tongue over his teeth, considering. “Were you doing something you weren’t supposed to be doing in nature?”
    “You’ll have to be more specific,” Aunt Tillie said obstinately.
    “Were you working in your field?”
    “I have no idea what field you’re referring to,” Aunt Tillie lied. “I was talking to Mother Nature, and thanking her for all her blessings. Don’t try to entrap me, agent. You’re out of your depth.”
    Landon scowled. “If I find out you took that girl to help you plant pot I’m going to be really ticked off.”
    “I’m already ticked off,” Aunt Tillie countered. “You stole my wine. I want it back.”
    “I didn’t steal it,” Landon replied. “I confiscated it for law enforcement purposes.”
    “You just want to drink it.”
    “Yeah, I like a functioning liver, thanks,” Landon deadpanned. He turned when he heard the front door of the inn open to allow Chief Terry entrance. “We found her.”
    “Yeah, I got your text,” Chief Terry said. “I’m glad she’s okay.”
    “She was never in any danger,” Aunt Tillie said. “She was with me. That’s the safest place in the world.”
    Landon rolled his eyes.
    “Where did you take her?” Chief Terry asked, curious.
    “We were just out for a walk,” Aunt Tillie said.
    Chief Terry glanced at Landon for confirmation.
    “She took her to her field,” Landon said.
    Chief Terry groaned. “I don’t want to hear anything about a field. There is no field.”
    “Pretending it’s not there doesn’t mean it’s not there,” Landon said, throwing himself into one of the dining room chairs wearily. He snagged Bay around the waist and pulled her down on his lap. “The women in this family are making me feel old. I feel like the pot police.”
    Bay swished her lips back and forth. “Aunt Tillie says she told her it was oregano, if that helps.”
    “You have a huge mouth,” Aunt Tillie said.
    “I’m sorry,” Bay said, rubbing the crease between her eyebrows. “I just don’t see the point in lying. He knows it’s there.”
    “You’re on my list,” Aunt Tillie said, extending a finger in Bay’s direction. “You were already there because of the wine, but now you’re on top.”
    “I don’t have the wine,” Bay protested. “He won’t tell me where he put it.”
    “That’s because I know you’ll give it back to her,” Landon said. “You live in fear of whatever deranged thing she’s going to do next. I don’t have that problem.”
    “You could have if you’re not careful,” Aunt Tillie warned.
    “Bring it on,” Landon said, his fingers restlessly roaming through the ends of Bay’s hair as he thought. “Did you find anything else out about Jonathan Denham?”
    Chief Terry settled in the chair next to Landon. “I found out he lost his job at Dorchester High School in Minnesota about a year after Belinda Martin graduated,” he said.
    “Is that because he was sleeping with his students?” I asked.
    “The official reason was cutbacks,” Chief Terry said. “The cops out there admitted the school fired him after they found out about Belinda, though. She was legally an adult, so he didn’t do anything criminal. The school can fire him for ethical breaches, though, and that’s exactly what they did.”
    “So, what did he do?”
    “He tried to find another job teaching, but he wasn’t able to secure one,” Chief Terry replied. “Even though nothing official was ever put in his file, apparently someone called all the schools in the state and made them aware of Denham’s history.”
    “Good,” I said.
    “Do you think it was Belinda?” Bay asked.
    “I don’t know,” Chief Terry said. “She had every reason to do it.”
    “And it might be a reason for someone to try and get revenge on her,” Landon said.
    My heart stuttered. “Are you guys just assuming Belinda is dead?”
    “We’re not assuming anything, Thistle,” Chief Terry said. “We don’t have a lot of facts. Technically, we don’t