The Witching on the Wall: A Cozy Mystery (The Witchy Women of Coven Grove Book 1) by Constance Barker

making it. After her blind dash back to the entrance of the Caves, she had dialed 911, and then Avery, who had called her father, and the two of them had arrived on the heels of the Sheriff’s department.
    Now, a smattering of locals arrived as well, gathered outside the police tape, watching and murmuring among themselves while Bailey answered a deputy’s questions as clearly as she could, barely holding herself together.
    “ She was there when I got to the last cave,” Bailey was saying to the middle aged Deputy, Dylan Harper, whom she’d known her entire life like everyone else in town. “I didn’t realize at first… it’s dark back there, just a little light from the lamps the TV crew set up. I thought at first it was… well, that doesn’t matter, I guess. When I got up close I could see it was her and that she was… she was…”
    “ It’s alright, Ms. Robinson,” Deputy Harper said. He’d never called Bailey ‘Ms. Robinson’ before. It made Bailey feel like a suspect.
    Which, of course, she would have to be at least for now.
    The next question confirmed it for her. “If you can recall,” Dylan said gently, “where were you before this?”
    “ I went to Rigby’s and Hitch-Morgan,” she said confidently. “I was supposed to arrange carpeting for the caves while Martha and Trevor did the documentary. She was insistent on it, but I told her I didn’t think it would work, but, you know, I wanted to make a good impression on everyone about the Seven Caves Touring Center and the town and… well, anyway, that took a couple of hours while we looked at carpet. I talked with Lester Rigby, and then went straight to Hitch-Morgan and talked with Lena Morgan, and then came here from there. Before that I was at Grovey Goodies with Trevor.”
    Deputy Dylan took this all in stride, making notes and nodding as he did. “And Trevor Simmons,” he said after he’d finished writing, “did he go with you to Rigby’s?”
    Bailey blinked, and then shook her head. “No, he… he stayed behind. But, I don’t think Trevor did this.”
    “ We just have to cover all the bases,” Dylan assured her, patient in the face of her plain anxiety. It was impressive, actually—there was a better than a good chance that this was the first murder investigation in Coven Grove in… well, maybe forever. Certainly not since Bailey was born. “Can you recall anyone who might have had a reason to attack Ms. Tells? Did you see any conflicts or arguments?”
    Bailey sighed, and shook her head. “I’m afraid not. Really—pardon me, I don’t mean to speak ill of her—but I only knew her for a little while and she struck me as a little hard to deal with. She had a temper. So, I don’t know if I could narrow down a list of people who might have disliked her. I’m sorry.”
    “ It’s okay,” Dylan said. “Well, we may have more questions later. Take this,” he handed her a card, “and call us if you remember anything else. I think Ave and your Daddy are over there; why don’t you go see them, and try to take some time to process. It must have been real awful to find her like that.”
    Bailey only nodded. More than awful.
    “ Not this girl. Somebody else. Out of towner, probably one of the crew. Or the assistant, maybe.”
    “ Who, Gloria?” Bailey asked.
    “ What’s that?” Dylan asked, frowning. “Gloria’s the assistant, right?”
    “ Yes,” Bailey said, “I thought you just said…” Oh. It was back, those echoing whispers. Suddenly, she could hear them again, like the volume had been turned up so slowly she hadn’t noticed. Now that she had, they were deafening. She rubbed her palms together and shook her head. “Never mind. I thought you asked me something.”
    “ We’ll get to the bottom of it, Ms. Robinson,” Dylan assured her. “You just stand by and rest.”
    “ I will, Deputy,” Bailey told him. “Thank you.”
    He tipped his hat, and moved on.
    Bailey tried to not-quite-run toward the line of