Free wicked witches 07.5 - christmas witch by Amanda M. Lee Page B

unfortunate granny panties – while I led my great-nieces from the spectacle.
    “It would’ve been better if she was naked,” Thistle said.
    “And crying,” Clove added.
    “Next time.”
     

Eight
    “Where are we?” Thistle asked, peering out the car window. She was in the back seat with Clove. Bernard’s magical trail took us farther away from Walkerville than I would have liked.
    “Traverse City,” I replied, my eyes scanning the frozen Grand Traverse Bay. “We’re in Traverse City.”
    “Why would he come here?” Bay asked from the passenger seat. “You can’t even swim now.”
    That was a very good question. “I don’t know,” I said, following the trail as it led me around the bay and toward Traverse City’s hospital district. The moment I saw Munson Medical Center pop into view, my heart sank.
    “Is he in the hospital?” Clove asked, recognizing the building. “Maybe he is dead after all.”
    “I told you,” Thistle said.
    “You told us he would be in a ditch,” I shot back. “He’s clearly not in a ditch.”
    “He’s probably dead in the hospital,” Thistle argued. “I was half right.”
    When I realized the magical line extended past the hospital, I stuck my tongue out so Thistle could see it in the rearview mirror. “Ha, ha, little missy, you were wrong,” I said. “He’s not even at the hospital.”
    I didn’t miss the relieved sigh when it escaped Bay’s mouth.
    “Where is he?” Clove asked.
    “I don’t know,” I admitted. “Wherever it is, I think it’s right here.” I followed the trail and pulled into the small parking lot belonging to a brick building about four lots from the hospital, frowning when I read the sign over the door.
    “What does it say?” Thistle asked.
    “I … .”
    “Bay Breeze Wellness,” Bay replied, reading the sign. “Is this a mental hospital?”
    Thistle may be the diabolical one, but Bay’s reasoning skills are second to none. “That’s what it kind of looks like, doesn’t it?”
    “Holy crap! Are you saying Santa is crazy?” Clove can turn nothing into something in the blink of an eye. In this case, I hoped she was being overly dramatic, as was her nature. If Bernard really had gone round the bend … well … we would be one Santa short at the town party while he was probably eight eggs short of a dozen in his mind.
    “We don’t know why he’s here yet,” I cautioned. “For all we know, he could be visiting someone.”
    “Yeah, maybe his sister went crazy or something,” Thistle suggested.
    That was a heart-warming thought.
    “What happens now?” Bay asked.
    “Now we go inside and find out what’s going on.”
    “Are they even going to let us wander around a mental hospital?” Thistle asked.
    “I … have no idea,” I admitted. “We won’t know until we ask.” I killed the engine and shoved the keys into my purse. “When we get in there, you guys let me do all the talking.”
    “That’s a horrible idea,” Thistle said.
    “Why?”
    “Because if you do all the talking they’ll try to keep you, and then what happens to us? We’ll be stuck here and miss Christmas. I don’t like this idea one bit.”
    I narrowed my eyes. Thistle’s attitude is funny only when she directs it at other people. “They’re not going to try to keep me.” I’m almost positive that’s true. “Stop worrying about things that can’t possibly happen.”
    “Just so I know, if they do try to keep you, will I get to make a phone call so Mom can come and get us?” Bay asked. “It’s like jail, right? We get one phone call so we won’t be trapped here.”
    “They’re not going to keep me.”
    “I hope you’re right,” Clove said, her expression serious. “I would miss you … even if you are mean to me sometimes.”
    “Shut up and get out of the car,” I ordered. “Make sure you don’t talk unless I tell you to. Oh, and Clove, be ready to cry if things go bad. You know what I mean, right?”
    Clove smiled. “I