The Good Witch's Garden Page #6

And your forensic genius.

See, how did you know

I was going to say that?

It's all going to work out.

You know, this is not just

about losing the house.

I was so honored to be the

Grey Lady's great-great-

great-great... something.

And now everyone's saying she's a swindler.

Well, you're still great, Cassie.

And she wasn't a thief.

How do you know that?

Because good cops have

intuition of their own.

I love you.

Hmm. It really is a truth plant, huh?

I love you too.

- And I have to go.

- Okay.

Good night.

Good night, Jake.

Good night, Nick.

You're still here?

I was just about to leave.

I'll be back, though.

To remove all the things

that are going with me.

I'm leaving the plants.

Oh, please take them. I'm

not very good with plants.

- Sure, you are.

- No. Really.

I wouldn't know what to do with them.

But Nick, you just cultivate them the way

you've cultivated so many

friendships here in Middleton.

Cassie, I hope there are

no hard feelings about this.

Hard feelings.

What a phrase.

Feelings are tender. The

moment they become hard,

you're not really feeling anymore.

Brandon, we're going to be late for school!

Coming.

Hi, Dad.

Hi.

I was just, uh, checking

to see if I should shave.

Ah!

So, uh,

you probably want to know

where I'm going tonight, right?

No.

I trust you.

- Really?

- Really.

Since when?

Since a friend of mine helped me

see myself a little differently.

Come on down for breakfast.

Oh, Nick! Yoo-hoo!

Yoo-hoo! Hello!

I left you several messages

regarding the Bicentennial.

Yes, I was meaning to get back to you.

Oh well, we can discuss it

at this morning's meeting.

About that...

I was thinking you could

dress up as your ancestor,

Sea Captain Charles Hamblin.

Naval waistcoat. Powdered wig.

Oh, listen to me.

I imagine you're swimming in ideas

for the Bicentennial garden party.

And as the new owner of Grey House,

I suspect you'll be setting

a very different tone

than Ms. Nightingale did.

Something tasteful and worldly,

as opposed to otherworldly

if you know what I mean.

Well, Martha, this is where

we go our separate ways.

Oh, but the early bird

Bicentennial meeting?

Yes, unfortunately, other business

draws me away this morning.

Other business?

- I don't mean to pry but...

- Then don't.

Oh my...

George?

Gwen.

Let me help you with that horse manure.

It's enriched topsoil.

Horse manure.

I'll bet you think I'm still

spreading it around, don't you?

I have noticed that the real gardeners

are the ones down here

when the store opens.

Mary and I were always up at dawn.

She used to say,

"The early bird catches the worm,

while the grub beetle, or the whitefly... "

- She was an avid gardener?

- Avid?

She was rabid.

Pests used to jump off the

leaves just to look at her.

How's Lori?

Oh, she couldn't be better.

The two of you seem very close.

I guess we are.

Sometimes I think it's

easier to talk to your grandpa

than to your own parent.

You listen to her.

People don't do that so much anymore.

- Really listen to children.

- Do you have grandchildren?

Two adorable twin boys.

But they live so far away,

out on the west coast.

Those two used to play

in my garden together.

They used to pick all my berries.

Lori too.

I call her my berry baby.

It's nice running into you, George.

Gwen,

Cassie sent me here to...

pick up a plant.

What's so funny?

Cassie.

She's quite a lady.

She's probably expecting me, but uh...

I have a feeling she wouldn't mind

if I asked you out for a cup of coffee.

Would you join me?

Sure.

Good.

- I've got it!

- What?

The big event we need

for our history report.

The blizzard of 1816.

Lori, that's it!

That's how this thing saved his life.

He had a vegetable garden.

Without the garden,

he would have died of

starvation that winter.

See if you can find any more books

about the weather that winter.

Okay.

Find anything?

Hmm, no.

Lori, what are you doing?

Just digging a little deeper.

This is amazing!

What is it?

It's a book of stories

by Elizabeth Merriwick.

Who?

The Grey Lady.

Oh!

"For all the children of Middleton,

from your friend, The Grey Lady."

He joined the Bicentennial

committee to gain access

to the Historical Society Library.

He used old land records

to fake his documents.

- You're sure they're fake?

- I had a hunch.

So I sent the documents to a lab.

Do you know why Nick was

asking about your taxes?

He wanted to know the total

cost to take over your property.

Things are adding up.

Yeah, but will it be enough,

and in time to stop this?

Selling Grey House.

I guess he wasn't so proud

of his legacy after all.

Yeah, and he claimed to love Middleton.

I've been investigating some

recent real estate fraud.

All the cases used the same method.

What method?

The suspect would show up

with a prior chain of title,

take over the deed for next

to nothing sound familiar?

Yeah, and then he turns around and sells

the property to developers.

Develop Grey House? Into what?

Well, a farmhouse was knocked

down to make room for a strip mall.

It won't happen, Cassie.

We won't let him sell.

I'll get an injunction.

It's hard enough to

think of losing your home,

- the thought...

- Listen, no matter what happens, you have a home.

With me, and Lori and Brandon

and George.

My home.

It could be your home too.

- Dad!

- Hi.

We made a big discovery at the library!

Jake, it's a book by Elizabeth

Merriwick, the Grey Lady.

There's lots of stories

about her sea captain.

It looks like it's all

about Charles Hamblin.

There might be something in there

that contradicts Nick's

claim to Grey House.

- It contradicts everything.

- How's that?

Well, the stories in here about

the sea captain are just that,

stories. It's a work of fiction.

Good job.

Mr. Chasen.

Who gave you the right?

Maybe I should read you your rights.

The documents about your claim to

Grey House are forgeries, aren't they?

- Of course not.

- They look better than the real thing.

Your chain of title had a few rusty links.

Could we discuss this in the parlor?

It's getting a little hot in here.

Perhaps you should be

making these accusations

through an attorney.

I wanted to give you a chance to, uh,

speak for yourself.

You're too kind.

Jake, would you move the Veritas

out of the sun?

Perfect.

I'll be blunt.

Show me your evidence or hit the road.

Exhibit A.

So?

The tales of Captain Hamblin.

Lots of people write stories

about people they know.

They're fiction.

Means your claim to Grey House is fiction.

Let me tell you a story, Nick.

It's about a guy who thought

that he could use chemicals

to age title documents.

But there was this cop who took

those title documents to a lab.

Now it took an expert forensic

chemist, but guess what he found?

I have no idea.

Superstitious, Nick?

- I think you should both leave.

- Before you call the police?

You ever heard of a guy

named Charlie Higgins?

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