Stony Blend (A Paramour Bay Cozy Paranormal Mystery Book 16)

by Kennedy Layne

  “Exactly,” Elsie replied curtly, taking back the change that I’d handed her before slipping the dollar bills inside her wallet. “Eugene was the one to make a remark about hearing a story on television about some big cat roaming the streets of a town at night, and one thing led to another. As for the animal tracks, Monty was the first one to spot them last Wednesday morning. Or was it Thursday? I don’t quite remember. Anyway, he didn’t think anything of it at the time, because he’d assumed they were just from someone’s dog and not some huge mountain lion.”

  I’m telling you, it’s not some slobbering…

  Leo’s horrified gasp filled my ears once again, and I could only imagine that his imagination had taken him directly to some menacing, slobbering hound that called Hades home.

  I’ll have you know that I’m in complete control of my thoughts, Raven. I’m not being deterred away from that hideous thing that the cupcake lady calls art.

  “I did hear about Monty’s sighting in passing,” I reluctantly admitted as I tucked Wilma’s purchase into a small brown shopping bag that was still decked out with red and green ribbon from Christmas. “I just assumed that it was someone’s dog that had escaped their yard, as well.”

  I still had a handful of the decorated bags left that I would just use until they were all gone, but those weren’t my concern at the moment. This discussion would most likely lead to Leo making a bigger deal out of the animal tracks, ultimately having him declare some type of war on nothing but a mere hunk of carved rock.

  He was liable to get himself hurt.

  “Again, trust that Liam would let everyone know if we were in danger from a large predator,” I reassured both of them, though Wilma was once again speaking in muffled words behind her knitted scarf. Amazingly, I did catch on to some of them. “Did you say that Mindy saw some tracks last night out front of our shops? The same type of tracks?”

  Ahhh, is that the sound of you backpedaling like a pro?

  I shot Leo a glare, because I wasn’t in any way, shape, or form backpedaling.

  “Yes,” Elsie confirmed on behalf of Wilma, who had gone into a sneezing fit. “Mindy received a shipment of Spring clothes last week that she wanted to sort through, so she stayed late yesterday to price them. She said that she didn’t leave the boutique until close to midnight last night, and that’s when she spotted them—the same type of tracks that Monty described last week.”

  In case you forgot, we had a dusting of snow last night, which would explain why the tracks from that monstrosity were visible. Don’t you see, Raven? This is just the beginning! We’re about to be invaded by a gaggle of gargoyles, and we’re the only ones who can stop them!

  Chapter Two

  “Would you stop all that moaning and groaning over there?”

  I was unable to suffer through another loud, drawn-out sigh or a long guttural objection from Leo. He was currently on his back in his cat bed with all four paws up in the air while keeping an eye on the statue from his upside-down viewing position. He didn’t look comfortable in the least, but that wasn’t why he was passive-aggressively alerting me to the fact that he wasn’t happy with the progress on the so-called mystery.

  “Liam promised to stop by the teashop this evening around closing time,” I reminded Leo as I locked the cash register. It was a few minutes before five o’clock, but the light foot traffic throughout the day had pretty much foretold that no one else would be coming into the shop just before close. “He’s been checking in on all of the residents who have pets to make sure all the doggies and kitties are accounted for. He also spoke with Janice, the pet shop owner. Do you remember last time when some of her critters got loose? We ended up discovering that Beetle was actually a vampire, and that the rescue vampire bat was really his long-time companion.”

  Don’t remind me. Count Fangs-A-Lot and I still don’t get along. He keeps sucking up all of my VVBFF’s time. It’s annoying. It’s almost as if I’ve become a mere afterthought lately, and I don’t care for the abject feelings of abandonment.

  Just so you know, VVBFF means vampire very best friend forever, and it was a term of endearment that Leo had given Beetle…who just so happened to be a vampire, my part-time employee here at the shop, and my mother’s brand-new husband. For all intents and purposes, he was now my stepfather. It was just really weird to call him that, especially since I never expected my mother to marry anyone, let alone a vampire.

  It wasn’t exactly like witches and vampires made for a perfect pairing.

  That’s an understatement. It would be like me marrying one of those territorial hairless chihuahuas decked out in a knitted pink sweater.

  I couldn’t help myself, and I ended up busting out with laughter. Only Leo could make an odd comparison like that…and actually have it make sense. Before I could comment, Leo was scrambling to go from his back to all four paws.

  It moved! It moved, Raven! Get over here. Look at that thing, and then you tell me it’s not in a different position than it was five seconds ago. You’d be completely wrong, of course.

  I set my keys on top of my winter jacket that I’d laid on the stool behind me before reluctantly walking across the hardwood floor of the teashop. It wasn’t like I really had a choice, because Leo would only continue to nag me until I saw the gargoyle with my very own eyes.

  “Leo, the bakery is practically a block away. Isn’t it possible that you just thought it moved?” I asked, already knowing full well that I wouldn’t be able to notice if the gargoyle had hopped off its base and danced a jig. Well, maybe I could tell if he shifted that dramatically, but you get the drift. “I’m here, I’m looking, and he seems to be in the same position as before—sitting on his matching base with his two front arms draped over the edge and clinging on for dear life.”

  His toe! Look at the right finger on his left hand. It was pointing straight down before, and now it’s slightly aimed toward the door of the bakery. See? Look, Raven!

  “Leo, I’m looking,” I replied defensively, even leaning forward and squinting my eyes as if that would help. It didn’t, especially now that dusk had started to settle and the sky was overcast with a small stormfront blowing in and due any moment. I’d heard that we might get an inch or two, but the meteorologist expected a larger stormfront to hit the area toward the end of the week. “I can barely see his head, let alone the position of his claws.”

  Look harder! I’m telling you that one of those sharp talons of his shifted on that base.

  By this time, Leo had scrambled to flatten his face against the windowpane for the hundredth time today. He certainly had better eyesight than me, but I doubted that even he could see a lone claw shift an inch from a block away. I wasn’t going to argue with him, though. He’d been in a bad mood all day, and anything that I said to the contrary would just make it worse.

  It was best to offer up an alternative that had the potential to make us both happy.

  “Why don’t we stop by the bakery before driving home?” I proposed, already thinking about snatching up a few of Bree’s famous bear claws that all the town’s residents were crazy over. There was nothing wrong with enjoying life once in a while. What could it hurt to have a bear claw or two for dinner instead of something more substantial? I mean, even witches only lived once. Right? I’m pretty sure the acronym I was looking for in this instance was WOLO. “I can even text Liam to meet us over there instead of waiting for him here at the shop.”

  That would be YOLO, Raven. You only live once, and we know that’s not the case for me. Besides, you’re a little too late, Raven. You didn’t see the good ol’ sheriff crossing the street? Maybe we should get your eyes checked, because you’re clearly missing a step today.

  “The temperature is dropping like a rock out there, especially since the sun is almost down,” Liam said after he’d entered the shop. I met him halfway, lifting up on my tiptoes to accept his traditional greeting kiss. “How was your day?”

  “Long,” I admitted truthfully, and for
numerous reasons. “Business was slow, and Leo swears that the gargoyle is an actual living and breathing creature.”

  To my surprise, Liam cast Leo a wary gaze, almost as if such a claim could actually be a plausible possibility.

  “Seriously?” I set my hand on top of my hips. “You, too?”

  I just love when the good ol’ sheriff surprises me.

  “What do you know about gargoyles?” Liam asked, directing his question toward me. “Before I met you, I would have bet my life that witches, vampires, werewolves, and other things that go bump in the night didn’t exist. Where am I today? In love with a bona fide, beautiful witch.”

  “You’re such a lucky fellow, aren’t you?” I quipped with a big smile. He tugged on a strand of my long black hair in response. “I’ve never had to research gargoyles. I honestly couldn’t tell you one thing about them.”

  If you’d listen to me, you’d know that the gargoyle across the street moves when no one is watching. I never thought I’d say this, but something of this magnitude could blow the squirrelpocalypse right out of the water!

  I’d left Liam and Leo near the display window so that I could grab my jacket and keys from the stool behind the cash register. I’d already cleaned off the high-top tables that I used for samples of various teas and coffees, washing the carafes and kettles, while storing away the small sample cups. The register was locked up tight, and I hadn’t made enough today to make a bank run. The only thing left for me to do was grab my tote bag that contained my laptop and collect my empty travel mug that I’d brought with me from the cottage this morning.

  Once I had swung my black tote bag over my shoulder and turned back around, I found both Liam and Leo staring at me expectantly. They were practically side by side now that Liam had moved closer to the display window.

  Liam had his arms crossed and was apparently waiting for me to promise that I’d look in the family grimoire for anything that had to do with gargoyles. Leo, well…at least he no longer had his face pressed against the window. He was currently sitting back on his haunches, staring at me keenly with his whiskers twitching faster than normal.

  The necromancy spell that Nan had used to prevent Leo from crossing over through the veil with her had some pretty dire consequences. His once sleek black fur had tufts of orange sticking out every which way, some of those twitching whiskers were crooked, his tail was bent like a hanger, and his left eye bulged out more than his right.

  The kicker of the entire necromancy spell was the fact that it had caused Leo to have what I referred to as ill-timed, short-term memory loss. Well, we’d originally thought that it was only his short-term memory. He also had medium and long-term memory issues here and there, but bits and pieces of past recollections eventually made their way to the forefront.

  Never at an opportune time, though.

  “Leo, what do you know about gargoyles?” I asked in defeat, knowing that I wasn’t going to win this battle. He was convinced that the statue moved when no one was looking, and Liam had a heightened sense of responsibility when it came to the residents of the town. “Wait, don’t answer that question. Liam, I want to know if you were able to find out if any pets around the neighborhood have been escaping their house or yard at night. That could easily resolve all of our—”

  “Not that I know of, which is why it wouldn’t hurt to double-check if a statue of said gargoyle can come to life,” Liam stated matter-of-factly. He didn’t even seem to be one bit hesitant that Leo could be onto something. “Wasn’t it just last Spring that Leo discovered a phantom in an antique hand-mirror? Let’s not forget the reason that the town’s prized jack-o-lantern was stolen to ward off an evil soul from crossing through the veil and taking the wrong escalator, if you know what I mean.”

  The good ol’ sheriff is basically saying that he wouldn’t rule gargoyles off the table. And to answer your question about what I know about them, well…

  “Memory issues,” I muttered in a mixture of defeat and acceptance, hoisting the tote bag more securely onto my shoulder. “Fine. I have my laptop with me, so let’s head over to the bakery to get a better look at this so-called gargoyle. Afterward, we can sit at one of the tables where you’re going to buy me a bear claw for my dinner.”

  “I’d say that is a fair trade-off,” Liam agreed quickly, knowing exactly what he should say in response to my demands. He lowered one arm and gestured toward the front door. “Shall we? And Leo, how about a bowl of fresh cream? My treat.”

  Seeing as I already had a handful of my blueberry-filled edibles, I certainly wouldn’t turn down a bowl of fresh cream. It’s a good thing the blueberries give me mental antioxidants, Raven. We’re clearly going to have to be just a smidgen smarter than the gargoyle.

  I didn’t bother to reply to the fact that Leo’s favorite premium organic blueberry-infused catnip bolstered his mental acuity. He truly believed that the mixture of blueberries and catnip together served as an IQ enhancer, and there was no changing his mind. I guess it was kind of how I thought of coffee, especially when that first sip hit my system in the morning.

  Oh, make sure to tell the good ol’ sheriff that it has to be chilled to the appropriate temperature, though. The cupcake lady knows how I prefer my favorite beverage, so we’ll let her do her thing while we save the town from the vanguard of the gargoyle invasion. Whatever we learn from this war can be transferred to my master plan to defeat the squirrelpocalypse. Don’t forget to take copious notes, Raven. This is going to be epic!

  Chapter Three

  The three of us stood right in front of the gargoyle statue, most likely all thinking different things. The gargoyle’s wings were three times the width of his body, and they weren’t even fully opened in his carved form. The outline of his arms displayed his well-defined, sinuous muscles, and his hands or what some might call claws, gripped the base as if he were holding onto it for balance. His ears resembled those of a vampire bat, his small nose was rather flat, and his grimace exposed what appeared to be a mouth full of sharp teeth.

  I’m thinking that Gargoyle Gary here would make an excellent addition to my faction in the squirrelpocalypse. He’d basically be a flying squirrel eradicator. You don’t suppose that gargoyles can be tamed like one of those golden retrievers, do you?

  “You named him Gary?” I asked, tilting my head to see if I could spot anything unusual about the statue. Liam was to my right, so he was blocking the coastal breeze that was causing me to see my breath with each word that I spoke. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter, because this thing is pure granite. Of course, I’d be frozen too if I had to stay out here all the time.”

  To demonstrate, I removed my glove and gave the gargoyle a solid knock on the noggin.

  Leo’s gasp of horror had me hoping that he didn’t do his blip thing while there were patrons in the bakery. The windows gave them a clear view of outside courtesy of the old-fashioned lamppost behind us.

  For the love of all catnip treats, what do you think you’re doing? We’re going to want to tame Gargoyle Gary, not make him feel as if we’re bias against creatures made of stone! You’re acting as if you don’t have a close family friend made of wax. Or have things changed, and you’re going to be knocking on Crayola Head’s noggin now, too?

  “I’m beginning to realize how ridiculous my request was earlier,” Liam murmured as he continued to eye the statue in front of us. He also took his glove off and gave the statue a solid knock, much to Leo’s dismay. “It’s definitely solid granite. I guess my imagination is in overdrive today.”

  You two halfwits are going to get us all killed. You need to apologize to Gargoyle Gary, and right this minute!

  “Leo is still convinced that Gargoyle Gary is the one leaving footprints in the snow,” I reminded Liam, not needing to go into the fact that Leo’s perception on the last mystery that we had to solve had been pretty accurate. It wasn’t like we set out looking for perplexing mysteries or puzzling whodunits, but Liam was limited in what he could do in the
supernatural population. “Let’s see what we can find on gargoyles while we enjoy some bear claws.”

  “I refuse to eat a pastry for dinner,” Liam argued with a laugh as he opened the door to the bakery. The delicious scents immediately surrounded us, causing my stomach to rumble in response. Between the fresh coffee aroma mixed with a sweet sugary fragrance, it was enough to make my mouth salivate in anticipation. “Why don’t we start with one of those chicken wraps that Bree has been experimenting with, and then we’ll have a bear claw for dessert.”

  Who can eat when that monstrosity could come alive at any moment? This is how the world ends, isn’t it? Humans becoming too stupid to realize that they’ve stopped breathing.

  “Leo, you heard my thoughts loud and clear,” I said softly as we claimed the table closest to the front door. Paramour Bay was pretty lax when it came to pets accompanying their owners, and everyone just assumed that Leo was a rescue that I’d brought with me on my move from New York City. Bree only asked her patrons with pets to sit close to the entrance. “We’re going to research gargoyles and see if there is any chance that this one is…well, special.”

  As Liam helped me hang my tote bag from the back of my chair and remove my winter jacket, I found myself still reluctant to believe that such statues could actually come to life.

  Have you so easily forgotten about the lump of wax that your grandmother decided to bring to life? If golems can exist, then gargoyles can exist. Crayola Head is a walking, talking, grey candlestick that lives in our backyard, Raven. Gargoyle Gary sits out front of a bakery. I’m not seeing much of a difference.

  Leo was talking about Ted, the wax golem whom I had mentioned earlier. And yes, I do believe that was the first time that Nan had dabbled in the dark magics, of sorts. Those types of spells, especially when incantations used for one’s own self-gain, were a big no-no in witchcraft.

  Anyway, Nan had wanted a companion to help her gather ingredients and other rare components that weren’t so easily acquired by a human hand. She’d actually gone so far as to steal a wax statue of a television character from our local wax museum. You might have heard of Lurch from The Addams Family. Let’s just say our Ted resembled the fictional character, and yet no one in town had mentioned the similarities.