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

by Kennedy Layne

  “I’m well aware that this could be an unwelcomed opinion, but would it be so wrong to bring Aunt Rowena in on this situation?” Mom had focused on my reaction, though she could already hear Leo’s outright rejection to such an outrageous suggestion. “Leo, it’s most likely either her or our local village druid who would be able to undo such a spell as the one we are facing. As much as you all seem to love Agnus, druids are best left to their own devices. She is very powerful and highly dangerous. Besides, she’s already expressed on multiple occasions that she likes her privacy. I do believe we should respect her wishes, or we will most certainly suffer the consequences.”

  I do believe that Hades might have felt a touch of cold just now at the prospect that I actually agree with your mother. Maybe a sliver of chill, at best. That ancient crypt keeper isn’t one we should bring into any mystery just willy-nilly. The part that I disagree with is regarding the Witch of Windsor. That would be a resounding no.

  “Mom, you know the dangers of any spell caster attempting to undo another’s magic,” I pointed out, though I did have to agree with Leo, but for different reasons. “And nothing changes the fact that Rye should be the one to tell Aunt Rowena about Bree. We shouldn’t interfere in his private business. Besides, the timing of such a reveal is up to him. It’s not like he doesn’t have valid reasons as to why he doesn’t want her or anyone in the coven knowing that he’s dating Bree.”

  Yeah, like being turned into toads. Don’t forget that I have a phobia of them. They’re slimy goops of globs with odd-shaped bumps. It’s wrong on every level.

  “Raven, you have a way of tying our hands when the simple solution is right in front of our faces,” my mother complained, shooting Beetle an irritating yet prompting glance. She wanted him to side with her, but Rye had returned to the table before Beetle could reply. “Rye, we’ve been thinking about this, and it might be best for you to come clean with Aunt Rowena. She has the ability and the power to undo whatever construct magic was used to make that creature outside.”

  “That’s not an option.” Rye had taken the seat next to me, most likely so that he could keep tabs on Bree. “Liam is going to join Ted and Justine as they make sure none of the storefronts were damaged like Monty’s hardware shop. In the meantime, I’ll be staying with Bree tonight. You four should head on home. There’s nothing more we can do right now.”

  Let me get this straight, cheater. You want us to leave that monstrosity…with wings…to its own devices? In the dark of night? Where it could destroy our entire town, take out anyone in its way, and claim victory in the squirrelpocalypse? I don’t think so.

  “Leo does have a point, Rye,” I replied, though I’m pretty sure that everyone was aware that I wasn’t talking about Leo’s ongoing battle with the neighborhood squirrels. “One of us should probably stay here to make sure that the stone golem doesn’t go on some rampage or do anything else. According to Harry, those things stick to their assigned mission. I’m not sure what that mission is right now, but it definitely has something to do with Bree and this town.”

  “Well, it’s clearly been programmed to stay hidden from observation by the general public,” my mother put forth, causing all of us to stop talking.

  Mom had a valid point.

  Really valid.

  I loathe giving the Mistress of the Dark credit, but I will in this one case. Your volunteer services are quite admirable, so we’ll just be going now. Give us a ring if something happens. On second thought, we’ll just find out in the morning with the rest of the town. Good luck!

  “I meant that we should set up a camera of some sort, you numbskull,” my mother muttered with a shake of her head. Beetle frowned at her impatience, silently taking out a few cat treats from the breast pocket of his dress shirt that he was wearing underneath one of his staple cardigan sweaters. He snuck them to me so that I could give them to Leo when Bree wasn’t looking our way. “The gargoyle is clearly smart enough to know when it’s being watched, so we record it while no one is around to prevent the miscreant from wreaking havoc on this town until we can figure out a way to get rid of it safely.”

  Put those tasty treats right on this chair, Raven. They smell delicious! My VVBFF is simply the best, isn’t he?

  Ted and Justine chose that moment to enter the bakery, though they were without Liam. Since Ted’s expressions didn’t change much, it was hard to tell if everything was okay or otherwise. Bree had just finished cleaning the last of the tables when she spotted the couple.

  Finally! The perfect diversion! Put those treats down right here, Raven. I’ll do the rest.

  “Ted and Justine, I’m so sorry, but I was just about to close up the bakery,” Bree responded with an apologetic smile. She had no idea that they’d been walking through town to ensure that the other storefronts were safe from any type of vandalism. She even cast a glance our way with a crooked grin. “Sorry, guys. It’s closing time.”

  “Of course,” Beetle exclaimed, hastily getting to his feet so that he could pull my mother’s chair back. “Of course. We understand.”

  We all began to put on our jackets, scarves, and gloves in order to get suited up for the cold temperature. I’d set Leo’s treats on my chair since Mom and Beetle were blocking Bree’s view of the area, giving Leo time to enjoy some of the edibles.

  I saw the slightest arch of Bree’s right brow. We weren’t pulling the wool over her eyes. As a matter of fact, she seemed quite aware that something was going on that we were purposefully keeping from her. I wouldn’t want to be Rye at the moment, because he seemed just as determined to keep the baker in the dark about the danger lurking right outside the bakery’s door.

  What a rush of mental antioxidants! It won’t be long now until I come up with an alternative solution to our problem, but I just want to double check—are you all still a resounding no on the C4 option?

  “Thanks for letting us stay a little bit longer,” I said to Bree as we all marched in a single file toward the door. Ted and Justine had already exited the bakery, but they remained just outside the door…right next to the intimidating item in question. I began to worry that Liam hadn’t returned with them. “You two have a good night.”

  Rye must have noticed the way that Ted and Justine were patiently waiting for us to join them, but it wasn’t like he could step outside without causing Bree to ask more questions. As it stood, he was almost certainly about to receive an interrogation of epic proportions.

  “Ted, where’s Liam?” I asked with concern the moment the glass door to the bakery sealed shut behind us. I could even hear Bree twist the deadbolt into place. The gargoyle remained on his tall base, and I was still amazed that I couldn’t sense any mysterious energy surrounding it. Whoever cast the magic had to be very powerful. “Did something happen?”

  “Yes, Miss Raven.”

  I’m pretty sure that my heart stopped beating upon Ted’s reply, but Leo’s quick remark on Liam’s whereabouts had it thumping hard in relief against my chest.

  The good ol’ sheriff seems to have another crime scene on his hands, Raven. I bet he’d go for the C4 option now.

  Sure enough, we all turned to look down the sidewalk around two blocks to our left to find Liam standing underneath the streetlamp with his cell phone pressed to his ear. It was hard to tell exactly what storefront that he was located in front of, but it was a toss-up between the realtor’s office and Madam Rose’s psychic reading shop.

  “What exactly happened?” I asked as we all started to walk Liam’s way. The clearer my question was, the easier it would be for Ted to answer. “Was there more vandalism?”

  “Yes.”

  “In Madam Rose’s store,” Justine replied, reaching for Ted’s hand.

  Hairball!

  “This isn’t good, Mom,” I murmured as we crossed one of the cobblestone intersections.

  The coastal breeze was now more of random gusts that could knock someone off their feet. Snow flurries were beginning to descend from the overcast
sky, and I had a feeling the stormfront had arrived early.

  The mixture of inclement weather, a stone golem, and the fact that my ability to sense when something was majorly wrong had decided that this moment would be a fine time to stop working. This whole state of affairs basically spelled disaster.

  “We’re losing control of the situation, and we’re going to have to take some dire action to set things right.”

  Yes, yes, yes! Three kilos of C4 ought to do it, Raven. Your mother can initiate the detonator. You know, in case something goes horribly wrong.

  Chapter Thirteen

  We deserve the day off, Raven. I’m not seeing a problem in the grand scheme of things. We get to regroup, plan the demolition, and sort out the details of who is going to do the cleanup. I am first in line to volunteer your mother, of course. I’ve got a forklift operator on speed dial, just so you know. Go ahead. Make up your mind.

  I stood looking out the bay window of the cottage, wishing a lot of things had gone differently in the past twelve hours. The hot cup of coffee in my hand would hopefully clear out the remaining cobwebs from a night of restless sleep.

  “The problem is that Liam has basically shut down the town for the snow emergency,” I said in frustration, though I understood his position. As sheriff, he needed to ensure the safety of the residents. We’d already received seven inches of snow, and we still had a few more hours of heavy precipitation before the stormfront moved on to the east. “The stone golem has already made a mess of Monty’s hardware store and Madam Rose’s shop. With no one watching, who knows the damage he could bestow upon the rest of the stores. What happens when he decides to enter an occupied home?”

  That’s why Ted and Justine offered to stay at the teashop, Raven. I mean, what could go wrong with three golems all in the same area?

  I gave Leo one of the famous Marigold arched brows, because we inevitably jinxed ourselves from time to time by tempting fate, opting for what could turn out to be an incredibly horrible idea.

  Oh. I see where I went wrong. Well, I’m too relaxed to worry about it right now. On a side note, I get why you sit on this burgundy pillow to cast spells. If I’d known it was this comfortable, I would have confiscated it a long time ago.

  Leo had finished eating his breakfast and decided that he didn’t want to be in the bay window where the glass panes could get a bit too cold, especially in weather like this. He was currently lying in front of the fire on top of my favorite, oversized burgundy pillow with all four munchkin legs sticking straight up into the air. He called it “toasting”. I do believe that he was about as warm as he could get without actually catching fire.

  “I called the teashop, but Ted didn’t answer.”

  Ted and Justine didn’t carry cell phones or anything of the sort. Usually, I’d just send Leo with a message if I needed them. While Ted couldn’t hear Leo, he somehow always managed to get the meaning behind my messages across.

  It’s not that hard to communicate with a lump of wax, Raven.

  I stilled my motions as I took in Leo’s sentiment regarding golems. Once I realized that he was actually onto something, my excitement began to bubble over.

  No, it didn’t. No excitement to witness here, and I see no bubbles. I’m not being carried away on floating foam when my chestnuts are being roasted by an open fire. I’m much too comfortable to attempt movement, Raven. I plan to lick my paw later, but that is just now entering the planning stages.

  It took me a moment to grasp Leo’s meaning, and I shook my head at his sense of humor. I wouldn’t allow it to distract me, though.

  “Leo, don’t you see? You get your message across to Ted without any problem,” I pointed out, hastily turning away from the bay window so that I could make my way back to the kitchen. “We simply have to ask the stone golem why he’s here, when no one else is looking. With the town basically shut down, this is the perfect opportunity to do just that.”

  You want to go and ask Gargoyle Gary why he was sent to the cupcake lady, why he’s destroying property, and why he was created? That’s a lot of whys to be throwing about when the monstrosity has claws that are much sharper than mine, not to mention a set of wings that make it possible for him to move incredibly quickly. Oh, unless we are planning to send your mother with a message. If that’s the case, count me in. It’s a win-win all the way around. If she gets attacked or freezes to the sidewalk…well, all is good.

  “Liam,” I exclaimed after I’d collected my cell phone and used speed dial to give him a call. “I need to talk to Gary.”

  “What?”

  What?

  “I need to somehow get into town and speak with Gary,” I explained with determination, answering both Liam and Leo at the same time. “We keep avoiding the stone golem like he’s not there, mostly because other people are always around. Don’t you see? If he knows that I’m a witch, he’ll feel more comfortable confessing the truth about why he was sent to Bree in the first place.”

  You have a death wish, don’t you? I can’t stand by and watch you self-destruct, so I won’t. Make sure you make arrangements for someone to stop by and check on me before you commit death by stone golem.

  “In case you haven’t looked outside lately, we’re in the middle of a blizzard.”

  The good ol’ sheriff’s grasp of the obvious continues to impress me, Raven.

  “Which is why this is a perfect time to speak with Gary without the prying eyes of…well, the non-supernatural.” I wasn’t sure how else to put it, but it wasn’t like the gargoyle was going to confess to anything in front of Liam. “And don’t suggest that Ted go over and speak with him, because I don’t think it’s a good idea for one golem to accuse another golem of committing a crime.”

  Hmmmm. I never thought about that, Raven. Fine. Decision made. We’ll send your mother with a list of very specific objectives. Now, back to roasting my chestnuts…

  “Stop that,” I murmured, holding the phone away from my mouth. “Go find those mittens for your paws that Heidi bought you last year. You’re going to need them in this weather.”

  Why on earth would you bring up that horrible memory of her sad fashion sense affliction? It’s a recognized condition in the DSM, you know. It’s not polite to ridicule your friend’s psychiatric conditions. You’re ruining my morning nap, Raven.

  “Hello? I’m still here, you know.”

  “Sorry,” I mumbled after hearing Liam’s voice through the speaker. “Liam, I need to find a way into town. Can you come and pick me up on the snowmobile?”

  Sweet angel of mercy, you have seriously lost your mind if you think that these paws are going to hitch a ride on a death contraption that has no wheels. You were just standing in front of the window. You mean to tell me that you couldn’t see the blizzard raging out there? It’s not suitable for domestic pet travel. Besides, did it ever cross your mind that Gargoyle Gary might just freeze onto that base of his? We’re talking subzero-temperatures, Raven.

  “Let me get this straight,” Liam said in his bid for clarification. I could even envision him rubbing the back of his neck in frustration. It didn’t matter, because I’d already begun to make my way back up the spiral staircase to change clothes. “You want me to hop on my snowmobile and drive the mile or so to your cottage in the middle of a blizzard, only to bring you into town so that you can try to speak to a gargoyle that has only ever remained in his unmoving, solid stone form while being observed by anyone or anything. You realize that I’m the one who shut everything down in town, right?”

  “Hey, I don’t want to cast blame,” I teased, hopping to interject a bit of humor into the situation. It clearly didn’t work. “Leo was the genius behind the plan, and it’s a good one. I’m a witch, Gary is a stone golem, and it makes sense that he would speak to me when there is absolutely no chance of anyone overseeing, overhearing, or observing our conversation. This is our chance to find out who created him and give us the chance to send him back before any more harm is done to the town.
”

  You’re assuming that the individual behind all this is focused solely on Bree and doesn’t have intentions of destroying…who knows what.

  Leo’s horrified gasp had me glancing over the loft railing. He’d rolled off the oversized, burgundy pillow until he was standing on all four paws.

  Raven, Raven, Raven!

  “Hold on,” I muttered into the phone before calling down to Leo. “I’m right here. No need to freak out.”

  We haven’t considered that Gargoyle Gary was sent in as a gift to me to help with the squirrelpocalypse! I haven’t quite connected the dots to the cupcake lady, but there has to be a connection. That’s going to require some more mental antioxidants. Where are my blueberry-filled catnip edibles?

  “Liam, I’m serious,” I said as I ignored Leo’s sidetracking and went about locating my thermal long johns. I stopped in front of the dresser to contemplate doubling the number of under garments. I hated being cold, and a mile on the back of a snowmobile might actually seem like ten in this weather. “This could be our chance to find out the truth.”

  “Okay, okay,” Liam finally relented with an audible sigh. “You’re going to have to give me an hour. I want to take the snowmobile through town and ensure that everything is secure before I head out your way. I rang the teashop and spoke to Ted around thirty minutes ago. He said the gargoyle hadn’t moved, and also that there were no tracks in the snow.”

  “That’s good,” I replied with relief, wondering why Ted or Justine hadn’t answered when I tried to call him a little bit ago. I’d try again after getting off the phone with Liam. “I’ll be dressed and ready to go when you get here.”

  “Wear two layers of thermal clothes,” Liam suggested, and I pulled my cell phone away from my ear in disbelief. How had he known that I was debating that very topic? “It took two days for you to warm up the last time I had you on the back of the snowmobile.”