Elemental Eight

by Cindy Stark

  Hazel breathed easier, knowing she might have helped Susan that day.

  ****

  Instead of heading straight to work like she’d planned, she parked her car near the teashop and took a walk in the fresh October sunshine. Her wedding was only a week away, and so far, the temperatures remained warm.

  Thank the Blessed Mother for that.

  Her boot heels clicked smartly on the cobblestone sidewalk as she made her way toward the police station. She fired off a text to Peter to see if he was available to meet her outside. Instead of answering, she watched him emerge from the station and glance down the street toward her.

  Her heart swelled with love and pride.

  He met her halfway, and she strode straight into his embrace. She threw her hands around his neck and placed a warm kiss on his lips.

  “Wow,” he said with a laugh. “I should take mid-morning breaks and do this every day.”

  She grinned and linked her arm through his. “I’m game if you’re game. Do you have time for a walk? It’s so lovely out.”

  He chuckled. “But this isn’t about exercise, is it?”

  She shot him a playful look. “Stop trying to figure me out all the time. What do you think you are, a detective?”

  He pulled her closer to him. “A dang fine one, if I say so myself.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Always bragging.”

  His smile traveled all the way through his body and reached out to encompass her as well. “Whatcha got for me?”

  She blinked her eyes in a flirty fashion. “Speaking of detectives, listen to this. I stopped by Susan’s house a bit ago. I think she thinks her brother might have done it.”

  He halted, and she stumbled to a stop next to him. “What?”

  “The woman is in a sorry state, not coping with her grief at all. When Eddy left the room, she confided that she’s worried he might have had something to do with John’s death because his prints were on the hose, too.”

  Peter frowned. “How does she know about that? We haven’t released that information.”

  She formed her lips into an oval. “Oh… Well, I guess it isn’t that surprising considering John was part of your force, and she likely made friends with some of the guys, right?”

  He shook his head. “Doesn’t make it okay. This is a potential murder investigation.”

  She squeezed his hand in sympathy. “It’s hard when people you trust let you down. But maybe whoever told her had his or her heart in the right place. Was trying to look out for her, maybe.”

  “Still doesn’t help.”

  She purposefully stepped on a fat, dried oak leaf, enjoying the satisfied crunch. “I know. I’m sorry. Also, I spoke with Fauna today and Cora last night. Neither of them thinks the coven had anything to do with John’s death. Fauna actually seemed surprised by my question, still certain John was her attacker, and mighty grateful that he was gone.”

  Peter nodded thoughtfully.

  “I feel like we’re running in circles, and not getting anywhere at all.”

  He halted, and she stumbled to a stop next to him. “I need to talk to Susan again. Alone, this time.”

  Hazel frowned. “Right now?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. Now sounds about right. Can I get a raincheck on the walk?”

  She pouted and wished she’d waited longer to impart her information. “I suppose, as a police chief’s wife, I’ll have to get used to you leaving at a moment’s notice.”

  He placed a big kiss on her lips. “Thanks, Hazel. I’ll make it up to you.”

  She managed a smile, and he walked away.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Restless energy hummed through Hazel. She added an ivory candle to one of the crystal centerpieces that would grace the wedding reception tables and then glanced at Cora who sat near her. Sunshine streamed through her kitchen window, creating a halo around Cora’s head.

  Cora’s expression remained focused as she rolled out a length of periwinkle ribbon shot with threads of silver.

  Hazel smiled. “Thank you for being my best friend and being my maid of honor.”

  Cora looked up, her eyes shining with happiness. “Of course. I’m just as grateful for you, Hazel. I consider most of the women in the coven to be good friends, but I never really connected with anyone like I have with you.”

  Hazel exhaled and tried to dismiss the underlying churning in her gut.

  Cora twisted the ribbon several times and reached for a pair of scissors. “Do I detect a sense of unease floating about the room?”

  A door closed upstairs.

  Cora lifted both brows and looked up at the ceiling in question.

  Hazel laughed. “I think Clarabelle is just as nervous as I am about the upcoming date.”

  She set aside a finished bow and rolled out another length of ribbon. “I’d say. Has she been like this for long?”

  “A couple of days.

  “Does she not like Peter?” she asked without looking at her.

  Hazel wondered if she was hinting at Peter being the wrong man for her, too. “No, actually they’ve been friends for a while. Long before I came to town.”

  A smile curved Cora’s lips, and she appeared to relax. “Then she approves. That has to make you feel good.”

  Cora’s words helped to soothe her. “It does. Tells me I’ve made the right choice.”

  She twisted ribbon and wire together, working like a pro. “Then something else is bothering you.”

  Hazel didn’t want to mention it, didn’t want to give her fears more power by voicing them. But best friends were meant for unloading, right? “I had a dream. This creepy green lizard with shiny purple eyes kept following me. The faster I’d run, the faster it would chase me.”

  Cora remained quiet for a moment. “Are you still wearing your underwear inside out?”

  Hazel swallowed, fearing Cora’s analysis. “I’d stopped for a while, but I started again yesterday after the dream. What does it mean?”

  Cora wouldn’t meet her gaze. “It can mean you have a secret enemy.”

  Hazel snorted, and Cora glanced up. “Pretty sure I have more than one. Harriett and Olivia for starters. Samuel Canterbury doesn’t like me at all. I get this creepy feeling he knows I’m a witch. Wouldn’t be at all surprised if I’ve joined you in Timothy’s notebook.”

  “Yeah, that run-in you had with him in your store worries me. I think we should postpone sneaking into Timothy’s office for now.”

  She nodded. “I’ve been thinking that, too.”

  “Timothy has always bothered me, but Samuel downright scares me.”

  Hazel concurred. “Right? If there’s evil in this world, it’s him, not witches. The man has a black soul.”

  “Wouldn’t be the first time a bad person has hidden behind a righteous group.”

  She knew that very well. “Like Father Christopher?”

  “Exactly.”

  She lifted another candle. “I’m worried about Victor, too. And my mom. He’s been acting crazy, trying to convince me he’s the one. He’s even cut his hair to look more like Peter, and he’s dressing like him, too. It’s messed up.”

  An entertained chuckle flew from Cora. “Oh, my stars. That is like the best thing ever. Poor Victor. He’s losing it, and he doesn’t even know.”

  Cora’s lighthearted reaction spilled onto Hazel, and she laughed, too. “He deserves it. It’s about time he realized everything isn’t about him. He thinks he can do whatever he pleases without consequences because he’s so good-looking and powerful.”

  “Think about it, though. He’s never encountered anyone to prove otherwise.”

  Hazel snatched another macaroon from the plate Cora had brought. “So true. I didn’t want to be the person to burst his bubble, but I guess it was bound to happen.”

  “Did you send him a fake invitation?”

  Hazel chuckled and nodded. “For three weeks after the real ceremony. He’ll be mad, but it’s his own fault for being pu
shy and threatening me with my mother. He brought her up again the other day right after Samuel scared me half to death.”

  Cora nodded thoughtfully. “Maybe the fake invitation isn’t enough. We should consider a hex that will cause him to stop thinking about you.”

  She grinned. “Like a reverse love potion?”

  “Yes. That’s perfect. That should take care of his unwanted attention and constant contact with your mother. If that calms down, then you won’t have to worry about your mother showing up.”

  She exhaled, suddenly feeling a lot better. “That would help so much. I think those two things are what’s really getting to me.”

  “Good. Then maybe you can relax and enjoy the next few days. You deserve to be excited for your wedding.”

  Hazel’s doorbell rang, and she met Cora’s gaze. “That should be my shoes. I’m so excited to see them. I found this awesome place in Salem where the lady custom makes them. I can’t wait to show you.”

  She jumped up from the table and hurried toward the front door. It wasn’t until she’d turned the lock that she recognized the powerful energy coming from the other side. She placed her forehead against the door and groaned. “No.”

  Several rapid knocks vibrated into her head, and she straightened. She glanced toward the kitchen, wondering if she should call for help.

  “Hazel?” her mother’s voice called from the opposite side. “I know you’re in there. Open this door.”

  Something pressed against her leg, and she looked down to find Mr. Kitty watching her with a concerned expression. “Make her go away,” she whispered.

  “Hazel, if you don’t open this door right now…”

  Cora approached from behind. “Who is it?”

  Hazel stepped toward her to whisper. “It’s my mother.”

  Before Cora could respond, the door flew open with such force that Hazel worried her mother might have broken the hinges.

  Tall and slender, with midnight hair and smiling ruby lips, Josephine Hardy stepped into the house. She opened her arms wide. “Hazel, darling. Is that any way to greet your mother? Come, give me a kiss.”

  Hazel fought to control her anger. “Why are you here, Mother?”

  She bypassed Hazel’s question and body and stepped closer to Cora. The door automatically closed behind her. She held out a bejeweled hand to Cora. “Josephine Hardy, my dear. I’m sorry my daughter doesn’t have enough manners to properly introduce us. I really should have spanked her more as a child.”

  Cora smiled, and Hazel withheld the urge to tell her to not shake her mother’s hand, but to run as fast as she can.

  Curiosity sparked in Cora’s eyes. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Hardy. Hazel’s told me so much about you.”

  Her mother turned to her and scowled. “I’m sure she has.”

  Hazel returned the glare. “What are you doing here?”

  Josephine released an exasperated chuckle. “Why, I’m here for the wedding, dear. I’m certain you can use some help, and you can’t have a wedding without a mother of the bride.”

  An argument as thick as molasses hovered on her tongue, but there was no point in spouting it now. It wouldn’t keep her mother away and would only cause more problems between them. Problems she didn’t need before her wedding day.

  The time for prevention had passed. This had now turned to damage control.

  She silently sent a prayer to the Blessed Mother asking for patience and peace.

  “It’s a very small wedding, mother. I don’t need any help.”

  Josephine lifted one of their cups of tea and sniffed. “You might as well use me since I’m here. I have to say, though, it’s hurtful that you didn’t call and give the news yourself. You can’t rely on those postal workers to deliver anything properly.”

  Hazel frowned at her mother’s confusing train of thought. Perhaps she really had gone off her rocker. “Postal workers?”

  Her mother waved a flamboyant hand. “Yes. They lost my invitation. If Victor hadn’t let me know, I might have missed my one and only daughter’s wedding.”

  Hazel caught Cora’s sideways glance. Their ploy to give Victor false information hadn’t worked. Hazel smiled at her mother and refused to comment, but she could tell by the peeved look in her mother’s eyes that she knew Hazel had stiffed her.

  “Thank goodness for Victor,” she said instead.

  Josephine strode to the cupboard and removed a teacup. Then she turned to Hazel and shook her head. “If you say so. Personally, I’m disappointed that he hasn’t been able to convince you to marry him.”

  The fiery flames of frustration her mother usually conjured sprang to life inside Hazel. “That’s because no one can convince me. I’m marrying Peter, Mother. I thought you came to help and offer support.”

  Which was a big, fat lie, and they both knew it.

  A sugary smile crossed her mother’s red lips. “I am here to help with the wedding, darling. Fetch your mother some tea.”

  Hazel groaned but took the teacup and filled it with hot water from the kettle she’d boiled earlier. She filled a tea strainer with Blackberry Sage tea in the hopes it might offer her mother some wisdom that she obviously needed and dropped the strainer in the cup.

  Josephine accepted the teacup and sat at the table. “I have no doubt that you’ll take your vows in two days. Though why you chose a church makes me wonder at your sanity.”

  She was not the crazy one. “It was supposed to be outside a church, Mother, though the weather report leaves me worried. And I did it because that’s what the town expects. If I chose otherwise, I could have a disaster on my hands.”

  “Hmm…” her mother said as though she highly doubted Hazel’s words. “Either way, I’m here for support.”

  Hazel had been fooled by similar words before. “So, you won’t cause any problems?”

  “Oh, dear. Of course, I won’t cause problems. I’m here to see you happily married to the right man.”

  Her pulse stuttered. “The right man?”

  Again, the sweet smile. “You’re my only daughter. I’m not going to let you ruin your life and waste the chance of glory that would come with our family fulfilling the destiny to save this town.”

  Hazel’s jaw dropped open, and Cora stood. “I should be going. I’m needed back at the café.”

  Hazel shot her a desperate glance, begging her not to leave her with Josephine. She needed someone on her side to help convince her mother. And if that didn’t work and she was forced to lock Josephine in a closet, she might need help with that, too. “So soon?”

  Cora gave her a consoling smile. “We’ve finished with the table decorations, and I’m needed back at the café.”

  Josephine strode forward, air-kissing both of Cora’s cheeks. “So happy to meet you, Cora. It’s nice that my daughter has finally found a friend.”

  Hazel gasped. “Excuse me? I have friends.”

  Josephine snorted. “Not appropriate ones. Cora seems like a smart witch, though. Perhaps she can help me change your mind.”

  “I’m not changing my mind, Mother.”

  “Do you have an extra corsage?”

  Hazel narrowed her gaze and gripped the counter. Her mother seemed bent on knocking her world off its axis, and she struggled for control. “For you?”

  Josephine’s laugh floated like a tinkle in the wind. “Of course, not for me. I said an extra one. I have Victor’s mother on stand-by. She might very well be in Stonebridge as we speak. You just have to say the word.”

  Cora hugged her and whispered a goodbye.

  Hazel barely heard her. “I’m not saying the word, Mother. I’m going to marry Peter. If you don’t like it, you can leave.”

  “Now, calm yourself, darling. You’re getting all into a tither again.”

  If a tither meant her head might explode, then yes, she was.

  She inhaled a deep breath and summoned a calming presence that she’d worked many years to cultivate. She would no longer let her mother pres
s her buttons or manipulate her like she’d done in the past. She was a grown witch, for goddess’s sake.

  She’d made up her mind, and she was marrying Peter.

  There was nothing her mother could do to stop her.

  Chapter Twenty

  After a restless night, Hazel woke before the sun. She should probably try to go back to sleep, but her mind was having none of that. After arguing with her mother until late in the evening, she was exhausted. She’d rehashed their discussions all night, plotting and planning ways to divert her.

  Knowing Josephine, she would sleep until noon, which gave Hazel a few hours to meet up with Peter and warn him.

  Twenty minutes later, Hazel made Mr. Kitty promise to let her know if her mother tried to leave the house and then she slipped out into the early morning hours. Although the weather was brisk, she opted for her bike, just in case the car’s engine would wake her mother.

  She pedaled down the tree-lined streets, inhaling fresh oxygen, and thanking the stars for the tranquility it brought her. If her wedding day wasn’t on the horizon, she’d keep pedaling and never look back.

  When she reached Peter’s house, she parked her bike close to the front door and knocked. Frosted dew covered the grass, warning that winter wasn’t long away.

  Peter opened immediately and gripped her arm to pull her inside. He’d barely closed the door when he caught her face between his hands. “What is it? What’s up? Your text made it sound like a quasi-emergency.”

  Her shoulders slumped, and she wanted to cry. “It is. Victor told my mother, and she’s in town.”

  He studied her for a long moment and then chuckled. “It’s not the end of the world, Hazel.”

  “She would like it to be the end of our world. She’s intent on convincing me to marry Victor.”

  He gave her a soft smile and pulled her into his arms. “Hazel, as long as you’ll have me, there’s no one or nothing that can stop me from marrying you. We’ll run away if we have to.”

  With his arms around her and sincerity radiating from his heart and his eyes, peace settled over her. She exhaled and, for the first time in days, relaxed. “Thank you. I’ll try to remember that.”