Yuletide Blend

by Kennedy Layne

  “A hedge witch,” I corrected her with a snort, having already agreed that Heidi needed to learn the basics just in case the coven war spilled over into Paramour Bay. Even though the palm of my hand seemed defective recently, I could still sense the warmth coming from the black tourmaline stone embraced in silver filigree. Nan had sent me a message from beyond the grave that this stone played an important role in the upcoming conflict. “Heidi, I think the brewing is all but done. Rye has been out of town for days, and that could only mean that the war has escalated between the factions.”

  “Let’s just say that I sensed a lot of tension up in Windsor, and that was just by driving through your Nan’s old neighborhood.” Heidi adjusted her earmuffs after a gust of cold wind had woven its way in between the houses. “Leo is certainly taking his time. Have you decided what you’re going to do if Rudy is inside that garage?”

  “Randy,” I corrected her, taking the time to look over Elsie’s yard. The driveway had been shoveled and salted, and the blanket of snow appeared untouched. “Maybe I am wrong. I mean, just because Elsie’s reading glasses were near the drainage area where the open bag of carrots had fallen in between the slats doesn’t mean a thing. Coincidences do happen.”

  “Well, it’s not like a reindeer would fit into Elsie’s compact vehicle. I’m not sure I could fit in that small contraption she calls a car,” Heidi shared, keeping her watchful gaze on the garage door. “Which means that Elsie would have had to walk from town to here. I’m one hundred percent positive that she didn’t do that, Raven.”

  “I agree, but—”

  I’m giving you my notice now, Raven—I’m leaving. I’m packing my bags and moving in with the old biddy. I’ve already accepted that I’ll have to invest in those reindeer ear thingamajigs. It’s clear that the reindeer abductor prefers antlered brutes over handsome tomcats, but that’s easily remedied.

  “I knew it,” I whispered in victory, still having no idea how in the world Elsie could have gotten Randy here all by herself. Not to mention that Wilma wouldn’t have been a big help in that department, either. “Heidi, Randy is inside that garage. Follow my lead.”

  I didn’t waste time, knowing that the search parties were gathering at the police station right this minute. Liam was also getting the drone ready to fly over the remote parts of town. It was time to bring Randy home for the holidays.

  Seriously? I say I’m moving out, and all you’re worried about is getting that antlered brute back into his pen? I’m recommending that good ol’ St. Nick put you on his naughty list.

  Heidi fell into step beside me as we made our way up the small path, no doubt Leo somewhere close by. There was no chance that he would miss out on how this situation was about to go down. We stepped up onto the porch where Elsie had hung a pine wreath with a red bow on her front door. Neither one of us expected it to swing open, causing one of the cones to fall off and land at our feet.

  Oh, this ought to be good. Don’t be too hard on my new landlords, Raven.

  “Hello, darlings,” Wilma exclaimed with a nervous smile. She was all bundled up in her burgundy winter coat, scarf, and hat. She clutched her matching gloves in one hand, all but forcing us to take a step backward as she slammed the front door closed behind her. “Elsie is feeling a bit under the weather. I wouldn’t bother her right now. I was just heading to your shop to grab her some tea. Why don’t you follow me back into town and help me pick out a blend that can help with a cold?”

  As much as I adored these two women, I couldn’t let them continue to harbor a reindeer that wasn’t theirs to keep…no matter how good their intentions might have been.

  “Wilma, we know.”

  “You know that Elsie isn’t feeling good?” Wilma said, feigning surprise. “Well, aren’t you two sweethearts for dropping by to see if she’s okay. Don’t you worry about a thing. I’ll let her know you stopped by.”

  And here I thought you were a bad liar. I guess I can look on the bright side—I’ll always know when she’s hiding my edibles.

  Wilma was pretty fast on her feet, and she had all but made a beeline back inside the house. It was all due to Heidi that the front door wasn’t slammed in our face.

  “Raven means that we know that the missing reindeer is here,” Heidi declared, somehow knocking the wreath off its hook and right into my face. The only thing that saved my face from a bunch of pine needles was the large velvet red bow. “Please let us come inside, and we’ll talk about your options.”

  Options? There is only one option here, and that is to take the antlered brute back to his herd so that I can take his place. Did you know that not only did these old biddies buy him the most expensive dog bed—I should know, because I just looked at the price tag that is still attached to the bed—but they bought him one of those plush holiday blankets with reindeer printed on the material. I bet they have one of those blankets with cats.

  Wilma muttered something about how she knew this was going to happen as she finally let us inside the warm living room. The design was just how you’d imagine a single elderly woman’s home to be, with floral print couches, lace doilies, and houseplants galore…only most of the ferns had been knocked over onto the carpet and there were dirty hoofprints tracking every which way but out the front door. Oh, and there wasn’t the smell of homemade chocolate chip cookies in the air. Instead, the foul odor of what could only be referred to as a combination of wet dog and those piles of steaming brownies Leo mentioned the other day hung heavy in the air. As if that wasn’t enough evidence of Randy’s presence, a frantic cockatiel was chirping up a storm with a string of what could only be interpreted as complaints.

  “Wow,” Heidi murmured in disbelief underneath her breath as she closed the door behind us. We could only stand inside the entryway in shock, doing our best not to inhale the rancid smell too deeply. “Just…wow.”

  I take it back. I have an aversion to dirt and odors. You can thank me now for not marking the house in any way shape or form.

  “It’s not as bad as it looks,” Wilma exclaimed, doing her best to reassure us even though her thin lips were quivering. She was still clutching her gloves, only she’d pressed them tightly against her nose. “Elsie! Elsie, get in here right this minute!”

  “…coming. Don’t get your panties in a twist, Wilma.” Elsie had entered the kitchen through a small hallway that clearly led into the garage. “I haven’t figured out how to get that precious reindeer back to his—”

  Elsie had made it all the way through the kitchen before she realized that Wilma wasn’t the only one in the living room. She came to an abrupt halt, her slippers gripping the tiled floor as if they’d become stuck in glue.

  Too bad I didn’t bring one of my edibles with me. This is highly entertaining.

  “Wilma, you should have told me we had guests,” Elsie said with a tumultuous smile, as if her living room didn’t look like a dirt bomb had exploded over the beige carpet. She then faked a cough hard enough to send her into a real fit. She held up her hand when Wilma expressed her concern. “I’m fine, I’m fine. As you can see, I’m under the weather.”

  Heidi and I both looked down at the mud tracks that crossed lanes like multiple train tracks before settling our attention back on Elsie, letting her know that we weren’t fooled. It was best that she tell us the truth.

  “I’ve let the housework get away from me, haven’t I?” Elsie shook her head as if she were chastising herself. “I’ll have to get straight to that once I’m feeling better.”

  This old biddy is one tough cookie. She’s not going to crack, Raven.

  Leo was absolutely right. The only way I saw Elsie confessing to harboring a reindeer was if Randy himself waltzed into the kitchen.

  Would you look at that? It’s as if you said the magic words, Raven…no pun intended.

  Sure enough, the clonking of hooves against the soiled tile echoed throughout the kitchen. Elsie and Wilma were staring at one another in horror. To their credit, Wilma recovered
first and carried on the charade as if they were actresses in a Broadway play.

  “Elsie, you must have left your garage door wide open,” Wilma exclaimed in feigned disbelief, edging a few inches away from the path that Randy seemed to want to take—which was straight for Heidi and me. “Isn’t that the reindeer that went missing from the petting zoo? What a coincidence.”

  “Isn’t it?” Elsie asked, agreeing with a rather animated nod. “Someone must have realized what a terrible mistake she—”

  “Or he,” Wilma corrected, shooting Elsie a warning glance so that she would choose her words more carefully.

  “You’re right, Wilma. Someone must have realized what a terrible mistake she or he made upon luring this precious animal away from his friends. I’m sure that she or he thought they were doing the right thing in wanting to return them to the wild, but recognized too late that the reindeer were right where they belonged upon hearing the mayor speak last night,” Elsie said, still nodding vigorously as she did her best to finagle out of this predicament she’d found herself in. “Raven and Heidi, do you think you could lead him back to his home? I’m sure the other reindeer are missing their friend terribly.”

  Elsie and Wilma were both looking at Heidi and I expectantly, leaving us to make the final decision. Did we call them out on what a terrible choice had been made, or did we allow them to wrong a right?

  I’m going to go with the latter, since I’m trying to make the nice list. You know, just in case the man in the red suit is the genuine article. My wish list includes that Alaskan catnip farm, blueprints for the squirrelpocalypse, one of those fuzzy blankets, a scratching…

  “We’ll take Randy back to the petting zoo where his owner and herd are very worried about him,” I said, stressing the fact that Barry and the other caribou were deeply concerned about their friend. Heidi had already gotten a handful of oatmeal out of her pocket and was holding out her hand to keep Randy from destroying anything else in the house. “I can understand how someone might have had good intentions only to realize they didn’t have the full story.”

  “Exactly,” Elsie and Wilma said in unison. Their relief was almost palpable. I guess one could say the penance of causing such worry and chaos with the townsfolk and Barry Mina was being left with a house that would take days to get back into order. Elsie wasn’t one to waste time, either. “I’m suddenly feeling a lot better. Wilma, why don’t you take your coat off and stay awhile? We can watch one of the morning talk shows while you help me tidy up a bit.”

  Heidi nudged me with her elbow, indicating that we’d best leave well enough alone. There was still the question of how an elderly woman with such a small car had transported Randy from town and deep into one of the neighborhoods without anyone the wiser.

  Oh, I can answer that. These old biddies are not to be messed with, Raven. They’re wise beyond their years. You see, there is a carrot tied to the bumper of that contraption in the garage. The antlered brute must have followed the car slowly down the middle of River Bay, which would explain why there were no tracks or piles of steaming brownies in the snow.

  I’d stepped back so that Heidi could open the front door and lead Randy outside. He seemed happy to do so, even lifting his front hooves as if he were ready to prance and dance his way back to his herd. It was as if he’d taken a two-day vacation, soaked up the luxuries he’d been provided by the staff, and was ready to head home.

  “Oh, here are your reading glasses,” I announced, holding out Elsie’s spectacles. Wilma was closest, so she was the one to step forward and take them. “You must have dropped them in the no-parking zone next to town square.”

  “Silly me,” Elsie said with a nervous laugh, not quite confident that I was willing to let this situation slide. This was the season of giving, though. “I must not have put them in my purse for safekeeping. I’ll be sure to make better choices, Raven.”

  Speaking of choices, do you think that having six items on my wish list it too much to ask for from Father Christmas?

  Elsie’s vague gesture of regret was enough for me to know that Elsie would think twice before acting spontaneously ever again. She’d reacted drastically without having all the facts, just as I had in the past on several occasions. Numerous, actually. Weren’t we all guilty of that in our daily lives? The end result was that she was now trying her best to figure out a way fix her mistake.

  Heidi and I would help Elsie give Randy the happy ending he deserved, and the holiday festivities could continue on without missing a Christmas beat. The season of giving was upon us, and letting bygones be bygones fell into that category.

  Bygones? Does that mean I have to get your mother a present?

  “I have something special for you ladies at the tea shop, so you’ll have to come in before Christmas to get your gifts,” I said teasingly, watching the tension ease out of both women as if they were steam coming off two cups of hot tea. “Enjoy your morning!”

  I had no doubt that both women had collapsed on the couch in exhaustion the moment I closed the front door. Maybe I should have asked for that carrot that was still attached to Elsie’s bumper. Watching Heidi play with Randy in the snow had me wondering how we were supposed to get him back into town. It wasn’t like he could fit in my car, either.

  “Looks like we’re walking back to town, Heidi.” I came down the porch steps as I took off my glove, holding my hand out when I got close to him. Randy immediately came forward and let me rub the side of his face. “Hey, fellow. I don’t know if you lead Santa Claus’ team of reindeer, but we better get you back with the others just in case. What do you say?”

  I made the decision to stick with six items. Six is a good even number, right? Chop-chop, Raven. Let’s get this antlered brute back with the others so that they can get ready to do their job come Christmas Eve night. As I’ve said from the very beginning…ho-ho-ho!

  Chapter Eighteen

  “Where’s Leo?” Maddie asked with a frown, looking everywhere for my familiar. She’d appeared so suddenly that I’d almost dropped one of the hot chocolates that the football team had been selling at their table to raise money for new uniforms. “I have something for him.”

  “Leo should be here shortly,” I told Maddie with a reassuring smile. “He was finishing up dinner when I left the tea shop. I’ll be over near the petting zoo if you’d like to check back with me in a little bit.”

  “Okay.”

  And just like that, Maddie ran off to join her friends in the snowman building contest. The winter wonderland was in full swing once again, everyone celebrating the return of Randy the Reindeer. Technically, the festivities had kicked off earlier this afternoon, but it was now going on six o’clock in the evening. Santa Claus was due any minute, and the children who had yet to tell him what they wanted for Christmas were eager to have their turn on his lap.

  As for Barry Mina and the rest of the herd, they hadn’t left Randy’s side since this morning. Barry had even mentioned that it might be time to load up the caribou and take them back to their sanctuary, but the reindeer all refused to leave their pen. It was clear they wanted to stay, and Barry was too soft-hearted to make them do anything they didn’t want to do after being separated for two days.

  There were only a few people who knew the truth about Randy’s little adventure, and that was Liam, my mother, and Beetle. Heidi and I had explained to them what had taken place, along with the fact that Elsie had been trying to figure out a way to get Randy back to town without anyone being the wiser. Mom had pointed out that with Wilma’s help, Elsie could have coaxed Randy back into town the same way she’d lured him out, but Beetle reminded her that people Elsie and Wilma’s age needed their beauty sleep.

  At the end of the day, it didn’t matter. Paramour Bay was back to normal, and the winter wonderland festivities were in full swing. I spotted Liam talking to the mayor near the petting zoo, both having already given another interview this afternoon regarding Randy’s return. The Christmas carolers were current
ly singing about a snowman running through town, and I was grateful that we didn’t have that mystery to solve. It was bad enough that Jack had contacted Liam regarding Steve Nickels. He was an upstanding man who had been legitimately hired by the agency to play the part of Santa Claus. I’d accepted that my abilities hadn’t been waylaid by Father Christmas absconding with all the surrounding energy, but instead that there hadn’t been any ill will meant toward Randy at any point.

  I’m pretty sure that Leo had torn up his wish list, especially since he’d changed his tune once again. He’d muttered bah humbug after each bite of his dinner. Nothing I said about having a bit of faith seemed to put a dent in his bad mood. I’d left him to sulk, deciding to join the others for a bit of fun.

  “For you,” I announced, handing Liam one of the hot chocolates. He replied with a kiss and settled his hand on my lower back. Now that I wasn’t intending to go traipsing around town, I’d traded my snowsuit in for one of my broomstick skirts, my favorite pair of knee-high black boots, and a red turtleneck to match the festive mood. I’d topped it off with a warm leather jacket and matching gloves that had once belonged to my Nan. Her taste in clothes had been impeccable. “Hello, mayor.”

  “Good evening, Miss Marigold,” he exclaimed with a slight bow. “I want to thank you personally for your help in returning Randy the Reindeer. I already spoke with Miss Connolly earlier, but she was wrangled by my wife to help at the gift wrapping table. It’s good citizens like you who are the heart of Paramour Bay.”

  Bah humbug.

  “I’m glad that Heidi and I were in the right place at the right time,” I replied with a smile, glad that Leo had decided to join us after all. He wasn’t the only one. “Oh, look. There’s my mother and Beetle.”