Familiar Spirits (Twilight Hollow Witchy Cozy Mysteries Book 1)

by Sara Christene

  “You met him?” I asked.

  “He’s been questioning everyone who knew Neil. I don’t think he has any real leads to go on yet.”

  “All right, Max.” I extended my hand across the table. “A free exchange of information henceforth, starting with whatever you know about Neil’s mistress.”

  He shook my hand, holding it just a touch longer than necessary. “I don’t know who Neil was seeing, but I do know that he went to the Blue Moon Tavern almost every night. That might be a good place to start. What time do you close up?”

  I tilted my head as I took back my hand. “Why Mr. Howard, are you asking me out for drinks?”

  He gave me a half-smile. “Strictly for the investigation, of course.”

  I stood as a new customer walked in, but kept my eyes on Max. “Pick me up at seven.”

  He looked up at me. “What do I owe you for the coffee?”

  “It’s on the house. I have a feeling you undercharged me for Spooky’s shots.” I walked away, leaving no room for argument, and met the new customer at the counter.

  Not long after I left him, Francis and Elmer invited themselves to Max’s table. I so did not want to know what they discussed. For a small town, we sure had a lot of matchmakers.

  Not a minute after Max headed out, Detective White came through the door. I had almost forgotten that he intended to come by, and hadn’t had time to think about the reason. I resisted the urge to scowl as he approached the counter.

  He pursed his full lips while he looked above me at the menu. His eyes drifted down to my face. “What do you recommend?”

  I crossed my arms, turning my hips sideways to lean against the counter bordering the wall. “Everything is good. Take your pick.”

  I didn’t quite care for the way he looked at me. It was like he knew exactly what I was thinking. “I feel we might have gotten off on the wrong foot, Ms. O’Shea.”

  I snorted. “That tends to happen when you accuse people of murder for no good reason. And it’s Addy.”

  His smile was perhaps as charming as Max’s. I would have liked it if I didn’t think he was just humoring me. “I’m just trying to do my job, Addy. I’m starting to suspect that you’re trying to do my job too.”

  I gave him innocent eyes. “I’m not sure what you mean, detective.”

  “Well first I see you at Mrs. Howard’s house, though she had just finished telling me that she hardly knows you. And then I see Max Howard, the victim’s cousin, exiting your cafe.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “It’s a small town, detective. It’s not a crime to pay my condolences, nor to serve paying customers.”

  His eyes had drifted back up to the menu. “I think I’ll just take a black coffee.”

  I pushed away from the counter and put my hands on my hips. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re a bit irritating?”

  His grin softened his strong features. “I hear it all the time.” He leaned his hands on the counter. “I’ll level with you, Addy. While I haven’t ruled you out, I don’t think you’re my suspect. I just wanted to come by here to make sure you stay off my case. There’s a murderer out there, and getting involved could be dangerous.”

  More than you know, I thought to myself. I turned to fix his coffee. “I told you I’m not getting involved, but just out of curiosity, why did you decide to rule me out?” I popped a lid on his coffee, hoping he would take the hint to not linger.

  He took the offered cup. “You’ve lived in Twilight Hollow your entire life. According to anyone I’ve asked, you don’t have a mean bone in your body, though some folk don’t care for your brand of sarcasm.” He watched me for a moment. “Some people had a few odd things to say, but I haven’t heard anything that would imply you might have had a reason to commit murder.”

  “Odd things?” I asked.

  He pulled out his wallet and offered me a five. “Yeah, a few odd things. Some people in town seem to think you and your sisters are witches.”

  I smirked as I took the offered bill. “And what do you think?”

  “Yet to be determined. Keep the change.” He turned and walked away, letting himself out the door.

  I stared after him, not entirely sure what had just happened. He claimed I wasn’t really a suspect, but I got the impression he was still suspicious of me, just maybe not for murder.

  A day ago, I would’ve taken the hint and butted out of the murder investigation now that my name was mostly clear, but not now. Something had chased me home, and I believed that something had everything to do with Neil’s murder.

  I might not have had many mean bones in my body, but I also never backed down from a fight.

  Chapter Eight

  Max picked me up at seven on the dot. After locking up, we walked across the street to where he’d parked his forest green Jeep Cherokee.

  “Do you mind if we swing by my house to check on Spooky?” I asked.

  He had already told me yes by the time I realized I had just invited someone who was nearly a stranger to my house. I almost took it back, but I did want to check on the cat. Now that I had finally found a familiar, I wasn’t about to neglect him.

  Plus Francis and Elmer knew I was going to the tavern with Max. If I disappeared, they knew who to point the finger at.

  I buckled my seatbelt, then gave him directions to my house. He had an easy air about him, and no bad vibes whatsoever. I was pretty sure I’d be fine.

  The drive only took a couple minutes, and when we pulled up it was clear he intended to wait in his vehicle. That gesture alone banished any remaining paranoia.

  I opened the door and got out. “You can come in. I promise not to murder you.”

  With a smile, he shut off the engine and opened his door, meeting me on the other side of the jeep.

  Even though I had felt fine just moments before, I started to feel uneasy as we walked up the driveway, and I didn’t think it was because of Max. I was having that dark prickly feeling again. I was only slightly surprised when we reached my front door to find it ajar. The inside of my house was pitch black.

  My heart pattered in my throat. “Someone has been here,” I whispered.

  Max put a hand on my shoulder as I reached for the door. “We should call the police.”

  “I need to make sure Spooky is okay.”

  I reached for the door again, but Max beat me to it. “At least let me go in first.”

  I was able to give him that much, mostly because I was already shaking in my boots. I stepped back as he pushed the door open wide and we both peered into the dark living room. Nothing moved.

  Max stepped inside, glancing around cautiously. He flipped on the light switch.

  “Meow!” Spooky came running toward us. He ignored Max and ran right out the door, stopping to twine around my feet frantically.

  I picked him up, holding him close as Max went further into the house. He went left and flipped on the light in the kitchen, then went the other way to check up the stairs.

  I stepped inside with Spooky and shut the door behind me.

  A moment later, Max came down the stairs. “The house is empty. It doesn’t seem like anything was damaged, though you’ll have to be the judge if anything was stolen.”

  It wasn’t a burglar who had broken in, but I didn’t know how to tell him that dark magical energy was creeping up and down my arms. Whatever had chased me the previous night had now broken into my home.

  After a final glance around, Max came to stand before me and Spooky. “We should call the police.”

  I gave him a tight smile, mostly to keep my lips from trembling. “No, I must have not shut the door all the way. It doesn’t look like anything was messed with, so it was probably just the wind.”

  I could feel Spooky’s little heart pattering against my hands. It was most certainly not just the wind, but cops wouldn’t do me any good here.

  “Addy—” he began, ready to argue.

  I forced a more genuine smile. “Really, it’s fine. I’m terr
ible at shutting the door all the way. It’s old and it tends to catch. But do you mind if we reschedule?”

  He stepped forward. “Of course not. Do you want to call someone to stay with you?”

  “I’ll call my sisters. They live together just a few blocks away.” I thought about it. I didn’t like involving a non-magical human in this business, but if Spooky was this, well, spooked, I didn’t much fancy the thought of being alone. “Do you mind waiting with me until they get here? Then maybe we can do the tavern tomorrow?”

  “Of course, and only if you still want to go.”

  “Of course I still want to go.” I turned toward the door and locked it, then turned back to him. “Let’s go back into the kitchen and I’ll fix us something to eat”

  He followed me as I walked past him. In truth, I was now a little worried about going to the tavern tomorrow because I’d have to leave Spooky again, but maybe I could get one of my sisters to watch him. I couldn’t let this one little thing scare me off. All of this weirdness had started after I found Neil’s body. And if Neil’s murderer was the one stalking me, I couldn’t waste any time in figuring out just who that was.

  Thirty minutes later, Luna and Callie were bursting through my door as soon as I unlocked it. Max stepped out of the kitchen, and they both froze.

  “Why Addy,” Callie said, “I didn’t realize you already had company.”

  Luna, the more polite of the two, walked past me and introduced herself to Max.

  I narrowed my eyes at Callie, warning her to be on her best behavior.

  Max introduced himself to her too, then stepped toward me. “So I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

  “It’s a date. Thanks for waiting with me.” Now that my initial fright had passed, I was feeling silly for having him stay. But at least we’d had a nice dinner together.

  I showed him to the door, shutting and locking it after he left, then turned toward my sisters, bracing myself for the onslaught.

  Callie crossed her arms and leaned her butt against the arm of my white couch. She lifted a brow. “Awful late to have company. What does he mean about tomorrow?”

  Luna had narrowed her eyes. “He introduced himself as Max Howard. Is he any relation to Neil?”

  I chewed the inside of my cheek. “Let’s make some tea and I’ll answer all your questions.”

  Callie shook her head, tossing her strawberry blonde curls. “I don’t think so, Addy. You’re not placating us with your tea.”

  I walked past both of them and flopped on the couch, then clutched a pillow to my chest. Spooky, who’d had enough time to calm down, strutted in from the kitchen and hopped up beside me. I told my sisters everything, starting with the pawnshop being closed and ending with why Max was waiting with me and why I had called them both over. I assumed Callie had already filled Luna in about Sasha.

  I ended up with both my sisters staring down at me.

  “You think the dark magic following you has something to do with Neil’s death?” Luna asked.

  I shrugged my shoulders against the couch cushion. “It did all start right after that. Of course, it also started right after I found Spooky.” I glanced at the cat curled up beside me.

  “I guess it doesn’t matter how it started,” Callie said, “as long as we’re prepared to finish it. We’ll ward your house tonight, and one of us will be here at all times in case whatever this is comes back.”

  Luna sat down beside me, then placed a hand on my leg. “We should probably tell mom.”

  I gritted my teeth. “We are not telling mom. She’ll try to make me move back in with her.”

  “She just worries about you,” Luna soothed.

  I sunk further down into the couch cushions, glowering. “She worries I can’t protect myself since I’m not a proper witch, and me calling you here tonight proves that she’s right.”

  Luna patted my leg. “There are many dark things that mean harm to good witches. You were smart to ask for our help.”

  “But back to the cute veterinarian,” Callie interrupted.

  I rolled my eyes and stood. “Now I really do need that tea. Or something stronger.”

  My sisters followed me into the kitchen. As grumpy as I was at the talk of mom, I was grateful they were both there, and that they would ward my house. A ward should keep out any dark magic, but I wasn’t leaving Spooky alone again until the murder was solved and whatever dark thing had broken into my house was banished.

  I started making the tea while my sisters went from door to door and window to window, whispering old words and sprinkling herbs. One by one, they warded every entryway.

  Spooky stayed near my feet wherever I walked. Something must have scared him badly. I wish he could tell me what it was.

  Of course, it couldn’t be that easy. Most cats couldn’t talk, and dead men like Neil told no tales.

  Whatever this dark thing was, it was on a witch hunt, and I was done running.

  Chapter Nine

  I called the vet’s office and left a message for Max after draining my first cup of morning coffee. I had forgotten to tell him that Tuesdays were my day off from the cafe. Evie would open in the morning for her shift, then would lock up at noon, so if he tried to go by to pick me up, no one would be there.

  Though the wards should protect my house, my sisters and I worked out a schedule where one of us would always be home. I took the first shift today since Callie needed to meet with a client, and Luna had her usual office hours at her therapy practice.

  I decided to use my time alone to try out some more baking. That way if it turned out bad, no one would be around to see me fail.

  Well, except for Spooky. He sat on the tiled kitchen floor, watching me studiously as I measured out flour for muffins. The only blueberries I had were frozen, but if the recipe worked out, I would buy some fresh berries and bake some muffins to sell at the cafe.

  My cell phone rang in my back pocket just as I was pouring the batter into the liners I’d placed in the pan. I wiped my hands on my red and white checkered apron, then answered the phone.

  Max’s voice came through the other end. “I got your message, it’s no problem picking you up at your house. I do, however, have an idea.”

  I leaned my back against the counter. “Go on.”

  “My last appointment is at noon, so seeing as we both have the afternoon off, I thought we could do some extra sleuthing. Say 1 o’clock?”

  Callie was coming back over at twelve, so that worked out. “What does this extra sleuthing entail?”

  “Neil’s brother, Desmond, lives over in Wickenburg. I’ve been meaning to go by and pay my respects, but it would be nice to have a buffer along.”

  “I take it he’s a handful?” I asked.

  “Something like that.”

  I stroked my chin, though he couldn’t see it. “So I get to innocently question Neil’s brother, and you don’t have to go visit him alone.”

  “Mutually beneficial, don’t you think?”

  The oven beeped, and I took a moment to slide the pan of muffin batter in. “He doesn’t happen to like blueberry muffins, does he?”

  “I have no idea. Why?”

  I shut the oven door, then knelt down to pet Spooky, hoping his presence would make the muffins as good as the cookies had been. “People tend to talk more when there are baked goods and coffee around.”

  “I’d wager Desmond would prefer whiskey, but muffins probably wouldn’t hurt.”

  “It’s a date then. I’ll see you at one, and we can go to the tavern afterward.”

  I could almost hear him smiling. “Two dates in one day, how lucky.”

  We said our goodbyes and hung up, then I lifted Spooky into my arms. “We are going to make some progress today,” I said. “I feel it.”

  Danger, a voice whispered in my mind.

  My eyes wide, I looked down at the cat. “Did you say something?”

  His amber eyes stared back at me.

  I shrugged. “Must have just b
een my imagination. Let’s go pick out something to wear for my dates.”

  I let Spooky down to the floor and gave him a stroke, wondering if it really had been my imagination, or if my familiar was trying to warn me of something.

  There was little I could do about it now. The house was warded, and Callie would be here to watch over Spooky while I was out with Max.

  Surely nothing bad could happen in broad daylight with other people around, could it?

  Of course, I’d been wrong more than a few times before.

  Max pulled up at 1 o’clock on the dot. Punctuality wasn’t my strong suit, but I could appreciate it in others. It was nice that he made the effort.

  I had dressed in a form fitting taupe sweater that went well with my ginger hair and made my hazel eyes look more green. Fresh black jeans and low-heeled black boots completed the look. If Max could make an effort, so could I. Callie had beamed with fashionista pride when she arrived earlier.

  I pushed my loose curls behind my ears as I went to answer the door.

  Max stood outside wearing a fisherman’s sweater so dark green it was almost black, paired with jeans. He raked fingers through his hair. “Something smells good.”

  I stepped aside. “That would be the muffins I mentioned. Come on in.”

  His shoes tapped across my hardwood floor as Spooky came into the room to join us.

  “I’ll just pack up the muffins and grab my coat,” I said, heading into the kitchen. It wasn’t cool enough for the coat now, but if we were out late, I would need it.

  I moved a little faster to package up the muffins as I heard Callie coming down the stairs. The last thing I needed was her making any implications to Max.

  I grabbed my cropped wool coat from where I left it hanging by the door and flung it over my arm, then balanced two to-go cups of coffee on my packaged up muffins and headed into the living room.

  Max was sitting on the couch, with Callie facing him on one of the matching cushioned chairs with her boots up on my coffee table.

  “Shoes down,” I said, moving to stand in front of the table. I set the muffins and coffee down, then handed Max one cup. “I wasn’t sure how you took it, but you liked the latte, so I figured cream was okay.”