Familiar Spirits (Twilight Hollow Witchy Cozy Mysteries Book 1)

by Sara Christene

  Max stood to take the cup. “Cream is perfect, I appreciate it.”

  Callie watched us with a contented smile. “You kids have fun now.”

  I shot her a quick glare. “I would say the same to you, but I don’t want my house to get destroyed.” I gave Max a much more pleasant expression. “Ready?”

  “As I’ll ever be.” He said goodbye to Callie, then took his coffee toward the door, holding it open for me since my hands were full with the muffins and my cup.

  His jeep was parked on the street out front, since my and Callie’s cars took up the driveway. He held the Jeep door open for me as we reached it. I really wasn’t a fan of all the door holding, but my hands were full, so I couldn’t exactly argue.

  “Still shaken up about last night?” he asked once we were buckled in and driving down the street.

  My brows shot up just as I was about to take a sip of coffee. “What makes you say that?”

  “You have your sister staying home while you’re away.”

  “How about you be a little less observant?” I smiled and sipped my coffee. “I’m sure there’s nothing to be concerned about, but with her there, at least I won’t worry.” I laughed. “Well I won’t worry about anyone breaking in. There are plenty of other things to worry about with Callie around.”

  He grinned as he took a left that would eventually lead us to the two lane highway. “Yeah, I got that impression. It’s nice that you guys are close though. I’d love to have close family like that.”

  “No siblings?”

  He shook his head, keeping his eyes on the road. “Just my cousins, and they’re the type I would only see on holidays growing up. And now I have one less of them.”

  “But you didn’t grow up here,” I said.

  “Nope, born and raised in Sacramento, but my dad grew up here. He and Ike had inherited the family home, and they left it to me when my dad passed.”

  I slowly pieced together the puzzle of the Howard family in my head. “Were Desmond and Neil upset that you got the house?”

  He shrugged. “I’m sure they were, but I didn’t hear anything about it. They probably didn’t want to cause trouble and have Ike cut them out entirely.”

  I sipped my coffee as I thought things over. “So both Desmond and Neil depended on their dad for extra money.”

  He glanced at me as we pulled up to a stop sign. “Are you interrogating me, Ms. O’Shea?”

  I laughed. “Sorry, it’s just an interesting situation. Sasha told me Ike bailed her out financially when she and Neil split up. She made it seem like he had finally decided to cut Neil off.”

  “Now that’s news to me. Ike has always been around to bail out his sons. He did like Sasha though. He’d hoped she’d be a good influence on Neil.”

  I pursed my lips, wondering if Sasha could have been the motivation for murder. Would someone have wanted to protect her enough to get rid of Neil? Of course, she had already kicked him out, and her finances were separate from his. She didn’t exactly need any more saving.

  As we took the highway east toward Wickenburg, I had another thought. “So Desmond lives in Wickenburg. Isn’t that where Sasha has her jewelry boutique?”

  He glanced at me as we changed lanes. “You really are interrogating me. You might want to be a little more subtle with Desmond. He tends to be suspicious.”

  I fought my blush. “Sorry, I’m a little single focused. It’s a bad habit of mine.”

  “Oh no, don’t get me wrong, that’s what I like about you. I just figured I better warn you about Desmond. And yes, Sasha’s boutique is in Wickenburg.”

  I relaxed a little, glad I had agreed to sharing the investigation with Max. Much better than sharing it with Logan White, not that he’d let me in on things to begin with.

  I settled more comfortably into my seat with the muffins balanced on my leg. “Anyhow,” I drew out the word, “you inherited the family home, and that’s what made you decide to start your practice in Twilight Hollow?”

  He took the exit to Wickenburg. “That was part of it. I was also tired of the city, and my dad always reminisced about Twilight Hollow. When he passed, it seemed like a good time to make a change.”

  I wasn’t sure what to say. I never knew what to say in these situations. I’d never been a big sharer, so it always surprised me when other people were more forthcoming. “I’m sorry for your loss.” The words seemed trite. I barely remembered my dad, and I wasn’t sure what I would do when my mom passed away. Just thinking about it made me feel guilty for not visiting her more.

  “Thanks,” he said, not seeming offended by my lack of meaningful response. We pulled up to a trailer court, driving slow between the mobile homes before stopping in a narrow gravel drive.

  He put the Jeep in park and turned off the engine. “I told Desmond I was bringing someone, but he doesn’t know it’s the person who found Neil’s body. You might want to keep that to yourself.”

  I made a gesture of zipping my lips, locking them, and tossing away the key, then opened my door before Max could come around and do it for me.

  We left what remained of our coffees in the car and walked together up the drive with me carrying the muffins.

  The door opened before we reached it. I had never met Desmond Howard before, but I could see the family resemblance, at least between him and Neil. He was a slightly taller, slightly thinner version of the dead man, with a halo of dark, thin hair around his balding scalp.

  He put on a smile, but I hadn’t missed the brief glare he gave Max. He was either jealous of his cousin, or still upset about the family home. Probably both.

  He came down the stairs and offered me his hand. “Desmond Howard, nice to meet you.”

  I hesitated. Max said not to let him know I was the one who found the body, but Sasha and Neil had both been told my name. Logan would be a pretty shoddy detective if he hadn’t questioned Desmond too.

  I shook his hand. “Callie, pleased to meet you.”

  Max cast a glance my way, then put on a quick smile. “I was sorry to hear about Neil. How are you holding up?”

  Desmond waved him off. “I hadn’t even spoken to him in months. I’d say his death was no great loss to the world. Why don’t you two come in?”

  The inside of his home was surprisingly clean. I don’t know why I had expected otherwise, maybe because Desmond himself didn’t appear terribly clean with his yellowed white tee shirt and grease-stained jeans. It was a strange juxtaposition. I thought of Sasha’s clean house, and her jewelry boutique not being far off, then pushed the thought away. I wasn’t desperate enough to jump to such wild conclusions, not just yet.

  Desmond offered us seats at his little kitchenette.

  I placed the muffins on the table. “I’m not sure if you like blueberries, but I figured I’d give it a shot.”

  Desmond gave me a suspicious look, like bringing him baked goods was something out of the ordinary.

  My gut clenched. Had my first thought been right? Had Sasha been here? Has she told him that Adelaide O’Shea had brought her cookies and asked too many questions about Neil’s murder?

  He sat and took one of the offered muffins, and the moment passed. As soon as he took a bite, the suspicious glint went out of his eyes.

  I took the seat across from Desmond, leaving Max to sit between us. The two started reminiscing about holidays spent together growing up. It almost sounded like they had once been friends, but bitterness and jealousy had tainted the relationship.

  Unfortunately, he didn’t tell us much we didn’t already know, and he was adamant that he and Neil hadn’t spoken in months. He never mentioned Sasha.

  “So have you been out to see my old man yet?” he asked once the tray of muffins had been demolished to nothing but crumbs.

  “Not yet,” Max said. “I’ll probably head out that way in the morning.”

  Desmond shivered. “Good luck with that, those woods give me the creeps.”

  “What woods?” I blurted.


  Both men looked at me like I had just appeared.

  “The woods just west of Twilight Hollow,” Desmond answered. “There are a few houses out there. That’s where my dad lives.”

  I bit my tongue before I could say anything. I knew the woods well. My mom had grown up out there, and had moved back to the family home when she retired. I felt the same way about the area as Desmond. It was part of why I didn’t visit my mom nearly as much as I should, though I had never mentioned the strange feeling to anyone.

  I retreated within my thoughts while the men continued the conversation. At this point, I was pretty sure we had nothing else to learn from Desmond, at least not about the murder. Though it was interesting Ike would choose to live in the woods when he could’ve kept the family home instead of giving it to Max.

  Eventually we said our goodbyes, and we thanked Desmond for having us. Any suspicion he had initially felt seemed to be gone, and I wondered how much of that was a result of my muffins, and how much of it was just being around family. Despite their differences, Max and Desmond still shared a bond. It made me hope Desmond wasn’t the murderer. Max had already lost one cousin, he didn’t need to lose them both.

  Chapter Ten

  Despite the hours of reminiscence, Desmond seemed relieved to shut the door behind us. We walked down the gravel drive just as an unmarked police car pulled up.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I groaned.

  Max stopped beside me. “Friend of yours?”

  “Hardly,” I grumbled as Logan stepped out of his car.

  “Ms. O’Shea,” he said as he approached us. “Why am I not surprised?”

  I plastered a smile on my face. “We were just leaving.”

  “Not so fast.” He looked to Max. “Do you mind giving us a moment alone?”

  I nodded to Max that it was all right, though I wanted nothing more than to hop in his Jeep and flee the scene.

  Max climbed into the driver’s seat and shut the door, leaving me alone with the detective and my empty muffin tray.

  Logan glanced at Desmond’s home. “Let’s take a walk.”

  I allowed him to guide me down the narrow street bisecting rows of mobile homes.

  When we were out of sight and earshot of Desmond’s windows, Logan stopped walking and turned to me. “What are you doing here, Addy?”

  I forced myself to meet his chocolate brown eyes, and decided on a half-truth. “Max didn’t want to come alone, so I came for moral support. What are you doing here?”

  “I had a few extra questions for Mr. Howard, not that it’s any of your concern.”

  “Is he a suspect?”

  Logan’s eyes narrowed. “For someone staying out of my case, you sure are showing a lot of interest in it.”

  I batted my lashes. “Can’t blame a girl for being curious, can you?”

  “I most certainly can, but since you’re already here, did you learn anything from Mr. Howard?”

  My jaw went slack. “I thought you didn’t want me involved.”

  He stepped a little closer, shielding my expression from Max’s view a few driveways behind us. “No, I don’t want you involved, but seeing as you’re here anyways, I may as well hear what you’ve learned.”

  I shut my jaw with a click. I didn’t want to tell him anything, just out of spite, but at the end of the day I wanted the murder solved. Now was not the time to be petty. “He claims he hasn’t seen his brother in months, that they had a falling out. He didn’t seem to know who would want to kill Neil. Though oddly, he seemed to avoid talk of Sasha.”

  His brows lifted. “That’s new information. Why do you think that is?”

  I wasn’t sure if he was just humoring me, and I felt silly for even considering voicing my earlier thoughts. But what if I was right? It could help the investigation to at least look into it. “I was surprised at the cleanliness of Desmond’s home. It’s not just normal clean, it’s nitpicky clean. I remembered Sasha’s house was the same way, and she does run a business out here.”

  He watched me for a moment, giving me no clues as to what he was thinking. “Thanks for your time.” He gestured for me to start walking back toward Max’s Jeep.

  With my muffin tray in one hand, I crossed my arms and jutted out my hip. “What gives? I just gave you good information.”

  “That’s what you’re supposed to do when the police question you.”

  I scowled. “You’re insufferable.” I gave in and started walking, but stopped as another thought crossed my mind.

  Logan looked at me in question.

  I chewed my lip. He probably wasn’t going to like this. “Can you at least do me one small favor? You know, for all that information?”

  He sighed. “That depends on the favor.”

  “If you mention me to Desmond, he thinks my name is Callie.”

  Even though I was embarrassed, I took a measure of satisfaction that his thoughts were actually readable for once, as his eyes flew wide and his jaw dropped. “If you were just coming to give your condolences, why did you lie about your name?”

  I crossed my arms. “Well it seems like you’ve been giving my name to everyone you question, so I assumed Desmond would know it too and might not want to invite me in.”

  His brow creased. “Addy, I haven’t been giving anyone your name. Twilight Hollow is a small town, everyone already knew you found the body.”

  I frowned. I had been perfectly happy blaming Logan.

  He watched me for a moment longer. “Fine, as far as I’m concerned, your name is Callie.”

  I grinned. “I take back what I said, you’re only mostly insufferable.”

  We started walking again. I heard an engine rev, then I heard the tires screech behind me.

  I didn’t have time to react. Logan grabbed my arm and flung us both toward the side of the road. We landed hard in the grass as a white truck went screeching by.

  My breath heaved. Lying on my side, I met Logan’s eyes for a second, then he was up on his feet, peering after the truck with one hand up shielding the sun.

  I rolled over to find Max running toward me. He knelt by my side. “Addy, Addy. Are you alright?”

  I blinked up at him. “Did that truck just try to hit me?”

  Logan’s shadow loomed over us. “It tried to hit us both.” I sat up as he looked to Max. “Did you catch the license plate?”

  Max shook his head. “I only looked up when I heard the tires screeching, then I ran straight over here to make sure Addy was okay. I didn’t even see the vehicle.”

  Logan sucked his teeth. If he was at all shaken up about almost dying, he didn’t show it. “Get her out of here,” he said to Max. “Take her somewhere safe. I’ll be in touch soon.”

  He was walking away with a cell phone to his ear before either of us could reply.

  Max put a hand on my back. “Can you stand?”

  I nodded, trying to determine if I was hurt, but I just felt numb and shaky.

  He helped me up, then walked with me back to the Jeep. This time I was more than happy to let him open my door for me. I had lost my muffin tray somewhere in the grass, but decided it wasn’t that important.

  Once we were out on the road driving away from the trailer court, I finally started to relax.

  I could not say the same for Max. Tension radiated from his clenched jaw and stiff shoulders as he took a few turns until we were back out on the highway. “Where do you want to go? I’ll stay with you until the detective calls.”

  I stared at him. “We’re going to the tavern, remember?”

  “Addy, I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

  I jutted my chin out. “Max, I need a drink, and it’s no crime for the two of us to go to the tavern. It’s safer to wait in a public place anyway.”

  He glanced at with me with both his hands grasped around the wheel. “I guess you’re right, but just for a drink. No questioning anyone about Neil.”

  “Throw in a meal and we have an agreement.”<
br />
  He glanced at me again, this time with a small smile. “You could eat after nearly dying?”

  “You guys ate all the muffins.”

  He laughed. “You’re one of a kind, Adelaide O’Shea. Drinks and a meal it is.”

  We spent the rest of the drive in companionable silence, which was for the best, because my thoughts were a mess. I hadn’t sensed any dark magic when that person tried to run us over, which meant the driver had been a mundane. Could more than one person or thing be gunning for me?

  I guessed it didn’t really matter. It was too late to turn back now.

  Chapter Eleven

  As soon as we arrived at the tavern, I went to the bathroom to call Callie. After ensuring that all was well at my home, I told her what happened.

  “What!” I pulled the phone away from my ear at her shrieking, then brought it back when it seemed she was done. “Why didn’t you start with that?”

  “I’m okay, I’m at the tavern with Max, but I wanted to warn you. If someone is after me, they might come to my house. Maybe you should take Spooky somewhere else.”

  “No way, let them come,” she growled. “I’ll be here waiting for them.”

  “At least call Luna over,” I sighed.

  “She’s already on her way. We were going to have a movie night.”

  The tension in my jaw relaxed. They were both formidable witches. Together they should be fine, especially with Luna there. “Alright, be safe. We’re going to wait here until Logan calls us.”

  “And he was the one who pushed you out of the way?” she asked before I could hang up.

  “The truck was aiming for both of us, so he got us both out of the way.”

  She let out a low whistle. “Addy, he saved your life. You’re going to have to be nicer to him.”

  Dang it, she was right. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

  “When you’re done at the tavern, have Max bring you straight home. Your cat misses you.”

  I smirked. “Bye Callie.”