Spellbinding Blend

by Kennedy Layne

  You two can handle this case from here on out. I’m going back to the shop for some catnip and inspirational enlightenment. I’m going to need all the help I can get if I’m going to take down Skippy in this year’s squirrel versus cat battle. I know just the weapon, too—Rye Dolgiram, my new personal warlock slash fix-it man.

  Chapter Nine

  Raven, do something about your mother. She’s driving me insane.

  I couldn’t take the time right now to delve into what my mother had done to make Leo so angry. My current situation had me in a bit of a bind, and any indication that Leo had followed me into the police station would have Liam thinking that stumbling over another dead body had sent me over the edge. It was too bad that Aunt Rowena’s earlier spell had worn off.

  “How did the second showing go?” Liam asked, walking in front of me as he led the way back to his office. I couldn’t help but smile, and he’d immediately noticed. “What?”

  “You still take time to ask me about my day when I know how incredibly busy you are,” I replied, walking right up to him and wrapping my arms around his neck. His brown eyes had small creases at the sides, telling me that the stress of the case was taking its toll on his normally benevolent outlook. “Heidi liked the first house better, but there’s still one to look at on tomorrow morning’s schedule before she heads back to the city. She wanted to squeeze in as many showings as the realtor had available. Now, is there anything I can do for you? It’s almost five o’clock. Do you want me to go over to the diner to pick you up something to eat?”

  Now we’re on the same page. Just so you know, a small snack would have sufficed. But nooo, your mother couldn’t allow Beetle to acknowledge my presence. I even tried yelling at the top of my voice. You know what she told him? That I must have gotten into a scrap with a squirrel, ill-tempered as I was. She purposefully used Skippy’s vendetta against me. Raven, I’ll have you know—it is possible to have withdrawal symptoms from catnip. I know you can’t see me right now, but my paw is oddly shaking. I think I’m beginning to go into detox.

  Eileen was busy manning the phones, apparently getting numerous tips on Elroy Simpson’s whereabouts from residents and tourists alike. News had made the rounds that Elroy Simpson’s wallet had been found near the crime scene, and everyone and their mother had sworn they’d seen him at various places around town. I wasn’t so sure that was the case, given the exchange that Leo had overheard between Olive and George.

  That’s old news. Right now, your mother has Beetle cooped up in the back of the storage room doing only the supernatural knows what behind those beads! He won’t pay a lick of attention to me, and I’m in dire need of my pipe. This situation needs to be rectified, posthaste.

  “I appreciate the offer, but I’ve got too much on my plate right now.” Liam rested his warm hands on my hips as he leaned back against the desk. The palm of my hand wasn’t the only thing that sensed when danger was near. Right now, it was as if I could literally feel the tension radiating through Liam’s body. “Listen, what are your plans tonight?”

  Feeding me, because obviously I’m going to miss out on my snack. I’ll be skin and bones by the time we get home. My empty stomach will be rubbing on my backbone by then.

  I could easily hear the concern in Liam’s tone for my wellbeing. Something had happened in the investigation that Heidi, Leo, and I weren’t aware of, and it must be a doozy. As for Leo, trust me, he was far from turning into a skeleton.

  “Heidi is out front waiting for me. We were thinking of heading back to the cottage for a bit, and then we were going to take Mom to the carnival this evening to maybe catch some of that live folk music,” I replied with a slight question to my tone, searching Liam’s brown eyes for any sign that those plans might be changing in the next few seconds. “Has something important happened?”

  Yes, something really important has happened. I’ve been trying to explain to you that my stomach is shrinking with every second that passes by on the clock. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were in cahoots with Skippy to starve me to death.

  “We believe there’s a clandestine drug ring operating inside the carnival, which most likely resulted in Kevin Paul being killed when he did or said something he shouldn’t have,” Liam confided in me quietly, his unease with the situation evident. “We’re not sure whether Paul was in on it or if he stumbled across something he wasn’t supposed to see. My first instinct was to close down the whole show and alert the Feds, because of the interstate nature of the crimes…maybe even the DEA. Jack and his lieutenant have someone on the inside, so I’m left with the lid on this whole mess until the carnival packs up Monday morning. Ultimately, it’s their call as to what they want to do. Truthfully, I’d rather you, your family, and friend stay away from the place for the rest of the weekend.”

  Drugs? It had never crossed my mind that drugs had been involved with Kevin Paul’s murder, but now some of the pieces began to fall into place. George and Olive had to be in on the side action. They were too close to the daily operations not to have noticed something that big going on around them. Why else would Olive had run to George after finding Heidi and I snooping around the campers, especially after I mentioned that I was dating the sheriff? Maybe that hadn’t been the best tactic, after all.

  Liam is wiser than I give him credit for, and you know how I hate to agree with the man. We stay away from the carnival, remaining inside where we can smoke all the catnip we could possibly desire, and then come up with a brilliant plan to annihilate the entire squirrel population of Paramour Bay in one fell swoop. Magnificent!

  Liam had no idea that I planned to go home after this brief visit in order to cast a spell to confirm that George, Olive, or even Elroy were involved with the murder of Kevin Paul. Liam’s investigative work had obviously produced more vital information than anything Heidi and I had managed to find, but Leo was constantly reminding me that it was Liam’s job to investigate crimes in the first place. I didn’t feel so bad, given my amateur status. Liam took his job seriously, learned from the best of the best back when he was with the NYPD, and made a darn fine sheriff of our little town. With that said, it didn’t mean I couldn’t help close this case with a nice big red bow tied on top of the case file.

  Have you learned nothing over the last six months? When standing on a boat, avoid rocking it back and forth. If not, someone is sure to get wet. I, for one, hate water.

  “This wasn’t how I pictured our first Spring Festival.” I lowered my hands until my palms were resting on his chest. I didn’t feel right about keeping information from him, so I decided to fess up about Buttons. “You should know that Mom felt bad for a clown this morning, so she invited him to have breakfast with us. He seemed nice enough.”

  What is wrong with you? Clowns aren’t mentally stable, Raven. They harbor evil intentions. Everyone knows that, and I’m way past the point where I was unsure there was something majorly wrong with the way your brain functions.

  “The investigation is focused on those individuals a little higher up in the organization, but there’s a good chance it’s trickled down to the other employees,” Liam warned, basically confirming that he didn’t trust anyone associated with the carnival. “Again, I think it’s best if—”

  Good gracious, my eyes!

  “Liam?” Eileen asked, appearing in the open doorway. Her bright pink sweater with a white rabbit in the center of her chest was really hard to miss, but she was known for her penchant for holiday apparel. I’m pretty sure she even had rabbit earrings dangling from her earlobes, but it was really hard to adjust my eyesight away from the bright colored fabric. “Jack is on line one, and the mayor is on line two. I tried to explain to Mayor Sanders that now wasn’t a good time, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

  “Thanks, Eileen.”

  Someone needs to put a warning label on that woman. Geez, she must be a hardcore rabbit fanatic.

  I stepped back so that Liam could turn around and reach for his de
sk phone. He most likely wanted some privacy, but he motioned for me to remain in his office. I stepped to the window that faced the main thoroughfare through Paramour Bay, noting that there wasn’t a parking spot to be had on River Bay. There was no sight of Heidi out front, so I figured she was keeping Eileen company in the outer office.

  Can’t you just tell Heidi to come with me to the tea shop? She’ll get me one of those baggies filled with Beetle’s catnip treats. The ones he keeps in his shirt pocket underneath his cardigan. Unless he’s no longer wearing his cardigan and shirt at this stage. It’s entirely possible, you know.

  Leo wasn’t playing fair. The thought of Beetle and my mother together was just flat out wrong on so many levels, but I doubt that Mom would actually go down that treacherous path. Beetle wasn’t her type, and she had very hard and fast rules when it came to the residents of Paramour Bay.

  You know, now that we’ve been reassured that Rye didn’t kill that carnival worker, I think it’s safe to say we can send your mother packing before you get a new sister out of the ordeal. On the other hand, I’m relatively sure that’s impossible with her age, but we do have to take into consideration that she is a witch. Weirder things have happened.

  “…mayor is on the other line, Jack. I’m still not comfortable with setting up this sting when so many of the residents will be at the carnival tonight. Are you sure your source is reliable?”

  I’ve made an executive decision. I’m going back over to the tea shop to evict Regina. Wish me luck. I might need to burn my eyes out when I’m done. This is me, taking one for the team.

  Leo didn’t wait around for me to disagree. I could sense that he’d left, but I also had no doubt that my mother would stay to help with tonight’s spell. I’d successfully done this particular incantation a couple of times without issue, so it wasn’t as if she needed to worry about me catching the house on fire and causing Leo’s tail to go numb again. Mom would stay simply to see how far I’ve come in our craft and probably offer up an evaluation that I could do without at this point. I was well beyond needing my mother to sign my report card.

  “As a matter of fact, Raven is here with me now.”

  Jack must have asked about Heidi. I faced Liam and walked toward his desk where there were quite a few files. He was a neat freak, so the manila folders most likely had to do with the case. Was Buttons working as Jack’s informant on the inside? Maybe Clara?

  It was really hard to wait for Liam to finish up his call when a simple spell could solve the mystery of who killed Kevin Paul. I’d given Heidi the pad and pencil to hold onto while I finished talking with Liam, and it was time to use the objects we’d garnered from the victim’s camper to identify the killer.

  “Really? That’s interesting to know.” Liam didn’t take his inquisitive dark gaze off me. My palm began to tingle, but this time without the warmth. Oh, this wasn’t good. Heidi was the one who was quick on her feet. Me? Not so much. “Maybe she just likes friendly clowns.”

  Somehow, some way, Jack must have figured out Heidi and I had been talking to some of the carnival employees about the murder. What kind of believable excuse could I come up with when Liam finally had a chance to ask me why we were getting involved? I was coming up blank, so it was best if I just removed myself from the situation before it broke wide open.

  I forced a smile and then made a motion with my hand that I was going to head out to let Liam finish up his phone conversation. My peacock skirt billowed around my knee-high boots as I made my way to the door. I’d almost made it past Liam when he snagged my hand, a small smirk on his lips.

  “Jack found out about your breakfast with your new friend, Lyle Gafney,” Liam informed me, holding the phone close to his chest. He still had another call to take, but relief was hot and fast as it traveled at the speed of light through my veins. We’d had breakfast with Buttons, whose real name must be Lyle Gafney. “You might want to warn Heidi that she’s about to get a call from Jack.”

  Liam’s grin faded, telling me that he really was worried about us getting in too deep.

  “Raven, we aren’t dealing with a crime of passion here. The rap sheets on the people we’re looking into are very long and filled with very serious charges. We’re dealing with some very dangerous individuals, but I have to trust that Jack and the state narcotics division know what they’re doing. Please, just give me some peace of mind—stay at home tonight.”

  I nodded my agreement, not seeing why Heidi, my mother, and I would even need to leave the house at this point. Should the spell conjure up the identity of the person who killed Kevin Paul, I could somehow find another spell in the grimoire that would have me connect with Liam in some way to give him the information—maybe by a passing thought that I could plant inside his mind like Mother did with Heidi that one time. I’ve certainly read stranger things inside the family grimoire. Then again, that might be considered a total violation of the mind. I’d have to think on that one.

  “We’ll stay home,” I assured him with every intention of keeping my promise. “Please call me with updates so that I’m not up all night worrying about you.”

  “Hey,” Liam said softly, not releasing my hand. In fact, he tugged me toward him and stole a very sweet kiss. “I like it when you think about me.”

  “Oh, would you two lovebirds give that stuff up already? We’re in public here,” Heidi exclaimed facetiously, standing just outside the doorway with her hands on her hips. She impatiently blew at a blonde curl that had fallen into her face. “Let’s go grab your mother before she gives Beetle a heart attack.”

  I didn’t miss the way Liam arched his brow in question at Heidi’s last statement, but it was too long of a story to get into and he didn’t have the time to hear it. I blew him a kiss and finally left him to take the call with the mayor that would no doubt put this entire office in a bad mood. Mayor Sanders didn’t like it when any major crimes occurred on his watch, but particularly something of this magnitude.

  “Why do you look so pale?” Heidi whispered to me after we waved our goodbyes to Eileen. The dispatcher was answering what sounded like numerous incoming calls, but the bright sweater somehow made things seem not so bad in comparison. I could now understand why she wore them. “Did something happen?”

  “Drugs.”

  “Drugs?”

  “Drugs,” I confirmed, pushing open the glass door to the police station and stepping out onto the sidewalk. The warm sun was a little lower in the sky, but we still had some daylight left. “Kevin Paul might have been killed over trafficking drugs across state lines. It sounds like some sting is about to take place tonight, so we don’t have any time to waste. Let’s go find ourselves a killer.”

  Chapter Ten

  “…don’t have a say in who I get to spend my time with or who I don’t, Leo.”

  Beetle is my primo catnip supplier, and what exactly do you think is going to happen when you go and break the poor man’s heart?. From what I hear, you’ve already done it once before. Are such affairs of the heart mere gist for your relationship mill? Knowing you, you’ll use your millstone to grind his soul to dust.

  “You listen to me, Benny.”

  Leo’s offended gasp echoed off the loft overhead at the way my mother stressed his real name from before he’d been…well, before he’d been unnaturally pulled back here after passing through death’s threshold. I wasn’t sure what to call his transformation through black necromancy magic, but it didn’t matter at the moment. My mother had delivered a low blow. I wasn’t worried in the least, though. Leo could certainly hold his own.

  Ha! Listen to you, Regina? Not in this lifetime, nor the next! I’m not the one who packed my bags and let Rosemary down by…

  My mother and Leo were currently in the living room of my cottage arguing over the fact that my mom had indeed gone to dinner with Beetle. It was now going on seven o’clock in the evening, and she’d walked through the door only five minutes ago. Since then, it’s been a knockdown, drag-out all b
arrels blazing catfight.

  “Aren’t you going to do something, Miss Raven?”

  “Nope,” I quipped back to Ted, taking a sip of the wine Heidi had poured for us only moments before my mother arrived. I’d gotten used to these verbal exchanges, and it was best to let the fighting duo get their frustrations out now rather than when I was in the middle of something…like casting a spell. “They’ll eventually get this out of their systems. They always do. I’ve got no dog in this fight.”

  Ted was standing while Heidi and I sat at the small island that separated the kitchen from the living room. We were all lined up on the stools facing the ongoing duel between witch and veteran familiar. I was positioned between Ted towering over me on the end and Heidi on the other side, reevaluating my previous answer after Leo had brought up Mom’s decision to leave and divorce herself from witchcraft. She’d cut all ties to our family’s legacy, but that wasn’t entirely true, was it?

  My mother had continued to secretly use magic in her own life after running off to the city. Her momentous decision was mostly designed to deprive me of my birthright and steal any chance I might have had to be a part of my grandmother’s life.

  Maybe I should bring this current argument to a halt, before Leo or I said something we would all regret.

  “Ted brought all the ingredients,” Heidi pointed out with a small tilt of her wineglass toward a basket of herbs, roots, and rose petals that had been set in the middle of the coffee table. “You’ve done this spell before. We don’t have to wait for those two to draw blood. I’m not even sure they’d notice the floating petals and flickering flames of the candles.”

  Everything Heidi pointed out was true, but concentration did play a big part of casting incantations. Providing a distraction wasn’t what either of them should be doing. Doing even a simple spell under these circumstances wasn’t the wisest of choices. After all, I had been known to drop an inflection a time or two. Mother didn’t have a tail, but her hair could turn white or her complexion could wither.