Back Room Bookstore Cozy Mystery Boxed Set: Books 1 - 12

by Susan Harper

  “I’m still really embarrassed about that,” he said, shaking his head.

  “So where are we going?” Monica asked, eager to change the subject.

  “This new restaurant just opened up. It’s supposed to be really nice, so I thought we would give it a try,” he said, and Monica nodded approvingly.

  Once there, she felt as though they were both a bit underdressed. It was the sort of place where every woman there was dressed to the nines in their best little black dress and finest jewelry while the men wore suits. “Um…” Brian said, looking around. “This is a lot nicer than I thought…”

  “I mean, why not be that couple who shows up in jeans at the most high-end place in town?” Monica said with a laugh as they put their name on the waitlist.

  “So, we’re a couple now?” Brian asked, grinning at her.

  She giggled a bit at the thought. “If you want to be.”

  “Definitely,” he said, and Monica felt a bit warm inside.

  Brian knew one of the owners who were present, so the man booted them to the front of the list, much to Monica and Brian’s satisfaction and the displeasure of some of the other clientele. They even got a lovely table by a large window that overlooked a small garden the restaurant owned. Evidently, the place grew a good bit of their own food on-site.

  The date went well from start to near-end. They laughed, talked a bit about work and family, and really got to know each other. By the time they were eating dessert, Monica felt like she had a well-rounded picture of who Brian was as a person, and she was quite pleased with all she had learned. The server brought the bill and then dipped out, and as Brian was reaching for the check, Monica heard her name being called.

  She spun in her chair and saw her friend Isaac being sat at a nearby table. Before he sat down, he approached them, grinning a bit. “Hey, it’s the local it-couple,” he teased.

  Brian smiled slightly, setting the check down with his card. “What are you doing here?” Brian asked. “Didn’t know they let rats like yourself into nice places like this,” he teased.

  “Ouch,” Isaac said and laughed. “I got the luck of the draw. Boss wants me to do a review of the place for the paper, so I’m eating for free tonight.”

  “Nice,” Brian said. “The smoked duck was awesome. Never had duck before, so it was different, but I vouch for it.”

  “Noted,” Isaac said with a wink. “Hey, I know you two are on a date and all, but do you mind if I snag Monica for a second? Just wanted to ask her something.”

  Brian shrugged and nodded, and Monica stood and stepped off with Isaac for a moment. “Everything all right?” she asked.

  “I don’t know,” he said. “I went and saw Holly earlier today…and she’s acting so weird. Was wondering if anything happened at work today?”

  Monica frowned. “What do you mean by weird?”

  “She kept calling me Jack, and Tony…and then she called me Martin. I thought she was joking at first, but I’m a little concerned,” he said. “It was like she was on something, but I know that’s not Holly. I was wondering if maybe something stressed her out today? She wouldn’t tell me anything… Maybe she needs a gal-pal or something to talk her through whatever is going on?”

  Monica nodded. “I’ll go see her,” she said. “Thanks for telling me.”

  “I appreciate it,” he said. “She was just so…not herself, you know?”

  “I understand. I’ll see if I can’t figure out what’s going on,” Monica said, suddenly feeling very concerned.

  She and Brian left the restaurant, and Monica requested he drop her off at Holly’s complex. She thanked him for the lovely date before scurrying up to Holly’s apartment. The door was unlocked, so she entered. Holly was in the living room with a bucket of paint. She had a toothbrush in her other hand, and she was attempting to paint her living room wall with it.

  “Oh dear,” Monica muttered under her breath. “Hey, Holly!” Monica said, getting her friend’s attention.

  “Oh, Denise!” Holly exclaimed. “Always good to see you. Check it out! I’ve decided to paint my living room!”

  Monica grimaced at the disaster zone that was her living room wall. Holly had managed to paint less than a foot by a foot of wall, and it looked like a scraped-on blob of ugly orange paint. “Why are you using a toothbrush?” Monica asked.

  “Um… This is a paintbrush,” Holly said confidently. “Honestly, Julie, you are always so dim.”

  “My name’s Monica?” Monica said.

  “Isn’t that what I said?” Holly asked. She took a step toward Monica and tripped over her untied shoelaces, landing on her hands and knees. “Whoops! Been doing that a lot today!”

  “You all right?” Monica rushed to help her. “Maybe you should tie your shoes.”

  “I would, but I can’t seem to remember how to do that,” Holly laughed at herself. She stood up and looked at her wall, hands on her hips. “This is taking too long. Oh, I know!” She picked up the paint bucket and flung it right at the wall. Monica shrieked as the paint went everywhere—the wall, the floor, the furniture. The bucket even put a dent in the wall. “Oh, perfect!” Holly exclaimed. “Just as I imagined it!”

  “Um… Holly…” Monica reached out to touch her friend’s arm.

  “Who’s Holly?” Holly asked.

  “You are?”

  “Pretty sure my name’s Hermione,” she said.

  “Pretty sure it’s not,” Monica said. “Come on, let’s get you to my Aunt Wilma. She’ll know what to do about…whatever this is…”

  9

  It was growing a bit late by the time Monica got Holly dressed, her shoes tied, and had managed to usher her out of the apartment. The woman kept wandering off, forgetting who Monica was, and frankly she seemed to have completely lost her mind. Once they finally made it out the door, there was still the matter of getting her across town. Monica felt like every time the two of them walked a few feet, Holly would turn around and start walking in another direction—confused and already having forgotten what they were doing.

  “Come on, Holly, work with me a little!” Monica exclaimed, feeling as though she too was going to lose her mind by the time they made it to Back Room Books.

  “Ooh, a butterfly!” Holly yelped and began chasing a moth around in the grass. The woman wandered out into the road, and Monica had to dart after her and pull her out of the way of a car. Thankfully, the driver saw Holly and was able to swerve and slam on the brakes.

  “So sorry!” Monica shouted as the driver made a rather obscene gesture and sped off. “Okay, that’s it!” Monica removed her belt from her jeans and proceeded to wrap it around Holly’s wrist. Much like a dog on a leash, Monica marched Holly through town in this manner. Holly laughed the remainder of the way as Monica dragged her by the belt that was now strapped around the woman’s wrist.

  I really do need a means of transportation, Monica thought, panting a bit by the time they reached the shop. She marched Holly inside, removed the belt, and pushed her toward the back of the shop. “This way, Holly,” Monica said.

  Once they reached the back door, Holly giggled and pointed. “That’s the magic door!” she said.

  “Oh my gosh, that you remember!” Monica groaned and pushed her friend through. There was a flash of light, and soon they were stepping into the shop on the other side. She could hear the books all snoring and snoozing soundly as they walked through the shop. Monica grabbed a witch’s hat Mona had left behind and plopped it on Holly’s head—not wanting her to draw attention—and then the two women exited into the streets of Wysteria.

  Monica continued pushing Holly along, but the woman kept trying to wander off. She was distracted by anything that moved. She also started singing at the top of her lungs, “Thunder bolts and lightning very, very frightening!” The song sounded so ridiculous that Monica was certain the woman was making it up, but you could never be sure when it came to mortals and their peculiar musical tastes.

  Fearful that the wom
an was attracting too much attention by those hanging out under the waning moon, Monica decided to head to her sister’s home as it was significantly closer than that of her aunt’s. She arrived at the large cottage just beyond Wysteria’s main strip. Her sister had a taste for the fanatical which was very telling from the four-foot tall carnivorous plants that lined the cobblestone path leading from the picket fence to the front door.

  “Ooh, it likes me!” Holly said, reaching toward one of the plants.

  Monica quickly slapped Holly’s hand away before it was bitten off by the giant plant now gnashing its teeth in their direction. “Stop! Don’t touch!” Monica demanded, and Holly laughed.

  The front door opened, and out stepped Mona dressed in one of her favorite pointed hats and her black riding hood, her broom in hand. Mona’s eyes widened when she spotted them. “What is she doing here!?” Mona cried. “And why is she wearing one of my hats?”

  “Hey! You two look a lot alike. Are you related?” Holly asked and then tried to pet the carnivorous plant again; Monica slapped her hand away.

  “Something’s wrong with her,” Monica groaned. “I don’t know what Aunt Wilma did, but Holly has completely lost it.”

  “Maybe two memory charm spells in less than twenty-four hours was a bit much?” Mona suggested.

  “Do you think Aunt Wilma can fix her?” Monica asked, and Mona nodded. “Okay, then, help me get her to Aunt Wilma’s. I’m exhausted after dragging her all through Bankstown.”

  “No can do,” Mona said. “I got a hold of Lauralet, and she’s agreed to let me come to her hoard so that we could talk.”

  “You were going to interview a witness without me?” Monica asked.

  “It was kind of last minute,” Mona said. “I figured you were still on your date.”

  “I had to go take care of this one,” Monica said, pointing at Holly, who was now spinning in a circle with her arms outstretched, teasing the plants that snapped in her direction and just barely missed each time.

  “I can’t be late for my meeting with Lauralet. You know how dragons are,” Mona said. “If I don’t go now, she won’t agree to meet with me again.”

  “Lauralet did seem like a particularly moody dragon,” Monica said. “Okay, fine. Let’s go, and we’ll take Holly to see Aunt Wilma afterwards.”

  “You want to take a mortal to a dragon’s keep?” Mona asked.

  “Not like she’s going to remember going,” Monica said. “She’s forgotten my name seven times since leaving her apartment.”

  “If you say so,” Mona said. “But all three of us are not going to fit on my broom.”

  “Can you summon mine?” Monica asked. “It’s at home in Bankstown.”

  “You can’t do a summoning spell?” Mona asked.

  “I mean, if I was in Bankstown, I could probably whistle and it would hear me, but there is no way it would hear me whistle for it all the way here in Wysteria,” Monica exclaimed. “And, no, I cannot do summoning spells. You know I can’t do that.”

  Mona grunted. “Fine,” she said, pulling out her wand. “Videtur!”

  There was a puff of purple and green smoke, and then Monica’s broom appeared in front of her. She grabbed it. “Is Lenore coming?” Monica asked.

  “No, she’s inside sleeping,” Mona said. “It’s been a busy couple of days. I see your familiar isn’t here either.”

  “She’s grouchy,” Monica grunted. “I don’t know what to do about Abs. She’s…pretty resentful.”

  “She’ll come around eventually,” Mona assured her.

  They mounted their brooms, and Monica got Holly to hop on the back of hers. “Please, for crying out loud, hold on,” Monica told her, and Holly squealed excitedly when they took off.

  Lauralet’s keep was in the mountains far beyond the onocentaurs’ herding grounds. As they came near the mountains, a number of dragons were flying around, snarling in their direction. “Oh, lighten up! We were invited!” Mona shouted at them, and after a moment, they flew off. “Only thing grumpier than a shapeshifting dragon is a purebred one.”

  They landed halfway up the mountain where a cottage-like entrance was built into the side of the stone. Lauralet was sitting on a patio dandling high above a ledge, sipping on what appeared to be tea. “Who is that?” she snarled, looking at Holly. She then sat upright. “Is that… Is that a mortal!?”

  “She’s a little bewitched at the moment,” Mona said. “We need to take her to our aunt after this. Don’t worry, she’s delusional.”

  “I’m a witch!” Holly said, straightening the witch’s hat she was wearing.

  Mona snatched the hat off Holly’s head. “I think I’ll hold onto that, thank you,” Mona said, shaking her head.

  “Sorry,” Monica grumbled.

  “Sit,” Lauralet said, waving toward the empty metal chairs in front of her. The women all sat around the table, and Lauralet poured each of them tea while Holly crawled around the patio, examining everything with the utmost interest.

  Monica got a glance within the window of Lauralet’s home, and she saw that the inside of the cottage opened into a giant cave filled with golden treasures. “Quite an impressive hoard you’ve got there,” Monica said, and Lauralet seemed to almost growl.

  “Can we get on with whatever it is you wanted to talk to me about, Mona?” Lauralet asked.

  “We want to talk to you about your conversation you had with Penelope that night at Dracula’s party,” Mona said.

  Lauralet rolled her eyes. “Yes, I’m certain she stole from my keep.”

  “You’re sure it was her?” Monica asked.

  “She left her familiar behind,” Lauralet said. “So, I ate him.”

  “Well, that’s awfully dramatic, don’t you think?” Mona asked, a bit horrified.

  “He was old anyway,” Lauralet insisted. “Probably saved her a fortune in vet bills. Not that that matters much now that she’s as dead as him. Old, crabby little owl. She obviously didn’t care too much to ditch her familiar in a dragon’s hoard after stealing from me.”

  Holly was peering through the window, oohing and ahhing at the immaculate treasure within. “What all was missing?” Monica asked.

  “A bag of gold coins and some herbs of various rarities—stuff most witches would love to get their hands on for some more advanced potion work,” Lauralet said. “I saw a witch’s silhouette fly off on a broomstick, and I knew what was missing instantly. The owl was left behind in her hurry to escape my wrath. I recognized the poor thing, and he made for a rather chewy meal.”

  “That’s very cruel, Lauralet,” Monica said, almost glad Abigail had been extra cranky with her that evening and had chosen to remain behind.

  “She stole from me,” Lauralet snarled.

  “If you were angry enough to kill her familiar, what else would you have done?” Mona asked accusingly, and Lauralet’s head whipped in Mona’s direction.

  “Did you just… Did you just accuse me of killing a witch?!”

  “I mean, you dragons are pretty notorious for being overprotective of your hoards,” Mona said.

  Smoke was now coming out of Lauralet’s nostrils. “How dare you!”

  “I mean, you did murder her familiar,” Monica said. “That’s a crime, you know?”

  “Not if she leaves him in my hoard,” Lauralet said. “Then it becomes mine, and I have every right to hunt on my own property. Especially when a meal is within my very hoard! Killing a dying old owl to feed myself is one thing, but are you honestly accusing me of killing Penelope!”

  “I wasn’t accusing you,” Mona said, but Monica was fairly certain that was exactly what her sister had been suggesting.

  Lauralet’s face twitched, and Monica could see bright red scales starting to appear on the shapeshifter’s face. “Uh oh,” Monica said, jumping up and grabbing her broom. Mona had leapt up as well just in time to be met by a gust of fire swooshing in their direction. Once the smoke from the initial blast cleared, a large red dragon was staring
back at them, making a loud roar that pierced Monica’s ears. She zoomed down below, snatching Holly up just in time for the woman to avoid the beast’s tail.

  Monica and Mona spun their brooms around, eager to flee the scene of the temperamental dragon, but Lauralet had taken flight and was blasting her fiery breath in their direction. “Fly away! Fly away!” Mona called.

  “What does it look like I’m doing?” Monica yelped, holding Holly by the wrist as she dangled beneath her broom, the dragon drawing nearer and nearer with each passing second.

  10

  Just when Monica was sure she was about to become Lauralet’s dinner, she spied her aunt flying in at full speed. The woman had her wand drawn, and she shouted out a spell that was completely unfamiliar to Monica. What appeared to be a bolt of blue lightning zapped out of the tip of Wilma’s wand and went straight toward Lauralet. It struck the enormous dragon in the chest, and Lauralet changed back into her humanoid form in midair. Lauralet shrieked as she began to fall, and Wilma swooped in and snatched her just before she hit the ground.

  Feeling a bit safer now that they had Aunt Wilma as backup, Monica and Mona flew down and landed. “Whoa! What a ride!” Holly shrieked as Monica sat her down on the ground at last.

  Lauralet was staring at her own hands as they shook a bit from the blast. “What did you do, you witch!” Lauralet snarled from the ground.

  “You have always had a temper,” Wilma said. “You’re going to let it get you into trouble one of these days. I’ll be speaking with the Sorcerers’ Council about this.”

  “What did you do!?” Lauralet shrieked.

  “It’s just temporary. You can walk home, you temperamental little shapeshifter!” Wilma exclaimed, and the three witches got back up on their brooms, Holly riding on the back of Monica’s, and flew as far away from the mountains as they could.