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

by Susan Harper

  “Okay, I just finished stocking the shelves with the last shipment,” Holly’s voice called from one of the bookshelves below.

  Monica smiled and began climbing down the ladder that led up to the loft. Once she reached the bottom, she smiled happily in Holly’s direction. “Perfect,” Monica said. “I’d say we’re all set up for another successful day. Is Abigail back yet?” she asked, referring to her pet cat and familiar.

  “No, she’s still on the other side,” Holly said with a loud sigh. “I’m really curious to hear how the trial went.”

  Abigail had gone with Monica’s sister Mona to the Sorcerer’s Council to find out about Kevin’s sentence—Kevin being a warlock who had murdered a human over a part in a play. The whole thing had been rather maddening. Kevin had not only been in Bankstown illegally, but he’d had the audacity to take advantage of the mortals there. A member of the Sorcerer’s Council had come and picked him up personally from the police station, making it seem as though the man had merely escaped, in order to take him to Wysteria for trial.

  “I sure do hope they are tough on him,” Monica said.

  “Don’t let Abigail hear you say that,” Holly said. Monica’s familiar, a former witch currently serving a sentence as a cat for causing the Salem witch trials, had some very strong opinions about punishments dished out by the council regarding the treatment of mortals.

  “I don’t know,” Monica countered. “I think Abigail is starting to come around.”

  “Do you think Abigail will get a chance to talk to a member of the council?” Holly asked hopefully. “I really want to hear about the test. They told me it would only take a few days to determine my ancestry, but it has been over a week now. I expected to hear back from them by now.”

  They had determined through a series of events that Holly was part-mystic. They had recently gone to the Sorcerer’s Council to help them determine exactly what sort of mystic ancestry the woman had. Holly had grown up in Bankstown and had been raised to believe she was a normal human being.

  “I don’t know,” Monica said. “From what my sister told me, it was supposed to be a pretty busy morning at the council.”

  There was a slight flash of light from the backroom before Monica’s sister, Mona, walked out along with her familiar, a raven named Lenore, and Abigail, the small black cat they had been muttering about only moments ago.

  “Well, that was ridiculous!” Abigail declared, leaping up onto the counter.

  Mona rolled her eyes. “She’s being dramatic.”

  “What did they sentence?” Monica asked.

  “Well, apparently he has escaped the Sorcerer’s Council before, according to the posting that was up at the council’s building. He’s performed magic in front of mortals before. He bewitched his roommate, and apparently, there were four other mortals he killed a few years back and a troll, too. They gave him a deterioration potion, snapped his wand, gave him a lifetime ban from the mortal world, and put him on house arrest for the next two years.”

  “Whoa,” Monica said. “They really gave him a deterioration potion?”

  “Yeah, I was surprised to hear that too,” Mona said.

  “Deterioration potion?” Holly asked.

  “It strips you of your magic—permanently,” Mona said. “He won’t ever be able to do magic again. The two years’ probation time will cover the amount of time it takes for all the magic to get out of his system.”

  “So, he still has magic?” Holly asked.

  “Maybe a little,” Mona said. “It’s a process. I’ve heard that it is very awful. They usually use that for witches or wizards who have proven to be completely uncontrollable.”

  “Killing, what is it, five people, assaulting a witch, bewitching his roommate, and killing a troll isn’t considered completely uncontrollable?” Holly asked.

  “Well, it’s terrible, of course, but deterioration is used for mystics who do a lot worse than killing a few people,” Abigail said. “We’re talking about mass murderers, psychopaths who use magic to torture, like, really heavy stuff. I expected them to turn him into a toad or something.”

  “Well, I suppose they’re taking a stronger stance against ill treatment of mortals,” Monica said. She turned to Mona. “Are we still on for tonight, Mona?”

  “You bet!” Mona said, clasping her hands together. “Oh, and I got an extra seat. Holly, would you want to go with us?”

  “I’ll bite,” Holly said. “What are you two lovely witches doing this evening?”

  “We’re going to the game, of course,” Mona said.

  “What, a football game?” Holly asked, and Mona laughed her witchy laugh.

  “No, not football,” Mona said, waving her hand. “Romp-A-Roo!”

  Holly snorted as though the name sounded rather hilarious to her. “Romp-A-Roo?”

  “Oh, it’s a very popular sport in the mystic realm,” Monica said. “Mona’s new boyfriend, the one who works the shop on her side, he’s part of the local team in Wysteria.”

  “That sounds fun,” Holly said. “I’d love to see what sort of sports mystics are into.”

  “Perfect,” Mona said. “Just meet on my side of the shop tonight. Too-da-loo!” Mona and Lenore headed through the back door, and after a slight flash of light, they vanished over the threshold.

  It was right at this moment that the front door opened, and the handsome Officer Brian of Bankstown entered. The man looked like he hadn’t slept well, and Monica was fairly certain why. Chief Tollr had been running them all silly ever since Kevin had disappeared. “You sure are here early,” Monica said, not expecting him right at opening.

  “Yeah,” he said, rubbing his eyes. “Chief wanted me to come in early again.”

  “Didn’t he have you working late last night?” Holly asked.

  “Me and half the department,” Brian said with a yawn, and Holly got right to work on making Brian his usual. The shop sold coffee in the corner, and Brian came by just about every morning for his usual. “Add a shot of espresso, please. I’m going to need it if I’m going to keep my eyes open.”

  “So, er…have you found him?” Monica asked, knowing full well that Kevin was at the Sorcerer’s Council building being given a deterioration potion.

  “No sign of him,” Brian said. “We’ve had police in three different counties on a search, and they’re thinking about spreading it out past that. I don’t even know if we are ever going to find him. I definitely don’t think he’s anywhere near Bankstown at this point. If he was, we would have found him by now.”

  “And the chief isn’t taking it well?” Monica asked.

  “Are you kidding? He’s getting grief from the DA, and he’s taking it out on all of us,” Brian said. “I’m not sure if I can blame him. The number of officers who were there that night… It just doesn’t make sense. And nothing was caught on cameras,” Brian said, but he perked up slightly when Holly handed him his coffee. “I’m off. I got to get there early to keep from being accused of being late with the attitude the chief has had lately.”

  He headed out, smiling brightly at Monica through tired eyes before disappearing. Monica’s shoulders slumped. She wished she could tell Brian about what had really happened, but that was not an option. She had to keep on pretending like they were not wasting their time trying to find Kevin. It was a real shame, truly.

  They spent the rest of the day helping customers and cleaning up a bit. It was a slower day, or rather, it felt like it was. Monica realized that it was likely because she was looking forward to the game, and Holly coming along was going to make it even more fun.

  Eventually, it was at last closing time. They locked up shop, performed all their closing duties, and scurried through the back door. After a blinding flash of light, they arrived in Mona’s side of Backroom Books. There was a small fairy sitting on the counter, trying her best to unfold a bill to pay for the book she was standing on. “How is she going to carry that home?” Holly whispered.

  Once Mon
a cashed the fairy out, she pulled out her wand and tapped the book three times, uttering, “Subtraxerim utilium!” And, just like that, the book shrunk down to a more appropriate size for the little fairy, who thanked Mona for her help before flying out the door just as it was being opened by a handsome young warlock dressed in what Holly would later describe as a black and red karate uniform.

  “Looking good,” Mona said, scurrying around to Deimus to give him a peck on the cheek. “I love the new uniforms!”

  “I love this part,” he said, turning around to show them his back where a red-stitched wolf-like creature was growling back at them.

  “What is that?” Holly asked.

  “My team are the Wysteria Werewolves,” Deimus explained. “Lot of werewolves on the team. We do pretty well so long as we’re not playing during a full moon…”

  “Well, let’s get going,” Abigail said. “I want to make sure we get good seats. The best seats are the ones just high enough to see the top of the platforms but not so high that you can’t see the players.”

  “So, how does this game even work?” Holly asked as they made their way out the door. “What are the platforms for?”

  “You play on platforms,” Deimus said, the first to mount his broom.

  “Oh, are we getting there by broom?” Holly asked. “I can’t fly a broom.”

  “I thought you were a witch?” Deimus asked.

  “We’re still trying to figure out exactly what I am,” Holly said. “But whatever I am, brooms don’t care for me too much.”

  “You can just ride on the back of mine,” Monica said. “My broom will behave as long as I’m steering.”

  “Okay, thanks,” Holly said, carefully throwing her leg over the back of Monica’s broom.

  They all zoomed off, Abigail seated on the back of Mona’s broom as they flew, and Lenore flying behind. Deimus was excited and talking rapidly about the different plays their coach had come up with for the game and how they were up against their biggest rivals. Monica flew a little extra high as they approached the playing field so that Holly could get a good first look.

  It was about the size of a mortal soccer field, but with enormous wooden podiums, the tops of which were painted in various colors. Deimus waved them farewell before zipping down on his broom towards the bases of one of the podiums where other mystics dressed in uniforms that matched his were already gathering.

  “Look! I spy some perfect seats!” Mona called, flying towards the home team’s side of the field. They sat up high in the stands just as they had discussed—high enough to be able to look down on the podiums but not so high that they would not be able to see the players.

  “Great seats!” Monica exclaimed, helping Holly down from her broom before jumping off herself. “I can’t wait to cheer on the Wysteria Werewolves!”

  2

  The podiums that the players stood on were not particularly wide. At best, two average-sized people could fit on one. The games had yet to begin, so Monica used this time to explain the complicated sport that was Romp-A-Roo. “So, the goalie is the only player who can move onto any colored platform,” Monica began. “But that doesn’t necessarily mean that they should. They usually stay in front of the goal, but they have the capability if they see an opening to shoot all the way down the field if they want. I’ve only ever seen it done once in the majors.”

  Monica and Holly stared out over the field. There was a single podium in front of each of the large, floating hula hoop-looking goals. The podiums in front of each of the goals were painted bright red at the top. “Those are the goalie posts,” Monica said, pointing. “Only the goalies can step on those, but they, theoretically, can step on the opposing team’s post too, but it’s smarter for them to stay in front of their own team’s goal to keep the other team from scoring.”

  In front of the podiums with the red paint were three blue painted podiums. “Okay, what about those?” Holly asked.

  “So, Romp-A-Roo requires a split team of male and female players plus the goalie,” Mona said. “Only the ladies and the goalies can step on those.”

  Next were four green podiums on either side. “Let me guess,” Holly said, intrigued. “Green means only the guys?”

  “Exactly,” Monica said.

  Finally, in the middle of the field were seven yellow podiums, which were free game for both male and female players. “So, how would the female players even get to the yellow podiums?” Holly asked. “Not like they can jump.”

  “The spring,” Monica explained. “Each team is able to choose what podium on their side gets a spring. It’s a platform that is loaded with a spring that catapults you towards the center. Usually teams choose to put this on one of the blue podiums for the girls so that they can give the guys backup in the center. There is also a universal spring in the center on one yellow podium that can be used to get them back to their playing space.”

  “This is really complicated,” Holly said, staring down at all the 23 separate podiums. “Let me make sure I understand. The seven podiums painted yellow at the top, any player from any team can stand on. Then the three blue podiums are for female players only, shared between four female players.”

  “Right, so when the game starts, one blue podium usually has two female players on it,” Abigail said.

  “Okay,” Holly said. “Then next the four green podiums are guys only plus the goalie. Only the guys can step on them, but the girls have the opportunity to catapult themselves over those podiums to land on one of the seven yellow podiums in the center?”

  “Correct. The yellow podium right in the center has a spring. Now, what Monica said earlier about only goalies being able to step on the red podium isn’t totally true. If, and only if, the game is tied and all male players on your team are on yellow podiums, a single male player can in fact catapult himself to the red podium of the opposing team to attempt to make a game-ending shot from the goalie podium. But he permanently removes himself from the game after one minute if he chooses to do this.”

  “You’ll catch on pretty fast, I promise,” Monica assured Holly, who was looking quite baffled.

  “So, the overall goal of the game is to get the ball through the hoop and reach a certain score?” Holly asked.

  “Twenty points wins the game,” Monica explained. “One point if you score from the blue or green podiums. Two points if you score from yellow. Three points if you score in the middle of a catapult. And if you score while the game is tied from your one-time shot on the goalie post, you automatically win the game regardless of whether or not you have reached twenty points.”

  “Okay, I think I’ve got it,” Holly said. “So, what happens if you don’t score and you’re standing on the opposing team’s goalie post exactly?”

  “You get evicted from the game and your team is down a player, so it’s a pretty big risk. And if you land before all of the male players are on the yellow podiums, you forfeit the game,” Monica said. “So, like I said, big risk, but it’s worth it because it puts your team high up in the brackets for championships.”

  “Got it,” Holly said.

  A slight laugh came from behind them. Monica turned and smiled to see some familiar faces staring down at them. Two elderly witches were walking through the stands dressed in oversized robes. “Madam Warz and Imelda, always a pleasure,” Mona said, standing and curtsying to the prominent members of the Sorcerer’s Council. Monica and Holly followed suit.

  There was a snort behind the witches, a large middle-aged centaur acting as the women’s escort to the game that evening. Mona smiled. “And, Councilman Nud, always good to see you.”

  Nud nodded approvingly. “I honestly didn’t expect to see members of the Sorcerer’s Council here,” Lenore cawed from where she sat saving Mona’s seat.

  “I know we have the reputation for being a bunch of grumpy old geezers,” Imelda said with a laugh, “but we do like a good game of Romp-A-Roo. Some of us do, at least.”

  “I have been more intereste
d in the game since Trapper started playing for Greengrith Griffins,” Nud said.

  “Who?” Holly asked.

  Nud pointed towards where the opposing team, dressed in green, was getting ready to play. There was a handsome young centaur talking amongst his teammates. “He’s the opposing team’s goalie,” Nud said. “You don’t see too many centaurs playing Romp-A-Roo. Especially not any who are good, but the boy is very talented.”

  “Deimus has mentioned Trapper before. The two of them are pretty big rivals,” Mona said.

  “Yes, I believe at the last game in Greengrith, Trapper left his goalie post and sprinted across field and scored from Deimus’s podium. I think he was rather taken back by it. Deimus performed an assault maneuver but wound up getting knocked clear off the goalie post by Trapper once as well. I say they are quite the rivals.”

  “Assault maneuver?” Holly whispered to Monica.

  “That’s that move we talked about where you catapult yourself from the middle of the field to the goalie post during a tied score to try to win the game,” Monica said.

  “Deimus told me about that. Trapper kicked him with his hind legs while he was still in the air,” Mona said.

  “Yikes, is that even legal?” Holly asked.

  “There are not a lot of rules about fouling in Romp-A-Roo,” Nud said.

  “Well, while you are here,” Holly said, rapidly changing the subject. “I don’t suppose the results of my test came back?”

  “I’m afraid they were inconclusive,” Imelda said. “There is likely so little mystic in your blood that the test could not pick up anything at all.”

  Holly’s shoulders slumped. “Really?”

  Madam Warz sighed. “I’m afraid so. We are sorry we could not have been more help to you. Now, let’s get to our seats, shall we?”

  The three council members headed off, and Holly slumped in her seat.

  “Don’t worry, Holly,” Abigail said. “We are going to figure something out.” The cat jumped up into Holly’s seat. Abigail had been in a slightly better mood lately since having a year deducted from the remaining one hundred and seventy-five years of her sentence, bringing the total down to one seventy-four. She had been a bit nicer to them all lately, so Monica was not too shocked to hear her familiar offering Holly words of encouragement.