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

by Susan Harper

  “Potions!” Monica exclaimed. “I’m a potions master, and I never knew broomsticks were given flight through potions!”

  “Oh, yeah,” he said. “It’s a very specific type of potions study. Don’t usually get that sort of study in a typical potions education. Got to specialize in it.”

  “I don’t even know where to begin,” Holly said, wide-eyed.

  Morty studied her for a second. He had her hold her arms out straight and stand with her legs apart so he could get a good idea of how long her limbs were. He rubbed his beard, thinking, and then he laughed suddenly. “Sorry, it’s a new art fitting folks for training brooms,” he admitted. “Usually you just give a kid a broom the right length and let him try one or two out because that’s all you got in stock. Let’s see… What are you looking for in a broom, Ms. Holly?”

  “I honestly have no idea,” she said.

  “Thing about training broomsticks, you’re a bit limited. You want it to accelerate quicker upward or forward? Speed going from place to place or speed in getting higher up? Not saying a faster broom isn’t going to be able to fly high or that a broom that can zip up to the clouds isn’t going to be able to travel a good distance, now, only talking about the speed in which it can do those things. So one that zips upwards faster or one that zips forward?”

  Holly thought. “I suppose I can take time gaining altitude,” Holly said. “But if I’m wanting to use my broom for travel, I’d prefer one that goes a bit faster from place to place.”

  “All right, let’s see… You’re not exactly a wee little kiddo, so I’m not going to bother you too much about durability. Sure, you know to take care of your broom, yes? Don’t fling it about too much or crash into nothin’ trying to show off…” Morty laughed again. “Sorry, like I’ve said, still used to selling training brooms to kiddos. Let’s see… Give this one a go. There’s a practice room in the back.” He handed Holly a broom with a red wood handle and led them all into a large backroom.

  The large warehouse-like room in the back had mats all over the floor and cushioned walls for new fliers picking out their broomsticks. Monica and Abigail stood by the door, watching as Holly mounted her broom. “I have no idea how to fly a broom,” Holly admitted.

  “Makes more sense once you’re up on it,” Morty said. “Just kick off, and up you’ll go. Think about where you want to go, and sway and lean in the direction you’re wanting the broom to take you.”

  After falling off only once, Holly was soon zipping around. She got the broom to go a lot quicker than Morty expected her to, and he clapped excitedly, realizing he would be able to sell the broom as one of his quicker ones. “You don’t know much about the training brooms yourself, do you?” Monica asked him.

  He shrugged. “I specialized in racing brooms,” he said. “So this is a new animal for me.”

  Holly purchased the broom, and once they were out front, Monica’s broom returned to her after a free flight around town. “It’s going to take us forever to get to… What is the name of the place? Wisconsin? No… Whatever.” Abigail asked. “It’s going to take forever to get there with Holly flying that ridiculous broomstick.”

  “You saw it,” Holly said, already mounting her broom. “It was flying just fine.”

  Monica laughed. “Lighten up, Abs. It’s just a little training…broom…” Monica’s voice trailed off. She saw something painted on the side of the shop that she hadn’t noticed on the way in. “Remembrance.”

  Holly and Abigail jolted. They spun to see writing in the Cunir language, the language of an underground society that had been wreaking havoc in and around Wysteria lately. “Why would someone do that to Monty?” Holly asked. “I mean, Remembrance is all about harassing non-wizards, right? Like what they did at the hobbit houses. Why are they vandalizing a wizard’s shop?”

  “Because,” Abigail said, glancing up at Holly, standing there holding her broom. “Because he’s selling broomsticks to non-wizards.”

  Holly’s cheeks flushed. “I’m getting really tired of this Remembrance cult.”

  “Same here,” Monica said. “Let’s just go. It looks like Monty’s been trying to remove the graffiti, so I’m guessing he already knows about it.”

  The two of them kicked off on their brooms, Abigail seated behind Monica. “You excited to meet your dad?” Monica asked as they flew.

  “Definitely,” Holly said. “Just a little nervous. I mean, I’ve been spying on him through that snow globe Nick gave me, and he seems like a happy kind of guy. I’m worried about throwing a wrench in his life, you know?”

  “Yeah,” Monica said. “I know what that must feel like…”

  “You’re talking about Officer Brian?” Holly asked. “You decided you were going to tell him, right? That’s why you got the reveal license.”

  Monica nodded, thinking back to her court hearing with the Sorcerer’s Council that had granted her the reveal license. The reveal license allowed her to tell five mortals of the mortal world, but it expired in only two months. “Yes, I’m going to tell Brian,” Monica said, thinking about the mortal police officer she had been dating quite seriously. “It’s quite nerve-wracking to say the least. It’s hard to imagine what he’s going to say. I say that’s quite a wrench I’ll be throwing in his direction as well.”

  “I think the same thing about Isaac,” Holly said, referring to her childhood best friend whom she had started seeing in a rather different light lately. “If things…continue the way they have been, I might wind up having to get myself one of those licenses soon as well.”

  “Yes, maybe,” Abigail said. “But he is a conspiracy blogger. You couldn’t possibly think that telling him of our world is a good idea? They probably wouldn’t grant you a license if they knew you wanted to tell him about us.”

  Holly sighed. “Yeah, you’re probably right. He’s too much of a risk.”

  “Abigail has no way of knowing that,” Monica said confidently. “But let’s forget about all of that for now. Right now, we’ve got a lot of flying to do, and I want to see just how fast that broom of yours can go!”

  2

  Isaac sat back in his seat and stretched. He had just finished typing up an article for the local paper, and he rubbed his eyes for a moment to give them a rest from staring at the screen. He was seated in a local coffee shop, attempting to get a bit of work done that he had been putting off. After taking a moment to read through the article, he submitted it to his editor and then pulled up his personal blog—his pride and joy.

  The blog was all about alien activity in and around Bankstown, which he was almost certain was a hotbed for that sort of thing. Strange things happened in Bankstown. Things he and everyone else simply couldn’t explain. Like the incident at the precinct that had happened late last year: all the lights in the building had gone out, the video cameras had stopped working, and all the police had fallen asleep. A cellmate had gone missing, and he had yet to be found. While he had of course written about this for the local paper in a way that merely presented the facts at hand, Isaac had focused more on the paranormal aspects of the incident on his blog. It had been one of the most popular posts he’d ever done.

  He had also taken pictures of the skies over Bankstown, and he was certain something human-like had been caught in a shadowy photograph flying overhead. These were just some of the odd happenings his readers ate up. He updated his blog, answered a bit of digital fan-mail, and finally closed his laptop and threw his coffee in the trash.

  After slipping his laptop back into his bag, Isaac headed out. He wanted to get a book from Backroom Books, where his friend Holly worked—any excuse to go see Holly. He adored her, and she knew it now and had returned the feelings he had finally expressed. Frankly, these days, Isaac was walking on air. He’d had a crush on Holly since he was a little kid chasing her around in a schoolyard. They had been friends, so he had never made any sort of move that might jeopardize their friendship. That is, he hadn’t until Monica Montoya had come to town.
>
  He smiled when he thought of Monica as he trotted down Main Street toward the shop on the corner. Monica had moved here from Chicago, so he had been told, and had taken over her Aunt Wilma’s shop. Wilma, he knew, had moved back home to Chicago where the Montoya family was from. The shop was a hotspot for all literary lovers in town. Monica had become a quick friend of both his and Holly’s, and he really did have her to thank for finally getting him to talk to Holly about his feelings. Much to his relief, it hadn’t backfired on him like he had always feared it would.

  At last, he was standing outside the shop. He entered, and he jumped a foot off the ground because he swore he saw a book floating above Aunt Wilma’s head. He rubbed his eyes, and when he opened them, she was holding the book and smiling at him. Perhaps he had been seeing things? “Wilma,” Isaac said pleasantly and approached the older woman. “Didn’t know you were in town.”

  “Oh, yes,” the woman said, smiling back at him and placing the book on the counter. “Monica and Holly are out of town this weekend, so I am watching the shop for my niece.”

  Isaac frowned. Now that he thought about it, Holly had mentioned to him that she was thinking about going to find her biological father. He didn’t realize she had actually decided to do it. Last they had spoken on the matter, it was still a big question as to whether or not she was actually going to go. “Oh, that’s right,” he said, frowning. He had really wanted to see her. “Do you know how long they’re planning on being gone?”

  “I suppose that depends on how well the meeting goes!” Wilma exclaimed. “I’m assuming you know what they’re up to?”

  “Going to find Holly’s birth father,” Isaac said. “I know she has been talking about it, at least. Is that it?”

  “That’s right,” Wilma said. “I know she is ridiculously nervous.”

  “I didn’t realize Monica was going with her,” Isaac said.

  “Yes, well, I think Holly needed a bit of support,” Wilma said, and this bothered Isaac slightly. He would have thought that he, the long-time friend and more or less boyfriend, would have been the first person she would have wanted by her side for this. But he shook the jealous thought away. Holly had never really had any good girlfriends, and he knew that Monica was good for her.

  “Anything I can help you with, Isaac?” she asked.

  “I think I’m just browsing today,” he said. “Always good to see you, though, Wilma.” He looked around at a few books, and eventually settled on one about Roswell.

  He headed out, but he found himself pausing and peering through the window. He saw Wilma pick up a book, and he swore he saw it float onto a shelf. You’re just imagining it, Isaac told himself and continued his walk back to his car.

  On his way there, he saw Officer Brian as a car drove off and away from his patrol car, an annoyed teenager in the driver’s seat. “Aww, don’t tell me you just pulled that kid over for speeding?” Isaac joked, and Brian spun around to see him walking up.

  Brian laughed. “Driving the wrong way down the road, actually,” he said. “Didn’t realize this side street was a one-way. Nearly caused a wreck.”

  “Ticketed the kid, didn’t you?” Isaac teased. “Freakin’ cops.”

  “Oh, shut up,” Brian said with an eyeroll. “What are you doing out today? Working?”

  “Always,” Isaac said. “I just finished up an article for the paper, and then I stopped by Backroom Books to snag a new read.”

  “I missed my morning coffee today because of that kid,” Brian said. “Might go grab one anyway. I’ve been meaning to ask Monica about dinner plans this weekend.”

  “She’s not there,” Isaac said, ready to save Brian the embarrassment he had just endured in front of Aunt Wilma. He was sure Aunt Wilma knew the real reason he had been there was to see Holly based off his disappointed gaze.

  “Oh?” Brian said, looking just as disappointed as Isaac felt. “Where is she?”

  “She and Holly took a weekend trip,” Isaac said. “They might be gone even longer. They are going to try to find Holly’s birth father.”

  “Oh, wow, that’s exciting,” Brian said. “I remember Monica mentioning that, but I didn’t realize they actually decided to go.”

  “I get the impression that they planned this last minute,” Isaac said, but then paused, thinking about Aunt Wilma. “Well… If they planned it last minute, how did Wilma get here so quickly from Chicago?”

  “Huh?” Brian asked.

  “Wilma is watching the shop for them.”

  “Oh, Wilma’s in town?” Brian asked. “I should pop by anyhow, then. I haven’t seen her in a while. She’s always down for a good laugh.”

  “Yeah…” Isaac said, feeling uneasy.

  “Everything all right, Isaac? You look a little… I don’t know… Tense?”

  Isaac shrugged. “Something’s up.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “How much do you know about the Montoyas?” Isaac asked. “Why? What’s going on, Isaac?”

  “I saw something weird in the shop when I was there,” Isaac said. “I swear I saw some books flying around.”

  “You need to stop reading so many conspiracy blogs,” Brian said.

  “I don’t know,” Isaac said. “Something odd has always struck me about them. Her sister Mona, too. She’s…a character.”

  Brian, who’d had the pleasure of working with Mona recently on a case, smirked. “Mona is…unique.”

  “They all are,” Isaac said, and he could tell Brian was looking a bit annoyed by this. “I’m not bashing your girlfriend, Brian. Monica is my friend, and I love her family. I just… I don’t know. Have you ever noticed some of the weird things Monica says sometimes? Like, she calls movies ‘moving picture shows’ like it’s nineteen-forty. She forgets the names of everyday things sometimes. Once, when Mona was in town, she went to make me a coffee and basically poured coffee grounds directly into my cup.”

  Brian laughed. “That’s worse than the coffee she made for me. She forgot the filter.”

  “You see what I mean?” Isaac said eagerly. “I love them to death, but they’re just so…weird.”

  “This coming from the guy wearing a They Exist t-shirt,” Brian said, pointing at the green alien on Isaac’s clothing.

  “Oh, come off it,” Isaac said. “You and I both know there is something up with that family.”

  “I’m going to have to disagree,” Brian said. “And you might want to watch what you say about Monica in front of me, Isaac.”

  “I told you, she’s my friend,” Isaac assured him. “I’m just wondering if there isn’t something more to them than what they’re telling us. They’re from Chicago, but have you ever noticed how many round-trip flights Wilma and Mona make here? They just pop up all of a sudden, just because, all the way from Chicago.”

  “Maybe there’s money in the family,” Brian said. “Or they have a relative who hooks them up with buddy passes.”

  “What does Mona do for a living?” Isaac asked.

  “I’ve been told she runs a bookshop in Chicago,” Brian said.

  “So, everyone in this family runs bargain bookshops, but they can afford to fly all the way out to Bankstown from Chicago every other week for a one or two-day visit?” Isaac questioned.

  “I think you’re making something out of nothing,” Brian said. “And let me start by warning you not to.”

  Isaac held up both hands defensively. “You’re right. You’re right. I’m just a little weirded out because I think I saw something at the bookshop this morning that seemed a little odd. But it was probably nothing.”

  “Exactly,” Brian said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go park my patrol car and go get some coffee from Wilma. She makes better coffee than Monica… Don’t tell Monica I said that, though.”

  Isaac smirked. “Sure thing. I’ll see you around.”

  But Isaac was unable to get his thoughts about the Montoya family out of his head. They were certainly a unique family. The
y had odd little quirks that he couldn’t quite explain—like how Monica had once referred to a cheese grater as a dairy slicer when he had made pizza for her and Holly. Or her complete lack of knowledge of cars. He’d had to tell her what a steering wheel was called once. It was strange. It wasn’t simply a matter of cultural differences. It wasn’t like they didn’t both live in the United States. She was just from Chicago, after all. Or was she?

  The more Isaac thought about his interactions with Monica, her Aunt Wilma, and her sister Mona, the more he realized just how many odd things had happened around them. Now, he couldn’t let it go. He had to know what was really going on. He had thought to work on his blog some that day, but this was now nagging at him far too much. No, he was going to do the thing he was trained to do as a news journalist. He was going to investigate the Montoya family.

  3

  “Nearest portal to Moreland City is just down that way,” Monica called across the clouded sky to Holly, whose broom was bouncing about a bit in the wind.

  “Not the sturdiest thing, these training brooms…” Holly said a bit shakily.

  “I think it just can only go so far before it wears down. We’ve been flying for hours,” Monica said, and she began her rapid descent.

  Morty hadn’t been kidding when he said Holly’s training broom would be slow about descending and ascending. Monica wound up standing alone in the middle of the forest for five minutes waiting on Holly to slowly make her way down from the high altitude they had been flying. “About time,” Abigail groaned from the tree branch she had been resting on.

  “Hey, at least I’ve got my own broom now,” Holly said. “I feel very witchy using it. Makes me sad to know I’m not a witch! So, what do you guys think? Do you think my dad knows about the mystics? Do you think he’s mortal?”

  “Wisest thing to do is to go in assuming he’s mortal and doesn’t need to know you’re not,” Abigail said. “Last thing you need to do is get in trouble with the Sorcerer’s Council. If you’re his daughter and he’s a mystic, he’ll probably just come outright and say it.”