A Witch to Remember

by Heather Blake

  I shook my head, stared at the dreadful coffee in my cup, and forced myself to take a sip—desperate times being what they were.

  Nick said, “I’m surprised she didn’t come by this morning, considering everything going on with Leyna and Dorothy.”

  Normally my mother would have been by to discuss the case with me. After all, she was my boss. “Me too.”

  He nudged my chin. “She’ll be by. It’s a busy time for her.”

  I knew. “It’s just that … I miss her.”

  “I know you do. It’s going to be okay, Darcy.”

  “Promise?”

  He paused for only a second before he said, “I promise.”

  I pretended not to notice his brief hesitation and nodded. If he loved me enough to promise the impossible, I loved him enough to accept it as fact.

  Nick went about gathering his badge, keys, and wallet. As he went to get his gun from its locked case in the closet, I tried to shift the focus of my thoughts to why Nick had to work on a Sunday. “You’ll be careful with Dorothy? Take extra precautions?”

  He clipped an empty holster onto his waistband. “I don’t suppose you have a truth spell you could teach me real quick? That would save me some time.”

  I smiled. “Sorry.”

  “She’s going to be … difficult.”

  I thought that was putting it mildly as the words fire and brimstone went through my head.

  “I’ve already gotten two calls this morning from the treatment facility where Dorothy stayed last night. She’s raising hell.”

  “I can imagine. Will you interrogate her there?” Where there were padded rooms nearby—just in case.

  “No. I have a team bringing her back to the village as we speak.”

  “I thought I felt a heat wave coming on.”

  He laughed. “A circle-of-hell kind of heat?”

  “Pretty much.” I leaned against the wall. “Are you going to go through with arresting her?”

  Despite the conjectures that Dorothy was being framed for Leyna’s murder, Nick had a big decision to make. There was a lot of evidence pointing to her guilt, and he had mortal laws to uphold.

  “I’ll question her, then decide. If I have any wiggle room, I’ll probably let her go while we continue to investigate.”

  “Or maybe you can keep Dorothy locked up for a little while longer. Like, until after our wedding. Or, you know, a decade or so.”

  He kissed me and smiled. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  After Nick left, I called Higgins inside and once again looked to the skies … and found them empty of everything but a few fluffy white clouds drifting over the village.

  As I went upstairs to get ready for the day, I tried my hardest to shake the feeling that my mother was avoiding me too.

  Chapter Nine

  By the time I left the house to meet with Glinda, the village green had gone from sleepy to wide awake. People milled about as the Firelight participants set up for the day. Villagers walked their dogs and streamed into the Witch’s Brew. Spellbound’s storefront was still dark, as it wasn’t set to open for another hour, and I thought about the text messages Harper had been sending me. She was convinced that if Dorothy wasn’t guilty, Feif was.

  He was high on my suspect list, but I couldn’t question him quite yet—not without a good cover story. And for that, I needed Glinda. I did slow down as I passed his tent, however, simply because I couldn’t believe my eyes. “Starla?”

  She jumped back from the tent flaps and laughed as she covered her heart. “You scared me.”

  I bent down to pet her dog, Twink, a bichon frise. I wasn’t convinced he was actually a dog—he looked more like a tiny ball of fluff. He’d been staying with Evan, Starla’s twin, while she’d been out of the country. It was good to see the two of them reunited.

  “Why were you peeking inside Feif’s tent?” I asked.

  “I mean, I wouldn’t say I was peeking,” she said, her color high. “I was …”

  “Peeking?”

  “Looking to see if he was in there,” she said, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder. She wore it down today instead of in her usual high ponytail. “He’s not, in case you’re wondering.”

  It seemed to me he was running late—his booth was due to open in less than ten minutes. People were already gathering nearby, queuing up.

  “Were you looking for a reading from him? Or a date? Are you wearing lipstick?” Normally, she was a lip balm kind of witch. Maybe lip gloss on special occasions. Maybe.

  She rolled her eyes and smiled. “All right, you caught me. So what? He’s cute. Better than that, he’s leaving in less than a week. Win-win.”

  Starla had been through some heartbreaking relationships over the past couple of years and had decided to take some time off from long-term commitments. It was actually good to see that she wasn’t turned off the dating scene altogether. I just wished she’d chosen a better match. “He also might be a killer.”

  Her face fell. “What? I thought Dorothy …”

  Twink sniffed my sandals. “It’s complicated. Walk with me?”

  She threw a look at Feif’s tent and sighed. “All right.”

  As we walked through the maze of tents and booths, I explained the current status of my investigation the best I could.

  “What can I do to help?” she asked as soon as I finished.

  “Did you take any photos inside Divinitea before the alarms went off?”

  “Yeah, lots.”

  I stepped aside, out of the way of a passing stroller. “Could you get me copies?”

  “Sure thing. Anything you’re looking for in particular?”

  Feeling a pinch of guilt, I shook my head and lied. “I just want to see what I can see. Maybe something will jump out.”

  I didn’t mention that I hoped some of her pictures had caught Vince in the background. If he’d been involved in what had happened in some way, it was possible it had been caught on film. Since one of Starla’s heartbreaking relationships had been with him, I didn’t want to dump all that on her in case he was innocent. They were trying their best to keep hold of some semblance of a friendship, and I didn’t want to put the brakes on that progress unless I absolutely had to.

  Being here, in the midst of these tents, reminded me of the redheaded woman I’d tried to chase down yesterday afternoon. “Did you happen to notice a redhead at Divinitea yesterday? I saw her outside, after the fire was out, and she seemed upset. Devastated, actually.”

  Twink bounced ahead of us as she said, “I saw her. I don’t know who she is though, do you?”

  I shook my head. “The reaction she had makes me think that she might be a friend of Leyna’s. A friend who might be able to give us a little more insight into Leyna’s life. Amanda didn’t seem to know much at all.”

  “From what I’ve been hearing, Leyna valued her privacy. It’s amazing how many people knew so little about her.”

  “Where did you hear that?”

  “Here, this morning. Everyone’s talking about Leyna’s death.”

  It hadn’t taken long at all for the news to spread that the fire had been a cover-up for murder and that Dorothy Hansel Dewitt had been taken into custody.

  Starla said, “I have a couple of photos of the redhead from the shots I took outside Divinitea yesterday afternoon. Do you want me to ask around here to see if anyone knows who she is?”

  “Definitely. I can use all the help I can get with this case. With the Firelight festival packing up in a few days, the wedding planning, and the—” I broke off, my throat suddenly tightening around the word Renewal, refusing to release it.

  Starla bumped into me, full body. “I’ll help you any way I can, Darcy.”

  I bumped her back. “Thank you.” She nodded and we walked in silence for a few minutes before I said, “Maybe start with Amanda? If Miss Redhead is a friend of Leyna’s, then Amanda might know who she is.”

  “Oh, see, I was thinking I’d start with Feif �
�” Starla batted her long eyelashes.

  “Killer, remember?” I singsonged.

  She singsonged right back. “Innocent until proven guilty.”

  I knew she was teasing me, but I also knew her well enough to know that she wasn’t going to let the whole Feif thing go anytime soon. “Please be careful, especially if you do see Feif. If he really is psychic, he might be able to tell a lot more about you than your future.”

  Her eyes twinkled in the sunlight. “Like how I don’t normally wear lipstick?”

  I laughed. “Exactly.”

  When we reached the corner of the green across from the Gingerbread Shack, we parted ways, planning to meet up at my house for dinner later. I looked both ways before crossing the street and breathed deeply as I went inside the bakery.

  If heaven had a smell, it had to be like this shop. Chocolate, vanilla, hazelnut, cinnamon, coffee. Bliss.

  The space was light and airy with sunlight highlighting white beadboard wainscoting and poster-sized close-up photographs Starla had taken of cake slices. A tall glass case displayed all the miniature tasty treats Evan created, each one filled with magic—eating his desserts filled one with peace and contentment. The taste of the tiny brownies, delicate tiramisu bars, fanciful cake pops, and beautiful cupcakes was just a bonus.

  There was a line at the register even though the employees behind the counter seemed to be moving on fast-forward.

  Glinda sat at a high-top table, holding a paper coffee cup that had steam rising from the hole in the lid. She was chatting with Evan, who smiled when he spotted me.

  “I heard there was need of chocolate therapy,” he said, pushing a plate of mini devil’s food cupcakes toward me.

  “I love you,” I said to him as I sat down.

  “There’s a lot of that going around,” he said, grinning.

  “Oh?” I questioned.

  With a wide smile and a pink tint to his fair cheeks, he said, “Scott’s finally moving in.”

  Evan and his boyfriend, FBI agent Scott Abramson, had been dating long distance for more than a year now. “Evan! That’s wonderful! When?”

  “Two weeks from today,” he said, beaming with happiness.

  I took a bite of cupcake, suppressed a moan, and said, “Oh, darn, I’ll be on my honeymoon and won’t be able to help with the unpacking. What a shame.”

  Evan looked at Glinda. “That’s gratitude, after begging me to be the one to preside over her wedding. I had to get certified to do it and everything.”

  “You volunteered,” I said, cupping my hand to catch the cupcake crumbs falling from my mouth.

  He sighed dramatically. He was involved with local theater productions in his spare time—he knew how to do dramatic to its fullest effect. “And now, she’s leaving when I need her most.”

  “It’s almost as if she planned it that way,” Glinda said with a smile.

  She might be smiling, but she looked like she hadn’t slept much last night. Deep-purple circles smudged the skin under blue eyes shot with red. She’d barely touched the bite-sized cheesecake on the plate in front of her.

  Evan slid a cup of coffee over to me, then drummed his fingers on the table. “If only Darcy knew someone who could help instead.” His gaze slid slowly back to Glinda.

  Glinda snort-laughed. “I should have seen that one coming. Well played.”

  Evan took a bow. “Well?”

  “Count me in,” she said. “And I’m sure I can get Liam and Will to help as well.”

  “Look at that, Darcy,” Evan said. “Glinda’s even throwing in eye candy to sweeten the deal.”

  “Eye candy you wouldn’t have been treated to if I wasn’t going to be out of town on that day. You’re welcome. You’ll have to tell me all about hauling boxes up the long flight of narrow stairs to your apartment in the summer heat when I get back. I’ll be sure to send you a postcard.”

  He said, “Don’t make me take away your cupcakes.”

  I pulled the plate closer and wrapped my arms around it protectively. “I dare you.”

  He smiled. “I’ll let you off the hook this time only because you’ve been dealing with Dorothy.”

  Glinda said, “There’s not enough cupcakes in the world to deal with Dorothy.”

  “There’s not enough anything in the world to deal with her,” Evan said.

  I completely agreed.

  “Speaking of your wedding, Darcy,” he added, “everything on my end is going smoothly, so you don’t have to add that to your list of worries.”

  Evan was in charge of the wedding cake, a large towering concoction that I was convinced would feed all of Massachusetts. And the fact that he knew I had a list of worries showed what a good friend he was. “I’m not worried about the cake.”

  Glinda said, “You’ve been surprisingly calm about the wedding.”

  I took a sip of coffee and almost cried with relief, thinking I’d never tasted anything so good in my entire life. “Did you think I was going to be a bridezilla?”

  She laughed. “No, but I didn’t think you’d be …”

  “Mademoiselle Mellow?” Evan put in.

  I eyed him.

  He laughed. “I heard the name from Pepe, so take it up with him.”

  Pepe, the mouse familiar who lived in the walls of the Bewitching Boutique with his significant other, Mrs. P, spoke with a charming French accent. Both were dear friends.

  “But seriously,” Glinda said. “How are you so calm? I was a wreck before my wedding.”

  “Well, you were dealing with your mother.”

  “There’s that,” she said, nodding.

  “I’m just …” I shrugged. “The cake, the dress, the flowers … all are wonderful, but the most important thing to me about the wedding are the vows Nick and I are going to make to each other that day. The rest is just a bonus. And I’m not the least bit worried that Nick’s going to be a no-show, so …”

  “No worries at all,” Glinda said.

  I nodded.

  Evan made a retching sound, and I gave him a shove. “Besides,” I said, “Harper is doing enough worrying for all of us. She’s the one who’s done most of the planning. I’m just following through with those plans.”

  Evan looked at Glinda. “Harper was in here a few weeks ago, checking the list of ingredients for the wedding cake, to make sure I was using only top-notch products. I had to find three new suppliers just to make her happy.”

  I laughed.

  “It’s only funny for you because you’re not dealing with her,” he said to me.

  “Hello.” I waved a hand. “I pretty much raised her. I’ve dealt with her for almost twenty-five years.” I used air quotes around dealt.

  He jabbed a finger at me. “Aha! Then this is your fault.”

  “Don’t you have a cake to bake?” I asked with a sweet smile.

  “Luckily for you, I actually do have to get back to work,” he said, giving us exaggerated waves as he headed back to the kitchen.

  Glinda picked at her cup lid. “I’m glad you’re not worrying about the wedding, because knowing you, you’re doing enough worrying about another event coming up.”

  The Renewal. To say I was worried was an understatement of epic proportions. All I could do was nod.

  Glinda lowered her voice. “Has there been any indication that Harper will surprise us all and accept the role?”

  She was speaking vaguely on purpose in case anyone overheard us. “Anything is possible, I guess. But she’s still adamant she’s done with, you know.” Glinda would know I was talking about the Craft and how Harper had sworn it off. I went on. “I can’t see how she’d accept a role to be in charge of something she wants no part of.”

  Glinda said, “Put that way …”

  “Are you ready to take on the role if it comes to that?” I asked, my heart beating in my throat.

  “I’m trying not to think about it, if I’m being honest.”

  “It might be time to start. It’s a very real possibi
lity.”

  She pushed her cup between her hands. “I have faith the Coven will find another option.”

  Faith. I thought of Hildie and that green seed and wanted so badly to ask Glinda her opinion about them, but knew I couldn’t.

  I took another bite of cupcake and said, “Have you heard anything from Dorothy this morning?”

  “Radio silence,” she said. “From Vince, too. He isn’t answering my calls.”

  I was glad to know I wasn’t the only one he was avoiding, but he wasn’t going to get rid of me that easily. “Does Dorothy have a lawyer?”

  “Not that I know of. I really didn’t want to get involved with her legal troubles, but guilt got the best of me, so I made a few calls on her behalf. There’s not one lawyer in this village willing to represent my mother.”

  Most of the lawyers in the village were Lawcrafters, including Harper’s fiancé, Marcus. I imagined there wasn’t enough money in the world that would tempt them to act on Dorothy’s behalf. And the other lawyers, well, clearly they had good sense. No one of sound mind wanted Dorothy for a client.

  “The court will appoint one if it comes to that.”

  “Oh yes, I’m sure my mother will be completely open to a mortal representing her.”

  Her sarcasm wasn’t lost on me. “Maybe she won’t need a lawyer at all, if the real killer is found before she’s arrested.”

  “There’s a lot of evidence stacked against her. It’s going to be hard for Nick to bury the case.”

  “I know, but I can continue my investigation and pass along what I find to him.”

  “Are there any other suspects?”

  I bit into the cupcake, felt contentment wash over me. “So far, there’s only one. It’s Feif Highbridge.”

  “Does that tie into him being thrown out of Divinitea yesterday?”

  “That’s what we need to find out.”

  She set her elbows on the table. “We? You and Nick?”

  “We, you and me.”

  “You and me?”

  “I’m hoping you’ll partner with me. With your PI license and personal link to this case, we’ll be able to question mortals without suspicion.”

  “I’m in,” she said without hesitation.