The Chocolate Magic Cozy Mystery Box Set Books 1 to 7

by Olivia Swift

“There’s your answer,” Katie pointed out of the window as Jonno and Branna took Michael and two other people to the space behind the barn.

  Their curiosity got the better of them in the end and they grabbed jackets and walked over to where Jonno was watching the work on the ancient grave. Michael was watching as the people digging were experts in stone age burials.

  “Confirmed it’s very old; they have told the police who are sending a forensic team to make sure it is not a murder scene,” Jonno told them. “I think it will take them two or three days to remove everything properly and then they can work in the lab.”

  “Have they asked how we found it?” Magda asked. Jonno nodded and said that they had just taken it in their stride.

  “We did the right thing thanks to having Michael with us. If we had messed with it, they would have been furious.”

  “But we are happy, instead,” the woman on her knees called over to them. “I can tell you it is a boy of probably thirteen or fourteen. He was probably part of the main family in the area and they buried him with a lot of care.”

  “Family,” Magda murmured. “That darn cat was right again.”

  The two girls went off to find Branna and offer to help on the site but she had two staff who were coping admirably.

  “I have booked out the people leaving. Come and sit down,” she offered. “Did you find any plants?” Katie pulled out her cell phone and flicked to where she had made some notes.

  “You could have bronze age picnics with stew made from the meat they would have caught and the herbs they would have found. There would be berries and nuts and probably some sort of barley flour.”

  “Round a firepit,” Magda added. “I like that idea.”

  Katie said that she would make a comprehensive list and do the links to websites.

  “I am taking Katie out for a celebration shopping spree,” Magda said. Branna looked at them both and grinned like a Cheshire cat when she heard about the development through the night.

  “I can’t come though. Travelling campers arriving today. Take my car but remember which side of the road you should be on.” She handed over the keys and the two visitors set off to use their credit cards.

  As they changed in the cottage Rula called. They told her that they had the news about the burial. She wanted to know what had happened since. They switched to video and had a long conversation. The café was fine. Crystal was still insisting on the magazine pictures and Bart was chasing up the dates that might have been when Mr. Hoffstander left for Ireland.

  “Does Rosie know what we found?” Magda asked. Rula shook her head. “Will you try and find out how she feels about it if it turns out to be true?”

  “Dana is delighted to find out she has a relative she never knew about,” Katie added.

  “There is more important news than all of that,” Magda said, and Katie shook her head but smiled.

  Rula screamed with delight. “You brave girl. Well done. That is what we all wanted to hear.”

  “So, we are doing some retail spending as a celebration,” Magda grinned. “The loft floor and walls are going in today.”

  10

  The two girls decided to detour to the cottage and see how work was progressing. The men were glad to have an excuse to rest and let the two women run up and down the new staircase. The two men hired from Stevens were putting up the stud walls and Sam had started laying the flooring in the room where the walls were already in place.

  Declan explained where the bathroom and the kitchen were going and said that the fittings were arriving in two days.

  “We can hire the electrician and plumber from the Stevens’,” he added.

  Sam came and asked the girls to go and look at furniture for him and handed over a card that the men had given him.

  “We need two bedrooms and a lounge.”

  “With preferably pull out beds underneath for extra people,” Declan said.

  “We might do a little bit of clothes shopping,” Magda grinned.

  “And see Barbara about the ghost walk,” Katie added.

  “I will call Michael later and ask if he wants to dowse in here to try it out,” Sam told them.

  The girls left for the shopping spree.

  Barbara had already called to find out if the university people had arrived and was keen to hear what the next step would be. They decided that the ghost walk would be better the following evening and asked if she could be there if Sam dowsed at the cottage.

  “I just like to see how the crystals react for different people in different situations.” She took out a package from below the counter and told Magda it was what she had ordered for the café.

  The furniture choosing took longer than they had thought and lunch in the old town was something to be enjoyed.

  “Alrighty,” Magda said as they finished the meal. “Let the real shopping begin.”

  In late afternoon they staggered back to the car with several bags in both hands and even some things in pockets. Sam and Declan were already sitting in the living room and Sam groaned out loud as he watched the girls spread out the piles of bags on the floor.

  Magda sank onto a chair and said she thought that she had overdone things.

  “But I’ll go back and buy some gifts for Rula and everyone,” she added.

  “Branna has made a meal for all of us,” Declan told them.

  “Oh, I’ll try that new sweater and jeans,” Katie declared and grabbed the bags to go and change. Magda followed suit and shortly after the four of them went to the main house. When Dana called to ask if Michael could try the dowsing, they decided there was no time like the present and called Barbara.

  The cottage was quiet and peaceful with no work being done and everyone ran up the stairs to check it out. One bedroom and the main living area were covered in the new beechwood flooring; all of the walls were in place but not finished off.

  “So, the upstairs will be super modern. The downstairs will be traditional. Underneath there is the foundation of the earlier cottage. I know where that is because I found it by accident,” Sam said. He took out the smoky grey crystal on the thong and held it steady. “Barbara can explain how it works.”

  The crystal expert went through the ritual of asking the crystal a question to which you knew the answer had to be yes.

  “Is my name Sam?” Sam asked and held the cord very still. The crystal slowly circled in a clockwise direction and Barbara said that the piece would always do that for that particular person if the answer was yes. Michael tried for himself and his logical face was a picture as the dowsing tool worked in his hand.

  “That is fantastic,” he said.

  “Come outside and see if you can find the well. We know where it is, but you and Dana don’t,” Sam suggested.

  The little courtyard was as pretty as ever and Katie took some photos of various angles. Michael tried the dowsing in various places that he thought might be possible. There was no indication of where the well might be. Then he moved toward where the courtyard blended into the garden and stopped to try again. Nobody said anything and the crystal turned quite violently. It made him jump and grab the stone to hold it still. He looked at Sam who smiled and nodded.

  “It’s right under your feet and there is running water. That always seems more powerful.” He pointed out from which direction the stream arrived and told the archaeologist that the original foundation was very close to the modern one. “It will feel completely different.”

  Michael started again close to the door and moved along the wall to the corner.

  “It’s vibrating,” he said to Barbara, who smiled at him.

  “It will circle as well but not as violently. The corner is where the earlier foundation sticks out.”

  “Wow,” Michael said. “That is just something I would never have believed.” He handed the crystal back to Sam and said thanks. The light was fading, and Declan looked at Barbara who was holding her own crystal.

  “What can you see, Declan?” s
he asked. Katie took his hand. Declan looked at where the well used to be and said that he saw a young woman.

  “It’s Belinda. I can feel her presence,” Barbara told him. “Hold hands everyone.” She asked out loud if Belinda was there and there was a snapping sound.

  “Did you know that the family was back in the house again?” Magda asked and was rewarded with another snapping sound.

  “Hello, Belinda,” Sam added. “I am making changes to the cottage. I hope you don’t mind.”

  Declan said that she was fading but smiling and Barbara added that she was getting a good feeling from it. They were left with the delightful smell of roses in the air.

  “Well that was unexpected,” Barbara said.

  “And lovely,” Magda added.

  “That bloomin’ cat keeps telling us it’s all about family.”

  “I have learned a lot today. That is for certain,” Michael said.

  “So, you know what to expect on the ghost walk,” Katie told him.

  “But we might get nothing at all,” Sam added. “It’s the luck of the draw really.”

  As they left the cottage, Michael asked if Barbara could bring him a crystal like Sam’s.

  “Modern industrial archaeology might learn from the past,” she answered.

  They told Branna and Jonno all about it and checked that the cist was still there beyond the fence. The contents had been taken to the laboratory and the place was taped off.

  “They are going to see if there are any other signs close to the burial when they can arrange it,” Jonno said. “If the bones are four thousand years old, it will be a really exciting find.”

  The holiday home site was really busy with lots of people having arrived in motorhomes.

  “I always did fancy a Winnebago,” Magda looked across the place as the people were relaxing in various ways.

  “Oh, no,” Sam told her. “Content yourself with the model railways and the café.” She linked his arm and smiled.

  “I wouldn’t really buy one. They cost a fortune.”

  “Don’t tell me how much you spent this afternoon,” he replied. She told him in euros and ran off before he could work out how much that was in dollars.

  Katie and Declan went for a walk and Magda called Rula and brought her up to date.

  “Video the ghost walk. We have never done that before.”

  Magda went outside to try it out and see if it would record anything in the dark. It was a reasonable result and she thought it would work.

  The men went off the next day to meet the electrician and plumber and furniture deliveries were arriving. The kitchen and bathroom items were already stored downstairs.

  Branna, along with Katie and Magda, walked around the site to decide which was the best way to try it out.

  “If we start at the cist burial, it would be a good way to introduce it to guests,” Magda suggested. They started there and walked to a small grove of trees that was in a slight hollow of the land. They looked across and headed for the gateway to the rough land that had not been developed. Children used it for playing games. Then they cut around behind the main building and shop to finish in a sheltered place that would be under cover if the weather was bad.

  “The bronze age picnic could be on the rougher land if you needed more than one campfire,” Katie suggested. They went inside and Branna scribbled down some notes. Katie and Magda had a lazy day after their shopping adventure but managed to have a good, hot, homecooked meal ready for Sam and Declan when they returned.

  “Bathroom is in and working,” Sam said. “Kitchen will take another couple of days, but we are getting there.”

  “Did the furniture arrive and was it what you wanted?” Katie asked.

  “The rugs and pictures were Katie’s choice. She has a better eye than me,” Magda added.

  “Just fine,” Sam said. “You two can come and help us lay things out when the building is finished.”

  “We can clean the downstairs and Jonno can have the things brought from storage. Might need some new bed linens and stuff. Aunt Alison will want to see pictures of it all,” Magda said. “I tried a video outside to see if it would record in the dark and it might work. Rula wants to see what the ghost walk is like.”

  They met up with the rest at the main house and Branna had put a notice up in various places for visitors not to be alarmed but a trial ghost walk was being carried out. When they reached the grave four people were waiting to ask if they could join in.

  “Nothing might happen,” Jonno warned but they were keen to watch.

  The site proved to be of no interest anymore and they moved on to the grove of trees. There were rustling noises that made people jump and Barbara thought that wild animals had once roamed there.

  “Wild boar,” one of the visitors remarked. “I can see them.”

  “He’s right,” Declan said. “Definite shapes of wild pigs.” The two men gravitated together and talked to each other as they moved to the rougher land.

  Sam tried the dowsing and so did Michael.

  “The crystal is warm,” Sam said, and sure enough the crystal twirled and vibrated slightly.

  Both Declan and the visitor said together that there had been a cottage on the spot. They spent some time talking about the cottage that had been roofed with turf. No people appeared when Barbara called out. “Perhaps we ought to try another day,” said Barbara.

  “While I am still here?” the visitor asked.

  So, they decided to try again and stood in a group behind the house and made a proper circle. Barbara called out and Magda joined her. Dana was holding Magda’s hand and said that she felt peculiar.

  “Are you alright?” Magda asked. Dana nodded. Then Declan spoke out and asked the visitor if he could see anyone. Barbara said she could feel someone wanting to talk and Katie squeezed Declan’s hand.

  “What can you see?”

  “Thing is,” Declan said. “I rather think that Mr. Hoffstander has come to see us on this side of the Atlantic as well.”

  11

  The visitor, who was called Tom, described the man he could see, and it definitely matched the man in the photographs. Declan agreed and said that it was the man that had appeared on the steps of the bank.

  “Thank you for coming forward,” Barbara said. “Are you Mr. Hoffstander? Please make a noise if you are.” She had to repeat the request twice more and then they heard a dull thud.

  “Are you the same Mr. Hoffstander from the bank building in America?” Magda challenged and they heard another thud.

  “Did you live here in Kilkenny?” Barbara asked and again a thud under their feet. She asked Dana if she would like to speak out. Dana took a breath and held tightly onto Magda’s hand.

  “Tell him who you are,” Magda whispered.

  “Hello,” Dana started. “I think I am your great granddaughter. My grandmother was Hoffstander before she married, and I make buttons.”

  Both Tom and Declan spoke at the same time.

  “He is looking directly at you,” Declan told her.

  “And smiling,” Tom added.

  “Oh,” Dana squeaked.

  “Are you Dana’s great grandfather?” Barbara asked and there was a definite loud thud beneath their feet.

  “I embroider buttons by hand,” Dana told the person she could not see.

  I wonder if he wants everyone to know what happened, Magda wondered and then asked if he wanted his great granddaughter to know about her family in America. There was a loud bang.

  “I do know about your other great granddaughter and I will try and speak to her,” Dana said.

  “Is that what you wanted?” Barbara asked. The answering sound was loud. Declan said that the man was nodding his head.

  “Are you happy that both families finally know what happened?” Magda asked and the sound was slight as both Declan and Tom said that the outline was starting to disappear.

  Barbara went through the stage of bringing everyone back to normal and they
all stamped their feet and shook themselves as they started to talk to each other about what had happened.

  “Come inside,” Branna said, “because I would like to know how everybody felt about that.”

  As they found seats, Jonno offered cold drinks.

  “What did everyone think? Would ghost walks work if we made a proper plan?” asked Branna.

  There was general agreement that it would be an attraction. The three people other than Tom all said they had enjoyed it. The one lady visitor added that she had never done anything like that before and it was exciting.

  Dana had time to gather her wits by then and thanked them for finding her great grandfather.

  Magda explained the situation to the newcomers and added that they would make sure that Rosie knew all about it. The walk, in general, was a success.

  “I would like to do another,” Barbara told them, “because I felt there was something we did not find at the grove of trees. Jenni Wren had not added anything up to that point apart from general conversation.

  “The trees are willows and although they will have spread as willows do, I think they might have been in a circle at one time.”

  “And?” Magda asked.

  “They were considered magical and often used as a place to meet and ask the spirits for help. Aspirin is made from willow bark. I suppose they would use that as a sort of magic power.” She looked at Sam. “The ground is probably wet because that is what willows like but there might be a stream somewhere there.”

  “Oh, a magic circle. That would be a definite theme I would like,” Branna said.

  “We could dowse for the water,” Sam added.

  “What about the cottage?” Michael asked. “Would there be foundations?”

  Sam shook his head. “I guess it would just be mud. You might find post hole signs if you excavated properly.”

  “Shall we try tomorrow night and just look at the willow grove?” Jonno asked. Everyone was pretty enthusiastic. Tom told Jonno and Branna that he was happy to join them at other times.

  “I only live forty miles away and it is good to work with folk who don’t think I’m a freak.” Declan gave him a high five and said he felt the same.