Brewing Trouble: A Witchy Mystery (Tree's Hollow Witches Book 2)

by Sara Bourgeois

  “I’ll walk you in, and then I have to get going,” I said.

  “It’s okay. I’ve been enough trouble, and I’m super sleepy.” She replied with a huge yawn. “I’ll call you later.”

  Esme gave me a hug and then walked up to her front door. She unlocked her deadbolt and gave me a thumbs up. I took this to mean I could go. I got back in my Jeep and headed back to the bed and breakfast for a quick shower and whatever food I could scavenge from the leftovers.

  Chapter Five

  When I got into work, the office was empty. There was a post-it note on my desk from Charles:

  Lenny,

  Came in and felt a severe headache coming on. Going home to hide in my bed. See you tomorrow morning.

  Chuck

  I threw the note in the trash and sat down in my chair. I didn’t have a story to work on, and it had been at least a week since I’d written anything new for the paper. I knew that I needed to find a story fast, or Charles was going to get annoyed with me.

  The advice column letters were in a box next to my desk, and if I wasn’t going to be investigating a story, I probably should dive into those and write the weekly columns before I got sucked into a more interesting story.

  Instead, I spun around in my chair and stared out the window for a few minutes. When I turned back around, the dead Russian was sitting in the seat on the other side of my desk.

  “I thought you went into the light with your Mama,” I said nonchalantly.

  He launched into a story about how dull the other side can be, and about how his mother was a great deal more annoying than he’d remembered. So, he was back for some reason that I’ll get to in a minute.

  But, while he talked, I studied him carefully for the first time. When I’d met his spirit at the restaurant, I was stressed, and I hadn’t paid too much attention to his appearance. Now though, I studied his face and clothes as a way to pass the time as he droned on and on about his mother.

  Nikolay, I finally learned his first name too, was tall and broad with thick salt and pepper hair. He was only in his early sixties when he passed a few days ago, and I could tell from the looks of him that he did take good care of himself. This lead me to believe that there might be something to his assertion that his girlfriend murdered him. At the very least, maybe someone killed him.

  He had strong features and had probably been devastatingly handsome when he was younger. Not that he was unpleasant to look at as an older man. What’s that called? Oh right. Nikolay was a silver fox. I found it strange because in the restaurant he’d looked withered and exceptionally unhealthy like a lifetime of bad habits had taken their toll on him, but now he was more of an idealized version of himself. His face was still recognizable, but the rest of him was markedly improved. I wanted to ask him about this, but I thought better of it.

  His spirit still presented itself in the expensive, tailored suit he’d been wearing the night he died. I didn’t have much experience with designer men’s clothing, but it looked like it could have been an Armani suit. It was a dark navy pinstripe, and the suit was perfectly tailored.

  “Miss Lenora, are you listening?” Busted.

  “Yes, sorry. I think I’m coming down with a bit of a cold or something. Go on. You think your girlfriend. What’s her name again?”

  “Sofia. Her name is Sofia.” He said curtly.

  “Right. Thank you. So, you think Sofia murdered you.”

  “I believe she poisoned my kimchee.” He said with a sigh.

  “Kimchee?” I asked because once again, I am sooo uncultured.

  “At the restaurant. Kimchee is pickled vegetables. Usually cabbage. I had cucumber kimchee, and I think Sofia put poison in it.”

  “I’m sure if they do an autopsy on you, they’ll find poison. I mean, if it’s true that Sofia poisoned you.”

  “I don’t think they’ll do an autopsy if they believe that I died of a heart attack,” Nikolay said.

  It was interesting because when he said the word autopsy, he flickered a little bit. It was as if the word drained him of some of the power that he used to manifest himself in my office.

  “I can look into that. Do you have family that I can ask, or should I just call the medical examiner and ask about it?” I asked as I pulled out a legal pad to take notes.

  “It wouldn’t be good for you to call anyone in my family. If you have connections at the medical examiner, it would be safer for you to use them.”

  “Understood,” I said and wrote MOB on the paper. “ I don’t have connections at the medical examiner’s office, but I worked as a celebrity gossip writer for years. I have ways of getting information.” I said with a wink.

  “I like you. You’ve got spunk.” Nikolay said.

  He sat there quietly for a few moments, and just as he was about to speak again, his specter started to flicker. Before I could ask him what was going on, he disappeared as if someone had cut the connection between him and this world.

  “K, bye,” I said to the empty chair.

  Part of me wanted to look into the death of Nikolay Volkov, but the other part wondered if doing so would draw more spirits who would ask for favors. If I did uncover a murder plot, I’d have a great story for the paper. If I didn’t, I’d at least get to keep my impersonation skills sharp. It was win/win either way, and it wasn’t like I had anything else to do.

  I opened up my laptop and looked up the number for the County Medical Examiner. Thankfully, for me anyway, there’d been a lot of controversy in the office in the last few years, and things were pretty chaotic and disorganized. Finding a schmuck to give me the information I wanted couldn’t be too hard.

  After navigating the ancient automated phone system, I found myself connected to a temp who didn’t have access to the medical records, but she could access schedules. Bingo. She didn’t even ask me for any credentials. The temporary secretary just assumed that since I’d asked for the information and acted as if I had every right to have it that I did.

  It was okay, though. I wasn’t going to turn her in or get her in any trouble. I also didn’t have a story. Mindy, the temp, told me that there was no autopsy scheduled for Mr. Nikolay Volkov.

  I decided that I didn’t want to give up that easily. Not because I really believed he’d been murdered, but more because I didn’t want to have to try to come up with another story just yet. I figured I’d look up the girlfriend. Nikolay had only given me a first name, but thanks to the miracle that is social media, I found her in under three minutes.

  Sofia Charming, her real legal name, was a former exotic dancer turned girlfriend/arm candy of a Russian billionaire, Nikolay Volkov. She flaunted the material spoils of being his kept woman quite freely on any social media site where people posted pictures.

  “Huh, I wonder what a Russian billionaire was doing living in Tree’s Hollow?” I whispered to myself.

  A little more digging revealed that the Volkov family had moved to the area before the Shawnee Forest became a national forest. They intended on using the trees for lumber, but their plans were thwarted when the Shawnee Forest became a protected area. It also looked like they’d been interested in strip mining, but it was hard to tell what they would have been mining for accurately.

  There was a string of businesses from selling forest animals in the exotic pet trade to opening a casino that were all thwarted by the government shortly after getting off the ground, and yet Nikolay was still here. He was also very wealthy. I was furiously taking notes and trying to dig deeper when my phone buzzed.

  It was Nate. He’d forgotten his lunch and wanted to know if I could pick something up and meet him at the ranger station.

  Sure thing. I’ll meet you about twelve. Is that okay? I shot off a quick response.

  That would be great. I hope it’s no bother. I hate to ask you to take time away from work. He responded.

  It’s no problem at all, babe. Even if Charles was here, he wouldn’t care, but he went home sick anyway. I’ll see you at noon. />
  Thanks, Lenny. I love you.

  Love you too. <3

  I was still getting butterflies in my stomach when he told me he loved me. Even my toes were tingling. I looked at the clock and saw that it was already a quarter after eleven.

  Oops.

  I’d gotten so into my research that I hadn’t realized just how close to lunch time it already was. I had to go now if I was going to make it back into town, pick up food, and get to the ranger station by anywhere close to noon.

  I locked up the office and ran out to my Jeep. I was going to get in excellent shape if I kept having to run sprints to my car as much as I had been lately. The sun was almost directly overhead, and I loved the way it made the passing trees and shadows flicker like a strobe light as I drove under the forest canopy.

  It only took me a few minutes to get into town. Once there I decided to drive past the fast food places on the edge of Tree’s Hollow and head to the deli closer to the square. I’d eaten at Monsterwitches a couple of times, and the food was always impressive. Knowing what I do about some of the town’s residents, me included, I had to wonder about the monster in the name. I hadn’t built up the courage to ask just yet, though. I would just assume that the name came from the size of the sandwiches.

  The special of the day was Italian beef hoagies with mozzarella and pepperoncini’s. You also got a choice between the soup of the day or a bag of chips. I didn’t feel like deciding right then. To be honest, picking what to eat always tripped me up. So, I listened to what the three people in line in front of me ordered and decided to go with the soup. It was minestrone, and that actually sounded perfect with the Italian sandwiches. Monsterwitches serves great cold subs too, but the days when they have a hot sandwich on the menu are my favorite. I’d have to come back on the second Tuesday of next month when they had jerk chicken again.

  “Ma’am, are you ready to order?” Joe, the owner, interrupted my deep thoughts on sandwiches.

  “Oh, sorry. Yep. I’ll have two of the daily specials with soup and two large root beers. Oh, make one of those root beers a diet.” I said with a smile.

  “Yes, Ma’am. Comin right up.”

  Back in the Jeep, I tried not to speed to the ranger station. The sky was overcast by the time I got back out on the highway. A little bit of drizzle hit the windshield of my truck as I passed the sign letting me know that the ranger station was two miles away. I hoped that if it was going to rain, I’d make it inside before the sky opened up and loosed its deluge on me. The clouds look fat with water, and as I drove down the road, they got darker. I put the pedal to the floor and sped the last two miles to Nate’s work.

  I was five minutes late, but he was still out inspecting a camp site when I arrived. Another ranger showed me to the tiny break room and told me Nathan would be along in about ten minutes. I looked at my phone, and sure enough, I had a text from him saying the same thing.

  “Hey, babe. Sorry, I’m late.” He said as he walked into the room.

  “It’s okay. I was a little behind too.” I said as he bent down and kissed me hello.

  “Well, you did drop everything to bring me food that you had to buy, so I think I’ll let it slide,” Nate said playfully as he dropped into the chair across from me. “It smells delicious. Thank you so much. We had an emergency call about a mountain lion this morning, and I had to skip breakfast. I’m famished.”

  “A mountain lion? I didn’t think there were big cats in these woods.” I felt my stomach do a summersault.

  “It turned out to be a false alarm. Just a big, fat bobcat that someone saw from the wrong angle. There are no confirmed cougars here, but there are always rumors. They have them for sure in Missouri. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time, but nothing to worry about.” He said with a smile.

  “Oh good,” I said as I unwrapped my sandwich from the deli paper.

  “Are you asking because you were out gallivanting in the woods with Esme last night?” He asked with an impish smile.

  “I was going to tell you about that. I swear.” I said with a blush. “How did you know?”

  “First of all, Lenora you don’t owe me an explanation. So, stop looking at me like you’re waiting for approval or forgiveness. Second, I know because your surrogate big brother called me this morning and gave me an earful about it.”

  “What did you say?” I stated with a smile because this had to be good.

  “I told him he needed to calm down,” Nathan said with a laugh. “You know he’s in love with that woman, right?”

  “I figured that out after I saw them together. Neither one of them will admit to it, though. They’re like little kids fighting in the schoolyard. She only gets herself in trouble to get his attention, and he eats up taking care of her even if he does act like he’s outraged with her.” I said and stirred my soup.

  “It's a shame. They could be happy like us if they’d stop acting like jerks.” Nathan said and unwrapped his sandwich. “Oh! I’ve got it. We’ll trick them into going on a double date with us. You invite Esme out for a girls’ night, and I’ll invite Brad out. We’ll meet up and make them spend some time together that’s not at the police station.”

  “That’s brilliant,” I said. “We just have to figure out when it works with everyone’s schedule.”

  “We make a great team.” He said and put his fist up for a bump.

  “We do,” I said as I carefully bumped my fist into his. “Oh, speaking of dates. While I was waiting for you, I got an email from Aunt Kara. She’s doing this contest to rename the bed and breakfast, and tomorrow night she wants to have a party. I guess it’s supposed to be a chance for people to come cast their entries in person and schmooze while they eat appetizers and drink champagne. Do you want to go?”

  “I have to work Saturday morning, so I’ll likely skip the champagne, but yeah, of course, I’ll go with you.”

  “Awesome!” I jumped out of my chair and went around the table to give him a big hug from behind. “Just come over to the bed and breakfast after work. I’ll pick us up some dinner before the party starts.” I said over his shoulder and then gave him a big kiss on the cheek.

  “Lenny, Pumpkin, you’ve already bought this man one too many meals. That’s not the way I was raised. I’ll pick up dinner on the way to your place.”

  “It’s a date,” I said and kissed him again.

  Chapter Six

  After lunch, I went back to the bed and breakfast to work with Aunt Kara on her contest advertisement for the newspaper. She was in the middle of a phone call with a new handyman from out of town when I arrived, so I went into the breakfast room and set up my laptop while I waited.

  I looked over my choices on a stock photo website until I found the perfect illustrations for her advertisement and article. Once I had a picture ready, I started typing out the content of the ad. Basically, she wanted me to get as many people as possible interested in coming to the party. It was short notice, so I needed something intriguing.

  “Oh, I like that picture.” Aunt Kara said when she sat down next to me.

  We spent the rest of the afternoon getting the advertisement ready, and I sent it to the printer right before the daily deadline.

  “It will be in tomorrow’s paper, Aunt Kara. Hopefully, people will show up even though the party is tomorrow night.” I said.

  “I know. I should have given you more notice. I came up with the idea, and I got so excited about it. I’m sorry if you had other things to do today.” She said.

  “I wasn’t really working on anything else important. I like helping you out. You’ve done so much for me.”

  Nathan and I didn’t have a date that night, so I decided to stay in and work on my columns. I was actually a little surprised that Esme hadn’t shown up, so I texted her before bed.

  Sorry, Toots. I had some work to do too. I haven’t told you about my job yet. I’ll make sure and fill you in at the party tomorrow. Hey, you don’t think Sheriff Grumpers will be there, do you?
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br />   He probably will. You’re not going to get arrested at my Aunt’s party. Promise me.

  I promise. Anyway, I gotta go. Life and death at the ole meat factory.

  I put my phone down and tried for a moment to figure out what it was she did for a living that she called her place of employment, “the meat factory.” She said she’d tell me later, but I couldn’t let it go. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but hopefully, it wouldn’t kill a witch tonight. I picked up my phone and called Brad.

  “Oh, yeah. That’s the best part. She’s a nurse. That infuriating woman could lose her state license if I ever did actually arrest her.” He said with a heavy sigh. “You should go to bed. You’ve got a lot on your plate tomorrow.”

  “Okay, Dad,” I said with a giggle.

  “Goodnight, Lenora.”

  “Goodnight, Sheriff Grump.”

  Another heavy sigh and he hung up the phone. I set my alarm for six, fed Jezebel, and went to bed.

  The next day was uneventful. I had to finish up my columns on gardening, auto repair, and answer a question for my advice column before my work for the day was done. Of course, I’d saved it all for the end of the week, so that left me no time to do any more research on the dead Russian.

  Charles left in the early afternoon because he still wasn’t feeling completely better. I hurried and finished my work and took off shortly after he was gone. If the printer had any questions, they’d email me. Since I’d figured out how to get notifications on my phone, I didn’t feel like I had to be chained to my laptop for work.

  I got back to the bed and breakfast in time to help Aunt Kara set up for the party. For the most part, I just helped the caterer get situated. I also showed the violinist who Aunt Kara had hired at the last minute to her room. She was a college girl attending a nearby university, and she’d been more than happy to play for a couple of hours in exchange for a weekend away from the dorms.

  “Okay, everything looks great.” Aunt Kara said around five. “I’m going to go grab some dinner in the kitchen, so I’m not stuffing my face with appetizers the entire party. Do you want to join me? I make a mean grilled cheese sandwich.”