Lost Souls ParaAgency and the Three Witches of Burberry: (Romantic Paranormal Mystery)

by K. M. Waller

Fun for whom?

  A thud came from outside the back door. When two more thuds followed, they stopped their measuring. Before Amira could open her mouth, Lex backed away from the counter. “I’ll see what that is.”

  He stepped outside into the cool morning air. A pebble bounced on the ground in front of him. When the next one hit his shoe, he called out, “Jordie?”

  “Over here.” Jordie peeked out from behind a metal dumpster about twenty feet away and motioned Lex to him.

  Lex rubbed the back of his arm across his forehead. He walked to the edge of the dumpster. “What are you doing here?”

  “You’re not answering your texts.”

  “You’re texting me every ten seconds. It’s going to blow my cover.”

  “It’s Pinkie-pie.”

  “What about her?”

  “She met with a trio of old women this morning near the edge of town. They handed her something.”

  “Did you record their conversation?”

  “I couldn’t get close enough. I had to stay in the van to monitor the phone call between Sister-goodies and Sister-uptight.” He lifted his camera. “But I got pictures.”

  Lex grabbed the camera and watched pictures of Ris and the elderly women cross the small screen. The older ladies all wore their silver hair down to their waists. Two of them smoked, while the one in the middle handed the youngest Walker sister a brown box.

  “Where is Ris now?”

  Jordie shrugged. “I can’t be everywhere.”

  Lex handed the camera back to Jordie. “Check the surveillance on her apartment. Find her but keep your distance.”

  “What about the old ladies?”

  “Do you know where they came from? Or where they went?”

  “Somewhere outside of town.”

  “At least we know one of the Walker girls definitely knows where to find them. You find Ris, and I’ll push Amira a little more. Text me those pictures.”

  “Lex?” Amira stepped outside. “Is everything okay?”

  Jordie backed up against the building wall out of sight.

  Lex waved to Amira. “It’s fine, just a stray dog. It ran off.”

  Jordie pointed his camera and snapped several shots. He mouthed, “Nice apron.”

  Lex balled his fists, every fiber of him wanting to reach out and snatch away the camera.

  Amira placed a hand on her hip. “Come on. These scones aren’t going to bake themselves. Then we have about a hundred finger sandwiches to prepare.”

  Once Jordie got a bead on Ris, Lex would switch tactics and focus his attention on the youngest witch until she met with the women again. He watched Amira walk back inside, wondering if the six of them worked together on casting love spells in Burberry. That much power in one town would definitely put them on the Council’s radar. Every instinct told him Amira led a very normal, boring life. However, trusting his instincts wasn’t an option at this point. Gramps wanted absolute proof of witchcraft used against humans in this town, and Lex intended to get it. The assignment rhyme had mentioned magic crossing the line and he had a feeling that whatever had been in the brown package passed to Ris contained the answer to the event.

  Chapter Seven

  Three times Amira stood behind Lex raising scissors toward the back of his head. If anyone had walked in the kitchen, they would’ve thought they’d stepped into an Alfred Hitchcock movie. Once again, she lowered the scissors without making the snip and placed them back in her apron pocket. In order for her to focus on finding the books, she needed Lex out of her life. To get him out of her life, she needed to cast a spell. To cast the spell, she needed the hair. Why did she continue to hesitate? Maybe it was more about her not wanting to use magic than how it might affect him. Using magic or letting him stay both seemed like a win for her aunts.

  He’d worked alongside her most of the morning, and he’d only slightly grumbled about all the scone making and placemat setting. She’d told him she could handle the preparations on her own, but he’d insisted on staying.

  His brisk movements suggested a layer of irritation beneath the surface, and he’d spent a little less time conversing with her. Amira guessed his inner desires worked against the spell-forced desires, and they were creating havoc on his emotions. She’d seen it firsthand, and knew what could happen if she didn’t put an end to his spelled infatuation soon.

  The door jingled as the first of the guests for the bridal shower arrived. She stood at the sink and scrubbed her hands with the vanilla-scented soap. Looking for a towel, she turned sharply and bumped into Lex’s chest. He placed his hands on her waist, and despite the zinging, she didn’t want to back away from his touch.

  She met his gaze and froze, letting her hands drip water onto the floor between them. On his cheek sat a fallen eyelash. Holy mother of goddesses.

  “You have something on your cheek,” she said.

  He lifted his hand, and in a panic, she smacked it down.

  “I’ll get it for you.”

  Amira used her wet index finger to capture the eyelash and pressed it between her pointer finger and thumb. She glanced back up to find him watching her intently.

  His breath caressed her face and the sweet smell of chocolate tickled her nostrils. So he had been eating the semi-sweet chocolate chips when she hadn’t been looking. She’d suspected as much but with his reserved attitude in the kitchen, she didn’t think she could joke with him about it.

  His gaze moved from her eyes to her lips. “Would you object if I kissed you?”

  Amira shoved her hand in her apron, holding the eyelash tight so it wouldn’t get lost before she could store it. She backed up a half-step, the action the opposite of what her body wanted to do. Her heart beat faster and faster. “It’s not a good idea.”

  Mentally, she listed all the reasons a kiss was a terrible idea, but she only needed the one on top. He is under a spell. And to kiss him while bewitched would be the same act of treachery as casting the spell in the first place. Plus, there could be some Snow White curse attached and a single kiss could make him a lovesick fool forever.

  The door bell jingled again. She turned toward the counter, chin down.

  Lex stepped around her to the sink and began washing his hands. “I can greet the guests while you finish up back here.”

  Amira’s throat threatened to close with an onslaught of sadness. If only she could explain to Lex about her family. His calm, assessing demeanor might be able to handle the confession without making her out to be a crazy person. She almost let a laugh escape at the thought.

  He moved out of the kitchen into the main dining room. Amira took the chance to put the eyelash in a small plastic bag. She closed the top tightly and placed it beside the indifference spell in her purse. After the bridal shower, she’d close her office door and perform the spell.

  He’d be gone before the sun set. She couldn’t think about that now.

  Amira exchanged her soiled apron for her hostess apron. Looking the part of being in control was easier to achieve on the outside. She walked through to the front dining area and brought with her the first of many trays filled with salmon-cucumber and goat-cheese pecan finger sandwiches. It didn’t surprise her to find all of the ladies fighting for a position around Lex.

  “Welcome, ladies,” Amira shouted amidst the gaggle.

  The bridal shower guests were dressed for high tea, with flowery dresses, layers of pearls, and veiled hats perched at the crown of their heads.

  Mayor Henry disengaged from the group and approached Amira. Her daughter Shelby trailed a few steps behind. The mayor’s dress and hat mirrored something seen on the cover of a magazine dedicated to stalking the royals. Shelby on the other hand looked terribly uncomfortable in a light pink dress with a high collar.

  “The decorations are lovely, Amira.” Mayor Henry plucked off a white glove and removed a sandwich from the tray. “You’ve really outdone yourself. Dara wanted mimosas in the city, but I’m so glad I convinced the girls to have the b
ridal shower here instead.”

  “Thank you, Mayor Henry.” Amira raised her hand and waved Lex over. “As soon as Mr. Dimas and I bring out the remaining trays of sandwiches and scones, we’ll begin serving tea.”

  Amira headed into the kitchen and her heart triple-tapped an unhealthy rhythm when she spotted the unwelcome presence near the sink.

  Ris tied an apron around her small waist, defiance making her movements tight and jerky. “I’m here to help with the bridal shower.”

  Lex walked in behind Amira, and she quickly handed him two trays. “These go beside the others.”

  He glanced from her to Ris a few times, but didn’t object as he balanced the trays back out the door.

  Amira walked to her sister and tugged a piece of her pink hair. “I don’t think you should help today, sweetie.”

  “Why?” Her blue eyes sparkled.

  “Because serving tea at your ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s bridal shower is not a good idea.”

  Ris placed a hand on her outthrust hip. “Are you afraid I’ll spill tea on her frou-frou dress? Or knock her hat off and stomp the fake flowers into dust?”

  Amira placed her hand on her chest. “Yes. That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.”

  Lex walked back in. Ris grabbed the next two trays and headed past them both. As she went by Amira, she wrinkled her jewel-studded nose. “You should give me more credit.”

  Amira clamped her lips together. Now was not the time for a Walker sister showdown. She’d keep an eye on Ris and do her best to keep her on the other side of the room from the bride-to-be.

  Lex cleared his throat. “Is everything okay?”

  “I need a favor. Don’t let my sister pour anything hot.”

  Amira pushed the cart with the different flavored teas brewed in an array of her loveliest tea pots.

  “If you’ll take the milk, cream, and sugar tray and follow along close behind me, we should get the tea served without incident. Then I’ll call Ally and see if she can’t make Ris leave.”

  “Do you think your sister will try to ruin the shower?”

  “I think a broken heart is always looking for a way to share its misery.”

  Amira walked back into the main dining room, a wide smile plastered on her face. Her youngest sister sulked with her back against the far wall. It didn’t appear as if anyone noticed her pouting, and Amira released a small sigh of relief. All of the guests were now seated and chatting happily amongst themselves.

  She eased up to the table with the guests of honor. “Good afternoon, ladies. Would you prefer peppermint, spiced, white, or green tea?”

  Mayor Henry adjusted her hat. “I’ll have spiced, dear. Shelby will have the green.”

  The young girl’s expression darkened and she picked up her phone from the table. “What if I don’t want green, Mother?”

  “Don’t argue. It’s better for your complexion.” Mayor Henry’s lips thinned. “Might be better for your sour disposition too, and will you put down your phone? Instagram will wait until after the shower.”

  Dara tapped her long pink fingernail against the edge of her teacup. “Now, ladies. It’s just tea. Let’s not have a squabble on my day.”

  Shelby sat back against the chair and thrust out her lower lip, but she put down the phone like her mother asked. She studied her hands while Amira poured the green tea inside her cup. Shelby’s gaze cut across the room briefly to Ris. Their expressions mirrored each other.

  Amira continued to pour at the next table while Lex offered cream and sugar at the first. She overheard the mayor ask Lex if he planned to attend the Stargazer’s Picnic in the town’s park that evening.

  Lex glanced at the mayor and then at Amira. He turned on his “charm smile” when he gave her his attention again. “I’m not sure I’ll be here that long. I’ve almost wrapped up my business in Burberry.”

  Amira let his answer settle in. Had her rejecting his kiss somehow lessened the intensity of the aunts’ spell? Could he really leave of his own free will?

  Amira finished serving tea and moved to stand by the table with the sandwiches. The large group of women sipped their tea and talked easily with each other. Lex poured the last bit of cream into a cup and pushed the cart back into the kitchen.

  The mayor stood and tapped her stirring spoon against her cup. Amira prayed she didn’t chip the porcelain rim.

  “Thank you all for coming this afternoon to celebrate the upcoming nuptials of Dara and my son, Patrick. Theirs is a love—”

  Dara broke out into a coughing fit, interrupting the mayor’s speech. She pulled her napkin out of her lap and placed it over her mouth. After a few seconds, the coughing stopped. With pink cheeks and watery eyes, she waved her napkin at the mayor to continue.

  Ris moved close to Amira. She whispered, “Too bad you can’t choke on tea.”

  Amira glared at her. “That’s not funny.”

  Mayor Henry nodded and cleared her throat. “Theirs is a love—”

  Dara’s coughing started again, halting the speech. Mayor Henry patted her on the back. The coughing didn’t subside this time, and instead Dara started to hyperventilate between the coughs racking her body.

  Then she floated off the ground, her head twisting back and forth while hard pants passed through her lips. Her eyes rolled back, showing only the whites.

  One of the guests screamed, and several more gasped. The ones nearest to her stood and backed away.

  While Amira pulled her phone out to call for…who? An ambulance? An old Catholic priest?

  Lex pushed past the women and removed a leather corded necklace from around his neck. He stood on Dara’s chair and placed the same necklace over her head. She immediately dropped to the floor in a pile of pink fluff.

  “Ris, take my phone—” Amira turned to find her sister no longer in the room. She called out for her. “Ris?”

  Her hands shook as she relayed information to the 911 dispatcher.

  Magic. Magic had been used in her tea room against one of her customers. It was the only explanation that made sense. Well, made sense to a witch, anyway.

  And Lex had stopped it. How did he do that?

  He kneeled on the ground beside Dara, propping her head up with his arm. He removed the necklace and placed it in his pocket.

  Lex glanced up at her, and she looked away. She knew a charmed necklace when she saw one. All this time, she’d been worried Lex had been under her aunts’ spell. Now it appeared he was part of something much different. But what?

  ∞∞∞

  After the paramedics carted Dara out on a stretcher, Lex texted Jordie to call in a cleanup crew from LSP. Amira would have questions, but first he needed to contain the situation before too many people shared what had looked like a scene from a poltergeist movie.

  Amira stood outside on the sidewalk with Mayor Henry.

  He honestly believed Amira had nothing to do with the magic used on Dara, but he couldn’t say the same for her younger sister. When he’d heard the scream and run out of the kitchen, Ris had rushed past him and out the back door. Her actions, together with the pictures of her accepting a brown package from her witch aunts, provided enough evidence to point to Ris being the assignment. Too bad he’d been so focused on Amira he’d missed all the signs.

  A straightforward case of a woman scorned.

  Cleanup would be no small feat with such a large group of witnesses. Hopefully, it had happened fast enough none of the guests thought to record it with their cell phones. If they had, the LSP would send a special group to take care of that as well. The assignments were handed out to prevent this type of situation. Cleanups took even more magic to erase memories or discount otherworldly sightings as fraudulent hoaxes set up by the YouTubers. His grandfather and the other founders of the agency were going to be ticked things had progressed this far.

  The mayor ushered Dara’s mother into the back of the ambulance, and the paramedics closed the doors.

  Amira didn’t come inside un
til the sirens could no longer be heard. When she did, she marched past him, her demeanor suggesting she was on high alert for confrontation.

  “We need to talk,” he said.

  She whirled to face him. “Who are you? Really?”

  “There are some things that are about to happen, and I need you to understand why.”

  She caved onto one of the nearest chairs and placed her face in her hands. “This is a disaster.”

  He bent down in front of her, reached a hand out to cup her shoulder, but thought twice. He had to keep his emotions in check. “Did you suspect Ris was going to use magic against Dara? Is that why you wanted her to leave?”

  Her head snapped up. “My sister didn’t do that.”

  He stood. “I’m positive she did.”

  “She wouldn’t use magic to hurt someone. And what do you know about magic, anyway?” She pointed to his pocket where he’d placed the amulet. “I know you used that charmed necklace to stop the spell, but how do you have a charmed necklace?”

  “First, it’s an amulet. I don’t wear necklaces.” When she narrowed her eyes, he backed up a step, splaying his hands. “That’s irrelevant, I know.”

  He walked over to the front door and flipped the bolt. First rule of the LSP—don’t blow your cover for any reason. He didn’t even know the punishment his grandfather would dole out for this breach. Fairy hunting in the middle of Cambodia, probably.

  Amira pinched the bridge of her nose, but she waited patiently for his explanation.

  “I’m from a company called Lost Souls ParaAgency. We’re hired by the Council on Crimes Against Humans. It’s our job to preserve the separation between paranormals and humans.”

  “I know about the Council, but I didn’t know they had a Charlie’s Angels-type group.”

  “The LSP investigates and prevents acts of paranormal activity that garner too much attention. Our main focus is to the keep paranormals from harming humans. But we also keep the human governments from locking up paranormals, and either experimenting on them or using them as weapons.”

  “Is that what they put on the inside of the brochure?”