Magic, Mayhem and Murder

by January Bain

  Ace stepped forward. “There’s been a threat, ma’am.”

  Her hand fluttered to her neck. “Call me Granny, please.” I saw her throat work to swallow. My eyes began to water and I looked downward at the floor. It needed a good scrubbing again. I’d best get at it. It wasn’t as though Star or Tulip were going to volunteer.

  “Granny,” Ace said, nodding respectfully. “I thought it best to have all of you in one place for the time being so that the threat can be followed up on properly. The evidence is being fingerprinted as we speak.”

  “A note?” she asked softly, her eyes rounding with concern. The few customers in the café hushed, time seeming to stand still. I hated that she had to know.

  “It was very specific. It was intended to keep Charm from investigating the recent murders.”

  “I see. Well, that does prove we had nothing to do with them.” She nodded sagely. I waited for Ace to confirm this.

  “It would appear so. But we must wait for forensics to have their say.”

  “Appear so!” I was outraged at the weak response in defending our honor. “No one in this family could have done this thing, no matter what you or anyone else thinks.” Though I couldn’t vouch for myself doing something in the future, if anyone tried to harm a hair on anyone I loved.

  “Now, sweeting. The man is just going about his sworn duty. He needs the space to do so.” Granny tried to placate me. I loved her so much for her wisdom, but in this, she might be off base. Ace didn’t need space so much as he needed a tighter rein to keep him out of my way.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “Sheriff, would you like some coffee, maybe a bite to eat?” Star asked, a coy smile on her face at deliberately calling him by the wrong professional moniker.

  Harrumph. She sure got over her scare fast.

  I glanced at Ace, who returned her smile with a knowing look of his own, clearly saying he knew she was playing him and that was just fine with him. Whatever.

  “Well, Miss McCall, I wouldn’t mind a cup of your legendary coffee if you’ve got the time.”

  I figuratively rolled my eyes. Darned if I cared. The two of them enjoying each other’s company would just make my plans that much easier to carry out. She could keep tabs on him while I got busy fixing things. I ignored the strange ping to my heart.

  The chimes over the door announced another visitor. Emma. Before I could greet her, she exclaimed, “What’s going on? I heard someone’s been arrested.”

  “No one is under arrest,” Ace said, his tone mild. He sat down at a booth and let Star fill a white ceramic cup with coffee, adding cream.

  “What’s going on then?”

  I grabbed Emma’s arm and pulled her aside, explaining the situation.

  “Oh, my goodness, this is terrible!” Her words were accompanied by a grimace of worry.

  “No, everyone’s okay.” Crap on a cracker, her aunt wasn’t anywhere near okay.

  Her eyes filled with tears and we hugged each other. Tears prickled behind my eyelids again. Fine state of affairs.

  “Okay, I need you to do a couple of things for me,” I whispered in her ear.

  “Anything for you, you know that. What do you need?”

  “I need you to find Pastor Evans and ask him to drop in to see me.”

  “No worries. I’ll get right on it, and the other thing?”

  I explained the second favor and her eyebrows shot up into her hairline. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. Thank you.”

  “Charm.” Ace pinned me in his sights. “Would you join me, please?”

  “I’ll call you later. I have some errands to run,” Emma said louder, giving me a final hug before scurrying from the café.

  I dragged both feet over to the booth and plunked down, crossing my arms over my chest. I gave him my best what’s-on-your-mind-buddy stare, arching one eyebrow for effect.

  “I can see I’m not your favorite person right now, but I promise you, I’m going to find out who murdered two people and who is threatening your family. You have my word on that. And you need to let me do my job.”

  I pursed my lips. “So, do your job already. Send someone else to watch over us.”

  “I intend to. But I will be back later to take the night shift. Until then, Constable Jim Newman will take over. Soon as he gets here, I’ll be on my way. But right now, I want your word you will stay put.”

  No way. “What can I do cooped up here anyway?” I gave a small shrug.

  He gave me the stink eye, his normally full lips pressed into a firm line. I pretended complete innocence.

  He shook his head slowly. “Charm, you have too much of the imp in your character for your own good.”

  “I’ll see that she stays out of trouble.” Granny came over to the booth. Darn it, I didn’t want that. Not with my plans.

  “Thank you, Granny.” Ace gave her a smile.

  The café door opened, revealing Constable Jim. A nice man, middle-aged and married to Carol, the kindergarten teacher over at Snowy Lake Elementary. Jim was blessed with a calming manner that kept most rowdy drunks in line on Saturday night. And his bulky body, topped with a no-nonsense regulation haircut, demanded a certain respect. He hefted that large frame in our direction, joining us at the booth. He nodded at Granny. “Sorry for the trouble, Granny. It’s going to get sorted.”

  She gave him a brave smile. “Of course, it will. As the wise say, this too shall pass. Would you like coffee, Jim, something to eat?”

  Ace got to his feet. “I’ll leave you in charge then, Jim. And keep a special eye out for this one.” He crooked his head at me. “She has a tendency to go off half-cocked.”

  “And don’t I know that,” Jim added his unwanted two cents.

  I sputtered. “I most certainly do not.”

  All eyes turned on me, every head nodding.

  “I rest my case.” And with that the world’s most annoying Mountie left the building.

  How long until the reverend arrived? I glanced down at the floor. Yes. Something to do to wear off all this excess energy.

  I got up and dashed into the kitchen in search of a mop and pail. Today the customers would just have to work around me for a change. Not like there were many. Our stellar reputation was in tatters.

  I set to my task with vigor, working up a sweat in minutes.

  “Darn floor, always looking crappy no matter how often you wash it or how much wax you apply,” I muttered. “We need a new floor.” I spoke the words louder, to no one in particular. Everyone seemed to be staying out of my way at the moment.

  “New flooring is expensive, sweeting,” Granny observed, turning from the front window, one of her favorite spots to observe traffic. “Brace yourself, your aunt is about to make her appearance.”

  I groaned then sloshed more hot soapy water on the floor, scrubbing harder. Why was I blessed with the world’s most annoying aunt? Sorry, don’t really mean that, I spoke to the goddess, covering all bases. If anything happened to her, I’d never forgive myself.

  The door flew open and Auntie T.J. rushed in, her expression one of wide-eyed horror. I saw what had kept her so long. She’d had her hair freshly tinted this morning, a deep rich auburn.

  “Is everyone okay?” she twittered. She bobbled her head around, trying to catch all of us in her line of sight.

  “We’re fine, dear. Your hair looks lovely.” Granny gave her a quick hug. “Jim’s watching over us.”

  Jim nodded from the booth where he was consuming a third cup of coffee. Star was in charge of seeing to his needs while Tulip was restocking shelves. Not that we’d sold much in the past few days, but they did need a good dusting. I was grateful to see she was attending to it instead of working on her time-consuming blog.

  In a way, we were in limbo, and having everyone gathered around, I wasn’t going to complain. A family comes together in crisis.

  I finished my task, checking the time. Four-thirty. Where was that minister?

  Like the goddess
had overheard me, I caught a glimpse of silvery hair floating atop a noble head moving past the front window. Reverend Evans. Finally. At least the floor was clean enough to eat off. Maybe I should start on the walls next? I eyed them suspiciously.

  “Afternoon, Reverend,” Granny spoke first, blessing him with a smile. She might have her own beliefs on faith and politics, but she never pushed them off on anyone else or expected there was only one right way for everyone. A centrist to be admired.

  “Granny, nice to see you. Sorry to hear of your troubles. I’m certain everything will work out just fine.”

  “Yes, things work out the way they are intended to, Reverend, if we but let them.”

  “Very true. Charm wanted to see me?” He gave a quick look in my direction. Catching sight of me, he strolled over.

  “Sorry it took so long. Constable Collins and I have been chatting.”

  I’ll just bet you have. I gritted my teeth, forcing a smile. “Pray tell, what secrets have you two been sharing?”

  “Hmm, about the terrible things going on in our little town.” His expression sobered, the lines etched in his compassionate face deepening.

  I swallowed, properly chastised. Our town did need all the help it could get. And Ace, okay, did seem to be good at his job, just that he didn’t know the people like I did, or have the gift of extra-sensory perception. My mind went back to Granny’s revelations earlier. At least now I knew who I had to thank for that and my newly discovered gift, the one still blowing my mind. I had an extra name to add to my nightly prayers to the goddess. Mary Sarah Toogood.

  “Would you care for coffee?” I asked, gesturing towards a table.

  “Sure. I’m parched.” He sat down while I hurried to get him a cup of joe. “Been a busy day.”

  I sat down across from him.

  “How are you keeping?” he asked, blowing on the coffee to cool it.

  “Fine. Considering what’s been going on.”

  He shook his head and took a sip from the cup. “Yes, times are trying right now. Constable Collins seems to be doing his level best to sort through all the facts. I wouldn’t worry. The truth will come out.”

  All fine and dandy if one knows where to locate the truth. “Talking about truth, I hear you visited Mrs. Hurst on that final day. With Mrs. Smith?” I added a question mark to my query.

  He nodded. “Yes. Mrs. Hurst gave a very generous donation to the church. Much appreciated.”

  “Yes, of course. No one else came by while you were there with her?”

  “No. Unfortunately, Mrs. Smith was feeling poorly and spent the time in the bathroom.”

  “That was poor timing for her.” My heart rate speeded up. “Anything else you can remember?”

  “No, nothing.”

  “Good thing whatever she had wasn’t contagious.”

  “Good thing is right. You know how quickly viruses spread in our close-knit community. Must have been food-borne in her case.”

  “I’m sure it was.” The irony wasn’t lost on me. “Can I freshen your coffee?”

  “No, I should get going. Got a committee meeting in a few minutes. The roof of the church needs repair and we’re looking at fundraising ideas.”

  “Anything I can do to help, you let me know.”

  “Thanks, I will. Wish I knew more about what happened to Mrs. Hurst. I’ll be glad to see you clear of all this almost as much as our new Mountie. Seems he’s taken a shine to one of the McCall triplets.”

  “Just doing his job, I’m sure. But I think Star’s the one he’s got his eye on.”

  “Oh really,” he teased. “And I always thought of you as the clever one, Charm.”

  I dug in my heels, figuratively, giving him a cheesy smile, then watched him take his leave from Granny while considering the best way to go about things.

  Hmm. I got up and approached Jim. “Is it all right if I go up stairs for a bit? I need to take care of something. It’s a woman thing,” I stage-whispered.

  He flushed and gestured me out.

  I hurried away. Time to get at the truth. I checked if anyone was hanging about the kitchen, picked up a box of the triple chocolate brownies as cover and slipped out of the back door. Feeling like a real private eye, I hurried down the alley, heading on foot for the Smiths’ residence, hoping Emma had observed the reverend leaving the café and had done what I’d asked her to do and made the phone call.

  Hardly believing my luck, and afraid to acknowledge it in case I jinxed myself, I scurried up to the back door of the two-storey house, pretty certain I had not been observed. A few loud knocks and the door opened, revealing the lady of the hour. Shoot, she was still here.

  “Hi, I’ve brought some brownies to welcome Alison back. Is she home?”

  Mrs. Smith frowned, looking down at the white carboard box. “This is a surprise.” Apparently just not a happy one. “Should you be doing this what with all the talk about where the poison came from?” She arched one of her perfectly groomed eyebrows in my direction.

  “Oh, I’m not worried about that at all. Not since Constable Collins has pretty much solved the case. I’m off the hook.” I gave her my second cheesy smile of the day. Or was it my third? Mr. Hot Stuff had been by the café this morning.

  “Really? Where are my manners? Do come in, Charm. I’m afraid Alison’s not home, but I’ll make us some tea and you can tell me all about it.”

  We sat in her dining room, and she waited until I tried the brownies before helping herself to one. Funny woman. But then I had waited for her to have a sip of tea first, so fair was fair, eh.

  “So, you were saying that Constable Collins is near to solving the case?” She took a wee bite of a brownie, her expression one that I could only catalog as prissy. Her little finger was held at a certain crooked angle, like people who think their bathroom habits smell like roses.

  “Yes. He was just over at the café. Very intent on doing his job.” I nodded my blessing. “Alison find her ring all right?”

  “Yes, thank you.”

  “That was too bad about the other day, you know, when you visited Mrs. Hurst the day she died, and you got ill. Are you better now?”

  She frowned. “Yes, I’m fine.” She took a sip of her tea and her finger resumed the position.

  “Oh, I must have a touch of something.” I grimaced. “Mind if I use your bathroom?”

  “Of course, dear.” She gave a royal nod of assent.

  I got up and made my way down the hall, intent on at least checking out one room thoroughly while praying that Emma would get a move on. I shut the door and began rummaging through the cupboards. Not that I expected she could be this sloppy, hiding anything in the guest bathroom, but sometimes luck prevails. Shoot, not today. Not one thing incriminating could be found. I gave up and flushed the toilet for effect.

  A brisk knock on the door. “Are you all right, Charm? You’ve been in there a while. And I’m afraid I have to go out. Emma needs me. She’s in a bit of a state.”

  I shouted out, over a loud groan for effect, “You go right ahead, Mrs. Smith, help Emma. I’m afraid I’m stuck in here for the time being. Tummy upset, you understand.”

  Silence.

  “All right then. Alison should be home soon. Just lock up when you leave, please.”

  “I will.” I flushed the toilet again. The fan came on overhead, startling me. Mrs. Smith had hit the switch to freshen the air in the room. Sweet of her.

  I waited a good five minutes, then crept from the room. I turned off the fan, listening for any sounds. The house was empty.

  Time to get a move on. At best, I might get an hour from Emma’s ploy, and that was only if Alison didn’t walk in on me looking for evidence her mother had poisoned two people.

  Hmm. Where would I hide poison I didn’t want found? Most likely deep in a closet, right? I ran up the stairs two at a time and scurried along the landing toward the master suite. I soon discovered sleuthing is overrated when everything has to go back exactly as it was.
If only I could have thrown things willy-nilly, I’d have been finished in record time. But I found nothing in the bedroom or attached bathroom. Linen closet? I pulled out towels and sheets and piled them on the floor but came up empty handed again. Tick Tock. That darn clock was firing up in my brain again.

  Think, Charm. The poison, what were its attributes? Of course, its distinctive odor of bitter almond.

  I raced back down the steps and into the kitchen. Where to search first? I spotted the pantry near the back door to the house. I hurried across the floor and grasped the doorknob, giving it a firm twist, but it wouldn’t budge. Who locks the door to the pantry? Guess.

  But I needed to get inside to check. I couldn’t very well say anything about my suspicions without proof. I hesitated. Surely there had to be a key somewhere?

  Sounds of the front door opening made my heart slam. I had to get out of here. Right now. It was never a good idea to make a possible murderess angry. Calm down, just act like nothing’s amiss, all right?

  I took my own advice and moved to sit down on a stool. It was tucked under the kitchen island with three others. I slumped down on it, holding my middle.

  “Charm. You’re still here.” Mrs. Smith endowed me with an evil frown as she came in and spotted me, her tone extra sharp. I was adding the evil part, but I was certain that I saw a glimpse of it in her devilish eyes. Funny how different someone you suspect of murder looks.

  “Sorry, I was just resting a bit. Still feeling rather poorly.”

  “Would you like me to call someone to come and collect you?” She moved to pick up the phone. No, no, no. The last thing I needed was to be found out by granny. That could lead to Ace knowing and that would be intolerable. No more darn lectures, please.

  “No, it’s okay. I can manage.” I stood up and set the stool back in place under the island. “I should be going.”

  “Yes. You should.” Her voice housed suspicions and I caught her glance flicking over to the pantry door.

  “Is Emma okay?” I thought to ask.

  “Yes, she’s fine.” Her tone was short.

  “I’d best check on her too.” I gave her a weak smile and walked by her, fighting the urge to run. The hackles on my neck rose when her dark spirit brushed against mine. Every instinct I possessed screamed danger.