A Witch for Sleuth (A Modern Cozy Mystery with the Witches of Springsville)

by Dani Corlee

"And who the hell are they?" Shouted Pam, standing up with her hands on her hips. The secretary shook her head because she had no idea.

  Mabel exchanged a look with Godfrey and after a sigh she said, "They are our aunt's gardener and maid."

  "Our aunt named her gardener and maid in her will? But why? " Pam asked again in an angry voice. Then she shrugged, pushed aside her long dyed black hair and sat down staring at her blue nail polish.

  At that moment, the door opened again and this time the secretary, who had a middle-aged couple with her, said. "We are all here now, Mr. Hayes can receive you. Please, follow me. "

  "Finally," Prom said with a sideways glance at the two newcomers.

  The lawyer's office was also modern and practical. In Mabel’s mind, the room should have been gloomy, almost eerie, but instead it was very bright. On the walls were copies of well-known paintings and the inevitable University Degrees. She squinted to see the date of birth.

  Um... He’s 38. Too young for Lucille! She giggled to herself. Lucille certainly didn’t bother with formalities. She turned to look at her friend and saw that she was indeed sizing up the lawyer. Muscular body, well groomed and tanned, short hair with a hint of gray at the temples, he was definitely a good looking man, even though the elegant italian-style suit was not to Lucille’s taste, who typically preferred the bad boy type, especially if he had a beautiful bike.

  Mr. Hayes had them sit in chairs already prepared for the occasion, and Mabel tried to stay as out of the way as possible.

  Pam and Prom moved the chairs noisily to be directly in front of the lawyer. "So, shall we begin?" Prom said, rubbing his hands.

  The lawyer looked at him raising an eyebrow but said nothing. He looked instead straight ahead and started with the customary ritual.

  Mabel looked out the window, mentally removing herself. She went over in her mind the things that she could do with the room given the magic that she was sure her aunt had left to her. There were potions, filters, amulets and some ancient and rare books. All things that would probably be better if kept at the Magic Club, where the witches of their community got together. Maybe she could find some charm to lighten up the fabrics and give the curtains a bit of life. A filter that would finally allow her to stabilize colors? Or maybe something that would eventually secure her powers so she wouldn’t have to keep on hiding?

  “... And in consideration of which I leave to my niece, Mabel Norwood, a quarter of my estate and half of Villa Enchantment while... "

  "What?" She let out the choked back scream, as unexpected by her as was the news she had just received.

  The lawyer took off his glasses, which he had put on to read, and looked at her. "It's a substantial bequest, Ms. Norwood." He said. Mabel did not have time to answer before all the others began to talk simultaneously. Mr. Hayes let them vent for a few minutes before trying to silence them.

  Prom turned to look at his sister. "Oh well, that’s right. Four nieces and nephews, so the estate is divided into four. Yes, okay. " He gave a satisfied nod turning to the others.

  "Ladies and gentlemen, please," the lawyer said, trying to return silence to the room.

  "But why half of the villa to her? It should also be divided. This needs to be reconsidered." Pam protested standing up. Then she sat again as if nothing had happened and remained silent.

  The lawyer began reading again, stating that the other half of the Villa plus a quarter of the estate would go to her niece Kendra, who opened her eyes from surprise and looked at Mabel with a smile that spoke volumes about how the bequest was as unexpected as it was appreciated.

  Other money would go to Godfrey, who would go on working at the Villa Enchantment until retirement age when he would have a substantial income. Same thing for the gardener who nodded satisfied to keep his job, and his wife, the maid, who started pouting, crossed her arms and gave a dirty look to her husband.

  To Pam, she left a gold pin of modest value, along with a decent sum of money while to Prom went, in addition to the same amount, some ties and hats that had belonged to an ancestor.... “He’d find a use for them for sure.”

  Prom stood up and, raising his hands, he shouted. “It’s a scandal! This won’t be the end of it.”

  Without batting an eyelash, the lawyer said, "sit down, please. So where was I ... To George White, my ex-husband, I leave all the letters that we exchanged as lovers, in addition, the old stamp collection that belonged to my grandfather and to Errol Hopkins a treatise from 1800, an analyses of business practices that will help him appreciate once and for all some administrative issues of a company, if he’ll have time to read it."

  "What can I do with that junk? And the firm?" Shouted the man.

  "I'm not done." The lawyer silenced them and continued to read.

  "Everything in the turret: furniture, books, bottles and various containers, go to the Magic Club in the person of Isidora whom I ask to keep it and put at the disposal of my nieces, Mabel and Kendra, if and when they need it. As for the sweets factory, the Award-Winning Company of Sweets the Magical Sweets, that was my pride and joy for many years. It gave prestige not only to me but to our whole town, becoming in a short time well known across the entire nation. It's my baby, the dearest thing I have and have held as if it were my own daughter. There is only one person to whom I would entrust this child. A sedate person who is capable and conscientious enough to understand that the company is not just a factory but represents the lives of fifty families whose members work there."

  Mr. Hopkins nodded with a smile while the lawyer read.

  "So from today Magical Sweets passes to Mabel Norwood who I'm sure will run it with the same love with which I ran it myself."

  The lawyer took off his glasses and glanced at the onlookers. There wasn’t time to say "and with this the Last Will and Testament concludes," because there broke out a battle, with each person trying to talk over the other so that in a short time almost everyone was screaming. Mabel was silent, still too shocked to say anything. How could her aunt do a thing like that? How could she run a business like that and still pursue her dream of being a fashion designer? She turned and met a compassionate gaze from Lucille, which lasted only a moment, as she too was standing up trying to be noticed by the lawyer. Kendra came up to her and said "wow, that's amazing" not knowing what else to say, well aware that a commitment of that kind would be a huge problem for anyone.

  Mabel stood up with the others and looked at them. Pam and Prom were standing in front of the lawyer. Prom was bent forward tapping on the desk with his index finger to emphasize his point, with an angry scowl. Mr. Hopkins, hands on his hips and legs spread with his powerful voice and a menacing look kept repeating, "and you call this a will? There’s got to be a mistake. Check to see if it is the last version! Check it now! " George kept saying "Sorry? Excuse me? When can I come by Villa Enchantment to pick up my things? I already told you that there are a number of my belongings that I left when we got divorced. Tell me when can I come by?" Meanwhile the son, completely apart from the rest, was checking his messages on his smartphone.

  A little further away, almost at the door, even the Jarvis couple was arguing, or at least it seemed that the wife was quite upset. "But does it seem right to you? Godfrey will take more than we since the sum is just for him, but we have to split it. That's not fair! Do something. Can’t we contest the will?"

  "But what are you going to contest! Don't talk rubbish, woman! Mrs. Whitmore was free to leave whatever she wanted to whomever she wanted, and thank heavens she left something to you, shrew that you are!"

  Not at all bothered she continued. "I told you, that we should have done something before. What did I tell you? Huh? What did I tell you?”

  "Stop it now!" her husband, exasperated, approached the lawyer’s desk leaving her in the lurch.

  Mabel plopped down on a chair, with her head in her hands.

  "I need to talk to you," said Mr. Hopkins, giving her a tap on the shoulder to be noticed.

&
nbsp; Mabel lifted her face to the man who towered over her. The stench of his cigar took her breath away.

  "Magical Sweets is half mine, as you surely know." He continued. "I’ll buy the other half. Let’s write up a draft for the sale, now while we're here with the lawyer, so we get it off both our minds. You certainly don't want to take on a massive job like that, do you? I have to leave as soon as possible so the sooner we do it, the better. You must realize that you can't carry on a business of that magnitude."

  Mabel gave him a strange look. "Oh really, just like that..."

  "Come on, let's talk to the lawyer." Mr. Hopkins took her by the arm and pulled her towards the attorney while pushing aside the others who were still were trying to make their points. "Mr. Hayes," he yelled, "Ms. Norwood and I have to speak with you!"

  Mabel squirmed with rage. The arrogance of this man was incredible. She wondered how her aunt could ever have worked with him. "One moment," she said in a shaky voice upset while the caramel color of her sweater was beginning to take on a chocolate tone and the thick mane of Mr. Hopkins was getting thinner and thinner. "If my aunt left me the firm there must be a good reason. I have no intention of deciding such a thing just like that." She rubbed her wrist where this man had just before pulled it and frowned. "And then what is this story that you own half? The will would have said it. My aunt has left the entire business to me."

  Lucille turned, she held her breath at the sight of what out of control powers were doing, and she resisted them. She checked the others, who, fortunately, were still too taken by their own complaints to have noticed anything. Only Darren was staring open-mouthed at Mr. Hopkins’ head, but it didn’t seem he was going to say anything.

  “Let’s not say stupid things," went on Mr. Hopkins. "The company is 50% mine.” The man's already deep voice got louder to drown out the noise of others, which was already quite loud. "So, I'm doing you a favor to remove this kind of problem, don’t you understand?"

  The others quieted down and turned to the watch the two of them, amazed. Even the lawyer had gotten up and approaching them asked, "is there a problem?"

  Still looking at Mabel with burning eyes, Mr. Hopkins answered after taking a deep breath "the young lady and I were discussing the fact that it would be convenient for her to yield her share of the company to me. She’s not up to running a business like that."

  "And what do you know?" Retorted Mabel with spite, brandishing a grit that lately had been hiding, regardless the fact that she was terrified of this imposing man who was giving her a menacing look. "I repeat that I have no intention of taking such a decision without having thought of all the alternatives. But I am sure of one thing. If I were to sell, you would be the last person I would consider." She backed up a little, fearing his reaction.

  The lawyer scowled and muttered to himself "surrender her share? What share?" but his thoughts were immediately interrupted by the others who in the meantime had all started talking at the same time. Mr. Hopkins, with one last angry look, swearing in the direction of Mabel, went out slamming the door.

  "Damn, what a creep," Lucille whispered in her ear. "What do you say if we turn him into a frog?"

  "For heaven's sake," Mabel answered, releasing some tension, "and then with luck someone mistakes him for a Prince and actually kisses him!"

  CHAPTER 3

  "Ladies and gentlemen, please!" Mr. Hayes tried to calm their tempers, but without much success. When the screaming finally stopped, he sat down again at his desk. With hands clasped under his chin, he looked the group. Just a few hushed whispers came from the back of the room, where Mrs. Jarvis was still reproaching her husband.

  He asked everyone to sit down again and began "There is no doubt that most of the time a will of this dimension can leave a bad taste in the mouths of the participants. That said, there is nothing I can do since it is a closed case. "

  "I object!" yelled Prom, getting up abruptly pushing the chair where he had just sat down again.

  The lawyer looked at him puzzled. "Mr. Hightower, we are not in a courtroom, and you are not a lawyer."

  Prom gave a sly wink to his sister then turned back to the lawyer.

  "This will should be invalidated. For sure it’s not the last, as that guy over there said... What’s his name? " He turned looking for Mr. Hopkins, who had just left. "Anyway, the money should be split evenly as should the house and the company."

  “In fact it was divided evenly," the lawyer explained wearily. "Equally according to the wishes of Mrs. Stone. It seems to me, however, that the amount you receive is quite substantial," he added, looking at the will he still had in front of him. "And since there is nothing more to say, I suggest that the meeting may be considered concl..."

  The door opened wide again, and suddenly an even more furious Mr. Hopkins came in, took the cigar out of his mouth and pointed at Mabel.

  "Look, I'm telling you for the last time as I have no more time to waste. You must immediately sell me the company which, by the way, is half mine. Make up your mind. You know perfectly well you won’t know what to do with it." Drops of saliva flew in Mabel’s direction, as the veins on his neck got bigger and bigger, and he started to come into the room.

  "These are my documents," he said, throwing a bunch of messy papers on the desk.

  With eyes wide open from surprise at seeing him and at his tone of voice, Mabel only managed to answer with a curt "No."

  "This isn't over, you stupid girl!"

  "Don’t be so sure it hasn’t ended!" She protested, shaking with anger while Lucille made sure her powers wouldn’t create any problems.

  "No this isn’t over!" Prom said standing, with hands on hips and a defiant voice, but as soon as Mr. Hopkins looked at him and moved closer, he sat down and said no more. Mr. Hopkins walked out and slammed the door behind him.

  The lawyer rolled his eyes, then became concerned again thinking how Mr. Hopkins had said that it was his company. Mr. Hayes tried to concentrate. It would have been he or his father, who had founded the law practice, to draw up the ownership papers of the company, and nothing had come up before, so he didn’t understand why Mr. Hopkins had spoken several times of his share of the enterprise. And even if he was right, how was it possible that Mrs. Whitmore had left the entire company to her niece Norwood? It made no sense and needed to be checked. It was his habit to go over even the smallest details of his work, so it was very unlikely that such an important matter would escape his watchful eye. Nevertheless, mistakes and oversights could happen, and he would have to get to the bottom this.

  "Look, I still have to get into the house to pick up my personal things," George intruded. Still seated he leaned toward the lawyer and with an air of conspiracy he said with a half smile. "What do you want, these women ... Glenda and I haven’t talked for years, and I never thought to ask her to send me my stuff. You know, she probably didn’t remember anyway. So, when can I go? "

  The lawyer looked at him with an expression that showed he hated to repeat himself. "I'm sorry, but now everything in that house and the house itself belongs to Miss Mabel and Miss Kendra. I have no more power over it. "

  The smile glued on George’s face did not mislead the lawyer who had caught a profound rage in the man’s eyes.

  "Then, my dear nieces, when can I go to the house?" He asked, addressing the two cousins.

  "What did you leave in the house, great-uncle?" Kendra asked, emphasizing the word great-uncle to highlight the fact that this man was nothing to her. "Make a list and we'll prepare your stuff."

  "Hopefully I’ll pass by this afternoon so I can get it myself."

  "If my aunt had wanted to return your things she would have done it, don't you think?" Mabel blurted out, and she didn’t miss the anger mixed with fear that the man was expressing.

  He turned towards them, eyes like daggers, but he said with a soothing voice.

  "My dear nieces, she must have forgotten! They’re my things, and I have the right to take them."

  "
Make the list and we’ll see." Mabel replied unperturbed.

  "Damn you, you’re making me lose a lot of time. I need to come to the house and take back what was mine! "

  He tried to restrain himself, but his anger was pretty obvious to everyone there who were following the bickering speechless and dumbfounded. Only Pam and Prom seemed amused, as they watched the scene with malicious grins as if the fact that Mabel was distancing herself first from Mr. Hopkins, and now from Mr. White, gave them pleasure.

  "Why is everyone against me today?" Asked Mabel turning to Lucille whose answer was two or three more chomps on her chewing gum.

  In the meantime almost without being noticed, Mrs. Jarvis had approached the lawyer who was standing and trying to get everyone out. Blatantly stroking her long hair which was usually tied up, and with a promising smile, she began to whisper to the lawyer, getting closer and leaning with a flirtatious hand on his shoulder, giggling all the time.