Death Quixote (A Paranormal Cozy Mystery) (Magical Bookshop Mystery Book 4)

by Samantha Silver

Chase sighed. “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

  “I promised Cat I wouldn’t.”

  “Stay safe, will you? If you do find Sally, please just call me? Don’t try to take her on yourself.”

  “Ok. I will promise you that.” And I meant it. After all, Chase had no way of knowing that I was a witch, and he did have a bit of a point. What if Sally had a gun? Magic was pretty cool and all, but I couldn’t guarantee that I was quick enough with my magic to stop a speeding bullet. We were going to find Sally, and we were going to hand her in to the cops, for sure.

  I said goodbye to Chase and ended the call, then texted the new development to Cat. It sounded more and more like Sally was our killer. Now we just had to find her.

  When I made my way into the café, the same girl who was working the counter when I went in to ask about Sapphire Sam was there again.

  “Hi,” I greeted her. “Can I grab a chicken Caesar wrap to go please?”

  “Sure thing,” she replied. “Did you end up finding out any more about that weird guy who was creeping around?”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “Not really, no. It looks like he was going around looking into the different stores, and once he’d made it further down he was definitely acting like he’d seen something he shouldn’t have.”

  “Oh,” the girl replied, suddenly dropping the wrap on the floor, the filling spilling everywhere. “Oh shoot, sorry! Let me get you another one. I’m so clumsy today.”

  “No problem.”

  “So do you know what he was running from?”

  I shrugged. “I have absolutely no idea.”

  The girl smiled. “Well, good luck. Let me ring this up for you.”

  As I turned to leave after paying for my wrap, I suddenly saw a familiar figure sitting against the wall.

  “Hey, Frank,” I said as I slid into the seat across from the mayoral candidate. “Mind if I join you for a couple of minutes?”

  “Alice! How are you?” Frank asked. “Of course, please, sit down!”

  “How’s the mayoral campaign going?”

  Frank shrugged. “Who knows? I feel like I’m getting a lot of support from people I talk to, but it might just be lip service. And there is a lot of support for Denise out there too. I think it’s going to come down to the number of supporters who show up to the polls on the day.”

  I scowled. “Denise is running dirty tricks to win, anyway. She’s making up lies. I figured you should know.”

  Frank laughed. “Oh, don’t worry, I do know. I’m very well aware of Denise’s tactics. But, even though I disagree with them doesn’t make them illegal.”

  “Have you considered doing the same thing? Making up stuff about her? After all, it might swing things your way,” I offered. “I could help! I’m very much opposed to her winning this thing.”

  Frank smiled and shook his head. “Thanks for the offer, but I’d rather lose while doing the right thing than win having done the wrong thing. If you know what I mean.”

  “I do,” I nodded. “And it makes sense. It’s what makes you such a good guy. But to be honest, I’ll be pretty angry if Denise’s scare tactics and lies result in you losing, when you would absolutely make a better mayor.”

  “Sure, but if I stoop to her level, then that doesn’t make me any better a human being than she is. If I use her tactics, I’m just as bad. And I don’t want that. If I’m going to win this thing, I’m going to do it with truth and integrity.”

  “See, that’s why you’d make a better mayor,” I told him with a grin, and Frank returned it.

  “If you can pass that message around to everyone you know, I’d appreciate it,” Frank replied with a wink.

  “Will do,” I replied. “Though the number of people I know in Sapphire Village still isn’t great, and I’m pretty sure everyone I know is voting for you over Denise anyway, or I’m severing all relationship with them.”

  Frank laughed. “Sounds good. In that case, just encourage them to vote. And you too, don’t forget to come out on the day!”

  “Oh, trust me, I won’t,” I replied. “I have to be getting back to the store, but it was good chatting with you.”

  “You too. Come by and see me anytime.”

  With that, I got up and left. I had to admit, I could see the reasoning behind Frank’s desire not to stoop to the same low level as Denise. Still, I was going to be really annoyed if her lies led to her being elected. Frank would be a much better mayor, that was obvious.

  I wondered if there was anything else I could do to help Frank out, but for now, I was going to have to put that aside. After all, I figured catching a murderer was more important than the results of the upcoming election.

  Chapter 15

  After work that day I had another couple hours long nap before Cat showed up, which was enough to make me feel refreshed and ready to tackle the night. The forecast called for a clear sky with a full moon, which I was relieved with–the extra light meant it was slightly less likely The Others would make an appearance. As much as I was happy to give defeating them another shot, I was also very much ok with it if they decided not to show up.

  In fact, I was kind of hoping that would be the case.

  Cat showed up a little bit after seven. “I made you an appointment with Sirona,” she told me. “Your appointment is for tomorrow after work, at six.”

  “Thanks,” I told her. “Hey, do you want to come with me? I mean, I’m not going to lie, I’m kind of terrified.”

  Cat laughed. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. Seriously. I’ve been going to magical healers since I was a baby.”

  “Yeah, well, the healers I’ve been to have always been on the human side of things. And sometimes it’s been painful.”

  “Fine, I’ll come with you. But I’m telling you, Sirona is fine.”

  “Thanks,” I said to my cousin. There were some things I just couldn’t quite get my head around, and getting healing from someone with the last name of “Scissorhands” was definitely one of those things.

  “So, open up Google Maps, and let’s set up a plan,” Cat suggested, and I nodded.

  “Sure thing.” I grabbed the iPad and flashed up Sapphire Village.

  “I vote that you go north, and I go south of the village. You can cover the actual village, as well. If you spot a bike that looks expensive that’s visible from the road, it’ll probably be a good idea to hang around there. If you see anything suspicious, let me know and I’ll come by as soon as possible.”

  Aunt Francine showed up then as well, floating around. “And where would you like me?” she asked.

  “Maybe follow Cat around?” I offered, and Cat shook her head.

  “No, she should follow you. After all, I know what I’m looking for. I’ve lived here my whole life, and so has Aunt Francine. You don’t know what nooks and crannies people will hide their nice bikes in.”

  “That’s a good point,” I offered. “Ok, so that’s settled. We also need to do that telepathy spell again. After all, if The Others come after one of us, the other person has to be able to get there quickly.”

  “I can do that,” Cat said. “After all, I nailed it once. The bigger issue is going to be how to get there quickly. After all…” Cat trailed, her eyes moving to the corner of the living room where a broomstick sat.

  “Oh no!” I said, my face paling. “Absolutely not.”

  “We don’t have a choice,” Cat said. “If we’re on the other side of town from each other, it’s going to be the fastest way. Besides, there’s no guarantee you’re going to have to use it. And I’m not going to lie, I don’t want to go out there and do this if I don’t trust you to have my back.”

  Cat had a point. If The Others came, what would be the use of being able to tell me if I was too far away to get there in time?

  “Ok,” I finally agreed. “I’ll do it.”

  “Good,” Aunt Francine said. “I promise, it won’t be as hard as you think.”

  “I don’t know about
that,” I replied. “Sirona might have more than just my back to fix tomorrow.”

  Cat made her way over and handed me the broom. “Auntie Frannie, you used to have a second broom in this place, right? It would save me having to go back to my place to get mine.”

  “Try the pantry, dear,” Aunt Francine replied. While Cat wandered into the kitchen, rummaging away to find another broom, I stared at the one I was carrying with apprehension. I really, really hoped I wasn’t going to have to use this tonight.

  “Good. Now, go sit over there, Alice, and I’ll do the telepathy spell.”

  I did as Cat ordered, and did my best to clear my brain of all thoughts. I knew from the last time that the clearer my head was, the better the spell would work.

  A moment later I felt a flash of light inside my head, which was just as disorienting and strange feeling as the first time around. As soon as it passed, I opened my eyes.

  “Did it work?” I heard Cat ask, but her mouth didn’t move. I grinned.

  “Sure did,” I thought, picturing Cat as I said it. She broke into a smile.

  “Awesome. I love it when I nail this spell.”

  “I feel like I’m being left out, here,” Aunt Francine complained. “I assume that means your spell worked?”

  “It sure did,” I replied. “Cat’s a genius! This way even when we’re apart, we can still chat to each other.”

  “Ok, enough chatting. Let’s go,” Cat said.

  I repeated the same invisibility spell from the other day and I–along with the broom I was holding–became invisible.

  “Cool,” Cat grinned. “My turn.” She pointed to herself and a minute later the same thing happened to her.

  “All right, Alice, you’re going to have to talk to me if you want me to follow you, because I can’t tell where you are any more than anyone alive,” Aunt Francine said, and Cat began to make her way down the stairs. I followed soon afterwards, telling Aunt Francine to follow me, and made my way out into the night.

  We were going to catch a murderer.

  I decided to walk through the main part of the village first; after all, it was part of the territory I was supposed to cover tonight, and I figured there might have been a good chance that someone would have left a nice bike parked somewhere here in the village, with higher traffic than the residential neighborhoods.

  It was kind of eerie, walking through the deserted village at night. It was just after ten o’clock, and while there were a couple of bars from which the sound of thumping music and drunken revellers spilled out onto the village stroll, their sound almost helped to accentuate the quiet everywhere else.

  “Is it always so quiet here at night?” I asked Aunt Francine, who nodded.

  “Absolutely. It’s a bit rowdier in peak season though, when vacationers looking to have a good time are all hanging out.”

  Suddenly something hit me. “Is it ok for you to be out like this? After all, can’t all the magical people see you?”

  “Yes, but trust me, there aren’t going to be that many around at night. If someone does spot me and comes over, just go on without me. They probably will want to chat, seeing as I’ve been dead a while now.”

  I walked along, all too aware of the fact that no one looking out their windows right now could see me as I passed, and I made my way past all of the shops until I reached Cat’s Cupcakes and the main gondola.

  There was just one bike on all the racks that I passed, and it was lonely and so covered in rust I figured it would be a miracle if it could even make it around town. I figured it had long since been abandoned, so I made my way back toward the far end of the village to start walking to the residential neighborhoods north of here.

  What on earth had Sapphire Sam seen? I asked myself that question over and over again as I walked past the shops he’d been peering through. There was Cat’s Cupcakes, where my cousin had offered him a cupcake which he refused. There was the first bike shop, where he had asked about the lock. There was the café, where the girl had seen him. There was Pete’s bike shop, where Sally had been working, then disappeared immediately after Sapphire Sam’s body was found.

  Still, no matter how hard I looked, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, or out of place right now. Whatever Sapphire Sam had seen, it was gone now.

  My mind tossed over all the facts as I made my way along the trail, north to the Diamond Head neighborhood, the first of the residential neighborhoods in Sapphire Village. There were no shops here, just people living in single family homes and townhouses. It was even quieter here than in the village; with no late-night bars to frequent as all the residents were now asleep. As I scanned the houses I looked for any obvious bikes. There were a couple on a second-floor balcony, but I figured without a pretty amazing ladder and the subtlety skills of a cat there was no way a thief would get to those without being noticed.

  “Anything yet?” Cat’s voice asked in my head.

  “Nothing,” I replied. “I’m in Diamond Head right now.”

  “Same here. I’ve finished scanning Ruby Heights, I’m going to head over to Emerald Estates now.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll keep you posted.”

  I clutched at the broom in my hand as Cat’s voice disappeared from my head. I really hoped I wasn’t going to have to use it today.

  “Do you see any obvious bait?” I asked Aunt Francine, and she shook her head.

  “No, nothing.”

  I frowned. “Great. How are we going to catch the robbers if they’re not finding anything to get?”

  Suddenly, I felt some light behind me. A car was turning down the road, its headlights blinding me momentarily.

  I moved over to the side of the road to let it pass, assuming it was someone getting home late after finishing up work, but as it crept slowly down the street toward me, I decided it was moving at far too glacial a pace for anyone up to any good.

  “He’s moving way too slowly, that’s extremely suspicious,” Aunt Francine said to me.

  “I was just thinking exactly the same thing,” I said as it drove past. It was a van, one of those big white ones with no windows that looked suspicious no matter what. There were two people in it, but it was so dark I couldn’t make out any features, let alone genders. It could very well have been Sally Wentworth in that van. They crept along, looking around from side to side, and I knew instinctively that these were not good people.

  “I’m going to follow them,” I said quietly to Aunt Francine, even though there was no chance they’d be able to hear me over the sound of their engine.

  “Good idea,” Aunt Francine replied. I was able to keep up with them with just a brisk walk, and as soon as they turned the corner the truck’s driver turned off the headlights. Yup, something was definitely up here.

  “I think you’ve found some bad people,” Aunt Francine muttered to me. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

  “I have to be, don’t I?” I replied. “Besides, they don’t even know I’m here.”

  “Just don’t drop your broom, or you’ll never find it again,” Aunt Francine told me.

  “Good call,” I replied, nodding. Just then, the truck stopped. It looked like something was about to go down.

  Chapter 16

  “Over there, to the left. On the main porch,” Aunt Francine motioned, and I looked over at the house on the left and noticed there was a bike locked to the deck rail. The lights were all out; the occupants were obviously all asleep.

  “They’re going to steal that bike,” I whispered.

  “They certainly are,” Aunt Francine said in reply. I watched, almost transfixed, as the two people got out of the van. They were wearing masks now, but it was obvious there was one man and one woman. I wondered who Sally Wentworth’s partner in this was. They looked around and then crept over to the railing. With a quick motion, they opened the lock as easily; it appeared this bike was using the same SecurLock system as many of the other bikes in town. The two of them came running back toward the truck wit
h the bike in their arms.

  “Well, are you going to do anything, or are you just going to watch them?” Aunt Francine asked.

  “Oh… yeah,” I said, snapping out of my daze. I looked around, not really knowing what to do. Because there were two of them, I couldn’t use any obvious magic. They would notice if one of them suddenly found themselves bound up in ropes for no reason.

  No, I was going to have to be more subtle than that. I pointed to the tires of the van and imagined one of them deflating. Energy built up inside of me, and as I released it I opened my eyes and watched as the back left tire of the van suddenly deflated, drooping down and making the van tilt slightly.

  “What the?” the girl asked, looking over to the side and noticing the flat. “Damn it! We have a problem over here.”

  “What’s that?” the man replied, shoving the bike into the back of the van–I noticed there were at least two other bikes already in there–and closing the door behind him, being careful to be as quiet as possible while doing it. He made his way over to the side of the van and swore.

  “Obviously. Come on. Get in, we’ll drive to the next street over and deal with it there.”

  They started up the van, keeping the headlights turned off, and began to drive off.

  “I’m going to follow them,” I said to Aunt Francine. Suddenly, I realized I should let Cat know where I was.

  “Cat! They’re here, on Diamond Head Road,” I thought, thinking of my cousin. When there was no reply a moment later, I tried again.

  “Hey Cat! Diamond Head Road, they’re here!” Again, no reply.

  I looked at Aunt Francine. “I’m not getting any reply from Cat.”

  Aunt Francine’s brow furrowed. “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Help,” I suddenly heard Cat’s voice say. It was different, though, it sounded like it was coming from far away rather than in my own head. “Help. Green Tree Road. Help.”

  “I’m coming, Cat,” I thought back.

  “Cat’s in trouble,” I said to Aunt Francine. “She’s on Green Tree Road.”