“And her sister?” Scarlett prompted.
“Totally fine. They’re not super close, but they get along,” Amanda said. “Renee never complained to me about Rita. They go out for dinner about once a month, and that’s about it.”
“Ok,” I said.
“How are you holding up, Amanda?” Victoria asked. “This can’t be easy.”
Victoria’s question led to Amanda’s thin veneer of propriety falling away, and she collapsed into a fit of tears that once they started, refused to stop.
“Oh, I can’t believe she’s gone. Renee was my best friend. I saw her just this morning, before she went to work. She was fine. Still in a bad mood, of course, what with the breakup, but she acted as though nothing were the matter. And now, just a few hours later, I find out I’m never going to see her again. How can I live with that? I never got to say goodbye. Just a quick ‘see you later, have a good day at work.’ How is that fair?”
“It’s not fair,” Victoria said to Amanda in a soft voice. “It’s not fair at all. And I’m really sorry. Do you need some potion to help you get some sleep? I think it might help you.”
“If you don’t mind,” Amanda said. “I would like that.”
“Of course,” Victoria replied. “We’ll leave you now, and I’ll come back later with the potion.”
I took the hint and stood up. I couldn’t think of anything else to ask Amanda anyway; we were going to have to find Oliver and see if he was the killer.
CHAPTER 10
I herded Pawdrey up from her spot on the floor where she’d fallen asleep, and Scarlett, Victoria, and I thanked Amanda for her time and went back out onto the street.
“Thanks for offering to come,” Scarlett said to Victoria. “You were a lifesaver. She wouldn’t have let us in without you there.”
“Not a problem,” Violet replied with a shy smile. “You’re looking for the killer yourselves?”
Scarlett nodded. “Yeah. I’m one of the main suspects. Oliver might have been mad about their breakup, but I had a fight with Renee at The Wand and Toad. We left right around when she was killed.”
Victoria tutted and shook her head. “No, that can’t look good for you.”
“Exactly. So we decided that if we help find the real killer, it’ll clear my good name. Thanks for coming with us. It was good of you to do.”
“Well, frankly, I want the killer found as much as you do. I don’t like the knowledge that there’s someone going around Fairy Falls who has murdered someone. Someone I knew. It’s quite sad, the story about her boyfriend. It’s good she got out of that relationship.”
“Yeah, there was a whole parade of red flags there,” I replied. “I’m also glad she got away from him, but at what cost?”
“I have to agree,” Victoria said. “Renee had never been the naturally friendliest witch out there, but her actions today were out of character even for her. I thought there had to be something going on with her, and it looks like that was the case.”
“Yeah, that breakup sounds like it would have affected her mood.”
“Fine, so maybe she wasn’t as awful as I thought,” Scarlett said. “And I have to admit, apart from the quip about being from one of the best families in town, Amanda was a lot nicer than I remember her being, too.”
“See?” Victoria said. “People are generally good, and it’s only when they’re put under pressure that they usually act outside of that character. It’s always best to give people the benefit of the doubt when possible and to be kind. You never know what someone is going through.”
“You’re right,” I nodded. “Anyway, I vote we go and find Oliver Farwood.”
“Agreed,” Scarlett said. “I’d also like to look into her brother if we get the chance. Amanda said the issues between them were just brother and sister stuff, but I’d like to be sure.”
“It would also be interesting to see what was on her phone,” I mused. “What was she being so secretive about that she couldn’t tell Amanda?”
“That’s a good point,” Victoria said. “It could be important. Well, I’d better get going. I have to make the sleeping potion for Amanda. Good luck finding the killer, and please, stay safe. Whoever did this was willing to kill once; I certainly don’t want more witches that I know to end up victims.”
“Don’t worry, if we find out anything, we’re going straight to Chief Enforcer Tyson,” I assured her. “Thanks for the help.”
Victoria headed off, and I turned to Scarlett. “What do you have planned for the rest of the day?”
“I have to go for a job interview later,” Scarlett said.
“Oh, awesome,” I replied. “What job is it for?”
“Well, hopefully I’ll be working at Loaves are in the Air, the local bakery” Scarlett said with a smile. “I’m applying to be taken on as an apprentice baker.”
“I didn’t realize you enjoy baking so much.”
“To be honest, I don’t have a lot of experience with it, and I’m not sure it’s really the right fit for me,” Scarlett said with a shrug. “But I’m old enough that I should have a career by now. Look at you, for example. You’re a year younger than I am, and you’d already climbed the corporate ladder in the human world and were so important you were willing to find a murderer to avoid missing a day of work.”
I laughed. “Well, in hindsight, I’m not sure it was healthy to have been that fixated on success.”
“Oh, it definitely wasn’t. You were just asking for a mental breakdown, and I’m really glad you decided to come live in Fairy Falls. But you had a career. You had found something you enjoyed and that you were good at. I don’t have that. I’ve been moving from dead-end job to dead-end job to dead-end job and being lucky enough to have Mom and Grandma Eva support me when I can’t quite make the rent each month. I’m tired of living like that, and I need to find something that I’d be willing to do for the rest of my life.”
“And you think baking might be that? That’s pretty cool. I certainly wouldn’t mind if it meant getting some baked goods for dessert at night.”
Scarlett laughed. “That was one of the most attractive parts of it to me, too. I’m a sucker for a good slice of chocolate cake.”
“Well in that case, good luck with your interview,” I said. “I really hope you get the job.”
“Me too,” Scarlett replied. “Fingers crossed! I’ll see you at home later.”
She gave me a quick finger wave and headed down the street towards the coffee shop. My heart swelled for Scarlett; I hoped she got the job. And I really hoped it would be a good fit for her.
As I walked down the street, I ran into Jess, a young witch who worked at the local hospital and who I had met a few days earlier while investigating the death of one of her coworkers.
“Mina!” she exclaimed when she saw me. “How lovely to see you again. Does this mean you’ve come to town permanently?”
“I have,” I replied with a smile. “I quit my job and decided to move here. It’s only been a few days, but I already feel like it’s the right choice.”
“Oh, I know it’s the right choice,” Jess said excitedly. “Congratulations. Are you learning how to use magic?”
“I am,” I said. “I learned how to make a few potions today, and Scarlett taught me some spells.”
“Great, that’s wonderful to hear,” Jess said. “I’m so glad you decided to stay in town. If you’re ever at the hospital, feel free to say hi. And if you ever have any questions about witchcraft or anything that you don’t want to ask your family for some reason, feel free to hit me up. I’m more than happy to help how I can.”
“Thank you so much,” I replied, warmth coursing through me at the kindness of Jess’s offer. “I really appreciate it.”
“Of course, not a problem. Witches of a coven have to stick together,” she replied. “I have to run, but I’ll see you around.”
I said goodbye to Jess and continued down Aphrodite Way. The collection of onlookers near the alley wher
e Renee’s body was found had disappeared, although the police tape was still up and the same Enforcer still stood in front of it, guarding the alley that was magically protected from intruders.
I looked toward it sadly, thinking about Renee. I hadn’t liked her. I couldn’t deny that. I knew now that she was going through a hard breakup and that probably hadn’t helped her mood, but she had still snapped at me quite a bit when I dropped the bottle into her potion by accident. I certainly hadn’t meant to do it. And then at The Wand and Toad she had acted completely inappropriately as far as I was concerned. But that said, I didn’t think being a mean person should be a death sentence. Besides, I’d only had two interactions with her. Maybe she wasn’t actually that bad after all.
I would never know, I supposed.
The shifter guarding the alley watched me suspiciously, so I moved past him and down Aphrodite Way. I didn’t really have anywhere to go, so I did a little bit of window shopping, looking through the shops at all the magical goodies on display.
“Excuse me,” someone said behind me, and I turned to find myself looking at a nice-looking witch with curly, light-brown hair and bright blue eyes.
“Yes?”
“You’re Mina, right? The new witch here in town?”
“That’s right,” I said, and the witch held out a hand.
“I’m Katelyn Cross,” she said, and I shook her hand. “It’s really nice to have another witch here in the coven. I always welcome new witches and wizards, and it’s so lovely to find someone new who belongs with us. I’m glad you’ve decided to come be with your paranormals.”
“Thanks,” I replied, somewhat stunned. I hadn’t expected a random witch to come over and welcome me to town.
“Can I buy you a coffee? I’d love to get to know you a little bit more.”
“Um, ok,” I replied, not one hundred percent sure about this. Was it just because I’d lived in New York where this sort of thing would never happen? Was it normal in a small town to be greeted like this? I supposed Jess had just finished telling me to come find her if I ever needed anything. Maybe I was just the one being weird.
Pawdrey followed after me, and I couldn’t help but wonder if her kitty senses were going off. After all, animals were supposed to be good judges of people, right?
CHAPTER 11
I headed towards Charmed Coffee, but Katelyn motioned in the other direction. “Come on this way,” she said, and I followed after her.
A moment later we were standing in front of a building that seemed rather modern compared to most of the others on Main Street. Floor-to-ceiling windows displayed a coffee shop inside, and a broom hung above the door below a sign reading “Brooms and Brews Coffee.”
“Well, that’s not great,” Pawdrey muttered. “Even I’ve heard of this place, and it’s nothing I’ve heard about it has been good.”
Inside, about a half dozen witches and wizards happily sipped on their coffee.
My blood ran cold. Scarlett had warned me about this place, and I stopped in my tracks.
“Come on in,” Katelyn invited me, opening the door and motioning for me to enter.
“Um, I’m not sure, actually,” I said, pausing. Scarlett had told me the witches and wizards who started Brooms and Brews had done so to create a space where only witches and wizards could congregate without having to worry about other paranormals because they believed witches and wizards were inherently better than the other species of paranormals.
I wasn’t comfortable with that idea at all, and now I was being invited into the coffee shop.
Scarlett had also told me that Grandma Eva was the one who funded Charmed Coffee so that Brooms and Brews would face competition.
A part of me wanted to be polite and go in and have coffee with Katelyn and then run away as fast as I could afterward. No one would ever have to know, after all. But if I did that, what kind of example would I be setting for myself? No, I had to be stronger than that.
“Sorry,” I said to Katelyn. “I’ve heard about what kind of place this is, and I don’t really want to associate with that.”
“Oh,” Katelyn said, letting go of the door handle and letting it swing close. “I didn’t realize. Why don’t we go to the little bistro down the street instead if you’re more comfortable there?”
“Sure,” I replied, surprised. I had half expected that if I refused to go into Brooms and Brews, Katelyn would give up on me completely. Instead, she smiled and we walked down a few stores to a small place that seemed to sell soups and sandwiches as well as coffee.
“Grab a seat, and I’ll order,” Katelyn said. “What can I get you?”
“A fresh can of tuna would be great,” Pawdrey said, but I ignored my cat.
“Just a latte, thanks,” I said with a smile. “I can pay you for it.”
Katelyn waved my arm away. “Of course not. You’re new to this coven, you’re new to town, the least I can do is treat you to a coffee.”
“Well, thanks,” I replied. I found us a small table and sat down on a surprisingly comfortable chair.
“What, so just because I can’t order something means I miss out?” Pawdrey asked as she settled herself onto my lap.
“Shh,” I said. “I’m not even sure if familiars are allowed in a place like this, so try not to get us kicked out.”
“Of course we are,” Pawdrey replied as she curled up into a ball and closed her eyes. “Familiars are allowed anywhere witches and wizards go, although in restaurants we’re not allowed on the tables. Trust me, we learn all the rules before we’re assigned to our witches.”
Well, that was good to know.
Katelyn returned a moment later and smiled at me.
“So how are you enjoying Fairy Falls so far?” she asked.
“I love it,” I replied. “Everyone has been so welcoming. It’s also nice to be in a small town, having come from the big city.”
“I bet,” Katelyn replied. “I’m glad to hear you’ve had a good reception. Witches and wizards, we have to stick together, you know? Even if you come from the human world, you’re still one of us.”
“Yeah,” I replied. “It’s been nice. How about you? What do you do here in town?”
“I work in the family business,” Katelyn replied.
“Oh, cool.”
“So have you met a lot of other paranormals?”
I shook my head. “Not really, no. Mostly witches. I did meet Chief Enforcer Tyson. She’s a dragon shifter, right?”
“That’s right,” Katelyn replied. “There’s been a big push in the community to allow witches and wizards to become Enforcers in the last few years, and that’s been going well.”
“I imagine it must be easier to solve crimes and everything if you’re able to cast spells,” I said.
“Exactly,” Katelyn replied. “Besides, shifters might be strong but they’re noticeably less intelligent than we are. It does a disservice to every paranormal town that has to rely on a shifter’s intellect to solve a crime. Like poor Renee. Did you hear about that?”
“I did,” I replied, with the first sign of alarm bells going off in my head. “Although I’ve only heard good things about Chief Enforcer Tyson.”
“Sure,” Katelyn said lightly. “She’s very good for a shifter. But you put any witch or wizard in her place and you’ll get far better results. After all, I heard you were the one who found Thomas Sage’s killer, and you’re not trained in law enforcement at all.”
“Well, it wasn’t really that I found the killer…” I started, but Katelyn cut me off.
“Even the fact that you got that close shows how witches and wizards are much better at that sort of thing than shifters. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Just then a fairy came by and dropped off our coffees. I looked up and thanked the fairy, flashing her a smile, but Katelyn didn’t even look at her. It was like the fairy was invisible.
“I’m afraid I don’t know enough about the paranormal world to make a call either way,” I replied
diplomatically. I didn’t really like where this conversation was going, frankly. I was sure there was a reason shifters were Enforcers, and Chief Enforcer Tyson had seemed perfectly intelligent and good at her job to me. I certainly didn’t think I could do a better job at it.
“Of course,” Katelyn said with a sweet smile as she took a sip of her coffee. “You can’t be expected to know these things. That’s why you have to rely on the witches of your coven to let you know how things work around here. We’re fellow witches of Venus, Mina, you and me. I can guide you in this world and let you know how things really work instead of you having to rely on the other paranormals who are either too blind or too easily manipulated to see the truth.”
I took a deep breath. I could see my mother written all over Katelyn. My mother the narcissist, who did whatever it took to convince people to do her bidding. There was a difference, though. Where my mother was openly hostile to those who didn’t do what she wanted, Katelyn had a more subtle streak of manipulation in her. She was going to pretend to be my friend to get me to believe what she wanted me to believe.
And, as my therapist had taught me, there was only one way to deal with people like this: I had to cut them off. Sever the cord. There was no other way.
“Thank you for the coffee, Katelyn,” I said, “but I think I’m going to be on my way.”
“You haven’t even touched it,” Katelyn said. “Please, stay for a bit.”
“No, I really don’t think I will,” I replied. I went to stand, but Katelyn reached forward and grabbed my arm, her eyes flashing with anger.
“The whole family told me not to try and bring you in,” she hissed, leaning in close. “They told me you’d be brainwashed by Eva into believing all that crap about paranormals all being equal. I told them they were wrong, that we could bring you into the fold and show you the real truth in the magical world and have you join us in thinking witches and wizards are superior. I guess I was wrong.”
“I guess you were,” I replied, pulling my arm away.
Hex Over Heels: A Witch Cozy Mystery (Fairy Falls Mystery Book 2) Page 6
