Hex Over Heels: A Witch Cozy Mystery (Fairy Falls Mystery Book 2)

by Samantha Silver

  A little squirrel looked over at me, chirping away for a minute before running off, dexterously bounding along the edge of the fence like it was nothing.

  A couple minutes later, Ali came rushing over, plopping herself down on the seat next to us.

  “So, how was the funeral?” she asked. “Find out anything good?”

  Scarlett and I each told our stories in turn. “How about you?” I asked. “Did you find proof Oliver was the thief or the killer?”

  “Thief, yes. Killer, no,” Ali replied. She pulled an iPad out from her tote bag and placed it on the table, tapping away. “I got into Oliver’s email account. The wizard does not know a thing about home security. Anyway, he was fired from his job recently.”

  “We heard,” I said, nodding. “He got into a fight with somebody or something like that.”

  “Exactly right,” Ali replied. “Oliver worked for a security company here in Mt. Rheanier. Basically, whenever there was an important delivery that had to be made, shifters were in charge of the actual movement of the goods while Oliver was in charge of casting any spells that were required. Invisibility so they could move the goods without being seen, defensive spells if someone tried to attack them, that sort of thing.”

  “Does that happen a lot here?” I asked with a start. “People trying to rob security trucks?”

  “No,” Ali replied. “In fact, I can only think of it happening one time in my life, and it was out east somewhere.”

  “Yeah, in Delaware, wasn’t it?” Scarlett asked. “The truck full of deadly potions?”

  “That was the one. The IPIU found them not long afterward hiding away in the mountains of Asia trying to sell them on the internet.”

  Scarlett nodded and turned to me. “It was a huge scandal at the time. It was right around when I was graduating from the Academy, and it was one of the first major uses of the internet for illicit activity, at least in the paranormal world.”

  “It was all over the papers everywhere,” Ali confirmed. “But that’s the only example I can think of. For the most part, Oliver would have just had to stand there and cast a few spells. They never would have actually been attacked.”

  “Wow, so he’d have to have been a real screwup to lose the world’s easiest job,” I replied.

  “Plus, because it’s security, it actually paid pretty well,” Ali answered. “But the emails have all of the details. His company’s HR department emailed the complaint to him, and it’s all there.”

  She turned the laptop toward us, and Scarlett and I put our heads together so we were both able to read at once.

  Complainant claims they were at the home of a client, Athan Antescu, collecting valuable paintings to be taken from his home vault to the bank in advance of an appraisal and selling of the paintings. Oliver was claimed to have cast a spell incorrectly, causing the movers to be incapable of seeing each other and resulting in a small amount of damage caused to one painting. The shifter accused Oliver of not paying attention as he was more concerned with the other items in the safe, and Oliver punched him in the face. Complainant then attacked Oliver in retaliation, and Oliver cast a spell that caused the complainant’s arms to turn into long pool noodles. Complainant had to be taken to the hospital to have the spell reversed.

  Due to the unprofessional nature of the incident, we have decided to relieve Oliver Farwood of his employment with Rheanier Security.

  “Pool noodles for arms,” Scarlett said with a chuckle. “Ok, I don’t like the guy, but I would have liked to see that.”

  “The more important bit is the client,” I said. “Athan Antescu. That’s your client whose place was robbed, right?”

  “Exactly,” Ali said, nodding. “This shows that Oliver knew what that safe had in it and he had the perfect opportunity to scope it out. Not to mention it looks like he had decided to do just that.”

  “Why didn’t Athan tell you about this?” I asked.

  “I asked him exactly that. He said he wasn’t there when the security people came by. He had his personal assistant stay and oversee the movement of the items as he was needed elsewhere on business that morning. So when he saw Oliver on the security tape, Athan had never seen him before.”

  “That makes sense,” I said, nodding. “So that’s some pretty damning evidence against him for the theft. But nothing about the murder?”

  “Unfortunately, no,” Ali replied with a shrug. “And I looked, too. Since Scarlett texted me that he was at the funeral, I figured I had a while to search his computer. Of course, I was interrupted by the Enforcers and had to leave without being spotted. Jack got his warrant faster than I’d expected. But I didn’t find any proof he killed Renee. Sorry.”

  “That’s a bit of a bummer,” Scarlett replied.

  “It is. I’ll forward a copy of this email on to Jack anonymously,” Ali said. “That should be enough for Oliver to at least be arrested again. It’ll get him off the street and make it easier to find proof if he’s the killer. Although it sounds like Simon also lied to us.”

  “Right,” I said. “I don’t like the fact that he did. It makes him seem guiltier in my mind. He’s climbed up my list. I still like Oliver for it but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was Simon instead.”

  “So you’ve written off the brother?” Ali asked, and I shook my head.

  “No. He seemed genuine about his sister’s loss but in my experience, family members can be very good at hiding their true feelings about the people they’re related to. That said, I don’t have any evidence that it was him.”

  “Alright,” Ali said, taking a big bite of banana bread and chewing for a while as she ruminated on what we’d shared. “I think Oliver is still our best suspect. He’ll be arrested, and I can pressure Jack to try and find proof he’s the killer that he can then pass on to your Chief Enforcer.”

  “Sounds good,” Scarlett said. “Keep in touch, will you? I want to find out where this thing goes. And if you ever have to do anything that involves breaking and entering, I’m always up for a good time.”

  “Oh, I meant to ask, did you find the money Oliver had stolen?”

  “Not yet,” Ali replied, shaking her head. “I’m sure it’ll show up, though. Oliver Farwood isn’t smart enough to keep it hidden for long.”

  The three of us continued to chat while we finished our coffees, then Scarlett and I headed back to Fairy Falls.

  As we were walking back, a familiar voice called out to us. I turned to see Grandma Eva walking down the street towards us.

  “Hello, witches,” she greeted us with warmth, the lines around the edges of her eyes crinkling just slightly with affection. “Scarlett, would you mind if I speak with Mina for a bit?”

  “Sure, I have to go get us some groceries anyway,” my cousin replied. “See you back at home.”

  With a quick wave, Scarlett was off, and Grandma Eva motioned for me to walk along with her down the street.

  “How have you been settling in?” she asked, and I nodded.

  “Really well, thanks,” I replied. “It’s been great. I mean, apart from Renee’s death.”

  Grandma Eva nodded solemnly. “Yes, that was really quite sad. I hope they find the guilty party. I heard you had a run-in with the Cross family already.”

  “You heard about that, did you?”

  Grandma Eva gave me a sly smile. “I have ears everywhere in this town. I assume Scarlett has already told you about them.”

  “She did,” I replied. “Katelyn tried to recruit me the other day, or whatever you want to call it. I didn’t fall for her trap, though.”

  “Yes, you seem to have a good head on your shoulders. I’m not surprised you immediately saw through her veneer of pretending to care for witches.”

  “Her mother confronted me at the wake after the funeral as well,” I said. “Margaret, is it?”

  “That’s her.”

  “She told me despite the fact I was born into this coven, I didn’t truly belong.”

  “Well, I’m
sure I don’t have to tell you how wrong she is.”

  “No, everyone else has been wonderfully welcoming.”

  “If they give you any trouble, please let me know. You won’t see me causing a disturbance in public as it’s considered quite unseemly for a business leader to be airing out their dirty laundry on Aphrodite Way like that, but my best talent as a witch is being able to work behind the scenes to cut the throats of people who wrong me.” She shot me a wink and my mouth dropped open in a mixture of surprise and admiration. That was the most badass thing I’d ever heard.

  “Wow, you’re even more awesome than I thought.”

  “Don’t tell anyone, though. That ruins the secret.”

  “I’m not sure anyone would believe me even if I did.”

  “So yes, as I said, you let me know if you have any more problems with them.”

  “Will do, thanks.”

  “And Mina?”

  “Yeah?”

  “As soon as you feel ready, I’d love to have you come on board at The Love Shack to work in our marketing department. If you’d rather find something else to do, I’m also completely willing to support you along whatever path you decide to take. If you need any sort of recommendation, I’m more than happy to supply one.”

  “Thank you so much,” I said, warmth flooding through me once more. It seemed as though at every turn someone in Fairy Falls was willing to give me a hand wherever they could. I’d never been so touched in my life.

  CHAPTER 23

  A fter the conversation with Grandma Eva, I walked back home, my mind whirling with thoughts. Who had killed Renee? We almost had too many suspects rather than not enough. Although, as much as I hated to admit it, I couldn’t really see Dylan killing his sister, especially over such a small amount of money. Twenty thousand abras couldn’t be more than five grand, and while that was a decent chunk of change, was it really enough to kill a family member over?

  I couldn’t even imagine my mother doing it over that much money. Fifty grand, maybe. But five? It was a stretch.

  Instead my thoughts turned to Simon. Not only had he lied to us about being in his office at the time of Renee’s murder but something just didn’t jive in his story. What kind of guy just gives a witch a quarter of a million abras to start an influencer business, something he – I presumed – knew nothing about? It made no sense at all.

  Oliver was still the best suspect we had. He had threatened Renee, we knew he was a criminal from the security footage of him stealing from Athan, and he was angry that she had broken up with him for being an immature, irresponsible, and abusive piece of crap.

  We just needed some actual proof.

  “How’s your murder going?” Pawdrey asked me as she settled on top of the bookshelf in the living room when I got home.

  “Not great,” I admitted. “I’ve got too many suspects and not enough evidence. How’s the cat life going?”

  “Oh, you know, a lot of napping. Although I was at the window earlier and saw another familiar cat from around town. He had a lot of tea to spill.”

  “Yeah? What’s gossip like in the cat world? Who overdosed on milk and passed out in the alley?”

  “You mock, but we have excellent rumor mills. Did you know that Katelyn Cross’s familiar, Candy, just gave birth?”

  “I did not. But if her cat is anything like the owner, I highly recommend you stay away.”

  “Oh yes, I’ve heard Candy is quite the awful cat. But anyway, Candy has been in a long-term relationship with another wizard’s familiar, Ryan Tyfon. So all the local cats assumed Ryan was the father of her litter. Only, when she gave birth, two of the kittens were cinnamon colored.”

  “So?” I asked, not understanding.

  “So, Ryan and Candy are both black cats.”

  Understanding dawned upon me as I thought back to tenth-grade science class. “And let me guess, in cats the black gene is dominant?”

  “It certainly is,” Pawdrey replied. “Which means there’s no way Ryan can be the father of those kittens. Candy is a pure-bred tabby with every cat in her family going back ten generations being purely black.”

  “Well, that is a good scandal,” I said.

  “Exactly. I want to go see the kittens myself; it’s too bad Candy has now shut herself up in Katelyn’s home and refuses to see anyone. I suppose there’s no way you’d be willing to visit Katelyn and just happen to bring me along with you?” my familiar asked, and I could have sworn she fluttered her eyelashes at me.

  “Uh-uh. No way, absolutely not,” I replied firmly. “I’m not going near that witch if I don’t have to. You’re going to have to get your fill of drama elsewhere.”

  “You never let me do anything fun,” Pawdrey grumbled.

  “You can do fun things that don’t require me to get anywhere near Katelyn Cross,” I replied as the front door opened. Scarlett was home. She came into the kitchen carrying a couple of large cloth bags filled with food, and I immediately jumped up to help her put the groceries away.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked as soon as I saw her face. The normally cheerful Scarlett was pale with her trademark smile gone.

  “I got a phone call while I was out,” she replied, “from the manager of the bakery.”

  “Oh no, it didn’t go well?”

  “He said he really liked me and that he wanted to hire me but that with the uncertainty around Renee’s death, he just couldn’t take a chance on a person that everyone in town thought was a suspect. He said he didn’t need customers worrying that I was going to poison their food.”

  “I’m so sorry,” I replied. “What did you say to that?”

  “I told him that Renee was stabbed, not poisoned. I don’t think it helped.”

  “No, I don’t imagine that would have. I’m really sorry, Scarlett.”

  “It’s just so frustrating,” she said, pounding the counter with her fist. Tears welled up in her eyes. “I was really hoping I’d get that job, and now it’s being taken away because people think I might be a killer. All because Renee decided to take offense to the fact that we picked a place she liked to eat to go celebrate your first potions lesson. It’s just not fair.”

  “It’s not fair,” I said, walking over and taking her into a hug. Scarlett pressed her face into my shoulder. “It’s not fair, and we’re going to fix it. Besides, it might be a blessing in disguise. Do you really want someone who would believe you could be a murderer as your boss?”

  “That’s true,” Scarlett admitted. “Still, what happens if it’s not just him? What if no one is willing to hire me to do anything because they think I’m a killer?”

  “Well, we just have to make sure the case gets solved before it becomes a long-term issue,” I replied. “Why don’t you work at The Love Shack? Surely Grandma Eva would give you a job.”

  “Yeah, she would. In fact, she has in the past. When I just graduated from the Academy, we both thought I might take over the business from her since my mom has no real interest in it at all, but it turns out I have the business acumen of a potato. Besides, I decided that despite having the Sornik name,I wanted to do something for myself, you know? I just haven’t figured out what that something is.”

  “Yeah, I can understand that,” I said. I had always been driven to make a name for myself, and I imagined it would feel different if I had done it working for a family business where people would always think I’d been born into it rather than having earned it.

  “I just thought this might finally be the place for me, you know? Everyone else I know is settled into their careers, and I feel like I’m floundering and just when I had an opportunity I thought might have been right, it was taken away from me due to people thinking I’m guilty of a crime I didn’t commit.”

  A couple of errant tears dripped from Scarlett’s eyes onto her cheeks, and she wiped them angrily away. “We have to find this killer, Mina. I don’t want this hanging over me for the rest of my life.”

  “We will,” I promised her. “We�
��ve got some suspects; we just need proof. But you know what you need first? Ice cream.”

  I pulled out a tub of Ben and Jerry’s – I supposed even paranormals needed the best comfort food brands from the human world – and tossed it to her before grabbing a spoon from the drawer.

  “I think that would make me feel better,” Scarlett admitted as she took the spoon from me. “Thanks.”

  “Hey, what are cousins for?”

  I stretched out on the sectional part of the couch while Scarlett leaned back on the other end and put her feet up on the coffee table. “You know what? Screw him. You’re right. If a boss is willing to let a pesky little rumor make his hiring decisions for him, then I probably don’t want to work there after all.”

  “There you go,” I said. “Know your worth. There’s probably plenty of other places in the paranormal world that would be willing to hire you doing the same sort of thing.”

  “I know,” Scarlett said. “I don’t want to travel, though. I like this town. I like living here, and I know the people here. I want to stay in this place that I know. My problem is I haven’t figured out my calling just yet.”

  “Well, I’m sure you’ll figure it out. You’re not even thirty. Life’s not a sprint,” I told her.

  “Thanks for saying that even though you’ve almost reached the finish line already,” Scarlett replied. “Grandma Eva says you were quite the big deal in your job in the human world.”

  “Sure, but you know, the more time I spend here in Fairy Falls, the more I realize how much there was to life that I missed, how much I never really experienced because I always had my nose in a book or a phone to my ear trying to land the next client. I think I’m coming to realize that in life there has to be a balance, and when I was in New York, the scales were certainly tipped one way.”