“It’s the least I could do for a friend,” Meg said.
Liz pulled back from the hug and shook her head. “No. You did the most amazing thing. I’m almost speechless.”
Meg raised her eyebrow. “Almost?”
Liz bit the corner of her lip. “I’m a born motor-mouth. The only way I’d be totally speechless is if I lost my voice.”
Meg laughed.
Liz continued. “Anyway, I can’t thank you enough.”
“The smile on your face is all the thanks I need.”
“Here, I was thinking of repaying you with a spa day—on me.”
Meg’s eyes lit up. “Of course, I won’t turn down a little pampering.”
Liz chuckled. “That got your attention, didn’t it?”
“No other words get my attention as quickly as ‘free’ and ‘spa.’”
“How about chocolate?”
Meg stood corrected. So much for her donut cravings. They were quickly replaced by a strong yearning for chocolate. Her taste buds clamored for a truffle at the mere mention of chocolate. “Now you’re really talking.”
Liz looked out with longing. “I could really go for a double chocolate cupcake right now. Or, a hot fudge sundae. Then again, why choose when I can have one of each?”
Meg got wrapped up in the chocolate fever. “Are you trying to drive me nuts, here?”
“A couple minutes ago, I was staring down the prospect of serious jail time. I can’t help it if I want to indulge in one of the simple pleasures of life.”
“I’m right with you.”
“So, what do you say to going on a chocolate bender?”
Meg smiled. “My mouth is watering already.”
***
After spending the afternoon going chocolate wild with Liz, Meg closed out the day by heading over to Connor Smith’s house. Unlike their previous dates, this one had a twist. In the past, Connor had taken her to dinner at one of the local restaurants, then out to the movies. He’d never offered to make dinner himself before—until now.
This could be a serious treat. At the same time, it could also prove treacherous to her taste buds. The problem was, she had no idea what to expect. Connor never talked about cooking, at least not meals he made himself. He spent plenty of time complimenting her pastries.
Meg remained cautiously optimistic while she sat at his dining room table. She kept reminding herself of the old saying about how it was the thought that counted most. That was no consolation to her nerves. They were acting up like crazy. She decided to make small talk to distract from her nerves.
“What a day, huh?” she asked.
“I’ll say. As exciting as the morning was, I’m hoping tonight is even more memorable,” he replied.
Meg crossed her fingers.
Connor certainly seemed confident. That was a promising sign. Or, perhaps he was just trying to put on a good face.
Meg had to give him credit for this; he was at least trying. She’d dated a number of men in the past, but this was the first that had actually cooked for her. It sounded crazy when she repeated that again in her mind. It probably shouldn’t have. In the age of the microwave, it was rare to be able to find a man that knew his way around the kitchen. To Meg’s last three boyfriends, if a meal took more than five minutes to heat up, it wasn’t worth bothering with. Come to think of it, that was just another reason why those men were her ex-boyfriends.
Before Meg got too deep into thought, the moment of truth arrived. She heard a ding coming from Connor’s stove.
Her nerves flared up once again. She kept worrying that the meal would turn out to be a dud. Not only would it be tough for her to stomach, but it would break Connor’s heart.
That’s when she made a promise to herself. She became determined not to let anything spoil her boyfriend’s romantic gesture. After all, she wanted more things like this to happen, not less. There was one way to guarantee the meal would turn out wonderfully.
Meg had a spell at her disposal that could mask the taste of any food. All she had to do was repeat the word ‘delectamentum’ under her breath three times, and the dinner would be a resounding success.
She was torn. It was one thing to cast spells to get her friend off a murder charge; it was another to do it in her romantic life. The problem was, if she cast this spell, she’d find herself on a slippery slope. What was to stop her from casting another spell to get out of her next sticky situation? A line needed to be drawn somewhere. The question was, where?
If she wanted to find a genuine love and lead a genuine life, she had to trust people, especially those closest to her. That’s when she made her decision. For better or worse, Meg decided to lay off casting the taste-masking spell and pray for the best from Connor’s meal.
Just then, Connor opened the stove door and pulled out dinner. Meg was immediately greeted by aromatic delight. The smell of mashed potatoes and savory beef were unmistakable. Connor hadn’t just cooked her a meal; he’d made a comfort food special—shepherd’s pie.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
Meg’s eyes lit up. “You remembered.”
Shepherd’s pie was Meg’s all-time favorite dish. It had been that way ever since she was a kid. This meal suddenly took on greater meaning, not just because he’d decided to make her favorite dish, but also because after ten years away, he even remembered how much she liked it.
“Of course. How could I forget?”
“You realize my expectations are sky high now, don’t you?”
“I’m a detective. You know I like a good challenge.”
“All right.”
Connor plated the pie, then served her, waiting anxiously for her to take a bite.
“So?” he asked.
She hesitated before answering, trying to let what she just tasted sink in.
“I can’t believe it,” Meg replied.
Connor furrowed his brow. “Wait, what? Is that a good or bad thing?”
She smiled. “This is like comfort food heaven.”
“Really?”
Meg nodded. “It’s amazing. I haven’t had shepherd’s pie this good since I was a kid.”
“You don’t have to sound so surprised.”
She chuckled. “How could I not be? I’ve never expressed any interest in cooking before.”
“That’s because I don’t have any interest—except this meal.”
“Wait a minute. Are you saying--?”
“I had your mom teach me this one meal specifically so I could cook it for you.”
“You really did all that for me?”
He nodded. “You’re not the only one who is full of surprises.”
“The biggest surprise is how you got my mom to keep a secret,” Meg joked.
Connor laughed. “That’s a surprise even to me.”
“Do you have any other surprises up your sleeve?”
“You’ll just have to stick around and find out.”
She smiled. “I can’t wait.”
Connor got caught up gazing into her eyes. He then pointed at her plate. “Eat up. I wouldn’t want your food to get cold.”
“You’re right. Just one thing first,” she said.
“What’s that?”
Meg leaned in and gave Connor a deep kiss.
“Thanks for being the best,” she said.
Connor smiled. “Trust me, the pleasure is all mine.”
The End.
Killer Twist
Prologue
Meg Walton’s life would never be the same. How could it be, after what had happened? More importantly, what she’d lost. A few years ago, it seemed impossible for there ever to be a murder in her sleepy hometown of Enchanted Bay. Now, dead bodies were becoming frighteningly common. Even worse, the latest murder to rock the town hit her on a deeply personal level.
She didn’t just know the victim. It was one of her oldest friends. Meg couldn’t believe her eyes. The shame of it was, Meg’s friend was only thirty-three years old. She had
her whole life ahead of her. After years of struggling, things were finally starting to look up for her friend, and then this happened.
The more Meg went over it in her head, the more it didn’t seem real, but rather more like a nightmare she couldn’t seem to wake up from. Yet she could pinch herself all she wanted, it would do her no good. There was no escaping the facts, nor the grief. She kept asking herself how this could have happened, and who could have done such a horrible thing?
The answer was surprising. For such a kind woman, she too often found herself surrounded by sharks. It took a cold-blooded killer to cut her life so tragically short. The question was, who did she run afoul of? Unfortunately, there were plenty of suspects, each with ample motive.
It was hard for Meg to get control of her feelings. A tug of war was going on inside her. She was equal parts devastated and enraged. Those conflicting emotions were wreaking havoc on her.
She was also just as torn about where to go from here. Part of her wanted to leave this case to the police. Another part of her made her feel like she had a duty to do everything in her power to bring the killer to justice. She happened to have some insider information, not to mention, a few hunches.
Finally, she made her decision. Despite her grief, Meg’s gut instinct was telling her that she couldn’t just stand idly by. She wouldn’t be able to rest until the murderer was behind bars.
At the same time, cracking this case wouldn’t be easy. There was no doubt; Meg would have her hands full. It was a good thing she had her witch powers to help her out.
Chapter One
One Day Earlier
“Is your friend looking for trouble, or does she just have a knack for finding it without even trying?” Detective Connor Smith asked.
That was hardly the welcome Meg expected when her boyfriend came into her donut shop that morning. Cops were often grumpy before their first donut, but Connor was usually an exception to that rule. What had gotten under his normally thick skin?
She almost didn’t want to ask. If something had bent him this out of shape, it would no doubt get on her nerves as well. At the same time, relationships were about taking the good with the bad. It was the whole “for better or for worse” principle.
Still, there was nothing wrong with starting a conversation with an old-fashioned “hello” or “how are you doing?” With the usual pleasantries nowhere to be found, Meg decided to address Connor’s concern. Unfortunately, she had no idea what it was.
Meg shrugged her shoulders. “What are you talking about?”
Connor set a copy of that morning’s newspaper down in front of her. “Your friend Sabrina Beckett sure knows how to stoke the flames of controversy.”
Meg looked down at the headline of the front page of the paper: Award-winning local author teases scandalous next book.
Uh oh.
Meg’s friend, Sabrina Beckett, had mentioned she was looking to drum up some advanced publicity for her second novel, but she’d been coy about the details. The novel itself was far from hitting the shelves; she’d just recently finished the manuscript, but Sabrina was making a rare visit back from San Francisco because the mayor of Enchanted Bay was presenting her with a sort of hometown hero award for extraordinary achievement by a local.
Never mind that she was no longer a resident. The fact that she’d once lived here was enough to honor her in the mayor’s eyes. In most towns, things like this didn’t happen, but since Enchanted Bay was hardly on the general public’s radar, the fact that Sabrina had set her first novel in her former hometown was a reason to celebrate.
Meg knew the book would cause a stir when it came out, but since Sabrina hadn’t even submitted it to her publisher yet, Meg figured there would be plenty of time before the tsunami of controversy swept into town. She couldn’t have been more wrong.
“Connor, calm down and have a donut,” Meg urged, scrambling to grab a chocolate-glazed one as quickly as she could.
Connor scoffed. “You think I can be calm at a time like this?” He picked up the paper and read an excerpt from Sabrina’s interview. “I just finished my next book. It’s about a scandalous, rich family in a small town with tons of skeletons in their closet. This book is going to blow the lid off their secrets. It’s going to be completely scathing.”
Meg tried one more distraction tactic. “Chocolate-glazed, your favorite.”
Even the allure of chocolate wasn’t enough to keep Connor from ranting. “This book is about the Treadwell’s, isn’t it?”
That was the very question Meg had been loathing, especially since the answer was a resounding yes. Meg had been lucky enough to convince Sabrina to let her read an early draft of the manuscript. It was the kind of coup only one of Sabrina’s oldest friends could pull off. As far as Meg knew, no one else had read a word of the book.
The novel itself was full of scandal. The events in the book were fictionalized, of course, but anyone that was familiar with the Treadwell’s would know exactly who the characters in the story were all based on. The book would surely draw the ire of Enchanted Bay’s most powerful family, but Sabrina didn’t seem to care. Oddly enough, she almost welcomed it.
The Treadwell’s were a dynasty in town, not just because of their family riches, but also because they were the largest employer in the county. The Treadwell baby food packaging plant was located on the outskirts of town. Nearly one out of every ten people in town worked there.
Vikki Treadwell ran the show. She wasn’t just the matriarch of the family; she was also the founder and CEO of the company. While she was hard at work running one of the largest independently-owned baby food companies in the country, her children were living spoiled trust fund lives, with all the sense of entitlement and lack of responsibility that often came with that title.
There had been suspicions for years that the Treadwell family frequently operated outside of the law. As yet, the local authorities had not been able to prove anything. That only emboldened the Treadwell’s even more. They were the kind of family that thought rules didn’t apply to them.
Over the years, there had been a number of stories about the Treadwell children lying, cheating, and stealing. To this day, they remained only rumors. The fact was, there were very few problems in life money couldn’t solve. The Treadwell’s had plenty of hush money to spare.
The greatest irony was that the Treadwell’s prided themselves on being a family-friendly company, yet were doing some decidedly family-unfriendly things behind the scenes. Sabrina’s novel threatened to expose these misdeeds.
Meg could see why her boyfriend was worked up, but thought it was important to remind him of one detail.
“It’s a novel. By definition, it’s fiction,” Meg said.
Connor didn’t buy it. “Sabrina used to be a maid at the Treadwell’s mansion. So even though this book was written under the veil of being all fiction, I’ll bet she sprinkled a number of facts in as well.”
Meg had tried her best to keep Connor from blowing his top but had failed miserably. He was too smart to believe her understatements. It was clear he wouldn’t give up until he discovered the truth, so she decided to lay it on him.
Meg sighed. “You don’t know the half of it.”
Connor furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”
“I begged Sabrina to let me read a rough draft of her manuscript. This book is a doozy.”
“I was right then. It’s about the Treadwell’s, isn’t it?”
Meg nodded. “It’s based on them, all right.”
Connor groaned. “This is going to be trouble. Sabrina should watch out. I would not want to get on the bad side of that family.”
“I’ll be sure to tell her that when I meet up with her for drinks tonight.”
“You too have some fun.”
“That’s the plan.
“You can tell me all about it on our date tomorrow.”
“I’m already looking forward to it.”
“Anyway, I should be heading off
to the station. Can I get another donut for the road?” he asked.
“What kind of a cop would you be if you could stop at just one donut?” she joked.
He laughed. “I don’t know. And I don’t want to find out.”
Meg bagged up another donut for Connor.
“Have I told you that you’re the best?” Connor asked.
“You’re just saying that because I’m giving you free donuts,” she replied, playfully.
Connor leaned over the counter and kissed her. “I’m saying it because the time I spend with you is always the highlight of my day.”
“That’s so sweet. Then again, you spend the majority of your day around criminals, so I’d hope the time you spend with me would be better than that.”
“Good point.”
He gave her another kiss.
“Have a good day,” Connor continued.
“I spend my day around pastries. What could be better?” Meg replied.
Chapter Two
The first thing Meg noticed when she met up with her friend at Giuseppe’s Ristorante was the trophy on the table beside Sabrina.
“Looks like someone had a good day,” Meg said.
Sabrina turned around, spotted Meg, then immediately got up and gave her old friend a hug. She looked giddy to see Meg. Sabrina was a bookish, tall, slender woman with jet-black, shoulder-length hair, bangs, black-rimmed glasses, and an angular face.
They had known each other since kindergarten and had been through the highs and lows of grade school, middle school, and high school together. Like most of the locals, Meg always assumed Sabrina would stay in town. Instead, she followed her literary dreams to San Francisco. Now, they mostly kept in touch over text message and social media. Digital communication was all nice and good, but nothing compared to the increasingly old school face-to-face interaction.
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