Halloween Witch Cozy Mystery Ten Book Set

by Amelia Morgan

  Meg made a wisecrack. “He doesn’t know the half of it. Connor thinks you are as cute as can be. Then again, he has never heard you talk like you own the place.”

  “It’s not just talk. I do own this place.”

  Meg laughed. “Have you ever heard of humility?”

  Penelope snickered. “Cats don’t have any use for humility. They are too busy being the center of the universe.”

  Meg folded her arms. “Center of the universe?”

  “You heard me. Come on, are you really going to pretend like I don’t own this joint?”

  Meg smirked, which prompted Penelope to wonder what was going on inside her head.

  “Meg, what are you thinking?”

  “That it is time for you to get a reality check.”

  Meg then cast a laser-pointer spell that projected a red dot on the wall that she could control by moving her index finger.

  As a cat, Penelope was helpless to resist chasing after the red dot as Meg moved her finger back and forth in a random fashion.

  Meg teased Penelope. “What were you saying about owning this joint?”

  Penelope was quick to complain. “This isn’t fair. You know laser pointers are impossible to resist.”

  “Why do you think I cast that spell?” Meg joked.

  “Fine. I’m sorry for breaking up your romantic moment. Now, will you stop it with the laser pointer?”

  Meg ended the spell, which gave Penelope a chance to relax.

  “Apology accepted,” Meg replied.

  Meg then began walking back towards her bedroom.

  Penelope, exhausted from all the running around, started to pant. “How about a little water here?”

  Meg cast a spell that conjured up a bowl of cold water.

  Penelope’s eyes widened. “That’s what I’m talking about.”

  Meg continued walking away.

  Penelope took a few licks of the water then muttered to herself. “Who is the center of the universe now?”

  Meg replied from the other room. “I heard that.”

  “You heard it, but can you dispute it?” Penelope asked.

  At that point, all Meg could do was laugh.

  Chapter Three

  The next day Meg was halfway through her morning shift at the donut shop when she received an unexpected phone call from her mother. At first, Meg was in no hurry to answer. It wasn’t the first time her mother had called her shortly before her shift was due to begin. Typically, when that happened, her mother was calling to notify her that she was running late.

  Meg had a feeling that history was repeating itself. She prayed that was not the case. As Meg picked up the phone, she expected her mom to be grumpy. Her mother was notoriously groggy in the morning. She had rarely met a person who hated getting up early quite as much as her mom did.

  It made quite a delicious irony that Beth owned a donut shop, one of the rare businesses where work began long before the sun came up. Of course, her mom’s late-rising tendencies were why Meg found herself scheduled for the morning shift more often than not.

  With those thoughts weighing heavy on her mind, Meg eased her way into the conversation.

  “Morning, Mom. Is everything okay?” Meg asked.

  Beth replied on the other end of the phone line with a frantic tone. “No, not at all.”

  The sense of panic in Beth’s voice stunned Meg. Her mother hadn’t just woken up groggy that morning. Something serious was going on.

  Meg became deeply worried. “What’s wrong?”

  “You need to come to Richard Dotson’s house right now.”

  Meg hated being in the dark. “Why? What’s going on?”

  Beth’s reply was chilling. “Richard is dead.”

  ***

  Meg left the donut shop in the hands of one of her coworkers then rushed over to Richard’s Victorian-style house on Ogilvy Avenue. She parked her sedan in the driveway then darted to the garage where her mother was standing over Richard’s body.

  “I called Connor. He’s on his way over,” Meg said.

  Talk about an awful sight. Richard’s body was facedown on the ground. A wire was around his neck. He had clearly been strangled. What an awful way to go.

  Meg put her arms around her mother to try to comfort her, but comfort was the last thing on either of their minds. Beth wiped tears from her eyes as she began to sob.

  “I’m so sorry,” Meg said.

  Beth mournfully relayed the events that had led to her discovering the body. “When he didn’t show up to meet me for breakfast, I knew something was wrong.” She took a deep breath. “Who am I kidding? I knew something was wrong yesterday at the donut shop, but he didn’t want to tell us about it. I should have tried harder to get him to open up to us.”

  “Mom, you did all you could.”

  “I know that’s what you’re supposed to say, but it doesn’t make me feel any better.”

  “He wasn’t ready to talk to us yesterday.”

  “I know all that, but it doesn’t change what happened.”

  While Beth was filled with regret, Meg was still trying to put the pieces together.

  “What did happen this morning?” Meg asked. “I mean, why did you decide to drive over here?”

  “I called Richard from the restaurant to see if he was running late. When he didn’t pick up the phone, I got the worst feeling in my gut. I went back to my car and cast a locator spell. That was when I realized that he was here. But that wasn’t all. Curiously enough, according to the locator spell, he was stationary. That didn’t sit well with me, so I drove over here. That was when I spotted him on the ground.”

  “Again, I’m so sorry that this happened.”

  Beth’s shock had far from worn off. “I just don’t get it. He was such a sweet man. Who could have done something so awful to him?”

  Meg shook her head. “I don’t know.”

  Beth was at the whim of her emotions, which were all over the map. At that moment, she found herself consumed by anger. A look of great resolve emerged on her face which was followed by a deadly serious declaration that was directed at her daughter.

  “You need to find out,” Beth said.

  The speed at which her mother’s emotions had swung from shock to grief to anger had left Meg with a feeling of emotional whiplash.

  Meg tried to make sense of it all. After all, people were known to say some crazy things in times of great emotional turmoil. “Mom—”

  There was no hesitation in Beth’s voice as she spoke up again. “Meg, you heard me. I want you to find out who did this. Richard deserves justice.”

  Meg didn’t disagree. Her only confusion was with her mother. With almost all of the prior murder case that Meg had taken on, her mom had been the first person to urge her to stay on the sidelines. Meg understood her mother’s concern. Investigating was a dangerous job.

  If that wasn’t bad enough, playing amateur sleuth also made it difficult to keep Meg’s identity as a witch secret. At the same time, the fact that Meg was a spell-casting witch gave her a distinct advantage over the authorities.

  Given their history of clashing heads over this exact topic, Meg was surprised that her mother had done an about-face. That sudden change needed addressing.

  “But you are the one who is always telling me not to investigate any more murders,” Meg said.

  Beth couldn’t deny that. She didn’t even try. Instead, she had made a special exception in her mind. “This case is too important to leave to the authorities. Richard’s killer has to pay for what they did to him.”

  Beth wouldn’t get any argument from her daughter.

  “I agree,” Meg said.

  “So you’ll investigate his murder, then?”

  Meg nodded. “I won’t stop until I find out who did this.”

  “Good,” Beth said.

  Chapter Four

  Before Meg’s detective boyfriend arrived at Richard’s house, she cast a quick spell that gave her eagle-eyed vision. This e
nhanced sight would enable Meg to scan the garage, driveway, and front yard of the property very quickly and with great detail in hopes of discovering a piece of evidence. Unfortunately, even with the help of a spell, she was unable to discover anything incriminating at the scene of the crime that would be of use to solving this case.

  Meg tried not to get discouraged. After all, she had just begun her investigation. There was no telling what evidence might turn up as she dug deeper and began questioning suspects. Besides, she needed to remain strong, not just for her mother, but because it would require great resolve to solve a case like this.

  A few minutes later, Connor’s car pulled into the driveway. The detective was joined shortly after by the medical examiner and a forensics team. While Connor’s team went to work dusting for fingerprints and searching for whatever evidence they could find, the detective extended his sympathies to Beth and Meg.

  Seeing how much anguish Beth was experiencing, Connor took a very brief statement from her before letting her go on her way. Meg could tell that her mother was in no shape to drive so she decided to give her a lift home. On the ride back to Beth’s house, Meg’s mother kept looking like there was something she wanted to say, but she couldn’t find the words. With her tongue tied, Beth stared long and hard out the window.

  Things didn’t get much better when Meg reached her mother’s place. Meg prepared a cup of tea for her mom, but Beth eschewed it in favor of a glass of wine. Unfortunately, Meg found herself in a difficult position. There was no denying that casework was calling, but it would have to wait a few minutes. Meg just didn’t feel comfortable leaving her mother alone in this state.

  Beth’s emotions were just so raw. As the shock faded away, no doubt it would be replaced with more grief. That was exactly what Meg was afraid of. Where did the downward spiral stop? Could it even be stopped if Beth was left alone? Meg didn’t know the answer to either of those questions.

  As Beth got up to pour herself a second glass of wine, she saw the concern in her daughter’s eyes. That prompted Beth to worry about a different matter entirely.

  “Shouldn’t you be out investigating?” Beth asked.

  Meg nodded. “Yes.”

  “Then why aren’t you?”

  “I’m not sure it’s the best idea to leave you alone right now.”

  “I can’t disagree with that.”

  “Don’t you see my dilemma?” Meg asked.

  Beth shook her head. “No. There is no dilemma. Don’t worry about me—”

  “It’s too late for that.”

  “I can take care of myself. You need to focus on this case. Not just for my sake, but for Richard’s.”

  For that moment at least, resolve had returned to Beth’s face.

  Meg stared long and hard into her mother’s eyes then took a deep breath. “In that case, I have a lot of work to do.”

  “Good luck.”

  “Thanks, I’ll need it.”

  Beth opened her arms, gave her daughter a hug, and whispered in her ear.

  “I know you can do this,” Beth said.

  An idea popped into Meg’s mind that had the potential to break this case wide open. “I know a way you can help.”

  Beth’s eyes widened. “Let’s hear it.”

  Chapter Five

  Most spells were easy enough to cast alone, but some were too powerful and unwieldy to pull off without assistance. That was where Beth came in. Meg brought her mother into the living room where they sat down across from each other. They closed their eyes and devoted all of their focus to chanting. Slowly and repeatedly, they went through the steps to cast a séance spell.

  It was a draining spell, one that could only be maintained for a short window of time. If they were able to pull this off, they couldn’t afford to waste a single moment. Shortly after beginning their chant, a glowing blue ball of light appeared between them. Within that ball of light, the spirit of Richard Dotson emerged.

  Richard looked confused as he spotted Beth and Meg.

  “Beth, is that you?” Richard asked.

  Since the spell required deep focus to maintain, only one of the witches was able to speak, or the spell could be broken. As Richard was one of Beth’s oldest friends, Meg remained quiet and used all of her energy to keep the spell going while her mother did all the talking.

  Beth nodded and responded to her old friend. “Richard, it’s so good to see you again.”

  “What is happening?”

  “I know this might be hard for you to believe, but Meg and I are witches, and we have cast a séance spell in order to ask you a few questions about your murder.”

  “Yesterday, that would have been impossible for me to believe. Today, it is probably the least surprising thing to have happened to me,” Richard replied.

  “I’m so sorry about what happened.”

  “Trust me. No one is sorrier than I am.”

  “We wish we could change what happened. Even though we can’t do that, there is something we can do,” Beth said. “I just want you to know we’re not going to stop until we bring your killer to justice.”

  Richard looked extremely touched by the gesture. “Thank you.”

  “Don’t thank us yet. We could really use your help.”

  Richard appeared confused. “My help? But what do you think I can do in the state I’m in?”

  Beth was far more confident than he was. “More than you think. I am hoping that you can close this case right now.”

  “How?”

  “Well, didn’t you see who killed you?”

  Richard shook his head. “No.”

  Beth became deflated. “Oh.”

  “The killer snuck up behind me and strangled me with the wire. I tried to free myself, but it was no use. I lost consciousness pretty quickly. When I finally opened my eyes again, I was here,” Richard said.

  Beth gritted her teeth.

  “I know. Not quite the answer you were looking for,” Richard said.

  “So you didn’t see anything at all that could help identify the killer?”

  Richard shook his head.

  Beth tried again. “Did you hear anything at all?”

  “Unfortunately not. Sorry.”

  Beth bit the corner of her lip.

  “Like I said, I’m not sure I can be of much help to you.”

  Beth didn’t lose all hope. “I’m still pretty sure that you can.”

  “How?”

  “I just need you to answer a few questions for us.”

  Richard was still not convinced, but he went along with her request. “Okay, fire away.”

  “Were you having problems with anyone recently?”

  Richard nodded. “I was having all kinds of problems.”

  Beth’s interest was piqued. “With who?”

  “Take your pick. In the last few days, there didn’t seem to be any member of my family that I wasn’t at odds with in some way or another.”

  “Your kids were giving you trouble, then?” Beth asked.

  “It wasn’t just them. It was Bridget, too.”

  “Can you be more specific?”

  It finally seemed like some important progress was going to be made. Unfortunately, just before Beth was able to get the break she had been looking for, Meg’s energy level reached a dangerous low. The séance was just too draining for her to maintain. Her grasp on the spell completely slipped.

  Before Beth was able to get any additional information, the sphere of blue light disappeared, taking Richard’s spirit with it. Beth couldn’t help but be frustrated by how abruptly the séance had ended.

  That being said, her irritation was soon replaced by deep concern as she saw the toll that the spell had taken on her daughter. Meg’s body became as limp as a rag doll. Beth was worried that her daughter was about to pass out. This called for desperate measures.

  Beth wasn’t about to let her daughter fall unconscious. She sprang into action and cast a spell that sent a jolt of energy Meg’s way. It worked. A sud
den burst of energy coursed through Meg’s body, revitalizing her before she slipped out of consciousness.

  Beth was thankful to have averted potential disaster. She breathed a long sigh of relief. Meg followed shortly after with a few deep breaths of her own. With all the frantic activity that had just transpired, both Beth and Meg needed to take a few moments to calm themselves down.

  Once Meg had caught her breath, she expressed her remorse over letting the séance spell slip away from her.

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t hold the spell any longer,” Meg said.

  Beth responded with compassion. “Don’t apologize. You did everything you could.”

  Meg kept beating herself up. “It still wasn’t enough. If I had been able to hold it just a little bit longer, we could have gotten some incredible leads.”

  “You also could have gotten into some serious trouble. Who knows what would have happened if you had passed out?”

  “You’re right.”

  “Of course I’m right. I’m your mother.”

  Meg chuckled then found her mind drifting again. “If only we could cast the spell again, just for a few more seconds.”

  “You know we can’t do that. Neither of us has the energy to pull that off.”

  “I know we can’t do it, but that doesn’t stop me from wishing that we could.”

  “Put that out of your mind. There is so much to be done that we don’t have time to think about things that we wish we could do.”

  Meg couldn’t deny that her mother was making a lot of sense.

  “So true,” Meg said.

  Even though Beth had just urged her daughter to stop wishing for things that they had no control over, she ended up falling into that same trap herself.

  “If only Richard had gotten a look at his killer,” Beth replied.

  “You’re telling me. This would be an open-and-shut case,” Meg said.

  “You’ve never had one of those before.”

  “Apparently, I’m not going to start now.”

  Beth blew off some steam with a joke. “Of course not. That would too easy, right?”