by Linnea West
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Other Books in the Series
About the Author
Copyright
Chapter One
“You’ve got one fog under your belt now, so this one shouldn’t be so bad.”
Maggie turned to look at Esmeralda, wondering if she was joking. Ever since the first paranormal fog where Maggie had become aware and found out she was a witch, she had been dreading the next one. Sure, she was able to do a little bit of magic, and sure, she had her mother to help her out, but the anxiety was killing her. Esmeralda had noticed and that was why they were on this walk downtown in the first place.
“I mean, this time I won’t have to explain the whole process to you,” Esmeralda said, noticing the silence. “The first time was hard because I had to explain the fog, the witch thing, teach you some magic, and we had to solve a murder. This time should be a bit easier.”
Maggie’s stomach flip-flopped. She didn’t think it was going to be easier, especially because Esmeralda had been going on and on about how she thought Grimwood Valley had a death problem. For the past few months, a dead body had turned up each month during the fog. Last month was the first time that it was a definite murder.
“I suppose,” Maggie said, feeling like she had to say something to her mother. She didn’t want to say much more because she could feel her voice shaking.
Maggie’s eyes started to cloud over with tears and a sniffle escaped. She couldn’t help it and no matter how hard she tried to push back the tears, they wouldn’t budge. Her breath was a bit ragged as she tried to stop her racing thoughts.
At thirty years old, she had expected she would have some high-powered job, maybe a family. But here she was back in Grimwood Valley living with her mother the witch. She had no job besides her job of magically protecting Grimwood Valley from itself, but she couldn’t exactly tell anyone about that.
Suddenly she felt Esmeralda’s hand in hers. She looked down at it and Esmeralda gave her hand a squeeze. Maggie’s anxiety wasn’t exactly a secret. In fact at some points in the past, she had struggled to even leave the house. Her mother said she should consider this an achievement and while Maggie was excited to push her boundaries because she knew it was good for her, she was also rightfully terrified.
“Stop here for a moment,” Esmeralda said.
Maggie stopped and turned to face her mother, who took both of Maggie’s hands in her own. She gave them a little squeeze. Esmeralda was a small, round woman with long, black curls. She could have looked downright glamorous, but Esmeralda preferred a witch sort of look, leaning into her status as a witch by dressing in long, bohemian layers. Now Maggie understood that Esmeralda dressed like that as a sort of wink to her secret.
“We are going to take a deep breath together,” Esmeralda said. “We need to go into this fog more relaxed. You are vibrating with tension. Ready? Inhale.”
Shutting her eyes, Maggie took a big breath in and released it slowly. Taking deep breaths wasn’t magic, but it sort of felt that way sometimes. It helped to quiet her mind for a little while. When she opened her eyes, her mother’s hazel eyes were twinkling back at her.
“Better?” Esmeralda asked with a smile.
Maggie nodded, trying not to feel too silly about being a thirty year old woman holding hands with her mother in broad daylight. There weren’t too many people around, but she was just sure that they were all staring at her. She always felt that way when she was out in public and now that she knew she was a witch, she felt it even more intensely.
“Great, we are headed to the kitchen store today,” Esmeralda said. She turned and started thumping down the sidewalk with her walking stick. “I need a few new spatulas.”
Walking into downtown always feels like being thrown into a time loop. Looking past the people carrying cell phones, the buildings, and even the businesses themselves hadn’t really changed in over fifty years. Most of the businesses had been in the family for generations. In fact, when Larry Hagen, the former owner of Tip Top Shoes, decided to retire and his son Grant decided he wanted to leave the country and teach English in China, it had caused an uproar of the highest level. In fact, the last time Grant was back to visit, he was practically barred from entering the town. Esmeralda had been the one to settle everyone down, thankfully.
As they passed the Syrup Pot Cafe on the corner, the smell of fresh pancakes wafted out the door and Maggie almost followed the smell inside until her mother grabbed her firmly by the arm and continued her march down the street. Passing by the big glass window at the front, Maggie peeked inside. Her best friend Jill Dogwood was waiting tables for her morning waitress shift. Her blonde hair was tied up in a messy bun and somehow she looked adorable even though she was wearing yoga pants, a maroon sweatshirt, and an apron tied around her waist.
“Hi, Maggie!”
Despite the distance and the glass between them, Maggie could still hear Jill’s distinctive squeal. Jill was frantically waving at her as Ned Johnson scowled from the table next to her. From the looks of it, Ned had been trying to order breakfast when Jill had decided her social priorities outweighed the duties of her job.
Maggie waved back, still not sure why Jill had latched on to her or how she had become such a good friend to Maggie. She and Jill were complete opposites, from their personalities to the paths their lives had taken. Despite being acquaintances at best during high school, they were now good friends. It might have had something to do with Maggie saving Jill from being a murder suspect, babysitting Jill’s four feral children, and finding her the perfect job so that Jill’s house didn’t get foreclosed on. Despite all of the evidence to the contrary, Maggie worried that she would find herself friendless and alone one day. But she knew that was probably just her anxiety talking.
“Here we are,” Esmeralda said, stopping in front of Kitchen Things. Maggie snickered at the name just as she did every time they came to this store. It was like someone had gotten too frustrated to think of a proper name, so just boiled it down to the fact that they sold kitchen things. “I have a feeling this place will be wonky this month. I want to check it out and see if any problems might need solving.”
Esmeralda whipped the door open and thumped her way inside, her skirts swirling around her and the bells on her bracelets announcing her arrival along with the bell above the door. What Kitchen Things lacked in customers it made up for in the volume of stuff that was in the store. Normally it was so crowded that two people couldn’t pass each other in an aisle. If someone wanted to get to the other end, they would have to double back and circle around. But today, it was looking a bit roomier. For the first time since Maggie could remember, it looked like they were actually clearing space in Kitchen Things.
“What a ridiculous idea. Do you really think it will make enough money that you can actually pay the rent this month?”
Lou Brank and his three-piece suit were standing at the front of the store berating the store manager. Linda Kroll had been managing Kitchen Things for the pas
t few years. The older woman looked like a grandmother who spent a lot of time in the kitchen so working in a kitchen store should suit her well, but judging by the state of the store’s finances and the atrocious foods she brought to the church picnic each summer, neither was the right fit for her. The ding of the bell didn’t even stop the verbal lashing.
“When I put you in charge of this kitchen store, I expected you to make a profit,” Lou said. “I’ve given you plenty of time and if anything, you’ve put us more in the red. I give you one more month. If you don’t pull this store out of debt, I’m taking it back and giving it to someone who can actually help.”
Linda shrank back even more, almost disappearing into the brown sweater she was wearing as Lou turned on his heel and walked toward the door. Maggie jumped out of the way, not wanting a confrontation with the man but her mother held her ground. As Lou came closer, Esmeralda put one hand on her hip and wrapped the other firmly around the top of her walking stick. Seeing that Esmeralda had no inclination to get out of his way, he stopped in front of her and sneered.
“Move out of my way,” Lou said.
He towered over Esmeralda, but even if he had been a smaller man, he still would have looked intimidating. His salt and pepper hair was slicked back and he gave off the impression that if they were living in a movie, he would be the ultimate villain. Everything on him screamed that he was rich, from the tailored suit to the diamond-encrusted watch and even down to the custom-made leather loafers.
Lou’s narrowed eyes caused Maggie to wither a bit even though they weren’t directed toward her. She was glad that her mother had some sort of inner power to draw from to hold firm in the laser focus of the man. Maybe one day Maggie would learn to draw from down deep inside and find her inner power too. Perhaps it was hiding somewhere next to where she drew her magic powers from.
“You think you can do whatever you want because of your money,” Esmeralda said. She spoke so quietly that everyone had to lean forward. “You forget that what counts in life is how you treat people. You can have power and still be compassionate.”
“How quaint that you think so,” Lou said. “If only life could be wrapped up so neatly. The only way to hold on to power is to wield it. There is no place for compassion at the top. Now if you’ll excuse me, I would like to exit the store that I own. Move or I’ll be forced to move you myself.”
Esmeralda drew in a deep breath. To Maggie, her mother seemed to inflate until she was almost larger than life. Perhaps she would make a stand against the town bully. But would Esmeralda use her magic here in the normal world? Sure, sometimes she used it to produce a small toy for a crying child or a bandaid for someone who needed it, but usually she only used her larger magic at home until the fog rolled in each month.
When Esmeralda exhaled, she stepped to one side, bowing slightly as she indicated that he could pass. Lou wrinkled his nose and strode past without a word of thanks, pushing the front door open and disappearing down the street. Despite looking like Esmeralda acquiesced, anyone could see that she was the real winner.
Linda started to loudly cry from behind the counter and while Esmeralda rushed to help her, Maggie hesitated. The entire encounter had given her such second-hand anxiety that her breath was still a bit ragged and her heart was racing. She needed a moment to calm down before she could deal with the situation. She walked to the window to give herself some time. Glancing outside, Lou was nowhere in sight.
“He thinks he’s such a big shot.”
Maggie turned to see that Abby, the shop assistant, had joined Linda by the cash register. The young woman seethed in her anger, ignoring Linda’s blubbers from beside her. Abby’s hair was long and jet black. It was so smooth that Maggie wondered if she ironed it straight. She wore all black, from head to foot. Her pale face was accentuated by bright red lipstick that had been expertly applied to her lips. Maggie got the feeling that she was trying to seem older, but by Maggie’s estimate, Abby was somewhere around twenty.
“He sort of is a big shot,” Maggie pointed out as she joined the other women at the counter. Esmeralda had her arm around Linda’s shoulder. Linda’s face was buried so far into Esmeralda’s shawl that Maggie could only see her gray ponytail sticking out.
“Sure he has a bunch of money, but it doesn’t mean he has to be a jerk,” Abby said. “And my plan will work. In fact, it would have been working for a while if Linda here had let me try it out two years ago when I first thought it up.”
Abby frowned as she jerked her thumb toward Linda, who only managed to cry harder into Esmeralda’s shoulder. Finally, Linda pulled her face out and squinted through her tears toward the shop assistant. Abby seemed nonplussed by her upset boss.
“I’m still not convinced it’s a good idea, but I’m desperate,” Linda said. “You heard Lou. If this is a failure, we will have to give up the store.”
“We won’t have to give up the store,” Abby said quietly. “He said you’ll be out of a job.”
“What idea?” Maggie asked.
Rolling her eyes, Abby pointed at a sign hanging by the front door. It was announcing a series of cooking classes that were to be held at Kitchen Things. Once a month, they were going to host a class that townspeople could attend for a fee.
“I wanted to start offering these cooking classes a while ago,” Abby said. “I figured it was a good way to make some extra money, seeing as we only have a few lookie-loos a day and even fewer sales. If we can draw some people in for the class, not only will they pay for the lessons, but maybe they’ll buy something too.”
“That seems like a great idea,” Maggie said.
“But look at my shop!” Linda screeched. “I’ve had to eliminate several shelves of merchandise to hold that stupid class. We can’t sell the merchandise if we can’t display it. As it is, I’ve had to move all of the sushi-making kits, specialty waffle irons, and cotton candy machines to storage to make room for this class.”
Maggie held back a snicker at the ridiculous items that Linda saw as necessary to running her store. The cooking classes would probably make as much money in a few weeks as the specialty items made in an entire year. But Maggie wasn’t going to mention that.
“How distressing,” Esmeralda said, cooing in a way that seemed to calm Linda immediately. Maggie could feel the small tinge of magic in the air. “But that class looks wonderful. I think I’ll sign both Maggie and me up for it.”
Maggie’s heart leapt into her throat, but before she could find the words to stop her mother, Esmeralda had already put down their names and paid the fee for both of them. After a few more pleasantries, they left the store and Maggie finally found the chance to say something.
“Mother, that class is going to be during the fog,” Maggie said.
“I know. Won’t it be exciting?” Esmeralda asked, her eyes twinkling in a way that made Maggie feel nervous. “I’ve always wanted to take a potion making class from Ned Johnson. Now we can take it together.”
Chapter Two
Maggie spent all day preparing herself for the potion making class. Her mind was racing, jumping from thought to thought. What if she mixed the wrong ingredients? What if she was the only one in the class who couldn’t do it? What if she spilled her potion? There were so many things that could go wrong.
Esmeralda tried to help her keep her mind off of it. It was the first day of the paranormal fog and they had gone out to do their normal rounds. Despite the thick fog that wrapped around everything, the town looked safe and secure which was a comfort to Maggie, but not to her mother. Esmeralda was on edge, still pleasant, but just waiting for a body to turn up.
As she had explained to her daughter, Grimwood Valley was starting to have a death problem and while they couldn’t actually figure it out yet, Esmeralda had a feeling that there was a magical element to it. It was like someone or something was causing the fog to bring with it a murderous sensation. Maggie hoped her mother was wrong and at this point, she chose to ignore her mother’s intuit
ion. She had enough to worry about like being embarrassed at this potion class.
After dinner, Esmeralda and Maggie walked through the thick fog to Kitchen Things although during the fog, it changed to be called Cauldron Things. Walking through the door, Maggie was completely unsurprised to see that they only sold cauldrons. As they came in, Linda had her back to the door and she was involved in a spirited conversation with Ned Johnson.
“The handle came off after only one month, if that doesn’t warrant a full refund, then I don’t know what does,” Ned said. He was poking his finger toward Linda insistently, his pointy wizard hat falling down his forehead. “In fact, I think you knew it was going to break. When I bought that cauldron, you said ‘Be careful with it, Ned.’ Is that because you knew it was going to break?”
“Of course not,” Linda said. “I just know that you are not the most careful and that you wouldn’t take special care of that delicate cauldron. It isn’t my fault at all that you were too rough with it.”
“What a ripoff,” Ned said. “If I didn’t have eager students coming to learn this potion tonight, I would cancel the class. As it is, I will not teach another one. And I will be telling everyone not to shop here. You bully people into buying the most expensive products but won’t help when they subsequently break. Shoddy craftsmanship and even shoddier customer service.”
Ned stormed off to the side of the store that had been set up for the class, his dark blue robes fluttering behind him. Linda turned around and Maggie was shocked to see that her usually wrinkled face was now pockmarked with deep chasms of wrinkles set apart by large, bulbous warts. Her exposed arms were dotted up and down with liver spots.
“Don’t mind him,” she said, tipping her head toward Ned. She smiled, exposing a mouth full of crooked and missing teeth. “He’s just upset that he didn’t heed my warnings. I promise that the cauldrons I sell here are of the utmost quality. Can I interest either of you in one?”
“Not at the moment,” Esmeralda said with a small smile. “We don’t want to be late for class.”
