Southern Magic (Sweet Tea Witch Mysteries Book 1)

by Amy Boyles

  Amelia laughed. “We all have skillets. You don’t have to get one, but a lot of us have them. We ride around at night, laugh at the moon, work magic.”

  Cordelia pushed a curtain of blonde hair from her eye. “No, you don’t have to. It’s just fun to have one.”

  I decided to give it one last shot. Figuring I wouldn’t stay on the skillet very long anyway, what could it hurt to try?

  I wrapped my hands around said evil skillet and took off. I expected to be bounced off quickly, and as I wound my way around the path, a bubble of glee buoyed up in my chest.

  I found myself smiling. And laughing. And completely enjoying the ride. In the back of my mind I waited, though, wondering if I would be kicked off at any time. It was possible and highly likely, and I figured the end was coming any moment.

  But as we rounded the bend and returned to the drop-off, where Amelia, Cordelia, Theodora and Harry waited, all of them with big grins on their faces, I realized that I’d achieved something wonderful and surprising.

  “Way to go,” Harry said, clapping me on the back. “I knew you could do it.”

  Theodora thumbed her chest. “I knew it first. Knew it from the moment you sat on that devil there.”

  “No, you didn’t, woman. I knew it first!”

  I patted the air. “Now, now. I think you both realized it at the same time.”

  Theodora took the skillet from me. “This is yours. First time this boy has let anyone take him all the way around the course. I’d say it was meant to be. We’ll wrap it up for you.”

  My delight soured as I realized I had about five bucks to my name. “But what about payment?”

  Theodora sniffed. “We’ll trade; how about that? The skillet for my granddaughter’s familiar.”

  Cordelia leaned into my ear and whispered, “They’re expensive. That’s a good deal.”

  I stuck out my hand. “Done.”

  Harry shook it, and I followed them back inside. As Theodora fussed the skillet into brown paper, she mumbled, “Yes ma’am, only two folks I can remember have made it around the bend without being thrown off once.” She looked up, smiled. “So your ride was normal, though the skillet you ended up with was not.”

  Curious, I said, “Who were the two people?”

  Harry shuffled past. “The first I’m sure you can figure out. She’s short with curly silver hair and has attitude to spare.”

  I laughed. “You must mean Betty Craple.”

  Theodora nodded. “Your grandmother could stare down a rabid raccoon and send the thing scurrying, tail between its legs.”

  Harry leaned into my view. “Better still, she could give the Loch Ness monster the stink eye, and it would swim off screaming for help.”

  When our laughter quieted and Theodora handed me the paper, I said, “And who was the other person?”

  As she walked us to the door, she leaned over. “It was an event that surprised the heck out of me. Young boy, full of power, conquered the very first skillet he sat on. He didn’t live in town at the time, but he does now. You might know him.”

  I crooked my head toward her. “Who was it?”

  “Name’s Axel Reign.”

  I nodded. I did know him, indeed.

  SIXTEEN

  Sunlight practically glowed off the sidewalks when we stepped back onto Bubbling Cauldron. I shielded my eyes, letting them adjust. My gaze swept up and down, settling on Police Officer Todd talking to a man about half a block down.

  Actually, they weren’t talking, more like arguing.

  “Who’s that?” I said, nodding toward a round man with dark, thinning hair.

  “That’s Bob Bubble,” came a voice from the side.

  My head swiveled in the direction of the mysterious voice. Idie Claire smiled brightly at me.

  “Hope I didn’t scare you. I wasn’t trying to. I was passing by and heard your question. Since you’re already under suspicion for murder, I didn’t figure you meant Todd the Policeman. The one he’s talking to is Bob Bubble.”

  I narrowed my gaze. “Who’s that?”

  Cordelia opened her mouth to speak, but Idie Claire cut her off. “He’s the town bookie.”

  “Town bookie?”

  Amelia nodded. “We have some witch sports that folks bet on. My guess is Bob’s in trouble with Todd.”

  Idie sidled up. She poked her nose right in my face. “Or it’s the other way around. From what I hear, Todd likes to bet.”

  My brows shot up. “He does?”

  “Yep. Heard it from his best friend’s wife. Imagine that—a policeman owing a bookie. Never heard anything like it in all my life. But, that sort of gambling is legal here, so that’s just how it goes.” Her gaze raked over my hair. “Let me know when you want to schedule a cut. I’d love to get you in my chair.”

  My own gaze drifted off her teased mop of hair. I gulped. “Thanks. I’ll let you know.”

  As soon as she was gone, Amelia leaned over. “She might be a huge gossip, but she does the best hair in town. It’s an experience like no other.”

  “I’ll remember that.”

  As we walked back toward the house, I sneaked a glimpse at Todd. His cheeks puffed red. He was mad about something, and as much as I didn’t want to believe that he was a gambler because, I mean, policemen were supposed to be so straight and narrow, it was hard not to believe it when our eyes met and he looked away, guilt flooding his face.

  We returned to the house. When I got upstairs, I put the skillet in the corner.

  “We’re taking that out tonight, you know,” Cordelia said, popping her head in.

  I quirked a brow. “We are?”

  She nodded. “Yep. There’s nothing like a summer ride on your skillet in the middle of the night under the full moon. It’s amazing.”

  I shrugged. “Okay. I’m game.”

  “It’ll make you feel more like a witch than anything else,” Amelia said, floating by.

  I smiled as they both left me to the quiet of my room. I found Sweetie the Calico buried in a pile of dirty clothes in the closet, sound asleep.

  “She hasn’t talked,” Mattie said, stretching from her slash of sunshine in the window seat.

  “Hmm. I’m hoping that’ll change. We be nice to her, hang out with her, she’ll come around.”

  “You should take her on your ride tonight. Real familiars love skillet rides.”

  Laughter barked from my throat. “You’re kidding, right?”

  Mattie shook her head. “I used to go with your mother all the time.”

  I pulled my hair up into a ponytail. “Okay. Well, I’ll see if she wants to come. Thanks for the suggestion. Meanwhile, I’m going for a run. I don’t suppose you want to follow me on that?”

  Mattie stretched. “No. Running ain’t my style, but nappin’ is.”

  I grinned. “That’s what I thought.”

  I opened my closet, which luckily had been stocked by Cordelia and Amelia with better clothes than 1970’s rejects. I fished out running pants and a shirt and pulled on a pair of sneakers and set off for a run.

  I passed Betty at the hearth. She crumbled some dried herbs into her cauldron. “Is that lunch?” I said.

  She shook her head. “No. This is going to be bath salts.”

  I frowned. “It smells like meat.”

  Betty grinned widely. “Good. That’s what I was hoping for. Hamburger Heaven. That’s the name of it. Gonna bottle it and sell to my friends.”

  Okay. “I thought lavender was a better scent for bath salts.”

  Betty stirred the pot. “I’m starting a trend.”

  Of insanity?

  “I’m going for a run. Is there anything you need while I’m out?”

  Betty nodded. “We could use milk. And none of that goat stuff. Regular old bat’s milk will do.”

  My eyes flared. “What? Have I been drinking bat milk?”

  She waved a hand. “Nah. I’m kidding. Just pick up a gallon from the corner store. Tell ’em to put it on my tab
.”

  “Okay.”

  Whew. Thank goodness. She almost had me vomiting in my mouth there. Good thing that didn’t happen.

  I set out the front door at a slow jog. My brain had been full of fog since I arrived. Let’s face it, a crap-ton of things had been thrown at me. I needed to compartmentalize, get it all together. My brain shifted back toward the wraith’s attack.

  I had been attacked.

  I needed to tell someone. Like, perhaps the police because, I mean, the thing had stolen the piece of paper from Gilda’s well.

  These are all things Officer Todd needed to know, and I had to tell him. I didn’t know where the police station was, but it couldn’t be that hard to find. I mean, Magnolia Cove was a small town. I jogged past Bubbling Cauldron to a series of municipal-looking buildings set back from the road.

  I knew I smelled like sweat, but who cared? I slowed to a walk, stretched out my calves and thighs and pushed open the glass door. I told the desk sergeant who I was there to see and he called Todd to the front.

  The officer smiled when he saw me, his golden eyes shining. The guilty look from earlier gone.

  “This is unexpected,” he said. “You here to admit guilt?”

  To be honest, I couldn’t tell if he was joking or not.

  “No,” I said. “I want to report that I was attacked.”

  Todd’s hand curled around my arm. “Are you okay?”

  I nodded. “I’m fine. But I wanted to file a report.”

  Todd glanced around the station filled with bustling bodies. It was funny. The officers in Magnolia Cove didn’t dress like regular police officers—you know, the whole Van Helsing thing. But they did have badges pinned to their shirts.

  It was a gold shield with a silver broomstick over a black cauldron. Simple, sweet, to the point.

  Todd guided me down the hall to what I assumed was his office. “Come in. Tell me exactly what happened.”

  So I did, even explaining that I was in the woods near Gilda’s property. His face changed from concerned, to dark, to bemused.

  “I’m not going to ask you what you were doing on private property.”

  “I was lost,” I said. “Got lost wandering around Magnolia Cove. Whew. I mean, there are a lot of twists and turns in this town. Anyway, from what I understand, it was a wraith. I don’t know if you have a list of people capable of turning into a wraith, but I thought you’d like to know.”

  He steepled his fingers in front of his face. “That is good. I’m sorry you were attacked.”

  I shrugged. “It’s just one more thing in this crazy ride we call life, right? But anyway, any leads besides me on who killed Mr. Goldmiser?”

  Todd grabbed a stack of paperwork and started riffling through it. “We’ve got some things we’re looking into.”

  But from the way he avoided my glance, I had the strong feeling that there were no other leads. I was it. Which meant, if I didn’t act fast, I wouldn’t have to worry about whether or not I should stay in Magnolia Cove.

  Because I’d be locked up in the prison caves with no hope of escape.

  SEVENTEEN

  Apparently, riding during the full moon was a big deal in Magnolia Cove. Like a huge deal. Half the town met up in one spot and took off on a tour of the town and the outskirts. My goal was to stay far, far behind so that if I fell off, I wouldn’t be embarrassed.

  I might break my neck, but at least I wouldn’t poop my pants from nerves.

  A girl can hope, right?

  We met up at Coven Park, which was just past the residential district by downtown. There were at least a hundred witches, including myself and my cousins. Betty didn’t come, as she said she had other things to do.

  “She never goes out with us on the full moon,” Amelia said to me on the way over. We had walked, by the way.

  “Maybe she’s a werewolf,” I said. Amelia and Cordelia exchanged a suspicious look. “Is she?”

  “Of course not,” Cordelia said. “Come on, we need to pick up the pace or we’ll be late.”

  As I said, the park was packed. We found spots in back, near the playground. I put the cat carrier on the ground, deciding I’d open it up when we got closer to starting. I peeked inside. Sweetie meowed at me.

  Well, I guess the lines of communication were officially open.

  A few other witches were milling around, and I noticed one was a man with short copper-colored hair. I realized he was one of Ebenezer’s children.

  A pang of sadness crept over me. I’d found his father’s body, attended the will reading but hadn’t given this poor guy my condolences.

  Which was what a good person would do.

  “I’ll be right back,” I said to my cousins.

  I approached the man. I knew he and his sister had hired Axel, but I didn’t know any more than that.

  “Excuse me,” I said.

  The man glanced up from his phone. Streetlamps surrounding the park lit up his eyes, which matched the burnished tones in his hair.

  “My name’s Pepper Dunn. I wanted to tell you how sorry I am about the loss of your father.”

  He quirked a long, sculpted brow. “You knew him?”

  I twisted a strand of hair nervously. I had my skillet in one hand, the hair in the other. “Well, I, um… I, um…”

  His eyes flared with understanding. “You’re the one who found him.”

  I gulped. “Right. But I didn’t do it. I didn’t kill him.”

  A smile flickered on his face. “I know you didn’t. Why would you? You wouldn’t inherit the money. Money that’s rightly mine and my sister’s,” he said bitterly.

  I wanted to know everything so badly, but I didn’t want to push too hard. But what the heck, I might not get this chance again. “The new will was missing, I understand.”

  “My name’s Dean, by the way.”

  “Nice to meet you.”

  “Likewise.” Dean rubbed the back of his neck. “My father shut my sister and I out of the will years ago. Said we were greedy, ungrateful children. He left everything to Gilda, bypassing us completely. See, it all happened after he and my mom divorced. She didn’t let him see us, so that’s why he had such a bad opinion of us.”

  “I understand,” I murmured.

  He picked at the stem of his skillet. “It took years to prove to him otherwise. We finally did, near the end.” He choked on tears. “And he changed the will. Told us he did so. But now that’s gone. And who’s the person who inherits based on the previous will? Gilda.”

  “She seems like such a nice woman,” I said.

  “Oh, don’t let all those ‘oh honeys’ fool you. That woman’s a shark. Ask anyone who’s worked the baking contests with her.” He leaned forward. “Folks have suggested that she sabotages their entries. I don’t know if it’s true, but that’s what they’ve said.”

  “Hmm. And now there’s only a few days to find the new will,” I said.

  “Yep. If it’s not found, the previous will gets used.”

  I smirked. “And the older one? Does it list you at all as beneficiaries?”

  Dean rubbed the heels of his hands in his eyes. “No. It lists some other folks, cousins, and Gilda but not us.”

  “Is there anyone else you can think of who might’ve done it? Might’ve wanted to hurt your uncle?”

  Dean shook his head. “No. Gilda’s the one. I’ve told Axel, I’ve told Todd but no one wants to believe it’s her.”

  I thought for a moment. “And did you see the new will? The one that named you and your sister to inherit everything?”

  Dean blanched. “No. I never saw it. But my dad promised me that’s what he’d done. Why would he lie?”

  Why indeed?

  I thanked Dean for his help and rejoined my cousins just as a slim woman with a whistle around her neck blew the heck out of it and said, “All right, y’all ready?”

  Excited murmurs buzzed through the crowd.

  “Do we have any newbies?” she said.

 
I did not want to raise my hand. I hated, I mean hated being singled out for things.

  Amelia glanced over and saw that I wasn’t going to volunteer information. She raised her own hand and said, “Yes. There’s a newbie.”

  The coach woman’s gaze raked over the crowd, so I tucked down into the handle of my skillet. “Okay, newbies. These are the rules. Stay with the coven of riders. Don’t veer away. No tricks unless you’re a pro at them. We don’t want anyone getting hurt. And when we go over the Cobweb Forest, be sure to stay out of it. Bad things live in there. Everyone got it?”

  I nodded, and Amelia answered for me, “We’ve got it.”

  I placed Sweetie in front of me, on part of the padded seat. She sat comfortably, as if this was something she was used to.

  I exhaled a deep shot of air. Okay. This might be all right after all. Part of me was worried that she’d fall off the skillet, but Mattie had insisted, saying a familiar used to riding would stay on no matter what. That’s what they did.

  So here we went.

  “Everyone up,” the coach yelled.

  I readied myself. Personally I didn’t know if my talents were up to the test of riding with this group, but Amelia and Cordelia seemed to think so, and I trusted them.

  I trusted them. The thought made my stomach clench.

  It was true. They were the only family I had, and they’d welcomed me with open arms. I hadn’t realized how withered and small my heart had become over the past few years since my dad died, but it had.

  I mean, my last boyfriend cared more about fantasy football. That should tell you a lot about the kind of love I had been inviting into my life.

  The wrong kind.

  I was ready for the right kind, and it was all happening now, in Magnolia Cove.

  The skillet lifted off the ground. Sweetie balanced like a pro. Still, I curled one hand around her, as I didn’t want anything to happen.

  We soared over the park and toward downtown. Wind whipped my hair. Magic hummed and thrummed in the air, buzzing from my chest all the way to my toes.

  “What is that?” I said to Cordelia. “That magic?”

  Her lips coiled into a smug smile. “That’s the magic of the ride. It’s everyone’s magical energy. It’s amazing, isn’t it?”