Crazy For Brew

by Annabel Chase

  Crazy For Brew

  Spellbound Ever After Paranormal Cozy Mystery, Book 1

  Annabel Chase

  Red Palm Press LLC

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Also by Annabel Chase

  Chapter 1

  "I don't understand why he can't move some of his belongings into a storage unit," Gareth complained bitterly. My vampire ghost roommate floated around the living room, gesticulating wildly at the stacks of boxes. “He can certainly afford it.”

  Now that we were married, Daniel was in the process of moving from his house to mine. His house had been on the market since our return from Greece, where we spent our perfect honeymoon. I got the distinct impression that Gareth was none too pleased to have been left behind. As much as I adored the grumpy Scotsman, I drew the line at making our honeymoon a threesome.

  "This is only a fraction of his stuff," I said. "He's had quite a long time to amass all these belongings." Daniel was an angel in the midst of a very long life, where he’d had plenty of time to invest and save money, to the point where he needed to find ways to occupy his time since work wasn’t a necessity. I, on the other hand, was a twenty-four-year-old former public interest lawyer who’d lived in a one-bedroom apartment in the human world town of Lemon Grove, Pennsylvania, where I excelled in mismatched socks and living paycheck to paycheck. That all changed when I got lost on the way to a client appointment and ended up trapped in the paranormal town of Spellbound.

  Magpie leaped on top of one of the boxes and hissed.

  "See? Magpie doesn't like it either," Gareth said, folding his arms.

  "That's because Magpie was forged in the fires of Hell and doesn't like anything," I said. With a half-chewed ear and a missing eye, the giant cat looked like he’d survived a bar fight with the Hulk with the attitude to match.

  “How dare you!” Gareth stroked the hellbeast’s back— it was one of the first physical interactions he’d mastered in his ghost form.

  “Listen, this is going to be a transition period for all of us,” I said. “The whole town is in transition, not just us. We’re going to need to be patient with each other while we adjust to the changes."

  Spellbound had been under a curse for many generations, a curse which trapped paranormals within the borders of the town. If a paranormal unknowingly entered the town, then she would be trapped here as well. That only happened once—to me. I didn't know I was anything more than your garden-variety human until then. I glanced at Daniel's boxes and smiled. And now I was married to the love of my life and living in a rambling Victorian-style house that would have been out of my reach in the human world.

  "Stop smiling to yourself," Gareth complained. "It's creepy."

  I shook a finger at him. “Park your attitude at the door."

  “Stop using human world expressions with me,” he said. “I’m a ghost. I don’t park anything.”

  I grabbed my handbag from the table in a huff. "I'm going to the office. I haven't seen Althea since we've been back."

  "Shall I accompany you?" Gareth asked hopefully. Although originally bound to the house, Gareth could now appear in places around town, such as his former office.

  "To be honest, I think we need a break from each other," I said. "Why don't you go to the library or something?"

  He gave me a sullen look. "We just had a long break from each other."

  I sighed. "Gareth, it was only ten days. You've managed to live hundreds of years without me. I think you'll survive a few hours."

  His gaze drifted to the boxes. "Perhaps I could help with some of the unpacking."

  "I know you like things neat and organized, but I need to give Daniel a chance to decide where he wants to put his things. Besides, knowing you, it'll all end up in the basement in a corner." Or, worse, in a donation bin.

  “Absolutely not," Gareth replied. "I still consider the basement to be my domain."

  Fair enough. When I’d first moved into the house, Gareth's coffin had been set up in the darkest part of the house, which was downstairs. Now that he was officially dead undead, he didn't need his coffin anymore. Or his disco ball. Or his secret stash of leather pants.

  "When can I expect the Winged Wonder to return?” Gareth asked, barely suppressing his scowl.

  "Daniel is meeting with the realtor to discuss changes to the house,” I said. With an influx of new residents coming to Spellbound now that the curse was broken, it was the perfect time to put the house on the market. The town, previously known as Ridge Valley, was bound to be a curiosity to other paranormals, having been closed off from the world for so many years.

  "Which realtor did he decide to go with?" Gareth asked. "Not that pretty one, I hope."

  I gave him a sharp look. "Yes, she is that pretty one, as you say. And it's perfectly fine. Daniel has his halo back. He's a different angel now."

  When I’d first met Daniel, he had a reputation for being a selfish womanizer. As I got to know him better, I began to see the good heart that beat underneath all of that unpleasant history. In the end, it was his sacrifice that allowed the town to break the curse. He showed that he was willing to die the true death so that others could finally have their freedom.

  "Sedgwick," I called. "I'm going."

  Why tell me, Your Highness?

  Although I couldn't see my owl familiar, I knew he was upstairs on his perch, still depressed. Apparently, the owl had spent the majority of my honeymoon in the bedroom, sulking. He was concerned that, now that the curse was broken and technology would find its way into Spellbound, his services would be obsolete. I tried to explain to him that the familiar bond meant he was more than simply a messenger owl, but he remained in a funk that nobody seemed capable of lifting.

  I'm sure Althea would like to see you, I said. I'd like to get back into a routine before too long. I was a stickler for routine. It was the only way I could get everything done without descending into madness.

  That's because you’ve been spending so much time with the vampire ghost, Sedgwick said. If it were up to him, we'd all be living life according to his color-coded schedule.

  Sedgwick wasn't wrong. Gareth did have a tendency to want order and control. That was part of what had made him an excellent defense attorney when he'd been only undead.

  I glanced at Magpie. The alleged cat was now using his razor-like claws to try to tear open one of Daniel's boxes. "Magpie, those don't belong to you. You need to leave them alone. I promise Daniel will take care of them as soon as he gets the chance."

  Magpie lifted his head and gazed at me with intensity. His expression suggested that Daniel was as likely to take care of the boxes quickly as Magpie was to win a beauty contest.

  "Everybody behave," I called over my shoulder as I left the house.

  I barely made it to Sigmund, my 1988 green Volvo, before I heard my name. I turned to see Darcy Minor on her floating bicycle.

  "How was Greece? Do tell,” the harpy greeted me.

  “As perfect as I imagined,” I replied. We spent loads of time on the beach, admiring the water—something I hadn’t been allowed to do as a child. Because my mother had drowned, my grandparents had been vigilant in keeping me away from water.

  "The town seems like a different place these past couple of weeks,” Dar
cy mused. “It's amazing."

  "I can imagine," I replied. I'd only lived here a brief time before the curse was broken and I sensed the change. Paranormals like Darcy had been trapped here her entire life. I couldn’t begin to grasp how freedom felt to them.

  "Have you heard the news about our plans?" Darcy asked.

  "You’re not moving, are you?" I asked. We expected a mass exodus from town once the curse was broken, we just weren't sure how much of the population we’d lose. Then again, we figured we’d gain as many residents as we lost. The curiosity factor alone would bring tourism and new inhabitants.

  "No, the Minors would never move from Spellbound,” she said firmly. “We've decided to turn our house into an inn, assuming we can get zoning permission." She paused for dramatic effect. "We decided to call it The Harpy's Nest. Clever, right?"

  I looked at the enormous house down the road with its widow’s walk. The harpies were my nearest neighbors and they were talking about hosting guests on a regular basis. I wondered whether that would create a problem for me.

  "I understand the council is already under tremendous pressure with all the changes," I said. "I'm going to guess that Stan has been inundated with requests, too." Stan was the town registrar in charge of all kinds of official town paperwork. I bet he would need to bring in an assistant to cope with the new workload. Spellbound had always been bureaucratic in nature, and I had no doubt that would continue in spades now that there was more to regulate.

  “Up to the tips of his pointy ears. How's married life treating you? I have to assume it's wonderful," Darcy said wistfully. The harpies were all unmarried. Not all of them minded, but I knew that some of them craved a partner more than others. Darcy was more traditional, and I knew she longed for a husband and a house of her very own.

  "It's blissful," I admitted. "It’s that sort of phase where nothing bothers me because, at the end of the day, I know that I’m coming home to the love of my life. Daniel makes everything better."

  "Like alcohol," a scratchy voice said. Phoebe Minor appeared behind us. Darcy's aunt was one of the more vocal paranormals in town. She was certainly one of the most active, too, despite her advanced age.

  "Hi, Phoebe," I said. "Darcy was just telling me about your idea for an inn. I think it sounds good."

  "I'm only agreeing to it if I don't have to do anything," Phoebe said. "I have no intention of waiting on paranormals from other towns like an indentured servant. Now, if the guest happens to have abs of steel and thighs like tree trunks, that's a different story." I probably didn't need to mention at this point that Phoebe was not one of the harpies looking for a long-term relationship. She was quite content to remain single and ready to mingle.

  "Good luck with it," I said. "I'm off to see Althea at the office. Make sure there are no imminent disasters."

  "This is Spellbound," Phoebe cracked. "There's always an imminent disaster."

  “Althea, your favorite lawyer is back!” I pushed open the door to my office and stopped short. The interior had been completely redesigned. The walls had been painted a soft greenish grey color and the trim was now a creamy white. The table stood in front of the window still covered in blooming plants and flowers. What was Althea thinking? She knew my green thumb was more of a shade of black. The only reason any plant survived in this room was because Althea took care of it.

  "Althea," I called.

  The adjacent door opened and Althea appeared, wearing a lavender muumuu. A floral headscarf adorned her head, keeping the Gorgon’s snakes safely hidden from view. "There you are. I've been wondering when you'd decide to make an appearance. Everyone’s been asking, especially down at Brew-Ha-Ha. Felt weird to only buy one latte.”

  I motioned to her head. "New headscarf?"

  She glanced upward. "I went on a little shopping spree while you were gone. Bought myself a few new outfits at Ready-to-Were. That Ricardo is a fashion genius."

  I didn't argue with that. Ricardo was the most fashion-forward wereferret I’d ever met. And Ready-to-Were was, by far, my favorite clothing boutique in all of Spellbound.

  "And I suppose you decided to give my office a makeover after you finished with yourself?" I queried.

  Althea surveyed the room. "Do you like it? I think it looks so much lighter and brighter."

  "I love it, but how did we pay for it?" I worked in public service, not as a corporate lawyer in a swanky private law firm.

  "Apparently, you have the council to thank. Mayor Langtree came by while you were away and brought in a team of fairies to transform the office."

  "That was nice of them," I said.

  "I think they’d be willing to do a lot more than that for the sorceress who broke the curse on the town," Althea said. "Oh, that reminds me. I put the unveiling on your schedule."

  I frowned. "What unveiling?"

  Althea appeared surprised. “You don’t know? The council commissioned a commemorative monument for the town square, something to mark the end of the curse. They’ll be unveiling the day after tomorrow at noon. I'm surprised no one's mentioned it to you yet."

  "I haven't really seen anyone," I said. "I suppose most of the town will come out for it."

  "No doubt," Althea replied. "My sister’s really nervous. She wants everyone to love it."

  "Amanda or Miranda?" I queried. Althea’s two sisters were both creative types. Amanda made garden gnomes, and Miranda was a photographer.

  "Amanda," Althea said. "She's been wanting to expand her business for a long time now. She thinks with the influx of paranormals that this will be the perfect time."

  "I'm glad she's seeing it as a positive," I said. "I know not everyone is as enthusiastic."

  "It's a big change,” Althea said. "The council’s been meeting constantly to address all of the consequences. It seems like no sooner does one matter get resolved, then another one crops up."

  "Poor Lucy," I said. "I bet she never, in a million years, thought she’d be mayor when the curse broke. That's quite a legacy."

  Althea gave me a pointed look. "You, my dear, are quite a legacy." She crooked a finger. "Step into my office, boss lady. I want to show you something."

  I followed Althea into her adjacent office. On her desk sat a familiar object. "Spell’s bells, you got a computer.” At least, I thought it was a computer. It looked slightly different, although I couldn’t identify in what way. “How? Where?"

  She stroked the top of the computer. "You said I could use Sigmund to drive around while you were gone, so I did. I left town, and I drove to New Moon Junction. It's the nearest paranormal town with major shops. The council gave us a budget for technology. That's one of the items they were working overtime on at meetings."

  "I can't believe it," I said. "This is going to change everything in Spellbound."

  Althea smiled at her screen. "It's like magic. I type the words and they appear on the screen. And I've been hooked up to this thing called WonderWeb that allows me to do research on the computer."

  I suppressed a laugh. "I guess that’s the paranormal version of the Internet."

  "There's more," Althea said. "I took your advice and enrolled in an evening class. I am now officially training to become a lawyer like you."

  “Stars and stones, that’s amazing!” I was so overwhelmed that I reached forward to hug her. Her snakes hissed and writhed under her headscarf.

  "Pipe down, girls," Althea scolded them. "This is Emma. If the girl wants to give me a hug, you’re going to let her."

  The material of Althea's muumuu felt smooth and silky against my skin. "Whoa, I can see why you wear these. It feels really nice."

  “You were right about me. I’ve always been capable of much more than assistant work," Althea said. "I just thought that I was past my prime, but with the curse broken, I feel like I have a new lease on life."

  "I'm so happy for you," I said. “And I'll support you, whatever you need."

  She patted my shoulder. "I know you will."

  "Any cas
es to review since I've been gone?" I asked. Althea had the habit of handing me case files not long before our client walked through the door for their appointment.

  "There were a few minor incidents while you were gone," Althea said, "but Rochester made plea agreements with them. Made sure everything was handled smoothly. He didn’t want you to come back to a mountain of work.”

  Good old Rochester. The wizard was extremely compassionate for a prosecuting attorney. He was a credit to the community.

  "There are a few open council meetings coming up that you might want to attend," Althea said. "I know I'll be going."

  "Open meetings? Why?" Most council meetings were closed proceedings.

  “Mayor Langtree released the upcoming agenda and the next meeting is to discuss the future of the town in light of recent events. It's apparently going to cost a lot of money to develop the infrastructure that other paranormal towns have for the WonderWeb. For example, our roads are only built to accommodate smaller jalopies. Yours is the only modern car in town. How will it affect our daily lives to have heavier, faster vehicles on our old-fashioned roads?”

  I hadn't really thought about those sorts of practical changes.

  “We talked about phones, too,” Althea said. “Whether we want to keep messenger owls and Elf Express.”

  “Won't the town need towers or cables for all these updates?” I asked.

  She waved me off. “Girl, you know we don’t need your human world electricity for our infrastructure, curse or no curse.”

  "That reminds me," I said. "I picked you up a little present while we were out of town."

  Althea stared at me. "You brought me a present on your honeymoon?"

  “I bought lots of gifts," I said. How could I not? For many of my friends, it would be the first time they were seeing these objects. Thankfully, Daniel had hundreds of years of savings. For the first time in my life, money was not an issue.