by Lynn Cahoon
Cindy had made it seem like it was just work between the two of them. She’d been grilling him for a part. But maybe that wasn’t how Denny had seen it. Maybe she’d reacted to the proposal by—what, strangling him? That was idiotic. But if Denny was going to propose, that gave Cindy another plus in her I-didn’t-kill-Denny list of excuses and reasons. One that maybe even Baldwin couldn’t ignore.
Mia decided to hit one more place before she headed home. She already knew he’d been at the winery with Cindy. Maybe he’d also visited the coffee shop bakery in the mornings? She might have to come back to talk to an earlier staff member, but she was here in town and she wasn’t going to give up on finding Cindy an alibi, at least not just yet.
She headed west down Main Street and went past Majors on the other side. The Sunshine Bakery was across the street, and the lights were still on. Glancing at the door, she found the sign showing the place was open from six to six, every day but Sunday.
A bell rang as she came into the brightly decorated dining room area. It was small, holding maybe six tables, but the floors were shiny clean and the tables all gleamed. The bakery case was up near the coffee bar and held several cakes and pies. Her stomach growled as she considered taking the Deep Cocoa devil’s food cake home for dessert.
“I’ll be right out. I’m just taking out the last batch of cupcakes for tomorrow’s sales,” a happy voice called from the back.
“No worries. Take your time.” Mia pulled out a chair and picked up one of the flyers for the bakery’s takeout. It didn’t mention catering, so maybe she could use the bakery as a source rather than as competition. Either way, it was long past time that she’d introduced herself to the owner.
“Sorry about that.” The woman who came out of the bakery brushed off her hands on a black, tie-dyed apron. She wore a matching headband that pulled back cornrows. The woman smiled as she took in Mia at her table. “Welcome, Mia Malone, it’s about time we met.”
Chapter 21
The woman in the bakery poured two cups of coffee, paused, and looked at Mia. “Black, correct?”
“Yes, thank you.” Mia still didn’t know who the woman was, but if she was offering coffee, she was willing to find out. “I’m sorry, but should I know you?”
“I’m Nellie Market. I went to school with your mother. We were friends.” Nellie set down the coffee, then sat across from Mia. “I heard she was in town a few months ago. I’m sorry I missed her.”
“She came in for the St. Catherine’s reunion. Did you attend school there?”
Nellie shook her head. “Sadly, I attended the public schools. Your mom attended Sun Valley High with me. We were both in flag corps together, as well as other clubs. That’s the great thing about going to a small school—you really get to know the kids in your class. Both your mom and I were outsiders because we started in our freshman year rather than kindergarten. Kids can be a little cliquey.”
“I’ve noticed that.” Mia sipped her coffee. Good, strong, and fresh. “Your cakes look lovely. Do you cater?”
Nellie shook her head. “I have all I can deal with by supplying the winery and the Lodge their desserts. Catering for this group is a whole ’nother can of worms I don’t even want to get into. I hear you’re in that business, though.”
“I do some desserts. Although outsourcing some of the items wouldn’t be unusual. Maybe we can come to an agreement.” Mia hadn’t wanted to jump into negotiations quite this quickly.
“It’s definitely something we can talk about.” Nellie handed her a business card. “But you’re not here to talk about catering jobs. What’s on your mind?”
“Are you psychic?” Mia tucked the card and flyer into her purse.
Nellie laughed. “You don’t have to be part of the local coven to know when someone is itching to ask questions. And it is Magic Springs, dear. Isn’t everyone in this town a little special? At least the locals. Well, besides the local law enforcement troops. I swear, the magic and the common sense gene left those boys’ bodies as soon as they put on that blue shirt. They’re all nice, but they just seem to have certain blind spots.”
“Baldwin is a little focused. But I believe he’s got the community’s good in mind,” Mia added quickly.
“Oh, stop worrying. I’m not going to tell anyone you think Baldwin’s an idiot. Mostly because I have the same feeling.” She sipped her coffee. “So, what does have you out on a cold day where you could be cuddled up by a fire drinking hot cocoa?”
“As things are going lately, make that a spiked hot cocoa.” Mia took a quick sip of her coffee and reached over to pull out Denny’s picture. “Have you seen this man around? I’m trying to find out what happened in his last few hours. I’m working for the family.”
Nellie snorted. “Keep working on that excuse. Even someone without talent could see through that weak explanation.” She pointed toward the door. “I don’t have time for games.”
“Okay, here’s the truth: My houseguest is going to be charged with his murder if I don’t figure out who killed him.” Mia tapped the picture again. “So, had you seen this man in the last week or so? And, if so, was he with someone?”
Nellie smiled and picked up the paper. “Now, was that so hard? Sometimes it’s good to put your cards on the table.”
Mia waited as the other woman studied the paper.
She set it down and picked up her coffee. “He was in here early last week. With a woman.”
“Fortyish, blond, underweight for her height?” Mia tried to describe Cindy without mentioning the show Cindy was famous for acting in a few years before.
Nellie shook her head. “No, it was one of our locals. A much younger woman. She’s always dressed like she’s a New York fashion model. What is her name? Her father and brother had some issues with the police last year. Quite the scandal in town.”
“You’re talking about Bethanie?” Mia sighed and leaned back in her chair. If Bethanie was involved in this situation, it wouldn’t be good.
“Yeah, that was her name.” A bell went off in the kitchen and Nellie stood. “Look, I’ve got baking to do for tomorrow. Come by anytime to chat. And I’ll consider doing some work for your next event. Just let me know the details and we’ll work something out. It was nice meeting you. You look like your mother did at your age, did you know that?”
Mia reached up to touch her cheek. “I thought I more resembled my dad.”
Nellie paused at the table. “It’s in the shape of your eyes and your chin. You look just like her.”
And with that, Nellie retreated to the kitchen. Mia blinked and wondered what the heck had just happened. She’d talk to Grans about Mom’s friendship with Nellie when she got home. It seemed as if they’d been very close, yet Mom hadn’t ever told her anything about knowing anyone in town.
Mia decided to take the hiking trail to the house instead of going the long way through town. She thought about what she’d learned about Denny as she walked home. He’d been interested in marriage law, he’d been talking to John Louis at least once, even though Sheila had thought it had been about buying local property. And he’d been in the bakery with Bethanie when he’d first come to town.
Maybe she was going to have to bite the bullet and go talk to John Louis tomorrow. She hated the scum and had good reason to, after what he’d done to her, but if she went to his office, where she’d be in public view, at least he couldn’t pull a gun on her. And he was still on probation from the last incident, so she had that protection.
Which didn’t help if he actually killed her this time.
Pushing the thought away, she hurried the last bit of path to home. The woods, usually so warm and welcoming, felt unsafe. As if there was a killer hiding at each and every twist of the path. She felt her body relax when she saw the lights of the school just up ahead.
“What the heck are you doing out here?” a man’s voice asked as she felt his hand on her arm.
She turned quickly and got into a fight stance and then saw
it was Trent. She let out a breath and her body untensed as the fear ran out of her. “What are you doing out here? You scared me.”
“I asked the question first.”
Mia nodded to the house they were approaching. “I was on my way back home from town. I thought the path would be faster and safer than walking on the road because it doesn’t have sidewalks.”
“The path where a dead man was found? Your idea of safer is a little off.” Trent aimed her toward the back door going into the kitchen. “I’ve got that door open for us.”
“Technically, he was found in my backyard, off the path. And why were you in the kitchen?” She peered up at him in the gathering darkness. “And you never answered me about what you were doing on the path.”
“I was looking for you. I was getting into my truck to drive to town to see where you’d taken off to. I heard someone coming down the path. Your grandmother is worried. She thought she saw a negative energy around you.” He nodded to the door. “Christina’s in the downstairs kitchen, working on a new dish for dinner. She says your grandmother gets too involved when she’s trying to cook.”
“Well, I have to agree with her there. Grans thinks there’s only one way to cook something and that’s her way.” Mia reached up and kissed Trent on the cheek. “Thanks for coming to look for me. I’m sorry she worried you.”
“I wasn’t too worried.” He opened the door for her. “I have my own spidey sense when it comes to your safety and I didn’t feel a thing. Who were you talking with?”
“First, Sheila over at the law office. Crap, I forgot to give her Grans’s message.” Mia stopped in the doorway and took in the aromas that were filling the kitchen. It must be some kind of chicken dish that Christina was working with. “Then I ran over to Sunshine Bakery and met Nellie.”
“Nellie? That woman’s a hoot and a half.” Trent grinned and turned back to lock the door behind them. “We have an agreement on pastry items. She doesn’t do doughnuts and the store bakery doesn’t do cakes. I’m always sending customers her way.”
“About time you two showed up,” Christina said from the stove. “Your grandmother is fit to be tied. She’s called me upstairs three times.”
“Sorry. I didn’t think I was that late.” Mia glanced at the kitchen clock. “And I was right. I told her I’d be home before dinner and it’s only five.”
“You need to go talk to her.” Christina took a spoonful of the sauce she was working on and offered it to Mia. “So I’m thinking about this for next week’s menu. Either that or I could save it for when school starts. We’re supposed to bring a new recipe to the first class in my Innovations class. I talked to my study group and they’ve all been trying different recipes already. We don’t meet until late August. I thought I had time, but I guess I’m behind. Taste this.”
Mia tasted the sauce. She frowned as she thought about it. “It’s okay. A little bland, and yet it tastes like garlic. I don’t know how you could do both of those things at the same time.”
Christina’s shoulders sagged. “That’s exactly what I thought. It was one of the recipes my family cook used to make when I was growing up.”
“You have a good story behind it, the flavor’s just not there. Maybe another recipe you liked from your childhood, or maybe from one of your trips. Did you eat anything in Bermuda that you loved?”
“Yes, but I’m not sure that’s the type of food I want to cook.” Christina reached for the salt and added a sprinkle.
“I didn’t say your signature dish. I just said something you thought would be good for the menu. If you decided to make this one your own, what would you do differently with the recipe?” Mia glanced at Christina’s phone as it went off again. She could see the caller ID. It was Grans. “Don’t answer that; I’m running upstairs right now. Is this dinner?”
“Yes, I said I’d cook.”
Mia waved Trent over. “Help her make that white sauce that you made last month when we were cooking, will you?”
“Of course. I’ve got a few ideas.” He walked over to the sink. “Let me taste what you have before you dump that one. Maybe I can see where you’re going off the rails.”
Mia left Christina and Trent to finish dinner and headed upstairs to talk to her grandmother. The door to the apartment flew open before she even tried to open it.
“Thank the Goddess you’re all right.” Grans pulled her into a hug. “I’ve been so worried.”
“Why? I told you where I was going.” Mia moved her grandmother to the couch, where they both sat. “What’s going on?”
Grans touched Mia’s face as if she hadn’t seen her in years, not just hours. “I had a dream, or a premonition or something. You were in trouble and no one could save you.”
“Nothing like that happened. I talked to Sheila for a bit, then I went to the bakery.”
Grans’s hand dropped to her lap. “Oh. You met Nellie. That explains it.”
Mia froze. “What do you mean? Nellie at the bakery? I thought she was Mom’s friend.”
Grans shook her head. “‘Friend’ isn’t the word I’d use to describe her relationship with your mother. Rivalry, anger, hatred. Whatever Theresa wanted, Nellie went after. She tried to break up your mom and dad when they met. She was captain of the flag corps and your mom was head of the debate team. Constant competition with those two. I think Nellie even tried to join the coven, although she doesn’t have a speck of magic in her body and your mother had already given that part of her life away.”
“She read my mind.” Mia wondered how long it had taken a nonmagical person to learn those tricks.
“Did she? Or did she just put pieces together? She’s very intelligent. I should have warned you about her and her strength. Maybe that would have kept you from running into her, at least for a while.” Grans ran her hands over the air around Mia, feeling out her aura. “It feels like you’re intact, but maybe we should do a cleansing, just in case.”
“Grans, just because Mom had issues with the woman doesn’t mean I’m going to have the same type of competition with her. In fact, we’re talking about collaborating on the next catering gig.”
“Please reconsider. She’s just not healthy to be around. It was one of the reasons your mom moved to Boise. She wanted to get Larry out of Nellie’s reach. The woman is a complete mess. She’d do anything to win the game with Theresa.”
Mia took both her grandmother’s hands in her own, then focused on holding her gaze. “Nothing bad is going to happen to either you or me. Especially not from Nellie.”
The door to the apartment opened, and Trent came inside, delivering dinner.
“Let’s move this discussion to the kitchen. Where’s Cindy?” Mia glanced around just as Cindy came out of the hallway.
“I’m here. I was waiting for you to finish your conversation.” Cindy blushed as she entered the living room.
Mia assumed the blush was because Cindy had been listening in on their conversation. “Let’s sit down for dinner. I’ve got some questions for you.”
Cindy nodded, then stole a quick glance at Mr. Darcy. “You were serious when you said my father’s ghost is living in the cat?”
“Yes. I thought it was time you knew. Especially because you’re going to leave and take your family’s grimoire with you soon. It’s a heavy burden, holding all your family’s history in one book. Have you thought about what you’re going to do when you get home?” Mia helped Grans out of the chair and then took her arm to move toward the kitchen. “You need training.”
Cindy nodded. “I know. I guess I could come here and train with Mary Alice, but my shooting schedule is so busy. Once I get back, I don’t know when I’ll be able to visit again.”
Trent set the food on the table and then helped Christina get out plates and silverware. “There’s a teaching coven in LA. I could put you in touch with the people who manage the entrance process. I think you’d have to show some proof of magic, but I’m sure we could get you enrolled.”
&nbs
p; “I’ve got the spell I worked from the book. I made my agent lose all her hair. And everyone thought she had cancer.” Cindy glanced at Mary Alice. “And, with help, we reversed the spell. So she should have eyebrows growing back soon. Her long, blond hair, on the other hand, will take some time. And a good dye job again, because Belle’s real hair color is jet-black.”
“That would probably be enough. And they’re local, so they can verify the results.” He patted her shoulder as he set a bottle of soda in front of her. “And the reversal. Sometimes you have to break a few eggs, right, Mia?”
“That’s what they say.” Mia didn’t want Cindy to feel anything but lucky that they were able to reverse the spell without the major rule of three Karmas coming down on the caster. She thought that perhaps because it was Cindy’s first spell, the Goddess had given her a pass. “Anyway, I need to ask you something. Was fixing the spell the only reason you came to Magic Springs?”
Cindy looked confused. “We just talked about it. I needed to settle my father’s estate. And I knew Mary Alice was a witch from my conversations with my father. I thought she could help after I did that to Belle. I just wanted her to have a really bad hair day. Not have a no-hair day.”
“So why was Denny here?”
“You must have realized he was more than just my source for the part.” Cindy smiled as she ladled chicken and sauce over the noodles she’d just put on her plate. For someone who didn’t eat carbs when she arrived, she didn’t seem to hesitate now. “We talked a lot. He was funny and I liked him. When I told him I was coming here, he agreed to meet me. We’d been talking for months and he wanted to take it to the next level. He wanted to see me in person.”
“That’s it?” Mia pushed as she took the bowl of pasta from Grans. “Just your first date?”
“Oh, it wasn’t a date.” Cindy put down her fork. “Okay, so it was a date. I’d been feeling something for him for weeks, but I didn’t know if he felt the same way. Until the day at the winery, when he said he loved me and wanted to spend his life with me. I was shocked. I mean, I knew he’d done some bad things in his life.”
