In Witch It All Began (Emberdale Paranormal Cozy Mystery Book 1)

by Kali Harper

  “The dress you fixed? Let’s dye it red. I want to go out with a bang.”

  “Whatever you say.”

  “What? I’m serious.”

  “Sleep on it.”

  “Astrid, ghosts don’t need sleep.”

  “But I do. Remember the last time you pushed me too hard?”

  “Yesterday?” When I didn’t answer, she said, “Fine, but only tonight.”

  “Tomorrow’s a new day.”

  “And we’ll hit the town, just me and you.”

  “I’d like that.”

  My entire world may have turned upside down, but for some reason, I didn’t mind it so much anymore. In fact, now that I was coming into my magic, I didn’t mind it at all.

  “I could get used to this,” I said, leaning my head back as I stared at the ceiling.

  “You’ll love it,” Maggie said with a sigh. “You make a lovely witch.”

  “And I’m just getting started.”

  Epilogue

  “What am I supposed to do with all this food?”

  Platters, hot trays, and an assortment of fruit baskets sat on the kitchen table and counter. The fridge was full of even more food the town had dropped off after Maggie’s service and it just kept coming. In fact, I was starting to send it away as I had nowhere else to put it.

  “Eat it,” Kat said, opening the fridge only to take it back. “Hmm, I see what you mean. I could take some of it home if you want. I have a big freezer.”

  “I never understood the deal with food after a funeral. Stress eating is the worst.”

  “Possibly, but a girl’s gotta eat. Besides, how can you say no to Ida’s homemade macaroni and cheese?”

  “Never had it.”

  Kat’s jaw fell open. “We’re going to fix that right now.” Before I could say no, she pulled back the plastic wrap from the green bowl Ida had brought and tossed it in the microwave. “Normally I’d put it in the oven, but this is a matter of life and death.” She was exaggerating, because no one could ever make a simple dish like mac and cheese that good. “Here. Take one bite and tell me you wouldn’t eat the entire bowl.”

  With Kat’s eyes on me, I took the smallest bite I could manage without upsetting my stomach. I was a ball of nerves all morning, and even after the speech I gave at the funeral, the knot in my stomach was still there.

  “It won’t bite,” Kat said when I didn’t devour the whole thing.

  “You see this? You see this steam? That pasta’s a taste bud killer.”

  “Blow on it.” She smiled sweetly in my direction, then turned for the silverware drawer.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Getting a fork, what’s it look like?”

  “You think I’m going to share?”

  “You have five seconds to take a bite before I take it away from you.”

  “But—”

  “Three seconds. Come on. Tick tock.”

  “Don’t let her take it from you,” Maggie said, floating into the kitchen with a shine to her eyes. “You haven’t lived until you’ve eaten it.”

  As they both stared me down, I plopped it in my mouth, not the least bit surprised when it was cold. But the flavor! Cheesy goodness gave my taste buds a run for their money, and when I dove in for another bite, I glared at Kat as she went to do the same.

  “Nice to see you’ve got your appetite back,” she said, setting the fork on the table. “Once you’ve finished, you need to try Felix’s strudels. Oh, or you can sample one of Harris’ wing recipes. I prefer the Honey Barbecue, but you might like the Red Hot more.”

  “How have I never had any of this?” The town had thrown more than enough events for me to have sampled all of this food at least once before.

  “Most of these recipes are saved for very special occasions. The last one we had was before you arrived.”

  I nodded, then shoved another bite into my mouth, closing my eyes as the flavors danced over my tongue. The macaroni and cheese was warm and creamy, filling me with an odd happiness as though nothing bad could ever touch me. Then, remembering where I lived, I said, “This food isn’t enchanted, is it?”

  “No,” came Ida’s reply as she stepped into the kitchen with an armful of dirty paper plates which she quickly threw in the trash. “It’s my Nan’s recipe. If there’s magic in it, she never told me.”

  “I should get out there and mingle,” Kat said, rising from her chair, but not before stealing another bite of pasta from the bottom of the bowl. “What? A girl can have at least one bite, can’t she?”

  “Go on. I think I’ve reached my limit.” I gave her the bowl, which she quickly took in her arms before exiting the room.

  Once we were alone, Ida took her place in the chair opposite of me, a warm expression on her face. “How are you holding up?”

  “Okay,” I said, getting up so I could fit whatever I could into the fridge.

  “Liar.” Ida stood behind me, waiting until I moved out of the way before reorganizing the items in the fridge so we could fit a few more. “You put on a very strong front.”

  “I try.”

  “What you did for Lance was extremely brave.”

  “Not crazy?”

  She swapped out the half-empty milk carton and set a container of orange juice that was mostly gone onto the counter. “Impulsive is more like it. You’ve got a quick mind.”

  “Not really.” Looking at all of the food and how Ida continued to play a game of Tetris with the containers, I couldn’t fathom how she did it.

  “Well, you do when it counts. There.” She stood back to admire her handiwork. In the end, she’d managed to find room to fit four more items into the fridge, but I knew as soon as I took one out, it would be like playing a wicked game of Jenga.

  “It won’t stay that way for long,” I told her.

  “Then you call me when it gets cluttered. I’ll fix it right up.” She took me in her arms and gave me a squeeze, forcing the air from my lungs with her surprising strength.

  “Can’t…. breathe.”

  “Oh.” She released me and passed me a reassuring smile. “It gets easier. Your magic, I mean. Back when Lance was little, he had all sorts of hiccups with his.”

  “I thought he could only use it when he was in danger.”

  “Yes and no. He chooses not to rely on magic much of the time, says it interferes with the job.”

  “I could see that.”

  “Anyway, I want to thank you for what you did. Not many of the folks in this town would put their lives on the line to save my son let alone anyone else.”

  “I only did what I thought was best. I didn’t think it would actually work.”

  “It’s a good thing it did, otherwise you and I wouldn’t be having such a lovely conversation in your kitchen.”

  “Maggie’s,” I corrected her. “I don’t think I could ever claim it as my own.” Especially seeing as she was still around, though she’d left the room almost as fast as Kat had once Ida came into the picture.

  “Well, whoever it belongs to doesn’t change my gratitude. Any plans on what you’ll do with the house?” Ah, there was the Ida I knew.

  “Back to business, huh?”

  “A woman needs her gossip. So? Any ideas?”

  “It hasn’t been more than a week.”

  “Don’t let it linger, dear. If you’re staying here, there’s no reason for you to juggle both.”

  “I could sell it, or I could renovate it and rent it out.” At this point, it was anyone’s guess on what would happen to the old place.

  “I’d rent it out,” she said, fixing her large sun hat which had shifted out of place while she was organizing the fridge.

  “How come?”

  “Well, it isn’t like you can take over Maggie’s bakery. You’ll need some form of income.”

  “I can bake,” I said, following her back into the living room where everyone else had gathered.

  “Oh, honey, we all know how well that worked out for you.” />
  Shaking my head, I watched her go, her voice climbing over everyone else’s as she made her way through the crowd. The entire town had come out for Maggie’s service, then insisted on meeting back at the house. To be honest, I would’ve preferred it if everyone else went home so I could get out of my uncomfortable shoes.

  “Not a fan of heels?” Mr. Clark asked as I took them off, tucking them under my arm once I did.

  “Worst things ever created.”

  “Almost as bad as these loafers, I’d imagine.” He gestured to his suit and shoes, grimacing when he did. “Give me a pair of denims any day of the week.”

  It was hard to imagine anyone in town wearing their formal clothes on a regular basis. Aside from Ida, of course. She always had something wild going on and today was no different. Her woven hat had almost as many flowers around its rim as the baskets sitting on the coffee table.

  “What you said about Maggie was lovely,” Mr. Clark said, wiping his brow.

  How I’d managed to even speak at her service was anyone’s guess. The few times I’d done presentations in school, I’d broken out in a sweat and couldn’t sleep the night before. Thanks to all of my running around yesterday, getting to sleep wasn’t a problem. Staying up long enough to fix the last bit of Maggie’s dress was something else entirely.

  I almost didn’t get it to the funeral home in time. That isn’t to say Maggie would’ve been stuck in her birthday suit as I’d made sure to drop off another dress until I could finish the one she’d requested, it just wouldn’t have been the right one.

  “It was all true,” I finally said, gathering a few paper plates before taking them back into the kitchen.

  “You should have someone else do that.”

  “Ida just did,” I told him, depositing the plates into the trash. “I’ve never seen so much garbage in my entire life.” Lance had already taken out two trash bags full of the stuff, and now, with Ronan’s help, we’d filled a third.

  “When a town grieves, there’s no shortage of it, that’s for sure.”

  “You can talk to her if you like,” I said as he pulled a handkerchief from his breast pocket.

  “I’m afraid it’s more private than that. I’ve spoken to her at length in my shop.”

  “Not at home?”

  “Being next to her bakery makes me feel closer to her.”

  “Which is completely understandable. I can be an interpreter for you if you’d like. She’s been haunting me all week.”

  “She what?” He looked at me with disbelief and it was then I remembered the only people in town who knew about Maggie’s ghost were Lance, Kat, and Connie. Of course that meant Ida and Harris knew as well, but as for Mr. Clark…

  “Wait, I have a better idea. Where’s Sammy?” Ever since we got back, I hadn’t seen him anywhere. Then, as if on cue, a long yowl came from the tree out back, the same one he managed to lose himself in every six months. “Speak of the devil. Any chance I could borrow you a moment? I don’t think I should climb a tree in this,” I said, wishing I could conjure myself a better set of clothes. The black skirt was way too frilly for my liking and the slip underneath continued to cling to my pantyhose.

  Mr. Clark joined me outside where we managed to get Sammy down.

  “I was perfectly fine up there on my own,” Sammy said, licking his paw even though I knew from experience he wasn’t. “I could’ve gotten down.”

  “Eventually,” I told him, “but I need to ask you a favor.”

  “No. No way, no how.”

  “Come on. It’ll only be for a few minutes.”

  “What’s going on?” Ronan asked.

  “I need his help, but he’s refusing.”

  “Maybe I could help instead.”

  “Not unless you want Maggie to possess you.” When his eyes widened, I continued. “I meant it when I said she was haunting me. The night after she died, she spent most of her time possessing Sammy.”

  “But you can see her now.”

  “Yes.”

  “And she’s out here?”

  Glancing around the yard, I said, “No, but I bet she’s inside soaking up as much of Ida’s gossip as she can.”

  “You think he’d be willing to do it for me?”

  “Unfortunately no, but Ginger’s been rather open to it. Give me a minute to find Maggie, then we’ll be set.”

  In the end, it took me five minutes to convince Maggie to possess one of the cats so she could mingle with her guests. She claimed it would cheapen the experience and make everyone miss her less, but I knew that wouldn’t be the case.

  Ronan was thrilled to hear her voice and the two of them talked for hours on the back porch until almost everyone else had left. Kat ducked out early to get a few of the platters home so they wouldn’t go bad and promised to return in the morning. Ida had long ago run out of breath from all the stories she told, and Felix still had his shop to run. Both Connie and Harris gave Maggie their best and even talked charms with her before Ronan pulled her aside to have a more private conversation.

  So by the time I’d managed to get the living room back to normal (along with a mountain of flowers), it was almost dark.

  “Anything else you need me to take out before I go?” Lance asked, returning from another garbage run.

  “I don’t think so. You know you didn’t have to stay.”

  “I wanted to.” He busied himself by watering the flowers that wouldn’t need water for a few days.

  “How’s Thomas?”

  He paused then, holding the watering can away from one of the larger arrangements. “Doing well, I’d imagine. You know we can’t let him out.”

  “I know, it’s just a shame he and his dragon couldn’t see eye to eye.” Looking around the room at all the food, I said, “Is he allowed a special meal?”

  “You want me to take him a doggy-bag, don’t you?”

  “It’s only fair. He would’ve come to Maggie’s service same as everyone else. Besides, he isn’t the one we’re angry at.”

  “A small one, but nothing fancy. He may be in an isolated cell, but that doesn’t mean word won’t get out about any special treatments he might have.”

  “Thank you.”

  “What for?”

  “For taking the risk.”

  “Like you said, it’s only fair.”

  A small part of me wished there was a way to help Thomas without putting everyone else at risk, but because stripping a shifter of his animal form was forbidden, there wasn’t much any of us could do.

  By the time Lance left, I had to practically drag Maggie in from the back porch so I could lock up the house. “You’ll see him tomorrow.”

  “But Mom…”

  “No buts! If you’re good, maybe I’ll let you spend the weekend with him.” It wouldn’t just be for her, either. The cats and I all needed a break, Sammy included. Getting her out of the house to haunt someone else sounded especially good as my main plan now was to fall into bed and sleep for a week. “Goodnight, Mr. Clark.”

  “Goodnight, Astrid.” Even in the dim lighting of the foyer, I couldn’t help noticing his cheeks flush. “Goodnight, Maggie.”

  Maggie literally purred as she wished him well, then followed me up the stairs once I’d locked up. “You promise?”

  “So long as you can find an animal to possess and make sure to give them a rest every now and then, yes. No abusing it, though. And no using Sammy. I need him here.”

  “Well poop.”

  “Maggie.”

  “Okay, okay. No possessing Sammy.”

  “You can release Ginger now too.” Glancing back at the orange tabby, I smiled when Maggie’s spectral form floated above it. “Much better.”

  “I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to this. Now that the whole town knows I’m haunting the place, I’m sure they won’t even bat an eye when you mention me.”

  “It’s a good thing, Mags. You’re still part of the community, just like you wanted.”

  “What I wa
nt is to be able to interact with things, not watch them pass me by.”

  “We’ll figure something out,” I told her, drawing back the covers as all five cats jumped on the bed. “Oh no. There isn’t enough room in here, guys.”

  The cats all mewed at me, and when Sammy joined in, I took a sleeping bag out of the hall closet and set it on the floor. “Fine, but only for one night.” After turning off the lamp, I closed my eyes but didn’t sleep. While Maggie busied herself watching out the bedroom window, I couldn’t help thinking about the last couple of days.

  I’d finally learned my specialty, and while I was far from perfecting it, it had already come in handy. Deep down, I felt terrible for Thomas, but like Lance said, there wasn’t much else we could do. He was isolated and had an entire cell to himself. It wasn’t ideal, but not the worst thing that could’ve happened, either.

  Finally, at the edge of sleep, Maggie’s voice erupted in the otherwise quiet room.

  “What should I wear?”

  “I’m tired, Mags. I’ll see if I can conjure you a new outfit tomorrow.”

  “For Ronan.”

  “Maggie…”

  “Okay, okay.” There was a pause, and as I started to doze off, she said, “A dress. Purple this time.”

  “Maggie, go to sleep.”

  “Ghosts don’t sleep.”

  I exhaled hard and threw the sleeping bag over my head. “Goodnight, Maggie.”

  “Goodnight, Astrid.”

  With Maggie settled in for the night, I thought for sure I’d get a few winks, but then all five cats joined me, their bodies holding me down.

  “Apparently, witches don’t sleep, either.”

  “Apparently not.”

  Thank you so much for reading.

  If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review.

  Keep up to date on all of Kali’s releases by joining her newsletter and following her on Facebook.

  To see Kali’s complete catalog, go to:

  www.kaliharper.com