“Dessert is always a better choice than flowers in my opinion, Detective Carmichael,” Betty said with a wink. “Something for Belladonna is easy too. She loves carrot cake. I just so happen to have one in the case,” Betty said and walked over to a giant cake cooler lining one wall of the bakery. ‘Would you like it?”
“Yes, please box it up for me, Betty. Thank you so much,” Detective Ben said and started to pull out his wallet.
“Oh no, Detective. It’s on the house. The first one is always free in Winterfield.”
“Thank you. Well, then, I guess I’ll need a dozen of those red velvet cookies I see,” he said and pointed to the cookies in the counter case. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate it, Betty, but I do need to ask you something.”
“Go ahead, Detective.”
“Well, for most of the time I’ve been here, most of the townsfolk have been…” He thought for a moment. “Distant. Now, everyone is really friendly. I like it, but it’s sudden.”
“Haha. That’s because you were an outsider, but now it’s become abundantly clear that you’re one of us,” she said and handed him the cake and cookie boxes.
“How is that?” he asked and cocked his head to one side.
“I don’t know, Detective Carmichael. I wish I could tell you, but it seems as though you’ve finally just clicked into place.”
777 Cornland Lane
It was getting dark by the time Detective Ben arrived at Belladonna’s house. The house was lit up, and Ben could hear the sound of roaring laughter spilling out into the street. For a moment, he considered turning around and going home, but the laughter was so inviting. He also had cake and cookies, so maybe he could get himself an invite to the party if he played his cards right.
“Ooooh, dessert!” the pleasantly plump woman who bore more than a passing resemblance to Belladonna enthused when she answered the door. “I’m Belladonna’s Aunt Sumac. Please come in.”
She took the boxes from Ben and walked into the house. He followed along and was pleased to hear Bella’s laughter in chorus with the other women. It meant she was in a good mood. Hopefully, that would equal her forgiving him. The last thing he wanted to do was sour her good humor by showing up unannounced, even if he did have cake.
“The cutie patootie at the door brought cake and cookies,” Sumac announced as she walked into the kitchen. Being called cutie patootie made Ben blush despite himself. “It’s carrot cake, Belladonna. This one really likes you,” Aunt Sumac said and set the boxes down on the wood counter of the kitchen island.
When Detective Ben walked into the kitchen, he saw that Belladonna, Murielle, and the woman that he’d seen leaving Bella Beauty Salon before he went in to have his infamous talk with Belladonna were all standing around the island, drinking steaming mugs of what smelled like excellent coffee.
“Oh, coffee and dessert. Perfect!” the mystery woman enthused.
“Mother,” Belladonna scolded, and the mystery of her identity was solved.
“Oh hush, Bella. He brought cake and cookies. You absolutely have to forgive him now,” her mother said and smiled broadly at Ben.
“I absolutely do not,” Belladonna huffed.
“Belladonna Nightshade, you’re being ridiculous,” Murielle said and swiped a red velvet cookie from the box.
“And you just want free treats.” She was trying hard to hold on to her indignation, but Detective Ben could almost feel it slipping away.
“Belladonna, could I have a word with you in the parlor?” Ben pleaded with her in a hushed voice.
“Anything you want to say, you can say here,” she said, and he could swear she stamped her foot. It made him smile.
“Please?”
“Fine. But you witches better not eat all of my cake while I’m gone. I’ll turn the lot of you into toads.”
“You wouldn’t even know how,” Aunt Sumac said and took a cookie, too.
“Try me.” She was joking, but when she turned and saw the look on Detective Ben’s face, she knew she’d let a little too much slip.
“Pick up your jaw, and come on,” she said and pulled Detective Ben into the other room by his arm.
“He didn’t know yet?” Detective Ben could hear Aunt Sumac asking as Belladonna pulled him down the hall.
The Parlor
“Are you? Did you just say you’re…” Detective Ben couldn’t collect his thoughts accurately.
Typically, he would have brushed it off as strange family banter. He’d heard much worse working in the city. Heck, he’d heard much worse from his own family. But there was something about the way they joked about it so casually that made it real. They weren’t joking about the magic being real, they were joking about casually using magic. Like magic was real. He couldn’t shake the feeling that the existence of magic rang true, either. A curtain that he’d been right on the other side of his entire life had just been drawn back.
“I suppose they think I already told you. I mean, you have been living in Winterfield for a while. I do have to hand it to the town that we’ve kept it a secret for this long,” Belladonna mused, then she noticed Ben was still just standing there in shock. “Are you okay? Do you need to sit down?”
“I uh. I don’t know. So you’re…” He trailed off again.
“Why don’t you sit down, Ben,” she said and led him over to the chaise lounge.
Sterling immediately jumped up into his lap and started to purr. Ben began to pet the cat’s head without even thinking about it. He relaxed, and the cat’s soft fur and warm purring brought the world back into focus.
“Witches? Like, real witches? Magic and all that? What else don’t I know?” Ben asked thoughtfully. He even surprised himself about how open-minded he was being, but then again, the ghost of his dead wife had been visiting him lately. She wasn’t the only one, either.
“Oh my, the things you don’t know, dear,” Belladonna’s mother said as she wheeled a cart with cake, cookies, plates, cups, and a pot of coffee on it into the parlor. “Sorry to intrude, Bella, but you might want to let us all in on this one. I’m Petunia, Belladonna’s mother, by the way,” she said and approached Ben.
She extended her hand to him, and he shook it heartily. “Nice to meet you,” was all he could say for the time being.
Murielle distributed coffee and treats to everyone while Belladonna started the fireplace. Sterling hopped down and stretched out in front of the flames. Detective Ben could sense right away that he was being welcomed into the fold.
Ben looked up just in time to see Granny float into the room. If he hadn’t already seen the ghosts of Amy and Elsbeth Tory, he might have been shocked. As it was, he was just interested now.
“Okay, where to begin,” Granny pondered aloud, and everyone in the room, except Sterling, who was now sleeping in front of the cozy fire, turned their attention to the ghostly grand matriarch of the Nightshade witches. “Good to meet you, Benjamin. I’m Granny Pepper. Let me fill you in on a few important things.”
Detective Benjamin took a sip of his coffee and marveled at the rich, distinct flavor. Even back in the city, he’d never had a cup of coffee taste so good, and Ben knew all of the best coffee shops. When she was done, he had one question. It made the group chuckle that it’s what he focused on.
“So, you’re saying Officer Terry is a werewolf?”
Twelve
The Garden
After Granny Pepper was done with her stories, Ben and Belladonna went out to her gardens while the others went back into the kitchen to find more food to snack on. Even Sterling followed them, giving up her spot in front of the fire in hopes that someone would feel magnanimous and cook her a salmon fillet.
As if Murielle could read Sterling’s mind, she said “Come on, kitty. I’ll make us both some salmon.”
The moon hung over the garden like a guardian, but even though it was beautiful, Belladonna could feel it waning with an acuity she hadn’t experienced before. It made everything feel urgent. A chill in t
he air prickled her skin and made Belladonna feel even more on edge.
“Do you want my jacket?” Ben asked.
“I don’t think it will help. The chill in the air isn’t the weather,” she answered thoughtfully.
“I have so much to learn.” Everything he’d found out about Winterfield and his neighbors was a tad overwhelming.
“So you’re going to stay?” Bella asked hopefully.
“Of course. This is my home now. I’m actually not that surprised about the magic stuff after the things I’ve seen lately.”
“Oh really?” Bella cocked her head to the side inquisitively.
“It feels weird talking about this, but I’ve seen ghosts. I mean, besides your grandmother.”
“Granny Pepper. Grandmother is entirely too formal, and she’ll not be pleased if she hears you call her that,” Belladonna corrected playfully.
Detective Benjamin smiled at her, apparently pleased that her feelings towards him were starting to soften again.
“Yes, Granny Pepper. She’s not the first ghost I’ve seen since I moved to Winterfield. In fact, she’s not the first ghost I saw today. She’s actually the third.”
“Go on,” Belladonna said.
“It feels weird to say this, but I saw the ghosts of Mrs. Tory and my wife, Amy, in the cemetery earlier.”
Belladonna’s heart sank for him. She’d never known that Detective Benjamin was a widower. He must not have ever told anyone about Amy because something like that would have spread through Winterfield like wildfire. She wanted to ask him about Amy, but there was another question first.
“Why were you in the cemetery, Ben? I suppose you went there after our discussion, but why?” He found it interesting that she’d called it a discussion and not an argument or a fight.
Detective Ben explained to her about the person in the hoodie who’d probably been watching them back at the salon. He told her about following him or her to the cemetery, seeing Elsbeth’s ghost, and finding the black stone.
“The stone, do you have it? I’d like to ask my family to take a look at it,” Belladonna said and put her hand on Ben’s arm.
“I took it home. There was something off about it. I didn’t want to have it on me when I talked to you,” he said and felt his face flush a little at her touch.
Just then, they heard a rustling outside of the garden gate. Someone was in Belladonna’s yard listening to their conversation.
“Hello, Granny? Aunt Sumac?” Belladonna called out, but there was no reply. “Murielle? Mom? Sterling?” The only reply was the sound of someone quickly walking away.
Detective Benjamin took off without another word. Belladonna passed through the garden gate in just enough time to see Ben giving chase to a person dressed in a black hoodie and jeans. The hooded figure ran through the gate that led out of the yard to the street, and Ben continued to chase him.
Bella ran out to the street and watched Ben chase the person up the street and around the corner. She wasn’t sure what to do, so she just stood in place and waited for him to come back.
A few agonizing minutes later, she saw Ben round the corner again and make his way back to where she waited on the sidewalk. His hair was mussed from the wind, and his cheeks were flushed from the exertion of running.
“I need to start running in the morning again.” He laughed breathlessly when he reached her. He bent slightly at the waist and put his hands on his knees while trying to slow his breathing.
“Are you alright?”
“Yeah, just a bit winded is all. I didn’t catch them. “
“I wasn’t sure what to do, so I just waited. I’m sorry if I should have called someone?” Bella said remorsefully. It frightened her to think of Ben being hurt.
“Who would you have called? I’m the police,” he said with a good-natured chuckle. “I have my phone. I could call for backup if I need it. I’m just annoyed I didn’t catch the guy. I don’t like the idea of someone lurking around watching you.”
“How do you know it’s not someone watching you?” Belladonna teased, but she wondered if someone was watching them both.
She realized then that the two of them were standing very close together. Belladonna glanced down and saw that Detective Ben was holding her hand. She tilted her chin back up towards him again and looked into his eyes. Ben’s lips were a millimeter away from hers.
“Oh just do it already,” she heard her Aunt Sumac lament.
Belladonna whirled around, and everyone inside the house was standing at the window watching her and Ben.
“Oh my god, go away you guys!” Belladonna yelled at them, and they scattered back into the bowels of the house.
She turned back to Ben, and although he was looking at her intensely, Bella could tell that the moment had passed. She squeezed his hand and narrowed her eyes further.
“I want to give your family the stone I found. Maybe they can figure out what it is,” Ben said.
“Sure. Let’s go get it.” Belladonna tried to disguise the disappointment in her voice, but not very hard.
She did notice that Ben didn’t let go of her hand as they started walking towards his house. Belladonna wondered if things would be going better between them, or faster, if it wasn’t for the murder mystery thing. She hoped that they could solve the mystery surrounding Elsbeth’s death so that she could rest in peace and so Bella could figure out what was brewing between her and Detective Benjamin.
Once the arrived at Ben’s house, Belladonna wasn’t sure if she should follow him into the house or wait on the porch. He was just running in to get the stone, and she didn’t want to come off as nosey.
“You can come in,” he said with a smile.
Ben unlocked the door and walked in. Belladonna followed him through the threshold and immediately heard what sounded like an elephant running down the hall towards them. It wasn’t an elephant, though. The creature running towards them was a huge, shaggy golden retriever.
It bypassed Ben and pounced on Belladonna. The dog’s paws were on her chest, and it was covering her face with wet doggy kisses.
“Get down, Olwen,” Ben tried to chastise the massive beast, but he couldn’t stop laughing.
“It’s okay. She’s a good girl.” When Belladonna said good girl, Olwen sat down and wagged her tail enthusiastically. Belladonna kneeled down and scratched behind the dog’s floppy ears. “See? Who’s a good girl?” The dog practically danced with excitement.
“She likes you.”
“And I like her, too,” Bella said and nuzzled Olwen’s forehead.
Detective Ben left his dog and Belladonna in the hallway and ran to his study to get the black rock he found in the cemetery. There was a dark, heavy feeling in the room around it. Ben couldn’t say that he’d be sad to be getting rid of it, but he did worry about giving something so nasty to Belladonna.
“We can handle it. I’m not sure if I could on my own, but with my family there, everything will be all right.” Belladonna said from the doorway of the study. It was almost as if she could read his mind.
“Okay, well let’s get it back over to your house ASAP. I don’t like this thing.”
777 Cornland Lane
Everyone stood around in a circle around the black stone. Well, everyone except Ben, Olwen, and Sterling. Ben brought his dog back to Belladonna’s house with them because neither Bella nor Ben could stand the forlorn look on Olwen’s face when she saw her master was leaving again.
Sterling did not approve.
The two animals sat on either side of Detective Benjamin, vying for his attention, while the Nightshade witches held hands and chanted. It wasn’t often that men were allowed to witness these rituals, but Granny Pepper, who even in death was the head of their little coven, could sense that he was different. She hadn’t yet figured out how, but that didn’t matter. He was special.
Murielle was a part of the coven as well. She was a Nightshade witch in spirit. As far as she knew, the remaining family she had were o
rdinaries. Petunia and Belladonna had embraced her as one of their own since Murielle was a teenager and came into her powers most unexpectedly.
So the witches of Winterfield raised their voices to the moon and attempted to draw down as much of its waning power as possible. They needed to find out what the stone was, where it came from, and most importantly, they needed to seal its dark magic.
Once the chanting and swaying really got going, Sterling hopped down from the chaise and started to run around the outside of the circle. She appeared to be trying to contribute. Ben and Olwen watched from the sidelines quietly and attentively.
The chanting started to sound melodic, like singing, and it raised to a fever pitch before dying off suddenly. The women stood, still hand in hand, silently while a lime green mist filled the room. The mist swirled and shimmied before turning into what looked like some type of rune.
The women opened their eyes and waved their hands in the air as if conducting a symphony. The runes danced and then lined up. It looked as though they were spelling out words, if only Detective Ben could read them. Then, the symbols turned a dazzling shade of aquamarine and disappeared.
“Well?” Detective Ben asked after a few moments of silence.
“We can’t tell you that yet, dear,” Granny Pepper said and disappeared.
At that same moment, the time warp opened up again, and Petunia was gone as well.
“Oh great,” Aunt Sumac said sarcastically.
“What? Where did they go?” Ben asked with wide-eyed confusion.
“Well, Granny Pepper got called back to the other side by the elder witches who’ve passed. Petunia was only here because of a rift in time. We never know how long she’ll get to stay. I guess the universe decided it was time for her to go elsewhere.”
“Elsewhere?” Ben asked.
“To the future. To the past. To an alternate reality. There’s no way for us to know until we talk to her again and ask where’s she’s been,” Aunt Sumac said and sighed loudly.
“So what’s the stone? What’s going on?”
Magic & Mystery: A Cozy Mystery Sampler Page 15
