The charm was a beauty. Glittering gold in the shape of a crown with sky-blue enamel, marred by dark smudges—blood, she assumed. Near the center sat a cushion-shaped turquoise-blue jewel.
Issy held it out. “Anyone recognize the design? Maybe if we can figure out the maker, we can figure out who purchased it.”
“Never seen one like that before,” Raine said, shaking her head.
“Me neither,” Ember added. “From out of town maybe?”
“Well, there’s only one way to find out.” Gray plucked the bag away from Issy and held it in front of Cosmo. “Fly into town and compare this to what’s in the jewelry store windows. Good boy.”
The cockatoo took off in a flap of white wings, and the cousins sat back down again.
“Finally someone who takes action.” Brimstone picked the bag up. “Have you seen enough? I need to return it before Sheriff Know-Nothing figures out it’s gone.”
“Fine. Go,” Ember said, and they all watched him trot off, his dark-gray fur disappearing into the darkness of the forest.
“How long will it take Cosmo?” Issy shoved around the red-orange coals of the fire with a stick. “I’ve got to be in my store early tomorrow.”
“Not long.” Gray stretched out his long legs and stared up into the starry sky, now dotted with clouds. Issy, Raine, and Ember did the same. When they were kids, they’d lain outside on many a night, staring at the stars while their parents pointed out the different constellations, and looking up at them always comforted Issy.
After about twenty minutes, Gray said, “Do you guys ever think about settling down? Maybe starting a family?”
The three female Quinns exchanged a look.
“Why? Are you?” Issy smiled.
He opened his mouth, telltale splotches of red dotting his high cheekbones, and started to speak, but a loud screech stopped him. Cosmo swooped down onto Gray’s shoulder, let out a triumphant squawk, then nuzzled Gray’s ear.
“Okay. My beautiful boy here says the charm came from a new store on the south side of town called Charmed. Seems they specialize in these things.”
“South side, huh?” Raine crossed her arms. “Puts an end to our investigation.”
“No kidding.” Ember scowled. “Wouldn’t set foot over there if someone paid me.”
“C’mon, guys.” Issy sighed. Sure, the Quinns had had a long-standing feud with the coven who lived in that area of Silver Hollow. And yes, maybe the two sides didn’t get along at all. But sometimes there were more important things than old disagreements. “I think a dead body outranks some silly feud, don’t you?”
“What about all those dirty tricks they pulled on us when we were in school, huh?” Raine asked. “I didn’t appreciate having every cornfield outside of Silver Hollow sprouting with the words ‘For a Good Time Call Raine Quinn.’”
“Yeah, and that time they slipped an attraction spell into my Home Ec chocolate project? I fought off unwanted suitors for weeks because of them,” Ember growled.
“Fine. Okay. They have poor taste in jokes, I’ll admit. But I’ve never heard of them doing anyone any real harm or of them practicing dark magic. Besides, it sounds like if we want to find out who this demon has possessed and save an innocent person’s life, then we have to go.” Issy stood and placed her hands on her hips. “Now, who’s paying a visit to Charmed with me tomorrow?”
7
It turned out, only Gray was able to take a break from clipping hair and go with Issy to Charmed the next day. Both Raine and Ember had called off, claiming they were far too busy to investigate again.
Issy had expected a bland little shop in some strip mall, but the store turned out to be a blissful stone cottage set in a mossy hillside covered with wildflowers. From the twittering birds, to the tinkling of a nearby brook, the whole scene seemed, well… textbook fairy-tale charming.
She pulled Brown Betty, her rusted-out pickup truck, to the curb and jammed the ancient transmission into park. Last night, she’d been pumped on adrenaline and raring to go. Today, though, sitting here on the wrong side of town, all she felt was hesitant. “Ready?”
“Sure,” Gray said, glancing at her. “If you are.”
“What if the owner recognizes us and kicks us out?”
“Look.” He pointed out the windshield at the other cars lining the street. “Whoever’s working in there isn’t going to pull anything with so many witnesses around, especially if there are humans present. Everyone follows that rule. I think we’ll be fine.”
Exhaling loudly, Issy undid her seat belt. “Okay. If you say so.”
“I do.” Gray got out and met her on the sidewalk leading up to the store. Traffic into and out of the place seemed pretty steady. They made their way inside to the tinkling of bells above the door. The gentle scents of vanilla and lavender wafted through the air and helped ease Issy’s nerves.
Maybe Gray was right. Maybe they had nothing to worry about, with all the tourists milling about the place, despite the nasty feud between their covens. A large orange tabby lazed atop one of the many glass display cases scattered around the shop. At the sight of Issy and Gray, however, the creature arched her back and hissed loudly.
And maybe Gray was wrong and they should get the heck out of there.
She took a step backward toward the exit just as the woman behind the register glanced up at them, her midnight-blue eyes widening. The name tag on her chest read Starla Knight, though Issy would’ve recognized one of the Knight Coven anywhere. And not just because of the telltale tingle she got in her gut whenever there was another paranormal in close proximity.
The blond woman’s gaze darted around at the other customers nearby then returned to Gray and Issy. Her tone, though polite, held a definite edge of frost. “May I help you?”
Gray, for once, seemed speechless. He just blinked at the woman, unmoving.
Struggling to keep control of the tense situation, Issy took charge. After a deep breath for courage, she stepped up to the counter. “I’m sure you know who we are.”
Starla eyed her warily. “I’d recognize a redheaded Quinn anywhere. What do you want?”
“I saw one of your charms recently,” Issy said, ignoring Starla’s defensive posture and instead perusing the collection in the glass case nearest her. “All of your designs are very unique.”
“Yes.” Starla said, looking from Issy to Gray then back again. “They bring good luck as well. But that still doesn’t explain why you two are here. There’s a perfectly good jewelry shop on the north side of Silver Hollow with comparable charms for sale.”
“Not quite comparable.” Issy tapped her index finger on the glass display case, which held charms almost identical to the one in the police evidence envelope. “These are different from anything I’ve ever seen. Very high quality and beautiful.”
“Yes. Beautiful,” Gray echoed.
Both Starla and Issy shot him a glance. What was wrong with him?
“Thank you.” Starla’s tone was appreciative but guarded. Issy thought she saw a little bit of the frost in the woman’s demeanor melt, but it was probably just her imagination.
“Can I see them?” Issy asked.
Starla slid the door in the back open and pulled the tray out, setting it on the glass top. Issy leaned over. Yep. Same enamel, same stones. Different design but definitely the same charm that was found in the victim.
“Not afraid I’ll put a hex on them?” Starla said, eyebrow raised.
“Oh.” Heat prickled Issy’s cheeks. Once, when they’d been ten, Starla had offered Issy a cupcake on the playground, and she’d thrown it away, at the encouragement of her cousins, telling Starla her family had probably cursed it. Those days seemed so long ago now and silly in retrospect. “I’m sure your items are fine.”
“Hmm.” Starla watched her for several moments before sighing. “If you’d like, I can put one on a bracelet for you so you can see how it looks on your wrist.”
Starla gave Issy a tentative smile
, and for a moment, Issy thought perhaps the Knights weren’t so bad anymore. Perhaps someday she and Starla could even be friends. Then the childhood taunts, the evil tricks they’d played on Issy and her cousins reared their ugly heads, and Issy shoved the thought aside.
Her and Starla Knight friends? Maybe when toads tap-danced.
Issy tucked a long curl of her strawberry-blond hair behind her ear and bent over the display. “No, thanks. They’re really beautiful, though. You must sell a lot of these, huh?”
“I do all right.” Starla crossed her arms and surveyed the other customers. “Are you just looking, or are you actually going to buy something?”
Glancing up at Starla’s sharp tone, Issy couldn’t help wondering if perhaps Starla was the one possessed by the demon. After all, her moods seemed be swinging wildly from unaccountably nice to nearly hostile. According to the research she’d done last night, strange emotions and outbursts were also hallmarks of a possession, and those clever demons were known for letting their host “take control” when it was advantageous. She caught Starla’s gaze once more and looked deep into her dark-blue eyes but didn’t spot that dark, soulless demon victims usually displayed.
“That was some storm yesterday, huh?” Issy asked, thinking maybe she could trick Starla with a lie. Demon possessions were also known to cause memory loss in their human hosts.
“What storm?” Starla scowled. “Listen, I’m super busy and really don’t have time to play games. If you want to see something, great. Otherwise, I’ve got other customers to serve.”
Darn.
Issy was ninety-nine percent sure the charm found in the wound had come from this shop, but how many people had bought these charms?
“I’m looking for something completely unique for my aunt. She can be very particular. Doesn’t want to end up with the same jewelry as her old cronies. Are there a lot of charms like these around? Maybe if I could be assured that one of her friends didn’t have the same charm…”
Starla looked like she was getting suspicious. She snatched the tray away and put it back inside the case. “These aren’t one of a kind. One-of-a-kind charms like this would cost thousands of dollars. My clientele doesn’t have that kind of money, and I have no intention of telling you who purchased charms from me, so if you want something completely original, I suggest you try Schuller Jewelers down the street.”
Sighing, Issy straightened. She’d figured Starla wouldn’t be eager to just blurt out her customer list, but she’d had to give it a try. “Okay, maybe I’ll try there.”
“Whatever.” Starla gave her a dismissive wave then glanced over at Gray once more before walking away to help a nearby human couple.
“C’mon,” Issy said, grabbing her cousin’s arm on the way out the door. He’d been uncustomarily quite the entire time, as though he’d been in some kind of trance, and moving his big body now was akin to hauling concrete. Finally, when he crossed the threshold of Charmed, Gray appeared to snap out of his stupor.
He shook his head then squinted into the afternoon sunshine. “We done already?”
“Yes.” Issy continued on down the sidewalk toward her pickup then tripped over a crack in the pavement, nearly face-planting on the ground. Mumbling under her breath, she straightened and glanced through the front windows of Charmed. Starla Knight stood watching them through the front window, her lips quivering as if she was stifling a smile.
Heat prickled up Issy’s cheeks as she continued on around the old truck.
Raine had been right.
Those south-side Knights weren’t happy unless they were pranking somebody.
She climbed behind the wheel of Brown Betty then slammed the door behind her. “We’ve been here for twenty-five minutes.”
“Seriously?” Gray shook his head and frowned, getting into the passenger side of the truck. “I swear we just walked in that place.”
She glanced sideways at him. Gray had a sort of dazed look on his face, as though maybe Starla had hexed him or something. Or maybe, like most men, he just got all flustered in a store full of jewelry.
“Yeah, you seemed a bit… preoccupied.” She buckled her seat belt and waited for Gray to do the same then started the engine and signaled before pulling out into traffic. “Anything you want to share?”
“No. Why?”
“Oh, nothing. You just seem kind of odd. Like maybe you were bewitched. Or maybe your interest in Starla Knight has changed since we were kids and she almost turned you into a toad.”
Gray’s nose scrunched, and he stared out the window beside him, scrubbing a hand through his hair. “My only interest in Starla Knight is to find that stupid charm, okay?”
“Well, for your sake, I hope that’s true.” Issy didn’t miss the way her cousin kept looking back at the shop. Maybe Starla had zapped him with an over-hexed spell. “For all we know, Starla could be the demon.”
“Starla’s no demon. And even if she was, what would we do, huh?” Gray glanced at Issy again, his expression annoyed. “Remember, it’s not the host’s fault if they get possessed. Whoever killed that dishwasher is still innocent. The demon’s the one to blame.”
“Right.” Issy made a left turn and headed toward the north side of Silver Hollow once more. “I just wish we’d found out something more, something that would put us closer to figuring out who the killer is.”
“Did you get Starla’s customer list?”
“No.” Issy parallel parked along the crowded street near the town green about two blocks from Enchanted Pets. “Weren’t you listening in there? I couldn’t just come out and ask her, so I tried to weasel my way around it. There’s no way she’s going to tell us who bought those charms.”
Gray unbuckled his seat belt then shifted to face Issy. “Well, she might not share it with us Quinns, but she’ll have to share it with the police when they question her about that charm. Which means—”
“Owen.”
“Yep.” Gray winked. “Once our good sheriff figures out where that charm came from and requests the shop’s list of buyers, he’ll know who the killer is and try to prosecute them.”
Issy slumped back in her seat. “But that person’s innocent. Which means we’ll have to come up with some way to throw him off track. Blame the killing on someone he’ll never catch.”
“Unfortunately, I need to get back to the salon,” Gray said, getting out of the truck then leaning back inside his open window, his beefy forearms resting on the frame of the truck. “I say right now our best plan of attack is to figure out who bought the charm and banish the demon before it kills again. We’ll have to worry about Owen later on.” He looked at his watch. “Sorry. I need to go. I’ve got a perm coming in at two fifteen.”
Issy waved as he darted away, then locked up Brown Betty before heading back toward her pet store. Gray made it all sound so simple—find the buyer, destroy the demon. Her instincts, though, told her it would be much harder than any one of them suspected.
8
Issy had just reached the corner and was ready to cross the street to Enchanted Pets when she nearly collided with a man carrying a full bag of groceries. Apparently, Gray wasn’t the only one preoccupied.
“Oh dear. I’m so sorry,” she said, holding her hand over her eyes to block out the sun, realizing too late it was Luigi Romano. Issy forced a smile. “Hello, Luigi.”
“Hello.” He peeked at her around his bag, his tone formal.
From the top of the sack, she spied large ripe tomatoes, a stick of pepperoni, and several green peppers. Hoping to distract him from asking any inconvenient questions, she asked, “Doing some cooking today?”
“I’m preparing a new pizza recipe this afternoon. Karen over at The Main Squeeze is giving me access to her big wood-burning oven. She said I can use her juice customers as a test audience for my slices.”
“Hmm.” She and Karen Dixon had their own past after what happened to Louella Drummond, but the last thing Issy wanted to do at that moment was remind Luigi
of that. Besides, he and Karen were pretty close. In fact, according to local rumors, it had been Luigi who’d convinced the committee to let the local witch outcast set up her juice bar in the first place. Besides, Karen had turned out to be okay in the end. Heck, they’d practically even become friends.
“That’s nice.” Issy nodded then stepped around him, hoping to make a quick escape to her store. “Well, have a great rest of your day.”
“Wait!” Luigi hurried along beside her, the sides of the long black coat he always wore flapping out in front of him. “I heard about that dishwasher killing, and I suspect it was done by a demon.”
His words halted her in her tracks. She knew it had been too much to hope that he’d bought their story about the sulphur smell being from Becky. Now he suspected a demon was out, and he was sure to have Issy, Gray, and Enid as his top suspects.
Issy feigned innocence. “What makes you say that?”
“All of those power outages, to start with.” He towered above her, casting a large shadow over the area where she stood. She shivered despite the late-summer warmth. “Then there was the smell of sulphur when I found you and Gray with Enid Pettywood, acting suspicious yesterday.”
“Yeah, we thought that might be a demon but couldn’t figure out how it got here. I guess summoning one is a big no-no with the committee, huh?”
Luigi made a face. “Yeah. The committee. They take a dim view of conjuring up demons.”
“So you’d be wanting to find that person and report them, right? I mean, that is why you’re here—to prosecute those doing illegal magic.”
“What? Oh yeah. Prosecute. That’s right. I guess a dedicated, proficient wizard would do that. Might up my standing with the committee.”
Issy’s eyes narrowed. The way he said that seemed to imply that his wizarding skills weren’t up to par. She’d been under the impression that he was one of their best wizards, sent here to keep law and order because of that whole Vonner incident. As if one dark witch in town meant they were all bad. “Raise your standing? What do you mean?”
Spell Disaster (Silver Hollow Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series Book 2) Page 4
