The Witching Flavor (A Cozy Mystery Book): Sweetland Witch

by Zoe Arden

  "Oh, dear," she murmured.

  "I've been having a little trouble concentrating," I told her.

  "I can see that," she said, though not unkindly.

  "I just keep thinking about the goblins. I know there's got to be some way to get them to talk to me."

  Eleanor sighed. "I should have known better, I suppose, than to think an afternoon here would make you forget everything. Come on. I have to go out for a bit. Why don't you keep Trixie company out front? The crowds have thinned out, so it's safe."

  "Okay," I said. Maybe hanging out with Trixie would do a better job of taking my mind off things. She was always good for a few laughs.

  Eleanor headed out and twenty minutes later, I was holding Trixie back as she tried to turn one of our customers into a goldfish.

  "For witch's sake, Trixie," Paisley Mudget said. "It's not me who's saying it. It's the town."

  "And where did the entire town of Sweetland get the idea that Melbourne Hammond ate Pennyweather?"

  "Now then," Paisley's twin sister, Lottie Mudget, said. "Paisley never said ate. No, no. Vampires don't eat their victims. We're not dim-witches. We know that."

  "So, what are people saying then?" I asked her.

  "That Melbourne drank her blood then buried her body at Whisper Crossing."

  "Let me at her!" Trixie shouted. "Flubbernugget frogger!" she cried.

  Lottie let out a loud croaking sound that resembled a bull frog. A giant wart popped out of her nose.

  "That was uncalled for," Paisley said. "I shall be reporting this to Margaret Binford and the rest of the Witch's Council." She hurried her sister outside before Trixie could do any more damage.

  "That just makes me so mad," Trixie told me. "To think that poor Melbourne is being persecuted just for being a vampire!"

  The way Trixie said it made it sound like vampires were no more dangerous than a puppy.

  "Um, don't take this the wrong way, but vampires do drink blood, right? Human blood?"

  "Of course they do," Trixie said. "But that's what blood banks are for. No vampires in Heavenly Haven actually kill anyone. Not anymore."

  I nodded and decided to drop the subject before Trixie got mad and turned me into a mouse.

  We stood around in silence for the next hour, only talking when we had to. Trixie wasn't mad at me, but she couldn't stop fuming over the Mudget sisters.

  "Stupid snobby little dim-witches," Trixie muttered to herself for the billionth time. Dim-witches were witches whose powers had never fully developed. I was pretty sure that Lottie and Paisley did not fall into that category.

  I was grateful when Eleanor finally returned.

  "Why the long faces?" she asked us.

  "Those stupid Mudgets were here," Trixie said. She'd been busting to tell her all about it. "They said everyone in Sweetland Cove thinks that Melbourne killed Pennyweather."

  "Don't be ridiculous," Eleanor said. "We don't even know whether Pennyweather's dead or not."

  Trixie opened her mouth to say something else but Eleanor turned to me, ignoring her.

  "You should go home," she said.

  "Home? I thought you wanted me to stay here today? Take my mind off things?"

  "Is it working?"

  "No," I admitted.

  "So go home, then. Watch a movie with your dad. Make sure he gets some sleep. And you get some sleep, too. You want to be ready to meet Sheriff Knoxx bright and early. He says Goblin Territory is best traversed at dawn."

  She said it so casually I almost missed it. "Wait. What? Did you just say...?"

  Eleanor beamed at me.

  "Tomorrow at six. The edge of Beggars Forest. Sheriff Knoxx will be expecting you."

  I was too stunned for a moment to say anything. Then I threw my arms around Aunt Eleanor and hugged her till she couldn't breathe.

  "Thank you!"

  Finally, I could get some answers.

  * * *

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-ONE

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  "Thanks for doing this, Sheriff," I said for the thousandth time as we trekked deeper into Beggars Forest. I shot one last glance at his police cruiser before it disappeared behind a thicket. The walkie talkie on his belt crackled and he turned it off.

  "Won't work up here anyway," he muttered.

  "Yeah, that's what William Carney told me."

  He grumbled something that sounded like, "muggawugga buggernut." I interpreted that to mean, "Eleanor owes me big for this." I hoped she was making him a nice dinner. If not, I would.

  The farther we walked, the more I started to fixate on the oven at home. "Wait a second," I said, stopping. "I need to go back. I think I left the oven on."

  I turned around, intent on getting back home as quickly as possible.

  Sheriff Knoxx reached out and grabbed my shoulder, spinning me back around.

  "Whoa, there," he said.

  "But I need to get back," I told him. Panic was gripping me. Clearly, he didn't understand.

  "Sure you do, but first, we need to go a little farther into the forest."

  "Oh, no, I can't do that. I need to go." I struggled against him until the sheriff got tired of it. Then he scooped me up and put me over his shoulder.

  "Put me down!" I screeched. "I'm going to tell my Aunt Eleanor! She'll turn you into a waterslide!"

  "A waterslide, huh? I haven't heard that one before. Sounds fun." He continued carrying me, even though I beat my hands against his back, which was surprisingly hard. He didn't even flinch. Finally, I started getting tired. The deeper we got, the less important the oven seemed. A few minutes after I'd stopped beating my fists on him, Sheriff Knoxx paused.

  "You good now?" he asked me.

  "Yes," I mumbled, embarrassed at my earlier behavior. He set me on my feet and I felt my cheeks flush. "Sorry about before."

  "It's okay," he said. "It's the goblins. Not you."

  He started walking again, and I followed him. About fifty more feet in, we starting hearing things. Whispers. Crackling noises. An arrow whizzed by my head, missing me by no more than an inch.

  "Oh, my roses," I muttered as fresh panic set in.

  Sheriff Knoxx raised one hand high over his head and began to speak. "Mwa gratlin, Sheriff Knoxx. Mwa gratlin conte, Ava Fortune."

  There were more murmurs, louder this time. They were coming from behind the trees.

  "We ask permission of the Goblin High Council and King Zulabar that we may enter in peace."

  A face appeared between some bushes now. A green face with black eyes and a toothy smile. This wasn't the same goblin who'd greeted me the first time. He had a gold crown on his head. The other goblins fell back behind him as he stepped forward.

  So far he's doing better than I did. At least they stopped shooting at us.

  "King Zulabar," Sheriff Knoxx said, bowing. He elbowed me, and I got the hint. I bowed.

  "Why do you come seeking goblins?" King Zulabar asked.

  "We seek information about some witches who have gone missing."

  "Missing witches?" someone cried. More goblins stepped out of hiding. I forced myself to stay calm. There were at least fifty of them watching us. Not all of them looked happy we were there.

  "Crankal makawan!" Kind Zulabar yelled to his people. They quieted down.

  "Tell me about your missing witches," he said.

  "Thank you, King Zulabar," Sheriff Knoxx said. "We are missing two women. Lucy Lockwood and Pennyweather Kelso. They have harmed no one, and we only seek their return."

  "You think they are here with us?" Kind Zulabar asked. The goblins around us laughed.

  "No," Sheriff Knoxx said quickly. "But we know of the clever ways that goblins learn things witches and wizards sometimes overlook. We acknowledge you are a more intelligent species."

  This time, the murmurs came with grunts of approval.

  "We know who you are," King Zulabar
said. "Your ancestors were well respected in our territory. Though you are only a small part goblin, we see the goblin strength in you."

  I thought I saw Sheriff Knoxx blush. I supposed that was a pretty big compliment he'd just gotten coming from the goblins.

  "I thank you."

  King Zulabar and the others nodded.

  "We have had three of our own go missing. Our last one, not more than two weeks ago."

  "Two weeks?" I cried. "It's been a week since Lucy went missing."

  Sheriff Knoxx held up a hand, telling me to settle back down and let him do the talking. Considering King Zulabar was looking at me like I was an ant at a picnic, I thought that might be a good idea.

  "Kiya was her name. She was only sixteen."

  "Was?" Sheriff Knoxx asked.

  "Her body was recovered just two days ago. Devoured of life."

  There were cries and mutters, most of them heartbreaking. "Kiya's parents, Javyn and Meenah, are here with us now."

  Two goblins stepped forward, holding hands. Their eyes were wide and dark and sad. If it wasn't for the long, dark hair on one of them, I'd never have been able to tell the man from the woman.

  "We are seeking answers ourselves," King Zulabar said.

  "I have answers!" a younger-sounding voice cried. A goblin, shorter than the rest but just as green, came running into the clearing. "I am Ekon. I was there when Kiya disappeared. I know what took her."

  "What?" I couldn't help crying.

  "Draugr!" Ekon yelled.

  My face grew hot.

  "Draugr?" I repeated. "But I thought that was just a myth."

  "Silence!" King Zulabar yelled to his people. He waited for the goblins to stop talking. Ekon seemed to regain his control. "Ekon speaks the truth. A draugr is here. He is feasting on my people. Now, he has turned to yours. We offer our assistance, that we may defeat the demon together."

  Sheriff Knoxx nodded. "I thank you, on behalf of my people. For now, though, we prefer to continue our search alone."

  "An offer of help, once rebuked, is never offered again," King Zulabar said.

  "I understand."

  "What are you doing?" I whispered. "Accept his offer!"

  "Draugar aren't real," he whispered back to me. "They don't know what's happening any more than we do."

  "Go in peace, then," King Zulabar said. "But do not return." He didn't wait for anything else to be said; he simply retreated back into the trees and disappeared.

  Sheriff Knoxx moved quickly away from the scene.

  I hurried after him, taking giant steps just to keep up.

  "Wait, Sheriff Knoxx, are you sure that was a good idea?"

  "I told you," he snapped, "there is no such thing as draugar. The goblins know nothing. Working with them would be a waste of time."

  I finally noticed that his face was flushed and set into a hard line. Meeting the goblins like that had taken a toll on him.

  "I really appreciate your help today," I said.

  His face softened. He grunted a friendly noise that I interpreted to mean, "No problem." Though I might have been overselling it just a tad.

  He turned his radio on when we got out of Beggars Forest and it crackled to life.

  "Sheriff Knoxx, this is Otis. Uh, Otis Winken. You copy? Over."

  "Knoxx here," he said.

  "Oh, Sheriff, thank the witches. I've been trying to get ahold of you for an hour."

  "I told you I was going into the forest. Over," he said, still irritated from his encounter with the goblins.

  "Yeah, I know, but uh, something happened while you were gone. Uh, over."

  The sheriff and I looked at each other, and I knew we were thinking the same thing. Someone else had gone missing.

  "What happened, Otis?" the sheriff asked.

  "Well, uh, it's Lucy, sir."

  "Lucy?" I gasped. Panic resurfaced at once.

  Sheriff Knoxx squeezed my elbow reassuringly.

  "Otis, just tell me what it is. What about Lucy?"

  "Well, Sherriff, she's back. And she's mad."

  * * *

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-TWO

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  "Tell me what's going on!" Lucy screamed from down the hallway. I could hear her before we'd even entered the room.

  "Lucy!" I cried, pushing past Sheriff Knoxx as I ran inside. Eleanor and Trixie were already there.

  I'd called my father on the way to the hospital. He'd wanted to come, but he sounded as if he'd barely been able to answer his phone he was so tired. I'd have to deal with him later. Something was clearly wrong, but maybe it was nothing more than a common cold taking its toll. Right now, Lucy was the one who needed my attention.

  Lucy spun toward me, and I stopped running. Her eyes were sunken. Her cheeks were hollow and sickly. It was the first time I could ever remember seeing Lucy with greasy hair.

  "Oh, my roses." I searched the room for Doctor Dunne and found him standing in the back, already speaking in hushed tones with Sheriff Knoxx.

  "What happened to you? You look terrible!" I blurted.

  "Have you looked in a mirror lately? I can tell from here you've been stuffing your face with chocolate coconut frazzle balls." Her lips twitched up at the corners. Even though she looked weak physically, her voice was strong. The sarcastic tone was a welcome reassurance.

  I hugged her so hard I almost knocked her off the bed.

  "Whoa. Careful there, Ava," Dr. Dunne said, putting out a cautionary hand as he took a step toward me. I eased up on her but refused to let go until she patted my back.

  "I'm okay," she croaked. "Or rather, I will be as soon as someone tells me what in the witch's cauldron is going on here."

  I looked uncertainly at Dr. Dunne and Sheriff Knoxx. The sheriff whispered something to Eleanor, and her eyes widened. She whispered something to Trixie, and her lips pursed.

  "What's happening?" I asked, furious no one was telling me anything. I turned back to Lucy. "Where have you been? Everyone's been looking for you."

  Lucy shrugged. "I have no idea."

  I thought I'd misunderstood.

  "You mean you don't want to talk about it? That's okay. As long as you're all right."

  "No," Lucy said, a slight irritation in her voice. "I mean, I don't remember. I have no clue where I've been for..." She looked to Sheriff Knoxx for help.

  "One week," he said.

  "A week?" she asked, her voice cracking. "I thought the nurse told me it was just a couple of days. A week? A whole week?"

  "You really have no idea where you've been?" I asked her.

  "If you ask me that one more time, I might just throw a hex on you. I'm in a foul mood, and there's no telling what I'm liable to do in this state of mind. For all anyone knows, I might lie on the couch all day and eat nothing but ice cream. Chocolate. With hot fudge, whipped cream, and cherries."

  She nodded as if she'd just made a decision.

  "Yes. I'll tell my parents that later."

  I looked around the room again and realized that Brenda and Vincent Lockwood were nowhere to be found.

  "Where are your parents?" I asked. "And Megan?"

  I wondered if anyone had told Lucy that her own sister had tried to hex her to Jamaica. How would Lucy feel about that once she knew?

  "I asked my folks to bring me some clothes. They'll be back in a little while."

  "And Megan?"

  Lucy's brow scrunched. "They said Megan was... I don't know. Out or something. I can't remember."

  She pounded her fist against her head as though that would jog her loose memory.

  "They didn't know where she was," Sheriff Knoxx cut in. "I've got Otis out now looking for her."

  I tried to remember the last time I'd seen Megan. I guessed it was when she'd confessed to trying to hex Lucy. All because she was jealous of the looks Tanner gave her whenever she was around. If you asked me, Tanner wa
s a dope who didn't deserve Lucy or Megan.

  I frowned. "You don't think that... I mean, with Pennyweather missing now, too." I didn't want to come right out and ask whether he was afraid something had happened to Megan. Not in front of Lucy. Not when she'd just gotten back and was all mixed up about things.

  I sat on the edge of her hospital bed and held her hand. She squeezed it lightly.

  "Pennyweather's missing?" Lucy asked. "See, this is what I mean. Why isn't anyone telling me anything? I have a right to know what's going on, don't I?"

  She slapped the side of the bed and one long fingernail pinged the metal side bars, making a loud clink.

  "Lucy, we talked about this," Dr. Dunne said. "Right now, what you need is rest. Your memory will return when it's ready to return."

  "That's a load of—"

  "I'm afraid I have to agree with Lucy on this one, Doc," Sheriff Knoxx said, surprising everyone.

  Eleanor put a hand on his shoulder.

  "Z–Sheriff Knoxx, don't you think that Dr. Dunne knows what's best for Lucy right now?" She was using what I thought of as her teacher voice. The kind of voice that could gently persuade a small child to do his homework and make him think it was his idea to do it.

  "No," Sheriff Knoxx said, sounding irritated. "I think that Lucy's been missing for a week. Pennyweather's been missing for over forty-eight hours. The two cases are certainly connected somehow, I just don't know how yet. She might."

  He indicated Lucy, who looked at me and Dr. Dunne defiantly.

  Eleanor's cheeks colored, and she pulled away from Sheriff Knoxx.

  "I can see if I can come up with a memory elixir," Trixie said. "Though elixirs aren't quite my specialty. Not like frostings, you know. Maybe Ava can help?"

  I shook my head. "Oh no. The last extract I tried to make almost burned the bakery down."

  "Everyone relax, please," Dr. Dunne said. "I've already been in touch with Amanda Hollyberry. She should be arriving shortly from Mistmoor Point, and she assures me she has just the thing to jog Lucy's memory, if needed. I was merely hoping to give Lucy some time to heal on her own. Without the use of magic."