A Charming Corpse: :A Cozy Paranormal Mystery

by Tonya Kappes

  “Black locust seeds killed her.”

  “Wonderful. Then we can go see KJ to see who bought them.” She shrugged with an upbeat tone.

  “Leah LeRoy bought them,” I hated to say.

  Eloise jerked around and looked at me stunned.

  I quickly told her what I knew about the seeds that’d disappeared the same day the man came into the Crafty Crazy Chick with a piece of paper to get a certain yarn.

  “Leah said the yarn was sad?” Eloise’s chin lifted in the air. Her eyes narrowed. “Very interesting. And Gabby was pregnant?”

  “Yes.” Both of us looked at the front of the garden when we hard footsteps.

  “Did you summon me?” Petunia walked into the glow of the lightning bugs light with a net over her hair and a sleepy look on her face. “This better be good, because Gerald gets all upset like Orin if Orin wakes up and wants me. Then I have to attend to two babies.”

  “June had a wonderful idea and I’d like to try it.” Eloise swept up to her while Mr. Prince Charming dashed over to the gazebo to scare the teens.

  “Stop that,” I warned him before he could put his plan into action.

  Like a scardey-cat, all four clawed paws dug into the earth to stop him, jerking him into a different direction and he speed off into the night.

  “What idea was that, June?” Petunia had a peeked interest.

  “The teenagers came to get Eloise the night of Gabby’s death, only Eloise didn’t know what they wanted.” I continued to tell her how Eloise followed them, but nothing was there so she began her cleansing ceremony. “We think they saw something. Since you can communicate with them, we thought you might ask them to tell us what they saw.”

  “You do not believe Leah LeRoy did it?” she questioned. “As the village President I must consider these things before I even attempt to get into the middle of things. As a matter of fact, I’m hesitant because Officer Park told me she summoned the Marys.”

  “She what?” Eloise gasped, drawing her cape around her and across her face.

  “She’s young. She was only doing what her parents told her to do and I think we have time before the Marys get here to figure this out. I told her I’d help her.” I knew that I had to tell Petunia and this came with the consequences that Oscar was going to find out.

  “I find that a suitable argument.” She smiled.

  “Thank you.” I hugged her. “I’m positive Leah didn’t kill Gabby.”

  “Positive as in reading her positive?” She looked at me with scolding eyes.

  “Because she came to me for help.” I didn’t deny or accept her claim. I simply state the truth, just leaving a few parts out.

  It must’ve been enough of an answer to satisfy her because she left Eloise and I standing there while she walked over to the teens.

  We watched as she gestured with her hands and they gathered around her, putting a spotlight on her. Her head moved in rapid movement and spoke in a low buzz that I didn’t understand. With the different sequences of lights from their bodies, they seemed to be talking back to her. She nodded and turned around.

  “You’ll find something near the border between Locust Grove and Whispering Falls. They didn’t see any particulars, just the floating down of the object. Only the object in mention was originally at the Crazy Crafty Chick shop before they came to get Eloise.” Petunia didn’t bother with any more information. She walked out of the garden.

  Chapter Sixteen

  It was too late to go to the border without someone seeing me. Even though Petunia, Eloise and Oscar knew I was going to try and help Leah, I couldn’t risk the other spiritualist finding out. It was the big no-no that would get the Marys here quicker than we needed them to be.

  Oscar had sent me a text saying he was still at the office was going to try and get some shut-eye there. It was his way of telling me that he wasn’t coming home for the night.

  The next morning before any shops opened, Mr. Prince Charming and I drove the Green Machine down the hill and parked in front of A Charming Cure. He didn’t budge from his favorite curled up position on the dashboard. He knew where he found the warmth of the heater blowing on him, shielding him from the bit of chill in the air would soon be long gone.

  I loaded up the boxes for Adeline at the Piggly Wiggly. It was a perfect cover up to check out the border and what the teenagers said I’d find there.

  “Welcome to Whispering Falls, A Charming Village,” reading the old wood sign to welcome tourists still made a smile cross my lips. We did live in a charming community where everyone looked out for each other.

  I pulled the Green Machine to the side of the road.

  “I guess you’re not moving?” I put the gearshift in park.

  Mr. Prince Charming purred with happiness but didn’t even open his eyes. It was his favorite spot to lie. Even before we moved to Whispering Falls, I’d find him in the El Camino basking in the sunny spot.

  I got out of the car and where the spring had started to turn to summer, the thick vines were covered with the brightest thick, green leaves. As soon as I’d take a step, my shoe would disappear into the depths of the lushness.

  “Where are you?” I questioned the item the teens were talking about. “Too bad I don’t have a gift for seeking out items.”

  “June, here!” I heard Eloise call out to me. I hurried towards her voice that was about twenty feet deep behind the wooded area beyond the sign.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked.

  “You didn’t think I wasn’t curious, did you?” She questioned with sparkling eyes. “Did you say cashmere pink yarn?”

  “Yes.” My eyes followed the line of her arm as she extended her thin finger to a heap of pink lying just under the surface of the vines. “Eloise,” I gasped when I noticed the piece of the blanket sticking out.

  I bent down and noticed the yarn that was used to make the blanket appeared to be the yarn that Leah LeRoy said the man had purchased. My intuition did double time when I touched the edge of the blanket.

  “It is the yarn.” I drew my hand back and looked up at Eloise. “I have to tell Oscar about it and he needs to come get it to get fingerprints off of it.”

  “What do you think this has to do with Leah and Gabby?” Eloise asked. “What did the teens see?”

  “I think that whoever that man was that came into Leah’s shop, knew that Gabby was blackmailing her and that somehow knew about the black locust.” I shook my head. “I know none of it makes sense right now, but somehow.”

  “You have an amazing intuition and I know you’re going to figure it out.” Eloise put a hand on my shoulder. “That’s why you need to check on the teaching position at Hidden Hall.”

  “You know about that?” I asked and wondered how. It was my next stop after I went to Locust Grove.

  “Helena stopped by. She told me about it since I’m teaching next semester.” Eloise had taught there many times. “She thought that if you knew I was going to be there, then you’d be open to thinking about it.”

  “But if I go, I’d have to stay there all the time and not see Oscar as much. What about my shop?” I asked.

  “Faith Mortimer ran your shop when you went to school there. She did a fine job. Plus, you still came home a lot and made your potions.” She reminded me that I did have free time to come and go as I pleased as a student and still got my work and my studies completed. “What did Oscar say?”

  “I didn’t tell him.” I stood up and dragged my phone out of my pocket.

  “June, you need to.” Eloise didn’t tell me anything that I didn’t already know and I knew would be a hard life change if I did take the job. “You are a teacher by nature. This is part of your job as a spiritualist to grow.”

  “I know, but we’ve only been married a year and we’ve already been through so much.” I thumbed through the contacts and stopped when I got to the O’s. “Every time we turn around, he’s got a murder or I’ve got a business deal and I was just hoping things woul
d settle down for at least a year so we could. . .” I smiled. “I don’t know.” I shrugged. “Start a family.”

  “June!” Eloise clasped her hand over her mouth. “Are you pregnant?”

  “Oh, no.” I shook my head. “Not at all, but we do want to have children and if we keep doing things for others all the time and not taking time for ourselves, we’ll never have the family we want.”

  “I have a feeling that you need to teach at least one semester before you settle down.” She didn’t tell me what I wanted to hear, but I admired her for her tenacity. “But that’s up to you. I’m just asking that you talk to him about it. Maybe he will have some insight.”

  “I’m not going to lie, but I did get a tiny bit excited when Aunt Helena mentioned it.” I bit back the grin, but it didn’t work.

  “Look at your face.” Her jaw dropped. “You’re glowing.”

  “We’ll see.” I quickly text Oscar that I’d gotten a lead on the case and there was a pink baby blanket in the vines about twenty feet beyond the Whispering Falls welcome sign. I also told him I’d fill him in after I’d gotten back from Wands, Potions and Beyond.

  Eloise and I said our goodbyes, but not without me promising that I’d talk to Oscar this afternoon after got some information from Aunt Helena during my visit to the university to get the cauldron cleaner.

  The cell phone rang from deep inside of my bag just as I was about to put the Green Machine in gear.

  “Good morning.” The sound of Oscar’s voice sent my heart soaring. “I missed you last night.”

  “I missed you too.” I sighed. “I’m guessing you got my text.”

  “I did. Do you think you could bring it by this morning before you run into Locust Grove?” He asked. “Beth is going to come by this morning and give an official statement. I was wondering if you’d like to come and maybe throw out some questions for her?”

  “Really?” I ignored Mr. Prince Charming. He was growling and trying to get my attention by batting at the bracelet. “You’re asking me to officially help?” I couldn’t believe my ears.

  It was really a no-brainer for me and something I’d been wanting to do since the day he was sworn in as a cop. I reached behind my seat and grabbed the emergency kit. It had everything you’d possibly need for a roadside emergency and that included garbage bags.

  “Yes. I’d like you to use your intuition to talk to her,” he said. “And maybe pick up something to eat from Gerald. I’m starving.”

  I got out of the car and trekked back over to the blanket, carefully picking it up with the bag and letting it fall in so I didn’t put any more fingerprints on it. I hurried back to the car.

  “I’d love to. I was going to see if Adeline had ever seen this guy with the white brow to help tie him in, but it can wait.” I jerked the wheel and pushed the gas, heading straight back into Whispering Falls.

  “What guy with the white brow?” Oscar asked.

  “Oh. I haven’t talked to you about me talking to Leah. I’ll explain over breakfast,” I said and we hung up the phone. “And I need to talk to you over breakfast about the teaching position,” I muttered to myself.

  Truly, the only thing that’d keep me from it would be the time I’d have to be away from him.

  “What do you think about me taking the teaching position at Hidden Hall?” I asked Mr. Prince Charming, who was now pouting and hiding on the floor board underneath the seat.

  “It would mean that we’d be spending a lot less time in Whispering Falls for a few months.” I continued to talk to Mr. Prince Charming like he was going to pop up and just start talking. “And a lot less time with Oscar.”

  That got his attention. He popped his head up from under the seat and looked at me.

  “We’d get to see some of the old students and some of the staff.” It would be nice to see them on a regular basis. “You’d trade seeing Oscar for Aunt Helena every day.”

  Rowl. He batted the air with his front paw. He clawed his way out and jumped up on the seat, bringing his paw up to his mouth to clean.

  Whispering Falls was starting to wake up. Clouds of yellow dust drifted under the fog, giving it a good lift out of the village. The morning dew that was scuttled over the shop rooftops were glistening as they began to melt away from the peek-a-boo of the promise of the sun’s rays.

  I pulled the Green Machine in front of Crafty Crazy Chicks and ran across the street into The Gathering Grove with Mr. Prince Charming on my heels. Only once across the street, he darted the other way. No doubt he was going to see Petunia at Glorybee because it was about the time she fed the animals in her shop.

  Faith Mortimer was hunched over the trunk of the Wicked Good Bakery delivery car.

  “Good morning, Faith,” I greeted her. “Are you on your way to Locust Grove?”

  “I sure am.” She stood up and opened one of the donut boxes she was going to deliver to the Piggly Wiggly, something they did every morning. “Want one?”

  “No thanks. But I do have a favor. Do you think you could drop off the lotions to Adeline while you are there?” I asked.

  “You know I don’t mind. Go grab them.” She pointed to the car. “I’ve got plenty of room in the back seat.”

  “You are a life saver.” I gave her a quick hug and ran back to the Green Machine to get the box. “Thank you so much,” I said after I got the box in her car.

  The early morning was fading away fast and I still didn’t feel like I’d helped Leah in any way. It was so sad to look across the street from the inside of the Gathering Grove and seeing her shop with a temporarily closed sign on her door.

  “What can I get you this fine morning?” Gerald twirled the right side of his handlebar mustache in his finger and thumb. “What if I get you a nice soufflé?”

  “I’ll take three. One for me, Oscar and Colton.” I narrowed my eyes trying to tell Gerald not to even think about asking me any questions on why I’d summoned his wife to Eloise’s last night. “Along with three large coffees, to go.” I threw in just so he wouldn’t be tempted to put it in a mug and think he was going to get a chance to read my coffee grounds.

  Behind me was a young woman with curly red hair that draped over her shoulders.

  “What’s good here?” She asked in a small voice. The freckles that dotted her face made her look like she had a natural tan.

  My intuition told me immediately that she wasn’t from here.

  “Everything. I’m getting a soufflé this morning and a coffee.” I smiled at the stranger.

  “I’m a little nervous and coffee probably wouldn’t help.” She gnawed on the corner of her lip and looked up at the menu behind the counter.

  “Why are you nervous?” I asked.

  “I know you are a stranger, but I feel drawn to you.” She answered as her brows frowned.

  “I have that effect on people.” I wondered what was going on this her. “If you want, you can come see me at my shop.” I pointed out the window. “A Charming Cure and I’ve got some really good remedies that could help you with whatever ails you.”

  “No wonder.” She clapped her hands together. “I saw your shop yesterday when I was on my way to the police department. I sell Lifestyle oils and I couldn’t help but notice your shop.”

  Like a jolt of caffeine had been injected into my intuition, I knew this was Beth.

  “Gerald,” I called over the counter. “Make that four soufflés and four coffees.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  After I explained to Beth that I was going to the police station and knew she was going there, we decided to walk down together with the food in the to-go bags. I’d get my car later, after work.

  “Gabby was so excited about you giving her information to your friend at the Piggly Wiggly,” she said as we walked down towards the police station.

  “As a matter of fact, I was going to tell my friend about what happened to Gabby when I dropped off my line of products that sells there, but my friend was going into town this morning
and she’s taking them for me.” It was small talk until we got to the station.

  “Hi there.” Oscar’s face light up when I walked into the door. His eyes were tired, but still the blue was as bright as the Caribbean Sea. “Good morning.” His eyes drew past my shoulder and noticed Beth.

  “I met Beth while we were in line at The Gathering Grove.” I held up the bag. “I got everyone something to eat.” I always believed food brought people together in comfort and Beth needed some comfort. “Where’s Colton?” I asked.

  “He and Amelia went on their annual vacation to visit family last night after he impounded Gabby’s car for me.” He used vacation as a code word for their visits to other spiritual villages since neither of them were from Whispering Falls or even Kentucky.

  “I was wondering why I’ve not seen Amelia.” I said and opened the bag. She was a very good friend of mine and she’d not stopped in the shop, nor was she at the smudge ceremony. “Then we’ve got plenty to eat.” I took out the soufflés and put them on Colton’s desk as a table for all of us. I gestured to the food. “Dig in.”

  “This is a bit unusual.” Beth walked over and eased down into one of the chairs in front of the desk. I took the other one and Oscar sat on the edge of the desk.

  “If you can’t tell, Whispering Falls is a little unusual.” My eyes softened as I tried to make her feel more at ease.

  The way I figured, was that if we treated her with kindness, she’d open up more than we needed her to. I had to figure out exactly who Gabby was and her blackmail side because she definitely didn’t portray that to me when I talked with her.

  Oscar gave me the unspoken look where he was going to disappear, and I was going to “friend” Beth.

  “You sell Lifestyle like Gabby Summerfield.” I dragged my bag from across my body and dug down deep for the roll-on oil. “Gabby sold this to me a couple of days ago.” I held the bottle up. “She said it was good for breathing.”