by Zoe Arden
"Mayor Black, get up here and give us your speech." Hadley beamed at the crowd, clapping her hands. We all clapped with her. Ten seconds passed, a minute... murmurs began to rumble through the crowd.
"Mayor Black?" Hadley said into the microphone. "Has anyone seen Mayor Black?"
People started searching for him. He was nowhere to be found. I saw Tazzie Singer look toward the balcony, but instead of going that way, she moved in the opposite direction. I went out onto the balcony myself. There was nothing except empty space.
I sighed and walked to the ledge. There was a lovely view of the ocean from here. The star light gave everything around us a soft glow. It was peaceful. Serene. A squirrel scampered down a tree. I followed it with my eyes. There was something at the base of the tree. A large, dark shape. It wasn't moving. I blinked, not convinced of what I was seeing. Then a cloud that had been passing in front of the moon moved, and the shadow grew brighter. I gasped.
At the base of the tree, lying thirty feet below the balcony, was Thaddeus Black.
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CHAPTER
SEVEN
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Sheriff Knoxx, Lincoln Maxwell, and Colt carefully examined Thaddeus Black's body. He'd been face down when I found him, lying in a puddle of darkness. Word of his body had moved quickly through the party after I screamed. I kicked myself for behaving like such a girl. Screaming? Really? As if Thaddeus was the first dead body I'd ever seen.
Lincoln looked back at the gathering crowd.
"Everyone back inside," he snapped. "Nobody leave."
Sheriff Knoxx told Otis Winken to go in with everyone and make sure no one tried to sneak out. Deputy Elwin Muster, the newest man to join Sheriff Knoxx's staff, went with him. I could see Sheriff Knoxx breathe a sigh of relief once Tadpole was out of sight. I thought the absence of Tadpole was the more likely reason for sending Otis away, especially since no one at this party was going to try and leave, not with a dead body lying just outside. Who would want to miss all the excitement? Murder made for better gossip mongering than the election itself had.
"You, too, Ava," Colt said. "Back inside, please." He must have sensed my irritation at being ordered around like I was just another party guest, because he started trying to cover his tracks. "I need you to make sure that people don't get stir-crazy up there. Keep everyone calm."
He slipped his hands around my waist and kissed me gently on the lips.
"When you put it like that," I said, "it sounds a lot better."
I shot one last look to Thaddeus. Poor guy. He was sort of pompous, but that didn't mean he deserved to die. He'd barely had time to enjoy his victory.
Sheriff Knoxx picked up something off the ground to Thaddeus’ left and held it in his hand. The starlight gleamed off the shiny, metal blade.
"Is that a knife?" I asked.
Colt turned toward the sheriff.
"I thought Thaddeus fell," I said, confused. What was a knife doing here?
"He might have fallen," Sheriff Knoxx said, "but it wasn't the fall that killed him."
Felicity suddenly appeared at my side. Lincoln gave her a please help me look and she ushered me upstairs. I was too dumbfounded to argue with her. Eleanor, Trixie, and Lucy pounced on us when we got back to the ballroom.
"What's going on?" Lucy demanded. "Is Thaddeus Black really dead?"
I nodded.
"Oh, my roses." Trixie looked pale. We stood around for a while, most of the party guests wanting me to tell and retell my discovery of the body.
"Morbid curiosity," Eleanor said, patting my back. "It comes with living in a small town."
"It comes with living in a big city, too," my dad chimed in, coming up next to us with Sadie Belle on his arm. "When Ava and I lived in New York, morbid curiosity ran rampant."
Sadie nodded sympathetically. "That must have been so hard for you, being away from the witching world, living amongst so many humans."
I suppressed a laugh. I liked Sadie. My mom had died twenty years ago and it was high time my father found someone new he could share his life with, but sometimes it seemed as though she was trying a little too hard. My dad had actually liked New York, though he preferred Heavenly Haven. And living amongst humans wasn't so bad.
Sheriff Knoxx and Colt were back inside the party now, sequestering people in small groups. Lincoln was still outside. He'd been joined by Doctors Wallace and Dunne. I had no idea what they were doing with the body, but it seemed clear that the party guests weren't going anywhere until everyone was questioned.
Colt came over and asked us if we'd seen anything suspicious.
"You mean other than the fight Thaddeus and Tazzie had?" Lucy blurted. I smacked her arm. "What? Everybody saw that."
"She's right," Colt said, looking at me. "Everybody did see that. Only no one can seem to find Tazzie now."
"I saw her," I told him. "Just before I found his body."
"Where?"
"She was just standing around the dance floor with everyone else, looking for Thaddeus." I left out the part about seeing her glance apprehensively toward the balcony doors and decide not to go out there, as if she knew what she might find.
"Did any of you overhear the specifics of their argument?" Colt asked.
"Just what everyone else heard," I told him. "Look, Tazzie didn't have anything to do with this."
"How can you be so certain? A few people said they saw her come in from the balcony looking like she'd been in a fight."
My cheeks turned red. "Because Tazzie Singer is not a murderer, that's how I know."
I wasn't sure why I felt so defensive of her. I liked Tazzie, but I didn't really know her that well. She was Mistmoor. I was Sweetland. Yes, our two sides mixed more than they used to, but not enough for me to feel this burning desire to stand up for her. Maybe I was just on edge, wanting to pick a fight. Luckily for me, Colt didn't take the bait.
"I think we've got something," Sheriff Knoxx said.
"What?" Colt asked.
"A witness. Someone saw Tazzie with a knife just before Thaddeus was killed."
"The same knife?" I asked skeptically.
Colt shot me a half-apologetic, half-annoyed look and followed Sheriff Knoxx to the back of the room. My aunts and I exchanged glances with Felicity and Lucy, then followed them to see who they were talking to.
Wilma Trueheart stood fanning herself, rambling on about how difficult this night had been. She was acting as though she'd been forever traumatized. Suddenly, she didn't seem nearly as likable as she had when we'd first met.
We crept closer, trying to make it look like we were examining the cupcakes on display instead of listening in. I noticed Grayson and Kayla inch closer, too. Apparently, everyone wanted to hear what Wilma had to say.
"Just tell them what you told me," Lincoln said.
Wilma blushed and cleared her throat. "Well, I was in the back, getting together another tray of sugar high life cookies, when Tazzie came in." Wilma paused, looking to make sure she still had their attention.
"Well, Tazzie sort of stopped and looked around the room. When she saw me, she looked surprised. She asked me for a knife."
"She actually asked you for a knife?" Colt said, looking mystified.
Wilma nodded.
"What did you do?" asked Sheriff Knoxx.
"I gave it to her. I didn't know... I mean, I had no idea..." Wilma seemed to shrink as everyone stared at her.
Lincoln produced the knife. "Is this the knife you gave her?"
Wilma nodded.
Kayla jumped out of nowhere. "Liar!" she screamed.
Wilma's face went white but she stood her ground. "I'm not lying," she said.
Kayla grabbed a cupcake off the table and threw it at Wilma. Wilma ducked just in time. The cupcake missed and hit Sheriff Knoxx instead. He wiped it off with a frown. Grayson stepped between them.
"Sheriff Maxwel
l," he said, "Tazzie would never kill anyone. You can't really believe that."
"I don't know what to believe just yet," Sheriff Knoxx said. "Until we question Tazzie, we have nothing else to go on except witness statements."
"Well that witness is a bad one," Kayla said, pointing a frosting-laced finger in Wilma's direction. "My mother is no murderer. For witch's sake, she was attacked herself just a few nights ago. Whoever killed Thaddeus is probably the same guy who attacked my mom."
"Kayla has a good point," I said. My dad had sidled up to the rest of us, Sadie still on his arm. He shot me a look that told me to keep out of it.
"Grayson," Lincoln said, trying to reason with him. "No one is under arrest here; we're just trying to get the facts. Do you know where Tazzie Singer is right now?"
"No," Grayson said, rolling back his shoulders. I admired the way he was standing up for Tazzie even though he'd fought in the mayoral race against her. Kayla was lucky to have him as her boyfriend.
"Fine," Lincoln said through clenched teeth. Tempers were getting heated. "Maybe I'll just bring you and Kayla into the station and we can talk about this there. It might jog your memory."
"You leave Kayla out of this!" Grayson yelled, furious. He raised his fists at Lincoln.
Sheriff Knoxx tried to stop them but was having little success. "Knock it off!" he yelled. "Both of you!"
Grayson reached for Lincoln. Lincoln reached for Grayson.
A woman's voice cut through the air. "Stop it!" Everyone turned to see Tazzie Singer standing there, her face flushed. "I've done nothing wrong. I'll answer your questions. Just stop fighting."
Grayson and Lincoln looked shamefacedly at each other and muttered apologies.
"Remember," Lincoln said. "No one's under arrest here."
"Not yet," Wilma said. She was lucky Kayla didn't hex her right then and there.
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CHAPTER
EIGHT
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Tazzie was questioned for two hours but ultimately released.
Yes, she said, she'd asked Wilma for a knife, but that had been to cut a cake. Not stab anyone. The sheriffs wanted to know what the fight between her and Thaddeus had been about. She told them it was just the usual stuff between candidates, nothing special.
Her answers were vague but reasonable. She'd had no blood on her, no fingerprints on the knife, and despite the circumstantial evidence, there was nothing concrete. Until they had solid proof of her guilt, there was little they could do to hold her.
I leaned against the counter at Mystic Cupcake and yawned. Felicity and Lucy had both texted me this morning, Lucy at four a.m., Felicity at five, making it impossible for me to sleep. They wanted to know if Colt had told me anything they didn't already know.
The answer was no. Colt had told me nothing. He was trying to keep me as uninvolved as possible. He knew I had a tendency to get sucked into these investigations and didn't want me getting hurt. The last time I'd investigated a murder, things had gotten a little too close for comfort.
"Where is everybody?" I asked Eleanor and Trixie. It was eleven a.m. We'd been open since nine, and I could count the number of customers we'd had on one hand.
"They'll be here," Eleanor said uncertainly. Her blond hair was pulled back in a tight bun. The long, dark purple skirt she wore swished as she absentmindedly kicked her foot over the ground. "This is just a lull. It happens to all businesses once in a while."
"That's right," Trixie said. In contrast to Eleanor, her hair was tied up in a high, cheerleader-style ponytail. The yellow bow in it matched the yellow tights she wore now. Too bad none of it matched her neon green shirt.
"Sooner or later," Trixie continued, "people will realize Mystic is the better bakery and come back to us. Right now, Sweets n' Treats is too new. That's why it's a draw. People get excited about new things."
My dad had stayed home today, but I knew he'd agree with Trixie if he were here. The front door jingled and we all looked eagerly in its direction. Snowball, Tootsie, and Rocky sauntered in. Tootsie licked her paw and wiped her nose.
"Hi," they all said in unison.
Trixie, Eleanor, and I looked at each other. It wasn't often that our familiars all came into the bakery together. I wondered if Snowball had decided to take another shot at trying to convince me to create a tuna-flavored sugar cookie, and had brought the other two for backup.
We had just managed to get rid of Trixie's blood-infused pastries—though Trixie threatened to bring them back on an almost daily basis—and I wasn't about to broach the subject of fish-flavored ones with my aunts. Not yet. I was starting to think that pastries for familiars might not be such a bad idea, though.
"What's going on?" I asked Snowy and the others. Rocky barked lightly and looked at Tootsie, who nudged Snowball. Apparently, Snowball had been elected to tell us whatever was on their minds.
"Snowball, Tootsie, and Rocky have news," Snowy said. Her white fur fluffed out around her face, making her look like she was surrounded by a cloud of powdered sugar.
She curled her tail around her feet before continuing. "The line at Sweets n' Treats is long. People are waiting around the corner. Snowball does not like that they are not here, neither do Tootsie and Rocky. We felt it our job to warn you."
She sat back on her haunches with a satisfied nod.
"The line is around the corner?" I asked.
They all nodded. I looked at Eleanor and Trixie. They were thinking the same thing I was, but only Trixie had guts enough to voice it. "Maybe we had better take a look for ourselves. See what all the fuss is about."
"Tuna for Snowball?" Snowy asked.
"Later, okay? Snowy did good."
"Tootsie also gets tuna," said Snowball. "Rocky likes bones."
Satisfied that they would all be rewarded later, they left the shop to go exploring or whatever familiars do during the day. We closed up Mystic, posting a sign out front that said we'd be back in one hour, just in case anyone actually showed up to buy something.
Sweets n' Treats was across town but it didn't take long to get there. Sweetland Cove just wasn't that big. Ten minutes later, Trixie, Eleanor, and I stood outside the new bakery with our arms folded. Snowball hadn't been exaggerating. The line was wrapped around the corner.
I could hardly believe this place used to be The Alchemic Stone. I'd been here countless times to see Polly and Anastasia Peacock, but I would never have recognized it now. The old brick building was essentially the same as I remembered, except that there was a large display window where none had been before.
Alchemic Stone had always been shrouded in secrecy. The items it sold could not be permitted to fall into human hands, and so the building's outside had been made to look cold and uninviting. Unless you'd known it was there, you would have walked right past it.
The window in place now was incredibly eye-catching, the exact opposite of the old shop. It was draped in silky chiffon ribbons of various shades of cream and pink. Glitter was used without moderation. Stacks of cakes, cupcakes, and cookies sat boldly on display for people to see. The main display cake was a four-foot tall witch, crafted out of modeling chocolate. The base was a two-layered sheet cake shaped like a moat.
I hated to admit it, but it was good.
"I'm not waiting in that line," Trixie said, proudly tilting her head back and tightening her arms around her chest.
"Well..." Eleanor said, her lips turning down. I knew she didn't want to wait either, but she was too polite to just cut in line. "Well..." she said again.
A woman's face suddenly appeared in the window. It beamed at us, beckoning us forward. When we didn't move, Wilma Trueheart stepped outside.
"Hello," she called happily. "Don't just stand there, come on in."
Eleanor looked toward the back of the line.
"You don't have to wait to get in," Wilma said, grabbing Eleanor by the shoulder
s and pushing her toward the door. "You're not just customers, after all, you're in the business. Consider this a conference."
The door jingled a merry little tune when we stepped inside and kept on jingling until the door shut. The inside of the bakery was even nicer than the display window. The same silky, glittery chiffon had been carried throughout the store. It was draped from the ceilings, tacked to the walls. It felt like you'd just stepped into a cloud. The display cases actually shined. Everything was so bright. So clean. So... inviting.
"Wow," murmured Eleanor.
"Yeah," I agreed.
A loud voice rose above the others in the store. "This is the best chocolate hazelnut cupcake I've have ever had!" The woman whose voice it belonged to turned around, her mouth full of rich creamy frosting, and froze.
"Hello, Lottie," Eleanor said.
Lottie Mudget gulped. "Hello," she replied. She smiled, revealing chocolate-coated teeth. "Um... I was just being neighborly. You have to support your local businesses, you know."
So much for loyalty, I thought, though I didn't entirely blame her. It was hard to resist the allure of something new. Especially when it came coated in sugar. She hurried toward the door.
"Oh, Ms. Mudget!" Wilma called, chasing after her. "You almost forgot your boxes!" Lottie's cheeks turned a deep pink as Wilma handed her three big pastry boxes. Apparently, Lottie had bought enough cupcakes and cookies to last her until Halloween. Then again, at the rate she was going, they probably wouldn't last until the end of this week.
"Here," Wilma said, handing me, Trixie, and Eleanor a cupcake each. "Try one. On the house. They're strawberry shortcake beach cakes."
