A Cauldron of Hot Coffee: Enchanted Enclave Mysteries Books 1-3

by Samantha Silver

  “Are we allowed to use our magic in front of people? Other people, I mean. The ones who can’t use magic.”

  “We’re not supposed to,” Aunt Debbie replied. “It’s absolutely frowned upon, and if we do it too much, to the point where we draw attention to ourselves, I’m sure we’ll hear from the officials in the paranormal world. They may punish us further, including by limiting our family’s access to magic completely.”

  “Ok,” I said. “That’s good to know. But, so there’s no one I have to tell about my broom ride yesterday, and that it was an accident?”

  “No,” Aunt Debbie said, shaking her head. “The thing about regular people is that they don’t expect magic to exist. If they come across it here or there they’ll come up with any reason under the sun for the occurrence before they settle on magic.”

  “That’s true,” I said. “That was my own reaction yesterday.”

  “See?” Aunt Debbie said to me with a smile. “Don’t worry. I know things are changing for you right now, and you’re in the middle of what must be the most confusing period of your life since you hit puberty, but we’re here to help you and to guide you through it all. I promise.”

  “Thanks,” I replied warmly. “So how do you know this paranormal world exists, if it’s been hundreds of years since we’ve been exiled from there?”

  “There are a few paranormals who are aware of our existence and come here from time to time. I’m sure you’ll meet one or two of them eventually.”

  “Is there any chance of us ever getting access to that world again?” I asked, and Aunt Debbie shrugged.

  “I genuinely don’t have a clue. I’ve never bothered asking about it. Frankly, I’ve lived my entire life on Enchanted Enclave, and I don’t particularly feel the need to see what’s behind the curtain, so to speak. I enjoy life here enough that I don’t seek more. I hope you will, too.”

  We had reached what was obviously the main street in town. The double-wide lanes, with extra space for diagonal parking were lined on either side by one and two-story old-style brick buildings, giving the whole street a real charming old-world feel. The streetlamps were in the same olden style, and Aunt Debbie eventually pulled up in front of one of the larger buildings. Made of red brick, with large windows at the front, the black sign hanging above the door read ‘Cackling Witch Coffee’ in modern white lettering, along with the brand’s minimalist logo, a simple white witch’s hat above the company name.

  Aunt Debbie opened the front door, and I found Leanne already behind the counter. She gave me a quick wave.

  “Hey, Eliza,” she greeted. “What do you think?”

  I looked around, and I had to admit, I was impressed. The space was incredibly spacious, with high ceilings and ample space between the tables and chairs. The walls were exposed brick, with gorgeous nature-themed artwork breaking up the monotony of the pattern. The large windows at the front of the building let a copious amount of light stream in. Leanne was behind the counter on the far side of the room. A refrigerated display case showed off the day’s baked goods, while a chalkboard high on the wall above displayed the permanent drink menu. Immediately behind Leanne were windows that looked directly into the roasting side of the business, where large black machines and hessian bags full of beans waiting to be roasted showed off the freshness of the beans customers were drinking.

  “This looks amazing,” I said truthfully. The space was warm and inviting, and I could absolutely see myself back when I was a student spending multiple hours here working, perhaps at the large, live-edge table in the center of the room, so big it had space for over a dozen chairs.

  “Glad you like it,” Leanne said. “Now, come on over here, I’ll show you how the point of sale works. I figure I’ll let you get used to that before teaching you how to use the espresso machine. Now, have you ever worked in a café like this before?”

  I shook my head as Aunt Debbie made her way through a set of swinging doors on the far left side of the café that I assumed led to the kitchen. Leanne motioned me over and I spent about fifteen minutes going through her instructions, until finally, a customer walked in.

  “Come on, this one’s all you,” Leanne said. “You’ve got this. I’m right here in case you screw it up, so don’t worry.”

  Well, it wasn’t the world’s most traditional pep talk, but I was comforted by the fact that my cousin was ready to take over in case I happened to be the world’s worst order-taker as well as a failure as a receptionist.

  I smiled at my first customer, a short woman with red hair that reached her waist, wearing a long skirt and a puffy jacket. “Hi there. How can I help you today?”

  “Yes, could I please get a double-shot latte made with almond milk?” the woman asked. I nodded and wrote the order down on a sticky note, placing it on the coffee machine where Leanne had instructed me to do so. I quickly found the button for ‘latte’ in the iPad’s point-of-sale system, chose the almond milk add-on, and gave the woman her total.

  “Here you go,” she said to me as she handed me a five. “Are you new in town? I don’t recognize you.”

  “I am,” I replied as I handed her a few coins in change. “My name’s Eliza; I’m a long-lost cousin to Leanne here. I just moved back to the area from San Francisco.”

  “Oh, welcome,” the woman replied. “I’m Janice. I’m an artist; those are some of my paintings on the wall. I also run one of the yoga studios here in town.”

  “They’re gorgeous,” I said earnestly. “I love the one of the mother bear with her two cubs.”

  “Why thank you,” Janice replied as Leanne handed her a cup of coffee. “I appreciate you saying so. I’m sure I’ll see you around.”

  She held her cup up in salute and made her way out the door. As soon as it closed behind her I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. I had done it! I had successfully helped a customer without causing chaos and almost getting arrested.

  “See?” Leanne said to me with a wink. “Nothing to it.”

  Chapter 7

  With my confidence at an all-time high after serving a handful of customers without incident I greeted an older gentleman who came in shortly after nine in the morning with a wide smile. Leanne had gone to the back to get an extra plate of muffins to replace the blueberry ones we’d already sold out of, and told me to give her a shout when she was needed to make coffee.

  “Hi there, what can I get for you today?”

  “Coffee,” the man replied. “This is a coffee shop, isn’t it?”

  “Absolutely, what kind of coffee can I get you?”

  The man sighed dramatically. “Just a normal coffee. Oh, and a donut.”

  Just a normal coffee. That was fine; that had to mean a brewed coffee. “What size would you like?”

  “Normal size, geez. I don’t come in here in the morning to be asked a million questions.”

  A blush crawled up my face. This man was rude, and to be honest, I wasn’t quite sure what to do. We didn’t have a “normal” sized coffee cup, so I poured him a medium, which seemed to be what he was after, as he didn’t complain about it when I put it in front of him.

  “For the donut, is chocolate glazed ok?” I asked, looking at the small selection in the display cabinet.

  “Sure, whatever,” the man replied. I rang up his total and he looked at me closely. “You’re new here, aren’t you? I don’t recognize you at all.”

  “That’s right,” I said cheerily. “I just moved here from San Francisco.”

  The man grunted. “Stupid city folk. Come up here looking for a change in scenery without really understanding what life here is all about. Well, I hope you realize soon enough that it’s not all about doing yoga in the woods and you go back to your life sitting at a computer all day.”

  I was so taken aback by the man’s nasty attitude that I physically took a step back. “Excuse me, but that’s not my situation at all. I’ve just lost my father, and I’ve moved here to be closer to the rest of my fami
ly.”

  “Oh, don’t tell me you’re one of the Marcets.”

  “That’s right, Patricia was my mother.”

  The man grunted. “Great. Another Marcet. That’s just what this town needs. Well, as long as you make coffee like the rest of them and keep to yourself, it can’t be too bad.”

  Without another word, he grabbed the donut off the counter and headed to a seat in the corner, leaving me practically speechless at the counter.

  I wasn’t so green that I was completely unaware of rude customers in retail – friends of mine in college who had worked for a living were full of horror stories – but it was another thing entirely when it happened to you.

  Leanne came back from the kitchen and I motioned toward the man with my head. “Who’s that?”

  As soon as she saw him, Leanne scowled. “Ugh. Sorry you had to deal with him. Leonard Steele. He’s the town grouch. He’s worked security at the bank at night since before I was born. It’s basically the only job he’s good for, since it’s one of the few in town that doesn’t involve any interaction with other human beings, which is perfect for him.”

  I laughed. “Yeah, that’s kind of the impression I got. He told me I was a city person and I should go back there, and that our family is good for nothing.”

  “That sounds about right,” Leanne said. “Just ignore him. Despite his complaining about how terrible our family is, he does come in basically every day for a coffee. His shift ends at nine in the morning, when the bank opens, and he comes in before heading home and sleeping.”

  “Ok,” I said, making a mental note of the information. Who knew, maybe over time I would win Leonard over and convince him that I wasn’t an awful person because I moved here from the city and because I was a part of this family. What on earth could he have against the family, anyway?

  Before I had a chance to ask Leanne that question, though, Leonard began to cough violently. I grabbed a carafe of water and made my way over to him with a glass. Was he choking on a piece of his donut? He thumped his chest a few times, and panic rushed through me as I realized this wasn’t just a sip of coffee that went down the wrong way. This was serious!

  “Does anyone here know the Heimlich?” I called out, and a woman rushed over. She made her way behind Leonard and grabbed him around the middle, pressing firmly a few times, but nothing happened. Eventually, he passed out, and I raced back to the counter to grab my phone only to find Leanne already using it to call 9-1-1. The woman immediately began doing CPR on him, but after a moment, she checked his pulse and shook her head, leaning back on her heels.

  “I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do. This man is dead.”

  “Dead?” I gasped, a hand flying to my mouth. “Did he choke?”

  The woman looked curious. “I don’t know. If everyone who’s in here now wouldn’t mind staying for a little while longer, the police are going to have to come and question everyone.”

  I made my way over to her. “You seem to know how things are done around here.”

  “Nancy Gerard,” she said, holding a hand out to me. “I’m one of the nurses at the hospital here in town.”

  “Nice to meet you, though obviously not under these circumstances.”

  Nancy nodded. “Can you lock up the front doors? I don’t want anyone else getting in here.”

  “Of course,” I replied, instantly making my way over and doing as Nancy asked, flipping the “open” sign to “closed” while I was at it.

  “Coffee is on us while we’re waiting for the ambulance to get here,” Leanne announced to everyone waiting, and a couple of people made their way to the counter while I went into the kitchen at the back, where I found Debbie and Kaillie poring over a certain recipe.

  “Hi, Eliza,” Debbie said to me. “How are things going out there? Nothing too stressful, I hope?”

  I had no idea how to break it to her. I decided to be straight. “Well, um, someone died.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “As in, he started choking, and Nancy Gerard tried to do the Heimlich on him, and then she did CPR, but she said he was dead.”

  The color drained from Debbie and Kaillie’s faces.

  “You’re joking,” Kaillie said.

  “I wish I was,” I replied. “Debbie, it’s probably a good idea for you to come out and handle things. I’ve locked the front door and closed the coffee shop, and Leanne is making everyone free coffee while we wait for the paramedics to arrive, but, um…”

  I didn’t really know how to finish off the sentence, but Debbie sprang into action. “Absolutely. Good job handling the situation without me, but I will come out.”

  Kaillie looked like she was going to faint, so as Debbie made her way out to the main part of the coffee shop, I stayed with her.

  “Are you alright?” I asked, and Kaillie nodded.

  “Yeah. Thanks for asking. I don’t do very well with situations like this. I always think of the fact that we were exiled, and how our family is known in the paranormal world for being awful, and now something like this happens in our shop. It’s just bad news.”

  “Hey,” I said, making my way toward her. “This isn’t our fault. It’s no one in this family’s fault, ok? Leonard probably just had a heart attack or something. Or he choked. But there’s no way it was anything unnatural.”

  Kaillie nodded. “That’s good, at least. I’m just always worried that one day we’re going to do something over-the-top. I just wish everyone in the paranormal world would realize that we’re not terrible people, and that they’d let us go back there. I wish I could be a part of a normal coven like everyone else. Whenever anything out of the ordinary happens to us I’m always reminded that we’re outcasts, even if it has nothing to do with us.”

  “I hope you get to visit the paranormal world one day,” I said to her. “But don’t worry. I’m sure everything will be fine.”

  Little did I know just how wrong I was.

  Chapter 8

  I left the kitchen area and made my way back to the main coffee shop right as the paramedics and police arrived.

  My life flashed back to dad’s heart attack, and how almost the exact same scene had unfolded. I steadied myself against a nearby table as the professionals went about the job. Leonard’s body had been covered up by a blanket that must have been procured from somewhere, and the customers who were in the building at the time had moved to the other side of the room.

  I made my way to Leanne and Debbie behind the counter.

  “Does he have a wife?”

  “No,” she said, shaking her head. “Leonard is single. Was single. His only family in town is his brother, Roman.”

  Just then one of the police officers made his way toward us. He was tall, with brown hair that he kept having to brush out of his eyes. His lips were plump and round, and his brown eyes were kind and gentle. When he smiled, dimples appeared in his cheeks.

  “Excuse me, ladies,” he greeted us. “I’m wondering if there’s a private place where I might be able to interview people alone.”

  “Of course, you can use the kitchen,” Debbie said, motioning for him to follow her. “My daughter Kaillie is in there right now baking, but I’ll have her come out here instead.”

  “Thank you,” he replied, following after Debbie.

  “I wonder why he needs to speak to everyone,” Leanne said, her eyes trailing him. “Maybe it’s not as innocent as it seems. Maybe someone murdered Leonard.”

  “Don’t say that!” I hissed. “Who would have murdered him, anyway?”

  Leanne shrugged. “Half the town, if given the chance, would be my guess. He was a cranky old man and I don’t think I’ve ever heard a single good thing said about him.”

  “There’s a difference between thinking someone is cranky and annoying and murdering them,” I pointed out. “Besides, he was sitting in that corner ever since he ordered the coffee. If someone murdered him, it means that someone was in the coffee shop.”

  “Oh yeah, I
guess I didn’t think of that,” Leanne said. “Well, I’m sure you’re right. It’s probably nothing. He was old, after all.”

  “Yeah,” I said. Still, I felt bad for his brother. The loss of my father was still so acute that I really empathized with anyone else going through this same sort of situation. Kaillie came out from the kitchen a moment later, her face pale.

  “I can’t believe it.”

  “Hey, it’s going to be ok,” I said, reassuring her. “Why don’t you take a seat at one of the tables, and I’ll get you a cup of tea.”

  Kaillie nodded, and Leanne showed me how to get the hot water from the coffee machine into a cup. I added a teabag and took it to my cousin, sitting across from her. “I know it’s stressful, but it’s going to be fine. It’s an unfortunate accident.”

  “Yeah, but why did it have to happen here? I know that sounds callous, but I can’t help but think that it’s because of our family.”

  “You really feel bad about the fact that we’re not allowed into this so-called paranormal world, don’t you?”

  Kaillie nodded. “It’s just hard to grow up knowing you’re an outcast, I think. I know I’m technically a member of the coven of Saturn, but I don’t feel like I really have a coven. There’s only the family. I feel like if we were allowed to live with everyone else there would be more of a community feel, and I really wish we had that. We’re never going to, I know, but a part of me hopes that maybe if I show that we’re not as bad as everyone in the paranormal world seems to think we are, one day they’ll let us back in.”

  I smiled at her, although to be honest, I couldn’t really relate. Growing up, it had always been just Dad and me, and that had been fine with me. I hadn’t needed any more. It was the two of us against the world, and that was all I needed. I thought we would have had that for a little bit longer. Still, I felt bad for Kaillie. I imagined it must have been difficult for her, wanting to be a part of something bigger, and not being allowed to be a part of it.