A Sprinkle of Magic (A Sugarcomb Lake Cozy Mystery Book 4)

by Alaine Allister

  Matilda had a lot of very peculiar beliefs. She was probably the most eccentric woman Clarissa had ever met. But she knew an awful lot about the paranormal. She was a bit of an expert on the subject, really, what with being a witch and all.

  Even though the things Matilda said were frequently outlandish, they were usually correct. Experience had taught Clarissa not to be too quick to write off her aunt’s zany claims.

  Talk of ghosts made Clarissa uncomfortable – especially when said ghosts were apparently in her house! The thought that Matilda might be right about the evil spirits was certainly alarming! So whenever the cat started acting weird, Clarissa usually found an excuse to leave the house.

  Today she was seeking refuge at the local coffee shop.

  Tuning out the background noise in there was a little tricky. But even listening to Barbara and Patricia gossip was less distracting than the sound of the cat crashing into walls and growling. At least there were no evil spirits at the coffee shop. At least Clarissa didn’t think there were.

  “Hey you!” a familiar voice called out.

  Clarissa looked up from her notebook to see her best friend Liana hurrying over, all smiles. She and Clarissa had gone to school together. They had been inseparable for years. Clarissa was elated she and her best friend had both returned to Sugarcomb Lake after college. It felt right.

  Today Liana’s blonde hair was pulled back in a high ponytail. She wore a pink track suit and she had a bounce in her step. But then Liana usually had a bounce in her step. That woman had more energy than a kitten on catnip!

  Liana had her bubble gum pink laptop tucked under her arm. As usual, she was holding a gigantic cup of coffee. Liana did freelance graphic design work, and she was pretty much always at the coffee shop. In fact, she was probably the best customer. She had a serious caffeine addiction!

  “Hi,” Clarissa smiled as Liana plunked her stuff down on the table and slid into the booth.

  “What are you doing?” Liana asked curiously.

  “Oh, the usual,” Clarissa sighed, closing her notebook. “Work stuff.”

  Liana wrinkled her nose. “You need a life,” she declared before taking a big swig of coffee.

  “I have a life!” Clarissa said defensively.

  Rather than reply, Liana gave Clarissa an incredulous look. It spoke volumes.

  “Okay, so it might not be a very exciting one,” Clarissa relented. “But still, I have a life.”

  “You’re a workaholic,” Liana announced in her characteristic blunt manner.

  There was no point in trying to deny that very accurate observation.

  Clarissa knew it was true. And she also knew it was pointless to try to argue with her best friend. Liana would never let her get away with that! The outspoken blonde was honest to a fault, and she was always more than happy to call Clarissa out when necessary.

  While some people might find that sort of brutal honesty off putting, Clarissa appreciated it. With Liana, she always knew where she stood. It was part of why their friendship worked so well and had endured over the years.

  “I know I’m a workaholic, but the newspaper isn’t going to write itself,” Clarissa sighed.

  “Most newspapers are run by entire teams,” Liana pointed out as she opened up her laptop and pushed the power button. She looked at Clarissa curiously. “Are you ever going to hire someone to help you?”

  “Actually, I think I might,” Clarissa replied. “My aunt suggested someone to me. She took a history class from my aunt last semester. She just finished her degree and is looking for a job. I’m going to meet up with her later this week to see if she’s a good fit to come work for me.”

  “That’s awesome!” Liana exclaimed excitedly. Then she smirked and added, “I never thought you would actually do it, you know. I figured you were too much of a control freak to let anyone else touch your precious newspaper!”

  “I am not a control freak!” Clarissa retorted indignantly. “I am a perfectionist!”

  “Same thing,” Liana shrugged, unwilling to back down from her assertion. Then she picked up her coffee cup. She paused mid-sip as she remembered something. She set her coffee down, her eyes flickering with excitement. “Hey, did you hear we’re getting a new donut shop in town?”

  “Yes, but keep your voice down,” Clarissa urged, looking around anxiously. “Cathy got into a screaming match with the owner of the donut shop last night when I was in here. She got so angry she threw her phone at the wall and broke it! It was unreal.”

  “Oh, I heard all about that,” Liana nodded.

  “You did?”

  “What can I say? Word travels fast in this town.”

  “That it does,” Clarissa agreed with a wry smile.

  “Is Cathy here today?” Liana asked, looking around.

  “I haven’t seen her,” Clarissa replied. “I think she just had an employee come in today. That seems strange, doesn’t it? Cathy is usually here every single day. She only takes holidays the first week of July.”

  “Maybe she’s sick,” Liana suggested.

  “Maybe,” Clarissa agreed doubtfully. Cathy rarely missed a day of work.

  Liana, however, was more interested in discussing other things. She bounced up and down in her seat as though she couldn’t contain her excitement. “I can’t believe you’re actually going to hire someone to help you with the newspaper! That’s awesome!”

  “Speaking of the newspaper, I should probably get back to planning next week’s issue,” Clarissa said, opening her notebook back up. She pulled a pen from behind her ear. Then she stuck the end of it in her mouth and chewed on it thoughtfully.

  For a moment, the two friends fell into a comfortable silence. They sat there in their little booth at the back of the coffee shop, both working on their respective projects. Clarissa became so engrossed in her work that for a moment, she forgot about everything and everyone else.

  “Humph!” Liana grumbled suddenly as she read something on the screen of her laptop.

  Clarissa glanced up. “What’s wrong?” she demanded.

  “My biggest client dropped me,” Liana sighed. “It’s nothing personal – he just decided to work with someone local to him. He said he’d rather work face-to-face than video chat, which I get. But the graphic design work I did for him made up over half of my income. That’s a huge hit.”

  “Ouch,” Clarissa winced, giving her friend a sympathetic look.

  “You can say that again.” The pep was gone from Liana’s voice. She seemed defeated.

  “What now? Can you take on some new clients?” Clarissa asked hopefully. She didn’t quite understand the nature of her friend’s work. She just knew Liana designed things like logos and banners for various businesses. Surely there was always someone in the market for that, right?

  “Believe me; I’ve been trying to find more work!” Liana confided. “My field is getting more competitive and demand has been decreasing lately. If things don’t soon turn around, I’m going to have to find something else to make ends meet.”

  “That’s rough,” Clarissa frowned. “How can I help?”

  “Do you want to hire me to write your newspaper articles?” Liana joked.

  Clarissa stared at her best friend blankly, unsure of how to respond. She wanted to be tactful, but she had no idea how to handle the situation delicately. Finally she stuttered, “Um, you do realize actual writing would be required, right?”

  “Relax, I was kidding,” Liana assured her with a wink. “You and I both know I barely passed English class. I’m the last person on Earth who should work for a newspaper!” she giggled. “You’re the word-Schmitt, not me.”

  “I’m the…what?” Clarissa asked in confusion.

  “Word-Schmitt,” Liana replied matter-of-factly. “You’re the word-Schmitt.”

  “Oh, wordsmith!” Clarissa exclaimed, understanding finally setting in.

  “Oh. That’s what I meant,” Liana said sheepishly. “See? I’m not newspaper material.”<
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  “It’s okay,” Clarissa assured her. “Maybe I can find something else for you to do…”

  “No, don’t put yourself out. You’ve got a good thing going; I don’t want to mess it up. Hey, maybe the donut shop guy will want me to do some work for him!” Liana exclaimed excitedly. “He’s opening a new business – he might need help with advertising!”

  “It’s worth a shot,” Clarissa said encouragingly. “When does the shop open?”

  “Next week, I think. But I’ve seen some activity in the building already. Actually,” Liana said, peeking out the window, “I see a couple of vehicles parked there now. Want to walk over there with me?”

  “Okay,” Clarissa agreed, gathering up her things. She had a ton of work to do, but she wanted to be supportive of her best friend. Besides, she was curious about the newcomers who were going to hook her up with donuts. Maybe she could even write an article about them for her paper!

  “Do I look okay?” Liana asked nervously. She tugged at the waistband of her pink track pants. “I would have dressed up had I known I’d be making a business call today. Do you think I should run home and put on something more professional looking?”

  “You look great,” Clarissa replied, even though she was really the last person who should be offering advice about fashion. “Do you have a business card with you?”

  “Yes!” Liana exclaimed triumphantly as she pulled it out of her wallet. “I’m all set!”

  “Alright, then let’s go,” Clarissa said.

  The two women walked out of the coffee shop, moving with purpose. They were on a mission.

  There was virtually no traffic on the street that separated the coffee shop from the soon-to-open donut shop. There rarely was. But despite the lack of traffic, Clarissa and Liana still had to stand on the corner to wait for the world’s longest “don’t walk” sign to change over. It seemed to take about a million years.

  Clarissa didn’t understand why the town needed a streetlight at that intersection…or at any intersection, for that matter. It was the only streetlight in town and there wasn’t nearly enough activity on the street to warrant it! Sugarcomb Lake really wasn’t the type of place that needed anything more than a few stop signs.

  “Hmm,” Clarissa murmured thoughtfully.

  She whipped out her notebook and jotted down a note. Maybe she would write an editorial piece about the lone streetlight. But she would only do that if it was an especially slow news week. Then again, slow news weeks were kind of the norm in Sugarcomb Lake.

  The two women eventually were able to cross the street.

  Clarissa noted the windows of the soon-to-be-opening donut shop were covered in brown paper. She assumed it was so that snoopy townspeople couldn’t peek inside before the grand opening. But Clarissa wasn’t about to let that deter her. After all, it was sort of her job to be snoopy.

  When she tried the door, she found in unlocked.

  The two women walked into the donut shop. It was empty inside. The tables and chairs were all covered in plastic, most likely to protect them from getting paint on them. Various rollers and plastic trays were scattered about, and there was a tall ladder propped up against the far wall.

  “Hello?” Clarissa called out. “Is anyone here?”

  “It looks empty,” Liana observed.

  “Maybe they’re in the back.”

  “Maybe,” Liana nodded. She looked around. “It’s nice in here,” she remarked.

  “It’s very nice in here,” Clarissa agreed as she took in their surroundings. “Once all the painting is finished it’s going to be a great looking place. And look at how many tables there are!”

  “They must be expecting to do a lot of business,” Liana predicted. “But I mean, it’s a donut shop so that makes sense. Who doesn’t love donuts? I bet this place is going to be completely packed on opening day!”

  “Cathy won’t like that,” Clarissa said.

  “True.” Liana gave Clarissa a horrified look. “We don’t need to boycott this place when it opens, do we?” she whispered. “I mean, Cathy won’t think we’re traitors if we come here for a donut every so often, right? Because I really like donuts…”

  “I really like donuts too. And Cathy doesn’t serve donuts at her coffee shop. She has muffins and cookies, but no donuts. It’s not our fault she doesn’t sell donuts,” Clarissa pointed out. There was no way she wanted to boycott donuts!

  “Isn’t it our constitutional right to have access to donuts?” Liana asked.

  “Um, where in the constitution does it say that?”

  “I don’t know. Okay, well it probably doesn’t say that. But it should!” Liana insisted.

  “Oh, I completely agree. Maybe a little healthy competition isn’t such a bad thing,” Clarissa mused. “Cathy has been running that coffee shop for a long time. She’s basically had a monopoly. And…and…”

  “And…?”

  “Yeah, I’ve got nothing. I don’t know where I was going with that. I just want donuts!”

  Suddenly the door banged behind them.

  “Can I help you ladies?” a voice asked, startling them both.

  Chapter 04

  “Whoa!” Clarissa gasped, spinning around.

  She bumped into Liana in the process.

  “Ouch!” Liana hissed.

  A young woman of about thirty-five stood there staring at them. She wore paint-stained denim overalls and a red flannel shirt that had the sleeves rolled up. Her curly black hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail. She looked every bit as surprised as Clarissa felt.

  “Sorry!” Clarissa blurted out immediately. “We didn’t mean to just wander in but…” She took a step forward. “I work for the local newspaper,” she said, extending her hand. “My name is –”

  “Oh,” the woman interjected, looking conflicted. She stood there for a moment as if she was trying to decide whether to throw the intruders out or welcome them with open arms. After some brief hesitation, she seemed to opt for the latter.

  The woman looked at Clarissa’s extended hand. “My hands are filthy,” she said apologetically as she wiped them on her overalls. “I’m covered in paint and sawdust! In fact I was just out picking up a few more cans of paint. Sorry for the mess!”

  “No problem,” Clarissa said, withdrawing her hand. “Sorry for interrupting you.”

  “No worries, I could use a breather,” the woman said. It seemed she had warmed up to Clarissa and Liana, because she had suddenly become very chatty. “I’ve been in here all day painting, cleaning and moving furniture around. I’m exhausted!”

  “That sounds like a lot of work for one person,” Liana observed.

  “It is. I wasn’t supposed to be doing it all on my own. The guy I hired to help me up and quit with no notice,” the woman said with a disgusted shake of her head. “But I’m almost done,” she added, brightening a little.

  “Are you the owner of this place?” Clarissa asked.

  There certainly didn’t seem to be anyone else in sight, so it was a fair assumption.

  “Yes. Well, I’m the future owner,” the woman corrected herself. “Technically my father is the owner. But he prefers fishing to being behind the counter! So I’m going to be working here and essentially running the place. My name is Josie Moreno, but everyone calls me Jo.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Clarissa smiled. “I’m Clarissa and this is my friend Liana.”

  “Hi!” Liana said, giving a small half-wave.

  “Are you from around here?” Clarissa asked, already quite sure of the answer.

  The population in Sugarcomb Lake never really changed much. Kids grew up and occasionally moved away, but most folks stayed put. Newcomers were rare – and the town gossips always took notice of fresh faces!

  Jo didn’t look the least bit familiar to Clarissa. Furthermore, the surname Moreno wasn’t common in Sugarcomb Lake. That almost certainly guaranteed that Jo Moreno was new in town.

  “My father and I moved here from the e
ast coast,” Jo said, confirming Clarissa’s suspicion.

  “What brings you to Sugarcomb Lake?” Liana piped up.

  “Opportunity,” Jo told her. “Well, that and my father likes fly fishing. His family had a cabin near here back when he was a kid. He’s always wanted to retire to Minnesota. But instead of retiring, he’s opening a donut shop. Go figure!” she said with a roll of her eyes.

  “My parents retired to Florida a while back,” Clarissa chimed in. “I kind of wish they had stayed here and opened a donut shop instead. But it probably wouldn’t have been very lucrative because I would have gobbled all of the inventory right up!”

  “Ah, so you’re saying I should keep an eye on you once we open, hmm?” Jo teased.

  “I’m saying I will be a regular here,” Clarissa grinned.

  “Nice! I’ll be sure to give you a discount,” Jo promised.

  “Awesome! So I know you’re very busy, but I wondered if we could talk to you for a few minutes,” Clarissa said hopefully. “I’d love to write a piece about the donut shop for the newspaper – in fact, I could make it a front page article.”

  “You would feature it on the front page?” Jo asked, sounding surprised.

  “A new donut shop is big news for a small town!” Liana joked. But she wasn’t really joking. It was the truth. In Sugarcomb Lake, news of a donut shop opening was enough to get the whole town aflutter with anticipation.

  Clarissa nudged her best friend, silently reminding her to give her sales pitch. Liana looked momentarily confused. Then she seemed to recall what they were doing there in the first place. She scrambled to pull out her business card.

  “I’m a graphic artist,” Liana announced as she thrust her card at Jo. “If you need any help with branding or logos, I’m just a phone call away. And I do interior design consultations as well,” she added quickly.

  Clarissa gave Liana a puzzled look. That was news to her.

  Liana ignored her.