Did I tell you that my mother gave up witchcraft to have a normal life?
Yep.
Cold turkey.
You’re wondering who would do something like that, and I don’t blame you.
It’s crazy.
Anyhow, Mom and Nan had a falling out about the whole witchcraft thing and me. My mother ended up moving to New York City when she was still pregnant with me. I don’t recall a time we ever came back to visit Paramour Bay, and it wasn’t until Nan dropped dead of a heart attack on her daily walk that I had even stepped foot over the county line.
I digress.
We were talking about grudges, and I wasn’t one to hold onto them like anchors, given the propensity of the other members of my family to do just that. With that said, I don’t think I ever expected to be in a situation where Cora would ever ask for my forgiveness.
I was torn on what to say and how to act.
“I’m sorry, Raven.”
Wow.
Shock flooded my system like white lightning. The drink, not the bolt.
Cora had finally managed to get the expression of guilt out of her mouth by running her words together. Her relief was evident, and it allowed her to continue.
“Regina and I have never quite seen things eye to eye, and it was wrong of me to assume that you and I should have the same relationship. I’d like to start over, if that’s still a possibility.”
The right thing for me to do in this astounding moment would be to accept Cora’s apology and move on.
I know this.
Our businesses were side by side, the town was too small to avoid one another, and we practically ran into each other on a daily basis.
Yet a part of me didn’t want to betray my mother’s determined efforts.
Now, wasn’t this a tricky situation?
I figured I’d better clarify a thing or two before giving my answer.
“Cora, is this olive branch being offered just to get me to make you the Chai tea blend that helps with the appearance of aging?”
I also wasn’t as naïve as I might appear on page.
Living in New York had a way of jading a person’s sense of propriety.
Cora was known to manipulate people to get what she wanted, and I definitely had something she wanted. Fortunately, she believed that the tea blend Nan had concocted for her wrinkles contained antioxidants to slow the aging process.
It was easy to see that I hadn’t made any in a while, although Cora was a beautiful woman in her own right. She was the one who had a problem with growing old gracefully.
“I’m not saying our previous arrangement won’t be a benefit to our truce, but spending time with certain members of my family this holiday season made me realize that I haven’t been fair to you.” A bit of color had come back to Cora’s cheeks, though that might have been due to the fact that she hadn’t taken off her coat since walking through the front door of the tea shop. It was freezing outside, and she probably hadn’t expected the apology to take this long. “I’d truly like there to be peace between the two of us.”
How do I say yes when I know that she and my mother are still at odds?
“I’d like that, too,” I replied honesty, wondering if there was a way to extend this mending of matters between her and my mother. I even held out my hand to seal the deal, not caring that Cora returned my gesture with leather gloved fingers. Boy, was that material soft or what? It literally felt like it had been dipped in butter. “Cora, I do have to ask—why don’t you and my mother get along?”
I might have just ruined my beautiful moment with Cora.
She immediately shifted with unease on those brown boots that probably cost more than my entire ensemble. As soft as those leather gloves were, they might actually be more expensive than my complete wardrobe hanging in my closet.
I should have let bygones be bygones, but I needed to attempt a reconciliation if there was a chance to mend fences between Cora and my mother.
“Looking back, I suppose it all started when rumors were swirling around about the old murder that took place when Regina and I were still in diapers.” Cora appeared a bit contrite, which told me more than my mother had seen fit to share with me. Unfortunately, Cora didn’t seem willing to offer up an apology to Mom for whatever may have happened between the two of them in the past. “It then spiraled out of control over the years until our group splintered.”
“Group?” This was the first I was hearing about other people being involved, but it shouldn’t have surprised me. High school was basically a ton of oddball cliques thrown together with gasoline and matches. “Who was in the group?”
In case you’re wondering, there was a specific reason I didn’t ask about the old murder. I’d already been informed of the only unsolved case in Paramour Bay’s history that had occurred fifty-three years ago…which just happened to be the age of my mother. It didn’t escape me that Cora and Mom would not have been in diapers. Interestingly enough, their mothers would have been pregnant with them at the time the crime had been committed.
“Oh,” Cora gave a light, nervous laugh and flicked back her hair. “A lot of our old friends have moved away. You know how it is. Anyway, a few things were said about Rosemary that your mother didn’t appreciate. In hindsight, I can understand why. Words can be very hurtful, and none of us realized the damage we were causing at the time. I do regret my part in all of it.”
I suppose that was something.
It was probably best I accept her apology and move on.
Right?
Cora hadn’t meant to spark my interest in such an old murder, but there’s something that I should tell you—I’ve previously solved two murders.
Who was to say that I couldn’t solve this one?
Oh no. No, no, no, no, no.
It looks like you get to meet Leo, after all.
That’s Mr. Leo to our readers, Raven.
I’m not sure whether or not I should apologize in advance.
Thankfully, Cora hadn’t noticed his sudden presence.
Did I mention that familiars can disappear at will and that witches can literally hear familiars talk inside their heads?
I can’t leave you alone for two seconds, can I? Listen here, Miss Nancy Drew. You’re done being an amateur sleuth. Done. The last time you decided to use witchcraft to help solve a murder, we were almost discovered by the minions. Oh, and let’s not forget that we almost died. You’re going to get us both killed if you keep this up.
Leo didn’t have the best opinion of the average citizen, but Heidi was slowly changing his mind.
Heidi is special.
Leo is also overly dramatic and hopelessly in love with Heidi.
“Maybe there’s hope for you and my mother to reconcile in the future,” I told Cora now that I’d gotten Leo off the topic of my current hobby of solving crimes. Who knew I was such an adrenaline junky? “Will I see you at the New Year’s Eve party? I heard from Elsie and Wilma that there’s even a ball drop of sorts in the grand room of the wax museum.”
I walked around the counter to escort Cora to the exit, figuring Heidi was chomping at the bit to discuss this latest development. One thing was for certain—for such a small town, Paramour Bay served as a wealth of gossip and small town entertainment.
You hid Heidi in the storage room? How could you?
“Desmond and I will be there fashionably late, as usual.” Cora was back in full form now that I’d accepted her olive branch. “That reminds me. I need to pick up my new dress from Justine’s shop. She had to hem the waist a bit so that the material rests just so on my hips. I’ve lost some weight over the holidays.”
Do you think she owns a mirror?
“I’m sure you’ll look stunning in your gown, Cora,” I placated, not knowing what else to say. My figure was okay according to various women’s magazines, but I’d certainly gotten my hips from my mother. No amount of fabric could hide my hourglass shape. It was the sole reason I stuck to flowy long skir
ts. “Make sure you have some type of wrap. This cold weather isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and the museum is usually kept at a cooler than usual temperature due to the wax figures.”
I’d heard that last detail from Elsie and Wilma. Those two ladies were a wealth of information when it came to the town’s history and current events.
Cora left the shop with a wiggle of her gloved fingers, seemingly very satisfied with how her visit had turned out. Her small smile made me wary, but I couldn’t worry about what she could or couldn’t do to my reputation.
As long as she was kept in the dark about me being a witch, all was right with my world.
Not if you go digging around in that old murder.
“I can’t believe that old bat just apologized!” Heidi came out of the back room with our coats, the suitcase she’d brought with her for the weekend visit, and a big smile on her face. She’d inadvertently interrupted what was sure to be one of Leo’s infamous lectures. It didn’t matter. I had my best friend for the next four days, and we were going to move mountains and empty a few wine bottles. “I should have recorded this epic moment. Did Cora have any crow left in the corners of her mouth or did you fold by handing her a napkin?”
“Don’t be so mean,” I warned, still not wanting to invite karma into our lives. Just in case, I flipped the hanging sign on the door to closed. Hopefully, it would keep the evil spirits at bay. “It takes a big person to admit when they’ve been wrong. Cora didn’t exactly welcome me to town with open arms, and now I know why.”
“What is Leo carrying on about now?” Heidi asked with a frown of concern. She dropped our jackets on the counter before walking over to the display window. I mentioned before that witches could hear familiars, but Leo’s words were just a mass of jumbled meows to Heidi. He’d succeeded in his devious plan, though—to have Heidi fawn all over him. “Raven, what did you do to him this time?”
I shot Leo an annoyed glance when Heidi gently picked him up and held him against her chest, even rubbing her hand up and down his scruffy orange and black fur. The story I’d chosen to tell the townsfolk was that Leo was a rescue I’d taken in off the streets. There was no other way to explain his…well, his rather disheveled appearance.
Tell the readers why. Go ahead. There’s nothing you can say that won’t have them imagining me on the cover of GQ. Those models all have scruffy beards, too.
Leo practically purred those words as Heidi continued to shower him with adoration. I was actually grateful they’d made it to this place in their relationship, because Heidi’s initial reaction to the supernatural hadn’t gone over as well as I’d originally expected.
“Aren’t you a just handsome kitty?” Heidi crooned, planting smooches on the top of Leo’s head.
Leo’s left eye, which was freakishly larger than his right, gradually closed as he soaked in her affection like a sponge. That wasn’t the only odd feature on his rather plumpish body. His whiskers were bent every which way—no pun intended there—and the crink in his tail would make anyone wince, for sure.
Oh, and Leo has a short-term memory loss disorder that can be truly frustrating at certain times.
And I blame your grandmother for all of it.
I couldn’t argue with Leo on that point, because Nan had dabbled in black magic to unnaturally extend his life here on earth to help me adjust to my new life.
I should be very thankful, because goodness knows that my mother certainly wasn’t helping me out in that department. It was like pulling teeth to get my mother to visit me here in Paramour Bay. She’d wanted nothing to do with my apprenticeship into witchcraft.
Looking back over my time here in this quaint little town, I realized that there was a handful of residents who still spoke to me with caution. There might be a few who suspected something was out of sorts.
I’m pretty sure I’ve figured out the reason why.
No, you haven’t.
“Heidi, our weekend plans have changed,” I declared, becoming rather excited at the prospect of clearing my grandmother’s name. It was long overdue. Maybe, just maybe, I could clear the shadow of doubt that has been hanging over the Marigold surname and allow Regina Lattice Marigold to return home to her roots. I did want to clarify one thing before we began this mini-adventure. “My date for the New Year’s Eve bash hasn’t changed, but everything else has.”
Nothing has changed. Please, for the love of catnip, don’t go digging up the past.
Leo had become agitated to the point that Heidi had to set him down in between the cash register and our coats. She shot me an exasperated glance that told me I shouldn’t upset him, but she didn’t constantly have to hear his incessant complaining about humans.
I don’t complain. I state the facts. And right now, you’re causing my blood pressure and my anxiety level to raise significantly. I believe I’m in need of more catnip. Where’s my pipe?
“You do complain,” I countered with an unapologetic smile. I refused to allow Leo’s bad mood to ruin my festive spirit. Now that I’d made the decision to look into the fifty-three-year-old murder that had cast a pallor on my surname, nothing was going to burst my bubble. “But you’re stuck with me, and I’m stuck with you. We have to make the most of it, Leo.”
Okay. Forget a few puffs of catnip. You wouldn’t understand the need for it, anyway. But for the love of all things supernatural, cancel your date with the good ol’ sheriff and leave the past buried where it belongs. As in, dead buried…under six feet of dirt.
“No can do, Leo.” I was going to start the year off right, and hopefully that included a kiss from one very handsome sheriff. I walked back around the counter to where I’d stored my purse. “Heidi, are you up for an adventure?”
She gasped and shook her head in mock disapproval.
“I thought you knew me, Raven.” Heidi grabbed her coat and small suitcase. She stopped halfway to the door, looking back over her shoulder in question. That’s right. I tend to forget that she couldn’t hear my entertaining conversations with Leo. “What exactly are we getting up to this weekend?”
“We, my dear friend, are going to solve a fifty-three-year-old murder.”
Chapter Two
“Liam?”
I’d expected the police station to be silent without the dispatcher, Eileen, sitting behind her desk, but there was soft seasonal music drifting from the overhead speakers. A small decorated tree from this past week’s holiday sat on a corner table adorned with tinsel, various handcrafted ornaments, and colorful lights. A bright silver star completed the ensemble.
The station was still decked out with oversized red and green bulbs hanging from ceiling, thick garland strewn around the few desks that had been positioned in the large open area, and topped off with a red and white wreath hanging from the sheriff’s private office door.
I didn’t want to alarm Liam with my sudden appearance, so I called out to him again.
Why wasn’t he answering?
There was a golden hue shining out into the main area of the police station from his office, but I couldn’t see his desk from where I was standing.
I waited for the palm of my hand to grow warmer than usual, considering I had my gloves on. They weren’t nearly as nice as Cora’s leather ones, but I really loved the emerald green color of the imitation material.
In case you’re wondering what I meant about heat in the palm of my hand, it appeared that my powers came from an energy force derived from nature.
I know…pretty cool, huh?
This amazing ability allowed me to sense when something wasn’t quite right or when the balance was askew, but my skin wasn’t tingling.
Maybe Liam had gone to the restroom. A quick glance in that direction revealed a darkened room with the door left ajar. Nope. He wasn’t in there. I swung my gaze back to his personal domain.
I’d watched enough horror flicks to know that this is where something would happen if a killer was on the loose. Good thing I was investigating a murder that
had taken place over fifty-three years ago and not today.
Chances were pretty good I could outrun the perpetrator if he was still alive.
“Hello?”
The radio station suddenly switched to playing a carol with an up tempo beat, which was preferable to the slower one that was rather melancholy…and a bit foreboding now that Christmas was over. It didn’t surprise me that Eileen was still playing holiday music. She had a major obsession with Christmas. At least, if the gaudy sweaters she’d worn for the past month were anything to go by. Her larger than life holiday clothing collection must require its own closet during the off-season.
I can still hear those gold bells sewn onto the fabric from a mile away.
I almost tripped over my long skirt spinning around thanks to Leo’s unexpected presence.
“Go away,” I warned with a whisper. I couldn’t see him anywhere. Leo was pulling one of those tricks where he baited me into looking foolish in front of Liam. “I’m serious. Go bother Heidi. She’s warming up the car.”
And leave you to fend for yourself? I don’t think so. We’ll both end up in jail.
“Raven?”
I swung back around at the sound of Liam’s voice, pasting a smile to my face. He was standing in the middle of the office doorway with the light from behind surrounding him like a glowing halo.
Those flutters in my stomach I mentioned earlier began to gather into a flurry of excitement once again.
The good ol’ sheriff’s bod wasn’t your Christmas gift this year, Miss Naughty. I brought you a fresh mouse, remember? Still alive, I might add. Do you know how that goes against my more basic instinct?
“Liam, I was hoping that you’d still be here.”
“Sorry about that,” Liam apologized, gesturing behind him with a wave of his hand. “I was finishing up a phone call. Let me guess. You need a coffee fix after all that tea, right?”
Did I ever.
I guess I should explain Liam’s observation so you’re not confused.
Yes, I own the tea shop that I’d inherited from my grandmother. There was a slight problem with that scenario, though, because I preferred coffee.
Enchanting Blend (A Paramour Bay Cozy Paranormal Mystery Book 3) Page 2
