Enchanting Blend (A Paramour Bay Cozy Paranormal Mystery Book 3)

by Kennedy Layne

  I have short-term memory loss! Okay, there seems to be problems with my memory in general, but that was your grandmother’s doing.

  Bottom line?

  There was technically no murder, meaning the town of Paramour Bay had a spotless record when it came to closing cases. Liam could never know that, because I would have to reveal my family secret.

  You’re learning, Raven. You’re learning.

  My mother surprised me when she tucked her purse underneath her elbow before closing the distance between us. She gently took my hands and tilted her head as she explained her stance.

  “Your grandmother and I might not have seen things eye to eye, but she loved both of us very much. When you mentioned you were looking into Norman Palmer’s death, I was afraid you would come to the same conclusion as I had back when I was in high school.”

  My mother looked down at our linked hands, a despondency coming over her that tugged at my heart.

  Mine, too. See? She didn’t give up the craft. That’s the only explanation as to why I’m experiencing sympathy.

  “Leo, I’m trying to speak with my daughter,” Regina said rather sharply, giving both Leo and Ted a look that basically dared either one to speak. Both were smart and remained quiet. She then focused all of her attention on me. “Raven, I gave your grandmother a run for her money for years after believing I’d found out the truth about Norman Palmer’s death. It all came to a head years later when I was pregnant with you, and by the time she finished explaining the true details of what happened…well, I realized that I couldn’t bring you up in a world where someone would think nothing of murder.”

  “But—” I attempted to interrupt, but my mother didn’t give me a chance.

  “You see, Norman Palmer couldn’t prove that anything was amiss and your grandmother was very good at covering her tracks. In the end, Norman believed that Fred—wax figure Fred—was attempting to impersonate the real Fred. They got into an altercation until one thing led to another and…”

  Fred was dead.

  “So, Norman never knew that Fred was a wax figure?”

  “No, not to my knowledge.” My mother squeezed my fingers until I was looking directly at her and not Leo or Ted. “I do not regret giving you a childhood free of the responsibility of having so much power. I don’t believe there was a right or wrong in that situation, but I couldn’t allow you to believe your grandmother was murderer. It was the reason I didn’t want to talk about everything that happened all those years ago, but in your true stubborn fashion, you couldn’t leave well enough alone. Trust me, it occurred to me to let you believe it in order to have you come home. But even I couldn’t do that to my daughter, and I could sense Leo’s worry all the way in New York City. I figured I had no choice but to come here and see to it myself that you didn’t do anything foolish.”

  It is becoming a regular habit of yours.

  “What about the rippling darkness that Raven saw when she attempted to recall Norman Palmer’s last memories?” Heidi asked, taking the step that separated her from Ted. She rested a hand on his arm, reassuring him that we wouldn’t allow any harm to come to him. “What was that about?”

  “I had the same thing happen to me,” Regina admitted, giving my hands one last squeeze before she released them. “I can only assume that Norman Palmer wasn’t a nice man. I believe we saw into his soul and not through his eyes.”

  “That’s downright creepy,” Heidi murmured, wrapping her arms around herself in an attempt to ward off a shiver. I didn’t blame her. I now had the answers I sought, yet nothing had really changed. She frowned, seemingly understanding my sentiment, but before bringing up something else that didn’t quite make sense. “Wait a second. The last time I was in town, I’d heard Alison say that there was a wax figure that went missing many years ago. Was that Fred? And if it was, where did Ted come from?”

  Oh, I can answer that.

  “The damaged Fred was returned to the museum, where he remains in storage.”

  I hate when she does that—she always has to be first.

  Regina looked slowly around the storage room, causing us to do the same. An uneasy feeling settled over me, and for the first time, I truly believed in the afterlife. Just what had been on this piece of land before the wax museum?

  You really don’t want to know the answer to that question. Let’s save that for another day, shall we?

  “Fred is probably in this very room somewhere.”

  “Then it’s Ted who is missing,” Heidi guessed, obviously as confused as I was as to how that could be. “Why has no one noticed the resemblance?”

  Ted didn’t resemble anyone famous, and he was able to walk around town without question. So just where had Ted come from?

  Oh, Ted is from the wax museum, alright.

  “Miss Rosemary made it so no one would recognize me.”

  Ted smiled, displaying a few broken teeth. It all began to come together…his height, his blondish white hair, his sunken eyes, the suit. I’d said it before, but I’d never imagined in a million years for it to be true.

  Lurch.

  “Ted Cassidy,” Heidi and I both said in unison. Our Ted was a bit different, but the similarities were there all the same. “The Addam’s Family.”

  Bingo.

  Ted Cassidy had been a brilliant actor who’d played Lurch in “The Addam’s Family” in the 1960s. He most likely would never have believed his wax figure would end up a henchman to a bona fide witch, but that was a legacy all unto itself, wasn’t it?

  “I guess I never gave it any thought,” Regina said, tilting her head as she gave Ted a once over. Her lips pulled back in what appeared to be approval. “I can see the resemblance.”

  Why does she always have to—

  I stepped forward and picked up Leo, whose left eye looked about ready to pop out. It was rare that we showed each other affection like he and Heidi did to one another, but I was feeling a bit sentimental. I hugged him to me and buried my face in his fur.

  To Leo’s credit, he put up with my need for comfort.

  I wasn’t the only one with family issues. We were his family, and he’d put up with our inner circle fighting for a very long time.

  Does this mean I get extra catnip tonight?

  “…don’t believe they left the building. Someone would have seen—” Liam stopped in his tracks, taking in the scene before him. Jack wasn’t far behind. The two handsome men stared at us in disbelief, but I wasn’t quite sure how we were going to get out of this tiny predicament. Usually Heidi was the quick thinking one, but one glance revealed her lips opening and closing like a fish. “Raven? What’s going on in here? We’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

  “If you’re going to be dating my daughter, then you should know right now that she’s not the world’s most graceful woman,” Regina exclaimed, succeeding in embarrassing me more than when she’d threatened to follow me and my date to prom my senior year of high school. “Don’t worry. Raven is fine now that Ted picked her up off the floor.”

  Well, she just shined you off in a rather dull light, didn’t she? I’m beginning to remember why we don’t have her come visit more often.

  I’m pretty sure Liam didn’t buy what my mother was selling, either.

  “Ted decided to come to the party, after all.” I would stick as close to the truth as possible. I handed Leo to Ted, who physically showed his displeasure, but we all needed to act normal for the next few minutes. “And he refused to leave Leo behind. Wasn’t that sweet of him?”

  Put me down. Put me down right this minute. Put me down.

  “Ted, would you care to keep me company while we ring in the New Year?” Regina asked, not really giving Ted a chance to say no…or Leo, for that matter. Ted fell into step beside my mother and the three of them left the storage room. “You know, Ted, there could be worse places to be than…”

  Help! Help!

  Leo wouldn’t be able to physically disappear in front of so many guests, and
he was well aware of that fact. I would probably pay with another vase or two in my near future, but it was worth it if it meant the town saw us as any other normal family.

  “There’s no blood,” Heidi chimed in with a bright smile. “You should have seen her go down. My fault…totally. I couldn’t resist taking more pictures with some of these wax figures in storage. I mean, can you believe they don’t have Marilyn Monroe on display? And we found Jesse James in the back over there by the door. I’ll admit that we opened that exit in the back to see if they had anyone else hidden who we might want to get a picture with, but there was no…”

  Heidi led Jack out the door with her nonstop fabricated account of what had transpired in the last thirty minutes or so. Truthfully, I had no idea how much time had passed since Heidi and I had finally located Norman Palmer’s wallet…which was still clutched in my hand.

  Liam’s dark gaze wasn’t on the billfold or photograph in my hand.

  “I came back this way, but you weren’t in here,” Liam said as he clearly struggled with the story my mother and Heidi had cooked up. Technically, I did fall. And we did go searching the room for other wax figures. He surprised me by reaching out and brushing his thumb against my cheek. “You have a smudge of dirt. Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Yes,” I replied, unable to prevent my smile. I should be attempting to convince him that everything had happened the way it had been explained, but a warmth had spread through my entire body. I put my hands behind my back to hide the contents so this moment wasn’t ruined. “I’m more than okay.”

  And I was also okay with how this mystery had unfolded.

  Thinking over the events of this past weekend had me coming to one major conclusion—family mattered more than anything else. Family meant all those a person held dear to him or her.

  My mother and grandmother might have been estranged by the end of Nan’s life, but she’d clearly never given up that her granddaughter would return to continue the family legacy. Mom’s regret of not letting bygones be bygones was evident, and Nan had done what she could to right a wrong—she’d given life to Ted, who had been her friend and confidant. She’d gotten the town to accept him as a distant relative of the Marigolds, and ensure that he could live for…

  Wow.

  Was Ted immortal?

  Once again, another mystery for another time.

  “It’s almost midnight,” Liam said quietly, still searching my gaze for answers I couldn’t give…at least, not right now. I waited for Leo to make some sort of quip, but he must still be with Ted and my mother. “I’m sorry you didn’t get the answers you were searching for in your research. I know that you wanted to clear any chance of doubt hanging over Rosemary’s head concerning her involvement.”

  “I’m okay with not having all the answers,” I replied carefully, not wanting to ever lie to Liam. I didn’t have all the details to that fateful night. That much was true. Only Leo was still alive to tell the tale, and as we know…his memory wasn’t the best. “I truly appreciate you letting me look at the case files. I can give them back to you when you take me home tonight.”

  “I have no worries about those old files. I’m sure you’ll give them back to me when you’re satisfied.” Liam held up his palm for me to take with my hand. Now, didn’t that sweet gesture put me in some type of conundrum? “Shall we? I’m sure it’s getting close to midnight.”

  Sure enough, a round of cheers could be heard from the other room before a countdown began from ten. Liam glanced over his shoulder, giving me time to toss Norman Palmer’s wallet over Marilyn Monroe’s head. The soft thud as the billfold landed on a box somewhere was covered up by the shouting guests.

  “Just in time,” I replied, eagerly sliding my hand onto his. “Let’s ring in this New Year and start it off right.”

  Liam led the way, closing the door behind on a mystery that he would never be able to claim as solved. I guess it wasn’t so bad for the sheriff’s department to have a slight blemish on their record. After all, no one was perfect.

  “Five!”

  Liam continued to weave in and out of the various guests staring up at the disco ball that Alison and Oliver Bend had so graciously crafted for this special occasion. Old traditions had become new, and the Marigolds were once again a part of the town’s future.

  “Four!”

  We finally reached our destination next to our friends and family. Heidi and Jack were smiling as they watched the ball begin to descend from the ceiling. Otis and his wife were laughing at the confetti being dropped from the baskets above us. My mother was saying something to Ted, who stood next to her with Leo in his arms.

  “Three!”

  Granted, Leo looked a little worse for wear, but we were all together.

  A family of witches, humans, a golem, and a ragtag familiar.

  Is there a reason you put me last? I should be first on that list.

  “Two!”

  I hadn’t been able to cast the enchantment I’d wanted to for Leo in hopes to restore some of his memory, but I’d come to the conclusion that he was perfect just the way he was. In the end, everything always seemed to come together.

  I have my work cut out for me, don’t I?

  “One!”

  I’ll admit, I was expecting a kiss.

  “Happy New Year, Raven.”

  What I received was much more than that.

  Liam twirled me toward him as the ball finally reached the end of the pole, confetti fluttering down upon us from above. His warm lips touched mine, and the most magical moment of my life had just been recorded in my mind. Usually, it was the first sip of coffee in the morning that curled my toes. Well, Liam’s stimulating kiss might just top my first cup of sanity.

  I finally opened my eyes after he pulled away, the cheers resounding throughout the building. A new year had been rung in, and I couldn’t wait to see what surprises were in store for us.

  “Happy New Year, everyone!”

  You get the hunky sheriff, and I get…Ted? Not fair, Raven. Not fair at all.

  ~ The End ~

  Thank you so much for reading Enchanting Blend! There are more exciting antics to come in Paramour Bay, so be sure to come back for a visit!

  CLICK HERE

  Ghostly antics and magical chaos turn into a hauntingly mischievous tale in this delightful continuation of USA Today Bestselling Author Kennedy Layne’s cozy paranormal mystery series…

  The small coastal Connecticut town of Paramour Bay has brought a lot of surprises to Raven Marigold’s life, but she never expected to encounter a bona fide honest to gosh ghost!

  It appears that Raven and her familiar have made quite the name for themselves on the other side as amateur sleuths…enticing an endearing tea-drinking spirit to seek their help to solve a kidnapping, of sorts. You see, the sweet apparition’s familiar didn’t follow her into the afterlife and has gone missing—even from the eyes of the dead!

  Grab a cup of hot tea and a cozy blanket so that you can snuggle in front of the warm hearth of your fireplace with this riveting supernatural tale that will have you smiling well into the night!

  Books by Kennedy Layne

  Paramour Bay Mysteries

  Magical Blend

  Bewitching Blend

  Enchanting Blend

  Haunting Blend

  Office Roulette Series

  Means (Office Roulette, Book One)

  Motive (Office Roulette, Book Two)

  Opportunity (Office Roulette, Book Three)

  Keys to Love Series

  Unlocking Fear (Keys to Love, Book One)

  Unlocking Secrets (Keys to Love, Book Two)

  Unlocking Lies (Keys to Love, Book Three)

  Unlocking Shadows (Keys to Love, Book Four)

  Unlocking Darkness (Keys to Love, Book Five)

  Surviving Ashes Series

  Essential Beginnings (Surviving Ashes, Book One)

  Hidden Ashes (Surviving Ashes, Book Two)

  Buried Flame
s (Surviving Ashes, Book Three)

  Endless Flames (Surviving Ashes, Book Four)

  Rising Flames (Surviving Ashes, Book Five)

  CSA Case Files Series

  Captured Innocence (CSA Case Files 1)

  Sinful Resurrection (CSA Case Files 2)

  Renewed Faith (CSA Case Files 3)

  Campaign of Desire (CSA Case Files 4)

  Internal Temptation (CSA Case Files 5)

  Radiant Surrender (CSA Case Files 6)

  Redeem My Heart (CSA Case Files 7)

  A Mission of Love (CSA Case Files 8)

  Red Starr Series

  Starr’s Awakening(Red Starr, Book One)

  Hearths of Fire (Red Starr, Book Two)

  Targets Entangled (Red Starr, Book Three)

  Igniting Passion (Red Starr, Book Four)

  Untold Devotion (Red Starr, Book Five)

  Fulfilling Promises (Red Starr, Book Six)

  Fated Identity (Red Starr, Book Seven)

  Red’s Salvation (Red Starr, Book Eight)

  The Safeguard Series

  Brutal Obsession (The Safeguard Series, Book One)

  Faithful Addiction (The Safeguard Series, Book Two)

  Distant Illusions (The Safeguard Series, Book Three)

  Casual Impressions (The Safeguard Series, Book Four)

  Honest Intentions (The Safeguard Series, Book Five)

  Deadly Premonitions (The Safeguard Series, Book Six)

  About the Author

  First and foremost, I love life. I love that I’m a wife, mother, daughter, sister… and a writer.

  I am one of the lucky women in this world who gets to do what makes them happy. As long as I have a cup of coffee (maybe two or three) and my laptop, the stories evolve themselves and I try to do them justice. I draw my inspiration from a retired Marine Master Sergeant that swept me off of my feet and has drawn me into a world that fulfills all of my deepest and darkest desires. Erotic romance, military men, intrigue, with a little bit of kinky chili pepper (his recipe), fill my head and there is nothing more satisfying than making the hero and heroine fulfill their destinies.