Why are you focusing so much on Cora Barnes?
“Because that’s who I believe killed Jacob Blackleach,” I said, sitting back on the high-top stool behind the cash register of the shop. “Cora had opportunity. I just can’t prove it. I’m not so sure the murder had anything to do with this so-called witchcraft. I think she panicked, and Desmond helped her cover it up, because she was surprised by Jacob’s presence. Or maybe Desmond is the killer. You know, I hadn’t thought of that. Maybe he was caught in a fit of jealousy.”
You watched a lot of television as a child, didn’t you?
I ignored Leo and the fact that his left eye became even larger in his speculation. I’d been up since five o’clock this morning preparing for the grand opening of Tea, Leaves, & Eves. My nerves were on edge due to my limited knowledge of…well…basically everything to do with the beverage.
I said I’d help with the customers, so relax.
Leo was currently lounging in the display window, showing his better side to the public. I was a bit surprised at that, considering he only ever let me or Ted see his physical form. With that said, only one person had walked past since I’d come into the shop early, and that was a young woman around my age with chestnut colored hair. I was banking on her being Mindy Walsh, but I would have to introduce myself later.
A bit of panic had set in that I was trusting a cat with short term memory loss to help me sell tea products to customers who knew more about the soothing beverage than I did.
The truth was beginning to set in.
Do you feel any differently today?
“That’s the fourth time you asked me in the past hour.” I glanced down at my half-empty cup of English Breakfast tea with distaste, wishing more now than ever that it was a vanilla latte with skim milk, two shots of espresso, and no foam. Maybe I could sneak a Keurig machine in the back. “Does feeling a bit more irritated than usual count?”
That’s your mother’s doing. Not mine.
Leo stretched out his back legs when the sun’s rays moved a bit to the right, becoming more comfortable and seemingly believing his own pronouncement.
I still don’t understand why you didn’t tell Regina about me or the fact that you know about your family history.
“Because that’s not the type of conversation one has over the phone, especially with my own mother.”
You were going to tell Heidi.
“That’s entirely different,” I argued, hoping that no one saw me carrying on a conversation with a cat who looked a bit worse for wear. Of course, that was better than anyone believing I was talking to myself. I suppose I should be grateful that Leo was displayed in the window for all to see. I could always say he got stuck in a trash compactor and had somehow miraculously survived. “And I can pretty much guarantee that Heidi will be accompanying my mother here on Friday, because I’ve been ignoring her latest texts.”
Then don’t ignore her texts.
“And end up lying to her?” I asked incredulously, slamming the book I was reading closed just as the alarm on my phone chimed to remind me it was nine o’clock in the morning. It was time to flip the open sign on the front door and take Tea, Leaves, & Eves’ first customer. “No one lies to Heidi and survives. That would only make things worse. I still have two days to figure things out.”
I hopped off the stool and reluctantly walked to the door as I recalled my meeting with Larry on Monday morning. It had gone better than expected, and every single detail that Jacob Blackleach had told me regarding Nan’s estate had been true. It was the reason I’d been poring over the boxes of family information my grandmother had left me, but so far, there had been nothing in those records to indicate that Leo was telling the truth about any history of witchcraft.
You’re not looking in the right boxes.
“Then tell me which ones are the right ones, Leo. Better yet, tell me where that darn spell book is,” I practically pleaded, finally finding the courage to flip the sign. I really needed something stronger than tea if I was going to make it through the day. “Maybe it’s a good thing I haven’t brought this up to my mother, because there’s still a slight chance I’ve gone absolutely bonkers since my arrival.”
Do you feel any different?
Are you wondering why Leo keeps asking me that?
Well, it’s because today is my birthday. My thirtieth birthday, and yet the sun still rose and the clock kept ticking.
The expected day I’m supposed to obtain my unearthly powers.
“No, Leo, I don’t feel the slightest bit different.”
The bell chimed above the door before I had even made it back to the counter.
My heart fluttered.
My first customer had just arrived.
Well, if you discount Pearl, Elsie, and Wilma. Those had been clients of Nan’s side business. And I totally understand why she would sell potions and hex bags to the residents of Paramour Bay. The majority of the orders I’d read up in the ledger had to do with health ailments, though one or two had to do with her surreal concoction of love remedies. I didn’t necessarily agree with those types of magical blends, but that was something I could sort out at another time.
“Good morning,” a cheerful voice rang out, telling me that this happy being had ingested coffee at some point before leaving her home. It made me wonder why she was in a tea shop. “You must be Raven. Flo came by yesterday and couldn’t say enough good things about you. And I’m so sorry about your first day here. It must have been shocking. I can’t imagine finding someone dead five minutes after arriving in town. I’m Candy Butler, by the way. I own the beauty salon down the road, between Brook Cove and Lake Drive. I hope you get a chance to stop by soon.”
“Hi, Candy,” I replied with a matching smile. Her happiness was infectious. “It’s nice to meet you.”
What is that color on her head?
Okay. In Leo’s defense, the reddish orange dye in Candy’s hair reminded me of a Jolly Rancher. Or maybe a jellybean. It was Halloween, after all. I’m not sure, but the color of her hair had nothing to do with the positive vibes coming off this woman’s aura.
And there it is.
I refrained from jumping up and down in exhilaration at the fact that Leo had finally been proven right.
Vibes?
Aura?
I’d never in a million years ever paid attention to anyone’s aura before in my life, but this was a woman I could become friends with during my time in Paramour Bay.
“Do you know if your grandmother has received the pumpkin spice flavored black tea leaves in her last shipment? It’s my absolute favorite, especially this time of the year and all.”
My irritable mood from earlier dissipated into a cloud of mist and was immediately replaced with euphoria. Not only had I seen the log of the last shipment, I’d even put the loose tea leaves in the appropriate containers.
On top of that?
I’d even studied the label and would be able to discuss the properties of the tea.
This day was going to be the best one yet!
“The shipment did come in, and I have it right here.” I proceeded happily across the shop until I’d reached the appropriate shelf. Nan had been smart to put the shelves within reach. “Would you like four, eight, or sixteen ounces? Just a small reminder, the caffeine content of this leaf is a medium level, whereas the antioxidant levels are exceptionally high.”
“Sixteen ounces, please,” Candy replied, though her voice was no longer coming from the middle of the store. I turned to find her walking a bit closer to Leo, who was staring at her with his somewhat larger left eye. “Oh, you poor thing. Is he a rescue from some horrible accident?”
Do something before I bite her.
“You might say that. Believe it or not, Leo found me.”
“You know, he looks an awful lot like Rosemary’s old cat. I’m assuming Ted has been taking care of Benny, but did something happen to—”
“Benny? Ted?”
Not one word, R
aven. Not one.
Two things immediately sprang to my mind, the most vital being the fact that Candy spoke about Ted as if he were indeed a typical resident of Paramour Bay. Did no one find it rather odd that an overly large-sized man who’d most likely never visited a dentist and was constantly cold to the touch lived in a shed on the back of my grandmother’s property?
You know, I’m remembering something from that morning. Candy was…
I almost dropped the glass container of tea leaves as I swung back around, my heart stuttering over the chance that Leo had finally gotten his memory back of the events that happened with Jacob.
Nope. Wrong day. Carry on.
It was a good thing these glass containers were so thick, because my knuckles had turned white in my attempt to control my irritation at Leo and his blurting fits.
“Yes, Benny. He wasn’t the nicest of cats, but he’d been perfectly healthy unlike this…well, this poor thing.”
That’s it. I’ve had enough.
“Candy, do you work on Saturday?” I managed to get the hairstylist to focus on me before Leo’s fang and a half ended up in the back of her hand. “I was thinking I could come in and have a small trim. Oh, and Leo is a rescue I brought with me from New York. Ted must have Benny, and I’m sure the two of them are like two peas in a pod.”
I found it easier to stick closer to the truth, because I figured it was only a matter of time before I messed this whole thing up. Then again, the two peas in a pod analogy was quite a stretch for me.
“I do work Saturdays,” Candy exclaimed excitedly, spinning around to focus on me just as I’d hoped she would. I certainly didn’t expect her to rush over and invade my personal space while touching my hair, but her enthusiasm for a new client came through by leaps and bounds. “The color of your hair is amazing, just like Rosemary’s tresses. I always said that her hair shimmered with a rich purple if the light caught it just so, and darn if yours doesn’t do the very same.”
We ended up talking more about hairstyles than we did the properties of the tea leaves I was selling her, but I was okay with that topic given the circumstances. It didn’t take long for me to get her order ready, having practiced with the amazing machine herb weighing and packaging machine that must have cost my grandmother a fortune.
I can even admit to inhaling deeply quite a few times as I poured the tea leaves in the top opening of the appliance. The aroma was heavenly, and even reminded me of the pumpkin spiced coffee that I loved during the fall season from my once favorite coffee shop back in New York.
Of course, after ringing up the price of the tea leaves at twelve dollars and ninety-nine cents, I figured the machine was well worth the investment. And the added bonus? I was going to try this tea the moment Candy left the shop.
“Here comes Dee Fairuza. I just love that woman. Her hair is divine.”
Sure enough, another customer opened the door to the tea shop and entered with a fresh breeze. There was something flowery about this woman’s aura. I know, that didn’t make a lick of sense, but there it was, plain as day.
Dee had the most beautiful colored bronze skin that reminded me of some exotic island, but I couldn’t pinpoint her ethnicity. It didn’t matter. She’d brought in happiness through the door, as well.
Don’t go all hippie on me.
I ignored Leo’s little jab, but that was easier than I thought it would be after Candy steered the conversation toward the murder. I wasn’t sure how to explain that moment, other than similar to when the flame on a match was blown out with one fast exhale.
“I heard Larry contacted Abbie,” Candy mentioned to Dee, leaning against my counter as if it were the water cooler at the office. “She was pretty upset that he thought that she had anything to do with that man who impersonated Larry. Oh, I’m sorry. Where are my manners? Dee, this is Raven. Raven, Dee Fairuzo.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Raven. Could I have eight ounces of the apple spice flavored black tea? I’m almost out, and it’s my usual morning blend.” Dee then focused dark brown eyes on Candy, but I didn’t take offense. I wanted to hear what Dee had to say about Abbie Butterball just as much as Candy did, so I walked across the store to where the flavored tea leaves were located while hanging onto every word uttered behind my back. “Abbie about had a cow, believing that Larry was accusing her of setting him up somehow. You know how ugly their divorce got, but that was a new low for Larry to accuse her of such machinations.”
“Did he actually accuse her of hiring Jacob Blackleach? You know, that good-looking detective came into the shop waving about that picture of the dead guy. I’d never seen him before, but he didn’t resemble Abbie in the slightest.”
“And that’s exactly what Abbie told Larry when he called her the other day.” Dee reached into her purse and pulled out her wallet after I’d weighed and packaged her tea leaves. I cheated a bit and looked in the book next to the cash register to read about the caffeine content and the antioxidant levels. I was a bit relieved when she didn’t ask anything about it. “You’ve met Larry, right?”
This is a trap.
I shot Leo a sideways glance. Did he really believe I was that naïve?
Do you want me to answer that?
“Yes,” I responded to Dee after taking the ten-dollar bill from her hand. I quickly counted out her change after making a mental note to bring in a credit card machine. It was high time this tea shop upgraded and caught up with technology. “I met him on Sunday. I was so sorry that his vacation was cut short, but Jacob Blackleach did try to take over his identity. It was probably a good thing he came back to sort things out.”
“He shouldn’t be dragging Abbie into his problems, though,” Dee said with a bit of a huff, her loyalty to Abbie shining through like sunlight glistening off a diamond. This petite exotic woman reminded me so very much of Heidi. “She’s been through quite enough already.”
“Is Hannah trick or treating tonight?” Candy asked, pulling her cell phone out of her purse and checking the time. It seemed like no one wore a watch anymore. Everyone had a phone with every bit of information one could ever want on it. I figured the hair salon opened at ten o’clock, so she still had time. “I was thinking of allowing Jade to go one more year, seeing as she will turn twelve next month.”
Now that the conversation had steered away from Jacob Blackleach, I went about cleaning up the loose debris around the machine and putting everything back in place. At least these women hadn’t treated me like some type of criminal, but then again, they seemed to connect Jacob to Larry due to the role reversal. That wasn’t quite fair of them.
And let’s leave it at that. The last thing we need is for them to think there’s something odd with you.
“There’s nothing odd with…” I began to protest, turning to find both women staring at me with amazement. I managed to swallow my embarrassment, and even better yet, cover my tracks in order to make them believe I’d joined in on the conversation. “Trick or treating at age eleven. It’s my thirtieth birthday today, and I used to celebrate by dressing up and seeing how much candy I could haul in each Halloween night.”
A chorus of Happy birthdays from the two women were announced before turning the conversation back to what age was appropriate to stop dressing up in costumes and joining in the festivities of trick or treating. This went on for another two minutes or so before something came to me that I realized could be answered with a simple response.
“Candy, do you know if anyone in town did recognize Jacob Blackleach?” If there was one person in Paramour Bay who would have all the town’s gossip, it would definitely be the hairstylist. “You mentioned that Detective Swanson came by with a picture, so I was wondering if he had any luck finding out any information that could help his case.”
Before Candy could answer, the bell above the door chimed once more.
It’s like Grand Central Station in here.
I kept forgetting about Leo until he’d offer his two cents, which I could well aff
ord not to have today. I was making plenty of sales, and didn’t need his spare change.
“Ladies.”
Lo and behold, it was Sheriff Liam Drake.
His smile, which he didn’t do often enough, was almost enough to make me forget about the coffee he held in his hand that had no doubt come from Trixie’s Diner. I would have returned his greeting had he not ruined my morning.
“Raven, I thought I’d best be the first one to tell you that I just gave your mother a parking ticket.”
Chapter Eleven
“You did no such thing,” I disputed adamantly, refusing to believe that my mother had driven into Paramour Bay two days early without so much as letting me know she was coming. Heck, I wasn’t even sure she’d show up on Friday. It took me less than three seconds to bypass Liam and peer out the glass door. “It’s not nice to joke about family visiting me from out of the blue, especially on my birthday.”
I made it seem that it meant the world to me that my mother would come to town, not wanting anyone here to know that the very thought of the upcoming confrontation gave me an ulcer. It was a relief not to see my mother’s vehicle parked out front.
Look the other way.
I took Leo’s advice, and my stomach plummeted to my feet.
“She must have arrived early for your big day,” Candy replied with a clap of her hands. I wish I had her exuberance, but it was all I could do to hold the tea I drank earlier from coming back up my throat. “You know, I think I remember your mother. Don’t get me wrong, I couldn’t have been more than five years old or so at the time. But I recall seeing her walk by the playground over on Lake Drive every day after school.”
It didn’t escape my notice that Candy didn’t say whether or not my mother had been a nice person back then. Honestly, I didn’t want to talk about my mom with any of them. I wanted everyone to leave so that I could confront what was sure to be the ultimate battle of wills.
“I really need to head on out,” Dee said regrettably, although unknowingly giving me a bit of hope that no one would be around to witness the bloodshed. “I need to walk over to Mindy’s shop to find the last accessory for Hannah’s outfit tonight. Raven, thanks for the blend.”
Magical Blend (A Paramour Bay Cozy Paranormal Mystery Book 1) Page 11
