“Not at all. Witches Affairs sets up all travel arrangements and is all-knowing.”
“I certainly hope not,” Petunia said.
“Since this Witches Affairs is so all-knowing, someone is quite aware that Aunt Maxine isn’t with us,” Noah said.
“That’s correct,” Hazel said.
“Then that makes me wonder what lies ahead for us. This whole setup is making me nervous.”
“I agree with Noah,” Petunia said. “Let’s just hope that we’re not headed for trouble.”
Pansy settled down on Petunia’s lap for a catnap and she tried her best to relax. “How long is the drive, Hazel?”
“Only about an hour. We’ll be on the boat soon heading for Witchataw, so not to worry.”
Petunia didn’t want to ask where the town actually was. She’d never heard of it. Perhaps it was only a witch-related name for the convention.
She had hoped to take a quick nap, but instead began playing casino games on her cell phone. When she looked over at Noah, his eyes were glued to the window as they drove along the roads bordered with trees. Every now and then she caught sight of Lake Michigan in the distance. The hour passed faster than she expected when the bus stopped at a marina.
They clambered off the bus and retrieved their suitcases, carrying them to the Starline Ferry moored on the dock. Noah left their suitcases in the care of a deckhand and then helped the other witches with their bags. They simply nodded at him for his help and walked the gangplank to board.
Petunia found a lifejacket and donned it, much to the surprise of the other passengers. As a show of support, Noah said, “Good idea. Let’s all wear one.”
Wanda and Hazel giggled as Noah helped them put on their lifejackets and then strapped one on himself. He sat next to Petunia and put his arm around her shoulders. “Don’t worry; we’ll be fine.”
“Easy for you to say; you’re not afraid of anything.”
“I am. I don’t like spiders, and if I ever find one in my house, I’ll have to come over and ask you to kill it for me.”
“Kill an innocent spider?” a witch wearing all purple in the next row of seats asked. “You’re barbaric!”
“Come now, Gwendolyn,” the woman next to her said. “Not everyone feels as you do about spiders.”
Gwendolyn pulled a jar from her bag. Inside was a tarantula. “Herman here is quite offended by what you just said. He’s my familiar.”
“Your what?” Petunia asked.
“You oughta know since you have one sitting on your lap. Every witch needs to have at least one.”
“I suppose.”
“I have nothing against spiders per say,” Noah blurted out. “It’s just their presence in my house that I could do without, unless they’re catching flies.” He smiled.
“Oh, I see. So you’re a conditional spider hater? They’re only okay if they’re helping you out with your blasted flies?” She stood up, visibly trembling. As the boat took off, she toppled backward. Up the jar flew and smashed to the deck, freeing Herman, who scrambled toward Noah.
Noah paled and Pansy hissed, sending the spider back the way to Gwendolyn, who promptly picked him up. “I’m so sorry, Herman,” she cooed to him. She then opened her bag and set him inside. “See what you did.”
“Actually, we didn’t do that, you did. If you had stayed in your seat that never would have happened,” Petunia said, petting Pansy.
“And that from a woman who wears a lifejacket on a simple boat ride. You had better keep that cat away from my Herman!”
“Give me a break,” Pansy said. “I have better things to do -- like lick myself.” Which Pansy did, until the boat disappeared into a fog that closed in around the ferry.
“What’s going on?” Petunia asked.
“This is part of the trip,” Hazel said.
“Oh, great! We have a newbie in our midst,” Gwendolyn sneered. “I hope you’re not being inducted into Witches Affairs, because I for one would not vote for you.”
“Gwendolyn calm down,” her companion insisted, tugging at Gwendolyn’s sleeve.”
“You calm down, Yelda! Who would wear a lifejacket like that?”
“Oh, am I wearing it wrong?” Petunia teased.
“I have half a mind to turn you into a toad.”
“Like with an actual magic wand?” Petunia asked. “You could try, I suppose, but I don’t have any magical powers like that. I dabble in potions though and have a lovely hair tonic that might help you with that rat that’s in your hair.”
Hazel and Wanda gasped. “Petunia, I caution you to take care!” Hazel hissed.
“No, I mean she has an actual rat in her hair.”
They glanced at the fuming Gwendolyn and the rat poked his nose out for a moment and then disappeared back into the rat’s nest that was Gwendolyn’s hair.
“You promised to leave that rat at home,” Yelda said.
“I tried, but Nelson would be so lonely if I left him all alone.”
“What else did you bring?” Petunia asked, pressing painfully against the rail behind her seat.
“Just Shelly.” She smiled evilly. “She’s my snake, but not to worry. She’s in my bag.”
Petunia winced. “In the same bag with Herman or another one?”
“Not to worry. My Herman can defend himself quite nicely, even from a snake.”
“Good, I mean I’m sure your pets won’t kill each other.”
“What did you say your name is?” Gwendolyn asked.
“Petunia, and this is ... .”
“We know Hazel and Wanda, but who is the handsome man next to you?”
“This is Noah, and he’s with me.”
“Oh, but I suppose that’s before he met me,” Gwendolyn smiled slyly.
“He doesn’t like spiders, remember?”
“Where is Maxine, Hazel?”
“She left before we did.”
“That’s odd. Us witches normally travel together, especially if we’re friends.”
“I’m sure if Maxine went early there was good reason,” Yelda said with a curt nod.
Petunia stared ahead. Now they were engulfed in the fog, with only the light from the boat and above. She grabbed Noah’s knee unexpectedly and promptly apologized.
The boat rocked fiercely, and Hazel told her to relax. “We’ll be out of the fog in a jiffy.”
The ferry burst out of the fog with a roar of the engine, and the shoreline appeared right ahead. As they rumbled toward the dock, they saw a sign that read, “Welcome to Witchataw.” White lights were strung along the beams supporting the roof over the dock. The ferry moored alongside the very end of the dock and the crew dropped the gangplank so they could disembark.
This time Noah didn’t need to help with the suitcases as a crew of men along the dock jumped aboard to help. Petunia removed her lifejacket with fingers that trembled a little less now that they were docked. Noah, Hazel and Wanda followed suit.
“Move along,” a woman said. “Hurry and board the shuttle bus. You need to check in so you don’t miss any of the opening festivities.”
They climbed aboard the bus in a hurry and it roared off, heading further into what now Petunia thought might be an island. “Where are we, really” Petunia whispered to Hazel.
“Not now.”
She clammed up for the remainder of the short trip.
The bus pulled into the circular drive of a twenty-story hotel. Inside, a huge crystal chandelier lighted the entranceway nicely. Off to the right a golden spiral staircase led to an open second floor. Witches who checked in before them lined up at the elevator doors. Few chose the staircase.
They lined up to check in and found the lines moving along nicely. Hazel showed her identification, and the counter clerk slid two card keys across the counter.
She walked over to Petunia, and said, “It seems you and Noah are sharing a room.”
“I don’t think so!” Petunia fussed.
“Let’s head upstairs and work it
out there,” Wanda suggested, leading the way to the elevator.
A woman dressed in a black business suit wearing a badge that identified her as working for the hotel scanned their cards. The elevator opened and they boarded.
Once the elevator closed, Petunia asked. “This certainly is an organized operation.”
“It has to be,” Hazel said. “There are witches heading here from all over the world.”
The elevator soared upward smoothly and the doors opened at the tenth floor. Petunia followed Hazel and Wanda, who seemed to know where they were heading.
Petunia handed her card key to Hazel, who scanned it to open the door. The room consisted of a sort of parlor, with a white sofa and matching loveseat. Petunia walked to the window, hoping for a view of the lake, only to find a witch hovering on a broom right outside the window. The witch disappeared after Petunia locked eyes with her.
Petunia turned and had to sit before she fell down. “T-There was a witch flying a broom right outside the window. Witches can’t really fly brooms, can they?”
“That depends on the witch,” Hazel said matter-of-factly. “We’re not all the same.”
“Can you and Wanda fly brooms?”
“Yes, but we’re a little rusty.” Wanda laughed. “It’s probably a good thing you stopped us, but we didn’t know what to do when we couldn’t find your aunt.”
Petunia stood and walked to a door, opening it. “I found the bathroom,” she said. She turned and walked to the opposite side of the room, where there was a bedroom with a king-sized bed. “I refuse to sleep in this room with Noah.”
“I’ll sleep on the sofa,” Noah volunteered.
“No need, there’s another door,” Hazel informed them.
Petunia opened the door, her mouth dropping at the sight of Aunt Maxine perched on the bed.
Chapter Five
“You might want to close your mouth,” Aunt Maxine said. “It’s indeed me.”
Wanda, Hazel and Noah rushed through the door. “And all the players are here,” she added.
Pansy strutted into the room, his eyes widening, and he scrambled behind Petunia. “I-I think that’s your aunt’s gh-ghost.”
“Nope, it’s here in the flesh.”
“Then where is Princess?”
That was indeed a good question, and Petunia asked her aunt, “Where is Princess?”
Princess? She’s somewhere in the hotel. With so many witches and their cats here, I’m sure she’s just getting acquainted. Pansy should do the same.”
“I don’t think so. I’d much rather keep him close. I can’t afford to lose him with a hotel full of witches.” Petunia frowned and lowered herself to a chair near the bed. “I think you owe us an explanation. It seems as though you went to plenty of trouble to make us think you were missing.”
“I had to, otherwise you’d never have showed up here, Petunia. And I knew you’d bring Noah along if you thought I was missing.”
“If you wanted us to come, all you had to do was ask.”
“I second that,” Noah said.
“Do you always put a spell on your potion and spell books?”
“Of course. I can’t have them land in the wrong hands.”
“Well, your spell almost killed Noah.”
“Luckily Petunia kissed me so I could awaken.” Noah winked.
“We didn’t get that big of a jolt,” Wanda said. “Strange.”
“That’s because you’re a witch, dear, and Noah isn’t. Non-witches are the ones you most have to worry about. They don’t understand what could happen if those books are sold or if they try to conjure something without the proper training.”
“Why didn’t you at least tell Wanda and Hazel where you were going?”
“Actually I hadn’t planned to be here that long. When I was summoned to appear, I planned to simply tell the Grand Witch why I chose to withdraw from Witches Affairs. I didn’t want to drag Hazel and Wanda down with me.”
“So how did it go?”
“That’s why I need you all here. It didn’t go as expected, I’m afraid. We’ll all need to work together now.”
“Work how?” Noah asked. “I’m not a witch.”
“That would be warlock, dear. You’re a man,” Hazel informed him.
“You see, the thing is that the Grand Witch Marta Gusa is, well ... dead … or murdered to be exact,” Aunt Maxine said. “If we don’t find out who killed her before the convention ends, I’m afraid I’ll be the one suffering the consequences.”
“Why you?” Petunia asked.
“I was the last witch to meet with her. When I went to her office, she was already dead. But I’m afraid her secretary didn’t believe me when I told her I found Marta that way.”
“I know how you are, Petunia. I knew that once you found I hadn’t opened the shop you’d be on the hunt for me,” she continued. “Hazel and Wanda were both quite aware of where I went.”
“We weren’t positive,” Hazel said. “But I suppose now that we’re all here it worked out.”
“Where do we go from here?” Petunia asked. “I can’t imagine the body is still in her office.”
“No, the coroner removed it to the examination room where he could perform an autopsy, but we’ll be able to see the body. It’s in the basement.”
“There’s a morgue in the hotel?” Petunia asked astonished.
“Yes, the truth is there isn’t a hospital in Witchataw. Although it’s not something they go around talking about.”
“Has her office been secured?” Noah asked.
“Yes. I told Witches Affairs that I hired my own investigators to look into her death.”
“We should head to the examination room first if we’re allowed,” Noah suggested.
“Witches don’t live by the same rules here. If a death occurs, all interested parties are allowed access to any information gathered. You’ll also be able to collect information on my behalf and investigate without limitations.”
“I rather like that,” Petunia said.
“I’m sure it won’t be that easy to figure out who killed Marta,” Noah said. “Can you show us to where the body is being held.”
Aunt Maxine stood. “Most certainly. Are you certain you don’t want time to relax after your trip?”
“I’m with Noah. I think we need to get moving on this case,” Petunia said.
“Perhaps we should stay behind,” Hazel said. “I mean, Petunia and Noah are the ones who should investigate. They have the experience.”
“We could keep Pansy with us,” Wanda offered.
“No, I’d rather bring him along. Cats are good at finding miniscule clues.”
“Don’t you mean dogs?” Noah asked with a smile.
“No, I meant cats. You’d be surprised with how many things Pansy has brought home with him. He’s the most hated cat in Lake Forest.”
“I’ll take you to the coroner, and then I’ll come back to Hazel and Wanda. I’m not allowed to take part in the investigation.”
Petunia and Noah followed Aunt Maxine down the hallway to a smaller elevator. Inside the car, none of the buttons were numbered. They were labeled -- examination room, Grand Witch’s Office, Witches Affairs and spa.
Aunt Maxine pushed the appropriate button and the elevator rushed down smoothly. The doors slid open and they entered a darkened hallway. The lights flickered on as they proceeded along the hallway. When they reached two silver doors with windows too high to look through, Aunt Maxine pressed a button and a bell rang.
The doors swung in and a small man motioned them inside. “I imagine these are your investigators,” he said to Aunt Maxine, and then stared down at Pansy. “And is this cat part of your investigative team?”
“Yes,” Noah said.
The man blinked a few times. “Oh, we have a mortal among us. It seems as though you’ve covered all your bases, Maxine. You’re free to leave now.”
“Good luck,” Aunt Maxine said before she left.
Petu
nia stared at the closed doors until the man cleared his throat, handing her three badges attached to lanyards. Noah took one and looped it around his neck. Petunia had to wind the lanyard quite a few times around Pansy’s neck before it looked right. The man’s face was tense, as if he were waiting on her, so she put the badge around her neck.
“I’ll need you names for the record,” he said, tapping a clipboard with a pen.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t catch your name,” Noah said.
“You can call me Doctor Baldwin.”
“This is Noah Becker and I’m Petunia Patterson.”
“Are you related to Maxine?”
“Yes, she’s my aunt.”
“Very well, follow me.”
They followed him into an adjoining room that was quite cool. A metal table holding what Petunia assumed was the body of the Grand Witch under a sheet stood in the middle of the room.
Petunia gulped. “Is that Marta?”
Dr. Baldwin’s eyes widened. “If I were you, I’d refer to her as the Grand Witch. It will go better for your investigation that way. Yes, this is her body.” He walked to the table and uncovered her head. “As you can, see she’s quite dead.”
“How long do you suspect?”
“Twenty-four hours, which coincides with the time your aunt met with her.”
“She said the Grand Witch was dead when she arrived at the office.”
“I’m aware of what your aunt claims, but she was alive directly before your aunt entered her office.”
“And how do you know that?” Noah asked.
“You’ll have to speak with her office staff about that.”
“For all we know, her staff was responsible for her death,” Petunia said. “How do we know she didn’t die of natural causes?”
“Petunia has a valid point,” Noah said. “Has the autopsy been performed yet?”
“I hardly need an autopsy to tell you that she didn’t die of natural causes, but one has been performed,” the doctor growled at Noah.
“What was the cause of death?” Petunia asked.
“Someone thrust a ballpoint pen through her chest. It pierced her heart.”
“What about a toxicology panel?” Noah asked.
Meows, Magic & Missing (Lake Forest Witches Book 3) Page 4
