A Witchy Valentine (Harper Grant Mystery Series Book 4)

by D. S. Butler

  I suppressed a grin. At least he was honest.

  “I have to admit, I don’t really see the appeal myself.”

  Monty chuckled. “Don’t worry, most people think it’s tedious.”

  I was so caught in my conversation with Monty, I didn’t hear the sound of bicycle wheels on the muddy trail until the cyclist was almost on top of us. As the mountain bike rounded the corner at great speed, I had to leap out of the way to avoid getting run over. I managed to avoid a collision with the bike, but unfortunately, I wasn’t far enough back to avoid the mud. It splattered over me, covering me from head to toe.

  I managed to save myself, but Monty didn’t move quickly enough, and he shouted out as the cyclist passed straight through him.

  “Why do people keep doing that?” he yelled, sending an angry glance towards the cyclist, who had stopped at the side of the road.

  The cyclist removed his helmet and looked nervously at me. “I’m so sorry, Harper.”

  I wiped the mud off my face and glared at him. “Keith?”

  Keith Tucker worked on a part-time basis for Chief Wickham. The rest of the time, he helped his father out on the family boat.

  Keith was harmless enough, usually.

  I put my hands on my hips. “You shouldn’t be going so fast. Look at the state of me.” I gestured to my mud-splattered coat.

  Keith grimaced. “I am sorry, Harper. I didn’t think anyone would be using the trail.”

  “It’s the quickest way from my house to Grandma Grant’s. We use it a lot, and you should be more careful.”

  Keith appeared suitably chastised and looked down at the floor as he nodded. “I will.”

  Then to my horror, he dropped the bike, walked over to me and attempted to wipe off the mud. It didn’t work. Instead, he just smeared the dark brown mud into streaks all over the front of my coat.

  “Stop! Keith, you’re just making it worse.”

  He looked so remorseful I started to feel sorry for him.

  “I’m sorry, Harper. Do you want to take your coat off, and I’ll get it cleaned?”

  “Of course, I don’t want to take it off. It’s February, and it’s freezing.” Exasperated, I groaned. “It doesn’t matter. Just don’t go so fast in the future.”

  Keith smiled shyly at me. “Thank you, Harper. You’re ever so kind. I want you to know I don’t listen to any of the gossip about you and your family.”

  I opened my mouth to reply and then shut it again. Never mind. I didn’t need to ask Keith for the details. I was perfectly aware the residents of Abbott Cove liked to gossip about people who were different, and that included the Grant family. Goodness knew what the residents would think if they knew we were witches.

  We left a very apologetic Keith behind and carried on walking up the hill to Grandma Grant’s. I didn’t talk to Monty for a while just in case Keith was still lurking around or decided to come and find me to apologize again. I wouldn’t put it past him.

  When we were almost at Grandma Grant’s house, Monty asked me. “So, are you the only one who can see me?”

  I tried to wipe a little more mud off my face and nodded. “Yes, my sister and grandmother know about my ability, but I keep it secret from everybody else.”

  Monty nodded. “I can see how it might make life difficult if people knew.”

  I looked at Monty out of the corner of my eye and decided to go the whole hog and tell him the truth. “We are witches. Grandma Grant and Jess are much better at casting spells than me, but my witchy ability is being able to see ghosts, like you.”

  Monty was silent for a moment, and then he burst out laughing. “Oh, that’s a good one. You almost had me there.”

  I frowned. “I’m serious. I’m a witch.”

  The smile dropped from Monty’s face, and he hovered backwards away from me. His eyes were wide, and his face was fixed with fear. “A real-life witch?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Seriously? You’re a ghost. You must be at least six and a half feet tall. You’re encased in a suit of armor, and you’re spooked by the fact I’m a witch?”

  I shook my head in disbelief. This was the reason the Grant family kept our witch heritage a secret.

  Monty cleared his throat. “Well, I suppose when you put it like that… I’m sorry for overreacting, but I’ve never met a witch before.”

  “Well, now you have.”

  Monty was staring at me as though I’d grown two heads, so I decided to change the subject by asking him more questions.

  “How did you get on with all the others in the group? I know you had a bit of a falling out with Pete, but did you get on well with the others?”

  “I didn’t argue with Pete. We just had a disagreement over how historically accurate our battles needed to be. I suppose I was a little unfair. I got the others on my side, and they let me have my own way in the end. Nigel preferred the battles to be historically accurate, too, although he never made a fuss about it. Laura seemed nice enough, but I didn’t get to know her all that well. If I’m honest, she scared me.”

  “Scared you?” I blinked up at Monty, wondering how a tiny, simpering female like Laura could have scared someone like him. If he’d said Barbara had scared him, I would have found that easier to believe. She scared me a bit.

  He looked embarrassed and confided, “Laura has a reputation as a man-eater around Cherrytown.”

  Oh, I see,” I said nodding my head. That didn’t surprise me.

  “And Barbara?”

  Monty shrugged. “Barbara is blunt and to the point. Well, you met her today. You saw what she is like. I’ve never had any problems with her, though.”

  His dark brown eyes regarded me sadly as he said, “I’m not much help, am I? I haven’t given you enough information to go on, and we don’t have any leads.”

  Monty was right. Right now, I had absolutely no idea who’d killed him. I lifted my hand to pat him on the arm but lowered it again when I remembered my hand would pass right through him. “It’s early days. Don’t worry. We’ll soon have a lead, you’ll see.”

  We approached Grandma Grant’s house and walked along the path next to the greenhouse where she grew her plants and herbs for her nursery business. It looked empty and deserted at this time of year.

  Warm lights shone out from Grandma Grant’s kitchen and made the old-fashioned house look cozy and welcoming. I knocked on the front door before pushing it open and calling out hello.

  “Your grandmother is a good witch, too, isn’t she?” Monty asked nervously as we stepped inside, his eyes darting around the small hallway and into the living area.

  “Define good,” I said not wanting to mislead him.

  Monty looked terrified. “She won’t hurt me or turn me into a frog, will she?”

  I hid my smirk as I took off my coat. “You’re perfectly safe, Monty.”

  Chapter 10

  Grandma Grant’s house smelled of ginger and cinnamon, and I breathed in the delicious scent as Monty trailed along behind me.

  We found Grandma Grant in the kitchen. She looked up from the herbs she had been carefully measuring using an antique set of brass weighing scales.

  I quickly scanned the counter in front of her, trying to work out what she was making. She had an array of herbs set out beside a pestle and mortar, and her chopping board was scattered with sprigs of lavender.

  “Are you making a potion?” I asked.

  Grandma Grant gave me a sly smile. “If you had been studying your spells and potions books like you’re supposed to, you’d be able to identify what I’m making.”

  I started to wish I hadn’t asked. A cursory glance at the herbs she was using didn’t tell me much. She had a bunch of green leaves of different sizes on the counter, but the only plant I recognized from its dried purple flowers was lavender.

  I frowned, preparing to take a wild shot in the dark, but then I caught sight of a small tin labeled beeswax on the draining board beside the sink.

  It was a trick question.<
br />
  I smiled smugly. “You’re not making a potion. You’re making your own special blend of furniture polish.”

  “Very good, Harper,” Grandma Grant said chuckling. “But that doesn’t mean you can slack off in your studies.” She held up a finger, wagging it at me.

  I rolled my eyes.

  At that point, Monty felt brave enough to stop hiding behind me. “Are you sure she’s not making a potion?” he asked as he dared to move a little further forward into the kitchen.

  I shook my head. “Grandma Grant, I know you can’t see him, but I’d like you to meet Monty Brown. He was killed this morning at the battle re-enactment. Now he’s a ghost, and I’m going to try and find his killer.”

  If I had announced that news to anyone else they probably would have looked shocked, but Grandma Grant took it all in her stride. “Oh, yes, I heard all about that. They’ve released Pete now, have they?”

  After a moment of gaping at her, lost for words, I nodded. How did she know about Pete? I hadn’t intended to mention his involvement because I knew Jess would like me to keep it quiet if I could, but it seemed like the Abbot Cove gossip network had already done its job.

  I sighed and sat down on one of the kitchen stools next to the counter where Grandma Grant was working.

  “Hello, Monty,” Grandma Grant said, staring into space. “I hope you find who killed you soon so you can get some peace.”

  Monty cleared his throat and looked terrified at being addressed by a real-life witch. “Err, thank you very much.”

  “Monty said thank you,” I relayed to Grandma Grant.

  “So, do you have any leads?” Grandma Grant asked as she continued to finely chop the herbs.

  “We don’t really have anything to go on at the moment. I spoke with Deputy McGrady earlier, and he said they don’t have the toxicology results back, so even though the doctor thought Monty was poisoned, we don’t know that for sure yet.”

  Grandma Grant considered that for a moment and then asked, “And does Monty have any idea who had it in for him?”

  I shot a glance at Monty, who shook his head sadly. “I’m afraid not.”

  As I relayed Monty’s words to Grandma Grant, I realized what was missing. I looked around the kitchen. “Where is Athena?”

  Grandma Grant’s cat, Athena, was never far from my grandmother. She wasn’t a very sociable cat and preferred to greet visitors in her own good time, but it was unusual for her not to be present at all. Most of the time, Athena kept as close to Grandma Grant as her shadow.

  “She’s probably still upset with you,” Grandma Grant said. “You can’t blame her for being wary. Maybe she doesn’t want to risk you turning her fur blue again.”

  I sighed, wondering if I would ever live that down.

  “Um, who is Athena, and why is her fur blue?”

  “Never mind, I’ll tell you about it later,” I muttered to Monty, hoping he would forget to ask me about it later.

  “You must have some idea who wanted to bump you off, Monty,” Grandma Grant stated, her eyes flickering around the room, obviously wondering where Monty was standing.

  Monty hadn’t left my side since we entered the house.

  I indicated that Monty was standing beside me and then admitted, “We really have no idea. Monty is the nicest ghost I’ve met so far. He doesn’t have enemies.”

  Monty smiled and turned to look down at me. “Oh, thank you, Harper. That’s very sweet of you.”

  I shrugged. “It’s true, but because you’re so nice, it means we don’t have any suspects.”

  I wasn’t buttering Monty up. He was the nicest ghost I’d met so far, but then the other ghosts I’d met had consisted of a drunk, a narcissistic yoga teacher and a spiteful gossip. I decided not to mention that to Monty. I didn’t want to water down the compliment.

  “I’m not really sure where to start,” I grumbled.

  “I suppose you have to start with the people who were there when Monty died,” Grandma Grant said. “Even if they didn’t kill him, they may know something that could help point you in the right direction.”

  I nodded. “I think you’re right. I’ll need to talk to everyone who was at the re-enactment. It seems like Monty got on with all of them, though.”

  “Except Pete,” Grandma Grant commented, looking sharply at me.

  I grimaced. “Don’t let Jess hear you say that. She is convinced Pete is entirely innocent of any wrongdoing.”

  “To be fair,” Monty cut in. “It does seem a bit of a stretch to imagine Pete would kill me over an argument about historical accuracy.”

  I nodded and then said to Grandma Grant, “Monty agrees that Pete is an unlikely suspect. Their argument wasn’t serious. He said it was just a disagreement.”

  I watched Grandma Grant carefully cut up some sage and wished she wasn’t holding such a sharp knife when I was preparing to deliver news about Adele Silver.

  “So, I ran into Betty from the Lobster Shack earlier when I left the diner,” I said casually. “She was with Adele Silver.”

  Grandma Grant raised her head sharply when I mentioned the name of her archrival. “That annoying busybody,” Grandma Grant grumbled. “Honestly, why that woman doesn’t focus on her own affairs rather than other people’s, I will never know.”

  I twisted a strand of hair around my fingers nervously and chewed on my lower lip.

  “Out with it, Harper.”

  “What?”

  I changed my mind. I didn’t want to tell her about the Spring Bake-off. I decided it wasn’t a good idea to bring it up. It would only make Grandma Grant angry with me, and that wasn’t fair. I hadn’t done anything wrong.

  “I know there’s something you want to tell me. So, stop being a baby and spit it out.”

  I sighed and wished Grandma Grant wasn’t so perceptive.

  “Wow,” Monty whispered beside me. “Can your grandmother read minds.”

  I couldn’t help chuckling at that. “No, she can’t read minds. She just knows me too well.”

  I waited for a beat and then realized that resistance was futile. “Fine, I’m going to tell you but promise me you won’t get angry.”

  “Just get on with it.” Grandma Grant raised her knife and gestured with it, making me extremely nervous.

  “Also, if you could put the knife down while I tell you, that would be good.”

  “For goodness sake, Harper, will you just tell me.”

  “Adele Silver and Betty think it’s a good idea for you to organize a bake-off for the Spring Show…with Adele.”

  I braced myself for fireworks, but Grandma Grant surprised me by shrugging and saying, “That sounds like a good idea. Bake-offs are quite popular at the moment.”

  I waited, but there was no explosion of temper from Grandma Grant. She didn’t even furiously rant about being trapped in the same room as Adele Silver during the planning stages.

  “You’re taking this rather well,” I said. “I thought you’d be mad at having to spend time with her.”

  Grandma Grant shrugged. “Maybe I’ve mellowed.”

  I narrowed my eyes as I looked at her. “I sincerely doubt that.”

  Grandma Grant shot me a smug look. “All right. I’m actually quite pleased. Adele and I will obviously both take part in the bake-off and when my cake wins the Spring Show grand prize, she’ll have to congratulate me, and she will hate doing that!” Grandma Grant grinned gleefully.

  “I don’t think that’s quite the competitive spirit they’re looking for at the Spring Show, Grandma.”

  “Pah! What would you know about it?”

  I shook my head and decided to leave her to it. I still had my reservations about the Spring Show, but if Grandma Grant was willing to go through with it and work amicably with Adele, maybe everything would work out okay.

  “Well, I suppose Monty and I better get started. We need to go and find everyone who was at the re-enactment.” I slid off my stool and said goodbye.

  Grandma Gran
t may act crazy at times, but she had a point. Even if the people taking part in the re-enactment, didn’t kill Monty, they might know who did.

  Chapter 11

  We were almost out of Grandma Grant’s front door when I remembered if we were going to go to Cherrytown, I needed to borrow a vehicle. I didn’t have a car and didn’t really want to go back to the cottage and ask Jess to borrow hers as I’d promised to give her and Pete some alone time. I figured I would ask Grandma Grant if I could use her truck.

  “I won’t be a minute, Monty,” I said as I ducked back inside.

  “Back again so soon,” Grandma Grant said as I walked into the kitchen.

  “If you’re not using your truck this afternoon, can I borrow it?” I asked, looking around for the keys.

  When Grandma Grant didn’t answer straight away, it made me suspicious.

  I looked across at her, but she wouldn’t meet my eye. “Oh, you don’t want to drive that old thing. Why don’t you borrow Jess’s car?”

  “Because I promised to give Jess and Pete some privacy this afternoon and I don’t want to bother her.”

  “Privacy is overrated,” Grandma Grant said. “Ask Jess. I’m sure she won’t mind.”

  I folded my arms over my chest. “You don’t normally mind if I borrow your truck. Why don’t you want me to use it today?”

  Grandma Grant shrugged, still avoiding eye contact. “I thought I might need it later.”

  “Okay, where are you going? Could you give Monty and me a ride to Cherrytown?”

  Grandma Grant looked up from chopping the herbs and gave an exasperated groan. “I don’t have enough room for you and a ghost.”

  That was nonsense. Grandma Grant was hiding something from me.

  “You may as well tell me about it now. I’m going to find out sooner or later.”