Skull Screw Up: A Halloween Helper's Cozy Mystery

by Linnea West

  The crowd booed loudly, some jeering with insults or hissing with their fangs bared towards the stairs. Some even made large, thumbs down gestures. There was no mistaking how the crowd felt about Wayne's bargain.

  "Well Wayne, it looks like the family doesn't agree with your bargain," Tucker said with a sly smile. "You'll need to give that back. It isn't yours."

  "But you agreed to the deal," Wayne hissed at Tucker.

  "No he didn't," Diggy said, piping up from the back of the group on the stairs. "You told him what you wanted and Tucker just said 'let's go to the ceremony room.' He never actually agreed to your deal."

  Wayne tried to take a step away from the group, but Tucker had a firm grasp on the back of his collar. With one arm wrapped around the skull, Wayne attempted to use his other arm to free himself, but it was no match to Tucker's determination.

  "You fools," Wayne said. "You are all fools. First you follow Bram and then his idiot brother Tucker? You are all sheep, you hear me? And sheep do not get the pleasure of using the ancient artifacts."

  In a flash, Wayne cocked his arm back and threw the skull as hard as he could up towards the large stone wall at the other end of the entrance hall. Vinnie watched in horror as it flew across the room, over the heads of all of the vampires. In her mind's eye, she could just see it smashing into a million pieces, the ancient artifact lost forever.

  "STOP," Diggy and Thistle yelled at the same time.

  Vinnie turned to see that they were both standing in wide stances, their hands out in front of them casting a spell. They were both breathing heavily, concentrating on the skull. Vinnie looked at the skull again, happy to see that it was suspended in mid-air above the group of concerned looking vampires.

  "Which one of us is controlling it?" Diggy asked.

  "I'm not sure," Thistle said. "So we both need to act together to put it down safely."

  The two witches slowly lowered their hands and the skull lowered with it. As the crowd of vampires watched, it came down until it landed gently in Francine's hands. She held it gingerly, as if she was afraid that after everything that had happened, she would somehow drop it.

  First, it was almost like no one could believe what had just happened. Silence lay over the crowd like a blanket as everyone stood still. It was almost like they were expecting the skull to suddenly resume it's flight, smashing to bits against the wall.

  A horrible, terrifying wail broke the silence. Wayne was trying his hardest to fall to his knees, but Tucker grabbed his arm, making him hang like a ragdoll instead. The ugly vampire was inconsolable. Tears mixed with snot as it ran down his contorted face.

  Tucker hauled him back upstairs to his apartment while Diggy sent a quick dispatch to transport to come take Wayne away immediately. They didn't want to leave him in with the pack any longer than they had to.

  As the witches walked back to the library to wrap up and regroup, Thistle pulled on Vinnie's arm. Vinnie let Diggy go ahead as she walked next to the coven witch.

  "I just wanted to let you know something," Thistle whispered. "I didn't cast that spell. Diggy did all of the work. But I knew she would lose her nerve unless she thought I was helping. But it was all her."

  Vinnie smiled. She knew Diggy had it in her to do all of the work, but she was glad that the girl was finally going to see that. Hopefully she would start to believe in herself the more magic that she did outside of the house.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  For once, Vinnie was a little bit glad that there was a witch in the family who could make a pan of brownies with just the snap of her fingers. Not only were Diggy's magical brownies delicious, they were somehow warm like they were straight from the oven. They also went perfectly with a glass of milk.

  Vinnie, Diggy, and Thistle were gathered around the kitchen table, indulging in some chocolate dessert that was well-deserved after finally closing the case. The murderer had been found and transported to the Paranormal Prison and the ancient skull artifact had been found and returned to it's rightful place in the ceremony room. All was back to normal, or at least what had been the normal since the beginning of that month.

  By this point, Vinnie and Diggy had caught Thistle up with everything that had happened since they had last seen her, including everything they had learned about Ravenwood camp. For her part, Thistle provided the correct reactions to every revelation.

  "But what does it all mean?" she asked when they reached the end.

  "We still don't know," Vinnie said. "Obviously there is something else going on that we can't be quite sure of. This was definitely not some random test. I think Norhand has been planning all of these things and we keep foiling him from reaching whatever end point he is trying to get to."

  "My mom definitely knew something was up," Diggy said. "I know she gets future flashes, but there is just too much evidence to say that she only had a few flashes. I think that somehow she knew this was going to happen. Maybe not all of it, but she at least knew that she was going to be taken away by Norhand and that we would need an extra hand. That's why she was working on all of those magical objects before she was taken away."

  "So what can we do to help this situation?" Thistle asked. "If you haven't thought about it, I have an idea. I did a little research on using the family wand to cast spells and I think I have a spell that can help you not only finish this puzzle, but also gain a little insight on Norhand along the way."

  Thistle detailed her plan and Vinnie felt a surge of appreciation for the coven witch who was now technically part of their family. She and Diggy had been so busy solving the murder and the missing skull case that they hadn't even gotten to figure out the details of the family wand puzzle after they had solved the riddle. It was nice to have someone come in fresh with a great idea.

  Vinnie took a bite of her brownie followed closely by a sip of milk to wash it down as she wondered exactly how much Lavender knew. She heard a thunderstorm approaching fast and she knew that meant a sudden visit and not an incoming cold front.

  "Listen ladies," Vinnie said. "He's almost here. Be prepared."

  A few lightning strikes and thunder rumbles moved closer before one ray of lightning struck directly into the kitchen, bringing with it the detested greasy Norhand. Somehow he always arrived looking like he had just smelled something that had died three weeks ago even though Vinnie took extra care to make their house smell nice. After the first time he had arrived like this, Vinnie had figured out that he just chose to always have that look on his face.

  "Good evening," Norhand said. "Why is Thistle here?"

  "I'm here because I'm now part of the Daggerwood family," Thistle said with a smile. "I'm here to help cast a spell with the family wand.

  Somehow Norhand's frown became even more pronounced, almost seeming to slide off of his face it was so deep. He had obviously not been expecting them to find a way around the conundrum of only having two family members to cast the spell.

  "Very well," Norhand said.

  "Would you like some brownies?" Diggy offered sweetly. "They are fresh from my wand today."

  "No, I do not want some brownies," Norhand said. "This is not a social call."

  Vinnie was pretty sure that Norhand probably never got social calls, so what a pity to turn down the fresh brownies. Either way, it was his loss. With a snap of his fingers, the detested living room set was back in the kitchen and they were all seated on it.

  "Go ahead with it," Norhand said. "I don't have much time."

  The three witches stood up and Vinnie suddenly realized that they hadn't actually discussed the logistics of what they were about to do. Was she supposed to say something special or do something special? She was absolutely not prepared for this.

  "Tell me what to do," Vinnie whispered to Thistle as they convened in front of the kitchen island.

  "You go get the family wand and your job is just going to be to hold onto it," Thistle said. "Got it? You don't say anything, you don't make any big movements, you just hold onto
the wand."

  Vinnie nodded and left to go to her room and retrieve the wand. After she and Diggy had found it, Vinnie had returned the family wand to her nightstand drawer. If it was hidden enough that the witch who lived in the room didn't find it immediately, it seemed like a good enough hiding spot from anyone else.

  When she returned with it, Norhand was sitting on the couch looking smug while Thistle and Diggy were hurriedly whispering back and forth. Thistle seemed to be giving directions and Norhand seemed to know that. Vinnie could tell that the nasty man was very certain that they wouldn't be able to do it.

  Holding the wand up with a flourish, Vinnie came into the kitchen. Norhand's smile disappeared once again. He looked shocked for a moment before he recovered and coughed, adjusting how he was sitting on the couch. Vinnie had to wonder why he looked so shocked. For a moment, she wondered if that odd feeling she had gotten yesterday when they came home was because Norhand had come to look for their family wand. But he wouldn't stoop that low, would he?

  Vinnie joined the other two witches and together, they held hands and took one more calming breath together. While it did work to calm their nerves, it also seemed to work with Norhand, who was all the more convinced that they would not be able to complete this puzzle.

  The three witches all grabbed onto the wand and Thistle and Diggy started to chant. At first, Vinnie couldn't really make out what they were saying, but it soon became clear once they repeated it for the third time.

  Weave a web

  Go back in time,

  Let us in

  To this man's mind.

  Norhand seemed to understand the spell at the same time Vinnie did and he tried to mutter countercurses, but it wouldn't work, not against three witches at once. Vinnie felt the magic of the other two witches flowing through her and she wondered if this was what it felt like every time they cast a spell. It was a warm feeling that seemed to fill her from head to toe.

  All of a sudden a green shimmery sort of portal opened up in the kitchen between the three witches and Norhand. This was where they were going to see into Norhand's past. Hopefully it would offer some clues as to why he had taken Lavender and why he was putting them through all of these ridiculous tests and things.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  At first, the memory portal just glimmered and glowed. For a moment, Vinnie was afraid that it wasn't working. Nothing seemed to be happening. But then pictures started to flash by. They were going too fast to focus on them, but it was a start. As the pictures became more clear, Norhand became louder and louder with his countercurses even though they didn't seem to be having any effect on the spell or it's effectiveness.

  Finally, one of the pictures seemed to stick. It wasn't so much a picture as it was a very short, looping video of a memory. This one was of Norhand as a child. He seemed to be sitting with an older woman, perhaps a grandmother. The gray haired woman was talking to the child.

  "You are destined to be the last of our line," the old woman said. "I'm sorry, but there is nothing we have left to give you. We used to be a powerful family, but not anymore."

  The memory looped a few times, each time seeming more and more sad. The old woman seemed distraught, like something had happened to their family that was outside of their control to make them lose their standing in the magical world. The boy seemed oblivious to what his grandmother was saying, but judging by the look on the adult Norhand's face, he understood the ramifications now.

  The next memory showed a teenage Norhand, looking much the same as he did now with his greasy, long hair, but a bit more gangly and awkward. He was outside and looking around, his gaze finally landing on a beautiful young girl across the way. As the memory seemed to zoom in, Vinnie realized with a start that it was Lavender. Norhand was staring at Lavender. This must be at Ravenwood camp, that is why they were outside.

  In each subsequent reshowing of the teenage memory, Vinnie tried to focus on Norhand's face and determine what he was thinking. He obviously seemed impressed with the gorgeous teenage girl, but was there more there. Was there anything beyond a schoolboy crush? Anything that would lead into an obsession in adulthood?

  The teenage Norhand's face had something else lurking behind his dark, creepy eyes. Something that said he was already formulating some sort of plan, but at that point it may have been something as easy as asking her out on a date.

  Vinnie looked behind the memory portal to see that the adult Norhand's face was still in shock that they were extracting these memories from him. He looked dismayed and embarrassed, like they were seeing some of his intimate moments.

  The next few memories were not as in-depth or informational as the first two were. These were just a few shots of Norhand as a young adult. One started with a man in a suit sitting at a desk.

  "I'm really sorry about what happened to your family," the man said. "They used to be one of the biggest magical families out there. I can give you a job with the Magical Office, but I can't do much more than that. I'm sorry."

  "Thank you sir," the young Norhand said.

  Vinnie was deeply curious what had happened to Norhand's family. How could a magical family lose power? They obviously hadn't died out as Norhand's grandmother was already warning him of their demise when he was a young child and he still had time to produce more heirs to their family name. Something had to have happened to them. Everything was cryptic so far.

  A slightly older Norhand appeared. It seemed like they were getting closer to the age he was now. He was describing a plan to the same old woman who had talked to him in the first memory. She only looked slightly older, which wasn't a surprise considering how slowly witches aged.

  "I have part of a plan for regaining power for our family line," Norhand said. He was holding the old woman's hands in his. "I can't figure out the logistics, but I think things will fall into place if I can just find an opening."

  "That's wonderful Norhand," the old woman was saying. She had a smile on her face that seemed a bit more evil than an elderly woman's smile should be. "I knew you would be the key to getting our power back."

  The next memory seemed to have taken place just a short time ago. Once Norhand spoke, it confirmed that this memory was only about a month old. He was sitting behind a desk in a small, windowless office.

  "What did you say the new Halloween Helpers were named?" Norhand asked. "The Daggerwood family? Would one of them be named Lavender by chance?"

  The answer on the other end of the phone must have been a yes because a creepy smile spread across Norhand's face as it seemed like whatever plan he had been making for years was about to be put into place for sure.

  "Perfect," Norhand said.

  Then the memory faded and for a moment, the portal was just a shimmery green circle again until it faded away once and for all. The spell was over and the three witches were left facing Norhand. The greasy man was still sitting on the couch, frozen as he tried to figure out exactly how much the three women knew about his plan now.

  "Congratulations, you passed the second test," Norhand finally said. "I'll be leaving now."

  Without any further fanfare, Norhand snapped his fingers and both he and his traveling living room set were gone. The instant he was gone, the three witches cheered and wrapped their arms together in a big group hug. The plan and the spell worked. They had moved on to the next puzzle, solved the case, and had learned more about Norhand in the process.

  Diggy and Thistle sat back down at the table with their brownies and glasses of milk, but Vinnie felt frozen in place. She felt like two different emotions were threatening to tear her apart. She wasn't sure she would ever feel the same again.

  The first was exhilaration. She had felt magic for the first time in her life. It had coursed through her body and even though it wasn't hers and she couldn't control it, she had felt it. It had been a part of her and it was the most exhilarated she had felt in her entire life.

  It was entangled with a deep feeling of sadness. Vinnie felt sad
at the continued absence of her sister and she felt sad that her niece didn't have her mother around. She felt sad that she would probably never feel that magic feeling ever again. And she felt sad that her suspicions about an insidious plan had been right.

  But right now, Vinnie tried to focus on what was right in front of her. She, her niece, and a new family member were ensconced in a warm, cozy kitchen with delicious brownies and a view of a light rain storm that was shaking the colorful leaves down from the trees.

  And after Thistle left to go back to her home, Diggy and Vinnie would retire to the library where in front of a roaring fire, they would put on an old movie to watch while they drank hot chocolate and Vinnie attempted to finish her jigsaw puzzle.

  The next case and the next clue to get them closer to Lavender could come at any time. Vinnie knew that until they did, she and Diggy needed to focus on the positives and not giving up hope. Vinnie just knew that Lavender would be home before Halloween. She would do everything in her power to make sure it happened.

  ********

  Will Vinnie and Diggy be able to solve the next clue and get closer to getting Lavender back? Will they be able to solve a turf war between a group of zombies and a pack of werewolves? Will the witches learn more about Norhand and his underhanded deeds? Find out in Book 3: VooDoo Vexation.

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  About the Author

  Linnea West lives in Minnesota with her husband and two children. She taught herself to read at the age of four and published her first poem in a local newspaper at the age of seven. After a turn as a writer for her high school newspaper, she went to school for English Education and Elementary Education. She didn't start writing fiction until she was a full time working mother. Besides reading and writing, she spends her time chasing after her children, watching movies with her husband, and doing puzzle books. Learn more about her and her upcoming books by subscribing to her weekly newsletter.