A Drop in the Potion

by Constance Barker

  “I don’t know how we’re going to check,” Tessa said. “I suppose one of us could need a bathroom break.”

  “And that wouldn’t be a lie,” I said. “Coffee always tastes so good on a cold day.”

  “Shoot, I was going to volunteer for that job,” Tessa said.

  “Next time,” I said. “When we need a real snoop.”

  Tessa and Mara laughed, because we all knew that Tessa loved to snoop. While Mara possessed the ability to hear voices at a distance, voices carried by the wind, Tessa had no such talent. She relied on good, old-fashioned prying for her knowledge.

  We slid around a corner, and we all gaped.

  “Oh no,” Mara said.

  “Crap,” Tessa added.

  “I should have known,” I said.

  Because right in front of us, snow was falling on Windermere Manor. While it had been rain before, and that was bad enough, now it was snow. Everywhere else around the lake, the sun shined, but not at the manor. The snow, light snow thankfully, drifted down, adding to the considerable accumulation already on the ground.

  “We need to talk to Genevive,” Tessa said.

  “I agree,” I said. “This has to stop before some nosy reporter decides to check out something so strange.”

  “I...I think I might be able to bring up a wind, maybe blow some of it into the lake,” Mara said.

  “Not yet,” I said. “Let’s save that for tomorrow, if we can’t solve our problem tonight. Why didn’t I see this thing coming?”

  “We would need the full coven for that,” Tessa said. “And if the full coven had a functional water witch, we wouldn’t need to know the future.”

  I couldn’t argue with Tessa about that. I was guessing we would convene the coven as soon as we could no matter what. Somehow, we needed to cancel the spells.

  “We might be able to bring back...” Mara said. “You know, so she could cancel her spell.”

  “No,” Tessa said immediately. “She stays a frog until the snow is up to the eaves. She tried to kill us, remember?”

  We all remembered our battle with Lily Windermere, and no one wanted her back. She was no doubt the source of the black magic that had infected Mara. That alone, made Lily a bad seed.

  “I think the coven can deal with this,” I said. “But Genevive might need some help finding and casting the canceling spell. I suggest we all put in some hours on the Internet tonight. Certainly, there are water witches out there that can help.”

  “Don’t you like to sleep?” Tessa asked.

  “I’ll do it,” Mara said.

  Tessa parked in front of the huge double doors that led to the foyer of Windermere Manor. The twin knockers looked like faces, even to me, and they weren’t kind faces. Whoever designed them didn’t believe much in hospitality. We trudged to the door and hesitated. Not one of us wanted to touch the knockers. I was reminded of Dickens’ Christmas Carol, where the knocker took on the face of dead Marley.

  “Oh, tosh,” I said and grabbed the knocker. “What’s the worst that can happen.”

  I dropped the knocker, and the sound echoed inside the house, as if magically magnified to reach the farthest corner of the building. That would be in keeping with the Windermeres, who could be ostentatious to the extreme. It wouldn’t surprise me if they used a bit of magic to make the manor seem more spooky than it already was.

  The man who answered the door was tall and bald and older than he first appeared. At least, it seemed that way to me. But he wasn’t the new owner. That was as plain as plain could be—unless the new owner was a...butler.

  Chapter 4

  “Yes?” the butler asked.

  “We’ve come to welcome the new owner,” I said. “With house-warming gifts.”

  Mara held up her basket.

  “I’m afraid my master is not available at the moment,” the butler said. “But please come in out of the weather.”

  We stepped into the entry that we had seen before. It was still stately and regal. But while it represented wealth and privilege, I wasn’t envious. My house, with its gardens, and its protective hedge that my granny had planted and imbued with magic... my house was more than enough for me. Yes, it needed work, and I swore that if I ever got ahead of the game, I’d fix it up proper. But I wouldn’t trade it. Not for Windermere Manor or the Tower of London.

  Mara stepped up and held out the basket. “Please take this as a gift. It’s nothing special, just homemade jams and breads. We hope you'll find them healthy and tasty.”

  The butler took the basket, but he didn’t smile.

  “Excuse me,” I said. “But do you have a bathroom I could use?”

  “Of course,” the butler said. “If you will follow me.”

  “That’s okay,” I said and skipped past him. “I’ve been here before. I know the way.”

  I ran up the stairs like a woman who did indeed need to use a bathroom. But upstairs was the office where we'd run into the black magic before. I would need to get close to the source, but not too close. Black magic was terribly contagious. Sometimes, you didn’t know it was there until it was too late. And as Mara had proved, ridding oneself of black magic often took time and distance. I didn’t have the time to travel to Iceland.

  At the top of the stairs, I hurried to the office. I stepped just inside the door and stopped. I slowed my breathing and tried to sense the presence of black magic. I reached out with my mind. I thought about trying a spell, something that would provoke the black magic, but that didn’t sound very safe, especially since I was alone. With the others at my side, our combined magic would probably be enough, but alone?

  “Come on,” I whispered. “Are you here?”

  “Is who here?”

  I spun around. Behind me stood a woman I had never seen before.

  “Excuse me,” I said. “I was looking for the bathroom.”

  “That’s very curious,” she said. “Since this clearly isn’t it.”

  “I can see that. I thought I knew the way, and I was trying to remember. Hasn’t that happened to you? You make a wrong turn, so you stop and close your eyes and try to imagine the right way?” I was clearly fumbling.

  “I never get lost,” she said. Her dark eyes looked tired, which detracted from her beauty, because she was indeed a pretty woman, despite her wane complexion and lank hair. Had she come into Happy Blendings, I would have fixed her healthy tonic that would put color in her cheeks and a glint in her eyes. She needed it.

  She grabbed my elbow and turned me. “This way, if you don’t mind.” She guided me down the hall.

  “By the way,” I said. “I’m Samantha Greene. I own the smoothie shop, Happy Blendings in Goodsprings. Stop in and I’ll fix you a smoothie you’ll never forget.”

  “Well, I just might take you up on the that, since I’m staying there. Here you are.”

  I was ushered into the bathroom, and I really did have to use it. When I left, the woman was waiting. Her smile was forced.

  “Ready?” she asked.

  “I am,” I said.

  She escorted me down the stairs to the entry where Mara and Tessa waited. They looked as if they hadn’t traded a word with the butler while I was gone. When Tessa shot me a questioning look, I raised my eyebrows. That was supposed to be a sign that I would share what I knew later. I was pretty sure Tessa had not read it that way.

  “Hello,” Mara said. “We want to welcome you to Goodsprings. The basket is filled with delicious, homemade jams and breads. We hope you enjoy them.”

  “I don’t think you meant that for me,” the woman said. “I’m just the real estate agent involved in the sale. And I suppose you should know my name, since that’s why you came. I’m Linda Downs. I work for the person who bought this god-forsaken property. I’ve never seen anything like it. Snowing on only a single residence? That’s insane. And frankly, I don’t understand how it can happen. So, now you know who I am, and what I do. You can leave. Hughes, show them out.”

  “Wait a min
ute,” Tessa said.

  The woman turned to Tessa, whose eyes were pinkish, not a good sign.

  “We came here to be friendly.”

  “I know why you came,” Linda replied. “And frankly, it’s incredibly pathetic. You want to get in good with the new, rich owner. I don’t blame you. That’s what gold diggers do.”

  “Gold diggers?” Tessa asked. “I’ll have you know—”

  “That it’s time to go,” I interrupted, taking Tessa’s elbow. “Thank you for your time.”

  Tessa wanted to pull free, but I held on tight. Taking on the woman and “Hughes”, didn't seem like a good idea at the moment.

  “Enjoy,” Mara said and grabbed Tessa’s other elbow.

  We turned to the door, and I hoped the woman would stay silent. Because if she said another word, I wasn’t sure we could contain Tessa, who no doubt, would love to turn up the heat on the prissy real estate agent. As we passed Hughes, who held the door, I detected a musky scent to him, as if he’d been working in the garden. But that couldn’t be possible. The house and gardens were snowed under—and it was still snowing lightly.

  At the Jeep, we almost lost Tessa who was still steaming from the dressing down we had taken from the real estate agent.

  “Let me go,” Tessa said. “I’ll settle that woman’s hash.”

  “No,” I said. “Get in the Jeep. The last thing we need is a further display of our abilities.”

  “Sam is right,” Mara said. “The snow is bad enough.”

  Tessa hesitated, but got behind the wheel. Mara and I piled in, and Tessa roared away from Windermere Manor, snow or no snow.

  “If you can cool down a bit,” I said. “I’ll tell you what I found upstairs.”

  “Oh, yes,” Mara said. “Was there a trace or something?”

  “No,” I answered. “I felt nothing, but that doesn’t mean much. I didn’t have the chance to do much searching before Miss Priss caught me. I was being slow because, well, because.”

  “If it’s still there, I didn’t sense it,” Tessa said. “Not that I’m ready to pronounce the manor clean. But had it been a major infestation, we would have known it.”

  We spent the rest of the rather harrowing trip wondering about Windermere—black magic, real estate agent, and butler. No one in Goodsprings had ever had a butler, as far as we knew. Not even the pretentious Windermere family ever employed a man servant. Some maids on occasion, as the manor was large, and they had the money. But no butlers.

  “Did you find Hughes odd?” I asked.

  “Odd how?” Mara asked.

  “I don’t know. He didn’t speak, and I caught a whiff of something musty about him.”

  “Probably his suit,” Tessa said. “I can’t imagine a butler that doesn’t smell stuffy and musty.”

  “Probably,” I agreed. But I wasn’t convinced. It wasn’t mothballs or plastic wrap. It was earthy, and I knew earthy.

  “Thank you,” Mara said.

  “For what?” Tessa asked.

  “For going with me. I don’t think I could have done it alone. The memories are too...fresh.”

  “Any time,” Tessa said. “Sam here will take on whatever needs to be taken on. She’s fearless.”

  I laughed. “Obviously, you’ve never seen me ride to work with a loaded cart behind my bike. White knuckles and whispered prayers.”

  They laughed.

  “We’re going back to the grill,” Tessa said. “You two could use some lunch after Miss Priss and Hughes. They’re enough to stoke anyone’s fire.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Mara said.

  “David can handle the shop for a bit longer,” I said. “What’s on the menu?”

  “I’m not sure,” Tessa answered. “Since fried agent isn't available.”

  Mara and I laughed. The feisty Tessa had returned, replacing the angry Tessa.

  “Oh Lord, no,” Mara said.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Over there, parked in front of the grill.”

  Chapter 5

  I looked at the front of the grill, glimpsing the County Board of Health van parked in front. Tessa whipped into an alley to park, so I didn’t get a good look.

  “Damn,” Tessa muttered. “Just what I don’t need. The board of health snooping around my grill.”

  “Inspection?” I asked.

  “You know the drill, Sam. They come in and look around until they find something they can cite you with and levy a fine. It’s the same every time. Never a lot. They must think that having a healthy body to pinprick is better than trying to get blood from a corpse. Come on.”

  We plowed into the restaurant, and Tessa immediately pinpointed the two county employees sitting at the counter. She half ran around to the other side of the counter as Mara and I found a booth. We waited for the fireworks. Tessa was not having a good day, not after Miss Priss. Getting a visit from the board of health was sour icing on a dry-as-a-bone cake.

  “Good afternoon,” Tessa said. “Here for an inspection?”

  “No,” the older employee said. “We were in the mood for some really good food, and well, this place is kind of famous in our department.”

  “Best food in the county,” the other employee said. She was a large woman who obviously knew something about eating food, if not preparing it.

  Tessa smiled. I could tell she was pleased, especially since they hadn’t come to prick the hiney side of her business.

  “Well, if you’re ready for dessert,” Tessa said. “There is some chocolate delight just waiting to be eaten.”

  “Sounds good to me,” the woman said and laughed.

  “Make it quick,” the other employee said. “We need to inspect the shop across the street.”

  My throat constricted. The last thing I needed was an inspection. Not that I wouldn’t pass it...I would, but because it would mean some fines that I didn’t like to pay. My profits weren’t that large to begin with. Extra expenses weren’t good for me.

  The employee turned and around and winked at me. “Just kidding,” he said.

  I smiled back. “Thank you very much.”

  He laughed and waited for the chocolate delight to arrive. He didn’t wait long.

  “Are they really so bad?” Mara asked softly, not wanting to be overheard.

  “No, not really,” I answered. “And their job is vital. Food borne germs spread very quickly, and diseases wreak havoc on a community. That’s why we keep everything so clean. And we still have outbreaks.”

  “Well, you’ve escaped any inspection today.”

  “And that’s a blessing,” I said.

  At that moment, Ada and Ethan Gallagher walked in, and from the look of them, they weren’t having a good day. Dark circles, pasty faces, they looked exhausted, as if they hadn’t had a decent sleep in a month. They never looked too hale, but this was worse than normal. Even as they joined us, I slipped out.

  “I’ll be back in a jiffy,” I said.

  I ran across the wet street, as the snow was again melting from the warm sun. Goodsprings looked strange, piles of snow on the sidewalks, a wet street, and people walking around in tee shirts and jeans. The scene reminded me that we had to help Genevive find the canceling spell—soon. I guessed that as soon as the health department inspectors left the whole world would know of Goodsprings, Georgia, where it snowed every night. Well, at least two in a row. Once that sort of news hit the Internet, we would be inundated with gawkers. That might be good for business, but the attention was the wrong kind. We didn’t need “investigators”.

  David wasn’t busy, so he was giving our blenders a good cleaning.

  “When I saw the van across the street,” he said, “I figured I better do some quick scrubbing.”

  “I was just over there,” I said. “And they came to eat, not to inspect. That includes us. So, you’re off the hook for the moment.”

  “That’s a relief. No one wants a visit from the health department.”

  I looked over what ingredient
s were on hand, and I went to work. There were times in my business when I could look at someone and know exactly what kind of smoothie was needed. It was a blend of intuition, observance, and whimsy. For Ethan and Ada, I started with lentils, adding navy beans, acorn squash, leeks, coconut, pumpkin seeds, and raspberries. I blended that with some soymilk and knew I had concocted a “detective special”, all the iron needed for a month. I was certain their blood would soon be iron rich. Exchanging oxygen as they breathed would be a snap.

  By the time I got back to the grill, the inspectors had left and Tessa had joined Mara and the detectives. I handed over their smoothies with a smile.

  “And a pick-me-up,” I said. “Non-alcoholic.”

  “We need it,” Ada said. “Have you any idea how many fender benders you get with drivers who rarely experience snow?”

  “And I’m too old to chase teenagers who think pelting cars with snowballs is great fun,” Ethan added.

  “Well, it can be fun.” Tessa giggled.

  “Don’t go there,” Ethan said. “I would hate to give you a citation.”

  “I’m too old for that,” Tessa said. “But a good snowball fight might be fun.”

  My plate of food was still warm. It smelled so good, I didn’t bother to ask for permission to eat.

  While I ate, I listened to the others. The detectives knew that we were witches. In fact, we had used our powers to help them escape Lily-the-frog’s clutches as she had killed her aunt. I knew that neither them nor us ever wanted to repeat that encounter. The detectives visibly improved as they drank their smoothies, and that warmed my heart as much as the food did. And while the complaints about the inconvenience of the snow were many, eventually the conversation turned to Windermere Manor.

  “A real Miss Priss,” Tessa said as she recounted our encounter with Linda Downs. “She’s made looking down her nose an art form. I would like to say she treated us like roaches to be stepped on, but she wasn’t that considerate.”

  “Come on, Tessa,” Mara said. “She wasn’t that bad. It was Hughes that made my hair stand on end.”