Spirited Blend

by Kennedy Layne

  “Apparently, Aunt Rowena is in town. Rye stopped into the shop yesterday. He dropped that bombshell on us, saying she was having her house renovated this week and that she’d decided to stay with him until her renovations were complete.” I did agree that it was odd not have seen hide nor hair of the woman. “We haven’t seen her at all, and that has Leo worried.”

  In my experience, that evil sorceress doesn’t do anything without a reason. She never would have stepped foot inside the town limits when my beloved Rosemary was alive.

  We were just about to cross the intersection to where the inn sat on the corner lot when my mother appeared out of nowhere. All four of Leo’s paws came off the sidewalk in surprise, but that was nothing compared to the adrenaline spike in my bloodstream.

  “Mother!” I exclaimed, but her eyes had already widened in what could only be described as alarm. She quickly composed herself, even lifting a hand to pat the back of her hair. She pretty much always wore her hair in an elegant swoop off her neck, held in place with a decorative clip and a few bobby pins. “What are you doing? More importantly, where are you coming from?”

  Why are you asking these questions when the answers are so obvious, Raven? Regina Lattice Marigold, confess! You’re having an illicit affair with Ivan, aren’t you? How could you betray my BFF?

  I wasn’t even going to try to figure out how Leo had connected those ridiculous different-sized dots.

  “I was simply taking a walk,” my mother responded with poise, completely ignoring Leo. She usually wasn’t one to let quips like that go, but I almost forgot that she had no idea that Liam knew of our family secret. I had no choice but to follow her lead or give away the fact that I’d broken the same coven rule twice. “Liam, aren’t you looking handsome today.”

  “It’s good to see you, Ms. Marigold,” Liam replied, stepping forward and allowing my mother to kiss his cheek in greeting. “It is a beautiful day for a walk, isn’t it?”

  The good ol’ sheriff isn’t buying that load of squirrel pellets, is he?

  I would have stepped on Leo’s tail to stop him from saying anything else had my mother not continued to carry on her conversation with Liam, thankfully not thinking through the meaning behind Leo’s words. On the other hand, usually nothing got past my mother.

  “I might have also been planning something for my daughter’s birthday celebration this evening,” my mother said with a sly grin thrown Liam’s way.

  Don’t think you can throw me off your trail, Regina.

  “Liam, why don’t you go ahead over to the inn,” I suggested, hoping that he would understand why I needed to speak with my mother in private. “I just want to speak with Mom for a moment. I don’t want Gertie to be left waiting for us.”

  I would have to make up some excuse about seeing Gertie on business, which wasn’t a stretch. Gertie bought all of her tea blends that she served at the inn from me. I could say that Liam was just spending as much time as he could with me since it was my birthday.

  “Mom, you promised me that you weren’t the reason there are spirits roaming around Paramour Bay,” I whispered in dismay to her once Liam had walked on across the cobblestone intersection. “You were coming from the cemetery, weren’t you? Did a spell go wrong? Did you inadvertently say the wrong thing and—”

  “Raven, don’t be so paranoid,” my mother chided, her green eyes darkening with disappointment. “I have done nothing of the sort, and I’m hurt that you would even think I would dabble in the craft haphazardly. You know very well I don’t practice on a regular basis, with the exception of helping you out of a bind here or there.’

  Don’t fall for it, Raven. She’s the queen of manipulation.

  “I’m not talking to you, feline ingrate.”

  Then my day is made, Regina.

  “Would the two of you just stop?” My temples were beginning to throb, and my blood pressure was definitely elevated. The palm of my right hand still contained a few piercing tingles, but they’d technically been there since Wilma had told me about Merle’s spirit paying her a visit. “Mom, please tell me the truth. What are you doing on this end of town?”

  It was true that my mother had moved from Paramour Bay thirty-one years ago, claiming that she had wanted a fresh start without any magic involved. For thirty years, I had no idea that I’d come from a family of witches. Once the cat was out of the bag, so to speak, I’d realized that my mother hadn’t truly given up the craft. There had been times that she’d utilized magic throughout my childhood, and the fact that she hadn’t lost her magical touch told me that it had probably been more often than I thought.

  “If you must know, I paid a visit to Heidi about tonight’s party regarding my gift to you. If you’d like to ruin your birthday surprise, I can certainly continue and spill the beans this minute. I daresay, Raven, I’m disappointed that you don’t trust your own mother.”

  Ouch.

  I glared at Leo, especially since he had been the first one to jump to conclusions.

  I’m not her daughter, so don’t go smearing your guilt onto my back. Besides, I was just protecting my BFF. We can’t have your mother breaking his heart into a million pieces.

  “I’m sorry,” I said with a sigh of resignation. “It was wrong of me to jump to conclusions. It’s just that you’ve been gone from the tea shop for quite a while, and Beetle mentioned that you were going to the bakery to buy some bear claws or some such story.”

  For all that my BFF does for the good people…and familiar…of this town, he deserves more than a few bear claws. Seeing as I don’t have to live up to your standards as a daughter, I’m going to go on record that I don’t believe a word of this malarkey. I might have memory lapses here and there, but I do recall how your mother acted when she was trying to pull the wool over my beloved Rosemary’s eyes.

  “Oh, that was just an excuse so that you didn’t know what I was up to for your birthday,” my mother explained with a dismissive wave of her hand. “Leo, no one ever pulled the wool over my mother’s eyes. Just like Raven can’t do it to me.”

  Ohhhhh, snap!

  “There is no snapping to be done, Leo,” I argued, still not giving my mother the satisfaction of confessing to something that she might or might not be aware of. She might think there was something fishy going on with me, but she couldn’t prove it. Leo fumbling at the goal line wasn’t going to happen, either. “I’ve been upfront this entire time about the residents seeing the spirits of their loved ones. The only thing I haven’t mentioned is that Aunt Rowena is in town.”

  “Why on earth would Aunt Rowena be in town?” my mother asked in shock. At least, I hoped that she hadn’t known about Aunt Rowena being in Paramour Bay this entire time. The hand over her chest was just the right touch of disbelief. “If you knew all this time that she was here, why would you assume that I had something to do with the spirit visits instead of her? Really, Raven, I’m disappointed in you.”

  Why do mothers always use that phrase on their children? It’s a wonder you turned out as well as you did. I’m not saying that you’re completely free of her influence, but you’re not totally messed up, either. Wait. Who am I kidding? You’re a complete mess.

  I agreed with Leo that the disappointment speech could leave a mark, but maturity and gaining a bit of wisdom made me realize that it was just a method used to get me to do things her way instead of mine. Well, that wasn’t going to happen today.

  “So, you haven’t seen Aunt Rowena while you’ve been gallivanting around town?” I asked warily, watching my mother’s expression very closely for any sign that she was lying. “Rye said she’s been staying with him, but I highly doubt that she’s staying inside of his house this time of year.”

  You know, it makes me wonder if that isn’t why your mother glued those fake spiders to her eyes. You know, so you can’t tell when she’s lying like a rug.

  “I haven’t seen Aunt Rowena gallivanting around town,” my mother replied with a dainty sniff. “Besides, she i
sn’t one to gallivant. Now isn’t the time to get into the family drama, but she has been doing her best to make amends this past year.”

  “Are you suggesting…” I couldn’t bring myself to finish my sentence. Mom was right. Now certainly wasn’t the time to delve into the fact that Aunt Rowena had chosen the coven over her own sister. Not to mention that she’d purposefully cut that same sister out of her life until it had been too late to make amends. Or the fact that she was now a leader of a faction that wanted complete control over the coven’s governing council. “I have to wrangle some spirits, and you have to return to the tea shop with some bear claws. I’ll see you this afternoon.”

  This is it, isn’t it? Leo asked, scampering a step ahead of me as we crossed the cobblestone intersection while my mother walked in the opposite direction. The squirrelpocalypse has already happened, otherwise I wouldn’t have heard that blasphemy come out of your mother’s mouth. Was she seriously suggesting that we absolve the Wicked Witch of Windsor? Maybe we should take shelter. I know for a fact that those crushed acorn shells sting like a mad hornet.

  “I’m not sure what that discussion was all about, only that we weren’t finishing it in the middle of town,” I muttered while attempting to shake off the feeling that something wasn’t quite right with the run-in that had just taken place. “Remind me to check in with Heidi after we finish collecting the last Ouija board. I think it’s best we confirm that Mom actually went to Heidi’s office today.”

  It didn’t take Leo and I long to walk up the grand front steps of the inn, taking a moment that we technically didn’t have to admire the Halloween decorations. Rye helped out Gertie a lot around the inn, doing odd jobs here and there to keep the exterior looking as splendid as it had back in its day. There were cornstalks, jack o’lanterns, and strings of orange lights strategically outlining the porch in precision. It was the singing skeletons on either side of the pillars that had the neighbors coming out in droves to watch the show. The extraordinary nighttime entertainment was something to behold every Halloween season.

  I opened the door, inhaling that sweet fragrance I’d come to associate with the inn when I caught sight of Liam looking a bit pale. He’d actually been employed by the NYPD before returning to Paramour Bay to take over as sheriff after Otis had retired. On top of that experience, he’d handled my confession better than anyone would have in that situation. Come to think of it, I’m not sure I’d ever seen him disconcerted before.

  You know what? I’ve decided that my time should be better spent monitoring your mother’s odd behavior of late. Gertie’s treats are usually of the generic kind, and you know those types of nibbles always give me heartburn. I’ll just be on my way.

  “Not so fast,” I muttered, leaning down and scooping him up in my arms. That was no easy feat, considering his heft. I wouldn’t have stood a chance of nabbing him had he been invisible. “Liam? Why is Gertie dancing around the dining room table?”

  First your mother’s need to make amends with the Wicked Witch of Windsor, and now a ninety-year-old woman is practically skipping through her house like Mary Poppins on catnip. What do you think happened, Raven? The squirrelpocalypse, that’s what!

  “Gertie saw her high school crush today,” Liam murmured, running a hand over his face in disbelief. “Wallace Nickelbaum.”

  “Let me guess,” I whispered, glancing around the large main floor of the inn to make sure there were no guests lingering about. Leo tried to finagle his way out of my arms, but that wasn’t going to happen. “Mr. Nickelbaum has been dead for quite some time.”

  “You could say that. Gertie is fixing us tea, in case you wanted to know why she’s practically twirling around the dining room table without her cane.” Liam cleared his throat, causing Gertie to wave at me before she went into the kitchen. “What did your mother have to say?”

  “Mom tried to convince me that she went to see Heidi this morning about my birthday present. She then proceeded to suggest that we should make amends with Aunt Rowena, which has Leo and I a bit on edge.”

  That’s it! I figured it out, Raven.

  Leo had stopped wiggling, his left eye widening with realization about something I hadn’t quite connected the dots to since we’d spoken with my mother. My arms were beginning to hurt from holding him this long, and I eventually had no choice but to set him down gently on the beautiful hardwood floor.

  “What did you figure out?” I murmured, watching closely for Gertie to sail back into the dining room.

  The Wicked Witch of Windsor has teamed up with Skippy and his minions. It makes perfect sense. I don’t know why I didn’t figure it out before. Two of my most infamous nemeses working together to conspire against me.

  “Here we are,” Gertie announced, returning to her favorite chair at the dining room table. Beverly, who worked part-time at the inn, followed closely behind carrying a tea tray with all the fixings in the inn’s finest china. “Isn’t today just beautiful? We couldn’t have asked for better weather for tonight’s trick or treating event. Leo, come here, you handsome thing.”

  Well, seeing as I wouldn’t want any treats to go to waste before the world crashes down around us…

  Leo scampered across the hardwood floor, onto the ornate oriental rug, and began nibbling on the morsels of food that Gertie had set down in a small pile. Her arthritis still seemed to be under control as she went about putting sugar cubes into her teacup.

  “I hear it’s someone’s birthday,” Gertie exclaimed in glee, motioning for me and Liam to join her at the dining room table. “I’m so glad the two of you stopped in to pay me a visit.”

  “We were actually hoping for a favor,” Liam said with a smile, diving head first into the request we’d come to make. He’d recovered quickly and most likely because Mr. Nickelbaum wasn’t still hanging around. At least, I didn’t believe he was still here at the inn. I wasn’t about to ask, either. “You wouldn’t happen to have a Ouija board, would you? I’m throwing a small get-together for Raven’s birthday at the pub this evening. Given the holiday, I thought it would be fun to have some games set up on the tables. I know you keep some games on hand for the young guests, so I thought there was a chance you might have a Ouija board in that mix.”

  “Oh, I do wish you’d stopped in earlier this week,” Gertie replied with a frown. She gently set the teaspoon on the saucer with the faintest delicate click. “I gave that silly old board game to Rye this past Monday.”

  Leo practically choked on one of the morsels he must have inhaled after his gasp of horror, while I was just grateful that I hadn’t taken a sip of my tea. It would have undoubtedly been spit out over the gorgeous lace tablecloth.

  “Rye?” Liam repeated, seemingly as surprised by this outcome as we were. “That’s an odd request. Did he say why he would want a child’s game?”

  Liam understood that even though the box was marketed for eight years and older, a Ouija board wasn’t a game to be used for simple entertainment. With that said, he was still trying to keep up appearances. I gave him a lot of credit for not stumbling.

  Heartburn. I’m going to die of heartburn, and it’s all that flipping warlock’s fault.

  “You know, I don’t believe I asked him outright. I’d just assumed that he was going to use it for a decoration or some such thing,” Gertie replied, carefully lifting her teacup to her thin lips. Her hands trembled a bit, but she was surprisingly steady for a ninety-year-old woman. “Would you care for some coffee cake?”

  Liam was nice enough to continue to carry on the conversation while I thought over this latest development. Had Rye just borrowed the Ouija board for some type of Halloween decoration? It was more than likely that he’d borrowed it for some nefarious reason, though why he wouldn’t have simply gone to a store to buy one without leaving a trail was beyond me. Why had he been so blatant about borrowing a magical item when he was a warlock? Rye was an intelligent man, so maybe there was some measure of legitimacy to the reason he gave Gertie.

>   I hate to break this to you, Raven, but Rye cheats at poker. Anyone who cheats at poker doesn’t have legitimate reasons to borrow a Ouija board. I mean, are you forgetting what happened earlier this summer? He thought that he was to blame for that empty crypt in the cemetery after conducting a séance to speak with his ancestors. The next logical step when that didn’t work would be to use a Ouija board. Oh, my heartburn might catch my fur on fire. Is that a thing?

  “…thank you for the tea, Gertie. Will you be able to stop by the party later tonight? I bet you could give us a run for our money on the dance floor.”

  “Oh, Liam, you are good for my aging heart,” Gertie said, laughing heartily as she sat back in her chair. “I’ll get my enjoyment by handing out candy to the little ones this evening, and then I’ll be taking these old bones to bed and reading a bit of Edgar Allen Poe to finish out my night.”

  As we exchanged goodbyes, I couldn’t help but wonder if Leo was right about Rye wanting the Ouija board to contact his ancestors. He’d been adopted as an infant, and then practically lived on the streets as a young boy when he began to show signs that he was different. It wasn’t until Aunt Rowena caught sight of him using magic in an alleyway that he finally had someone to look out for him.

  Are you trying to make me feel bad for our local warlock? It won’t work, Raven. Ivan, Ted, and Harry didn’t notice, but I witnessed Rye Dolgiram’s cheating with my own eyes. He was dealing seconds. If he wasn’t burning cards between the turns, I’d bet that catnip farm in Alaska that he was dealing seconds at Texas Hold ’em.

  Leo didn’t own a catnip farm in Alaska. Besides, it wasn’t right to bet on something that could have serious consequences for the town. A part of me could actually relate to Rye wanting to discover where he came from and who his biological family was, because I’d spent a lot of time asking Leo questions about ours.