Whole Latte Magic

by Samantha Silver

  “That’s right,” Detective Andrews replied. “Alright, that’s all for now. Thanks.”

  “Can you drive the rest of the way?” Leanne asked. “I’m just not sure I’m up to it.”

  “Sure,” I replied as the two of us made our way back into her car. We were less than half a mile from home, but I could absolutely understand her reluctance.

  We made our way into the house a moment later to the wonderful aroma of rosemary, thyme and cooked shepherd’s pie.

  “Took you guys long enough,” Kaillie said as soon as we walked in, a wooden spoon on her hip. She looked amazingly like her mother.

  “Sorry we’re late,” I said. “Karen, the schoolteacher, was stabbed and we found her in the street.”

  Kaillie’s mouth dropped open. “Is she ok? Is that what the helicopter was that passed by a couple minutes ago?”

  Leanne nodded. “Yeah. We don’t know if she’s going to be ok. It doesn’t look good.”

  “Oh, geez. Well, dinner’s ready and waiting for you. Why don’t we eat in front of the TV? I’m guessing neither one of you is up for a good, long conversation.”

  Kaillie’s instincts were right, and despite the fact that it was delicious I mostly just pushed the food around on my plate, and couldn’t help but notice Leanne doing the same. I barely even registered the fact that there was a show on the TV; the only thing I could think about was Karen. Was she going to be ok?

  “I want to know what happened,” Leanne finally said. “Who stabbed her? How did she get to the point where she thought getting hit by my car was the best idea for survival?”

  “I want to know if magic could have saved her,” I said, looking over at Kaillie. “If I was a better witch, would I have been able to cast a spell or something that could have saved her life?”

  Kaillie shook her head. “It’s extremely unlikely. I’ve been told that in the paranormal world there are magical doctors who do have recipes for extremely advanced potions and spells that can help fix paranormals, but we don’t know any of those. Being a paranormal world doctor is apparently super hard and prestigious, kind of like here, where they do years of extra training. So no, I don’t think even Mom or Aunt Lucy or Uncle Bob would have been able to help. And I certainly wouldn’t have. Even if you’d grown up with us, your skills would probably be similar to mine.”

  “Well, that’s a bit of a relief, at least. I would have felt absolutely awful if my magic could have done something to save her and I just didn’t know how to use it.”

  “Don’t forget, even if you could, you’re not supposed to show any of the humans your magical powers,” Kaillie warned. “We have to set a good example and show that we’re not the terrible witches the paranormal world seems to think our family is.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, there wouldn’t have been any risk of that. She was basically unconscious.”

  “I hope she makes it,” Kaillie said quietly at those words.

  So did I.

  Chapter 3

  The next morning at the coffee shop, Cackling Witch Coffee, Karen’s stabbing was the only thing anyone was talking about. Apparently, the news had made it into the Enchanted Enclave rumor mill, since even Janice, who was almost always our first customer of the day, dove straight into it.

  “I heard you two were the ones who found Karen last night,” she said in a hushed whisper when she came to the counter, even though there was no one else in the shop. “How are you holding up?”

  “Alright, thanks,” I replied. “I hope Karen will be alright.”

  “Me too. It couldn’t have been easy coming across a scene like that. I wonder what happened to her.” Suddenly, Janice’s hands flew to her mouth. “Oh my, I didn’t make the connection until just now, but it must have happened on your way home from yoga last night.”

  I stretched my back involuntarily at the mention of yoga. Every muscle in my body was still sore, despite the fact that I had popped a couple of Advil as soon as I woke up that morning.

  Of course, Cleopawtra, my cat familiar, didn’t understand what was so hard about it and had zero sympathy for my complaining. It wasn’t fair that cats were naturally strong and flexible.

  “Yes, we were driving back from the studio when it happened,” Leanne said. “You haven’t gotten any updates on Karen’s condition, have you?”

  Janice shook her head. “No. I can’t believe someone would have done that to such a nice woman. Well, I’ll leave you to things. Please take care of yourselves. These things can be very traumatic for everyone, and if you feel as though you need help, do ask for it.”

  “Thank you, Janice,” I said with an appreciative smile. It was nice of her to look out for me and Leanne, as well as showing concern for Karen.

  “Well, it sounds like everyone in town has already heard about what happened,” I said.

  “Just be glad the information is more-or-less accurate,” Leanne said. “That’s not always the case. A few years ago James Goodrow was overheard in a café ranting to a friend. He told the friend he was sick of his life, because he was dealing with a couple chronic health issues. Someone thought he said he was sick of his wife, and there were rumors going around for weeks that they were going to get divorced. Of course, they never did, and James’ health issues were thankfully solved.”

  “Yikes,” I replied with a grimace. “Thankfully that story had a happy ending.”

  “Yeah. James and his wife Denise tell it all the time, they think it’s hilarious.”

  The door opened just then, and I got ready to greet another customer. However, when I saw who it was, I had to work hard to keep the smile plastered on my face.

  It was Ariadne Stewart, the woman who owned one of the gift shops here on the island, and who hated – and I meant hated – Aunt Lucy.

  “Hi there, Ariadne,” I said with a faux perkiness that sounded disgustingly sweet even to me. “What can I get for you?”

  “I just wanted to see if it was true,” Ariadne said, crossing her arms. “I’ve been told your cousin here hit poor Karen Johnson with her car, and that she hasn’t been arrested. That’s an absolute travesty.”

  “The travesty is you daring to believe everything you hear in town,” Leanne replied without moving her eyes away from the coffee machine. “Now, are you going to order something, or did you just come here to harass the staff?”

  Ariadne narrowed her eyes at Leanne. “I don’t know what you did, but I’m sure you belong in jail. I trust the person who gave me this information more than I trust you.”

  “Well, it’s not up to me, either way,” Leanne replied. “Besides, what do you think I did, bribed the cops with a hundred? That’s not the sort of thing that works around here.”

  Ariadne crossed her arms and glared at Leanne. “Who knows what someone like you would be willing to stoop to in order to get away with something? Your whole family is crooked. I can’t believe you hit that poor woman with your car.”

  “Well, you’re ignoring the part where we probably also saved her life, but hey, I can understand you not wanting to focus on that part,” Leanne replied. “Now either order a coffee or get out of here. You’re trespassing.”

  Ariadne glared at us again, then turned on her heel and stormed out of the shop, just as Aunt Debbie came out from the kitchen area carrying a tray full of freshly-baked cookies.

  “I highly recommend trying these,” she said. “They’re raspberry and white chocolate chip, a new recipe Kaillie found online. I think they’ve come out wonderfully, although I was thinking they might be a better permanent menu fixture in the winter when the weather gets colder.”

  Leanne and I both went over and grabbed a cookie, still warm from the oven. I bit into it and closed my eyes involuntarily. The tartness of the raspberry mingled with the delicious sweetness of the white chocolate, all enveloped in a spongy, soft cookie.

  “Oh, yum,” I said. “I disagree. I think these should be on the menu year-round. This is maybe the best cookie I’ve ever had.”
<
br />   “I’m with Eliza on this one,” Leanne replied. “My compliments to the chef.”

  Aunt Debbie laughed. “Alright, well, I’ll keep that in mind. Kaillie and I are working to come up with more of a summer menu now that the weather’s getting warmer.”

  “Still just baked goods?” I asked, and Aunt Debbie nodded.

  “Yes. We considered getting some pre-packaged lunch foods and that sort of thing, but we were never happy with the quality, and Kaillie doesn’t have the time to make savory as well as the sweets we need for the day. I’m not sure we’d sell enough of them to warrant hiring a second person for the kitchen, as well.”

  “Yeah, there are too many good places for a quick lunch in town already,” Leanne agreed. “I think we’re better off focusing on what we do best, which is coffee.”

  “Right,” I said. “Well, either way, those cookies are definitely a winner.”

  “Thank you,” Aunt Debbie said with a smile. She moved to put them in one of the display jars while I bussed a couple of tables, waiting for the next customers to come by. When I got back to the counter, Leanne was staring into space, which was something I rarely saw her do.

  “Hey, Earth to Leanne,” I said, waving a hand in front of her face. “Are you ok?”

  “Yeah,” she replied, but her voice betrayed the lie.

  “Hey, don’t listen to Ariadne, ok?” I said. “You know she’s wrong, right?”

  “I guess,” Leanne said with a shrug. “I wonder how many other people are out there thinking the same thing though. What if everyone thinks I belong in jail?”

  “Well, let those people think what they want,” I replied firmly. “Trust me. I went through this just a couple of months ago when Leonard was killed, remember? Everyone in town thought I was a murderer. If there’s one thing I learned from that, it’s that you can’t let what other people think dictate your life. Especially not people like Ariadne. She’s nasty, and she wants to get under your skin. Don’t let her.”

  “You’re right,” Leanne said. “Still, I’d feel a lot better about things if I knew more about Karen’s condition, and how much damage I actually caused. I really hope she’s going to be ok.”

  “Does she have any family?”

  “Yeah, a husband and three kids,” Leanne replied. “They’re triplets. When they were babies she used to bring them into the shop with her all the time while she downed a triple strength latte.”

  I laughed. “Wow, no kidding. I’d need a bit of an extra boost too if I were taking care of three babies at once.”

  “Plus their families aren’t from here; they moved to Enchanted Enclave for her job. She’s only been in town for about ten years. So she and Kyle are on their own in terms of help from extended family. It can’t be easy for them.”

  “I think I remember her now, she’s been in once or twice since I started working here, I had no idea she was in that situation.”

  “Yup. It might be a bit easier for her now that the kids are in school. I think they’re all in first grade now.”

  I shook my head. The whole situation was just so sad. I couldn’t imagine what Karen’s husband and kids must have been going through.

  Chapter 4

  I did my best to ignore the rumor mill for the rest of the day. At one point Aunt Lucy came by the coffee shop along with the rest of Lucy’s Floozies, as they were known. They were basically a group of Mean Girls – without the meanness – in their fifties and sixties who went around town doing whatever they wished, whenever they wished to do it. They had taken on the name ‘Floozies’ as their way of reclaiming the word.

  “I heard the two of you are the ones who found Karen,” Aunt Lucy said as she made her way to the counter while the others, including Leanne’s mother, staked out a spot at the biggest table in the place.

  “We were,” I confirmed.

  “There’s a rumor going around that Karen died this morning, but don’t believe it. I’m pretty sure Ariadne started it. She’s been going around accusing Leanne of murder. But Dorothy spoke to Joe just a few minutes ago, and he said Karen’s recovering from surgery, but is still very much alive and kicking. Well, ok, she’s not kicking since she’s unconscious. But she’s alive.”

  “Good,” I said, a wave of relief washing over me. Dorothy’s husband Joe worked as a police officer here in Enchanted Enclave, so I knew his information would be good. “Ariadne was in here earlier, she told us she thought Leanne should have been arrested for what she did.”

  “Oh, please,” Aunt Lucy said, waving a hand in disgust. “From the way Dorothy said it, you’re in the clear, Leanne. With Eliza backing up the story that Karen jumped in front of the car, there’s nothing you could have done. Besides, the doctors said the injuries from the accident were superficial at best, and that the only actual issues stem from the fact that someone stabbed her beforehand.”

  “That’s a huge relief,” Leanne said. “I was thinking we should convince Kaillie to make some food and send it over for Kyle. He must have his hands full right now with Karen being in the hospital.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Aunt Lucy replied. “I imagine he’s in Seattle right now. Hopefully he’s got someone to take care of the kids, give him a bit of respite. I’m going to talk to the others about this, too. Maybe we can work something out so we can take care of the kids and give him some alone time with Karen while she recovers.”

  “That would be really good of you, I bet he would be very appreciative,” I said. “Especially if the two of them don’t have much family support around here. Although, you know, we probably should consider the fact that it’s possible he stabbed her.”

  Leanne looked at me like I was crazy, but Aunt Lucy nodded sagely.

  “Yes, that is a consideration. After all, statistically it’s most likely that he did it.”

  “Aunt Lucy!” Leanne said, obviously shocked. “Kyle and Karen always looked like the happiest couple.”

  “Yes, but you never know what’s going on in someone’s private life. Never assume that just because someone puts on a happy face on the outside that you know what’s going on behind closed doors.”

  “I guess,” Leanne replied. “Still, I can’t imagine him being a killer.”

  “Does Karen live near where we found her?” I asked.

  “Not really,” Leanne answered. She frowned. “Actually, the thing is, there’s not really any houses around there. It’s just an empty street. I don’t know why Karen would have been there, or who would have stabbed her there. The whole thing is weird.”

  A sobering thought hit me. “Aunt Lucy… if Kyle really did stab Karen, who’s to say that he might not try something else when she’s at the hospital?”

  “Nothing,” Aunt Lucy replied. “Except for the fact that he’d be about a thousand times more likely to get caught. Not only would there be far more people around than on Enchanted Enclave in the middle of the night, but the number of people who know Karen drops down to the single digits down there.”

  “Right,” I said, nodding. “Whereas here on the island it could be one of any number of people.”

  “Any number of people who would have wanted Karen dead,” Leanne mused. “What if she recovers and she has to come back to living here, knowing her murderer is somewhere nearby? It’s not like Chief Jones has a great reputation as a crime solver.”

  I bit my lip. That was a good point. A couple of months ago when I had been accused of murder he had been next to useless.

  “Well, we’ll see what happens. Anyway, I just wanted to give you the update. Can we have our normal orders?”

  “Sure. I’ll bring them over in a minute,” Leanne said as Aunt Lucy scuttled off to join the rest of the Floozies.

  “I guess when your brother and sister are the owners you don’t need to pay,” I said with a laugh.

  “Aunt Lucy once told Aunt Debbie that her payment is her constant presence in her home. I couldn’t quite make out what Aunt Debbie muttered in reply but it was something a
bout not being paid enough to deal with Aunt Lucy.”

  “Yeah, that sounds about right.”

  Leanne turned to look at me, and spoke suddenly, like she had wanted to say this for a while but hadn’t dared.

  “I think I need to find out who stabbed Karen.”

  “What?” was the only thing I could reply. Had I seriously heard Leanne correctly?

  “I’m serious. Chief Ron isn’t going to do anything about it. And I hit her with my car. I know everyone except Ariadne is telling me not to feel guilty about it, but I do. I feel so guilty, Eliza. If only I’d paid more attention, if only I’d pressed the brakes a second sooner, or swerved harder, I might not have hit her. I probably still would have stopped to see what was going on, so it’s not like it would have changed anything. If she comes out of this – when she comes out of this – I don’t want her to have to go around town wondering if the person who killed her is lurking around the corner.”

  “But Leanne… what if she wakes up and just tells Chief Ron who did this to her? Then that person will be arrested and it’ll all be fine.”

  “I know. And believe me, no one would be happier than me to see that happen. But what if she doesn’t wake up? Or what if she doesn’t remember? Look, I know you think this is a bad idea, and I’m not asking you to help, but I need to do it.”

  “Are you joking? Of course I’m going to help you. You not only helped me when I did the same thing, you ended up saving my life. Do you honestly think I’m going to let you do the same without me?”

  Growing up, Dad and I had always had each other. We were family, and one thing Dad made sure to instill in me was that when your family needed help, you had to be there. Dad had always been there for me. Leanne had been there for me, even though she barely knew me when I was almost killed trying to solve a murder. And now, it was my turn to repay the favor. In no universe was I going to let her do this alone.

  “Oh, you’re the best, Eliza,” Leanne said, stepping forward and taking me into a big bear hug. “We’re going to find out who did this. We just have to.”