by Naomi Muse
As we were walking in the door, I made sure to drop some fire agate, obsidian, and amethyst crystals for protection just on the side of the steps. Mr. Quinn didn’t seem to notice. If he did, he didn’t say anything about it.
There was no way that I could ward the house without them noticing. The exterior would have to do. If it were up to me, I would ward every single door and window in the house. There was no logical way to explain it. I made a note to brainstorm with Angelo later to see if there was anything more I could do.
Thoughts of warding quickly went out of my head when I got a whiff of the fantastic baked goods inside. If my nose was correct, there would be more amazing cupcakes in my future.
Something smelled different about them. Different in an astounding way. My heart nearly stopped when I saw what was on the kitchen counter. There were cupcakes with tiny pancakes on top, and cinnamon roll cupcakes with just the right amount of that creamy icing that I loved so much. He even made French Toast cupcakes that smelled like maple butter. My stomach growled loud enough to make the dog jump. Mr. and Mrs. Quinn burst out laughing.
“I see my husband had you pegged perfectly,” Mrs. Quinn said, still laughing.
“We weren’t sure if you were coming back, but he wanted to try out this new breakfast menu, and he was hoping to have a new test subject. I thought we should be more practical. I made some little cupcake size quiches just in case you wanted some protein to go with all that sweetness,” Mrs. Quinn said.
I clasped my hands in front of my chest like a romance novel heroine.
“Are you guys adopting?” I asked earnestly.
That set both the Quinns off on another laughing fit.
“While we may not be adopting. We always like to take in a few good eggs. And you’re definitely one of the good ones,” Mrs. Quinn said.
Mr. Quinn nodded in agreement as he began shoveling cupcakes into his gullet. These people warmed my heart and filled an empty place in my soul. I would do anything within my power to help them. I had to make sure that no harm came to them.
While we were eating, I brought up the question of the young girl in the shop in a roundabout way. They seemed surprised that I thought she was their daughter and looked at each other. Thankfully they didn’t have a daughter, but there was a girl who worked part-time them. She was a good egg too, and her name was Anita.
Anita also worked in the local library, so she had limited hours in the bakery. That’s why we didn’t cross paths. We worked alternating shifts. While I was contemplating that, I looked down and found Angelo’s eyes on mine. I got the feeling he was thinking the same thing. After breakfast, we needed to pay a visit to this library.
Ever the host, Mr. Quinn set down a tray of strange bright pink biscuits in front of Angelo. Angelo moved over to sniff tentatively. Once he got a good whiff of the biscuits, he dove right in.
“Angelo! Manners.”
Angelo looked sheepishly back up at me and began eating more delicately.
“It’s ok. They’re beet dog treats. That’s some dog you have there. Where did you say you got him from? I’ve never seen such a gentleman,” Mr. Quinn said.
“Actually, the chief brought him by. He was the victim’s dog, and now he’s all alone. He seemed to take a shine to me, so he asked if I could keep an eye on him.”
Mrs. Quinn gasped. She kneeled in front of Angelo and solemnly presented him with a mini quiche. She stroked his head and told him how sorry she was for his loss, and she hoped that he would be okay. Angelo stopped eating and sat down and looked at her somberly in the eyes. When she was done, she began wringing her hands in her lap in distress. Angelo stepped closer, nuzzled his nose between her palms and licked the back of her hand before going back to his breakfast.
“If that’s not forgiveness, I don’t know what is,” Mr. Quinn said
A look of relief washed over Mrs. Quinn’s face. She gave Angelo’s head a pat before she came back to the breakfast table.
That revelation put us all in a rather somber mood. We ate the rest of our breakfast in silence while drinking our coffee.
When I made motions to leave, Mr. and Mrs. Quinn insisted that I take a pack of muffins for the road. Never one to turn down baked goods, I readily agreed. I couldn’t be too sure, but by the looks of it, half of the basket was full of the treats for Angelo.
I wasn’t exactly sure where the library was located. But, I knew that Angelo was from the area, so I trusted him to be my guide. Once we were out of the house, he began striding intently towards town. I matched his pace, and we were on our way.
I was struck again by what a pretty little town Temperance was. Rhode Island was one of the old states with many small towns. but a lot of places didn’t feel quaint. Temperance definitely had a cozy-cottage feel. Of course, it helped that it was fall and the leaves had taken on crisp, bright, beautiful colors. There was something more here though that drew me to this little town. I got the feeling that I could settle here and put down roots. It was a strange notion because I’d never put down roots anywhere. Once I was old enough to drive, I struck out on my own. Now, I had the bakery to look after. I had a home and even a dog to care for.
Chapter 8
When we reached the library, I felt a sense of power emanating from it. It was an old brick building with perfectly white trim. Old buildings always had power, especially if they held books. They are steeped in history and spiritual resonance especially in books. Words have power. Even if I never used words for spells, I would always believe in the power of words.
I hesitated at the door. How would I get Angelo in the library? I shrugged. I would have to deal with that when we were confronted. Until then, we were heading into the library.
Inside there were beautiful dark wood curved arches in every doorway. Dark wood trim ran throughout the library. Matching bookcases filled the rooms, floor to ceiling. The sense of power slammed me in the chest, forcing me to take a step back. This place was more than an old library, I could feel its ancient relationship to the land and the people here.
Libraries were definitely powerful places. It wasn’t that the veil was thinner here, but it was stronger in both directions. Angelo and I walked through the library looking for any sign of Anita. I was just about to ask for help when I heard a squeal behind me.
“Angelo! What are you doing here? And who’s your friend?”
I turned to find Anita rushing towards us. She reached out for Angelo and scooped him up in her arms. Angelo seemed to be loving every minute of it as his tongue lolled out of his mouth. He opened his paws to make his belly available for rubs. Any suspicions I had of Anita disappeared. Angelo would never be so trusting of someone who killed people.
I still had to do my due diligence and see if she had any information. Maybe Anita would know something about this strange person watching the Quinns.
“I’m Nova. You may have seen me around the bakery. The chief asked me to keep an eye on Angelo for a while.”
“Oh no. I forgot all about D-E-A-T-H.”
I looked at Anita puzzled.
“Why are you spelling out words?”
“I don’t want him to know what we’re talking about,” Anita replied.
My eyebrows shot up as I turned and glanced at Angelo. He just looked at me and rolled his eyes. I wasn’t sure dogs could roll their eyes until now, but this was the third time I had witnessed Angelo performing such a feat. He seemed offended that Anita didn’t think he could spell. That was ridiculous, everyone knew dogs couldn’t spell.
As if hearing my thoughts, Angelo let out an impolite snort in my direction. I stifled a giggle and turned to Anita.
“Listen, I was hoping you could help me. The Quinn’s have been nothing but nice to me, and they seem to be in a bad spot because of all this terrible business. Do you think you could tell me more about them? I’d really like to help.”
“I know what you mean. I’ve been racking my brains, and I can’t think of anything that could have happened
to the cupcakes that would hurt anybody. I ate them all the time. Speaking of cupcakes, something sure smells good in there.”
I smiled and opened up the basket taking out one of each of the cupcakes. A gleeful smile lit Anita’s face. Then she remembered the serious business they had been discussing. The smile faded from her face.
“I would love to help, but I don’t think anything I know could help you,” she said, taking a bite of one of the muffins.
“Well, do you know anybody that had a problem with the Quinn’s or maybe someone that was mad at you?” I asked.
Anita froze mid-bite. A look of bewilderment crossed her face. She chewed a little bit of muffin and swallowed.
“No one would ever be mad at the Quinns. As for me, I don’t think I have any enemies. All I ever do is work and go to school. I don’t even have a social life.”
“I thought it wouldn’t hurt to ask. You all seem like such nice people. I can’t imagine something like this happening,” I said.
“I think this is all just some dreadful accident,” Anita replied.
An awkward looking twenty-something walked up. He peered into the basket and plucked out one of Angelo’s beet biscuits and began munch on it.
“Hey Anita,” he said, still chewing. “Who’s this lady?”
I tried to avert my eyes so that I wouldn’t have to be subjected to the bright pink treat rolling around in his clearly moist mouth. Even the dog looked away. There was nothing that I hated more than people chewing with their mouths open. Nothing aside from murder that is.
Anita visibly stiffened when he came near.
“Hello, Corey. This is Nova. She works with me at the bakery,” she said, stepping back and putting distance between them.
Corey looked me up-and-down appraisingly. Just the feel of his gaze made me uncomfortable.
“So, you’re friends now? Isn’t that nice.”
He reached into the basket and grabbed another dog biscuit before ambling off to another part of the library.
“Sorry about Corey. He just thinks everything belongs to him,” Anita said with a sigh.
“Those dog biscuits he was just eating certainly don’t,” I said, giggling.
Anita’s eyes lit up, and she began giggling along as well.
“That serves him right for eating other people’s food. He doesn’t even work here. He’s always here. I don’t think Angelo likes him very much either,” Anita said, motioning down to Angelo.
I looked down and saw that she was right. Angelo looked beside himself. He was clearly trying to restrain himself from running after the kid to snatch back his biscuits.
“Don’t worry about Angelo. We have plenty more where they came from,” I said rubbing the dog’s back reassuringly.
Angelo sat down but still seemed plenty displeased. Anita saw some customers waiting at the periodical table.
“If there is anything else that I can do to help, just let me know. I love the Quinns like my own parents. But I have to take care of these customers,” she said.
“Sure, I’ll see you later. Thanks for the help.”
“Thanks for breakfast.”
Chapter 9
Heading home from the library I felt at a loss. While I got some information from Anita, it wasn’t anything that shed any light on the case. Something was still missing.
I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye. I turned just in time to see that creepy kid, Corey, walking hastily down the block. Angelo and I exchanged a look before discretely following him. Angelo played his part by sniffing leaves and peeing on shrubs in case Corey turned and looked in our direction. He made it seem like he was a perfectly normal dog out for a walk. When Corey ducked around an old house and climbed down through the storm cellar, I wasn’t sure how to proceed. Whose house is this? And what was he doing there?
Just when I turned to go, I noticed a woman gardening on the side of the house. She clicked her teeth, and when I looked in her direction, dropped Angelo’s leash. Angelo ran straight for the old woman and began digging in the garden beside her. The woman laughed.
I came running up to him. Grasping for the leash.
“I’m so sorry. He must’ve slipped his leash. Angelo no! No! Come back here.” I said.
“Don’t worry about him, dear. He’s helping. I was planning on digging up these weeds anyway.” The woman replied.
“Thank you for being so understanding. I’ve only had him a few days, and we haven’t worked out all the kinks yet.”
“Not to worry dear I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before.”
“No, I’m new in town my name is Nova Bell.”
“I am Gertrude, nice to meet you. But don’t you ever call me that. Call me Rudy.”
I smiled at the friendly lady.
“Nice to meet you. I’ll take my dog and be on my way.”
“Nonsense. I have been looking for an excuse to get out of this garden for a few minutes. Would you like some iced tea? I don’t get to socialize much anymore. My grandson’s not much for hanging out with his old lady.”
“Well, then he doesn’t know what he’s missing. I’d love to have some iced tea.”
Ms. Rudy beamed and led Angelo and me onto the porch.
“I’ll be right back,” she said.
She left us on the porch as she went inside to fetch some iced tea. While she was inside, I tried to discretely look through the door to see if I could find anything amiss. There wasn’t much to find in the foyer of the grandmother’s house. Before I could get a really thorough look around, Ms. Ruby was back. She had a tray with two glasses of iced tea and one bowl of water. Angelo was quite pleased. He even smiled at her.
“That’s a lovely beast you have there.”
“Thank you, I’m just helping out for a while. You know since you shared your tea with us I have some cupcakes here if you want one.”
“Just one dear, surprise me.”
I pulled out a cinnamon bun cupcake for Ms. Rudy and a beet biscuit for Angelo. We settled in and drank our tea.
I found out that Ms. Rudy had lived in town her whole life just like her mother and her mother before her. Her grandson always talked about leaving, she was sad to see him go, but she was tired of listening to him gripe about it.
“He used to be such a sweet boy. But the older he got, the stranger he got. Kids these days aren’t like they were in my day. He is so moody and withdrawn.”
“Everyone says that about teens of every age I think,” I said with a smile.
“You’re probably right.
Just then the door to the porch banged open, and Corey stepped out.
“What you doing here? Are you following me or something?”
“Great! Don’t be rude. This nice young lady was having some tea with me. Her friend Angelo came over and introduced himself. We’ll never have any company if you act like that. It’s no wonder you don’t have a girlfriend,” Ms. Rudy replied.
Corey frowned.
“I’ll have a girlfriend soon. Then we’ll see what you have to say,” he said before storming back in the house.
“I apologize for my grandson. He is a little high strung. He’s never going to have a girlfriend. He’s too obsessed with that sweet girl at the library. That girl is only interested in two things, her grades and saving for school.”
“She sounds a like a smart girl,” I said.
“Too smart for my Corey,” Ms. Rudy said with a mischievous glint in her eye.
I sputtered, trying not to choke on my drink. She was my kind of granny.
“It’s too bad that the Bewitching Bakery is closed. But I do like the Joseph Family Bakery’s cookies better,” she said.
“I didn’t know there was another bakery in town.”
“Temperance is a small town, but not that small,” she said, with a laugh. “You might want to check it out. It’s over on South Main Street. You can’t miss it.”
“Thank you, Miss Rudy. I’ll check it out.”
�
�Do yourself a favor, try the Coconut Sugar Cookies.”
“Will do!”
“Well young lady, it was lovely to meet you. I have to get back to my herb garden. It’s not going to weed itself.”
Angelo nudged Ms. Rudy’s hand so that she would give him a goodbye scratch and we were off, searching for the newly discovered bakery.
Chapter 10
While we were walking through the Temperance, we heard the short whoop of a police siren. I turned to find Chief Rowan pulling over behind us. This man needed a day off. The chief stepped out of his car and glanced warily at Angelo. Angelo met his gaze and seemed to look smug.
“Hello, Ms. Bell. Dog. I can’t say that I like the way that animal is looking at me, but I’m glad that you two are getting along,” he said.
“That animal’s name is Angelo. We are getting along great though. I have to say. I’m surprised that you’re just stopping to hello.”
“I’m hurt. I’m a friendly guy. I do have to confess, I’m not just stopping to chat. We just got the cause of death, and you crossed my mind. Something tells me that you might know something about it.”
I sighed and rolled my eyes.
“I am not going through this with you again. I just got to town and I never even met that guy.”
“I believe you, for now. Let me tell you the cause of death before you get so offended. He had high levels of atropine in his blood. It is usually found in the Atropa belladonna plant, commonly known as— “
“Deadly nightshade,” I said, trying to stifle the shiver that was threatening to run up my spine.
“See? I knew that you might know something.”
“I have heard of it. That doesn’t mean that I had anything to do with it.”
“Look, I don’t mean to accuse you. I just get the feeling that there is more to you than you are letting on. You offered to help me before, what can you tell me about belladonna?”
“My grandmother used to say it made you hot as a hare, blind as a bat, red as a beet and mad as a hen. She told us to avoid it and never touch it.”
“It sounds like she was going around hexing people too.”
