Black Cat Crossing

by Fitz Molly

  "Oh, I'm so happy to hear." Mrs. Potts had stopped in when I was watching the store for Misty, looking for the perfect recipe for her cooking club. It was sheer luck I had been able to steer her in the right direction.

  "Loretta Johnson can't even complain." My old teacher put her hand on her hip and poured herself out like in the song, I'm a Little Teapot.

  "Now, that is impressive." Loretta Johnson complained about everyone and everything.

  "I'm thinking of trying the double chocolate caramel bars next."

  "Those sound delicious."

  "They're said to cause nirvana." Mrs. Potts bounced her eyebrows. The recipes found in witch's cookbooks were truly magical. Pot roast that left you fully satisfied, cupcakes that made you feel like a million bucks, tarts that could make you fall in love, and apparently Nirvana-inducing caramel bars. They were all par for the course.

  "Then, I'd definitely like to try them," I added. Who couldn't use a little Nirvana in their life?

  Clemmie joined us at that moment looking a bit ragged, but who could blame her after the night she had. "I could use one of those caramel bars right about now," she said to Mrs. Potts.

  "Angelica found the recipe." Mrs. Potts gave me all the credit.

  "That doesn't surprise me. What would we do without you?" Clemmie was genuine in her praise.

  "How's the shop?" I asked.

  "I decided to lock up and deal with it tomorrow. I am too tired for all this hocus-pocus. Thought I would stop in for a minute and see if you heard anything on the pixies."

  "Rogue pixies," I explained to Mrs. Potts.

  "My word. It's been quite a night, hasn't it?" Mrs. Potts remarked.

  "That it has," I agreed.

  Misty threw her cupcake wrapper in the trash at the end of the table and join our conversation. "Sorry to hear about the pixies," she said to Clemmie. "Hope they catch the RIBBIT." Misty's hand smacked her mouth. "PLUNK, PLUNK, RIBBIT," Misty tried again.

  "What was that, dear?" Mrs. Potts leaned forward to try to hear what Misty was saying.

  "Not you too," Clemmie remarked.

  I looked to Misty, the dessert table, and back to Misty. Part of the puzzle clicked into place. "It's the cupcake! Aunt Thelma stopped at the bakery too. You remember?" I said to Misty. "She had a bag from La Luna, and knowing Aunt Thelma, she would've eaten one cupcake at the bakery and taken one for the road."

  "Now who would go and curse a cupcake? What is wrong with people these days?" Clemmie asked.

  "I don't know, but we need to find out," I replied.

  I turned to Mrs. Potts. "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on things here," she said.

  "Thank you. We'll be back as soon as we can," I said.

  Chapter Seven

  We dashed from the bookstore to the bakery. My red cape billowed behind me. I gripped the loose fabric with my fist. The once cool breeze now felt unseasonably cold. We ran into Vance along the way. His pet gargoyle had drawn a crowd. Both little kids and adults couldn't get enough of Rocky. It was a good thing there weren't any mortals in town tonight, and we'd know if there were. They glowed-- as in their whole body--making them easy to spot and keep our magic out of sight. Unlike Rocky. I don't think any mortal would believe he was a dog in a costume, especially with the glowing red eyes.

  "Diane's cupcakes have been cursed. Heading to the bakery," I said in passing. Vance gave me a head nod that told me he understood.

  La Luna wasn't as packed as The Candy Cauldron, but it was still busy. Little ghosts and goblins munched on frosted sugar cookies, bite-sized pumpkin pie tarts, and the suspected cursed cupcakes.

  "Stop! Step away from that cupcake," Clemmie said to a little boy dressed as a firefighter. The boy replied by shoving the whole thing in his mouth.

  "What's wrong?" Diane asked.

  We cut to the front of the line and I whispered over the counter, "I think the cupcakes might be cursed. Aunt Thelma ate one and so did Misty, and now they can't stop croaking."

  "RIBBIT," Misty opened her mouth and added her two cents. Then, from behind us, the little firefighter croaked.

  Diane looked aghast, "Who would do such a thing?"

  "I don't know, but that's not all that's going on." I explained to Diane the chaos happening around town.

  We watched Mayor Parrish walk by the front window, looking rather smug. Her nose high in the air. If it started to rain, she'd drown.

  "I bet it's her. You know how much she hates all this." Diane motioned to the costumes and decorations.

  "I know, but do you really think she'd sabotage her own town's Halloween?" I asked.

  Diane looked to Clemmie before they both said, "Yep."

  "PLUNK," added Misty in agreement.

  I sighed. Even I had to agree that Mayor Parrish was probably to blame. The mayor stopped outside the bakery where Diane had set a bowl of candy out for tick-or-treaters. Mayor Parrish picked up a fun size candy bar, examined the package, wrinkled her nose, and dropped it unceremoniously back in the bowl. "You're right. I bet it is her."

  "If she could've cancelled Halloween, she would've." Diane's voice held a hint of sadness.

  "Maybe this is her attempt at trying." Clemmie folded her arms across her chest.

  "How are we going to prove it?" Diane asked.

  "Leave that to me," I replied. Not many witches could transform into animals. It was a trait passed down from one's mother to the oldest child. My mother had been able to do it, and hence, the gift had been passed down to me. My tiger eye pendant grew warm against my chest. The circular pendant housed a round, spinning gemstone that dangled on a gold chain. The stone provided protection, courage, and strength--and something extra magical. It gave me, and only me, the power to transfigure into a cat. Holding on to the tiger stone around my neck, I closed my eyes and prepared to say the incantation that would transform me to my feline alter ego: Metamorfóno alithís ousía.

  But before I could speak the words, in walked Mayor Parrish herself.

  I'm not one to usually be rendered speechless. In fact, I pride myself on having a level head. But at that moment, words failed me. Thankfully, Mayor Parish was too focused on her task at hand to notice how guilty the four of us looked standing there. She walked past us and met up with some customers in the bakery who were enjoying their sweet treats. Always a politician, the mayor put on the fakest smile I had ever seen and asked the customers how they were enjoying their evening. From how she raved about the decorations and turnout, you would think she invented the holiday herself, but I knew better. It was all a show. What I wasn't expecting though, was for Mayor Parrish to sink her teeth into one of Diane's cursed cupcakes. A customer offered her the one that she had just bought, and Mayor Parrish readily accepted. None of us were quick enough to stop her or maybe it was morbid curiosity to see what would happen next. The curse didn't disappoint. Within seconds of swallowing, Mayor Parrish opened her mouth and let out an unexpected croak. The mayor looked gobsmacked, croaking and ribbiting around the bakery.

  "This means it's not her, right?" Clemmie asked.

  "Not unless she wants to throw us off her scent," I remarked, but as I saw the mayor frantically waving around her arms with a chorus of frog sounds coming out of her mouth, I rethought that statement. No way would Mayor Parrish willingly make a fool out of herself, and that was exactly what she was doing at that moment.

  The mayor rounded on Diane and pointed an accusatory finger at her chest.

  Diane held her arms up in surrender. "I didn't do it. Trust me, there is no way I would jeopardize the reputation of my business with some silly Halloween curse." Before the mayor could utter another ribbit, Diane turned to me. "Listen, I've been selling cupcakes all night, and not everyone has left here sounding like a frog. I think that is something I would've noticed."

  "What do you think it is then?" Clemmie asked.

  "I don't know," Diane confessed. We were silent for a moment. Mayor Parrish took out her wand and attempted to un-spell herself, t
apping her wrist with her wand tip repeatedly, like a conductor tapping his baton on the podium to get the orchestra’s attention.

  "She better watch herself," Clemmie warned and leaned back just in time. Green sparks flew out of Mayor Parish's wand followed by a puff of orange smoke. When the air cleared, the mayor turned to face us. Her hair was blown back and toad-like warts covered her face.

  My mouth dropped open in shock. Diane's hand covered her mouth. Misty snorted.

  "Nuh-uh, that does not look good," Clemmie shook her head.

  Mayor Parish ran her hand down her face, seeming to check herself out. Feeling the bumps, she promptly dashed to the bathroom. A string of croaks and plunks trailed after her. The customer who had given her the cupcake ran after her.

  "Which cupcake did you eat?" Diane asked Misty. Misty pointed to the chocolate cupcake with a white frosting and sugared pumpkin on top. "The same one I sold your aunt and the one that Mayor Parrish just ate," Diane added.

  "Did you make everything yourself?" I asked.

  "I did. Fresh this morning. Even whipped up the icing back here in the kitchen." Diane thought for a minute before adding, "Well, everything but the candy pumpkins. I picked those up this afternoon from The Candy Cauldron."

  "The Candy Cauldron?" I immediately thought of Beatrice and Sabrina playing in Luke's kitchen. The twins were definitely mischievous enough to curse a batch of candy, and they would think a frog curse would be hilarious. What kid wouldn't? "I think I know who's to blame, and I don't think they meant any harm. Grab those candy pumpkins and follow me."

  * * *

  The Candy Cauldron was still busy, although things had calmed down a bit. By that, I mean there were only three people in line rather than the line being out the door. Beatrice and Sabrina had moved to help their uncle behind the counter. I smiled at the twins when we entered the store, but one look at the bagged candy pumpkins in my hand had both girls retreating to the back kitchen.

  "Hold on," I said to the girls.

  "We didn't mean any harm. Like it's a joke. We thought it would be fun. A trick and a treat rolled together." The girls talked so fast it was hard to tell who said what.

  "What's going on here?" Luke joined us at the end of the counter.

  "Your nieces were having a bit of fun. It looks like they cursed these candies that Diane put on her cupcakes. Now several people are out there croaking like frogs,” I said.

  "You guys did what?" Luke was shocked. "You promised me you wouldn't do that again. You have to tell people before you curse their candy."

  "Again?" Clemmie asked.

  "Last time, I barked like a dog for a week."

  "These don't last as long." Sabrina shook her head encouragingly.

  "Just a day or two," Beatrice added.

  “A day or two? Now that’s not right,” Clemmie said. Misty’s eyes were wide in alarm.

  "Girls." Luke admonished his nieces. "You can't curse people without them knowing. If they find out the candy came from here and not to mention Diane's bakery, people might not want to shop here anymore. We could go out of business or even get fined by the sheriff." Luke looked at his nieces with disappointment.

  Sabrina opened her mouth and then shut it. For the first time, the little girl was at a loss for words. It was Beatrice that spoke. "I'm sorry, we didn't think of it that way."

  "Honest." Sabrina looked up with tears in her eyes.

  My heart hurt for the girls. I knew they hadn't meant any harm. I was going to say just as much when Sabrina said, "Wait, we can fix it!"

  "We can?" Beatrice said to her sister.

  "We can make counter curse chocolates and pass them out as free samples. Everyone can have one!" Sabrina said.

  "That's a great idea!" Beatrice exclaimed. "Can we, uncle?"

  "We'll tell everyone it's our fault and pay the fine." Sabrina looked somber.

  "And promise to never curse candy again," Beatrice added.

  Sabrina started to object to that promise. Beatrice elbowed her sister. "Right. Promise. So, can we get to work in the kitchen?"

  Luke sighed and the girls knew they had him. "It's probably the only option we've got."

  "What about everything else going to work on around town? You didn't set those pixies free in my store, did you?" Clemmie looked rather cross.

  "Pixies? We don't have any pixies," Beatrice said.

  "Swear, we've been here the whole time," Sabrina said.

  "The only thing we did was curse the candy. Promise." The girls nodded their heads together in unison to add more weight to their story.

  No one said anything for a minute. Diane spoke first. "I think they are telling the truth."

  "I think they are too," I agreed. Clemmie shrugged her shoulders. I could tell she wanted answers, but she wasn't going to get them out of the twins.

  Chapter Eight

  When we left The Candy Cauldron, Misty was no longer croaking. We had waited around while Luke supervised the girls making the counter-curse chocolates. Misty sampled the first chocolate and it worked like magic. The twins were currently running around Village Square passing chocolates out to everyone they could get to take one.

  "Compliments of The Candy Cauldron," Sabrina shouted.

  "Enjoy! Happy Halloween!" Beatrice exclaimed over her shoulder.

  "I have to get back to the bookstore, but keep me posted," Misty said, waving goodbye before trailing after the girls.

  Our trio stood off to the side while we attempted to figure this case out.

  "Well, at least we know who's cursing the cupcakes," Diane said with relief. She had her own bag of counter-cursed chocolates in her hand for the bakery.

  "I'm not worried about the cupcakes. I want to know who's responsible for trashing my store!" Clemmie interjected.

  I had to agree with Clemmie there. While it was nice to know who was behind the cupcakes, I was interested in who was out to ruin Halloween. I was usually good at coming up with suspects, but I was drawing a blank right then. Then again, what if we had been right all along? "You know, if the twins are only responsible for the cupcakes, that means Mayor Parrish could still be behind the chaos."

  Clemmie clapped her hands together. "You're right, she could be. Where do you think she's run off to now? I say we hunt her down and make her spill the beans."

  "I don't know about spilling the beans, but we do have to find her. Maybe we can catch her in the next act, round up some sort of evidence." We would need something more than our word against the mayor's. Our friends would believe us, but that wouldn't get us very far with the authorities.

  "She's probably still locked in the bakery’s bathroom." Diane rolled her eyes.

  "Let's find out." We headed back around the curvy, cobblestoned path to the bakery. I eyed the maze in passing, but nothing remarkable seemed to be happening. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. Fog continued to build and condense around the maze. It was odd the way it pooled there, like a thick blanket. Unless Mr. McCormick and Molly had added dry ice to the fountain in the middle for effect. I suppose I couldn't rule that out.

  "Mayor Parrish still here?" Diane asked one of her workers when we walked in.

  "Oh, no. She glamoured her face and left in a huff," the girl replied.

  "Well, if she comes back, call me on my cell phone. In the meantime, if anyone comes in croaking, give them one of these." The young witch took the bag from Diane. "And explain a couple of kids pulled a prank, but rest assured, everything here is safe and delicious. Feel free to dole out a free sample or two. Can't be too giving when it comes to damage control."

  "Okay." The associate looked less sure. "Oh, but I did tell the mayor about the candy, or what you guys suspected. I think she was heading to The Candy Cauldron next."

  "You gotta be kidding me," Clemmie quipped, looking back out the door.

  "We must have passed her," Diane said.

  "It wouldn't surprise me." With the crowded, darkened streets, anything was possible.

>   "You're telling me we're going back to The Candy Cauldron? Didn't we just come from there?"

  I had to agree, we were traipsing all over Village Square and getting nowhere. "It's a good thing I wore my tennis shoes today," Clemmie grumbled.

  "You and me both," I said with a half-smile.

  "I'll be back in time to close," Diane said to her associate as we walked out. "And if you see the mayor, call me."

  "And tell her to stay put!" Clemmie added.

  The associate waved goodbye and we filed back out.

  * * *

  Luke looked weary when we trooped back into his shop. "Mind flipping the sign to closed?"

  "Consider it done." Clemmie had the sign turned and the door locked within seconds.

  I looked at the clock on the wall, surprised to see Luke closing a bit early. "Calling it a day?”

  "Yeah, not worth the stress. I need a break. Plus, we're just about sold out of everything." Luke motioned to his mostly empty display case. Even the saltwater taffy in the window looked stretched to within an inch of its life.

  "We keep drawing in these types of crowds, we're going to have to start hiring Halloween holiday help," Diane remarked. Clemmie and Luke nodded in agreement.

  "Did Mayor Parrish stop by?" I asked.

  "What do you think?" I suddenly knew why Luke looked so beat. "My only saving grace was there were customers in the store. She started tearing into me, the shop, threatening legal action. Thankfully, a couple regulars spoke up. They thought the chocolates were in good fun and the mayor needed to lighten up."

  "Bet she didn't take that too well," Clemmie chimed in.

  "She left shortly after. But not before saying her lawyer would be in touch," Luke remarked.

  "If you ask me, the mayor might need a little memory manipulation," Clemmie said under her breath to me.

  "Don't you dare. It's illegal," I hissed. A witch could alter a mortal's memory (especially if it was to keep our secret safe), but you couldn't go around scrambling everyone's neurons just for the heck of it.