A Mackenzie Witch Collection 2: Jingle Purrs, Potion Heist and The Power of Two and a Half (A Mackenzie Coven Mystery Book Book 8)

by Sonia Parin

  Luna balked at the idea. “What if it leads us to Timbuktu?”

  “It won’t. How do I know that, do I hear you ask?” Lexie smiled. “I’m guessing James Alexander McCarthy feels the same way about the Crone. We’ll know soon enough. How? I hear you ask.”

  “I didn’t ask.”

  “Oh, but you were about to. I’m sure.” Lexie hurried her step. The fairy dust reached the street corner and swirled around, almost as if looking to see if they were following. When Lexie and Luna caught up to it, it turned a corner. Half way down the street, it stopped and hovered outside a door. “Here we are. McCarthy, McCarthy and McCarthy. A family business.” Inside, Lexie mentioned James Alexander’s name and they were ushered through to a top floor sitting room. “The building backs onto O’Connor’s bar. I guess we’re about to meet an ancient witch who’s been pining for the Crone.”

  “What about the door?” Luna asked.

  “It will open for him. Nothing can stand in the way of love. Here he comes.” The man hadn’t aged a day. He looked exactly like his portrait. The moment Lexie mentioned the Crone, James Alexander’s eyes lit up. But then he frowned.

  “Is she still in the love potion making business?” he asked.

  Lexie wrapped her fingers around the dainty bottle the Crone had given her. It had come without instructions, something that didn’t surprise Lexie. Seeing the spark in James Alexander’s eyes, she didn’t think he needed a shot of love potion. Did the Crone think Lexie could use it on someone else? She shook her head. No…

  “At the risk of interfering in something that doesn’t concern me, where you were concerned, the Crone didn’t need a love potion.” Lexie removed the dainty bottle of love potion from her pocked. “She game me this. It’s the only one of its kind.”

  He gave a weary sigh and looked out the window. He had been waiting for her all those years, hoping to get another chance with her. Thinking he hadn’t loved her, the Crone had been the one to insist on putting up the door, choosing to lead a solitary, cloistered life rather than face living in the same realm with a man who didn’t love her back.

  “She thinks I’m going to ask her to give it all up for me?”

  Something told her he wouldn’t do that.

  He took the potion. “How is she?”

  “I guess you’ll have to see for yourself.”

  ***

  “How did you know how he felt about the Crone?” Luna asked as they made their way back to the bar.

  “I didn’t. Not really.” Lexie shrugged. “I guess sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith.” She looked up and saw Jonathan emerging from the pub.

  “To think you could have used the potion on Jonathan,” Luna said.

  “Why would I do that? Jonathan is my chronicler. Hey, that reminds me, we need to sneak back inside his inner sanctum and take a look at his chronicle.” Seeing him wave at them, Lexie smiled and waved back. Maybe someday…

  *****

  The Power of Two and a Half

  A Mackenzie Coven Mystery Short

  Sonia Parin

  Copyright © 2018 Sonia Parin

  All Rights Reserved

  About this story

  Lexie and Luna have returned from exile and now share their apartment with Rebel, the fairy Lexie had been gifted with. They all have some adjusting to do but it can all wait until they show their new companion, Rebel, the sights… right after Lexie gets her first cup of coffee for the day. No one is in any hurry to get anything done, not after their recent adventure in exile. However, their best-laid plans go awry when they encounter not one, not two… not even three, but rather, all the O’Rourke detectives. One hundred of them.

  Chapter One

  “Mackenzie Coven Rule #1 Do Not Lose Your Cat. See, it says nothing about fairies.” Luna licked her paw. “Sure, you have this cute fairy thing happening and you can fly, but I’ll always be #1. Numero Uno. Capisce?”

  “Huh?”

  “Number One. Understand? That’s right. You’re not from New York. Well, this is the island. We’re in Manhattan. It’s a melting pot.”

  Rebel gave her a tiny shrug. “So, you speak in tongues. I hail from an enchanted forest and I have fairy dust. I think that trumps it all.”

  Luna sprung up and curved her back. “You want to go a few rounds with me?”

  Lexie rolled her eyes. “Girls. Please play nice. There are three of us now, we have to learn to get along.”

  “Three? More like two and a half,” Luna grumbled. “Does she have to be here all the time? Her wings are always fluttering. It’s annoying.” Luna leaped up onto Lexie’s shoulder and, brushing her little head against her chin, whispered, “You’re a witch. Can you make me fly?”

  Lexie snorted. “You can make yourself invisible and go through solid doors. Isn’t that enough?”

  Luna purred, “Flying looks like fun. I feel left out.”

  Rebel hovered over toward them and settled on Lexie’s other shoulder. “When do we get to go out? Your feline companion keeps harping on about this Village place you live in. When do I get the tour?”

  “We could go to the Kitty Café,” Luna suggested. Peering at Rebel, she added, “They even named a café after me. As far as I know, there is no fairy café.”

  Right on cue, Rebel blew her a raspberry.

  “Okay, Rebel has a point. Let’s get out of here.”

  Ten minutes later, they were still in the apartment.

  “I think we should make an appointment to see Dr. Mercedes Shrink,” Luna suggested. “She needs to know about our change of circumstances. The dynamics have shifted now. It’s bound to have an impact on our relationship. I could be scarred for life.”

  “Is everything always about you?” Rebel asked.

  Luna was about to show Rebel her claws when she stilled. “Hey, I’ve had a better idea. Let’s give Rebel a tour of all our crime scenes. It’ll give her an idea of what she’s in for now that she’s living with us. For all we know, she might not have what it takes to be part of our team.”

  Rebel hovered in front of Luna. “And yet, in your moment of need, I’m the one who rushed to your side.”

  “Rebel has a point, Luna. She doesn’t need to prove herself.” Besides, Lexie thought, her fellow fairies didn’t want her back.

  “If we go to the Kitty Café, Rebel will have to make herself scarce or whatever it is she calls turning into an ornament. It’s what fairies seem to do when they don’t want to be seen. A broach would look nice on you today,” Luna suggested.

  “You’re thinking of Pixies.”

  “Actually,” Rebel said, “I can do the ornament thing.”

  “No one’s noticed her so far,” Lexie continued. “I think it’s a case of people not seeing what they don’t expect to see.”

  They fell silent and ten minutes later, they were still in the apartment.

  “Where’s the fairy?” Luna asked, her voice sounding panicked.

  “I think she’s in the kitchen.”

  Luna leaped off the couch and sauntered off in search of Rebel.

  Moments later, she returned.

  “I couldn’t find her. We can pretend it’s just the two of us again.” Sighing, Luna leaped up onto the couch and stretched out.

  After all this time being together, Lexie still couldn’t figure out how she heard Luna’s voice in her head. Considering how much had been happening in her life, that seemed to be the least of her concerns…

  “Do you ever get the feeling someone is reading about us?” Luna asked, her tone conversational.

  “Huh?”

  “You know, we’re in a book and someone is turning the pages… or swiping the pages if they happen to be reading on a device.”

  Lexie laughed. “You think someone has written stories about us?”

  Luna’s tail curved and swayed slightly. “Sure. Why not?”

  “Umm. Because we’re as dull as dishwater?” Lexie followed the gentle motion of Luna’s tail.

&nb
sp; “You might be, but I’m intriguing.” Luna’s bright eyes widened. “I’m a magical talking cat. How many talking cats do you know?”

  “That I can hear? Only one. You. And thank goodness. Honestly, some of the things that come out of your mouth… or your mind could be misconstrued. Are you experiencing delusions of grandeur? Perhaps we should bring that up at our next session with the shrink.”

  Luna dug her dainty paws into the couch and found a comfortable spot. “Think about it. We don’t know where we come from, we don’t know where we’re going. Perhaps we’re nothing but the product of someone’s imagination. Our reality could be nothing but someone’s bedtime story.”

  A buzzing sound had them both looking around.

  Luna scrunched up her little face. “She’s back. And then there were three. I’m still struggling to get used to sharing the apartment with a fairy. Have you noticed how dusty the place has become? She’s leaving trails of fairy dust all over the place.”

  Luna perked up and changed subjects at a rate of knots. “Hey, if someone is writing about us, this is the part where they would do a catch-up paragraph. Or, if we’ve been immortalized on the small screen, the episode would open with a summary of what’s been going on so far. You know, like in that show you’re hooked on about supernatural stuff. What’s it called? If I had fingers I’d click them now. Hang on, it’ll come to me. Oh, yes. Supernatural. The opening scene would show you strolling into a dark forest with me beside you and… the fairy trailing behind or maybe there would be a scene of you sitting under the old majestic tree and being gifted with the fairy.” Luna snickered. “They should also include a scene with Cat swinging her broomstick at the fairy. Then, there would be a close-up of a fireball and the evil witch you faced. Of course, they’d also include my heroic moment when I saved your life.”

  “Someone… writing about us?” Lexie laughed. “Pray tell, what would they write about?”

  “Our adventures, of course. A good writer would use me to narrate the story so far.” Luna sat up and preened herself.

  Lexie held up her hand. “Is this what you think about when you stare at the wall?”

  Luna looked up at her and blinked. “I do occasionally ponder the mysteries of the universe.”

  “I see.”

  The buzzing sound grew louder.

  Luna looked up. “I believe the fairy is trying to get your attention. And, as the narrator of this story, I would say something along the lines of, Rebel, the fairy Lexie had recently been gifted, flew into the sitting room and made a pest of herself.”

  Rebel blew Luna a raspberry. Hovering backward, she settled on the mantlepiece, dug around her small pouch and fished out a blueberry to munch on.

  “Yes, I would also add, the fairy has a penchant for blowing raspberries and eating blueberries.” Luna turned her little face one way and then the other. “Which is my best side? I need to know so I can face the right way.”

  “Um… Dare I ask why?”

  “Well, I might be wrong about us appearing in a book. Maybe we’re actually in a TV show. I can’t miss my chance to be a star.” Luna leaped off the couch and pranced around, her tail swaying. “This makes more sense. Don’t you see? Here we are in your sitting room. That’s a key element for any good sitcom.”

  “A couch? Every house has one.”

  Luna rolled her eyes. “Do try to stay in character.” Looking over her shoulder at Rebel, she said, “You’re out of camera shot. The camera is most likely focused on Lexie who’s sitting on the couch. Actually, it’s most likely pointed at me because I’m the one doing most of the talking. If you want to be in the shot, you’ll have to hover behind Lexie or sit on her shoulder. Oh, and you might want to say something.” Luna leaped back up onto the couch. “Positions everyone.”

  “Huh?” both Lexie and Rebel asked.

  “Humor me. You’ll thank me later.”

  Rebel chortled. “Did someone spike your milk this morning?”

  Luna looked at Rebel. “If someone has, then we know of only one suspicious character hovering around.” She narrowed her eyes. “The fairy did it. Oh, I guess the mystery is solved. We should go out in search of a murder.”

  Lexie exchanged a raised eyebrow look with Rebel. “Now what are you going on about?”

  “Our TV show would be about us solving murder mysteries, of course. Hey, and we could be picked up by other TV stations and then we’d be syndicated. We’ll be rich. We might even be nominated for an award and then you’ll have to undergo a makeover because you can’t possibly attend the awards night looking the way you do.”

  Rebel stared at Luna. While she withheld her opinions, her wide-eyed expression spoke volumes. She eventually asked, “Am I safe? Or do I need to sleep with one eye open?”

  Lexie sighed. “Relax. We’re in the same boat together. I’m still wondering if I should sleep with one eye open.”

  “We should go out and look for an adventure,” Luna suggested. “Otherwise, they might cancel our show.”

  Lexie gave Luna a scratch under the chin. “In other words, you’re bored and you want to go out.”

  Luna blinked. “Fine. If you wish to pretend we’re not being written about or filmed, then so be it. I’ll play along.” Luna turned and winked. “FYI. I just winked at the audience.”

  ***

  “We should head down a dark alleyway,” Luna suggested as they made their way to the Kitty Café. “It’ll increase our chances of finding a murder victim.”

  Lexie smiled and nodded at a few neighbors she encountered as she strode along, her hands inside her pockets, her hair flowing in the wind. Anyone would think she was an average person out for a stroll. Instead, she was the incoming High Chair of the Mackenzie Coven, destined to take over the role from her mom. A fairy sat on her left shoulder and her chatty feline companion sat on her other shoulder, her tail curled around Lexie’s neck. Living in the East Village, her solution to the coven’s requirement that all its members live within nature or in a small village or town, she somehow managed to blend in, flying under the radar…

  “How about I have a cup of coffee first,” Lexie suggested.

  “Do they serve blueberries at the Kitty Café?” Rebel asked.

  “You asked that yesterday.” Luna pressed her nose to Lexie’s ear and whispered, “I think your fairy is faulty or slowwitted. You should try to return her.”

  Lexie hummed under her breath. After her recent adventures visiting her cousin Cat, she hoped to enjoy a few days of relative peace and quiet. Although, she still had a lot to process…

  Lexie’s step faltered. Her eyes widened slightly and focused on a man standing near the corner. He looked familiar.

  As they approached, she lost sight of him. What would an O’Rourke detective be doing hanging around her neighborhood? There were over one hundred of them, and they all looked the same. More or less.

  “We’ve just walked past another alleyway,” Luna said. “You need to get into the spirit of it all. Do you want our show to be canned?”

  Lexie hurried her step.

  “Whoa. You’re strutting and that makes your shoulders sway.” Luna’s tail tightened around Lexie’s throat. “Hold on tight, Rebel. When Lexie struts, she puts her whole body into it.”

  When they reached the corner, Lexie swung around. “Where did he go?”

  Luna yelped. “Could you warn me before you do that, please?” Luna scrambled up to sit on Lexie’s head. “Your hair smells nice today. Are you using a different shampoo?”

  Lexie grumbled under her breath. “I could have sworn I saw an O’Rourke detective.”

  Luna purred. “Maybe we’re hot on the trail of a crime and we don’t even know it. There, I see him. Over there, across the street. He slipped inside that building.”

  Lexie looked across the street.

  Luna peered down at her. “Not that street. The opposite one.”

  “Huh?” Turning, she looked across the other street.

  Anothe
r O’Rourke detective?

  “Not that way. The other way.” Luna yelped again. “Hang on. I think I’m seeing double. Either that or there is an O’Rourke detective convention in town and they didn’t invite us.”

  As Lexie swung around, she heard Luna and Rebel screeching.

  “Hold on tight, Rebel.” Luna dug her paws into Lexie’s hair. “She’s careering out of control.”

  Lexie fixed her gaze on the O’Rourke detective she saw and made a beeline for him. She recognized him because all the O’Rourke detectives shared the same features but she’d swear she’d never met him before.

  “I see another one,” Luna shrieked.

  Without taking her eyes off the detective, Lexie waited for the traffic light to change and then rushed across the street. With only two steps to go, she heard someone yell. Lexie’s reflexes took over and she looked away. When she glanced back, the detective had disappeared.

  Luna peered down at her. “We’re both fine, thank you for asking.”

  She hadn’t imagined them. That much she knew. But why were there so many O’Rourke detectives in the one place? “I know we’ve been out of the loop for a while, but if something big had happened, we’d know about it. Someone would have told us.”

  “Are you sure about that?” Luna asked. “You’ve often told Mirabelle and Cat to give you forty-eight hours’ notice before contacting you. Not that they ever listen to you.”

  They didn’t. Especially not the High Chair of the British Isles. In fact, Mirabelle rather enjoyed barging in and issuing orders. Lexie would go so far as to say she thrived on it as a way of pushing her weight around. More so since Lexie had made the executive decision to name their enterprise Crafty Investigations instead of the frilly bruhaha name Mirabelle had favored.