“Morning, Mayor,” Lori said, forcing a sweet smile onto her face.
Mayor Riley was his jolly self, even giving Lori a bear hug. “I have to thank you and your lovely cousin here.” He gestured toward Jasmine. “I was going to suggest a little send-off function myself for the convention, but what a fantastic and thoughtful idea to have an official mayoral dinner. And organizing it at such short notice? I should employ you guys as my personal PR and event organizers!” He laughed. “I’m looking forward to this evening!”
Jasmine pushed a sheet of paper into Lori’s hands before following the mayor. ”Here’s the program for tonight. The Mayor insisted on delivering a speech,“ she whispered, grimacing.
”No worries,“ Lori whispered back with an impish grin. ”Who knows what secrets he’ll confess during his address." She winked at Jasmine.
When Lori arrived home, she found Hazel and Fae busy setting up tables and chairs for the guests. It looked fantastic.
“Great job, guys,” Lori said. “I think let’s put Chief Lambert and Ray next to Istvan, so the chief can nab him when he confesses,” Lori suggested. ”Granny, how are the cookies coming along?“
“We’ve mixed the ingredients, and will say the spell in a while,” Fae answered. Clearly, she was enjoying herself and having a whale of a time helping.
Just then the doorbell rang, and Lori went inside, wondering who was there. A petite woman in an elegant black dress and tasteful jewelry stood in front of her when she opened the door. She had to think for a moment, but then recognized her as Dr. Pearce’s widow.
“I’m sorry to arrive unannounced,” she said and held out a well-manicured hand. ”You may not remember me, but I’m Felicity Pearce, Austin Pearce’s widow.“
”Yes, I remember, we were introduced at the Misty Hills Inn,” Lori said and took her hand. It was soft and smooth, and on her index finger she wore an amethyst protection ring. Lori knew instantly —Felicity Pearce was a witch, like them. No doubt she would recognize the subtle symbols the Whitewood family wore in their jewelry and would realize they were witches too.
“Again, I’m sorry about your husband.” Lori stood aside for Felicity to enter. She took her outside to meet Hazel and Fae, and then led her to the lounge while Hazel made tea.
“This must be heartbreaking for you,” Lori said. The sorrow in her eyes showed she was taking the death of her husband very hard.
Felicity nodded, her eyes moistening. “Yes. Austin had a few blind spots, like all of us. But we loved each other dearly. He’d been a wonderful husband, and I couldn’t have wished for a better partner in life. But lately he’d fallen into, how shall I say, bad company.” She hesitated for a moment. “Do you know anything about the new mushroom species Professor Sproutley had discovered?” She continued without Lori answering, as if she needed to confess. “Well, Austin was quite jealous of his find, especially since Justus wasn’t sharing much about it with him. Then, on a recent visit to a university in Europe, Austin was offered a lot of money by a shadowy pharmaceuticals company if he delivered a sample of the newly discovered mushroom — I think it’s called the Halo mushroom — to them. I tried to argue with him that what he was doing was unethical, but he kept on saying he’d worked for many years in Justus’ shadow and that it was payback time. So he started devising a plan to get hold of the Halo mushroom and its data sheet and sell it to these people.”
“Istvan Deklev,” Lori said, and Felicity nodded in recognition as Hazel and Fae joined them and sat down. “Have the police made any progress in catching your husband’s murderer?” Lori asked carefully.
Felicity smiled sadly. “No, Lori. I think they’re at their wits’ end, and it doesn’t look like Chief Lambert is making progress. You’re right, it’s Istvan Deklev whom Austin met in Europe. I do believe he is a cunning and dangerous man, and he made it clear to me to stay out of the way when I arrived. I’m old and frail and don’t want to endanger myself in the face of this man. It makes me feel so helpless that there’s no hard evidence that he’s involved in Austin’s death, when it’s clear he did it. That’s why I’m here, to see if you can help.” She gave Lori a meaningful look.
Lori opened her mouth to say a few general words of encouragement to Felicity, but Fae interrupted her with a wicked laugh before she could speak. “Oh, don’t you worry, we have a few tricks up our sleeves, dearie. By tomorrow morning your husband’s murderer will have confessed and be behind bars.”
Felicity looked relieved. “Well, that’s wonderful news. Have you uncovered any new evidence? Have you informed the police about this?”
Lori shifted in her chair. “We don’t have any hard evidence, and that’s been the problem up to now. As you know, Istvan Deklev is a ruthless man, and also very careful not to make mistakes or leave clues behind that would place him under suspicion. So we had to come up with a plan that would trick him into confessing his crimes.”
Felicity listened intently to Lori. Lori could see she understood the general drift of what she was talking about. No words need to be spoken for witches to recognize each other.
“And may I ask, what, um, plan do you have to make him confess?”
Lori, Hazel, and Fae looked at each other. “Truth cookies,” said Fae, sounding almost triumphant.
Felicity looked at the three of them in astonishment. “Really? But how? The recipe for truth cookies has been long lost.”
“Oh, we happen to have a copy lying around,” Fae said as if it was the most ordinary thing under the sun. She took the spell book from her dress pocket.
Felicity’s eyes widened with surprise as she took the Whitewood spell book from Fae and paged through the fragile pages with deference. “There are recipes in here that I’ve never seen before in my life!” She closed the spell book and gave it back to Fae.
“At least you show respect to this book, not like the silly youngsters we have here,” Fae said.
“I want to thank you for doing this,” Felicity said, her lower lip trembling with emotion.
Fae waved her hand. “Oh, it’s nothing. We witches have to stand together when there’s trouble.”
Felicity opened her handbag, withdrawing a small, intricately woven purse decorated with small precious stones. “I don’t have much to offer you for your kindness, but here’s a little something.” She produced a small vial containing a purple-colored powder. “This is for your protection. It’ll seal the lips of anyone speaking a truth that’ll harm you.” She handed the vial to Fae. ”Just spread a tiny bit of it on the chairs tonight.“
”Haven’t seen one of these for a while,“ Fae murmured as she took the vial from Felicity, opened it and sniffed at the contents. She smiled. ”Ah, yes, I recognise that smell. Thank you my dear. You’re very kind.“
Lori, Fae and Hazel continued with the preparations after Felicity left. Lori felt satisfied that she now had first-hand confirmation that Istvan was indeed behind all of this, and that he’d own up.
It was late afternoon when Hazel finally opened the oven and took out the first batch of piping hot truth cookies. The small, round delicacies had a chestnut hue and looked a little like ginger biscuits. Lori sniffed the baking pan. The cookies smelled delicious.
”I hope they work,“ Hazel said, packing them over onto an ornate cut glass plate. ”Apparently if you add too much ground diamiana, it can make some people really amorous, and that’s not what we’re after.“
“We couldn’t accidentally kill anyone with them, could we?” Lori just wanted to make sure.
“No, don’t worry. There’s nothing in them that’ll give anyone anything worse than an upset stomach, and then they’d have to eat a whole pan for that to happen,” Fae said.
”I wonder if we should test them,“ Lori said, eyeing the cookies.
Hazel looked at her, flabbergasted. ”You mean like, we should each have one?“
Lori laughed. ”No, no, I don’t think so. Not that we have any secrets,“ she added hastily. ”I was thinking mor
e along the lines of offering it to someone as a sort of experiment.“ She thought for moment. ”Okay, let me walk over to Mrs. Barkley and give her one.“ She took a cookie from the plate. ”Her confessions should be harmless enough.“
Fae and Hazel giggled. Already in her eighties, Mrs. Barkley had been their neighbor for ages. She was a kind soul, if somewhat simple. She’d been living alone since her husband died a few years ago and was known for her embroidery and handicraft. Lori left the house and walked down the garden path and through the picket fence gate that connected their two homes. She wondered how Mrs. Barkley managed to keep her garden so immaculate and neat when she was living on her own without any help. She pressed the doorbell and waited for a few seconds. She was about to ring it for a second time when the door opened, and Mrs. Barkley’s kind face appeared in the doorway, her lips crinkling into a smile.
”Lori! What a nice surprise!“
”Hello, Mrs. Barkley. Sorry to barge in unannounced, but Aunty Hazel’s been baking cookies, and we thought we’d let you taste and tell us what you think,“ Lori said.
”Oh, thank you.“ Mrs. Barkley beamed, happy that her neighbors trusted her taste buds.
”It’s best eaten with a cup of tea,” Lori said, hoping to be invited in. As if on cue, Mrs. Barkley stepped aside for her to enter. Lori helped the old lady boil water and pour two cups of tea. She listened impatiently to Mrs. Barkley chatter away about the weather, her grandchildren, and her garden. At last, they sat down in the tiny lounge, cluttered with half-finished needlework and craft magazines.
Mrs. Barkley took a bite from the cookie and chewed thoughtfully. “Hmmm, nice and fresh. Is there a hint of cinnamon in there?”
“Oh, yes,” Lori fibbed. “It’s freshly ground.“ Mrs. Barkley finished her tea, sat back in her chair and closed her eyes.
”That was delicious.“
Lori waited, watching Mrs. Barkley carefully. She thought she’d do a little prodding. ”How’s your embroidery coming along?“
”Very well, thank you. I pinched three bunches of wool from Finsley’s shop on Thursday. And another yesterday.“ She giggled mischievously. “In fact, I’ve been taking wool from his shop for the past twenty-four years.” Suddenly Mrs. Barkley’s eyes grew wide. “Why did I just tell you that?”
Lori got up with a broad smile. “Never mind, Mrs. Barkley. I’m sure Mr. Finsley would forgive you if he knew. Not that he ever will, promise, it’s our secret. Thank you for the tea, it was delicious.” Lori couldn’t wait to tell Hazel and Fae about the result of the experiment, and rushed home at a trot.
“It worked!” she gushed as she ran into the kitchen. “Mrs. Barkley has been stealing wool for twenty-four years, but don’t tell anyone.”
Hazel and Fae burst out laughing. The twins, who’d arrived in the meantime, high fived Lori.
By six-o’clock that evening, everything was ready and prepared. Lori looked proudly at the rest of her family. They were all dressed to the nines. Lori looked outside at the back yard and couldn’t believe her eyes. “Goodness me, it’s only a couple of academics coming over, not the Queen of England,” she said to Hazel and Fae. They’d laid out the table with the family’s best china, silver knives and forks, and the pressed linen Lori knew was normally kept locked away in an old traveling case in the basement. She took a glass from a pewter drinks’ tray she knew contained a refreshing blend of Hazel’s trademark peppermint and spearmint iced teas. It tasted delicious.
The truth cookies would be served with coffee after the guests had eaten, for maximum effect, as per the recipe’s suggestion. Lori went to her room to get ready for the evening. She took extra care with her makeup and put on the two-piece suit she’d worn at the start of the convention. She had to look extra smart for the occasion.
The first guests arrived right on time. Lori stood by the door and greeted them, after which Rosie led them to the backyard and handed them a welcoming drink.
“You’re looking too elegant for words,” Gillian complimented Lori when she arrived, and behind her Steve smiled in agreement. “I hope the mayor appreciates your hard work!”
A few minutes later Matt arrived, complimenting her on the arrangements and how fabulous she looked. “I just know you have something up your sleeve,” he said with a half-smile. Lori could barely muster a smile in return, so focused was she on the evening’s proceedings.
She froze when she saw Istvan coming up the steps. His demeanor gave nothing of his cold, calculating plans away. He was suavely dressed in a lounge jacket and matching tie, and he appeared friendly and at ease.
“So good to see you again, Lori.” He leaned toward her. “Looking forward to the little gift you’ll be giving me tonight,” he whispered in her ear before moving on.
The last to arrive were Chief Lambert and Ray. The chief greeted Lori curtly. Lori grabbed Ray’s arm before he could follow the Chief. “Ray, I have a favor to ask. Please keep a close eye on Istvan over there.” She pointed him out to Ray, standing and talking to the mayor. Ray looked at her doubtfully. Lori tightened her hold on his arm slightly. “Please, believe me. Just stay close to him, and you’ll see why later.”
Ray nodded. Lori surveyed the guests assembled in the backyard, glasses of wine and soft drinks in their hands. She compared the guests she saw with the convention delegate list she had on her phone. All the names she’d compiled earlier of possible suspects were present. She signaled to Jasmine to start the proceedings. The first item on the agenda was the mayor’s speech. Everyone clapped when Jasmine introduced him.
Mayor Riley took his speech notes from his secretary, cleared his throat, and began to speak. “Ladies and gentleman, welcome to this closing function of the Mushroom Convention. I think everyone will agree that it’s been a very successful event, although I’m sure all of you mourn the unfortunate deaths of two academic colleagues, Professor Justus Sproutley and Dr. Austin Pearce. And in that regard I believe the police are hot on the trail of the guilty parties.“ He nodded in the direction of Chief Lambert. ”No doubt they’ll be behind bars soon.“
Everyone hummed their agreement. “Let’s hope so, indeed,” Lori thought and took a sip from her glass.
The mayor continued. ”I’d like to thank our residents who’ve worked so tirelessly to make the convention a success. Nick and his staff at the Misty Hills Inn, and in particular, the Whitewood family, who not only oversaw much of the logistics of the convention but offered their lovely home as the venue for this function.“
Everyone looked at Lori and her family and clapped. The mayor continued to sing the praises of Fennelmoore for another ten minutes. ”I hope that all of you will return to our gorgeous town again. Here’s to many, many more mushroom conventions in Fennelmoore.” He raised his glass. After his speech, the guests tucked in hungrily into the dishes Hazel had prepared. Lori slipped into the kitchen where Hazel was busy preparing the desserts.
“How are you feeling?” she asked Lori. “All seems to be going well enough.”
“Everything’s going according to plan, yes.” She squeezed Hazel’s hand. ”Thanks, Aunt Hazel, you’re an absolute star.“
Hazel smiled back. ”Let’s get this over and done with,“ she said. The air was filled with congenial conversation as the evening meal went on. When everyone had finished, Hazel and Rosie started cleared the plates. Lori shot them a nervous glance, but they gave her a thumbs-up. Suddenly, this seemed like a crazy stunt to her. She hoped Chief Lambert would take the confession she was hoping they’d hear seriously. She caught Ray’s eye, and he nodded at her. At least he was on her side.
She waited impatiently for Rosie and Jasmine to appear with the coffee and trays of truth cookies, worried that someone might decide to leave early. At last, they appeared from the kitchen, and went around the room, making sure each guest got a cookie. Everyone was soon nibbling a cookie, some clearly delighted with the taste. Luckily there were only enough for everyone to have one cookie. Heaven knew what would happen if so
meone overdosed. She surveyed the guests for any signs the cookies were taking effect, but there was nothing obvious or out of the ordinary happening yet. Everyone was simply enjoying talking to each other and sipping coffee.
Lori took a deep breath. ”I wonder who killed Justus and Austin?“ she asked, loud enough so everyone would hear her. The guests all looked up, and for a few seconds there was an uneasy silence. Lori carefully watched the reactions of the assembled people. Gillian and Steve were whispering among themselves.
Matt was looking at her with a questioning expression, as if to say, ”What exactly are you getting at?“ Ray was standing behind Istvan and had his eyes firmly on him. Chief Lambert had taken out his notebook and pencil and looked ready to start scribbling in it.
Then Nick cleared his throat and spoke. ”Well, I didn’t have anything to do with the murders, but I have about three thousand dollars in unpaid speeding tickets.” As soon as he said that, he shrunk back in his seat, clearly taken aback at his impromptu confession.
Matt stood up and looked around. “I just have to say something very important, here in front of you all. I’m in love with that girl.” He pointed at Lori. “She’s the most wonderful, sweetest person I’ve ever met. And I’m hoping she feels the same way about me.”
A few people started clapping, and Lori blushed and wished the earth would swallow her. This wasn’t going the way she’d planned. Gillian and Steven stopped talking to each other, and Steve raised his hand. Lori almost groaned. This was turning into a truth or dare game.
“Hello,” Steve said. “My name’s Steve. Most of you believe that I’m a genealogist, but that’s not true. I’m an FBI agent. I was called in by the local police to help follow up on some of the forensic evidence in the recent murder cases. I’m also here because they were struggling to find credible evidence that would enable them to arrest suspects and put the guilty ones behind bars. Unfortunately, I’ve not been able to make much headway in finding the murderer or murderers.” He looked at the guests. “So I have to repeat Lori’s question: who killed Justus and Austin?”
The Mushroom Mystery Page 13
