Spell Maven Mysteries- The Complete Series

by J L Collins

  I groaned as I trudged inside the house, the still-humid air of early September in Georgia sticking to my skin. “I’m home,” I called out, having absolutely no idea whether or not Fiona-Leigh was hanging out here for the day with Marina. I didn’t mind as long as they were back over at Sully’s by nightfall.

  Claws that were in definite need of a good trimming clattered down the hallway as Jax rushed up to me, yipping at my legs.

  “Hi buddy. Is it just you here?” I pulled my phone out of my bag, nodding to myself as if he had actually answered me. “I guess it is. Fi’s not out of school yet.”

  Surprising, considering how long it felt like it took to drive home.

  I grabbed the leftover grapes in a bowl in the refrigerator, popping them one by one into my mouth as I checked the mail in a tidy pile on the table that Fiona-Leigh must have grabbed for me. Bills. Cheesy car sales promotions with fake keys and absurd prizes. Coupons for hearing aids… those were especially perplexing. I knew I was getting older, but geez.

  I poured Jax some fresh water and rummaged around the kitchen for my gardening gloves. Since I had a little extra time, maybe doing some yardwork would help release some of the tension in my shoulders. Or make it worse. Who knows? Apparently I’m elderly at the ripe old age of thirty-five, according to ‘Ear Science America,’ so it could go either way really.

  I headed to our tiny garden shed and pulled the lawnmower out onto the grass, yanking at the pull-cord until the grubby red thing roared to life.

  All the while I weaved up and down the rows of our small backyard, I reviewed what I knew about the murder investigation in my head. Rourke died overnight according to Health Maester Goodwing. Zoya found him the next morning after she started working and then realized she hadn’t seen him in a while. His throat was crushed by seemingly Witch-sized hands. An Leabhar na Ciallmhar was found later on to be missing without a trace. There was no evidence found for either of the two crimes except for the weird misplaced Fairy short sword. Multiple interviews were done, Delaney Drakar being my main suspect, had a strong alibi with not only physical proof but witnesses. The Shadow Hands were currently not only working on the two crimes as separate cases, but a small group were working another angle by trying to infiltrate the Dark Market for information about Enoch’s loyalists and hopefully some dirt on Delaney that would lead to a search warrant.

  I wiped at the sweat pouring down my temples. There was a part of me that felt guilty even standing here, working on my yard when things were in such a disarray with the case. I felt like I wasn’t doing enough for Rourke’s sake, the thought sinking like a stone in my gut. I knew he wouldn’t want me to feel this way, but years of Shadow Hand training have a knack of threading themselves into the fabric of your life. It probably explains why I’m such a weirdly paranoid and overly-observant parent.

  “Poor Fi,” I mumbled to myself.

  I trekked down the thin strips of land on the one side of the house, heading toward the front yard. The white paint was peeling in places on the pickets of the fence and I reminded myself to make a note somewhere about taking care of it. In vain of course, because there was no way I’d remember until the next time I noticed, if I were being honest with myself.

  Once the front yard and other side of the house were finished, I slipped inside to grab my pruning shears and a tall glass of ice-water and headed back out to the front. There was still another half-hour before Fiona-Leigh and Marina would be getting off the bus, so I figured I’d go ahead and work on the pitifully overgrown shrubs against the house.

  The sun was pricking at my exposed shoulders, warning me that sun-block was probably a good idea. Even though Fiona-Leigh’s skin was fairer than mine and I was a stickler for her using sun protection, I wasn’t so good at practicing what I preached. The rounded tops of my shoulders were already turning a slight pink. Something I never had to worry about in Spell Haven, where Witches were born with sun damage immunity thanks to the magical energy that ran through realm.

  I bent down to work on the underside of the shrubs, craning my neck to get a good look. “Ugh. I wish I could just use magic to keep these darn things in check.”

  Without the sound of too-tall grass crunching underfoot, thanks to my vigorous grass-cutting, I hadn’t noticed someone standing near me. A dark silhouette stepped into my peripheral, arms crossed.

  “Yeah, that would be rather convenient. Maybe then I’d win yard of the month instead of Mr. Porter for the third time in a row,” Sully said, chuckling. “Or are you looking to give him a run for his money yourself?”

  My cheeks flamed, despite the heat surrounding us. “Not exactly,” I said, standing back up. I tried my best not to make a face when my back cracked. “What are you up to, today? Off from work on a Friday?”

  He shrugged, but smiled all the same. “Pure luck of the draw, I guess. Murray, one of the other guys I work with, asked to take next weekend off so I’m getting a break today while he’s working instead.”

  “I hope you plan on doing something fun! Or at least something relaxing.” I slumped, suddenly wishing I wasn’t the color of a tomato. “Personally, I’d go for the latter. But then again I have an almost fifteen-year-old so I’m in constant need of relaxation.”

  He laughed again, running his hand through his ridiculously perfect dark curls. “I don’t doubt it. I haven’t really done much today except read that new John Grisham book. Oh, and I made some pancetta and sage carbonara. I thought the girls might like it for after dinner tonight. Unless you’re done with your freelance assignment and want to come over and have some with us?” The hopeful tone in his deep voice sent a blast of tingly shivers up my spine.

  Truth be told, I would’ve loved nothing more. I wracked my brain to see what I was supposed to be telling him about my being absent so much.

  “Dinner would be nice . . . I just have so much going on right now. You know, with this extra um, freelance thing. It’s taking up more time than I thought.” Ugh. The lies seemed to just roll right off my tongue. And they didn’t even have the decency to sound half-way convincing.

  “Not that I’ve been checking or anything . . . I’ve just noticed you popping in and out without stopping by. Wasn’t sure if you were still working on that freelance assignment or not. Sorry,” he said, taking a step back. “I promise, I’m not trying to be nosy.” He looked more worried that I was offended than anything.

  “No, no. You’re not being nosy. You’re being observant, which I totally appreciate since you’re keeping Fiona-Leigh for me. I, uh . . . it’s a little complicated,” I stumbled over my words, wishing there was a better way to explain things. It’s not like I could tell him I was really going back and forth between this world and another.

  “I get it,” he said simply, though his eyes said differently. “It’s a pretty secret assignment and you can’t talk about it.”

  Had I told him that? It was getting way too hard to keep up with it. “Right. NDA’s out the wazoo.”

  The both of us jumped when a sudden spray of water hit the ground not three feet away from where we were standing. I looked past him to see Gladys Boone haphazardly spraying down her azalea bushes.

  She pretended to just notice us. “Oh, I’m sorry Gwendolyn!” she called out, waving her arm around. “I didn’t see you there.”

  I gave her a little wave back, Sully stifling the grin on his face by coughing into his fist. “Mm-hm. Hi Gladys.”

  “Oh, are you working on your bushes, dear? It’s so nice to see your yard looking . . . well, more trimmed anyway.” She adjusted her angle on the hose, the stream of water creating a rainbow effect as she turned it toward the crepe myrtle in her front yard. “I usually get this done first thing in the morning before the sun hits everything. But I’ve been too busy with the Rose Club. They think I might have yard of the month in the bag this time!” she bragged with a simpering smile. “Hi, Sully!”

  There was a very obvious shift in her demeanor when she addressed him. And I did
n’t think it was my imagination when she patted her hair and adjusted the neckline of her shirt.

  “Gladys. Nice to see you.”

  Gladys finished misting the ugly little garden gnome she had under the tree, before turning back to us. “I hate to tell you, Gwendolyn, but Belinda mentioned the HOA bylaws to me again this morning. And it seems you’re supposed to have your trashcan at the side of the road no earlier than nightfall the night before trash collection, and no later than nightfall the day of trash collection. She said letters were sent. Did you happen to get one too?”

  I looked around to see my trash can sitting at an angle on the curb by the driveway. “Uh, no?” I probably had but I wasn’t about to tell her that.

  She shook her head, sighing way more dramatically than the situation warranted. “It’s just that with little things like that,” she said, pointing to my pitiful trash can, “it brings the value of the houses in our neighborhood down. That’s why the HOA has those rules in place. So no one comes through and thinks our yards look like an utter abomination to the upstanding citizens here. Or so Belinda says, anyway.”

  I started to take a step forward but Sully caught at my hand, tugging me back.

  “Don’t listen to her,” he whispered by my ear. I did my best not to focus too hard on how sexy his aftershave smelled.

  I knew he was right and that Gladys was just trying to get a rise out of me as usual, but I was getting really sick and tired of her little taunts. It was a shame I couldn’t turn her into a bat. Then again, with those thick goggles she wore as glasses, she wasn’t far from it.

  “Mm-hm! Got it!” I shouted a little louder this time. “I’ll remember that in case the HOA ever come knocking.”

  This didn’t seem to sit very well with my rude neighbor. She pursed her thin lips at me, raising one shoulder with an air of indifference before turning on the spot and heading back inside.

  “So. About dinner,” Sully said, once the screen door had slammed shut behind Gladys. “Are you in? Or do you and Fiona-Leigh have other plans?”

  Seeing the look on his face only reminded me of the day in the woods. Where Sully took in the truth about me and still accepted it the best that he could. I didn’t know whether that magic leak was a blessing or a curse. Would I have been better off not ever knowing how he would’ve reacted? That was something I still wasn’t sure of.

  I sucked in a quick breath. The magic leaks. Shoot!

  Even though I’d just spoken with him this morning, I had totally forgotten to check in with Uncle Gardner about him looking into the leaks.

  The best alternative was to do some looking around myself. As much as I wanted to pretend I had the time to keep up with and do the smaller things like taking care of the grass—or the unholy abomination to the HOA, as Gladys so lovingly put it—there were much bigger things I needed to focus on. I glanced past Sully, hearing the sound of the school bus’s airbrakes at the corner.

  I lightly smacked myself in the forehead in front of him, mainly because I really did feel like an idiot for not remembering the magic leaks. “You know what? I just forgot that I have to go grocery shopping today! I did tell Fi that we could make dinner together tonight.”

  Sully’s eyes narrowed even more suspiciously. “Oh yeah? Is there anything in particular you need? I’ve got a pretty full fridge and pantry.”

  I bit my lip. “I need um, salt. And uh . . .” I began, realizing how dumb an answer that was since of course he’d have that. “Pasta shells.”

  He nodded. “Okay, no problem. What kind do you need? I have whole wheat, your basic shells, oh, and I have some really delicious gnocchi if you’d rather do that. Depending on your recipe.”

  Gnocchi? What the heck was that? “Oh, well I actually need special salt.”

  “Special salt?”

  “Yeah, the uh, colorful kind.” Wasn’t there a special salt like that? My brain was too sluggish to flip through my limited grocery items knowledge to figure it out. The only special salt I knew was black salt for protection that you could buy in bulk at the Apothecarium.

  “Pink Himalayan salt, maybe?”

  I quickly nodded. “Yep. That’s the one! You don’t . . . happen to have that on hand, do you?”

  Sully studied my face for a moment before shrugging. “No. I mean, I find that sea salt is a pretty good substitute for that, which I do have, but if you absolutely have to have the Pink Himalayan . . .”

  He knew I was full of it. I could see it in his eyes. And I couldn’t exactly blame him.

  But we both knew what my answer was going to be. “It’s a pretty important ingredient. I wouldn’t want to mess it up, knowing my already debatable cooking skills.”

  “Oh.” He looked over his shoulder as the girls’ conversation reached our ears. “Maybe another time, then. I’ll let you get back to your errands.” He held my gaze for a moment longer before turning and meeting up with Marina and throwing his arm over her shoulder as they said goodbye to Fi.

  I hated lying to him. Absolutely loathed it. In a perfect world, I could just come clean with Sully and I wouldn’t have to withstand those knowing looks, or keeping him at arms’ length.

  But this wasn’t a perfect world, and it would only get worse if I didn’t do something about it.

  18

  Weekend Getaway

  The nice, cool shower did me no good. All I could think about was the disappointment etched on Sully’s face. I just couldn’t shake it. I towel-dried my hair and slipped into the big fluffy robe Fiona-Leigh had saved up her money and bought me for Christmas last year, desperate to feel better. I even debated sliding my feet into some fuzzy socks until I remembered it was the temperature of the sun outside, and probably the robe would be plenty warm enough.

  “Everything okay?” Fiona-Leigh was sitting at the kitchen table, fishing her hand into a half-eaten bag of pretzels.

  “Please get the backpack off the table so it doesn’t scratch,” I said, realizing just how grumpy I sounded. “And yes. I’m fine.”

  She raised an eyebrow at me, not at all convinced. “Okay then. You sure you don’t want to talk about it?” She paused, giving me room to do so, then sighed. “Are you at least going to tell me how things are going in Spell Haven?”

  “They’re going. Not very far unfortunately. And not only that, but I forgot to check into something when I was there earlier. Now I have to turn right around and go back.”

  “Is that all?”

  I stared at her. “What do you mean? Isn’t that enough?”

  “Mom. I saw you and Sully. And you look like someone just hurt your dog. No offense, Jax,” she quickly added, ducking down to give Jax—who was curled up around her feet—an extra couple of pats.

  Rolling my eyes, I flipped my head over until I managed to pull my hair into a rather wet and messy bun on top of my head. “It’s nothing, Fi. He was just inviting us over for dinner.”

  “Really? Yes! Go Mom!”

  “No. No Go Mom. I told him we couldn’t. Actually . . . I made up a rather lame story about needing random ingredients from the grocery store. Something called Pink Albanian Salt or whatever.”

  “Seriously? Mom, come on. We can’t even have dinner with them? So you just planned on coming back and then ditching me again?” A fine line creased between the freckles on her forehead as she shot me an accusatory look. “You won’t even give yourself the chance to spend time with him, as much as you want to.”

  I slumped against the edge of the counter. This would be the perfect occasion for some of Aunt Bee’s sweet hyssop tea. “It’s not that simple, and you know it. There are bigger things to take care of than having dinner with Sully. I have to help with the murder investigation. I’d like to check in and see where the case on the missing spell book is going, and I completely forgot to ask Uncle Gardner about him looking into the magic leaks that have been happening here. There’s just too much to do.”

  She rolled the bag of pretzels back up and shoved them back into the
pantry, Jax at her heels. “I guess I’ll go grab an extra set of clothes then. Again.”

  Ouch. I had to hand it to her… the girl sure knew how to twist the knife in deep.

  “Okay. Fine. Why don’t we do this? You can come with me this weekend. We’ll stay with Uncle Gardner and Aunt—”

  “I want to stay with Erie.”

  “Well, I don’t know what she’s up to this weekend and I’m sure her and Houghlin have plans—”

  “Aunt Bedelia’s, then.”

  I stared up at the ceiling, willing myself to keep my patience. “Whatever you want. If it’s okay with her.”

  She narrowed her dark blue eyes at me. “Can I skip school on Monday?”

  “What? No!” I spluttered. She was good, but she wasn’t that good.

  “It’s a half-day anyway! Then I could spend some extra time with you before I went back on Tuesday. Maybe you could show me around the Athenaeum? I know you’ll be busy most of the time anyway, so I’ll pretty much be on my own . . .”

  Okay. So maybe she was that good. My parent’s guilt rose up like a sad, sad snake in the back of my mind, chiding me for practically abandoning my kid. I grit my teeth. “Fine. We’ll come back first thing Tuesday. But we’ll have to leave extra early.”

  As much as I wanted to be angry at her for conning her way into skipping a day of school, I couldn’t help but smile back at her as she picked up Jax in her arms and waved his little paws at me—both of them making ridiculously cute faces.

  “Thank you, Mama,” she said in the same baby voice she reserved for him.

  “Mm-hm. Don’t think you’ll be hanging out doing whatever you want, though. Aunt Bee will put you to work, believe me.”

  She grinned even harder. “Fine by me.”