by Zoe Arden
"Who's there?" my dad called out. There was no answer.
Trixie ran to one of the cupboards and pulled out her wand. "What do you need that for?" I asked. Most witches and wizards didn't need wands once they'd reached adulthood.
"I've been feeling a little under the weather," she said and I noticed that her eyes were a little red. The skin around her nose looked dry. "My powers always run weak when I'm getting sick."
The banging moved from the back door to the back window.
"Who's there?" my dad shouted again. When no answer came, he crept slowly toward the door. Trixie followed after him, her wand ready. "When I open the door, be ready," my dad whispered.
Eleanor raised her hand. Trixie raised her wand. I racked my brain and came up with a stun spell that could work and pointed my finger straight out like I was making a gun with it.
"Now!" my dad shouted and threw the back door open.
Otis Winken stood there, his pet skunk, Tadpole, on his shoulder.
"Hello, everyone," he said, smiling widely.
Trixie let out a sigh. "Otis, you scared us! I almost zapped out with a sponge spell, for witch's sake."
Eleanor was laughing nervously. "Oh, my roses, you really got my heart going there." She patted her chest and looked a little annoyed.
"Sorry, everybody," Otis said and walked inside. I shut the door behind him and smiled as Tadpole excitedly hopped off his shoulder and ran from table to table, taste testing cupcakes and warm cookies. Tadpole was more than just a pet, he was the only known skunk familiar in Heavenly Haven, possibly the world. He was super-cute and loved people, and had probably won the mayoral election for Otis.
"Otis, what are you doing here?" my dad asked a bit brusquely, and I realized that he'd been just as scared as us for a minute.
"Oh, uh, well, I wanted to give you the news about the ball. I was gonna call you or email you but it seems like every time I ask Megan to send something out, it leaks to the press or the Sweetland gossips." He rubbed his head. "Poor Megan. She feels real bad about the bridge calls my office has been getting. Like it was her fault or something. Fifty calls a day about the bridge to the mainland and it wasn't even official, just an idea."
Tadpole stood up on his hind legs, a cupcake smushed almost all the way into his mouth, and clapped his hands together. Otis smiled.
"Tadpole says he likes your cupcakes."
"Thank you, Tadpole," I said. The skunk ran across the table where I'd been working and somersaulted through the air, landing on his feet. He took a bow and we all clapped for him. Then he ran up Otis’ leg and whispered something in his ear.
"Tadpole says you should make potato chip cupcakes. Potato chips are his most favorite thing." Otis reached into his pocket and pulled out a large, ridged potato chip and handed it to Tadpole; he plopped it into his mouth with a loud crunch.
"Otis," Eleanor said, her voice cracking ever so slightly. "You said you've made your decision about the ball?"
"Oh, yeah. Uh, I've decided to split it." He beamed happily at us as if this was the best news ever.
"Split it?" I asked. It had never occurred to me, or any of us, that he might decide to divide the workload.
"Sure, Mystic can make the cupcakes and pastries. Sweets n' Treats can do the brownies and cookies."
We looked at each other uncertainly.
"Well, um, thanks, Otis," Eleanor said. It wasn't that we begrudged Sweets n' Treats their chance to shine, exactly, we just weren't used to losing. Even though this was technically a tie, it still felt like a loss.
He turned to go, Tadpole propping himself up on his shoulder. "I better get to Sweets n' Treats and let them know, too. When I find out who that leak is, I'm sure gonna give them a talking to." He had one foot out the door when he turned back. "Oh, I almost forgot. Megan says I ought to have a big cake. Something fancy. What'd she call it?" Tadpole whispered in his ear, and he snapped his fingers. "That's right. A showstopper. She thought it would be best if Mystic handled that alone. That okay with you all?"
Eleanor was beaming now. "Of course, that's all right," she said, so excited she was almost jumping up and down. "Thank you! And thank Megan for us."
"Sure thing." Tadpole tapped his shoulder. "Oh, yeah, if you could include some potato chips in the cake for Tadpole, he sure would appreciate it." Tadpole nodded, then the two of them stepped outside and left us to what now felt like victory.
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CHAPTER
NINE
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I waited outside Damon's apartment building, hidden behind a hedge that ran the length of his building. He had to leave soon; he had a job to go to. At least, I was pretty sure he did. I didn't know where he was working but he had to be paying for his apartment somehow. When he'd lived in Sweetland, he'd worked just past the outskirts of town in a large warehouse. I figured he was doing something similar in Mistmoor.
There weren't that many warehouses on Heavenly Haven. In fact, there were probably just the two, maybe a couple more hiding somewhere that I didn't know about. But it was pretty hard to hide things on Heavenly Haven; we were just too small an island for that sort of thing. Which was why I had to be extra careful just now. If anyone saw me, they'd recognize me in a second, and I didn't need word getting around that I was lurking outside Damon Tellinger's apartment. I especially didn't need word getting back to Colt about that.
Colt was already paranoid enough, I certainly didn't need him wondering what I was up to during my days away from him. He had texted several times since Renee's arrival just to make sure I was keeping out of trouble. It wasn't that he didn't trust me exactly; it was that he knew me too well. I rarely let things go, and I wasn't about to let Renee's sudden reappearance on the island slide by. Luckily, I had the mayor's ball as an excuse now whenever Colt asked me what I was doing. Making cupcakes, prepping for the ball, getting dessert trays ready... all of these things were true, at least when I was actually at the bakery.
We were busier than we normally were, especially now that we were in full prep mode. There wasn't a whole lot of time to get things ready either. The mayor's ball was happening in a week. Wilma Trueheart had actually called to congratulate us on getting chosen to make the crowning cake, and according to Lucy, Megan had begun cashing in on the free lattes for life that Melbourne had promised her. Lucy also mentioned that Megan told her the super-bridge idea had been unofficially flushed. The newspapers were reporting that the bridge to the mainland would never happen now, it would be too long, and Otis had shelved it—but officially Megan let slip that Otis was still mulling things over.
Damon finally opened his apartment door and headed downstairs. I'd texted him after his mom was released but he hadn't texted back. I figured he was probably mad his mom had been taken to the sheriff's station and considered a suspect in Randall's death. He probably blamed me. Whatever. I had enough to worry about. If Damon had changed his mind about being friends then it was no big deal to me. I drew in a breath and braced myself for what I was about to do. Maybe Colt was right. Maybe I had a penchant for getting myself into trouble. I knew this was a bad idea but I was going to do it anyway.
When Damon was out of sight, I made my way up the stairs, picking leaves out of my hair and dusting dirt off my pants. I'd told Eleanor and Trixie that I hadn't slept well and was taking a long lunch, then I'd used a speed spell on Eleanor's car and hightailed it over to Mistmoor Point. It wasn't stealing, by the way. Eleanor had left her car with us when she married Sheriff Knoxx; she hardly ever used it and said she didn't need it.
Most of Heavenly Haven walked rather than drove, at least the locals. The tourists were another matter. They couldn't understand that things were so close together here that it didn't make sense to drive. Everything you needed was within blocks of each other, a mile at the most. The only time you really needed a car was traveling from one side of the island to an
other, or maybe to Whisper Crossing, a large forest and graveyard that marked the halfway point between our two towns. Law enforcement and medical units were another matter; they actually needed cars to move people around but most of us simply didn't need vehicles.
Times like these though, I was glad I had one. I could never have made it to Mistmoor fast enough if I had to walk it. I was already well past the "long lunch" phase of my plan. Damon had taken longer than I'd hoped to leave. I'd have to call Eleanor when I was leaving and tell her I fell asleep and forgot to set an alarm or something. Hopefully, she wouldn't chew me out for it.
I debated on ringing the bell or knocking and finally settled for knocking. When Renee opened the door, I knew immediately that I'd made a mistake. She was going to slam it in my face without even hearing me out. When she didn't, my heart stumbled over my shock.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice pure acid. "Damon just left." She narrowed her eyes at me but didn't slam the door. Yet. There was chocolate smeared across her lips. She wiped at them embarrassedly and muttered something about making her own chocolate peanut butter brownies since she couldn't trust any on this island.
"I wanted to talk to you, actually," I said. She blinked uncertainly at me. "We can stand outside if you're more comfortable out here."
A small group of people walked together across the lawn. I recognized one of them as Calista Woodruff, another ex-con recently released from prison as part of COMHA's new work program. Unlike Polly, however, Calista was still a child. She'd made some mistakes early in her life and now, at fourteen, she was finally getting a chance to start over. A chance she deserved. Polly, I still wasn't so sure about.
None of the witches looked in our direction but I turned my head away anyway, hoping to hide my face just in case. I noticed Renee doing the same. She clearly didn't want to be seen. She'd probably been getting threats from witches who still thought she'd killed Randall.
"I'm not leaving until I talk to you," I said, hoping she didn't kick me in the guts for saying it.
She eyed the group of witches one more time just as Calista turned her head. She jumped back out of the doorway and into her apartment. "Fine. Come in," she snapped, "but leave the door open."
I did as instructed and stepped into Damon's apartment with relief. Renee stood nervously at the opposite end of the room, holding a large butcher's knife that she scooped up from the kitchen. It looked almost comical in her hands. I didn't think she'd really use it but she seemed twitchy, and twitchy people were dangerous people.
"What are you doing in Heavenly Haven?" I asked her, jumping straight to it.
"Visiting my son. I wanted to meet his new girlfriend." It sounded like a line she'd spent time rehearsing.
"And now that you've met Betsey, what do you think?" I already knew the answer but couldn't resist asking.
She snorted. "I think my son's lost his mind. Again."
"Again?"
"The first time was when he met you. But your hex wore off and so will Betsey's."
I sighed. There was no point in explaining to her that Betsey was half fairy and fairies didn't hex people, they had their own brand of magic.
"What are you really doing here?" I asked.
She smiled a quirky little smile at me. It looked like she was drunk. Her hair was pulled to one shoulder and she began twirling dark strands absentmindedly around one finger. She was pretty. Almost fifty but she could have passed for younger. Her dark hair had managed to stay dark. I didn't think it was a dye like so many humans used, there were too many varying shades of color—strands so dark they were almost black; highlights of light brown. If I looked closely enough, I could make out a few strands of gray but they were few and far between. Her hair was thick and shiny.
"What makes you think I'm not here for the reason I say I am?" she asked.
"Because your MAPP friends are with you. Where are they, anyway? Your friends... Sally, Vivian, and Bebe." I made a point of saying their names so that she'd know I wasn't just making guesses.
She raised her eyebrows for a moment then put the knife she was still holding in one hand off to the side and set both hands on her hips. "They're at a hotel. There are very few hotels on this island so if you really wanted to find them, I suppose you could but I wouldn't advise it. They wouldn't take too kindly to a witch showing up outside their door and you might get hurt."
"I can handle myself."
"I'm sure you can but sometimes the element of surprise is far greater than anything a sorceress like you can conjure. And humans always have the element of surprise because paranormals constantly underestimate us."
I laughed at the word sorceress. If she knew how little magic I knew compared to most witches, she might not be so scared of me. I was barely above a human with my magical know-how. Now when it came to extracts, that was a different matter altogether.
"Look," Renee said, sucking in a deep breath and stepping forward, "I don't make any secrets about MAPP's intentions. We want to get proof of paranormal existence, and that's precisely what we plan to do."
"You mean, your friends are here to gather evidence?" My bottom lip twitched. It sounded so simple. So silly. Yet something about it made me uneasy.
"Precisely. The world might not realize yet how dangerous your kind are but I know better. You took my husband and tried to take my son but I'll put a stop to you in the end."
"Your husband killed my mother," I said between clenched teeth.
"She was a witch. She deserved what she got."
My hands clenched into fists and it took every ounce of strength I had not to turn her into a roach and step on her. "Did you kill Randall?"
She looked surprised for a moment, then worried. "No," she said. "I didn't."
"Do you know who did?"
"No."
I hesitated before asking my last question, thinking carefully. "Would you tell me if you did know?"
She smiled. "No," she said for the third time. "Now if you don't mind..." She indicated the door behind me.
I left without a goodbye. My phone buzzed halfway to my car and I checked the text Eleanor had just sent me.
NAP TIME IS OVER
I jumped in the car, refreshed my speed spell, and hoped I made it back to Sweetland without being seen.
* * *
CHAPTER
TEN
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There was less than a week now until the mayor's ball. Every time I stepped outside of Mystic, or even into the back room, Eleanor would demand to know where I was going. She wanted to make sure I didn't slip away again for another extended afternoon nap.
"Where are you going?" she snapped as I headed for the sink.
"To wash my hands," I said, trying not to get annoyed. I'd brought this on myself. My little visit to Renee's the other day had ended up taking me three hours including travel time. I had to remember to work on my speed spells. I bet Eleanor could have made it to Mistmoor and back in half that time.
The breakfast rush passed quickly, and the lunch rush even quicker. Dinner was next. People liked to pick things up for desserts or snacks or even breakfast the next morning so they could skip the morning rush. Sheriff Knoxx came in between rushes. He was holding a picnic basket and grinning.
"Oh, no," Eleanor said when she saw him, wagging her finger at him. "I told you before I have no time to picnic."
"It's for later," he said. "When you're done here. I just thought I'd pick up a little dessert to add to the basket and give you a sneak peek."
He opened the lid and wonderful aromas of roasted chicken and baked potatoes erupted from the basket. It was like we'd stepped out of a bakery and into a Michelin-star restaurant.
"You made that?" I asked, impressed.
"Well..." Sheriff Knoxx said, blushing. "I might have gotten a little help from Grayson Redfern and the chefs at The Golden Goose."
The Golden Goose was considered the finest restaurant on Heavenly Haven. Grayson Redfern was the owner. Even though it was in Mistmoor Point, the residents of Sweetland Cove made nightly pilgrimages there just for the food. It was such a fine restaurant that it was considered neutral territory in our town's rivalry. The food was just too good to begrudge anyone from eating it.
"Mmm..." Eleanor said. "It smells delicious."
"And Grayson gave me strict reheating instructions, though he did say it would be best if we didn't wait too long. I was hoping maybe you could sneak out of here a little early."
Trixie sneezed behind them and Sheriff Knoxx uttered a "Bless You," never taking his eyes off Eleanor, who was biting her lower lip.
"I don't know," she said.
"Oh, go on, Aunt Eleanor," I told her. "An hour early won't hurt."
"But we have so much to do for the ball. The cake... the pastries..."
"I'll stay a little late and work on them. I kind of owe you some overtime, don't I? For that extended lunch I took the other day?"
Her expression changed. "That's true." Suddenly, she was smiling. "All right," she told the sheriff, then gave him a box of peanut butter dream bars to add to the basket.
"That's a good idea the sheriff had," my dad said. "I wish I'd thought of that for Sadie. We've got a date tonight." He furrowed his brow, thinking. Sadie Belle was my dad's girlfriend. Sort of. If they'd been younger, he might have referred to her as the girl he was "going steady" with but they were both in their late forties now and "going steady" seemed like a kid's term. They were dating was how he usually put it. Girlfriend might have been going a little too far at this stage in the game but I thought that's where it was heading.
Trixie sneezed again and we all turned to her. "Bless you," we said.