Yuletide Blend

by Kennedy Layne

  I let myself breathe a bit, grateful that Bobby hadn’t taken my question the wrong way. Why was Santa Claus joining the search, though, when he didn’t even have a stake in the petting zoo?

  I say we head back to town so that you can go question the petting zoo owner, while I go and spend quality time with my BFF.

  “And neighbors, I think,” Bob said, scrunching his nose in thought. “Santa was talking to Mrs. Finley for a while, too. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but I’m hoping she didn’t tell Santa about the time that I rode my bike through her front yard. I left tracks and everything, but it was just because it had rained a lot and I was late for dinner.”

  Karen Finley? The image of her hurrying into her house without even taking the time to wave to us flashed through my mind. Why had Kris Kringle been talking to Karen? Had we missed something important?

  “See ya!”

  Bobby took off running, eager to get back to his treehouse to wait for Randy’s arrival. Mom and I were left watching him disappear into the woods, both of us knowing what we needed to do now.

  I’m not going to get to spend quality time with my BFF today, am I? Raven, you realize that I’m going to have to report you to Santa Claus, right? Your name is definitely going on the naughty list.

  Chapter Seven

  It looked as if I was still on the nice list…at least, temporarily.

  Leo ended up getting his wish to spend some quality time with Beetle, because by the time we’d trucked out of the small patch of woods and through some of the yards, Karen Finley had left her house. We’d even knocked on the front door to no avail. We’d had no choice but to drive to the diner after sending a quick text to Heidi that she and Ted should meet us for lunch.

  Of course, Ted declined our offer. Instead, he walked over to the boutique to visit Beth, leaving Heidi, my mother, and myself to eat lunch while trying to figure out who owned a drone that we could borrow for the afternoon. We’d also taken a seat by the window, leaving me a somewhat clear view of the festivities that were just getting geared up for the day in town square.

  “I texted Liam to see if he knew of anyone who owned a drone,” I said before eating the last of my fries. I wiped my fingers with my napkin. “He said that he doesn’t know anyone off the top of his head, but he liked the idea so much that he was going to put it into the budget for the sheriff’s office at the beginning of the new year.”

  “I can make that happen,” Heidi said with a smile before taking a sip of her soft drink. “I have a meeting with the treasurer next week to go over the town’s finances. Hey, I didn’t get to tell you about my meeting with Cora.”

  “Unless that story ends up with her deciding to sell her house and move out of town, I don’t want to talk about that woman,” my mother said with a grimace, pushing away her plate as if she’d lost her appetite. She’d already eaten her sandwich, though, so the only thing left was part of the crust and the pickle. Who didn’t like pickles? I stole it from her plate, not wanting it to go to waste. “Getting back to this missing reindeer, there is one thing we haven’t considered.”

  My mother looked pointedly at me, purposefully casting the Marigold arch of her eyebrow in my direction. We all were very careful not to mention witchcraft in public, just as we were always mindful of how we spoke to Leo when other people were around. Mom was trying to point something out in a manner too obvious for my comfort.

  “I’m pretty sure we covered all the angles,” I said, hoping that my mother would follow my lead. I even arched my brow in response. “Liam said that he drove a mile outside of town on either side going five miles per hour on the side of the road. He didn’t notice any tracks in the snow, but that doesn’t mean that the reindeer didn’t take one of the back roads. I say we split up, and check on that other lead when we come back to town.”

  The lead I was referring to was obviously Karen Finley. I’d fully expected to find her at the diner, but she was nowhere to be found. I leaned over until my forehead was pressed against the window, hoping to catch sight of Kris Kringle. I checked the agenda for today’s festivities, but the red suit wasn’t due to appear until six o’clock this evening. That didn’t mean he couldn’t put in an earlier appearance. From what Bobby Hurst had said, Santa had been in town earlier talking with a lot of the residents…Karen Finley, in particular.

  “I’m talking about Aunt Rowena,” my mother murmured, as if I should have known that all along. She craftily held up her coffee cup to hide her lips from anyone watching. “You know…an animal sacrifice.”

  I’m pretty sure that Heidi’s carbonated drink came out of her nose. Unfortunately, her coughing fit garnered almost everyone’s attention in the entire diner. Even the cook had leaned out over the counter to make sure that no one was dying.

  “She’s fine,” I called out with a smile, causing Eugene and Albert at the counter to wave their hands back at me. Once Heidi had wiped her nose with a napkin and managed to clean up what had spilled on the table with mine, everyone had pretty much gone back to their own conversations. Once the coast was clear, I shot daggers at my mother. “What is wrong with you, Mother?”

  “Oh, don’t give me that,” she said dismissively. “No one is listening to what we have to say, Raven. Besides, you can’t tell me that the thought of Aunt Rowena having something to do with ruining Paramour Bay’s Christmas festivities hasn’t crossed your mind.”

  Well, when Mom put it like that…a quick vision of Aunt Rowena holding hands with Krampus strolling down River Bay popped into my mind.

  I shifted uncomfortably, leaning back against the padded seat as I thought over the ramifications of my mother’s theory. As far as I was aware, Aunt Rowena didn’t dabble in dark magic, but she occasionally kept company with some questionable characters.

  “I’m telling you now,” Heidi whispered fiercely, leaning forward in a spurt of protectiveness. “If that woman so much as hurt a hair on that reindeer’s adorable head, I will drive Leo up to Windsor myself and let him have at her with no holds barred.”

  It appears someone is speaking my language. Tell my beloved Heidi that I’ve forgiven her for those Jeremiah Johnson throwback boots. I’m locked and loaded on my edibles, so we can hit the road right now. Chop-chop. Time’s a wasting. I’ll use her floor mats to sharpen my claws en route.

  “No one is going anywhere,” I murmured, letting Heidi know that Leo had joined the table discussion. It sounded as if he were on the other side of the table, but I couldn’t be sure. “Heidi, Aunt Rowena doesn’t dabble in that type of magic.”

  “That we know of,” my mother added, finishing off what had to be her lukewarm tea. She set her cup back down on the table before reaching into her purse. “Lunch is my treat. I think while you girls look for the missing reindeer, I’ll take a drive up north just to see which way the winds are blowing.”

  “Mom, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I hedged, thinking back to the original agreement we made on All Hallows’ Eve. “We told Aunt Rowena that we weren’t going to have anything to do with the coven war nor takes sides. You can’t just go traipsing up to her front door, accusing her of stealing our reindeer for an animal sacrifice.”

  Actually, I might pay money to see that. Yours, of course, but it would be money well spent.

  “Who said anything about ringing the woman’s doorbell?” My mother shook her head in incredulity, probably asking herself how she raised such a dramatic daughter. “I’ll just take a drive through your grandmother’s old neighborhood. If I happen to spot a horse hauler sitting in Aunt Rowena’s driveway or large hoofprints and piles of brownies in her yard, then we know she had something to do with this little mystery of ours. If all looks well, I’ll be back in time for dinner.”

  We won’t be waiting, if that’s what you’re wondering.

  My mother swiped the check from the table with a roll of her eyes before scooting out of the booth. She reached back for her purse, already having the cash in hand to take up to the r
egister. I couldn’t believe that she was actually driving an hour north to ensure that Aunt Rowena hadn’t abducted a reindeer for some type of blood ritual.

  “Mom, do you know something that you’re not telling me?” I whispered warily, grabbing her wrist before she could walk away. “Remember, we promised that we wouldn’t keep any more secrets.”

  And do you recall how well that went? I thought we were on our way to the hospital the night you told her that you’d come clean with Liam about being a witch. As a matter of fact, I’m still not sure she didn’t suffer some sort of aneurysm. She must have clutched her head for a good thirty minutes.

  “Raven, there is no such thing as being too careful,” my mother advised me, patting my hand with the check as if I had no clue how the supernatural realm worked these days. “We’re simply keeping an eye on our adversary. It’s a wise precaution. Now, I’m going to pay for our meal, tell Beetle that I’ve decided to drive around to look for the missing reindeer, and grab one of your tea samples from the shop to enjoy on my trip.”

  Heidi and I exchanged worried glances, knowing full well that my mother’s good intentions could vanish as fast as Randy had from the petting zoo last night.

  “I’m coming with you, Ms. M,” Heidi sighed in resignation. She grabbed her gloves and hat, following my mother’s lead, who was already walking toward the front counter. “You owe me, Raven. At least one trip north. They have some amazing outlet malls up that way.”

  Does this mean I have to stay with you? Heidi can get real feisty really quick, you know. If she spots a trailer or any hoofprints, I’m going to miss all the action.

  I began collecting my own winter gear, deciding that I’d stop by the tea shop, too. Once I made sure that Beetle had things covered and didn’t need any help, I’d see if I couldn’t locate Karen Finley. She had to be somewhere, and there was one person who would no doubt have that information. As for Leo, he was definitely coming with me.

  You’re planning to use me as bait to lure that antlered brute back into town square, aren’t you? You should know that they don’t eat cats. They’re herbivores, so it’s not going to happen, Raven, not even for all the premium organic catnip in the world. Have you seen those pointy spears on their heads? Have you seen my crooked tail? My balance isn’t what it used to be. I’d like to keep what’s left of my hide intact, thank you very much.

  “Hi, fellows,” I greeted Eugene and Albert, who were still sitting on their stools at the counter. “You haven’t seen Otis, have you? I was hoping he could tell me where to find Karen. I was over at their house, but she wasn’t home.”

  “Otis was with Liam the last time we saw him,” Eugene replied, glancing at Albert for confirmation. The older man just nodded his head as he continued to eat his chili. “They were headed into the police station with the mayor when we came into the diner. It’s darn cold out there, and we’re no closer to finding that reindeer than we were this morning when we started.”

  “Mom and I went searching that small patch of woods behind Otis’ house,” I said as I put my hat back on. “No luck, other than little Bobby Hurst putting out some sugar cookies in hopes that the reindeer will show up. I was thinking of driving up and down the side streets leading out of town, maybe even heading over to the lakefront properties to see if they had heard about the search.”

  Maybe we can pay a visit to the local werewolf librarian while we’re over there. Who knows, maybe that card shark knows where the antlered brute has wandered off to. He’s got quite the sniffer when it comes to wildlife.

  “Were you asking about Karen?” Paula was standing behind the counter with a pot of coffee, refilling the mugs one by one until she stood in front of Eugene. “She was in here earlier, asking if we had any stale bread.”

  My witchy senses were on high alert, but the palm of my hand didn’t warm at the latest news. Wouldn’t I experience some sense of energy if Randy were in any true danger?

  The fact that you referred to your gift as a witchy sense concerns me greatly, Raven.

  “Stale bread?” I began to put on my leather gloves, thinking a stop at the police station was in order before checking on Beetle. Otis had to know where Karen was, right? “Why would Karen want stale bread?”

  “She said something about feeding the ducks, though I didn’t know there were any this close to town. Last I saw them was near the canals over by waterfront properties,” Paula replied with a shrug. “You want a hot cup of tea to go? You’ll want something to keep you warm if you’re about to go back out there and look for that reindeer. Poor thing. The owner was in this morning and is just beside himself. He said that Randy was the sweetest reindeer of them all.”

  “Barry was telling us the story of how those reindeer came to be on the farm,” Eugene said, picking up his mug that Paula had just refilled with fresh coffee. He rested his elbows on the counter. “It’s quite the tale, especially when you have to wonder how nine of them roamed this far south.”

  Umm, not to give any more credibility to your original theory about the jolly ol’ fellow in the red suit…but does that number stick out to you at all?

  Nine reindeer? I began singing off the names of those very special ones in the famous song in my mind. Sure enough, there were nine of them. No doubt a coincidence, right?

  “I think after this delicious bowl of chili, I’m going to head south,” Albert informed us, wiping his mouth with a napkin before patting his belly. “Right to my couch in front of the television, where I can take my afternoon nap. I’m going to leave the search of the missing reindeer to all of you young ones. My arthritis has been acting up, and I’m going to be hurting tonight. Speaking of which, Otis can’t say enough about that tea blend you make him every week. You wouldn’t happen to have some more of that stuff, would you, Raven?”

  Have you thought about raising your prices? The cost of premium catnip…I mean, cost of living and all that.

  “I certainly do,” I replied, making a mental note to double the next batch of the magical blend I’d become a pro at creating through repetition. I’d certainly come pretty far in my lessons for creating medicinal remedies. That confidence fueled my need for answers to this missing reindeer mystery. There had to be a spell in the family grimoire that could help somehow, some way. “You two have a good day.”

  Back to this nine reindeer thing…

  “I’m in full agreement,” I muttered once we were outside. “Do you see what I see?”

  Did you hear what I hear? Never mind. That probably went right over your head. Are you talking about the man who just pulled a truck into the parking space that my beloved Heidi left vacant after she accompanied the Mistress of the Dark on their little holiday mission they might not return from in one piece?

  “Don’t be so melodramatic. That man parking in front of the tea shop is none other than Barry Mina, the owner of the petting zoo. I recognize him from last night. I think it’s time we had a little chat with him ourselves, don’t you?”

  That was a rhetorical question, right? I thought good ol’ Albert had an outstanding idea of how to spend the rest of the afternoon. Hey, where are you going? Gosh darn it, Raven…

  Chapter Eight

  “Mr. Mina?”

  I had quickly made my way across the street when I saw that the coast was clear of traffic, not even bothering to use the crosswalk. Believe it or not, a lot of the residents actually obeyed the law, only using the stylized cobblestone walkways that had been beautifully designed and inserted many, many years ago to enhance Paramour Bay’s small-town character of a picturesque bayside New England village.

  The owner of the petting zoo was dressed for the weather in his salt-stained Carhartt bib overalls, looking exactly like the farmer he was…prepared for Mother Nature’s fickle ways. It was easy to tell that he had on more layers than me, and he even had one of those hats with the flaps that came down over his ears.

  “Can I help you, miss?”

  “I hope so,” I replied, falling i
nto step with Barry when it was clear he wasn’t going to stop in the middle of the sidewalk. His gaze was trained on town square up ahead. “I helped search for Randy last night, but I was hoping to get a bit more information from you.”

  “Like what?” Barry shook his head in real concern. “Randy and the others have been with me for many years. He wouldn’t just wander away, especially this time of year. He loves these events, meeting new people and all. The others are beside themselves, and they wouldn’t even get back into the trailer last night without him. I had to bring more straw out for them so that they’d be comfortable bedding down in the pen overnight.”

  What’s that ache in my heart? I don’t like it, Raven. Make it go away. It burns!

  Leo was dramatizing, as usual. With that said, my heart hurt for the other reindeer, too. They were worried about their friend, which put a completely different spin on this case.

  “Mr. Mina, are you saying that you believe someone took Randy?”

  I knew it! There’s been a reindeer-napping. This makes all the difference in the world, Raven. I was willing to accept that our horny brute might go out and sow his wild oats, but a reindeer-napping is completely unacceptable. I mean, it could easily have been me they took!

  “I explained to Liam that Randy wouldn’t just wander off like that, but I can’t prove it.”

  By this time, we’d made it to town square. The winter wonderland was beginning to show signs of life, with a few of the kids taking advantage of their school break to engage in a well-supervised snowball fight. Of course, throwing snowballs at the younger children was considered off limits for even the most competitive among them. They were all busy stockpiling ammunition for what seemed to be an upcoming epic conclusion to their ongoing battle. It seemed that yesterday’s snow forts had become massively reinforced and highly complex in their effort to improve their chances of defeating their opponents.