Jingle Spells

by Rose Pressey

  “Yes, we survived.” I chuckled nervously. “We’re just going to stop by and get Mildred at the cottage, if that’s okay with you.”

  “Sure, no problem. So how was everything last night? No sign of the strange man, I hope.” Laura leaned forward from the backseat.

  “Elly thought she saw someone at the house this morning before sunrise. They left footprints in the snow,” Mary Jane blurted out.

  I glared at Mary Jane. “I thought we agreed not to say anything.”

  Mary Jane shrugged. “Sorry, I got carried away.”

  “What?” Laura screeched. “I was joking when I asked if everyone survived. I never thought this freak would actually follow you home.”

  “Well, actually, I heard a noise and I thought it might be the strange man,” I said.

  “What about the footprints?” Laura asked.

  “The footprints could have been from a neighbor,” I said.

  Mary Jane scoffed. “That’s highly unlikely.”

  “That’s strange,” Laura said.

  “What’s strange?” I asked.

  “I heard a strange noise last night. I looked out the window, but I didn’t see anything.”

  “That’s exactly what happened to me,” I said. “I hope it’s really not him.”

  “Now I’m even more terrified. I never thought the man would find our homes,” Laura said.

  “We don’t know that it was him. We should try to remain calm,” I said.

  “I hope he doesn’t show back up again today.” Mary Jane sighed.

  “If he does I’m going to ask him exactly what he thinks he’s doing. And furthermore, I’ll tell him that he’s not welcome at the café.”

  “You tell him, Elly,” Mary Jane said with a pump of her fist.

  Mary Jane pulled into the bed-and-breakfast drive. We hopped out of the car.

  “I’ll go get her and be right back,” I said.

  I headed over to the door and knocked. While I waited I looked around for any sign of the strange man. Yes, I was still on high alert. It would probably take a while before I finally calmed down. So far there was no answer at Mildred’s door, so I knocked again. I pulled out my phone and sent a text message.

  Mildred, this is Elly. I’m knocking on your door. Are you awake?

  “Hello, Mildred?” I called out.

  A strange feeling came over me and I started to worry just a bit. Why wasn’t she answering the door? She knew what time I was coming to pick her up. Maybe she was still asleep. I hoped it was something as innocent as that and not something far more dangerous. I looked back at Mary Jane in the car and she shrugged. I knocked one more time. I wasn’t sure what I would do if she didn’t answer.

  Now I was really starting to panic. I called out to her, but of course, I got no answer. Turning around, I hurried back over to the car.

  Mary Jane lowered the window. “What’s wrong?”

  “She’s not answering the door and I’m really starting to freak out.”

  “Maybe she’s just a really heavy sleeper,” Mary Jane said.

  “I bet that’s it,” Laura said.

  I nodded. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Maybe I can get the phone number for her cottage or have the innkeeper call. She’s not answering her phone or text messages.”

  “That’s probably the best idea,” Mary Jane said.

  “I’ll be right back,” I said.

  As I headed over to the innkeeper’s office, I scanned my surroundings for any sign of the strange man or Mildred. The innkeeper’s place was the main house of the bed-and-breakfast. The cute little place had little cottages spread around the property.

  I raced up to the door and pressed the bell. I shifted from foot to foot anxiously waiting for someone to answer. No one was coming to the door and now I was starting to panic even more.

  “Hello?” I called out.

  Again I knocked on the door frantically. I looked over at the car. Mary Jane and Laura were watching me. I tossed my hands up, not knowing what to say. Mary Jane shrugged. I didn’t know what to think either and I didn’t know what to do next. Had I lost Mildred?

  I pounded on the door again and then finally I heard the locks shifting on the other side. The woman opened the door and glared at me.

  “What is wrong? Is something on fire?”

  I supposed in my panic I had forgotten how early it was.

  “I’m sorry for disturbing you,” I said.

  She frowned. “You should be.”

  “I’m looking for my friend and she’s not answering her door.” I pointed toward the cottages.

  “She’s probably sleeping,” the woman said with a frown.

  “Is there any way you can check on her for me? I’m worried about her.”

  “If the police come here and ask me to check on her then I’ll go in there. Or if perhaps I start smelling a foul odor.”

  “Well, aren’t you just pleasant this morning,” I said. “Not a morning person, I guess.”

  “The roosters are still sleeping,” she said. “Are you the one who runs that café? It’s always making trouble with the magic spells. What a mess you made of that. Your grandmother would’ve never done that.”

  “I’m working on it,” I said.

  The snap in my tone was evident. I liked to think that I was a morning person, but she was really trying my patience. I would just chalk it up to the fact that it was early and that she was a little grouchy.

  “Nevertheless, can you call her?” I asked. “I tried her cell phone, but she doesn’t answer.”

  “What makes you think she’ll answer for me?” she asked.

  “Wishful thinking, I suppose. Will you just try? I think she might be in danger. Did you see a strange man roaming around here recently?”

  “There’s a lot of strange people in Mystic Hollow. I don’t keep tabs on them.”

  “Okay, did you see anyone stranger than usual in Mystic Hollow?” I asked.

  “No, I did not,” she said.

  She walked over to the desk where her phone was located and I followed her. She glared at me as she picked up the receiver and pushed the buttons.

  “I could be sleeping right now,” she mumbled under her breath.

  I’d let that comment go.

  She held the phone up to her ear for a bit and then she hung it up. “There was no answer, sorry.”

  “So you won’t check the room?” I asked again.

  “No can do,” she said.

  Now I would have to think of another plan. Could I break into the room?

  “Thanks for all your help,” I said sarcastically.

  My snarkiness wasn’t lost on her. She was smart. I hadn’t meant to make an enemy by going in there so early. It was an honest mistake. Nevertheless, I walked out of the innkeeper’s place and headed back toward the car. I hoped I could make amends at some point with the bed-and-breakfast owner. I could always send her a pie. Yes, that was exactly what I would do. Maybe I’d sprinkle it with a little spell to make her happy.

  When I reached the car Mary Jane lowered the window again and asked, “What did you find out?”

  “She didn’t answer the phone and the bed-and-breakfast owner isn’t a morning person.”

  Mary Jane frowned. “That’s too bad.”

  “What do we do now?” Laura asked.

  “Well, I have an idea, but it is a bit crazy,” I said.

  “You having a crazy idea isn’t exactly a new thing,” Mary Jane said.

  I shook my head. “I know I’ve had crazy ideas, but sometimes they’re necessary.”

  “What’s the idea?” Mary Jane asked.

  “I think I should try to sneak into the room,” I said.

  “How do you think you’re going to do that if the door is locked?” Mary Jane asked.

  “Well, there’s a window and I was hoping maybe it would be unlocked.”

  “I suppose you could try it, but it’s unlikely.”

  “It’s worth a shot,” I said.
“You guys want to come with me?”

  “Do I want to? No. Will I? Yes,” Mary Jane said as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

  I looked at Laura. She grimaced but then also unbuckled her seatbelt. The women got out of the car and followed me as we headed across the way toward the cottage. Of course, I was still on the lookout for the man.

  “I sure hope nothing happened to Mildred,” I said.

  But I had a bad feeling.

  When we reached the door, I knocked again, hoping that this time would produce a different outcome. After a few seconds though I realized it wasn’t going to be any different.

  “Okay, you guys be the lookouts for me. I’m going to try that window over there.” I pointed to the left corner of the building. “If the owner sees me messing around with the window I’m sure she’ll call the police.”

  “What do you think she’ll do?” Laura asked with wide eyes.

  “Let’s just say I might be injured.”

  She swallowed hard. “I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

  “You and me both,” I said. “All right, here goes nothing.”

  I turned and headed for the window. I left the paved path area and stepped over onto the grass so that I could reach the window. Once there, I paused and looked to see if anyone was watching.

  With my heart beating faster, I reached and shoved the window. It opened. This made me even more anxious because now I would find out the truth. What if the man had broken in and had murdered Mildred?

  I turned and gave Laura a thumbs up, letting her know that I would be going inside. I sure hoped they kept an eye out for me while I did this. But then I realized how would I get in the window? I needed a little bit of a boost. I looked back at Laura and motioned for her to come over. She glanced at Mary Jane. I couldn’t see Mary Jane because she was at the door. Ultimately Laura came over.

  “I need a little bit of a boost,” I said. “Put your hands out.”

  She put her hands together and let me put my foot on them so that I could reach the window. I grunted as I strained to get my body on the ledge. After a lot of huffing and puffing I made it. That had looked a lot easier than it actually was. I scooted my body halfway through the window.

  The room was dark. I couldn’t really see anything as I tumbled to the floor. I managed to get to my knees and tried to look around. There was just a little bit of light coming through the crack in the drapery. There was no sign of Mildred. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and turned on the flashlight. I scanned the area. She wasn’t on the bed, but her luggage was here.

  I hurried over to the bathroom and turned on the light. She wasn’t in the shower and she was nowhere in sight in the room. I went over to the bed and looked under it. Why she would be under there I had no idea, but nevertheless, I wanted to make sure she wasn’t there. Now what would I do? Should I go out the door and tell Mary Jane what I’d discovered? Or go back through the window? I had to contact the police and no matter what I told them it would look suspicious that I’d climbed into the room through the window.

  I supposed since I would have to explain that I’d climbed through the window I might as well just go out the door. No sense in going through the effort of crawling back through the window. Besides, I wasn’t the most athletic person around anyway.

  When I opened the door, Mary Jane jumped back and screamed. She clutched her chest. “You scared me.”

  Laura must still be around at the window waiting for me. I moved over and peeked around the side of the building.

  “Laura,” I whispered. “You can come back now.”

  “What happened in there?” Mary Jane asked, peeking into the dark room.

  “She is nowhere in there. But her belongings are still there.”

  Mary Jane’s face dropped. “This isn’t good.”

  “Tell me about it. I think I have to call the police now. And after that unfortunately I’ll have to call Tom.”

  “He’s not going to like this,” Mary Jane said.

  “Do you think I can keep it from him?” I asked.

  Mary Jane frowned. “I don’t think you can keep anything from Tom.”

  “Unfortunately, I think you’re right,” I said.

  Mary Jane, Laura, and I paced along in front of the tiny cottage while I dialed the police. When the 911 operator answered she asked what my emergency was.

  “I’d like to report a missing person. I think it’s urgent. I’m at the cottages on Whitman Rd. It’s cottage number two. The person missing is Mildred Melton. All her belongings are here, but she’s nowhere in sight. What if she was kidnapped? There was a strange man lurking around the café last night watching her.”

  “How do you know she didn’t go out for breakfast?” The woman asked.

  “What? No, that’s not what happened.”

  “I don’t know if that’s an emergency,” she said. “Is the person in danger?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “Maybe she just left of their own free will,” she said.

  “I don’t think she would leave her belongings behind,” I said in a snippy tone.

  I knew it was early but everybody around here was just being rude.

  After a pause, I heard her typing and then she said, “Someone will be there soon.”

  The call ended.

  “I guess they’re sending someone,” I said when I got off the phone.

  “What do you mean you guess?” Mary Jane asked.

  “She didn’t seem to think it was an emergency at first until I told her that Mildred had left all of her belongings behind.”

  “Now comes the best part,” Mary Jane said.

  I slumped my shoulders. “Don’t remind me.”

  I stared at my phone for a few seconds, putting off the inevitable.

  “You might as well get it over with,” Mary Jane said.

  “What are you guys talking about?” Laura asked.

  “I have to call Tom, the detective. The one who brought Mildred here.”

  “Oh, the handsome one. Well, that shouldn’t be so bad.”

  “Yeah, but this is yet another mistake that I’ve made,” I said.

  “You didn’t do anything to her,” Laura said.

  “I should’ve been watching her more. Just the fact that she disappeared while in my care is not good.”

  “Well, you don’t know that she disappeared just yet,” Mary Jane said. “Maybe she just went for a walk to find something to eat.”

  “Without taking her money?” I said.

  “Maybe she just took some out of her wallet,” Mary Jane offered.

  “At least you’re trying to be optimistic,” I said. “I appreciate that.”

  Mary Jane shrugged and gave a half-hearted smile. “It’s what I do.”

  I touched the screen and found Tom’s number. “I hope he answers. Or maybe I hope he doesn’t and I’ll leave a voicemail. That might be better.”

  “He’ll call you back right away, so you might as well get it over with,” Mary Jane said.

  “Yes, it’s better to get it over with,” Laura added.

  “It’s ringing,” I said.

  My heart beat faster. Unfortunately, Tom answered the phone on the second ring.

  “Elly, I was just ready to call you.”

  What did that mean? He knew that Mildred had gone? Maybe she’d called him before she left. Maybe she thought that I was nuts and couldn’t stand another second of being in Mystic Café.

  “You were?” I asked. “Is everything all right?”

  “I was just calling to check on you and Mildred. How are you?” he asked with suspicion in his voice.

  He knew already that something had gone wrong. Now he was just waiting for me to admit it.

  “Did she mess up on a spell? Is it bad?” he asked.

  “No, we didn’t really get a chance to do any of that.”

  “Why not?” he asked.

  “Well, there was a strange man at the café.”

  “What kin
d of strange man?” he asked with concern in his voice.

  “I don’t know. We didn’t know him. At least Mildred said she didn’t know him. He was actually interested in her, I think. He was some sort of weirdo in the dining area. But then he was at the back of the café last night so Laura, Mary Jane and I drove Mildred to the bed-and-breakfast where she’s staying. Everything seemed fine until this morning.”

  “What happened this morning?” Tom asked.

  “Mildred isn’t here.” I rushed the words.

  “What do you mean she isn’t there?” he asked.

  “I mean she isn’t here, like disappeared. Poof. Gone.”

  “How do you know she’s gone?” Tom asked.

  “Well, I knocked on the door and called her phone. I even had the bed-and-breakfast owner call the room phone, but I got no response. So when the bed-and-breakfast owner wouldn’t open the door for me I took matters into my own hands.”

  “What did you do?” he asked.

  “I realized the window was unlocked so I went into the room. That was when I discovered she was nowhere around and her belongings are still there.”

  “This is not good,” Tom said.

  “We thought maybe she just went out for a walk, but I really don’t think that’s the case.”

  “I’ll be there soon,” he said. “Have you called the police?”

  “Yes, I have,” I said. “You’re on your way?”

  “Don’t sound so thrilled, Elly,” he said.

  “No, it’s just, I mean, is that really necessary?” I asked.

  “No offense, Elly, but this is my job. I’m a detective with the magic association.”

  “I understand, Tom, but I just thought maybe I could find her. Then you wouldn’t have to show up here.”

  “It sounds like you don’t want me there. Is there something else going on there?”

  I couldn’t tell him it was because every time I was around him the chemistry seemed to zing back and forth between us and it was unsettling.

  “Nothing else is going on,” I said.

  “Well, good, I’ll see you as soon as I can get a flight.”

  “All right, I’ll see you soon.”

  “Keep me updated on anything that happens,” Tom said.

  “I will,” I said.

  When I ended the call, Mary Jane asked, “What did he say?”

  “He’s on his way here,” I said.