We ate a quick breakfast of cereal, milk, and orange juice, and then headed out. After dropping off Mason and Nancy at school, we headed to the shop.
I’ll admit to a little anxiety before we got there. I’d definitely be putting that unbreakable spell on the glass today. And maybe an additional ward on the door that made noise to scare burglars off too.
But the worry was unfounded. Everything was exactly as Orville and I had left it the night before. The desk was still pushed firmly to the back door, and nothing looked like it had been touched. Best of all, all the windows were still intact.
Kimberly put baby Pearl in the small playpen we’d set up behind the counter for a little up and at ‘em time. She was starting to get some good hand and eye coordination, not to mention strength. She’d be getting a lot more active now. So far, we hadn’t broken down and bought an additional swing for the shop. We had a bouncer chair, which she seemed to like, a crib, and the little playpen. Right now, that was working well. Don’t fix what isn’t broke, right?
The playpen was all set up to keep her entertained too. Mason and Nancy weren’t the only ones that had made out like little bandits at Christmas.
Before we switched the sign to the open side, Kimberly walked back with me to help manhandle the desk away from the back door. Then we leaned a simple wooden chair into place under the doorknob. It seemed to work just as well, and I got my desk back.
“I really don’t know why anyone would want that middle right-hand drawer,“ she said, staring at the now gaping hole the drawer had left behind.
I turned to her. “What did you just say?”
“I said I didn’t know why anyone would want that empty drawer.”
“No, you said middle right-hand drawer, didn’t you?”
She gave me a look, then glanced over to the desk and back at me. “Yes,” she said slowly. “That is the drawer they took. Is that important?”
I was staring at the desk, thinking. “It could be. The sheriff said the thief took the left-hand drawer. I’m thinking it’s all in how you look at it.”
“You think maybe they took the wrong drawer? But what difference does it really make? They’re all empty, right?”
“Yes, but the sheriff and I only checked that one drawer thoroughly.” Something I would rectify today.
“Oh, maybe there’s a false bottom or secret compartment? How cool.”
Yeah. So cool, it cost me a damaged desk and a broken back door. But I didn’t say that.
The little bell on the front door rang, and Kimberly gave a grimace. “Duty calls. Let me know if you find anything, okay?”
“You betcha.”
It annoyed me that people ignored the closed sign. Happened all the time, though. If the lights were on, they just assumed we’d forgotten to turn the sign. So they just walked on in. I couldn’t get too mad about it, though, because sometimes they were right.
I’d barely turned around before Kimberly’s head popped back through the curtain. “Um, Opal? There are some people here to see you.”
I opened my mouth to ask her who but thought it would save time to just go and see for myself. Striding out through the curtains into the main shop, I was rather surprised to see Maude Fontaine and Theodore Kramer, Attorney at Law, standing at my counter.
For what it’s worth, Maude was smiling. Showing a whole lot of perfectly white teeth too. Some people would see that as a bad sign. Predatory, even. And yes, I was one of them.
“You wanted to see me?” I asked, stepping up behind the counter.
Maude nodded. “Yes, we did.” She glanced over at Kramer, obviously the sign for him to take over.
“We’d like to purchase back Malcolm Fontaine’s work desk. It was... accidentally sold in the estate auction. Maude had wanted to keep it for sentimental purposes.”
I thought about it. Still didn’t make sense. People keep a lot of things for sentimental purposes. But those things weren’t usually large pieces of furniture. My silence must have warned Maude of my train of thought.
“He truly loved that desk. It seemed he was always sitting at it. Writing in his journals, or even just reading the paper. I’d intended to keep it for myself... but when he passed, I’m afraid I let it get away from me.”
Sorry, still not buying it. And I decided I wanted to get a bit more information before saying anything. So I stayed clammed up.
“I’m afraid that’s my fault,” Kramer said, trying out a smile of his own. His was even more predatory than Maude’s, and that was saying something. “Maude turned the handling of the auction over to me, and I’m afraid I didn’t get her wishes accounted for before the sale.”
When they said nothing further, my time had come. I just wished Orville was here for this. “I’m afraid the desk isn’t for sale.” I paused. “In fact, it was damaged this week by a burglar that broke into my shop. The curious thing is, the burglar only seemed to be interested in that desk. Kind of like you two. I’d be mighty interested to find out why the sudden interest in a desk that had been held at the auction house for months, and I bought days ago.”
Kramer looked at Maude, whose face had turned a whole lot paler. Her fake tan didn’t look nearly as good without a little color behind it.
Finally, he turned back to me. “But you still have the desk, correct? Can I please see it?” He hesitated. “To see how bad the damage is, I mean?”
“Don’t matter how bad the damage is. Not to you, anyway. For one, I don’t allow customers in my back room. And for two, I’d already decided to keep the desk for myself. It isn’t for sale.” My eyes met Maude’s. “I do hope you thought to keep other sentimental things that will give you comfort.”
“But you haven’t heard our offer yet,” Maude said, a slightly less sure of herself smile in place. “We’re willing to give you double your money for it. And if it’s damaged, that would make the offer even more worth your while, wouldn’t it?”
She looked around the shop. I could tell from her eyes that it wasn’t her kind of place. Well, she didn’t know what she was missing, then, because the stuff I sold in my shop was quality. Some of the best things just aren’t made anymore. You’d only find them in little places like mine.
“You are out to make a profit, right?”
“Usually, yes. But I’m keeping the desk.”
Blood rushed to her cheeks and the smile, fake as it had been, vanished. She whirled to Kramer. “Can she do that?”
I folded my arms in front of me and leaned back. “I’d be interested to hear your answer to that one myself.”
Only he didn’t answer. Instead, he took her by the elbow and guided her out of the front door. Neither of them looked very happy. At all.
Which made me even more anxious to take a much closer look at that desk. We were missing something. And with any luck, the burglar had missed it too.
I LEFT KIMBERLY UP front to man the shop, and I went back to get to work. First things first, I called the new local handyman to come and fix my door. According to Orville, the door seemed to be fine. It was the latch part of the frame that seemed to be damaged. I hoped that was good news rather than bad. Either way, I wanted it fixed by the end of the day.
With that call made, and the man’s assurances that he would be out before noon to get me all fixed up, I turned again to the desk. “Now let’s see just what secrets you hold.”
I saved that middle left-hand drawer for last. I didn’t want to miss anything this time, so I went slow. Each drawer came out smoothly, and I laid them side by side on my lab’s worktable. With all the crazy goings on, I’d fallen behind with my spells and potions. My ready-made stock was quickly running out.
Whether or not I wanted to, I might have to take a dent in my pride and ask Ruby to come back. Even if it was just for a day. Between the two of us, we could knock out a lot of potions in a day’s time. Maybe I could get her to agree to work a couple of days a month. That, at least, would help me keep the shelves stocked for the busier times.
I followed the procedure that Orville had gone through. Turning each drawer upside down, feeling around all the wooden edges, and then lightly tapping on the wood for any indication of a hidden space. Nothing.
That is until I came to that middle left-hand drawer. It was pretty slick how it was done too. I almost missed it, and I was looking for it.
The inside of the drawer was a little narrower than the others. That’s because there was a small hidden space on either side. For all the world, it looked like a normal desk drawer. But once the drawer was removed, you could access the spaces by sliding a small two-inch wide piece of wood on either side of the back of the drawer up and out. Kind of like opening a battery compartment on some kind of electronic device.
Only instead of getting access to batteries, you got access to the desk’s secrets.
The right side of the drawer held two small journals. I cracked them open just long enough to see that they were written by old man Malcolm himself. That could make for interesting reading. The man had led an abundant life. And I could totally see someone who might be mentioned in the books wanting to make sure the information didn’t get out.
I really thought I’d found it. The reason my poor desk and shop door had taken a beating.
Then I looked in the left-hand space.
That space held a single, thick brown envelope. The words on the outside made me gasp. An honest to goodness gasp. Me. The family matriarch of the Ravenswind clan and the High Priestess of the Goddess herself.
The last will and testament of Malcolm Fontaine.
Crap on a stick. This was so bad. And just like that, I was dialing Orville. No way was I opening that sealed envelope without a good reliable witness.
Chapter 7
Here’s the thing. A lot of people in Wind’s Crossing didn’t think that Malcolm Fontaine’s death was one hundred percent natural.
Sure, there was an autopsy ran to put everyone’s mind at ease. Not that it really worked.
I’m a witch, and I know my herbs and potions. I’m fairly certain that I could concoct something that would kill a person and still not show up in some toxicology test. Not that I have or ever would do such a thing. I’m just saying that it’s possible.
And if I know that, then other witches know that too. Even if Maude Fontaine, Malcolm’s young and beautiful trophy wife, wasn’t a witch, it wouldn’t be hard to find one. Not all witches are as straight as an arrow like us Ravenswinds. As much as it pains me to say, some could be bought for that green stuff called money.
They’d pay for it in the end. The Goddess doesn’t go for things like that. And everything in life tends to come full circle back to you. It might take time, but it’s coming for you. I much prefer seeding good things into that circle of fate rather than bad. Makes for a much nicer future.
Kimberly and I stood staring down at the envelope while waiting for the sheriff. It was still early, and the early bird customers had made quick purchases and left. We were counting on that little bell on the front door to alert us if anyone else showed up.
Finally, she looked over at me. “You thinking maybe those nasty rumors were true after all?”
I shrugged. I’d never been convinced they were false to begin with. Malcolm might have been in his late seventies, but when I saw him at his wedding two years ago, he was a healthy and vibrant man. Two months into his marriage, that had started to change. A little too fast for my liking.
Of course, the men in town all seemed to think it was a joke. Like being married to a pretty young thing was draining off his energy. But looking into his eyes, I had thought it was much more than that.
I’d felt sorry for the man. But then, he’d made his own bed. He’d have to deal with the repercussions of his own decisions. There was always the option of divorce.
Then, about a year ago, he’d dropped completely out of the public eye. Became a recluse that never left his estate. And that just wasn’t the Malcolm I’d known all my life.
There had even been a conversation with Orville about it. The whole situation had bugged me that much. But when Orville had gotten in to see Malcolm—they couldn’t very well stop the sheriff from seeing him, now could they?—he’d said the man seemed happy enough, if a little worse for wear.
A short talk to his doctor later, and the whole thing was put to one side. At least with some people. Not so much with me.
The bell at the front rang, and I sniffed the air. Orville’s aftershave cologne came wafting through into the back.
“We’re back here, sheriff.”
He ducked through the curtain and came up to us. “So, what was so important that I had to come rushing over?”
I’d positioned myself between him and the table. “Got something to show you. You know how we couldn’t figure out what anyone would want with an empty drawer?”
He nodded.
“Well, as it turns out, they took the wrong blasted drawer. It’s the whole right hand versus left-hand thing. You thought the thief took the left-hand drawer. Kimberly and I thought they took the right-hand drawer. Kind of a how you look at things thing.”
Then I stepped to one side and motioned to the journals and thick envelope on the table behind me. Orville bent down to get a good look and then gave a whistle.
“Holy crap on a stick.”
Yeah, that had been my thought, too, only even more colorful.
“How much you wanna bet the will inside that envelope doesn’t leave everything to young Maude like the last one did?” Kimberly asked.
Orville shook his head. “Just because the envelope says the Last Will and Testament, doesn’t mean it’s actually the last one. This could be the first version, or a version written years and years ago before Maude ever entered the picture.”
I took out my handkerchief—and yes, I still used them—and reached down to gently flip the envelope over. Right there on the back was a date, written in Malcolm’s ornate and precise scrawl.
“Oh. I see.”
The date was a week prior to his death. I was pretty sure that this was the Last Will all right.
I was also pretty sure that Kimberly was right, and that it would change things pretty drastically for the young widow.
ORVILLE TOOK THE WILL, but I kept the journals. I didn’t feel bad about it, either.
The will was a legal document, and it rightly belonged in the hands of the attorney. Although, I was really hoping that Orville would insist on being present when the attorney opened the envelope. I’m not at all sure how much I trust the good Mr. Kramer, Attorney at law. It would be different if old Malcolm had used say the Mineheart Law Firm. I might not be all that fond of the Minehearts... I’m working on that... but I do trust them.
Mr. Kramer, I wasn’t so sure of. Especially after the visit to my shop this morning. At the best of times, he was kind of, well, shady. That was ever so much more polite than saying he was as crooked as the day was long. Unfortunately, the latter was true none the less.
It rather shocked me that Malcolm had entrusted him with such an important task as his will. But then again, maybe he hadn’t. Now I was kind of wishing that I hadn’t let that packet out of my sight without a gander at what was inside. It was quite possible that Malcolm had used another, more trusted attorney for this one.
In fact, the more I thought about it, the surer I was that would have been the case. I mean, if he had used Kramer, then Kramer would have known there was another, secret, will. And obviously, he hadn’t known it. Or had he?
Gah! I was conflicted. Enough so that I speed dialed Orville.
“Please tell me you don’t have another emergency,” he said in lieu of a greeting. “I just left there five minutes ago.”
“No emergency but a pretty urgent thought.” Then I paused. I hoped he would think it was as urgent as I did. Of course, he could also see it as me trying to tell him how to do his job. I didn’t want that. Just what I needed, more confliction.
“Yes?”
Ta
king a deep breath, I just blurted it out. “I’m not sure that taking that will to Kramer is the right thing to do.” Then I held my breath, hoping he didn’t take my words the wrong way. I’d told him about the visit this morning, so at least he was up to speed on that.
What did he do? He laughed.
“Oh, I’m way ahead of you there. I just got off the phone from your new brother-in-law. I’m taking it to him tonight after work.” A slight pause. “You want to tag along?”
I hesitated. I felt bad leaving Kimberly with all the kids two nights in one week. “How would you feel about having two tag alongs?”
“Only two? Why not bring the whole family and make an event of it? I’ll even spring for dinner out. Kid’s Meals for everyone.”
That’s one of the things I loved about my man. He truly got me and knew how much my family meant to me.
I smiled into the phone. “That sounds perfectly lovely. I’ll check with Kimberly and let you know.”
“No need. I’ll just plan on picking you all up around six tonight unless I hear differently. I can’t see Kimberly being too upset about a night out, can you?”
“No.” Another brief hesitation. “A night in without the kids would work for her too.”
“That would work for me, too. Either way, it’s fine with me. Little Mason needs some man time, anyway.”
“He does at that.” You see, I could take exception to Orville’s words and make an issue, but the truth was... he was right. Poor little Mason being stuck as the only male in an entire house filled with females? Sometimes I felt sorry for the little guy. Having Orville take an interest in spending time with him was a good thing.
Made me love Orville just a little bit more too. Hadn’t thought that was possible.
It took me all of two minutes to check with Kimberly. As I’d expected, she was thrilled at the prospect of a childless night. Can’t say I blamed her. Being a mom was hard work. Especially when you were doing it without a partner.
Witch Reborn Box Set: Books 1-3: Includes Gemstone Coven Holiday Shorts 1 & 2 Page 7