A Heap of Truffles

by Wendy Meadows

  “What about the coven? What does it have to do with me?” asked Margaret.

  “Well, they think the coven is doing something to the town,” said David.

  “Are you serious?” asked Margaret.

  “Yes,” said David. “They believe the coven broke into your place and has been causing problems ever since.”

  “Oh no. Patty is in that coven, you know,” said Margaret. “I have to call the store.” She called Zach and filled him in on what was happening at the station. Zach said everything was quiet at the store but would keep his eyes open for anyone suspicious lurking around. David offered to send a police officer over to her store. Margaret agreed and an officer was sent to keep an eye on Patty and Zach.

  Margaret walked over to Simone and the others.

  “What is going on here?” Margaret demanded.

  “The town is being cursed by all those stupid witches,” said Simone.

  “I really don’t think the town is under a curse,” said Margaret.

  “Well, we do and we want to know what the police are going to do about it,” said Mr. Stewart.

  With that, Margaret decided to duck out of the precinct and go back to work. She got in her car and drove to the store.

  11

  That night Margaret followed Patty home and made sure she got inside safely before driving to her own house. Zach’s car was in the driveway and the lights were on. He was just pulling some meatloaf out of the oven.

  After dinner, while Zach went into the living room to watch some television, Margaret cleaned up the dishes. As she was drying the dishes, something caught her eye. It was under one of her cabinets.

  Margaret leaned in and looked closely. It was a scrap of fabric. When Margaret tried to pick it up, the fabric stuck fast. Margaret realized the fabric was stuck behind her cabinet. She opened the cabinet and pulled the plates out. She almost dropped them when she saw what was there. It was a pouch similar to the one she had seen at Patty’s house. She opened it and found there were herbs and berries inside.

  She closed the pouch and called Zach into the kitchen. When Margaret showed it to Zach he said he had never seen it before. Margaret wondered if whoever had broken into her house had left it there. She and Zach searched the downstairs and uncovered two more pouches.

  “Let’s put these in a bag and take them to David tomorrow,” said Margaret. Zach agreed. They put the pouches in the bag and put them on the table. It was late and Margaret decided to go to bed. Zach said he was going to play some video games in his room. Margaret shut off the downstairs lights and they went to their rooms. When Margaret lay down on her bed her pillow seemed off. She lifted it up to adjust it and saw another pouch—only this one had human teeth in it. Margaret dropped that pouch and ran into Zach’s room. She tore the pillow off his bed before he could say anything. There was another pouch under his pillow.

  This was too much.

  “Don’t touch that,” Margaret demanded. She pulled out her cell phone and called David. She explained what was happening.

  “Get dressed and wait for me downstairs,” said David.

  “What is going on, Mom?” Zach asked.

  “I don’t know, but someone has been in our house again. It looks like they’re trying to curse us,” said Margaret. “Maybe we do have a bad witch in town.”

  David arrived. He told Margaret he wanted her and Zach to leave the house for the night. David had called the police and they were rounding up the members of the coven. Margaret was distressed.

  “What about Patty?” she asked.

  “She will be taken in and questioned. I’m sure she will be released immediately afterwards. We need to find out who did this and get to the bottom of it,” said David. Margaret didn’t like that they were questioning Patty, but she did understand.

  “Okay,” Margaret said. “Zach and I will go to the inn by the store tonight.”

  “That’s a good idea,” said David. “I’ll check on you later.”

  “That won’t be necessary,” said Margaret. “I’m probably going to go to sleep soon anyway if I can.”

  “Okay,” said David. “I’ll call you in the morning.”

  “Thank you,” said Margaret. She and Zach went outside.

  “Let’s take separate cars,” suggested Zach.

  “Okay,” said Margaret. “I’ll call the inn and let them know we’re coming. I have to run an errand but I’ll be there soon.”

  “Where are you going?” asked Zach.

  “I’ll let you know later,” promised Margaret.

  “Okay,” said Zach, “but be careful.”

  “I will,” Margaret replied, then drove off and Zach headed to the inn.

  12

  Margaret drove her car slowly toward the house. She had her headlights off as she coasted into a parking spot. She didn’t want anyone to know she was there. She got out of the car and carefully looked around. There was no one else around so Margaret went to the front door. She ducked under the police tape again.

  Margaret had decided to check out the Santiago house one more time. She didn’t want to tell David because he would just be upset. So would Zach, she thought. When Margaret had been there before she didn’t know what to look for, but now that she had been targeted, she started looking in José’s kitchen cabinets and other areas. Margaret found similar pouches to the ones in her house. She checked in José’s bedroom and there was one under his pillow. She looked in Michael’s room and didn’t find one. Margaret gathered the pouches and put them in a plastic bag. She put the bag in her purse and left the house. She drove over to the inn and went to her room. Zach was there waiting for her. He looked worried.

  “Where were you?” he asked.

  “I went to the Santiago house,” Margaret said.

  “Did you find anything?” Zach asked.

  “Yes. I found pouches similar to the ones in our house,” Margaret said.

  “Where are they now?” asked Zach.

  “They’re in a plastic bag in my purse,” Margaret said.

  “What are you going to do with them?” asked Zach.

  “I’ll give them to David first thing tomorrow morning,” Margaret promised. “Right now it’s time for us to get some sleep.”

  Zach agreed and they went to their beds. After a short while they were both sleeping soundly.

  The next morning Margaret delivered the pouches to David at his office.

  “Where did you get these?” he asked. “Did you find them in the store?”

  “No. Actually, I found them at the Santiago house,” said Margaret.

  “A few days ago? Why didn’t you tell me?” asked David.

  “Well, it wasn’t a few days ago. I uh—I found them last night,” said Margaret.

  “Last night?” David yelled. “Did you go there instead of going straight to the inn?”

  “Yes, and I’m fine,” said Margaret.

  David shook his head. “Okay, I’ll have the team look into these. But no more snooping around without me!”

  “I’ll try,” said Margaret, smiling. David rolled his eyes, and Margaret left. Before she went back to the store she stopped by the used book store across the street. She went inside and looked around. She was looking for books about witchcraft and spells. There was a small section on witchcraft. Just then, Margaret saw the owner.

  “Excuse me, have you had anyone looking for witchcraft books lately?” she asked, after introducing herself and showing her card.

  “Not lately, but come into the back room. I would like to show you something,” the owner said. Margaret followed him to the back room.

  “We haven’t sold any books lately, but we did have one go missing,” the owner said, speaking quietly. “I didn’t want to say anything in front of the other customers.”

  “What book went missing?” asked Margaret.

  “A book about love potions,” the owner said.

  “Thank you for that information,” said Margaret. She left the book store and
went to the candy shop. Zach was there but Patty was not. Margaret had called her that morning and told her to take the day off. Patty said the police let her go pretty quickly, but she hadn’t gotten a good night’s sleep. She thanked Margaret for the day off.

  Margaret spent the rest of the day at the candy store. Near closing time she got a frantic call from Patty.

  “Margaret, is Zach with you?” she asked.

  “Yes, he’s right here,” said Margaret. “Do you need him?”

  “No, I need you. Could you come to my house, please?”

  “Sure,” Margaret said. She told Zach where she was going and asked him to close up. She got in her car and drove to Patty’s house.

  “What is going on?” asked Margaret, when Patty let her in. Margaret saw Emily sitting on the sofa. She was in tears. There were two middle school–aged children with her and they looked distraught. One was a little girl and the other was a boy with a black eye.

  “It was awful,” Emily was saying. “I couldn’t believe the graffiti, but when Hudson came home with a black eye I knew I had to come over here.”

  “I’m glad you came,” said Patty. “Can you tell Margaret what happened?”

  Emily looked at Margaret. “I was driving home when I saw my house. Someone had spray painted symbols on my house with the words ‘you will die’ in red paint. I had heard some of the townspeople were upset with the coven, but I never thought they would do something like that.”

  “What about Hudson’s black eye?” asked Margaret, looking concerned.

  “That happened at the beach,” Emily explained. “My neighbor took the kids there to play with her children. Hudson and Jane were playing when suddenly a group of older boys surrounded Hudson. They pushed him around and before my neighbor could get there, they punched him. They teased him and Jane and called them names. My neighbor called the police but the kids were gone before they got there. My neighbor drove them home and I brought them straight here.”

  “Well, you can’t stay here,” said Margaret. “Patty, I know your husband is out of town. Do you have a place to go tonight?”

  “Yes. I can stay with my sister,” said Patty.

  “Okay. Emily, you can come with me to my house,” said Margaret.

  “Are you sure?” asked Emily.

  “Absolutely. And you know what, kids? I own the candy store in town,” Margaret said. The kids brightened up.

  “Okay, thank you,” said Emily.

  “I’m going to call a detective I know. He can meet us at my house and take your statement. He may even stay for dinner,” Margaret smiled. Emily and her children smiled back.

  “I don’t know how to thank you,” said Emily.

  “Don’t worry. I just want you and your children to be safe,” said Margaret. She called Zach and David. Zach closed the store and got some food from the deli for everyone. Emily followed Margaret back to the house and she and her children talked to David. After dinner Zach brought out a large platter of candy. The children’s eyes bugged and Emily laughed.

  “Normally I would tell them to only eat one piece, but after today they can have as much as they want,” Emily said. Margaret laughed. She got the couch and a fold-out bed set up in the living room. Zach put a sleeping bag on the floor for Hudson. Everyone settled in for a good night’s sleep.

  13

  The next morning Emily agreed to stay at Margaret’s with her children for the day. Margaret said she had an errand to run but that she would be back later. Zach agreed to watch the store. Since no one had bothered Margaret and Zach at the store, Patty said she wanted to come back to work.

  “If anything happens, Zach will be here,” Patty told Margaret.

  “Okay,” said Margaret. She wanted to leave to follow up on a clue, but she was worried about Patty.

  “I’ll call David and ask if he can have an undercover cop at the store,” said Zach.

  “Good idea,” said Margaret. “Patty, could you give me Sarah’s address?”

  “Yes,” said Patty, “although I’m not sure she wants to talk to you right now.”

  “I understand, but she’s the only one who can help me,” said Margaret.

  Margaret got Sarah’s address and went to David’s office.

  “Can I borrow some of the pouches?” she asked.

  “What for?” David asked her.

  “I want to ask someone about the contents. She would know what is in these and what they’re used for,” said Margaret.

  “Okay, but let me know what you find out,” said David.

  “I will,” promised Margaret. She took the pouches and drove over to Sarah’s house. Margaret rang the front doorbell. A minute later the door opened. When Sarah saw it was Margaret she scowled.

  “What do you want?” Sarah asked.

  “I need your help,” said Margaret.

  “Why should I help you? Ever since I met you I have been harassed by the townspeople and questioned by the police,” said Sarah.

  “I’m so sorry about that. I don’t believe you did anything wrong,” said Margaret. “I have told everyone that, but they won’t listen.”

  Sarah hesitated and then told Margaret to come in.

  “I believe you,” said Sarah. “People can be stubborn at times. Thank you for standing up for us.”

  “You’re welcome,” said Margaret.

  “What can I do for you?” asked Sarah.

  Margaret showed Sarah the pouches. “Well, I found these at José Santiago’s house. Could you tell me what they’re for?”

  Sarah opened them and looked at the contents. Margaret noticed there were no teeth in these pouches.

  “They are a love potion,” said Sarah. “These leaves are red rose leaves and this is the flower from a forget-me-not plant. There are other flowers and herbs mixed in but this is definitely a strong love potion.”

  “Thank you,” said Margaret.

  “I hope that helped you,” said Sarah.

  “I think it did,” said Margaret. She gathered the pouches and left. She went by the Santiago house once more. Margaret knew she was breaking her promise to David, but she would ask his forgiveness later. She parked the car and ducked under the police tape. Once inside she looked through José’s study. She found letters in his desk with no return address. They were love letters and they were signed by Tana Ness-Scott. Margaret found cards signed by Tana for flowers that were delivered to José’s house and some small trinkets, including a heart key chain, and a bottle of expensive aftershave that was unopened. It seemed that José had just thrown everything in the drawer. Margaret looked up the address for the camp where Tana was teaching and got in her car. Margaret drove to the camp, determined to ask Tana some questions. When she got there, however, she was told that Tana was not at the camp at the moment.

  “She’ll be back later today,” said the head counselor.

  “Does she stay here all night?” asked Margaret.

  “Yes. We ask our teachers to live here in case the kids need them at any time. Tana is allowed to leave twice a week to tutor kids at the high school.”

  “Thank you,” said Margaret. She thought about running by the school but she realized it was getting late. She drove back to the candy store and called David and told him what she had found at José’s house. After he was finished reprimanding her for breaking into the crime scene again, Margaret apologized. Then she told David she was going to stake out the camp that night and watch for Tana.

  “I’m going with you,” said David.

  “No, you’re not,” said Margaret. “I need you to stay at the house until I get home.”

  “But I’m the detective,” said David.

  “And I’m the private investigator. Please let me do my job. And please watch my son and my friends so I won’t be distracted while I do it.”

  “Fine,” David agreed. “But when you come home tonight I want to hear about everything you found.”

  “Will do,” said Margaret.

  After it got d
ark, Margaret drove back to the camp and parked her car in the thick woods As she started walking, following the sign pointing to the counselor cabins, she heard a noise. She froze, her heart beating wildly, wondering who was there. Suddenly, there was a noise right in front of her. She jumped and put her hands to her mouth to muffle the scream. She looked around. There in the path in front of her was a bunny rabbit scampering through the dry leaves.

  Snickering to herself, her heart still pounding rapidly, Margaret kept walking until she came to the woods by the cabins. She stopped, and making sure she couldn’t be seen, she watched the cabins. After an hour she of nothing, she finally saw someone exit one of the cabins. It was a woman with short dark hair. Tana, it had to be, she thought. Margaret followed her to the front of the camp and watched Tana get in a car and leave. Margaret raced back to her car. She lost Tana, but knew now that Tana had no alibi. It was clear she was able to leave the camp at night and no one would know.

  Margaret drove home. After pulling into her driveway, she got out and went to David’s car, where he was sitting and watching over her house. She told him what she had found out.

  “Are you sure Tana didn’t see you?” asked David.

  “I’m sure,” said Margaret.

  “Well, go get some sleep. I’ll be out here in my car all night if you need me,” said David.

  “I would offer you the sofa, but we have a full house,” said Margaret. David laughed.

  “I appreciate the thought,” he said.

  14

  The next morning Margaret woke up to the smell of coffee. She went downstairs, where David was making pancakes for everyone. Margaret smiled. Then she thought about Tana and frowned.

  “Stop thinking about the case and come have some coffee,” David said. Margaret laughed and took the cup David offered her. Emily’s children were thrilled with David’s ‘special’ pancakes. He had put some of Margaret’s gummy candies in the batter.

  “Candy makes everything better,” David declared, handing a stack of pancakes to Zach. Margaret and Zach laughed, and Zach dove into his breakfast. Margaret and Emily declined the pancakes at first until David said he would give them all to the children if Margaret and Emily didn’t eat them. The women sighed and enjoyed breakfast with everyone.