“I saw tiny tracks in the snow,” Petunia insisted. “That’s all I know. And where did Noah’s new decorations come from, because I didn’t have anything to do with it.”
“What does that handsome man of yours have to say about it?”
“I suspect he might believe I really am responsible, but we’re heading to the bakery later to question Chastity about it.”
“How would she know who did it?” Hazel asked.
“Chastity and Steven put up Cora’s decorations. They might have put up Noah’s too.”
“That sounds like a stretch.”
“Which is why we’re going there to ask.”
“She’ll think you’re nuts,” Wanda said. “But if that’s what you’re working toward, don’t let me stop you.”
“I don’t think that’s funny in the least. I just don’t know what else to do.”
“How about your search for the woman and boy? Anything new on that front?” Aunt Maxine asked.
“I’m still working on that, but having elves running around my house is my main concern for the day.” Petunia frowned. “Noah and I were invited to Cora’s house tomorrow night.”
“Oh my, do you think that’s wise?”
“It was all Noah’s doing. He invited her to his house. He suggested that Cora might not have any friends.”
“He has a valid point.”
“I don’t want to go to Cora’s on Christmas Eve,” Petunia complained.
“From the sound of it, it’s already settled. It will be your chance to get to know Cora better.”
“Cora might have a change of heart,” Wanda suggested.
Petunia frowned. “I don’t believe Cora will ever be okay with living so close to a witch.”
“Give her a chance,” Aunt Maxine advised.
“I will, but I believe there is something up Cora’s sleeves.”
“You’d better take your wand just in case.” Hazel laughed. “You know, just in case Cora goes loco.”
“You could take her a potion to try,” Wanda added. “The arthritis salve has worked wonders for Lucy.”
“I forbid it!” Aunt Maxine shouted. “I won’t have you using witchcraft for or against that woman. She might be annoying and a little snoopy, but she has a right to her own opinions. If she thinks magic has even come close to her there’s no telling what might happen.”
“I’m with you on that, Aunt Maxine,” Petunia said. “Besides, at the moment I’m more worried about invisible elves running amok in my house. It’s why I’m staying at Noah’s house tonight … oops.”
“You’re staying at Noah’s house tonight?” Hazel asked with widened eyes. “Did you hear that, Maxine?”
Aunt Maxine frowned. “I had no idea that your relationship with Noah had moved that far.”
“But I thought that’s what you wanted,” Petunia said mischievously. “My cats are already over there. I’ll have to pack a small bag, of course, or do you think that will be too obvious to the neighbors?”
“It will certainly be fuel for Cora’s fire.”
“Everyone knows you’ve wanted me to marry Noah, Aunt Maxine,” Petunia said innocently.
“I don’t appreciate your humor at the moment, young lady. Go home and find those elves before something dreadful happens.”
“You’re right. They might decorate all the houses in Lake Forest.”
“It would be hard to pick a winner then,” Wanda said.
“I don’t think the elves have any intention of doing that,” Aunt Maxine said. “They’re being mischievous, but they’ll appear to you soon.”
“She makes it sound as if she knows all about elves. Is there a secret you’re keeping from us?” Hazel sniveled. “And here I thought I knew all there was to know about you, Maxine.”
“Petunia doesn’t have time for this right now. She has to take her cats back home.”
“I can’t bring them back in the house now. They were so frightened today that Merlin took off. I won’t put my cats through that trauma again.”
“You’d better get busy and find the elves then,” Wanda said. “How did Noah react when you told him about the elves?”
Aunt Maxine’s face whitened and she fanned her face with a folder that was lying nearby.
“Don’t worry, I’d never tell Noah about the elves. He’d never be able to understand,” Petunia sighed. “I barely believe it myself.”
“Call me if you find the rascals,” Aunt Maxine said as she strolled out the door.
Petunia hugged herself on the walk back home. It was looking hopeless right now, and that was only about finding the elves. She still had to find the woman who called herself Mallory and, of course, Timmy. The little boy wasn’t far from her thoughts.
She glanced across the street, admiring the mayor’s mansion, which sported all green lights attached to the edges of the roof and around the door, with spotlights of the same color positioned toward the mansion.
Petunia was paying so much attention to the decorations that she almost missed a woman crossing the street with a young boy. Could it be Mallory and Timmy? She stopped herself from rushing across the street and hurried to the crosswalk, where, sure enough, Deputy Cartwright was waiting for the light to turn. She would have seen Petunia jay walking again.
Petunia slipped across the street, barely making it to the other side before the green light.
“Stop that woman!” Petunia called out.
The woman didn’t stop and Petunia pursued her around the block, where she lost them. It was as if they disappeared, which wasn’t at all possible, but there was nowhere else they could have gone. A brick wall separated the businesses on Main Street, including city hall and the mayor’s house. There were no homes across the street. Petunia rubbed her eyes and when she opened them again the woman and child were still gone. Perhaps it wasn’t the woman she had been searching for, but still, where could the pair have gone?
Deputy Cartwright shined her spotlight on Petunia, who raised a protective hand to deflect the light. Cartwright then activated the bubble lights on her squad car, and Petunia walked to the vehicle.
“You nearly scared me to death,” Petunia said.
“What are you doing lurking around here after dark?” Cartwright asked.
“Is walking a crime now?”
“It is when you begin shouting and run around the corner like you just robbed a candy store.”
“Ha ha,” Petunia laughed. “I thought I saw the woman Sheriff Pinkerton told me about. The Grand Rapids police called him and told him about the missing woman.”
“It wasn’t the police….”
“Oh?” Petunia asked as she rested her hands on the car’s door frame. “That’s strange that the sheriff would be searching for the woman if the police didn’t call. I still can’t believe the woman’s name is such a mystery.”
“So is that why you’re out here tonight, looking for that woman and her little boy?”
“Yes, and I almost caught up to them. I mean I thought it might be them, but I suppose I’ll never know now.”
“Why is that?”
“Because they were gone by the time I came around the corner.”
“I imagine you might have spooked them … or it might not have been them at all. I expect dispatch to call me any moment with a report of a crazy woman chasing after them.”
Petunia straightened her back. “It would seem to me that a deputy would be more interested in finding a missing woman than harassing the residents of Lake Forest.”
Petunia didn’t wait for Cartwright to respond as she marched back across the street and walked to Noah’s house.
10
Aunt Maxine opened Noah’s door with an arched brow. “Oh, look who it is.”
Petunia didn’t know if she was talking to her or Noah, who was lingering near the door, coat in hand.
Petunia elected not to rise to her aunt’s bait. “Are you ready, Noah?” she asked.
“Where are you two going i
n such a hurry?” Aunt Maxine asked.
“Noah and I are going to the bakery.”
“For what, precisely?”
“What’s going on here?” Pansy said as he slinked over.
“I thought you could tell me.”
“Sorry, I’ve got nothing.”
“Since when is going to the bakery an odd occurrence?” Petunia asked Aunt Maxine.
Aunt Maxine’s eyes narrowed for a moment. “Are you ordering a wedding cake?”
“Wedding cake?” Noah asked.
“I don’t have a reason to order a wedding cake unless you found yourself a man, Aunt Maxine.”
“I don’t find that a bit funny, young lady.” Aunt Maxine frowned. “I came here to stop Petunia from making a horrible mistake.”
“Now it’s getting interesting,” Pansy smirked.
“Horrible mistake?” Petunia asked.
Aunt Maxine glanced at Noah. “My granddaughter won’t be staying here tonight. It’s quite inappropriate. I won’t allow her to make the same mistake I made.”
Petunia slumped to a chair. “It’s not like I was planning to warm his bed.”
“Unless you insist.” Noah grinned.
Aunt Maxine gasped. “There will be none of that if I have anything to say about it.”
“How did you know she was staying here tonight?” Noah asked as he shot Petunia a look.
“I might have let it slip.” Petunia sighed. “I told her I was sleeping in the spare bedroom.”
“You can stay home tonight after we find the e—, I mean the rodents.”
“You plan to help me?”
“I can help,” Noah said.
“No! I mean, my aunt and I can handle it, but after she tells me all about her past mistake.”
“It will have to wait for another time.”
Petunia felt bad for saying that. She was well aware her aunt had a baby when she was quite young and gave it up for adoption.
“If you want to make it to the bakery before it closes we’d better head out,” Noah said.
“I’ll stay here and cat-sit, and when you get back I’ll help Petunia,” Aunt Maxine said obviously not budging.
“I’d better stay here and supervise,” Pansy said as he curled up on the couch. “Merlin has to be watched at all times.”
Petunia frowned as she spotted Merlin fast asleep in the recliner. “I don’t think it has anything to do with Merlin and more to do with you taking a catnap.”
“Be gone with you, I say.”
As Noah drove, Petunia vigorously rubbed her arms waiting for the car to warm up.
“You should have warmed up the car,” she said.
“There wasn’t time.”
In the bakery, Chastity wasn’t positioned behind the counter as she usually was.
“Hello,” Petunia called out. “Is anyone here?”
“Sorry,” Chastity said as she carried out a tray of frosted Christmas cookies. “I’m busy filling orders today.”
Petunia’s eyes widened. “Are those cookies spoken for?”
“Yes, so stop drooling.” Chastity proceeded to put together pastry boxes and then carefully filled them with the cookies. “And I’m nearly out of doughnuts.”
“Actually we’re here to ask you a few questions about Cora,” Petunia began. “Didn’t you and Steven put up her decorations?”
“Where is he today, by the way?” Noah asked.
“UPS is pretty busy this time of year.”
“Getting back to Cora,” Petunia prompted.
“Oh, she enlisted Steven and me to help her with the decorations. She said climbing a ladder would throw out her hip.”
“That makes sense,” Noah said. “You did a marvelous job.”
“She asked you to decorate out of the blue?” Petunia asked.
“Yes. Cora comes in regularly and commented on my decorations.”
Petunia eyed the pine garland with twinkle lights along the nearly barren display counter, the top covered with various Santa and snowmen figurines. All the tables were covered with red and green tablecloths, with a glass jars filled with pine cones, ornaments and micro lights for centerpieces.
“I agree with her, but decorating outside is more challenging.”
“As I can attest,” Noah said.
Chastity’s eyes lit up. “I can’t agree with that, Noah. Your house looks wonderful. Where did you get your decorations? They don’t have anything like that at Ornaments Plus.”
Petunia stifled a laugh. “I know. Where did you get them, Noah?”
“This isn’t the time for jokes,” Noah scolded Petunia.
“You’re right, sorry. You see, the thing is those are not the decorations Noah used. We had to borrow some from Aunt Maxine.”
Noah tapped his fingers on the counter. “I used what I had, but someone redecorated.”
“Who would do that?” Chastity asked.
“At this point we’re really not sure. You and Steven haven’t been decorating the whole town, have you?” Petunia asked.
Chastity burst out laughing. “I hardly have the time to do that even if I could. You’re making this sound so magical. I love to think of the holidays as a magical time of year.”
“I hardly conjured the decorations up,” Petunia said.
“I never said you did, but if you possessed that skill I’m sure you’d be busy decorating the town.”
“If I could conjure something I’d never tell anyone. Not all the residents in town are fine with me being a witch.”
“They don’t seem to mind that your Aunt Maxine and her friends are witches,” Noah said.
“That’s because I’m not known for my accuracy.”
“Don’t you dare say that. You’ve changed Lucy’s life for the better. Her arthritis is all but gone,” Chastity said.
“We’ve gotten off track here. Have you noticed any strange goings-on in town lately?”
Chastity paused in thought. “Sorry, I’ve been too busy preparing for the holidays. Steven has invited me to have dinner at his father’s house on Christmas Day.”
“That’s progress,” Noah exclaimed. “When is the wedding?”
“I didn’t even know you and Petunia were engaged.” Chastity grinned.
“Good one,” Noah said.
“I really need to get back to work unless you have any more questions.”
“Thank you for your time,” Noah said.
Petunia turned before they walked out the door. “One more question: Have you seen a dark-haired woman with a little boy? She introduced herself as Mallory and the boy’s name is Timmy. He’s about three years old.”
“Timmy? Is that a joke, like Tiny Tim?”
“That’s what I thought too, but the sheriff is looking for a woman and child. They have been reported missing.”
“Unfortunately he doesn’t know their names,” Noah added.
“I don’t envy you two trying to sort this out.”
The bell over the door dinged as Bonnie Hopkins entered.
“I’ll get your order,” Chastity said as she darted into the back.
“Hello there,” Bonnie said. “I couldn’t help but notice your decorations, Noah. The consensus in town is that Petunia had a hand in them.”
“They couldn’t be more wrong,” Noah said as he and Petunia left.
I forgot to mention,” Petunia said when they were back at Noah’s house. “I spotted the woman and little boy, but I lost them around a corner. Deputy Cartwright probably thinks I’m nuts.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it, she thinks that already.” He smiled. “Let me check your house for the rodents. Your Aunt Maxine is too old to be crawling around the attic.”
“Attic?”
“Mice are known to congregate in attics and behind walls.”
“Do you really think so?” Petunia asked with widened eyes.
“Why don’t you let me be the judge of that,” Aunt Maxine said as she opened Petunia’s door.
“We appreciate the offer, Noah,” Petunia said.
“Why are you putting me off like this?” Noah’s eyes narrowed. “What’s really going on here?”
“Hazel and Wanda are on their way to help. Us women should be able to handle finding the varmints,” Aunt Maxine said.
“I understand, but if you run into trouble I’ll be right next door.”
Petunia watched as Noah left, sighing when he was finally out of sight. “It’s about time!” Pansy shouted springing from the couch when they walked inside. “That crazy aunt of yours is planning to use me as bait!”
“Why is Pansy here?” Petunia asked, tapping her foot.
“I suppose he told you all about that. I should have known better than to say that out loud. He’s such a little narc.”
“That means you’re a tattletale,” Petunia relayed to Pansy.
“I know what it means, Red, but I’m counting on you to keep me safe and far away from the elves.”
“I’ll do what I can, but I’ll need your help. We have to flush out the elves before they decide to stay here forever.”
“And how do you plan for me to do that?”
“Well, be a cat … menacing.”
“I’m not menacing, as you well know. I don’t chase mice, I run from them.” Pansy sat heavily on the floor. “I refuse to be a party to this dangerous mission, I tell you, and you can’t make me.”
Petunia narrowed her eyes, went to the kitchen and put the teakettle on the burner. She busied herself arranging two snowman mugs on the table.
“What are you doing?” Aunt Maxine asked.
“I could use a hot chocolate to calm my nerves.”
“You’ll need two more mugs. Wanda and Hazel will be disappointed if they can’t both have some. Do you have marshmallows?”
“I think so.” Petunia opened the cupboard and frowned. “It appears I’m out.”
“I’ll call Hazel and ask her to bring some. We can make our plans over hot cocoa.” Aunt Maxine said. “I have a good feeling about tonight.”
“That we’ll find them?”
“I can sense they’re nearby.”
Petunia glanced behind her, horrified. “Where are they?” she whispered.
“Where is who?” Noah asked as walked into the kitchen holding an empty dry cat food bag.
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