Phantom Blend (A Paramour Bay Cozy Paranormal Mystery Book 12)

by Kennedy Layne

  Leo promptly blipped back in sight in front of Agnus; his bulging left eye speculatively trained on her with rare curiosity.

  She’d hit the trifecta, which was clearly done with a purpose.

  Agnus had utilized Leo’s title, apologized for scaring him the other day, and gave him credit for his battle of wills against the neighborhood squirrels—all of which was exactly what he needed to hear in order to partake in this conversation.

  Raven, anyone who recognizes the squirrelpocalypse has my respect. After all, it appears that we simply had a misunderstanding that I’m willing to put behind us for a fellow ally. Miss Ritchie, where is Skippy’s headquarters?

  “The hairbrush and hand mirror don’t belong to your family,” my mother said almost to herself as she appeared to be quite focused on something in Agnus’ possession. It didn’t take me long to locate the round gold insignia on her yellow purse. The R was similar in some respects, but not the same. “You aren’t the werewolf hunter.”

  Don’t listen to the Mistress of the Dark. She doesn’t have our connection, Miss Ritchie. Raven, do something about your mother while I conduct some business here. Now, back to the matter at hand. Where does Skippy keep his war chest?

  Agnus wisely remained silent upon hearing my mother’s theory, so as not to implicate herself in any way. She also most likely already knew about Leo’s unflattering nickname for her, but she was too busy studying the three of us as we now stood side by side.

  I slowly looked down at the drawing currently in Heidi’s hands.

  It was then that I noticed the clue that had been there all along.

  “Paulie Russo was the werewolf hunter,” I said in confidence before reaching for the piece of paper. I traced the outline of the silver bullet behind the R, noticing that the tip was scrolled into a flower.

  It wasn’t easily distinguishable.

  Not unless one was looking for it.

  “And I know exactly how Bernard Williams died,” I declared, having solved half the mystery.

  Oy vey! My battle plans for the demise of the squirrelpocalypse are being put on hold once again, aren’t they?

  Chapter Seventeen

  “My mother tried her best to save Mr. Williams,” Agnus responded softly as she indicated to Ted that she wished to be escorted to the nearest bench. It just so happened to be in front of the post office, but the lobby was closed. The main thoroughfare was pretty quiet, so we didn’t have to worry about being interrupted this time of the evening. “It’s the reason why she harnessed his soul into the hand mirror.”

  Pssst. Hey, Raven. I know my short-term memory has its issues, but why is this prehis—I mean, why is Miss Ritchie talking to us now? We could have done this the other day and moved on with our lives.

  “Mr. Leo, a druid doesn’t make it to be one hundred and two years old by taking chances,” Agnus responded rather cheekily. Ted gave one of his stroppy smiles, where he showed more crooked and chipped teeth than usual. He seemed to truly enjoy her sense of humor, so it wasn’t a surprise to find that he remained standing by her side as she took a seat on the bench. “I gave you all a small test, and you passed with flying colors. Why do you think I set up a dinner this evening in a neutral environment?”

  Eh, she’s making sense, Raven. Is that from my lack of sleep since you woke me up early from my nap, or is she telling us the truth?

  “I believe that Miss Ritchie is telling us the truth,” I surmised thoughtfully, tracing the flower on the piece of paper that appeared to be somewhat more noticeable the more I stared at it. “She is being cautious, and rightly so. Paulie Russo was in fact a werewolf hunter, and he followed Harold Lykos to the Paramour Bay Inn, didn’t he?”

  Good guess, Raven. We can now move onto another important matter. Miss Ritche, about the location of Skippy’s war chest…

  “That is correct, Raven,” Agnus responded, her back straight as a rod as she emitted a dignified stance. “I had hoped that the hairbrush I left you on my porch would have you searching family insignias of those involved, and I see that your hedge witch has come through for you.”

  “You bet your pointy hat I did,” Heidi exclaimed with a satisfied smile. She whispered to me out of the side of her mouth. “What’s so important about the insignia?”

  “Wolfsbane,” I whispered back, tracing the flower once again with my finger.

  Nasty stuff, although it’s good to have on hand if one needs to slow down an active lycanthrope. Same as knowing where Skippy’s headquarters are located or having wooden stakes on hand in case of visiting vampires.

  “You see, wolfsbane is very poisonous to humans.” I monitored Agnus’ reaction, and she was nodding her head in agreement. “The flower is used by werewolf hunters to slow down their prey in order to gain the upper hand. Paulie Russo must have poisoned the brandy, thinking that Harold would be drinking it that night.”

  “Why are you telling us this now?” my mother asked, clearly not as taken with Agnus as Ted and Heidi were. “You could have saved us a lot of time over the last couple of days had you just come clean with us. Better yet, you could have freed Bernard yourself…unless there is some reason you want to keep his soul imprisoned inside a hand mirror.”

  Your mother never did have the good sense to stop while she was ahead. I’m going to go out on a limb and say it’s not a good idea to goad a druid. I’d like to go on record by saying that I do have the good sense not to, Miss Ritchie.

  Leo began to move away from my mother for his own safety.

  Have at her. She could use a good scolding.

  “Ms. Marigold, I’ll be frank,” Agnus stated matter-of-factly as she focused her attention on my mother. “It was your daughter’s visit to Harry Lykos that confirmed my dinner plans this evening. I’d been on the verge of canceling, but your daughter’s compassion toward a werewolf had me realizing that we are more alike than not. You see, my mother fell in love with both Harold Lykos and Paulie Russo, for completely different reasons. In the end, she chose neither due to her need to protect me—her only daughter.”

  “You’re more like Nan than those of your own circle,” I gathered, figuring out why Helena had chosen Paramour Bay. “Your mother wanted a place to raise you, and this town became your mother’s sanctuary, as well. I can only guess that she thought she could change Paulie Russo’s mind about the job he’d come here to do, but she couldn’t fight against his entire family legacy.”

  “My mother blamed herself for what happened to Bernard Williams,” Agnus revealed regretfully. Ted caught the undertone and rested his hand on the woman’s shoulder in comfort. She reached up and patted his in return. “You see, she lured Harold outside for a walk that fateful evening. They spent hours that evening talking about everything under the moon. By the time they got back to the inn, Bernard had already had a drink of the brandy and the poison had taken his life, but his soul had yet to depart. My mother thought if only she could harness his soul for a small time that she could somehow find a way to place his spirit back into his body.”

  Not to be the one who spoils the plot in the middle of the movie, but I’m going to say that’s not quite what happened and move past this dramatic saga to focus on the real threat—the squirrelpocalypse. You mentioned Skippy’s headquarters before—

  “No, Mr. Leo,” Agnus interrupted with a knowing smile. “You were the one to mention that particular location, but I certainly do admire your tenacity.”

  I do my best. I’m underappreciated, you see.

  “My mother needed something of Mr. Russo’s to harness Bernard’s soul and bind it to an earthly object. The spell she had at hand required an object owned by the one responsible for the soul’s separation from his body, and Mr. Russo realized that he’d be foolish to defy my mother. He hadn’t even known druids existed, but he accepted that my mother was not one to be trifled with. Plus, she never would have forgiven him for such an immoral act as murder. He left Paramour Bay after that evening, never to return.”


  “Bernard mentioned that Mabel saw him inside the mirror,” Heidi said, checking the time on her watch. It was her way of reminding me that Agnus and I were expected for dinner within a few minutes. “What did your mother say to that, and how did she handle it? Honestly, the answer to those questions is how we’re going to get Bernard to cross through the veil. He fancied Mabel. He won’t cross over to the afterlife until he knows for certain that she had nothing to do with his death.”

  “Mr. Williams can rest in peace then. My mother was in the midst of casting a spell to move Bernard back into his own body when Mabel came into the parlor.” Agnus patted the bench for one of us to have a seat next to her, but my mother was still too wary of the one hundred and two-year-old druid. Heidi and I both stepped forward, but Leo beat both of us to the punch. “My mother quickly cast a spell to hide Bernard’s body from view. Harold helped move his remains to the cemetery, which is where you’ll find his grave with only the initials BW and the date engraved into the stone.”

  “I was coming to give you the news, Miss Raven,” Ted said with a slight bow.

  “I could sense the energy of the earth change when someone hovered over Mr. Williams’ grave,” Agnus revealed, running a hand down Leo’s back. The fact that he appeared made of stone due to his fear would have earned a chuckle had the subject not been so dire. Not even his crooked whiskers were twitching, but I had full faith that Agnus had nothing but the best of intentions. “It was the reason that I paid a visit to the cemetery, which is where Ted and I struck up a conversation.”

  I’m feeling very conflicted right now, Raven. This better pay off with the location of Skippy’s headquarters.

  I realized that was how Agnus had known about my afternoon visit with Harry, as well as all the other little endeavors that we’d conducted over the last few days. She had to know that Ted couldn’t lie, and she’d gathered what information she could to ensure that we meant her no harm.

  “I guess the only question we have is one that Mom already touched on,” I said delicately, nodding toward my mother who was still watching Agnus with suspicion. “Why would Helena have left Bernard imprisoned inside the hand mirror? I mean, it’s been close to a century.”

  “You must understand that my mother was very limited on time,” Agnus revealed, still stroking Leo behind his ears. “She cast his soul inside the hand mirror, but the next phase of the incantation didn’t happen in a timely manner. The mirror was simply meant to be a temporary vessel. Mabel ended up removing the hand mirror and brush from the room while my mother was helping Harold, and by the time she returned…well, the items had disappeared.”

  “Locating the hand mirror should have been easy,” my mother said with suspicion. “Especially for one as powerful as your mother.”

  We’d found several items using magic over the past year, so I was inclined to agree with her.

  Don’t say or do anything that would upset my new ally—I mean, Miss Ritchie. Her hand is resting on my head, Raven. I really don’t want my magnificent skull crushed like an acorn because you couldn’t hold your tongue. Skippy would never let me live that one down.

  “Unfortunately, my mother had cast a ward on the object, believing she would have time to use it and then hide it away forever. Such vessels retain traces of her magical signature. It could then be used to track us down. Her intentions were good, yet misplaced in this case.” Agnus shook her head in regret. “My mother waited a few days before asking about the mirror, not wanting to cause Mabel to be suspicious of the fact that both guests had abruptly left the inn on the same day. Mabel said only that she’d discarded the set, but my mother couldn’t locate either item. She continued to try until her death.”

  We all fell silent for a moment. It must have been horrible for Helena to believe that she’d cast a soul into a vessel, only for it to turn into Bernard’s prison.

  Horrible for Helena? I’m thinking more about Bernard and the fact that he only had himself to talk to for close to a century. No wonder that floating head rambles and rambles until some of my tufts of fur want to fall out.

  “You can imagine my surprise when your grandmother discovered the mirror at one of the annual garage sales,” Agnus said, giving Leo a final pat on the head. I noticed that he scooted an inch away from her, keeping his left bulging eye trained on her the entire time. “I quickly began to search for the hairbrush, of course. I was hoping to leave a clue as to how she could help Bernard cross through the veil, but by the time I’d set things in motion—”

  “Nan had stored Bernard in the back of the linen closet when she began renovations on her kitchen,” I said, connecting the remaining dots and realizing that the timing of events could not have been worse. “And then Nan suffered a heart attack.”

  “You can imagine my surprise when you inherited everything from Rosemary, including Mr. Leo here.” Agnus gave him a wink, and it was clear that Leo took that as a sign that she was ready to tell him what he wanted to hear most—the location of Skippy’s headquarters. “I figured it was only a matter of time before you discovered Mr. Williams. He’d already been inside that hand mirror for many decades. A few more months wasn’t going to hurt until you were prepared to help him.”

  Now that we’ve solved that mystery and the old chap can be released from his confines, Leo said with determination, I do believe you and I have some business to attend to, Miss Ritchie.

  Agnus’ blue eyes sparkled with mischief before she leaned down and whispered something into Leo’s ear. My mother still had her guard up when it came to Agnus being in our presence, but I could completely understand a hundred and two-year-old druid wanting to live the rest of her years out in peace. I had a feeling that she’d led quite the life, even though she’d taken care to hide her abilities from the world.

  Ted was still giving that so-called smile of his as he watched Leo’s jaw spring open with surprise at whatever Agnus had shared with him, and Heidi seemed perfectly comfortable in a druid’s presence.

  We’d all made a new friend today, solved a mystery, and I honestly couldn’t wait for dinner to learn more about Agnus and her life here in Paramour Bay. No one could have enough friends, and I had a feeling that Harry might actually like to have a sit down with her to share stories about his grandfather. I was pretty confident that Helena and Harold continued their friendship over the years, too.

  “Druids aren’t so bad, after all,” Heidi whispered to me with a smile. She then cleared her throat and spoke up. “You three enjoy your dinner while Ms. M and I head back to the cottage to share the good news with Bernard.”

  Agnus stood from the bench and lifted her cheek to receive a kiss from Ted, who obliged immediately. She then motioned for Leo to join her, and the two of them walked side by side on their way to the inn. I had no doubt that Leo would catch me up on the details regarding his battle with the neighborhood squirrels.

  “Raven, did Leo actually say something about wooden stakes?” my mother asked, putting her hand on my arm to stop me from following behind the two new besties. “Leo is known for his dramatic flair, but it usually doesn’t involve stories of fictitious vampires.”

  My mother’s voice must have carried on the slight coastal breeze toward Heidi, because she stopped abruptly before turning around. Ted did the same, though he didn’t appear concerned in the least.

  “Did you say—”

  I quickly held up my hand before Heidi piled onto the jinx my mother had just marked us with, deciding that one mystery this week was enough. Besides, we still had to set Bernard free of the hand mirror in order for him to cross into the afterlife.

  Are you coming or not, Raven? Leo yelled from across the street. He’d escorted Agnus across the cobblestone crosswalk, but they’d both stopped to wait for me. Quit dillydallying! I swear, she is the worst student!

  “You heard him,” I said sheepishly over my mother’s protests. “I’ve got to go.”

  Mom wasn’t the most patient, but I was going to stick by my decisi
on to worry about one supernatural crisis at a time. We’d solved a century-old murder, we would be freeing a phantom from an enchanted mirror before midnight, and we’d eventually face the fact that Paramour Bay apparently had a visiting vampire…just not tonight.

  Right now, Leo and I had a dinner date with a hundred and two-year-old druid!

  Chapter Eighteen

  “…haven’t been this happy in close to a century!” Bernard exclaimed, having been talking nonstop since Leo and I had walked in the front door of the cottage. “How do I look? I want to look dapper when Mabel sets her eyes on me for the first time in…”

  I’m trying to catch you up on the squirrelpocalypse so that you’ll know what happens before you leave, Bernard. So, shut your trap for one minute while I give you details and…

  I continued to light the candles for the spell that would release Bernard from his prison while the two of them continued to talk over one another. Bernard’s head had been bobbing up and down in excitement the entire time we were getting him ready for his upcoming trip, while Leo couldn’t give details fast enough about the fact that Skippy was rotating his headquarters.

  The main HQ was apparently behind the inn in the ancient oak graced with the remnants of an old broken-down tree fort.

  According to Agnus, Skippy had four major outposts so that he could skip out at a moment’s notice ahead of Leo’s hunting skills. Considering that the annual battle was pretty much one-sided, Agnus hadn’t done me any favors by stirring the pot.

  I’d forgive her, though.

  She had a lot to teach all of us in the ways of magic, and she was willing to do just that when we decided to take her up on her offer.