by Cindy Stark
“Step out with your hands up.”
The fierce authority in his voice surprised her, and she swung her gaze over her shoulder to see him better. An officer she didn’t recognize placed his hand in warning on the butt of his gun.
Surprised, her breath caught in her throat, and she choked. “No, wait. You don’t—”
“I said, keep your hands where I can see them and step out of the car. Now.” His voice was even and clear, and she had no doubt he meant what he said.
Her brain emptied of all thoughts, and her hands flew into the air as though they had a mind of their own. The officer opened her door, and she awkwardly swiveled on her seat and stepped out into the light, misty rain.
The unfamiliar officer, perhaps a few years older than her, wore an official Crystal Cove Police Department jacket embroidered with his last name, Keller. Short, midnight hair peeked from beneath his plastic-covered hat. But his dark green, intense eyes intimidated her the most.
Officer Keller glanced beyond her and into the car as though searching for signs that she might be dangerous. “Name?”
She swallowed. “Opal Mayland.”
His gaze pierced hers again. “Do you have a driver’s license, Ms. Mayland?”
She nodded. “It’s in the car. Should I get it?”
“Not until I tell you to.”
He scrutinized every inch of her, leaving her feeling vulnerable and exposed. “Are you carrying any weapons, Ms. Mayland?”
Her negative response sounded more like a squeak.
He narrowed his eyes. “Why didn’t you stop when I first flashed my lights? You admit to possessing a driver’s license, which tells me you understand the proper protocol when you see emergency lights flashing behind you.”
She widened her eyes into innocent ovals. “I did stop. That’s why we’re standing here.”
Irritation sparked in his eyes, and he obviously did not appreciate her flippant response. “You did eventually. From my perspective, it appeared as though you’d attempted to outrun me first.”
Her heart thundered in her chest, and she shook her head quickly. “No, sir. I…I panicked.”
The white lie fell easily from her lips.
He lifted a brow, indicating she should continue.
She exhaled a nervous breath. “I know I should have stopped right away, but this crazy thought entered my mind, telling me I needed to hurry and get to a pull off before I moved out of your way. So, I went faster. Then I realized that was a huge mistake, and I pulled over.”
He stared, stone-faced. “You expect me to believe that.”
Praying that he would do exactly that, she opened her hands, palms up and shrugged. “I have anxieties and don’t always react in the most appropriate way.”
She watched his face carefully, making sure to keep hers a mask of innocence. Instinctively, she reached out with her senses, trying to discover his hidden emotions but came back with nothing. Her brain urged her to disclose her familial relations so that she could generate credibility, but her heart warned against it.
He blinked and glanced in her car again. “I’ll take your license and registration now.”
“Yes, sir.” She snatched her purse from the passenger seat to retrieve her license and then leaned over to grab the registration from the glovebox, all under his watchful eyes. She held out her documents and tried for a friendly smile to ease the tension.
He showed no emotional reaction to her gesture and turned his attention to her driver’s license. Then he flicked his gaze back to her. “Opal Mayland from Sedona, Arizona.”
She tried a smile once more. “Yes.”
He glanced between the license and her face, and then gave a curt nod. “Wait here, please.”
With an unhurried swagger, he returned to his vehicle. She sagged against her damp car, and let the rain soothe her stress. Water was the least of her problems. She didn’t need to be a witch with enhanced sensibilities to know that things with Officer Keller hadn’t gone well.
She could already hear a repeat of her grandfather’s overused lecture on not driving as though the devil chased her. The thought of it tangled her nerves tighter. She was too old for him to take away her keys, but the disappointment in his eyes that she’d likely endure would be worse.
The sound of a car door closing drew her attention. Officer Keller sauntered back to her in an annoyingly confident manner. “Here you go, Ms. Mayland. Your record appears clean, with no outstanding warrants.”
She could thank the stars for that. “Can I go, then?”
He chuckled. “Do you know how fast you were driving when I clocked you?”
Apparently, he’d accepted her explanation for not stopping, but she wasn’t off the hook yet.
She considered his question. If she admitted she was speeding, he’d likely ticket her. Her only option was to continue to play innocent. “Uh…no. I didn’t think I was going too fast.”
He cleared his throat. “I clocked you at nineteen miles over the speed limit, and that was before you…panicked.”
She sucked in an offended breath. “No way. It was only fourteen.”
He arched a cocky brow, and she flattened her lips together. Her grandfather had taught her never to argue with an officer, but she seemed to have forgotten that, too.
She sighed. “It might have been faster. But really, officer, I didn’t mean to speed. I’ve been driving for days, and I’m so ready to be out of the car. I was focused on my destination and didn’t realize how fast I was going until I saw your lights.”
Which was mostly true. She did like to drive fast, but she had been distracted.
He seemed interested in her response. “Are you visiting the area, then?”
Not exactly visiting, but she couldn’t say she was a native to Crystal Cove without him asking questions about her family. With it being a small town, eventually he’d learn she was the chief’s granddaughter, but hopefully, by then, the incident would have blown over.
“I’m headed to Crystal Cove.”
He nodded in appreciation. “It’s a beautiful town.”
She answered with a smile. “I do love the ocean.”
He relaxed his shoulders, giving her hope. “I’m going to do you a favor since you’re visiting from Arizona. We wouldn’t want you to get the wrong idea about the friendliness of Oregonians.”
Thank the stars. He was going to let her off with a warning.
Instead, he held out a clipboard, and her short-lived happiness plummeted.
“I’ve written the ticket for only nine miles over the limit, which should help your pocketbook considerably.”
She swallowed the snarky response about him being too kind and took the clipboard from him. “Thank you,” she said in a voice laced with sarcasm.
He didn’t seem to notice. “Your signature at the bottom is not an admittance of guilt. It only notes that you’ve received the citation. You have the option of appearing in court, or if you prefer to pay for your citation without contesting it, visit the website listed at the bottom.”
She signed the paper with an annoyed flourish and shoved the clipboard toward him.
He tore off a copy of the ticket and handed it to her. “Take care out there, Ms. Mayland. Moisture on the roadways can make them slicker than normal.”
As if she didn’t already know that. “Thank you, Officer Keller.”
He’d started to turn but paused, his eyes narrowing on her. Then he glanced to the name on his uniform and nodded. “Have a good day.”
After he turned away, she smirked. Cops weren’t the only ones who noticed details. Also, he couldn’t do magic.
She climbed back into her car, her clothes now damp enough to notice, and she groaned. With a town as small as Crystal Cove, Officer Keller would soon learn her grandfather was his boss. Her only hope was that he wouldn’t want to chance annoying the police chief because he’d cited his granddaughter, and Keller would keep her offense to himself.
Seeme
d a reasonable conclusion, she decided.
With that thought, she put her car in gear and took off at a boring pace. Hopefully, the blasted speeding ticket wasn’t a sign of things to come.
Opal drove exactly the posted speed as she passed Crystal Cove’s city limit sign and waited for the sense of home to surround her like a warm hug. When it came, her eyes welled with tears. She’d been gone too long and had forgotten exactly how much this town meant to her.
Her mother and grandmother were buried here. She’d spent years running the halls of the old Victorian cottage her grandfather owned and countless hours reclaiming her mother’s garden. Her best friend, Penelope, who had been the only one to visit her in Sedona, still lived in the small two-bedroom house overlooking the ocean that had been in Penelope’s family for years.
Of course, there were certain ugly things a person could never forget, either. Like how she’d walked the beach for days after Ryan had broken her heart, and then leaving town, with her grandfather’s blessing, to truly learn who she was as a person.
She’d grown for sure, but she’d also traded the importance of her grandfather in her life to embrace her witchy heritage and hadn’t realized that until now.
She was home. Finally, home, and an incessant need to reconnect with the town’s pure energy surged forward.
The rain had stopped, so instead of heading to the police station where she’d likely find her grandfather, she turned on the first street at the edge of town that led toward the beach. She’d take a moment to cleanse her soul with a small, personal ritual and ready herself for the next stage in her life’s journey. She’d worn her mother’s moonstone pendant every day since she’d left Crystal Cove in honor of her new beginning, but this occasion seemed like it needed a little more.
Her car bumped along the crumbling road that could use a good repaving. Unfortunately, the town received most of its revenue during the summer months when visitors sought time by the sea, and therefore, they couldn’t afford to keep anything but the main roads in top shape.
Didn’t matter, she thought, as she drove along the uneven surface, which paralleled the river that led fresh water down to the salty ocean. No one needed to speed along these narrow streets anyway. They’d miss the beauty of the place and likely run down one of the wandering tourists.
Speeding was best left for the winding, forested roads. A sly smile crept across her lips. Of course, that was if the cops weren’t watching.
She slowed and stopped alongside the river. The spot was perfect to release old energy to make room for new.
With the help of her witch sisters, Opal had done something similar not long after her arrival in Sedona. She’d used the ritual to calm her fears about leaving her grandfather alone. She’d also used it to bury thoughts of her old boyfriend deep beneath the surface of her memories, where they wouldn’t see the light.
Mighty fine spell, that one.
Opal retrieved the small notebook she kept in her glovebox and opened to a fresh page. Within seconds, thoughts and feelings poured from her heart onto the paper. She wrote about what she’d like to leave behind including fear for the future and anger from past hurts. On a separate piece of paper, she listed her hopes and dreams, including a happy life in Crystal Cove and the ability to help her grandfather with his work.
When her emotions were spent, she inhaled a deep cleansing breath. Excitement sizzled inside as she folded the papers into her palm and exited the car.
Incredible power rolled in from the ocean, caressing her skin like a lover’s kiss. She paused for a moment to soak it in and let unseen energy soothe her heart. This. This was what she’d missed the most.
Many considered Crystal Cove nothing more than a small, seaside town, but she recognized the forces surging unseen through the air. Strong, beautiful energy freshly cleansed by rain. Her grandfather sensed it, too, but he preferred to think the magic belonged only to the ocean.
Opal knew otherwise.
Especially after her schooling. She’d described her town to Tara, who’d provided most of her training in Sedona, and Tara had concluded Crystal Cove likely contained one or more smaller vortexes, too. No ley lines had been marked on official maps, but Opal suspected one must cross through the area.
She shut her car door and caught sight of a deserted maroon sedan parked on the opposite side of the street. She cast glances about the area, looking for the owner, as she walked toward the back of her car, but no one was around who might disturb her ritual.
Confident in her assessment, she opened the trunk, slid a small black case toward her, and extracted a fireproof ceramic bowl that she’d purchased in a pottery shop in Sedona. The gorgeous piece boasted swirls of red and burgundy and gave her a thrill every time she held it.
She hesitated and then grabbed the matchbox, too. She’d managed to conjure fire only once. Her heart urged her to try it again in this spot with all the potent energy supporting her, but she’d go with the matches this time for practicality’s sake.
Opal shut the trunk, hiding the rest of her magical tools and her suitcases from view. Not that she necessarily needed to hide her talents. She figured most residents and tourists in Crystal Cove would accept paranormals.
Except her grandfather. He’d be embarrassed if she flaunted her heritage. He was one of the oldest members of the almost-defunct Paranormal Eradicators Society, and he’d never live it down if others in the group learned of his granddaughter’s special abilities.
After everything her grandpa had done for her, she’d honor his request.
Salty winds licked the sea and blew past her, and she lifted her nose to the familiar, comforting smell. The cool breeze tickled her cheeks in a loving way. She considered it a welcome caress and blessing from Mother Earth.
With the ceramic bowl, matches, and her writing in hand, Opal made her way toward the river. She made a path through the ankle-high grasses, down a gentle slope toward the river, and then walked until her senses told her she’d found the perfect spot.
Water flowed past in a lazy fashion, unaware of the cleansing turbulence that waited for it once it reached the vast ocean. She chose an open area amongst the twinberry and ninebark where she could see the river and sank to her knees before falling back on her bottom.
Moisture soaked through her jeans, but she didn’t pay it much notice. She was already damp, and one couldn’t live in a coastal town in Oregon and expect to stay dry.
She curled her legs to the side of her, placed the ceramic bowl in the grass, and closed her eyes. The sound of passing water calmed her senses. Three deep breaths cleared any stress she carried from the long drive and allowed her to focus her thoughts.
When she was ready, she gave a small nod and opened her eyes.
Nestling the ceramic bowl farther into the grass, she placed the first small sheet of folded notepaper inside. After taking another moment to center herself, she lifted a match from the tiny container. A flick of her wrist, drawing the match along the side of the box, resulted in a small, trembling flame.
The brief scent of sulfur struck her senses before the breeze whisked it away. She cupped her hand along the side of the bowl to protect the swaying flame and quickly touched it to the paper holding the negativity she wanted to release. Once she had the page lit on three sides, she blew out the match.
The flames grew as they consumed paper, and she held out her hand, allowing the heat to tickle her fingers. “With Fire, I cleanse myself,” she whispered.
The fire jumped, died low, and then jumped again, circling the paper and turning it black as it released the negative energy.
When nothing was left but ashes, she pulled grass from the earth and lifted a pinch of soil. She rubbed the moist dirt between her thumb and forefinger and allowed it to fall into the bowl. “With Earth, I cleanse myself.”
She wasn’t finished, but already, her soul felt lighter.
Her heart thumped as she stood and made her way to the edge of the riverbank. She poured
the ashes and dirt into one hand and tossed them into the breeze. Some sank to the ground beneath her, while others caught the wind and drifted away into the water. “With Air, I cleanse myself.”
Carefully, she bent and scooped cool water into the bowl to wash away any remaining ashes, swirling her fingers around the edge of the bowl before dumping it out. “With Water, I cleanse myself.”
Straightening, she stood and filled her lungs. “Blessed Universe, hear my plea. Take this negative energy from me. Transform it into light and love. Grant these things from up above. This I ask, so mote it be.”
Then she quietly read her written intentions and closed her eyes to visualize them coming true. When those things were solidified in her heart, she opened her eyes and smiled.
Happiness filled her as she lifted her gaze to the sky. She was home and could be at peace now. She turned to look at the earth around her, to the gently flowing river ahead. Mother Earth had provided many beautiful things for her to enjoy and fill her thoughts, and she intended to—
The sight of something large bobbing in the water startled her, and she inhaled a quick breath. Self-admonition for being silly hovered on her tongue as she turned fully in that direction expecting to see a log or other debris.
The words died in her mouth, and she screamed.
She took several clumsy steps backward and pointed toward the offending item. “A body,” she said, barely able to breathe. “There’s a body in the water.”
Click here to get your copy of Murder and Moonstones, Book One, Crystal Cove Cozy Mysteries.
Book List
CRYSTAL COVE COZY MYSTERIES (PG-Rated Fun):
Murder and Moonstones
TEAS & TEMPTATIONS COZY MYSTERIES (PG-Rated Fun):
Once Wicked
Twice Hexed
Three Times Charmed
Four Warned
The Fifth Curse
It’s All Sixes
Spellbound Seven
Elemental Eight
Nefarious Nine
Hijacked Honeymoon