Batter and Spells (Sweetland Witch Women Sleuths) (A Cozy Mystery Book)

by Zoe Arden

  "All this photo represents is the same assassins in different disguises," he said. "This must have been what they did with that photo of Tazzie Singer and Mayor Thomas. The assassins simply dressed up like Tazzie and Quinn and had someone snap a picture." Eleanor sighed with relief. "But this means that someone thinks they can manipulate you into dropping out of the election. And I'm not going to let that happen. My fiancée will not be intimidated."

  * * *

  2 7

  * * *

  "He's back!" Lottie Mudget announced, strolling into our bakery the next day.

  Sheriff Knoxx and the others had finally relented and agreed to let us open it, though it had been shut down the whole of yesterday. It had taken much badgering and cajoling on Eleanor's part to get Sheriff Knoxx to agree to let us open it today. He had only agreed when Trixie told him that Melbourne would be here as well. A vampire, sullen or not, had the strength of five men and could easily protect us if the assassin showed up. At least, that's what Eleanor had argued.

  "Who's back?" asked Eleanor and Trixie.

  "Mayor Thomas, who else?" she said as though she couldn't believe we didn't already know. "He's getting the town square ready for his big speech."

  "Mayor Thomas? I thought he was in hiding," I said. The entire town had been furious with him, suspecting him of everything from murder to blackmail to kidnapping. I was shocked he'd dare to show his face right now.

  "He was in hiding, but now he's back." Lottie rolled her eyes. "Doesn't anyone in this bakery pay attention to what's going on in town? What would you all do without me?"

  I tried not to chuckle. Lottie had her good points and her bad ones. It was true that she kept herself well informed, but sometimes she took things a little too far. Since her sister's death, Lottie had definitely become more of a permanent fixture at the Mystic Cupcake than she had been before. Every day, it seemed as though she lingered here a little longer, talked a little louder, told us a little more.

  "So why is he back?" Trixie asked, moving the conversation forward. True to Trixie's word, Melbourne was at the bakery again today, helping out. He was sulking only slightly as he worked. It had been much worse when he'd first arrived this morning. His head had been hanging so low it almost touched the ground. He had only perked up when Trixie gave him a batch of her famous—to him—blood pudding cakes.

  "O-negative! My favorite!" Melbourne had cried, devouring them almost in one bite. I was just relieved she'd only made enough to feed Melbourne. For a while, when she'd thought he was dead, she'd tried to fill the bakery with all types of blood cookies, cupcakes, and puddings. It had been a difficult thing making her understand that customers didn't want those types of goodies. Especially not the tourists, who were almost always human and had no interest in vampire food. They didn't even know that vampires existed.

  "The mayor is back now," Lottie said, "because he thinks he has nothing to hide. He may be right, as it turns out. Now that word has spread that there are two assassins dressing up like people in Mistmoor Point and Sweetland Cove, no one thinks Mayor Thomas is behind anything."

  "Why not?" I asked.

  "He's not clever enough." Lottie shoved a granola granny smith bar into her mouth. "Thish ish delishoush," she muttered with her mouth still full.

  Eleanor smiled and offered her another.

  When Lottie swallowed, she continued,

  "No one in town believes for one second that Mayor Thomas knows enough about disguises to pull off dressing up like Tazzie or Ava or anyone else. And he's definitely not smart enough to hire more than one assassin."

  "You think hiring two assassins was a smart idea?" I asked, surprised.

  "Not two. Three."

  "Three?" I asked, looking at Eleanor.

  "Yes. You're forgetting the one who washed up on Mistmoor Beach. Sheriff Knoxx's lookalike."

  She was right, I was forgetting that one. At the time, we hadn't been completely sure that he was an assassin.

  "And, of course, it's worked, hasn't it?" Lottie continued. "I mean, the elections have gotten all messed up on both sides of the island. Sweetland wasn't even supposed to be holding an election right now and look what's happened."

  "So, Mayor Thomas isn't worried about the recall elections?" I asked. "I mean, if he's making a speech in town square today, he must have gotten some of his confidence back."

  "He has. He wants to be a part of the new election. He's claiming that he's confident the people will vote for him again, despite everything that's happened."

  "When does his speech in town square start?" I asked.

  "Any minute now," Lottie said.

  We looked outside and saw groups of people all heading toward the town square. Eleanor and Trixie exchanged a look.

  "You go ahead," Trixie said. "I'll stay here. I don't care much what Mayor Thomas says. It's not the various accusations against him that lost him my vote; it's the way he tried to pin everything on Tazzie when he was arrested just because he thought she'd be easy pickings." Trixie paused, frowning. "How is Tazzie, anyway?"

  "Out of jail and at home with Kayla," Lottie said. She had an answer for everything.

  Melbourne lingered in the background, only mildly interested in what was happening outside.

  "So, if Tazzie's out of jail, who's running in the Mistmoor Point election then?" I asked. "Tazzie or Kayla?"

  "Both," said Lottie, a twinkle in her eye. "Like mother, like daughter, I always say."

  I was surprised to hear that, but maybe I shouldn't have been. Kayla had been helping her mom with her campaign all along. Between her dad, who used to be mayor, and her mother and boyfriend, who were both running for mayor, it only made sense that the political bug would have rubbed off on Kayla somewhere along the way.

  Eleanor and I left my dad, Melbourne, and Trixie to keep an eye on the bakery. Lottie came along with us, eager to hear what Mayor Thomas had to say. We could see the crowd around the stage when we were still fifty feet away. The mayor had wasted no time in getting started.

  "This is outrageous!" he yelled, banging his fist on the podium as he was prone to do. "The Mayor-for-All Rule was meant to help our island in times of distress, not to be used as a political tool." There was more banging. He was very fond of using his fists to pummel the podium. I think he thought it made him look strong or something.

  Megan hovered near the back of the stage, holding a bottle of water and some juice. She looked ready to jump the moment he told her to. At least she hadn't been in charge for very long. She looked like a lost sheep standing there. I still didn't understand why she'd left her job at Coffee Cove for this.

  "The Mayor-for-All Rule is here to protect us, not hurt us!" More banging. There were a few cheers, though not as many as Hadley had gotten.

  "If Hadley Miner wants to be the mayor of Heavenly Haven, she will have to go through me first!"

  This time, there were significantly more cheers. Although Mayor Thomas wasn't particularly popular right now, people still preferred the idea of being ruled by him than someone from Mistmoor. I thought that Eleanor had a real shot at beating him if she played her cards right.

  I looked around and saw Otis walking around, shaking people's hands and letting them pet Tadpole, who seemed to love the attention. The people he spoke with seemed genuinely interested in whatever it was he was telling them, and I wondered if he was using this time to pitch his own ideas about being mayor.

  A man in jeans and a flannel shirt came walking up to us. "Are you Eleanor Rose?"

  "Yes," Elanor said.

  "The same Eleanor who's running for mayor of Sweetland Cove?"

  "Yes," Eleanor said again, trying to be polite. She was looking at him while still trying to listen to Mayor Thomas.

  "Then this is for you," he said. Out of nowhere, he pulled a stylus from his pocket and aimed it at Eleanor.

  "Look out!" I cried so loudly several people heard me even above Mayor Thomas’ echoing voice.

  I moved quickly towar
d Eleanor, but Lottie was one step ahead of me. She pushed Eleanor out of the way. The light ray that shot out of the stylus narrowly missed them both, just managing to singe Lottie's hair. The assassin retreated quickly before the crowds could close in on him.

  "Oh, my roses," cried Eleanor.

  "Are you okay?" I asked.

  She nodded. Several people gathered to help them up. Someone was dialing Sheriff Knoxx.

  "Thank you," Eleanor said, hugging Lottie tightly. "You saved my life."

  Lottie was blushing. I hugged her, too. I couldn't believe what she'd just done.

  "What's this?" I asked, picking a piece of paper off the ground. It was a list of names, with dollar amounts next to each one.

  1. Quinn Thomas $35,000.

  2. Eleanor Rose $20,000

  3. Otis Winken $10,000

  4. Wilma Trueheart $10,000

  "It's a new list," I said, surprised and worried. "No wonder there are two assassins in town. One for Mistmoor, one for Sweetland."

  * * *

  2 8

  * * *

  We were in the waiting room at Sweetland Hospital. It wasn't Eleanor we were waiting on, though. After the assassin had attacked her, he ran off. Several people who'd seen the assault yelled after him, "Coward! Chicken! 'Fraidy cat!" The assassin was no coward, though. He had just attacked Eleanor in broad daylight, after all, in the middle of a crowd. This person had nerves of steel, if you asked me, though I hated to admit it.

  A few people had chased after him. Otis, who'd turned just in time to see the whole thing, had sprung into action. He chased the criminal through the crowd, around the stage, almost snatching a handful of his flannel as it trailed out behind him. Then someone who hadn't been looking walked right into Otis, tripping him, and sending Otis face first into a light pole. His nose had made a horrific crunching sound and started to bleed. Eleanor, Lottie, and I quickly gathered him up and drove him to the hospital.

  "Why doesn't Zane answer?" Eleanor asked, sounding worried. The television blared in the background. More stuff about the upcoming elections.

  "He's probably just busy," I said. "I'm sure he'll call you back as soon as he can."

  The waiting room at Sweetland Hospital was never fun. I tapped my foot, twiddled my thumbs, and tried to distract myself. I was sure Otis was all right, the worst that could've happened was that he had a broken nose, but it was still hard to take in the sounds of the emergency room and the smells of alcohol without feeling worried.

  Lottie's phone reception was worse than Lucy's. She went outside to call Trixie and my dad and tell them what was going on. Eleanor didn't want to talk to them herself, just now. She knew they'd just worry about her and she was fine. I watched Lottie pass through the sliding glass emergency room doors and go out into the sunshine.

  I noticed an ambulance pull up. The back doors opened and the paramedics pulled out a stretcher with a large male body lying limply on it. A second male stepped out behind them, his face drawn and worried. Colt. I stood up, trying to get a better look at who was lying on the stretcher.

  "Oh, my roses!" I cried. "Aunt Eleanor!"

  Eleanor looked at me, saw my pale face, and followed my gaze to Sheriff Knoxx. His face was bloody, and his eyes were closed. "Oh!" she cried, running toward him.

  One of the paramedics stopped her before she could get to the sheriff. I could tell they were worried she might crush him pulling him into a hug or something. She was frantic.

  "Colt!" I cried out. He looked surprised to see me but hurried over, grabbing Eleanor and helping her into a chair before she could faint. Her cheeks had lost all their color.

  "How did you get here so fast?" he asked. "I only left you a message like two seconds ago."

  "You did? I haven't even checked my messages. We've been here, waiting."

  "For who?" He looked confused.

  "Otis is here. We tried calling you and Sheriff Knoxx. He got hurt chasing one of the assassins."

  "Enough about Otis!" Eleanor cried. "Otis is fine! What happened to Zane?" She was near hysterics.

  Colt tried to keep his face smooth and relaxed. If he looked too worried, it would only make Eleanor's reactions worse. "We were at the station when we got a call from Wilma that you," he looked at me, "were standing outside her shop, eyeing her suspiciously. She thought you wanted to hurt her."

  "It wasn't me," I said immediately.

  "Yeah, we figured that. Wilma didn't know that though. We told her not to move, just to lock the doors and stay inside. When we got there, Sheriff Knoxx went around to the back. The assassin jumped him. It almost seemed..." His voice trailed off.

  "Almost seemed like what?" Eleanor prompted him.

  "Almost seemed like he was the assassin's target all along."

  "But he's not on the list," I said. "Wilma is. Probably because she's talking about running for mayor."

  "I'm not sure she cares about that anymore," Colt said. "I have the feeling she just wants to get off the island. I talked to her while we were waiting for the ambulance. She said some friend of hers is picking her up later and taking her back to the mainland."

  "Karla Louis?" I asked.

  "I think that's the one."

  "This is all very fascinating," said Eleanor, trying to keep her voice calm, "but what does this have to do with ZANE? HE'S NOT ON THE LIST!" She clapped her hands over her mouth, forcing herself not to yell again.

  Lottie came back in. She saw us sitting with Colt and quietly joined us, taking Eleanor's hand and patting it gently. To me, she whispered, "I saw the sheriff get wheeled in. I let Trixie and your dad know."

  "You're right," Colt said. "Sheriff Knoxx is not on the list, but you are."

  Eleanor stared at him a moment. "Oh, no. Oh, no. No. This is all my fault. The assassin attacked Zane to get to me. To scare me. Well, it worked. If the people I love are going to be attacked, then I'm dropping out of the election. It's not worth it."

  "You can't let this stop you," Lottie said, her voice surprisingly strong and self-assured. "Sweetland needs a mayor."

  "Not at the expense of my loved ones it doesn't," Eleanor said.

  "Now you listen to me," Lottie said, yanking Eleanor out of her chair and grabbing her by the shoulders. "Sheriff Knoxx would not want you to give up. He's tough. He's part goblin, for crying out loud. He can take care of himself, isn't that right?" she demanded, rounding on me and Colt.

  "Oh, yes," we told her. "Absolutely."

  I wasn't sure I'd seen this side of Lottie before. She was compelling without being irritating.

  Dr. Dunne came out just then. He spotted Eleanor with her weepy eyes and didn't waste time delivering the news. "Eleanor," he said warmly, "the sheriff is going to be fine."

  She burst into tears.

  "How's Otis?" I asked.

  "His nose wasn't broken, just bruised. He'll have a good-sized bump for a while, that's all. He went down to the children's ward so they could say hi to Tadpole. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but Tadpole sure can brighten up a person's day."

  "Can I see him?" Eleanor asked. "The sheriff, I mean."

  "Of course," Dr. Dunne said. "Room 203. He's leaving as soon as our nurses finish cleaning him up though. No real harm done. Looked worse than it was."

  Eleanor didn't wait to hear more. She hurried down the hall. The television suddenly cut in with a loud, blaring whistle noise that hurt our ears. We all turned to it. Dean Lampton was on the screen, making an announcement.

  "The Witch's Council and COMHA have reached a decision. Three days from now, we will hold a general election for both Mistmoor Point and Sweetland Cove. The candidates from both towns will be on the ballot, and the winner will rule over Heavenly Haven as a whole. It is time to merge the towns together."

  "Oh, my roses," I whispered. "They did it. One mayor for both towns. It's exactly what Mayor Thomas wanted all along."

  I looked at Colt and knew what he was thinking. The rest of the town might not think Mayor Thomas wa
s clever enough or cold enough to hire a group of assassins, but we knew better. Mayor Thomas was cold enough and calculating enough to get what he wanted, no matter what it took.

  * * *

  2 9

  * * *

  Election day. It was finally here. The dates of the election had been changed, canceled, and then changed again. Groups of people in both towns had rejoiced; other groups had rallied against the decision. Protestors filled the streets, picketing Sheriff Knoxx's station as well as Lincoln's. The most heavily picketed places, however, were outside the headquarters for the Witch's Council and the Council on Magic and Human Affairs.

  I was still in shock. A lot of people were. One minute, Dean Lampton had forbidden Mayor Thomas from taking over both towns on Heavenly Haven; the next, he was practically pushing for it. Dean clearly favored our mayor for the job. In the last few days, Dean and Mayor Thomas had been seen together in huddled conferences on street corners and several promo spots on television shaking hands. This, despite the fact that the Council on Magic and Human Affairs was not supposed to take sides. Then again, Dean had never been good at following the rules, so far as I could tell.

  The way I saw it, it would be a miracle if this whole idea of one mayor for both Sweetland Cove and Mistmoor Point actually ended up working out. Our two towns had almost the exact same number of people and no one from either town was going to vote for someone in the opposite town, though Hadley Miner and Mayor Thomas were both making a good run at it.

  Hadley seemed the most successful so far. She had promised not just to bridge the gap between our two towns, but to make sure that both sides were happy with whatever changes she made. "Happy" had not been a word used often by Mayor Thomas. She sounded sincere when she spoke and looked people in the eye.

  Mayor Thomas looked people in the eye, too, but his eyes always took a quick turn, shifting downward before you could get too good a look. What was that saying? The eyes are the window to a person's soul? It was like Mayor Thomas was fine with people looking at him, so long as they didn't see too much. He didn't want his soul exposed and made sure to turn away from you before you caught a glimpse of it.