The Perfect Ten Boxed Set

by Dianna Love

  I tried to kill you? My eyes bulged. I was unable to think, and nothing was coming out of my mouth. Everyone stopped drinking their tea, and eating their goodies. All eyes were on me.

  “I. . .” I gasped for air.

  “I. . .I what? Didn’t think you’d get caught? Well, I’ve got a call into that police officer from Locust Grove, checking into your background!” He shook his fist at me. “You will not be able to practice your spirituality here until you are found not guilty! Order of the council!”

  A collective gasp filled the air. My legs felt like they were filled with lead, unable to move.

  “Don’t do that to her, Gerald.” Bella moved from behind the counter and took me into her arms. “She didn’t know that you are severely allergic to cedar.”

  Cedar? I quickly recalled my specifically getting into the cedar portion of last night’s smudging ceremony. I especially fanned the smoke near the members of the council to show them that I might know what I was talking about with the spiritual stuff. But truth be told, I was winging it the entire time. Why in the world did I listen to my gut like Darla said in her journal?

  “If she’s a spiritualist, she’d know.” His jaw clenched and he glared. “Get out! I will let you know when the council is going to meet.”

  I ran out without looking back. I slammed into someone, knocking them down.

  “June?” Izzy was laid out flat with her purple skirt flung in the air. She fought the skirt tooth and nail to keep the crinoline down, but it was winning.

  “I’m so sorry,” I gasped reaching for her hand to help her up. Instead I fell on the pavement next to her and burst into tears. “I’m a failure. I’m not a spiritualist. I should’ve never moved here.”

  “That is nonsense.” She stood up and brushed herself off. “Get up and come with me.”

  I did exactly what she told me to do. By the time we made it down to Mystic Lights, a crowd had gathered outside The Gathering Grove and everyone was staring at me.

  I briefly told Izzy what had happened in The Gathering Grove, including how I picked the herbs out for last night’s smudging ceremony.

  “First off, you didn’t try to kill anyone. We rushed you into moving here.” She unlocked the gate to Mystic Lights and once inside she locked it behind us. “Secondly, that is what a spiritualist does. You are listening to your instincts, the higher powers are telling you what to pick. And it worked! I had Eloise confirm it this morning.”

  “Eloise?”

  “Yes, she is a spiritualist who uses the power of incense to cleanse or empower the client. She’s amazing.” Izzy talked in a rush. “She said that everything is going to fine in the village. Just a hiccup or two. Maybe Gerald is one of those hiccups. But as a spiritualist, you know you can’t read another spiritualist unless they let you.” She tapped the crystal ball sitting on the counter. It wasn’t Madame Torres. I wished it were.

  The face appeared from the dark liquid and didn’t take her long-lashed eyes off me.

  Was the person in the crystal ball wanting to read me? I’d never believed in any of that stuff, like Darla—until now. I glanced around Mystic Lights to see if I could find Madame Torres, but the glass globe wasn’t anywhere to be found.

  Focus, focus. I peeled my eyes off of the shadowy face from the other crystal ball.

  “Can you tell me a little more about Eloise? And how to find her?” I asked. The face in the crystal ball continued to watch me and every move I made.

  “She only visits every once in a while. There’s no need to worry about Eloise. I’m sure you’ll meet her one day.” She tapped the crystal ball with her long fingernail.

  “It’s just that Darla had some kind of agreement with her.” I shrugged, and lied. “I only want to find more out about my past.”

  That really wasn’t a lie. I wanted Eloise’s help. If Darla trusted her, maybe I could trust her in helping me clear my name.

  “Really,” Izzy’s voice boomed, “there is no need to contact Eloise. I don’t recall her ever knowing your mother.”

  Liar! I wanted to shout and point, but she wasn’t going to budge. One way or another, I was going to find Eloise.

  “What about the crystal ball I want? Where is it?” I looked around again.

  “That old thing? It’s probably been put away. I can’t remember. You need a new one. Once you settle in and we get this whole murder thing behind us, I’ll give you a lesson.” Izzy walked over to the gate.

  I wasn’t interested in a lesson. I was interested in what evil spirit was out to get me. Right now, Gerald seemed to be the only evil spiritualist out to get me. Or was he the one framing me? There was no way I was going to ask about the relationship between Gerald and Ann. Izzy made it very clear she wasn’t interested in helping me.

  “Anyway, why don’t you take the day off and let me talk to Gerald when he calms down.”

  She patted my shoulder and nudged me toward the door. “I will let you know what happens. Just take some time for yourself today.”

  A customer hurried through the door.

  Sure you will. I was beginning to realize I couldn’t believe a word that came out of Izzy’s mouth. I was going to have to solve this thing on my own if I wanted to be clear. She was right about taking time off. Not only was I going to take the day off, I was going to drive back to Locust Grove, see if there are any funny footprints around my old house, even though I knew it was against Number Five in the Spiritualist handbook. Seriously? What did I have to lose at this point?

  I turned back around to face Izzy when I remembered what Gerald had said about me not being able to open my shop until I was found not guilty.

  “What about my shop?” Lines formed between my brows.

  “Oh, that.” She grabbed the crystal ball off the counter and shooed me off so she could help the next customer.

  I took it as a cue to wait on her to talk to Gerald. I couldn’t leave the shop closed for long. It was my income. It was how Mr. Prince Charming and I ate.

  “Are you going on a trip soon?” Izzy asked the customer as she rolled the cloudy, round glass in her hand.

  “Yes.” The customer drew back. “How did you know?”

  “Let’s just say I see sailboats in your future.” Her eyes lit up when a smile curled on her face. “Be sure to get some Dramamine from your doctor. You are going to have a fabulous time.”

  The customer nodded and they continued to carry on a conversation. I was sure Izzy was going to be dishing out even more advice.

  Chapter Fourteen

  I pulled up to the old Cape Cod, and my heart sank for Darla. Even when Darla died, I had always felt a presence. I didn’t feel that in Whispering Falls. Maybe it was the memories that made me nostalgic. I could only hope the journal would help fill that void.

  The Green Machine seemed to groan with happiness when I turned it off. Mr. McGurtle’s house was as lonely as mine. I wondered if he ever came home or just stayed in Whispering Falls since I wasn’t his responsibility anymore.

  I grabbed my black bag and strapped it across my chest. I walked around what was left of the shed before I went in the house. Just a few boot prints from the firefighters and ashes were all that was left. Not even a piece of the test tubes I used to mix my crazy concoctions could be found.

  I pulled on the screen door and it was unlocked just like it always was. Instantly a familiar smell consumed my soul. . .home.

  The old floor creaked as though I’d never left, and the furniture was still in place.

  I wiped a tear that had fallen down my cheek. Home sweet home, I sighed. Only I couldn’t come home until I cleared my name in Whispering Falls.

  With my shoulders back, I inhaled. I came here to do a job, and to find any evidence that someone had taken my bracelet.

  I went back outside and looked around, especially underneath the windows. The only way someone could break in, at night, would be to climb through one. That was exactly how Oscar used to get in.

  Many times
I’d wake up and he’d be standing there without me ever hearing him come in. Darla finally caught on when she had some of her herbal pots in every window of the house, and the one in my room had been trampled.

  She never planted grass under my window because of Oscar. It became a joke that Oscar never came in the house through the front door.

  I bent down and looked at the dirt. There was a little earth scuffed up, and I took a better look. It sure looked like the shoe print in the mud at the lake where they found Ann.

  I took my phone out of my black bag and flipped through the photos to find the one that I had taken of the lake shoe print.

  “Hot damn!” I clicked the phone to camera and took a couple shots of the print.

  I ran back into the house and down to the basement. Once Darla wanted to be creative and make a cement mold with color broken glass. She said it was all the rage. Apparently not in our flea market. She never sold one. But I knew there was still cement mix in the basement.

  I mixed up a small batch and before I headed out the door, I remembered I had left a stash of Ding Dongs under the last basement step in case there was ever an emergency. I stuck my hand under the old wooden basement step and felt around until I had the round delicious treat in my fingertips.

  Heaven. I held it in one hand and the mixture in the other. I trotted up the steps to the first floor and out the door to get the evidence I needed.

  I poured the wet, grainy liquid on the shoe print. The package said that it would take an hour to set. Since it was so old, I figured it would take two.

  I was mentally exhausted and nothing sounded better than my Ding Dong and a good nap in my bed. I flicked my shoes off, put my bag next to the bed and got out my Ding Dong. Comfort set in as I curled up and savored every single chocolaty morsel. Before I knew it, I fell asleep.

  Turn over, turn over…I begged the victim to show me their face. The hands continued to squeeze around the victim’s neck.

  “Turn over!” I sat straight up in my bed. I brushed my bangs to the side. Sweat had plastered them to my forehead.

  My heart was pounding and my hands were shaking. My cell phone was ringing. I dug in my bag to get it. It was Oscar and I sent him to voicemail.

  I didn’t feel like re-hashing what happened in The Gathering Grove or tell him that I had another nightmare.

  “June?” I heard a voice call out from the front porch screen door. “June?”

  With my purse in hand, I slipped my shoes on and went to the front door. Jordan Parks was standing there in full uniform.

  “Hi.” I opened the door and stepped out on the porch. “I was going to come see you.”

  “You were?” There was tension in his face. “I was going to come to Whispering Falls to see you.”

  Gerald’s words rang in my ear, “I already called Officer Jordan Parks to find out about you.”

  “I heard. Whispering Falls hasn’t been a good move for me.” I walked down the steps, jumped over the cicada cemetery, and checked on my cement mold.

  “What’s that?” Jordan asked.

  “I’m going to find out who is framing me for murder. I think they broke in my house and stole my bracelet off my wrist when I was sleeping.” I touched the mold and it was dry.

  “You? Sleeping?” Jordan laughed. He did know everything about me. After my dad was killed, he did everything he could to help me and Darla out. One time I thought he was going to marry Darla, making Oscar and I brother and sister. Yuck!

  “I know it sounds far-fetched, but I think this is the print.” I picked up the cement block and looked at the perfect mold.

  “You need to let Oscar do his job, and that’s what I told Gerald.” We walked back to the front of the house. “But I still want to talk to you. Maybe I can help out. I thought they sold your place?”

  “Not yet.” I wasn’t going into the whole spiritual routine. I was already accused of killing someone, attempted murder on another. I didn’t want to add crazy to the list.

  “I’ll stop by one night.” I did need his advice, but I wanted to wait to see what Izzy found out. “How about you make me some of that famous box spaghetti?”

  “You got it, kid.” He waved. I watched him leave, and then ran into the house to grab the bag of cement. I was going to make more mix and get the print from the lake.

  The entire way back, I couldn’t get my nightmare out of my head. It was the first time I had a nightmare while napping. Up until now, they had always taken place at night.

  It was the same as every other time. There was a head underwater with hands around the neck. Only the head was different this time. The hair was darker and longer. Not like Ann’s. But the hands were still the same.

  Before I knew it, I was back, driving down the main street of Whispering Falls. I parked the El Camino in the empty space in front of A Dose of Darla. I took the cement bag out of the bed of the Green Machine.

  “Where have you been?” Chandra giggled, twisting her hands together. She stood underneath her little pink awning of A Cleansing Spirit Spa. “I heard what happened with Gerald after I left The Gathering Grove this morning. What’s that?”

  I rested my hand over the word “cement” on the bag and tucked it close to my chest. “It’s an ingredient I need to make a cure.”

  “Oh.” She slid a little closer and leaned in to get a better look at what I had.

  “I’ll be by later.” I peeled a note off the gate, and unlocked it. Once inside, I locked it behind me.

  “June,” I read the note out loud, “please come by Petunia’s and get me. I need you to make me something. ~ Mac McGurtle.”

  I had hardly finished the note when there was a knock at the door.

  On the other side stood Mr. McGurtle and Mr. Prince Charming.

  Hmmm. . .when we lived next door to each other, they despised one another.

  “I saw Mr. Prince Charming hanging around the gate, so I knew you had to be around. Besides, your old beater sticks out like a sore thumb.” He gestured to the Green Machine.

  “Hey, that’s a classic.” I always had a special place in my heart for my ride. I held the note up in the air, and opened the door wider so he could come in. “I was just reading your note.”

  He followed me into the shop. I noticed the items that needed to be restocked, but why bother when I wasn’t able to sell anything because Gerald thought I tried to kill him. Plus I was possibly going to jail for killing Ann.

  I motioned for him to follow me to the back of the store where the ingredients were stored. Luckily, there was a small refrigerator stocked with pop and a couch to relax. Before all this mess, I loved the idea that I could come to work and get through the day or go hang out in the back mixing all sorts of potions and relaxing. That was a far-fetched dream.

  “I was wondering if you could make me a lucky mojo bag?” He drummed his foot on the floor and stared at me.

  What in the hell was a mojo bag? Much less a lucky one? If I knew, I would have made me one, because luck didn’t seem to be on my side at the moment.

  “What’s in a lucky mojo bag?” I rubbed my neck. This was obviously one of those things only a true spiritualist should automatically know. And I was a little leery of the whole instinct thing. I saw where that got me. “This is awful!”

  I fell on the couch, face down and sobbed. There had never been another time when I wanted Darla so bad. Not even Oscar would do.

  Mr. McGurtle sat down next to me. “This is the exact thing that Darla thought was going to happen.”

  “Tell me. Tell me everything.” I rolled over, sat up and brushed my tears. Darla had confided in him. Maybe he could help me.

  “There isn’t much to tell.” He stood up and paced. His eyes darted nervously around the room. “I’m a spiritualist. I read tarot cards. And I knew your dad and Darla from a long time ago.”

  He paused and looked at me.

  “Kiddo,” he pointed between the two of us, “you and I used to play together in this shop. We g
ot along great. So when Darla wanted you to have a ‘normal’ childhood. And we weren’t sure if you were a spiritualist or not. You were too young, so we let her take you.”

  All of the sudden, a lot of things started to add up. Mr. McGurtle did show up at strange times over the course of my childhood.

  “A true spiritualist has to be embraced and live around other spiritualists. Especially when they are children. So I agreed to move to Locust Grove and live next door when the council asked me to. Darla was happy, until she got sick. That is when she made me promise to watch over you. But you were grown and doing great, so I keep my distance.” He cleared his throat. Grown? I was barely out of high school. “I know you have the gift, but you have put up a wall. You can’t accept the fact that you are a spiritualist and that is causing the blockage. You have to learn to accept who you are. Darla wasn’t sure if you had it or not.”

  “What makes you so sure I am a spiritualist?” I crossed my arms in front of me.

  “Do you remember when I had the indigestion issue and I asked you for a remedy?” He asked.

  I nodded. I remember looking at Darla’s recipe and knew that something was off, so I added my own touch, albeit oyster shell clippings crushed and mixed in, and it worked.

  “You whipped up that mixture without even thinking about it.” His eyes glittered with inner light. “It worked like a charm. All of your remedies began to help a lot of people in the village. I didn’t tell the council, but they found out. That is why I was shocked to see Izzy standing in your yard. They never contacted me to let me know they were coming for you.”

  “Coming for me?” I drew back.

  “They would never make you come, but they have a great way of persuading you.” He laughed. “And this whole thing with Ann is a mess. They aren’t even looking into Gerald. Everyone wants to overlook that.”

  “Overlook what?” I was never one for gossip, but if this was going to help me, then I was all ears.

  “Ann has been after Gerald for years. From what I heard, he gave in a few times and then she wouldn’t leave him alone. But with the council taking away her spiritual shop and banning her from using her gifts, he had to be careful. Him being on the council and all. I even heard they met at The Gathering Grove the night before she died. But that’s just what Petunia had said.” He threw his hands up to his mouth, but it was too late.