by Tonya Kappes
I used to sneak out and meet Oscar under the big oak tree on the far side of his house, out of view of Darla in case she looked outside, and we’d eat an entire box. I guess I should clarify, I’d eat an entire box while Oscar laughed.
“Stop it,” I whispered. I had to get Oscar and the good times out of my head or I’d go crazy. “Need Ding Dongs, need Ding Dongs.” I ran my finger down the aisle where they always sat, but the shelf was empty.
“Did you say Ding Dongs?” The guy in the green Piggly Wiggly employee shirt asked.
“Yes.” Frantically I rushed up and down the aisle to see where they had moved them.
“You aren’t going to find any. They stopped making them.”
“You are joking, right?” I stopped dead in my tracks and searched his pimply teenage face. He was wrong. He was teasing me. My gut tugged, telling me he wasn’t wrong, but my head told me he was. “You are a liar!”
“Whoa.” A woman’s voice called out from behind me. “June?”
“You are crazy, lady.” The kid pointed at me before he walked away.
“Are you okay?” Adeline was standing in front of me. Her mouth gaped open.
“No. No. Nothing is okay.” I threw my hands up in the air and burst out crying.
“Come on.” She wrapped her arms around me and ushered me thru the swinging doors that read ‘Employees Only’. “Clear out. Emergency.” She told the employees to leave.
“Can you do that?” I questioned her as she placed me in a chair at the table where the employees had been eating. My stomach growled looking at their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
Another person walked in.
“I said leave!” She pointed toward the door. “Tell Brady to order pizza for everyone.”
The employee smiled, walking out to leave us alone.
“Brady is the cashier manager today.” She smiled, lifting her hands in the air. “You have A Charming Cure, I have the Piggly Wiggly.”
“You are the owner?” Good. I had the right person who could answer my Ding Dong dilemma. “Then you can tell me---where are the Ding Dongs? They have been in aisle five for as far back as I can recall.”
“They aren’t making them anymore. We had to do away with the entire display.” There was a sadness in her voice and eyes. “I’m so sorry. Be glad that you have those delicious treats you gave me that are similar to them. I’m losing money left and right since the supplier stopped all production.”
“I know.” I shuffled my foot. “My friend at Wicked Good Bakery in Whispering Falls makes them. But there’s just something about the real thing and unwrapping that foil.”
“This can be a good thing. Maybe you can do something different to help out with stress.” She stood up and put her hands together in a praying position. “I was going to check on you today after what happened last night.”
“Oh, yeah.” Kenny’s dead body was tattooed on my brain. “Last night.”
“Do they know what happened to him?” She leaned against the table.
“He was murdered, but the autopsy isn’t back yet.” I made a mental note to make a quick visit to Two Sisters and a Funeral. Surely the results from his autopsy were back by now.
“I know you didn’t do it. You have to find a better way to soothe that stress of yours.” She bowed with her hands still in the clasped position. “I really think you should join me in yoga.”
Yoga? Chocolate? Weighing the two, I think chocolate wins.
“I’ll think about it.” I straightened my shirt. “I’m going to go. Thanks so much for your help.”
“Anytime.” Adeline made it to the door before me and opened it. “It feels good to help you out instead of the other way around.”
“Technically, you just killed my one and only bad habit.” I bit my lip trying to figure out how I was going to get my hands on some Ding Dongs. “I’ll let you know about the yoga thingy.”
Pish. There was no way I was going to do that meditating crap when all I needed was a Ding Dong.
“Hi,” Adeline’s voice rose to a high-pitched squeal when a sandy blond-haired guy greeted us.
Hmm…Was this why single women went to the grocery store? To find a man? No wonder the produce section was so popular.
He bent down and gave Adeline a kiss to remember. She melted right into him, forgetting all about me and my dilemma.
“I’m sorry.” Adeline’s face was rosy red as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and then rubbed her hand down the hot, hunky man. “George, this is June. The owner of…”
“A Charming Cure.” He smiled and nodded. George stuck his hand out. We shook. “It’s great to meet the face behind the name. My Adeline has told me all about you.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” I pointed toward the door. “I really need to get going.”
“Okay.” Adeline tucked her arms in the crook of his elbow, locking her hands. Her shoulders rolled up. “I’ll check back with you about yoga.”
“You aren’t trying to get her to do yoga are you?” By the sound of George’s voice, she must be trying to get him to go with her.
“I’ll think about it.” George reminded me of how I had to find a new stress relief, putting a bitter taste back in my mouth. “I’ll see you later.” I eyed her suspiciously, my gut tugged and I fiddled with my fingers.
Angrily, I stomped back to the Green Machine. Mac had rolled down the window and was drumming his fingers on the windowsill.
“Where have you been?” Hastily he rolled the window back up.
“You aren’t going to believe this.” I let out a big sigh. “They are no longer making Ding Dongs, the end of an era and the end of sanity for me.”
“You better find something and quick.” Mac’s voice sent chills up my spine. “Wicked Goods was robbed last night.”
“Oh, no.” I gasped. “Do they think the killer broke in there?”
“They think you did.” Mac opened his damn notebook. “The only thing they took,” he looked up, his eyes hollow, “were June’s Gems.”
Instantly, Adeline’s face hit my mind’s eye like a ton of bricks. My gut curled in knots. My instincts told me her name was written all over this. Not only did she get the June’s Gems for her boyfriend, but she was also standing there last night when Petunia and Gerald stumbled across Kenny. Plus, she’d do anything to keep that boyfriend of hers. After all, all she wanted the first time she came into A Charming Cure was a potion to help in the relationship department. All I gave her was a box of June’s Gems without a potion.
Did Kenny see her stealing from Wicked Good and try to stop her, and she killed him?
“What?” Mac questioned me. “Tell me what you are thinking. I need the truth June.”
“The truth is…” I stopped, and looked at the front of the Piggly Wiggly. Adeline was standing next to the sliding doors, waving her fingers in the air as she said bye to me.
I put the car in drive.
“The truth is I’m innocent.” With my eyes ahead of me, I decided to keep my intuitive claims about Adeline private. I had a lot of questions that needed to be answered, and I was going to find out the answers for myself.
“Ohmmmm…” I hummed.
“What?” Mac’s nose twitched, and he had a peculiar look on his face.
“Nothing.” I inhaled what was supposed to be fresh air to help with the Zen, but it smelled like the ole Green Machine. Practicing yoga just might be what I needed to get to the truth about who
killed Kenny and broke into Wicked Good.
Chapter Twelve
“Am not!” Belur screamed. He could be heard arguing with Madame Torres even with the door shut and a couch pillow over my head.
“Are too!” Madame Torres knew how to get under Belur’s skin when she told him he was a fat blob with no real powers.
“Am not!”
“Yep you are!” She was confident in her argument and he really couldn’t do anything but what he was told. “You can only grant wishe
s. Not like me. I can see exactly what is going to happen to people, and show June pictures of things going on around her.”
Hiss, hiss. Mr. Prince Charming darted out of the bedroom and jumped on the couch. He rubbed his body against my hand that was holding the pillow in place.
I didn’t have the energy to play referee between them.
Pulling the pillow off my head, I sat up and smoothed my hair before I reached down and patted Mr. Prince Charming.
“I know this is going to protect me, but I wish I could have a break in the murder. Something.” I bit my lip trying to listen to my instincts, but nothing was coming. “Come on.”
The knock at the door startled me. It was loud and demanding.
Meow, meow. Mr. Prince Charming jumped up on the kitchen counter and stood on the window seal looking out.
Slowly I walked to the door, hoping it was Oscar, but not here to arrest me.
“What a fine mess the village president has gotten herself into.” Aunt Helena swept past me, as her long red-pointy fingernail tweaked my nose. Her long black cloak created a breeze that sent chills up my spine.
My Great Aunt Helena was my father’s aunt and the Dean of Hidden Hall A Spiritualist University. She was the last person I wanted to see. I’m sure I had disappointed her.
“Come on in,” I sarcastically muttered while shutting the door. “Can I get you something to drink?”
Her cloak flew open, revealing a couple of to-go cups from The Gathering Grove and a brown bag. The goodies scent wafted through the room, making my stomach growl.
“I thought I’d stop by and bring you some food.” Her eyes roamed up and down my body. “I can see that you haven’t slept or eaten.”
Opening the cupboard door, I pulled out two small plates and sat them on the small kitchen table. “Being accused of murder and now theft, and losing my boyfriend, leaves me with little appetite.” I opened the bag after she handed it to me. Suddenly I was starving. I took a big bite of one of the blueberry muffins. “Mmmm.” I closed my eyes, relaxing for the first time in twenty-four hours.
Patience and Constance Karmina popped into my head.
Which meant I needed to plan a little visit to Two Sisters and a Funeral Home. Their image was quickly replaced with Madame Torres.
“I’ll be right back.” I dropped the muffin back on the plate and rushed to the bedroom, quickly glancing back at Aunt Helena who was watching every single move I made. With a slight smile, I disappeared into the room. “You two stop it,” I whispered, looking back and forth between the two. “My Aunt can’t know about Belur, so stop fighting. I will deal with you when she leaves. Got it?”
Belur was in his bottle, but it was glowing an omescent purple that shut off as soon as I said to stop, but Madame Torres was a different story. Why on earth did I think she was going to cooperate?
While walking over to her to give her a scolding, I noticed it wasn’t Madame Torres at all. I picked the crystal ball up to get a closer look.
“Adeline?” My eyes grew big and bright. Her hands were folded in her cross-legged lap, her eyes shut. She opened them and stared directly at me as if she knew she was in my crystal ball. Pulling her legs outstretched in front of her, she lifted her chest and torso, her hands above her head, and with one big exhale she bent forward leading with her chest, laying completely flat against her legs. “Why are you showing me this?” I asked Madame Torres, but she shut off.
With a heavy sigh, I went back to find Aunt Helena happily sipping her tea and eating her muffin.
“Find what you were looking for?” She questioned arrogantly.
“I must’ve left my Magical Cures Potion book at the shop.” I lied, not looking at her. “I have a question about level twenty-eight.”
“That is one reason I am here.” Her long pinky finger shot straight up in the air as she tipped the cup to her lips. After a quick sip, she politely snickered, “You really shouldn’t be doing any sort of the potions from level twenty-eight until you come back and take the Telekinesis course.”
That was one spiritual gift I wanted to forget.
“That…”I grumbled, thinking my day had gone from bad to worse. “Are you telling me that wasn’t a one-time gig?”
“I’m afraid not.” Gracefully, Aunt Helena stood up, the hem of her cloak floated to the floor.
I would kill for a Ding Dong. I thought, remembering how I first learned I had the spiritual gift of Telekinesis. A time I’d like to forget. It was when I was a student at Hidden Hall, and in a very sticky situation.
“It’s very important for you to learn how to control your gift.” She flung the cloak perfectly over her left shoulder. “Especially now that you are the village president.” She twirled her long finger in front of my face. “This is not the picture of a strong village president. Now get in there, get that loony crystal ball of yours, demand that pitiful sheriff give you back your shop, and lead this community into finding out who killed that poor Native American.”
Like a good soldier, I straightened up and felt a little bit of confidence; not much, but some.
“You are a Heal, and no Heal ever cowers away from sticky situations.” Her eyes narrowed, casting a dark shadow down her face. In an instant she was gone.
Hiss, hiss. Mr. Prince Charming arched his back, running through the puff of smoke she left behind.
“Why couldn’t I have that fabulous spiritual gift?” I looked at him as he darted around my ankles.
She was right; I had to go into town as if nothing was bothering me. The more I stayed away, the guiltier I looked. At least that how it was on TV.
Quickly, I put on some other clothes that were a little more presentable then the sweat pants, grabbed Madame Torres, and shoved her deep in my bag before Mr. Prince Charming and I headed down the hill towards Whispering Falls.
With Two Sisters and A Funeral in my sights, I ventured in that direction. It was good to see the town was filled with customers going from shop to shop.
“June, it’s just awful that they think you did something to Kenny.” Chandra Shango rushed outside of A Cleansing Spirit Spa. “He was shady.” She tucked the ends of her short raspberry colored hair under the edge of her green turban before she plucked a few of the dead flowers from the window boxes that made her display windows pop. “What kind of person ‘blows in with the wind and out with the breeze?’” She rolled her soft hazel eyes.
“Thank you so much for your support.” Gently, I reached out and took her hand. Immediately she flipped it over and took a fast glance at my palm. I pulled it away. There was a lot going on inside of me. I didn’t want to take a chance of Chandra seeing something. I curled my hand into a fist and placed it on my heart “I’m not going to let that stop me from serving as village president.”
“What about that?” She pointed toward A Charming Cure, which was the shop next to hers. A big yellow piece of paper was stuck on the front window, completely covering up my cute potion display table.
“Closed until further notice?” My mouth dropped. He told me I had to close for a day. . .but until further notice? “We will see about that!”
I stormed down the street to take care of business at Two Sisters.
“Slow down,” Madame Torres chirped from the bottom of my bag. “I’m getting motion sickness.”
I ducked to the side of the moss-covered shop so no one would see me.
I reached in and pulled her out, holding her in the palm of my hands.
“Show me Adeline,” I demanded.
Madame Torres knew I meant business. She didn’t fuss as she showed me the inside of the Piggly Wiggly where Adeline was in the office having a little smooch session with her boyfriend.
“Ugh,” I looked away, trying to give Adeline privacy, but looked back when a small cough came from Madame Torres. Adeline’s boyfriend walked out of the office, but another guy emerged from the closet. He was not facing me, he was facing Adeline. I squinted trying to read her lips, which I couldn’t do.
By the way she was shaking her hands in the air, and gritting her teeth I could tell she wasn’t happy.
I put Madame Torres back in my bag before I crossed the street. I didn’t want to walk in front of Wicked Good. I hadn’t seen Raven since I had been accused of robbing the bakery. They could just raid my cottage and see that I didn’t.
“How is everything going?” Bella was cleaning the windows on the outside of her shop. “I’m sure you heard about the June’s Gems being stolen.” I shuffled my feet. “Oscar shut down my shop.”