Charming Blend (A Paramour Bay Cozy Paranormal Mystery Book 5)

by Kennedy Layne

  I was trying to find out what the cause of my unease was that would have both me and Leo sensing what I could only presume was a threat. Like my ability to cast spells, my awareness of danger wasn’t always spot on.

  Leo yawned as he tried to sweep the cobwebs away.

  The bell above the door chimed once more, and Liam turned to see who had entered. Seeing that he was standing directly in front of me, I leaned to the side just a tad.

  You’re right. Your spidey senses were off once again.

  They certainly were.

  I’m going back to sleep. You can leave that flamethrower in the armory.

  “Liam, it’s good to see you.” Rye Dolgiram had entered the shop and was rubbing his hands together to get rid of the cold. He wasn’t a danger, per se, but there was something about him that set off Leo, my mother…and me. Leo had followed him around one morning, and nothing was found other than the man had a decent work ethic as the town’s handyman. “Raven, I was hoping to speak with you in private if you have a moment.”

  To say that silence had descended over the tea shop was an understatement. I’m pretty sure that the ringing in my ears had nothing to do with the bell above the door.

  I’m now fully awake for this visit. Wait. Do I have time to throw a bag of popcorn in the microwave?

  “Of course,” I replied hesitantly to Rye, completely ignoring Leo. This situation was uncomfortable enough without me having to hear Leo’s snarky play-by-play. “Liam, if you’ll give me just a—”

  “It’s okay.” Liam might have said it was alright, but I could see his curiosity about why Rye would want to speak with me in private. Liam was opting to leave instead of requiring me to step to the front of the store to speak with Rye. “I have some paperwork to finish up at the station. I’ll see you later.”

  Ouch.

  Since when did chasing down a dog for a resident require paperwork? I decided that wasn’t important, but there was something a bit off about letting him leave without…

  I unconsciously wrapped my fingers around Liam’s arm and stopped him from turning away. It was easy to lift up on my toes with the knee-high black boots I was wearing and press a soft kiss against his cheek.

  Well, this is a bit awkward.

  Sure enough, a quick glance toward Rye showed me that he was shifting his weight as he looked back out the glass door to give Liam and I some privacy.

  “Thanks for the drink,” I whispered, still wanting to keep our little secret about him sneaking me coffee between us. Maybe I should cancel the order I’d placed this morning. “Call me later?”

  Hey, can I be on a team? You remember those Twilight books and how there was a Team Edward and a Team Jacob? I’m just not sure who I would go with…Team Liam? No, you shouldn’t be with a human. It only causes trouble. Team Rye? Not a chance. He’s too secretive. For all we know, he could be a werewolf.

  Werewolf?

  I distinctly remember Leo mentioning that there were no such things as vampires, werewolves, or things that go bump in the night. Well, with the exceptions of ghosts. Considering we had an up close and person visit from an apparition, it was safe to say there were things that went bump in the night.

  You got me. I don’t remember that conversation, but I can only assume that I said some of those things so as not to overwhelm you.

  I made a mental note to stock up on garlic and silver. I’d have to have a small panic attack later seeing as I was currently about to have a conversation with a man who had been nothing but secretive since I’d met him.

  After Liam promised to call me later, he walked past Rye with a respectful nod. The bell chimed once more, eventually fading while I stared at Rye and waited to hear what he could possibly want to speak with me about privately.

  I could name a few things, but I have a somewhat twisted view on such motives.

  I’d first met Rye when a storm had stranded Heidi and me in town one night a couple of months ago. A window had been broken by a branch that had fallen off a tree, and he’d come to temporarily fix it so that we could finish riding out the storm without losing too much heat at the inn.

  Leo and I had both gotten the sense that there was something dangerous about the man, but we’d never been able to figure it out. As Leo had mentioned, the man was secretive. Mysterious would probably be a better adjective.

  You left out tall, dark, and handsome. I believe those were Heidi’s words, not mine. I personally don’t agree with that assessment.

  There was some truth to Heidi’s adjectives, but it wasn’t like I was attracted to Rye. I wasn’t, and I had no plans to seek him out.

  The lady doth protest too much…I think.

  I wasn’t protesting anything. Liam was the man who’d been in my thoughts every second of the day ever since I’d moved to Paramour Bay. Granted, we’d only been on a handful of dates, but the man had a way of making my heart flutter that no other man could do…including the one standing in front of me.

  “I was hoping to talk to you about Gertie,” Rye said, taking a step closer.

  That’s it? And here I thought this was going to be some explosive moment. I’m going back to sleep.

  “I saw you stopping by the inn earlier. Did you notice anything amiss with her?”

  “Gertie?” I asked, just to be sure we were talking about the same person.

  The older woman had seemed in great spirits, although a bit lonely considering that the guest list this time of year was a little thin. My palm was still tingling slightly, but it wasn’t burning to the point that my subconscious believed I was in danger.

  “I’m worried about her,” Rye disclosed, the small shrug telling me that he was a bit embarrassed about his concern. It hadn’t been my intention to make him feel uncomfortable for being worried. “Gertie has been calling me over to the inn for issues that don’t need to be fixed. I get the impression that she’s lonely, but Beverly still goes over every day to help out with the meals and laundry.”

  “Gertie seemed fine, and she even invited me in for some tea.” I recalled my short visit and nothing stood out. “I didn’t notice anything wrong, but then again, I wasn’t looking for a problem.”

  Rye nodded, but he didn’t seem convinced. He even parted his lips as if to say something, but he seemed to think better of it. Now I had a sense of despair at not being able to help him. He wasn’t even related to Gertie, yet he was checking on a fellow resident and making sure she was okay.

  I couldn’t let him leave without reassuring him that I would help out any way I could and even visit Gertie again.

  “Rye, wait,” I called out, taking the few steps between us when he’d turned to go. I’d noticed once before, but his eyes weren’t technically brown…though they were dark in color. They were as dark of a green as they could possibly be without being black. “How about I check on her tomorrow? Maybe the holidays brought her down. I know that she doesn’t have any family, and that can definitely be a damper at these times of the year.”

  Rye gave me that crooked smile I’d seen him give numerous other people, but he was always so serious around me. Maybe that’s why I thought he had something to hide.

  “Raven, I wasn’t going to bring this up,” Rye said hesitantly, his grin fading when he tried to come with a way to tell me something that I obviously wasn’t going to like. “I probably shouldn’t say anything at all.”

  “You can’t leave me hanging now that you brought it up.”

  “Well, I know this is going to sound really far out there,” Rye began, once again stopping short of telling me the true purpose for his visit. I had a horrible feeling that this was right on par with me possibly being responsible for the fires. “It was the reason I didn’t want to discuss this in front of Liam, but I knew you’d understand.”

  “Understand what?” I asked cautiously, somehow ending up gripping my coffee cup to the point the lid was ready to pop off. “Rye, just spit it out.”

  “I stopped in unexpectedly at the inn la
st night to check up on Gertie and saw her…”

  Dancing naked under the full moon? Willing down moonshine?

  Leo was awake, in case you didn’t notice.

  Who could sleep through this part of the story? We’re getting to the good stuff now. Do you think Rye caught Gertie with matches and a can of lighter fluid?

  Gertie had to be in her nineties, so it was doubtful the woman had been running around Paramour Bay setting fires in the back alleys of the shops or to offices off the main thoroughfare.

  Don’t forget Beetle’s house.

  Something was bugging me about that misplaced blaze, but I couldn’t focus on anything but what Rye was about to reveal.

  “Rye? What did you see?”

  I’m on pins and needles here, and it’s not withdrawal from my supply of catnip.

  “Raven, I swear I saw Gertie performing some type of…voodoo.” Rye ran a hand over his face in astonishment, but he couldn’t have been as stunned as I was in this moment. Gertie wasn’t a witch. At least, I didn’t think she was a witch. “It’s a well-known fact that your grandmother dabbled in holistic medicine, but this was…this was different. It’s why I’d thought I’d ask you for your opinion. Maybe she has lost her grip on reality.”

  Well, Heidi did find some pestles and mortars in the woman’s kitchen the night of the snowstorm. Gertie even hinted that she knew of the Marigold secret, not that she has any concrete evidence. With that said, I’m here to tell you that our dear old inn keeper is not a witch.

  “Voodoo?” It was the only word I could get out around the constriction of my throat. I had to cough to get out a full sentence. This was not where I’d thought the conversation was heading. “What, exactly, did you witness with your own eyes?”

  Rye shook his head in denial, but he finally shared the details of his discovery.

  “Gertie was lighting some type of green silver leaf on fire and tossing it into a bowl with other ingredients while candles were lit all around these weird metal bowls.” Rye shoved his hands inside his coat pockets with a shrug. “I never went inside, so I couldn’t hear what she was saying. I never let her know that I was there and a witness to whatever it was she was doing. I just left.”

  Fire? A green leaf from a silver maple? Where would that old innkeeper find something like that this time of year? I hate to say this, Raven, but I might have to retract my last statement.

  I almost yelled out to Leo that he didn’t need to say anything, but I caught myself just in time. Rye had thrown me for a loop, and I needed time to process all these new details.

  What’s there to process, Raven? It’s simple—you might not be the only witch in town.

  Chapter Eleven

  HAVE I MENTIONED that this is an exceptionally bad idea? I just wanted to go on record.

  “I’m taking the next logical step,” I muttered behind the scarf that I’d wrapped around my face. Five o’clock had finally rolled around, giving me the chance to stop in at the inn. I’d have to come up with an excuse that I lost an earring or something, but at least it would get my foot in the door to do a little investigating of my own. “Gertie can’t be a witch. You would have already known that little detail, along with Mom and Nan. Remember, Mom did live here for some twenty-three years before moving away to New York City.”

  Hello? Are you conveniently forgetting that I have a memory problem?

  “I’m not forgetting anything,” I argued, hurrying down the sidewalk now that it had started to flurry. “Please just stick to the plan I laid out. I’ll try to find out all I can about the leaves and herbs that Rye saw Gertie lighting on fire while you search through the kitchen.”

  Was it possible that Gertie was a practicing witch? What could she possibly gain by setting fires around town? It made no sense, and I wanted to check this out myself so that I could rule out such a preposterous notion.

  Is it preposterous? Gertie is somewhere in the range of mid-nineties. Sure, she uses a cane…but she sure can get from one place to another with ease.

  Leo did have a point. If Gertie had been Nan’s customer for the same arthritis blend that she’d made for Otis, then why hadn’t Gertie come to me for the same holistic remedy?

  Witches don’t need another witch to make their own magical blends, do they?

  I completely understood where Leo was going with this conversation, but something just wasn’t right with our train of thought. A simple visit to Gertie could alleviate any more suspicion. As it stood, Liam was searching for a culprit in these arsons. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t find one if the fires were the result of witchcraft.

  I had no choice but to investigate Rye’s claims myself.

  Speaking of Rye, did it ever occur to you that he completely made up a story about Gertie just so that he could talk you into this course of action?

  “Here we go again,” I grumbled, grateful that we’d finally arrived at the inn. Leo’s theories about Rye were over the top. At least the walk had done me good and cleared my head of doubts. This was a simple check on a neighbor, and my visit would finally ascertain if Gertie had been keeping a secret from the town for over nine decades. “Leo, Rye has no interest in me nor I him.”

  You keep telling yourself that, princess.

  I carefully made my way up the steps to the inn, mindful of any ice that might have escaped the sand or salt Gertie had put down after the last snowfall. I’d closed the tea shop at exactly five-o’clock, but the sun was still shining. Now that it was February, dusk had been pushed back just a little.

  “Remember, search the kitchen,” I reminded Leo, opening the heavy wooden door. I was still uncomfortable with such an act, but this was a B&B—the entrance was always open. That sweet fragrance I loved so much hit me the moment I crossed the threshold. “Here we go. Wish us luck.”

  Closing the door behind me, I noticed a guest sitting on the ornate couch with a computer positioned in front of him on the coffee table. I’d heard that Mayor Sanders had a state official stopping in sometime this week, so he must have arrived early.

  “Raven, is that you, dear?”

  “Hi, Gertie,” I called back after pulling my scarf down around my neck so that she could hear me. Sure enough, the older woman was making her way across the dark hardwood floor with her cane. “I’m glad I made it before dinner.”

  Along with the sweet fragrance that always seemed to linger in the air, the smell of various delicious spices could be detected from the kitchen. As I’d mentioned before, Paramour Bay wasn’t quite the tourist town in the winter months. The guest in the formal living room was probably the only individual with a room, but with his reservations came free breakfast and dinner service.

  “Beverly is putting the finishing touches on her famous fettucine alfredo as we speak.” Gertie still continued to shuffle her way toward me as I hung up my dress coat and scarf. “Would you like to join me in the kitchen?”

  “How about a cup of tea?” I compromised, knowing she meant dinner. Gertie never ate with her guests, preferring to take her meal in the kitchen. “I just wanted to check in with you.”

  “You can visit me any time, Raven,” Gertie gushed in generosity, slowly turning to make her way back to the kitchen. I fell into step with her, sliding my purse back over my shoulder. I found it odd that Leo hadn’t said anything since I’d come inside. Was he experiencing a memory snafu? “I’ve reprinted off those financials records and made new copies of my receipts for Joseph. I was going to have Beverly drop them off at his house, so your timing is perfect.”

  I was still stuck on the name Joseph. It was easy to connect the dots, but I’d never heard anyone call Beetle by anything other than his nickname. He had filled out his tax forms as a subcontractor in order for me to be able to pay him and have the monies declared as income, but I never scrutinized them that closely.

  Please don’t judge.

  I was still getting used to this small business owner thing. Plus, I hadn’t cut Beetle his first paycheck.

 
; “Do we have another guest, Gertie?” Beverly called out from her place by the oven. She was busy cutting a loaf of fresh baked Italian bread she had buttered and toasted with garlic salt and placing the piping hot slices inside the cloth napkin lined basket. “I’ve made more than enough if I need to lay out another place setting.”

  Beverly Garber worked part time at the inn cooking and housekeeping, but she was also friends with Cora. I was always careful about what I said around her, though she’d never given me any reason to believe I had to watch my words too closely. Truthfully, she was a really sweet woman.

  “Raven stopped by to have a cup of tea with me,” Gertie said enthusiastically, causing my guilt senses to trip. With that said, the palm of my hand remained cool. I honestly didn’t believe for one moment that she was a witch. “I’ll put on the kettle.”

  “How are you doing, Raven?” Beverly didn’t once break stride with her preparations. “I heard about the fire in the alleyway behind your shop. Cora said there was no damage done to her place, but she said that you weren’t so lucky. I hope you didn’t lose too much inventory.”

  “Just a few items that I’d had opened in the back room, which thankfully wasn’t a lot. To be honest, you could say that I’m being overly careful by discarding anything that wasn’t sealed.” I took a seat at the kitchen table, having already done this a time or two. Gertie loved getting her guests tea, and it was best to leave her to it. A quick scan around the elaborate kitchen didn’t reveal anything unusual. “With all the smoke out back, we’d thought the fire had been in my storage room. Come to find out that it had been coming from a trash bin located too close to the building.”

  “I’m glad that no one was hurt.”

  “It’s just horrible what’s been happening around town.” I internally cringed at the ease in which covered what might very well be my own misconduct. “First the tea shop, then Monty’s hardware store. Beetle’s house, his office, Oliver’s office, and we can’t forget the pub. I just don’t see why those places were targeted.”