Magic and Mocha

by Jinty James

  “So I heard,” he replied, pulling out his wallet. “I’ll just have my usual.”

  “Coming right up.” Maddie busied herself making a vanilla cappuccino for the detective.

  “And how are you, Maddie?” he asked, concern in his voice.

  “I’m okay.” She looked up from the espresso machine and attempted a smile. “It was a shock for both of us finding Margot Wheeler like that.”

  “I’ll bet.” He nodded.

  “Who told you?” Suzanne demanded, taking his money.

  “Detective Rawson, my nephew,” he replied. “He also asked me to keep an eye on you two – make sure you don’t get into any trouble.”

  “As if we would!” Suzanne’s voice was indignant as she handed him his change.

  “Uh-huh.” He sounded as if he didn’t believe her. “The Seattle police have got this all in hand. I don’t want you two getting involved. Are we clear?”

  “Yes.” Maddie nodded as she handed him his drink. “I’m going to be practicing for round two next weekend, anyway.”

  “Good.” The detective looked pleased. “What about you, Suzanne?”

  “I’m going to be helping Maddie,” Suzanne declared, her expression indicating that he couldn’t possibly find anything wrong with that.

  “Uh-huh,” he repeated, then took a sip of his cappuccino. Pleasure creased his face as he swallowed. “If they had a vanilla cappuccino contest, I’m sure you’d win, Maddie.”

  “Thanks, Detective Edgewater.” Maddie smiled.

  “Just don’t get involved this time,” he warned. “The police will find out who the murderer is.” With that parting advice, he headed across the town square toward the sheriff’s station, a couple of blocks away.

  “Well,” Suzanne fumed. “I don’t know why he—”

  “He’s got a point, Suze. There have already been two murders in Estherville.”

  “Which we helped solve.”

  “Yes, but this one happened in Seattle. And we – I – need to stay focused on the competition.”

  “Exactly.” Suzanne’s expression lightened. “So if we keep our eyes and ears open as I believe I mentioned on the weekend, we might discover a crucial piece of information that we can give to the police – Detective Edgewater’s nephew.”

  “That wasn’t exactly what I meant.”

  “I know what you meant.” Suzanne’s mouth quirked up at the corners. “But what if the police can’t solve it? What if they don’t have the right kind of knowledge?”

  “Like what?” Maddie stared at her friend.

  “Coffee knowledge,” Suzanne said triumphantly.

  “Mrrow!”

  “See? Trixie agrees with me.” Suzanne beamed at the Persian.

  Maddie sighed. “Fine. So if we come across some obscure tidbit of coffee knowledge that we don’t think the detective in Seattle knows about, we’ll call him.”

  “Or we could go and visit him.”

  “We’ll call him,” Maddie said firmly. “It will take us two hours to drive to Seattle, and what if he’s out of the office? We’d have to wait for him and meanwhile the truck will be closed which means lost revenue.”

  “Spoilsport.” Suzanne mock-pouted. Then she brightened. “It’s the full moon tonight. Maybe something in Wytchcraft for the Chosen will point us in the right direction and we’ll discover who the murderer is!”

  THAT NIGHT, MADDIE, Trixie and Suzanne sat on the sofa in Maddie’s living room, the ancient book Wytchcraft for the Chosen on Maddie’s lap.

  “Mrrow.” Trixie gently pawed the cover of the book.

  “Do you want me to open it?” Maddie asked.

  “Mrrow!”

  “I think that means yes.” Suzanne grinned.

  Maddie carefully opened the centuries old book, fly-spotted paper with flowing handwriting in black ink meeting her gaze. There were all kinds of spells in this book, but until recently she’d only been able to cast one spell – the Coffee Vision spell.

  “Mrrow.” Trixie urged her to keep turning the pages.

  “I wonder if there’ll be a new spell in here you haven’t seen before,” Suzanne mused, her eyes alight with excitement.

  There were over one hundred spells in the magical book. Although Maddie had pored over the tome numerous times for the last twenty years, even she couldn’t remember exactly every single spell. And Suzanne was right – last month she’d come across a spell she hadn’t remembered before – and when she’d tried it, it had worked!

  She just hoped she would never have to cast it again.

  Trixie’s turquoise gaze met her eyes, as if the feline was thinking the same thing.

  “Mrrow.” Trixie’s paw gently patted a page.

  “How to enhance your looks,” Maddie read out.

  “You don’t need that spell.” Suzanne giggled. “Luke already thinks you’re hot.”

  “Suzanne!” Maddie blushed but she couldn’t contain the smile spreading over her face. “Do you really think so?”

  “I know so.” Suzanne nodded.

  Maddie was just about to tell Suzanne about her upcoming date with Luke on Wednesday night, when Trixie snagged her attention.

  “Mrrow.” Trixie patted the book which Maddie interpreted as “Turn the page”.

  “The Coffee Vision spell.” Suzanne read out. “You already know how to do that one.”

  “Yep.” Maddie turned a few pages, none of the spells grabbing her attention.

  “What do you think, Trix?” Maddie asked. “Is there a special spell in here tonight?”

  “Mrrow.” Trixie seemed to nod, her eyes gleaming.

  “I think she said yes,” Suzanne said. “Keep turning the pages.”

  Maddie, Suzanne, and Trixie peered at each page, but Maddie didn’t feel the little tug deep inside that urged her to pause at any of them. Finally, with the golden full moon shining down on them through a chink in the drapes, Maddie hesitated. Something felt different about this spell.

  “How to move an object,” she read out slowly.

  “Mrrow!” Trixie placed her paw carefully on the ancient page.

  “Is this the one?” Suzanne asked, her voice hushed.

  “I think so,” Maddie murmured, feeling a little tug toward the page.

  “Maybe you better write it down,” Suzanne whispered.

  “Good idea.” Maddie reached for a pad and a pen that she’d put on the coffee table. Sometimes it wasn’t practical to race home and look up the new spell she needed when she actually required it. The events of last month had taught her that.

  She carefully wrote down the spell, Trixie and Suzanne peering over her shoulder.

  How to move an object:

  Say these words three times:

  With a wave of my hand I bid thee here!

  Wave your hand in the direction you want the object to move to.

  “Do you think you’ll need to use it?” Suzanne asked.

  “I don’t know.” Maddie scanned the lines she’d copied down. “But I’ll put it in my purse in case I need it.”

  “Too bad we haven’t found a spell that guarantees you winning round two next weekend,” Suzanne teased.

  “Mrrow!” Trixie agreed.

  “You know I would never do something like that,” Maddie protested.

  “I know.” Suzanne nodded. “The whole personal gain thing. But you must admit it’s fun to think about it.”

  “Maybe if you’re not a witch.”

  They finished looking through Wytchcraft for the Chosen but no other spells jumped out. When they were done, Suzanne stretched and yawned.

  “I think I’ll go home. It’s late and it’s been a busy three days.”

  “That’s for sure.” Maddie smiled ruefully.

  “Mrrow!”

  Maddie and Suzanne looked at each other and laughed.

  “She did win over Mom,” Maddie said.

  “That’s right.” Suzanne grinned at Trixie. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Trix. You, too, Mads
.”

  After Suzanne left, Maddie got ready for bed, wondering if she would ever have the need to cast the How to Move an Object spell and if it would work.

  THE NEXT DAY, TRIXIE pawed Maddie awake, patting her arm gently.

  “I’m up,” Maddie groaned, blinking sleep out of her eyes.

  “Mrrow.” Trixie peered at her, then gave her a soft nose kiss, her whiskers skimming Maddie’s cheeks.

  “Thanks, Trixie.” The gesture touched Maddie’s heart, and she wondered how she’d managed to live without a pet until Trixie came into her life.

  After she fed Trixie, showered, and ate granola, she and Trixie headed to the town square in the truck.

  A few minutes later, Suzanne arrived, and soon they were serving their first customers.

  Maddie realized with a guilty start that yesterday she hadn’t practiced for the competition. Oops. Better not tell Suzanne!

  After the early morning rush, where Maddie made eight mochas (which surely counted as practice) she and Suzanne flopped down on their stools, sitting on either side of Trixie.

  “Phew.” Suzanne gulped down bottled water.

  “I know,” Maddie agreed, sipping the mocha she’d made herself – which was more practice (or so she told herself).

  “Mixed up in murder again, Maddie?” A whining nasal voice assaulted her ears. A stout forty-something woman with cropped, jet black hair approached the serving window. Claudine Claxton – Maddie’s nemesis and former boss.

  “What are you talking about?” Suzanne jumped to her feet and frowned.

  “I heard what happened in Seattle.” Claudine wagged her finger. “You’ve got to be more careful, Maddie.”

  Trixie screwed up her face and looked like she wanted to growl at the interloper, but was trying to refrain.

  “What happened has nothing to do with me.” Maddie rose from the stool.

  “Are you sure?” Claudine taunted.

  “Yes, we’re sure.” Suzanne said as she and Maddie moved together to the serving window to stare down the older woman.

  “First the coffee festival, and now this.” Claudine tsked. “And don’t forget one of your customers died as well a while ago.”

  How could Maddie forget? She’d seen her customer’s death in a Coffee Vision spell and hadn’t been able to save her.

  “And your point is?” Suzanne glared at Claudine.

  “Maybe you killed the judge to give yourself an edge.”

  “What?” Maddie stared at her nemesis.

  “She gave you low marks so you killed her,” Claudine said smugly.

  “Where did you get this information?” Suzanne demanded.

  “Oh, you know.” Claudine shrugged. “Here and there.”

  “For your information, Maddie – and I – were allowed to return home,” Suzanne told her. “If Maddie was a suspect, don’t you think she’d still be in Seattle?”

  “That’s because the detective is stupid,” Claudine remarked. “I would have locked you up. But,” she considered, “if you make a run for it now, everyone will know. You can’t hide in a small town, Maddie Goodwell.”

  “I’m not hiding.” Maddie found her voice. “Brewed from the Bean is open for business as usual. And I’m sure the police will catch the killer.”

  “Yeah.” Suzanne snapped her fingers. “In time for round two next weekend.” When Claudine didn’t say anything, she continued, “Haven’t you heard that Maddie made it to the finals? So why would she kill the judge?”

  “So she can win the competition,” Claudine finally said, as if she hadn’t realized that Maddie had been successful in the preliminary round. “Yeah, that’s why Maddie killed her. She was scared she’d get low marks again in the final round and wouldn’t win. And we all know that the prize was an entry into the national barista championship.”

  An expression of envy crossed Claudine’s face. Maddie wondered if that was why the older woman was being so poisonous. Did she begrudge Maddie her barista skills?

  A lot of townsfolk avoided Claudine’s café because of the cheap, terrible coffee that somehow Claudine thought tasted wonderful. But still, she had some customers – Maddie saw them when she walked past the shop.

  “Maddie doesn’t need to win the competition for everyone to know how incredible her coffee is.” Suzanne waved her hand in the air. “She beat out a lot of people on Saturday – that’s how good she is. And for your information, that judge marked everyone low. She didn’t single out Maddie.”

  “Suzanne’s right,” Maddie said, squaring her shoulders. “And since you weren’t there on Saturday, I don’t see how this is any of your business, Claudine. It’s a police matter. And I’m not going to say another word about it.”

  “Yeah!” Suzanne folded her arms across her chest.

  “Brrr,” Trixie growled, as if in agreement.

  “Fine.” Claudine flounced off. “But you better hope another murder doesn’t take place at the competition next Saturday, because if there is, I’ll point the police in your direction!”

  “Charming.” Suzanne shook her head when Claudine was out of earshot.

  “I know.”

  “Broomf!” Trixie stared after Claudine until the woman was out of sight, then shook herself. She turned around a couple of times on her stool and busied herself with grooming, looking like a ballerina with her leg pointed in the air as she licked her fur into place.

  “That woman drives me insane.” Suzanne looked like she was going to get mad all over again.

  “At least you didn’t have to work for her,” Maddie said ruefully. When Claudine had taken over the coffee shop, Maddie had worked for her as long as she could stand it – then she quit, setting up Brewed from the Bean with Suzanne and Trixie. She’d never been happier.

  “Let’s talk about something else.”

  “Good idea.” Maddie sat on a stool, noticing the tension in her friend’s stance. “I know, why don’t you get a massage with Ramon? That will help make you feel better.”

  Suzanne blushed. “I would, but I don’t want to leave you and Trixie alone. Not after ... her. And besides, if anyone needs a massage right now, it should be you.”

  Suzanne had been urging her to try a massage with Ramon, the town’s sexy Spanish masseuse, for a while now, but Maddie had resisted the idea.

  Besides, there seemed to be an attraction between Suzanne and Ramon, and Maddie didn’t want to get in the middle of it. So far, nothing had happened between them, Suzanne stating that he was a totally professional masseuse. But that didn’t stop her from blushing whenever his name was mentioned or when he stopped by the truck for an espresso.

  As if on cue, Ramon suddenly appeared at the serving window. In his early forties, he had charcoal hair, liquid brown eyes, olive skin, and an incredibly handsome face.

  “Hello, Maddie. And Suzanne. And Trixie.” His faint Spanish accent made everything he said sound enticing.

  Trixie paused in her grooming to give him a coquettish look.

  “Hi Ramon.” Suzanne blushed.

  “Hi,” Maddie greeted him.

  “How did you fare in the competition on the weekend?” Ramon asked, his eyes gleaming with interest.

  “She made it through to round two – the final round,” Suzanne jumped in.

  “Excellent.” Ramon looked pleased for Maddie.

  “Thanks.” Maddie smiled at him, appreciating his good looks. But now she was dating Luke, that was all it was – appreciation. Only Luke had the power to touch her heart.

  But as she cast a sideways glance at Suzanne, looking happy yet a little flustered, she wondered if Ramon was already touching Suzanne’s heart, despite the age gap.

  “But I thought the whole competition would only take one day,” he continued, his brow puzzled.

  “That’s because—” Maddie started reluctantly.

  “One of the judges was murdered!” Suzanne told him, lowering her voice.

  Ramon seemed shocked as Suzanne filled him in on the de
tails.

  “I’m glad you two are okay,” he said. “And I hope the police catch the killer.”

  “So do we,” Maddie said in a heartfelt voice.

  “Don’t worry, Ramon, we’ll be careful.” Suzanne smiled at him.

  “I hope so, Suzanne.” His brow furrowed. “Murder is a serious business. I do not want you to get hurt.”

  Suzanne’s face softened as she looked at the sexy Spaniard.

  “Maddie and I will be together the whole time next Saturday – even when she’s competing and I’m sitting in the audience, we’ll be in the same room.”

  “That is good to hear.” He nodded. “Good luck for Saturday, Maddie. I hope you win.”

  “Thanks, Ramon.” Maddie touched the espresso machine. “Would you like your usual?”

  “Please, Maddie.” He dug out his wallet from the pocket of his tailored khaki chinos.

  As the machine burred and hissed, she noticed Suzanne and Ramon engaged in what appeared to be lighthearted conversation.

  After she handed him his espresso, they waved goodbye to him, watching him stride across the square to his small salon.

  “He is just so ... so ...” Suzanne fanned herself.

  “I know,” Maddie agreed.

  Several customers arrived, and after Maddie and Suzanne served them, they both sat down on their stools, grateful for the reprieve.

  Then Maddie’s heart fluttered as Luke walked up to the serving window.

  “Hi, Luke,” she breathed.

  “Mrrow.” Trixie sat up, looking interested.

  “What are you doing here?” Suzanne demanded.

  “Aren’t I allowed to enjoy the best coffee in town?” There was a teasing light in his eyes as he looked at his sister.

  “In that case, that will be $4.40 for a large mocha.” Suzanne held her hand out. “Maddie needs to practice.”

  “Suzanne! Luke can have one on the house.” Maddie nudged her friend.

  “It’s okay, Maddie.” Luke’s eyes crinkled at the corners as he gave his sister the money.

  Maddie set to work making his drink, hoping he wouldn’t notice how flustered she was.

  “How are you, Trixie?”