A Pumpkin Potion Explosion

by Constance Barker

  “Sam?” David asked, lifting his visor and giving me a concerned look. “Is everything okay?”

  I took a deep breath.

  “Patty Pearson killed Mister Crane,” I said frantically. “No time to explain. She’s trying to escape in the Patty’s Pies truck and the police can’t get through the parade.” I pointed down the road.

  “I’m on it.” David said gruffly. He flipped his visor back down, revved his bike, and signaled to the other riders.

  The rest of The Good Guys fell into formation behind him. David gave me a small wave, revved a second time, and took off down Main Street. I watched as the entire motorcycle club weaved effortlessly around floats and performers, quickly disappearing down the road.

  “Sam!”

  I whirled around and saw Ada making her way toward me through the sea of tourists.

  “Ethan’s stuck back there!” she called over the crowd. “Where’s Patty?”

  “Gone,” I shouted back through cupped hands. “But not for long.”

  Sure enough, by the time Ada had made it over and I’d filled her in on everything, The Good Guys were on their way back, Patty’s Pies truck in tow.

  David waved at me from the driver’s seat and jerked his thumb over his shoulder.

  “Miss Pearson’s in the back,” he called, grinning.

  Ada opened the back of the truck, revealing a scowling, red-faced Patty who had been tied up with a strand of string lights and tucked securely amid a pile of pumpkins.

  Chapter 26

  I got to Happy Blendings late Sunday morning, having been reluctant to leave my bed after the only night of restful sleep I’d enjoyed all week. The Harvest Festival was over and Main Street was empty save for a few locals out on morning walks.

  I had given David the day off on account of his heroics. As a result, prep work took nearly twice as long and it was almost ten by the time I opened for the day. The open sign had been lit up for all of two minutes when Tessa burst into the shop, carrying a large cloche.

  “Pumpkin waffles!” she announced proudly, setting the dish on a table. “Fresh off the iron. The very first batch of the season. A little something for the healing spell you performed on me last night.”

  She opened the cloche, revealing a tall stack of steaming, orange-tinted waffles.

  “Whipped up some apple cider syrup for the occasion,” she continued, popping the lid off a jar filled with a thick, caramel-colored concoction. “Why the long face, Sam? You love pumpkin waffles.”

  “I do,” I conceded, joining her at the table. “I’m just feeling a little down about yesterday.”

  “You mean the day we solved a murder, participated in a high-speed chase, apprehended a criminal, and summoned a legendary ghost in the middle of downtown?”

  “Not that,” I sighed, picking up a fork. “Mara’s...episode. And the Lammas ritual.”

  “Mara’s going to be fine, don’t you worry,” Tessa set a plate in front of me. “I talked to Naomi last night and she said they’ve come up with a plan. Details to follow, apparently.”

  “That’s a relief. But we’re still an incomplete coven and our last chance to complete the Lammas ritual is long gone.”

  “So we missed it,” Tessa shrugged, upending the jar of apple cider syrup over the waffles. “The people of Goodsprings will just have to deal with winter the same way everyone else does. It’ll be good for them.”

  “I don’t know...” I said gloomily, taking a bite of waffle. My troubles seemed to melt away as the sweet tang of the cider syrup filled my mouth. “Oh my...you’ve outdone yourself, Tess. These are spectacular.”

  “Thank you, darling. I recently came into a sizable fortune of pumpkins.”

  “You cleaned out Patty’s pumpkin stash, didn’t you?”

  “Speaking of Patty,” Tessa said quickly, dodging the question. “I spoke with Ethan this morning...he says they found the costume she used to spook Mister Crane. And her prints match those found on the first jack-o-lantern head. That’s enough evidence to move forward.”

  “While I’m thrilled to hear that justice will be done,” I said, “I’m even happier to hear that you and Detective Gallagher are on speaking terms again.”

  Tessa’s cheeks turned pink and she was suddenly intensely interested in her plate of waffles.

  “We had a good talk,” she admitted, “we’re on the same page now.”

  “May I ask what that page is?”

  Tessa sighed.

  “Allie is my first priority. Always. Remember how tough growing up could be? I already moved her halfway across the world a few years ago. She had to make new friends, go to a new school...even speak a different language. I don’t want to disrupt her life any further by bringing a new person into it. Ethan understands. I’ve apologized for standing him up instead of talking it out. He’s great, he really is, and we’re going to stay friends.”

  “You’re great, Tess,” I said. “Allie’s lucky to have you as a mom.”

  “Tell her that,” Tessa grumbled. “She’s been on the warpath since yesterday. Didn’t like that we left her waiting instead of recklessly dragging her into an extremely dangerous pursuit. You know, like any sane adult would.”

  “She just wants to be part of the action,” I laughed. “I don’t blame her, there’s been a lot happening lately.”

  The bell on the front door rang and we turned to see Phineas Lichen enter...walking arm-in-arm with Madame Mysteria. Chuckles the rooster followed, as did Madame Mysteria’s cheeky black-and-white cat.

  “You need to start enforcing the pet rule,” Tessa said under her breath.

  “Good morning, Madame,” I said, getting up from the table. “Mister Lichen.”

  “A very good mornin’ to you, Miss Greene,” Phineas said, tipping his straw hat. “And you, Miss Smith.”

  I pulled my apron off the hook behind the counter and took my place at the register.

  “What can I make for you today?”

  Phineas Lichen began his usual perusal of the menu, pointing out various options to Madame Mysteria. Chuckles wandered beneath the table where Tessa was seated and I watched her let slip a few tiny pieces of pumpkin waffle.

  “I will have my usual, to go,” Mister Lichen grunted, looking over at Madame Mysteria.

  “I will also have his usual,” Madame Mysteria said. “And one of those...how do you call them...Mango-Getters? To go.”

  “Coming right up,” I smiled, already piling ingredients into a blender. “Are you staying in town for long, Madame?”

  “Possibly,” Madame Mysteria said, looking around at the shop. “Now that the festival is over, I will not have as much in the way of business. I do, however, look forward to spending more time with my good friend Phineas.”

  Mister Lichen grinned crookedly.

  “We go way back,” he explained. “Madame Mysteria and I used to cause all sorts of trouble back in the day.”

  The two of them looked at each other and laughed.

  Mister Lichen went over to the table to chat with Tessa while I prepared their order. Madame Mysteria lingered at the counter.

  “Have you found your Page of Cups?” she asked as I slid her smoothie across the counter.

  I looked up in surprise.

  “How do you know?” I whispered. “Who are you?”

  She smiled enigmatically and placed a hand on the counter.

  “You looked too hard,” she said, shaking her head, “and so you missed them. Stop looking, start seeing.”

  She withdrew the hand, leaving a tarot card lying face-up on the counter. I saw the Page of Cups holding her golden chalice, a dreamy smile on her face.

  Madame Mysteria and Mister Lichen left as soon as they got their order, whispering to each other and giggling like a couple of school children.

  “What was that about?” Tessa asked, coming over to join me at the counter.

  “Not a clue,” I said, “but Madame Mysteria definitely knows more than she should. And I’
m pretty sure that—” I pointed to the Page of Cups, “—is supposed to represent our elusive water-witch.”

  Tessa rolled her eyes and reached out for the card.

  “Oh, gross,” she said, making a face. “It’s damp. And stuck.”

  “What?”

  “It’s stuck to the counter, look.” Tessa pried at the edges of the card, pulling hard, but it wouldn’t budge. Tiny drops of condensation had begun to form on its surface, looking almost as if they were coming from the Page’s chalice.

  “That’s definitely magic,” Tessa grunted, propping a foot against the counter and throwing her weight back, trying in vain to free the card. “That, or some really impressive super glue.”

  Chapter 27

  Tessa and I tried everything we could think of to retrieve the card, from attempting to scrape it off the counter with a paring knife to blasting it with unfettering spells. Despite our best efforts, the card remained firmly in place. The condensation leaking out of the Page’s chalice had spread into a small pool of water that covered the card and a few inches of counter top.

  The front door swung open and I quickly threw a dishrag over the card, hiding it from view. This was unnecessary, I soon discovered, as Mara and Naomi Gale entered Happy Blendings.

  “Oh, thank goodness,” Tessa panted, setting down the crowbar that she’d conjured up to try on the card. “I thought the rest of those waffles were going to go to waste.”

  The four of us gathered at the table. Tessa whispered a quick fire spell and the waffles, which had gone soggy, crisped up instantly and began steaming anew.

  “I wanted to apologize,” Mara said quietly, “for yesterday.”

  “Don’t you dare,” I said quickly, putting a hand on her arm. “You couldn’t help it.”

  “Remember this summer, when Sam and I were exposed to a little too much black magic?” Tessa asked, heaping waffles onto Mara’s plate. “And you helped us through it? It was our turn to repay the favor.”

  “Thanks, y’all.” Mara said, smiling weakly. She shivered as if struck by a sudden chill and the hand I’d placed on her arm went strangely numb.

  “Tessa said there was a plan?” I asked, pulling my hand back slowly. Naomi nodded.

  “We’re going to Iceland,” she said. “To the Spring of Heilun. I spoke with the Otter King—lovely fellow, by the way—and he has me convinced that it’s the best course of action at this point.”

  “Dad’s going too,” Mara added. “We’re going to make a vacation out of it.”

  “That sounds wonderful,” I said. “A trip to a magical spa will be great after all this chaos.”

  Naomi put an arm around Mara and gave her a small squeeze. Mara let her head fall onto her mother’s shoulder, smiling.

  “Is the Otter King going with you?” I asked, “Or is he still waiting to introduce himself to the new water-witch?”

  “It’s the latter,” Naomi sighed. “I told him not to bother, but he’s quite certain that there’s one in town already.”

  “Speaking of,” Tessa said, “Get a load of this...”

  She led Naomi and Mara to the counter, where each tried and failed to lift the card while I recounted my strange encounters with Madame Mysteria.

  “That’s magic, all right,” Naomi said. “But I can’t for the life of me tell what kind.”

  “I don’t think it’s witchcraft,” I said. “Something else, maybe?”

  The pool of water that had formed around the card began running across the counter and dripping onto the floor.

  “Whatever it is,” Tessa said, moving the dishrag to the floor to catch the droplets, “it’s going to flood your shop.”

  The front door opened again, the bells cutting me off before I could answer. Allie Smith marched in, followed by her friend Genevieve

  “We’re out of baguettes, mom,” Allie huffed, “and the range is acting up again.”

  “It scorched the potato and leek soup,” Genevieve added, shaking her head sadly.

  “Sounds like I should get back to the grill,” Tessa sighed. “You should come with, Sam. No offense, but it’s kind of dead here.”

  “We need to get going too,” Naomi said. “We still have to pack.”

  “Hang on a second,” I said, feeling a tickle of smoothie sense in the back of my mind. “Let me get you some drinks for the road.”

  I zipped back behind the counter and began tossing ingredients into blenders. I set out five to-go cups and filled each one with a unique blend.

  “For Mara,” I said. “Mango, peach, ginger root, orange juice, and a splash of lemon. Naomi, yours is raspberry, coconut milk, key lime juice, and a sprig of mint.”

  I turned to Tessa and Allie, offering two identical ruby-red smoothies, each garnished with a lime round. “Strawberry, blackberry, pomegranate juice, and a squeeze of lime for you two.”

  “I didn’t forget you, Genevieve,” I said, turning to Allie’s friend. She beamed up at me.

  “Frozen banana, almond milk, and turmeric,” I handed her the bright yellow concoction, “with a dash of cinnamon.”

  Genevieve took a sip, eyes wide.

  “Thank you, Miss Greene!” she gushed, “It’s delicio—oh, your floor’s wet.”

  The pool of water on the counter top had started flowing freely onto the floor, creating a sizable puddle on the shop floor. Tessa stepped in front of the counter, trying to hide the card from view.

  “It’s just a little leak,” I said, waving it off. “I need to get someone out here to fix it.”

  “It doesn’t look like a leak,” Allie said loudly, pointing at the counter top “It’s coming from something on the counter.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Tessa said through gritted teeth, giving Allie a pointed look. Allie blinked back at her, confused.

  “It’s this thing, right here,” Genevieve piped up, reaching around Tessa. “This...card?”

  She picked up the Page of Cups and held it up for everyone to see. The flow of water from the Page’s chalice let up, becoming no more than a steady drip.

  Tessa, Mara, Naomi, and I all stared at her, open-mouthed. Genevieve flushed and looked around nervously.

  “What are you looking at?”

  Tessa started to laugh. Allie looked between her mother and her friend, looking even more confused than before.

  “Forgive us, Genevieve,” I said. “We’re just happy to see you. Welcome to the Goodsprings coven.”

  Don’t miss the third book in the Happy Blendings Cozy Witch Mystery Series:

  A Drop in the Potion

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  Catalog of Books

  Lilith Blackward Cozy Witch Mystery Series

  What the Hex

  Hex to the No

  To Hex or Not to Hex

  To Hex With It

  CALAMITY CORNERS COZY Witch Mystery Series

  Calm Before the Witch Storm

  The Witch is in the Details

  Better the Witch You Know

  A Witch Axe to Grind

  A Cauldron of Witch Tricks

  TRIPLET WITCH SISTERS Mystery Series

  Two’s Company, Three’s a Coven

  Resting Witch Face

  Bewitched and Bewildered

  Triple Toil and Trouble

  WITCH DETECTIVE SERIES

  Payback’s a Witch

  Come Witch or High Water

  Witch Boots on the Ground

  THE WITCH SISTERS OF Stillwater


  Hoodoo and Just Desserts

  A Shade of Murder

  That Ol’ Black Magic

  A Whole Lotta Witchin Goin On

  The Beast Cometh

  Secrets and Sorcery

  THE LUCKY DILL DELI Mystery Series

  A Yuletide Wallop

  Haunted Homicide

  The Leprechaun’s Loot

  THE SINISTER CASE SERIES

  Mirror, Mirror Murder Them All

  A Wicked Enchantment

  A Scorching Spell

  THE GRUMPY CHICKEN Irish Pub Series

  A Frosty Mug of Murder

  Treachery on Tap

  A Highball and a Low Blow

  Cursed With a Twist

  A Whiskey Sour Wipeout

  OLD SCHOOL DINER COZY Mysteries

  Murder at Stake

  Murder Well Done

  A Side Order of Deception

  Murder, Basted and Barbecued

  Murder Ala Mode

  The Candy Cane Killer

  The Blue Plate Slayer

  THE CURIOSITY SHOP Cozy Mysteries

  The Curious Case of the Cursed Spectacles

  The Curious Case of the Cursed Dice

  The Curious Case of the Cursed Dagger

  The Curious Case of the Cursed Looking Glass

  The Curious Case of the Cursed Crucible

  WITCHY WOMEN OF COVEN Grove Series

  THE WITCHING ON THE Wall

  A Witching Well of Magic

  Witching the Night Away

  Witching There’s Another Way

  Witching Your Life Away

  Witching You Wouldn’t Go

  Witching for a Miracle