by Diana Orgain
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
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Other Titles by Diana Orgain
In the Maternal Instincts Mystery Series
Bundle of Trouble
Motherhood is Murder
Formula for Murder
Nursing a Grudge
Pampered to Death
In the iWitch Mystery Series
A Witch Called Wanda
I Wanda Put a Spell on You
In the Love or Money Mystery Series
A First Date with Death
A Second Chance at Murder
Third Time’s a Crime
In the Roundup Crew Mystery Series
Yappy Hour
Trigger Yappy
I WANDA PUT
A SPELL ON YOU
An iWITCH Mystery
by
Diana Orgain
Copyright © 2017 by Diana Orgain
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the work of this author.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
Other Titles by Diana Orgain
Copyright
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Bonus – Spells
Excerpt for FORMULA FOR MURDER…
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About the Author
Chapter One
Maeve
The opening night crowd at Maeve’s café, Listen: It’s Old Fashioned, buzzed in a loud continuous noisy cadence that made Maeve’s heart sing. A few short weeks ago, searching for some normalcy and a new way of life, she’d blasted out of Hollywood and found Wisteria Pines. The café had only been a dream. Now business was popping, and she’d run dangerously low on pastries. Donnie, her only employee, was in the back attempting to follow a muffin recipe, which left her waiting tables and appeasing the hungry crowd.
“Okay, we got two double shot espressos and a scotch,” Gracie called out from behind the counter.
Thank God for Gracie, Maeve thought with a smile. Gracie, Maeve’s friend and landlord, had volunteered to help out for opening night. At first, Maeve had refused the offer thinking the opening would be slow, but now she was glad Gracie had been so insistent.
Maeve swept up the drinks and sashayed to a corner booth where Bobby Farley chatted with his suited companions. Maeve feared she hadn’t exactly made a great first impression with him, what with her accusing him of murder a few weeks ago. But the man had actually turned out to be a decent human being.
“All righty boys, drink up,” Maeve said, putting a hand on Bobby’s shoulder. “Thanks for dragging your buddies away from your regular bar for a night to come out and support me, Bobby.”
Bobby smiled. “Hey, darling, I’m always ready to support the local businesses. And, if you continue to serve scotch, I think my fellas would be willing to do the same.”
“If I can get my alcohol permit approved by Mayor James, I will,” Maeve griped. “I only have a temporary license for the weekend, and the city’s playing a lot of phone tag with me. I ran into James last night and he promised to take care of it, but when I called him today he kept forwarding my calls.”
“That sounds like James,” Bobby said.
Maeve sighed. “Well, I’ll keep trying. Anything else I can get for you, Bobby?”
“We’ll order another round of scotch in a few minutes… but do me a favor… get Gracie to bring us those drinks.” He winked, his eyes lingering toward the barista station where Gracie was standing.
Gracie was tall and slender, dressed in an off-the shoulder red halter top that would make any man sit up and pay attention.
Maeve nodded and tried to hold back a smile. “Will do, Bobby.”
She spun around to head back toward the counter when Chuck Lowry—the former star of the flopped sitcom Jenny Loves Charlie—bumped right into her. She frowned. She hadn’t expected to run into any Hollywood types in Wisteria Pines and especially not in her café. Since the moment he’d walked in, the man hadn’t seemed to leave her side. He was everywhere she turned.
Chuck was Hollywood handsome, with a chiseled jaw and overly white teeth. The way he strutted around the café, Maeve could tell he had the ego to go with the looks.
But who knew a man like Chuck Lowry could be such a nuisance?
He was simply dying for her attention. He let his dirty blonde hair fall slightly in his face just so he could sweep it to the side and give her this cockeyed, lustful gaze that probably worked on most women.
“Can I help you?” she asked.
He winked at her. “Another drink, beautiful.”
“Coming right up,” she said, trying her hardest not to sound annoyed. He was a customer, after all, no matter how obnoxious.
She returned to the barista station and poured Chuck’s Irish coffee. When she served him his drink, he smiled and flexed a bicep at her.
Maeve stifled a giggle.
Does he even realize how ridiculous he is? she wondered.
“So, what are you doing in Wisteria Pines anyways?” Maeve asked.
“Just passing through,” he said. “Got a new show I’m producing. I could’ve flown, but I like the idea of a road trip. Unfortunately, I broke down right outside of town.”
“Sorry to hear that,” Maeve said.
Liar, she thought. There was a shifty look in his eyes that gave him away.
What a strange thing to lie about.
On stage, Officer Joseph played his guitar and serenaded them. Maeve glanced in his direction and found herself listening to the music rather than whatever it was Chuck was babbling about.
Since arriving in town, Maeve had helped Joseph solve a murder case, and now she found herself thinking murderous thoughts as she watched the women in the crowd fawn all over him. He plucked the final chord, thanked everyone for their applause, and headed over to the counter. Maeve hurried away from C
huck to meet Joseph at the barista station.
Joseph sure is handsome, Maeve thought. It wasn’t the same kind of handsome as Chuck. Joseph had a sweetness to him, where Chuck was way too cocky. Maeve knew she needed to avoid Chuck like the plague.
Joseph drummed his finger on the barista counter. “Well, Maeve, it’s been fun. But I think it’s time for me to retire for the night.”
She grinned. “Don’t think I didn’t notice that you played one of my songs.”
Joseph laughed. “Well, you are one of the most talented songwriters I’ve ever met,” he said, his cheeks turning pink.
Maeve laughed. “And you’ve met how many exactly?”
Joseph grinned. “Never mind that. What did you think? Did I do okay with your song?”
“Better than okay,” she said. They shared an awkward silent moment, and Maeve found herself hoping Joseph would ask her out. He’d been flirtatious toward her since she’d first arrived, but things had gotten a little hairy when she’d inserted herself into his last investigation. So far, nothing had come of their flirty banter, but now that things were settling down, she hoped that would change.
Instead, Joseph said, “And I hate to remind you, but make sure you call the LAPD tomorrow; they need your statement about Frank D’Angelo.”
Distress burned at Maeve’s stomach as she thought of ex-fiancé, Frank. The break-up with Frank had been one of the main reasons she’d left Hollywood. All this time she’d been worried about him, wondering how he could disappear without a trace, and now it turned out he’d taken off to Mexico with a redheaded Uber driver.
Maeve nodded at Joseph. “Yes, I’ll definitely call them. Thank you for the reminder.”
He smiled warmly at her. “Congratulations on the grand opening, Maeve. I’m proud of you.” His eyes darted toward Chuck, and he stiffened. Chuck had insulted Joseph earlier, and Maeve figured Joseph was ready to take off after the embarrassing remark. Joseph took a step toward the front door and waved at her. “I’ll let you get back to work.”
Maeve brought Chuck his drink. “Anything else?” she asked, having to bite her tongue to keep from being short with him.
“No, I’m good. Thank you, Maeve,” he said.
Maeve peered around him to see that Penny, Gracie’s nine-year-old niece, had seated herself on the other side of Chuck. She was holding her cat, Tonya, and talking to the man—thanking him for returning her cat. Maeve thought about her own dog, Wanda, whom she’d left at home that evening with Tonya the cat.
If Tonya was out wandering the streets, I sure hope Wanda didn’t get out of the house also.
She shook the worry off. She reminded herself that her pooch had proven herself perfectly capable of taking care of herself. Wanda was a smart dog, and since she’d been a stray before Maeve had found her, she knew Wanda was used to roaming freely.
More like she found me, Maeve thought with a grin as she recalled how she’d first met her beloved dog. Somehow Wanda had gotten into her car and was sitting in the passenger’s seat waiting for her.
On the way back to the counter, Maeve ran into Rodney. He presented her with a carefully wrapped gift, complete with a congratulatory card.
“I’ve been told purple is your favorite color,” he said. “Which would explain the purple Volkswagen you drive.”
Maeve blushed as she opened the gift to reveal a small, purple plaque with the café’s opening date etched in golden lettering along with the café’s name Listen: It’s Old Fashioned.
“Oh, wow, Rodney. Thank you!” Maeve said.
“Well, I wanted to bring you a little opening night gift,” he said. Behind Rodney was a
group of women swooning over him.
Maeve wiggled her fingers at the group of ladies, who seemed eager to eavesdrop on her and Rodney’s conversation.
Maeve’s first interaction with Rodney a few weeks ago had been challenging. He’d been rude to her and had yanked her dog by the ears, told Maeve she wasn’t a real celebrity, and then even had the audacity to ask her to dinner. But when he’d tried to strike her dog, Maeve had lost it. She’d grabbed him by the arm. And just like that, a ray of purple magick had swirled out of her and into Rodney.
Ever since then, he’s been acting like Prince Charming to everyone in town, Maeve thought. People were starting to talk about him and take notice. Everyone wondered how the local grouch had turned into Wisteria Pines’ very own saint, but whenever someone mentioned Rodney to Maeve, she felt a slight pang of guilt–she had, after all, unintentionally affected his personality.
She hustled toward the counter, saying over her shoulder. “Thank you, Rodney. I really appreciate it.”
“Oh, and here,” he said, pulling a CD from his suit pocket. “I noticed, now that Joseph is gone, there isn’t any music. Gracie says you guys can play CDs over the speakers if you want. I went out to the car and grabbed this.”
Maeve looked down at the CD and cringed. Nina Simone’s rendition of I Put a Spell on You was the title track.
Surely it’s not a coincidence that Rodney would give me this.
Guilt flooded her belly once more.
Is there a way to reverse what I did to him? Maeve wondered.
It had been a while since she had cast the spell on him. She’d hoped it would wear off on its own. Truthfully, she wasn’t even sure how she had done it in the first place, so the thought of trying to reverse it was intimidating.
Maeve thanked Rodney and then quickly scooted around him. Once behind the counter she gave Gracie the plaque and CD. “See if I still have my tool kit in the back, and I’ll hang up the plaque. And can you go ahead and pop in the CD?”
“Sure thing,” Gracie said, disappearing into the back as Donnie entered with fresh muffins.
The scent of freshly baked chocolate chip muffins ignited the air. Maeve admired the tray Donnie held. “Looking good,” she told him.
“Thank you, Ms. O’Dare.” Donnie smiled. “It’s important for me to do a good job. I mean, really. No one else in town will hire me. No one trusts me after, well, you know …”
She knew he was referring to his armed robbery. At the end of the day, Maeve and the majority of non-judgmental people in Wisteria Pines all seemed to agree that Donnie was just a kid who had made one very bad decision. His little punk rocker look didn’t really help his bad boy reputation, but it only took a person a few minutes of actually speaking to Donnie to realize he was a softie.
Maeve took the muffins and put them in the counter display case. “Donnie, you’re a good kid. Everyone deserves a second chance. And you’re doing great. You showed up just in time to help when I needed you most. Go check in with all the guests and see if anyone needs any drinks. Let everyone know we have fresh muffins.”
“Will do!” he said, scurrying into the crowd of patrons.
Maeve took a moment to observe her work. The café was popping, and she could feel the incredible energy vibrating through her veins. Suddenly the sultry voice of Nina Simone filled the café, and Maeve felt electricity jolt her upright. The song, Feeling Good, played through the music system, and Maeve relaxed.
Yes, that’s exactly how she felt:
Good
The atmosphere in the café was exactly as she’d imagined it. The crowd settled into their booths and tables, people were chatting and actually listening to each other and to the music. She took a deep breath, giving herself a moment to soak it all in. It was hard to believe that her work and effort had at last paid off. Things were looking great for the first time in a long time for Maeve, and that soothed her nerves.
The door to the café opened, and a group of young men entered. There were four men, all with their hair buzzed short in proper military style. One of them, the one coming straight up to the counter, seemed very familiar, but she couldn’t quite place him.
“Maeve O’Dare?” he asked with a charming smile as his buddies fought to find seating.
“Yes?” she asked.
He put out hi
s hand, and Maeve shook it.
“Nathan Whittaker,” he said.
“Did you say Whittaker?” she questioned.
“I did,” he said, resting his elbows on the counter across from her.
“You’re Nadine’s brother?” she asked. “I saw your picture on Nadine’s desk at her work.”
“That’s me,” he said.
Maeve’s stomach dropped. “I’m very sorry for your loss.”
Only a few weeks before, Maeve had solved Nadine Whittaker’s murder case. A local woman had accidentally poisoned Nadine, the Mayor’s personal assistant, while trying to get revenge on Mayor James for leaving her after breaking up her marriage. It was all very scandalous, and the mayor had experienced some serious political backlash after Nadine’s murder. Maeve sensed her exposing the affair was likely the reason Mayor James was giving her a hard time about her alcohol serving license.
“Thank you,” Nathan said. “Those idiots over there in the booth are my fellow Navy brothers … Georgie, Alex, and Kevin. We’ve been in town for a few weeks now. Came into town for the funeral and wound up staying longer than expected.” He smiled brightly at her behind sad eyes. “Staying a bit longer has given us a chance to check out the new café, though. Glad we were able to see this place up and running. I wanted to come by and personally thank you for what you did for my sister. You got the woman who did it behind bars, and while that doesn’t change things, it sure does make it a little easier to sleep at night knowing that justice has been served.”
“It was my pleasure, Nathan,” Maeve said, taking a moment to study his face. He looked so very much like his sister Nadine, the town’s sweetheart. “Let me get you a coffee. On the house.”
He shook his head. “No, no, none of that.” He handed her a credit card. “Get me and my boys a scotch each.”
“Okay, coming right up!” she said and rang up his total.
She handed him his receipt to sign, and he wrote in a generous tip and a note at the bottom of the receipt before heading to the booth where his friends had gathered.