by Tonya Kappes
“She was so good at what she did. She was top sales person the last few months,” Beth said.
I laughed.
“She was good at it. As you know, I own a similar shop.” It killed me to even compare the two. “She sold me over five-hundred dollars worth of product.” I left out the part that I was going to dissect them to see what the company used to make their false claims.
Beth laughed and took more bites of her food. Her shoulders started to melt down and her eyes began to relax.
“Oscar said you were her best friend.” I reached over and touched her hand. “I’m so sorry.”
“Did he tell you about her fight with that Leah woman?” She asked as she bent her head to the side to see if Oscar was on his way back up from where he’d disappeared.
“No.” I shook my head, lying. “I was at the party. It was a great turnout.”
“Gabby tried to tell me that she and this Leah were friends, but they weren’t. I caught Gabby on the phone with her and in a deep argument.” She brought the cup of coffee up to her lips. While she was drinking, I knew I could throw in a question or two.
“What did they say to each other?” I asked.
“I don’t know what Leah said to Gabby because they were on the phone, but I know that Gabby kept telling her that the product was good and she didn’t need to make any changes to the plan or the party because it was what was promised to her,” she said.
“If you didn’t hear Leah, then how do you know it was her?” I asked.
“Gabby told me.” She shrugged. “We told each other everything.”
“What did she say about Leah?” I asked. “Because I’m just shocked. I mean when Oscar told me that he’d arrested her, I’d never thought that about her. It just goes to show that you really don’t know someone when you think they do.”
“I knew that Leah owed Gabby a favor. Gabby had given Leah some business by letting her make those crochet bags that looks like something my great-grandmother would make. I told Gabby they were ugly. She laughed and assured me that it was only to get to her foot in the door of Whispering Falls.” She took another drink. I let the silence hang between us because I’d found that silence could sometimes be your best defense. “Gabby said that if we could get in here, then it’d open her up to new clients and she’d continue to make the money she’d been making.”
“Why would Leah want to kill her?” I questioned.
“Gabby said that Leah was going to start selling Lifestyle in Whispering Falls. Gabby told her over her dead body. At the time we laughed about it, but not so much now.” Her face hardened. “There was something else.” She scratched her head. “But I can’t remember.”
There was a bit of relief that settled over me hoping the spell put over Beth had left Beth without the memory of Gabby seeing Leah doing magic, if she even did.
Her phone rang and she looked at it. She held a finger up to me and answered it.
“Listen, I know I owe you money,” there was anger in her voice.
While she argued with the person on the other end of her phone call, I clearly remember Gabby saying that to whoever she was talking to on the phone when I walked in on her at Crafty Crazy Chick that day, that they were going to have to go through her dead body or something similar to that. Leah LeRoy had told me she was at Wicked Good Bakery with Raven during that time, so I didn’t think it was Leah on the other end of Gabby’s phone call. It was something I could easily check out.
“You’ll have your payment by the end of the week.” Beth let out a deep sigh and pushed the phone back in her pocket. “Bill collector. I’m late on my car payment.” She rolled her eyes. “Anyways, when we first became reps for Lifestyle, we had no idea how much money we were going to make. I guess I’ll be taking over her clients.” The sudden shift in her in mood didn’t go unnoticed.
“I know that Leah is now arrested, but did Gabby have a client list or maybe some clients that weren’t happy with the product that couldn’ve had a beef with her?” I questioned.
“She does have a client list that I can forward to you because it’s on our national sales email.” She pulled her phone out. “What’s your email and I’ll send it to you?”
I quickly spout off my email and couldn’t believe she was so forthcoming.
“I guess now you’ll get the number one sales position with Gabby’s clients. She told me she made six-figures.” I wanted to know Beth’s thoughts on this because I couldn’t help but think with Gabby out of the way, Beth would be happy to take the money. Especially now that I knew she had some financial issues.
“Poor Gabby, she told me that it was only her and she didn’t have anyone to rely on but I wonder who the father of her baby was,” I said because things weren’t as black and white as Beth was making it appear to be.
“Baby?” Beth’s face jerked up, her jaw dropped. “What baby?”
“Gabby was pregnant. I thought since you two were best friends that you knew.” My intuition bells dinged loud and clear.
The beautiful brightly colored freckles on Beth’s face, turned flesh color and she paled.
“I’ve got to go.” She jumped up and grabbed her purse. “I’ll have to come back another time.”
I guess Gabby didn’t tell her everything. My eyes narrowed as I watched her rush out of the police station.
“What was that about? Where is she going? I need her statement.” Oscar didn’t sound too happy that Beth had left.
“I’m not so sure just how good of friends Beth and Gabby were as much as co-workers with a bit of jealousy between them,” I whispered and turned to Oscar. “Beth had no idea Gabby was pregnant and she got a phone call from a bill collector.”
“Interesting.” Oscar slowly nodded his head. “It looks like we need to dig a little deeper into Beth Phipps.”
“And I’ve got just the answer to watch her.” I smiled and then looked out the window over at Happy Herb.
Chapter Eighteen
If I was going to get to the shop in time to open, I knew I wasn’t going to have much time to visit with KJ, though I truly wanted too. He was such a special friend to me. His father, Kenny, had been my connection to the Native American village when I moved to Whispering Falls and my go-to when I needed a special herb from their native land.
Kenny had befriended Darla and it was a special bond that connected me to him. Now that his son has taken his job after Kenny had died, it left the two of us with a bond.
My inside joy shone on the bright smile of my face when I looked at Happy Herb. I slipped my shoes off my feet when I reached the gate and tucked them up under one arm, holding the extra soufflé I’d gotten Colton.
The walkway up to the shop was made of the prettiest Kentucky Bluegrass with stepping stones. It was a shame not to feel the fluffy strands between my toes. Darla always told me to feel the grass under my feet and this was one time I was going to.
When I got to the top of the steps, I put a hand on the grass door and pushed it open using the bamboo handle, stepping inside.
Of course I could buy rosemary, ginger, sage, lavender, and the unforgettable smell of cinnamon from a store, but it was KJ’s special mixture that brought my potions to life.
“June.” KJ’s baritone voice greeted me. “I’ve been expecting you.”
“You have?” I walked across the grassy floor of his herb shop and held out the bag. “I brought you some breakfast.”
“I’ve got you some black locust.” He held the package in exchange for my soufflé. “How did you know?” I asked knowing that I didn’t whisper into the air.
Before KJ moved here from the Native American village out west and was in need of ingredient refills for my potions, I whispered what I needed into the night air. My words and order would travel across the miles into KJ’s ears. It took no time at all for KJ to show up at A Charming Cure with exactly what I needed and sometimes something I didn’t know I needed but would soon have a purpose for it.
“When I he
ard there was a death next door, I sat in silence.” He stood over six-foot-four. Last night he had on his traditional loin cloth for the smudge but today he wore a pair of khaki pants, button down shirt, but still had on the feather headdress. “The curse of the black locust whispered to me.”
“You should be a police officer.” I half joked but half told the truth. “The Karima sisters said the young woman had it in her system due to this roll-on oil she sold. I came here to ask you about the seeds. I’m not very familiar with them and I am helping out Oscar.”
“Maybe you need to be the officer,” he suggested and winked. “Follow me back here.” KJ’s dark eyes looked down at me. “I’m still refilling the men’s section. The customers wiped me out yesterday.”
“It was a good sales day.” I agreed. “From what I understand, the seeds have to be really crushed and mixed,” I continued to talk to him because I had to hurry up since it was almost opening up time and I’d yet to get to Hidden Hall.
I followed him through the shop and felt like I was in the woods. The walls were painted with green ivy stems to go with the herb theme.
It appeared he had been restocking the natural wood shelving in the men’s health section because there was product sitting all over the grass. I was hoping he needed help with the women’s section since I rarely got to come over to shop.
“I sent a lot of customers your way yesterday.” He opened the bag and took the soufflé out, lifting it to his nose.
“Thank you. It was a much-needed boost. It smells good, and tastes even better.” I was glad to bring him the treat.
“I’m getting the feeling that you have more than just questions about the black locust seed to have come visited, though I am happy to see you.” He was so smart and cleaver.
“I wanted to rent an owl.” It was a rare request but if you needed a spy, Native Americans had the best connections. “Leah LeRoy didn’t kill that girl, though I know Oscar wants it to appear that way.” Without giving too many details, I gave him a summarizion of Beth Phipps and why I needed to track her.
“She appeared to be upset when she heard the news of the baby?” He questioned. “How far along was the deceased?”
“I don’t know those small details. The only thing I can go on was how my intuition reacted to Beth when I told her about the baby. She was definitely upset. Plus, she had that phone call about the bill collector.” I picked up a few of his bottles and started to restock the shelves while he enjoyed the last few bites of his soufflé. “I’m not saying that she killed Gabby. I’m just saying she knows more than she wants to tell. She was quick to point the finger at Leah, even though Gabby did catch Leah doing magic.”
“And you don’t think Leah, who did buy the seeds from me, didn’t use them against Gabby to keep her quiet?” He questioned Leah’s honesty and loyalty to the village. “You and I both know that if something like this happens, she was to go immediately to the village president and apparently she didn’t.” He wadded up the bag and shot it in the air like a basketball player, making it into the trash can next to the counter where the customers paid for their products. “What exactly do you want my owl to do?”
“I only want to know her whereabouts for the next twenty-four hours. I want to see who she goes to see and if they have any connections to Gabby. She left in such a hurry, I felt like she was going to meet someone. If this is the case, then we’d have another suspect and Leah could get back into her shop since she’s not allowed to work until the investigation is over.” I put the last bottle on the shelf and looked up at the clock on his wall. “Her name is Beth Phipps.”
KJ only needed the name to bring her up in the spiritual world and communicate that information with the owl of his choosing.
“I’ve got to run to Hidden Hall before we open, so just let me know what you decide.” I hugged him. “I understand if you don’t think this is an appropriate job for your creatures.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” He looked down at me. “I know you wouldn’t ask if you didn’t truly need it.”
His words were assurance enough that he was going to take care of what I asked him to do.
“Also,” he called after me when I turned to leave, “in the envelop of the seeds, you’ll find the side effects and uses of the black locust.”
Chapter Nineteen
Hidden Hall, the Spiritualist University, wasn’t anywhere near Whispering Falls. It was one of those magic portals the mortals were always trying to find. If they only knew that these portals weren’t like being zapped into another world. It was actually as simple as just touching the right thing to change the environment in front of you.
To get to the portal, I had to walk up the hill past the gathering rock. Once I was up there, I looked over my shoulder and gazed over Whispering Falls. Even though there was something hanging over the village, my heart swelled with the warm feeling of how much I loved Whispering Falls. It was my home and if I were to take a teaching position, then I’d really miss it.
Meow, meow.
Mr. Prince Charming caused me to turn back towards the rock and look at the wooded area. I heard him, but all I could see was his white tail dancing along the trail, leading the way to the wheat field where the portal was located.
Even in the season, the wheat field was tall and shiny with long arms of the flowering stems that swayed to the right and swayed to the left in a perfect dance. A with several long wooden arms, each with a finger pointing in a different direction, was located in the middle and that’s where I found Mr. Prince Charming waiting for me.
Each arm had a different school for the University. I tapped the one that said Intuition school and smiled as the wheat parted and a perfect golden train began to trickle out in front of me.
Mr. Prince Charming didn’t even wait for me. He darted in as the path gained momentum. I took my time to enjoy the beautiful weather the University was having and trying to really tap into my feelings about the overall position I was in. It took a lot for me to put what was going on in Whispering Falls in the back of my head so I could focus on my future.
Before I knew it, I was standing in front of the small yellow cottage with an awning that flapped in the light breeze that read Intuition School in lime green calligraphy. The window boxes under each window overflowed with Geraniums, Morning Glories, Petunias, Moon Flowers, and Trailing Ivy a rainbow of colorful explosions. It always looked vibrant and smelled so fragrant.
Curling up on the tips of my toes, I looked into the window. Aunt Helena was busy grinding something up using the mortar and pestle. She added it to the copper cauldron along with a dash of topaz globules, some mandrake flakes, and cobalt root.
The room of young witches looked at her with a gleam and awe in their eyes. A few of them gasped when the tiny firework show over the cauldron displayed with some booms and pops. When the show was over, there were some giggles and claps. She ran her hands down her A-line dress before folding them together as her body swayed back and forth in a delightful fluid motion.
Aunt Helena must’ve felt me there, because she glanced over her shoulder and looked at me with a smile before gesturing me to come in.
“Now, now,” she clapped and instructed the girls, “settle down. We’ve got a very important visitor.”
All the eyes were on me.
“My Great-Niece June Heal and her fairy-god cat, Mr. Prince Charming have come all the way from Whispering Falls, Kentucky. Let’s make sure we are all on our good behavior while she’s here.” She snapped her fingers and the girls went back to what they’d been working on in their personal cauldrons in front of them.
“I’m sorry I interrupted,” I apologized because I knew how much of a stickler Aunt Helena really was.
“Don’t be ridiculous.” There was an underlying meaning to that grin across her lips. “I’d love for you to see what the future is doing and how you can have a hand in shaping that future.”
“Really, I had to come to get cauldron cleaner from Wands,
Potions, and Beyond. You just happen to be the first stop on the way.”
“You, June Heal, cannot fool your aunt who is a spiritualist.” She tsked and dragged her hand out in front of her. “Why don’t you just take a minute to walk around and chat with the girls. You’ll be surprised.”
It wasn’t a bad idea. If I were to take the job, it would be in this very room that I’d teach.
There were two rows of wooden top tables with two students per table. They each had a stool on which to sit and a cauldron in front of them. Aunt Helena’s desk was in the front of the room and her cauldron was much bigger. There was a bookshelf behind her desk that held test tubes, potion bottles, ingredients and some reference books among other witchy things.
Mr. Prince Charming teased and flirted with all the girls as he jumped from table to table and dragged his tail underneath their noses, tickling them into a fit of giggles.
I walked up and down the aisle with my hands clasped behind my back, listening to the girls discuss how each one of them had different intuitions on how to fix it.
“Yes, I understand you have the warmth here.” The young woman with the chin length hair cut that was shorter in the back and longer in the front in a very stylish kind of way, insisted she was right. “When you read someone, you can’t just say I feel a warmth here. You have to go deeper and see exactly what the warmth means. Is it a heart condition? A break up? A loss of something? You have to hone in on the gift.”
“But it’s the heart. I know it’s the heart. The glow is around the chamber.” The other girl debated with her. When she jutted her head back and forth, her long pony tail swung around like a propeller.
“Hi there,” I greeted both of them. “I don’t mean to interrupt your debate but have you ever thought that you are both right?” I asked.
The two looked at each other and then back at me, shaking their heads.