Bella Beauty Salon
The next morning, Belladonna arrived at her salon two hours early. She turned the open sign around in the hopes that some walk-ins might filter in. She didn’t have any appointments until nine, but maybe someone would stop in for a trim or a blowout before work if they saw the shop was open.
Bella had already been up for hours. She hadn’t slept well the night before, an odd thing for someone named Belladonna Nightshade, but she was too wired and uneasy to be tired. Something wasn’t right. There was a darkness in the air, and it felt as if it was drawing Bella in.
A terrible dream was most likely what roused her from her fitful sleep. The dream started out with Belladonna being stalked by a shadowy figure. The figure followed her from work to coffee with Murielle. Then as she was getting ready for bed, Bella spotted the figure directly outside of her bedroom window. She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. She couldn’t get her mouth closed, and bats descended from the ceiling, filling her mouth and choking her.
Belladonna woke up grasping at her neck and covered in a cold sweat. She was shaking and disoriented. The clock on the nightstand appeared to read three in the morning. The time told her that the dream had significance, and the worst part was that out of the corner of her eye, she swore she saw the same dark figure outside of her window. But when she turned her head to look, it was gone.
That same cold sweat was breaking out across her back again when the bell above the salon’s door tinkled. It startled her, but when she looked, it was Jeremy Whiteside, a local gardener and landscaper.
“My first client today was supposed to be the Tory Mansion,” he said and kept his eyes cast down to the floor. “So I don’t have an appointment for a couple of hours. Could you give me a haircut? I’m way overdue.”
“Sure, have a seat in the first chair,” she said and set aside the broom she’d been using to sweep the already perfectly clean floor.
Belladonna grabbed an apron and fastened it around Jeremy’s neck. He winced when she tightened the strap, and that’s when Bella noticed a peculiar, and very fresh, burn on his neck.
“I know it looks bad after the fire last night, but it’s a chemical burn. A raccoon got into my storage shed last night. When I went in this morning to get my supplies for the day, he knocked a bottle of particularly harsh fertilizer off. It spilled on my neck,” Jeremy said with his eyes still cast towards the floor.
Belladonna looked over at the counter. One of her wands was lying just a few inches out of her reach. It was close enough that she could dive for it if she needed to use it for protection, but Bella wasn’t sure if she wanted to openly cast a truth spell on a client.
“Go ahead. I understand,” Jeremy said and finally looked up.
Bella followed his eyes. They were directed towards the wand. She wasn’t sure how everyone would react to her witchcraft, so Belladonna wasn’t entirely open about her practice. Even in a town like Winterfield, where the paranormal was normal, some people didn’t like witches.
Without speaking, Belladonna picked up the wand and swirled it around Jeremy’s head. His aura lit up and then turned brown. Belladonna sighed loudly and set the wand back down. That color in particular didn’t tell her much about whether he was truthful or not.
Belladonna was concerned, though. Either he masked the effects of the spell, or something was preventing her magic from working properly. She knew that the wand was typically used for vanity spells on her clients, but it still should have told her something.
“So what’s the verdict?” Jeremy asked sheepishly.
“Not much. That wand is more for hair magic, though. Let me get your haircut done so you can get to work.”
When Jeremy left the salon, Belladonna watched him walk across the street to the diner. Something about him wasn’t right, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. A bad feeling gripped her stomach.
Then, the broom fell over.
Three
Winterfield Police Station
Detective Benjamin arrived at the station early because he had some paperwork to finish. He wanted to get an early start looking for Sterling, and he’d hoped to hear back from the coroner. It was a long shot that he’d hear anything the day after the body was found, but maybe he’d get lucky, and it had been a slow murder week.
When he finished the last of his coffee, he figured it was time to head to the diner for another cup. He wasn’t sure how much the town’s people would open up to him, but he hoped they’d at least tell him if they’d seen a cat.
Detective Ben grabbed his phone and his laptop since he wasn’t sure when he’d be back to the station. It was a beautiful day outside since the weather hadn’t turned cold yet, so he decided to walk to the diner. Along the way, he found himself checking alleys and dark corners for the missing feline.
He also hoped that he’d have a chance to meet Ms. Nightshade today, and again, the thought of her gave him a little lift. He had no earthly idea why, because he’d never met Belladonna before.
Down the last alleyway before Ben reached the town square, he could swear that he saw Mrs. Tory standing just behind a dumpster, giggling and covering her mouth with her hands. Ben stopped dead in his tracks, rubbed his eyes with the backs of his hands, but when he opened them again, she was gone. Thoroughly spooked, he picked up the pace and beat feet to the diner.
As soon as he walked in the door, a hush fell over the room. Ben could hear that the diner was abuzz with chatter from the sidewalk, but once he stepped over the threshold, there was nothing but dead silence.
He took a seat at the counter next to a man he recognized as Jeremy Whiteside. As soon as the detective sat down, Jeremy put a five-dollar bill down on the counter and left. Detective Ben made a mental note of his hasty departure.
Linda, the diner’s only waitress on duty, sauntered up to the counter and filled Ben’s cup of coffee. She left a little room at the top because she knew by now that he liked to add cream and sugar to his cup.
“What’ll it be, Detective?” she asked and pulled a pen out of her bright red updo.
“I suppose you’re not going to let me get away with just ordering coffee,” he said and smiled as he emptied a packet of sugar into his cup. Linda was one of the few people in town who was friendly with him, and he was grateful for it.
“Not on your life, Detective. You need a good breakfast today. I hear you’ve got your work cut out for you,” Linda said and then waited for his order.
“Well, that’s a compelling argument, ma’am. I’ll have the churro French toast.”
“Bacon or sausage?”
“How about both today. As you’ve pointed out, I have my work cut out for me today,” Ben said and gave her a wink.
“Indeed. Oh, and Detective…”
“Yes, Linda.”
“If you call me ma’am again, you’re going to have to arrest me for assaulting a police officer,” Linda said, completely deadpan, and then chuckled as she sashayed off towards the kitchen.
Ben took a sip of his almost-too-hot coffee and then added another sugar packet. His attempts to cut back on sugar consumption would have to wait for another day. Besides, he didn’t really need to cut back on anything. His job kept him active and fit.
Ben had a handsome face and a splendidly muscular body, so an extra sugar packet wasn’t really hurting anyone. As he was getting ready to bring the cup to his lips again, Cassie Holt, the firefighter who had discovered Mrs. Tory’s body, sat down on the stool next to his.
“I suppose it’s too early for you to have heard anything from the coroner?” she asked and took one of the menus from between the napkin dispenser and the condiment caddy.
“It is, but I’ve got my fingers crossed. How are you doing? I imagine that isn’t something you see too often around here,” he said and brought his coffee cup to his lips.
“No, not really. I’ve just had some bad luck lately. That wasn’t even supposed to be my shift, but Billy Carrington called of
f with the flu. Again. More like the brown bottle flu in my opinion,” she said and craned her neck looking for Linda.
Detective Ben nodded his head yes in agreement but didn’t say anything out loud. Billy’s drinking problems were relatively well-known around town, as were the firefighter’s gambling issues. Fire Chief Higgins was usually happy when Billy called off. It meant he didn’t have to worry about Billy going out on a call drunk.
Ben was glad that first responders had the union to protect them, but sometimes it worked against the greater good. The detective felt a sudden pang of guilt for thinking about Billy’s struggles that way. After all, the two were both veterans. Perhaps Detective Benjamin should invite his fellow first responder out for coffee or a meal sometimes. After all, Ben could understand Billy in a way others couldn’t.
“So, do you think it was murder?” Cassie’s voice startled Ben out of his thoughts.
“I’m not really ready to say anything about that yet. But you can help me with something else.”
“What is it?” she asked and waved to Linda when the waitress appeared from the kitchen.
“I’m looking for Mrs. Tory’s cat, Sterling,” he said and took another long draw of his coffee. It was the perfect temperature now, and he wanted to drink as much of it as he could before it got too cold.
“Oh, I figured the poor thing burned up in the fire. You mean it’s still alive?”
“Possibly. Probably.”
“If Sterling’s alive, she probably made her way over to Belladonna Nightshade’s place,” Linda interjected. ‘What’ll it be, sweetie?” she asked Cassie after taking out her pen and pad. Detective Ben felt a flutter in his stomach at the mention of Belladonna’s name.
“Three eggs over medium and a double order of hash browns. Oh, and coffee and a Diet Coke.”
“Order Up!” Nick, the cook, called out from the kitchen.
“I’ll put that in for you, sweetie. Detective, that’s your breakfast. I’ll be right back,” Linda said and swaggered confidently off towards the kitchen.
Linda was one of the most confident women Detective Benjamin had ever met. She held her head high, her back straight, and her steps were always sure. The stately waitress lit up the room with her buoyant humor and smile. If Ben was thirty years older, he would have asked her out on a date. Most likely, she would turn him down. That thought made him chuckle.
“What’s so funny?” Linda gave him the side-eye as she set his plate down in front of him.
“Nothing I can tell you, ma’am,” he said and beamed at her.
She picked up a dish towel off the counter and snapped him with it.
“I could arrest you for that,” the detective said in an entirely jovial tone.
“I’d like to see you try. Fresh coffee in a couple of minutes, Cassie,” Linda said completely seriously and then strutted back off to the kitchen.
“She’s a piece,” Cassie said and took a sip of the Diet Coke Linda had brought out with Ben’s meal.
“I know. That’s what I like about her.”
“You going to go talk to Belladonna about the cat?” Cassie asked and took another drink. “I think she’s already at the salon. I saw the open sign when I walked by.”
There was that feeling in the pit of his stomach again. The short time he’d been in Winterfield, he’d never happened across Belladonna Nightshade’s path. He’d had a fresh haircut before his move, so he hadn’t made an appointment for her services as of yet. Usually he’d go to a barber, but there wasn’t one in Winterfield. There was only Belladonna’s shop. Detective Ben brought his hand up to his hairline and felt how shaggy his hair was getting. Perhaps he had more than one reason to visit Bella today.
Maybe he could finally figure out why a woman he’d never met had such a strange effect on him, too.
Bella’s Beauty Salon
When the bell over the door jingled this time, Belladonna looked up to see a man she’d never met but instantly recognized as Detective Benjamin Carmichael. She was glad she happened to be standing by the counter with her magic wand in plain sight. Without him noticing, she slipped the wand into her apron pocket and breathed a little sigh of relief.
Ben hadn’t been in town long enough to know what went on in Winterfield. The town rarely got new residents who weren’t already relatives of other inhabitants. Therefore, it was shocking to almost everyone when a man from the city transferred into the Winterfield police department. Even more surprising was his complete lack of paranormal anything. As far as most people could tell, Ben was a regular man. Well, as regular as a tall, dark and devastatingly handsome stranger could be.
Belladonna chastised herself internally. She’d made it this long without letting a man get his hooks in her. She didn’t need to start swooning over Ben. Even if he did have the biggest, deepest brown eyes she’d ever seen. And the constant shadow of perfect stubble on his perfect jaw line was annoying. It wasn’t inviting in any way. And his full lips…
“Are you Belladonna Nightshade?” His deep, caramel-coated voice interrupted her thoughts.
Belladonna was in trouble.
“I am. How can I help you, Detective?”
“Has Mrs. Tory’s attorney met with you yet?” Detective Benjamin asked with a hint of nervousness in his voice.
Being nervous around a woman was unusual for Detective Ben. He coughed and cleared his voice as he tried to recover, but the effect Belladonna was having on him was evident. She smiled and blushed a little, despite the fact that she was in no way interested in the butterflies the detective set aflutter in her stomach.
“Not yet, Detective. But why would he be coming to see me?” she asked and he noted the hazel halo around her pupils that looked like sun fire set against her deep emerald irises.
“I’m not sure how much I should tell you before you speak with him, but let me ask you a question first. Have you seen Sterling the cat?”
“Haha. That’s a peculiar thing for you to ask about.” Her laugh was melodic to Detective Benjamin. Even the part where she snorted sounded musical to him, and he started to wonder what the heck could be wrong with him. “But, yes. I’ve seen Sterling. She came to my house last night during the fire.”
“Oh, well that’s odd, don’t you think?” he said and cocked his head to the side in a way that made Belladonna smile despite herself.
“Not really, Detective. Sterling frequently visited my home. She was Mrs. Tory’s cat for sure, but we kind of had a timeshare with her. Mrs. Tory had a good humor about the arrangement,” Belladonna explained and then crossed the room to pick the fallen broom back up.
It immediately fell over again, and Bella rolled her eyes.
“Company’s coming,” Detective Benjamin said offhand and then rubbed the back of his neck where his hair was tickling his collar. Now that he’d noticed it was too long, it would eat at him until he got it tightened up.
Belladonna just looked at him with her mouth open. That was the very last thing she expected to hear from an outsider who was also supposed to be an ordinary. When she didn’t answer right away, he spoke again.
“It’s something my grandmother used to say. We also weren’t allowed to hang anything on a doorknob.”
“Threw spilled salt over your left shoulder, too?” she asked with a smile.
“Yes, we did,” he answered with an even bigger grin.
“Sounds like our grandmothers had a lot in common. If you don’t mind me saying, you keep fidgeting with your hairline, Detective. Would you like me to give you a trim?” Belladonna asked and pointed towards the first chair in the line.
“Sure, and I’ll tell you what I know about Sterling and Mrs. Tory’s will.”
Belladonna cut his hair short and neat. In fact, Ben hadn’t had a haircut that tight since his service. The entire time he watched Bella’s eyes get wider and wider as he explained what details he had about Sterling and Mrs. Tory’s bequeath.
“A million dollars a year to take care of Sterling?”
she asked incredulously. “I would have taken care of her for nothing.”
“You’ll have to get the details from Mr. Richards, but it sounds like you are now the guardian of a millionaire cat. I’m pretty sure it makes you a millionaire, too.” His smile quickly darkened.
“What is it?” Belladonna asked, sensing the shift in his emotions, like someone turned down the thermostat in the salon.
“Well, it’s a great fortune indeed, but it also gives you motive. So, I’m afraid I have to ask where you were last night before the fire,” Ben asked, looking quite regretful.
“I was at home. That’s how Sterling found me.”
“Can anybody verify you were at home?”
“Well, Murielle came over, and later, Officer Terry came to drive her home.”
“Did Murielle come over before or after the fire started?” Ben asked hopefully.
“It was after. She’s the one who told me about the fire. Before that, I was watching a movie on my computer.”
“Belladonna, as much as it pains me to say this. I’m going to have to ask you not to leave town until my investigation is over.”
Four
Trainwreck Diner
The breakfast crowd was gone, so Detective Ben went back to the diner after he paid for his haircut. He didn’t think he’d ever get the look of shock and sadness painted on Belladonna’s face out of his head. Ben hoped that she wasn’t a suspect, but for now, he had to do his job.
His laptop was open on the table, and Linda had just poured him a fresh cup of coffee. There was no banter during this visit. Linda noticed his bad mood and let him be. As he was typing, she silently brought out a plate of hot onion rings and left them on the table with an empathetic smile.
“Thank you,” he said and didn’t offer any more.
“You’re welcome. Let me know if you need anything else. I’ll be right around the corner.”
Magic & Mystery: A Cozy Mystery Sampler Page 9