Witches' Charms: Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series (Vampires and Wine Book 3)

by Morgana Best

  Aunt Maude spoke first. “He might be a witch-vampire, though, Valkyrie.”

  Aunt Agnes shushed her. “Valkyrie is right. Even if he is a witch-vampire, there’s only one of him but there are four of us. Besides, we need the Witches’ Brew, so we can only do the best we can do. Worst-case scenario, we didn’t murder anyone, so even if he does find out we’re vampires, it won’t be the end of the world.”

  I piped up. “Actually, he might think we’re protecting Linda.” I didn’t add that Lucas did think it was the end of the world if Scorpius Everyman found out we were vampires.

  Aunt Agnes’s eyebrows shot skyward. “Linda? I don’t understand.”

  “I’ve just come from Linda’s motel,” I said. “She’s a Shifter wolf.”

  “Yes, dear, we all know that,” Aunt Dorothy said, but was silenced by a withering look from Agnes.

  “The point is,” I said in the most patient tone I could muster, “Joseph Maxwell looked as though he had been mauled by a pack of dogs. Linda wonders if there’s a pack of rogue Shifters. If the Cleaner thinks that’s the case, then he won’t suspect vampires; he will suspect Shifters.”

  Maude clasped her hands in delight. “That means we’re off the hook!” she exclaimed happily.

  Agnes sighed dramatically. “No, you old fool. We’re not off the hook at all. Scorpius Everyman could well think that we’re protecting Linda, maybe even in it with her. He might think vampires and Shifters are in it together.”

  “Oh well, this is all speculation,” I said, trying to break the sombre mood that had descended over the room. “It mightn’t be as bad as we think. After all, Scorpius Everyman arrived here the day of the murder, so he must have had some sort of inside information on the situation. Right? He must already have suspects.”

  Aunt Agnes did not look happy. “But don’t you realise, Valkyrie? We face two possible sources of danger. This Cleaner, Scorpius Everyman, and potentially, a pack of rogue Shifters.”

  Okay, now I was thoroughly scared. Maybe moving back to my cottage wasn’t such a good idea after all. “What can we do?”

  “First of all, I think we need to find every bottle of wine we can that doesn’t have an Ambrosia Winery label on it, tip it out, and replace it with Witches’ Brew,” Aunt Agnes said firmly. “Then we can put all the bottles in the secret room.”

  “But if he finds them, surely he’ll taste one?” I asked her.

  Agnes shook her head. “It’s the best we can do. If he does find the Witches’ Brew in the secret room, maybe he’ll be pressed for time and not taste it. Who knows? But I can’t think of anything else that we can do. Can you?”

  I had to admit that I couldn’t. Her words spurred us all into action. I looked through all the cupboards, as did the aunts. We didn’t have many bottles of wine that didn’t hold Witches’ Brew, but the aunts did have some for guests. We poured the contents down the sink. Aunt Agnes provided everyone with a funnel, and we filled everything with Witches’ Brew.

  The secret room was bigger than I remembered. The last time I had seen it, the four of us had been crammed in there, but now I could see there was a fair bit of room for the storage of Witches’ Brew. Plus, both end walls were entirely covered by shelving. I wondered if the room had ever been used for storage.

  As I was on my way back for another load, I passed Aunt Agnes. “I don’t suppose you have any other secret rooms, passageways, or hidden spaces under the floorboards?” I said hopefully.

  She shook her head. “Of course not, dear. I would have mentioned it.”

  I felt like a bit of an idiot. Of course she would have.

  When we had stored all the Witches’ Brew safely in the secret room, Aunt Agnes announced that we would have to do a concealing spell. “And we’ll do a Law Away spell, too. Dorothy, we’ll need the orange bergamot for that.”

  “Why a Law Away spell?” Dorothy asked her. “The police don’t suspect that we’re vampires. They don’t even believe in vampires.”

  Agnes let out a long breath, and then counted to ten. “Give me strength! Scorpius Everyman is a Cleaner. Therefore a Law Away spell will work on him. Don’t you see?”

  “I suppose so,” Dorothy said doubtfully.

  Aunt Agnes rolled her eyes. “Okay, so we’ll throw some orange bergamot leaves, some cloves, and some oil of cedarwood in a bucket, and wash the floors with it, going from the back to the front of the house.”

  “What, now?” Maude said.

  “When we have finished discussing it,” Agnes said, rolling her eyes once more.

  Maude looked put out. “Won’t we need viburnum, Devil’s Shoestrings?”

  “That’s only for keeping the law away when someone is doing illegal activities,” Agnes said. “That’s why we haven’t used it before.”

  “Yes, we have...” Maude began, and then looked at me. “Oh, no, we haven’t used it before,” she added lamely.

  “We will all have to put tansy leaves in our shoes,” Agnes hurried to say, avoiding looking at me. “Tansy keeps the law away. And we’ll put black pepper and some broom straws under the welcome mat at the front door, and under the mat at the back door as well, plus across all the windows of the house,” Aunt Agnes said.

  “And what about red brick dust and crushed eggshell, too?” I asked her. “I know we already have some there, but should we put more?”

  “Good idea.” Aunt Agnes nodded approvingly. “Now let’s all sit down at the kitchen table and have a council of war.”

  Aunt Agnes poured everyone a goblet of Witches’ Brew, from the one bottle that wasn’t in the secret room. “Now ladies, how will we disguise the fact that we’re vampires from Scorpius Everyman?”

  Aunt Dorothy held up her hand and ticked off her fingers one by one. “First, we don’t leave any Witches’ Brew around in front of him. Two, we don’t move quickly in front of him. Three…” Her voice trailed away, and she looked wildly around the room.

  “That’s about it, isn’t it?” I said.

  “I think so,” Aunt Agnes said slowly and thoughtfully. “He’s likely to ask a lot of questions, so we’ll have to get our stories straight about where we were born and how old we are. You don’t have to worry about that, Valkyrie. You can just tell him the truth.”

  I clamped my hand over my mouth. “Oh no, I just remembered something.”

  Aunt Agnes looked alarmed. “What is it?”

  “I have Witches’ Brew in my cottage. How will I get rid of it? Sure, I can tip out the contents, but he could see me if I take the bottles out.”

  “How many bottles do you have?” Aunt Dorothy asked me.

  “Oh gosh, about twenty or so,” I said. “And if he’s suspicious of us, it will be much easier for him to search my cottage, given that I’m not staying there at the moment. I was going to move back there today, though.”

  Aunt Agnes tapped her chin, while I took another gulp of Witches’ Brew. I was annoyed that Scorpius Everyman was putting us in this position. We hadn’t done anything wrong, and we were being forced to act furtively, like criminals. Still, I didn’t trust the man. There was something otherworldly about him, and not otherworldly in a good way. Quite the opposite, in fact.

  “I know,” Aunt Agnes said after an interval. “Valkyrie, he knows you’ve been staying here because you’ve been unwell. As he’s a Cleaner, he would know that you were staying here because of your recent brush with a murderer, but he will equally expect that we wouldn’t divulge those details to a stranger, so that in itself is not a problem. If he sees you and asks what you’re doing, tell him that you’re staying with us for a few more days. You can have your old room.”

  I resisted the urge to groan. I liked my cottage, and it had been a bit of a chore staying at the manor, as kind as my aunts were. The constant bickering was somewhat wearing, and I liked my own space. After all, I’d lived on my own for years now. Still, I had no option. There were larger problems afoot. “Okay, sure.”

  “Do you have a large suitcase in
your cottage?” she asked me.

  “Yes, I do,” I said. “Why?”

  “Well, if you’re coming to stay with us for about a week, you will need more clothes. Wrap the bottles of Witches’ Brew in your clothes, so the bottles won’t rattle and make a sound, and come back here with the suitcase.”

  “What if he sees her?” Aunt Maude said.

  “He’ll just think she’s collecting some clothes to stay here,” Agnes said. “We’ve already been through that, Maude. Weren’t you listening?”

  “Won’t he think it strange that I’m bringing so many clothes if I’m only staying for a week?” I asked her.

  Aunt Agnes shrugged. “He probably won’t even see you, Valkyrie. And by the way, have you forgotten about the new boarder coming to stay today? Sam Innis.”

  I clamped my hand over my mouth. “Yes, I had forgotten. No, don’t worry, the King Arthur themed cottage has all been done in readiness. I did that earlier in the week. I just haven’t put fresh milk in his refrigerator.”

  “Don’t worry, I did that, given you were still recovering from your ordeal,” Aunt Maude said.

  I beamed at her. “Thanks. When does he arrive?”

  Aunt Agnes looked at her watch. “He’s an hour overdue, but he has a long drive to get here, so an hour either way would be considered normal.” She was about to say more, but there was a loud knock on the door. “Speak of the devil!” Aunt Agnes said.

  “I’ll get it,” I said. “You had better hide this bottle of Witches’ Brew. I mean, we don’t know who this Sam Innis is, and we can’t take any chances.”

  “But he booked ages ago,” Aunt Dorothy protested.

  Aunt Agnes made a snorting sound. “Valkyrie is right. It’s better to be safe than sorry.” She waved a gnarled finger at Dorothy.

  I hurried from the room, anxious to get away from the bout of bickering that I knew was about to burst forth. I grabbed my cottage keys from the table, and Aunt Maude handed me the keys to the King Arthur themed cottage. Clearly, she was prepared. I opened the door to see a tall, good-looking man standing there. He had the long, lean muscles of an AFL player, and gorgeous, big brown eyes. His hair was a nice sandy colour. If I wasn’t so hung up on Lucas, I would find this Sam Innis quite attractive.

  “Welcome to Mugwort Manor,” I said, extending my hand. “I’m Pepper Jasper. Please call me Pepper. You’ll meet my aunts later, but right now I’ll show you to your cottage so you can get settled in.”

  “Sam Innis, but please call me Sam.” He winked at me. He was still holding my hand, so I snatched it back. “Did you have a nice trip?” I asked automatically.

  “Yes,” he said. “Where should I put my car?”

  I shook my head. “I’m afraid the parking area is right there where you parked, but it’s a short walk to your cottage. I’ll help you with your luggage.”

  “That’s fine, I travel light.” He smiled at me again, showing a set of impossibly white teeth.

  “If you’re sure…” I began, but he pulled just one suitcase from the boot of his car. I wondered if I should tell him that there had been a murder on the beach, in case he found out later and left angrily. I looked up to see him watching me.

  “Is something wrong?”

  I shook my head, but then nodded. “I suppose it’s my duty to tell you that there has just been a fatal accident on a nearby beach,” I said carefully.

  His eyebrows shot up. “Drowning?”

  I shrugged. “The police haven’t said.” That, at least, was the truth.

  He seemed unperturbed, and simply nodded. “Lead the way.” His tone was amused. He probably thought I was attracted to him and was used to women being struck silent in his presence. Still, I thought it somewhat inappropriate to look amused just after the mention of a fatal accident.

  I was wondering how to avoid telling him there was at least one serial killer on the prowl in the nearby vicinity. Still, he couldn’t be safer in the cottage next to Scorpius Everyman, the notorious Cleaner—that is, of course, unless he was the perpetrator. I shivered.

  We were halfway to the cottages, but Sam stopped. “You’re cold.”

  I wasn’t cold; I was merely scared to be close to Scorpius Everyman’s cottage, so I simply said, “I’m okay.”

  Sam at once whipped off his jacket and attempted to put it over my shoulders. I held up my hands to refuse, but he tried to insist. I don’t think he was used to women resisting his charms. In the middle of this strange scene, I looked up to see Lucas standing there. Where had he come from? Sam, too, seemed surprised. “Sam, this is Lucas, Lucas O’Callaghan. Lucas, this is Sam Innis, our new boarder.”

  The air fairly crackled between them. Testosterone sparks flew through the air. Sam edged ever so closer to me, and I could see that Lucas didn’t like it. Still, there was nothing he could do with Scorpius Everyman in the nearby cottage, probably staring out his window at us. Both men muttered greetings to each other.

  “I was just on my way into town…” Lucas began.

  Sam cut him off. “Nice to meet you.” He took my arm and guided me a step or two forward. Lucas shot him a black look and then continued on his way. Awkward!

  Sam let out an exclamation when I let him into his cottage. I knew it wasn’t an exclamation of delight. “I’m halfway through changing the decoration on this cottage,” I said, somewhat defensively.

  He laughed. “Let me guess, you’re changing it from the whole Knights of the Round Table theme and not into it?”

  I had to laugh, too. “Yes. My aunts had all the cottages themed quite outrageously, to be honest. I’m trying to pare it all back.”

  He looked around the room. “Oh well, I suppose staying in a mock castle didn’t hurt anyone.”

  “You should have seen it before. Now, if that fibreglass knight in armour bothers you, I can have someone take it out. I meant to remove it before you arrived, but things have been rather hectic.” That was the understatement of the century.

  Sam took a step closer to me. “What do you do around here for fun?”

  I took a step backwards and gestured to the brochures on a nearby table. “Have a look through those. I’m sure you’ll find something to your liking.”

  He winked at me. “I think I already have.”

  Okay, so he really was hitting on me. I muttered an excuse and beat a hasty retreat.

  Chapter 8

  Once I had escaped from the King Arthur themed cottage with its new inhabitant, Sam Innis, I walked to my cottage intent upon smuggling all my bottles of Witches’ Brew back to Mugwort Manor. I was filled with trepidation. I peeped out the side of my sunglasses, and to my relief, there was no sign of Scorpius Everyman. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t appear at any moment. After all, his car was still parked outside the front of Mugwort Manor.

  I unlocked my cottage and let myself in. Had Scorpius Everyman already searched the place? There was no reason why he would have, but then again, he no doubt already knew of my friendship with Linda. Still, all I could do was hope. I hurried into my bedroom and dragged my old blue suitcase from the top of the cupboard. I flung it on my bed and then selected clothes I thought I would need for the week. I could always come back and get more at any time.

  I went back to the kitchen and fetched every bottle of Witches’ Brew I could find, and put it on my bedroom floor. One bottle was already opened, so I tipped the contents down the sink and then rinsed it well. I would still have to take that bottle, but at least there was no possibility that it would leak over the contents of my suitcase. I was glad that I had a bottle of white wine in the fridge. Hopefully, that would throw him off the track if he did come snooping.

  It took me longer than I thought to wrap the bottles in clothes. I put a towel on the bottom of my suitcase, and then put a pillow in as well. I had almost finished packing when I realised I would have to take the pillow out, so I did so, and then started packing from scratch. It wasn’t as easy as it sounded, packing eighteen bottles of wine into a su
itcase. Plus, I wasn’t the world’s best packer. I tended to throw my clothes in willy-nilly when travelling.

  Once I had finished, I picked up the suitcase and then dropped it with a thud. Who would have thought it would be so heavy? Luckily, my suitcase had wheels.

  This time, I more carefully manoeuvred it onto the floor. I really needed to work out, do some weights, anything to help with situations such as this, not that I wanted to be in such a situation again for a very long time, hopefully never.

  I dragged the suitcase to the front door and then left it there, while I went to peep out my bedroom window which overlooked the other cottages. There was no sign of the dreaded man, so I went back to the suitcase. “Okay, no time like the present,” I exhorted myself aloud.

  I opened the door, and managed to get the suitcase to ground level without any disasters. I had already tested it to make sure I couldn’t hear any bottles rattling, but I had packed it well with extra clothes and small towels. I got it through the front gate, but dragging it along the gravel pathway was much harder than it looked. To my abject horror, Scorpius Everyman emerged from the front door of his cottage and walked to his front gate.

  What to do? Back in Sydney, I had a friend who boasted she could get overweight carry-on luggage into any plane. She said her secret was that she made it look extremely light, so no one ever asked to weigh it. That’s what I tried to do now. I gave him a cheery wave and did my best to make it look like the suitcase wasn’t heavy. My arms were already burning, but that was the least of my worries.

  Scorpius Everyman walked out his gate and in my direction. I smiled and made to keep walking, but he blocked my way. “Miss Jasper, are you leaving town?” It sounded like an accusation.

  “No, no, no,” I stammered. “My aunts insisted I stay with them for a week. I haven’t been, err, well.” I hoped he would think my nervousness was due to me not wanting to say I’d been nearly killed by a murderer.