by Tonya Kappes
The red shelves lined the two side walls and the back. All the glass bottles were arranged in categories like the shop. One side was homeopathic cures for things like stress, stomachaches, and gout. The back wall was remedies for ailments. And the other side wall was for women’s creams for wrinkles, gooseneck, fingernails and any other beauty aid they might ask about.
The crystal chandelier hung in the middle had over fifty lit candles that were scented in the customer’s favorite smell. Not everyone liked the smell of vanilla bean or pumpkin spice. Some people like chocolate chip cookie dough smell or even pine. So I made the candles a special scent to take on the favorite smell of anyone who walked into my booth, almost guaranteeing me a sale.
The large area rug in the center was tan and brought the gleaming bottles and soft candlelight together. If this didn’t draw in the crowd at least out of curiosity, I had no other idea what would, because looking around was only the typical flea market booths. The people hung their wares from the clotheslines with pins and clips. There was junk strewn around on tables in no particular order. The only booth with somewhat a cohesive look was the belt buckle people with their glass cases sitting on top of the card tables.
“What in the hell?” Adeline nearly dropped the cups of coffee in her hands. “How did you get this done so fast?”
“I’m quick.” I brushed my hands together and clicked the backs of my heels.
I had opted to wear a black A-line skirt and a magenta top. Oscar had always liked the way my dark eyes and hair light up when I had the top on. I was relying on his comments to have the same effect on my customers. I needed all the sales I could get. Not only to pay for my living expenses in Locust Grove, but also for any legal fees I would be incurring with Mac. Which made me wonder why I hadn’t heard from him today.
I was expecting a call from him to make sure I had gone to the releasing ceremony last night. Maybe he was waiting to call when he had some solid leads on the case. I wanted to ask him about the autopsy.
“Quick isn’t the word.” Adeline’s face contorted. She handed off my coffee and made a beeline to the women’s facial creams. “I swear there is something new every time I turn around. Time In A Bottle?” She held it up to me.
“Darnelle, look!” A pudgy blond woman rushed toward me in a very colorful tie-dyed t-shirt making her look much larger than she already was. Her nose was pig-like and when she talked, her blue eyes squinted and her cheeks balled up. “It’s that shop I’ve been looking for. And she has the facial cream now.” The woman jerked the bottle out of Adeline’s hands. “Last time I saw you, you said you didn’t have facial cream.”
The memory of her voice came back to me. Only she was much larger than the last time I had seen her. Her plump face was so full, there wasn’t nearly a wrinkle that hadn’t been stretched out.
“I’m back and I have been waiting to see you.” I took a pink bottle off the wrinkle cream shelf. The one with the Belladonna root.
I had spent years trying to find the root and it was next to impossible. Luckily for me, Eloise grew a big bunch in her garden and she gave me all the supply I needed for the perfect solution for the ever-growing population of women around the world with crows feet nestling on their faces.
“This is exactly what you were looking for last time I was here.” I displayed the bottle in the palm of my hand.
The woman shoved the other bottle back in Adeline’s hands and grabbed the pink bottle out of my palm.
“Darnelle, I want every bottle she has here.” She used the back of her hand to smack Darnelle in the arm. In her deep southern accent, she asked, “Did you hear me?” She berated poor ole Darnelle, who stood there like she had cut off his manhood. “I said,” her lips thinned, her white teeth gritted, “Did. You. Hear. Me?” As though Darnelle was deaf.
“Yes, dear,” Darnelle sounded defeated.
Dang, I was hoping against all hope, Darnelle was going to come back with a zinger, but he didn’t. Darnelle patiently took the three bottles off the shelf and sat them on the counter.
“We will take all four.” He pointed to the three and then the one in his wife’s death grip. “What’s this going to cost me?”
“Eighty dollars.” I had figured she would pay anything for the creams, but twenty sounded like a good amount. Especially since she was buying me out.
“Eighty dollars?” Peony appeared from the next booth over. “It better be a miracle cream.”
“Oh, honey.” The lady held the bottle up to Peony’s face. “It’s all mine. Come on Darnelle.” She fussed, opening the jar and sticking her finger in the cream, slathering it all over her face, but not before taking a few of my business cards and stuffing them in her bra.
“Peony,” I welcomed her. “How did you know where I was?”
I was happy to see someone from home. Not that the flea market wasn’t home, but home was where my joy was. Right now I wanted everything to be as normal as it was two days ago.
“Adeline.” She pointed to Adeline.
“Guilty!” She put her hand in the air. “When I came to your shop the other day, Peony heard us talking about yoga. She’s an avid practitioner.”
“You are?” I asked. No wonder her body was so lean. I pegged it to be her age, making me feel better about my own self.
“I am.” Peony picked up a bottle here and there looking at the words printed on the glass. “I went to a class this morning and she said she was helping you open your flea market booth back up.”
“You had a class this morning?” I questioned. “I thought it was tonight?”
“It’s for all those people who love to do sunrise yoga.” Her smile grew as the deep breath she sucked in filled her lungs. “I’m still having tonight.”
“The sunrise is exactly what our people would love.” Peony smiled and twisted side to side. “I could totally open a yoga studio in Whispering Falls.”
My eyes grew and my face stilled. Peony had to stop throwing around comments about the spiritual community like everyone in the world knew about us.
“Our people?” Adeline looked between Peony and me.
“Yoga lovers. Isn’t that right?” I looked at Peony, giving her the stink eye.
“Yes. Yep.” She bounced on the pad of her high heels. “Yoga lovers.” She snapped her fingers in the air. “Yoginis.”
“You know.” I switched the subject. Quickly. “I’m going to be busy tonight working on new creams.”
“That will keep you busy.” Peony continued to look around, not getting the hint of keeping her trap shut.
My cup of coffee was on the edge of the card table the flea market provided for the booths. I gently nudged the end of the table. The coffee went tumbling, spilling all over the place.
“Oh no.” Adeline jumped out of the way.
“I’ll clean it up if you don’t mind going to get me another one?” I asked hoping she’d take the bait.
“I’ll go,” Peony chimed right on in with her chipper voice.
“That’s okay. Adeline knows exactly where it is and how I like it.” I pulled a couple bucks out of my bag and handed it to Adeline. “Get three.”
“Sure.” Adeline didn’t make haste. When I saw she was a couple booths away, I turned to Peony.
“Listen,” I warned. “You can’t go around talking about spiritualists. I told you that back in Whispering Falls. No one, not even Adeline, knows about our gifts.”
“Oh.” Peony curled her button nose. “I thought you might have told her since you two are such good friends. And your mom wasn’t and she was best friends with Eloise.”
“How did you know that?” I asked, knowing not many people knew my history.
“Petunia told Amethyst and Gwenie when I was helping Petunia brush the animals.” Peony dragged her finger along the homeopathic cure side of the wall.
Petunia was probably so mad at me, she was telling everything I had ever told her. Even things in confidence. Many times I had even helped her brush th
e animals after all the shops were closed. The animals loved it as they lined up one by one in her shop. She was good with them and I enjoyed watching her glow when she used her gift.
“I still don’t think you had anything to do with Gwenie’s death.” Peony was again spouting off at the mouth.
I looked around to see if Adeline was anywhere near and let Peony continue to flap her jaws.
“I think Gwenie was still all pissed,” Peony stopped, her eyes wide. “I can say pissed right?”
“Sure.” I shrugged and haphazardly rearranged some bottles so it looked as if I wasn’t paying too much attention to what she was saying, but I was all ears. “Go on.”
“Anyway, Petunia hated you from the moment she heard you were going to take over as Village President.” Peony picked up a bottle, uncorked it and smelled. “She came home to visit once and told everyone how you weren’t a real spiritualist and about how Izzy had found you, bringing you to Whispering Falls. Oh,” she clapped her hands, “and when you let the Dark-Siders become part of the community. She freaked on that.”
“Really?” I clearly recall her being totally behind me on my changes when I was Village President.
“Yeah, and she said you only changed the one rule that stated families could only have one shop or something like that because you were sleeping with the sheriff.” Peony giggled.
“That was to help her so she could marry Gerald.” I wondered if Petunia left out that convenient part. Or the fact that Gerald’s crazy ex-wife, Ezmeralda, was the one who threatened me with my death. I still shudder at the thought of her threats, which constantly make me look over my shoulder.
“She always called Gwenie. She never called me, but Gwenie told me all about it.” Peony tapped her temple. “I also remember her saying there had never been any crime in Whispering Falls until you came to town. Oh,” she put her finger in the air, “she also said you ruined her wedding day because you and Oscar got engaged. ‘All about June. Everything is always about June,’ were her words. And she said she was going to get back at you one way or another.”
My jaw dropped. Everything Peony said did happen, but I had no idea Petunia felt that way. I wondered how many other residents of Whispering Falls felt that way. My stomach started to hurt.
“One way or another?” I gasped wondering if Gwenie had wanted to set fire to the shop and get out, only she didn’t get out.
“Amethyst said to Gwenie that she was going to keep an eye on you since she opened Full Moon. Gwenie was all over it. That’s when she said she had her sudden case of IBS.” Peony rolled her eyes.
“Why did you do that?” I asked.
“Do what?” She planted her hand on her hip.
“You rolled your eyes when you mentioned Gwenie and her IBS.” I recalled a definite eye roll.
“Did I?” she innocently asked. I nodded my head. “Well,” she leaned in as if someone were listening, “she liked to fake the IBS sometimes to get out of things. She wasn’t interested in the smudging ceremony, which I think is super cool. She told me she was going to walk around Main Street, but you ended up catching her. Which probably pissed her off more.”
“I didn’t catch her. You told me she had IBS and I have a great cure for it.” At least I could tell her the truth and her not judge me.
“Listen, she’s done this before.” Peony smiled. “And if you check out her background, you will know she loved to play with fire.”
That was a little bit of news I could sink my teeth into.
“I bet she went to set the place on fire and couldn’t get out before she passed out.” Peony read my mind.
If what Peony said was true, it might completely get me off the hook.
I glanced around to make sure no one was around to hear me. I tugged on Peony’s arm, pulling her closer. I whispered, “Amethyst told me she was a Oneircritic.”
“A what?” Peony drew back, her ponytail swayed.
“Interpreter of dreams. Her gift.” I waved my hands in the air.
“Oh, right.” Peony shook her head. “I thought we were talking about the fires.”
“Yes, but I have dreams.” My eyes shifted. “Nightmares. And they have been about fires lately.”
“Do you think Amethyst has been interpreting your dreams and you not know it?” Peony was on to something. “Somehow using them against you?”
“I think you might be right. But in our village, you aren’t allowed to read other spiritualists. It’s a rule.” I sucked in a deep breath, maybe the Order of Elders hadn’t given Amethyst a copy of the bylaws. My gut was feeling much better. “What about the autopsy?” I asked.
“That was a joke.” She tossed her hands in the air. “Those two sisters. The Karimas. They don’t know what they are doing. She didn’t get cremated. Her body is still there. Petunia is beside herself.”
“What?” This was the second time Peony made my jaw drop. “Why?”
“Something about they needed more time to check out more things. I’m telling you, they aren’t going to find anything. It was all Gwenie’s doing. Or Amethyst because she’s so damn loyal to Petunia. And she said your cures were hokey.” She pointed to me. “But you didn’t hear all this from me. After all, I would never betray my family. So we went back to the Treesort and Amethyst had all of those chocolate round cakes from Wicked Good Bakery. I guess she made a deal with the bakery to have those in every room each evening as a treat for her guests.”
“You mean the June’s Gems?” I asked.
“Yes!” She snapped. “Those. Oh my God,” Peony gasped. “Didn’t Petunia tell us the day we met you that they were named after you? Don’t tell anyone I told you or they might do the same thing to me before I get out of here.”
Slowly I nodded my head. “Why are you still here?”
“Gerald thought Petunia should be surrounded by family and since I’m the only real family she has here, I’m assuming he meant me.” She stared at me. “Petunia is used to getting what she wants so I never question anything when people tell me to do something.”
“Are you and Petunia close?” I asked wondering if I could get Peony to do a little inside job for me.
“As close as sisters can be.” She shrugged. “She’s older than me and we really don’t have anything in common other than family. She definitely doesn’t have the same genetics since her gift is different than mine. But I love her. And I don’t want to see her hurt or issue ill will on anyone.”
“Do you have loyalty to her friends, like Amethyst?” I asked, probing a bit deeper. If I could get her to look into Amethyst, I could spend some time with Raven. Not only did I want to question her about her run-in with Gwenie and the whole tart scene, I wanted to question her on Amethyst buying June’s Gems for the Treesort.
“They aren’t my friends.” Her head cocked to the side, curiosity set on her face. “Why? Something tells me you are going to ask me to do something.”
“Something is right.” I smiled. “I want you to be the best of friends with Amethyst while you are here, follow her around. Try to figure out why she would want to use June’s Gems in her Treesort, especially if they were named after me. Tell her about your dreams and see if she falls for it.”
“That’s it?” Peony asked like it was no big deal.
“Yeah. For now.” I smiled.
“That’s easy.” She fanned her hand in front of her nose. “Did you use basil in anything?” She pinched her nose together. “I hate basil.”
“Not that I can recall.” I looked up at the candelabra. It was doing the job it needed to do. I wondered why Adeline didn’t notice a smell.
“I’m out of here because that smells terrible.” She waved off. “I’ll get in touch with you somehow.”
I turned and helped the next customer who came into the booth.
Every one of Peony’s words was stamped in my mind. I couldn’t wait until the end of the day to tell Oscar all this information so he could investigate Gwenie’s background. Or I could tell M
ac and he could do it for me. Not to mention the fact that Amethyst hated me too.
If midnight was the only time I could get into Whispering Falls, midnight was my witching hour. I had to talk to Raven. Not only about her words with Gwenie, but what she had seen in the dough.
I had forgotten about the June’s Gem Raven had put near the cellar steps. Peony gave me two things I could sink my teeth into. Her little bit of gossip and reminding me of the little chocolaty treat I’d left behind when I fled A Charming Cure the night before.
Chapter Twenty
Even though I was worn out from my first day back at the flea market, I had to keep going. Tiredness didn’t absolve the fact I was still being looked at as the number one murder suspect of Gwendolyn, though Peony gave me a little hope when she said they weren’t ruling out Gwenie’s loyalty to her family.
“Loyalty?” I asked out loud and stared into the open space in the shed. I reached in my bag and took out Madame Torres. “Are the random words scrolling around in your ball meant for Gwenie? Did she set fire to the shop?”
The lights in the shed flickered before shutting off. The night had already fallen on Locust Grove and Madame Torres’s orange glow was the only light piercing the darkness.
“Well?” I asked as her ball came to life. I set the beaker down. I couldn’t ask questions and make potions at the same time when I talked to Madame Torres. She was good at saying things once and forgetting the rest.
Her ball churned, brewing a storm cloud of colors. The words came fast and furious in bright yellow: loyal, family, potions, animal, angry, jealous, bitter, revenge, Amethyst, evil.
Sudden darkness. Sudden silence. The beating of my heart pounded in my ears.
“Amethyst. I clearly saw Amethyst. What are you trying to tell me?” I begged Madame Torres, but she was done with the clues. “Fine. Let me see Amethyst.” I demanded.
“You know that is against the rules and if the Order of Elders find out. . .” Madame Torres shut up when I put my hand over her ball.
“Now.” I didn’t hesitate.