To Catch a Witch
Page 27
Liam rushed in and laughed nervously. “Everything okay here?”
“We were just leaving,” Nick said, pulling Mimi in to stand between the two of us. Protecting her.
She looked my way with tears in her eyes. I took hold of her hand, held it tight. “That’s right, we were.”
“No,” Glinda said. “I want you to stay. Please. We can all get along for one night. For me. Please,” she said again.
“No, we cannot,” Dorothy said, stepping forward. She opened her mouth, then snapped it closed. Without another word, she stormed to the door and walked out, slamming it behind her.
* * *
Across the village, a restless Melina “Missy” Sawyer stood, stretched her paws, turned in a circle three times, then scratched just the perfect spot on a fleece blanket and tried to settle down. Not an easy task, considering her mood. Not even the distraction of a young, toned Tom Selleck was helping. But she had to admit the more she watched, the more she was starting to understand Archie’s adoration for Magnum, P.I.
Archie let out a catcall as Magnum marched across a beach in those tiny short-shorts of his and Ve laughed, shaking the couch.
Although they’d been watching for nearly half an hour, Mel couldn’t say what the plot of the show was about. She was too busy worrying.
Glinda’s wedding was tonight.
Dorothy and Darcy in a small room was a recipe for disaster, but she hoped the happiness of the occasion would overshadow any hostility.
Ve had been trying her best to take Mel’s mind off the event all night, offering every now and again to fix her a mai tai—they had tired of piña coladas—to help her relax. Mel kept turning the offers down. She didn’t want to turn into a lush like Archie.
And she didn’t think it was possible for her to relax until Mimi, Nick, and Darcy were safe at home.
She noted, too, that she wasn’t the only one worried.
Derrie had been fidgeting in her chair all night, throwing anxious glances at the clock. The later the hour, the more agitated the Elder became.
“Maybe we should go over there,” Mel finally said. “Put our minds at ease.”
“We’ve been through this,” Ve said, muting the TV. “Dorothy isn’t likely to cause a scene tonight that will jeopardize her chances at overthrowing Dee’s Eldership.”
Derrie sent her a weary glance.
“What?” Ve said innocently. “I didn’t say she was going to succeed.”
Archie said, “’Tis true she would not want to jeopardize her chances, however, as calculated as Dorothy can be, it is important to remember she has trouble controlling her temper.”
Derrie added, “And the wedding itself is provocation enough, since Glinda is marrying against Dorothy’s wishes. Anything can happen tonight. We mustn’t be complacent.”
“We should have had Pepe and Mrs. P there spying on the wedding,” Ve said after a moment. “It would have set your minds at ease.”
Archie said, “Darcy is there.”
“More provocation,” Derrie pointed out.
“Maybe we should go over there,” Mel said again. “Mimi’s there … and I don’t want her caught in crossfire.”
It had been hard enough for Mel these past few months, separating herself from her daughter. It was for the best, she knew, to eventually live with Ve, but it was going to be so difficult to leave Mimi behind. The thought of Dorothy possibly doing anything to harm her …
Mel shook her head to banish the thought and her ears flopped around. One flipped inside out. Ve reached over and fixed it for her. “Thanks.” Would she ever fully get used to being in this Schnoodle form? She was starting to think no and wondered if other familiars felt the same about their bodies.
“Dorothy’s target isn’t likely to be Mimi,” Derrie said.
Mel knew that to be true, but … “If she’s angry enough, anything is possible.”
Aiming the remote at the TV, Ve turned it off. “Maybe we should all go over there.”
Suddenly Ve’s cell phone buzzed.
They all looked at it, vibrating on the coffee table.
Ve grabbed it. “It’s a text from Darcy.”
“What does it say?” Archie asked.
Ve’s hand trembled. “All it says is ‘she knows’. Have mercy. Dorothy must have found out about Harper’s baby.”
Just then a huge gust of wind shook the house, rattling it from rafters to foundation. Vases wobbled and a picture fell off the wall, the glass shattering.
“What in the world was that?” Mel asked. “An earthquake?”
Derrie said solemnly, “No. That was Dorothy unleashing her full fury. We knew this time would come. It’s just come a little sooner than we thought. But we’re ready.”
“We are?” Archie asked, sounding quite uncertain.
“We are,” Derrie said, nodding. “And we will win this war.”
Mel’s heart pounded. She was glad the Elder was so confident going into this battle with Dorothy.
Because she wasn’t.
Not at all.
But she was ready to fight. To the death, if need be.
Of course, that was easy enough for her to say. She was already dead.
She glanced at Ve. “I think I’ll have that drink now.”
Acknowledgments
A heartfelt thank you goes to my agent, Jessica Faust, for her endless encouragement and guidance. I’m so grateful to have her by my side on this journey.
To Anne Brewer, Jenny Chen, and the whole team at Crooked Lane, thank you for all you do—and have done—for Darcy and me. We couldn’t be in better hands.
Finally, to all the readers who follow my stories wherever they may take me—I appreciate your support and encouragement more than I can ever fully express. Thank you, thank you.
Also available by Heather Blake
Wishcraft Mysteries
The Witch and the Dead
Gone With the Witch
Some Like it Witchy
The Goodbye Witch
The Good, the Bad, and the Witchy
A Witch Before Dying
It Takes a Witch
Magic Potion Mysteries
Ghost of a Potion
One Potion in the Grave
A Potion to Die For
Author Biography
Heather Blake is the national bestselling author of the Wishcraft mysteries as well as the Magic Potion mysteries. She’s a total homebody who loves to be close to her family, read, watch cooking-competition TV shows, drink too much coffee, crochet, and bake cookies. Heather grew up in a suburb of Boston but currently lives in the Cincinnati area with her family.
This is a work of fiction. All of the names, characters, organizations, places and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to real or actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2018 by Heather Webber.
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Crooked Lane Books, an imprint of The Quick Brown Fox & Company LLC.
Crooked Lane Books and its logo are trademarks of The Quick Brown Fox & Company LLC.
Library of Congress Catalog-in-Publication data available upon request.
ISBN (hardcover): 978-1-68331-708-1
ISBN (ePub): 978-1-68331-709-8
ISBN (ePDF): 978-1-68331-710-4
Cover illustration by Michelle Grant.
Book design by Jennifer Canzone.
Printed in the United States.
www.crookedlanebooks.com
Crooked Lane Books
34 West 27th St., 10th Floor
New York, NY 10001
First Edition: August 2018
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