Lex hesitated and then sighed, “Let’s find, Betty.”
Petra tried to stop them, but they were past listening to her. Lex let go of Scarlett long enough to search the house and come back to Scarlett.
“She’s packed a bag,” he said to Scarlett. “She’s not coming back.”
Scarlett’s gaze lingered on Petra, but the woman refused to even meet Scarlett’s gaze, so she pulled out her phone and called Gram, Henna, and Eleanor. The three of them would help search and clear out the hex bag.
Scarlett crossed to the wall before they let Betty’s house. There were picture after picture of the happy couple. Older and younger with children of varying ages. And many, many, many of them were very near the sight Scarlett had found Jennifer Murphy.
“I know where to go,” Scarlett said.
“No wait,” Petra called.
But Scarlett was finished with someone who was too weak to stop what Betty had done to Scarlett’s family. All it would have taken was a single phone call to help Gus. Or a short trip over to Scarlett’s house for a second druid to let herself into the unlocked apartment and remove the hex bag. Petra wouldn’t have even needed to admit to what had happened to Jen to help Gus and Scarlett.
Chapter 15
The moon was setting when Scarlett and Lex arrived at the beach. Just as they got there, an old black convertible mustang turned on its lights. It was as if Betty were waiting for them. Actually, Scarlett thought, that was exactly what Betty had been doing. The top of the car was down, despite the cold, and Betty was sitting behind the steering wheel, smoking one of her husband’s cigars, her head wrapped in a scarf.
Scarlett’s gaze met Betty’s. They stared at each other for long minutes. Was Scarlett seeing regret in Betty’s eyes? Lex rolled forward and the car shook. He cursed as the tell-tale sound of tires deflating filled the car. He cursed again, louder and more viciously as he got out of the car. Scarlett didn’t bother.
Betty gave Scarlett a wicked grin, winked, and peeled away. Betty could have given Harper lessons in driving crazy. There was no question in Scarlett’s mind that Betty had no intention of returning to Mystic Cove. If anything, she seemed to have found life again in triumphing over Lex and Scarlett.
“She got us,” Lex said as he stepped back into the car and added, “You call Harper. I don’t want to hear her laugh at us.”
“She was playing us the whole time,” Scarlett told him. “The knowing, grief, and a wide dash of madness? We were the mice to her cat.”
Scarlett leaned back and glanced at Lex. He was staring after the mustang whose taillights showed they were heading out of Mystic Cove. Scarlett had no doubt that the woman would slide into whatever anonymity she wanted to find. It wasn’t like Mystic Cove had a police force to chase her.
Scarlett’s lips twitched. She wasn’t done being angry, but they had been well and truly got. Lex looked her way, saw the laugh she was holding back, and his chuckle filled the car.
Rather than trying to chase Betty further, he reached over and cupped the back of Scarlett’s neck, pulling her to him. At that moment, his kiss was all she needed.
* * * * *
“Mommy, mommy, mommy,” Luna said as she stared down at the box that had been placed under the tree in the special red paper with silver bows. “Santa used the knowing! He knew just what I wanted! He…”
Luna had to stop speaking for the joy of the charmed broom in her hands. She placed her little bottom on it and triggered the charm. The dog barked as Luna lifted into the air and one of the cats hissed at her from his perch.
Harper laughed delightedly as Ella, without an ounce of disdain, ripped into her own wrapping paper. There were no surprises left seeing how each of the four boxes from Santa Claus were exactly the same. Amelie and Rebel were only seconds behind Ella, too excited to wait their turn. Rebel turned a teary face to their Mom while Amelie squealed and ran around the room with her broom over her head. Ella ran to the patio and Scarlett shouted as her daughter, in utter faith of the charm and the east wind, leaped off the balcony and flew down Arbor Avenue.
“Oh my…” Harper cursed and then said, “I guess we should have expected that.”
Scarlett couldn’t reply because her breath had been stolen by the shock of Ella’s move. She turned and stared at Harper who was staring at Scarlett. Their heads cocked at once, and something seemed to fill the other’s gaze.
“They are slow,” Gram told Mom. “I would guess you dropped them on their heads too many times as babies, but…you got Harper too late for that excuse.”
Harper and Scarlett turned to face the others. Aunt Briët’s mouth twitched and Henna snorted. Lex and Quinton seemed as lost as Scarlett and Harper.
“What?”
The sisters glanced at each other and then back at the others. Almost in perfect unison, they embraced their magic and turned to face the others, but there was a niggling of a something, and together they caught the thread of it.
“The third prong,” Scarlett told Harper.
With hands twined, they found the way to the hallways, past the closet that had grabbed Scarlett’s attention before, and to the little cabinet where the fire extinguisher was kept.
Harper was the one who opened it. Scarlett was the one who stepped back in horror.
“Oh. My. Stars,” Scarlett said in jerking gasps. “Shut up.”
“Is that…is that…what I think it is?” Harper’s voice was shaking, her fingers digging into Scarlett’s hands until the pain of it had Scarlett jerking her hand free to put one tenuous finger on the charm.
“What is that?” Quinton asked brightly.
Lex knew though. His curse filled the air even as his arm snaked around Scarlett’s waist and settled on her abdomen, pulling her against his body.
“Um,” Scarlett looked helplessly at Harper who hadn’t moved or spoken as the truth of what they were seeing registered.
“What is it?” Quinton asked again, far less cheerily. “Is this the third prong?”
“Oh, I’d say so,” Lex answered. “Scarlett are you ok?”
She nodded shakily. It wasn’t that she didn’t plan on getting here some day. Just not so soon.
“What is it?” Quinton demanded again.
“It’s a fertility charm,” Lex answered. “Congratulations Dad.”
—THE END—
It’s impossible to explain the surreal nature of strangers reading your art and—hopefully—enjoying it. Thank you for finding my books and giving me a chance! For independently published authors, like myself, a review means the world, and I would be so grateful for one.
The next book in this series should be out in early February and a review will be up soon. If you enjoy cozy mysteries, you may just like my new non-paranormal series. It is published under my pen name, Beth Byers, and can be found here.
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Also By Amanda A. Allen
The Mystic Cove Mommy Mysteries
Bedtimes & Broomsticks
Runes & Roller Skates
Costumes and Cauldrons (found in the anthology Witch or Treat)
Banshees and Babysitters
Spellbooks and Sleepovers: A Mystic Cove Short Story
Hobgoblins and Homework
Gifts and Ghouls (found in the anthology Spells and Jinglebells)
Christmas and Curses
Valentines and Valkyries (coming in Feb 2018)
The Rue Hallow Mysteries
Hallow Graves
Hungry Graves
Lonely Graves
Sisters and Graves
Yule Graves
Fated Graves
Ruby Graves
The Inept Witches Mysteries (co-written with Auburn Seal)
Inconvenient Murder
Moonlight Murder
Bewitched Murder
Pre
sidium Vignettes (with Rue Hallow)
Prague Murder
Paris Murder
Murder By Degrees
The Zinnia West 1950s Mysteries (co-written with Christina Hill)
Zinnia West & The Corpse Served Cold
Zinnia West & The Corpse Burnt Crisp
Curses of the Witch Queen
Fairy Tales Re-Imagined
Song of Sorrow: A Prelude to Rapunzel
Snow White
Kendawyn Paranormal Regency Romances
Compelled by Love
Bewildered by Love
Persuaded to Love
Other Novels
These Lying Eyes
Also By Beth Byers
The 2nd Chance Diner Mysteries
Spaghetti, Meatballs, & Murder
Cookies and Catsatrophy (found in Tree Carols of Cozy Christmas Murder
Poison & Pie (Coming January 2018)
The Brightwater Bay Mysteries
(co-written with Carolyn L. Dean and Angela Blackmoore)
A Little Taste of Murder
(found in the Christmas boxset Three Carols of Cozy Christmas Murder)
A Tiny Dash of Death (coming in January 2018)
Copyright
Copyright © 2017 by Amanda A. Allen
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof
may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever
without the express written permission of the publisher
except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Christmas and Curses: A Mommy Cozy Paranormal Mystery (Mystic Cove Mysteries Book 6) Page 11