Each house had a large oak tree in the front yard. Some of the families residing in the homes had hung a wood and rope swing from the branches of their tree. Others planted small flower gardens around the base of the trunk.
Despite the uniformity in the initial appearance of things, Bobby began to notice some subtle differences—differences that went beyond the colors of the homes.
Some of the doors leading into the homes were actually quite large, with additional panels added to the top, probably to accommodate the elves, cyclops, or ogres. Some doors had little doors carved into them, surely those were for the gnomes. Some of the homes appeared to be empty inside—no furniture or appliances in sight. Those must have belonged to the ghosts. And the list went on and on. As they walked down one street and another, Bobby took note of all of the differences she saw.
And just when she thought she couldn't be overwhelmed anymore, she began to take notice of the people walking past them. They were all different species of magical beings, that's not what surprised her—she had expected that much.
What she didn’t expect was to find that some of the people had coupled off—with others who were not of their species—shifters with ghosts, elves with gnomes. That was probably the one that interested her the most. It was almost cute watching the elf woman walk, leaning forward significantly, so she could hold hands with her gnome partner.
She wondered to herself how a relationship like the mixed ones she saw would work. Surely, the differences in the individuals didn’t present too much of a problem. But, if they were to have children? What would a child who was half elf and half gnome be like—tall or short; skilled in hunting, or with a knack for gardening, or both?
Don slowed down slightly, letting her take in her surroundings. “It’s a very unique place,” he noted.
“It is,” she said, smiling politely at a couple that walked past her.
The sun was just about to set in the distance, and the streetlights were coming on. The soft glow they gave off coupled with the hues of pink and red that cascaded across the sky added to the magical feel of the place. Some of the homes that had appeared previously uninhabited suddenly came to life. More people poured into the streets—the vampires were out.
The air was filled with quiet chatter as the neighbors greeted each other—some heading home for the night, others heading out. There was a sense of security around the scenes she saw unfolding around her. It was a safe place, she realized. It was a place where everyone was free to be who they were. It was a place where everyone accepted everyone else, and no one seemed to notice or care that they were living in a world that appeared almost unthinkable to anyone who had never experienced it before.
“It’s hard to imagine anything going wrong in a place like this,” she said softly.
“Do you understand now why I’ve handled this case the way that I have?” Don asked.
“No,” she replied bluntly, turning to look up at him. “Regardless of the setting, a crime is a crime, and should be treated as such.”
He nodded and contemplated her words before turning to continue down the street. “We should get you checked in so we can grab a bite to eat,” he said.
Bobby quickened her step to keep up with his long, quick strides. They walked for just a short while longer before he turned to head up the driveway of one of the homes.
“This is the hotel?” she asked, observing the brightly-colored house in front of her.
“As I’m sure you can imagine, we don’t get a lot of visitors here. There’s no need to have a big, fancy hotel. This is more of a bed and breakfast type place,” he explained.
Don walked up the three steps to the front door. There was a swing hanging on the white-trimmed, wrap-around porch, and a pot of flowers sitting near a small, wicker table.
Bobby got a good feeling from the home. As they walked through the front door together, she took note of the feeling of comfortable warmth that hung in the air. The entryway was small but decorated with a plethora of different objects that gave it a cramped, but pleasant look. The shelves hanging on the walls were filled with different magical objects—all antiques, all polished, and all placed just perfectly.
Don continued down the small hall and turned right. Bobby followed behind. Rounding the corner, she saw a small, elderly man seated behind a large oak desk. He had his head tilted forward, his chin resting on his chest, and a soft, guttural snore escaped his lips.
“Shiny,” Don said, trying to wake the man.
The man seated in front of them let out another long grunt. He didn’t open his eyes, but he did shift his weight around slightly and mutter something to himself under his breath.
“Shiny,” Don said again, reaching out to shake the man awake.
Shiny’s eyes flew open quickly as he pushed himself back from the desk. The little, old man nearly fell out of his chair. He quickly reached out and grabbed for his glasses, pushing them up the bridge of his nose and sniffling slightly.
“Don,” he said, smiling innocently.
The first thing that Bobby noticed about the man was his outfit. Not so much the articles of clothing he was wearing, but the color. Everything he had on was brown.
“This is Bobby,” Don said, turning to gesture in her direction. “She’ll be your guest for the next while.”
“Pleased to meet you,” the man said, extending his shaking, wrinkled hand in her direction.
The creases in his face seemed to deepen as he smiled up at her. Shaking his hand, she couldn't help but notice the rough, sandpaper-like texture to them.
“If I’m not being too forward,” she began, “are you a—?”
“Brownie,” he finished her sentence for her with a smile. “Yes.”
“Wow,” she whispered.
The Brownies were a very special form of magical being. They had the capabilities to sneak around, stepping here or there without making a sound. While they didn’t possess any explicit magical abilities, they did have a large obsession with cleanliness. They often snuck into the homes of others at night, their end goal being to tidy-up the home and put everything in order.
What surprised Bobby about the man in front of her, however, was that the Brownies were an endangered species. They were never given their own realm, as they were always welcomed into any and every realm they desired. Their presence was of obvious benefit. Sadly, though, this caused the species to begin to die out—being that they were scattered around the magic world, chances of finding others like them to mate with were few and far between.
Shiny let out a soft, grandfatherly chuckle as he leaned back in his chair, “I understand your surprise,” he said. “I may just happen to be one of the last of my kind, although I can’t know for certain. I do know, however, that I am the only Brownie living here in Pinecreek.”
“You are the first of your kind that I’ve met,” Bobby said, still pondering the old man. “I have read a lot about the Brownies, though.”
“Yes, we are a thing of legend these days, though, I’m afraid.”
“Is it true?” she asked, unable to contain her curiosity, “do you go around to the others’ houses and clean them at night?”
She was asking him, as a result of her natural inclination to acquire as much knowledge on the magical world as possible, but also because if that were the case—if he did sneak into the homes of those in the community—he may prove to be very useful in her investigation.
Shiny let out another soft chuckle, followed by a long, drawn-out string of coughs. “I used to,” he answered. “But, that was years ago,” he added eyeing Don carefully.
“Some of the members of our community like their privacy,” Don explained. “While they appreciate the help around the house, they didn’t feel that having someone enter their homes uninvited was in keeping with the air of security that we try to uphold around here.”
“It’s fine, though,” Shiny said. “I’m old now—keeping up with the hotel is more than enough for me these days
.”
Bobby looked around. It was true that everything was in its place. Everything was sparkling clean, and the air smelled of bleach and ammonia with a pine finish.
“Well, it’s a very lovely hotel,” she replied with a smile.
As Don worked with Shiny to get her checked in, she took the liberty of examining the hotel closer. Yes, it was spotless. But, there were no other guests staying there. She found it hard to believe that an individual belonging to a species known for their incessant need to buzz about and keep busy during any and all of their waking hours could be content cleaning and re-cleaning the same objects day in and day out.
Her own instincts were firing quickly in her mind. She knew that she would need to speak with Shiny more. Certainly, he had to know something.
Chapter 5: Getting Settled In
Shiny showed Bobby up to her room. She requested that Don remain downstairs. She was still unsure about him, and she definitely didn't feel comfortable enough to have him in her hotel room.
The room was small but cozy. It was spotless, which was no surprise. The walls were covered in a floral pattern wallpaper, and the carpet under her feet was the same bright red that spread through the entire building.
Once Shiny had finished explaining where everything was—the complimentary shampoo and conditioner, the fully stocked mini-bar, and the hairdryer, all things she could have found on her own—he took his leave.
She let herself absorb the moment of silence that fell around her. The truth was, her mind was swimming with the little bit of information she had absorbed so far. It seemed like when she stepped into Pinecreek, she stepped back in time as well as into an alternate universe. On the surface, it did appear to be the ideal place. But, Bobby knew there was more going on under the surface. Nowhere was as perfect as Pinecreek was pretending to be.
Bobby quickly tossed her suitcase onto the bed and unzipped the top flap, throwing it open to reveal its contents. Removing her purse from her shoulder, she sifted through it until she found what she was looking for—her wand.
Take a step back from the bed, she lifted the stick over her head and swiftly flicked her wrist forward, waiting for the clothes, toiletries, and shoes to dance gracefully out of the bag and into a suitable place somewhere around the room.
Nothing happened.
She flicked her wrist again.
Nothing.
Again. Again nothing.
Lowering her hand she looked at the wand. Was it cracked? She turned it over in her hand but saw nothing. That’s when she remembered Don’s warning that magic in Pinecreek was different, that it would take her awhile to adjust to using her powers in the mortal world.
Bobby wouldn’t stand for that, though. She had prepared. She had trained. If anyone should be able to overcome the barrier that stood between her and her ability to use her powers, it should be her. Pinching her eyes shut, she tried one last time.
She focused on the feeling of warmth spreading through her, the feeling of magic working its way down her arm and towards her fingertips. The experience reminded her of being young again when she first learned to control her abilities. She had to use all of her energy to control the bursts of power that surged through her, the feeling of electricity that buzzed in her shoulders and in her knees. She had to focus on directing them where they needed to go.
It took a lot of strength, and a frustrating amount of energy, but eventually, a few of the articles in her suitcase began to rise slowly. She opened her eyes, a feeling of relief washing over her, just in time to watch the items fall onto the bed.
“Well, great,” she muttered to herself, grabbing a handful of items and walking them over to the dresser. “Wonder how long that’s going to last.”
She unpacked a few more things before becoming agitated and deciding to leave the rest for later. She hated the fact that she couldn’t use magic. She felt empty without it. She noted, however, as she moved across the room to grab her purse and head for the door that she felt heavy. How could she feel empty and heavy at the same time?
“What took you so long?” Don asked as she walked down the stairs.
“I wanted to unpack a few things.”
“Oh, good. I’m glad you didn’t rush on my behalf,” he said sarcastically.
“Don’t worry, Sheriff,” she said, walking past him and towards the exit, “I don’t plan on doing anything on your behalf.”
When she reached the door, she tossed her hair over her shoulder and turned to make sure he was following. He had a look of bemused annoyance on his face as he made his way down the short hall in her direction. He didn’t speak as he reached around her to pull open the door and exit the hotel.
Bobby followed behind him, pulling the door shut as she exited. “Where are we going?” she asked when she caught up with him.
“Don’t you remember? We discussed having something to eat,” he said.
“I remember,” she shot back at him quickly, “I meant where are we going to eat?”
“If I told you it wouldn’t matter. It’s not like you know any of the restaurants around here.”
He had a point. She hated that. She didn’t want to admit that he was right, so instead she kept her mouth shut and followed alongside him. They walked back in the direction of the police station, down the same residential streets, and past the same rows of shops, heading straight for the diner she had seen upon first arriving in Pinecreek.
That was apparently where they were going for dinner because Don stopped and turned to face her again. The florescent glowing sign hanging above the door said, "Daisy's Diner." Inside, Bobby could hear a soft rumble of voices.
“A diner?” she asked.
“The best in town. You can get anything you want here—from burgers to hotdogs, to blood sausage and pig’s feet.”
“Blood sausage and pig’s feet?”
“You’ll see that there is a very varied clientele that frequents Daisy’s,” Don said with a smile.
“Let’s get in there, then,” Bobby said stepping forward and leaning her shoulder into the glass door. As it swung open a bell chimed softly. No one seemed to hear it, though. The place was crowded and everyone was too busy in conversation or eating their meals to notice the newcomer in town or the Sheriff who entered the diner together.
The place smelled like grease. Bobby felt like it was even hanging in the air, clogging up her pores as she walked further into the stuffy but brightly lit room.
Don didn’t wait to be seated. He walked across the room with confidence, heading directly for an unoccupied table in the corner. He was right when he said that Daisy’s Diner had a very interesting mix of patrons. At one of the tables, a small group of elves were piled in, laughing in soft voices and nibbling on garden salads. At another sat a gnome couple. They were seated across from each other. Well, seated wasn’t really the right word. They were both standing up, leaning across the table in order to share the chocolate milkshake that was placed between them. At the counter-top seats sat two, rather large, hairy looking men.
"Are those ogres?" Bobby asked, glancing at them quickly as she slid into the blue and white vinyl-covered booth across from Don.
He looked in the direction she was staring and chuckled. “Yeah,” he answered.
“Don’t they eat people?” Bobby hissed.
“Maybe they do in their realm. Obviously, here things like that are completely forbidden.”
“So, what do they eat then?”
“Who did you think the pig’s feet were for?”
She was about to ask him a few more questions, when a friendly looking, middle-aged woman hurried over to where they were seated, a smile plastered across her face.
“Why, hello there, Sheriff,” she said sweetly, “I didn’t expect to see you in here tonight.”
Bobby immediately noticed the pale color of her skin and the red color of her eyes. She was a vampire, there was no question about that. Bobby had read a lot about the vampires. While it was true th
at they preferred the taste of human blood, it wasn’t always a necessity for them.
Even though her initial reaction to the vampire woman standing in front of her was one of fear, she was comforted by the fact that Don was clearly relaxed and comfortable in her presence.
“And who’s this?” the woman asked, turning her attention to Bobby.
Bobby smiled and held out her hand, about to speak. But, Don answered before she had the chance.
“This is Ms. Bobby Sparks,” he said quickly. “She’s from the Witch Council. She’s here to lend a hand with everything—after what happened to Holly and all.”
Bobby noticed that he purposely left out her full intentions for being in the town. She was about to correct him but decided against it.
“Witch Council?” the woman asked
“Yes,” Bobby said, unsure what to say. “My boss seems to have taken an interest in Holly’s death.”
The woman nodded. “It certainly has come as quite the shock for so many of us. Everyone knew and loved Holly.” She slipped her hand into Bobby’s which was still extended and smiled, “I’m Daisy, by the way.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Daisy,” Bobby said. She wanted to ask the woman more questions, but Don once again cut her off.
“I’m famished. I’ll have the usual, Daisy,” he said.
Daisy handed a menu to Bobby, who glanced through it quickly. The items listed were as strange and varied as the customers who sat in the booths around her. She settled for a simple, plain burger and an order of fries.
When Daisy left them to put in their order, Bobby quickly leaned forward and whispered harshly. “What was that all about? You barely let me speak to her!”
“There’s something I didn’t mention about the case,” Don said with a child-like smile. “No one in the town knows we’re suspecting murder.”
Bobby Sparks Witch Detective: Pet Shop Puzzle ( A Paranormal Cozy Mystery) Page 3