“I don’t believe so,” Liam replied, leaving behind Frank to stand in front of Tony. Who made these wax figures? Heidi and I had watched a movie years ago about a serial killer encasing their victims in wax. I shuddered in revulsion at the memory. Now that I knew what Ted was and that he was walking around with a heart of wax, I had mixed feelings. “From what I understand, your mother cut all ties with everyone she left behind in Paramour Bay.”
“Mom has been known to hold a grudge or two.” My statement got the reaction I was looking for, and I laughed along with Liam. “Seriously, she’s still trying to get me to move back to the city after all this time.”
“I hope that she doesn’t succeed in that endeavor.” I could feel the weight of Liam’s warm gaze on me, and I was pretty sure that the temperature of the room rose a few degrees. I didn’t feel bad for the wax figures in the least. “I think the odds are in my favor, considering you just signed a three-year lease.”
“So, you’re saying there’s another date in our immediate future? One that doesn’t include the rest of the town’s population?” I asked lightheartedly, following Liam through another doorway. For another brief moment, I’d forgotten all about Norman Palmer’s wallet. A quick look over my shoulder didn’t reveal any red silk material. “Maybe this time we can leave the townsfolk, our double date partners, and my overzealous mother behind. I guess we didn’t think this through very well, did we?”
“I don’t know about that.” Liam was looking at the wax figure of Gary Cooper. I’ve never been good at history, specific years, or precise dates, but I was pretty sure he was an actor in the mid-to-late 1920s on into the 60s. Just so you know, I wasn’t staring at the handsome movie star. “Midnight isn’t too far away.”
The promise of a lingering kiss to ring in the New Year caused a litany of goosebumps to cover my arms, and I’m relatively certain my cheeks were as red as the silk on Greta Garbo’s lovely dress.
I turned my head so quick that the nerve in my neck zinged. You know the one I’m talking about…the one that brings tears to your eyes. I rested my palm in the curve of my neck in hopes of easing the piercing neck pain.
Karma. She’ll sneak up on you every time.
Leo.
He’d known this was the place that Norman Palmer lost his wallet all along.
I just checked. Nothing is underneath the red silk dress. You can enjoy the rest of the evening with Liam.
How was I going to search for Mr. Palmer’s billfold without Liam asking me a ton of questions I couldn’t answer?
“There you are!” Heidi exclaimed, coming out of another room to our left. She was like my personal genie, always coming up with answers and granting wishes. “Liam, there’s an actual exhibit of ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ that you’ve just got to see in the next room. Can you believe that? Jack’s looking at Barney Fife right now, but I need to borrow Raven for just a second, if you don’t mind.”
If I wasn’t so against this, I’d be swooning over Heidi’s ability to divide and conquer.
“Is something wrong?” Liam asked, not making a move toward the other room.
“Girl stuff,” Heidi whispered, leaning in and making it appear that her problem could only be solved by her best friend. “I happen to know Raven has a safety pin in her purse for emergencies just like this. Give us one minute, tops.”
Liam nodded in commiseration, not that he could ever understand what it was like to wear women’s clothing. Carrying around the equivalent of two cantaloupes all the time was physically draining without the proper equipment.
TMI, Raven. TMI.
Both Heidi and I watched Liam duck out of the room, though I doubt her gaze was as low as mine. The man really did have a nice—
“There you are,” my mother’s voice startled us from behind. I didn’t do the best job of smothering my groan of frustration, which was evident by the way her eyebrows made the perfect V. “I travel all this way, and you throw me to the mercy of Cora Barnes, of all people? Where did I go wrong raising you, child?”
I ask myself that same question each and every day.
“You went wrong when you lied and denied me this part of my heritage,” I whispered back honestly, looking over her shoulder to make sure the coast was clear. “And now we have a chance to finally clear Nan’s name. I can’t believe she didn’t do that herself. Or you, especially when Cora and Beverly started to say mean things to you back in high school.”
“There are some things that are better left buried, Raven.”
They know about Ted.
“Oh, dear Lord.”
My mother’s disconcerting gaze landed directly on Heidi, who now appeared as if she were a viewer of a tennis match looking back and forth. Once she realized that someone else was in the conversation—Leo—she set both hands on her hips in exasperation.
“Is there something we can do about this?” Heidi asked, her left eyebrow arching higher than usual.
I had to give Heidi props. My mother was waiting for her to make a mistake and bring up witchcraft in a public setting. Not for love nor money would I admit that Heidi and I have spoken about it, though very cautiously in fear of someone overhearing what was said.
“Something about…” My mother took it one step further, but Leo immediately cut her off.
Me, Leo piped up. I’m thinking she’s onto something. Could there be a spell so that a human can hear a familiar?
“No,” both Mom and I said in unison. It was bad enough that my mother heard everything Leo said, but Leo was mine to deal with.
I am, am I?
Well, technically he was my grandmother’s familiar. I could summon one of my own, but then I’d have twice the problems and half the time to deal with each. With my luck, I’d probably get a songbird that I’d have to guard night and day from Leo. Regardless, I’d inherited him, and I didn’t want another familiar to deal with.
I’m getting tingly all over. What do you think that means? Maybe my tail is about to go numb again.
“We are running out of time,” I declared, ignoring Leo. He was making a bigger deal out of what I knew to be my own selfishness. I couldn’t deny that Leo was a pain in the buttocks, but he was also my lifeline to what Nan had known I needed. It was funny to think back to the first time I’d met him. I’d been ready to commit myself to a mental hospital. “I saw red silk fabric during the—”
“I get it,” Regina asserted, holding up a hand to stop me from talking aloud about locater spells. It wasn’t a surprise to see her manicured nails done to perfection. “Have you not been to the wax museum before, Raven? There are a ton of wax figures that have on red dresses or exhibits that have red silk tablecloths. It would be too noticeable for us to look underneath each and every one.”
You know that I never like to agree with Regina, but she does have a point there.
“Not to mention that this place gets cleaned every week by a professional cleaning service,” Heidi added to the conversation, not helping my plight. She twisted her full lips as she thought through our predicament. “We could split up. Did you notice anything else in your…uh, daydream?”
Daydream? Am I having a short-term memory lapse or is Heidi drunk?
I sighed at the fact that nothing was ever easy, and having my mother here didn’t help matters in the least.
You won’t get an argument from me on that one.
“It’s your fault, anyway,” I muttered, shaking my head when Heidi would have taken offense to my accusation. I clarified, already knowing how my mother was going to react. “It’s Leo’s fault. He was the one who dimed us out and brought her here.”
And who exactly is to blame for that? You gave me no choice but to call in the cavalry.
“And Leo was right to do so.” Regina looked over her shoulder upon hearing voices becoming louder. When the coast was still clear, she focused on me. I was amazed when she finally relented, though with a stipulation. I should have known it was too good to be true. “I’ll help you fi
nd Norman Palmer’s wallet if you promise to drop this pursuit of clearing our family name should there be nothing inside the billfold of any measurable significance.”
Leo’s deafening silence told me this was a trick. Did she know that there was nothing in the wallet that would point toward the murderer?
“Leo?” I called out cautiously, bracing myself for his response.
“Leave the cat out of this,” Regina warned, her green eyes sparkling with determination. She tucked her small clutch underneath her arm. “Do we have a deal or not?”
Leo remained silent, all but forcing my hand.
“Fine,” I relented, hoping there was a way out of this arrangement if I came out on the losing end. I wasn’t a sore loser, but I also didn’t appreciate being tricked—and by my own mother, no less. “What can you do that I haven’t already tried? Leo’s probably already told you that I attempted to revisit Norman Palmer’s last few moments. All I saw was black. Well, it was a rippling blackness that I took for water. Could I be wrong?”
Quite often, as a matter of fact. As a rule, I pretty much dismiss all your guesswork as one hundred percent unreliable.
“Now you show up,” I muttered as I took a quick look around the room. Just how long could Leo remain invisible? “Don’t answer that.”
I didn’t want more worries added to my plate, and the way my mom pursed her red lips told me I was wrong about the blackness. What else could the flowing darkness be in the context of Mr. Palmer’s murder?
“What is your mother doing?” Heidi whispered with a slightly induced wobble of panic in her voice. I was honestly too dumbfounded to answer, because Mom had closed her eyes and begun reciting an enchantment I’d never heard before. “Tell her to stop before someone comes in here.”
I knew from experience that it was too late to prevent my mother from completing the spell. Truthfully, I didn’t want to. She’d shielded me from this my entire childhood, even admitting to me upon my discovery of our ancestors that she’d long ago given up this life.
Now don’t get me wrong.
Mom had come to my rescue once before with the use of magic, but I’d thought it was a common spell she’d learned from Nan when she was young. You know, something easy to remember. But this? It was a complicated incantation that not even coffee would have given me the stimulated brain cells to recall hours later.
I don’t believe it.
“Raven, do something,” Heidi called out, nudging my arm.
I was too focused on the slight modification of the air around us. It was like walking across the carpet during the winter months with cozy socks—electrical in nature.
It seems your mother never gave up practicing witchcraft. Will wonders never cease?
“Raven.” Heidi was still attempting to garner my attention, but the vision of my mother using her gift was too fascinating for me to take my eyes off her. “We’re about to have a major problem here.”
It was then that I noticed movement over my mother’s shoulder in the form of none other than Rye Dolgiram.
Chapter Fifteen
“Rye, it’s good to see you again,” Heidi exclaimed, quickly stepping around my mother and blocking his advance. “Were you finally able to get that casement fixed over at the inn? I know that Gertie was…”
“Mom,” I whispered as I reached out to touch her arm. Heidi was busy keeping Rye occupied to give me time to warn my mother. I’d never had anyone interrupt me during an enchantment, so I wasn’t sure what would happen if I jarred her back to reality. “Mom, you need to—”
The need to scare you now overwhelms me.
“You’re not helping, Leo,” I whispered, making sure that Rye couldn’t see me as I stepped closer to my mom. “Mom, you need to—”
“I’m well aware we’re not alone, dear.” Regna lifted her lashes and stared at me as if nothing had happened. “You’ll find what you’re looking for in the Ice Cream Shop exhibit.”
I’m feeling a bit…sentimental. Regina hasn’t lost her touch.
A group of people entered the room, seemingly having the same purpose as Rye in touring the other rooms of the wax museum. At least, I think that’s why Rye left the party. Had he come to the party alone?
Stay clear of him, Raven.
“Who is that?” my mother asked warily, turning on her heels to see who Heidi had purposefully delayed with her charm. Mom looked Rye over from head to toe, coming to the same agreement as Leo. “Stay away from that one.”
“Don’t you think for a moment this gets you off the hook,” I cautioned her, taking a hold of her arm. “You said you left this world behind.”
“I did.”
You have a funny way of demonstrating that fact, Regina.
“You stood right in front of me and cast a spell to find a lost object,” I reminded her in a harsh tone, knowing we were running out of time. Rye’s dark gaze had landed on me and my mother. “You didn’t leave anything behind. You hid your abilities, and then lied about it to me.”
“Raven, we will not be discussing this here.” My mother had a tendency not to only get the last word in on an argument, but to also shut one down at her convenience. “You made a deal with me, and I expect you to follow through.”
She’s got you there.
“It’s not a valid agreement if you already know what’s in the wallet,” I warned, having no intention of bringing my investigation to a halt. “And I have to wonder, Mom. How do you know what’s in Norman Palmer’s wallet when you weren’t even born yet?”
Um, she’s a witch? Raven, are you sure it’s only me with short term memory loss or is it spreading like a cold?
“Go retrieve the wallet and then we’ll talk.” Regina studied Rye a little bit longer than warranted, most likely gauging his character. He had a dangerous quality about him, but I couldn’t put my finger on why. “I’ll rejoin the party and try to delay anyone wanting to take a tour. It’s going on eleven o’clock, so I’m sure everyone will be focused on the ball strung up from the ceiling. Remember, a deal is a deal.”
Mom had baited me into a trap, but I would do what was needed to find a way around the ruse she’d conjured in regard to the wallet deal.
My whiskers are already twitching.
Leo’s bent whiskers tended to tic when something wasn’t right, similar to when my palm became heated with the energy I derived from the earth. Rye had switched his gaze from my mother, who’d walked past him with her head held high, to me.
It’s him. I don’t like that man.
Leo had made such a claim before, but there was nothing we could do about his dislike of the handyman right now. I needed to find Mr. Palmer’s wallet so that Liam and I could then be together when the clock struck midnight.
“Well, it was nice talking to you again.” Heidi wiggled her fingers and then made a point to look in my direction. “Are you ready to rejoin Jack and Liam?”
The lesser of two evils. I can dig it.
“Yes, we should join our dates,” I replied, nodding toward Rye so that he wouldn’t think I was being rude. “They were near the Andy Griffith exhibit, I believe.”
Had Rye really come alone? It wasn’t that I hadn’t attended functions alone before. I used to go to a Sunday afternoon movie nearly every weekend when none of my friends were available. There was nothing wrong being happy with oneself, and Rye certainly struck me as a loner. Still, it was rather odd to come to something like this without a date.
I’m here without a date, thanks to Detective Jack Swanson. You want to take a swing at me, too?
“You aren’t even supposed to be here,” I murmured, falling into step beside Heidi as we made our way out of the 1920s exhibit. “And you know something about that wallet that my mother doesn’t or else you would have helped me find it before now.”
I plead the fifth, sixth, and all the rest of them.
“Wait a second,” I exclaimed, halting our progress. The Andy Griffith exhibit was in sight, as well as Liam and Jack. They w
ere in deep conversation and hadn’t caught sight of us. “Heidi, my mother didn’t perform an incantation.”
She didn’t?
“What do you mean?” Heidi asked in confusion. “We saw her do it.”
“No, we didn’t,” I corrected, recognizing the difference between static electricity and the energy it takes to initiate a spell. She’d tried to throw me off, and she’d almost succeeded. “Mom knew exactly where Norman Palmer’s wallet was this entire time. She made me accept her deal, fake a casting, and told me where to find the billfold all to keep me from finding out the truth.”
She did? Ohhhh, now it’s coming back to me.
“Leo, that is not short-term memory loss,” I snapped, a part of me wishing I’d chosen a different time to dive into this old murder. Liam and Jack were now looking our way, so I was running out of time to explain. “Mom must have used her gift to do the exact thing I did back when she was in high school.”
Hey, you’re pretty good at filling in the missing pieces once you get started.
“So why doesn’t your mother just come clean?” Heidi asked, pasting a smile on her face as we started to walk toward our dates. “Unless Regina found out something horrible she doesn’t want you to know.”
“Did you get everything sorted out?” Jack asked as we got closer, although he’d prevented me from answering Heidi’s question.
You might say we sorted things out.
“Yes, much better,” Heidi replied, gesturing toward the display. “Hey, those wax figures aren’t too bad. Barney looks exactly like the real Barney.”
“I personally think the Mayberry jail cell is a nice touch,” Liam said, pointing at the cot inside the small cell. I couldn’t help but wonder if Nan had belonged in some secured place like that. Had Mom discovered that Nan was the one who actually murdered Mr. Palmer? Had she driven all the way to Paramour Bay from the city to stop me from finding out that my grandmother was a cold-blooded killer? “I’m pretty sure Rita Carter designed the exhibit this way to mimic our cell. It’s a pretty good likeness. Then again, maybe Sheriff Tripol renovated the station to mimic Mayberry’s.”
Enchanting Blend (A Paramour Bay Cozy Paranormal Mystery Book 3) Page 13