“You’re just jealous,” Mom said. “Besides, how can anyone possibly give you credit? You’re a ghost, remember?”
Grandma Vi looked confused.
“Nobody can see or hear you except for us, Grandma,” I pointed out.
Apparently, she hadn’t heard us. Grandma Vi crossed her arms. “I just wish everyone would stop ignoring me. I never asked to be invisible. I just wish Amber would give credit where credit is due.”
I had never seen Grandma Vi so upset. As a ghost, she couldn’t cry, but her apparition wavered and turned a pale bluish color. “I’m really sorry, Grandma. Maybe we can make it up to you somehow?”
Her ghostly form brightened. “Maybe we could go out for a nice family dinner?”
I sighed. Grandma Vi was still coming to terms with her ghostly status. “Sure, why not? You pick the place and I’ll make the reservation.” Her suggestion was even more ridiculous since ghosts couldn’t eat. But I wasn’t about to argue with her.
I jumped as something exploded just a few feet away.
I jerked my head in the direction of the boom just as fireworks erupted over my head. The cacophony of sound and light seemed to come from every direction.
I hadn’t even noticed her leave, but she was sneaky that way.
Aunt Pearl waved down at us from the City Hall roof. She cackled crazily as she snapped her fingers in tempo with each eruption. A cascade of multi-colored fireworks rained down on us like the Fourth of July.
“No!” Grandma shook her fist at Aunt Pearl. “Stop that, Pearl! Get off the roof before you hurt yourself!”
I rolled my eyes. I should have known that Aunt Pearl would upstage Aunt Amber and that it would somehow involve fire. Their sibling rivalry knew no bounds, and despite Mom being the youngest, she often had to separate them.
“See how it’s done, Bill?” Aunt Pearl cried from the roof. “Your props need more pizzazz.”
Nobody seemed to hear her above the noise. I was especially glad Bill couldn’t. Otherwise we might end up with another murder on our hands.
I glanced around the crowd. Everyone seemed enraptured with Aunt Amber’s speech. Hypnotized, even. I suspect she had cheated with a little witchcraft.
Aunt Amber suddenly stopped mid-speech, confused by the fireworks that clearly were not part of her spell. Aunt Pearl wasn’t visible from the City Hall steps, so she must have assumed that the fireworks were part of the celebration.
She just as quickly resumed speaking. “Today is our day to celebrate the lives of two innocent men.”
I found my mind drifting as Aunt Amber droned on and on, determined to win as much airtime as possible.
“How did I ever end up with such crazy sisters?” Mom shook her head. “They really need to tone things down a bit and act their age. Amber’s making a fool of herself and Pearl’s playing with fire.”
Crazy or not, at least some good had come from their antics. Aunt Amber had brought movie business to town, which was ultimately good for the Westwick Corners Inn. Despite the tragedy, the Hollywood execs had decided that the show would go on. And they would foot the bill, too. The studio had already lined up new talent for the lead roles, and filming would resume in two weeks.
Without Aunt Amber.
We bought her a ticket to Hawaii.
Aunt Pearl had also discovered an outlet for her pyromania, and I suspected she would apologize to Bill in the hopes he would hire her—again. My aunt never admitted mistakes, so I was quite proud of her. At least she was trying to make a fresh start.
Aunt Amber finished her speech and handed the mic over to Brayden.
It was ever so subtle, but Brayden tapped Tyler on the back. “Thank you, Sheriff Gates, for great police work and keeping us safe. Thanks to your detective work, a ruthless killer is behind bars tonight. We are all thankful.”
Grandma Vi was center stage too. She floated across the steps in front of the two men.
I clapped. Mom did the same, and soon others in the crowd followed suit.
“Bravo Ms. West,” I shouted.
Grandma Vi beamed. Her transparent form took on a lovely golden sheen as the powerful lights reflected her form. For the moment at least, she remained oblivious to the fact that she was invisible, and that the applause was for Aunt Amber instead.
Aunt Amber noticed it too. She smiled at her mother and walked back towards the microphone. ”It’s a wrap.” She slowly descended the City Hall steps and savored the moment.
Tyler followed a few feet behind, and Grandma Vi floated behind them all as they walked towards us.
Mom sighed. “I never expected real life to be more exciting than a Hollywood movie shoot. Especially not in Westwick Corners.”
Aunt Amber whistled “There’s No Business Like Show Business” as she approached us.
“You were great up there,” I said. “It’s a shame the movie never went ahead. I guess it just attracted too much bad luck.”
“No, Cen. Witches make their own luck.” She winked at me.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I frowned. “Forget it. I don’t want to know.”
“I hope you’ve got that acting bug out of your system now, Amber.” Mom stifled a yawn. It had been a hectic twenty-four hours.
“Oh, definitely not, Ruby. The best parts are yet to come.” Amber smiled, a faraway look in her eyes. “I’m going to be rich and famous. Just you wait and see. ”
Afterword
If you enjoyed Witch and Famous, please recommend it to your friends and leave a short review. It only takes a sentence or two, and word of mouth is an author’s best friend!
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Witch and Famous is the third book in the Westwick Witches Cozy Mysteries series and I have many more books planned. As long as readers like you enjoy my stories, I will continue to write them.
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Want to be the first to know of new releases? Sign up for notifications at www.colleencross.com
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I have also several other mystery and thriller series that you might enjoy. Find out more about my other books at www.colleencross.com.
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Thank you so much for reading!
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Colleen Cross
Also by Colleen Cross
Westwick Witches Cozy Mysteries
Witch You Well
Rags to Witches
Witch and Famous
Christmas Witch List
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Katerina Carter Color of Money Mysteries
Red Handed
Blue Moon
Greenwash
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Katerina Carter Fraud Legal Thrillers
Exit Strategy
Game Theory
Blowout
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Nonfiction
Anatomy of a Ponzi Scheme
Witch and Famous--A Westwick Witches Cozy Mystery Page 18