by Tonya Kappes
“You fled, leaving my son to rot.” Alise pushed Eloise’s hand off her arm. “When you are just as much a suspect as he is. The scorned ex-girlfriend’s secret is about to be revealed.”
“No I didn’t. I knew I couldn’t help find the real killer if both of us were in jail. June has been looking into things. The wands are fake. Someone stole them from the bookstore that day.” She pleaded her case between the three of us.
“Do you have any way of knowing who was in the shop? Like a camera or something?” I asked wondering if she had security cameras, which was unlikely.
“June!” She grabbed me and kissed my cheeks. “You are a genius!” The biggest smile crossed her lips. “I have the entire camera section. Those books love to compete with each other on who has the best pixels and range. I bet they have something on that day.”
“Then it looks like I’m going to have to do some investigating in there tomorrow.” I felt like this might be the puzzle piece we need.
“But that doesn’t solve this.” Eloise gestured between Ophelia and Alise. “I’m just not understanding your prejudice when I’m a Dark-Sider along with several others in the community. Oscar is a Dark-Sider where June is a Good-Sider. There is no difference now. Colton and Ophelia love each other with every fiber in their hearts and souls—you should be happy that another woman loves your son as much, if not more than you do.”
“I would never hurt him.” Ophelia gulped. “But you don’t have to forgive me. Once Colton finds out that I’ve been hiding this from him, he won’t forgive me and it will be over forever. The least you can do is put our differences aside and help me get the person who has framed him.”
“Colton knows.” Alise’s chin drew down to her chest.
“What?” Ophelia asked in shocked. “He knows?”
Mr. Prince Charming darted under the café table as if he was taking cover from an explosion that was about to take place.
“After you moved here, I went home and did a little investigative work myself because I knew it wasn’t like him to up and move away from his beloved childhood village. I went back to the University and it was there that I met Patty Potter. He was all too happy to tell me about you and how you’d lied to my son. I came home and told Colton. At first he refused to believe me, then he went out there.”
“You mean when he told me he was doing a wizard conference he was finding Patty?” Ophelia had told me about him going out of town and I had found it odd since Oscar hadn’t gone, but Oscar didn’t seem to be curious so I had let it go.
“Yes. He and Colton had gotten into a fight then. You wonder why I haven’t been back to visit since you moved here and why I order everything through June instead of coming to visit and stock up—it is because Colton picked you over me.” Alise’s voice trailed off, a tear ran down her cheek. “He told me he didn’t care if you never told him the truth. He knew your heart and he was going to be with you forever.”
“June,” Ophelia looked at me. “You have to sneak me into the jail. You said Oscar was in Locust Grove. I have to see Colton.”
It didn’t take long for me to agree and gather my things. Eloise and Alise weren’t going to let us go alone. Eloise disappeared into her garden and came back with four Lightning Lights flowers. They reminded me of what mortals called the Buttercup only a light showed our way through the dark forest as we held the stem.
Mr. Prince Charming trotted off in his own direction.
“Can I ask you something about Darla and Dad?” I asked, carefully watching my step so as not to tumble over a fallen tree or branch. Eloise nodded. “How did it work as a mortal and spiritualist marriage?”
“Are you asking for knowledge or because you are trying to play matchmaker?” Eloise asked before we ducked to miss a bat soaring through the air.
“Both I guess.” I stepped over a pile of dried leaves. “I think there is a true love connection like my parents that’s brewing between two people in our new community and I’d like to encourage it.”
Jo Ellen stayed on my mind. I would like her mom to be happy and the same with Gene. But I wanted Violet to be happy. But there was only one Patch Potter. Both women seemed to have an interest in him. I’d felt the electricity between Tish and Patch, which made me lean more toward a union between the two of them.
“First, Patch would have to come clean with Tish,” Eloise let me know she’d already seen the future and I was talking about those two. “Tish would have to go through a ceremony where she gives up her mortal heritage and pledges a life to the spiritual community. That is not easy. Especially when there is a child involved and brought into the relationship, because Jo Ellen will never be a spiritualist unlike the possibility of a child between them, as you are.” Eloise didn’t make it sound easy. “But love overcomes many obstacles. The man is generally more reluctant to bring a woman into the mix if you understand what I mean. And most women aren’t like Darla. She believed in the spiritual world before your father had started to court her.”
Darla was definitely one of a kind. When I was a child I resented her odd ways, but now I wished I’d listened to her more and heeded her wisdom instead of tuning her out like most teenagers did with their parents.
“The best thing for you to do is to let them figure it out.” As she spoke, I ran my hand down my bag and felt the pumpkin seed potion. I knew more than ever that Patch needed his own seeds to plant in his relationship.
So I wouldn’t break any by-laws, I knew I could slip the potion into Tish’s drink when I went back to check on the kitten. She’d be more than willing to accept the true Patch Potter.
Mr. Prince Charming darted in and out of the dark, batting at the fireflies that’d decided to join us.
“Ophelia,” Colton slid down the bars of the cell when he saw us. He broke down into tears with his arms outstretched to her.
“I love you,” Ophelia cried out and let him take her into his arms as she pressed up against the bars. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t going to leave you in here. I just wanted to find the killer.”
“I knew you really loved me, but when I saw him my blood boiled and I knew that was the reason why you wanted us to end. I didn’t tell anyone. I swear.” He glanced over her shoulder and saw his mother.
“I. . .” Alise swallowed her pride and walked over to them. She bent down. “I want you to make me a proud mother and please get married after all of this.”
My heart soared and my eyes welled with tears. Mr. Prince Charming stood up on his hind legs and swiped at my charm bracelet. The leaf charm dangled back and forth. There was change.
I rubbed my stomach when it gurgled and wondered if there was change going on inside me.
“It looks like we have a wedding to plan.” Eloise clapped her hands together. Her lips pursed in a tight smile.
“Will you marry me?” Colton asked through tears.
“Yes,” Ophelia and he sealed the deal with a kiss. Alise rubbed a hand on both of their heads before she curled Ophelia into a hug.
“I’m so sorry for my prejudice.” She sobbed and held her soon-to-be daughter-in-law.
Mr. Prince Charming purred and dragged his tail along the bars of the jail before he looked at me.
Rowl.
“You don’t have to stay here.” I was sure that Mr. Prince Charming was telling me to let him out.
“June is right.” Eloise grabbed the keys off of Oscar’s desk. “The by-laws stated that if you are under investigation you can’t leave Whispering Falls.”
“I know, but when Ophelia left, I was safe from myself if I stayed in here.” Colton stood up. “But I’ve got someone to live for and a wedding to plan. Let me out.”
“You can have the honors.” Eloise handed Alise the key and we watched as she turned the lock.
Colton ran out and whisked Ophelia into his arms, giving her a kiss that sent all of our hearts aflutter.
Chapter Twenty-One
There was something new in the air this morning. Maybe it had
to do with magic in the air now that I’d put away the notion that Ophelia or Colton had anything to do with Patty’s murder or the fact that they were back together like they should be. Or that I was going to play matchmaker today between Tish and Patch. But something tickled my insides.
Even though I wasn’t going out of town to pay Alise a visit, I was still going to use Faith at the shop and take the opportunity to run into Locust Grove. I needed to run to the grocery store there and maybe stop by to say hi to Adeline. She was a friend of mine from way back and the owner of Piggly Wiggly.
Oscar wouldn’t be back until this afternoon from there, so my schedule was wide open. I was also going to stop by Ever After Books and check out those books Ophelia said might’ve caught someone stealing the wands. If we could find that out, that would be our killer. My intuition told me I was right.
I would go there first, but I wanted to give her and Colton some time together. After what they’d gone through, they needed it.
Alise had gone to stay at Eloise’s and I’d slept a little later than normal. Even Mr. Prince Charming was still curled up on Oscar’s empty pillow. He purred as I dragged my hand over him a few times, giving him a good scratch under his chin before I got up and got ready.
The sun had even popped out over the village and burned off the early morning fog between Locust Grove and Whispering Falls. Mr. Prince Charming had curled up in the hot spot on the dashboard. The Green Machine hugged the curves of the old country road back to my hometown.
I scored a parking spot up in front of the Piggly Wiggly. It was probably still too early for a lot of the grocery shoppers. The smell of Wicked Good donuts rushed by me as the front doors of the grocery store parted and I walked in. It was so fun to see the display Faith had made in the front of the pastry section.
I glanced up to the ceiling and scanned down the front of the aisle, reading what was in each aisle. When I saw the feminine section, I headed that way. Slowly I walked down the shelves and tucked the nervous feeling inside of me away. I had to know and there it was. A pregnancy test.
“Goodness.” There were so many different ones. Ovulating ones, double line ones, single line, boy or girl, and many more. I picked one up and read the back of it.
“If it’s not a sight for sore eyes,” Adeline called from the end of the aisle. “I wondered if you were ever going to come visit.”
“Adeline.” I was happy to see my sweet mortal friend. She had her sandy blond hair pulled up in a ponytail, her Piggly Wiggly green uniform shirt tucked in a pair of khaki’s and that beaming, white smile.
We met in the middle of the aisle and embraced. She pulled away and grabbed my wrist, taking a look at the box.
“Oh my God!” She screamed. “You,” she put her hand on my stomach, “can’t be that far along. You are tiny.”
“I don’t know.” I rattled the box in the air.
“That is wonderful.” She wrapped her arm around me and squeezed before we started to walk to the front of the store. “I can’t wait to see who he or she looks like most. I mean, Oscar,” she fanned herself, “his eyes. Dreamy.”
“I know.” I gushed, feeling a tiny bit of excitement at the possibility. “Come by the shop and see me.”
“I will. The seasonal rush swamps us.” She smiled. “I keep up with you when Oscar comes in to get a salad from the salad bar for lunch. He said you’re doing great.” She gave me one last hug. “Let me know about the baby.”
“There might not be a baby,” I muttered after she scurried off.
I’d left the windows down to let the cool breeze in while I was in the grocery store, but Mr. Prince Charming was unfazed that I’d gone into the store. He was curled tight in a ball, still on the dashboard.
The day was actually turning out to be a nice sunny day. Not only would it be a good day to solve the murder of Patty Potter, it’d be a good day to find out if I was going to be a mom.
After I parked the Green Machine at the cottage, I headed down the hill toward Blue Moon Gallery. I wanted to get a look at the photos Faith had taken and I hoped Cherry had hung them up like Perry said she was going to.
“What do I owe the pleasure?” Cherry greeted me and Mr. Prince Charming when we walked through the gallery door.
“Faith Mortimer’s photos.” It was really great to see Faith’s photos coming to life. “My friend Colton Lance is a suspect in Patty Potter’s murder and I don’t think he did it, so I’m wanting to check out Faith’s photos to see if there was anything suspicious.”
“Oh, June,” she sucked in a deep breath. She had on a long, flowing silk kimono with paint brushes embroidered all over it. At the end of the paint brushes, there were little bursts of fireworks. “You have no idea. I’m so glad you are here.”
Her words didn’t have a happy-to-see-you tone. It was more of an I’m not sure what to do.
“The best photo Faith took is the pumpkin farm. There is nothing unusual in it, but it sends my gift into a spiral.” She gestured for me to follow her. She talked over her shoulder as we walked, “I hesitate to put it out because my gift tells me something is wrong with this photo. Since you are telling me about the possibility that she has captured something, you might be right and that is why I’m questioning the picture.”
Mr. Prince Charming didn’t follow us. He sat under a photo that was hanging from the ceiling.
She stopped at the glass staircase and dragged out a large frame covered in brown paper.
“I went ahead and sent it off to be framed and I’ve yet to look at it.” She ripped the paper off. She shuddered and looked away.
I bent down and looked at it. Faith had really captured the essence of the happiness shown on all of our faces. The pumpkins were bright orange even in the dark. The twinkle lights strung all over the pumpkin farm added to the charm. In the photo she’d captured Jo Ellen eating the candy apple, Oscar hanging out with Hazel as they talked to a dark-haired man, Petunia sitting on a pumpkin petting a field mouse that was perched on her finger, Izzy sitting next to her enjoying a cup of hot cider, the Karima twins eating their own bag of kettle corn, and more of the new citizens I didn’t know.
I looked back at Oscar. The dark-haired man looked familiar.
“I’ll be right back.” I stood up and walked over to Mr. Prince Charming. “This one?” I asked. His tail pointed up to the photo.
It was another pumpkin farm photo that Faith had taken during the day. Next to the shed where I’d heard Patch and Patty fighting stood Patch, Tish, and that dark-haired man.
“Do you have a magnifying glass?” I asked Cherry.
“I do.” She trotted up the glass steps to where her office was and came right back down. “Here you go.”
I held the magnifying glass up to the spot I questioned on the photo. All three of their faces didn’t seem very happy. The faces weren’t very clear, but he had a prominent silhouette with a large nose. The dark-haired man had a finger pointing at Patch.
I took the magnifying glass back over to the photo and looked at the same dark-haired man in the photo. It was a little further away and Faith had used some sort of filter on the camera, but the profile sure did look the same.
“You are the best.” I handed Cherry the magnifying glass before Mr. Prince Charming and I left. I pulled my phone out of my bag and called Oscar. “Hi honey,” I left a message when he didn’t answer. “I wanted to let you know I might have a lead. Call me.”
The street was filled with visitors and the crisp air felt like the All Hallows’ Eve celebration. It was going to be tomorrow night with or without the murder solved. The brochures were in all of the shop windows along with their displays. The costume contest was going to be the cutest. It reminded me that I’d forgotten to get candy.
I called Oscar back and asked him to grab some candy for Wicked Good and A Charming Cure for the trick-or-treat part of the celebration. It was so good to see Ever After Books decorated. It wasn’t open yet, but I knocked on the display window and pee
ked in covering my eyes with my hands. When Colton saw me, he walked over to the door to let me in.
Mr. Prince Charming scooted on down to Glorybee Pet Shop. He’d probably had enough human interaction for one day.
The bookstore was so magical. The animals brayed, mooed, chirped, and clucked when I walked past the animal reference section. The crying and oohing baby noises crept down the baby aisle. I rubbed my stomach wondering if I was going to have to get one of those books tomorrow. The voices of scholars yelled over each other as I passed by that aisle. The books came to life. The bird books were flying throughout the store and would land anywhere.
“It’s so good to see you two.” I couldn’t stop the smile.
“We are so happy.” Ophelia looked at Colton. He was putting the finishing touches on the fairy tale window. “I let him win.” She winked.
“The window looks great.” I looked around for the camera and photo aisle. “I wanted to get a look at the books.”
“Yeah. I waited until you got here to open. I figured they’d show off for you. Sometimes books can be crabby.” She came from behind the counter and I followed her to the back corner of the shop.
It was fascinating to watch Ophelia Biblio do her thing. She closed her eyes and dragged her finger along the spines of the books that were on the shelves. The sounds of cameras clicking erupted as she got closer. She stopped at a book with a thick green spine. Her finger ran up the spine and she used her fingernail to pluck it off the shelf. The book tumbled down, bounced on its spine a couple of times before it fell open to a page.
With her eyes still closed, Ophelia bent down and pointed to the page. When she slowly stood up, the book flashed photos of the shop with Colton in the back holding a couple of the fake wands in the air.
I stepped over to get a closer look. I searched the photos as the book clicked them through as if it were an air photo album. There had to be some sort of clue in there and it would be great if there were something to tie someone from Faith’s photos to someone in the store.