Sweet Murder Hex (Sweetland Witch) (A Cozy Mystery Book)

by Zoe Arden

  I messed things up, didn't I? Colt never wants to see me again.

  A new thought occurred to me. What if he wasn't mad? What if he was injured? What if Vlaski was out to get him, and that's why Melbourne had warned me not to say anything? Because he was hoping it would stop Colt from drawing Vlaski's attention.

  My heart started thumping in my chest.

  "Ava, why are you asking me all this stuff about Vlaski and Melbourne?"

  "Just curious."

  A deep line formed on her brow. "Curious? About Vlaski Ambrose?" She shook her head. "Why don't you come out and say it? You think Melbourne staked himself!"

  I blinked. "What?"

  "That he never got over Pennyweather and when Vlaski couldn't help him, h-h-he staked himself."

  I pictured Melbourne holding a giant wooden stake over his heart, trying to pound it in. "Is that even possible?" I asked Trixie.

  "Of course, it's possible," she shouted. "The only reason Melbourne took Pennyweather's death so hard is because he didn't have anyone else. His own family cast him out when he was turned and never spoke to him again."

  "His family cast him out?"

  She nodded. "Yes. Melbourne comes from a long line of very powerful witches and wizards. When they found out what had happened to him, they were worried about it affecting their reputation, so they disowned him."

  "Wow, that's harsh. I mean, it wasn't his fault he was turned, right?"

  "Exactly, but try telling them that."

  A new thought occurred to me. "Trixie, you don't know if any of Melbourne's family are still alive, do you? I mean his descendants?"

  She shrugged. "I don't know. Wouldn't matter if they were. They still wouldn't want anything to do with him."

  I nodded but my mind was racing. The oldest, most powerful witching families usually kept very detailed histories of themselves. If Melbourne's descendants were still around, they might have some information on whatever this feud was between Melbourne and Vlaski, maybe even Colt's dad. He was a powerful warlock himself.

  "Where would I find—"

  But the question wasn't even out of my mouth yet when I realized I already had the answer. Where could anyone find an outline of the oldest families in the witching world? Forgotten Spells and Lineages. Margaret had shown me her copy of the book once, before she'd tried to kill me. And I thought I knew who had it now.

  "Sheriff Knoxx," I muttered.

  "What?" Trixie asked, looked at me warily.

  "Nothing," I said and tried to smile. "I'm sorry if I upset you."

  When could I get to the sheriff's station? I wanted to go now.

  "Ava!" Eleanor called from out front. "I need your help, please!" I hurried out front. The sheriff's station would have to wait. Cakes and cookies came first.

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  CHAPTER

  FIVE

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  Rachel Sessler was back. Her hair bounced effortlessly around her shoulders. She was all of twenty-seven, and everyone knew that one day she wanted Mayor Thomas's job. She wasn't a bad person, just ambitious. A little too ambitious, sometimes. She'd go out of her way to get what she wanted, even if it meant occasionally stepping on the backs of others.

  "What can I get for you?" I asked her.

  "A dozen muffins. Just mix them up. They're all good here."

  "Sure." I smiled at the compliment and grabbed a chocolate honey goodness muffin.

  "Oh not that one!" she cried. "Those are a little too squishy for my taste."

  "Squishy?" She nodded. I had no idea what she meant. I grabbed a blueberry lemon dream muffin and her voice shot out again.

  "Wait, not that one either. They're a bit dry. You know what, I'll just pick out the ones I want after all."

  I followed her finger as she pointed out three blueberry raspberry happiness muffins and had me fill the rest of the box with coconut express espresso muffins.

  "We can use all the energy we can get today," she explained, "even if those espresso muffins are a tad overbaked."

  I bit my tongue and rang her up.

  "Oh, I almost forgot, I wanted to ask your aunts about making a cake for Mayor Thomas's upcoming party."

  "What party?" I asked.

  "Oh, it hasn't been announced yet." She leaned in, like she was letting me in on the biggest secret ever. "The mayor's got a surprised up his sleeve. It'll be announced any day now, and when it is..." Her eyes lit up. "'Wow,' is all I can say. It's gonna have a huge impact on all of Heavenly Haven."

  "Mistmoor, too?" I asked, curious. Usually Sweetland and Mistmoor's politics had little influence on each other.

  "Most definitely," Rachel said. I wanted to ask more but didn't want her to know I was dying of curiosity now. She could see right through me. "You'll just have to wait for the announcement," she said. "I'll come back after it's made and ask your aunts about the cake then. For now, just tell them that we're going to want something extravagant."

  I nodded and tried not to hate that I was just as big a part of the Sweetland Cove gossip mill as anyone.

  "Hey," I asked Eleanor when the crowds had thinned out. "Have you heard anything about a surprise announcement coming out of Mayor Thomas's office?"

  Eleanor shook her head. "Maybe it has to do with Tazzie Singer."

  "Maybe. Rachel said it would impact all of Heavenly Haven though. How would Tazzie Singer do that?"

  "I don't know, but Rachel has a tendency to stick her foot in her mouth, so I wouldn't dwell on it too much." But I could see the curiosity in her eyes now, too.

  The crowds thinned out early, and we were able to close up shop quickly for once.

  "I'm meeting Zane for a late dinner," Eleanor announced.

  "And I told Lottie Mudget I'd drop by for some cards," Trixie said. Eleanor and I looked at her. Trixie had never been Lottie's biggest fan. "I feel bad for her. She's still having a tough time since Paisley's death."

  "Well, I guess I'll see you two later, then. Have fun."

  I pulled my phone from my pocket as I started home. Still no word from Colt. I called my dad.

  "Hey, Trixie and Eleanor ditched me for the evening. What do you say I pick up some popcorn and we watch an old movie?"

  "Oh, that sounds lovely, honey, but, er... well, Sadie invited me over."

  "She did?" I squealed.

  Sadie and my father had been dating a few weeks now. She was good for him, which made me like her. A lot. Not to mention the fact that she was the only nurse who'd taken pity on me last time I was in the hospital. She'd snuck me out so I could see Damon get on the ferry when he left Heavenly Haven. Even though I hadn't actually said goodbye to him, it had felt like goodbye, which had been enough.

  "That's great! Don't worry about me. Have fun."

  "Are you sure? I could come home if you want me to."

  "Don't be ridiculous. Enjoy your night together. I'll just call Lucy." I caught something out of the corner of my eye just then. A shadow. It hovered in the darkness before disappearing to my left. I stopped walking and watched. "I'll see you in the morning," I told my dad and hung up. The shadow did not reappear.

  I took a step toward the building I'd seen it run behind. "Melbourne?" I asked. He'd said he was keeping tabs on me. So why didn't I think this was him? "Melbourne?" I asked again. Panic started to grip me. There was no discernible reason for it. I didn't see anything. Didn't hear anything. Yet there was something ominous lurking in the darkness. I could feel it.

  I held my breath as the glint of white teeth suddenly appeared out of the darkness. There was no face to go with them, just teeth. Fangs. They grew long as I stood watching. "Melbourne?" I squeaked. The shadow moved, and I took off running. I rounded the corner and ran smack into Colt. I bounced off him like a rubber band and landed on my butt.

  "Colt!" I screamed, jumping back up and throwing my arms around him.

  He wrapped his arms aroun
d me. "You're shaking. What's wrong?"

  "Nothing," I lied. "I just thought I saw..." But I wasn't really sure what I'd seen. I turned my head, and there was no one behind me. No fangs. Just shadows. But they weren't moving anymore.

  I suddenly realized that Colt was standing here, in front of me, like he hadn't just disappeared out of my life for days without a word. I smacked his chest.

  "Ouch!" he said.

  "Where have you been?" I demanded. "Have you been avoiding me?"

  "Avoiding you?"

  "That's right. I've called. I've texted. You haven't responded once. I thought you were mad at me."

  "I'm sorry. I had no idea you were thinking that."

  "Of course not, because you didn't call."

  I pinched his arm. Colt responded by pinching my cheek.

  "Ow!" I cried.

  "I was visiting my mother," he said. It felt good to have his arms around me again.

  "Your... mother?"

  "That's right. She showed up at my apartment the day after our date. I had no idea she was coming."

  I broke into a grin. "Your mom is in Sweetland? Do I get to meet her?"

  Colt hesitated. "I'm not sure that's a good idea. She can be a little..."

  "Kooky?" I offered.

  "Aggressive," he said.

  "Oh. How do you mean?"

  He waved it off. "Never mind. Maybe some other time. She's not gonna be the best of company right now anyway. The anniversary of my father's death is coming up, and she always gets a little weepy around this time."

  "Oh, I'm sorry."

  Colt's hands wrapped tighter around my waist, pulling me in toward him. He kissed me gently, warming my insides. Kissing Colt was like eating a batch of freshly baked cookies. Everything about it made me feel good inside.

  "Do you mind if I ask you something? We've known each other a while now, but I don't really know how your dad died."

  Colt's eyes glazed over for a second. "He was murdered."

  "Yeah, I know that part, but I mean... how? By who?"

  Colt sighed. "A vampire. We don't know who exactly. His body was found completely drained of blood."

  I gulped. "Completely?"

  "Dean Lampton came personally to our house to tell us. He said it looked as though whoever did it was sending some kind of message."

  "A message to who? For what?"

  "We never found out."

  I was about to question him more when Sheriff Knoxx came rolling up in his car.

  "Ava, Hudson, glad I found you." He jumped out of the car, his chest puffing out naturally with agitation.

  "What is it?" Colt asked.

  "It's Rachel Sessler," Sheriff Knoxx said.

  I rolled my eyes. "What now? Are her muffins too squishy? Does she want a refund?"

  "She's dead," Sheriff Knoxx said. "Murdered."

  I felt my face go beet red.

  "How?" Colt asked.

  "Two puncture wounds in her neck. Her body drained of blood. I'm waiting on Dr. Dunne since he's the expert, but my initial thoughts... a vampire."

  * * *

  CHAPTER

  SIX

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  The word was out. Rachel Sessler had been murdered. Her body drained of blood. It was eerily reminiscent to what Colt had just been telling me about his own father's death. I tried to tell myself it was just a coincidence, but my brain wouldn't quite believe it.

  I made an excuse to Trixie and Eleanor and snuck out of the bakery a little after the morning rush ended. My dad was there today, so he could help if they got slammed again.

  The sheriff's station was just across town, a brisk ten-minute walk. I had gotten used to driving around in Colt's car and was glad of the opportunity to remind myself that cars were simply not needed in Sweetland Cove. Unless, of course, you were a tourist. They drove their cars as often as they could, even if they were only going two blocks. I'd once heard a tourist say to another tourist, "I'm on vacation. That means I don't have to walk if I don't want to."

  I stepped inside the doors and was greeted to the smell of skunk. Sheriff Knoxx was yelling, and I thought I knew who was in trouble.

  Otis Winken stood with his familiar, a skunk named Tadpole, burrowing under his shirt. "Sheriff, sir, I'm sorry. Tadpole was just trying to help."

  "Help?" Sheriff Knoxx asked. "How was he helping, Otis?"

  Tadpole's brown eyes stared up at Otis from under the collar of his shirt. "He saw Elwin take your peanut butter dream bars and thought he was stealing them."

  Sheriff Knoxx scratched his head. "Elwin took my peanut butter dream bars?" Otis nodded. "Those are from Eleanor." He went to his desk and lifted the cover of a small pink box I recognized from Mystic. The box was empty. Sheriff Knoxx's face turned red.

  "Elwin!!!" he shouted.

  Elwin Muster, the sheriff's newest deputy, came running out.

  "Yes, Sheriff?" he looked scared.

  Sheriff Knoxx lifted the pink box off his desk and turned it upside down so that the crumbs fell out. "Notice anything missing?"

  Elwin's face turned as pink as the box. "I... uh..."

  "Did you take my peanut butter dream bars?" Sheriff Knoxx demanded. His voice oozed danger. No one came between the sheriff and his dream bars. Everybody knew that.

  "I thought they were for everyone," Elwin said, his voice sorrowful.

  "There were six of them in here. Where are the ones you didn't eat?"

  Elwin shrugged. Sheriff Knoxx's face stretched tight with tension.

  "You mean to tell me you ate all six of my dream bars?"

  "They were good," Elwin said apologetically. I stifled a laugh. The way Sheriff Knoxx looked, you'd have thought his best friend had just died.

  "Otis," Sheriff Knoxx said, "let me see Tadpole a minute. Let's see just how much that skunk can spray."

  I didn't think he was joking. "Sheriff, I'm sure Eleanor will be happy to make you more. I'll call her now if you want."

  Sheriff Knoxx turned to me, as if noting my presence for the first time. "Oh, Ava. Hello." He moved away from Elwin, who ran for cover.

  "Hi, sorry to disturb you."

  "It's fine." He was still grasping the empty pink box like it was a security blanket. Maybe it was. Everybody needed something to help them get through the day. For the sheriff, it was Eleanor's peanut butter dream bars.

  "I wanted to ask you about something. When Margaret Binford died, did you happen to pick up a book of hers? Forgotten Spells and Lineages?"

  Sheriff Knoxx looked at me with that half-goblin all-knowing look of his. Like he knew this was more than just a typical question. "Yes. Why?"

  "Well, I just, that is... I was hoping I could see it."

  Sheriff Knoxx shook his head. "Sorry, Ava. That book is evidence."

  "Yeah, but Margaret's already dead."

  "Yes, but Polly Peacock isn't. She was using that book, too. You know it's got some very dark spells in there. It shouldn't fall into the wrong hands. What do you want it for?"

  "I wanted to look at the lineages. Those aren't dark. Those are just facts."

  He nodded. "I know that Sara Sweetland's family tree is in there. I understand you might want to see that. Tell you what I'll do, I'll make a copy of that one part for you, if you'd like."

  "Thanks," I said. "Could you copy all of the lineages for me?"

  He cocked his head to the side. "Why?"

  "Because..." I didn't know what to say. I couldn't tell him I wanted to look for Melbourne's family in there. He'd want to know why.

  "Ava, I'm swamped right now. Rachel Sessler's family and Mayor Thomas are both on me to get this case solved fast. They want me to round up every vampire in Heavenly Haven and throw them in jail."

  "Do you really think it was a vampire who killed her?" I asked.

  "She had two small puncture marks on her neck, so I'd say yes. I'm on my way to Sweetland Hospita
l to talk to Dr. Dunne. He should have more for me to go on."

  "Can I just take a quick peek at the book before you go?"

  "No," he said, gently but firmly, like a parent would. He ushered me out of the station along with him, then got into his car and headed for the hospital. The police were the only ones who used cars other than the tourists.

  I started walking away when I saw Tadpole run out. Otis was chasing after him. "Tadpole, you get back here now," he said. They ran the opposite direction I was going. I watched for a minute as they disappeared a block down the street, then I turned and ran back inside. Elwin was nowhere to be found.

  The station wasn't huge. I'd been here before, and I knew where the evidence room was. I made my way over to it. The door was locked but I remembered a spell that Colt had taught me a while back that was supposed to open anything. I muttered the words quietly so Elwin wouldn't hear and the door popped open.

  The room was the size of a small walk-in closet. I scanned the shelves that lined the walls until I found what I wanted.

  "Voila," I said and grabbed the book, flipping quickly to the back where the lineages were.

  I heard footsteps coming and flipped off the light. Elwin was heading this way. I stuffed the book into my bag and ran out of the room, turning left when I should have gone right and bumping right into Elwin.

  "Oh!" I gasped. "Sorry, Elwin."

  "That's okay. Anything I can do for you?"

  "Nope, I'm good. Thanks."

  "Okay, see you later then." He continued on his way. I watched him a minute, thinking it was the sheriff's bad luck that he didn't have more focused deputies, but my good fortune.

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  CHAPTER

  SEVEN