Dying to Make a Fortune: The India Kirby Witch Mystery (Book 5)

by Sarah Kelly

  “Yep,” India said. “I forgot something at Sarah’s Bakery.” That wasn’t really true at all, and she hated to lie, but something nagged in her chest. A feeling that the mystery wasn’t over, that she couldn’t just relax into her wedding just yet. Something was going to happen, perhaps, and she needed to be in Abingdon Fork, not sitting at her parents’ home twiddling her thumbs. Before anyone could ask what she’d forgotten, she said, “If you’ll just be a half hour, Xavier and I can go for a walk in the park.”

  “Oh!” Amy laughed. “That was our park, wasn’t it? That was where we tried our first cigarettes and you coughed so much I had to bang you on the back.”

  India giggled. “And you were like the seasoned pro, looking so annoyed with me for damaging your street cred. Even though there was only like one family and an elderly man there.”

  Amy giggled. “Ugh, I so have to work that into my speech.”

  “Your speech?” Elise said.

  “Um, yeah,” Amy said forcefully. “I’ve been the one standing next to India for all these crazy years. And now that evil man Xavier is taking her away from me. If anyone thinks I’ve got nothing to say about that, they’ve got a whole other think coming.”

  Elise nodded. “Sounds like you two are really close.”

  “Yep,” India said, grinning at Amy across the table.

  Xavier sighed, twirling spaghetti in his fork. “Do you really think I’m evil, Amy?”

  “Yes,” she said like a spoiled kid, then wrinkled up her nose at him. “No, of course I don’t, you big doof. Otherwise I’d have drop kicked you by now.”

  ***

  Kids were tossing snowballs at each other in a far corner by the woodland, but otherwise the park was empty, a clear spread of white. Xavier and India strolled along, hand in hand, both feeling rather relaxed and content.

  Someone clearing their throat behind them made them turn, and India was flabbergasted to see Mayor Moby Snape standing behind them, his small frame draped in a luxury gray coat. What on earth was he doing in Melville? India’s heart thudded as her mind raced through the possibilities – what if he was the killer, thought they were onto him, and had followed them there? She looked around wildly, but if he had a gun with a silencer he could easily shoot and run, leaving no witnesses.

  “Hello, Mayor,” Xavier said. “What a surprise to see you here.”

  The Mayor’s lip turned up in a nasty grin. “Is it?”

  India actually took a step back, her hands sweating.

  “You don’t have to be afraid,” the Mayor said. “But your little wedding planner Elise does. Sure, the stupid Sheriff let her out, but there are secrets in this town you know nothing about.”

  India still felt a distinct sense of unease. She gripped Xavier’s hand, keen to feel his strong comfort. “Like?”

  “Like the fact that you’ve been totally and utterly punked!” the Mayor said, breaking into a huge smile and throwing his arms out wide.

  “Huh?” India said, and blinked. And by the time she’d opened her eyes, it was no longer Mayor Snape standing in front of her. In that split second he’d turned into Luis.

  “Wow,” Xavier said, shaking his head. “Wow.”

  India was too stunned to speak, while Luis was waving jazz hands in front of them, his mouth open, obviously hoping for a bigger reaction.

  Xavier slowly began to laugh, but India was so shaken she couldn’t see the funny side. She slapped at Luis’ shoulder, not altogether playfully. “How could you do that, you crazy fool?”

  He shrugged, deliberately misunderstanding. “With a morphing spell.”

  “Luis,” India said, putting her hand on her hip. “You are just… Oh, I don’t know.”

  “Wonderful? Charming?” Luis suggested. He had on an enormous snow jacket like he was going skiing, and a baseball cap made totally incongruous by the palm tree and sun embroidered on it. “Absolutely devastatingly hilarious, cool, and hip?”

  “No one says hip,” Xavier said, laughing all the more.

  Luis put his finger to his ear, as if pressing against a phantom ear piece. She knew he was receiving a telepathic message. She’d often talked to him telepathically when she felt unsure of herself, but that was slowly becoming a thing of the past as she matured. Not only in her magical abilities, but in herself as a person.

  “I’m getting a message from a young witch in South Korea. He’s seriously freaking out about his new abilities. Oop, and there comes another one.” He rolled his eyes. “This girl. She’s from France. Between you and me, quite spoiled. Princessy type. She expects to click her fingers and the world to rearrange itself for her, like this is Harry Potter or something. Boy, has she got a lot to learn.” He looked up at them, snapping back into the moment. “I’ve gotta go put out all these fires, so we’ll get to this real quick. You need a new skill, the energy tells me.”

  “Awesome,” Xavier said. “One each, like usual?”

  “You got it. Let’s go.”

  He grabbed each of their arms, then screwed his eyes up and whoosh, they were gone.

  They landed in a place that couldn’t have been more different to the snow-covered park by Amy’s. They had arrived on top of a huge flat rock, sandy in color, that gave them an enormous sweeping vista of desert. There was nothing but sand as far as the eye could see, the horizon a sharp contrast of deep blue and shimmering gold. They found themselves in robes, cool and loose and fluttering in the desert wind. The heat did not beat down oppressively, but was tempered by the breeze and comfortable in the air around them.

  A neat pile of cloths had been laid out before them by invisible hands, and when India bent down to lay her palm upon it she found they were cool to the touch.

  “Let us sit,” Luis said, and looked rather majestic in his royal blue robe, gazing over the golden horizon. Xavier and India followed suit, one sitting each side of him. “We will begin with you, Xavier. I will teach you a special psychosorcery technique, if you permit me.”

  All of Xavier’s head and neck were covered where his orange robe had been wrapped around him. His eyes shone out brightly. “Yes, of course.”

  “I will say this once and only once, so listen carefully. Both of you. India, you may want to use this sometime, though I am led to bestow it to you now, Xavier. This is known as Benevolent Guidance, and it is not a spell, per sé. It’s a state we all shift and out of, even the Oblivious. But if you know exactly how to harness it you could live in that state. All the time. And it would feel like you were drenched in Magic all day long.”

  India watched as Xavier’s eyes grew wide. He was totally hooked, more of a devotee to magic than she was.

  “So, according to one of the rules of the universe… when you emit benevolence, that means when you send out good thoughts towards people and life and the world and the universe, you receive benevolence back, but in indirect ways. Like you might chuck all the goodwilling thoughts on your grumpy aunt, and she’ll probably still tell you, you never finish any projects you start and you’ve put on weight, right? But you’ll get all that goodwill back in other areas. That’s a universal law, you follow? So that happens to witches, Oblivious, regular people, everyone. Although, you know, there is some debate about whether regular people are all just Oblivious, and we’ll all be inducted into magic in one reincarnation or other. Anyways, that’s not the point. The point is you can harness this power like a real boss. All you have to do is keep sending out awesome thoughts everywhere.” He made a motion like rays shooting out of his head, his hands flying. “Whoosh, have a great day. Blam, I hope things start going better for you in your life. Whooh, I hope you get through the tough thing you’re going through. Slam dunk, I just know something awesome is going to happen for you soon, hang in there. Like all the good things we wish for our own lives, wish it for others. That’s called benevolence.”

  Xavier nodded, enraptured. “Got it.”

  “And then, it’s weird.” Luis looked up to the intensely blue sky and took on
an almost dreamy look. “It’s like some kind of… not rose tinted glasses. I don’t know, a magical veil? Something falls over your life, and everything is just… right. Things start synchronizing. You’ll see repeats of numbers everywhere. Like 1111. 888. Stuff like that. There’s loads of strange coincidences. And maybe best of all, you’re always guided in the right direction. So even if you end up ankle deep in poop, you’ll know you you’re where you’re meant to be. When you’re full up with that benevolence stuff, no bad luck or anything like that can take control. You’re always guided to the right place at the right time.”

  “Awesome,” Xavier said, smiling from ear to ear.

  Luis nodded. “It really is, papi. But one thing. It ain’t so easy as you think it is to be benevolent all the time. Especially when someone gets on your nerves or does something messed up. I mean, you can be hurt, or angry, that’s cool. But as soon as your mind ticks over into revenge or them getting their payback, poof, it’s all gone like a cloud of smoke, until you get those pesky thoughts back on track.” He grinned. “And the moment you try to start doing it, just know someone’s gonna come along and so something so annoying you just wanna scream at ‘em. I like to think it’s the Magic’s way of testing if we’re really serious, you know? Magic can be a real tough…” He chuckled. “Let’s just say it can be a real toughie. It sure ain’t a smooth ride, being a witch.”

  India had been playing with the folds of her purple robes as she listened. “You can say that again.”

  “Got enough to go on?” Luis asked Xavier.

  “Yeah, I’m on this right now,” Xavier said. “Tryna listen to my thoughts.”

  Luis slapped him on the back. “Yeah! That’s right!” Then he turned to India with puffed out cheeks. He let out a long breath, his face deflating like a balloon. His eyes told her it was something serious he was about to teach her. He almost looked nervous. “Ready, mami?”

  India had never dreamed that the day before her wedding day, she’d be sitting in a desert in robes, about to learn the most difficult magic of her life. But there she was. She took a deep breath, just like him. “Let’s do this.”

  CHAPTER 9

  “Thanks, Elise, you’re a superstar,” India said, closing the car door.

  Elise winked at her across from the driver’s seat and through the open passenger window. “You’re welcome, sweetie. I’ll see you at your parents’ house in the morning. Eeek! Super exciting, huh?”

  India grinned back. “You bet. Tomorrow I’ll be Mrs Bradford.”

  “Bye, Mr Bradford,” Elise said, pushing the car into gear. “Bye, Mrs Soon-To-Be-Bradford.”

  “See ya,” Xavier said, then pulled India into a hug on the sidewalk outside Sarah’s Bakery. “I’ve been waiting for this moment a long time.”

  India gave him a playful thump in the stomach. “Yeah? Well why did it take you so long to get down on one knee, mister?”

  There was silence for a while.

  “I’m gonna be straight with you and say this out ‘cause I’ve never really said it before,” Xavier said eventually.

  India looked up at him, suddenly serious, wondering what he would say. “Shoot.”

  “Well, I kinda knew you were hiding something. Maybe not exactly consciously, but I knew something just wasn’t adding up somehow. I’d thought about proposing so many times, but like… something was always holding me back. Even when we were in Grenada and I already had the ring and everything, I was going back and forth like should I do it, shouldn’t I do it. And when you told me about being a witch and all that, that’s when it all really clicked properly, and I was like yes. We can totally do this.”

  India giggled. “Do you know just how much I was freaking out about telling you? I was sure he was going to be like ‘this chick’s crazy’ and get the first plane outta there.” She looked at him properly then, her eyes focusing in on his. “But you believed me. Even when it was something totally impossible to believe. That’s huge. Really, really huge.”

  Xavier shrugged it off. “You don’t tell lies. And if you were crazy I’d rather be just as crazy with you, than sane without you.”

  India went up on tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. “Well, good,” she said. “Because I am a secret evil genius, plotting to take over Wisconsin and turn it into a tropical climate. Argh.” She pushed on the door of the bakery. “As much as I love this whole winter wedding, white Christmas deal, I’ll be glad when we get back on that plane. Oh, and all our anniversaries will be in Grenada.”

  “You stay away from my daughter,” was the first thing they heard when they entered the bakery and the heat hit their faces.

  Everyone turned around to look at them. Moby Snape was standing on one side of the bakery, his finger outstretched toward Horatio, who was slouched in a chair on the other, looking drowsy and maybe doped up on something. Sarah stood between them, turned toward the Mayor. “Leave the boy alone!” she cried. “He’s just lost… his mother!”

  “Yasmin deserves much better than a psychopath like you,” Moby practically screeched, his voice reaching a fever pitch. He turned to India and Xavier, his blue eyes blazing with white hot fire. “And you people. Poking around the town like you own it. Well, I’ve got news for you. You don’t. I’ve looked you up,” he sneered. “Sure, you might have solved murders in the past, but you won’t solve this one. In fact, you probably did it yourselves.”

  “Moby!” Sarah pleaded. “Will you stop it?”

  “A killer couple, going from place to place and murdering people for your own twisted satisfaction.” Moby tossed a nod at Horatio. “It was either him or you.”

  “That’s quite enough,” Xavier said in his tough cop voice, stepping forward and holding his head high. “I can see you’re angry and obviously you’re the Mayor, but that doesn’t mean you can go around screaming at people, much less in Sarah’s place of business.”

  “Thank you,” Sarah said, throwing her hands up as tear from the shock of it all rolled down her cheek. She wiped it away furiously and glared at the mayor.

  India almost wondered if suddenly Moby would start shaking his jazz hands and turn into Luis again.

  “I can do what I please,” Moby said. “Anyhow, I will be off now to speak to the sheriff. I have interesting information to give him, wouldn’t you say, Horatio?”

  Horatio swore at him in a slurring voice.

  Moby buttoned up his coat. “Charming.” Then he left, letting the door slam behind him.

  After a stunned couple of seconds in silence, India and Xavier began to take their coats and scarves and gloves off.

  “He has no right,” Sarah said, her hands shaking as she crossed back over to the counter. “He has no right at all.” She leant her elbows on the surface and buried her head in her hands for a moment, then sprang back up with agitated energy. “Ugh.” She then peered at Xavier and India. “Oh, I wouldn’t ask you, but you’ve been so kind, and…”

  “What is it?” India said gently.

  “Oh, would you just watch the bakery, just for two teeny tiny minutes? I want to go upstairs and wash my face and try to gather—”

  “You don’t have to explain,” said India.

  Xavier smiled. “Of course we’ll watch it for you. Take as long as you need.”

  “I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again,” she said, her voice almost cracking as she took off toward the door that led upstairs. “The kindest people on God’s green Earth.” She took one last concerned look at Horatio then hurried up the stairs.

  India actually enjoyed getting behind the counter and slipping on an apron. She grinned at Xavier. “What would you like, sir?”

  He put on a posh voice and a super snooty manner, sticking his nose in the air. “Oh, I think I shall have a blueberry muffin, and a decaffeinated tea. In England, we drink tea multiple times a day, you know. The servants fetch it for us.”

  India rolled her eyes, giggling. “You know England’s not like that, right?”

  Xavier
flopped down on a stool and stretched his arm over the counter, resting his cheek on his fist. “And how do you know? You’ve never been there.”

  She thumped the blueberry muffin down on the plate with a teasing look. “And neither have you.” Her expression changed. “Hmm. Maybe we should go someday?”

  “Good idea.” Xavier picked a large chunk off his muffin and popped it in his mouth, looking over at Horatio, who had slumped over the table, resting on his arms, his straggle of sandy hair dusting his shoulders. “Horatio?”

  Horatio sat up abruptly, looking around him like he’d forgotten where he was. “Oh,” he said, obviously realizing, then slumped down again, this time only on one arm, his face turned toward Xavier and India.

  India frowned with concern. “Horatio, do you want something to eat or drink?”

  “What’s the point?” he slurred.

  India hurried out from behind the counter and sat in the chair across from him. Xavier turned in his stool to watch them. India tapped him on the hand and said, “Sit up,” in such a gentle, calm way that he did. “Are you… intoxicated, Horatio?”

  “I mighta drunk something.” His eyes rolled a little and India could tell he was clearly out of control, but not dangerously so.

  India looked him over, wondering what to say. Even though his mother treated him horribly, it was obviously devastating to lose her. He didn’t seem to have much of a life outside Fairfax Floral, apart from his relationship with Yasmin, which had obviously come to an acrimonious end. What on earth could she say to comfort him? “This must be so hard for you,” she said. The words didn’t sound right even as they came out of her mouth but it was the best she could think of right then. “Losing your mother.”