The Rhinestone Witches Omnibus: Books 1-3

by Addison Creek

  After the introductions my head started to spin. Gill was like a magnet. Not long after his arrival, Kyle showed up with several friends in tow. Kelly said they were friends from around the farm, and they all looked like they worked hard for a living. Kyle was trying to be careful about who he spent time with, so he wouldn’t be tempted to go back into the world of illegal trading, which had gotten him into deep trouble before.

  “Rad party,” said a voice from behind me.

  After the initial floods of guests, I had stopped trying to meet everyone. People had spread out into different rooms around the first floor, but I stayed in the kitchen. Lisa had gone off somewhere, as had Jackie, while Kelly and I just kept preparing food. I put on an apron at one point, but Lowe showed up and yelled at me so I took it off.

  At the point when my party was just getting started, I was pouring a drink for myself and Kelly. Full drink in hand, I looked around the kitchen.

  Suddenly a large figure in black stepped through the door. He was holding a large saber sort of thing and sporting a broad-brimmed black hat.

  I swallowed hard and stepped back.

  “Oh, hello, George,” said Kelly. “How’s the grim reaper business?”

  My mouth dropped open. I had certainly never seen anyone who looked like this George around town. His skin was literally gray and he had no lips to speak off. His eyes were so hooded behind the hat as to be invisible. His clothes were of very good quality and had an oiled look. I swallowed hard again.

  “Been good. People have returned since those damn Vixens went quiet,” said George with a voice that was surprisingly soft.

  “Sorry for . . .” Any excuse died in my throat.

  “That’s okay,” he rumbled. “ I get that reaction all the time. Especially from the vampires. Pansies,” he added with satisfaction. I grinned. I liked this giant immediately. “My brother doesn’t like it, though,” he added. “He isn’t a real grim reaper, he’s just big. Ogres tend to be.”

  “Oh, that’s too bad,” I said.

  “I think he’s fine with it,” he shrugged.

  “Is he in Twinkleford?” I asked.

  “Yeah, he lives with the sheriff. They’ve been roommates for years,” he said.

  Quinn had told me about his roommate Simon. This was Simon’s brother? But my shock was pushed aside by the duties of being the hostess at a party. I didn’t get a chance to tell George how amazed I was, because just then a young woman came into the kitchen. She was dressed smartly in a trolley conductor’s uniform, but I had never seen her before. She had a pixie cut and a small face.

  “Oh, hello. I was hoping to get a glimpse of the unicorns out the window. Would that be all right?” she asked.

  “Sure,” I said. “Just look through here.” I stepped out of the way, and she walked right past George and smiled at him. I felt even worse about the way I had reacted in shock when he first walked into the room.

  The new arrival peered out the window. At first she couldn’t see the silver bodies against the white snow, then she gasped. “They’re so gorgeous! I can’t believe how beautiful they are. I see that they’re wearing coats?” she said. “I didn’t realize there would be so many,” she added thoughtfully.

  “I know, right?” I said. “My grandmother takes great care of them.”

  “You’re a Rhinestone?” she looked at me suddenly. “Oh, I had no idea that this was your house.”

  “It isn’t. I mean, it’s my grandmother’s,” I said.

  I glanced at Kelly. Surely she would know who this was. But Kelly wasn’t saying anything and neither was George. Kelly in particular was being extra quiet, clearly staying back to observe, but not really wanting to participate.

  “Well, anyway. It was nice to meet you. I won’t keep you or make any more of a fool of myself. I just wanted to get a look at the unicorns.” The young woman smiled and stepped aside. “I did walk through that creepy trailer park to get here and I wasn’t sure it would be worth it but it . . . it so was.” She smiled, spun on her heel, and left the room.

  “Did you know who she was?” I asked Kelly after the women dressed as a conductor had disappeared into another room.

  My friend shook her head. We looked at George.

  “Women don’t like me,” he explained. “I think I’m too tall.”

  The night went on. George wandered off. He was really liking the exploding frothy cheese balls and wanted to find more. Not long after he left the kitchen, Quinn arrived.

  “I came straight to the kitchen. I had a feeling you wouldn’t be mingling,” he said with a grin. He walked over to the table, set down a green bottle of something or other, and walked right toward me with his eyes checking me out. He stopped a couple of feet away. I had relaxed, but I suddenly felt nervous again.

  “You look stunning,” he said. “Now I feel underdressed.” He was wearing blue slacks and an open shirt and his hair was still slightly damp. He must have gone home to shower between his shift and coming here.

  “Thanks. You look great yourself,” I said shyly.

  He smiled, then he did something shocking. He stepped forward, wrapped his strong arm around my waist, and spun me around. I shrieked with delight. Kelly was at the table chatting with one of her friends, and she looked over and grinned. I relaxed at last.

  As I looked around the crowded house, it seemed as if everyone in town must be here. On top of that, far from the sheriff’s presence being a downer, they were all delighted. “I knew you partied,” said a werewolf, slinging his arm over Quinn’s shoulder.

  I thought that was all fine until a very buxom woman came up to Quinn and asked him in a slurred voice whether, if she had too much Fermented Fairy drink, he would make sure she got home safely, because after all, he was the sheriff. He had to tell her as politely as he could that he wasn’t on duty She took another step toward him anyhow, apparently intent on playing with his collar and not seeing the woman standing next to him.

  “Let me get you some water,” he offered, and before she could argue he deftly took the drink from her hand and went for water. “Make sure one of your friends comes to see me before you leave,” he told her sternly.

  I smiled inwardly. He was going to ensure she got home safely. And alone. Or at least without his company.

  It was now very late, but I didn’t feel tired. In fact, I was energized by the people and the music. Even Kelly had started have a good time. She was sitting in the corner by the fire, talking to one of Kyle’s friends about books.

  At one point Jackie started dancing on the table, and Lisa had to pull her off. There had been many explosions of fireworks masterminded by an expert pyrotechnic, and magical explosions as well.

  Spunk continued to sit on the mantelpiece observing it all. He didn’t move, and some of our guests made the mistake of thinking he was a toy cat. When they came over to play with the pretty stuffed animal, Spunk would reach out and swat them. We had several screams result from that kind of encounter. Spunk was enjoying himself.

  Quinn never left my side all night. He was happier and more relaxed than when I saw him on the job. We always had a great time together on our dates, but this was different. For one thing, now everyone had seen us as a couple. We were a united front. He was helpful to anyone who needed or asked for anything, but he was also just enjoying the fact that everyone was enjoying the cottage. He periodically walked to the kitchen window to check on the unicorns. They always seemed fine. I had a feeling that if anyone messed with them the cats would deal with it, and if the cats didn’t deal with it then the unicorns themselves were formidable.

  “This party is so fun,” said a girl. I turned around to see Simmer. I had noticed when she arrived, but was so busy that I hadn’t had a chance to say hi. She was with several others from the Young Witches group.

  “Thanks,” I said.

  “I’m so glad you didn’t invite management. I didn’t think you would, but that would’ve been terrible,” she grinned.

  For
a split second I didn’t know who she was talking about, then I realized she meant about Hannah and Taylor. “No, I guess I didn’t. I’m sure they wouldn’t stoop to come to the trailer park anyway,” I said.

  A few of the others from the Young Witches group rolled their eyes. “Hannah won’t stoop to do most things. I think she’s enjoying her power a little too much. Anyway this is a great party. Thanks for inviting us. You’re cooler than I thought you were.” Just then a guy grabbed her by the waist and asked her to dance, and off they went.

  I raised my eyebrows and Simmer grinned. “That’s her boyfriend. They’ve been together for years. Their mothers want them to get married so badly.” She shrugged and laughed. “I imagine they’re going to do things in their own time.”

  Now Jackie marched in. At some point she had found a fake crown and put on a lot of glitter eyeshadow. She was laughing and giggling and she kept doing the hand motion for spellcasting. “I haven’t performed a spell. I keep trying,” she laughed again.

  I shook my head. Out of the corner of my eye I tried to see what Quinn thought of all of this, but he remained impassive.

  There was now a trail of partygoers following Jackie around. Lowe and Gill were two of them. Gill was standing close to Lowe but not touching her, and he looked terribly nervous. I wanted to laugh, but I kept a straight face down and said, “How’s it going, Gill?”

  He smiled nervously. “This is an awesome party. You should have them more often. Maybe your grandmother will start going away on a regular basis.”

  “Maybe. Probably not, though, if she finds out that we did this,” I said.

  “I’m sure she expects you to have a party,” said Quinn.

  “You think so?” I said.

  He nodded. “She’s sharp. She didn’t tell you not to because she wasn’t going to tell you not to do something when she knew you wouldn’t listen anyhow.”

  He seemed awfully sure of that, but I wasn’t entirely convinced. Bethel probably thought Lowe and I were too boring to have a party. Little did she know.

  Just then Jackie yelled, having done the spellcasting hand motion one too many times. A black spiral was forming around her fingertips, turning wildly as it grew and grew. I gasped and stepped back, then tried to go forward to help her, but it was too late. The spiral was getting bigger and bigger, like a tornado whirling on her hand, only now it was growing bigger than her hand. Sparks were flying and supernaturals were stepping back. It shouldn’t have surprised me that the only ones who didn’t look terrified were Quinn and George. When Kelly heard the commotion she tried to her way over from the corner. Light started to flicker and a whistling noise filled the air.

  “Shut it down,” Kelly yelled.

  Jackie was standing in the thick of it all looking petrified. “I don’t know if I can,” she cried, sounding frantic. Her eyes were darting around the room looking for an out. She saw the door that led to the back pasture and rushed that way.

  The next instant the tornado broke free of her finger. A badly performed spellcast is a dangerous thing, and Jackie’s was now out of control. It blew through the house as the lights went out and everyone screamed.

  For a few moments there was nothing but the sound of furniture crashing and people rushing around.

  Then, into the darkness came a booming voice. “Everybody be quiet!”

  Silence fell except for a few quiet whimpers.

  Someone ran into me and I made a coughing noise.

  “Everyone stop moving!” Quinn commanded. He kept one hand gently touching my arm, and I knew he was trying to maintain his bearings in the dark room. Whoever had run into me staggered away.

  “Why is it so dark in here?” someone whispered.

  “Our eyes haven’t adjusted yet. Everything is going to be fine. I’m sure we can get the lights back on, and until then we’ll get a few candles going. If everyone could stay put while we work, we would really appreciate it. Jackie?” Quinn called.

  “She’s by the door. I think she’s a little groggy, but fine.” That voice was definitely Gill’s.

  “I’m going to see if I can help Jackie. Can you get some lights on?” Quinn asked me.

  I nodded, then when he didn’t move I realized that he couldn’t see. “Yes. Lowe?” I called out.

  “Over here! Bethel keeps spare candles everywhere. She also has a couple of lanterns in the chest in the living room. Do you want to get those?” Lowe called back.

  With my eyes starting to adjust to the darkness, I made my way to the living room through throngs of party-goers, all standing motionless now. As I passed I heard one mutter to another, “This party just got so epic!” After Quinn’s commanding voice had ordered them not to move, they were going to listen until he commanded them otherwise. Simmer was just visible next to a window, and I saw her smile at me and take another sip of her drink. I was glad she still planned on having a good time.

  The living room was even darker than the kitchen. The curtains had been drawn over the windows, and no moonlight was coming in. I couldn’t even see the chest.

  “Here, let me help,” came George’s voice from behind me.

  Without waiting for a response, the hulking grim reaper lit a match. I told myself he probably just kept matches in his grim reaper supply kit, meaning the giant pockets on his giant coat. I didn’t want to think about what else he kept in those pockets.

  The match flared and illuminated the chest in the corner. Usually it sat in the middle of the room, but someone must have pushed it back against the wall to make room for the crowd. Scattered items had been thrown haphazardly around the floor, including discarded cups and plates and some colorful beads we had hung up for decoration.

  The match burned out quickly, but George lit another as I went over to the chest.

  From the other room I could hear the soft hum of voices as Quinn checked on Jackie and Lowe found candles in kitchen drawers and lit them.

  The latch on the chest was stuck, and I had to force it hard to pry it open.

  When I finally got the lid open, George’s match burned out.

  A strange hissing sound came from the trunk, and I felt some sort of gas float past my face.

  George lit yet another match, and I reached my hand inside the trunk, only to feel something unexpectedly soft. I wondered if someone had stored spare blankets over the top of the lanterns, but just as quickly I realized that that wasn’t what I was feeling.

  Then George’s next match flared to life.

  I screamed.

  Chapter Nine

  The dead body in the trunk was crammed in tight. At first I was so shocked I didn’t recognize or understand anything. Hearing my scream, George stepped forward to see what was wrong. He reacted instantly.

  There was still some vapor floating past our faces that had been released from the trunk when I opened it. He took an empty glass vial from another pocket and captured some. Then he lit another match.

  “That’s not good,” was all he said.

  “Jade?” Quinn yelled. I could hear a commotion behind me and knew he was coming.

  For a few moments nothing made sense, but amidst the confusion I felt certain that this wasn’t a joke. It was clearly a dead body.

  Then little details started to register. I recognized the rumpled clothing. I had already seen it somewhere that night. Even if I couldn’t see the face of whoever it was, I knew the person. I just had to remember. But we had so many people in the house that everything was already kind of a blur.

  “Why don’t you step away?” George asked me. Compassion seemed to be an afterthought for him, but I appreciated the effort. He helped me to one of the couches as Lowe and Kelly came rushing in.

  “What happened?” Lowe demanded. “Were there spiders?”

  “Your grandmother probably booby-trapped the chest, didn’t she?” Kelly guessed.

  Now that she mentioned it, I wouldn’t put it past Bethel. But I didn’t answer, because my stomach was starting to roll and I le
aned over on the couch.

  “It’s far worse than that, I’m afraid,” said George matter-of-factly.

  Quinn stepped up next to George, his face grim. Before he could stop them, Kelly and Lowe peered in as well.

  “Oh, no. That’s awful,” cried Lowe. “Is this some kind of joke?”

  “It certainly doesn’t look like a joke,” said Kelly. She went very pale and carefully made her way over to sit next to me. George looked ready to catch her if she fell. I wouldn’t have thought I’d find a grim reaper’s company comforting, but it turned out that this one was good in a crisis. I had a feeling it might have taken him an awful lot of practice to be so calm.

  “How could there have been a murder?” Lowe squealed.

  The second she said it, she knew she shouldn’t have. We all turned to stare at the doorway and down the hall toward the room where most of the party guests were currently waiting to see what was going on. If anyone heard her, it would create mayhem. Luckily there was no sign that they had.

  “Best not say anything like that,” said Quinn. “Do you know who it is?” he asked me.

  “The clothing looks familiar. I think I saw the person earlier, but I just can’t place her,” I muttered.

  “Don’t worry about it. I need to call Joy. This is now a crime scene. We’ll find out soon enough who it is,” he said.

  “What do you think?” Lowe asked me.

  “This is bad,” I said.

  Aside from everything else, the chest was Bethel’s favorite footrest.

  Quinn wasn’t gone long, and he came back looking very concerned. George had continued to stand near the victim.

  “How was she killed?” Quinn asked George, who was bending over the body.

  “Clearly poison. There are no injuries.” George told Quinn about the captured vapor.

  “You can’t see the front of her,” Lowe sputtered.

  “He has his ways,” said Quinn.

  We sat silently while Quinn continued to work. My eyes skated over the usually empty sitting room.