Crooks and Crystals (A Hocus Pocus Cozy Witch Mystery Series Book 3)

by Constance Barker

  Celestial stood up and stretched, yawning. If she was going to figure any of this out, she needed some sleep before she opened the shop in the morning. She took a vial of Sleep Well potion from her desk drawer to sprinkle over her pillow and switched off the light. It had been a long night.

  Chapter 10

  Celestial turned the sign of Herbal Heaven from closed to open, then jumped backward as her friend Tamara apparated right outside the front door.

  "You're here early," Celestial remarked, opening the door.

  "After our conversation last night, I thought we should go over everything you know and what's happened so far," Tamara said, walking past her and heading to the back room.

  Athena was perched on the couch. "Time for tea?" she asked.

  Celestial flicked on the kettle with a motion of her hand and she and Tamara joined the dragonfly on the couch. Tamara and Athena started to rehash last night's conversation, but Celestial's mind kept wandering. Instead of the masked intruder, she kept thinking about Helen and the picture with the love note on back. The whistle of the kettle broke her reverie.

  "I've got to go see Helen," Celestial said, standing up abruptly.

  "What about tea?" Asked Athena.

  "Do you think that's safe? Shouldn't you talk to Nikoli before you start interviewing people? And doesn't she dabble in dark magic?" Tamara added.

  Celestial merely smiled, waved and apparated away. She didn't feel like answering their questions. She appeared in an alleyway in town a few blocks away. Helen's diner was right around the corner. Celestial straightened her blue sweater and finger combed her brunettee hair.

  She walked into the diner and looked around. It smelled delicious and Celestial realized she was starving. It was almost lunch time and she hadn't eaten anything. There were lots of customers and she gazed around, noticing there was only one waitress working. It was a cozy, old fashioned spot. There was a display case in the back but instead of the usual desserts there were different cuts of meat inside.

  "Hello, table for one?" A woman asked, smiling.

  With a start, Celestial recognized Helen Argent from her picture. Witches had a way of sneaking up on each other. Helen had long grey hair and dark hazel eyes. She was petite and looked younger than her age. She had on a white apron and Celestial couldn't help but notice a smear of blood across the front.

  "Um, yes, table for one, please," Celestial said after an awkward pause.

  "Helen Argent, I own this place," Helen said, introducing herself as she led Celestial towards the back to a little table in a quiet nook. "This is our best table. It's Celestial, right?"

  "Yes, Celestial Meadow," Celestial replied, scrambling to think of what to say. Helen had caught her off guard. The other woman seemed to crackle with energy, and Celestial suspected she might be a powerful witch.

  "Mind if I join you?" Helen sat down without waiting for a reply. The waitress appeared as if on cue. Helen ordered a chef's sampler and two teas and sent her away. "You'll love the chef's sampler, that way you can try all of our best dishes. We butcher all of our own meat in the shop, and sell meat, too. I hope you're not vegetarian!" Helen said with a hearty chuckle.

  "No, that sounds delicious," Celestial said graciously. "I'm starving."

  "Word around town is that you're investigating the death of Martin Zellers," Helen said, looking intently at Celestial. The smiles fell from both of their faces.

  "I'm not a detective or a private investigator. I own an herbal remedies shop in town, Herbal Heaven." Celestial said. "Did you know Martin Zellers?"

  Helen smiled again, but this time it seemed much cooler than earlier. "Not really. He came into the diner every so often but I didn't know him beyond that." She said with a slight shrug.

  The waitress returned with their tea and Celestial added milk and stirred, waiting for hers to cool. Helen took a long sip of it black even though it was steaming hot. Celestial thought Helen had to be lying given the picture of her and the love note she'd found at Martin's desk, but the woman's face was hard to read. She thought back to rumors she'd heard about the other witch from members of the coven.

  "Are you still making love potions, Helen?" Celestial asked, still stirring her tea and trying to sound casual.

  "Yes, I make them. Do you need one for Nikoli Brewer?" Helen asked with a sly smile.

  Celestial's cheeks flushed a dark red. Did everyone in town gossip about her and the detective? She took a gulp of her tea.

  "No, but thanks for the offer," She managed to say after a moment. Luckily the waitress appeared with a tray with several plates of meat pastries and charcuterie, giving Celestial a moment to recover her composure.

  Helen took a few pieces of prosciutto and stood up.

  "Well, I never have time to sit for long. I'm needed in the kitchen," she said with a smile. "You know how it is being a small business owner. Lunch is on me. Nice to see you, Celestial," she said, walking away briskly before Celestial had a chance to thank her.

  Celestial mulled the interaction over as she ate her lunch. Everything was mouth wateringly delicious but there was way too much. She had the waitress pack up her meal and brought it back to the shop.

  Tamara and Athena were waiting for her, eager to hear what had happened. Celestial recounted her lunch at the diner.

  "It was bizarre. Even though Helen was friendly, she was very assertive and she had a lot of aggressive energy around her," Celestial said thoughtfully.

  "Why would she lie about knowing Martin Zellers?" Tamara asked.

  "It makes her look pretty guilty," Athena said.

  "Maybe she was embarrassed. She was older than Martin... maybe he rejected her or something," Celestial said thoughtfully.

  "Either way, she should have known better than to lie to a sleuthing witch," Tamara said with a grin. "You can't get away with anything while Celestial Meadow is on the case!" She added in a funny voice. They all laughed, but Celestial was starting to worry. She was getting nowhere with this case, and she had no idea who might have killed Martin Zellers.

  Chapter 11

  Making soap was not an easy thing, but Celestial relished the challenge. She had a big steel bench at the back of the shop she used to mix and set the soap, ready for drying and curing.

  It was important to Celestial to know that everything in her products was completely authentic. To fully absorb her magic and work as an effective spell, she had to make everything from scratch.

  For this reason, she didn’t buy soap base. She made her own lye, which was dangerous but worth the risk. She was handling the mixing stage on the next batch when she heard the shop door rattle. She finished pouring in her special blend of oils and flower petals, hurrying to put the soap aside to dry.

  “Hello, Helen.” she said as she approached the counter. “What can I do for you?” Even though Celestial was wary of everyone right now, especially Helen, she was always polite.

  “I’m hoping to get a couple of those pouperrie pouches. I want a couple of light floral ones and some of those spicy ones.”

  “The bergamot and pepper sage?”

  “Those are the ones. They are wonderful aromatherapy.”

  Celestial smiled as she put some fresh pouches together for Helen. The spicy pouches were for clearing the mind and it pleased her that someone like Helen was affected by them. Maybe she could clear negativity out of this town by using sharp scents to banish negative energy and handing them out to everyone with a temper.

  “I’ll take some of that lily soap too. Is that a fresh batch out there?”

  “Yes, but it has to cure for a few weeks. Don’t worry, I have a lot prepared and ready to go.”

  “Okay, good. Your soap really is the best, Celestial. My skin has never looked better.”

  “Thank you.” Celestial wished Helen was being genuinely nice, but there was a hard edge to her words. It wasn’t a compliment. It was so full of envy that it sounded like an insult.

  While Celestial was wrapping up the
items Samantha came in, smiling as she headed to the counter. Helen’s reaction was immediate. Her mouth drew into a tight line and her eyes widened. She stepped aside a little so she could face Samantha as she approached the counter.

  “Hi, Celestial,” Samantha smiled. Celestial smiled back, her eyes darting between the two women. The tension was rising by the second, but Samantha didn’t seem to notice.

  “Hi, Helen.” Samantha’s voice was easy, her tone relaxed. She sensed nothing amiss. It was only after she greeted the other woman and Helen continued to glare at her that Samantha lost her smile.

  She was about to speak again when Helen practically growled at her, stepping forward.

  “Shut up.” Helen growled. “Don’t you dare speak to me.”

  “What? Why? I just said hello.”

  “Don’t play dumb with me!” Helen’s voice cracked through the air. “I know everything that’s been going on.”

  Samantha took a very slow, deliberate step back. Her eyes were locked on to Helen’s and Celestial thought it looked like a snake hypnotizing a mouse.

  “I know Martin was with you when he was with me.” Helen hissed. “Don’t you dare pretend you didn’t know.”

  “He was with you, too?”

  “What did I just say?”

  “I didn’t know! If I didn’t know about Jenna, how could I have known about you?” Poor Samantha looked like a child lost in the woods. Her entire life was being shaken up a little more every day.

  “How many more were there?” Samantha cried. “Is this going to happen to me every day? How could he lie to me like this?”

  “You? How could he lie to me like this! You don’t know what we had.”

  “You don’t know what we had!” Samantha protested. It was the wrong thing to say. Helen’s anger turned into blinding fury.

  She took a very slow step forward until her face was an inch away from Samantha’s. Before anyone could react, her hand flew up and grabbed Samantha’s cheeks, digging in her fingernails. The other woman was so terrified she couldn’t move.

  “You just watch your step.” Helen murmured, almost nose to nose with Samantha. “If you don’t be careful, you’ll end up just like that cheater.”

  Samantha’s eyes bugged open in fear but before she could react, Helen let her go and stepped away. She didn’t take her eyes off Samantha as she grabbed her package and threw a fifty on the counter.

  “Keep your change Celestial,” she called over her shoulder as she quickly left the store.

  Samantha’s face crumbled. Celestial was already halfway around the counter when Samantha started to cry.

  Poor woman, Celestial thought. Every time she thinks she’s finding her feet, she gets hit again.

  “Samantha—”

  Samantha shook her head, tears pouring down her cheeks. Celestial reached out for her but Samantha ran for the door.

  “Wait, Samantha!”

  She just kept running. Celestial sighed, looking at the counter and her collection of dried flowers with a heavy heart.

  Tamara, slowly fanning her wings on a nearby chair, suddenly shifted. Her slight frame curled gracefully into the large chair as she looked up at her friend.

  “That was interesting.” Tamara said.

  “Yes, it was.” Celestial said thoughtfully.

  “She seems angry enough to have killed him. I mean, Helen’s not known for her good temper, but I’ve never seen her attack anyone like that.”

  “Me neither.”

  “I think she’s capable.” Tamara said quietly. Celestial nodded.

  “Things that make you go ‘hmm’.” Celestial shook her head, accusations and clues seeming to swirl around, battering at her temples.

  Chapter 12

  Celestial was making tea when she saw Nikoli just outside. She hurried to the door to let him in, wondering what news there might have been on the case. He looked like a man burdened with hardship, someone carrying weight that didn’t even belong to him.

  “Come in, Nikoli.” she said softly as she opened the door. “Would you like some tea?”

  “Only if you don’t have anything stronger.’ He raked a hand through his messy hair, following Celestial to the kitchen. She handed him a hot cup, taking one for herself as she sat down.

  “What happened? You look like you’ve been running wild.”

  “My wolf would like to be.” He took a sip of tea, stretching his shoulders until they cracked.

  “Any leads?”

  “Not really. I got the forensics back today. There was a high amount of sedatives in Martin’s blood, but that wasn’t what killed him. He died of an overdose of heroin.”

  “My goodness.” Celestial raised a hand to her mouth, shocked.

  Nikoli nodded. “They fully examined him and there was no sign of prior heroin use.” When his eyes met Celestial’s, they were dark with knowledge. “Someone overdosed him. He was murdered with heroin.”

  Celestial looked away, into her teacup. “I can’t imagine the kind of evil it would take to hurt someone so badly, even a low life like him.”

  “It was most likely administered through the pin prick between his toes. It’s interesting, because junkies do that to avoid people seeing their track marks.”

  “So, whoever did it was probably counting on you not noticing the needle mark.”

  Nikoli nodded again. “Most likely, yes. It doesn’t mean much though, when we found the heroin itself easily enough.”

  “Wait a minute.” Celestial completely forgot about her tea as she hurried to the countertop to pick up Helen’s photo. “I found this not long ago. Helen and Samantha had a hell of a face off in my store, as well.”

  “Really?” Nikoli took the photo, his eyes widening as he checked it out.

  “It was obvious that Samantha didn’t know about Helen. But Helen definitely knew about Samantha.”

  “Was there anyone in this town he wasn’t involved with?” Nikoli muttered, disgusted.

  “If there is, then you better find out. They’re your number one suspect.” Celestial tried for a light tone but there was no humor here.

  “Morgana’s still on the list, isn’t she?” Celestial asked. Nikoli nodded.

  “Unfortunately, yes.”

  “I really don’t think she did it. She just lost her temper with him, and who wouldn’t? She was convinced he was going to jail and she was looking forward to seeing him rot there.”

  “I suppose I had better get out and talk to Helen.”

  “Would it be okay if I tag along?”

  “Okay? Since when have I been able to do this without you?”

  The two shared a smile, one of the few moments that they could let their affection for each other show. Maybe if the murders in town would slow down just a little, Celestial could finally make dinner for Nikoli.

  She didn’t dwell on it long, though. People were in danger and that was more important right now.

  Celestial rode in Nikoli’s car to Helen’s, the two of them talking easily. They stayed away from the subject of the case, easy in each other’s company. The mood changed as soon as they got to Helen’s and both of them went very quiet as they approached her door.

  No matter how many times I do this, it doesn’t get easier Celestial thought.

  They knocked on the door and to Celestial’s surprise, Helen invited them in. She had expected to get stuck on the doorstep while Helen yelled at them through the mail slot.

  “What can I do for you?” Helen smiled as she invited them into her living room. She was perfectly at ease, not showing even a hint of nervousness. This bugged Celestial to no end. Even if you were innocent, it must still be nerve wracking to have the detective in charge show up at your house.

  “We’ll make this quick for now, Helen.” Nikoli pulled out his notepad, declining the chair Helen offered. “I’ll want more in depth statements later, but for now, I’d just like you to answer a few questions.”

  “Sure.” Helen crossed her arms, smilin
g at Nikoli. She sent Celestial a sidelong glance that was almost challenging.

  “Helen, do you have access to sleeping pills? Do you use them yourself or have a family member that does?”

  “No. I really couldn’t say anything about my family, but I certainly don’t.”

  “We can check these facts by court order, if need be.”

  “By all means, darling.” She spread her arms, smiling slyly. “Check me out thoroughly.”

  Celestial shifted uneasily. Helen was far too confident.

  “How about heroin?” Nikoli dropped the word mercilessly into the conversation, waiting for a reaction. Helen just grinned even wider.

  “Do I look like I’m in need of any chemical enhancements?” She laughed softly.

  “No. But—”

  “Honey.” Helen took two steps over to Nikoli, stopping right in front of him. She tossed her hair as she grabbed his tie, her bright smile becoming light and teasing as she held his eye.

  “I don’t need any of those tricks to get a man.” She batted her eyelashes at Nikoli and her glance shifted away from him to wink at Celestial.

  Celestial took a couple of steps back, moving towards the door. Nikoli shook himself free, following Celestial.

  “We’ll be in touch.” He said gruffly. The two of them hurried out the door and both could hear Helen chuckling.

  “I’m glad I didn’t go in there alone.” Nikoli looked like a man who just avoided getting hit by a bus. Celestial shook her head a little, giving him no answer save her smile.

  Chapter 13

  Celestial gritted her teeth and clenched her fists as she looked at the mess she was making on the table. She grabbed a dustpan and brush from the cupboard and began briskly swiping at the dried petals and herbs she was intending to make into potpourri bags.

  The smell of rotten eggs moved in a cloud towards her nostrils as she swept. What was she thinking of trying to combine those ingredients? Her head was all over the place today.

  She threw the offending debris into the large trash can at the back of the shop and shook her whole body from fingers to toes in an attempt to reset her vibration channel. It worked – for about five seconds until her mind was once again clouded by the mystery of who killed Martin Zeller.