Ghoul's Paradise (Spellbound Ever After Paranormal Cozy Mystery Book 7)

by Annabel Chase

  I looked at him sideways. “You can’t tell?” I began to worry about the state of the body. I’d never seen a decomposed one and hadn’t taken my anti-nausea potion today. I’d stopped during the pregnancy and hadn’t gotten back into the habit. I hadn’t started my anti-insomnia potion either because it seemed pointless when I was up in the night so frequently with Diana.

  “You’ll see,” Jeremiah said ominously, doing nothing to allay my fears. The young werewolf moved at a rapid pace and had to slow down multiple times to allow us to catch up. We passed by a few farms and arrived at Whispering Woods.

  “What were you doing out here?” Britta asked.

  “I like to come out to the woods to write my poetry,” he said.

  Britta snickered. “Dude, you’re a werewolf. You write poetry?”

  I nudged her with my elbow in an effort to silence her. “I think it’s great,” I said. “What kind of poetry do you like to write?”

  The werewolf beamed, seemingly excited to talk about his passion project. “Nature poems are my jam. I’m talking Emerson and Thoreau. Those guys are top dogs in the poetry world.”

  I suppressed a smile. “Yes, they’re definitely known as the beasts of nature poets.”

  “I come out to the woods or sometimes I go to the foothills after work, depending on inspiration striking. Tonight I was in the mood to extol the virtues of toadstools, so the woods were my best bet. I wasn’t expecting to find a body.” He raked a hand through his disheveled hair, causing pieces to stick up even further. “Not that anyone’s ever expecting to find a body. Man, I have a whole new idea for a poem now.”

  He slowed to indicate that we’d arrived at the scene and an involuntary gasp escaped me when I saw the body on the ground. No matter how many times I’d seen a dead body, it never ceased to unnerve me. There but for the grace of the gods go I. I instantly understood why Jeremiah didn’t recognize his fellow werewolf. The corpse was wearing a clown mask, an orange wig, a patchwork suit, and enormous clown shoes.

  “See what I mean?” Jeremiah asked. “Smells like a werewolf but sure don’t look like one.”

  “It’s just a costume,” I said.

  Jeremiah cast a cursory glance at the sheriff. “Aren’t you going to say anything? Or is this like one of those Sherlock Holmes situations where you figure it all out and then you speak?”

  “I see her reputation precedes her,” I said quickly. “Sheriff Astrid is taking it all in. The more someone talks, the less they’re processing their environment.”

  Jeremiah scratched his head. “I don’t think that’s how it works for werewolves. Must be a Valkyrie thing.”

  “Did you happen to see anyone in the vicinity when you found him?” I asked.

  Jeremiah shook his head. “No. Even the birds were quiet here. It was actually really peaceful until I decided to stake out a new spot. My usual spot was a little damp so I decided to go looking for more toadstools.”

  Britta began to search the area around the body. “We appreciate you coming to get us, but now we’re going to need you to clear out. We don’t want to disturb the crime scene.”

  “Are you sure it’s a crime?” Jeremiah asked. “Maybe that guy looked at himself in a mirror and dropped dead of a heart attack.”

  “That branch protruding from his chest suggests otherwise,” I said.

  “Looks like someone stabbed him to death with that branch and then he fell and hit his head on that rock.” Britta pointed to the ground.

  “He must not be that big of a bleeder,” I said. I would’ve expected more blood in general.

  “Can I at least stay for the unmasking?” Jeremiah asked eagerly.

  Sheriff Astrid shook her head and I jumped in. “It’s best if you don’t. We need to minimize the distractions for the sheriff.”

  Jeremiah jammed his hands in his pockets. “Boy, who knew the sheriff was such a diva? Consider me schooled.”

  “Get back to pontificating about blades of grass and let us work,” Britta said.

  Jeremiah lit up. “Pontificating. Now there’s a good word.” As he ran off, I heard him trying to find a rhyming word. Good luck with that.

  Once he was gone, I looked at the sheriff. “Would you like to do the honors or shall I?”

  Astrid didn’t hesitate. She leaned down and tugged off the mask. It would have felt like a Scooby-Doo moment, except we were revealing the victim and not the killer.

  “Stars and stones,” I said in a hushed whisper. I recognized the steely brown eyes of Lorenzo Mancini, the alpha of the werewolf pack and a member of the town council. Astrid and Britta were as struck speechless as I was…Well, technically Astrid was already struck speechless. We stared at the town leader in stunned silence.

  “Who in this town is crazy enough to kill someone like Lorenzo?” I asked, aghast. The werewolf and I had never gotten along, and he would’ve been more than happy to make my life miserable if he could’ve gotten away with it. Still, there was something about seeing him dead in the woods in a clown costume that gave me no pleasure. I turned to Astrid. “We’re going to have to reverse that spell on you as quickly as we can.”

  Sheriff Astrid opened her mouth and sneezed. As she pulled another tissue from her pocket, she scowled at her sister.

  “How was I supposed to know someone was going to stab a clown with a branch? I’m not a psychic.” Britta turned her back to us and continued her search of the area for clues.

  “Why is he wearing a clown costume?” I asked. Lorenzo Mancini had a closet filled with custom suits and gold cufflinks. He wouldn’t be caught dead in a clown suit. Well, actually he had been caught dead in a clown suit, but I couldn’t imagine why he’d been out in the woods like this. Then again, we all had secret lives and parts of ourselves that we shared with no one, or a select few. Wasn’t it always the professed family man that ended up arrested for the murder of a clandestine lover? Maybe Lorenzo’s smooth façade had hidden fetishes that he was ashamed of, although a clown seemed like an unusual choice. What did I know about fetishes though? I’d been pretty sheltered in my old life and the rest of the world had only recently opened up to the residents of Spellbound.

  “Those shoes are amazing,” Britta said. “Do they have to stay in evidence because I totally want to wear them.”

  I stared at the bulbous orange shoes. “I’m pretty sure your sister would insist that all of this must go into evidence, at least until the case is closed.”

  Britta kneeled next to the body and admired the colorful patchwork blazer. “Can I have this too? I don’t know what style this is, but I am really digging it.”

  “It’s called circus chic,” I lied.

  Britta nodded solemnly. “Figures there’d be a name for something as cool as this.”

  Astrid crouched next to the body, her expression somber. She had a longer history with Lorenzo than I did. She’d worked closely with the council and the head of the werewolf pack when she’d served as deputy under Sheriff Hugo. The centaur had been a lazy head of law enforcement and Astrid had often performed the tasks that he should have been performing. This was going to be a tough blow for the community. My personal feelings aside, Lorenzo had been a pillar of strength in Spellbound long before I arrived. Our best course of action was to find the killer as quickly as possible and keep the pack from any thoughts of vigilante justice. They had a history of doing things their own way, but we’d worked hard to integrate them into the community and under Spellbound’s authority. Now, with their alpha gone, the entire pack could fall apart. It was a good thing that I knew Lorenzo’s second-in-command was someone with a good head on his shoulders and a solid work ethic.

  As if reading my mind, Britta said, “Alex is going to have some big shoes to fill.”

  “You’re not kidding,” I said.

  She pointed to the clown shoes. “No, I mean it. Those shoes are ridiculously large.”

  The sheriff didn’t need to speak in order to express her exasperation. She smacked her sis
ter on the back of the head.

  Britta rubbed the sore spot. “Ouch. What was that for?”

  Her sister gave her an angry look.

  “I think she’s telling us we need to alert the council,” I said. I didn’t want their disagreement to escalate. Now wasn’t the ideal time for them to work through their issues.

  Sheriff Astrid reluctantly nodded.

  “I’ll stay and secure the area,” Britta said. Her sister jerked a stern finger in front of Britta’s face, prompting the younger Valkyrie to hold up her hands in a bid for peace. “Fine. I won’t touch the shoes. I swear.”

  The sheriff turned on her heel and stalked out of the woods. I hurried after her, my stomach plummeting. It was going to be a long night.

  There was something about the Great Hall in the middle of the night that gave the building an eerie quality. In the light of day, the massive hall with its arched stained-glass windows was beautiful and impressive. At the witching hour, however, it seemed foreboding and full of shadows. The other council members were already positioned in their places on the dais when Sheriff Astrid and I arrived. Mayor Lucy waved from her place in the middle of the dais. The fairy managed to look perky despite being unexpectedly dragged out of bed.

  “I’d say to let me do the talking, but I know that it’s a given,” I said. I only hoped that the dummy spell I performed on the way here lasted long enough to get us through the meeting. If the council members knew that Sheriff Astrid was incapable of talking, they were going to be even more out of sorts. Lorenzo’s death was enough for them to deal with right now. I was fortunate that my coven friends and I had performed this spell recently when we were messing around in the secret lair and pretending that Diana could talk. While we waited for Sedgwick to deliver urgent messages to the council members, I’d hastily transformed a voodoo doll of Begonia into one of Astrid.

  “Welcome, Sheriff Astrid and town savior,” Lord Gilder greeted us.

  “Just Emma is fine,” I said.

  “What urgent matter brings us here tonight?” Maeve asked. The banshee’s ringlets were a tangled mess and she had a streak of dried slobber on her cheek. Unlike Lucy, it was clear that Maeve had, in fact, been dragged out of bed.

  “I’m afraid the sheriff and I have some horrible news,” I said.

  “I should hope so given how late it is,” Wayne Stone grumbled. “Do you know how long it takes me to fall asleep these days?” The older troll was clearly unhappy to be called to a midnight meeting.

  “We should wait for Lorenzo,” Mayor Lucy said. “You know how snippy he gets.” She rolled her eyes. “Prima donna.”

  I reached into my bag and gripped the sheriff’s voodoo doll. “Unfortunately, Lorenzo Mancini has been murdered.” Although I said the words in my head, they came out of Astrid’s mouth. Inwardly, I sighed with relief. If we could get through this council meeting as quickly as possible we could keep her condition hidden until we were able to reverse the spell.

  The entire council fell silent. They seemed uncertain that they’d heard correctly. Mayor Lucy recovered first. “I’m sorry. Did you just say that Lorenzo is dead?”

  I squeezed the doll. “That’s correct. His body was discovered in the woods this evening with a branch lodged in his chest.”

  Everyone was focused on Astrid, as she was the one who appeared to be speaking.

  “Do you have any clues?” Juliet asked. The Amazon wiped away a stray tear.

  “Not yet,” I said. “Deputy Britta, Sheriff Astrid and I searched the area, but there was nothing obvious. It was dark though, so we need to go back in daylight.”

  “And where is Deputy Britta?” Juliet asked.

  I squeezed the voodoo doll again and said, “She secured the area and waited for transport to arrive for the body.”

  Wayne folded his hands on the table and leaned forward. “Tell us what you know so far.” Tears glistened in the troll’s eyes and I realized that I’d never really seen him emotional before. As the town accountant, he tended to be more analytical.

  I was careful to recite exactly what Sheriff Astrid and I had agreed upon. “Lorenzo was discovered by a young werewolf in the woods at approximately eight thirty this evening. He was found with a stab wound in the chest courtesy of a branch approximately two feet long. We’ll have results from the autopsy as soon as possible.” We’d decided not to mention the clown costume. There was no reason to raise questions about Lorenzo’s personal life that we couldn’t answer, at least right now. I realized that it would be difficult to keep Jeremiah from talking though.

  “Has the pack been informed?” Juliet asked.

  “Sheriff Astrid and I discussed it, and we feel that Mayor Lucy is the best paranormal to break the news. We are, as you can imagine, slightly worried about the pack’s reaction. We prefer to hold off on telling them until we have more information, but we know that's unrealistic.”

  “Completely unrealistic,” Maeve agreed. “Mayor, you should talk to Alex first. He’s the second-in-command. Let him decide how to deal with the pack.”

  “Is that wise?” Lord Gilder asked. “What if he turns out to be a suspect?”

  “I think he should automatically be a suspect,” Wayne said. “Anyone with motive and access has to be under consideration. Isn’t that right, Sheriff?”

  I squeezed the doll in my bag.

  “I’ll be speaking to Alex tomorrow,” I said, as the sheriff. “Mayor, I’ll wait for you to break the news first before we interview him.”

  The mayor’s wings fluttered anxiously. “God’s above. This could be a real disaster if we don’t handle it right. And what about the council? Will Alex serve in Lorenzo’s stead? We’ve always had a representative of the pack.”

  “We can worry about us later,” Lord Gilder said. “For now, let’s focus on the investigation and keep the wolves from wreaking havoc.”

  “Do you think we should institute a curfew?” Mayor Lucy asked. “I can make the announcement tomorrow.”

  I worried that such a rash gesture would ruffle the wolves’ fur and make matters worse. “Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt,” I piped up. “If they do something that warrants a curfew, then, by all means, institute one. But let’s at least give them a chance and not assume the worst.”

  Mayor Lucy looked down one end of the dais and then the other. “Are we all in agreement?”

  “Aye,” everyone said in unison.

  “Sheriff, we’ll be expecting regular updates,” Mayor Lucy said. “As I’m sure you can appreciate, this is a delicate situation and we need to know that it’s in good hands.”

  I must’ve wrapped my hands too tightly around the doll’s throat, because the sheriff began to choke. I quickly loosened my grip and said, “You don’t have to worry about me. I have everything under control.” I couldn’t resist a sidelong glance at Astrid to make sure she was okay. The Valkyrie kept her focus on the council, although I could tell from my vantage point that she was terrified of being discovered. Spellbound had suffered under an incompetent sheriff for years and I knew she was particularly sensitive to protecting her reputation.

  Mayor Lucy adjourned the meeting and Astrid and I hurried out of the Great Hall ahead of everyone else. I was desperate to get home and climb into bed beside Daniel. I was exhausted from the day’s events but at least it was my turn to stay home tomorrow. A sliver of a silver lining.

  The sheriff pushed open the door and we spilled out into the darkness. A heavy weight lifted from my shoulders and I looked at her. “I feel like we just got away with murder.” I winced. “Oh, spell’s bells. Sorry. Poor choice of words.”

  The Valkyrie placed a hand on my shoulder. Her eyes solemn, she opened her mouth and sneezed.

  I offered a reassuring smile. “You don’t have to say anything, Astrid. You’re welcome.”

  Chapter Four

  The sun was shining as I pushed Diana in the stroller with Sedgwick circling overhead and Gareth trailing behind me.

  “
Guys, I don’t need an entourage,” I said. “I’m only taking the baby for a short walk.”

  “What if you trip and fall as you’re wont to do and the stroller goes careening down the road?” Gareth said.

  What if the baby flies away and you can’t catch her? That’s where I come in handy.

  I ground to a halt and peered into the stroller at my daughter’s cheerful face. “Are you listening to these two? I feel like a mafia wife. Can’t even walk around my own block without supervision by the goon squad.”

  The sound of a door opening caught my attention and I looked over at the Harpy’s Nest in time to see Alex disappear inside.

  “Perfect timing,” I said. It would also give my familiar a job to do aside from watch me like a hawk…or owl. I sent Sedgwick with a message for Sheriff Astrid so that we could take the opportunity to interview Alex away from the ears of the pack. Mayor Lucy had broken the news to him about Lorenzo earlier. Although I hadn’t had a chance to work on a spell reversal for Astrid yet, there was no reason I couldn’t kickstart the investigation for her.

  As I approached the Minors’ house, the scent of evergreen and mint lingered in the air and I smiled to myself. If I hadn’t seen Alex enter with my own two eyes, I still would’ve recognized his presence by his scent. I grabbed the knockers—the bare chest made of metal that the harpies used as a door knocker—and made enough noise to rouse the dead. If Diana weren’t already awake, she would be now.

  Calliope opened the door and broke into an ecstatic smile when she saw Diana in the stroller. She immediately bent down and lifted the cooing baby into her arms. “You can’t keep this sweet little thing in a straitjacket. She deserves to be as free as a bird.”

  “It’s a stroller, not a straitjacket,” I said.

  Calliope wandered into the house, intent on making faces at Diana. I followed her into the sunroom where Alex and Darcy were starting a card game with the rest of the harpies. Alex looked like he’d spent the morning being waterboarded and then forced to interact socially with his torturers. No one seemed to notice and I wondered whether he’d shared the grim news.