“I hardly think I need you to tell me what my job entails.”
“Actually, I think I might. Is there some reason you don’t want to believe Medea is responsible here or question her? A personal relationship, perhaps?”
Griffin came unglued. “What do you mean by that?”
“Just that she’s an acquaintance of yours, you’re friends, perhaps.”
“Of course, I’m acquainted with her. She made a donation ….”
“To your campaign for sheriff?” Petunia asked.
“No. I began a local fundraiser to open an orphanage in town. And to be honest, Petunia, none of this is any concern of yours.”
“Petunia has made some valid points,” Evie said. “If you can’t do your job, maybe you should resign.”
Griffin’s face screwed up into the worst grimace Petunia had ever seen.
“Are you threatening me, Evie?”
“Of course not, she’d never do such a thing,” Chloe said. “Not like Medea does.”
“I’ll go out to the factory and question Medea, but I hope you know she won’t be pleased.”
“Who cares if she’s pleased,” Petunia said. “I gather most suspects don’t want to be questioned.”
Sheriff Griffin nodded without a further comment and disappeared out the door.
Petunia turned to look as Emerald walked in the door. “What did I miss?”
Evie gave Emerald the run down and Emerald sighed. “Do you really think that was a good idea? Medea will only make it worse for us.”
“Has she threatened you in the past?” Petunia asked.
“What are you doing here?” Emerald sneered.
“Chloe was fired today and Medea threw us off the property,” Petunia said.
“Fired on her day off?”
“Apparently the pink slip was in the works,” Chloe said.
“What did Gregg say about it?”
“He told me it was out of his hands.”
“Does Medea live in town?” Petunia asked.
“Why? What are you planning to do?” Chloe asked nervously.
“Conduct an independent investigation. Noah and I have conducted many investigations in Lake Forest.”
“I’d appreciate any help you could offer us. I want to get to the bottom of what happened to my shop,” Evie said.
“If you need any help cleaning up the shop, just let me know.”
“But you’re on vacation.”
“I know, but I’m bound by the creed of Witches Affairs to help out fellow witches,” Petunia said. “You never told me where Medea lives.”
Chloe jotted down the address and handed it off to Petunia.
Petunia spied on Sheriff Griffin on her way back to the hotel. Griffin was speaking to a man wearing a green apron who was sweeping the front of a tobacco shop. That was until Griffin saw Petunia. The sheriff quickly squared her shoulders and crossed the street to where her police cruiser was parked alongside the curb. Why would she park across the street when she came here on a call at Evie’s charm store? Then Petunia spotted the no parking sign on this side of the street.
When Petunia glanced back at the tobacco shop, the man was gone, broom and all.
Petunia made her way into the store and the smell of tobacco overwhelmed her. But she had to admit it was a unique blend of smells. She rather liked the smell of someone smoking a pipe.
An “ooh” and “ahh” escaped Petunia’s lips as she admired the array of hand-carved pipes. There was one with the image of a forest and another with deer, rabbits, and loons carved on it.
“Can I help you?” a woman asked, as she walked out from the back.
“I was looking for the man who was just sweeping outside. He wore a green apron.”
“You much mean Claude. He works for the city, cleaning the walkways and streets. Someone broke a wine bottle outside and I called him over to clean up the mess.”
“Oh, I saw the sheriff speaking to him.”
“I suspect so. She enforces the beautification of the city ordinances.”
“That makes sense, this being a tourist town and all.”
Petunia walked back outside and strolled along the courtyard looking for Claude, which had her darting in and out of the shops. One in particular had the most wonderful fragrance of perfumes and she took the time to spray one on before she departed back out the door.
She hurried down the street at the sound of a broom striking the cobblestone surface of the walkway. But when she entered an alley, it was quite empty. She proceeded into it anyway. The dumpsters looked to be in pristine condition, which was a little odd. Apparently, they kept this town cleaner than Petunia thought.
Petunia glanced up at the fire escapes, but each of them had been pulled up off the ground, presumably so that they couldn’t be used to access any of the apartments that were housed in the brick building. She was almost at the end of the alley when she heard the sound of an animal snarling and snapping as it approached.
She pressed her back against a locked door and closed her eyes tightly until the door gave way and she tumbled backwards into the building.
7
“Are you okay, Miss?” Claude asked. “It’s not very wise to be poking into the alleys. There be some right fierce beasties that congregate in the area.”
All Petunia could do was nod. The light was dim and flickering on and off, but it didn’t prevent Petunia from recognizing Claude.
“But the alley is quite clean and I can’t imagine any animals holing up there.”
“It’s safer for them there since the dog catchers don’t dare venture there.”
“Are they lost familiars?”
“Escaped from either the dog catcher or the witch they were assigned to.”
“They’ve gone feral, obviously.”
“That’s exactly what they are now. So, why are you sneaking around the alley?”
“I-I—”
“We should probably get out of the hall. Don’t need someone calling the sheriff now, do we.”
All Petunia could do was nod. She was frightened and yet felt she was safe enough with this man. He was much too old to do her any harm, or so she hoped. Petunia wished Pansy was with her. He always was able to knock some sense into her in his sarcastic way. Of course, if Noah was here it would even be better. She realized she should have gone to the hotel before investigating the town, but she couldn’t let this opportunity pass her by. She might never have known where Claude lived and after she saw him talking to the sheriff, it was doubly important to speak to him.
Petunia followed Claude into a small apartment and she took the offered seat at the small kitchen table. While she might have expected for it to be unkempt or foul smelling since there was only one window for ventilation, nothing could be further from the truth. The tile floors were in pristine condition, as was the small sink with not even one dish in it. Obviously, Claude was the right man for cleaning the city.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude, but I saw you talking to the sheriff….”
“And you wanted to know what we were talking about?” Claude interjected with a slight smile.
“Yes. You see the thing is I’m trying to help out Evie and find out who trashed her shop.”
Claude’s lower lip protruded slightly. “Terrible thing that happened. Nothing like that has ever happened in town before.”
“The sheriff is supposed to question a suspect, but I’m not sure if it will happen. I expected her to be heading out to the candy factory, not to find her having an idle conversation with you.”
“Who’s the suspect?”
“Medea Deadsnout.”
Claude inhaled sharply and held his breath for a few minutes before he exhaled. “It’s no wonder the sheriff didn’t want to question Medea.”
“She can’t be afraid of her, surely.”
“Medea has power in this town.”
“She has power only on the factory and Candyland grounds,” Petunia countered.
>
“Don’t fool yourself, Medea has a lot of pull in this town.”
“Even over the sheriff?”
“Especially over the sheriff.”
“Sheriff Griffin told me Medea donated a large sum to the fundraiser every year.”
“What fundraiser is that?”
“It’s for a local orphanage.”
“It must be the orphanage of Sheriff Griffin’s pocket. There isn’t an orphanage in town or any other fundraiser than I’ve ever heard of. Griffin’s too busy policing Coven Creek.”
“I believe she mentioned she had planned to construct one.”
“The sheriff didn’t want anything out of the normal. Keep the town looking clean and tidy … oh, and keep an eye on your and Chloe’s movements. Promised to add a bonus to my check when I report back to her in a few days.”
“Except there’s nothing of interest to report. I’m here on vacation and now because of Medea, Chloe is out of a job.”
“Medea finally fired her?”
“Today, and obviously that wasn’t good enough for Medea. She also wanted Chloe thrown off the company property.”
“Didn’t want anyone to know what she’s done.”
“That’s a thought, but I plan to confront Medea myself about Evie’s trashed shop, among other things.”
Claude wiped the perspiration from his face with a hanky. “Don’t do that. Medea isn’t the sort to tangle with.”
“I appreciate your thoughts, but I better get back to the hotel now. I’m sure my boyfriend is worried about why I’ve been gone so long. If you can show me out the front entrance.”
“Hmm, not sure if you should use the front door. One of the sheriff’s spies might see you. I know I can’t be the only one she asked to keep an eye on you.”
“You certainly don’t want me to leave through the alley. Those feral familiars will rip me to shreds.”
“But you’re a witch, aren’t you?”
“Only a potion witch.”
“Only? You make it sound like you don’t have any magic to speak of.”
“I don’t,” I assured him.
“Tell you what. I have a vial I was given a few years back to ward off evil spirits. You can take it with you,” Claude offered.
“No, I won’t take it. You might need it and I don’t want to leave you unprotected,” Petunia said. “Looks like I’ll have to wing it. Show me the way out.”
Petunia inhaled sharply as she stepped into the alley that was eerily silent. And she hadn’t moved very far when she heard low rumbles and growls. No, that wasn’t right. It was the sounds of snores.
Petunia squeezed down the alley as she made her way past indescribable animals. Why, he didn’t look scary at all now. The poor things were all alone in the world thanks to the corrupt dog catcher. Petunia vowed she’d help them somehow.
She crossed the street to her hotel and Noah was waiting in his room for her. Both Noah and Pansy appeared worried from the way they paced.
“It’s about time, Red,” Pansy said. “What did you find out?”
“I think the sheriff in this town is crooked,” Petunia told Noah. She then explained where she had been and what happened.
“Medea must have a hold over the sheriff.”
Petunia shrugged. “Beats me, but I’m willing to believe anything at this point. Sheriff Griffin was stalling about questioning Medea.”
“So, where does that bring us?” Noah asked.
“I don’t know, but I know what I’d like to do … question Medea myself. She lives in a house near the factory. But I’ve been warned by more than one person not to go there.”
“You never let that stop you before,” Noah said. “Or I should say stop us, since there is no way I’m going to allow you to go there alone.”
“That sounds a little like you’re trying to control me.” Petunia laughed. “But I’ll allow it this time. I wish you had been with me when I followed Claude. Of course, you probably would have prevented me from going into the alley.”
“You’re right, I would have. It’s too dangerous walking around in an alley even if this is a tourist town.”
“Believe me, I realized my mistake. I’m so glad we managed to get Pansy away from Medea. It’s hard to believe familiars are sold on the black market or that so many would be abandoned. I need to speak to Evie about that. There must be something that can be done.”
“I would never have let that witch take me anywhere, not as long as I have razor sharp claws,” Pansy said.
“If Medea didn’t do something positively dreadful to you just to get back at me.”
“I would think the person she wants to get back at is Chloe, especially now. She’ll find out that Evie believes she’s a suspect.”
“Do you think Medea is as dangerous as Evie suggested, Noah?” Petunia asked.
“From the way she behaved today, I’d count on that. She’s a woman used to getting what she wants and right now she wants Evie’s shop,” Noah said.
“I wonder why she wants it so bad? There must be something of value she’s after.” Petunia thought about the crystal ball, but if it hadn’t moved in eighty years, how could it be of any interest to Medea? “So, you said you were coming with me to question Medea, Noah?”
“Yes, but if the sheriff is going there first, don’t you think it might be better to wait, even until tomorrow when she won’t be expecting us.”
“I suppose that makes sense, but I want proof that the sheriff went there to question Medea and not for a social call.”
“How do you plan we’ll get on the property without anyone noticing?”
“Take the tour bus, of course. I believe the last one leaving will be at four-thirty.”
“You better hurry and do whatever it is that women do before they go anywhere.”
“Men aren’t much better in that respect.”
Petunia hurried to her room and the door hardly closed before she walked over to the crystal ball. Now it was black in color. That was strange. Petunia put her fingertips on it and with a rumble of the dresser, it shot strands of green light into the air. The glitter inside swirled and swirled until square and yet slightly rounded white objects came into view in the globe. “What on earth,” Petunia said telepathically.
“What did you see, Red?”
“I don’t know. Marshmallows?”
“Marshmallows, Red?”
“That’s what it looked like.”
“Do you see Medea?”
“Not this time and right now I’m not all that concerned if Medea is in danger or not.”
“I don’t like the sounds of that, Red. It’s so unlike you. Shouldn’t you give Medea a chance to come clean about if she broke into Evie’s shop or not?”
“She nearly had the dog catcher come for you.”
“I guess you’re right, but even if Medea is an awful woman it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t care if she’s in danger or not.”
“We’ll see how this works out, but I have a feeling Medea is going to make questioning impossible.”
Petunia and Noah sat toward the back of the bus with Pansy along for the ride. At this point, Petunia wasn’t willing to leave Pansy behind. At least if he was with her she felt as if she’d be able to protect him. She had managed to take Pansy away from Medea once and she would do it again if needed.
The bus rumbled up the road and the tourists chattered about all the samples they’d be eating soon. Petunia hoped they did better job of limiting themselves than she did. Her stomach still sort of ached.
When the bus came to a stop, the crowd filed out and congregated near the entrance of the factory. They were told they’d each be put into smaller groups.
Petunia held Pansy tightly and nearly jumped out of her skin when Noah tapped her on the shoulder and they boarded a golf cart and took off.
Petunia glanced back with a frown. “I don’t think we’ll be missed. Nobody even saw us spirit away the golf cart.”
“That’s a go
od thing. It will buy us some time.”
“I hope it’s not terribly hard to find where Medea lives.”
“Can’t see her staying in a trailer like over there,” Noah pointed out.
“No, for some reason I expect there to be some creepy mansion.”
“You mean like up on that hill?”
Petunia gasped at the house on the hill. It resembled the house from Bates Motel without the … motel.
The house looked eerie with twisted and dead trees pressed against the structure. A line of dark clouds simply hung over the house.
Petunia glance around the drive that Noah pulled into and there wasn’t a car in sight.
“Maybe Medea isn’t here,” Petunia offered.
“Or Medea is still sleeping in her coffin,” Pansy said.
“I’d imagine if she was a vampire, we wouldn’t have seen her earlier—especially with the sunshine there was today,” Petunia said.
“Do you think she might still be at the factory, Noah?”
“That’s a good observation, but we could just knock on the door.”
“The sheriff isn’t here. I knew I couldn’t trust her to do the right thing.”
“Now, let’s be fair here. The sheriff might be searching for Medea at the factory,” Noah said, as he rapped at the door.
Seconds later, the door slowly creaked open and a rail thin butler with an atrocious toupee answered the door.
“We’re here to speak with Medea,” Petunia said.
“Of course. We’ve been expecting you. I’ll take you to the parlor.”
“Don’t go into that creepy mansion,” Pansy squeaked. “We’ll be goners for sure.”
“How else are we going to question Medea?”
“You certainly don’t do it by offering up your cat to be sacrificed.”
“Don’t be so ridiculous.”
Pansy dug his nails into Petunia’s arms and she muttered aloud, “Ouch!” She dropped him and he hid beneath the bushes.
“I’ll wait out here for you.”
Petunia grumbled as she interlaced her arm with Noah’s and gave him a shaky look. Her fingernails dug into his arm, but he managed to remove her hand just as they entered the parlor.
Meows, Magic & Marshmallows Page 6