Meows, Magic & Marshmallows

by Madison Johns

  “Did one of you break into my hotel room to steal the crystal ball?” Petunia asked, as she glanced at the scratch marks on Naomi’s knuckles. “Unless you got those claw marks from another familiar.”

  “You!” Naomi shouted. “I should have killed your familiar.”

  “I don’t think you can actually … kill him, I mean. He’s part of the undead, you understand. He accidentally lapped up one of my potions and the next thing I knew he’s chasing dogs down the street. He’s quite carnivorous since the incident and I’m not all that certain what might happen if he bites a human. I suppose you’ll be okay since you’re a witch and all, but what do I know. I feel really bad about it, too,” Petunia said. “What I don’t’ understand is how did you know I had the crystal ball?” Petunia asked.

  “It disappeared from the window after you left Enchanted Objects.”

  “You had our shop under surveillance!” Chloe gasped.

  “It can fetch a pretty penny at an auction,” Naomi said.

  “The crystal ball will not do anyone any good,” Chloe said. “Only a powerful witch can get the globe to work.”

  Petunia shrugged. “I guess I’m more powerful than I thought.” She pulled the globe out of her purse and set it on the table. “Take a shot and see if it will work for you?” Petunia asked. She actually wished it would work for them since she would much rather be done with it.

  Allegra moved it toward her and when she touched it, she was zapped out of her chair. She climbed to her feet with widened eyes and stood back while Naomi sat there in shock.

  “Would you like to give it go?” Petunia asked Naomi.

  Naomi stood up and backed away. “We have no interest in that crystal ball. It’s already sealed to a witch.”

  Petunia touched the globe and bright green and blue lights shot out and she quickly put it away and left with Chloe.

  “I had no idea how entertaining this would be. Emerald and Evie will never believe what happened. That globe is protecting itself from bad witches,” Chloe gushed.

  “So, if Medea didn’t own the globe, who did?”

  “It was found in the attic of the house where Medea lived. It was owned by Magdalena Harrington and found after she died ... eighty years ago,” Chloe said. “The caretaker brought it to my grandmother for safekeeping with the assurance that it not be sold or given to anyone. Unless they had the magical ability to bring it back to life. I feel better knowing you have it, Petunia. You’re a good witch and I trust that you won’t use it in an evil way. Dire consequences will happen if you do.”

  “Believe me, I don’t even want to touch it, but I can see I need to handle it much differently. So far, I’ve only seen things, but I never asked it to show me anything. Maybe when I saw Medea laughing in the crystal ball it didn’t mean she’s alive necessarily.”

  “It’s trying to tell you something, but it will be up to you to figure it out.”

  “I have one question, though. I thought the original owner’s surname was Polly, not Harrington.”

  “Who told you that?”

  “Medea’s butler.”

  “He might have been talking about the name of the family who hired him.”

  “From what I understood, he’s always been working there and nobody can fire him. He basically comes with the house.”

  “You might want to question him again to clear up those details. There may be an important reason he told you what he did.”

  “Exactly. It still bothers me that both Medea and Clark Kenning before her died prematurely. Both of them have suspiciously died in a tragic accidents at the factory.”

  “Have you figured out who killed Medea yet?”

  “Far from it, I’m afraid. We haven’t even been able to prove foul play was at hand. But Noah and I will stay on the case. I appreciate all the help you and your family have provided us.”

  “And if the familiars we found tonight could talk, they’d thank you.”

  “How long do you think it will take for them to recover?”

  “It’s hard to say, but I expect they’ll be at the hospital for quite some time. We can’t allow just any witch to have them. They’ll need to be well-cared for and nurtured. And that will take a special witch.”

  Petunia waited with Noah as he knocked on the door where Medea lived. With the information she had been given by Chloe last night, they wanted another go around with the butler to clear up the inconsistencies.

  The door was opened by a smiling Wallace, who was one of the tour guides Petunia and Noah had met during their first visit to the candy factory.

  “What are you doing here, Wallace?” Petunia asked. “And where is Medea’s butler?”

  “He’s currently detained and asked me to answer the door. And the butler has a name. It’s Winslow.”

  “We need to speak to Winslow. It’s very important.”

  “Come on in. He’ll be with you shortly.”

  “I must say we didn’t expect to see you here,” Noah said. “Are you related to Winslow?”

  “He’s a friend,” Winslow said, as he joined them in the foyer.

  Wallace shook his head sadly. “I wanted to see how my friend is doing since his employer died so horribly.”

  Wallace was dressed in black slacks and a green vest as if he had planned to go into work today. “Is the factory open today?” Petunia asked.

  “Frank sent a message to all the employees this morning and informed us that we shouldn’t report today.” Wallace rubbed his bulging belly. “I only hope it won’t be closed for long. I depend on my job to supplement my social security. The factory is the largest employer in Coven Creek.”

  “I can’t imagine you’ll be displaced for long,” Noah said. “But with an accident of this magnitude, OSHA will be on scene as long as it takes. Were you working for the factory when the last manager died in an accident on the job?”

  “Clark Kenning,” Petunia added. “We were told he was pulled into a mixing machine.”

  Wallace’s eyes reddened and he dabbed a handkerchief beneath them. “I worked that day.” He shuddered. “I was giving a tour that day and luckily it concluded before ... the horrible incident.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” Petunia said. “What can you tell me about Clark?”

  “He was a tough businessman, but he didn’t go on a firing frenzy like Medea did. He wasn’t very personable, though. Not too many managers or investors acknowledge employees on the lower rung.”

  Petunia shook her head. “It always made me mad when I worked for managers like that. They think they’re too good to say hello or good morning. I’m so happy I have my own business now.” It wasn’t a total lie since Petunia had worked stints as a server at the bistro in town and as a sales clerk at the hobby store.

  “What sort of business are you in?” Winslow asked in his dour tone.

  “I make herbal remedies for my aunt’s store.” Petunia smiled. “Overall, it’s helped me be independent, but we’re here to ask the questions.”

  “I agree,” Noah said. “Was the last manager’s death ruled accidental?”

  “The president said it was, but OSHA wasn’t on scene more than a day,” Wallace said.

  “Were the employees as relieved as they seem with Medea’s accident?”

  “None that I spoke with. We were all in shock after it happened. It’s unbelievable that there would be another deadly accident at the factory, killing another manager.”

  “Are you happy that Medea is dead?”

  “No!” Wallace nearly shouted. “I never had problems with her in my department, although I know many of the other employees have complained about Medea. The only contact I’ve had with her involved changes in the tour locations. Medea rarely involved herself with the tours or the public.”

  “So, she wasn’t particularly liked at the factory, nor was she a people person,” Noah said. “It’s no wonder she had a harsh way of handling the employees. I still don’t get why she fired so many people.”r />
  “Madam has a low tolerance for incompetence as I’ve overheard her say many times,” Winslow said.

  “Who would she say that to, her friends?”

  “Frank Collins visited on many occasions,” Winslow said.

  “Were they involved personally?”

  “I don’t believe Madam was involved with anyone, as you say. Frank Collins came here every Thursday and they discussed business.”

  “Did they discuss Medea’s firing tactics?”

  “I wasn’t privy to those conversations.”

  “Are you in the habit of eavesdropping?” Petunia asked.

  Winslow pushed back his shoulders. “No self-respecting butler would do that.”

  “Certainly she must have had other guests.”

  “Madam worked long hours.”

  Noah turned to Wallace. “Thank you for your help, Wallace, but we would like to speak to Winslow privately.”

  “We’re good friends. I’ll be staying.”

  “It has to do with the original owners of this house,” Petunia began. “It was our understanding that the Polly family might not have been the original owners.”

  “I’ll meet you at two for tea, Wallace,” Winslow said.

  Wallace puffed up his chest and actually looked offended. “If you’d like.” He closed the door in a huff as he left.

  “We didn’t mean to cause you any problems,” Petunia said. “But we really need to know about the Harrington family.”

  “You have been misinformed.”

  “Are you saying that Magdalena Harrington never lived here?”

  Winslow inhaled sharply and collapsed on a nearby chair. “W-Who told you about Magdalena? She had nothing to do with Medea.”

  “I’m quite aware, but I believe an object was removed for safekeeping when she died … a magical item.”

  Winslow groaned. “Medea was obsessed with the Harrington family and I believe it was one of the reasons she came to Coven Creek.”

  “And applied for the job at the factory,” Petunia said.

  Winslow nodded in agreement.

  “Is it true that Medea was a witch?”

  “Absolutely not!” Winslow scoffed.

  “I wonder if she had any experience as a factory manager,” Noah said. “My bet would be no.”

  “What are you saying, Noah?” Petunia asked.

  “That apparently someone she knew hired her.”

  “That would mean that someone had inside knowledge of Magdalena Harrington and her magical apparatuses.”

  “Magdalena was a witch, a powerful one,” Winslow blurted out. “She was also a very kind and caring woman, although a tough one, my father told me. Her will was very specific that a parcel of land could be sold, but as I’ve said before it didn’t include this house or the parcel of land it stands on. It was later leased to the manager of the factory with the stipulation that I be kept on to watch over things.”

  “You’re hardly old enough to have worked here when Magdalena was alive.”

  “No, but my father was and they had become quite close through the years.”

  “Lovers?” Noah asked.

  “That’s how I’m aware that Magdalena was a witch and that she was able to see into the future. She used a magical globe and it was removed from the house upon her death. She had assured herself it would be safeguarded after her death. And she placed a spell on it that only a good witch could break.”

  “Did Medea know it wasn’t here any longer?”

  “No, she has searched the house many times and hasn’t found so much as a spell book. But when she attempted to remove a portion of the wall, she had to be stopped.”

  “You killed her?” Petunia asked.

  “No, but I believe someone wanted to stop her.”

  “Someone who knew who Magdalena was.”

  “Or someone who didn’t want to see the house destroyed,” Noah added. “It must have been in her will somewhere that the house couldn’t be renovated to the extent of removing walls.”

  “If she had the crystal ball removed after her death, what happened to her other magical items? Most powerful witches have spell books and potion recipes.” Petunia frowned. “A spell book shouldn’t fall into the wrong hands. I’m a witch and even I’m not qualified to go poking around in one.” Yes, like that time she thought she had the recipe for a love potion and changed a man into a cat—or specifically, into Pansy.

  “Potion books weren’t mentioned and all the searches from the residents have come up empty.”

  “What if Magdalena cast a spell on the house and whoever disturbed the house died a horrible death?” Petunia offered.

  Noah shook his head. “I’ve just been learning about magic since I’ve been dating you, Petunia, but I don’t believe you can cast a spell on an entire house and anyone who disturbed it would die a horrible death. Medea and the last manager Clark Kenning didn’t die here, they died at the factory.” He grimaced. “And please don’t suggest that there’s a spell on the property that was eventually sold.”

  “How did Mr. Polly die?” Petunia asked Winslow.

  “He had a massive heart attack.”

  “How awful for his family.”

  “Yes, and his wife wasn’t willed the property.”

  “So that’s why she left,” Petunia said. “I was wondering if the house is haunted.”

  “I feel ill,” Noah said. “We’ve gone from magic to a haunted house now?”

  “No, I don’t know why I said that. Is that when Mr. and Mrs. Smith moved in?”

  “Yes, he was the one who handled the sale of the property and lived here happily.”

  “Were they related to Magdalena or the Polly family?”

  “He was hired to look after the property until a sale was made.”

  “And he didn’t die, so apparently he had no interest in the history of the house or magic.”

  “Sounds like a smart man,” Noah said. “So, what we need to do is speak with Frank again. He’s hiding something.”

  Chloe gladly agreed to look after Pansy while Petunia and Noah headed to the factory.

  15

  Petunia and Noah sat across from Hugh, one of the investors in the factory whom they had met briefly the other day when they snuck into the building to investigate. Hugh was shuffling through his files and tapping away on his keyboard.

  “What was your question, again?”

  “Were you able to find Medea’s job application?”

  “I’ve been searching, but it’s almost like it doesn’t exist.” He rubbed his red ear for a moment. “That doesn’t seem right. I’ll have to take this up with Frank.”

  “We’d like to speak to him again.”

  “He’s out of town at the moment.”

  Noah’s brows furrowed. “During a pending OSHA investigation?”

  “I voiced a similar concern. I believe you’ll be able to catch him at Nathan’s Eatery. Frank always stops there on his way out of town.”

  Petunia glanced at the clock on the wall. “Hopefully we’ll be able to catch up with him.”

  “We have a few more questions for you. Were you aware of anyone who was close to Medea, any friends?” Noah asked.

  “She was close to her assistant Naisha, which is strange for Medea, as she doesn’t form close relationships with her subordinates.”

  “Is that all you can tell us about Medea?” Noah asked. “What did you think of her as a manager?”

  “She was on the verge of losing her job. Personally, I considered her incompetent. It’s hard to believe she was hired, but you’ll have to speak with Frank about the particulars since I can’t seem to access the information.”

  “Thanks again,” Petunia said, as they left. “I think we should talk to the sheriff before we tackle speaking to Naisha. It will be pointless to speak to her if the remains aren’t Medea’s.”

  “What about speaking to Frank?”

  “I can’t imagine he’ll be at Nathan’s Eatery this early.
”

  “Well, we better get a move on then.”

  “Do you think we should pick up Pansy? I’d hate for him to cause any problems for Chloe.”

  “He’ll be fine. Chloe will call if she has any problems. Sometimes I swear you have separation anxiety when it comes to that cat.”

  Petunia shrugged. “So, what if I do?”

  Petunia and Noah caught the sheriff outside Magical Charms, where she was speaking with Emerald.

  “Hello, again,” Petunia greeted. “We were hoping to catch up with you, Sheriff.”

  Emerald rolled her eyes with a laugh. “I better get inside before Evie finds out I’m not inside every moment of my shift.”

  “I hope you at least have the back door locked.” Petunia winked.

  Emerald laughed. “I learned my lesson about that one,” she said, as she disappeared inside.

  “So, what’s up?” Sheriff Griffin asked.

  “We were hoping the remains have been identified.”

  “Actually, the coroner just called me. Come along and we’ll find out together. It will save me time explaining everything to you two.”

  They strolled to the sheriff’s department and entered a side entrance that led to the morgue, where a portly man wearing wire-rimmed glasses waited on them with a folder in his hand.

  “That was quick,” he said. “Who are they?”

  “Amateur detectives from out of town, thankfully. I’d never get anything done with them living in Coven Creek. They’ve been working the case at the factory,” Sheriff Griffin said.

  “I’m Clint, the coroner, or Coroner Clint, as the sheriff likes to call me.” He smiled.

  “Be careful. You’re treading on thin ground,” Griffin said.

  “You’ll be happy to know … or not happy, depending on how you feel about Medea Deadsnout. She’s dead, all right. For some reason, I expected that she faked her death.”

  Petunia was shocked herself. “Me too,” she choked out.

  “We expected this,” Griffin said. “Where does that leave your investigation?”

  “Petunia believes the house Medea lives in is cursed … oh, and so are the grounds the factory is on, too, or something like that,” Noah said with a glint in his eye.