by Tonya Kappes
“Yes.” I stood up and recalled her from last night. She was the one standing next to June Heal last night when June was waving around that smoke stick.
“Are you okay?” she asked, clasping her hands and bringing them to rest in front of her.
“Yes.” I blinked a few times. “I’m fine. I want one of the new Siris you have in the window.”
“Siri?” she asked me as though she didn’t know what I was talking about.
Meow, meow. Mr. Prince Charming wrapped his body around the woman’s ankles. She nodded at me with a smile on her face.
“Yes, the Siri.” She peeled her eyes away from me and looked over at the window. “Please, go pick one out for yourself.”
I walked over to the window and took the one from the display.
“Do you have the box for this one?” I asked.
“Umm. . .” she hesitated.
“Good evening.” June Heal swept into the shop. “Mr. Prince Charming, there you are.” She pushed her bangs to the side and looked at me. “Roxy, you are buying a Siri.” She looked down at the glass ball in my hand.
It was heavy.
“I’m afraid they’ve been recalled.” She turned to the woman behind the counter. “Isn’t that right, Izzy?”
“Yes. Recalled.” The woman walked around the counter and took the glass ball from me. “That’s why I’m not able to sell it to you.”
“But I’m sure when you come back to visit, we will have the new ones,” June said.
I wasn’t positive, but I think she was trying to get rid of me.
“Plus, we want to thank you for all of your help with solving Michael’s murder. You saved my life.” She turned back to Izzy. “She saved my life. Rick Wells wouldn’t let go of my hand and Roxy called the police just in time.”
“Did he ever say why he killed Michael?” I asked, figuring I’d read about it in the paper when I got home to Honey Springs.
“He was so in love with Debbie that when he found out Michael wasn’t going to have anything to do with the baby and she wasn’t going to date him because of it, he went into a fit of rage.” June’s brows dipped, the edges of her lips frowned. “He used his outfit as the red kettle Santa to disguise himself. He’d been following Michael to confront him. The night of the tree lighting, he did confront Michael about his needing to take responsibility for the baby.”
“Such a shame.” Izzy shook her head.
“Yes, it is. That’s when Michael told Rick he wasn’t going to be a father to the baby. They got into a scuffle and that’s when Rick stabbed Michael. Poor Camille.” June shook her head. “I’ve talked to Camille and she’s committed to helping Debbie raise the baby.”
“Really?” I couldn’t believe how amazing Camille was. “I’ll have to call her. It’s really turned out to be a light in such a dark time for her.”
“Yes. It’s the magic of Christmas.” June’s lashes cast a shadow down her face. “You do believe in magic, don’t you, Roxy?”
“I. . .” My mouth suddenly dried and I tried to swallow. “I’ve got to go. My aunt fell and I need to get to her.”
Mr. Prince Charming jumped up in June’s arms.
“Come back soon.” June waved me off.
The cold air whipped around me as I made my way out of the shop, empty-handed. Goosebumps traveled along my neck.
“You didn’t get anything?” Patrick asked when I got back into the car and clipped my seatbelt.
“Do you believe in magic?” I asked him, ignoring his question.
“I think it was magical that after all these years, we got married.” He leaned over and kissed me.
I turned around and glanced out the back window. June Heal and Izzy were standing in the middle of the street waving at me.
“Did you have a good honeymoon?” he asked, putting the car in DRIVE.
“I barely remember any of it because it went by so fast.” I turned back around and got comfortable for the trip back home.
Sassy and Pepper were sitting in the back.
“It’s because we had a wonderful and relaxing time. No family or friends or work.” Patrick gripped the wheel, staring straight ahead.
“Yeah, I guess that was it.” I glanced out the window and noticed the small wooden sign on the way out of town.
Come back soon to visit our magical village, the sign read.
Pepper let out a little bark. He was standing up with his front paws on the door handle, looking out of the window. His tail was wagging so fast. I looked out my window to see what he was barking at.
There was a clearing where the snow hadn’t been touched. It laid on the ground, pristine and glistening beautifully in the light of the full moon.
“What are you barking at?” My eyes narrowed. I gasped.
There were hundreds of lightning bugs fluttering all over the clearing. Mr. Prince Charming was sitting among them. I swear he winked at me.
I laughed out loud.
“What are you laughing at?” Patrick reached across and took my hand.
“Nothing.” I glanced over at him, attributing all the odd things I’d experienced to my active imagination.
Also by Tonya Kappes
Magical Cures Mystery Series
A CHARMING CRIME
A CHARMING CURE
A CHARMING POTION (novella)
A CHARMING WISH
A CHARMING SPELL
A CHARMING MAGIC
A CHARMING SECRET
A CHARMING CHRISTMAS (novella)
A CHARMING FATALITY
A CHARMING DEATH (novella)
A CHARMING GHOST
A CHARMING HEX
A CHARMING VODOO
A CHARMING CORPSE
A Camper and Criminals Cozy Mystery
BEACHES, BUNGALOWS AND BURGLARIES
DESERT, DRIVERS AND DERELICTS
FORESTS, FISHING AND FORGERY
CHRISTMAS, CRIMINALS, AND CAMPERS
A Southern Cake Baker Series ( under the pen name of Maymee Bell)
CAKE AND PUNISHMENT
BATTER OFF DEAD
A Ghostly Southern Mystery Series
A GHOSTLY UNDERTAKING
A GHOSTLY GRAVE
A GHOSTLY DEMISE
A GHOSTLY MURDER
A GHOSTLY REUNION
A GHOSTLY MORTALITY
A GHOSTLY SECRET
Killer Coffee Mystery Series
SCENE OF THE GRIND
MOCHA AND MURDER
FRESHLY GROUND MURDER
COLD BLOODED BREW
Kenni Lowry Mystery Series
FIXIN’ TO DIE
SOUTHERN FRIED
AX TO GRIND
SIX FEET UNDER
DEAD AS A DOORNAIL
TANGLED UP IN TINSEL
Spies and Spells Mystery Series
SPIES AND SPELLS
BETTING OFF DEAD
GET WITCH or DIE TRYING
A Laurel London Mystery Series
CHECKERED CRIME
CHECKERED PAST
CHECKERED THIEF
A Divorced Diva Beading Mystery Series
A BEAD OF DOUBT SHORT STORY
STRUNG OUT TO DIE
CRIMPED TO DEATH
Olivia Davis Paranormal Mystery Series
SPLITSVILLE.COM
COLOR ME LOVE (novella)
COLOR ME A CRIME
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Edited by Dianne Jessie.
Copyright © 2018 by Tonya Kappes. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information email [email protected]
bsp; Tonya Kappes, A Charming Blend