Potions Eleven
Fair Witch Sisters Mysteries 2
Christy Murphy
Copyright © 2018 by Christy Murphy
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Cover designer, Priscilla Pantin, a
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Contents
1. Bad Reputation
2. Breakout
3. Ticket to Ride
4. Ain’t No Mountain Low Enough
5. Secret
6. Can’t Fight this Feeling
7. I Put a Spell on You
8. Found Out About You
9. See You Again
10. It’s a Mistake
11. The End of the World As We Know It
12. End of the Line
13. Epilogue
14. A Note from the Author (and her sister)
Also by Christy Murphy
Bad Reputation
Didi and I had set up the office for our new private investigation firm in the living room of our mini-apartment in the back of Mom's tea shop. We call it The Cove, and technically, it doesn't exist--especially if you're a building inspector for the City of Beverly Hills.
Yeah, it's strange, and it's a long story. But here's a quick summary.
A month ago, after our thirty-fifth birthday, my twin sister and I discovered that our mother was a witch, and so were we.
I was as shocked as that errant piece of tinfoil that I accidentally put in the microwave. So crazy! It looked like lightning in there.
And speaking of crazy, it turned out my twin and I were descended from a long line of very powerful, yet evil, magic. Our mother claims it's not evil. That it's just a cultural difference, since our magic originated on a small island in the Southern Philippines.
But according to Western witch magic standards, it skews evil. So much so, that my twin sister and I are kind of on a short leash regarding our magic and the High Council. Although I suspect that if one of us is evil, it's probably me. My sister, Didi, is definitely the good one.
In addition to being a good one, my sister also earned her private investigator license while working for what she thought was a trademark investigation firm. It turned out they did a lot of work for the mob. Or that's what we suspect.
All of this would spell that our lives are exciting, or at least kind of interesting, but no. So far, being magic and opening a new private investigation firm has mostly entailed one exciting case that almost got us killed, followed by cases involving a lot of tedious internet searches and paperwork.
"I thought we'd have more reconnaissance missions or stakeouts or something," I said to my sister.
"Trademark work is honest work. And we do have a stakeout tomorrow morning," she said.
"That peanut thing at the downtown market?"
"We need to get photos, use a pretext to find out why he's using those bags that aren't our client's bags, and report back to the client. It's impressive fieldwork," she said.
"So we're basically lackeys for the man."
"We're protecting legal property. That vendor is using prominent brand packaging for their substandard peanut product," Didi said.
"He's putting peanuts into a bag," I said.
"A bag bearing the name and logo of Santa Dan's Peanuts. A brand they put a lot of work into building. You like their peanuts."
"I do, but they kind of stole their brand from the concept of Christmas. Couldn't we just call ourselves Santa Sisters' Investigations and co-opt Christmas for our own use?"
"You don't have to come tomorrow."
"It's our first case in the field since we did that thing for Jason."
"And we won't have anyone shoot at us on this one."
There was nothing wrong with the case. We'd bill about $800 to go downtown, which is a lot of money. And I really did like the peanuts, but I didn't like the idea of having to get up at 3 a.m. to go take photos of some peanut stand.
"I need you to make this call for me," Didi said.
I exhaled. "How is it that you ever did your job when you were at your old place?"
"I was never comfortable with lying," she said.
"And I am?"
My twin sister stared at me. "Joy, in elementary school, you told the teacher you spoke a foreign language called Flipanish, which was like Filipino-Spanish. You even made up fake words."
"I can't believe she believed me."
"You were convincing."
"Do you think that's because of our evil side?"
"We don't have an evil side."
I shrugged. "It freaks me out that Mom's great-uncle Marius is out there vampiring around, waiting for the perfect time to drain our magic, and that stupid Council wants us to fight him to prove we're not. I get the vibe we're not in the clear with them."
"That rules and regulations app they gave us during the trial doesn't make it sound like it is either. Those rules are so vague."
Darn. I'd totally forgotten we were supposed to read that thing. I hoped I hadn't broken any laws in the last four weeks.
Didi handed me a paper off the printer. "Call this guy in Loxahatchee, Florida and find out if he's still using the trademark Southern Sweetwater for any type of beverage," Didi said. "He filed for a trademark in 2006, but we have no idea if he really used it."
"What story should I use?"
"You're actually really good at that. But we only have the one shell company, Clarington House, so keep it vague."
"We should get some cool stuff to help us with our magic," I said.
Didi folded her arms and shook her head no. "Mom says that we don't need any cauldrons or potions or any of that stuff. That's a Western witch thing, and I get the vibe it's for less powerful witches. Kind of a lower-class thing."
"You snob! And we are more of a lower-class witch."
"Mom is pretty powerful. She created this whole apartment out of nothing."
"Deeds, that's Mom, but when we try to use magic, it barely works."
"You seem to spot death pretty fast," Didi said.
"But that's not powerful and cool. It's depressing."
That's my major psychic power, by the way. I can see if someone's going to die. It takes the form of a dark purple spot clouding my vision when I see the person. I call it the death blob. When it's not too purple, it means someone is close to death, but may not actually kick the bucket. So, it's iffy. And not what I'd consider powerful, but it's pervasive.
Death is everywhere. And so is magic.
"Knowing when people are lying is no picnic," Didi said.
"There's got to be more fun stuff to do with magic, being in the private eye game. We're only getting these boring trademark cases."
Didi shrugged. "These cases pay well. And we can do them from here. It's not exactly like we have an office to meet clients."
"Mom said people can meet us in the formal tea room that she uses for private readings."
"But don't you think that's a little weird? Everybody knows Mom i
s psychic, Di. They even wrote a story on her for People Magazine. Don't you think it lessens our credibility to have people meet us in the tea shop?"
"On Rockford Files, he met people in his mobile home and at restaurants and stuff," I suggested.
My sister raised her eyebrow.
"We can rent out one of those conference meeting rooms they have these days," I said. "Like, what are those? Communal workspaces?"
"That would work, but we don't have to worry about that right now, because we don't have any clients that we need to meet."
She had a point. I needed to figure out where to get some good cases. "Where are we getting these cases from, anyway?" I asked.
"Apparently, Mr. De Vincenzo recommended to my former boss that he throws some of the more, quote, unquote, 'legit cases' our way."
"But you said we were supposed to avoid Frankie," I said.
"He isn't coming here," my twin said defensively.
"You said dealing with organized crime might make us look as if we're more likely to be evil to the Council."
"We're not dealing with him for this. It's just that they have more cases than I used to do at my other office, and since they're relocating the main headquarters to North Carolina, they only have a few investigators here. They need us."
"What's the fighting about?" Fred, allegedly my black cat, said as he entered the room. "You aren't antagonizing my love, are you?"
Fred is my familiar, but he's in love with Didi, so he chased away the cat that was supposed to be hers. Didi was reassigned another familiar, an owl named Olivia. So now my sister had both an owl and the cat.
"We're not fighting," I said to Fred.
"Just call the guy in Florida," Didi said.
Fred jumped into my sister's lap, and I went to pick up the phone. But then I stopped. "I'll make you a deal. I'll make this call after we go to the Other World and pick up wands."
"We don't know how to get to the Other World, and what makes you think they have them there?"
The Other World is a magical place on the other side of "The Veil" which, as far as I can tell, is some kind of alternate dimension. Ghosts, like our dad, and other magical creatures seem to hang out there.
"I saw them in a store window while we were going out to eat with Dad," I said. "Let's just go and look, at least."
"We don't know how to get to the Other World by ourselves, and Mom isn't going to take us."
"Olivia's been there on her own. Just tell her to take us."
"She can't take us."
"Why don't you ask her, at least?"
"Because I know she can't. Just make the call."
I folded my arms. My sister sighed.
"Don't you think it's dangerous for us to do that kind of thing?" she asked.
"We need to make our magic stronger, and we need to practice. Maybe if we had a magic wand, it would help us."
"Mom doesn't have a magic wand," Didi said.
"And Mom doesn't use spells. We had to ask her for the App of Spells, remember?"
"And remember that it didn't go exactly well all the time?"
"Which is why we need to practice. Like with a wand. It'll center our energy."
"You're full of it."
"Why is she full of it?" Mom asked as she walked through the wall from the office and into The Cove. When we first moved into The Cove, Mom used to use a lever that made the wall slide open. But it turned out that was just a bit of show. She didn't want us to know she was using magic. We wouldn't have believed her.
"I'm just trying to get to Joy to get to work and make a call," Didi said.
"This is your case. Technically, you're the one who should make the call."
"You can fight later. You have a visitor," Mom said.
"Just me?" I asked.
"No, your sister has a visitor too. They came together."
"Who is it?" I asked.
"Just come on. It's a surprise."
We exited The Cove. Mom walked through the wall, and we used the handle that allegedly opened the door. Except I'd never noticed that I couldn't see any hinges when the door was closed and how that was pretty much impossible. We exited the empty office that was the earthly portal to The Cove and headed down the hall to the front of the shop.
"There they are! The two beautiful sisters," Frank "Frankie" De Vincenzo said.
I exchanged a look with my sister. We both agreed that Frank De Vincenzo was bad news, but I couldn't help admire how nice he looked in his suit. There was something about how friendly he was, despite being such a scary guy, that made him kind of sexy.
"Come," he said with a gentle wave. "I need you to meet some people."
It would've been rude to not meet whoever he wanted to introduce us to, and people were never rude to Frank De Vincenzo.
"This is the girl I was telling you about," he said, putting his hand on my shoulder and guiding me toward his friend. His friend held out his hand, and we shook.
Frankie introduced us to another man, followed by yet another one. Then someone else entered the tea shop.
"Bobby!" Frank called out. "I was worried you weren't going to make it. This is my friend that I wanted to introduce you to."
I turned to meet Bobby, but my vision was blocked with a blob of such a dark purple it almost looked black.
A murmur spread throughout the room. I closed my eyes to stop from getting too dizzy.
Frank put his arm around my shoulder to steady me. "Let's get you to a chair."
Everyone cleared the way. One of them pulled a chair away from a table. Frank guided me to it and helped me sit down. "I take it that you saw something."
I was torn. Frank knew my psychic abilities meant that I could see if somebody was going to die. But I didn't think there was something to what Didi had said about not using our powers for less than positive results. Warning someone in the mob that they may be killed was a gray area.
"I understand," Frank said. "You have a code."
Frank turned to Bobby. "I would put your affairs in order and maybe lay low. She can't say, but I think we can all tell that you've got the mark on you. What is it that she calls it?" Frank asked, turning to my mom.
"The death blob," Mom said.
One of the men stifled a laugh.
"A logical and descriptive choice," Frankie said and turned back to me.
"Do you have any health tips that some of us need to be on the lookout for?"
I shook my head no.
"She can't be sure, though," Bobby said, his voice a little tight. "I mean, I feel fine. Well, I feel--"
Bobby stopped talking, and then he fell over.
The ambulance pulled away, but I was sure Bobby wasn't going to make it. It seemed as if he'd had a heart attack. That should've been upsetting, but I was more upset by the way all the customers had started to avoid me. Everyone but Frank.
"You've got the gift," he said, standing up and slipping a hundred-dollar bill under the platter of the tea service. He seemed very calm, considering an associate of his just likely died. Occupational hazard, I guess.
This wasn't the first hundo Frankie De Vincenzo had tipped. Technically speaking, he had drank a pot of our best tea while he waited for the ambulance, but it was the first one that I felt might have something to do with my magic.
"I'll be seeing you, doll," he said. Yeah, he really called me doll. And he was the kind of man who could pull that kind of thing off. I sincerely hoped I wasn't blushing.
He left, and I found myself sitting at a table, just staring at the spot on the floor where Bobby had dropped dead. It seemed like all the light had been sucked out of the room. Being a witch was no fun at all.
I looked up and noticed everyone staring at me.
"Let's talk later. That was so creepy," Jason, our former client and now employee of Mom's, said as he passed by on his way to meet his next client.
"I'm going to go to the office," I said to no one in particular and got up. Didi followed me.
"D
on't be too sad, pal," she said. "It's not like you caused it. Without you, none of us would've had any warning."
"I don't think the warning makes it any better. Actually," I said, after a second thought, "I think it makes it worse."
Didi and I entered the office. I reached for the lever behind the filing cabinet that made the wall slip open. I'd never stopped to realize that we'd always used a door to exit The Cove to the office, but there was no indication of a door on this side. How could I have not known this was all magic?
Mom could just walk through the wall, but Didi and I hadn't figured out how to do that yet.
When we were safely back in The Cove, I slumped down onto the couch.
"It's okay, pal," Didi said. I knew she was trying to cheer me up.
"I'm okay. I'm not that sad at all."
"That's nowhere near the truth," my sister said. I'd forgotten that she could hear lies. Mom could predict whether people could fall in love in her good fortune. Somehow, Didi and I got the shaft.
"I know," Didi said. "Let's go to the Other World and shop for those wands."
"Really?" I asked, my mood changing with even the thought of getting my hands on a magic wand.
Didi called for Olivia.
I rushed to the bedroom.
"Where are you going?" Didi called after me.
I called back to her. "I want to change my clothes. Make a good impression."
"That doesn't sound like you," Didi said, following me into the room.
I knew what she meant, but I pretended to be offended. "It's totally like you to comment on it." I grabbed my pants out of the closet.
"When we went out last week to the movies, you said you'd wear your 'good sweatpants' and now you're grabbing your 'job interview' pants."
I looked down and realized that yes, I had grabbed the slacks I'd worn to my last two job interviews. They were the only non-athletic-wear pants that didn't have any tears or stains. "I need new pants. Do you think they have, like, magical stain-resistant pants in the Other World?"
Potions Eleven: A Paranormal Witch Cozy (Fair Witch Sisters Mysteries Book 2) Page 1