Enchanting Blend (A Paramour Bay Cozy Paranormal Mystery Book 3) Read online

  “We’ll go with golem,” Heidi decided, making it easier on us. She grabbed a champagne glass off one of the stations as we continued to make our way toward the table we’d destroyed in front of our dates. The slight tremor in her hand told me that she wasn’t over such a shocking discovery as easily as it had appeared. “There’s not enough alcohol in this room to steady my nerves. Witchcraft is one thing. You know, casting spells to find lost items. But to bring to life a…I can’t even go there. I mean, did you see Ted in that picture? Holy cow. Granted, he looked better in the picture. And taller, if that’s possible.”

  Heidi lifted the fine crystal to her lips and drank half the glass in one sip. I couldn’t really blame her, but I was personally going to switch to coffee without anyone being the wiser. Liam promised me he’d figure out a way to obtain my life source, and I trusted him. More alcohol was the last thing I needed right now.

  Humans. I’ll never understand you. Since when is a wax figure brought to life more frightening than a half-rotten zombie crawling out of a grave somewhere? You people never cease to amaze me.

  I guess when Leo put it like that, we might have overreacted a tad bit.

  And would the two of you stop talking about witchcraft out in the open? You’re making me lose more fur by the pound. At this rate, I’ll end up like Larry.

  Larry Butterball used to be Nan’s attorney, so I guess you could say he was mine now. He was divorced from Abbie and currently dating Mindy. Oh, and he’s bald.

  “Heidi, focus,” I directed, taking the champagne from her hand and setting it down on an empty tray that was positioned on another station. She was quick to react, but she always settled down and did what needed to be done. Plus, she was one of the most intelligent women I had ever met. “Rita never flew to England. If she let that detail slip to Trixie, what else could she have said that would shed new light on the details of the case?”

  “Like confessing to committing a murder to a local newspaper reporter?”

  When Heidi put it like that, I guess I was reaching.

  “It still needs to be investigated.”

  No, it doesn’t. It needs to be left dead and buried.

  The fact that Leo was still arguing about the case told me that I was bound to discover more than just Ted’s origin. That alone should have given me second thoughts, but clearing Nan’s name was more important than whatever else she’d done back then.

  I wouldn’t bet the farm.

  “You should do another spell.”

  Oh, that’s a stunning idea. She’s certainly batting a thousand tonight.

  “Nothing seems to work,” I reminded Heidi, recalling the blackness I saw every time an incantation was used. Yes, the locater spell eventually worked, but what was with the wavering blackness? It had to be the lake water. There was no other answer. “Let me handle this.”

  Like you handled the spider fiasco? I wonder what the limit is on their property damage claim for this place.

  “I improvised,” I muttered underneath my breath before pasting a smile on my face.

  We’d reached our table, and both Liam and Jack stood from their respective high-backed barstools. Liam returned my smile with the most charming grin and held up what was sure to be…tea?

  He’d never make it as a barista, would he? Time to call it a night.

  Was that a string hanging over the side of the cup?

  It sure isn’t a coffee bean baggie soaking in there.

  “Thank you, Liam,” I replied, hoping I’d been able to keep the disappointment out of my voice. I’m pretty sure I failed miserably. “I needed something warm.”

  Heidi began to apologize profusely for causing such a scene, but Jack handled the situation perfectly by comparing his fear of heights to her fear of spiders. As we all settled back down in our seats, he told the story of chasing a suspect out onto the roof of a building and how the suspect had jumped from one rooftop to another as if he had wings attached to his ankles. Jack’s partner immediately followed, and Jack stopped on a dime.

  “…and there I stood, looking down eighteen stories to the ground below. I froze. Couldn’t move a muscle. I’m still living that one down to this day.”

  You should tell Heidi that I’m not afraid of heights. I can jump from one counter to another with ease. I bet Jack couldn’t land on both of his legs. That’s a plus for me—agile as a panther.

  “Did you really think that I wouldn’t follow through?” Liam asked, leaning in close so that no one could hear our conversation. His warmth immediately invaded my space as he nodded toward the cup still in my hand. “Go ahead. Taste your tea.”

  I arched my left eyebrow as I brought the warm cup to my lips, amazed that I’d missed the delicious aroma rising from the dark black beverage steaming away in my hand.

  Heaven in a cup.

  At least, that was the first description that crossed my mind. I’m pretty sure it had a lot to do with the man who’d brought it to me, as well.

  “I stole one of the strings with the labels on it from the box of teas Alison had at one of the stations to make your beverage look like tea. Now don’t go telling anyone,” Liam warned with a wink. “I am the sheriff, after all.”

  Guilt immediately flooded my system.

  I trusted him, yet how could he do the same when I was lying by omission? My confession bubbled up inside of me.

  “Liam, there’s something that you should—”

  A loud crash came from the dance area, cutting off my admission. It was instinct to stand up from the table and rush over to make sure no one was hurt. We technically followed Liam’s lead, because he’d threaded through the guests like the professional he was until he’d reached his destination.

  I hope you’re happy.

  “Cora, are you alright?”

  Oh, this was bad.

  This was really bad.

  There was no doubt that Leo had something to do with the frosting currently sliding down Cora’s cheek and onto her faux fur coat. To say that she was a sight was an understatement as her mouth was formed in a perfect O and her left eye was closed to prevent the white icing from getting into her eye.

  What was I supposed to do? Let you announce to the world that you are a witch?

  It was a good thing that all the other partygoers had their focus on Cora. I used their inattentiveness on me to allow myself to relieve my pent-up frustration.

  “I wasn’t going to do any such thing, Leo,” I furiously whispered, grabbing Heidi’s arm so that anyone nearby would think I was talking to her. “I was going to tell him what Trixie said about Rita Carter. How could you do something like this? Look at the poor woman!”

  You were too going to confess! Remember, I can read your thoughts. I had no choice but to throw a slice of cake from the top tier. How was I to know that Cora would be the one in the way?

  It was true that my remorse had risen due to the fact that I was keeping such a life-changing secret from Liam, but I would never just blurt out I was a witch with so many people nearby to overhear such a confession.

  “Leo did this?” Heidi asked in shock, staying behind with me as Liam and Jack rushed forward to make sure that Cora was okay. Liam was currently using a napkin to wipe the icing from Cora’s face while Jack asked one of the servers to bring him a dustpan. “Wow. Leo sure is quick on his feet. I was just going to kick you underneath the table.”

  “What is with you two? Nobody seems to trust me.” Did I come across as completely incompetent? No, don’t answer that question. It was time to get to the bottom of this mystery that I’d set out to solve. “Let’s go help clean Cora up so that we can look for Norman Palmer’s wallet while we’re gone.”

  You might want to rethink that first part. Look who just walked through the door.

  “Is that my mother?” I asked in horror, not understanding why times like this didn’t go my way. I mean, I accepted the fact that I was a bit accident prone, but this was beginning to resemble something akin to bad karma. Ha
dn’t I done enough by forgiving Cora? “Why would she show up now?”

  I had no choice but to take desperate measures.

  This was all Leo’s fault.

  Fault? I’m looking out for your best interest, dear Raven. A familiar must do what a familiar has gotta do.

  My mother stood there looking elegant with her hair swept up to perfection, a beautiful black wraparound dress that tied in the front, and emerald gems to complete the ensemble. She was a stunning woman, and her satisfaction that Cora was now covered in icing was a little too noticeable at the moment.

  “Do not panic,” Heidi instructed me, though she was a little too late. She blocked my view of Mom as she turned on her high heels to face me. “I’ll take care of this. I won’t allow your mother to ruin your first date with Liam.”

  And here I thought you were doing that all on your own.

  I wasn’t the type to hyperventilate. I wasn’t even the type to throw temper tantrums, either. Both were more a Heidi thing, but now I completely understood how someone might reach their breaking point and act out.

  My fingertips began to tingle and warmth commenced in the middle of my palm.

  Heidi squeezed my heated hand in reassurance before she walked across the dance floor to intervene. I couldn’t help but glance up at the large disco ball hanging from the ceiling. I guess Leo’s distraction could have been worse.

  Alert! Get to higher ground!

  Leo’s warning came a little too late as I bumped into Albert even before I could head back to the table. He steadied me with his weathered hands, but the expression on his face was anything but reassuring.

  Those beady eyes are scarier than mine. You know, that’s saying something when I admit that.

  “I heard from Mayor Sanders who heard it from Trixie that you’re looking into the old Palmer murder.” Truthfully, that one sentence was the most Albert had said to me since I’d moved to Paramour Bay. There was a gruff edge to his tone, so I could understand Leo’s need to warn me against such an encounter. Could Albert have killed Norman Palmer over a rosebush? “Otis put in some long hours investigating who could have done killed that man. I wasn’t fond of Palmer. Neither was Eugene. That’s no secret, but Otis never took stock in my opinion that Palmer came here to stir up trouble. He was up to no good. He was always poking around the museum when he shouldn’t be. If he wasn’t, he was parked on the inn’s porch smoking one of his funny cigarettes while keeping an eye on the place. It’s a shame that your grandmother got caught up with such a no-good troublemaker.”

  Pssst. Raven. Hey, Raven.

  Leo didn’t have to say anything more for me to recognize that his short-term memory loss had kicked in during my conversation with Albert.

  Did you know that your mother is here? She just can’t let me have a good start to the year, can she? One night out with my girl was all I wanted.

  A good start to the year would be clearing the Marigold name of shame.

  Is that the reason we’re here? What did you do? Better yet, what is your mother going to do?

  Was Albert suggesting that Rita Carter killed Norman Palmer? Or my grandmother?

  Wait. Rita killed Norman? Ohhhhh. Well, that figures.

  Trixie believed that Albert had something to do with the murder, but Albert believed Rita or Nan were the culprit. Several residents still suspected Nan, but only one theory was the correct.

  Or all of them are wrong.

  Leo’s memory had returned, and I know full well he had the answers I was seeking. There was also no doubt in my mind that he’d been the one to drag my mother here tonight.

  I have no idea what you’re talking about. Aren’t you partied out? I know I am. Let’s get Heidi and hit the road.

  Albert’s scenario made more sense than the others, especially if Rita never really caught that plane to England so many years ago. The police just took her whereabouts at face value. They never even asked her if she had anything to do with it.

  Many years ago. Exactly. Who cares what happened all those years ago? Now, why don’t we go see Regina and have some cake?

  Why would Rita allow everyone to think she’d gone on her annual vacation when she’d done the exact opposite and run off to meet up with some guy in Hartford?

  Everyone needs some me time. I know I do. How about you?

  “Thanks, Albert.” His insight to Norman Palmer’s behavior had me convinced the man’s interest was solely on the museum. Maybe he’d used Nan and the tea shop as a diversion. “Every piece of information helps, and I appreciate you passing this on to me.”

  “I wish you the best of luck, Raven.”

  Albert made his way through the guests who were finally departing to their tables after Beverly had escorted Cora to the restroom to help clean off the rest of the icing. A dry napkin could only do so much.

  An upbeat music selection began to spill out of the speakers once more.

  “Raven Lattice Marigold.”

  Like nails on a chalkboard. Do you see what I had to resort to? That alone should tell you to leave well enough alone.

  “Good evening, Mother,” I greeted, turning to find a chagrined Heidi by my mom’s side. “Why are you even here? I thought you were spending New Year’s Eve with your friends in the city.”

  “That’s exactly where I should be,” Regina replied, tilting her head up another fraction to let me know she was annoyed with me. “You know who had to let me know that you won’t leave well enough alone.”

  I’m relegated to you know who? I take it back, Regina. Go home. I can handle this without your pleasant personality.

  To my mother’s credit, she didn’t react to Leo’s response. She’d had a little more practice in the witchcraft department than me, but that didn’t mean she was right to ignore the stain on our surname.

  “Mom, I’m on a date. Please don’t ruin this night for me.”

  You did that all on your own, Sherlock.

  “Technically, we’re both on dates,” Heidi tossed into the conversation. Her blue gaze landed somewhere behind me. “And speaking of which, they’re coming our way. ’Night.”

  Heidi makes a great Watson, doesn’t she? Effortless.

  Leo was having too much fun this evening, and I’d figured out why. He’d purposefully been throwing a wrench into my date ever since we left the house. He’d seen to it that Cora was covered in icing from head to toe, and he’d brought my mother to town all to keep me so occupied that I hadn’t had time to locate Norman Palmer’s wallet.

  A familiar must do what a familiar must do, Raven.

  “Mom, why don’t you go help out Cora while Heidi and I have Jack and Liam take us on a tour of the wax museum?” I said, making sure that my voice was loud enough to be heard. Granted, I’d thought about the fact that my mother was more than likely more powerful than I was at the moment, but I wasn’t too worried about a fireworks display in the middle of the town’s big New Year’s Eve gala. She’d left behind this life close to thirty-five years ago. “I’m sure after all this time you’ll let bygones be bygones, right? Oh, and by the way—I just signed a three-year lease for the tea shop. Happy New Year.”

  Oh, that was cold.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Is there something happening between you and your mother that I should be aware of?” Liam asked warily as we finally walked out of the main room. I matched his casual pace, enjoying this time with him. Heidi and Jack had gone on ahead, giving Liam and I some much-needed privacy. “I wasn’t aware she was attending the party this evening.”

  Liam had stated the obvious so diplomatically that I couldn’t help but laugh.

  “I’m sorry. I truly am,” I professed, wishing I didn’t have to bend the truth. It wasn’t fair, and I would eventually have to figure out a way to right this wrong. “I didn’t know she’d be here, either. Mom wasn’t too thrilled when I told her I was looking into the old Palmer murder.”

  “I can understand how she might feel that way.” Liam was being to
o gracious, in my opinion. “The guilty party is still out there, and it’s never wise to stir up a hornet’s nest.”

  He’s brighter than I thought he was. Not by much, but he’s showing promise.

  Leo was still lurking around, but I wasn’t going to acknowledge his presence. I might have actually had a chance to solve Norman Palmer’s murder by now if it wasn’t for Leo.

  Some things are better left dead and buried.

  So Leo kept saying. It made me wonder why he’d want to cover up these developments after everything I’d discovered thus far.

  The room to the right of the main party consisted of just what Otis had said it would—famous crooners from back in the day. There was good ol’ Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Nat King Cole, Tony Bennett, and many more staged around pianos, microphones, and underneath muted stage lights on various stages around the room.

  “What kind of music do you like?” I asked Liam, not wanting to talk about the case or my family history. Don’t get me wrong, I was still keeping a lookout for the red silk I’d identified as the material camouflaging Norman Palmer’s lost wallet, but I was truly enjoying this time alone with Liam. “I like a fairly eclectic mixture. I guess it depends on my mood—pop, classic rock, country. You name it, I’ll listen to it.”

  “I’m pretty much the same,” Liam admitted, stopping in front of Frank Sinatra’s wax figure. It was particularly eerie the way those blue eyes were staring back at us, but the crisp dress shirt underneath the tailored suit gave the singer’s frame a trim appearance. “I recall my mother listening to Patsy Cline. Hearing her songs still brings back memories of Mom dancing in the kitchen and singing into a spatula.”

  I’m joining Heidi up ahead. I’m a cat, not a fish. All these sappy tearjerkers are getting me wet down here.

  “You mentioned that she was friends with my mother. I still find that amazing.” It was also hard to picture Liam as a little boy. “I wonder if they ever kept in touch after Mom moved to New York City.”