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

  “You have a jail cell at the station?” I’d never seen anything of the sort. “Where?”

  “Yes, we do have a place to hold the occasional intoxicated individual or shoplifter,” Liam replied with a big smile. “And it’s through the door next to the restroom.”

  “I thought that was a supply closet.”

  Although now that I imagined the police station in my mind, there was a window in between the two doors. It must have been installed there to keep an eye on the prisoner.

  So much for your investigative skills.

  “I like the fishing poles,” Jack commented, mimicking the sport. Was it a sport? I’m sure Otis would agree. “Liam, we’ll have to go fishing in the spring.”

  We slowly began walking once again, taking in the various television exhibits from the 1960s. This place was so full of history that I couldn’t understand having something so grand hidden away in such a small town. Then again, Paramour Bay needed to be known for something, I guess.

  And it shouldn’t be witchcraft.

  It was easy to ignore Leo this time, because something had brushed my hand. At first, I thought I’d veered into Liam’s path and was about to apologize. It was in that exact moment that I realized he’d initiated contact first. His warm fingers wrapped around mine as we continued to walk and take in the sights.

  God, I need a puff or two of catnip to get me through this night.

  I enjoyed my time with Liam as we continued through the many creative exhibits Rita Carter had put together. Alison had done a great job of keeping up with the times. I’d noted several recent actors and actresses, along with today’s top-charting singers. Eventually, we’d reached the end of the building with no Ice Cream Parlor exhibit in sight.

  I had a very important decision to make.

  Choose wisely, grasshopper.

  Did I ask discreetly about the non-exhibit or did I leave my quest for the truth behind while enjoying the rest of the evening? I figured we’d taken at least thirty minutes to make our way through the museum, if not longer.

  Midnight couldn’t be far away.

  I should be home with Ted. Can we reconvene this so-called search for justice at another time?

  It didn’t escape me that both my mother and Leo had both gotten what they’d wanted this New Year’s Eve, while I still hadn’t come even close to clearing Nan’s name.

  What I wanted was to be home with a pipeful of my catnip to ring in the New Year.

  “We should probably invite your mother to join our table,” Liam suggested to me as we leisurely began our way back through the various rooms. Heidi kept looking over her shoulder, but she was very careful with her facial expressions in case Liam caught her in the act. “Unless she and Cora suddenly made amends.”

  Who knew the sheriff had a sense of humor? He’s a funny guy.

  “Nothing is out of the realm of possibility,” I said with a laugh, figuring the odds of Mom and Cora letting bygones be bygones had as much chance as Leo giving up catnip.

  That sounds statistically about right—zero.

  “Oh, there you are,” Alison said with relief, coming from absolutely nowhere. Seriously, she hadn’t been walking toward us from the direction we came. Instead, she’d materialized from somewhere behind Charlie Chaplin. “Liam, it seems that in all the commotion with the cake falling onto Cora that her purse has gone missing. She’s asking for you to look into it.”

  Looks like Liam has to work. Oh, well. Let’s head back the way we came, shall we?

  “I think you might have been right about this party not being the best choice for our first date,” Liam murmured, releasing my hand and stepping forward to do his job. I already missed the warmth of his fingers. “It’s no problem, Alison. I’ll take care of it.”

  “I’ll help so we can get this over with quickly,” Jack offered.

  “Follow me through the storage area.” Alison looked beautiful in a cream sweater dress accented in gold ribbon throughout the fabric. She gave us a wink before she turned to face Charlie Chaplin. “Don’t mind the clutter. This is where we store the wax figures we only put on display certain times of the year.”

  Raven, why don’t we let them take the shortcut? Didn’t you want to see if we missed the Ice Cream Parlor exhibit? We should walk back through in case we accidentally bypassed it.

  Heidi and I shared a knowing look, both of us believing we’d find what we were looking for behind good ol’ Charlie. Liam and Jack followed closely behind Alison, allowing Heidi and me to walk a little bit slower. I wasn’t too surprised to find a hidden door behind the exhibit, but the sudden energy that filled my palm had certainly caught me off guard.

  Ignore it. I’m sure the sensation was left over from Liam’s lingering touch. You said it yourself, there’s an underlying chemistry between the two of you. Let’s get going. Keep up.

  I ignored Leo’s attempt at getting me to hurry along without obtaining a good look at the chamber we were passing through. There was no other way to describe the room. It was rather dark with the exception of an overhead hanging bare lightbulb.

  Shadows were being cast by numerous wax figures, some covered in sheets while others were visible to the naked eye. A layer of dust covered their shoulders. Noticeable cobwebs that glistened in the golden light had me wondering just how many spiders were living in this room.

  Spiders? That’s not good. I’m not exactly a fan of them, Raven.

  I couldn’t worry about spiders when all I could think about—besides Norman Palmer’s wallet—was Fred.

  “Alison, did a man named Fred ever work here? Maybe for your mother, back in the day?”

  “What an odd question,” Alison said before reaching for the doorknob on another door. “I don’t believe so. I’ve never heard the name before.”

  Ask her about spiders. Are they those little ones or the big massive guys that eat cats whole? Hairy or just scary? Inquiring cats need to know.

  Liam looked over his shoulder as if he wanted to ask me why I’d asked about a stranger, but Alison was trying to usher them through the door.

  “Raven, look,” Heidi whispered, grabbing my forearm to stop me from getting too close to the exit that Alison was currently guiding Jack and Liam through. “There’s another door, but it doesn’t lead out to the main area.”

  Mice are one thing. Spiders are something completely different that obviously shouldn’t be allowed to roam free to prey on domesticated animals. Can we go, please?

  “Raven? Heidi?” Alison called out to us, having remained at the door while looking back at us with concern. “Is everything alright?”

  Heidi always had luck on her side. Seriously, she’d be the cartoon character always one step ahead of disaster. A piano pushed out the window? She’d have already walked past the spot where it landed. An icicle falling from above? She’d be two steps ahead of where it crashed into a million pieces.

  Now?

  She whipped a cell phone from out nowhere and held it up with a smile.

  “Marilyn Monroe is standing right here! I have to get my picture taken,” Heidi gushed, shoving her phone into my hand. I’d already had my clutch in between my elbow and hip, so I was able to grab the cell and play along. “You don’t mind, do you, Alison?”

  Oh, our Heidi is a quick one, isn’t she?

  That she was, but I wasn’t so sure Alison was going to allow us to stay behind on our own. The woman’s hesitation was clearly obvious, but Cora’s dramatic flair could be heard over the music drifting into the storage area.

  “One picture,” Alison cautioned, her eyes scanning the chamber for what could obviously turn into an insurance claim. Boxes were also scattered in and around the wax figures, most likely containing items for specific exhibits. “I’ll leave the door cracked, but please make sure you close it behind you when you’re done. We don’t allow guests to be in this part of the building, and I don’t want someone using this entrance to exit the main lounge.”

  And just like tha
t, Alison disappeared from view as she carefully allowed the door to stay open an inch. In a blink of an eye, Leo materialized with one front paw and one back paw in the air. His green eyes widened as he became alert to everything around us.

  Did that wax figure just move?

  “Stop it,” I admonished, my anxiety level already dialed on high. The last thing I needed to deal with was a scaredy cat. “Heidi, this is a bad idea.”

  That’s the first smart thing you’ve said this evening.

  “I thought you wanted to find Norman Palmer’s wallet?” Heidi began to carefully tiptoe her way through the various wax figures after she’d snagged her cell phone from my hand—which, by the way, was still warm. And since when had Heidi developed the type of courage to pick her way through life-sized figurines? “What if there’s some hidden exhibit behind that door? We’ll just take a quick peek, and then we’ll rejoin the party.”

  I was worried about you putting us in danger. I underestimated her, didn’t I? And let’s not forget those spiders. Do you see any?

  Heidi activated the flashlight on her phone, but I couldn’t allow her to do this on her own. I didn’t do well with guilt, which was proven by the fact that Heidi was here with me and knew all my life’s secrets.

  You just had to tell her you were a witch. This all started with your loud mouth.

  Heidi had finally made it to the door that was behind numerous wax figures, but she stopped just shy of reaching for the door handle. Her curls bounced when she started to wave me forward, wanting to me to see whatever it was she’d found.

  “Jackpot,” Heidi squealed, leaning down on her black high heels. I followed suit until both of us were kneeling in front of red silk. “Quick. I’ll hold the flashlight on my phone steady while you lift the fabric.”

  And there was my Heidi.

  She’s one smart lady. Listen, before you search underneath that material, give me a second to get to higher ground in case a spider comes scurrying out.

  Leo shuddered and then tentatively jumped on a box that would give him some leverage and space from whatever we might find. You won’t believe the label on the box, either—Ice Cream Parlor Exhibit.

  Had my mother used a spell to locate the wallet? Or had she known all along the whereabouts of the billfold…because she’d been in this exact same spot so many years ago?

  I remember now, though this storage room didn’t have this many cobwebs back then. I’m beginning to think that Alison’s weekly cleaning crew are a bit lax with their dusting duties.

  I caught the red silk in between my thumb and index finger, pulling it to the side very tentatively. What if there were spiders underneath it?

  “Is that…” Heidi’s voice trailed off as we set our eyes on a black leather billfold. “Oh, wow.”

  Oh, wow was right. Not only had we found Norman Palmer’s wallet, but we’d also discovered a black knit ski mask that could only have been his. He must have used it to break into the museum, wanting to hide his identity.

  You’re actually piecing this all together rather well, you know.

  “This witchcraft thing is so freaking cool,” Heidi whispered, moving the phone a bit to focus on the wallet. “Go ahead. Pick it up. What’s inside of it?”

  Considering my mother had sent me on this wild goose chase, most likely nothing.

  You would be correct.

  Imagine my surprise when a picture fell out after I’d opened the wallet.

  That can’t be right.

  Before I could reach for the photograph, an undeniable downright eerie creaking noise filled the air.

  What. Was. That?

  I held my breath as both Heidi and I turned around to the door that was no longer cloaked in darkness. Heidi had shifted the light on her phone toward the door just in time for the wooden exit to slowly open.

  Run for your lives!

  Chapter Sixteen

  Hide!

  I didn’t have to relay the directives Leo was yelling randomly, because Heidi smothered a scream as she quickly fumbled with her phone to turn off the flashlight feature. Her attempt didn’t matter, because the overhead lightbulb provided enough light that we couldn’t hide in the shadows anyway.

  I did the only thing I could and yanked the red fabric until it covered both of us.

  That was smart.

  I couldn’t bring myself to remind Leo that he could have easily made himself invisible. He sometimes forgot his gift during times of high anxiety. This easily counted as one of those harrowing moments.

  Don’t. Say. A. Word.

  Heidi and I grabbed each other’s hands as we sat huddled together in hiding—with Leo squished between us—hoping that whoever had entered through the secret door didn’t notice anything different about the room.

  How could they?

  This storage area was a jumbled mess, littered with boxes and wax figurines behind the scenes.

  The faintest sound of someone taking a step toward us had me squeezing Heidi’s fingers tighter than before. Leo must have put one of his front paws on my leg, because his claws sank into my flesh deep enough to bring tears to my eyes. There was nothing I could do but hold my breath, listening for any other sound that would let me know we’d all been made.

  “…neither Heidi or Raven came out that I noticed.” Alison’s voice became clear as she obviously came back into the room looking for us. “Maybe they decided to go back through the museum to take more pictures.”

  I’d expected there to be a shuffle of footsteps from the intruder retreating the way he or she had come from, but there was only silence. Had I missed the scuffling sounds when Alison had opened the other door?

  For the record, I didn’t hear anything, either.

  “Do you mind if I go through the room to the other side?” Liam asked, the concern in his tone easily distinguishable. Guilt flooded my system that I was currently hiding from him underneath this silk cloth, but what could Heidi and I do now? “I’ll be able to catch up with them sooner than if I go around the building from the foyer.”

  You should feel guilty. We shouldn’t even be here in the first place. This is all your fault, and I’m not to blame for what will happen if I feel a spider start burrowing in my fur.

  “Of course,” Alison agreed. Seconds later, we heard the sound of Liam crossing the filthy floor. Leo wasn’t the only one who was afraid a spider might crawl on him. I was still in a kneeling position, but what was to say a spider wouldn’t crawl up my boot and onto my knee? “I’ll just go ahead and turn the light off after you’ve gone out the other door.”

  She wouldn’t dare.

  I wasn’t sure why Alison shutting off the light would be a problem for Leo. Couldn’t cats see in the dark?

  I can? Who sold you that load of tripe?

  Leo definitely didn’t have short-term memory loss. Whatever black magic Nan had used obviously affected short and long-term memory equally.

  Well, I certainly remember why we’re hiding underneath a red silk tablecloth. You couldn’t leave well enough alone, and now the truth is going to come out.

  The faintest echo of a latch catching meant Liam had closed the door to the other side of the museum. Shortly after, Alison switched off the light and shut us inside.

  Why look at that. I can see in the dark. Will miracles never cease?

  All three us remained still, which told me that I wasn’t the only one who thought we weren’t alone in here. I released Heidi’s hand until I was able to rest my hand on Leo. After all, he was the one who could see in the dark.

  You’d use me as bait? Do you think so little of me? No, don’t answer that.

  Leo was the only one who could see if someone was still in the room with us. If Heidi and I couldn’t see in the darkness, then neither could the intruder.

  Well, when you put it like that…

  Leo ever so slowly began to leave the safety of the red silk tablecloth. Pretty soon, his soft tail disappeared from my fingers.

  Heidi was ta
pping me on the knee, most likely wondering what the plan was. I could only wait for Leo to report back, so I once again took ahold of Heidi’s hand. Together, we remained as completely still as the wax figures around us.

  I don’t see anything. Nada. Zilch.

  I fumbled around until Heidi understood that I wanted her to turn on the flashlight on her phone. The moment I could sense that she was about to press the button, I snatched the red silk and whipped it from our heads.

  The bright light landed right on Leo, whose back was arched with a tail as bushy as Mayor Sander’s eyebrows.

  “Are we seriously locked in here?”

  Heidi didn’t even pretend to have composure. Neither did I, for that matter. The door that had begun to slowly open earlier was now closed. Still, something wasn’t right and my hand was practically catching on fire.

  I could be at home with my pipe. Instead, I’m—ack! Spiders!

  Leo was there one minute and gone the next with what was a strangled meow.

  “I don’t think the doors lock,” I murmured, reaching out and directing her phone to the floor. I’d somehow lost my purse when I’d picked up Norman Palmer’s billfold, as well as the photograph that had fallen to the ground. “Alison didn’t use a key when she brought us through here, so I think the door is just concealed from one side and easily opened from our side. Let’s find that picture and then get out of here. Something isn’t right.”

  “Tell me about it,” Heidi said practically incoherently, directing the light to the closed door. “Raven, I didn’t hear anyone leave.”

  “Neither did I, but everything looks the same.” By this time, I’d picked up my purse. I unzipped the small clutch and pulled out my phone. It wasn’t hard to find. There was only so much that could fit in a five by eight-sized square. “See?”

  I’d pulled the flashlight up on my phone and was currently dragging the white beam slowly across the room. Heidi kept her sights on the door as I continued to scan the storage area.

  There was no suppressing my shudder of aversion to the cobwebs glistening in the light. I tried to tell myself that it didn’t matter, as long as the wax figures remained where they were and the boxes didn’t suddenly pop open to reveal a killer clown.