Pumpkin Blend (A Paramour Bay Cozy Paranormal Mystery Book 14) Read online

  I caught the flickering light at the same moment that Heidi had, but it was gone just as fast.

  We’d both directed our flashlights toward what could only be described as a flame, but the fog had become a bit too thick to see anything beyond a foot in front of us.

  Looks like nothing is there. Oh, well. We can go home now.

  “Maybe a trick of the moon?” Heidi asked, hope still remaining in her voice. I didn’t want to be the one to extinguish her optimism, but I’m relatively certain of what we saw in the distance near the ancient crypts. “Now that I think about it, it might have been our flashlights glinting off of something. That makes sense. Right, Leo? Help a girl out, would you?”

  Tell my soulmate that I would love to agree with her, but I’m more concerned with the fact that something is stuck in between the pads of my right paw. I’m afraid to look down, though. With my luck, it’s the nail on the finger of some zombie about to break through the dirt.

  Leo’s warning had me quickly stepping aside so that I could shine the flashlight toward the ground. Relief washed through me when I saw that he’d stepped on some crushed acorns.

  Crushed acorns, you say?

  “Don’t scare me like that,” Heidi whispered over the fact that I’d hastily moved away from her. “What’s wrong?”

  Heidi peered down toward the ground, though she never once took the beam of her flashlight off the area where we’d seen the flickering light. It had resembled the wavering illumination of a candle, but the fog had become too thick for us to see that far ahead.

  “Leo was afraid a zombie’s hand was coming up through the ground,” I explained, a shiver of unease washing over me as we basically stood underneath a rather large oak tree. There were a few of them scattered throughout the graveyard, but I didn’t recall one being so close to the crypts. Then again, it wasn’t like I came to the cemetery all that often. “It’s just crushed acorns.”

  I’m getting a sense of déjà vu, Raven.

  “Yeah,” I responded softly, leaning down so that we could both inspect the compressed shells and seeds that had been ground into the dirt by the foot traffic. “Me, too.”

  That’s it? You didn’t give me an opportunity to say the words, Raven.

  “Maybe later.”

  Not good enough. We could die, and I wouldn’t have the satisfaction of saying I told you so. You don’t want my last emotion to be disappointment, do you?

  The palm of my hand began to gather energy once more, and I stood quickly to make sure that we didn’t have an uninvited guest. The leaves overhead were still, and it was then that I realized the cold breeze had basically died down to nothing.

  “Something really bad is about to happen, isn’t it?” Heidi murmured in what came out more as a squeak than her usual tone of voice. “We should have gone back to the car when we had the chance.”

  A twig snapped, though the sound ricocheted through the air more like gunshot than a thin branch. All three of us were as still as the leaves above us, and my breath hitched in the back of my throat.

  The piercing noise had come from behind us.

  Run for your life! The end is nigh!

  Chapter Sixteen

  “What are the three of you doing out here?”

  “Rye?” I asked in relief, my knees almost giving out on me.

  Heidi and I swung around with our flashlights. He held up his hand when the beams had directly shined in his line of vision.

  The resident warlock is just trying to kill off his poker opponent. Where is our menacing ghoul when you need him?

  “What on earth are you doing out here at this time of night?” I asked, wondering if Leo wasn’t onto something. “Rye, is there something you’d like to share with us?”

  Leo’s gasp told me that he’d connected the dots, as well.

  Black hair. Crushed acorns. Knowledge of the jack-o-lantern’s legendary power. It’s all coming together, Raven. Call the good ol’ sheriff and tell him that we solved the case of the missing prized jack-o-lantern!

  Rye was shaking his head in disbelief, clearly having heard Leo’s ramblings regarding the accusation. He was undoubtedly going to deny the allegations, but I couldn’t fathom why he would be out here walking in the graveyard after dark. He didn’t even have a flashlight in his hands.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Leo.” Rye lowered his hand after Heidi and I had adjusted the direction of our flashlights. “I had nothing to do with the missing jack-o-lantern or the other pumpkins that were taken from the pumpkin patch. Is that what all of you are doing out here? Why would the pumpkins be in the cemetery?”

  Don’t fall for the reverse psychology trick, Raven.

  “Then why are you creeping around a graveyard?” Heidi asked impatiently, glancing over her shoulder to make sure that the poltergeist hadn’t decided to return now that our attention was elsewhere. “You’re lucky that Raven didn’t annihilate you.”

  I could see the surprised expression on Rye’s highlighted features.

  “We encountered an ominous spirit,” I fessed up, joining Heidi in surveying our surroundings. “Something really strange is going on here, Rye. We think that whoever stole the jack-o-lantern and other pumpkins were attempting to ward off this poltergeist that seems to be hanging around the cemetery.”

  The cheating warlock never answered my soulmate’s question, Raven. You just showed your hand, and now it’s all over but the pumpkin pie.

  “I came to see if Ivan could reschedule our poker game for next Saturday night,” Rye explained, his brow still furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean that you saw a poltergeist?”

  Whatever you do, don’t tell this cheating warlock that—

  “It was huge!” Heidi exclaimed, interrupting Leo. “It came out of nowhere, hovered over Leo, and we thought it was going to swallow him whole. Literally! Anyway, Raven let one of her very impressive lightning bolts go, and the ghost disappeared into thin air.”

  My soulmate and I are just out of sync when it comes to being on the same page. Clearly, we’re going to need to spend more time together if we live through this wretched night.

  Rye rubbed a hand down his face in exasperation before looking past us at the long stretch of fog that was currently floating around three inches above the ground. It seemed to be between us and the crypts, but I could also see the fine mist floating behind Rye, as well. The dense fog was now all around us, and there didn’t seem to be an escape.

  Way to give a pep talk, Raven.

  “Here,” Rye stated, lifting an arm so that he could wave a hand. Heidi, Leo, and I turned around to find that an area had been cleared as the white mist parted gradually. “Does that help you? I’ve been practicing my…”

  Rye’s words faded just like the dense fog that had been between us and the back of the property. Positioned in front of a rather large and ancient crypt were all the missing pumpkins from the local pumpkin patch. They’d all been carved into jack-o-lanterns, with each having their very own candle lit inside to ensure that the faces couldn’t be missed to anyone entering the tomb.

  Arranged right at the entrance of the crypt was the prized jack-o-lantern that had been stolen from town square.

  Time to call the good ol’ sheriff, Raven. Hop on that cell phone of yours and give him a jingle. We solved his case, and he can take it from here. Far be it from us to steal his thunder.

  “Leo, we still don’t know who took them,” I whispered as we all gradually moved forward in unison. The scene before us was quite mesmerizing, especially since the flickering flames of the jack-o-lanterns had dark shadows dancing across their eerie expressions. “We should—”

  “Let me cross…”

  The eerie words that came out of the floating ghoul that came rushing toward us was more of a groan. We all came to a standstill as the darkened figure continued on its way, as if he could find someone or something to let him through the entrance of the crypt.

  I’m inclined to agree, Ra
ven. We shouldn’t waste a second, either. Let’s move the pumpkins and give this malevolent specter what he wants before he figures out that I’m wearing a costume. Let’s face it—that necromancy spell has put a target on my back.

  “I should have known that you three would get in over your heads,” Rye muttered, moving past us so that he could observe the ghoul as it disappeared into the distance. I was pretty sure that we would encounter the roaming spirit again, and relatively soon at that. “Would someone like to explain to me what is going on here? We need Ivan to come and collect this thing before it decides to inhabit someone’s house.”

  Leo’s gasp once again had me connecting those mystery dots, too.

  We were also right this time, because the palm of my hand experienced a rush of heat through it.

  “Ivan is the one who stole the prized jack-o-lantern and the other pumpkins!”

  Black hair. Crushed acorns. Knowledge of the jack-o-lantern’s folklore. The ability to become invisible! It was all there right in front of us, Raven. You don’t think that this eyepatch kept me from seeing the answers, do you?

  “Why would Ivan do that?” Heidi asked, frantically moving her flashlight back and forth across the graveyard. “Don’t answer that until we reach the car.”

  “Ivan!” I called out, knowing for sure that he was somewhere close by where he could keep an eye on the agitated spirit. “We need to talk to you right now!”

  Rye had fallen silent as he refocused his attention on the scene before us. I could see that he was putting the mystery together as he read the name on the plaque that was above the entrance to the crypt.

  Marinus.

  Either Mrs. Marinus’ brother or husband was the angry poltergeist just as we’d guessed, but I was at a loss as to why Ivan wouldn’t help the lost soul cross over through the veil.

  “I had no choice, Miss Raven. Norman is very determined, but it’s my responsibility to ensure that he not attempt to go in the wrong direction.”

  Ivan’s deep voice came from out of the dense fog, his tone remorseful.

  Don’t fall for it, Raven. He uses that tone all the time in our poker games, but I’m relatively sure that he’s all giddy on the inside.

  “I don’t understand. Aren’t you supposed to escort the souls through the veil?”

  I’d noticed that Heidi remained behind me as we spoke with Ivan, and I had no doubt that she was also making sure that Norman didn’t sneak up on us while we were distracted. She always had my back.

  “Ivan, just tell us what is going on,” Rye urged, keeping his hands down by his sides. The way he’d parted the fog told me that he was stronger in his magic than any of us realized, and I was very grateful that he was our ally. “We can help you.”

  “I work best alone,” Ivan explained with a frown of displeasure.

  “We should let Ivan work alone, then,” Heidi whispered from behind me. “No reason to make our local grim reaper unhappy.”

  My soulmate has a point. I’ve seen our local grim reaper when he’s down to his last chip. It isn’t pretty.

  “Thank you, Miss Hei—I mean, Bree.”

  Rye’s eyes widened in astonishment as he shot Heidi an accusing stare, but I had to give all the credit to Ivan. He was doing his best to make sure that Heidi felt safe. He wasn’t a bad supernatural being, and that meant that he had to have a really good reason to break the law.

  I didn’t know there was ever a good reason to break the law. Did I miss a lecture or two by the good ol’ sheriff on ethics?

  “Ivan, you stole those pumpkins. You even stole the town’s prized jack-o-lantern,” I said in confusion and disappointment, not able to understand why he didn’t just buy them. “Virgil and Beau make a living from their pumpkin patch, and yet you took from them what didn’t belong to you.”

  “I did not steal in the manner that you are referring to, Miss Raven. For every pumpkin that I took from the pumpkin patch, I ensured that two more would grow next year. I also went to extreme lengths to find a seed that would produce the Stellhorns the largest they’ve ever grown. They will be in for a mighty surprise next year.”

  Ah! Our grim reaper was bartering, Raven. No crime, no time, no problem. Can we go now while we still have our own souls intact?

  Ivan sounded pretty proud of himself, but I still couldn’t understand why he hadn’t just paid for the pumpkins.

  Have you ever heard that old saying about curiosity killing the cat? Well, I’m the only feline out here in the middle of a haunted cemetery, standing right in front of a grim reaper. Do we really want to test fate?

  “I think what Raven is trying to figure out is why you just didn’t buy the pumpkins like a regular customer, Ivan.” Rye shrugged in disappointment, as well. “I’m wondering the same thing, my friend.”

  I feel a hairball regurgitating. Friend? Really? Is he trying to butter up our poker host for a better seat at the table?

  Ivan didn’t respond right away, but instead narrowed his dark eyes as he studied the area behind us. He was making sure that Norman didn’t make another go for the crypt, not that the agitated spirit seemed inclined to try and enter. The jack-o-lanterns were definitely doing their job, as folklore had stated throughout history.

  At first glance, Ivan seemed nothing more than a groundskeeper for the cemetery. He had on a light blue shirt with murky brown suspenders that held up a pair of worn khaki pants. His work boots had seen better days, but they were probably comfortable with all their wear and tear from having been walked all over the uneven grounds. No one was any the wiser that his role here was so much more than that.

  Poker host. Oh, wait. You’re not talking about the epic Wednesday night games, are you?

  “It’s not my place to share the history of a soul that is clearly not happy with his station in the afterlife.” Ivan appeared to contemplate his words a little more before continuing. “I shall not tell you what transpired beforehand, but I can tell you that Norman kept his appointment with the grim reaper closest to the place of his death. As you well know, the veil thins during this time of year. Norman somehow managed to escape, attempting to gain entrance to a higher level.”

  We did agree that I achieved good deed status with me taking the helm to stop the squirrelpocalypse, right? I don’t like where this conversation is heading, Raven.

  “Let me make sure I have the facts right,” I stated, needing to be able to share this with Liam without Ivan being arrested for theft. I’m not so sure that the grim reaper would see it as a sheriff just doing his job. “Norman wasn’t a good person, he was escorted to a level of the afterlife that he didn’t like, and he attempted to take some sort of escalator to the top. You figured out what he was up to, because his remains were brought here for burial, and you are currently doing everything in your power to make sure that he doesn’t break into…well, a better level.”

  It’s a good thing that I’m on the good deed list. I have to be honest, Raven. If the better level kept blueberry-filled premium organic catnip, I’d be doing everything that I could to make it up there, too. I’ll deny every word of what I just said if you share my musings with our local grim reaper, by the way.

  “Is there a reason why you can’t just escort Norman back to wherever it is he came from?” Rye asked after Ivan nodded his agreement at my clarification.

  “The veil is too thin to keep him there.” Ivan rubbed his thumbs up and down his suspenders as he rocked back on the heels of his work boots. “There would be no counting the amount of times that I would need to cross from this realm into the next. I have other appointments that I must keep, and I can’t be worrying about Norman continually attempting to break out constantly this time of year. It is best to keep him busy attempting to access his personal entrance through his burial site.”

  Makes sense. Are we done here? I can still make it back in time to have a snack before my midnight snack. I’m thinking the blueberry-filled edibles first, and then I’ll switch to the raspberry-filled edibles tha
t came in the mail today. This whole death conversation has me wanting to experience new things. On a side note, my new cat bed still hasn’t been delivered. You’ll need to call on it tomorrow if we actually make it out of here alive.

  “Isn’t there a chance that not-so-good Norman will attempt to leave the graveyard and make his way into town looking for another way through the veil?” Heidi asked, clearing her throat when she’d caught Ivan’s attention. “I’m just worried about the bakery’s patrons.”

  “Stop that,” Rye murmured, casting Heidi another glare at her misleading comments. “You’re throwing Bree under the bus.”

  “Usually, you would be right,” Ivan conveyed with an additional nod. As if agreeing with him, the owl in the tree behind us decided to hoot. I relaxed somewhat, knowing that Norman wasn’t close by. “In this case, Norman isn’t quite sure where to go since he lived elsewhere before his death. He has been roaming the graveyard since his escape, never leaving the grounds or venturing past the wrought iron gates that contain him. He knows his remains are here, and he will not leave until he finds a way through. You need not worry, though. I will escort him to where he belongs after All Hallows’ Eve. Once the veil thickens, he will not be able to slip back through without tremendous effort, which would be noticed immediately by those on the other side.”

  Problem solved! Let’s go. The longer we stay around here, the more there’s a chance that the agitated poltergeist recognizes my vulnerabilities underneath this costume.

  I couldn’t bring myself to leave the cemetery just yet.

  Of course, you can’t. You’re a glutton for punishment. I’m about to throw you on the bus that the cheating warlock just mentioned and drive us out of here.

  “Ivan, we should thank you for the difficult job that you do on a daily basis,” I began, mulling over the words that I was about to say so that he didn’t take any offense to them. “I still don’t understand why you just didn’t pay for the pumpkins. It wasn’t nice of you to steal the prized jack-o-lantern. The residents were really looking forward to the festival, Ivan. You stole something that not only belonged to Virgil and Beau, but to all of us.”