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

  “I hate to break it to you, but a pumpkin doesn’t own anything,” I said, gently reminding Heidi that we couldn’t utilize a locator spell in this instance. “Liam was hoping that I would be able to sense a shift in the air around the scene of the crime, but any remnants of energy would have probably dissipated by now.”

  Having my mother here would have definitely been a benefit to us, but she was halfway across the world touring Transylvania. It wasn’t like I could call her back to town over a prized pumpkin having been taken before the big lighting ceremony.

  Such a theft wasn’t technically an emergency.

  I’d say we can only hope that the Mistress of the Dark gets stuck in some moot with some ravenous alligators, but then that would mean I’d have to go without my supplier. Did you know that he…Raven? Where are you going? Hey, wait up! You’re going the wrong way!

  “The line at the caramel apple booth only has two people in it,” I explained, having waited all week for my much-anticipated delicious treat. My mouth was already watering in anticipation of the sugary delight that covered the sweet apple slices. To top it off, a sprinkle of peanuts was put over the mound of goodness. “We’re only going to be a minute, and it’s not like there’s any evidence left at the scene. Someone took a pumpkin. We just need to figure out who, even if he or she turns out to be from our world.”

  Back up the good ol’ pumpkin seed train! What do you mean, no evidence? Raven, there’s a bunch of crushed acorns left at the scene of the crime. There are no oak trees on that side of town square. Someone left them behind by accident, and that’s how we’re going to catch our thief!

  We were now second in line, and I couldn’t really talk to Leo seeing as we were so close to the woman standing in front of us. I technically didn’t need to say anything, because he could read my thoughts loud and clear.

  The crushed acorns had probably been left behind when Virgil had stepped on them back at the pumpkin patch. Most likely, one of the neighborhood squirrels had dropped them right next to the curb. The so-called evidence almost certainly had nothing to do with our missing pumpkin.

  Oy vey. Raven, Raven, Raven. I can see that Heidi clearly bought me the wrong costume, but this eyepatch is more than ideal when it comes to hiding my only vulnerability from some roaming evil spirit. I should have been Sherlock Holmes, because you’re clearly Watson. It’s all elementary, my dear. I have a knack for these types of mysteries. Those acorns are our best bet at catching the thief. Let’s assume that those acorns were…

  Leo continued to try and tie the crushed acorns to the squirrelpocalypse while Heidi and I ordered two bowls of apple slices that were covered in warm, freshly melted caramel that was sprinkled with bits of crushed peanuts for the perfect finishing touch. We both gave a moan of appreciation once the sweet sugary treat reached our tastebuds.

  Does the mayor have a thing against felines? Why do you get to be the only ones who enjoy your favorite treats? There should be a catnip booth that offers—

  Leo gasped so loud that I quickly spun around toward where the crushed acorns were probably still scattered on the ground near the curb, but the parking spot where Virgil’s truck had been was still empty.

  “Leo, did you think of something to help with the case?”

  The case? What case? I just had the best and brightest idea ever!

  I doubt that Leo’s short-term memory blip would last long, but at least I could swallow the bite of gooiness in my mouth without choking. I had to catch Heidi up on the conversation. By this time, we’d made it to our destination.

  Raven, we need to open a catnip shop right here in the heart of Paramour Bay! We’ll get every flavor from all over the world, and in all forms. Loose catnip, flavored catnip, catnip edibles, catnip toys, and the list goes on! We can even…hey, are those crushed acorns?

  “Yes, and I’m pretty sure that these crushed acorns came from the bottom of a boot,” I said, sticking to my previous guess. “It looks like Virgil probably tracked them here from the pumpkin patch. It stands to reason these bits and pieces of acorns came from the tread of a pair of work boots.”

  “Do you feel any supernatural vibes?” Heidi asked with curiosity, watching me closely as she took another bite of an apple. Actually, I wasn’t even sure there had been a chunk of apple in the caramel on her fork. “Maybe a casual hum of leftover energy?”

  “No, not at all,” I replied with a bit of disappointment, holding onto my bowl as I slowly walked around the empty parking space. We didn’t have to worry about anyone trying to pull in, because this section was off limits to vehicles now that the festival was in full swing. “Maybe the pumpkin was taken by a random thief looking for an easy prize.”

  A random thief wouldn’t leave behind crushed acorns to taunt me, Raven. By the way, the specifics of the case came back, but don’t think for a second that I’m going to forget my idea of a premium organic catnip shop.

  “Leo, we already have one. It’s called the pet shop.”

  Leo didn’t have to be wearing the eyepatch for me to know that he was blinking his left eye rather rapidly in agitation at my statement. He clearly didn’t see the pet shop as being up to his standards when it came to premium organic catnip.

  The local pet shop, if that’s what you even want to call it, is run by a wannabe pet trafficker. Besides, the generic catnip that she sells is about as tasty as these crushed acorns shells left behind by our thief.

  “Is there any type of spell that you can utilize?” Heidi asked, still polishing off the dessert. She was the type of woman who could eat anything, and the calories never seemed to reach her waist…or any other part of her body, for that matter. Me? Let’s just say that I’d inherited the Marigold hips. “Nothing that I’ve been working on perfecting lately would even remotely come close to helping in this situation.”

  I had already given it some thought, and I came to the conclusion that there might be one spell that could aid us in discovering who might have taken the pumpkin, but he or she would have had to leave quite the imprint on the bed of Virgil’s truck when they stole the pumpkin.

  “If the truck was still here, I might be able to get some type of clue as to who last had anything to do with the truck within the last few days, but I’m almost positive all that I would get was Virgil’s energy imprint. Plus, he drove off in it and who knows how that would complicate the incantation. I think we’re pretty much left with waiting to see what Liam finds out from some of the eyewitnesses.”

  Just great. Here comes that card shark. Raven, don’t you dare say one word about the reflection of his new glasses.

  “Leo, I can hear you,” Rye said dryly as he joined us on the sidewalk. We had a great view of the festival from here, though. “I also heard every thought in your head during the game. Why do you think that I had to lean back in my chair until the thing almost folded in two?”

  I covered up my smile at Leo having been outmaneuvered by taking another bite of an apple smothered in caramel. I’d known about some of Ivan’s poker rules, and sitting at the top of the list was that no magic could be utilized during the games for obvious reasons.

  You could have simply been having back problems. And you’re not supposed to be listening to my thoughts concerning the game, cheater.

  “Leo, your realization about my glasses practically reverberated around the crypt twenty times over backwards,” Rye replied, shaking his head when he grasped the fact that he wasn’t going to win this argument. “Take it up with Ivan next Wednesday. I take it you all heard about the prized pumpkin. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Virgil or Beau so angry as they were today about the theft.”

  “You didn’t see or sense anything unusual?” Heidi asked, having polished off her bowl without somehow removing a smidge of her lipstick. “By the way, I really dig the new glasses.”

  Rye flashed a smile of appreciation before casting an arched eyebrow Leo’s way. It wasn’t the Marigold arch that my mother had perfected over the years, but it was
definitely close. He must have picked up the facial expression from my great aunt.

  Regrettably, I hadn’t known of my abilities or of my family lineage until after Nan’s death. She’d had a heart attack right smack dab in the middle of town square on her daily walk. To say I was shocked upon such a revelation was an understatement.

  Anyway, Aunt Rowena was still on the council of the coven, though it was somewhat fractured due to the recent coven war. Needless to say, my mother and I didn’t belong to the local coven, which was located in Windsor about an hour north of us. Nan had been excommunicated many, many years ago for fraternizing with a human. Coven rules were pretty strict, and they hadn’t really eased with the times.

  That didn’t stop you from blabbing about the supernatural to the good ol’ sheriff or my former soulmate. Come to think of it, have we ever done anything by the book?

  “I was stringing lights on the other side of town square,” Rye said with a hint of regret. “I didn’t even know anything had happened until Beau came tearing past the stage where Virgil’s prized pumpkin was supposed to have been displayed for the lighting ceremony tonight.”

  “Did you hear what Gertie said to Liam?” I asked, still enjoying my bowl of deliciousness.

  “No,” Rye replied, gesturing toward the other side of town. “I helped Virgil and Beau retrace their steps to see if the pumpkin fell out of the bed of their truck when they drove here.”

  “Wait a second.” Heidi even held up a hand to indicate a timeout. “Are you telling me that they didn’t see the almost two-hundred-pound pumpkin when they got out of the truck?”

  Maybe they need new glasses like someone else we all know.

  “Apparently, they were sitting in the truck for a good fifteen minutes waiting for the okay to move the pumpkin from the truck to the stage,” Rye said, ignoring the slight jab from Leo. “By the time they got out of the truck, there was no more pumpkin. They told Liam that they didn’t feel any shift of the truck from the loss of weight, and they also didn’t hear anything unusual. It stands to reason that the pumpkin fell out of the bed during their trip, but the tailgate was still secured in place, which is why they feel that the jack-o-lantern was taken when they parked near the curb. What did Gertie have to say?”

  “She was sitting on her porch and swears that the large pumpkin simply disappeared into thin air.” I let my words sink in before letting him know what Leo, Heidi, and I had decided earlier this evening. “Liam convinced Gertie that she was pretty far away and that she couldn’t be sure of seeing such a thing, but we all know the truth. There’s a really good chance that the pumpkin might have been stolen by someone with supernatural abilities.”

  “Why would anyone want this specific pumpkin?” Rye asked suspiciously, clearly not quite as on board with the idea that this wasn’t a regular instance of theft. “I mean, we have several local pumpkin patches. Anyone can go out to any of them and pick their own.”

  I hate to admit it, but the card shark has a point. With that said, I’m still staring down at these crushed acorn shells when they clearly don’t belong here.

  “What do those acorns have anything to do with—” Rye was cut off by my frantic hand signals as I attempted to warn him that he was about get a long-winded story about the squirrelpocalypse. “You know what? I didn’t get a sense of anything unusual happening around me today, but I’ll casually have a conversation with Aunt Rowena tomorrow to see what the coven has been up to concerning this particular All Hallows’ Eve.”

  “Make sure you don’t reveal too much, because we all know that Aunt Rowena can muddy the waters,” I warned, glancing down with concern when Leo began to paw at the crushed acorns. He seemed to be sifting through the bits and pieces that had been left near the curb. “Text me if you find out anything.”

  I hoped that Rye wouldn’t forget to make that phone call, because a particular woman had just now caught his eye. His smile was now even bigger than when Heidi had complimented him on his new black-rimmed glasses.

  “Does Rowena know that Rye is dating Bree yet?” Heidi asked, watching as the couple greeted one another before holding hands as they browsed the numerous booths.

  Has our local baker been turned into a toad yet?

  I laughed at Leo’s response, because he was right. I completely agreed that Aunt Rowena would resort to the lowest of levels when it came to protecting her precious protégée—Rye.

  “Not that I know of,” I replied to Heidi as my gaze was drawn back down to Leo. He was mumbling to himself as he continued to sift through what fragments had been left behind. “Leo, stop that. You’re going to get yourself filthy.”

  Leo plopped back on his haunches before adjusting his eyepatch with his paw. The fact that his whiskers were twitching a million miles per minute told me that he’d come to another realization that most likely had to do with his constant battle with the neighborhood squirrels.

  Would you please relay something very important to my former soulmate?

  I’ll admit to being pleasantly surprised by the initial direction of this conversation.

  “Of course,” I readily replied, attempting to follow in Rye’s footsteps through town square. I’d finished the caramel covered apples, and I’d taken Heidi’s empty bowl from her to throw away. Unfortunately, Leo hadn’t budged from his spot next to the curb. “Leo? What is it?”

  I’m redesignating her my on-again soulmate. That’s right. I’m kicking my perfect mate to the curb for the worst betrayal ever—she has clearly sided with Skippy and his band of ninja squirrels. Do you see what I’m seeing? Right there next to my left paw.

  After relaying to Heidi what Leo had said, we both leaned down to see what he’d found. There was a lamppost overhead, but Heidi brightened the area using the flashlight on her phone. We scanned the small area and couldn’t find anything remotely interesting, let alone anything that would have Leo breaking up with Aphrodite.

  Do I have to do everything in this investigation? Right there! It’s a black hair that I found in amongst the crushed acorns. It’s obvious that it belongs to my former perfect mate. It even smells like old magazines. Such a betrayal cuts deep. I’m devastated, Raven. Just devastated.

  Chapter Four

  “Leo, it’s time to get up! We’re running late.”

  I quickly rushed from the bathroom into the kitchen before checking the time as I poured myself a cup of coffee to go. I’d slept through my alarm, but that wasn’t too surprising. Heidi and I had spent most of last night looking through the family grimoire for any type of spell that might help locate the town’s prized pumpkin.

  “Leo!”

  I didn’t even have to look over at the display window to know that he had all four paws up in the air as he lay on his back with his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth.

  He wasn’t the most graceful sleeper in the world.

  With a quick flip of the button on the coffee maker, I’d made sure that the burner was off. I’d already prepared a travel mug for Heidi and set it on the counter. I’d somehow managed to drink mine as I returned to the bathroom to change my shirt. If we were going to be spending any amount of time outside, I was going to need to wear something a bit heavier. The purple cowlick sweater looked better with my broomstick skirt, anyway.

  In roughly twenty minutes, I was due to open the teashop.

  I wanted nothing more than to be able to go looking for clues with Heidi, but I was on my own at the store until Beetle returned from Transylvania. It wasn’t such a bad thing, because Saturdays were usually busy. I’d be able to ask a lot of the customers about yesterday’s events. Maybe someone had inadvertently noticed something.

  Just go ahead and do an incantation that runs back time. I need another three hours of sleep. You’ve made enough racket this morning to wake the dead.

  “No, you don’t need more sleep,” I countered, having heard Leo’s snores fade as I grabbed my black knee-high boots that I’d placed near the front door. “You conked out b
efore ten o’clock last night, leaving Heidi and me to look through the grimoire on our own.”

  I made my way around the couch to sit down so that I could put on my boots. Sinking into the cushions had me wanting to close my eyes and take Leo up on his suggestion of more sleep. Unfortunately, the teashop wouldn’t run by itself.

  It wouldn’t hurt to enjoy two more minutes of peace, though.

  Besides, I could hear Leo begin to snore again.

  I caught myself looking around the cottage as I had a million times since moving in, and I still couldn’t believe how much my life had changed in the short, two years since driving my old Corolla into town. I would forever be grateful to my Nan for inviting me to be a part of her world, as well as bequeathing me everything that she’d held dear and informing me of our family’s legacy.

  The one-story cottage with a bedroom loft had been beautifully designed on the inside to reflect my grandmother’s eclectic taste. The modern stainless-steel appliances somehow offset the antiques in a beautiful manner, and the splashes of color against the cream-colored furniture in the living room made the place come alive.

  Of course, the coffee table in front of the hearth was the heart of the cottage.

  The centerpiece was hand-carved with intricate designs that made a person want to trace their fingers over the complex edgings. There was no doubt in my mind that Nan had the coffee table made specifically with her craft in mind. There were hidden drawers and special hidey-holes for anything and everything related to her craft.