A Spell Of Trouble (Silver Hollow Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series Book 1) (3 page)

“Really?” Issy hadn’t heard about that, but then again, she wasn’t too good about keeping up with town business.

“That’s right!” Ember said. “It’s a big to-do down at town hall. My friend Cindy works there as a secretary to the planning board. Louella has been a big opponent to the rezoning. It’s been quite controversial, actually.”

“So someone on the planning board might’ve gotten angry with her,” Issy said. “But angry enough to kill her? Over rezoning?”

“Not over rezoning. Over money,” Ember said. “There’s a lot of money at stake here if that land gets rezoned to commercial. Hans Geller wants to build a mall there.”

“He does?” Issy didn’t like that idea at all. Their town was quaint. Rustic. Nestled in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and away from things like malls and highways. For once, she agreed with Louella. She didn’t want that land zoned commercial.

“So, with Louella out of the picture, whoever replaces her on the board might swing the vote in favor of the rezoning,” Gray said.

“Yeah, especially if Hans pays them off, which I heard he was likely to do,” Raine said.

“Is Hans a witch?” Ember asked. They didn’t know all the witches in town.

“
He
wouldn’t necessarily have to be magic if he had a witch under his control. Someone that he bribed or coerced in some other way to cast a spell for him.”

“You could be right,” Issy said. “But how would we find
that
out?”

“I know of a way.” Raine reached out and stroked one of Mortimer’s leaves. “But first we need to pay Hans Geller a little visit.”

I
ssy pulled her truck
, nicknamed Brown Betty, into a parking spot near the front entrance of Hans Geller’s office, narrowly avoiding a collision with a candy apple—red sports car zooming out of the lot at breakneck speed.

“Who the heck was that?” Raine said from the pickup’s passenger seat, Mortimer clutched on her lap. Sunlight filtered in through the dusty side windows, making her copper-colored hair practically sparkle. When they were kids, Issy had always envied her older cousin’s vibrant hair color, but over the years, she’d come to like her own unique beauty as much as she admired her cousin’s differences.

“No idea.” Issy stared into her rearview mirror as the red vehicle squealed out onto the main road and sped away. There was something familiar about the driver’s dark hair, but then again, millions of people had dark hair. And no one she knew in Silver Hollow drove a car like that. She sighed. “Probably some tourist in town for the weekend, looking for excitement.”

She and Raine exited the truck and headed up the short walkway to the front door. Hans Geller had had this place built new a few years ago, even though there were plenty of vacant spots closer to the town square where she and her cousins had their shops. The blocky architecture and cookie-cutter design made the place stick out like a sore thumb from the rest of the historic buildings in Silver Hollow. Good thing he’d decided to buy his property on the outskirts of town. Saved the local permit office from having to fight with him over his building choices. A row of sickly-looking bushes lined the front of the space, and Raine scoffed. “He should’ve called me. These things won’t last out the month, let alone the winter. I would’ve chosen some nice hostas, maybe a fire hedge, some daffodils and roses for color and variety.”

Raine opened the front door then held it for Issy with her hip, balancing Morty’s sizeable pot in both hands. The interior of the offices looked even worse than the outside, all bland beige and hideous blue indoor-outdoor carpet. A young blonde sat behind a blocky prefab desk against the wall, filing her nails while poring over the latest celebrity tabloid magazine.

Issy forced a smile and cleared her throat to get the gal’s attention. “Hi there. We’d like to see Mr. Geller, if he’s available.”

The blonde looked up at them, giving the cousins an appraising once-over, her expression suspicious. Okay, maybe she and Raine weren’t exactly dressed for a business meeting—with Issy in her shorts and sandals and Raine in her hippie-dippie Farmer Bob overalls—but still. They had legitimate business with Hans Geller. Namely getting Morty into his office so they could spy on him. Mortimer was magical, after all, and could sense whenever paranormal issues were discussed in his presence then wilt accordingly.

“Is Mr. Geller expecting you?” the receptionist asked after giving an aggrieved sigh. “Normally you have to make an appointment. Walk-ins aren’t welcome.”

Issy glanced at Raine then back to the blonde, doing her best to think on the fly. “It should only take a moment. We’re here as part of the new Silver Hollow Community Initiative Program.”

“The what?” Blondie asked, her brows drawing together as she smacked her chewing gum loudly.

“We bring plants to all the offices,” Raine said, stepping forward and holding out Morty. “To help beautify the area and all that.”

“Ginger, I’m—” Hans Geller said, stepping out of his office. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of the unexpected visitors then narrowed on Issy—namely her bust in her modest white tank top—and her skin crawled. Hans Geller reminded her of the toads down by the lake, both in looks and demeanor. “Oh. Hello, ladies.” A smarmy smile spread across his chubby face, slowly and predatorily, as he spoke directly to Issy’s chest. “What can I do for you today?”

Before Issy could say a word, Raine stepped in front of her and blocked the man’s view, bless her heart. She held out Morty and gave Hans a polite—and therefore fake—smile. “We brought you a plant for your office.”

Hans’s smile slowly faded to a frown. “I didn’t order any plants.”

“Compliments of the Silver Hollow Community Initiative.” Raine elbowed Issy in the side. “Right, cuz?”

“Yes,” Issy said, snapping out of her momentary ick-induced coma. “Yes. It should only take a moment for us to find a suitable spot for him.”

“Him?” Hans and his receptionist said in unison.

“It,” Raine and Issy responded.

“Fine.” Hans grumbled, waving them off. “Stick it in there somewhere, then get out. I’m very busy today. And Ginger, please pull those files I was working on earlier and bring them in as soon as you can.”

“Yes, Mr. Geller,” the blonde said.

Issy followed Raine inside Hans’s office, being extra careful to avoid his bulky frame still leaning against the door, then stood in one corner, arms crossed while Raine pretended to search for the best location to set Morty. Small talk wasn’t exactly her specialty, but she wanted to keep the man distracted from what Raine was doing and maybe get some more information out of him as well. “So, lots of land to develop, huh?”

“Always, Ms. Quinn.” He plopped down in the chair and folded his hands atop his desk. “Always.”

“All that rezoning must be difficult.”

“Are you interested in rezoning, Ms. Quinn?”

Issy resisted the urge to fidget under his lascivious stare. “No. I was just thinking now that Louella Drummond is out of the way, your bid to rezone the woods has a better chance of going through. She was the biggest opponent to the whole thing, right?”

Hans laughed, the sound harsh. “Let me guess. You think I killed her?” His loud snorts made the jowls in his neck jiggle. “Hardly. I don’t need to kill people to get them to do what I want, Ms. Quinn. All I have to do is buy them.” He leaned back in his chair and tucked his hands behind his head. “In fact, I’m working on the people who own that particular parcel right now. Gives me better access to the main road anyway. Win-win.”

“You’d still need board approval, though, for the sale to be final.”

“Yeah, but if I can get the owners to sell to me, that’s half the battle right there. Louella Drummond was a tough nut, that’s for sure, but now I guess I don’t have to worry about cracking her, eh?”

The receptionist knocked on the door. “I’ve got those files, Mr. Geller.”

“Great, bring them in.”

She did, and he stared at her shape all the way to his desk and back again. Issy pitied the poor girl, whoever she was, having to put up with Hans day in and day out. She closed her eyes briefly and sent out her invisible power feelers, the ones that alerted her to other paranormals in her midst, but nothing. And not even any paranormal abilities to protect her, poor thing. If Hans ever did decide to get handsy with Issy, she’d cast an itching spell on him to make sure he’d regret it. Hans Geller had no paranormal abilities either, thank goodness. He’d only misuse his powers to increase his own advantage anyway. A definite no-no in the paranormal world in general and to their governing committee in particular.

Nope. Hans Geller was all human and one-hundred-percent icky.

“If you ladies are finished, I have work to do.” Hans pushed to his feet and held the door for them. “Have a pleasant day.”

His tone suggested they do the exact opposite.

Raine set Morty on a file cabinet near the window then whispered something to him before rushing back to Issy’s side. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Geller.”

He shrugged then looked back at the Venus flytrap now adorning his office and grimaced. “That’s part of some community initiative? Looks like something out of a horror movie. Attack of the mutant vine or something.”

“Sure is,” Raine said, her voice overly cheerful. “He’ll help control the insects.”

“He?”

Outrage stormed her cousin’s face. Raine’s magical specialty was plants of all kinds. They grew and bloomed and thrived around her. She’d once mentioned being able to read their little plant minds but then refrained from mentioning it again after Issy and Ember and Gray had all looked at her as though she’d sprouted a second head. Still, she loved her familiar and wouldn’t allow anyone to disrespect Morty.

Issy could understand the sentiment—she likened it to her own feelings for Bella.

Hans Geller wouldn’t know nature or empathy if it bit him where the sun didn’t shine. Still, it wouldn’t do to make an enemy of him until they had all the facts. Do No Harm—that was the witches’ motto. No matter how hard it was to obey sometimes.

“It. Raine gets a little personal with her plants sometimes. Thanks again, Mr. Geller.” Issy took her cousin’s arm and directed her out of the office and back out into the parking lot before she could let Hans have it up one side and down the other. Back at the truck, she let go of Raine’s arm and slumped against the side of her rusted-out pickup. “Well, that didn’t do us any good. He’s not even a paranormal. No vibe at all from him or the receptionist.”

“I got a vibe all right,” Raine said, scowling, her cheeks red with anger. “Not paranormal, though.”

“Yeah.” Issy chuckled. “Sorry I didn’t get anything new from him about the rezoning.”

“But you did,” Raine said, kicking a pebble with the toe of her Birkenstock sandal. She adjusted one sagging strap of her khaki overalls then glanced up at Issy. “He said he could buy people. Like the property owners next to the woods. Who lives next door?”

Issy thought for a moment. “The Vonners, maybe?”

“Okay, then. That’s new.” Raine smiled, and the sun seemed to shine a bit brighter. “Are any of the Vonners paranormal?”

“Not sure. I’ve never really spent much time with them. They seem to keep to themselves mostly. They do have a son, Christian or Kellen or something.”

“Oh, right. I remember him now. He tried to steal toads from your shop one time.”

“Yep. He had sticky fingers, that one. I had the cops put the fear of the Almighty in him and never saw him again.”

“He’d be about college age by now, right?”

“Yeah, I suppose.” She fished her keys out of the pocket of her denim shorts and walked around to the driver’s side of the truck to let them in. That had been nearly a decade ago, and the kid was maybe twelve or thirteen at the time. That would put him out of college, actually. He probably had a home of his own by now, perhaps a family too, or at least a girlfriend. “Time flies, huh?”

“Yeah.” Raine climbed up into the passenger seat then slammed her door with a hollow
thunk,
her expression puzzled and her peridot-green gaze narrowed. “So, if the kid’s all grown up and the parents are empty nesters, maybe they want to sell the property and move to greener retirement pastures.”

Issy started the engine then hesitated, a new idea occurring. “And if the rezoning didn’t happen, then Hans wouldn’t want to buy the property.”

Raine grinned wide. Maybe it was a witch thing or a cousin thing or just serendipity, but all three of the Quinn cousins often had the same ideas at the same time. “Exactly! Giving them motive to want Louella Drummond out of the way. I think we have our next suspects.”

“Yep, we do,” Issy said, backing out of her parking spot, smiling herself now. “Look out, Vonners. Here we come.”

I
ssy dropped
Raine off at her small storefront that was a few streets away from Enchanted Pets. In the summer months, Raine was usually out on a landscaping job, her store usually closed, but she needed to check on a delivery of plants.

Before they parted, Raine reminded Issy about getting Gray’s picture from Louella’s camera. They’d texted Dee Dee the night before, and Issy had been expecting a reply, but it had been crickets so far. Time to pay a visit to the police station and see if she could find it herself.

The Silver Hollow Police Department was nothing to write home about. Low brick building. Industrial tile inside. Very small. There wasn’t much crime, so it only had one cell. There were only a handful of police officers, and whoever was on duty sat right in the main room behind the receptionist, Myra Bell, who guarded the inner sanctum as though it were the Vatican.

Issy was in luck. Myra wasn’t there. All the deputies must’ve been out or otherwise occupied, and no one was in the lobby. She snuck in and quickly darted down the hall, skimming against the wall and then turning in to the evidence room as quickly as she could.

Issy could have used magic. She could’ve put a charm on the door so no one would come in and interrupt her, but she was pretty serious about her magic, and she didn’t feel that it was something to be used lightly at every whim. Besides, she knew everyone here and could talk her way out of being discovered.

She left the light off and the door open. She could see well enough with the light filtering in from the hallway, and if anyone looked in, she’d be hidden in the shadows. The room was not much bigger than a closet, with a tall gray metal shelf in the middle that held various pieces of evidence in boxes. Since there wasn’t much crime in town, the Chinese food place next door used the room to store some of their cartons, and they were stacked up in the middle of the shelf, providing the perfect cover for her to hide behind. The room smelled of old paper and soy sauce.

It didn’t take long to search every shelf. Louella’s phone was nowhere to be found.

Where was it?

Issy could have kicked herself. She’d made a huge mistake.
She
knew Louella’s death was a murder, and she’d naturally been thinking they would be investigating it, but Owen didn’t know it was a murder. And if Ursula came back with a natural-death cause like they wanted, he never would. No murder, no investigation. No investigation, no evidence.

Louella’s phone was likely with her personal effects, which were probably still at the morgue. Issy needed to go to the morgue.

“Who are you?”

Issy jumped and spun toward the door, which was blocked by a broad-shouldered silhouette. Not Owen. Not one of the other cops. This guy was bigger, broader. Who was he?

He stepped into the room, and she felt a wash of energy. His energy. He wasn’t a paranormal, though. He was just…

She looked up at his face. Short-cropped hair. Strong, chiseled jaw. Nose maybe a little too big, but somehow it suited him. And hazel eyes that glinted with a mixture of surprise and something more primitive.

“Who are
you
?” she asked in return.

He leaned against the doorjamb, his shoulders taking up most of the opening like the Incredible Hulk. His eyes drifted from her face down to the rest of her, making her feel self-conscious in her plain white T-shirt, jean shorts, and pink flip-flops.

“Is that normal police garb here?” he asked.

Issy shifted in place. The timbre of the man’s voice was as sinfully sexy as his silhouette, and the feral glint in his hazel eyes made her shiver.

“I’m not with the police.” Shoot, maybe she shouldn’t have said that. Now how was she going to explain being in the evidence room? Wait a minute—she didn’t even know who this guy was. Why did she need to explain anything to him?

But his quirked eyebrow begged an explanation, and she said, “I was just on my way to the bathroom.”

She moved to push past him, but the confines of the room were tight. She had to get close. Very close. The kind of close that set off warning signals deep inside her. As she tried to sidle past him, another body blocked the doorway.

It was Dee Dee. Her amber-yellow eyes were wide as they darted between Issy and the Hulk.

“Oh. You guys have met,” Dee Dee said in a strained voice.

“Not officially.” The Hulk reached into the back pocket of his blue jeans. He pulled out a wallet, momentarily confusing Issy. Was he going to give her money? Her eyes drifted over to Dee Dee, who looked terrified.

The man flipped open his wallet to reveal a shiny gold badge. “Dex Nolan. FBI. And you are?”

Issy’s eyes snapped to the badge. This was no regular FBI. She knew the look of the special badge of the paranormal investigators unit.

Her heart tumbled—the FBPI had come to town.

* * *

“
I
ssy Quinn
.” Issy stuck out her hand. His was warm and rough and electric. His handshake firm. She pulled her hand back quickly.

Dex's brows mashed together. “Quinn? Isn’t that the name of the guy we have in for questioning?”

Issy’s heart dropped. The FBPI had Gray? Her eyes flew to Dee Dee for confirmation.

Dee Dee gave a curt nod. “He’s in Owen’s office.”

Issy was out the door and down the hall before Dee Dee had even finished the sentence, ignoring Dex’s cry of, “Hey, you can’t go in there.”

She flew around the corner and ripped Owen’s door open to find Gray leaning casually against the wall, a look of bemused indifference on his face. Seated in a chair against the opposite wall was a brown-haired man wearing a black suit and aviator sunglasses. His skin was a pasty gray, as if he didn't get out in the sun much. Issy imagined dark and beady eyes studying her from behind the glasses. Owen sat behind the desk.

All three of them turned to look at Issy while Owen completed the sentence he must’ve been in the middle of. “… why the FBI has an interest in this.”

Issy exchanged a look with Gray. Naturally, Owen thought these guys were the regular FBI. They never actually told people that they were a special paranormal unit. Apparently the FBI didn’t want the general population to know they believed in paranormals. They skulked around, pretending they were on regular FBI business, but Issy could tell from the flicker of concern that crossed Gray’s eyes that he knew exactly who they were.

“Why is there even an investigation? I thought Louella had a heart attack.” Issy’s eyes flitted from Gray to Owen to the guy in the suit.

Dex spoke from behind her. “It might have looked that way, but it wasn’t. It was murder.”

The guy in the suit nodded. “Poisoned. And who are you?”

Dex pushed his way past her into the room. “Issy Quinn, related to Mr. Quinn over here.”

“Husband?” Suit asked.

“Cousin,” Owen supplied. “But never mind about her. I don’t see how you know Louella was poisoned, and if she was, just what, exactly, is your concern in this case?”

Issy shot a surprised glance at Owen. Today he almost looked official in a tan shirt and brown pants. It was quite a far cry from his usual Hawaiian shirts. And he was acting as if he really cared that the FBI was sticking their nose in—normally he would have shrugged and driven to the ocean to surf, or gone out on the lake paddleboarding or water skiing. Was Owen getting serious about his sheriff job? She certainly hoped not.

Dee Dee joined them, pushing past Issy to stand with her back against the wall. Issy noticed she avoided looking at Gray. She seemed almost embarrassed. Issy hoped she wasn't feeling bad that she hadn't been able to warn them ahead of time about the FBPI.

“We have our ways,” Dex said. Since the only guest chair in the room was occupied by Black Suit, Dex leaned against the wall next to Issy. She could feel his warm energy, and it was annoying, so she moved away, noticing an amused gleam in his eye as she did.

Black Suit consulted the small notepad in his hand. “We were tipped off to the suspicious poisoning. We checked with your medical examiner last night, and she concurred Louella Drummond was poisoned. Calcium oxalate.”

“And this is a matter for the FBI why?” Owen asked.

Suit snapped his notebook shut. “That’s on a need-to-know basis.”

“Why do you have Gray here?” Issy asked.

“The victim had threatened Mr. Quinn shortly before her death.”

“But I was across the street in my hairdresser salon, elbow deep in a perm when she died,” Gray pointed out.

Suit looked over the rims of his sunglasses at Gray. Yep, his eyes were black and beady, just as Issy had suspected. And suspicious. “So you say.”

“There were witnesses. I was standing right there!” Issy said.

Suit turned to look at her, taking the aviator shades off. His beady eyes drilled into her as if he knew exactly what she was about. “So,
you’re
the pet store owner? You were standing right next to her when she died, and from what I heard she was also threatening
you
. Something about a poisonous frog?”

Issy crossed her arms over her chest. “You don’t think I killed her right in front of my own store, do you? That was just an idle threat. There is no poisonous frog in my shop, and furthermore, the board of health inspector was standing right there. She would’ve seen if I poisoned her.”

Suit didn’t look convinced, but Dex cut in. “We’re not accusing anyone of anything. We’re simply following all the leads that we have. Is there anything you guys know about this?”

He looked sincere, sympathetic almost, but Issy knew the real reason he was here. They’d been tipped off that Louella’s death was by paranormal means, and they were here to nail someone for it. Dex Nolan might have kind eyes and a hot body, but he was the enemy. She needed to tread carefully with these guys in town.

Suit's phone pinged, and panic jolted through her. Louella’s phone! It likely had that picture of Gray in the woods during the full-moon ritual, and if the FBPI got a hold of that…

“So what is this, some kind of a serial poisoning?” Owen asked. “You guys don’t just come out for regular murders.”

Everyone’s focus snapped to Owen. Issy, Dee Dee, Gray, and the FBPI knew Louella’s death wasn’t a poisoning, but they had to keep up appearances. Dex and Suit exchanged a glance.

“Yes, that’s right,” Suit said.

“Hmmm… We haven’t had another murder like this, and I haven’t read of any, so the other, similar murders must have been far from here. I doubt it is anyone that lives in Silver Hollow.” Owen leaned across the desk, a look of protective determination in his eye. “And if you guys think you’re going to go around accusing the citizens of Silver Hollow, then you have another thing coming. This is still my town, and I’m going to investigate this case right along with you.”

Suit opened his mouth to speak, but Dex cut in before he could spit out the smart-aleck remark that Issy imagined was on his tongue. “That’s fine. Just don’t get in our way. We can use all the help we can get.”

Owen seemed mollified. “Well, good, then. Are we done with Mr. Quinn?”

“I suppose so.” Suit shoved his notebook into his pocket, stood, and turned to Issy. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Quinn.”

“Miss.”

“Stanley Judge.” He announced his name as if she should be impressed. Issy was relieved he didn't offer his hand. It was probably cold and clammy. She thought she saw Dex’s sensual lips quirk.

“I’ll let you know when my team is done with Louella’s personal effects,” Owen said importantly.

Relief flooded through Issy. Owen had her personal effects, which meant they were in the police station somewhere, and Dee Dee would have access to them. She already knew to erase Gray’s pictures from the phone, but Issy figured it couldn’t hurt to send her one last text just to be sure.

Issy was the first one out of the office. She was eager to get back to her pet store. Back to where she felt safe and secure. Where she could forget about dark magic, government entities that wanted to harm paranormals, and good-looking enemies like Dex Nolan for a few hours, at least.

* * *

T
he Crown Victoria
had been sitting in the hot summer sun for a few hours, so the inside was steaming and smelled of hot vinyl. Dex sat in the driver’s seat, windows open, air conditioning blasting. The steering wheel was too hot to touch.