A Spell Of Trouble (Silver Hollow Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series Book 1) (4 page)

"She can cast a spell on me anytime.” Stan Judge leaned forward to look past Dex at Issy Quinn and her cousin, who stood talking in the parking lot.

Dex felt a jolt of alarm. “You think she’s a witch?”

Stan shrugged. “I hear this town is loaded with them. She might be one. She certainly is bewitching.”

Dex slid his eyes back over to the woman. He didn’t know about
bewitching
, but she sure was cute. With that curly strawberry-blond hair bobbing around her head and big sea-green eyes a guy could get lost in. And those long legs that could… well, no sense in thinking about that. He wasn’t here to get involved with a woman.

Why
was
he here?

The truth was, Dex didn’t even believe in witches and paranormals. And even if there were such a thing, he certainly wouldn’t want to capture them and do whatever it was the FBI did to them, as his boss, Stan, wanted. Stan seemed to have some kind of vendetta against these mythical beings.

The truth was, Dex hadn’t had much choice but to take the job with the FBPI. It was the only job in the bureau where
it
might not happen again. He couldn’t risk failing to protect someone ever again. At least here he knew all the cases he went on would end up with no harm done. In this job, no one would die on his watch. The FBPI didn’t have a very good track record of capturing their quarry.

“So what do you think? You think she did it?” Stan asked.

Dex jerked his eyes back to his partner, feeling oddly protective of Issy. “No way. She’s no killer.”

“The victim was threatening to expose some sort of poisonous frog. A frog that
magically
was no longer there when she brought in the board of health. And not only that, the victim threatened the woman’s cousin.”

Dex frowned. “We don’t know whether there really was a frog. For all we know, the victim was loopy. She sounds like she had some kind of crazy vendetta against them, and we don’t know what she even had on the cousin.”

“That’s right. Which reminds me. We have to work around this hick sheriff now. That Lottie woman said it was a photograph that the victim probably had on her cell phone. But we have to play nice with the guy and let him look at the stuff first. We better stick close by, though. Let’s pick up some coffee and donuts and then come back. Hopefully he’ll be willing to let us look at her phone and other personal effects by then.”

“Okay. Good idea.” Dex couldn’t imagine what the woman could possibly have on her phone against the guy. He found himself hoping it wasn’t anything paranormal. Well, of course it wouldn’t be, because there was no such thing. As they pulled out of the parking lot, his eyes drifted over to Issy, now getting into an old, beat-up brown Toyota pickup truck. If she were a witch, wouldn’t she just conjure herself up a better vehicle?

He was a pretty good investigator, and he could sniff out a killer at twenty paces. And he knew that woman was no killer. He didn’t think she was a witch either, although she was quite charming.

But even though Dex didn’t suspect her of any wrongdoing, it wouldn’t be a hardship to keep Issy Quinn under close surveillance.

I
ssy texted
her cousins as soon as she got back to the store, alerting them to the fact that the FBPI were in town. The one guy, Stan, seemed like a hard ass, but her insides got all mushy when she thought about the other one. He had kind eyes, and she had a hard time picturing him persecuting a paranormal. But maybe that was what made him so effective. Maybe he was one of those guys that seemed like your friend and then turned on you at the last minute. Best to stay away from him.

The cousins had made plans to meet at Issy’s cottage by the edge of the lake later that night to discuss the new developments. Now, more than ever, they had to find the real killer, especially if the FBPI had Gray—and possibly her—on their radar.

She picked up a pizza on the way home. Pepperoni, onion, and green pepper, the way they all liked it. She was setting out plates on her antique pine dining table when her cousins arrived almost simultaneously.

Brimstone walked in the door first. He cast a glance at the pizza, turned his nose up, and trotted over toward the cupboard where she kept the animal treats. Bella noticed and rushed over, too, leaping and jumping so as not to be left out.

“Smells delicious.” Gray came through the door with Cosmo perched on his shoulder.

Cosmo spread his wings. “
Awk. Delicious,
” he said in his high-pitched parrot voice and then flew up to his usual perch on top of Issy’s white-painted cabinets.

“Bloody arrogant creature thinking he should be above us,” Brimstone muttered, a wary eye turned upward toward Cosmo.

“What was that?” Ember came to the door, the two kittens peeking out from the caldron-shaped kitten-toy tote bag hanging from her elbow.

Brimstone’s golden-orange eyes widened in alarm when he saw Bellatrix and Endora. The kittens loved trying to get him to play, but he considered himself too dignified for that. “I think there’s some chipmunks out there that need chasing.” He trotted into the next room, and the next thing Issy knew he was outside. She had no idea how he’d actually gotten out there, but closed doors never seemed to be a problem for him.

Bella, on the other hand, loved the kittens, and the three of them took off in a frolicking furry ball, rolling around the living room as the cousins settled in around the table.

“Geez, Gray, I was half afraid the FBPI were going to cart you away,” Ember said.

Gray dug into a slice of pizza, seemingly unconcerned. “They just asked me a few questions. They don’t have anything on me.”

“What about those pictures Louella had?” Raine picked a pepperoni off the pizza and popped it into her mouth.

“Dee Dee said she’d take care of it,” Gray said.

“Yeah, but what if she gets busy or something happens and she can’t get the cell phone?” Issy asked.

Gray focused on his pizza, avoiding his cousin’s gaze. “She’ll do it. She owes me.”

Issy’s left brow ticked up. “Really? For what?”

“None of your business. We can trust her. You guys know that,” Gray said.

“
Awwk
…
private business.
” Cosmo stretched his neck out and tilted his head, looking at them with one eye from atop the cabinet.

“Okay. Let’s not worry about that now. There’s nothing we can do, and Dee Dee is going to text me when she gets the camera so we’ll know for sure.” Issy folded her wedge of pizza and tilted it to let the grease drip off onto her plate. “We need to step up our game now with the FBPI here.”

“Right,” Ember said. “So what did the FBPI ask you? What do you think they know? Who tipped them off?”

Issy sighed and looked out past her shabby-chic living room, with the white and rose-covered overstuffed sofas, through the double sliding glass doors, to the calm, serene blue waters of the lake. Here, in her cottage, surrounded by things she loved, she always felt the safest. The view of the small sandy beach, crystal-clear lake, and distant mountains framed by the long boughs of tall pine trees always soothed her. But tonight she had a restless energy. She could feel something was about to happen. “From what I heard, it seemed like they didn’t have very much to go on. Did they say anything to you before I got there, Gray?”

Gray shook his head. Leaning back in his chair, he crossed his arms over his chest, the bottom of the shamrock tattoo peering out from under the sleeve of his shirt. He looked tired and worn, though he was putting up a good front that he wasn’t worried. “They didn’t say much of anything. Though now we’ve got two issues, because Owen thinks this was a poisoning, and it appears as if he’s going to be looking for the killer.”

“Poisoning?” Ember asked.

“That’s what Ursula put on the medical report. Apparently the FBPI showed up at her office, so she couldn’t rule it a heart attack,” Issy said.

“Dang, well, that complicates things.” Ember picked another toy out of the caldron and threw it into the living room to amuse the kittens and Bella.

“No kidding. Especially since I might be a suspect along with Gray,” Issy said.

“But Owen wouldn’t think that you guys would kill anyone. He knows you guys.” Raine twisted her mouth sideways. “What kind of poison did Ursula say it was?”

“Calcite something or calcium something…”

“Calcium oxalate?”

“Yes, that’s it!” Issy and Gray said at the same time. Issy’s spirits fell even further at the look on her cousin’s face.

“That’s too bad. That can come from many sources, including the jack-in-the-pulpit plant, which is kind of rare, but I happen to have planted a few around town.”

“Oh great, so now you’re going to be a suspect too?” Ember asked. “Next we’ll find out the poison was inside one of my chocolates, and my head will be on the chopping block too.”

“That kind of poisoning
can
cause a swollen tongue. I don’t think it turns the tongue blue, but I guess Owen probably won’t catch on to that,” Raine said.

“All the more reason for us to find who is behind this on our own. What did you guys find out when you went to talk to Hans?” Gray asked.

“Not much. I don’t think he’s a witch,” Issy said. “I didn’t get any vibe. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t have a witch do his bidding. Or he could be cleverly masking his paranormal energy. We brought Mortimer along and put him in the office, so if any paranormal business is discussed, we’ll soon find out.”

“What about Louella’s finances? Did she have any relatives salivating to get at her money?” Issy asked.

Gray shook his head. “Nope. She didn’t have any money or any relatives. Not even a life-insurance policy. She did have a will, and she left everything to the Silver Hollow Reptile Society, but from the information I got, there will barely be enough to bury her, so they aren’t going to get much.”

“Silver Hollow has a reptile society?” Ember asked.

Gray shrugged. “Guess so.”

“Well, I guess that’s at least one less thing to investigate,” Raine said.

“And so what we do until then?” Ember ripped off a piece of pizza crust and folded it in her mouth. “Just sit around and wait for one of them to come get us?” The last few words came out in a jumbled mumble as she talked around the thick, doughy crust, but Issy knew what she’d said.

“No. We don’t have to just sit around. We got another lead from Hans.”

“That’s right,” Raine added. “When we talked to him, he said he wouldn’t kill Louella—he would just buy her out. I don’t know if he was working on buying Louella. She doesn't seem like the type that could be bought, but he implied that he would buy out the abutting neighbors.”

Ember’s face lit up. “Oh, I didn’t think of that. That parcel of land that’s going to be rezoned doesn’t have a lot of frontage, but if he bought the Vonners’ place, he’d be able to have much better access to the strip mall.”

“Which means Fred Vonner would likely stand to make a lot of money from Hans,” Gray said.

“But not if the rezoning doesn’t happen,” Raine pointed out.

“Exactly. So if Hans isn’t a paranormal and he did have a witch do his bidding, maybe that witch is Vonner.”

“Vonner? I don’t know him at all. Do you think he is a witch?” Ember asked.

“Don’t know, but I know one way to find out,” Issy said. “I’m going to pay him a visit tomorrow. Who wants to come with me?”

T
he next day
, Issy parked Brown Betty at the end of the long dirt driveway leading up to the home of Fred and Judith Vonner. Ember was with her this time, as Raine was out on another landscaping job on the other side of Silver Hollow and couldn’t make it back in time. Ember had closed up her chocolate shop, Divine Cravings, while Issy had left her trusty shop assistant in charge of Enchanted Pets, feigning her usual excuse of a late lunch with her cousin.

“Wow, this land is really lovely,” Ember said as they started up the drive. Wildflowers grew all along the front edge of woods abutting the property and along the back of the old Victorian-style house. Black shutters highlighted the many windows, and the front lawn was lush and, from the smell of fresh-cut grass, newly mowed. As they climbed the steps up to the wraparound porch, Issy noticed hanging baskets of purple, pink, and white pansies lining the space. All in all, a well-kept property, not your typical murderer’s lair. Then again, looks could be deceiving.

Issy was dressed in her usual shorts and tank top, pink this time, while Ember had worn a cute little yellow eyelet sundress that made her look like some lost Southern belle, with her dark-auburn curls tied back with a matching sunny-yellow ribbon. Ember had also brought along a specially charmed box of salted caramels from her shop, in case they had a problem getting the Vonners to open up. Issy took a deep breath then pressed the doorbell.

Moments later, a man appeared at the screen door, pudgy, late fifties to early sixties, bald on top, with gray hair around the sides of his head. He frowned when he saw Issy and Ember. “Can I help you ladies?”

His hand shook a bit as he raised a handkerchief to wipe his sweaty forehead, Issy noticed. Nervous, maybe? He certainly didn’t look as if he’d been expecting guests, if his grass-stained T-shirt and plaid Bermuda shorts were any indication. His frown increased as he caught Issy staring. He started to close the storm door, mumbling, “Whatever you’re selling, we don’t want any.”

“No, wait,” Issy called, finding her voice at last. “We came to talk to you about your land, Mr. Vonner.”

He hesitated then creaked the door back open. “What about my land?”

“Just a few questions about the rezoning, if you have a moment?” Issy flashed him her most dazzling smile. “Please?”

“Fine.” He sighed, his shoulders slumping as he opened the screen door to let them in.

She and Ember stepped inside the cool interior of the house, and Issy looked around. Quaint decorations, in keeping with the Victorian theme. Lots of needlepoint and doilies and crocheted afghans tossed everywhere. A fish tank bubbled near one corner of the space—large and expensive and not from Issy’s shop, she noted.

Issy sent out her magic-power feelers again but didn’t pick up any sign of paranormal activity here either. Not that people couldn’t mask such things on rare occasions, but it would take a lot of dark-magic power to do so. And as far as the Quinns knew, no one in Silver Hollow had that kind of power. Or at least that was what she’d thought before Louella’s disturbing death.

“Have a seat,” Mr. Vonner said. “Can I get you ladies something to drink? I’m afraid my wife’s not home at the moment.”

“Oh, no,” Ember said. “We’re fine, thank you.” She handed him the box of chocolate-covered caramels and gave him her most charming smile. “A housewarming gift, for you and your wife. I’m Ember Quinn, by the way. Those are a treat from my shop.”

“We’ve lived here twenty years or more,” he said.

“Yes, but this is our first time visiting.”

“Hmm.” He held up the pretty silver box with the dainty blue bow and wrinkled his nose. “Pretty fancy. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” Ember walked into the living room and took a seat on a chintz-upholstered love seat while Issy sat on a mauve-colored velvet antique Victorian chair.

Mr. Vonner took a seat on an ottoman across from Issy and wiped his forehead again. “Sorry for my appearance. I just finished mowing right before you ladies got here.”

“No problem.” Issy smiled again, genuine this time. The man seemed nice enough. She held out her hand for a formal introduction. “My name’s Isolde Quinn, though everyone calls me Issy.”

“I remember you.” He shook her hand. “You own that pet shop in town, right?”

“Yep. Enchanted Pets.”

“Yeah.” Mr. Vonner hung his head. “Sorry about what happened with my son all those years ago. Him stealing and all.” He twisted his handkerchief in his hands. “Guess that’s why he didn’t buy that from you.” He cocked his head toward the fish tank. “Or any of his other tanks for his snakes. Well, that and the fact he’s cheap. I always tell him to support the local merchants, but that kid’ll drive fifty miles away just to save five bucks. Never was any good, that kid.”

The sad desperation in his tone made Issy’s heart squeeze with sympathy. Raising kids was hard, no matter if they were human or not. And it sounded as if this poor man and his wife had had a tough time of it. “What was your son’s name again?”

“Christian.”

“Right.” Issy nodded then stared at the toes of her work boots. “Well, I’m sure you did the best you could, Mr. Vonner.”

“Fred. Please call me Fred.” He looked up and gave her a small smile. “Are you sure I can’t get you ladies something to drink? The missus left a fresh pitcher of lemonade in the kitchen.”

“No.” Issy glanced over at Ember, who shook her head slightly. “We’re good, really.”

“So, Fred,” Ember said. “About the rezoning of the woods?”

“Bad business, that,” he said, scowling. “Those lands should be protected, I say. The last thing the world needs is another strip-mall monstrosity taking up more space. One of the reasons we moved up here to raise our family was all the natural beauty. The White Mountains, all the lakes and streams and untouched woods. There's lots of wildlife out in these woods. Deer. Rabbits. Owls. Lots of them come out to the edge of the forest on the full moon. Why, just a couple of nights ago, a big wolf ran right through the front yard here and off to the woods. We like having our privacy, and we like Silver Hollow just the way it is. We’d never want to do anything to change that.”

“What about—” Issy had been about to ask him about Louella’s murder, when the screen door slammed open again, cutting her off.

A black-haired young man, maybe twenty-two or -three, stomped in, the navy-blue streaks in his hair glowing from the sun and his black combat boots tracking mud across the otherwise-spotless floor. A girl trailed in after him, about five years older, and familiar to Issy. Brittany Chase, her brown hair stringy and hanging in her face. They were both wearing identical black T-shirts and jeans with plaid work shirts over the top, despite the sweltering August temperatures outside. Christian carried a large package wrapped in white butcher’s paper and stamped with the logo from the meat market in town.

They stopped short upon seeing Issy and Ember talking to Fred. Christian scowled at them, his eyes taking in Issy’s long legs and then moving farther up to her chest. She shifted uncomfortably on the sofa.

“Take off those shoes, son. You’re making a mess,” Fred said to Christian in an exasperated tone, as if this wasn’t the first time he’d had to say it. “And don’t even think about putting that yucky stuff in my freezer.”

“Sure. Sure.” Christian continued on without taking off his boots. He fumbled the package, and it thudded to the floor beside the love seat. Whatever was in there was frozen solid. He bent down to pick it up, leaning close to the sofa and taking time to leer up at Issy. Probably dropped it on purpose to look up her shorts or something. Issy crossed her legs, and Christian swooped up the package then nodded to Brittany.

Without a word, they disappeared though another door, then their footsteps clomped down what sounded like stairs, to a basement, Issy supposed.

Fred sighed deeply then shook his head. “Don’t know what happened to him. Tried to raise him right, I swear. Now he lives down there in that basement. Doesn’t work, dropped out of school. All he does is hang out with that weird girlfriend of his and play with his snakes all day.” The man visibly shuddered. “Snakes. Yuck. Stocked my freezer down there with mice and all sorts of animal organs he says he feeds them.”

Issy met Ember’s gaze, and they both stood. “Well, thanks so much for talking to us, Fred. But we need to be going.”

“Right.” He walked them to the door. “Thanks again for the candy.”

“Our pleasure,” Ember said.

“Have a blessed day,” Issy called to him as she descended the front stoop back down to the dirt driveway again, but Mr. Vonner had already closed the door and was back to yelling at his son again, his words carrying out over the soft summer breeze.

“And don’t clog up the freezer in the kitchen with that gross stuff either. Your mother will have a fit…”

“Well, then,” Ember said when they got back to the truck. “That was interesting.”

“That’s one way to put it.”

“They aren’t paranormals either.”

“Nope, not from what I could tell.” Issy drove back to Ember’s shop to drop her off. “See you later?”

“Yep.” Ember waved. “And be careful, Issy.”

“Always.” She drove across the square and parked Brown Betty in front of her pet store then got out, halting at the sight of Dee Dee near the entrance. “Hey. What’s up?”

“I’ve been trying to text you,” the sheriff’s deputy said, her tone urgent. “That’s what’s up.”

“Oh.” Issy slipped her phone out of her pocket. “Sorry. Must’ve turned it off to save power.”

A carload of guys rumbled past, and several of the men made wolf whistles and cat calls toward them. Issy was used to it, but Dee Dee mustn’t have been, if her flaming red cheeks were any indication. Of course, most men overlooked Dee Dee, with her short, stocky build and somewhat wild, unkempt hair. Issy narrowed her eyes then and looked at her friend, really looked, as if seeing Dee Dee for the first time. Now that those guys had brought it to her attention, Dee Dee’s wiry, wolf-like bushy auburn hair looked sleeker today, and lush. And her usually spotty skin was clear and smooth. And her yellowish eyes were more amber now, liquid and pretty and alluring. The acorn amulet she’d charmed for her must
really
be working. Maybe Issy’s magic was getting more powerful than she’d thought.

Weird. Good for Dee Dee, but still… weird.

“Did you go see Gray?” Issy asked, curious about her friend’s sudden transformation.

“What?” Dee Dee scrunched her nose, her gaze darting around, looking at anything but Issy and completely ignoring the attention she seemed to be garnering from any male within a fifty-foot radius. “No. Why would you think that? Listen, I was able to get to Louella’s cell phone before the FBPI, but it’s the old kind that doesn’t take photos.”

“That’s good, then, right?” Issy said. “That means no nudie Gray pics.”

“No.” The color in Dee Dee’s cheeks brightened as she stared down at the toes of her work shoes. “It just means she probably took them with a digital camera instead.”

“Oh.” Issy considered that for a moment before opening the door to her shop and calling inside to her assistant behind the counter, a college girl home for summer break. “Hannah, will you be okay to watch the store for another hour or so alone?”

“Sure, Ms. Quinn,” Hannah called. “It’s been slow anyway.”

“Great. Thanks.” Issy waved then took off for her truck again.

“Where are you going?” Dee Dee called from behind her.

“I’ll be back soon,” she called over her shoulder before climbing back into her truck. She didn’t want to alert Silver Hollow’s finest to her soon-to-be whereabouts just yet. Especially if what Dee Dee just said was true. If Louella had used a digital camera to take naked shots of Gray during his ritual, then that meant the camera was most likely still at Louella’s residence, since Owen hadn’t mentioned having it as part of the items collected that day in his office. She restarted the truck then backed out and headed in the direction of Louella Drummond’s house. If she had any hopes of getting rid of those incriminating pictures of her cousin, it was now or never, before the FBPI or the Silver Hollow Sheriff’s Department got ahold of them.