Cat-astrophic Spells (3 page)

I
waved
to Officer Ferdeck and gave Blake a slightly concerned look. He knew something but wasn’t telling me. And I knew something but wasn’t telling him. We were both looking down the same scary tunnel.

Bea held onto me tightly as we walked to her car.

“So? What did you find out?” My voice echoed off the three cars in the parking lot, the garbage dumpster, and the brick walls of the coroner’s office. We were totally alone, but I worried someone might overhear us.

“It was a mess in there, Cath.” We climbed into the car. Bea sat behind the wheel and took a couple of deep breaths. “I barely touched the body. When I walked in, I could see the metaphysical residue from what had happened to him all over. It was thick and black, and there were globs of…stuff…so thick, it was piling on the floor. Even though it was only me who could see it, I swear Blake knew something was there. He stood back from the table, like he was afraid he might get some of it on him.”

I took a deep breath. “Maybe he’s just squeamish around carcasses. I can’t say I don’t know how that feels,” I said quietly, as if dismissing Blake’s behavior could somehow change what Bea had seen.

“No. He was onto something. I could tell he could feel it.”

I cleared my throat and looked through the windshield at the bushes in front of us. A thick, soft, piney type of foliage bordered the small parking lot. For a second, I half expected to see something peeking back at me from the pitch-black shadows. But there was nothing.

“And Cath, that isn’t even the worst part.” Bea turned her head and looked at me with tears in her eyes. “He didn’t just die of a heart attack.”

“What did he die of?”

“His heart exploded inside his chest.”

I was speechless. What do you say to that kind of news? “So, the cessation summons?”

“Oh, it’s definitely a witch doing this. This was a pitiful attempt at a cessation summons. But whoever did this, he or she isn’t very good. They made a mess of everything.”

I had never seen Bea so upset. She was squeezing and kneading the steering wheel as she spoke. “Obviously they didn’t expect anyone in Wonder Falls to be privy to the realm of spells and magic.” Bea wiped away the tear that had snuck down her cheek.

“Well, was there any kind of clue or tip to point us in the right direction? Marvin knew a lot of people. I mean, his candy was shipped all over the country. What if he crossed someone who lives in New York or Florida, and we are all the way over here? How could we ever hope to narrow down the search, let alone catch them?”

Bea slowly shook her head. “It’s not a local person, but they are located here now. Inside all the mystical goo and filth that they left all over the body, I sensed a transference spell. I couldn’t pinpoint the location without giving Blake something unnatural to contemplate telling Jake, so I did what I could with what I was given to work with. It came from somewhere on the west side.”

“Well, that is better than nothing, right? Even though the west side is a couple miles in all directions.”

Bea started the car and put it in reverse. “Don’t be so negative. We need to talk to my mom.”

We arrived at Aunt Astrid’s house a few minutes past ten. After letting ourselves in, we found her sitting cross-legged on the floor surrounded by towers of books. And of course, Marshmallow was sprawled across an open book, her tail waving lazily at us when we walked in.

Bea took center stage and repeated to her mom what she had told me: the gross residue, the amateurish technique, the transference spell directing us to the west side, plus Jake’s discreet information regarding the weird writing on the walls.

“Yeah, what about all that stuff?” I had to ask how it got all over the walls. Why would a witch make a man’s heart explode in his chest from a distance yet take the risk of being seen at the crime scene and leaving crucial evidence? It didn’t make any sense.

Sounds like trouble
, Marshmallow said to me telepathically, looking up and licking her paw as I scratched the top of her head.

“I’ll bet if we were to go back to that house, all those sketches and symbols would be gone,” Aunt Astrid said. “You said this was done from a distance. I believe that. And those images were just an attempt to scare the victim. They emerged from the wall as they were uttered by the witch. But I’ll bet they’re gone now. This person, who is so magically sloppy and careless, decided to show off a little to Marvin. ‘Look at what I can do. I can scare you. I can cause you pain. I can kill you. I am in charge.’”

I was still worried about narrowing down the search. “So you don’t think this was like a loan-shark arrangement gone bad, or a union dispute or something?”

“Not at all,” Aunt Astrid said. “That wouldn’t make sense. I don’t think loan sharks deal in witchcraft. And as far as I’ve heard, the Teamsters don’t have a clause allowing for heart explosions in their contracts.”

Laughing a little, I could see Aunt Astrid’s point.

“No.” Her eyes narrowed. “This was personal. Whoever did this wanted to make sure Marvin took notice of them immediately. My guess is that he didn’t move fast enough for them.”

“Well, we know it’s magic. We know it is an amateur trying to do what I’d call ‘big girl magic.’ And this person killed Marvin intentionally. Who would have a motive like that?” I thought out loud.

Bea scratched the side of her head. “He didn’t have any business partners. He grew Sweetie’s with his own hands, so I don’t think it was over the business.”

“His wife died years ago,” Aunt Astrid said.

“Yeah, I remember,” Bea said. “It was the only time he ever closed his doors for so long. I think he was out for two weeks. He had that black wreath on the door and that pretty note to the customers about her going home and the angels and such. It breaks my heart to think of it now.”

I nodded. I sadly remembered that, too. “I think it’s safe to say it was no jaded wife or her ‘other man.’”

Aunt Astrid shook her head, agreeing with me. Then her eyes widened as they did when she had an idea. “Does he have any children? Anyone being left out of a will or looking to inherit the business? People in desperate situations resort to desperate means.”

Bea and I shrugged. We knew Marvin as a businessman and associate, but we didn’t know his family other than his late wife. Everyone in town knew about her death.

“Disgruntled employees?” Bea offered.

Suddenly, I slapped my hand to my forehead. “I hate to say this.” I rubbed the back of my neck.

“What? You’re hungry again?” Bea looked at me with a smirk.

“What? No.” I bumped her with my elbow. “Darla.”

“
W
hat would
Darla have to do with Marvin?” Aunt Astrid asked.

Darla Castellano was my arch-nemesis in high school. She had decided our sophomore year that her proverbial claws needed continual sharpening, and I was to be the instrument used to keep them pointy and dangerous.

Like a young Clark Kent, I had powers no one would let me use. Unlike Clark Kent, who could run and had super strength, I possessed the ability to afflict Darla with warts. I could have caused her to have a paralyzing fear of pencils, or I could have made the grass and trees pull and yank at her as she walked by. But I never did. Instead, I had to take her abuse.

Darla was wealthy and beautiful and spoiled rotten. The boys loved her, but most of the girls were scared of her wrath. After seeing how she treated me, they were too afraid to stand up to her.

As if that power weren’t enough, she thought she could dive into Greenwood history and master the art of witchcraft, too. Her selfish actions resulted not only in the Brew-Ha-Ha going up in flames but also in the death of our previous baker, Ted. She didn’t kill him outright, but she could have saved him if she’d had even a shred of conscience.

“Darla worked for Marvin back when she was in college,” I said.

“But that was several years ago. What would she be mad at from then that she’d remember now?
And
seek revenge?” Bea asked.

“Well, first Darla got fired from that job. I had heard around the neighborhood that she wasn’t just rude to customers, but that she had a real aversion to doing any kind of actual work. I mean, look at her.” I raised my hands with my palms up. “Is it any wonder she married money?”

“Then divorced it,” Bea said smugly.

“Then got half of everything and is looking for the next lucky Mr. Castellano,” Aunt Astrid added.

“I also heard she was blackballed after that because Marvin wasn’t going to lie for her and give her any kind of reference,” I said. “Plus, she’s so dumb, half the town knew she had been working there, having seen her with their own eyes and experiencing her radiant personality. She wasn’t going to get a job in this town anywhere.” I was unable to contain my glee while repeating the story. I knew gossip was bad, but this gossip was the truth.

“Where did you hear all this?” Bea asked.

“From none other than Ruby Connors.”

Both Bea’s and Aunt Astrid’s eyes got as wide as saucers.

Ruby Connors was Darla’s lackey all through high school and still was. I thought Ruby liked the attention that trickled off of Darla and sometimes splashed on her. But if I got Ruby alone, she couldn’t help herself. She’d spill the beans on her own mother if it made her the center of attention for a few seconds without the model-perfect Darla.

“Still.” Aunt Astrid shook her head skeptically. “That was several years ago. She’s moved on, don’t you think?”

It was my turn to shake my head. “Have you ever known Darla to move on after someone did her wrong?” I folded my arms over my chest as if I had just cracked the case wide open.

“But this is magic, Cath. We got the book back from her. We watched you erase her memories and even helped put new ones in their place. You don’t think that we missed something? That her memories somehow grew back and she’s trying to hone her craft again, do you?” Bea asked nervously.

“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “But she’s as logical a first step as anyone else at this point.”

“If she is up to her old tricks again, she’ll be covered in residual magic,” Aunt Astrid said. “Based on the description you gave of the coroner’s office, she wouldn’t be able to shake that off of her for a couple of days. We just need to get a look at her to tell.”

I shivered at the thought of being anywhere near that woman. “Yeah, okay. How are we going to do that? Heaven knows she would be suspicious if I suddenly showed up at her door.”

“I know,” Bea said. “I’ll call her and tell her she’s won a free lunch at the café. We pulled her business card from the bowl.”

“We don’t have a bowl of business cards,” Aunt Astrid pointed out.

“Doesn’t matter. She doesn’t know that because she goes to the Night Owl Café. We can just say someone must have dropped it in for her. Whatever. It’ll get her there. She won’t turn down a free lunch
and
an opportunity to gloat.”

I nodded and smiled. “Nice one, cuz. I like your thinking. And I like how you’re going to wait on her and do all the talking while I hang out in the kitchen until she leaves.”

“Fine. Leave me to face the Gorgon alone,” Bea joked then yawned loudly.

“It’s late, girls. We need to get some rest. All of us. If it’s Darla, we’re going to have a heck of a mess on our hands. The better prepared we are, the better off we’ll be. So rest up, and I’d suggest we all wear a protection spell tomorrow just in case.”

We all agreed. Bea and I left Aunt Astrid’s, and I walked Bea to her car.

“Hey, before you go, I have a question.” I linked my arm through Bea’s. “What did you say to Blake that got him to take you back to see the body? Did you put a spell on him or something?”

“Of course not.” Bea smirked at me.

“Well, what did you do? Because had
I
asked, he would have had me on the ground, slapped in handcuffs, dragged to the backseat of the squad car, and on my way to the station before I could say hocus-pocus.”

“That is because I can attract flies with sugar, and you are still trying to do it with vinegar.” She slipped her arm gently out of mine and quickly climbed behind the wheel of her car.

I gave her a blank stare. “Okay. Be sure to use some of that sugar on your favorite person, Darla. Yup! Lots and lots of sugar!” I yelled as her car pulled away.

I turned and started to walk in the direction of my house when I froze. For a second, I thought I had heard Treacle. I strained to listen and held my breath. I called to him in my mind then waited. Nothing.

Did I imagine it? Was it just wishful thinking? I don’t know, but as I made my way home, I walked almost on tiptoe, breathing slowly and trying hard to hear past all the quiet.

T
he next day
, Bea called Darla to inform her she’d won the weekly business card drawing. In addition to a free gourmet lunch created by the new baker, Kevin, the drawing entitled her to a homemade dessert, an herbal tea infused with fresh fruit, and a small hot coffee the next time she came in.

“That means she’s going to come in one more time after this.” I wrinkled my nose.

“Afraid so,” Bea said. “Unless, of course, we find her guilty of death by witchcraft, and then, well, justice will have to prevail.”

“Now if that doesn’t give me mixed emotions about this whole situation, I don’t know what does.” I put my hand on my hip. “When is she coming in?”

Just then, the front door jingled, and I instinctively looked up. There she was.

“Hi, Darla,” Bea said in an overly sugary sweet tone. “Congratulations.”

Pulling her long, black hair behind her and letting out a deep breath, Darla reciprocated with a quick smile that squinted her eyes into tiny slits for a split second then snapped back to her normal grimace. She looked around the Brew-Ha-Ha. “I haven’t seen the place since it was a smoldering mess. I didn’t realize it, but the Night Owl has the most fantastic soups. I’ve been eating there at least once a week. I tell everyone I know they have to taste it to believe. Best food in town if you ask me.”

I was about ready to tell her to drag her sorry behind back to the Night Owl, but I remembered Bea’s reason for getting her to the café in the first place. I tried to peek in Bea’s direction but couldn’t tell if she had seen anything on Darla or not.

“Well, we really hope you enjoy your lunch,” Bea said sweetly.

Darla jingled her bracelets, several gold, sparkly things that I’m sure cost a small fortune, and pushed them away from her watch with perfectly manicured nails. “Yes, well, I’m meeting with my accountant this afternoon, so if we could hurry things up, that would be great.”

“Just give me a second to get it all together for you.” Bea turned and swiveled around the counter and into the kitchen.

Letting out a deep sigh, Darla looked me up and down. Within a split second, I was transported back to my sophomore year in high school, feeling awkward and out of place. I had to remind myself that we were in my café, my family was right there, and Darla couldn’t bully me like she used to. But still, old wounds ran deep.

“Um, Cath?”

I snapped out of my trance and turned toward the kitchen to see Bea peeking around the corner.

Aunt Astrid had taken her usual seat at the small table for two at the end of the counter. She was filling sugar holders, folding paper napkins, and watching Darla as inconspicuously as possible.

When I looked at Bea, she mouthed, “
It’s not her.
”

I nodded and bit my lower lip. I was glad Darla didn’t have the telltale residue of magic spells on her since we knew from our last experience with her that she wasn’t very capable. Magic requires patience and common sense. And if you’re going to do it right, magic requires that you have a heart to guide your decisions. As far as I could tell, Darla didn’t have a heart.

Aunt Astrid went back to filling the sugar holders and nodded slowly. I could tell she was thinking about what we should do next.

Darla looked around the café, and her eyes homed in on the only man sitting by himself. I’d seen him in the café before. He was a nice-looking guy in his early thirties, with light brown hair going gray at his temples, and an athletic build. He was just Darla’s type—male.

Darla took a seat at the tiny table next to him. After crossing her long legs, only a few minutes passed before the man struck up a conversation with her.

Aunt Astrid watched discreetly with mild amusement. I wasn’t as discreet and openly stared at Darla. Something inside of me hoped to see a sign of shiftiness or deceit on her face that might give her away. Maybe I could catch something Bea missed.

Unfortunately, all I saw was the same girl from high school who always got whatever she wanted. I don’t know how long I stared at her, but she caught me and gave me a look, tilting her head with the attitude of a Hollywood prima donna.

I rolled my eyes and went back to wiping down the counter.

“You sure you got nothing?” I asked, turning my back to the counter and leaning against it. “Not a sliver, not a shred, nothing that we could use to lock her up for a couple of days?”

“Give me just a second.” Bea quietly scooted past me with a fantastic-smelling veggie sandwich and a tall glass of our homemade iced tea with raspberries. She also handed Darla a fork and knife wrapped in a napkin, and I saw their fingers touch. When Bea turned around, she shook her head. “Other than a slight case of constipation, she’s clean.”

“Well, that’s something.” I felt a little satisfaction.

“Of course, after she eats my healthy, complementary lunch, that won’t be a problem for her either.” Bea frowned at me. “Sorry, Cath. I should have given her something with beans in it. I wasn’t thinking.”

“I know you would have, Bea. Thanks.”

By early afternoon, I was busy helping Kevin in the back with inventory when Aunt Astrid called my name. “Cath, someone here to see you!”