A Charming Crime (23 page)

I reached behind
me smacking the air hoping I would make contact, but come up with air every
time. I grabbed his hands that were holding me underneath. My nightmare played
in my head as I flailed about. Something was different. I didn’t have on the
bracelet on like I did in my nightmare.

I flailed more,
kicking my legs. With every kick, my head bobbled above the water. I gasped for
more air. Just as I was about to give up, I felt a rough tongue on my foot, and
then Jordan’s hands released me.

Without looking,
I dragged myself out of the water and gulped for air.

Hiss, hissssss.
Mr. Prince
Charming had jumped up on Jordan’s back and stuck to him like glue. Jordan was
running in circles trying to get him off.

“Get him!” The
glowing green ball from afar was making its way across the meadow. The
moonlight shown on Eloise and Madame Torres.

“He has a gun!”
I mustered up every ounce of energy in my body.

Eloise sat
Madame Torres on the ground. A clap of thunder rolled over Whispering Falls as
Eloise drew her hands together and blew. Lime green dust shot like a bee out of
her hands and into Jordan’s eyes.

He let out a
blood-curdling scream and fell to the ground.

“Over here!”
Petunia called out into the darkness. I watched as the fireflies led the pack
of spiritualists.

They did go for
help. The teenagers went to get help.

“Oh my God.
June?” Oscar ran over to me and brushed my wet bangs out of my eyes. He glanced
over at Jordan who appeared lifeless just a few feet away.

“My phone.” I
pointed in the direction of where it was. “Get my phone.”

Oscar reached
into the deep brush and got the phone. He handed it to me before he saw Jordan
lying in the thicket.

“Oh my God,
Uncle Jordan?” Oscar ran to his side. “What happened?”

Oscar grabbed
Uncle Jordan and placed him in his lap. Streaks of light shot from his eyes,
“What did you do?” He glared at me.

“I didn’t do
anything. He is the killer! He has a gun!” I screamed, and pushed the button on
my phone to play back everything that happened.

Jordan’s words
twisted and curled into the night air. He sat with his shoulders slumped,
completely silent.

I looked around
at Izzy, Gerald, Petunia, Chandra, and Oscar as the recording rang in the dark.
Jordan was only able to move his eyes. They darted from side to side.

“You killed my
parents?” Oscar pulled the gun from Jordan’s waistband, and jumped to his feet.
His anger became a raging fury. “I should kill you with my bare hands!”

“No.” I stood up
next to Oscar and put my hand on his bicep. “You are better than him. Ann was
your nanny. You are a spiritualist. Eloise put some kind of spell on Jordan. He
can’t move.”

Out of the
moon’s shadow and into the light, Eloise appeared with Madame Torres in her
hand.

“Eloise is your
aunt.” I gestured for her to come forward. I took Madame Torres from her.

A little
hesitant from all of the stares, she enclosed Oscar in her cloak. “I can’t wait
to tell you all about your mom and dad,” she whispered in his ear.

Mr. Prince
Charming danced around their ankles.

Chapter
Twenty-Four

The day was
dawning.

The Karmina
sister’s hearse barreled up the hill. The lights flashed, lighting up the
starry sky. Constance jumped out, velcro curlers all over her hair. “Who’s
next?” She shined a flashlight in everyone’s face.

Patience wasn’t
too far behind. “Who’s next?” she chirped and shuffled over in her pink house
slippers. She picked up a stick and poked Jordan. “He’s a fresh one.”

Jordan jerked
his shoulders back and glared at Patience. “Don’t poke the bear or he just
might bite.”

Patience jumped
and held the stick like a gun. “He’s not dead.”

“I’ll get you
all!” Jordan scowled as Oscar cuffed him. Oscar jerked him up by the cuffs and
hauled him off to the police station.

Eloise started
to slip out of the daylight and into the woods, but Izzy stopped her.

“Wait, Eloise.”
Izzy turned to the council. “Come have some tea at the Gathering Grove.”

With Eloise
smiling, we all walked in silence with Mr. Prince Charming trotting ahead.

Bella and
Axelrod had the tea and muffins ready when we got there. Oscar joined us once
he got Jordan situated in his cell.

“I’m so sorry,
June.” Oscar sat in the seat next to me. He took my wrist and clasped my turtle
charm bracelet around it. “We will drag the lake and look for your other one.”

I opened my bag
and pulled out two Ding Dongs. I handed him one. “You’re forgiven.”

“How did you
find my aunt?” His eyes clouded over. It was the first time I had ever seen
Oscar brought to tears.

“Hold on a
second.” I stood up on the chair to gather everyone’s attention. “I have
something to say.”

The Gathering
Grove became silent. Everyone looked at me.

“There are a lot
of rules in this village. And a lot I have to learn. Eloise saved us today. She
and Ann were banned from Whispering Falls because they are Fairiwicks. I think
it’s time that the village changes the rules to include anyone in the spiritual
realm. We are much better as a collective whole than apart. Eloise has so much
to offer our village with her potions. Without the truth serum, Jordan probably
wouldn’t have spilled the beans and I would be dead.” Mr. Prince Charming
caught my eye as he danced around the table where Petunia was sitting. I tried
to concentrate on what I was saying, but I couldn’t. Petunia was whispering in
his ear.

“I. . ..um. . .”
Snap out of it, there was no way Mr. Prince Charming was. . .oh my God!
“I
. . .I would like to take a vote at the next village meeting to incorporate the
Fairiwicks into the Whispering Falls village.”

A round of
applause rang out. Even Izzy got up and hugged Eloise, but this was going to
have to go through Oscar. He wasn’t letting go.

Gerald and
Petunia were behind the counter making sure everyone had what they needed.

“Gerald, remember
when you were reading my tea leaves?” There were some things he had mentioned
that I didn’t understand.

He nodded and
handed a muffin over the counter to Oscar.

“What did my
reading say?” I asked.

“Are you giving
me permission to tell you from one spiritualist to another?”

“Yes.” No matter
what my leaves said, I still wanted to know.

He took his hat
off and placed it on top the counter. He leaned over and proceeded with a low
whisper, “The O represented your father, Otto. He is always with you. As is
your grandfather.”

Mr. Prince
Charming jumped up on the counter.

“No. That’s
naughty.” I scolded him and put him back on the ground. He might be able to
jump up on the counters at home, but not here. “Go on.”

“The wavy lines
told me you were in for a rocky future. Which I don’t believe is over.” He drew
back, took in a deep breath, and closed his eyes. “Madame Torres had warned the
village of a powerful psychic coming to town and that her nightmares would
prove innocence.” His shoulders slumped a little bit.

“Are you okay?”
I reached over the counter to pat his hand.

Petunia grabbed
a chair and eased him into it. “He gets this way when he reads the leaves.
Sometimes the spirit takes over.”

Cough, cough.
“I’m fine.”
Gerald held his fist to his mouth. “You are on a path to discovering your
gifts. Don’t limit yourself.” He stood up. “I must get some rest now.”

Without another
word, Gerald went to the back of the shop.

“That was
weird,” I said to Oscar and shrugged my shoulders. “Let’s go sit.”

Oscar nabbed the
closest table and sat down. He pointed to himself. “I’m a sorcerer.”

“No, you are a
police officer.” I could feel the excited, renewed energy he had. “You worry
about keeping our village safe.”

“I think it’s
cool. According to Eloise, I will begin my lessons soon with the new Fairiwicks
moving into town.” His features became more animated. He acted like he was a
kid at Christmas.

“They already
heard that Whispering Falls is going to make it official at the next council
meeting?” I looked over at Eloise and Izzy.

“It doesn’t take
long for a spiritualist to listen to the winds.” Izzy smiled.

I pulled Eloise
aside. I was still having a hard time and questioning my entire existence. “Was
my dad a medium?” My eyes darted between her eyes searching for an answer.

The shadowy
figure could have been Jordan watching me all this time, or it could be a
spirit.

“Darla and I
never made it that far.” Eloise took both my hands. “She asked me about it
hours before he was found dead. Why?”

“She wrote
something about it in the journal.” I wasn’t going to tell her that I had seen
a shadow or two. There was no need to jump to any conclusion. I had plenty of
time to explore my village. Today was for celebrating.

“So, do you love
us or what?” Bella smiled and hugged me. “You realize you own the cottage you
are living in.”

“Patience kind
of let the cat out of the bag.” Even though I didn’t remember it from my
childhood, the cottage did feel like home.

“Darla always
knew you’d find out, but we had hoped she would’ve shared the experience with
you.” Bella wiped a tear from her eye. “Welcome home.”

We embraced.

There was a lot
to learn about Whispering Falls. There was a lot to learn about being a
spiritualist. And I had the rest of my life to do it.

I opened my bag
and took out Darla’s journal and rubbed my hands across the beat up leather
cover. I took a good long look around the Gathering Grove. My first few days in
Whispering Falls had been rocky, at best, but each one of these people held a
special bond. They were a part of me. They were a part of my past. And I was
embracing who I really was.

I held the
journal close to my heart. My instincts told me there was a lot in there to
learn, and I couldn’t wait to savor every word.

Quietly, Mr.
Prince Charming and I headed to our cottage. Once we reached our front door, we
turned around and looked over Whispering Falls.

Mewl, mewl.
His long white
tail danced in the air.

I looked down at
the ornery cat. He dropped something out of his mouth. I bent down to pick it
up. He did figure eights around my ankles.

I held the small
charm in the palm of my hand. “Mr. Prince Charming, what does this mean?” I
dangled the metal, in the shape of a hand, in the air to get a good look.

I made a mental
note to visit Bella in the morning to return it. I was too tired to even think
about opening the shop. Besides, it was my shop now and I needed to have the
sign redone for the grand opening of Charming Cures.

After all, there
was going to be a big line of customers and I had to be ready for them. At
least that was what my intuition told me.

About The Author

International bestselling author Tonya
Kappes believes that targeted and smart promotion and marketing can take a book
from lackluster sales to the world of bestseller. She pooled her resources and
knowledge to write The Tricked Out Toolbox: Promotion and Marketing Tools Every
Writer Needs. When not touting marketing and promotion through her workshops,
she writes cozy mysteries, romantic suspense, and women’s fiction. She’s
addicted to coffee, McDonald's Diet Coke, and Red Hots Candy!

When she’s
not
writing about quirky characters and even quirkier situations, she’s busy being
the princess, queen and jester of her domain which includes her BFF husband,
her four teenage boys and two dogs.

For more information, check out Tonya’s
website,
Tonyakappes.blogspot.com
.

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