Thank my Lucky Spells: A Paranormal Cozy Mystery (Moonlight Cove Mystery Book 3) Read online

  She had gone, let’s say, just a little bit overboard with the rules when she was in charge.

  Needless to say, when Xander came back to his hometown, there had been a lot of pressure for him to take over once again. To her credit, Morgan didn’t seem overly broken up about the whole thing. In fact, if I’d had to hazard a guess, I’d have assumed that she got overwhelmed with the responsibility. She clearly loved being a police officer, but the sheriff position was too much. I couldn’t exactly blame her for that.

  Still, she was just as overbearing and intense as ever.

  “Well, let’s get the crime scene technicians up here,” she said. “Miss Mani, you’ll need to clear out and give Xander a formal statement.”

  “Okay,” I said, my heart stupidly aflutter at the idea of having a private conversation with Xander. That was dumb. I inwardly scolded myself. A woman is dead, Artemis, and you’re acting like a lovestruck teenager meeting some famous dude from the movies or something. Get over it. He’s just doing his job.

  “Let’s go,” Xander said, guiding me by the arm as we went back downstairs and out onto the front lawn. I shivered as the cold air hit my skin, and as the whole gravity of the situation hit me.

  “Do you want my jacket?” Xander asked.

  Every single fiber of my being wanted to say yes, but I knew it was a bad idea. “No, thank you. I’m okay,” I lied.

  “Alright. So, let me write down your statement,” he said. He pointed at the air in front of him and muttered a quick spell. A glimmering, spiral notepad and feathered quill appeared in the air, levitating between us. “Go ahead and tell me everything. It’ll record,” he explained.

  So I gave him all the same information I mentioned in the house, from my barely-there knowledge of Arianna to how I heard somewhere she was working as a nanny, but didn’t really know anything else about her. Once we were all finished, he snapped his fingers, and the pad and pen evaporated in a puff of green smoke.

  “Wow, that’s handy,” I commented.

  He nodded, a faint smile on his lips. “Thanks. I, uh, came up with the spell myself.”

  “Really?” I said, smiling. “That’s actually cool.”

  If I didn’t know any better, I would have said there was just the slightest, faintest hint of a blush on his face. He quickly looked away. “Well. That was very informative, Artemis. Thank you for giving us a statement. It’s lucky you were here, I suppose.”

  “Again,” I muttered.

  “Yes,” he said, raising an eyebrow slightly. “Again.”

  There was a long pause before he opened his mouth to ask a question, but I cut him off.

  “So, will you keep me updated?” I asked. “On the case?”

  “I’ll be in touch,” he said, a little tersely. “But Artemis-”

  “I know. I know. I should stay out of it. Police business and all that,” I said quickly.

  He nodded, his blue eyes locked on mine. Like he was sizing me up. He always seemed to look right through to my soul, even though I could hardly do the same to him. He was like a brick wall. A fortress. Unreadable.

  “What’s your first move, though? If you don’t mind my asking,” I blurted out, unable to contain myself. To my surprise, he didn’t shy away.

  “Talk to Lara Lancaster. When she’s conscious and feeling a little better, of course,” he added. “I’m sure she’ll have some leads to get us started. And we’ll need to track down her cat.”

  “Oh, I have her cat, it’s at the B&B.”

  “Really?” Xander said, looking a bit confused. “I thought you said your cat hated her cat.”

  “Yeah, well, this morning the two of them got into a fight outside the Bean, and I didn’t know how to find Lara to give her Lucy back, so I just took them both home. That’s why I was here in the first place, to tell Lara I have Lucy,” I explained in a rush.

  “Okay. Well, you might have to look after the cat for a while. I think Lara is going to be out of commission for some time,” he said. I nodded.

  “As soon as it’s safe, I’ll bring her cat to her in the hospital, if the doctors will allow it. Having her familiar around might actually help her heal faster,” I reasoned.

  “That’s a good point. Well, look after the cat, and I’ll be in touch. Thanks again for your help,” he said.

  “No problem,” I replied, turning to walk away.

  “Oh, and Arti?” he said suddenly, almost as an afterthought, the sound of his voice saying my nickname making my heart skip.

  “Yeah?” I replied, looking back at him over my shoulder.

  “Stay out of trouble, alright?” he said pointedly. I nodded.

  “Sure. You got it.”

  On the walk home, all I could think about was him. It was stupid, I was well aware of that. I’d just been witness to a horrible scene. A crime scene, no less, and instead of dwelling on the brevity of life or whatever I was just focusing on how handsome Xander looked today.

  “Ugh,” I groaned, annoyed at myself. When I walked into the Manor, I wasn’t sure if I was expecting to be attacked by two angry cats, or if I expected to find fur balls from a Battle Royale everywhere around the place. Instead, I went into the living room and found them seated on opposite chairs, staring at each other. Well, this was good, wasn’t it? They weren’t openly trying to kill each other, anyway. That was when I noticed the dishes from my breakfast this morning, shattered on the floor in the middle of the living room. I supposed I couldn’t have it all after all. I put my hands on my hips and sighed.

  “Really, guys?” I said. Luna shrugged.

  “She started it.”

  I pointed my finger at the broken dishes. “Sarcioroa.” The shards magically came back together, albeit a little crookedly, and I carried them into the kitchen. As I walked away, I called back to the cats.

  “You’re both going to have to learn to get along, because Lara Lancaster is in the hospital, and so the two of you are going to be roommates for the forseeable future.”

  “WHAT?!” Luna shriekd. Luna let out a similarly distressed yowl. Ok, so I probably should have been a little bit nicer to Lara’s cat in breaking the news, but I was a little bit annoyed about those dishes.

  “Yep. That’s just how it is. So either you can learn to get along without ripping each other’s fur out or destroying the house, or I’ll lock you both in separate rooms for the duration.”

  Both cats trotted into the kitchen after me. Luna just looked angry, but Lucy, although I couldn’t understand her, looked concerned.

  I knelt down in front of her. “She’ll be okay. I promise. As soon as the doctors say it’s okay, I’ll take you to her.”

  Lucy let out a meow in response, curled up on the floor and began to purr. Luna rolled her eyes. “Ugh. Don’t get too comfortable,” she said.

  “Okay. Hold down the fort, guys. I’m heading back out,” I announced. Luna looked scandalized at this news.

  “What? Why?” she demanded to know.

  “I’m going to go check on Lara,” I said. “It looks like there’s a new mystery to solve. Please try not to break anything. Or each other.”

  Chapter 4

  I hopped off my broomstick before it had even stopped moving and staggered a few steps while I caught up to the thing and carried it to the broom rack outside the hospital. Moonlight Cove was small enough that one doctor’s office had eventually grown into what we could call a small hospital, by human world standards. Of course, medical practice in the witching world was slightly different, but for our little community, it had always suited us just fine.

  One difference was that the cold, sterile kind of hospital architecture that humans seemed to like so much was absent in all but the biggest witch communities. Ours was a building made of brown stone, and it looked almost more like a church than a hospital, with wooden floors throughout – except in the surgical ward – and warm lighting to make people feel more comfortable. Medical magic was something I had very little experience with, but I did
know we relied very heavily on herbal remedies, much more so than the human world did. Even our tiny, ten-bed hospital had a large garden courtyard where medical herbs with magical properties were grown to be tended by botanical specialists.

  Rushing through the front doors, I made my way in, moving past a nurse in the middle of an argument with a short, blonde man with thick glasses. Storming past them, I made my way to the nurse at reception who looked away from the argument to give me an equally weary look. The desk was full of paperwork, and on the wall behind her was a poster of a cat dangling from a tree branch with the caption HANG IN THERE!

  I could relate.

  “Can I help you? If you’re with the press, you can just go ahead and get in line to argue with Mary,” she said with a warning tone, gesturing to the two people arguing. I glanced back at them and noticed the large camera in the man’s hands, and I had to admit, I laughed. It didn’t look like the reporter was getting what he wanted.

  “No,” I said, lowering my voice to a whisper. “I’m here to see Lara, but not like that. I’m a friend of hers.”

  “Sure you are,” she said in a flat tone, nodding again to the reporter. “So is he. Talk to him, I’m sure the two of you have a lot in common.”

  “I swear, I’m not a reporter,” I said, trying to stay patient. I knew how stressful things could get for nurses even at tiny places like this. I couldn’t imagine how much of a nightmare treating a celebrity must have been. “I was the one who found her, at her house. I called the police and the ambulance. I know her.”

  That gave the nurse pause, and for a moment, she hesitated. A second later, she glanced at her notepad once more and shook her head. “I’m sorry, ma’am, I really am, but unless you’re family, we’re not allowed to let anyone see the patients, celebrity or otherwise. Trust me, you’d want the same if you were the one in that bed with her injuries.”

  I frowned, feeling a hint of despair hit me. How was I going to tell Lara about her cat if I wasn’t even able to get in to see her? Then, my eyes drifted to something shiny on the nurse’s uniform. Under the name badge that read Marsha Sanders, R.N., there were a bunch of little cat stickers taking up the white space. I let my gaze flit to the desk for a moment and saw a little framed photograph of no fewer than three cats lazing on a couch. Suddenly, the poster made a little more sense, and that gave me an idea.

  “Look,” I started in a more sympathetic tone. “Lucy, her cat is at my house right now. Lara’s familiar. The poor thing wandered over this morning, and she’s been worried sick ever since she found out what happened. I can’t bring a cat in the building, obviously, but she’s the closest thing Lara’s got to family in this town, and I’m acting on her behalf. Does that make a difference?”

  From the moment I said the words cat familiar, I knew I was in. Marsha already looked like she was about to tear up, and she put her hand over her heart.

  “Oh, that poor baby! Goodness, I’m so jealous of people who have cat familiars. These little babies are mine,” she said, turning the picture around to show me proudly. “But wouldn’t you know it, I wound up with a crow as my familiar. What a world, am I right?”

  “I feel that,” I said with a nervous laugh. “Though cat familiars can be a handful, trust me.”

  That made Marsha laugh, and internally, I roared in victory.

  “Well,” she said, biting her lip and looking over her shoulder. Finally, she nodded back down the hall. “Go on then, say you got clearance from Marsha if anyone asks. Just be quiet and try to keep it short. The last time I checked on her she still hadn’t woken up; I can’t promise you’ll be able to talk to anyone but her nurse. She’s in bed 7.”

  “Thanks so much,” I said with a broad smile, putting my hands together. “You’re a life-saver.”

  She gave a bashful smile and waved me off as I darted down the hall.

  Calming art prints of idyllic local scenes hung on the walls of the hospital – I recognized a few of them as being by local artists - as I moved past the occasional tech or nurse on my way to Lara’s bed. This town really did take care of its own, and my heart swelled at the thought.

  It also made it all the more gut-wrenching when I thought about Lara. Some welcome to the town. She had retired here for some peace and quiet away from the crazy people in the human world, from what I’d heard, and instead she’d gotten a big dose of crazy here, too. She deserved better than that.

  Making my way to the door with a big golden 7 hanging on it, I raised my fist to knock, but just before I did so, it opened, and a stout woman with dark skin and curly hair stepped out, raising an eyebrow at me as she peered over her chart.

  “Excuse me, ma’am, are you lost?”

  “I’m here to see Lara,” I said, giving her a polite smile. “Marsha let me through - I’m a friend here on behalf of her familiar.” I delivered the line with every bit of confidence I could muster, and judging by the look on the nurse’s face, I had pulled it off.

  “Well,” she said, frowning back at the door and pushing it open. “I’m afraid we’re not allowing visitors at the moment, and besides, Lara isn’t exactly in a state to speak with anyone.”

  I peeked a glance past the nurse only to see Lara in a hospital bed with a large bandage around her head, an IV in her arm, and tubes at her nostrils to help her breathe. I couldn’t hold back a gasp, and I put my hands to my mouth as tears sprang involuntarily to my eyes.

  “Is she-”

  “She’s in stable condition. She took a nasty hit, but she will pull through. We don’t know when she’ll be back up and talking again, but the police are checking in on her regularly,” the nurse replied.

  I nodded, turning my eyes away from the door. “So her familiar will be staying with me for a few days?”

  “At least, yes,” the nurse said with a kind smile. “And as soon as she’s better, I’m sure she’ll want to see both of you. We’re not letting any press in around here, not on my watch,” she added firmly. I gave her a grateful smile.

  “I really appreciate it, Betty” I said, glancing down at her nametag.

  “Do you need directions back to the front?” Betty asked.

  “I can find my way,” I said with a smile. “Thanks. Can you tell her that her familiar is safe and with Arti, from the B&B when you get a chance?”

  “I will let her know, absolutely.”

  I headed back out of the hospital, giving a wave to Marsha on the way out and mouthing “Thank you” once more.

  I might not have had a ton of experience with hospitals, but I knew one thing: the first rule of dealing with hospitals in any capacity was to make friends with the nurses.

  The reporter had left the reception room when I crossed through it, but as I stepped out of the building and felt the cool air on my skin, I heard the snap of some twigs and leaves to my right.

  The reporter had been stalking around the building, getting close to the windows, but he winced when he realized how much noise he’d made. I furrowed my brow and glared daggers at him as he gave me a feeble wave.

  “Hey!” I barked at him, gesturing for him to come toward me. He blinked in disbelief for a few moments, then begrudgingly trudged over to me.

  “Ma’am, I’m not breaking the law,” he started to say, but I cut him off.

  “Who are you?”

  He plastered on a greasy smile and stuck out a hand to me as I peered down at him. “Lance Branson. I’m with the local paper. I saw you going into the hospital earlier, can I assume you were going to see Lara Lancaster?”

  “What are you talking about?” I said, trying to play dumb, but the look he gave me told me I was doing a bad job of lying.

  “Come on, everyone knows what happened earlier,” he said. “You don’t even have to be poking around the hospital. Just spend five minutes at The Magic Bean, and you’ll know half the town’s dirt.”

  “I wouldn’t call this dirt,” I said, a little indignant. “A witch was att- is in the hospital,” I said, stopping myself
from accidentally confirming any details. “You should respect that.”

  “Sure, sure,” he said with a laugh that made me want to throw up. “Anyway, don’t suppose you know anything about the other broad who got killed, do you?”

  I didn’t even dignify that with a response. Instead, I just pushed past him and marched to my broom, snatching it up angrily,

  “Well fine, be like that, stupid witch,” I heard the man grumble behind my back.

  As I got up on my broom, I watched him heading back to the windows where he’d been peering, and as soon as he had his back turned, I pointed a finger and carefully took aim, biting my lip.

  “Gnascoroa,” I whispered as soon as he moved into the bushes. Suddenly, everything about a foot around him burst up, the branches growing up wildly in every direction, pushing the reporter up with a yelp as he got entangled in the mess of monstrous hedges. His camera fell to the ground behind him, with a crack that sounded a lot like broken glass. Good. As he flailed uselessly, I kicked off on my broom and zipped away, smiling at the string of foul language that streamed from behind me.

  Heading home, though, the delight of a little mischief wore off quickly, because what I’d seen at the hospital had gotten me thinking. Lara had been attacked downstairs, and Arianna had been dead upstairs. That just didn’t make sense.

  If someone had wanted to kill Lara, as much as I hated to think about that, the attacker didn’t do a very good job. And it was clear from what happened to Arianna that the killer was perfectly capable of being thorough. So, why hit Lara on the head and just leave her? Why head upstairs in the first place? The killer should have just hit Lara over the head and left. After all, Arianna was in her bed. The killer may not have even known she’d been home.

  The reporter’s words made it sound like the story everyone wanted to write was that someone wanted to kill Lara, failed, and killed a regular person in the attempt, but I wasn’t so sure. Sure, it made sense in some ways - the attack took place in Lara’s own house, for moon’s sake. It had even crossed my mind for one horrifying moment that Lara and Arianna might have been attacking each other, but that couldn’t be the case either. There would have been more signs of a struggle if they’d fought each other enough to leave Lara unconscious after fatally wounding Arianna.