Bewitched, Bedeviled and Bewildered (Sister Witchcraft Book 1) Page 5

  The clock tolled the hour. I looked at my sisters. They looked at me. We took a deep breath, each one of us, and let it out, then I went to the door and unlocked it. There was nobody there. I looked back at Sybil, feeling full of tragedy and trying to hide it. Was this all going to fall apart? Was this what failure felt like?

  Chapter 5

  “Don’t worry,” Sybil said, though she looked as scared as I was. “Someone will come. Just have a little patience.”

  But I didn’t see anyone. The minutes ticked by. No one.

  I turned away, closing my eyes and whispering a little prayer. “Oh please, please…”

  The bell on the door rang. I turned back to see four little middle-aged ladies filing in with happy, dimpled smiles on their round faces. Customers! Real, live customers!

  “Hi there,” the one who seemed to be leading the others said. “I’m Lana Groves and we’re the Secret Angels. These are my sisters, Tina, Kari and Beth. Do you remember us? We used to….”

  “Be my Grand-Mere’s best friends!” I cried, so happy to see them, I had to fight hard to keep from tearing up. “I remember you well! Please come on in. I even remember the table you used to sit at. It’s right here. I hope you’ll let me give you each a fruit crispie to celebrate.”

  They all talked at once and I laughed, because that was exactly how I remember them from the old days. It warmed my heart to think they still felt close to my grandmother, and that they would come and help us on the very day we needed it so badly.

  “You’ve done such a wonderful job with the place,” shy Beth said, smiling happily. “Even the china looks just like I remember it. The only thing I miss so much is that stunning chandelier that used to hang right in the entryway.”

  “Yes,” I said, remembering as well. “I do miss that. I wonder what became of it?”

  They all shook their heads sadly.

  “We are hoping,” Lana said as I poured out their tea. “That you will allow us to come hold our weekly meetings here, right where we used to.”

  “We’ve been going to the Shady Tree lately,” the shortest, roundest of the group who seemed to be named Kari told me. “But it’s just not the same. We’d love to come back here, if you’ll allow it.”

  “Allow it? I’ll celebrate it!” I told her. “Tell me quick, though. I can’t remember what the focus of your group is all about. Reading good books? Bakery items? Cooking contests?”

  The four of them giggled as one.

  “Not at all, Mimi. But I’ll give you a hint. You might notice the teddy bears we’re wearing.”

  Teddy bears? I looked hard at them and couldn’t see any teddy bears. But just as I was about to raise the white flag, I saw them. Teddy bears on the barrettes in each lady’s hair.

  “I see them,” I cried, then frowned. “But I’m not sure what the significance is.”

  “We’re collecting teddy bears. If you will permit us to put up our poster and put a collection bin in your tea shop, we’d be grateful. We’re collecting brand new teddy bears to give to the children at the Children’s Hospital on Garvy. I’m sure you remember it.”

  I did and I agreed to all their plans, feeling happy to know them and to be able to join in their charity work. Secret Angels indeed!

  By now, the shop was beginning to fill rapidly, and soon, all the tables were taken. We had people standing against the wall, waiting their turn. But just as I’d finished serving the Secret Angels their cucumber finger sandwiches, I looked up and straight into the eyes of the lady witches from the Shady Tree.

  They weren’t in the shop. They were standing outside, noses pressed to the glass just over the top of the café curtains that hung in the front window. And the moment I laid eyes on them, I shrieked and they vanished.

  I turned, wanting to tell the others about them, wanting to share my outrage at their behavior, but no one else seemed to be looking that way. I realized I was probably the only one to see them at that point and the din of so many customers had meant no one had even noticed my shriek.

  That left a bit of a sting to it, but I didn’t have time to wallow. A serious danger was in the wind. Lenny Brewer had arrived, making quite an entrance, obviously hoping to make as many people miserable as possible.

  He sauntered in, toothpick firmly in place, his voice set on loud and obnoxious.

  “Hey, what’s the deal? There’s no open tables?”

  Lucy looked at him in surprise, not ready to let him cut in line. “Uh, I’m sorry sir. These other people have been waiting and…”

  “No problem.” He pointed at the Secret Angels. “I know these ladies will let me join them. They’re pals of mine.”

  From the shock on the four sweet faces at that table, I knew right away that the ladies didn’t consider him a friend in any way. But there was a sudden call for me from the kitchen, where Sybil was having a problem with the burners on the stove, and I got distracted by that. When I came back out, I saw that Lenny seemed to be firmly ensconced with the Angels, and though they weren’t happy about it, they seemed to have reconciled themselves to having him as part of their group, at least for the short haul.

  “Take it from me, Lana,” he was saying in his ugly, booming voice. “This tea just doesn’t have the full-bodied aroma and taste quality you get over at the Shady Tree. And as for the little things that add to your entire experience and give it that sense of happiness and fulfillment you’re looking for, this place sucks.”

  “Lenny Brewer, I thoroughly disagree with you,” Lana was saying hotly. “I love what the youngsters have done with this tea shop. Why, look at these lovely place mats!”

  “Yeah. And then look at these ugly industrial paper sugar packets. Here, I always take some of Shady Trees packets along, just because they are so classy. Look here.” He held up a gold trimmed packet. “You see? Once you pull something like this out and use it, everyone around you knows you are aware of quality stuff. You see what I mean?”

  He tore off the end of the packet and filled his teacup with the sugar inside, then added more tea from the pot on the table. “Now this makes the whole drinking tea thing an experience to hold on to. You savor it, you feel good about things, and the tea should give you that extra bit of sparkle in your life.” He took a full sip, then another, and frowning, finally a third, draining the cup. He considered for a moment, then shook his head, making a face. “Oh no, ladies. This stuff just doesn’t hold up. Next time you’re at the Shady Tree you have to…..”

  He stopped, looking surprised. Suddenly his face turned a strange shade of purple. He began to cough, clutching his throat with both hands. Then he stood up and choked a bit more, waving at his tea.

  “What the hell?” he managed to choke out. “What did you do? Poison me? Argghh!”

  Clawing at his throat, he fell to the ground and thrashed a bit.

  For a minute, I was frozen. I couldn’t believe what was happening. At first I thought he was over acting, just to humiliate us and our tea shop. Then I began to realize he was really choking. And writhing. And in pain.

  “Call 911,” I began to shout out to Lucy. “Quick! Call 911.”

  I reached him in seconds and began to try the CPR I’d learned in lifeguard training in college. I wasn’t sure if it could possibly do any good, but I knew I had to try something. I worked on him and worked on him, and then the paramedics were there and they worked on him, and I stood back and tried to catch my breath. Everything in me was screaming in panic.

  This couldn’t be happening. This couldn’t be. Oh no, oh no.

  But it was happening. And one thing was becoming very clear. Lenny was dead.

  I shivered for a long time as the police did those things they have to do when something like this happens. I couldn’t think straight. I couldn’t believe it. Inside, I was sobbing. This day that was planned out to be the best day of my life was now the worst day ever. The worst. I felt like my life lay in ashes all around me. Why? Why?

  By the time they had him st
rapped to the gurney and covered him with a thick cloth, ready to go into the ambulance, I began to look around the shop and realize everyone was gone. Sybil and Lucy and I were the only ones left, except for paramedics and police. The tea shop was closed down…indefinitely. My sisters headed into the kitchen to try to start cleaning up, but they were stopped immediately by the police. Nothing could be moved. Nothing could be touched. Looking like zombies, the two of them went out into the courtyard to join the others giving statements. There was nothing else they could do.

  For some reason, the police preferred to question me inside the shop. I didn’t really notice. I was numb as I answered the questions the police posed to me. I wasn’t even aware that I was making a statement until it was all over.

  And then, inevitably, the press arrived.

  Max Ransom and his assistant who was carrying a mobile news camera, came on like an afternoon wind, sweeping in and ruffling feathers all around. Everyone seemed to know them. I looked for a place I could go to avoid them, but the police were everywhere. And finally, Max came face to face with me, looking puzzled.

  “Hey, I knew I was late to the party but I didn’t think it would be all over before I even got here,” he said softly, as though just to me.

  I looked at him, dying to tell him where to get off, aching to find something sharp and witty to say to him, but the harder I tried, the more elusive anything like that became. I mean, a man had just died here. Before I knew what was happening, tears were filling my eyes.

  He reacted immediately, but instead of the wisecracks I expected, he was all concern and sympathy, reaching out for me and pulling me to the side, out of direct sight of the officers.

  “Hey, come here kid,” he said. “It’s not so bad. It’s going to be okay.”

  Unbelievably, I was in his arms and he was patting my back and comforting me. I sobbed against his shoulder. There was just something in him and his attitude that fit perfectly with my anguish and pulled it right out of me—and he seemed to know exactly what was bothering me the worst.

  “Come on, Mimi,” he murmured, close to my ear. “Give it a couple of days and you can start again. Listen to me, the public forgets and forgives a lot faster than you would expect. You’re going to be okay. Believe me. I’ve been through something similar myself and now, it’s like it happened to somebody else.”

  I pulled back and looked into his handsome face. I really appreciated his kindness, but I wasn’t sure he realized the gravity of the situation.

  “Listen,” he went on, “ the guy probably had a heart condition. He could have died anywhere. It was just a matter of time. Just a matter of coincidence. Right?”

  He handed me a handkerchief and I wiped my eyes and took a deep breath.

  “That’s all very well,” I said, my voice only shaking a little bit. “But what if it turns out my tea was what killed him? What then?”

  That stopped him for a good ten seconds. He obviously hadn’t considered that yet. He fixed me with a steely look.

  “Was it?” he asked me right out. “Was there even a chance that it was your tea?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t think so. But he was drinking it when he keeled over. So…”

  “Uh huh. He didn’t eat anything?”

  “No. He’d just walked in and sat down and had a cup of tea. That was all. Then…then he was dead.”

  Max thought about that for a moment, then looked up into my eyes again. “Where did the tea cup come from?”

  “Lucy said she grabbed it off the cart where they all were. There was nothing different about it. It was just one of our tea cups.”

  Max glanced around the room and lowered his voice to a whisper. “But what else was in that tea cup? The cops will be analyzing that. Are they going to come up with anything that will tie you to this thing?”

  I shook my head. How did I know? “The only thing I saw him add to that cup was the tea from the pot the Secret Angels…you know the Secret Angels?”

  He nodded. “Sure. Who doesn’t?”

  I tried to smile. “Not so secret, huh?”

  His mouth barely turned up at the corners. “Go on. He took tea from the same pot they were drinking from. Then what?”

  “Well, it didn’t seem to hurt them. And…and then he added some sugar.”

  Max’s face took on an “Ah hah” look. “Where did the sugar come from?”

  I shook my head. “The usual. A packet. Oh, wait. It wasn’t one of our packets. It was a packet he brought from the Shady Tree. But it was just a packet. I mean…”

  He raised an eyebrow. “A packet brought in from somewhere else. Good. That helps a lot.”

  “I don’t see why. He tore it open right in front of everyone. It was just like all the others at Shady Tree. They have this special brand…”

  “Yes, I know. The golden packets. They pride themselves on those things.”

  “Yes. They do.”

  He nodded, his eyes unfocused, as though he was thinking things through. “Is that it? Just the tea and the sugar? Are you sure?”

  I nodded.

  “Okay, first things first. Do you have a lawyer?”

  That startled me, but I quickly realized he was right. I would need one. “No.”

  “Okay. I’ll get mine over here. You can start there.”

  “Why? Do you think they suspect me?”

  He chucked me under the chin and grinned. “Honey, they suspect everyone at this point. Okay, what about motive?”

  “My motive? I didn’t like him but I really didn’t know him.”

  “Yeah, to know him was to hate him, and you hadn’t worked up a real good hatred yet, I guess. So why would you kill him?”

  “Wait.” I pulled closer and whispered in his ear. “What about the two women who run Shady Tree?”

  “What, the Jiggs gals?”

  I nodded. “What if they did this just to ruin my opening? They don’t want me here and…”

  “You think those crazy gals would kill Lenny just to mess with your opening day party? Hey, I’ve got a thing or two against those ladies myself, but even I wouldn’t go that far.”

  I stared at him. “I would,” I said firmly. “I’ve seen the hatred in their eyes. I know what they did to my grandmother. I think they would stop at nothing to get me sent packing and out of their territory.”

  He stared at me for a long moment, then shrugged. “You could be right. We’ll have to figure out a way to find out the truth.”

  “We”? It suddenly occurred to me that I was being reckless and crazy, confiding in a newspaper man—a man I hardly knew. Didn’t they always make stories as lurid as possible? That old saying, “If it bleeds, it leads” was part of their credo. From what I’d always heard, they’d sell their own mother for a clickable headline. What was I doing trusting this man? All he wanted was something he could use to sell papers.

  Oh! I was so angry with myself for falling for his good looks and sweet talk. Well, maybe not sweet talk. More like persuasive line of bull. I couldn’t sit here talking to him about all these private things. I had to find a way to get rid of him—fast.

  I put the handkerchief to my eyes again and pretended to be sniffling sadly. “I…I think I’m going to go to the kitchen and wash up a bit,” I said. “I’m just so torn up over this.”

  He didn’t buy it for a second. He laughed in my face.

  “You can’t tell me you actually mourn for that jerk. I mean, it’s Lenny Brewer for Pete’s sake. You’ll probably end up with a medal of gratitude from the townsfolk. Most people were just itching to punch him in the nose, but maybe you took a longer range view of things. Congratulations. Cheer up. The world’s a better place without him.”

  So much for my abilities in drama—and lying. I dropped the handkerchief and glared at him.

  “Oh my gosh, don’t you understand? Everything is ruined. My whole plan is gone—up in smoke. Even if I find a way to prove I had nothing to do with his death, the stories will follow
me around in this town.” I started to bubble a bit again. Tears just came so easily. “I…I’ll have to sell the place—the place where a customer just died! and move away.”

  He grabbed my hand and laced our fingers. “Everything is not ruined, Mimi. And I’m going to make sure you don’t get railroaded in any way. You got it? You’re my new project. No one is going to touch you without going through me.”

  I stared at him and then, despite everything, I began to laugh. I stopped that quickly, afraid I would go into hysterics if I wasn’t careful. I took a deep, cleansing breath and then went on.

  “You can’t promise something like that,” I told him. “You’re just crazy.”

  He sighed, but he didn’t let go of my hand. “I might be,” he said softly. “But then again, maybe not. We’ll see, won’t we?”

  Chapter 6

  And so it began, my strange alliance with a newspaper man. And much as it worried me from the first, it also was probably the luckiest thing that could have happened to me. In so many ways, having Max on my side turned out to be a stroke of genius.

  For one thing, he had carte blanche at the Sheriff’s Station. They all knew him and they all were used to him being around. They told him things they would never tell anyone else. That ended up being a real advantage.

  Another thing was just his familiarity with murder cases and the like. The rest of my support system—my sisters and brothers-in-law—were as stunned by this death as I was and had no idea how to proceed to protect us and our business. Max had ideas and experience. He was a gold mine at times.

  He came over to the house that first night and we gathered around the kitchen table, planning what we would do to begin solving this crime—or whatever it was—as quickly as possible.

  “Now, I’m not saying anything negative about Sheriff Hoover,” Max told us when Gary noted that perhaps it would be best to leave the sleuthing to the people trained to do the work. “He’s really a great guy and a regular good-ole boy. We get along fine. But he is slow out of the starting gate. He takes his time. And Mimi has convinced me that time is of the essence, if this tea shop is to get up and running again any time soon.”