A Witch for Sleuth (A Modern Cozy Mystery with the Witches of Springsville) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title and Copyright

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  A Witch for Sleuth

  (A Modern Cozy Mystery with the Witches of Springsville)

  Dani Corlee

  ♥

  Copyright © 2015 Dani Corlee

  http://www.danicorlee.com

  [email protected]

  All rights reserved

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  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without the prior written permission from the author and publisher, except in the case of a reviewer, who may quote brief passages embodied in critical articles or in a review.

  This book is a work of fiction. All the characters, names, places and situations are products of the writers imagination or have been used fictitiously.

  Any resemblance to persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  CHAPTER 1

  Mabel jumped at the thud of the earth that fell on the coffin of her great-aunt Glenda. She took a deep breath, wiping away the sweat that beaded her forehead, brushed back her blond bangs and hugged herself inside her black coat. Around her there were a lot of people, even some from out of town. Relatives, friends, and people she didn’t know, all to pay their last respects to someone who had become quite a personality in the history of their region. She slowly closed her eyes, promising herself to stay calm. She heard a mixture of sobs, whispers, coughing and the rustling of branches. A sudden gust of cold wind almost blew off her hat but she managed to catch it as she watched some leaves fly upward in the wind. The leaves became pale blue, amidst the white sky of that cold November morning. Then they became blue and then suddenly each turned a different color, almost like huge confetti. She winced and began to tremble. Not again! she thought. Not now!

  She felt someone take her arm and hold her close. “Hi. Everything OK?" Lucille gave her a hug and she calmed down. She lifted her face with a sad smile to look at her friend. Even on that occasion Lucille was a woman you could not fail to notice; squeezed, as it were, into a black pantsuit, emphasizing her strawberry red hair which was always over teased.

  “I’d like to be at home.” She whimpered. With a quick move, out of nowhere a handkerchief appeared and she blew her nose rather loudly.

  “You can’t leave now. There are refreshments.” Answered Lucille. “I’ll go with you so don’t be afraid.”

  Mabel sniffed and kept staring at the coffin. She felt guilty for not having visited her great aunt more often. How long had it been since she had seen her? At least a month. And she hadn't even phoned her for a long time, being too busy with her own problems and her work.

  "I have to go finish the dress." She continued.

  "You’ll finish it later." Answered Lucille, hurrying.

  Mabel sighed and slowly looked around. She had never been a good witch. The last few generations had had various problems. There were those who seemed to have no powers. Those who couldn't fly. Those who couldn’t remember the shortest spell and those whose spells had the opposite effect. She was one of the few who couldn’t curb her own weak powers. Sometimes all it took was a quick thought, a sudden memory or the hint of a desire to wreak havoc. The association of witches didn't like its members to reveal themselves to outsiders, and she was always concerned, wanting to remain inconspicuous.

  I can do it, she thought.

  Led by Lucille, who held her shoulders in what appeared to be a gesture of comfort for the bereaved girl, but in reality was physical support against her unreasonable fears, they headed toward the friend’s car.

  Enclosed there she finally felt protected and let herself relax and enjoy the scenery.

  Lucille got into the traffic and soon they were out of town while Mabel retraced in her mind the route she had taken so many times. The great aunt’s house, located just outside town, was an old Victorian, which in her childhood had reminded her of the home of the Adams family. There she had spent many afternoons as a child, and it was there where she had gone to live after the accidental death of her parents. Then little by little she began to spend more time in her fashion design studio, which she called, L’Atelier Mabel. The store above the designer shop was slowly transformed into an apartment and without realizing, it had become her home while she turned more and more inward. Her aunt saw less and less of her. She had her work and a thousand things to do. There seemed to be more and more work and less time to do it. But in reality she was afraid to be with others, non-witches. What would happen if she turned someone into a frog or a motor bike into a unicorn?

  The desire to become a famous fashion designer of brides, stars and VIP celebrations didn’t mix well with her fear of appearing in public, but she was confident that if she really had to go to some public place that was important for her career, the fear would disappear.

  They turned into a road with an arcade of trees and soon saw from the distance the Villa Enchantment, partly hidden by a small wood on top of a hill.

  The large parking lot was already full of cars when they arrived. From this distance she saw Godfrey approach to welcome her with a slight smile. Godfrey Banks had worked for the great-aunt forever. Mabel had no memories of the villa without this old-fashioned butler, his hair always perfectly combed, although now the hair was quite sparse, always just shaved and dressed in his perfect uniform and, above all, always appearing at the very moment he was needed.

  "Miss Mabel" he said with a slight bow, "I did as you requested. I put the guests who have already arrived, in the formal room, where I had the refreshments set up. Your cousin Kendra has already arrived and is doing the honors.”

  “Thank you.” Answered Mabel, with a forced smile. Let Kendra take care of the guests. She really didn’t feel like it. And although Kendra’s magic was weak, she wasn’t obliged to avoid other people like Mabel was.

  As soon as she appeared at the door of the large room, many people came forward to express their condolences. They were mostly people who, during the funeral, had been kept away by Lucille, who had created a veritable shield around her. But now, inside the house she knew so well, Lucille was confident that Mabel would react calmly, without panic but that she would be ready just in case.

  "Isidora is over there," said Lucille. Isidora was the master of the community of local witches which included all the towns and villages in the surrounding area. Lucille was always in close contact with her, so much so that she was considered her right arm.

  "Mabel, my dear." Isidora greeted her, giving her an affectionate hug. "It's a very sad day for all of us," sighed Isidora, thinking back on their lost friend.

  Lucille nodded with a sad smile, all the while chewing her gum.

  Mabel, still lost in her thoughts was surrounded by other friends, acquaintances, and relatives, all expressing their affection and loyalty, while Lucille followed close by, ready to intervene if necessary.

  After more of these pleasantries, the two left and headed for the front door of the villa. Out of the corner of her eye Mabel noticed somet
hing that made her turn. On the entry cabinet, a large dresser that supposedly dated from the 17th century, was an arrangement of various photographs of her aunt. There was even one with her parents, taken during a trip to Europe, and one with her, while her aunt pushed her on a swing that, many years ago, hung from a big cherry tree in the garden. And many others recalling numerous happy moments of her life. But now there was an empty space among the photographs. She turned toward Godfrey, who in the meantime had appeared to say goodbye.

  "Godfrey, is there a picture missing here?"

  "So it seems to me, Miss Mabel." He answered unperturbed. "Unless someone has simply moved it. I didn't notice anyone close to this piece of furniture. I’ll ask the maid to check if anything is missing. I find it unthinkable that on such an occasion anyone would take something, if I may express my opinion."

  "Maybe someone wanted a reminder of your aunt? If that’s the case, they could have asked you."

  "Ask me, Miss Mabel? Perhaps to ask you would have been more appropriate."

  "I'm just a relative like any other, Godfrey."

  "Forgive me, Miss Mabel. But you are her dearest one."

  Mabel smiled without conviction and left with Lucille.

  "Ow! Damn shoes!" Mabel sighed falling into an armchair, took off a shoe and massaged her foot.

  "You didn't have anything more comfortable?"

  "Of course, but this was the only black pair and I wouldn’t think of wearing any others. While she was answering, the little black dress she was wearing became powder pink, just like the hat that she had taken off shortly before.

  "How nice," Lucille remarked.

  "You think so?" She answered. For a moment she seemed to shake with pain. She got up from the chair and turned around so her friend could admire the dress she had designed and made for her. "It's from the new collection, but of course I had to change the color." Like that in bare feet, without the heels she had worn up to that moment, she seemed rather small, but with her slim figure she looked good in anything she wore.

  Although not particularly flashy, her big blue eyes, behind which there seemed to be a quick and inquiring mind and her perfect facial features made her pretty if not downright beautiful. Her blond hair was cut shoulder length and her bangs were artfully messy, giving her a naughty but nice appearance.

  Lucille looked around, noticing the mess. Mabel's apartment above the studio was small but nicely decorated and cozy. The kitchen and dining room were open space, creating a special ambience. The bedroom was small but functional. The apartment was completed with a small bathroom and a closet. On the coffee table next to the sofa there was a high stack of mysteries and a bowl full of candy. In the bedroom some things were poorly hung from the dresser and various clothes were piled on the bed. It looked as if that morning Mabel had tried on everything before deciding what to wear. Mabel's apartment was directly over the shop/workroom and at first it was just a place to sleep whenever it was too late to go home. She had started slowly to fix it up while waiting to find a home all for herself. But when her parents were killed in a car accident, she had sold the big house of her childhood because too many memories upset her and she moved in with her aunt. It was at that time that she began to spend more and more time at work until the shop had permanently become her own small apartment.

  "Charming," Lucille said, still chewing her gum.

  "Forgive the mess!" Mabel whimpered. "This morning I really didn’t know what to wear. And you know what happens to the color of my clothes. They change with my mood and I have to be so careful that nobody notices."

  "How are you doing now?"

  "I'm feeling down. The preparations were tiring, even though my aunt had already planned everything. But I am feeling guilty. It had been months since I had seen her. I didn’t even phone her. Sometimes I feel that time is running away from me. And then all the work I have. I absolutely have to finish a wedding dress for tomorrow. It's pretty much ready, but in the last fitting the bride asked me to make a few changes. Now I don't know what to do. You know what happens when I get depressed."

  Lucille nodded. "Of course. The dress becomes black. Or spotted black. Which is even worse! Haven’t seen too many Dalmatian brides." She chuckled, chewing her gum. "You absolutely need to calm down and relax a bit before you start working on it."

  "But I can't help thinking how stupid I was. And selfish. I had no idea that my aunt had not been well lately. Why didn’t I ever call?"

  "Listen, you should lie down for a bit and relax. Or rather, is there some nice young man on the horizon?

  "Not at all. Nothing of the sort. I'm afraid I'm destined to remain single!"

  "You’re not even 30 years old yet, don't rush it. And by the way, spinsters no longer exist. There are single women free to live a fabulous life just the way they want to. But if you found a handsome man it would be better. For sure those present at the funeral weren’t that great. Is it possible that in this town there isn’t anyone decent of your age? But I did see someone, not too bad. Who was that nice gray-haired guy who approached and greeted you and appeared to understand?”

  "Oh, that's the lawyer. Tomorrow is the reading of the will, as you well know. He's a good looking guy, right? "

  "I think I’ll keep that one for me!"

  "I'm better now, Lucille."

  Her friend gave her a quizzical look. "Really, you don't have to stay. I know that Isidora needs you. Now I can start working on the dress. That’s what I’ll do. I’ll try not to think about anything other than the pleasure I find in the dress. As soon as I finish it, I’ll allow myself to be sad for my aunt again ..."

  Lucille nodded. "Fine, but if you need me, call me," and in the blink of an eye she disappeared.

  CHAPTER 2

  Mabel entered the Law Offices of Hayes & Co. accompanied by Lucille, who had been asked to be her driver and bodyguard in this difficult time, by Isidora, in whose capable hands, was the Magic Club. It was the center which, under the guise of a Cultural and Sports Center, was the refuge of the witches of the area. The two were received by a prim receptionist who invited them to sit in a waiting room. They appeared to be the first to arrive which pleased her. She could relax a bit, chatting with Lucille or reading a few pages of her mystery, which she had brought with her.

  She looked around astonished. In her imagination, lawyers’ offices were all dark and furnished with antique furniture, but this was very modern, and the waiting room itself seemed to be straight out of an interior decorating magazine. Mabel dropped into a leather chair and felt like she was sinking into a lush embrace. What could be better to put clients at ease? She pushed away a strand of hair and looked at the paintings hanging on the walls. At that moment the door opened, and two young people about her age looked in.

  "Mabel, how nice to see you again!" Her cousin, Prometheus, threw himself at her and hugged her, without even giving her time to get up, immediately followed by his twin sister, Pandora, who looked exactly like him. Mabel had seen them in passing the day before at the reception while they were stuffing themselves at the buffet table. Luckily they were too busy tasting everything even to stop and say hello to her. Mabel barely remembered seeing them as a child at some family reunion, and it was her cousin, Kendra, who pointed them out to her. Pamela and Prometheus Hightower, Pam and Prom, as everyone called them, looked like two hipsters and seemed delighted to be present at the reading of the will. Prom rubbed his hands and asked after a brief nod of greeting to Lucille, "so, what's going on?"

  Mabel, smiled at them reluctantly, feeling uncomfortable while the two sat facing her. Prom took off his hat and started fiddling with it, a satisfied grin on his face.

  At that moment the door opened, and Kendra came in, followed by a tall and heavy man whom she had noticed at the funeral and who introduced himself as Errol Hopkins, an associate of her aunt. As if his size wasn't enough to make him obvious, he had a snuffed out cigar sticking out of his mouth, clenching it between his teeth while he spoke. After
a few minutes Godfrey Banks, the butler, and her aunt's ex-husband, George White, arrived, along with Darren, his son from a second marriage, who couldn’t have been more than twenty.

  "My dear niece!" Mr. White gave her a big hug, even though they had just seen each other the day before. He also said hello to Kendra and then sat down next to his son.

  "What’s he doing here?" Pam whispered in the ear of her brother while staring at Godfrey, so loud that everybody heard. "The old woman couldn’t have left him a slice of the pie!”

  Mabel and Kendra looked at each other embarrassed while Godfrey, pretending not to hear, cleared his throat while smoothing his jacket.

  Prom stood up, opened the door and turning to the receptionist shouted "so, shall we get going?" A very proper secretary in a dark suit hurried in, explaining that they were still waiting for two people.

  "They are Joe and Angela Jarvis" she read from a folder she was holding.