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BEFORE MADDIE HAD A chance to talk to Suzanne, her nemesis, Claudine Claxton, walked over to the truck. A stout, forty-something woman with jet-black hair cropped short, she’d been Maddie’s boss from hell. Until Maddie had quit and opened Brewed from the Bean with Suzanne – and Trixie.
“Guess all your customers visited my café for lunch.” She smirked.
“We were busy,” Maddie said coolly, when Suzanne didn’t reply.
“Did you close your truck again?” Claudine tsked. The whining nasal sound of her voice went straight through Maddie’s ears. “You’ll never keep your customers if you keep playing hooky.”
“Was there something you wanted, Claudine?” Maddie tried to keep her voice polite.
“Just wanted to let you know that some of your customers are mine, now.” Her eyes lit up with satisfaction.
“I don’t think so, Claudine.” Suzanne finally spoke. “When our customers realize we’re open for lunch tomorrow, they won’t give you a second thought – or a second chance.”
“We’ll see about that.” Claudine hmphed, and turned on her heel, stalking back to her café across the town square.
“I’m sorry for our customers.” Suzanne shuddered.
“I still can’t believe some people drink her coffee.” Maddie winced. “It’s truly horrible stuff.”
“And even your awesome barista skills couldn’t save it.” Suzanne shook her head. “I honestly think that woman is deluded.”
“Let’s not even talk about her.”
They had a few more customers that afternoon, but just after three o’clock they considered closing up a little early.
“I can make some health balls now so we’ll have plenty for tomorrow.” Suzanne grabbed her phone. “I’ll just write a list for the grocery store.” She checked her watch. “And we’ll even be finished by four.”
“Hello, Maddie and Suzanne.” An attractive male voice with a faint Spanish accent.
“Ramon,” Maddie and Suzanne murmured to each other.
“Hi Ramon.” Suzanne bounced to the counter, her ponytail swishing.
“Hello, Suzanne.” Ramon’s eyes crinkled at the corners. He was in his early forties, and had charcoal hair and liquid brown eyes.
“Hi, Ramon.” Maddie hopped off her stool.
“How was your first catering job?” he asked, an interested expression on his handsome face.
“You haven’t heard?” Suzanne suddenly looked troubled.
“No.” He looked at her in inquiry. “Tell me, Suzanne. What is wrong?”
Ramon was a talented masseuse, with his own salon in the corner of the town square. Suzanne raved about his massages, and the two of them were flirtatious with each other at times, but now, he looked concerned.
When Suzanne just shook her head, Maddie quietly told Ramon everything that had happened so far.
“I didn’t do it, Ramon.” Suzanne looked like she was about to cry. She hardly ever cried.
“Of course you did not,” he told her. “No one who met you could ever think you are a killer.”
“Really?” Suzanne asked hopefully.
“Really,” he confirmed, giving her a smile that in other circumstances Maddie suspected would make her friend swoon. It nearly made her swoon, and she was madly crushing on Luke!
“Detective Edgewater is investigating the case,” Maddie told Ramon.
“That is good. He seems to be a fair man.”
“Yes.”
“And we’re going to get to the bottom of this, aren’t we, Mads?” Suzanne turned to her, her gloom seeming to have disappeared.
“I do not think that is a good idea, Suzanne,” Ramon warned. “You should listen to Detective Edgewater. I am sure he did not say you and Maddie should go and investigate. Did he?”
“Well ... ” Suzanne looked like she didn’t want to lie to Ramon.
“I do not want anything to happen to you. Or to you, Maddie.” Ramon looked around. “Where is Trixie? I do not see her.”
“She’s at home,” Maddie replied.
“And I do not want anything to happen to Trixie, either. You girls must be careful. Perhaps you should not see your friend Jill until the killer is caught.”
Ramon ordered an espresso, and after urging them again not to investigate, walked across the square back to his salon.
“Well, pooh.” Suzanne flumped down on her stool. “Doesn’t Ramon know we’ve helped catch three murderers in the past year?”
“I guess he’s only thinking of our safety,” Maddie pointed out.
“I just don’t want him to think I had anything to do with it.” Suzanne’s shoulders sagged.
“He said he didn’t think you did. And you believed him, didn’t you?” Maddie asked.
“Y-e-s,” Suzanne said slowly. “But Mads, what if we don’t investigate and the killer gets away with it? What if people will think I’m still a suspect?”
“Anyone who knows you won’t think that,” Maddie said stoutly. “I know you had nothing to do with it.”
“But not everyone’s like you, Mads.” Suzanne sighed. “We’ve been BFFs since middle school. But I’m not best friends with the whole town. Mud sticks.”
“Then we better start sleuthing,” Maddie said, attempting to cheer her up. “We can visit another suspect on our list tomorrow morning.”
Suzanne’s face lit up. “And tonight I’ll come over to your house and we’ll see what the full moon reveals to us.”
***
BEFORE SUZANNE ARRIVED that evening, Maddie’s phone rang. It was Luke.
Luckily, she was in the living room so she was able to sink down on the sofa, the same one occupied by Trixie and Wytchcraft for the Chosen.
“Mrrow,” Trixie sang into the phone, before laying her paw back on the cover of the ancient tome.
“Trixie says hello,” Maddie said, trying to stifle a giggle.
They chatted for a few minutes, Luke apologizing for not being able to get away from his workshop to visit her that day to check she was okay.
After reassuring him she was fine, and Suzanne was due to come over, he told her he’d stop by the Brewed from the Bean first thing in the morning.
Thirty minutes later, Suzanne arrived.
“The moon is glowing, Mads.” She stood on the doorstep and pointed behind her.
The heavy full moon was a lustrous gold.
“Wow,” Maddie whispered. She hadn’t even thought to part the curtains in the living room to take a peek for herself.
“Is Trixie on the sofa?” Suzanne asked as she followed Maddie down the hall.
“Yep.” Maddie gestured to the smoky blue sofa in the living room, Trixie and Wytchcraft for the Chosen resplendent on the cushions.
“Mrrow,” Trixie greeted Suzanne, her paw still on the ancient tome.
“What spell do you think will be revealed to Maddie tonight, Trixie?” Suzanne asked, sitting next to the Persian.
“Mrrow,” Trixie said primly, although her turquoise eyes gleamed with intelligence.
“I think that means we’ll have to wait and see,” Maddie interpreted with a laugh.
“As long as we don’t have to wait too long.” Suzanne looked excited.
Maddie was pleased her friend seemed to be back to her old self. Detective Edgewater had warned them not to interfere with the investigation, but she hated seeing Suzanne look so defeated – it just wasn’t her. As long as they were careful, surely they wouldn’t be in danger – would they?
With three spells under Maddie’s belt, as well as the Coffee Vision spell, and Trixie, surely that would be enough to keep them safe?
“That reminds me,” Maddie said, sitting on Suzanne’s other side, the book and Trixie between them. “I should cast a Coffee Vision spell tomorrow before we close up the truck and visit the next suspect on our list. See if it can give us any insight to what will happen.”
“Good idea,” Suzanne replied.
“Mrrow!” Trixie gently patted the cover of Wytchcraft for the Chosen.
“I think Trixie wants to get started.”
“Which spell will we find tonight, Trix?” Suzanne asked, her eyes shining.
Sometimes Maddie thought Suzanne should be the witch instead of her. She was certainly enthusiastic about Maddie’s newly found powers. But Maddie knew if she somehow lost her witchy ability, she would be bereft.
“Mrrow.” Trixie patted the ancient book again.
“Open the book, Mads.” Suzanne giggled.
Maddie did so, smiling at both Trixie and Suzanne. She slowly turned each page, the fly-spotted pages revealing spells she’d seen for the last twenty years but wasn’t able to cast yet, and other spells she couldn’t remember seeing before. Once again, she wondered if some of the spells appeared or disappeared with each full moon – unless she was imagining it – or didn’t remember that she had a bad memory.
“You know how to do this spell,” Suzanne observed as they reached the Escape Your Enemy spell.
“Mrrow,” Trixie said importantly, then urged Maddie to turn the page once more.
“Are any spells jumping out at you? Not literally.” Suzanne giggled.
“No.” Maddie shook her head. Ever since she turned twenty-seven, on the night of each full moon, one spell in particular would grab her attention and somehow she knew deep inside that she would be able to cast that particular spell.
But so far tonight, none of the spells she’d studied had felt different.
Until now.
Maddie’s hand paused on the next page.
An Enchantment for Seeing Clearly
“If you think you know what something is, recite the words below and your belief to see if you’re correct.”
“This one.” Maddie stroked the page with her finger.
“Maybe it will help us catch the killer!” Suzanne peered over Trixie’s shoulder, scanning the words.
“You could be right.” Maddie reached for the notepad and pen she’d put on the coffee table earlier. From experience she knew it helped if she made her own copy of the spell. Besides, if she needed to use this spell in a hurry, she mightn’t have time to rush home and grab Wytchcraft for the Chosen.
“Mrrow!” Trixie looked at her in approval, watching Maddie write down the words of the spell.
“Are you going to test it out now?” Suzanne looked like she wanted to be the one to try it, despite professing not to have any supernatural powers at all.
“I don’t know,” Maddie said slowly. “Should I?”
“Of course you should!” Suzanne’s ponytail bounced.
“Mrrow!” Trixie encouraged her.
“But what do I want to know that I’m right about?”
“Luke having the hots for you!” Suzanne giggled.
“Maybe I shouldn’t use it for personal gain.” Maddie furrowed her brow.
“Hmm.” Suzanne tapped her finger against her lips. “I know how you feel about that. Okay, what about something witchy? We both know Trixie is your familiar, right?”
“Mrrow!” Trixie said indignantly.
“Sorry, Trix, I should have said all three of us know you’re Maddie’s familiar,” Suzanne apologized. “So what about stating your belief that Trix is your familiar?”
“Good idea.” Maddie nodded slowly, liking the sound of that. When Trixie had first come into her life, she’d wondered if the Persian was indeed her familiar, but ever since she’d turned twenty-seven, she’d become more and more certain of that fact.
“Okay.” Maddie blew out a breath, then recited the words of the spell plus her belief.
“Tell me in a thrice if I’m right:
Trixie is my familiar.”
There was a purple flash.
Suzanne squeaked in surprise.
A deep knowing filled Maddie
“Mrrow.” Her familiar patted Maddie’s knee in approval. “Mrrow.”
“It worked!” Suzanne’s face was alive with excitement. “It worked! Right?”
“Right.” Maddie grinned and stroked the Persian. “Trixie is my familiar. It’s a similar feeling to the Tell the Truth spell. I just knew deep down that my belief was correct.”
“Yay!” Suzanne looked like she wanted to bounce on the sofa seat.
“Uh-oh.” A thought struck Maddie. “I haven’t wasted this spell, have I? Remember the Tell the Truth spell and how we discovered too late that you can only use it once per month?”
“You’re right.” Suzanne bit her lip, her excitement vanishing. “Quick, we better check the page for invisible writing, just like the page had for the Tell the Truth spell.”
Maddie and Suzanne headed toward the bedroom, where Maddie’s lavender bedside lamp still had an incandescent bulb.
Maddie held the heavy book up to the lightbulb. No secret writing appeared.
“Thank goodness,” Suzanne whispered. She touched Maddie’s arm. “I’m sorry, Mads, sometimes I get carried away. I should have remembered what happened a couple of months ago.”
“No, I’m sorry,” Maddie replied. “I should have remembered.”
“Trixie didn’t say anything,” Suzanne said thoughtfully. “I wonder if somehow she knew this spell doesn’t have a usage limit on it.”
“Maybe,” Maddie said. But Trixie hadn’t seemed to know about the restrictions placed on the Tell the Truth spell. Or had she? Perhaps it had been part of Maddie’s journey to discover that for herself.
“Mrrow?” Trixie asked, lying across the sofa cushions as if she were sunbathing, even though it was nighttime. She didn’t look concerned at all.
“I know why you didn’t come with us, Trix.” Suzanne smiled. “You knew there wouldn’t be a problem using the spell, didn’t you?”
Trixie looked up at them, totally innocent, as if she didn’t know what they were talking about. But Maddie noticed her whiskers twitching, as if she were trying not to giggle.
Did cats laugh? Had Maddie imagined the movement of Trixie’s whiskers? She filed that thought away.
Suzanne checked her watch. “I guess I better go home.”
“Do you want to stay over?” Maddie offered.
Suzanne looked tempted, then shook her head. “No, I should go home. I’ll see you two tomorrow.”
“Who should we visit after the morning rush?” Maddie asked as she and Trixie walked Suzanne to the front door.
“Let’s see.” Suzanne counted on her fingers. “We still have Grandma Pat and Kevin to talk to.”
“Why don’t we visit Kevin?” Maddie suggested.
“Good idea.” Suzanne snapped her fingers. “I know! We could say we’re thinking of hiring an accountant to do our taxes.”
“Genius!” Maddie smiled.
“Mrrow!” Trixie looked like she approved.
Suzanne handled the book keeping and their taxes, but Maddie had been meaning to check that it wasn’t becoming too much of a burden, now that Suzanne was also in charge of creating health balls and they’d decided to get serious about expanding the business.
Maddie and Trixie said goodnight to Suzanne, then watched her drive off down the road.
“I guess it’s bedtime, Trix.”
Trixie padded beside Maddie as she brushed her teeth and got ready for bed. As the Persian curled up beside her, Maddie wondered if tomorrow they would come closer to discovering who the murderer was.
