Fairly Hexed: Cozy Witch Mystery (Witches of Winterfield Book 3) Read online

  Fairly Hexed

  By

  Sara Bourgeois

  Chapter One

  Winterfield Town Hall

  The normally quiet, empty town hall was a din of noise as the residents of Winterfield murmured amongst themselves. A few of them weren’t as quiet as the others, and these voices rose above the hum of the crowd.

  “It was the Soviets!” A male voice shouted over the horde.

  The meetinghouse, carefully preserved since the late 1700’s, sat atop a hill on the opposite side of town from the now burnt Tory Mansion. The office and accessory rooms had electricity and HVAC, and a Mayor in the 1980’s had a bathroom added. But, the main meeting hall was preserved in all of its rustic, cold, and dark glory.

  Right now, construction sight lights Brynhildr had borrowed from a contractor in New Salem lit the room. So, there was light, but there was no heat. Everyone was sitting around shivering in layers of clothing hoping that the body heat from the collective group would help warm up the room.

  Fortunately, Betty Kent and Linda had the foresight to bring a coffeemaker and hot water pot. They were in one of the rooms off to the side of the main hall making coffee and cocoa to keep everyone toasty and hopefully maintain their high spirits.

  Jessie Cavanaugh from the newly opened Big Buns Bakery showed up just in time with fresh croissants and sugar cookies. “Look what I brought ladies!” She said and set the baskets of pastries down on the counter next to the drink dispensers.

  “Oh, that’ll keep them quiet.” Betty Kent said. She’d been a little looser with her tongue since surviving the vicious werebear attack.

  “Yeah. Jeez. Did you hear Dick Brewster in there hollering about the Soviets? Somebody needs to get that guy back to the tavern before he incites a riot.” Linda said and plucked a croissant from the basket. “Oh, Jessie. These are still warm. Got any…”

  Jessie pulled a container out of her bag and handed it to Linda before she could finish her sentence.

  “Butter.” Linda smiled.

  The smell of fresh coffee and cocoa mingled with the scent of the baked goods, and within moments, there was a line outside the door. Inside of ten minutes, the basket of cookies was empty, and the croissants were almost gone too.

  “I hope you have more,” Linda said to Jessie when she looked out and saw that only half of the line had come through.

  “I do. I brought the van. I’ll just run out and get them.” It occurred to her that maybe she should have charged a quarter a piece for the treats, but at least this would promote good will in the community.

  The other baker had fled after Jaqueline Frost was arrested for murdering the town Santa. Jessie heard rumors that the last bakery was run by another closeted bear shifter, and she’d been afraid the townsfolk would turn on her. Jessie had heard another story that she’d actually gone bankrupt thanks to her husband’s gambling problem.

  Either way, the quick closing of the last bakery had opened up an opportunity for her. Jessie had known since she was a girl that Winterfield was a special place where she could go to feel normal.

  That’s because she wasn’t normal at all. People often noticed her unusual nature out in the ordinary world, but it wasn’t something they could put their finger on.

  In truth, Jessie was an elf. She was tall and lean with thick, shocking red hair and pale skin that was so light it was almost translucent. Her ears also had just a hint of a point to them.

  Jessie was beautiful, but in a way that got her teased mercilessly as a child. She looked like an elf, and there was no way around that. Her family also owned a bakery. The nickname “Keebler the Dweebler” had followed her around since the second day of the second grade.

  So when the bakery in Winterfield went up for sale, Jessie took her life savings and bought it the same day. She hoped that the town’s residents appreciated only having to go a week without a bakery.

  She twisted the handle to open the back of the van and realized it was locked. Jessie had lived in the city for most of her life and hadn’t quite grown used to the fact that you didn’t have to lock your car or your house in a small town. Although, given the things that had been going on in Winterfield over the last few months, Jessie thought she might want to hang on to some of her paranoia.

  When she turned around to head back into the meeting hall for her keys, something behind one of the parking areas light poles caught her attention.

  “No way.” She said out loud and fished into her pocket for her phone.

  Much to her delight, Jessie actually had her phone with her. She touched the screen in just the right place without even looking at it and instinctively turned the camera mode on. Living in a big city, her entire life had honed her smartphone skills to a razor’s edge. What didn’t occur to her was how bizarre it was that an elf thought an alien was odd.

  Jessie only got a few seconds of the little green person recorded before it ran off into the darkness. She could have sworn she saw a small, purple stuffed animal dangling from its hand. Jessie looked at the footage she’d caught, and sure enough, there was what looked like the alien equivalent of a teddy bear clutched in the creature’s tiny green hand.

  “It was a kid.” She said and quickly headed back inside.

  “Where are the buns hun?” Linda said with a laugh.

  “Oh right. The baskets. Yeah, my van is locked. I’ll be right back.” Jessie muttered.

  “Are you alright?” Betty asked as Jessie hurried off.

  “Fine. Just fine. I’ll show you in a minute.” Jessie called back over her shoulder.

  Jessie hurried out to the van, unlocked it with the key fob as soon as she was close enough, grabbed the baskets, and hustled back inside without looking around. She aimed the fob over her shoulder and relaxed a little when she heard the chirp and click as the van locked back up again.

  Linda took the basket from her and set it on the counter so that the line would get moving again. She could feel that Jessie had something intense to show them, and she wanted to get the townsfolk back into the meeting hall as quickly as possible.

  Betty closed the doors and locked them once the last person had a cookie and a cup of coffee. The three women huddled around as Jessie pulled her phone out of her pocket again.

  The screen lit up, and Jessie pushed the play button. Both Betty and Linda’s eyes went wide. They gasped, and Betty clutched the double strand of pearls circling her neck.

  “We’ve got to call the police. Ben needs to see this.” Linda said.

  “Is he here? Send him a text message and get him in here.” Betty said and tightened her grip on her necklace.

  Linda got out her phone and shot off a text to Detective Ben. He’d been through the line earlier, so she knew he and Belladonna were at the meeting. Actually, just about everybody was at the meeting.

  Even Old Man Jenkins was out there sharing a six-pack with a couple of other men. A few people had considered telling him he couldn’t bring beer to the meeting, but then no one could figure out a reason why.

  Belladonna and Ben came through the auxiliary room’s door quietly and shut it behind themselves. Jessie looked up from her phone and got her first good look at Belladonna. She’d been hearing about her from the other townsfolk for weeks but hadn’t had the chance to make her acquaintance yet.

  Bella was shorter than she’d expected, but then again, everyone was short compared to Jessie. Her long, wavy hair was loose tonight, and it fascinated Jessie that she couldn’t figure out what color it was.

  Depending on the lighting or how long you looked at her, Belladonn
a’s hair shifted from deep black and reds to an almost sunny yellow. Jessie made a mental note to book an appointment with the town’s only stylist as soon as she got home. Perhaps the witch could do something with what Jessie considered her unruly crimson mop.

  “What did you need to show us?” Ben’s voice broke Jessie out of her reverie.

  Jessie blushed. She was embarrassed that she’d been thinking about getting her hair done at a time like this, but she just reminded herself that no one else could hear her internal thoughts. It wasn’t like being at home with her family where everyone could read each other like a large print book.

  “Uh, it’s a video. I saw something outside, and I recorded it. I think it has something to do with the lights we’ve seen around here lately.” Jessie said as she tried to collect herself.

  “Well, show us, then,” Bella said with a big smile that instantly put Jessie at ease.

  Jessie’s new friend Carly, the town’s gardening vampire, had told Jessie about Bella’s comforting nature. Now, Jessie was witnessing it for herself. Again, her thoughts drifted towards a lovely relaxing morning in the salon chair.

  “Jessie?” Belladonna inquired with a chuckle.

  “Oh right. Here.” She said and handed her phone to Bella.

  Ben and Bella watched the few seconds of footage and then gave the phone back to Jessie. They looked at each other, and then without saying a word turned back to her. Belladonna spoke first.

  “That’s fascinating. Can you text that video to me? I need to show it to the Mayor.”

  “Is it what I think it is?” Jessie asked quietly.

  Devil’s Pesto Italian Restaurant

  “Little green men. For real?” Ben said and took a bite of his tortellini. His love of carbs was growing in measure with his love for Belladonna.

  “I don’t know why you find that so shocking. I mean, I’m a witch. Our friends are witches, werewolves, and vampires. My Granny is a ghost that smokes a pipe.” Belladonna said, and dipped a bite of fresh bread into a tiny dish of herbed olive oil.

  “That’s a fair point.”

  “I mean look at this place. It’s an Italian restaurant owned by a Befana.” Bella said and raised her hand to get the waitresses attention.

  “Remind me again what that means.” Ben wasn’t as well versed in magical beings as he would like to be yet, but he was working on it.

  “The Befana are good witches who are quite friendly with the real Santa Clause. They spread merriment during the winter months. Abrielle decided she’d rather own a restaurant. So, she moved to Winterfield and opened the Devil’s Pesto. I think it’s great because we have an excellent place to go on dates without having to drive to another town.”

  “How do you know so much about people so quickly, Belladonna? I’m supposed to be the detective.” Ben said with an admiring grin.

  “She’s already a client. And as I recall, Detective Carmichael, I’m a fairly decent sleuth myself.” Bella said and winked.

  Ben had to give her that. The small police force in Winterfield would have been at a loss when solving the last two murders without Belladonna and her family. He was glad to have her around because from what Ben understood, there was going to be more chaos until the witches could track down and contain all of the dark magic that had escaped into the world.

  There was another reason he was glad to have Bella around as well. Ben never believed he’d find love again after his wife passed away, but here he was having dinner with a beautiful and very special woman he was convinced he didn’t deserve.

  “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something,” Ben mumbled.

  He’d had thoughts of asking Bella to marry him on his mind since Luke had proposed to her best friend, Murielle. Their wedding was in a couple of days, and Ben was itching to get the ball rolling on his own wedding as soon as Muri and Luke were married. If Belladonna would have him, that is.

  Ben wanted to propose, but he was terrified. He’d asked Belladonna out tonight to gauge her reaction to the possibility of getting engaged. Ben hadn’t expected the bombshell of Jessie capturing footage of an alien on her phone, but he wasn’t going to let that deter him.

  There was always going to be something strange going on in Winterfield. That was just a fact of life whether he and Belladonna were married or not. He definitely preferred that they handle life’s weirdness together.

  “What is it, babe?” Belladonna’s stomach clenched with tension.

  Was he about to pop the question? Belladonna knew Ben was thinking about proposing. Granny Pepper had told her after their last visit. At first, Belladonna thought she was going to get upset about her Granny spoiling the surprise, but now she was glad she knew.

  It meant she’d had time to prepare and could react with excitement when he finally asked. Without time to marinate on the idea of getting married, she might have had a full on panic attack. But, right now, Belladonna was as cool as a cucumber.

  “I’m not sure if this is the best way to bring this up, but I wanted to know if you thought something was a good idea.” He said and bit his bottom lip in a way that made Bella’s heart flutter.

  “Go on.” She encouraged him. Now that the moment was here, she wasn’t apprehensive at all.

  Ben opened his mouth to ask her about whether she was amenable to getting engaged, but he was cut off. His phone buzzed, and he picked it up from the table to silence it so he could continue. Unfortunately, the message was marked urgent, and it was from Chief Frost.

  He swiped his finger across the screen to read the message while Belladonna tapped hers on the table in frustration. She couldn’t believe he was reading a text message in the middle of what could have been his marriage proposal.

  “I have to go.” He said without looking her in the eyes.

  “What?” She didn’t even try to disguise the frustration in her voice.

  “I have to go. There’s been another sighting of the lights.”

  “I’m not surprised. I’m coming with you.” Belladonna said and grabbed her bag.

  “You can’t Bella.” He cringed when she shot him the evil eye. “Sweetie. Baby. Love of my life. Chief Frost is on the scene. I can’t bring you along. I’m sorry.”

  It wasn’t surprising that there had been another sighting. The entire town had filed out of the meeting hall when the rumor hit the crowd that someone had a video of a little green man. In a village full of paranormals, the prospect of an alien sighting was a rare novelty.

  Ghosts, vampires, and a zombie named Old Man Jenkins weren’t especially vexing, but UFOs were something entirely new and utterly fascinating. That was a hard thing to come by around Winterfield. Even as Bella and Ben ate dinner, most of the town was outside wandering around in the cold looking up at the sky, and behind every tree and trash can for a glimpse of the lights or the little green person that Jessie caught on video.

  Actually, quite a few of Winterfield’s residents had spent every night wandering around town staring up at the sky hoping for another look at the dancing lights. Bella realized that if Ben had to go investigate an “official” sighting, she’d be free to go scour the streets with the rest of the crowd.

  “Okay. I’ll go walk Olwen, then. I’m sure she’s ready to go out.” Belladonna said a little too easily. “Call me to say goodnight?” She smiled sweetly.

  Ben wanted to press further to make sure that’s what she was really going to do, but he knew better than that. He trusted her, and at times that clashed with his protective nature.

  Belladonna did go back to her house to get Olwen. The pup was staying at her house during the meeting and Bella’s date with Ben to keep Sterling company.

  Actually, Olwen hadn’t left her house for weeks. She’d refused to leave while Petunia was staying with Belladonna, and once the time rift sucked Bella’s mother back in, Olwen refused to leave in case she came back.

  With Ben called away to investigate the alien sighting, it looked like his dog had an excuse to spend an
other night with Belladonna and Sterling. Bella didn’t mind. Granny Pepper and Aunt Sumac had gone home, and the house felt empty when it wasn’t full of family.

  “Muri, get over to my place stat. There’s been another alien sighting, and I want to go exploring.” Belladonna said into her phone as she put Olwen’s leash on with her other hand.

  “Okay. Let me tell Luke goodnight. I’ve meant to talk to you about the bachelorette party tomorrow night anyway. I’ll be there in ten minutes.” Muri said and disconnected.

  “Rude,” Bella said, and then gave Olwen an affectionate pat on the head.

  Olwen cocked her head to the side and responded with a soft bark.

  “I know. She’s getting married, and her head is in the clouds. And, you’re right. At least she hasn’t become a total bridezilla.”

  “Woof.”

  Two

  Murielle showed up fifteen minutes later. She and Belladonna took Olwen along with them while they walked around town looking for lights in the sky and aliens hiding in the bushes. It was eerie because all of the houses were dark, but the streets were filled with people.

  They rounded the corner and found another group of people congregating around what looked like a pile of sticks and leaves.

  "I think it's some sort of alien hut." Belladonna didn't see who said it, but she had to stifle a chuckle.

  It was even harder not to laugh when she looked up and realized where they were. Everyone was huddled around a lawn waste pile outside of Carly's house. She had probably been cleaning out her yard recently and hadn't called the garbage company in New Salem about her seasonal pick up yet.

  Bella looked up and saw Carly peeking out the window between the drapes. She imagined Carly was too afraid to come out and confront the growing mob outside of her house. Bella decided to help the young vampire out.

  "Hey, guys. This is Carly's house. She's been gutting the landscaping lately to get ready for next spring's planting. I don't think there's been any alien activity here." Bella said after she cleared her throat loudly.

  The group started to disperse, and Belladonna could see Carly giving her the thumbs up from the window. "Let's head over to the cemetery. I'd like to get a look close to the woods." Bella said to Muri.