A Taste for Magic (Familiar Kitten Mysteries Book 5) Read online

  “There is no such thing as the Coventry Gazette,” I said and narrowed my eyes at him.

  “There is now, ma’am. I had the idea to bring back some of that old country charm that goes along with a small-town newspaper. That and there aren’t a lot of legitimate jobs out there for journalists anymore. I’m making myself useful. So, what’s your name? I want to be able to credit the hero in the piece.”

  Before I could answer him, Thorn came rushing through the door. “I’m so sorry, Kinsley.” At that, the reporter dude furiously wrote down my name. “I was paying the check, and I didn’t even notice the commotion. I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you call out for help.” Thorn turned to Dorian. “Sir, you’re going to need to back up.”

  “I have press credentials. I have a right to be here,” Dorian said indignantly.

  “What?” Thorn looked perplexed for a moment at the fact that there was a reporter standing over us in the bathroom as I kept Paul Fraser alive. He collected himself quickly, though. “Sir, that may be the case, but you still need to back up. This is an emergency scene. Back up, or I will detain you,” he commanded.

  “Seems like your girlfriend here has it well under control,” Dorian said, but he retreated out of the restroom. Not before using the little wooden wedge to hold the door all the way open.

  He knew right away that Thorn was the sheriff. Had they met before? Or had this Dorian Black character been stalking the prominent citizens of Coventry? Dorian couldn’t have been in town for long because we’d just had a murder that would have made a salacious story. It would have made a good opening to a newspaper of which he had yet to print one edition.

  Thorn cast a look over his shoulder at Dorian, but he didn’t say anything more. “Friend of yours?” I asked Thorn.

  He didn’t get a chance to answer because someone from outside the men’s room stepped in. “The paramedics are here.”

  Seconds later, Thorn and I were stepping out of the restroom to allow them in. “We should go,” Thorn said.

  “But don’t you need to investigate?” I asked. “Shouldn’t you call in your deputies?”

  “For what?” Thorn asked with his head cocked to the side like a curious puppy.

  “Someone tried to kill him,” I said.

  “Kinsley, we don’t know that,” he said. “It’s far more likely that he had a heart attack.”

  “There was blood in the corner of his mouth. A heart attack doesn’t cause that.”

  Thorn thought about it for a few seconds. “We should go home. It’s most likely he had a medical emergency. Not everything is a murder.”

  “Thorn.”

  “He’ll be fine, and if someone did something to him, we’ll find out. But, Kinsley, I think he just had a medical problem.”

  “He did just have a stressful evening,” I relented.

  I wished I’d used my magic to figure out what was wrong with him, but I’d been so focused on keeping him alive. Suddenly, I felt tired and hungry. I’d just eaten, but I’d expended so much energy healing him.

  “Let’s go home and relax,” Thorn offered. “Or we can celebrate.”

  “I have half a box of toasted ravioli at home,” I said.

  “We can get some food to go,” Thorn offered. He didn’t even ask me why I was hungry again after just having eaten. Thorn new. He knew I’d used my magic to save Paul, so he wasn’t going to question me.

  “I think the toasted ravioli is what I want. That and a big blob of ranch dressing to dunk them in,” I said as he took my hand.

  Thorn chuckled. “If that’s what you want, that’s what we’ll do.”

  The next morning, Thorn was gone when I woke up. He was still spending the night in the guest room because he insisted we sleep apart until we were married. It seemed old-fashioned to me, but Thorn maintained that we should “do things the right way.”

  “What’s that?” Meri asked as I put his bacon on a plate.

  “What’s what?”

  “That thing on your finger,” he said and started in on his bacon.

  “I had this last night,” I said and looked at it again. “You didn’t notice it.”

  “I was tired,” he said. “But you’re dodging the question.”

  “It’s an engagement ring,” I said. “Thorn asked me to marry him last night, and I said yes.”

  Meri let out a huge sigh. “You’re a busy lady.”

  “I’m going to pretend you’re not insulting me,” I said with a laugh.

  “Whatever.”

  “You’ll be fine. We’re going into work early today.” I changed the subject as quickly as I could. Not that I didn’t care what Meri thought, but I knew he really would be fine. A new husband and a new baby was a lot for Meri to take in, but he’d see in time that our little family was going to be amazing.

  “I’ll stay here,” he said.

  “Meri.”

  “What? You don’t need me. I’ll just stay here and nap.”

  “I do need you, Meri. Don’t be like that.”

  “Fine. I’ll go with you, but I won’t like it.”

  We left right after Meri finished his breakfast. I drove over to the Brew Station and was happy to see that we’d arrived between the early morning rush and the late morning rush.

  “Good morning, Kinsley,” Viv said when I walked in. She seemed to be in a bright and cheerful mood. “I’ve got that video and I took some pictures too. I’m going to send it all over to you this afternoon.”

  “Oh, thank you,” I said and looked at my ring again. “Thank you for capturing that moment for us.”

  “I’m just glad you didn’t say no or run off to the bathroom to upchuck again. Public proposals are so risky, but Thorn was so excited. I didn’t want to rain on his parade,” she said. Viv’s face grew darker and she pulled one side of her mouth up like she was thinking hard about something. “I’m sorry about after. I’m sorry you guys’ night got ruined.”

  “It wasn’t ruined,” I said. “But you did hear about it?”

  “Yeah, it’s all over town already. The big proposal at Bella Vita and then a guy trying to die on you. Word on the street is that his wife poisoned him.”

  “Really?” I asked.

  “No. I mean, that’s what a bunch of small-town busybodies are saying, but they’ve got no proof. It’s all just gossip,” Viv said. “Don’t you want a drink, hon?”

  “Oh, right. Sorry,” I said.

  “That’s okay. Let’s just step down so my guys can handle anyone else that comes in. You take your time.”

  “Guess I just want my usual,” I said.

  “Jack, get me a large iced hazelnut latte, a bacon and gruyere sandwich and a side of extra bacon,” Viv bellowed out.

  “On it, boss,” one of her employees said with a salute.

  “So, when is the wedding?” Viv asked.

  “Halloween,” I answered without missing a beat. “I mean, that’s what I want. I don’t know that I’ve completely convinced Thorn yet.”

  Viv clapped her hands together and smiled so big I thought it must have hurt her face. I’d kind of expected her to think it was weird, and then I remembered where I was. Viv had started this witch-themed coffee shop even though she wasn’t a witch. Of course she was going to think a Halloween wedding was cool.

  “That’s really close. You guys aren’t waiting long,” she said, but it was with excitement, not concern.

  “I don’t want to wear a maternity wedding dress,” I said. “I also just don’t want to have a regular wedding. I think that a Halloween wedding is right up my family’s, and this town’s, alley. Don’t you think?”

  “I think it’s a magnificent idea.” Viv looked like a kid in a candy store.

  “So, then you’ll do the wedding cake?” I asked. “If it’s too much, it’s okay. I know that’s not what you normally do.”

  “Yes!” Viv said without a moment of hesitation. “Oh, my gosh. I have so many ideas. Let me think about it for a while today, and I’ll ty
pe up some suggestions.”

  “That would be perfect,” I said. “Just make sure there are ghost cookies too. That’s my only request. Other than that, it’s all up to your imagination.”

  “Oooh, sugar cookie ghosts with white icing? I can totally do that. I have so many other ideas. I’m going to spend all afternoon on Pinterest.”

  “Hey, that’s probably a good way for you to share some ideas with me too,” I said. “You could create a board.”

  “I could,” Viv said. “And I will!”

  “All right. I’m going to go over to work,” I said as the guy behind the counter slid my order over to me and then backed away from the excited Viv slowly. “Call me later?”

  She nodded her head yes and then darted off to the back of her shop with a look of gleeful determination sparkling in her eyes. I just shook my head and offered her employees a shrug. I was happy that she was so excited about making the wedding cake, but I was a bit bummed that I hadn’t gotten to discuss my theory about Paul’s collapse being a potential attempted murder and not just a medical emergency.

  I took my breakfast and headed over to the shop. There was a car I didn’t recognize parked right out front, but no one was around. That wasn’t too unusual, though. Sometimes people parked near the shop for the ghost walk tours. It had an out-of-state license plate, but again, that wasn’t that strange. People came from all over the country, and the world, to visit Coventry.

  After unlocking the shop, I went inside and put my breakfast down on the counter. While I munched on my sandwich and waited for Reggie to come in, I couldn’t stop thinking about what I’d learned about Cody Black and his death. Well, it was more that I kept thinking about what I hadn’t learned.

  I still didn’t know why Cody Black had died or how. I shoved the rest of my sandwich in my mouth and looked at the clock. There was still a good fifteen to twenty minutes before Reggie arrived for work and I needed to open the store. I was already open technically, but I walked to the front door and turned the sign to closed. I locked the front door behind me and walked around to the alley that ran behind the buildings.

  “What are you doing?” Meri whispered from behind me.

  I jumped a foot in the air because I hadn’t realized he was following me. He must have darted out the door. It was easy for him considering his tiny size.

  The fire department had left the back door to the building unlocked, and I hadn’t seen the landlord. I guess when he found out there was no fire, he decided not to stop in. “I’m just going to check things out up there,” I said to Meri once the door had closed behind us.

  “You’re supposed to be…” Meri started to say.

  “I know. Focusing my energy on the baby,” I cut him off. “I’m walking upstairs to look at an empty apartment. It’s not like I’m trying to summon spirits or cast huge spells. Come on, Meri. You’re acting like I’m made of tissue paper. I didn’t even have to use magic to open the door. Plus, the ghost up here is the same one as downstairs.”

  “You’re making an assumption there,” he said and followed me up the steps.

  “You think it could be a different ghost?” I asked.

  “I’m just saying you don’t know,” Meri responded.

  “And I want to know. That’s why I’m going up here. Uncle Gunner said Cody Black’s death was a suicide, but I just have this niggling in the back of my brain about it,” I said.

  “I guess this is better than you making a huge deal over what happened in that restaurant last night,” Meri said.

  “I never said I wasn’t going to look into that.”

  At that point, we’d reached the top of the steps. Meri darted in front of me and plopped down. He stared up at me with what I could only interpret as kitty frustration.

  “Hold the phone, Kinsley Skeenbauer,” he said. “Please tell me that you’re not planning on sticking your nose into that? Looking around this empty apartment is one thing, but you’re going to, what… investigate what happened to that guy at Bella Vita? Why? Why are you doing this?”

  “Because I don’t feel right about either of these incidents,” I said and then stepped over him. “And because I’m Brighton Longfield’s daughter.”

  “Brighton Skeenbauer,” Meri corrected.

  “Brighton Tuttlesmith,” I countered. “I’m a Tuttlesmith witch as much as I am a Skeenbauer. That didn’t go away just because Mom took Dad’s last name. You can’t tell me that becoming a Skeenbauer didn’t change Mom. I know it did. I’ve heard the stories about what she was like before she assimilated into the Skeenbauer Coven.”

  “She changed because she became a mother,” Meri countered. “She stopped doing… this… when you were little.”

  “I don’t buy that,” I said. “I don’t think it was entirely me. I think she got pulled into being a Skeenbauer, and she… I don’t know. She just stopped being as much of a Tuttlesmith.”

  “I don’t know if you know this or not, but your mother’s family was awful. Being away from their magic turned them into something pretty bad.”

  “Not Maude,” I said. “Mom knew it. She loved Maude so much, but she wanted a real living family. I don’t blame her for that, but I think she lost part of who she was.”

  “You were supposed to come back and be the head of the Skeenbauer Coven, Kinsley. You weren’t supposed to come back and change everything,” Meri said, but there was a bit of a devilish look in his eyes.

  “Since when did I ever do what I was supposed to do?”

  Meri didn’t get a chance to answer. We heard the downstairs door open and close quickly. That was followed by someone stomping up the steps.

  “Told you,” Meri whispered.

  “Who’s up there?” a man’s voice called out. It sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place it. “I’m calling the sheriff,” he said as he hurried up the rest of the steps.

  “No need for that,” I answered.

  I’d left the door to the apartment cracked, and it swung open. I found myself face to face with Dorian Black. “What are you doing up here?” His voice no longer sounded worried or accusatory. Dorian smirked. “I didn’t expect there to be anyone here.”

  “What are you doing here is the better question?” I asked.

  “Scoping out my new apartment and office,” he said and crossed his arms over his chest.

  “You rented this place?” I asked. “It’s…” I almost mentioned the building was haunted but ultimately thought better of it.

  “It’s what?” Dorian asked.

  “It’s right above my shop,” I said.

  “That so?” he asked. “Summoned Goods & Sundries is yours?”

  “It is,” I said.

  “Anything to that?”

  I cocked my head to one side trying to figure out if he was really asking what I thought he’d just asked. He wasn’t a witch, but did he know somehow? Or was it just his nature as a “journalist” to ask any question possible?

  “The town has a reputation,” I said. “So the shop ads to the atmosphere for the tourists.”

  “So you’re using the possibility of the supernatural to turn a buck,” he stated.

  I let out a deep sigh. “If that’s the way you want to look at it, then…” and I shrugged.

  “Hit a nerve, did I?” he asked, but before I could say anything, Dorian changed the subject and moved on. “So, what are you doing in my apartment?”

  I decided to go with honesty. If he was a real journalist, then Dorian would appreciate that there was a story behind the building. He didn’t need to know about the ghost, though I feared he would know soon enough, but the knowledge of the apartment’s history wouldn’t hurt him.

  “A man died here,” I said. “The town sheriff at the time ruled it a suicide, but I’m not sure…”

  “My father,” Dorian cut me off.

  “Oh,” I said. The last name wasn’t just a coincidence. By that point in my life, I should have known better than to believe in coincidences.

&n
bsp; “Did you need anything else?” he asked. “I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

  “No,” I said. “I’m sorry that I was in your apartment. I had no idea anyone had rented it.”

  “It’s okay. Curiosity is a thing I understand. In fact, I’ll probably drop into your shop later to have a look around. If that’s all right with you?” Dorian asked. He had me pinned under an intense gaze that didn’t match the neighborly lightheartedness of his voice. I felt like a bug under a magnifying glass. It was a sensation I’d have to get used to feeling around Dorian.