Cupcakes, Cauldrons, and Cadavers Page 2

  Nova

  Breakfast

  221 South Main Street

  Mysterious, but who am I to turn down breakfast? I started walking that way, when the thought occurred to me, this could be a trap. Honestly, this would be the best way to lure me somewhere. The only other things I would fall for would be free shoes or puppies. I finally decided that no one would have any reason to lay in wait for me. On to breakfast!

  The leaves crunched underfoot as I walked through the streets. I could smell the moisture in the air. It was going to rain today. I love the rain, especially in the fall. But I was not a fan of soggy leaves, so I needed to pick up the pace. I wanted to eat this top-secret breakfast and make it home before the rain.

  I came around the corner to see a lovely Victorian style home. It was quaint and beautiful. The shingles were a cozy gray, and it had a bright blue door. I knew immediately that it must be the Quinn’s house. It radiated the same familiar energy about it that the bakery did. I felt it before I even approached the door.

  I rang the bell and sniffed the air. I thought I caught the scent of something delightful cooking. When the door opened, I was inundated with all sorts of wonderful smells.

  “Sorry about that, the husband cooks when he’s stressed,” Mrs. Quinn commented when she opened the door and saw me take a step back.

  “No apologies necessary. Thank you for inviting me to breakfast.”

  “Our pleasure. You really helped out with the Chief last night and kept things under control. Come in, come in.”

  I went inside and followed Mrs. Quinn into the kitchen. Every available surface was covered in cupcakes. It was more cupcakes than I had ever seen in my life. I pinched myself a few times to make sure that I wasn’t dreaming. I had found nirvana.

  Mr. Quinn saw me standing there with my mouth hanging open. He looked so forlorn.

  “I understand if you don’t want any of them. These cupcakes did kill a man.”

  I rushed to his side and put a hand on his arm.

  “No, Mr. Quinn. You misunderstand me. Your cupcakes couldn’t have killed that man any more than you could. I just didn’t know what I possibly could have done to deserve such an amazing breakfast.”

  “This wasn’t the breakfast I had in mind. I’m just trying to figure out which of my cupcakes could have killed someone. So far, none of these have been the culprit. The Chief took the bad one away before I could check it.”

  “Well, I couldn’t ask for a better breakfast,” I said, taking a huge bite out of the nearest cupcake. “Plus, I had one of those lemon cupcakes with the blueberry frosting, and I’m right as rain.”

  “I distinctly remember you having more than one,” Mr. Quinn said with a grin.

  Mrs. Quinn gave me an appreciative smile. The tension seemed to drain from her husband’s shoulders. I was glad that I could bring a little bit of joy to this couple that had been so kind to me. If it weren’t for their bakery, I probably wouldn’t know anyone at all. My world would definitely be a whole lot less delicious.

  “Do the police know who the man was?” I asked, in between cupcake ravaging.

  “Yes, his name is Jeff Silva, he is a local man. They said he had never been in trouble, lived alone. He left a small dog behind, poor thing.”

  “That’s too bad. The police have nothing else? No murder weapon?” I asked.

  “Nothing they are willing to share. Paul’s got it into his head that it’s his fault. Nothing that I say can convince him otherwise.” Mrs. Quinn explained.

  “If I have to eat every last one of these cupcakes to set your mind at ease, I’m willing to make that sacrifice,” I said to Mr. Quinn with my hand over my heart.

  “I just hope they let us open the store soon, I don’t know what I’m going to do if he keeps this up. You’re going to bake us out of house and home,” Mrs. Quinn mumbled under her breath.

  “I’ll see if I can find out anything. People usually love to gossip. Plus, I’ll eat anything you need help getting rid of.”

  “I believe it, you’ve eaten four cupcakes since you sat down,” Mr. Quinn said with a laugh.

  My hand froze halfway to my mouth. Had I really eaten four? That meant the one currently en route was lucky number five. I shrugged. Five cupcakes were a small price to pay for being neighborly.

  We made small talk as I tried to avoid eating every cupcake in the room. Luckily, Mrs. Quinn packed me a basket of cupcakes to go. Apparently, they sell fancy containers specifically for carting around cupcakes. What a time to be alive.

  Walking home with my fancy cupcake basket, I couldn’t help but feel a little bit like little red riding hood. I just hoped that there wasn’t some big bad wolf out there watching me.

  Chapter 5

  I made a detour on the way home and headed for the police station. There was no possible way that I could eat all of those cupcakes by myself. If I should happen to come across some vital case information while I was in the neighborhood, so be it. I don’t think that there are any laws against bribing law enforcement with sweets. There was only one way to find out.

  The police station, like the rest of this town, was small. I walked in and spoke to the receptionist. She preferred to be called a dispatch operator, I quickly learned. One cupcake and I was sitting pretty in the chief’s office waiting for him to come back from the men’s room.

  I heard an excited snuffling sound and looked down to find an adorable black and tan dog wiggling his way from under the desk.

  I squealed and immediately dropped to the floor. I began petting the little pooch and scratching him behind the ears. He was the fluffiest dog I had ever seen, and I have a soft spot for animals. I completely forgot about Chief Rowan until he cleared his throat.

  “What are you doing in my office?” he asked.

  “Sorry, but you can’t spring ‘bring your dog to work day’ on a girl and expect her not to react. I come bearing sweets, I hope you washed your hands,” I said, as I stood and opened the container of desserts.

  I set a cupcake on his desk. I sat back down in the chair across from his desk. The dog sat at my feet.

  “There is no such thing as ‘bring your dog to work day’ and that is not my dog. I’m not sure if I want any of those poisoned cupcakes either,” he replied.

  “Do you think I would be dumb enough to try to poison you at a police station? I’m sure there are dozens of witnesses that saw me walking here with them. Plus, I ate five of them already, and your dispatcher has one too.”

  “I guess I should expect you to be more discrete about your murders, perhaps kill someone in a bakery while the owners are distracted?”

  “What? How dare you accuse me! I was trying to help!” I yelled, jumping up from my seat.

  The dog jumped to his feet too. He positioned himself in front of me and began growling at the chief.

  “Now you’ve gone and upset the dog,” Chief Rowan said trying to reach for the dog.

  I managed to pick up the dog just before he snapped his tiny little jaws on to the chief’s outstretched hand.

  “I think you owe both of us an apology,” I said.

  “He was going to bite me. I’ve been nice to that dog, and he was going to bite me for you,” Chief Rowan said incredulously.

  “At least someone in this office is a gentleman. Just last night you said it wasn’t murder and now you’re here grilling me like some suspect.”

  “I would say more a person of interest.”

  “You know what, you don’t deserve any cupcakes.”

  I put the dog carefully on the floor and snatched the cupcake off his desk and put it back in the carrying case.

  “That sweet animal is wasted on you.”

  I turned and stalked out of his office. The woman at dispatch refused to meet my gaze. She was another waste of a cupcake. I heard the dog whimpering behind me. I hated to leave him, but I would definitely be caught if I tried to steal a dog from the police station.

  I walked back to my house in a fury. T
he clouds were starting to swirl angrily. The rain I had been worried about earlier was definitely on its way. I must have looked as pissed as I felt because people were crossing the street to get out of my path. This whole town was on my list today. Everyone except the Quinns.

  When I reached my house, I was furious to find the chief already waiting there, leaning against the hood of his car. His arm was wrapped in a bandage.

  “What are you stalking me now? Or, are you here to blame that injury on me too?”

  “As a matter of fact, this injury is your fault. The dog seems to think I’m the one who made you leave. He gave me a heck of a time when I tried to get him in the car. Now I can’t get him out.”

  “Sounds like a personal problem.” I retorted.

  “You seemed to like the dog, so I can’t imagine that you want him to live the rest of his life in a police cruiser.”

  “Fine,” I said, as I unlocked my front door. “Open the car door, he should just head inside.”

  “Why would he do that?”

  “Do you want my help or not?”

  Chief Rowan opened the car door and jumped back like there was a live wolf about to jump out. The dog calmly jumped down from the car, walked around the terrified officer. The dog stopped and peed on the chief’s tire while looking him straight in the eye. When he was finished, he trotted right into the house and sat in the doorway, watching us.

  “If I didn’t know better, I would think that you told that dog to do that. You must be some kind of witch.”

  “I might be. With all the conclusions you jump to, I’m surprised that you get any work done.”

  “Just what is that supposed to mean?” Chief Rowan asked.

  “Exactly what I said. You took everything I said out of context and seemed to be accusing me of murder. Then, you immediately accuse me of turning the dog against you. You probably accused him too. I, for one, can firmly understand why he doesn’t like you.”

  “You’ve got it all wrong. Well, the part about the dog anyway. This is the victim’s dog. All he knows is that his owner never came back, and I came and got him. He probably thinks that I’m the one who took his owner away.”

  Chief Rowan seemed solemn. He handed me a bag of dog paraphernalia while avoiding my gaze. I felt guilty for my bratty behavior. He was doing the best he could. I also felt sad for the poor little pooch.

  “I’m terribly sorry to hear that. I can take care of the dog if you don’t have a place for him. Fortunately, my lease allows pets. I’d hate to see this sweet little thing go without a home. I’m sorry I was so harsh with you. I really was just trying to help.”

  Tension faded from the Chief’s face.

  “Taking the dog off my hands would be plenty of help.”

  “How is the case going anyway?” I asked.

  “I can’t speak on an open investigation,” he replied, stiffening up again.

  “Do you at least know if it’s murder or not?”

  “All I can say is that there are no visible signs of stabbing, strangulation, or gunshots. Aside from that, I’ve got nothing to tell you.”

  “Well, keep me posted. The Quinn’s are great people, and I would hate to see their business suffer.”

  “Just how much would you hate it?”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. This guy never quits.

  “This conversation is over. You have a good day.”

  Once I was inside the house, I looked through the peephole and saw the chief staring at my door for a few moments before he got back in his cruiser and drove away. The dog was sitting waiting for me, and I realized I had no dog food. Nothing a little spell work couldn’t fix. A witch’s work was never done.

  Chapter 6

  I decided that I needed to do spell work for more than just dog food. The Chief might be playing it close to the vest, but something told me he really didn’t have any information. Aside from the gentleman’s name, I didn’t have any information about him. Normally, my spell work for scrying needed a little more to work with. I also needed to the general direction or a person. In this case, I was just trying to find out what the truth was. But without knowing what type of truth I was looking for, I wasn’t sure what my results would be.

  I had been in town long enough to set up a grounded and dedicated, altar aside from my traveling one. I set it up to look like a meditational altar rather than a witchy one. I know that I said I wouldn’t hide who I was, but there was no point of forcing it down everyone’s throat either.

  I had a simple layout that I like to use. I used an alter plate full of beautiful glass beads that held four white devotional candles good for most workings. There were little statues of the Goddess and the God that I set up with a carved Himalayan salt lamp. Under the altar, I kept a lovely little trunk full of the rest of my supplies, so I could pull out at a moment’s notice.

  In this case, I was going to need my scrying mirror. It’s a standard black mirror with a non-reflective surface. It helps me to see the truth. I hadn’t done any scrying work in a while, so I needed to warm up. The best place to start would be the dog’s name. I couldn’t continue to call him “the dog,” that was specious and rude.

  Before I got started, I explained to the dog that I would need to concentrate. There was no barking allowed while I was in the circle. He sat down obediently as if he understood the importance of what I was saying. I drew the blinds to darken the room, lit my candles, and cast my circle.

  Gazing into my scrying mirror, I said the spell to make it reveal the truth. I focused on the dog and a running list of baby names that I always kept. Don’t judge me. People have different hobbies. Mine was collecting baby names. You never know when a good name will come in handy.

  The images that came back to me were quite interesting. Next to the dog. I can see him running after sticks or chasing strange smells. I saw the fire, but he didn’t seem to be in any danger.

  Then the name hit me, it seemed to vibrate in my ears, Angelo.

  I heard stirring behind me and saw the dog was waiting expectantly. But, true to his word, he didn’t bark while I was in the circle. Once I was done with my scrying, I would test it out, but I was pretty sure this was the correct name.

  Next, I moved into the body in the bakery. I didn’t have much to go on. We knew his name, so I didn’t think that would help, what I wanted to see was the killer. I focused on the man slumped over, the silent bakery and the cupcake rolling away. I saw flashes of anger or animosity, but not towards the man. Strangely, it was directed towards Mr. Quinn. Dark shaded eyes, dirty looks, and someone watching a pretty girl.

  I couldn’t recall specifically, but I think the Quinn’s had a young relative that occasionally worked in the shop. We never worked the same shifts, and I always seemed to just miss meeting her. She didn’t seem particularly malevolent to me, but what do I know?

  I wasn’t really getting much more so I didn’t know if the anger was coming from the dead man or from an outside source, but it was worth following up. I thanked the goddess for her kind guidance and opened the circle. I turned to the dog who had trotted over to me expectantly.

  “Angelo?” I asked.

  He gave a short bark in return. I couldn’t be sure, but it sounded like he was saying yes.

  “Angelo, you’re such a good boy,” I said, rubbing him behind the ears.

  He seemed more than happy to hear it. And it was good to know I still have the touch. Now, how was I going to get any more info about this animosity? I decided I should start at the source. It looked like we were going to have to head to the Quinn’s for breakfast in the morning. Of course, I had to bring Angelo. The poor dog had been abandoned once. I wouldn’t leave him here alone.

  There was something really different about Angelo. The thought crossed my mind that he could be my familiar. I have never had one, so I couldn’t say for sure. Most stories you hear about familiars concern cats or birds. But familiar animals can really be any animal. I didn’t want to get myself too worked up by A
ngelo’s behavior. I was happy to have an adorable dog to hang out with. That was enough.

  The rest of the night went by without any other incidents. I took Angelo for a walk after dinner, and we watched some chick flicks. He only rolled his eyes twice. Angelo was a bit hesitant when I invited him to climb onto the bed. Once I explained there was plenty of space for the both of us, and I didn’t kick in my sleep, he was all for it.

  Chapter 7

  The next morning, I woke up early. Sleep hadn’t come as easily as I hoped the previous night. I was still worried about what had happened when I was scrying the night before. I called the chief to ask him if he had heard any word about enemies of the Quinn’s. I tried to make it sound like an innocent inquiry and failed miserably. He promptly hung up on me.

  I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was up to me to figure things out. It didn’t take a genius to see that the Quinn’s weren’t safe. Someone was out to hurt one or both of them.

  When they reached the house, I looked left and right to make sure that no one is around. I pretended to be getting a stick for Angelo to fetch but she was really digging in their dirt around the house. You could never be too safe. I was just finishing up when Mr. Quinn came outside.

  “So, what’s that you got there?” He asked.

  “Oh, nothing. Angelo here was looking for some sticks, just trying to keep him occupied.”

  “That’s a fine-looking dog, I don’t think have ever seen one of those before.”

  “Well. He’s a rescue. I never saw one before either. Apparently, he’s a keeshond. His name is Angelo.”

  Angelo gave out a sharp bark in response.

  Mr. Quinn laughed and rustled Angelo’s ears.

  “Seems like a smart guy. Well, not to worry. As the premier baker in this area, I also make a quality breakfast.”

  Angelo gave an excited yip and began wagging his tail vigorously. I smiled. The more time I spent with this pooch, the more I was sure that he understood English.