Spirits and Sourdough, page 11
“Katie!” Lucy opened the door. “You need to come out here. Cookie brought the baby by!”
“Oh, Jaida, I have to go. Cookie’s here with Isabella. Thank you so much for digging this info up. I know it’s taking time away from your work.”
“No problem. Like I said, Gregory’s covering for me. Let me know if you think of anything else I can do to help. And give that baby a kiss for me.”
“Will do!” I hung up and hurried out.
Cookie was standing by the coffee counter with Isabella in a baby sling wrapped around her chest, and Lucy was already cooing over the three-week-old bundle of joy. Isabella gurgled and smiled at my aunt, and a brilliant smile erupted on Lucy’s face. She and Ben had married relatively late in life and hadn’t had any children. Lucy was one of the most nurturing women I knew, gentle and thoughtful of others almost to a fault, but when I’d asked her if she missed having children, she’d been philosophical about it, telling me that it had been a choice she and Ben had made.
Nevertheless, I knew Cookie now had yet another built-in babysitter anytime she wanted one.
As I approached them, also melting a little at Isabella’s bright dark eyes and button nose, the thought of having my own child with Declan flashed across my mind. But that was for later. We’d already decided to wait at least a year or two after marrying.
“Oh, Katie. Look at this little one,” Lucy breathed.
I smiled at Cookie, who looked down at her daughter with a mellow expression of pure love. “She’s adorable.”
“Yes,” she said. “Yes, she is.”
Then she looked up. “We haven’t been out much, but I thought this would be a good time to start. My manman will be leaving soon, and Oscar and I will be on our own.” Another doting glance down at Isabella, whose eyes were starting to blink sleepily. “Anyway, I brought this for Iris’ friend Zoe.” She reached into her pocket and held out her hand. A beaded leather necklace dangled from her fingers. “The comfort amulet I mentioned yesterday.”
Lucy’s eyes quickly raked the customers in the bakery and said, “Come into the office. You can tell us all about it. Iris!”
Our friend followed us back to the office, but there was no way all four of us could fit in the small space. Instead, we gathered just outside, hidden from view and being overheard by a bank of cabinets.
“Yes, Lucy?” Iris came around the corner. “Oh, look at her!” she exclaimed as soon as she saw the baby. “Ooh.” She bent and gently stroked Isabella’s perfect, plump cheek with the back of her finger. “Hi, baby.”
Cookie smiled indulgently as Iris straightened, then held out the necklace to her. “Hi, honey. Listen, I wanted to drop this by for your friend Zoe. It’s a comfort amulet. Not in the traditional form, but perhaps something she might wear. I’ll leave it up to you whether to tell her the significance of the crystals and that it’s been magicked.”
“Magicked,” Iris repeated, her eyes wide. “And the crystals?”
Cookie had strung several different kinds on the leather cord, and now she listed them off. “There’s Apache tear to help with grief, rose quartz for calm and to feel the love of the universe, smoky quartz for sadness, clear quartz for clarity, onyx and carnelian to help ground her, moonstone for strength, and several amethysts mixed in. Amethyst is a soul stone, to help with balance, peace, sadness, and so many other things.”
“Wow.” Iris looked thoughtful. “I don’t know how open Zoe would be to the idea of a necklace with a spell on it, though. It can’t do any harm, can it?”
We all shook our heads.
“This is entirely white magic,” Cookie said with a smile.
Iris nodded. “I think I’ll just tell her I got it for her birthday, which was last month, and this is the first chance I’ve had to give it to her.”
“That’s fine,” Lucy said. “She doesn’t have to know what it is in order for it to help her.”
Iris’ eyes suddenly filled with tears. “Thanks, Cookie. I really appreciate you going to all this trouble for someone you don’t even know.”
Our friend waved her hand. “No worries.” An expression of sorrow came into her eyes. “I know what it’s like to lose someone.” She looked around at us. “We all do.”
Nods from each of us.
The rising sounds of voices out front alerted us to new customers. As we went back out to help Ben, Iris tucked the necklace Cookie had given her into her pocket. “Say, can I ask you a question?”
I looked back and saw Iris drawing Cookie aside. “Listen, I know you, um, dated quite a bit before you got married. How did you know Oscar was the one?”
Cookie grinned and said something. I didn’t know what it was, but I saw the look in her eye and suspected it was something along the lines of what she’d told me when I’d asked her the same question before marrying Declan.
When you knew, you knew.
Chapter 14
After the lunch crowd had thinned out, I was in the reading area tidying books. Iris came in, tucking her cell phone into the pocket of her shorts.
“Katie?”
“Hmm?”
“I was wondering if I could borrow your car.”
I stopped what I was doing and turned to give her my full attention.
“See, Patsy’s using mine because hers is in the shop, and she’s helping to cater a cocktail party over in Pooler this evening.” Patsy was Iris’ stepmother and managed the Welsh Wabbit Cheese Shop where I’d originally met Iris. “And Zoe Stokes called me and wondered if I’d mind picking her up at the airport. Her plane just got in, but she has to pick up her luggage, so if I leave now . . .”
“Sure,” I said. “Is she doing okay? I’m a little surprised her dad isn’t picking her up.”
Iris made a face. “He was supposed to, but for some reason he texted her that he couldn’t make it.”
I wondered if Leigh’s ex might be busy making the arrangements for a memorial or the like.
Iris added, “She’s staying at his house, though. So it’s okay?”
“Of course. I’ll get my keys.”
A smile bloomed on her face. “Thanks. I didn’t want her to have to take a cab. But maybe I could bring Zoe here before taking her home. For a cup of tea or something?” She raised her eyebrows.
Something with a little touch of beneficial magic.
“I think that’s a very good idea,” I said. “In fact, I just harvested some betony from my garden. It’s in the mint family and will help with how unsettled and sad she must feel. I’ll brew some for her. Does she like sweet tea?”
“I’m pretty sure she does. Oh, thank you!” Iris came over and gave me a big hug. “I knew you’d be able to help.”
* * *
* * *
While Iris went to get Zoe, I considered the goodies on offer for the day. We regularly rotated the selection in response to the seasons, what local foods were available, and customer demand. Recently, Iris had been experimenting with flowers in our baked goods. She’d developed a rose-petal-and-violet-studded shortbread that people raved over, and it was what I’d offered her when she’d been so upset about Taylor. Both flowers could promote love and comfort heartbreak, and that was what Iris had triggered as she baked the selection in the pastry case. However, violet could also be used for peace and healing—it was also called heartsease—and rose had qualities of well-being and protection.
I removed a half dozen of the cookies and took them back to the kitchen. Arranging them on a plate, I murmured under my breath:
Petals purple and pink
Blooms of beauty, link
To peace and ease
And appease
Loss and distress.
So mote it be.
I put the plate aside and returned to tidying the reading area. I’d just finished the self-help section when Steve Dawes came in. He spied me right away and beelined over.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey,” I responded. “What’s up?”
“I came to ask you that. Any news from Quinn? On the Markes case?”
My head tipped to the side. “Why would Quinn update me about anything? He thinks I’m crazy for having a premonition, and he doesn’t want me to investigate.”
“But you are, aren’t you?”
I gave an infinitesimal shrug.
“It wasn’t a premonition, was it?”
“Steve.” I was unable to keep the frustration out of my voice. “I can’t tell you anything for your story. I’m sorry.”
He considered me for a long moment. “Well, maybe I can tell you something, then.”
I folded my arms and waited.
“I have a friend in the crime tech lab.”
Of course you do.
“And she says they declared the murder victim’s car as the primary crime scene. So they hauled it in and went through it with a fine-tooth comb.”
I tried to keep my expression neutral, though I was raging with curiosity. “As they should. And, uh”—I examined my fingernails—“did they find anything interesting?”
He smiled. “The usual stuff—hair, fingerprints, fibers. They’re checking out where any of that might lead. There was one other thing, though.”
I uncrossed my arms. “What?”
“The heater was on.”
I blinked.
“The heater wasn’t just on, it was on high. And the battery was completely run down.”
“In October? But why . . .” Turning away, I walked over to the window. Honeybee cracked a green eye at me as I thought. Then I had it.
I came back. “Time of death. The heater kept the body temperature higher for a longer period of time.”
He pointed at me. “Bingo.”
“And that means she was killed earlier than they thought.”
“You’ve got it. Which means”—his eyes narrowed—“you didn’t have a premonition at all. She was dead when you called Quinn, wasn’t she?”
“It doesn’t matter whether my, um, clairvoyant experience was before or after her death, does it?”
He shook his head. “I still don’t think that’s what happened.”
“Well, I can’t do anything about what you think, Steve.”
He took a deep breath and held my eye for several seconds. “Promise me you’re not in danger.”
“I promise.” At least I was pretty sure I wasn’t. Unless Leigh’s ghost got really cranky. Even then, I wasn’t sure what she could do.
Still, the idea gave me pause.
The door opened, and Declan walked in. Steve saw me looking over his shoulder and turned.
“Ah. I’ll be going now. But, Katie-girl?”
My lips pressed together, but he didn’t notice.
“I’m still around, you know. If you run into trouble.”
I nodded.
He turned to go, then turned back and flashed a white-toothed smile. “Oh, and if you find out anything fit for print, you have my number.”
“Noted,” I said wryly. Couldn’t blame the guy for doing his job, though.
Steve and Declan took a step away from each other as they passed, as if by animal instinct. I suppressed a sigh as the door closed behind Steve, and Declan joined me by the bookshelves.
“What did he want?” Declan asked, looking after his former rival.
“To tell me police forensics found Leigh’s car heater was on for a while after she died. She really was dead when her spirit approached Teddy outside the Marshall House.”
“Hmph. Does that change anything?”
“Maybe. At least Quinn will be looking for alibis for the right time.”
“Whose alibis?” Declan asked.
“Well, I have my list, and I bet the same people are on his.” I led him away from the reading area and changed the subject. “The Halloween party starts at seven tomorrow night. There will be a costume parade for the little ones earlier, and then the downtown businesses are having trick-or-treat for a while after that. We’ll be open late, until nine, but then—”
“I’m working Halloween. Sorry. Didn’t meant to cut you off, but that’s what I came by to tell you.”
I stared at him. “You can’t work on Halloween.”
“You know how crazy it gets out there. We have three times as many calls that night. It’s almost as bad as the Fourth of July, only with fewer fires and a different kind of stupid.”
“No, you can’t work on Halloween, Declan!”
He frowned, and I suddenly became aware that my voice had risen.
Closing my eyes, I said, “Sorry,” in a lower tone. “Have you known this for a while?”
“I just volunteered. Katie, what’s wrong? I’ve worked other Halloween nights and you didn’t worry.”
“That’s not it.” I rubbed my palm over my face. “I should have told you earlier, but I wanted it to be kind of a surprise, and I wanted to make sure I could pull it off. But I have a plan, and the spellbook club is going to help.”
He looked confused. Then his face cleared. “Does this have something to do with Connell?”
I gave a little nod and looked around. No one within earshot would know we were talking about retrieving the spirit of a sort-of-immortal leprechaun. “Yes. Connell. That’s the best time to . . . do the thing.”
He grinned. “So your new friend Teddy said she’d help?”
“Um . . . no.”
His face fell.
“But we can still do it.” Another glance to make sure no one was paying attention. “I’ll serve as the tether if I have to.” The desperate thought had occurred to me in passing a couple of times, but I’d never said it out loud until right then.
“You can’t—”
“I’ve been both places,” I said. “Here and there, at the same time.” Well, sort of. I’d had a guide—my father—during a shamanic journey. I knew that if I were the first choice to be the tether between the veil between this world and the next in this endeavor, my grandmother’s spirit would have told me so when we discussed it during a lucid dream. But she hadn’t; she’d said we needed to find a tether.
Maybe she just didn’t want me to risk it. However, looking into the ice-blue eyes of my husband, I knew I’d risk anything for him. And I felt confident I could pull it off.
Somehow.
Pretty confident, at least.
Declan took a deep breath. “I don’t like it.”
I bit my lip before I said something I shouldn’t. “Nothing terrible will happen. I promise. The worst that can happen is that we end up right where we are now.”
He looked down at his hands. “I could lose you, too.” He looked up. “Katie, I couldn’t bear that. I’d rather go the rest of my life without Connell than risk that.”
I made a face. “Honey, it’s totally different. Connell is already in the ether. I’m right here, with a corporeal body and everything.” I smiled, hoping desperately that I was right. “Can you get the night off?”
He sighed. “When do you want to try this stunt?”
I let the stunt comment go. “Midnight.”
“Okay. I’ll talk to my lieutenant. They will probably only need me during the hours before midnight. It’s not like Halloween falls on a weekend this year, so most of the really dumb things people do will be before that. Does that work?”
I nodded, immensely relieved. “Yes. Thank you.” I leaned forward and took his hand. “Just a couple more days, love. And then, hello, Connell!”
Chapter 15
It wasn’t long before Iris came in, followed by another young woman. Her petite nose, wide mouth, and slim build were like her mother’s, but her hair was light brown with lots of highlights. I was happy to see Zoe already wore the spelled necklace Cookie had made. I called out a greeting and went back to ringing up two loaves of sourdough bread for one of our regular customers.
I’d told Lucy they would be stopping by on their way to Zoe’s dad’s house. As soon as she saw the young women, she hurried over and led them to the sofa, which she’d had the foresight to place the reserved sign by. Soon they were drinking the special herbal sweet tea I’d brewed and nibbling on rose-and-violet shortbread cookies.
The herbal goodness appeared to work its magic—literally—on both Iris and Zoe, as they visibly relaxed and even laughed a few times. After about ten minutes, I went over and introduced myself.
“Hi, Katie,” Zoe responded. “It’s nice to meet you. Thanks for letting Iris borrow your car.”
“No problem. I’m sorry about your mom.”
She gave a sad smile. “Thanks. I’m still taking it in.”
“Oh, hon. I can only imagine.” I picked up her empty glass. “Can I get you more tea?”
“No, thanks. I think we need to get going. As it is, Iris is going to miss her class this afternoon. If I’d realized—”
“Don’t worry about it,” Iris said. “Please.”
I frowned. “Your class isn’t until three thirty, is it?”
“Yeah,” Iris answered. “But I’d have to take the bus after I drop your car back here, and it would be half over by then. It’s no biggie.”
I thought for a moment. “Ben and Lucy can handle things here until closing. Would I be imposing if I came along? We can drop Zoe at her dad’s, and then I’ll drop you right at school, Iris. You’ll have lots of time that way.”
They looked at each other.
“I totally get it if you guys want more one-on-one time, though,” I said. “It was just a thought.” Also, it would be a good way for me to meet Leigh’s ex.
Zoe smiled. “I’m happy for the ride, and I don’t want Iris to miss class. Thank you so much.”
