CHAPTER 4

C HAPTER 4

A fter what seemed like hours to Mia, the other officer returned to the doorway and waved her inside. She hurried to his side. "So, what happened? False alarm?"

The officer shook his head. His name tag said Officer Forester . "Sorry, ma'am. There has been a death. Chief Baldwin wants to talk to you about the deceased. Please come with me."

"It's not Christina, is it?" Fear made Mia's heart race. "Pretty blonde, early to mid-twenties."

"I know Christina Adams, and no, it's not her. Or Abigail Majors, before you go there. This woman attended my church. It's Carla Manson. Her daughter is going to be heartbroken." Officer Forester turned back into the school and headed for the stairs. "Chief Baldwin is up here."

Mia followed him into the school, closing the door behind her. Then she followed him to the second floor. "The moms were here this morning, checking out the school. Carla must have really wanted to use the stairs for the evening gown competition."

The officer didn't say anything else, just led her to an empty schoolroom near the top of the stairs. Baldwin stood over a body on the floor. Or a body-shaped blanket. Maybe Mia had had too many mimosas at work. Maybe she was asleep at her desk, and this was just a dream. She pinched her forearm, and pain flowed up to her brain. "I guess I'm awake."

Baldwin looked at her strangely. "You thought you were dreaming?"

"There's a dead woman in my school. I can't think of any other alternative." Mia glanced around the room, trying to figure out what had happened. "It doesn't look like there was a struggle."

"We don't know what happened. There are no stab wounds or any other marks on her body. It could have been a heart attack. Abigail Majors said the woman was very upset during the tour that Bambi Perry set up earlier today. Maybe she just got too excited."

Mia blinked, once, twice, then three times. "You think she got hysterical and just died? Didn't that diagnosis go out for women in the Roaring Twenties?"

"Mia, I'm not a doctor. I can't even deal with giving Sarah a shot. Or watching the baby get her immunizations. I'll send the body to the county morgue. Then we'll have a cause of death. But you're right, usually, people just don't fall over dead." Baldwin took off his cap. "We'll be out of here in a few hours. Your grandmother and the rest of your posse are up in the apartment."

"Thanks, Mark." Mia turned to leave and almost didn't see the small white bag in the corner of the doorway. She checked to make sure that neither man was watching her, then picked it up. Another potion bag.

What was going on? Did Carla's death have anything to do with the potion bags she'd been finding around the school? Or was that just another coincidence?

She went up the final flight and found the apartment door opening. No one was nearby until she looked down and saw Mr. Darcy with Cerby in tow. She shooed them back into the apartment. "No going outside until the police are gone. Sorry, guys."

Trent came into the room and scooped Cerby into his arms. "I told you to stay inside when I got here a few minutes ago. Sorry, Mia. I've already said my piece, but he doesn't seem to be listening."

"I think he and Mr. Darcy are up to something." Mia picked her cat up. "Just give us a few minutes until the mortal people leave, and then you two can go on your mission."

Mr. Darcy blinked at Mia, then jumped out of her arms.

She called after the cat as he disappeared down the hall, probably heading toward her bedroom, "I'm taking that as a yes."

One loud meow was all she got. Mia went to the kitchen and grabbed the other potion bag. Then she set both of them in front of Grans on the coffee table. "What are these?"

Grans looked up from the book she was reading. She dropped her glasses farther down her nose as she studied them. "Potion bags. Not mine, if that's what you're thinking."

Mia nodded. "It was. So, can you tell who they belong to? Or better, what they are meant to do? I've found two of them now on the school property. I don't think that is a coincidence, and I think one of the queen contestant moms must have brought them."

"I'll look into them. Why on earth was Carla Manson in a second-floor classroom?" Grans set her book aside. "Abigail said their group left at noon. That was hours ago."

All gazes went to Abigail. "Don't ask me. She left with the group. I saw them all get into Bambi's van. Then I went to the kitchen and worked with Christina, cleaning up after today's deliveries. We have a class tomorrow night on fall casseroles. I wanted to make a shopping list so I could give it to Trent."

"It's just weird that she would come back, just to wind up dead. Did Baldwin have a cause of death?" Grans turned to Mia, who shook her head.

"Not yet. He says there are no visible wounds." Mia leaned back in her chair. "At least the cleaning of the room will be easier that way. Wait, that sounded bad. I must be tired. Are we still sure we want this catering client?"

"You want to give it back to Frank, even after all the trouble he's caused you?" Christina asked. "You've always been able to turn the other cheek, but this feels excessive."

"No, you're right. I'm not going to turn down the gig. It was just a long day at the Lodge." Mia looked at Abigail. "Did you know that Thomas is serving as a judge for the queen contest?"

Abigail jerked up her head, and Mia could have sworn fire burned in her eyes. "No, but I'll have a chat with him as soon as I get home."

"Uh-oh. Dad's in trouble." Trent grinned as he held Cerby.

His mother's attention diverted to him. "What are you doing here and why aren't you at the store?"

"Measuring for wooden runways for a bunch of spoiled high school seniors." He pulled his measuring tape from his pocket. "I need to make sure that Twin Falls Lumber is going to have the materials."

"Sounds like a good excuse," Levi said as he walked into the apartment. "Hey, everyone. Christina, I think we need to talk."

Mia noticed the same look she'd just seen on Abigail cover Christina's face. She stood and walked back into her room through the main hallway.

Levi looked at the people left in the living room. "Wish me luck."

Abigail sighed. "I'd hoped that my heart-to-heart this morning had some effect on him."

"Mom, what you call a heart-to-heart, we refer to as the ‘beatdown'. I'm sure he'll do the right thing and stop playing with Christina. He adores her." Trent stood and checked the outside monitors. "I hope the police release the crime scene soon. I need to get out in the yard before it gets too dark to see."

"I probably should make some dinner since everyone is here." Mia thought about standing, but before she could, Abigail popped up and waved her back down.

"I'll make dinner. I've just texted Thomas and told him he was on sandwiches tonight." She winked at Mia. "I need some time to cool off before I talk to him about this judge thing. He knew we were doing the catering. I figured that, along with the generous sponsorship from Majors Grocery, would be our family contribution. He doesn't need to be in the mix if magic starts getting thrown around like it has in the past."

"Okay, now you have to tell me what happened." Mia pushed herself off the chair. "I'll help with dinner. What are you thinking about making?"

"Comfort food. Either some kind of soup or my tuna casserole. I was going to check your fridge to see what you had available." Abigail glanced back at Grans, who was using a pen to poke at the potion bags. "Are you coming?"

"I'll be there in a few. I want to check these out. They feel new. Like someone just made them. Maybe the contest group was trying to spell the school in someone's favor." Grans looked up at Abigail. "Like they did for the old Mill restaurant in 1998."

"Didn't that place burn down?" Mia asked, watching the conversation between the two women.

"Yes, it did. Right after the competition, where a long shot took the crown." Abigail's lips pressed together in a line. "If someone is trying to sway the results, we might have a problem. And that might be why Carla's dead."

Mia looked at her grandmother and then back at Abigail. "Seriously? People would kill over this beauty pageant?"

"I told you, for the coven members, it's a lot more than just a beauty pageant." Abigail shook her head. "I'm afraid I didn't pad the proposal enough to save us from having to put on the competition."

"You tried to sabotage the bid?" Now Mia didn't know what to think. Frank hated her for Abigail winning the bid. But now she knew that Abigail hadn't wanted it in the first place. She couldn't win for losing.

Abigail nodded. "But it's too late to cry over spilled milk. We have the contract. Let's just try to keep anyone else from dying over this stupid contest."

"Or the school from burning down," Grans said under her breath as she studied the mixture in the potion bags.

"Great, now I feel worse about getting the contract than I already did." Mia followed Abigail into the kitchen. Gloria, the kitchen witch doll who was also a familiar and a connection with the Goddess, giggled as they came in. Mia gave her a look. "I don't need any comments from you, missy."

Abigail frowned, then saw Mia looking at the doll. "I didn't realize she was your connection. I guess I should have."

"Grans gave me Gloria when I was ten, with my grimoire. I suppose my connection with her was supposed to break when I got Mr. Darcy, but it stayed just as strong. They have conversations about me when I'm not around. I walk in on them sometimes." Mia stroked Gloria's straw hair and adjusted her plaid dress. "I know it sounds weird, but they have always been there for me. Even during my time with Isaac."

"There's nothing wrong with being attached to your familiars. It's the way we keep in contact with the Goddess." Abigail opened the fridge and started pulling out vegetables. "Do you have plans to use these?"

Mia shook her head. "I went overboard at the farmers market last weekend. Everything looked so good. I made a huge salad on Sunday, but then we went out last night. Now the rest of the veggies need to be used or frozen before they go bad. What are you thinking about?"

"An old recipe I got from Girl Scouts back in the day. They called it hobo soup, but that's probably a little too politically incorrect these days. Anyway, everyone just brought a can of something. We got a slip the week before listing out our contribution." Abigail opened the freezer and found a package of hamburgers. "Perfect, now I'll just start chopping."

Mia reopened the fridge and grabbed two quarts of the homemade beef broth she'd made. "Is this enough?"

Abigail smiled as she took the quart containers. "It's perfect."

Soon the two of them were chopping and mixing and stirring. That was the good thing about cooking; it took your mind off everything. Even having a dead woman one floor below them.

They'd just finished putting the stew on to simmer when Trent walked in the door. "Everyone's gone but Baldwin. He wants to talk to you. Levi and I are heading outside to get the measurements for the walkways and the dais. Do you have that drawing you made?"

Mia handed him the folder she'd kept in the kitchen. "Everything is in there. Make sure you have the lumberyard charge my account and not Majors."

"Yes, ma'am." He kissed her before heading out of the apartment. "Oh, I'm taking Cerby outside with me. And apparently Mr. Darcy too. I'll watch and see what those two are up to."

"Sounds good." Mia looked up when Christina came into the kitchen. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and she could tell she'd been crying. "Everything okay?"

"Kind of. Levi said he was trying to keep the Hawaii trip a surprise. He was being funny when he pretended to be going without me. I didn't think it was humorous at all." Christina poured a glass of water out of the fridge's filtered tap and sat down at the table. "Am I overreacting?"

"From someone who has a history with your parents, you probably are dealing with some of the stuff your mom and dad pulled on you. Remember when they told you they'd take you out to the hot springs on Saturday if you cleaned your room?" Mia poured hot water over her loose tea holder and sat at the table with her.

"Yeah. Then on Saturday, Mom went shopping with her best friend and left me at home while I was getting my swimsuit on. I loved that pool." Christina sighed. "So, why are you bringing up old memories?"

"I think that is what happened between you and Levi. You expect people to tell you the truth. Sometimes they don't. For a lot of reasons. But not all of them are bad." Mia smiled. "Besides, if he doesn't take you to Hawaii now, we'll go on a girls' trip."

"You and Isaac took me swimming at the hot springs the next day. Mom was furious because she had reservations for all of us for brunch at that fancy hotel." Christina squeezed Mia's hand. "You've always been there for me. I'm so lucky to have you in my life. Even if we aren't sisters."

Mia frowned. "What are you talking about? Of course, we're sisters."

"Stop fighting, you two. I swear I'll turn the car around." Abigail gave Christina a hug. "Family is what you build after you find out what's missing in the one you were born into. I think that's why we go out and develop our own lives as adults. To build better families."

Christina hugged Abigail back. Then she shot a look at Mia. "She started it."

They all started laughing.

"Let's make some biscuits to go with that soup." Abigail smiled at the two at the table. "It's good to have daughters in my life. No matter what happens between you two and my sons, you're still the daughters of my heart. Remember that."

When Grans came into the kitchen, she looked around the room. "This room reeks of female bonding. I'd tell you to knock it off, but I think we're going to need all the good vibes we can get in the school this next week while we host the contest. Those potion bags were set to mess with the intended victim's self-confidence. If a contestant had brushed up against one, they would have freaked out trying to present themselves during the event."

"Oh, no. We'd talked about having that room on the second floor as the room where the girls got ready for the evening gown competition. We were going to film them coming down the stairs, then the spotlight would take them from the house out to the dais." Abigail looked at Mia and shrugged. "It was a compromise from having the audience tucked into the lobby. And Tatiana said she would hire the cameraman."

"So, that's why Carla came back. To sabotage the dressing room." Mia sighed as she got the flour out of the cupboard. "Since she's gone, maybe this contest will go off as planned."

"You think Carla Manson was killed while she was setting up potions to scare the competition away so her daughter, Kristin, could win the queen contest? Are you all crazy?" Mark Baldwin stood in the doorway to the kitchen. "Sorry, the door was open, and no one answered my knock. That soup smells amazing."

Abigail glanced around the table. "The soup will be ready in about an hour, and we're making biscuits to go with it. Do you want to stay for dinner?"

Mark shook his head. "Sarah and Elisa Marie have dinner waiting for me. Or Sarah does, I'm sure she has Elisa Marie in bed by now. Having a family to go home to makes my days feel normal. Even though I've found out recently that both my family and Magic Springs are far from normal."

"Mark, it's not that bad. It's just when the coven gets involved in things that it gets messy." Mia tried to soothe the police chief, who had recently found out that witches existed and that his wife, well, she had powers that she'd given up to be with him. Except, as Mia was finding out with Trent, sometimes power didn't leave just because you wanted it to. "Besides, this is a great town to raise a child." Especially one as special as his daughter. But Mia didn't add that part. Mark was dealing with enough now. He didn't need to worry about the future.

"Anyway, we don't know that Carla Manson was murdered or if she just died. As soon as the autopsy comes back, I'll let you know. Then you can do your ‘society' investigation if it was a murder." He rubbed the top of his head. "And I sound like an idiot. I wouldn't believe any of this if Sarah hadn't been the one to expose your group."

"The coven is not my group," Mia tried to explain. But she guessed it didn't matter. To Mark, there were now three types of people: good, bad, and witches. And she was a witch.