A Charming Secret (Magical Cures Mystery Series Book 6) Read online

  Acknowledgements

  I have a whole bunch of people to thank for the love of this ongoing series. June Heal and the gang holds a special place in my heart. She allows us to become someone who is courageous, fun, and witchy. She lets us escape from the everyday life into a fantasy we would all like to be.

  My fabulous readers keep her alive and for that I am grateful! Thank you, Susan Parham, for coming up with a fun truth potion to add to A Charming Secret. June was able to solve the case because of you!

  Happy reading! I hope you come back to Whispering Falls for a longer visit!

  A

  Charming

  Secret

  A Magical Cure Mystery

  Book Six

  Chapter One

  “Mr. Prince Charming?” I fanned the smoke trying to clear a path in front of me. Nothing but darkness lay ahead. The sounds of crackles rang in my ear. The uneasy feeling poked my gut, sending a sick feeling to my stomach. My intuition telling me something was wrong. Something evil was surrounding me. Frantically, my eyes scanned for a sighting of my cat’s white tail. I screamed, “Mr. Prince Charming!”

  Fear knotted my insides. The thick heavy black soot filled my lungs. The crackle of the fire was getting louder. The structure around me groaned as though it was telling me it was giving up. Caving in. For a second the smoke lifted around me. Mr. Prince Charming’s tail danced in the air off in the distance.

  “Mr. Prince Charming! No!” I screamed sensing the danger.

  A loud crack above me was deafening. I covered my arms over my head and dropped to the floor right before the burning beam came crashing down, barely missing me. My eyes slid across the floor. There was an inch above the ground where the smoke hadn’t touched, though I was unable to escape the heat. The hairs on my arms sizzled as the temperature rose around me.

  A bright yellow glow illuminated in front of me. My eyes darted in that direction. “Madame Torres,” I whispered reaching out to my crystal ball.

  Madame Torres was more than an arm’s reach away. She glowed as bright as fire. Swirls of red, yellow, blue, and purple took up all of her glass ball.

  “Help me,” I begged, coughing the words out of my mouth. My fingers inched toward her. Reaching, reaching, reaching, but she was too far.

  Loyal, true, trustworthy, unwavering. The black words flashed in bold in her ball.

  “No!” I rolled to my side as I watched the fire creep onto my fingertips, covering me like a snake, coiling around my arms, around my legs, my torso, all over my body, choking the life out of me.

  “It’s okay,” the familiar sound of Oscar Park woke me up along with his hand caressing my hair. “It’s just a dream.”

  I gasped for air, sitting straight up in the bed, flinging him off me.

  “Where is he?” My eyes darted around the bedroom of my little cottage, searching for my fairy-god cat. I patted my body realizing I was not burnt to a crisp. “Mr. Prince Charming!”

  Mewl. My furry, solid white feline lifted his head from his curled position at the edge of my bed. He yawned before nesting his head upside down to continue his night’s sleep.

  I burst out in tears.

  “It’s okay.” Oscar pulled me closer trying to calm me in the midnight hours. His black hair gleamed in the moonlight that was darting through the window. “It’s okay.” His voice faded to a hushed stillness, making me feel somewhat better.

  I looked into his blue eyes, so comforting. I ran my finger over my left ring finger where my mother’s wedding ring had found a home when Oscar had asked me to marry him.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  I nodded my head and glanced out at the full moon. Something told me it wasn’t going to be all right.

  Chapter Two

  Oscar was long gone before I got up to get ready to head down the hill toward A Charming Cure, my homeopathic cure shop in our magical village of Whispering Falls, Kentucky.

  To the world, Whispering Falls was just another town on the map with cute, eclectic shops with unique gifts and gift ideas. Whispering Falls was much more than that. So much more.

  The town I had called my home for a couple years now was magical. Every shop owner had a spiritual talent the mere mortal couldn’t comprehend. Thanks to my father’s side of the family, I had the gift of intuition.

  It came in especially handy in my potion shop. Not all the time, but most of the time a customer came to my shop for a homeopathic cure, when in reality they need a little dose of magic added—life instead of the cure for heartburn, they needed my love potion to set their life back into motion.

  Harmless. Good witch sort of things. Technically I was a Good-Sider witch. Only we didn’t call ourselves witches, we were spiritualists. We uplifted people’s spirits.

  “Are you ready?” I asked Mr. Prince Charming as I took one last look in the mirror.

  I ran my hands down my short black bob to smooth out the edges before I ran a comb straight down my blunt bangs. Today I chose to wear my new purple long-sleeved jumpsuit with the black belt and my new black wedge knee-high boots. The weather was turning to fall and it would be dark by the time I got home.

  Mr. Prince Charming darted ahead of me. The smell of a fresh pot of coffee waited for me. Oscar was the best, making sure I had my cup of jolt before I headed out to work.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be,” Madame Torres chimed in from her glass ball sitting on the kitchen counter. “I’m sort of sick of hearing about people’s ailments.” She cocked a brow; her purple eye shadow glistened. Her flaming red hair floated in the space around her. Her lips were painted a high red and her cheeks the same.

  I opened the cabinet where I kept the mugs and grabbed my favorite one with the picture of a broom. It read: Don’t Drink and Ride. Cracked me up every time I read it. I filled it up and took a few whiffs, letting the aroma wake up my senses before I took a drink. The most anticipated drink of the morning.

  “Well? Are we going or not?” Madame Torres was good at ruining a moment.

  “I was talking to Mr. Prince Charming, but I guess you should come along too.” I took another long sip and looked outside the window above the kitchen sink.

  It was a perfect view of all the shops in the village.

  My cottage sits on the top of the hill behind the shops. I had a gorgeous view of the village and the backdrop of the mountains our town was nestled in. There was only one street in Whispering Falls, Main Street.

  In the far distance on the right, Two Sisters and a Funeral was the first charming building to greet the visitors. It wasn’t probably the best one since it was a funeral home, but it was gorgeous. The two-story Victorian was much different than the other shops in town, but it was also a much different type of business. The Karima sisters, Constance and Patience, owned and operated the funeral home. They were Ghost Whisper spiritualists and were good at their job. Though, they were always hoping to find a fresh dead body somewhere. You had to be careful if you ever closed your eyes, one of them would pick up your wrist to check for a pulse in a minute.

  Down from Two Sisters was Wicked Good Bakery, owned and operated by Raven Mortimer along with the help of her sister Faith. Raven was an Aleuromancy spiritualist. Her visions came in the form of baking dough. Faith was a Clairaudience. She was able to hear things that were inaudible to the natural ear. It was cool when she would receive messages from the angels, guides, spirits or future.

  Next to them was The Gathering Grove Tea Shoppe. Gerald Regiula, our only British citizen, was the master of fantastically brewed teas and coffee. He was a tealeaf reader. Next to his shop was Mystic Lights, the
home of our crystal ball reader, Isadora Solstice. She had the latest and greatest, not to mention antique lighting elements that were popular and sought after from all over the world.

  Ever After Books was next door to Izzy. Ophelia Biblio was the owner and operator of the beautiful bookshop. It was delightful to go in there and peruse the shelves. She was the typical witch in every sense of the word. What the mortals assumed to be a witch, Ophelia was that. Good one, though.

  Across the street from Wicked Good was Bella’s Baubles owned by village Astrologer Bella Van Lou. She has the most beautiful jewelry around. And Mr. Prince Charming was a frequent customer of hers.

  Magical Moments, the florist in the village, was owned by Arabella Paxton, the daughter of Gerald. She made everything come to life. Her flowers and arrangements were all over Whispering Falls, adding life to the party.

  Next to her was my shop. A Charming Cure. Then next to me was A Cleansing Spirit Spa where owner Chandra Shango looked into the future of her customers by reading their palms.

  The last shop in the village, at the opposite end of Main Street from Two Sisters and A Funeral, was Glorybee Pet Shop. Petunia Shrubwood was the owner and animal spiritualist in the village. She recently married Gerald and tonight was a big night for her. She was going to take over as Village President. Currently, I held the presidency and had no intention of keeping it. I had a hard time staying neutral, taking in everyone’s requests while keeping everyone else happy. I was gladly giving my short term over to her. Besides, she’s been a spiritualist all her life. I’ve only been a spiritualist a short time.

  On this cool crisp fall morning, the fog hung over the shops; it had a fascinating way of lifting just in time for the customers to stroll into town.

  Mewl, mewl. Mr. Prince Charming jumped up on the counter, batting at me to hurry. He jumped back down.

  Meow, meow. He darted between my legs, dragging his long white tail around my shins getting my jumper all hairy.

  I bent down and picked him up, giving him a good scratch. “What would I ever do without you?” I snuggled him close.

  He batted at my wrist.

  “Yes.” I had almost forgotten to wear my charm bracelet, which was something I knew I needed today.

  The nightmare I had last night made my soul uneasy and my bracelet would keep me safe.

  I put Mr. Prince Charming down and rushed back to my room, picking my charm bracelet up off the dresser. I dangled it in the air taking a good look at all the charms Mr. Prince Charming had given me over the years.

  In fact it was my tenth birthday when he showed up on the doorstep of my house in Locust Grove. He was the cutest guy wearing a dingy collar with a silver turtle charm hanging off it.

  Oscar and I had spent several days trying to find the owner and when no one came forward and Mr. Prince Charming decided he was staying, Darla, my mom, let me keep him.

  It wasn’t until years later I had found out he was my fairy-god cat and brought me protection charms to keep me safe. Needless to say, I had several charms on my bracelet and if I ever needed protection, it was now. Especially since my nightmares had been returning.

  I didn’t have typical nightmares. When I had a nightmare, somehow they had a way of transpiring into the real world. My real world, hurting people I love.

  “You have to stay close to me.” I pointed a finger at Mr. Prince Charming.

  Mewl.

  “How do you stand being around the ball of fur?” Madame Torres curled her lip. She had never been a big fan of my cat. Well, she wasn’t a big fan of anyone but herself.

  “Whatever.” I picked her up and stuck her in the bottom of my bag.

  I would’ve left her at home, but having her with me made my uneasy stomach a little more at ease.

  I grabbed my black long cloak off the hook next to the door, locked it behind me and headed out down the hill. It was a tad bit chilly and I needed a little more caffeine to chase the nightmare away.

  Mr. Prince Charming darted in and out of the field of mums, his tail dancing above the golds, oranges, and browns dotting the hillside.

  “Boo.” Eloise Sandlewood snuck up behind me.

  I nearly jumped out of my skin.

  “Are you okay?” She peeled off the hood of her black cloak exposing her short red hair, a deep-set worry in her emerald eyes.

  Eloise lived in a tree house a little beyond the wooded area behind my house. Of course I ran into her a lot, not only because we lived near one another, but she was also Oscar’s aunt and Darla’s best friend. She didn’t own a shop, but she did cleanse the village every single night with her incense when everyone was gone and asleep.

  “Oh honey.” She grabbed me by the arms. “You aren’t looking so good.” She put her hand on my chin and moved my face side to side. “You know I love you like my own daughter. You have me worried.” She grabbed my elbow and guided me down the hill toward town. “What is going on with you?”

  It was true. Eloise was sort of my surrogate mother since my mother was deceased. She was Darla’s confidant, her true friend. Darla hadn’t been a spiritualist. She lived in the community for a short time while my dad, who was also deceased, was the police officer in Whispering Falls.

  I guess what they say is true about a girl marrying a man like her father since Oscar was a lot like my dad.

  “I’m having nightmares again.” I confided in her more than I had Oscar. She would understand and I just needed a little girl talk. “Bad ones too.”

  “Do you have time for a coffee?” she asked, changing our course of path and heading us toward The Gathering Grove Tea Shoppe.

  I glanced at my watch. I didn’t have to open the shop for another half hour and I generally liked to go early to: make sure all the potions were filled, flip on my cauldron, and get ready for the day.

  “I guess.” I sucked in a deep breath. The nightmare still had me unnerved and maybe talking to Eloise would help out.

  We hustled across the street and dipped into The Gathering Grove where Gerald Regiula was already helping a line full of customers. We tucked ourselves away at the corner café table by the window.

  “Ladies,” Gerald took his top hat off and tipped it toward us. “What do I owe the pleasure so early in the morning? Are you here because of the scuttlebutt of Full Moon?”

  “Full moon?” Eloise asked. “It’s definitely not a full moon.”

  “No, silly.” Gerald scoffed. His mustache bounced up and down. “It’s the new bed and breakfast in town. It went up like a firecracker. Overnight.”

  That was how things worked around here. Sometimes you wake up and there was a new business in town.

  “The Elders must be busy.” I sucked in a deep breath and wondered why there was a bed and breakfast opening up.

  “Well, we are in need of a little pick-me-up jolt of caffeine.” Eloise winked, untying the cloak from around her neck, changing the subject.

  “A little pick-me-up you shall have.” Gerald rubbed the edges of his mustache, his wedding ring bright and shiny.

  “I must say, that ring looks mighty fine on you.” I smiled, remembering the long journey to marriage he and Petunia had traveled down.

  “Yes,” his thick heavy English accent blurted out. “Love of my life.”

  “Oh, Daddy.” Arabella Paxton walked up behind us with a large bouquet of fresh flowers in her arms. “I thought I was the love of your life.” She winked, letting him off the hook and went about her way filling the empty flower vases on the tables with the fresh ones from her shop, Magical Moments.

  I watched as Arabella’s slim figure moved gracefully from table to table, creating the perfect designs on the spot. She was as lovely as her flowers. A rose herself with her long black flowing hair and crystal blue eyes to compliment her delicate features.

  “I’ll be back with a special just for you two.” Gerald tented his fingertips and drummed them together in delight.

  “We have to watch that one.” Eloise lifted a brow.<
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  There were rules to be a spiritualist and Gerald was notorious for trying to get around them. Rule Number One especially. It stated that a spiritualist cannot read another spiritualist unless given permission. Gerald had the gift of tealeaf reading, making it easy for him to read anyone in his shop.

  “So, tell me what is going on?” she asked reaching over the table taking my hands in hers.

  “I have been having new nightmares and they aren’t good ones either.” I tried to swallow the lump in my throat. The images of the nightmare tormented my memory. “It’s about a fire. Me and Mr. Prince Charming are trapped in a building.”

  “What building?” she asked.

  “I have no idea.” I shook my head hoping to shake out some of the images of the dreams. “All I know is something in here,” I pulled my hand out from underneath hers and pointed to my gut, “is telling me it isn’t good. You know and I know, I’m right ninety-nine percent of the time.”

  “Do you think it’s. . .” she paused, “Ezmeralda?”

  “Stop,” I said through gritted teeth. “Don’t say her name. Don’t.” I ran my hand over my charm bracelet. I was going to need more than protective charms to deal with her. “Don’t speak her name.”

  Ezmeralda was a beast from my past. Gerald’s ex-wife and Arabella’s mom who had turned to the Dark-Sider world of spirituality. She had vowed to come back to Whispering Falls to help me meet my demise. Something told me the nightmares had nothing to do with her. Or at least I hoped they didn’t.

  “I don’t think it’s her. My intuition isn’t giving me that feeling.” My intuition wasn’t giving me any feeling but bad. That was why I had brought Madame Torres along with me.

  She might be a snarky crystal ball, but she was my snarky crystal ball and had my best interest at heart. Maybe her best interest. Because if something happened to me, she didn’t go anywhere but a garage sale or thrift store.

  “Petunia is looking forward to the smudging ceremony tonight.” Gerald set two cups of liquid in front of us, breaking the tension in the air between me and Eloise. “She is excited to have her family come in to see her become the Village President.”