A Charming Crime Page 4

  “I’ve got just the cure for what ails you,” she’d say and then grab a couple bottles, combining them into one without even looking at a book or her journal.

  Was I expected to move here and take over Darla’s old shop? Was this why I had become so good at making remedies? I eased myself onto the bench again.

  Stunned, I just sat there while everyone around me yelled. There were so many questions to be answered. But one stuck out in my head. Why did Darla keep this from me?

  “Are you beginning to remember, June?” Isadora kneeled down between my legs. “June, dear?”

  “I told you she was weak,” Ann spoke with a voice full of hatred and her fat finger jabbed at me.

  “Shut up!” I jumped to my feet and pushed Isadora out of the way. I shoved Ann so hard, she fell into the wisteria vine and the purple petals fell around her. “And you blew up my shed! You could’ve killed me!”

  “If I wanted to kill you, I would have!” She brushed the fallen flowers off her clothes. “Go home. You don’t belong here.”

  I should go home, but now I questioned where that was. Deep down, I knew I belonged here. Even if it was just to find out why Darla had kept Whispering Falls a secret. And what knew about my dad. But I drew back my fist anyway. This woman was going to get it. “I’ll show you the meaning of hurt!”

  The slamming of car doors wasn’t going to stop me from opening a can of whoop ass on Ann.

  “June?” Jordan and Oscar Park had gone unnoticed when they pulled up behind the Green Machine and stood next to Ann. “Are you okay?”

  Turning at the sound of their voices, I took my fist out of the air and put it back down to my side where it belonged.

  “I want to press charges!” Ann stomped her foot like a child. “She harassed me. She even threatened me!”

  “Of course you do.” Chandra stood nose to nose with Ann. “You want to sue anyone and everyone that crosses you. I was a witness, you harassed her first!”

  “That is enough!” Isadora’s voice boomed over everyone. Then she said in a softer voice to Jordan and Oscar, “Everything is fine. Go on back to the shop, Ann.”

  She shooed Ann back down the street toward Mystic Lights, and pointed Chandra back to A Cleansing Spirit Spa, leaving us alone with Oscar and his uncle.

  Jaw clenched, Oscar didn’t take his eyes off me. He knew something was wrong. There was a magical bond between us. We each knew when the other one was in trouble, and this was one of those times.

  I was glad he showed up. He was the only thing in my life that did make sense. My entire existence was questionable. I’d even go as far as saying that Mr. Prince Charming was questionable—he was far from a normal cat.

  “Izzy, this is my uncle, Jordan Parks.” Oscar turned the attention away from me. He was good at doing that when I got myself in hot water, and I’d say that me about to punch Ann was dipping my toe in hot water. “I was telling him about the position you offered me.”

  “I wanted to see for myself.” Jordan planted his hand on his holster and looked around. He didn’t seem too impressed with the unique village. “I think we should talk about putting Whispering Falls under the protection umbrella of Locust Grove since you are such a small community.”

  “That wouldn’t work.” She was on a mission and it showed. “Oscar will have to live in Whispering Falls if he takes the job. He’s a big boy, Mr. Park. I think he can decide for himself.”

  There was an undeniable tension brewing between them. A gate rattled in the distance catching my attention. A top hat peeked out of the Gathering Grove Tea Shop, but quickly slipped back behind the door as it shut.

  What had been crystal blue skies had darkened to a dull grey.

  Jordan shrugged, and walked back to his cruiser. He called over his shoulder, “Let’s go, Oscar.”

  Oscar looked at Izzy. “I’ll take the job.”

  “What?” Jordan stopped dead in his tracks. “We need to talk about this.”

  “I’m not ten years old anymore. Izzy is right.” Oscar’s determination didn’t falter. “I can decide for myself. I like it here.”

  “Wonderful news.” Isadora clasped her hands together. The grey clouds parted to make way for the brightest sun I’d ever seen.

  Chapter Five

  The closer I got to Locust Grove, the more I wanted to turn around and go back to explore Whispering Falls. Granted, nothing went right while I was there, but Madam Torres got my wheels turning with all her “someone’s out to get you” talk, and memories that were flooding back. I was on a mission to find out what they knew about Darla and what nasty, mean-spirited Ann knew about my dad. Not to mention, those Karima sisters. I felt my head and I didn’t seem feverish, so I couldn’t be hallucinating. Plus I remembered! I had been there before, but when? And why did Darla never take me back? Did it have something to do with my dad? Or his death?

  As far as I knew, my father and Jordan Park were partners on the police force, and during a traffic stop gone horribly wrong. Jordan and my father had gotten shot. Jordan’s crazy looking scar on his abdomen proved it.

  Meow, meow. Mr. Prince Charming tapped my hand with his nose. He tried everything he could to get me to pet him while I drove, but I kept my hands on the steering wheel instead. Deep in thought, I tried to figure out the parts of my life I thought I knew.

  He finally gave up and batted at the turtle charm.

  What did Gerald mean by the turtle charm meaning “protection?”

  “Have you been protecting me all these years?” Reaching over, I gave him a good scratch under his chin, one of his favorite spots. He didn’t answer in his usual cat way.

  Not a moment too soon, we pulled into my driveway.

  Seeing Oscar’s car parked in front of my house was a welcome sight. There were a lot of questions that needed to be answered. I never gave Isadora a definitive answer about me moving to Whispering Falls. According to Oscar, we were.

  Since when did we become a package deal?

  “Didn’t you love Whispering Falls?” Oscar had already made it up to the Green Machine before I had gotten out. “Right up your alley.”

  “No! And that woman burned down my shed.” Only ashes remained from my poor burnt down chemical shop.

  “What woman?” His eyes bore with questions.

  “Ann. She admitted it.” That was another reason for me to go back and snoop around Whispering Falls. Why in the world would they want to burn down my shed? Were they desperate to get me there or did they want Darla’s remedies so bad they would stop at nothing to get them?

  “June, you were in the shed mixing stuff when it blew up.” He crossed his arms. “You are saying she hooked it up and blew it up?”

  “No.” I shook my head. Was it impossible for him to believe me? “The ingredients I was mixing should not have exploded. And she admitted it. I don’t know how she did it, but she did.” I stomped up to the porch.

  Mr. McGurtle cleared his throat from next door.

  “Stop eavesdropping!” I yelled across my herb garden. Although I couldn’t see him, he was there. He was always there. I gestured to Oscar. “Come on.”

  Mr. Prince Charming jumped out of the car and run up the steps, ignoring the family of possums that had taken residency under them.

  “Really?” Oscar shook his head, referring to the cat. “What good is he?”

  “Mr. Prince Charming doesn’t have killer instincts like most cats.” Holding the screen door open with my foot, I unlocked the front door.

  Mr. Prince Charming ran ahead of us. I turned on all the lights as we walked down the old hallway into the kitchen. There was still confusion about everything that had happened today. Mostly I was upset because of the way I had talked to Ann. It didn’t help matters that the snow globe made me feel crazy. And Ding Dong’s made me feel better.

  I grabbed a couple of extra ones out of the box, one for Mr. Prince Charming and one for Oscar.

  “Thanks.” Oscar peeled back the foil wrapper, and sh
oved the entire chocolaty delight into his mouth. “Mmmm.”

  He was still the same old Oscar as he was when we were ten years old. He introduced me to Ding Dongs. Oscar’s uncle always had the best junk food, where Darla refused to bring the “poison” chemicals into the house, much less our bodies.

  I’d sneak out and meet Oscar under the big oak tree on the side of his house, out of view of Darla in case she got up and looked outside, and we’d eat an entire box. Or I guess I should clarify, I’d eat an entire box while Oscar laughed.

  “I don’t know about moving to Whispering Falls. Even your uncle doesn’t think it’s a good idea.” I bit a small piece off, ran my finger along the cream filling and licked it off. “There is something strange going on in that town.”

  “I’m a cop. I’ve checked it out and everything is fine. There hasn’t been a crime committed there in years.” Oscar helped himself to a glass of milk. “Uncle Jordan is just watching out for us because we are like. . .family. We’ve got to stick together.”

  Oscar was right. We didn’t really have any family, and I didn’t consider Mr. McGurtle family, even though he seemed to put his nose in my business.

  “It’s just so weird there.” It was hard to concentrate on any conversation with the Ding Dong in my hand. I savored every bite. “Granted, I don’t make a lot of money at the flea market, but it pays for what I need.”

  Thank God, Darla had the house paid off. I have no clue how she made ends meet. I always had everything I wanted and she rarely said no, unless it was unhealthy or harmed someone. Plus most of her cures didn’t work. Or that’s what I found out after she died. That was when I vowed to take over and make her remedies better.

  “Who is going to buy my remedies, and how in the world will I ever afford one of those shops?” I shrugged. Did Darla still own the shop? Or did I now own it?

  That was definitely something I hadn’t thought about.

  My thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.

  Puzzled, Oscar and I looked at each other. No one ever knocks in Locust Grove, especially with the screen door open. Everyone from Locust Grove knew you yell into the house, not knock.

  Meow, meow. Mr. Prince Charming greeted the unfamiliar man at the door. His round brimmed hat shaded his face, but I could tell he meant business by his long black overcoat and the briefcase he clutched.

  “Hello, can I help you?” I asked the gentleman. Oscar stood behind me. Oscar looked funny in his uniform. Sort of all grown-up. Regardless, I was glad he was there and was wearing it.

  “I’m Alexelrod Primrose, a realtor from out of town.” He coughed, and flashed his business card. I opened the screen door to take it. “And I have clients moving to the area. This is exactly the house the type of house they are looking for.” He curled his nose while looking around. “I wanted to know if you’d be interested in selling.”

  He held up a sheet of paper with a checklist.

  I wanted to ask him if she smelled something funny, but Oscar was too busy asking Mr. Alexelrod Primrose to come in.

  Oscar crossed in front of me and held the screen door open. Mr. Primrose walked in. Oscar took him into the family room where Alexelrod made himself comfortable on the couch.

  “Last time I checked, this was my house.” I shoved past him.

  “This is your answer. Our answer.” He moved in front of me, coming nose to chest. A hard chest.

  Slowly, my eyes followed up to his crystal baby-blues, only to confirm my childhood best friend had indeed grown into a man; something I hadn’t gotten use to or never took the time to notice.

  “I don’t know,” I whispered and bit my lip. There was something exciting about selling it, and moving so I could find the answers to all the unanswered questions about Darla and my dad. I could probably dig around and find out without moving there. My intuition, which had never pointed me in the wrong direction, told me to go for it.

  “Think about it. It’s what Darla would call fate.” Oscar reminded me of the free spirit Darla possessed. When things worked out, she’d call it fate. “She had a store there, and now you’ve found it.”

  “Or they found me,” I whispered, thinking back to everything Ann had said about Izzy looking for me. Well. . .that’s what my intuition told me.

  “You know,” I paused, and then peeked in at Mr. Primrose, “you’re right. I don’t have anything to lose. If I don’t like it, I will move back. Just not in this house.”

  “Whispering Falls won’t know what happened to them.” Oscar laughed and pulled out a packet from the inside pocket of his uniform jacket. No they won’t know what happened to them when I start snooping around.

  “Izzy told me that we have to fill out a membership form and it goes before their city council.” He shoved the packet toward me.

  I took the papers.

  “We have to apply to live in Whispering Falls?” Quickly, I thumbed through the papers and read a couple of the strange questions.

  “Izzy said it’s just a formality and we will be fine.” Oscar nudged me toward the family room. “Don’t keep Mr. Primrose waiting.”

  Before I knew what was happening, I signed on Mr. Primroses’ dotted line. Not only did his client’s check list include every single characteristic of my house, it included a real check for far more money than my house and Mr. McGurtle’s house were worth combined.

  “Bye.” I waved to Mr. Primrose as he left. I turned to look at Oscar who was still in disbelief with the offer, and I waved the check underneath his nose. “Mr. Primrose is my new best friend.”

  “He’s mine too.” Oscar raised his eyebrows when he saw the number on the check. “You don’t have to worry about not being able to afford anything for a while.”

  He was right. I could really try to make a go of A Dose of Darla in Whispering Falls. There was even enough money to make a real lab and order new herbs for different cures.

  That was going to have to wait, because first stop on my list was Mystic Lights. I wanted to get a better look at Madame Torres. Maybe buy her with my new found money.

  Chapter Six

  The next couple days I spent cleaning the house and getting ready for the new chapter in my and Mr. Prince Charming’s life. All the crazy things that had happened in Whispering Falls were still fresh in my mind. Several times I resisted jumping into the Green Machine and heading toward Mystic Lights. I didn’t want to bring more attention to myself, so I knew I had to wait and fit in before I could show up and start asking questions.

  Sadly, my former life fit into three boxes. Darla was never one to keep any type of memories. She said that the best memories were the ones stored in your head and heart, not on paper or photographs. Though I wouldn’t have minded a photograph or two of us, a crayon drawing from preschool, or even a report card that showed I was a straight A student. Or something from our time in Whispering Falls. Anything.

  Before closing up the last box, which was mostly Darla’s, I took out of her collection some incense and held a few of them under my nose. Those were certainly annoying when I was younger, but reminded me of Darla. My heart ached. I wondered how she would feel about me moving to Whispering Falls. Or why had she never mentioned the town to me? I put the incense back in the box and closed it.

  I let out a big sigh, three little boxes. I felt for my lucky charm bracelet. That was definitely a memory I’d never forget.

  “Oh, no.” I looked down when I didn’t feel it. Panic filled my gut, instantly making me sick. It was gone. “Oh, no!”

  Frantically, I pushed the three boxes along the floor to see if the bracelet had dropped between them while I was packing. Dropping to my knees, I crawled around the house looking for any signs of the bracelet.

  I had always planned to buy a real charm bracelet that fit, but Oscar was so proud when he had given it to me, it was hard to make good on getting a real one.

  I tore into each box, dumping the contents all over the family room floor, clothing, a few pairs of shoes, some knic
k-knacks, incense, and cat toys, but no turtle charm or bracelet.

  “Are you ready?” Oscar hollered through the screen door.

  We had made a pact to leave Locust Grove together.

  I didn’t answer him. I couldn’t. In fact, I opened my mouth, but nothing came out by a god awful cry. If I didn’t know better, I thought my heart had stopped.

  “I told you to pack your stuff and I’d be by this morning.” Oscar shook his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe you haven’t packed yet, June. What is wrong with you?”

  Slumping down on the old couch, I buried my head in the cushion. There was no way I was going to be able to leave without finding my bracelet. There was a knot in my gut. My intuition told me there was something wrong. . .definitely wrong.

  “Don’t tell me you’ve changed your mind?” Oscar sat down next to me. He didn’t touch me, but for the first time I needed to be comforted. At this point, I’d even let Mr. McGurtle comfort me. “It’s going to be good. You sold this house, furniture and all, and you will really get to work on your remedies.”

  As if he knew what I needed, Mr. Prince Charming jumped up and dragged his tail under my nose, causing me to giggle from the tickle.

  Meow, his rough tongue licked the tear that ran down my cheek. In that moment, I knew everything was going to be okay.

  “What’s with him?” Oscar asked.

  “He’s letting me know everything is going to be fine.” I dangled my arm in the air. “I lost my bracelet, I’m having nightmares, and Mr. Prince Charming has been getting out of the house at night.”

  The past couple of nights I’ve been waking up and finding him on the porch, like he was keeping guard, which was nothing like him. I was sure I had put him in bed with me, but my nightmares were getting more and more graphic.

  “Same nightmare?” His deep blue eyes dripped with worry. “Drowning or something?”

  “Yeah, something like that.” I really tried to see the face of the person who was being strangled under the water, but I’d wake up just as the body would turn.