Meows, Magic & Marshmallows Read online

  Meows, Magic & Marshmallows

  Madison Johns

  Contents

  Disclaimer

  Blurb

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Also by Madison Johns

  Copyright © 2018 Madison Johns

  Meows, Magic & Marshmallows, Madison Johns

  All rights reserved.

  Created with Vellum

  Disclaimer

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  Blurb

  Lake Forest witch Petunia and her neighbor (now boyfriend) Noah head to Coven Creek for a leisurely vacation. The sarcastic cat Pansy comes along for the ride. It’s hard for Petunia to leave Pansy home when she’s responsible for changing him into a cat via a love potion.

  But Petunia’s hopes for rest and relaxation are dashed when she inadvertently knocks a crystal ball onto the floor at a local boutique called Enchanted Objects, causing green smoke swirls to appear inside the delicate globe. Petunia is shocked to learn the crystal ball has been dormant for eighty years. The store’s flustered clerk demands Petunia take the magic ball with her. She begrudgingly brings it back to her hotel, although she’s skeptical of the power the ball has unleashed upon her.

  Luck is on Petunia’s side when resident witches Chloe, Emerald, and Evie begin to help solve the crystal ball’s mystery—until a deadly accident occurs at the local candy factory. Petunia loves marshmallows, but not so much when they are melted and become the instrument of death.

  Is this truly an accident as it seems, or are deadly intentions at work? Questions swirl around the incident, especially since the victim, Medea Deadsnout, is the most hated manager at the factory. Suspects pile up like chocolate bars and magical revelations lead Petunia toward the truth.

  1

  Petunia clung to Noah’s arm as they strolled along the main cobblestone street of Coven Creek. The two had gone from being simply friendly next-door neighbors in Lake Forest to becoming business partners who investigated crimes together. Then it was only a matter of time before they became infatuated with one another. Once they realized the feelings were mutual about six months ago, they had begun dating exclusively.

  Now, a rather bright-eyed cat Pansy yawned and exclaimed telepathically, “This is so boring.”

  “But you’re the one who wanted to come, remember?” Petunia reminded the cat.

  “If I knew the lughead was coming along, I’d have stayed home with—”

  “Merlin?” Petunia smiled. Ever since she turned her past love interest Jeremy into a cat via a love potion, he’d become a real pain in her side. They communicated telepathically and at times it was hard to pull off without speaking out loud to him or moving her lips.

  Noah had handled it well when Petunia told him she was a witch, and that even her eighty-plus year-old Aunt Maxine and her aunt’s friends Hazel and Wanda were also witches in Lake Forest. But she wasn’t about to tell him that she had turned a man into a cat and that she actually communicated with him. Nor that she couldn’t figure out how to change Pansy back into human form. She was baffled about that one, but Pansy was fine with how things stood. What he wasn’t fine with, though, was her other cats—or with Merlin, specifically. This is why they were taking a mini vacation away from Lake Forest.

  “This is such a quaint town,” Noah remarked, as he pulled Petunia close. “Of course, it would be more fun if it was only the two of us.” His brow shot up. “Who brings a cat on vacation?”

  “The same one who is standing too close to you, apparently.”

  Petunia wiggled loose and Noah frowned. “I was just joking, Petunia. But I’m just not certain how the business owners in town will handle you bringing a cat into their businesses.”

  “Don’t even think about putting me into your purse, Red,” Pansy grumbled.

  Noah pointed out a sign: “Familiars welcome.” His brow shot up. “Oh, it’s going to be one of those kinds of towns.”

  “Well, marry a witch and vacation in hell, er, I mean, Coven Creek.”

  “Did you cast a spell on me? I think I’d remember if we got married.”

  “Oops, what I meant was, have a girlfriend for a witch. I swear. No. I-I mean, let’s change the subject. We’re on vacation and it would be great if we can talk about the sights.”

  “Is everyone in town a witch?” Noah asked, as he glanced at the familiar sign again.

  “No, Aunt Maxine told me it’s more of a witch-friendly town.”

  “Can we go to the candy factory now?”

  “You can go ahead,” Petunia said. “I’d like to check out Enchanted Objects.” She pointed out the shop.

  “Go ahead. I’ll stay out here with Pansy,” Noah said.

  “Why can’t I go inside the shop? It’s allowed. Just look at the sign,” Pansy whined.

  “You’re not a familiar, remember?”

  “I hardly think my credentials will be checked.”

  Petunia gently pulled Pansy’s leash and they both pranced inside. She was oozing self confidence sporting new high-heeled boots, or maybe she even had a tad too much self confidence. Pansy crossed in front of Petunia, tugging the leash behind him. It wound around her ankles in a matter of moments. Petunia didn’t realize how entangled she had become until the leash suddenly tautened and she tripped into a table, toppling over a crystal ball! As if in slow motion, Petunia glided across the table to catch the flying object, but it was too late. It crashed to the floor with a loud thud just moments before she made her own crash landing.

  “Oops,” Petunia said, as she kicked the leash from around her ankles and scrambled to pick up the crystal ball. Surprisingly, the ball itself hadn’t broken. It felt warm to the touch as green smoke swirled from within. She concentrated on the globe until she saw a vision of a witch wearing red and green stockings, with pointy shoes on her feet.

  “What’s going on here?” a dark-haired woman asked, her eyes narrowing as she righted the brass globe holder, thankfully not commenting on Petunia’s rather awkward position on the floor. Then the woman smoothed her blood-red dress and fiddled with the black silken sleeves as she glared down at Petunia. “Kindly put it back. Can’t you read the sign?”

  The sign read, “Touch at your own risk.”

  “What does that sign mean?”

  “It means don’t touch it. I hardly think you need a doctorate to understand that.”

  Petunia climbed to her feet and tried to hand the globe to the woman, who shook her head, backing up and pointing to the holder again. “Please, put it back.”

  “I was planning to,” Petunia grimaced. This wasn’t her high point of the day.

  Petunia put down the crystal ba
ll and red smoke swirled inside.

  “Argh!” the woman said, as she raced behind the counter and rapidly grabbed a phone.

  “It’s time to run,” Pansy said. “Move it, Red!”

  “But we didn’t do anything.”

  “How did I get drawn into this? You’re the one who almost broke an expensive gift shop item.”

  “I didn’t do anything of the kind. Besides, it’s not broken.”

  “You’re right, it’s only leaking green and red smoke. No problem there.”

  “Think what you want, but I’m not about to leave until I speak with the clerk.”

  The door flew open and two women wearing black skirts and white satin shirts ran over to join the sales clerk inside. One of the women was young with long blond hair, and the other was older, with a short, cropped hairstyle.

  “She’s the one who broke the crystal ball,” the sales clerk told them, pointing to Petunia.

  The older woman clucked her tongue as she stared over to the crystal ball on the table. “Don’t be so melodramatic, Emerald. The crystal ball isn’t broken.”

  “That redheaded witch with her familiar did it, Evie,” Emerald said, as she pointed a bony finger at Petunia. “It belongs to her now.”

  “It wasn’t an accident. I-I mean, I didn’t do it on purpose. I’m just a little clumsy,” Petunia admitted.

  “A little clumsy?” Pansy snickered.

  “I’m truly sorry, I seem to be getting all my words mixed up today,” Petunia said.

  “Tell her to collect her crystal ball, Chloe,” Emerald shouted.

  The blond simply shrugged in response.

  “Please excuse Emerald. She’s not normally so rude to tourists,” the older woman, said.

  “I’m not?” Emerald smiled.

  “I’m so sorry for any misunderstanding,” said the younger woman. “I’m Chloe,” she introduced herself. “My sister Evie owns the store here and nobody has ever been able to touch that crystal ball.”

  “You probably never had a clumsy person in your store before,” Petunia said.

  “I’m quite sure we have.”

  Chloe began, “Last week that brat Jimmy—”

  “Jimmy is simply a willful child, Chloe,” Evie scolded her and then turned to Petunia. “Please collect your crystal ball, or globe, if you’d prefer to call it that. I’m already late picking up my daughters from school.”

  “Thank you, but I don’t need a crystal ball,” Petunia said politely.

  “Call it a conversation piece if you like, but I simply cannot allow you to leave without collecting it.”

  “I’m not paying for it. It’s not even broken.”

  “Just take it.”

  “Fine, I’ll take it but I have no idea what I’ll do with it.”

  Petunia picked up the ball and its holder and placed them into the box Emerald held out. Then she left without saying another word.

  “Shopping already,” Noah said, as Petunia joined him outside the store.

  “It appears that way.”

  “Why aren’t you telling the lughead the truth?” Pansy asked.

  “I can’t tell Noah what happened, I find it hard to believe myself.”

  “He knows you’re a witch.”

  “Yes, but I hardly need to rub it in his face.”

  Petunia wrinkled her nose as she walked with Noah along the cobblestone courtyard. In the center was a huge fondue-looking fountain that even sprouted a dark brown substance that closely resembled chocolate. She breathed in deeply. It even smelled of chocolatey goodness.

  Magical-related shops that offered gifts from wands to medallions hugged the courtyard. All of them had candy-themed signage, since this was the home of the largest candy factory in Michigan.

  Petunia frowned when she thought about the globe she had been forced to take from the shop. Could it actually be a real crystal ball? She had seen some on shelves at her Aunt Maxine’s Dracula-like mansion, but to her knowledge her aunt never touched them. The witches of Lake Forest were more into herbal remedies and potions as opposed to reading into the future. Yet that globe had virtually come to life in Petunia’s hands when she picked it up. Who was the witch with the red and green stockings and why was that the only part of the witch’s body that swirled inside the crystal ball?

  “Can we drop this … I mean my purchase … off at our … I mean my hotel room?” Petunia asked. She wanted to put the globe somewhere safe and she knew that didn’t include having it in her possession. She could barely manage to make effective potions and she had a wand she seldom touched. And now an actual crystal ball? Where was her Aunt Maxine and her witch friends when Petunia needed them?

  “You should call your aunt,” Pansy said.

  “Stay out of my thoughts, would you.”

  “Believe me, it’s not a place I care to be, but you’re in a pickle and I can’t see you figuring your way out of it without a witchy intervention. Aunt Maxine knows you’re not capable of handling yourself without guidance.”

  Petunia wasn’t about to tell Pansy he might be right. “This isn’t a problem. It’s simply a water globe that I’m sticking in the bottom of my suitcase to take home. I don’t plan to look at it for the remainder of our stay.”

  Pansy’s eyes became round. “I have a feeling I should have stayed home.”

  Noah placed a hand on Petunia’s back as they walked back to the hotel. Petunia sucked in a deep breath that she held nearly to the doors of the hotel. She felt herself pulled to the globe concealed in the box … or at least her eyes felt pulled to look at it. But she refused to succumb to the urge. She didn’t even want to look in the box when she was back in her room. She was afraid of what she might see. This was a town inhabited by magical shops and witches—or at least three witches, anyway. It was quite obvious that the women she had just met were witches. Why else would they work at a store named Enchanted Objects?

  Petunia had the feeling that the globe wasn’t really magical at all, but a trick of some sort. But then again, why was it given to Petunia? Whoever those witches were, they certainly were persistent and in a hurry to get rid of that crystal ball.

  Petunia and Noah walked through the glass doors of the hotel and into the gold gilded entranceway where the check-in desk was located. They passed into the glass elevator that took them up to the thirteenth floor and to their rooms: thirteen A and thirteen B. Noah hadn’t remarked about their room number, which was considered an unlucky number by some. Well, everywhere other than Coven Creek. Since Petunia was a witch, she didn’t believe in unlucky numbers or days and she certainly wasn’t afraid of black cats. It was just par for the course, although she wasn’t so certain that Noah felt that way.

  Noah and Petunia were not at the point in their relationship where they didn’t shared a bed so they had separate hotel rooms that had an adjoining door. She trusted that Noah would never try to use that door, but just in case she kept her side locked at all times. Now was not the time to further their relationship.

  Petunia and Pansy slipped into her room and she set the crystal ball on the dresser while she searched for a good place to put it. She pulled out her suitcase, which was empty since she had already hung up all her clothes. She averted her eyes as she wrapped the globe with a towel and placed it into the suitcases and zipped it closed. Then she slid it into the closet. Petunia felt a rush of relief with the globe out of sight and—she hoped—out of mind.

  Pansy yawned. “It’s time for a cat nap.”

  “Already, but we just got here.”

  “Teach you to change me into a cat. I need a nap and I imagine the lughead will be happy that I’m not tagging along with you the entire day.”

  “I know and I almost wish I could tell him why I really keep you close.”

  “Don’t ruin a good thing. You tell Noah about who I really am and he’ll insist you admit yourself to a mental hospital.”

  Petunia’s hands slipped to her hips. “That or he’ll break up with me. That’s
too much for any mortal to deal with.” And gosh darn it, Petunia didn’t want to lose Noah.

  “I changed my mind, I think I’ll tag along,” Pansy said. “I don’t much like the idea of staying in the same room with that thing.”

  Petunia smiled in surprise when she stepped into the hallway and found Noah leaning on the wall outside her room.

  She sucked in a breath at the sight of his chiseled good looks and glistening green eyes. He ran a hand through his dark locks, which merely made him more kissable. Petunia couldn’t help but rearrange a few stray locks of his hair and the motion brought her within kissing range.

  Petunia was disappointed when Noah only kissed the tip of her nose and ignored her eager lips. She pursed her mouth and asked, “Where are we heading now?”

  “I thought it might be nice to take a stroll around town and buy something to eat from a food vender.”

  “Sounds great.”

  2

  Pansy sniffed the air and sounded like he was about to choke up a hairball.

  “Should we wait for you to hack it up or what?” Petunia asked with a sarcastic grin.

  “I was just smelling the air and I smell a rat, a very nasty one.”

  Petunia was leading Pansy on his leash when out of nowhere, a woman shouldered past her, causing Petunia to lose her balance. She sailed toward the walkway pavement, bracing for the fall until Noah reached out and scooped her up at the very last minute. He held her closely and Petunia wrapped her trembling arms around him.

  “Thank you,” Petunia breathed into Noah’s ear.