5 A Charming Magic (13 page)

“Grave…,” I swallowed the lump in my throat, “as in ‘six feet under’ grave?”

“When you are so jealous of something, your spiritual side will be overtaken by fear, anxiety and lack of intuition. This means that in your spirit you do not wish Petunia and Gerald great happiness.”

“That means that I’ve got a mean spirit.” I frowned. I did think I was happy for them.

“You aren’t hearing me.” Eloise pointed to her heart. “When you are not truly able to be happy because of jealousy, you are inflicting harm onto them subconsciously.”

“So when that woman came into the shop, she needed a fertility drug for her daughter and I gave her the plant not knowing it was going to harm her?”

Slowly Eloise nodded.

“That means I have to find the woman.” I felt panic rush through my bones as the woman’s face appeared in my mind.

“If her daughter takes the potion, she won’t have children…ever.” Eloise lowered herself into the chair, her hands tense in her lap. “Plus the Thickeris Plant is full of the Vermillian Spider.”

“Vermillian Spider?” I quivered. The images of the dead spiders in the jar and all the things dying around Petunia ran through my mind like a movie.

“Vermillian Spiders are the most deadly of spiders. If you even touch one and get their bodily oils on even a tip of your finger, you could possibly go into a deep coma and die.”

“Who would have access to these spiders?” My mind wandered to Arabella. If the Thickeris Plant came from her, which I was sure it had, then maybe she slipped me the spiders.

“Anyone that has access to plants, herbs.” Eloise swept her hands in front of us, showcasing her beautiful garden. “But they have to be harvested. They don’t just show up like any old bug.”

My insides gnawed with anxiety. I wanted so badly to blame everything on Arabella if only for the fact that she was hitting on Oscar, but I knew as the Village President that I had to clear that from my thought process and give her a fair shake. Why would she give me a Thickeris Plant or the Vermillian Spiders? That was what didn’t make sense.

Granted she was a little snotty and not very nice when I went to welcome her to Whispering Falls, but like Darla always told me, “We are different. Not everyone is as friendly as we are June. Be nice to everyone regardless of how they treat you.” And that was exactly what I was going to do. I was going to be nice to Arabella Paxton if it killed me.

“You need to find that customer using whatever means you can come up with.” Mary Lynn’s sweet edge turned high-pitched and reedy. Her eyes clouded with sadness.

Without her telling me, I knew she wanted me to use my spiritual gifts to find the customer.

“I told you not to do that potion,” Madame Torres blazed tightly from the bottom of my bag.

Eloise and Mary Lynn shot each other a glance. Their eyes stirred with a depth of anger.

“You are the Village President,” Eloise scolded. “How many times are you going to get leeway, June, before they make you step down?”

Mary Lynn swiveled her eyes upward, making it obvious she didn’t want to know what was being said because she was one of the Order of Elders who would impeach me.

“I…I,” I stalled for time and pinched my lips together while rubbing my tongue along the backs of my teeth. “I will take care of this. No one got hurt. I smudged the village. All will be good. Just let me take care of it before you do anything.”

The plea was more for Mary Lynn than Eloise. If she didn’t buy my apology, she would have to go to the Order of Elders telling them I’m accused her granddaughter of sabotaging me and that I used an illegal herb.

“I’m my defense.” I put my hands in the air. “I did use my intuition to use the Thickeris Plant.” My mind snapped shut and so did my mouth.

If my intuition was told to use the plant, it was solely because I was reading the client. The short-blond-haired woman who was styled so cute not to mention the fabulous pair of emerald teardrop earrings she wore popped into my head. She did know a lot about herbs and she did ask about Luna Moth Wing. Plus she knew exactly what she was there for…infertility. If she wanted to help her daughter and the Thickeris Plant hit my intuition…

“I’ve got to go.” I jumped up and grabbed my bag, strapping it over my shoulder. The woman didn’t want to help anyone with having a baby. She wanted to prevent someone, but who?

Mr. Prince Charming was waiting by the gate ready to go.

“June! You better take care of this before something really bad happens,” Eloise warned. “You can see the weather pattern is feeling some sort of effect and I can’t help but wonder if it has to do with this illegal potion.”

I waved my hands in the air. I didn’t have time to sit here and discuss my punishment. I had to get back to Whispering Falls and figure out how to find that customer. Not to mention plan an engagement shower.

There were at least a few spurts of sun dotting through the grey sky which sent a little hope that all was not lost and I was going to be able to get back the potion.

The faster I walked, the more things didn’t make sense in my head. Who was the woman? Why did she want to harm someone in such an evil way? Did this have anything to do with the weather pattern like Eloise thought? If so, was the customer a spiritualist? More importantly, why didn’t my intuition clue me on the evil she had deep inside of her? What about Arabella? She had a hidden agenda and I had to figure that out too. Especially since my relationship with Oscar seemed to rely on it.

Chapter Fifteen

“Hey!” Raven wiped her floured hands down her Wicked Good apron leaving white skid marks down the front of it. “Are you needing a June’s Gem fix already?” There was a twinkle of excitement in her deep eyes.

“Actually, I’m here because I wanted to see if you could come up with some party goodies pretty quickly. Like for tonight?” There was a hint of begging in my question.

“I already knew it.” She pointed over to a stack of pink and green Wicked Good boxes. “It was written in the dough that I was going to get a big request this morning. I just didn’t know it was for the party.” She winked and went over to retrieve them.

“You can just leave them here because,” I bit my lip, “I was wondering if we could do it in your little café party room after hours?”

“I’d love to.” She smiled and brushed her long black hair over her shoulder.

“What’s up?” Faith came around the corner with the cleaning rag and bucket in her hands. She was good at cleaning the café tables as soon as a customer got up.

“I’m planning Gerald and Petunia’s engagement party.” I rubbed my hands together. The clock on the wall read nine o’clock which meant A Charming Cure was supposed to be open. “Faith, do you mind working at the shop for me today so I can get all of this together?”

“Sure.” She put the bucket down. I gave her the keys. “Thanks.” She smiled and headed to the door. “I love getting extra cash.”

“Great. I’ll be by later to check on you. There are plenty of potions ready to go,” I assured her. “If you need something made up, just holler for me.”

She made the “aye, aye captain” signal and headed out the door.

I wrapped up my business with Raven and made my way over to The Gathering Grove. It was time I asked Gerald about his little intense conversation with Arabella.

The morning rush breakfast crowd stood in line for Gerald’s amazing tea. I wiggled my way in the door and darted in and out of the line before I made my way to the front. All of Gerald’s employees were busy bees, but he wasn’t in the front. I was sure he was in the back steeping a tea cup to read someone’s leaves.

The door to the back room swung in a little when I pushed it to go through. When I stepped in, I heard voices. I stopped and did what I wasn’t supposed to do, but what any curious spiritualist would…I listened.

“You know you can’t go through with this.” The voice was Arabella’s. She sniffed like she was crying.

“I know.” Gerald sounded exhausted.

Can’t go through with what?
I was all ears.

“I love you. Please don’t do this to me,” Arabella begged him.

I love you?
Dirty old man. My eyes lowered. I glared in the direction of the voices trying to decide if I let myself be known. How could he be cheating on Petunia after all of this time?

“I love you too.” The sound of arms reaching around and hugging were loud and clear. “I think I’m so far into it that I can’t get out of marrying her.”

“I won’t let you do this to us.” Arabella was more threatening than helping.

Of course you won’t, you little tramp.

I tiptoed a little closer and peeked around the corner of the wall. My heart dropped when I saw Arabella in Gerald’s arms. Her face was nuzzled in his neck as he stroked her long hair and kissed the top of her head.

I put my hand up to my chest to keep my heart from beating out of it. There was no way I was seeing this. I blinked several times in an attempt to make the scene go away.

“You can’t marry her.” Arabella was crying.

“Shh,” Gerald soothed her.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I rolled my eyes and disappeared back around the corner, slipping out of the back room before anyone saw me.

“Watch it!” Someone shoved me when I ran out of the shop, knocking into the front door.

“Sorry,” I mumbled and found myself standing on the sidewalk outside of The Gathering Grove gasping for air. My lungs felt like someone had put a vice on them.

My eyes slowly slid over to Magical Moments. I had never wished so much evil on one person, but Arabella was proving to be a little more than Whispering Falls could handle. Was it not enough that she wanted Oscar, but also she already had her claws sunk into Gerald.

“June?” Petunia stood in front of me. Her lips were a little cracked. Clyde sat on her shoulders. His feathers gave a little color surrounding her.

“Hey,” I said blankly and blinked my eyes.

“Are you okay?” She smiled. Given her appearance, I knew I had little time to figure out what was going on. She was losing her vibrancy which made me wonder if she knew about Arabella and that was why she had to get married.

“Are you okay?” I threw the question back at her. It took every ounce in my body not to drag her into The Gathering Grove and shove her through the back door so she could see her cheating fiancé for herself.

“Great!” She clasped her hands together. “Gerald has agreed to the engagement party tonight.”

“Oh.” I gritted my teeth. Maybe Gerald was breaking it off with Arabella and that was what I had witnessed.

“Ladies.” Arabella tugged on the bottom of her shirt and swung her hair to the side when she stepped out of The Gathering Grove. “Petunia, I have some lovely flowers for the party tonight. I can’t wait to show you.”

I bet you can’t.
My eyes clung to hers, analyzing her every move.

“Wonderful. June, did you get all the other stuff together?” Petunia asked me.

“Of course I did.” I decided I wasn’t going to spoil anything for Petunia. I was going to give Gerald a chance to come clean, whether it was going to be to me or her. Either way, he was going to come clean and Arabella was going to be exposed.

Her negative energy had to be why the weather was off. There was no other explanation. Unless…it was my customer.

“Be at Wicked Good at eight o’clock tonight.” I reached out and patted Petunia on the arm. I turned to Arabella. My voice was cold and crisp, “You can deliver your little petals yourself to Raven at Wicked Good.”

Arabella drew back like I had just offended her. “Are you feeling okay June?”

“You better watch yourself,” I warned in a whisper when I passed her on my way back to my shop.

A few minutes later I was standing on the stoop of A Charming Cure feeling a little bit better.

“Everything has been great,” Faith assured me when I walked back to the counter where she was just finishing up with a customer. The shop was filled.

“Something terrible has happened.” Madame Torres glowed from the bottom of the bag.

“Do you mind?” I pointed around the store as I excused myself to the back room of the shop.

“Of course I don’t.” Faith shrugged. Her blue eyes widened. “I love working here.”

“Great.” I dismissed myself.

I reached in my bag and pulled out Madame Torres setting her on the table. “Go on,” I encouraged her, though her eyes told me I wasn’t going to like what I saw.

Like a movie, Madame Torres showed me what she was talking about.

Gerald and Petunia were having a little spat in the back of The Gathering Grove where moments earlier I had seen him embracing Arabella. They were still arguing about when they should get married. Petunia claimed they had to do it ASAP while Gerald protested they had to wait a while longer. Petunia grew more mad with each word he was saying. She stomped her foot on the ground, Clyde flew off her shoulder, more dried leaves fell out along with a bird. A dead bird. Petunia looked down and then back at Gerald. Her face was no longer ashen, it was a deep grey like she was dead…she fell to the ground.

Chapter Sixteen

I rushed back to The Gathering Grove as quick as I could without a word between us. There was thick tension in the air. Something was wrong and I didn’t need to see the black cloud that hung over Whispering Falls to tell me because my intuition hit my gut like someone had thrown a bowling ball at my stomach.

I pushed my way past some of the employees to find Colton Lance was already there.

“What happened?” I asked Colton.

“Not sure.” He was knelt down next to her. “She’s still breathing.” Sirens blared causing it hard for me to hear him. “Back away!” he yelled, motioning the crowd to make way for the Karima sisters.

I stepped back and peered around the crowd that had huddled in the shop for Gerald. He was there when Madame Torres showed us what was going on, but he wasn’t anywhere to be seen now. He had to be here somewhere. I twirled around to see if I could find the top hat that stuck out like a sore thumb. He would never leave Petunia. Would he?