The day started out right…

(My twin sister, Tabby, usually gets the spotlight but I insisted it was my turn. She graciously stepped aside because this is my story to tell.)

We were busy at All Good Things Nursery. It was mid-December and Savannah’s mild temperatures were in the low sixties. Even with our extra staff, and we were hopping as shoppers came for holiday greens and poinsettias.

My boss, Loren Lee, didn’t come to work today. I still felt bad about yelling at him yesterday. The man’s been sick for weeks. Thinks he’ll beat it on his own. He was fading before my eyes, and nobody else noticed how gaunt he’d become.

That’s why I yelled at him yesterday. I wanted to carry him to the doctor. He said no. My coworkers heard us fussing. Perversely, his absence today tied my stomach in knots. Did he get help?

My busy-body coworker Mary Nicole Frazier called the nursery’s owner, Ms. Chatham, Mary Nicole got put in charge today. She’d lorded her authority all day, and I was done with her senseless comments. Like she told me to put the hose away when I finished watering. I’ve worked here longer than she has, and I darned well know what to do with a hose.

Our Christmas tree booth will open soon on the River Street waterfront. Which is timely considering our city’s upcoming Festival of Lights coinciding with the Lighted Boat Parade. Anyway, my shift is over, but I must ready the luminary bags.

My twin, Tabby, popped over to help. We opened lunch-bag-sized bags, added sand and a votive, and then crated them. We were finishing up when Mary Nicole joined us. I stiffened when she ordered me to sweep up any spilt sand.

My nemesis stood there, staring. I asked if there was anything else. Mary Nicole blurted out “Loren Lee died.” If I hadn’t been sitting on a stool, I would’ve keeled over. Why hadn’t I made him go to the hospital yesterday? That poor man.

I couldn’t stop crying. My twin showered me with good energy, and we had a private conversation on our twin-link where I blasted Mary Nicole to shreds. Everyone came to see why I was so upset. Mary Nicole said good riddance to the man. I was stunned she viewed his demands for excellence as harassment. Further, most employees agreed with her.

I made a tearful speech about what a good man he was and what a shame it was he died at forty years old. Mary Nicole countered by saying she was officially the interim assistant manager.

Somehow I made it home to my apartment above our family’s candle shop. Gradually, the vibes of hearth and home restored me. I raised a glass in my mentor’s honor. Rest in peace, Loren Lee Suffield!

But he wasn’t sick. He’d been murdered. Poisoned, actually. Tabby and I are on the case. We won’t rest until there’s justice for Loren Lee.

In the Wick of Time, A Magic Candle Shop Mystery Book #2
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: October 2023
Format: Print, Digital, Audio
Purchase Link

Tabby Winslow will help her twin sister Sage with anything and everything—and that includes putting out the flames of suspicion when Sage’s boss is found murdered in this magical mystery, perfect for fans of Amanda Flower and Sofie Kelly.

December in Savannah, Georgia, is a sight to behold. With all the festivities—including the traditional riverfront luminary display during the boat parade—twin sisters Tabby and Sage Winslow are busier than ever setting up for the big celebration. But that isn’t the only thing on the sisters’ minds. Both Sage and her fellow employee Mary Nicole are vying for the sought-after assistant manager job at the plant nursery. But when Loren Lee, their boss, is found dead, and Sage becomes the police’s favorite suspect, both Winslow girls know that they’ll need more than a flicker of magic and their sisterhood to solve the murder and clear Sage’s name.

Soon, Tabby realizes that this is just one of the many problems they have. If being a suspect for murder wasn’t enough, there are more magical problems that they have to fix: Sage’s boyfriend is having a paranormal experience of his own he can’t control, there’s an energy vampire searching for his supposedly lost cousin, her cat suddenly dislikes her, and oh—every time Tabby hiccups, she turns completely invisible. The suspect list grows with each day and it seems everyone has a reason or a connection to Loren Lee.

Tabby and Sage are burning the candle at both ends—but will it be enough to keep their friends safe and find this killer? Or will they be burned by their efforts?

About the author
Valona Jones, aka Maggie Toussaint, writes paranormal cozies set in coastal Georgia, On Oct. 17, 2023, In The Wick Of Time, book 2 in the A Magic Candle Shop Mysteries, releases. She lives in coastal Georgia, where time and tide wait for no one. Visit her sites at valonajones.com and maggietoussaint.com.