Unpacking boxes of crystal goodies was my favorite way to spend a day. My shop, The Full Moon, already overflowed with every kind of crystal imaginable, but you could never have too many crystals, in my opinion.
So here I was with a new box from my favorite supplier in Massachusetts—my long-awaited selection of handmade necklaces. I had ordered quite the variety, from angelite pendants to rose quartz points to funky-shaped geodes to some really cool sodalite goddesses. I may have to take one for myself, I thought, slipping one of the goddesses over my head.
I was a sucker for jewelry, especially jewelry made out of a favorite stone.
I’d just begun organizing the display, hanging each necklace on one of the jewelry trees I’d placed in the middle of my largest counter, when a popping sound jolted me out of my zen, followed by a shower of purple and silver glitter. As I watched, a woman appeared in front of me, brushing glitter out of her wine-colored hair to add to the puddle on the floor. Her long velvet dress looked like something out of an old movie, and her platform-heeled boots were certainly inappropriate for this time of year.
But I knew from my limited experience that she could care less. If icy roads or snowbanks posed a problem, she would simply point her finger at them and they would melt away.
I’d only met my long-lost mother, Fiona Ravenstar, about a week ago when she’d—literally—appeared out of the blue during one of my less-than-finer moments. I’d thought my mother had walked away and abandoned me when I was five, because I hadn’t seen her since then. However, she was back with a story about how she’d been kept away from me.
By a spell. Because she was a witch.
And apparently, so was I.
I hadn’t fully come to terms with this concept yet.
Now, I set my box of necklaces down and turned to face her. “Hi,” I said uncertainly.
“Violet.” Fiona swept over to examine the necklace I still wore. “That’s lovely.”
“Thank you.”
“How are you feeling today?” she asked.
I swallowed, unsure how to answer that question. Meeting my long-lost mother, not to mention a sister I didn’t even know about before last week, had been enough of an emotional upheaval. Add to that being a murder suspect, and it didn’t make for a very good time.
But I didn’t really want to talk about all that right now.
“Fine,” I said.
“Mmmm,” Fiona said. “You shouldn’t lie to your mother. Let’s go to that coffee shop you seem to like so much. We can talk about how best to approach this little situation you seem to have found yourself in.”
That was one way to put it. Although I wasn’t sure I trusted Fiona to come up with a solution to that. I figured there had to be something illegal about a witch fixing a murder case, even if no one knew it was happening.
“I can’t. I have work,” I said, waving a hand at my half-finished display and the other boxes that still needed unpacking.
Fiona nodded. “I understand.” She lifted her hand, the long, flowy sleeve of her dress falling in front of her face like a veil, and whispered something I couldn’t quite make out. Before I could blink, the necklaces were all hanging on their trees, and they actually looked a lot better than what I’d had in mind for displaying them.
I glanced at her, unsure of whether to thank her or chastise her. Since I figured she was capable of turning me into something undesirable if I questioned her, I kept my mouth shut, resigned to the fact that I was about to have coffee with my mother.
“Let’s go,” I said, grabbing my coat.
She smiled. “I knew you’d see it my way.”
Witch Hunt is the first book in the NEW “Full Moon” cozy mystery series, released June 30, 2020.
Murder isn’t always crystal-clear . . . especially when the prime suspect discovers she’s a witch.
Violet Mooney owns The Full Moon crystal shop in quaint North Harbor, Connecticut. Still grieving her beloved grandmother’s recent unexpected death, she takes comfort in her fat orange cat Monty and her work. Not everyone in town is thrilled with her business, however. When disagreeable town councilwoman Carla Fernandez picks a fight over Violet’s “voodoo shop,” the two have a very public confrontation. Of course, when Carla turns up dead, Violet gets little sympathy from the police as suspect #1.
But the shock of two policemen showing up at her door pales in comparison to the sudden appearance of her estranged mother Fiona and a surprise sister, Zoe. What Fiona reveals will rock her world and her sense of self—and reawaken her long-dormant mysterious power. Good thing. She’s gonna need it . . .
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About the author
Cate Conte writes the Cat Cafe Mysteries and the new Full Moon Mysteries. As Liz Mugavero, she writes the Pawsitively Organic Mysteries, the first of which was an Agatha Award nominee for Best First Novel. She lives in Connecticut with her rescue pals. Visit her on Facebook.
All comments are welcomed.