Witchy bad blood, p.1
Witchy Bad Blood, page 1
Witchy Bad Blood
A Paranormal Cozy Mystery
Midlife Potions
Book Four
C. A. Phipps
Witchy Bad Blood is a work of fiction. Names, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Witchy Bad Blood Copyright © 2024 by C. A. Phipps
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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Cover Copyright © 2023 by Melody Simmons
bookcoversbymelody.com
As always, Himself has been amazing. 💜
From a first edit to ferrying me around to appointments and doing most of the housework, he gets all the gold stars.
With all the things we’ve gone through this year, how he puts up with me I’ll never know.
Thankfully, I’m a good cook. I think that helps.
😘
Contents
Witchy Bad Blood
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
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Epilogue
Witchy Coffee Crime
Recipes
Coconut Cookies
Also by C. A. Phipps
Books by Cheryl Phipps
About the Author
Witchy Bad Blood
Family can be deadly!
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No one, including Jess, had any idea she was anything exceptional. Until she began solving crimes and her witchy powers got stronger.
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The trouble is, she'd rather be waving a spatula than a wand and her snarky cat familiar isn't happy about it.
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She's listed her priorities:
1 Bring her mom back from the ghostly realm.
2 Open a bakery.
3 Try to keep her mouth shut about the secret sister. (A loveable thorn in her side.)
4 Don't ask questions about her father.
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Having a plan makes life bearable—as long as there isn't another murder and she doesn't mess anything up!
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This paranormal cozy mystery will have you questioning everything you thought you knew about magic and murder!
Midlife Potions
Witchy Awakening
Witchy Hot Spells
Witchy Flash Back
Witchy Bad Blood
Witchy Coffee Crime - coming 2025!
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Join my mailing list to find out about new releases and deals on my books.
Chapter
One
As Jessica Lavender strolled along the row of stores on Main Street, she mused about how her life had changed in a few short months. Going from being a baker in Portland to becoming a witch in Good Fortune was the stuff of vivid imaginations—not real life.
Yet here she was. With a store she didn’t want, a cat familiar who drove her crazy, and a ghostly mother, the burning ache to do her own thing was only getting stronger.
Quickly passing what was her mother’s store and was now hers, she avoided looking in the window. Jess should be inside Lavender’s Lotions and Potions right now, helping her secret sister. Not that Jenny was a secret. The fact that they were sisters was partly the issue, along with a father wanted for murder.
According to Jess’s familiar, if Jenny’s whereabouts got out into the witchy world, there would be trouble. With a deep-seated and ongoing irritation at only knowing part of the story, Jess’s struggle to deal with everything life had thrown at her these last few months was real.
Especially when the darn cat, Maestro, always knew more than he’d say. Getting information from him was like hunting for a four-leaf clover—not impossible but always a lengthy and eye-crossing process. Her mom was cagey about things too.
Sighing, Jess felt the weight of trouble that always seemed to linger in Good Fortune firmly on her shoulders. There were always more secrets for her to unravel, and sometimes it got her down. Life was so much simpler several months ago, when she was just a baker and hadn’t discovered her powers. While she enjoyed helping people, which apparently was why witches existed, she craved a little normalcy—and fewer secrets.
Stopping at the end of the block, she peered in the window of the last store like she’d done a hundred times before. It was an indulgent and pointless exercise. The shop might be empty and up for lease, but she’d already ruled it out. While Jess didn’t need a large place for her future bakery, it had to be big enough to hold a decent amount of customers. Unfortunately, this was the only store available in town. Adding that to Maestro’s assertion that now wasn’t a good time to even consider it, she was more depressed than ever.
“Hey, Jessica!”
Lottie Emery, the bubbly local real estate salesperson, stood behind her. The petite blonde, who seemed to have a Barbie fetish, was dressed in a pink skirt with a matching jacket and wore pink lipstick.
“Hi, Lottie. How are you?”
“Wonderful as always. How is everything going with our cute sergeant, Brodie Fine?”
Jess blushed. “As far as I know, he’s doing great. Busy as usual.”
“He’s a great catch, you lucky thing.” Lottie gave her shoulder a nudge. “There aren’t too many eligible bachelors around here, so let’s hope you can hold on to him. I see you’re still interested in the old craft store.”
The urge to get away from Lottie as soon as possible was strong. Jess didn’t want to talk about Brodie, and she hadn’t realized that anyone had noticed her hanging about the store. Immediately she appreciated what a ridiculous notion that was when so many in Good Fortune excelled at gossip. She shrugged. “Not really. It’s in the right place, but it’s far too small for a bakery.” Jess wanted to slap herself when Lottie pounced.
“A bakery? How delightful. We could use one of those in town. The diner is nice enough, but I do love baked goods. Will you keep Lotions and Potions if you open a bakery?”
Wishing she’d kept her mouth shut and knowing that Lottie would make Jess’s plans common knowledge before the day was out, she tried to act casual. “Selling Mom’s store isn’t something I could contemplate. Jenny will eventually run it while I concentrate on the bakery. If I can find somewhere suitable that I can afford.”
“Is that right?” Lottie tapped one long pink fingernail on her chin. Then she snapped her fingers. “I might have just the place. Come along.”
Marching purposefully back down the street before Jess could explain she was needed at the store, there was little she could do except hurry after Lottie. The dainty woman could sure move fast in those dangerously thin high heels she favored. Although she was frustrated by the turn of events, Jess had to admit she was curious about what Lottie had to show her when she’d already done extensive research on possible sites and knew there was nothing available in the vicinity.
Lottie suddenly stopped and opened her arms. “Here we are. What do you think about this? Isn’t it perfect?”
The ta-da moment was lost on Jess. “This is Edmond Rice’s shoe shop.”
Lottie sighed theatrically. “Sadly, Cobbled Together is no more.”
Jess peered through the window at the store bursting with shoes. “What do you mean?”
“Edmond’s decided to close up.”
“Oh no. This the first I’ve heard of it. Do you know why?”
Lottie gave her a look of disbelief. “You don’t know him well then?”
Jess flinched. She’d made little effort to get to know everyone in town until recently. It had taken a while to accept that she was staying, and people around here had long memories. “We’ve met several times.”
“Then you’ll know what a sweetie he is and that the rest of us have rallied around him at this difficult time. It’s common knowledge—to most of us—that since poor Edmond lost his wife recently, he hasn’t been the same. While he certainly loved this store, he loved Isla more.” Lottie lowered her voice and glanced around them. “And then there’s the disappearance of his dear friend when he needed him. Unfortunately, with all that heartache, he hasn’t worked much, and his finances haven’t been great in a while. You can imagine how everything he’s dealing with has taken a toll on him.”
“How awful.” Of course Jess knew about the death of Edmond’s wife, and she had given her condolences, but in her defense, she’d been so wrapped up in witchy training and the store as well as solving a couple of murders, she hadn’t had time to do more. And what of the missing man? “Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen Edmond since the funeral, and I definitely hadn’t noticed the store was closed. Amy and Daphne didn’t mention it, so it has to be a very recent deci
“It certainly is. He will have thought about it for some time but only phoned me last night, which is why there’s no sign up yet.” Lottie gave her a considered look. “To be honest, I thought he might change his mind this morning, so I haven’t chased him up yet, but his situation could be good for you. Sizewise, the store is perfect. Obviously, it would need a complete revamp. I don’t believe the inside has changed for decades, which could work in your favor with negotiations.”
While it didn’t sound entirely as if Lottie had Edmond’s best interests at heart, Jess nevertheless peered through the window of the store once more. It was almost opposite Lavender’s Lotions and Potions, which would be handy. Through the dirty glass she could see display stands as well as racks of shoes toward the back wall. As it had the couple of times she had been in it, everything looked neat and tidy. Edmond had indeed loved his store. “I don’t feel good about benefiting from his tragedy.”
“That’s a shame,” Lottie said insincerely and continued with her sales pitch. “I happen to know that it has double the floor space of your store, and I feel certain you could get it for a song.”
Jess grimaced, but something caught her eye. At the rear of the store were two doors. One would likely be the kitchen and facilities, and the other could be a storeroom. Her heart gave a flutter. Perfect for a pantry or a cooler. The store could look amazing if you pictured it with fresh paint after the removal of all the racks and shoes. “Is Edmond wanting to lease or sell?”
“I think he’d prefer to lease because of living upstairs. Though I’m not sure how desperate he is for money, so I wouldn’t rule him out of selling.”
Jess would need a loan to buy the place, but Lottie didn’t need to know that at this stage. “I’d be interested in finding out the costs for either option.”
“Then I’ll get onto it today.” Lottie smiled apologetically. “Things don’t move fast around here, but I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything.”
“Thanks, Lottie. I’m not in any hurry for a new store, and I better get to my current one.”
“You do that and leave everything to the expert.”
Jess hurried away from Lottie’s Cheshire cat grin, which was deeply disturbing. Yet, she couldn’t deny that she had never felt so giddy with excitement. This was unlike her, and she stopped outside her store to get herself under control. It would be silly to get ahead of herself when there were so many things to consider.
First, once she found out what Edmond was asking for it, her finances would dictate whether she could afford the store, and second, would Maestro ever give his consent?
“We should take a walk. Meet me at the park.”
The words in her head could only be one person. Make that one cat!
Chapter
Two
Jess found Maestro just around the corner of her store. He ambled ahead of her across the parking lot and onto the grass area that led into the woods.
“Stop brooding,” he muttered, shaking his feet that were wet from the dew. “I saw you with that odious woman eyeing up the stores.”
“I’m not brooding,” she said defensively. “Although, I have to admit Lottie surprised me when she said that Edmond Rice was considering selling his store. It’s perfect for a bakery, and now that I’ve seen it, we really do need to have a discussion about my pursuit of a different career.”
“One I disapprove of.”
His piercing gaze was unnerving, but Jess had never been afraid of a challenge. “I know you don’t want me to do it, but you also know I’ll never be happy unless I can bake.”
“Why can’t you be happy baking on weekends or in the evenings instead of opening a bakery?” he growled.
“That would make it a hobby, and it’s what I’ve been doing since I came home. You know it’s not enough for me. As selfish as it might sound, I want baking to be my life.”
His tail flicked irritably. “A witch has responsibilities, and your happiness isn’t the only thing at stake. Your mother’s store is important to Good Fortune and its residents.”
“I understand that—really, I do,” she implored. “But with Jenny mostly running the store and having some powers of her own now, is it really so imperative that I be there too?”
Stopping under the shade of a large tree, Maestro eyed her balefully. “You are becoming a powerful witch. It would be wrong to waste your talents.”
Though he spoke firmly, his tone held a hint of something else—something that gave her hope. For once, she kept her mouth shut and waited. Nothing could rush the black cat if he wasn’t feeling inclined, and her tendency to argue with him when he was being bossy never helped matters.
After a lengthy pause, he continued, “If you did open a small bakery, you would still need to be available to help people.”
She nodded while her stomach somersaulted. This sounded encouraging. Suppressing the excitement bubbling inside her proved incredibly hard.
“There are certain potions that could be incorporated into your baking.” He spoke slowly, as if carefully weighing his words along with gauging her reaction.
She wished she could keep her thoughts inside, especially at this crucial moment in her life, but what he said confused her. “I thought you said I couldn’t cast spells on certain people. That it might permanently change the way they behave.”
He shook a paw at her. “What I’m talking about isn’t casting spells on people. It’s adding something to the ingredients to make a person feel better in a given situation.”
“That seems rather arbitrary,” she said pointedly though undeniably intrigued. “How could I possibly make sure the spell affects the right person when I’d be baking in batches and selling to all customers?”
“Not as arbitrary as you might think.” His bright green eyes twinkled. “Back at the beginning of your training, did you feel the urge to do things that you couldn’t explain or control?”
Jess immediately recalled several disarming moments when that had happened. “Wait. Was that you?”
He bowed. “That is your next training assignment. I have discussed this in depth with your mother. If you can push people to buy a certain product with the right ingredients in them, you have permission to open your bakery.”
She blinked, thinking she’d misheard him, but when he casually licked a paw, Jess let out a whoop. “You’re serious? I can do this?”
“This business of potions is deadly serious. I never joke about a witch’s spells or how I think they should be used.” Maestro sniffed. “While I’m not convinced you can manage to run two stores and keep up with your training as well as Jenny’s, you have proven you have some talent and are determined.”
Her eyebrow lifted at the backhanded compliment, but he continued in the same haughty manner.
“Do not waste that talent or be tempted to try anything new until you are ready. There could be grave consequences otherwise.”
She shivered, well aware how the consequences might look. There had been too much death around here lately, and there was no way she would risk harming anyone. Not after what happened with her mother.
Despite the warnings, the fact that Maestro was talking this way filled her with hope, and if she were honest, a bit of pride. Maestro must trust her enough to agree to finally let her have the one thing she’d dreamed of since she was a child. Not a bakery to work in—her bakery. “You won’t be sorry, Maestro. I’ll work as hard as you need me to.”
