His nose twitched and he stuck it so far in the air she thought she heard his neck crack. “We must not get complacent about these things and always strive to do better.”

  She bowed, chuckling. “Yes, master.”

  “It’s not a joking matter,” he said stiffly.

  “It is when you behave like a snooty professor.”

  “I do no such thing,” he blustered. “And never mind about changing the subject. What are you planning?”

  “It’s obvious, isn’t it? I’ll just pop by next door and ask why he’s there and ask if I can assist him with his inquiries.”

  Maestro’s eyes narrowed for a moment, then he nodded. “It sounds reasonable enough. I’ll come too. People love cats.”

  “Some people like some cats, but not all cats are likeable.” Jess strolled along the path, leaving her bossy familiar with his jaw dropping and he had to scamper to catch up.

  The man stood in the tiny front garden, looking around it.

  “Hello there. I’m Jessica Lavender from next door.” She pointed to her cottage. Can I help you with anything?”

  The man frowned. “What makes you think I need help?”

  “To be honest, the owner died a couple of months ago, and I wasn’t sure if you were a friend, family, or just nosing around.”

  “Well you’re wasting your time I’m afraid, since I don’t fall into any of those categories.”

  Jess sniffed. He smelled nice if a little sharp. “Well you might if you’re a thief casing the place.”

  “And why would you jump to that conclusion of a man wearing a suit and tie?”

  She shrugged. “It would be a great disguise.”

  His mouth twitched a little. “I see. He walked across the grass and held out his hand. My name is Gabriel Lester and I am the new owner of this property, Jessica.”

  Jess shook the hand. “That was my next guess. Pleased to meet you, Gabriel, and most people call me Jess.”

  “Since you’re keen to help, I hear that the man died suddenly in his home?”

  Jess chewed her lip for a second. She needed to put this just right. “Yes. Poor Gerald had an aneurism.” There was no need to explain about him being buried in Jess’s mother’s garden afterwards, or that her mom may have provoked his death.

  “Not the worst way to go, I suppose.”

  She grimaced. “I guess not.”

  He flushed slightly. “Sorry, that was a bit callous. Did you know him well?”

  “Not very well at all, if I’m honest. He wasn’t living here when I was growing up, and then I lived in Portland until recently.”

  He frowned as if he didn’t know what to do with that information. “Well, I won’t trouble you any longer. I’m going inside to see if anything needs doing before I move in.”

  At that moment she panicked a little, though she didn’t know why. “It seems odd that no one knew the house was on the market.”

  “Does it? I bought it privately. The lawyer was worried about the previous owner’s death having a bearing on the sale and I pretty much bought it from the paperwork.”

  He jaw dropped. “So, you’ve never even seen inside?”

  His eyes widened. “Why? Is it hideous? I was assured the place was left presentable.”

  “No, it’s fine,” she assured him. “In fact it was kept very tidy. You might want to modernize it a little is all.”

  He tilted his head. “So you have been inside?”

  “A couple of times,” she admitted, while not mentioning the small case of breaking and entering. Gerald had kept a key hidden outside, making it easy to get in and out the back door without anyone knowing. She could justify that doing so, after he had died, was a matter of life and death. It was a terrible justification, yet anything else was a rabbit hole of unpleasant memories and Gabriel knowing about everything that transpired wouldn’t help anyone.

  “I could show you around if you like?” She also had no idea where that came from. Sometimes she got a mental push to do things she couldn’t ignore and Jess shot a glance down to Maestro who was busy licking parts of his anatomy. She had long suspected he was the instigator behind it but now wasn’t the best time to ask him.

  “Do you want to be nosey and see if it’s changed?” Gabriel asked with a straight face.

  Jess wanted to lie, but instead she stuck her shoulders back. “Is it that obvious?”

  “Refreshingly so. Come on in then.” He pulled out a key and opened the front door then motioned her to enter before him.

  The place smelled musty. “It looks odd without any furniture. Bigger, which I suppose is natural,” she mused. “Will you be here on your own?”

  “Just me.” Gabriel bent down to pat Maestro’s head. “Your cat isn’t shy is he?”

  “Not at all.” She loved that the snarky cat was getting some loving—the kind he hated. “If he comes inside just tell him to get out and he’ll go, no problem.”

  He looked up at her, a twinkle in his eyes. “He understands you?”

  “Absolutely. Does he always listen?” She shrugged. “That depends on his mood.”

  Gabriel laughed. “He sounds like a spoilt child.”

  “I think so too.” She winked at him, thinking he was much better looking when he wasn’t being officious. “What do you do for a job?”

  “I work from home selling stocks and shares. That’s why I bought here because the town is quiet and you can walk from one end to the other in not much time at all if you need fresh air.”

  “It is mostly quiet. Plus, Good Fortune has everything you need. A local store for groceries, a doctor, lawyer, and other shops. Including mine.”

  “You own a shop? What do you sell?”

  She liked that he was interested. At least, he didn’t sound as if he was pretending. “Lavender’s Lotions and Potions sells all kinds of things to make the house smell great and to make a person feel better without taking drugs or putting nasty chemicals in the air.” Good grief, she was sounding exactly like her mom. These were the very words Lissa used when talking about the store to anyone who would listen.

  He sniffed the air. “The place could certainly do with something fresh. I’ll have to stop by and pick up a few things.”

  “You’ll be most welcome, but don’t feel like you should just because we’re neighbors.”

  They stood looking at each other for a few moments, until they both realized it and looked away. What was that about?

  “Maybe that’s what he was thinking - he has to support the store because you are neighbors.”

  “It didn’t sound like that to me, Maestro.”

  “Okay, so maybe he’s interested in you.”

  Jess swept past Gabriel and waved her arm in the air as if nothing had happened. “Okay, so this is the sitting room and off to the right is the kitchen, dining room and bathroom. On the left is the master bedroom and, if I remember rightly, down the hall is another couple of bedrooms. I guess if you’ve seen the plans you’ll know all that.”

  “I only looked at them to see if it was adequate. I had driven by the place to check its location, but it wasn’t properly on the market before then, which is why I couldn’t get inside.” He stopped and pointed to the bottom of the wall farthest from them in the sitting room. “That’s a nasty stain.”

  Jess gulped. She knew what had made that stain and had spent a long time trying to get it out. Potions could do a lot of damage if not used as intended. “You could try a professional cleaning company, but it looks like it has set in. Maybe you could put a side table there to hide it. Or a plant.”

  “Both good ideas. I’ll have to see what might suit. By the way, my furniture will be coming early tomorrow, so don’t be alarmed by the noise.”

  “Thanks for the warning, but I’m usually up early for work. Speaking of which, I better get to the store.”

  Chapter

  Four

  Jenny was talking to Daphne Dennison when Jess arrived at the store, her head still full of Gabriel Lester for some reason.

  A woman was at the far end searching among the shelves. Jess crossed the room. “Can I help you with anything?”

  “No thanks,” she said. “I was just curious about the store.” She hurried out the door, head down.

  Jess shrugged. People did that. They were always curious, but sometimes nervous about homeopathic creams and tonics and needed time to get their head around trying something. She sniffed. She must tell Jenny to ease up on the aromatherapy. A berry smell was nice in small doses.

  “Morning, Jess.” Jenny called to her. “Daphne would like some of that lotion for her sore feet, but we’re out of stock.”

  “Jenny tells me you make it a small batch at a time. Seems it would make more sense to make more of it in one go,” Daphne complained.

  “It might not sound practical, but I must use the freshest ingredients otherwise it won’t be as potent.”

  Daphne considered this before nodding. “Fine. I’ll wait. And knock me up something for this darn hip while you’re at it, will you?”

  “Sure. It may take more than a few minutes. Perhaps Jenny can make you a cup of coffee while you wait.”

  Horrified Daphne reared back. “Are you trying to poison me?”

  “What do you mean?” Jess was getting a little annoyed by her attitude and Daphne toned it down.

  “No disrespect, Jenny, but you make the worst coffee,” she said pleasantly.

  The look of horror and disbelief on Jenny’s face was priceless. “No one else has complained.”

  “How can they when you’re all sweetness and over-exuberant.”

  Jess decided right then and there that Maestro had met his match in the snarkiness world. “So, that’s a no to the coffee, is it? Jenny, how about you stock some shelves while I make the potion and lotion and let’s leave Daphne to dwell on putting forth her comments in a nicer manner.”

  Daphne blinked in surprise. “There’s no need to be snippy. Jenny’s developing a thick skin thanks to me. Am I right, child?”

  Jenny, who was just south of forty, sniffed and walked away without offering her a seat, which was telling. It did not go unnoticed and Daphne had the decency to flush—just a little.

  Over-exuberant or not, kind-hearted Jenny didn’t deserve rudeness from anyone and Jess went into the kitchen and shut the door firmly. She had taken to putting a chair under the handle in case Jenny got nosey about what she got up to in here.

  Pulling the cauldron to her she peered inside it and a mist appeared and out of this came her wand. It didn’t matter if she was using the cauldron at home in the shed or here, the process was the same and so was the wand, which was only necessary for potions. For other spells she was able to do without either, and for that she was grateful.

  Within a few moments she had made both potions and was cleaning up when she heard a crash and a yelp. Yanking the chair away, Jess hurried back out into the store.

  “She’s gone bat crazy again,” Daphne yelled.

  Jenny leaned on the counter, was pale, and looked confused. “What happened?”

  “You dropped that bottle and yelled about a man in a suit,” Daphne explained in an uncharacteristically agitated way.

  “Oh it’s nothing.” Jess chuckled as best she could and grabbed a pan and brush to clear up the glass. “She’s just worried about my new next-door-neighbor.”

  Daphne stiffened. “Amy has a lodger? She never mentioned she was thinking about renting out a room. Although we haven’t been talking much lately.”

  “No, Amy doesn’t have a lodger. I mean in Gerald Urwin’s old place,” Jess said soothingly. It had truly been the only thought she had in her head to explain Jenny’s behavior, and now she wasn’t sure where to go with it. “I met the man who bought it this morning. He seems nice and he wears a suit.”

  “You’re not making much more sense than she is.” Daphne pointed at Jenny who also looked confused.

  “Jenny’s worried he’ll be trouble like Gerald was, but he seemed nice enough and even invited me inside.” Jess babbled while sending Jenny a pointed look and nodding her head several times.

  “Are you okay?” Jenny asked, clearly missing the ridiculous cues.

  “You mean about going into the house of a stranger? I was just being neighborly.”

  “Jenny’s right to be upset. He could be a serial killer for all you know,” Daphne intoned.

  Jess tried to act cool while racking her brain for a way to get Daphne out of the store so she could talk to Jenny. Goodness knew how she was going to tackle her assistant’s premonitions, but it was clearly time to do so.

  “He was perfectly polite and seems friendly enough. Besides, now that you know about him, if anything happens to me you’ll know who to point the finger at.”

  The other women gasped.

  “Please don’t joke about it,” Jenny pleaded. “Not after Daphne found that land developer’s body at her farm, and before that, you finding Gerald Urwin’s body being buried at your mom’s place.”

  “Yes, we never did find out who did that.” Daphne pursed her lips. “Some stupid people think Jed had a hand in it.”

  Jed was a good friend of Daphne’s who had accidentally killed the developer.

  “Jed might have killed Floyd Abernathy, but there is no way he buried Gerald,” Jenny asserted.

  Which was perfectly true, since it was Jenny who had done the burying. Only she didn’t remember because Jess’s mom had put a spell on her to forget the incident. Lissa Lavender was too sick to do it herself after hitting Gerald with a spell that stopped his heart for a moment but triggered an aneurism. If it got out about Jenny’s hand in it, she could go to jail. Surely, burying someone, even if you didn’t kill them, had to be a felony.

  “Yeah, he’s not a weirdo.” Daphne agreed. “Jed only killed the developer because Abernathy was trying to ruin me and kill the animals. In my book, that makes Jed a hero. Besides, when I went to visit with him, he told me it was an accident. He didn’t know his own strength when he hit him with a piece of wood.”

  Jenny gave Daphne an awkward hug. “Of course he wouldn’t have done it on purpose. He’ll be out before you know it.”

  “I don’t know about that.” Daphne sniffed, then cleared her throat, not one to get too emotional. “It was still murder. Shame he didn’t come forward right away and admit it. He might have gotten off a lot lighter than he did. Anyway, I best get back to the farm if you have my potions ready?”

  Jess went back to the kitchen to collect them.

  “Could you put it on my account, please?” Daphne didn’t meet Jess’s eyes when she handed the bottles to her.

  “No problem. Have a great day, Daphne.”

  As soon as she had gone Jenny sighed. “That was so good of you, Jess.”

  Jess shrugged. “I think of it as being practical. Daphne can’t afford to pay so there’s no point in discussing it. It’s not like I can leave her in pain.”

  Jenny smiled. “Other people might. I know you don’t like praise, but that really is a wonderful kindness.”

  Jess winced. What she had to discuss with Jenny was not likely to come across as kind in any way. “Jenny we need to talk.”

  “I hope it’s about this new neighbor and why you wanted Daphne to think I was talking about him?”

  The wide-eyed innocence was replaced by a calculating look. It was extremely disconcerting and not for the first time, Jess wondered if they all underestimated Jenny.

  Chapter

  Five

  Jess pulled out the chair from behind the counter, glad that the store was empty for a change. “Take a seat.”

  Jenny’s eagerness tuned to fear. “What have I done wrong now?”

  “Nothing,” Jess insisted.

  “Then why do you look all determined and a little sad?”

  Jess hated that she was going to upset her, and wished she could think of a perfect way to bring everything out in the open in a believable, yet not frightening way. “I’m not going to fire you or anything like that, but do you honestly have no clue what I’m going to say?”

  Jenny giggled awkwardly. “How could I possibly know that?”

  Jess raised an eyebrow. She wanted to test her theory, but Jenny was making a great show of her ignorance. “You don’t get little flashes of things—like warnings?”

  Mid-giggle, Jenny’s face closed warily. “What do you mean?”

  “Please don’t pretend that you don’t know what I’m talking about,” Jess said gently. “This business about the man in the suit isn’t a one off. You get these kinds of insights a lot, don’t you?”

  Jenny wrung her hands for several moments as if trying to make up her mind whether to be honest or not. Eventually, she gave a small nod. “I-I-I get feelings about people. Sometimes more than feelings. I see things around them—things that could happen. I get a terrible urge to warn them.” Her eyes misted. “Do you think I am crazy, like Daphne said?”

  Jess led Jenny over to the seat and pressed her down into it. Jenny studied her hands again and Jess took hold of them.

  “I am totally sure you’re not crazy. There is a reason that you have these—visions. Look at me, Jenny. How do you feel when it happens?”

  Pale-faced, Jenny glanced up and Jess locked eyes with her, willing her to explain.

  “I get very hot and a little shaky. Sometimes I can shut them down and other times I can’t. It’s embarrassing and scary and I usually don’t know what to do about them. When I can’t help it, I tell people. They look at me all weird, and I wish I hadn’t said anything. Then there are the times when I manage to keep it inside, but what if something bad happened because I didn’t tell them?” She dropped her face into her hands and sobs wrenched her body. “What’s wrong with me?”

  Jess knelt in front of her, and gently prising Jenny’s hands apart, she placed the box of tissues from the counter into them.

  “Listen to me. There is nothing wrong with you. You are who you’re meant to be and what you see are called premonitions.” Jess smiled. “It’s your super power, like mine is making potions and lotions.”

 

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