A Drop in the Potion by Annabel Chase

Author:Annabel Chase [Chase, Annabel]
Language: eng
Format: E, P, U, B
Publisher: Red Palm Press LLC
Published: 2017-09-04T23:00:00+00:00

Paws and Claws was the animal rescue center where I’d met Sedgwick. I'd gone there expecting to come home with a cat as my familiar like all the other witches in town. Instead I ended up with a cantankerous owl. That should've been my first clue that I wasn’t a typical witch.

Astrid and I located Deanna in a section of the room with about twenty meowing cats. They circled around her like she was telling them a story. The scene reminded me more of a daycare than an animal rescue center.

"Deanna?" Astrid queried.

The older elf glanced up from her feline companions. "Yes, that's me. Hello, Sheriff. And I recognize you, Emma Hart."

“You do?” It never ceased to amaze me that Spellbound residents recognized me. Although my hometown of Lemon Grove, Pennsylvania was relatively small, people didn’t recognize me the way they did here. Then again, I wasn’t a sorceress back in Lemon Grove. I was a busy lawyer with a lot of bills and very little time to socialize.

“Of course,” Deanna said. “It’s not every day Spellbound gets a new resident, unless someone gives birth.”

“Were you here the day I met Sedgwick?" I didn't remember her.

She smiled. "I was. You probably didn't notice me. I believe I was knee-deep in litter boxes at the time. I remember being so surprised that the new witch left with an owl instead of a cat."

"You and me both," I replied.

“I’ve matched many coven members with their familiars over the years,” she said. “It’s one of the most rewarding parts of the job.”

"Do you have a few minutes to talk?" Astrid asked.

"Yes, of course. I'm simply telling the cats the story about Puss-in-Boots. They like to hear about their heroes."

It was hard to view Deanna through the same lens as Sadie. The petite elf seemed so likable and genuine—not the satyr-stealing temptress that Sadie described.

“Have you heard the news about Titus?" Astrid asked.

Deanna’s expression clouded over. "He's dead, isn't he?"

Astrid's ears perked up. "What makes you say that?"

"For one thing, he's old. Older than me. For another thing, he's been living in the Spellbound Care Home for years. I can't imagine he was happy. He probably died just to get out of there."

"Actually, he was murdered," Astrid said.

Wow, she was busting out the big guns right from the get-go.

Deanna's brow lifted. She seemed genuinely surprised by the news. "Why would someone murder Titus?"

“We were hoping you could help us with that," I said. "His daughter tells us that you and Titus were in a serious relationship for many years."

Deanna closed her eyes and swallowed hard. "Sadie."

"Yes, Sadie." I waited to see whether the older elf would say more.

"She still hates me, doesn't she?" Deanna asked. She crouched on the floor to pet one of the cats. I suspected the gesture was more comforting for the elf than the cat.

"Sadie's feelings are irrelevant," Astrid said. "We’re just trying to get to the bottom of Titus’s murder.”

Deanna pressed her lips together. "Did she try to blame

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