Malevolent Magic by Mildred Abbott

Author:Mildred Abbott [Abbott, Mildred]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wings of Ink Publications, LLC
Published: 2018-11-14T00:00:00+00:00

For a while after moving to Estes Park I tried to avoid Carl and Anna Hanson. Their personalities were… intense, as was their love of gossip. It was that love of gossip that continued to bring us into constant contact, both by their snoopy ways and because they were great sources of information, even if not completely reliable. However, as time passed, they became friends, and while they were still best in small doses, I loved them.

It was that love, that sense of friendship and loyalty, that kept my psyche shoving the likelihood of Billy Hanson being Adam’s killer from my mind.

I couldn’t put it off any longer, shouldn’t have put it off as long as I had. Still, Cabin and Hearth should’ve been my first stop after leaving Mark Green the day before.

Watson practically pranced as we entered the luxury home furnishings store. The Hansons might not hold deity status as Barry, Leo, and Ben, but they were a constant source of his favorite treats.

I wished I felt a little of his excitement. As the door closed behind us, I realized my mistake. We’d bee-lined it from Knit Witt, but I should’ve taken a moment to pull myself together, put on a game face.

From behind the counter, Anna stiffened, her eyes going wide when she saw me. She didn’t break into an excited smile and twitter the way she normally would, and her gaze didn’t even flick down to Watson. A few heartbeats too late she managed a plastered-on smile before she raised her voice loud enough to be heard in the back. “Carl! Fred’s here. Come say hi.” It seemed Anna required some time to get her game face on as well.

As Watson and I approached, I realized something I’d overlooked, or maybe my brain had refused to let me notice. Anytime there was drama, ranging from murder or some salacious tidbit of gossip, Anna and Carl were among the first to rush over to the Cozy Corgi to either get details or share their own. But I hadn’t seen them since the night of the Christmas party.

They’d not rushed over to have me retell discovering the body or give their theories.

My heart sank.

Though Watson often amazed me at how attune to my emotions he was, he didn’t seem to pick up on the heavy tension in the air. He continued his prance to the counter, peered up expectantly, then gave a little hop. When Anna didn’t so much as look down at him, Watson whimpered and glanced at me over his shoulder as if I were to blame.

Carl hurried from the back, his face flushed, and little Styrofoam kernels drifted from his beard and over his round belly like snow. He’d probably been unboxing a new delivery of merchandise. “Fred, darling, wonderful to see you.” His smile too was less than sincere, and instead of meeting my eyes, he kept his gaze firmly trained on Anna.

She took point. “What brings you in on this lovely day? Doing

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