Witch Way Round (Witch of Mintwood Book 6) Read online

  Witch Way Round

  (Witch of Mintwood, Book 6)

  by

  Addison Creek

  Copyright © 2017 by Addison Creek

  Cover Design © Broken Arrow Designs

  This novel is a work of fiction in which names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to real persons, places, or events is completely coincidental.

  License Notes

  Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book remains the copyrighted property of

  the author, and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial

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  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

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  Chapter One

  CAEDMON CHRONICLE

  SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT, by HANSEN GREGORY

  Jasper Wolf, who has worked for the past four years as a manager at the Wolf Corporation, founded by his great-grandfather, has been promoted to Vice President of Operations.

  “Jasper has shown exceptional leadership. He works hard and he learns quickly,” said Dylan Wolf, Sr.

  Mr. Wolf is Jasper’s grandfather and the president of the company. Jasper’s father and Dylan’s only son, Dylan, Jr., passed away when Jasper was eleven, leaving Jasper’s grandfather to raise the boy.

  “My dad is present in everything I do and everything that happens in the company, even if he isn’t physically here,” Jasper said of his father.

  It is under young Jasper’s direction that the Wolf Corporation has grown and is expected soon to be spread over three counties in Maine.

  “The success of the Wolf Corporation isn’t a surprise given how hard the family works,” said one competitor who wished not be named, probably for fear of being stomped further into the ground. “They set the bar very high. The rest of us are just trying to meet it.”

  On top of his duties at the Wolf Corporation, the younger Wolf has a side enterprise running successful Babbling Brook Barn. He initially intended to tear the building down but has since turned it into a successful events venue. Readers may remember that a skeleton was found there when the venture was just getting underway, but fortunately it turned out that the death was accidental and took place many years ago. Jasper was hailed as a hero for assisting in solving the case.

  Jasper grew up in Mintwood and was a member of the soccer, basketball, and baseball teams at Mintwood High School. He always went to work with his grandfather, and as Jasper told me in our exclusive sit-down interview, he learned everything he knows from the elder Wolf.

  “The Wolf Corporation has really taken off in the past five years. We have great employees who work hard,” said Jasper. “My grandfather likes having a family-run business and he likes giving back to the community. I don’t think either of us could see ourselves anywhere but Mintwood.”

  “So you won’t be coming to Caedmon?” I joked.

  Jasper grinned and the two girls passing by the table paused, hoping he was grinning at them. After interviewing several other students who attended Mintwood High school at the same time as Jasper, I gather that he was considered quite the catch. As homecoming king he had his pick of dates, explained one fellow student.

  “Caedmon is a nice place,” Jasper said diplomatically.

  “What about a girlfriend? You’re known far and wide. I have to ask if you’re seeing anyone,” is my next question. You’re welcome.

  “I’m not at the moment. I’m really too busy to date,” said the new Vice President. “I’m concentrating on my philanthropic endeavors.”

  “And what are those?”

  “We’re building new baseball diamonds at all the high schools. Most sporting venues can’t be replaced as often as they should be. I know when I was in high school I would have loved a new baseball diamond. Now the kids can have one.” Jasper smiled at the thought.

  “Do you go to a lot of baseball games?” I asked.

  “Not as many as I’d like. I’m busy working, but I make it to a few a year. The company is expanding so fast that it’s hard to keep up. But we’re managing.”

  “And the Silo Murder didn’t impact business?” I asked.

  “Not as much as we feared it would. No one held that sad business against the barn, and I’m grateful for that. Everyone loves the barn, and it would be a shame if it had to close because a skeleton had been found there.”

  With excellent talent like Jasper Wolf now helming the company, the Wolf Corporation is going to go far.

  Spring was springing, the light growing clearer and brighter than it had been in many months. Even the tamped-down piles of leaves left over from fall and recently uncovered from their chilly winter blanket were a welcome sight as the ground lifted and sprung.

  Warmer weather was coming.

  The air was no longer biting and no longer smelled like ice. Instead, a clean scent with just a hint of wet wood floated in the clear, bright air.

  Melting snow made for streams of water and mud running together, and as the days lengthened, the wafting scent of flowers and plants coming alive was everywhere around our Mintwood farmhouse.

  With the longer days came more movement of both people and animals. Bunnies were hopping and deer were tentatively coming out into the open. Cats stretched and dogs trotted through the fields. Muddy paws aplenty covered front porches. Squirrels made it their sworn duty to explore as much as possible while simultaneously dashing away from a cat or two. With the roads clear of snowdrifts and the threat of precipitation only promising rain, Mintwood folks were out and about in a big way.

  In short, this was a very cheery time of year. The number of hours in the day when ghosts were easily visible decreased at this time of year, but there were still more than enough hours of darkness in which we got to see Paws and the farmhouse ghosts’ deadly dozen.

  However, at this particular moment the beauty of spring was lost on me.

  The sun was fading and twilight was gathering strength. My serious concern was still just as sharp as when the Witch of Pennwood had showed up at the door less than an hour ago.

  Meredith Munn was a woman my mom would call peculiar and my grandmother would have called great fun. My mom was not a witch and she resented anyone who had witch capabilities. To combat her resentment she had moved to Costa Rica, and we now barely spoke. My grandmother had been the Witch of Mintwood before me, and she’d had an excellent sense of humor and great taste in tea.

  At the moment, though, it wasn’t my family that was on my mind, and it wasn’
t even the fact that an article had come out in which Jasper had said he wasn’t dating anyone. I was someone, darn it! I was the Witch of Mintwood! I was also cool, at least when I was alone in the room.

  Anyway.

  To recap, I had just been threatened.

  The Witch of Pennwood had come by to say that I had to appear before the Witches’ Council at the end of the month. Meredith Munn had been all business as she read me my indictment in the sunny light of day, standing on my own front porch. Her hands had been steady as she held the paper up to her nose, while mine had been shaking.

  I had never met the Witch of Pennwood before, but it was clear that she thought I’d committed witch treason, and as a result I was in very big witch trouble.

  On top of that, there was a Witches’ Council. I’d had no idea.

  A gentle breeze blew into my face and rustled my fuzzy brown hair.

  “Witch treason is not one of those phrases you ever expect to hear,” said Paws, who had been listening in on the witch’s visit. She had ordered him to be quiet, and although I hadn’t liked her tone I hadn’t stopped her. We all wanted Paws to be quiet from time to time.

  Now Meredith Munn had gone, and I was trying to take stock of the situation I found myself in.

  “Sorry for letting her order you around,” I apologized to Paws, who had settled down on his crate.

  “Don’t mention it. If you could find me eight or ten more mice, though . . .” he said.

  “Oh, Paws.” I was exasperated.

  “Okay, fine, just eight more. And your undying love,” said Paws.

  “Like you care about my undying love,” I muttered.

  “I care if it gets me more mice,” said Paws.

  “What do I do now?” I asked the sky.

  “Probably give up and accept witch prison,” the ghost cat told me. “They’ll let you out in a hundred years or so. Or at least your ghost.”

  Before I could reply, our conversation was interrupted by the noisy arrival of my housemates, Greer and Charlie, both looking concerned when they caught sight of my face.

  “What was that all about?” asked Greer, who was wearing her usual ripped jeans and a hoodie and had her black hair pulled up into a ponytail.

  “Lemmi’s going to prison,” said Paws. “I want her furniture. You two can have the Beetle.”

  “You can’t split up my stuff,” I glared at the cat.

  “Just until you get out. If you ever do,” said Paws.

  “We’re not splitting up her stuff because she isn’t going anywhere in the first place,” said Charlie, folding her arms across her chest. She leaned against the porch until the old wood gave a groan, at which point she quickly stood straight again. Then my gorgeous blonde friend turned and looked at me. “Right?”

  “Right,” said Greer, sitting down in the rocking chair, then deciding it was too close to Paws and sitting on the steps instead.

  When I told my roommates what had happened they both made sympathetic noises, but neither of them was as worried as I was.

  “You’ll figure it out,” Charlie said.

  “What if I don’t?” I asked.

  “We always figure it out, don’t we, Paws?” said Charlie.

  “Sure, except for that one time, and then that other time,” said Paws, pretending to think.

  Charlie rolled her eyes but still giggled. Greer just rolled her eyes.

  After a few moments of silence my friends tried again to cheer me up.

  “It’s been hectic all winter,” I grumbled. “If there isn’t one ghost murder there’s another.”

  “I have an idea,” said Charlie, brightening. “Let’s get away for a while!”

  Greer and I exchanged glances. “That wasn’t what I was expecting you to say,” I said to Charlie.

  “I’m just full of surprises,” she shot back. “I’m serious, though,” she added when she saw that we weren’t really taking her seriously.

  “Okay, where to?” Greer asked. “Everything we need is right here.”

  “Not when what we need is a change of pace.” Charlie made a gotcha movement at Greer, who huffed in annoyance.

  “Good point,” said my bartender friend. “What did you have in mind?”

  “I have absolutely no idea,” said Charlie.

  “That’s a great place to start,” said Paws unhelpfully.

  “Maybe a change of pace would be nice,” I agreed. “Get out of Mintwood for a while. Get away from all the ghost drama.” And the man drama.

  “We need a change of pace. We need another world to visit for a while, but we need it to be really close,” said Charlie, trying to sound encouraging. We all knew we couldn’t be away for too long, nor could we spend a fortune on a major trip.

  “I know another world that’s only eleven miles away,” said Greer, but she didn’t sound too happy about it.

  “If Lemmi’s in prison, I’m in charge of everything,” Paws continued, sticking with his own thought train as usual.

  “Don’t start that again,” said Charlie, who had been trying to change the subject and didn’t appreciate Paws’ lack of cooperation.

  “Everything meaning what?” Greer said, sounding suspicious.

  “Clean your room!” the cat cried at Greer. My friends rolled their eyes.

  “We could do that,” said Charlie, giving Paws a stern look, “or, since the Witch of Mintwood wouldn’t live here anymore, we could insist that you vacate the premises.”

  “Don’t try to use big words to intimidate me,” said Paws. “Tank! I need to know what a word means,” the cat hollered.

  The ghost bunny came hopping over. “Vacate means to leave something,” said Tank.

  “What about premises?” said Paws.

  “That means . . .” Tank started.

  “IDIOT! I know what it means. Foolish rabbit.”

  “I hate you,” said Tank, turning to wag his fluffy tail in Paws’ direction.

  “Hop away now,” said Paws, baring his teeth.

  “Let me know when you VACATE the premises,” said Tank, hopping away with dignity.

  “I already forgot what that word meant,” Paws mused.

  “Do you ever get tired of taking perfectly fine conversations on long and exhausting sidetracks to nowhere?” I asked.

  “Can’t say that I have any idea what you’re talking about. Seems to be a theme for tonight,” said Paws.

  “Yes, it’s terribly hard to understand well made points on subjects you don’t want to hear about,” said Greer.

  “Exactly,” said Paws.

  I let out a breath of frustration.

  “Do you have anything to say about the Witch of Pennwood?” I tried again.

  Charlie made a motion as if she was trying to turn the wheel of a ship and not having much luck.

  “Witches are a difficult lot, but you went and did something pretty bad to get an official notice,” said Paws.

  “And you certainly know difficult,” Greer muttered, addressing the cat under her breath.

  I bit my lip.

  Paws was confirming my worst fears.

  I was in trouble. A lot of it.

  We spent the rest of the evening poring over my grandmother’s books and papers, trying to figure out what the upcoming Witches’ Council might involve, why they might have summoned me, and what kind of danger I might be in. Evenlyn was always my refuge when I had a witch-related problem, and this one was a doozy.

  “Your grandmother never met a piece of paper she didn’t like. She has a recipe for toothpaste from the eighties,” said Charlie, shaking her head as she held up a yellowed scrap.

  We were in my grandmother’s office, so named so that she could walk past the door, throw papers in, and not feel bad, which was exactly what she had done.

  For decades.

  The place was a mess, but at least the spring evening was beautiful, the sky a brilliant mix of gold and purple blazing in through the window while the peepers provided background music for our
search.

  “She probably wanted to remind herself that even in her eighties she liked to brush,” said Greer, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor with papers stacked around her.

  “I don’t see anything about the Witches’ Council, or witch treason either,” said Charlie. “I bet they’d know if Jasper was a Witch Hunter, though. You could go to the Council meeting and ask.”

  “That’s a sidetrack. Besides, you know very well he isn’t,” said Greer, giving me a quick glance.

  Jasper’s family and mine were on opposite sides of the paranormal spectrum; his type of family hunted my type. Most of the time I was able to pretend I didn’t need to worry about it, but it was harder to pretend when Charlie brought it up directly.

  My face burned as I remembered Jasper talking about us kissing. Hoping to get back on track and avoid any inquiries about why I was blushing, I looked down and continued to sort papers. “Let’s keep searching,” I said, offering no comment on my friends’ back-and-forth.

  In the hours we spent in Evenlyn’s office we found a lot of interesting stuff, especially her lists: “To Do: Re-plant dandelions, bend barbed wire round the flower, rainbow paint, lunch” was one that Charlie found especially amusing.

  “There’s just nothing here,” said Greer at last, sitting back on her heels in frustration. She was tired, while Charlie still had to proofread her articles for the next day, so they said goodnight and left me to continue to search long into the wee hours of the morning.

  Even I needed a break eventually, so late in the night I wandered out to the porch, hoping to find Paws again. He knew a lot about my grandmother and the Witches’ Council, so I thought he might have a helpful suggestion or two if I could only get him to stop being so sarcastic.

  When I got outside the cat was nowhere to be found, so I just stood quietly for a while, enjoying the cool night and the bright stars.

  Eventually a sense of being watched crept over me, breaking the peace of the night. Looking around the yard, I found the beady eyes of Karen the tea lady turned in my direction.