Free A Charming Crime by Tonya Kappes Page A

I
might have dealing with my new life.
    I
looked around my new home, trying to forget about the murder and my bracelet in
Ann’s grasp, but it wasn’t working. Even Mr. Prince Charming paced along the
walls.
    How
did Ann get my bracelet? Was my nightmare about her? If it was, would these
nightmares stop? Why did Darla keep this secret from me? Who was I?
    There
were many questions I needed answered. And sitting in this house was not the
way I was going to get them.

 
     
    Chapter
Nine
    My first day in
Whispering Falls was turning out to be the worst day in my life. Not only did my
lost charm bracelet show up in a dead person’s hands, but I’d passed out twice,
and found out I was a spiritualist. And I didn’t even understand what that was.
    Even though it
was already dark, surely someone was out and about. I grabbed a Ding Dong off the
counter along with the skeleton key to my shop, and Mr. Prince Charming and I
headed out on the town.
    The fireflies
danced around and dotted the night sky creating a little trail down Main
Street. No one or nothing was out. It made me wonder if they had locked their
doors tight because the new girl had killed one of their own, or just locked
their doors out of fear.
    Not me. I was on
a mission to find out anything I could to clear my name.
    Glorybee Pet
Shop was the only store with a light on. Petunia was probably feeding all the
animals. I hoped she was up for company.
    The instant
smell of animals hit me when I pushed the heavy electric blue wood door open.
It had wavy yellow metal detailing that resembled the branches of a tree. One
thing was for sure, all the shops in Whispering Falls had the most beautiful
doors that led into amazing stores you’d never knew existed.
    No wonder
Whispering Falls was a heavy tourist town. I’d only wished I could’ve shared it
with Darla or my dad.
    Meow, meow. As if he could
read my mind, Mr. Prince Charming stood up on his hind legs and batted at my
new charm bracelet, reminding me that the Celtic knot was going to keep me
safe. At least thinking that was getting me through this crazy mess.
    There wasn’t
anything normal about Glorybee. I wasn’t sure, but I swear I saw a hedge hog
run and then roll across the grassy floor over to the real life tree that stood
in the corner of the room.  As sure as I was standing there, a bird skimmed the
top of my head and landed on a branch next to a grey squirrel.
    “You behave
yourself.” I scolded Mr. Prince Charming before he could get into any trouble.
He had been known to chase several birds, squirrels, and chipmunks. I walked
over to the tree and as sure as I was standing there, the tree was real all the
way down into the grassy floor. It was as if they had built Glorybee and
forgotten to lay the foundation.
    No wonder I
didn’t see any animals in Whispering Falls. They all lived here and were living
the good life in harmony. Even Mr. Prince Charming sniffed around a few dogs,
finally following one to the tree. In a blink of an eye, Mr. Prince Charming
was sitting on the same branch as the squirrel, licking his paws.
    Please don’t
swat the squirrel ,
there was already an accused murderer in the family, we didn’t need two.
    “I thought I
heard someone in here.” Petunia peeled the canvas gloves off her hands,
exposing the empty leash that was still attached to her wrist, and ripped the
Velcro of the beekeeper’s veil from her head. “I was collecting the sweet
stuff.”
    She didn’t
bother batting the handful of bees buzzing around her ear. I cringed at the
thought of getting stung by one.
    “I was walking
by and you had your lights on so I thought I’d stop in and say hi.” I wasn’t
going to jump in and ask about the psychic stuff.
    “Welcome to my
little part of the spiritual world.” She reached up and picked a flower off the
tree and stuck it in her bird’s nest of a hair-do.  
    “How do you know
Ann hasn’t come back?” So much for not jumping in. I opened the Ding
Dong,