Free The Witching on the Wall: A Cozy Mystery (The Witchy Women of Coven Grove Book 1) by Constance Barker Page A

we could stake her out.”
    Bailey groaned, and shook her head. “She knows what your minivan looks like, Piper.”
    “ Well we could borrow her mother-in-law’s car,” Avery suggested brightly. You’d think he was planning a surprise party instead of a stake out of a beloved neighbor. “She never drives it, right?”
    “ I am absolutely not asking Gavin’s mother for her car, Ave.” That line of inquiry was neatly nipped in the bud. Avery put his hands up in surrender in the face of Piper’s instantly darkened mood. He made a mental note...don't poke a pregnant gal when she's hot, tired and cranky.
    “ Maybe we should just call it quits for now,” Bailey said. “Chloe’s going to be there until they close like she always is. What’s the point of hanging around outside the bakery when she can’t leave.”
    “ Why couldn’t she leave?” Avery asked. “She came to the library.”
    “ And I’ll admit that was suspicious,” Bailey agreed. “But she’s not going to be running around town making herself look more like a suspect, now is she?”
    He shrugged, tilted his head to think about it and then sighed, slumping a little. “You’re probably right. So what next, then?”
    Bailey looked from Piper to Avery and back. They were both looking at her for an answer. “How am I supposed to know? We keep our eyes peeled, I guess.”
    “ They make this look a lot more interesting on Law and Order,” Piper commented.
    “ And CSI,” Avery added. “We need forensic evidence or something to throw science at until we get an answer.”
    Bailey was sure he was mostly joking, but she couldn’t bring herself to laugh. That whispering was getting worse and worse the longer she was out of the library. She very much wanted to go back.
    But, the truth of the matter was that Chloe had been acting suspiciously. As much as it pained her to imagine that the woman might have done something so awful… how much did she really know about Chloe Minds? Almost nothing. The same went for Aria and Frances. Those three women were well known in the community in general—they donated to bakes sales, had shown up for city council meetings, and were known to have an open door policy all around for anyone who needed an ear to pull.
    But in all that, Bailey couldn’t honestly say she knew who any of them really were. They didn’t seem to have family in town, none of them were married, and come to think of it, Bailey wasn’t even sure where they lived.
    As involved as the women of the Grovey Goodies bakery were with Coven Grove… they might as well have been strangers. There was something so odd about that. Who knew what other secrets they might be hiding?
    “ You two should go home,” Bailey said finally. “Piper, you need to get off your feet. And Avery… you’re probably better off researching Martha’s past, anyway. Plus I think you’re going to burn up in this sun. Would hate to see that snow white skin of yours get a little color.” She winked at him.
    Avery feigned scandal, and checked his pale arms for signs of any such thing. He shrugged, and squinted at the afternoon light. “Well… you make a strong argument for being back indoors,” he said. “I’ll see what I can find on Martha. Maybe talk to that Gloria woman she came here with.”
    “ Just be careful,” Piper said. “Gloria’s a suspect, don’t forget.”
    “ Well she can’t just go on a murder spree and nobody notice,” Avery argued. “Plus, you both know I have a special way with the ladies.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, and Piper and Bailey both giggled at him.
    “ Sure you wouldn’t be better off interviewing Trevor?” Bailey suggested.
    Avery pressed his hand to his chest, wounded. “That man is too handsome to kill anybody. I won’t believe it. Still… good point. I might talk to both of them...they probably picked up different things.”
    “ Well, Bailey’s right about me getting off my feet,” Piper said. “You two