Witch and Famous--A Westwick Witches Cozy Mystery Read online

  Witch and Famous

  A Westwick Witches Cozy Mystery

  Colleen Cross

  Slice Publishing

  Contents

  Also by Colleen Cross

  Untitled

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Afterword

  Also by Colleen Cross

  Witch and Famous: A Westwick Witches Cozy Mystery

  Copyright © 2017 by Colleen Cross, Colleen Tompkins

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written consent of the copyright holder and publisher. The scanning, uploading and distribution of this book via the Internet or any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law.

  Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Categories: cozy mysteries, witches wizards, paranormal cozy humorous mystery, cosy mystery, funny mysteries, female lead sleuth women amateur sleuths private investigators, cozy mystery books, suspense thrillers and mysteries best sellers, female detectives

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-988272-15-3

  Paperback ISBN: 978-1988272-25-2

  Published by Slice Publishing

  ISBN: 978-1-988272-15-3

  Created with Vellum

  Also by Colleen Cross

  Westwick Witches Cozy Mysteries

  Witch You Well

  Rags to Witches

  Witch and Famous

  Christmas Witch List

  * * *

  Katerina Carter Color of Money Mysteries

  Red Handed

  Blue Moon

  Greenwash

  * * *

  Katerina Carter Fraud Legal Thrillers

  Exit Strategy

  Game Theory

  Blowout

  * * *

  Nonfiction

  Anatomy of a Ponzi Scheme

  Witch and Famous: A Westwick Witches Cozy Mystery

  * * *

  Westwick Witches Cozy Mysteries series

  * * *

  Lights, camera, assassin…

  A Hollywood movie shoot comes to town and journalist Cendrine West is eager for a scoop. Her witchy family also wants in on the action, but shenanigans with the stars soon turn to Tinseltown tragedy.

  Bodies are piling up faster than a coven’s worth of curses, and everything points back to Cen’s starstruck family. They will stop at nothing in their quest for supernatural stardom, even if that means meddling in a murder investigation.

  The witches have created one spell of a mess and given the killer a chance to get away with murder. Cen resorts to her own blend of supernatural justice to keep her family in check, but can she unmask the killer before he strikes again?

  Welcome to the wild, wild Wests!

  Witch & Famous is for fans of paranormal mystery, cozy mystery, and wickedly funny witches.

  * * *

  This book can be read as a standalone mystery, but if you want to know more about the Westwick Witches and their family history, you can start with book 1: Witch You Well.

  1

  Movie stars can be cantankerous, demanding creatures. I just never expected Aunt Amber to be any of those things. Not only was she an accomplished witch; she was also used to getting her way as a senior executive with Witches International Community Craft Association. WICCA was her life.

  Yet my workaholic aunt had abandoned her career for an acting role. She had never expressed an interest in acting and didn’t even like going to the movies, so the idea of her starring in a major Hollywood blockbuster was preposterous.

  Yet in less than a week she had landed a co-starring role in High Noon Heist, the sequel to the mega-successful Hollywood blockbuster movie Midnight Heist. And convinced a hotshot Hollywood producer to film the movie right here in Westwick Corners. Our almost-ghost town could certainly use an economic boost, but I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why our rundown town was chosen.

  It made no sense. Either Aunt Amber had powerful Hollywood connections, had piled on the witchcraft, or both. The details were still sketchy, and I had no idea who was starring opposite Aunt Amber other than it was some Hollywood hotshot.

  Why he was willing to travel all the way to eastern Washington State I had no idea. But one thing was clear: the film crew really was from Hollywood, and as long as things went well, the movie was pretty much guaranteed to put Westwick Corners back on the map. The tourists would return with their wallets and Westwick Corners would be financially in the black once more.

  All my information came secondhand from Mom since I hadn’t even seen Aunt Amber yet. She had arrived late last night from London, England, where she now lived. She had gone straight to her dressing-room trailer downtown instead of stopping in to see us. That seemed a little odd, but in typical Aunt Amber fashion, she was eager to get a head start.

  Mom and I had spent all night readying our family’s bed and breakfast, The Westwick Corners Inn, for our incoming guests. Even witches couldn’t escape a certain amount of manual labor. There just weren’t enough hours in the day, or night in this case. I had tumbled into bed around 1 a.m. but I tossed and turned.

  My mind churned as I mentally ran through the details. The rooms were ready and Mom had the dining room tables set for breakfast. I would hang around the set as a sort of town liaison, making sure the film bigwigs had everything they needed. I also hoped to interview some of the stars for The Westwick Corners Weekly. I was the paper’s publisher, though that sounded more impressive than it actually was. In reality, I had bought myself the job when the previous owner retired. I realized soon enough that it was a newspaper with dying circulation and probably not the best business to be in these days. As Aunt Pearl liked to say, it was just a free newspaper for coupon clippers.

  Her comments stung but she was right. My dedicated coupon clippers didn’t give a hoot about the articles I spent hours writing. Thinking otherwise bordered on insanity. My ever-shrinking pool of aging pensioners just wanted coupons and sale flyers. But at least for now, the advertising revenue still paid the bills and kept my newspaper afloat.

  My only other assignment was to keep an eye on Aunt Pearl. That was easier said than done. Aunt Pearl hated the idea of visitors coming to town. She also had an intense sibling rivalry with Aunt Amber, so I hoped they could just get along for once.

&nbs
p; I glanced at the clock and saw that it was just before 5 a.m. I felt like I hadn’t slept a wink all night, and it was obvious I wasn’t going to fall back asleep. I was too excited about the movie. It seemed too good to be true. There had to be witchcraft involved, and I was afraid the spell would be broken at any moment.

  I pulled on jeans and a t-shirt and headed outside. I skipped down the treehouse steps, breathing in the moist morning air. My grandfather had built the treehouse years ago at the far end of the property overlooking the vineyard. It was private but also only a few hundred yards away from the Inn where Mom and Aunt Pearl lived on the bottom floor.

  I turned my thoughts back to Aunt Amber. She was definitely up to something, but what? Maybe she was just trying to help business by bringing the movie to Westwick Corners.

  Or maybe not. I hadn’t known her to do anything that wasn’t self-promoting in some way. She already had the movie role, so why did the film have to be shot here? Something niggled at my brain just out of grasp. Aunt Amber wouldn’t take a leave of absence from WICCA for anything—unless magic was involved. Yet there were no telltale signs, or at least none that I could see.

  A more accomplished witch would easily recognize supernatural hijinks but I was remiss with my spells. I always meant to practice more, but life just seemed to get in the way. Especially lately. As things heated up between me and Tyler, everything else seemed to take a back seat. The thought of my hunky boyfriend made me smile. Tyler Gates was also our town sheriff. He would be busy today too, with all the movie people in town.

  I planned to check in on Aunt Amber at her trailer and see what else I could find out. The Inn was quiet and dark as I walked by, our guests not yet awake for breakfast. That was still a few hours away. I had lots of time to check out the movie set on Main Street.

  I walked down the hill, enjoying the early morning quiet. It was still dark, so I used a flashlight to find my way along the tree-lined driveway that wound its way down the hill. I reached the main road that led downtown and headed towards Main Street. As I got closer I saw figures busily moving back and forth across the street. Apparently, the movie crew had been up all night too.

  The normally deserted streets stirred with activity as crews unloaded trucks, set up lighting and equipment. Mobile dressing room trailers were parked on the opposite side of the bank building. I scanned the street for my redheaded aunt, but saw no sign of her. I figured she was inside her trailer.

  I headed towards the set, which was technically just the two center blocks of Westwick Corner’s Main Street. Brick and stone buildings from the start of the 20th century lined the street. The three-story bank building was the tallest building in town and the setting for the first scene in High Noon Heist. All sorts of cameras, lights and equipment were set up around the building as dozens of people scurried back and forth.

  Filming in Westwick Corners certainly had some advantages. The buildings had basically remained untouched for decades. There was simply no money to renovate or build new ones. Main Street was quite picturesque in a faded and forgotten sort of way. The neglected buildings still sported the same windows and trim from the turn of the last century. Things looked exactly as they had then, only shabbier. Visitors to our town often said that it was like stepping back in time.

  Except that now the brick was sandblasted, the wood trim freshly coated with paint, and the buildings sported signage from the 1900s era. Even the asphalt road was covered with six inches of dirt so that it now resembled a dirt road.

  All this had happened overnight. I couldn’t believe it was just the film crew’s work. No doubt Aunt Amber’s supernatural touch was somehow involved. However it had happened, our spruced-up town’s facelift put a smile on my face.

  The few traces of modernity had been either disguised or removed. It seemed that our almost-bankrupt town’s financial problems had been solved overnight. The movie had paid our town handsomely for the shoot, and the cast and crew brought money to Westwick Corners too. We even had guests at our Inn, and other local businesses also benefited. The movie and the town’s facelift could even put our town back in the black again.

  I headed to Mom’s food truck parked a half-block away. It was a hastily conjured up 1960s-era panel truck with lettering on the side that read Ruby’s Burgers. Below the lettering was an open counter that revealed a full stainless steel kitchen inside. As I approached, the side door opened and Mom emerged.

  I was surprised to see her here in town and not at the Inn, but sometimes witches could be in two places at the same time. Or rather, they appeared to be. It was an illusion but a pretty effective one.

  “Cen, have you seen Amber?” Mom brushed flour off the daisy-covered apron that covered her tie-dye shirt and faded embroidered jeans. She always dressed like a modern-day hippie but somehow looked fashionable at the same time. Her quirky fashion sense was completely unplanned. She never threw anything away and just liked to dress comfortably.

  I shook my head. “That’s who I’m looking for. I was just heading over to check her dressing room trailer.” I also hoped to get a sense of where the other stars’ trailers were. Maybe I could interview a few of them before filming started.

  “Tell her to drop by when she has a chance. I need someone to watch over things for a while.” That was Mom’s code for babysitting Aunt Pearl so she wouldn’t ruin things with her mischief. Aunt Pearl hated tourists, even though they brought money to our town. This movie thing was sure to fray her nerves.

  While Mom could be in two places at the same time, so to speak, it was a bit much to tend to the Inn, work the catering truck, and watch Aunt Pearl at the same time. Even with her split-second speed, it was too long to leave Aunt Pearl unsupervised. Mom’s witchcraft skills were a decided advantage when it came to getting a head start on the catering competition, but they paled in comparison to Aunt Pearl’s talents. And my aunt tended not to channel her skills productively.

  Mom waved her hand towards the seating area around the trailer. “What do you think?”

  A dozen or so round tables with chairs were set up to the right of the truck, under the shade of a large willow tree. The tables looked inviting with red-checkered tablecloths and vases of white and red carnations gracing each table. Mom’s plan was to get everything ready at the catering truck for mid-morning snacks and lunch, then head back to the Inn and serve breakfast to the guests.

  “Looks like you have everything covered. Need any help with the food prep?” Not that she needed it—her cooking was to die for.

  But die we might, with ornery Aunt Pearl manning the barbecue. She emerged from the trailer and headed to the barbecue area. It was to the left of the food truck, about ten feet away.

  “Keep out of it, Cen. I’ve got everything under control.” Aunt Pearl reversed course and headed towards us, brandishing barbecue tongs like a weapon.

  I was about to ask why she was barbecuing so early in the morning when Mom caught my eye. She pressed a finger to her lips to silence me. The burgers would be wasted, but that was a small price to pay in order to keep Aunt Pearl occupied.

  “Cen, you’re just in time for lunch. Grab a bun.” Aunt Pearl motioned to a rectangular table beside the food truck. It was laden with buns, condiments, and salads. “These are my secret recipe charbroiled burgers.”

  “It’s not even breakfast time yet,” I protested. “How about a coffee instead?”

  She ignored me and turned away, strangely oblivious to the three-foot flames that shot up behind her from the barbecue. The flames came awfully close to the willow tree branches that hung low overhead.

  “Watch out!” The tree’s lower branches smoked and crackled as sparks flew. I looked around for something to douse the flames, but Mom was one step ahead of me. She whispered a few words and within seconds the barbecue flames were extinguished.

  Pyromaniac Aunt Pearl loved an audience and would go to great lengths for attention. It usually involved magic, fire, or too often, both. She especially loved to irr
itate me, so I wanted to ignore her. But I couldn’t when safety was at stake. I glanced over at the film set workers. Thankfully they were all too immersed in their tasks to notice the split-second flare-up.

  “Relax, Cen. I would have fixed anything that got out of hand. You always overreact.”

  “It’s better if nothing happens in the first place.” I studied the plate of blackened burgers on the table beside her. “Nobody’s going to eat those things. They’re burnt to a crisp.”

  Mom swooped up the plate. “Some people like their burgers well done. I’ll just take these inside so they’re ready to go.”

  Those burgers were headed for the trash, but Aunt Pearl didn’t know that. I mentally calculated the number of burgers per hour that my Aunt could barbecue before noon. It was an expensive way to keep the peace, but at least it kept other damage to a minimum. Aunt Pearl could really wreak havoc if she wanted to. At least on burger detail, she was under Mom’s watchful eyes.

  I was scared to think of what other little disasters Aunt Pearl had planned to stop filming. Despite her helpful demeanor, I knew she wanted nothing more than to run these interlopers out of town. I hated to think of what plans she had for our fully booked Inn, where she was chief housekeeper.

  That job was Mom’s idea, thinking it would mean limited to no interaction with guests. Unfortunately though, it gave Aunt Pearl unfettered access to the guest rooms, and unlimited opportunities for mischief with shampoo, soap and charging weird cable shows to the guests’ accounts. She probably had much worse ideas in mind, but ignorance is bliss and I didn’t want to even think about what else was going on in that head of hers.

  The more immediate problem was Aunt Pearl’s barbecue antics. I was afraid to ask, but did anyway. “What are you doing here? I thought Aunt Amber got you a job on set.” Were they fighting already?