No Witch is an Island (An Eira Snow Cozy Mystery Book 5)(Paranormal Women's Midlife Fiction)

NO WITCH IS AN ISLANDAN EIRA SNOW COZY MYSTERY (BOOK FIVE)Victoria DeLuis For J.Published in 2022 byDeryn PublishingUnited Kingdom First Edition © 2022 Victoria DeLuis @ Deryn Publishingwww.victoriadeluis.comAll characters, places and events are fictional. Any resemblance to real persons, places or events is purely coincidental.The moral rights of the author have been asserted.All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, copied, stored, or distributed in any form, without prior written permission of the publisher. Contents Chapter OneChapter TwoChapter ThreeChapter FourChapter FiveChapter SixChapter SevenChapter EightChapter NineChapter TenChapter ElevenChapter TwelveChapter ThirteenChapter FourteenChapter FifteenChapter SixteenChapter SeventeenChapter EighteenAbout Victoria DeLuis Chapter OneI'd always wondered about my mother's death, more so as the years passed. When I was seven, every adult was 'old', whether they were twenty or eighty. Of course, I knew there was a difference, but 'adult' and 'old' were synonymous. It's only as I aged myself that I realised my mother was only twenty-seven when she died of a heart attack. She was far too young to die. She didn't drink or smoke. As far as I was aware, she was fit and healthy. We certainly spent a lot of time outdoors keeping active, walking, swimming, and rowing. My mum loved the water. In my memories, she was happy and laughing one minute and the next she was gone. Still, for all these years, I'd never questioned what I'd been told, never assumed her death to be anything more than a heart attack, until Tyrel Evans, Fleur's dad, uttered the words that have been ringing around my head every day for the past month.“Cheryl's mother murdered Eleri Snow. She murdered your mother.”I sighed and straightened the black and orange display of artificial flowers in the vase on my coffee table. Picking up a paper witch and black cat, I placed them amongst the flowers before glancing around my store. I'd replaced the soft pastel rug with a deep black one, and the matching lilac curtains with black and orange chiffon. Instead of sitting in a delicate glass dish, my sherbet lemons were now housed in a smiling pumpkin bowl.My box of decorations stood on the floor by the till. Crouching low, I ignored the creek in my knees and removed the last of the Halloween knickknacks, placing them strategically around the room. I clicked ghosts and mummies onto the beaded curtains leading to the back room and decorated the till area with cobwebs and hanging spiders. Candle-holding pumpkins and crooked gravestones stood in the windows, and bats hung from the ceiling.I'd always loved decorating for Halloween, but this year, I felt as if I was just going through the motions. The fun was missing. Even though Crystal Magic looked the part, the spark, and, well... the magical feeling of the holiday was missing. I grabbed a sweetie from the bowl and popped it in my mouth while plopping into one of the armchairs. The lead-up to Samhain was a busy time for the shop. I smiled. Every day was a busy time for the shop. I couldn’t have hoped for better when opening all those months ago. Business was booming. That was one thing I didn't have to worry about. Fleur, Cheryl, her mother, my mother. All of these were constantly on my mind. I chuckled. I suppose I should be glad we'd gone a full month without another dead body appearing. That's not to say I didn't have a murder on my hands. If what Tyrel said was true. I’d had little time to talk to him. He'd stuck to Fleur like glue since arriving in Caerleon.The bell to the shop door tinkled, and I jumped out of the chair as though caught in the act of something naughty. Though, I had nothing to feel guilty about. Sam stepped in, wrapped up warm in a woollen coat and jeans, and flashed me a look that made certain I knew she thought I was acting a little crazy. I self-consciously patted down the unruly curls that puffed around my head. Sam beamed as she glanced around the shop, waving the coffee cup and paper bag she had in her hand around.“Wow,” she said. “This place looks amazing. You could give mum a run for her money. She must have spent hours decorating the café.”Sam was Gemma's daughter. Gemma was one of the best friends I've ever had and also the local café owner, and after winning the baking competition at the Celtic Manor hotel, she was also something of a local celebrity chef, so people flocked to the café most days, and we hadn't got together lately. Sam was always willing to help where she could. She was saving up for a holiday to Ibiza with her friends.“I'm glad you like it,” I said, returning her warm smile. I might not be feeling the magic and excitement of Halloween, but it pleased me that Sam was.“Oh,” Sam said, stepping forward and lifting the coffee cup and paper bag towards me. “Mum asked me to bring you these, and to remind you to get a costume for the Halloween party at the Goldcroft.”“I'm all set.” I took the proffered packages, opening the bag and seeing an egg, cheese, bacon, and guacamole bagel inside. The delicious warm smell that filled the air had my mouth watering and my stomach rumbling. Trust Gemma to guess I hadn't eaten breakfast yet, and bless her heart for sending me something.“I have an awesome Harley Quinn costume mum made for me. She and dad are going as Gomez and Morticia Addams,” she added and rolled her eyes.I laughed. “You didn't fancy going as Wednesday?”The question elicited an even bigger eye roll, along with a dramatic sigh.“Can you imagine us all in a group family costume? That would be so embarrassing!” Sam grabbed a sherbet lemon from the pumpkin bowl and popped it in her mouth. “What's your costume?” she asked.“I have the perfect witch outfit,” I confessed, much to Sam's amusement.She shook her head and