Mayhem and Mystics : An Esme Hightower Paranormal Cozy Mystery (Channeling Ghosts for Beginners Book 2) Read online

  Mayhem and Mystics

  Channeling Ghosts for Beginners, Book 2

  Izzy Wilder

  Published by Elusive Dreams Press

  Copyright 2021 © Izzy Wilder

  Digital ISBN: 978-1-62935-062-2

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or any portion thereof, in any form without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient, unless this book is a participant in a qualified lending program. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. All characters in this book are fictitious and figments of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Cover by Molly Burton, Cozy Cover Designs

  Elusive Dreams Press

  P.O. Box 2024

  North Haven, CT 06473

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  This is for mystery fans who love all things paranormal…

  Contents

  About This Book

  Author’s Note

  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

  What’s Next

  Sneak Peek of Magic and Mystery – the Prequel to the Channeling Ghosts for Beginners Series

  More from Izzy Wilder

  Meet the Author

  Acknowledgment

  About This Book

  A murder. A mystic. A stolen necklace

  I’m Esme Hightower, and I’m on my way to becoming a psychic medium. Well, I was anyway, until I became the prime suspect in a murder investigation.

  I need to locate a missing necklace to prove my innocence, but that’s easier said than done. You see, a mystic stole it. The same mystic that I’m accused of killing. Even my ex-boyfriend, Chief Casanova, is doubtful of my story.

  If I don’t figure things out soon, I can say goodbye to my reputation and forget about becoming a medium. Worse than that, though, I’ll be behind bars. What’s a wanna-be-psychic to do?

  Author’s Note

  Hey, cozy mystery readers!

  Welcome back to Fiddlehead Creek, the quaint little town in the southwest region of Georgia, where things aren’t always what they seem. That’s especially true with book 2 in the Channeling Ghosts for Beginners series. Esme gets accused of murder after meeting with a mystic. As if that’s not bad enough, she discovers a family secret that will change her life forever. Join Esme, her aunt Matilda, Hawk—the hunky shape-shifter, and Chief Casanova, in a fun, quirky mystery that’s sure to keep you guessing.

  Enjoy the ride!

  Izzy

  1

  “What do you mean the necklace was stolen?” Ada Mae Atkins’ voice rose at least two octaves.

  I let go of her hands and leaned back in my chair, just as shocked as she was. Her reading had gone nothing like I’d hoped it would. She’d hired me to help find a family heirloom her grandma Rosalea had left to her. An heirloom that Ada Mae had told me was lost. However, that’s not what Rosalea said.

  I stared at the young woman across the table and tried to maintain a look of confidence, but I had no idea what to do besides relay the otherworldly message that had been given to me. I was a psychic-in-training and relatively new to this medium stuff. “All I can do is communicate what a spirit conveys, and your grandma says the necklace was stolen.”

  “Well, ask her who took it?” she shrieked.

  “I did. She doesn’t know.”

  “Great. What am I supposed to do now, Esme? I neeed that necklace.” Her big brown eyes filled with tears. She grabbed my hands and squeezed them hard. “Call her back and ask again!”

  Easier said than done. Anyone used to dealing with the dead knows that when a spirit leaves, they don’t always come back. Especially if the subject is unpleasant to them, and Rosalea was one unhappy ghost. She’d left her only item of value to her granddaughter, and now it was missing.

  “What am I supposed to do?” Ada Mae shrieked. “I need that necklace.”

  My throat itched as it sometimes did when I was stressed, so I swallowed hard, hoping that would prevent the tight feeling that usually followed. And, thankfully, it did the trick. I could understand her being upset at the loss of an heirloom. However, Ada Mae saying she needed it implied more to her wanting it back than just for sentimental value.

  “Well?” the young woman asked with a note of irritation in her voice.

  Well, what? She’d hired me to do a reading, and I had. It wasn’t my fault she didn’t like what I’d told her.

  Ada Mae let go of my hands to tuck her curly auburn hair behind her ears. “You have to do something. You have to help me find out who stole it.”

  I raised my brows at her in surprise. “If I could, I would, but I don’t know who has the necklace any more than you do.”

  “But you can find out. You’re a psychic.”

  I held back a sigh. She, like many people, assumed that because psychic mediums communicate with the dead, they had an inside track on everything, but that wasn’t always the case. Sometimes things that were unknown here were also unknown on the other side too.

  “Please call my grandma back. You can at least try, right?” she begged.

  My aunt Matilda wouldn’t be happy if I pressured a spirit to come back. Aunt Matilda was a well-known medium, not only in Fiddlehead Creek but throughout all of Georgia, and she was also my mentor. One of the first things she’d taught me was to respect the wishes of the dead, but how could I not help Ada Mae? Besides, how angry could Rosalea be at being asked to help her granddaughter?

  “Okay. I’ll give it a shot,” I said reluctantly, “but there’s no guarantee she’ll come.” I closed my eyes. Rosalea Atkins, I welcome you back, I proclaimed internally. Your granddaughter desperately needs to know who took the necklace you left her. I opened one eye and peered across the table at Ada Mae. “What does the necklace look like?” I asked softly. Often it helped to be as specific as possible when communicating with the dead.

  “It has an eighteen karat gold unicorn pendant with a diamond horn and sapphire eyes.”

  Wow! That wasn’t at all what I’d expected. I figured it was a locket of some sort with a picture of Rosalea inside. “That’s unusual and expensive,” I said, becoming concerned that I had gotten myself into more than I’d anticipated.

  “It is, plus, her spiritual advisor gave it to her after she attained teleportation.”

  Both my eyes were open now and about as wide as they would go. “Teleportation? How did she do that?” I tried to keep my voice from shaking.

  “My grandma was a mystic. She came from a long line of them. Unfortunately, I didn’t inh
erit any of her powers. My parents adopted me when I was a baby. They couldn’t have kids. My dad was an only child and chose not to use his gift, so the line ended with Grandma Rosalea.”

  I sucked in a deep breath and slowly blew it out, trying to steady my rapidly beating heart. A pricey unicorn pendant that had belonged to a mystic… Ada Mae hadn’t told me any of that when she approached me at Bink’s Brewpub—a total dive bar, by the way. I was there with Hawk, my high school sweetheart and still a major heartthrob, after solving his brother’s murder. When he suggested I agree to do a reading for Ada Mae, I, of course, had to do it. Now it looked like I was once again in over my head.

  “So, have you contacted her?” The young woman whined.

  It took all of my willpower not to snap back. Instead, I said in as sweet a tone as I could muster, “Not yet. I’m working on it.” Common sense told me I really should call the whole thing off. But if I did that, Ada Mae would be furious and might bad-mouth me around Fiddlehead Creek. It was a small town in southwest Georgia about an hour from the Florida border, and word spread here like wildfire. I couldn’t risk that. I needed to maintain a good reputation and collect those much-needed five-star reviews from clients to get my medium certificate. Without it, I’d never be able to become Aunt Matilda’s business partner, and she was counting on that. I couldn’t let her down.

  Once again, I closed my eyes and invited in Rosalea.

  This isn’t a good idea, kid.

  That wasn’t Ada Mae’s grandmother. It was my grandpa Ed. He had a knack for appearing at the most inopportune times. However, right now, his loving voice was a welcome one. I know that, I replied, but I don’t have a choice. If I don’t help Ada Mae, my career will be dead before it ever gets off the ground.

  That may well be, but I don’t want you to wind up dead instead.

  Me, dead? Suddenly, things were getting serious. Grandpa Ed, do you know something I don’t?

  It took a moment for him to respond. Just that fooling around with mystics can be a dangerous game. Especially for you.

  Hmmm, and I thought I was his favorite granddaughter. Okay, I might be his only one, but we’d always been super close. Well, thanks for having such little faith in me.

  You know it’s not that. I’m your biggest cheerleader, kid. It’s who you are that has me worried.

  You mean being a medium? I asked, unsure of what he meant.

  Talk to Matilda. Tell her I said it’s time for you to know.

  Know what? I was really getting worried. It wasn’t like Grandpa Ed to be mysterious, and when he didn’t answer, I knew I was headed for big-time trouble. And that was confirmed when the lights flickered, and one of Aunt Matilda’s crystals flew across the room, nearly hitting Ada Mae in the forehead. Luckily, she ducked just in time.

  “What’s going on?” she cried.

  “Stay calm,” I replied, trying hard to do so myself. Obviously, an angry spirit had come in right after Grandpa Ed left. You’re not welcome here. You need to leave now, I ordered the ghost.

  A woman with a Southern accent responded. Really? Why’s that? You invited me in a few minutes ago.

  Rosalea? Is that you? I began to feel some relief.

  Who else would it be?

  She had a point. However, sometimes malevolent spirits would force their way in. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case now, though. So why did you throw a crystal at your granddaughter? I asked, confused by her anger.

  Rosalea lowered her voice, and her regret came through crystal clear. I didn’t mean to. I wanted her to know I was here, that’s all. But I’m having trouble gauging my strength.

  I could understand that. She’d only passed over last month. I’m glad you came back. Are you sure you didn’t get a look at who took the necklace?

  Like I told you before, I don’t know who took it. Someone came into the house one night while Ada Mae was asleep. The person’s face was covered.

  Rosalea hadn’t told me any of that the first time we spoke, but at least we were making some progress now. Did you notice anything about the intruder? Could you tell if it was a man or a woman?

  I don’t know. The person was dressed all in black and was wearing a sweatshirt with the hood up. They went into the jewelry box, took out the pendant, and then left. That’s it. That’s all I know.

  At least that was a little something to go on, and I was grateful that she’d been forthcoming. Thank you for sharing. That’s valuable information.

  So you’re going to help get the necklace back?

  I knew she was going to ask that. I needed to do readings to get certified as a medium, not get sidetracked by trying to catch a thief. Oh, I don’t know. All Ada Mae asked me to do was contact you.

  But you have to help her, Rosalea pleaded. She can’t do this alone. It’s too dangerous. Whoever has the pendant has access to its power.

  Oh, great! It’s a magic necklace. That’s why Ada Mae was frantic to get it back. And what power is that? I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear the answer.

  Ask Ada Mae.

  Frustration boiled up inside me. This was the second time today I was told by a spirit to ask someone something. First by Grandpa Ed and now by Rosalea. Why were they trying to make my life more difficult?

  So will you help my granddaughter?

  Another thing my aunt Matilda taught me was never to say no when a spirit asked you to do something. Yes, of course, I replied, sure that I would come to regret it.

  “Were you able to reach my grandma?” Ada Mae asked, shifting my thoughts back to the living.

  “Yes, and she just left.”

  The young woman’s face lit up. “Don’t keep me in suspense. What did she say?”

  “She doesn’t know who took the necklace.”

  Ada Mae scrunched up her nose like she’d just smelled something bad. “Oh, come on. She must know something.”

  “Just that the person was wearing a black hoodie.”

  “That’s not much help at all,” she crabbed.

  “No, it isn’t. Who knew you had the necklace?”

  She shrugged her thin shoulders. “No one but Grandma Rosalea’s attorney. He’s the one who gave it to me.”

  “What about the mystic—the one who gave it to your grandma? Would she know it was left to you?”

  Ada Mae thought for a minute and then said, “Probably. She and Rosalea were very close.”

  Bingo. Our first lead. “Then let’s go pay her a visit.”

  Before we left Aunt Matilda’s reading room, I added, “Now might be a good time to fill me in on the pendant’s power.”

  Her face went white. “Grandma Rosalea told you it has power?”

  “She did, and she told me to ask you about it.”

  “This probably isn’t the best place to talk. What if an unwelcome ghost drops in?” She glanced uneasily around the room.

  I wasn’t about to let her weasel out of telling me. “If you’re uncomfortable here, then you can tell me in the car on the way to the mystic’s.”

  “Fine. But you might wish I hadn’t.”

  “I’ll be the judge of that.” Not all that long ago, I was up against an unruly pack of wolf shifters, a loan shark out for blood, and a cold-hearted killer willing to kill again. If I survived all that, I could certainly handle a thief. Besides, how dangerous could it get to look for a unicorn pendant?

  2

  Ada Mae headed toward her car, but before getting very far, I took hold of her shoulders and shifted her direction the other way. “I’m driving,” I said as we approached Rosie, my classic red Thunderbird.

  “Nice car,” she cooed, running her hand over its sleek hood. “My dad owns a used car dealership in Jacksonville. He’d love to get his hands on this beauty.”

  “It’s not for sale. I’ve had Rosie since high school and plan on keeping her forever.”

  “I don’t blame you.” She glanced over at her old beat-up Honda parked beside Aunt Matilda’s Volkswagen and let out a long sigh. “You’d thi
nk my parents would’ve given me something decent, but nope. They gave me a car that no one else wanted. It sat on the lot for nearly a year before it became my wheels. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not complaining. It gets me where I need to go, and that’s all that matters. But someday, I’m gonna get a car like yours—a sleek and stylish head-turner.”

  I laughed as we got into the Thunderbird. “I want to stop by the police station before paying the mystic a visit. Chief Casanova should know about the stolen pendant.” Ada Mae’s naturally ruddy complexion paled. “That’s not a problem, is it?” I’d learned the hard way not to trust easily, and that included clients. Last year, before going to Hollywood to give acting a try—which turned out wasn’t my calling, seeing as I didn’t land even one part—I agreed to help Rayanne Phipps find the sterling silver urn that had held the ashes of one of her relatives. But to my complete surprise, it turned out she had arranged for its theft and even her own attack. Goes to show how far some people will go to avert suspicion elsewhere. So do I trust Ada Mae? Nope. Not yet. She would have to earn my trust, and that wouldn’t be easy.

  The young woman looked away, shielding her eyes from my intense gaze. “I really wanted to keep the theft just between us.”

  “Why’s that?” I asked, wondering if she had something to hide.

  She gave me a look of disbelief. “Because of its power. The fewer people aware of it, the better.”