Chaos and Crystals : An Esme Hightower Paranormal Cozy Mystery (Channeling Ghosts for Beginners Book 3) Read online

  Chaos and Crystals

  Channeling Ghosts for Beginners, Book 3

  Izzy Wilder

  Published by Elusive Dreams Press

  Copyright 2021 © Izzy Wilder

  Digital ISBN: 978-1-62935-066-0

  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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  Created with Vellum

  To Judy, Cherie, Carol, and all other witch fans

  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

  Sneak Peek of Havoc and Hauntings — Book 1 of the Channeling Ghosts for Beginners Series

  More from Izzy Wilder

  Channeling Ghosts for Beginners

  Meet the Author

  Acknowledgment

  About This Book

  Welcome back to Fiddlehead Creek, the little town in the southwest region of Georgia, where strange is normal!

  I’m Esme Hightower, and I’m almost a full-fledged psychic medium. But all my hard work could go up in smoke if I don’t get an out-of-control coven back in line. Those witches are causing chaos everywhere, and only someone with special powers—someone like me—will have a shot at stopping them.

  And on top of that, my love life is a mess. I’m torn between a shape-shifting hunk and the smoking-hot chief of police.

  Life has never been more confusing or more dangerous. If I make the wrong decisions, not only will my life be on the line, but the entire town could be destroyed.

  Author’s Note

  Hey, cozy mystery readers!

  Welcome back to Fiddlehead Creek, where chaos is running rampant. Esme has her hands full with the Bramble Root witches, and if she doesn’t get them under control, their dream to take over the town just might become reality. But that’s not her only problem. She’s caught in a love triangle that’s sure to result in one thing—heartbreak. Will Esme save the town and lose her true love in the process? Join the quirky residents of Fiddlehead Creek in a spellbinding mystery that’s sure to keep you turning the pages.

  Enjoy the fun!

  Izzy

  1

  I flipped the page to the spell book. As I read, my eyes glazed over, and the words on the page blurred, becoming one giant blob of ink. “You don’t expect me to memorize all of these, do you?” I asked my mentor, Ruby Rose. “I’ve been at this so long; I think I’ve gone blind.”

  The pretty petite blonde laughed as she took the book from my hands. “Of course not, but you do have to become familiar with a few spells. You’re going to need them if you plan to infiltrate the Bramble Root Coven. They’re dangerous witches, Esme, and you’re going to need some protection.”

  I knew that all too well. They broke into KitKat Bakery just last week and laced all the muffins with catnip. The manager was mortified to find her customers asleep at their tables after just a few bites.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” she asked, her lovely brow furrowed with worry.

  I wasn’t sure. Not at all. But what choice did I have? The coven was waging war on Fiddlehead Creek, and if I didn’t try to stop them, they might succeed in destroying the town. I hadn’t officially joined Silver Reed, so no one knew that I was here except for Ruby. Therefore, I should become a member of Bramble Root without too much trouble. The dark witches were always looking for recruits. Besides, I’d promised Chief Casanova that I would stop them, and the only way I could think to do that was from the inside. And I never went back on my word. But I was a psychic medium. I knew nothing about being a witch. Why I’d only just discovered my heritage on my mom’s side of the family a few days ago, she’d stopped practicing magic when she married my dad, so this was all new to me. Granted, I’m a fast learner, but I did not doubt that I was in over my head with this.

  And there was another problem. Last year while trying to locate a stolen urn, I had a run-in with a Bramble Root witch. She’d attempted to kill me and was now in jail, so I would have to overcome that situation with a good story that the coven would believe.

  “Okay, Esme, lift the box of incense on the shelf across the room and then toss it over to me,” Ruby instructed. Her voice cut through my worries and brought me back to the task at hand.

  I quickly glanced down at the book to recite the incantation and watched as the incense shot up, hovered in the air, and then began to drop back down.

  “No, no,” Ruby cried. “Hold it. Hold it steady, then force it over to me. Concentrate, Esme. I know you can do it.”

  I focused on the box and then on Ruby’s hands and was amazed when a moment later, the incense shot across the room, hit her shoulder, and then fell into my mentor’s grasp.

  “A little rough, but a good job, nonetheless,” she said with a huge grin. “Now, this next one is a little bit harder. Change the cat figurine on the desk into a frog.”

  I swallowed hard. She was right about it being difficult. I’d tried earlier to change something and failed miserably, but I wasn’t about to give up. Once again, I looked at the book, recited the spell, and then directed all my attention to the figurine.

  When it exploded into a million little pieces, I gasped, not expecting that to happen but was quite pleased to see those pieces then reform into a frog.

  Ruby chewed her bottom lip. “Well, I’ve never seen it done quite like that before. You’re going to have to work on that exploding thing. The change should be quick, smooth, and silent. You don’t want anyone to know what you’ve done until it’s complete.”

  “Okay, thanks. I’ll work on that.”

  She glanced at her watch and then said, “That’s it for today. I’ve got to set up the coven’s booth at the Fiddlehead Creek Festival. Are you going?”

  “Yeah, I’ll be helping out at my aunt Matilda’s psychic booth. But right now, I have to meet Guy.”

  “Lucky girl. Chief Casanova is quite a catch,” Ruby said with a wink.

  I rolled my eyes. “We’re friends. That’s all.”

  “Oh. How’s that possible with such a hottie?”

  I shrugged. “We go way back, dated a bit before I moved to L.A. I don’t do long-distance relationships. Unfortunately, life got complicated when I came back, and I wasn’t ready to pick up where we’d left off. Besides, it’s never a good idea to mix business with pleasure, and since we’re working together on the Bramble Root case, it’s best to keep things chill.”

  “Uh-huh, not sure I believe that, but you do what you gotta do.”

  I laughed. “I will. You can be sure of that. Can I take this home?” I asked, picking up the spell book.

  “Of course. It’s yours. Study hard, Esme. I don’t want anything to happen to you. This is your last lesson for a while. Once you’re in with the Bramble Root witches, it’ll be too dangerous for you to come here. But if you need me, just call, and I’ll do everything I can to help.”

  “Thanks, Ruby! You’ve done so much already.”

  On the way downstairs, she said, “I want that coven stopped as much as you do.”

  2

  As I drove Rosie, my old red Thunderbird, through the streets of Fiddlehead Creek, my thoughts were nostalgic. I hadn’t grown up here—I was from Atlanta—but I felt like I had. I’d spent summers here, and they were magical. Aunt Matilda’s sprawling plantation house had been built by my Great-Great-Great-Grandfather James in eighteen thirty-two and sat on over one hundred acres of pine forest.

  Unfortunately, my parents didn’t have the same love for the place that I did. They were city folks who enjoyed traveling the world, and bringing a child with them would’ve cramped their style, so as soon as school let out for the year, they handed me off to Aunt Matilda, which was fine by me. I got to explore and bond with nature. I als
o discovered why I didn’t fit in with my classmates. You see, Fiddlehead Creek isn’t the sleepy little town it appears to the outside world. Many of its inhabitants were strange and possessed powers that seemed odd to the average person. Some were witches, vampires, and shifters. Others were psychics like me and Aunt Matilda. Despite fitting in, though, I refused to accept what I was, and for years was in denial. Thank goodness, I only recently found out about my witch heritage; if I’d discovered that back then, too, I wouldn’t have been able to handle it.

  Aunt Matilda was a big believer that things always worked out for the best, and in this instance, she was right. Why, even now at twenty-five, I found it hard to believe that I wasn’t simply a fashionista—my love of designer clothes, handbags, and jewelry often got me into trouble; however, that was neither here nor there. It was being a psychic witch that was causing the most issues. Not wanting to dwell on that, I focused on the scenery. Fiddlehead Creek was located in the southwest region of Georgia, about an hour from the Florida border, and was quite lovely with its lush plants and dense forests.

  However, when I spotted Lang’s Garage up ahead, my heart raced, and my palms grew sweaty. Adam Lang, known by everyone as Hawk because of the giant bird tattoo that covered his back and shoulders, had been my first love. We were high school sweethearts and, up until recently, had been rekindling our romance. That is until I found out that I was part witch. You see, witches and shifters are natural-born enemies, and since Hawk shifts and I now practice magic, we can’t be together. But that hasn’t diminished the feelings I have for him. At least not yet. Supposedly, our instincts will kick in, and we’ll come to hate each other. So we both had decided it was better to end things now rather than wait.

  Luckily, the police station was right down the road. A moment later, I pulled into the parking lot and pushed all thoughts of Hawk from my mind. He was a dangerous distraction to have right now when all my energy needed to be on the Bramble Root Coven.

  Fiddlehead had a tiny police force, consisting of just three officers and the chief. Carter Labat, a new officer, was at the front desk, and he flashed me a huge smile when I walked through the door. Carter had replaced Jimmy Charles, a dirty cop who had killed Hawk’s brother Mark while he was in the garage working on his Corvette. The murder had sent shock waves through the town and was the catalyst that had brought Hawk and me together after a messy break-up years before.

  “Hello, Esme. It’s nice seeing you again,” Carter said before picking up the phone to let the chief know that I was here.

  Less than a minute later, Guy appeared in the hallway. His tall, lean frame sauntered toward me, and his dark eyes were fixed on mine. “I’d nearly given up on you,” he said with a smirk.

  “My lesson took a lot longer than I’d expected,” I replied.

  “I don’t like the sound of that. Come on, let’s talk in my office.” After I was seated across the desk from him, he asked, “So what happened?”

  I shifted my gaze away from his and down onto the floor. “Well,” I mumbled, “I had some trouble getting the spells to work the way they should. But don’t worry, with a little practice, everything will be just fine.” I looked up and found him scowling.

  “How much is a little?” he inquired.

  I hated that Guy was such a stickler for details. “That’s hard to say exactly.”

  His jaw tightened. “I don’t like this Esme, not one bit.”

  “You worry too much. I’ll get the kinks out. Promise.”

  “I worry because there’s reason to worry. That Bramble Root Coven is dangerous. If you’re not one hundred percent prepared to deal with them, then you shouldn’t. One mistake could be disastrous for you. Do you understand that?” His curt voice lashed at me.

  “Of course I do. But what other choice do we have? Someone has to get inside the coven and find out what they’re up to. Do you know of anyone else who can do that?” I remained unfazed by his concern.

  “If I did, I’d never consider letting you go.”

  I bristled. “Excuse me; you’re letting me go?”

  His eyes narrowed. “That’s right. I’m the chief of police, and you’re a citizen, so that means I’m responsible for your well-being.”

  I seethed with mounting rage. “Well, you don’t have to be, and because you don’t think I’m up to the task, I won’t hold you accountable if anything goes wrong.”

  He sighed in exasperation. “Esme, you know I didn’t mean any offense. You’re extremely competent. It’s just that if anything happened to you, I don’t know what I’d do.” His gaze was tender.

  I reached across the table to squeeze his hand. “Like I said. You worry too much. I’ve taken on bad guys before, even a Bramble Root witch, and have come out unscathed, so I’ve no reason to believe that this time will be any different, and neither should you. Have faith, Guy.”

  “I have plenty of faith in you. It’s the other side that has me rethinking this plan.”

  I wasn’t about to let him talk me out of moving forward. “I’ll keep you abreast of everything that’s going on, and if I get a whiff of anything weird, I’ll leave right away.”

  “No heroics.”

  “None,” I replied.

  “When do you plan on approaching them?”

  I took a deep breath before answering. “Tonight at the festival.”

  Guy leaned back in the chair. “I didn’t think it would be so soon.”

  “They’re supposed to have a booth there, and it should be a good time to ask about joining the coven.”

  After a long pause, he said, “This means from now on we can’t be seen together.”

  I nodded. “Since everyone in town knows we dated, if you come up, I’m going to tell the witches that we had a huge falling out, and I no longer want anything to do with you.”

  “If anyone can pull this off, it’s you, Esme. Come on, I’ll walk you out.” When we got to the front desk, Guy filled Officer Labat in on the plan. “So if you see Esme at the festival tonight, you’re not to speak to her or even say hello.”

  “Got it, boss. Good luck, Esme. It’s courageous of you to do this for Fiddlehead Creek.”

  “I don’t know if it’s brave or stupid, but thanks for saying that.”

  3

  Longleaf Plantation sat between two silvery creeks and was surrounded by pine forests. It was a beautiful, peaceful place and was my refuge. As soon as I pulled in the driveway, I could feel my stress start to fade away, and when I walked in the front door, I was greeted by the most delicious smells emanating from the kitchen. Aunt Matilda was a fabulous cook, which was a very good thing because I was not. If meals were left up to me, we would starve.

  “Hello, sugah,” the older woman said in her raspy Southern drawl. “You have good timin’. Dinner’s ready.” She handed me a platter of pan-fried chicken and then picked up a bowl of black-eyed peas. After we set the food on the table, she went over to the oven and took out a tray of golden-brown buttermilk biscuits that she always served with a fabulous honey butter.

  “It’s a wonder I haven’t gained fifty pounds with all that you a feed me,” I said as I sat down.

  “You can afford to put some meat on yer bones, but I’m afraid no amount of food will do that with the way you run around. Always up to somethin’.”

  I hadn’t yet told her about my plan to infiltrate the Bramble Root Coven, so I supposed this was as good a time as any to do that. Especially since I planned to meet with them tonight. I took a couple of bites of food and then said, “I saw Guy today.”