Roller Rink Witchcraft (Extended Edition): Supernatural Witch Cozy Mystery (Harper “Foxxy” Beck Series Book 1) Read Free Page B

basis with the town’s pharmacist.
    Unfortunately, if Bennett found out I was trying to figure out what a strange pill was, he’d put two and two together, and I would definitely be going to jail. The guy was an ass, but he wasn’t an idiot.
    I was still tempted, though, especially now that Jeb was obviously a prime suspect— no matter how much that angered me. Had the police completely forgotten Irina’s hair on Matt’s pants?
    Not to mention the satanic elements. Were they even talking to Melanie Gross, the local witch occult leader? Murdering someone at my place seemed like something the unpleasant woman would do, especially if she thought it would hurt my grandma’s business, making her shop the premiere magic shop in town.
    After coming downstairs, I realized that old saying about speaking about the devil was false. Apparently, all you had to do was think Melanie’s name, and there she was on your doorstep.
    “Melanie,” I said in greeting, fixing my Afro. “What are you doing in this part of town? Come to shop at Hanes’ for some real magical supplies?”
    The greedy smile froze right under her big nose. “Just come to pay my respects to it, actually. Without the extra income from this… establishment, your poor grandmother probably won’t be able to keep it open, will she?”
    My lips thinned in an unfriendly way. “My grandmother would do just fine. And the Funky Wheel isn’t going anywhere.”
    “I guess we’ll see, won’t we?” She flicked a choppy piece of blonde hair out of her face.
    I’d had enough of the dancing around, and I let it show in my voice. “You won’t live to see it if you don’t get off my property, Miss Gross.”
    She left without saying anything more, but her eyes burned with hatred as she drove away.
    I let out a long breath. “You had to move to a town with old family rivalries. And magic.”
    Going through the usual motions, I opened up shop and got through the first session without issue. Jeb manned the door, Amber sold tickets, and Stan lit up in the bathroom. It was nice to get back to basics.
    It couldn’t last though, and as I was rolling by the office, I heard Amber whisper in a petrified voice that she couldn’t let him in, because I’d told her not to. Grinning, I skated over to the front door and to her rescue.
    “Detective Bennett,” I said. “You’re a little late for couple’s dance— everyone’s already taken. But if you promise to feel me up, I’ll bite the bullet and skate with you.”
    “Don’t you mean promise not to feel you up?”
    Placing my hand on the doorframe, I blocked the entrance with my arm. “Now, where’s the fun in that?”
    Any residual amusement was wiped from his face, leaving only a professional mask. There wasn’t even any of the smug asshole I’d grown used to these past couple of days.
    “Please step aside, Miss Beck.”
    “No,” I said, cursing myself when a slight tremor of fear leaked into my voice.
    As though the Funky Wheel were an extension of my body, I could feel Jeb sitting in the far booth taking his dinner break. He’d be eating a slice of pizza with only one pepperoni on it— just like always. His plate would be full of the discarded fatty meats that didn’t make the cut, and he’d be reading the same 90s teen magazine that had been in the office forever.
    Surprisingly, Bennett’s face softened a fraction. “You can’t stop this, Harper. The rope matches the one from Hardie’s that the victim was tied down with. That’s enough to arrest, even without the cloves.”
    “He didn’t do this,” I said, wishing I could tell Jeb to run.
    Grabbing me gently by the arms, Bennett rolled me out of the way, straightening his tie before heading toward the dining section. I stood there, watching, thinking it was a minor miracle my twenty-foot legs didn’t slide out from under me.
    Jeb stood when he saw the detective coming, towering over him, but he didn’t run. As if the Funky Wheel were cognizant