Hallow Haven Cozy Mysteries Bundle Books 1-3 by Mara Webb (hardest books to read TXT) 📗

Did you guys manage to catch anybody?” Walter was jogging towards us at a speed that was slower than walking, both he and Ryder shook their heads. “What do we do? They had Mrs. Hall on the rock up there.”

“Well, I have good news and bad news,” Kate grimaced. “Which do you want first?”

“Always say bad news first,” Ryder answered. “Then the good news can be a palette cleanser.”

“Okay, well the bad news is that Scott, you know Scott from the radio station?” Kate asked. I nodded. “Well he decided that the contest would be better if we did it like those big TV competitions instead of the way I had planned. That means that the listeners get to vote for the winner, and we are no longer judging it.

“Max’s band have been getting a lot of votes and they are currently in the running to take the big prize. If they win this then there could be dark consequences for all of us.”

“What sort of consequences?” I asked, nervously.

“Oh you know, destruction, flooding, disease… nothing major,” Greta mumbled.

“What do we do then? If they are going to win this thing, and we can no longer pick the winners ourselves, what do we do?” I said, standing a little taller as the energy returned to me.

“We have to go full Kelly Clarkson,” Effie announced. She had joined our gathering at the end of a side street and was holding a wooden spoon, her face locked in a scowl.

“Pardon you?” Walter said.

“When our girl Kelly was on American Idol, we were obviously, like the nation, obsessed. We found a little work-around for how many times you were allowed to call in and vote,” Kate smirked. “I’ll not go into details, but basically Eff is suggesting we call in and vote for someone else.”

“I have questions about a lot of that, but I think I have another idea,” I said. “When is the deadline for the competition?”

“Oh, well that brings me to the good news,” Kate announced. “I brought the end date forward to reduce the amount of time Max had to do sinister stuff!”

“That isn’t currently good news, Kate,” Effie sulked.

“Well I thought it would take that group of humans longer to figure out what they were doing! That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. But yeah, we have until midnight tomorrow, or tonight? I don’t know what time it is… we have around twenty-four hours anyway,” Kate said. “Surprise!” She was smiling at us in a way that suggested she wanted us to see the funny side, we didn’t.

“What’s your idea?” Ryder asked.

“I’m gonna keep my cards close to my chest, just for now,” I replied. Our eyes met again for a second and I felt extremely aware that there were people looking at us. “Give me until the morning, I will gather everyone back together at nine o’clock.”

“Make it nine thirty,” Kate protested. “My alarm clock is super fiddly, and it will take me forever to change it.”

“Kate, people could die!” Effie cried.

“Fine!”

The sisters turned to walk away, but then Effie looked back at me. “Where are you staying tonight?” she asked. I paused. Until she mentioned it, I hadn’t considered that it would be dangerous for me to go home alone after what had just happened. “That blank look on your face settles it, you’re with us tonight.”

“But—”

“No buts,” Kate laughed. “You’re being dragged into our lair for a second time, you lucky thing. Come on, we can eat cereal in our pajamas and talk about boys. Maybe that boy specifically.” She pointed at Ryder and I felt my cheeks burning. I staggered away from Ryder and into Kate’s embrace as she wrapped an arm around my waist to steady me.

“Magic used to wipe me out as a teenager,” Effie assured me. “My mom said it was all the sodas that were making me tired, but I knew. It won’t be like this forever, you’re just new to it.”

“Good to know,” I smiled. “I still can’t believe I used my magic at all, it’s like I just knew what to do. It’s so weird.”

“Yeah, this whole place is weird,” Kate smiled. She was unlocking the door to Pete’s Za, the pizza place that she worked at part time.

“Why are we going in here?” I asked.

“Do you actually think I walk to work every day?” she laughed. “No chance, I set up a portal months ago. It means I never have to get into a cab with Wes and I can set off for work, like, thirty seconds before my shift starts.”

We walked into the building and she locked the door behind us. Effie walked over to the menu that ran from floor to ceiling in a light box beside an old arcade game. She pulled at the menu and it swung out like a door, revealing a shimmering section of the wall. She stepped into the wall without hesitation and I stared in disbelief.

“Yeah, it’s not a great menu because Pete put the most expensive stuff right at the bottom and no one ever looks that low down. But in terms of concealing a magic portal, it’s a ten out of ten.” Kate helped me get close to the open menu/door and I could see a toggle on the back of it. “I just pull that as I’m stepping in, it closes the door behind us.”

She lowered her arm from around me and I shuffled forward a few steps, looking back at her for reassurance that I wasn’t just going to headbutt the tiles. She nodded her head towards the portal, gesturing with her hand for me to hurry up. I took a breath and stepped into the shimmering space with my eyes closed.

“Not bad, huh?” Effie said. The chatter from the high street was gone, it was now the comfortable silence of home after the rest of the neighborhood had gone to sleep. I opened my eyes and I was standing in the living room of