Batter and Spells Read online

  "This is outrageous!" he yelled, banging his fist on the podium as he was prone to do. "The Mayor-for-All Rule was meant to help our island in times of distress, not to be used as a political tool." There was more banging. He was very fond of using his fists to pummel the podium. I think he thought it made him look strong or something.

  Megan hovered near the back of the stage, holding a bottle of water and some juice. She looked ready to jump the moment he told her to. At least she hadn't been in charge for very long. She looked like a lost sheep standing there. I still didn't understand why she'd left her job at Coffee Cove for this.

  "The Mayor-for-All Rule is here to protect us, not hurt us!" More banging. There were a few cheers, though not as many as Hadley had gotten.

  "If Hadley Miner wants to be the mayor of Heavenly Haven, she will have to go through me first!"

  This time, there were significantly more cheers. Although Mayor Thomas wasn't particularly popular right now, people still preferred the idea of being ruled by him than someone from Mistmoor. I thought that Eleanor had a real shot at beating him if she played her cards right.

  I looked around and saw Otis walking around, shaking people's hands and letting them pet Tadpole, who seemed to love the attention. The people he spoke with seemed genuinely interested in whatever it was he was telling them, and I wondered if he was using this time to pitch his own ideas about being mayor.

  A man in jeans and a flannel shirt came walking up to us. "Are you Eleanor Rose?"

  "Yes," Elanor said.

  "The same Eleanor who's running for mayor of Sweetland Cove?"

  "Yes," Eleanor said again, trying to be polite. She was looking at him while still trying to listen to Mayor Thomas.

  "Then this is for you," he said. Out of nowhere, he pulled a stylus from his pocket and aimed it at Eleanor.

  "Look out!" I cried so loudly several people heard me even above Mayor Thomas’ echoing voice.

  I moved quickly toward Eleanor, but Lottie was one step ahead of me. She pushed Eleanor out of the way. The light ray that shot out of the stylus narrowly missed them both, just managing to singe Lottie's hair. The assassin retreated quickly before the crowds could close in on him.

  "Oh, my roses," cried Eleanor.

  "Are you okay?" I asked.

  She nodded. Several people gathered to help them up. Someone was dialing Sheriff Knoxx.

  "Thank you," Eleanor said, hugging Lottie tightly. "You saved my life."

  Lottie was blushing. I hugged her, too. I couldn't believe what she'd just done.

  "What's this?" I asked, picking a piece of paper off the ground. It was a list of names, with dollar amounts next to each one.

  1. Quinn Thomas $35,000.

  2. Eleanor Rose $20,000

  3. Otis Winken $10,000

  4. Wilma Trueheart $10,000

  "It's a new list," I said, surprised and worried. "No wonder there are two assassins in town. One for Mistmoor, one for Sweetland."

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  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-EIGHT

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  We were in the waiting room at Sweetland Hospital. It wasn't Eleanor we were waiting on, though. After the assassin had attacked her, he ran off. Several people who'd seen the assault yelled after him, "Coward! Chicken! 'Fraidy cat!" The assassin was no coward, though. He had just attacked Eleanor in broad daylight, after all, in the middle of a crowd. This person had nerves of steel, if you asked me, though I hated to admit it.

  A few people had chased after him. Otis, who'd turned just in time to see the whole thing, had sprung into action. He chased the criminal through the crowd, around the stage, almost snatching a handful of his flannel as it trailed out behind him. Then someone who hadn't been looking walked right into Otis, tripping him, and sending Otis face first into a light pole. His nose had made a horrific crunching sound and started to bleed. Eleanor, Lottie, and I quickly gathered him up and drove him to the hospital.

  "Why doesn't Zane answer?" Eleanor asked, sounding worried. The television blared in the background. More stuff about the upcoming elections.

  "He's probably just busy," I said. "I'm sure he'll call you back as soon as he can."

  The waiting room at Sweetland Hospital was never fun. I tapped my foot, twiddled my thumbs, and tried to distract myself. I was sure Otis was all right, the worst that could've happened was that he had a broken nose, but it was still hard to take in the sounds of the emergency room and the smells of alcohol without feeling worried.

  Lottie's phone reception was worse than Lucy's. She went outside to call Trixie and my dad and tell them what was going on. Eleanor didn't want to talk to them herself, just now. She knew they'd just worry about her and she was fine. I watched Lottie pass through the sliding glass emergency room doors and go out into the sunshine.

  I noticed an ambulance pull up. The back doors opened and the paramedics pulled out a stretcher with a large male body lying limply on it. A second male stepped out behind them, his face drawn and worried. Colt. I stood up, trying to get a better look at who was lying on the stretcher.

  "Oh, my roses!" I cried. "Aunt Eleanor!"

  Eleanor looked at me, saw my pale face, and followed my gaze to Sheriff Knoxx. His face was bloody, and his eyes were closed. "Oh!" she cried, running toward him.

  One of the paramedics stopped her before she could get to the sheriff. I could tell they were worried she might crush him pulling him into a hug or something. She was frantic.

  "Colt!" I cried out. He looked surprised to see me but hurried over, grabbing Eleanor and helping her into a chair before she could faint. Her cheeks had lost all their color.

  "How did you get here so fast?" he asked. "I only left you a message like two seconds ago."

  "You did? I haven't even checked my messages. We've been here, waiting."

  "For who?" He looked confused.

  "Otis is here. We tried calling you and Sheriff Knoxx. He got hurt chasing one of the assassins."

  "Enough about Otis!" Eleanor cried. "Otis is fine! What happened to Zane?" She was near hysterics.

  Colt tried to keep his face smooth and relaxed. If he looked too worried, it would only make Eleanor's reactions worse. "We were at the station when we got a call from Wilma that you," he looked at me, "were standing outside her shop, eyeing her suspiciously. She thought you wanted to hurt her."

  "It wasn't me," I said immediately.

  "Yeah, we figured that. Wilma didn't know that though. We told her not to move, just to lock the doors and stay inside. When we got there, Sheriff Knoxx went around to the back. The assassin jumped him. It almost seemed..." His voice trailed off.

  "Almost seemed like what?" Eleanor prompted him.

  "Almost seemed like he was the assassin's target all along."

  "But he's not on the list," I said. "Wilma is. Probably because she's talking about running for mayor."

  "I'm not sure she cares about that anymore," Colt said. "I have the feeling she just wants to get off the island. I talked to her while we were waiting for the ambulance. She said some friend of hers is picking her up later and taking her back to the mainland."

  "Karla Louis?" I asked.

  "I think that's the one."

  "This is all very fascinating," said Eleanor, trying to keep her voice calm, "but what does this have to do with ZANE? HE'S NOT ON THE LIST!" She clapped her hands over her mouth, forcing herself not to yell again.

  Lottie came back in. She saw us sitting with Colt and quietly joined us, taking Eleanor's hand and patting it gently. To me, she whispered, "I saw the sheriff get wheeled in. I let Trixie and your dad know."

  "You're right," Colt said. "Sheriff Knoxx is not on the list, but you are."

  Eleanor stared at him a moment. "Oh, no. Oh, no. No. This is all my fault. The assassin attacked Zane to get to me. To scare me. Well, it worked. If the people I love are going to be attacked, then I'm
dropping out of the election. It's not worth it."

  "You can't let this stop you," Lottie said, her voice surprisingly strong and self-assured. "Sweetland needs a mayor."

  "Not at the expense of my loved ones it doesn't," Eleanor said.

  "Now you listen to me," Lottie said, yanking Eleanor out of her chair and grabbing her by the shoulders. "Sheriff Knoxx would not want you to give up. He's tough. He's part goblin, for crying out loud. He can take care of himself, isn't that right?" she demanded, rounding on me and Colt.

  "Oh, yes," we told her. "Absolutely."

  I wasn't sure I'd seen this side of Lottie before. She was compelling without being irritating.

  Dr. Dunne came out just then. He spotted Eleanor with her weepy eyes and didn't waste time delivering the news. "Eleanor," he said warmly, "the sheriff is going to be fine."

  She burst into tears.

  "How's Otis?" I asked.

  "His nose wasn't broken, just bruised. He'll have a good-sized bump for a while, that's all. He went down to the children's ward so they could say hi to Tadpole. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but Tadpole sure can brighten up a person's day."

  "Can I see him?" Eleanor asked. "The sheriff, I mean."

  "Of course," Dr. Dunne said. "Room 203. He's leaving as soon as our nurses finish cleaning him up though. No real harm done. Looked worse than it was."

  Eleanor didn't wait to hear more. She hurried down the hall. The television suddenly cut in with a loud, blaring whistle noise that hurt our ears. We all turned to it. Dean Lampton was on the screen, making an announcement.

  "The Witch's Council and COMHA have reached a decision. Three days from now, we will hold a general election for both Mistmoor Point and Sweetland Cove. The candidates from both towns will be on the ballot, and the winner will rule over Heavenly Haven as a whole. It is time to merge the towns together."

  "Oh, my roses," I whispered. "They did it. One mayor for both towns. It's exactly what Mayor Thomas wanted all along."

  I looked at Colt and knew what he was thinking. The rest of the town might not think Mayor Thomas was clever enough or cold enough to hire a group of assassins, but we knew better. Mayor Thomas was cold enough and calculating enough to get what he wanted, no matter what it took.

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  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-NINE

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  Election day. It was finally here. The dates of the election had been changed, canceled, and then changed again. Groups of people in both towns had rejoiced; other groups had rallied against the decision. Protestors filled the streets, picketing Sheriff Knoxx's station as well as Lincoln's. The most heavily picketed places, however, were outside the headquarters for the Witch's Council and the Council on Magic and Human Affairs.

  I was still in shock. A lot of people were. One minute, Dean Lampton had forbidden Mayor Thomas from taking over both towns on Heavenly Haven; the next, he was practically pushing for it. Dean clearly favored our mayor for the job. In the last few days, Dean and Mayor Thomas had been seen together in huddled conferences on street corners and several promo spots on television shaking hands. This, despite the fact that the Council on Magic and Human Affairs was not supposed to take sides. Then again, Dean had never been good at following the rules, so far as I could tell.

  The way I saw it, it would be a miracle if this whole idea of one mayor for both Sweetland Cove and Mistmoor Point actually ended up working out. Our two towns had almost the exact same number of people and no one from either town was going to vote for someone in the opposite town, though Hadley Miner and Mayor Thomas were both making a good run at it.

  Hadley seemed the most successful so far. She had promised not just to bridge the gap between our two towns, but to make sure that both sides were happy with whatever changes she made. "Happy" had not been a word used often by Mayor Thomas. She sounded sincere when she spoke and looked people in the eye.

  Mayor Thomas looked people in the eye, too, but his eyes always took a quick turn, shifting downward before you could get too good a look. What was that saying? The eyes are the window to a person's soul? It was like Mayor Thomas was fine with people looking at him, so long as they didn't see too much. He didn't want his soul exposed and made sure to turn away from you before you caught a glimpse of it.

  The other candidates had fallen by the wayside. Eleanor was not campaigning at all, even though her name would be on the ballot. Likewise, Otis, Wilma, Grayson, and Amanda had ceased trying to make a name for themselves; they just didn't think it was worth their time. Grayson had a restaurant to run. Otis had his duties as deputy. Amanda had her job as a magical elixir expert. Wilma had never even started campaigning. No one was even sure that she was still in town.

  Eleanor and Otis had never wanted to be mayor of all of Heavenly Haven, just Sweetland, so they had both sort of made the decision to sit back and see how things went. If the tide rolled in their favor, they would take the job. If it did not, no harm done. I suspected that Grayson and Amanda felt much the same way.

  One good thing that had come out of this, in my opinion, had to do with Russell and Colt. Now that everyone was so wrapped up in the elections, they had completely forgotten about Russell. The protestors were gone from the front lawn of Colt's apartment. The reporters and photographers had stopped following them. They were considered old news, which suited them just fine.

  The Council on Magic and Human Affairs had gotten so sidetracked in its normal day to day business that they had even eased up a bit on the requirements of Russell's release. He could now be left alone for short periods of time. Mostly because Dean Lampton needed Colt's help not just with the assassins, but making sure that the elections didn't turn into a crazy mob, especially on election day. In order to secure Colt's assistance with things, he'd okayed Russell's limited independence. It had been done quietly, without ever making the headlines.

  Heavenly Haven had never had a problem with looters and didn't want to start now. Colt and Sheriff Knoxx doubted that would happen, but I noticed that all the tourists in Sweetland Cove had cleared out, just in case. No one wanted to take chances.

  I'd been thinking more and more about what Karla Louis had told me during our brief stint together in Sweetland Jail. She'd said that Wilma and Thaddeus had known each other. I'd talked it over with my aunts, Dad, Lucy, Colt, basically anyone who would listen. I'd even begun confiding in Lottie Mudget, at least to an extent. I was careful what I said to her, knowing that whatever I told her was likely to end up getting spread around town. However, Lottie could also be a great sounding board, I'd discovered.

  Whereas Eleanor, Trixie, and my dad didn't think Wilma's previous association with Thaddeus mattered, Lottie suggested that it might. Wilma, she said, could have hired the assassins with the intent of destroying the island in some sort of crazy revenge plot.

  "Maybe Wilma thinks the island wronged her sister and wants it gone."

  "I think she just blames me and my family for Anastasia's death, not the whole island."

  "Yeah, but that was before she came here. She may have changed her mind. Plus, you're forgetting about Polly's incarceration. That wasn't up to you; that was up to COMHA. If she wants to destroy the party responsible for killing her sister and jailing her niece, it's not just as simple as putting your bakery out of business."

  "Do you really think Wilma might want to blow up Heavenly Haven?"

  Lottie scrunched her face up, thinking. "No, not really. But the point is, it's possible."

  The Mystic Cupcake had opened an hour earlier than usual today so that people could get their sugar fixes before going to vote, but that still hadn't been enough. The way the lines were stacked up, we could have stayed open twenty-four hours without business ever dropping off.

  Our voting station was inside the Sweetland Cove Library. Melbourne had refused to vote at first because the library brought back too many ba
d memories for him, but Trixie had finally convinced him it was his duty to vote. If for no other reason than to get rid of Mayor Thomas, who most people seemed to find extremely irritating nowadays.

  He kept insisting that he was the rightful heir to the position of mayor since he had discovered the Mayor-for-All Rule. Megan had finally pointed out to him that this election had nothing to do with the Mayor-for-All Rule. He had told her to go get him some coffee and relegated her workload to little more than that of a gopher.

  Eleanor, Trixie, my dad, and I were all taking turns voting. The shop was so busy it couldn't afford to be down more than one person at a time. I went first, waiting in line for an hour for the opportunity to cast my ballot. Of course, I voted for Aunt Eleanor, though I hesitated before doing so, but only because I knew she didn't really want to be mayor of Heavenly Haven in its entirety. She'd said she was voting for Otis just because she'd like the ideas he had about Sweetland. Still, I thought Eleanor might change her mind once the job was offered to her. It would be difficult to turn down the job of mayor.

  "How'd it go?" Trixie asked when I returned.

  "Fine. Fair warning, though. It's crazy down there right now." It was true. The energy in the library had been frantic, palpitating, though nothing about it had struck me as dangerous. Looters were not rampaging through the streets. No one had gotten hurt. The fears that the Witch's Council and COMHA had seemed mislaid.

  That night, after our shop was closed, we all took a seat, exhausted, listening to the results as they came out. The voting booths had all closed at seven, but they usually had a winner predicted by eight. Of course, this was a completely different election, larger than anything before it.