A Haunted Offer

By Carolyn Ridder Aspenson

Enjoy this quick magical cozy mystery read as a follow up to Spooks for Sale by USA Today Bestselling Author Carolyn RIdder Aspenson! 

 

Great news! I'm still working hard as a personal assistant/real estate agent! I've been doing this for over a year now, so I'm pretty sure I can call it my official career. 

 

Honestly, I don't know if I could stop if I wanted to. Being the only witch in Swan Hollow with the gift to see ghosts, I'm the only one who can help the dead...and apparently, there are quite a few haunting these old homes. 

 

Now I'm tasked with figuring out the mysterious death of a ghost haunting my current client's home. If I can figure out what happened to him, he'll move on, and I can sell the place. But I have to do it quickly, because other lives are at risk, as is a big commission, and I've got bills to pay! 

 

If you like witch cozy mysteries, you'll love this quick read novella! 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Carolyn Ridder Aspenson
• Release date: Feb 25, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393176787

Carolyn Ridder Aspenson

A native of Indiana, Carolyn spent a good portion of her youth and adult life in the northwest Chicago suburbs, where she dabbled in the health and fitness industry until finally landing a full time career in insurance.  Not liking the cold, gray winters of Chicagoland, Carolyn moved to a bright and sunny suburb outside of Atlanta, Georgia.  She started her professional journalism career in Cumming, Georgia, where she continues to work as a freelance writer for various media outlets including print and Internet publications.   A life long fitness enthusiast, Carolyn writes a monthly column for Northside Woman, an Appen News monthly magazine. Carolyn enjoys reading, but considers herself a genre snob, reading mostly mysteries and some chick lit.  She loves to read Harlan Coben, Robert Crais and the late Robert Parker, whom she feels was the ‘most incredible writer ever’. Married since 1998 to her ‘hottie hubby’, she is the mother of three children and two very old, very high maintenance dogs. Carolyn doesn’t see ghosts, but swears she would be okay with it as long it was during the day. Keep in touch with Carolyn by visiting her website at www.carolynridderaspenson.com

Book preview

1

Swan Hollow is a magical, beautiful place to live, but it doesn’t come without its own unique problems. For starters, though magic abounds, there are restrictions and rules dictating how witches like me are allowed to use it. That puts a damper on things like ordering pizza. Instead of just making it appear magically, I have to follow the human process. When I wake up at two o’clock in the morning with a supernatural sized craving, it’s a Totino’s microwavable for me.

Another downer about living in this magical town is the weather. Swan Hollow only has two seasons: hot and humid, or less hot and humid. Witches don’t have the same molecular makeup as humans. We’re not impacted by temperature or humidity—thank you, Goddess—but it would be nice to have the traditional four seasons for a change. They’re each stunning in their own right, and watching the world change with every season would make my heart swell.

Especially now, in the fall, when everything is all about the supernatural. Witches love fall. It’s our season, our time to do all things witchy, be all things witchy, and experience all things witchy. Okay, that might be an exaggeration. No, witches don’t have the freedom to do whatever we want whenever we want. We just love fall because it’s a traditionally witchy season for humans, and it’s easier for us to get our witch on if you know what I mean.

Halloween is fun no matter the temperature, and Swan Hollow residents live by the go big or go home theory when it comes to celebrating the holiday. Every house, business, school, park, building, and sidewalk has some kind of Halloween décor. Not one single resident considers it overkill. No matter how many pumpkins, goblins, ghosts, and scarecrows are set up around town, everyone wants more.

This is why I had to drive out to Savannah to get décor for a home listing my boss, Iris Blackwood, recently handed over to me. I didn’t want to spend a lot of money—human or supernatural. I'd checked Calloway Hardware and the few boutiques offering handmade décor, but they were all sold out. I had no other option but to go where I’d pay nearly triple in human cash for paper pumpkins and string spider webs. Iris would reimburse me, but the frugal side of me hated spending money that way.

I finished up in Savannah quickly and then headed back toward the listing, making a quick pit stop for a peach and cinnamon tea at Dew Drops and Tea Pots.

Esmerelda greeted me with a big hug. How’s the home selling business going, honey? I’d never met a witch as nice as Esmerelda, and I’ve known many witches.

It’s going. I hadn’t meant for that to come out with a sigh.

She propped her elbows on the café counter and rested her chin in her hands. You got something going on you want me to fix?

Dew Drops and Tea Pots wasn’t an ordinary café coffee shop, and Esmerelda wasn’t a typical witch. The café was her magical medicine cabinet. Esmerelda used her teas and treats to heal the emotional and physical pains of humans and supernaturals in town. Have high blood pressure? No problem. She’ll get that under control with a pinch of flaxseed and a splash of her specially filtered water. I’ve always wondered what she did to filter her water, but Esmerelda kept secrets better than the dead. Or considering my life as of late, most of the deceased.

"Iris wants me to decorate the Anderson home for Halloween, but it’s barely furnished, and it’s not getting any viewings anyway, so I don’t see the point.

I thought decorated homes sell faster than empty ones? Something is better than nothing if you ask me, but let Iris guide you. She knows how to do these things.

No, I don’t mean stage it, I mean to decorate it. For Halloween. I told her my tea choice, and she prepared it for me.

Oh, why in the dickens would she want to do that?

I threw my arms up in the air. That’s what I’m saying! And I had to drive out to Savannah to get stuff because Calloway’s and every other place in town are completely picked over. All the good stuff is gone.

Savannah’s not far. She handed me my tea.

No, but it’s expensive.

Let Iris worry about that. She leaned against the counter and sipped on her own tea concoction. I can’t believe the Andersons moved out like they did. I thought they loved that home.

I shrugged. I think when Holly sold it to them, they did, but you know the rumors.

She nodded. It’s too bad. Even if Old Mr. Mayfield is haunting the place, he won’t hurt a flea. He was the nicest warlock in town. It was a sad day when he passed.

I didn’t really know him.

He didn’t get out much those last few years. He was too fragile, and it was just too much for him. And that family of his didn’t make things any easier. She shook her head. The whole thing is just so sad.

I wanted to share my secret with Esmerelda, but I couldn’t. I wasn’t ready, and I didn’t want to draw attention to myself. I’ve only told one being, Abershama Calloway, a shapeshifter in town. And I’ve only told her because previous