Morgan followed her in, the smell of ground coffee lingered in the air. She looked around at the coffee shop, which was full of lush green plants, an assortment of statement piece crystal towers and prints of the actual house from the movie it was named after. ‘Wow, why have I never been here before? This place is amazing.’
‘Well, I’m a firm believer in things happening at the right time, so this is your time to discover my little shop and café, welcome to Practical Magic, I’m Annie.’
Morgan turned to stare at her. ‘Annie Graham?’ Will had told her about this place and his wife’s brushes with all sorts.
‘Yes, technically, although I’m Annie Ashworth now.’ Annie arched an eyebrow at her. ‘I don’t believe I know you though, although I know your name and I’ve heard a lot about you, Morgan.’
Morgan’s cheeks burned red. ‘Will?’
Annie laughed. ‘Yes, Will, he’s a bit of a gossip, in the nicest way possible.’
‘He’s a nice guy, a good boss, I worked for him for a few weeks.’
‘I think he’s pretty good too. Why don’t you take a seat. Would you like a coffee? And then you can tell me how I can help you, Morgan.’
‘I would love a latte, if it’s not too much trouble, it’s been one heck of a long day.’
‘A latte it is, would you like some peppermint slice? I find it the perfect pick me up when I’m lagging and need an energy boost, it’s also great for clearing headaches.’
‘Oh God, yes please, that sounds perfect. Do you mind if I look around the shop?’
‘Help yourself.’
Morgan began browsing the shelves. There were so many books on witchcraft, the moon, spirituality, then there were pretty hardback versions of some of her favourite classics:Dracula, Frankenstein, Wuthering Heights, The Picture of Dorian Grey. She turned around and spied a shelf full of jars of familiar herbal teas. Picking one up she smiled. ‘You know my aunt Ettie.’
Annie put the tray of coffee and cake down on a table and walked to where Morgan was standing. ‘Is she your aunt? It’s a small world. She’s a gorgeous woman and her teas are the best thing ever. They really work. I had to beg her to let me stock them as she was quite opposed to it at first, but then she said yes; and I believe there’s another shop in Kendal that sells them now. I love her to bits, she’s so kind.’
Morgan nodded. ‘She is a lovely lady, and this is such a wonderful shop. I’ll be back tomorrow to buy one of everything.’
Annie laughed. ‘They must be paying you better than they paid me when I worked for the police then.’
‘Haha, definitely not, but I can’t resist those books.’
They sat down and Annie pointed to the peppermint slice. ‘Have some of that and then we’ll talk.’
Morgan had never felt so comfortable in another woman’s presence. She felt as if she’d known Annie forever. Through a mouthful of cake, she told her, ‘This is amazing, do you make it yourself?’
‘No, I’m afraid as much as I love baking it doesn’t love me. My mother-in-law is an amazing baker, and she makes all the cakes.’
‘Pure heaven, do you need anyone else to help out?’
‘Something tells me that you love your job too much to leave it, the thrill of the chase, the hunting down the bad guys and helping out the people who need it most. But if you ever do decide enough is enough then I would happily find space for you, Morgan. There’s something about you that is so familiar, yet I can’t figure out what.’
She laughed. ‘You’re right, at the moment I love it too much even though I’ve been in some terrible scrapes, but I do like the thrill of the chase and hunting down the bad guys as you put it.’
‘So, what’s brought you to me today?’
Morgan paused for a second, wondering how much she could tell Annie and decided that she could trust her. She’d been one of them and her husband was a DS just like Ben, so she would be acutely aware of the need for discretion.
‘This hasn’t been released yet, but we’re investigating the murders of the Lawson family last night. Well, the press and public know about the house fire, but not that they were killed before it started. I know I can trust you with this information.’
Annie looked sad. ‘You can, that’s just horrific but I don’t think I know them.’
‘Sally Lawson came to visit the shop last week, when she thought she was being haunted. I think she bought some tarot cards.’
‘Oh no, not that lovely lady who owns the beauty salon in Rydal Falls? She never told me her surname, but I remember now she introduced herself as Sally. Bless her that’s awful.’
‘It is, I spoke to her colleague at the salon before I came here, and she told me that Sally was concerned she was being watched. Could you tell me anything she said to you about it?’
