Pumpkin Spice & Poltergeist (Maple Hollow #1)

Iris had taken over the customer service side of things for the last few nights while I’d rung people up in my nearly comatose state. Unfortunately, there were no elixirs on the shelf that fixed a broken heart—although there were some that would’ve helped numb the pain, but Iris refused to let me have them.

Lou sat cross-legged under the center table giving Ichabod scratches and it reminded me of the day I’d met Harlow, and my eyes misted with tears all over again. Goddess, I felt pathetic.

The apothecary hit a momentary lull, and Iris turned to me. “Finish your sandwich.” She pointed at the pile of breadcrumbs I’d picked at and the glass she’d set beside me three hours ago. Iris was determined to mother me through the heartbreak. I didn’t know what hydration had to do with a broken heart, but it seemed to be the hill she was willing to die on.

I picked up the glass and took a small sip.

The door opened and Rudy walked in, waving to a gaggle of tourists who were chasing him and snapping photos like paparazzi. His pumpkin head was certainly a crowd favorite. I didn’t know what lies the humans needed to tell themselves to make Rudy make sense, but they all staunchly believed he was just a man in an elaborate costume. If they knew his head was really a pumpkin, they’d probably all go running for the hills, yet here they were, shoving their kids in front of him to get a photo for their socials.

“The two of you owe me an explanation,” Rudy said by way of greeting. He held up the file on Lou’s autopsy.

Iris crossed her arms and frowned at him. “We returned it the day after we borrowed it as promised.”

Rudy’s smug expression fixed on me as his hand rummaged around in his messenger bag. “The last page was missing. Normally, I’d have to report the two of you for tampering with local government documents.” He held up a disheveled, stained piece of paper. “Luckily, I found it in the guttering by the gazebo.”

“Rats,” Iris muttered. “I worried there was still a page that got away in the wind.”

I propped my elbows on the desk. “Sorry, Rudy.” I could barely get the words out.

“Whoa,” he said, turning his pumpkin head to me, “you look like you’ve been hit by a truck.”

“It’s a girl thing,” Iris said out of the corner of her mouth.

I rolled my eyes. “Did that paper have anything of interest?” I gestured to the crumpled-up wad in his hand. “We already saw that the tox report didn’t show any alcohol in her system.”

Rudy pulled the edges of the paper apart and started smoothing it over the edge of the center table. “No alcohol. But this page shows saxitoxin in her system. My assistant failed to alert me to this particular toxin. Your intuition was right.”

I stood a little too quickly and my eyes spotted. Damn, Iris probably was right. I should’ve drunk more water.

“Saxitoxin?” Iris asked. “What’s that?”

“It’s a paralytic toxin released by a pretty rare type of freshwater fish,” Rudy said. “Did Lou have a penchant for exotic seafood?”

“No,” Lou grumbled, climbing out from under the table where she’d been petting Ichabod.

Rudy reared back, color draining from his flesh. “Well, damn. Hi, Lou.” He waved his spindly fingers. His hollow head twisted to Iris. “I’m guessing this is why you’re investigating her death?”

“Yep,” Iris said.

“I can’t remember what I ate that day,” Lou said. “It’s all a blur, really.”

“If you consumed this paralytic, that would make sense,” Rudy replied. “It starts off with disorientation and dizziness before you go completely numb. That’s probably why you ran off the road.” He scratched the orange skin where a chin should have been. “So, no fish that day?”

“There were lox!” I practically shouted as I rounded the table. “Lou said someone was eating lox.”

“Ah,” Rudy said. “They could’ve substituted one for the other. It looks very similar to salmon.”

“But who would have this weird kind of fish just lying around?” Iris asked.

Rudy shrugged. “Clearly, you’ve never been to a monster bash,” he said with a chuckle that echoed around his head. “The swamp monsters love that stuff.”

My heart skipped a beat. “Juniper,” I whispered. Heat prickled across my skin. “Juniper was in the square the night of the scrying.”

“Shit,” Iris hissed.

We both bolted toward the door at the same time. Rudy whirled around as we passed him and looked as if he were debating following.

“Thank you, Rudy!” I shouted as we stumbled into the street and practically bowled over Agnes.