Painted Spirits: A Chocolate Magic Cozy Mystery - Book 7 Read online

  Bart said that he could see a ball of light on the steps and Chloe looked where he said.

  “I can see a man,” she whispered and gripped her uncle’s hand so hard, he winced.

  9

  “It’s the cowboy. I can see him as well,” Declan said very calmly as if it was something everybody saw every day. In fact, he did see them every day but had learned how to switch off and block out anything that he didn’t want to see.

  “Is it the man in the picture?” Magda asked and Declan described what he could see.

  “Is that what you see as well, Chloe?” Merle asked and the girl said it was.

  “Hello, cowboy on the stairs,” Merle started to call out. “Thank you for coming forward.”

  “Can you bang once to let us know you can hear us please?” Magda asked and there was an instant response. Chloe and Shelby both gasped.

  There was clearly a nicker from a horse straight afterward and they all looked at Branston. The sound was definitely beside him and he put up a hand to his shoulder as if there was a horse there.

  “Is this your grey?” he asked and there was a bang.

  Chloe looked at Declan and he nodded at her.

  “I know. I can see it as well.” Chloe let go of the hands and went to Branston.

  “There’s a grey stallion right behind you, Branston. He’s as big as your black one and has very gentle eyes.” She reached up her hand and there was such a loud nicker and it was so real, that they all jumped. She went back to the circle and looked at the stairs.

  “Are you Cody Jones please?” she asked and there was a quick and instant bang.

  Merle broke in and told the cowboy that Shelby and Chloe were descendants of his friend, Al Bentley.

  “Did you already know that?” she asked, and the bang was instant again.

  “Do you know that I practice the same way you did and I’m in the rodeo in two weeks?” Chloe asked and could not take her eyes off the stairs where a vision of the man she had grown up admiring was standing.

  The cowboy nodded and there was a bang at the same time.

  “I have found a grey gelding for Mikey and it will come and live here,” Branston told the thin air where he thought the man would be.

  “Would you like a grey in this stable again?” Magda asked and the bang was loud and quick.

  “I will breed horses one day and do what you did all those years ago,” Chloe said. “It’s what I want to do.”

  “He’s moving,” Declan said.

  “Stay still everyone,” Merle told them.

  Declan watched as the spirit of the cowboy came down from the stairs and went to Branston. He took the stallion and led it to Chloe. She held out her hand to the horse and the two spirits blended into a ball of light and bathed her in a warm golden glow before fading away.

  Chloe fainted and her uncle caught her as she fell.

  Branston had bottled water on hand as Merle was always thirsty after a session. He opened it and tipped some onto Chloe’s lips. Shelby held onto her until she came around and started to shake.

  “To the house,” Merle said, and Shelby carried his niece up the path and put her on the sofa.

  “It’s normal,” Merle said. “I sometimes faint as well. Just give yourself a few minutes and sip the water. Then have a drink of coke. The sugar helps.”

  Mikey handed Shelby a beer and told the others to help themselves. They sat around and went over what had happened.

  “Have you ever seen a spirit before?” Declan asked. Chloe looked at him. “I always did,” he added.

  She finally nodded and told them she had seen things when she was little and just shut them out.

  “I wanted to see him though and I guess it just happened.”

  “He wanted to see you as well,” Mikey said. “What about this grey, Branston?”

  Branston said that he had gone over the stock at the ranch and the grey gelding called Callum needed more rest than he had at the ranch. “He’s still fit and well. He’s very well behaved and he’s ready for semi-retirement.”

  “Sounds about right,” Mikey said.

  “I need electricity, a paved floor, and new stalls in there,” Rula said.

  Sam looked at Declan and laughed. “They need builders again.”

  The group broke up and went home with Sam and Declan promising to make a start on the building work. Mikey and Rula said they would find time to come and see the grey and Bart thought that he would like to dig a bit further into the history of Cody Jones.

  “And what the horses they bred were like,” Chloe added.

  “It would be good to go back and find out more information about the family,” Shelby agreed.

  Magda did catch him before they all went their separate ways to ask if she could see the horse sketches.

  “They are my personal drawings. I will bring them in and see what you think.”

  “He’s being far too modest,” Chloe said and smiled at her uncle. “He uses just a few strokes and the horse appears on the page. I love them.”

  “But you love all horses,” her uncle pointed out.

  “Are these real horses or some that you dream about?” Merle asked and cast a quick look at Declan to see if he was on the same wavelength.

  “They are both,” Shelby said looking from one to the other. “You mean that the ones from my dreams might be actual horses from the past?”

  “Oh heavens,” Chloe exclaimed. “The painted ponies1, did you dream about those?” He smiled and nodded.

  “We have to see them,” Katie said. “Would you mind having prints made and sold if we wanted to?”

  “I’ll tell you after you see them,” he laughed. “I don’t normally put them out there. It might feel a bit strange.”

  Chloe flicked on her phone. Her wallpaper background was Merlin and she passed it to Katie.

  “I have this one in my bedroom,” she said.

  Katie drew in a sharp breath.

  “How long did it take you to do this?” she asked Shelby. He smiled.

  “About thirty seconds.”

  “Like you did with Sam and the baby?” Magda added and he nodded.

  “Do you know how rare that is to be able to do that?” Katie asked. “Please let us see them.”

  “Okay,” he agreed. “I have quite a lot of them. See you tomorrow.”

  Magda and Sam made sure the baby was fed and comfortable after her evening adventure and stood over the crib enjoying the little one breathing evenly with eyes closed.

  Magda went to find the sketch of Sam and the baby.

  “He did actually do that in thirty seconds and it’s obvious that the person is you. How does somebody pick up so quickly what will identify the subject?”

  “I guess cartoonists do that but not in thirty seconds,” Sam agreed.

  “I will find a frame tomorrow. There are plenty in the gallery.”

  “What did you think about tonight?” Sam asked as they made hot chocolate and sat in the living room. The cats came closer to see if there was a chance of treats but went away again looking slightly offended. Magda laughed and went for some treats. The felines all came back quickly and sat in a row. She shook her head and said that the four of them were spoiled.

  “To go back to your question, I had the feeling that Cody Jones had something more about him than we know. Don’t ask me why I think that. It was great to see Chloe and Shelby connect with the past. She’s very grown up for twelve.”

  “I have no doubt she will be a breeder of horses in the future. She’s bright, clever, and very talented with her horse riding.”

  Magda found the business card that the customer, known as Madge, had given her. She passed it over and told him about the conversation.

  “Her dad might just know some bits of gossip from the past that give us more information.”

  “We could give her a call and see if we can visit him,” Sam said.

  “I’ll call her tomorrow,” Magda said.

  They
finished off the night watching some late-night television in the bedroom and enjoying being together. The baby slept on until it was almost time to get up anyway as the next day rolled around.

  “Declan and I will ask what Rula wants and see if we can fit it in. With the building crew, it would be just a day’s work, I think.” He roared away as ever in the enormous truck. Magda talked to her daughter about horses and how Jessie was now part of the family. Crystal prowled around checking on everything and when it was time to leave, the cat retired to the sofa and curled her tail around in a contented position.

  “Glad somebody is happy,” Magda gave the little cat a stroke and then did the same for the others.

  The café produced its magic as usual and she enjoyed the feeling that she felt every time she walked down the alley and saw what she had created.

  Katie and Rula arrived, the huge, gleaming drink makers switched on and the chocolate vat murmured into life. Katie went to open up the gallery.

  Magda knew that Katie would be involved with the gallery. She saw that the stallholders were setting up and coming through for coffees to get themselves started.

  “I’ll have to try and make some of the old favorites,” she told Rula.

  Her friend looked at the chiller and nodded.

  “Strawberry cream, orange liqueur, gin and crème coffee.”

  “Better start then,” Magda said and donned an overall apron and plastic gloves. She had made the centers for the low stocks and put them in the chiller, when she remembered the card in her bag. Sitting beside little Samantha, she gave Madge a call.

  “You are welcome to come over this evening if you like,” Madge said. “Dad loves visitors. I’ll tell him. He can be thinking back to the days when he was a keen horseman himself.” The address was on the card and Magda thanked her. She told Rula that she would pop over to the gallery and found the place humming with people talking happily and the stalls all selling enough to make them happy. Ava had relaxed and started to enjoy selling. Magda fell for some naturally made perfume and bought a spray of rose geranium on her way.

  The café would be gearing up for lunchtime and she went back over to serve customers.

  “I’ll go and let Katie have lunch when this rush is over,” Rula said as Sam and Declan arrived for their usual sandwiches. Declan went back to see how Katie was doing and Magda told Sam about the invitation for the evening.

  “Shall I give Aunt Alison a call and see if she can babysit?” he suggested, and she agreed. He pulled out his cell phone just as Bart arrived and slid onto his corner stool with a slightly wicked smile on his face. Magda noted but waited to see what he would tell them when he was ready.

  Rula went off to relieve Katie and she came back with Declan.

  “Alright, Bart,” Magda said at last. “What are you looking so smug about?”

  Declan and Sam kept on eating. Katie found herself something but had one ear open for the reply.

  “The place closed for breeding and there was a mystery about why. It was a successful and profitable business, but something happened. They sold the stock and the land and shut it down.”

  10

  “Wow,” Magda said. “Any clue as to what it was?” He shook his head and said he would go on searching. She told them about the visit to Madge’s in the evening.

  “The old man might be able to tell us more,” she said.

  “I don’t suppose the family knows because they never mentioned it,” Sam said.

  “Shelby is bringing the horse sketches. We can ask him,” Katie said.

  Sam finished his food and went to find his baby daughter. He sat in the little screened off baby room and called out to see if Magda had checked the cats. He pulled out his own cell and used the app to look into the living room. Crystal was looking directly at the camera as usual and beside her on the floor was a pile of cushions and covers that she had pulled off the chairs.

  “Magda,” Sam called. “Have a look at the cat camera.” Magda looked and passed the phone around.

  “Now what is the little minx up to?” she asked.

  “She did that with the horse blanket,” Sam said as he appeared with the baby in his arms.

  “Maybe it was because it was just a blanket and not a horse blanket. She could not have known it was for Jessie,” Magda added.

  “Nothing has happened to point us toward soft furnishings,” Katie laughed.

  She went back to the gallery and then called Magda to say could the others come and look at the sketches.

  “Mikey and I are already spreading them out in the upstairs room.”

  Rita told them she would manage for a while and the five of them walked through the cellar doors and into the bustle of a successful craft exhibition, up the stairs and into one of the rooms they used as storage.

  “No space downstairs and we wanted to make sure these were not damaged,” Mikey said and stood back from the table. Shelby said hello and stood beside Mikey as the others pored over the sketches. There was silence and the artist started to bite his lip. These were his personal drawings that up until now, he had kept for himself. The others looked up from the pictures and turned around.

  “I’ll pack them up,” Shelby said. “They’re just my own doodlings.”

  “You will do no such thing,” Katie told him and smiled at his concerned face.

  “Shelby, these almost make me cry with emotion,” Magda told him.

  “I love them,” Rula said. Sam and Bart agreed, and they all looked at Katie to see what she proposed doing about it.

  “Are you willing to have them framed and displayed, first of all?” she asked, and he nodded and looked from one to the other of them.

  “I don’t want to sell the originals, but I don’t mind selling prints.”

  “That was my next question,” Katie said.

  “Were these four the painted ponies that Chloe mentioned?” Magda asked and he nodded.

  “She loves them. When she’s older, I’ll give them to her anyway.”

  “Those ones,” Mikey said, “are the whole body of the ponies and the rest are mostly heads.”

  “Those and the grey stallion,” Shelby answered. “I saw them as whole horses and I think now, in the light of finding out about Cody Jones, that they mean something.”

  “You have a fantastic gift, Shelby,” Sam said. “I can sketch because I do architect drawings but how you find the feel of a horse with two or three strokes is unbelievable.”

  “And my sketches are outlines for finished paintings. They wouldn’t stand alone. These are almost like calligraphy,” Katie added.

  “Wow. Thanks, guys.” Shelby was a bit overwhelmed by the praise.

  “The frame should match the style,” Katie said. She looked at Declan. “Where did we see those white ones. That is what they need.”

  “That nice man who does upcycling has a stall downstairs. I bet if we gave him the frames, he could make them look like what you have in mind,” Magda suggested. Rula ran downstairs and came back with the man called Jay. She also brought a handful of plain frames of the right size. Jay was a bit taken aback at a roomful of people but when he saw the sketches and the frames, his eye took over.

  “I love them,” he said and held the frames. “The wider frame would have more impact. In fact, an even wider one would be better.” Rula went into the next storeroom and came back with three different ones.

  “He’s right,” Katie said and tried the different sizes over the sketch.

  “There are twenty all the same size,” Katie said to him. “How would you make them look white but also interesting?” Jay thought for a moment.

  “If they were mine, I would put on some texture, say something like pieces of bark and then use chalk paint to cover everything completely. Chalk paint doesn’t need an undercoat and has a lovely finish. If they became grubby, the owners could give them another coat.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Katie said.

  “I can do one tonight and see what you
think tomorrow,” Jay told her.

  She glanced around.

  “Okay with that?”

  “You as well, Shelby. They’re your drawings,” Sam added.

  “I’m living in some sort of weird dream world here,” Shelby smiled.

  “Join the club,” Jay said.

  “If it works tonight, can you do twenty for the weekend?” Mikey asked. Jay named his price and Mikey held out a hand.

  “Deal.”

  “Ye gods, the café,” Magda cried and she and Rula ran back downstairs. Rita was zooming around but there were a few customers waiting.

  “Apologies everyone. Choose a free truffle with your drink.”

  “I do love this place,” one lady said and went like an arrow for an orange liqueur. After the customers were served, Magda went back to coating the centers she had made earlier. She assumed Sam, Declan and Bart had all gone to work because they never reappeared.

  Shelby came through and said that he had left the drawings with Katie and she said she would make the prints.

  “I don’t suppose there was ever any talk in the family about why they stopped breeding horses?” Magda asked him. He shook his head.

  “Do you want to make sure the frames are okay before we do twenty?” Rula asked but he told them to go ahead.

  “I’ll get back to work. This is all a bit unreal somehow. I actually have an exhibition of work next week.”

  “I think Bart has researched some things about Cody Jones and will send you the copy before he publishes. We get a lot more visitors when he runs a story,” Magda told him.

  He went off and the afternoon came to an end without any further excitement. The truffle stocks were up to date. The stallholders in the gallery seemed to be happy. Ava said that she was planning a stall at the rodeo and Jay had offered to set up beside her to give her a hand.

  “They’re a friendly group of people,” Rula said. “I think they see each other at all sorts of markets and fairs.”

  “Well, let’s go and clean up whatever those cats have scattered across the floor, Samantha,” Magda told the baby. Her phone pinged and Alison said she would be over at six thirty to look after her great-niece.