Hallow Haven Cozy Mysteries Bundle Books 1-3 by Mara Webb (books to read fiction .txt) 📕

of them turned to see what it was, a crossbow arrow. It was wedged into the trunk of a tree, just beneath a Dictaphone that was balanced in a nook. Ryder stepped forward from the tree line with his crossbow aimed at Max, the other three turned to run before stopping abruptly.

A large silhouette was patrolling the clearing, it was snarling and growling enough that none of them wanted to get any closer.

“Now that we have your confessions, you guys are done,” I said, sitting up on the rock with my legs dangling off the edge.

“Hang on a second,” Max said, holding his hands up in surrender. “I think there’s been a mistake. I’m sure that Effie, my dear sweet Effie, will tell you that she gave me the book and that I was just following orders. I swear, she made me do all these things. She threatened me! If anyone is dangerous on this island, then it’s—”

“You snake!” Effie screeched as she ran towards him. “I can’t believe I even thought that we might get back together! You dirty liar, you thief, you… you killer! How dare you try and blame me for this! You stole my book!”

She was batting at him with a big stick and he was cowering. “Okay, okay!” he pleaded. Tim was looking nervous, and understandably so. Kate had just stepped into view beside Ryder. It was clear from the look on her face that she was furious, and that Tim was the focus of that anger.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw the beastly silhouette transform into a human one and Miller walked towards the group. He pulled handcuffs out of his back pocket and began to restrain the police officer, then the drummer who had never introduced himself.

Max was still being screamed at by Effie.

“Aren’t you going to arrest me?” Tim asked. “Don’t you think I should be in a big, concrete prison cell?”

“Oh no, you get a head start,” Miller smirked, gesturing towards Kate. “I’ll let Kate have a little conversation with you first, and I’ll come and drag you down to the station later.”

“Wait, what?” Tim said. Kate began charging at him with her eyes red like fire. He screamed and started to run towards the trees. I’d hate to be him right now. More police officers approached and took the men in handcuffs away, finally prizing Max away from Effie’s verbal assault and taking him too.

Ryder looked at me, then back at Miller. Did he know that we’d kissed? There was a sadness in his eyes as he turned and walked away down the hill. Before I could consider saying anything to him, Miller came over to hug me close.

“Easy tiger,” I laughed in his ear.

“When you disappeared, I thought that I’d done something wrong. Maybe I’d scared you away and you’d zapped yourself to another one of the islands. Kate and Effie came barging into the café, they’d sensed something was up and knew just where to look for you,” he explained.

“What about the tape recorder?” I said.

“I think Ryder put it there under Walter’s instructions,” he replied. Music started to boom from the beach down below and we both looked towards the sound.

“We should be down there,” I smiled. Miller leaned close to kiss me on the forehead and I felt the world go quiet for just a second. I wanted to linger in the moment a little longer.

As we walked down the hill, I could hear Scott’s voice over the microphone announcing Doe as the winner of the competition. The response from the gathered crowd was a mix of cheers and whistles, with a few groans from the other contestants that had lost.

I wondered what Damon would think of his newfound fame. I had suggested he play to the crowd at the music festival with his back to the audience, that way they would never see his face. Somewhere I could still hear Tim’s yelling as Kate continued to scream at him.

These islands were strange and often dangerous, but they were never boring. I still had so much to ask Walter about. I needed to know more about my family, about the magic I now possessed and the islands that I now had to protect.

A boom roared out into the sky and Miller grabbed my hand, pulling me down to the ground as he shielded my body. Screams echoed from the beach. It sounded like a cannon had fired into the air. It boomed again. Somewhere across the water, on one of the outer islands, it seemed war had broken out.

What now?

Witch in the Water

Book Three

1

Another boom roared. Miller was still covering me with his body as the sound of panic echoed across the beach, but then a familiar voice shouted my name.

“Sadie! There you are,” Kate laughed. I looked up from under Miller’s arm and saw my friend standing tall above us. “It sounds like you guys are about to be busy. They haven’t kicked things off like this in a very long time, truly one for the books this one!”

“Why are you laughing?” I said, muffled by the weight of the officer who was still shielding me. I wriggled and struggled against his limbs so that I could stand up, I could sense that he was on edge trying to figure out what was making the sound.

“I’m laughing because you guys are acting as if there are planes dropping explosives onto the island,” she laughed. Kate’s emerald bangs had grown out a little and kept falling over her eyes, it meant that she kept awkwardly flicking her head to the side to shake them out of her way. The rest of her hair was jet black. Her and her sister loved hair dye equally.

“What is making that noise then?” I asked, looking over at the smoke billowing out from one of the distant islands across the water. “Is there a fire? Do they have gas cannisters over there? Is