Doom and Broom

Chapter 1

One

"I'm engaaaaaaged!"

I look up from my phone as Topaz bounces into the room with a huge grin and enough energy to fuel the fire under Grammie's cauldron. She holds out her hand to me, showing off the gorgeous ruby and topaz band sitting on her ring finger.

Only the shock of the situation stops me from whistling appreciatively. Who knew Officer Steve had such good taste in jewellery?

"Look, look, look, I'm engaged," she sings, twirling around to show Grammie too. "I can't believe it."

Nothing about the way she's speaking suggests she's in the slightest bit unhappy about it. But this is Topaz. She has a habit of not always thinking things through.

"Wow, that's so quick. I thought you'd only been dating for three months?" I don't even try to keep the surprise out of my voice. I have far too many questions for that.

"Three and a quarter," she corrects almost as if she anticipated the question. "But that hardly matters. I know he's the one. We could date for years and the way I feel wouldn't change."

A small smile tweaks my lips up. I can hardly believe that boring, tame, responsible Steve is the one who has stolen my sister's heart. But there's no denying how adorable they are together, and something about Steve seems to bring out the responsible side in my sister. She deserves the stability and support, especially after the way Blake used to treat her.

"I'm really happy for you." I get to my feet and pull her into a hug.

It takes her a moment to realise what I'm doing, but she soon relaxes into me. We don't hug often, but there's no denying this is a special occasion and deserves to be treated that way.

"Congratulations."

"Thank you," she whispers.

Grammie smiles approvingly from where she watches over us. She's always been working to bring us closer together and I think she sees this as a victory.

I don't say anything. This is Topaz's moment. I may be an annoying little sister, but I'd never do anything to ruin this for her.

Topaz pulls away so she can admire her ring again, staring at it with a mixture of admiration and disbelief. "I'm so happy, I could cry."

She sighs wistfully and sits down next to Grammie, starting to regale her with a blow-by-blow of the evening Steve planned for her.

I return to my comfy spot on the other sofa and curl my legs up under me, only half listening to what she's saying. It's not that I'm not interested, more that she's repeating the same things over and over. Maybe I should get her a thesaurus as an engagement gift.

"You approve right, Grammie?" Topaz asks, a serious note in her voice. "You don't think I should marry another witch or someone from our community?"

I freeze in my spot, desperate to hear the answer. Grammie's never given any indication that she dislikes either Steve or Ambrose, and she even let Ambrose stay here while his house was a crime scene, but there's a big difference between dating and marrying someone.

If she says no, then I don't know what it means for the future of my relationship, not just Topaz and Steve's.

Grammie reaches out and takes both of my sister's hands in hers. "You can marry whoever makes you happy." She shoots me a quick look that says she knows I'm listening and why I'm interested. "I felt like the happiest woman in the world the day I married your grandfather. That's what I want the two of you to feel."

"But he was a witch," I whisper.

Grammie chuckles. "So he was. But it wouldn't have mattered to me if he'd been human."

"Grammie!" Topaz exclaims. "A human? But you'd have had to hide your magic."

Grammie chuckles. "Maybe. But I doubt all of the witches who have ever married humans kept that part of themselves secret forever."

"I don't think I believe you," my sister counters.

"You can barely keep your magic secret from people you're not dating," I point out, thinking back to shortly after her arrival when she got arrested for doing magic in public. That wasn't the best impression to make on my colleagues at the Paranormal Police Department.

"I was used to the rules in France."

I raise an eyebrow.

"It's fine. I'm not going to do that anymore," she says firmly. "It's all in the past."

I don't say anything, but a small part of me isn't so sure. Topaz isn't always known for making the most rational decisions. Though I have to admit that things are different this time. Ever since she came home from her ten-thousandth break-up with Blake, she seems more settled and hasn't been anywhere near as flaky. And she's managed to keep her job as the Paranormal Police Department receptionist for months now.

My phone buzzes and lights up from where I left it on the arm of the sofa. Ambrose's name flashes across the screen and a smile spreads over my face just at the thought of hearing from him.

I unlock it and pull up the message, excitement bubbling up within me as I realise he's on his way here to pick me up for a new case. If there's one thing I love more than spending time with Ambrose, it's solving murders with him.

I refuse to think it's weird. Every couple needs a hobby.

This one just happens to have the added advantages of paying us, and putting bad guys behind bars.

"I'm sorry to cut the celebration short, but Ambrose should be here to pick me up any minute," I say.

"A new case?" my sister asks.

I nod.

"That's okay, we can celebrate later."

"Drinks with the girls?" I suggest, only realising once the question is out of my mouth that it's the perfect example of how things have changed between us. I'm still not clear on how we ended up sharing a friend group, but I don't hate it nearly as much as I feel like I should.

"You bet," Topaz beams.

I get to my feet and wave at the two of them.

"Oh, and Amy?" my sister calls after me.

I pause in the doorway and turn around. "Yes?"

"If Mike's on duty, tell him that I expect his paperwork to be filed properly in the morning, I don't want to have to do it again for him."

"Mike?"

She sighs. "Officer Sullivan. Seriously, Amy, you've been working with the PPD for a year now, you really should start learning people's names."

"You know I'm not good with names. That's why I need you."

She shakes her head in bemusement. "Say hi to Ambrose for me."

"I will."

I make my way downstairs to the shop, making sure to grab my coat on the way. I step into the darkened room just as the front door closes. A ball of white and brown fur dashes past my legs as Rover makes a beeline for the stairs without even stopping to say hello to me. The spaniel knows the drill by now. He gets to stay here with Grammie and Topaz, while me and Ambrose go solve crimes.

"Hello?" Ambrose's warm voice calls out, making me feel reassured and comfortable even with one word.

"Coming," I call back, already slipping my coat on.

I pass Herbert and pat the stone cat on his head, earning a bemused vibe from the gargoyle. He certainly likes to show his approval of Ambrose more since the two of them had their heart to hearts while living here.

I appreciate that. There's nothing a girl needs more in a relationship than the approval of her family cat.

Ambrose steps further into the shop and my heart flutters at the sight of the handsome detective with his smart suit peeking out from under his open trench coat. It's a timeless style that fits him perfectly.

"Hey," he smiles.

"Hi." I rest a hand against his chest and go up on my toes to give him a quick kiss. "It's good to see you." Even though I literally saw him this morning, I can't help but miss him when he's not around.

He releases a low chuckle. "Likewise. Did you see Rover?"

"Yes, he totally ignored me when he raced in. I bet he's already sitting on Grammie's lap."

Ambrose laughs. "I bet. They've taken well to each other."

I make an agreeing noise. I never thought of Grammie as a dog person, but she and Rover seem to have created a bond at some point in the last six months, and now the two of them are basically inseparable.

"So we have a case?" I'm unable to hide my curiosity. It's late for me to be going with him. As a PPD consultant instead of a detective like Ambrose, I'm only called on when they think I may be able to help with the case.

Though sometimes I think Ambrose stretches the definition of that.

Still. A late-night crime scene is unusual.

His smile ebbs away and makes place for his serious detective face. "We do."

"I sense a but." I eye him, trying to think what could be making him so wary.

"I don't want to tell you what to do, and the captain will have my guts for garters if he knew I was trying to put you off, but I wouldn't be upset if you sat this one out." The gravity in his tone is hard to ignore and I know Ambrose wouldn't be warning me if he didn't think there was a good reason for it. He knows what I'm capable of.

"That bad?"

"Not necessarily, it's just—" he thinks for a moment. "Our victim died in a burning house and those are always the hardest to stomach. Last time we had one, Doctor Barnes' apprentice ended up quitting."

"Stacey's going to be there?"

He chuckles dryly. "She is the head pathologist."

"Right." Sometimes it's easy to forget that the bubbly blonde woman who loves to drink cocktails with little umbrellas while wearing a bright pink dress is a serious scientist.

"It's up to you, but I know we haven't had a case like this before." He's nervous. Probably more so than I've ever seen him before, and that includes when the whole police force though he might be guilty of murder.

I appreciate his sentiment and let him know by pressing a kiss on his cheek. "I'll be okay."

"Okay, then let's go. I'm badly parked."

"Isn't that a privilege as a detective?" I tease.

A smile brightens his sombre face. "The tow companies don't seem to think so."

I step through the front door of the shop and allowAmbrose to close and lock it behind him. A small thrill goes through me seeing him use the key. It's such a silly thing, but I've never been in a relationship as serious as this before, and I like the reminders of it.

Besides, isn't that what I'm supposed to focus on when I'm about to face one of the horrors the world has to offer?