Skeptic in Salem: An Episode of Crime (A Dubious Witch Cozy Mystery—Book 2)

Skeptic in Salem: An Episode of Crime (A Dubious Witch Cozy Mystery—Book 2)

Fiona Grace

71.5k Words / Completed
1
Hot
102
Views

Introduction

SKEPTIC IN SALEM: AN EPISODE OF CRIME is Book #2 in a charming new cozy mystery series by bestselling author Fiona Grace, author of Murder in the Manor, a #1 Bestseller with over 100 five-star reviews (and a free download)!When Mia Bold, 30, learns that the pharmaceutical company she works for only cares about money, she quits on the spot, walking away from a high-powered career—and from her long-time boyfriend, who breaks up with her.With the podcast taking off, and with a romance brewing, Mia and the crew film the first episode of their new TV show, in the haunted house of one of the original Salem witches. Mia’s working hard to debunk the unexplained happenings—when suddenly, someone dies unexpectedly.Even worse—the suspicion falls on her.With her future at stake and her career and reputation on the line, Mia has no choice but to solve the inexplicable death. Could the cause be supernatural?A mesmerizing page-turner, packed with intrigue, mystery, romance, pets, food—and most of all, the supernatural—SKEPTIC IN SALEM is a cozy with a twist, one you will cherish as it has you fall in love with its main character and as it keeps you glued (and laughing) throughout the night.Book #3 in the series—AN EPISODE OF DEATH—is now also available!
Read More

Share the book to

facebooktwitterpinterestwhatsappreddit

About Author

Fiona Grace

Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

Mia Bold caught something strange out of the corner of her eye. She peered through the slanted witch window of her apartment. Was that a giant green goblin walking down the street? She watched the creature teeter down the sidewalk for a moment.

Oh, it’s a street performer on stilts,

she realized as it disappeared around the corner.

Outside, the Essex Street pedestrian mall was bustling with tourists. Below her window, the bells of Hatter’s Emporium jangled as each new customer came and went, buying trinkets and mementos of their spooky stay in haunted Salem, Massachusetts. Mia noticed the first blush of color in the trees. Autumn was fast approaching and there was a slight chill in the air. According to the locals, fall was the busiest time of year.

She had only just moved to Salem, so she was still considered a new resident. But she was starting to get the hang of the people and the place. She’d finally gotten around to unpacking all her stuff from her recent move from Fishtown, Philadelphia. Now her apartment was finally coming together and looking cozy and lived in. Mia had set up a little area by the window for her desk where the light streamed inside. The apartment was a bit dark, so she had bought some colorful artwork from local artists, an accent table to sit beside the maroon couch, some bright yellow throw pillows, and a fanciful, zebra print rug to pull the room together. The furniture was all midcentury modern and strangely back in fashion. Salem was filled with wonderful little trinkets, so Mia had bought a few out-of-print books on the paranormal and witchcraft, some old maps, and a pair of antique milk-glass smelling salt bottles displayed on her bookshelf.

Suddenly, a notification appeared on her computer.

Reminder!

Cast and Crew Call

Bell, Book, and Candle: Proof of Concept Pilot

Call Time: 1500 Hours

Location: The House of the Sea Witch—Derby Street

Mia stared at the call sheet nervously. Ollie Cooper, one of the producers, was sending the notice again, just to be safe. In a few hours the cast and crew of

Bell, Book, and Candle

would report to a haunted location by the waterfront in Salem, Massachusetts. For the first time ever, they were going to

film

an episode. And since Mia was the co-host, she would be on camera every second of the shoot. This would be a new experience for Mia and she had a terrible case of stage fright. Her co-host on the show, Johnny Astor, the charming Internet sensation, claimed it would be easy and had even given her a list of tips.

Don’t move too quickly, remember the camera adds ten pounds, don’t look directly into the lens.

But none of that really helped. Especially the ten-pound thing. The reality was, no matter what she did, she was about to be thrown in the deep end.

Mia tried counting to ten and letting out her breath slowly to release the tension. Tandy, her soulful, brown-eyed mutt, looked up at her with concern. He had an uncanny way of reading her mind and looked worried. Rose, the kitten, on the other hand, was too busy chasing imaginary butterflies around the carpet. Mia watched her play, noting that she was fast becoming a full-grown cat. Ghostly silver tiger stripes were becoming visible beneath her soft white fur and she had a whisper of rings on her tail. White cats were supposedly unlucky in Salem, but Mia adored Rose and didn’t listen to the supernatural gossip. Mia was running out of time so she got back to work, researching the haunting the show was about to investigate. She believed in being prepared and besides, work was always the best way to ease her tension.

Tonight’s episode was titled “The House of the Sea Witch.” That was the nickname of the infamous old house near the waterfront. For the last century, witnesses had reported disturbing phenomena: cold spots, objects that moved on their own, and a mysterious figure who appeared in the master bedroom. Boxes and other items had been known to tumble down the stairs on their own and there had been one historic death. Mia had even found some film of the haunted staircase phenomenon on the Internet.

There would be guests to interview, including the local historian who had discovered that the house was “first-period” Salem, which was kind of a big deal. Salem was founded in 1626, and the House of the Sea Witch had been hidden under aluminum siding for the last thirty years. What’s more, the historian claimed it had been the residence of a Salem witch, also kind of a big deal. Alice Parker was one of the last women condemned at the Salem witch trials—hanged on September 22, 1692, at Proctor’s Ledge. Her husband, John Parker, a sailor, had also resided in the home along the water.

Of course, as far as Mia was concerned, the haunting was utter nonsense and she intended to prove it. Tonight, she would do a sequence of tests to determine whether the location was subject to strong electromagnetic activity or infrasound. Both those things could cause physical disturbances and hallucinations. She’d already studied the maps of the area looking for geologic features like tectonic strain, quartz crystal deposits, or underground rivers. But so far, other than being across the street from a power plant, she’d found nothing interesting about the area at all.

Maybe it was just the wild imagination of the residents of Salem, a city that seemed to be in a perpetual fever dream of phantasm.

There are ten-foot-high goblins marching down the street for Pete’s sake

. If there was any place on earth where people’s imaginations ran away with them, it was Salem, Massachusetts. The entire town revolved around the preternatural; ghosts, goblins, witches, hauntings, secret societies—Salem had it all.

The fact was, Mia was a skeptic in Salem, which made her a perpetual outsider. Even though her viewpoint was unique, Mia felt the strange little town needed someone who questioned the supernatural.

Mia’s phone rang, pulling her out of her thoughts. She looked at the caller ID. It was her big sister, Brynn, calling to video chat.

“Mimi? How are you?” Brynn said, sporting understated, perfectly applied makeup and freshly highlighted precision cut hair.

“I’m good, we’re filming late this afternoon,” Mia said, feeling scruffy compared to Brynn.

“Oh! That’s nice,” she said, and she seemed to hesitate. “Listen, I called to give you a heads-up.”

What now?

Mia thought. Ever since she’d moved to Salem, her family had been in a tizzy. Of course, she had left her old life abruptly, losing her job and fiancé in the same day.

“Heads up? About what?” Mia said.

“Mom and Dad are on the warpath. They want you back here for Thanksgiving.”

“Thanksgiving?” Mia winced at the thought of going back to Philadelphia for the holiday. Her stepfather, Daniel, would insist on eating period food and reading eyewitness accounts of the original event. “I don’t know, Brynn. I kind of wanted to stay here with my friends.”

“You know how much they love historic holidays, Mimi. They are planning a pilgrim Thanksgiving in a field with venison and wild turkey. And I’ve got to say, after what you’ve put them through, I think you need to step up.”

Mia rolled her eyes. She supposed it didn’t help that within a week of moving to Salem, she’d had a serious, and very public, run-in with the police. But no matter how many times she tried to explain the situation to her prim and proper mother, Madison, and her stepdad, Daniel Middleton, a conservative antiques dealer, they never quite accepted the facts. She decided to change the subject.

“I’ll do my best. How’s Jeffrey?” Mia said politely. Despite living miles away in Philadelphia, Brynn’s trouble-making husband constantly tried to sabotage Mia, using her unconventional choices against her to cull favor with Madison and Daniel.

“He’s fine,” Brynn said. “He says your job is shady.”

“Shady? How is being the co-host of a popular podcast shady?”

“Well, it’s not the podcasts so much, it’s the subject of the podcast.”

“You mean the paranormal?”

“Jeffy says it’s ghost hunting. In all fairness, that is what you do.”

“I don’t hunt ghosts, I debunk ghosts. Big difference, Brynn!”

“Well, I’m just being honest with you, Mimi. When I went to see Daddy the other day he said he thought you were throwing your life away.”

There was a knock on the door.

Saved by the bell,

Mia thought.

Through the peep hole she was relieved to see Sylvie Payne, the sound engineer for the podcast. Sylvie lived just down the hall and was her best friend and confidant. Mia opened the door and waved her inside while making a motion that indicated the person on the phone was a little bit crazy. This week, Sylvie’s hair was an interesting shade of indigo blue, offsetting her outfit: a graphic top with a Rolling Stones giant lips logo, paired with a red plaid skirt, black tights, and knee-high Doc Marten boots. Her style was a stark contrast to Mia’s more toned-down classic jeans and black T-shirt combo, her unruly dark curls tied back in a knot.

“Listen, Brynn, as much as I want to chat with you about throwing my life away, I’ve gotta go.”

Mia managed to hang up, relieved to be leaving the hamster wheel of that conversation.

“The parental units?” Sylvie said, in her thick New Jersey accent.

“Not exactly, my sister speaking on behalf of them all. You saved me,” Mia said.

“At least they give a hoot. The last time I talked to my mom, she totally forgot I moved to Salem.”

“Wow, I thought my family was tough,” Mia said. She always tried to convince herself that she didn’t need her family’s approval, but it always bothered her when she knew she was falling short in their eyes.

“What do you say we get some breakfast?” Sylvie said. “I’m starving.”

Mia grinned. Sylvie was always starving and despite her petite frame, seemed to have the metabolism of a hummingbird.

“Shall we go to our new favorite place?” Sylvie said.

Mia blushed thinking about Café Noir. The food was delicious and the dining room pet-friendly, but there was another reason it was her favorite—a secret, handsome, charming six-foot-tall reason. She grabbed her jacket, clipped on Tandy’s lead, and the three of them headed out the door.

Comments

No comments yet.

You Might Like 😍

Alpha Nicholas's Little Mate

Alpha Nicholas's Little Mate

Ongoing · Becky j
"Mate is here!"
What? No—wait… oh Moon Goddess, no.
Please tell me you're joking, Lex.
But she's not. I can feel her excitement bubbling under my skin, while all I feel is dread.
We turn the corner, and the scent hits me like a punch to the chest—cinnamon and something impossibly warm. My eyes scan the room until they land on him. Tall. Commanding. Beautiful.
And then, just as quickly… he sees me.
His expression twists.
"Fuck no."
He turns—and runs.
My mate sees me and runs.
Bonnie has spent her entire life being broken down and abused by the people closest to her including her very own twin sister. Alongside her best friend Lilly who also lives a life of hell, they plan to run away while attending the biggest ball of the year while it's being hosted by another pack, only things don't quite go to plan leaving both girls feeling lost and unsure about their futures.
Alpha Nicholas is 28, mateless, and has no plans to change that. It's his turn to host the annual Blue Moon Ball this year and the last thing he expects is to find his mate. What he expects even less is for his mate to be 10 years younger than him and how his body reacts to her. While he tries to refuse to acknowledge that he has met his mate his world is turned upside down after guards catch two she-wolves running through his lands.
Once they are brought to him he finds himself once again facing his mate and discovers that she's hiding secrets that will make him want to kill more than one person.
Can he overcome his feelings towards having a mate and one that is so much younger than him? Will his mate want him after already feeling the sting of his unofficial rejection? Can they both work on letting go of the past and moving forward together or will fate have different plans and keep them apart?
773.9k Views
Fangs, Fate & Other Bad Decisions

Fangs, Fate & Other Bad Decisions

Ongoing · Elizma Du Toit
Some bad decisions come back to bite you. Literally.

After finding out her boyfriend cheated, the last thing she expected was to stumble across a wounded man in an alley. And definitely not one with fangs. But thanks to a mix of cocktails, shame, and her questionable life choices, she takes him home. Turns out, he’s not just any vampire—he’s a king. And according to him, she’s his fated mate.

Now, she’s stuck with an overprotective, brooding bloodsucker who keeps rescuing her, a growing list of enemies who want her dead, and an undeniable attraction that’s making it very hard to remember why falling for a vampire is a terrible idea.

Because if she’s not careful, she won’t just lose her heart—she’ll lose her humanity.
The CEO's Contractual Wife

The CEO's Contractual Wife

Ongoing · Gregory Ellington
Olivia Morgan’s world is turned upside down when she walks in on her boyfriend betraying her with her friend. Devastated and drowning in debt, she’s thrust into an unlikely arrangement with Alexander Carter, the cold and calculating CEO of Carter Enterprises. In exchange for a year-long marriage of convenience, Olivia receives the money she desperately needs—and a promotion she never expected. But as their fake relationship blurs the lines between business and pleasure, Olivia finds herself torn between the man who offers her everything and the business rival who wants her heart. In a world where betrayal is just a step away and desire burns hot, Olivia must navigate her emotions, her career, and a dangerous game of power, passion, and secrets. Can she keep her heart guarded while falling deeper into a billionaire’s web of lust and love? Or will Alexander’s cold heart melt in the heat of their undeniable chemistry?
Off Limits, Brother's Best Friend

Off Limits, Brother's Best Friend

Ongoing · Oguike Queeneth
“You are so fucking wet.” He nipped my skin and pulled me up to sink me down his length.

“You are going to take every inch of me.” He whispered as he thrusted up.

“Fuck, you feel so fucking good. Is this what you wanted, my dick inside you?” He asked, knowing I have benticing him since the beginning.

“Y..yes,” I breathed.


Brianna Fletcher had been running from dangerous men all her life but when she got an opportunity to stay with his elder brother after graduation, there she met the most dangerous of them all. Her brother's best friend, a mafia Don. He radiated danger but she couldn't stay away.

He knows his best friend's little sister is off limits and yet, he couldn't stop thinking of her.

Will they be able to break all rules and find closure in each other's arms?
Surrendering to Destiny

Surrendering to Destiny

Completed · Allison Franklin
Catherine is not only a rogue half-breed, she is also the result of mate-bond infidelity, was abandoned as a baby and, to top it off, she can only shift during the full moon. When Catherine left the only pack she'd ever known in order to escape the new alpha, the last thing she expected was to find her mate... let alone for him to be the mouth-watering, heavily tattooed, lead warrior of the most feared lycan pack on the continent.

Graham MacTavish wasn't prepared to find his mate in the small town of Sterling that borders the Blackmoore Packlands. He certainly didn't expect her to be a rogue, half-breed who smelled of Alpha blood. With her multi-colored eyes, there was no stopping him from falling hard the moment their mate bond snapped into place. He would do anything to claim her, protect her and cherish her no matter the cost.

From vengeful ex-lovers, pack politics, species prejudice, hidden plots, magic, kidnapping, poisoning, rogue attacks, and a mountain of secrets including Catherine's true parentage there is no shortage of things trying to tear the two apart.

Despite the hardships, a burning desire and willingness to trust will help forge a strong bond between the two... but no bond is unbreakable. When the secrets kept close to heart are slowly revealed, will the two be able to weather the storm? Or will the gift bestowed upon Catherine by the moon goddess be too insurmountable to overcome?
657.8k Views
Hunted Hybrid - Aegis War Saga 1

Hunted Hybrid - Aegis War Saga 1

Completed · Rhiannan Demlow
“Look at you,” I whispered, eyes locked on her. “So damn wet. So fucking insatiable.” “Maybe I am,” she moaned, legs wrapping around my waist. “Good thing I’ve got five of you.”

Elowen Skye thought she was just another wolf. A small town girl from Minnesota, raised under the protection of the Alpha King and Queen after tragedy ripped her parents away. Everyone kept her in the dark. Everyone lied.

Until the night she turned eighteen. A sealed box. Letters from her parents. Visions from the Goddess. And a prophecy that shatters everything she thought she knew.

Chosen by the Goddess. Hunted by an ancient sicko organization known as The Aegis Protocol. Desired by five mates fated to stand at her side, a lethal alpha wolf, a dangerous vampire, a brooding bear prince, a Scottish mage with a wicked tongue, and a feral dragon king who claims her body and soul.

They don’t just want her. They worship her. They fight for her. And together, they ignite a passion powerful enough to burn the world to ash.

But with prophecy comes burden. Elowen isn’t just the Moons chosen, she’s the only one who can unite the fractured supernatural species against the Blood Goddess’s reign of rot and ruin. If she fails, everything dies.

Steamy. Addictive. Savage. This is for readers who crave possessive alphas, sharp tongued heroines, and bonds that are as scorching as they are unbreakable.

The Goddess chose her. The world needs her. And her enemies will wish they never touched what’s hers.

🐺 Fated Mates
🩸 Reverse Harem / Why Choose
🌕 Chosen One Prophecy
🐾 Shifter Romance
🧬 Hybrid Heroine
👑 Royal Bloodlines & Power Struggles
🦴 Dark Magic & Forbidden Rituals
🧡 Emotional Trauma + Healing Arcs

COMPLETED BOOK 1 in a Saga!
375.7k Views
Fake Dating My Ex's Favourite Hockey Player

Fake Dating My Ex's Favourite Hockey Player

Ongoing · Miss Anonymous
"Just imagine it, Em. His ex-fiancée... dating his favourite hockey player."


Zane and I were together for ten years. When he had no one, I stayed by his side, supporting his hockey career while believing at the end of all our struggles, I'll be his wife and the only one at his side.But after six years of dating, and four years of being his fiancée, not only did he leave me, but seven months later I receive an invitation... to his wedding!If that isn't bad enough, the month long wedding cruise is for couples only and requires a plus one. If Zane thinks breaking my heart left me too miserable to move on, he thought wrong!Not only did it make me stronger.. it made me strong enough to move on with his favourite bad boy hockey player, Liam Calloway.
994.9k Views
To protect what’s mine

To protect what’s mine

Ongoing · Winter Rowe
Amalie is more special than she ever thought possible. Why would the twenty-two-year-old think any different after she has been told she’s nothing for her whole life by her family? Adoptive mother of a three-year-old, Ama has been locked up by her family for the past seven years. But everything changes when her old friends, the Alpha twins, Markus and Calyx, take over the Moonstone pack. Finding out that the twins are her mates, she is a white wolf, and has a connection to the Moon Goddess, is just icing on the cake of her life is a huge mess. Ama just wants a normal life with her mates and protecting her pup, but life rarely gives us what we want. She is thrust into world that she no longer remembers and has forgotten her. Amalie is charged with protecting those closest to her. But she has her own past to overcome as she heals and attempts to move forward. Will she come out alive or lose herself along the way? After all, someone has to be pulling the strings, why not pull her along for the ride?
819k Views
The Delta's Daughter

The Delta's Daughter

Completed · JwgStout
In a realm set in the future, where the human race has fallen and shifters now rule, comes the epic adventure and tale of The Delta’s Daughter.

Born on the same night as the Kings son, Prince Kellen; Lamia Langley, daughter to the Royal Delta of The New Moon pack (royal pack) bares the mark of a royal and is a seemingly ordinary wolf, until she shifts at the age of 14 and by 15 becomes one of the strongest wolfs in the kingdom.

All Lamia ever wanted was to serve her prince, become a warrior, find her mate at 18 and live happily ever after.

Growing up together and sharing a rare and special goddess given bond, everyone is sure Lamia and Prince Kellen will be fated mates. Being given the opportunity to go to the Alpha academy, Kellen and Lamia fall in love and they hope they are fated like everyone thinks.

But the fates have already mapped out her future.
What happens when a wolf from the Kings past has his eye on Lamia?

Follow this epic tale of Love, tragedy and betrayal as Lamia starts to discover her family heritage. Will her family’s forgotten heritage and secrets become more than she can handle?

Will her Prince become her mate or will she be fated to another?
Will Lamia rise to become the wolf the goddess’ fated her to be?

For a mature audience
The Alpha's Plus Size Urban Human Mate

The Alpha's Plus Size Urban Human Mate

Completed · Keisa Khaos
What happens when an all business Alpha planning his choosen's mating ceremony smells the most wonderful fruity scent that belonged to his curvy mating ceremony planner.
Confident plus size Ji'lahni, her two cousins, and friend owns a successful Wedding planning company along with a dance, and self defense workout studio, get hired by their new friend who is like a mother to them plan her sons wedding I mean mating ceremony?
What will happen when the sassy plus size women step into the world of werewolves?
Read to find out.
319.6k Views
After One Night with the Alpha

After One Night with the Alpha

Completed · Sansa
One Night. One Mistake. One Lifetime of Consequences.

I thought I was waiting for love. Instead, I got fucked by a beast.

My world was supposed to bloom at the Moonshade Bay Full Moon Festival—champagne buzzing in my veins, a hotel room booked for Jason and me to finally cross that line after two years. I’d slipped into lacy lingerie, left the door unlocked, and lay on the bed, heart pounding with nervous excitement.

But the man who climbed into my bed wasn’t Jason.

In the pitch-black room, drowned in a heady, spicy scent that made my head spin, I felt hands—urgent, scorching—searing my skin. His thick, pulsing cock pressed against my dripping cunt, and before I could gasp, he thrust hard, tearing through my innocence with ruthless force. Pain burned, my walls clenching as I clawed at his iron shoulders, stifling sobs. Wet, slick sounds echoed with every brutal stroke, his body unrelenting until he shuddered, spilling hot and deep inside me.

"That was amazing, Jason," I managed to say.

"Who the fuck is Jason?"

My blood turned to ice. Light slashed across his face—Brad Rayne, Alpha of Moonshade Pack, a werewolf, not my boyfriend. Horror choked me as I realized what I’d done.

I ran away for my life!

But weeks later, I woke up pregnant with his heir!

They say my heterochromatic eyes mark me as a rare true mate. But I’m no wolf. I’m just Elle, a nobody from the human district, now trapped in Brad's world.

Brad’s cold gaze pins me: “You carry my blood. You’re mine.”

There is no other choice for me but to chose this cage. My body also betrays me, craving the beast who ruined me.

WARNING: Mature Readers Only
275.9k Views
Nanny and Her Four Alpha Bullies

Nanny and Her Four Alpha Bullies

Completed · Eve Above Story
Chloe's underclass mother is married to a billionaire, and she transfers to an elite school to become the first female werewolf warrior.But her origins make her a thorn in the side of the school's four ruling brothers.They have to take a little baby girl, less than a year old, to school.But the baby girl resists everyone ...... except Chloe.So Chloe, a new adult, is forced to become the baby girl's nanny and live in the bullies' dormitory?
1.1m Views
Take you Fall into Fantasy.

Download AnyStories App to discover more Fantasy Stories.