Bewitching Bedlam

As Maudlin and Aegis prepare to open the Bewitching Bedlam B&B to guests, they immediately find themselves embroiled in a battle for customers. Ralph Greyhoof, the owner of the Heart’s Desire Inn, doesn’t like to share. The conflict heats up when Maddy finds a local witch dead in the rose garden. The woman looks a lot like Maudlin and suspicion falls on Ralph. But Maddy knows that as competitive as Ralph is, he wouldn’t resort to murder. Maudlin and Aegis set out to find the killer, even as their own relationship is put to the test. Aegis’s old flame has returned, determined to win him back, no matter what it takes.
"Franny was standing in the middle of the kitchen. She also happened to be standing in the middle of the kitchen island, which gave the effect that she was cut off at the waist. Disconcerting to say the least, but I had quickly learned to keep my complaints about her displacement to myself. She took criticism hard, and I wasn’t up to the fallout, which included full-scale whining and moaning à la Jacob Marley. There’s nothing like waking up in the middle of the night to see a weeping ghost by your bed, staring at you with puppy-dog eyes, which was why I had banned her from my bedroom. “We’ve been over this at least a half-dozen times. I hate pink, unless it’s fuchsia or magenta. I am not painting the kitchen pink just because you like it.” Hands on my hips, I stared at my uninvited roommate. I might have to live with her, but I didn’t have to let her call the shots. I had paid for the mansion. She just happened to be an added bonus, although I used the word “bonus” loosely."