Librarian Kathleen Paulson is always willing to help a friend, but to save one from a wrongful arrest, she’ll need magical backup from her affectionate cats in the newest installment of this New York Times bestselling series. Baker Georgia Tepper has been hired to provide delicious and spooky cupcakes for the Reading Buddies Halloween Party at the library, and she and Kathleen are meeting to finalize the menu of festive confections. Unfortunately, once Georgia’s former mother-in-law ambushes her at the library and threatens Georgia with legal action, the afternoon of fun is soured.   When Georgia’s litigious in-law is later found dead and the friendly baker is implicated, Kathleen is eager to help prove her innocence. Luckily, Kathleen and her intrepid magical cats, Hercules and Owen, have solved their fair share of mysteries. As a result, she knows that in life as well as crime solving, it is all relative, but with hard work, she can make sure the right criminal is booked. Praise for the New York Times Bestselling Series "Cozy readers will enjoy spending time with Kathleen, her cats, and the appealing residents of Mayville Heights."— Publishers Weekly   "Will delight fans of cat mysteries and Jenn McKinlay's Library Lover's series."— Library Journal   "Ms. Kelly continues her highly successful series with another winning tale...Lots of great characters and two adorable cats."—Fresh Fiction   "Owen and Hercules are a delight."—Kings River Life Magazine   "With great characters and an interesting story, readers will be in for a treat with this classic whodunit."— RT Book Reviews Sofie Kelly is a New York Times bestselling author and mixed-media artist who writes the Magical Cats Mysteries and, as Sofie Ryan, writes the Second Chance Cat Mysteries. chapter 1 The grave was surrounded by a smooth expanse of green grass, the headstone perfectly centered at the head of a rectangle of freshly turned earth that marked the burial site. "Too sad?" Georgia Tepper asked, a frown wrinkling the space between her eyebrows. Ruby Blackthorne was standing beside me. Before I could say anything, she leaned forward, swiped a finger over the earth and popped it in her mouth. Then she grinned and shook her head. "As Goldilocks said to the three bears, 'Just right!'" Since we were looking at a selection of cupcakes and not an actual grave and since the ground she'd just sampled was made of finely grated dark chocolate and not real dirt, I wasn't going to disagree with her. Ruby plucked the headstone from the top of the cupcake, broke it in half, more or less, and offered one of the pieces to me. I took a bite. The cookie was delicious-chewy without being too soft and chocolatey but not too sweet. "Number one, I agree with Ruby," I said. "All of the cupcakes are just right. And number two, is there any way I can add some of these headstone cookies to the order for the adults? Just the cookies? They're so good." Georgia ducked her head and smiled. She wore her jet-black hair very short and looked like she was in her early twenties when she was in fact ten years older. She was a very talented baker, but she was still a little shy about compliments. "Of course you can. A dozen?" "Better make it two dozen," Ruby said, tucking a strand of her purple-streaked hair behind one ear. She was wearing a pale-green T-shirt with a line drawing of a bunch of kale and the words Kale Yeah! on the front. I did a quick mental count of the staff and everyone else who was helping with the Halloween party for the kids in the library's Reading Buddies program. Twelve cookies would not be enough for the adults. "Ruby's right. Make it two dozen." The Reading Buddies Halloween Party was just as popular with the teens and adult mentors who helped out as it was with the children. And this year it was also a way to celebrate the success of our garden project. For the past few months, the kids had been growing their own vegetables in raised boxes just outside the building. One Saturday morning a group of them had appeared in my office doorway to present me with the huge salad they had made for my lunch. Seeing their proud faces made all the work that had gone into the project worth it for me. And the salad was delicious! Ruby was still eyeing the cupcake. "Maybe someone should try this one," she said. She glanced at Georgia. "Not that I think there's anything wrong with your baking." "In the interest of quality control, I think you better," Georgia said, straight-faced. I picked up a fork from the table and handed it to Ruby. "For quality control." She took a bite of the chocolate cake and creamy frosting and immediately grinned. Georgia smiled then as well but she wasn't smiling at Ruby or at me. She was looking just beyond my right shoulder. I turned and saw Larry Taylor walking toward us. Georgia and Larry had been a couple for the past several months and I loved the way her face lit up whenever she was around him. The relati