“What the heck—?” Aunt Pearl’s hands twitched as she tried to move. She scanned the room in a panic then glared at me. “Cendrine, remove your spell at once!”
It wasn’t my best spell and was rather sloppily done, since Aunt Pearl could still move her head a little. Witchcraft on the fly was a messy business.
“Cen?” Mom prompted.
I quickly removed the spell. It had only lasted for a second or two, but it gave Aunt Pearl a taste of her own medicine.
I returned to Tyler’s side just in time. A loud murmur ran through the bar as everyone sprang back to life again.
Tyler coughed. “I just had the weirdest feeling…it was like I was asleep on my feet or something. Did you feel it, Cen?”
“Huh? Uh, yeah…sort of.” I was still preoccupied, watching Aunt Pearl as she resumed her place onstage. I had to somehow keep her and her magic in check so that this contest could come to a close.
Meanwhile, Desiree was still onstage. She slowly rose to her feet and once again grabbed Aunt Pearl by the arm. Again, she tried to pull her offstage. “You’re not a judge!”
“Not pretending to be.” Aunt Pearl’s feet remained firmly planted this time. “I’m simply stepping in to maintain some order.”
“No, you’re not! You’re creating chaos.” Desiree stamped her foot in frustration. She turned and noticed us for the first time. “Sheriff, arrest this woman for assault!”
Tyler glanced at me and sighed. “Give me a hand?”
I nodded, afraid that Aunt Pearl was about to unleash a new spate of spells that would only intensify, the angrier she became. I steered her to the side of the stage while Tyler escorted Desiree back to her table a few feet away.
Desiree was intent on winning, and Aunt Pearl seemed dead set on making sure that didn’t happen.
Chapter 25
By now Carol and Reggie were too drunk to continue judging, so we were right back where we started, with one judge instead of three. Only difference, that one judge was now Earl. No one had complained, at least not yet.
Desiree sat at her table, impatiently tapping her fingers. She looked ready to storm onstage to claim Wine of the Year as soon as first place was announced.
Mom approached Desiree’s table and placed a wineglass containing the last Wine of the Year sample on her table. Desiree’s glass had been delayed due to her altercation with Aunt Pearl’s alter ego Carolyn.
Whatever Mom had said seemed to calm Desiree down. She raised her glass, took a sip, followed by a second one. She leaned back in her chair and smiled.
Aunt Pearl walked up to the microphone and blew into it loudly. “Are you ready to rumble?”
The crowd clapped and yelled. Things were getting rowdier.
“A-a-an-n-d we’ve got a winner!” She drew out the words like she was about to crown the next WBA boxing champ instead of a victorious vintner. “Earl, do the honors, please.”
We all had ringside seats for what was about to be the Westwick Corners Wine Festival fight of the century. Tension was high as everyone held their breath waiting for Judge Earl to announce the winner.
But it was Desiree who spoke first.
She stood and tapped her wineglass. “Mmmm…this is good. No, it’s better than good. It’s exquisite, clearly the winner. The subtle notes of cherry and chocolate, aged in special antique oak barrels. Mmmm…I’d recognize my wine anywhere.”
“Let’s see…” Earl tapped his pencil against his lip as he silently debated the scoring in each category. It fell from his fingers and clattered onto the stage. He bent to pick it up but lost his balance. He staggered to his feet and rubbed his forehead. “I can’t do this anymore, Pearl. I don’t feel so good all of a sudden.”
Aunt Pearl protested, “You can’t stop now, Earl. You have a contest to judge.”
“But I feel sick—”
Aunt Pearl held up her hand like a traffic cop. “I don’t want to hear it. Why did you drink the wine? You were supposed to swirl it around in your mouth, then spit it out.” She pointed to a large bowl that had suddenly materialized on the table in front of him.
“You never told me that. Why didn’t you say something? You know I don’t drink.”
“Everybody knows how it’s done, Earl. I thought it went without saying.”
Aunt Pearl was self-centered and thoughtless, but she was never intentionally mean. Especially not to Earl. She wasn’t into public displays of affection, but her heart was solidly his. Yet she had unreasonably demanded that he, a non-drinker, consume copious amounts of wine. She knew he couldn’t say no to her.
It was bordering on cruelty, and I honestly thought she had lost her mind. Or, if not her mind, at least her witchy talents and her common sense. At best, he would end up puking his brains out and passing out. At worst, he risked alcohol poisoning.
Earl mock-saluted Aunt Pearl. Whether it was sarcasm or loyalty I couldn’t tell, but he picked up the remaining wineglass and raised it to his lips. He swirled the liquid around in his mouth and nodded slowly before swallowing. “Yes sirree. This is the best one yet.”
Chapter 26
Earl handed the paper to Aunt Pearl.
She took a deep breath. “The winner is…Ruby West and Witching Post Winery’s Witching Hour Red Merlot. Come up here, Ruby, and accept your prize.”
“That can’t be,” Desiree screamed. “You can’t give first place to your sister, Pearl!”
“I did no such thing,” Aunt Pearl said. “We had a panel of independent judges.”
Mom stepped onto the stage. “I think there’s been some kind of mistake. I couldn’t possibly have won again.”
Winning Best New Wine was one thing because she had knocked Desiree’s contrived wine blend out of the top spot. But Wine of the Year was much more competitive with several deserving contenders. Among them was Antonio’s wine.
Aunt Pearl grabbed the brown paper bag from underneath Earl’s chair. A bottleneck protruded
