Mercy's Magic

Mercy’s Magic

Mercedes Cruz #1

P.J. Day

&

Elizabeth Basque

Acclaim for P.J. Day & Elizabeth Basque:

“A fun departure from the usual vampire tale, with
King’s Blood
author P.J. Day has introduced a whole new kind of vampire.”

—sookiestackhousebooks.com

“P.J. Day’s
The Sunset Prophecy
 is The Da Vinci Code meets Percy Jackson meets Beautiful Disaster, all with a much bolder and unique twist
.”

—J.R. Rain, author of
Moon Dance
and
The Witch & the Gentleman.

J.R. Rain & Elizabeth Basque did it again.
Zombie Patrol
(sic) is a fast paced book that has you wanting more...Can't wait until the next installment is released!

—N. White, Love my Kindle

BOOKS BY P.J. DAY

King’s Blood: A Serial Novel

Average rating: Four Stars

Episode One: Vampire Revealed available on
Kindle

Episode Two: Vampire Unleashed available on
Kindle

Episode Three: Vampire Lust available on
Kindle

Episode Four: Vampire Descent available on
Kindle

The Complete Serial Novel available in two versions:

Boxed
or
Uninterrupted

The Sunset Prophecy (Love at the End of the World #1)

Average rating: Five Stars

The Sunset Prophecy
available on
Kindle

Coming soon…

King’s Blood: Vampire Terminus

Zombie Party & Other Stories w/ J.R. Rain

Daughters of Eve w/ J.R. Rain

Vampire Mind w/H.T. Night

BOOKS BY ELIZABETH BASQUE

Sharpened Edges Trilogy

Average rating: Four Stars

Sharpened Edges: Book One available on
Kindle

Zombie Plague Trilogy w/ J.R. Rain

Average rating: Four and a half Stars

Zombie Patrol: Zombie Plague Trilogy #1 available on
Kindle

Zombie Rage: Zombie Plague Trilogy #2 available on
Kindle

Coming soon…

Sharpened Edges: Book Two

Zombie Mountain: Zombie Plague Trilogy #3 w/ J.R. Rain

California Witch: Mercedes Cruz #2

Mercy’s Magic (Mercedes Cruz #1)

Published by P.J. Day

Copyright © 2013 by P.J. Day & Elizabeth Basque

All rights reserved.

E-book Edition, License Notes

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written consent of the both the copyright owner and/or author.

Dedication

To the sights, smells and tastes of the Chapman Coffee House.

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to J.R. Rain and to Mami and Papi for all their help.

A Note from Co-Author & Creator, P.J. Day

Mercy’s Magic
was a fun idea I came up with while eating on the patio of my favorite restaurant in downtown Orange, California.

Old Towne Orange, with its infamous and surprisingly orderly traffic circle, is rich in history, tradition, and is truly a glimpse into what Southern California looked like at the turn of the 20
century. That part of the city is so full of character, I just had to use it as a backdrop for Mercy’s casework and for
Mercy’s Magic
and beyond.  Not only do the old buildings, restaurants, and antique stores make such wonderful props and backdrops, but also its mixture of wealthier and newly immigrated Hispanic residents who seem to live at ease with each other. It is truly a rare sight whenever I encounter someone on the sidewalk, walking around the circle and taking in the sights, who’s frowning or experiencing a bad day.

Through one of my good friend’s recommendations, I thought it’d be a great idea to recruit Elizabeth Basque in helping me write Mercy, as she’d had a wonderful reputation for being both punctual and absurdly creative. She had just finished her collaboration with J.R. Rain on their Zombie Patrol series when she picked up my call.

We decided to meet in person, and while having a wonderful lunch at Felix’s Cuban Café, I handed Elizabeth my barebones outline, along with a description of who Mercy was, her family dynamic, and the setting where our witchy detective worked, lived, and played. Two months later, Elizabeth handed me a first draft filled to the brim with magic. She inserted so many of her own ideas, personal experiences researching
Brujeria
(Mexican Witchcraft), and also her own struggles that it turned
Mercy’s Magic
into a story that clearly comes from both the heart and an imagination infused with the local culture of Southern California. In my heartfelt opinion, I truly believe she’s created a unique, deep, rich and amazing witch story that readers, familiar with paranormal mystery and romance and those who are not, will thoroughly enjoy.

I’d like to thank you for giving Mercy a try. I really hope you enjoy the introduction to the series and her world. Elizabeth and I look forward to having you around for our future
Mercedes Cruz
installments.

Mercy’s Magic

Mercedes Cruz #1

Chapter One

Mercy downed her coffee and poured herself another cup as she watched the drama unfold on her favorite
telenovela, Ámamame, Maldito
, whose translation in English of Love me, Bastard always put a smile on Mercy’s face. The curvy, vivacious, raven-haired Carmen just found out that her daughter, Teresa, was pregnant, with none other than Marco the mechanic, son of Carmen’s nemesis, Margarita! This handed the catty rivals an ironic and fateful twist: both were now grandmothers and both were now related by blood.

“I knew it...this is so predictable, but I can’t stop watching,” Mercy muttered to herself, as she leaned over the island counter, watching the living room T.V. from afar.

“Mercy!”

She tore her eyes away from the television and faced her young daughter, Terra. “Call me mom, please,” Mercy said gently.

“I did,” Terra countered. “I called you three times, but you didn’t answer.”

Mercy smiled. Terra was eating a bowl of oatmeal, the homemade kind, that Mercy had prepared for her right before the
telenovela’s
revelation of Carmen and Margarita’s cursed entwinement. “What is it?” she asked her daughter.

“Did you sign my homework?” Terra’s beautiful, dark, chocolate-colored eyes gazed up at her mother’s.

“Of course I did,” Mercy answered. “You did a great job.”

“Mommy?”

“Yes?”

“Mrs. Burke wants to talk with you again,” she said.

“Why, Terra?”

“I got in trouble at school yesterday...”

Mercy rolled her eyes. She had been up all night working on a case and had just started her new P.I. business at the start of summer. Like clockwork and on weeknights, Mercy had been burning the midnight oil on a case. She kept odd hours, maintaining deadlines for clients and Orange P.D., and doing research, which sometimes meant just staring at a faded black and white government-issued photograph of someone’s expressionless face for hours. It was certainly a skill that sounded easy enough and ridiculous to most, but to someone with Mercy’s talents, this required hours of unfettered concentration.

But this was her daughter, and much more important than any case. Being tired was no excuse. She made it a point to always be present. “Spill the beans, sweetie.”

“Well,” Terra began dramatically. “Thomas was going to try and push David off the swing at recess...I saw it happen before it happened. I could tell mommy.”

Mercy breathed in through her nose and exhaled. She knew there’d be a day where Terra’s inherited skills would have to be addressed. She was also relieved that she didn’t get a call from school this time around, and thankful that Terra always told the truth.

“David didn’t do anything wrong, mommy. It made me mad. So I told Thomas he was a
poopyhead.
I know you told me not to say that word, but he shouldn’t have decided to push David.”

Mercy held back a smile. “Next time use your nice words, Terra. What did Mrs. Burke do?”

“I got in trouble for saying the bad word,” Terra admitted. “But while I was in time out, I saw David pushing Thomas off the swing again—I saw it, mom, in my head.” Terra pointed to the side of her noggin to emphasize the point. “He was going to try again.” Terra then folded her arms. “So after timeout I threw sand in his face. And I’m not sorry, even though I was told to say sorry.”

Terra looked up at her mother, her expression worried and defiant.

Mercy kept a poker face. Terra got in trouble more than anyone in her class, and Mercy chose not to be too hard on Terra, as she saw a miniscule amount of her daughter in herself. But since Terra seemed to be having more visions as of late, Mercy now felt that the two of them might be more alike than she’d previously imagined.

Mercy pulled up a chair, sat next to Terra, and made it a point to make eye contact. She smoothed back her daughter’s long, silky black ponytail that was a perfect clone of her own, and spoke softly. “
Territa
, listen to me. Sometimes kids get mad, like Thomas and David. But you’ve got to let them learn their own lessons. You can’t interfere with every little problem you see in your head.”

Terra nodded. Mercy continued. “Did they put you in time out again?”

“Yeah. I had to sit against the wall at lunch.”

“Well, what would have happened if you’d just let Thomas push David?”

“David might have gotten hurt!” Terra exclaimed.

“Maybe a little.” Mercy remained calm. “But not a lot, right?”

“No, probably not,” she answered.

“So, if you had left them alone, who would have gotten in trouble?”

“Thomas.”

“And who would have been sitting against the wall at lunch?”

“Thomas.”

“So,” Mercy said, raising her eyebrows as if she were Mrs. Burke. “What are you going to do next time?”

“I’ll try to stay out of it,” Terra answered despondently. “But mom...”

“No
buts
. I know it’s sometimes hard, Terra, but you have to be responsible for your own behavior. You do the best you can and let others be. The other kids don’t know the things you do. Right?”

“Right. I don’t think they do. Why is that, mommy?”

Mercy let the question slide, for now. “You’re just lucky that way. But just keep these things to yourself. Alright?”

“I’ll try...”

Mercy kissed her daughter on the forehead and rose. “Now we have to hurry...finish your oatmeal. I don’t want you to be late for school, or Mrs. Burke will have
me
sit next to the wall.” Terra giggled and shoved spoonfuls of oatmeal into her mouth.

Mercedes Cruz’ third cup of coffee had now cooled and that was alright. Mercy didn’t drink the strong black brew for the flavor; she drank it for the effect. She hurried and gulped the second one down too.

* * *

Outside their home—a comfy, two bedroom, corner apartment that sat right above Mercy’s office at ground level—a construction crew was busy placing large letters above Mercy’s storefront door and windows.