Murder in Cottonwood Springs: A Cottonwood Springs Cozy Mystery (Cottonwood Springs Cozy Mystery Series Book 1)

by Dianne Harman

  It was the first time Brigid had seen the book store since she’d returned to Cottonwood Springs, and she marveled at the fact that everything looked exactly as it had when she’d come back to visit a few years earlier. She looked through the large front windows and saw the same oversized chairs and small tables located just beyond the windows. Farther in were rows upon rows of new and used books. As soon as she opened the front door, Brigid inhaled the scent of old books and felt her shoulders relax. She understood why this place had become a second home to so many book lovers. The deep maroon walls added to the warm and inviting ambience.

  “Hey, Brigid’s here,” someone said, and everyone turned to face her.

  “Hi, everybody. Thanks for coming,” she said. “This is my neighbor, Linc Olson.” Linc smiled and waved at them.

  “I’m so glad you came back,” Lucy said as she hugged Brigid and greeted Linc.

  “Me, too,” Brigid said, and she meant it. When Fiona had first suggested she move back to Cottonwood Springs after Brigid’s divorce and the bankruptcy of her publishing company, she wasn’t sure she wanted to go back to the small town. She knew she wanted a change, but the more she thought about it, the more the idea appealed to her. When she’d arrived in Cottonwood Springs, she was certain she’d made the right choice. There was something comforting about being surrounded by the people you grew up with. You didn’t have to try and be something you weren’t, and tonight, seeing all the friendly faces only confirmed that she’d made the right move.

  “Oh, it’s been forever!” squealed Missy, one of Brigid’s old friends. Missy still had the same curly blonde hair she’d had when they were in high school together, although now it was much longer. She was wearing a floral dress with a white background and had a very tall man in tow behind her. She gave Brigid a small hug before introducing her to him. “Brigid, I want you to meet my husband, Jordan Blair. We met in the library when we were in college. We were both studying algebra, although he was much better at it than I was.”

  She put her hand on his arm and said, “We got married, and a few weeks later he began attending the Seminary School of the Southwest in Austin. When he finished we were moved to several different churches in the region and only recently moved back here. He’s the priest now at the Episcopal church here in Cottonwood Springs. Father Newkirk retired, and they needed a replacement. I feel so fortunate I was able to come home to Cottonwood Springs.”

  “Jordan, it’s nice to meet you, and to both of you, congratulations. I’m glad you came back, too, Missy,” Brigid said.

  “We know Linc, he’s been attending our church,” Jordan’s deep voice rumbled as he looked over at Linc. His deep voice didn’t seem like it would fit him at all. He was about 6’4,” and his short white blonde hair, kind eyes, and slender frame didn’t give any hint of the deep timbre of his voice.

  I’ll bet his voice is mesmerizing when he’s giving a sermon, Brigid thought.

  “I have, and I’ve enjoyed it,” Linc said. “How’s the drain doing in the men's bathroom sink?”

  “Much better since you took care of it, thank you again.” Jordan turned to Brigid, “Linc volunteered to help fix the drain for the sink when I couldn’t manage to get it to stop leaking. I’m not much of a handyman.”

  “It was my pleasure,” Linc said. “Happy I could help.”

  “Brigid Barnes, I swear you look exactly the same as you did when we graduated,” a familiar voice said, cutting through their conversation.

  “Marissa, I’d recognize that voice anywhere. Is it really you?” Brigid asked as she turned around. The tall, leggy brunette she’d known from high school had gained about fifty pounds and had crow’s feet starting to show around her eyes. She was still wearing the same square frame glasses she used to wear. The thought crossed Brigid’s mind that she must really have to look to find that old style, but then again, maybe it had come back in fashion.

  “Sure is, how the heck have you been?” Marissa asked.

  “I’m glad to be back in Cottonwood Springs. And how have you been?”

  “Oh, not too bad. I got divorced about five years ago. Other than that, things have been pretty good. I’m so happy you moved back here. We must get together soon and catch up.”

  The conversation of the two old friends was interrupted when Lucy began clinking a spoon against her wine glass. “Excuse me everyone, excuse me,” she said in a loud voice. When the guests had quieted down, she began to speak. “I just want to say how glad I am to have Brigid back in Cottonwood Springs. I’m sure everyone knows that Brigid moved to Los Angeles after college where she became a big-time editor. Now she’s made her way back home, just like the rest of us.” She turned and locked eyes with her friend. “Brigid, I am so glad to have you back here. It’s going to be wonderful to have coffee with you anytime I want to.” She raised her glass to Brigid, “To coming home again!”

  Everyone in the Read It Again book store raised their glass as well and repeated, “To coming home again!”

  Brigid smiled and as she raised her glass, her eyes met Linc’s. She wasn’t sure she was a fan of all the attention, but it was great to get to see all of her old friends again. Everyone took a drink and then cheered.

  Lucy smiled and lowered her glass, but she felt a little sad seeing her friends with their spouses. Once again Henri was out of town on business, something that had been happening more and more often lately. It would have been nice to have her own husband here to support her, or if nothing else, to at least make an appearance. Instead, she was left wondering where he was, and she was sure everyone else was as well. She’d reminded him this morning about the party, but he hadn’t made any promises.

  Jordan distracted Linc just before Fiona found Brigid and pulled her away to show her all the changes she’d made to the store and what she was planning on doing in the future.

  “I’m thinking of adding another row of shelves over here and taking these down,” Fiona began. “I wanted to have a shelf specifically set aside to highlight the idiocy I’ve seen happening with our elected officials, wherever they are in the United States, but Brandon talked me out of it. He said a book store is not a place for me to spout my personal political beliefs. What do you think?”

  “I think Brandon is 100% correct, Fiona. I mean, people who know you well know what a warm-hearted loving person you are, even if you do have some rather different and eccentric views of how the world should be run. A lot of people who come to Read It Again might be put off by your personal views, so I think you need to keep it kind of vanilla. You don’t want to alienate people who are potential customers.”

  “Yeah, Brigid, you’re probably right. Next on my list is trying to decide where I should have a permanent set-up for the book club. I’ve thought about making it over by the window. I was thinking people could see in the store when we were having a meeting and might want to join us, yet something else is telling me to put it in this back corner over here.”

  Brigid tried to focus on what her sister was saying, but she found her eyes following Linc. She couldn’t help but notice that every time she looked in his direction, he was either already looking at her or turned and their eyes would meet again. They both started smiling each time it happened, as if it was some sort of game they were playing.

  “I don’t blame you for looking at him,” Fiona said when she realized what was going on. “He is pretty cute. Are you going to ask him out?”

  “What? What are you talking about?” Brigid asked as she pulled her eyes from his once more.

  “Oh, please, Brigid, don’t start with me. It’s plain as day to me you like him.” Fiona smiled a knowing smile. She knew her sister all too well. She’d never known Brigid to not be obvious when she liked a guy. Maybe others couldn’t see it as well as she could, but Fiona had always known. It was nice to see the old Brigid stepping back out into the social world.

  When Fiona had gone to Los Angeles to visit her sister before her divorce, she’d acted like som
eone she didn’t even know. That woman had been quiet and withdrawn, almost defeated. She was relieved that her condition wasn’t permanent.

  “Don’t you think I’m a little too old for all that dating stuff?” Brigid asked. She wasn’t sure she was ready for having a date and worrying about what to wear. At this point in her life, she wasn’t sure she wanted to deal with all of that again.

  “Uh, no, Brigid. You’re not dead. That means you’re young enough. Besides, it’s obvious he likes you. Look at him.” She smiled when she caught Linc looking over at Brigid. “I think he may have it just as bad as you do.”

  “Oh, Fiona,” Brigid started. “I wouldn’t even know what to do anymore. That ship passed me by in the night a long time ago.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. It’s really quite simple. After all, this is the 21st century. You’re acting like you’re stuck in the Victorian Era. Ask him if he’d like to have dinner sometime. You can either invite him over and cook for him or you two can go out and eat. It’s the modern world so you can pay or he can pay or whatever.” She sighed. “Don’t make a big deal out of it, Brigid. Just spend some time together and see if you two hit it off.” She noticed her sister’s reticence. “It really doesn’t need to be complicated. It would probably be fun to have someone to fool around with. Anyway, most men your age aren’t looking for anything too serious.”

  “Thanks, Fiona. I don’t think I’m into one-night stands and let me assure you I am not living in the Victorian Era.”

  Fiona raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow and just looked at her.

  “Okay, so I’ve never done anything like that, but I guess I could,” Brigid said, but she was already trying to figure out how she would ask Linc to dinner. She liked him, and she definitely wanted to know more about him. Maybe a nice meal at home would help take the pressure off and feel a little more natural.

  “Just think about it. That’s all I’m saying,” Fiona murmured. “You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. Didn’t you say he was your neighbor?”

  “Yes, he is.” Brigid had to admit her sister had a point. She could ask him over for dinner and didn’t need to make a big deal of it. It would just be two neighbors getting to know each other.

  Later, as the party was winding down, Brigid and Linc were in the cookbook section of the book store. He took a wild game cookbook from the shelf and they began to talk about the best way to cook venison. “I’m telling you, smoking a nice big roast is the best,” he was saying.

  “I don’t know. My mother always used a pressure cooker and it was absolutely divine. I haven’t had any venison since I left Cottonwood Springs. Los Angeles is not known for its venison,” she said laughing.

  “Probably so. Actually, you know what sounds really amazing to me right now?” Linc asked.

  “What?”

  “Ice cream,” he said, patting his stomach. At that moment he looked like a big kid.

  “You’re on,” Brigid said thinking of a hot fudge sundae. “How about you drive and I buy?”

  “Sorry. I have an even better idea. I drive and I buy,” he said with a smile, and she felt her stomach do a small flip. He had a killer smile, but at the same time he made her feel relaxed.

  She nodded, and he extended his hand towards her. “Let’s go. I bet we can slip out of here, and nobody will even know we’re gone.” Like two teenagers trying to get away from their parents, they started giggling as they slipped out the front door and jogged to his truck. They jumped in, and he quickly backed out as if they were making a getaway.

  “I probably shouldn’t have run out on my sister and Lucy, but I’ll make it up to them. I thought I might lose my mind if I got hugged one more time,” Brigid said, running her fingers through her hair, making sure it wasn’t sticking up after their mad dash to his truck.

  “I can understand that,” he said. “When I was a boy, I had two aunts who loved to hug me and squeeze my cheeks. Every single time I saw them. Sometimes they did it multiple times when they got older, because they’d forgotten they’d already hugged me,” Linc said with a laugh.

  “That must have been torture for a young boy,” Brigid teased.

  He looked at her sideways and grinned, “You have no idea.”

  A short time later they were sitting in his truck outside of her house slowly eating hot fudge sundaes.

  “I’m sorry, but we can’t go in the house with ice cream. Jett begs if he smells ice cream, and he’s a little big to push away. And yes, I learned that the hard way,” she said, with a laugh. “The only thing that probably saved me from losing my ice cream cone to him was the fact that it was chocolate, which is not good for dogs. Otherwise I would have caved in. He made me feel so gluttonous for eating it in front of him that I didn’t even enjoy it.”

  “I think that’s probably for the best. I probably couldn’t resist those big puppy dog eyes of his.”

  She laughed. “I know. They really are hard to resist. He also does this little huffing noise when you try to ignore him. It’s like he thinks you must have missed looking at him, so he needs to get your attention.”

  “He’s just a big hairy love bug, isn’t he?” Linc asked between bites.

  Brigid nodded. “It must have really been hard for his previous owners to leave him behind. Obviously, he’s already wormed his way into my heart.”

  They ate in silence while she worked up her nerve to ask him to dinner. She didn’t want to put off asking him, but she also didn’t want to give him the wrong impression. The only thing she had in mind was dinner at this point. Finally, she told herself to stop thinking about it and just do it. “Why don’t we have dinner some night?”

  “Sounds like a great idea,” he said taking a big bite of ice cream. “Your house or mine?”

  “Let’s do it at my house. I need to get used to my new kitchen.” She finished her sundae and turned to Linc. “Thank you so much for going with me tonight. I’d probably still be stuck there if it wasn’t for you. And then to end the night with a hot fudge sundae? Moving back to Cottonwood Springs seems like the best idea I’ve had in a long time.”

  “You’re very welcome. Anytime.” He cleared his throat. “Um, Brigid, I feel like I need to get this out of the way.” She paused, unsure of what he may be getting ready to say. “I’m not looking for anything serious, but I really like you, and I’d like to get to know you better. Does that make sense?”

  “Completely,” she said, relieved. “I feel exactly the same way. I definitely don’t want to get into anything serious for now, but I wouldn’t mind seeing where this goes.”

  “Great,” Linc said as he let out a big breath. “I’m glad we’re on the same page.”

  “Absolutely. Well, I better head in. Thanks again for coming and for the sundae,” Brigid said as she began collecting the trash from her sundae.

  “Hey, don’t worry about that. I’ll take care of it. You don’t want to have to try to hide the evidence from Jett, do you?” He took the trash from her.

  “You’re right, he’d probably pout, and then I’d feel awful for not giving him some. Good night Linc,” she said as she climbed out of his truck.

  CHAPTER 4

  “Mike?” Lucy called out as she stuck her head outside the front door of the B & B’s dark blue screen door. She wasn’t looking forward to this conversation, but she knew it needed to be done.

  Mike Loomis lifted his head and turned towards the door. “Need something, Lucy?”

  “Would you do me a favor and come into my office? I need to talk to you, but it won’t take long.”

  “Sure.” Mike leaned the rake he’d been using against the fence and removed his gloves. He was wearing a ball cap to keep the sun out of his pale blue eyes. His beard was almost red in the sunlight, and his dirty blonde hair was curling outside the edges of his hat. It wasn’t extremely hot, but he was already sweating from the yard work he’d been doing.

  He went up the steps of the B & B and tried to clean his boots off on the br
istle welcome mat. A few minutes later he walked back to Lucy’s office. She was sitting behind her desk, straightening some papers.

  “Close the door, please, and have a seat,” she said, motioning to the chair across from her desk. “You know that my brother is Sheriff Rich Jennings. We’re close, and he watches out for me. He also warns me if anyone I employ gets into trouble.”

  Mike knew where this was going. In a town this small, everyone knew everyone else's business. It was something he never could get used to. It seemed people took pride in poking their noses into places where they didn’t belong, and it looked like Lucy was getting ready to be one of them. He didn’t understand why people couldn’t just mind their own business.

  “Rich was over here the other day,” Lucy continued, “and told me you’d been involved in a meth situation. I don’t need to know the details, because it really doesn’t matter. I told my brother you were a very hard worker and a good employee. You do what I ask of you without complaining, and you don’t stop until the work is done. I really appreciate that, and Henri does, too.”

  He was so caught up in the fact that Lucy was talking about his personal life, Mike didn’t even hear the praise she was giving him. Plus, his mind was still muddled from the hit of meth he’d done that morning before coming to work. He was very careful to never do enough to end up doing crazy stuff, just enough to help get him through the day. Anymore, it seemed like he had to do it every morning, or he couldn’t function.

  “I love having you around here, Mike, but I need to give you a warning. I hope you understand that I’m running a business and the reputation of the B & B, and yes, the people who work here, is very, very important to me. Even more so now with reviews on Yelp and the internet. All it takes is one bad review, and it could really affect my business.