Ashley Crane Cozy Mystery Boxed Set

by Laurie Anne Marie

  “Probably. That would turn anyone’s life upside down.” Ashley mused. “What do you know about her whereabouts up there? Are you out looking for her? She’s obviously in a stressful situation, she’s been kidnapped, or is—”

  Miller cut her off. “We don’t know where she is. We are following all the leads we can. You gave me her number, but since you’ve received two calls from her, your cell phone has some information we could use. Can’t you just come up here for a day or two and let us take a look at it? It could be a difference between life and death for her.”

  “Can’t I take it to the police department here and have them look at it?” she asked.

  Miller took a deep breath. He really wanted Ashley up there as soon as possible, not to just take a look at her cell phone, but to answer more questions and help out in any way she could. It didn’t look as if it would happen, though.

  “Yes, you can. I really didn’t want to involve the police down there, but tell Detective Thompson to get in touch with me as soon as he can after he examines it. And whatever comes to your mind that could help, or if she calls again, please contact me ASAP.”

  “Do you and Thompson know each other?” she asked.

  “No, but we know of each other. I’ve heard he’s a good detective. And I understand he’s a good man as well.”

  “He is,” Ashley said softly. “I’ll be in touch with you soon. Sorry I can’t help more.”

  “Bye,” he said.

  “Good-bye—” she started to say. But Miller had already hung up.

  Ashley felt incredibly guilty that she was wasn’t doing more to help. Poor Harley. It seemed that her life had never been easy. Now here she was in trouble with no one to care for her. It wasn’t fair. When Ashley had been in trouble, there were always loved ones searching frantically for her. Who was looking for Harley?

  Ashley sat on the couch and put her head back. Susie Q jumped up on her lap. Charlie sat up and yowled.

  Ashley heard someone knocking at the back door again. Was it the cop this time?

  A puzzled feeling came over her as she walked to the door. She peeked outside first.

  It was a man she had never seen before. “Sean! Ashley!”

  Ashley was confused. She yelled back, “Who is it?”

  The man stared at Ashley through the little window. “You must be Ashley,” he said. “We’ve met before, but it’s been a long time. We were kids. I’m Grant. I used to play soccer with Sean.”

  She peered through the small window at him.

  Even though he had a smile on his face, his eyes looked desperate. His neck vein was throbbing and his right hand was clutched in a fist.

  Ashley backed away from the door and answered without opening it. “Are you Grant from ‘The Play’s the Thing Theater Company’ in Brewer?”

  “That’s me!” he replied cheerily. His enthusiasm sounded contrived. He was trying too hard.

  “Is Sean there? I’ve come a long way to see him and want to catch up and say hi.”

  “Does he know you’re coming?” she asked.

  “I came to surprise him, but it’s good to find you here too. Been dying to touch base with you guys again.”

  While Grant was talking, Ashley frantically texted Sean.

  That guy Grant from ‘The Play’s The Thing Theater Company’ is here. Said he came to surprise you, she texted.

  Grant called out again. “Ashley? Ashley? You still there? Can I come in?”

  Her phone pinged. It was Sean texting back.

  Don’t let him in! I barely know him. Didn’t ask him to come down. Why would he be here?

  Grant pounded on the door and tried to jiggle the handle.

  “Hey! Aren’t you going to let a friend of your husband’s in? What kind of hospitality is this?” Grant asked. His voice sounded angry and urgent.

  Ashley’s fingers flew as she quickly texted. Call Thompson Sean! He’s trying to get in the back door! Hurry! I’ll try and run to the cop car out front.

  Chapter Eight

  Ashley heard Grant kick the door. He waited a second before kicking again. She ran towards the front door to escape. Just then she heard a car pull up on the street with sirens blaring. That was followed by the sound of doors slamming. A second later, she heard footsteps running away from the back door. Ashley opened the front door and yelled to the police.

  “He’s at the back!” Two officers ran to the back and another one was on his phone.

  Within minutes, they captured Grant and brought him around front and took him to the car.

  Ashley shakily approached the policemen. She recognized them from the department.

  “Hello officers. I’m Ashley Crane.” She corrected herself. “I mean, McDonnell. Thank you for coming so quickly. That man was trying to break into my place.”

  She pointed at Grant as he was being loaded into the back seat of the cop car.

  “Yes ma’am, we know who you are. Officer Blake,” he said, as he extended his hand to Ashley. “And we’re glad we showed up when we did too. Are you all right?”

  “Yes, thank you. But I may not have been if you hadn’t gotten here when you did. I was trying to run out the front to notify Officer—”

  “Trenton,” said the policeman who had been on watch on the street. “Sorry, but I couldn’t hear anything from the front.”

  “That’s okay, I think I would’ve been out the door before he got in from the back,” Ashley said.

  “Do you know this man?” Officer Blake asked.

  “No, but my husband knew him years ago. He’s at work now,” she said.

  “Could you please call him now and ask him to come to the police station ASAP?”

  “Absolutely,” she answered.

  Officer Blake started to get in the patrol car.

  “Wait officer,” Ashley said, handing him her phone. “Here. Detective Thompson needs this. Detective Miller in Brewer has to track where calls have been coming from someone in trouble up there.”

  Officer Blake looked confused, but he put the phone in a bag and assured her that Thompson would get it. Then he took off with his partner to the station.

  Grant was handcuffed in the back seat and stared out at her as they drove off. She hadn’t really gotten a good look at him with all that had just gone down, but his expression now was unforgettable. He looked surprised. Not afraid, anxious, or even guilty about his arrest, just surprised. Like he assumed he wouldn’t get caught. How weird. Ashley shook her head as she stared at the back of the car disappearing around the bend. People and all their strangeness never ceased to amaze her. Some folks would always shrug their shoulders and just say, “That’s human nature,” but Ashley was never satisfied with that. Why were some people the way they were? What was Grant thinking to try and bash her door down in broad daylight? To threaten her? To hurt her? Had he wanted to do the same to Sean? She shuddered.

  He must’ve seen the cop car out front, she thought. But he must’ve also thought he could do some damage coming in the back and leaving quickly. That’s the thinking of a professional hit man, not an actor.

  Ashley heard a scratching and turned around. Charlie was clawing at the screen on the window. She saw his mouth open wide. He yowled.

  Charlie stared at her as if to say, “Come in and feed us! I’m a nervous wreck. Need sustenance!”

  Susie Q peeked out from behind him and did a silent meow.

  Ashley headed back to the door. As she fed them, she thought to herself, animals are so much easier than people to deal with. And you always know where they stand.

  ***

  Ashley turned her attention to fixing dinner for her and Sean to calm herself down. He had a long day of work already and would soon be at the police station. As soon as he got home, they’d eat and she’d ask him what happened during the questioning. She’d love to text him now and find out what was going on, but the cops had her phone. She realized that they should’ve never gotten rid of their landline. She and Sean thought they
would save money that way. She heard her father’s voice in her head.

  “You kids think you’re so cool with your cell phones. Well, you better hang on to your land line just in case,” Burt had said. “You never know when you’ll need it. Why get rid of another lifeline?”

  She sighed as she chopped up some green beans. She just had to wait. Everything was so quiet, both outside and inside. She didn’t want to put the TV on and be distracted. She needed to think.

  Hopefully the police would get lots of information out of Grant and relay that to Detective Miller in Brewer. More importantly, hopefully her phone would ring again and Thompson could trace the call to wherever Harley was.

  ***

  Sean got home earlier than she expected and immediately flopped on the couch. “Ash, can I eat on a tray in here? I can’t sit at the table. My body aches and my head is ready to explode!”

  “Coming right up,” she said.

  She filled his plate with homemade meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, and sautéed green beans. Then she put a biscuit on top.

  Sean’s eyes opened wide when he saw the meal. “Ohhhhh, yes! Comfort food. I so needed this.” He dived into the food and stopped speaking.

  Ashley smiled. “Talk to me when you’re ready.”

  He gave her a thumbs up as he continued to eat, then put his fork down after a few minutes and started to tell her about being questioned at the station. As Ashley listened, a frown spread across her face.

  “The Brewer Police Department had already put a profile together on Grant, and were ready to arrest him when he disappeared. They are pretty sure he had something to do with Ben’s murder.” Sean looked out the window. “He sure isn’t the guy I remember from soccer camp all those years ago.”

  “Maybe he had something to do with Harley’s disappearance as well,” Ashley said.

  “Maybe so, although they are still looking for her. They’re checking your phone to try and trace where she is.”

  “But why did Grant come here? Why was he asking for you and trying to break down our door?” she said.

  “They don’t know why for sure, but they think since he was on the run from Brewer, he figured he could hide out in Comfortville,” Sean said. “And that he might have been the person who threw the rock at our door with the warning.”

  Ashley stared at him. “Why us? Because maybe he knew that Harley and I were talking?”

  “I don’t know, Ash. And I just got that nice text from him last night. He was obviously trying to act like everything was cool.”

  Ashley finished her meal and got up and paced around the living room. She sat down briefly, then jumped up again.

  “Sean, even more important, why do the police in Brewer think he murdered Ben?”

  “I overheard some talk at the station that maybe it was jealously, a love triangle, or betrayal between Grant, Harley and Ben. Then there are theories of something more serious with corruption up there. I don’t know, and neither does anyone yet as far as I can tell.”

  “It’s all so strange,” she said, as she stared out the window.

  Sean interrupted her thoughts. “I do know one thing, though,” he said.

  “What’s that?”

  “We have to go up there ASAP.”

  Ashley wasn’t sure she had heard him right. “What?”

  “I called your mom on the way home and asked her if she could come in and help at the bakery while we were away. Don’t worry, I didn’t tell her the real reason we were going. Just said it was to see the plays. She said she’d love to help out. And the assistant manager Ron said to go, no problem. I think he loves being in charge, or maybe he just loves having me gone and not looking over his shoulder.”

  Ashley stared at him. “Three things. Are you absolutely sure? And if you are, can we leave day after tomorrow? And do you know my mom will drive Ron nuts while she’s working with him?”

  “Yes, yes, and yes.” Sean sighed. “The detective from Brewer had me on the phone at the station asking questions too, and pretty much convinced me we had to help out. Thompson backed him up.”

  Ashley stood in the middle of the living room with her arms crossed. She studied his face. Sean was like an open book. If he was convinced they had to go, then she wouldn’t worry anymore. They were a team. Maybe they could help find out what had happened to that poor soul Ben. And to hopefully find Harley before it was too late.

  “It’s not a love triangle,” she blurted out.

  “What makes you so sure?” he asked.

  “I don’t have a clue, but I know it’s not that.”

  She picked up their plates and headed into the kitchen. The cats flew off the couch hoping for a bit of meatloaf. Sean groaned and got up from the sofa.

  “Take a hot shower and you’ll feel better!” she shouted from the kitchen.

  As she put away the leftovers and loaded the dishwasher, she ran over theories in her head.

  Ridiculous to waste time with theories, she thought. You have to actually meet with Detective Miller up there to get more information.

  She heard the shower running and Sean talking to himself. He was probably running over all the prep he had to do to get ready to go up to Brewer. And right after they had just gotten back from their honeymoon. What a great guy he was. She heard his cell phone rang in the living room and she ran to get it. It was her mom.

  “Hi dear,” April said breathlessly. “I’ve been calling your phone but it keeps going to voicemail, so I had to call Sean’s phone. Did he tell you I’m in charge of the bakery while you two are gone?”

  “Yes, he did,” Ashley said. “But remember, his assistant manager Ron will think he’s running the place, so you have to acknowledge that.”

  “Of course, I’ll make him think he’s in charge, but I will be running that place like a top.”

  Ashley had to stifle her laughter. “Way to go Mom. That way you’ll both be happy.”

  Burt shouted in the background. “I told your mother not to have her decoupage group come in every day and take up all the breathing room in the bakery. They’ll drive everyone out of there!”

  “Burt, that’s not true!” April retorted. “Lots of people are friends with our group, and between us, we all know everyone in town. If anything, they will all spend a lot of money on pastries and that will make Sean happy.”

  “And drive the assistant manager crazy! He’ll flee for the hills!” Burt yelled.

  “Tell Dad not to worry mom. I’m sure the ladies will behave and all will go well with you there,” Ashley said.

  April started to answer, but Ashley saw another call coming in on Sean’s line.

  “Mom, gotta go. That’s a call for Sean. Talk later.” She didn’t recognize the number, but clicked on the call.

  “Hello?” A pleasant male voice said. “Is Sean there?”

  “He is, but he can’t come to the phone now. Can I take a message?” she asked.

  “That’s okay, I’ll call him back. Please tell him it’s Ben Colton.”

  Ashley gasped. “Ben Colton?”

  “Yes,” the voice said. “I’ll call again soon. Thank you.”

  The phone clicked off. Ashley stood there in shock. Sean came around the corner in his bathrobe, toweling his hair dry.

  “Who was that?” Sean asked.

  “Ben Colton,” Ashley said.

  “But Ash...he’s dead.”

  “I know. I…” Ashley trailed off.

  They stood there in total quiet looking at one another. Ashley felt as if she had slipped out of her body and was on the ceiling, looking at two small people below, confused and afraid. She felt like she was drifting higher and higher, until she couldn’t see them anymore, and everything was so quiet it was like a vacuum. She then had trouble breathing. All of a sudden, Sean’s face was close to hers and his mouth was moving, but she couldn’t hear what he was saying. He shook her. Then she passed out.

  Chapter Nine

  When Ashley came to, she was on the
floor. Sean was over her, his panicked voice begging her to get up. She shakily got to her feet with his help and sat right back down. He insisted they go to a doctor. Ashley thought that was unnecessary, but Sean held fast.

  “You were out for too long. If we’re going to make a trip, you have to get checked out.”

  “Sean, I fainted because of the shock of hearing from someone who is supposed to be dead. I’m physically okay.”

  “Ash, if we’re going up north, you’re going to the doctor now. Case closed.”

  Ashley sighed. She looked at his face and realized it was a done deal. Sean wasn’t tough, but inwardly he was very strong. And he always thought of her best interests.

  “Okay, I’ll get checked out. Can we talk about what just happened?”

  “When we’re in the car,” he said.

  They drove to the emergency room and Ashley got thoroughly examined. As soon as the doctor released her, she used Sean’s phone and left a message for Thompson to let him know what happened. Next they called Detective Miller.

  “What’s the number?” he asked.

  “The call came in from a blocked number,” Ashley said.

  “Whoever called was trying to throw you off the track,” Miller said. “I’ll check out your husband’s phone when you get up here.”

  “This is a very effective way in scaring us,” she said.

  “I’m sure that was the intent,” Miller said. “Hang in there.”

  “But maybe—” she started to say.

  “Let’s talk about it further when you get up here. Gotta go, it’s late. See you soon.”

  After he hung up, Ashley wanted to talk about it with Sean, but he emphasized how tired he was.

  “We’ll have plenty of time on the road, Ash. I have to get into the bakery early tomorrow and check everything before we go. Then we have to stop and see Detective Thompson and get your phone back for the trip. And you have to pack. Let’s get some sleep.”

  ***

  Again, Ashley had a hard time closing her eyes. She ran over all the scenarios in her mind about everything that had happened. She saw Grant’s face looking at her from the back of the squad car, and recalled Harley’s desperate voice.