by Emmie Lyn
Claws of Justice
Mint Chocolate Chip Mysteries
Emmie Lyn
© 2020, Emmie Lyn
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Editor: Helen Page
Proofreader: Alice Shepherd
Cover Designer: Lou Harper, Cover Affairs
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
No part of this work may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.
Sweet Promise press
PO Box 72
Brighton, MI 48116
To every reader, a heartfelt thank you.
And, a special shout out to Christine M for naming one of the kitten’s in Claws of Justice – Razzleberry.
Contents
About This Book
Author’s Note
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
More Blueberry Bay
More Emmie!
About This Book
I’m Sunny Shaw, and regardless of what my name might suggest, my world has become rather dim as of late.
With a bankrupt business to save, homeless kittens that need rescuing, and a new business partner distracting me with every glance, there seems to be a disaster waiting at every turn.
Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, a murder literally lands on my doorstep—or at least the corpse does. Now I’m struggling to figure out which problem to solve first!
My business partner seems to want to share more than our lease, but I have to take that step very slowly. Of course, I can’t in good conscience leave the kittens to wander the streets. Then again no business means no money.
Decisions. Decisions.
Author’s Note
Hi cozy readers!
Welcome to Pineville in Blueberry Bay on the coast of Maine where cozy mysteries abound. If you’ve read the Little Dog Diner Cozy Mystery series, you’ve already met Sunny Shaw and her lovable Newfoundland mix, Jasper. Sunny and Jasper are front and center in the Mint Chocolate Chip Mystery series. Sit back and enjoy. But beware… you’re about to fall in love with adorable kittens, be tempted by tasty shakes, and delicious sweets while each story in this exciting series brings you on a twisty turny mystery!
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1
“Sold!” Police Chief Bullock yelled and pointed in my direction. After watching his performance, I decided that the-middle-aged law enforcement officer loved moonlighting as an auctioneer more than his police responsibilities here in Pineville.
I looked at the people milling around the old Nine Pine Nursery parking lot. Retired couples in baggy jeans and light jackets, millennial owners of local shops, and out-of-towners in designer hiking gear stopping to check for bargains. An event like this, in my quaint Maine town, brought out familiar faces and complete strangers. Some trudged back to their vehicles while others tossed their bidding numbers aside and gathered in groups to chat. I wondered which one of these people just bought this bankrupt business that had once belonged to my grandparents.
“Hey.” The gray-haired guy next to me nudged me with his elbow. He hitched his khaki pants over his ample belly and tilted his head toward Chief Bullock. “He means you—Sunny Shaw —right?” He cupped his hand around his mouth as if telling a secret. “I got a peek at the auctioneer’s list and put two and two together. Congratulations.”
If he hadn’t said my name, I would have thought his congratulations was directed to someone else. Anyone else. Instead, I stared, with what I assumed was my mouth dragging on the parking lot and my eyes bugged out.
“What?”
“You just bought this old place. Well, what’s left of it, I should say. I did some research and it’s a real shame that the previous owner sold off the land. But the retail building is solid, and the glass greenhouse only needs a good cleaning. Nothing some hard work can’t fix right up.
Congratulations,” he repeated. “I was thinking about buying it myself if I could have gotten it for a song. Didn’t happen; you beat my bid. I suppose it’s a bit too big for my needs anyway.” He looked around wistfully, or so I decided, raised his New York Yankees ball cap and smoothed his thinning hair.
“I did?” This was news to me. I’d only come for entertainment after being canned from my job as the sandwich-wearing lobster who walked up and down Main Street in Pineville, advertising–you won’t believe this–a get-away for an all-day cruise around Blueberry Bay. I know it sounds exciting, but believe me, I worked on that cruise and it’s full of a rollicking, stomach-upsetting, hang-over-the-railing, seasick six hours. Even my Newfie, Jasper, wasn’t a fan. And she loves the water. My ex-boss didn’t appreciate that I shared my story with potential fare-paying customers.
“Yeah,” the guy said, talking to me like I didn’t have a clue. “You need to go up and pay.”
Pay? “How much?”
“All of it.” He shook his head and must be thinking I was the biggest dimwit he’d ever seen.
“You want some advice?” he asked, dipping his head as if trying to keep his advice from the eavesdropping public.
At the moment, I wanted answers, not advice but he’d stirred up my endless pit of curiosity. “Sure.”
“Watch your back. By the look of this crowd, lots of other people were after this gem.” He glanced at his watch, frowned, and walked away without a goodbye.
I bent over to tie my sneaker and think about what he’d said. Watch my back from what? But, more importantly at the moment, did I have enough money in my bank account to cover this purchase? Definitely not. The inheritance from my great aunt was still tied up in court for the foreseeable future. Maybe a run to the Canadian border was my best option.
Unfortunately, before I even had time to figure out which way was north from the Blueberry Bay area, about a hundred and fifty-five pounds on four legs hit me from behind, squishing me flat into the dirt.
This officially was one of the worst days of my life I said to the rock poking into my cheek.
“Sunny? Open your eyes this minute.”
With great effort, I cracked one eyelid a fraction of an inch. “Tilly?” I mumbled. “You brought Jasper here?”
My neighbor, Tilly Morris, stared down at me. Even with all her quirks and wacky ideas, she looked out for me, watched my dog when necessary, and I considered her to be my pist
ol-packing guardian granny. Of course, I never referred to her that way out loud. She was a tad sensitive about her age—seventy, though you wouldn’t know it from her neon wardrobe and oversized personality. And she wasn’t anyone’s grandmother.
“You sure did get yourself in a pickle this time, Sunny Shaw,” she said as she tugged on my arm. “Come on. Get up before you catch some disease from all that dirt you’re lying in. What happened to that guy who was standing next to you? He disappeared.”
I shrugged. Not one bit of all this made a lick of sense. Something warm and wet traveled from my chin to my hairline. “Jasper! Stop!” But my dog, a big Newfoundland mix, the other half something like a small whale, had launched herself at me when Tilly brought her into the parking lot. Now she was straddling me, cleaning every exposed piece of skin she could find.
“What is so tasty? Did I spill lobster on myself or something?” I tried to avoid her slobber, but my best hope of getting away from Jasper’s tongue was to wiggle and squirm out from under her.
With Tilly pulling my arm while Jasper turned something I’d spilled on myself into her morning snack, I managed to get on my knees and crawl out from under her somewhat unusual embrace.
“There,” I said, dusting the dirt from my fall in the parking lot off my khaki capris. I pulled the elastic out of my ponytail. A quick shake sent bits of twigs and leaves flying before I twisted my mass of dark hair into a messy bun, minus the debris. “What just happened?”
“Apparently, you just bought this property,” Tilly hissed while pulling me away from all the people. “Are you crazy? How the heck are you planning to pay for it?”
“No worries, Sunny. It’s all taken care of.”
I almost gave myself whiplash when I turned around at the sound of the one voice that sent shivers up and down my spine. And not in a good way. At least, not anymore. There, smiling at me with green eyes like a cat stalking a mouse, and dimples that always meant trouble, stood Ty Hitchner. At one time I’d hoped he’d be my destiny. But then, he took off for more excitement than he could find with me in Pineville.
Seeing him wasn’t good on so many levels.
“Hitch,” Tilly said, using his nickname. “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?” I think she even batted her eyelashes. Ewww.
My neighbor had always thought Hitch was Pineville’s gift to women; or, one woman in particular—me. Don’t ask me why because Hitch and I had different goals in life. Ever since he’d moved to the Big Apple for what he’d expected to be his dream job as a private security guard, I’d put him out of my mind. My goal was to not think about Hitch at all. But here he was, looking at me like he’d just returned to save the world. Or, maybe just my world.
I crossed my arms. “What’s all taken care of?” I asked even thought I probably didn’t want to know the answer.
“Paying for Nine Pine Nursery.” Hitch cocked his head with a quizzical don’t-play-dumb look. “You’ve always said you wished your grandparents hadn’t sold it.”
“Look, Hitch,” I said feeling confused and more than a little frustrated. “I just lost my job, and I have no patience for your games. You were here in Pineville, then you left, and now, here you are again. Don’t mess with me.”
I blinked back tears that threatened to spill and ruin my tough-girl pose along with a tiny bit of mascara.
Hitch reached out and put his hand on my shoulder. I wished he hadn’t done that. How would I possibly resist his charm that he worked like an expert, using that chiseled jaw, those green eyes?
“Sunny,” he said with a voice full of compassion. “This is no game. I’m back and we just bought the nursery.” Then he flashed a grin that normally made my heart flutter. “You can thank me later.”
“Wait a minute. We?” Instead of a flutter, my heart pounded, mostly from anger but there might have been a bit of excitement mixed in if I was honest with myself. I patted my chest to calm down this internal battle.
“Yeah, you and me.” Hitch spread his hands across the sky in front of us like he was unraveling a banner. “There’s room for both of us. I can see it already—Pineville’s new Shakes and Cakes Shop. Sounds great, right? You love those weird smoothies that are all the rave now, and I’ll use the greenhouse for my orchid collection and some herbs.”
“But—”
He covered my lips with his finger. A finger that smelled like peppermint candy. I closed my eyes, hoping I didn’t embarrass myself and take a taste.
“Think about it before you shoot me down,” he said, pulling me out of my daydream just in time. “That’s all I’m asking, Sunshine. If you don’t want to partner with me, I know I can find someone else.” He winked, and I knew I was doomed.
A scream pierced the air, which barely entered my consciousness with this latest emotion overload. Tilly raced toward us. I hadn’t even registered her absence with Hitch distracting me.
“That guy who was standing next to you?” She looked at me with her big blue eyes wide with fear. Something Tilly rarely showed. “He’s dead.”
2
“Who’s dead?” Hitch asked pulling his hand away from my face and treating Jasper to an ear rub instead. Her favorite. She let him know with a loud groan of pleasure that I admit, turned on my jealousy meter.
“The guy who’d been standing next to Sunny during the bidding,” Tilly said. She moved her hand in a circular motion. “Come on. Work with me here. He keeled over before he got into his car with a big knife sticking out of his chest. Maxine Salter found him. I swear, you’d think she’d never seen a murder victim before.”
“You mean Harry Jenson? The millionaire from New York City? I used to work for him. I saw him standing next to you, Sunny. You know him?” An expression of serious concern transformed his face into his investigative mode, another sideline Hitch enjoyed.
I was still stuck on murder victim, never mind the guy’s name and address. Who cared about that?
“It’s weird. He knew my name, but I never saw the guy before like-fifteen minutes ago. He stood next to me, said a couple of things, then Jasper knocked me over. He told me I outbid him. How did that even happen? I never made a bid on anything today.”
Boy, was my brain jumping around like a frog in hot water.
Hitch did that cute thing when he knew he was in trouble, tucking his chin down and rolling his eyes. “I kind of used your name when I got my bidding number, Sunny. I told Police Chief Bullock I wanted to surprise you, but I put up the money. Some surprise, right?”
Hitch looked at me like I should bow with thanks in front of him. It was hard to still be furious, but a thanks was not happening.
“Yeah, some surprise,” I said but apparently without the requisite level of enthusiasm based on Ty’s crestfallen face. He couldn’t have everything. Right now, his revelation made my head spin. How could I be part owner of what used to be the Nine Pine Nursery? And if that wasn’t enough, I was trying to process Tilly’s shocking news.
“He was murdered?” Practically right under my nose. The reality of the situation hit me harder than a tidal wave.
“Hitch?” Tilly said, pulling us away from the crowd of gawkers. “Maybe we can sneak away before Officer Walker arrives and starts asking questions. You and I both know what that will mean.”
“That’s the best thing I’ve heard all day,” Hitch said and picked up the pace. With Hitch on one side and Tilly on the other, I couldn’t resist being swept along.
We almost made it.
Officer Mick Walker’s SUV screeched to a stop, cutting us off from what Tilly liked to call her getaway vehicle—a lime green Volkswagen bug that matched her jogging outfit. Not that Tilly did much jogging, but she liked to be color coordinated. Shocking, right? Her theory—be as noticeable as possible. But I never understood her logic.
Mick pointed at us through the dirty windshield of his Pineville police department vehicle and shook his head. He wasn’t my favorite person in Pineville, but for Hitch? They’d always butted heads, m
ostly over me.
Mick exited his SUV and walked over to our little threesome while finger combing his crew cut of sun-bleached hair.
Ty whispered to me, “Don’t admit to anything, he’ll be fishing for information.”
I shielded my eyes from the bright sun as I waited to hear what Mick had up his sleeve.
“Interesting goings-on around here this morning,” Mick said. The toothpick he always kept at the corner of his mouth bobbed up and down while he spoke.
For some reason, that toothpick looked like it had a life of its own. I tried to choke back a laugh. Of course, it didn’t work and what sounded more like a honking goose slipped out.
“Something’s funny?” Mick’s toothpick motion paused as his jaw clenched.
Tilly, always looking out for me, tapped her chin then pointed to Mick. “Did you have eggs for breakfast?”
Wow. I’d totally missed that but once again, she’d saved me from my lack of self-restraint. With the back of his hand, Mick rubbed away a big yellow yolk smear. Without even showing a bit of embarrassment, he continued. “Police Chief Bullock called every available officer here to help with the current situation.”
“What situation?” I asked. I’d made the quick decision to pretend I knew nothing about any guy or any murder. “We’re on our way to Tilly’s house to discuss a new business venture.”