Ravenwood Cove Cozy Mysteries Books 1-3

by Carolyn L. Dean

  Amanda laughed. “Not hardly. My sleuthing days are over.” She took a deep breath. “You know, when I moved to this little town I was worried that nothing was ever going to happen around here.”

  Mrs. Granger pushed aside her huge slice of carrot cake and poured herself more coffee, ignoring her granddaughter’s quiet attempt at stopping her. “Then you don’t know Ravenwood Cove,” she said. “This place is full of weirdos and secrets. I’m the head weirdo.”

  They laughed, but Amanda still had questions. “So, how did Celia find out her father was in Ravenwood?”

  “Obituary,” James said. “Mrs. Welch put his death notice in the Ravenwood Tide, and it gets put on the internet. Celia came looking for what she thought was her inheritance, the necklace. She couldn’t find or open the safe, so she just waited until she found someone who could. Then after she met Desmond and found out that he’d probably be able to open the safe, she started a relationship with him so that he’d steal Moonlight for her. When he told her he wanted a new life with her and that he wanted to sell the necklace, she killed him. Guess she thought that he had the necklace on him or she’d be able to find it in his things, but she couldn’t.”

  “It’s really sad,” Amanda added. “Mrs. Welch told me she never knew anything about his other family, and that she’d never seen him do anything but be a loving husband. She only found out about the money issues and get-rich-quick schemes when he died and she went through all his things, including his computer. Once the debtors read the obituary and found where he was they came knocking, and she had to sell almost everything she owned to just pay them off. Apparently, she’d been secretly sending her furniture and jewelry to Mrs. Sanford’s gallery for the past several months, just trying to sell enough to keep afloat.”

  “Well, she won’t have to worry about money now,” Lisa said. “I heard she’d going to sell Moonlight at an auction in Portland, and that the estimate of its value is really high. She’ll be able to have some peace and quiet in her big house, and be left alone.”

  Mrs. Granger, always opinionated, piped up. “I think that’s a terrible idea. Not about selling the necklace. God knows it’s brought nothing but trouble to that poor lady. I think it’s a terrible idea for her to hide in that big house, no matter how much money she has. You know what she needs?” The old lady looked around the table, expectant. “She needs a job, and to get out around people. With Celia gone, Mrs. Mason is going to need someone to help out at the bakery, and I’ll bet Mrs. Welch would be great at that.” She carefully stood and grabbed the handles of her walker. If you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll go have a chat with Mrs. Mason and see what she thinks of my brilliant idea.” Without a backward glance, the ninety-year-old do-gooder pushed her walker through the crowd, intent on getting her way.

  They watched her go with admiration, and Meg spoke for them all. “Don’t you just love the way she actually helps people, instead of just talking about it?”

  James sighed. “Yes, I do.”

  Watching the waitresses zip by with plates of food, Lisa asked, “Hey, did anyone else see the forecast? We’re supposed to be getting snow in the next day or so, maybe in time for Christmas.”

  Meg shook her head. “You know how rare snow is at sea level. I’d be surprised if we get a single flake. It’ll get dumped all over the Coast Range, not here.”

  Lisa made a face. “Pessimist.”

  Amanda watched the faces of her friends and neighbors, and felt safe and happy. “I’m so sorry that the storm made the town cancel Hometown Holidays,” she said sadly. “I was really looking forward to a Christmas festival.”

  James looked a bit surprised. “We couldn’t have the festival with all the storm damage. There are still trees down across several of the roads, and the town’s a mess. Besides,” he added, “isn’t it more fun with just the town all together? No tourists, no carnival?”

  Ruby walked up to the table, carefully balanced platters of food on both arms, to a general cheer from the diners. Passing out the warm plates, she pulled a ketchup bottle from her apron pocket and hurried back to the kitchen for another pickup.

  Mrs. Granger was coming back, pushing her walker and flashing a triumphant smile. “I talked to her,” she announced as she pivoted her walker and sat down on the plastic seat. “Mrs. Mason said she’d be happy to talk to Mrs. Welch about giving her a trial run at the bakery.”

  “Amanda was just telling us she was sorry we had to cancel Hometown Holidays,” Meg said, keeping her grandmother updated.

  Mrs. Granger blew a raspberry. “Who needs a carnival when you’ve had so much excitement lately at Ravenwood Cove? How could a festival compete with what we’ve all been through recently?” She smiled at Amanda, her eyes kind, and Amanda found herself smiling back.

  Indeed. It turned out she didn’t need a carnival after all.

  Epilogue

  Christmas Eve in Ravenwood Cove was a wonder. After all the trouble of the storm and the cleanup, as well as catching the murderer, Celia Welch, having the merriness of Christmas was a welcome relief.

  Ravenwood Inn had been known for decades as the place that the town came for an open house and Christmas Eve potluck, and Amanda had done her best to try to uphold that tradition. She’d hired Henry Crabbe as temporary help, and Jennifer Peetman had made sure to keep an eye on him as the historic bed and breakfast was scrubbed and polished. Amanda had struggled with the idea of how to set out all the food people were going to bring, until she remembered that hostesses of past parties must’ve known what they were doing, and set it up exactly as it had been decades ago. She’d even made Henry put extra strings of small white lights in the front trees, so that when the guests started to arrive, they gasped in wonder.

  The old Inn was full of laughter and music, with the warm smells of dozens of homemade dishes threaded through everything. Oscar seemed to be in his element, perched on a comfy armchair by the fireplace and regally accepting attention from anyone who wanted to pet him. The huge Christmas tree was a huge hit, with anxious parents shooing kids away when they wanted to sample the candy canes hanging on branches. Even with the below-freezing cold, guests sometimes wandered out to the front porch, loving the soft glow of hanging lanterns and Christmas lights.

  Just like in past years, the party wrapped up at nine o’clock sharp, with parents taking their children home to tuck into bed before Santa came, and other families getting ready to attend late evening church services.

  Amanda was a bit nervous when she pulled on her heavy coat. She’d finally made the decision to sit with James and his family at the candlelight service, but it was definitely out of her comfort zone. James had been a wonderful help during the party, making sure that everyone was included and having a good time, while filling people’s glasses and cracking jokes. She’d watched him easily move from conversation to conversation, always ready to make someone smile or pick up a discarded plate.

  He was waiting downstairs, this tall detective, and she couldn’t hide the fact that seeing a movie with him on a casual date was very different than being included in his family’s holiday traditions. The thought of sitting in the same pew as his siblings and parents made her stomach hurt.

  Looking in the bathroom mirror, Amanda gave a last touch-up to her lipstick and headed downstairs, trying to be brave.

  The service was different than she expected. The church was packed, full of people dressed in their holiday best, or whatever would keep them warm. There was lots of music, including a children’s choir, and different people reading the Christmas story. Pastor Fox gave a talk about the true meaning of Christmas and said that Christmas was about God showing us that we weren’t just some lab experiment that had been created and then left to fend for itself. He added that God had proven his continuing love by giving the greatest sacrifice he could show humans that they would understand. Amanda had always liked Pastor Fox but she’d been halfway expecting some judgmental speech, so it was a bit of a surprise.

  Am
anda was also surprised how many of the old Christmas carols she remembered, singing along a bit timidly and trying not to laugh at James’ booming baritone as he belted them out with gusto. His family had been warm and friendly, without asking too many questions or making her uncomfortable, but they obviously thought of her as James’ girlfriend, which was a first.

  Looking around the church, Amanda could see dozens of people she knew. Mrs. Granger was back a couple of rows, and had gleefully waved a brand-new cellphone at Amanda when she’d seen her. Apparently, Meg had given her grandmother exactly what she’d wanted for Christmas.

  Toward the end of the service, ushers passed out white candles with cardboard rings that slipped on, to protect people from getting splashed by hot wax. The lights were slowly dimmed, then turned off, and Pastor Fox talked about the importance of the light moving into the darkness. He took his lit candle and touched it to the candle belonging to the person next to him, then to another person, as the slow flicker of faint light began to grow around her, Amanda could see many happy faces reflecting the golden flames. As the candles were slowly lit around the church, Pastor Fox watched until he was sure every person there had a candle, and then began to sing Silent Night.

  This was music that Amanda hadn’t experienced before, with no instruments or recordings or conductors. It was a groundswell of rich sound, sung with emotion and years of Christmas memories. The purity of it caught her off guard, and she sang along, loving being part of its beauty. At the end of the hymn, voices trailed off, as if wanting to continue, and there was a profound stillness. After a minute or so, a few lights were turned back on, and people shuffled toward the back of the church, blowing out their candles and putting them in a box by the door.

  Holding James’ hand, Amanda made her way through the crowd, following his family to the double doors. As they opened, there was a collective sigh from the churchgoers. Amanda moved her head around to get her a better look as the congregation started walking down the front steps.

  Stepping out of the church’s front doors was like walking into a hushed snow globe. The town square was silent, every noise muffled by the soft, white snow covering the town square, already a couple of inches deep over the grass. Fat snowflakes were continuing to fall, icing the small town of Ravenwood Cove in a winter glaze. The town’s permanent Christmas tree, with its lights repaired as much as possible after the recent storm, stood tall and proud, red ribbons on its branches waving in the breeze.

  “If I’d known if would be like this, I would’ve brought one of the sleighs from the ranch.” James was smiling. “The draft horses would love it.”

  Amanda sighed blissfully. “That would’ve been great. You know, I think this is my first white Christmas ever.” At James’ surprised expression, she explained. “You don’t get this sort of thing in LA, you know.”

  James smiled. “There’s more to Ravenwood Cove than just murder and mysteries, Miss Graham. You still have a lot left to discover around here.”

  Yes, I do, Amanda thought, and smiled back at James. Whatever the future may bring, she was truly looking forward to unraveling more secrets about Ravenwood Cove.

  RUTH’S CASHEW CHRISTMAS COOKIES

  ½ cup butter

  1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

  1 egg

  ½ teaspoon real vanilla

  1/3 cup dairy sour cream

  ¾ teaspoon baking powder

  ¾ teaspoon baking soda

  ¼ teaspoon salt

  2 cups sifted flour

  1 – ¾ cups whole or halves cashew nuts, salted

  Preheat oven to 400 degree Fahrenheit.

  Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

  Beat in egg and vanilla.

  Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with sour cream.

  Carefully fold in nuts. Drops by teaspoonful onto greased cookie sheet.

  Bake 10 minutes at 400 degrees.

  Cool and frost with butter frosting.

  Top each cookie with a cashew nut.

  Golden Butter Frosting:

  ½ cup butter

  3 Tablespoons liquid coffee creamer or evaporated milk

  ¼ teaspoons real vanilla

  2 cups sifted confectioners (powdered) sugar

  THE ENTIRE RAVENWOOD COVE SERIES:

  Book 1 - BED, BREAKFAST, and BONES

  Book 2 - DUNE, DOCK, and a DEAD MAN

  Book 3 - MISTLETOE, MOONLIGHT, and MURDER

  Book 4 - SEA, SKY, and SKELETON

  Book 5 - TIME, TIDE and TROUBLE

  Book 6 - SUN, SAND, and SECRETS

  AUTHOR NOTES:

  I really enjoyed getting to meet these characters again, and letting some of the more quiet ones into the forefront!

  If you liked what you read, please consider leaving a review. Being an independent author means this is my own small business, and I appreciate any feedback you can give, so other readers will know if my writing is their cup of tea or not Thank you for stopping by!

  Want to know about new releases, sale pricing, and exclusive content? Visit my website at http://CarolynDeanBooks.com/ and my email newsletter is HERE. Spam-free, and only sent out when there’s something new, on sale, or FREE. I PROMISE.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR – Carolyn L. Dean

  I've been writing and making stories in my head as early as I can remember. In third grade I came home, set my lunchbox down, and told my mother I wanted to be a writer. Luckily, Mom was supportive.

  I've been a published author for a few years now, under different names and genres, but the thought of writing about a small coastal town in Oregon, and about its loves and mysteries and holidays and people has been with me for years. To be honest, I am always a bit scared to dump those ideas onto the written page, but I hope you'll enjoy getting to meet the people who inhabit my imagination.

  In real life, I'm married with kids, live on the West Coast of the US, and own a hobby farm just outside of my favorite small town. I love to travel, and can often be found strolling down a windy beach, holding onto the string of a high-sailing dragon kite.