Purrfect Murder

by Louise Lynn

  “That must’ve been the other gun you stole from the Carson City Gun Show?” Hazel said between gritted teeth and held the poker tight in her hand.

  April jumped to her feet far quicker than Hazel imagined she could have, but she was almost an Olympic gymnast. “You shouldn’t have gotten in the way. It has nothing to do with you.”

  Hazel’s eyes darted toward the lake. Tommy was out there somewhere. Possibly freezing to death. “What about Michael? Were you using him?”

  “I did what I had to. Tommy and Simone ruined my sister’s life, and they ruined my life. I wasn’t going to let them get away with it. And now that you’re here …”

  Hazel shook her head. “The sheriff already knows it was you. Killing me won’t solve anything. Killing Tommy won’t solve anything.” She heard the tremor in her voice now.

  It turned out there was a difference between photographing crime scenes and facing down a killer, even one that was nearly fifteen years her junior.

  But she couldn’t let April win.

  Hazel gathered all her courage, stepped forward, and swung the fire poker. She came up several inches too short, but the clang of metal on metal told her she hit the gun.

  It flew out of April’s hands, but the fire poker went with it.

  Hazel stood, eyes wide and chest heaving.

  April let out an animalistic snarl and leapt toward the fallen weapon.

  “Hazel, where are you, dear?” Her mother’s voice rang clear through the snowy forest.

  Hazel felt her heart sink. She could hardly protect herself. How could she protect her mom too? “I told you to stay at the house. She has a gun!” she cried as April dug into the snow bank.

  There was no sign of either weapon, but Hazel had no doubt April would find them soon enough.

  A figure emerged from the trees, a rectangular wooden object grasped in oversized knitted mittens. “Catch,” her mom called, and tossed the board toward Hazel.

  Somehow, she managed to snatch it from the air before it was lost into the snow like the gun and fire poker.

  A moment later, April leapt to her feet, but this time, Hazel didn’t hesitate.

  The girl might be stronger and younger, but Hazel was taller.

  She took one large step and swung.

  The board cracked against April’s shoulder, and she screamed and fell to the ground.

  “The lake. Tommy is at the lake!” Hazel cried as a series of figures emerged from the woods around her with guns drawn. Her heart stopped until she realized they all wore the deep green jackets that signified deputies.

  They spotted April right away, and surrounded her.

  With that taken care of, she charged in the direction that Anthony Ray had gone.

  Hazel had lost her flashlight in the scuffle, and the drifts kept trying to trip her.

  The snow caked her hat and coat, and every step took more energy than the last.

  The biting air chilled every inch of her exposed flesh. If she didn’t find him soon, it might be too late.

  Then, the snow beneath her feet thinned and turned to ice. She noticed a dark mass at the edge of the water. Anthony Ray let out a meow, and Hazel rushed toward him.

  Her boots broke through the ice, but the water only came up to her ankles.

  Tommy huddled at the lake’s edge and blinked as she grabbed him and started pulling him ashore.

  She didn’t remember the deputies helping her, but soon enough, they’d wrapped Tommy in heavy wool blankets and were carrying him toward the waiting ambulance.

  A moment later, a hand clamped on her shoulder, and Hazel nearly jumped out of her skin.

  “You should get inside and get warmed up. Are you hurt?” Sheriff Cross asked, concern lacing his voice.

  That was unfamiliar, and Hazel blinked at him and wiped the snowflakes from her eyelashes. “I’m pretty sure I pulled about twenty different muscles, but I’m fine besides that.”

  The sheriff nodded stiffly, and Hazel scooped Anthony Ray into her arms.

  She kissed his dark head and he let out a contented purr. “Quite the detective, Anthony Ray,” she said.

  The sheriff walked next to her, but this time, he didn’t have anything negative to say.

  Chapter 18

  Hazel wasn’t sure how many cups of tea and hours by the fire it took for her stop shaking, but she finally did.

  Ruth had long since fallen asleep, no matter that she claimed she wanted to stay up and watch the police finish their work. Esther had something to say about that, and her ‘mom voice’ won the day.

  Now, Hazel’s own eyes began to droop, and she ran her fingers over Anthony Ray’s smooth black fur.

  “I still don’t understand,” Esther said, and wrinkled her nose. She gripped her own cup of cocoa in her palms, and her bright red nails tapped against the ceramic mug.

  Hazel yawned. “I don’t know if revenge is supposed to make sense,” she said. “I think she was doing what she perceived as righting a wrong done to her sister.”

  “But Sara was the one cheating on her husband, right? With Tommy of all people!” Esther said.

  Hazel smiled. “I guess. I thought you told me Tommy was cute before.”

  Esther shrugged. “Cute and too young. He was better before he went to NYU. He came back and started acting like he was so much better than everyone from Cedar Valley. Actually, I prefer Raj.”

  Hazel raised her eyebrows. Raj was Tommy’s older brother, and just a year younger than Hazel herself. “Isn’t he taking over Shanti’s?”

  Esther shrugged. “Whenever their parents decide to retire, yeah. And he’s a great cook.”

  “Oh? Are you dating Raj without telling anyone?” Hazel flicked her sister on the shoulder.

  Esther shook her head and her cheeks flushed. Or perhaps it was just a trick of the firelight. “No! We just go and get lunch there once a week. No big deal.”

  Hazel found herself smiling. If Esther was interested in someone for the first time in five years since her husband’s accidental death, maybe there was hope for Hazel herself.

  “I finished drying it, and all is well,” their mom said, and plopped next to them on the couch.

  Hazel shook her head. “I hope you don’t catch pneumonia. You were out there for ages.”

  Her mom smiled. “Nonsense. The deputies actually spotted it before I did, and I got the wood dried out so it’s good as new.”

  “Yay! The spirit board lives another day,” Esther said dryly, and took a sip of her tea.

  Hazel snorted.

  Their mom wrapped an arm around each of them and pulled them into a tight side hug. “Now, don’t you go making jokes. It was useful in the end, wasn’t it?”

  “Yeah, as a weapon,” Hazel said.

  Their mom shrugged. “Spirits work in mysterious ways. That’s all I know for sure.”

  Hazel wasn’t sure about that, but she wasn’t about to argue it either.

  To Hazel’s relief, and pleasant surprise, the crime scene tape had been removed from her studio the next morning.

  And, even better, when she stepped inside, the building was blessedly warm. Michael cast a watery smile from the Old West studio. “The deputies came over early and cleaned up the bloodstain. The sheriff said he owed you one for last night,” Michael said, and his eyes dropped to the floor.

  Hazel stepped up to Michael, wrapping him in a tight hug. “I’m really sorry about April. You’ll meet someone, someday. But you’re allowed to mourn for her too, okay?”

  Michael dabbed his eyes with a Kleenex, not his sleeve, and nodded. “Thanks. Since I told the police everything, they said if I agree to testify, they’re not gonna press charges against me.”

  Hazel gave him a warm smile. “I’m glad. I really wouldn’t want to have to train a new assistant,” she said, and stepped back to survey the room.

  As far she could tell, everything was back in its right place. Which meant she could open her studio fully for business once again. And put this
whole messy murder business behind her.

  “Oh, and I got a message for you. They asked if you’d come to Shanti’s this morning?”

  Hazel blinked. Glanced at her clock. Her first appointment wasn’t until eleven a.m, which meant she had a good hour and a half.

  The snow had finally stopped at some point in the early morning, and the plows had seen to the main streets already while the locals handled the sidewalks.

  “Okay. I’ll be back soon. Can you handle everything here while I’m gone?”

  “Yeah, but are you sure you trust me to?” Michael asked in a small voice.

  Hazel sucked in a breath. “We all make mistakes. It’s how you go about fixing them that matters. You did the right thing in the end. I’m proud of you, Michael,” she said and clamped her hand on his shoulder.

  The crisp air cleared her head, though the three cups of coffee she’d already had may have helped as well.

  Shanti’s stood on the other side of the street from her studio. So, she braved the cold weather and walked.

  Paul popped his head out of his shop as she trudged by, a wide grin plastered on his face. “Hazel. Have you heard?”

  “About Tommy?” she asked.

  Paul shook his head. “No. It’s about that other guy—Giorgio Vincente?”

  Hazel shook her head. With everything that had gone on the night before, she hadn’t heard a word about the real estate scam artist. “What about him?”

  “Turns out his entire company was just a Ponzi scheme. He was making crazy bids for the real estate, and he didn’t have the money to back it up. Although, he had some investor’s money, but it’s all a big mess. And, from what my buddy at the Sheriff’s Office said, he’s going to prison for a long time.”

  “So that means we don’t have to worry about turning into North Lake City, right?”

  Paul nodded.

  “That’s great news. Have you told Celia about it yet?”

  A flush rose to his cheeks, and his eyes dropped to his boots. “Oh, I was going to tell her right now.”

  Hazel grinned. “Good luck,” she said, and walked away.

  To Hazel’s surprise, Tommy was the one who greeted her when she stepped into Shanti’s. The shop didn’t look like it was officially open, but the door was unlocked, and the lights were on.

  “Shouldn’t you be at the hospital?” she said, and stepped up to him.

  Tommy’s arm was in a sling, and his golden-brown skin was bruised near his left eye socket. Hazel had no idea when April had inflicted those injuries, but it had been after she left the bar. Instead of wearing a snappy business suit, he was dressed plainly in a pair of gray sweats and a sweatshirt.

  “I’m fine. They released me this morning and, I don’t know how to thank you. I was pretty sure I was going to die out there. And then suddenly, this cat comes up to me. He nuzzled me and stayed with me until you showed up and pulled me out of the water. Thank you,” Tommy said, and his shoulders slouched forward. Unlike his usual cocksure self.

  Hazel felt a flush rise to her cheeks. What was she supposed to say to that? It’s not like she would let anyone die. “It’s no problem. I’m just glad I heard you out there and stopped her before it was too late. Did you hear about Vincente?”

  A smile tugged at the corner of Tommy’s lips. “Yeah. I’m going to testify against him, the way Dirk was, and I think I might be able to recoup some of my money, though not all of it. And … I never meant for any of this to happen. With Sara and then Simone … I didn’t want to hurt anybody.”

  “April’s the one who hurt them, not you. But sleeping with a married woman to get to another one probably isn’t the best idea,” Hazel said.

  Tommy winced. “I know. I think—I think I’m going to start working here until I get back on my feet. When I moved away from Cedar Valley, I never thought I wanted to come back. But now, I realize it might be my home,” he said, and glanced around the little Indian restaurant.

  Hazel sucked in a deep breath of the spice-filled air, and smiled at the colorful paintings on the walls. “Yeah, I feel the same way.”

  After her afternoon shoot, Hazel let Michael go home early and decided to close up shop. She had sleep to catch up on, and she wasn’t kidding about those muscles she’d pulled. Plus, Anthony Ray deserved some tuna for his good work the night before. And a long belly rub.

  She tried not to wince as she pulled on her coat and flipped off the lights in the studio. As she was powering down her computer, she heard the door jingle.

  “Ms. Hart? You here?” Sheriff Cross called.

  Hazel let out a sigh, flipped off her office light, and stepped into the foyer. “Yup. And I’m closing for the day. What can I do for you?” She yanked on her gloves.

  “You know, I hope the boys did a good job in the Old West studio.”

  Hazel felt her cheeks flush. “They did. Thank you for that. I really didn’t want to clean it up myself.”

  Sheriff Cross nodded grimly and stepped toward her. “I figured. It was the least I could do after … I just wanted to say …”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Say what?”

  He let out a sharp breath through his nose. His normally brushed dark hair was mussed as if he’d been running his fingers through it.

  Sheriff Cross agitated?

  She couldn’t imagine what could agitate someone who seemed so perfectly pulled together all the time.

  “I wanted to say I was wrong about you. You didn’t have anything to do with Dirk Barkley’s death, and you helped us catch the killer. Thank you.”

  She blinked at him, cheeks burning, and nodded stiffly. “You’re welcome. Maybe I was wrong about you too.”

  “Oh? How so?” he said, and the beginning of a smirk pulled at the corner of his lips.

  “Maybe you’re not a completely intolerable jerk after all.” She instantly kicked herself mentally.

  Tact. Hazel needed to learn it.

  Sheriff Cross’s face twisted, and for a moment she thought he was going to storm out. Instead, a chuckle erupted from his mouth. “I guess I may have deserved that. You’re not exactly an angel yourself.”

  “I never said I was an angel, but I don’t go insulting stranger’s hats,” she said, and tugged the mustard knit over her head.

  That smirk softened into a smile, and his blue eyes twinkled. “You know, I wasn’t lying about that. I actually kinda like the hat,” he said, and flicked the pom-pom.

  Hazel pointed to the door and followed him outside. “Good, because you’ll be seeing lots of it. Uh, because I live in town, and so do you. Not for any other reason,” she found herself mumbling.

  Sheriff Cross only chuckled again, and Hazel smiled.

  Yes, Cedar Valley felt exactly like home.

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  Read the rest of the Hazel Hart Series

  Hazel Hart can’t catch a break.

  While working as the photographer of the local elementary school, Hazel stumbles across the body of the music teacher. The woman has been murdered, and Hazel’s own mother is a prime suspect!

  Now, Hazel has to clear her mother’s name, and go head to head against the handsome and stubborn Sheriff Cross. Only, that’s not as easy as it seems. The victim’s life and death is shrouded in years of secrets, including decades old blackmail. As the list of suspects grows, the more dangerous it becomes.

  In a race against the clock, Hazel must pinpoint the real killer before it’s too late.

  Purrfect Alibi: A Hazel Hart Cozy Mystery Three

  Hazel Hart has awful luck.

  When the star quarterback goes missing after the local Spring Fling dance, Hazel and her feline side-kick find his body. The young man was murdered, and there are no shortages of s
uspects—including her best friend’s ex—a man Hazel doesn’t trust.

  As she digs for the truth, the mysteries around the quarterback’s life and death multiply. Someone is trying to bury the past, and the danger to Hazel grows with each unearthed secret.

  In a race against time, can Hazel find the real killer before she is the next victim?

  Coming May 9, 2018

  Hazel Hart feels like a walking shadow.

  When the Shakespeare festival consumes Cedar Valley, Hazel is hired to photograph the performances and the actors, but she catches something through her lens that no one expected to see live on stage—a murder!

  The lead in Macbeth is the victim, and the list of suspects is as complicated as A Midsummer Night’s Dream, including everyone from the actor’s diva wife to the sheriff’s own niece. Good thing Hazel is there to suss out the truth.

  But as she creeps closer to the killer, accidents plague the production at every end. Will Hazel unmask the murderer before another life is claimed?

  Read the Maritime Teashop Series:

  There has been a murder in San Bastion Bay and Olivia Darrow just might be next. Not the best birthday present she could have asked for.

  Now a potential suspect in the murder investigation, Olivia must find out who poisoned her least favorite customer and stop the killer from striking again. Unfortunately, her list of suspects includes nearly the entire town and a hooded figure seems determined to ensure the culprit remains hidden. In a race against the clock, will Olivia uncover the truth before it’s too late? Or has she been framed to take the fall?

  Maritime Teashop Book 2

  A film crew enters San Bastion Bay, and the movie turns deadly when a starlet who hailed from the small town is killed on set.

  Olivia Darrow must investigate the murder of the former prom queen turned movie star before the police arrest an innocent man. Unfortunately, the film crew and the town are full of potential suspects and dangerous secrets. In a race against time, can Olivia uncover the real killer before she becomes the next target?

  Thank you!

  Thank you so much for reading my first Hazel Hart cozy mystery! I had such an amazing time writing this book and I really hope you enjoyed Purrfect Murder. If you did, please leave a review.