“Rest. I back in twenty minutes. Do not move face.” Heavy footsteps padded across the floor, then a door closed.
“Stormi?” Mom whispered.
“I didn’t know you were in here.”
“Yeah, I must have had your gal’s sister. These two aren’t much for talking. I was afraid to ask any questions.”
“Stop talking. Face will crack.” I think it was Alice who moved my chair to a sitting position. She gently wiped my face with a lavender scented cloth. “Me and Ada are nice girls. What you want to know?”
“You wouldn’t happen to know whether Mr. Granger was murdered, would you?”
She laughed, the sound soft in comparison to her speech. “No, only the po-lice will know that. You a funny girl.”
“Can you tell me whether the resort sells octopus?”
“The kind in a jar or the kind in a tank?”
“Either.”
“Yes, in a jar. Very good.” She stepped back and studied my face. “You very pretty. No go sticking nose in places it not belong and ruin my work. Nose might get cut off. Now go. Next guest is here.”
I skedaddled as if she chased me out with a paddle. After the massage and a facial that left my face as smooth as a newborn baby’s bottom, I didn’t want to do anything but take a nap. Further investigation into Seth’s death would have to wait.
I woke to the sound of my cell phone ringing. I reached for it and knocked it to the floor. After several seconds of leaning over the bed fishing for the phone, I picked it up and noted Matt’s number. “Hey!”
“Hello, gorgeous. How are you?” He sounded sleepy.
“Relaxed and taking a nap. How’s the undercover work?”
“Well…I was shot last night.”
“What?!” I bolted out of bed. “I’m coming to you. Where are you?”
“Stay relaxed,” he chuckled. “Wayne, myself, and your nephew, just rented a cottage vacated that morning. I have strict orders to take some time off. Would you answer your door, please?”
My door? I padded in my bare feet to the front door and yanked it open. There stood the man of my dreams, his arm in a sling, and wearing a crooked smile.
I burst into tears and threw my arms around his neck.
He grunted and staggered back. “Careful. I’m wounded.”
“I’m sorry.” I gave him a lingering kiss and dragged him inside by his good arm. Wayne and Dakota followed. “Does Maryann know you’re here?”
“No. She won’t be happy when she finds out why. My little sister worries more than you.”
“I got to come after all,” my nephew said with a grin. “Where’s my mom?”
“Beautifying.” I led Matt to the sofa. “What can I do for you?”
“Give me another kiss.” The corner of his lips twitched. “It’s the best medicine in the world.”
I fulfilled his request, then sat on the coffee table and looked into his eyes. “I’m working.”
“Define working.” He frowned.
I told him about Seth’s death, the octopus tentacle, and the grieving widow hiring me. Then, I regaled him with all I had learned during my facial and massage. “But, now that you’re here and needing my nursing skills—”
He laughed. “Spare me that, please. Keep the assignment. I’m not a good patient, and this will help take my mind off the fact I’m benched for a few weeks. I’m also privy to information you can’t get access to. Do you think we can get into the cottage where the death occurred?”
“What number are you in?”
“Twelve.”
“You’re already there.”
4
Matt opened my laptop and tapped the keys with one finger. “I’m looking for the police report and the autopsy. If we know exactly how Seth Granger died, we’ll know where to start looking. It’s possible he died of natural causes despite what his wife says. If he did, there is no case.”
I sat in anticipation while he stared at the screen, typed, and stared at the screen some more. When I couldn’t hold in my nervousness, I paced. The whole waiting thing was putting a damper on any good the massage had done. “Nothing? It’s been fifteen minutes.”
“Hold on.” Wayne laughed, shaking his head. “These things take time.”
“Got it.” Matt straightened. “He was definitely murdered. His body contained a toxin only found in a tiny jellyfish, called Irukandji, native to Australia. So…how did these little killers get into Granger’s bubble bath?”
“Wouldn’t someone have found them?” My heart stuttered. I was never getting into water that wasn’t crystal clear. “Wouldn’t someone else have been stung when they pulled him out of the tub?”
“Not if they were wearing gloves.” Matt closed the laptop. “They’re as small as my fingernail and probably went down the drain when the plug was let out. I doubt anyone looking would have noticed anything. They probably looked like the bubbles.”
“Grown men shouldn’t take bubble baths,” Wayne said, shuddering.
“Great.” I plopped next to him on the sofa. “All we need to do now is find out who was recently in Australia.”
“Starting with Mrs. Granger.”
“It’s lunch time,” I said. “She’s probably in the restaurant.”
I led the way. Mom, my sister, Maryann, and my niece had already claimed a table. Angela took one look at Wayne and Dakota and shrieked. She launched herself at them, attracting the attention of everyone in the room. Maryann took one look at her brother and started to cry, then stumbled toward him, asking a million questions at once.
Cheri glared and held a finger to her lips.
I shrugged and headed to a back table where Amber sat staring at a plate of salad. “I’ve brought reinforcements.”
“Good. Officer Rodriguez is breathing down my neck.” She lifted a tear-filled gaze. “My Seth took a bath with jellyfish. Who would do that?” She put a hand to her head and pushed her coffee aside. “Something doesn’t agree with me this morning.”
I hoped it wasn’t guilt as I introduced Matt as he sat next to me, leaving out the fact he was a detective. All Amber needed to know was that he was working as my partner.
“Have you been to Australia recently?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No, but Seth had. That’s how I found out he was cheating. I found a pair of undies in his suitcase. How cliché is that? When I confronted him, he didn’t deny my allegations and promised it wouldn’t happen again.”
“Did it?” Matt leaned forward, fixing his amazing chocolate stare on her.
“Not that I know of. I did not kill my husband, Mr. Steele. I hired Miss Nelson to prove that fact.”
So far, the widow knew as much about the case as I did.
Laughter erupted from a large table in the center of the room. The tiny veil on the head of one girl told me we had found the bridal party. I had an idea that Matt wouldn’t like. At least I hoped he wouldn’t, because it didn’t taste good to me either. I dragged him away from Amber’s table and out of sight.
“I want you to sit alone and make eyes at that table of women.”
“Why?” He drew the word out.
“Because it’s a bachelorette party, and you’re a handsome man. I want you to cozy up to one of them and try to dig up some information.”
“You’re pimping me out.” He grinned.
Okay, so he liked the idea more than I thought he would. “I guess.”
“Can Wayne join me? He’s good looking, too, right? At least, I’ve heard women say so.”
“You’ll have to take that up with Angela.”
Ten minutes later, two very handsome men sat at a table next to the bevy of beauties while their girlfriends glowered from a table with their mother and teenagers.
“Stupid idea.” Angela stabbed a piece of melon as if taking a stab at me. “I was excited about him being here and now…you’ve sent him undercover with younger women.”
“Not one of them have your fake boobs, Mom.” Cheroke
e shrugged. “You win.”
I spewed orange juice onto my plate.
“What?” Cherokee glanced around. “Isn’t that why Mom paid the big bucks? Because men like them?”
“For crying out loud!” Angela tossed her fork on the table and stormed from the restaurant, only to return seconds later. “I’m not letting that man out of my sight.”
Mom chuckled and dug into her fruit salad. “Be yourself, dear. That’s all any man worth his salt wants. I’ve seen the way Wayne looks at you. There’s nothing to worry about.” She glanced around the room. “If only there were some single men my age here.”
“What are we doing today?” Dakota patted his stomach. “The food is great.”
“I was thinking about a stroll through the garden,” I said.
“How about a hike through the forest? The garden sounds lame.”
“Let’s do the forest tomorrow when we have more time,” Mom suggested. “We can pack a lunch.” She speared me with a glance. “You will come with us. I know you’ve said we’ll solve this murder, and we will, but we’re also going to have some fun.”
No arguments there. We had a lot of heavy mental baggage to leave behind. Only fun and relaxation, along with lots of prayer, would accomplish that goal. I’d brought my laptop in case the inspiration to write struck me, but I didn’t see that happening. Not with the activities and a new mystery. At least, death by jellyfish would provide a unique story line.
“Just great, Stormi.” Angela thumbed over her shoulder. “The girls invited our men to their table. When Matt tells them he’s suffering from a gunshot wound, they’ll be all over him with giggles, caresses, and compassion. Wayne will be caught in the tow.”
Good point. Maybe I should have rethought that idea.
I knew Matt loved me. Why else would he put up with all the trouble I got into in the name of research, but still…I gave an evil eye to one particular blond who had her arm around his good shoulder and was whispering in his ear. Maybe I should dump jellyfish in her bubble bath.
I immediately asked God for forgiveness for my unkind thought and left the restaurant. My family followed.
The gardens lay to our right. With the beginning of fall, flowering blossoms were few and far between, but the changing foliage of autumn lit the area like a sunset. I chose an ornate iron bench and sat down, breathing deeply of air that didn’t hold the stench of automobile exhaust or the wail of sirens. Not that Oak Meadows, the city I lived in, had a lot of that, but this place had none. True serenity. Until Angela opened her mouth.
“Why did you take the Granger murder job anyway? It isn’t like you need the money. Aren’t authors supposed to make up their stories? Writing books about other people’s deaths is taking advantage of people’s misfortune.” She stood on her tiptoes. “I can’t see in the restaurant window from here. Do you think Wayne is still there?”
“Where else would he be?” I closed my eyes and leaned my head back, wishing for earplugs. “Have some self-confidence.” My thoughts weren’t much different than hers, but if Matt looked elsewhere, he wasn’t the man for me. Now, that thought actually hurt enough I opened my eyes.
The branch of a rosebush poked my side. I shoved it behind the bench and came face-to-face with my gardener. “Rusty!” I jumped up and yanked him from the bushes. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to watch over you.” He dusted off the legs of his overalls. “I snuck in back of Matt’s van.” He grinned, showing blue teeth. “They have snow cones here.”
“Does Matt know you’re here?”
He shook his head. “I need vacation, too.” He pointed at his leg. “No more crutches.”
I sighed. The poor man had saved my mother’s life, and most likely mine, a few weeks back. I couldn’t send him away.
“He can sleep with me.” Dakota clapped Rusty on the shoulder. “I’ll watch out for him.”
“All we need now is Greta.”
“I hope not,” Mom said. “She’s baking. We can’t all go away or my business will falter.”
Matt and Wayne, apparently escaping the clutches of their adoring new friends, strolled toward us. Matt’s eyes widened at the sight of Rusty.
“He said he caught a ride with you.” I cocked my head.
“I suppose. I didn’t look in the back when I closed the door.” He shrugged. “The more the merrier.”
“I’m sure you thought so in the restaurant.” I grimaced at my jealous remark.
He put his good arm around my waist and pulled me close so he could nuzzle my neck. “Don’t worry. I did find out something, though.”
I stepped back. “What?”
“One of the girls saw a woman going into cottage number twelve on the night of the murder.” He grinned. “She said it wasn’t Mrs. Granger, because that woman was having dessert, alone, in the restaurant.”
“She could have left the restaurant.”
“That’s what I said. But, Lara said there was no way Amber could have made it past her at the time she saw the mystery woman. So…” he tapped my nose. “Chances are our killer is a woman.”
“I’m thinking the woman Seth had an affair with.” I bit the inside of my cheek. But who? There were at least twenty single women here, a few married ones, and even more on staff. It was a long list to work through.
“I don’t suppose you can flirt and recoup with all the single ladies?”
“I won’t go toying with hearts, Stormi.”
“I know, it was a stupid idea. Where do we go from here?”
“I’ll contact the airline and try to find out which days Seth flew to and from Australia, then post the list of other ticket buyers against the guest list here.” He drew me close. “Let’s head back and do some work.”
“We’ll stay here,” Mom said. “Yell if you need us.”
Angela had such a tight hold on Wayne’s hand, he wasn’t going anywhere either.
I had at least a few minutes alone with my honey. I snuggled against his side, frowning when he released me.
“If you want me to be able to get information from the single girls, we can’t look like an item.” He gave me a, “I’m sorry, but it was your idea” look.
Sometimes I was so stupid.
5
I plopped on the sofa and waited for Matt to join me when it felt safe. Mom entered the cottage and grinned.
“You’re pouting like a child.” She sat across from me. “Let’s go over what we know about this murder. It’ll take your mind off your jealousy.”
Great idea. I tapped my finger on my lips. “Seth died by jellyfish. An unknown woman was seen entering his cottage. I’d ask about fingerprints, but I’m sure there are dozens. Amber’s, the cleaning crew, Cheri’s, the mysterious mistress.” The suspect list was long and murky.
“Don’t forget the window in the bathroom. The killer could have reached in, dumped the jellyfish, and be gone before Seth knew what was happening.”
I straightened. “Was the window open?” For the life of me, I couldn’t remember. I kept mine closed while taking my bath, and the shades drawn. Even with nothing behind the cottage but thick forest, I always felt vulnerable with bathroom windows. Wait. No, I hadn’t. I’d taken my bath with the window open. A cool breeze had ruffled the curtains. I’d been so excited about the huge tub and done something completely out of character.
Mom shrugged. “I didn’t go in. I’m assuming all the cottages are the same.”
They probably were. I propped my feet on the table and crossed my ankles. I tried to remember whether the Grangers’ window had been open. I closed my eyes, envisioning a breeze. Nada. I’d seen the body and nothing else, other than a piece of octopus. But, to peer in the window, or drop something through it, a person would have needed a ladder. I made a mental note to check for marks in the dirt.
“It’s disgusting.” Maryann barged through the door and slumped next to me. “Wayne and my brother can’t walk down the sidewalk without a bunch of giggling bimbos f
ollowing them. What a dumb idea, Stormi.”
“I’m starting to agree with you.” The idea better pay off big time.
“It’s like a piranha feeding frenzy out there.” Matt rushed inside and slammed the door.
“Learning anything?” Maryann glowered and crossed her arms.
“A little.” He squeezed between her and me. “Seems the Grangers didn’t get along. The second honeymoon wasn’t very sweet. They were heard screaming at each other earlier that evening.”
“Things are not looking good for my client.” I entwined my fingers with his.
“No, they’re not. She had motive and opportunity.”
“She didn’t go to Australia, though.”
“She says.” He pulled some folded sheets of paper from his shirt. “This says differently.” He spread the paper on the coffee table. “According to this…Amber arrived in Australia two days before Seth flew home. She took a flight back to the states the next morning.”
“So, finding the underwear was a lie.” I scanned the information. “She went there, saw him with another woman, purchased the jellyfish, and flew home with a vial of little killers.” Three ounces or less in her purse wouldn’t have raised suspicion. “We need to pay her another visit.”
“You go with Anne. I need a break from those vultures.” He gave me a quick kiss. “Be careful.”
“We’ll take our guns,” Mom said, handing me my purse.
“I’ll stay here and care for my brother.” Maryann tried shoving a pillow behind his back. “You’re recuperating, Matt. You shouldn’t be doing anything with this case.”
I agreed he shouldn’t do too much, but it was nice having him on a case from the beginning rather than after I’d received death threats. “What did you tell those girls waiting outside about me?”
“I said you were my cousin.” He grinned.
I wanted to hit him with the pillow that his sister kept trying to get him to use. Wonderful. We were on what could be a romantic getaway, and I had to pretend to be someone other than his fiancé. “If we’re not back in an hour, call the cavalry.”
Nosy Neighbor: All 7 complete Nosy Neighbor cozy mysteries PLUS: 2 short Christmas stories (A Nosy Neighbor mystery) Page 77