by Haley Harper
A Cozy Mystery Collection
Table of Contents
A Not So Cozy Christmas
Mansion Mayhem
Boathouse Bedlam
Castle Chaos
©2015 Haley Harper
All Rights Reserved
A NOT SO COZY CHRISTMAS
A Shannon Porter Mystery
With bonus recipes
By
Haley Harper
A Not So Cozy Christmas
©2014 by Haley Harper
All Rights Reserved
This story is a work of fiction. While some of the locations and events are based on historical folklore, the events that take place in the story are created by the author. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.
Prologue
Shannon refolded the letter and slowly placed it back in the envelope. A flood of guilt washed over her as she thought about her best friend. Why had she let so much time pass? If only she had just called, she would have known that Karen’s Mom was ill. She could have been there to offer comfort and support. Now Susan was gone and Karen had gone through all of that alone. Karen had no other family and only a few friends from work. Shannon should have been by her best friend’s side. Well she would be now. The guilt started to subside as Shannon formed a plan to make amends. She would call Karen right away and plan a visit. Then a whole new wave of guilt started to trickle across her mind. She really couldn’t afford to take any more time away from writing. Bills were starting to pile up and Edgar needed some very expensive dental work done. Senior dogs were expensive to take care of but she would write a hundred articles on boring things if it meant being able to give comfort to her loyal and loving furry friend. Writing magazine articles paid her bills for the most part but her dream job was writing mysteries. Oh well, no sense in dwelling on dreams right now. It was time to act. The first thing she had to do was tell her Mom about Susan. Karen had asked that Shannon pass along the word of her Mom’s passing to Myra. They had been good friends too while the girls were growing up, but had lost touch over the years. Shannon picked up the phone and punched in her Mom’s number.
“Hi Mom, You busy?”
“Hi honey! Nope, just sitting with a cup of tea. What’s up?”
“I have a bit of sad news.” Before she could go on, her mother jumped in.
“It’s not Edgar is it? Oh, honey I’m so sorry.” Her Mom worried constantly about the old fellow. He was almost as much her dog as he was Shannon’s. Shannon hurried to reassure her.
“No, Mom, it’s not Edgar. I got a letter today from Karen Day. She had some sad news. Susan passed away last week. Apparently she had been ill for some time.” There was a long silent pause. “Mom, you still there?”
“I’m here, dear. That is sad news. I haven’t talked to Susan in years. Poor Karen. It must have been so hard for her.”
“I’m sure it was and I feel really bad for not being there. I’m going to go and see her.”
“That’s a wonderful idea.”
“Oh, there was something else too. Her Mom willed her Grandparent’s big Victorian on the edge of town to her. Apparently it’s been empty for a long time. Karen wants to renovate it and live there. She mentioned finding some old scrapbooks and things that the two of you made when we were little. She said she would ship them out to you if you wanted them. But I was thinking I could just bring them home with me.”
“Oh, I’d love to have them. And I have a great idea! Why don’t I come with you? I’d love to see Karen and visit the old place again.”
“Oh, I don’t know, Mom. It’s a pretty long drive, and you know how stiff you get when you sit. And I don’t know what kind of accommodations Karen will have. We might have to stay in a motel, and you know how much you hate that. I also thought I might be able to work a little while I’m there. That part of the country is full of folklore and legends and lots of good material for mystery novels. If I really got into something, I’d want to be able to focus on it.” Her Mom was silent for so long, Shannon started to feel bad. “Do you really think you’d like to come?”
“I really would. I promise not to interfere with your writing. I would just like to go for old time’s sake.” Shannon’s resolve caved at her Mom’s pleading tone.
“Okay then. I’ll call Karen and make the arrangements then I’ll let you know the plan.”
“Okay, dear. I promise you won’t regret this. I’ll be good.” Shannon laughed.
“I’ll talk to you soon.” As they said their goodbyes Shannon started rifling through her desk for her little phone book. Karen answered on the second ring. Her voice sounded tired at first but regained some spark as they chatted. Shannon explained her plan to come for a visit, including her Mom’s plan to tag along. Karen was delighted and the girls quickly drifted into easy conversation. It was settled. Shannon and her Mom would leave the following week and would stay at the house with Karen. Accommodations would be a little on the rough side as renovations were well underway, but Shannon figured they could overlook that if it meant having a better visit. She reached down to give Edgar a big scratch behind the ears. “So, are you okay with a stay at the kennel?” Mom was her usual dog sitter so her coming along meant the kennel for Edgar. He liked it there, so she didn’t feel too bad. He was treated like a king and totally spoiled. Edgar nudged her hand as if to say he was in agreement. Shannon smiled to herself, happy that she had made the decision to go.
Chapter One:
"I'm sorry this place is such a mess."
Shannon watched as her best friend pulled an afghan off the arm of the sofa and folded it before replacing it. Even though it had been several years since they’d seen each other, neither of them felt awkward. They'd never had that kind of relationship. It seemed no matter how much time passed they could always just pick up where they had left off.
"It looks great, Kare."
She shifted her duffel bag from one shoulder to the other, and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Her ponytail had become askew on the drive down from Rapid City as she'd maneuvered the mountain roads to Keystone, South Dakota. The sheets of icy rain that had started spitting the second she'd left the city hadn't helped, not to mention her mother’s constant prattling. But now that they were safely here she was sort of proud of herself for managing the way she had.
Karen gave her a sheepish smile, and said, "Thanks. It's just...this place means so much to me. I want to restore it to the way it looked when my grandfather lived here as a little boy. I've been doing all sorts of research at the historical archive in town. I'll take you there tomorrow if you want. The pictures have been such a huge inspiration."
Shannon smiled as the other woman looked around the small Victorian style living room, already heavily decorated for Christmas. She could almost see the dreams flitting through her friend's head. The two of them had grown up in Minneapolis together, each following a different path after high school. Eighteen years later, though, their friendship still meant the world to both of them
"I'd love to see the archives," Shannon agreed. "I want to do some research for my new book while I'm here."
"Oh?" Karen asked as she grabbed Shannon's suitcase. "What's this one going to be about?"
Shannon hesitated for a moment. She was slightly superstitious about talking about a book before it was a done deal. Still, this was Karen, so she took a deep breath. "I don’t really have it all laid out yet, but it’s going to be a murder mystery.”
Karen raised an eyebrow. “
Really! That’s exciting. You always said that was your dream! And if you’re looking for mysterious material you can’t beat this area. I mean, we've got gold and Mount Rushmore. There are dozens of legends and stories that you could use as resources." Karen shot her a smile as the two women started up the stairs.
“It’s sure been a long time since I’ve been here,” Shannon said with a sigh, feeling nostalgic suddenly. “We must have been what, six or seven when we stopped coming out here?”
“Ya, about that,” Karen said quietly. “When my Dad moved out, we just stopped coming. Guess it was too hard for m y Mom to visit here anymore.”
Shannon nodded, not sure how to respond. She was interrupted from further sentiments by a crashing sound at the front door. “I really do hope that you don’t mind that Mom tagged along.”
Karen laughed. “I think it’s great that Myra came. Our Moms were best friends for as long as we have known each other. Maybe she’ll even find even more mementos from our childhood that she’d like to keep. Who knows what we’ll uncover with our renos, right?”
Shannon made an affirmative sound as she trailed her hand along the beautiful burnished wood banister. Karen had certainly done a wonderful job with the renovations she'd already undertaken. That was one thing Shannon had always wanted to do, but had never quite found the time to try out. Renovating something broken, making it whole. When she'd mentioned that to her last boyfriend he'd pointed out that she created whole worlds, breathed life into characters, and made her fans truly believe in her stories. Even though he was essentially right, Shannon knew that there was a fundamental difference. This thing that Karen was doing extended in so many different directions, into the past, the future, and it ballooned into the present.
Another crash sounded from downstairs. “Mom?” Shannon called. “Mom, what are you doing down there?”
“Just bringing the wood in,” Myra called back.
“Wood? What are you talking about?”
Myra appeared at the bottom of the stairs, tugging her knit cap off, revealing a mess of gray curls. She smiled up at Shannon. “A man down the street was selling firewood by the bundle, so I bought ten.”
“Why did you do that?” Shannon asked, trying to keep the exasperation out of her voice.
“I had to bring something for our hostess. And it is winter after all.” Myra raised her eyebrows, and looked at Karen. “I wanted to bring wine from that charming winery up in Hill City. Have you been there? Anyway, Shannon wouldn’t take me.”
As her mother went into a pout, Shannon huffed out an exasperated breath. “It was icy, Mother. I wasn’t going to drive another twenty miles so you could buy alcohol.”
Karen laughed. “I appreciate the gift, Myra. We’ll have some good, roaring fires while you’re here. And maybe we can go up to the winery for their Fezziwig celebration.”
Myra nodded approvingly. “I’m just going to finish bringing in the wood.”
As she watched her mother tromp back out the door, Shannon almost regretted her decision to let her mother tag along again. The whole drive down here had been a test of her patience. Sure she loved her mom, more than anyone really, but she could only take so much of Myra’s ramblings about health food and the questions about Shannon’s love life. Karen just laughed as they climbed the stairs the rest of the way.
"So this is your room," Karen said, nudging a door open with her hip. "There's a bathroom through that door on the left, and the other door is the closet. I think I’ve put the essentials in here but If you need anything at all just let me know. I've been kind of an airhead lately."
Shannon laughed, and dropped her bag on the floor. She wrapped her arms around her best friend to hug her tight. With a slight tremor, Karen leaned her head against Shannon's shoulder. She could feel the other woman's exhaustion through her arms. “I’m so sorry about your Mom, and I’m so sorry I wasn’t here for you.”
“Thanks,” Karen said simply. “It was a rough few weeks at the end, but she was ready to go when the time came. I was glad to have this project to keep my hands and my head occupied, but it’s pretty grueling work”
"Karen, I don’t know much about this stuff but I’d love to help with your reno while I'm here."
Karen stepped out of the hug, and eyed her with slight suspicion. "You want to get dirty and sweaty?"
"Call it a home improvement reality show complex," Shannon said with a laugh. "But, yeah. Is there anything you'll let me do? I bet my Mom will want to help too."
"Absolutely. I can use all the help I can get. I was planning to demo the third floor tomorrow. I want to turn the whole space into an artist's studio. Right now it's just a mess. Three little rooms and a half bathroom that was never really finished." Karen shook her head, and gazed up at the ceiling.
Shannon followed her line of sight, and shivered as she imagined a sink and toilet crashing down on her while she slept. She shuddered. "Well, I can't wait." The words felt forced, but Karen didn't seem to notice. Despite Shannon's excitement to try her hand at the project, she still felt anxious.
"Why don't you get unpacked? Then we can walk downtown and grab something to eat."
After her friend left the room, Shannon grabbed her bags, and dragged them over to the bed. She sank down on the plush mattress, puzzling over what was bothering her at the moment. Something was off with Karen, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Maybe she was just exhausted from all the work she'd been doing in the house, or maybe it was something else, something deeper. She let herself sit for a full five minutes before she pushed herself up to start unpacking.
The closet was small, but ample for her needs while she was here for the next two weeks. She inhaled the cedar smell as she pulled out some hangers. The actual putting away of her things took only a few minutes, so she took some time to wash her face and freshen up a bit.
She almost couldn’t believe she was back in this house. It was here that her love of ghost stories had been born. Right in this house, which she and Karen had always thought was haunted. She shivered again as she remembered all the nights they had laid awake at night listening to the old building creak and moan. She found herself wondering if Karen ever reminisced about those days.
Stifling a yawn, Shannon realized how tired she was. It had been a long drive through some pretty wintery weather. She hadn't been all that impressed with the snow covered landscape of flat fields spotted with herds of cattle until she'd gotten to the Badlands. The bizarre buttes that protruded from the earth had made her think of an alien moonscape. As she drove the final hour into the Black Hills she'd actually toyed with the idea of writing a sci-fi novel instead of a mystery. She knew her agent and her publisher would never go for that however, so she'd turned her attention to brainstorming her latest work. A draft of which was due by the end of January. Thus far she had nothing.
When she was ready, she grabbed her coat and gloves, and headed downstairs. Karen was already waiting for her in the entryway, dressed for the cold, and wearing a smile. That was more like the best friend Shannon knew.
“Where’s your Mom?” Karen asked, looking behind Shannon to see if Myra was following.
"She’s coming,” Shannon said rolling her eyes. “Slowly but surely! So where are we going?”
"There's a little café downtown that’s open," Karen said as she tugged her knit cap lower on her head. They have a limited menu but the food is scrumptious, especially their omelets”
“Sounds good. I could sure use some scrumptious. Food on the road was a little gross!” Both girls laughed.
“I love omelets!” Myra trilled as she waltzed into the foyer.
Shannon smiled despite her earlier annoyance at her mother. She always loved spending time with this woman, even when they drove each other nuts.
"Sounds great," Shannon said, as she threaded her arm through her friend's and her mother’s.
In town all the streets were strung with twinkling lights and shop windows glowed with a variety of Christmas
scenes. Shannon immediately felt the charm of Christmas time in the mountains. They walked along in silence enjoying the deepening dusk. It was beautiful at Christmas, and Shannon could also remember what it was like during the height of tourist season, when families piled into their cars to make the trek to Mount Rushmore. Then the boardwalk was always packed with people. Now, though, there were only a handful of stores open, lights spilling out onto the fresh snow. She could make out the café, which seemed to be doing a brisk business despite the weather.
When they stepped into the cozy warmth of the restaurant, Karen greeted several people right away, and introduced Shannon. She could hear the pride in her friend's voice, and it made her blush. Despite what Karen thought, Shannon was hardly famous. Her books sold well enough that she didn't have to work a second job anymore, but she was far from wealthy. They slid into a booth in the corner, and a waitress appeared with water and menus.
"I'm definitely getting breakfast," Shannon announced.
"Remember when we used to eat breakfast for every meal?"
"I'm amazed our parents didn't kill us."
“We thought about it,” Myra said with a smile. “Treating us all like we were short order cooks.”
"Your were always so sweet about it. Making us cinnamon rolls for dinner," Karen sighed in a wistful way that made Shannon sad too.
"She still does that kind of thing for Danny."
"He still lives at home?"
Shannon winced as she nodded. Her thirty-three year old brother refused to grow up. "That's a whole novel unto itself."
“Leave Danny alone,” Myra said with a soft smile. “He’s at a different place in his life than you are.”
After they'd placed their order, they chatted about people they'd gone to high school with, what they should do for the next two weeks, and other miscellaneous catch up items, but the whole time they talked Shannon continued to notice that Karen seemed to be holding back.
"Karen Day? Is that you?"