Cozy Mystery Ghost Story Collection: The Complete Shannon Porter Mystery Series

by Haley Harper

  Shannon hesitated, confused by the abruptness of the request. She wasn't normally a spontaneous person. Rules, routine, and planning made up the bulk of her daily life, but in that moment she waivered, wondering what it would be like to jump in feet first.

  "Come on," Calvin said. "We'll still get to talk. And hey, as a bonus I think they serve hot chocolate. And you can meet Santa. Sit on his lap." He winked at her. That did it. She bobbed her head in agreement, and the two of them hurried to the train station.

  "You're in luck," the woman behind the counter said. "I have a handful of tickets left. Next time you should book ahead. We're usually sold out."

  Shannon felt vindicated in her need to plan ahead, but she couldn't concentrate on the feeling for long because Calvin put his gloved hand on the small of her back to guide her to the line waiting to board the train. Her breath hitched, and she wondered what it would feel like to kiss him.

  As they settled in to the train, Shannon decided to go all out with her spontaneity. She licked her lips, leaned close, and whispered, "Do you want to see the diary?"

  She didn't know why she'd asked him. Maybe it was because she wanted to keep his attention. Maybe it was because she wanted to share the thrill of the thing with someone else. Either way it didn't matter because once the words were out, and she saw the look on his face she knew that she was committed to the experience, right or wrong. He nodded with such enthusiasm that she giggled, but sobered quickly when she felt his warm breath on her neck. She shivered.

  Reaching in to her purse, she showed him the cracked leather cover with the title on it. "Murder, Mayhem, and Misunderstanding," he read. Then he chuckled. "Sounds like it could be one of your books."

  "That's exactly what I thought when I saw it," she said, feeling the rush of excitement that someone else saw it the way she did.

  Other passengers were settling in around them now, and Shannon leaned closer so they could talk quietly. Calvin seemed to understand the necessity of keeping the book hush-hush. "Do you mind?" he asked, indicating the book with his hand.

  She hesitated. Despite her conviction that she wanted to share this with someone, and he seemed as good a choice as any, she didn’t want to betray Karen and her family, though none of them seemed interested in the diary beyond a general curiosity about the story it told. Better if she was being honest with herself. The fact remained that she didn't really know him. She wanted his attention, which seemed juvenile, but his opinion might prove to be just what she needed to unlock the missing piece to her new story. So for that reason she nodded.

  He took the book from her like it was the most delicate thing in the world, and she felt her heart quicken just a bit. A man who understood the value of an artifact like that had to be worth knowing. He just had to. She stared, mesmerized, by his fingers as he rifled gently through the pages. The gesture was almost reverent, and she found herself wishing that he would pay attention to her that way. So hypnotized were they by the tiny diary that they almost missed the signal that the train was starting, and when the first bump of motion came, they both jumped a little, shoulders knocking together.

  "Look at this passage," Calvin said excitedly. He read, "December fourteenth, eighteen ninety-nine. It has been nearly two years since we took control of the mine. The Days' continue to work for us, but the partnership is nothing like we imagined it would be. Eleanor will not speak to me, nor will she have anything to do with the money that we've earned from the mine. I know that she blames me for the rift in her friendship with Julia. This venture has ripped our family apart."

  "Wow," Shannon said. "It's amazing how much the gold seems to have ruined their lives instead of making it better. I feel like that's what's happening to Karen's family right now."

  She’d read that passage, but she’d been reading so many at a time that it hadn’t stood out to her. Now she realized one of the things that had been confusing her about the diary was that it seemed to be written in different voices. She had been right, she just hadn’t realized it at the time. What else was the diary holding that had been masked by the years and her haste going through it?

  "Really? That's sad," Calvin said, but he kept his eyes glued to the page. "It seems like there is more to the story than the papers have been reporting." He laughed, but the sound came out rough and hoarse.

  Shannon wasn't sure what to say. He was right of course. There was a lot more to the story than the press knew, and when she thought of what the discovery was doing to her friend's family, she felt ashamed for sharing the diary with Calvin, for doing something frivolous like riding a Christmas train.

  Gently, she reached over to take the book back. Sliding it back into her purse, she said, "Maybe we should just enjoy the ride."

  He frowned at her for a moment, and she thought he might protest. Then he smiled, and said, "Agreed. There'll be plenty of time to delve into the mystery of the mine later."

  She wasn't sure what to make of his comment, but she liked the way the last part sounded. She might have a title for her book.

  The train stopped in Hill City, and Calvin convinced her that they should get off to walk around the quaint down town. “I know a great ice cream place,” he said.

  “Ice cream? In December? I’m not sure I’m that kind of woman,” she said with a laugh.

  “There’s no right time for ice cream,” Calvin insisted. “Besides they serve fudge and other things. We can buy a bottle of wine from the local winery there. We can have a toast.”

  “To what?” Shannon giggled.

  “To our meeting.” Calvin’s voice got husky, and she felt a chill race down her spine. She wasn’t sure what to think of this night, but when she let herself go deep into her imagination, she wondered if this could be her cute “how I met your Grandpa” story that she would tell her grandchildren someday.

  “Thanks, but not tonight. I’d rather not get arrested for public drunkenness or the like.” Shannon smiled to soften the blow of her words. She wanted to keep all the possibilities open.

  “Then I guess you’ll have to let me treat you to ice cream.” Calvin’s words came out as smooth as ever, and he was definitely charming. Shannon could tell he was disappointed, though. Maybe next time, she thought.

  He hadn’t been wrong. Hill City was a charming place, and she knew she wanted to see it in daylight. Calvin tucked her arm through his, and they walked that way down one side of the street, stopping in an art gallery to see a unique display of sculpture.

  “The ice cream shop is just across the street there,” Calvin said, pointing. “Oh, but you might like to see the museum.”

  “Museum?” Shannon couldn’t keep from sounding skeptical. “In a town this size?”

  Calvin laughed. “Don’t knock it, ‘til you’ve tried it, lady. It’s a dinosaur museum. If you’re really interested in setting a story here, you need to get some of the local flavor.”

  She conceded that he was right again, and to her delight the tiny museum was open. The woman collecting money at the front counter smiled. “Special holiday hours, you know.”

  They wandered through the small space looking at the exhibits, and Shannon had to say that she did want to include the small details in her next novel. She picked up a replica of a fossilized egg near the gift shop, and turned it over in her hands. It was smooth and heavy, completely nondescript, but there was something she liked about it.

  “Let me get that for you,” Calvin said as he came up beside her.

  “No, that’s okay,” Shannon protested. “You already bought me tickets for the train ride, and you’re taking me out for ice cream. If anything I should buy you something.”

  “Nonsense,” he said with a grin. “You need to have something to remember our first date by, other than perfect memories.”

  A flush rose on Shannon’s cheeks as she handed over the knick-knack. He purchased it, and she tucked the paper bag into her purse next to the diary. The collection of things from this trip was growing, and she’d have a
killer book when she got back. Maybe she should start her outline tonight.

  They left the museum and Shannon sighed with contentment for the first time since they’d find the deed. Life had taken on a shimmery, tense quality that infiltrated every aspect of her world at the moment. Calvin cracked a joke, and she found herself chortling. She stopped abruptly as they passed a small motel.

  “What’s wrong?” Calvin asked.

  Shannon couldn’t answer, she just opened and closed her mouth, and pointed. She could feel him standing close to her, and from the way he leaned forward, she could tell he’d had somewhat of the same shock that she had.

  “Mother! What are you doing here?” She found her voice just long enough to yell across the parking lot.

  Myra squinted through the night. “Shannon, darling, what a surprise to see you here. Amos and I were just taking in a siesta.”

  “Granddad?” Calvin sounded confused and slightly repelled.

  “Oh, please, boy, you only wish you could have my game,” Amos said in his gravelly voice. “Come on, my lady, let’s go grab some grub so we can get back to our games.”

  “Ew,” Shannon whispered.

  “I’ll see you at home, darling,” Myra called as she and Amos walked past them down the street. “Don’t wait up.”

  Not until they had disappeared into a restaurant two blocks away did Shannon felt like she could move her legs again. Calvin, she observed, still seemed rooted in place. Finally he shook his head, a small smile tugging at his lips.

  “I thought you were joking about your mom pursing my granddad.” He gave her a bemused look, and Shannon shrugged. What else could she do? Her mother had yet again proven that she was unpredictable, and followed her own path no matter how much it embarrassed her daughter.

  “Like I said before, ew,” Shannon said with a sigh. “I don’t enjoy thinking about that part of my mother’s life. So where’s this ice cream place?”

  Calvin chuckled. “Just over there. And honestly, I’ve got to give my grandfather props. Your mom is kind of hot for a lady her age.”

  “Ew. That’s just gross. How can you say something like that about my mother?” She wrinkled her nose as they started walking again. The wind had turned chillier, and the thick purple-black clouds hung lower in the sky, promising snow before the night was over. Despite having grown up in Minnesota, where winters could be quite harsh, Shannon found that she never acclimated well to winter.

  When they were seated in the warmth of the ice cream parlor, Shannon took a moment to study Calvin. He was exceptionally good looking with dark brown eyes and a strong jaw, but there was something else about him that drew her in.

  She accepted the suggestion of the store owner, and got a special concoction called Heart of the Hills. It would have been the perfect treat for Valentine’s Day all vanilla ice cream, marshmallow fluff, strawberry syrup and a cherry on top. She tucked into the dessert, and watched out the window as soft flakes of snow drifted from the sky. It looked like someone was sifting powdered sugar onto a cake.

  Just as they were finishing their sundaes a train whistle blew. “Oh my gosh,” Shannon gasped. “We need to get back.”

  Calvin threw some money onto the table, and the two of them shrugged on their coats as they ran across the now slippery street, careened down a side street, and into the parking lot of the 1880 Train. Calvin grabbed her hand as they sprinted into a car in the back of the train. They collapsed into a seat, laughing. Shannon tucked her purse under her arm, and leaned against his shoulder. He was still holding her hand, and as their fingers twined together, she thought this could be a beautiful beginning.

  Chapter Nine:

  Sunday morning dawned clear and blindingly bright. The winter sun shone on the snow, glittering like the quartz that seemed to be haunting Shannon's dreams. Last night she'd had a nightmare about looking for a girl named Julia. She’d been lost in the snowy woods, searching for a piece of gold studded quartz, and Shannon couldn’t find her.

  Karen blinked awake next to her. "Morning already?"

  Shannon tried to laugh, but the sound strangled in her throat. Karen hadn't come to bed until well past three AM. The family had spent another rousing night of fighting with several lawyers present. Each time Shannon had suggested that she leave or move to a hotel, Karen begged her to stay, saying she needed the moral support.

  "Things seem like they're getting really rough," Shannon said.

  "Yeah, Jack still wants to open the mine, and now Lucy is on his side. Apparently the start up cost pales in comparison to what we'll make once the gold starts flowing again. I mean, once we start mining the mine. Ugh. You know what I mean, right?"

  "And what do you want to do?" Shannon asked.

  "I don't know. Everyone makes really good points, but they all seem to forget that Gram left this house to me. All I wanted to do was find some clue as to what happened to my grandpa. That seems like such a simplistic, naïve thing to want now. Finding that deed was the single worst thing that could have happened. And it's ruining your trip." Karen sighed.

  "It's not ruining my trip, I promise. I've done some interesting things, and I finally finished the diary." Shannon winced as she admitted that. Karen hadn't been overly concerned about the book even though that's where they'd found the deed, and Shannon had pushed her to listen to several passages. From what she could gather from the book, things between the Masons and the Martins had devolved quickly over the last years of the eighteen-seventies. Then there were the entries from Karen’s grandfather. There was only one entry from beyond that. It had been a rather tacked on note about the ownership of the mine belonging solely to the Martin family. Shannon assumed that's where the deed had been placed. Something about the whole thing picked at the edge of her mind. She couldn't put her finger on what it was.

  "Have you come up with the plot for your new book yet?" Karen asked.

  "Yeah, I have actually." She blushed, thinking about the train ride the night before. Calvin had held her hand on the ride back while they drank hot chocolate and listened to Christmas music. She knew it wasn't going to be the torrid fling she had imagined, but it had been sweet nonetheless. "It's going to be called The Mystery of the Mine."

  Karen laughed. "It sounds like the title of a cartoon episode or like some nineteen-fifties teenage detective novel."

  Shannon tried not to feel offended, but maybe Karen was right. It did sound a bit juvenile now that she had had time and distance to think about it. "It's going to be an intergenerational novel. I kind of thought the title would be the tie together through all the generations. Each will be intrigued by the mystery that surrounds the gold mine handed down in their family from one set to the next."

  "Not really a Murder and Mayhem type of book," Karen said.

  "That's what I was worried about at first too," Shannon admitted. "Now I think that it fits in perfectly. It’ll all start with a ghost story. There will be murder and intrigue on top of all the family drama."

  "Because of all the family drama," Karen said with a sigh.

  "Exactly." Shannon stretched. "Have you had a chance to talk to Calvin's grandfather yet?"

  Karen glanced at her sharply, and Shannon tried to ignore the questioning look in her friend's eyes. "Not yet. I'm really hoping to sneak a few minutes today. I just have a feeling he knew my grandpa, you know? Just something about the way he acted in the diner."

  "What do you think he'll be able to tell you?"

  "I don't know exactly, but I just want to know more. Like, who my grandfather was as a young man. I know it's unlikely that he'll be able to shed any light on the disappearance, but it's worth a shot. Everyone has always told me that he wasn't the type of man to just up and leave, but I've been thinking, what if he was? I want to know once and for all. It would sure beat this not knowing that I've grown up with."

  "I can understand that," Shannon said. "I hope he can give you some answers. You could always ask my mom to get you on the in with him."

/>   “What do you mean?” Karen asked.

  Shannon gagged as she said, “She’s pursuing Amos. That’s why she’s been out of the house so much. I’m fairly sure they’re close, if you know what I mean.”

  “Ew,” Karen said, her eyes widening. “Good to know, though.”

  “At least she’s occupied.” The two women fell silent for a moment.

  "We should get out of here today," Karen said, propping herself up on her elbows. "Let's go up to Mount Rushmore. It'll probably be pretty empty. We can eat at the restaurant there. Hike around a little. Or we could go up to Custer State Park. Sylvan Lake is pretty this time of year."

  "How twisty are the roads?"

  "Not terrible, but if you want a straight shot then we should head to Rushmore."

  "That sounds good," Shannon replied. "Maybe you should invite Calvin and his grandfather to join us. You could talk to him then."

  They agreed to the plan, staggered out of bed, hopping around on the cold floor as frigid air wrapped around them. "Someone must have turned the heat down again," Karen said as her breath ballooned around her face.

  After breakfast the rest of Karen's family and the lawyers went to tour the land that contained the mine with a developer, while the two women headed up to Mount Rushmore. The drive from Karen's house only took five minutes, but Shannon felt like she was light years away as they left the tourist town behind and climbed into the surrounding mountains. Around a curve the faces in the granite appeared, and Shannon gasped. She'd seen it before but never covered with snow.

  "Beautiful," she murmured.

  Calvin had agreed to meet them there just before lunch, but he'd told them he couldn't guarantee that his grandpa would come along. In the meantime the pair were going to hike, and look at the museum. Shannon felt like she needed to get a more complete picture of the history of the area to flesh out her book.