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

by Haley Harper

  “Can we come over and pet your dog?” they called, remembering the rules they’d obviously been taught.

  “Sure,” Shannon called back. Then, to reassure the parents she added, “He’s big but he’s friendly.”

  “Thanks,” the Mom called back. “They love dogs. Just tell them when he’s had enough. They might just love him a little too much!”

  Shannon smiled and waved. “Not a problem. He loves attention.” She waited while the boy and girl hugged Edgar for a few minutes before continuing on. They followed the path as far as the last cottage where it headed into a more secluded area along the beach. Voices drifted up from the beach and Shannon recognized them instantly.

  “So that’s where our neighbors have gone,” she mumbled as much to herself as to Edgar. “Sounds like the party has moved down to the beach.” Shannon tugged on Edgar’s leash. “We’ll explore a little further in that direction tomorrow,” she said to Edgar, sensing his reluctance to turn around. Dusk was descending by the time the Boathouse came into view and Shannon’s eyes were immediately drawn to the windows of the loft, half expecting to see them glowing blue again. But much to her relief, only the soft glow of the bedside lamp shone through the curtains.

  Shannon quickened the pace for the last bit of the walk. The long day of travel and getting settled was starting to hit home. She was really looking forward to a good long soak in the deep claw foot tub and a nice glass of wine.

  Shannon started the tub running and lit a couple of candles before she dragged Edgar’s bed and blankets out of his travel bag and up to the foot of her bed. She hoped he wouldn’t get any more crazy notions about not wanting to come upstairs. She wanted the comfort of knowing he was right there in the room with her. The incident with the blue light and ransacking of her papers still had her a bit on edge.

  She pulled a box of dog treats out of the bag as well and enticed Edgar up to the loft with promises of a tasty reward. Always ready for a treat, Edgar came bounding up the stairs, all previous caution apparently forgotten. Shannon praised him heartily for coming, and doled out a few extra cookies just to make sure he stayed around. She heard him crunching happily as she slid into the warm bubbles.

  She laid her head against the high back of the tub and fell asleep almost instantly. Then suddenly she couldn’t breathe. A blue shadowy form was folding her into its embrace and suffocating her. She struggled against the liquid form but it pinned her arms to her sides and covered her face. The air was as cold as ice and she felt the chill right to her core. In a maniacal effort to escape, she started kicking her legs and writhing in any direction she could. In her clouded consciousness she could hear Edgar alternating between barking and whining.

  “Go get help, boy. Go get help.”

  She kept repeating this to him over and over. Gasping for breath, she gave one giant push against the blue intruder and broke free pushing herself out of the bathwater and gulping in the room’s candle scented air.

  Edgar stood at the edge of the tub wagging from head to toe and licking her face in relief. Once her heart rate returned to normal, Shannon started laughing.

  “Guess if you take a long day of travel; add a hot bath and a glass of wine while staying in a haunted Boathouse you have the perfect recipe for drowning! Thanks for saving me Edgar!” Giving the dog a big hug, she pulled herself up out of the now tepid water and grabbed one of the big fluffy towels off the shelf. She sincerely hoped that her dreams that night were a lot less vivid than the one in her bathtub had been!

  Chapter Five

  This time it was not a dream. Shannon bolted upright in her bed as Edgar started barking like a mad dog. This time it was not a ghost or anything other worldly that had wakened her. This time it was loud voices, even louder music and some kind of banging that woke her. Edgar was at the window looking out towards the cottage next door.

  The men she had seen earlier had returned from the beach and were continuing their party on the lawn. They were laughing and hollering as they played a very rambunctious game of corn hole, and the evening of beer drinking had done nothing to improve their aim. The banging that Shannon had heard were the bags hitting the board, never quite making it through the hole. She was sure the noise must be waking all the other guests as well and Shannon wondered if anybody had complained.

  “Probably not,” she mumbled to a still barking Edgar. “Everybody’s probably trying to be patient and let them have their fun. And if you don’t stop barking, they’ll be complaining about us too.” She snapped the window closed and climbed back under the covers, inviting Edgar to join her on the bed in hopes of keeping him quiet.

  There wouldn’t be any getting back to sleep for a while, so instead, she lay awake composing what she would say to the gentlemen next door when she went to voice her complaint in the morning. Eventually Edgar’s snoring and deep breathing lulled her to sleep. He stayed on her bed for the remainder of the night and didn’t stir a muscle until she opened her eyes and stretched the next morning.

  The morning sun was dancing across the bay as she led Edgar outside for his morning routine. The grounds were silent now, most guests still asleep, especially those who had partied all night. But Edgar was a creature of habit, always rising with the sun. In the winter months she was able to reap an extra hour or so of sleep but in the height of summer when the birds started singing about four a.m. she was lucky to make it to five o’clock. She really didn’t mind though, because early morning was always her most productive time at the computer.

  There was no sign of life at the cottage next door but evidence of the wild night was everywhere. Shannon smirked with satisfaction as she imagined the guys doing the yard clean up with the massive hangovers she knew they would have. Maybe that would be punishment enough. Maybe she wouldn’t approach them after all. She was so enjoying the picture that formed in her head that she was startled to hear a voice speak from behind her. She turned to see a tall, very handsome and very well built man jogging towards her. He slowed his pace as he got close and smiled.

  “Will your dog freak out if I run by him?” Shannon thought it was a rather odd question, but she supposed he simply wasn’t a dog person and non dog people often asked weird things when they crossed paths with Edgar. She supposed it was his size that worried most, but she always found it funny, knowing what a big fraidy cat Edgar really was.

  “He’s fine. He won’t bother you.” The man nodded and began picking up his pace, jogging cautiously past Shannon on the side opposite Edgar, never taking his eyes off the dog. Shannon was about to offer some further reassurances when Edgar suddenly lunged to the end of his leash trying to reach him as he went by. Shocked, and mortified, Shannon reeled him back in and gave him a good scolding. By this time the man had paused again and stayed just out of reach.

  “Guess maybe he’s not as friendly as you think. Maybe you should keep him on a shorter leash.”

  “I’m sorry. I really don’t know what got into him. He’s never done that before.”

  “Like I said, maybe try a shorter leash. I wouldn’t want to make a complaint to the resort owners.” Now Shannon was getting angry.

  “Like I said, I’m sorry. I’ll try to make sure not to cross your jogging path in the future. Are your accommodations close to this part of the the trail? The man nodded and pointed back in the direction of the cottage next door to the Boathouse. Recognition dawned and when it did, her temper flared. “Oh, so you’re one of the noisy neighbors who kept me awake all night. That probably explains Edgar’s dislike of you. He didn’t much appreciate your noise either. Maybe you should consider keeping things down a bit.”

  “Come on now, it wasn’t that bad. We’re just coming off a hot busy shift in the city and want to have a little fun. How about you cut us some slack. Besides, we heard your dog barking too. He was making as much noise as we were.”

  Shannon really didn’t like his attitude. “Well how about this. You keep your party inside your cottage and then my dog won’t bark.
Should work well for both of us, right?” She didn’t wait for a reply. Mumbling under her breath she tugged on Edgar’s leash, heading back towards the Boathouse. “Jerk,” she thought. “Cute, but a jerk. Too bad his personality doesn’t match his looks.” Because her back was to him, she didn’t see the handsome jogger watch her retreat.

  “Cute,” he thought to himself, “and feisty too. Very interesting.” His smile increased to a grin as he started his jog once again.

  For her first full day at the resort, Shannon decided she would work for a while and then take Jemma up on her offer of coffee and a sticky bun when she was ready for a break. Later in the week she would visit Maggie at the craft store and maybe spend a day at the little public library gathering a little more history and folklore. She gave Edgar his breakfast and made herself some coffee and toast to enjoy from the deck. As she looked out over the sparkling water, she imagined what it would be like to live in such a beautiful spot year round.

  Right now the water was calm and as blue as sapphire, but she could picture it gray and cold during a spring storm with the water choppy and covered in whitecaps, or dark and icy and covered with snow in the middle of winter. She allowed her thoughts to wander for a bit before turning them back to her work.

  The Blue Lady was the second to last ghost she was researching for her book. She would meet her final ghost in Ireland next month, and then she would be done. In some ways she was sad to be wrapping up the story. In spite of all the misadventure she had encountered along the way, it had been a fun book to write.

  But in many ways she was glad to be finished with it. It should be on the shelves for Halloween as her editor had requested and she would be free to start working on her mystery series. Before her mind started going down that road, Shannon picked up her mug and plate and headed inside. She poured a second cup of coffee and headed up to the loft. Edgar curled up on the couch and Shannon knew that within minutes his legs would be twitching and his muzzle puffing in a pleasant doggy dream.

  Shannon was soon lost in her work. Sometimes it took a lot of effort to get started, but once she was at it, the writing took over and blocked out everything that was going on around her. Most of time, Edgar had to come and plant his big head in her lap before she realized how much time had passed, and that it was either time for an outside break or a meal.

  Her mother was always criticizing her eating habits and saying that if it wasn’t for Edgar, she probably wouldn’t eat or get outside for days at a time. She wasn’t really as bad as all that, but she did tend to get a little focused on her work when it was going well. There hadn’t been any more weird ghostly episodes and for now her neighbors were keeping quiet, so there were no distractions.

  It wasn’t until her stomach started rumbling that she glanced at the clock and realized that it was almost lunchtime. She saved her work and shut down her laptop. Edgar was like Pavlov’s dog when he heard that little ding that her computer made as it shut down. He was off the couch and standing at the foot of the stairs before she even started down. Not wanting to bother Jemma and the kids right at lunchtime, she decided to walk Edgar first, grab a bite to eat and then head down to the main house.

  Jemma was outside weeding the garden as Shannon approached and she could see that the kids were playing on the climber in back. Boomer was racing around after a ball that the older girl was throwing and Edgar started whimpering in excitement the moment he saw him. Jemma looked up at the sound and stood to greet them.

  “Hi there,” she called out cheerfully. “Gorgeous day for a walk.”

  “It sure is,” Shannon called back. “Is it ok if I let Edgar go?”

  “Oh, sure. He might as well go join the ruckus out back.” Edgar took off like a bullet the second he was free and before long the two women were surrounded by a blur of brown and black fur. “I hope you’re here for your coffee break. I’m sure ready for mine. I pulled fresh buns out of the oven just before I came out. They should be perfect for eating by now.”

  “Yum,” Shannon said, “I’ve been thinking about them all morning.” The women headed inside leaving the noise of children and dogs fading in the background.

  “So how is the book coming along?”

  “Good. I did have a firsthand encounter with your resident ghost I think. That’s going to lend some real authenticity to things.” Jemma was all ears as Shannon recounted her story.

  “That sure sounds like our Lady alright. From all reports, she’s never been harmful, just mischievous.”

  “I’d still like to actually see her. What kind of encounters have other people had?”

  “Mostly things like that. Some say rooms that were messy were tidied while they were out. Some have said that they’ve seen a blue light in the room, and some have even said they saw a glowing blue form in a long dress walking on the beach. I’ll lend you the guest ghost journal to read if you think that will help.”

  “That would be fantastic,” Shannon said, unable to hide her enthusiasm. “I’m sure there will be lots of helpful stuff in there. And who knows, maybe I’ll have a story to add before I go home.”

  “Well, your visit is a long way from over, so the odds are probably good. So even with a ghost on site you are enjoying your stay so far?”

  “I absolutely love it here. I think you are so lucky to live and work in such a beautiful place. There is just one little thing though.” Shannon paused. “I’m afraid I’ve really gotten off on the wrong foot with my neighbors. I ran into one of the guys when he was jogging this morning and we had a bit of a confrontation. He complained about Edgar’s barking and I told him maybe he should keep his noisy parties inside.” Jemma’s reaction was not what Shannon expected. She threw back her head and laughed out loud.

  “So, you’ve met one of Boston’s finest and you weren’t impressed. Don’t let them bother you. They’re really a good bunch of guys. All cops. They come up at the same time every year to get away from the city, and there’s always a first night binge before they settle down. The other guests all know about it but I completely forgot to warn you. Sorry. And I’m pretty sure you’ll be friends before your stay is over. Like I said, they’re pretty cool.”

  “I’ll take your word for it, but I wouldn’t hold my breath on that one if I were you. I was pretty nasty!” Jemma chuckled.

  “You’ll see. Anyway, I’m glad you like your rental. We do aim to please, in spite of the occasional ghost or two!”

  Changing the subject, Shannon asked, “So how long have you and Paul been running the resort?”

  “I’ve practically grown up here. My parents owned the cottage next door to you and we stayed there every summer while I was growing up. Eventually my Dad bought up neighboring properties until we owned what you see here now. Our cottage and the Boathouse were the original buildings, and the other cottages and apartments were built through the years. He and my Mom renovated them all and rented them out. They didn’t start start running the resort full time and living here until I went away to college. Then Paul and I took it over when they retired to Florida six years ago.”

  “That’s awesome! It must be so much fun to live and work together! And what a great place for the kids to grow up. Do they get a bus into town for school?”

  Jemma made a face. “Sometimes I wish! But I’ve been homeschooling them. Most days I’m glad I made that choice, but there are some days when I would be happy to send them off and not see them for six hours!”

  “Wow, you really do have your hands full. I’m impressed.”

  Jemma shrugged. “It’s not that big a deal really. Not like being a famous writer like some people!”

  “Oh, no hang on. I’m hardly famous and what you’re doing is a lot more important than a few little books.”

  “Anyway,” Jemma interjected. “It’s a good life and we love it. The only dark cloud that’s been casting a shadow on things is the property investor who keeps coming around trying to get us to sell. He wants the property for oceanfront condos and he’
s a very persistent man. He and Paul have had several, let’s call them “animated” discussions.”

  “Have you ever considered selling?”

  “Not for a second. This business is a family legacy. We want to be able to hand it down to our kids. Keep the business going, you know? And, we also believe in preserving the oceanfront as much as possible. There are plenty of swanky high rise condominiums further down the coast, and as far as we’re concerned they can stay there!”

  “I would agree. Maybe he’ll get the message and just go away.”

  “We can hope,” Jemma stated with a sigh as she started clearing the table. Shannon stood then too.

  “I’d best be getting back to my writing, and let you get back to business. I’ll come by again for another one of those buns!”

  “Absolutely. Anytime. But I’ll see you before that I hope. Did you read the reminder about the clam bake? Will you be joining us?”

  “That’s tonight?”

  “It is. On the beach at 7.”

  “Sounds like fun! I’ll be there. See you then.” Shannon whistled for Edgar and headed back to the Boathouse, ghost journal in hand, already planning the next section of her book.

  Chapter Six

  Shannon had never been to a clam bake, and she was really looking forward to this one. The day had been warm and the warmth lingered even as the sun got low in the sky. From the loft in the Boathouse she could see a small thread of smoke coming from the beach. Turning from the window to the closet, she studied her wardrobe trying to decide what to wear. “This shouldn’t be hard,” she mumbled. “Why do I have such a hard time making a decision?” after trying out several combinations, she eventually chose denim capris and a white tee shirt.

  Jemma had said to bring Edgar along. Apparently all of the other guests were bringing their dogs too so it would be a canine party as well. The resort was very proud of their pet friendly policies and that one thing alone contributed to a lot of their repeat business. As a dog owner, Shannon sure appreciated it. She just hoped Edgar behaved himself and didn’t try to display his dislike of her neighbors again.