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

by Haley Harper

  “There he is there,” Kevin said, pointing towards the huge fenced in vegetable garden at the side of the property. Sam heard them approaching and came to greet them. He shook hands with Shannon as Kevin introduced her.

  “Nice to meet you,” he said politely.

  Shannon smiled. “Likewise. You have a beautiful home Sam.”

  Kevin broke in before an awkward silence could take hold. “Sam, I know you’ve probably heard all you want to hear about the recent murder at the beach, but we were hoping maybe you could help us out. We’ve been looking into things on our own, since we really don’t believe that Paul Duncan is guilty. The best way for us to do that is to eliminate as many people as we can as suspects.” Sam nodded. Shannon thought Kevin’s approach was pretty smart.

  “Sure,” Sam replied agreeably. “But I’m not sure how I can help. I wasn’t here.”

  “Right,” Kevin said. “All we’re really doing right now is gathering information on people in the area who own guns. Do you or Adele own a gun?”

  Sam laughed. “Well Adele, doesn’t. She doesn’t like them around even. But I do own a revolver. Keep it around as a precaution. It’s locked up in my office. I’ll get it for you.”

  When he turned to walk away, Kevin shot Shannon a glance that said. “See, easy as that.”

  “I like your style Detective Caine,” she said smiling.

  Sam returned in just a few minutes carrying a small wooden box. He opened for Kevin to reveal a small handgun. Kevin commented on its make and model and asked if he could take it out.

  “Sure, no problem,” Sam said. Shannon felt a little guilty that they weren’t being totally honest with him, but if their suspicions were right, he was in for a much bigger shock before all was said and done. Shannon watched as Kevin picked up the gun, running his hand over the smooth steel almost in a caress. “It’s a beauty,” he said. As he said it, he brought the gun up close to his face as though he needed a closer look. “Fired it recently?”

  Sam laughed. “Believe it or not, I’ve n ever fired it. It’s been sitting in that box since the day I brought it home.”

  “Sometimes just knowing it’s there if you need it, gives you confidence enough,” Kevin said, putting the gun back in the box. “I assume it’s all registered and legal and everything?”

  “Absolutely,” Sam nodded. Kevin reached out to shake Sam’s hand again.

  “Thanks, my friend. You take things easy now, ok? Sam shrugged.

  “I’ll do my best. Got a lot on my plate right now but I think it’s going to all work out.”

  “I really doubt it,” Shannon muttered as they walked away. “Poor guy.” Once they were solidly out of earshot, she looked at Kevin expectantly. “Well?”

  “Well, the gun has been fired recently, that was easy to tell. Next thing to find out is if it matches the gunshot wound. And I will use my “clout” to get the answer to that.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Shannon waited all the next day on pins and needles waiting for Kevin to bring some kind of news. He had told her these things take time but waiting was something that she didn’t do well. To help pass the time she played fetch with Edgar, called her Mom and got caught up on all her latest adventures, and tidied the Boathouse. She knew that she should be working, but the concentration just wasn’t there. She would work extra hard when this ordeal was all over. She had faced the same dilemma in England at the Mansion, and had still managed to get her work done.

  The book really was coming together nicely. Next week she planned to spend a good chunk of time at the library and talking to some more local people to see what kind of encounters they had had. She also wanted to read through the ghost log that Jemma had loaned her. She wondered for a second if she should write an entry about the glowing blue lights, the messed up papers and the mysterious earring that appeared on its own on the mantle and then somehow managed to jump out of her purse and on to the kitchen table.

  Her mind drifted to the possibility again that it had been the Blue Lady who was leaving her clues. But what interest would she have in helping find Mr. Winter’s killer. He was an investor from the city, with no obvious connections to anyone here. Maybe there was a connection to Sam or Adele.

  Eager to find some way to pass the time, she booted up her laptop and opened a search window. She knew that Sam had been born and raised here, so she started with him. She typed Sam Hobart into the search bar. The results were too vague. She tried Sam Hobart, Castle Cove Maine. Bingo! She started reading through historical entries made by a family member and learned that Sam’s family dated all the way back to the time of the Blue Lady disaster.

  If this information was true, then Sam’s great great grandfather was the fisherman that never returned on that fateful night. That also meant that the Blue Lady was Sam’s great great grandmother. There was the connection. The Blue Lady obviously didn’t want her great great grandson married to a cheat and a murderer.

  She wondered why Maggie or Jemma hadn’t mentioned that fact to her. Then she realized that she had never really gotten around to discussing ghosts and history because of the murder. ‘Well I’ll be darned. What do you think of that, Edgar?” Edgar raised his head from his dreams and thumped his tail. If she was happy, Edgar was happy. Shannon smiled. There was nothing g more simple than a dog’s life.

  She was deep in thought about ghosts when the knock at the door that she had been waiting for finally came. She was up like a shot to let Kevin in.

  His face was serious and she didn’t like the look of it. He said nothing and she felt disappointment wash over her. “The gun didn’t match?” She could feel her shoulders start to slump. It was a bad habit that she was working on. “I don’t believe it. I was so sure we would be able to prove Adele was the murderer with that gun!” she stomped her foot in frustration. And then he grinned.

  “Gotch ya!” he laughed. “The gun matched and that’s not all!” He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small clear plastic bag. He held it up wiggling it back and forth like one kid taunting another with a much wanted candy. She reached for it but he pulled it away.

  “Let me see,” she squealed. “I can tell it’s something important. Give.” He placed the small bag in her hand.

  “Don’t open it,” he warned. “It’s on loan from crime scene evidence.” Shannon studied the item inside the bag.

  “It’s Adele’s earring. The one I found on the mantel.” She looked at him, confused.

  “Ah, but it’s not the earring you found on the mantel. It’s the matching earring to the one you found on the mantel. The one that was found in the sand next to Mr. Winter’s body. The police had it but couldn’t identify it until I told them your story. They went right out and questioned Adele. She completely broke down and confessed everything.”

  Shannon was certain her mouth was hanging open. She hadn’t really dared to hope that it would really be over that quickly. “Wow,” was all she could manage to say. “Wow.”

  Kevin laughed. “Is that all you have to say?” Shannon just looked at him for a full minute and then she flung herself at him. He drew her into his arms and hugged her so hard he lifted her off her feet. Setting her gently back on her feet, he took her face in his hands. “You did it. You really did it. You saved Paul.” She looked into his eyes and relished just for a moment the admiration she saw there. No man had ever looked at her like that before. Then she remembered that theirs was not a relationship that could ever be more than friendship. She pulled away slowly.

  “I didn’t, we did,” she said softly. “Thank you for helping.” She sank into the couch, suddenly very weary. He came and sat beside her, taking her hand in his.

  “You’re a pretty good detective, for a writer,” he said. Then he leaned in close and sealed his compliment with a kiss. Shannon wanted to languish in that one magical moment forever, but there was one big question on her mind that she had to ask.

  “Sorry to ruin the mood,” she said apologetically,” but I
have to ask. Do Paul and Jemma know yet?”

  Kevin pretended to be hurt. “ I kiss you and you ask me that? Must be losing my touch!” He grinned to let her know he was kidding. “One of the investigators was on his way there when I left to come here. I’m pretty sure they’ll know soon if not already.” Shannon leaned back against the cushions and sighed.

  “Good,” she said closing her eyes. “You want to practice some. See if you really have lost your touch?”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Shannon was awake at the crack of dawn. She couldn’t wait to get over to Jemma’s. There would be some happy faces today, she was pretty sure. Shannon showered and dressed for a walk on the beach. The crime scene equipment and yellow tape were gone. She supposed crews had worked through the night once Adele had made her confession.

  The beach looked peaceful and undisturbed. It was hard to believe that just a few days ago Edgar had found a body buried there. One man, however callous he might have been had lost his life. Another man, an innocent one had almost been accused of a crime he didn’t commit. And another innocent man would have his life changed forever when his wife went to prison. How fast the world can change, Shannon thought.

  She lingered at the beach long enough to watch a bright orange sun rise above the horizon. Was there any more beautiful place to watch a sunrise? For a moment Shannon entertained the thought of moving here. As a writer, she was pretty much free to live where she pleased. She would miss her mom, of course, but it wasn’t really that far. And mom was pretty busy these days anyway with her new romance. As an antique dealer, Burt was used to travelling all over the countryside. She had no doubts that he would bring Myra for plenty of visits.

  Maybe she would have a look around. See what caught her eye. It would also put her a lot closer to Kevin. The drive from the outskirts of Boston where he lived to Castle Cove was just a few hours. That would be manageable. She decided she would have to give that a little more thought. But first she had to get back. She was in a hurry to talk to her friend.

  Apparently Jemma was even more eager to talk to her. She and Paul were sitting on the Boathouse steps waiting for her. When Jemma spotted her she jumped up and ran to give Shannon a big hug. “We got the news last night. Can you believe it? Adele of all people. She must have gone completely insane.” Shannon returned the hug.

  “I do feel bad for her, and it’s going to be rough going for Sam, poor guy.” Jemma nodded. Paul came over a gave Shannon a somewhat less exuberant hug.

  “Thank you so much. I don’t know how we can ever repay you.”

  “There’s no need. I just love a good mystery. Maybe this one will make it into a book someday, who knows?

  “I know exactly how we can repay her,” Jemma piped up. “By throwing a good old fashioned New England Boiled Dinner Party. I would suggest another clam bake, but I think it’d be hard to get everything together again before you’d have to leave.” She laughed at Shannon’s expression, and then explained what she was talking about.

  “It sounds great,” Shannon agreed.

  “Then that’s settled. I’ll get it organized and invite a few friends. We’ll really let our hair down and celebrate.” Shannon ran a hand through her cropped curls.

  “That would have been easier before I cut my ponytail off!” she laughed. “But the celebrating part, I can handle.”

  The date for the dinner was set for Sunday. That gave Shannon a couple days to really focus on nothing but her writing. That should get her well on her way to where she needed to be by the end of this trip. Then she might even have a day or two completely to herself to spend at the beach. The water was still warm enough for a dip, and the sun hot enough for her to work on her tan. She wanted to look into the prices and availability of houses too. It was a lot to cram into a few days, but they were invigorating tasks.

  The two days flew by and before she knew it , she was on her way to Jemma’s for a Boiled Dinner. No one had told her what to expect but she was always eager to try new food.

  The house was full of people and chaos just like always. Shannon was so happy to see things normal again. Paul was doing a lot of handshaking and getting plenty of slaps on the back. Shannon hadn’t seen him stop smiling since she arrived. Jemma was flying around in the kitchen surrounded by well meaning helpful guests and not so helpful children. Eventually one of the moms shooed all the kids outside and the kitchen calmed down immensely.

  “It smells delicious in here,” Shannon commented entering the fray. “Anything I can do?”

  “Absolutely not,” Jemma said over all the chatter. “Our guest of honor doesn’t help in the kitchen. You just plant your backside on that bar stool right there. I’m going to mix you a drink and you’re going to sit there and watch how this is done.”

  Shannon couldn’t believe the aroma that filled the air. It smelled sweet and spicy and rich and her stomach started rumbling so loud she was afraid everyone would hear it. In a matter of minutes the long tables that had been set up outside were full of platters of food. The boiled dinner consisted of slow simmered corn beef, an array of root vegetables cooked in the broth and wedges of cooked cabbage. The meat was sliced thin and placed on platter surrounded by the vegetables. Hot biscuits filled giant plastic bowls at several spots on the tables. Mustard, pickled beets and vinegar were set out as condiments.

  “Jemma, there’s enough food here for an army.”

  “That’s because we need lots of leftovers for Red Flannel Hash.” she laughed at Shannon’s confused expression. “You’ll have to come for that another night.”

  Shannon filled her plate and then filled it again. She was going to have to cook this at home for her Mom.

  “This is magnificent. This dish alone could be enough to make me move here.”

  All eyes at the adult table turned towards her and for a minute the only noise came from the kids at their own table. Shannon’s fork stopped in mid air as the full realization of what she had just said hit her. She hadn’t mentioned that she was thinking of moving here to anyone, and she hadn’t really intended to until she had thought about it some more.

  While everyone watched and waited for her to elaborate, all she could hear was her Mom’s voice in her head. “One of these days you’re going to put that foot of your so far in your mouth it will n ever come out. You have to learn to think before you speak.” Shannon was trying, but it wasn’t easy. When she got excited about something, she just blabbered. Now she had done it again. Jemma was the first to ask.

  “You’re thinking of moving here? Seriously?”

  Shannon laid her fork back down and shrugged. “I’ve been tossing the idea around a little. You know, as a writer, I can live anywhere, and I’ve enjoyed my stay here a lot so….” Before she could say any more everyone started talking at once. Maggie started in a bout all the charm and mystery that would provide material for her books. Jemma started talking about a little cottage that she knew about that would be perfect for a single person. Other people went on touting all the wonderful reasons for living in Maine.

  The only person who had yet to say a word was Kevin. He just sat there looking at her with a strange expression on his face that she couldn’t quite read. Their eyes locked and Shannon offered up a tiny smile, but Kevin’s facial expression didn’t change. Shannon broke the connection and raised her hands to quiet everyone so she could speak. “Anyway, like I said, I’m just thinking about it.”

  “Right, Jemma said jumping up from the table. I think k its time for coffee and dessert.”

  Dessert was even more delicious than dinner. Jemma’s Maple Sticky Buns were there, as well as apple and blueberry pie, molasses cookies and something called Hasty Pudding which was apparently another New England Classic. Shannon couldn’t decide on what to try so she confessed to all that she was going to be a little pig and try a small portion of everything. She didn’t know if she’d be able to, but over the course of the next hour or so, she was going to give it a try.

  By the
time the festivities started to wind down, she was so stuffed she could barely move. “It’s a good thing I walked over,” she said. “I need to burn off some of these calories.”

  For the next while the woman chatted and cleared the mess. Leftovers were packaged, tables were cleared and dishes were done. Shannon loved how everyone pitched in and felt so comfortable. If this was what small town living was like, she was all for it. The guys had moved outside and were throwing balls and chasing kids.

  One by one people started saying their goodbyes, the families with little ones being the first to call it a night. Eventually only Kevin remained. He touched Shannon’s arm as she stood with Jemma and Paul waving goodbye to the last of the guests.

  “Mind if I walk you home?”

  Shannon turned to face him, remembering his odd expression during dinner. “Sure, I’d like that. Just let me get my sweater from inside and gather Edgar from wherever he is.”

  “I’ll find Edgar and wait here. I’ve already said goodnight.”

  “Okay, I’ll just be a minute.” Shannon found her sweater and thanked Paul and Jemma for the dinner and the great time. Giving them each a hug, she left to meet Kevin.

  The first part of the walk back to the Boathouse was silent except for Edgar’s panting. He had worn himself out running after Boomer and all the kids. One thing Shannon liked most about having a dog was that they always provided a starter for conversation.

  “I think the old guy will sleep for a week after tonight.” When Kevin made no comment, she couldn’t stand it any longer. “Is something wrong? Are you angry with me for some reason?” Kevin stopped walking and turned to face her. For a minute he just looked at her, and then he took her face in his hands and kissed her softly.

  “No, I’m not angry with you. I just realized something tonight and it’s kind of freaking me out.” Shannon looked up into those dark green eyes and knew exactly what he was feeling.