by Lyndsey Cole
Rochelle’s eyes left Hannah’s face, pushed her away, and leaned toward the intercom. She grabbed Hannah’s arm. “What’s this about? Who’s in there with Mack?”
Hannah didn’t answer.
Rochelle’s breath tickled Hannah’s face. “Who is Mack talking to?” she demanded.
“Nate, but I don’t know who’s with him.”
“Emma.” Rochelle paced in the tack room. She pinched her bottom lip.
Hannah stared at Rochelle. “Tell Mack to give Nate the money and he’ll leave. That’s what this is all about. Just give it to him.”
“Joey has the money. Mack gave it to him this morning.”
“Are you sure? Joey said he only has fifty thousand dollars.” Who was lying, Hannah wondered.
“That double-crossing liar,” Rochelle hissed. “I told him to give it all to Joey, along with the car to get him out of our lives. Joey can have the pleasure of dealing with Nate since his father didn’t manage to.” She turned and stormed from the tack room. “Where is he?”
Hannah jogged to catch up to Rochelle. “What are you going to do?”
Rochelle whirled around to face Hannah. “Find out what Mack did with all the money.”
As soon as Rochelle and Hannah stepped into the sunshine, Mack was approaching from the house. Alone.
“He got away, Rochelle. Nate got away.”
“That’s your problem. You didn’t give all the money to Joey so now you can deal with Nate. I’m not looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life.”
“What are you talking about? I did exactly what you planned.” Mack’s eyes shifted from Rochelle to Hannah. “I gave Joey the money.”
Hannah looked at Rochelle and saw a figure dressed in a dark hooded jacket. Mack’s jacket. If she didn’t know it was Rochelle, she would be unidentifiable. Nate’s words that he saw someone in a dark jacket go to Cal’s boat the night Al was murdered rang in her ears. She turned her eyes on Mack. “It was you who went to Cal’s boat Wednesday night. You followed Al and killed him.”
Both Rochelle and Mack stared at Hannah.
Rochelle turned her head toward Mack. “You told me you saw Joey leave Cal’s boat. We planned all this to leave him with all the evidence. Get him and Nate out of our lives.” Rochelle grabbed Mack’s arm. “What did you do, Mack?”
Mack jerked his arm away. “You selfish fool. Give all that money to Joey—five hundred thousand dollars to that loser? You’re right, I have bigger plans and you won’t be part of them.” Mack looked toward where his truck was parked. His mouth feel open.
“Planning a trip are you?” The smile on Nate’s face went from ear to ear as he leaned on Mack’s truck with Emma firmly in his grasp. His scar stretched into a second, more sinister grin.
Rochelle tripped on one of her corgis and stumbled until she fell against Hannah. “I can’t believe it. You two schemed against me?”
“This might be a good time to call your police friend, Hannah,” Nate said.
Hannah nodded and hit Pam’s number on speed dial.
Twenty-Eight
With sirens wailing, tires screeching, and a cloud of dust following all the cars barreling onto the Lowes’ farm, it took Hannah way too long to be cleared to leave.
Mack, for all his double-crossing of Rochelle, turned to putty when Deputy Pam Larson gave him her steely glare. He confessed to killing Al but never mentioned anything about all the money.
After Mack, in the back of a police cruiser, with his head slumped forward, was driven away, Pam approached Hannah. “I don’t know how you figured this out, but thanks. I called my dad and he let all your friends know what happened and that you’re okay. You can head home now.”
Hannah offered to give Nate a ride back to the cottage. She was hungry and grouchy.
“That’s big of you. You dragged me over here to this carnival so you’d better give me a ride back.”
“I will but I have a question for you, Nate.”
He rolled his eyes. “Has anyone ever told you that you ask too many question, Hannah Holiday?”
“All the time.” Actually, she was getting tired of people thinking she asked too many questions. “How do you find out anything if you don’t ask questions?”
“Okay, one question.”
Hannah drove away from the farm. “Why didn’t Mack say anything to Deputy Larson about the money?”
“What money?” Nate tried to keep a straight face. He failed.
“One question, you said. I want an answer.”
“I told him if he mentioned even one word about one penny of missing money, I had friends where he was going and his face would look much worse than mine.”
“So, where is it?”
“Ha . . . that’s two questions and I’m only allowing you one.”
It didn’t matter because Hannah had seen Nate sneak a briefcase into the back of her car and hide it under her blanket before he got in. She was ninety-nine percent sure she knew what was inside the briefcase and she was one hundred percent positive that Nate would honor his promise to Joey. She was determined to follow up on that promise he’d made.
Hannah was surprised to see so many cars in the parking lot of The Fishy Dish. “I wonder what’s going on,” she said, more to herself than to Nate.
“I’ll get my stuff and be on my way. I owe you for three nights.”
“Not so fast. Don’t you dare run out on Joey. He told me you said you thought he was clever. Don’t be like his dad and let him down. Besides,” Hannah used her thumb to point to the back of the car, “there’s something back there that you promised to him.”
“You don’t miss much, I’ll give you that. I guess I can hang around for one more night.” He looked at Hannah. “If I can still stay in Something’s Fishy.”
“Technically, we’re closed for the season but I guess Samantha saw something in you. A deal’s a deal and you can stay.” She held her hand out.
Nate shook it with a firm grip. He didn’t let it go immediately. “That friend, Cal, he’s a decent guy. At least, that’s what Joey told me. He has enough experience with the bad types, I think he can pick out the good ones. Do you two have a future?”
“Well, well, well. Who’s asking all the questions now?”
Nate chuckled. “I don’t need an answer.” He got out of the car and retrieved the briefcase that he now knew he didn’t have to hide from Hannah.
“Come over to The Fishy Dish. Something tells me that Meg just might be cooking up a storm in the kitchen. Bring your appetite because she doesn’t take no for an answer.”
“I’ll think about it.” Nate took the long way, along the beach, to get to his cottage.
Hannah watched him and wondered what was in his future. He had some money, his freedom, and ten years of time to make up.
She finally walked to The Fishy Dish, hoping there really was something cooking because, after all the drama with Rochelle and Mack, she was starving.
As she got closer, a familiar, mouth-watering aroma rushed from the snack bar along with an energy filled Olivia. “You’re here!” she shouted. “Everyone has been waiting to eat until you got here, Aunt Hannah. Meg cooked a big surprise.”
Hannah reached for Olivia’s hand. “She did, did she? Well, I brought my big appetite. How about you? Are you hungry?”
“Uh-huh. I could eat a house.”
Hannah chuckled. She assumed Olivia meant a horse, but then again, maybe not. She’d never want to eat a horse. “Me too. A really, really big house.”
“Are we going to see that pony?” Olivia tilted her head so she could see Hannah’s face.
“Not today. It’s a little busy at the farm, but I bet we can go tomorrow. I think the owner, Rochelle, will be happy for you to meet her pony.”
Hannah pulled the door open. Olivia ran inside. “Guess who’s here?”
Hannah had to blink back tears. All her favorite people were seated at a make-shift table set up in the snack bar—Cal, Jack, Ruby, Meg, Samantha, and on
e guest she was totally and utterly shocked to see, Great Aunt Caroline.
“She’s speechless,” Caroline said. “Where’s that handsome new friend of yours? Isn’t he going to join us?”
“Yeah,” Meg said. “I was hoping you’d bring him back for me. Oh, there he is.”
Hannah turned around.
“I found your dog sitting on my porch.” Nate stood stiffly in the doorway with Nellie. Nellie ran over to sniff Hannah, and Nate turned to leave.
“Join us, Nate. I told you Meg was cooking up a storm.”
“Hannah’s right, like usual. I’m doing a practice run of my Thanksgiving feast for all my special friends.” Meg glanced at Caroline when she said special, then she pulled an extra chair to the table that was covered with a roasted turkey and all the fixings. “You get to sit next to me so I can ask you a million questions.”
Nate smiled and took the offered seat. “Okay. I can’t eat and talk at the same time, though, so you might have to wait a while for answers.”
Caroline smiled and held both arms out to encompass the whole table. “This is what I’ve missed the most.”
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A Note from Lyndsey
Thank you for reading my cozy mystery, A Fowl Feast.
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About the Author
Lyndsey Cole lives in New England in a small rural town with her husband who puts up with all the characters in her head, her dog who hogs the couch, her cat who is the boss, and 3 chickens that would like to move into the house. She surrounds herself with gardens full of beautiful perennials. Sitting among the flowers with the scent of lilac, peonies, lily of the valley, or whatever is in bloom, stimulates her imagination about who will die next!
Also by Lyndsey Cole
The Hooked & Cooked Series
Gunpowder Chowder
Mobsters and Lobsters
A Fishy Dish
Crook, Line and Sinker
Catch of the Dead
Caught Dead Handed
Lily Bloom Series
Begonia Means Beware
Queen of Poison
Roses are Dead
Drowning in Dahlias
Hidden by the Hydrangeas
Christmas Tree Catastrophe
The Black Cat Café Series
BlueBuried Muffins
StrawBuried in Chocolate
BlackBuried Pie
Very Buried Cheesecake
RaspBuried Torte
PoisonBuried Punch
CranBuried Coffee Cake
WineBuried Wedding
Jingle Buried Cookies
Easter Buried Eggs
Boo Buried Cupcakes