Welcome to Sweetwater (Annie Parker Mystery Shorts Box Set)

by A. J. Bromley

  …

  All the locals gathered at the Café by 10:00AM. They were all talking about the dance.

  Roy and Caitlyn had gotten there early and had the brunch all prepared. I’ll need to give them a raise thought Annie.

  Darla came to the Café at Annie’s insistence. It had been a long night.

  “You need to get out and meet more people. Victor will probably have to serve some time for his illegal operations; it will go faster if you keep busy.”

  The posse showed up and offered more encouragement to Darla. Annie went on to tell about all the events that happened after the dance. Of course, everybody was sorry to have missed all the fun.

  Kate was not too perky but she cornered Darla and started talking about starting a business together. This might save both of them, thought Annie.

  Sam came in dressed casually in jeans and a soft blue chambray shirt. He greeted everyone and gave Annie a wicked grin. We had better get together before I self-destruct thought Annie as she walked over to Sam and gave him a big sexy kiss.

  The crowd cheered. “It’s about time!”

  Annie’s Awesome Chili

  Ingredients

  1 lb of stew meat cut into ½” pieces

  Salt and pepper

  1 Tablespoon oil

  1 lb of Italian sausage

  1 medium onion chopped

  3 oz. can of chiles

  2 cloves of garlic minced

  1 Tablespoon tomato paste

  1 Tablespoon chili powder

  1 teaspoon cumin

  14 oz crushed tomatoes

  ½ Cup chicken broth

  Dry the stew meat with paper towels to help browning. Brown the stew meat in a sauté pan in the oil and remove from the pan. Brown the sausage, chiles and onion for 6 – 8 minutes. Add in the garlic, tomato paste, chili powder and cumin and sauté another 2 minutes over medium heat. Place everything into a crockpot and cook for 3 to 3 ½ hours on high.

  Shopping Spree

  An Annie Parker Mystery Short

  A.J. Bromley

  Prologue

  Annie Parker was on a mini vacation. As the owner of the Snowflake Café and Bakery in Sweetwater, Colorado, this was a treat. Her niece, Taylor, was attending the University of Colorado. She had hitched a ride from a fellow student and was spending the weekend with Annie. Now the two of them were heading to Boulder.

  “I’ve got our whole day planned Aunt Annie. First, we’ll go see Jane, my boss; she is expecting us. Then we will go to my new rental. It is going to be so much fun being away from campus. My three roommates are also looking forward to moving in.

  Taylor went on to talk about her part-time job at an antique shop. “I never knew old stuff could be so interesting. Doing inventory was my first job; I know every inch of the shop. Wait till you see it.” Taylor was anxious to learn more and Jane was willing to teach her. “Jane never gets tired of all my questions. When she came back from a buying trip in July, I had to catalog every item. It was like Christmas.

  “You will see a beautiful carousel horse when you first enter the shop. The paint is faded and chipped but the delicate workmanship is there. The saddle is so smooth from countless riders. I named him Jelly Bean.” Taylor was smiling as she thought about the pink and lime colored horse.

  Annie was familiar with this part of Boulder. She frequented a shop called Kitchen Essentials a few blocks over. Taylor pointed out Old Time Treasures and the empty parking spaces in front.

  “You’re really going to like Jane.” Taylor was getting out of the SUV while Annie lowered all the windows slightly to keep it from roasting inside. There was very little shade on this street and the day was already warm at 9AM, but then it was August.

  “Jane is probably in her office enjoying her coffee. She always stops at Coffee Etc. to visit with Brian and get a coffee to go.”

  Approaching the shop, Taylor noticed that the door was open. “She frequently has people dropping off items early in the morning.” Opening the door wider Taylor called out. “Jane, it’s me, Taylor. I’m here with my aunt.” There was only silence. “That’s odd. She usually comes dashing out of her office.”

  Annie was looking around the shop. Jane had the furniture arranged along the outside walls. Several tables were set with dishes. The carousel horse was front and center of the room along with a big dollhouse. Dolls with beautiful painted porcelain faces were sitting at a small table having a tea party. There was too much to take in at one time. Annie walked around the room while she waited. Suddenly she heard screaming.

  A cold chill went through Annie then she followed the sound.

  “Jane! Jane! Are you okay?” Taylor was behind a display cabinet. She was bending over and gently shaking someone.

  “Taylor?” Annie was stunned. What happened here?

  Taylor got down on the floor next to Jane. She put one hand under Jane’s neck and tried to straighten it out. Annie noticed a large gash on the back of Jane’s head that was still oozing blood. Annie saw a large pool of brown liquid on the wooden floor. Annie got down on her knees. Feeling the woman’s neck, she didn’t find a pulse. The lifeless eyes stared back at Annie. A cranberry linen dress was torn and twisted around Jane’s small body. Annie gently hugged Taylor.

  Suddenly noticing the blood on her hands, Taylor unknowingly wiped it off on her pants.

  “Sweetie, I’m so sorry.” Taking out her cell, Annie called 911.

  Chapter 1

  The fun and excitement of the vacation was gone. Annie tried to console her niece. She took Taylor to a sofa far away from the body.

  Taylor was sobbing. “Why would somebody hurt Jane? She was always helping others.”

  Annie had found some crumbled tissues at the bottom of her purse and handed them to the crying girl. “Taylor, we will find out who did this.” They sat quietly waiting.

  After about 15 minutes, Annie heard a car arrive out front. She turned toward the door as two police officers came in.

  The first officer walked over to Annie. “You called 911 about a dead body?” He asked in an official tone while trying to catch his breath. Annie wanted to suggest some gym time for this out of shape officer. She got up from the sofa and walked over to him. She tried to smooth out the wrinkles in her tear soaked shirt. Her pants were dusty from the shop floor. Annie was more concerned with Taylor then her own appearance.

  “Yes, I’m Annie Parker. My niece, Taylor Stillman, and I found Jane Rogers on the floor. She is behind the display counter over there.” Annie pointed to Jane’s body.

  The officer went over to the body and checked for a pulse. He mumbled something under his breath then turned to Annie. “I’m Officer Stan Weber. I’ll need to ask you some questions.”

  Standing up to her full 5ft 8in, Annie looked directly at him. Officer Weber appearing worn around the edges, needed to retire. His uniform strained across his belly. Even with a good pressing, he would look rumpled.

  The police never intimidated Annie. She was always dealing with Sam Sparks, the Chief of Police in Sweetwater.

  The officer got out his notepad. “Okay let’s get started.” Then turning abruptly to his junior officer, he asked him to call the station. “We’ll need the team to help with the crime scene.”

  Alex Smith, being younger, tried to show his supervisor respect, but it usually fell short. Alex did have a way of charming the women. Right now, he was trying to get Taylor calmed down. Taking out his cell phone, he made the necessary call.

  “I’ll take a statement from Ms. Stillman.” Alex didn’t want Taylor subjected to Stan’s harsh questioning.

  Stan began to take a statement from Annie.

  She calmly explained about driving from Sweetwater this morning. “We came here because my niece wanted me to meet Jane Rogers, her boss. The front door was partially open so we came in. That’s when we found her.”

  “Did you touch anything?” Annie heard a slight wheeze when the officer spoke. Probably a long time smoker.

&n
bsp; “We did check to see if she was only unconscious but then I couldn’t feel a pulse.” Why did the police always try to make you feel guilty?

  Stan only grunted. On his way out to the patrol car, he glanced over at his partner. How does he get people to cooperate so easily? Maybe I’m getting too old for this job.

  Taylor remained on the sofa waiting for Officer Smith to question her. She was feeling comfortable with him, but unaware of her disheveled appearance. Her eyes were red and her cheeks were wet from crying. Taylor’s casual outfit of pink capri pants and a white T-shirt had dirt and blood stains.

  “Ms. Stillman, tell me about your boss.” Alex took a soft approach this young woman.

  “Jane has been here for years. All the shop owners liked her. They came to her for advice; she considered them her friends. Jane hired me earlier this year to do inventory and then kept me on as a salesperson.” Taylor had to stop while she wiped away fresh tears. Alex quietly got up and walked around shop while she got herself under control.

  “Sorry about that, Officer Smith. I can’t believe this has happened.”

  “Why don’t we skip the formalities, Taylor? Call me Alex, okay?” Alex returned to sitting on the opposite end of the sofa.

  “That would be nice Alex.” Taylor gave a small sigh and continued to tell about Jane.

  “I know that Jane has a sister, Susanne Stevens, who lives in Cheyenne, Wyoming. I hope someone will call her. Jane’s nephew, Rick, was here on Friday. He needed money to start a business. I think she refused because he came storming out of her office and left the shop. I haven’t seen him since. I left for Sweetwater that night.”

  Taylor was starting to relax with this young officer. He was tall with an athletic build and short trimmed red hair. Taylor could see freckles across his nose. She noticed her aunt was holding her own with the other officer.

  “Thank you for all your help, Taylor. If you think of anything else please call me.” Alex smiled as he handed her his card.

  The team showed up along with the medical examiner and Officer Weber got busy giving orders. They taped off a large area to protect the scene. Annie and Taylor had to wait outside.

  Several people suddenly surrounded them. Taylor recognized the shop owners. Officer Weber told the people to return to their shops and someone would be around to question them later.

  Taylor was thinking of possible suspects when she remembered Matthew. Jane fired him two months ago for stealing some of the smaller items on display. Her boss didn’t report him to the police since he was so remorseful. She also banned him from her shop.

  When Annie and Taylor were about to leave, Alex approached them. He asked Taylor if she could do an inventory of the shop to see if there was anything missing.

  “I can do that Alex. When do you want it done?”

  “Tomorrow morning will be soon enough.” The officer closed his pad and started to leave.

  Then Taylor told him about Matthew. “He wasn’t very happy when he left here.”

  “We will check him out along with the nephew. Do you have keys to the shop?”

  Taylor enjoyed the man’s attention. “I never needed a set.” They returned to the shop and she showed Alex where the keys were located.

  “You can stop by the station in the morning to get them. I’ll try to be there.”

  A woman rushed over to Taylor as she and Annie walked to the SUV. “I’m so glad I caught you Taylor. I’m speaking for all the shop owners when I say how sorry we are about Jane. We are all very nervous. I have called a meeting for tomorrow night in my shop to form a neighborhood watch. We won’t feel safe until the murderer is found.” Beatrice finally stopped and took a deep breath.

  “Aunt Annie, this is Beatrice Ames. She has the shop across the street, Bea’s Closet and Fine Jewelry. Beatrice, I’d like you to meet my aunt, Annie Parker.”

  Looking at Taylor, Bea said, “I wish people would stop calling me Beatrice. I named my shop Bea’s Closet for a reason.”

  Taylor never knew that Bea was so sensitive. She hadn’t seen this side of her before.

  Bea was suddenly all warm and pleasant as she turned to Annie. “Hello. It must have been awful finding Jane. You and Taylor found her, didn’t you? Taylor let me know what I can do to help. Jane was such a dear.” Bea wiped away tears as she spoke.

  Annie gave her phone number to Bea and said, “Call when you have set the time for the meeting. We both want to be there.” Then Annie and Taylor continued on their way. Bea slowly walked back to the dwindling crowd.

  Chapter 2

  Taylor lived in the dorm her first year at school but found it too distracting. Many of the students only wanted to party. She had posted a notice on the bulletin board for female roommates after finding the perfect house to rent. Even her parents approved of this. She was excited to show it to her aunt.

  “My place is just around the next corner, the third house down on the right.”

  Annie looked around at the neighborhood. The houses were older but well maintained and the yards were neatly groomed. The environment was peaceful.

  As she pulled into the driveway, Annie saw a beautiful two-story white and green craftsman style house. It had a full porch across the front with rocking chairs and a swing.

  Taylor started talking about her landlady. “Miss Olive converted her garage into a small apartment for herself. She has been so helpful and the roommates love her. She told us that her husband died a few years ago. By renting out the house, she could afford to stay here. Miss Olive is a very sensible person. My mom likes her too.”

  Annie was happy for her niece; she was growing up to be a responsible adult. Now to get this dreadful murder solved.

  “If we are to find the person who killed Jane, I think we need help. I want to call on my friends in Sweetwater. Taylor, you remember Kate Mackenzie and the Peterson twins, Molly and Polly? They make up the posse.”

  “Aunt Annie I was there when all of you worked that first crime. I also heard about the kidnapping that you and the posse helped solve.” A slight smile came over Taylor’s face. “I like the idea of inviting the posse, Aunt Annie.”

  As they walked into the house, Annie turned to her niece. “Why don’t you get cleaned up, while I start making calls?” Looking down Taylor was shocked at her appearance. She didn’t realize what a mess her clothes were and her hands were dirty too.

  Taylor went upstairs to wash and change clothes. Wonder what Alex thought about me.

  Annie was on her phone making the first call. “Kate, hi, it’s me, Annie.”

  “I thought you were in Boulder on vacation.”

  “Kate, I am in Boulder with Taylor. We need your help along with Molly and Polly. There’s been a murder where Taylor works. Can you come up here in the morning?”

  Annie was walking around the kitchen, opening cupboards and checking for any dust or dirt. Everything was spotless and in good repair.

  “My goodness, a murder Annie? I can be there. Mac is out of town on business. I’ll check with the twins after you talk to them. Maybe we can drive up together.” Kate’s husband of 10 years was frequently gone so this would be fun to be with her friends.

  “Give me the address. I should be able to find it.”

  After giving Kate the address, Annie called the Peterson twins. The two retired schoolteachers were a big help in doing research. “Hello, Polly? It’s Annie. We have a problem here in Boulder. Taylor and I found her boss dead this morning. She was the owner of an antique shop. I think we need the posse. I talked to Kate and she will be coming up tomorrow. What about you and Molly, can you come up here to help?”

  Annie could hear Polly talking to her sister. Then she got back to Annie. “We can be there. We’ll check with Kate and come up together.”

  “That’s great. We’ll see you soon. Oh Polly, why don’t you bring pictures of your Peru trip? I know Taylor would love to see them.” Taylor was coming into the kitchen when Annie hung up her phone. “They are all going to
be here in the morning.” Annie was happy to be delivering some positive news.

  “I am so relieved, Aunt Annie. I liked being with them before.” Taylor started to go outside. “I’m going to bring in my boxes now. There is so much to do before the posse gets here.” Annie joined her and grabbed a box marked fragile. The SUV was loaded with all sorts of boxes. She was excited to see all of Taylor’s goodies that she bought in Sweetwater.

  Boxes, bubble-wrap and dishes covered every inch of the kitchen countertops. Annie set up an assembly line and quickly put things in the dishwasher. She had the next load ready and waiting. It felt good to be doing something productive.