Magic & Mystery: A Cozy Mystery Sampler

by Sara Bourgeois

  I stormed into Brody’s office and slammed the door behind me. He was seated at his desk with his head in his hands, and at first, I thought he might have been crying.

  “Brody?” I asked as some of my anger melted away.

  “If you keep looking into the Horowitz estate and Ellie’s murder, your path will lead you to Moody Funeral Home,” Brody whispered.

  “What?” I growled. “Was that a threat?”

  “I’m trying to help you.”

  What he said certainly sounded like a threat, but Brody’s voice and demeanor lacked malice. I was confused and a little scared. Ellie had gotten close to cracking the case and she’d ended up dead. Up until that moment, I hadn’t considered that I was putting myself in the same danger. Well, I’d thought about it, but it hadn’t felt real.

  At that moment I decided that I would keep any discoveries about Frankie’s estate a secret. I needed to watch my back, but that didn’t stop me from running my mouth.

  “If you were involved in Ellie’s death, I will find out, and I will bring you down,” I said.

  “Lara, please.” Brody’s voice shook at first, but then something changed. He stood up, and intensity filled his eyes. I recognized the alpha coming out in him again. “I had nothing to do with Ellie’s death, but I forgive you for saying that. Whatever it takes, I’m going to get to the bottom of her murder. I’ve got your back even if you hate me. No matter how mad you get at me, I will be there for you.”

  “We’ll see,” I said, but some of my malice had drained. “I won’t tell you not to have my back, but stay out of my way.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Lara

  The next morning, I woke up and felt nauseated. The thought of spending another day at the record hall avoiding Brody had my stomach tied in knots.

  As luck would have it, I wouldn’t have to go to work. Nora knocked on my door just as I was getting out of bed.

  “Come in,” I called as I stood and stretched.

  “I just got a call from the hospital.” Nora couldn’t contain her excitement. “Amelia is awake. She’s out of her coma and talking. The nurses said that she asked for me. I know you’re supposed to work today, but can you drive me?”

  “Yes. Let me grab a quick shower,” I said.

  “I’ll whip us up some breakfast we can take on the road,” Nora said and headed down to the kitchen.

  I showered fast and prayed that Nora didn’t make anything heavy for breakfast. My stomach was doing backflips as I thought about talking to Amelia. I knew I would find out that day if Brody had been the one to attack her.

  Deep down, I just knew it wasn’t him, but I had so much doubt. Not only would I have been devastated if it was Brody, I’d have been shocked too. I kept my face in the water as much as I could so that I didn’t have to acknowledge that I was crying in my shower over the thought of losing him.

  I dressed in jeans and my favorite tunic. If I got the chance to talk to Amelia, I didn’t want to look like a professional interviewing her. The conversation needed to be relaxed so she would open up to me. I was glad that I had Nora to vouch for me. Otherwise, I had no reason to be there speaking with Amelia.

  “I threw together peanut butter and banana waffle sandwiches for us,” Nora said and held up a brown paper bag. “I thought that sounded light. My stomach is in a tizzy with nerves and I don’t think I can handle our usual heavy favorites. I hope that’s okay.”

  “That sounds perfect, Nora. Thank you.”

  The drive to the hospital in Memphis felt like it took forever. Nora sensed my tension and she began singing campfire songs at one point. I tried to resist, but I eventually gave in and joined her. It did help keep me sane.

  When we arrived at the hospital, the police were interviewing Amelia so Nora and I had to wait in the hallway for about half an hour. Once they were gone, we went in.

  Nora and Amelia hugged and cried for a while. When they were done, Officer Booth gave me a quizzical look.

  “I’m Lara Tyler,” I said.

  “Oh, you’re the best friend of the woman who died. I’m sorry, when I arrived on the scene, there was nothing I could do for her. I tried, but the person who I assume was the killer hit me over the head. I’m sorry,” Amelia said. “I’m lucky that my foot got stuck in the door when I fell, or I probably would have suffocated too.”

  “How did you know that Ellie was there?” I asked as gently as possible.

  “There is an emergency button inside the sealed room. Not only does it open the door, but it sends out a call for assistance and sounds an alarm. Ellie didn’t know it was there, and the killer obviously didn’t either. I can only guess that they bumped into it when they were trying to move Ellie.”

  “And then they hid when the alarm went off?” I asked.

  “I think that’s exactly it. I started to look around just in case, but honestly, I figured it was a bad luck accident. The killer must have known that I’d find them, and that’s when they hit me.”

  “Do you know who hit you?” I asked bluntly. “I’m sorry. I should be a little more sensitive.”

  “It’s okay. I don’t know for sure, though,” she said.

  My shoulders slumped and it felt like someone ripped my heart out. I was sure I’d have an answer about Brody that day. I couldn’t imagine having to continue my investigations with no more information. I was beginning to feel worn down.

  “Why? Do you have someone in mind? Do you have a lead?” Amelia asked hopefully, and I felt guilty.

  “I don’t have a lead. I’m just concerned about it being Brody O’Malley. As far as I know, he was the last person in the building with Ellie. I left them alone when I went to lunch.” I said, and Nora shot me a look. “He said he went home to make himself something to eat, but I don’t know.”

  “Oh, it wasn’t Brody,” she said resolutely.

  “How do you know?” I asked hopefully.

  “Well, you’ve seen Brody. He’s tall and very muscular. I’m almost certain, and you can check with my doctor on this, that the person who hit me was a great deal shorter than Brody O’Malley. They had to reach up to hit me,” she said. “Oh, and Brody doesn’t drink gin. If he does, I doubt he could have been tanked on it without you knowing it.”

  “You mean the person who attacked you smelled like booze?”

  “They reeked of it. If he’d smelled like that when you left for lunch, you’d know,” Amelia said.

  I felt myself relax for the first time since I arrived in Ash Road. It was enough to make me believe that Brody wasn’t a murderer. I couldn’t know for sure if he was involved in the disappearing records, but that didn’t make sense either. Ellie was killed because she got too close, so if Brody participated in the conspiracy to conceal Frankie Horowitz’s records, he was involved in the murder too.

  Right?

  Chapter Seventeen

  Lara

  I worked it out in my head that Brody probably wasn’t involved in any of the mess I found myself in currently. That meant that I needed to apologize and I needed to start working with him instead of against him.

  That was a huge frog to swallow. None of my new information explained where the records went or how Brody could be the town archivist and not know about it, but on the drive home from visiting Amelia Booth in the hospital, something my grandmother had said to me a million times before really hit home.

  You catch more flies with honey than you do vinegar, Lara.

  As soon as Nora and I arrived back home, I called Brody.

  “Hey, Lara. It’s good to hear from you. You didn’t show up at work today. I was a little worried,” he said, and I could hear the relief in his voice.

  “Yeah, Officer Booth is out of the coma. I took Nora to see her, and I wanted to speak with her as well,” I said. “I’m surprised you didn’t text or call if you were so worried.”

  “You’re a grown woman, Lara. You told me to stay out of your way so I figured I needed to back off. Plus, by the time I
actually started to worry, I wandered into the library and caught the gossip that Amelia was awake and you’d taken Nora to see her,” he said sheepishly.

  “Small town.”

  “Yeah, exactly.” The smile returned to his voice. “So, what’s up? You called. I take it there was good news with Amelia?” There wasn’t a trace of worry when he spoke. Brody wasn’t the least bit worried that Amelia had told me that he’d attacked her.

  “Yeah, she’s awake. Looks like she’ll make a full recovery. I was wondering if we could meet.”

  “I take it she told you that it wasn’t me that attacked her?” he asked.

  Suddenly I felt awful. Some of the people in Ash Road were becoming like family to me, and Brody was one of them. But I’d been treating him like a criminal. Despite that, he’d stuck by my side.

  “Yeah, but you knew that. Will you meet with me?” I asked hopefully.

  “You know I will. I’m hungry. Would you mind if we met at the diner instead of the tavern?”

  “Yeah, that sounds good. I’m hungry too. It’s been a long day on the road.”

  “What about Nora?” he asked, and it warmed my heart how much he thought of others.

  “She had a microwave dinner and fell asleep right after we got back. I believe that the adrenaline rush that had been keeping her running ended when she was sure that Amelia would be okay. I imagine she’ll be out until tomorrow.”

  “If you’re ready to go, I can come get you,” Brody offered.

  “Should we walk, or are you picking me up in your car?”

  “It’s turning into a lovely evening. Give me ten minutes to walk over there.”

  “See you in ten,” I said and hung up the phone with a smile.

  I’d never met anyone like Brody who could make me beam even when life felt stressful or overwhelming. I was still worried that he was too good to be true, but I started to believe in him more.

  Nora’s doorbell rang almost exactly ten minutes later. Brody was standing there in a blue plaid shirt and those jeans that fit him just right. I had to peel my eyes from the way his thighs stretched the material, but I was rewarded with an eyeful of his sweet smile.

  It was the first time that I noticed the way he got a bit of a crinkle around his eyes when he grinned. My heart beat harder in my chest when I saw the bouquet of flowers in his hand.

  “Are those for me?” I asked.

  “They are, and you better take them in before any of your neighbors see me holding them,” he said with a chuckle.

  “Brody O’Malley, did you pick the neighbors’ flowers on your walk here?” I teased.

  “I did, but I only took one flower from each yard. They won’t even miss them as long as you take them inside now.”

  “I’ll be right back.”

  I went inside and pulled a lead crystal vase from under the kitchen sink. I filled it halfway with water, and then trimmed the bottoms of the flowers.

  When I got back outside, it looked like Brody was eyeing Nora’s hydrangeas. “Don’t even think about it, mister.”

  He laughed and offered me his arm. We walked arm in arm to the diner as the sun gently set. It was like something out of a movie, and for just a brief moment, I got to forget my troubles.

  We went inside and ordered pancakes. He got blueberry and I got pecan. We drenched them in syrup and made small talk. I kept looking up, and I’d catch Brody looking at me with a silly smile on his face.

  Eventually we couldn’t avoid the elephant in the room anymore. The magic had to end, and we had to face Ellie’s death and Frankie’s estate.

  “You look like you’re about to break the bubble,” Brody said. “It’s okay. We can talk.”

  He seemed a great deal more relaxed about the prospect of a conversation here. I wondered if it was that he trusted me more now that I trusted him or if there was something about the records hall that kept him from speaking his mind.

  “If I’d known that all I had to do was get you away from work, I’d have suggested pancakes a long time ago,” I said.

  “Yeah, I’m sorry. I’m so tied in knots about all of this. I’ve known for some time that I need to open up to you, but you have no idea what it will cost,” Brody said and then looked around the diner to see who was in the vicinity.

  “You can tell me. I will do whatever I can to help you,” I said. “No matter what. If you’re hiding something, please tell me. I’ll hear you out,” I said.

  Over the next thirty minutes, and three cups of coffee, Brody opened up to me. He first told me about his beloved younger sister who was “put away” in a home in New York State. He said that she’d been committed for paranoid schizophrenia, but Brody stated that he didn’t believe for a second that she was mentally ill.

  “The more she denied it, the crazier they said she was,” Brody snarled. “I’ve tried to get her re-evaluated by another doctor. My father and his family physician block me at every turn.”

  “But, why?” I asked cautiously.

  Brody went on to tell me how he thought that Madeline had discovered something about their father that the mayor couldn’t let get out to the town. He had no idea what it was. The men in white orderly uniforms came and took his sister at dawn one day. He’d had no chance to talk to her. His visits were denied at the hospital.

  “I think that my father is involved in the disappearance of Frankie Horowitz’s records, but he’s made veiled threats about my sister. She’s in a beautiful facility where they treat her with dignity and respect even if they don’t believe that she’s not mentally ill.”

  “How do you know that if you can’t visit her?” I asked.

  “Because I’ve bribed orderlies to get her letters. I’ve been able to write her twice, and I’ve gotten two letters back. She said she’s okay. It’s as good as it’s going to get considering she’s basically been imprisoned against her will. The letters were in her handwriting, so I know she wrote them.”

  “How do you know they weren’t written under duress?” I hated to ask the question. I didn’t want to fill Brody with doubt that his sister was okay.

  “The hospital has an exceptional reputation. I’ve even toured the grounds, seen her room, and introduced myself to her doctor. I wouldn’t go away so they convinced my father and the doctor to allow that much. I just wasn’t allowed contact with Madeline. It really is a top-of-the-line mental health facility, but that’s what makes all of this so hard.”

  “Your father won’t keep paying for her care if you step out of line,” I said.

  “It’s worse than that. He’s hinted that he’ll cut her off completely. She’d be thrown in a state-run facility, and he’d probably pay them to neglect her. I wouldn’t put that past him.” Brody’s voice shook with anger. “On another occasion, he threatened to have her thrown in a third world facility in the corner of the world where I could never find her. I’ve tried twice to get the courts to let me be her guardian but my father is too well-connected politically. He let me know that if I tried again, both Madeline and I would regret it.”

  “Do you think he’s behind Ellie’s murder?” I asked.

  “I do, but I didn’t know how to tell you. I couldn’t talk to you at the records hall. I’m almost certain he has the place bugged. How else did he know that Ellie found something?”

  “Is there anything else?” I asked gently.

  “I think Sylvie is up to no good but I can’t put my finger on how she is involved. I do think I saw her leave my father’s house one morning when I jogged by early in the morning.”

  “That reminds me. What was the thing in the Hyvee about? Why were you there?”

  “I’m sure that looked suspicious. I’ve been trying to figure that whole situation out since it happened. I’m sorry I didn’t discuss it with you,” he said. “What happened was that she asked me to take her grocery shopping. Sylvie likes to shop there, but she stated that someone that worked there had been harassing her. She said that one of the clerks is the wife of a man who go
es to the strip club regularly. Since Sylvie dances there, she gives her a hard time.” Brody took a deep breath. “She said she just wanted to shop in peace, but when she was grabbing her ice cream, Sylvie brought up my sister out of the blue. She started talking about how lucky it was that Madeline had such a beautiful place to live and how it would be terrible if she were poor.”

  “She was threatening you for your father,” I said, and it wasn’t a question.

  “That’s what I thought too. I realized too late that I’d been tricked. It occurred to me later that it was strange she even asked me to drive her to the store. If she said jump, Jimbo would ask her how high.”

  “Why didn’t you just tell me?” I asked.

  “I know it was stupid to keep things from you, but I wasn’t sure if I’d put you in danger. I knew that if you had more information, you’d probably have a target on your back. I’ve been trying to keep an eye on you, but I can’t be everywhere you are,” he said, and I saw Brody’s cheeks blush with embarrassment.

  “You’ve followed me?” I asked, but I already knew the answer. Those times I got the feeling I was being watched, it was Brody.

  “Yeah. Again, I’m sorry. I wasn’t prepared to deal with any of this and I just did what I thought was best.”

  “I guess that makes it less creepy,” I said with a nervous laugh.

  “I didn’t really think of it as creepy. I wasn’t stalking you because I’m obsessed with you. I was more of a volunteer bodyguard.”

  “I can see that,” I said. “So, you’re not obsessed with me?” I teased.

  “Obsessed, no. Enamored, yes,” Brody said, and it was my turn to blush. “I kissed you, didn’t I? I don’t just kiss anyone.”

  I felt the butterflies in my stomach kick up at the mention of his kiss. Then reality came crashing down. I still had a mystery to solve, a job to do, and then I’d be moving on.

  “Brody, I like you too but this won’t work. Once I’m done working on the Horowitz estate, I’ll probably never be back to Ash Road again.” I hated the words as I said them.