“What a way to ring in the holidays,” Joe said.
I shook my head. “This isn’t how I’m ringing in my holidays.”
“Oh, yeah? Big plans?”
“Are you kidding? With this case closed, I’m planning on taking part in as many holiday festivities as I can.”
“Ah, Hope. You always find a way to look on the bright side, don’t you?”
“During the holidays, absolutely. If there’s ever a time to look on the bright side, it’s now.”
Thankfully, he didn’t argue with me. Instead, he gave my statement a lot of thought.
“You’re probably right,” he replied.
I corrected him. “I’m definitely right. After all, the season is about celebrating the birth of Christ, a man renowned for looking on the bright side.”
Joe nodded. “True.”
Joe then got lost deep in thought.
I decided to pick his brain. “What are you thinking?”
“Just how glad I am to have this case behind us.”
I knew there was a lot more going on in his mind than that, but if he wasn’t ready to share it all with me yet, I wasn’t going to force the issue. I had already done plenty of mental prodding with the murder suspects.
Instead, I commiserated with my brother. “I second that. I have never been happier to put a case to bed in my entire life.”
Joe held up what was left of his donut and looked like he was about to propose a toast. “Here’s to the Hadley family ingenuity paying dividends yet again.”
“Absolutely.” My focus then shifted to the future. “So, what’s on tap for you next?”
My brother polished off his first donut then grabbed a second one from the box. “You know my donuts come first, and everything else comes second.”
“Right. You want to savor that flavor as long as you can. You have the rest of your life to make plans.”
Joe smiled wide. “You know me so well.”
I chuckled. “That’s because you are predictable beyond belief.”
“I prefer to call it consistent.”
“Call it whatever you want. There’s no denying that you are a creature of comfort.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“No. I’m just saying that there’s nothing wrong with mixing things up every once in a while.”
“You do things your way, and I’ll do them mine.”
I chuckled. “Joe, it is Christmas time. Is it too much to ask to get in the spirit of the season?”
“You’re right. It’s better to give than receive and all that.” He held out the box for me. “Donut?”
“That wasn’t what I meant. I was just saying, I get that you don’t want to go too far out of your comfort zone, but surely the bakery makes holiday-themed donuts.”
“They do, but I’ve been getting the same flavor from them for eight years. I have never gotten a bad chocolate-frosted donut from them, so why should I mess with such a good thing?”
I shook my head and laughed again. “You’re hopeless.”
“Does that mean you’re not going to have a donut?”
I turned him down. “No donut for me today, I’m afraid.”
He seemed surprised. “Really?” Joe shrugged his shoulders. “That leaves more for me.”
“I’m saving my appetite for something better,” I said.
Joe looked baffled. “What could be better than a donut?”
“Daniel’s Christmas cookies,” I said.
I could see my brother’s thoughts drift off into the land of sweets. “They don’t sound half bad.”
“They taste even better than you can imagine.”
“I don’t know. I can imagine a lot.”
“Trust me, they are the best cookies you have ever tasted,” I insisted.
“I’ll have to take your word for that,” Joe replied.
“No, you don’t. Come over to Daniel’s with me. I’m sure he has some extra cookies to spare.”
Joe declined. “Nah. I don’t want to intrude on you lovebirds.”
“Joe, don’t be ridiculous. The holidays are meant for family to get together.”
He was still reticent. “All right. As long as you’re sure I’m not intruding.”
“You’re not,” I assured him.
I then moved to get into the passenger seat of his car.
Joe stopped me before I did. “Hope.”
I turned to him. “Yes?”
“Thanks for being such a good sister.”
“Of course.”
“No, really. I’m a lucky guy to have a sister like you.”
“Right back at you. Other than how irrationally stubborn you are about your donuts, I can’t imagine having a better brother.”
We gave each other a hug before my appetite once again took center stage.
“By the way, I’m sure Daniel has some eggnog to go along with his delicious cookies.”
“That sounds good.” He had one caveat. “As long as it’s not spiked. Alcohol has caused enough trouble this holiday season.”
I laughed. “That’s so true.”
The End.
Murder Hits Close To Home
Chapter One
“Look what Joe got me,” Summer Gilbert said.
I stared at the diamond necklace that Summer proudly wore. My brother’s girlfriend was completely beaming. Then again, why wouldn’t she be? After all, what woman didn’t love diamonds?
While Summer continued to revel, I turned my focus to my clean-shaven, blue-eyed brother, Joe, who sipped his beer quietly.
“You romantic,” I said.
Joe always put on the face of a tough guy, but he had softer side to him, and it was finally coming out. Although, he was quite uncomfortable with it being on display.
Joe sat across the table from me at Benjamin’s Bistro, a popular casual restaurant that was located on Ocean Drive.
My brother’s face was red as he replied, “I didn’t think Summer was going to show that to you.”
Summer threw out her arms. “What’s the point of getting a gift like this if you’re not going to share it with the world?”
“She’s right, you know?” I said.
My fiancé, Daniel Jacobsen, sat beside me at the table and spoke up for the first time since the unveiling of Summer’s new necklace.
“Way to really set the bar sky high, Joe,” Daniel joked.
Joe was visibly uncomfortable, not just with Daniel’s wisecrack, but the entire direction of this conversation. “Can we talk about something else?”
“Why is your face so red? You shouldn’t be embarrassed. You did something fantastic,” Summer said.
“Exactly. Besides, I didn’t know you had a romantic gesture like that in you,” I said.
“Neither did I,” Daniel said.
“Did you not hear when I said I’d like to talk about something else?” Joe asked.
“Oh, we heard you. But I’m not done with this topic,” I said.
“I’m sure everyone else is—” Joe started to say.
“Don’t speak too soon. I want to hear what’s on Hope’s mind,” Summer said.
Joe folded his arms and stared at me. “Fine. Will you just get to the point?”
It had been an interesting past six months in Hollywood, Florida, that’s for sure. The crime rate was down. My brother was finally in a long term relationship. I would be getting married in a few months. Life was good.
“What I was going to say was that ever since you met Summer, a whole new side of you has come out,” I replied. “Which naturally makes me wonder if there are any other sides of you that you’re still hiding.”
“That’s none of your business,” Joe said.
Summer leaned across the table and whispered to me, “I’ll keep you posted.”
“Thanks,” I said.
Joe’s face was as red as ever. “Another topic please.”
I gave my brother a break. “Sure,” I said. “We can
talk about something else.” I turned to my fiancé. “In case you were wondering, I wouldn’t mind getting a necklace like that of my own. Hint, hint.”
Daniel drenched his answer in sarcasm. “Way to be subtle.”
“Subtlety is overrated,” I said.
Daniel looked at my ring finger. “To be fair, you do have a diamond of your own.”
“True,” I said. “But if there’s one thing a woman can never have too many of, it is diamonds.”
Summer held her glass up. “I second that.”
Joe stared across the table at Daniel. “I don’t know about you, but I feel like the bar keeps getting raised higher and higher the longer this conversation goes on.”
“I know what you mean,” Daniel said.
“All right. We get it. Enough diamond talk,” I said.
“For now,” Summer said.
I nodded. “Exactly. I promise not to mention diamonds again. At least, for the rest of this conversation.”
“How generous,” Joe joked.
“Fine. You want some real generosity?” I reached into my purse. “The next round of drinks is on me.”
Suddenly, everyone at the table was happy.
Chapter Two
A few hours later
As we were all leaving the restaurant, Summer pulled me aside to speak with me in private.
“Hope, can I talk to you a minute?” Summer asked.
“Of course,” I said.
She bit the corner of her lip. “I need to ask you something.”
“All right. What is it?” I said.
“It’s just that your brother’s birthday is coming up and I’m having a hard time figuring out what to get him. Do you have any ideas?”
“He hasn’t mentioned anything to you?”
Summer shook her head. “Not a single thing.”
My nose crinkled. “I’d like to say that surprises me.”
“But it doesn’t?”
I shook my head. “Not in the least. He likes to keep things close to the vest.”
Frustration was all over Summer’s face. “Tell me about it. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love your brother, but he’s not exactly the most expressive person I’ve ever met.”
“Necklace aside, of course,” I said.
“That’s the thing. I thought that by him giving me this necklace, maybe it would be a sign that he would start opening up to me more. Instead, I feel like he believes that giving me the necklace can replace opening up to me.”
“I know that Joe can be frustrating to read sometimes, but it’s clear to me that he loves you.”
“And I love him. That’s why I want to get him something special for his birthday.”
“I’m sure he’ll like anything you get him.”
“I’d prefer not to make such a sweeping assumption. After all, what if I’m wrong?”
“You’ll think of something.”
“Wait. So does that mean that nothing comes to your mind?” Summer asked.
“Like you said, my brother isn’t the most expressive person.”
Discouragement came to Summer’s face. “I was afraid you were going to say that.”
“I already told you, he’ll like whatever you give him. The fact is that Joe loves you. I’ve never seen him this happy. You’re the best thing to ever happen to him.”
“Well, thank you for saying that, but I’m not sure that I can live up to that level of praise.”
“Trust me, you do,” I said.
Summer smiled. “You know, Joe is lucky to have a sister like you.”
“Have you told him that?” I asked.
“No, but I will.”
“I’m sure he’s going to love hearing that from you,” I joked.
Summer laughed. A beeping sound was then heard. She immediately reached into her purse and grabbed her phone. “I have to check my messages. This could be important.”
As she read the new text message on her phone, the entire complexion of her face changed.
“What’s the matter?” I asked.
“It’s my sister. She’s been having all kinds of problems lately,” Summer said.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“I need to call her.”
“I understand,” I said.
Summer walked off and called her sister.
Meanwhile, Joe approached me. “What’s up?”
“Apparently, her sister really needs to talk to her,” I said.
Joe grimaced. “Uh-oh.”
“What kind of problems has her sister been having?” I asked.
“Trust me. You don’t want to know,” Joe said.
Chapter Three
The following day, I woke up with a bad feeling in my gut. At first, I thought that maybe I just had an upset stomach. After taking my dog for a walk, I walked into my kitchen to whip up a home remedy to soothe my ailing tummy.
Unfortunately, my remedy did not work. Even after having a small breakfast of yogurt and a banana, my stomach still felt like it was tied in knots. My instincts were telling me that something big was going on.
I decided to call my brother. Maybe he would have some sort of insight for me. When he didn’t pick up his phone, I became even more unsettled. I left him a voice mail message, then texted him, hoping I would get a response from him that way.
A few minutes passed without word from Joe. With each second that ticked by, my anxiety grew. I then got an idea to call Summer. Perhaps Joe was at her house.
Summer didn’t answer her phone either. I left a voice mail with her as well before hanging up my phone. By then, my thoughts were racing. Why weren’t either of them answering? I hated being in the dark, especially considering that the nauseating feeling in my gut was now as strong as ever.
I dialed Joe’s number again. Thankfully, this time, he answered his phone.
Much to my chagrin, a solemn tone was in his voice as he took my call.
“Hope, can I call you back in a few minutes?” Joe asked.
“Why, what’s going on?” I replied.
“This isn’t a good time.”
Uh-oh. That was the last thing I wanted to hear right then. “Joe, you have to give me more than that. What’s the matter?”
Joe exhaled. “All right. Are you sitting down?”
I shook my head. “No. Why?”
“Trust me. You’re going to want to take a seat.”
I shrugged. “Why?”
“Because Summer’s sister is dead.”
“Oh my. That’s terrible.”
“Yeah. Summer is a complete wreck.”
As the awful feeling in my gut persisted, a question popped into my mind. “I hate to ask this, but what was the cause of death?”
“That’s the thing. All signs are pointing to murder,” Joe said.
My jaw dropped. I tried to formulate a response, but words failed me.
When a few seconds of silence went by without a reply from me, Joe spoke up.
“Hope—”
I managed to untie my tongue. “I’ll be right there.”
“No, you don’t have to—” Joe started to say.
I wouldn’t let him finish the sentence. My mind was already made up.
Chapter Four
I grabbed my keys, went online, looked up the address of April Gilbert’s house, hopped in my car, and drove over to Simms Street.
When I pulled up in front of April’s light-brown Spanish-style house, there was half a dozen police squad cars already there, in addition to the medical examiner’s van. Yellow tape cordoned off the area.
I parked a little bit down the street and walked toward April’s place. Luckily, I knew the deputy who was in charge of crowd control. He let me go right past the yellow tape and into the house. As I entered the foyer, all the police activity seemed to be centered on the adjacent living room.
Out the corner of my eye, I saw April Gilbert’s lifeless body on the ground with a stab wound in her chest. What I didn’t see was a murder
weapon.
The murder scene was a grisly sight. So much so that I had to look away.
At the back of the room, I spotted my brother speaking with the medical examiner. I was going to approach him.
Then I saw Summer Gilbert rush toward the front door of the house, wiping tears from her eyes. As she made her way outside, I followed her to the front yard.
After giving her a big hug, I expressed my condolences. “I’m so sorry about what happened.”
Summer didn’t say a word. It was clear that she was in a state of shock. She stared out into the distance, as if the idea of making eye contact with me was too overwhelming of a proposition for her.
“I just can’t believe she’s gone,” Summer said.
“Neither can I,” I said. “It’s just awful.”
Summer threw out her arms. “Who would do something like this?”
“I wish I had an answer for you.”
“April had a kind heart. She was a loving sister. She was nice to everyone she met. Why did something like this have to happen to her?”
“I really don’t know.”
“Of course you don’t, because this doesn’t make any sense. She was only forty-six. She was still so young, she…” Summer trailed off, unable to finish her sentence.
“Again, I’m just so sorry for your loss,” I said.
“I’m not just sorry. I’m really angry too. Some monster killed my sister. Even worse, they’re still out there somewhere, getting to live out their life, while April is…” Summer got choked up again.
“I know this is an insanely difficult time for you, but I assure you, that maniac won’t be out there for long,” I said.
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because my brother and I are going to find out who did this to your sister. I promise,” I said.
“I hope you do,” Summer said.
“This is about more than just hope. We’re not going to stop until whoever is responsible for this is behind bars.”
Summer gazed deep into my eyes. “Thank you.”
“Are you kidding? It’s the least we can do.”
Summer took a deep breath. “You know what I want to do? Just crawl into a hole and pretend like today never happened.”
Sweets, Suspects, and Women Sleuths Cozy Mystery Set Page 49