A Stoneybrook Mystery Collection

by Eryn Scott

  A wry laugh shot out of Brenda. “Yeah, apparently she doesn’t tell me much either. I didn’t even know about this boy she was supposedly dating.”

  Dennis’s hand settled over the woman’s. “I’m so sorry, Brenda. They’ll find her. I’m sure they will.” His gaze lifted as he caught sight of Hadley.

  Sniffling Brenda turned around to see who Dennis had seen.

  “Oh, Hadley. Hello.” Brenda’s eyes filled with moisture and she blinked rapidly.

  “Hi, Brenda. I’m so sorry to hear. It’s just awful.” Hadley took a step forward.

  Brenda swallowed, obviously too choked up to speak.

  “I know my brother is doing everything in his power to find her,” Hadley added, seeing the woman needed a little more time.

  “Thank you, dear.” Brenda nodded, swiping at her misty eyes.

  “I thought you might be back for these,” Dennis said, holding out two boxes tied with blue metallic ribbon.

  “Thanks.” Hadley walked forward, pulling out her wallet. “I completely spaced earlier.”

  Dennis raised a hand and waved it back and forth. “Don’t you worry about paying me. You let your brother know if he brings Miranda back, these boxes are just the beginning of free candies for the rest of his life.”

  Mouth open, Hadley looked to Brenda for confirmation as to whether or not this was real.

  Brenda ran a hand over the back of her neck. “I’d better get home in case Miranda tries calling our landline or comes home.” The woman’s voice quavered as she spoke her hopes out loud.

  Waving goodbye, Hadley turned back to the candy shop owner. “Dennis, you know I can’t acce—”

  He pushed the boxes toward her. “You can and you will.” He leaned closer. “I’ve heard about you helping Paul on some of his cases. I know you two will bring Miranda home, so it’s really just a premature thank you.”

  His mouth pulled into a smile. It looked so foreign—so abnormal on his face—Hadley just stood there, stunned and clinging on to the boxes of chocolates.

  “Well … thanks?” She smiled in return, or maybe it was more of a grimace.

  Little did Dennis know Paul seemed to be less and less inclined to accept her help, especially since the crimes had become seriously dangerous over the past year. And while she knew she would do anything she could to help find the missing young woman, she dreaded asking Paul for permission to do so.

  After another round of thank yous, Hadley left the shop and walked down the street to her own piece of the downtown business puzzle. The lavender-and-white awning sat atop her Pretty Jam Good Canning Headquarters sign. She knew if she went inside, she would only get sucked into checking her online orders or rearranging one of her many ingredient racks—she tended to try new organizational schemes when she had a lot on her mind—so she bypassed the kitchen, ducking into the side alleyway between her shop and the building next door.

  Finding her bike leaning where she’d left it that morning, Hadley placed the chocolate boxes into the basket. She plopped her helmet on her head, then expertly swung her leg over at the same time as kicking off.

  With a quick check of her watch, Hadley realized her talk with Kelsey and detour to the coffee shop had eaten up more of her time than she’d thought. Instead of turning left onto Barberry Road like she normally would’ve when going home, she stayed on Main Street, heading for her parents’ house.

  She’d been right about the chilly air. It bit right through her sweater, reminding her it was past time to fish out her winter coats from her moving boxes. To keep her mind off how cold she was, Hadley focused on the lovely feeling of riding through her childhood neighborhood. Sure, neighborhood was a stretch since there was only one house every acre or so, but the large oaks bending over her and the evergreens standing tall in the distance brought her a small bit of peace, and her shoulders relaxed. Seeing the big rock the locals had painted up to look like a mama bear protecting a smaller baby bear rock, Hadley took a left toward the river.

  And while she’d spent the majority of the last three days there, it still felt odd driving the same roads after staying away for the better part of the year. Being decidedly not rich, her parents had put their house up for a month-by-month lease while they were away. The renters had left last week and Hadley wanted to make sure the place was perfect for them when they came back.

  Even though the tenants had kept the place clean and seemed extremely considerate, she and Paul had still steamed all of the rugs, washed all of the linens, and set up the guest bedroom for their grandma.

  But Hadley was surprised to find Paul’s truck in their parents’ driveway when she pulled up, her bike tires crunching to a stop in front of the little green house. Hope swelled in her chest. Had they found Miranda? Was he off for the night, ready to celebrate their family coming back together? She hurriedly leaned her bike against the porch and covered the chocolates with a scarf so Paul wouldn’t catch a glimpse. After setting her helmet on the railing, she headed inside.

  “Moooo,” she called, cupping her hands around her mouth as she entered.

  Unsure when it had started, her family’s tradition of lowing like a cow to alert others to their presence had been a great help during particularly difficult games of hide-and-seek—or a method of taunting those who would never find you, if you were Cousin Marty. It was like the James family’s own wacky version of Marco Polo.

  A dejected “mooooo” drifted in from the kitchen, so she followed the sound.

  Paul sat at the table in the breakfast nook, scribbling furiously on a yellow notepad, a scowl contorting his face. Her hopes they’d found Miranda dissolved.

  “Whatcha doin’ here?” she asked tentatively.

  Paul glanced up. “Just finished questioning Cassie. Figured I’d drop by to greet Mom, Dad, and Gran before I go back to the station.”

  Hadley grimaced as she took in his tense mood. “Questioning Cassie went that poorly?”

  At first, he only grunted in response, but after a second, he sighed. “She confirmed Miranda was supposed to stay over, but said the boyfriend came and got her and claimed not to know anything beyond that.”

  Sitting down across from him, Hadley chewed on her lip. “Kelsey mentioned the boyfriend too. His name is Jaxon Bayne and he’s from Cascade Ridge. According to Kels, he’s some teenage drug dealer—bad news.”

  Paul raised an eyebrow and scribbled a note down on the pad. “A bad-news boyfriend is always a good suspect.”

  Hadley bit her lip.

  “But?” her brother asked, reading her hesitation.

  She exhaled. “I was hoping we would find something to set Miranda’s disappearance apart from the missing teenager from Cascade Ridge.”

  “And the druggie boyfriend tie-in only solidifies it.” Paul’s shoulders sagged.

  Hadley scuffed her sneakers against the polished wood of her parents’ kitchen floor while she breathed through the tightness in her chest. When she finally met Paul’s gaze, his eyes were narrowed, focused.

  “We’ll find her, Had. We’ve got to.”

  She nodded, emotion clogging her throat for a moment. “Do you still think Dennis had something to do with her disappearance?”

  Paul ran a hand over his face. “If you’re right about the boyfriend, it’s likely Jaxon or someone much more unsavory was the last to see Miranda.”

  Relief spread through her chest. As depressing as she found the candy shop owner, she hated to think someone in town could’ve done such a horrible thing. Something Paul had said stuck in her brain, however.

  “Wait—” Her eyebrows rose. “Did you just say we? As in we will find her?” Hadley pointed to Paul and then back at herself.

  “As in you are allowed to investigate. Yes. With a missing persons case, we’ll need as many people helping as we can possibly get. And as much as I still don’t like you putting yourself in harm’s way, I need you.”

  Biting her lip to hide the smile that wanted to pull across her face, Hadley
dipped her head in agreement. It wasn’t as if she thought she’d missed her calling and should’ve gone into police work rather than making jam. She loved her business and wouldn’t change a thing about it. But she and Paul had always done everything together; they rarely made decisions without talking to the other first.

  Which was why his and Suzanne’s secret from her hurt all the more. Her gaze flicked over at him as he went back to his notes. Had she done something to make them think she wouldn’t be happy if they got together?

  Going back through her mind, she listed the clues she’d found that had led her to believe they were involved in the first place. The lying, the avoidance, and the painted chopstick—one of Suze’s signature artsy creations always sticking out of her curly mass of hair, holding it up in messy buns—she’d found in Paul’s truck glove box. In the few months since she’d discovered one of her friend’s signature hair accessories, Hadley had often wondered if she’d blown it out of proportion, made it into something it wasn’t. But as much as she tried to convince herself nothing was going on, that her two best friends would never lie to her about something this important, her gut told her she was right.

  She picked a last bit of clear polish off her thumbnail.

  Maybe now was the time to come out and just ask Paul. Technically they hadn’t lied outright to her yet, seeing how she’d only asked leading questions, thinly veiled conversation openers.

  But as Hadley opened her mouth to ask her twin bother the question, the sound of car doors slamming shut rang through the quiet house. A wide smile cut across Paul’s previously stern face.

  Their parents were finally home.

  4

  Hadley’s heart practically burst as she opened the front door to her parents’ house to see their familiar black Subaru parked in the driveway. She raced forward, Paul’s footsteps ringing on the old wooden front porch right behind hers.

  “Welcome back,” she said as her family spilled out of the car.

  After giving her dad a quick kiss on the cheek, she made her way around to the passenger side of the car. Her mom’s dark hair had more gray streaking through it than last time Hadley had seen her so many months ago, to the point it looked shades lighter. But her tired eyes lit up when they landed on Hadley.

  “Hi, honey. It’s so good to see you!” After making sure Gran was okay, she turned to meet Hadley in a tight hug.

  Hadley breathed in her mother’s lavender-and-laundry smell, sinking into her embrace.

  “I’ve missed you so much,” her mom said.

  “Me too.”

  Hadley and Paul had offered to come down and help with Gran’s house many times, but their parents had been adamant each time that they were only a week or so from coming home. That deadline had come and gone so many times, Hadley was beginning to wonder if she shouldn’t just show up unannounced.

  Pulling away, Hadley moved toward her grandmother. “Gran, how are you?”

  The slender woman was wearing smart, navy-blue slacks so crisp and clean they still had the crease running up the front and a soft, cream-colored waterfall sweater showed off a perfectly pressed polka-dot blouse underneath. Her white hair was gathered into a graceful chignon. Her blue eyes—the same that she’d passed to her son and he’d passed on to his children—were fierce and fiery.

  She wrapped Hadley into a tight hug. “Better now that I’m here.”

  The wispy scent of her signature perfume, Chanel No. 5, teased the air around her. Hadley stepped back, taking in her grandma.

  “How are you?” she asked. Gran’s rosy cheeks looked fuller than when she’d seen her at Grandpa’s funeral.

  Gran smiled. “Footloose and fancy free. Officially. Handed over the keys yesterday.”

  Hadley chuckled. “Glad to hear the sale finally went through. Sure took you guys a while to sell a house on the beach.” She winked playfully at her mother.

  “It needed a lot of work,” Hadley’s mother, Lauren, said, her eyes widening for effect.

  “I didn’t help things at all, tumbling down the stairs,” Gran added, placing a hand over the hip she’d broken and had replaced.

  While Hadley’s parents had originally gone to visit in hopes of cheering Gran up and keeping her company, they’d eventually come to the realization the house was too much for her to take care of on her own. Gran had agreed and accepted their invitation to move in with them, so they began the process of fixing up the house for sale. A few weeks into their renovations, Gran had taken a spill and broken her hip, pushing out their time line as they got her through surgery and the physical therapy that followed.

  Gran grabbed Lauren’s hand and squeezed tight. “I just don’t know what I’d do without your mom and dad.” She looked from her daughter-in-law over to her son.

  Hadley’s mother smiled warmly back. “We were glad to be able to help.”

  “Anything for you, Mom,” Steven, Hadley’s dad, said as he and Paul rounded the car after having taken the luggage inside.

  “Gran, you’re a sight for sore eyes.” Paul stepped forward and then enveloped her into a big hug.

  “Paul, you get away from me with that prickly beard.” Gran screeched, but her tone was playful.

  Instead of letting go, he kissed her on the cheek and hugged her tighter.

  Any bite to her statement was softened as she laughed and swatted at him. Stepping back, Paul wrapped an arm around his mom.

  Lauren beamed at her children. “Shall we get dinner started?” she asked.

  Paul’s smile faded. “Actually, I can’t stay.”

  “Does this have to do with Miranda?” Lauren asked. “I was talking with Josie on our way up and she said everyone’s devastated. I was hoping we’d arrive to good news and she would’ve shown up by now.”

  Sighing, Paul ran a hand over his beard. “No such luck, unfortunately.”

  “That’s just awful,” Gran said, wrapping her arms around herself. “Well, you get going, dear.” She patted Paul’s arm. “I’m here now, so I’ll get to see you plenty after you find that poor girl.”

  Paul smiled sadly, then waved and headed to his truck.

  The rest of the family went inside, crowding around the kitchen island.

  Lauren pulled in a deep breath. “Gosh, it’s good to be home.”

  “I don’t know, Mom. That salty sea air must’ve been good for you. All three of you look great.” Hadley leaned her elbows on the counter.

  Lauren’s face adopted a wistful expression. She glanced at Gran and Steven. “It was lovely, but a lot of work. Stoneybrook is definitely more our pace. Plus, we’ve been going on for weeks about how much Gran is going to love it here.” Her brown eyes sparkled.

  “Absolutely.” Hadley nodded. “There’s a quilting society and a knitting club. If you’re up to it, you could come to the farmers market tomorrow. They all have booths.”

  Gran lifted her chin. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I also want to see your jam business. I’ve heard it’s taken off.”

  “It really has.” Hadley smiled. Her weekly market sales kept her going, but it was her online sales that had been on the rise lately. She was almost contemplating buying another car now that her bank account had a little more padding.

  After her then-husband Tyler had spent down all of their savings on an affair, she’d felt like she might never dig herself out of the financial hole her divorce had left her in. But she was beginning to see the light.

  Not keen on getting in a conversation about her divorce, however, Hadley changed the subject. “You three sit down. You’ve had a long drive. Let me start dinner,” she said, pulling up her sleeves to wash her hands in the sink.

  Hours later, Hadley left with a stomach full of dinner and a Tupperware container full of food to take to Paul at the station.

  Despite the terrible weight sitting heavy on her shoulders at the thought that Miranda was out there somewhere, Hadley had to admit having her parents back made almost everything seem better. The sun was alr
eady hiding far behind the jagged mountain peaks as she jogged down the front steps. She felt warm and happy in a way she hadn’t in a good while.

  After clicking on the chinstrap to her helmet and moving the chocolates in her basket to make room for Paul’s dinner, she got her bike ready for the ride back into town. Before embarking, she turned on her headlight, which cut through the darkness like a hot knife through cold jam.

  The valley had yet to have its first big freeze, so bugs still chirped and clicked in the fields alongside the road as Hadley’s tires crunched through the packed pebbles. Birds sang long, lazy songs, and the air smelled of the first hints of woodsmoke. But it all began to fall away, leaving only quiet once she turned onto the smooth pavement of Fir Street. The wind rustled the oak leaves, yellow from the cold, and her tires hummed. She could’ve almost closed her eyes, it was so peaceful.

  It was a good thing she didn’t, though. The roar of an engine, and the blindingly bright shock of high-beam headlights stunned her as a car came screeching around the corner of Fir and Main Street, cutting her off.

  Her bike wobbled as her hands jerked in surprise. The ditch to her right loomed, and she was about to get better acquainted with the ground before she leaned to the left and pulled the bike back on course. Heart racing from the scare, Hadley squinted against the bright lights.

  The glossy, white paint of the convertible shimmered as it zoomed past Hadley, and the silver Mercedes emblem glinted in the light from her bike. There was only one person in the valley who drove such an extravagant car.

  Cassie Lee.

  Hadley normally wasn’t one to pay attention to the types of cars the local teenagers drove—which tended to change often due to breakdowns and accidents—but everyone knew Cassie’s car. Not many eighteen-year-olds in the lower valley drove sports cars. Her vehicle’s flashy appearance, added to the reckless way she screeched through the Stoneybrook streets, made it difficult to miss the girl.

  Her heart rate finally slowed down from the surprise, and she began to breathe normally. Still, Hadley didn’t feel completely settled until she reached the steady streetlights of the downtown portion of Main Street.