by Louise Lynn
Hazel glanced at her laptop. “I don’t?”
Stan’s mouth twisted into a chilling smile. “Well, let me reword that. You won’t have any proof when I’m done with this,” he said and tapped the lid of her laptop.
Hazel’s heart pounded harder. “What about the cloud drive?”
Stan shook his head. “You think I would leave those files on it for anyone to find? I deleted them already. I got rid of Monica’s phone, thanks to Mace Daily. Hey, do you know how easy it was to poison him? He took the coffee and told me all about the videos! Ha! He didn’t even know I stole the drugs. He thought Monica and Pablo did it, the imbecile. That means the only ones left are here on your computer, Miss Photographer.”
Hazel’s mind swam. He was right. Even if she told Sheriff Cross what she’d found, without hard evidence, he couldn’t press charges. She needed to save her computer, and buy some time. “I think it was a nice touch to blame the whole thing on Candace Stratford. Did you do that because she had a degree in chemistry? Or was it just a happy coincidence? Like the apricot tarts.”
“The overabundance of apricots wasn’t a coincidence! Pablo is my best friend. I knew he loved all things apricot. What better way to clear my name? Ms. Stratford could have made the poison easily. It’s not like I have a degree in chemistry—Candace has that,” he said.
Hazel smiled. “You don’t, but your former job was as a pharmacist; meaning you did have some chemistry—enough to make cyanide.”
How much longer could she stall?
She hoped Sheriff Cross was on his way.
Maybe Marcus would get there first. Assuming he wouldn’t just leave her to take on a killer by herself. Though, she hadn’t told him she was going to take on a killer either—a minor oversight.
Stan’s smile turned poisonous. “That proves nothing.”
“Maybe not, but what about that last minute ticket to the Maldives? It’s not odd to want to accompany your best friend on his trip to a non-extradition country? I think it is. And how dare you call Pablo your best friend after what you did to his wife. He loved Monica, despite her flaws, and you killed her to save yourself. That’s despicable. You’re not a friend to him, and I’m guessing you never were.”
“Once I get rid of this, it’ll be my word against yours, Miss Photographer!” Stan cried and grabbed the laptop.
Hazel darted forward.
Stan held it under his arm like a football, and her eyes widened. Not only was the evidence on that computer, so was all of her photography work. While she backed up her photos, that didn’t mean she wanted to say goodbye to her laptop.
Not like this.
She leapt to stop him, but he swerved out of the way, and headed toward Lake Celeste.
If he threw the laptop in the water, everything would be destroyed!
Then, a black flash flew through the air, launched from one of the tables, and clung to his back.
Stan let out a gut-wrenching scream as Anthony Ray’s claws dug into his flesh, and the laptop slipped from his arm.
Hazel threw herself toward it, and snatched it from the air before it crashed into the sand. She rolled and clutched it to her chest, panting, as Stan flailed about trying to pull Anthony Ray off of him.
Shoot!
She got the computer, but now he had her cat.
She set the laptop down on the nearest table and charged forward again, trying to snatch the leash as it flew through the air.
“I don’t even like cats!” he snarled.
Well, that settled it. A murderer and he didn’t like cats—Stan Baker couldn’t get much worse.
As Hazel reached for Anthony Ray, Rosalie Parks appeared in the entrance of the tent with a full pitcher of iced tea clutched in her hands.
“What on earth?” she cried in the same tone of voice she had when Celia and Hazel were girls and scattered Rosalie’s hats all around the living room.
Then, she marched right up to the flailing Stan and smashed the iced tea pitcher on his head. The glass shattered, and he crumpled to the ground, bathed in iced tea.
Some of it splashed on Anthony Ray and Hazel herself, but she got her cat free. Hazel stood, panting, beside the older woman.
“What was he trying to do to your sweet cat?” she asked and reached forward to pet Anthony Ray.
He sniffed Rosalie’s fingers and allowed her to rub his cheeks.
Hazel grinned. “I don’t know, but I’m glad you showed up when you did. He’s also a murderer, so it was a big help.”
Rosalie nodded as if she smashed tea pitchers on the heads of murderers every day of the week. “Such a waste. Now I have to go back and ask for another one. You can bet it better be complementary after this foolishness,” she said and marched back toward the inn.
In the distance, a siren wailed.
Chapter 23
Marcus arrived on the scene before Rosalie did, and he stared at Stan’s crumpled form and Anthony Ray sitting close to the entrance dainty licking his paws.
Hazel had bound Stan’s hands together with the leash, unhooking Anthony Ray first, of course.
Marcus blinked. “Is this the craziness that Celia told me about?” he asked and looked between Hazel, the cat, and the murderous cameraman.
Hazel nodded. “Oh, so she told you about this?”
He smiled. “At length. The sheriff is on his way. This the guy?”
Hazel nodded
Marcus was right, and Sheriff Cross arrived at a jog a moment later. He hadn’t released Candace Stratford yet, but once he officially arrested Stan Baker, saw the evidence against him and went through the man’s things, it was clear he was the killer. There were traces of cyanide in the needle he used to inject the cake hidden in his bag, and he was trying to flee to a non-extradition country.
Over the next several days, with a warrant to look into Stan Bakers financials, the investigation proved that he had deposited over one million dollars recently, presumably from the sale of the stolen drugs.
Of course, there were still a few things to sort out, but at least Monica’s family had closure, as did Pablo himself.
Hazel had only seen him briefly when Stan was arrested, and he’d stared at the man who was supposed to be his best friend. “You did this for money? You killed my wife for money.”
Stan wouldn’t answer or meet his eyes.
Hazel had squeezed Pablo’s shoulders. “I know this is difficult, but he was never really your friend. No matter what he said. What are you going to do now?”
Pablo had shrugged. “Well, I’m not going on my honeymoon, I can tell you that much. I’ll probably go back to work in Reno and try to get through this.”
Thankfully, Candace hadn’t been indignant after her release. Though, she didn’t have anything particularly nice to say about Sheriff Cross. Still, she hadn’t set her lawyers on him, so Hazel considered that a good thing.
Monica’s family even publicly apologized to Esther for accusing her of the crime. Esther accepted the apology, and Maureen Hart set about spreading the rumor that her daughter was not a terrible poisoner around Cedar Valley.
Esther gave Hazel her own trifle—which Hazel decided to share with Violet and Colton—and told Hazel she could have any cupcakes she wanted for a month, for free. And they didn’t have to be the reject cupcakes either.
In the chaotic few days that followed, Rosalie Parkes managed to talk Hazel and Celia into another trip to the Lakeside Inn for high tea.
This time, it was Rosalie’s treat.
When Hazel told her mother, Maureen muttered about how Rosalie could get an invitation when God himself couldn’t, but she decided to invite herself along nonetheless.
Of course, Sheriff Cross was invited as well. In fact, Rosalie claimed it was a celebratory tea in honor of Sheriff Cross’s new home. Hazel thought Colton would have liked a celebratory steak and chocolate cake more, but she didn’t say that.
She had the notion that this was Rosalie’s ploy all along to meet the sheriff offi
cially, and while Hazel didn’t mind, she did ask him to wear a tie for the occasion.
First, they had to do the walkthrough of his new house. It was tucked near the lake and done in rustic cedar planks with plenty of windows. The living room had a huge wooden stove, similar to Hazel’s own, and she knew come winter she’d love to snuggle near it.
Violet pursed her lips at first, but when she saw the size of her new room—and that there was an extra one for her grandparents—she lightened up.
Hazel grinned at the back porch. The glass doors gave a clear view of the towering cedar and pines, and the thin blue slip of Lake Celeste between them. “My view is better, but this will do.”
Colton snorted. “Oh, I didn’t know it was a competition.”
“It’s not, but I still win. View wise.”
“Then I win master bathroom wise. It has a clawfoot tub,” he said and waggled his eyebrows.
Hazel’s grin widened, and she darted upstairs to see it. Sure enough, there was an oversized clawfoot tub in the master bathroom, and it even looked long enough for Hazel’s five foot nine frame. She’d have to try it out, someday.
Once the papers were signed, they went to the Lakeside Inn to meet the rest of their party. Celia hovered out front, looking somewhere between annoyed and frantic, so Hazel excused herself and rushed to her best friend’s side.
“What’s wrong?” she said. Looking at Celia brought a sharp stab to her gut. Poor Pablo. He thought he could trust Stan, and look where it got him? Well, that wasn’t how Celia and her worked, no matter what.
Celia worried her lip. “My mother invited Marcus without asking me!”
Hazel grinned. “So this is a double date? Or did your mom want to size up Colton and Marcus next to each other?”
“Who knows what she’s thinking. I’ll bet she wants official recognition from the sheriff for her help in taking down a killer, knowing her.”
Hazel laughed. “I doubt it’ll be that bad. We can get through it together. Unless you found a new fatal flaw in Mr. Banks?”
Celia smiled. “He smacks his lips when he’s thinking, but I can live with it. Someone is waiting for you,” she said and motioned to Colton.
He stood at a discreet distance away, hands in his pockets.
Hazel stepped up and straightened his tie, the same deep blue as his eyes, and grinned. “Are you ready for this? I think Rosalie is going to be much tougher to impress than my parents were.”
He raised his brows. “Considering I haven’t accused her of murder, I think I can handle it.”
Hazel chuckled and patted his chest. “Underestimating Rosalie Parks is not a great idea. You’ve been warned.”
“She’s right,” Celia said.
Then Hazel linked her arm with Celia’s, and they stepped onto the patio to face Rosalie as one.
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Read the rest of the Hazel Hart Cozy Mystery Series!
Hazel Hart is having a terrible day.
A man is murdered in her Wild @ Hart Photo Studio, and the new sheriff in Cedar Valley not only declares it a crime scene and insults Hazel’s fashion sense, but he also suspects Hazel of the murder!
In order to clear her name and restore her shop’s reputation, Hazel must find the real killer. Problem is, the list of suspects and their secrets seem to grow the deeper Hazel digs. Not to mention the mysterious figure who keeps showing up in Hazel’s photos.
Can she unearth the killer before time runs out?
Meowsical Death: A Hazel Hart Cozy Mystery Two
Hazel Hart can’t catch a break.
While working as the photographer of the local elementary school, Hazel stumbles across the body of the music teacher. The woman has been murdered, and Hazel’s own mother is a prime suspect!
Now, Hazel has to clear her mother’s name, and go head to head against the handsome and stubborn Sheriff Cross. Only, that’s not as easy as it seems. The victim’s life and death is shrouded in years of secrets, including decades old blackmail. As the list of suspects grows, the more dangerous it becomes.
In a race against the clock, Hazel must pinpoint the real killer before it’s too late.
Purrfect Alibi: A Hazel Hart Cozy Mystery Three
Hazel Hart has awful luck.
When the star quarterback goes missing after the local Spring Fling dance, Hazel and her feline side-kick find his body. The young man was murdered, and there are no shortages of suspects—including her best friend’s ex—a man Hazel doesn’t trust.
As she digs for the truth, the mysteries around the quarterback’s life and death multiply. Someone is trying to bury the past, and the danger to Hazel grows with each unearthed secret.
In a race against time, can Hazel find the real killer before she is the next victim?
Murder Most Meow: A Hazel Hart Cozy Mystery Four
Hazel Hart feels like a walking shadow.
When the Shakespeare festival consumes Cedar Valley, Hazel is hired to photograph the performances and the actors, but she catches something through her lens that no one expected to see live on stage—a murder!
The lead in Macbeth is the victim, and the list of suspects is as complicated as A Midsummer Night’s Dream, including everyone from the actor’s diva wife to the sheriff’s own niece. Good thing Hazel is there to suss out the truth.
But as she creeps closer to the killer, accidents plague the production at every end. Will Hazel unmask the murderer before another life is claimed?
Coming July 4, 2018
Hazel Hart can’t stay out of trouble.
With Hazel’s dad back in Cedar Valley for the summer, they resume their father daughter camping trip tradition. Hazel wants nothing but a relaxing vacation with plenty of opportunities to photograph the local wildlife, but she stumbles across a dead big game hunter instead!
It looks like the work of a mountain lion, but Hazel isn’t so sure. Foul play is written all over it, and her vacation turns into a race against time to find the killer—especially since her father is a prime suspect for the crime.
Can Hazel clear her father’s name and find the murderer before it’s too late?
Read the Maritime Teashop Series:
There has been a murder in San Bastion Bay and Olivia Darrow just might be next. Not the best birthday present she could have asked for.
Now a potential suspect in the murder investigation, Olivia must find out who poisoned her least favorite customer and stop the killer from striking again. Unfortunately, her list of suspects includes nearly the entire town and a hooded figure seems determined to ensure the culprit remains hidden. In a race against the clock, will Olivia uncover the truth before it’s too late? Or has she been framed to take the fall?
Maritime Teashop Book 2
A film crew enters San Bastion Bay, and the movie turns deadly when a starlet who hailed from the small town is killed on set.
Olivia Darrow must investigate the murder of the former prom queen turned movie star before the police arrest an innocent man. Unfortunately, the film crew and the town are full of potential suspects and dangerous secrets. In a race against time, can Olivia uncover the real killer before she becomes the next target?
Thank you!
Thank you so much for reading my Hazel Hart cozy mystery! I had such an amazing time writing this book and I really hope you enjoyed it. If you did, please leave a review.
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Thank you for spending time with Haz
el Hart and I hope to see you soon!
About the author
Louise Lynn lives in a small town in California with a host of cats. She loves to crochet, travel, and indulge in both chocolate and all things mystery related.
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Copyright © 2017 by Louise Lynn
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, businesses, and events are all products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events, is purely coincidental.