The Nora Abbott Mystery series Box Set

by Shannon Baker

  Petal nodded and wiped her nose with her sleeve. “Will we need to change the angle of the tower?”

  Sylvia pressed a finger up to her mouth to silence Petal.

  Petal retreated to her particle-board desk shoved into the corner of the room amid the used file cabinets the Trust provided for Sylvia. Dented metal with chipped beige paint, they maintained the same thrift store style of the rest of this dump.

  I should still be in Alaska running the HAARP facility. I wish I could see their faces when they understand their mistake in firing me. Thank god Eduardo understands my genius.

  The October chill filtered into the office but Sylvia forgot the temperature while she opened her laptop and emailed the art broker to secure the Chihuly. A knock on the thin door of her office disturbed the glow of acquisition. Sylvia glanced at the time on her computer. Ten-thirty.

  The door opened without an invitation and a frowsy woman poked her head inside.

  Sylvia sounded more welcoming than she felt. “Darla. What are you doing working so late?” The Financial Director of Loving Earth Trust didn’t often stick around after four o’clock. No one at the Trust did. Sylvia, on the other hand, worked long hours. As expected of a creative genius.

  Darla stepped further into the suite, as Sylvia called the 30 square foot addition to give it more class than it deserved.

  Darla stood just inside the door and gawked at the maps tacked to the walls. Sylvia changed them periodically so the office appeared dynamic. Darla’s dumpy jeans and scuffed clogs fit right in with her hair—the color of spoiled hamburger, hanging in shapeless strands to her shoulders. The woman had no style. But then, those environmental types seldom worried about fashion.

  Darla twisted her hands over her heavy, udder-like breasts. “We need to talk about your project.”

  Actually, Darla coming here saved Sylvia the trouble of going to her. “Absolutely. I’ve made some necessary equipment upgrades. I’ll turn in an expense report tomorrow and expect reimbursement right away.” How much could she get the Trust to pay her?

  Darla cocked her head as if she hadn’t understood.

  A rustle of clothes reminded Sylvia that Petal sat at her desk. Sylvia brushed her hand through the air. “You can go now, Petal.”

  Petal slipped almost silently toward the door. Darla and Petal exchanged looks as if Sylvia couldn’t see them. Underlings always hung together, driving home the truth: It’s lonely at the top.

  As soon as the door closed behind Petal, Sylvia addressed Darla. “I can give you a trend analysis of the climate change with respect to beetle kill so you can answer questions at the board meeting.”

  Darla smelled ripe, like a true naturalist. God, why couldn’t these people shower regularly?

  Darla’s bushy eyebrows drew down in a frown.

  “I found the missing money.”

  Sylvia didn’t care about Darla’s petty bookkeeping problems. “That’s nice.”

  Color rose in the accountant’s face. “I don’t know how you got the money out of your restricted funds without the passwords but you need to return it.”

  Minions. Always bothering her with their problems. Sylvia wouldn’t let Darla weasel out of paying her. “If Mark approves the funds for equipment, which I assure you, he will, you need to cut me a check.”

  Darla shifted from foot to foot. She peered at the ceiling and the floor. “I don’t know what’s going on, but money is missing. Big amounts.”

  Was she suggesting Sylvia somehow caused her bookkeeping errors? Sylvia strove to sound maternal. “I’m not the accountant but I know you’re good at what you do. You’ll just have to find it.”

  “The auditors will see it right away even if the board doesn’t discover it.” Darla’s voice broke.

  Just because Darla was a terrible accountant didn’t make it Sylvia’s problem. “Sometimes when I have a particularly vexing problem, I sleep on it and things are better in the morning.”

  Darla’s porcine eyes sparked with fear. “You stole $400,000.” She trembled.

  Sylvia stood. “You’re crazy.”

  “You’re not doing any work on climate change here. Everyone knows it. But you’re doing something. I’m going to the board and tell them.”

  Pathetic Darla, so jealous. She needed to learn her place.

  Sylvia slid her desk drawer out. With a voice like cotton candy, Sylvia said, “Go home. Sleep on it. I’m sure you’ll feel differently in the morning.” Sylvia straightened and pulled her arm up.

  Darla gasped.

  Sylvia loved the feel of the Smith and Wesson 638 Airweight revolver. The grip caressed her palm and at slightly less than a pound, even her delicate wrists could hold it steady. The gold plating on the barrel coordinated pleasingly with the pearl grip.

  When she’d bought it, she thought it might be an extravagance. So elegant and deadly—just like Sylvia—and she’d had to have it. Now it proved an expedient tool for chasing off fools.

  Darla backed into a file cabinet and inched toward the door. “You wouldn’t shoot me.”

  Sylvia raised her eyebrows and smirked, holding the gun steady on Darla, loving her feeling of command. Only a few people had Sylvia’s audacity. She was truly extraordinary.

  Like a quail in the brush, Darla panicked, turned tail and raced toward the office door.

  Sylvia couldn’t resist and followed her down the short hallway to the kitchen. She laughed to watch Darla tugging on the kitchen door and stumbling down the steps to the dark backyard.

  Still laughing, Sylvia pointed the gun into the night and fired. How could she not? It would be like holding potato chips in your hand and not eating them. Besides, frightening Darla provided extra insurance that the nitwit would write that big check tomorrow.

  In Sylvia’s life, insurance was a good thing.

  Chuckling, she locked the kitchen door.

  2

  Sylvia LaFever simply had to have it. If the Trust won’t give me an advance, I’ll force Eduardo to pay for it. I’m going to make him the wealthiest man on the planet.

  But of course, he wouldn’t want anyone to know that.

  Sylvia stared at the photo of the Chihuly chandelier on her laptop. She’d never have another chance at something so perfect for her dining room. At $90,000 it was a steal. The Trust could cough up the money. They owed it to me.

  A squeaky voice broke into Sylvia’s thoughts. “I’ve finished the initial calculations on the refractory angle but it seems like we’re way off.”

  Sylvia slammed the top of her computer closed. “Nice work, Petal.”

  Petal stood in front of Sylvia, a mass of dreadlocks on a too-skinny body. As usual, layers of gauze and hand-knitted rags swathed Petal. She mumbled, “When the plume excites the ionosphere, are we monitoring the disturbances in the 100 km range to see if this leads to short term climatic alterations?”

  Questions, chatter, like a million needles into her brain. Sylvia bestowed a patient smile on Petal. “It’s complicated and I don’t have time to explain it to you. If you earn your PhD we can have a more meaningful conversation about the principles behind ELF and short term climate fluctuations.”

  For god’s sake, Petal’s eyes teared up. She swallowed. “I just wondered because the coordinates bounce the beam to South America.”

  Sylvia rolled her chair away from her desk, the wheels rickety on the plastic carpet guard. I deserve better than this drafty space tacked on to the aging farmhouse that Loving Earth Trust is so proud to call headquarters. The slapped-up dry wall and builder-grade windows are bad enough but they’d simply laid industrial carpet atop a concrete floor with minimal padding.

  Rust-colored carpet. Disgusting.

  Maybe the sparse computer equipment covered the Trust’s simplistic climate change modeling project, but for the magic Eduardo demanded, she needed more sophisticated hardware.

  Sylvia stopped short of patting Petal on the arm, never sure when Petal showered last. “If you do as I tell you and w
atch and learn, you’ll gain more knowledge than asking me questions all the time.”

  Petal nodded and wiped her nose with her sleeve. “Will we need to change the angle of the tower?”

  Sylvia pressed a finger up to her mouth to silence Petal.

  Petal retreated to her particle-board desk shoved into the corner of the room amid the used file cabinets the Trust provided for Sylvia. Dented metal with chipped beige paint, they maintained the same thrift store style of the rest of this dump.

  I should still be in Alaska running the HAARP facility. I wish I could see their faces when they understand their mistake in firing me. Thank god Eduardo understands my genius.

  The October chill filtered into the office but Sylvia forgot the temperature while she opened her laptop and emailed the art broker to secure the Chihuly. A knock on the thin door of her office disturbed the glow of acquisition. Sylvia glanced at the time on her computer. Ten-thirty.

  The door opened without an invitation and a frowsy woman poked her head inside.

  Sylvia sounded more welcoming than she felt. “Darla. What are you doing working so late?” The Financial Director of Loving Earth Trust didn’t often stick around after four o’clock. No one at the Trust did. Sylvia, on the other hand, worked long hours. As expected of a creative genius.

  Darla stepped further into the suite, as Sylvia called the 30 square foot addition to give it more class than it deserved.

  Darla stood just inside the door and gawked at the maps tacked to the walls. Sylvia changed them periodically so the office appeared dynamic. Darla’s dumpy jeans and scuffed clogs fit right in with her hair—the color of spoiled hamburger, hanging in shapeless strands to her shoulders. The woman had no style. But then, those environmental types seldom worried about fashion.

  Darla twisted her hands over her heavy, udder-like breasts. “We need to talk about your project.”

  Actually, Darla coming here saved Sylvia the trouble of going to her. “Absolutely. I’ve made some necessary equipment upgrades. I’ll turn in an expense report tomorrow and expect reimbursement right away.” How much could she get the Trust to pay her?

  Darla cocked her head as if she hadn’t understood.

  A rustle of clothes reminded Sylvia that Petal sat at her desk. Sylvia brushed her hand through the air. “You can go now, Petal.”

  Petal slipped almost silently toward the door. Darla and Petal exchanged looks as if Sylvia couldn’t see them. Underlings always hung together, driving home the truth: It’s lonely at the top.

  As soon as the door closed behind Petal, Sylvia addressed Darla. “I can give you a trend analysis of the climate change with respect to beetle kill so you can answer questions at the board meeting.”

  Darla smelled ripe, like a true naturalist. God, why couldn’t these people shower regularly?

  Darla’s bushy eyebrows drew down in a frown.

  “I found the missing money.”

  Sylvia didn’t care about Darla’s petty bookkeeping problems. “That’s nice.”

  Color rose in the accountant’s face. “I don’t know how you got the money out of your restricted funds without the passwords but you need to return it.”

  Minions. Always bothering her with their problems. Sylvia wouldn’t let Darla weasel out of paying her. “If Mark approves the funds for equipment, which I assure you, he will, you need to cut me a check.”

  Darla shifted from foot to foot. She peered at the ceiling and the floor. “I don’t know what’s going on, but money is missing. Big amounts.”

  Was she suggesting Sylvia somehow caused her bookkeeping errors? Sylvia strove to sound maternal. “I’m not the accountant but I know you’re good at what you do. You’ll just have to find it.”

  “The auditors will see it right away even if the board doesn’t discover it.” Darla’s voice broke.

  Just because Darla was a terrible accountant didn’t make it Sylvia’s problem. “Sometimes when I have a particularly vexing problem, I sleep on it and things are better in the morning.”

  Darla’s porcine eyes sparked with fear. “You stole $400,000.” She trembled.

  Sylvia stood. “You’re crazy.”

  “You’re not doing any work on climate change here. Everyone knows it. But you’re doing something. I’m going to the board and tell them.”

  Pathetic Darla, so jealous. She needed to learn her place.

  Sylvia slid her desk drawer out. With a voice like cotton candy, Sylvia said, “Go home. Sleep on it. I’m sure you’ll feel differently in the morning.” Sylvia straightened and pulled her arm up.

  Darla gasped.

  Sylvia loved the feel of the Smith and Wesson 638 Airweight revolver. The grip caressed her palm and at slightly less than a pound, even her delicate wrists could hold it steady. The gold plating on the barrel coordinated pleasingly with the pearl grip.

  When she’d bought it, she thought it might be an extravagance. So elegant and deadly—just like Sylvia—and she’d had to have it. Now it proved an expedient tool for chasing off fools.

  Darla backed into a file cabinet and inched toward the door. “You wouldn’t shoot me.”

  Sylvia raised her eyebrows and smirked, holding the gun steady on Darla, loving her feeling of command. Only a few people had Sylvia’s audacity. She was truly extraordinary.

  Like a quail in the brush, Darla panicked, turned tail and raced toward the office door.

  Sylvia couldn’t resist and followed her down the short hallway to the kitchen. She laughed to watch Darla tugging on the kitchen door and stumbling down the steps to the dark backyard.

  Still laughing, Sylvia pointed the gun into the night and fired. How could she not? It would be like holding potato chips in your hand and not eating them. Besides, frightening Darla provided extra insurance that the nitwit would write that big check tomorrow.

  In Sylvia’s life, insurance was a good thing.

  Chuckling, she locked the kitchen door.

  3

  A cyclone roared in Nora Abbott’s ears. Her gloved fingers clung to the cold stone and she fought rising nausea. She forced herself to scan the horizon, to broaden her view and take in the vast expanse opening below her.

  The sharp rocks at the mountain’s summit seemed like teeth about to shred Nora. The thin, cold wind tugged strands of hair from her ponytail as Nora concentrated on the big picture. Maybe gravity anchored her to the rock, but she felt as if she’d fly off any moment and kite into the impossible openness of sky. Then she’d fall. Down the expansive sweep of the cliff face, through the struggling brush at the tree line so far below her. She’d crash into the pines and rocks as the air grew thicker. Finally, she’d lie in a heap of bones and torn flesh.

  Like Scott. Her husband. Forever gone.

  No.

  Far away, across the vast sky, peaks met her gaze, smattered with snow left from last winter. As far as she could see there was nothing but the Rockies, strong, solid, never-changing. No houses, office buildings, cars or people. The early morning clouds hung low and Nora wished for the bright Colorado sunshine to burn away her fear.

  Okay, enough of the dramatics.

  Today. Now. This is the day she’d overcome her dread.

  No more of this craziness. She’d reclaim her lost love of the mountains and the sky.

  Nora made herself come up here today after hearing a prediction of the first snow of the season for next week. After that, they’d close the road and she’d spend another winter cowering in town.

  Up here on Mount Evans, the most accessible of Colorado’s fourteen-thousand-foot-high peaks, the world opened before her. It was as if she balanced on a pinnacle between space and earth, held by only a brush with the stone.

  Normally the summit would be packed with tourists, since they could drive to a parking lot a quarter mile down and take the narrow, rock-strewn, switchbacks to the summit. But this early, only a dozen people in twos and threes scrambled over the boulders, inching toward the edges to admire the colossal views.
Nora occupied a perch alone, tucked as close to the mountain as possible, afraid to slide her foot an inch toward the edge.

  Even if you didn’t have to strap on a pack and climb for days to enjoy the grandeur of the view, the short hike and the precarious footing at the summit required some level of fitness. Not one square yard of the top area lay level. Boulders and rocks perched at odd angles that necessitated scrambling just to get from one dangerous visage to another.

  She inhaled.

  So far, so good.

  Maybe she wasn’t the Fear-Conquering Goddess, but she was working it.

  Despite the jagged rocks and uneven footing she would overcome her fear. At thirty-two, her health good, her balance as steady as ever, she wasn’t likely to sail off the side.

  Except.

  Scott had been in awesome shape. And yet he’d gone over the side on the mountain in Flagstaff. But he hadn’t fallen. He’d been pushed.

  Her breath caught in her throat.

  Don’t think about that.

  And Heather. She couldn’t save Heather, either.

  Apparently, her flight from Arizona to Colorado hadn’t been far enough to shield her from the memories of their deaths.

  Nora started to tremble. A fissure opened somewhere inside her right temple. It spread downward and branched off, racing across her skin, splintering her control.

  Stop it!

  Falling apart would not bring back the people she loved.

  Nora clenched her fists and imagined her insides of jelly hardening into steel. Her heart slowed slightly. The crashing hurricane of blood eased enough she heard the screech of a hawk. The world stretched below her—endless mountains, their tips white against an impossibly blue sky. The crisp air brushed against her cheeks.

  Feeling more stable, Nora eased forward, leaning away from the mountain and toward the future. Any day, any moment, her life could change. She might soar, like that hawk. Any moment.

  With one more gaze across the limitless mountain range, Nora shuffled across the boulders and scree, making her way to the trailhead down to the parking lot.