The Nora Abbott Mystery series Box Set

by Shannon Baker

  The organ music droned into the chapel. A couple of people picked away on their phones. Apparently, they weren’t close with Darla.

  With a jolt, Nora realized she had more than passing familiarity with one of heads two rows back and to the outside of Daniel. She knew the sandy hair and laugh lines around the side of the mouth visible to her.

  Cole. What was he doing here?

  Nora glared at Abigail. It must be more of her mischief.

  A ruckus at the back of the chapel caused several heads to turn. Mark and Sylvia entered amid a flurry of urgent whispers. Their argument stopped when they realized people watched them. Sylvia straightened her spine. Her high-heeled black boots and long coat gave her the sleek appearance of a panther, despite her petite frame.

  Petal squeaked and sank into herself.

  Mark guided Sylvia to a front pew and they sat, staring ahead.

  Finally a middle-aged woman in a dark suit, thick calves and grandma-style pumps appeared from one of the doors off the side of the altar. “Good morning. Today we’re gathered to celebrate the life of Darla Barrows.”

  Nora’s throat closed up. She struggled for air. The chapel disappeared and all around her stood tall Ponderosas. The casket turned into a pine box full of her husband’s ashes. Death. Everywhere.

  Nora could almost feel Charlie’s arm circling her for support and Abbey sitting at her feet. Scott’s friends paid tribute, giving tale after tale of Scott’s crazy antics. Nora’s insides felt scraped raw and hollow.

  She’d been sure she’d never feel happy again.

  Two weeks later she’d huddled between Abigail and Cole on a pew in a Flagstaff church. The casket on the altar contained Heather’s body. Nora squeezed her eyes closed and fought for control. Heather was young, so alive. Nora couldn’t hold all her grief.

  Of course, today she sat in a church in downtown Boulder, Colorado, but it couldn’t convince that panic-prone mush serving as her mind. She thrust herself out of the pew and stumbled over Petal and Abigail to rush down the aisle to the narthex. Cold sweat filmed her body as she cast about for someplace to hide. Tears threatened her throat and eyes. She didn’t want to explain her flight from the funeral to her new co-workers.

  A stairway to the side of the narthex offered escape. She gripped the rail and lurched up, focused on slowing her racing heart and steadying her breathing. The stairway led to a choir loft, giving her full view of the altar and the casket. She whirled around and exited, plopping herself on the top stair.

  Damn. Another panic attack. Did this herald the end to sanity? Soon she’d lock herself inside her apartment amid a maze of old newspapers and magazines, with food delivered to her door, afraid of the sunshine. She’d hold endless conversations with a long-dead Hopi kikmongwi.

  Get a grip.

  Cole shot from the chapel. He scanned the lobby and his eyes locked on the stairs. His gaze followed it up and he spotted Nora slumped at the top. He bounded the stairs two at a time.

  Ugh. Why did he have to be here?

  He sat next to her. “What’s the matter? Are you okay?” he whispered.

  She swallowed. Maybe Cole showing up was the best thing for a panic attack. It got her torqued up and helped her focus. “What are you doing here? Following me to a funeral is really low.” She matched his whisper.

  He opened his mouth to speak. The outside doors opened and the two police officers entered. Nora recognized them from the board meeting. She searched her brain for their names. Langston and Kirby. They wandered to the chapel and slipped inside.

  The organ music swelled and weak strains of attendees’ singing filtered up to them.

  Cole blushed. “I thought you might have a hard time going to another funeral.”

  “Did Abigail call you?”

  He studied his hands. “She’s concerned about you.”

  “She’s trying to set us up.”

  “Ya think?”

  Nora felt the tingle of a smile.

  “She was right, though. It’s tough on you and I thought you could use a friend”

  Was he her friend? Did she want him to be?

  A man in jeans and work shirt trudged into the narthex from an entryway across from the choir loft stairs where they sat. It must be a basement. He taped a computer printed sign to the wall and disappeared downstairs again.

  Nora needed to shift from her memories. “Okay. If you’re my friend, help me figure out who killed Darla.”

  His jaw dropped. “You’re kidding, right? That’s the cops’ job.”

  She waved that off. “I found some money missing from Sylvia’s accounts. A lot of it.”

  His whisper grew stronger. “The cops already have enough evidence to suspect her. Let them know about this and be done. Get out of there.”

  The man appeared from downstairs carrying a long folding table. He glared at Nora and Cole before setting up the table and heading down the stairs.

  She shook her head and lowered her voice. “It’s a little too clean, don’t you think? They find a gun in Sylvia’s office. Someone tells the cops Sylvia has plane tickets and plans to flee the country—which she denies. Suddenly money goes missing in Sylvia’s accounts?”

  “Sounds like Sylvia killed Darla.”

  Nora thought about it. “Sounds more like she was set up. She’s too smart to leave all those clues.”

  The man popped up from downstairs carrying a giant coffee urn he placed on the table.

  Always the reasonable one, Cole said, “Tell the cops about the missing money and let them deal with it.”

  “I haven’t gone through all the accounts yet. It could have been transferred somewhere or in an account I don’t know about. I’m going to ask Mark.”

  Cole’s eyebrows drew down and shielded his eyes in doubt. “Stay away from him.”

  She waved that off. “He’s harmless. Just creepy and Sylvia-obsessed.”

  “He probably tried to kill you. I don’t suppose you told the cops about that, either.”

  Two well-dressed woman stepped from downstairs carrying trays of cookies and coffee cups. They must be volunteers from the church to help with services. They eyed Nora and Cole with distaste before returning to the stairs.

  He sounded impatient. “Would you let the cops do their job? This isn’t a game, Nora. Darla was murdered.”

  Nora went cold. “Wouldn’t it be stupid to murder two Finance Directors within a week? I think I’m safe.”

  The service must be over. People started to filter out of the chapel. A few coworkers formed a solemn knot in the middle of the lobby. Fay wiped at tears and Bill hugged her.

  The small crowd milled around the coffee and cookies.

  Nora stood. “I’m going to take Petal and Abigail home before I go back to work.”

  They walked down the stairs. “Let me get you some coffee.” Cole headed toward the refreshments.

  Nora stood at the foot of the stairs apart from the smattering of people. She watched the chapel doors for Abigail and Petal. The sooner they got out of here the better.

  Sylvia swooped out from the chapel and Mark followed. He grasped her elbow and turned her toward the coffee. She pulled her arm away, surveyed the table and started toward the front door.

  Fay glared at Sylvia, as did several of the other staffers. Sylvia smirked at them.

  Daniel walked out of the chapel with the grace of a tiger. He burned three degrees hotter than handsome in his Armani suit. Sylvia’s eyes focused on him.

  Mark said something and Sylvia nodded. He scurried to the coffee with a stupid grin on his face. Abigail and Petal finally made it from the chapel. Abigail propped Petal against a wall next to the chapel doors and headed for the coffee. Her eyes scanned the lobby, probably trying to locate Nora.

  Nora should try to be sociable but she didn’t feel up to mingling and making small talk to people she didn’t know, about a dead person she’d never met. Instead, she watched.

  The group of half a dozen staffers congrega
ted at one end of the refreshment table. Three or four other people held foam cups and spoke in hushed tones. Maybe they were family. The two church volunteers chatted with the basement guy, helping themselves to the cookies. Petal leaned against the chapel entrance like a lost puppy. Sylvia stood in the middle of the narthex. The minister and Daniel seemed deep in conversation with the Langston and Kirby by the basement stairs.

  Cole filled two cups. He might be annoying but having him with her did help quell her panic. Mark handed Sylvia a cup and Nora watched him giggle, thankful she didn’t have to hear it.

  Cole returned with the coffee. It tasted better than Mark’s Mr. Green Beans but still reminded her of acid. “Thanks.”

  “So what do you know about Daniel Cubrero?” Cole asked.

  “Aside from being handsome and rich?”

  Cole rolled his eyes.

  “His big concern is fighting oil mining in the Amazon basin so I’m not sure why he’s on the Trust board. He’s from Ecuador and his family has money.” She didn’t have to tell Cole she’d had a nice dinner with Daniel recently and found him interesting.

  Cole considered her. “Against mining in the Amazon basin? His family made their fortune in oil. A substantial fortune, by the way.”

  “And you know this how?”

  He shook his head. “Do you think I research everyone you’ve come in contact with?”

  “Sounds paranoid when you say it.”

  He laughed. “Did you forget I spent the bulk of my career in mining? I know who the biggest players are. And Cubreros are the biggest of the big.”

  The cops moved from Daniel and the minister to the knot of staffers.

  Daniel spotted Nora and started across the lobby to her. When he arrived, he clasped Nora’s hand and brushed it with his lips. “Did you feel ill during the service? Not quite over the food poisoning?”

  Self-conscious at the hand-kissing silliness, Nora sounded more brusque than she intended. “I’m fine. Just needed some air.”

  Cole frowned at Daniel and didn’t say anything.

  Abigail butted next to Cole, dragging Petal with her. “There you are, dear,” she said to Nora, all the while eying Daniel as if might be there to eat Nora.

  Before Nora could introduce Daniel to her mother, Sylvia slinked next to him. “Well, hello.” Her voice dropped low. “How nice of you to come to Darla’s service when we know how important and busy you are.”

  Puke. Food poisoning might be better than listening Sylvia’s gushing. “Well, I’d better get back to the office. Ready to go?” Nora said to Abigail and Petal.

  Mark appeared, hovering behind Sylvia like a broken satellite.

  “Oh, Petal,” Sylvia said, her voice losing the pseudo-sexy lilt. “I need you to run out to the tower this afternoon. I checked the angle measurements you submitted and they’re accurate. We just need to make sure the tower is functioning.”

  Petal lowered her eyes and nodded.

  Sylvia beamed at Daniel. “You can report to the board that we’re working. We’ll be sending an ELF wave to gather the latest data associated with this cold front.”

  Petal shivered noticeably.

  Abigail slid an arm around her. “Where is this tower? Is it far?”

  Sylvia puffed up. “It’s on Mount Evans.”

  Abigail saw Sylvia’s ego-puff and raised her a her regal head-tilt. “You shouldn’t go up there alone when they’re predicting snow. Nora will go with you.”

  Wait. What?

  Nora didn’t want to go to Mount Evans this afternoon. But there didn’t seem to be a gracious way out. Thank you, Abigail. Nora ignored Sylvia’s glare. “Sure. Yeah. I’ve got some stuff to do first and we can go.”

  Cole’s tone didn’t invite argument. “I’m going, too.”

  Abigail smiled with satisfaction. “Thank you.”

  Nora focused over Sylvia’s shoulder at Mark. “If you’re going to be around I’d like to talk to you about something when I get to the Trust.”

  He barely made eye contact. His attention shifted between Sylvia and Daniel. “What do you want to talk about?”

  Just four-hundred grand that’s gone missing that I think has something to do with a murder. “I have a couple of questions, that’s all.”

  Obviously irritated, he grabbed her arm and pulled her to a corner of the narthex. “What is it?”

  She caught Cole zeroed in on her. He scowled. “I’m not sure if it’s anything or not, but I found $400,000 missing from Sylvia’s restricted account.”

  He threw back his head and let out a shrill cackle. “That’s crazy. There’s a mistake, obviously. We’ll check into it, of course. Of course.” Snort.

  Freak. “Okay. Can we get together later today?”

  His attention slid to Sylvia. “Yes. I’ll be at the Trust soon.”

  Nora nodded and walked away, unsettled by his overwhelming strangeness.

  Nora, Abigail, and Petal donned their coats and wraps and braced themselves before opening the church doors. Cold air blasted them as they stepped from the church and hurried toward the parking garage.

  Abigail bent her head to Petal. “Do you think the killer was there?”

  Petal kept her head down.

  Abigail continued. “If he was, he wouldn’t dare do anything suspicious with those cops. But he’ll make a move sometime, don’t you think?”

  Nora caught Abigail’s eye and whipped her finger across her throat to tell Abigail to drop it.

  Abigail tilted her head. “I’m glad Cole is going with you this afternoon.”

  Maybe they could go back to talking about murder.

  Petal peeked out from her dreds. “He’s really hot. And his aura is orange. That means he’s detailed and scientific and has a good soul.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it.” The fact is, being with Cole did feel good.

  “You can’t keep saying you don’t want to talk about it whenever someone brings up a touchy topic. What color is my aura?” Abigail asked.

  Petal smiled shyly. “Yours is pink. It means you’re creative and sensitive. You’re loving and tender.”

  Abigail beamed.

  They stepped from the curb to cross to the parking lot. A gust of icy wind, bringing a smattering of dry snow, hit Nora full in the face. The three of them drew together, lowering their heads against the onslaught.

  Abigail’s voice floated out from her tightly-wrapped pashmina. “Cole is more than a good soul, Nora. He’s got integrity and is a commanding presence.”

  The overcast sky blended with the gray of the street. Nora kept her head down to avoid the wind. “He’s not rich, you know that, right?”

  Abigail huffed. “I’m not that shallow. You’re perfectly capable of earning your own living.”

  Damn right. Maybe Abigail was evolving.

  “Besides, his family owns one of the largest ranches in Wyoming. There’s money there.”

  And then again, maybe not. They crossed the street, huddled together as the pedestrian light blinked a warning.

  The roar of an engine cut through the icy air. Startled, Nora instinctively reached for Petal.

  A shiny black widow of a sports car careened toward them in the far right lane. The crazy driver must not see them. He accelerated.

  Petal froze in the sights of the deadly bullet.

  Good thing Abigail and Nora had her by either arm. They weren’t willing to be smashed on the pavement by some careless driver. Both of them lurched for the curb, dragging Petal with them.

  At the last minute the car veered from them and screeched around the corner. Nora’s hair blew back from her face in the rush of wind from the retreating car.

  Her heart thundered in her ears.

  Abigail caught her eye over the wild tangle of Petal’s dreds. “Was that…?”

  “Sylvia.” Nora finished the sentence for her.

  Petal’s red-rimmed eyes traveled from Abigail to Nora. “She doesn’t like me.”

  28

&n
bsp; Sylvia hummed as she lay back and savored the beauty of her bedroom. She’d had Petal set the beam to send into the ionosphere in a few hours. The fruits of years of study and sacrifice would culminate in this monumental success. It was only a sample, but Eduardo would understand her genius. Then the money would flow.

  What a perfect way to wrap up a morning. The snowy Egyptian cotton sheets with a weave so tight it felt like silk, made her skin glow, and the color contrasted nicely with her dark hair. She resembled Cleopatra in all her royal splendor.

  Her broad-shouldered Latin lover, lay next to her, caching his breath from his final passion. She’d provided the kind of lovemaking he could only dream about with younger, less experienced women.

  The day hadn’t started out well. She’d had a fight with Mark. He wanted her to wait for any money until the heat died down from the board. She’d had to attend that tacky funeral, nothing more than a waste of time. Then there was that nasty episode with Nora trying to hone in on Daniel.

  Sylvia teased Daniel’s nipple. “It’s pathetic the way Nora Abbott throws herself at you. I suppose it’s to be expected. You are a Cubrero.”

  Sylvia had succumbed to that silly moment of jealousy. The pressure of her genius sometimes needed to blow off steam. She wouldn’t really have plowed into Petal and Nora and her pretentious mother. But it made Sylvia chuckle to think of them scrambling to the curb.

  “Nora is not an ordinary woman and she isn’t throwing herself at me.” He sounded bored. As he should be with someone as common as Nora.

  Sylvia needed to be subtle. “She doesn’t like me much. I think she senses you and I are… close and she’s jealous. You know, I think she’s the one who set me up with the police.”

  He studied her. “You were set up?”

  “Of course I was, darling. Someone told the police about my gun and stole my credit card number to make plane reservations. I’m positive Nora did it.”

  “It is your gun, then? So, if it is your gun, did you kill Darla?”

  Sylvia laughed. “I couldn’t kill anyone.” She didn’t kill Darla any more than she’d run down Nora. It was all just releasing the pressure valve.