East Pender Boxed Set: Cozy Mystery Series Bundle of Books 1-14

by Leona Fox

  “I understand. Remember, this feature is about you and what drives you. The readers will want to know what motivates you and how you got into this situation. You are an ordinary woman, after all. You could be any of us.”

  With that he began the interview, reaching over to press the large red button on the side of the recorder. His pen hovered over the notepad and as he asked the questions it made a series of marks against the paper, a shorthand code that made it possible for him to keep up with what Ellen was saying. She spoke a bit about her history, how she had grown up in East Pender then returned to look after her parents, before talking about how she first became involved with the police.

  “It was a crime that happened here, actually. A man was killed, a very sorry state of affairs, and since it happened here I tried to help in the best way I could. Andy liked my work and he started to involve me and Kelly in a few more cases.”

  “And do you enjoy it? I mean, you must since you've helped with so many, but isn't there danger? Do you ever worry you're putting yourself at risk?”

  “There's risk every day when you walk on the street. You never know if you're going to get hit by a car or struck by lightning. For a long time, I was meandering through life without any real direction. When I was caring for my parents they told me I had to do what made me happy, that I had to find some purpose in life and this is it. I love running this cafe, and if I only did that with my time I'd be perfectly content, but there's something about solving mysteries that makes me feel like I'm making a difference. If I didn't take these risks, then other people might get hurt. I'm just trying to help keep people safe. In life you have to do whatever makes you happy, as long as you're not hurting people. I have a knack for this so it would be negligent for me to stand by and not do anything.”

  “Why don't you tell me about some of the cases you've worked on, and some of the people you've helped?”

  Ellen blew out her cheeks as she thought about everything that had happened to her since returning to East Pender. She spoke for a long time about the people she had caught, about the petty crimes she had stopped as well as the murders.

  “And, of course, there have been some high-profile ones, like when we found the remains of Michael van De Lay, but all in all it's been rewarding. Of course, I would much rather not do these, in the sense that I wish these crimes didn't happen. Yet we've got a good police force and the community here is strong. So when the people need to come together they always do, like when we've had to search for missing people.”

  “And are you working on any cases at the moment?”

  Ellen paused when he asked that question. The clue burned in her pocket. “Not technically, but I did come across this riddle recently and I haven't quite had the chance to work it out yet,” she said.

  She produced the scrap of paper and began trying to work on the riddle while being interviewed. Adam looked on intently as she walked through the riddle, trying to solve it.

  “These sorts of things always have double meanings but whenever anything is anonymous it always troubles me. The fact that it mentions destiny is worrisome because it means whomever wrote this thinks there's a higher power guiding their actions. That often leads to delusions of grandeur; they start thinking they're above the law. Of course,” she said, putting the clue back in her pocket, “it may not mean anything and simply could be someone writing down something random, but you never know with these things. Other than that, no, there are no cases I'm working on,” she said. She kept a smile on her face even though she found the existence of the clue troubling.

  Meanwhile, Kelly was basking in the radiant glow of wedded bliss. She was stretched out in the big bed with her husband by her side. She looked down as the wedding ring caught the morning sun and sparkled. She kissed Matthew on the chest and he stirred, looking down at her with a pure devotion. He cupped his hand around her cheek and gave her a deep kiss, before his head returned to the pillow.

  “That was the best night of my life,” he said in a dreamy tone.

  “Sounds like a challenge, something to beat for the future,” she replied with a mischievous smile.

  Her hand roamed around his body and patted his tight, tanned skin. “So where are we going for our honeymoon?”

  “I still think I'm going to keep that a secret for a while longer,” he said, closing his eyes.

  “But you left a clue for it last night, beside the presents!”

  Matthew opened his eyes and looked at her with a puzzled expression, furrowing his brow. “No I didn't.”

  “Huh?” Kelly said.

  She hadn't had a chance to speak with him about it the previous night for as soon as they had been alone together they let their passion take over.

  “That's weird. Still, tell me where we're going!” she said, and playfully thumped him on the chest.

  “But it's so much fun to see you get tortured like this. It's just too much fun to tease you.”

  “You're not the only one who can do that, you know,” she said, leaning in to kiss him, but stopping inches from his mouth, leaving his yearning lips devoid of the expected touch.

  But he used his strength to grab her and roll her onto her back, splaying her hair all over the bed, and kissed her deeply. Then he rolled off her and scooped her into his arms, holding her tightly.

  “I'm so glad I get to spend the future with you,” he said.

  “As am I. I've been thinking a lot about the future lately.”

  “Yeah?”

  “For so long now I've been feeling like a fraud. I've used my lottery winnings to fund my career as an artist and I've always felt bad about it. I want to make it into a proper career, so feel like I've accomplished something. There's a kid, I've seen him painting in the park sometimes. I've been thinking about being a mentor to him.”

  “You've never spoken about teaching anyone before.”

  “I know, but I've been thinking about it a lot. I wouldn't want to do a whole class but one person...I just remember what it was like when I was growing up. Nobody believed in me and there was nobody around to tell me what I had to do to become a professional. I think it'd be a good way for me to give back, and it might help my own painting as well.”

  After spending the rest of the morning lying in bed with each other, they grabbed breakfast and then went their separate ways. Kelly walked with a spring in her step, feeling lighter than air. Her eyes continually drifted down to her wedding ring, which she wore with great delight. Making her way to the park, she greeted people as she walked by and they all were friendly toward her. Mickey, the young painter, was in his usual place, sitting by the reeds with an easel set up. Flowers were all around his feet, and he resembled a tree as he stood, hunched over his easel with a paintbrush filling in the blank white void with soulful color.

  “You're going to throw out your back if you keep standing like that. Haven't you ever thought of getting a chair?” Kelly said, startling Mickey.

  The kid, who was a few days’ shy of his nineteenth birthday, almost dropped his paintbrush as Kelly disturbed him. He blinked as he tore his sight away from his painting.

  “It's bad enough lugging this easel up here, I couldn't manage a chair as well,” he said in a soft voice.

  He still had the flush of youth on him. His hair was tousled and he had a distracted look on his face, a look that Kelly knew all too well as she had worn it many times over the years. His clothes were stained with paint, as were his hands. Kelly moved to stand beside him so she could look at his painting. As she looked at his work he stiffened, and turned his eyes away.

  “This is wonderful. I love the brush strokes here,” she said, pointing to the lower right-hand corner of the painting.

  “They show you have a lot of passion. And the way you blend the colors so the horizon melts into the sky, it's just wonderful,” she said.

  Mickey mumbled a thank you, he wasn't used to receiving praise. But there was more to it than that. While Kelly was staring at Mickey's painting,
the young boy was staring at Kelly in the same manner. As hormones raged through his body his eyes darted over her form, examining her from an aesthetic perspective.

  “You know, it's really rare that you see someone your age being able to paint this well, with such maturity.”

  “I guess I've always been an old soul. Sometimes it feels like I've lived an entire lifetime. It made it hard at school, you know. I never could talk to my classmates properly. It got to be pretty lonely, but I always had my artwork.”

  “That's the way it is sometimes, unfortunately. The reason why I came here today is because I have an offer for you. Back when I was your age I didn't have anyone to encourage me. It felt as though I was all alone in the big wide world, and it wasn't a good feeling at all. I had no idea what I was doing or how to go about making this into a career. So I'd like to be a mentor for you, if you'd be willing. I think we could learn from each other.”

  It only took a matter of seconds for Mickey to agree, although he was a little flustered. They made arrangements for their first session and Kelly left him to paint in peace, although his gaze lingered on her while she walked away. On her way back she bumped into Bob Downes, a middle-aged man with whom she had been acquainted for a while. They always enjoyed some cheeky banter. Yet, on this occasion, Kelly could not involve herself in such things.

  “Now, Bob. Come on, you know I'm a married woman now,” she said, flashing him her ring.

  “I know, but that doesn't mean you can't have a bit of fun. It's only harmless flirting, after all. Besides, I won't tell him if you won't,” he said, winking at her. Kelly raised her eyebrows.

  “Bob, you are a naughty man.”

  “You wouldn't have me any other way. Come on, Kelly. You know you enjoy it just as much as I do. We're just a couple of friends mucking about.”

  “Bob,” she said, her expression turning serious, “I think it's best if we just keep things cordial between us. I'm married now and I'm very much in love. Please respect that. I'm sure you can find someone else to enjoy flirting with.” She continued walking, not wanting to make the situation anymore awkward than it already was.

  “Yeah, but there isn't anyone quite like you,” she heard Bob say as she walked away from him, although she did not turn to see how his face glowered.

  She had a reputation among the women of the town as being rather...free with her body. Nothing could have been further from the truth and she always had resented the accusing stares and rumor-mongering. It just so happened she was friendly and she had an ineffable quality to which men responded, and while she was single there had been no harm in a little playful flirting now and then. But ever since she had been with Matthew she had put a stop to that, and she hoped being married made people see her in a different light.

  A few days later, Ellen still was puzzling over the riddle when Andy came into the cafe, shaking his head. Apparently there had been a theft in an antique store. When she asked why he looked so bothered he furrowed his brow.

  “It's the damnedest thing, the owners reported it stolen but they just called me to say that it had been returned!”

  “Maybe the thief had a change of heart,” Ellen said.

  “Maybe, or maybe it wasn't as valuable as they first thought.”

  “What was it they stole?”

  “Oh, some old watch. It didn't look that fancy anyway. I don't know why anyone would have taken it in the first place.”

  “That's it,” Ellen said, her eyes widening, “a timepiece! We have to get over there now.”

  Chapter 3

  The two of them raced to the antique store, which was operated by an elderly couple. They seemed surprised to see Andy and Ellen since, as far as they were concerned, everything was fine. Ellen hadn't had a chance to explain things properly to Andy, she only had mentioned it had something to do with riddles, but he long ago had learned to trust and listen to her, so he followed dutifully and placated the owners as Ellen invaded the shop and went straight to the stolen watch.

  It was an old thing with a leather strap and scratched metal. The face was cloudy and it evidently had been through a lot. Ellen turned the watch over and began prying away the back,, which brought much consternation to the owners, and Andy had to try doubly hard to keep them calm. When the back snapped off Ellen exclaimed in triumph as a piece of paper fell out.

  “Timepiece! It was right there in the clue,” she said, and quickly got to work on the second one.

  Andy joined her and had to stop her in her tracks as he needed an explanation. Ellen rolled her eyes and spoke quickly, words tumbling out of her mouth in a rapid torrent. It was only because he was so used to her that he was able to understand what she was saying. The owners, however, were completely lost. When she had finished her explanation she turned back to the clue and read what it said.

  'To see the world as you do, I look through his eyes. I see the truth, when will you see me?'

  “I hate this kind of thing,” Andy said, placing his hands on his hips.

  “I think it's fascinating. There is definitely a sense of inevitably about what he's writing, as though it's a foregone conclusion that Kelly will see.”

  “But whose eyes are they talking about, Matthew's?”

  “That wouldn't let them see the world as Kelly sees it though,” she said, and began chewing her lip as she paced across the floor.

  After a few moments the store owners interrupted. Andy and Ellen made their way back to the cafe. When she returned she went straight to a table and stared at the clue. Scampy came up to her, but she looked at him apologetically.

  “I'm sorry boy, but you can't help with this one,” she said.

  Scampy whimpered and buried his face in his paws. Andy brought over a couple of drinks and sat beside her. For a long time, the two of them discussed various theories and looked at each meaning of the word.

  “In the first clue they put time and piece underneath each other. There could be something similar here,” Ellen suggested, but when they looked at it more closely they couldn't see any link between the words.

  “It strikes me as gibberish. If this person wants Kelly so badly then why don't they just come out and say it?”

  “Because it's a game. Whomever it is wants to prove to Kelly that they're worthy of her, and my guess is they want it to be this grand story. They probably think what they're doing is romantic.”

  “But if it's all directed at her then why are we the ones who should be solving these clues? What if there's something that's specific to Kelly?”

  “Do you really expect me to go tell my best friend who has just gotten married that someone has been leaving riddles for her? I want her to enjoy her first few days of marriage. Besides, right now this person has admired her from afar. He hasn't made any moves toward her that could be dangerous. So I'm hoping we can solve these and find him before Kelly even has to know about it.”

  “Then we'd better get to work,” Andy said, and they resumed studying the clue.

  Completely unaware of what was happening at the cafe, Kelly instead was embarking on her new role as a mentor. She had conferred with Matthew if she had time to take on a protégé right now, and he said she would have to wait a little longer for their honeymoon as he was waiting for a particular date. This piqued her curiosity even more, but still he would not tell her. She was glad she had recruited Mickey to be her protégé as it gave her something to focus on. Matthew was at work when Mickey arrived. Kelly welcomed him in, beaming widely.

  “I'm looking forward to getting started,” she said as she led him through to the studio.

  She was wearing loose clothes, which she always did when she was painting as she said it helped her feel more free. Now that they were in an enclosed space it was clear that Mickey was flustered by her presence, and this meant they were off to a slow start. Mickey's hand was trembling, and when she reached out to steady it with her own it became even worse. Kelly decided to take a different track and suggested they both paint, and whi
le they did so she engaged him in conversation to try finding out more about him. One of the first questions, even though she felt sure she knew the answer, was if he had a girlfriend.

  The response, when it came, was rather awkward. “I, um, no, no, I don't but that's...you know what it's like. I find it hard to talk to people and now that school is over it just...it's one of those things that has passed me by.”

  “It'll happen in time,” Kelly said. “You've got one thing that a lot of people lack – talent. Eventually someone will see that and they'll appreciate you. You've got all the time in the world anyway. I think a lot happens to people too young. Take the more methodical approach, you'll be better off for it.”

  “Honestly,” he said, after pausing a few moments, “I've never felt comfortable talking with people my own age. I think I've always been lost in the wrong time.”

  “I think a lot of people your age feel that way. You're still feeling your way through life, it'll take you some time to discover who you're going to be.”

  They continued talking and Kelly found him to be an intelligent, perceptive young man who was sure to have a bright future in whatever endeavor he chose. When she told him this, she also expressed admiration for his talent and his eyes lit up, shining under the glow of her praise. He thanked her profusely. As she went back to painting he cast surreptitious glances towards her, smiling secretly to himself, his mind alive with wild dreams of two people worlds apart, bound by a mutual appreciation of talent. Sometimes she caught him looking at her and she smiled back, and this made him feel lighter than air.

  Ellen and Andy had been poring over the riddle for a long time when suddenly Ellen’s eyes fixated on the word 'truth'. They had looked at each word individually and now she was concerned with this one.

  “But what truth does Kelly have?” she asked aloud.

  “Love? That is the greatest truth of all,” Andy said.