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

by Leona Fox

  'The time for mystery is over. I can take no more of this sweet anticipation. Let us meet our destiny.'

  Ellen's throat was dry, no matter how many times she swallowed. Her heart raced in her chest. She picked up Scampy and went back into the cafe, this time pulling out her cellphone to call Andy.

  “I wouldn't do that if I were you,” a calm voice said.

  She froze, afraid to turn around. The voice was familiar but it had a different tone to it than usual. Slowly, she turned, and finally laid eyes on the man who had been tormenting her, laying eyes on her secret admirer.

  Chapter 10

  The evening was dark and the candles were still lit in the restaurant, but there was nothing romantic about Ellen's state of mind. It was just the two of them in there. She was trying to keep her breathing steady because she wasn't sure what was going to happen next. She only could imagine that it wasn't going to be anything good. Her finger hovered over Andy's name on her cell and she almost risked pressing it down, but the gravity of his tone made her think twice. Instead, she obeyed him and placed her phone on the counter, then stepped away from it.

  The tables were cast in shadows and Ellen wished she had some way of notifying any passerby that she was in trouble. She looked down at Scampy, who was out for the count, and turned back to her secret admirer, who was sitting casually at a table. He stood up and sighed, then stepped into the light so there was no doubt left as to who he was. Edward Carrey. The harmless man who had been in the cafe a few times. Right under her nose. They even had spoken before and she had not suspected a thing. Her hands curled into fists as rage flowed through her body, not just at him but at herself as well for not being smart enough to see the truth.

  “What do you want? Why did you have to hurt my dog?” Ellen said.

  “Scampy is fine, I just gave him a treat with a little kick. But I know how he likes to protect you so I had to get your attention for this final act.”

  He spoke smoothly and confidently with every word. She never had seen him act like this before.

  “As for what I want, well, I should have thought that was obvious. You know, I have enjoyed this little intellectual dance with you, Ellen. I knew you were the only one who would be able to match me. I hope you have enjoyed the clues I placed around town. I hope it goes to show you I have paid attention and I know you better than anyone, maybe even better than you know yourself.”

  “You don't know me at all,” she said bitterly, harshly. Edward's expression flickered.

  “I know this is surprising and you still may need some time to get used to the idea. But you must realize you are better than everyone else in this town, certainly than that cretin of a police officer. I have studied you for a long time and you deserve to be with someone who can appreciate your gifts, your talents. It is the same for me. For so long I have been in this world waiting to find my soulmate. It took a long time but here you are, and I knew I had to take matters into my own hands if anything was to come of us. I don't blame you for making mistakes and getting fooled into thinking the cop was a good match. He's certainly handsome, if you like that stereotypical square-jawed look, but the time for that is over. Our real lives can begin now.”

  “Do you even hear what you're saying? You've invented this all by yourself. There's no truth to it at all. We're not destined to be together and we're not soulmates. I don't know why you think like this but I'm not going to be with you. I'm in love with Andy. What you've done, all those clues, you're sick! Stealing that watch from those old people, creeping around town, emptying out the gas, burning those flowers, poisoning my dog! Where do you get off? What gives you the right to toy with someone like that!” she screamed, blood flooding to her face and her eyes going apoplectic with rage.

  Her entire body was tense and rigid, ready to strike. Adrenalin flooded through her and her strong words echoed around the empty cafe. All the while she regained some of her composure and searched for anything she could use against him. He seemed unarmed but she was not aware if he had anything hidden under his jacket, and he could have been deceptively strong.

  In response, he merely laughed. “Oh, there it is, the passion I love so much. You know, there are so many people I've seen who have no spark or personality and that was one of the first things that attracted me to you. You have this love of life that I just find irresistible. Of course, when I learned you were helping the police I followed your little career with much interest. I often had thought of lending my own skills to them as well but they often bored me. They look like little pretend soldiers in their buttoned-down uniforms, always so prim and proper and they never know how to have fun.”

  “Crime isn't a fun business,” she said, through gritted teeth.

  “No, I suppose you're right. But you don't have to surround yourself with that any longer. You can come away with me and we can start a new life. I understand why you don't quite see things from my perspective yet. Perhaps I should have made the puzzles more challenging, maybe the game could have gone on a little longer but I had been hiding these feelings from you for such a long time that they were burning inside me, hurting me and I just had to get them out.”

  As he said this he beat his fist against his chest so hard he must have bruised himself. He also stepped forward, and the look in his eyes grew more intense, making Ellen wish she wasn't backed into a corner.

  “Edward, you don't have to do this. You don't know what you're saying. We can get help for you. We can talk about this. Somewhere along the way you've become confused.”

  “No!” he said, and this time his fist beat against the wooden surface of a table.

  “I do not need help. That's what people used to tell me. They used to say I needed to talk to someone but they just didn't understand. But you do. I know you're still just playing with me, Ellen. You're too smart, you've known all along that it was me. I should have known I hadn’t fooled you and now you're playing with me. Tremendous! But we can't play forever. Our lives are waiting for us and you need to tell me how you really feel. I can't wait any longer, Ellen. You don't know what it's been like waiting my whole life for you. Sure, it's going to be hard to break your toy soldier's heart but there's nothing else for you here. Your friend is married now, she'll be having a life of her own, and you don't want to look back with regret.”

  The man obviously was insane and Ellen knew she couldn't beat him by trying to argue with him logically. She had to try a different tactic instead.

  “Maybe you're right. Maybe this is all a lie but if it is why haven't I been feeling the same pull as you? Why did I not fall madly in love when I first saw you? Is it possible that you were mistaken?”

  His expression flickered again. “No, it's just one of those things. It will take its time but if you give it a chance it will become clear.”

  Ellen's phone rang. Her heart leaped when she saw that it was Andy but Edward told her to leave it alone. The two of them stared at each other while the phone rang, filling the silence with its shrill noise. When it finally subsided Edward spoke again.

  “I assume that was your little boyfriend. Well, he can wait,” he said.

  But Ellen knew Andy and that he would not wait if she didn't answer the phone. All she had to do was stall Edward until Andy got there, and then everything would be over. Control was coming back to her and she was in the dark no longer.

  “Okay then, so what are my choices?” she asked.

  “Quite simple, my dear. You can come with me and begin our new life together or you can end up like those flowers in the park.”

  “You'd really treat me like that? Kill me? What kind of love is that?”

  “The purest kind. If you can't see your destiny then you're too far gone, there is no more hope for you. It will hurt me more than it does you because I'll have to live with it, but it is a necessary evil. I couldn't have the woman I love continue living with another man, now could I? That just wouldn't be fair. But that's a last resort. This whole ordeal could be over if you j
ust give me your hand and come with me.”

  “How do I know you'll always love me? I've heard it before, you know, men making promises they can't keep. How do I know you're not like them? Not going to get cold feet when things get serious?”

  “I would never do that, my love. You have to believe me. My heart burns for you. I would move the heavens. I would shake the very Earth to its core!”

  He could have gone on but he didn't get the chance because the door opened and Andy was standing there. Edward looked at him in shock.

  “Oh, so you did come after all.”

  “The woman I love is in trouble. I wasn't going to wait around. You're under arrest for, hell, everything you've done.”

  “Ah,” Edward said, a smug gleam in his eye as he looked at each of them in turn. “But did I really do any of it? You have no proof. I'm just a simple man professing my love to my soulmate.”

  Andy moved forward to talk to him when Edward pulled out a gun and pointed it at both them, and then made his way to the door.

  “I'm so sorry it had to end up like this. I really thought you were smarter than this, Ellen. Perhaps I gave you too much credit, or maybe it was my fault for not giving you enough time to get around to this idea.”

  Andy moved around the room to stand in front of Ellen, ready to take a bullet for her. He saw Scampy's body and gave Ellen a worried look. Edward still was standing in the doorway.

  “I'll give you one last chance, Ellen. You can break free of this little world and know something greater is waiting for you with me, or you can make the biggest mistake of your life.”

  “I'd make this mistake a thousand times over before I'd choose to go with you,” she replied defiantly. Edward's face turned into a scowl.

  “So be it. I'll be back, Ellen. Being with you is my destiny and you haven't seen the last of me.”

  With that he backed out of the door. Andy immediately called in to the station and got officers in pursuit before he turned to Ellen, who felt drained after the flood of adrenalin dissipated.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, holding her tightly. She nodded.

  “I have to say, I don't like being called a mistake,” he said with a smirk, pulling her close in a hug.

  The two of them went over to Scampy. “I'm glad the little guy is okay, and that you are as well. I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner,” Andy continued.

  Ellen nodded and said that it was fine but she was lost in a world by herself. She wanted to believe that Edward would be caught but she couldn't be sure. The threat he made was with such menace that it stayed with her, hanging over her like an ominous, foreboding black cloud.

  Volume 10

  Chaos and The Caper

  An East Pender Mystery Series Book 10

  Chapter 1

  It had been a week since Ellen had been face to face with her stalker. Edward Carrey was his name and it made her skin ripple with revulsion every time she thought of him. So she tried not to do so. He had left with an ominous warning that he would return someday, as in his twisted mind he was convinced there was some cosmic plan for them to end up in a relationship. But the very thought of him repulsed her. In the days since seeing him her mind was skittish and she found it difficult to concentrate on even the most menial tasks. Andy was worried about her and commented on her odd behavior.

  “This isn't like you, Ellen. I know you've been through a lot but it's over now. He left, we don't have to worry about him anymore.”

  How Ellen wished that were true but the last look in his eyes stayed with her. The grim promise lingered on her mind. Whenever she left the house she felt eyes on her, and the constant state of paranoia ate away at her mind. As soon as Edward had left the cafe Andy had called his department and had officers looking for him. They had been sure they would find him. After all, what chance did a single man have of escaping the small town when the eagle-eyed police force was hot in pursuit? Both Andy and Ellen were surprised to find that Edward had slipped through their grasp. He was a wily foe and neither of them could fathom how exactly he had vanished without a trace, but that was part of what made him so dangerous; the mystery surrounding him.

  Now that Ellen thought back to their interactions she realized she actually knew little about him. Everything about him was nondescript; there were no defining characteristics or marks to give any clue as to his origin. He was like an ethereal spirit, one that could come back at any time and haunt her. Part of her fear was that he hadn't left at all, and on top of that she was doubting her own skills. How could she not have known his ulterior motive? He had been in the cafe most days, right in front of her, talking to her and she had not been aware of his dark secret. Even when she had been investigating the riddles around town she had been convinced they were meant for Kelly and had only realized they were for her benefit when it had been too late. How could she have been so blind? Especially when it led to the harm of her best friend in the world (not that she would tell Kelly that)? Scampy was fine now; a quick visit to the vet had allowed the dog to get the poison out of his system and he was back to his best. He had found it much easier to recover than Ellen herself, and she wished she could have bounced back so easily.

  Even now when she looked out of the window she was convinced Edward was looking back at her and the only times she felt safe were when she was in Andy's arms. Scampy, however, was a perceptive fellow, and he tried to cheer up Ellen by playing and bounding around. It worked for a short time and even made a smile appear on Ellen's face, but she soon drifted back to that place of melancholy that seemed impossible to escape. Never before had she suffered such a lack of confidence, such doubt in her own abilities as a detective and a person. Everything she was, every attribute on which she prided herself, was now cast in shadow and she didn't feel like herself at all.

  Kelly noticed this, too. Both she and Andy commented on it but Ellen grew tired of speaking of it and wanted the whole thing to be over. So any time it was brought up she snapped at the two of them and they quickly learned not to talk about it.

  “Are you sure you want me to go?” Kelly had asked the minute she had found out about her honeymoon plans.

  “I'm not an invalid. I don't need you looking after me,” Ellen barked. She instantly regretted her defensive tone the moment she had uttered it, but her pride did not allow her to relent and apologize for her behavior.

  “I don't mean it like that,” Kelly said softly, reaching out a hand to place on Ellen's arm. “You've been through a lot. There isn't any shame in that, it's just what happened, and as your best friend I'm here to try helping you.”

  “I don't need your help,” Ellen said, throwing her head back and laughing, “I'm not some child that needs protecting. I'm a grown woman and I can take care of myself.” Kelly looked hurt, however, and cast her eyes away.

  She also withdrew her hand and there was an odd tension rising between them, something that never usually was there since they were the best of friends and rarely fought or had any kind of dispute.

  “I know you don't. I just...look, as much as you want to avoid thinking about what happened the fact is that it did happen. You can't escape that, and there's no shame in admitting you're still having trouble dealing with it. I know, I went through the same thing when we thought he was stalking me.”

  “You only thought that because I told you. Because I made a mistake,” Ellen said bitterly.

  “Oh no, the great Ellen Thatch turns out to be human after all,” Kelly said wryly.

  “We all make mistakes, Ellen. God knows I've made plenty, but we always learn from them and better ourselves. You're still the same person you were before all this started but I am worried about you. If you want me to stay with you, I will, no questions asked. My honeymoon can wait.”

  “No, it can't,” Ellen said, smiling sadly.

  “You've waited long enough for this already and I'm not going to get in the way of you spending time with your husband. You two have been through a lot as well and I'm not going to b
e the reason why you have to delay your trip. I will be okay. It'll take some time but I will be okay. You need to go somewhere beautiful and sunny and forget all about this place.”

  “Only if you're sure,” Kelly said.

  “I am,” Ellen replied firmly.

  Since that conversation Ellen had tried preparing herself for the coming weeks without Kelly, which was difficult to fathom. The two of them hadn't been apart ever since their friendship had blossomed and now that she was driving Kelly and her husband to the airport there was a lump in her throat.

  “Are you really still not going to tell me where we're going?” Kelly said, tossing her head to the backseat, where Matthew was sitting with a smug grin. He shook his head and Kelly folded her arms, groaning loudly.

  “Ellen,” she said, “as this is your car can't you order Matthew to tell me?”

  “I think that groom's orders trump that of the car driver. I just hope you've packed the right outfits,” Ellen said.

  “Oh, he took care of all of that. I just hope he picked wisely,” Kelly said with a mischievous smirk.

  “I'm glad I've actually managed to come up with a mystery that has perplexed both of you. I just hope the destination lives up to the anticipation. You'll find out soon enough, though. Unfortunately, I won't be able to hide it once we get on the plane,” Matthew said.

  “And a good thing, too. I don't think I could handle flying somewhere without knowing my destination.”

  As the car drove along the freeway the wind whipped in through the open windows. Ellen gripped the wheel firmly and looked at the stretch of blue before her. A few cars were matching her speed and the sounds of roaring engines greeted her ears, almost drowning out Kelly and Matthew's words. There was barely a cloud in the sky and for a moment she enjoyed the freedom as it had been a long time since she had been out this far away from East Pender.