by CeeCee James
The Tempting Taste of Danger
An Angel Lake Mystery
CeeCee James
Contents
Blurb
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Copyright © 2017 by CeeCee James
*All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Created with Vellum
For my Family
Blurb
The Tempting Taste of Danger by CeeCee James
The only thing worse than a noisy bookstore is patrons literally dying to get out.
Elise Pepper has landed her dream job at the Capture the Magic bookstore. Peace and quiet and thousands of books to herself – including a two million first edition of Alice in Wonderland. What more could she ask for?
It can’t last of course. Her blissful solitude is rudely interrupted when someone turns the second floor of the building into a Down the Rabbit Hole-themed escape room.
But the noise is the least of her worries – what’s worse is the dead bank executive upstairs and the missing first edition. Now Elise is suspected of both theft and murder. Can she find out who did it before she takes the fall for the crime?
Chapter 1
When the Cuckoo strikes one,
prepare to come undone.
From these pages will crawl
magic to conquer all.
Elise read the handwritten sign that hung slightly askew on the front door of the Capture the Magic bookstore. She blinked hard, her hand hesitating on the doorknob.
Taking a step back, she glanced along the length of the long building of what had once been a 19th-century mercantile store. She’d always loved this old building. A trickle of apprehension built between her shoulder blades as she anticipated what she was about to do. She wiggled her shoulders against the muscle tension.
Relax. What could possibly happen here?
If she could get through the interview, this job was sure to be a lot safer than her last one. This was a bookstore. No one ever found any dead bodies in bookstores, did they?
Straightening herself to her full five foot, four inches height, Elise swiftly twisted the knob and opened the door. Her steps were purposeful as she strode inside.
Not three steps in, one of her high-heeled shoes caught on the welcome mat and nearly sent her sprawling. Her gasp echoed in the store. Somewhat abashed, she tried to garner up her confidence again as she walked across the dark, pitted wood floor.
The scent of books surrounded her and brought a calming effect. Taking a deep breath, she savored the soft smell of paper, binding, and ink under the note of coffee. A smile crossed her lips. This is it. I think I’ve found my dream job.
Rows of books were arranged laterally on large wooden shelves. Colorful signs hung over each aisle with the description of the genre in the same scrawling print as the sign on the door.
From the back of the shop came the sound of a cappuccino machine. She paused for a moment to find the source of the noise. There it was, on the far side of the travel section. A cute coffee bar had been set up, including a counter with stools and a glass case filled with treats. Three round tables with chairs sat cozied between the bar and two red, velvety couches.
A man behind the bar waved as he caught her eye. Looking to be in his early thirties—the same age as Elise—he had dark scruffy hair and wore a comfortable-looking blue flannel shirt. He pushed thick-framed glasses up his nose with a finger and smiled—a nice smile. He was handsome, but not as handsome as Brad, her boyfriend.
“You’re right on time for the interview. I just wanted to give you a second to acclimate before I called you over,” he said, setting a white mug of coffee on the counter. “Coffee?”
“Yes, please!” Elise smiled back and walked over there. She winced slightly at how loud her heels sounded in the room.
“Cream or sugar?” He came around from behind the bar and extended his hand. “By the way, my name’s David McCall. You can call me Dave. I’m the owner here.”
“Hi, Dave.” Elise gratefully took his hand. It was still warm from holding the coffee. After a few shakes, he reached for the mug and handed it to her, and then nodded in the direction of the cream and sugar at the end of the bar. She waited as he walked back behind the counter and grabbed his own mug. This one was obviously his personal cup, with a wicked smiley face complete with horns that said “World’s Best Boss.”
“Nice.” she gestured. “Should I be worried?”
He chuckled. “Well, my last employee got this for me right before he disappeared.”
“Disappeared?” she asked as they walked toward the condiments.
“Yeah. They’re still looking for the body.”
Elise paused, feeling slightly chilled.
At the look on her face, he chuckled again. “I’m kidding. I’m kidding. Capture the Magic bookstore….” He motioned with his hand. “Poof!”
“Ahh!” Elise smiled. “Funny.” She reached for the sugar packets and took two. Shaking them, she continued. “Do you do magic?”
“I do magic every day.” His face became serious. “Every time I sell a book. I offer adventure to the housebound, love and romance to the lonely, heroes for those who need vindication, and laughs for those with no one to joke with.” He took a sip of his coffee, then looked at her with his brow wrinkled. “So yes, I guess you could say I’m a magician.”
“I’d never thought of books that way before. But you’re right. I’ve escaped into them many times.”
“Exactly.” His face creased into a ready smile. Obviously, it was something he did frequently, as the many lines framing his eyes attested. “Poof!” he motioned again. Then, nodding to the rest of the store, he continued. “So, what do you think?” His face showed no outward emotion but his brown eyes sparkled with apparent pride.
Elise glanced around again, this time taking a moment to really study it. The ceilings were dark, lined with the same aged wood as the floors and walls. Hundreds of teacup sized lights hung from circular wagon wheel shaped chandeliers. It gave the business a warm glow and the ambiance of a cozy barn. She could almost imagine hay bales and musicians filing out from behind the shelves with fiddles for a barn dance.
She had no qualms with her answer. “I positively love it.”
Dave grinned again, seeming to appreciate her enthusiasm. “Me too. This place used to be my grandma’s. Not many people dream of owning a bookstore, but it’s been mine since I was a little kid. I used to come here after school and sit right over there.” He pointed to an alcove by the window. “And Grandma would bring over a pile of the newest train books, or pick your own adventures, and I’d read all aftern
oon until my mom came to pick me up after work.” He took another sip of coffee, his eyes still studying the bench. “I had no idea she was babysitting me. I thought I was helping grandma run the store.”
“Aw,” Elise smiled. It immediately warmed her up to him even more.
“Yeah, when she died, she left all of this to me. Most people live a life they need a vacation from. Me, I live a life where I truly love what I do.” He turned his attention back to her. “Pretty lucky, huh?”
Elise nodded slowly and took another sip of the coffee. A flicker of excitement started building inside of her. This could be your life, too!
“So,” Dave’s voice took a hint of professionalism. “Your last place of employment was at Wedding Dreams?”
Elise felt her face flush as she nodded. Oh no….
“That’s the one where the owner went to jail?”
She gave another nod, resisting the urge to bite her lip.
His eyebrows furrowed curiously. “And, are you the one that found the cake decorator…. Dead?”
Her bottom lip found it’s way into her mouth as she gave the barest of nods. Finding dead bodies was not a skill she wanted on her resume, let alone talk about during an interview.
Dave’s face wrinkled into a look of sympathy. “Aw, man. I’m so sorry. That must have been traumatic for you. And yet, look at you now.” The corner of his lip lifted into a half-smile. “Ready for the next adventure. You’re a trooper. I like that.”
Relief flooded through Elise and she breathed out. “Thank you. It’s something I’d sooner forget.”
“So, things here at the bookstore go at a much slower pace than I assume wedding planning does. It might be downright boring. You sure you’re okay with that?”
“Absolutely. After my last job, the word boring is like music to my ears.”
“Your job will be to man the coffee bar and cash register. Keep things tidy. And in your downtime, read. Seriously. I want you to brush up on all the classics as well as the new releases because part of your job will be to understand what the patron is looking for. What they need.” His eyes grew a bit introspective. “Sometimes they just want entertainment, and sometimes what they really need is a book to change their life. They might not even know what they want.” He locked his eyes with hers. “Your job will be to figure it out for them.”
Elise nodded, a little more slowly this time.
“Now, come on. Let me show you the shop’s pride and joy.” As if hit by a bolt of electricity, he set the cup down and strode across the room. Elise followed, her heels clacking.
There, in the center of the room, stood a glass case on a waist-high pedestal. Resting on a white silk pillow inside sat an old book. Elise leaned closer to read the title. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol. The book was in pristine condition. The dark book cover, illustrated with a little girl sitting under a tree, showed no wear on its corners. Next to the book was a metal plaque that stated— 1865 First Edition.
“Wow! That’s incredible,” Elise said, suitably impressed. “I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
Dave gazed at the book with a look of adoration, the light reflecting off the glass case casting a light glow on his face. “Two point one million dollars,” he murmured.
“Excuse me?” Elise said, slightly shocked.
He lifted his head to look at her. “What you see there is two-point-one-million dollars. A gift given to my great-grandmother by Lewis Carrol, himself.”
Elise felt her jaw drop. “You’re kidding me.” She studied it again, this time eyeing the glass case. “And you just have it sitting out here? No alarm or anything?”
Dave shrugged. “Our building has an alarm. And there’s a camera over there.” He pointed to an opposite corner.
“This is kind of ironic. I once tried out for an Alice in Wonderland play in high school.”
“Really?” His eyes lit up.
“Yeah. Actually auditioned for the part of Alice. My hair was lighter then. Those were my Sun-In days,” she joked.
“Sun-In?” he looked confused.
“It’s a hair lightener. Never mind. Anyway, I missed out on Alice, but they did let me do some stage decorating.”
“Oh. yeah?” He smiled. “Get a lot of painting experience?”
“Just one thing. A mushroom for the caterpillar. The thing was, I was so slow that it took me all week to finish. Oddly, they let me go after that.” She shook her head at the memory. “Don’t worry. I’m much faster now.”
“Unless I ask you to paint.”
“Yeah. I guess that’s true.” She grinned. “Anyway, I can’t believe you have something so priceless just sitting out here.”
“Well, not too many people know what this book is worth. Just my family. The odd book connoisseur.” Dave smiled at her. “And now you.”
Chapter 2
“So,” Dave reached out his hand to Elise for the second handshake of the day. “Let’s make it official. You’re hired.”
Elise shook his hand, attempting to appear responsible, as she stifled a junior-high squeal of excitement. “Awesome! I’m looking forward to it.”
“Any more questions?”
“Well, where do those stairs go to over there?” She pointed to a staircase near the entrance.
“Those lead to the second floor.” He grinned as Elise rolled her eyes. “Actually, that’s where my grandparents used to live. Upstairs used to be a full apartment, and there’s actually a second set of stairs back there.” He jabbed his index finger in the direction of a closed door at the back of the room. “There’s a sign on the door that says ‘broom closet’ so the customers don’t get it mixed up with the restroom. It used to say, “Caution, live monsters, spiders and snakes,” but too many people were curious.” He grinned at his own joke. “I had so many people up that stairwell I should have charged admission.”
“Count me off that list. So what’s up there now? Is that where you live?”
He shook his head. “Nah. I have a townhome down at Meadow Heights. As much as I love the bookstore, I need my quiet space.” A shy expression flickered over his face as he glanced to the ground. “Actually, I’m a writer, too. Or aspiring to be.”
“Really? That’s awesome. What do you write?”
Dave grinned again. That smile never seemed far away. “Don’t freak out.” He raised an eyebrow as if daring her.
“I promise. I won’t freak out. Seriously, I admire anyone who can get their thoughts out on paper. I have a hard enough time just getting them out of my mouth.”
“Well, I don’t know how great the words are, but I write horror.”
Elise raised her eyebrows. “Horror, huh? So the monsters, snakes and spiders might have been a real thing.”
“Yeah,” he laughed again. “Lots of dead bodies. Bloody chopped-off limbs.”
Elise felt a coil of unease at the thought of chopped-off body parts. Okay. I’m freaked out. For the first time since she’d met Dave, she got something other than a warm feeling when she met his eyes. But had it been him or just the mention of chopped off body parts that had a shiver building in the base of her spine?
A bang came from the stairwell. Elise jumped and spun to look.
“Oh. Don’t worry.” Dave held out a hand to steady her. “It’s not a chainsaw murderer coming to get us. Just one of the construction workers.”
Elise laughed louder than needed to cover her startled reaction. She clenched her hands together to hide the adrenaline shake. “Construction workers? What’s going on?”
“Yeah. A few months ago I rented the apartment space. It’s actually been kind of weird sharing the building.” His hand slid off her arm. He shifted awkwardly and jammed it into his pocket. “I’m kind of a loner except for my customers.”
“And your missing employee,” Elise teased, half-waiting for real assurance that the guy was okay.
Dave chuckled. “Him too. Although he still stops by from time to time. All of his limbs
intact.”
Elise laughed, having been caught fishing for information. “So what about this rental?”
“Uh, yeah.” He cleared his throat. “Anyway, a group of entrepreneurial college kids have rented the space for their business. They’re building an escape room.”
“Oh,” Elise tried to look like she knew what he was talking about. “Really. How interesting.”
“You have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?”
Caught again! “Nope!” Elise shrugged. “Tell me what it is. Sounds interesting.”
“It’s a game. They lock you in the room, and you have to use a series of clues to solve different puzzles to find your way out.”
“Sounds…lovely,” Elise deadpanned. This place was getting weirder and weirder.
Dave chuckled. “Not your thing?”
“Depends. I’m an ace at the Game of Life. Monopoly not so much.”
“This is more like a maze, or a game of Clue. You have to figure out the clues, and then use them to solve the puzzle.” He shrugged. “I don’t know, I think it sounds pretty cool. I thought they were already done, so I’m surprised to hear more construction going on.”
“So, they’re not open then?”
“I heard the grand opening’s going to be soon. I think they’re going to let me test it out. I aim to break it.” He grinned mischievously. “I’m really good at these things.”
“I’m surprised people really pay to do these things. Get locked up in a room and all.”
“Yeah,” Dave nodded. “These Escape rooms are popping up all over the place with different themes. Some have ‘Steal the Mona Lisa’, some have ‘Escape the Murderer.’ One’s ‘Steal the Crown Jewels.’ This one here is called ‘Escape down the Rabbit Hole.’” He smiled. “Their nod to our Alice in Wonderland book.”
“Oh, that’s kind of neat. So it must be Alice in Wonderland themed?”
“I don’t know. I’m guessing so.” He tipped his head and gave her another shy smile. “Want to come with me when I check it out?”