Cozy Mysteries Women Sleuths Series: Box Set III: Books 9-12

by Hope Callaghan

  Lacy was on the fence. On the one hand, she wanted to get a head start on figuring out who had murdered Molly, but on the other hand, it was hot outside and she’d already walked to town several times. For Lacy, more than once a day was unheard of.

  “I’ll go with you.” Uncle Ichabod stood in the doorway. “Love me some of the café’s greasy cheeseburgers.”

  “Let’s all go,” Loretta turned to her sister.

  “All right!” Lacy flounced out of the room to grab her purse. She returned moments later, her hair pulled back in a ponytail.

  “What’s up with the new do?” Loretta frowned.

  “I haven’t made it to the store yet to buy more headbands.”

  Loretta shook her head. “Let’s go.”

  They walked the short distance to town in silence. The late afternoon sun beat down on Loretta’s head and shoulders, and beads of perspiration formed on her brow.

  She caught a whiff of the creamy sweet smell of flowering magnolia trees that lined the sidewalk and breathed deeply. “I love the smell of magnolia,” she said.

  “I hate the smell.” Lacy frowned. “Sickly sweet and yucky.”

  They reached the front entrance to the restaurant and Uncle Ichabod opened the door. The smell of frying foods drifted out. “Do you hate that smell Lacy? If so, you need to have your head examined.”

  The restaurant was in between the lunch and dinner crowd and the place was empty, except for a couple tables. Sitting at one of the tables were two elderly residents Loretta vaguely recognized. They were playing cards and drinking coffee.

  Sitting at the other table were several women, who were feasting on a huge mound of donuts and drinking tea.

  Loretta’s mouth watered. The sugary glazed donuts looked delicious.

  Fancy made her way over with menus and glasses of ice water. “Well, look at what the cat dragged in,” she drawled. “Fancy meeting you here.” She chuckled. “Get it? Fancy?”

  Lacy rolled her eyes and reached for her water. “Sheesh.”

  Loretta kicked her sister under the table and smiled at Fancy. “Good one. I like it!” She quickly changed the subject and pointed at the plate of donuts at the table nearby. “Those look tasty. Are the donuts something new?”

  “Yes ma’am,” Fancy nodded. “Lou, the owner, decided to cash in on some of the locals who like to hang out and drink coffee. He started a gourmet donut line called ‘Decadent Donuts by Lou.’ Catchy huh?”

  It wasn’t particularly catchy, at least in Loretta’s opinion, but she nodded.

  Fancy continued. “The kryptonite is my favorite. It’s a chocolate covered donut, drizzled in caramel and sprinkled with chunks of peanut butter cups. They’re to die for. Speaking of dying.” Fancy set her server tray on the edge of the table. “Heard Molly Crisco’s body was found in the bushes near the library and she wuz clutchin’ one of your headbands when they found her.”

  “Yep.” Loretta sipped her water and eyed her friend. “Such a tragedy. She couldn’t have been that old, probably around our age.”

  “Yeah. She was maybe a year or two younger’n me, I reckon. Molly was a lost soul, I think. What with jumpin’ from one man to the next lookin’ for true love.”

  “What about Bo Theroux? I heard he cared for her,” Loretta replied.

  “Yeah, but I think Bo was too tame for her. She liked her men on the wild side, if you know what I mean.” Fancy winked.

  Loretta had a vague idea of what she meant but didn’t want to appear stupid so she nodded and shifted the conversation to the real reason they were there. “Seems like she would be after one of the more wealthy gentlemen in town. I heard there was a couple who passed away not long ago.”

  Fancy’s eyes grew wide. “Oh yeah.”

  Lacy lifted a hand and cut Fancy off. “Before you get into the morbidly fascinating details of some rich old fart who kicked the bucket, can we order first?”

  Loretta kicked her sister a second time.

  Lacy reached under the table and rubbed her shin. “Stop! Doing! That!”

  “Shame on me. I should mind my manners.” Fancy pulled a pen and pad of paper from her pocket. “What can I getcha?”

  “Turkey wrap, light on the mayo, extra lettuce, no tomato. Add a sprinkle of onions and press it. Please,” Lacy blurted out.

  Fancy scribbled furiously and then looked at Loretta. “I’ll take a chicken salad sandwich on wheat bread and one of those kryptonite donuts.” She shoved her menu in the center rack.

  “Gimme the greasiest cheeseburger you can cook and an order of fries,” Uncle Ichabod said. “Oh, and I’ll take a kryptonite, too.”

  Loretta shook her head. “You know you can’t have that.”

  Uncle Ichabod frowned. “Okay. I’ll take a grilled chicken sandwich on a whole wheat bun. Can I still have the donut?” he asked Loretta.

  Loretta couldn’t resist the look on her uncle’s face and quickly caved. “I suppose.”

  Fancy trotted off to the back and Loretta waited until she was out of earshot before turning to her sister. “We are not here just to eat. We’re here to pump Fancy for information. Now what if she never tells us who may have left Molly the money?”

  Loretta watched as Fancy darted from table to table. Eventually she returned with their food and quickly transferred the food from the tray to the table. “Can I get you anything else?”

  Loretta reached for her sandwich. “We’re good. Still, I was wondering about the wealthy locals who had recently died.”

  “That’s right.” Fancy snapped her fingers and then pulled up a chair as she glanced around. “I reckon I got a couple secs to sit and chat. Well, there was Clovis Devine. Found him dead in his car. They think it was carbon monoxide poisoning on account of the ignition key was in the “on” position and his garage door was closed. Then there was Talbot Fox. They found his body out in the cemetery on the edge of town next to his wife’s gravesite.” Fancy’s eyes shined bright. “Poor Talbot. I do believe he died of a broken heart.”

  Fancy sniffled and rubbed her nose.

  Loretta reached over and patted her hand. “I’m sorry Fancy.”

  Fancy nodded and sucked in a breath. “Last but not least was Darcie Erwin.”

  “A woman,” Loretta commented.

  “Yep. She was an odd duck, for sure. Never knew too much about Ms. Erwin. She was kind of a loner, a spinster if you will. She would come in here every once in a blue moon for a cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll. I always tried to chat with her, figuring she was on the lonely side and all. She was polite, for sure, but never one for too much chat. She would sit right there at the corner table, always picking a seat that faced out. She would sip her coffee, eat her cinnamon roll and read her books.”

  Uncle Ichabod picked up his sandwich and took a bite. “How did she die?”

  “Fancy. Can we get more coffee?” One of the men at the card-playing table motioned to his empty coffee cup.

  Fancy hopped out of the chair. “I think she committed suicide or somethin’. Funny thing was, Molly Crisco was livin’ next door to her at the time of her death and she’s the one who discovered the body.”

  Chapter 7

  Loretta’s mind began to race a million miles an hour as she watched Fancy approach the other table. Could it be Darcie Erwin left her estate to Molly and Molly, wanting to cash in quick and leave town, killed the poor woman and made it seem like suicide?

  If that was the case, why did Molly stick around? Which led to another question… who killed Molly? She remembered Alex saying Molly was nervous about the money and talked about moving away and starting a new life somewhere else.

  She broke off a piece of her donut and put it in her mouth. The gooey caramel and rich chocolate brought her back to her senses. “This is the best donut I’ve ever had,” she groaned.

  “Let me try a piece.” Lacy snatched the donut off her sister’s plate and took a big bite. “Not bad.” She popped the rest of the donut in her mouth.


  “Hey! The donut was mine,” Loretta protested, but it was too late. The donut was history. She quickly finished her sandwich, wiped her mouth and dropped the dirty napkin on top of her empty plate. “We need to eat here more often. Their food is delicious.”

  “Glad you liked it.” Fancy had returned to the table and reached for the empty plate. “Anyhoo, I hope they find Molly’s killer soon.”

  “Us too,” Uncle Ichabod quipped.

  Loretta reached for her purse and the company card she kept in her wallet. There was a clue, right on the edge of her head. Maybe the walk home would clear the fog and she could figure out what it was.

  On the walk back, they passed by the library again. Loretta stopped and stared at the dark building across the street. “I’m gonna check the place out over there for a sec.” She didn’t wait for a reply as she darted across the deserted street.

  Uncle Ichabod followed behind, determined to keep his niece out of trouble. Lacy reluctantly brought up the rear, grumbling the entire time.

  Yellow police tape covered the entrance to the library, surrounded the book bin and even covered the bushes where investigators had found Molly’s body.

  The parking lot was wide open and Loretta picked up the pace as she strolled through the lot. She wasn’t sure what she was looking for…perhaps a clue the police had overlooked.

  She stopped in front of the entrance and gazed at the doors. Loretta shifted her gaze to the book bin. The book bin was situated so that visitors would not even have to get out of their car to return their books, and they could pretty much drive right on through.

  Loretta slowly turned and focused her attention on the bushes. Dropping off a body in broad daylight would be tricky.

  It was in that moment, Loretta figured out who had murdered poor Molly Crisco. “I think I know who killed Molly.”

  She went on to explain her theory to Uncle Ichabod and Lacy. When she finished her explanation, she asked. “Well, what do you think?”

  “I think you’re onto something, Loretta, but how are you going to prove it?” Uncle Ichabod asked.

  Lacy, on the other hand, was furious. “That no good, rotten piece of crap. Why I ought to march right over there…”

  Loretta cut her off. “March over there and what? Get yourself killed?”

  “No.” Loretta shook her head. “I’ve got a much better idea on how to flush out the killer. Let’s go home.”

  Back at the house, Loretta unlocked the back door and slipped inside. Lacy wandered into the living room while Uncle Ichabod settled in at the table. “What’s the plan?”

  “Hey! You’re gonna wanna hear this.” Lacy popped her head in the doorway and crooked her finger.

  Loretta followed her into the living room and over to the end table. She pressed the button on the answering machine that was sitting on top. “Hello. This is Iris Huggins and this message is for Loretta. Could you please let her know that after giving it some serious consideration, I’ve decided her services will no longer be needed at the library? If she could stop by my place to drop off the key at her earliest convenience, I would appreciate it. I’ll be home all evening. Thank you.” The message ended.

  Loretta smiled. “Perfect.”

  “I’m going with you,” Uncle Ichabod said.

  “We should call the police,” Lacy added.

  Lacy was right. Loretta needed to share her suspicions with police.

  The trio waited impatiently for Officer Purvis and Detective Zackery to arrive. It seemed as if they had to wait forever.

  Loretta wondered if, after sharing their suspicions with the detective and officer, they would insist they stay out of it.

  That wasn’t the case and, much to Loretta’s surprise, Officer Purvis blew off Loretta’s suspicions that Iris Huggins had killed Molly Crisco…and possibly even Darcie Erwin.

  Detective Zackery on the other hand, seemed willing to consider the possibility. “So you’re saying Iris Huggins was convinced Darcie Erwin had written her into her will and Iris Huggins, anxious to collect, killed Ms. Erwin and made it look like a suicide?”

  “Yes.” Loretta nodded. “Think about it. Ms. Erwin was an avid reader. She probably visited the library many times and she and Iris Huggins became friends. When Iris found out Ms. Erwin was loaded and no family to leave her money to, she buttered her up and wormed her way into the woman’s will.”

  Uncle Ichabod picked up. “Iris caught wind that Molly Crisco, Ms. Erwin’s neighbor, and she were getting chummy. Iris panicked and killed Ms. Erwin in hopes she took her out before the elderly woman had a change of heart and cut her out of the will.”

  “But it was too late.” Detective Zackery rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “When Iris Huggins found out she’d been cut out of the will, she plotted to take Molly Crisco out, hoping to revert to a previous will…”

  “Is that even possible?” Loretta asked. She wasn’t sure, but maybe Iris was so crazed about losing a potential inheritance, she killed her anyway.

  “She saw her opportunity to kill Molly when she heard Molly and I were arguing in front of the fire station,” Lacy theorized.

  “And planned to throw me under the bus when she found Lacy’s headband inside Molly’s home. How convenient I just happened to be working at the library the morning Molly’s body was discovered, and I just happened to be the one to open the book bin and find the bloody book.”

  Officer Purvis, who had been silent the entire time, spoke. “We’ll take the key to Iris Huggins and ask her a few questions.” Purvis held out his hand.

  Loretta reluctantly fished it out of her front pocket and dropped it into his open palm. “No fair. You get to do all the fun stuff.”

  “Become a cop and you can do the fun stuff too,” Purvis replied. “Just promise me you won’t join Collier County Sheriff’s Department.”

  Lacy snorted.

  Even Uncle Ichabod chuckled.

  Officer Purvis and Detective Zackery headed to the front door. Detective Zackery reached for the door handle. “We’ll let you know if anything comes of our chat with Iris,” he promised.

  Loretta closed the door behind them. “Well, I guess all we can do now is wait.”

  Chapter 8

  Alex Jessup slipped his arm through Loretta’s as they strolled across the lawn to Loretta’s front porch.

  “You said that Detective Zackery called to let you know the outcome of Molly Crisco’s murder?”

  “Yeah. It was just as we suspected. Iris thought she may have been cut from Darcie Erwin’s will, and murdered the poor woman. When she found out Molly Crisco was the beneficiary, she became enraged, the two women argued and Iris killed her.”

  Alex shook his head. “Greed. Pure and simple.”

  Loretta led the way and the two of them headed up the front porch steps. She was sad to see their date end. It had been a lovely evening and all of Loretta’s fears about not measuring up vanished almost immediately. Pastor Jessup…Alex…had put her at ease from the get go, admitting he was nervous because he rarely went out.

  The tables had turned and Loretta worked hard to make him feel comfortable. “It’s my turn to invite you to dinner. I can whip up a dinner that will make you want to swallow your tongue.” Loretta had heard someone else say it and thought it was a funny Southern saying.

  Alex grinned. “I’ll make you a deal. You cook me dinner and I’ll take you fishing, like I promised.”

  “It’s a deal.” Loretta thrust out her hand to shake.

  Alex stared at her hand and then placed his hand in hers, pulling her close. “I probably shouldn’t do this…” He leaned forward and gently kissed her lips right before a blinding light…the front porch light…threw them in the spotlight.

  It was Uncle Ichabod, peeking out through the edge of the curtain. “Sorry.” He yelled through the closed window and the light quickly went out, but it was too late. The magical moment had vanished.

  Loretta began to giggle and then started laughing. “Uh-oh. I h
ope no one saw us.”

  Alex grinned. “Who cares? Maybe now Vernice will hear how we’re an item and stop calling me and offering to introduce me to her cousin, Fay.”

  “How about dinner next Saturday evening here at seven?” She asked and then nudged her head to the side. “I’m not sure how romantic it will be if Lacy and Uncle Ichabod are here,” she warned.

  “I’ll take it. Word has it you’re an amazing cook. I can’t wait…to spend time with you, Loretta.”

  Loretta blushed from the top of her head to the tip of her toes. “Me either…I mean spend time with you, not me.”

  “See you Sunday.” Alex leaned forward, quickly kissed Loretta on the lips and before she could utter another word, he was gone. She waited until he disappeared beyond the streetlight before she headed indoors.

  The end.

  Book 11: Vandals & Vigilantes

  Sweet Southern Sleuths Cozy Mystery Series

  Hope Callaghan

  hopecallaghan.com

  Copyright © 2016

  All rights reserved.

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  This book is a work of fiction. Although places mentioned may be real, the characters, names and incidents and all other details are products of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or actual persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.

  No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

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  Visit my website for new releases and special offers: hopecallaghan.com

  A special thank you to Peggy Hyndman and Cindi Graham for taking the time to read and review the eleventh book, Vandals & Vigilantes, in my series, Sweet Southern Sleuths and offering all of the helpful advice!