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

by Hope Callaghan

Loretta reached for a coffee cup and told her uncle what had happened. “Maybe we’ll have to start locking the laundry room, like we do the kitchen and bathrooms, and give the tenants each a key.”

  “Not a bad idea.” Uncle Ichabod set his coffee cup on the counter. “Let me get my teeth in.” He hurried out of the kitchen and Loretta could hear him rummaging around in the bathroom.

  She paced the floor as she considered changing all the locks and waited for Uncle Ichabod.

  Loretta wondered if the local hardware store had the type with an access code versus having to give each of the tenants another key they might lose or misplace.

  “What’s all the ruckus?” Lacy strolled into the kitchen.

  “You’re up early,” Loretta said.

  “I have to go grocery shopping,” Lacy reminded her.

  Loretta frowned. She had completely forgotten her promise to help Lacy cook dinner for her boyfriend. “Someone cut the laundry room’s washing machine hose and flooded the floor.”

  “You mean someone broke into our house and vandalized our laundry room?” Lacy gasped.

  “Not ours. The tenants,” Loretta said.

  “Oh.” Lacy shrugged and reached inside the cupboard for a coffee mug. “Better them than us.”

  “No. Not better them… It means we have to clean up the water, buy a new hose, and put a lock on the door, all before I can even begin to think about helping you fix your special dinner.”

  “You’re not gonna back out on your promise on account of a little flooding.” Lacy’s eyes grew wide.

  Loretta sucked in a breath and stared at her sister in disbelief, although she shouldn’t have been the least bit surprised. Lacy was all about Lacy. Still, the fear she may not get her beloved dinner cooked in time would help motivate Lacy to help with the current situation.

  “First, we clean the mess, change the hose and add a lock, then we work on your dinner,” Loretta told her sister.

  “All right!” Lacy flounced out of the kitchen, sloshing her half cup of coffee as she made a dramatic exit, all the while mumbling about how unfair life was.

  Uncle Ichabod passed her on the stairs. “What kinda bee she got in her bonnet this early in the morning?” he asked as he glanced behind him.

  “A bee that told her first we clean up the mess and install locks, and then we work on her fancy schmancy dinner for her beau.”

  “Ah.” Uncle Ichabod nodded. “Yep. I’m sure she’ll be in a tizzy the rest of the day.”

  He wasn’t far off from his prediction. Lacy moaned and groaned about mopping, about drying the floors, about having to run down to the hardware store to purchase the hose and locks, although Loretta had given her a choice – continue to help with the clean up or run to the hardware store. They had decided to switch out all the keyed doors with the coded locks, if possible, except for the clubhouse, which they decided to leave as is.

  The choice of manual labor or running to the hardware store was a no-brainer on Lacy’s end, and Loretta was relieved for a few moments of peace and quiet after her sister left.

  Uncle Ichabod took a last swipe with the mop and then propped it against the wall. “That didn’t take too long, not with three of us working on it.”

  Loretta dumped the bucket of dirty water down the drain and then set it on the floor. “I’m surprised Lacy helped as much as she did.”

  “She helped quite a bit,” her uncle nodded thoughtfully. “As an outsider lookin’ in, I have a pretty good idea why Lacy acts the way she does.”

  Loretta was all ears. “Why?”

  “I have a feelin’ that, growing up, Lacy was always the one gettin’ into a pickle while you were always the good girl, gettin’ good grades, never causin’ your parents a speck of trouble. You got the praise while Lacy got the punishment.”

  Uncle Ichabod had nailed it! “You’re right,” she agreed.

  “Well. I think kids can tell when parents – even unintentionally – favor one child over another. Lacy acts out for attention and because she’s insecure.”

  “So you think I should cut her some slack and give her more attention?” Loretta asked.

  Her uncle shrugged. “I don’t know about that, but perhaps knowing what’s behind Lacy’s actions will give you a little more patience in dealing with her.”

  Uncle Ichabod’s words hit home. He was right, and perhaps deep down, Loretta had known all along that Lacy was insecure. She vowed then and there to have more patience with her trying twin!

  The two of them had just finished putting the cleaning supplies back in the closet when Lacy showed up with the new locks.

  Loretta decided to make a quick trip to the post office to mail a couple bills while her uncle worked on installing the locks.

  Vernice wasn’t there, but the other new employee, Clairee Bureaux, was working behind the counter. Clairee was a woman of few words and Loretta had to wonder if perhaps Vernice had warned her not to talk to Loretta.

  It wasn’t Loretta’s fault Vernice had gotten herself into a spot of trouble and ended up on the wrong side of Johnny Law.

  She dropped the stamped envelopes in the box marked “outgoing mail” and then headed back outside where she ran into two boys who almost took her out as they whizzed by on skateboards.

  Loretta jumped back and stepped on a crumpled fast food bag wedged against the building’s downspout. She grabbed the bag and headed to the dumpster to throw it away.

  “Watch where you’re going,” one of the boys hollered at her as he sped down the sidewalk.

  “Watch where you’re going,” she hollered back, but it was too late. The boys were long gone.

  When she got back to the property, she made a beeline for the laundry room. The place was spic and span, and admittedly even cleaner than it had been in the first place. Uncle Ichabod was working on installing the laundry room lock.

  With the new locks in place, it was time to tell the tenants about the flood. Loretta stopped by each of the tenants’ teepees to let them know what was going on and to give each of them the access codes.

  All of them were home except for Dixie. Loretta left a note on her door and told her to stop by when she got home.

  The tenants thanked her for filling them in and promised to keep their eyes peeled for suspicious activity.

  Lacy had already left, heading into Glimmer to purchase the items needed to make the special dinner.

  Loretta decided to stop by the office to grab some office supplies when a frantic Savannah met her at the front door. “Is Barkley at your house? I haven’t seen him since first thing this morning when I let him out.”

  Chapter 4

  “I don’t know.” Loretta, followed by Savannah, hurried to the house and into the kitchen. “Barkley? Barkley, buddy, are you in here?”

  Loretta and Savannah searched the entire house, top to bottom, checking every square inch, including all of the closets just in case he was stuck inside.

  Loretta’s last stop was the creepy basement, which she normally tried to avoid at all cost since she was convinced shadowy creatures inhabited the dark recesses of the dank space, and on more than one occasion had heard strange clanking noises when she was working in the kitchen. Uncle Ichabod insisted it was only some old pipes but Loretta wasn’t convinced.

  She headed back to the kitchen where Jinxy, Loretta’s adopted cat, made an appearance. She picked her up and held her close. “Have you seen Barkley, Jinxy?” Jinxy began to purr and head butted Loretta.

  Loretta set Jinxy on the floor and filled the cat’s water dish as she gazed at an anxious Savannah. “We can go door to door to see if anyone has seen him.”

  Savannah nodded. “That’s a good idea.”

  Loretta decided to kill two birds with one stone and grabbed the stack of Breezy Point party invitations on her way out the door.

  The women started with the trailer directly behind Savannah’s cottage as they made their rounds. Several of the residents weren’t home so Loretta rolled up the
flyers and tucked them in the door handles before they moved on to the next trailer.

  Jimmy Clay was home. He answered the door shirtless and wearing biker shorts. Loretta turned her head to avoid a full on, unobstructed view of his hairy chest and protruding beer belly. “Hi Jimmy. Savannah’s dog, Barkley, is missing and we were wondering if you’ve seen him around.”

  Jimmy scratched his long white beard and nodded. “Little dog about yay big.” He separated his hands a few inches. Loretta quickly looked then looked away. “Yes. Barkley is a Chihuahua.”

  “Yeah. Saw him earlier.” Jimmy pointed down the street to the back of the trailer park. “He was trotting off toward the back there.”

  Loretta thanked him for the info and handed him a flyer. “We’re having a resident get together in a couple weeks over at the clubhouse and would love for you to come.” Love was a strong word and she immediately wished she hadn’t used the word, but it was too late.

  Jimmy smiled and took the flyer. “Thanks. I’ll be sure to put this on my calendar.”

  Savannah and Loretta said good-bye and then headed to the street and out of earshot. “Did you see the tattoo on his chest?”

  “No. I was trying not to look too closely,” Loretta admitted.

  “Ew.” Savannah shuddered. “It was a green dragon with horns and…unusual appendages.”

  Savannah and Loretta crossed the street and stopped at Raylene Honeycutt’s place. The lights were on and Loretta could’ve sworn she caught a glimpse of a curtain as it moved but no one answered so Loretta stuck a flyer in the door and the girls walked to the next trailer.

  They had almost reached the back of the trailer park when Loretta’s cell phone began beeping. She pulled it from her back pocket, turned it over and glanced at the screen. “It’s Uncle Ichabod.”

  She pressed the answer button. “Hello?”

  “Hi Loretta. I just finished up. Where are you?”

  Loretta had forgotten that the last time she’d seen him he was still installing the locks on the common areas, right before Savannah met her at the office door. “Barkley has been missing since early this morning. Savannah and I are making our rounds to ask residents if they’ve seen him and also drop off the flyers for the upcoming party.”

  Uncle Ichabod loved Barkley as much as Savannah and Loretta. Lacy, on the other hand…not so much. She didn’t care for the furry family members, claiming she was allergic to them, which Loretta doubted but didn’t challenge. Still, the pets stayed and Lacy tolerated them. “Do you want me to help you search for him?”

  “I’m not sure we need help. We’re already in the back and on our way to Bobby Tackett’s place.”

  Savannah shook her head “no.”

  “No,” Loretta said. “It looks like we’ve got it covered. Thanks for the offer, though. We shouldn’t be long.” She signed off, disconnected the line and shoved the phone in her back pocket.

  Loretta gave Savannah a quick glance. “Uncle Ichabod was just trying to help.”

  For some reason, Uncle Ichabod and Savannah were not the best of buds. Loretta had a sneaky suspicion something in the past had happened to cause their aversion to one another. Dislike was too strong of a word. They tolerated one another.

  “I hate to be nosy, but I’m gonna anyway. What is it that happened between you and Uncle Ichabod to cause you two to dislike one another?” Loretta asked.

  Savannah slowed her pace and stared at the ground. “I…” her voice trailed off and then she abruptly stopped. “Your Aunt Tess and I were close friends, and when your aunt and Ichabod began dating, I was against the relationship.”

  “Why?”

  “Maybe I was jealous.” Savannah shrugged. “Anyways, he found out and I think he has always held that against me.”

  The girls began walking again. “She and I were friends for many years before Ichabod came along. In fact, I had been going through a real rough patch and she let me move into the cottage. Not long after she gave me the life lease on the place.”

  “Before Uncle Ichabod and she married?”

  “Yep. After she died, it was uncomfortable being around him. It’s getting easier now, thanks to you,” Savannah said.

  They had arrived in front of Bobby Tackett’s place. Loretta followed Savannah to the porch door and waited while Savannah rang the bell.

  Bobby answered the door a few moments later and invited the women inside. “Come on in.” He held the door, and Savannah and Loretta stepped inside.

  The inside of the trailer was neat and tidy and the smell of bacon frying drifted toward the door. “I’m fixin’ to eat. Got extra if you’d like to join me.”

  Loretta shook her head. “Thanks for the offer, but we just stopped by to drop off an invitation to a Breezy Point cookout we’re having over at the clubhouse in a couple weeks.” She set the flyer on the table. “We’re also looking for Savannah’s dog, Barkley, who has gone missing.”

  Bobby Tackett picked up the flyer and Loretta studied him out of the corner of her eye. This was the closest Loretta had ever gotten to Bobby Tackett since Lacy was in charge of the Breezy Point residents.

  He was an attractive man, his hair an even blend of salt and pepper. Loretta guessed he was the youngest resident living in Breezy Point. “Sounds like fun.” He set it back on the table and turned to Savannah. “You going?”

  Savannah blushed from the tip of her nose to the roots of her read hair. “Why…I.”

  “Of course she is,” Loretta interjected. “I hope all the residents will be there, including you.”

  “Good. I’ll be there too.” He gave Savannah a pointed stare and then shifted his gaze to Loretta. “I’m sorry. I haven’t seen the dog. Cute little fella. I’ll keep a lookout for him. I’ve been meaning to stop by today to let someone know I called 911 last night when I noticed the burning trashcan and small grass fire over by the clubhouse.”

  Bobby shoved his hands in his front pockets and stared over their heads and out the window. “I caught a glimpse of a shadowy figure near the can. I jumped out of my truck and yelled, but they took off before I could catch them.”

  Chapter 5

  “You’re kidding,” Loretta said. “Do you have any idea who it might have been?”

  “Unfortunately no. It was getting dark. I started to chase after the person but they ran back toward the lake and they were too fast for me.” Bobby patted his stomach. “Guess I’m a little too out of shape to be running that fast.”

  “You chased them into the woods out back?” Savannah asked.

  “I tried. They were sprinting through the back forty and must’ve been in darned good shape. Like Savannah.”

  Savannah blushed a second time and stammered a thank you.

  “Have you talked to the fire chief and investigators?” Loretta asked. If he hadn’t, he needed to.

  “Yep.” Bobby nodded. “Told them the same thing I told you but I wasn’t able to help much. It was kinda dark and the person was moving pretty fast, like I said.”

  “I appreciate the information and if you see Barkley, please let us know,” Loretta thanked him.

  Bobby smiled as he gazed at Savannah. “I’ll be sure to be on the lookout.”

  The girls made their way out of the trailer, through the screened porch and onto the sidewalk. They rounded the bend and Loretta stopped to gaze into the field before looking back at Bobby Tackett’s place. “He has a clear view of the open area back here. I wonder what he thinks about us adding onto the trailer park and blocking his lovely park-like view,” Loretta mused and shifted her gaze to her attractive friend.

  “I think Bobby has a crush on you,” Loretta teased. “The way he was making googly eyes.” She shifted her eyebrows up and down.

  “Stop.” Savannah waved her hands in the air. “I’m not interested, especially after my disastrous marriage to Graham.”

  “That was years ago. You don’t want to spend the rest of your life living alone, do you?” Loretta asked, although she wondered
if she wouldn’t spend the rest of her life alone. Sometimes the thought bothered her but other times not so much.

  “You could always hook up with Graham again,” Loretta joked. “He seems like a decent guy.”

  “Bite your tongue!” Savannah whacked Loretta’s arm.

  “I’m teasing. I had better head home before Lacy gets back with all the goodies. I’m helping her cook dinner for her new boyfriend, Colton Sheffield.”

  “Colton Sheffield? The firefighter, Colton Sheffield?” Savannah asked.

  “Yeah. Why?”

  Savannah started to reply and apparently thought better of it. “Oh…nothing.”

  The women turned the last corner and strode past the office as they made their way to the house. Loretta was going to question Savannah about what she was about to say but was completely distracted by a furry ball of energy that darted off the back steps and crashed into Savannah’s ankles. Barkley had returned!

  “Oh my gosh!” Savannah bent down and quickly scooped up her beloved dog, holding him close. “Ugh! I don’t know where you’ve been, but whatever you got into smells to the high heaven.” She held the dog at arm’s length. “Have a whiff.”

  Loretta leaned in. Sure enough, Barkley smelled as if he’d been rolling around in the dumpster.

  “I better get you inside and give you a bath.” Barkley and Savannah disappeared inside her cottage and Loretta started up the side steps, her gaze shifting to the dumpster near the corner of the office building.

  The lid to the dumpster was open. She glanced back at Savannah’s place and then slowly walked over to the dumpster to close the lid.

  When she reached the dumpster, she grabbed the cover to flip it over, peeking inside before she closed it. The following day was trash pickup day and the dumpster was full. She bounced up on her tiptoes and peered inside. It was full of bags of garbage and the smell of rancid meat and rotting vegetables wafted out.

  Loretta held the cover with one hand and pinched her nose shut with her other hand. In the corner of the dumpster were several moving boxes. Could it be Barkley somehow managed to become trapped inside the dumpster and then used the boxes stacked in the corner to crawl out?