Cryptic Cove Cozy Mystery Box Set

by K P Stafford

  I didn't like his tone, but then again, I hadn't liked him since the last investigation into the deaths of the elderly couple. I had also found their bodies. "I don't go looking for them if that's what you're implying."

  "No, just seems a bit," he paused, "convenient."

  "Maybe for the dead, but not for me. I'd be happy to live the rest of my life without seeing any more dead bodies."

  "I'm sure you would. I may have questions for you later. You know the drill.."

  I interrupted his last sentence, "I'll stay in town."

  He told me I could leave so I headed home to get a shower before going into the office. It was a morning I'd dread. The phone would ring off the hook with everyone in town calling me to find out what was going on. I couldn't get the image of Will out of my head and didn't want to keep reliving it. The fall was only fifteen feet, but his face was a complete mess. I called Peyton as soon as I got in the car to head home. They had known each other all their lives. I knew the news would be hard for her.

  At nine a.m. Jake walked through the door. I had fielded most of the phone calls and could have a few minutes with him. He gave me a big hug. He knew I wasn't fond of being around dead people. He asked me if I'd heard anything more. I hadn't. I expected it'd be late morning before John came in with any news.

  I fixed us both a cup of coffee and we sat down in the chairs by the window. Jake took a sip of his and then looked at me. "So, what were doing on that ledge?"

  Ugh, I wanted to dodge that question. "I was practicing for Saturday."

  His brows furrowed as he cocked his head sideways, "You were cheating."

  I rolled my eyes at him. Guilty! "I was not. It was practice."

  "Since you didn't practice with me or let me know, I call it cheating."

  "Okay, I was cheating, but I'm a girl. Surely I get a little leeway in your rules on this?"

  He leaned over and kissed me. "Uhmmmm, no."

  "Meanie," I said as I stuck my tongue out at him.

  He stood up, "I can't believe this happened last night at the party and none of us were aware of it."

  "I know. I saw him and Alice kind of having words, or it looked like they were disagreeing. I can't believe she didn't notice he was missing."

  "Maybe something came up and she thought he left to work on police business."

  "I guess we'll find out sooner or later."

  Jake bent over and kissed my forehead, "I have to get to work. Let me know when you find out something."

  "Sure," I said as I stood up and walked over to sit behind my desk.

  The bells over the door jingled about half an hour later. I looked up as John walked through the door. He had a concerned look on his face. He sat down in the chair, looked at me and shook his head.

  "You have some news?"

  "Yes. The preliminary report from Marcus is that Will had been in a fight before he fell."

  I didn't want the answer, but I had to ask, "So, this may not be an accident."

  "I'm afraid not. We'll know more after the autopsy." He stood up and headed to his inner office.

  I sat there with my mind reeling. My job had been quite normal the past few months. As close to normal as this town gets anyway. Another murder case could send the people into a tizzy.

  CHAPTER 2

  I called my best friend, Peyton Lewis. She runs Cove's Peak Bed & Breakfast. When I returned to Cryptic Cove her and I picked up our friendship like we were still kids. The celebration was partially for her too. That's how Grams talked Aunt Agatha into it. Peyton's high school sweetheart had returned to Cryptic Cove. He had moved away before he knew about Paisley being his child. He never wrote to Peyton so she moved on with her life. Now he was back and she was trying to put her family together. I decided to see if she wanted to have lunch today. I knew she probably hadn't taken Will's death very well. I was disappointed when she said Mark wasn't feeling well, and she needed to stay there. My second option was to call Jake and see if he was available. He wasn't, so I grabbed a sandwich from the diner and headed to the town square where I could sit at a picnic table on the courthouse lawn. It was a nice walk and the fresh air would do me good.

  Not only was this death weighing on my mind, but the fact that Peyton had grown distant from me since Mark had returned to Cryptic Cove. At first, everything was fine and he tried to get along with our friends, but then he grew more distant and it had caused her to pull back from friends as well.

  I worried about her because she had lost that 'Peyton' charm in the last month. She appeared upbeat when she was working or out in public and most people wouldn't notice a difference in her, but I did.

  I can't even explain how I feel. We're still best friends and still talk, but it's not the way it was. In a way, I feel like I've lost my best friend, even though she's alive and well and I see her all the time. Up until a few months ago, I didn't even have a best friend and now that this wedge had been put between us, it just really hurt.

  I've tried to pinpoint what it is about Mark that I don't like. He seemed like a great guy at first and I was over-joyed for Peyton getting her family put together. But he's changed lately. He seems more demanding and controlling, which makes little sense because Peyton is a strong, independent woman. Maybe she's just trying to help him cope with being back home and trying to be a father, but there's just something about him and the way he acts that isn't right.

  Paisley is very distant from him. That's understandable, all she's ever known is her mom and the town's people. Mark is a complete stranger. The fact is, though, that Paisley often opens up to new people after she's been around them a few times. She won't have anything to do with Mark. I'm sure Peyton has noticed, but talking about Mark tends to be a touchy subject some days.

  I stopped by Grams' candle shop, Crystal Scents, on the way back to the office to see how she was holding up. Her shop was one of the busiest in town, not from customers, but from the gossip box. Although she did have a great business. She said Aunt Agatha hadn't taken the news very well. After living in seclusion for so long she wasn't used to dealing with life, or death. It had been hard for her to adjust. Grams was worried this could cause a setback since she was starting to come around.

  She'd spent a lot of time talking to Charlie last night at the party. Charlie is shy, but he's been coming out of his shell after getting to know Jake and everyone. Aunt Agatha feels a kindred spirit with him because he grew up pretty isolated, but he's ready to get out into life and start living it. I hope he can inspire my aunt to do the same thing.

  Best I could tell, the town's people hadn't caught wind that Will's death may not have been an accident. That was a good thing, but it made it hard to ask questions without sounding suspicious or like I was digging for something. One of the town busybodies mentioned she'd seen him and Alice having a riff last night at the party. Alice had gotten mad and left the party after her brother, Alan, tried to talk to her. My ears perked up. If this was going to be an investigation at some point, I needed to pay attention who all had spoken to Will last night. Not to mention that Jake had said something earlier about Will and Alice having a disagreement. Ms. Jensen, the busybody who was talking, said she'd saw Will walk off from Alice, and Alan had tried to speak to Will but he was in a hurry. After that, he said something to his sister and she stormed off. My mind kicked into overdrive. A jilted lover could be a good suspect. Alice wasn't an overly friendly person until she started dating Will, but in a moment of anger, she could have pushed him over the ledge. I didn't want to think like that, but after the last murders in this town, my mind was always trying to connect dots and figure out why people acted the way they sometimes do.

  Another lady spoke up and said she’d noticed "that Charlie guy," as she called him, staring at Will a good part of the night. She didn't trust him because he was so quiet and had grown up in the area but no one really knew who he was since he never came out in public or spoke to anyone until recently. She'd pretty much kept her eye on him most of the ni
ght until he walked off and headed towards the path where Will's body had been found. She looked up at Grams, "I saw him speaking to your sister, too."

  Grams looked at me and rolled her eyes. She turned back to the lady, "What's that have to do with anything?"

  The lady smirked, "Oh nothing, I suppose. I just don't trust him. I'd hate to see Agatha take up with the young man and him end up being some crazy killer. She's had enough to deal with in her life."

  "Oh, for heaven's sake," Grams said, "She's old enough to be his mother. I don't think she'll be taking up with him, as you call it. They have a lot in common the way they've both lived in seclusion most of their lives."

  The lady let out a humph sound, "I still don't trust him and your sister would do well to be careful around him," she said as she got up to leave. "I have things to tend to today." She left the candle shop. The other ladies looked at each other and made little snorting sounds. Even Ms. Jensen, who was a bit on the paranoid side at times thought it was funny.

  I kissed Grams on the cheek and headed back to the office to see if John had any more news. The county sheriff's car was parked out front. That was never a good sign. I wondered if we'd lose our office again like we did during the last investigation. I walked in the door and the office was quiet. I could hear them talking in John's office, their words were mumbles. I didn't want to be nosy and eavesdrop, but the coffee pot was right next to the door. Just as I finished pouring myself a cup of coffee, the door opened and startled me. A bit of coffee sloshed out onto my hand. Dangit, I cursed under my breath. That's what I get for being nosy.

  The sheriff looked at me, gave a little nod and left the office. I peeked in at John. He looked up and motioned for me to come on in.

  "How's he taking the death of one of his deputies?"

  "Not good, I'm afraid. If it was in the line of duty, he'd probably handle it much better. Something like this puts people on edge."

  "I can understand that. Has he shared any information with you?"

  John sat back in his chair and rubbed his chin. "He wants us to do a good bit of the investigation if it comes to that."

  "Really? Why would he do that? Does he suspect foul play?"

  "We won't know the full details until Finche is done with his autopsy. That should be by tomorrow, but since Will was a deputy he doesn't want any conflict of interest issues brought up. So, we may have our work cut out for us."

  "We solved the last murder case."

  John's forehead creased. "You stumbled on that. And I don't want you going off by yourself snooping around this time. Your grandmother would skin me alive if I let anything happen to you."

  "I still have my flashlight," I said with a small laugh.

  John didn't laugh. He looked at me, "Well, you stay out of creepy old houses this time."

  "Yessir."

  I returned to my desk. I wanted to pick up the phone and call Peyton. It was hard not sharing everything with her now. I didn't want to risk upsetting her or Mark so I skipped the phone call. I knew I'd have to drop by there sooner or later and let her know what was going on. Hopefully, Mark would be gone in the morning when I stopped by on my way to work.

  CHAPTER 3

  Jake came by around seven that night with a sack full of groceries in his hands. He kissed me and headed to the kitchen. Sometimes our "date nights" turned into cooking sessions between him and Grams. She was teaching him the art of home cooking and he was teaching her some new tricks in the art of fine cuisine, as he called it. Grams usually did things her way, no matter what he said, and it turned out pretty darned good regardless.

  After a few minutes with Grams, he found his way into the family room where I was enjoying a nice glass of wine. He sat down, put his arm around me and asked about my day. He always knew when I needed a shoulder to lean on. He was sensitive and caring. If he wasn't careful, I was going to fall in love with him. Actually, I'm not sure I haven't already. We decided to take things slowly, though, and not rush our relationship. Sometimes he was over-protective. I knew as soon as I told him that the investigation would be turned over to us if it looked like foul play, he'd start in about me being careful. He wasn't paying Charlie to follow me around anymore, so he might not be there if I got into trouble like last time.

  I snuggled in under his arm and told him I wanted some quiet time. We could talk after dinner. There was no point to thinking about suspects until we knew for sure Will's death wasn't an accident. If it did turn into a murder investigation, I wanted to enjoy some quiet time while I could.

  Charlie arrived a little later to have dinner with us. He and Jake had become good friends, but more than that, he and Aunt Agatha got along really well too. Conversation was strained. There had been very little mention of the party or the death of Will. It's like we were all skirting around the topic.

  I remembered what the old busybody at Grams' shop had said about Charlie and my aunt. I tried to watch the two of them together without seeming obvious. Apparently, it didn't work because Jake nudged my arm and gave me a concerned look.

  After dinner, Jake and I cleaned the kitchen. We'd been non-conversational, but he finally asked me about the way I was staring at Charlie and my aunt. I let out a soft chuckle. "It's silly."

  "I like silly. You're always too serious. Spill it."

  I turned to face him. I could feel my face blushing. "The other day in the candle shop, one of the old ladies said something about," I paused and looked out the kitchen door to make sure no one was coming, "about Aunt Agatha and Charlie."

  "So your imagination is running wild and you think they're an item or something?" Jake asked with a coy smirk on his face.

  I tapped him on the arm. "Don't make fun of me. I was just trying to see if I could figure out why the old lady would think that."

  "I wasn't making fun of you."

  "You were!"

  "Okay, maybe a little, but in case you weren’t aware, Charlie has his eye on Peyton."

  "Are you serious? Why haven't I noticed it?"

  "Because you're too concerned with her and Mark to notice that anyone else might be interested in her."

  I let the water out of the sink and wiped down the last countertop. "I know, but it doesn't seem right between them. I don't really like him."

  He put his arms around me from behind and kissed my neck, "You have to let her make her own decisions. Paisley's father being back is a big deal and we need to support her and help her get through this transition."

  Jake was always the voice of reason. I turned and put my arms around his neck, "There was a time I was suspicious of you, too."

  "True, and it's turned out alright. Don't you think?"

  "Yes, it has."

  He kissed me on the nose. "So, stop worrying so much."

  "Like that's going to happen. Now I'm going to be thinking about Charlie getting his heart broken."

  "Charlie will be fine. There's a lot more to him than this town gives him credit for."

  After everyone left I fixed a cup of Chamomile tea. I was too wound up to sleep. My mind was flooded with everything. It wasn't just the death of Will, but the deal between Peyton and Mark, not being able to goof off with my best friend, the thing between my aunt and Charlie. Whatever the thing was. I was happy that she had someone to talk to, someone who had led a sheltered life. He hadn't been held prisoner, but he didn't get out around people until a few years back. The past few months he'd really started becoming a part of the community. He was super smart. I remembered Peyton telling me he was homeschooled. I didn't think Mr. Spidey was much of a genius, but Charlie was book smart like a genius. Every week he amazed us more with the stuff he knew.

  I reached over and turned out the lamp on the bedside table. I wished Charlie could be psychic and tell us what exactly had happened to Will. It would save us all a bunch of frustration.

  CHAPTER 4

  The next morning, I headed to the park. John and I were given a lot of leeway in this investigation, but the sheriff's office
still kept most of the control of the case. I was getting better at snooping into things, so I decided to go look around. I didn't have any real powers of intuition or anything like that, but once in a while, I'd get a tingle that worked its way up my spine. Sometimes it panned out, sometimes it didn't.

  I stood at the railing trying to work up the nerve to look down. The body wouldn't be there since it was at the coroner's office, but I'd still see the vision in my head and know that it's the place Will took his last breath.

  Baxter flew in and landed on the rail. "How did you know I was here?"

  He squawked and cocked his head sideways looking at me.

  "I don't want to look down," I told him. "I know I have to, but it's hard."

  He hopped down from the railing to the edge of the sidewalk and began pecking in the dirt.

  So much for moral support from a bird, I thought. My hands gripped the railing. I felt my chest tighten and my stomach began to churn as I slowly tilted my head to look down and stared at the spot where Will's body had lain.

  Jake and I were supposed to make the climb around those rocks this weekend. I wasn't sure I could bring myself to do it now. My eyes were drawn to the blood that was still on the rocks. It had been dried by yesterday's sun, but it was still visible. I don't know how long I stood there just looking at it when it occurred to me something wasn't right. I leaned forward a bit, with my hands still gripping the metal bar of the rail, and looked straight down from the side of the ledge. I looked back to where his body had been. If he had fallen he would have landed close to the rock wall, but the body had been several feet out on the ledge-like outcropping of dirt and rocks. I focused my eyes but didn't see any blood marks that looked like he'd crawled to the spot where he was found.