by K P Stafford
The door suddenly flew open. Mark reached out, grabbed my arm and yanked me inside. Peyton and Paisley were sitting on the couch next to each other, fear in their eyes.
"Look, honey, it's your nosy friend who hangs out with cops!" Mark said as he slung me into the room. He looked at me, his eyes raging and full of hate. "Go sit with your whiny friend while I decide what to do with all of you."
I sat down on the couch beside Paisley. Peyton reached over and grabbed my hand. Tears formed in her eyes as she whispered, "I'm so sorry."
"It's okay," I said, squeezing her hand.
"Would you two shut up? I'm tired of hearing the both of you and all your girl yakking garbage."
I looked up at Mark, "Just so you know, my cop friends know where I'm at. It won't be long before they come looking for me."
He let out a laugh. "Let them come. You won't be here."
I swallowed hard, "Where will I be?"
Mark walked over and grabbed Paisley by the arm, yanking her to her feet. "Well, we're all going for a little ride. The two of you are going to walk in front of me and the kid. It's going to look like we're headed out on our trip."
Peyton and I stood up, grabbed our purses and did as he said.
I drove us all down towards the abandoned cove. As we walked out of the woods toward the beach I saw the blue and white boat I'd seen earlier when Jake and I were at the factory across the small bay. I looked towards the factory and wished someone was there now and could see what was happening.
Mark loaded us all into the boat and informed me I'd be driving the thing for a little while. He didn't say, but I guessed once we got far enough away from shore he'd throw the three of us overboard.
CHAPTER 20
Mark barked out orders for everyone to sit down and shut up. I looked at him, "Why are you doing this? Why don't you just take the boat and leave? You don't need us."
He waved the gun around towards me, "That's where you're wrong. Too many people are on to me and you're all insurance."
"They're on to you about what?" As soon as I asked the question I knew the answer. "You killed Will, didn't you?"
"I did. The guy wanted to rat me out and ruin my whole plan."
"What plan is that?"
He looked at Peyton. "To get her money and head to Canada so I could be free. I should already be there, but she's a stubborn one and wouldn't buy into my happy family act like I wanted her to."
"How can you do this to your little girl? This is no way to treat your child."
"The kid ain't mine."
Peyton stood up and stared at him. "She is your child. You were the only person I had been with back then."
Mark laughed. "I guessed you were one of those goody-goody girls. I was right. I bet Mark was proud when he scored with you."
Peyton sat back down and cuddled Paisley into her arms, confusion swept over her face. She looked up him, "Who are you?"
"Names Robert Nash. I was in the pen with Mark, we were roommates and he told me all about you. He was up for parole and had planned to come back here and take you for your money himself, but I made sure that didn't happen." He turned and looked at me, "That's enough small talk, you get this thing moving or someone is getting hurt." He waved the gun towards Peyton and Paisley. I turned around and started the engine. It hummed as it came to life. I had hoped it was one of the boats with the louder engines so someone might hear it and take notice of the situation.
Paisley had been sobbing, trying to remain quiet, but the situation was too hard for her. As soon as she heard what this man had done to her real father she started crying louder. Mark jerked her up and told her to shut up. Peyton jumped up but he pushed her back down onto the seat. He turned to me and told me to get moving. The look in his eyes told me he was starting to come uncorked. He was like a madman. Paisley kept crying. He picked her up and threw her overboard as I slowly maneuvered the boat out of the little cove. He pointed the gun at Peyton and told me to get moving fast or she was next.
I stood there for a moment. I couldn't let Paisley drown and I couldn't let him shoot my best friend. Movement to my right caught my attention on the bank. Luckily Mark was facing me and didn't see the person slipping into the water. I turned, grabbed the throttle and kicked the boat into a high speed.
"Lexi, NO!" Peyton screamed as she tried to get to me, "We can't leave my baby in the water. My god!" Mark grabbed her but she was fighting for all she was worth. In one swift movement, he threw her into the bottom of the boat.
I got as far away from the bank as fast as the boat would go. He didn't need to see Charlie in the water. I knew he'd kill him and possibly Paisley too.
Peyton was sobbing hysterically. Mark became more infuriated. "My god woman, would you shut that bawling up!" He screamed at her as he popped her on the side of the head with the butt of his pistol. I cringed at the sight of seeing Peyton abused. I decided it was time to make my move. I pushed the lever down to stop the boat and turned to face Mark and Peyton. He pointed the gun at me, "What the hell are you doing?"
"I'm not going to let you do this."
"Yeah? What are you going to do about it?"
Jake had been working with me on some self-defense moves. At this point, I wished I'd taken those classes like he suggested. I wasn't very good but decided now was the real test of whether or not I could do a spin-kick properly. I pulled my hands up like I was ready to fight him.
He laughed at me. "You think those puny little fists are a match for this .357? You women in this town are stupid." He extended his arm and pointed the gun towards me. Hopefully, I was close enough to do what I needed to do.
I didn't think, I twirled around, brought my leg up and caught his outstretched arm, knocking the gun into the water. Lucky move, I thought to myself, as he plunged towards me and tackled me down. The blows to my face hurt like nothing I'd ever experienced. My vision turned redder with each punch.
I could hear Peyton moving around. Suddenly she yelled, "You animal!" He looked around about the time she brought the fire extinguisher down and caught him across the face with it. He fell over sideways off of me. Peyton and I both grabbed him and rolled him up over the edge of the boat.
I wobbled my way back to the steering wheel. Dizziness washed over me from the multiple times Mark had hit me in the head. As soon as my vision started to clear, I hit the lever and took off before he could climb back in the boat. I made a big sweeping circle and headed back to the shore. Peyton was in the front of the boat, scanning the water for Paisley. She turned her head toward me so I could hear her, "I don't see her Lexi. Oh, my god, she's gone."
I scanned the shoreline and saw Charlie rocking Paisley in his arms. "Charlie has her," I yelled out over the sound of the engine. "Look on the shore."
Peyton looked back at me again. I pointed in the direction of the two people on the bank. Peyton let out a sigh and pulled her hands up to her chest, relief washed over her face.
As soon I had the boat close enough, Peyton jumped out over the edge and took off towards Paisley and Charlie. "Thank god Charlie. Is she okay?" She yelled out.
Charlie shook his head yes, "She's fine, just a little shaken up."
Peyton reached them and dropped to her knees and pulled Paisley into a tight embrace. Charlie put his arms around the both of them as they cried together.
My heart was broken for what Peyton had endured lately. I looked at Charlie. He had tears in his eyes as he held onto Paisley and Peyton. He held onto them like Jake held onto me. I knew when Peyton was ready again, Charlie would be there waiting for her and her little girl.
I sat down on the sand beside them. Charlie had used his cell phone to report what was happening. I looked out into the ocean as a Coast Guard boat pulled Robert Nash out of the water. I couldn't tell if he was alive and I didn't care. He'd put my best friend through months of hell and had probably traumatized Paisley. He had shaken me to the core too. I'd never been so scared in all my life. Staring down the barrel of a gun mak
es you stop and think about life, what's important. Family has been the most important thing to me. Peyton is my family even if we aren't blood-related. I thought about Jake the whole time I feared for my life. It was time to let him in and stop arguing with him every time he worried about me. It felt good to have someone care so much.
CHAPTER 21
Two days later Grams cooked a huge dinner for everyone. Instead of a town celebration, she decided we need to have a family celebration. There was a lot to be thankful for. Cryptic Cove was on its way to being normal, whatever normal is in this town. Peyton was almost her bubbly self again. She knew the pains wouldn't go away overnight but she was thankful to be alive. There was still a sadness about her knowing that Paisley's father really was dead. She felt bad about lying to Paisley all those years and vowed to never lie to her again. Paisley was starting to open up again. She headed out to the backyard to feed the rabbits. I think they had missed her as much as everyone else in this house had. We also discovered that she'd seen the ghost of her real dad and that's how she knew Mark wasn't her father. We weren't sure if he appeared to her as a warning or maybe to make up for not being in her life, but she was a resilient little girl and we knew she'd be okay. We also hoped this would be the last time any dead people talked to her.
I watched as everyone sat around the table filling their plates with food. It was good to have a family and have them all under one roof. I watched Grams and John and wondered if he would be my new grandpa one day, but quickly pushed the thought aside. People their age didn't make a habit of getting married.
Mr. Spidey had awoken from his coma and gave Charlie some very interesting news. We were waiting on the DNA results, but it looked like Charlie was my new cousin. My first ever cousin to be exact. Mr. Spidey explained to him that Orvel Haynes had shown up on his doorstep one night, shoved a baby into his arms and swore him to secrecy. He didn't explain anything other than the mother was dead. After we all talked about it, we came to the conclusion that Charlie was the son Aunt Agatha had given birth to. She beamed with happiness and told us all that she knew there was something about Charlie the first time she met him. She finally felt whole again.
I looked around at each of the people in my life. Tears formed in my eyes and I quickly wiped them away. I reached for my glass of wine as Jake stood up and clanked the side of his glass with a fork. All eyes turned to face him. He turned and looked down at me with determination in his eyes. He squatted down in front of me and pulled something out of his pocket. "I was waiting for the perfect moment to do this and I think this is the perfect moment," he said as he looked around at our friends and held up a ring. He looked back at me, "Will you marry me, Alexis Danforth?"
Without any hesitation, I threw my arms around his neck and cried out, "Yes! I will marry you, Jake Donovan."
PART THREE
A NOTE ABOUT BOOK 3
UP UNTIL NOW the series was written in first person. I’ve discovered I don’t like writing in first person. I don’t even like reading it. Due to this, book 3 and all future books in this series will be written in third person.
I hope you don’t mind, but I feel I deliver a better story in third person. Enjoy the next book, Murder & Mockery.
MURDER & MOCKERY
MURDER & MOCKERY
A Cryptic Cove Cozy Mystery - Book 3
Copyright © 2019 by K.P. Stafford
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.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination. Any resemblances to persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.
Published by S&S Publications
Be sure to visit K.P.’s website and get on the reader’s list so you can receive advance notifications, discounts and reader’s only specials.
https://kpstafford.com
CHAPTER 1
A buzzing phone woke Lexi at six in the morning. Her normal wakeup call was from Jake, but since he’d left for California on a late flight the night before, it couldn’t be him, could it? She turned over, grabbed the phone from her nightstand and squinted to see the name. She punched the button to answer. “Jake Donovan, what are you doing?”
“Good morning to you too, beautiful.”
“Good morning, Jake. It’s two in the morning in San Francisco, why are you up and calling me?”
“Long story. Our flight was delayed and the hotel released our rooms so we had to scramble to find a place to stay.”
“Wow, what a horrible way to start the trip. Isn’t your meeting in a couple of hours?”
“Yeah. Is anything going on there?”
Lexi giggled. “You just left last night. There hasn’t been any time for anything to be going on yet.”
“Yeah, but I know how trouble can find you, even in the middle of the night. I just wanted to say I’m sorry I’m going to miss your… what did they call it?”
“They call it a marriage gathering. You’d miss it anyway. Only girls are allowed.”
“What’s it supposed to do?”
“I don’t think it’s supposed to do anything, and I don’t really understand it myself. It’s some old tradition where all the ladies get together and present items to the upcoming bride. That whole something old, something new thing that brides used to get into.”
“I don’t get any of that. Sounds more like a reason for them to get together and gossip.”
A soft chuckle escaped Lexi. “These ladies don’t need a reason to gossip. It’s what they do. Anyway, it’s an old-time tradition. Most people don’t follow it at all anymore, but you know Grams and her friends like to keep things old fashioned. Sometimes I’m surprised they even use telephones, and a computer is almost out of the question.”
“But they are charming and it’s kind of neat that Cryptic Cove isn’t modern like other places. I think that’s part of the appeal, along with a very beautiful woman who lives there and will soon be my wife.”
“Aww, that’s sweet. I should probably get downstairs to help Grams with the party preparations. And you need to get some rest.”
“I know, but I wanted to hear your voice. I miss you already.”
“I miss you too.”
“I should be back within two days. Try to stay out of trouble until then.” Jake said with a chuckle.
Lexi’s face pinched up, “I will do my best, but you know good and well that trouble finds me. I don’t go looking for it.”
“I know, but I like it when you squint your eyes and crinkle your nose at me.”
“I didn’t crinkle my nose.”
“You did. Stop denying it.”
Guilty. “Okay, I did. Are you happy now.”
“I am, but I’ll be happier when you’re my wife.”
Lexi lay in bed a few more minutes, still holding the phone to her chest. She couldn’t remember a time since childhood that she’d been happier. Jake took the time to really know her. Sometimes that was scary, but it was also comforting to know that someone loved her enough to pay attention to all her little quirks, and even found them amusing. She figured she’d drive him nuts before their ten year anniversary, but she’d worry about that then. The wedding date was still pending after months of being engaged, but Jake wanted to have everything ready, in case they decided to seize the moment. She secretly thought he was up to something, but she could never prove it.
Other than the daily gossip train, life in Cryptic Cove was pleasantly quiet and relaxing. She stretched again and rolled out of bed to head to the shower. The town’s gossipers would expect her to be in the office by eight forty-five, although she arrived by eight thirty to relax with a cup of coffee and prepare herself. If they ever found out, they’d start calling earlier.
She placed the cell ph
one on the nightstand as an uneasy feeling crept over her. Life could be too good. Nothing major had happened, but every time she got quiet and let her mind wander or thought about the future, these feelings started creeping in. She chalked it up to wedding jitters. All brides-to-be got these antsy feelings. Nerves, that’s all it was.
* * *
Grams was busy in the kitchen getting cookies and other treats baked when Lexi walked in. A hint of tension was present in the room. Grams was always cheerful, so Lexi could tell something was wrong. She poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the small island in the center of the kitchen—Grams’ workstation, as she called it, a giant block of wood on four legs where she did all her prep work for cooking and baking.
“Morning, Grams.”
Grams stopped long enough from pulling a batch of cookies out of the oven to look at Lexi, “Morning dear. Sleep well?”
“I did, but I get the feeling something is bothering you. Do you want to talk about it?”
Grams placed the cookies on a cooling rack, removed the oven mitt and wiped her hands on her apron before grabbing more eggs to make another batch of cookies. “Oh, it’s nothing.” She looked up at the small opening over the doorway where Baxter perched every morning while she cooked breakfast. The spot was empty. A look of concern crossed her face before she turned to Lexi and let out a short, exasperated breath. “I’m just a little upset about the way the Historical Society meeting went last night.”
“What happened?” Lexi asked as she reached over and grabbed one of the hot cookies from the rack. She blew on it to cool it more quickly before taking a bite.