by Lynn Cahoon
From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lynn Cahoon’s Tourist Trap series, Jill Gardner has left her book-and-coffee shop behind to spend Thanksgiving week in coastal Oregon. But before the feast can start, foul play interrupts their vacation . . .
When Jill and Greg join another couple, Blake Jennings and Kathi Corbin, for a weeklong camping trip, Jill is delighted to have a few days to take in the beauty around them before they dive into the Thanksgiving holiday. When the foursome take the off-road vehicles out on the dunes for a local adventure, they find an unexpected treasure—a ring attached to the hand of its prior owner. Can Jill and Greg solve the mystery before they join the woman buried in the shifting sands?
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Also by Lynn Cahoon
The Tourist Trap Mysteries
Killer Party
Hospitality and Homicide
Tea Cups and Carnage
Murder on Wheels
Killer Run
Dressed to Kill
If the Shoe Kills
Mission to Murder
Guidebook to Murder
Novellas:
A Very Mummy Holiday
Mother’s Day Mayhem
Corned Beef and Casualties
Santa Puppy
A Deadly Brew
Rockets’ Dead Glare
The Farm-to-Fork Mysteries
One Potato, Two Potato, Dead
Killer Green Tomatoes
Who Moved My Goat Cheese?
The Cat Latimer Mysteries
Slay in Character
Of Murder and Men
Fatality by Firelight
A Story to Kill
Sconed to Death
A Very Mummy Holiday
A Tourist Trap Novella
Lynn Cahoon
LYRICAL UNDERGROUND
Kensington Publishing Corp.
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Copyright © 2019 by Lynn Cahoon
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First Electronic Edition: October 2019
eISBN-13: 978-1-5161-0938-8
eISBN-10: 1-5161-0938-4
Contents
Also by Lynn Cahoon
A Very Mummy Holiday
Contents
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Recipe
Meet the Author
Preview
Chapter 1
Love Lynn Cahoon?
Guidebook to Murder
Who Moved My Goat Cheese
A Story to Kill
Dedication
To John and the rest of the side by side crew. Thanks for inviting us out to spend Thanksgiving with you.
Acknowledgments
Bringing you, the reader, along on my adventures takes a lot of thought into the story while I’m playing with my husband and friends. I may be looking like I’m having fun, but inside? I’m probably planning a murder. Or at least a fictional one. Thanks to the Kensington crew and my agent, Jill Marsal, for all the support.
Chapter 1
I stood on the cabin’s porch and looked out into the wooded area surrounding the lodging we’d be calling home for the next week. Emma sat at attention by my side, watching the chipmunks by the firepit. The smell of pines filled the air. The Oregon Coast reminded me of home but with a forest next door. Today we would be playing on the sand dunes. We’d arrived late last night in the dark so I hadn’t been able to take in the absolute stillness and beauty of the area. Until now.
The so-called cabin Blake Jennings and Kathi Corbin, South Cove’s newest couple, had rented for the week was more like a lodge but I wasn’t complaining. By the time Thanksgiving arrived in a few days, all the bedrooms would be filled with people. Aunt Jackie and Harrold were driving up and would be here Wednesday night. Amy and Justin would be here for dinner on Thursday and staying through the weekend to play. My friends and family were driving eleven plus hours to put on Thanksgiving with me this year. I hoped the change in venue didn’t change the essence of the day. I loved the holiday, especially since it was centered around food.
What can I say, I’m addicted to food. I probably should introduce myself. I’m Jill Gardner, and typically, I say I own and manage Coffee, Books, and More in South Cove, California. South Cove is a little tourist town on the central coast. We cater to large tour buses as well as the family day at the beach. But today, I was a few miles south of Reedsport, Oregon, and getting ready to ride the sand dunes with my boyfriend, Greg King.
As if I’d called him by thinking about him, Greg circled his arms around me, nuzzling my neck.
I smelled the coffee before I saw the mug he held in front of me.
“I come bearing gifts,” he whispered.
I took the mug and set it on the railing. Then I returned to his embrace to kiss him. “You read my mind. I was just about to go in and grab some. It’s chilly this morning.”
“We’re not in California.” Greg had his own travel cup and he sat it next to my mug. His blue eyes were bright with excitement. To me, his sandy hair made him look like a surfer dude, but here, dressed in a flannel shirt and jeans, he took on the role of woodsman. The guy was a chameleon. “Look at the way the fog settles in the trees. This could just be heaven. Do you want to retire here and build a cabin?”
Retirement was a long way away. I’d always thought when the time came, I’d go south, not north, but that was before I was part of a couple. Still, it was pretty here. I gave him a totally solid response. “Maybe.”
“Way to commit.” Greg took his coffee and pulled a couple of rockers closer to the railing. “Come sit with me. I want to test out the fantasy.”
“I think you want to retire near the sand dunes so you can sneak in a daily ride.” I grabbed my mug and went to sit with him. Emma moved too, but she didn’t lie down like she normally did. All the nerves in her body were on high alert. “I can’t tell if Emma likes it or not, but she’s definitely interested.”
“She’s smelling the different animals around the cabin. Blake said they saw a deer just down the path on Friday. He and Kathi have been here since Wednesday because he had a gig in Portland last weekend.”
The newest couple in South Cove, Blake and Kathi, were also a long-d
istance couple most of the time. They’d met and fell in love in South Cove. Then Blake’s singing career had taken off. He was gone most weekends. Since Kathi’s shop, Tea Hee, was just across from my coffeeshop/bookstore, I often saw him show up during the week. Making a relationship took work and compromise, even if you were in the same city. Which was one of the reason I’d said yes to the Thanksgiving trip to this remote cabin.
Pulling my hoodie closer, I sipped my coffee for warmth. There had been frost on the ground and on the porch when I’d first come outside. Now, the sun was melting it away. My dark curly hair was feeling the humidity, just like at home. I’d run some product through it when I got ready for the day and let it do its thing. We were camping. “Is anyone else awake?”
“Nope. It’s still early.” Greg looked at his watch. “Do you and Emma want to take a ride to the beach? Blake showed me the trail last night before we crashed.”
“Might as well.” I’d been hoping for an hour or two to read before the day’s activities started, but like I said, compromise.
“You don’t have to sound so excited about it.” He pulled me out of my chair. “Let’s go grab you a travel mug and a cookie or two to take with us. I’ll get your blood sugar up and you’ll be fine.”
“I can’t believe I’m up this early on vacation. What is it, five?” I followed him back into the cabin.
“Six.” He looked at my feet. “Change into tennis shoes and layer up. By the time we hit the beach, it might start getting warm.”
I headed upstairs to our room and changed out of my yoga pants, redressing in jeans and a heavier hoodie. And Greg wondered why I’d brought two suitcases of clothes. I’d had no idea what I’d need for November in Oregon. If it snowed, I was ready. I even had both boots and a parka, just in case.
By the time I got back down, Greg and Emma had already left the cabin for the barn. I grabbed a cookie from the box on the counter. I’d brought a backpack so I stashed a couple of bottles of water, a plastic bowl and a couple of plastic bags inside. As an afterthought, I added two apples. Just in case the ride went long.
Greg stood outside the barn at the left of the cabin. A four-seater side by side off-road vehicle sat warming up in front of the barn. Emma sat in the back seat. The side by side was a cross between an off-road Jeep and an ATV. Two helmets sat on the front seats. Greg strapped a cooler in the rear cargo area.
He finished and grinned at me. “First one up gets their choice of rigs. Isn’t this one sweet? I think I need to get the council to buy a few of these for policing South Cove. We couldn’t outrun a suspect in a vehicle, but it would be way easier to move around during the festivals when the streets are closed. And it would be awesome for patrolling the beach.”
“Good luck with that. I’m sure Mayor Baylor won’t be on board.” I smiled at his excitement. He was like a little boy who’d just received a new toy. I was more hesitant about riding. This was my second time in one of these and I hoped I could relax more than I had the first trip. I strapped the backpack to the floor of the back seat and made sure the zippers were all closed. I didn’t need a water bottle flying out when we were climbing a dune.
Then I went over to the passenger side, seat belted in and put on the helmet. Greg snapped a picture of me on his phone. Then one of Emma. Then one of the side by side. The guy was ecstatic. He climbed in and took one more picture, a selfie with all three of us in the picture. My dog was even smiling.
He got ready and turned to me. His lips moved, then he grinned.
I gave him a thumbs-up. I wasn’t sure what he’d said through the helmet and the engine noise.
We took a narrow dirt road that dipped down the side of the mountain. The scenery took my breath away. It felt like we were driving through the fog at times, then it would clear and I could see the ocean in the distance. I felt Greg’s hand on my arm and turned his way. On the side of the road just up the hill from the trail stood five deer. Their soft faces watched us, showing interest, not fear as we drove past. Chipmunks scurried from the road when they heard the vehicle approach. And I heard the call of a bird. Scanning the sky, I found the source. Either a hawk or an eagle, I couldn’t tell, but this place was amazing.
We drove for another ten minutes, then the trail dipped through an underpass. The fog cleared like it had been turned off with a switch and we were on the beach. Greg drove closer to the water’s edge. Emma barked and I reached back to grab her leash before she could nose dive out of the moving side by side and go running.
Greg pulled the vehicle to a stop and took off his helmet. He climbed out and grabbed Emma’s leash from me and his coffee from the cup holder. Now that I had two hands, I took off my helmet and got out. Before I grabbed my coffee to follow him, I snapped some pictures on my phone. This place was crazy beautiful.
When I was a kid, I had wanted to go to college back east at some Ivy League school. Live in the dorms, walk to class, pledge some sorority. Instead my bank account kept me closer to home, especially after I won an in-state scholarship. To this day, I didn’t know if I would have liked the other side of the country, but I knew that I needed my beach fix like I needed coffee in the morning.
With my coffee in hand, I wandered over to catch up with Greg and Emma. She wanted off the leash to run, and after checking to make sure we were alone, I leaned down and unhooked her. “Emma, stay close.”
I leaned into Greg as we watched my dog playing in the sand.
Greg chuckled. “Do you really think she’ll listen?”
“I know she will. You’re going to laugh, but Emma understands a lot of words and phrases. Stay close is one we’ve been working on for a while.” I picked up a perfect shell and slipped it into my pocket.
“Don’t you have a ton of those at home?” Greg pushed a wayward strand of hair out of my eyes.
“I don’t have one from this beach, no.” We’d had this conversation many times before, but I always won. At least in my perspective.
By the time we got back to the cabin, visitors sat on the porch. Blake and Kathi were awake and talking with an older couple. Blake stood to greet us as we walked toward the gathering. Emma loved meeting new people. Since she was still wet from her run in the surf, Greg linked her collar to a yard stake that would let her come close to the porch, but not on it. She ran to her water and food bowls so I refilled the water dish with one of the bottles I had in my backpack.
“You two didn’t waste any time.” Blake grinned as Greg walked up the stairs. “I told you this was the best of both worlds, didn’t I?”
“You weren’t lying.” Greg slapped Blake on the shoulder then held his hand up to help me up the stairs. “Jill even enjoyed the ride, this time. Seeing all the wildlife around helped.”
“We saw five deer.” I added details to his story. “Good morning, Kathi.”
Kathi looked like she always did. Perfect and ready to walk the runway. Did I mention she used to be a Texas beauty queen before she opened her all things tea shop next door to my coffee place in South Cove?
“Well, don’t you look cute this morning. Isn’t this place just the bomb?” Kathi smiled as she turned to our guests. “Greg, Jill, these are the owners of the resort, Hilda and Nate Woods. They were just telling us that they’ve lived here for over thirty years.”
“Nice to meet you.” I studied the couple as we made our introductions. “It’s a lovely place. Do you have a house nearby?”
“There are two other cabins on the forty acres. My son lives in the one farther up the mountain. He built a few years ago when, well…” Nate shifted uncomfortably and turned his gaze to Hilda.
“Caleb was about to be married, so he built his fiancée, Dania, a house. When she left, he was heartbroken.” Hilda took her husband’s hand. “I’m only telling you this because Caleb can be a little moody, so if you see him around, don’t be scared.”
That was an odd thing to
say about their own child, and my gaze met Greg’s. He’d heard the same inflection, but shook his head slightly which was code for Leave It Alone, Jill.
“That’s such a sad story.” Kathi picked up the conversation. “We’ll be sure to be thoughtful of his pain. How long ago did this happen?”
“Last Christmas. He had invited us all up to their cabin for a big reveal. I think they were moving up the wedding.” Hilda smiled at the memory and reached out for Kathi’s hand. “Dania was such a sweet girl. She looked a lot like you, so bright and happy.”
“Now, Hilda, let’s not ruin our guests’ holiday with our troubles.” Nate stood and held his hand out for his wife’s. “We’ll be going, but if you need anything, just take the trail to the place where it splits. If you turn left, you’ll go down to the beach. Right will take you to our house. Just don’t follow the second right. That will take you up the hill.”
And to Caleb’s house, I added silently. When even your parents held you at arm’s length, there was something wrong.
After the couple had left, Blake sighed and sat back into his rocker. “I went to school with Caleb and Dania. He was head over heels the first time he met her. But he wanted to have a start in life before they married. She went to college and he went to the army. I hate that something happened between them to make her run away.”
“Sometimes women don’t realize what they want before it’s too late.” Kathi touched Blake’s shoulder. “And some women can’t say what they feel directly.”
“So you’re saying there’s a chance if we get engaged you’d be the runaway bride?” Blake took her hand in his.
“No way buddy. You’re stuck with me. When you finally get the guts to ask me to be your one and forever wife, you better hold on because I’m going to get that deal sealed as soon as I can.” Kathi giggled as Blake leaned over to kiss her.
“I hate to break up such a touching moment. But dude, let’s get some breakfast so we can get out on the dunes. It was crazy out there this morning.” Greg pulled me closer.