by Lyndsey Cole
Ryan gently put his arm around Lily and pried the gun from her hand. “What happened?”
Lily’s whole body relaxed. “The short version? Kristy is the murderer.”
Ryan handcuffed Kristy and put her in the back of the police car. Detective Adam May pulled up with gravel flying every which way. Iris rushed to Lily and Daisy, hugging them and patting Rosie.
Iris was the first to start with the frantic questions. “What happened? Are you alright? Is Kristy the murderer? Did Rosie come to your rescue again?”
Lily laughed. “Slow down, Mom. We’re alright.” She hugged Rosie, burying her face in Rosie’s fur so the others couldn’t see her tears of relief. “Rosie did save my life again. I’m the luckiest person alive. Myself, and Daisy that is.”
Walter drove in, eyes wide, wondering what all the commotion was. He got out of his car and rushed to Iris. “Why are the police here?”
Iris gently took Walter’s arm and led him away from everyone to explain about Kristy being arrested. They saw Gwen struggling to get to her feet and went to help her walk into the house.
Ryan took Lily and Daisy, accompanied by Rosie, to the station to get their statements. As they walked down the hall, Lily saw Kristy through the glass of a locked room, her head hanging. Rosie’s fur bristled and she growled when she caught Kristy’s scent. “It’s okay Rosie, she won’t be able to hurt me know.” Lily couldn’t help but feel sorry for her, such a misguided individual. Noah Lyman’s thrillers must have become Kristy’s reality in her attempt to get close to the father she never knew except on the pages of his books.
After their trip to the station, Ryan dropped Lily and Daisy off at the Lyman Estate where Iris was waiting. Walter and Iris were sitting in the sunroom. He was still shocked that Kristy had gone to that extreme to save the library. “Gwen should never have kept the secret of Kristy’s father’s identity. It just became all-consuming in her mind. Such a tragedy for everyone. Especially for Gwen. Kristy meant everything to her.”
Iris stood up. “Will you be alright here alone?”
“Yes. I think some alone time is exactly what I need at the moment.”
They all turned when they heard running in the hallway. Nicole burst into the sunroom. “What did I miss? Julius called me to say he heard our address come over the scanner.”
Walter patted the cushion next to where he was sitting. “Come over here, dear.” He waited for Nicole to get comfy. “Lily solved the mystery of Harriet’s murderer. It was Kristy.”
“Kristy?” She whispered in disbelief. “Why?”
“It’s a long sad story. I’ll fill you in, but first let me walk my friends to the door.”
Walter hugged each of the Blooms and thanked them. Lily noticed that Iris got the longest and tightest hug. “Please come visit. This big old place needs more people.” He looked around. “Where’s that wonderful dog of yours, Lily?”
“She’s in the car. I didn’t know if you allowed dogs inside.”
Walter laughed. “Ya know? I think that’s just what this place needs. Maybe you can help me find a good companion.”
Lily smiled from ear to ear. “I’d love to. I was telling Rosie how wonderful it would be to see dogs running and playing on your beautiful lawns.”
Iris added, “And pooping. Don’t forget that. Someone has to clean it up.”
Everyone laughed.
***
The three women and Rosie stopped at Iris’s house to get Poppy, then they went to Lily’s house. A tall glass of cold iced tea and a big piece of strawberry cheesecake was just what the doctor ordered. Or at least that’s what Iris insisted they have, and there were no complaints. Rosie and Poppy played in the backyard. All seemed quiet and back to a nice order.
Lily’s eyes were half closed as she soaked in the sunshine. “Daisy. What did you find on the flash drive?”
“I skimmed all the titles and one seemed odd—The Mystery Dad. When I opened that file, it wasn’t a book, it was a copy of a letter from the adoption agency. After Gwen adopted Kristy, she used her lawyer skills to find out information that most people wouldn’t have discovered. She learned that Noah Lyman had an affair and the woman got pregnant and had a baby. That baby was Kristy. The mother died and Noah wanted nothing to do with the baby. He provided some financial support anonymously through the agency in exchange for keeping the secret. For some reason, Gwen thought it best for Kristy to continue to keep the secret. It made me worry that whoever was keeping that secret might be the murderer and that meant Gwen or Kristy. I decided to go to the Lyman Estate to see what was taking you so long. Probably a dumb idea now that I think about it but I also called Ryan and left a message telling him that you were at the Lyman Estate, maybe in danger.”
“I can’t believe it was Kristy all along. Gwen must have thought we figured out something or saw something when we found Harriet’s body. She must have figured out that it was Kristy and thought she could take the blame and save her daughter. After I gave my statement, Ryan told me Kristy was babbling in the police station about how she thought she could scare me off by vandalizing my car and she was the one that tampered with Daisy’s gas line.”
“What about the manuscripts?”
“Kristy stole them. She believed she could act out one of her father’s mysteries and get away with murder.” Lily looked at the others. “She almost did, too. Without that flash drive she might have gotten away with murder. Just like Noah Lyman’s book she was copying, Dying for a View. Or if we hadn’t discovered the ice bowl was the murder weapon, the wrong person might have ended up in jail. I wonder if Kristy would have actually let Gwen take the blame.”
Daisy murmured, “We’ll never know the answer to that one.”
They listened to the birds and let the warm sun beat down on them.
Lily broke the silence. “Ryan said he had something to show me after work today. I wonder what it is.”
“Any idea? You’re better than most at figuring out mysteries,” Daisy said.
“Not really. He gave me a clue though—something he has and I don’t.”
Iris and Daisy howled with laughter. “I bet that hot cop of yours has something he’d like to show you. Is that what you two were talking about at the shop this morning? When your face was as red as the strawberries on this cheesecake?”
“He said it wasn’t what you’re thinking. I hope he still has time to stop by. I’m dying of curiosity.”
A sexy voice surprised them all. “Dying of curiosity for what, my beautiful bloom? What I have to show you?”
They all blushed, not realizing that Ryan had been standing behind them listening to their conversation.
“Close your eyes and don’t turn around until I’m ready.”
The laughter was getting out of control. Even Rosie and Poppy came over to see what was going on.
“I hope it’s not a disappointment, girls. I’m ready. You can turn around now.”
Lily was the quickest to turn around. A huge smile covered her face when she saw Ryan holding a brand new mountain bike. “I thought we could go biking along the river trail soon, like maybe on Sunday when we have the day off.” He smiled at her. “Or were you hoping for something else?”
She ran over and hugged him. “That sounds like the perfect plan.” Then she whispered so only Ryan could hear, “Not to say there isn’t room for something else too.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lyndsey Cole lives in New England in a small rural town with her husband, dogs, cats and chickens. She has plenty of space to grow lots of beautiful perennials. Sitting in the garden with the scent of lilac, peonies, lily of the valley or whatever is in bloom, stimulates her imagination about mysteries and romance.
ONE LAST THING …
If you enjoyed this installment of Lily Bloom Cozy Mystery Series, be sure to join my FREE COZY MYSTERY BOOK CLUB! Be in the know for new releases, promotions, sales, and the possibility to receive advanced reader copies. Join the club here—http://Lyn
dseyColeBooks.com
OTHER BOOKS BY LYNDSEY COLE
Begonia Means Beware
Queen of Poison
Roses are Dead
Hidden by the Hydrangeas
Christmas Tree Catastrophe