by Josh Lanyon
“I know.”
He said with unexpected seriousness, “When I heard that call come across the radio…those were a rough ten minutes. I didn’t think we’d make it in time.”
Neither had Ellery. In fact, he had not expected rescue, had not expected help. There was another lesson in there.
“Aw, shucks,” Ellery said. “I’m going to start thinking you care.”
“Nah,” Carson said. “I just don’t want to lose the only real bookstore in town. Where am I going to buy my copy of the Scuttlebutt Weekly?”
Ellery snorted. “Funny.”
Carson grinned. He lifted his beer in a quick salute. When he lowered his mug, he said quietly, “Kidding aside, you should have let me know what you were thinking. You nearly died.”
“I planned on it. I didn’t realize Trevor had decided I had an expiration date. And…”
“And?”
“There was the whole distance thing.”
“Distance thing?” Carson looked blank.
“Between us,” Ellery reminded him. “You were worried about appearances and compromising your position.”
Carson blinked. “It wasn’t quite like that. And even if I had meant that, you must know I didn’t mean you couldn’t come to me for help.”
“I’m the self-reliant type,” Ellery said. He was kidding, but it was true. Not always smart, but true.
“Anyway, the investigation is over, so the Distance Time Speed formula no longer applies.”
“No?”
“No.”
“Honestly,” Ellery said. “I didn’t think you liked me much. Anytime I caught your eye in here you were always watching me, like you didn’t trust me.”
Carson gave him a funny smile. “It wasn’t that. You were just very…watchable.” He added gravely, “I used to really enjoy those toothpaste commercials.”
Ellery groaned and then laughed.
Carson laughed too.
Ellery shrugged. “I guess the only remaining mystery is who sent me that poison pen letter.”
“I’m sorry to say I don’t have the answer to that one.” Carson tilted his head, studying him. “That’s not the only mystery though.”
“No?”
“No.”
Carson’s smile was quizzical, and once again, Ellery felt that unexpected warmth in his chest. He asked very innocently, “What mysteries remain, Chief?”
“You’re not going to make this easy, are you?”
Ellery studied him back. He smiled. “Nope.”
Coming Soon
Secret at Skull House
Ellery Page is back—and poking his elegant nose into trouble again!
Unlike everyone else in Pirate’s Cove, Ellery Page, aspiring screenwriter, reigning Scrabble champion, and occasionally clueless owner of the village’s only mystery bookstore, is anything but thrilled when famed horror author Brandon Abbott announces he’s purchased legendary Skull House and plans to live there permanently.
Ellery and Brandon have history. Their relationship ended badly, and the last thing Ellery wants is a chance to patch things up—especially when his relationship with Police Chief Jack Carson is just getting interesting. But then, maybe Brandon isn’t all that interested in getting back together either, because he seems a lot more interested in asking questions about the bloodstained past of his new home than discussing a possible future with Ellery. What is Brandon really up to?
Ellery will have to unscramble that particular puzzle posthaste. Because after his former flame disappears following their loud and public argument, Ellery seems to be Police Chief Carson’s first—and only—suspect.
Buy Now
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Dear Reader,
Welcome to Pirate’s Cove, where dark secrets lie buried in pretty window boxes and the cobbled streets run red with blood. JUST KIDDING. Murder at Pirate’s Cove is the first book in the new M/M cozy mystery series Secrets and Scrabble. As with all cozy mysteries, there is no on-screen violence or sex, and the cursing must be minimal, damn it. There are no politics in this world. According to the rules of the game (by game, I mean the cozy genre not Scrabble) the stories are quick, light, and fun. While there may be (and there is) a romantic subplot, these stories are first and foremost mysteries. This may not be your cup of tea, but in these trying times, I find myself turning more and more often to the reassuring comfort of frequent murder in a world where justice always prevails and good will triumph.
The stories are set on fictional Buck Island. The character of Watson is based on my own newly adopted pup Spenser (formerly known as Watson).
Thank you to Keren. You are a lifesaver. Thank you to Kevin. You’re not so bad yourself.
(As always, make sure you’ve downloaded the most up-to-date version of this book because in fiction, as in real life, things have a way of changing!)
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About the Author
Author of over sixty titles of classic Male/Male fiction featuring twisty mystery, kickass adventure, and unapologetic man-on-man romance, JOSH LANYON’S work has been translated into eleven languages. Her FBI thriller Fair Game was the first Male/Male title to be published by Harlequin Mondadori, then the largest romance publisher in Italy. Stranger on the Shore (Harper Collins Italia) was the first M/M title to be published in print. In 2016 Fatal Shadows placed #5 in Japan’s annual Boy Love novel list (the first and only title by a foreign author to place on the list). The Adrien English series was awarded the All Time Favorite Couple by the Goodreads M/M Romance Group. In 2019, Fatal Shadows became the first LGBTQ mobile game created by Moments: Choose Your Story.
She is an Eppie Award winner, a four-time Lambda Literary Award finalist (twice for Gay Mystery), an Edgar nominee, and the first ever recipient of the Goodreads All Time Favorite M/M Author award.
Josh is married and lives in Southern California.
Find other Josh Lanyon titles at www.joshlanyon.com
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If you enjoyed this story, try these digital titles by Josh Lanyon:
Novels
The ADRIEN ENGLISH Mysteries
Fatal Shadows
A Dangerous Thing
The Hell You Say
Death of a Pirate King
The Dark Tide
Stranger Things Have Happened
So This is Christmas
The HOLMES & MORIARITY Mysteries
Somebody Killed His Editor
All She Wrote
The Boy with the Painful Tattoo
In Other Words…Murder
The ALL’S FAIR Trilogy
Fair Game
Fair Play
Fair Chance
The ART OF MURDER series
The Mermaid Murders
The Monet Murders
The Magician Murders
The Monuments Murders
BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS
Mainly by Moonlight
I Buried a Witch
Other novels
This Rough Magic (A SHOT IN THE DARK Series)
The Ghost Wore Yellow Socks
Mexican Heat (with Laura Baumbach)
Strange Fortune
Come Unto These Yellow Sands
Stranger on the Shore
Winter Kill
Jefferson Blythe, Esquire
Murder in Pastel
The Curse of the Blue Scarab
The Ghost Had an Early Check-out
Murder Takes the High Road
Séance on a Summer’s Night
Novellas
The DANGEROUS GROUND Series
Dangerous Ground
Old Poison
Blood Heat
Dead Run
Kick Start
Blind Side
Other novellas
Cards on the Table
The Da
rk Farewell
The Dark Horse
The Darkling Thrush
The Dickens with Love
I Spy Something Bloody
I Spy Something Wicked
I Spy Something Christmas
In a Dark Wood
The Parting Glass
Snowball in Hell
Mummy Dearest
Don’t Look Back
A Ghost of a Chance
Lovers and Other Strangers
Out of the Blue
A Vintage Affair
Lone Star (in Men Under the Mistletoe)
Green Glass Beads (in Irregulars)
Blood Red Butterfly
Everything I Know
Baby, It’s Cold (in Comfort and Joy)
A Case of Christmas
Murder Between the Pages
Slay Ride
Stranger in the House
Short stories
A Limited Engagement
The French Have a Word for It
In Sunshine or In Shadow
Until We Meet Once More
Icecapade (in His for the Holidays)
Perfect Day
Heart Trouble
Other People’s Weddings (Petit Mort)
Slings and Arrows (Petit Mort)
Sort of Stranger Than Fiction (Petit Mort)
Critic’s Choice (Petit Mort)
Just Desserts (Petit Mort)
In Plain Sight
Wedding Favors
Wizard’s Moon
Fade to Black
Night Watch
Plenty of Fish
Halloween is Murder
The Boy Next Door
Collections
Short Stories (Vol. 1)
Sweet Spot (the Petit Morts)
Merry Christmas, Darling (Holiday Codas)
Christmas Waltz (Holiday Codas 2)
I Spy…Three Novellas
Point Blank (Five Dangerous Ground Novellas)
Dark Horse, White Knight (Two Novellas)
The Adrien English Mysteries Box Set (Three Novels)
The Adrien English Mysteries Box Set 2
Male/Male Mystery & Suspense Box Set
Partners in Crime (Three Classic Gay Mystery Novels)
All’s Fair Complete Collection
MURDER AT PIRATE’S COVE (Secrets and Scrabble Book 1)
February 2020
Copyright (c) 2020 by Josh Lanyon
Edited by Keren Reed
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from JustJoshin Publishing, Inc.
978-1-945802-61-4
Published in the United States of America
JustJoshin Publishing, Inc.
3053 Rancho Vista Blvd.
Suite 116
Palmdale, CA 93551
www.joshlanyon.com
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.