Mobsters and Lobsters (A Hooked & Cooked Cozy Mystery Series Book 2)

by Lyndsey Cole

  “Perfect,” they both answered in unison.

  “I’ll offer beer at a discount for anyone buying a raffle ticket so that should open the floodgates,” Michael told the others.

  High fives went around the group. “Ready to head home?” Meg asked.

  “You read my mind. I can’t wait to slide under my covers and put this day behind me,” Hannah replied as she followed Meg outside and climbed into the back seat of Meg’s car behind Jack.

  The three rode in a comfortable silence. The car bounced along the uneven dirt road, throwing Hannah back and forth on the seat. One pothole bounced her so high her head hit the ceiling. “Ouch. Slow down Meg.”

  Hannah heard a loud bang and the car lurched sideways and suddenly stopped. Hannah groaned and climbed out to survey the damage. “I can’t believe this happened.” She slammed her hand on the side of the car.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll have this fixed in just a few minutes,” Meg told Hannah as she opened the trunk and lifted out the spare tire. “Uh oh. This isn’t a good sign.” They all stared at the flat spare.

  Hannah had her phone out. “I’m calling Ruby to make sure she’s okay.”

  Meg called her brother. “New plan,” she announced after she hung up. “One of Michael’s friends will pick us up and I’ll deal with this problem tomorrow.” She kicked the flat tire and mumbled something that was probably best left indecipherable.

  “Ruby isn’t answering. What should I do?” Hannah’s eyes widened. Fear clenched her stomach. “I’m calling Cal to check on her. Something isn’t right. I know her. Both Pearl and Rocky threatened to use her to get the map. Do you think they would hurt her? Or Olivia?”

  Jack put his hand on Hannah’s shoulder. “There’s probably a logical explanation. Maybe she turned her phone off.”

  Hannah shook her head. “No. Her phone is her lifeline.” She paced on the side of the road, letting her mind run away from her. “If anything happens to them, I …” Her words trailed off into an unspoken world of fear.

  A pickup truck stopped behind Meg’s car. She waved. “Looks like Pete’s going to be our chauffeur. He’s quiet and a little rough around the edges but a genuine guy. Nothing underhanded about him.”

  They climbed in, Jack and Hannah in the back and Meg next to Pete up front. “Flat tire?” Pete asked.

  “More like a blowout. This road is bad news on tires.”

  “Yup.”

  That was the extent of the conversation until Pete pulled up at Hannah’s cottage next to Michael’s other friend who had been keeping an eye on the comings and goings—or, hopefully, the lack thereof.

  The other guy leaned out the window. “Haven’t seen any activity. I’m heading home now.”

  “Thanks you two. Lobster rolls on the house for you both tomorrow,” Hannah said.

  Pete grinned. “Glad to help out Michael and Meg’s friends. You take care now.”

  Meg hopped out too. “I’ll crash at your house, Jack, seeing as I’ll be needing a ride back to the pub tomorrow morning bright and early.” They watched the two trucks back out. “That was the longest sentence I ever heard from his mouth, Hannah. I guess you made his day with the offer of a lobster roll.”

  Cal ran toward the threesome. “Something’s wrong. No one is answering when I knock on Hannah’s door.”

  Hannah dashed to her cottage, fumbling in her pocket for her keys. They crashed to the ground and Cal grabbed the key ring before Hannah could bend down. He got the door open in a flash.

  “Ruby? Are you here?” Silence.

  Nellie met Hannah with a wagging tail. The bedroom was empty. “Where did they go, Nellie?”

  A piece of paper stuck out from under the coffee pot and caught Hannah’s attention. She unfolded it. Had to leave. Something isn’t feeling right. I have to trust my instincts. Will be in touch. Love, Ruby. “She must have left before Michael’s friend even got here to watch the cottage.”

  “Where would she go?” Cal asked.

  “That’s the problem. I never know. She just disappears and all I can do is hope for the best. But this time is by far the most serious situation. Before, she would always be one step ahead of Lenny. Now his baggage caught up with her. And my fear is that it has gotten out of control.” Hannah sank onto her couch. “What am I going to do now?” she asked no one in particular, her desperation clear in her voice.

  Chapter 15

  Hannah slept. Not well, between the tossing and turning, but at least it was something.

  Jack knocked on her door early, after he dropped Meg off at the Pub and Pool Hall to start the food prep. He had a couple of day old cider donuts and, without any words between them, he got busy making fresh coffee in Hannah’s kitchen.

  Once the coffee started dripping, Jack broke the silence. “She’ll call. You have to trust her instincts.”

  A big sigh escaped through Hannah’s lips. “I know, but it isn’t easy.” She stared up at Jack. “Why didn’t she tell me where she was going?”

  “She was probably afraid there was a chance the wrong person would find the information.”

  “But how do I know she wasn’t followed? Someone is out there that already killed two people, so what would stop them from killing her?”

  Jack sat next to Hannah. “Well, she doesn’t have the map. That’s what this is all about. The map is here in Hooks Harbor as far as the killer knows. You are more of a target than Ruby is. Look at the positive side. You can focus on flushing out the bad guy without having her walk in the cross hairs.”

  “Nice try, Jack, but that doesn’t make me feel one iota better. I’d much rather know exactly where the two of them are so I can keep them safe.” Arguing outside made Hannah bolt from her chair. “Great. That sounds like Pearl and Sherry are at it again.”

  Once outside, Hannah couldn’t help but laugh. What met her eyes was Petunia, dressed in a pink ballerina tutu. “You’re going to give that poor pig a complex, Pearl. Why do you keep insisting on dressing her like she’s your kid?”

  “Thank you for taking my side, Hannah,” Sherry said. “I just made the same point to your resident keeper of swine.”

  Pearl huffed and continued to her car. As she passed Hannah, she said under her breath, “I can’t believe what you are planning to do today. That treasure was promised to me and I intend to find it.”

  Hannah grabbed Pearl’s arm. “Who promised it to you?”

  “Are you daft? I explained it all to Jack last night. Caroline promised when I helped her find that scummy investigator, Marco Russo. But your aunt,” Pearl took out a cigarette, “paid that scumball with a copy of the treasure map, too. And, from what I can gather, he shared it with your niece’s dad. The two of them tried to sneak into town, but nothing Marco ever does is off the radar of my grandson.”

  Pearl lit her cigarette and inhaled deeply, tilted her head backwards, and sighed. “I can’t believe I thought I could ever give this up.”

  Hannah moved upwind of Pearl. “And Rocky stayed with you the night Lenny was killed. I saw him outside wandering around. He gave me some lame excuse that he was looking for Petunia.” Hannah leaned right against Pearl. “You know what I think? He let Petunia roam around so he could use her as an excuse to stick his nose where it didn’t belong.”

  Pearl moved back a pace.

  “Or,” Hannah moved close again. “Or he found Lenny sneaking around the snack bar and stabbed him.” Hannah poked Pearl when she said the word stabbed.

  Pearl jumped and a small eeek escaped along with her cigarette smoke. “How dare you accuse my Rocky of anything of the sort? He’s much too sensitive to even look at a spot of blood.”

  “Yeah, right. Rocky had to get Lenny out of the way so there was one less person to fight over the treasure with.”

  Hannah noticed Sherry pretending not to stare at Pearl. With a sly grin she approached. “I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. I saw something the first day I arrived.”

  “I’m sure you d
id,” Pearl said. “You’re always sneaking around, poking your nose in other people’s business. My Rocky told me you’ve been hanging around at the pub, asking questions.”

  Sherry took a step back. “Well, that’s how you find out information. I was thinking of moving to this town, and the local watering hole is the perfect spot to find out the flavor of the area. And, I might add, it’s not to my liking so far.”

  Jack touched Sherry’s arm, trying to distract her and get her back to her original thoughts. “What did you see on Wednesday, the day you arrived?”

  “Well, I’m a very observant person, but sometimes what you see doesn’t take on meaning until later. You know what I mean? And now with these two murders,” she paused and a shudder went through her body, “I recognized the photos of the two men on the news.” She looked from Jack to Hannah to Pearl. “I saw them. The good looking one picked up the short guy in town.”

  “Where did they go?” Hannah asked. “This could be important information. Did you tell Officer Larson when she questioned everyone?”

  “Oh, I didn’t think about it then. Like I said, it didn’t take on any meaning until now, when I heard you two arguing. I said to myself, Sherry, those two poor men knew each other. These murders must be connected.”

  Pearl dropped her cigarette butt and ground it into the sand. “Of course they’re connected. That’s no news to me.” She pulled on Petunia’s leash and continued to her car.

  “Well, isn’t she a grouchy old lady,” Sherry observed. “I don’t know what she has against me. There’s something else that’s been sort of bothering me.” She looked at Hannah and Jack. “You know how I like to walk on the beach? I’m a very routine kind of gal.”

  Jack covered a choke by pretending he was coughing.

  “Did you see something, Sherry? On the beach?” Hannah asked, hoping this might lead to some useful information. Maybe even an explanation as to how Lenny’s shirt ended up buried in the sand.

  “As a matter of fact, I did see something. But again, who knows if it’s relevant to these terrible murders.” She swiveled her head and gazed at the view. “I think the ocean holds a lot of secrets, don’t you?” She turned her focus back to Hannah.

  “Yes, but the ocean isn’t about to blab those secrets, is it? What did you see when you were walking on the beach?” Hannah was getting impatient and started to think Sherry only wanted some attention. She was stuck at the cottage until Officer Larson said she could leave. She didn’t know anyone. She seemed to have a bit of a crush on Jack. Was this her way to make them spend time with her?

  “I saw tracks in the sand. Beyond that rocky outcrop where the waves don’t wash them away.” Sherry’s words startled Hannah back to the moment.

  “What kind of tracks?”

  “Well, I put my foot into one and it was several sizes bigger. So, maybe a man’s footprint? And there were cracker wrappers too. Half buried under one of the footprints.” She stuck her hand in her pocket. “This is what I found. It’s probably nothing, but it does make you wonder, doesn’t it?”

  “Wonder what?” Hannah asked. Her nerves where on edge after recognizing the peanut butter cracker wrappers. The same thing she found near Lenny’s buried shirt.

  “I wonder how that cute guy survived the boating accident only to get stabbed in the back under your snack bar.” Sherry’s eyes wandered to the murder scene. A tremor went through her body. “What was Pearl talking about when she mentioned a treasure map? That certainly sounds interesting, although a bit farfetched.” She raised her eyebrows.

  Jack, who had been standing quietly during the conversation, finally spoke up. “Listen, anyone interested in some coffee? I’d be happy to make some.”

  “Jack, that sounds perfect. You read my mind. I knew you were a sensitive type,” Sherry gushed.

  Hannah added, “Sorry, I’ll have to pass. I should get over to the Pub and Pool Hall and help Meg. It will distract me from worrying about Ruby, too.”

  “Your sister?” Sherry asked. “Is everything all right with her and that darling little girl? She left in a bit of a hurry last night. And it looked like a car followed her out of the parking lot.”

  “What time?”

  “Well, I’m not sure. I went outside to listen to the waves. It’s such a relaxing sound, don’t you think? Anyway, I heard your door slam, and when I turned around, your sister was practically running to her car.” Sherry pointed to the parking lot. “I thought she was rushing home to put her daughter to bed. You know, mothers these days don’t keep to a rigid schedule like I always did.”

  “And the car that followed her? What did it look like?” Hannah asked, not really wanting to know the answer if it was what she suspected.

  “A big, dark Cadillac.”

  Chapter 16

  Cal arrived with a truck full of lumber for more picnic tables. He parked his truck and carried a bag toward Hannah. “Breakfast?” he asked cheerfully, holding the brown paper bag in her direction.

  “I’ve lost my appetite.”

  “What’s wrong?” Cal put his hand on Hannah’s waist and guided her to her cottage.

  Absentmindedly, Hannah opened Cal’s offering and took out a breakfast burrito. She took a bite. And another. Cal poured her a mug of coffee and sat down at the table with her.

  “Where’s everyone else? It’s kind of quiet around here.”

  “Jack is entertaining Sherry at his house. Making her coffee I think. Sherry’s quite delighted. Meg’s at the Pub and Pool Hall getting food ready for my opening that’s not happening here. Ruby and Olivia—” Hannah’s head fell onto her arms resting on the table. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed. Her worry for Ruby and Olivia overwhelmed her power to even finish her thought.

  Hannah’s phone buzzed. She looked at it, grabbed it, and paced around her room.

  “Ruby. Where are you?” Hannah asked almost hysterically. “Okay, call me in an hour.”

  “Is she all right?” Cal asked, his brow furrowed.

  Hannah nodded. “For now. She’s staying with a friend. She wouldn’t tell me where, but she’ll keep checking in. I don’t like it, but I wouldn’t even know where to start looking for her.”

  A knock interrupted their conversation. Cal went to the door to see who was there.

  “Um. I guess we’re ready to check out but no one was in the office,” Aaron Masterson said a bit sheepishly. “Sorry to bother you.”

  “No bother Aaron,” Hannah said as she walked to her office.

  “Don’t leave without me when you head over to the pub,” Cal called over his shoulder as he headed to his truck to unload the lumber.

  Hannah opened the office door for Aaron. “Where’s your wife?”

  “She’s finishing the packing. I’ll drop the key off on our way to the car. Is that okay?” Aaron shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

  “Have a seat. Is everything all right?” Hannah pulled a chair closer to her desk for him.

  Aaron looked around the room, everywhere but at Hannah. “Not really,” he finally blurted out. “That woman staying in one of the cottages has been awfully nosy.”

  “Which one?”

  “Not the teacher. She’s been respectful of our privacy. The other one. With purple hair and a pig.” Aaron paused. “I don’t want to cause trouble. Your cottage is amazing, and listening to the ocean has been very peaceful. We’d love to come back sometime.”

  Hannah was pretty sure he didn’t mean what he just said but was trying to make her feel better. “I’d love to have you back.” Hannah rested her arms on her desk and leaned over toward Aaron. “What happened with Pearl? She was an old friend of my Great Aunt Caroline, who I inherited the cottages from, and she kind of showed up out of the blue. I never met her before. What did she do?”

  “We caught her snooping around our cottage after we went out for a walk. She said she went into the wrong cottage by accident but, come on, it was locked. Somehow she broke in.”

  Hannah no
dded. “Did she take anything?”

  “No. But she was down on her hands and knees rummaging around in the closet when we walked in.”

  “Whatever for?”

  Aaron flicked his wrist. “She laughed it off and mumbled something about her secret compartment.” He twirled his finger in a circle next to the side of his head. “I think she must have a few screws loose. Probably harmless but Laura’s been a nervous wreck ever since.”

  “I’m sorry about that. I wish you had told me sooner so I could have had a word with her.”

  “There’s more,” Aaron continued.

  Hannah felt her stomach drop. What was Pearl up to? Searching for the buried treasure one cottage at a time? Is that what spooked Ruby to leave in such a hurry?

  Aaron’s words broke through her thoughts when she heard him say Rocky.

  “What?”

  “That kid Rocky. Every night we’d see him walking around. He’d pace off carefully, dig a hole, cover it, and repeat the whole process in a different direction. What’s he looking for? A body?” Aaron stood up. “We love everything about this place except your other guests. My advice if you want to make a go of it here—vet everyone better.”

  Hannah was stunned. Pearl and Rocky were searching for the treasure. Right under her nose. How did she miss it?

  She held Aaron’s arm. “Let me make it up to you. What you’ve just told me is completely unacceptable. Spend the rest of your week, no charge. Pearl is a bit, um, odd, but she’s not dangerous.”

  “I don’t know,” Aaron waffled. “Laura’s really spooked. And those two murders? One right here under your snack bar? A bit much for us. We wanted peace and quiet by the ocean, and it would have been perfect without all those distractions.” Aaron stared at Hannah. “How can you be sure she’s not dangerous?”

  Hannah chose to ignore the last question. “Talk to Laura. I’ll get the problem sorted out. Pearl’s grandson isn’t even supposed to be staying here. And Sherry Wolfe? Has she bothered you?”