Daniel held his wife closer. "When we make it through this season, and get the golf course finished, we can look into that Mexico trip."
"From your mouth to God's ears," Maureen said, and they put away the rest of the day's groceries.
* * *
Even an idyllic town like South Bay has its fair share of rainy days, and the next morning cast a shadow over the town with a cool fog. Susan Heaney let herself into the house and peeled her thick, woolen coat from her ample and sturdy frame. She liked to arrive a little early and enjoy a cup of tea before setting about, cleaning the inn.
Maureen and Daniel came down to the kitchen to prepare their world-class country breakfast for themselves and their guests.
"Good morning, Mrs. Bennett, Mr. Bennett. How many rooms need attention this morning?" Susan stood at attention.
"Good morning, Susan," Maureen said. She handed the housekeeper a clipboard with a list of current guests and places in the inn that needed a little extra attention. "We've only two guests today. One checked out yesterday, so that's three rooms. There's also a bit of dust and dirt near the front door. I'm afraid I tracked some in after working in the garden. I'm sorry to put it on you, but —"
"—No problem at all, Mrs. Bennett. And if I may say, the grounds are absolutely lovely."
"Thank you. Daniel? Will you bring the eggs from the cooler?"
"Yes, dear."
* * *
Clipboard in hand, Susan checked off all the supplies she needed and put them in a bucket.
"Paper towels are out again," Susan shook her head and muttered. "I'll have to let Mr. Bennett know. Poor man barely keeps anything stocked up anymore."
She consulted the guest list. "I'll do the Pine Room first. The guest should be up by now."
Like a drill sergeant mustering her troops, Susan marched up the stairs and rounded the corner. She raised a hand to knock on the door and saw that it was partially open.
"Housekeeping," she said, and knocked. "I'm here to clean and see if you need anything." She pushed, and the door opened a little more. "Hello?" Satisfied that she had performed at least the minimum effort to make sure no one was sleeping, she pushed the door open and stepped into the room.
A suitcase lay open on the luggage rack, the bed was in disarray, and personal items lay on the dresser. "Such a trusting soul to leave the door open with things laying about like that."
Susan tugged at the blankets and sheets on the bed and gathered them up. She rounded the bed with the bucket in hand, ready to scour and clean the bathroom. Two steps around and her foot caught on something on the floor. She recognized immediately what it was, but for once her steel resolve wavered, and she stepped back and sat on the bed. She bent over and touched a cold hand.
"Oh, dear God." She put her hand to her mouth and ran down the stairs.
The vision of Agatha Thompson's body remained vivid in Susan's mind. She was quite sure that the woman was dead; Agatha's head lay in a puddle of blood, and her skin was repulsively cold.
Susan shivered and shouted to the kitchen, "Mr. Bennett! Mrs. Bennett! Call the police! Mrs. Thompson is dead!"
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Other Books In The Series
Murder in Bermuda
Murder in the Bahamas
Murder in Jamaica
Murder in Barbados
About The Author
For many, the thought of childhood conjures images of hopscotch games in quiet neighbourhoods, and sticky visits to the local sweet shop. For Penelope Sotheby, childhood meant bathing in Bermuda, jiving in Jamaica and exploring a string of strange and exotic British territories with her nomadic family. New friends would come and go, but her constant companion was an old, battered collection of Agatha Christie novels that filled her hours with intrigue and wonder.
Penelope would go on to read every single one of Christie’s sixty-six novels—multiple times—and so was born a love of suspense than can be found in Sotheby’s own works today.
In 2011 the author debuted with “Murder at the Inn”, a whodunit novella set on Graham Island off the West Coast of Canada. After receiving positive acclaim, Sotheby went on to write the series “Murder in Paradise”; five novels following the antics of a wedding planner navigating nuptials (and crime scenes) in the tropical locations of Sotheby’s formative years.
An avid gardener, proud mother, and passionate host of Murder Mystery weekends, Sotheby can often be found at her large oak table, gleefully plotting the demise of her friends, tricky twists and grand reveals.
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Each of our novellas range around 20,000 words each and are perfect for short afternoon reads. Most of the stories published through Fantastic Fiction are escapist fiction and allow readers to indulge in their imagination through well written, powerful and descriptive stories.
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Murder in Aruba: An Anna Winters Cozy Mystery (Murder in Paradise Book 5) Page 7