Cozy Mystery Boxed Set: Rare Catch Cozy Mystery

by Liz Turner

  “And therefore murder,” Erica stated. “We’ll also need you to perform the autopsy on Sandra Freberg ASAP.”

  “Yeah, I heard,” Veronica noted the exhausted tone to his voice that she hadn’t noticed before. “If it’s all the same to you, I’m going to take a nap until she arrives.”

  “See? I told you he’d be up all night,” Max joked to the two chefs, and there was some much-needed laughter.

  “Oh, ha, ha,” Alex teased back. “I’m hanging up before you can bother me some more.”

  “Good night, Doctor Lansome,” Max said, and the phone went to a dial tone. He pocketed the device and glanced around at the women surrounding him. “So, that solves that mystery then. It wasn’t a heart attack after all.”

  “We didn’t think it was.” Erica took the evidence bag, still in Max’s hands, and squinted at the arrow inside. “Only one arrow used to kill Sandra, huh?”

  “They must have been a really good shot,” Sakura commented. “I wonder if Sandra saw it coming.”

  “If she did, she might have avoided it,” Erica proclaimed.

  “How difficult is it to dodge an arrow?” Veronica wondered out loud.

  “It’s pointless to think about that now. Sandra’s still dead.” Erica passed the evidence bag back to the detective. “But you’re right that the shooter was a skilled archer. We should look at the archers’ quivers.”

  Erica spun on her heel and headed in the direction Veronica now recognized as the way to the archery field, where the contest had taken place. The other three followed her; Veronica and Sakura needed to jog to keep up.

  Could an archer really do this? Well, I’m sure they could, but would they? Veronica paused in her thoughts. Wait…does that mean someone like Shen could have done it? She won the Archery Contest after all.

  “Will we have access to the archers’ arrows, Chief?” Max inquired of his comrade.

  “I don’t see why not,” the Chief of Police declared. “This is an active murder investigation. Even if word hadn’t gotten out about Julia Palmer’s death, Sandra Freberg’s was much more public. We don’t need to keep it hidden anymore.”

  “Then why don’t we try speaking with the archers first?” Veronica suggested. “Before looking at the arrows? It might stop us from jumping to conclusions.”

  “I want solid evidence, Chef Koche,” Erica responded coldly. “And I won’t get that from speaking with anyone.”

  “Why not?” she asked. “We’ve been able to learn quite a bit from just asking questions.”

  “Because, Chef Koche, people lie.”

  Veronica was quite taken aback by the hiss in the Chief’s voice, but she continued to follow her to the archery range regardless.

  Chapter 14

  Before anyone could do anything to stop her, Erica stomped onto the archery range of the Meloda Renaissance Fair and scanned around to see if she could find where the archers kept their equipment. There was little chance that they would be allowed to carry their bows and arrows around the grounds. Sandra’s death showed the exact reason why they need to have restricted access, so they must be locked away somewhere, right?

  Erica’s instincts were correct, and she marched to a small shed just south of the range. Veronica, Max, and Sakura ran to keep up with her since she not only had a long stride but she was clearly in a hurry.

  Erica arrived at the shed. It was wooden with deep red paint on the walls. The roof was slanted one way and made of a sheet of corrugated metal that Veronica had not seen on any other building at the Fair. She was a little shocked to see the door was already open, and Erica swung it open to run inside.

  “Yeah, don’t wait up for us or anything,” Sakura complained as she huffed during her run.

  “How can you work with someone like this, Max?” Veronica asked her boyfriend. “She doesn’t wait for or listen to anyone.”

  “I know, but she’s not normally like this,” the detective protested. “I don’t know what’s gotten into her.”

  As the three arrived at the shed, Veronica could hear the telltale sounds of someone ransacking the equipment inside. There was also the sound of someone trying to speak to Erica, but the Chief wasn’t responding…or at least Veronica didn’t think she was replying since she didn’t hear Erica’s voice.

  Once they finally caught up, Veronica spotted Shen standing in the corner of the shed, holding her bow in her hands. She was watching as Erica went through each of the quivers belonging to the archers who previously competed in the Archery Contest. Veronica couldn’t count the number of quivers there, as Erica threw each one into a pile in a corner after she had searched through the entire container. She growled as each arrow she examined didn’t match the one in the evidence bag.

  “What in the world is going on?!” Shen demanded. “You can’t just come in here and go through our stuff like this!”

  “Yeah, don’t you need a search warrant or something?” Sakura asked, but Erica just snorted in response. “Okay, fine. Don’t answer.”

  “I’m busy here,” Erica declared. “Unlike you, I’m actually trying to solve a murder.”

  “What? In here?” Shen inquired. “Julia’s death had something to do with archery?”

  Veronica mentally cursed.

  Of course, Shen hasn’t heard about Sandra yet. Should I tell her now? Veronica watched Shen’s head snap back and forth between all the investigators, with her face twisting into a glare whenever her eyes fell on Erica. Um, maybe not right now, Veronica thought. I don’t want her to do anything rash.

  “Erica, you really need to slow down,” Max suggested as she tossed aside another quiver. “You can’t just burst in here without at least explaining why.”

  The Chief of Police sighed loudly and turned to Shen. “There’s been another murder, and I’m looking for evidence. I’m sure an archer is responsible.”

  “So I was right?” Shen asked, her grip on her own bow and quiver. “You think an archer killed Julia?”

  “I’m positive.” Erica glanced down at Shen’s equipment before yanking it out of her hands. She ignored Shen’s verbal protest and pulled one of the arrows from the case. “Now isn’t that interesting?”

  She pulled an arrow out of the quiver, dropping the rest of it to the ground. Shen shrieked and bent down to pick them all up. Erica lifted the evidence bag with the murder weapon so everyone could see the two arrows side by side. Veronica squinted in the darkness since the only light source came from the shed’s open door. She could see the similarities. Shen’s arrow seemed to be the precise length as the one used to kill Sandra, and had the same cream color for most of the wood. The fletching matched in color and shape. It was teal green with black stripes narrowing to a point and blue diagonal lines on the shaft. Except for the spots of blood on the one in the evidence bag, the two arrows appeared identical.

  “Looks like a match to me,” Erica proclaimed. She passed the two arrows to Max, and then she pulled out a pair of handcuffs from her belt. “That’s enough for an arrest.”

  Shen watched as the Chief approached her and her eyes widened. “What? Me? I didn’t do anything to Julia!”

  “That’s still to be proven, but you are under arrest for the murder of Sandra Freberg.” Erica grabbed Shen’s hands and slapped the handcuffs on her behind her back. “You’ll need to come with me for some questioning.”

  “Chief, aren’t you jumping to conclusions?” Veronica said. She put her hand on Erica’s shoulder to try to stop her. “Shen wouldn’t do something like this! You haven’t even talked to her about it!”

  “On the contrary, I have enough evidence to accuse her,” the Chief stated. “And questioning her is exactly what I’m going to do next.”

  Shen wasn’t listening. She was staring at the grass, her mouth hanging open. She smiled nervously and started to chuckle. “Sandra? No, you’ve got it wrong. It was Julia who was murdered, not Sandra.”

  “Shen, listen, this is all a mistake,” Veronica comforted her, movin
g her hand from Erica’s shoulder to Shen’s. “It’ll be okay. We’ll figure this out.”

  “Veronica, she’s lying right?” Shen asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “Sandra’s fine. She’s in her tent, guarded by those cops who won’t let me see her. Right?”

  Veronica didn’t really know what to say to that. She never had to inform a family member of a loved one’s death before. She looked down at her feet, and she could feel Shen’s shoulders begin to shake as she sobbed.

  “No! This is a joke!”

  “Miss, Sandra Freberg was killed by an arrow…your arrow,” Erica informed her. “I’m going to need to question you.”

  Shen continued to cry, and Veronica glared at the Chief of Police. “Can’t you be a little more sensitive? Sandra was her cousin!”

  “Chef Koche, you need to stay out of police business. This is not your place.” Erica turned to Max. “Detective Bernard, remove Chef Koche from my sight. I don’t want to see her for the rest of this investigation.”

  Max didn’t move as Erica led Shen away, but she didn’t seem to notice that the detective was not following her instructions. Instead, he waited until they were out of earshot before letting out a loud sigh.

  “I couldn’t do anything…Why couldn’t I do anything?” he muttered.

  “I doubt she would have let you do anything against her,” Sakura concluded, her nose wrinkling as Erica and Shen left their line of sight. “She doesn’t listen to anyone but herself, does she?”

  “I’m sorry,” Max said. “I don’t know why she’s acting the way she is.”

  “That doesn’t matter now. Let’s focus on the real problem,” Veronica declared. “Shen might have had the motive to kill Julia, but she didn’t have anything to do with Sandra’s death. She loved her. She wouldn’t shoot her!”

  “You’re right, but that arrow is a problem,” Sakura commented. She glanced back into the shed and took a closer glance at all the arrows in the quivers. “If these archers are like any other sports person, they’re really particular about their equipment.”

  “And would hate it if anyone went through their things,” Max agreed.

  Sakura dug through the quivers for a few minutes, taking into account the number of arrows in each one. “Each quiver has ten arrows.”

  “What about Shen’s?” Veronica asked. She examined the young woman’s quiver and counted the arrows. “Five…”

  “Looks like the standard is ten,” Sakura observed. “So…if one was used to kill Sandra…”

  “And Erica took one as proof Shen did it…” Max added.

  “That’s only two missing arrows. Where are the rest?” Veronica’s eyes widened. “That’s three that are still out there.”

  “With our perpetrator,” Max concurred. “What are the chances this person won’t attack someone else?”

  “And it’s an arrow. Silent,” Sakura contributed. “No gunshot sound. It could come from anywhere.”

  “But who would it be?” Max wondered out loud.

  “Someone who could shoot Sandra in the neck, right where she would die,” Veronica deduced. “There’s only one person other than Shen, who could make that shot.”

  “Are you thinking who I’m thinking of?” Sakura asked.

  Veronica nodded. “Natalie. And she would have access to the archery shed.”

  “So where is this Natalie?” Max inquired. “And is there anyone else she would go after?”

  “Let’s think. Julia and Sandra were both killed, and the big thing in common between them was that they were both involved with the Renaissance Fair Committee,” Veronica explained. “And if that’s the case, the next victim might be someone else involved with the committee.”

  “The people who come to mind are Renata, Astrid and Liana,” Sakura listed on her fingers. “But who could be the next target?”

  “If there is a "next" target,” Max stated. “But let’s not chance it. We should split up and look for these ladies. I’ll go look for Astrid.”

  “I call Renata!” Sakura shouted as she threw her hands in her air.

  Veronica groaned as they both ran off. “Why do I get stuck with Liana?”

  “Snooze, you lose!” Sakura yelled back.

  “You are such a little kid sometimes,” Veronica said, but Sakura was long gone. She shrugged. “Well, at least I know where she is. Astrid could be anywhere.”

  Veronica retraced her steps back to the amphitheater, where sure enough Liana was still behind the stage practicing with the rest of The Celtic Stags. The other bands weren’t there, leaving Liana’s group to be the only source of music in the entire concert area. Veronica ran up to them just in time to see the clarinetist stop playing and glare at the violinist.

  “Why are we still doing this?” he complained, and the other musicians ceased as well. “The concert is obviously canceled. Can’t we take a break?”

  “The reason we win the contests is that we practice until we’re perfect,” Liana insisted. “Now, from the top...”

  “No. I’ve had enough,” the clarinetist continued. “There’s no point in practicing when we’ve already got all our songs down.”

  “He’s right,” the lute player concurred. “All this is doing is making us more tired.”

  “My palms are starting to hurt from banging against this all day long,” the tambourine player added.

  “Then your palms are weak,” Liana argued. “Start again.”

  This time, the clarinetist stood from his seat. “No. I’m not going to listen to you anymore. If you don’t let us have a break every once in a while, then I quit!”

  “You can’t quit!”

  “Watch me!”

  “Excuse me! Sorry!” Veronica yelled as she stopped in front of the group. “Sorry, but I need to talk to you, Liana.”

  “Oh, here you are again.” Liana rolled her eyes and huffed. “What do you want?”

  “You’re in danger. We need to...”

  “I’m in danger?” she echoed. “This coming from the woman who conveniently didn’t tell me she was working with the police?”

  “What…That’s not important right now!”

  “I just got grilled by a cop, and she knew things I had told you earlier,” Liana complained. The rest of The Celtic Stags remained silent as they watched the argument, and the clarinetist was smirking a bit. “Why should I talk to you? You’ll just go straight to the police with it!”

  “Liana, please, listen to me!” Veronica persisted, walking up to the violinist. “You could be hurt! Someone else was...”

  “I’m not interested in anything you have to say!” With that, she pushed Veronica away from her, still holding her violin in one hand and her instrument bow in the other. “Stay away from me!”

  “Hey!” The lute player finally stood to join them. “You don’t need to push her!”

  “Yeah! Who do you think you are?” the clarinetist said. He glared at Liana darker than he had during their fight moments ago.

  “What? You’re taking her side now?” Liana yelled. The band moved Veronica away from the angry violinist, who just continued to snarl at them all. “How dare you...”

  “Liana, I don’t care if you’re angry at me or not!” Veronica insisted. “But you are in danger! You need to get somewhere safe, away from open spaces!”

  “I can’t believe you would side with her over me!” she hollered, not listening to Veronica in the slightest. “I’m the one who started up this band! You’d be nothing without me!”

  “That has nothing to do with how you’re acting now!” the tambourine player contended.

  “This is all your fault!”

  Liana dropped her violin, ignoring the thud of wood against the sand. She leaped forward towards Veronica, her hands outstretched and her face flushed red. Veronica could almost see the steam coming out of her ears.

  It didn’t matter than Veronica simply had to step back to avoid Liana’s assault, forcing the woman to land on her stomach on the rough gro
und. What mattered was the sound of a piece of metal embedding itself into the ground behind Liana, just behind where she was seconds earlier. The entire band gasped, and the tambourine player pointed to the arrow sticking out of the sand, angled towards the giant stands of the amphitheater. It had teal and black feathers on its end, and blue diagonal stripes on the wooden shaft.

  Liana glanced behind her at the arrow for several minutes before she slowly turned her head back towards Veronica, her pupils wide and her mouth hanging open.

  Chapter 15

  “Okay, let’s assume for a minute that I believe you.”

  “Considering you were nearly shot by an arrow, I don’t know why you wouldn’t.”

  “What did I ever do to this person?” Liana asked as she followed Veronica back to the central section of the Fairgrounds. “Why would someone want to kill me?”

  I can’t imagine why, Veronica thought, but she kept this to herself. “Whatever the reason, we need to get you and the others somewhere safe. We don’t want any more deaths today.”

  The two arrived at Sandra’s tent, which was the only place Veronica could think to go considering Max, Sakura and she hadn’t planned on where to meet. They had been in too much of a hurry to find Liana, Astrid, and Renata to think about that.

  Thankfully it seemed that both Max and Sakura thought the same thing, as they were all able to regroup in front of Sandra’s tent. Renata was in street clothes, which Veronica still found a little strange since she first met the historian when she was in full armor. She looked almost normal now in her loose shirt and jeans.

  Astrid, on the other hand, looked almost exactly the same as she had earlier. She still had all of her jester outfits on, except her belled hat. Instead, her curly blonde hair was revealed for all to see, although it was a bit disheveled from sleeping on a cot. Astrid must not have had another set of clothes to change into, so she was stuck in her costume. Since she didn’t have any other clothes either, Veronica could sympathize.

  “Is everyone all right?” Max asked, Astrid standing at his side.