by Susan Harper
Dying for a Drive
A Senoia Cozy Mystery
Susan Harper
Stacey Alabaster
Fairfield Publishing
Contents
Copyright
Message to Readers
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Thank You!
Copyright © 2017 Fairfield Publishing
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Except for review quotes, this book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the written consent of the author.
This story is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual people, places, or events is purely coincidental.
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Chapter 1
Felicity Overton stood on the sidewalk and stared up at the small shop. Her shop. A large sign reading “Grand Opening” hung above the door, and a sense of warmth spread through her body as she breathed in the early autumn air. This was an incredibly grand step in a new direction that was going to take her party planning business to a higher professional level. Getting into one of the shops on Main Street in Senoia, Georgia, was more than just a painful process; she had been on a waiting list for consideration for years. Small town USA certainly took itself seriously, especially with the growing international community thanks to a certain zombie-related show that was putting this quaint little town in the spotlight. Felicity had started her business fresh out of high school to help pay for college, majoring in investigative journalism, but she dropped out after her tiny business had started taking off.
“It’s looking good, Felicity.” Jefferson, her longtime assistant, put a hand on her shoulder and stared up at the small building in adoration.
“Couldn’t have done it without you, Jeffrey,” she said and placed her hands on her hips. Jefferson had attended the same high school as Felicity, though he had been a few years behind her, and she had hired him his senior year to get some muscle. Essentially his job had been to carry things for her to and from her car during events, but his duties had obviously expanded since then. The two had become a serious team, and the small building on the crowded street so full of life was evidence of that.
They opened their doors and Jefferson got to work hanging up balloons out front and watering the plants while she tidied everything up inside. Felicity took in the awe-inspiring scenery that was her shop. Pictures from their past events hung all around the room, and there were samples of décor and books that people could look through. She felt jittery; she had put an ad in several local papers about her grand opening and had been promoting it online for nearly two months. Jefferson had even convinced a couple of his friends to make posts about the new location on their fairly popular social media pages. Hopefully, it would be enough to bring people in. It was also a Saturday, and Saturdays in Senoia meant film tours, walk-ins, and crowded streets in general. She was expecting a busy day.
Jefferson came back into the shop after straightening up the street view with a big grin on his face. She mouthed the word “customer?” and he nodded. She shot her two thumbs up as a woman in a pantsuit entered behind him. He busied himself with straightening sample books so he could pretend he wasn’t listening in on her first in-shop customer interaction.
The woman was looking for a wedding planner for her daughter, and evidently Felicity had come highly recommended by someone who had hired her to do a sweet sixteen. Felicity smiled, recalling the one and only sweet sixteen party she had done. They looked through sample books, and the woman seemed very pleased with what she saw. She called her daughter, and the girl was down at the shop within twenty minutes. The mother was soon writing a check for their deposit as more people entered the shop.
Jefferson stepped in, talking to a few customers while Felicity finalized a few things with the bride-to-be and her mother. They would be meeting again in a week to start planning the wedding, and just like that, Overton’s Events had its first customer since moving into their permanent location. When the customers left and the shop was empty, Felicity couldn’t help but do a little dance. Her long, brown hair bounced a bit in her excitement. “Easy there, Overton,” Jefferson teased. “One event isn’t going to keep this shop open.”
“Jefferson, they have a forty thousand dollar budget,” she said.
“Well then,” he grinned. “Dance away.”
She laughed. “I think I’m good now. I didn’t expect us to book an event so quickly. We’ve only been open for an hour. Did those people you were talking to seem interested in hiring us?”
“Not really,” he said. “They’re waiting on the Georgia Film Tour Company bus, so they were just checking out all the shops.”
A man entered through the front door carrying a small bouquet of flowers. He smiled brightly. “Welcome to the neighborhood,” the man said.
Felicity smiled. “Jefferson, this is Bobby. He owns the insurance agency across the street.” Bobby’s office was located on the second floor of the building across the way; it was in the office complex that had to be accessed by an elevator that oddly let out into the street—one of the many unusual design choices in Senoia architecture.
Jefferson shook the older black man’s hand, and Bobby grinned at the young man’s vigorous grip. Bobby Hendricks had been running his insurance agency for years, but he’d been a Senoian all his life. He loved seeing the kids who grew up there make something of themselves, and even more so when they managed to make it big at home. He took a look around as Jefferson let go of his hand and whistled before placing a congratulatory hand on Felicity’s shoulder. “I know you’ve been trying to get in here for a while,” he said. “I was happy for you when I saw you hanging up that sign. Get you any bookings yet?”
“One already,” Felicity said, her voice beaming with pride as she set the flowers on the counter toward the back of the little shop.
“So you’re Jefferson, the kiddo Felicity’s told me about,” Bobby said, and Jefferson frowned slightly. The young man wasn’t sure if Bobby meant that as compliment. Bobby laughed slightly at Jefferson’s expense and pointed at Felicity, who was nose deep in the books already. “So how did a man such as yourself wind up working for Ms. Overton in event planning? I bet you just wanted to spend time with that pretty girl, right?” He winked at Jefferson. Jefferson blushed and brushed it off.
“Ha, well, sure,” Jefferson said as though there was a frog caught in his throat.
Before Jefferson could be embarrassed any further, several more shop owners entered to congratulate Felicity on her grand opening. The atmosphere became colorful and noisy as they packed in to shake her hand and welcome her to the block. Antique shop owners and restaurant managers arrived in groups, bringing flowers or chocolates, and one of the antique shop owners brought a congratulatory teddy bear. Felicity smiled; she loved Senoia. The people were still so full of southern charm.
Felicity’s best friend Autumn came by for a visit before her shift at the Newnan Hospital; she and several other friends of
theirs worked there together. Autumn was a fun-loving, outgoing girl. It was hard for most to believe she spent her days working in the local morgue. Most of her friends were doctors and nurses, and in turn, they had become friends with Felicity as well. Monte, Dawn, and Veronica were among those nurses who paid Felicity a visit on opening day. There were others, but the friends Felicity had made through Autumn were the ones most vocal in their support, bringing flowers and making a scene with customers – talking Felicity’s party planning abilities up to attempt to get her a booking.
As the day was coming to a close, Felicity smiled at her booking list: nine events to plan. She could hardly believe it; she had not expected so many new customers to hire her, and she had received down payments for every single one. “I might need to hire some more manpower,” Felicity said, and she saw Jefferson cringe slightly. She laughed. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to replace you.”
“I hope not,” he said, but truthfully, he was much more concerned with losing his alone time with his boss—something Felicity tended to remain rather oblivious to.
Just as she was getting ready to close shop for the day, a woman in a business suit entered. Felicity smiled, recognizing the woman as Wanda Monroe; she was one of the event coordinators for the city of Senoia. “Well,” Wanda said as she entered, a big grin on her face. “I hear that you two had a successful day?”
“Wanda, I’m so glad you came by,” Felicity said with a smile. She had gotten to know Wanda about a year before when they had worked together on a few events for the city. “I was wondering if you would make an appearance today,” Felicity teased slightly.
“Well, of course,” Wanda said. “And, as a matter of fact, I’m hoping to book you for an event.”
“Really?” Felicity questioned as she walked out from behind the counter to greet her former event planning accomplice.
“Aren’t you an event planner?” Jefferson asked as he was putting up some of the sample books that had gotten scattered throughout the store over the course of the day. Felicity shot him a look, and he shrugged sheepishly.
Wanda laughed slightly at his question and responded with a nod. “Why, yes, I am,” she said. “I manage the events for the city of Senoia, but I’m going to be retiring soon. The city wantes me to train someone to take over my position. If you think Overton’s Events could handle a regular flux of business from the city of Senoia, I’d like to train you, Felicity.”
Felicity stood upright, and a grin appeared on her face. “The city wants me to take over as its official event manager?”
“Well, you came highly recommended,” Wanda said with a wink.
“Who recommended us?” Jefferson asked.
Felicity gave him a playful punch in the arm. “She did, doofus.” Felicity admired Jefferson; he was a hard worker, kind, and gentle—a true southern gentleman. He was blonde with freckles, but his youthful freckles did nothing to deter his masculine mannerisms. All that was mighty fine, but certain things tended to go right over the man’s head.
“So what do you think? It doesn’t pay great, but you never know when business here will be slow. You’ll have a regular set of events every year, and it should be enough to keep this place afloat if you ever go through a dry spell,” Wanda said, and Felicity shook with excitement.
“Are you kidding? I’d love to, Wanda. When do we get started?” Felicity asked.
“Now,” Wanda said and threw her purse up onto the counter. She opened it up and pulled out a large notebook and a contact roster. “We have the annual Senoia Car Show coming up, and I’d like to start training you on something simple like this. It’s pretty much the same people every year bringing in the same old cars, but we do have a new gentleman from out of town coming in. He’s going to be showcasing a 1966 Shelby 427 Cobra.”
“Nice,” Jefferson said, somewhat excitedly.
“How did that come about?” Felicity asked.
“The man, Charles, contacted me a few weeks ago. He’s from Florida, and he’s coming into town because he’s selling the car to someone in the city. The guy he’s selling the car to told him about the car show, so they figured it’d be a nice opportunity to show it off, I suppose. Apparently, it’s some old racecar prototype—very posh, or so I’ve heard. Honestly, Charles is just excited to come here and take pictures; he’s a big fan of some of the filming going on around here. They’ll be driving up, but everyone else has pretty much been in the car show every year, so you won’t have to worry too much with this event. Everyone knows what they’re supposed to do, so it’s really just reminding everyone.”
“Well, I’m happy to help,” Felicity said. She knew this would be good for the shop; it would be a great security net, as Wanda had said. It also meant that she and Jefferson would need to impress the city in order to guarantee herself the job. She cracked her knuckles, and the three of them began sifting through all of the paperwork Wanda had brought, eager to get started on what would hopefully be the first of many events for the city.
Chapter 2
The crisp air tickled Felicity’s nose, so she bundled up tight as she headed out of Senoia Coffee on the corner, gripping her hot chocolate. It was still early fall, which was rare to be chilly so soon in Georgia, but an unexpected cold front had come in. She smiled as she went out to the street and could see all of the classic cars getting ready for the event. Everything was running smoothly, and Wanda seemed to be smiling her approval as the two women walked up the sidewalk together back toward Overton’s Events, which had become the headquarters for the car show’s event planning.
Felicity smiled when she saw Jefferson speaking with a customer while a few of the car owners waited patiently for his attention. He was keeping a steady eye on the hustle going on around him while maintaining an upbeat smile for the curious patron. Not wanting to break his rhythm, she plopped the second cup of hot chocolate she had bought on the counter beside him and he nodded his thanks. She got to work addressing any concerns of the car owners. There were a few complaints about spacing and crowds but nothing she couldn’t handle thanks to the notes Wanda had given. They were so detailed that Felicity was prepared for just about anything, and all the participants, from the overly gracious to hilariously stubborn, performed just as expected. Soon she was back in the street again after a solid “Good job” was thrown her way from Wanda, who headed in the opposite direction to help finish putting out signs.
Soon the event was underway, and the streets were lined with people who had come to gawk at the cars. She headed toward the gazebo where the out-of-towner, Charles, had parked his Cobra. The old car was a beautiful metallic red that glinted pristinely in the sunlight. Charles had opted out of having a show tent so the buyer could see how the sun hit the car. As she walked over, she could see Charles polishing it for what had to be the third time since he’d driven up that morning, and he was doing so with a cigar dangling awkwardly from his lips to avoid getting ash on the paint.
“So have you sold it yet?” Felicity asked as she came upon the older gentleman. Charles made her slightly uncomfortable. When she’d met him that morning to go over the details of the event, she’d tried her hardest to be professional, but the old man’s gaze had barely made it above her neckline and he had thrown her a compliment about her chest she’d rather never hear repeated. He took a long drag of his cigar and leaned against the hood, eyeing her lewdly. The man had to be at least sixty-five, but that certainly did not stop him from eyeing any female who passed him by with an immodest gaze.
“Maybe,” he huffed, looking slightly annoyed as a young man walked around from the back of the vehicle.
“Maybe is right,” the young man said, and Felicity grinned.
“Adam,” Felicity said. “So you’re the mysterious car-buyer?”
Adam Fao was a local, and she knew him well. He came from old money, and everyone in town knew he had finally taken over his father’s finances after a long court battle with some distant relatives who tried to claim the older
Fao had attempted to leave them oodles of cash. It had of course been a lie, and it had driven Adam mad the past several months. He hadn’t even dealt with burying his father before he was suddenly embroiled in a battle for everything he’d ever owned. It was a shame, really, how many family members came out of the woodwork when a relative died just to try to collect some money. Adam, his father’s only child, had of course received his father’s inheritance. Adam’s father had always been a fan of the car show, often buying cars and showing them off the next year with his own restorations. He even made a hefty donation to keep the event going, and it looked like his son was continuing the tradition.
Adam smiled. “Who else around here do you think would want to buy something like this?” He laughed slightly. He was dressed in a Led Zeppelin t-shirt and blue jeans; that was something that certainly made him different from the older Fao. Felicity could not remember ever seeing Adam’s father in anything other than a suit. Adam grabbed at the hem of his shirt and pulled it down. “Look,” he said. Felicity could see a large gob of oil soaking Adam’s t-shirt.
“Yikes,” she said.
“Don’t encourage him,” Charles said. “It’s an old car. Old cars leak.”
“I’m amazed you were able to get it here from Florida,” Adam said; he sounded slightly annoyed. “I’m sorry, but I am not paying this much for a car that has issues. Not the amount we discussed, at least.”
“I didn’t drive all the way from Panama for you to tell me you changed your mind,” Charles retorted, eyeing the young man reproachfully.
“Dad.” A young man hopped out of the passenger’s seat. Instantly, Felicity could see the resemblance to Charles. The young man was in his thirties, and wore the same scowl as his father. “You can’t sell him a car with problems. We didn’t know it had a leak, all right? We’ll be in town for a few days. We can hire a mechanic and fix it up.”