Sweet Corpse of Mine (Secret Seal Isle Mysteries, Book 7)

by Lucy Quinn

  Chapter 12

  The historical society was aptly located in one of the island’s oldest buildings and was a testament to Julie Taylor’s attention to detail, because it was impeccably maintained. Hunter’s and Cookie’s feet scraped across the bone-dry granite steps where a red wreath of winter berries adorned the door. The centuries-old hinges barely let out a groan as they entered.

  The lobby was set up with photographs on both pedestals and the walls as a museum of the town’s history, but it was the woman at the back of the room that captured Cookie’s attention. She was dressed in deep-red skirt and jacket with a perfectly-coiffed hairdo reminiscent of Jackie Kennedy. Cookie suspected even a strong wind couldn’t blow a hair out of place. She recalled seeing the woman at chamber of commerce meetings like she had Andy, and she knew she was gazing at Julie Taylor.

  “Good afternoon, folks,” the woman said as she approached them. “Are you here to learn more about Secret Seal Island?” She gave Hunter a large smile. “I may have a rogue pirate story or two to share.”

  Hunter took the bait, and he wasn’t above using his charm to get answers. “I’m sure I’d enjoy hearing them, Miss…”

  “Miss Julie Taylor,” she said as she held out her hand.

  Hunter took it in both of his hands. “Miss Taylor, I’m Hunter O’Neil from the FBI and this is Cookie James. We’d like to ask you some questions.”

  Julie flinched, and Cookie was impressed with the restraint Julie showed when she didn’t yank her fingers out of his grasp. Hunter let her go, and she frowned as if she was confused. “FBI. In our town?” She glanced at Cookie and the skin around her eyes crinkled as she narrowed them. “You and your mother moved here about a year ago to take over ownership of the inn, didn’t you?”

  Cookie had a good idea where Julie was going and held back a laugh. “That’s right.”

  “It seems you brought some excitement along with you,” Julie said. “Do you know that before you arrived there hadn’t been a murder on this island since old Jed Keezer shot his best friend in a hunting accident about fifty years ago?”

  “You don’t say,” Hunter said. “I bet you know a lot about what happens in this town.”

  Julie turned her attention to him. “I do.”

  Hunter gave her his killer smile. “I’ve clearly come to the right place. Is there somewhere we can sit and talk?”

  Julie dropped her gaze as a slight flush rose to her cheeks. “Right this way.” She turned and sauntered over to a hallway, her hips positively sashaying in a skirt Cookie noted was tight around the woman’s bottom.

  She led them to small conference room and took a place at the head of the table. Cookie and Hunter sat on either side. Cookie was tempted to launch into the line of questioning, but she knew that they’d get more if Hunter did the talking, so she leaned back to let him take the lead.

  “We’re here to ask you a few questions about Lydia Rosen,” Hunter said.

  Julie blinked as if she was in shock, or trying to hide she wasn’t.

  Cookie narrowed her line of vision to watch the woman closely.

  “Lydia Rosen,” Julie said. “I haven’t spoken to her in years, but I’m happy to tell you anything I know.”

  “You two were quite close at one point,” Hunter said. “Yes?”

  “We were.” Julie folded her hands on top of the table.

  So that’s how this is going to go, Cookie thought as a small smile formed on her face. While Julie may have thought she had the upper hand, doling out whatever information she felt like sharing, Cookie knew better. Hunter would get her talking one way or the other, and she settled in to watch the show.

  “Tell me about your friendship,” Hunter said.

  Julie shrugged. “We met for lunch, went to the movies and out to dinner occasionally. You know.” She gave Hunter a flirty smile. “The kinds of things women do.”

  “Yes. I do know,” Hunter said with a suggestive tone as he flirted right back. “So she confided in you too.”

  “Yes. To a point.”

  Cookie found it interesting that Julie wasn’t asking questions of her own, and she decided to get the ball of this conversation rolling. “We talked to Pam Stevens earlier, and she told us you two speculated about why Lydia disappeared. Care to elaborate?”

  Julie’s mouth tightened. “I’m sure Pam told you everything there is to know.”

  Cookie lobbed the ball perfectly because Hunter said, “Really. You don’t strike me as the kind of woman who lets anyone talk for her.” Julie’s nostrils flared making her anger apparent, and Hunter hit it home. “Especially a woman like Pam Stevens.”

  “Pam is a busybody,” Julie snapped. “Lydia just up and skipped town with some man and left her heartbroken husband behind.” Julie’s eyes flashed with her anger. “All I was trying to do was offer Blake some comfort, but you’d think I was the reason Lydia left by the way Pam acted.”

  Julie’s outburst told Cookie she didn’t appear to know Lydia was dead. That meant unless Julie was an excellent liar, she wasn’t the killer. Unfortunately, Cookie couldn’t write her off with absolute certainty. It was only weeks ago they’d both been fooled by another case.

  After they gave Julie a moment to calm down, Cookie spoke in a sympathetic tone. “I’m sure it was painful to lose two friends in such a short time.”

  Julie sighed as she looked at Cookie. “It was. The three of us had been so close.” She shook her head. “I never realized how jealous Pam was of me.”

  Cookie nodded, and Hunter glanced at her as he said, “Jealousy can break up friendships. It’s tough to keep it from happening.”

  Cookie offered him a smile to let him know she understood he was apologizing for his actions earlier in his own way.

  “You haven’t told me why you’re asking all these questions,” Julie said. “What’s going on?”

  “I’m afraid we have some bad news for you.” Hunter paused to let her prepare for the worst. “We’re investigating Lydia Rosen’s murder.”

  The woman’s face paled. “Oh my gosh. Oh. Poor Blake. This is terrible news.” Her expression was earnest as she stared in Hunter’s eyes. “How did he take it? I really should go see him. I’m sure he could use a friend right now.”

  Cookie almost burst out in laughter. She had to give Julie credit, though. The woman certainly was tenacious. But once she got past her initial amusement, Cookie thought that Julie’s obsession with Blake made her look more and more like a potential suspect. Was it possible she’d killed Lydia with the intent of moving in on Blake? The idea seemed unreasonable, but after her years working for the FBI, Cookie had seen people do crazier things when it came to jealousy and matters of the heart.

  Julie sat up a little straighter and tugged on her suit jacket, clearly ready for the interview to be over. “Now. If we’re done here I have some work I must get to.”

  “One more question,” Hunter said. “Can you think of anyone who might want to harm Lydia?”

  Julie’s brow knitted as she took a moment to think, and then she shook her head. “No. I can’t think of anyone who didn’t like Lydia. I’m sorry.”

  “Thank you for being so cooperative.” Hunter reached into his suit jacket and produced a business card. “If you think of anything that could be helpful, give me a call.”

  Julie licked her lips and smiled up at him. “I believe you just gave me your number.”

  Hunter chuckled as he led the way out of the room, and Cookie held back the urge to whisper to Julie to go ahead and call him. Her former partner had always had a way with women, and clearly being jilted by Cookie hadn’t affected his charm and confidence one bit.

  When they got outside, Cookie finally let herself laugh.

  “What’s so funny, Charlie?”

  “I’m just trying to sort out which woman you’re hoping will call, Pam or Julie?”

  Hunter scoffed. “Please. You know I prefer a bigger challenge. A slow burn if you will.” He swept his gaze over her,
taking his time, making it all too clear he was talking about her. “Not to mention hotter, curvier, and an expert with a deadly weapon.”

  Despite the chill in the air, her entire body heated. She glanced away, annoyed at her reaction. Annoyed at him for crossing the line. And most of all, annoyed at herself for opening the door on the conversation when questioning which woman he was interested in. Cookie cleared her throat and glanced away.

  Hunter laughed. “Damn, you’re cute when you’re embarrassed.”

  Cookie turned and glared at him. “You know this isn’t appropriate. I’m with—”

  He held up his hand, shaking his head. “No need to say it. I know all too well who you’re dating.” Frowning, he peered at her. “You don’t need to get so worked up, Charlie. This is just me and you as we’ve always been—inappropriate banter that means nothing and goes nowhere. Unless you’ve decided that’s off limits now, too.” He paused for a moment. “Is it? If so, tell me now.”

  Cookie was quiet as she processed what he’d said. He was right. The entire time they’d been partners, they’d ribbed each other and neither had been shy on the innuendo. In the beginning, it hadn’t meant anything. But later it had. And it definitely did when they’d been deciding if they wanted to start something. Did it matter if the banter continued? Certainly Dylan wouldn’t appreciate it if he thought Hunter was hitting on her. Finally, she sighed. “I don’t know, Hunter. Everything’s changed, and maybe it’s just too soon for us to go there right now.”

  He pressed his lips together and nodded.

  She opened her mouth to say something more, anything to lighten the mood and get them off the current subject. But her phone buzzed with a text, and she pulled it out of her pocket. “It’s Dylan. He’s done going through the security tapes.”

  “Good. Have him meet us back at the inn,” Hunter said and started walking.

  Cookie quickly tapped out a message to Dylan, and scowling at Hunter’s back, she stretched her long legs and followed.

  Chapter 13

  The lights glowed from the pretty Victorian inn as Cookie and Hunter walked up the hill. Dylan’s truck was parked in the driveway, and the delicious scent of savory beef filled Cookie’s senses, making her stomach growl.

  With a completely full inn, no doubt Rain was busy cooking up a storm for whoever was milling around. Normally Cookie welcomed having people around. It meant the inn was bringing in an income, something they hadn’t actually excelled at much during the first year. But tonight she just wanted to curl up by the fireplace with her best friend Scarlett and forget the earlier exchange with Hunter. Too bad that wasn’t in the cards.

  As Cookie was reaching for the knob, the door swung open and Dylan stood there with a lazy smile on his face.

  “Hello, gorgeous,” he said, pulling her inside.

  Hunter let out a barely audible grunt of irritation but said nothing.

  Cookie ignored him and smiled up at Dylan. He had a glint in his steel blue eyes. What is he up to, Cookie wondered? “Hey, yourself.”

  His hand tightened around hers as he nodded civilly to Hunter.

  Hunter shrugged out of his outerwear, barely acknowledging Dylan and gave Scarlett, who was sitting by the fire, a slow lazy grin. “Scar, what’s going on?”

  The tall fair-haired beauty was wearing skinny jeans, a formfitting sweater, and stylish faux-fur boots. Even dressed down she looked like she’d just stepped out of a magazine. She held up a stack of photos. “Working on my portfolio.”

  Hunter raised an eyebrow. “Does this mean you’ve given up on law for good?”

  Scarlett was a high-powered lawyer with her own firm in New York City. Or she had been until she’d skipped out a few months earlier and decided to stay with Cookie on Secret Seal Island. It was meant to be short term, but she’d taken up photography and hadn’t found a way to leave yet. “I think so,” Scarlett said quietly. “I’m certainly not ready to go back, and I need something to keep my mind sharp.”

  Dylan helped Cookie out of her coat, and the pair of them watched as Hunter made his way to the couch and sat next to Scarlett. He leaned in and studied her shots. “I don’t know much about photography beyond crime-scene shots, but these look really good.”

  A pleased smile claimed Scarlett’s lips and her eyes lit up as she said, “Thank you. Which do you think is the most eye-catching? I’m trying to figure out which one to use on my business card.”

  “This one.” He tapped a photo lying on the coffee table. Cookie squinted, trying to make out the image. It was picture of Scarlett herself, naked from the waist up, showing only her back and she was walking right out into the cold Maine waters. It was an overcast day and clearly cold, judging by the gooseflesh covering her skin and the white caps on the water, but she was jumping, her hands raised in the air and her head tilted back, exuding joy. She’d said it was a representation of embracing life.

  “Why?” Scarlett asked.

  Hunter reached out and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Because you’re baring yourself for the world to see.”

  “I am topless,” she said with a smirk.

  He chuckled. “I noticed.” Almost as if he was unable to help himself, he swept his gaze over her the way Cookie had seen him do a thousand times before when he was interested in someone. Then as if he’d caught himself, he blinked and his expression cleared. “It’s what’s interesting about it. You’re half dressed, but that’s not what we see. Not really.”

  Scarlett’s face flushed pink, and she said, “Thank you.”

  Dylan shot Cookie a curious glance as the pair moved on to animatedly debate the best shots of the island. “What’s going on there?” Dylan whispered.

  Cookie shrugged. “No idea.” It was strange watching Hunter take such an interest in Scarlett. It wasn’t as if he’d ignored her before, but the way his knee was pressed against hers, combined with the undeniable interest in his gaze, made Cookie realize Hunter wasn’t just being nice. Whether he knew it or not, he was flirting with Scarlett, something he’d never done before. At least not with Cookie around.

  And to Cookie’s surprise, she realized she didn’t mind. She’d expected to feel a pang of jealousy when Hunter moved on, considering how strong her feelings for him had been only months ago. The fact was Hunter and Cookie had been so close as partners they could finish each other’s sentences and predict what the other would do in most situations. It would only be natural for Cookie to at least feel slighted when another woman finally captured his undivided attention.

  But she felt neither of those things. Cookie discovered she felt relief. Especially after the awkward banter they’d experienced earlier in the day. So much so that she welcomed his interest in someone other than her… for both their sakes.

  “Come on.” Cookie took Dylan’s hand in hers and tugged him toward the kitchen. “Let’s see if Rain needs any help.”

  As Cookie and Dylan passed through the dining room, Cookie smiled at the half-dozen guests sitting at the table enjoying Rain’s famous crab stuffed mushrooms. There were murmurs of appreciation when Cookie asked how everyone was doing. She grinned and promised to relay their compliments to the chef.

  “When did Rain start making dinner for everyone?” Dylan asked as they crossed into the kitchen.

  “I’ve always invited them,” Rain answered from her spot at the island. “It’s just that now we actually have people to serve.” She grinned. “They love me.”

  “They certainly do,” Cookie agreed. “They’re singing your praises over the mushrooms.”

  Rain let out a mischievous snicker and immediately, Cookie became suspicious.

  “Mother, please tell me you didn’t feed them special mushrooms,” Cookie demanded. Rain got into all kinds of trouble with Winter, but Cookie never dreamed her mother would unknowingly drug anyone.

  “Of course not. Who do you think I am?” Rain asked, her hands balling into fists as she set them on her hips.

  “I think that somet
imes your new identity, Rain Forest, has had more of an effect on you than is advisable.”

  “Pshaw.” Rain waved a hand and went back to slicing a load of artisan bread. “Please. I’m as responsible as the next guy.”

  “Then what was with the sly smile, then?” Cookie demanded.

  Dylan reached over and grabbed one of the mushrooms in question. After sniffing it, he shrugged. “Smells normal to me.”

  Rain’s head popped up and she stared at him, a challenge written all over her face. “Go ahead, try it. Then let Cookie know if I altered it.”

  Dylan glanced between the two of them, hesitating. Cookie watched him with one eyebrow raised. Surely her mother wouldn’t drug Dylan. Right?

  Rain put her knife down, pressed her hands to the counter and waited. “No dinner until you eat the mushroom.”

  That was good enough for Dylan. He popped the appetizer in his mouth and chewed. A look of pure rapture transformed his features and he actually let out a tiny moan of pleasure.

  Cookie’s face flushed as she wished with everything she had that she’d been the bite of food in his mouth. Anything that could elicit that response was well worth the effort.

  Rain pressed a hand to her heart and she let out a dreamy sigh. “Now that’s exactly what I was going for when I made those. Cookie, do you see that look on his face?”

  “Yeah,” Cookie said quietly, unable to tear her gaze away.

  “That’s why I was smiling. Foodgasm at its finest.” Rain’s eyes glittered with satisfaction, and Cookie had to hand it to her. She’d certainly outdone herself.

  If Hunter wasn’t still in the other room waiting to find out what was on the security tapes from the storage unit, Cookie would’ve been sorely tempted to take Dylan and the rest of the mushrooms right up to her bedroom. Who needed dinner when the appetizers appeared to be the main show?

  “I think our guests are going to have a really nice night, don’t you?” Rain asked Dylan. “The last time I fed that dish to Hale, he couldn’t wait to rip my clothes off and—”

  “That’s enough,” Cookie said. “Congratulations on your aphrodisiac mushrooms, Mom. I’m sure they’re a huge hit.”