Killer Run
Page 22
Frank Gleason had shown up yesterday at the house to take pictures of the wall and explain that the California Mission Society had misspoken when they said what he was now calling the South Cove Mission site had been approved. The wall had been moved up to a formal study process. Frank thought it was a good step. I was thinking the wall should be either on the list or not within the next twenty years or so.
Of course the Society still wanted us to host a race next year. I told them to call Darla. She could make that decision.
“You look tired.” Amy rubbed the back of my neck. “Maybe you need a vacation from your vacation.”
A month later, we were finally on a beach at an all-inclusive resort. Greg and I sat side by side in loungers, drinking the fruity umbrella drink of the day. I had just finished a historical fiction book about Jack the Ripper’s wife and was thinking about going to the hotel room to switch out to a new book.
“You guys up for snorkeling?” Amy sat down on my lounger. “Justin and I are dying to get in the water.”
“Sounds good to me.” Greg stood up and put his hands out. “You done reading for a bit?”
“Researching,” I countered automatically.
Greg laughed and pulled me up. “Then you are done. Researching is work, and this is a no-work zone.”
Greg and Justin sprinted to the shed to grab the snorkel gear. Amy sat down in Greg’s chair. “Too bad Jackie and Josh couldn’t make it. She would love this beach.”
I shook my head. “I’m kind of glad they stayed behind. I mean, really, could you picture Josh in a bathing suit?”
“You’re so bad.” Amy laughed and shook her shoulders. “Great, now I can’t get that image out of my mind.”
“Exactly.” My phone rang and I reached to answer. The caller ID didn’t show a name. “Hello?”
Amy shook her head and whispered, “You’re on vacation. You should have let it go to voice mail.” I watched as she stood to go join the men.
“Jill, is that you?” a tear-choked Sadie asked.
Fear gripped me. “What’s wrong, Sadie? Is it Aunt Jackie? The shop? Oh no, did something happen to Nick?”
I heard her blow her nose and waited. “What? No. Everyone’s fine.”
“Then why do you sound like you’re crying?”
Sadie sniffed. “Austin broke up with me. He’s going back to his wife.”
Dustin Austin has a wife? Greg was waving at me to come over to the shed. I held up a finger and grabbed my tote bag, filling it with the stuff we’d brought out to the beach from the room. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know he was married.”
“Believe me, I didn’t, either.” Sadie paused a moment. “The worst thing is, they are opening a food truck selling gluten-free desserts. And they’re parking it in front of Austin’s shop. He told me all about the plan. Then he …” A fresh wave of sobs filled the phone.
“He what, Sadie?” I wished I was home so I could go over to the bike shop and give this creep a piece of my mind for hurting my friend.
“He asked for my Summer Lemon Surprise Cheesecake recipe.”
After I’d calmed Sadie down and promised to call later that afternoon to talk more, I rejoined the group getting ready to snorkel.
“So, what’s going on?” Greg nodded to the phone, which I slipped into my tote and then handed to the guy manning the counter for safekeeping while we were out.
I told them Sadie’s sad news and then told them about the food truck. “The weird thing is, I think that’s the truck Lille and I were trying to buy a couple of months ago. Which means Austin has been planning on breaking up with Sadie for a while now.”
“You don’t think he was dating her for access to her recipes, do you?” Amy shook her head. “He can’t be that conniving of a person.”
All I knew was that one of my friends was hurting. And Dustin Austin was the cause. We walked to the shore and slipped into the water, where, for a couple of hours, I forgot everything but watching the life that happened under the waves.
I couldn’t help but compare my day with Sadie’s that evening when we were sitting around a fire. You never really knew what was going on underneath until you took the time to look.
When I got back to town, finding out all about Dustin Austin was going to be my first project.
“Earth to Jill.” Greg stroked my hand, and I looked up from staring at the flames. “You want a beer?”
I pulled him down into a kiss, then nodded. As he walked away, I blessed the hand that had put the four of us together as friends. And then, I let my worries go.
Time to recharge.
Don’t Miss Any of
The Tourist Trap Mysteries!
Available now from
Lyrical Press
In the gentle coastal town of South Cove, California, all Jill Gardner wants is to keep her store—Coffee, Books, and More—open and running. So, why is she caught up in the business of murder?
Guidebook to Murder
When Jill’s elderly friend, Miss Emily, calls her in a fit of pique, she already knows the city council is trying to force Emily to sell her dilapidated old house. But Emily’s gumption goes for naught when she dies unexpectedly and leaves the house to Jill—along with all of her problems … and her enemies. Convinced her friend was murdered, Jill is finding the list of suspects longer than the list of repairs needed on the house. But Jill is determined to uncover the culprit—especially if it gets her closer to South Cove’s finest, Detective Greg King. Problem is, the killer knows she’s on the case—and is determined to close the book on Jill permanently …
Mission to Murder
Jill Gardner, proprietor of Coffee, Books, and More, has discovered that the old stone wall on her property might be a centuries-old mission worthy of being declared a landmark. But Craig Morgan, the obnoxious owner of South Cove’s most popular tourist spot, The Castle, makes it his business to contest her claim. When Morgan is found murdered at The Castle shortly after a heated argument with Jill, even her detective boyfriend has to ask her for an alibi. Jill decides she must find the real murderer to clear her name. But when the killer comes for her, she’ll need to jump from historic preservation to self-preservation …
If the Shoe Kills
As owner of Coffee, Books, and More, Jill Gardner looks forward to the hustle and bustle of holiday shoppers. But when the mayor ropes her into being liaison for a new work program, ’tis the season to be wary. Local businesses are afraid the interns will be delinquents, punks, or worse. For Jill, no one’s worse than Ted Hendricks—the jerk who runs the program. After a few run-ins, Jill’s ready to kill the guy. That, however, turns out to be unnecessary when she finds Ted in his car—dead as a doornail. Detective Greg King assumes it’s a suicide. Jill thinks it’s murder. And if the holidays weren’t stressful enough, a spoiled blonde wants to sue the city for breaking her heel. Jill has to act fast to solve this mess—before the other shoe drops …
Dressed to Kill
Of course everyone is expecting a “dead” body at the dress rehearsal … but this one isn’t acting! It turns out the main suspect is the late actor’s conniving girlfriend, Sherry … who also happens to be the ex-wife of Jill’s main squeeze. Sherry is definitely a master manipulator … but is she a killer? Jill may discover the truth only when the curtain comes up on the final act … and by then, it may be far too late.
Angela Brewer Armstrong
USA Today and New York Times best-selling author Lynn Cahoon is an Idaho native. If you visited the town where she grew up, you’d understand why her mystery and romance novels focus around the depth and experience of small town life. Currently, she’s living in a small historic town on the banks of the Mississippi River, where her imagination tends to wander. She lives with her husband and two fur babies.
To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured
in the book.
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Copyright © 2015 by Lynn Cahoon
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First Electronic Edition: August 2015
eISBN-13: 978-1-60183-417-1
eISBN-10: 1-60183-417-9
ISBN: 978-1-6018-3417-1