Sun, Sand, and Suspects (Garden Girls Christian Cozy Mystery Series Book 11)

by Hope Callaghan

  Liz gave the comforter a hard shove and slammed the door shut. “Never know what you might need,” she sniffed.

  “Should Frances and I plan to meet you and the others in Miami the night before the cruise?”

  Gloria shifted on her crutches. “Lucy is the official planner so you better ask her. All I know is that we’re flying in and staying near the cruise port the night before, but I’m not sure where.”

  She briefly wondered if she should warn Millie but decided against it. She would find out soon enough. The family invasion. Poor Millie!

  Frances made her way around the car and hugged Gloria good-bye. “It was nice seeing you, Gloria. Congratulations to you and Paul. You seem like the perfect couple.”

  She gave Paul a quick hug and then stepped around the car, climbed in the passenger seat and shut the door.

  Liz opened the driver’s side door and dropped the keys on the seat before turning to her sister. “Thank you for sharing part of your honeymoon with us. This is the most excitement we’ve had in weeks.”

  The women embraced. Liz pulled away first. “Can’t wait to see what kind of trouble you’re going to get us in on this cruise,” she teased.

  Gloria frowned. “Hopefully none.” She remembered Millie mentioning several suspicious deaths onboard “Siren of the Seas.”

  Liz hugged Paul. “Welcome to the family.” Never one for long good-byes, she climbed into the car, backed out of the drive and waved as they drove off.

  Gloria turned to Paul. “The girls are never gonna believe this one.”

  “Oh, they’ll believe it all right,” Paul assured his bride.

  Chapter 22

  “I could get used to this,” Gloria said as Paul handed her a frothy concoction with a pink paper umbrella jutting out of the top. She sipped the coconut and pineapple treat and then set it on the small table next to her lounge chair.

  “Better make the most of today,” Paul warned. “Soon it will be back to reality.”

  Their honeymoon was finally winding down. Paul and Gloria had left Sun and Sand RV Park two days earlier and Paul had surprised his bride with the luxurious beachfront resort she’d originally envisioned.

  It was everything she’d dreamed it would be. Their spacious suite boasted a large balcony overlooking the ocean. A small kitchenette in the corner was perfect for fixing morning coffee and storing leftovers from the delicious restaurants they had sampled.

  Early that morning, Gloria slipped out of bed, fixed a cup of coffee and made her way out onto the balcony while Paul slept. She had given her Bible to Billy Zortski, then returned later that day after stopping at a nearby Christian book store to buy a youth Bible for him.

  He had seemed thrilled when Gloria returned to present him with his new Bible, but she insisted the family keep the other Bible. She hoped the parents would not only try the small local church, but also make use of her Bible.

  Gloria had loaded a Bible on her e-reader and she read as she sipped the coffee and listened to the waves crashing on the shore.

  Paul met her on the balcony a short time later and they sipped their coffee and enjoyed the breathtaking views. When they finished their coffee, they headed back inside.

  “Are you up for a morning stroll?” Paul glanced at Gloria’s cast.

  “Absolutely. We will just have to go slow,” she warned.

  The two quickly threw on t-shirts, shorts and Gloria slipped on one flip-flop before heading out.

  The day before, Gloria and Paul had visited the doctor who had originally cast Gloria’s leg. They were both relieved the swelling had subsided to the point where the doctor was able to place a new cast on her leg.

  She hobbled along beside Paul, careful to keep her freshly minted cast dry.

  “I forgot to tell you Ian McGyver called this morning while you were out on the balcony,” Paul told his wife.

  Gloria stopped. “What did he say?” There were so many unanswered questions swirling around the mysterious deaths, she was anxious to find out if Penny Green had been able to shed light on what had transpired.

  “Whew.” Paul shook his head. “This one is for the record books.”

  He went on to tell Gloria that Penny Green had confessed to killing Keith Stevenson with Harry Fisk’s stolen gun.

  Apparently, Penny had started the fire that burned her camper. Realizing it might look suspicious, she torched the storage building next door. The reason being, she was having financial difficulty. Her plan was to not only collect on her insurance but also sue Sun and Sand RV Park.

  All the while, she tried to pin the blame on poor Billy Zortski.

  Somewhere along the way, she had managed to make a copy of the campground’s master keys and began breaking into vacant campers, stealing stuff. One of the items she stole was Harry Fisk’s gun.

  Harry had visited Penny and had seen his gun. Penny lied and told him she had found Billy Zortski with the gun. It was easy to blame Billy since he seemed to be lurking around everywhere…and refused to talk.

  Furious, Harry Fisk tracked Billy down and chased him into the swamp where Thunder, the alligator caught him and mauled him to death.

  Gloria interrupted. “The alligator killed Harry Fisk.”

  Her stomach churned. Thunder was the same alligator the girls had run into behind the camper. They could have been next, if not for Billy’s quick thinking! She owed the young boy her life.

  “Yep,” Paul confirmed.

  Penny had called the campground’s handyman, Keith Stevenson, to fix her cable after moving into one of the vacant campers on site…the one next to Paul and Gloria. He spotted the stolen keys on her keys ring and confronted her. They argued and Stevenson had threatened to turn Penny in.

  In a panic, she shot Keith Stevenson with Fisk’s stolen gun and then dragged his body onto the campsite next door, leaving the gun next to the body to make it appear he had committed suicide.

  “I always thought it was suspicious Penny’s kitchen cupboards in the burned out camper were empty.” Gloria wondered if officials thought it was suspicious, too. “What about Penny’s cat, Cleo?”

  Paul shook his head. “She never mentioned the cat but Ian told me she filed a lawsuit against the campground claiming emotional distress.”

  Gloria shook her head. “Whew! She is one disturbed woman. That was why she broke in and stole my pills. Authorities were onto her. They were my pills…”

  Paul nodded. “Yes. The prescription was yours.”

  The couple turned around and headed back to the resort. After a leisurely breakfast, they headed to the pool to bask in the warm Florida sun. Gloria had purchased a new mystery book and the hours by the pool passed quickly.

  The resort boasted a magnificent restaurant on site and Paul and Gloria took advantage of the proximity. It was a magical finish to an adventurous week and Gloria was sad to see it end, but was ready to be home, surrounded by family, friends and her beloved pets.

  The next morning, they woke early, packed their bags and took a taxi to the airport.

  Gloria stared out the window as the plane took off. She turned to Paul when they reached cruising altitude and could no longer see Florida. “What do you think about becoming snowbirds?”

  “I think I want to be wherever you are,” he said. “I have to admit, it was nice being able to go fishing without drilling a hole through the ice and freezing my tail off.”

  “Maybe we could do a trial run next year and rent a condo for a month or so,” Gloria suggested. They would have to drive down instead of fly. There was no way Gloria would leave Mally for a month or more.

  She wasn’t sure what to do with Puddles. Perhaps Lucy would keep her cat for a few weeks. He was a good cat, but flying or riding for any length of time would not work.

  “Sounds good to me.” Paul squeezed Gloria’s hand, closed his eyes and leaned his head back.

  Gloria closed her eyes and nodded off. When she woke, the plane was preparing for landing at Gerald R. Ford Internat
ional Airport. They were home.

  ***

  Gloria eased Annabelle into an empty parking spot in front of Dot’s Restaurant. She shut the engine off, pushed the door open and maneuvered sideways. She reached behind her, grabbed the crutches and hopped out of the car.

  “Lordy! I thought Lucy was pulling my leg.” Dot Jenkins, owner of Dot’s Restaurant and one of Gloria’s close friends, emerged from the front of the restaurant and stood on the sidewalk, hands on her hips. “I can’t wait to hear what happened.”

  She waited for Gloria to make the cautious trek across the parking spot as she avoided a patch of ice, clinging to her crutches and the side of her car.

  Dot shook her head. “I would offer to help, but have a feeling I would only make it worse.” She held the door and Gloria hopped inside.

  All eyes turned to stare, at least that’s what it felt like to Gloria, as she hobbled to the table where Margaret, Ruth, Lucy and Andrea were anxiously awaiting Gloria’s arrival.

  “What in the world?” Andrea gasped.

  Gloria eased into an empty chair. “Ladies, do I have a story for you…”

  The end.

  The Series Continues…Click Here For Book 12, “Look Into My Ice”

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  Pepperoni Pizza Pie Iron Recipe

  Ingredients:

  Spray butter OR softened butter

  1 Loaf of White Bread

  15 oz. Pizza Sauce

  16 oz. Mozzarella Cheese

  1 Package Pepperoni Cheese

  Directions:

  -Place slice of bread, butter side down, on lower half of cooker. Spoon pizza sauce on center of bread.

  -Top sauce with mozzarella and pepperoni.

  -Place second slice of bread, butter side up, on top of fillings.

  -Latch hand; trim off excess bread if necessary.

  -Toast over campfire, fireplace or bbq until golden brown on both sides. (Roughly 4 – 6 minutes depending on level of heat.) Check at three minutes and turn to other side for even cooking.

  *You can substitute with pie filling, or even hot ham and cheese using ham slices, cheese and Dijon mustard to taste.

  **The pie irons (when new) must be seasoned before using.

  Campfire Banana Splits

  Ingredients:

  6 large ripe bananas

  1 package mini marshmallows

  2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or (pieces of) Hershey’s milk chocolate bar

  Directions:

  Spray six pieces of aluminum foil (large enough pieces to wrap the banana).

  Slice the banana peel from top to bottom, cutting through to the banana.

  Gently squeeze both ends of the banana so that it is wide enough to stuff pieces of chocolate and marshmallow inside.

  Line the inside of the banana, alternating pieces of chocolate and marshmallow.

  Wrap the banana inside the aluminum foil.

  Place wrapped banana directly on top of hot coals or on grill grate.

  Leave on heat until chocolate and marshmallow melt (est. 5 minutes).

  Remove from heat. When slightly cooled, remove banana from aluminum foil and eat the banana, using spoon. Discard peel when done.