Knocking on Death's Door

by Lucy Quinn

  10

  Cookie sat in the porch swing, a mug of hot chocolate in her hand while she made notes about the case. She added Mindy’s name and put a question mark beside it. Dylan, who was sitting next to her, pounded away on Alex’s keyboard. She was just about to ask about his progress when her phone rang.

  She glanced down and grimaced when she didn’t recognize the number. Her first thought was to deny the call. What if someone from the mob had found her? But if that was the case, wouldn’t it be better to know? Sucking in a sharp breath, she hit Accept. “Hello?”

  “Cookie?” a familiar female voice asked.

  Relief rushed through her as she recognized the ME filling in for Jared. “Hi, Frankie. What do you have for me?”

  “Not much unfortunately. I’m still slammed, but I wanted you to know we got the ballistics back on the bullet.”

  “And?”

  “Inconclusive.”

  Damn, Cookie thought. But she also knew those results weren’t all that unusual. If a bullet was too damaged, it could prove impossible to narrow down what kind of gun was used. “Will your team keep working on it?”

  “We can try, but like I said before, we’re backed up. It would be easier to match if you found the weapon.”

  “We’ll keep working on it,” Cookie said.

  “And I’ll tell the team to run some more tests. If we get anything, I’ll give you a call,” Frankie said.

  “Thanks, Frankie,” Cookie said. A moment later she ended the call.

  “I’m in,” Dylan said, grinning at the laptop. “All the files are right here.”

  “Excellent.” Cookie handed him the USB flash drive. “Copy everything so we can get that computer back where it belongs.”

  He took the drive and got to work.

  Cookie finished off her hot chocolate, and their mugs clinked when she looped her finger through the handles and slipped back inside. The house was dead quiet. No one was at the front desk or in the living room. Cookie made her way to the kitchen, expecting Rain to be getting dinner prepped, but the only thing she found was an oven full of baking snickerdoodles. They had ten more minutes until they were done. She dropped the mugs off in the sink and glanced out the window at the water. A flash of hot pink disappearing into the shed caught her eye.

  With a fair bit of trepidation, Cookie made her way outside and toward the shed. The last time she’d found someone in there, she’d gotten a whole lot more than she’d bargained for. She could still see the white fleshy skin of the naked fishermen Rain had been entertaining. A shudder ran through her at the memory.

  Steeling herself, she pulled the door open and her ears were assaulted with an off-key rendition of Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble.” Cookie blinked, and her eyes focused on Cari, Winter, and Rain. They were huddled around a boom box and singing into a silver microphone.

  “Mom? Why are you three out here?” Cookie called over the offending noise.

  “Cut! Cut!” Rain yelled while making a slashing motion at her neck. The other two stopped singing and the three of them stared at Cookie, mild annoyance shining back at her.

  “What?” Cookie asked.

  “You interrupted our recording session,” Rain said. “We’re making a demo to send to places for when the Pussycat Posse goes out on the road.”

  “Right,” Cari added, smoothing her orange polyester jumpsuit. The ruffled cuffs were almost as wide as her bellbottoms. “Now we have to start over.”

  It was then Cookie noticed that all three women were wearing jumpsuits. Rain’s was hot pink spandex and was low cut, showing off her drooping cleavage, while Winter’s was a lime-green halter top number with a macramé collar.

  “Wow,” Cookie said, her eyes wide. “Those are some costumes you have there? Where did you even find them?”

  “Cari had them in the back of her closet,” Rain said. “We figured we’d better get used to singing in them if we’re going to hit fifty cities in fifty days. We’re calling it the Fifty Shades of Trouble Tour.”

  “Fifty cities in fifty days?” Cookie echoed, still trying to catch up.

  “For when we go on the road, dear,” Rain said, shaking her head in exasperation. “The Fifty Shades of Trouble Tour. We thought about wearing gray as our stage outfits just as a wink, wink, nod, nod, but that drab color just doesn’t fit our personalities.”

  “Okay. On the road,” Cookie said, trying to picture gray ‘70s jumpsuits. It wasn’t a good look.

  “Did you need something, Cookie?” Winter asked.

  “Oh, yes. Sorry to interrupt the ah… recording session,” Cookie said, somehow managing to keep a straight face, “but I really need to talk to my mom for a minute.”

  “Sure, honey.” Rain grabbed her daughter by the arm and led her out of the shed. She called back over her shoulder. “You two better keep practicing. I think we still need to work on that second verse.”

  They needed a lot more work than just the second verse, but Cookie wasn’t going to be the one to tell them.

  “One, two, three, four…” Winter started as she banged a tambourine against her thigh.

  “Mom,” Cookie whispered.

  “Yes, dear?”

  “I don’t think Taylor Swift uses a tambourine in that song.”

  Rain waved an unconcerned hand. “I know. But we can’t seem to get it away from Winter, so we’re just going with it. Don’t you think it adds a little something extra?”

  “It adds something all right,” Cookie mumbled as she held the back door open for her mom.

  “I think it sounds good,” Rain said, her tone suddenly defensive.

  A wave of guilt hit Cookie. There was no reason for her to be negative about something her mom and her friends were excited about. Soon enough the rejections were sure to be rolling in on their own, judging by the singing quality she’d heard in the shed. “Sorry. You three just caught me by surprise. A tour seems like a lot of work.”

  “Don’t worry, honey. Stone said he’d fill in for me at the inn while I’m gone. Everything will be just fine.”

  Stone? Cookie thought. The town pot dealer, turned Uber Eats driver who only delivered munchies? “I think I can probably handle things.”

  “Not if you get caught up in another investigation,” Rain said, pulling the tray of snickerdoodles out of the oven. The delicious scent of cinnamon filled the air and Cookie’s mouth started to water. Rain scooped one up off the tray, placed it on a napkin and handed it to her daughter.

  Cookie blew on the treat and took a bite, even though she knew she should let it cool and set up. The snickerdoodle melted on her tongue and Cookie closed her eyes, appreciating her mother’s baking skills.

  “That’s all you get. These are for the guests,” Rain said. “We had two couples check in this morning. Nice people. Here to do some whale watching and eat lobster three times a day. I told them I’d make lobster and goat cheese omelets in the morning, so if you want any, you might not want to spend the night at Dylan’s again, no matter what he promises you. Our last guests said my omelets are better than sex. And you know, at first I was skeptical, but Hale and I decided to test them. We took one to bed and let me just say I’d rather have Hale feeding me that yummy goodness rather than his—”

  Cookie held up her hand. “That’s enough. I’ll be here in the morning.”

  Her mother beamed at her. “Perfect. I even got a new espresso machine. It just came today, so we’re practicing our foam art later. You don’t want to miss it.”

  “Who’s practicing?” Cookie eyed her mother with suspicion.

  She waved a hand “Oh, you know, the Pussycat Posse, after we’re done with our demo tape. Winter has all kinds of ideas. You know how talented she is with shaping the male form.”

  Cookie held back a laugh but couldn’t suppress her smile.

  Rain pointed at her, a sparkle gleaming in the older woman’s eyes. “I knew you’d come around eventually. No one can resist my charm.”

  �
��You’re right about that, Mom,” Cookie said, taking a seat on the stool. “Listen, I need to ask a favor.”

  “Anything.” She took a bite of one of the snickerdoodles and leaned against the counter.

  “I need you to see if you can find out who Mindy’s prison boyfriends are.”

  Rain’s eyes widened. “That rumor is true? I’d heard she and Rand had broken up and she was having trouble in the dating department. I mean, who wouldn’t when they always have that surly scowl on their face? Mindy just isn’t attractive when she’s got her nose all scrunched up as if she’s been passing gas all day, you know?”

  Cookie chuckled. “She would probably have better luck if she relaxed a bit.”

  “A bit? The woman is so uptight she’s going to need to buy stock in Botox. Anyway, sure. I’m happy to find out who her prison boyfriends might be.” Rain rubbed her hands together in glee. “I bet Peaches over at the Clip, Dip and Rip is dying to dish up some dirt on that one.”

  “No doubt,” Cookie said. As she stared at her mother, seeing her thrive in her element, she suddenly felt her heart sink. Even though they had plenty of suspects for Simon’s murder, the truth was, they had no idea why Simon was on the island. The simplest solution was that he was there because of Cookie. If that was true… “Mom, we need to talk.”

  “I thought we already were, dear.” Her mother filled the tea pot and set it on a burner.

  “No, a serious talk.”

  “Sounds ominous,” Rain said. “Okay, shoot.”

  “I know you said before that if DeMasi and his crew caught up to us, that you wouldn’t leave my side.”

  “That’s right,” her mother said, standing up straight and placing her fists on her hips. “Those bullies can’t scare me.”

  “I really appreciate that, Mom. You have no idea just how much I appreciate that. But DeMasi is dangerous. More dangerous than I think you realize.”

  “He kills people,” she said dryly. “I think I have an understanding of what that means. Goodness knows I’ve seen enough dead bodies over the last year.” Her body shook with a tiny shudder. “It’s not something someone forgets.”

  “I know, but you weren’t the target,” Cookie said gently.

  “Sure I was. Remember when we were locked in the freezer? I saw my whole life flash before my eyes. I remember thinking if I got out of there that I needed to do more Kegels because after I decided to do my lady workouts, that’s when my sex life went from good to holy cowbells, if you know what I mean.”

  Cookie cleared her throat and decided to ignore her mother’s inappropriate share. “Anyway. Okay, fair enough. You understand what it means to be in harm’s way. The problem is DeMasi might be on to us. And as soon as we clear you and the rest of the Pussycat Posse from this murder, I think it’s best if you disappear for a while.”

  “Disappear? But what about my tour? We have to be visible, create buzz, if we’re going to grow our fan base.”

  “Mom, we’re talking about the mob. They know that the best way to get to me is through you.”

  Rain’s expression hardened. “No one, not even the mob, is going to scare me off. They can come for me, but I’ll be ready for them.”

  “How?” Cookie asked, suddenly tired. She could just imagine her mother beating off one of the hitmen with a large purple dildo.

  “I don’t know. Maybe I’ll learn how to shoot.”

  An image of Rain accidentally shooting her own toes off popped into Cookie’s mind and she opened her mouth to protest, but Rain barreled on.

  “I’ll take self-defense classes. Or I’ll hire a bodyguard. Isn’t that what Dylan used to do? I wouldn’t mind having a young buck watching my every move. He just might learn something.” She pumped her eyebrows for effect.

  Cookie had no doubt a bodyguard would learn a thing or two from her mother, but it would most likely be things like where to get the best Mary Jane or how to make chocolate cream cheese cupcakes. “Mom—”

  “Forget it, Cookie. I know what you’re trying to do, and it isn’t going to work. I’m sticking with you. I won’t go into hiding without you. If you decide it’s best for both of us to leave, I’ll be by your side. But don’t even think about sending me away. You’re my daughter, and I’ll be damned if I stand by and let some jerk mobster try to take you from me. Got it?”

  Cookie was momentarily stunned at the fierceness in Rain’s tone. She shouldn’t have been. Rain always had been strong willed. Underneath all her silliness, she had a heart of gold and a spine of steel. Rain knew the danger and had already made her choice. It was time for Cookie to respect her decision. “Okay, Mom. I hear you. Just promise me one thing?”

  “What’s that?”

  “Be careful. If you see anything out of the ordinary, you need to tell me right away and not try to take matters into your own hands like you did with Blake’s missing wife, all right?”

  Rain’s eyes went wide with fake innocence as she used her finger to cross her heart. “I promise.”

  Cookie let out a small snort of skepticism, but nonetheless she nodded. “Need help with dinner?”

  “Nope. It’s already made. Lobster mac and cheese. All I have to do is heat it up.” She grabbed a couple of cookies from the tray. “Are we done here? I need to see how the girls are doing with their harmony.”

  “Sure. All done.” Cookie watched as her mother ran back outside toward the shed.

  “What is she wearing?” a familiar male voice said from behind her.

  “Her stage outfit,” Cookie said, turning to lean into Dylan.

  “Someone should tell her it’s a size too small. That wedgie is likely to chafe.”

  Cookie spun back around, spied the suit riding up on her mother, and groaned. “Not me,” she said. “I already had to hear about her Kegels. That was enough for one day.”

  “Kegels?” Dylan asked.

  Cookie gave him a pained look. “Lady exercises to help strengthen the vaginal wall.”

  Dylan shook his head. “I did not need to know that.”

  “You asked,” Cookie said.

  “That’ll teach me.”

  11

  “Wait!” Scarlett called just as Cookie and Dylan were headed out to talk to Johnny, the dishwasher at the Salty Dog.

  Cookie paused at the entrance of the inn and glanced back into the living room at her best friend. She was standing in the doorway of the office holding up a plaid mini skirt.

  “What do you think?” Scarlett asked, blowing a blond strand of hair out of her eyes. She was slightly disheveled and had sewing pins stuck in the hem of her shirt.

  “Uh, what’s it for?” Cookie asked. “A ‘90s party? Are you dressing up like Britney Spears again?”

  Scarlett shook her head. “Rain asked me to make the costumes for the show they’re planning to put on here on the island. This is just one of items she requested.”

  “It’s short enough to be a stripper’s outfit,” Dylan whispered into Cookie’s ear.

  She turned to him with a look of horror in her eyes. “Please don’t tell me that’s what they’re doing.”

  He shrugged. “If it’s anything like the revue she put on, you just never know.”

  “I heard that. They aren’t stripping,” Scarlett said. “At least if they are, no one told me. And this is nowhere near short enough to pass as a stripper outfit.”

  “You coulda fooled me,” Dylan mumbled under his breath.

  Cookie eyed him. “And how would you know what strippers wear, Mr. Creed?”

  A blush turned his cheeks pink, and he stared at his feet while he stammered something about a bachelor party.

  “Right,” Cookie said, shaking her head as she turned back to Scarlett. “I think it’s not age appropriate for the over-sixty crowd, but this is Rain we’re talking about, so I’m guessing she’s going to think it’s perfect.”

  As if on cue, Rain rushed in and let out a squeal of delight. “Oh, it’s perfect, Scarlett. I can’t wait for everyone
to hear our version of ‘Oops, I Did It Again.’ It’s going to kill.” She glanced at Cookie and grimaced. “Sorry. Figure of speech.”

  Cookie just shook her head.

  Cari and Winter appeared behind Rain. “Fashion show!” Cari exclaimed and rushed over to Scarlett. Winter and Rain followed her, the three women chattering about which to try on first.

  “Let’s go,” Cookie said, grabbing Dylan’s hand. “Before we get trapped here.”

  “Oh no you don’t, Cookie James,” her mother said. “Scarlett went to all this trouble to make us costumes. The least you can do is stick around while we show them off.”

  Cookie glanced at her best friend.

  Scarlett beamed at her. “I’ll get the cocoa and cookies. This is going to be good.”

  “I could go for more cocoa and cookies,” Dylan said.

  Cookie glared at him but relented and let out a sigh. “Fine. We’ll stay, but make it quick. We have a suspect to question.”

  Less than five minutes later, Cookie, Dylan, and Scarlett were seated on the couch waiting for the fashion show.

  “Here.” Scarlett handed each of them a set of index cards. Paper rustled in Cookie’s fingers when she shuffled through them to see that each had a different number up to ten. “We’re the judges,” Scarlett said.

  Dylan raised one eyebrow. “Aren’t you the designer?”

  “More like the seamstress.” She grinned. “I just took directions and can’t wait to see what this is going to look like.”

  “I’m a little frightened,” Dylan said under his breath.

  “You should be,” Cookie added.

  Cari ran out of the office wearing a thick terry cloth robe and hit the button on the music dock. Then she darted back in just as “I’m Too Sexy” started spilling from the speakers.

  Cookie chuckled. Leave it to Rain to have the perfect runway song cued up. Within moments, Winter strutted out of the office wearing Daisy Duke cutoff shorts, a belly shirt, and rhinestone-studded boots.

  Scarlett let out a wolf whistle as Winter glided past them. Cookie, squinted at her pale skin. But other than looking like she hadn’t seen the sun in twenty years, Cookie had to hand it to her. Winter had the body to pull off such an outfit… as long as one didn’t mind the glare and extra wrinkles.