Bed, Breakfast and Murder (A Ryli Sinclair Mystery Book 4)

by Jenna St James

  “Luckily this outfit came in the mail a few days ago, just in time for the trip. I want to impress the Sheriff today with my riding skills, but still look feminine. I can’t straddle a horse in a skirt. That would be tacky.”

  “So right on that,” I deadpanned as I grabbed my phone off the bed and headed downstairs to the parlor. I was on a mission to find Mom and Paige…and caffeine. It was too early to tangle with Aunt Shirley without my caffeine.

  A gentleman I hadn’t met yet was seated in front of the fireplace sipping coffee. He was thin and had thick dark hair. He was dressed in a suit and tie with a matching silk handkerchief in his breast pocket. I placed him around Mom’s age…mid-fifties. He looked up and smiled when Aunt Shirley and I entered the room.

  “I can’t wait to see what the day brings,” Tina Collins chirped gaily as she and Stewart sailed into the parlor. She had on a pair of jeans so tight they looked painted on and a low-cut, hunter green sweater. Very low cut.

  “Those pants are so tight I can see her religion!” Aunt Shirley joked. Unfortunately, her voice carried and Tina heard her.

  “What did you say?” Tina demanded.

  Aunt Shirley hooted. “I said you might want to yank that sweater up…we can see clear to the Promised Land!”

  I nudged Aunt Shirley and gave her a warning look. While funny, it wasn’t appropriate. Especially since I’d seen her in some outlandish outfits.

  Mom and Paige walked into the parlor. Paige’s normally tan face looked sallow this morning, but her chest looked mighty impressive. Now that I knew Paige was pregnant, I could recognize the signs.

  “Good morning,” Mom said as she gave me a kiss on the cheek.

  “How’re you feeling, Paige?” I asked.

  Paige smiled. “I’ve already thrown up twice, and I would kill for some caffeine. But I guess I’ll make due with non-caffeinated hot tea.”

  I scrunched up my nose. “I’m sorry.”

  Paige sighed. “I know it will be worth it in the end, but right now I’m still trying to get used to peeing every ten minutes and looking over these top-heavy things.” She gestured to her chest and I laughed.

  Gary and Cybil Wainwright stepped into the parlor.

  “Good morning,” Gary Wainwright greeted. “I hope you slept well. As you can see, we’ve had a late arrival this morning. This is Wayne Skaggs, and he will be staying with us until tomorrow. Now let’s make our way into the dining room where Bessie has prepared a lovely breakfast for us.”

  I looked around the room but didn’t see Olivia Banner anywhere. Would she elect to stay in her room and not have breakfast this morning?

  Wayne Skaggs stood up and walked over to where we were standing. I couldn’t quite place it, but there was something about him that seemed familiar to me. I was sure I’d never met him, but something about the way he walked tugged on my memory.

  Olivia Banner shuffled into the dining room just as breakfast was being served. She was unnaturally pale and her eyes were red rimmed. I smiled at her, but she didn’t return the smile.

  Once again we all sat in the same spots we had the previous night for dinner. Except for Wayne Skaggs…he now sat where Colonel Musgaard had sat. I had to wonder what happened to the slightly overweight older gentleman. Would we see him anymore during our stay?

  Breakfast consisted of scrambled eggs, bacon, French toast with a homemade Bailey’s whipped cream topping, and fresh berries. I’m not ashamed to say not only did I eat my serving of French toast, but I ate Paige’s serving as well.

  Once again Trent Starnes and Dayna Bowers helped with food service…and once again the tension between Trent and Dayna was palpable.

  “Now don’t forget,” Gary Wainwright said once we had all been served and started eating, “Trent here will be out at the stables around ten if anyone wants to go horseback riding.”

  Tina tossed her hair as Trent leaned down to pour her more coffee. “I’d love for you to take me…for a ride.”

  Gag!

  Trent was about as appealing as a month-old pork chop. Why in the world did the Wainwrights keep him on? Surely they could find someone else to take care of the horses.

  “Stewie,” Tina purred to her husband, “you don’t mind if I let Trent take me for a ride, do you? You know how much I love horses.”

  Stewart Collins looked up absentmindedly from his phone. “What? Oh, right. Yes, have fun. I’m sure Trent can entertain you for the afternoon.”

  “I hope so,” Tina whispered. I looked over at Olivia Banner. She was watching the exchange with disgust. Her white-knuckle grip on her fork left no doubt she’d love to stab Trent right through the heart.

  Luckily Dayna was refilling a pitcher of orange juice in the kitchen and had missed the exchange. Something told me if she had heard it, Trent would be wearing the pitcher of orange juice.

  “One last thing,” Gary Wainwright said once we were finished with breakfast. “I expect the Sheriff to be here shortly to start taking statement from eyewitnesses for last night’s murder of poor Colonel Musgaard.”

  Everyone started to slowly file out of the dining room. Paige wanted to rest up before we went horseback riding, so she and Mom went back up to their rooms. I noticed Aunt Shirley hadn’t made a move to leave. Instead, she was staring intently at Wayne Skaggs.

  “I must say,” Aunt Shirley said, “it’s quite remarkable.”

  Wayne Skaggs took a step backward. “What do you mean?”

  Aunt Shirley chuckled. “You know what I mean.” She looked around the room to make sure everyone else was gone. “The disguise. I wouldn’t have recognized you if it hadn’t been for the walk. The uneven gait must be natural.”

  Wayne Skaggs’ mouth dropped open. “I’ve never had anyone, ever, put the two pieces together. How did you know?”

  “Oh, you’re good,” Aunt Shirley said, “I’ll give you that. But I used to be a private investigator. I notice all sorts of things.”

  I looked quizzically at Aunt Shirley. I had no idea what she was talking about, but it had Wayne Skaggs pretty shook up.

  “Yeah, well, can you keep it our little secret?” Wayne asked. “It’s part of the show.”

  “You bet.” Aunt Shirley hooked her arms through mine. “Let’s go see what books they have in the library before we go sign up for horseback riding.”

  We made our way to the other side of the house to the library. We’d just passed a partially closed door when I heard the Wainwrights talking. We must have stumbled upon their office. Out of habit, Aunt Shirley and I stopped to listen.

  “Let’s not worry about this right now, Cybil.”

  I heard sniffing and could tell Cybil Wainwright was crying. “You believe me, Gary, don’t you? You know I’d never do that to you?”

  Gary Wainwright sighed. “I do, Cybil. I don’t know what’s going on, but we will figure it out. Please don’t cry anymore.”

  That seemed to cause Cybil Wainwright to cry even harder. I motioned with my head to keep walking. The library was one room down from Gary Wainwright’s office.

  “What do you suppose that was about?” I asked Aunt Shirley.

  “I don’t know. There seems to be a lot of sneaky stuff going on. And I don’t think it has anything to do with the murder mystery. I think something big is going on.”

  “Speaking of the weekend murder mystery, what were you talking to Wayne Skaggs about?”

  Aunt Shirley chuckled. “You didn’t recognize him?”

  I thought about that. “You know, something was familiar about him. I couldn’t quite place it. I know I haven’t met him before.”

  “If you put thirty more pounds on him, a receding hairline wig, and—”

  “That was Colonel Musgaard!” I scrunched my forehead. “Wow, that was some change. He is good.”

  “Yes. I would have never recognized him if it wasn’t for his walk. He has the same hitch in his left leg.”

  I nodded my head and smiled. “You really are good at this detective
stuff, Aunt Shirley.”

  “You should have seen me back in my day. Now let’s get some books and get out of here. I gotta go get my sexy on for the Sheriff!”

  Chapter 6

  I knocked on Mom and Paige’s door and informed them I was going to go sign up for horseback riding. Aunt Shirley was still in the parlor flirting with Sheriff Simpson. He’d asked me a couple questions about what I witnessed and who I was with at the time the body was discovered. People had been acting so crazy this morning that I actually forgot we were in the middle of a pretend murder mystery.

  The foyer was empty, so I peeked my head in the parlor to see if anyone was around. The parlor, like the foyer, was empty. For a place that was supposed to be putting on a pretend murder, people sure were missing in action a lot this morning.

  I jogged out the front door and down the steps out to the barn. It was built to look like the house, complete with high pitched roofs with a cupola and weather vane. There were even shutters around the windows. Although, for me and my puny strength, the split sliding aisle doors were a bit awkward to open.

  I rested—panting—against the door when Tina shot out from inside. She was adjusting her shirt as she walked past me. She giggled when she saw me and gave me a knowing wink.

  I shoved past her without a word. While I didn’t particularly like her husband, I especially didn’t like the fact she would openly cheat on him with another guy. A guy that was supposed to be seeing another girl. This was turning out worse than those soap operas Aunt Shirley sometimes watched.

  “Trent Starnes,” I called out. “Are you in here?”

  You pompous, arrogant jerk.

  The first thing I noticed was the smell. Not gonna lie…it was a little overpowering. I may be from a small town, but I wasn’t used to a horse barn smell. A combination of horse sweat, hay, poop, and leather. I made my way down the aisle of the barn. A horse peeked its head over the half stall he was in and neighed at me. I stopped and petted the horse’s neck.

  Trent popped his head out of the back office. “If it isn’t the beautiful Ryli. What can I do for you this morning?” The leer on his face had my stomach rolling.

  “I want to sign up four people for horseback riding. Can you handle that?”

  “Sure. I can take the four of you on.”

  Gag. Where’s a knife when I need it. I’d love to cut this jerk’s tongue out.

  Trent brought the rest of his body out the door and leaned suggestively against the frame. “How about you come back in about twenty minutes, okay? I have to get the horses around.”

  “Fine!” I snapped and stomped out of the stable. I really didn’t want to spend the next hour and a half with this guy, but Aunt Shirley was looking forward to her birthday horseback ride.

  I met Sheriff Simpson in the foyer. “Your aunt tells me it’s her birthday today. Do you girls plan on doing something special?”

  “In about twenty minutes, we’re going for a nice horseback riding session and then maybe lunch in town. I honestly don’t know when the next body is supposed to be found, so I guess we’ll play it by ear.”

  Sheriff Simpson gave me a secretive smile. “I’d say you have time for a celebratory birthday lunch in town if you want.” He gave me a conspiratorial wink. “I think I’m due to come back around four.”

  I laughed. “Good to know. Is Aunt Shirley upstairs?”

  Sheriff Simpson nodded and shoved his cowboy hat back on his head. “Yes, Ma’am. Said she was going to go get gussied up for the horses.”

  “That sounds like Aunt Shirley. I guess I’ll see you around four today,” I said.

  He tipped his hat to me and moseyed out the front door. I jogged up the stairs and roused Mom and Paige. I told them we’d meet them downstairs in the foyer in about fifteen minutes.

  “Omigosh.” I shut the bedroom door and looked at Aunt Shirley. “What is that?”

  Aunt Shirley twirled. “You like? It’s my riding outfit.”

  “Where—what—where…” I had no words.

  She was standing in front of me in black leather skin-tight pants, a black leather button up vest with black lace sleeves, and black combat boots. She was also holding a riding crop whip. Only it wasn’t a real riding crop whip…it was more of a prop…if you get my drift.

  “I ran across this website called Leather Dreams and More or something like that. I don’t quite remember. But it was on sale. So I had to have it!”

  “When the outfit came to your house,” I said, trying not to laugh, “was it wrapped in a brown bag with no markings on it?”

  “How did you know?”

  I suppressed a groan. Leave it to Aunt Shirley to stumble across a naughty website and not know.

  “Well, I guess we better go on down to the stable.” I couldn’t wait to see Trent’s reaction to this getup. Might put a damper on any other hanky-panky he had in mind…for the rest of the weekend!

  I had to give Mom props. She only had a mild stroke when she took in Aunt Shirley’s outfit. Paige, on the other hand, laughed until she nearly wet herself. I assured her I had the same reaction.

  The four of us made our way out onto the back of the veranda and started down the stairs. I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and saw Dayna running around the back of the barn toward us. She was dressed in a black and red Lycra top and black Lycra shorts and running shoes. She looked out of breath as she hurried toward the front of the house. I raised my hand in greeting, but she didn’t see me.

  “I still can’t believe you bought that crazy outfit,” I said to Aunt Shirley as we walked into the barn. A huge anvil with tools scattered about took up a large chunk of room. Trent must have been checking the shoes on the horses. You’d think he’d put the tools back in their designated area. They had to be pretty expensive.

  “Every celebration calls for a special outfit,” Aunt Shirley bantered back.

  “Mr. Starnes, are you here?” Mom called out.

  A couple of the horses poked their noses out of the stalls as we strode down the aisle. I stopped to pet the one I had earlier. I had hoped Trent would have saddled her for me. I looked around the barn. There wasn’t a single horse saddled and ready to ride.

  “Mr. Starnes,” Mom called again. “We’re here for our riding session.”

  “Wait.” Paige was bent over, her hands clasping her knees. “I’m not sure I can take the smell. Smells have really gotten to me lately.”

  “Honey, you don’t have to go,” Mom said gently. “I’ll stay here with you. I remember being pregnant with Matt and every smell seemed to knock me over. I threw up every day for six months it seemed.”

  Paige lifted her head slightly. “I hope it’s not like that for me.”

  “Yeah,” I agreed, “don’t do something that’s gonna make you sick. Not worth it. I’m going to go see if Starnes is in his office.”

  I took off down the aisle and turned right at the end. I could see Starnes’ office door was open. I looked down to make sure I wasn’t stepping in anything unseemly when I noticed a body lying in the office doorway.

  My startled scream was a natural reaction.

  Trent Starnes was lying in a pool of blood with some sort of hammer next to his bludgeoned head.

  “What in tarnation are you bellyaching about?” Aunt Shirley demanded as she strode toward me, her riding crop swinging back and forth as she walked. I tried to focus on that comical image so I wouldn’t look at Trent Starnes’s bloody body again.

  “Hey,” Aunt Shirley said when she got close enough to see Trent lying in the doorway. “I thought Sheriff Simpson said he wouldn’t see me again until tonight.” Aunt Shirley fluffed her hair in anticipation and then turned and hollered out to Mom and Paige. “Come back here. We have another dead body. Only this one won’t be hard to solve how he died. Got a…” Aunt Shirley trailed off and looked at Trent Starnes again. “Uh…he ain’t pretend dead, is he?”

  “No, he’s not.” I turned my head and sucked in two deep breaths.
Mom and Paige were walking toward me. I held up my hands. “Don’t come any closer. It’s not a fake body. This one’s real.”

  I heard Paige moan. “I need to go wait outside.” She all but ran from the barn.

  “How is it you are always stumbling over dead bodies?” Mom asked. “I just don’t understand. Statistically speaking, it should be impossible.”

  I giggled. “I know, right. Garrett is gonna freak.”

  “Your momma is gonna freak.” Mom said with a sigh. “I’ll go find the Wainwrights.”

  “Hey, Nancy Drew,” Aunt Shirley said, “go look through his office real quick before everyone arrives. See if you can find a clue.”

  I hesitated. I really didn’t want to get involved. I just wanted to leave. I didn’t want another chance at being held against my will, being drugged, being tormented. I just wanted to pack my bags and leave.

  Aunt Shirley snapped her fingers. “I’m talking to you, girl. I’m about done searching his body.”

  I looked down at her rummaging through Trent’s pockets. That got me moving. I carefully stepped over Trent’s bloody body and into his office. It was a typical office as offices went. A mahogany desk with a standard office chair, a fairly new computer, and tons of bookshelves filled with books. I sat down in the chair and started opening drawers. I knew Mom would be back shortly, so I figured the desk was the best place to start.

  I opened the two side drawers on my right. The top drawer held standard office supplies. Nothing helpful in there. I opened the bottom drawer and found files. I sifted through them but nothing caught my eye. They were standard invoices and receipts.

  I looked up and was about to start looking through the bookshelves when a flash caught my eye. I squinted and looked at the bookshelf directly in front of me against the wall.

  “Anything?” Aunt Shirley asked. She stood up and dusted off her black leather pants.

  “Maybe. Come look at this.” I walked to the bookshelf, peered down at the books, and located the flash that caught my eye. Sandwiched between two large books was a slim camcorder. The largest thing on it was the camera eye. It was the same color as the two books it was sandwiched between, so no one would notice unless they knew what to look for.