Chestnuts, Camping and Culprits

by Cindy Bell

  “But she never saw you, did she?” Kerri was almost at her side when she spoke again. “The tree struck her before she knew you were there.”

  “No, she didn’t see me.” Sylvia sniffled. The hand that grasped the lighter trembled. “I did what I had to do.”

  “Like you told me, it was a choice, nothing to regret. But this time, you did regret it, didn’t you?” Kerri locked eyes with the woman. “You didn’t expect to, but you did.”

  “I can’t get her out of my head.” Sylvia sighed. “She’s in my dreams. I hear that tree crack.” She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter now. It will all be over soon. Once I can leave this place, I will be able to move on from all of this.”

  “You won’t be able to leave this memory behind, Sylvia.” Kerri reached for her hand. “Just give me the lighter, and we can find a better way to help you through this.”

  “Liar!” Sylvia shrieked at Kerri, then flicked the lighter on. As she tossed it into the air, Kerri lunged for it.

  “Kerri, watch out!” Steve tackled Sylvia to the ground just as the flash of her knife caught Kerri’s eye. As the lighter slipped through her fingers, she realized that Sylvia had intended to stab her. While Steve wrestled with her on the ground, the lighter struck a patch of dry leaves. Flame erupted immediately.

  “Get out of here!” Detective Carver shouted from the net that held her. “Go! The whole place is going to burn! Run!”

  Kerri ignored her pleas as she frantically stomped on the flames and kicked dirt on top of the burning leaves. She could hear shouts in the distance. All of the commotion had drawn the attention of other searchers. As she extinguished the last flame, she looked up in time to see her grandfather edging along a branch in the direction of the net.

  “Colleen, just stay still, that net isn’t going to hold much longer.”

  “George!” Detective Carver sighed with relief. “Oh, George.”

  “I’ll be right there, just try to stay calm.” George looked down at Kerri. “Watch for embers, kiddo.”

  “Right!” Kerri stomped out a few glowing embers, then turned her attention to Steve, who had managed to wrangle the knife away from Sylvia. “Are you okay, Steve?”

  “Yes, she didn’t get me.” He spoke through gritted teeth as he kept her pinned to the ground.

  “Oh Pamela, I’m so sorry.” Sylvia wept as she gazed up at the sky. She didn’t even seem to notice when a police officer switched places with Steve. She continued to weep and wail Pamela’s name.

  Kerri wrapped her arms around herself as she shivered. Steve pulled her close and kissed the top of her head.

  “It’s over now, Kerri, it’s over.”

  “All right, Colleen, now I’m going to cut you free, nice and easy.” George edged as close to the net as he could safely get. “But you’re going to have to work with me, okay?”

  “Please, do whatever you have to do, just get me out of here!” Her tone was strong, but her voice shook some.

  “Is that an order?” George grinned at her as he carefully sliced through some of the ropes. He grabbed her hand as the net began to swing.

  “George!” Detective Carver clung to his hand and gasped as some of the net fell away.

  “It’s all right, I’ve got you.” George looked into her eyes. “Swing your leg over onto this branch. It’s strong enough to hold us both. I made sure.”

  “I don’t know if I can.” Detective Carver trembled as she stared back at him.

  “Of course, you can.” George held her gaze. “You are capable of anything, don’t you think I know that? Ready? One, two, three!” He pulled her to the side enough that the net swung towards the branch. She thrust her leg out and managed to get it over the branch. George pulled her the rest of the way over and into his arms. As she curled into his grasp, she shivered. “It’s all right, you’re safe now. We’re just going to spend some time here, looking at the stars, until the ladder gets to us.” He brushed her hair back from her face.

  “I didn’t think anyone was coming.” Detective Carver looked up at him, her cheeks streaked with dried tears, and fresh ones.

  “Oh, you should have known better. You told me to stay off the mountain, I had no choice but to do the opposite, right?” George smiled as he gazed at her. “Now, look up there.” He tipped his head towards the sky. “Nothing terrible happens on a beautiful night like this.”

  Detective Carver rested her head against his chest and followed his gaze up to the stars.

  George felt her body relax against his, and his lips lightly brushed along the top of her head. Below them lights flashed, and people shouted orders, but up on that branch, there was only peace.

  “So, about that dinner?” Steve smiled against Kerri’s cheek as he continued to hold her close. “Do you think we could make that happen sometime?”

  “Yes.” Kerri laughed a little as he leaned back to look into her eyes. “As soon as you get me off this mountain!”

  The End

  ***

  Thank you very much for reading Chestnuts, Camping and Culprits. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. You can sign up for my newsletter to be notified of my latest releases so you don’t miss out on the special new release price at

  http://www.cindybellbooks.com

  Ginger Chestnut Cookie Recipe

  Ingredients:

  2 cups all-purpose flour

  4 teaspoons ground ginger

  1 teaspoon baking powder

  7 ounces roasted and peeled chestnuts

  1 1/2 cups light-brown sugar

  2/3 cup (5.3 ounces) melted butter

  Preparation:

  Makes about 40 cookies.

  Place the flour, ginger and baking powder in a bowl.

  Blend the chestnuts and sugar in a food processor until the mixture is like a paste.

  Add the butter to the chestnut mixture. Blend the mixture until well-combined and creamy.

  Mix the wet and dry ingredients together. Use your hands to make sure all of the flour is incorporated. Then make the dough into a disk and wrap it in plastic wrap.

  Place the dough in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

  Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Line baking trays with parchment paper.

  Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it stand for a couple of minutes. Roll on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin until about 1/4 inch thick. Using a round cookie cutter or the top of a glass or cup cut out circles of about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Place on the baking trays.

  Bake for 18- 22 minutes. The cookies should be golden brown, firm around the edges and slightly soft to touch in the middle. They will crisp up a bit more during cooling.

  Leave the cookies aside to cool completely.

  Enjoy!!

  Also by Cindy Bell

  Nuts About Nuts Cozy Mysteries

  A Tough Case to Crack

  A Seed of Doubt

  Roasted Peanuts and Peril

  Wagging Tail Cozy Mysteries

  Murder at Pawprint Creek (prequel)

  Murder at Pooch Park

  Murder at the Pet Boutique

  A Merry Murder at St. Bernard Cabins

  Murder at the Dog Training Academy

  Murder at Corgi Country Club

  Chocolate Centered Cozy Mysteries

  The Sweet Smell of Murder

  A Deadly Delicious Delivery

  A Bitter Sweet Murder

  A Treacherous Tasty Trail

  Pastry and Peril

  Trouble and Treats

  Fudge Films and Felonies

  Custom-Made Murder

  Skydiving, Soufflés and Sabotage

  Christmas Chocolates and Crimes

  Hot Chocolate and Homicide

  Chocolate Caramels and Conmen

  Picnics, Pies and Lies

  Devils Food Cake and Drama

  Cinnamon and a Corspe

  Cherries, Berries and a Body

  Donut Truck C
ozy Mysteries

  Deadly Deals and Donuts

  Fatal Festive Donuts

  Bunny Donuts and a Body

  Strawberry Donuts and Scandal

  Frosted Donuts and Fatal Falls

  Dune House Cozy Mysteries

  Seaside Secrets

  Boats and Bad Guys

  Treasured History

  Hidden Hideaways

  Dodgy Dealings

  Suspects and Surprises

  Ruffled Feathers

  A Fishy Discovery

  Danger in the Depths

  Celebrities and Chaos

  Pups, Pilots and Peril

  Tides, Trails and Trouble

  Racing and Robberies

  Athletes and Alibis

  Manuscripts and Deadly Motives

  Pelicans, Pier and Poison

  Sage Gardens Cozy Mysteries

  Birthdays Can Be Deadly

  Money Can Be Deadly

  Trust Can Be Deadly

  Ties Can Be Deadly

  Rocks Can Be Deadly

  Jewelry Can Be Deadly

  Numbers Can Be Deadly

  Memories Can Be Deadly

  Paintings Can Be Deadly

  Snow Can Be Deadly

  Tea Can Be Deadly

  Greed Can Be Deadly

  Clutter Can Be Deadly

  Bekki the Beautician Cozy Mysteries

  Hairspray and Homicide

  A Dyed Blonde and a Dead Body

  Mascara and Murder

  Pageant and Poison

  Conditioner and a Corpse

  Mistletoe, Makeup and Murder

  Hairpin, Hair Dryer and Homicide

  Blush, a Bride and a Body

  Shampoo and a Stiff

  Cosmetics, a Cruise and a Killer

  Lipstick, a Long Iron and Lifeless

  Camping, Concealer and Criminals

  Treated and Dyed

  A Wrinkle-Free Murder

  A Macaron Patisserie Cozy Mystery Series

  Sifting for Suspects

  Recipes and Revenge

  Mansions, Macarons and Murder

  Heavenly Highland Inn Cozy Mysteries

  Murdering the Roses

  Dead in the Daisies

  Killing the Carnations

  Drowning the Daffodils

  Suffocating the Sunflowers

  Books, Bullets and Blooms

  A Deadly Serious Gardening Contest

  A Bridal Bouquet and a Body

  Digging for Dirt

  Wendy the Wedding Planner Cozy Mysteries

  Matrimony, Money and Murder

  Chefs, Ceremonies and Crimes

  Knives and Nuptials

  Mice, Marriage and Murder

  About the Author

  Cindy Bell is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author. She is the author of the cozy mystery series Wagging Tail, Donut Truck, Dune House, Sage Gardens, Chocolate Centered, Macaron Patisserie, Nuts about Nuts, Bekki the Beautician, Heavenly Highland Inn and Wendy the Wedding Planner.

  Cindy has always loved reading, but it is only recently that she has discovered her passion for writing romantic cozy mysteries. She loves walking along the beach thinking of the next adventure her characters can embark on.

  You can sign up for her newsletter so you are notified of her latest releases at http://www.cindybellbooks.com.