Getaway Bay Cozy Mysteries Box Set 1

by Grace York

  "Yes, I'll get Olivia to bring him in next week if you've got time."

  "I'll make time for this little one," said Josie, giving Charlie another cuddle. Addison was glad Josie and her twin sister Juliet didn't dress identically, she'd never be able to tell them apart. Besides their appearance, the twins shared a love of animals. Juliet was the local vet, and Josie's salon was located directly behind the vet practice. As an only child, Addison sometimes envied them their close bond.

  "So what's all this about you being witness to another murder, Addison?" asked Martin.

  "Well, I wasn't exactly a witness," said Addison. She explained yet again the circumstances of being up in the Ferris wheel, this time adding Isaac's suspicions that the Ferris wheel breakdown was a diversion.

  "That explains why he was questioning Nabil for so long," said Holly.

  "Is Nabil the only operator of the Ferris wheel?" Justin asked.

  "He's the main one. All of the guys who work that part of the carnival have their regular rides," Holly explained. "But they all know how to operate others as well. There are at least three people trained to operate each ride, so they can give each other breaks, or cover when someone's sick, that sort of thing. Harry makes sure everything runs smoothly."

  "She certainly seems to know what she's doing," said Addison. "Mrs Jones was telling us Harriet practically runs the show, yet she wasn't born into it. She's married to the eldest of the three sons, is that right?"

  "Yes," said Holly. "Harry's married to Owen. Old Mr Hanley – Morris, but everyone calls him Mr Hanley – is supposed to be retired, and Owen is supposed to be in charge. But everyone knows it's really Harry who runs things. She's the one everyone turns to when something goes wrong."

  "What does Owen do then?" asked Justin.

  "Whatever Harry tells him to do," said Holly with a giggle. "He's the muscle, Harry is the brains. It works quite well."

  "That's the impression I've always got from Dot," said Mrs Jones.

  "What about the other two brothers?" Olivia asked.

  Addison handed Holly a glass of white wine, and Holly took a sip. "Ooh, that's lovely," she said. "Thank you." She turned back to Olivia. "Jake is the middle son, he's married to Davina. He's like a carbon copy of his father. Jake looks after all the rides and games, and their operators. Davina operates the ticket booth, but she's got a couple of girls working for her, so she doesn't really do much."

  "Dot tells me she's not fond of the lifestyle," said Mrs Jones.

  Holly shrugged. "I don't know her very well, to be honest. She spends most of her time in her trailer. They get a whole caravan to themselves, the family members."

  "And the youngest son?" Olivia prompted.

  "Hugh."

  Addison noticed Holly's eyes light up when she said his name. Mrs Jones had said Hugh was the single one, hadn't she?

  "Yes, Hugh," said Olivia. "What does he do?"

  "He recently took over the performance side of things from his dad. Looking after all the acts that go on stage every night. I'm not sure it's going too well, though."

  "What makes you say that?" asked Addison.

  Holly paused, looking around the circle. She had a captive audience, and Addison thought for a minute she might clam up. But she seemed to revel in the attention.

  "I suppose it doesn't matter too much now," she said. "Frankie was causing Hugh some trouble. Remember I told you this afternoon about Frankie wanting to be a magician?"

  Addison nodded.

  "Well he had Mr Hanley on his side. Jake, too, I reckon. It was getting harder and harder for Hugh to keep things as they were. Poor Hugh. He's always struggled, being the youngest son."

  "Never quite lived up to his father's expectations, has he?" said Mrs Jones.

  Holly sighed. "He's not as macho as the other two," she said. "He's got different strengths. He's the one who built the carnival's website, you know. And all the social media. He's the reason the carnival attracts such a big crowd wherever it goes. He puts the word out before they even get there. He's got patrons waiting for us to arrive at every town."

  "That's quite a big deal," said Addison. "Surely that has to win his father's approval?"

  "You'd think so," said Holly. "But Mr Hanley can't see it. He doesn't understand computers, or the Internet. He has no idea how much Hugh does. I reckon we wouldn't have half the crowds we do if it wasn't for Hugh."

  Addison was starting to develop a picture of what life was like inside Hanley Brothers Carnival. She'd always known travelling carnivals to be family affairs, but it was interesting to get a glimpse inside one like this.

  Morris Hanley was obviously the patriarch, retired but still in charge, at least in his own mind. He would have been proud to have three sons carry on the tradition of the carnival, two of whom at least were hardened, labour-intensive carnival folk like himself. It was a shame he couldn't see the contributions of his third son, who it seemed was more than pulling his weight in the business. She wondered whether Dot knew how important Hugh was to the success of the carnival these days.

  "I'd better fire up the barbecue if we're going to eat before dark," said Adam. Addison realised he'd been quiet all this time, which was very unlike Adam. He was usually the first person asking questions when the topic of conversation was this interesting.

  Then she noticed how he blushed whenever he looked at Holly.

  7

  As Adam cooked the food, Holly went on to describe some of her friends at the carnival. She explained what a nice person Gianna was, how she was always ready with a cup of tea and a chat whenever Holly was feeling homesick.

  She described the fun she always had hanging around after each night's performance with Corey and Luc, the two clowns, and Nabil and some of the other ride operators. Corey and Luc loved what they did, and they always came back to the staff camp laughing and joking. They told Holly how much the kids in the crowd had laughed at their antics, and they'd always recreate some of it for her and the rest of the staff. It was a great way to unwind after the long days operating rides or selling hot dogs and fairy floss.

  Corey and Luc particularly enjoyed entertaining Henry, who Addison learned was Harry and Owen's four-year-old son.

  "I don't remember seeing a young boy with Harry at all," said Addison.

  "No, he spends most of the day with his grandmother," said Holly. "Dot is devoted to Henry. She's even applied to home school him next year."

  "I suppose that makes sense, if the family is on the road eight months of the year," said Hazel. "It's a big commitment, though. I wouldn't like to have done it with our two."

  Hazel and Martin's kids were teenagers, Tyson and Lani. They sometimes came to Addison's barbecues, but being sixteen and fourteen years old respectively they preferred to stay home and play on their devices. Hazel made no secret of the fact she enjoyed the break from them. "I love them, don't get me wrong," she'd say every week. "But I need time away from teenage grumpiness."

  The conversation eventually moved away from the carnival and its colourful characters, and onto the more routine lives of Getaway Bay's inhabitants. The baked fish was a resounding success, as were the stuffed mushrooms for those who preferred to remain vegetarian on Good Friday. Everyone seemed to have a great time as usual, and Addison especially enjoyed having Justin, Emily, and Olivia there to join in.

  Once the guests had left, Justin, Emily, and Layla all headed for bed. Olivia helped her mother clean up in the kitchen while Adam tidied up outside.

  "So what do you think?" Olivia asked as she piled dishes into the dishwasher.

  "About what?" said Addison.

  "The murder, of course. A knife thrower stabbed in the back at a travelling carnival. It's pretty sensational. Who do you think did it?"

  'My money's on the magician," said Adam. Addison hadn't heard him come inside.

  "Why?" asked Olivia.

  "Holly said Frankie wanted the magician's job. Looked like he had a couple of bosses onside and was going to
get it, too. That's motive. Plus, the magician's wife found the body. They could be in on it together."

  Addison considered the theory. She couldn't fault Adam's logic. "Definitely a possibility," she said.

  "What about the youngest son, Hugh?" said Olivia. "Holly said he didn't get on with the victim either."

  "Yeah, but what did he stand to gain or lose from Frankie's death? He wouldn't have to deal with him as an employee anymore, but I can't see anything else. Not really much of a motive."

  "Yeah, fair enough," said Olivia. "Anyone want a cup of tea?"

  "Yes please," said Addison, as she finished washing the larger pans and things that wouldn't fit in the dishwasher.

  Olivia put the kettle on and got two mugs out of the cupboard. "Adam, you want anything?"

  "No thanks," he said. "I'm going to get my laptop." He took off up the stairs, leaving Addison and Olivia alone in the kitchen.

  "It's nice to have Justin and Emily here," she said, putting tea bags in the mugs and pouring the boiling water in. "I miss him."

  "I miss him too," said Addison. "But he's doing really well in Melbourne. And Emily is just lovely."

  "I told you you'd like her. She's perfect for him."

  "Yes, you were right." Olivia had visited Justin and Emily in Melbourne late last year, while Addison was still in the process of buying the beach house. She'd come home with lovely stories of a long weekend spent with her brother and his girlfriend. Justin had proposed to Emily just before Christmas, and Olivia was delighted she'd said yes.

  "I'm finally going to have a sister," she'd said to Addison at the time.

  "Sister-in-law," Addison had corrected.

  "Technicality. She's going to be my sister, and I can't wait."

  As far as Addison knew the two girls were in regular contact through social media and messaging, and she was so pleased. Now, having finally met Emily for herself, she was even more delighted. Emily was going to make a lovely addition to their family. She was sure her late husband would approve, too. Rob would have loved her.

  Olivia handed Addison her cup of tea and they both took seats at the kitchen table as Adam re-entered the kitchen with his laptop. He already had it open before he sat down.

  "Right," he said, fingers flying over the keys. "Let's make a list of everything we know."

  "Why?" said Addison, although she suspected she already knew what he was up to. Adam had been boarding with Addison for two months now, and in that time a murder had occurred at the beach house. Adam and Addison had put their heads together then and helped the police to solve the crime. As devastating as it was to have a murder in her own home, Addison had to admit it was exciting putting the pieces of the puzzle together. She felt that buzz again now, and suspected Adam did too.

  "You said Detective Wilcox was sick," said Adam. "And we know they're understaffed. So I figured we could use our collective crime knowledge and help him out."

  "Our collective crime knowledge?" said Olivia.

  "Yeah. You're studying forensics and criminology, right?" Olivia nodded. "And your mum and I are crime writers," he added.

  "It's not really much of a qualification to investigate real crimes though," said Addison. "And Olivia's only in her first year. She can't have learned too much yet."

  "I've learnt a bit," said Olivia, sipping her tea.

  "We've done lots of research," said Adam. "I bet you know more about murder than you think you do. Besides, it's not really about what we know or don't know. It's about the way our minds work. I bet the three of us could have a real crack at solving this case if we put our heads together."

  Addison didn't need any further convincing.

  "Okay," she said, making herself comfortable. "Where do you want to start?"

  8

  It was after ten on Saturday morning by the time Addison pulled into a parking space outside Hazel's cafe. She was late but she'd rung ahead, and Hazel said she didn't mind. It was Easter Saturday, and everyone seemed to be having a sleep in.

  Addison was late because in addition to baking for the cafe, she'd put on a pot of chicken soup. She had a big container full ready to present to Isaac, in the hopes he'd let her help with the murder case.

  Adam had been right last night – between the three of them they did have a lot to offer the investigation. They'd run through each of the carnival workers Holly had mentioned then brainstormed possible motives for each of them to murder Frankie. Some of their ideas may have been outlandish, but sometimes you had to consider the outlandish to get to the reasonable.

  Besides, it had been an interesting way to spend the evening.

  Once she'd delivered her latest batch of hot crossed buns and cinnamon scrolls to Hazel, Addison grabbed the bag with the container of soup out of her Rav 4 and headed across the road to the police station. The bell above the door tinkled as she walked in, and soon enough Isaac appeared at the front desk.

  "Good morning," he said, not sounding at all like it was a good morning for him. "What can I do for you, Addison?"

  "I've brought you some chicken soup," she said, placing the offering on the bench. "For your cold. How are you feeling?"

  "I'm holding up okay," he said, although from the looks of him he could barely stand.

  "You should be home in bed," said Addison. "Where are the rest of your staff?"

  Isaac lifted the barrier that stood between the front desk and the rest of the station, and Addison walked through. She followed him to his office, and they took seats on either side of his desk.

  "Short and Diaz are back out at the carnival site, taking more witness statements."

  "Have they sent you any extra help?" Addison asked.

  "Nope," said Isaac. By the look on his face it was a sore point. "I'm not getting any extra resources, apparently. They sent Diaz last time, and we were lucky enough to convince them to let him stay. But the force is short-staffed across the board. Too many budget cuts. This station should be run with at least four uniformed officers as well as myself, but…"

  "Goodness me, what does that say about the state of things?" Addison was appalled.

  Isaac shook his head. "I don't have time to worry about appearances. I've got a murder to solve."

  "Not before you get your strength back," said Addison. She reached into the bag and pulled out the container of soup, plus a bowl and spoon. Isaac looked like he was about to protest, but she shot him a stern look. All the fight went out of him and she served him up a bowl of piping hot chicken soup.

  "This is delicious," he said, slowly lifting spoonful after spoonful to his mouth. By the time he'd finished the bowl, Addison was pleased to see a little colour return to his cheeks.

  "Thank you," he said, pushing the bowl aside. "I didn't realise how hungry I was."

  "You can't go around chasing thieves and murderers on an empty stomach," said Addison. "Especially not when you're already sick." She took a tea towel out of her handbag, wrapped the bowl and spoon, and put it and the empty soup container back in the bag she'd brought for the job.

  "Right," she said when everything was squared away. "Where are you up to with this murder then?"

  "Addison," Isaac began, but she held up a hand to stop him.

  "I know what you're going to say. You can't tell me anything about an ongoing investigation, blah blah blah. I've heard it before, Isaac. But you need help. The three of you can't be expected to handle this on your own. Not with so many potential suspects. Not to mention witnesses."

  Isaac folded his arms and leaned back in his chair. "So what are you suggesting?"

  "Let me help. At least use me as a sounding board to talk things through. Surely you're allowed to speculate out loud?"

  His eyes narrowed, and Addison thought she might actually be convincing him.

  "I helped you solve the murder at the beach house, didn't I? And the fire at Layla's art gallery."

  Isaac's head tipped slightly to one side. "I can't argue with that…"

  "Well then. It'
s settled. You run your theories by me, and I'll help you work through them, and no-one who's anyone needs to know a thing about it."

  Isaac sighed and uncrossed his arms. He rested both of his sizeable palms face down on his desk. "You had a police check done when you applied to run your boarding house, right?"

  "I did, yes. I wanted to give my potential boarders peace of mind."

  Isaac rummaged around in his filing cabinet, and eventually found what he was looking for. He handed her a form.

  "Fill this in," he said with a sly grin.

  Addison read the top of the form out loud. "'Volunteers in Policing'. What's this for?"

  "When they said I couldn't have any more officers, they suggested I recruit a volunteer to help out around the station."

  Addison scanned the form. "It says here a volunteer does things like community liaison and administrative stuff."

  "That's a list of possible tasks," said Isaac. "It's not all-encompassing. The way I understand it, the role of a volunteer in policing is to assist the police officers with whatever tasks they need assistance with. In a small community like this… well, that could be all manner of things."

  Addison's smile finally matched Isaac's. "I see. Well I'd better fill this out then."

  "We'll do it by the book. I'll need to fingerprint you. Are you okay with that?"

  "Of course. Let's get to it."

  They spent the next half an hour going through the forms and making sure Addison was correctly processed as a police volunteer. It was quite exciting, really. She'd have to have proper training, which would need to be signed off on by someone higher up than Isaac, but for now they'd got the ball rolling, so Addison could help with the investigation.

  They were fudging things a bit, of course. He wasn't really supposed to tell her anything about the murder investigation. But as long as she kept any details of the case to herself, they were certain they could proceed without too much risk to Isaac's job.

  "Now, what did you find out yesterday?" Addison asked once all the paperwork and fingerprinting was complete.