Mr. Cooter's Bowling Ball

by Harper Harris

  Mr. Cooter’s Bowling Ball

  Kari Jacobs, The Lawyer Sleuth Cozy Mystery Series

  Book 3

  Copyright © 2018 Harper Harris.

  All Rights Reserved

  This book is a work of fiction and any portrayal of any person living or dead is completely coincidental and not intentional. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from the author, other than brief excerpts for the purpose of reviews or promotion.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Epilogue

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  Chapter One

  Saturday

  Today, Shortbread and I moved in with Ashley.

  Originally, I had moved into my own little apartment near downtown and it was fine, a little small, but I was managing. Until Shorty came along, that is. My Great Dane puppy. Great, as in, going to be very, very large someday soon.

  Knowing this, Ashley offered to let me move in with her and I couldn’t say no. She had so much more space than me, there was a backyard for Shortbread to run around in and her house was so nice. It was all too perfect – minus the fact that it was the middle of fall, but still hot as blazes, as they say around here.

  I couldn’t understand how southern North Carolina managed to maintain this weather. In San Francisco where I grew up, it was literally the season of cute scarves, sweaters, and warm drinks, but my arms were all out and I was sweating bullets under the hot, hot Carolina sun.

  But I had plenty of help. After graciously letting me move into her house, Ashley also agreed to help with some of the heavy lifting as well. I tried to talk her out of it. She’s been trying to pay me back ever since I defended her in court when she was wrongfully accused of murder – but there was no getting through to her, so I just agreed to have her help me.

  Gladys Goodstone also lent a helping hand, along with her husband John. The two of them looked like they crawled out of the sixties. Gladys was a hippie. She was just all about positive vibes and spreading the love. She lived two doors down and I was pretty happy to be moving into her neighborhood. We’d been working together on a lot of stuff concerning keeping the community in its original state. John, her husband, could also be distilled into a small amount of words, a painter who liked to teach others. His mild-mannered nature was nearly Bob Ross-ian. It’d been really fun hanging out with all of them, getting to know them.

  I placed the last box down in my bedroom and let myself take in all of our hard work. There was still a lot to be done – my room was just stacks upon stacks upon more stacks – but everything was ready to be unpacked. Later.

  Shortbread was curled up in the corner taking a nap. He must have sensed that all the hard work was done because that’s when he finally picked up his head and excitedly ran over to me. I picked him up and held him in my arms.

  While I looked at my new living space, Ashley came up behind me. “Hey!” I turned around and gave her a huge smile.

  “I have to thank you again for letting me move in, Ash. Your house is honestly amazing. I love it so much.”

  “Don’t give it a second thought. It can get rather lonely having all this space for one person. I’m happy for the company.” She motioned towards the steps with her hand. “Let’s head downstairs. I’ve got some lemonade for all y’all.”

  I followed Ashley down the stairs to the kitchen where John and Gladys were talking. They stopped when they noticed Ashley and I walking in. Gladys immediately went for Shortbread, coming over to pet him softly on the head.

  “Hey, little guy.”

  After a few seconds, I said, “I wanted to thank you all again for helping me move. It was so nice and I really appreciate it. You didn’t have to do all this.”

  “We’re here to help, honey,” Gladys responded. Ashley had gone into the fridge and brought out a pitcher of lemonade and a few glasses.

  “Y’all head out to the back porch. I made some fresh lemonade this morning to share.”

  We all went out to the back yard and I let Shortbread down so he could run around and explore his new backyard. He seemed to really like his new surroundings, his little body zooming all around. He was definitely going to need a bath later.

  The group took their seats on the porch, and Ashley poured everyone a glass and we each took a sip. It was beyond refreshing. I was still a little sticky, but my sweat was drying down. It looked like Shortbread wasn’t the only one due for a long washing.

  I was about to comment on how delicious the lemonade was when I hear the doorbell ring.

  “I’ll get it,” I offered. I’d already gotten everyone to lug all of my heavy stuff upstairs, so I wanted them to keep resting. I got out of my seat and went to answer the front door.

  “Angeline!” I remembered telling her I’d be moving in today, but I didn’t know if she said she’d be coming.

  “Kari! Ashley called me and said you guys were just about finished with the move. She told me to stop by for a little gab.”

  I smiled and told her, “Come in, come in. We’re all out on the back porch. Ash made some fresh lemonade. It’s delicious. You can head to the back and I’ll grab a glass for you from the kitchen.”

  Angeline knew her way around the house since she and Ashley were so close. The two of them got to know each other because they both were teachers. They taught in different schools – Ash taught first-grade and Miss Angeline was in charge of the preschoolers – but given the town was so small, it was easy for the two teachers to find one another.

  I’d also been getting closer to Angeline. She’s been thinking about legally adding Judge Houston’s surname to her own. The whole thing was a bit of a scandal for the town. Angeline recently found out that she was the (no longer) secret daughter of Judge Houston and Miss June – something neither father nor daughter knew about.

  Ever since this was revealed, Angeline has been visiting Houston in prison – she’s really the only person who has stood by him or shown him any kindness. I remembered a whole lot of people in town reveling in Miss June’s murder – she wasn’t a very well-liked community member – but once the murderer was revealed, everyone quickly turned on the judge. In fact, when everyone thought it was Ashley, they pretty much left her to the dogs, too. It seemed small towns could be fickle. But, I was impressed by how Angeline was standing by Judge Houston. Even though he did a bad thing, I guess he was still her father and she didn’t want to lose him just after she got to meet him.

  I took the glass I got from the kitchen to the backyard to gave to Angeline. When I got there, I found John standing up like he was getting ready to leave. As I handed the empty glass over, I looked at everyone to see what I’d just missed. John filled me in.

  “I have to head out. I have a teaching engagement at a church one town over.”

  John went around
to nearby towns and in Appleton itself, teaching retirees, homemakers, really anyone who wanted a bit of lesson, about painting landscapes and fruit baskets. I’d been wanting to try out one of his classes, but work kept me super busy. I have it penciled in to find time to sign myself up.

  “Have fun!”

  We all said goodbye. Gladys walked her husband out but was back pretty quickly.

  “Do you feel like an official Appletonian yet, Kari?” Angeline asked me.

  I didn’t think I had fully integrated myself into the culture of Appleton – a lot of the quirks of this small town still surprised me sometimes – but I was getting used to it more and more every day. Plus, I found myself really enjoying how different everything was from my hometown in the Bay Area.

  “I think I’m getting there. I’m really growing to love this town.”

  “Well, we’re happy to have you,” Gladys added. “Especially because you’re fiercely fighting to preserve it. I wish some native Appletonians had your spirit when it came to the town’s history.”

  Ever since I thought of becoming a resident of this historic neighborhood, I’d joined Gladys on her mission of local historical preservation.

  “I couldn’t stand by and let such a lovely town have its beauty erased by some developer.”

  Gladys and I had succeeded in keeping Miss June’s next-door property – the house that sits between hers and Ashley’s – from being taken over by Mr. Anderson’s company. I wasn’t entirely sure what his plan for Appleton was. Whenever I visited him, he would always say he wanted to bring life back to this sleepy hamlet, but it wasn’t hard to see that he was motivated by money. The only thing was why he was so adamant about Appleton. Gladys wasn’t an easy person to go up against. Whatever he wanted to get done here was pretty important to him.

  “You really are something Kari Jacobs,” Gladys said, tipping her lemonade glass to me.

  I had never planned on getting so invested in Appleton’s history, but when I got sidetracked at the nearby plantations, my interest was piqued – even before I got into town. And even with my job, I managed to find myself some extra time.

  It also helped that my Aunt Tavey set me up pretty nicely. She was one of those TV judges, the most popular one in fact. Everyone was drawn to her acerbic wit and clever jokes. I hadn’t seen or heard from her in a while, but I’d recently gotten a check curtesy of her.

  What Aunt Tavey had done was – if the royalties from her show accumulated over a certain amount – I’d get the excess. And since Judge Jacobs had been in syndication, every once in a while, I’d get some extra money in the mail. It had been a while since I’d gotten one, though. That must have meant that there had been a surge in the ratings recently. It was nice to get an economic windfall, but I’d rather see or at least talk to my aunt. I hadn’t been able to get into contact with her for a while. I just hoped she was okay.

  Being Tavey’s niece had always been pretty great – she was always nice to me and a very big part of why I had decided to become a lawyer. Not a lot of people knew we were related. When I moved to Appleton, my colleagues at Winston, Yancey, & Philpot had known I was related to a famous judge – it was a little harder to hide from those in the legal business. But lately, the cat got out of the bag and all of Appleton knew that I was related to Judge Jacobs.

  It made me a bit of a local celebrity – something that had also happened when I was defending Ashley. I was not a fan of the attention or the questions. Whenever I was out of town, someone would ask me about Judge Jacobs – what did she like, what was she like, why did she suddenly disappear from public life, etc. The typical questions everyone always asks. Even if I could get the answers, I probably wouldn’t share them, but I wouldn’t know because I had a lot fewer answers than I would like.

  Aunt Tavey wasn’t just shrouded in secrecy from her fans, it extended to her family as well.

  The money I had received wasn’t going to let me retire or anything, but it really did show up in a pinch. It gave me what I needed to amicably get out of my lease, so I could move in with Ashley.

  The apartment was cozy for me, but it was going to get tiny for Shortbread. He was bound to get pretty big and I knew that the space in my old place would soon be a bit straining for him. I loved how much fun he was having in the backyard, running around and stretching his legs like he deserved. Shortbread’s comfort would have been enough of a reason for me to move, but Ash practically begged me to move in.

  And I had the perfect gift in mind to thank her for everything she’s done for me. I felt like, at that point, she had more than paid me back for my legal services.

  The residuals from Aunt Tavey’s show would be just enough for this extra special birthday present I had picked out. I’d been saving up for it and, suddenly, I had the money I needed. Ashley, hands down, was the kindest person I had ever known, and I didn’t think that it was simple Southern hospitality. I knew this gift would just tickle her pink. I wanted to honor Ashley with a gift that I was sure she would love.

  Chapter Two

  Sunday

  Ashley had gone to church in the morning. She had tried to get me to go with her that morning – as she did every Sunday. I was pretty sure Ashley had put herself on a mission to get me into the Sunday spirit, but my family was never particularly religious, so I never felt inclined to go. My lack of enthusiasm did nothing to keep Ashley from trying, and I wasn’t annoyed or anything like that. Maybe she could even get me to say yes one day. She was way too sweet when she asked for anything, so I could see my resolve easily slipping.

  I was waiting for her to get home so I could show her what I had gotten for her birthday. It had been hard keeping it to myself for so long. I’d almost given up and just told her, but I really wanted it to be a complete surprise, so I managed to keep it in.

  I heard the door opening and sat up quickly from the couch. Shortbread was a little faster than me and ran over to the door to greet Ashley. I could hear her greeting him, her sweet voice carrying its way over to me.

  “Hey little man! Where’s the other one, huh?”

  Ashley came around to the living room and took the spot next to me. She took a deep breath and looked at my face.

  “You missed another good sermon, Kari. I’m going to get you into a pew one of these days.”

  I just shrugged. “Maybe you will, but we’ll have to talk about that later because I’ve got a little something special planned for you,” I ended with a bit of a singsong voice.

  I was bubbling with excitement and I could see the gears in Ashley’s head turning. She wouldn’t figure it. There was no way. I had kept it very much under wraps and made sure not to drop even the smallest of hints. Anyone who knew anything was on a need-to-know basis. Ashley could be pretty observant, so I had to make sure to be careful.

  When it was obvious she wasn’t going to figure out what was going on, Ashley just straight asked, “What is it? Can you please, please tell me? Like it’ll still be a surprise just I’ll get it now instead of later.”

  The begging wasn’t going to get me. I wouldn’t let it.

  “You’ll find out once we get there. We’ll just have to get into my car and maybe, maybe, on the way, things will be illuminated.”

  Ashley stood up, I could see that she was resigned to me keeping the secret.

  “Let me change into more comfortable clothes and then we can go to this mystery place, so you can tell me what that clever mind of yours has in store for me?”

  I nodded, and Ashley went upstairs to her room to get out of her church clothes.

  I grabbed my purse which was already ready to go and sitting on the counter in the kitchen. Ashley didn’t take too long to get ready, but she looked a lot better than comfortable. I was comfortable in my joggers and white t-shirt. Ashley had on a beautiful flowy dress and she had put her hair up in a bun. I wasn’t sure if it was the debutante in her or the Southern belle, but I had never seen Ashley in leisurewear.

  She was always
dressed like company was coming over and I had been company until very recently, but even with just the one day I’d been living with her, Ashley was dressed well until it was time to go to bed. Even her pajamas were elegant, though. If I was more invested in my appearance, maybe I’d try to keep up, but most of my efforts went into my work attire.

  “You always look gorgeous,” I commented.

  I liked complimenting Ashley because she would always get a light blush and then say something along the lines of, “Oh, this old thing. I just threw it on.” I also loved her false modesty. She was definitely aware that she looked amazing.

  I grabbed Shortbread, put his leash in my bag for later, and the three of us headed out to the car. I started the car and then pulled out of the driveway. I could see Ashley eyeing me and I guessed that she was looking to see if I would pull out my GPS. I had anticipated this and made sure to know the route before today. I planned the heck out of this surprise and nothing was going to ruin it now.

  She smiled slightly and noddded. I assumed she had caught on and decided to just fully go along with the outing. About five minutes into the drive, we started a conversation.

  “How are you liking your new place?” Ashley asked.

  “You know I love your house. I was there almost more than I was at my old apartment. I’m so happy you asked me to move in.”

  I hadn’t had a roommate since my undergrad. Living on my own had been nice, but a roommate like Ashley was like a gift from the universe.

  “I’m glad you like it so much,” Ashley chuckled. We talked the rest of the way, the drive taking about forty-five minutes. I could see the moment when Ashley began getting ideas about where we were going. She still didn’t ask, which I really appreciated. I loved how she was getting into the idea of the surprise just like me.

  The sign for Red Rivers Puppy Plantation came up and I pulled into the driveway. As we drove towards the house – the driveway was very long – Ashley asked her first question in a while.