Plotting for Murder (Cozy Mystery Bookshop Series Book 1)

by Tamra Baumann

  “Yeah, but it only had cryptic clues.”

  It’s as if Wade is in his own world, staring blankly at the road ahead. “I would’ve liked to see what your mom left in the storage locker for you, but I checked the place out. Swarming with cameras. Dylan thinks he’ll catch me, but I’m smarter than he is. Now that Dylan is gone from your house, we’re going to go get what your mother hid there instead.”

  Wade must’ve watched my house all night long. “I haven’t figured out where she hid it yet.” I can barely remember the clue my mom left because I’m so scared. How am I going to get away from him? He’s rolling through all the stops signs in his rush. “I recorded what was in the note on my phone. We should go back and get it.”

  “Nope. You better think fast, Sawyer. I’m not sticking around long enough for Dylan to figure out who really killed Chad. And if you don’t find it right away, you’re next.”

  Next?

  “Did Chad know about the things my mom hid?”

  “Yeah. I owed him money. Told him we could split whatever we found, but he got greedy. I snuck Methanol in his beer that afternoon that was supposed to make him die quickly. Instead, he hung on until book club.”

  So that’s why no one saw Chad get poisoned. “Where did you get Methanol?”

  “It’s in windshield washer fluid.”

  “Oh.” We’re almost to my house. I don’t want to be trapped inside with Wade. Maybe I can keep him talking outside in the truck to give Dylan time to find me. I can barely draw in enough air to ask, “So the golf ball through my store window was you?”

  Wade frowns. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  It wasn’t Wade? This throws me off, but there’s no time to think about that now. “Did you, Crystal, and Julie work together to kill Chad?”

  Wade shakes his head as he pulls into my driveway. “Just me. I found Crystal’s apartment key in Chad’s things. I planted the DDT when she was in San Diego to throw off the cops. And the can in Madge’s bag. I needed time for you to find what your mom hid. Figured Chad’s lab results would take weeks.”

  “How did you even know my mother hid anything for me? I didn’t even know until after Chad died.”

  “Your mother and the Admiral asked me for help with her computer while they were typing your note.” Wade throws his truck into Park and then faces me. “I went back later and read it. Now come quietly.”

  Would he risk shooting me if I run? I reach for the door handle, but Wade grabs my arm. “Not that way. You’re coming out my side.”

  Wade drags Cooper and me out along with him. My knees are so weak from fear that when I hit the concrete, I stumble, and Cooper hops out of my arms. Wade catches me before I fall, sticking his gun in my lower back as he marches me up to the front door.

  “I don’t have my key. It’s in my purse at Renee’s.” Cooper is whimpering at my feet. I just want him to run, but he never leaves my side.

  “I’ve got mine.” Wade produces a key ring from his pocket. “You were way too trusting to think I wouldn’t make myself a copy from the ones Ed left for you in the kitchen.”

  I was way too trusting. However, right now, all I can think about is finding something to hit Wade with so I can get away. It’s probably too much to hope that Dylan will check my house cameras from his phone in time. Gage and Renee might still be getting ready and not even know I’m gone yet.

  I need to save myself.

  The new alarm is beeping wildly, so Wade shouts, “Turn that thing off!”

  When I hesitate, because maybe the siren will alert my neighbors, Wade twists my arm harder. “Now.”

  I start to put my new code in when my panicked brain remembers that when Ed set up the alarm, he made me an emergency code, so I type that in. If I punch the buttons right down the middle, it’ll stop the alarm and then it’s supposed to make a call to the cops. But I never tested it.

  I punch in the code and hold my breath.

  Thankfully, the beeping stops. Will the cops get the call? Has Ed had time to set that up? He said it’d take a few days.

  It’s getting harder to breathe.

  Wade drags me farther inside and closes the door behind us. “What did the note in the Admiral’s box say?”

  I can’t think straight. “Something about the kitchen.”

  “Let’s go.” He pulls me down the hall while Cooper growls behind us.

  There are knives in the kitchen. And heavy pots. All sorts of weapons. “Please. I have to think for a minute, Wade.”

  He releases me with a shove. I have to hold out my hands to stop myself from crashing into the island. My heaviest pots are beside the pantry, so I inch my way toward the cupboard. “The note said something about the advice I gave Mom about her kitchen. That I should always keep at my fingertips ingredients filled with spice and life.”

  He growls, “You’ve got five minutes. Start looking.”

  Spice and life. My advice about the kitchen.

  I run through all the many conversations my mom and I had about the kitchen.

  Wade says, “Four minutes, Sawyer.”

  As I desperately try to think about what advice I gave my mother, I swivel my head to take in the whole kitchen. Where could something be hidden? Behind a wall? Under a floorboard? She wouldn’t hide whatever she left in a place I’d have to destroy to retrieve it, would she?

  I turn back to the pantry, and it hits me. “I’d told my mom not to make the pantry deeper than her arm because things would get lost. And that’s where the spices are to make food come to life!” I close my eyes and think back to the remodel plans I’d studied. Then I open the pantry and stick my arm inside. I can touch the back. The dimensions for the pantry on the plans were much deeper than the shelves currently inside.

  Wade steps to the exposed side of the pantry by the back door and then moves in front of it again. “There must be a false back.”

  “Of course. Living with a magician, my mom had to know the power of the false compartment. There will probably be a release somewhere.”

  “You got one minute before I start hacking that thing up.” Wade points his gun at me again. “Start looking. I need to see your hands at all times.”

  My hands are shaking so hard, it’s difficult to move them as I slip my fingers under the pantry shelves. I could throw a can at him, but that might not be enough to help me get away. “If the Twain book is hidden back here, you don’t want it, Wade.”

  “Why not?” he barks.

  “Because my uncle said the book is signed for my great-great-grandmother. Super easy to identify. You won’t be able to sell it for years.” I don’t know if I’ve just helped myself or made things worse, but by the set of his jaw, he’s considering it.

  Finally, he says, “We don’t know for sure that’s what’s hidden back there. You’ve got thirty seconds.”

  I still need a distraction. “So besides getting greedy, was Crystal right about why you killed Chad? Were you that jealous of him? And about him having Julie and not you?”

  “Shut up and keep looking!”

  I’ve hit a nerve and will poke some more, while my fingers keep feeling around for a release. “Once you disappear, you’ll never see her again. This was all for nothing, Wade.”

  “Julie will come with me. She wants out of this Podunk town as much as I do. Especially once I tell her what I did for her. I did all this for her!”

  Wade is losing it. I need to poke even harder. “Julie and her kid are going to run off with you? Hide out until the cops finally find you? That’s no way to live.”

  He shoves me with his boot. “She loves me! And I have it all planned. They’ll never find us. Now stop talking and look!”

  Wade shoving me must’ve been all Cooper could take. He jumps on Wade’s leg, growling as he bites the denim.

  Wade screams, “Get off!” and shakes his leg.

  This is my chance.

  I jump sideways and grab my French iron-clad ceramic pot that must we
igh twenty pounds. Then I stand up and swing. I hit Wade’s arm hard enough that the gun flies across the kitchen floor.

  I need to get that gun before he does.

  Both Wade and I lunge for the weapon, but his arms are longer than mine. Cooper helps out by biting Wade’s wrist, but my dog has only slowed Wade down for the moment it takes to push Cooper aside.

  Wade is stronger than me. The gun is probably my only chance to get away. I stretch as far as my arm will reach and get two fingers on the weapon, before Wade’s hand snatches the gun from my grasp.

  The only thing I have left is my pot, and it’s no match for a gun.

  Just as I’ve given up hope of getting out alive, a black boot stomps on Wade’s wrist and Dylan calls out, “Police. Drop the weapon.”

  Thank goodness.

  I roll away and try to catch my breath while Dylan and a suit-clad man wrestle Wade into a pair of cuffs. Four more cops join the party and keep Wade under control.

  I’m shaking so hard, it’s difficult to sit up, but with one big heave, I manage. I close my eyes and concentrate on breathing before I pass out.

  Cooper climbs into my lap and licks my cheek, so I hug him tight. “Thanks, buddy. What a good boy. You probably saved my life.”

  Wade, with his hands behind his back, mutters, “Damn dog,” before he’s hauled outside by the suits.

  Dylan crouches beside me. “You okay?”

  The concern on his face brings tears to my eyes and clogs my throat, so I just nod as I put Cooper down.

  Dylan helps me up and pulls me into his arms. “Can I hold you for a few minutes? That was way too close.”

  I still can’t speak, so I nod against his chest. It feels nice to be in his arms. Safe.

  “I’m so sorry, Sawyer.”

  I swallow back the lump in my throat. “It’s not your fault. Thank you for getting here so fast.”

  He hugs me even tighter. “I got a motion alert from your cameras and watched on my phone as I ran here. It was torture.” He lays a soft kiss on the top of my head. “Remind me never to make you mad when you’re in the kitchen. That was a real wallop.”

  That makes me smile. Dylan’s good at that. “My dad’s collapsible knife was in my purse at Renee’s, so I had to improvise.” I’m so shaken, I could stay in Dylan’s arms all day. And that might lead to something I’m not sure I’m ready for. He’s way too tempting at the moment.

  I lean away, instantly missing the solid warmth of his chest, and scoop up Cooper. “This guy is the real hero. I think a rawhide treat is in order. Don’t you, Coop?”

  My dog’s happy tail wag says it all.

  After I give Cooper a treat, I lean on the kitchen island beside Dylan again. “I should have known it was Wade all along. He’s the only person Cooper was ever afraid of.”

  “I suspected Wade too. Especially when I saw how much money he owed Chad and how he fawned over Julie. She insists she and Wade were just friends, but Wade clearly thought they were more. We convinced Crystal to let us arrest her last night to draw him out. She had a solid alibi for when the Admiral was attacked.”

  “And you told her what to say to get under Wade’s skin? To force him to act?”

  “Yeah. We wanted him to think if Crystal had figured it out, then others might as well. We never had any hard evidence to arrest him.”

  I turn to my dog. “Well, I’ll always listen to your instincts in the future, buddy.”

  Dylan gives Coop a scratch behind the ears. “Cooper loves me. Just sayin’.” Dylan’s lips tilt into a sweet grin as he leans closer to kiss me.

  I tilt my chin to meet him halfway and whisper, “I’ll take that under advisement.”

  “Sawyer?” my uncle’s booming voice calls from the hallway, ruining the moment. Then the kitchen door swings open. “There you are. What did you find?”

  Dylan growls, “She’s fine after Wade kidnapped her. Thanks for asking.”

  We both glare at my bully of an uncle.

  “Sorry. I’m glad you’re okay, Sawyer.” My uncle crosses his massive arms. “So? Did you find the book?”

  I sigh and start for the pantry to keep looking for a release.

  Dylan shakes his head slightly, and his eyes are saying don’t do it.

  He’s right. If this pantry is anything as complicated as my dad’s puzzle boxes, my uncle probably won’t find the release on his own. Especially because he doesn’t know what to look for. I pour myself a glass of water at the sink instead. “Nope. Guess I’ll have to keep looking.”

  Whatever’s behind the pantry can stay right where it is until I’m good and ready to find it.

  Chapter 18

  It’s after 1:00 p.m. by the time I finish with the police. Dylan went to Renee’s and retrieved my purse and cell phone, and then he snuck me a grilled cheese sandwich from the diner on the way back because the suits took so long wrapping everything up. I just sent Dylan a text to tell him I’m on my way home.

  As I poke at the swinging door to make my escape from the municipal building, it feels like it’s been a month rather than just six days since Wade killed Chad. Wade and I had been alone in my house almost every day since my mom died. It creeps me out so much, I shiver. Thankfully, it’s over now, and Wade is going to be locked up for a very long time.

  Brittany is sitting at the bottom of the concrete steps, staring at the people milling in the park across the street, when I plop beside her. “What a crazy few days, huh?”

  Startled, Brittany jumps. Then she wraps me in a tight hug. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

  “Me too.” I return the hug, happy for it. I’ll take all the hugs I can get today, especially from Brittany now that I know she’s scared about her mom. “Are you okay? It looked like you were a million miles away just now.”

  Brittany slowly releases me and then starts picking at her black nail polish. “Renee mentioned that she told you. About my mom and all. She promised you wouldn’t tell Dylan.”

  “Not as long as I know you’re safe.” I give Brittany’s shoulder a bump. “Why don’t you stay with Cooper and me until your mom gets back? You can help me with his obedience training after work.”

  Brittany picks almost all her nail polish off during the pregnant pause while I wait for her answer.

  Finally, she says, “Only if you let me help with groceries and stuff too. I’m not going to sponge off you.”

  “Deal. Want to go with Dylan and me to the storage unit and see what my mom left for me? We aren’t going to open the bookstore today.”

  “Yeah.” Brittany hops up from the steps. “As long as you guys don’t get all flirty. It grosses me out.”

  “I think we can control ourselves.” Smiling, I get up too and lead the way to my house, where Dylan and Cooper are waiting for me. Dylan is finally taking a much-needed day off now that Wade is in custody.

  As we start up the hill, Brittany says, “I need to tell you something. Zoe had some papers drawn up that my mother signed a long time ago. In case my mom didn’t come back again.”

  Why hadn’t my mom mentioned something as big as that? “You mean like a temporary guardianship thing?”

  “Sort of.” Brittany shoves her hands into her black hoodie. “I was surprised Zoe never said anything to you. I kept thinking you’d find out any day, and then I wasn’t sure what you’d do.”

  “I’ll do whatever you and my mom did before.” Renee had said Brittany loved my mom. Maybe this relationship has been going on longer than Renee even knows. “When was the last time you saw your mother?”

  When all I get is a shrug, I say, “That long, huh? Okay. We’ll ask Gage if he can help us. It’ll all work out.”

  Brittany quickly wipes a stray tear from her eye. “That’s what your mom always said, but she used a lawyer from the city to do the paperwork. Not Gage. My mother insisted on that. So, no one around here would find out and stick their big noses into our business.”

  “Did you live with my mom before I came back?” I
hadn’t been home for a few years, so I wouldn’t have known. Then a horrible thought hits me. “Did you move out because of me?”

  “No. I moved back to my apartment when the hospice nurses started coming so people around here wouldn’t know. Before that, I stayed in your old room sometimes. Or by myself. Zoe paid my mom’s rent so I could have my space. I’m not a baby.”

  No, but only fifteen. Probably better not to point that out right now, though. “I know you can take care of yourself, but you’re not an adult. Who signed the paperwork in your life?”

  “Zoe used to take me if I had to go to the doctor or dentist in the city and stuff, but I had to forge my mom’s signature for school things. Your mom knew I was doing it, though.”

  My mother must’ve been Brittany’s legal guardian. How could she fail to mention that to Megan or me? Maybe she intended to before she got too sick and never got around to it. The last days had gone downhill really fast. This must be one more reason my mom wants me to stay here. To take care of Brittany.

  I still can’t figure out how my mom paid for the lawyers and Brittany’s apartment rent though.

  My mother had hired a firm from the city to do her kitchen remodel. Maybe she found a way to slip Brittany’s paperwork in there as well to make the trust pay for Brittany’s care. Or, maybe my mom sold the Twain book to pay for it.

  Disappointment fills me for a few seconds, but then quickly passes. It’s just a book, and one I didn’t even know existed until a few days ago. It’d be okay if my mom sold it. Brittany needed someone to look out for her. “Okay. We’ll keep this between us for now. In the meantime, let’s go get your things this afternoon and get you settled back in.”

  Now I have a whole new worry. I need to find that law firm in San Francisco and get a copy of the guardianship agreement as soon as I can. What if Brittany gets sick and requires a guardian’s signature?

  Brittany’s voice is just above a whisper when she says, “Thanks, Sawyer.”

  “No worries.” I throw an arm around my new ward’s shoulder and draw her against me as we approach my house. “This old house is too big for just me and Coop anyway.”