My stomach does an odd revolution, but I choose to ignore it.
I lean in. “We won’t even quantify the fourth riddle. Lottie and I aren’t as bumbling as you might think. But the fifth riddle regarding Henry the VIII? That’s where all of your rage shined. You were angry with Trevor, and you’ve been angry with him for quite some time. Amassing wives like he was collecting Halloween candy must have made your blood boil every time you thought of him. And that old adage you mentioned to us—twice? It was a significant clue, wasn’t it?”
Lottie nods. “You lose him how you got him. And you lost him to Anna. And you waited, you plotted, you befriended her years later, and then you expertly pinned her with the crime. You took the notepads from the Whiskey Hop where Anna works, and you rented a Jeep that looks just like hers to deliver those twisted notes.”
Her chin lifts a notch as if we had struck her.
“So I did.” There’s a faraway look in her eyes as she shakes her head. “You don’t know what it was like. I never had many friends, and Anna and I—we got along. I invited her to my home.” A pained cry comes from her as her cheeks redden with rage. “She was my only friend. Imagine how you would feel to find your best friend together with your husband? I saw them kissing in my own bedroom! I threatened to kill them both then and there, and I should have done it. But Trevor moved out, he and Anna started a life of their own, and the next thing I knew they were telling everyone they were married.” She waves it off. “They got hitched in Mexico on what they dubbed a honeymoon cruise. I was shocked, hurt. But I cradled my anger. It was the only thing I had left. I was determined to make them pay. Years went by, and Anna and Trevor didn’t last. I could have told him that. She was a little tart who didn’t deserve my husband. And then recently, I fell on hard times. I lost one job after another until the only employment I could find was working at that stupid Pirate’s Cove where people scream all night long. Word of layoffs began to circulate and I got scared. I had chewed through my savings. I’m already living month to month. A few weeks back I went to see Trevor. Half that company of his is rightfully mine. It has to be.” She shakes her head as if she were baffled. “He never divorced me. He was too cheap to do it.”
Lottie lets out a sorrowful sigh. “And when he wouldn’t give you a dime, you came up with another way to make him pay.”
“Exactly.” I close my eyes a moment and my stomach erupts with fire, but I choose to ignore my pending hunger pains—or just plain old pains. “And that’s why you needed Celine out of the picture, too.”
Hailey’s eyes flash with fire. “I was willing to take anyone out of my way, and I still am.” Her lips flicker with a smile. “You see, those éclairs the two of you indulged in? They were made especially for you—not by Melina, by me.” A weak laugh bumps from her. “Of course, they’ll trace the ingredients back to Anna. I’ve arranged for that, too. It’s best she takes the fall. I’m afraid the body count will go up soon enough.” She offers a playful shrug. “If you’ll excuse me, girls, I’d better get going.”
Lottie looks my way, clutching at her stomach. “Oh my God.”
Hailey bolts for the exit, and Lottie and I don’t hesitate to bolt right after her.
She makes a move for her car, and Lottie grabs ahold of Hailey by the back of her cardigan.
Hailey struggles with her purse while hunting for her keys, but her purse jumps into the sky a good six feet, leaving all of her belongings to rain down on the ground.
“The keys!” I shout.
Lottie dives down and slaps her hand over them. “Good work, Delora!”
A laugh puffs from Hailey. “That’s okay. I’ve got something better.”
We look over to find a gun shaking in her hands, the barrel firmly pointed in our direction.
“Now give me the keys, Lottie.” Hailey’s voice shakes. “Before those handsome men you’re stringing along come to miss you forever.”
Lottie glances my way and I nod.
“Fine.” Lottie rises slowly, holding out the keys by the tips of her fingers. She leans in to hand them to Hailey, and in one swift move she flicks the gun right out of her hands.
Hailey turns to make a run for it just as a wild stabbing pain shoots through my stomach and I fall to the ground.
“Grab her!” I shout as Lottie lands right next to me, clutching her own stomach.
Hailey snatches up her keys as a dark laugh strums from her.
“Look at the two of you.” She gives Lottie a swift kick in the thigh. “Soon you’ll be twitching, vomiting, and stewing in your own juices. It’s what the two of you deserve for trying to foil a perfect plan that was years in the making. I had put my time in. I was ready to sit back and watch everything unfold. But truth be told, I had my fun with the two of you as well. Who knew I’d come upon not one, but two bumbling sleuths? Have fun on the other side, girls. What’s that saying? Oh, yes—until we meet again,” she trills as she bends over to pick up the gun and the weapon goes flying.
Lottie reaches for my hand and grips it with the strength of an ox. Bizzy, I can’t. I’m in too much pain to stop her.
“I’ve got this, girls.” Delora’s voice comes in clear.
A wild snort evicts from Stella and Hailey flies backward, landing between Lottie and me.
Lottie lands a hand over the woman’s chest and tries her hardest to hold her down while Hailey quickly wraps her hands around Lottie’s neck.
“Stop!” I summon the strength to pull her off, and the woman elbows me hard in the stomach, causing a burst of hellfire to rip through me.
Hailey wraps her hands around my throat now just as the sound of trampling hooves barrels this way.
Lottie stretches over and grabs my hand and we inadvertently cage Hailey in with our arms.
A spray of stars emits from my right, and I look up to find a woman with short gray hair, dressed in what looks to be a tweed blazer and slacks with her foot over Hailey’s back.
“Dear Lottie,” the woman says and I gasp because I recognize that voice. “I do believe Bizzy can see me.”
A snort comes from my left. I turn to find an animal the size of a suitcase standing there and I scream.
“Yup!” Lottie says. “I believe she can see you both.”
Hailey bucks as she struggles to stand.
Stella snorts. “Make room for me, Delora, because here I come.” The wily piglet goes airborne and lands square over Hailey’s back, knocking the wind right out of her.
And in a blaze of celestial glory, a sprinkling of pink and lavender miniature stars, both Delora and Stella float to the sky, their ghostly frames growing all the more invisible by the second.
“Goodbye, girls!” Delora gives a wave of her fingers. “Until we meet again.”
Stella snorts. “Bring cookies!”
And just like that, they’re gone forever.
“Freeze!” a deep voice roars from behind, and soon Jasper has Hailey bound in handcuffs.
Both Everett and Noah descend upon the scene as well.
Noah tries to pull Lottie up, and she lets out a horrid groan.
Jasper hands Hailey off to Deputy Leo Granger before trying to pull me into his arms, but I cry out in pain, unable to move an inch.
“I think we need to get an ambulance here quick,” I whisper. “Lottie and I have both been poisoned.”
Chapter 19
Laxatives.
That’s what Hailey laced the éclairs with. An unprecedented amount. Apparently, the brand she used was tasteless and odorless, easily mixed with custard.
Hailey was out to make this so-called attempt on our lives look like a homicide gone wrong. She was feeding Anna into our hands one clue at a time. But what Hailey didn’t realize is that we would soon figure out all of the clues pointed right back to her.
They pumped both Lottie’s stomach and mine just to be on the safe side. Jasper had the éclairs tested within an hour of finding them, and the results came in as Lottie and I were convalescing i
n the emergency room.
But that’s all over with now. Hailey has been arrested and formally charged. Anna isn’t quite off the hook. Jasper will be investigating if she had any involvement in the killings or if she knew about them. But as it stands, it doesn’t look as if she did.
It’s the very next day, and the inn is bustling with tourists anxious to hit the cove as the temperatures continue to soar.
Lottie and her crew won’t be leaving for another few hours, so I’ve asked them all to join us for a traditional Maine meal right out on the patio outside of the Country Cottage Café.
Emmie graciously created a scrumptious feast that consists of lobster rolls on toasted garlic bread, corn chowder, baked beans, and clam chowder served in warm sourdough bread bowls.
Of course, Lottie and I are taking it slow, but we’re not forfeiting our meals either.
And for dessert we’re having a wild blueberry pie with berries Emmie picked herself. She may have mentioned that Leo helped with the endeavor, and I didn’t say a word.
We also have a huge platter of Emmie’s maple pecan shortbread and Lottie’s maple white chocolate chunk cookies left over from yesterday. I’ll be boxing up the leftover cookies for their long car ride back to Vermont.
Evie wags the cookie in her hand over at Everett and Lottie. “I’m thinking it’s time for an in-ground tramp.”
Carlotta gasps. “Hear that, Lot Lot? The kid’s plotting your demise.”
Everett tips his head to the side. “Reword that, please.”
Evie glances to the sky with the exasperation only a teenager can provide. “It’s time for an in-ground trampoline. It’s summer. My friends are going to want to come over—after we spend time on the boat, of course.”
Jasper nods. “Everett, I didn’t know you had a boat.”
“I don’t.” Everett looks to Evie. “But I’ve been asked quite a few times to get my hands on one.”
“For the record, I asked nicely.” Evie sheds a saccharin smile.
Carlotta gives a wistful shake of the head. “A boat sounds fun, Judge Baxter. And don’t you worry. I’ll be right there with her, letting the wind whip through my hair as we cruise Honey Lake.”
“It does sound like fun,” I say.
Macy leans in close to Everett. “I do look good in a bikini. But, of course, you already know that,” she says, posturing her bikini-clad self his way. She turns to Noah. “Speaking of which, when would be a good time to start texting your brother pictures of myself in a two-piece?”
Lottie belts out a laugh. “Do one better and show up this summer.”
“Yes,” Noah agrees. “We’d love to see you all.”
“I guess we can swing it,” I say, shrugging to Jasper.
He nods. “I’ve got some vacation time coming up in July.”
Georgie whoops and Carlotta joins in on the endeavor.
Sherlock barks and Fish mewls along with Pancake and Waffles.
Lottie gives a playful shrug my way. “It looks as if we have everyone’s approval.”
“Honey Hollow, here we come,” I say as I take up Jasper’s hand and he kisses the back of it.
The first of many vacations with my future wife. A sly smile glides up one cheek.
For some reason, this trip to Honey Hollow feels as if it’ll be the beginning of everything.
Soon, lunch is over and Lottie and her friends are shuttling luggage into the back of their passenger van.
Everett and Noah thank me and say their goodbyes. Jasper is out there with Grady, helping them out with their bags, and Evie is following Grady closer than his shadow. I bet he’ll miss the attention. Evie really is a sweetheart.
Lottie and Carlotta head to the reception desk, each with a ball of creamy white fluff in their arms.
“Is it really that time?” I moan, walking around the counter and offering Lottie a heartfelt hug.
Georgie holds out her arms. “Come to Mama,” she shouts as Carlotta gives her what looks like more of a hostile tackle than it does an innocent embrace. “You be a good girl now.”
Waffles lets out a wild yowl.
Can’t breathe!
Carlota pulls back. “I don’t need to be a mind reader to know what he’s thinking.” She gives the cute cat a quick smooch to the nose.
Sherlock barks. All right. I’ll admit it, I’m going to miss the fuzzballs.
Lottie gives Sherlock a scratch on the head. “Hey, tall, bark, and handsome. I’m going to miss you something fierce. Be sure to visit.”
Fish meows. I’m coming, too! I can’t wait to see my strong, husky, gorgeous blond boyfriends once again. I don’t know how I’ll survive another whole month until I see them.
Sherlock moans. I don’t know how I’ll survive another whole month of listening to how you won’t survive.
A smile expands over my face. “July can’t get here soon enough.”
We share a warm laugh as Lottie leans in. “Call me, text me, email, stalk me anytime you want. Like it or not, you’ve made a friend for life.”
“Ditto. Ooh”—a thought comes to me—“what do you think happened to allow me to see those dearly departed spirits before they disappeared?”
Lottie shakes her head. “The only thing I can think of is that we were holding hands and touching the killer at the same time.”
Carlotta slaps her hand. “I bet that’s a new power, Lot. All you gotta do is hold someone’s hand and touch a killer. If that someone sees a ghost, you know you’ve nabbed your man or woman.”
Lottie shakes her head. “I don’t think so. I think it’s because Bizzy is transmundane. If anything, I think Bizzy’s powers are growing.”
Georgie shudders. “Growing? As in she’ll start seeing ghosts? Don’t sign up for that one, Biz. Keep it to the mental snooping, would you? That’s about as much as I can handle.”
“Me too,” I say as we walk Lottie and Carlotta out to the van.
They load up and drive down the road, honking as we wave and shout our goodbyes.
Macy groans, “I can’t believe they’re really gone. And I have to wait an entire month to meet my future husband.”
“Macy”—I bump my hip to hers—“according to Lottie, Alex is a womanizer.”
“So? I’m a manizer. It’s an equal playing field. Trust me, we’re a match made in Honey Hollow heaven.”
I moan at the thought. “Sounds more like a match made in a place called syphilis. I’d say steer clear.”
She makes a face at Jasper and me. “Spoken like an engaged woman, Bizzy.”
“Watch out, Biz.” Georgie gives a hearty wink. “We’re already plotting your bachelorette party in August.”
“Ohh”—Macy looks my way—“but first, Killer Books is about to have their first birthday on Main Street, and they’re throwing a murder mystery party to celebrate.”
“Killer Books?” Jasper hikes a brow as he directs the question my way.
“It’s a bookstore that changed hands a year ago,” I tell him. “And it just so happens to be right next door to Lather and Light.”
Macy nods. “And you better believe I’m going to have a sidewalk sale that evening, right up until the fun begins. There’s no way I’m missing a killer party.”
Georgie whoops. “You know I’m going. You can’t keep a good murder down. I hope I get to slaughter someone.”
Jasper’s chest expands as he pulls me into his arms. “I think I’d better be there, just in case.”
“Me too,” I say. “I’ll see if they need any refreshments or treats and pass the word along to the café.”
Sherlock and Fish run down the cobbled road as they give chase to one another. Georgie and Macy head back to the inn while Jasper lands a tender kiss to my lips.
He gives a slight moan. “Is it wrong that I’m glad to have you all to myself once again?”
“Is it wrong that I can’t wait to steal you away out of town in a month? I think we’re addicted to one another. But it’s a healthy obsess
ion we’re nurturing.” I give the scruff on his cheek a quick scratch. “Mostly.”
“How about we duck into my place? I’ve got another healthy obsession I’d like to nurture with you.”
I waste no time speeding him in that direction.
Jasper gives my hand a squeeze. “Can you believe the bookshop wants to host a murder mystery party after all this town has been through?”
“A murder mystery,” I repeat as we head into his place and shut the door behind us. “I don’t see a single thing that can go wrong.”
* * *
*Thank you for reading! Need more Cider Cove? Pick up A Killer Tail (Country Cottage Mysteries 7), and read it next!
Recipes
Country Cottage Café
Pecan Maple Shortbread Cookies
* * *
Hello! It’s me, Bizzy Baker! I hope all is well with you. Emmie baked up a delectable delight for our guests at the senior bake-off competition and she’s giving you the recipe. If you’re in the mood for shortbread perfection, you won’t want to miss this one!
* * *
Ingredients
* * *
1 cup unsalted butter (brought to room temperature)
½ cup sugar
1 ¾ cup flour
¼ cup pecans, chopped (minced if you prefer) and lightly toasted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
½ teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon maple syrup
* * *
Instructions
* * *
In a large mixing bowl, or an electric mixer (Emmie swears by the mixer!) place butter, sugar, vanilla, almond extract, and maple syrup. Slowly add flour, pecans, and salt. Mix until dough pulls away from sides of bowl.
* * *
Wrap dough tightly in plastic and refrigerate for up to an hour before rolling it out to ½ inch thickness and cut into triangles (about 3 inches at the base). Prick surface of cookie with fork tines.
Felines and Fatalities (Country Cottage Mysteries Book 6) Page 14
