by Kathi Daley
Ninth Grave
A Writers’ Retreat Mystery
by
Kathi Daley
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2019 by Katherine Daley
Version 1.0
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
A Special Thanks
I want to thank the very talented Jessica Fischer for the cover art, Bruce Curran, who is always ready and willing to answer my cyber questions, and Jayme Maness for helping out with the book clubs and a special thank you to my editors Randy Ladenheim-Gil and Peggy Hyndman for sleuthing out those pesky typos. I’d also like to thank the readers and bloggers in my life, who make doing what I do possible, and finally, I want to thank my husband Ken for allowing me time to write by taking care of everything else.
Books by Kathi Daley
Come for the murder, stay for the romance.
Zoe Donovan Cozy Mystery:
Halloween Hijinks
The Trouble With Turkeys
Christmas Crazy
Cupid’s Curse
Big Bunny Bump-off
Beach Blanket Barbie
Maui Madness
Derby Divas
Haunted Hamlet
Turkeys, Tuxes, and Tabbies
Christmas Cozy
Alaskan Alliance
Matrimony Meltdown
Soul Surrender
Heavenly Honeymoon
Hopscotch Homicide
Ghostly Graveyard
Santa Sleuth
Shamrock Shenanigans
Kitten Kaboodle
Costume Catastrophe
Candy Cane Caper
Holiday Hangover
Easter Escapade
Camp Carter
Trick or Treason
Reindeer Roundup
Hippity Hoppity Homicide
Firework Fiasco
Henderson House
Holiday Hostage
Lunacy Lake
Celtic Christmas – Coming 2019
Zimmerman Academy The New Normal
Zimmerman Academy New Beginnings
Ashton Falls Cozy Cookbook
Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Mysteries:
Pumpkins in Paradise
Snowmen in Paradise
Bikinis in Paradise
Christmas in Paradise
Puppies in Paradise
Halloween in Paradise
Treasure in Paradise
Fireworks in Paradise
Beaches in Paradise
Thanksgiving in Paradise – Fall 2019
Whales and Tails Cozy Mystery:
Romeow and Juliet
The Mad Catter
Grimm’s Furry Tail
Much Ado About Felines
Legend of Tabby Hollow
Cat of Christmas Past
A Tale of Two Tabbies
The Great Catsby
Count Catula
The Cat of Christmas Present
A Winter’s Tail
The Taming of the Tabby
Frankencat
The Cat of Christmas Future
Farewell to Felines
A Whisker in Time
The Catsgiving Feast
A Whale of a Tail – July 2019
Writers’ Retreat Mystery:
First Case
Second Look
Third Strike
Fourth Victim
Fifth Night
Sixth Cabin
Seventh Chapter
Eighth Witness
Ninth Grave
Rescue Alaska Mystery:
Finding Justice
Finding Answers
Finding Courage
Finding Christmas
Finding Shelter – Fall 2019
A Tess and Tilly Mystery:
The Christmas Letter
The Valentine Mystery
The Mother’s Day Mishap
The Halloween House
The Thanksgiving Trip
The Saint Paddy’s Promise
The Halloween Haunting – Fall 2019
The Inn at Holiday Bay:
Boxes in the Basement
Letters in the Library
Message in the Mantel
Answers in the Attic – June 2019
Family Ties:
The Hathaway Sisters
Harper
Harlow
Hayden – Summer 2019
Haunting by the Sea:
Homecoming by the Sea
Secrets by the Sea
Missing by the Sea
Betrayal by the Sea
Thanksgiving by the Sea – Fall 2019
Christmas by the Sea – December 2019
Sand and Sea Hawaiian Mystery:
Murder at Dolphin Bay
Murder at Sunrise Beach
Murder at the Witching Hour
Murder at Christmas
Murder at Turtle Cove
Murder at Water’s Edge
Murder at Midnight
Murder at Pope Investigations – Summer 2019
Seacliff High Mystery:
The Secret
The Curse
The Relic
The Conspiracy
The Grudge
The Shadow
The Haunting
Road to Christmas Romance:
Road to Christmas Past
Table of Contents
A Special Thanks
The Gull Island Writers’ Retreat Residents
The Town Folk
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Up Next from Kathi Daley Books
Preview
The Gull Island Writers’ Retreat Residents
Jillian (Jill) Hanford
Jillian is a dark-haired, dark-eyed, never-married reporter who moved to Gull Island after her much-older brother, Garrett Hanford, had a stroke and was no longer able to run the resort he’d inherited. Jillian had suffered a personal setback and needed a change in lifestyle, so she decided to run the resort as a writers’ retreat. She is currently working at the local newspaper and living with her boyfriend, Jackson Jones.
Jackson (Jack) Jones
Jack is a dark-haired, blue-eyed, never-married nationally acclaimed author of hard-core mysteries and thrillers, who is as famous for his good looks and boyish charm as he is for the stories he pens. Despite his success as a novelist, he’d always dreamed of writing for a newspaper, so he gave up his penthouse apartment and bought the failing Gull Island News. He lives in an oceanfront home he built with his girlfriend, Jill, and their dog, Kizzy.
Garrett Hanford
Garrett, a man in his sixties, isn’t a writer, but he owns the resort and is considered to be one of the gang. He has lived on Gull Island his entire life and has a lot to offer the Mystery Mastermind Group. He currently lives in the main house with Clara and her cat, as well as his best friend, a feisty parrot named Blackbeard.
George Baxter
George, a man in his sixties, is a writer of traditional whodunit mysteries. He’d been a friend of Garrett Hanford since they were boys and has spent many winters at the resort penning his novels. George is a
distinguished-looking man with gray hair, dark green eyes, and a certain sense of old-fashioned style that many admire. He is currently dating museum volunteer Meg Collins.
Clara Kline
Clara, a woman in her sixties, is a self-proclaimed psychic who writes fantasy and paranormal mysteries. Clara’s vision that she would find her soul mate living within the walls of the house on Gull Island came true when she met Jill’s brother, Garrett Hanford.
Alex Cole
Alex, a man in his twenties, is a fun and flirty millennial who made his first million writing science fiction when he was just twenty-two. He’s the lighthearted jokester of the group who uses his blond-haired, blue-eyed good looks to participate in serial dating. He has the means to live anywhere, but the thought of a writers’ retreat seemed quaint and retro, so he decided to expand his base of experience and moved in.
Brit Baxter
Brit, a woman in her twenties, is George Baxter’s niece. A petite blond pixie, she decided to make the trip east with her uncle after quitting her job to pursue her dream of writing. She has just published her first chick lit novel.
Victoria Vance
Victoria, a woman in her thirties, is a romance author who lived the life she writes about in her steamy novels but has now settled down with her live-in boyfriend, Deputy Rick Savage. Her raven-black hair accentuates her pale skin and bright green eyes.
Lorelei Walker
Lorelei, a woman in her fifties, writes mysteries and has been a published author for more than thirty years. She moved to the Gull Island Writers’ Retreat in March.
Rena Littleton
Rena, a woman in her twenties, writes fantasy and paranormal novels. She moved to the Gull Island Writers’ Retreat five weeks ago.
Grayson Meadows
Grayson, a man in his sixties, writes thrillers. He published his first novel when he was twenty-two and has been a published author for more than forty years. He moved to the Gull Island Writers’ Retreat four weeks ago.
Jax Sheraton
Jax, a man in his sixties, writes psychological thrillers that are told from the killer’s point of view. He moved to the Gull Island Writers’ Retreat less than a week ago.
Deputy Rick Savage
Rick, a man in his thirties, is not a writer, but he does live at the retreat with a writer. He is the island’s main source of law enforcement and currently lives with Victoria Vance.
The Town Folk
Mayor Betty Sue Bell
Betty Sue is a homegrown Southern lady who owns a beauty parlor called Betty Boop’s Beauty Salon. She can be flirty and sassy, but when her town or its citizens are in trouble, she turns into a barracuda. She has a Southern flare that will leave you laughing, but when there’s a battle to fight she’s the one you most want in your corner.
Gertie Newsome
Gertie Newsome is the owner of Gertie’s on the Wharf. Southern born and bred, she believes in the magic of the South and the passion of its people. She shares her home with a ghost named Mortie who has been a regular part of her life for over thirty years. She’s friendly, gregarious, and outspoken, unafraid to take on anyone or anything she needs to protect those she loves.
Meg Collins
Meg is a volunteer at the island museum and the organizer of the turtle rescue squad. Some feel the island and its wildlife are her life, but Meg has a soft spot for island residents like Jill and the writers who live with her.
Brooke Johnson
Brooke is a teacher and mother who works hard in her spare time as the volunteer coordinator for the community.
Chapter 1
Monday, May 6
Almost every Monday evening for as long as I have lived at the Gull Island Writers’ Retreat, the gang living on the property have gathered to share a meal and discuss whichever cold case mystery is currently on the table. Anyone living at the resort and attending the meeting is welcome to present a situation they would like help with, and then, once presented, each group member can decide whether they want to help out. Tonight, my boyfriend, Jackson Jones, plans to present a mystery regarding an email he received from a man he had never met following the unprecedented success of his latest thriller. Jack has always attracted his share of fan mail, but this email was different.
“I have a couple of announcements before we begin,” I said after calling the meeting to order. “First off, I want to remind everyone that Garrett and I are throwing a big, kickoff-to-summer cookout on Memorial Day and you are all invited. If you would like to bring a guest, they are welcome as well. We just ask that everyone RSVP by May 22, so we know how much food we will need.”
Everyone in the room murmured that they wouldn’t miss it.
“Additionally,” I continued, “as you all know, the group voted at the last meeting to invite the four new permanent residents of the Gull Island Writers’ Retreat to join the Mastermind group. All four are here this evening. I’d hoped we’d have had the opportunity to gather beforehand for a meal, as we often do, so the new members could be brought up to speed, but things didn’t work out as planned, so I’m going to make quick introductions. I think most of you already know one another, but I want to be sure our newest residents have met everyone.” I took a breath and looked around the room, which suddenly felt much too crowded. At the time we voted to invite new members into our group, it made sense, but with four new members starting all at once, our intimate group suddenly felt awkward. I hoped that would change once we all got used to one another. I continued. “To start off, my name is Jillian Hanford, Jill for short. I, along with my brother, Garrett Hanford, oversee the management of the retreat.” I turned to Garrett, who sat to my left. “Garrett is not a writer, but he is the owner of the resort and has been a member of the Mastermind group almost since the beginning. Sitting to his left is Clara Kline. Clara writes paranormal mysteries, and to her left is George Baxter, a novelist who focuses on traditional whodunits.”
I took a breath before continuing. “To George’s left is one of our new members, Lorelei Walker. Lorelei also writes mysteries. She moved to the retreat in March, so I believe most if not all of you have met her.” I smiled at the woman who had lost her husband this past year and hoped she was settling in. Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes and I suspected she was still grieving. “To Lorelei’s left is Rena Littleton, a fantasy and paranormal novelist, who moved to the retreat about five weeks ago.”
Rena, the youngest member of the group at just twenty-four, was sitting next to Brit Baxter, one of our original members, a chick lit writer and George’s niece. Once Brit was briefly introduced, I introduced another of our original members and the last of the three members still in their twenties, science fiction writer Alex Cole. To Alex’s left sat our newest resident, Jax Sheraton, a man in his sixties and the author of psychological thrillers who had only been living at the retreat for a little over a week. Sitting next to Jax was my best friend, romance writer Victoria Vance, Vikki for short, and next to her sat Grayson Meadows, another man in his sixties who wrote thrillers and had been living at the retreat for the past four weeks.
“Which brings me to Jackson Jones, Jack for short,” I continued. “Jack writes hard-core mysteries and thrillers and also owns the local newspaper. Jack will be presenting our mystery this evening, so I will turn the floor over to him.”
Jack stood up and faced the group. I’m not sure how the custom of presenting a mystery to the group in a formal manner got started, but that was the way we had always done it and I saw no reason to change it now. If you asked me, there were already enough changes underway. Twelve Mastermind members suddenly seemed like a lot.
Jack began in a strong voice. I appreciated the fact that he got right to the point. “Last week I received an email from a man who only identified himself as Sam. He started off by telling me that he had read my latest novel and had enjoyed it.” Jack paused and slowly scanned the room, pausing briefly to make eye contact with each of the Mastermind members as he did so. “At fi
rst the email read much like any other piece of fan mail, but by the end, Sam had shared that the main reason he enjoyed my story about a serial killer was because he himself had killed multiple people and felt he could identify with the killer in my story, who like him, had a very good reason for doing what he had.”
“I’m sorry to interrupt Jack,” Brit said, “but I haven’t had the chance to read your latest novel. You’re saying that the killer in your story had a good reason for killing his victims?”
Jack nodded. “In a twisted sort of way. My novel is about a man named John, whose daughter is murdered by the man his ex-wife married after they divorced. John had a history of depression, which was why his wife divorced him. He’d made a lot of mistakes in his life and had a hard time getting those in positions of authority to give him any notice. After his daughter was killed, John went a tiny bit crazy. He tried to convince both his ex-wife and the police that his daughter’s stepdad had been the one who killed her, but he couldn’t get anyone to listen. John was certain this man had killed his child, so when it looked like the guy might get away with it, John killed him.”
“If the stepdad really did kill John’s daughter and John killed him in return, I guess that would make him a sympathetic character,” Brit said.
“While I don’t disagree, the problem was that once John started killing, he couldn’t seem to stop. The novel is about the killing spree John went on after the death of his daughter’s killer. In the end, he killed seven men. All of them were abusing their own daughters and getting away with it, so I suppose it is up to the reader to decide whether John was a madman or a vigilante.”
“Sounds to me as if he might have been both,” Brit commented.
“So, back to the email you received,” Alex encouraged. “Not that I don’t find this conversation fascinating, but we are here to discuss the email, not the novel.”
