by Cindy Bell
Manuscripts and Deadly Motives
Dune House Cozy Mystery Series
Cindy Bell
Contents
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
Also by Cindy Bell
About the Author
Copyright © 2019 Cindy Bell
All rights reserved.
Cover Design by Annie Moril
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and locations portrayed in this book and the names herein are fictitious. Any similarity to or identification with the locations, names, characters or history of any person, product or entity is entirely coincidental and unintentional.
All trademarks and brands referred to in this book are for illustrative purposes only, are the property of their respective owners and not affiliated with this publication in any way. Any trademarks are being used without permission, and the publication of the trademark is not authorized by, associated with or sponsored by the trademark owner.
Chapter 1
The cloth glided with ease across the smooth wood. Suzie Allen breathed in the lemon scent and felt her muscles relax. Never would she have believed that she would take so much pleasure in cleaning. As she moved through the room, which had been decorated with a Parisian theme, she admired every piece of furniture and every ornament. The guests who checked out that morning left glowing reviews not only of the room itself, but of the bed and breakfast. It filled her with warmth to know that she and her best friend Mary Brent, had created an environment that was both recreational and restorative. To some degree she believed that Dune House provided people an escape from their day-to-day routine. In essence, it was a place for them to rest and rejuvenate. As she prepared the room for the next guest, she thought about what it might be like to come to Dune House, from their point of view.
Located on a small strip of beach, it was flanked on one side by woods, and on the other by the idyllic town of Garber. The house had once been her uncle’s, a man she barely knew, but he’d left it to her when he passed away. Once she and Mary got their hands on it, they transformed it back into its former glory as a bed and breakfast. Most of the rooms overlooked the beach. With three stories, there were plenty of rooms for people to choose from, and Suzie had taken the time to decorate each one with a different theme. It was finally a chance for her to properly express her interests in interior decorating and she had loved every moment.
“How’s it going in here?” Mary stuck her head through the door with a warm smile.
“I’d probably be done faster, if I wasn’t daydreaming so much.” Suzie laughed as she turned to face her friend. “Something about this cleaner always gets my mind wandering off.”
“Maybe you should open a window.” Mary grinned as she walked over to one of the large windows on the other side of the room. She eased it open and was immediately greeted by a warm breeze, laced with the scent of salt.
“Thanks, that might help.” Suzie tossed her a cleaning cloth. “Do you want to polish the windowsill while you’re over there?”
“Can do.” Mary snatched it out of mid-air. In moments like these, she didn’t feel like she was in her fifties. Spending time with Suzie always made her feel so much younger, and Dune House itself brought out that youthful feeling as well. It wasn’t long ago that she felt as if her life was coming to an end. Her marriage was over, her children Catherine, and Benjamin were off to college and starting their own lives. When Suzie invited her to Garber and then to help with Dune House it had been a lifesaver, and she had never looked back. “I tried checking on Amelia this morning, but she didn’t answer.”
“I worry about her.” Suzie shook her head as she pulled the sheets off the bed. “I know she requested privacy, but I’m not even sure that she’s eating.”
“She had that pizza delivered two nights ago, but I don’t think there’s been anything since.” Mary cringed. “I hate to think of the state of that room.”
“Yes, it will probably need a thorough cleaning when she leaves.” Suzie frowned as she shook a pillow out of its pillowcase. “I can understand her passion, her dedication to writing her manuscript, but she’s been here for almost two weeks and hasn’t joined us for a single meal. In fact, I’ve only seen her leave her room a handful of times, and I don’t think she’s visited town at all.”
“It is a bit strange, isn’t it?” Mary finished the windowsill, then moved on to the second window in the room. “I know she requested privacy, but sometimes I think she needs a little friendship.”
“But we can’t force it on her.” Suzie shrugged and tossed the linens into a nearby laundry basket. “I guess it is best just to let her have what she needs. If that’s how she can finish her manuscript, then I guess it’s for the best. That’s why she came here after all.”
“True. Maybe I’ll leave her a little care package of goodies outside her room later. I’ll slip her a note to say that it’s there.” Mary glanced over at Suzie. “Do you think that would be all right?”
“I think it would be fantastic. You’re so thoughtful, Mary.” Suzie smiled at her friend. As they left the room and headed down the hall, Suzie was full of anticipation. The next morning, she would be standing on the dock waiting for Paul to arrive back from one of his trips on the water. As a fisherman, he was often gone for several days at a time. She couldn’t wait to see him and find out how his journey went. Mostly, she couldn’t wait to get her arms around him.
Lost in thought, she paused at the laundry room while Mary continued down the stairs. She noticed that her friend didn’t have as much difficulty as usual on the steps. When she’d first come to Dune House her knees had been quite a big problem, especially going up and down the stairs. But she’d been working on building muscle and seemed to be in less pain. Suzie hoped the trend would continue. She tossed the linens into the washer, got it started, then headed downstairs to check on the living room.
Other than Amelia, they only had two other guests currently checked in. It was mid-week, and the rush usually occurred on the weekend. Since it wasn’t quite warm enough for swimming most people spent their time exploring the town, walking along the beach, fishing and hiking through the woods. Their two current guests, Michael and Lavinia had struck up a quick friendship and were out and about together. Suzie sensed a possible romance between them, but they seemed to be quite hesitant to pursue anything more than friendship.
As Suzie fluffed up the couch cushions, there was a light knock on the door. She straightened up and was about to walk to the door when the knock came again, this time pounding. Something in the force of the knock triggered a sense of anxiety in Suzie. It was unusual for anyone to knock so loudly in the relaxed town, and certainly no guest had ever been so aggressive, but then any guest would know that the door was unlocked. It was only locked at night.
Pilot, their yellow lab, bounded in from another room and began to bark. Suzie winced as she knew how loud his barks could get. Mary ventured out of the kitchen as Suzie reached the main hallway.
“Who do you think that is?” She frowned a
s another round of even more forceful knocks assaulted her ears. She grabbed Pilot’s collar and gave him a few pets. He whined anxiously but stopped barking.
“No one happy.” Suzie braced herself as she approached the door. Whoever was on the other side seemed quite angry, and she wasn’t sure that she wanted to let the person in.
Suzie peeked through the long, thin glass window on the side of the door and saw a man who appeared to be in his thirties. She didn’t recognize him, which meant he probably wasn’t a local. Still wary, she eased the door open enough to meet the man’s eyes.
“Can I help you?”
“I want to see Amelia Price right now!” He put his hand on the door and pushed.
“Sir, you’re going to have to calm down.” Suzie wedged her shoe under the door to prevent him from pushing it open any farther. Her heart pounded as she looked into his furious gaze. Whatever he wanted with Amelia, it wasn’t pleasant.
“Don’t you dare tell me to calm down!” His cheeks reddened as his voice raised. “I know Amelia is here, and I want to speak with her right this second. Amelia!” He took a step back on the porch and shouted up at the windows. “Amelia, get down here and face me!”
Suzie’s heart skipped a beat. She had no idea what this man wanted with Amelia, but his behavior made her suspect he could be violent. She glanced over at Mary, whose brows were knitted with concern.
“Do you want me to call Jason?” Mary whispered the question, so as not to further agitate the man.
“Not just yet. Let’s see if we can get him to calm down.” Suzie swallowed hard. It was nice that her young cousin wore a badge, but she didn’t like to call him for every little problem. “Sir, I’m afraid we can’t allow you to come in, but if you would like to leave a message for Amelia, I would be happy to relay it to her. All of this shouting isn’t going to get you anywhere.”
“No, it won’t, because you won’t open the door!” He pushed against the door again, as sweat beads formed on his forehead.
“If you push through this door, I can assure you that you will be arrested. Is that what you want?” Suzie’s tone became sharp and determined. During her time as an investigative journalist she had her fair share of dangerous moments, and she wasn’t easily intimidated. “Think it through, pal, because once the cuffs are on, it’s awfully hard to get them off.”
“All right, all right!” He took a step back and held his hands up in the air. “I’m sorry. You’re right.” He took a deep breath. “I was a little out of control, but I’m calm now, okay?”
“Okay.” Suzie nodded slowly and kept her gaze fixated on him. “Would you like to leave her a message?”
“Yes, fine.” He frowned and shoved his hands into his pockets. As he searched through them, Suzie realized he was only getting aggravated again.
“Mary, can you bring the notepad and a pen off the front desk, please?” Suzie kept her voice pleasant in an attempt to keep the man’s anger from spiking again. She also made sure the door remained partially closed. She knew if he saw an opening, he might decide to bolt through the door no matter what she threatened him with.
“Sure.” Mary hurried over to the front desk, grabbed the items, then rushed back to the door. She was less accustomed to danger, and she hated anger. She’d been in an unhappy marriage for far too long, and now that she was free of it, she detested shouting and arguing. But she wasn’t going to leave Suzie at the door alone for long. She would do whatever it took to make sure that her friend was safe. The cell phone in her pocket was on her mind. She was tempted to call Jason, despite what Suzie said. “Here you go.” Mary thrust out the notepad and pen.
Suzie took them and offered them to the man who paced back and forth on the wide wraparound porch.
“Just jot down a note for her and we’ll make sure that she gets it. All right?” She forced a smile to her lips. What she really wanted to say was, get off my porch! But she knew that would only make the situation worse. Whatever issue he had with Amelia, the sooner she got him to leave, the better the chance she would have to protect the woman from this angry person. He snatched the notepad and pen, then began to scrawl words across the paper. She could tell from the sharp movements of his hand that he was putting all of his anger into his words. When he was done, he held the notepad out to her. For the first time a hint of guilt surfaced in his eyes.
“Look, I know that none of this is your fault. But you should know you’re harboring a traitor in this place. I’m going to make sure that she pays for what she’s done. Understand?”
“I know nothing about what business you have with Amelia, sir, but I will pass this note on to her. However, I must warn you, if you come banging on this door again and acting out of control, I will not hesitate to call the police.” Suzie held his gaze. “I take the safety of my guests very seriously. So, your best bet is to wait for Amelia to contact you if you wish to speak with her.”
“Oh no, I don’t need to speak with that coward.” He looked up at the windows above him again and sneered. “I wanted to warn her, that’s all. Don’t worry, I won’t be back.” He turned and stalked off to the large parking area off to the side of the house. Suzie watched until he was in his car, then pulled out her cell phone and snapped a few pictures of his vehicle, and his license plate. Once he was out of the parking lot, she turned to face Mary.
“Well, that was quite something, wasn’t it?”
“It was scary is what it was, Suzie. Why didn’t you call Jason?”
“These things tend to escalate when police get involved. Besides, we handled it just fine, didn’t we?” Suzie looked down at the pad in her hands.
“You handled it well, Suzie, I almost had a heart attack.” Mary frowned.
“We both handled it well.” Suzie smiled, then she returned her attention to the notepad. “Should we read it?”
“I’m not sure, Amelia does like her privacy.” Mary eyed the handwriting. “But if it’s going to upset her, we probably should, so we can prepare for her reaction.”
“It’s not as if it’s in an envelope or even folded up.” Suzie skimmed her gaze over the words. It was a short message, but it was fierce. “He’s threatening legal action against her if she doesn’t stop writing her book. He’s included his lawyer’s name and phone number.” She looked back at Mary. “Just what do you think Amelia has herself involved in?”
“I don’t know, but we should find out. If it’s going to draw angry people to our door, we need to know about it.” Mary looked up the stairs. “Do you think it’s possible that she didn’t hear any of that?”
“She usually has headphones on while she’s working, so yes I think it’s very possible. We’d better let her know what is going on so she can decide what she wants to do next.” Suzie started up the stairs, with Mary a few steps behind her.
As Suzie approached Amelia’s door, her stomach churned. This was obviously not good news, and she had no idea how the woman would take it. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that Amelia might be in some actual danger. The man on the porch had been irate, and if he could be that angry with strangers, how would he act towards Amelia if he were to run into her face to face?
Suzie looked over at Mary, then raised her hand to knock on the door. After three swift knocks, she waited for the woman to answer, with the note clutched in her hands. She could have shoved it under the door, but she wanted to be sure that Amelia wasn’t too upset by it, and she could tell her the whole story about the man banging on the door.
“Knock again.” Mary sighed. “She probably has her headphones on.”
“You’re right.” Suzie nodded and knocked firmly again. A minute or two later, the door finally swung open.
Amelia’s plump frame filled the doorway as she looked between Suzie and Mary.
“What part of do not disturb don’t you understand?” Amelia crossed her arms as she glared out at the two women.
Chapter 2
As Amelia stood in the doorway, Suzie did her best no
t to let the woman’s abrasive attitude disturb her. She’d come to realize that Amelia was simply a blunt person, and she was always going to say what was on her mind, with no thought to being polite.
“I’m sorry for the intrusion, but we just had quite a strange visit from a man who insisted we pass a message on to you.” Suzie held out the folded piece of paper. “He was irate, and I was close to calling the police because he refused to calm down.”
“Monroe.” Amelia rolled her eyes. “It must have been Monroe.” She snatched the piece of paper out of Suzie’s hand. “I’m sorry that he caused such a fuss. I didn’t hear a bit of it, or I would have come down and told him off myself.” She scanned the note, then crumpled it up in her fist. “This is ridiculous. People think they can sue for anything these days.”
“I know that you like your privacy, Amelia, but if there’s anything we can do to help, all you have to do is ask.” Mary looked into her eyes. “We both know what it’s like to be in tough circumstances.”
“That’s kind of you, but I don’t need any help.” Amelia smirked. “This just means that I’m on the right track with my book. Let him have his tantrum, it’s not going to get him anywhere.”
“We are both a little concerned about how violent he seemed. If you’d like, I could call my cousin Jason. He’s a police officer. I can see if he can start some paperwork so that you can get a restraining order. It might be the best way to protect yourself.” Suzie reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. “I’m sure he’ll come over as soon as he’s free.”
