Daisy McDare And The Deadly Real Estate Affair (Cozy Mystery) (Daisy McDare Cozy Creek Mystery Book 4)

by K. M. Morgan

  Patrick groaned, then stormed off to the construction site to pick up his personal belongings.

  Scott Stinson meanwhile straightened his tie, then turned around and saw his staff watching from the window of the sales office.

  “Get back to work. Nothing to see here,” Scott yelled hard enough to hear through closed windows.

  The sales staff moved away from the windows and went back to their business.

  ***

  Daisy meanwhile was gob smacked as she sat in her car. Once again, drama was right at her doorstep.

  Sheesh.

  She was hoping things would be different this time. After all, in the last year, she’d dealt with three murders and half a dozen ego maniacs on the job. That was hardly the breezy décor-filled life she expected when she became an interior decorator. It almost seemed like fate was playing an elaborate prank on her.

  The way Daisy looked at it, after all the crazy things that had happened on the job lately, she was due for a few light and stress-free decorating gigs. Apparently she was dead wrong.

  It seemed to be drama as usual. She was almost afraid to find out what would happen next. After all, considering trouble seemed to have a way of following her everywhere at work lately, there was no telling.

  At that moment, Daisy was happy she’d packed some snacks in her purse. It was only nine a.m. and she already needed a chocolate pick me up.

  ***

  Before heading into the sales office, Daisy knew she had to pay her friend a visit. Unfortunately, it was under the worst of circumstances. She tried to comfort Patrick as best she could while he packed up his personal belongings at the construction site.

  “I am so sorry about what happened,” Daisy said.

  “Tell me about it. This couldn’t have come at a worse time. Especially with money being so tight,” Patrick explained.

  “Is it true what Scott said? Were you trying to unionize? Were you going to stage a walk out?”

  “Originally I just went to him asking for a raise. I just wanted to get paid what I was worth. When he refused, I knew it was time to take drastic measures. The fact is, I’m not the only one Scott Stinson is underpaying. Considering how much money he has, it just isn’t fair. It’s not right,” Patrick said.

  “I understand, but what are you going to do now?” Daisy wondered.

  “Oh, this isn’t over. Not by a longshot. Don’t you worry about me. I actually feel bad for you.”

  Daisy was confused. “Why?”

  “Because I’m the one who told you about this job in the first place. I feel like I invited you into a lion’s den.”

  “Forget about me.”

  Patrick would do no such thing. “I just don’t want you to get jobbed like I did.”

  “I can take care of myself.” Besides, Daisy had other concerns. “The real question is, do you want me to turn this job down?”

  Patrick was vehement. “No way.”

  Daisy was surprised. “Really?”

  “Hey, we all have to make a living. You have bills to pay, just like I do. I’m just going to warn you to approach with caution.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Patrick nodded. “I’ve already cost myself a paycheck. I don’t want to cost you one to.”

  “Alright.” Daisy then switched gears. “Now what about you, are you going to be ok?”

  “Yeah. I’ll be just fine once I get some payback.”

  Daisy cautioned him. “Patrick, don’t do anything rash.”

  “Don’t worry about me. This my battle. You just take care of yourself,” Patrick said.

  Patrick clearly didn’t want to talk about this anymore. Besides, Daisy hated leaving things on such an ominous note. Unfortunately, it looked like she had no choice.

  Money sure had a way of putting people into weird positions. Wanting to get paid a fair wage put Patrick on the unemployment line. Wanting to be able to pay her bills put Daisy in the awkward middle ground between Patrick and Scott Stinson. And wanting to keep a vice grip on every penny put Scott in the unenviable place of looking like a villain.

  Yikes.

  This was a whole lot of drama to deal with before any decorating began. It looked like Daisy might eat her way through all the chocolate she’d packed in her purse before the morning was up.

  Chapter Four

  After witnessing tempers flare so strongly, Daisy decided it would be best to wait a couple of minutes before going into the sales office. If Scott was willing to make a scene like that in public, there was no telling what he’d do in private. Besides, it gave Daisy a chance to eat a few quick bites of chocolate too.

  Whatever visions Daisy had of a peaceful day at work were now practically obliterated. There was no telling what would happen next. She wasn’t sure she really wanted to find out. Why did she always seem to get hired by hotheads?

  Daisy gave herself another minute to let her nerves calm down from the scene she’d just witnessed, then walked into the lobby of the sales office.

  Surprisingly, it was empty. There was no receptionist to greet her or anything. Apparently there was plenty of unprofessional behavior to go around at Stinson & Sons Construction.

  Daisy sighed. She could tell it was going to be one of those days. Oh dear.

  Daisy then overheard two people talking in the neighboring break room. She headed over to the doorway to the room where she saw Madison Mitchell making a fresh pot of coffee while Adam Stinson vented beside her.

  Madison was in her early thirties with a yoga body, long jet black hair, and blue eyes. She looked tired. Not because she’d had a late night the evening before, but more because she was world-weary. She was practically able to brew the coffee completely on instinct. She knew where the filters, the coffee grounds, and the buttons on the coffee maker were without even having to look. As if she’d done it so often, it had become a habit as old as chewing her gum with her mouth open.

  Adam Stinson meanwhile seemed to be knocking on the door of forty. He was tall, clean-shaven, with short brown hair, and had chocolate brown eyes to match. There was a little touch of gray creeping into his hair, an unwelcome sign of middle age coming on just a little too fast. He had a tired look in his eyes as well, paired with a side of bitterness.

  Given their world-weary faces, it was no surprise that Madison and Adam were both spending their time ranting, completely oblivious to Daisy’s presence in the lobby. They had grievances and they weren’t afraid to air them.

  Daisy considered whether to clear her throat or knock on the break room door to get their attention. Based on the tone of Adam and Madison’s conversation, she decided it would be best not to get caught in the middle. Instead Daisy kept her distance and let them get things out of their system.

  “You know, blow ups like that between Patrick and my father wouldn’t happen if I was manager,” Adam ranted.

  Madison wasn’t so convinced. “I don’t think it matters who the manager is. Your younger brother is a ‘manager,’ but I don’t exactly see him having any say around here.”

  “Why do you have to bring up my brother getting promoted over me? I’ve already told you what a sore spot that is for me,” Adam revealed.

  Madison put her hand on Adam’s shoulder and looked deep into his eyes.

  “I’m sorry honey. I know you still burned about getting passed over. If it makes you feel any better, it’s pretty clear to me that you deserved that promotion,” Madison said.

  “Thanks, but there’s nothing you can do to make me feel better. The only way to set this right is for me to get the promotion I earned.”

  “I understand why you feel that way. The point I’m making is that doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things.”

  Adam narrowed his eyes. “What at you talking about?”

  “What’s the point of being a manager if you have no actual power? Everyone knows your father has the first, last, and only word around here.”

  That angered Adam even more. “That’s on
ly true right now.”

  Madison seemed surprised. “Oh yeah?”

  Adam nodded. “I’m going to get my father to listen to me whether he wants to or not.”

  Madison folded her arms and gave him a critical eye. “How do you propose to do that?”

  “I have my plans. Trust me, things are going to change around here,” Adam said.

  Madison smiled. “I’d sure like to see that. I’ve been sitting at that front desk a long time. A person can only tread water for so long before they sink.”

  “Mark my words. We’re at the dawn of a new era,” Adam boasted.

  “I like the sound of that,” Madison said. She then leaned in and kissed him.

  ***

  Meanwhile in the lobby, Daisy found herself caught in a tough place. She had just overheard some awfully personal things. On top of that, she had purposefully held back in knocking on the doorframe to avoid an awkward situation. Now if she knocked, Adam and Madison would wonder just how much she’d caught wind of.

  Daisy decided it would be best to put on a ruse. She went back into the lobby, approached to the front door of the sales office, opened it, and then closed it again—making it sound like she had just entered the lobby instead of being there all along. After that, to make the charade seem complete, she announced her entrance.

  “Hello,” Daisy yelled out.

  Madison then came out of the break room, followed closely behind by Adam. While Adam walked back to his office, Madison greeted Daisy.

  “Sorry. I was just getting coffee,” Madison said.

  “Rough morning?” Daisy asked.

  Madison looked really tense, but tried to play it off. “No more than usual.”

  “Here’s hoping things get better for you,” Daisy said.

  Madison seemed eager to move on to another subject. “So, how can I help you?”

  “Daisy McDare here to see Scott Stinson.”

  “Does he know you’re coming?” Madison asked.

  “He should. I’m going to be doing the interior decorating on the model home.”

  “Oh—great. Come this way then,” Madison insisted.

  ***

  Madison led Daisy back towards Scott’s corner office. Scott’s assistant Ellie Edelson had a wide-eyed look as she sat at her desk. Ellie was a mousy, petite woman in her early twenties with curly brown hair, round glasses, and the look of a librarian.

  As Ellie saw Madison and Daisy approach the closed door to Scott’s office, she stopped them.

  “I wouldn’t go in there if I were you,” Ellie warned.

  “Why not?” Madison asked.

  Yelling was then heard coming from inside Scott’s office.

  “Get out of here. I have work to do,” Scott barked.

  Even though the door was closed, Daisy and the other women could make out exactly what was being said. Either that was because Scott didn’t realize how loud he was being, or he just didn’t care.

  At Ellie’s desk…

  Scott’s assistant turned to Madison.

  “Scott and Owen have been at each other’s throats for a little while,” Ellie said.

  “So, the usual then?” Madison deadpanned.

  “Pretty much.”

  Madison sighed. “Another day in paradise.”

  “You know it,” Ellie replied.

  Madison groaned. “I don’t really have time for fireworks today. I should be getting back to the reception desk.”

  “By the sound of things, Owen should be storming out of his dad’s office any time now. You probably won’t have to wait much longer,” Ellie explained.

  “Oh joy. As great as it would be to see that again, I’m going to leave Daisy here with you,” Madison said, sarcastically.

  Madison didn’t want for Ellie to reply. By the time Ellie opened her mouth, Madison was already headed back to the front desk.

  That left Ellie and Daisy alone—except for the screaming in the office of course.

  “Is there usually this much excitement around here?” Daisy asked.

  Ellie rolled her eyes. “You have no idea.”

  “I’m Daisy McDare, by the way. The interior decorator--”

  Ellie was far more interested in listening to the argument going on in the office however. “Shh. I can tell things are about to get good.”

  Suddenly Daisy couldn’t tell if she was in a trashy reality show or on a job site.

  ***

  Inside the office, Scott and his younger son Owen Stinson duked it out.

  “You can’t do this dad,” Owen said.

  “Don’t you dare try to tell me what I can and can’t do. I brought you into this world. You’d be nowhere without me,” Scott replied.

  “Dad, you promoted me to general manager for a reason. Now let me do my job.”

  “Don’t make me regret promoting you.”

  “Look, what are you doing firing our construction foreman when we have four hundred homes to build here? Time is money, and what you just did will set us back weeks,” Owen argued.

  “First of all, don’t ever raise your voice to me. Second, what I just did just saved this company a bunch of money,” Scott said.

  Owen was confused. “What are you talking about?”

  “Patrick was going to try and unionize the construction workers. And if I didn’t give them all pay raises, he was going to stage a walk out. With Patrick gone however, I can find a new foreman in line with our kind of thinking, and avoid a walk out—not to mention shelling out huge pay raises.”

  “That’s what you said the last time when you hired Patrick two years ago. Now look where we are.”

  “Right where we want to be. There’s always another foreman out there, and there always will be.”

  “Are you sure about that?” Owen asked.

  “What are you getting at?” Scott wondered.

  “Has it occurred to you maybe there’s a different way of doing things? That maybe you want employees to stay around longer than two years? If you pay employees a little better, if you build better homes--”

  Scott didn’t like what he was hearing. He had no interest in listening to the end of his son’s sentence.

  “You can stop right there. I know what I’m doing. After all, I’ve been running this company for over thirty years,” Scott explained.

  “There’s nothing wrong with some changes every now and then. Some fresh blood, some new ideas,” Owen said.

  Scott sat back in his chair and scoffed. “Why don’t you try and be a little less obvious?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I know you’re just waiting for the day that I retire. It can’t come soon enough for you. Well guess what? Don’t hold your breath. I don’t ever have plans to hand off my company,” Scott revealed.

  “Does mom know that?”

  “There it is. The mama’s boy strikes again.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with a man loving his mother. After what you’ve put her through all these years, she deserves all the love she can get,” Owen said.

  Scott switched gears. “I was wondering if I’d come to regret promoting you instead of your brother. I made my choice based on merit. Maybe I should have chosen a manager based on loyalty to me.”

  “Fine. Have it your way. It’s your company. You can run it into the ground. I’m just trying to help you,” Owen snapped.

  “When I want your help, I’ll ask for it. Now get out of here,” Scott barked.

  ***

  Owen then stormed out of the office and down the hallway. As Owen rushed by, both Ellie and Daisy pretended like they weren’t just listening in on the conversation.

  Scott then called out to Ellie in the hallway.

  “Ellie,” he said.

  “Yes,” she replied.

  “I need another cup of coffee—now.”

  Daisy couldn’t help but think to herself that coffee was the last thing he needed.

  Ellie meanwhile nodded her head to her boss. “Yes, Mr. St
inson. Just one thing first.”

  “What is it?” Scott asked.

  “There’s an interior decorator named Daisy McDare here to see you.”

  “Send her in,” Scott insisted.

  Ellie turned to Daisy in the hallway.

  “You’re on,” Ellie said.

  Daisy wasn’t sure whether to be excited or terrified by that. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time to grab another bite of chocolate from her purse.

  Chapter Five

  Daisy found herself in a particularly awkward situation. She needed this job and the paycheck that came with it, but had an axe to grind with Scott because he’d just fired a friend of her family’s.

  Luckily, Scott didn’t know Daisy and Patrick were friends. When Patrick told Daisy about the decorator job opening a few days before, Patrick already had a strained relationship with Scott.

  Patrick realized his personal recommendation would probably only hurt Daisy’s efforts to get the job, so he didn’t say anything to Scott about Daisy. Now after what had just happened, Daisy planned to keep Scott in the dark about Patrick being a family friend.

  Daisy had to somehow compartmentalize her friend’s firing and just focus on decorating. After all, a nice payday was at stake.

  “How are things going?” Scott said, with a smile.

  Daisy couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Scott was in a good mood all of a sudden—or at least he was pretending to be. If Daisy hadn’t just witnessed Scott blowing his top at Patrick, then his own son Owen just a minute ago, she would assume he was having a completely peachy day.

  Somehow Scott was able to let Patrick’s threats and his son’s criticism roll right off his back. Scott managed to even muster a smile. His nerves didn’t look rattled in the least.