Cookies in the Cottage

by Kathi Daley

  After breakfast was finished and the guests had gone back to their suites to get ready for whatever they planned to do today, I headed back to the cottage. It was still overcast with a few snow flurries in the air, but it wasn’t overly cold, and the air was still. Deciding to bundle up and take the dogs for a walk, I headed toward my bedroom to grab my heavy boots. Georgia and Jeremy were making a list of items for me to pick up in town, so I figured I’d walk the dogs and then change into something nicer before heading out.

  “We’re heading out for a walk,” I said to my cat, Rufus, once I’d changed my shoes and grabbed my heavy jacket. “I don’t suppose you want to come along.”

  He lifted his head, looked out the open door I was standing in front of, let out a hiss, and lowered his head once again. Rufus wasn’t a fan of the snow most of the time. Occasionally, he’d come outside with me, even on snowy days, but most of the time, he chose to stay inside where it was warm.

  The dogs and I set off down the bluff trail toward Tanner’s place. I wasn’t planning to walk all the way down to his dog training facility today, but the well-worn trail was a favorite and the one I usually chose. Georgia and Tanner often walked between the two properties when visiting each other since the hike could be accomplished in less than fifteen minutes on most days. Once again, I wondered about Georgia’s comment about only marrying if she found a man who made her as happy as Paul made Greta. I supposed her comment might not have really meant anything. Tanner was a great guy, and Georgia really seemed to care about him. The fact that she wasn’t willing to move the relationship forward at this point didn’t mean there were problems in the paring. Did it?

  Glancing down at Molly, I could see that the smaller dog was beginning to lag behind. I picked her up, called Ramos, and turned around. Molly tried hard to keep up with her giant best friend, but when there was snow to contend with in addition to the height differential, most of the time, her attempt to keep up was a losing battle.

  Once the dogs and I made it back to the cottage, I made a cup of coffee and checked my messages. There was a missed call from Colt, so I hit the return call button and waited.

  “Hey, Colt. Sorry I missed your call. I was walking the dogs. Are you in Houston?”

  “I am. And I’ve spoken briefly to Dennis Brighton, who was on his way out when I arrived. According to Mr. Brighton, Abbot Baxter had been approached by William Andrews about a stipend of some sort to be paid to him should he be successful in getting Henrietta Rosewood to sell her home and land to them as they hoped she would. Brighton told me that he hadn’t been aware of the deal until after Ms. Rosewood’s death, but according to Brighton, Baxter had agreed to pay Andrews a specific amount of money if he was able to convince the old woman to sell them the property as she’d originally planned to do.”

  “So he was the one who set up the props,” I said. “If he was being paid, I guess trying to scare Henri into thinking the house was haunted and agreeing to the sale makes sense.”

  “That’s the way it looks. Apparently, Mr. Baxter hasn’t come into work today. Mr. Brighton doesn’t know where he is. I suspect that Baxter intentionally made himself scarce when he found out I was heading to Houston to speak to him.”

  “Do you have enough to arrest him?” I wondered.

  “Not really. All I know for certain is that Baxter wanted Henri to sell her land to his firm, and when she waffled after initially agreeing to consider the sale, he agreed to pay Andrews a fee if he was able to get the woman to change her mind. At this point, I have no way of knowing if Baxter knew how Andrews planned to convince the woman to sell. Short of some sort of proof that Baxter knew how Andrews planned to accomplish his goal, I don’t have any reason to arrest him. Paying someone a fee if they are able to help close a deal isn’t in and of itself illegal.”

  I paused and glanced out the window. “We know that Henri fell down the stairs, which resulted in her death. After I heard about the haunting, I’ve been operating under the assumption that she fell after being frightened or startled, although I guess I don’t know this for certain. If she did die as a result of the props Andrews set up, I suppose he could have been charged with manslaughter, although given the fact that Andrews is dead, I guess my point is moot. My question now is, if all that is true, who killed Andrews? Baxter?”

  “I suppose it’s possible that after Henri died, Baxter realized he needed to cut ties with Andrews,” Colt admitted. “If Andrews refused to go away, I imagine that Baxter might have decided to force the issue, but killing the man and stuffing him in the toolshed at the estate doesn’t fit.”

  “I agree. Why would Baxter kill him and then leave his body at the estate if the motive behind killing the man was to separate himself from Andrews and the trickery he’d been up to. It seems he would have dumped the body in town so that a link to the estate wouldn’t be immediately evident. I mean, Andrews didn’t even work for the estate any longer. If his body had been found somewhere else, such as in the dumpster behind one of the local bars, it would seem the assumption would have been that he got into it with one of his drinking buddies or another customer and ended up dead.”

  “That all makes sense. If Baxter is involved, I’m going to need him to admit as much. I’m going to wait around a little longer to see if Baxter shows. It’s early yet. Either way, my plan is to fly home this afternoon. I’ll call you after I land.”

  “Okay. Have a safe flight. I’ll see you when you get here.”

  After I hung up, I changed my clothes and then headed over to the inn to get the lists Georgia and Jeremy had been putting together for me. The reality was that the storm that was being discussed by the local news might never materialize, but if it did, I knew we’d be glad we’d been proactive and picked everything up we’d need from town for at least the next few days.

  “Did Jeremy leave already?” I asked Georgia after I arrived at the inn.

  “Yeah, the group wanted to get an early start. I packed them lunch and plenty of hot drinks. I suspect they’ll be gone until mid-afternoon.” She held up a piece of paper. “I have his list, and mine is ready for you. I called ahead where I could, so the trip should be fairly easy.”

  I took the list and looked it over. It seemed doable. Maybe I’d even stop off at Velma’s Diner and have coffee with the woman I hadn’t really had the chance to chat with for a while. “Okay,” I said. “I’ll be back in a few hours.”

  Since the snow hadn’t been the sort to accumulate and the temperature was a few degrees above freezing, the roads were wet but not icy. I organized the stops Georgia had asked me to make in my mind so that the more perishable items would be purchased last. It made sense to start with coffee since the breakfast crowd should be gone, and the lunch crowd wouldn’t have shown up yet. When I arrived at the diner, I found it almost deserted, which I’d half expected given my timing and the fact it was a Monday.

  “Abby.” Velma grinned. “I’m so glad you stopped by.”

  “I needed to come into town and do some errands, so I figured I’d stop in for coffee. I hoped you wouldn’t be too busy at this time of the day.”

  “You hit the lull. If you’d stopped in twenty minutes earlier, you would have run into the breakfast crowd, and twenty minutes from now, you’d have hit the early lunch crowd. Grab that booth in the corner. I’ll grab us both a coffee, and we can chat for a few minutes. I was about to take a break anyway.”

  Grabbing a booth near the front window, I paused to enjoy the display Velma had set up. A small train wound through a miniature village that was brightly lit with strings of lights specifically designed to light each little house and building. In one corner of the display, there was a small snowy mountain with little skiers gliding down. At the base of the mountain, there was a lodge with an outdoor seating area and fire pit. There was also a pond made from a small mirror with tiny ice skaters. The little Main Street was lined with cute little shops and battery-operated gas lamps. It must have taken Velma forever to set all this up
. Not only were there a bunch of little pieces, but she did a really good job hiding all the wires with fake snow and imitation sidewalks.

  “I love your village,” I said as Velma slipped into the booth across from me. “I think you were still working on it when I was in last. It really came together nicely.”

  “Thanks. I think it turned out well.” She took a sip of her coffee.

  “And your snow globe display is awesome as always.” I paused to look at the row of snow globes Velma added to every year. “I actually received a snow globe as a gift over the weekend. It really is special. The inn is inside the globe, complete with all three animals. There wasn’t a card with the gift, so I don’t know who left it for me. I don’t suppose you know anything about that.”

  She smiled and winked. “Not a thing. So what have you been up to since we last had a chance to chat?”

  I had a feeling she was lying, but I didn’t want to push it since someone had obviously gone to a lot of trouble to have such a special snow globe custom made for me. So I filled her in on the guests, the activities being sponsored by the inn, and the murder of William Andrews, the Rosewood estate’s ex-groundskeeper. Velma had met the sisters when they were here in November, and I knew they’d been to the diner a few times since they’d returned to Holiday Bay, so I wasn’t surprised to hear that she knew almost as much about the murder as I did.

  Of course, she hadn’t spoken to Colt since before he’d left to visit with his family, so she didn’t have that piece of the puzzle.

  “Does Colt think that this developer might have known that William was scaring Henri in an attempt to get her to sell her property?”

  “Colt doesn’t know with a hundred percent certainty how much the man knew. What he did find out was that William approached Abbot Baxter in order to broker a deal where he would receive a cash payout if he was able to convince Henri to sell. When I spoke to him, Colt wasn’t certain whether or not Baxter was aware of how William proposed to convince Henri to sell.”

  “So if it was William behind the haunting, that might explain why he was out at the estate on the night he died, but it doesn’t explain who killed him or why.”

  “Exactly. Do you have any theories?”

  Velma took a minute to think things over. She got up and grabbed the coffee pot to refill both our mugs. Once she’d done that, she sat back down. “William had only lived in Holiday Bay for a few months. Maybe five or six, I guess. As you know, he worked at the estate, but he lived here in town. I didn’t know him well, but he came in for a meal from time to time. I’d say hi, and we’d chat a bit.” She paused and took a sip from her mug. “I know the man liked to hang out at the Reindeer Roundup,” Velma referred to a local bar. “I guess you can stop in and talk to someone there. They have a peppermint-flavored Irish coffee on special that you have to try if you do stop in.”

  “Thanks for the heads up. Anything else?”

  “William spent a lot of time with a man named Nazareth Goodwin. Naz works down at the marina during the summer, and he plows snow for the town in the winter. I think Naz draws unemployment during the shoulder season. He seems to travel in the spring and fall, but he should be out on a plow right about now. Barb White dispatches for the town so you could head down to the local office and talk to her.”

  I took my phone out and jotted down Reindeer Roundup, Nazareth Goodwin, and Barb White in my notes app. “Anyone else?”

  “Rupert down at the bowling alley might know something. I know William liked to bowl. He’d come in alone. I ran into him a time or two in the past.”

  I added Rupert to the list.

  “That’s all I can think of offhand. I guess one of Colt’s men must have already chatted with his landlord.”

  “They searched his home, so I assume they chatted with the landlord, but I’ll verify that.” I slipped my phone back into my pocket. “Colt is going to be back in Holiday Bay late this evening. He’d already left for his trip when the body was found last week, so he’s been relying on the two new guys who work for him to head up the investigation. To be honest, I’m not sure they’ve gotten anywhere, but they might have discovered something I’m not aware of.”

  “Colt will figure it out once he gets back,” Velma assured me. “The boy has a good head on his shoulders. I’ve no doubt he’ll figure out whatever the other men haven’t been able to. In the meantime, talk to the folks I mentioned. If I think of anything else, I’ll call you.”

  After I left Velma’s, I headed toward the sporting goods store where Jeremy had ice skates on hold for Annabelle since she’d outgrown the ones he’d bought her last year. I’d been meaning to stop in any way since I still needed some small gifts for stocking stuffers for the staff at the inn.

  “Abby,” Sierra greeted me from behind a display of snowshoes.

  “I didn’t see you back there,” I greeted in return. “Are you thinking of doing some snowshoeing?”

  “I came in for boots that are warmer than I currently have, but then I saw the display and was considering the idea when you walked in. Have you tried it before?”

  I nodded. “It takes a little getting used to, but it’s fun once you get the rhythm down.” I looked around the store. “Are the others here?”

  “No. It’s just me. Shelby and Scot went to Portland for the day to do some shopping, and Sage is meeting with a man who’s shown interest in partnering with her on a line of outerwear. I’m on my own today, so I decided to come to town and take care of a few errands. I hoped to drop in and chat with someone at the police station about the ongoing murder investigation of Henri’s ex-groundskeeper, but the woman manning the desk said I’d need to wait to talk to Colt when he got back.” She paused and then continued. “I don’t suppose you know anything.”

  “I know a bit more than I did the last time we spoke. I’m going to head over to the Reindeer Roundup after I pick up some skates Jeremy has on hold for Annabelle. Velma suggested that the bartender might know something since William used to hang out there. She also suggested I try the peppermint-flavored Irish coffee they have on special. Would you like to come along? We can sip our coffee and have a chat.”

  “I’d like that. I’ll just pay for the items I’ve picked out while you collect the skates you came in for unless you have more shopping to do.”

  I looked at the display of skates. “I’ve been thinking about buying myself some skates, but for now, I think I’ll just grab Annabelle’s and a couple stocking stuffers for the inn’s staff. A peppermint-flavored Irish coffee sounds good.”

  Like most of the other businesses in town, the Reindeer Roundup was decorated for the upcoming holiday. The bar opened at noon, and it was a few minutes after noon when we arrived, so with the exception of the bartender who informed us that his name was Kurt, the place was deserted. Sierra and I both ordered the peppermint-flavored Irish coffee Velma had suggested.

  “So I guess you’ve heard about William Andrews,” I said to Kurt as he made our drinks.

  “Yeah, I heard. One of the regulars told me that William was killed by someone up at the estate where he used to work. I heard some out of towners are living there now.”

  I glanced at Sierra. She shrugged. “I heard he hung out here at the bar sometimes. I don’t suppose you might know who’d want to kill him.”

  “You a cop?”

  “A writer,” I answered.

  “Ah. I’ve known a few writers in my time. They do tend to be nosy. But in answer to your question, no, I don’t know who would want to kill him. Although…” he said as he spiraled whipped cream onto our drinks.

  “Although?” I asked.

  He shoved the festive looking hot beverages in front of us.

  “William had been going on and on about some big payday he was working on. I’m not sure what he was doing that was going to earn him this money, but it seemed as if he had worked out some sort of a plan to get enough money to move back to Cabo San Lucas.”

  “William used to live in Ca
bo?” I asked.

  He nodded. “I guess he used to work for a big resort down there. Said he made good money and really liked the heat and sunshine. I think he was done with all the snow.”

  “Wait a minute,” Sierra said. “If William liked his job in Cabo, why did he quit?”

  Kurt shrugged. “I really don’t know. Seems like he’d worked for several different resorts over the years. Guess there is a big turnover in those sorts of places. That will be twelve dollars.”

  I paid the man, and then Sierra and I settled into a booth near the large window that looked out onto the street.

  “So, do you think the fact that William worked for a resort before moving to Holiday Bay is important?” Sierra asked.

  I nodded. “It might be. Perhaps I should catch you up.” I shared what I’d learned from Colt during our brief conversation this morning, and then I shared the details of my conversation with Velma.

  “So William was working with Brighton and Baxter.”

  I nodded. “It seems that William made a deal with Abbot Baxter to convince Henri to sell the estate to Brighton and Baxter. It’s unclear at this point if Baxter knew about the haunting, but I suspect he did. If he was totally innocent of wrongdoing, it seems he would have met with Colt today rather than going out of his way to avoid him.”

  “I agree. Do you think Baxter killed William?”

  I frowned. “I don’t know. It seems to me that if Baxter did kill William, he would have stashed the body somewhere other than the garden shed at the estate. In fact, the more I think about it, the more convinced I am that the body being stashed where Scot’s dog found it was intentional.”

  “So you think that someone knew about the hauntings and wanted everyone to think that someone associated with the plot, perhaps Baxter, had been the one to kill the man.”