Nosy Neighbor: All 7 complete Nosy Neighbor cozy mysteries PLUS: 2 short Christmas stories (A Nosy Neighbor mystery)

by Cynthia Hickey

  “Everybody knows that.” She pointed up the stairs. “Go to your room and wait fifteen minutes, at least.”

  “But Matt’s here already.” I moved toward the door again.

  “No, Stormi. You don’t want to appear too eager.” Angela jabbed her finger in the air in the direction of the upper floor. “Go.”

  “Good grief, this is ridiculous.” I stomped up the stairs feeling like a sixteen-year-old going on a first date. When Cherokee poked her head into the hall, I told her to shut up and go to her room. She laughed and closed her door, clearly pleased to see someone else at the end of her mother’s bossy tongue.

  I waited the allotted fifteen minutes then headed downstairs. With one hand on the hand rail, and the other propped flirtatiously on my hip, I tried to appear glamorous.

  The heel of the ridiculous stiletto’s my sister insisted I wear caught on the carpet runner. I grabbed the banister and bumped my way down to the foyer. Matt rushed to my side. Angela rolled her eyes and marched to the kitchen, muttering something under her breath about klutzy sisters.

  “Are you all right?” Matt helped me up. His gaze, as slow and sure as his smile, traveled from my shoes to my hair. “You look amazing.”

  The smoldering look in his eyes almost made me forget my tumble and the bruises I’d sport tomorrow. His hand slid around my waist, making goose bumps trip across my skin. A tantalizing cologne of something woodsy and musk teased my senses. A slow smile lit up his face and stole my breath. I was doubly glad I’d finally made time to go down to the station and let an officer fill out that report. Now, if Matt asked, I wouldn’t have to see disappointment cloud his eyes.

  “You were worth waiting for.” He handed me the black clutch from the foyer table then held open the front door. I waltzed through and glanced over my shoulder to the sight of my mother and sister peeking through parted kitchen curtains. Mom gave me a thumbs up.

  In the driveway sat a black Hummer. How in the world would I climb inside wearing this dress? One false move and I’d be showing parts of my wardrobe best left covered. Definitely something that would send me into an abyss of embarrassment. Matt must’ve noticed my look of alarm because before I knew it, the vehicle door was open, and I was swept into his arms and deposited on the passenger front seat. He winked and jogged to the driver’s side.

  I inwardly groaned and fought to refrain from burying my face in my hands. One mishap after another and we hadn’t reached the restaurant yet.

  Matt reached over and tucked my hair behind my ear, letting a few strands drape across his fingers. “Like silky fire. Beautiful enough to burn.”

  Could I melt any further? Where had this man been all my life? What if I said something stupid at dinner to run him off? In order to look anywhere but at him so he couldn’t read my face, I stared out the window.

  My eye caught sight of my overgrown lawn. Hiring a landscaper would be first on my to-do list for the morning before neighbors complained. I’d never lived anywhere folks cared so much about their yards.

  “Have you ever been to Swank’s Bistro?” Matt started the engine, then backed the truck from the driveway.

  “We’re going to Swank’s?” Wow. Best, and most expensive, place in town. I didn’t think cops made that kind of money. Oh. Maybe he was splurging for our date. I straightened. “No, I’ve never been there, but I’ve heard great things about it.”

  “I’m glad I’m the first to take you there.”

  Oh, he’d be the first to take me to a lot of places. Gracious. The hero in my next novel would definitely be modeled after Detective Steele. Stores wouldn’t be able to keep copies on the shelf.

  Fifteen minutes later, we pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant and were seated in front of a large plate glass window as the sun began to set. Magenta and lavender rays spilled across the crisp white tablecloth in front of us. A gas lamp burned low. Muted murmurs of other guests reached my ears. Soft music played in the background. I decided right then and there I was going to marry Matthew Steele, and he’d propose to me in this very spot.

  “What are you thinking about? You look a million miles away.” Matt smiled before greeting the waitress. He ordered a bottle of red wine and turned his attention back to me.

  My cheeks flamed. “Oh, uh. The lake and fountain outside are gorgeous.”

  “So is the view across the table.” He lifted his menu and peered over its edge. “Do you see anything you like?”

  Did I? Oh, on the menu. I glanced at the glossy pages, settling on filet mignon with blue-cheese crust.

  The waitress arrived again, poured our wine, took our order, then silently left. Matt lifted his glass. “To the first of many such nights.”

  I grinned like a silly love-struck girl and lifted my glass in return. “Thank you for inviting me.” By the time our meal came, the sun had set fully, casting us into a romantic dusk. I lifted my knife and fork, noting how much tonight resembled a scene from one of my novels. Would it end in a kiss as the scene had? I needed to divert my thoughts, quickly. After all, there was still the small chance that Matt was a dirty cop. No one could be scratched off my suspect list.

  “How’s the case coming?”

  “Which one?” Matt cut a piece of steak and lifted his fork.

  “Mrs. Lincoln. I’ve decided to continue investigating to gather clues for my book. My mother is going to help. So far—”

  “Hold up.” A muscle twitched in his jaw, and his hand tightened around his fork. “I thought I asked you to stay out of it.”

  “Well,” I buttered a slice of bread. “I was going to, but realized how exciting solving a crime might be, not to mention the publicity, Mom’s idea, for my next book. And I have this phobia, that I’m hoping… well, it’s a miracle really that I’m sitting here with…”

  With precision, Matt set his utensils on each side of his plate. “Mrs. Lincoln was killed violently. We found defensive wounds on her hands and arms. We figure she must’ve turned to run before being stabbed in the back.” He speared me with his gaze. “Is this really what you want to get messed up in? Put yourself in the same kind of danger, not to mention the possible danger to your family?”

  “I hadn’t thought of it that way.” The blood rushed to my feet. My head swam. I could see the sense in what he said, but having him practically forbid me to snoop around, didn’t sit well with me.

  “Am I breaking the law?” I sat back and crossed my arms.

  “Not yet.” Matt mimicked my body language. “Have you been back to the crime scene?”

  I shook my head. “There’s nothing left to see there.” My eyes widened.” Unless … did Mrs. Lincoln have a storage shed full of gardening equipment? Was she killed with her own shears, or someone else’s?”

  Matt leaned his elbows on the table and fixed his gaze, unblinking, on my face. “Did you accept my invitation to dinner so you could grill me about the case?”

  “No.” I turned away from the pain on his face and stared out the window. I wasn’t a good conversationalist. Talking about the death of Mrs. Lincoln seemed like a good idea at the time. A topic of conversation we were both interested in. Obviously, I’d been wrong. I faced him. “I accepted your invitation because I like you. You’re cute.”

  “Cute?” His mouth twitched. “Are we in Junior High? What about devastatingly handsome?”

  I giggled, relieved he’d chosen to see through my stupid attempt at conversation, and held onto the offered olive branch with both hands. “Don’t be too sure of yourself, Detective.”

  “I’m quite confident in my ability to woo women.” He resumed eating.

  Thank you, God. I’d almost blown a perfectly good evening. I chewed a mouthful of tender steak. Obviously, any clue gathering I accomplished would have to be done without Detective Steele.

  It wasn’t like I planned on making a career out of solving crime. I just wanted to gather enough information to write a stellar book. A few pages of notes, and I could go back to closing myself b
ehind my office door and putting fingers to the keyboard.

  I turned my brightest smile on Matt and lifted my glass in a toast. “To the cutest boy in the restaurant.”

  He laughed. “And to the prettiest girl.”

  I could do this. Enjoy a flirtatious relationship with Matt, and snoop when he wasn’t around. The key would be to watch my tongue. Things could get tricky with him being an officer of the law. I peered at him over the top of my wineglass and wished I lived alone again so I could invite him in for a romantic movie and popcorn. Maybe we could prolong the evening with a walk around the neighborhood.

  “Can I tempt y’all with dessert?” The waitress stood beside the table, a shortened pencil poised over her pad.

  “Not for me, thank you.” I smiled.

  “Me either. Just the check.” Matt leaned across the table. “Want to come back to my place?”

  I choked, wine dribbling down my chin. Had he read my mind? I might think those types of things, write about them, but ran the opposite direction as fast as possible when approached. Years of Mom’s lectures about what good girls did and didn’t do, still ricocheted in my head like a ping-pong ball.

  “I, uh, thought maybe we could take a walk?”

  He chuckled. “If that’s what you want.”

  My heart stopped trying to beat free, and I occupied myself by dabbing at the white tablecloth and ground the wine deeper into the fabric. I was thankful for the dim lighting because my face probably burned brighter than the noonday sun.

  Matt placed a hand over mine. “Relax, Stormi. I won’t do anything but give you a goodnight kiss and my phone number.”

  Mercy.

  8

  “Why are all the lights off?” Matt pulled into the driveway. “You should at least leave your porch light on for security purposes.”

  “Mom always goes to bed early. Most likely Angela did, too. She’s excited about starting her job on Monday. It does seem strange to me that she’ll be working at the station. She isn’t that reliable, but that’s y’all’s problem now. The kids are probably out with friends.” Quit babbling, Stormi. You’ll run the guy off before you know what it’s like to kiss him.

  Matt cut the ignition and turned in his seat. The moon cast him into shadow. He crooked a finger. “Come here.”

  Oh, Mama. My heart beat so fast I thought my chest would explode. He’s going to kiss me. Did I have garlic for dinner? Blue cheese. Oh, no.

  I shook my head. “Mom will kill me if she looks out and we’re kissing in the car in front of the neighbors like a couple of teenagers.” Although it might be fun, I wasn’t taking any chances of kissing him with cheese breath. I needed a diversion.

  He chuckled. “You’re right. Let’s wait until we get to the front door.”

  I needed to do something about my breath. Now. I had gum in my purse. After I shifted my legs, my purse fell and spilled on the floor. While hiding behind my hair, I scrounged for a stick of gum and crammed it in my mouth. I’d spit it in the bushes when we approached the porch. I scooped the few remaining items into my clutch and straightened. “Ready.” Not really, but anticipation was building like a shaken soda bottle.

  With his hand warm on my lower back and my nerves strung as tight as my dress, Matt led me to the front door. As if he handled a new born baby, he turned me to face him. I raised my face and swallowed my gum.

  With delicious slowness, he kissed my forehead, each cheek, my nose, then laid a tender kiss on my lips. “Goodnight.” He chuckled and jogged to his Humvee.

  Thank goodness the door was there to hold me up, because no way could my legs do the job. Plus, there was a full-scale jazz band playing in my stomach and the nerves that were strung tight now tingled. I released my pent-up breath in a shaky sigh. Just like the hero of a best-selling author, Matt’s kiss left me wanting more. I reached behind me, opened the door, and froze.

  Wait. I didn’t care what I’d told Matt. A dark house. An unlocked door. It all spelled trouble. “Sadie? Ebony? Ivory?” Where were my pets? My family?

  I grabbed a heavy crystal candlestick off the foyer table as my weapon and slid against the wall and toward the dining room. Like one of Charlie’s Angels, I jumped around the wall, legs shoulder-width apart, candle holder held like a nine-millimeter. Nothing. I kicked off my shoes and moved into the kitchen. Black and white paws poked from under the pantry door. Sad meowing echoed from within the tiny closet of a space. My babies!

  After setting them free, I scooped them into my arms and nuzzled them against my neck. My gaze fell on the short counter beside the refrigerator. Where was my clipboard?

  Clutching the cats, who by this time were beginning to squirm against my tight grip, I thudded up the stairs and into my bedroom. I tossed the cats on the bed and locked the door. Why would somebody want my clipboard? And I still hadn’t located Sadie. Tears welled in my eyes at the thought that she might’ve ran off. I dug through my purse for Matt’s phone number and punched it into my cell phone.

  “Matt?”

  “Stormi? Why are you whispering?”

  “Somebody broke into my house and locked up my cats.” The poor things. They were so traumatized all they could do was groom themselves. “I can’t find my dog.” Oh. No one told me whether I could keep Sadie or not. Maybe a family member of Mrs. Lincoln’s saw her in the yard and took her. A sob escaped me.

  “Are you sure somebody broke in?”

  “My clipboard is missing, and the cats were locked in the pantry.” I snatched a tissue from my nightstand. “I kept the clipboard beside the refrigerator.” I lowered my voice further. “The front door was unlocked.”

  “What about other rooms in the house?”

  “I locked myself in my room. But I can check my office.” I shuffled across the room and flicked on the light in my office. Desk drawers were pulled out. Books were tossed on the floor. “It’s ransacked.” The one sure place I felt safe at any time had been violated, taken from me.

  I sagged against the wall. Where could I go for peace now? Where could I ever feel safe after tonight?

  “Hang up and call the police.” Click.

  Matt was the police. I didn’t want anyone else to see me like this. I didn’t want him to see me with puffy eyes and a red nose. I rushed back to the bed and scooted against the headboard before gathering pillows around me. I’d settle in and wait for rescue while my breathing regulated and my heartbeat returned to normal.

  I prayed that Mom and the others really did go somewhere tonight. Maybe they even took Sadie with them. Or … what if they were dead and buried in the backyard? What would I do? I’d have to sell the house. No way could I continue to live here. No, surely somebody would’ve heard something. You couldn’t kill four people and not make a sound. As bothersome as my family tended to be at times, I didn’t want any harm to come to them. I loved them.

  A floorboard creaked outside my door. The knob turned. My fingers poised over the buttons on my phone.

  Ebony and Ivory yowled and skittered under the bed.

  My mouth turned into the Sahara desert. I might not have been much of a praying person lately, but petitions for safety flew to heaven faster than food disappeared from a buffet line at a fat camp.

  The footsteps moved away. Moments later, a shadow appeared in the doorway between my room and my bathroom. I gripped one of the pillows, took aim, and let it fly.

  “What the …?” Matt flicked on the light. “Was that supposed to stop an intruder?”

  “It’s all I had available. I left the candlestick in the kitchen.” I slid from the bed and launched myself into his arms. Sobs overtook me. “How did you get in? I locked the door.”

  “You only locked your bedroom.” He held me at arm’s length. “Are you okay?”

  I nodded, and sniffed.

  “Good. Lock all the doors to your room. I’m going to take a look around.” He pulled his weapon from a holster under his arm. “Backup should be here soon.”

  “I didn’t call
them.”

  He set his jaw. “Why not?” He managed to grind out.

  “You are the cops. I was all ready to call, though, then you showed up. I want to come with you.”

  “No.”

  I crossed my arms. “I’ll come anyway. You might as well give in.”

  He ran a hand through his hair. “Stay behind me. I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

  I placed a hand on each of his shoulders and allowed him to lead me from dark room to dark room. When we’d finished, he turned on the kitchen light and pulled his cell phone from his pocket. He pointed at the table for me to sit then punched numbers into his phone. After placing a call for officers to investigate my house in more detail, Matt pulled out a chair, flipped it around, and straddled it, his gaze locked on my face.

  After several seconds, I smoothed my hair. “What? Do I have something on my face?”

  He shook his head. “No. We haven’t known each other long, but I have a strong suspicion that you’re one of those people who manage to find trouble without looking.”

  “No, I’m not, at least not until I decided to write mysteries. Then everything changed.”

  “Didn’t you say you decided to change your genre after you tripped over Mrs. Lincoln’s body?”

  Did the man never blink? And he had the memory of an elephant.

  The front doorknob rattled. Matt had his hand on his gun, stood, and yanked me behind him before the sound fully registered. Mom, followed closely by Sadie, strolled into the kitchen.

  “I thought you two had a date.” She patted Sadie’s head as the dog rushed to my side.

  I knelt and buried my face in her fur. “I thought I’d lost you, you silly mutt.”

  “The dog needed a walk. So did I.” Mom opened the refrigerator, pulled out a soda, then sat at the table. “And you of all people know it isn’t safe to walk outside alone, especially at night. Look what happened less than a week ago. Now, if you were doing your job as head of the Neighborhood Watch properly … well, it might be different around here.” She peered at me for a moment, then cocked her head.