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

by Cynthia Hickey

  “Don’t panic, huh?” I glanced around. There was one way in, or out, and it was locked. Maybe we were wrong about Cheri or Shelby being our killer. Suddenly, staying until Saturday lost its appeal.

  “There are a couple of those packing blankets in the corner.” I grabbed one and tossed it to Mom, wrapping another around my shoulders. “It will help for a while.”

  “Great idea. One of the others is bound to come looking for us soon. We’ll keep knocking occasionally, until they do.” She sat on the stool. “Wait. Your phone?”

  “On the counter.”

  “Mine, too. Now, what?”

  “We wait. We’ve been in tough spots before.”

  “Yeah, like a burning basement.” Mom twisted her lips. “Or an old shack where we were held at gunpoint. And the time we were tied up in the back of a van. We got out of those spots, we’ll get out of this. How often do you think those things can happen to people before their luck runs out?”

  “I’d rather not think about that, if you don’t mind.”

  “You’re right. Let’s think about something pleasant, like your wedding.”

  “Are you sure? I want a Christmas wedding. It’s cold at Christmas.”

  “Let’s pretend you’re having it in July.” Mom shivered. “On a beach during a heat wave. Your lips are turning blue.”

  I supposed there were worse ways to die. I’d read somewhere that freezing to death was kind of like falling asleep. My head bobbed forward.

  Mom slapped me. “Stay awake, Stormi.” She got up to bang on the door. After knocking and kicking it a couple of times, she sat back down, then bolted to her feet. “Let’s walk.”

  We paced in a circle, stomping to keep the blood circulating. Each touch of my foot to the floor sent shards of pain up my leg. My nose felt as if it would fall off if someone touched it. Where was my family? Why hadn’t Matt missed me?

  “How long do you think we’ve been in here?” Mom asked.

  “Forever.”

  “Seriously.”

  “About an hour, maybe more.” I leaned against the wall and glanced at the window in the door.

  Blessed Rusty. He peered in, then seconds later the door opened. “You were locked in.”

  “Yes, we were.” I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed. “Thank you.”

  “Matt told me to come get you. He wants to sit in the hot tub and sip champagne.”

  “That sounds wonderful. Tell him I want a hot coffee.”

  “Okay.” He dashed away.

  Before we made it back to the cottage, Matt and Wayne came running. Matt scooped me into his arms, blanket and all, and raced for the cottage. “We’ll do the hot tub later. You’re getting in the shower right now.”

  I was too spent to argue. I wanted to ask him if anyone had seen Cheri skulking around, but even that took more energy than I had.

  While Wayne handed Mom over to Angela’s care, Maryann took over for Matt. She turned on the shower, then helped me strip. “Are you sure you don’t want to soak in the tub?”

  “One word.” My eyes widened. “Jellyfish.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’d fix the bath. The window is closed.”

  “I’m still not taking the chance. With my luck, something would crawl up the drain.”

  “With the stopper in?” The look she gave me told me I was being ridiculous, and I didn’t care. I was not taking another bath while at the resort.

  Within minutes, I was standing in a hot shower, each drop sending pricks of heat burning through me as my body tingled back to life. It had been a close call. But, as Mom stated, we’d been in tough situations before.

  If God continued to send help, we wouldn’t have to worry about our luck running out. Not until He called us home, which I hoped was not for a very long time.

  19

  I stared at a wooden ladder that led to a platform nestled in the branches of a massive oak tree. Why did it have to stretch so high? I’d be perfectly happy zipping through the trees six feet above the ground. It’s the speed that’s the thrill, right?

  “Scared?” Dakota grinned and scampered past me and up the ladder.

  “Come on.” Matt slipped off his sling. “I’ll be right behind you.”

  “Maybe we shouldn’t. You’re still healing. I wouldn’t want you to rip out your stitches.” I bit my bottom lip.

  “I’m willing to chance it. I’ve never been zip-lining. It’ll be fun.” He nudged me closer to the ladder.

  “Can we ride double?”

  He laughed. “Get up there. Look, Dakota is going.”

  I tilted my head back to see my nephew step off the platform and go flying. “That doesn’t help.”

  I gripped the bottom rung and climbed, my heart in my throat. I’d never considered myself afraid of heights, but this put things in a new perspective.

  The view took my breath away more than the height. A forest of gold, pumpkin and crimson stretched before me. Limestone cliffs rose to kiss the sky. In the distance, I could see the second platform and Dakota landing as his sister jumped into the air for her turn.

  Angela shrieked when it was her turn, and screamed all the way to the platform. I could do better. Not a sound would pass my lips. I’d be so engrossed in the scenery, and choked with fear, if it were possible to do both at the same time.

  All too soon it was my turn. I stared at Matt while the line operator strapped me into my harness.

  “This is the brake,” he said. “Squeeze if you’re going too fast, and definitely squeeze before hitting the next platform or you’ll zip on by and crash into someone.”

  Oh, Lord. I reached for Matt.

  “Remember. I’m right behind you.”

  “It isn’t as if you can climb out to me if I get stuck.”

  “Of course, I will.”

  “No,” the operator said, shaking his head. “That would be too dangerous. She’ll have to make sure she keeps going.”

  Holy cow, I was going to have a heart attack. “Push me.” I teetered on the edge.

  “Jump,” Matt said.

  “No, you have to push me. I’m frozen. My feet are glued to the woo—ah!” I screamed until my throat hurt as he planted his hands against my back and gave me a shove.

  “Squeeze the brake!” The guy on the opposite platform waved his arms.

  Oh, right. I squeezed and coasted onto the platform. “That was kind of fun.”

  “Try enjoying it next time,” he said. “Ready?”

  I nodded, told him to push me, and flew. It was exhilarating. I slowed to a respectable speed that allowed me to look around. “Hello, bear!” I waved at a black bear standing on its hind legs, its mouth full of grass. That wasn’t a sight you saw every day. I could swear he waved back.

  My harness gave a lurch. Turbulence? It kind of felt like when an airplane hit rough areas in the sky. It did it again and felt myself drop. I glanced upward. The line was fraying. I glanced down. A creek full of rocks and white rushing water swept by. I was going to die.

  “Matt!” I kicked my feet, then froze. Movement would only cause the rope to fray faster. If I could reach…I stretched my arm toward the cable over my head. If I could get higher, and straddle the cable, maybe I could inch my way to safety. I dropped another inch and screamed.

  I couldn’t blame anyone else on my predicament, could I? No one could have known which harness I would take. Unless, the killer hired one of the operators to mess with my equipment. Was I that paranoid?

  I let go of the brake and grabbed the line above me with one hand, pulling myself closer to the cable overhead. When I could grasp it, I swung my other hand up, grabbed hold, and hung there like a monkey. Now what?

  The line sagged. I glanced over to see Matt moving toward me. “Go back! It won’t hold our weight.”

  “You can’t hold on for long.”

  As if his words were all the weight my line needed, it snapped. I plummeted downward, swinging like Tarzan at the end of a vine. At least there were s
afety precautions in place.

  “Hold still,” Matt called.

  “I’m doing my best. Kind of hard when I’m swinging back and forth.” I clutched the straps of my harness as if that alone would save me. Lord have mercy, one of the operators was now on the cable. How much weight could it hold?

  My line jerked up, then a bit more. I glanced overhead. Matt and the other guy were reeling me up like a giant fish. Relief washed over me. Better to go up, than down, although my harness was cutting into my inner thighs and chafing my skin.

  I glanced into Matt’s face. “Can we go home now?”

  He nodded, his face grave. “I think that’s best.” He reached down a hand.

  I latched on, trying not to think how much hauling me up had hurt him. The operator tied a second line to my harness and hand-over-hand, they dragged me to the platform. Solid ground, such as it was, had never felt so good.

  Refusing to go another foot by zip line, I scuttled down the long ladder until I was firmly on dirt and leaves. The others could finish the ride and meet us at the van. As for me, I’d never hiked through the forest as fast as I did that morning.

  I leaned against the driver’s side door and took deep breaths. “I need to be in a padded cage. It’s the only way I’ll stay out of trouble.”

  Matt chuckled, pulling me into his arms. “I’m starting to think the same thing. I wanted to take a cruise for our honeymoon, but with your luck, the ship would sink.”

  “Ha ha.” I wanted to stay in his arms forever, but the voices of my returning family signaled we were no longer alone. “Don’t tell them what happened.”

  “Why not?”

  “They don’t need to be worried about a disaster that was averted.” I stepped back and forced a smile to my face.

  “How did you get here before us?” Mom asked, searching our faces.

  “We didn’t go the whole route,” I said. “A short distance was enough for me.” I turned away so Mom couldn’t see my lie. I’d never been good at telling false tales. “Let’s go back and pack. We’re heading home tonight.”

  “There’s something you aren’t telling me.” Mom opened the back of the van and tossed a backpack inside. “I’ll get it out of you soon enough. You look like you’ve had the fright of your life, and Matt’s shoulder is bleeding.”

  Guilt, so raw it hurt, washed over me. “Let it be, Mom.”

  “Okay.” Her feelings were hurt, but there was nothing I could do.

  After all that had happened over the course of the last two weeks, I wouldn’t pile more on her head. We’d go home, return to what was normal, and forget all about our so-called vacation. The only good thing that came out of it all was the return of Cherokee’s smile and the color to her face.

  We drove back to the resort, surprised to see Shelby and the bridesmaids almost packing up to leave. Shelby told us no one had the heart to stay any longer and that Boyd Industries had refunded our entire two week stay.

  That was good news. Inside the cottage, I made the rounds, making sure we left nothing behind. In the bedroom I’d shared with Maryann, I stared at the tub. How easy it had been for someone to kill a man relaxing in his bubble bath.

  According to Rusty, Cheri hadn’t made an appearance since leaving, and Rodriguez said they’d called in the FBI to help locate her. Good. I was finished with this mystery. It turned out to be more than my inexperienced hands could handle. Unfortunately, Matt still had to stay nearby to help. There were times I wished I’d fallen in love with an accountant.

  I chose to drive, leaving Mom to sulk in the passenger seat while the others, minus Wayne, Rusty, and Dakota, climbed in the back. The men would follow us.

  The sky decided to pour rivers of water on our vans as we pulled out of the resort and headed down the mountain. At least it had waited until after my horrific zip-lining experience. I couldn’t imagine dangling over a river in a downpour, or having Matt and a young man barely out of college dangle above me.

  “This is a fitting send-off,” Mom said. “This has not been the vacation I thought it would be. We did have some fun, but it was always ruined somehow.”

  “Not the facials or massages.” Angela poked her head between us. “We at least had that.”

  “The zip-lining was fun,” Cherokee added. “And the hike and horseback riding. It wasn’t all a total waste.”

  She should have seen the excursions through my eyes. I glanced in the rearview mirror. “I’m glad to see you happy again. That makes everything worth it.”

  She smiled and sat back. “Can you see out the windshield? That rain is coming down hard.”

  Mom’s cell phone rang. “It’s Wayne. Hello, dear. You think so? Okay, but we really want to get—look out!”

  A river of mud raced down the mountain, bringing rocks and boulders the size of a Volkswagen Beetle down and over the road. I slammed on the brakes, fishtailing the van, before coming to a stop. A rock banged into Mom’s door.

  “Wayne was calling to tell us to pull over until the rain let up. I guess that problem is solved,” she said.

  Wow. I glanced out my window at the canyon to my left. Spared that catastrophe at least.

  Wayne trudged through the rain and knocked on my window. “Everyone all right?”

  “Yes,” I shouted through the glass. “Looks like we’re stuck until someone clears the road.”

  He nodded. “I’ll make the call now.” He dashed back to his vehicle.

  I rested my head against the back of my seat. Another close call that day. I closed my eyes. Lord, what are you trying to teach me?

  I revisited the scene where the police knocked on our door to tell us someone had shot Dad while he walked home from work. I rarely thought about that night. After months of investigating, his death was considered unsolvable, and written off as a transient looking for money. His file was put into storage. At first, I thought seeking justice for others was what drove me into solving these crimes. Now, I thought maybe I was a bit deranged. Getting justice for others would not bring Dad back. I doubted it would even help soothe the pain of losing him.

  Yes, writing books about the crimes was filling my bank account, but if I were dead, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the fruits of my labors. It was time to seriously rethink my life.

  Starting with the PI badge in my purse.

  20

  I groaned and stretched my arms above my head. Home. What a wonderful word.

  Sadie laid her massive head on my bed and stared at me with big black eyes. I reached over and scratched behind her left ear. “I missed you, girl. Where are the cats?”

  As if they’d heard and understood, Ebony and Ivory pounced on the bed and curled up next to me. My neighbors, the Salazars, had done a wonderful job of caring for my babies. I’d cook them a casserole as thanks.

  Sadie turned her head and sniffed. I did the same. Bacon! I rolled out of bed. “Come on, girl, it’s time for breakfast.”

  “Good morning!” I sang as I hugged Mom.

  “You’re awfully chipper this morning.”

  “No more psycho resort managers.” I poured a cup of coffee and leaned against the counter. “Are you upset you didn’t get to cook more meals in that wonderful kitchen?”

  “Not after getting locked in the freezer. I thought that was the end of us.” She slid an omelet onto a plate and handed it to me. “Bacon is on the table.”

  “Not anymore. Sadie, get down!” She stood tall enough all it took was the flick of a tongue and food was gone.

  Mom laughed. “There’s more in the microwave.”

  “Thank goodness.” I glared at my giant Irish Wolfhound. “Go lay down. You’ve had your treat. Are the others still sleeping?”

  “The kids are. Angela decided to go into work with Wayne.” Mom brought her plate to the table and sat across from me. “This was one mystery we weren’t able to solve.”

  I shrugged. “A gal can’t win them all.”

  “But it’s nice to do so.” Mom cut her omelet in
to bite size pieces, then laid her fork next to her plate. “I have a hard time believing she simply disappeared. Cheri really seemed to want those account numbers.”

  “Where are they now?”

  “The safe.”

  I agreed with Mom. It was strange that Cheri took off without the items she had killed for. I stared out the window as a shiver ran down my spine. I had the awful feeling things weren’t over yet.

  Still, work called. I had a book to write, whether we knew the ending or not. I was an author. I made stuff up.

  “Are you going into work today?” I asked.

  “Yes. Greta has handled the bakery alone long enough. She texted me and said we had a wedding to cater. They want cupcakes.”

  We ate the rest of our breakfast in silence, then Mom left Cherokee and Dakota a note telling them where she’d gone. “Good luck with the writing,” she said, grabbing her purse on the way out.

  I set the alarm and headed for my office. Emails tended to pile up when I was gone.

  I booted my laptop and sighed. Over a thousand. Half an hour later, I had deleted the obvious ones I didn’t need to respond to, answered one from my agent, reminding me I needed to start thinking of promotion for my new release next month. My fingers froze over the keyboard at the last unanswered message. The title read that it was from the resort.

  Why would they be emailing me? I’d paid my bill in full. I clicked to open it. Maybe it was my refund.

  Nope. I peered closer at my screen. “Give me what I want or else.” Hmm. No signature, but it didn’t take a genius to know it was probably from Cheri. I hit delete. Unless further instructions came, there was nothing more I could do.

  Words weren’t coming either. After staring at a blank Word document, I decided I needed a cup of my friend’s frozen coffee. I clipped Sadie’s leash to her collar and headed to Main Street.

  The fifteen minute walk through familiar, safe streets, did a lot for my outlook. I secured Sadie to a lamppost and pushed open the door to Delicious Aroma. As usual, Norma wasn’t in her office, but seated behind a round table.