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

by Cynthia Hickey

  “Mom, I need to drop Roxi off at the bakery tomorrow while I interview someone, okay?” Back in the kitchen, I opened the fridge and pulled out a soda.

  “I guess that will be all right. Mercy!” She glanced at the clock. “Help Roxi put these away. I need to check the ham and get into the shower. Jerry will be here in an hour.”

  “I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to ask for his help with Lincoln Burnett.”

  That stopped her in her tracks. “I said I didn’t want him to know the dangers I sometimes get in.”

  “He makes deliveries there every day. It will be harmless enough.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “I like this man, Stormi. Don’t get him killed.” She rushed down the stairs to the basement, forgetting all about the ham.

  I set a box at Roxi’s feet. “Put the Legos in here while I check on supper, okay, sweetie? See how much noise you can make.”

  She grinned and threw one after the other into the box with loud clanks.

  The ham seemed to be fine. I quickly peeled potatoes and put them on to boil, then opened a few cans of corn. Biscuits would be nice. While I worked on getting our meal prepared, Roxi scooted the box of Legos around the kitchen and made car noises. See? I could totally do this domestic/mother thing.

  Five o’clock on the dot and friends and family trooped through the front door. Matt headed straight for the kitchen, kissed his daughter, then wrapped his arms around me. “Smells good.”

  “Supper is almost ready.”

  He nuzzled my neck. “I meant you. You smell like biscuits.”

  I giggled and pulled away. “Behave and help Roxi put that box in her room.”

  “Mama has spoken.” He scooped his daughter in one arm and the box in the other and left me feeling shocked, loved, and warm.

  Mama. I liked the sound of that very much.

  “Hello, again.” Jerry entered the room. “Where’s my girl?”

  “Making herself beautiful.” I tilted my head. “I’d like to ask you do to do something. Remember the first night you were here when you said you might have to get involved in one of our adventures?”

  He nodded, reaching for a biscuit. “Sure do.”

  “I really hope you’re tight-lipped, Jerry. This is important.”

  “I can keep a secret.”

  I took a deep breath. “Lincoln Burnett is a suspect in a murder investigation.”

  His eyes widened, but instead of saying anything, he popped the biscuit into his mouth.

  “Since you’re there every day making deliveries, I’d like you to do a bit of snooping. See if you can find out anything Lincoln might have had against Dixon or Doctor Amanda Pritchard.”

  “You don’t have to do this,” Mom said, closing the basement door. “It might be dangerous.”

  “Sounds exciting.” He kissed her. “Of course, I’ll help. I might be a delivery man now, but I served twenty years in the army. Life has gotten a bit routine. You girls are just what this old man needs.”

  I turned away from their affection. I wanted Mom happy, really I did, but it was hard to see her with anyone but Dad. “If you’re found out, you will be in danger, if Lincoln is the killer. I don’t think he is, but he definitely is playing dirty in the mayor election.”

  “So, you’re basically hoping I can ferret out what he has against Pritchard and anything else is a bonus?”

  “Exactly.” I turned with a grin.

  “Shouldn’t be too hard. No one accompanies me when I put deliveries straight into the supply closet. I doubt they’ll look twice if I do a bit of wandering. I can make myself invisible when I need to.”

  I doubted it, considering his looks and size, but I was willing to take all the help I could get.

  18

  The next morning I dropped Roxi off at the bakery and headed to the coffee shop to talk to Jordyn. Tyler told us she’d quit. The next stop was the address she’d used in her file. If Oak Meadows had a slum, the house was smack dab in the middle.

  A silver Toyota Corolla sat in the driveway. I had no idea whether she actually lived there. I shoved open my door, squared my shoulders, and marched to the front door.

  I lifted my hand to knock, and got only air.

  “Get in here before you get us all killed.” Jordyn didn’t look anything like a barista at that moment. Her dark hair was pulled back into a severe ponytail. She wore dark jeans with a black tee shirt. A gun nested in a holster on her hip.

  “Who are you?” I eyed the gun.

  “Jordyn Townsend, undercover from Little Rock PD.” She crossed her arms. “You are seriously impeding my investigation.”

  “Into whom?” I wouldn’t let her attitude deter me. While her identity cast a mountain size nugget of surprise on my head, I was still hired by Dakota and Pritchard to find answers.

  “Dixon. Have a seat.” She fell into a patched leather chair and motioned for us to sit on a torn, stained sofa. “Pardon the mess, but I’m renting and it came furnished.”

  “No worries here.” Maryann and I gave identical looks at a suspicious rust colored stain next to what looked like a bullet hole. “I’m not here to judge.”

  “You cried at Dixon’s funeral,” Maryann said.

  “I’m a good actress.” Jordyn gave a wry smile. “Have to keep up pretenses.”

  “Why were you surveilling Dixon?” I perched on the edge of the sofa on a spot that looked clean compared to the rest.

  “People weren’t necessarily hiring him to spy on their significant others.”

  “He was blackmailing them.” It started to make sense. “That’s why he was killed. Who do you think is the perp?”

  “I haven’t narrowed it down.” She smiled again. “I’m sure you know everything I do.”

  I wanted to discuss her with Matt before giving away too much information. I’d run across my share of bad cops and had my heart broken because of it. My second case involved Matt’s partner who covered for his gangster cousin and sacrificed his life for me in the end. Wayne, Matt’s new partner had proven himself trustworthy time and time again, but I didn’t know this hard woman in front of me.

  As if she could read my mind, she said, “You don’t trust me. That’s all right. You might stay alive longer that way.”

  “If Dixon was blackmailing people, why does that put me in danger? I’m only trying to clear someone’s reputation of a black mark.”

  “Poking your nose where it doesn’t belong, you mean.”

  As if I hadn’t heard that before. “Dixon did a good job convincing people he was hired to snoop.”

  “Not that good. He’s dead.” Jordyn stood. “I’m willing to work with you on this, Stormi, but you have to trust me. I know you’re going to talk to Detective Steele before making a decision. Here’s my number.” She handed me a card. “Call at any time. Oh, and tell that old lady who lives across the street from you to stop following me around. I’d hate for something to happen to her.”

  “You know where I live?”

  “I know a lot about you. You’re quite the talk of the LRPD.” She laughed. “Some good, some bad, but we all know who you are.”

  I wasn’t sure whether I should be pleased or outraged. I chose apathy and slid her card into my pocket. “Thank you for your time.” I stood and led Maryann out of the house.

  “I never would have guessed she was a cop,” Maryann said, sliding into the car. “She looks kind of young.”

  “Which made her the perfect undercover cop.” I drove us home, intending to talk to Jerry and Mrs. Rogers. One to get information, the other to warn about snooping. My old neighbor might be crusty, but I’d hate for anything to happen to her.

  I pulled into the driveway and waved at the Olsens. He grinned back while his wife glowered. She never could quite get over the fact that the entire female population of our town wasn’t after her balding, overweight husband. She shooed him into the house with a broom like he was an escaped chicken. My neighbors were a constant source of entertainment.


  “The Salazars are back,” Maryann pointed out.

  “Hey, Tony, Becky,” I said, climbing from the car. “How was your trip?”

  Tony rushed toward me on his bowed legs. Being little people, I never knew whether they actually went on vacation or to the hospital for yet another surgery on their poor skeleton. “Wonderful. What’s been happening around here? Anyone keeping up the Neighborhood Watch?”

  “No one other than me, and there’s a lot to tell you.”

  “I’ll take Watch tonight and have you fill me in before I go. It’s good to be back.” He grinned and toddled back to haul a suitcase into the house.

  When I’d moved into my neighborhood of renovated Victorian homes and ranchers, I’d thought it the perfect location. Had I known how death thrived in even such a seemingly peaceful subdivision, I might have thought twice. To think it had all started because my agent told me to get out more. That reclusive writer was no more. Now, I went looking for my stories and dodged bullets in the process. Oh, how times have changed. How I’ve changed.

  Mom, Jerry, and Roxi sat in the kitchen having cookies and milk. I paused in the doorway to watch Mom dote on not only her boyfriend, but her new grandchild. Matt and I might not have tied the knot yet, but it was easy to see his daughter already had a large piece of Mom’s heart.

  “Just the woman I want to see,” Jerry boomed. “Sit a spell.”

  “I think I will.” I pulled up a chair while Maryann did the same. “Did you find out something?”

  “Well, Lincoln Burnett is closed up tighter than a clam, but his receptionist isn’t immune to my charms.” He grinned and winked at Mom.

  “Who is, dear?” Mom planted a quick kiss on his cheek.

  I squelched my impatience and waited for the love birds to stop the gushy stuff. In the meantime, I broke another cookie in half for Roxi.

  “Okay, enough stalling.” Jerry leaned his elbows on the table. “It seems Lincoln has had a lot of women visitors this week. Among them were…Cheryl Miller, Amanda Pritchard, and Jordyn…somebody. Miller caused quite the ruckus because a few thousand dollars disappeared from her account, most likely taken by Lance Miller. Since his name was also on the account, the Savings and Loan won’t do anything about it. Things got quite heated and she told Burnett that he would be sorry.

  “Amanda Pritchard accused him of trying to sabotage her campaign and playing dirty. She also threatened him.” He shook his head. “There are a lot of angry women in this town. Now, the barista…she’s a different story. She went into his office, came out grinning, and he followed a few minutes later looking as if he’d lost his dog. My words, not the receptionist. I saw that particular episode. Then, Lincoln burnt rubber out of the parking lot. Rather suspicious, don’t you think?”

  “Very.” The only suspect absent from the drama was Caldwell. Maybe the man was nothing more than the jerk he appeared to be. I put him at the bottom of my suspect list. “This was a big help, Jerry. Thank you.”

  “Anytime, young lady. Playing spy is fun. I hadn’t enjoyed a day at work as much in a long time.”

  “Did you learn anything new today, Stormi?” Mom handed me a glass of milk and two cookies.

  “The new barista is actually a cop investigating Dixon who, it turns out, was not hired to snoop, but was, in actuality, blackmailing everyone on his list.” I dipped my chocolate chip cookie into my milk.

  “I still say you should have been a cop.” Matt strolled into the room and nuzzled my neck. “Sorry I didn’t tell you about Townsend, but I couldn’t.” He moved on to lift Roxi and toss her into the air.

  She squealed with delight and grabbed fistfuls of hair with hands covered in cookie crumbs and melted chocolate chips. “Daddy.”

  “How I love to hear that word.”

  Probably as much as I loved seeing him happy. “I understand about Jordyn. You can’t tell me everything. She wants my help.”

  He set Roxi back in her seat. “Absolutely not. She’s known for getting into trouble. Kind of like you, in that regard. The two of you are a mixture of combustible materials. Then, add Maryann into the mix and boom!”

  “Hey.” She glanced up from her own cookies and milk. “I just follow along, take notes, and give fresh perspective.”

  “Sure you do.”

  “Are you home for a while?” I asked, finishing off the treat. “I need to run across the street and talk to Mrs. Rogers.”

  “Go ahead. I’m here for supper, then Roxi and I will head home. It’s bath night.”

  He sounded so much like a father it warmed me to the bone. I couldn’t wait to have children with him. Babies he could experience from day one. I kissed him. “Be right back.”

  Mrs. Rogers had the front door open before I could knock. “It’s about time. I’ve been on pins and needles all day waiting for you to show up.”

  “I came to ask you to stop snooping on orders of Little Rock PD.”

  She snorted. “As if I’d listen to big city cops. They’re all as crooked as your morals. I guess you’ve been talking to that barista.”

  “As a matter of fact, yes. She’s a cop.”

  “Not a very good one. She never did ditch me.” Mrs. Rogers cackled. “Anyway, she isn’t the one I wanted you here to talk about. That Cheryl Miller is going around town saying that she’s out to kill someone.”

  “Yes, Lance, for cleaning out her bank account.”

  “Is that all?” She slumped onto a chair. “I thought for sure she knocked off Dixon.” She exhaled heavily. “So, who’s the killer?”

  “I don’t know yet, but—” a sound outside the sliding glass doors alerted me to danger.

  A figure in black aimed a gun at Mrs. Rogers.

  I tackled my neighbor to the ground as the gun went off. As I stared in horror through the shattered glass, Rusty tackled the assailant. They struggled. The gun went off again, and Rusty lay still as the figure in black dashed out of sight.

  “Rusty!” I scrambled on hands and knees, unmindful of the glass, to his side and rolled him over.

  Blood spread across his midsection. “I’m shot.”

  “I know. Mrs. Rogers is calling the ambulance.” I ripped off my shirt, shivering in the spaghetti strap undershirt I wore. I pressed the tee shirt against his side and prayed the bullet hadn’t punctured his stomach. “Don’t you die on me, Rusty.”

  “I’ll try not to.”

  “The ambulance is on its way.” Mrs. Rogers knelt next to us and slid a throw pillow under Rusty’s head. “Son, you probably saved our lives. I’ve been watching you for a while now, and once the doctors patch you up good, I think you need to come and live with me. You need someone to keep you from doing foolish things.”

  He nodded and closed his eyes.

  “Look at me, Rusty.” I glanced up as Matt, gun drawn, sprinted around the corner of the house.

  “Let me see.” He shoved my hands away and ripped open Rusty’s flannel shirt. “Thank you, God. It’s a flesh wound. Rusty will live to peek in another window.” He grabbed me to his side. “When I heard the gun go off…”

  “I know.” I wrapped my arms around his middle and held on.

  “Girl, I’m never going to try and run you out of town again,” Mrs. Rogers said. “Detective, she tackled me down like an all-star. If not, she’d be wearing my brains right now.”

  Eew.

  19

  After surgery to remove his spleen and sew him up from the bullet, Rusty drifted in and out of consciousness. During a moment that was lucid for Rusty, I gripped his hand. “You have to stop jumping in front of bullets. One of these times, you won’t be lucky.” First Mom, during one of the scariest times in our life when Cherokee had been kidnapped by a sex trafficking ring, and now for Mrs. Rogers.

  “It’s what Jesus would do,” he mumbled.

  “You’re right.” I caressed his hand. “You’ll like living with Mrs. Rogers. She’ll treat you like a king.”

  “That’s right, boy.” Mrs. Roge
rs bustled into the room. “Stormi, go find the shooter. I’ll take care of this young man.”

  “Shooter is a woman,” Rusty said.

  “How do you know?” I paused half-way from standing.

  “I felt…girl parts.” His face reddened.

  Just like that, my suspect list was down to two. “Good job.” I patted his shoulder. “I’ll stop back later with six of Mom’s cupcakes.”

  I left the hospital and headed for the police station. The moment I entered the front door, Angela leaped from behind the reception desk and dragged me into a corner. “What?” I yanked free.

  “Things are happening around here. Matt and Wayne storm around like it’s the end of the world. That undercover cop, the barista? Well, she came in here yesterday yelling loud enough that I could hear her through the conference room door. Now, she’s missing.” She whispered the last word.

  “She’s in hiding.”

  “I’m not so sure. Rumors are she might be dead.” Again with the harsh whisper.

  “Where was she seen last?”

  “That biker bar on Highway 64.” She glanced over her shoulder as the conference room door opened. “I’ve got to get back to work. Be careful.”

  I nodded and met Matt halfway down the hall. “Got a minute?”

  “That’s about all I’ve got.”

  “Rusty said the shooter was female. He felt her girl parts when he tackled her.”

  Despite the situation, a smile tugged at Matt’s lips. “Poor guy.”

  “It isn’t funny. It’s the best lead we’ve had in a long time.”

  “It is that.” He steered me outside to my car. “I want you to take extra care. Don’t go anywhere without your gun. Things are heating up, and Roxi doesn’t need to lose another mother.”

  “Is Roxi the only one who will miss me?”

  He pulled me in for a kiss. “Not at all.”