Cozy Mystery Ghost Story Collection: The Complete Shannon Porter Mystery Series

by Haley Harper

  Salt & pepper to taste

  Add seasonings to beef and form into small meatballs

  Place in large skillet

  Heat chili sauce and jelly until blended

  Cover meatballs with sauce and simmer until cooked through

  Goldmine Pasties

  This recipe yields about 10 good-sized pasties.

  Crust

  Ingredients:

  3 cups flour

  1/2 cup shortening to start, add in more as you go until you have that desired dough consistency.

  1 teaspoon of salt

  Water, as needed

  Directions:

  With a pastry cutter or knife, cut shortening into salt and flour until it has the texture of corn meal.

  Add water to form stiff dough.

  Knead until smooth

  Flatten on a floured surface with a rolling pin.

  Filling

  6 medium potatoes chopped into small pieces

  1 small rutabaga chopped

  3 medium onions chopped

  3 cups of cooked corn

  2 pounds ground beef (ground round or chuck)

  2 pounds ground pork

  Salt and pepper to taste

  Directions

  Peel and dice the vegetables

  Mix with the meat.

  Add salt and pepper to taste.

  Direction for assembling the pasty:

  Roll out the crust on a lightly floured surfaced

  Cut into ovals

  Divide filling between half of the crusts.

  Dip your finger in some water and make a line of moisture around the filling.

  Flip the other half of the crust over the filling and press it down over the line of moist dough. Crimp the edges with a fork.

  Poke the crust 3-4 times with a fork for each pasty and place on an ungreased baking sheet.

  Bake for 20 minutes at 450 degrees.

  Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 40 minutes.

  Cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

  Mansion Mayhem

  A Shannon Porter Mystery

  With bonus recipes

  By

  Haley Harper

  Mansion Mayhem

  ©2014 by Haley Harper

  All Rights Reserved

  This story is a work of fiction. While some of the locations and events are based on historical folklore, the events that take place in the story are created by the author. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.

  Chapter One

  It was a stare down. Mitch sat slumped in one of her kitchen chairs cultivating his best “poor me” look. Shannon stared at him with her hands on her hips, head tilted and eyes shooting sparks.

  “But I don’t understand why you have to go this week,” Mitch complained for the umpteenth time.

  “I have explained it to you already, several times,” Shannon said slowly and deliberately, feeling like she was talking to a sulky teenager instead of a grown man. “It was the only week that a room was available for the rest of the summer and I have to get this book finished. My deadline is getting here faster than Santa goes around the world on Christmas Eve!”

  Mitch wasn’t ready to give up. “Then why don’t I come with you with you? This is the only week that I don’t have classes to teach.” They had already discussed this at length and Shannon was a bit exasperated.

  “I will be too busy to spend time with you. I want to be able to totally focus on the book. We’ve been through all this already. I’m sorry Mitch, I truly am. But I have to go alone. Maybe we can plan another holiday once I wrap this up. And I’ll be able to devote all my time to you and some delicious time in the sun. Now I really need to finish packing and get to the airport. Were you planning to take me or should I call a taxi?”

  Mitch turned his dopey puppy dog eyes on her and shrugged. “Of course I’ll take you. Maybe I’ll drop you off and then treat myself to dinner at that little Mexican café by the airport.” Her look of surprise told him that his point had hit its mark. The Hacienda was possibly her most favorite restaurant of all time.

  “That was a low blow,” she laughed punching him in the arm. He grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms.

  “I’ve got to make you sorry for leaving me somehow.” They exchanged a quick kiss that could have turned into more if Shannon hadn’t pulled away.

  “Not now, cowboy. If I miss that plane, my editor will come looking for you.” Mitch let go reluctantly.

  “In that case, you better get moving, or you’ll be writing a murder mystery instead of a ghost story. I’ll just watch a bit of TV while you finish packing. Is there anything you need me to look after while you’re gone?”

  “Nope, thanks,” Shannon called over her shoulder as she headed for her bedroom. “It’s all good. I’ve put a hold on my mail, Edgar is already at my mom’s and I don’t have any houseplants to water.” She heard Mitch chuckle at the last remark. In the beginning of their relationship he had given her several varieties of houseplants, from huge dieffenbachia to tiny African violets, and every single one of them had died. Shannon said it was because her house was too cold, or it didn’t get enough sun, or she watered them too much. Truth was, she simply didn’t have time to care for them. Between her writing assignments, her neurotic dog Edgar and a mother who constantly poked her nose into Shannon’s business, there wasn’t time left for much else. Keeping their relationship on an even keel was also a challenge in itself. She knew that sometimes Mitch felt he was the bottom man on her ever rising totem pole, but for the most part they had a lot of good times, and he was trying to be patient. He understood how hard it was to establish your brand as a writer. He had published a few things himself and the accompanying headaches were not new to him. But unlike Shannon, he had his teaching career that supplied the bread and butter and his writing was a sideline. Shannon had only her writing and she was determined to be a success.

  Mitch sank into the pillows of the old green couch, folded his arms behind his head and propped his feet up on the scarred and stained coffee table. Shannon didn’t spend a lot of time decorating either, he thought as he glanced around. And yet everything felt so comfortable, so homey. He knew the furniture was all second hand, rescued from the sale of her grandma’s house when she passed away a few years ago. Shannon and her Gram had been very close and the furniture brought her comfort and calm in a life that was crazy and chaotic. Mitch closed his eyes, forgetting all about the TV, and drifted into an easy doze, understanding exactly what Shannon meant when she said she wanted her house to be one that wrapped its arms around you whenever you took the time to slow down.

  Chapter 2

  Shannon paused in the doorway watching Mitch sleep, her heart doing a quick flip in her chest. She liked watching him when he didn’t notice, liked to ponder again those things that had attracted her to him. It wasn’t that he was exceptionally good looking, or had a really buff physique. He was pretty average in those departments. At just 6 feet he was still a good head taller than she, and he was fit and trim without looking like the body builder type. He had dark brown hair with just a bit of curl that he wore on the longish side. His eyes were that brown that was almost black with just a tiny rim of hazel around them. None of these features were outstanding, really, but his smile, now that was another story altogether.

  The first thing Shannon had noticed about him was the laugh lines around his eyes. She found those very sexy in a man and Mitch had many. They crinkled up every time he smiled and his smile itself was brilliant. It started with a twinkle in his eye and then spread to his lips, resulting in what she liked to call a facial explosion of happy. He smiled often and laughed easily, more than once saving a difficult situation with a perfect sense of humor. If Shannon could think of any fault with him at all to this point, it was that he maybe didn’t take life quite serious enough at times. But then since she tended to fret and worry way too much, that side of him provided some much
needed balance to her life. They had been dating for just over four months, and so far things were progressing smoothly. They had the inevitable conflicts in work schedules that every couple has, but they still managed to spend a fair bit of time together. In fact, this was the first time that Mitch had protested so strongly about her travel plans. She supposed it was mostly because of the fact that his summer schedule was unusually heavy this year and she was blowing their chance for a week off together before his hectic fall session began.

  But Shannon really couldn’t postpone this trip. She had been researching this particular ghost story for some time, and a chance to visit the haunted mansion in person would add a ton of validity to her work. She had been trying to get a reservation there for months and had kept her name on a cancellation waiting list. When the call finally came through that she would be able to book a room for the coming week, Shannon jumped at the chance. Although it meant a sudden change to their summer plans, she didn’t really feel she had a choice. Mitch had been a lot less understanding than she’d hoped, but she wasn’t yet at a place in her career where she could put pleasure before business.

  She tiptoed across the room and planted a soft kiss on his forehead. When he didn’t move, she bent in a little closer, surprised that he would be in such a deep sleep so quickly. She nearly jumped out of her skin when he grabbed her around the waist, and landed her squarely in his lap, laughing. “I knew you couldn’t be that sound asleep,” she joked. He tried to pull her closer, but she jumped out of his lap just as quickly as she had landed there.

  “I’m all packed and my bag is by the door. We’d better get moving or I’ll miss that plane.” The trip to the airport was a quiet one. Shannon couldn’t help it. Now that she was on her way, her mind was focused on the project ahead. She was well aware of the fact that Mitch was keeping silent on purpose, partly because he was still a bit miffed at her for going, and partly because he knew her well enough to know that attempts at idle conversation would be futile. She honestly did feel a bit guilty for leaving during his only week off, but her career came first. She had explained that to him very early in their relationship, and at the time he seemed in full agreement. He said he was busy establishing his teaching career too, and wasn’t looking for a big commitment at this point in time. They had enjoyed their first few dates, had discovered that they had quite a bit in common, and had agreed to let things progress at their own pace. Up until recently everything had been working just fine. Mitch was teaching class most days and she was busy with the new book deal she had recently signed. But somewhere along the line, things had started to shift. Mitch started pressing for more time together, maybe even the possibility of moving in together. Shannon was nowhere near that point in her thinking.

  As they drove silently down the highway, Shannon began to wonder if things were heading into a downward spin for them. She glanced over at Mitch, admiring his profile, her glance landing on the prominent laugh lines that she adored. Guilt pulled at her heart strings once again. “I really am sorry to be leaving you alone this week. I’ll make it up to you I promise,” she said sincerely reaching across the seat to rub his shoulder.

  Mitch glanced at her quickly and smiled. “I’ll hold you to that,” he joked. The turn for the airport was coming up on the right and he had to return his attention to the road. Seeing the signs for the terminal, Shannon’s mind immediately flew back to her work and the flight ahead. She had never been to England so this was a special trip from that perspective too. She had packed all her travel guides in her computer bag and planned to study them during the long flight.

  “Here we are!” Mitch announced as he pulled into the passenger drop off. “There’s no point in me parking and coming in. You have just enough time to get to your gate. I’ll just get your bags.” He slipped out of the driver’s seat, popping the trunk hatch. He lifted her bag out and pulled up the handle so she could wheel it in. Shannon dropped her carry on to the ground and turned to give him a big hug.

  “I’ll miss you,” she said as they embraced.

  “Me too,” he replied. “Have fun and get lots of work done.”

  “I will,” she said giving him one last kiss. “I’ll be home before you know it, and I’ll call every night. Now go enjoy your Mexican dinner without me!” Throwing her bag over her shoulder she grabbed the handle of her suitcase and turned towards the building, waving one last time before the revolving door swept her in.

  Chapter 3

  Shannon located her seat, shoved her carry on into the overhead compartment and nodded a friendly hello to the young woman in the aisle seat as she passed to take her place by the window. She always chose to sit by the window if she could, enjoying the aerial view during takeoff and landing. She tucked her computer bag under her seat and settled back.

  She was just nicely settled when the deep pleasant voice of the pilot began his greeting. He welcomed them aboard, described the time frame for the flight and the scheduled stops, and then finished up with a brief description of the current weather at London’s Heathrow Airport. Shannon’s heart started to race with excitement. For her, there was nothing like the thrill of travelling to a new place. She loved exploring on her own and chatting with locals along the way. She loved trying the different foods of the region and could spend hours on end just people watching whenever time allowed. She doubted if there would be much time for that on this trip. Her book was progressing slowly, the research taking much longer than she expected. It wasn’t always easy to find good quality documentation of ghosts from the seventeenth and eighteenth century and even harder to find reliable people to interview. But the Buldrew Mansion where she was headed was said to be one of the most haunted places in England, and the ghosts supposedly remained active to this very day. Shannon couldn’t wait to get there and see for herself. Once they had reached cruising altitude, she pulled out her first travel guide and began to read an excerpt about the history of the mansion and its ghosts.

  “Lady Caldwell was only sixteen when her hand was granted in marriage to Lord Benson Caldwell of Buldrew. Upon the death of their parents, her brother had sold all of the family’s properties to increase his own wealth and was quite pleased to also garner the extra gold for his sister’s hand as well. He seemed quite indifferent to the fact that the Lord was twenty years older than his sister, for his eyes purely on the money. Although Lord Caldwell was always kind and generous to her, the young bride was miserable and lonely. She longed for the companionship of someone her own age, and yearned for adventures. She would spend long periods of time watching a young farmer who lived across the way and eventually gathered enough courage to make his acquaintance. Whenever Lord Caldwell was away on business she would stroll to the farmer’s house. Eventually, the friendship became a romance and for several months the two carried on an affair. Being the busy man that he was, the Lord of Buldrew Mansion either never found out, or never let on that he knew”

  Shannon was so deeply engrossed in this little bit of history that she nearly dropped her book as the plane suddenly bumped up and down. The young woman beside her chuckled softly.

  “It must be good reading,” she laughed. Shannon pulled the book back into her lap and returned the woman’s smile.

  “It is,” she confirmed. “But what was that?” she asked, startled by the sudden dip of the plane.

  “Just a bit of turbulence. Didn’t you hear the captain come on and warn us?”

  Shannon laughed. “Guess I was way too engrossed in my reading. Learning about ghosts can do that to you!”

  “Do you believe in ghosts?” The other woman looked at her wide eyed. “Before you answer, just let me say that I do. Completely. In fact, part of the reason I’m making this trip is in hopes of actually seeing one for the first time.” Then, as if suddenly realizing that she was rambling on to a complete stranger, she held out her hand in introduction. “Melissa Davenport,” she offered.

  Shannon returned the friendly handshake. “Shannon Porter. And I’m no
t sure if I believe in ghosts or not, but I am also hoping to maybe see one while on this trip. Where are you staying?”

  Melissa’s eyes grew even wider. “At the recently reopened and renovated Buldrew Mansion,” she said with an extravagant wave of her hand and roll of her eyes.

  Now Shannon’s eyes grew wide as well. “Me too!” she laughed. “Small world. I was just reading some of the history of it when the plane nearly threw the book out of my hand.” Their conversation was interrupted by the flight attendant stopping at the end of the row with dinner. They continued their conversation for a while and then each drifted back to their own private thoughts. Melissa seemed to be contemplating something deeply personal, so Shannon returned to her book.

  “It was during this time that the English countryside was frequently plagued by thieves on horseback known as highwaymen. Wearing fancy clothes but hiding their faces, these masked bandits would lie in wait for carriages carrying rich folks to their destinations. They would stop the carriage at pistol point, shouting for the occupants to “stand and deliver. Your money or your life.” Although most of the robberies were carried out without violence, there were some reported cases of beatings and even murder taking place. Eventually, the restless Lady Caldwell learned that her lover who was a simple average farmer by day was one such highwayman by night. As they became better acquainted, he shared stories of his highway robbery with her, igniting her desire for adventure even more. She begged and pleaded for him to let her come along, but he protested strongly at first, fearing that she would be hurt or worse. Eventually she convinced him to let her come. Donning a man’s outfit from her husband’s closet, she dressed each night like a man, hiding her face behind a mask. While her husband slept, she crept out of the mansion through a secret passageway that had been built during war time. It was no longer in use at the mansion but it had been discovered by Lady Caldwell in one of her explorations of the mansion. It now became her doorway to the adventure she so craved.”