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

by Haley Harper

  Knowing now that they were policemen, Shannon felt a little less annoyed. She was glad Jemma had explained their behavior. She would definitely try to keep a positive attitude so Edgar wouldn’t get all protective and start acting up again. Maybe she would even apologize and try to get their friendship off to a better start. That was, of course, assuming that the group of Boston’s finest would be in attendance, especially the tall, sandy haired one with the dark green eyes. Shannon smiled to herself. Apparently she had noticed an awful lot about him in their two minutes of confrontation.

  Shannon couldn’t believe the crowd that had arrived at the beach already. There were children and dogs running around everywhere and people were seated in a variety of folding lawn chairs, beach chairs and brightly colored blankets spread out on the ground. Music blared from portable speakers and a few couples and teenagers danced barefoot in the sand. Shannon suddenly felt very conspicuous. She was quite obviously the only single attendee and for a split second she contemplated turning around and heading back. Before she could move on that thought, Jemma spotted her and headed over. “Shannon! Come on over and meet everybody.”

  Suddenly she was in the centre of the crowd trying to put names and faces together in some manner that would help her remember them. Jemma motioned to a comfy looking lawn chair that she said was up for grabs.

  “Are you sure that it doesn’t belong to someone else?”

  “It’s all yours,” Jemma assured her. “We always bring extras. But I’d stake a claim now if I were you. There will be lots more people coming yet. And go ahead and let Edgar loose. Boomer is down by the shore with that group of hooligans. He’d love a friend, I’m sure.” Shannon released the hook on Edgar’s leash and he was off like a shot.

  She watched as he joined the group of kids, making sure that none of them were frightened by him. She needn’t have worried. Within seconds he was bombarded by kids offering hugs and scratches and tossed beach balls. He was clearly in doggy heaven.

  Shannon returned her attentions to the crowd. She was completely fascinated by the whole event. There was a large round hole dug in the sand where a fire burned hot and high. Large coolers were sitting under a long row of tables covered in brightly checked plastic cloths and several large buckets filled with ice and cold drinks sat nearby.

  “Ever been to a clam bake?” The voice startled her. She turned to see the handsome jogger approaching her.

  “Umm, nope this is my first time.” His face erupted in a mischievous grin and his eyebrows shot up as if he were about to make some kind of wisecrack. Shannon shook her head. Why had she phrased it that way? “Nope, never been to a clam bake. But I am truly impressed.”

  “Just wait till you taste the food. I don’t think we were introduced when Jemma took you around. I was off gathering more rocks for the pit.”

  Shannon hated to be the goof that didn’t know what was going on, but she was curious. “Rocks for the pit?” she repeated.

  “Clearly the clam bake process is more interesting than knowing my name, but I’ll introduce myself first and then explain.” He held out his hand. “Kevin Caine. Detective with the Boston PD, here on vacation. Happy to meet you.”

  Shannon took his hand. “Shannon Porter. Writer, here to research a book and have a bit of a vacation. Happy to meet you too…..again.”

  Kevin laughed outright and Shannon thought it was the deepest laugh she had ever heard. “Ya, we didn’t really get off to a good start last time, did we? What do you say we pretend that just never happened?”

  “Sounds good to me. Now will you tell what you meant about getting rocks for the pit? My curiosity is killing me.”

  As he explained how the rocks were put in the bottom of the pit to get hot and eventually cook the food, Shannon found herself more and more intrigued by the man, even more than by the information he was trying to deliver. She loved his voice and his animated expressions. Deep laugh lines crinkled around his eyes and his smile was brilliant. He was a man totally self assured and comfortable in his own skin. Shannon couldn’t believe that she had originally thought him a huge jerk. He was definitely anything but! She suddenly realized that he had stopped talking and was just staring at her.

  “Are you okay? You’re awfully quiet.” Snapping out of her infatuated fog, she hurried to say something intelligent.

  “Just taking it all in. So what kind of food do you cook on the rocks?”

  “Well, clams of course, along with lobster, potatoes and corn. Jemma usually cooks a big pot of baked beans and clam chowder to go along with it, and there’s always corn bread and some of the best New England desserts you’ll ever taste.”

  “Yum. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. I had one of Jemma’s Maple Sticky Buns this morning and they were to die for!” Kevin nodded in agreement.

  “I’ve had a few of those myself, and all I can say is, if I lived here I’d never pass my police physical again!” This time it was Shannon’s turn to laugh. Kevin thought it was the happiest sound he had ever heard. Maybe the lady with the feisty attitude was going to be a lot of fun to get to know, and he was pretty sure he knew just how to do it.

  “Want to reintroduce me to your dog while we’re getting a fresh start. I think I owe him an apology, and an ear scratch!’ He was happy to see the gleam in Shannon’s eyes. Clearly the way to this woman’s heart was through her dog. Shannon whistled and Edgar bounded over. He stopped short at the sight of Kevin but on Shannon’s command he sat and waited. Kevin bent down until he was nose to nose with Edgar and put out his hand for a paw. Never one to hold a grudge, Edgar happily complied.

  Once handshakes were exchanged he sealed the deal with an abundant amount of face licks. Kevin never so much as flinched. He merely laughed and gave the old dog a good rub down. Again, Shannon was quite impressed by the man. When Edgar was convinced that no harm was going to come to Shannon if left her in this man’s company, he quickly headed back to his pals at the shore.

  “Can I assume that means we’re friends now?”

  Shannon couldn’t resist the opportunity to tease him a bit. “Are you referring to you and my dog or you and I?” Kevin didn’t miss the mischievous twinkle in her eye.

  “I was referring to your dog of course. I figure maybe I’ll have to buy you dinner or at least drinks before we can be friends. Unless of course your friendship can be bought with a scratch behind the ears.” Shannon couldn’t help laughing out loud, and Kevin couldn’t help noticing again how good that sound made him feel.

  “Not required,” she said with a smile, “but dinner or drinks would be nice. I’ll pass on the ear scratch however.”

  “Then that’s a promise. But for right now what do you say we go gather a bit more driftwood for the fire.”

  “Sounds like fun.” They headed down the beach, following the shore picking up larger pieces of driftwood as they went. They hadn’t gone far before Edgar noticed and came trotting up behind them. He pranced along beside them for a while, and then, getting bored with being the third wheel to their conversation, he bounded on ahead. Shannon wasn’t concerned about him running off. He was far too protective of her to go very far, so when he rounded a bend in the beach and started barking frantically, she immediately became concerned. She could tell by the tone of his bark that something wasn’t right. She hurried her pace and Kevin followed suit.

  “Something’s wrong,” Shannon shouted over the sound of the waves. Something was wrong alright. As they got closer they could tell that Edgar was standing over something and pawing at the sand.

  “Looks like he’s found something,” Kevin said, keeping pace with Shannon. “He probably just flushed out a sand crab and doesn’t know what to make of it.” Shannon relaxed a little. She hadn’t thought of anything as simple as that. But her relief was short lived. When she bent over Edgar to see what he was looking at, she nearly fainted. Kevin put his hands on her shoulders and quickly turned her away. The body of a man was half buried in the sand, his lifeless
eyes staring at the summer sky.

  Chapter Seven

  The beach was crawling with police officers and yellow tape was strung from the trees and the tall grass around the area where the body was found. Police cars with lights flashing were parked at the entrance to every parking area and road leading to the shore. What had been a roaring fire on the beach was nothing more than a thin plume of smoke now and the rocks that had been so carefully placed sat empty and cooling.

  All thoughts of food and dancing were gone and the band had stopped playing. The police had asked that everyone remain on the beach until they had been questioned, but everyone sat silently now. Parents held their children close, and dogs were kept on leash. Any conversation was carried on in hushed tones or whispers.

  The police spoke to Shannon and Kevin first and made notes while they told their story. Once they had all the details, Kevin and Shannon returned to the others. Kevin stopped and picked up the driftwood they had dropped.

  “What are you going to do with that?” Shannon asked. “I think the clam bake is over.”

  “The festivities are over, but the police want everyone to hang around for a while. It’s going to start to get cool soon. I thought I’d get the fire going again so everybody can stay warm.” Shannon nodded in agreement, grabbing a bit more of the wood herself. As if he sensed her somber mood, Edgar walked slowly by her side.

  Jemma and Paul were sitting by the fire pit when they returned, their kids huddled together in a small circle, each of them wrapped in a warm blanket and Boomer stretched out in the center. Jemma was the first to speak.

  “As much as I despised that man, I can’t believe that he’s dead, and that he died on our section of beach. It’s really creepy.”

  “You despised him?” Shannon asked with some surprise. The term just seemed so harsh coming from someone as gentle and good hearted as Jemma.

  “I know I shouldn’t say that. I certainly wouldn’t want my kids to hear me talk that way about anybody. But he’s been so nasty to us, to Paul especially, that it’s really how I feel.” Jemma realized how confused Shannon was and hurried to explain. “The dead man is…was Preston Winters, the property investor I told you about, the one who’s been pestering us to sell.”

  “Oh, so that would explain it. I wonder what he was doing on the beach.”

  Jemma smirked. “Probably checking out what he believed would be his next money making property.” Now Paul spoke up.

  “Let’s not talk about him anymore. He was a jerk, but he was a person, and now he’s dead. Let’s start thinking about how we’re going to get through this thing. We need to think about the kids, the community, even the business itself. Everything is going to be affected by this. We need to stay as positive as we can.”

  “You’re right,” Jemma chimed in, giving Paul a hug.

  “Let’s start by getting that fire going again,” Kevin added. “It could be a long evening.” As the men worked together to build the fire, Jemma and Shannon sat nearby where they could talk out of earshot but still keep an eye on the kids.

  “Do you have any ideas what might have happened?” Shannon asked. Jemma shook her head.

  “Not really. Like I said, the man was a real piece of work. I doubt if anybody in town liked him. He was pretty rude and condescending to everyone, always criticizing our small town attitudes and such. I’m sure he made more than one enemy, but I can’t imagine it was enough to get killed over.”

  “No, I wouldn’t think so,” Shannon agreed. “But he obviously ticked off the wrong person somewhere along the line. Was there anyone at all you can think of who actually liked him?”

  Jemma thought for a long moment. “You know, now that I think about it, there was someone that seemed to always be siding with him. Sam Hobart’s wife Adele. He spent a lot of time in the real estate office where she works and the two of them really seemed to hit it off. Sam didn’t like him though, I know that for a fact. He was trying to buy their cottage property too. Big difference there was that Adele wanted to sell. It had been a sore point between them for some time and I think Mr. Winter’s interference just rubbed salt in the wound. All I can say is, I’m glad it’s near the end of the season at least. Business is winding down at the resort anyway. By next spring the whole thing will hopefully be long forgotten.” For Jemma and Paul’s sake, Shannon hoped so too.

  It was going on 11 by the time the police cleared everyone to leave. Coolers of uncooked food were packed back into the SUV. Chairs and tables were left abandoned to be picked up the next day as weary parents carried sleeping children home.

  The day had certainly not turned out the way anyone expected. As bad as she felt for the residents of the small community, Shannon was irritated by the fact that another research trip was going to be marred by murder. It was like some kind of murder curse was following her around. She couldn’t help but wonder if it wasn’t because ghosts were also present in each location. Could there be some kind of connection? Maybe the Blue Lady was at work here trying to help Jemma and Paul preserve their business.

  “Oh for heaven’s sake,” she chided herself. “I’m starting to sound like my mother!” But in all honesty, she kind of wished Myra was there. She had such a positive attitude towards spirits and ghosts and all that stuff. Shannon couldn’t help but feel that some motherly advice would come in handy right about now.

  “You’re awfully quiet,” Kevin said when they were half way back to the Boathouse. He had insisted on walking her home. “You okay?”

  Shannon sighed. “I’m fine. I’m just not so happy about being part of another murder investigation.” He listened intently as she described what had happened during her stay at the Buldrew Mansion in England.”

  “Well I can totally see why you might be freaking out. But don’t let it get to you. Take it from me, the detectives will handle everything. You won’t need to be involved at all.”

  Shannon worked up a feeble smile. “I hope you’re right.” They walked the rest of the way in silence, neither one really feeling like conversation. Kevin left her at the door after asking if he could pop over the next day sometime for a visit.

  “I’d like that,” Shannon said honestly. In light of the days’ strange events, she suddenly felt less alone knowing she had made a friend. Before he left, Kevin bent down and gave Edgar a final scratch. Leaning in close, he said quietly, “You take care of this lady, you hear? That’s your job. I’m leaving you in good hands,” he said as he gave Shannon a little peck on the cheek. “See you tomorrow.”

  “See you tomorrow. Thanks for walking me back. And thanks for making friends with my dog.” Kevin waved and headed across the sand to his cottage next door.

  Chapter Eight

  The first thing she noticed was the chill. The Boathouse felt like the middle of winter. The evening had gotten cooler but there was no way the Boathouse should be that cold. The next thing she noticed was that Edgar hadn’t followed her in. He was standing behind her, still on the porch, ears back, tail tucked between his legs and a low growl rumbling in his throat.

  For a second Shannon wondered if someone had broken into the house, but then she remembered she had had to unlock it before she said goodnight to Kevin. Figuring that the events of the night just had her creeped out, she forced herself to continue into the house, Edgar following reluctantly behind her. Hoping to instill confidence in them both she started talking to him.

  “It’s ok, boy. Nothing to get your fur in a flap about. Let’s get that fireplace turned on and get the chill out of the air.” It wasn’t hard to check out the place for an intruder. Except for the bathroom and the loft everything was just one big open room. There was obviously no one in the living area so she headed cautiously upstairs. Edgar hung back as she knew he would. He had been a lot more cautious since the blue light incident. Just to make herself feel better, Shannon called out as she climbed the stairs.

  “Hello? Is there somebody up there?” Relieved that there was no reply, she continued, not
really knowing what she would have done if someone had answered her. A noise from the bedroom stopped her in her tracks. It sounded like a toddler’s footsteps when they’re wearing a footed sleeper, or like Edgar used to sound as a puppy before his nails grew. Was there someone walking around in her room?

  If it was the Blue Lady, there should be glowing blue light like there was before. Shannon almost wished the blue glow was there. At least then she would know what she was dealing with. But there was no blue light, and the muffled sound stopped just as quickly as it had begun.

  Shannon let out a long breath that she had been holding, and taking in another deep one, she approached the bedroom door. It was slightly ajar and she reached as far as she could to push it open without fully committing to entering the room. She wanted to be able to make a hasty retreat if she needed to. But there was no need to worry.

  No one jumped out at her as the door swung open. The room was perfectly empty. The window was closed and Shannon’s books and papers sat untouched on her desk. Shannon let out a second long breath and tried to resume a normal breathing pattern. She really wasn't very good at this ghost thing. Her mother would have been absolutely giddy at having all these “episodes" but Shannon was not a fan.

  She took a good long look around the room before checking out the other bedroom. There was nothing out of place in there either. Relieved, Shannon went back down stairs to comfort Edgar. He was watching her and at the ready to run if need be. She assured him that everything was alright and reached up to turn the thermostat on the fireplace a little higher. That was when she saw it.