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

by Haley Harper

  Sitting on the wooden mantle that had been built around the fireplace was one diamond shaped drop earring. Shannon knew it had not been there before. She distinctly remembered coming over to the mantle when she first arrived to study the controls for the fireplace and have a look at the painting that hung above it. She also remembered thinking that the piece of driftwood they had used to fashion the mantle added such an authentic touch to the decorating. She was positive that she would have noticed the earring then if it had been there.

  Not to mention, it was a big piece of costume jewelry and seemed very out of place in such a rustic environment. Shannon doubted that very few people that lived or visited this resort wore that kind of jewelry while at the resort. Shannon picked up the earring and carried it to the table by the door. The next time she went to Jemma’s she would ask her if it looked familiar.

  The Boathouse was starting to get nice and cozy and Shannon suddenly realized how tired she was. The clock in the kitchen read 1:16. It was already tomorrow. She had been here a total of a day and a half and already it felt like weeks. Why couldn’t she just once have the nice, calm, relaxing trip she was hoping for? Her mother’s voice rang in her head. “Just remember, honey. When you go looking for ghosts, you’re bound to find more than you bargained for.” Guess her mom was right. Looked like this trip was going to be just like the others. But maybe, like Kevin said, the police would handle things and she could stay out of it.

  Shannon didn’t even take time for a bath or a snack. She just crawled under the soft duvet and closed her eyes. She didn’t hear any more strange noises or find any more unexplained objects. She didn’t have any dreams about any of those things. She just slept like the dead and didn’t wake up until the sun came streaming through her bedroom curtains. At the sound of her moving around, Edgar jumped off the couch and came to the bottom of the stairs. “I’m coming, fella. Just give me a second.” She visited the bathroom, threw on some walking clothes and gathered her hair up in to a quick pony tail.

  It was well after eight and there were already a few other people walking and jogging on the beach. There was still a blockade at the entrance to the trail where the body was found but other than that the beach looked perfectly normal. From a distance Shannon could see a lone figure sitting on a large rock at the edge of the shore. She couldn’t be sure, but from this distance it looked like Jemma. She was sitting with her head down and didn’t see Shannon approaching.

  “Jemma?” Shannon called, not wanting to startle her friend. “I thought that was you.” When Jemma looked up Shannon could see that she had been crying. Pulling Edgar in close on his leash, she sat down on the rock beside her.

  “Hi,” Jemma said, wiping at her eyes. “Don’t mind me. It’s been a long night and I’m just really tired.”

  Shannon felt a bit awkward, wondering if it was a personal issue and that maybe Jemma just wanted some privacy. She didn’t want to pry, but she had to offer help. “Is there anything I can do?”

  Jemma shook her head. “No, there’s nothing anybody can do.”

  “I can listen if you want to talk about it.”

  “Thanks, you’re so kind. I just feel so helpless and angry.” Shannon waited quietly for her to go on. “The police have taken Paul down to the station for questioning. He is apparently their prime suspect in the Winter’s murder. He’s been down there since last night. The kids are upset because I’m upset and the whole house is in an uproar. As if Paul could ever hurt anybody. I can barely get him to set mousetraps when we need them!” In spite of the seriousness of the situation, Shannon smiled. She squeezed Jemma’s shoulder.

  “I’m sure It’s all just a big misunderstanding. Once they’ve talked to Paul it will all get cleared up. Besides, wasn’t he at the clam bake with everybody else when it happened?”

  Jemma shook her head. “That’s the problem. He wasn’t. He had to go back to the main house for some things we forgot. When he got there he found Winters snooping around. They had words again, and Paul threatened to call the police if he didn’t leave. Winters went on his way and Paul checked the house and property out before he came back to the clam bake. Some people walking by overheard Paul and Winters arguing. So that’s why the police are so suspicious”

  Shannon nodded. “Ya, that looks bad alright. But Paul is innocent and you just have to have faith that the police know what they’re doing.”

  “I hope you're right,” Jemma sniffed. “You know what? I feel better already, just talking to you. Thanks.”

  “No problem. How about I walk back with you and help you get that uproar settled down to the usual chaos.”

  This time Jemma laughed. “Sounds like a deal. Hopefully by the time we do that maybe Paul will be home and things can get back to normal.”

  Once the kids saw that their mom was feeling better, they settled right down. They were easily distracted by the suggestion that they throw some balls for Edgar and Boomer to chase. Jemma bustled about getting the kitchen back in order while Shannon tidied away some of the paraphernalia from the clam bake that had just been dropped in the mud room. The ladies chatted easily while they worked and then decided to reward themselves with some Johnny cake and coffee. Shannon was enjoying all the favorite New England dishes that Jemma created.

  Over coffee Shannon told Jemma about the events at the Boathouse the night before. Jemma raised her eyebrows when Shannon explained the sound of muffled footsteps.

  “You don’t look surprised,” Shannon commented.

  “I’m not. Lots of other guests have retorted hearing that exact same sound. One lady described it as someone wearing loose slippers.”

  “Really? Then it must have been the ghost! But did any of them report finding objects in places where there were none before?” Now Jemma looked surprised.

  “No, I don’t think so, why? Did you find something?”

  Shannon described the ugly earring that she had found. “That is strange,” Jemma said. “I inspect the units thoroughly before a new guest arrives, I would have seen that for sure.”

  “I figured as much. Strange, right?”

  “Very. I hate to say it, but do you think someone was in the house while you were gone?”

  “I guess it’s possible.” Then her eyes grew wide. “What if it has something to do with the murder?”

  “Now don’t go getting all Agatha Christie on me. I’m sure there’s a simple explanation. Maybe I’ll recognize it when I see it.”

  “Let's just see about that,” Shannon said reaching for her purse. She pulled out the earring and dropped it into Jemma's palm. She studied it for a moment before laughing and commenting about its ugliness.

  “Nope, don’t recognize it. It’s certainly not anything I would wear.” She handed it back to Shannon. “Keep it as a souvenir.”

  “Thanks,” Shannon laughed. “Maybe I could make a Christmas ornament out of it.” Jemma laughed and Shannon felt good knowing that she had helped lighten her friends mood a bit. “Are you going to be alright here now till Paul gets home?”

  Jemma nodded. “Thanks a lot. You really helped. Are you going back to the Boathouse to work?”

  “No, now that I’m out, I think I’ll head on into town and chat with Maggie at the craft store. She said she’d give me a rundown on all the ghost history of the area.”

  “Good idea. If anybody can help you, it’s Maggie. She was born and raised here and knows everything there is to know. Have fun.”

  “Thanks. I hope Paul gets home soon.”

  “Me too.”

  Shannon retrieved Edgar from the yard where he was having a good game of tug with Boomer and headed back to the Boathouse to get her car.

  The little bells over the shop door tinkled as Shannon entered and within a few seconds Maggie emerged through the beaded curtain that blocked off her little office area.

  “Well, good morning. I was wondering when you were going to make it by.”

  “It was hard to buckle down to work after all the
excitement last night. I just came from Jemma’s place. Apparently the police have kept Paul all night for questioning.”

  Maggie nodded. “Heard about that. Paul is on his way home now. I spoke with him a few minutes ago. He’s pretty upset. The police have told him he has to shut down the resort while they finish the investigation. Guess he got a little heated about that and now they think he has a bad temper on top of everything else. He didn’t help himself any that’s for sure. But I don’t blame him a bit. If you ask me, the police are looking in all the wrong places. I could tell them a thing or two about who’s more likely the culprit.”

  Shannon was a bit taken aback by Maggie’s outburst. For a few minutes she was speechless. “Why? Who do you think they should be looking at?”

  “If you ask me, and I’m sure the police will get around to it, I’d say they should take a close look at Sam Hobart. The way his wife was carrying on with that Mr. Winters, I dare say he had good enough motive for murder.”

  “Jemma mentioned her, said she was maybe the only person in Castle Cove that liked the man.”

  “Oh, she liked him all right. If you ask me there was some hanky panky going on there. People think I sit in here all day with my beads and my incense but I do a lot more than that. I watch people. I see things.” She pointed out the window beside the checkout counter.

  “Right there is the real estate office where Adele works. Every day I’d see fancy Mr. Winters go in there. Lots of times I’d see her put a little sign on the door and leave with him. She was always hanging on his arm like he was some kind of prince or something. She liked his fancy clothes and his expensive cars. Didn’t seem to mind that everyone saw her either. Pretty humiliating for her Sam, I’d say.”

  Maggie paused for a breath. Shannon had come here for information, but not of this sort. She could feel the mystery pulling her in, just as it had so many times before.

  “You have to go to the police with this information. Don’t wait for them to come to you. You could save Paul and Jemma a lot of grief.”

  “I was thinking that myself. I’ll give the station a call right away. Maybe you want to wait around? Then we can have our discussion about ghosts and things?”

  “I’ll just wander around town a bit, check out some of the other shops. Then I’ll come back.”

  “You do that, Maggie replied. “If you don’t mind me suggesting, the café down the way sells really good coffee and blueberry muffins made with our very own wild berries.”

  “Sounds wonderful. Be back in an hour or so.” Maggie was already picking up the phone. Shannon chuckled to herself when she saw that it was an old corded phone that looked like it had been around for decades. She wondered if Maggie was a little reluctant to embrace modern technology.

  Shannon noticed that the real estate office was closed. A sign on the door said “Back from lunch at 2.” She picked up one of the brochures from a little display case. There were pictures of the sales staff and Shannon wanted to see what Adele Hobart looked like. She browsed in a few other shops before she made her way into the café. Maggie had been right. The coffee was strong and rich and the blueberry muffins were moist and bursting with flavor. While she ate, she read the morning paper that was sitting on the counter. The front page was entirely coverage of the murder. She was annoyed to see a picture of Paul as well, identifying him as the police’s main “person of interest.” As much as she loved being a writer, her sister profession of journalism often rubbed her the wrong way. She hated the sensationalism that it involved. She hoped at that Maggie was giving the police the information they needed to take some of the pressure off of Paul. Suddenly she was in a hurry to get back and find out.

  Maggie was in her chair by the checkout when Shannon returned. She didn’t look happy. “Should I take your expression to mean things didn’t go well?”

  Maggie frowned and shook her head. “It seems the police already knew about Adele’s involvement with Winters, and they already questioned Sam. He has an airtight alibi. He wasn’t even in town. He was out of state visiting his brother in Vermont. Guess that explains why Adele was flaunting herself around the way she was.” Shannon couldn’t help the feeling of disappointment that washed over her. Poor Jemma. Poor Paul. This could certainly ruin their business, maybe even their lives. Well Shannon wasn’t about to let that happen. Paul was innocent and she was going to prove it before the police decided otherwise.

  Chapter Nine

  The first person she wanted to talk to was Kevin. He was a detective, after all. He should have some good advice. She left Edgar in the Boathouse to have his morning nap while she walked to the cottage next door. Three of the guys were sitting out on the deck but Kevin wasn’t there.

  “Hi,” she said with a smile. “Kevin around?” the other policemen smiled back. She had met them all at the clam bake before it got crazy, and knew that they were just as Jemma had said, really cool guys.

  “He’s down at the beach chatting with the crime scene guys. You can take the man out of his work but you can’t take the work out of the man. He just couldn’t keep his nose out of things.”

  “Thanks,” Shannon said. “I’ll find him.” She was glad to hear Kevin had his finger in things. If he knew more of the facts, he would be more likely to help her work to clear Paul’s name. She hadn’t gone far down the trail when she saw Kevin heading her way. “I was just coming to find you.”

  “Now that’s what I like to hear from a pretty lady.”

  “I hope you still think so when I tell you what I have to say.”

  “I’m all ears.”

  “I think the police are way off base suspecting Paul He could no more murder someone than fly to the moon. The police aren’t even looking anywhere else. I intend to clear Paul’s name and I was hoping you would help me.”

  “I would be happy to help you, but there’s nothing you, or I can do. Paul doesn’t have an alibi for the time of death, he had motive, and witnesses heard them arguing shortly before the established time of death. I really like Paul too, and as much as I hate to say it, things don’t look good for the guy.”

  “Why are they so sure it wasn’t just a robbery gone bad, a completely random act. Maybe by someone just passing through. He was obviously very wealthy and would be a likely target for something like that.”

  “Because he was still wearing a two thousand dollar watch and had a load of cash still on him. That’s no robbery gone bad.”

  “Well, that may be, but accusing Paul is just ludicrous. He didn’t do it, and somehow I’m going to prove it.” Kevin tried to hide the smile tugging at his lips. There was that feisty side that he had seen before. Here was a woman who got what she wanted once she set her mind to it. He wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if she did solve the murder all by herself. But she had no idea what she was getting into.

  “As a detective, I think I should tell you right now to stay out of this. Let the police handle it. It’s what they do and they know how to do it.”

  Frustrated, Shannon pushed her bangs away from her face. “Thanks for the advice, but that’s not going to happen.” Without another word, she turned and walked away.

  Kevin shrugged. “Guess that wasn’t the answer she wanted to hear,” he mumbled as he returned to watch the activity on the beach.

  Shannon returned to find Edgar still sound asleep on the couch. He didn’t even raise his head when she walked in.

  “Hey, Bud,” she said scratching his ears. “Some watch dog you are.” Edgar thumped his tail and looked at her from under droopy eyelids. “I guess all this activity is wearing you out. Not the quiet life you’re used to is it?” And it wasn’t the quiet relaxing work time she had been looking forward to either. Frustrated by her conversation with Kevin and worried for her friend Jemma, Shannon plunked herself in one of the kitchen chairs and rested her chin on her hands. She needed to make a plan. She needed to find out who else had a motive for killing the arrogant, rich and annoying Mr. Winters.

  Maybe
it would help to read the report in the morning paper once more. Reaching across the tab le to get it, Shannon’s hand stopped in mid air. Right there in the center of the table sat the real estate brochure she had picked up in town. And on top of it sat the ugly unaccounted for earring. Shannon stared at the two objects like she was seeing something from outer space. She had put both of those items in her purse while she had her talk with Maggie.

  Shannon retraced her steps from getting back to the Boathouse and going to see Kevin. She had walked in, sat her purse on the table, refreshed Edgar’s water bowl and handed him a treat to take to the couch. She then made a quick stop in the bathroom, opened a few windows to let in some fresh air and then left to find Kevin. She hadn’t touched her purse again, she was sure of it. So how did two objects get out of her purse and position themselves so neatly together on the table.

  A sudden feeling of déjà vu came over her. Things like this had happened before when she was researching ghosts, like the photograph that had turned up in a guidebook while she was in England. She looked over at Edgar wishing like she often did, that he could talk. Maybe then he could tell her what had transpired in her absence that morning.

  She picked up the gaudy piece of jewelry and fingered it as though touching it could somehow tell her something. An earring and a real estate brochure. Why those two things. There were any number of things someone or something could have pulled out of her purse, why those two? Her writer’s imagination flew into gear as she asked herself the question. Could there be a connection between those two things and the murder? Was someone trying to point her towards a suspect?

  But she didn’t know who owned the earring, and how was it connected to the real estate office? And that last question was her light bulb moment. Adele. Maybe it wasn’t a jealous husband that offed his wife’s lover. Maybe it was the mistress herself. But that didn’t make sense either. From what Maggie had said, she loved the man.

  If she was going to kill somebody it would more likely be her husband in order to be free of him. Shannon’s head was starting to throb from all the jumping around that her brain was doing. She needed to clear her head, which was a good thing because Edgar had been standing by the door for so long that he finally started to bark at her. “Okay, I’m coming. I think we both need a walk.”