Homicide on the Hunt
A Hang Ten Australian Cozy Mystery
Stacey Alabaster
Fairfield Publishing
Copyright © 2018 Fairfield Publishing
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Except for review quotes, this book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the written consent of the author.
This story is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual people, places, or events is purely coincidental.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Epilogue
Thank You!
Bonus Content: Story Preview
1
Alyson
Was it a predator approaching me, or a friend? I shielded my eyes. Six-foot-three. Gray looking. Not just the clothes, but the hair was going that way too. Maybe this shark had learned to walk on water. Nearby, a starter pistol went off. That was just for practice, though. Troy barely blinked. Was he that used to it? In Australia, especially on the beach, you had to be able to tell the difference between a creature that was friendly and one that would kill you. I hadn’t always been so good at it. But I was getting better.
Troy grinned at me and I grinned back. Oh, what did I care anyway. This was the best day, hands down, on the Eden Bay calendar, and nothing was going to kill my vibe.
The Eden Bay Treasure hunt.
Each year, we started this way, on the beach, and it would be twenty-four hours of relentless searching, adventure, and chaos before we would end up on the beach again in the same spot where we started, and a winner would be announced.
That winner would be me. And I was already preparing my winner’s acceptance speech. Who would I thank? Mostly just myself of course. I’d put in all the work.
Of course, wondering if you’re going to have to go to jail soon can kind of put a damper on things. “Should enjoy the fresh air and freedom to run around while I can,” I said wryly.
“Don’t worry about that now,” Troy said as he produced two items from the inside of his jacket pocket. “You’ve been looking forward to this day all year.”
I peered down at the items. Did he… Hang on, what were these hats for?
“Well, it’s two-person teams, right?” Troy asked. “Or did I read the rulebook wrong?”
No, he had read the rulebook right. Teams of two.
I’d just always assumed that my team of two would be me and my best friend Claire.
I stared down at the hats, which where red with yellow writing on them saying “T & Y.” It was kinda cute. If you’re wondering about the Y, it’s because my name is spelled Alyson with a Y and I am very firm about that. People like my brother Matt, and my niece J (short for Jasmine) call me Y, but Troy had never called me that before. I was just a teensy bit hesitant to take the hat.
He sighed. “I thought you’d be over this whole not wanting to be seen in public with me thing by now.”
“It’s not that,” I hastened to tell him. Even though that was a teeny tiny factor. I still didn’t particularly want to be seen out and about with the man I had proclaimed ‘my absolute worst enemy in the world’ just a few months earlier. I took a hat and stared down at it. “I just thought Claire and I would be a team.”
“And are you even talking to Claire at the moment?”
“No.”
“Well, it’s going to be pretty hard to compete in a treasure hunt with her, isn’t it?”
“Maybe we could just communicate telepathically.”
Fine, I got the point. I needed a partner, so I was gonna have to take what I could get. Claire always thought these town events were hokey and lame. She wouldn’t even be taking part anyway. It would have been painful trying to talk her into it, and don’t even get me started on what a hassle it would have been, making her trade her heels for hiking boots.
Right. Sign-up time.
“Oi!” I said as an elbow hit me in the side. We hadn’t even started yet and people were jostling for prime position. This was how us Eden Bay-ers got during the treasure hunt. Ruthless. Winner takes all. I pulled Troy with me as we pushed to the front so that we were pressed against the ribbon. “This will be your last chance to rest for a full day,” I warned him as the mayor took to the stage to kick off the race. Ow. Another elbow in the side and a stomped foot.
This was going to be dangerous. I was already wondering whether I should have worn protective clothing…and that was before the bombshell of the prize money was dropped on us. Then I KNEW I should have worn armor.
The Mayor of Eden Bay tapped the microphone nervously and warmly welcomed us all to the event. He was a chubby man in his mid-forties who always looked a little nervous. We were pretty tight, the mayor and I. I’d helped him with the event. But that’s just me, though—friends in high places, you see.
“And I hope that with this time-honored tradition, we can put the events of the past six months behind us and start over…” Mayor Strang paused. There was cheering from the crowd, and he looked pleased with himself for rousing such town spirit. Well, I could have done that. He should let me make the speech next time.
“And to make the competition even more exciting this year…” He continued, pausing for dramatic effect. I noticed he kept doing that. “The new prize money for the winning team is five thousand dollars!”
“Five thousand dollars?” I gasped. My heart was thudding at the sound of such a big sum. Of course, to Mr. Money Bags, Troy Emerald, this was nothing. He just kinda shrugged a little and looked unimpressed.
“Hey, if we win it, it’s all yours, kid.”
I tried to argue, half-heartedly, for just a moment.
Wow. I would finally be able to turn my surfboard business into an actual stall, with a cart and everything. I mean, the fact I even wanted to do so was a secret from everyone. Kind of like, well, if no one knew I really wanted to, then I couldn’t fail. I would need at least five thousand dollars for my plan.
I was grinning. But the grin was quickly wiped off my face. Someone with very race-inappropriate shoes on had just stepped onto the beach.
What? What was Claire doing here?
“What does Claire need the money for?” I whispered angrily to Troy. “She is just about as rich as you!”
He just shot me an amused look. Look. Well, sure. Troy ran a multi-billion-dollar construction company and Claire ran a bookshop. Still. She always looked down her nose at everyone like she was queen of the manor. And I KNEW she didn’t need the money as much as I did.
She was only here to spite me.
This wasn’t fair.
2
Claire
It was the morning of the race, and I was enjoying the fact that most of the town and the cafes were empty. I could enjoy my space in Captain Eightball’s and just have my latte in peace. Except that Alyson’s brother Matt was trying to talk me into taking part and he was almost—ALMOST—making it sound appealing. “It’s just that I’m not sure this is such a good idea….” I was cautious about anything that required running about town, or digging, or having to wear any shoes lower than a three-inch heel. I hadn’t competed in the Annual Eden Bay Treasure Hunt sinc
e I was a teenager and back then, I was far more of a tomboy than I was now.
Matt grinned at me like he knew a secret I didn’t. “The cash prize is five thousand dollars.”
“Woah.” I was taken aback. I’d thought first prize would have been a fifty-dollar voucher for the local hardware store. “Who’s footing the bill for that?”
Matt had to quickly grab a caramel thick shake for a waiting customer, but he turned back to me as soon as he could, keen to tell me with a raised eyebrow.
“The town.” Apparently, Matt was the only one who knew. Mayor Strang had visited Captain Eightball’s for a steak the previous night. Matt had been his server and overhead a conversation. “Until I knew that, I wasn’t even that keen myself to enter. But I thought it might persuade you,” he said with a shrug. “Could be fun.”
Apparently, the prize money was an effort to raise town morale, and to entice even the most reluctant residents to enter. It was a little bit tempting. A little. And so was Matt, leaning forward in his white shirt that peeped open at the top.
“I thought you’d want Kate to be your partner,” I said, staring down at the counter. I had to take my eyes away before I was completely suckered in.
He laughed. “Why do you think that?”
Ugh. He was going to make me say it? Kate was the tall, leggy brunette who’d been hanging around Eden Bay—and Matt—for the past few weeks. Oh, and she just happened to be his ex. Not that I was jealous. Except that I totally was.
“Nah, Kate’s gone over to Rushcutter’s to surf for a bit.” He gave me a meaningful look that made my legs go a little weak. “Besides, I’d much rather do the hunt with you.”
Five thousand dollars and the chance to hang out with Matt for a full night. It was sounding more and more tempting.
I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter,” I said, taking hold of my senses. “Treasure hunts are really not my thing.”
But the real reason was the fact that I knew Alyson would be there. And I couldn’t stand to do it without her. I made up an excuse about having to go back to the bookstore to check if I’d left my purse there and eventually ended up actually walking down that way in case Matt checked.
Oh. Great. Nowhere to run.
Dawn Petts-Jones was waiting out front for me to open the shop. “We’re not open, Dawn. Left my purse here.” Didn’t matter—she wasn’t a customer. She was my solicitor. And from the stern look on her face and the pile of papers she was clutching, it wasn’t good news that she had come to tell me about.
“I have been trying to track you down for over a month, Claire,” she said in her best ticked-off voice. Hmm, perhaps I could just claim that I hadn’t actually seen any of her dozens of messages and missed calls. Could I claim I had a new phone number? And a different email address to the one she had sent tens of emails to?
I flipped on the coffee machine and inhaled the scent of the shop. Might as well enjoy it now I was here. It smelled decidedly less of old musty books these days, and more like crisp new paper. Much more my smells. It always made me happy.
It only took a couple of minutes for the machine to heat up. But Dawn used that time to launch into a guilt trip over the fact that I had been ignoring her. How very rude it was. And didn’t I want to know what she had to tell me?
Not really, no.
I kept my voice light and airy. “I’ve been really busy, Dawn. Can I offer you an espresso?”
She glanced down skeptically at the machine, though she did accept the cute little white cup. “Do you have a license for this?” That was Dawn for you. Always thinking about the law.
“Don’t need one if they are free,” I said, grinning. I’d figured out a way to serve coffee to customers thanks to a loophole. On the other hand, I’d also discovered a way to lose money by giving coffee away for free.
She took a skeptical little sip but then gasped in delight. “Oh, this is actually really lovely.”
“Yes, I only buy and give away the best.” I tried to laugh it off and not think about the fact that my savings account was going to be overdrawn in the morning.
Dawn glanced around the shop. Her face had changed back to stern. “There’s been a complication with your grandma’s estate.”
I sipped my coffee and tried to keep my face straight.
I didn’t want to hear it. That was the reason I had been avoiding Dawn Petts-Jones for weeks. Maybe if I just kept staring blankly and sipping on my coffee, none of this would be real. No complications. No problems. Just books and coffee and high heels.
“The wording of your grandmother’s will was…ambiguous,” Dawn said with a sigh, when I refused to say anything to her.
Finally, I took the bait. “In what way?”
Dawn’s mouth looked like it had been pickled. I hoped the coffee wasn’t too bitter. “Well, in her will, she said she left the bookshop to her granddaughter.”
I let out a short laugh. “Uh. Yeah. That would be me.” How that was ambiguous was anyone’s guess. My grandma only had one grandchild. I glanced around. Oh, I really had left my purse here.
“Got it!” I said. “I need to leave now, Dawn. Thanks for dropping by.”
Dawn stepped in front of me so that I couldn’t leave the shop.
“But did you know, Claire, that your grandmother had another granddaughter?”
Huh. Everything outside looked normal. The sky was still blue, there were still seagulls, I could hear a starter gun going off down on the beach. Life in Eden Bay felt normal. I even felt normal. But how? I supposed sometimes things that are a shock take a while to process. What Dawn had told me couldn’t possibly be real. It wasn’t true. For now, it was just one foot in front of another
“Five thousand dollars will barely cover the legal fees,” I said to Matt as I filled him in, briefly. I didn’t mention the family drama. Only that there was an ownership problem. “Not to mention the Brazilian roast.”
I was only venting to him. He couldn’t help me with my ‘cousin I’d never known existed’ problem. But Matt actually had a solution to the coffee problem. “Don’t tell anyone but I could sneak a little from the cafe. Not much but just like, a paper cup full every couple of days.” He was just finishing up his shift and nodded toward the coffee machine.
“No way! Matt that is so naughty…” I giggled a little. The idea of Matt sneaking out coffee beans in cups was highly amusing to me. And flattering that he would want to break the rules like that to help me out.
He was serious, though. “You barely use any compared to Captain Eightball’s. They won’t even know its missing.”
I sighed. Maybe there was another solution. I could hear the announcement over the speakers. Eden Bay was small enough that announcements could be heard by most of the town, as long as you weren’t too far out, say, at the cemetery up the hill or something like that. Inside the cafe, the sound was muffled, but I knew what it would be regarding—the race was about to start. It was time for final signups, or you missed out.
“I suppose two thousand five hundred dollars will go some way toward covering costs.” But I still wasn’t convinced that joining the treasure hunt was an entirely good idea. The whole race was insane. It ran for twenty-four hours, nonstop. And I mean nonstop. There were no scheduled breaks so if you wanted to eat or go to the bathroom, you did so at your own peril. And it also meant no sleep. I required ten hours of beauty sleep per night.
Matt shook his head. “I don’t want any of the money, Claire. If we win it, it’s yours.”
“No way,” I said firmly. “You’ve got an eight-year-old to raise, and that’s way more important than a bookstore.” I really admired him for taking care of his niece while his sister, her mom, was sick.
He made a noise like he was agreeing with me, reluctantly, but the little smile on his face when he turned away showed me that he had no intention of splitting the money and taking half. That was Matt Foulkes for you, though. Sometimes he was too much of a good guy for his own good.
“Okay then,” I said firmly, banging my hands on the counter as I finally decided. “If we are going to do this, then we are going to do it properly. That means from now on, Matt, no more mister nice guy. You have to be as ruthless as everyone else in this race. We are not going down the beach to make friends. We are going to win. No matter what the cost.”
Matt looked slightly frightened. But he agreed to the bargain.
We had to run to make it there before the final starter gun went off. I gulped when I saw who was at the front of the crowd. Alyson. And she was with Troy. “I’ll sign up,” I said quietly, hoping that we wouldn’t spot each other.
She turned around and glared at me over her shoulder.
All right. It was on.
3
Alyson
Eden Bay was known for its hospitality. In fact, that was the way we stayed afloat. Tourists flocked to Eden Bay not just in spring and summer but even the colder months because we were so cheery and welcoming as a whole. But the promise of five thousand dollars brought out the shark in people. Everyone was eyeing everyone else up and those who were not local were getting death glares. How dare you enter our race and try to take our money. There was a pair of Swedish backpackers who had been pushed to the back and must have been left reeling, wondering what had happened to the friendly town they’d known the day before.
To be fair, the locals were just as vicious with each other. But that was why I’d purposely dressed the way I had, even though Troy had asked if army gear was a little over the top. I had cutoff cargo shorts and a camouflage top. But psyching the other teams out was all part of the game.
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