Sage Gardens Cozy Mystery Series Box Set Volume 1 (Books 1 - 4)

by Cindy Bell

  “You still don't trust me?” she asked.

  “Did I say that?” he asked and met her eyes.

  “You didn't have to,” she replied gravely as she studied him. “It's written all over your face.”

  “You may think that's what I mean, but it’s not what I mean,” Eddy said with frustration. “I'm not going to let you go into a place where a known criminal does business, alone.”

  “You think that you are going to protect me?” she asked with a smirk. “How sweet.”

  “I just think it's best that you don't go alone,” he corrected her sternly.

  “Fine,” she nodded. “You can come in with me, but you have to stop acting all cop-ish.”

  “Cop-ish?” he repeated. “I've worked undercover before.”

  “And I'm sure you were an easy mark,” she sighed and swept her eyes over him. “First you have to lose the hat, it just screams cop on you. On me, it'll be fine,” she plucked his hat off his head and dropped it on hers. Carefully she tucked her dark hair back behind her ears. Eddy stared at her with disbelief.

  Before he could say a word she ran her hands back through his light brown hair. He shuddered at the sudden touch.

  “Relax cowboy, I'm just fixing your hat hair,” she frowned and smoothed his hair back until it looked slick.

  “Stop,” he said with annoyance. “That's enough.”

  “Not quite yet,” she replied and grabbed the collar of his dress shirt. She unbuttoned the top two buttons. Eddy shifted uncomfortably but he didn't push her hand away. “Let's let that shirt loose,” she said.

  “I'll do that,” he said sharply and pulled out his own shirt. He straightened his belt and then sighed. “All right, do I look enough like a criminal for you?” he asked.

  Jo studied him critically. “Maybe if you scowled a little less,” she suggested.

  “I don't think that's possible,” he muttered.

  “I actually believe that,” she replied with a slight shake of her head. “Okay, now let me do all of the talking. Understand?”

  “Whatever you say,” he said grimly. He jerked the door of the pawn shop open and held it open for Jo to walk through. Jo adjusted his hat on her head and winked lightly at him before she walked inside the shop. Eddy followed after her. The interior was fairly dim, which was a big tip off that it was not a legitimate business. Most pawn shops would be well lit and showcasing their electronics and jewelry. In this one he had to strain to see any of the items, and most of the items were not very valuable.

  “Roger,” she called out as she walked further into the pawn shop.

  “Jo?” a voice called back from beyond the counter. A burly man stepped out from behind a drab curtain. He smiled at Jo, but his smile faded when he saw Eddy standing behind her.

  “I brought a friend, the one that was interested in that watch,” Jo explained.

  “I don't like friends,” he said darkly and glared openly at Eddy.

  “Don't worry, pal, I'm not any competition,” Eddy said casually. “I don't have a lot of time, do you have what I need or not?”

  “Yes,” he said and continued to study Eddy with clear disapproval. “You can come back with me, Jo, but he needs to stay out here.”

  “I don't think so,” Eddy said sharply. “I don't trust this one any more than I trust you. How do I know you won't be switching out the watch while I'm not looking?”

  “Hmm,” Roger shook his head slowly. “I don't know where you find these people, Jo,” he sighed. “Fine, come on back. Let's get this over with.”

  He turned and walked back behind the curtain. Jo shot Eddy a brief glare, then she followed after Roger. Eddy stayed right behind her. The back room was filled with neatly stacked boxes and wire shelving ran the length of the walls.

  “Here it is,” Roger said when he pulled down a small box. “Now,” he turned to face Eddy with a grim stare. “This isn't the exact watch that you asked for.”

  “What?” Eddy asked with displeasure. “You said you had the watch.”

  “I did have the watch, but not anymore,” Roger explained. “I sold it almost right away. But, I have a similar watch that I'm willing to offer you.”

  “I don't want a similar watch,” Eddy snapped. Jo placed her hand lightly on his arm to calm him.

  “Listen Roger, it isn't so much the watch that we're interested in. We want to know who sold it to you,” she tilted her head a little and smiled seductively at the man. “Do you think that's something that you could tell us?”

  “Why would I?” he asked in a low growl. “I knew that you were up to something, Jo. I don't hear from you when you get out of the clink, and now you're calling in favors. What is this really about?”

  “The watch belonged to a good friend of mine,” Eddy interrupted. “It has sentimental value. I want to find out who stole it so I can pound the life out of them.”

  “Oh,” Roger laughed a little. “Well, I guess that makes more sense. Hmm,” he reached up and scratched at his cheek where a few pimples resided amidst stubble. “Well, I didn't catch his name, but I can tell you he has a tattoo on his arm. A snake.”

  “You really can't tell us anything else?” Jo pressed.

  “He doesn't need to,” Eddy said gravely. “I know exactly who it was. Thanks for your time,” he nodded at Roger and then started to walk away.

  “Wait just a minute,” Roger said. “I don't want you causing any trouble on my account,” he growled.

  “Too late,” Eddy cast his words over his shoulder. He gestured to Jo to join him. Jo hesitated for a moment as if she might want to smooth things over with Roger, then reluctantly she followed after Eddy. As soon as they were outside she turned to face him.

  “What was that?” she demanded.

  “What?” Eddy asked innocently and unlocked the doors to the car.

  “You know exactly what,” Jo said with impatience. “I told you not to act like a cop. Now Roger is going to know that I associate with the police.”

  Eddy leaned against the top of the car, his eyes locked on Jo's. He let her words hang in the air for a moment before he spoke.

  “I'm not the police,” he said calmly. “Even if I was, I thought you were ready to turn your life around, Joanne? Why would you care what a criminal thinks of you?”

  Jo glared at him and jerked open the passenger side door. She ignored him as she settled into the seat. Eddy afforded her silence, and she did the same, and started the engine. He knew he had ruffled her feathers. As he drove back towards Sage Gardens she continued to fume. After a few minutes the tension seemed to subside.

  “Who do you think it was that stole the watch?” she asked.

  He didn't look in her direction. “That's not really your concern, is it?”

  “I helped you find out who it was, didn't I?” she shot a look of animosity towards him. Eddy continued to stare out through the windshield.

  “You did your part,” he said evenly as he pulled into Sage Gardens. “Now, I'll do mine.”

  “What are you going to do?” Jo asked as she stepped out of the car.

  “Never mind that,” Eddy shrugged off her attention and began walking away from the car.

  “Wait, maybe I can help,” Jo offered as she quickened her pace to catch up with him.

  “Oh, you're feeling particularly charitable today?” he asked and glanced over at her with distaste. “You've done enough.”

  “Apparently not,” Jo shot back with obvious frustration. “You don't seem to be giving me any credit for it.”

  “Credit?” he retorted. “You're lucky I don't turn you into the police.”

  “I didn't do anything wrong,” Jo growled.

  “You associated with a known criminal,” Eddy pointed out with a mild shrug. “With my say so, you could end up back in jail for quite a bit longer than you have left to live.”

  “You really are a jerk, you know that?” Jo snapped. “Forget it. I knew that I was making a mistake when I offered to help. None of you
r kind will ever see me as anything but a criminal no matter what I do.”

  “What do you care?” he questioned roughly.

  “I don't,” she shook her head and stomped away.

  Eddy turned and walked across the main square towards the main office. When he reached the door he was relieved to find it unlocked. He pushed the door open.

  “Where's Dale?” he asked the woman who was sitting behind the desk. He didn't recognize her, but that didn't surprise him, as the owners had been using temporary workers lately.

  “I think he's cleaning 32,” the woman replied slowly as if she wasn't sure if she should be giving him the information.

  Eddy didn't wait to hear another word from her. He turned and walked out of the office. He walked straight towards the villa where Dale should have been working. He spotted the small, white golf cart parked outside the villa stocked with an assortment of cleaning products. Eddy walked quietly up to the door of the villa which was propped open. He paused just outside the door and looked inside. He could hear Dale moving around inside.

  “I need to speak to you,” he said sternly.

  He heard something hit the ground. “Dale,” Eddy said again sharply. “I need to speak with you.”

  Dale reluctantly walked up to the door.

  “What?” he asked with defiance.

  “I know what you did,” Eddy growled.

  “What are you talking about?” Dale demanded and started to back up further into the house.

  “I know you stole his watch, did you poison him, too?” Eddy barked out.

  “Poison? Are you crazy?” Dale’s voice rose. “You have no idea what you're saying.”

  “I know exactly what I'm saying,” Eddy shot back and grabbed Dale by the wrist. He jerked his wrist until his arm was straight, revealing the snake tattoo that was hiding beneath the sleeve of his shirt.

  “The fence identified you, Dale,” Eddy explained as Dale yanked his wrist out of Eddy's grasp.

  “All right, all right,” Dale grimaced. “Really, it was a victimless crime. You know the pay here is nothing,” Dale said dismissively. “I can't survive on it. I knew how loaded James was. He would always brag to me about it while I was cleaning his villa. He liked to talk about how he could buy and sell the entire Sage Gardens if he wanted to.”

  “And?” Eddy asked as he stared at the young man incredulously.

  “And, when he died, I just,” he frowned and shook his head. “I mean it wasn't like he was going to miss it. Right?”

  “Dale,” Eddy sighed. His lips drew into a thin line of disappointment as he studied the young man. “You stole it?”

  “I took it,” Dale corrected him. “I mean, James liked me. If he had known he was going to die, he might have given me the watch.”

  “But he didn't,” Eddy said sharply. “He didn't give anything to you. You stole it.”

  “Have you ever been in my shoes?” Dale demanded. “I have rent to pay. How am I supposed to do that with this dead-end job? I needed something to just get me by until next month. I don't think that's such a terrible thing.”

  “It is a terrible thing,” Eddy snapped back. “I've been in your shoes, pal. I've worked my whole life, and I have never stolen from anyone. I always paid my bills on time, even if it meant I had to pull extra shifts or miss out on the things I wanted to do.”

  “Oh right, of course you did, back when rent was about a dollar a day,” he waved his hand dismissively.

  “A dollar a day?” Eddy growled in return. “Just how old do you think I am?”

  “I don't care,” Dale said and glared at Eddy. “The point is that you are never going to understand where I'm coming from.”

  “No, I'm not,” Eddy replied gruffly. “Because I am not a thief.”

  “Are you sure about that?” Dale chuckled. “So high and mighty like you've never made a mistake in your life. I wasn't even the only one casing the room. Someone got there before me. He was leaving when I was walking up. So, it's not like I was the only one. Go ahead, call the cops on me, get me fired. What's the difference? My life isn't going anywhere.”

  “Maybe it would if you made an effort,” Eddy challenged him. “I've made more mistakes than I care to recount, but I can tell you none of those mistakes ever led to me breaking the law. Instead, every time I messed up, I searched for a way to fix it. I learned, I grew, but I didn't steal.”

  “Whatever, spare me the lecture. Just do what you have to do and get me locked up,” Dale shook his head. Eddy pulled out his phone. He was just about to call the police, when he remembered what Jo had said to him. Keep your enemies close. Dale had admitted to stealing the watch. But that didn't make him a murderer. Slowly he slid his phone back into his pocket.

  “All right, Dale, I'm going to give you a chance to make up for what you've done,” Eddy said grimly.

  “What?” Dale stared at him in shock. “What do I have to do?”

  “All I want you to do is pay attention. Listen in on conversations. Notice who is coming and who is going. I don’t think James died of a heart attack, I think someone poisoned him, and now to make up for you stealing his watch, you're going to help figure out who did it,” Eddy said with confidence.

  “I don't know,” Dale hesitated. “I don't want to make a murderer angry.”

  “Well, the way I see it, Dale, you have two choices. You can either make a murderer angry, or you can make me angry,” Eddy raised his eyebrows. “Lock up is one phone call away.”

  “Fine,” Dale sighed. “I'll do it. I'll find out what I can,” he paused a moment and studied Eddy intently. “You're really not going to turn me in?”

  “Not just yet,” Eddy replied darkly. Then he walked away.

  Chapter 11

  When Eddy got back to his villa he had a decision to make. He could tell Samantha and Walt what he had learned about Dale, or he could keep it to himself. He was more than a little concerned that if he told them about Dale, they would want to have him arrested. Eddy knew that he should have him arrested. But he was hoping that Dale's desperation would prove to be valuable in the search for the murderer.

  Eddy was just about to settle into bed to try to get some rest when his cell phone rang. He glanced at the ID on the screen and found that it was Owen.

  “Hey, Owen,” Eddy said as he answered the phone.

  “Eddy, what's going on?” Owen asked with some urgency.

  “Is something wrong, Owen?” Eddy asked and sat up in his bed.

  “I heard from some of the staff that you've been tearing through the place, making demands,” Owen said quickly. “The office girl was so upset that she asked me if I thought she should call the police.”

  “I may have been a little extra passionate,” Eddy admitted. “I needed to find Dale. He's the one that stole James' watch.”

  “Did he kill James, too?” Owen asked with shock.

  “I don't think so. But I'm hoping that he can help us find out who did,” Eddy explained. “Anyway, I promise I won't scare the office lady anymore.”

  “Just be careful, Eddy,” Owen said. “I know that you're used to this kind of thing, but the last time you investigated a crime it was with a badge and a gun. This is a different kind of situation.”

  “I'm realizing that,” Eddy agreed. “Don't worry about me, Owen. I'll be just fine.”

  “Call me if you need anything,” Owen insisted.

  “Thanks, Owen,” Eddy said before hanging up the phone. It was nice for Eddy that Owen appeared to care about him. It seemed like a long time since someone had.

  Eddy closed his eyes and began running through the case in his mind. When he finally fell asleep, his thoughts were still racing. Even in his sleep his mind was filled with thoughts about James. James at his party. James enjoying a toast with his son and the rest of the guests at the party. James raising a full glass of wine while everyone cheered. James drinking the entire glass in one swift gulp.

  Eddy suddenly opened his eyes. He began to put two
and two together. He remembered that there was a bottle of wine that James was drinking from that he did not share with anyone else at the party. All of the others who had something alcoholic to drink had champagne, or white wine, while James' drink was a dark, red wine that he kept with the rest of his gifts. With his heart pounding he picked up his phone. He dialed Samantha's number. She picked up after the third ring.

  “Hello?” she asked with a yawn.

  “Samantha, it's Eddy,” he said.

  “How early is it?” Samantha asked and groaned.

  “Sorry, I just woke up and remembered something from the party. I wanted to see if you remembered it, too,” he explained.

  “Okay,” she sighed and yawned again. “What was it?”

  “James was drinking his own red wine,” Eddy said.

  “Yes,” Samantha replied after thinking about it for a moment. “I do remember that.”

  “So, the wine could have been poisoned,” Eddy rushed forward. “It might not have ever been the cupcake that was the murder weapon. It could have been the wine.”

  “The wine,” Samantha repeated. “Where did the wine come from?”

  “That's what I don't know,” Eddy replied. “I remember noticing the way that James hid it under the table his gifts were on, as if he didn't want to share. You would think he would offer someone a glass, at least his son.”

  “If he was being that greedy with it, then it was probably a favorite wine of his,” Samantha pointed out. “Maybe it was a gift from someone who knew him quite well.”

  “Maybe,” Eddy agreed. “But who?”

  “I think we should go through the guest list. See if we can work out who gave him a gift and then talk to them,” Samantha suggested.

  “That will take quite some time,” Eddy said as he shook his head. “Just about everyone at Sage Gardens was at that party.”

  “Then maybe we should start with those that were not from Sage Gardens,” Samantha said thoughtfully. “Maybe even guests that showed up unexpectedly.”

  “Good idea,” Eddy nodded.

  “We'll get to the bottom of this,” Samantha said.