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

by Cindy Bell

  There were a few piles of clothes and other mess throughout the hallway and the entrance of the bedroom. Derek was clearly not the tidy type. He also was not in the house as far as Eddy could see.

  “He’s not here.” Eddy turned around and bumped right into Samantha. Samantha tried to step back, but her foot caught on a pile of dirty laundry. She stumbled and hit the wall hard. A picture that hung precariously on the wall crashed down and struck the floor.

  “Yikes, that wasn’t exactly stealthy.” Samantha cringed.

  “Don’t worry he’s not here.”

  “We should go, we don’t know when they might be coming back.” Samantha started towards the door.

  “Wait.”

  “Eddy, we agreed not to break in.”

  “Well, we didn’t actually break in. We walked in, but now that we’re here, we might as well take a look around.” He kicked over a pile of clothes and picked up a crumpled piece of paper. He opened it to see it was just a receipt for some groceries. Eddy threw it back down on the floor.

  “Eddy, Jo’s already looked around. We don’t have any idea where Derek is, and we don’t have any lookouts. I don’t think this is a good idea.” Samantha grabbed him by the hand. “Let’s go. I have a bad feeling.”

  Eddy looked at her for a moment. He was about to point out that bad feelings weren’t a reason to abandon an investigation when her words sunk in. He knew she was right. It was too risky to do a full search.

  “All right, let me just put the painting back,” Eddy said.

  “Okay quickly. Who knows when Derek will be back.” Samantha started towards the painting. Eddy followed after her. Before she could get near it, Eddy tugged her sharply towards the wall.

  “Eddy!” Samantha protested

  Eddy clamped a hand down over her mouth and pulled her into the coat closet beside the front door.

  “He’s coming,” he hissed in her ear. They both heard the slam of two car doors in the driveway. Eddy realized that maybe hiding in the coat closet wasn’t the best idea, but that’s where they were, and it was too late to make a different choice. The door to the house swung open. Two voices filled the front entrance.

  “Why is the painting on the floor?”

  “Maybe it just fell off the wall.”

  The first voice was Derek. Eddy was surprised to hear that the second voice belonged to Karl, the security guard.

  “Paintings don’t just fall off the wall.” Derek sounded annoyed. “I think someone’s been here.”

  “Do you think it’s Charlie?”

  Samantha leaned closer to the door to listen. Eddy pulled her back behind him.

  “Sh. Not a word.” Eddy pushed her towards the back of the closet. Even though he wasn’t touching her chest, he could feel her heart pounding. Maybe it was his heart pounding, but he suspected it was hers. He could hear the commotion outside the door.

  “No, if it was Charlie, we would be dead,” Derek hissed. “I’m going to take a quick look around. Make sure no one is in here.” Eddy and Samantha didn’t dare move. They waited frozen on the spot in anticipation of Derek opening the closet door. They heard Derek’s footsteps as he walked around the house.

  “Must be long gone,” Derek said. Eddy and Samantha relaxed slightly.

  “Maybe no one was even here.”

  “Someone was here, I’m sure of it.” Derek’s voice raised. “Someone has been asking the police about the case. Someone is onto us. I can feel it. If Charlie gets wind of it, she’s going to panic, that’s why we need to figure out what to do.”

  “What do you mean?” Karl sounded frightened. “I’m not doing anything to upset Charlie.”

  “I’m not doing anything to upset Charlie,” Derek repeated in a mocking tone. “Do you think that woman would hesitate to kill you, Karl? You’re the weakest link out of all of us.”

  “That’s not fair. I did my part.”

  “You almost got us caught in the process.” Derek snarled. Eddy wondered if he was talking about the robbery or murder.

  “Does Charlie know that?”

  “It doesn’t matter what Charlie knows. The only thing you should worry about is who else knows? Have you told anyone anything, Karl? Because somehow someone is looking into us. If it was the cops, then we would be in handcuffs. Cops don’t break into houses, they get warrants.”

  “Uh well.”

  Eddy cringed inside the closet. He hoped that Karl wasn’t going to tell Derek about his meeting with Eddy. If he did then Eddy would be even more of a target than he already was. Which would make finding him and Samantha in the closet even more dangerous. Would Derek hesitate to kill them both? He felt Samantha’s hand slide into his own. Normally it would inspire awkward feelings within him, but at that moment, he was relieved to feel it.

  “Uh, well what?” Derek shouted. “Who did you tell, Karl?”

  “I didn’t tell anyone, exactly.”

  “Answer the damn question. Don’t play word games with me.” Derek sounded as if he was about to explode.

  “Look, I needed to protect myself, my family. You know, I’m not a criminal.”

  “You are now,” Derek snapped. “You’re just as much a criminal as the rest of us. You agreed to be part of this.”

  Eddy narrowed his eyes. He had suspected that Karl lied about being forced to be part of the robbery. Karl was quite manipulative as well. It appeared that he tried to play the victim when he was willingly involved the entire time.

  “Whatever. I have a lot more to lose. I don’t want to go to prison. I wouldn’t do well there.”

  “You sure wouldn’t. So you better keep your mouth shut. Who did you tell? I’ll take care of it.”

  “No wait…”

  Eddy heard the door swing open, and the two men fell instantly silent.

  “Karl, what are you doing here?” Eddy froze as he recognized the voice. Charlie. There was no way they were getting out of there with Charlie just outside the door.

  “We’re just having a conversation, Charlie.” Derek sounded nervous.

  “A conversation without me? About me?” Charlie’s voice raised. “Do you know how this looks to me?” She slammed the door closed behind her.

  “It’s not what you think.” Karl sounded terrified. “Charlie, we’re just sorting out a few things.”

  “You shouldn’t be sorting anything out without talking to me first. Get away from the door. Get into the living room, away from the windows.”

  “Why?” Karl questioned with a trembling voice. “Why do we have to be away from the windows?”

  “Why? Because I told you to. I don’t want anyone spotting the three of us together. I’m already annoyed that I have to be here right now. If you two idiots didn’t keep messing things up, everything would be fine, and we wouldn’t even have to look at each other.”

  Eddy heard footsteps as the three shuffled past the closet. He was relieved that there would now be some distance between them. He thought about edging the closet door open. They could attempt to run out the door before they were seen. However, he knew that would be taking a huge risk. The three were still talking loudly enough for Eddy and Samantha to hear them.

  “Why don’t you two start telling me the truth?” Charlie’s voice smoothed out. Her confidence had built up again. “There’s no way either of you are leaving this room without telling me.”

  “All right, all right.” Karl cleared his throat. “I’m meeting with Derek because I wanted to know about the money.”

  “The money? What money?” Charlie snarled.

  “Look, you said when the job was done we’d split the money. Now we’ve given some of that money to the cops. I want to know where the rest of that money is.” Karl’s voice tried to get stronger, but it didn’t have the confidence to make it. Eddy knew that Karl was talking about the money the police found with John. He wanted to try and record the conversation in case Charlie admitted to the murder, but he didn’t dare move.

  “You want to kno
w? Rent-a-cop? You’re the only one out of all of us that saw some real cash, so what are you complaining about?”

  “It’s not just him,” Derek broke in, his voice was rough. “I want my share, too. We did everything you asked, we want our money now. I want out of all of this before the heat kicks in.”

  “There will be no heat.” Charlie sighed. “Listen boys, you’re falling for it. This is what ruins a great heist. Dissent. Panic. Idiocy. We need to wait, just a little while longer. A few more days and the robbery will be a distant memory. Then you’ll get your money and we can all move on.”

  “That’s easy for you to say.” Derek’s voice raised. “You have all of the money.”

  “I don’t have it. I know where it is. I can access it,” she said.

  “I want to see it. How do I know that you even have it? You could have spent it all. Your dead ex-boyfriend might have had the only cash that was left,” Derek sounded furious as he spat out his words.

  “You’re out of control, Derek. Do I need to remind you of exactly who I am?”

  “No, no. I’m sorry.” Derek’s tone shifted so fast that Eddy was shocked. It made him wonder just who this woman was that she could make a man like Derek submit to her so easily. “I’m just getting anxious. You know there’s been these people sniffing around. I think someone was in my house.”

  “Derek, you’re just getting paranoid. Stay inside, keep your head down, don’t worry about anyone sniffing around. We’re almost out of the danger zone. Then we’ll all be living the good life. Just keep your cool a little bit longer. Understand?”

  “Yeah, I understand,” Derek muttered.

  “Karl?” Charlie’s voice was sharp.

  “Yes, I understand.” Karl sounded spooked.

  “All right. I don’t want to even think about the two of you trying to do anything to cause me any trouble. I promise you, if I get the slightest bit anxious about my decision to trust you two, I’m going to make you pay the price.”

  Silence followed her harsh words, until the front door slammed shut indicating that she had left. Eddy knew that he had to get Samantha out of there before the two men discovered them. He reached for the door knob. When he heard the two men begin to talk again, he froze.

  “She’s crazy. You know that don’t you?” Karl’s voice was filled with urgency.

  “Karl, just calm down.”

  “I’m not going to calm down. I know what’s going to happen. Either you two are going to set me up to take the fall, or I’m going to end up hurt or worse. I’m not the idiot that you think I am, Derek.”

  “You’re acting like one right now. You heard Charlie, she’s being smart about things. You’re the one who’s about to mess everything up. Now, who did you talk to about the robbery?”

  Eddy looked over his shoulder at Samantha. He knew there was only one way he could protect her.

  “Stay here,” he whispered. “No matter what.” He met her eyes through the shadows, inside the closet. “I mean it, Samantha.”

  “What are you going to do, Eddy?” Her eyes widened with fear.

  “Never mind, just keep quiet and stay here until I say it’s safe.” He gazed into her eyes with a hard stare. “Please.”

  “I will.” Samantha nodded. Eddy turned back towards the door. He could hear Karl and Derek still arguing in the living room. He turned the knob on the door and stepped out. Then he quickly closed the door behind him.

  “He talked to me, that’s who he talked to.”

  Both men looked at him in shock.

  “I knew it, I knew someone had broken into my house!” Derek snarled. “Who the hell are you?”

  “I’m nobody,” Eddy started to explain, but before he could Derek had him slammed back against the closet door.

  “Wait, Derek don’t, he’s a cop. Or at least he used to be,” Karl gasped.

  Derek’s eyes widened. “What is going on here?” He looked from Karl to Eddy and then back to Karl. “Why would you talk to a cop about us?”

  “I’m not a cop. Not anymore.” Eddy looked between them. “That’s why he talked to me. He knew that I could help him.”

  “Help him with what?” Derek’s cheeks were bright red. His eyes squinted with rage as he looked at Karl.

  “Like I said, I was expecting you and Charlie to double-cross me. I thought Eddy could give me some advice about how to navigate a plea deal.” Karl took a step back. “But I didn’t go through with it, Derek, did I? I’m here aren’t I?”

  “Is this some kind of set up?” Derek demanded.

  “No, not at all.” Eddy frowned. “I want a cut.” It was hard for him to even speak those words, but he knew the only way to get out of the situation was to lie. “After Karl came to me and told me that he had been involved, I thought about it, and decided I wanted in on the action. I’m retired now and money is tight. So, I want some cash in exchange for my silence and my advice.”

  “Why would I ever need advice from you?” Derek shook his head. “This is ridiculous. Charlie was right, I should have gotten rid of you.” He scowled at Karl.

  “Sure, you seem to have everything under control. At least until Charlie decides that she doesn’t want to share that money. Boys, if we play our cards right, you won’t have to share it with her. I have enough proof now to put her away for a long time, but first we need to find out where the money is. Otherwise she’ll be in jail and we’ll all still be broke.”

  Eddy’s stomach twisted. He knew that he was taking a huge chance.

  “Listen to him, Derek. Do you really think Charlie is going to give us our share?” Karl shook his head. “I never thought you’d want a cut, but if that’s what you want, Eddy, you’ll get it. What’s your plan for getting the money?”

  “Quiet!” Derek slammed his hands against his temples. “Everything is changing too fast. Why should I let you in on the deal?”

  “Because you’re not going to be rich without my help. You’re just going to be dead. If you let me in on the money, then I can make sure that you get everything you want. I will keep you out of jail, and together we can pin everything on Charlie. Then she doesn’t kill you, doesn’t get any of the money, and will be the only one paying the price.”

  “You can’t really do all of that.” Derek shook his head. “I don’t believe it.”

  “No?” Eddy smiled. “I got in here didn’t I? Without you knowing? I know that the man that was murdered was Charlie’s ex. She should have known better than to bring personal stuff into all of this. They are eventually going to make the connection between the murdered man and her, and then the police will have every reason to suspect her.”

  “He has a point.” Karl frowned. “She wants to spin all of this around on us, but she’s not expecting us to do the same. I think she’s ready to get rid of both of us. So, what’s the difference if we share the money with Charlie or with Eddy? At least we might stay alive.” Karl shrugged. “I think we should go for it.”

  “And how exactly are we going to do that?” Derek scowled. “It’s not like Charlie is just going to tell us where the money is.”

  “Don’t worry about that. I can find the money.” Eddy smirked. “I have a guy.”

  “Oh?” Derek shook his head. “I guess you’re ready to trade in your life of justice for a life of crime.”

  “Crime pays better.” Eddy shrugged.

  “Hm.” Derek studied him intently. “How do I know you won’t cross us?”

  “You don’t. Just like you don’t know if Charlie will. The difference is I don’t have an ego that needs to be stroked. I don’t have any reason to take you out of the equation. I just want some cash, just like the two of you.” Eddy did his best to sound convincing. It wasn’t completely untrue. A financial windfall would be very nice for him. But he would never become a criminal to get it.

  “I don’t know.” Derek shook his head. “All of this seems too strange.”

  “Stranger than trusting a woman who keeps threatening our lives?” Karl
shook his head. “I think we should just talk it through. See what Eddy has to offer us.”

  “Let’s do that.” Derek nodded.

  “How about that little coffee shop where you and Charlie met yesterday?” Eddy smiled. “I know all about that meeting.”

  “How?” Derek’s eyes widened.

  “Like I said, I have information on all of you. I don’t want to send you to jail. I just want a cut. So, let’s go have some lunch boys.”

  “All right.” Karl nodded. “Derek?”

  “I could eat.” Derek sighed.

  Eddy knew that as soon as he had them out of the house Samantha would be able to escape. What he didn’t know was how he was going to convince two criminals that he was a criminal just like them.

  Chapter 14

  The ride to the coffee shop in Derek’s car was nerve-wracking. Eddy’s heart pounded the entire time. He wondered if Samantha had managed to get out of the closet. He didn’t dare call her. He didn’t want to do anything to tip off the men that he was riding with that he had not been honest with them. Derek parked in front of the coffee shop.

  “I think this was a bad idea. What if Charlie sees us? She’s always here.” Karl frowned.

  “So, what if she does? Let her sweat it out a bit.” Derek smirked.

  Eddy saw his chance to escape. “All right look, there’s no need to antagonize her. Why don’t I go see my guy about finding out where the money is? You two can hash out whatever you need to hash out. We can meet back at Derek’s tomorrow morning to discuss things.”

  “That’s awful fast,” Derek said. “Why are you rushing things?”

  “Do you want to wait for Charlie to pick you off one by one so she can keep all of the money?” Eddy laughed. “I thought you were smarter than that, Derek.”

  “All right, all right. We’ll meet at my place tomorrow morning. No funny business.”

  “Do you need us to take you somewhere?” Karl offered. Eddy was reminded that he still had an honorable nature.