Zee Town Paranormal Cozy Mystery - Complete Series Omnibus: Books 1 - 6

by K E O'Connor

  The Flounder paused in the inspection of his nets. “Strange foods? He mainly ate the fish. I used to chuck him the runts and the ones that aren’t suitable to sell. He was one of the most well-fed zombies around here. He smelt a bit, but the fish gave him everything he needed.”

  I breathed shallowly through my mouth. The Flounder gave off his own gut churning fishy aroma. “You weren’t feeding him vegetables or foods that don’t digest well with zombies?”

  “What kind of crazy questioning is this?” The Flounder scratched underneath his cap. “Digger got fish, and that was it. It was a cheap way to pay him.”

  “You paid him in fish?”

  “That’s right. He was happy with the arrangement,” The Flounder said. “He lived in the shelter, so didn’t need any money.”

  “Do you pay all your deck hands in produce?”

  The Flounder snorted, it was a phlegmy unpleasant noise in the back of his throat. “No, the human ones get money.”

  That was unfair and discriminating against zombies. “You should pay them a fair wage, you know.”

  “Sure. If I did that, I wouldn’t have enough deck hands on board. That’s never going to happen. The zombies don’t complain. If they did, I might change things. As it stands, they get paid in fish. They’re happy and so am I.” He flung a net across the deck.

  I jumped to the side to avoid being covered in seaweed and fish slime. “So, even if Digger is sick or needed a day off for an emergency, you can’t give him his job back?”

  “That’s about the size of it.”

  “Have you already replaced him?”

  “Sure have,” The Flounder said. “Fetch, get up here.”

  The below deck door opened. A young looking zombie of about eighteen stumbled up the steps, a large bucket in his hands.

  “This is Digger’s replacement,” The Flounder said. “Fetch likes to gut the fish, but he’ll do anything I ask him to.”

  I tried hard not to grimace as the smell of decaying fish wafted toward me. “Make sure you pay him fairly.”

  “He gets paid in fish, the same as Digger did. You can’t tell me to do otherwise.”

  Although I couldn’t, the Council could. They did spot checks on businesses to make sure this kind of exploitation didn’t happen.

  I wasn’t immediately reaching for my phone to report The Flounder because I could imagine the Council being less than impressed at having to investigate a fishing trawler. They wouldn’t want to get their hands dirty. It wouldn’t do any harm to drop them a line and let them know there was exploitation going on.

  “Are we finished?” The Flounder asked. “The tide’s turning soon. Unless you want to come to sea with us, you’d better get off my boat.”

  I nodded, more than happy to leave. “If you can think of anything strange about Digger, can you let me know? He’s not the only one who’s gone missing. I’m worried about our zombies.”

  “You worry your pretty little head about your fun dances and the ridiculous hearts and flowers that are going up around town. I’ll worry about providing you with fish. We’ll leave it at that.” The Flounder turned toward Fetch and flicked a handful of fish at him.

  My gag reflex kicked in and I jumped off the boat, hurrying away and taking in large gulps of icy sea air to clear my senses of the overwhelming aroma of decaying fish.

  The Flounder’s treatment of zombies wasn’t appropriate.

  I turned and looked back at his boat. Maybe his dislike of zombies extended beyond his crew? Could he be involved in them going missing? What would The Flounder want with zombies? Could he force them to work for him and discard them on the beach when they perished or got too weak to work?

  The fact he wasn’t looking after his zombie deck hands properly meant he was going on my list of suspects, along with Bill. Plus, The Flounder had easy access to the beach, given that he lived on his boat most of the year.

  Someone was taking the zombies, and The Flounder could be mean enough to exploit them and dispose of their bodies like they were a piece of trash.

  The thought made me shudder as I hurried to the office to open up and focus on what The Flounder called my ridiculous hearts and flowers business.

  Ridiculous or not, Valentine’s Day was fast approaching. Love didn’t wait, especially not for me.

  Chapter 7

  I moved from my seat to the window and back again. I settled at my desk but was up a few moments later to make a drink and stare out the window some more.

  I was achieving nothing. My thoughts kept flicking to how I’d seen The Flounder treat his new deck hand and how offhand he was about the loss of Digger.

  There was a worrying pattern to the zombie disappearances. I couldn’t write them off as coincidence. Pushing away from the window with a sigh, I donned my coat, hat, and gloves, and grabbed my purse.

  “Zara, I need a break. Is there anything I can get you from the diner?”

  “No, got beef broth here,” she said.

  “I won’t be long. I’m going to get lunch and visit Jen.” I needed to discuss what was going on with the zombies and see if I could get clarity on the puzzle pieces drifting around my head.

  A quick dash to the diner for two takeout filled rolls and two teas was followed by an equally fast dash to Jen’s salon.

  I held up the brown paper bag full of goodies as I entered, and Jen’s eyes brighten when she spotted me.

  She pointed to the back of the salon where she had a small kitchen area with a table and chairs. “I won’t be long. Make yourself comfortable.”

  I walked through the salon and set our food in the kitchen, shrugging off my coat as I waited for Jen.

  “I just had to get my last customer sorted.” Jen hurried through and sat down. “She’s one of my regulars and comes in every week for a set and blow dry. Everyone else can spare me ten minutes.”

  “Great. I thought you might like something to eat,” I said, pushing one of the filled rolls over to Jen, along with a tea.

  “Definitely. Your timing is perfect. I was about to call to see if you wanted to get lunch.” She checked the contents of the roll and made an appreciative noise. “So, what’s new?”

  “Missing zombies.”

  Her eyebrows jumped. “What makes you say that?”

  “Beatrice at the post office has disappeared. The Flounder’s deck hand, Digger, has gone missing. Chris from Bill’s store is also missing, and so is Aubrey. The disappearances are connected.”

  “Connected how?”

  “I don’t know yet.”

  “What’s happening to them?” A look of concern crossed Jen’s face.

  “I’m not sure. Some of the people they work for are concerned. Laura’s so worried about Audrey, and Drew at the post office wants Beatrice back. The others weren’t so bothered. The Flounder had already replaced his deck hand with another zombie. And Bill doesn’t want Chris at the store anymore.”

  “It’s not simply people dumping their zombies because they don’t want them anymore?”

  “Dumping them where?”

  Jen scratched her nose. “I’m not sure. It would need to be somewhere they couldn’t get away from. Otherwise, they’d simply come back to town.”

  I shook my head. “I think someone is taking the zombies.”

  “Who would take a load of zombies from Zee Town?” Jen asked. “And for what purpose?”

  “That’s what I’ve been wondering,” I said.

  “And where would they hide them?” Jen asked. “They must know the area if they can conceal that many zombies.”

  I frowned. “Which means it’s someone local.”

  Jen put down her half-eaten roll. “Do you think Phil’s death is linked to the disappearances?”

  “I’m almost positive,” I said. “It seems odd that his body turns up on the beach and then other zombies go missing.”

  “Phil wasn’t employed anywhere in Zee Town,” Jen said. “He’d been with us five months, possibly less, and he st
ayed in the shelter. It was hard to find him a job he could do, given he only had one arm. He seemed content enough. I can’t figure out why someone would want to harm him.”

  “I dropped by the station. Alex revealed that Phil may have starved to death. He had barely any of the right food in his stomach. It’s as if whoever took him didn’t know how to feed a zombie properly to keep them healthy.”

  “That’s horrible.” Jen grimaced. “And cruel.”

  “What’s worrying me, is if this same person has taken more zombies, they could be feeding them the wrong food, too. We might end up with a more dead zombies because someone doesn’t know how to look after them.”

  “Unless they’re doing it deliberately,” Jen said. “Someone with a grudge against the zombies. They’re feeding them the wrong type of food because they know it’ll kill them.”

  “Why go to that trouble?” I said. “Why feed them anything? Or simply chop off their heads if they want revenge or have some grievance with the zombies?”

  Jen gave a visible shudder. “Chop off their heads. That’s gruesome. I can’t think of anybody in Zee Town who’d want to do that.”

  “The Flounder might,” I said. “He doesn’t care about his deck hands. He only pays the zombies in fish. That’s unfair treatment. What’s to say he isn’t using the zombies and discarding them once they’ve served their purpose?”

  “What does Alex think of your theory?” A soppy smiled drifted across Jen’s face.

  “I didn’t get a chance to talk to him,” I said. “Nick made Alex go in the back office until I’d left. He got in trouble for revealing details about Phil’s case.”

  “He’s such a sweet guy,” Jen said. “Did I tell you we’re going to the dance together?”

  I grinned. “You may have mentioned it.”

  “I’m wondering what to wear,” Jen said. “I don’t want to be too formal, but I also want to show Alex I’ve made an effort. What should I go in?”

  “I’d keep it simple, something black and fitted. Understated. Classy.”

  Jen wrinkled her nose. “I’ve got a red dress with a skirt that billows out when you turn. I was thinking of wearing that.”

  I shrugged, my thoughts still on the zombies. “That sounds nice. What should I do about these missing zombies?”

  “Maybe they’ll turn up,” Jen said. “I was also considering putting my hair up. Alex likes my curls down, but they might get in the way if we do a lot of dancing. A more formal do could look nice.”

  “You’ll look lovely. Whatever you do with your hair, it looks good,” I said. “Do you think it’s worth me looking for the zombies?”

  “What does Alex think you should do?”

  I repressed a sigh. “He didn’t get a chance to tell me his opinions. Please, don’t tell me you’re turning into a woman who only listens to her boyfriend?”

  “Noooooo!” She whacked my arm. “I have opinions.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to check with Alex to make sure that’s true?”

  “Don’t be mean!” Jen’s cheeks flushed. “I’m in the first stages of a relationship. It’s fun.”

  I’d forgotten what that was like. I tried not to be jealous. “So, in your opinion, what should I do next?”

  “Wait a few more days,” Jen said. “You’ve got the Valentine’s Day events coming up. That will occupy your time. Where would you even start to look?”

  “I have no clue, and limited resources to get started.” Jen was right, I would be busy over the next few days and couldn’t cover much ground on my own. “I hate to think that some of our zombies are in trouble, though.”

  “If they haven’t shown up after the dance, I’ll help you look,” Jen said. “Perhaps there’s nothing to it, and they’ll be back by then.”

  I finished eating my roll. “Nick suggested this is simply what zombies do when they get to a certain age. He told me I was overreacting.”

  “What did you think about Nick’s comments?” A wry smile crossed Jen’s face.

  “As usual, I thought he was an idiot,” I said.

  “Alex gets on with him,” Jen said. “He says Nick keeps to himself and doesn’t often answer personal questions, but they work well together.”

  I grudgingly agreed, knowing that Nick was fighting to keep funding for Alex’s job. “Nick does look out for Alex.”

  “And Nick does love Stool,” Jen said.

  “I get it. Nick isn’t a total idiot, just a stubborn one.”

  “Stubborn! Hmmm, I know someone else like that. Who could it be?”

  “Maybe you should ask Alex.”

  “Hey! Not fair. I’m still a strong, independent woman, just one with a boyfriend.”

  I finished my tea and stood. “Sure you are. I need to get back to the office and get the card deliveries sorted this afternoon.”

  Jen grinned at me. “I wonder if I’ll get anything this year.”

  I paused. Alex had yet to drop off a card at the office. I hoped he’d give Jen something romantic for Valentine’s Day. “You’ll get something. Unlike me. I’ve no hope of getting a card this year.”

  “You never know,” Jen said.

  “Don’t you dare send me one.”

  “I won’t. I promise. You warned me off. I take your threats seriously.”

  “Good, because that’s just lame if I get a card from you.” I binned my empty food bag and takeout cup, before saying a goodbye and hurrying out into the chilly afternoon.

  I slowed as I reached Bill’s store. It was time to have another chat with Bill about his missing zombie. There was something niggling in the back of my mind about what had happened to Chris.

  I pulled open the door of the store and walked inside. I couldn’t see Bill, but felt a surprising thrill when I spotted Grant serving a customer.

  He smiled as I approached. “What can I get you, Cassie? Are you doing a spot of DIY this weekend? We’ve just had a new delivery of paint.”

  “Definitely not,” I said. “If I ever need anything like that doing, I ask your uncle for help. He’s assisted in putting up shelves, laying tiles in my kitchen, and even helped re-plumb the bathroom sink when I had a leak.”

  “Uncle Bill is handy when it comes to things like that,” Grant said.

  “Is he around? I wanted to have a catch up with him about Chris.”

  “No such luck,” Grant said. “He’s had to go out of town on business for a few days. He won’t be back till after the weekend. Possibly not even until the end of next week.”

  “He left you in charge?” I was surprised. Grant had only just arrived. I had no idea how experienced he was in retail. Bill loved this store and hated to leave it for long.

  “He has. I don’t think he had much choice,” Grant said. “He’s had this trip planned for a while. It was good timing that I was here. Uncle Bill needed someone he trusted to oversee the place.”

  “You don’t know anything about the whereabouts of Chris, do you?” It was a long shot, given how new Grant was to town.

  “I didn’t even meet him. He’d gone before I arrived,” Grant said.

  “Chris always seemed so reliable. I can’t figure out why he left the store without even speaking to Bill.”

  “Uncle Bill has always been jumpy around zombies.” Grant shrugged. “You know what happened to Auntie Mary?”

  I nodded. “Bill told me.”

  “I understand why he might not trust a zombie,” Grant said. “I’m surprised he decided to stay here.”

  “You don’t think he’d ever hurt one?”

  Grant grinned. “He wouldn’t hurt a fly. Uncle Bill is one of the good ones.” He leaned over the counter toward me. I got an enticing whiff of his musky cologne. “This is my first experience living alongside placid zombies. I’ve read a lot about them online. And, of course, I was there during the zombie uprising. I’ve seen what rabid zombies can do. These seem different.”

  “They’re very different, but it does take time to get used to t
hem,” I said. “Don’t believe everything the media tells you about placid zombies. They aren’t so different to us.”

  “There are lots of interesting articles and information online,” Grant said. “It’s where I get my news. I don’t trust the rubbish they spout on the TV. They’re always trying to scare people about zombies. I think they’re interesting.”

  “You’re absolutely right,” I said. “As you’ve seen by living in Zee Town, placid zombies are decent. Providing we look after them properly, they’re an asset.”

  “Except when they go missing,” Grant said.

  I frowned. “Well, yes, that is a problem I need to solve.”

  “Are you looking for Chris?”

  “Not just Chris,” I said. “He’s not the only one to disappear.”

  “Well, if I see him, or he turns up, do you want me to let you know?” Grant asked.

  “Yes, that would be good. It’s one less thing on my mind.”

  “Give me your number. I’ll call you if I get any news about Chris.”

  I tried not to let the fact that I was exchanging numbers with a good-looking guy go to my head. This was strictly business.

  “You can call me on that number about anything tourist related as well. I’m the font of knowledge if you need a place to stay or plan a fun day out in Zee Town.” I clamped my lips shut to stop from babbling.

  “Of course, you’ve got the Valentine’s events coming up,” Grant said. “Am I still on for a ticket for the dance?”

  “Absolutely, it’ll be good to have you there.” I could get used to staring into Grant’s beautiful green eyes. Was he single? There was no ring on his finger and he’d said nothing about a girlfriend.

  “If you weren’t working at the event, I might have asked you to accompany me,” Grant said.

  I was too surprised to speak. It had been ages since anyone had paid me a compliment or shown interest in me. And now, the hottest guy in town was smiling at me and almost inviting me out.

  “That’s kind of you,” I said. “You never know, I might save you a dance.”

  Grant’s smile widened. “I’ll hold you to that. Consider your dance card marked with my name.”