East Pender Boxed Set: Cozy Mystery Series Bundle of Books 1-14

by Leona Fox

  For a long time Ellen lay there, letting her thoughts drift from the past to the future and back again, crossing over the present on the way. She sighed softly, for she was pleased with her life and how comfortable it had become. She didn't have to struggle for money and she had some good strong relationships with Andy and Kelly, and Scampy, too, she thought, as she cracked her eyes open and looked at the dog. She reached over to scratch behind his ear and smiled as he panted in happiness. She poured out the last bit of water in her bottle into her hands and let him lap it up, smiling as the feeling of his tongue tickled her palm. But she, too, was thirsty and her throat was sore and dry and craving some cool liquid refreshment.

  It took a tremendous effort but she pushed herself up from the grass and trudged over to the winding concrete path that slalomed through the park. She followed it to the huge fountain that was the centerpiece of the entire area. It was an ornate carved fountain with a number of intricate designs and patterns to it, and the crystal water flowed freely for anyone to drink. Sitting on the bottom of the fountain were a number of coins, all tossed in as people made wishes.

  Ellen sat on the edge of the fountain and patted the side to indicate for Scampy to jump up as well. He leaned over and lapped up the water. His legs strained so much Ellen was afraid he would fall in, although she had to admit to herself it would have been amusing had he done so. She held her bottle into the water until it filled up, then took some long gulps before filling it up again. The water trickled down her jaws and her top, and the feeling of it was refreshing. She wiped it away and breathed in deeply as she looked at the peaceful scenery around her. Even though it was the middle of the morning there were only a few other people around and all of them seemed to be minding their own business.

  When she got up, Ellen dug around in her pockets and pulled out a coin. She wasn't superstitious at all but sometimes there was no harm in it, so she tossed a coin in the water and made a wish. The coin landed with a soft plop and sank to the bottom of the fountain.

  “Oh my God?! What?!”

  Ellen's head twisted around to see a girl sitting on a bench with a phone glued to her ear. Her face was drawn with worry and she was sitting hunched forward. Her feet were tapping against the ground and her fingers were playing with her hair in a nervous manner. Ellen continued watching her as the girl, who Ellen estimated to be in her early 20s, so really she wasn't a girl at all but now that Ellen had reached middle age she had formed the unfortunate habit of referring to anyone under thirty as 'boy' or girl', ended the call and sat with a stark look on her face. Her eyes were wide with terror as though she had just received news of something that she simply couldn't believe, and she seemed to be trapped there, frozen, unable to move.

  Ellen approached her quietly and spoke softly.

  “Excuse me, are you alright?” she asked, but the girl appeared to be in a trance and did not answer Ellen.

  So she tentatively reached out a hand and jostled the young girl's shoulder. This was successful in easing her out of her trance and she turned her eyes to Ellen.

  “Are you okay?” Ellen repeated.

  “I...I don't know,” the girl said, and moved her gaze back to the ground. Ellen pressed her lips together and took a seat beside her.

  “What's wrong? Do you need help? Or someone to talk to?”

  “No it...it's my friend. I was supposed to meet her here about an hour ago but she never showed up. She's always like this. I mean, she's always late. So I didn't think anything of it but then I started to get worried because she's never this late and she wasn't answering her phone.”

  “Was that her on the phone? Is she in trouble?” Ellen asked, her own voice starting to sound worried. She knew things had been too quiet in East Pender recently.

  “No, I mean, yes I think she's in trouble but that wasn't her on the phone. That was our other friend. I asked her to go check on Ella but she just called and said that the front door has been kicked in. I mean, it's terrible. What could have happened? Who could have done this?” she said, and as she did so her voice cracked and her eyes filled with tears.

  Ellen placed a hand around her shoulder and told her that it was going to be okay, that she was going to go over there with her and check it out and that she knew someone who could help. As she cradled the girl's trembling body against her she called Andy.

  “I've just run into a girl in the park, I think there's something you should come and see...apparently her friend Ella has had her door kicked in. We're going over there now to check it out,” she said. Then asked the girl for the address, which Ellen passed over to Andy, who readily agreed to meet them.

  Ellen hung up the phone and coaxed the girl away from the bench, then ventured out of the park with a grim look on her face. Everything was so peaceful and beautiful, but there was a malevolent darkness lurking beneath the calm veneer. It was only ever a matter of time before it reared its ugly head, and now Ellen was called into action once again.

  Chapter 2

  As they walked out of the park and onto the main road of the town Ellen tried to comfort the young girl, who seemed shaken.

  “What's your name?” Ellen asked.

  “I'm Beatrice,” she replied, her voice still wavering.

  “I'm Ellen, and I'm sorry if this sounds rude but I don't recognize you. Are you from around here?”

  “I'm just visiting my grandparents for the summer, Joan and Don,” she said, and immediately Ellen knew who she was.

  “Ohhh, you're Bea?!” she exclaimed, and Beatrice looked a little embarrassed. “They go on about you all the time. Aren't you some hotshot designer or something?”

  “Something like that although, well, I'm taking some time out at the moment. That's why I'm here. I thought I'd escape the city life for a little while. It got to be a little overwhelming.”

  “I know what you mean. I used to live there myself.”

  “Do you ever miss it?”

  “Sometimes, but only occasionally. I don't think I ever could live there again after spending so much time here. What about you, are you going back after the summer is over?”

  “I guess so. I know I should I just...Well, it's complicated.”

  “Let me guess, there's a man involved?”

  “How did you...?” Beatrice gasped.

  Ellen smirked. “There's usually a man involved.”

  “Yeah, he was someone I worked with, well, worked under, and it just...oh, I don't know. The stupid thing is I came here to clear my head but it only made things more muddled. I just don't know anything anymore. I had all my ducks in a row and then he had to go and mess them up and I don't know where I'm going anymore. And now Ella is...is...I don't know. I just don't know anything.”

  Ellen looked at her with great pity and her heart went out to her. She wished she had some magic words to make everything better but the simple fact was nothing she said could soothe the internal anguish that plagued the young girl. Instead, Ellen tried to keep her talking to at least show her she didn't have to get lost in her thoughts.

  “And how did you know Ella? Did you just meet her since you've been here?”

  “It's a funny story, actually. We were at school together and then we lost touch and I didn't even know she lived here when I came back. I just randomly bumped into her one day and I couldn't actually believe it was her. I don't think she believed it was me either. We stared at each other for ages before we actually realized. Ever since then we have spent time together and you know when you see someone who you haven't seen in years but it's like no time has passed between you at all? That's what it was like for us and now she's...God I just can't imagine...who would want to do anything to her?” she asked. Although it was rhetorical Ellen's mind already was working, trying to figure out who had a motive.

  Unfortunately, she wasn't that familiar with Ella. The name rang a bell. Now that Beatrice had mentioned the two of them spending a lot of time together Ellen remembered seeing them around town and in the café. Sh
e hadn't paid much attention to them because they just seemed like normal friends. Perhaps the heat had dulled her senses. She felt as though she should have known more about the case or the victim, but she basically was starting from nothing.

  “What can you tell me about her?” Ellen asked.

  “Oh, gosh, I mean, she was just...she was one of those people who the world just seemed to smile upon. Even back when we were younger we all knew she was going to be something special. She had that spark about her that meant you just wanted to be around her all the time because you knew if you were that something special was going to happen. She was so pretty and, of course, all the boys wanted her, some of the girls, too. She was a woman long before any of us but she always had self-respect as well and she was just...oh, she was just lovely,” Beatrice said.

  Ellen cocked an eyebrow at that because surely nobody was ever that perfect. The hero worship of Beatrice was a little suspicious, but it could just have been the fact that the girl was in a fragile emotional state.

  “What else about her, what did she do for a living?”

  “Oh, yes, well, she ran a recruitment firm for a few years. She always had said when she was younger that she wanted to work in fashion. Really she could have done anything she put her mind to but she sold her firm, for a lot of money apparently, and then started her own business selling boutique clothing online. She had a massive warehouse in the city and a big office. Then her parents became ill and she ended up moving back here with her twin brother to take care of them.”

  The similarities between this young woman who had vanished and Ellen were striking, and they gave her an unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach. Was it just a coincidence the two of them had similar names and the same reason for coming to East Pender? She tried putting the thought out of her mind because it wasn't going to help the investigation, but it was always there, nagging at her.

  “She has a brother?”

  “Yes, Gregory. For twins they're so different.”

  “How do you mean?”

  Beatrice furrowed her brow as she tried thinking of the perfect way to put it. “You know, like the yin and the yang? They're similar to that. It was like Ella got all the goodness and Gregory got the rest, or maybe there was some karmic balance in the universe that meant if one of them got all the luck then the other would have to go without. I'm not saying Gregory is horrible. I used to see him many times when we were younger but I saw him again when I came to East Pender and there was something about him...something in his eyes. I don't know what happened to him in the years between then and now....Maybe it's just that his parents had died and that can affect a person greatly....I don't know, but he seemed to have a darkness about him. He was always moody when we were younger. I think he was a little jealous of the attention that Ella always got, but now it seems worse, like he's turned in on himself.”

  “Do you think he could have had anything to do with it?”

  “Gregory? Oh, no!” Beatrice exclaimed with a shocked look on her face.

  “He could never do that to his sister. As different as they were it was clear he loved her and everyone knew that they couldn't mess with her because Gregory always would sort them out. They were twins, you know, they had that special kind of connection. I can't explain it really but if you had seen them together then you would know. It was like they could read each other’s minds or something.”

  Ellen toyed with the ideas in her mind. Now that she was aware of the players she remembered seeing them about town occasionally, and had indeed seen the twins about. But there was still much to be learned about the case. They needed to get to Ella's house as soon as possible, although it wasn't easy to walk quickly in the heat, especially not when Beatrice was bemoaning the way of the world on the way. She lamented the fact that something terrible could happen to someone as good as Ella. Ellen could only listen in stony silence, occasionally offering a few reassuring words, although she suspected they fell on deaf ears. Eventually, Ella returned to silence herself and the two women walked on quietly, not quite strangers now but not friends either.

  When they finally reached Ella's house there was no mistaking it because a crowd already had gathered around and people were muttering among themselves, speculating about what had happened. Despite the heat they still were poking their noses into business that wasn't theirs. Ellen saw Andy trying to get them to step back and go back to their homes. Behind him she could see the door was ajar, and against the handle there was broken wood where the impact of something had damaged the door. Ellen and Beatrice made their way through the crowd, pushing past people without apology, until they reached Andy. He wiped sweat off his brow and looked clearly uncomfortable in his heavy, thick uniform, but was pleased to see Ellen.

  “Do you really have to wear that?” Ellen asked.

  “Unfortunately, it's regulation,” he said. Beatrice stared at the door and her hand shot to her mouth.

  “This is the victim's friend. She was in the park and got a call from another friend, that's how I found out about it. Her name is Beatrice,” Ellen said.

  Andy nodded as he looked around, looking stressed. The crowd continued encroaching on the house and Andy yelled at them again.

  “Are you okay?” Ellen asked, beginning to reach out a hand to squeeze his arm but then thinking better of it. Since they were in public, she didn't want to undermine his authority.

  “Yeah, it's just this heat, makes people crazy you know?” he said, and when he looked at her she could see he was tired.

  “Are you sleeping okay?”

  “No, my room is so hot, and then I come to work and I have to wear this all day,” he said with an exasperated sigh.

  Ellen handed him her water and insisted he drink it. He took a sip, then people started moving closer to the door, and he yelled at them again. This time he reached around and pulled out his handcuffs.

  “I'm serious! The next time someone comes close I'm arresting them. Now move back and give us some space! I know this is all very exciting but we have a job to do and if anything is disturbed it's going to affect the investigation,” he snapped.

  Ellen never had seen Andy like this before. Neither had the people in the crowd, and they shifted back, intimidated by him.

  “Have you been inside yet?” she asked.

  Andy turned to look at her, and there was something about his face that had a beleaguered look. He was about to speak when someone barged through the crowd. Ellen turned to see a tall, dark-haired man, red-faced and glowering. He looked at the door and pain filled his cold, hard eyes. He ran forward and Andy stood in his way.

  “I need to get in there! My sister! She has to be alright!” he said.

  Ellen was close to him and she smelled the scent of sweat and the woods. He was wearing a plaid shirt that was open at the collar, long shorts, and heavy duty boots with thick leather soles. His face was peppered with unkempt stubble and his hair was uneven and long.

  “Sir, you have to wait. This is a crime scene,” he said.

  Beatrice, who had been transfixed by the door, now saw that Gregory had arrived and turned to face him.

  “What are you doing here? Did you do this?” he yelled.

  Beatrice looked shocked, as did Ellen. Gregory moved forward toward Beatrice, who cowered. She was unable to speak.

  “Ella told me what you really came here for. Did she finally say no too many times?” he growled.

  His fists were clenched and Ellen tried stopping him but everything moved so fast. The crowd gasped and started to yell, and one of them made a move toward the house. Andy's attention was distracted for a few moments and that gave Gregory the opportunity to move away from Beatrice and run into the house. His big frame disappeared over the threshold of the door, and Beatrice squealed as he ran away. Andy twisted back.

  “Ellen! Follow him! He'll mess up the crime scene!” he said.

  Before he'd finished speaking Ellen already was sprinting into the house, breathing hard as the
hot air filled her lungs and scorched her throat.

  “Ella! Ella!” Gregory yelled, his words echoing through the house.

  Now that she was inside she could hear Gregory's heavy boots clomping around the house, searching desperately for his sister. Apparently there was no sign of her because when he returned to meet Ellen the color had drained from his face and sweat was dripping from his brow. He looked thoroughly miserable, like he had lost everything. He was in the same sort of trance as Beatrice had been when she first had received the call that morning. He walked past Ellen without saying anything and returned outside. Andy went ballistic at him, but Gregory didn't seem to be able to hear anything. He merely glanced toward Beatrice and then walked through the crowd, his morose form disappearing.

  Andy brought his hands to his temples and blew out his cheeks as he wiped yet more sweat away.

  “It's too hot to be dealing with this sort of thing,” he said, shaking his head and looking in the direction Gregory had walked.

  “Look, I've got a lot to sort out here. Can we catch up later, after I can change into some normal clothes and have a shower?”

  “Sure thing,” Ellen said. “I think you might want to keep Beatrice around to make a statement as well. I'll go tell her,” she added.

  Andy nodded his thanks and smiled at her, and she was glad she was able to make his day a little easier. She went over to Beatrice and took her aside, away from the crowd and into the shade of the house so nobody could hear them.

  “Was any of what he said true?” Ellen asked. Beatrice's eyes flickered down and shifted back and forth.

  “If it is it's better that you tell me now,” Ellen insisted, making her tone sterner.

  “Yes. I mean, the stuff about the offer. I was just...I wanted to do something with my life, you know? I had some savings and I didn't want to keep doing what I was doing. Ella had spoken to me about possibly selling her company. She said she wasn't sure what she wanted to do with her life after her parents died, but when we spoke about it she said no and that was that. I didn't push her at all. I wouldn't have done that. We were friends. We were supposed to hang out today and now we can't. Do you...Do you think she's...”