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

by Leona Fox

  But, as always, there was never a good time for these things because right now there was a missing girl and a missing dog that needed their help, the sooner the better.

  Ellen returned to the counter and adjusted the picture of Scampy she had placed there. It included a note asking for any information and the promise of a reward. The people who had come in that morning all stared at it and asked the same question, “Is your dog lost then?”

  None of them had any answers to offer, not that she really expected any so soon. She was more afraid of someone coming in and reporting they had seen a dead dog. Every time somebody spoke to her about the picture her heart was seized by fear. To try taking her mind off things she glanced around the walls and looked at all of Kelly’s artwork. There were landscape paintings of East Pender, and some portraits of Scampy and of herself and Scampy, which Ellen hadn't wanted to put up because of modesty but Kelly had insisted. As she looked at them she had to admit her friend was incredibly talented. She was a little envious that Kelly had a passion and that she was able to make a living off of it.

  “Are you ever going to do anymore of these?” she asked.

  Kelly looked around and it took her a couple of moments to understand what Ellen was talking about.

  “Oh? Those old things? I'm sure I'll get to them eventually. I just find it so difficult to work in this heat, it saps my creative energy.”

  “Don't you get bored though, just doing nothing? I don't think I'd be able to handle that.”

  “It's called taking joy from the pleasure of simply existing,” Kelly said. Ellen knew she never would understand such a laid back way of thinking.

  She already was looking forward to getting to the tail end of the heatwave. Then she would be able to get back to running and have energy to do things again, and rid herself of the haze that had seeped into her mind.

  The doorbell chimed and the women looked up. Ellen stiffened when she saw it was Gregory, and watched him with a wary eye. But he looked different than when she had seen him the other day. His face wasn't twisted in anger and he didn't look like he was bristling for a fight. Under his arm he carried a wad of posters and he placed them on the counter as he looked at Ellen. When he saw her he flinched a little as he recognized her from the previous day.

  “Ah, um, I guess I should apologize for the other day. I hope you understand, though. It was quite a traumatic thing to see. I wasn't myself. I'm sorry,” he said. His voice was low and rumbling and as he spoke his eyes darted furtively around the room, never resting on anything for too long.

  “It's okay, I can't imagine what you must be going through.”

  “It's terrible. I just don't know who could have done this or why. Just to know that she's out there somewhere. I mean...I don't know if she's being fed and taken care of or if she's just been left somewhere...” he said. His voice trailed off as the consequences of that train of thought were unspeakable.

  “I know, but people are looking for her. If she's out there they'll find her,” Ellen said, offering him a reassuring smile, which he returned.

  “I wondered if I could just give you this poster of her, just in case anyone comes back with any information? I've been putting them all around town. I don't know if they'll do any good but I figure it can't hurt. It helps to be doing something rather than just sitting there helpless.”

  “Of course, I'll put one right here next to my own,” she said, and Gregory noticed that Scampy was missing.

  “Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize your dog had gone missing.”

  “It happened last night; just ran out the door to goodness knows where. Guess that's animals for you,” she said, laughing softly.

  “Listen,” she continued, “do you think I could ask you a couple of questions about your sister?”

  “I don't see why not,” Gregory said.

  “Was she alright? I mean, I don't want to pry, but I know what happened to your parents. Something similar happened to me and I know what it can be like. I just...I don't want to be insensitive, but are you sure she wouldn't have run away by herself?”

  Gregory's face hardened. “No way, not Ella, not at all. She had everything to live for. She even was talking of going back to the city soon enough so she could get back to work. She liked it here but she wasn't going to stay here forever. It was too quiet for her. She liked to be in the city, it made her feel alive.”

  He spoke the last word without thinking and a terrifying expression came over his face. Ellen gulped, and Kelly shot a look at her. Gregory chewed his lip and the color drained from his face. An awkward silence descended upon them for a few moments.

  “Have you spoken to any of her friends? Did they have any information?” Ellen asked. Gregory's face hardened a little.

  “No...no, none of them have.”

  “What about Beatrice? You two seemed to have a little history.”

  “Yeah, well, I don't know if she'll prove to be much help. She's one of those people who seems nice, but once you've turned your back she'll twist the knife in. Ella was just too nice to see that,” he said, and then his phone started ringing.

  He shot an apologetic look at Ellen as he answered the call and moved away, turning his back to the women. However, he had not moved out of earshot. They could hear only fragments of the call though, for he kept his voice low. From what she could hear Ellen surmised that he owed someone a great debt. The tone of his voice was strained and when it was over he stared at his phone for a moment before his entire body shook with a heavy sigh. When he turned back to face Ellen she saw desperation in his eyes.

  “Thank you for all your help with this,” he said.

  “We've all got to help each other out, that's what East Pender is like. Is...everything okay?”

  “Yeah, yeah, it's just...there's never just one thing going wrong you know? But I don't have the energy to do anything else right now other than think about my sister.”

  Ellen wanted to probe him to try finding out what the call had been about but Andy came in the door, glistening with sweat, and before she had a chance to say goodbye Gregory had gone.

  Andy took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his brow as he pulled out a seat next to Kelly and sat down. Ellen brought him a glass of iced tea, which he almost drained completely as soon as it met his lips, and joined them.

  “Any news?” she asked, leaning forward.

  “No, I'm sorry,” he said, “there's no trace of either of them.”

  “Do you have any leads?” Kelly asked. The question was met with another heavy sigh.

  “Nothing.”

  He banged his fist on the table and sent the glasses rattling, and everyone else in the cafe turned to face them. Ellen looked shocked. Andy apologized instantly and returned to the usual calm demeanor that Ellen associated with him.

  “Andy what's going on?” she asked softly, but the police chief looked away from her.

  “I just wanted to come in here and get a bit of a break from the heat. I'd better get back out there, though. Time is ticking.”

  He immediately rose and made his way to the door but Ellen chased after him and pulled his arm back.

  “Andy, please, you can talk to me, you know, if anything is bothering you.”

  His eyes were glassy and it was like he had erected a wall between them. He smiled but there was no joy behind it, and Ellen had the strange feeling she was losing her friend.

  “I'm fine,” he said, although she knew he was lying.

  “Wait here,” she said, and ran back behind the counter. She poured a flask of iced tea, and handed it to him.

  “I know you, and you'll keep pushing yourself so hard you'll forget to drink. Take care of yourself first, Ella and Scampy need you at your best,” she said, and then kissed him on the cheek.

  “He'll be alright, you know,” Kelly said when Ellen returned to the table.

  “Yeah, I know,” Ellen said.

  “I'm going to drive around and look for Scampy. I'll let you kn
ow if I find anything.” Ellen smiled at her and watched the door close behind her.

  She sighed and had a glum look on her face as she looked at the photos of the two who were missing. Then her mind ran back through the case so far as she tried piecing together what exactly had happened. There was a lack of suspects and clues and the heat was so heavy it proved difficult to think. Ellen was afraid this was the first case in which she would be unable to figure out a solution. There was just so little information available, unless there was some obvious clue she was missing. She wracked her brains and nothing came to light.

  She went behind the counter and pulled out a book, glad that Andy hadn't seen it when he had come in. She opened the page to where she had left off and continued reading about the heroic detective written by Andy's brother. It was only when the story focused on Clive that she really paid attention, though.

  Chapter 5

  Neither Scampy nor Ella had turned up by the following afternoon, and it was all Ellen could do to not let the worry consume her. She and Kelly were outside handing out fliers and calling out Scampy's name, trying anything to find the dog even if it was just a matter of relying on blind luck. Kelly was moving at a slow pace, fanning herself as she moved in between the shadows. That infuriated Ellen, who wanted to cover as much ground as possible.

  “Did you speak to Andy?”

  “No. He sent me a text last night. I thought about calling him but he's made it pretty clear he doesn't want to talk about this. It's strange. I've never known him to be like this before.”

  “Guess he likes being the main man in East Pender and he doesn't have to worry about what his brother writes about him.”

  “He shouldn't have to, though.”

  “No, but sibling relationships are always difficult. Give him time, I'm sure he'll come around and if not then, well, you've never been one to beat around the bush. I'm sure you can hammer down his defenses if you really need to. How are you holding up?”

  “I don't know; this case has got me annoyed. I feel like I'm missing something obvious but I just can't put my finger on it. With everything going on with Andy and Scampy, I just don't know where I am at the moment.”

  Kelly stopped and squeezed her friend's arm, which Ellen appreciated.

  “Just take a breath. You don't always have to save the day. You're not a super detective, sometimes it's enough just to help out.”

  “That's the thing, I don't know what to do to help. I feel like I'm just waiting for a miracle to happen.”

  “You never know, sometimes they do...” Kelly said, and the two women continued walking through town.

  They tried speaking of idle matters but it seemed churlish to speak of anything other than the missing girl and dog. It depressed them to talk about that though, so they ended up walking in silence. But they had such a deep friendship that these moments of silence did not bother them. They were able to take comfort in the idea of just being with each other. Ellen was a few paces ahead of Kelly, who still was moving as little as possible to try preventing her body from being coated in a layer of sweat. Yet, it proved impossible in the heat. She started complaining that her skin was sticking to her clothes. Ellen ignored her bleating for she too was feeling flustered in the heat and wanted to make sure she wasn't going to miss anything, no matter how little.

  Suddenly, she stopped and raised a hand behind her, gesturing for Kelly to hush. The artist took exception to this and started protesting against Ellen's harsh nature but Ellen didn't have any time to concern herself with Kelly's petty complaining. She had heard something that set her soul aflame and, in spite of the heat, she found herself breaking into a run. Kelly looked in shock as Ellen sprinted down the street, powerful legs crashing against the sidewalk, before she disappeared around the corner.

  Chest on fire, eyes stinging with sweat, head feeling hazy...Ellen barely could believe what she was seeing. Scampy bounded up to her and danced around her ankles, yapping loudly, but next to him, collapsed against the wall, was Ella, although she looked much different from the picture that rested on the counter of Ellen's cafe. The young woman looked exhausted and dehydrated. Her lips were chapped and dry and her hair was knotty. Her clothes were dirty as was her skin and the stench of unwashed clothes was all-pervading, even in the open air. Her eyes flickered a little bit and a hoarse whisper escaped her lips but it was incoherent. Ellen tried to get her to talk, tried to shake her awake but she was in such a bad way that there was no hope. Kelly rounded the corner and gasped.

  “Is that...?” she asked

  “Yep. Can you call an ambulance?” Ellen said.

  Without taking her gaze from the young woman, Kelly pulled out her phone and dialed the emergency services. While they waited, Ellen knelt down and examined the young woman further. She saw there were deep gashes left by ropes on the girl’s wrists, and there were small cuts all over her body, but otherwise she seemed to be unharmed. Scampy was in good spirits, surprisingly, but all the women could do was look at Ella hopelessly and pray that she would recover. After Kelly had called the ambulance she immediately called Andy, who arrived on the scene first. He rushed to the girl's side and pulled out a bottle of water, lifting it to her lips and gently pouring it down her throat. The crystal liquid ran down the sides of her mouth and dropped down to her clothes. She sputtered and coughed a little, and for a moment they thought she was going to stir but her eyes remained closed.

  Shortly, the ambulance arrived and they made some initial checks.

  “How long has she been here?” they asked.

  “We don't know, we called as soon as we found her. She must have used what little strength she had to make it this far,” Ellen said.

  The paramedics looked worried but they carefully lifted her up and started to fix her with a drip to try replenishing the fluids she had lost.

  Andy turned to Ellen. “I'm going to go to the hospital with her. Hopefully when she wakes up she'll be able to answer a few questions. Come by the station later, I'll need a statement from you about how you found her.”

  It seemed to be business as usual and all Ellen wanted to do was break down the strange energy between them. He took one step into the back of the ambulance and turned back to face her.

  “I'm glad your dog came back,” he said, and flashed her a smile, and Ellen felt relieved.

  As the ambulance drove off she picked up Scampy and took him back to the cafe where she fed him and gave him a bowl of water, which he lapped up enthusiastically.

  “That poor thing, she must have been through so much,” Kelly said.

  “I know. Can you imagine?”

  “Do you think she'll be okay?”

  “I hope so. She's so young.”

  “I wonder what actually happened? At least we might find out who took her.”

  “Yes...we might. But things like this are never that simple. It might take her a while to recover as well.”

  “You can take that picture down at least,” Kelly said, pointing to the pictures that had been left on the counter.

  “I think I'll leave them up for a while. You know how word spreads around here. Andy might not want to let people know she's escaped. It might alert the kidnapper, if they don't know already.”

  Ellen's thoughts were with the young girl as she still saw her as a mirror for her own life. All that time spent wondering where she belonged in the world seemed for naught when compared to the ordeal that Ella evidently had been through. For Ellen, East Pender had been a safe haven after her parents had passed away, a soothing backdrop that allowed her to mourn and grieve and eventually find herself again. It had been a long process but East Pender was home to her, and she felt safe and secure within its boundaries, which was exactly what she needed after her parents had died.

  Yet for Ella, she now had been kidnapped and the peace of the town had been taken away. How would Ella ever be able to walk the streets again when they were such a painful reminder of being locked up? Ellen wondered what would happen if s
omething like that happened to her. Would the streets of East Pender suddenly take on a dark appearance? Would the stain of tragedy mean she no longer would be able to live in the secluded small town? Ellen couldn't imagine ever leaving again. She hoped she never would have to, but seeing Ella in that state reminded her that East Pender wasn't as cozy as everyone thought it was.

  Later on, Ellen and Kelly made their way to the police station as Andy had requested. The police were all sitting in what felt like a furnace. Even opening windows didn't help, and large fans were whirring. Everyone seemed irritable, although when they saw Andy he looked a little less stressed than he had been. He took them through to a back room that was a little cooler and asked them about what had led them to finding Ella. Once they had finished recounting the events Ellen asked Andy if Ella was awake.

  “No, they took her in and are keeping her under observation. I've posted a guard as well, just in case. It seems like she escaped of her own accord, so whoever kidnapped her wasn't keeping watch over her all the time. Although it does mean that whoever it was is in for a big surprise.”

  “Do you think they'll try taking her again?” Kelly asked.

  “I won't let it happen again,” Andy said with a steely look on his face, still evidently haunted by the case in his past. Ellen wished she could reach out to him and remind him that he was a good cop and a good man, but he still was closed off to her.

  “Something still doesn't seem right? How could someone kick in a door and drag her out without anybody hearing? And it makes no sense that somebody would grab her near the woods then come back and kick the door down just to make it look like it was a break-in. There's something we're missing here and I feel like it's right at the edge of my mind but I just can't think.” Ellen banged her fists against her forehead. Andy sat on the edge of the table.

  “Don't go thinking about that, it'll drive you crazy. Trust me. Anyway, that's my job. You just enjoy having Scampy back around and try to relax. You're not going to do anyone any good if you're so stressed, and God knows this heat isn't helping. Just take some time and I'm sure you'll come up with something. All we can do right now is wait for Ella to wake up and hope she remembers something useful.”