Cryptic Cove Cozy Mystery Box Set

by K P Stafford

Peyton grabbed her arm. “You can’t do that.”

  Lexi glared at Peyton, trying to figure out why she was keeping her from talking to the boy. “Why not?”

  “Because, he’s still afraid of people. You could scare him off and he’d never want to come back into town.”

  “But I have to find out if he’s the one that set those fires and vandalized the mausoleum.”

  “We will find out, but we’ll have Charlie question him.”

  Lexi looked back at the kid again. “Are you sure? It goes against what I’ve learned about investigating, and we need those answers soon.”

  “Trust me, I know a lot about dealing with kids. I will have Charlie talk to him when he takes him back to the mining camp later this evening.”

  Lexi smiled, “You definitely know how to handle kids better than I do, so I’m going to trust your gut on this one. I need to let John know, though.” Lexi said as she pulled out her cellphone and punched in John’s speed dial code.

  After the phone call she zoomed her camera phone in on the kid and snapped a picture. It didn’t hurt to have a visual so she could show John the following morning. Maybe he even knew the kid since he’d been here all his life.

  For such a tiny town, it sure did seem to have a lot of secrets and things people had forgotten about. That was understandable, all communities forget their past history. But Cryptic Cove had gone to great lengths to not only forget, but to hide it as well. She had to keep digging, even though her gut told her she wouldn’t like what she’d discover about the Danforth man. If he was evil, could that same evil be in her blood? Chills ran through her body at the thought. She tried to push it out of her mind. She didn’t want to think about it, and figured she was jumping to conclusions and making too many speculations. It was best to focus on Shirley’s death and find out what this kid knew about it and the fires. Her heart sank as she thought about where this case could be going. Surely someone that young couldn’t burn a woman to rob her, but Lexi knew all too well that bad things were sometimes done by young kids. If he was guilty, the news could shake this town to it’s very core. In a lot of ways it was like a fairytale town. The majority of people were kind and loving, the children were pleasant. Even the bratty kids had a sense of caring for others. If a young kid like this could do something so heinous and purposefully, what kind of message would that send to the other kids?

  CHAPTER 22

  Lexi got home a little late that evening and headed straight for her room. Flopping on her bed was a welcome relief. It had been a long, hard day and she needed a few minutes to unwind. She leaned back against the headboard and stared at herself in the mirror across the room. She looked tired. The thought occurred that she even looked old.

  She glanced at her mom’s tarot cards. She kept them on the dresser as a reminder. She’d never spent much time with them or even put much stock into them. Grams had said they were like a tool, a bit like affirmations or getting a sign.

  She stood up, walked over to the dresser and grabbed the deck. Sitting back on the bed, she pulled them out of the box and kinda shuffled through them, mostly thinking about her mom and how much she missed her, but also about everything that was going on. The stuff Peyton and she were discovering wasn’t much, but it left her feeling like something wasn’t right.

  She took a deep breath and pulled one of the cards out of the deck. “Okay card, tell me what I’m missing. I sure can’t figure it out.”

  She plopped the card down on the bed. A guy carrying some swords. “Well that doesn’t seem to fit the situation, does it? Unless someone is robbing the local knife shop.” She giggled at how silly it sounded. She dug into the drawer of the nightstand and pulled out the book on tarot cards that Grams had given her and quickly flipped to the Seven of Swords page and started reading. Her mouth fell open. The card did fit. This card represented deception, betrayal and secret plans. It didn’t give her any more to go on, but that was definitely what the town seemed to be up against.

  It was crazy and left her with even more questions, so she packed the cards back into the box and returned them to the dresser. The closet door was slightly ajar so she walked over to it. Maybe Grams had put some of her laundry away and didn’t close it all the way. She peeked inside to check. Her eyes were drawn to her mom’s old hat box. The one she had discovered right after the death of her parents. She hadn’t pulled it out in a long time. Everything had gotten so busy in her life that she didn’t feel the need to look back at the past. But now, maybe it was time. She pulled it out and settled down on the bed with it.

  As she dug through the various papers, at the bottom of the box was an old file folder. Odd, it looked similar to the ones she’d gotten from the library. She pulled it out and opened it. Her heart skipped a few beats. It was a file from Cryptic Cove. Why did my mother have it? How did she even get it? She read through the file. Was this why my father moved us out of Cryptic Cove? She headed downstairs to talk to Grams. It was time Grams finally came clean and told her the truth.

  CHAPTER 23

  Grams decided to hold a special meeting at her home. She invited the locals she’d grown up with whose families had been in the town since its inception. She also insisted that Lexi, Jake, Peyton and Charlie be there as well. With Lexi finding one of the town’s files in her mom’s old hat box, she felt it was necessary that everyone pooled their resources and knowledge.

  Grams’ living room was full of familiar faces, Mavis Clark, Ms. Jensen, the Hill family, Mrs. Drake and a few others that kept to themselves on the outskirts of town that Lexi didn’t know all that well. She only knew of them from town events and the gossip train that rang her up every morning.

  The town’s people had more or less formed little groups, several of them whispering about what the meeting was about and why the constable wasn’t out looking for Shirley’s killer. Grams finally stopped fussing over getting everyone served refreshments and called the meeting to order.

  “I know you’re all wondering why I’ve called this meeting, and maybe it seems pointless when we should be looking for Shirley’s killer. But, I believe we need to pool our knowledge and work together. All of us here,” she said as she looked around the room, “have lived here all of our lives. Our ancestors started this town around the time of the Salem witch trials. As children, we made up stories and whispered about secrecy. I’m sure your parents, like mine, reminded you that we didn’t talk about such things. The past was best left buried.”

  Everyone agreed and a few voiced that they’d been told the same thing by their parents or grandparents.

  Grams continued, “Well, the time has come that we remember all those old stories. Even the ones we thought were just fairy tales or bedtime stories. We need to find out what this town is hiding that is worth killing over. Buried secrets have a way of coming back to haunt us. I’m sure our parents and grandparents thought it was best, but someone has remembered something, or dug something up, and they are now trying to destroy our small community. Shirley paid a dear price for what she concealed. We can’t let her death be in vain.”

  Jasper Hill spoke up, “What are you talking about? What was Shirley hiding?”

  Grams reached in her pocket and pulled out a picture to pass around. “She had this in her hand when she died. I vaguely remember seeing pictures of it as a child, or maybe I saw the real thing and don’t remember. But, this is the object that is causing all the trouble. We need to find out what it is and why it’s worth dying for.”

  “As the oldest here, Velda, I can tell you I haven’t thought of those old stories since I was a child. How can you expect us to remember?” Gertie Hill asked.

  Jasper Hill turned to Gertie, “Mother, I remember you telling me stories as a child. I know it’s been a long time, but maybe you can remember something.”

  “You know my memory isn’t what it used to be. That’s why I moved up to Hayden’s Ridge.”

  “I know, Mother, but in a lot of ways, you’re still sharp as a tack. Mayb
e if you can remember some little something, it’ll spark some memories for the rest of us.”

  Lexi looked at Gertie and Jasper. “That’s an excellent idea. They teach that in psychology classes. It’s similar to word association. Maybe it would help if you all focused on some event from your childhood, something you experienced together. A county fair or something like that.”

  “For goodness sakes, that was over fifty years ago. We were just children.” Mrs. Drake rebuked.

  “I know, but the elders told us to remember when we got older. How have we gotten so lax in all these years. Our weekly card game used to include discussions about the things hidden. Now the hidden has become the forgotten.” Grams looked at each one of them.

  “Apparently someone hasn’t forgotten about the hidden, and they are going to great lengths to make sure this town’s secrets are uncovered.” Agatha added.

  “Well, we probably shouldn’t have buried them, but we never expected any of this to come back to haunt us.” Grams said as she looked at her sister.

  “I didn’t even think it was real. I thought the elders were just paranoid and had overactive imaginations.” Gertie said after a short silence. “I realize I’m the grandparent here, but my parents were hiding things too.”

  “It has come back to haunt us. We know it’s real now, or at least someone believes it is. That’s why it’s so important for us to remember.” Ms. Jensen said as she reached into her bag. “I didn’t want anyone to know, but I have some of the missing files from the library. I’d started removing them, little by little, when I knew it was getting close to my retirement. Shirley had said something to me back then, so I thought it was best if they were kept in a more secure place, considering we didn’t know who would take my place as librarian.”

  Mavis Clark pinched her eyebrows together. “Since Decatur Williams took over and made changes on her own without consulting anyone, it's just a mess. She's completely destroyed the system Ms. Jensen had in place."

  Everyone glanced over at Ms. Jensen. She fidgeted with her fingers in her lap and then opened her mouth to speak. "I agree her methods are unconventional, but don't we have to be willing to roll with the times and accept some new ways?"

  "There's nothing wrong with the old ways," spouted Mavis Clark. "I am a firm believer in 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' and there was nothing broken in the old system. Just because the whole country is going to this digital madness mess doesn't mean we have to." She crossed her arms over her chest, staring a hole into Ms. Jensen. "And you of all people are defending it. You believe in the printed word as much as I do, so what's up with you rolling with the times?"

  Ms. Jensen leaned forward. "I'm just trying to help find a solution we can all live with. Things are going to change, whether we like it or not. If we can control the changes and the amount of changes, I think it's a better way to do things. Let her go digital, but let’s put the old paper copies in a storage facility."

  Mavis crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back. "Okay, you may have a good point.”

  “Ladies, we need to stay on track.” Grams said, looking from Mavis to Ms. Jensen.

  Lexi glanced around the room. “Why isn’t Mrs. Williams here? She’s the librarian now. She’s been so defensive about town history when I’ve asked. I thought for sure she’d want in on this.”

  Everyone turned to look at Lexi, disbelief was on most of their faces.

  Mavis Clark was the first one to speak. “She didn’t grow up here. She’s not one of the original families who started the town.”

  “Oh,” Lexi said. “I assumed she was since everyone knows her and she tends to be involved in everything that goes on.”

  Grams let out a sigh, “She married one of the originals, but he passed away several years ago. We don’t know much about her past. She’s always been interested in our little town, but since she didn’t grow up here, we didn’t think it was relevant to invite her.”

  CHAPTER 24

  After Lexi fielded all the morning gossip callers, she got a message from Peyton that Charlie was bringing Bobby by the office. She let John know before she put a hot chocolate pod in the coffee machine and got some pastries out. She wanted him to feel comfortable and food usually did the trick.

  Bobby was quiet and a little timid, but well mannered.

  John told him he was doing an investigation and explained that he had to ask some questions.

  “Charlie explained it to me. I know I’m not in trouble if I didn’t do anything wrong, and I don’t think I did anything wrong.”

  John leaned forward in the chair. “There’s been some small fires at the cemetery, some plastic flowers have been burned. Do you know who did that?”

  “I did. They were old and didn’t look very pretty. I didn’t see a trash can close by so I went to the edge of the woods and burned them. I stayed until the fire was out. I didn’t want the woods to catch on fire.”

  “We’re glad you stayed. That’s very responsible. There was also a bird in one of the piles of ashes. Do you know anything about that?”

  “No sir. I would never burn an animal. I have burned insects, but Granny says most of them are pests anyway. But she did get on to me for it and said that they have a place in the circle of life. They feed on dead animals and keep the forest clean so it doesn’t start stinking.”

  Lexi let out a small chuckle. “I never thought about it like that, but I bet your grandmother is right. It could be a stinky place if nothing took care of the dead animals.”

  “That is a good point,” John said, “but I have a few more questions and then we’ll be done here. There were also some things torn up at the cemetery. We call that vandalism and it’s against the law.” He paused. “I hate to ask like this, but did you have anything to do with that?”

  “No sir. That could make the spirits mad. Granny told me never to make the spirits mad. They deserve to rest in peace, and doing bad things around their graves could make them come after me.” He opened his mouth to speak again but closed it and looked down at his hands.

  “Is there something you want to tell us?”

  “Well, since Charlie explained how these investigations go, and after everything you’ve told me, do you think all of this stuff has something to do with that lady who was on fire?”

  John and Lexi looked at each other. He was a smart kid, but he was too young to be worrying about things like this in life. John took in a deep breath, “That’s what we’re trying to find out. If you remember seeing anyone at the cemetery who was acting sneaky or anything, it could help us figure out who did all these horrible things.”

  “I always go there when the cemetery is empty. If I do see someone, even the grounds keeper, I stay in the woods until they go away. Granny taught me how to hide.”

  John and Lexi sat by the windows after Charlie and Bobby left the office. she looked over at John, he was deep in thought, rubbing his chin like he always did when something bothered him. “He’s a good kid. I’m glad he’s got someone like Charlie to be friends with.”

  “Yes, I agree,” his voice trailed off.

  “So, what’s bothering you?”

  “I believe the kid was telling the truth. He had nothing to do with any of this, but we’re still no closer to figuring this out.”

  “What about other people at the mining camp? Could someone else from up there be the culprit? The way he talked about his grandmother was kind of creepy.”

  “Most of them are harmless, quite a bit superstitious though. They believe in a lot of the old ways about spirits and waking the dead. Most of them are terrified of messing with anything like that. Knowing how cultish all of this is going, I can’t imagine anyone up there trying to stir up the old spirits, as they call them. I think we’re still dealing with one of the town’s folks. I just don’t know who.”

  John stood up and returned to his office. Lexi went to her desk and pulled out the old files she’d been going through, thought about everything that was discuss
ed at her Grams’ house the night before with some of the older town’s people. Nothing was making sense or coming together. She’d been through the files so much she felt like she knew them word for word.

  The pyro, who they now knew as Bobby, had been marked off the suspect list. Dell Chimay had a good alibi and couldn’t have been involved. Who did that leave?

  She sent a group text to Jake, Peyton and Charlie to ask if they were ready for an adventure. It was time they checked out the old hidden estate.

  CHAPTER 25

  They decided to meet up for lunch and make their way through the woods to the overgrown estate. As they walked through the woods, Lexi thought about the trails close to her Grams’ house that Peyton and she had explored as children, the same trails where she’d found the bodies of an elderly couple right after she moved back to Cryptic Cove. So much had happened in the short time since then. It hadn’t been quite two years, but she’d been involved in her share of strange investigations.

  As they neared a section of thick woods, the hairs on Lexi’s body started to stand on end. Chills and shivers shot through her. They were sure this place had belonged to one of her ancestors, but still had no clue why the whole town had tried to wipe out any information of his existence. She didn’t know if that’s what bothered her or just the fact that they were about to sneak into an old estate. It reminded her of the old teen mysteries she’d read when as a kid.

  Jake reached over and took her hand as they continued to walk. He always had a way of knowing when she needed extra support, when things just didn’t feel quite right to her.

  They made their way through a thick patch of undergrowth. Luckily, Charlie had brought a machete to chop a way through the forest. They heard a noise and looked up to see a black mass approaching. Baxter and his friends filled the woods. They were eerily quiet instead of their normal chattery selves. It was creepy, but kind of comforting too, knowing that they were there. Baxter let out a caw and then flew towards the estate, guiding their way.