A Juicy Murder

by Eryn Scott

  A Juicy Murder

  A Stoneybrook Mystery

  Eryn Scott

  Kristopherson Press

  Copyright © 2019 by Eryn Scott

  Published by Kristopherson Press

  All rights reserved.

  www.erynwrites.com

  erynwrites@gmail.com

  Facebook: @erynscottauthor

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  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover by Mariah Sinclair

  For my readers. ❤️

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Recipes

  What to read next!

  Also by Eryn Scott

  About the Author

  1

  Hadley James grinned as her grandmother completed a sale at the jam shop register.

  “Oh sure! Give me two more of those,” the customer said, grabbing more money from her wallet. “I’ll take some of those pickled snap peas you raved about too.”

  Gran added the items to the woman’s bag and nodded. “You’ll be glad. Leaving here with just one jar is the quickest road to regret, in my opinion.”

  The customer laughed and paid. “Thank you for saving me, Millie. It was great to meet you.” She smiled at Gran, then turned to Hadley before exiting the shop. “You hold on to this saleswoman. She’s golden.”

  “The very best,” Hadley agreed, waving at the happy customer.

  Gran always said it was one of her favorite pastimes to brag about her grandchildren, and her enthusiasm showed. It was precisely the reason Hadley had hired her to work in the new retail side of her jam kitchen. The word hired remained relative, as Gran refused to let Hadley pay her in anything but jars of jam.

  At the stovetop, Hadley pulled an elastic band out from her pocket and put her hair into a messy bun. She leaned forward over the boiling hot water bath. Her eyelids fluttered closed as she let the steam waft over her face. Being the middle of summer, the kitchen was a sauna even with the back and front doors propped open to create a cross breeze. The steam only added to the sweat gathering on her face. She figured it was moot at that point.

  Gran shook her head as she pushed through the swinging half door that separated the kitchen from the retail area. “The juice that customer was sipping on was the seventh of its kind I’ve seen today.”

  “I know.” Hadley blinked. “I thought the juice craze had hit its peak a couple days ago, but I was clearly wrong.”

  “I’ll never understand these fads.” Gran tsked.

  “Yeah, but it’s nice to see a new business in town doing so well.”

  Hadley had yet to try anything from Power Juice. In fact, she hadn’t even stepped foot in the new shop down the street. They kept running out of supplies and had to close early most days before Hadley could get away from her own shop.

  “I try not to jump on bandwagons, if I can help it.” Gran raised a gray eyebrow.

  Hadley returned the gesture with her dark brown one. She put a hand on her hip as Gran settled onto a stool across from her and pulled out a laptop.

  Gran scoffed, “Well, except this one. Technology isn’t a fad, I suppose. I’m just late to netting the web, or is it webbing the net?”

  Pressing her lips together to hide a smile at her grandmother’s sweetness, Hadley nodded. “Good for you, Gran.”

  “Not all good, I’m afraid,” she said, putting on her readers and peering at the screen. “I think I got a virus the other day after downloading a knitting pattern.” She leaned back. “I should’ve known a free lace-shawl pattern was too good to be true. This thing’s been slow as molasses ever since.”

  “I could see if Suze will look at it. She’s good with computers since she’s on them so much.”

  Hadley’s best friend, besides being an amazing artist specializing in landscape watercolors, made most of her income off digital design jobs she got through her website.

  Gran’s fingers click-clacked across the keys in a slow and measured way. “Oh, thank you, dear. That’s sweet of you to offer, but … I think I may have …” A trumpeting sound came from the computer’s speakers. “It worked! My CPU Knight has come to my rescue. Look!” Gran pointed at the screen.

  “CPU Knight?” Hadley walked over and peered at the laptop.

  The cursor moved around on its own, clicking this and opening that. A virus scan began in the background as the mouse clicked open some files, deleting a few nefarious-looking downloads.

  Gran didn’t look away from the screen. “CPU is a fancy way of saying computer, dear. Don’t worry, I didn’t know either.”

  Hadley cleared her throat, but thought better about telling her grandmother that wasn’t what she’d been asking.

  Luckily, the older woman continued her explanation. “I found a flyer for the company on the community board hanging in the coffee shop. It said something like, ‘Not tech confident? We’ll do the work for you!’”

  “You mean someone else is doing this?”

  “Yep.” Gran beamed. “All I had to do was download one thing, then I just type my problem into the request field, press this Help button, wait for them to send me a quote for how much it will cost, and if I accept, the little fanfare trumpet sound tells me they’re taking care of it for me.”

  “Smart.” Hadley nodded, impressed.

  Stoneybrook was known for many things, but technology wasn’t one of them. In a town with so many people uncomfortable with computers, a business like this would be a gold mine. She checked the jars in the bath, noticing they were coming to the end of their time.

  “Just like new!” Gran flourished her hand in front of the screen. “Of course, this is a laptop your father handed down to me when he got his new one, so I don’t know how it behaved brand new, but it sure seems great now.” She grinned, absorbed.

  Seeing Gran was lost in the screen, Hadley focused on her jam. Just as she removed the jars from the boiling water bath with her canning tongs, her friend Luke Fenton walked in through the front door. He sported a summer tan—something unavoidable for a farmer. It made his sandy locks appear even lighter than usual and his blue eyes even sharper. Instead of his normal flannel button up and jeans, however, the man wore a T-shirt and shorts.

  At the sight of him, her body relaxed and tensed simultaneously. It was an odd sensation, and one she’d experienced much more since the two of them had gotten closer over the last few months. The relaxing part came from the fact that she’d known him her whole life and had counted him one of her best friends for most of that time. The tense part came from a conversation they’d had a few months back. Luke had told her about the feelings he’d had for her in high school. He hadn’t divulged if he still felt that way, nor had they revisited the conversation since.

  “Don’t you look casual.” She cocked an eyebrow at him.

  His mouth tipped up into its signature half grin. “I just finished three hours in a
hot barn, working on that bucket-of-bolts tractor again. My shirt was soaked, and I was covered in dirt and grease. I ended up jumping in the river before showering.” He hooked his thumbs into his pockets. “You couldn’t pay me to put on jeans and a button up right now.”

  Hadley narrowed her eyes, trying to avoid picturing him peeling off a sweaty shirt. His eyes caught hers, as if he could read her mind. An electric spark—the kind that had been happening all too often lately—passed between them.

  “You’re not doing much better than me,” Luke said, swiping sweat from her forehead with his thumb.

  She shivered at his touch. “Uh—no, I was just standing over the steam.” Hadley laughed, eyeing Gran.

  As much as she wanted to talk to Luke about her feelings, and to ask him about his, this was not the time. In fact, that was why they’d gone so long without having the talk. Living in a small town meant there was never much privacy.

  Even though Gran appeared to be caught up in her web surfing, Hadley didn’t miss the sly glance she shot their way when Luke had reached forward and touched her.

  “You know,” Gran said, proving Hadley had been right about her split attention, “it is rather hot out there. Seems like it’s the perfect time to try out those refreshing juices everyone’s carrying around. I’d be happy to watch the shop while you do.”

  Hadley suppressed a wry laugh, seeing right through Gran’s act.

  “Yeah,” Luke said. “I haven’t tried any of it yet, but everyone and their mom has one out there.” He jabbed a thumb back at the pedestrian-filled sidewalks behind him on Main Street.

  They all paused, watching the foot traffic. He was right. Just about everyone held a clear cup filled with vibrant juice and topped with a colorful straw.

  At that moment, Luke’s mother, Annie, walked by holding a cup of her own.

  Luke’s head jerked back. “Actually, make that everyone and my mom.”

  The three of them burst out laughing.

  “That’s it. If Annie’s on the bandwagon too, I think we have to try this stuff, Luke.” Hadley untied her apron and put in on the hook behind her. She was glad she’d picked her trusty teal sundress today. Not only was it breezy and comfortable, but it also had pockets. She shoved some cash into one of them.

  “Agreed.” Luke nodded. “Plus, it doesn’t hurt that Simone, the owner, is getting most of her produce from our farm.”

  Hadley threw her hands up. “It’s official. We have to support her.” She eyed another round of people walking by, sipping on their different-colored juice concoctions. “Not that she needs more. She’s gotta be rolling in the dough.”

  “Can we get you something, Millie?” Luke turned to Hadley’s grandma.

  “Oh, like I told Hadley earlier, I’m trying out one new experience at a time. But thanks for the offer.” She turned back to her laptop.

  “We’ll be back in a few, Gran,” Hadley called over her shoulder.

  Stepping out onto Main Street felt akin to how Luke must have felt jumping into the river. The breeze rushing down the sidewalk was like heaven compared to the stuffy kitchen full of boiling pots and bubbling preserves.

  Hadley closed her eyes, letting out a relieved “ahhhh.”

  Luke’s hand settled on her lower back. “You know, I can talk to Tim about installing central air in your place,” he said. “It wouldn’t take me long at all.”

  This wasn’t the first time he’d mentioned talking with her landlord about putting in a different system that would keep the place cooler. It was, however, the first time she considered taking him up on it.

  “Let’s see how we feel after this life-changing juice.” She sent him a playful wink, hoping he knew she appreciated the offer.

  They threaded their way through the tourists and a few locals. “If we can get any.” Luke craned his neck to see the three blocks down where the new juice bar had opened. “The few times I’ve been by, there’s a line down the street or it’s closed because she’s run out of stock.”

  Hadley had experienced the same thing. She frowned at the building with the orange-and-white awning as they approached. It was dark.

  “Uh oh, looks like we’re out of luck.” She stopped short, sighing and contemplating making her own detour into the river to cool off now that the fresh juice wasn’t an option.

  Luke walked up to the door. “There’s a note saying she’s run out to grab more supplies. If you don’t mind waiting, it sounds like she’ll be right back.” He glanced back at Hadley. When she shrugged, he peered around the side of the building, into the alley. “Maybe she’s already ba—” His voice cut out.

  “Already what?” Hadley laughed, thinking he’d swallowed a bug or something, causing his voice to cut out. She walked over to make sure he wasn’t choking on whatever it was.

  Luke’s tan face went pale. Wide eyed, he looked from Hadley, back to the alley. He’d been right; Simone was back. And she stood over an unconscious woman.

  The woman on the ground was thin and pale with long, stringy black hair. She wore black jeans and a large, plain black T-shirt. An interesting choice for such a hot day.

  That could be why she passed out, Hadley thought. No. She’s not just unconscious, Hadley realized as she noticed the red marks encircling the young woman’s neck and her lifeless eyes.

  She was dead.

  Hadley gasped.

  Simone whirled around. “I swear I just found her like this.” Her voice wobbled, bouncing off the brick alleyway in broken, erratic echoes.

  Luke and Hadley stepped forward tentatively.

  Simone’s eyes were rimmed in white. “I’ve never seen her before in my life.”

  Hadley hadn’t either.

  She looked toward Luke. He shook his head to imply he also didn’t recognize her.

  As Luke called the police, only two things about the scene were clear: The woman must’ve been from out of town. And she’d made someone mad enough to kill.

  2

  As per usual, the booths buzzed with gossip at the Saturday farmers market the following morning.

  Simone was the topic that weekend.

  Having moved there only a month prior, the wary townies still saw her as an outsider. The initiation period was what the ladies of the quilting society liked to call the first five years someone lived in Stoneybrook. They raised it to seven if the person lived over fifteen minutes outside of town.

  There was no telling how many years it would take to erase being found standing over a dead body.

  Unsettled as she remained, Hadley welcomed the market and its quiet sameness. The sun was already intense, and she said a silent thank you to her pop-up covering. It provided shade in the summer just as effectively as it kept off the rain in the fall and spring. Even so, those without coverage didn’t appear to be sweating yet. The market took place in the park next to the river, so the wind kicking up off the rushing water was still delightfully cool.

  Hadley sighed and looked toward the other side of her covering to the second table. While Hadley sold her Pretty Jam Good products each week, her best friend, Suze, brought all sizes of art to sell.

  The hulking frame sitting in the camp chair behind the table of watercolor paintings wasn’t Suze, though. It was Paul, Hadley’s twin brother and a local deputy sheriff. After finding the dead woman yesterday, his presence was comforting.

  “So no one recognized her? Not a single person?” Hadley asked, taking advantage of a rare occasion when they were both free of customers.

  Paul remained silent. His dark sunglasses and crossed arms made him appear menacing and might’ve even deterred someone from approaching, let alone talking to him. But Hadley’s brother was a big softie; his rough and tough exterior was just that.

  “I heard you couldn’t find a wallet, phone, or even purse on her anywhere,” she tried again.

  Paul raised his sunglasses and peered over at her. “Sorry, Had. Did you say something? I think I dozed off there for a second.”

 
Snorting, Hadley nodded. “Yeah, I asked you a question. Did you get any sleep last night?”

  His large chest lifted and lowered in a sigh. “Not much.”

  Paul had been at the scene as soon as Luke had called and had worked into the night.

  “I asked if you’d had any luck identifying her yet,” Hadley repeated.

  “Nope. We ran her fingerprints, but there was no record of her in any system. We even checked all the missing persons databases for this area and everything surrounding. Nothing.” He ran a hand over his face and down his beard.

  Hadley didn’t have time to ask any other questions because Suze walked up. She came to a stop, standing on wobbly legs between the James twins. Her face was pale, her curly brown hair even more disheveled than normal, and she had the distinct appearance of someone who was about to throw up.

  “How’d it go?” Paul asked.

  He didn’t even wait for her to answer before getting up from the chair and pulling her into a hug. Paul gave great hugs. His giant hulk of a body engulfed you, and he always squeezed the right amount. Hadley had always thought it must’ve been what it felt like to be hugged by a bear—just one that wasn’t bent on killing you. The fact that Suze still looked ill after Paul let her go spoke of her condition.

  “Awful.” She shook her head, and a shiver convulsed through her. “But it’s done, and I hope it will help.”

  At Paul’s request, Suze had worked most of the morning to create a sketch of the young woman from the crime scene photos they’d taken yesterday. With no other identification, they would have to rely on posting a picture to see if anyone recognized her. The only pictures they had, however, were the post-mortem kind, and they weren’t about to paste those all over town or the internet.