Daley Buzz Cozy Mystery Boxed Set

by Meredith Potts

  “Forget about going with birthdays anymore. I just discovered that on the lottery website, there is a list of the most frequently drawn numbers ever. I’m going to use that as a guide for making our picks next time,” Betsy said.

  “That’s actually not a half bad idea,” Elizabeth said.

  “It’s more like genius,” Betsy said.

  “Let’s not get carried away. We haven’t won anything yet,” Elizabeth said.

  “True. But our time in the sun is coming,” Betsy said. “Bring on the moolah.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  With all the talk about the lottery, it was hard not to immediately go out and buy some tickets. But instead of going to the same place that I always did, I decided to mix things up. After all, none of the tickets that I had ever bought from Max’s Convenience Store had been winners.

  I ended up driving over to a gas station on Edge Crest Road. That was where Gavin had purchased his winning ticket. With any luck, I would become the next person to take home a multimillion-dollar jackpot.

  As I walked into the gas station, I recalled my conversation with Kelly about vortexes. How there were certain places in the world that just had an abundance of positive energy. Perhaps there were places that were inherently lucky as well. And maybe this gas station was one of them. It was certainly worth a try. Six million dollars was up for grabs in the next drawing. So, if there was any way to get an upper hand, I was all for it.

  I bought five lotto tickets then started walking back to my car.

  That was when I spotted Mark Thornton gassing his car up at one of the pumps. I couldn’t help but notice that the backseat of his car was stacked with boxes.

  That was highly curious to me. I decided to approach him from behind.

  “Where are you going?” I asked.

  He turned around and gave me a stink eye.

  “That’s none of your business,” Mark snapped.

  “What’s with the attitude?” I said.

  “Look. Just leave me alone,” Mark said.

  “I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “No, you just choose not to. But you should learn not to stick your head where it doesn’t belong.”

  “Hey, I’m just interested in the truth.”

  “I told you before. I don’t have anything else to say to you.”

  “You never answered my question. There sure are a lot of boxes in your backseat. Where are you going?”

  “You just can’t resist stirring up trouble, can you?”

  “I’m not trying to stir anything up. I’m just telling you, if my suspicions are correct and you are leaving town in the middle of a murder investigation, that doesn’t exactly make you look innocent.”

  “It’s a free country.”

  “Yes, it is. But the detective told you not to leave town. You should heed his orders.”

  “Or what?” he asked. “What are you going to do?”

  “All I have to do is call him and tell him what’s going on. He’ll have plenty enough cause to detain you for being a flight risk. If I were you, I’d turn around and head home right now until this investigation is over,” I said.

  “Yeah? Well, you’re not me. So back off,” Mark snapped.

  I reached into my purse where I always kept a can of pepper spray handy. I prayed that I wouldn’t need to use it, but Mark’s temper made me believe otherwise.

  I stood my ground. “I’m not afraid of you.”

  “I’m not afraid of you either,” he said. “Or your threat to call the detective.”

  “You should be.”

  He scoffed. “Why? I didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “That’s funny. Considering how guilty you seem to be acting right now,” I said.

  He shrugged. “What can I say? Looks can be deceiving.”

  “Fine. Then explain yourself. Why are you leaving town and where are you going?”

  “I don’t have to tell you anything. I’m out of here.”

  “I don’t know why you think you’re going to get very far. Like I said, you can either talk to me, or David. The choice should be pretty simple.”

  Mark groaned. “All you need to know is that I didn’t do it. Now why don’t you go bother someone else?”

  “Come on. You’re going to have to give me a little more than that.”

  “I don’t have to do anything.”

  “You can keep trying to get rid of me all you want, but it won’t do any good.”

  “I’m not trying to get rid of you,” he said. “You’re welcome to stand around and waste your time all you want.”

  His last few answers seemed to contradict each other. First, he had told me to go bother someone else. Then, he said I was welcome to stand around all I want.

  If his answers weren’t curious enough, I noticed that Mark broke eye contact with me and stared directly over my shoulder. So, when I heard the sound of a footstep behind me, I instinctively pulled the can of pepper spray out of my purse and whirled around.

  That was when I saw Erin McDowell coming up behind me with a knife. She made a move to lunge at me.

  I sprayed her in the face and narrowly evaded being stabbed.

  Erin dropped the knife and began rubbing her eyes while screaming in pain.

  That disaster had been averted, but I wasn’t able to breathe a sigh of relief quite yet. Not when I heard movement behind me.

  I whirled around again.

  Mark was reaching out, trying to grab the pepper spray from my hand.

  Instead, I just managed to spray him in the face before he was able to grab the can from me.

  Mark yelled and rubbed his eyes, just like Erin had.

  With both Mark and Erin temporarily blinded, I quickly called 9-1-1 for help.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  A few minutes later, David arrived on the scene. He was joined by a number of deputies. Mark and Erin were both handcuffed and loaded into the back of a squad car.

  I was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. At least, briefly. There was still work to be done. I mustered all the resolve I could and joined David in questioning Mark and Erin.

  “It was a nice little act you had going there,” I said. “Pretending you didn’t know each other. It was really convincing. And you almost got away with it, too.”

  “The key word there being almost,” David said.

  “But the truth always comes out in the end,” I said.

  Mark looked at Erin. “Don’t tell them anything.”

  “She doesn’t have to,” David said. “After the way you tried to kill Sabrina, we already have you both on attempted murder charges.”

  “If it wasn’t for my can of pepper spray, those would be first-degree murder charges,” I said.

  “The fact is, you’re both going to jail even if you don’t say a word to us. But the first person who talks to us just might avoid the death penalty for killing Valerie and Rick Olson,” David said.

  Mark kept staring at Erin. “Don’t listen to them. They’re just trying to get us to turn on each other.”

  David focused on Mark. “You’re so concerned with Erin turning on you. But are you saying that you’re willing to take the fall with her, even if it means getting sent to death row? That’s good to know. There’s no use wasting our time talking about a deal with you then.” David stared Erin down. “How about you, Erin? You interested in a deal?”

  “Hey, I never said I wouldn’t make a deal,” Mark replied.

  Erin’s eyes widened. “What? Honey, I thought we were supposed to be in it together.”

  “We are—” Mark said.

  David stepped in. “That’s not what it sounds like. Based on what I just heard, Mark wouldn’t hesitate to sell you out to keep himself off death row. But a deal can only be made with one of you. The question is, who is going to talk first?”

  “Don’t listen to them. They’re just playing you,” Mark said.

  Erin spoke up. “This was his idea.
”

  Mark scowled at her. “Don’t pretend like you had nothing to do with it. You were the one who stabbed Valerie and Rick.”

  “Yeah, but all the planning, all the covering up, that was all Mark,” Erin said.

  Mark lunged at Erin. “How dare you?”

  David reached into the backseat and held Mark back.

  Meanwhile, I pulled my smartphone out of my pocket and smiled. “It looks like we have all we need.”

  “You got all that then?” David asked.

  I hit a button on my phone. “Oh yeah? I recorded every word.” I turned to Erin and Mark. “You’re both looking at life sentences now.”

  “At the least,” David said. “Chances are, you might both end up on death row.”

  Mark and Erin glared at each other with daggers in their eyes.

  David hauled them to jail where they were both booked on one attempted murder charge and two charges of murder in the first-degree.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Three Months Later

  “I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

  Joe and Shannon gazed at each other as Minister Charles Walters said the words they had been waiting to hear all day.

  Joe leaned in and gave Shannon a kiss in front of ninety of their closest family and friends. It wasn’t just any kiss, though. It was their first as a married couple.

  What a beautiful ceremony. It was exactly the kind that I wanted when David and I got married—simple, but elegant. Long enough for the bride and groom to express their love for each other, but short enough to keep it from dragging on.

  The smile on Shannon’s face mixed with the sparkle in her eyes was magical. She had spent so much time fretting about today, but things went off without a hitch.

  A few hours later, at the reception, in addition to the look of joy on her face, there was also a sense of relief as well. The months of planning were over. She could finally cut loose. And that was exactly what she did.

  She beamed as she went from table to table speaking with her guests. Finally, when she had made the rounds of the reception hall, she returned to the head table and plopped down in her seat to dig in to a slice of cake. She had chosen a chocolate wedding cake with vanilla icing. It was the kind of dessert that dreams were made of.

  Shannon smiled wide as she finished taking a bite. “This cake sure is wonderful.”

  “Really? You’re talking cake at a time like this?” I asked.

  “Sabrina, I expect you above all to appreciate some good dessert talk.”

  “Don’t get me wrong. The cake is amazing.”

  Shannon took another bite. “You bet it is.”

  “My point is that the whole day has been wonderful. It was a beautiful ceremony. This is a fantastic reception. Overall, it has been a perfect day.”

  “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

  I leaned over and hugged her. “I’m so happy for you.”

  “Thanks. I feel like I’m in a dream,” Shannon said.

  “Only, this is better than a dream, because it’s real.”

  “That’s so true.” Shannon looked around. “I can’t believe it. I’m finally married. Do you have any idea how great it feels to be able to say that?”

  “I know it took a while to get here—”

  Shannon interrupted me. “Longer than I wanted, for sure.”

  I continued. “But the moment you’ve been waiting your entire life for has finally arrived.”

  She beamed. “Let me tell you, as impatient as I am, it was worth the wait.”

  “That’s great to hear,” I said. “And just think, this is only the beginning.”

  Shannon became giggly with excitement. “I know. Hawaii awaits.”

  “I wasn’t talking about your honeymoon. Although, aloha to you.”

  “Right back at you.”

  “I was actually referring to beginning the next stage of your life.”

  Her eyes lit up. “What a sweet life it will be.”

  ***

  After I finished eating my cake, David grabbed me and whisked me off to the dance floor. He pulled me in close as we swayed back and forth to a love ballad. It felt so great to be in his arms. A big smile was on my face as I scanned the room and saw everyone having a great time.

  When I remained quiet for a few seconds, David gave me a curious look.

  “What are you thinking about?” David asked.

  “That in a few months, it’ll be our turn to get married,” I said.

  He smiled. “I can’t wait.”

  “I know what you mean,” I said. “I just hope that our wedding is this good.”

  “It’ll be better,” he boasted.

  “Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad to hear that you’re confident, but I don’t know how you can top a wedding cake like that.”

  “There’s more to life than cake.”

  “That’s what you say,” I joked.

  He laughed.

  “Sorry. I forgot who I was talking to.”

  “I’ll say. Never underestimate the importance of cake.”

  “Trust me. I’ve learned my lesson. That said, I’m sure the cake will be just as delicious at our wedding.”

  “It’s certainly something to shoot for.”

  “I, for one, think that everything is going to be great at our wedding.”

  “You sure are confident about that.”

  “I’d bet my life on it.”

  “After everything we’ve been through lately, I’d prefer that you don’t bet your life on anything.”

  “You’re right. I could have gone with some better phrasing.”

  “Here’s hoping that you are a lot more careful with your phrasing going forward. Starting with your wedding vows.”

  “You don’t have to worry about that. When it comes to expressing my love for you, I always know just what to say.”

  “Is that so?” I asked.

  He nodded. “Sabrina, you’re the best thing to ever happen to me. I love you with all my heart. And marrying you is going to be the best decision I’ll ever make.”

  I blushed. “That’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever said to me.”

  He gazed deep into my eyes. “That’s not all. I can say that without a doubt, the afternoon that we get married is going to be the happiest day of my life.”

  I smiled wide. “I couldn’t agree more. I love you so much.”

  Epilogue

  What an incredible wedding. So much so that I was in a dreamlike state for the next few days. All that changed when I received a phone call from a mysterious phone number one afternoon.

  I answered the phone with no clue who was on the other end of the line.

  “Hello,” I said.

  “Is this Sabrina Daley?” a deep, booming male voice replied.

  “Yes. Why? Who wants to know?” I asked.

  “My name is William Richman. I’m a television producer with Richman-Terwilliger Productions.”

  “Are you serious?” I asked.

  “I am,” he replied.

  My eyebrows knitted. “Okay. Well, I’m confused then. Why did you call me?”

  “One of my assistants showed me the story that April Dalton wrote about your amateur investigative work,” William said. “It’s pretty compelling stuff.”

  “Well, thank you,” I said. “Although, I’m still not clear on why you called me.”

  “I want to turn your life story into a TV show.”

  My jaw dropped. Talk about getting some crazy news out of the blue. I almost did a double-take. Instead, I pinched myself.

  Ouch.

  Yes, this was really happening. I had heard that right. Although, I had no idea how to respond.

  I remained silent for so long that William became concerned that the phone call had dropped.

  “Sabrina, are you still there?” he asked.

  “Yeah. I just can’t believe what you said.”

  “Well, believe it, becau
se it’s happening—if you want it too. So, are you interested?”

  I smiled wide. “Absolutely.”

  “Great,” he said. “I think this could be a real hit.”

  “I’m certainly excited to find out,” I replied.

  The End.

  Cupcakes with a Side of Murder

  Chapter One

  “You slipped up,” I said.

  Henry Carter’s forehead wrinkled as he stared at me. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  The tattooed muscular thirty-four-year-old wanted me out of his house, but I wasn’t going anywhere. Not until he was in handcuffs.

  My lean, handsome, detective fiancé, David Carlson, stood beside me and tried to make some headway with Henry.

  “We know what you did. So why don’t you just admit that you killed Frank Lofton?” David Carlson said.

  “Because I didn’t do anything,” Henry said.

  I folded my arms. “I hate being lied to.”

  “I’m telling you the truth,” Henry said. “What do I have to do to get you to believe me?”

  I scoffed. “The only thing left for you to do is come clean.”

  Henry vehemently shook his head. “You’ve got it all wrong.”

  “Keep talking all you want, but you already gave yourself away,” I said.

  Henry shot me a glare. “You’re crazy.”

  “That’s what you’d like us to believe, but you’re the only killer in this room,” I said.

  “Stop saying that. I didn’t do anything,” Henry replied.

  “I’m tired of the games. We know you killed Frank Lofton. Just confess already,” David said.

  “What makes you so sure I’m guilty?” Henry asked.

  “Remember when you told us that you didn’t strangle Frank?” I said.

  Henry shrugged. “Yeah. What about it?”

  “Frank’s official cause of death hasn’t been released to the public,” David said.

  Henry’s face went pale.

  I continued. “The only way you could have known that Frank was strangled was if you were the one who killed him.”