Cat Got Your Corpse

by Louise Lynn

  Cat Got Your Corpse

  A Hazel Hart Cozy Mystery Six

  Louise Lynn

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  Chapter 1

  "You deserve a break. We both do. And I'm sure your shop can survive being closed for a week," Hazel Hart said to her younger sister.

  The younger sister in question, Esther, simply scowled. "I don't know if I consider camping in the middle of nowhere a break."

  Hazel grinned. "You're the one who said that me and dad's tradition wasn't fair to you, so you're required to come along. Dad wants you there, and if you want to spend more time with him. . . .” She let her voice trail off from the look on Esther's face.

  A few months before, her sister would've said something about not wanting to spend any time with their father. But she'd learned to forgive him for his many work-related absences lately, though they weren't entirely as close as Hazel and her father were. Hazel didn't know if they ever could be. But, she would like them both to try.

  “Fine! But a whole week? Can’t we start with something small like a weekend? And I know you don't mind closing the photography studio, but a whole week of closing the bakery feels wrong,” Esther said, and Hazel could tell her sister was grasping at straws for an excuse. And, of course, she had to wait until the last minute to do it.

  "If you don't want to go, stay at home, but you’ll have to deal with mom the whole time and you know it," Hazel said and gave her sister a pointed look.

  Esther chewed on her bottom lip, which Hazel knew was a sign of defeat. “You win, but if anything goes wrong we’re returning home right away."

  Hazel grinned. "It's a camping trip. What could go wrong?"

  It was Esther's turn to give Hazel a pointed look. “In the woods? Plenty. Someone could get lost hiking. Or injured. Dad’s not as young as he used to be, and he's put on some weight. He can have a heart attack out there and die before we can even get him to a hospital. Or we could be attacked by bears or mountain lions or rabid raccoons or–"

  "You sound like Celia," Hazel said with a laugh. Her best friend, Celia Parks, despised all things outdoorsy. Which was strange for someone living in the small Sierra mountain town. But, the town itself, Cedar Valley, was more of a tourist area than anything else due to the world famous Lake Celeste the town was nestled against.

  They had all of the proper modern amenities, including beautiful lakeside mansions from the turn-of-the-century, and an upscale lodge. Those things suited Celia's taste better than roughing it in the woods ever would, but Hazel never thought her sister was quite so bad.

  Turned out she was wrong.

  "Fine, some of them are a little over the top, but Ruth has never been camping before. And you know how she is," Esther said and threw a glance at her eight-year-old daughter.

  Ruth was helping them finish packing Hazel's truck. She had her stuffed frog, Prince Froggerton, over one shoulder and her backpack over the other.

  "Did you remember your sleeping bag?" Hazel asked her niece.

  Ruth nodded and grinned her gap-toothed grin. "Grandpa bought me a brand-new one because he said the My Little Pony one wouldn't be warm enough. Did you remember the stuff for s'mores?" she asked her mother.

  Esther nodded. "Yes, but I also brought plenty of veggies. Just because we’re going to be roughing it for a week doesn’t mean I can let your teeth fall out.”

  Hazel didn't have any children of her own, but her fluffy black cat, Anthony Ray, wound around her ankles. He was already in his harness and leash, and raring to go on the trip. Hazel leaned down to give him a pat on the head. "It's almost time, and you’d better leave any skunks alone."

  In the battle of cat vs. skunk it never went well, especially because the skunk always won.

  Always.

  As they finished packing, Hazel went over her mental list for the hundredth time: sleeping bags, propane stove, cooler packed to the gills with food and ice. All of her outdoor photography equipment—since that was the purpose of the whole trip.

  Hazel was a photographer by profession and had her own small studio in Cedar Valley. Ever since she was a child her father and her had gone on a weeklong photography inspired camping trip each summer.

  They hadn't done it for many years, since her father was a world-famous National Geographic photographer, and was usually on assignment. But he’d taken some time off and was currently home, for once, so they jumped back into their old tradition.

  Hazel buzzed with excitement. She had so many fond memories of the trips they’d taken when she was a child.

  Her father took her everywhere, from Yosemite and Sequoia in the southern Sierras to Mt. Lassen and Crater Lake. On each of those trips, she became not only closer to her father, but also a better photographer in general.

  And as her father always said: never stop learning.

  She didn't intend to.

  Finally, Esther finished packing the last of their goods, one of those items being an oversized first aid kit, and she threw a glance at Hazel. "Is there a reason why Violet isn’t sticking with you on this trip?" she asked, nonchalantly.

  Hazel sighed. "I invited her, but she said it was okay and that she'd spend the time unpacking at the new house.”

  Violet was Hazel's boyfriend’s niece, and she’d recently moved back in with her uncle after staying with Hazel for a couple of months.

  “Do you think she was saying that because she didn't want to intrude or she just hates camping as much as I do?" Esther said and wrinkled her nose.

  Hazel shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know. I told her about the trip, but I think she did feel a little bit like she was intruding on family time. Or maybe she just wanted to spend more time with Colton, though that seems unlikely.”

  Colton and Violet were a little bit too much alike for their own good, and that created tension in their relationship. It had been better since they’d moved into the new house, but Violet spent more time with Hazel or Esther, since she worked part-time in the bakery. Though, she obviously had the week off.

  Hazel had also given her assistant, Michael, the week off as well. He worked so hard on the various weddings and festivals recently that it seemed only fair for him to get a vacation when Hazel got one.

  To Hazel’s surprise, Esther didn't ask why Colton wasn't joining them, so she figured her sister already knew.

  Colton Cross was the sheriff of Cedar Valley and the rest of the county, which meant he had a pretty full schedule. No weeklong camping trip for him, though, Hazel and Colton had talked about taking a trip at some point. Maybe that would manifest itself once things calmed down.

  As soon as they were sure they had everything, she closed the back of her truck and they climbed in the cab.

  “Are we picking up dad from the house?" Esther asked.

  Hazel nodded. "After we pick up coffee, of course."

  Esther rolled her eyes and sighed. She didn’t have the same caffeine addiction Hazel possessed, though Hazel didn’t see how. “I’ll have tea instead. But that's not your only reason for heading to CATfeinated, is it?"

  Sometimes, her sister was a little too perceptive. "No, Colton is going to see me off. Do you want us to stop by Shanti’s too?" Hazel asked and smiled at her sister.

  To her delight, Esther's cheeks turned a brilliant rose pink, which paired perfectly with her long auburn hair. Hazel's own hair was more of a coppery red, and she kept it cut into a bob since the curls were completely unmanageable if they grew past her shoulders.

&
nbsp; "Raj and I said our goodbyes last night, but I am going to miss him," Esther said, almost to herself.

  "I like Raj. And Ripa is fun to play with, even if she's littler than me,” Ruth said from the back seat. Anthony Ray sat in the girl’s lap.

  Hazel smiled at her sister. Esther deserved some happiness since her first husband had died tragically several years before. And Raj was a kind and hard-working man. The fact that he was dashingly handsome didn't hurt either.

  Since they started from Esther's house, it didn't take long to reach CATfeinated. For a summer morning, Hazel was up earlier than usual, but the coffee shop was already bustling.

  Hazel offered to get everyone their drink, so Esther and Ruth stayed in the truck while Hazel popped inside.

  Like most of Lake Street in Cedar Valley, there was no parking lot in front of CATfeinated, so everybody had to park along the street. Hazel raised an eyebrow at an oversized truck, painted a flat army green, that had pulled partially on the curve right in front of the coffee shop. It had giant tires that made her wonder how anyone got inside, and an oversized gun rack on the top. There were two motorcycles in the back on some sort of stand, and they were painted the same green as the truck itself.

  All in all, It looked like something out of a war film.

  Hazel raised her brows. While Cedar Valley got a lot of tourists interested in the beautiful outdoors, that sort of tourist wasn’t one of them.

  Sheriff Cross’s SUV hadn't arrived yet, so she ducked inside and hoped he got there soon. She didn't want to leave Esther and Ruth in the truck long. Plus, knowing her dad, he’d want to get to the campground as early as possible.

  “Have I told you how crazy you are yet?" Celia said when she noticed Hazel.

  "Not today, but plenty of times in the past," Hazel said and leaned against the counter. "I've got Esther and Ruth in the car, so on top of my latte, I'll have an iced chai latte and a frozen hot chocolate.”

  Celia nodded and cast a wary glance at a group of people in the corner. "Do you know why I think you're crazy?"

  Hazel felt a warm kitty shaped head butt her leg, and bent down to pet CATfeinated’s official mascot, the fluffy white Persian, Ophelia. "Because I’m going camping. Gasp!”

  As Hazel stood from her kitty nuzzle, she looked at the people in the corner. It was easy to tell they were hunters from their attire, the camouflage pants and shirts were a dead giveaway, not to mention that the shortest of the two men wore a hat with, of all things, a target on it.

  Celia gave her a sardonic look. “You’re going into the woods to sleep on rocks. Think about it. That’s nuts!”

  Hazel wasn’t sure how many times they’d had this conversation, but it wasn’t the first. Or the last, from the look Celia had. “I don’t sleep on rocks. I have a cot and a tent.”

  “Do you have a shower? Because you’ll be in the woods for a week without one and that’s just gross.”

  Hazel laughed. “I do have a shower tent. And don’t give me that look. It’s a real thing!” And it had cost a pretty penny, so Hazel hoped it worked like it should. She did like having a shower.

  "Okay, this has nothing to do with me hating dirt and sleeping on rocks, but it has everything to do with the fact that there are killer animals out there. Do you know how many bears have been spotted this year? Summer is the time when they’re fattening themselves up. And mountain lions have been rampant around here as well. There's a rumor that a missing hiker got attacked by one,” Celia said, her brown eyes wide.

  Hazel sucked in a breath through her nose and let it out through her teeth. "First, I know there are bears and mountain lions out there, and it’s one of the reasons I'm going. I want to get pictures of them—from a safe distance. And that missing hiker showed up at the ranger station last week. He’s fine, if a little dehydrated," she said and gave, what she hoped, was a reassuring smile.

  Celia didn't look reassured. "Fine, I just don't want to have to read a eulogy at your funeral after you’ve been mauled to death by a bear.” She pushed the drinks across the counter.

  Hazel couldn't help the chuckle that rose in her throat. "Believe me, I don't want to be mauled to death either, but black bears hardly ever kill anyone. You’re thinking of grizzlies. And even then, attacks on humans are rare.”

  “A bear is a bear. Big and scary with huge claws meant to rip faces off. At least someone in my life has sense," she said and shook her head.

  She turned to ready Hazel's breakfast, a sesame bagel with cream cheese. Hazel had a feeling Celia would include a few extra for Ruth and Esther as well.

  "Are you talking about Rosalie or Marcus?" Hazel said.

  Celia's shoulders stiffened at the sound of her mother's name, and then relaxed at the sound of Marcus’s. "Both, sort of."

  That secret little smile tugged at the corner of her mouth and Hazel knew for a fact Celia was thinking of Marcus Banks, the man she was currently dating. The fact that they hadn't broken up yet was something of a record for Celia.

  Not to mention that she hadn't found anything dastardly wrong with him. From what Hazel had seen he was nearly perfect. Besides the fact that he smacked his lips when he thought.

  Hazel was ready to give Celia a tough time about her current beau when the door chimed and Colton stepped in, resplendent in his sheriff's uniform of green and tan. For once, he looked freshly rested and his blue eyes sparkled when they caught Hazel's own.

  "Good, I was running late and afraid I missed you. Getting ready to head out?" he said, then bent to give Hazel a kiss.

  She returned it, as generously as was acceptable in public, and grinned. "Yeah, just picking up breakfast, then dad. Is Violet okay with this?"

  Sheriff Cross smiled, which was a bigger relief than Hazel realized until he did it. "Yeah, she said she was glad to get a week off because she can spend some time catching up on reading. There's some things going on at the library and she's going to be over there most of the day this week to keep her out of trouble,"

  She nodded. Like Hazel, Violet had a way of stumbling into problems. Though, Violet being only fifteen probably had a lot to do with it.

  "Speaking of trouble," Sheriff Cross said under his breath and leaned against the counter. He looked in the direction of the hunters. “There’ve been poachers in the area trying to get bear and cougar pelts, so I don’t like the looks of them.”

  Celia gave a swift little nod in the direction he glanced. “They’ve been in here for about twenty minutes, and I heard them talking about taking down a mountain lion. Is that legal?" she said under her breath.

  Sheriff Cross’s handsome expression hardened. "Not on National Forest land, and not unless the animal is deemed dangerous. Excuse me," he said, patted Hazel on the shoulder, and stepped up to the group of hunters. “It looks like you’re new to Cedar Valley. What are you planning on doing while you're in town?" He asked in a way that was both friendly and mildly threatening at once.

  The three hunters looked at him, each in their own unpleasant way. The tallest man was about the same height as Sheriff Cross, a good six feet two, but he was broader in the chest and shoulders with a slight gut that hung over his pants. His arms looked like the trunks of trees, and Hazel shuddered to think about what they could break in their hold. The man looked to be in his late forties from the gray in his hair and the lines on his face.

  His eyes were the color of steel, and they hardened when they took in Sheriff Cross.

  The woman next to him was obviously related. Her build was similarly tall and broad, and they had the same eyes, though the woman had darker brown hair and a pointier nose that gave her a mildly hatchet-like appearance. The tall man was probably her father, as he looked about the right age. She got an interested glint in her eyes as they swept over Sheriff Cross’s face.

  The second man was the complete opposite of the first. He was only about Hazel's height, at five feet nine, and a touch on the chubby side, with round cheeks and longer hair that he kept tucked behind his ea
rs. His eyes widened at the sight of Sheriff Cross, and he glanced at his two companions. “We, uh, don't want any trouble, s-s-sir,” the man stuttered.

  The taller man let out a guffaw of laughter. "Local law enforcement? We’re not doing anything illegal, so what do you need, officer?”

  Sheriff Cross narrowed his eyes. "I noticed you're all done up in your hunting gear, and it's not hunting season yet. I didn't want you guys looking for trouble in my county.”

  Hazel noted that he said county instead of town, which covered a wider range of the surrounding area since Cedar Valley itself was quite small. The county covered several more towns in the area, and stretched back into National Forest land as well. Though, rangers usually kept care of the National Forest, for the most part.

  Hazel wasn't entirely sure on the jurisdiction of different crimes, but she remembered Sheriff Cross telling her about giving citations to hunters who hunted outside of the regularly deemed hunting periods.

  “We're just passing through. Gonna be camping near Mount Rose, so you don't have to worry about nothing, sweetheart. Unless you want to join us,” the young woman said and winked at Sheriff Cross.

  Hazel felt her cheeks flush. The woman looked younger than Hazel by a good ten years. And she was hitting on Colton.

  “No thanks, and remember what I said,” Sheriff Cross said and walked back over to Hazel and Celia.

  "Hazel looks ready to claw that girl’s eyes out.” Celia smiled a dangerous smile.

  Hazel playfully flicked Celia in the shoulder and grabbed her bag of bagels from the counter. "Running late, and I'm not going to claw anybody's eyes out. I trust Colton," Hazel said, then smiled at her boyfriend.

  She didn't have to wonder where that strange surge of mild jealousy came from. Her ex-husband had cheated on her, which led to divorce, and though the notion had never crossed her mind that Sheriff Cross would do that, she couldn't deny that other women would find him attractive. But, she’d also never been privy to someone hitting on him right in front of her either.