Boxed Set: Darling Valley Cozy Mystery Series featuring amateur female sleuth Olivia M. Granville

by Cassie Page

  Xavier chuckled seductively. “So maybe there’s a method to my madness.”

  Suddenly, the animal leaped out of Xavier’s arms.

  “Be warned, my friend,” cautioned Olivia. “Cats are fickle.”

  “Story of my life,” he said without a smile.

  Olivia regretted her remark, knowing the unhappy story behind Xavier’s wry comment.

  “Please, sit my friends,” begged Xavier, directing them to a round glass display table with upholstered chairs Olivia had chosen several weeks earlier.

  Olivia looked inquiringly at Matt, “Do you have a minute, sweetheart? While we’re here I’d like to see how the second floor is coming along. I haven’t been here in over a week. We’re waiting for the delivery of some flooring materials.”

  Matt agreed to a quick coffee and they followed Xavier past the mirrored walls that during the day reflected the exquisite jewelry showcased around the store. They sat while the jeweler excused himself and headed for the small kitchen in the back.

  Olivia had turned a second floor attic and storage space into private rooms where clients who made large purchases and desired privacy could lounge on comfortable chairs, perhaps have some lunch sent over from Hugo’s and make their selections in comfort. There was a newly installed staircase where husbands could enter and exit from the rear parking lot without being seen by wives they wanted to surprise with a nice gift, or choose trinkets for women other than their wives. Xavier was nothing if not discreet.

  Matt studied the elephant in the room, a yawning gap in the ceiling above them, the reason for the work stoppage. A major construction flaw had caused Olivia no end of grief. Two of her crew had partnered on the staircase. In the middle of the job they stopped to check their progress with Olivia. She was aghast.

  One guy, consulting the plans, had constructed the wrought iron and etched glass staircase up to the ceiling, believing that the other would create the opening. However, his partner blindly cut an opening six feet away, expecting the staircase to appear. They ended up with stairs going nowhere and a hole that was a high dive to the ground floor. Frantically, they had opened the ceiling above the staircase so that it now reached the second floor. But they could not yet close up the misplaced six-foot gaping hole until a rush order of additional flooring and finishing materials arrived. In a temporary fix, a piece of plywood covered most but not all of the opening. Until the repairs were completed, no one used the second floor because of safety concerns.

  Olivia had tried to convince Xavier to close the shop during the remodel. She didn’t think customers would appreciate the dust and noise of construction. But Xavier refused. He had Olivia camouflage the construction area and used his charm and some soft Latin music to soothe his customers who might be disturbed by hammering and sawing. “My customers see only the diamonds, not the nuts and bolts.”

  Apparently, he’d been right, as his business had not suffered during construction. The ceiling repair was the last major item Olivia had to strike off the punch list before the opening. After that, the final paint touch ups, installation of flooring and placement of the furniture and Persian rugs would have the space ready for the grand opening.

  Xavier returned with a tray of fragrant coffee. “I’m so excited,” he said, distributing cups. “If you can believe it, an oil sheik and his wife are coming and the crown prince of a country I’d never heard of has RSVP’d. I intend to get photo ops with them to put in the window. It could be so big for my business, to have them buy from me.”

  Olivia looked a little worried. “That’s fantastic. I just hope the flooring arrives on time.”

  Behind schedule now, her crew needed to move lightning fast to get everything finished for the planned gala. They didn’t need any extra pressure, such as materials getting lost in transit.

  Xavier poured the coffee while they chatted. When he arrived from Buenos Aires he brought with him few possessions, except for a love of the café scene where he could socialize with his friends or conduct business in a friendly atmosphere.

  Olivia knew that Xavier would be happy schmoozing all morning, but both she and Matt had full calendars for the rest of the day. She gave Matt a sign that they wouldn’t stay long, and then stirred a brown sugar cube into her coffee.

  From a nearby counter Xavier brought over a velvet-covered tray of diamond, ruby and sapphire pieces. Xavier had a small staff that would soon arrive, but only he had access to the safes and only he handled the inventory, arranging the exquisite rings, necklaces and earrings in the various cases. He picked up a ring with a distinctive blue stone and held it conspicuously under Matt’s nose. “Sapphire is the new go-to engagement ring.”

  “Very nice,” Matt answered, winking at Olivia. “You should show it to a guy who’s getting engaged.”

  Xavier arranged the gems in the display case, getting ready to open the shop as they visited. Olivia pointed to the plant in the window. “Is that new? I don’t usually like jade plants, but that one is gorgeous.”

  Xavier shrugged, “I figured what could more fitting than a jade plant in a jewelry store. Costco on sale.”

  “No! And the pot?”

  “Came with it. I like to save a penny when I can.” He laughed at himself. “Crazy, right? I handle priceless jewels all day and pick up bargains at Costco.”

  Matt tuned out the gardening chat. He held up his right hand and pointed to his college ring. “As long as we’re here, do you think you can make it bigger? I must have been a skinny kid in school. I’m having trouble getting it off.”

  Xavier took a look. “Sure, I can stretch that out. But be careful of those pastries at The Salted Caramel. They’re taking a toll.”

  Matt patted his stomach. “Tell me about it.”

  He laughed, even though his abs were as flat as when he was on Harvard’s wrestling team. “I’d better watch it.” Though he had bulked up over the years, it was all muscle, not fat.

  Xavier said, “Leave it here and I’ll size it for you.”

  Matt nodded and continued to tug on the bulbous ring.

  Olivia said, “Speaking of The Salted Caramel, did you hear Carrie is on a cruise with her grandmother?”

  Matt joked, “Well, we know the grandmother will have a good time.”

  Carrie was the town’s favorite barista, dispensing coffee, good cheer and gossip at The Salted Caramel, the town’s favorite café and pastry shop.

  They sat exchanging such chit-chat as Matt struggled with his ring. Finally, he gave up.

  “I’ll need to work it off with soap,” he said, peering at the gems Xavier had just arranged beneath the glass. Xavier offered to get some gel that he had in the back.

  “That’s okay. Another time. I have to get back to the station, but I always like to see Olivia’s work. Can I have a quick peek upstairs before I take off?”

  Xavier said, “Sure, just let me finish with this display case and I can lock up the safe. So how are things coming for Charles and Franny’s engagement party, Olivia? Is Marguerite behaving?”

  Olivia gave a longsuffering sigh. “You know how she is, Xavier. She wants things her way or no way.”

  “Oh, indeed I do know how she is. I had to completely redo the ring her husband gave her for their twenty-fifth anniversary.”

  Marguerite Fredericks was one-half of Darling Valley’s leading power couple. Olivia had done a major renovation of her pool house and master-minded her anniversary celebration. The Fredericks were hosting the party for Charles and Francesca, still the State’s environmentalist on his museum. At least until the wedding. Charles had appointed Marguerite chair of his board.

  Olivia scowled. “I’ve named several gray hairs and three new wrinkles after her.”

  Xavier dismissed Olivia’s problems with the exacting Marguerite with a wave of his hand. “But Charles and Franny will have a wonderful party.”

  “Yes, they will. And I couldn’t be happier for them.”

  They were settling into a longer conversatio
n than Olivia had wanted. She reached into her purse to check the time on her phone. She gave Matt the high sign that she was ready to leave. No matter how hard she tried to make visits with Xavier brief when she was on the clock, he always drew her into staying longer than she planned.

  Now he asked, “When is the completion date for the museum?”

  “Less than a year, now,” she said. “We’re hoping to have it finished before the wedding so they can cut the ribbon as Mr. and Mrs. Bacon.”

  The museum was Olivia’s biggest project to date. She had labored not only as project manager but also as pseudo therapist for Charles as he wrestled with the headaches of building a museum, raising funds and keeping donors happy, to say nothing of helping him navigate the stormy relationship seas with Francesca after fifteen years of solitary widowerhood. Xavier had designed their rings and Olivia was the event coordinator for the party as her engagement gift to them.

  Xavier made a coffee toast to the couple. “Shall we meet at Hugo’s for an after party drink? Then we can hate on Charles for all his good fortune.”

  Matt said, “I’ll drink to that.”

  Xavier put his cup down. “You know Franny wants Martin to give them tango lessons, don’t you?”

  Matt said, “Tango? Funny, I don’t see Charles sweeping Franny off her feet on the dance floor. Why Martin?”

  Olivia tapped his hand. “I haven’t had a chance to tell you. Martin has a part time job at a dance studio in Mill Valley.”

  A proud smile spread across Xavier’s face. He had made it possible for his young cousin, Martin, to emigrate to the United States.

  “In Buenos Aires he has won many championships. I went with him to his interview to help him with his English. But they knew. They could see. The ladies would fall on the floor for this handsome guy, even if they couldn’t understand his English.” Then Xavier snapped his fingers. “Like that, he got the job.”

  Olivia grinned and poked Matt. “I was going to suggest we sign up for a class.”

  Matt scoffed. “So you could fall on the floor tripping over my two left feet? No way would I make a fool of myself with tango lessons.”

  Olivia wasn’t going to let him get away with that. She reminded him of the wedding of Taz’s best friend where the guests laughed their way through several hours of Bollywood dancing. She had to drag Matt out the door at the end of the night. “Just one more song,” he kept saying, his happiness infectious.

  She pointed her thumb at Matt. “He does a mean hip-hop, Xavier.”

  Matt laughed. “When no one’s looking.” He crossed his arms in a two-fingered ghetto salute. “Bro!” he said, his mouth drawn into a mock tough guy grimace.

  “No,” Xavier exclaimed. “Our uptight, excuse me,’ he grinned, “upright chief of detectives can get down?”

  Matt gave him a fake one-two punch. Olivia loved this side of Matt, when he let down his stern detective persona and let his wit and warmth shine through.

  “Xavier, tell Martin to give Matt a call and talk him into it. Oh, his English. You talk him into it. I bet Charles will go if Matt does.”

  Matt shook his head. “I’d do anything for Charles. But tango? No way.”

  Charles was part of her Darling Valley posse as she called her new friends. It wasn’t large, but it was very tight. Charles was more like family now. Once Franny moved from Sacramento, Olivia would do all she could to smooth her entry to Darling Valley so she wouldn’t experience the first, lonely months that Olivia had.

  Just seeing Charles beam at his beloved made her day. Sometimes she wondered if she and Matt would ever get there.

  Chapter Three: The Big Reveal

  Xavier asked innocently, “When are you going to start work on Marguerite’s cottage?”

  The cottage was more than twenty thousand square feet on three floors. Olivia groaned. “She hasn’t made up her mind. She insists the job will go forward but hasn’t made a final decision on the designer.”

  Olivia and Matt avoided looking at one another. The other designer in contention was Brooks Baker, the world famous celebrity architect whom Olivia was supposed to marry when she lived in LA. There was one small problem. Brooks didn’t quite leave her at the altar; she didn’t get that far. He called her the night before the wedding while she and Tuesday were trying on their dresses for a last minute check. He couldn’t go through with it. He needed space, he’d said, which turned out to be space in the apartment of a twenty-something starlet.

  Though he’d made a disastrous effort to reconcile after Olivia relocated to Darling Valley, now he was a rival for what could be Olivia’s biggest residential commission.

  Xavier said, “Oops. Yeah, I forgot about that guy.”

  Xavier and Olivia occasionally cried on each other’s shoulders. He knew about Brooks. Olivia knew about the French woman Xavier adored but who insisted on an open relationship, breaking his heart. The reason her comment about fickle cats had struck a nerve.

  Olivia changed the subject. “Did Cody drop off the paint samples?”

  Cody was her assistant, friend and surrogate baby brother.

  “Yeah, poor guy. Is he still camped on your floor?”

  “He is as long as the visiting aunt and uncle are sleeping in his room. I think his parents are paying the aunt and uncle to stay there until Cody gives up and gets his own place. You’d think crashing on an air mattress in my showroom would get old. He’s terrified there’ll be an earthquake and an armoire will fall on him.”

  Then Matt and Xavier got involved in a discussion about soccer teams, with Xavier inviting Matt to join him in a game on the weekend. Then they moved on to the World Cup. The cat reappeared and worked her way onto Xavier’s lap.

  Soccer bored Olivia, so she let her mind wander. She examined the new main staircase. Bubble wrap and brown paper protected the railing and marble stairs. She avoided looking at the embarrassing opening in the ceiling, partially covered by a thin piece of plywood.

  Olivia studied a few of Xavier’s gems in the display cases, waiting for a break in the sports talk so she and Matt could run upstairs for a minute and then get on their way. She admired an aquamarine and diamond pendant she hadn’t seen before and then went back to studying the ceiling.

  Something was wrong. First, the workers should have done a better job of covering the hole. She could see up into the space and so could the customers. They should have pulled the plywood all the way over the opening or at least laid down a tarp to keep the dust out of the lower floor. And why didn’t they put sawhorses around the opening so no one accidentally fell through? No one was allowed up there, but you never knew who might snoop around. Xavier showing it to a friend, for example.

  The more she looked at it, the more the flimsy plywood bothered her. It was sagging. There was a weight of some kind on it, like somebody had carelessly left a heavy piece of equipment there, a sander or portable generator. She was afraid it might give way. She pulled out her phone and sent her contractor a text to get someone to shore up that hole ASAP. Olivia hated sloppy work. This was not up to her standards.

  She tried to interest herself in the soccer conversation, but she had no idea who the players and teams were and had no allegiance to any country vying for a spot in the World Cup. She went back to examining the ceiling. Then she blinked. Were her eyes deceiving her? No, plaster dust had started to drift down from the underside of the plywood. A light sprinkling, like a shower of powdered sugar on a cake. Olivia couldn’t believe her eyes. The thin board started to move, then started wobbling. It was about to come down.

  She jumped up shouting, “Get back. Get out of the way.”

  Before Matt and Xavier could make sense of what she was saying, they heard a loud rumble and all of sudden the plywood buckled and the ceiling around it collapsed. A loud thud, a sickening sound actually, stopped the three in their tracks. The shop instantly filled with dust and debris. The cat screeched and sailed into a dark corner. Xavier’s security alarm went off.

&
nbsp; The trio began coughing and waving dust away from their faces. The plywood had fallen on a display case and shattered glass covered the floor. Two designer chairs lay on their sides like the aftermath of a drunken party. Xavier had a small cut on his forehead where a piece of glass had hit him.

  With watering eyes they checked each other to make sure they were okay. Matt said, “What just happened?”

  “Stand back,” Olivia warned, “in case something else falls.”

  As the dust began to clear, Olivia walked carefully to the demolished area of the shop, a cloud of sandy grit already stinging her eyes. Her heart thumped loud and anxious in her chest.

  Worried thoughts ricocheted around in her head. She was responsible for the safety on this job. Was her liability insurance up to date? Thank goodness no workers had fallen through the hole. Or customers. Oh, no, what if that had fallen on someone? Or them; they’d just been standing under it. Who had left that space uncovered, the plywood loose and unsecured? Someone’s head would roll for this.

  She reached the wreckage. Xavier had not turned on the lights back there and it was hard to see. She scanned the debris field. A tarp had fallen, one she hadn’t seen from down below. It had opened like a parachute, half of it caught on the stair case railing, half of it draped over a large object that probably caused the collapse. She tested it with her foot; it was hard and unyielding. What was under there? From its shape, she knew something was very wrong.

  “Matt? Over here. This is strange.”

  Matt and Xavier were already on their way. Matt peeled back the tarp and sucked in a breath.

  Olivia leaned in. At first all she could see was the glint of diamonds. On a woman’s wrist, at her throat and fingers. Huge diamonds. Dozens of them. Then she heard Matt say the obvious. “There’s a woman under here.”

  Xavier screamed something and ran into his office.

  Olivia’s hand flew to her mouth. “It’s Jocelyn Payne,” she gasped. And she knew she was very dead.