by Susan Harper
Copyright © 2018 Fairfield Publishing
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Except for review quotes, this book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the written consent of the author.
This story is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual people, places, or events is purely coincidental.
An Artful Assassination
A Flight Risk Cozy Mystery
Susan Harper
Fairfield Publishing
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
Thank You!
Bonus Content: Story Previews
1
The car bounced, causing Kendell to stir. She blinked her eyes open after realizing the cool sensation on her cheek was slobber. “Eww! Dot!” Kendell exclaimed, positioning the passenger’s seat back up into a seated position. The little white fluffball yelped and hopped into the back seat.
Pauline, the elderly woman currently driving down what looked like some twisted backroads, laughed. “Sorry, Kendell,” the old woman said. “I think she smelled that peanut butter and jelly sandwich we had earlier and wanted a lick.”
Kendell rubbed her eyes. They had been driving for hours, and she had just relinquished the driver’s seat a little over an hour and a half ago when she had started to feel drowsy. The two unlikely traveling companions should be in South America, walking the Incan trails, but that trip had been abruptly cut short thanks to a hurricane that landed them in Texas. Since then, they had been traveling through the South via rental car toward Pauline’s home in Georgia.
“Please tell me we’re almost there,” Kendell moaned.
“As a matter of fact, we crossed the Georgia line while you were asleep,” Pauline said happily.
“Thank goodness!” Kendell exclaimed. “How far are we from Senoia?”
“Oh, about half an hour or so,” Pauline said. “The car rental place is in Peachtree City. My granddaughters are going to pick us up there.”
Kendell smiled. “I’m really excited to meet some of your family, Pauline.”
“Oh, and I just cannot wait for you to meet my girls!” the old woman cried.
The two of them had become acquainted just about a month before. Kendell was a flight attendant, attending a flight from her home base in New York to London, when she had met the rambunctious old woman, Pauline. There was just something about the lady that had attracted Kendell to her, and the woman had invited her along on her retirement adventure around the world. Thanks to a ridiculous amount of saved-up vacation time, the timing had been perfect. “Felicity and Iris, right?” Kendell asked, making sure she remembered the two granddaughters Pauline had mentioned, and wasn’t at all shy to say that the two of them were her favorite of her fourteen grandchildren.
“That’s right,” Pauline said. “Felicity told me she’s got some sort of big news for us.”
“You think her and that guy are engaged?” Kendell suggested, wanting to give Pauline some hope. That was the real reason they were going to Georgia, after all. Pauline was concerned that her granddaughter was pushing her good-boy boyfriend away because of some grief she was still going through regarding her ex-fiancé. Kendell was not sure of the entire story, but Pauline was definitely shipping her granddaughter with this guy, Jefferson. Enough to put a pin in her extravagant vacation plans just to go knock some sense into the girl.
“Oh, I don’t think so,” Pauline said. “But, here’s hoping! You’re going to love Felicity. She’s about your age.”
“What is it she does again? Event planning?” Kendell asked.
“That’s right,” Pauline said. “I’m told she recently expanded her shop and is partial owner of another company. It’s all very exciting. I’m so proud of her. She works very hard. And her little sister, Iris, is just like her. Iris is talking about going into law. I hope she does it. I think it would be a perfect fit.”
Kendell smiled. “You sure do sound like a proud grandmama.”
“Oh, honey, you know I am,” Pauline exclaimed. “You might want to check your phone, by the way. It was buzzing a bit earlier.”
“Thanks,” Kendell said, digging around the floorboard in search of her cell phone. “I got some texts from Jack. Says he misses me and hopes I’m having a lot of fun.”
“That’s sweet,” Pauline said. “Glad he finally straightened up.”
“Me too,” Kendell told her. “I don’t know why he was like that in the first place, though.” Kendell frowned as she thought back to her earlier trips with Pauline. Her boyfriend of nearly five years had started acting like a real jerk—controlling and demanding, angry that she was taking some time to herself. It was very out of character for him, but thankfully, he had apologized to her and had been a real sweetheart ever since. “I just wish I knew where that attitude of his came from all of a sudden.”
“Yes, you said that was strange behavior for him,” Pauline said. “Well, it’s good that he apologized. That’s a lot better than some men, you know? Trying to get my husband to apologize was like pulling teeth, and I count him a good man. That Jack fellow sounds like a good catch, but you need to watch out. Make sure he’s not just playing nice.”
“You’d think after five years I’d know whether or not I had a good guy,” Kendell said.
“What’s your heart tell you?”
“I think he is. It was just weird the way he was acting when I first went on this trip,” Kendell said. “I just can’t help but feeling that something else is up, you know?”
“I agree,” Pauline said. “Ooh, yes! We’re in Peachtree City! Finally!”
Kendell glanced out the window to take a good look at the small city. There were cars all over the road. No skyscrapers or anything like what she was used to in New York, but there were shopping centers and a lot of restaurants. The thing that stood out to her the most, though, were the golf carts. “What in the world?” Kendell asked, pointing to some golf carts crossing the street up ahead.
“Oh, yes, Peachtree City…” Pauline said with a laugh. “Half the people in this city get from place to place by golf cart. In fact, all the walking trails have been made wide enough specifically for golf carts to ride up and down. And most places have parking spaces just for golf carts.”
“That’s so weird!” Kendell exclaimed, laughing as they drove by a high school whose parking lot was completely filled with nothing but golf carts.
“That’s Peachtree City for you,” Pauline said with a laugh, and eventually, they arrived at the rental car place. Kendell and Pauline dragged all of their bags out of the car, placing Dot into the bedazzled carrier as they headed inside.
“Did you call Felicity?” Kendell asked as she dragged the last of the bags inside and placed everything on some chairs in the waiting area.
“I texted her,” Pauline said, scurrying up to the counter to speak to the gentleman working there. “She’ll be here soon.” Pauline turned to the man and handed over the keys of the rental car they had gotten from Texas.
Kendell sat down in one of the chairs, Dot’s carrier beside her. The dog was falling asleep. “You and me both, Dot,” Kendell said with a yawn. She pulled out her cellphone, deciding to find out exactly how far away they were from Senoia. She wasn’t looking forward to being in the car for too much longer. Much to her pleasure, they were only about fifteen minutes or so away from the little town. “Thank goodness,” she
said under her breath. “Don’t worry, Dot. We’re about done with the car rides.”
“Oh my goodness!” Pauline suddenly yelped, picking up Dot’s carrier and hurrying out the door.
Kendell shook her head. Pauline had gotten excited and had darted off. Kendell turned and looked out the window, seeing Pauline excitedly talking to two young women. “That must be her granddaughters,” Kendell said under her breath and began grabbing up all the luggage. She thanked the man working the counter. Kendell could hear Dot yelping excitedly outside.
“Pauline, you could at least get the door for me,” Kendell called, struggling as she attempted to make her way outside with all the bags.
The older of the girls hurried over, laughing a bit as she opened the door for Kendell. “So, you must be the mysterious woman who has been traveling with my grandmama?” the woman asked in a slight southern accent, nothing compared to the southern drawl she had become accustomed to from Pauline.
“That would be me,” she said, still struggling with the bags. “My name’s Kendell McDonald. Nice to meet you both. Pauline has told me a lot about you two,” she said as the younger sister came to help her out with some of the bags.
Kendell stretched her back. She heard her spine pop slightly, stiff after being in the car for so long. As she did so, she spied a shiny old-timey car in the parking lot. It was a bright red Cobra. “Whoa! Check out that car over there. Dang!” Kendell exclaimed.
The older sister, Felicity, laughed and jingled her car keys. “Want to ride it?”
“That’s yours!” Kendell cried out, eyeing the shiny car.
“It is now,” Felicity said. “Come on, let’s go, Grandmama. I know Mom is really excited to hear about your travels. I am too, as a matter of fact.”
“Okay, but on our way to Senoia, you’re going to have to explain to me exactly how you got that car,” Pauline said, just as surprised as Kendell at the vintage vehicle.
“Wait until Felicity tells you!” Iris, the younger sister, exclaimed. “It’s crazy! Felicity, tell them how much it’s worth!”
“Hold on a second, Iris,” Felicity said. “Let’s get on the road first.”
Kendell and Iris loaded up the bags and then sat next to one another in the back seat of the shiny red convertible. Pauline sat in the passenger’s seat, and Felicity took the wheel, starting up the engine and pulling out of the parking lot. “Okay, so how did you come across this car?” Pauline asked.
“A client of mine just gave it to me,” Felicity said. “Well, sort of. He wasn’t really a client. You remember my first case, the Charles Jones case from two years ago?”
“The man who was murdered on the elevator?” Pauline asked.
“Yes,” Felicity said. “Well, his son Brandon was murdered, and I solved that case as well. Brandon’s older brother, Charles Junior, was so thankful for what-all I’ve done for the family that he just gave me his father’s car!”
“It’s worth five million!” Iris cried, practically screaming it in her excitement.
“Someone just gave you a five-million-dollar car!” Pauline asked, looking nearly faint.
“That’s right,” Felicity said. “I couldn’t believe it either.”
“So… I thought you were a party planner?” Kendell asked.
“I am,” Felicity said.
“So, what are you doing solving two murders?” Kendell asked.
“Well, I was just a party planner. But, recently, I’ve expanded my business operations,” Felicity explained. “I own a detective agency now.”
“Whoa,” Kendell said. “That sounds pretty cool. So party planning and private-eye stuff?”
“Pretty much,” Felicity said with a laugh. “It keeps me pretty busy, but I love it.”
Kendell smiled, realizing that troublemaking probably ran in the family. Pauline, she had learned, had a tendency of getting them into trouble. They were always being pulled into some sort of local crime wherever they went. It seemed only fitting that one of the woman’s granddaughters would be a detective! And the younger one was talking about going into law. “These two are definitely your grandchildren, Pauline,” Kendell said.
“I’m sure you think that because of their stunning looks. It’s genetic,” Pauline said with a slight cackle. “I cannot wait to show you around my hometown, Kendell. Girls, Kendell has been such a big help on my trips. You really have no idea.”
Felicity smiled back at Kendell in the rearview mirror. “I hope my grandmama hasn’t been too much of handful for you.”
Kendell grinned. “Of course she has,” Kendell joked. “But I think I am just as much of a troublemaker as she is.”
“Good,” Felicity said. “Sounds like you’re going to fit in around here just fine.”
2
They pulled up to a large home with an even larger yard surrounded by woods. “Whoa,” Kendell said. “Talk about rural living.”
“That’s right, you’re from New York,” Felicity said as they headed down the gravel driveway after pulling off a dirt road. “I bet this is a bit of a culture shock, huh?”
“You have no idea,” Kendell said, staring in disbelief to see that the home next door had their own cow pasture. “So, this is where you two grew up?” Kendell asked Felicity and Iris.
“That’s right,” Iris said. “This is Mom and Dad’s place. It sure was a lot of fun growing up here. Felicity and I used to run around in the woods a lot.”
“Remember that time Mister Smith’s bull got loose in our yard?” Felicity asked.
“Are you kidding? When Dad tried to chase it back to the fence with a belt as a whip, it wound up charging him, and Dad had to climb up a tree to get away from it!” Iris laughed.
“That’s not funny, girls!” Pauline exclaimed. “Your father threw his back out and was bedridden for a week.”
“Yeah, but that video went up online and has gotten a ton of hits,” Iris said.
“Iris! Quit picking on your poor father,” Pauline said.
“You pick on him all the time,” Felicity argued.
“He’s my son-in-law,” Pauline said. “He’s supposed to be scared of me. You two respect him.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the sisters said in unison as Felicity parked the car out front.
“Something reeks,” Iris said as they walked into the house.
“Okay, don’t make fun of your mom’s cooking either,” Pauline said, and the two of them laughed.
“Mom’s not cooking, Grandmama,” Felicity said.
“Oh,” Pauline said. “It sort of smelled like one of her dishes…”
Kendell laughed, shaking her head. Something really did smell unpleasant. “Mom!” a voice called, and Kendell looked up to see a middle-aged woman sprinting through the living room, full of energy and excitement. The woman wrapped her arms around Pauline. “Mom! How has your trip been going?”
“Wonderfully,” Pauline said. “Darling, what is that I’m smelling?”
The woman sighed heavily. “I’m afraid our guest room is flooded.” The woman rolled her eyes and looked at Felicity and Iris. “Your father decided he was going to redo the upstairs bathroom, and he wound up busting a toilet. The whole house stinks!”
“If the guest room is flooded, where are Grandmama and her friend supposed to stay?” Iris asked.
“They can stay with us,” Felicity suggested.
Iris pinched her nose. “Lucky them.”
Her mother slapped her daughter’s arm. She then turned to Kendell and offered her a warm smile. “I’m Samantha, by the way. I’ve heard a lot about you from my mom,” she said and gave Kendell a warm embrace.
Kendell smiled. “Thank you for being so welcoming. I’m sorry about your bathroom flooding! That’s no fun.”
“No, especially with a husband who thinks he is Mister Fix-it. I’ve thankfully convinced him to call a plumber,” she said, shaking her head. “Unfortunately, Mom, I’m going to have to deal with this fiasco today.”
“Sammy, i
t’s fine,” Pauline said. “Kendell and I will go to Felicity’s and get settled in. Iris, why don’t you stay back and help your mother out?”
“Joy,” Iris said, pinching her nose again.
“Your father is going to be disappointed he missed out on seeing the car,” Samantha said, laughing. “So, he really just gave that to you, Felicity?”
“I know. I’m still stunned,” Felicity said with a laugh. “Come on, we’ll ride on down to my house.”
“Is Jefferson going to be there?” Pauline asked as the three of them loaded back up into the car after allowing Dot a quick bathroom break.
“He lives there, Grandmama. It’s his house,” Felicity said as they pulled out.
“How very New York of you,” Kendell said, a bit surprised to hear she lived with her boyfriend. It wasn’t exactly the conservative stereotype Kendell had grown up hearing.
Felicity laughed. “Well, we have our own rooms,” Felicity said.
“Ah,” Kendell said, laughing. “That sounds a little more Georgia.”
“I lost my house last year. Jefferson offered his spare room to me. I pay rent. We started dating a short while after that,” Felicity explained.
“Is Jefferson the one you run the event shop with?” Kendell asked.
“That’s the one,” Felicity said.
“I just love Jefferson,” Pauline said. “Such a sweet boy with a good head on his shoulders. I like him a lot more than that boy you dated back in high school.”
“Grandmama, Jack and I are still friends, so you have to play nice. In fact, he and I are business partners now. He owns half of the detective agency,” Felicity said.
“Jack’s my boyfriend’s name back home in New York,” Kendell said. “Funny. So you run a business with your current boyfriend and your ex-boyfriend?”
