Cozy Mystery Bundle #1 (South Lane Detective Agency)

by John P. Logsdon

  THE OWNER'S BOX

  Zane caught up with Casey as she made her way up. At first Casey was determined to give Mr. Wolfe a piece of her mind but, as she climbed the stairs, she realized the best way to get out of the situation would be to solve the case and move on. She could still feel the warm flush on her cheeks, so that might be easier said than done, but she had to try.

  “Look,” Zane said, “I had nothing to do with that.”

  Casey paused, then said, “I know.”

  They entered the owner’s box and made their way over to Mr. Wolfe.

  “Haha! There you lovebirds are. That was a hoot, wasn’t it?”

  Casey shook her head solemnly. “It wasn’t.”

  “Yep, I agree,” Mr. Wolfe said, as if he hadn’t heard her. “A hoot. Come on over here and let me introduce you to Will Hansley.”

  Casey noticed that Mr. Hansley was a handsome middle-aged man, standing just a bit taller than Mr. Wolfe but with more of a pudge around his middle. His hair was already completely gray, but he had a full head of it and it was quite striking.

  Zane shook the man’s hand. “Aren’t you the owner... Erm, I guess previous owner of the team?”

  Mr. Hansley appeared solemn, stoic. “I am.”

  “Now don’t be all down about it, Hansley,” Mr. Wolfe said as he slapped the taller man on the back. “A bet’s a bet.”

  “I guess I thought I was a better golfer than I am.”

  “Dad’s pretty good,” Zane said.

  Mr. Wolfe stood up proudly. “Coulda gone pro.”

  “Why didn’t you?” Casey asked.

  “Too much work.”

  “Figures,” Casey muttered under her breath.

  She turned back to Mr. Hansley and took in his appearance. He was wearing an expensive-looking gray pin-striped suit, complete with a baby-blue handkerchief in his pocket. He absentmindedly reached for it and Casey glanced at his arm.

  “Interesting,” she said, more to herself than anyone else.

  “What?” Zane whispered.

  “Uh, nothing. Just thought I saw something.”

  “Hansley here is the worst when it comes to sports,” Mr. Wolfe was saying. “Probably why he keeps buying up teams. Makes him feel like he’s one of the guys.”

  “Just not in my blood,” admitted Hansley. “I’m more of an entertainer, I guess.”

  “Huh,” Casey said in a way that meant, “Interesting.”

  “What?” Zane said again.

  “Nothing,” she hissed. “Just watch the game.”

  “But we’re on the case.”

  “Exactly. So you should keep an eye on the field. See if you can spot anything suspicious. Maybe your dad can help.”

  “No, thanks,” Mr. Wolfe said. “I hired you to figure things out. I’ll just sit back with my scotch and watch the team that I won off old Hansley here.”

  “Ugh,” the downtrodden man said with a sigh.

  Casey got out her pen and notebook. “Actually, Mr. Hansley, could I ask you a few questions?”

  “About what?”

  “Well, you were the owner of this team for a long time, right?”

  “Three years.”

  “I just think that maybe you can help me.”

  “Yeah!” Mr. Wolfe yelled. “See that one, Hansley? Knocked it right outta the park!”

  Zane looked at his father and grunted. “That’s the other team, Dad.”

  “What’s your point, boy?”

  Zane grimaced and looked back at the field.

  “Okay, sure,” Mr. Hansley said with a shrug of his shoulders. “I’ll try to help.”

  “Think you could hit one of those pitches, Hansley?” Mr. Wolfe teased. “I know I could. You’d probably strike out, or run away.” He held his stomach and gave a hearty laugh.

  “Good one, Dad.”

  Casey nodded her head at the door. “Maybe we should step outside, Mr. Hansley. It’s kind of loud in here.”

  “Yeah, okay.”

  They made their way out of the owner’s box and stood just inside the hallway, out of the sun and away from the cheering, boisterous crowd.

  PUTTING IT TOGETHER

  “Mr. Hansley, I think I know what’s really going on here.”

  The man shrugged, but he didn’t make eye contact with her. He was casually scraping at one of the cracks between the cinder blocks that made up the walls.

  “Not much to know,” he said. “I lost the team to Zeke Wolfe because I made a stupid bet.”

  “True, but that’s not what I’m talking about.”

  “Oh.” He was uncomfortably adjusting his sleeves at that point. “What, then?”

  “I think that you have a deep affinity for this team, Mr. Hansley.”

  “I like it okay, sure,” he said noncommittally.

  “Maybe the term team isn’t exactly correct,” Casey moved to clarify. “Maybe what you really have is a deep desire to make the fans of this team happy.”

  This time he turned to her, and she could see the emotion reflected in his eyes.

  “Yes, I love seeing the kids light up when...” He sighed. “Well, anyway, what’s your point?”

  “My point is that there’s probably a way that you can have what you want, get the team what they need, and make the fans happy all in one shot, and nobody has to be the wiser.”

  “What?”

  Casey fished in her pocket and held up the small piece of jewelry for Mr. Hansley to see.

  “I believe this belongs to you.”

  “Oh.”

  THE REVEAL

  Zeke Wolfe was practically fuming. “You stole the mascot?”

  “That’s not right,” Zane said with righteous indignation.

  “It’s underhanded is what it is,” exclaimed Mr. Wolfe. “Man loses a bet and then takes the suit. I don’t even know what to say.”

  Casey stepped in and raised her hand to stop the scolding. “It’s not quite what you think, Mr. Wolfe.”

  “Seems like it is,” Mr. Wolfe said with a sneer. “Hansley just admitted to it.”

  “Okay, fair enough,” she conceded, “but he left out a pretty important point.”

  “What?” Zane said.

  Mr. Wolfe nodded at Hansley. “Spit it out, man.”

  Mr. Hansley looked down at his feet and shifted uncomfortably. “I am the mascot.”

  “What?” Mr. Wolfe said in disbelief.

  “You are?” Zane said.

  “It was the only reason I bought this damn team in the first place,” Hansley bellowed. “I don’t know anything about baseball.” He calmed down and added, “I’m more of a curling guy myself.”

  “That’s believable,” Mr. Wolfe said with a nod.

  “Sounds like this curling thing is taking over the world,” Zane said.

  “One sweep at a time.” Mr. Wolfe then laughed at his own joke, and Zane joined him.

  Casey hushed them both. “Let him finish.”

  “Thank you,” Mr. Hansley said. “Anyway, what I really like is entertaining people, and being the mascot was the only way I could do that without anyone knowing it was me.”

  Mr. Wolf held his chin in his fingers, stroking it while deep in thought. “Honestly, not sure what to do here.”

  “It’s actually pretty straightforward, Mr. Wolfe,” Casey said.

  “It is?”

  “Sure, just let him do it. You get to keep the team, he gets to entertain your customers, and if there’s anything to this superstitious crap you men subscribe to, maybe you’ll start winning again.”

  “Huh,” he said to himself before turning to Mr. Hansley. “Do I have to pay you?”

  Now it was Mr. Hansley’s turn to laugh. “I have more money than you, Zeke.”

  Mr. Wolfe threw up his hands and rolled his eyes. “Oh sure, rub that in my face.”

  Casey turned her glare to Mr. Wolfe. “You just berated him mercilessly for not being good at sports.”

  “That’s different! Ain’t it, boy?”
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  “Vastly.”

  Casey shook her head at both of them. “You’re both unreal.”

  “Thanks,” Mr. Wolfe said with a smile.

  “Yeah, thanks,” agreed Zane.

  “The only thing I want is to remain anonymous,” Mr. Hansley said. “Nobody can know it’s me.”

  “That’s it?” Mr. Wolfe said.

  “That’s it.”

  “Well, if you can get this damn team back in the win column, you can dance around in that outfit all you want and I won’t say a word.”

  “You mean it?”

  “If I’m lying,” Mr. Wolfe said with his hand on his heart, “may we never win again.”

  “Now, that’s serious,” Zane said.

  Mr. Wolfe nodded. “And by proxy, my boy makes that same oath.”

  Zane stared at his father. “Ouch.”

  “And his girlfriend, too,” Mr. Wolfe added.

  “She is not my girlfriend,” Zane said with much conviction.

  “That’s right, I’m not...” she agreed. Then she gave Zane the stink eye. “Though you didn’t have to be so intransigent about it.”

  “So…what?” said Zane.

  “Watch your language, young lady,” cautioned Mr. Wolfe.

  “I honestly don’t see why you hang out with people like this, Mr. Hansley.”

  “It’s either them or the middle class,” Hansley replied. “Have to draw the line somewhere.”

  “Right,” Casey said, shaking her head once again.

  THE RIDE

  Casey slid into the back seat, feeling the gorgeous, supple, red leather interior. Thankfully she was separated from Zane by a center console that ran from the front of the car to the back, offering them their own temperature control and cup holders. She looked around and saw that all the leather looked quilted—even the ceiling. She leaned her head back against the comfortable headrest and closed her eyes for a brief moment, soaking it in. Casey had never ridden in an Aston Martin Rapide, and she probably never would again. She planned to enjoy it.

  Mr. Wolfe turned to her from the front passenger seat. “See, now if you had a real car like this, you wouldn’t be riding in the back.”

  Zane nodded. “You really need a new car, Casey.”

  “It’s been reliable up to now,” she argued, not bothering to open her eyes.

  “I’m amazed it didn’t die years ago.”

  “Isn’t the joke that you have to have two Jaguars because one of them is always in the shop?” Casey smiled at the jab.

  Mr. Wolfe sounded confused. “What’s your point?”

  “Never mind,” Casey said with a sigh as she took her head off the headrest and opened her eyes again.

  “Anyway,” Mr. Wolfe said, turning back to the front, “I can’t believe we finally won a game. Hansley sure can put on a show. Lit up the crowd and the team.” He chuckled in his hearty way. “Amazing.”

  “Yeah, to come back from seven-to-two with only two innings to go was sweet.” Zane finished the sentence with a fist-pump to the air.

  “Exactly,” Mr. Wolfe said. “Don’t even like baseball and I enjoyed that!”

  “I love baseball,” Zane said.

  “You do?” Mr. Wolfe was obviously surprised.

  “Yeah, was even planning on going pro when I got out of college. I’m sure I told you that.”

  “Nope.”

  Casey looked at Zane as if seeing him for the first time. “I didn’t know that either.”

  “Figure it’s the kind of sport that’s right up my alley.” He looked out the window as Mortimer drove off the stadium lot. “It’s like the sport was built for me. I can throw, catch, and hit a ball without a problem. Plus, I’m pretty good at spitting and scratching myself.”

  Mr. Wolfe nodded. “Important elements of the trade, certainly.”

  “So why didn’t you do it, then?” Casey said.

  Zane answered while continuing to stare out his window. “Too much work.”

  “That’s my boy.”

  “You two truly are amazing.”

  “Thanks,” Zane said.

  Mr. Wolfe nodded. “Too kind.” He then looked over his shoulder at Casey and said, “You shouldn’t have let him get away. A Wolfe is quite a catch, you know.”

  “So I’ve heard,” Casey said. “Repeatedly. From him.”

  “Well, not to worry, young lady,” Mr. Wolfe said, turning back. “You’ll find someone more suiting to you, I’m sure. Just don’t wait too long. It gets tougher for women as they age.”

  Casey’s eyes flew open wide. “Excuse me?”

  Zane turned to look at his father. “Don’t mind her, Dad. She’s going through ‘the change.’”

  Casey’s hand flew out and connected with his upper arm, hard.

  “Ouch! Why’d you hit me?”

  “I’m not going through the change, you brainless twit.”

  “Hey, calm down back there,” Mr. Wolfe said while glancing in the mirror of his visor, “or I’ll have Mortimer pull the car over.”

  “Going through the change,” Casey mumbled. “What kind of idiot are you?”

  “What?”

  “Idiot.”

  Mr. Wolfe squinted in the mirror. “Don’t make me count to three!”

  CASE CLOSED

  Casey walked through the front door of the office and launched her purse at the side chair.

  “Any messages, Amber?”

  “Just a couple of bill collectors,” the girl replied.

  “Damn,” Casey said, wondering if the day could possibly get worse. “I thought I’d paid them all.”

  “Oh, they weren’t complaining, ma’am. They just called to thank you and to say that they’d miss talking to you every month.”

  “Right.”

  Zane walked up to Amber’s desk and rested his elbows on the counter.

  “Any new cases?”

  “Nothing today, no.”

  Casey stifled a yawn. “I could stand a few days off.”

  “But it’s only Monday,” Zane said with a laugh. “You just had a long weekend.”

  “Evidently not long enough.”

  Amber looked worried. “Is everything okay, Miss Lane?”

  “Yeah, it was just a hell of a day, that’s all, Amber.”

  The girl looked over at her with concern. “Anything I can do to help?”

  “She could probably use some herbal tea, a nice relaxing bath, and a back rub,” Zane suggested, catching Casey off guard.

  Casey closed her eyes. “Actually, that sounds amazing.”

  “Yeah, Dr. Bill said that was the best thing for women going through the change.”

  Zane ducked as a pen whizzed by his head.

  “What?”

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  ABOUT THE AUTHORS

  John P. Logsdon

  John was raised in the MD/VA/DC area. Growing up, John had a steady interest in writing stories, playing music, and tinkering with computers. He spent over 20 years working in the video games industry where he acted as designer and producer on many online games. He’s written science fiction, fantasy, humor, and even books on game development. While he enjoys writing lighthearted adventures and wacky comedies most, he can’t seem to turn down writing darker fiction.

  On the web: www.JohnPLogsdon.com

  Lorelei Logsdon

  Lorelei was born and raised just outside Washington, DC. She moved to North Carolina in 2007 and has lived there ever since. She worked as a communication specialist and technical writer for 20 years before turning her hand to fiction. She has published multiple books in various genres under several pseudonyms.

  On the web: www.LoreleiLogsdonBooks.com
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  Copyright © 2016 by John P. Logsdon and Lorelei Logsdon

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the authors. Your support of the authors’ rights is appreciated.

  The characters, events and places portrayed in this book are fictitious or used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the authors.