A Chilling Conundrum (An East Pender Cozy Mystery Book 9)

by Leona Fox

  The time for waiting was over, however. The time for destiny to take its course was now. He rose from his seat with a new confidence and strode toward the pile of wedding gifts, collecting a handful of flowers from the tables as he ventured there. Perhaps a few people had noticed his behavior, but most were blind to it as they were lost in love. Soon he would rescue her from her mistake and she would see the truth, and this was the first step. Next to the gifts there were a number of pictures of her and her friend. The other was beautiful in her own way but paled in comparison to his. After leaving a small note he curled his fingers around the hefty frame of the picture and exited the building, the sounds of the music fading as he walked into the night.

  When the music finally stopped everyone applauded the bride and groom. Kelly beamed and curtsied, while Matthew bowed. She immediately went over to Ellen and the two women hugged, leaving their men to go and enjoy the company of each other.

  “Everything's going to change now that you're married,” Ellen said.

  “What do you mean? It's going to be the same as ever. You're not going to get rid of me that easily. Well, after my honeymoon, of course.”

  “You say that now but marriage does change things. And I'm sure you'll have better things to do than help me with mysteries.”

  “Please, you think you could handle them without me? Face it Ellen, you need me and I simply can't walk away,” Kelly said, raising her eyebrows. They fell against each other and ruminated on life and love.

  “You think you and Andy ever will do this?” As Kelly asked this she looked down at the diamond ring on her finger.

  Ellen sighed. “I don't know. It's not on our agenda. I honestly don't mind if we do or we don't, I'm happy being with him and that's the most important thing. Besides, after what we just went through I think we both want to take it easy for a while and enjoy our time together.”

  “I certainly can understand that.”

  “So where are you going for your honeymoon?”

  “You mean you don't know? I'd have thought you'd have dragged it out of Matthew by now,” Kelly said, surprised.

  “I tried but he's being tight-lipped about it. I thought he would have told you by now.”

  “I think he's waiting until tonight. I'm excited, though. I have been dropping hints so I hope he's picked up on them.”

  “Where do you want to go?”

  “Italy, I think; it seems like a romantic country. But maybe he wants to surprise me so he'll pick somewhere completely random? I never know with him.”

  “I'm sure you'll have a good time wherever you go,” Ellen said.

  As much as she was happy for her friend she couldn't help but feel a tinge of sadness that she would have to be without Kelly for a few weeks.

  The two of them continued talking as the guests left. Most of them came by to say goodbye to Kelly and wish her luck on this great adventure. By the time she had hugged everyone and shaken their hands she was feeling dead on her feet, although still blissfully happy. Ellen was helping her clean up when she noticed the flowers resting on the pile of gifts.

  “What are these?” she asked.

  Kelly shrugged. There were about nine flowers and one of them looked dead, its head lolling. Along with the flowers was a scrap of paper with hastily written words.

  'Soon you'll see the time is near for destiny to start

  You will find the next piece of me gone, like the way you've stolen my heart.'

  “What on Earth does that mean?” Kelly asked. Then her eyes lit up, “Maybe it's Matthew and it's a clue about our honeymoon!”

  “Perhaps,” Ellen said, although she wasn't convinced. Still, she wasn't about to worry Kelly on her wedding night.

  “I'll take care of these. You deserve some time to enjoy yourself. Why don't you find Matthew and begin your new life together? I've got this.”

  “Are you sure?” Ellen nodded.

  “Thanks Ellen, I love you!” Kelly said, kissing Ellen on the cheek and hugging her tightly before she hurried to her groom, pulling him away and disappearing from sight.

  Ellen chuckled to herself before looking back down at the riddle. She stared at the words as an ominous feeling crept up her spine. Someone at the wedding admired Kelly and for someone to leave a note like this, to try ruining the special day, it was something that Ellen couldn't comprehend. She had been hoping things would be quiet in East Pender and that she would be able to relax and enjoy her friend's happiness, but she should have known that that was too good to be true. Still, she was tired and did not have the brainpower to work on the riddle right now. So she scrunched it up and shoved it in her pocket as she gathered up the presents and carried them away. It took a few trips to her car and there were a few guests about that helped, including Andy.

  She didn't tell him about the riddle just yet, however, not only because she didn't want anyone else to overhear, but also because she wanted him to enjoy the peace of this night just as much as Kelly and Matthew. Andy had mentioned it was a new beginning and the last thing he needed was to hear about another strange case. Eventually there were just an armful of presents left so she gathered these up herself, but just as she left the gift table she turned and looked at it, tilting her head to the side. She could have sworn there was a picture of her and Kelly missing.

  Chapter 2

  Ellen awoke with a lengthy yawn. Scampy was leaping on the bed, yapping at her to get up. She hadn't drank that much wine the previous night yet she still felt rather dazed and tried to get Scampy to calm down, which was much easier said than done. Eventually the dog won out and Ellen was forced out of bed. The morning was crisp and the town was quiet. Ellen walked along, still half-asleep, while Scampy ran ahead.

  The riddle played on Ellen's mind but she couldn't fathom the real meaning behind it, although she looked forward to sitting down later on and taking a good crack at it. Initially she had liked that Kelly had invited the entire town to her wedding but now she worried that it was a mistake as somebody had a nefarious motive. Could the riddle just be a drunken mistake by someone? Perhaps, and nothing may come of it, but Ellen couldn't treat that as a certainty. And as much as she hated to disturb Kelly's mood she would have to tell her the truth.

  After the walk Ellen went back to her place for a quick shower before opening up the cafe. After the previous night's revelry her neighbors were tired as well, and offered a tired wave as they too opened their stores. Ellen started up the coffee machine and the day began like any other. A few people entered the cafe and chatted among themselves while Ellen puttered about the place. Then she heard a man clearing his throat. He was of average height and had a satchel hung over his shoulder.

  “It's Ellen Thatch, isn't it?” he said.

  “Yes, who is asking?” she replied, drying her hands on a tea towel, eyeing him suspiciously. The man rummaged around his shirt then showed her his press identification card.

  “I'm Adam Monk, I'm a reporter with The Herald. I was wondering if you're free for an interview?”

  Ellen cocked an eyebrow in surprise. “I'm sorry, an interview? What for?”

  “Well, the paper covers a lot of local personalities and a bunch of us in the office are really taken with all the work you do with the police. We know you've helped on a number of high-profile cases recently and we'd like to talk to you about them. You know, how a cafe owner started working with the police and what drives you to do it, that sort of thing. It's the kind of thing our readers love and, well, I have to admit a certain personal admiration as I've always had a fondness for mysteries. I can tell you're a busy woman so I won't take up too much of your time.”

  Ellen considered the offer for a few moments, pursing her lips. Adam had a hopeful look in his eyes but there wasn't much chance of her resisting. It wasn't often that anyone wanted to interview her and the attention did fill her with a thrill. Upon feeling this she thought back to Paul Diamond, the Hollywood actor who had spent some time in East Pender while researching Andy for
a role he was playing in a film. She wondered if Paul still felt this thrill every time he was interviewed, or had it happened so often that it had become mundane and monotonous? Either way, she could see how it could become addicting and why so many people wanted to become famous and have the public’s attention. She relinquished the bar to one of her trusty helpers and went to sit down with Adam at a table in the corner of the restaurant.

  The reporter opened his satchel and placed a recorder in the middle of the table.

  “I hope you don't mind us being recorded. I'll be taking notes as well but this will help me when I write up the article,” he said, following the recorder with a notepad and pen.

  “That's fine,” Ellen said, watching with curiosity. “Do you do this kind of thing a lot?”

  “I was transferred a while ago. I used to work on crime, that's when I started to become aware of you and how you helped the police. But now I'm on local interest stories. It's a nice change of pace,” he said, although from the way he said it Ellen could tell he was not happy about his new focus.

  “I thought we'd just begin with a little bit about your history. Then go into how you started helping out with the police and some of the more notable cases you've worked on. If there's anything you're uncomfortable with just let me know and we'll skip it.”

  “The only thing I'd be uncomfortable with is possibly revealing information about the police. I don't want to jeopardize my relationship with them.”

  “I understand. Remember, this feature is about you and what drives you. The readers will want to know what motivates you and how you got into this situation. You are an ordinary woman, after all. You could be any of us.”

  With that he began the interview, reaching over to press the large red button on the side of the recorder. His pen hovered over the notepad and as he asked the questions it made a series of marks against the paper, a shorthand code that made it possible for him to keep up with what Ellen was saying. She spoke a bit about her history, how she had grown up in East Pender then returned to look after her parents, before talking about how she first became involved with the police.

  “It was a crime that happened here, actually. A man was killed, a very sorry state of affairs, and since it happened here I tried to help in the best way I could. Andy liked my work and he started to involve me and Kelly in a few more cases.”

  “And do you enjoy it? I mean, you must since you've helped with so many, but isn't there danger? Do you ever worry you're putting yourself at risk?”

  “There's risk every day when you walk on the street. You never know if you're going to get hit by a car or struck by lightning. For a long time, I was meandering through life without any real direction. When I was caring for my parents they told me I had to do what made me happy, that I had to find some purpose in life and this is it. I love running this cafe, and if I only did that with my time I'd be perfectly content, but there's something about solving mysteries that makes me feel like I'm making a difference. If I didn't take these risks, then other people might get hurt. I'm just trying to help keep people safe. In life you have to do whatever makes you happy, as long as you're not hurting people. I have a knack for this so it would be negligent for me to stand by and not do anything.”

  “Why don't you tell me about some of the cases you've worked on, and some of the people you've helped?”

  Ellen blew out her cheeks as she thought about everything that had happened to her since returning to East Pender. She spoke for a long time about the people she had caught, about the petty crimes she had stopped as well as the murders.

  “And, of course, there have been some high-profile ones, like when we found the remains of Michael van De Lay, but all in all it's been rewarding. Of course, I would much rather not do these, in the sense that I wish these crimes didn't happen. Yet we've got a good police force and the community here is strong. So when the people need to come together they always do, like when we've had to search for missing people.”

  “And are you working on any cases at the moment?”

  Ellen paused when he asked that question. The clue burned in her pocket. “Not technically, but I did come across this riddle recently and I haven't quite had the chance to work it out yet,” she said.

  She produced the scrap of paper and began trying to work on the riddle while being interviewed. Adam looked on intently as she walked through the riddle, trying to solve it.

  “These sorts of things always have double meanings but whenever anything is anonymous it always troubles me. The fact that it mentions destiny is worrisome because it means whomever wrote this thinks there's a higher power guiding their actions. That often leads to delusions of grandeur; they start thinking they're above the law. Of course,” she said, putting the clue back in her pocket, “it may not mean anything and simply could be someone writing down something random, but you never know with these things. Other than that, no, there are no cases I'm working on,” she said. She kept a smile on her face even though she found the existence of the clue troubling.

  Meanwhile, Kelly was basking in the radiant glow of wedded bliss. She was stretched out in the big bed with her husband by her side. She looked down as the wedding ring caught the morning sun and sparkled. She kissed Matthew on the chest and he stirred, looking down at her with a pure devotion. He cupped his hand around her cheek and gave her a deep kiss, before his head returned to the pillow.

  “That was the best night of my life,” he said in a dreamy tone.

  “Sounds like a challenge, something to beat for the future,” she replied with a mischievous smile.

  Her hand roamed around his body and patted his tight, tanned skin. “So where are we going for our honeymoon?”

  “I still think I'm going to keep that a secret for a while longer,” he said, closing his eyes.

  “But you left a clue for it last night, beside the presents!”

  Matthew opened his eyes and looked at her with a puzzled expression, furrowing his brow. “No I didn't.”

  “Huh?” Kelly said.

  She hadn't had a chance to speak with him about it the previous night for as soon as they had been alone together they let their passion take over.

  “That's weird. Still, tell me where we're going!” she said, and playfully thumped him on the chest.

  “But it's so much fun to see you get tortured like this. It's just too much fun to tease you.”

  “You're not the only one who can do that, you know,” she said, leaning in to kiss him, but stopping inches from his mouth, leaving his yearning lips devoid of the expected touch.

  But he used his strength to grab her and roll her onto her back, splaying her hair all over the bed, and kissed her deeply. Then he rolled off her and scooped her into his arms, holding her tightly.

  “I'm so glad I get to spend the future with you,” he said.

  “As am I. I've been thinking a lot about the future lately.”

  “Yeah?”

  “For so long now I've been feeling like a fraud. I've used my lottery winnings to fund my career as an artist and I've always felt bad about it. I want to make it into a proper career, so feel like I've accomplished something. There's a kid, I've seen him painting in the park sometimes. I've been thinking about being a mentor to him.”

  “You've never spoken about teaching anyone before.”

  “I know, but I've been thinking about it a lot. I wouldn't want to do a whole class but one person...I just remember what it was like when I was growing up. Nobody believed in me and there was nobody around to tell me what I had to do to become a professional. I think it'd be a good way for me to give back, and it might help my own painting as well.”

  After spending the rest of the morning lying in bed with each other, they grabbed breakfast and then went their separate ways. Kelly walked with a spring in her step, feeling lighter than air. Her eyes continually drifted down to her wedding ring, which she wore with great delight. Making her way to the park, she greeted people as she walked by and the
y all were friendly toward her. Mickey, the young painter, was in his usual place, sitting by the reeds with an easel set up. Flowers were all around his feet, and he resembled a tree as he stood, hunched over his easel with a paintbrush filling in the blank white void with soulful color.

  “You're going to throw out your back if you keep standing like that. Haven't you ever thought of getting a chair?” Kelly said, startling Mickey.

  The kid, who was a few days’ shy of his nineteenth birthday, almost dropped his paintbrush as Kelly disturbed him. He blinked as he tore his sight away from his painting.

  “It's bad enough lugging this easel up here, I couldn't manage a chair as well,” he said in a soft voice.

  He still had the flush of youth on him. His hair was tousled and he had a distracted look on his face, a look that Kelly knew all too well as she had worn it many times over the years. His clothes were stained with paint, as were his hands. Kelly moved to stand beside him so she could look at his painting. As she looked at his work he stiffened, and turned his eyes away.

  “This is wonderful. I love the brush strokes here,” she said, pointing to the lower right-hand corner of the painting.

  “They show you have a lot of passion. And the way you blend the colors so the horizon melts into the sky, it's just wonderful,” she said.

  Mickey mumbled a thank you, he wasn't used to receiving praise. But there was more to it than that. While Kelly was staring at Mickey's painting, the young boy was staring at Kelly in the same manner. As hormones raged through his body his eyes darted over her form, examining her from an aesthetic perspective.

  “You know, it's really rare that you see someone your age being able to paint this well, with such maturity.”