by Erin Johnson
UP IN FLAMES
“Malorie Rutherford…” I shook my head. “The hostess? What about her?”
Heidi’s dark eyes lit up and she edged closer. “Okay, my friend Jilly, the one who owns the catering company? She filled me in. Apparently, Malorie Rutherford has a reputation as a black widow. Everyone thinks she killed her first husband, Richard Rutherford. No one’s ever found the body, but get this—he disappeared exactly fifty years ago, at the last Night of the Phoenix party.”
I tipped my head to the side. That’s right—the phoenix apparently burst into flames, burned to a crisp, then was reborn from its own ashes every fifty years like clockwork. I arched a brow. “So everyone’s wondering if watching a bird spontaneously combust is going to put our hostess in a murdery mood again?”
My friend giggled. “Something like that.”
I nodded. “Alright. Well, give me all the goss. What do people think happened to him?”
Her gaze shifted over the heads of party guests. “I’ve heard it a few ways. Some people think she fed him to their three-headed wolf. Others think she threw the body into the phoenix’s cage and all the remains burned up.”
I nodded. “And why did she kill her beloved?”
“Get this.” Heidi splayed her hands. “Malorie was twenty at the time, and Richard was fifty.”
I raised my brows. “Quite the age gap.”
My friend nodded. “Richard Rutherford left his wife and daughter, who was barely younger than Malorie, to be with her. Everyone thought she was a treasure digger. People think she killed him so she could inherit his estate. Within months of his disappearance, she remarried to their gardener.”
I chuckled and pressed my eyes closed. “Of course she did. Story as old as time. Murder your older husband using a firebird so you can marry the gardener.”
“Ahem. Er—good—good evening?”
I opened my eyes and looked past Heidi toward the raised stage. The crowd quieted down as all eyes turned toward the tall, thin man with enormous ears who stood atop the stage, narrow shoulders slumped.
“Thank you all for coming tonight. I, uh—” He scratched the back of his neck and looked behind him at the curtained-off cage, then scanned the crowd. “I apologize. My wife, Malorie, usually does the—the hosting.” He chuckled nervously, and polite laughter floated up from a few pockets among the hundreds of guests.
Heidi spun back around to face me and mouthed, “It’s him! The gardener!”
I grinned and nodded, then we both turned our attention back to the clearly nervous man. He wrung his hands, playing with an empty skewer.
“But as she’s, um—not available, I suppose….” He scanned the crowd again as if searching for his wife. “Malorie?” He raised his thin brows above the rims of his large glasses and looked hopefully out over the sea of faces.
His expression fell, and he shook his head. “Ah, well. I suppose you are all here to, uh—to see the phoenix. And as she’s about to start her change—her transformation—we’d best not delay. So, uh—the phoenix.”
He swept his thin arms toward the red velvet curtain behind him and seemed to shrink, as though he were trying to retract his head down into his shoulders. An awkward silence followed, and then the crowd applauded in a few faltering starts, until it caught on and everyone clapped. The guy was clearly used to his wife taking the spotlight. I wondered if all the gossip about her killing her first husband had caused her to hang back in the wings.
The curtain jerked skyward, revealing the enclosure behind. Lush, tropical plants and a two-story-tall waterfall filled most of the space. A woman beside me gasped and pointed. Several other cries rose from the crowd. I rose on my toes and planted a hand on Heidi’s shoulder to balance myself as I strained to see what everyone was getting upset over.
The tall, thin man on stage blinked, then turned toward the enclosure and startled. “Malorie!”
I caught a glimpse of two women—one blond, the other with dark gray hair—sprawled on the ground, unmoving, inside the phoenix enclosure.
WANT to know what happens next? Read The Squawking Dead to solve a zoo of a mystery today!
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Click Here to get your FREE copy of Saved by the Spell and check out rookie officer Peter Flint’s first case with Daisy. Saved by the Spell is the prequel to the Magic Market paranormal cozy mystery series: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/39ltzc764w
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
I’ve always dreamed of being a full-time author, and now here I am! And it’s all thanks to you— my awesome, supportive readers.
I am so grateful to you for reading this book (and any others of mine you’ve picked up) and truly hoped you enjoyed it.
If so, please check out more of my Magic Market Mysteries or the Spells & Caramels series.
Happy Reading,
Erin
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A native of Arizona, Erin loves her new home in the Pacific Northwest! She writes paranormal cozy mystery novels. These stories are mysterious, magical, and will hopefully make you laugh.
When not writing, she’s hiking, napping with her dogs, and losing at trivia night.
You can find Erin on Facebook and BookBub, or email her at [email protected]. She loves to hear from readers!
Copyright © 2020 by Erin Johnson
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Contents
Prequel Novella
1. A New Case
2. Bridal Suite
3. Mr. and Mrs. Harrington
4. Sneezy
5. Chaz
6. Cybil
7. Joe Santos
8. Rachel Whitmore
9. Will and Heidi
10. Alabaster Monroe
11. Family Crest
12. Bartholomew the Bat
13. P.I.
14. The Diary
15. Strawberries
16. Animal Rights
17. La Mer Magazine
18. Cybil
19. Dig up Dirt
20. Spin
21. Writing's on the wall
22. Blast from the past
23. Undertow
24. Evidence
25. A Confession
Crab Puffs
Up in Flames
A Note from the Author
About the Author
Copyright
