Lavender and Larceny (Treehouse Hotel Mysteries Book 6)

by Sue Hollowell

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Thank You

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Join Me

  Also by Sue Hollowell

  LAVENDER AND LARCENY

  Treehouse Hotel Mysteries Series

  Sue Hollowell

  Lavender and Larceny

  Copyright © 2020 Sue Hollowell. All rights reserved.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved.

  This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher.

  Cover by

  Molly Burton

  Editing by

  Tiffany White at Writers Untapped

  THANK YOU

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you so much for reading Lavender and Larceny. I’m honored that you gave my story the gift of your time. I put a lot of thought into the mystery and characters and I hope you love them as much as I do.

  Stay tuned for the launch of my Facebook group where I will host giveaways, play games and puzzles, and share samples of upcoming books, and all things cozy mystery.

  Sue

  CHAPTER ONE

  Lily Lodge was shaping up beautifully for the annual lavender festival in Cedarbrook. Ever since we finished the hotel expansion, we’d been hosting more events, all according to plan. Mine and Mom’s dream was for the hotel to be a hub of activity for our small community. Today was the setup for the big launch tomorrow. I had done a ton of advertising, far and wide, to draw crowds for our little shindig. I only hoped we were ready for the throngs. This was the first year for an indoor component of the festival. My sister and her boyfriend’s lavender farm had been the hosting site for years. But now that we had the lodge, we hoped to double the attendance, at a minimum.

  The lodge smelled like I took a dive into acres of lavender. There truly was something relaxing about that fragrance. Purple ribbons adorned the banister. Display tables for our vendors rimmed the perimeter of the first floor. I had worked my tail off to fill every slot—and then some. It was packed. Now all we needed were paying customers.

  Max and I surveyed the room as everyone situated their products on their display tables. I was so pleased my friend Caroline was here with her new wares. She had some tough times recently in her business, but she’d worked hard to turn that around and now had huge plans to expand.

  “Caroline, everything looks wonderful,” I said. Max approached her table and set his chin on top of it, his eyes darting between Caroline and me.

  She chuckled. “I’d never forget you, buddy.” She reached under the table and brought out Max’s favorite treat, gingersnaps.

  He had her trained. He sat on his haunches, all mannerly, waiting to be served. Caroline came to the front of the table and placed three cookies on the floor. Max looked at me. I nodded, and he scarfed down the treats.

  “Thank you for always thinking of him,” I said and reached to pet my faithful companion. Max had come into my life at just the right time. He had filled a hole I didn’t even realize I had. We had become quite the duo at business—and crime-solving.

  Caroline wiped her hands on her apron and returned to the other side of the table. “So Chloe, that was quite the wild cruise you and your mom had.”

  I picked up one of Caroline’s boxes of lavender cream and helped her unpack. “Way more than I anticipated. The really fun part of it was how much Mom enjoyed it. You saw her energy level at the garden club when she was telling those stories. I was skeptical she would go at all.”

  Caroline stacked the jars on one side of the table. “And wanting to do another cruise. I admire that woman’s sense of adventure.” She placed the empty boxes behind her and got out another package.

  I picked up one of Caroline’s sample jars of lavender cream and smelled it. I inhaled and closed my eyes. “I think I might have to buy you out of this stuff. Does it really work?”

  She handed me an unopened jar. “Here, try it for yourself.”

  I took it and held it to my chest like a found treasure. “No, I’ll pay for it. But give me two. I hope you can keep up production. These are going to be a big hit.” I reached down for Max to sniff the sample. He inhaled and closed his eyes, Zen overcoming him.

  Caroline continued heaping her lavender products on the table. She could have filled two vendor spots with all of that stuff. “I’m optimistic we’re going to get a good crowd. Even the buzz from Emerald Hills indicates we’ll be enormously successful.” Our small town was becoming the destination for tourist activities, even beating out the larger neighboring towns.

  “Well, you’ve done an amazing job at marketing. I mean we’re packed wall-to-wall in here.” Caroline swept her arm around. Her eyes landed on a table on the opposite side of the room.

  I followed her gaze, and my glance stopped at another vendor with similar lavender products. Andrew Charleton had a fledgling coffee shop in town, nowhere near the success of Caroline’s business, despite her recent troubles.

  I looked back at Caroline. “It looks like he has similar products as you. How can that be?”

  Caroline continued placing products on the table, covering every spot. She shrugged. “I don’t know. I heard rumors that he was trying some things. Look, I’m for everyone. There’s room enough for all of us. But he’s taking a direct hit.”

  “Well, the proof’s in the pudding. You’ve won competitions and established yourself as the authority.” I walked to stand at the side of Caroline’s table, getting a better look at all of the vendors setting up.

  She stopped what she was doing. “I know. I wasn’t worried about it. I’ve got a tentative agreement with Luxuries, Inc. to mass produce. But I’ve heard he’s getting better. If he undercuts my price with essentially the same product, I’m out a lot of investment money.”

  “That’s a lot of ‘ifs,’ Caroline. I wouldn’t worry about it. You’ve got your proven recipes with patent pending. I think you’ll be OK.”

  Caroline leaned in and said, “I hope you’re right, Chloe. I wish I had your confidence.” She turned toward Andrew’s table and shook her head.

  She had leveraged a lot of her business for this new product line. Everything was going so well. It really was a million dollar, or more, idea.

  Caroline stacked all of the boxes neatly behind her and rubbed her hands together. “Enough of that. Tell me about Mabel’s new business venture.” She tipped her head and smirked.

  I didn’t know how to respond. It was so kooky and wild, but it just might work. And those gnomes were a passion for her. “You know how she collects these garden gnomes.”

  Caroline nodded. “Collects? They’ve invaded our town. I feel like they’re multiplying like rabbits. I see them everywhere.”

  “Exactly. They overtook her house and yard. When we started decorating the treehouses for renovation, she snuck a couple in.”

  Max barked. His initial response to those little creatures was to pee on them. M
om was not happy about that.

  “Yeah, Max was not a fan at first either. But they grow on you. She’s put as many as I can stand at the hotel, and she just keeps collecting more.”

  Caroline came out from behind her table, glancing toward Andrew, sighing.

  “Just keep doing what you do best, Caroline. It will be OK.”

  “I know. It’s just a tough pill to swallow. I guess people try to imitate success so I should be flattered in a way. Keep going with Mabel.” She extended her arm, encouraging my continuation of the story.

  “She and Paul have teamed up.” I took a step back to see Caroline’s reaction.

  Her head snapped in my direction. She reached out and put her hand on my arm. “No way! What are they doing?”

  “They’ve been so busy, I’ve hardly seen them for days. It’s actually pretty sweet. Paul is so good with her. He talked her into creating her own collection of garden gnomes. And he’s helping her create some prototypes. That’s what she’s selling here. To see if anyone wants them. I’m so torn. I want her to do well. But an explosion of gnomes? Can I handle it?”

  Caroline clasped her hands in front of her mouth, unable to fully disguise her huge grin.

  “Yes, I know what you’re thinking.” I matched her grin.

  “Well, this just made my day a whole bunch better. Are things getting more serious with Paul?” She raised her eyebrows and tipped her head.

  My cheeks flushed, and there was no hiding my joy. “I think so. I really like him.”

  “I’m so happy for you. You deserve all of that happiness. And I’m totally catering your wedding as a gift to you both.” She practically skipped back behind her display table. “Here’s to better days.” She handed me another jar of cream.

  “Agreed. I’ll leave you to finish up. We have a big day tomorrow with the opening. I expect a monstrous crowd lining up before we’re even open.”

  Max and I left Caroline’s table, and I was feeling buoyed about the hotel business and my life. I really was in a happy place.

  CHAPTER TWO

  The pale, rosy color of the sunrise painted the sky just before dawn. The drive to my sister Zoe’s and her boyfriend Eldon’s lavender farm provided a much-needed quiet peace before the hectic lavender festival kicked off in just a few hours. I looked at Max in the passenger seat, always alert to our surroundings. He sat tall, perched, and ready for action. We hadn’t passed a single car for miles. The beauty of this region left me breathless. The variety of terrain provided endless recreational opportunities. Now that the weather was getting nicer, Max and I would venture out for some hiking.

  We rounded the final corner before reaching the farm, and the evergreen trees parted and faded away, yielding to an open expanse of farmland. I had no idea farming lavender could provide the income it did for Zoe. But if you followed your passion, you could find ways to make money with it. She sold truckloads to local farmers markets, hosted photo shoots, and gave tours. Just a few years ago, she had created a maze through the lavender and had a little farm stand where she even sold her vegetables. People loved it. The next part of her vision included creating a small space where people could come for retreats, rest, and relaxation. I joked with her that she was rivaling the treehouse hotel for business.

  I turned onto the long driveway leading to the large graveled parking lot. The sun began to brighten the sky, just enough for me to see a shadow that looked like Zoe standing next to a car. Max bounced in his seat, ready to pounce for a greeting as soon as the door opened. I pulled in parallel to Zoe’s car. The perfume of the pale, purple flowers permeated the car before I even opened the door. I inhaled deeply, soaking in the calm.

  I opened my door and stepped out, quickly followed by Max sprinting around me and racing toward Zoe. He jumped up to greet her and she hugged him. When I was within a few yards of Zoe, it became clear that something was wrong. She had a tissue in her hand, and she looked at me, shaking her head.

  I sped up to reach her. “Zoe, what’s wrong?”

  She bowed her head and blotted her eyes and nose. “Chloe, I don’t know what happened.” She gestured toward the field.

  I turned to see what she was referring to. The dim light obscured what I was supposed to see. “I don’t see anything.”

  Zoe walked to the opening of the lavender maze. She traveled a few feet along the path and pointed to her right. Max sped past us to the object of Zoe’s attention. Off to the side lay a dead body, facedown, trampling the lavender. She turned and fell into my arms.

  Over her shoulder I could see what must have been a man. The person had on slacks, a suit jacket, and a tie that peeked out from under the body. If you didn’t know any different, you would think he was napping. He had an obvious bonk on his receding-hairline noggin that must have done him in. Off to his right were several gardening tools, including a rake, hoe, and some clippers in a jumbled pile. Was he murdered? Was one of those tools the murder weapon? And why would someone come to the farm to commit murder?

  I patted her back and whispered, “Who is that?”

  She sniffled and dabbed her nose. “It’s Oliver.”

  I grabbed her hand and led her away from him, back to the parking lot. “Zoe, start from the beginning and tell me what happened.” I held her at arm’s length and locked eyes.

  Zoe took a labored breath. “About an hour ago, I heard something outside. I was expecting Miles to help me harvest a truckload for the festival.” She stopped to blow her nose and took another stuttering breath. “I came out and heard a car leaving. I thought that was weird. I mean, usually the only cars we hear are people who intentionally come to the farm. I stepped out to the parking lot and looked around. Something caught my eye in the field.” She paused and gazed toward the body. “I assumed it was an animal, but I went to look and found Oliver.”

  I wrapped my arms around her and patted her back. Max jumped up and wrapped his paws around her, joining the group hug. “Let’s go sit on the step and gather ourselves.”

  She complied, grabbing and squeezing my hand. “I can’t imagine why Oliver was here. And who was in that car? And I don’t know where Miles is. He’s late. Oh, Chloe, I’m so sorry this is ruining the festival.” She sunk into a heap on the barn steps. I sat beside her with my arm around her shoulders and gazed at the lavender, now being spotlighted by the growing daylight.

  “Zoe, we’ll figure this out,” I said. “It seems really early to do so. But do you think he was going to talk to you again about selling the farm?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know. He knew my position on selling. I just don’t know.” Zoe buried her head in her hands.

  Oliver had been badgering Zoe for months to buy the lavender farm. He ran a deli in town that struggled to keep afloat. I couldn’t see any angle for how owning a lavender farm would fit into his business plan. This didn’t look good for Zoe based on the evidence. But that girl was peace on earth. She wouldn’t hurt a fly.

  Both of us whipped our heads toward the driveway as we heard gravel crunching. A vehicle headed our direction. I looked at Zoe. She stood and squinted to get a better look at the visitor. “It’s Oliver’s car,” she said.

  I stood as we watched the driver pull parallel to my car in the parking lot. The door opened; Miles stepped out and ran toward us. “Zoe, I am so sorry I’m late. I’ll work as fast as I can to make up for it.” Miles talked so quickly, Zoe couldn’t get a word in. As if he hadn’t initially noticed me, he stopped and said, “Oh, hi Chloe.” He jogged away on a path to the barn door. “I’ll get my tools and get to work.”

  Just before reaching the door, Zoe said, “Miles, wait a minute.”

  He stopped and grimaced. “Zoe, please don’t fire me. I need this job. I’ll make it up to you.”

  Zoe stepped off the porch and headed toward Miles. “It’s not that, Miles.”

  Miles looked past Zoe to me, his facial expression blank. “I’m confused.”

  Zoe took his hand. “There’s no ea
sy way to say this. Oliver’s dead.” She started crying again and patted her eyes dry.

  Miles glanced at me again for clarity. I headed over to the duo. “Earlier this morning when Zoe came out to meet you and help harvest the lavender, she instead found Oliver dead in the field.” I gestured to the body, and Miles’s glance followed.

  He stepped back from Zoe and me. “I don’t understand. How did he get here? I have his car.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  I looked at Miles and said, “I’m sorry. I have to call the police.”

  He staggered back and placed his hand over his heart. He looked at Zoe. “It can’t be. When I left home, I’m sure he was in bed.”

  Miles tottered over to the step of the barn door and dropped down, shaking his head. He continued, ”He never gets up before me. And if he does, he doesn’t go anywhere without coffee first.” He gazed out at the field. “Can I see him?”

  I stepped forward. “Miles, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Not that there was much gore, but my amateur sleuthing radar said we shouldn’t disrupt the crime scene. It was enough that Zoe and I were near it.

  Miles rubbed the back of his head like he was trying to generate some sense of the situation. “I just can’t believe it . . .” His voice trailed off.

  I looked at Zoe and made a gesture with my hand to my ear that I was going to make a phone call. She nodded and joined Miles on the step, putting her arm around his shoulders. I escaped to my car for the call to avoid upsetting Miles or Zoe any further with the conversation. The sun had risen, and the daylight now fully highlighted the gravity of the situation.

  I called the Emerald Hills Police Department to alert them. It wouldn’t be long before they would arrive and events would be out of my control. I glanced at my watch. There was still two hours before the official opening of day one of the lavender festival. But at this point, it didn’t appear we would have any fresh lavender. Not ideal, but the priority was to figure out what happened to Oliver.