Bed, Breakfast and Murder (A Ryli Sinclair Mystery Book 4)

by Jenna St James

  Dayna laughed. “Okay. There’s a library on the first floor here through those French doors and the hallway to the left. That will also take you to the back veranda which overlooks the pond and horse arena. Next to the library is Uncle Gary’s private office. We ask that all guests limit themselves to the library and back veranda area. Now, go ahead and unpack, relax a little. I’ll see you at five-thirty for dinner.”

  Cursing my bad luck on losing at Rock, Paper, Scissors, I followed everyone to the curved staircase. I paused and watched in amusement as Aunt Shirley tried to figure out how to carry not only her suitcase, but her even larger makeup bag up the stairs. There was no way.

  “Here.” She thrust the enormous makeup bag at me and slowly made her way up the stairs. I shook my head but didn’t say anything as I struggled up the staircase carrying two massive suitcases.

  Mom and Paige’s room was first, so we dropped them off at the door. I told Mom we’d meet up with her and Paige in an hour and a half for dinner. After the long drive, I wanted to unpack and catch a quick cat nap.

  Aunt Shirley pushed open the door to our room, and I followed her inside. One look and I knew I was in trouble—the bed.

  The bed was a queen-sized, four-poster bed. That meant Aunt Shirley and I had to share a bed. The fact the bed sported a luxurious down comforter and feather pillows didn’t console me much.

  I still had to sleep with Aunt Shirley.

  I also understood why they called it the Miss Marple room. There were lace doilies across the top of the large oak dresser, across the tops of the two lampshades, and under the TV. It was not my taste, but it was cute. I couldn’t help but wonder what the Parker Pyne room looked like.

  There were two windows in the room, which let in a lot of natural light. One window faced the front yard and the other window faced the horse stable. The view was perfect…even if the sleeping arrangements weren’t.

  I picked up a Mystery Farms brochure and read about the murder mystery weekend options. The Wainwrights had only been doing the packages for a year and a half. They featured three different murder mystery weekend packages. We were doing the Not a Clue package. I had no clue what that even meant. Pun intended.

  I walked across the room and opened the door to the bathroom. Instead of a shower, a porcelain white claw foot tub with pewter legs sat in the middle of the room. I could hear it calling my name. “I’m gonna take a bath real quick before dinner,” I called out to Aunt Shirley who was still unpacking.

  “Go downstairs and see if that nice girl, Dayna, has some antacids, would you?” Aunt Shirley demanded. “Your driving gave me heartburn, and I forgot to pack them.”

  I rolled my eyes and walked back into the bedroom area. “My driving didn’t give you heartburn.”

  Aunt Shirley scowled at me. “It did, too. Now, go do an old woman a favor and get me some antacids.”

  I sighed at her typical Aunt Shirley passive-aggressive behavior but went to do what she asked. I’ve learned I have to pick and choose my battles with Aunt Shirley.

  I was halfway down the curved staircase when I heard angry voices coming from the foyer. They were trying to whisper, but the more they tried to whisper, the more elevated they became.

  “Why are you being like this?” Dayna demanded.

  “You need to leave this alone,” an angry male voice said.

  “But I love you, Trent,” Dayna insisted.

  I heard a snickering grunt. “Honey, I’m not exactly a one-woman kinda man. You know what I mean? We have a good time and all, but don’t go getting any ideas.”

  I heard sobbing and then a sniffle. “I’ll tell my aunt and uncle what’s been going on with us. They only let me see you because they never thought it would go as far as it has.”

  “Are you threatening me?” I didn’t have to see this guy’s face to realize he was livid. “You might want to think long and hard about that, Dayna. Nobody threatens me!”

  I felt horrible for eavesdropping, but I didn’t know what else to do. I knew if I went back upstairs empty-handed, Aunt Shirley would demand to know why I didn’t have her antacids. Then I’d have to admit I overheard an argument, and before I knew it, I’d be knee-deep in something that wasn’t any of my business.

  I decided to take matters into my own hands and pretended to have a coughing fit as I went down the stairs. I figured that would give Dayna enough of a warning that someone was coming.

  I have to admit, I was curious who she was arguing with. I also had to wonder if this was part of the whole murder mystery thing. But since they had no idea I would be coming down the stairs when I did, I didn’t think it was part of the show.

  This solving a fake murder could be more difficult than I first thought. I had no idea what was real and what was fake.

  I reached the bottom of the stairs and saw Dayna take a step backward, distancing herself from an attractive-looking man. I could tell by her red face and the way she wouldn’t look me in the eye she knew I had overheard.

  The man looked to be in his early thirties, short blond hair, blue eyes, and a square, rugged jaw. And by the way his clothes molded to his athletic body, he definitely spent a lot of time outdoors.

  “Oh. Hi, Ryli. This is Trent Starnes. He’s in charge of the horses. I think you signed up to ride tomorrow didn’t you? He’s really good with horses. I’m sure you’ll enjoy your time.” Dayna seemed to ramble on and on. Now I really felt sorry for the poor girl.

  Hoping to ease her discomfort, I turned to Trent and stuck out my hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Trent.”

  Trent clasped my hand and then covered the top of my hand with his other hand, sandwiching me. “It’s lovely to meet you, Ryli. Beautiful name for a beautiful woman.” Trent flashed his straight, white teeth at me while he simultaneously rubbed his thumb over the top of my hand. I’m sure he thought it was charming, but I found it creepy and disgusting.

  I tried to pull my hand back without drawing attention to myself, but I failed miserably. Aunt Shirley was right. It was time for me to start doing some serious weight lifting to get into better shape. When I was too puny to yank back my own hand, I was in big trouble.

  My first impression of Trent Starnes was that he was a leech. What in the world did Dayna see in this jerk? He was good looking, yes. But that was about all he had going for him.

  “Is there something I can get for you, Ryli?” Dayna asked.

  I shifted my eyes from Trent to her. “Yes. Aunt Shirley has some heartburn and forgot to pack some antacids. I don’t suppose you have any handy?”

  “Of course.” Dayna walked back behind the counter, bent down, and I could hear her rummaging around. I wanted to avoid eye contact with Trent, so I pretended to be interested in everything the room had to offer—everything but him.

  After a few seconds Dayna stood up. “Here you go.” She handed me the antacids and put the box back where it was. She still hadn’t looked me in the eye, but I could tell she was trying not to cry.

  I decided to hightail it out of there before things got anymore awkward. “Thanks. I guess I’ll see you at dinner.”

  I looked over at Trent, which was a huge mistake. He gave me a lecherous grin and winked at me. Again, I’m sure he was going for charming, but I just found it revolting.

  “Dinner will be a pleasure with you there, Ryli,” Trent drawled out.

  I ran up the stairs to get away from the two of them. Okay, that was a slight exaggeration. I walked briskly. There’s no way I could physically run up a flight of stairs. Not even if someone was chasing me with a knife.

  I stopped at the top of the stairs to see if I could hear them arguing again. I could, but I couldn’t make out the words, just the tone. It didn’t sound pretty.

  I thought about whether or not I should mention what happened to Aunt Shirley. Mainly because I still wasn’t sure if it was part of the murder mystery script or not. I decided to keep my mouth shut. No sense making a mountain out of a mole hill at this point.


  I opened the door and was surprised to find the room empty. I was beginning to think Aunt Shirley gave up on me and went to see if Mom had any antacids, when I heard a splash from the bathroom. I walked over and knocked on the door.

  “What?” Aunt Shirley hollered. “I’m trying to relax.”

  I gritted my teeth and counted to ten. A while back when I thought Aunt Shirley had been shot trying to save my life, I made a vow to turn over a new leaf. I was going to start having more patience with her. But the fact that she made me go downstairs and get medication she obviously didn’t need just so she could take a bath—something she knew I wanted to do—well, let’s just say I still had a long way to go when it came to patience and understanding with Aunt Shirley.

  “I have your antacids,” I snarled, not caring how mean I sounded.

  “Just put them on the dresser,” Aunt Shirley called out as though she didn’t have a care in the world “I’ll get them when I get out of the tub. This is a great tub. You’re gonna love it!”

  I shook my head and tossed the bottle onto the dresser. With the way things were going, I’d be the one chowing down on the antacids by the end of the night.

  I wiped my damp forehead with the back of my hand and lifted both of the windows to let in a cool breeze. I then grabbed my suitcase and flung it on the bed and started to unpack. I’d just finished putting my undergarments in the drawer when I heard another vehicle approach the house. I glanced out the window and saw a newer model sedan pull into the circle drive and stop.

  A young, beautiful redhead with long, wavy hair stepped out of the passenger side. She had on brown skinny jeans, a brown and jade tunic shirt, and designer high-heeled sandals that were wildly out of place. She was clutching a brown and pink purse that was almost twice her size.

  “Stewart,” the woman whined, “get off the phone! You’ve been on it since we left an hour ago.”

  The man—Stewart, I’m assuming—held up a finger and turned his back to her. I couldn’t make out what he was saying, but by the hunch of his shoulders, I didn’t think it was good news. He finally hung up and swung around to face the outraged woman. He ran his hands through his shaggy brown hair and scowled. “You know my business is important, Tina. Stop whining and get over yourself.”

  My mouth dropped. I wasn’t used to men talking to women like that. Most of the men I knew, outside of Hank, were kind and respectful. But even Hank’s demeanor wasn’t outright rude. Hank was just Hank.

  I heard a throat clear and figured the Wainwrights had stepped outside to greet their newest guest. Something told me that this weekend just got amped up to be explosive. I was about to turn around and finish unpacking when I saw a look lust cross Tina’s face. Her mouth dropped open and her hand clutched her chest. She was gaping at the horse stable.

  I knew better than to think that a horse made her have that look, so I walked over to the other window to see what was so appealing. I almost gagged. I should have known. Leaning in the stable doorway without a shirt on was Trent Starnes. I couldn’t see his face from my vantage point, but something told me he had on that lecherous grin of his. Yep, this was definitely going to be an explosive weekend.

  Chapter 3

  “What on Earth is that smell?” I asked as I walked out of the bathroom sneezing.

  Not only did Aunt Shirley have on the hideous tasseled dress, but the most god-awful smell was coming from her.

  “It’s my new perfume. You like?”

  I pinched my nose together and refrained from answering. “Did you put the whole bottle on?”

  Aunt Shirley scowled at me. “It’s expensive, so that means it’s strong. That’s how this kind of stuff works, you ninny.”

  Ummm…no.

  “C’mon,” I said. “It’s five-fifteen and I’m hungry. Let’s go meet our guests for the week and see a murder tonight.”

  Aunt Shirley clapped her hands together and ran over to get her huge, patent-leather pink purse.

  “Why are you bringing that?” I asked. “It’s dinner and we aren’t leaving the house.”

  Aunt Shirley gave me a look of pure disgust. “Because there might be something in here we need when we discover our first body tonight!”

  “Of course. What was I thinking?” I deadpanned. “Let’s go get the others.”

  Mom and Paige were already in the hallway ready to go. We made our way down the staircase and followed the voices into the parlor. If the rest of the guests were anything like Stewart and Tina, this could be a very entertaining weekend.

  The room was already packed by the time we shuffled in. I guess five-thirty dinner meant five-fifteen gab fest. Although, from the looks of the other guests, I wasn’t sure I’d be mingling much outside of my immediate family.

  Stewart was pressed into a corner, his back to us, talking on the phone. The guy really needed to give it a rest. Tina, dressed in a low cut, dark blue sheath dress, was leaning provocatively on the fireplace talking with Trent Starnes and drinking champagne. From the way his eyes kept creeping down her plunging neckline, he wasn’t listening to a word she was saying.

  A woman I hadn’t met yet was shooting daggers at Trent and Tina. She was an attractive woman with short, blonde hair and a slim body. Unfortunately, she seemed to be suffering from severe allergies because her face was puffy and swollen.

  Dayna came in carrying a tray of iced tea and champagne. She stopped so fast when she saw Trent and Tina, that I was afraid her tray was going to crash. I rushed over and helped to steady her.

  “That’s a lot of drinks to try and carry in one haul,” I joked.

  Fighting back tears, Dayna set the tray down and nodded. “There’s champagne or iced tea here. Go ahead and take one. Dinner is almost ready.” She rushed out of the room, not looking back.

  I had a sudden urge to punch Trent Starnes in the face. I was saved from following through with that urge when Aunt Shirley, Mom, and Paige sidled up to me.

  “That poor girl,” Mom said. “Is everything okay?”

  “No.” I decided to go ahead and tell them about what I’d overheard in the foyer between Dayna and Trent when I came down to get Aunt Shirley some antacids.

  Mom’s brow furrowed. “Are you not feeling well, Aunt Shirley?”

  Aunt Shirley grinned at me. “I feel fine. I just wanted some peace and quiet during my bath.”

  “I tried ours out, too,” Paige said as she took a sip of her iced tea.

  “Hello, guests!” Mr. and Mrs. Wainwright stepped into the parlor and walked hand-in-hand toward the center of the room. “Cybil and I want to welcome everyone to our murder mystery weekend here at Mystery Farms. We have a lot of familiar faces this time. I’m going to take a few minutes to introduce you all. So gather around, please.”

  We all made our way toward the center of the room where he and Cybil were standing. Everyone except Stewart—he was still in the corner on the phone.

  “I’ll start here,” Gary Wainwright said, pointing to Paige. “This is Paige Sinclair. Next we have Janine Sinclair, Ryli Sinclair, and Aunt Shirley.” Gary Wainwright turned to Aunt Shirley. “It’s okay for everyone to call you Aunt Shirley, correct?”

  “That’s what I prefer.”

  “Okay. Aunt Shirley it is. The family is here celebrating Aunt Shirley’s birthday all the way from Granville, Missouri.

  Polite nods and murmurs greeted us.

  Mr. Wainwright smiled and went on. “Over here we have Olivia Banner. She’s from the Springfield area. Usually she brings her hubby along, but I see this time it’s just you.”

  Olivia Banner gave a weak smile and blinked back tears. “Yes. Brian couldn’t make it this time.” I took a closer look at Olivia. At first I thought she had allergies, but now I realized her eyes were red and swollen from crying. From the way she was twisting her wedding ring, I’d say there was trouble in paradise.

  “And even though Mrs. Banner has been here before for this particular murder mystery, she promises not to give away any secret
s!” Cybil added.

  “That’s right.” Olivia gave us all a fake forced smile.

  “Next is Stewart and Tina Collins from St. Louis.” Gary Wainwright stopped talking and frowned. I guess it was the first time he’d noticed Stewart wasn’t with the group.

  “Stewart!” Tina Collins hissed. “Get off that phone and get over here!”

  With his back still to us, Stewart lifted up a finger to signal one more minute. For the first time, I actually felt a little sorry for Tina.

  “As I was saying,” Mr. Wainwright continued, “Tina has been with us once before on a girls’ weekend trip, but she hasn’t seen this particular murder mystery. And this time she also brought her husband.”

  Why? He obviously doesn’t want to be here.

  “And last but not least, we have Colonel Musgaard,” Gary Wainwright continued, obviously trying to ignore Stewart’s disregard for everyone in the room. “The Colonel is visiting us from Hannibal.”

  Colonel Musgaard was a slightly overweight, middle-aged man with a salt and pepper receding hairline. He was dressed in a yellow t-shirt, tan blazer, and tweed pants. “Happy to be here, dear boy. Happy to be here.”

  We all followed the Wainwrights into the main dining room for dinner. The massive, cream colored dining room table sat ten people comfortably with two captain chairs on each end. A colorful Oriental rug sat under the table on the dark hardwood floor. A cream China hutch and matching buffet were pushed against the buttercream walls.

  A plump woman with frizzy red hair was standing in the doorway that led to the kitchen. She stepped closer to the table once we all sat down. “Good evening. My name is Bessie Terrance, and I am your chef for the weekend. Tonight’s meal will be a garden salad with all ingredients grown right here in our own garden. Peppercorn steak with baby potatoes, fresh-from-the-garden green beans, and homemade rolls with hand-churned butter. For dessert we have a lemon custard fruit tart.”

  Bessie had me at peppercorn steak. By the time she finished reciting the menu, my stomach was growling and my mouth was watering.