by Lynn Cahoon
“Maybe we’re just stuck here forever,” Sidney announced, leaning into her husband. “I love our room. We could live there. I’ll do local tours to pay our way.”
“But what would Curly and Moe do without us?” Tristin put an arm around his wife. He smiled at the others at the table. “They’re our dogs. They’re going to be mad enough that we brought in a pet sitter for the week.”
“Sometimes we get to take them with us on our trips.” Sydney started telling a story about how they’d visited Mount Rushmore last summer.
A hand fell on Cat’s shoulder. “How bad is it?” she said as she turned, expecting to see Seth.
“Terry sent me in to tell you to keep your mouth shut, especially to your uncle.” Joey shook his head. “I’m sorry, Cat. We need to talk to Seth. I’ll have him back as soon as possible. I promise you. I owe him that much for saving me yesterday. Our boss, he doesn’t like screwups.” He headed toward the door.
“No, you are not just leaving after telling me that,” Cat muttered as Joey walked away. She stood to follow him. “Tristin, call nine-one-one and get my uncle over here.”
“Wait, what’s going on?” Tristin asked.
Cat heard the question, but she’d already taken off to follow Joey out of the dining room. He turned his head and saw her. He sped up, keeping his head turned and watching her, but then he ran smack into a waiter with a tray of drinks. The crash of the glass on the floor had everyone’s attention.
“Stop that man. Don’t let him leave,” Cat yelled at the host, who was bringing a couple into the dining room.
The host, who Cat knew from town, was a linebacker for Covington College and a townie working to pay tuition. He dropped the menus and lunged for Joey. He would have caught him too, except for the momentary distraction when the woman behind him screamed.
Cat dodged around the sobbing couple and the host, who was now getting up off the floor where he’d landed. And then she stopped dead in her tracks when she hit the lobby.
Seth had Joey in a headlock. Another man lay on the floor with Shauna standing over him. A man dressed in a suit and tie was on the phone. “Yes, officer, I said we need assistance. One of our guests was attacked, but now his attackers are under control.”
Shauna grinned at Cat. “I think I broke a heel when I kicked him.”
“And you may need to send an ambulance,” the frantic manager added.
It took five minutes for the first squad car to arrive, but Uncle Pete was there in three. He took out cuffs and handcuffed Joey before sitting him down on a bench. He knelt to the still-unconscious man. He glanced up to Seth. “Isn’t this your friend Terry?”
“He’s not my friend anymore. The jerk tried to kidnap me. If Shauna hadn’t come out of the restroom and high-kicked him, I would have been in some van with a bag over my head. What the heck was he thinking?”
Uncle Pete stood and walked over to Shauna. “You did that with one kick?”
“I’ve been working out at the gym once or twice a day. It’s helping with my stress level.” Shauna held up her broken pump. “And who do I bill for a pair of replacements. I just got these in New York.”
“I’ll let you talk to his lawyer when he wakes up and makes the call. Although I don’t think he’s going to be in any position to pay you anytime soon.” Uncle Pete pulled a blue jewelry bag out of his pocket and sprinkled some of the contents into his hand. The rocks sparkled.
“Ooh, pretty.” Shauna reached out to pick one up, then stopped. “Can I touch?”
“Sorry, evidence. I just wanted to show you all what this was all about. Apparently when Joey and Terry came to find Chance for his share of the diamonds since they’d run out of their part of the money, he told them he’d lost them.”
“His share of what diamonds?”
“Chance helped us rob the jeweler in Germany. He took his share and then, when he went off on that last mission, we thought his diamonds had blown up with him. We knew he was living off the grid and figured that he hadn’t had a reason to spend his share, so we came to divide up his share in thirds again. It wasn’t like he had bills.” Joey closed his eyes. “Don’t look at me that way. It was all Terry’s idea.”
“What did the jeweler get out of this?” Cat looked at the stones twinkling in the dim lights.
“He got half of the diamonds and all the insurance money. That’s why he was paying us monthly. To keep us quiet. But do you know how hard it is to live off of a lousy two grand a month? I had to sell off my diamonds just to survive.”
* * *
By the time they’d finished dinner and returned home, the guests were beat. They’d gotten the story out of Shauna and had chatted nonstop on the way home about the situation. Brodie paused at the bottom of the stairs. “I don’t understand why they killed him?”
“Apparently, according to Joey, they didn’t mean for it to go that far. They heard someone coming up the trail and thought the guy would call the police, once he saw that Chance was hurt. It wasn’t until later that they’d found out that the other guy didn’t actually find Chance until it was too late. The mountain valleys can echo footsteps from miles away.” Seth filled in the missing pieces for Brodie.
“I don’t understand how anyone could do that to a friend What is wrong with people?” Brodie slipped up the stairs, not waiting for an answer.
“I have to agree. I don’t understand the reasoning. They were supposed to be friends. More like brothers, if I read the situation right. And they let someone else die, for what? A little cash?” Cat headed to the kitchen. “I’m getting a beer. I’m not sure I’ll sleep tonight.”
“I’ll have one with you. But just one. Since the car didn’t really get hit, I’ve still got airport runs to make in the morning.” He went to the fridge and pulled two bottles out. “Where did your uncle find the diamonds? In Chance’s cave?”
“The treasure is where your heart is.” Cat smiled and took the beer. “Not his cave, but with Sherry. He’d sent it to her with your ring. She’d just kept it safe for him all these years.”
“Love, it makes you do crazy things. Like hide several million dollars in diamonds for your exboyfriend.” He leaned back in his chair, letting his head hang. “If I fall asleep here, will you carry me upstairs to bed?”
“Three flights? Are you kidding?” Cat sipped her beer and just relaxed. The retreat was over. Uncle Pete had found who murdered Chance McAllister. And they were home. All was right in the world.
* * *
Shauna had set dinner in the dining room. The roast chicken’s crisp skin glistened in the candlelight. Cat smiled as she put a pile of real mashed potatoes on her plate, then made a hole in the middle. She filled the crater with a generous serving of gravy. The six of them were busy filling their plates and conversation had slowed.
Mrs. Rice glanced around the room. “I appreciate being invited over for dinner. When my kids were young, we used to fry chicken every Sunday after church.”
Cat smiled as the woman told the table about her memory. It was sweet, not something that she’d expect from the nosy neighbor. Maybe she’d misjudged her. “We love having you. We should have done this a long time ago.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t fry the chicken. I was a little busy this afternoon. I have some news. I got an e-mail from three agents who want to talk to me about the book.” Shauna wiggled in her seat. “The house may have two authors living here soon.”
Rounds of congratulations sounded around the room. Cat loved the warmth of the moment. Her family was together. She’d gotten over her fear of Shirley taking Uncle Pete away forever. Shauna was finally crawling out of her funk. She and Seth were in a better place than they’d ever been. And Mrs. Rice . . . well, the woman did have a positive side, Cat noticed, as the woman chatted with Shirley.
Shauna broke into her thoughts and passed her the corn. “Hey, Pete? I ran into someone in the store who said to tell you she was expecting a call from you. Haven’t you let her down easy yet?�
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“Let me guess, Addie cornered you?” Uncle Pete finished carving the chicken and held out the plate with the meat to Seth. “That woman has turned one coffee date six months ago into an obsession. I’m afraid to go on campus anymore. She’s crazy.”
Shirley laughed. “You shouldn’t be so charming. Everyone falls for that ruse.”
Cat snuck a glance at Seth, who was laughing. Cat could tell that everyone including Shirley had known about Addie’s obsession with her uncle. She should have realized that her uncle wasn’t dating two women at the same time. He had more integrity than that.
“You look surprised, Cat.” Uncle Pete set the now-empty platter on the sideboard. “Don’t tell me you believed her version of reality.”
“No, of course not.” Cat blushed. Trying to get the attention off of her, she turned to Shauna. “So did you ever tell Jake you wouldn’t be investing with him.”
“Actually, I did invest with him.” Shauna laughed at the intake of breath from around the table. “Don’t worry, I told him I was trusting him with all my worldly possessions of five thousand dollars and he better not lose it for me or I’d never talk to him again.”
“You really shouldn’t have done that.” Cat wondered if it was too late to get the funds transferred back to Shauna’s account. “Wait, you only gave him five thousand? You were left a lot more than that.”
“He wasn’t listening to me, so I gave in. Besides, only you, me, and Kevin’s lawyers actually know how much I really got. He bought it and now won’t answer my calls. I’m afraid he’s lost it already.” Shauna picked up her fork. “There’s more than one way to skin a snake.”
“That’s the truest thing I’ve heard for a long time.” Seth held up his glass. “To Shauna and the rest of my crazy family. Thank you for helping Cat see the errors in her ways.”
“Hey now, I’m not the problem.” Cat held out her glass.
Seth snapped his fingers. He picked up a paper bag from where it had sat on the floor under his chair. “You’re right. You’re not the problem. I totally forgot about something.”
Uncle Pete set down his glass. “It’s going to be a while. These two are always trying to one-up each other. Who knows what Seth has in that bag?”
“No time like the present to find out.” Seth stood, moving the chair away from the table. He dropped on one knee, then held up a ring box.
Cat’s breath caught and she could feel her heartbeat through her chest. She put a hand over her heart to keep it inside. This wasn’t happening.
“Cat Latimer? Will you marry me?” He held up the ring. “You don’t have to say yes right away, but if you do, you don’t have to pay your handyman anymore. Well, after the ceremony. Before that, we’re just single people in love.”
Cat couldn’t talk. Tears fell. Finally, she nodded and let Seth slip a ring on her finger. The ring that had started this entire investigation. He stood and took her in his arms.
“We don’t have to do this fast. You know my mom and yours will want in on the planning, so don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
She giggled into his chest. “Maybe we could elope?”
“Or just put the actual wedding off for a while.” He kissed her. “Like three to five years?”
“Sounds perfect.” She glanced around the room. “He put a ring on it.”
“About time,” Uncle Pete grumbled, then raised his glass. “To my lovely niece and my favorite of all her boyfriends, Seth. May they find time to explore everything, good and bad. And get out of my hair.”
The group laughed as they toasted and then the feast began. Cat relaxed knowing that she had people she could count on. Not all of them were at the table, but these five, including Shirley, were a big part of her life.
Her happy, joyous, messed-up life. And she wouldn’t change any of it. Not one thing.
Enjoyed Cat’s adventures?
Don’t miss the rest of the series, available now.
And be sure to check out other series
by Lynn Cahoon:
the Tourist Trap Mysteries
and
the Farm-to-Fork Mysteries,
available now wherever books are sold!
About the Author
Lynn Cahoon is the award-winning author of several New York Times and USA Today best-selling cozy mystery series. The Tourist Trap series is set in central coastal California with six holiday novellas releasing in 2018-2019. She also pens the Cat Latimer series available in mass market paperback. Her newest series, the Farm to Fork mystery series, was released in 2018. She lives in a small town like the ones she loves to write about with her husband and two fur babies. Sign up for her newsletter at www.lynncahoon.com.
A STORY TO KILL
Former English professor Cat Latimer is back in Colorado, hosting writers’ retreats in the big blue Victorian she’s inherited, much to her surprise, from none other than her carousing ex-husband! Now it’s an authors’ getaway—but Cat won’t let anyone get away with murder . . .
The bed-and-breakfast is open for business, and bestselling author Tom Cook is among its first guests. Cat doesn’t know why he came all the way from New York, but she’s glad to have him among the quirkier—and far less famous—attendees.
Cat’s high school sweetheart, Seth, who’s fixing up the weathered home, brings on mixed emotions for Cat . . . some of them a little overpowering. But it’s her uncle, the local police chief, whom she’ll call for help when there’s a surprise ending for Tom Cook in his cozy guest room. Will a killer have the last word on the new life Cat has barely begun?
FATALITY BY FIRELIGHT
Cat Latimer’s Colorado bed-and-breakfast plays host to writers from all over. But murder is distinctly unwelcome . . .
To kick off a winter writing retreat, Cat and her handyman boyfriend, Seth, escort the aspiring authors to a nearby ski resort, hoping some fresh cold air will wake up their creative muses. But instead of hitting the slopes, they hit the bar—and before long, a tipsy romance novelist named Christina is keeping herself warm with a local ski bum who might have neglected to tell her about his upcoming wedding.
Next thing Cat knows, her uncle, the town sheriff, informs her that the young man’s been found dead in a hot tub—and Christina shows up crying and covered in blood. Now, between a murder mystery, the theft of a rare Hemingway edition, and the arrival of a black-clad stranger in snowy Aspen Hills, Cat’s afraid everything’s going downhill . . .
OF MURDER AND MEN
Love is in the air in Aspen Hills, and it’s making a terrible mess of Cat Latimer’s writers’ retreat—especially when blood stains the plot . . .
Ever since her business partner, Shauna, fell for a wealthy landowner in town, Cat has been working double time to keep her writers’ retreat running.
And with the January session almost underway, that spells trouble. As if scheduling mishaps aren’t disastrous enough, Shauna skips out on kitchen duties one morning, forcing Cat to serve unsuspecting guests store-bought muffins . . .
But best-laid plans really go awry when Shauna discovers her beau missing from their bed. When his body later turns up in the horse barn, they quickly find out the victim’s scandalous lifestyle left many dying for revenge. While balancing an eccentric group of aspiring writers and a suspect list for the record books, Cat soon finds herself on the heels of a killer—and authoring her most deadly conclusion yet . . .
SLAY IN CHARACTER
Staying in character can be murder when Cat Latimer and the members of her writers’ retreat head for a ghost town . . .
Cat and the members of her writers’ retreat have just arrived in Outlaw, Colorado, an “Old West” tourist town complete with inhabitants dressed up as famous figures from history. But this authentic slice of Americana takes a murderous turn when a college student masquerading as a nineteenth-century saloon girl becomes history herself.
Was she the intended target? Or did she take a hit meant for someone else? With a cast of suspects t
o choose from—including some notorious gunslingers and the sleazy town founders—Cat must unhorse the real culprit before a real-life ghost story is given a killer twist . . .
SCONED TO DEATH
Cat Latimer pursues a scone-cold killer who iced a top chef in a local bakery . . .
Cat has a full plate at her Aspen Hills Warm Springs Resort, as a group of aspiring cozy mystery authors arrives for a writers’ retreat. So when baker Dee Dee Meyer stirs up trouble by filing a false complaint with the health inspector against the B&B—all because she insists Cat’s best friend Shauna stole her recipes—Cat marches into the shop to confront her.
But Dee Dee’s about to have her own batch of trouble. Greyson Finn—a celebrity chef and, until today, one of Denver’s most eligible bachelors—has been found dead in her bakery.
Cat’s uncle Pete, who happens to be the chief of police, warns her not to engage in any half-baked sleuthing. But as her curiosity rises, Cat’s determined to discover who served the chef his just desserts—before the killer takes a powder . . .
