I closed my eyes and shook my head. This woman had to be the most infuriating person on earth. “She doesn’t have a spy network, and you found the wrong location. Besides, I meant Detective Cody Lumos helped solve the case.”
“Wow. Spies and gunshots. Bohemian Lake sounds pretty dangerous.” Amélie commented.
“It’s not. It’s a lovely lakeside town. Honestly. Eve’s just saying things out of context. And Detective Cody Lumos solved both the Halloween murder case and the million-dollar coin case. I was simply attacked by the killer and fought back.”
“Yeah, cause she knows martial arts. Pretty kick-ass, huh?”
“You know martial arts? Well, at least one person will enjoy the gym here. It’s like a ghost town in there.”
“There’s a gym?” I said, excitement flavoring my voice.
“Yes, it’s in the spa section. I prefer the hot tub, but there’s a pool and weights and some outdated cardio equipment.”
“That’s great. I had to leave my punching bag at home and it gives me anxiety to be still too long.”
“Well, that is where you and I differ, my dear. I love to be still. How long have you been practicing?” Amélie asked. Her eyes as big and round as tea saucers.
Marie-Angelique elbowed her in the ribs, returning from the kitchen. “She just met us—save the interrogation for later.”
“Oh.” Amélie’s smile slipped a bit, but she recovered quickly. “Sorry, I’m just so used to asking personal questions that sometimes I forget ...”
“It’s fine.” I smiled to reassure her.
My life had really picked up speed since moving back to Bohemian Lake this summer. There was no denying that, especially if Eve had anything to do with it. Thank God I’d been out of town on assignment for the magazine during the whole Halloween debacle.
Laughter permeated the room.
“Welcome to the looney bin,” Eve whispered in my ear.
We all turned to stare at the man who had just walked into the room. His head was thrown back as he laughed uncontrollably. I presumed this was Justin.
“Justin Tremblé,” Lucas mouthed soundlessly, and tapped his head in the age-old gesture indicating insanity. Nice timing.
“I’m sorry,” Marie-Angelique said, approaching the table. “It’s not about you—”
“We understand,” said Amélie gently.
“Do we?” Eve mumbled in my ear.
I stomped her foot to quiet her down.
“Oww. You are going to break a bone, one day.” She grunted.
“Maybe it will trigger your manners.” I whispered back.
Amélie turned to Lucas. “Anyway, how are you doing, my dear?” She gave him a more fervent hug than the one she had given me.
“Is she bothering you,” The tall Amazonian woman approached from across the room. She watched Amélie with a look of amusement. Her pinched nostrils quivered over the slight hint of a mustache. “Denise Beausoleil,” she said gruffly. She stepped forward and thrust her beefy hand out for shaking.
“Penelope,” I replied shortly as I pumped her hand.
“Amélie has a hippy soul. She thinks a hug can cure everything,” she said with a thumb pointed in Dr. Belle’s direction. She still had Lucas locked in her loving grip.
“And Denise thinks sarcasm will solve everything,” came Dr. Amélie Belle’s retort, muffled by Lucas’ chest.
“A woman after my own heart.” Eve said with a grin.
Amélie released Lucas and held him at arm’s length, as she had done with me. “At least my hugs make people feel all good and tingly inside,” she concluded.
“We talked about this. It’s called sexual assault, and it’s illegal.” Denise said, and took a seat at the end of the table.
I snickered. “Are the two of you a couple?”
“Hell, no.” Denise retorted. “I’d like to think I could land someone younger and much more attractive than Amélie.” This was particularly amusing because Denise looked to be in her sixties while the good doctor looked about forty-five—a natural beauty who didn’t even have to wear makeup.
“In your dreams,” Amélie answered with a chuckle. She motioned for the rest of us to sit down. I sank gratefully into a chair next to Eve. Lucas sat across from me, next to Amélie, his eyes bleary again and Marie-Angelique remained on her feet.
“We’re old friends—I’m visiting from Ottawa. Denise and her cousin live here in Mont-Tremblant. My niece is here somewhere, too, but she’s run off—probably moping by the fire because her maman is picking her up soon and she has a new crush.”
“Gloria. Quit jabberin’ and come sit down,” Denise bellowed. The petite woman, who we’d seen earlier in the fur coat waved, but remained fixed in her conversation with Matt. “So, Lucas, you ready to play the fall guy?”
“I don’t think—” Amélie began.
“It’s alright,” said Lucas softly. A muscle was twitching in the corner of his eye. “I need to know what to expect.”
“Well, sonny, have you come to the right place,” said Denise. “My husband once had a client who was coerced into a confession so I know just what to expect. They wouldn’t let him sleep, fed him phony information, and convinced him that he killed his girlfriend while on a drug induced bender. Thankfully we got him off.”
“How?” Lucas asked.
“His girlfriend turned up alive. Can you believe that? That just goes to show you how far some members of law enforcement will go.”
“Oh, baloney. You can’t remember yesterday, let alone twenty years ago, when your husband was alive,” objected Gloria who had now marched over. “You must be Penny!” the woman plopped onto the bench to the right of her friend’s chair.
I attempted to greet her, but much like her friend the woman went on before I could.
“Besides, that is hardly the case everywhere. I’m sure the good detective is just doing his job—everyone knows the spouse is always the main suspect. The key to getting bumped down the list is to find the real killer. Every good sleuth knows that.” Gloria turned to Eve, “Isn’t that right?”
Denise snorted and Marie-Angelique cleared her throat. “Penelope,” she reached into her pocket and pulled out a key. “Why don’t you go and get settled into your tree house before dinner? It’s all made up for you.”
I accepted the key gratefully from Marie-Angelique, drained my coffee and got to my feet, “All this talk of treehouses, I’m beginning to feel like Peter Pan.”
“Now, now, you’ve always been more of a Wendy Darling.” Lucas smirked.
I stole the last bite of his cookie and smiled. “Yes, well just as long as you remember I’m not your darling.”
The group started laughing, and I headed out of the dining room with a wave. “Your suitcase is still in the truck,” called Lucas after me but I continued across the main foyer. I knew he and Eve wouldn’t be far behind. The glass doors led out onto the chalet’s wrap-around porch and I was about to head down the steps when I was mesmerized by the picturesque view to my right. The chalet was perched on the edge of the mountain, high above a frozen lake. Now I could get used to a view like that, I thought and marched closer to the railing.
“Stop.” A strange voice called out.
I turned my head to glance back at the man dressed as Paul Bunyan who’d just shouted at me. Unfortunately, I didn’t listen and continued walking forward in the direction of the cliff, tripping over a string of Christmas lights that had come loose. I reached out for the railing to catch myself, but before I could grasp it, I realized I’d been lassoed around the chest from behind and tugged back away from the railing. My bottom hit the porch with an embarrassing thud.
Chapter Three
_____________
I maneuvered my legs to the side and got them under my bum so I was on my knees instead of flat on my backside, then I lifted my arms to loosen the rope. “What are you doing?” I asked, turning to look at the lumberjack.
A flicker of distaste crossed his
face. Then, surprisingly, he helped me to my feet, removing the rope just as Lucas appeared.
“I was saving you, Miss,” he said. He smelled of testosterone-tinged work sweat and wore a lined lumber jacket with the Spa’s name on it.
“Saving me? You just attacked me!”
The man rubbed his narrow face, his whiskers crackling like coarse steel wool. “No, I was just saving you from a tumble down the mountainside. I take it you didn’t see the sign. You were about to fall off the porch.”
I looked down at the long drop below and then back up to the railing.
“What are you talking about? What do you think this railing is here for?”
I reached for it but he shouted and stopped me.
“That railing’s not secure at the moment. I sectioned this porch off twenty minutes ago while I went to fetch my tools. I’m glad I hurried. ”
I looked behind me and, sure enough, saw the big orange cones and sign. My skin crawled. I’d almost fell off the side of a mountain.
“Why is this deck even accessible? An orange cone is not exactly sectioning it off.”
“That’s just it. Someone’s removed the caution tape that blocked it off.” His blue eyes squinted and his crow’s feet deepened. “Excuse me, I’d better get this fixed up now before someone really gets hurt,” he said finally, his voice low and toneless.
He walked slowly to where he’d dropped his tool box, passing Eve, Lucas and me without another word.
“Making friends everywhere, I see,” Eve said, as soon as we were out of earshot.
I ignored the sarcasm. “Who was that?” I asked Lucas.
“The one and only Noel Bluebird—handyman extraordinaire.”
“He’s mysterious. Is he always so fast with a rope?”
“He’s into carpentry and working with his hands. I’m not sure where he learned to lasso like that but it wouldn’t surprise me if he grew up on a farm,” he answered shortly. “Mind you, the only thing I’ve seen him ride around here is a snowmobile.”
“Well, I wouldn’t mind taking a ride on that snowmobile. Did you see the size of his thighs?” Eve gave me a crooked smile. “How come my handymen are always balding, potbellied, and have a cigar clamped between their teeth?”
“Because you’re a man-eater and they know if they get too close they’ll wind up married, divorced and drained of all cash.”
“Harrumph. I do not drain their cash, if I did, then I wouldn’t need to work for a smarmy girl like you.”
“Speaking of which, who’s manning the desk at the newspaper this week, if you’re here.”
“I’m on holidays this week, remember? We’re closed.”
“I know that, but since when has that stopped you? I thought the news never sleeps, Lois Lane.”
Eve grinned. “It doesn’t but sometimes you have to follow the story. That’s why I’m here with you, Clark Kent.”
Once Lucas had the suitcase out of the car, we walked without speaking down a snowy path, packed hard by visitors’ feet, passing one of the roped-off buildings. My brain began sorting through the day’s impressions. And suspects. The owners, would they kill to protect their family and reputation of Sleighs & Slopes Adventure Resort? And how about that handyman, Noel? I shivered. That was some serious roping, and he clearly had access to tools. Which reminded me that I needed to know more about how Holly was killed.
“Did you tell everyone that I used to investigate?” I asked sharply.
Lucas’ cheeks flushed.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
We came around a bend in the snowy path and I saw the sign for Candy Cane Lane. Lucas pointed to the tree house with the red door.
“There it is,” he said. “My tree house is next door.”
“I’m surprised,” Eve whispered to me. “I figured he would have tried to share accommodations with you.”
I frowned. “You mean like you’re trying to.”
Eve ignored me. “I am not. I have my own accommodation, thank you very much. Now off I go—I just wanted to see where you were staying first.”
“Eve? What accommodations, where are you staying? Don’t you want to investigate with me?”
“I’ll see you later, dear. I’m off to find Cookie Cutter Cabin.
“Eve?”
“Really, Penny—don’t be so clingy.” She said with a grin.
“Why is she always up to something?” I turned to Lucas. “I’m going to drop my suitcase off inside and then we are going for a walk. You need to show me where you found Holly.”
The tree house door was painted red. White lights strung the base of the tree although they weren’t lit as of yet. I looked at the number on my key, went up the steps and unlocked the door to my room.
Good God! This place was sparse—thank goodness it was the luxurious suite. Mind you, it did showcase mother nature rather nicely through the oversized glass window.
Lucas was still standing below when I exited the red door. I heard a woodpecker and smiled. Then I heard a scream. I stood very still. Being an investigator-turned-journalist, my radar was always finely tuned. I was just going through all of the terrible scenarios that might have happened to Eve when Lucas called to me.
“Don’t worry.” He reassured. “The call of the red fox sounds very much like a woman’s screams.”
I shivered and locked the door behind me. “I sure hope you’re right.” Eve had left to go to her cottage in that direction and although she was a pain in the behind, she was like a surrogate mother to me. A very crusty, loud-mouthed inappropriate mother figure, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.
The fox sounded off again and I couldn’t help but think of the reason I’d been brought here. This brought me to my next question.
“How did you feel about Holly?” I asked, turning to Lucas. “Did you really love her?”
He flinched.
“Tell me the truth.”
Authors Note from Rachael Stapleton:
Thank you for reading the first book in my new House Flipper series! I started writing this book on a whim three years ago. Just like Juniper, I’d come to a new town to live in a spooky old Victorian. That’s right, Jack and Juniper’s house is based on my own second empire although I have no secret passages—none that I’m willing to share, anyway. My new home is an hour away from the place I’d grown up in and while the change of pace was fun; it was harder than anticipated—being far from family, trapped in a creaky old house and alone with a busy toddler. On the surface, I was smiling, but on a deeper level I wondered if we’d made the right decision moving our children to a new place. Of course, we had, and we all settled in, eventually. In the meantime, in order to adjust I found myself writing about these house-flipping characters who were renovating just as we were and meeting quirky new characters just as I was. I’m happy to have found this house with all its history and this town with all its quirks and I’m so grateful that it inspired this mysterious tale.
As per usual, a big thanks to my family, friends, beta readers, reviewers and fans for their generosity and encouragement. Thanks to my awesome editor, Susan Croft. And of course a big shout-out to Connie, Yvonne, Lora and Susan: our retreats are magical. Once again, thank you for reading my books. If you want more, please be sure to review them on Amazon so I can afford to continue.
Cheers,
Rachael
About the author
Rachael Stapleton lives in a Second-Empire Victorian home with her husband and two children in Ontario, Canada and enjoys writing in the comforts of aged wood and arched dormers.
To learn more about Rachael Stapleton, visit her online at: RachaelStapleton.com
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A Penning Trouble Mystery Series:
Murder, She Floats
Murder, She Slopes
&n
bsp; Coming Soon: Gypsies, Traps & Missing Thieves
A Bohemian Murder Manor Mystery
Time Traveling bibliophile series:
Temple of Indra’s Jewel
Temple of Indra’s Curse
Temple of Indra’s Lies
Temple of Indra’s Witch
Table of Contents
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
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
PENNING TROUBLE MYSTERIES
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Authors Note from Rachael Stapleton:
About the author
Coming Soon: Gypsies, Traps & Missing Thieves
Cookies, Corpses & the Deadly Haunt Page 17
