Cozy Mystery Box Set: Murder Mysteries in the Mountains Read online

  Then Isabella traced me, somehow. She found my paintings online and recognized them as my work. I’ve got a fan following online, but I didn’t realize how disastrous that would be to me.

  I thought everything would work out. So maybe she did found my paintings. She emailed me, but I didn't think she could possibly trace me here to Larch Springs. After all, I was very careful about hiding my identity.”

  “She traced you anyway,” Victoria said. “Didn’t she?”

  “Yes,” Steve said. “Just when I was getting my life together, Isabella came around to ruin it. Why? She never cared about Ida as much as I did. She should just have… stayed in Italy, in her fine home with her fine servants. But no, she had to come chase after me. She could have had another baby. She didn’t need to come after mine.”

  “Ida was hers too,” Victoria said. “A mother doesn’t just forget about a child that’s been taken from her. Isabella must have been tortured for years, wondering where Ida was, whether she was alright.”

  “Ida doesn’t care about Isabella,” Steve said. “I never let her see a single picture of her mother. I am her only parent. It’s Ida and me and now, Amanda. Though I doubt if she’ll run away with us.”

  “I don’t think Ida will want to go either.”

  “I’m her father,” Steve said. “I make the rules.”

  “So, when did you kill Isabella?”

  “I came to the party late. I think she was planning to confront me there. Luckily, I came as she was just leaving. She was phoning a taxi, but I cornered her outside LeeLee’s house. I told her I was tired of running, and that I was sorry. I told her that I would take her to Ida. The fool believed me. She was so excited about seeing Ida that she didn’t see death in my eyes. She was the walking dead the second she got in the car with me.”

  “So you killed Isabella, and when you overheard LeeLee talking about how she knew the designer of the coat, you decided to kill her too.”

  “I got greedy taking that painting,” Steve said. “I regret it. I didn’t realize Dr. Molly would notice. I know Declan is such an idiot he wouldn’t even realize its true worth. If Dr. Molly hadn’t told you about it, I would have gotten away scot-free with the two million dollars. Enough for lifelong financial security.”

  “Then finally, You killed Hanson because you thought he was going to say something about Isabella.”

  “I panicked, honestly,” Steve said. “I didn’t expect to see you sitting there, I didn’t expect to hear Hanson talking about Isabella. I thought maybe she told him something, and you jogged his memory, and now Randolf would find out.”

  “You know the biggest mistake you made, though?” Victoria asked, smiling in relief as they approached the trailhead.

  “What?” Steve asked.

  “You tied me up, but forgot to take my phone out of my pocket.”

  The car swerved, as Steve braked, too late. Randolf stood ahead of them, with a road block, his car’s lights flashing. Constable Keeney stood with him.

  “I called Randolf,” Victoria said. “He heard everything and now that you’ve conveniently narrated your crimes, I think you’re going to be heading to jail for a very long time.”

  “I’ll kill you!” Steve sputtered, putting his hands around her throat. “I’ll. I’ll..”

  But Randolf was yanking the door open, and then dragging Steve to the ground and handcuffing him. Victoria, a hand to her throat, gasped in pain and watched as Steve screamed obscenities at her.

  Epilogue

  There was no wedding. Amanda adapted. She was heartbroken about Steve but, as she told Victoria, “I’m very glad he was found out. I never had a clue. Can you imagine that? I dated him for years, and didn’t know this side of his personality.”

  As for Ida, she was reunited with Isabella’s parents, a dignified man with fluffy white hair, and a trim lady with Ida’s eyes and chin. Weeping, they swept her into their arms and told her that they had missed her ever since she had been kidnapped by Steve.

  Amanda, with tears in her eyes, had told Ida she was willing to adopt her. Ida had said she’d rather go with her grandparents.

  “For now, I want to be as far away from this place as possible.” She said.

  “I hope she has a happy ending,” Amanda said as she and Victoria waved goodbye. “I feel sorry for her. Steve ruined her life with his selfish actions.”

  “But he was, in his own way, a good father, wasn’t he?” Victoria asked. “It’s strange, how people are. They can be demons and angels at the same time. Steve would have done anything to keep Ida happy.”

  “No,” Amanda said. “Sooner or later, his possessive behavior of her would have affected her. I believe she’s better off in the stable environment her grandparents will provide her. A relationship based on a lie is no relationship at all.”

  “You’re right,” Victoria said. “I suppose she will be happier this way. I pray she is.”

  “You scared us all,” Amanda said, giving Victoria a hug. “I’m so sorry for the injuries Steve caused.”

  “It’s not your fault, Amanda,” Victoria said. “You couldn’t have known. None of us suspected the monster hidden inside the man.”

  She dropped Amanda off home and drove back to her own home. She pulled up in her driveway, and then, impulsively, reversed.

  It was a short drive to Corporal Jager’s home. Victoria told herself that this was something she had to do. She hadn’t seen him or spoken to him beyond the official statements he had taken from her. Randolf, she knew, had been too busy.

  Still, she had received a bright bouquet from him the next morning, with a card saying, “You are a hero to me, personally and professionally.”

  Arriving at his house, she took a deep breath, got out, and rang the bell. She didn’t know quite what she was going to say or do.

  Randolf opened it and smiled down at her. “I was expecting you.” He said.

  *** The End ***

  Getaway to Murder

  Prologue

  Twenty-four hours before the murders began, the seven people at the center of it all checked into the Larch Luminary Hotel for a mindfulness retreat. Deedee, the twenty-five-year-old who had arranged it all, stood greeting the others in the hallway and helping them check in. Her boss, famed self-help guru Leo Loams had already checked himself in and was busy meditating up in his suite. So it was up to Deedee to reassure the others and ask for forgiveness for his eccentricities.

  “He’ll meet you all tomorrow, and explain.” She was saying, to one after another as she escorted them up.

  “You know how he is.” She said to Matt, an athletic man with a goatee, shrewd eyes, and a permanent hunch in his shoulders.

  “Oh, the things I could tell you,” Matt said with a wink. “But, well, as his lawyer, there’s client confidentiality. I have to maintain a dignified silence.”

  “Oh, you can forget about being a lawyer for a couple of days,” Deedee said. “Leo wants us to be happy this weekend. He wants a relaxed time, where we reconnect with nature and each other.”

  “Is that all he wants?” Matt asked with a laugh.

  “Why?” Deedee asked.

  “He sent me a letter,” Matt said. “Did he tell you about it?”

  “A letter?” Deedee looked surprised. “You mean the email? The invitation? I drafted that, and he sent it.”

  “Nope.” Matt took out an envelope from his jacket pocket and wiggled it in front of her. “This letter.”

  “I don’t know,” Deedee said, looking quite put off. “If he sent you and the others that, he didn’t tell me anything about it. All I did was draft the email.”

  “Well, I guess we’ll know soon enough if he sent it to the others. Who else is here?” Matt asked.

  “Gray and Cara have arrived,” Deedee said. “Tess and Jim will be coming soon, I suppose.”

  “I see.” Matt didn’t say much. He opened the hotel room and rolled his bag inside. Deedee was about to wave him off when he stopped her. “
Say Deedee. I had a question.”

  “Leo said we should all have dinner in our rooms today, and only meet tomorrow,” Deedee said.

  “He said today should be a day of quietness and reflection, before it all begins. So if your question is, will he pay for dinner, the answer’s no. You’re footing your own bill tonight, though he’s hiring a caterer for the weekend.”

  “Ah no, it’s not that. I was wondering if this was about...” Matt twisted his fingers this way and that. “Well, Leo always said that we’re his family. Right? He’s nearing retirement age soon. I thought maybe this was about hiring a successor?”

  “I don’t know about that,” Deedee said quietly. She stared at Matt. “Like you said, you’re his lawyer. You would know better if he had any plans.”

  “It would have to be one of us, right?” Matt said. “I’ll be honest with you. My practice is doing well right now, and I don’t know if I can handle it. I mean, taking over Leo’s empire is going to be near impossible.”

  He nearly licked his lips as he spoke, and Deedee had a mental image of a dog salivating over his next meal. Of all of Leo’s so-called disciples, she liked Matt the least. He went out of his way being nice to Leo, but when Leo’s back turned, Matt could be counted on to act like a greedy fool. He was a lawyer by profession and a miser at heart.

  She took her leave of him and asked him to have a nice day. Simultaneously, she checked her phone. It was almost 2:00 p.m. and the caterer still hadn’t confirmed whether she would visit them at four today. Most unprofessional. Why Leo had insisted on hiring this one and only this one, she didn’t know. But then again, that was Leo. If he wanted things a certain way, no one had better do anything else. She headed back down to the reception, wondering when she’d be able to go to her room. Longingly, she thought of the bathtub she had glimpsed. A good book, a nice soak and her tired mind would rejuvenate.

  “Spare a hug for a stranger?” A deep voice asked her. Deedee gave a gasp of delight.

  “What are you doing here?” She exclaimed.

  She flung her arms around the neck of a tall man with a scar under his right eye. After giving him a tight hug, she leaned back to look at him. She hadn’t seen Clay in three years, and he had changed quite a bit in that time. It was hard to believe now that he was only two years older than her. There was a world of a difference between them. While strangers still mistook her for a nineteen-year-old, Clay looked like a man of the world. His shoulders were thrown back in confidence, and his lean physique boasted of years spent climbing mountains and living in the wild. His hair, which she had so loved to draw her fingers through, was still wavy and long, though he’d tied it up in a neat man bun and cut it short on the sides. Stubble emphasized his cheeks.

  “What are you doing here?” She exclaimed again.

  “Oh, you know how it is.” The man said. “I heard about a reunion, and I had to see.”

  “Clay,you’re crazy!” Deedee’s delight had turned into fear. “If Leo knows you’re here..."

  “He’ll what? Huh? What’ll he do?” Clay lifted his chin aggressively. “I’ve got every right to be here. More so than these other losers.”

  “Don’t call them that.”

  “Oh but I will,” Clay said. “Listen, Deedee, I think this feud between Leo and me has gone on far enough, don’t you? I’ve come here to end it once and for all.”

  “Clay,” Deedee shrugged her shoulders, helpless. “You know Leo...” is all she managed to say.

  “I don’t,” Clay said. “I thought I did. He’s changed, Deedee. He’s changed so much. Ever since...”

  “Don’t,” Deedee said. “Listen, Clay; the others will be here any second. Please, let’s talk later if we have to. I can’t do this right now. I need to greet them.”

  “He still makes you run around like a trained puppy, doesn’t he?” Clay sighed. “Three years and you haven’t changed at all, Deedee.”

  Hurt, Deedee pushed her lips together unconsciously. “I guess not everyone changes as fast as you do, Clay.”

  He didn’t reply immediately, instead taking his time to study her face. Deedee tried to wriggle free and found an arm holding her tight around the waist. For a moment, he continued to stare into her eyes; then he released her.

  “So who else is coming?” Clay asked. “Jimbo? Countessa Tessa? Gray-torade? Matt the Mutt?”

  “Don’t call them that,” Deedee said. “They never liked those nicknames.”

  “Course they didn’t,” Clay said. “Didn’t stop me from using them.”

  “Look, I want to talk to you,” Deedee said. “I want nothing more than to talk about all the places you’ve been and the things you’ve seen. But Clay, I need to be here to greet Tess and Jim right now. After that can we meet? Maybe for cocktails post dinner?”

  “We’ll see,” Clay said. “First, I need to have a long, hot shower. Then, I need to shave. Maybe afterward, when I’m feeling more human, I’ll talk to you, Deedee. See you!” With a wave, he was on his way.

  Deedee stared at him, her eyes roaming longingly after him. Then she forced herself to look away. Seven years. Seven years on and she was still throwing herself all over him like a complete idiot. He must despise her. He must think she was just desperate. She felt anxiety squeeze her insides. He didn’t even ask me for my room number, or give me a definite yes or no, she thought. He just expected me to sit and wait for him at the bar, as though I had nothing better to do. That was Clay, always taking her for granted. Well, she would do better, she resolved. She would show him that she’d changed. Why it was she who managed most of Leo’s work these days. She wasn’t just his secretary; she was practically his right-hand man. Well, right-hand woman.

  Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t notice the short, muscular man who approached. He was built close to the ground and thick through the waist; with mountainous shoulders that seemed to frame a rough, thick-lipped face.

  “Dee.” The new man smiled.

  “Jim!” She gave him a broad smile, and he beamed back at her. “Welcome to the Larch Luminary!” she said. “I’m so glad you made it. We’re all set for a very interesting weekend!”

  She’d think back to those words later and wonder if she could have possibly predicted just how interesting and horrifying it would be.

  Chapter 1

  “What’s your idea of pure bliss?”

  It was one of those rare hot days that come with the tail end of autumn. Victoria and her kids had decided to spend it on Crystal Tears Lake, with a picnic basket and some hired kayaks.

  “Pure bliss?” Victoria smiled down at twelve-year-old Annie. Annie held a book in her hand, with a bright blue cover, and the picture of several stars in various colors over it.

  “Well?” Annie asked.

  Victoria frowned. “I don’t know.” She said. “I don’t think there’s any such thing. But right now is pretty close.” She looked towards the lake and smiled.

  Her son Byron was fishing by the lake, and Corporal Randolf Jager, of the Larch Hot Springs RCMP, stood by him, occasionally chatting with the boy.

  “You like Randolf, don’t you?” Annie asked, with all the tact of a twelve-year-old.

  “We’re good friends,” Victoria said lightly, which wasn’t completely true. She and Randolf had little glimmerings between them that made her think he was more than just a good friend sometimes. Still, she didn’t know what her daughter would think of that just yet.

  “Well, ok here’s a question,” Annie said, looking down at her book and then up again at her mother. “If you were completely free and if Byron and I didn’t exist and if you had no responsibilities towards Aunt Karen or the Café or our town and if you were restarting with a blank slate; what would you want to do?”

  Victoria looked quizzical. “Why all the questions?”

  “I’m trying to analyze you,” Annie said, flapping her book. “This is a really good book to do it with.”

  Victoria bent down and read the title, “Psych! A scientifi
c approach to getting what you want.” “Where did you get this from?” And is that very appropriate? She wondered but didn’t say aloud.

  “Cathy’s mom is a fan of Leo Loams, the author. I borrowed her book.” Annie shrugged. “It says here I’m an INTJ. That means I’m fit to be a leader. I think you’re an ISTJ, and your defining characteristics are integrity, practical logic, and dedication to duty. I think Daddy was an EFSP. Always ready to have a good time and entertain.”

  “You make me sound boring,” Victoria said with a smile. “But that does sound like your dad.” Even now, three years after he had died, a sudden mention of Michael would make Victoria long for him. He would have loved this. The peace of the morning, the eternal blue of Crystal Lake and the Rocky Mountains towering over them all like ancient gods.

  She looked again at Randolf and Byron, who were now sitting side by side silently, looking perfectly content. She didn’t feel guilt, exactly. Michael, she knew, had wanted her to move on. In the days before he had died, he had told her exactly that in his careless, blunt fashion.

  “Don’t mope about after me too much.” Michael had said, in between a series of coughs. “I’d rather the kids had a happy, active mom with a long list of admirers than a lonely brooding spinster.”

  “Shut up. I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t even want to think about it.” Victoria had said.

  “Yes, you do,” Michael said. “At any rate, you’ll have to think about it someday. Sooner or later, a man’s going to catch your eye. I tell you, Vicky; I’ll be pretty displeased if you go around feeling mopey or refusing to date him because you think it’ll be disloyal to me. You better move on, and fast. Got it?”

  No one ever told her she’d feel angry at Michael. But that’s what she’d felt. She’d refused to talk to him about it, and told him there was no way he would die. She’d save him, somehow. Then, he’d died, and Victoria had left her life in New York behind to make a new start in Larch Hot Springs.