Maddie's Gift of Mystery (A Rockcrest Cove Cozy Mystery Book 5)

T
he party was
in full swing and the guests were all in their element. It was a celebratory night by all accounts, and there were no holds barred when it came to how far some would go with the festivities. It was the perfect way to end a semester of hard work and intense study to help them get into the holiday spirit.

The music was about as loud as the law would allow, and the indoor patio was abuzz with activity; the swimming pool and hot tub were getting about as much use as they ever had, and the bar was open and the booze was flowing freely. By all accounts, the evening was just getting started for most of the guests.

Emily looked down at her red plastic cup filled with 7Up for a moment before glancing back at her old friend, who was clearly a few shades into the wind already. Jimmy had that goofy-looking smile he always had when he had drunk too much, except this time, the alcohol mixed with the heat of the hot tub where they were presently sitting may have been a tad too much. While he thought he was playing it cool and considered himself a sober drunk, everyone knew better. But few people, aside from Emily, his closest friend, were willing to tell him that he wasn’t passing it off very well.

She gave him her most gracious smile as he fell into an awkward embrace, leaning much of his weight on her small frame.

“It’s an honor to have been a top student with you, Jimmy,” she said as she extricated herself from his clumsy embrace.

“Emily, you are so awesome. We both deserve this, you know,” he said, his speech a little slurred.

She gave him a little giggle as she sat there watching her good friend dangle his feet off the side of the hot tub like a small boy. Well, you can make the boy grow into a man, but you can never take the boy away completely. He leaned into her a little more, and she had to gently push his weight away before she could speak again.

“Why don’t we take a break?” she suggested. “I think maybe you could use a little fresh air. Let’s go for a walk.”

Clumsily, Jimmy pulled himself upright and the two broke away from the crowd, seeking a little solace in the adjoining garden. They held tightly to each other with one hand and to their red plastic cups with the other as they strolled away from the undulating crowd of law students on a frenzy. They walked along in silence for a while with neither one of them speaking; they were just enjoying being in each other’s company.

Jimmy turned his cup upside down, trying to wrench the last few drops of his drink into his mouth. Unsatisfied, he crumpled the empty cup and gave it a careless toss over his shoulder.

“Why don’t you have anything special in your cup, Emily?” he slurred. “I thought you drank too?”

“I do,” she said, staring into her cup of colorless liquid. “Just not tonight. Someone’s got to get you home safely, right? Your designated driver is passed out over the pool table. It isn’t a smart idea for you to get in his car.”

Jimmy tried to turn in the direction she was referring to, but by now his equilibrium was so off balance that it turned out to be too much effort. Instead he simply leaned over again and rested his head on her shoulder.

Once again, she had to extricate herself from underneath his weight by gently pushing him up again. “Hey, it’s getting late. Let’s get you home,” she suggested. “It’s better for us to leave now than later when all the drunks here decide to take to the road.”

Jimmy simply nodded his compliance and fell back into another clumsy embrace as Emily led them both back into the house to let everyone know they were calling it a night.

Ten minutes later, Emily was helping him into her car. The party was still going full blast, and there was no one about except the two of them. She helped Jimmy lower himself into her old, beat-up Ford Focus without bumping his head, and then she hurried herself around to the driver’s side and slid behind the wheel.

Checking her rearview mirror before pulling onto the road, she saw that all was clear with the exception of one lone car that pulled up behind her. She admired the black SUV, wondering when the day would come that she could have one of her own. It was a sleek-looking vehicle that she knew the owners would have paid dearly for. Enough of that, she thought to herself. No time to sulk about what I don’t have. Putting the car in gear, she eased out onto the road, heading toward Jimmy’s side of town.

It was a chilly night, but even so, she decided to leave the windows down so he could get a little fresh air. She didn’t want him falling into a drunken stupor until she got him home. There was no way she would be able to get him out of the car otherwise.

She slid Jimmy’s favorite CD into the player and turned the volume up as loud as it would go. Immediately his face lit up, and he was happily riding along, singing to his favorite tunes. He was content when he knew the words but would fall silent when the lyrics didn’t easily come to him. When that happened, she would fill the void with stories of their antics during the school year. It worked; Jimmy was fully awake by the time she pulled into the driveway of his home.

Again, stirs of envy rose up in her that she had to quickly quell. Keep your mind focused, she silently reprimanded herself. Hurrying over to his side of the car, she opened the door and allowed him to lean on her as she walked him to his house. He was still singing his favorite tunes even though the music had stopped when she’d turned off the engine.

This was not her first time being Jimmy’s caretaker in such a situation. Walking him up the steps, she helped him ease down onto the porch chair so she could collect the spare key he kept under the flower pot by the door. Once she got the door open, she helped him inside and finally let him flop down on his sofa, where he immediately fell into a drunken slouch. After helping him lie down, tucking him under a few blankets for warmth and placing a few water bottles on the coffee table within easy reach, she turned to leave.

Jimmy’s slurred speech stopped her briefly. “Thanks, Emily. I really appreciate you,” he said, half from his drunkenness and the other half from the sleep that was quickly overtaking him. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Love yah, girl.” With that, he fell fast asleep.

Giving her friend one last look of affection, she chuckled under her breath before she uttered her own goodbyes. “I’ll see you tomorrow, buddy. Call me if you need anything, okay?”

Jimmy never answered. The last words he uttered were probably too much for someone in his condition. He had fallen fast asleep. She let herself out the same way she had let herself in, locking the door and returning the spare key to its place under the flower pot. She got into her car, backed out of the driveway, and headed home.

Tired herself, she didn’t notice the same black SUV she had admired earlier that evening parked on the opposite side of the street, watching her every move. But instead of following her as it had from the party, once she had turned the corner, the occupant walked up to Jimmy’s front door and retraced all of her steps, retrieving the key once again and quietly letting themselves into the house.

Fast asleep on the sofa, Jimmy was completely unaware that an intruder had entered his house. He didn’t hear the soft footsteps as the intruder approached and gazed down on him. An evil burst of laughter escaped from their lips as gloved hands pulled out a leather strap.

“So long, Jimmy,” a voice said. “Too bad no one will ever know who really killed you.”

Chapter 1

A
s usual
, Maddie was in her element as she hurried through her work on this particular morning. Her business had been flourishing in ways she had never imagined. Not only was her bakery thriving, but her catering service was also on the rise. In the recent months she had expanded even further to now include catering corporate office lunches as well.

Today she was working from her new kitchen. After Jason the barber had closed up shop, she had taken the opportunity to expand her business even farther and took over his space, making some rather impressive renovations in the process. The bakery was still in full swing and doing well, but she liked the idea of having a separate kitchen for each division of her growing business. The new kitchen was rarely open at this early hour, so it gave her plenty of time to work alone, something that she really enjoyed doing from time to time. She felt it helped her keep her edge more than anything. The last thing that Maddie wanted was to slip into one of those bossy management types. She had gotten into this business because of her love for cooking and baking. She was not about to allow any of her success to steer her away from her core dream.

She relished her alone time; it was the time when her creativity came out completely unabated. Now she could freely let her ideas flow without interruption. But today she did allow one assistant into her inner sanctum. Astoria, her pure white Persian cat, was her constant companion, and she proudly paraded back and forth in Maddie’s kitchen as if she owned the place.

The food was already prepared, and Maddie was busy packing it up in pretty little decorative boxes for her employees to deliver to their respective destinations. She worked swiftly, humming to herself as she went. So engrossed she was in her work that she didn’t hear the door open in the front of the store. Since the new storefront wasn’t set up for walk-in customers, the door hadn’t been fitted with the chimes she had installed in her bakery. There wasn’t even a sign out front, so when she heard a man’s voice calling from the front of the store, she was immediately alarmed.

Peeking her head through the door to see who it was, she saw a handsome, young, uniformed officer standing in the empty store.

“Oh. I didn’t realize someone had come in,” she said. “I’ll be with you in just a minute,” she said, ducking back into the kitchen and out of sight. Quickly removing her apron, which was covered with splatters and splashes of different foods, Maddie washed her hands and tried to improve her appearance just enough so he wouldn’t think she was just some crazy old lady obsessed with her cooking passion.

Entering the room with a smile, she greeted the young man. “I’m sorry to keep you waiting. What can I do for you?”

The man returned the smile warmly, which threw her off guard again.

He removed his hat and pointed down the street. “The girls at your bakery told me I could find you here. I hope you don’t mind,” he said apologetically.

“No. Not at all. How can I help you?” she asked again, her curiosity peaked.

“Actually, I am the one offering my services to you, Ms. MacDougal.” He extended his hand for a shake. “My name is Brandon Willis. I’m the new chief of police here in Rockcrest Cove. I’m replacing Chief Connors, who just recently retired.”

Maddie was stunned. News traveled fast in Rockcrest Cove, but for some reason this news had yet to reach her ears. She studied the young man before her. He looked just like a kid, and she figured he couldn’t have been much older than twenty-five or thirty. She was impressed with his demeanor and accomplishments in such a short time, and besides, he was rather cordial and pleasant. She wasn’t used to Connors being so friendly. If he was, it was usually because he was up to something.

“Oh my,” she said. “I hadn’t heard.”

“Well, it was a rather sudden decision,” Willis responded. “I think maybe his health got the better of him after all these years.”

Maddie moved to comment but thought better of it. She just inwardly smiled to herself as she remembered the man lumbering about town with his big paunch belly leading the way.

“Anyway, I just stopped in to introduce myself to you and to let you know that if you’re ever in need of anything, anything at all, feel free to call on me.”

He certainly was going to be a breath of fresh air after the likes of Connors, but she couldn’t help but feel a little suspicious. “That’s very kind of you, Chief Willis. I’m just wondering, are you making this type of call to all the people in Rockcrest Cove?”

It was Willis’s turn to be taken off guard. He stopped pumping her hand for a brief second when her words hit their mark, but he recovered quickly.

“Yes. Eleanor said that you were a pretty smart cookie,” he responded.

“Oh, you know Eleanor.”

“Yes. We’ve been friends for a while now. She told me that you had a very astute eye for detail—and she was quick to add that was not just in your cooking but in everything else. I understand you’ve been able to help us solve several cases over the last year.”

“I’ve done my best,” Maddie said, relaxing a bit.

“Well, I just want to let you know that it’s your kind of help that will help the people of Rockcrest Cove feel safe and secure. And I, for one, really admire that type of natural talent.”

“Why thank you,” she responded, immediately warming up to him.

They chatted for a few minutes more before he tipped his hat and left her to her work. She took a few minutes to try to recall when she had felt that good after a visit from Connors before realizing she had never had such an experience. It would certainly be nice to have someone receptive on the force from now on.

She was just about to turn back to the work at hand when she felt that familiar vibration of her cell phone in her back pocket. Pulling the phone out of her pocket, she checked the caller ID.

“Hi, Ellie. This is kind of early for you to be calling, isn’t it?” she teased her friend.

“I know, but it’s the only time I can be sure that you’re not entirely engrossed in your work. Once you leave for your deliveries, it becomes a game of cat and mouse,” Eleanor shot back.

“I suppose I have been pretty busy lately. I’m sorry about that. I’ll make it up to you one day real soon.”

“Well, I think that day should be today,” Eleanor responded. “I thought we should get together for lunch. What do you say? Do you think you could squeeze in a little time for an old friend?”

“Absolutely,” Maddie responded. “I could use a little down time. How about I pack up some pastries and meet you at your office?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Eleanor beamed. “Is eleven thirty okay?”

“Sounds great! I’ll have my girls handle the deliveries I had scheduled for the day, finish up a few things around town, and then I’ll just swing by. See you then.”

After hanging up the phone, Maddie had an even lighter lift in her step. How often did she get a pleasant visit from the police department and a chance to catch up with an old friend on the same day? She packed up all the deliveries for the day and started for the door but was immediately distracted by Astoria’s loud complaint.

“Astoria!” she snapped as the small feline wrapped her paws around her ankle. “Stop that. I have work to do.” She took a few tentative steps toward the door, but Astoria was not about to let her go that easily. “Astoria! I can’t play with you now.” She said bending down to pick her up. “I promise, I’ll spend time with you later.”

But Astoria, suddenly interested in the shoestrings on Maddie’s sneakers, was having none of that. Maddie studied her for a moment before reaching for the familiar canvas bag Astoria knew so well.

“All right,” she said, “I guess I have been neglecting you a little lately, haven’t I?” She opened the mouth of the bag and stooped down to place it on the floor. “All right, you can come with, but you have to behave. Do you understand me?” She spoke with a firm tone but had very little conviction. Astoria knew the cue and quickly lost interest in Maddie’s shoes and climbed obediently into the canvas bag.

Maddie picked it up, along with several of Eleanor’s favorite pastries, and they headed out to start the day.

The morning went by quickly, and before long she was pulling her car into the campus parking lot for her visit with Eleanor. The atmosphere about the campus appeared to be much more relaxed than usual. It was the last week of school before the winter break, and everyone, students and teachers alike, were in the holiday spirit. Smiles decorated everyone’s faces and people seemed to walk taller knowing that they didn’t have to worry about books, studies, and exams for the next few weeks.

Before opening her car door, Maddie turned to the canvas bag with Astoria still inside. “Now you promised me you were going to be good,” she gently scolded. “Don’t disappoint me…or embarrass me,” she added as an afterthought. The small cat gave Maddie an inquisitive look before ducking down deeper into the bag.

Maddie looked like she was doing a circus balancing act as she managed to take the bag with Astoria in it and toss it over her shoulder, hold a box of Eleanor’s favorite pastries upright in one hand, and carry a Christmas gift she had picked up on the way for her friend. By the time she reached Eleanor’s office, she wasn’t sure if any of them had survived the trip undamaged.

Eleanor’s office was not very impressive considering her position, but she was happy with it just the same. The room was sparsely decorated, with a simple desk and a few family pictures placed throughout the room. Other than the necessary accouterments customary for university professors, Eleanor’s office looked very much like a first year student’s dorm room minus the bed and dresser. Part of the reason was that she preferred not to spend endless hours behind a desk but would much rather spend her time out in the hallways chatting with her students, whom she was exceptionally attached to.

Nevertheless, her face brightened considerably when her long-time friend Maddie walked through the door. Today she had made arrangements for them to have lunch in the privacy of her office.

Maddie was pleasantly surprised when she saw the elaborate layout Eleanor had prepared. A small corner of her office had been completely dressed up to look like a fine dining restaurant by the university’s culinary department. Two students were standing by with menus in hand, ready to serve her every need.

“Merry Christmas,” Eleanor greeted her friend, her face beaming from the genuine surprise on Maddie’s face.

“Merry Christmas,” Maddie responded, almost speechless by the pleasant surprise. “What is all of this?” she asked, gesturing toward the elaborate layout.

“I just thought that since the culinary department was in search of a few guinea pigs for their student finals that you wouldn’t mind being treated with a little soft touch for a change.

“Not at all,” Maddie said, her eyes lighting up at the prospect.

A student stepped forward and pulled out a chair for Maddie. “Ma’am,” the young man said, gesturing for her to sit.

“Oh, thank you,” Maddie responded, stepping into her new role quite easily. She sat her things down on Eleanor’s office desk and took her seat as requested.

Eleanor joined her on at the table, and they were quickly presented with menus and asked for their drink orders. Within moments, the two had left the room to make a mad dash to the kitchen to get the orders filled.

“I’m sorry to spring this on you like this, Maddie,” Eleanor apologized. “I didn’t think you’d mind.”

“Not at all,” Maddie exclaimed, admiring the beautiful décor with a touch of sentimentality. “It actually brings back some rather fond memories of my days at culinary school.”

Eleanor smiled fondly at her friend. “I suppose it would, my dear. I hadn’t really thought of that.” She chuckled just a bit. “You know me, Maddie,” she said. “I just didn’t want to be sitting by myself as the sole judge and jury of these poor students.” She leaned a little across the table. “To be perfectly honest, the poor students are sweating bullets right now.”

“I can imagine. I remember a few of my exams in school; they weren’t the most pleasant of experiences.”

“This is their midterm exam. Imagine how they felt when I announced this morning that they were going to be serving the famous Maddie MacDougal, the town’s most prominent chef.”

“Oh don’t be ridiculous.”

“No really. Watch when they come back in with your drinks and to take your order. They’re faces are almost white with fear.”

Maddie made a gossipy sort of gasp. “No.”

“Yes,” Eleanor proudly chirped. “So, go easy on them, will you?”

“Hmmm. Pretty sage advice coming for a legal professor.”

The two women giggled like schoolgirls and fell into an easy conversation about the good old days when they were in the same place as the aspiring students were now. By the time lunch had come to a close and they had filled out their assessment cards, they both felt as if the years since had never happened. They were laughing hysterically about the antics of one of their classmates when they were interrupted by Eleanor’s cell phone.

Letting out a sigh of exasperation, she said, “Just when I was about to forget how busy my life has become since then. Excuse me a minute.” She reached into her bag to answer it.

“Hello? Oh hi, Emily. Are you about ready to start your holiday celebrating?”

Maddie watched as the twinkle in her friend’s eyes slowly faded away and was replaced by a cold sternness. Deep creases in her brow quickly replaced the brightness in her face, and the corners of her mouth began to tense up as her lips pressed together in an attempt to contain her composure.

“All right, Emily,” she said. “Calm down. Don’t worry about a thing. I’ll come down there right now and take care of everything.”

Maddie didn’t wait for her to tell her what had happened. As soon as she had ended the call, she asked. “Ellie, what is it?”

“It’s Emily Winston.”

“Who’s that?”

“Emily is one of my best law students. I told you about her before.”

“Oh yes. You said she was the one that showed the most promise for a solid future in law.”