A Tough Case to Crack

Book 1: A Nuts About Nuts Cozy Mystery

by Cindy Bell

Genres: Animal Cozy Mysteries; Culinary Cozy Mysteries; Female Sleuths; Amateur Sleuth; Cozy Mystery

Synopsis

It is a race against the clock to solve a murder so Nuts about Nuts can open on time.

Kerri Gale is getting ready for the grand opening of her gift and nut shop, Nuts about Nuts, in the small picturesque town of Cascade Grove. She is new to the area and is enjoying setting up home with her Yorkshire Terrier, Cashew, and spending time with her new friend, Natalie.

But when possible evidence from the murder of the previous shop owner is found in the shop, Kerri finds herself right in the middle of a murder investigation. A handsome reporter, Steve, is writing an article about the murder, but can Kerri rely on him? Then her grandfather, who she hasn’t seen in ages, turns up out of the blue and is being very secretive. During the chaos Kerri has to try to juggle everything so she can find the murderer and her shop can open on time.

Can she trust Steve or is he just using her for a story? Can she trust her grandfather or is his sudden arrival not a coincidence? Will Kerri solve the murder? Or is Natalie right and ghosts are to blame?

Recipes for Toasted Pecan Cookies and Maple Nut Pie are included!

Release date: September 6, 2016

Print pages: 250

Sample

Chapter One

 

 

It was a beautiful dream. The kind that she never wanted to wake up from. She stood under a waterfall, the water cool against her skin. Sunlight shimmered through the streams that cascaded down from the rocks above. For the first time in a long time she was completely at peace. She turned her face up into the water as it rushed down her cheeks. It was oddly warm, and even a little slobbery.

 

“Oh, Cashew.” She opened her eyes and gave the dog a playful shove away from her face. “Did I sleep through your breakfast?” After a wide yawn she sat up in bed. The Yorkshire Terrier pranced across her lap. She ran her hand through the dog’s long, silky smooth hair. “Yes, yes, I know. Breakfast.” She wiped a hand across her face and considered what awaited her throughout the day. Getting a shop off the ground was a bit harder than she had expected. The great deal she found turned out to be a bit of a construction nightmare. She fed Cashew, then took a shower to wake herself up.

 

“Remember, Kerri, this was a risk you wanted to take,” she said to herself as she rinsed the shampoo out of her shoulder length, dark brown hair and tried to concentrate on the to-do list that carried over from the day before. Get the locks changed, get the shelves up, check the floorboards to see if they needed to be replaced. In her mid-twenties it was a big leap to take, but one visit to the town made her fall in love with it. Between the expansive woods, and the waterfalls nestled in secret places, she just couldn’t resist. Since she had a small amount of inheritance from her grandmother, she thought it was worth a try.

 

Kerri grabbed a muffin for herself, said goodbye to Cashew and then headed out the door. On her drive to the shop she noticed the way the reasonably small town of Cascade Grove woke up. Many people watered their gardens, others walked their dogs. The traffic was light, as it was a bedroom town, but it got quite a few tourists through in the summer months especially on the weekends. Those who worked, left much earlier to get to the city. The few locals who worked in town took their time to open up their shops and restaurants. There was no rush. No one shouted at each other for not driving fast enough, or turning at the wrong time. It was calm compared to the life she was used to. Instead of just a move, or a shift in profession, to her it felt like stepping into an entirely new world.

 

Kerri parked in front of the shop and stared up at the sign above it. ‘L & D Pawnbrokers’. Soon it would read ‘Nuts about Nuts’. She’d yet to replace the sign as the new sign was not ready to go up. When she opened the door, she nearly walked right into a man. She gasped and took a step back. It took her a moment to recognize that he wore a uniform from the locksmith company that she had hired to change the locks on the shop.

 

“How did you get in?” Her cheeks reddened as she realized that was likely a silly question to ask a locksmith.

 

“I’m sorry if I startled you, ma’am, Natalie let me in.”

 

“Oh, Natalie.” Kerri sighed. “I’m sorry, I’m a little scatter-brained this morning.” As she walked towards the office she smiled at the handyman who drilled brackets into the wall for shelves. “Morning, Harry. Do you have everything you need?”

 

“Yes, thanks Kerri. I’ll let you know if I have to do another shop for supplies.”

 

Kerri nodded and walked past him towards the office. When she stepped inside her mood was brightened even more by the presence of her employee, and friend, Natalie.

 

“Morning, Kerri!” She jumped up out of the office chair and grinned at her.

 

Everything about Natalie was perky, from the perky pink bow in her red, curly hair, to the perky red lipstick she wore, to the brightly colored outfits she chose. Maybe that was why Kerri noticed her right away at a community get-together. Kerri saw it as an opportunity to feel out the town, but in the process gained from it a best friend.

 

Although Kerri had friends growing up, she had drifted apart from many of them, and in her twenties she had very few people she could count as close friends. Natalie filled that void as fast as she filled the cup of coffee that she offered Kerri.

 

“Morning Nat, thank you.” She took the coffee and smiled.

 

“I hope you don’t mind that I let the locksmith and Harry in. I just figured the earlier they started the better.”

 

“I don’t mind at all. I appreciate it. I am running a little late this morning and it’s a relief to know that everything is already started.”

 

“Great, then you’re going to be even happier because I made an appointment for you with a reporter from the local newspaper.”

 

“A reporter?” Kerri blew the steam from her coffee. “Why?”

 

“For advertising of course. He will interview you about the new shop, when it will be opening, and what customers can expect. It’ll be a great way to generate interest and just in time for opening.”

 

“I can’t even think about opening yet, when the sign isn’t even up.” Kerri sat down behind her computer and wiped a hand across her forehead. “I have to admit starting a business is a bit more complicated than I realized.”

 

“Just don’t take it too seriously. What’s the worst that could happen?” Natalie laughed. Her laughter was punctuated by the sound of shattered glass.

 

“Oh no!” Kerri jumped up and raced back into the main area of the shop. Natalie followed on her heels. Harry and the locksmith stood over a pile of glass near the door. “What happened?” She looked between the two.

 

“I’m sorry, a slip of the hand and I broke the window with the hammer. Don’t worry, I’ll replace it at my cost.” Harry wrung his ball cap in his hand. “Sorry for the trouble.”

 

“Harry, don’t worry about it. Let me get a broom and dust pan and I’ll clean up.” She patted his shoulder. “Accidents happen.”

 

“No, don’t, I’ll take care of it.” He walked over to the supply closet. Natalie, quite obviously, watched him go.

 

“Nat!” Kerri swatted her arm.

 

“What?” Natalie’s eyes widened. “A girl can’t appreciate?”

 

“Back in the office with you.” Kerri shooed her away as she laughed. Harry was an attractive man, especially in snug coveralls, but from what Natalie confided in her about past relationships she was the type to fall in love a little too quick. Harry returned with the broom and dust pan to clean up the glass.

 

“This feels like déjà vu.” The locksmith chuckled.

 

“What do you mean, Graham?” Harry swept the glass into the dustpan.

 

Kerri walked over to the front counter to check the supplies she’d accumulated so far. Natalie headed back into the office as the phone rang. As Kerri counted, she overheard their conversation.

 

“Oh, a few weeks ago when I had to change the locks over at Len’s place.” He sighed. “Poor man. Anyway, while I was there Delores was cleaning up the glass from the broken window.”

 

“Is that so?” Harry dumped the broken glass into a paper bag.

 

“Yes, she was quick to clean it up after the police left. She was worried about her little pups getting their paws in the glass when they went outside to do their business.”

 

“The glass was from the window in the broken door?” Harry looked at him. “The one that was broken during the break-in?”

 

“Yup.” Graham tightened the screw on the deadbolt. “All right, Kerri, why don’t you try out your new lock?”

 

“Great.” Kerri walked over and took the key from him. She slid it into the lock and wiggled it a little. Her ears burned, but she hoped the men didn’t notice. It was a bit embarrassing for her, but ever since she was a child, if anything sparked her interest, her ears would light up like a flare. It was why she often wore her hair down, but even that was not always enough to hide it. It wasn’t the lock that interested her. It was their conversation. The reason why she was able to buy the store for so cheap was because the previous owner was killed. It was a bit morbid, but he was killed at home not in the shop, and she only found out about it after she bought the shop. She probably would have bought it even if she knew about the murder as she couldn’t pass up the deal.

 

“What do you think?” Graham leaned close. “Smooth?”

 

“Yes, it’s perfect.” She smiled at him. “I’ll need three copies of the key, please.

 

One for me, a spare, and one for Natalie.”

 

“Okay, no problem, I will deliver two more to you this afternoon. Just remember to lock up, this is a small town, but even small towns have their criminals.”

 

“I’ll be careful.” She was touched by the paternal way he nodded at her. Even though she only just met him, he was interested in looking out for her. It felt so welcoming. Her own youth was spent without much family, as her parents were world travelers, business investors. Her father claimed that was where she got her business bug. She liked to think he was right, as she hoped it would bond them. But he was just as distant as always. She didn’t even know in which country her parents were currently.

 

“Nice to see you, Harry.”

 

“You too, Graham.” Harry stared at him for a moment, then returned to the shelves.

 

Kerri excused herself to go back into the office and found Natalie on the phone. “Sure, you can come anytime, Steve. Kerri is here.”

 

Kerri cringed. “He’s not going to take a picture is he?” she asked softly and patted at her air-dried hair, and tried to smooth the wrinkles out of her flannel shirt. She’d come to work, to work, not to be photographed.

 

“Don’t worry, Kerri, you look great.”

 

“Natalie!” Kerri gasped as the woman spoke right into the phone.

 

“Oh oops. Anyway, yes anytime, Steve.” She hung up the phone fast and gave Kerri a guilty smile. “I’m sorry, I always get flustered when I talk to him.”

 

“Flustered? Why?” Natalie’s cheeks burned bright red. “Natalie?”

 

“You’ll see.” She stifled a giggle then jumped up from her office chair. “Off to do some cleaning!”