Chapter 1
The sun was shining through the clouds as Jasmine and Brandon walked through the streets of their small town. The two walked close together, clearly comfortable in each other’s company. Luffy trotted next to the two of them, tongue out and tail wagging, enjoying the fresh air.
When Brandon moved closer to her, she allowed it. Their arms bumped against each other slightly as they walked, and Jasmine ignored the slight blush that covered Brandon’s cheeks.
“Man, I’m so full,” Jasmine sighed, breaking the comfortable silence that stretched between them.
“Mary really outdid herself today,” Brandon agreed, patting his own stomach. It was becoming a regular thing now, a weekly dinner together at the local diner to catch up with what was going on in their lives.
“I don’t know how it gets better every week.”
“Well, there’s definitely been an uptick in quality recently. You know, there’s been some rumors going around recently...”
Jasmine looked at him, intrigued. “Oh, really? What about?”
“Mom says that there might be a new man in Miss Mary’s life,” Brandon grinned, wiggling his eyebrows. Jasmine’s own eyebrows shot up.
“Any idea who?”
Brandon shook his head. “She won’t say, just that there’s been some gossip. She heard it at the book club.”
Jasmine smiled. “Well, I hope it’s true. She deserves some happiness. And if it keeps improving the quality of the cooking, I really can’t complain.”
Brandon laughed, nudging her with his arm. “Of course that’s your priority.”
“Don’t pretend like it isn’t your priority too,” Jasmine accused, pointing a finger at him playfully.
“Guilty as charged.” Brandon said, raising his hands in surrender. “We’re on the same page about that.”
Jasmine’s smile slowly faded, and she let out a sigh.
“Something wrong?” Brandon asked, looking at her in concern.
“No, nothing’s wrong,” Jasmine said, quick to reassure him. “I guess sometimes living in a small town can get a little slow, you know? I love it here, you know that, and I’d never leave, but it would be nice to have something new to do every once in a while.”
Brandon frowned. “Well, there’s nothing wrong with being comfortable. I mean, you never get bored with Mary’s food, right? Because it’s good.”
Jasmine shrugged. “Sure, it’ll always be my favorite, but sometimes I want some Italian food. Or some Mexican food. Just to switch it up a little. It seems like quite a long time ago, ever since the winter carnival came to town.”
Brandon fell into silence. Jasmine could read him like a book, and she knew what his worry was. Jasmine had dreams beyond their small town. She loved Blackwood Cove, and it would always be home to her, but her key priority now was her budding PI business. She wondered if it was a wise idea to be based back home, as there would be far fewer cases to work on than if she were in a big city. Even so, mysteries had a funny way of finding her. Sheriff Lustbader had asked her before if she’d thought about a position with the police, but Jasmine preferred to work on her own terms. It was Brandon, coincidentally, who floated the idea of being a PI in the first place. Now the wheels were set in motion, and she had a hunch Brandon was resigned to being left behind.
“But speaking of favorites,” she said, trying to lighten the mood, “should we stop at the Nook?”
Brandon brightened, and he nodded.
The Nook was what they called the Book Nook, the local bookstore. Jasmine had worked there for a few years previously, and she held a very fond place in her heart for it, and specifically for the owner, Patrick, one of her oldest and dearest friends in town. Brandon still worked at the Nook currently, both in the shop and delivering books around town. It was a tiny cozy bubble within a relatively small bubble that was Blackwood Cove.
Patrick greeted the two of them with enthusiasm, waving a hand at them as he finished some business on the register. He never seemed to age, a particular trait that Jasmine was sure others were dying to learn the secret behind.
“How are my two favorite people?” he asked, making his way over to them. Jasmine gave him a quick hug, grinning.
“Just fine, thought we’d stop in to say hi. Brandon practically lives here anyway.”
“Coming back from Mary’s?” Patrick asked. He bent down to scratch Luffy’s ears, and the dog’s tail thumped in response.
“Of course. The Friday tradition. We had to include you in it, old man.”
“I’m not that old,” Patrick protested, but he shot her a wink.
“Anything new in?” Jasmine asked, moving to browse the shelves. She’d been over the books so many times that she could spot a new volume in half a moment. She spotted a new mystery series, and pulled out the first book, scanning the back.
Brandon and Jasmine browsed for a while, making conversation with Patrick as they did so, until they each had a couple of books in their arms. Patrick rang them up.
“And the discount, of course -” he said, partly to himself.
“Patrick, I don’t work here anymore, I don’t get the employee discount,” Jasmine reminded him.
“This isn’t the employee discount. This is the ‘my best customer’ discount. You buy so much I can afford to give you a bit off.”
Jasmine protested again, but Patrick waved her off. “No arguments, Jasmine. This is my business, so I get to do what I want.”
“Thank you, Patrick.”
“Do you do this every time she shops here?” Brandon asked. “I don’t even get that.”
“Of course,” Patrick beamed. Jasmine rolled her eyes fondly, but let the comment pass. That was one thing that she loved about Blackwood Cove - the people. The town’s inhabitants made her feel at home like nowhere else.
“Jasmine and I are looking for something fun to do,” Brandon said when it was his turn to check out. “Any suggestions?”
“Hmmm,” Patrick mused, rubbing his chin. “Not many new things come to Blackwood Cove. I’m not sure I know anything off the top of my head that you two don’t already know about.”
“That’s too bad,” Brandon replied, his previous mood flowing back in.
“Hey, Jasmine!” A familiar voice rang out from behind one stack. Jasmine turned with a smile.
“Julie! What are you still doing here? It’s after 5 on a Friday!” She exclaimed, hugging the woman who wriggled her way between a couple of bookshelves.
Julie Barnes, editor of the Blackwood Times, hugged Jasmine back enthusiastically. The woman had her usual frazzled appearance. Julie was the single most important news source in the town, and her workload often caused her to work weekends and late into the evening. She worked out of the Book Nook in order to save costs, and it was a mutual partnership that benefited both parties as it brought more traffic in.
“The news never stops, Jasmine, you know that,” Julie said, adjusting her glasses on her nose. “Even in Blackwood Cove.”
She looked behind Jasmine, craning her head. “Hey Brandon, how’s it going?”
Brandon smiled, but it lacked some of its usual brightness. “Hey Julie, not too bad!”
Julie raised an eyebrow at Jasmine, her intuitive nature kicking in. It was another reason the friendship between the two worked so well - they were both highly intelligent, with a nose for intrigue.
Jasmine shook her head, letting her know to drop it.
“Brandon and I are looking for something fun to do, any ideas?”
Julie’s face lit up. “Oh, today is your lucky day! I just finished writing up the announcement for this.”
Brandon practically sprinted over, eagerness etched on his face. “What is it?”
“There’s a new exhibit at the museum coming in a couple of days,” Julie replied. She pulled out a slip of paper, handing it over to Jasmine. “Here, I was going to take it over to the office when I heard you guys.”
Jasmine and Brandon crowded around, scanning over the paper in front of them.
The Coffin of Anubis Arrives in Blackwood Cove.
See the coffin rumored to be the final resting place of the body of the god Anubis, the Egyptian god of Death! Blackwood Cove’s renowned museum will host several genuine Egyptian artifacts, including the Coffin of Anubis. The display will only be in town for a short while, so don’t miss your chance!
Jasmine looked back up at Julie. “Do you reckon it’s the genuine article? Is it really Anubis?”
“The museum staff would know better than I do. My job was only to promote it and inject some excitement into this sleepy town. I know it’s supposed to be Anubis’s coffin, or at least the coffin of the man believed to embody Anubis.”
Brandon grinned at Jasmine. “Well, this is something to do!”
Jasmine heartily agreed. The exhibit would come to town on Monday, so the two of them made plans to go that evening.
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