Cottage on Gooseberry Bay: Christmas Bells

Book 20: Cottage on Gooseberry Bay

by Kathi Daley

Genres: Mystery; Animal Cozy Mysteries; Holiday books; Amateur Sleuth; Female Sleuths

Synopsis

The bells are back—and so is the mystery.

With Christmas just around the corner, Ainsley and the rest of the Gooseberry Bay crew are embracing the holiday season by volunteering at the local tree lot. But during a snowy late-night shift, a strange and unexpected sound cuts through the winter air—church bells, long silent, ringing out across the bay.

The haunting chime sparks a chilling memory for Jemma and Josie: the tragic story of a pastor's daughter who disappeared on Christmas Eve a decade ago. Her only trace—a jacket left behind in the belltower—left the town shaken. The bells fell silent that night... and hadn't rung since.

Now, ten years later, with a new pastor at the helm and the bells ringing once more, something has been set in motion pulling Ainsley and the gang into a chilling mystery rooted in the past and echoing through the holiday season.

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Release date: December 9, 2025

Publisher: Kathi Daley Books

Print pages: 160

Sample

Chapter 1

Hearing the church bells ring on a cold, snowy December evening should have added a sense
of warmth to what was otherwise a dark and chilly night, yet all I could think about, as the forged
steel played out its solitary tune, was that in the five years I’d lived in Gooseberry Bay, I couldn’t
recall ever hearing the bells ringing before.
“Are those church bells?” I asked my good friend, Jemma Hawthorn. The two of us, along
with our friend and Jemma’s roommate, Josie Wellington, had volunteered to help at the
community Christmas tree lot this year, which had been conveniently located just across the
street and down the boardwalk from the business I owned, Ainsley Holloway Investigations.
“They are,” Jemma confirmed. “The congregation of the little church that sits at the mouth of
the inlet to Gooseberry Bay decided to restore them. I didn’t think they planned to ring them
until a ceremony was arranged, but I suppose they might just be testing them.” She paused and
looked around. “It’s odd, but the bells in the distance sound haunting rather than joyful.”
“I agree,” I responded. “My initial thought when I first heard the bells was loneliness.”
“Like the feeling you might experience when hearing a lone wolf’s cry.”
“Exactly,” I said to Jemma as I paused to listen. “I mean, the sound is pure and beautiful in
its own way, but mournful as well.”
“The reason the bells sound mournful is because they’re linked to a tragedy,” Josie informed
me.
“Tragedy?” I asked, my warm breath creating a puff of fog as it mingled with the cold night.
Parker Peterson, another friend who’d stopped by to visit with us during our volunteer shift,
jumped into the conversation. Parker was a news reporter by trade and usually had the inside
scoop on everything that was happening in the community. “Ten years ago, a teenage girl named

Charity Forester went missing on Christmas Eve. Her body was never found, but it was assumed
by local law enforcement that she’d been murdered and her body disposed of since the only clue
to turn up after Charity was reported missing was her jacket, which was covered in blood.”
I cringed. “Jacket? Where was it found?”
Parker answered. “The jacket was found in the bell tower of the little church on the bay.
After Deputy Todd announced that the girl had likely been murdered and that her body had likely
been dumped in the bay and might never be found, the search for Charity was called off. Pastor
Canwell, the pastor of the church at that time, decreed that the bells would be silenced until
Charity or her body was found. And as far as I know, the bells haven’t sounded since.”
“Until now,” Josie added.
“Until now,” Parker acknowledged.
“How awful,” I said. “Was the missing girl a parishioner of the church?”
“She was the daughter of the pastor’s housekeeper, Emma Forester,” Jemma provided.
Okay, that was a much sadder story than I wanted floating around in my mind on what was
otherwise a peaceful and serene winter evening.
“Do any of you know who might have murdered this girl, if she was, in fact, murdered? Or
what happened to her if she merely went missing?” I threw up my arms and reached for my head
as a gust of wind blew the hood of my jacket from my head.
“The mystery was never solved, and the case eventually went cold,” Parker said as she pulled
her jacket more tightly around her thin frame. “I think about that girl every now and then, and
can’t help but wonder about the series of events that led to her disappearance.”
“If the girl went missing ten years ago, you all lived here and must have known her,” I said to
the others.
“I was twenty-three. Charity was sixteen,” Jemma said. “When the incident occurred, I, of
course, heard all about it, but I didn’t really know her before that.”
“So if the bells were silenced as a way to mourn the loss of this young girl, why are they
reviving them now?” I asked.
Parker answered. “The church has a new pastor who didn’t live through the horror of finding
a bloody jacket belonging to the girl who was like a daughter to him in his bell tower. When the
new pastor took over as head pastor from the man who led the church before him, he decided the
community had mourned long enough and that it was time for the bells to ring once again. Some
people resisted the idea, but since a lot of the men and women who were around at the time of
Charity’s disappearance have passed away or moved on, the new pastor, Pastor Danielson, was
able to get the support he needed to go ahead with the project.”
I looked up as large flakes of snow began to fall. It had been snowing off and on all evening,
and while we’d had a few hearty folks visit the Christmas tree lot early on, we hadn’t had a
single customer in over an hour. “Maybe we should call it a night,” I suggested.
“That sounds like a good idea to me,” Josie seconded. “I’m freezing.”
“Let’s lock up, empty the cash box, and head out,” Parker suggested. “I sincerely doubt
anyone will be by between now and the regular closing time in an hour.”

I looked around the empty Christmas tree lot. When the lot opened the day after
Thanksgiving, we’d had a steady stream of customers despite the weather; however, now that
those buyers whose tradition was to put up their tree immediately following Thanksgiving had
purchased their trees, the number of shoppers on any given weeknight had slowed considerably.
“I’m going to take the dogs to the dog area at the park.” I glanced at my Bernese Mountain
Dogs, Kai and Kallie. “They’ve been patiently sitting with us all evening and haven’t made a
peep, but I suspect that Mother Nature is calling by this point.”
“The rest of us will lock up while you do that,” Jemma said.
“Is anyone up for pizza?” Josie asked as I grabbed the dogs’ leashes and clipped them into
place. My dogs weren’t the sort to run off, but between the dark night and heavy snow, I wanted
to keep them close.
“Pizza sounds good to me,” I responded. “Maybe takeout since I have the dogs. Or I can take
them home first, and we could eat in. Antonio decorated his place for the holidays. Between the
brick fireplace, the Christmas trees, and colorful wreaths, the place has a cozy, festive feel.”
“Antonio’s sounds good to me, but I’m exhausted, so let’s just get takeout tonight,” Parker
said. “I wouldn’t mind planning a dine-in meal later in the week. I’ve noticed that several of the
local restaurants that used to decorate have decided to skip it this year. Personally, I think making
an effort to create a mood to complement the food matters.”
“I totally agree,” Josie said. “If I ever decide to open a restaurant, which I honestly doubt I
will, I’d put as much thought into the atmosphere of the place as I would into the food.”
“You know,” I said to Parker, “a list of restaurants, or even just businesses in general, that
have gone all out to bring the magic of the season to their customers might be a good column for
the Christmas edition of the Gazette.”
I referred to the recently resurrected Gooseberry Bay Gazette. The Gazette had been shut
down after the newspaper’s owner, Parker’s boyfriend, Sawyer Banning, had been murdered, and
the building had been sitting empty ever since. A few weeks ago, just before Thanksgiving,
Parker had a flash of insight and decided to speak to Sawyer’s father, Rafferty Banning, about
the building he’d taken ownership of when his son died. When Rafferty agreed to lease the
building and all the equipment to Parker for close to nothing, she decided to give new life to the
old newspaper by resurrecting it as a monthly news magazine, which she’d renamed the
Gooseberry Monthly Gazette.
“Actually, a spread about businesses that have gone all out would be a nice accompaniment
to the photo spread Tinsley is putting together featuring residents who have gone all out with
their outdoor decorations,” Parker agreed, referring to the new Gazette’s only full-time employee,
Tinsley Woodbine. “If I’d thought of it earlier, I might even have held a ‘best of Gooseberry
Bay’ decorating competition. Maybe next year.” Parker had been collecting ideas since she’d
decided that the first issue of the new Gooseberry Monthly Gazette would be the Christmas issue,
which she planned to print on December nineteenth.
“Should we bring enough pizza for Coop?” I asked Jemma, referring to Cooper Fairchild,
Jemma’s boyfriend.
“Since he had a late charter today, he likely hasn’t eaten, but I’ll text him to confirm. What
about Adam and Hudson?” Jemma referred to my boyfriend, Adam Winchester, and Josie’s

boyfriend, Hudson Hanson. “Will they be looking for dinner when they get back from their
meeting?”
“Maybe,” Josie responded. “Maybe we should get a couple of extra-large pizzas just to be
safe. If we have leftovers, they’ll be good for lunch tomorrow.”
Everyone agreed to the plan, so I took the dogs to the nearby dog area while the others
locked up. The boardwalk, which had been festively decorated for the holiday, was dark this
evening. I imagined the vendors, like us, had likely decided to close early because of the change
in weather.
Once we arrived at the pizza place, I left the dogs in the SUV, where they’d likely sleep until
I returned, and went in with the others. We ordered the pizzas and then took a seat in the bar. The
girl at the counter said it would take thirty minutes for our order to be ready, so we ordered a
bottle of wine to share.
“I wonder how the investor meeting went,” Josie said.
We all agreed that we were anxious to find out. Adam and his brother, Archie, opened
Winchester Academy several years ago and were looking into expanding. When the private
school initially opened with limited resources, admissions were limited to male students. During
the three years that the academy had been accepting students, the school’s reputation had spread,
and the list of students hoping to be admitted had increased tenfold. The academy’s original
mission was to provide a top-notch education to both male and female students of exceptional
intelligence who might not otherwise have the opportunity to nurture and develop their potential
due to limited financial resources. Serving students of both genders was a goal the brothers were
still working toward.
“I heard there’s a committee of five who are speaking with the potential investors,” Parker
said.
“That’s accurate,” I answered. “Adam and Archie are on the committee as founding members
of Winchester Academy, Hudson is on the committee representing the staff, Hope Masterson is
on the Winchester Academy Board of Directors as a representative of the community, and a man
named Patrick Homestead is on the expansion committee on behalf of the Winchester
Foundation, of which he is a board member.”
While Adam and Archie had total control over the foundation their parents had founded and
the academy, both were nonprofits, so each entity had its own board of directors.
“And how is that going?” Parker wondered.
“So far, things are going better than anticipated,” I answered. “Adam originally expected the
expansion to unfold over three years, but with all the interest the idea has generated, it’s
beginning to look as if the brothers have enough support to begin adding additional classrooms
and dorm rooms now in anticipation of an expanded student body next year. If that all works out,
the committee has discussed the idea of hiring a headmaster for the fall semester.”
“That’s wonderful,” Parker said.
“Is it?” Josie asked. “Hudson’s excited about the possibilities that will be created with
additional funding, but I’m worried that I’ll never see him if the school expands. As it is, I hardly
ever see him when school is in session unless I drive to the academy.”

While expanding and hiring a headmaster would free up Adam a bit, it was true that Hudson
would become even busier than he already was, especially if he continued to assume a greater
leadership role. I felt bad for Josie, but I knew how much the chance to grow meant to both
Adam and Hudson, so I couldn’t help but root for the men.
“You enjoy spending time with the boys,” Jemma pointed out to her friend. “Maybe you
should simply plan to spend more time in Hudson’s world when school is in session since he
already spends all his time with you in your world during the summer and school holidays.”
Josie paused. “I guess recognizing that Hudson’s career goals are as important to him as mine
are to me is something I really need to work on. He’s here for me every summer and for school
breaks, so maybe I should rework my life plan to accommodate his goals and dreams. I love him,
and I can see us building a life together. Maybe it’s time for us to have a serious discussion about
how that might look.”
Adam and I had been skirting around a similar discussion. Like Josie, I needed to be in town
for my business to really make sense, while, like Hudson, Adam needed to be at the academy
when school was in session. I wasn’t sure what a solution to the situation Josie and Hudson
found themselves in might look like. Adam had already indicated that he was seriously thinking
of moving into town once a headmaster was hired. If that were to occur, then the door would be
open for Adam and me to take the next step in whatever future we decided to build together.
“It looks like Darby Goodwin and Brewster Swindel decided to have a strategy meeting
before the big summit starts tomorrow,” Parker said, nodding toward two men sitting at a table in
the corner of the bar. The bar was busy, which made it loud, so it was impossible to hear what
they were saying, but based on the way they had their heads close together, it appeared they were
speaking in a manner that would prevent them from being overheard.”
“I heard something about some big public hearing this week,” I said. “Is that the story you’re
in town to cover?”
“It is,” Parker answered.
“A town hall meeting to gauge public opinion isn’t normally your cup of tea, especially one
that is scheduled to take place over multiple days,” I said. Parker worked the crime beat for the
Seattle News with her boss, Alfred Sutton, and was much more apt to be assigned murders and
drug raids than community meetings.
“Normally, town hall meetings aren’t my thing, and you aren’t wrong in your assumption that
I would balk at being assigned the task of attending a public circus where one nitwit is pitted
against another nitwit, but with the premier edition of the new Gazette on the horizon, I really
wanted to be in Gooseberry Bay this week. I think Alfred knew that, so he found an assignment
on this side of the Sound for me.”
“That was nice of him,” I said.
“Alfred is a nice guy. If something big breaks, I’m sure that he will pull me from the town
hall meeting, but for now, it’s an ideal assignment. Not only is the community hearing going to
be spread out over the week, but the sessions are to take place from nine to noon, so I’ll have
afternoons off to devote to the Gazette.”
“I haven’t been keeping up with local government,” Josie said. “What sort of hearing are we
talking about?”

Parker answered. “The town council is interested in gaining community input relating to the
war that has been brewing between the visitor’s authority and the lodging association.”
“Isn’t the battle between the two agencies old news?” Josie asked.
“It is,” Parker agreed. “But things have intensified with the arrival of Darby Goodwin on the
scene.”
Darby Goodwin was the new head of the visitor’s authority. His mission in life was to
promote tourism in the area. On the surface, this sounded like a worthwhile goal for a small town
on the bay that depended on tourism for its very existence. The problem was that while the old
director had been focused on planned and sustained growth, Darby wanted to rule the world. The
arrival of a new energy source in the community reignited the decades-old conflict, intensifying
the long-standing battle.
“Actually, intensifying is much too mild a word to use,” Parker amended her statement.
“From the moment the idea of new regulations was introduced, those in charge of community
policy began taking sides.”
At the heart of the conflict were the ever-increasing number of short-term home rentals. The
visitor’s authority had maintained from the beginning that the secret of turning sleepy little
Gooseberry Bay into a world-class destination was to provide a variety of lodging property types
to meet the needs of a wide range of visitors. Initially, the increase in visitors had helped hotels,
motels, and resorts, as well as the businesses that catered to tourists, and everyone was happy.
The growth of tourism, combined with the arrival of companies like Airbnb and Vrbo,
transformed the concept of renting an entire house instead of a single room into a widespread
trend, significantly increasing demand for short-term rental homes. As short-term home rentals
gained popularity, investors entered the market to purchase homes for short-term rentals,
distorting the real estate landscape. This shift benefited real estate agents and sellers but made
homeownership increasingly unattainable for prospective buyers. Additionally, when tourist
demand for hotels and motels decreased dramatically, it severely impacted local lodging
properties, escalating the battle between those who welcomed an increase in tourism at any cost
and those who supported planned and sustainable growth into a full-blown conflict.
Given the intensity of the debate, the town council decided to hold public hearings to allow
people from both sides of the controversy to voice their concerns.
“It looks like the pizza is ready,” Parker announced.
We all got up and headed toward the pickup counter. During the short drive back to the
peninsula, we discussed the decorations along the boardwalk and how lovely everything looked
this year. When we pulled into the lot utilized by all the residents living on the peninsula, I could
see that Adam, Hudson, and Coop had all returned.
“Oh, good, you brought food,” Hudson said the minute we walked in the door. “I’m
starving.”
“There’s plenty for everyone,” Josie said, setting the two extra-large boxes on the kitchen
counter.
Kai and Kallie wandered over to join Coop’s dog, Hank, and Adam’s dog, Hitchcock, so I
headed to the kitchen to grab plates, napkins, and utensils.

“How’d the meeting go?” I asked the men as I set the items that I gathered while in the
kitchen on the dining table.
“It went well,” Adam replied. “The investor we met with still needs to take our proposal back
to his board of directors, but he seemed to be on board for ten full scholarships for the upcoming
school year.”
“Wow,” Josie said. “Between these ten and the other scholarships that have been committed
to, you’re going to need to double your staff.”
“We will,” Adam agreed. “Which means that Archie and I are going to need to sit down and
decide where to put the extra dorms, classrooms, and teachers’ residences.”
I understood that preserving the ballroom and the entire east wing of the house, and leaving
them untouched and exclusively reserved for the family, was of great importance to Archie.
There was still room in the west wing to add classrooms, but the housing would be tight unless
they decided on new construction for the dorms or teachers’ housing. While it seemed that was
the direction they were going to need to go, the land where the current mansion sat was
considered to be valuable, so developing it for any reason deserved a proper amount of
consideration.
Once everyone sat down at the table, Josie asked the guys if they’d heard the church bells.
“We did,” Hudson answered. “They sounded lovely to me, but they seemed to upset Hope.”
“I imagine Hope must have known Charity,” I said.
“Charity?” Hudson asked.
Parker jumped in at this point and gave an abbreviated version of the story.
“Wow,” Hudson said. “How awful. No wonder Hope was upset. The bells must have served
to bring the memories back to her after all of these years.”
“They did for me,” Josie said. “And Hope knew Charity a lot better than I did. Hope was
probably around twenty-seven or twenty-eight when Charity went missing. Hope had recently
taken over teaching the high school bible study class, so she’d gotten to know Charity and all the
high school kids who attended that church fairly well. I think she was particularly close to
Charity since she was much more serious about the bible than some of the kids who only showed
up because their parents forced them to. When Charity went missing, it affected everyone, but it
really destroyed Hope.”
I felt so bad about the situation, and if I was honest, I was pretty sure I’d never be able to find
beauty in the ringing of the bells after knowing the reason they stopped ringing in the first place.
“The whole thing was just so tragic,” Adam said. “I mean, any missing kid is a tragic story,
but Charity was special. I didn’t attend that church, so I can’t say that I knew her well, but I do
remember that she had a reputation for having a big heart and willingness to be of service to
others.”
“And the police never came up with any decent clues?” Hudson asked.
“Not as far as I know,” Adam said. “I suppose Hope might have more of the details. I was a
young man busy building my own life and didn’t pay as much attention as I ought to have when

all of that was going on. In fact, I think it’s likely that I was in England at the time of Charity’s
disappearance.”
“I think I’m going to poke around a bit and see if I can’t find out more about this girl’s
disappearance,” Parker said. “I need to be present at the town hall meetings in the mornings, and
I planned to spend my afternoons helping to publish the premier edition of the Gooseberry
Monthly Gazette, but I think I’ll have time to do some poking around as well.”
“Where would you even start?” Hudson asked.
Parker shrugged. “Where do I always start? At the beginning, of course.”

Chapter 2

When I awoke the next morning, I was sandwiched between Adam, who slept behind me,
and Kallie, who was curled up in front of me. Both boys had slept on their dog beds, which we’d
positioned close enough to the “people” bed for the dogs to feel included, but far enough away so
we wouldn’t trip on them if we needed to get up in the middle of the night. A quick glance out
the window revealed the fact that it had snowed overnight, but had stopped at least for the
moment. Adam seemed to be sleeping peacefully, so I slid out of bed, slipped on a pair of warm
sweats and a thermal jacket, and quietly motioned for the dogs to follow me. Once outside, Kai
and Hitchcock took off running through the snow drifts that had gathered on the beach, while
Kallie stayed right next to me.
It was cold this morning, yet beautiful all the same. There was something about fresh snow
that made the whole world feel clean. Maybe clean wasn’t the right word. Renewed. Steeped
with possibilities. No matter what word I was searching for, I loved the feeling created by
unmarred snow on a forested landscape.
Once I’d made my way down to the bay, I stood on the snowy shoreline, closed my eyes, and
listened to the sound of waves as they lapped up onto the beach. I loved the quiet that could be
found in the mornings when most of the world had yet to waken. I loved the simple serenity of a
perfect moment with only the sounds of nature to serenade me.
Once the dogs had run around a bit, we headed back to my cottage. I figured I could surprise
Adam with breakfast in bed, but he already had breakfast on the stove by the time I returned.
“Something smells good,” I said as I removed my coat, scarf, and mittens before slipping out
of my snow-covered boots and walking across the room in stockinged feet.
“Omelets and biscuits. Coffee’s made if you want some.”
I definitely wanted some.

Once I had poured myself a mug of the hot brew and added a splash of milk, I took a seat at
the table. “So what are your plans for the day?” I’d meant to discuss today’s schedule with Adam
last night, but by the time we returned home from the roommates’ cottage, it had been late, and
we had wandered off to bed.
“After the meeting yesterday, Archie and I discussed the idea of getting together today to
map out a strategy. Any way you look at it, the expansion is going to affect both of us, and I
think we want to be certain we are on the same page.”
“I think that’s a good idea. I feel like you’ve both had to make personal sacrifices to make
this work, but I can also see how much the boys mean to you and how grateful you are to be able
to make a real difference in their lives.”
“The venture has been rewarding but challenging as well. Archie and I gave a lot of thought
to seeking scholarships as a means of expanding, and good arguments were made about keeping
things small and continuing as we were. But in the end, we both wanted a bit more
independence, and we realized the only way to have that independence was to hire additional
staff, including a headmaster, which will require additional funding and more students.”
“Do you think you’ll be back this evening?”
He hesitated. “I’m not sure. I’ll call you later to let you know if I will be or not. I don’t want
Archie to get the message that I’m not taking this seriously. If I hurry through this planning stage
and don’t give him my full attention, I’m afraid that will be the impression he comes away with.
Having said that, if we find that we are on the same page from the beginning and we’re able to
wrap things up in a few hours, then I will be back this evening.”
I looked at the three dogs who were sleeping in front of the fire. “Do you want to leave
Hitchcock here?”
“I’ll take him with me. Just in case I do end up staying at the estate.” Adam slid the omelets
onto plates.
I looked at the tree in the corner that had been brought inside, but not decorated. “Maybe we
can find some time to decorate the tree when you get back.”
He smiled. “I’d like that. In fact, I think I’ll grab a few of my personal ornaments when I’m
at home. The ones my mother gave to me when I was a child. I usually put them on the tree in
my suite, but since I plan to spend Christmas here, I don’t think I’ll bother with a tree for the
suite this year.”
It meant so much to me that Adam wanted to bring a bit of his past to our first Christmas on
the peninsula. “I’d like that very much.”
“By the way,” Adam continued, “you might want to call Hope today. I called her this
morning while you were out with the dogs. I wanted to go over a few points she mentioned
during yesterday’s meeting for clarification. During our conversation, she mentioned that she
was thinking about hiring you to look into the Charity Forester situation.”
“Does she want me to find out what happened to Charity?”
“She wants you to try to help her figure out why things were covered up ten years ago.”
I raised a brow. “Hope thinks things were covered up?”

He shrugged. “Hope thought it was odd that the case was declared unsolvable and closed so
quickly when no one seemed to have any idea what actually happened. Keep in mind that Deputy
Todd was in charge back then, so she has good reason to suspect a cover-up.”
I suspected Hope was right about that. Todd had covered up a lot of things he shouldn’t have
before his untimely death.
“Anyway,” Adam continued, “Hope mentioned that while she really wanted to poke into
things a bit, she didn’t have the money to hire you and hated the thought of asking you to do it as
a favor, so she may never call you, which is why I suggested that you call her.”
“I will. And I’ll be happy to do what I can.” I got up to refill my coffee as Adam set our
plates on the table. “And, of course, I would never charge her to look into this even if she was
flush with cash, but based on her statement, I can’t help but wonder if the inn is in trouble.”
Hope not only owned the Rosewood Inn, but also the cottages on the peninsula where the
gang and I lived.
“I think she’s struggling a bit. She mentioned that occupancy has declined since the visitor’s
authority persuaded the town council to lift the previous limit on short-term home rentals in the
area. It seemed that doing so immediately doubled the number of units available for short-term
rental. Staying in a house you have all to yourself has become a popular way to travel. I think
inns, hotels, and motels are in trouble in a lot of areas that rely on tourism.”
Since I’d had a similar conversation with Parker, Jemma, and Josie yesterday, I knew the
conflict was complicated. “I’ll call her and tell her that I’ve decided to look into it and could
really use her help. In fact, Parker mentioned looking into things as well, so we can make it a
group effort.”
Adam smiled. “Thanks, Ainsley.”
Adam left shortly after breakfast, so I texted Parker to let her know we needed to talk, and
then I headed to the shower. By the time I’d showered and dressed, Parker had texted back to let
me know that she was heading into town for the town hall meeting, but had thirty minutes if I
wanted to stop by her cottage. The dogs were sleeping, so I left them where they were and snuck
out.
Parker must have seen me coming since she called out for me to come in before I even
knocked on her door.
“So what’s up?” she asked after offering me a cup of coffee, which I declined.
“Adam told me that Hope mentioned that she wanted me to help her look into the Charity
Forester situation,” I said, and then added a bit of detail to fill in some of the blanks. “I, of
course, have no intention of charging Hope a penny for my time, and plan to call and ask her for
her help so she doesn’t need to feel odd about things, but it occurred to me that it made sense for
the three of us to team up.”
“It does make sense for us to team up with her. And if Hope is worried that Deputy Todd
covered up something at the time of the incident, I find I have reason to believe that could be
true. Maybe it wasn’t so much that the case wasn’t solvable, maybe it was more about someone
not wanting the case to be solved.”
“I had the exact same thought.”

Parker took her empty mug to the sink and rinsed it. “I really need to get going. I have the
town hall meeting this morning, and after that, I need to check in at the Gazette, but I can be free
by around one or maybe one-thirty, depending on how my morning goes. Maybe we can meet up
after that and discuss the situation in more detail.”
“That works for me. I was going to call Hope this morning and let her know that I’d decided
to look into the situation and could really use her help. If she wants to meet, I’ll meet with her,
and then you and I can figure out our next move after that.”
“That sounds like a good plan.” Parker opened a closet and pulled out a jacket. “How cold is
it out there today? Do I need a heavier jacket?”
“It’s chilly, but it’s not like you’re going to be outside all that much. I think that jacket is fine
for short trips between your car and the building where the meeting will be held. I heard that
they’re having it at the community center rather than the town hall since they expect a large
audience.”
“They are expecting a good turnout on both sides of the issue. I guess you heard that, in
addition to Darby Goodwin from the visitor’s authority, and Brewster Swindel from the lodging
association, there is a new player in the mix.”
“Oliver Cole.”
Parker nodded. “Cole has organized a group of homeowners who are tired of the disruption
short-term home rentals are creating in their neighborhoods. While some are simply looking for a
limit on short-term home rental permits to control the numbers, Cole is looking for a total ban on
this type of lodging property within the town limits.”
“I have heard complaints about loud parties that go on into the wee hours of the morning,
piles of trash left behind, and cars parked up and down residential streets, blocking homeowners’
access to their own properties at times.”
“It’s a complicated situation,” Parker said. “It should be interesting.”
“I didn’t think I had a side before, but Adam told me that Hope’s business is suffering with
all the new short-term home rentals popping up now that the town council has officially decided
not to limit the number of those types of properties in the area. It seems that you can rent an
entire house for about the same price as a nice room, and if you have a family or are traveling
with a group, a house makes sense.”
“It does make sense. And, in my opinion, everyone involved makes a good argument. The
visitor’s authority was created to bring tourism dollars into the area in the first place. Without
tourism and the income from the tourism occupancy tax, the town wouldn’t have funds to
operate. And I’m not just talking about town hall, but the fire department, library, animal shelter,
and other local programs.”
“I know that bringing tourists in is why this town has so many festivals and events.”
“Exactly. Our town depends on tourism. And when the majority of those tourists were
staying in hotels and motels, there wasn’t really a problem. Unfortunately, the growth in tourism
driven by the advent of short-term rental homes has led to increased problems. Not only have
home prices shot up and priced buyers out of the market, but homeowners are getting tired of the

noise, litter, and parking issues the increase in rental homes has brought.” She smiled. “But I
suspect you’ve heard this all before.”
“Most of it,” I confirmed. “And I am interested in how it all turns out, but not interested
enough to go to the meetings this week. I guess I can always read your series of articles as they
hit the press.”
“My articles are always worth a read.” Parker grinned.
Parker had a way with the pen or, in her case, a keyboard.
Once I returned to my cottage, I called Hope. She needed to attend to the breakfast service
that morning, but she asked if we could meet for lunch. I responded by saying that lunch sounded
good, so she suggested a new café down by the bay that she’d heard about and had been wanting
to try. I agreed to meet her there at eleven-thirty. It was only nine-thirty now, so I had some time
to take care of a few things in my office first. While the dogs would be fine if I left them alone
for a couple of hours, I decided they’d prefer to stay with Aunt Jemma, so I called to ask if she’d
be home and willing to keep an eye on them.
“Of course. Bring the dogs over,” Jemma said after I called and asked her to pet sit. “Josie
and I are upstairs playing with the kittens.” Jemma and Josie were fostering a mama cat and her
four babies for our good friend, pet rescue worker, Bexley Cosgrove.
“I’d love to see how much they’ve grown. It’s been over a week since I peeked in on them.”
“Just come on in when you get here. Leave the dogs downstairs with Stefan and Damon, and
come on up.”
Stefan and Damon were Jemma and Josie’s adult cats.
As I’d been instructed, once I arrived at the roommates’ cottage, I let myself in. I told the
dogs to stay before I headed upstairs to see the kittens. They’d been born just before
Thanksgiving and were already scooting around on their own a bit.
“They sure are cute,” I said, gently scooping one of them into my hands after giving Elena,
their mama, a proper greeting.
“They’re so cute,” Josie said. “It’s been so much fun having them. I know I can’t keep them,
but I’m really going to miss them once they’re weaned and put up for adoption.”
“Are you thinking about keeping Elena?” I asked.
Josie looked at Jemma.
Jemma replied. “We’re still discussing that, but maybe.”
I could see that Josie was ready to commit, but Jemma still had reservations, so I changed the
subject. “I’m having lunch with Hope today. I’m curious to see what she has to say about the
mystery surrounding Charity’s disappearance.”
“I’m curious as well. Why don’t you plan to come for dinner, and you can fill us all in,”
Jemma suggested.
“I’d like that,” I said. “I’ll bring the wine and the takeout. Any preferences?”
“Whatever you’d like is fine with me,” Jemma assured me.

Josie agreed.
“Will Adam be here?” Jemma asked.
“I’m not sure.” Then I explained about his plan to play it by ear so he would have plenty of
time to spend with Archie as they hammered out a long-term plan for the academy. “Will Coop
and Hudson be here?”
Josie confirmed they would be.
I figured I’d buy enough for everyone. As long as I selected something that would store well
in case there were any leftovers, it would be the ideal option. Maybe Chinese food or even ribs
with sides from the barbecue place in town. It had been a while since we’d had ribs and slaw.
The ribs from the barbecue place weren’t quite as good as Josie’s, but they were good, and the
guys particularly seemed to enjoy them.
“We should plan a get-together this weekend. A pre-holiday party,” Josie suggested.
“I’ll be around,” I confirmed. “As far as I know, Adam will be as well. I’m not sure about
Parker. I guess you can ask her.”
“What about Bex?” Josie asked about Bexley Cosgrove. “Have you heard if she’s back from
her trip?”
Bexley had gone to England to try to connect with her extended family. After years of
searching for an answer to the question of how she ended up alone on the streets of Seattle when
she was only four years old, she had finally gained some clarity. The story involved British
Intelligence, agents in love, a desperate move taken by those agents in the hope of living a
regular life, and a plan that had gone wrong.
“I haven’t spoken to her,” I answered. “But Avery has been talking to Shredder.” Shredder
was a friend of my sister, Avery, who worked for the same CIA black ops unit Avery previously
worked for. He’d been helping dig up answers relating to Bexley’s past, and when her search had
led her to England, he’d offered to go with her. “According to Avery, Shredder seemed to think
they’d be home this week, but she didn’t know exactly which day to expect them.”
“Did Avery say how things went?” Jemma asked.
I answered. “Avery just said that while Bexley seemed to have found out enough to provide
her with a level of closure, Shredder was certain that things hadn’t gone as she’d hoped. We’re
all going to need to be there for her when she gets back. I’ve been exactly where she is now, so I
know how emotionally draining the whole thing can be.” Just thinking about what Bexley was
going through made my heart hurt. When I’d first come to Gooseberry Bay looking for answers
related to my past, I wasn’t sure what I’d find. I supposed that I had convinced myself I was
prepared for whatever reality it was that I might uncover, but in the end, nothing could have
prepared me for everything that I’d found.
“I wonder if she was able to meet her family,” Jemma said.
Based on what Avery had shared, it sounded as if that hadn’t happened, but since I didn’t
have all the facts, I decided to keep what I did know to myself and allow Bexley to fill us all in
when she returned. ...