Paper Cuts

Book 6: Secret, Book, and Scone Society Novel

by Ellery Adams

Genres: Amateur Sleuth; Culinary Cozy Mysteries

Synopsis

The New York Times bestselling author returns with a mystery with a touch of magical realism and a strong, female bookstore owner and bibliotherapist at its heart.



Miracle Springs, North Carolina, is famed for its healing springs. But bookstore owner Nora Pennington has a tendency to land in a different kind of hot water. Though she loves to practice bibliotherapy by finding the perfect books for her customers while listening to their secrets, she also likes to bury her nose in the occasional local crime . . .



Nora escaped her past a decade ago. So it feels like a visit from another world when Kelly Walsh—the woman her ex-husband left her for—walks through the door of Miracle Books along with her son, a sweet, serious boy with a talent for origami. Kelly hasn't come to gloat, though. As it turns out, she's been dumped too. She's also terribly ill, and all she wants from Nora is forgiveness.



Shockingly, however, this woman who's been the victim of so much misfortune is about to become a murder victim. Who would do such a thing? Certainly not Nora, but that doesn't stop the gossip and suspicion—especially after Kelly's brother claims that he saw the two women arguing.



In seeking justice for Kelly, The Secret, Book, and Scone Society joins forces with the sheriff's department, but they've barely begun their probe when life throws another wrench. After serving a twenty-year sentence, Estella's father returns to Miracle Springs. And when his past comes back to haunt him, it might be more than the four friends can handle.



"Red herrings abound along with plenty of tips on choosing books." —Kirkus Reviews

Release date: April 25, 2023

Publisher: Kensington Books

Print pages: 304

Reader says this book is...: clever protagonist (1) entertaining story (1) escapist/easy read (1) female sleuth (1) realistic characters (1) red herrings (1) satisfying ending (1) suspenseful (1) thought-provoking (1) unputdownable (1)

Sample

“I loved this book.” Hester Winthrop stroked the paperback on her lap as if it were a cat. “I underlined a bunch of passages, but my favorite line was when A-ma said, ‘Always remember that food is medicine, and medicine is food.’”

The perfect arch of Estella’s left brow rose a centimeter. “Your food is more like therapy than actual medicine.”

Hester laughed. “Come on. Does broccoli make you feel better when you’re down? No, it doesn’t. Certain times call for donuts and chocolate cake and pecan pie with ice cream. If comfort food isn’t medicine, then I don’t know what is.”

“Maybe I should shelve a few baking books in the Health section,” said Nora Pennington, proprietor of Miracle Books.

June Dixon, Guest Experience Manager at Miracle Springs Lodge, a high-class resort frequented by guests from all over the world, peered at her friends from over the rims of her reading glasses. “All I can say is that I’m glad to be living in this era of body positivity. When I was in school, back in the Stone Age, girls were always trash-talking other girls. I don’t know why, but we all did it. From the top of our heads right on down to our toes, we were too big, too small, too pointy, too wide. No one wore the right clothes. And don’t even get me started on hair. You don’t know nasty until you hear what some folks say about Black hair.”

“That kind of thing doesn’t stop when girls become women either,” said Estella. “Every time I put two ladies of any age, race, or class under the blow-dryers together, they start picking apart the celebrities in People. I don’t know why all women can’t just be happy when other women succeed. Why can’t we tell another woman they look good without worrying about how we look?”

Hester smiled at Estella. “You always look good. And June? You’re channeling Etta James with that new do.”

June passed a hand over her head. She usually kept it close-cropped, but Estella had convinced her to rock a teeny-weeny, icy-blond Afro. “Which tea would Etta order?” she asked as she studied the paper menu on the table before her. “Beau-Tea-Ful or Feeling Flir-Tea?”

Nora removed her copy of Lisa See’s The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane from her bag and placed it on the table. She was ready to order and get their book discussion going.

“I’m going to try the Flir-Tea,” she said. “I’ve never had tea with hibiscus and apple before.”

“I’ve never even heard of flowering tea. I might be in the food business, but I—”

Hester was unable to finish her sentence because Estella suddenly grabbed her by the hand and said, “You’re not wearing your ring. Did you forget to put it on?”

Color rushed to Hester’s cheeks, and she lowered her eyes. “It didn’t feel right to wear it. Things are weird between Jasper and me right now, so I gave it back. The ring belonged to his-mother, which is why he should hold on to it.”

“But you’re still together, right?”

“Yeah. We’re just . . . taking a step back. Being engaged put too much pressure on our relationship. It’s easier to tell people that we decided to put off the wedding than to explain that we’re in couples therapy because I have trust issues. Luckily, no one’s asked me why we postponed the wedding. Without that ginormous event hanging over our heads, we can focus on us without feeling like there’s a clock ticking down the minutes to a wedding.”

Nora searched her friend’s face. “Are you okay?”

Hester seesawed her hand. “I’m getting there. This is going to sound awful, but I feel lighter without that ring on my finger. Our couples counselor asked us to pretend like we’ve just met, so that’s what we’re doing. We’re going out on dates and getting to know each other all over again. It’s strange and super awkward at times, but it’s also kind of sweet. Last night, Jasper walked me to my front door and kissed me good night. He seemed almost shy.”

“Maybe you can bring him here for a lunch date. Everything on the menu sounds good, but Tastes Like Royal-Tea was made for me, don’t you think?” Estella tossed her auburn hair and cupped her chin in her palms.

“Yes, Fergie, it does. I’m getting a Cuppa With My Best-Tea.” June put her menu down. “Looks like we order at the counter. Is everybody ready?”

The four women maneuvered around tables and potted trees on their way to the counter. It was their first visit to Tea Flowers and there was so much to take in. The newest business in Miracle Springs was an eclectic blend of café and garden shop. The large space was divided into sections, with the tea shop on the left and the garden shop on the right. A checkout counter sat in the middle.

The limited menu offered flowering teas, sandwiches, and a selection of macarons. After ordering at the counter, customers could sit at one of the tables in the dining area. The tables were laid with chintz cloths featuring pink roses on a field of pale blue. The floral centerpieces, which were in teapot-shaped vases, were all for sale, and the salt and pepper shakers looked like real blossoms.

The tea-shop side of the business was confined to the counter and dining area, but most of the building was dedicated to gardening. The front section was full of waist-high tables featuring potted herbs, houseplants, flowering plants, and hanging baskets. The shelf space in the back half of the store was stuffed with whimsical pots, gardening tools, bird houses and feeders, and a selection of small statuary. Spinning racks stood like sentinels at the end of every aisle, their pockets stuffed with seed packets, work gloves, and plant labels.

All the potted trees and plants in the café side were for sale, and as Nora and her friends got in line, they heard the customers ahead of them debating over whether to buy the plant on their table—a maidenhair fern in a Ruth Bader Ginsburg face pot—or the snake plant in a llama pot from a neighboring table.

“Can we really pick a llama over RBG?” one man said to the other.

“We can’t. Let’s get both. RBG for us and the llama for your boss. Remember the Christmas party? She was spitting mad when I stole that white elephant gift.”

The first man put his credit card on the counter and gave his partner an affectionate nudge. “She still talks about that! I’m going to give her the llama so I can think about you every time I’m in her office.”

“We should come here more often. Tea makes you extra sweet.”

According to her name tag, the middle-aged brunette behind the counter was Val. She was short and apple-cheeked with blue-gray eyes and a quiet manner. After telling Nora and her friends that she’d be with them in a moment, Val began packing the men’s plants in a small box.

Nora handed June some money. “Will you order for me? I want to check out that Language of Flowers display.”

Scooting behind the two men, Nora examined the baskets of blooming flowers on a tiered display stand. Each basket came with a detailed label and a satin bow. The Sympathy basket was made of marigold for grief, mint for consolation, and chrysanthemum for condolences. The Friends Forever basket had crocus for cheerfulness, ivy for loyalty, and zinnia for friendship. Other baskets were called Love Me Tender, Happy Home, and Let’s Celebrate. But Nora was most intrigued by the I Will Survive basket.

Leaning closer, she read the label to herself, “‘Carnation for heartache, yarrow to cure a broken heart, rue for regret, and lily of the valley for happiness in the future.’”

“Interesting?” June asked when Nora rejoined the group.

“Very. I never think about what flowers mean when I buy them at the grocery store—I just grab the colors I like and plop a bouquet in my cart. Who knows? All this time I might’ve been buying flowers for the shop that mean, ‘I hope you drop dead,’ instead of ‘please spend lots of money here today.’”

June laughed. “I want a bouquet that says, ‘Stop leaving your dirty dishes in the break room sink when the dishwasher is a foot away.’”

Having finished ringing in their tea and sandwich orders, Val gave Estella a number flag to put on their table.

While they waited for their food, Nora told her other friends about the basket of flowers. Like June, Hester was interested, but Estella was lost in her own thoughts. She stared at the number in the center of their table and didn’t say a word.

“What’s wrong?” Nora asked.

By way of reply, Estella opened her copy of The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane to a passage marked with a pink sticky tab. “Want to hear my favorite quote? It feels like it was written for us.”

“Go on,” Hester prompted.

“‘One mistake can change the course of your life. You can never return to your original path or go back to the person you were.’”

The women exchanged meaningful looks. They’d all made mistakes. Big ones. The kind of mistakes that turned family into strangers and made homes uninhabitable. Each woman had done something they deeply regretted. Their mistakes had left deep scars, and though the pain had lessened with time, it would never fully disappear. They couldn’t think about the past without being pricked by cactus spines of regret.

Nora would forever feel shame over what she’d done. She’d gotten behind the wheel after drinking way too much and had crashed into another car. The victims of her reckless behavior had been a mother and child. Their car caught fire and Nora had been burned pulling the woman and her toddler to safety. They sustained minor injuries, but Nora sustained burns from her right hand to her hairline. She lost half a pinkie finger and gained lots of shiny, shell-smooth scars.

A few years ago, a plastic surgeon had worked wonders on her face. Unless one looked closely, her scars were nearly invisible. The surgeon had offered to repair all the evidence of Nora’s burns, but she’d refused. The damaged skin on her neck, arm, and hand served as a constant reminder that she nearly killed two innocent people.

Before June began working at the hotel, she cared for seniors at an assisted living facility in New York. During her fifteen-year tenure, she’d treated each and every resident with compassion and respect. But when the facility was acquired by a national chain, things changed. The grade school kids who came once a week to play board games with the residents were no longer allowed to visit. There was no more animal therapy. The beautiful gardens were neglected, and outings became more and more infrequent. Seeing how depressed the residents had become, June sought to cheer them up by bringing them to a carnival. Unfortunately, a gentleman in her care suffered a fatal heart attack that day. When his family sued June for damages, she lost her life savings and the money she and her husband had saved for their son’s college tuition. In the aftermath, her husband filed for divorce and she and her son became estranged.

Hester, the youngest of the four women, had faced an unexpected pregnancy as a high schooler. After degrading her and imprisoning her in her room, Hester’s parents sent her to a home for unwed mothers. The moment the baby was born, Hester’s daughter was whisked away into the waiting arms of her new parents. Hester never had the chance to hold her. Traumatized by the experience, she never told the baby’s father about the pregnancy or searched for her daughter. Twenty years later, her daughter tracked her down. What could have been a joyful occasion was marred by violence and grief, and now, weekly letters were Hester’s only communication with her child.

Estella was the only Miracle Springs native of the Secret, Book, and Scone Society. Hers had been a hardscrabble childhood. Raised by a negligent mother, Estella had not only been physically and emotionally abused by her mother’s boyfriends, but she’d also experienced the hunger and humiliation of poverty. And when her biological father, a man who’d been absent for most of Estella’s childhood, returned home to find the new man in the house assaulting his daughter, he drew a gun and killed the man on the spot. Estella had always dreamed of escaping Miracle Springs, but with her father imprisoned nearby, she couldn’t leave. She felt responsible for his incarceration, and that guilt had manifested in a series of flings with strangers. The dalliances, which left Estella feeling hollow and tarnished her reputation, ended when she fell in love with a local man named Jack Nakamura.

Right now, Estella didn’t look like a woman in love. Nora saw tension in the fine lines around her mouth and brows.

“I liked that quote too,” Nora said. “It reminded me of why we became the Secret, Book, and Scone Society. We’ve always trusted each other with our secrets. We tell each other things we’d never tell anyone else. So what’s going on? Whatever it is, we’ve got you.”

Estella touched the number card. “Fifteen. That’s how many years my daddy’s been in prison. He’s being released next week.”

“That’s a good thing, right?” Hester asked.

“Yes. Of course, it is.” Estella unfolded her napkin and spread it over her lap. She smoothed the white cloth over and over. “He and I have talked about this a hundred times. You know, which foods he’d want and how he couldn’t wait to go to a barbershop, take a walk around town, or have the bathroom all to himself. But we’ve never talked about the nuts and bolts. What’s he going to do for money? How is he going to adjust? This is a very different world from the one he used to live in.”

June murmured in agreement. “Listen, honey, I know a bit of what you’re going through. Tyson was in rehab for a long time, and you remember what it was like when he got out. He had to spend months in the halfway house before he was ready to live and work on his own. He’s come a long way, but he’s still uncomfortable around strangers. He still looks over his shoulder, half expecting to see the dealers he stole from when he was using. My boy is in his thirties, but he lost years to those damned drugs. In some ways, he’s still a kid. In others, he’s an old man. Time didn’t stand still for your father, but it didn’t move as fast as it did for you. The pace is going to be hard for him to handle at first.”

“People weren’t glued to their cell phones fifteen years ago. They didn’t drive electric cars or fly to space just for kicks,” said Nora. “He doesn’t need to adjust to any of that, but I imagine it’ll be a shock to see how different the town is now. And the people he knew before he went inside—they’re going to look different too.”

Estella said, “I’ve brought him the local paper for years, so he’s not totally in the dark about our area. He’s going to live with me until he finds his feet. I don’t know what he’ll do for work, but all the articles I’ve read say that a job is super important. It’s the one thing all former prisoners need to feel like they’re back in society. They need the routine and the responsibility. Earning money is important. Working gives them a sense of pride. It’ll keep Daddy from getting depressed.”

“Has he had any vocational training?” asked June.

“Just food service. He cooked for the inmates whenever he had the chance. He even developed special menus. Superbowl meals and things like that. I bought him a few cookbooks so he could have some fun in my kitchen. I figured it would be good for him to putter around at home for a few days and get used to his freedom before he goes looking for a job.”

Nora cocked her head. “Would Jack hire him to work in the diner?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Estella said. “He’ll find something, but in the meantime, I’d like to read some books talk about reentering society after prison. I have a week to do whatever I can to help him transition.”

June smiled at Estella. “You’re a good woman.”

“Don’t tell anyone. I have my bad-girl reputation to protect.”

Their conversation was curtailed when Val appeared with their orders. She distributed four small glass teapots and four plates of sandwiches. Finally, she put a plate of flower-shaped macarons in the center of the table.

“These are on the house,” she said with a smile. “And since this is your first time, let me tell how your flowering tea works. Each teapot has a bulb made of tea leaves and flowers. In a few seconds, the bulbs will expand and slowly unfurl. Once it blooms, you’ll see the flowers inside. Let your tea steep for a few minutes before you drink it.”

Hester said, “Do you mind if I take a video?”

“Not at all. Enjoy.”

Val started to turn away when her gaze caught on Nora’s right arm.

Strangers were always fascinated by the burn scars that floated like jellyfish over the back of Nora’s hand and up the length of her arm.

Most adults gave her a good once-over before eventually turning away in embarrassment. Children had no such compunction and would often ask why her skin was bubbly or why she was missing the top half of her finger. She always told them she’d been in an accident but her scars no longer hurt.

Though Nora felt the weight of Val’s stare, she was too enraptured by her flowering tea to worry about it. The bulb of tea leaves slowly unfurled, and a centerpiece of dried flowers floated in her glass teapot.

“That’s the coolest thing I’ve ever seen,” she said to Val.

Finally tearing her eyes away from Nora, Val saw customers waiting at the counter and hurried off.

Nora and her friends resumed their discussion of The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, bouncing back and forth between scenes from the book and anecdotes from their own lives. They also talked about the upcoming Honeybee Jubilee.

“For the next two weeks, my bakery will be stuffed to the gills with honey-flavored treats and flower-shaped cookies.” Hester plucked a daisy macaron off the plate and examined it with a critical eye. “This is beautiful work. I’m glad it’s the only dessert item on their menu. You know I like being the only baked goods game in town.”

June bit into a sunflower macaron. “Oh, yum. Mine’s lemon and strawberry.”

Estella took a nibble out of her tulip-shaped cookie and grimaced. “Ick. Coconut.”

“The rose is red velvet,” said Nora. “You picked the winner, June.”

Hester chewed her cookie thoughtfully. “They’re pretty, but I think they were baked somewhere else and shipped frozen.”

“I’m going to bring some back for Sheldon,” Nora said. “That man needs a treat because even though he pretends he’s not, he’s still tired from yesterday’s storytime. He read Where the Wild Things Are and made monster crowns with the kids. The whole children’s section was covered in glitter and feathers—including Sheldon! His mustache was twinkling like a disco ball.”

While her friends cackled with glee, Nora headed to the counter to order a sampler box of macarons. Val was taking a phone order and didn’t see Nora, so she ambled over to a display of low maintenance houseplants. She was immediately drawn to a Chinese money plant in a hedgehog pot. The hedgehog wore glasses and was too cute to ignore.

“That plant will bring you luck,” said a man holding a pricing gun.

“I could always use more of that.”

The man moved closer. His name tag, which read Kirk, was pinned to the front pocket of his khaki work shirt. Of average height, he had a thick torso and hands as wide and square as slices of bread. His brown hair was graying at the temples, his brows were bushy, and he had the weather-beaten skin of an outdoorsman.

“The luck is specific to money,” Kirk said. “See how the leaves look like coins?”

“I could really use that kind of luck. I’m trying to save up for a car.” She sighed. “I’d like to put this on the checkout counter in my bookshop, but I have a brown thumb.”

Kirk’s brows twitched. “The bookstore on the corner? That’s you?” At Nora’s nod, he gave her the same overt assessment Val had given her. The only difference was, he was quicker to break eye contact.

Gesturing at the plant, he said, “Here’s all you need to know to care for it. Don’t overwater. Let the soil dry out between waterings. You’ll know when it needs a drink because the leaves will look droopy. It doesn’t like direct sunlight, but if it gets indirect light and you rotate it once in a while, you won’t kill it. If you need a plant medic, you know where to find me.”

“The man I work with keeps saying that we need a store mascot. What could beat a ceramic hedgehog with glasses?”

As Nora carried the potted plant to the checkout counter, she felt the tickle of Kirk’s stare on her back.

Val rang her up, packed the macarons, and lowered the plant into a box, shooting glances at Nora’s face the whole time.

Nora had had enough of the woman’s ogling.

“Here’s the deal,” she said. “Ten years ago, I was in a fire. That’s why my right arm looks the way it does. My face used to be much worse, but I had surgery. I only have half a pinkie, but that didn’t stop me from eating that curried egg salad sandwich in record time. Do you make all of the food here?”

Pink splotches appeared on Val’s cheeks. “Not the macarons. We order those from a bakery in Brooklyn. I do the tea and the sandwiches. Kirk, that’s my husband, takes care of the plant side of things. We’re new to town.”

Val was talking a mile a minute and her movements were jerky. Nora couldn’t understand why she was so flustered.

Get over it, lady. I have a few scars. I’m not the Phantom of the Opera.

Kirk appeared from the back room and began looking through some papers on the desk directly behind his wife. When he didn’t find what he wanted, he touched Val’s shoulder. She startled so violently that she swept the box with the potted plant right off the counter. It crashed to the floor in front of Nora, flinging soil and bits of broken pottery everywhere.

“Oh! I’m so sorry!” she cried.

Kirk pivoted his wife around until she faced the back room. “I’ll clean it up. There’s another hedgehog pot on the third shelf in the storeroom. Get it and I’ll fix the plant right up.”

Clinging to his arm, Val whispered, “I’m sorry. I got nervous when I saw her.”

“Go on, Val. I’ll sweep up.”

Nora was tempted to take her macarons and leave, but she’d already paid for the potted plant and didn’t want to wait around for Val to refund her money. She didn’t want to interact with Val at all. The woman was clearly fascinated and repulsed by Nora, and Nora wasn’t interested in being studied like a specimen under glass.

Kirk came around the counter with a broom and dustpan. “The good news is the plant’s fine. Give me just a minute while I add a little soil to a new pot.”

Leaving him to clean up the mess and repot the plant, Nora returned to her friends.

“Are you causing trouble?” Estella teased.

Nora pulled a face. “Do I have lettuce in my teeth or something? I’m used to people giving me the once-over, but that woman is making me feel like a circus attraction.”

“You think everyone’s grossed out by your scars, but she’s probably staring at you because you’re beautiful,” said June. “People do it all the time. You still see yourself as the woman with the scarred face, but no one else does. You need to say goodbye to her once and for all.”

Though Nora knew Val hadn’t been admiring her, she let the subject drop. Since it was a Monday and Hester was the only one who didn’t need to get back to work, Nora told them to go ahead without her.

June slipped her crossbody bag over her head and wiggled a finger at Nora. “Tell Sheldon not to eat those macarons right before dinner. I’m making one of his favorites tonight—lemon chicken and butter beans. That man hit the jackpot when he became my housemate.”

“I’m having a big salad. All these diner meals are catching up to me,” said Estella.

Hester eyed Estella’s trim waist. “You never gain weight.”

“That’s the power of an A-line dress,” Estella said, glancing at her watch. “I need to run. The mayor is coming in at four. She’s decided to go silver and is going to look amazing. She’s ditching her French man. . .