Resort at Castaway Bay: Haunting or Homicide

Book 11: Resort at Castaway Bay

by Kathi Daley

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

Synopsis

Sydney Whitmore is already up to her ears in wedding plans, wine tastings, and wendigos when her best friend, Kelly Green, scores them invites to an exclusive Halloween bash at a long-abandoned monastery. Perched above a vineyard and steeped in ghost stories since Syd and Kelly were children, the crumbling estate is the perfect backdrop for a night of high-dollar scares. But when “Dracula” turns up dead and the suspects include a mummy, a ghost, and a wolfman—none of whom ever removed their masks—Officer Sam Stone enlists Syd and Kelly to help unmask a killer hiding behind a monster's face.

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Release date: September 23, 2025

Publisher: Kathi Daley Books

Print pages: 226

Reader says this book is...: entertaining story (1) escapist/easy read (1)

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Chapter 1

“A lot was going on tonight,” I said after Sheriff Sam Stone sequestered me, along with my
fiancé, Logan Alexander, good friend, Kelly Green, and Kelly’s live-in partner, Ryder West, in
the prayer room of the old monastery. The room, which was dusty and musty, yet oddly
welcoming, given the softly illuminated torches, was located in the monastery’s original wing.
“And most of what has occurred since we arrived can only be described as bizarre events,”
Kelly, who was dressed as a sorceress, added as the four of us huddled together in the
windowless room. “Events that, intellectually, I know will ultimately be explained using logic
and science, but events that felt oddly supernatural at the time.”
The room, one of twelve small chambers in the original wing of the monastery, was built one
hundred and fifty years ago and was stark, with a stone floor and stone walls. The room featured
no ornaments and was, in fact, barren except for the rows of wooden benches that had seen better
days. I wasn’t sure why Sam had chosen this room for our interview when the generator feeding
the new wing of the building, which had been built by the monks in the nineteen twenties and
used until they moved from the island in the mid-nineteen sixties, afforded the visitor both gas
heat and generator-powered electricity. But perhaps Sam had selected the cold room where we
were currently gathered based on proximity since we had found the body in the next room.
“Kelly’s right,” I said, scooting closer to Logan, who was dressed as a dark Prince Charming
to my dark Cinderella. “This has to have been one of the oddest nights of my life. And it wasn’t
odd just because we found Dracula stabbed through the heart and lying in his coffin, but the vibe
of the place has been odd from the beginning.”
“Odd, how?” Sam asked.
“Just odd,” Kelly replied.

“Stepping into the monastery was like stepping into an old horror movie where nothing is
what it seems and everything you thought you knew to be real is brought into question the
minute you walk through the huge double doorway,” Ryder, dressed in all black, as Kelly, Logan,
and I were, added.
Sam lowered the small notebook he’d been using to take notes and looked directly at Ryder.
“Can you provide an example of this sort of supernatural vibe?”
Ryder replied. “I can provide a lot of examples, one of the first, however, was the eerie fog
that seemed to roll in the minute we stepped onto the property. I understand that we live on an
island and fog is a reality of our lives, but this fog was different. It was thick, so thick that you
could barely see your hand in front of your face, and it seemed to be localized to the monastery
and the grounds surrounding the monastery.”
“Ryder’s right,” Kelly added as she rubbed her arms against the chill in the room. “There
wasn’t a bit of fog on the road leading to the monastery during the drive here, and then as soon as
we drove through the stone arch at the edge of the property, the fog appeared.”
“Perhaps a fog machine was used,” Sam stated.
Ryder, who not only owned his own veterinary practice on the island but also served as the
mayor for the town of Hidden Harbor, admitted that a high-tech Hollywood-style fog machine
could have been responsible for the odd effect. Although he also pointed out that the fog was so
dense that if it had been created by a machine, it would have had to have been an extremely large
one. Of course, he also admitted that he’d seen a lot of really odd fog patterns in his day and had
in fact been witness to similar isolated fog banks from time to time so in reality there was no way
to tell what had been going on.
“And then there were the bats that flew in from that one high window,” Kelly said. “At first, I
honestly thought that they were fake, like they were a holographic enhancement to an evening
that had already been about as odd as any I’d experienced to that point. It turned out, however,
that they were real. Very real.” She swiped at her head as she likely remembered the bat that had
flown into her hair. “Where did they come from, and why did they fly into the ballroom at that
exact moment in time?”
“I’ve actually given that some thought,” Logan said to my best friend. “That old clock in the
clock tower chimed at midnight. I agree that the bats arriving in mass was freaky, but I suspect it
was the sounding of the clock that disturbed them.”
“I guess Logan might be right about the bats,” Kelly admitted. “But the bats funneling in
through the open window and the fog that seemed to appear from out of nowhere weren’t the
only really odd things to occur. I’m not the sort to believe in ghosts or supernatural phenomena,
but a lot was going on that I, for one, am unable to explain using logic based on cause and effect
alone.”
“Like the frogs,” I said, cringing at the memory.
“Frogs?” Sam asked.
“When Logan and I went for a walk along the bluff after the meal was served and consumed,
we came across a pond full of frogs. They were huge. And they were all croaking at the same
time, almost as if they were trying to warn us of what might lie ahead. The song they seemed to
have rehearsed was so loud that we turned back rather than continuing.”

“We have frogs on the island,” Sam pointed out. “A lot of them. I don’t find frogs croaking to
be all that odd.”
“Yeah, but these were giant frogs,” I insisted. “Puppy-sized frogs, with glowing eyes. These
frogs weren’t at all like the sort we used to try catching in the frog pond when we were kids.”
I could see that Sam thought we’d all had one too many martinis by this point, but since he
hadn’t been there, he couldn’t know how strange it all was.
“Maybe we should back up and take it from the beginning,” Sam suggested.
“It seems sort of late to go back to the beginning.” I yawned. “Maybe we can pick it up after
the demon frogs.”
“They were just regular frogs,” Logan countered. “And they weren’t puppy sized, they were
regular sized.”
Even though I heartily disagreed with him, I was so tired by this point that I didn’t care.
“Sydney, you seem to have a knack for noticing even the smallest details, so I’d like for you
to describe the series of events that led to the discovery of the body,” Sam requested, bringing
the conversation back around to the matter at hand.
I took a moment to gather my thoughts and then responded. “After the bats came in at
midnight and terrorized everyone, the party began to break up. Not all at once, but by the time
the bats had flown out through the same open window they’d flown in through, I’d noticed that
people had begun to leave. Logan and I were ready to head out as well, but we’d become
separated from Kelly and Ryder during the bat incident. We decided to track them down so we
could share our plans with them. We searched every room on the first floor of what is locally
known as the new wing of the monastery, which, as you may know, isn’t all that new since it was
built in the nineteen twenties. Anyway, when we couldn’t find Kelly and Ryder on the first floor,
Logan and I decided to search upstairs. The stairs leading up to the second floor of the monastery
had been roped off, and signs instructed those of us in attendance that we should stay downstairs.
But we figured Kelly and Ryder may have gone upstairs looking for a bathroom or something,
and since we really wanted to find them, we stepped over the rope and went up. Once we arrived
on the second-floor landing, we looked around, but didn’t find evidence that Kelly and Ryder
had gone that way. We were about to head back downstairs when we noticed that the door
separating the new wing from the original wing was cracked open. We thought it was odd that
the door to the original wing was open since we knew that the monastery’s original wing hadn’t
been used in almost a century, so we decided to check it out.”
I paused to allow Sam time to jot down some notes.
Logan expanded on my recall of the evening’s events. “The interesting thing to me wasn’t
just the fact that the door to the monastery’s original wing was open when it was supposed to
have been locked, but the torches that illuminated the hallway beyond the door were lit as well.
The rooms themselves in the original wing were dark, and most were empty, but after a bit of
exploration on Syd’s and my part, we found the room at the end of the hallway filled with coffins
lined up in rows.”
I jumped back in. “We assumed the room must have served as a crypt before the monks who
lived in the monastery deserted it. Given the spirit of the season, it was an interesting find, so
Logan grabbed one of the torches from the hallway and went inside.”

“And then?” Sam asked me.
“And then we looked around a bit. It was cool in a creepy and haunted sort of way. The
coffins were closed, and since we didn’t want to disturb whoever was resting there, we didn’t
open them. Then, on the way out, we noticed that the lid of one of the coffins had been left open.
Being the curious sort, I decided to look inside, and that was when I found Dracula with a dagger
plunged through his heart.”
Sam looked at Logan, who was a doctor. “At the moment of first contact, did you confirm
that Dracula was actually dead and not just putting on a show with the dagger through the
heart?”
“I did,” Logan confirmed. “I didn’t happen to have a stethoscope with me, but I’ve seen
enough trauma victims to say without a shadow of a doubt that the man was dead when we found
him.”
“And how long had he been dead?” Sam asked.
“I’d say at least an hour. Possibly longer. The room where we found the body is freezing
cold, which may have altered the timeline a bit.”
“So Dracula, who Ryder had tentatively identified as Dean Cashman from the local
environmental protection committee, was likely killed right around midnight.”
“I’d say that sometime between eleven o’clock and midnight would be an accurate estimate,”
Logan responded to Sam’s query.
“So the plunging of the dagger into the man’s heart likely occurred right around the time the
bats flew in through the window,” Sam specified.
“Yes, that does seem to have been the case,” Logan agreed.
“It seems to me that the timing of the whole thing was likely deliberate and premeditated,”
Sam suggested. “Perhaps the chimes in the clock tower were activated at midnight to send the
bats into the monastery as a means of mitigating any noise created during the murder.”
“The room where we found the body isn’t close enough to the common area of the newer
construction where the party was held that anyone would need to worry about noise, so I doubt
that was a factor,” Logan commented. “I suppose there may have been a ceremonial reason to
have chosen to drive a dagger through the man’s heart at midnight.”
“So do you think Dean’s death was the result of some sort of ritualistic sacrifice?” Sam
asked.
Logan shrugged. “I’m really not sure, but I do think that more than one person was involved.
Plunging the dagger through the heart in exactly the right location isn’t an easy task if the person
you are trying to stab is struggling. For the murder to have been carried out the way it appears to
have been carried out, it seems to me that there would need to be a couple of strong individuals
to hold the victim down while a third person drove the dagger through the heart.”
“Unless the victim had been sedated,” Sam suggested.
Logan agreed that if the toxicology report came back with evidence of a sedative, then it
might have been possible for there to have been a single killer.
“Did Mr. Cashman attend the party with a date or plus one?” Sam asked.

“No, he was alone,” Ryder answered. “He arrived just before us and was in line to check in
ahead of Kelly and me.”
“And did anyone notice what time he left the party?”
We all admitted that we hadn’t noticed.
Sam asked if any of us had noticed Dracula head upstairs at any point that evening. None of
us had. He then asked if any of us had noticed anyone else head upstairs.
“You know,” I said, “I do remember seeing Mr. and Mrs. Frankenstein on the stairs to the
second floor earlier in the evening.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Frankenstein?” Sam asked.
“They came as a couple and wore enough makeup to make them unrecognizable, but I
noticed them standing on the staircase earlier in the evening. They had already climbed over the
ropes and were about halfway up the stairs when I noticed them. They were merely standing
there, watching the party, and I didn’t watch to see if they went the rest of the way up, but they
may have. I seem to remember they left early, however, so they may not have been around long
enough to have killed our victim.”
“I’m pretty sure they left before the bats flew in and terrorized everyone,” Kelly added. “In
fact, I actually think they left after the incident with the lights.”
“Lights?” Sam asked.
Ryder explained. “When the monks lived in the area, they chose to live close to nature and
depended on oil lamps for illumination, wood for cooking, and gas for heat and refrigeration.
Astral wanted to provide an authentic experience, but she also wanted to serve a gourmet meal,
top-shelf liquor, and give her guests a safe environment. This meant that she would need light
and heat, so she brought in a gas-powered generator and temporary lighting. The temporary
lighting was installed in the main section of the newer construction where the party would be,
rather than throughout the entire building, which I suspect is why she tried to prevent the guests
from wandering outside the designated party area. Anyway, at one point, the generator quit, and
the lights went out. They stayed out for at least five minutes. It was dark, really dark, until
someone in the group used the flashlight on a cell phone they weren’t supposed to have. Once
there was a bit of light in the room, one of the others found the temporary electrical panel that
had been set up for the party and managed to trace the problem back to the generator. After they
did that, they were able to get the lights back on.”
“You said that the person with the cell phone wasn’t supposed to have it. Why not?” Sam
asked.
“Cell phones, tablets, smartwatches, and anything electronic were banned,” I explained. “A
man in an antique tuxedo stood at the entrance, requesting everyone who had a cell phone,
smartwatch, or other electronic devices to return them to their vehicles before entering the
monastery.”
“That guy was creepy,” Kelly said. “He reminded me a bit of Lurch from The Addams
Family. He even talked in a similar deep voice.”
“He did play the part well,” I agreed. “And he was so tall. At the time we checked in, I
remember wondering where they’d found someone so tall.”

“Did any of you notice anyone else on or near the staircase?” Sam asked, once again bringing
us back on track.
We all agreed that none of us had, and then Sam asked Kelly and Ryder where they’d been
during the time when Logan and I were looking for them, and they replied that they’d headed
outdoors for a breath of fresh air after Kelly’s encounter with the bats. After Logan and I
discovered the body, I headed downstairs and found Kelly and Ryder coming in through a side
door that led into the kitchen. I escorted them upstairs, where Logan was waiting with the body.
By that point, Logan had already called Sam, who was on his way.
“You said that you came in through the side door. How many entrances are there to the
building?” Sam asked.
We all admitted that we hadn’t specifically paid attention to entrances, so we didn’t know.
Sam made a comment about mapping both the entrances to the building and ways to access the
second floor. Then he moved on. “We don’t have a lot of time, and while I want to ask the four
of you about the others who attended the party, I’m most interested in the reason the four of you
were at this party in the first place. Did you know the person who hosted the party?”
Ryder answered. “I know the hostess, Astral Wildwood. Astral wants to lease the monastery
and the land that it sits on to open a high-end wellness retreat. The idea isn’t a bad one, and
Astral appears to have both a plan and the funding to renovate the place. She plans to leave the
infrastructure as it exists and has assured me that she won’t be knocking down any walls.
Although she does want to add a permanent generator and dependable electricity. She also wants
to connect to town water rather than relying on water from the well, which has run dry at times.
Her plan sounds reasonable to me, but as you know, if you’ve ever tried to build so much as a
doghouse on the island, there are many hoops to jump through with construction of any sort.”
“Like getting a permit from the island council,” I said. Aunt Charley had encountered the
permit issue numerous times while trying to make minor renovations to the resort.
“Exactly like obtaining a permit from the island council,” Ryder agreed. “Given that the
building Astral wants to lease and then renovate is considered to be historically significant, and
the land that it sits on is environmentally sensitive, in addition to the island council, Ms.
Wildwood will also need to gain the support of the historical society and the local environmental
protection committee. Additionally, due to some rather weird property lines that seem to jut north
along the coastline for no apparent reason, the land falls into the official boundaries of Hidden
Harbor, so in addition to the island council, the historical society, and the environmental
protection committee, the mayor of Hidden Harbor, which as you know is yours truly, will
likewise need to approve the project.”
“That sounds like an uphill battle to me,” Sam admitted. “I assume that Astral somehow
gained permission to throw this party as a means of schmoozing those she needs to win over to
her side.”
Ryder nodded. “As mayor of Hidden Harbor, Astral has met with me on multiple occasions.
She wants my support and has been romancing me to get it.” He glanced at Kelly and smiled.
“Not literally romancing.”
She smiled back at him.

“The last time I spoke to Astral, she gave me four tickets to this high-end party. I wasn’t sure
I even wanted to go, but Kelly showed interest when I told her about the tickets, so we invited
Syd and Logan to attend with us.”
“Having summered on the island since I was a child, I’d heard all the stories about the
monastery,” Kelly elaborated. “It’s supposed to be haunted. There was even talk within the group
of girls I spent time with as a teenager about a monk who died on the property and still wandered
the hallways. I’m not sure why he haunted the monastery, but my friends and I told and retold the
story of the ghostly monk next to many a late-night campfire. Anyway, the party sounded fun,
the caterer Astral used was one of the best in the area, and the chance to check out the interior of
the place was more than I could resist, so I convinced Ryder to use the tickets he’d been given.”
“The monk who haunts the monastery was supposedly murdered on the property,” Ryder
elaborated.
“By one of the other monks,” I added. “Even to this day, there’s a lot of local folklore about
dead monks in the vineyards.”
“The number of people who have reported sightings of lights in the vineyard on a dark night
is significant,” Kelly added. “I suppose the lights might be caused by something other than dead
monks, but the story of ghost monks is an alluring one.”
“Speaking of dead monks,” I looked at Sam. “Did anyone ever look in the other coffins in the
room where we found Dracula? They don’t all have bodies, do they?”
“No, we checked and all the others are empty.”
Well, that was a relief.
“You mentioned that Astral wanted to renovate the monastery she plans to lease. Who
currently owns the property?” Sam asked Ryder, bringing the conversation around to the topic at
hand.
“The Bureau of Land Management owns the land, but a developer named Gillette Sheridan
bought the right to lease and occupy the land five years ago,” Ryder answered. “Astral wants to
sub-lease the land from Mr. Sheridan, who no longer plans to use the land for which he holds a
ninety-nine-year lease.”
“And why is Mr. Sheridan no longer interested in occupying the land?” Sam asked Ryder.
“His intention at the time he leased the property was to build a high-end resort, but he hit
brick wall after brick wall in his attempt to get the necessary permits to do what he wanted to do,
so he decided to throw in the towel.”
“And does Astral think she can do what Mr. Sheridan wasn’t able to?” Sam asked.
Ryder nodded. “Astral’s project is quite different than Sheridan’s. While Sheridan wanted to
bulldoze the current infrastructure and use the vacant land for a five-hundred-room hotel, spa,
and golf course, Astral plans to preserve the existing infrastructure. She does have plans to
modernize it to serve the needs of the handful of select clients who will be on site at any one
time, but she isn’t planning to bulldoze anything or even remove walls.”
The room we were sitting in was dark and musty, but the stone floors and walls, built from
the bluff’s natural stone one hundred and fifty years ago, didn’t seem any worse for wear.

Despite the storms and years of natural deterioration, the building had held up remarkably well. I
could imagine the sort of place Astral was going for and had to agree that, as long as one could
eradicate the ghosts rumored to live there, the old monastery would be perfect for a retreat
complex focused on health and relaxation that catered to a few high-end clients at a time.
“The medical examiner should be here at any moment, and I’ll need to speak to him,” Sam
informed us. “I have a couple of deputies downstairs talking to Astral, her assistant, and the staff
she hired to plan and cater the party, but I’ll need to get a full list of party goers from the four of
you. Maybe you can each start a list, and we can meet up tomorrow.”
“I’m happy to meet tomorrow, but identifying everyone isn’t going to be as easy as it
sounds,” I replied. “Everyone in attendance was in costume, and many attendees wore full face
masks.”
“Like the wolfman,” Kelly said. “There was at least one guy there wearing a wolfman
costume with a full head. There was no way to ID him unless you happened to speak to him and
knew who he was.”
“The costume looked hot,” I said.
“It really did,” Kelly agreed.
Sam held up his notepad, clicking his pen open and closed several times, I assumed in an
attempt to get our attention, and then wrote “wolfman – undetermined identity.”
“Okay, then very quickly, who else, besides the wolfman, the four of you, Astral Wildwood,
her assistant, and her staff, comes to mind as having been in attendance?” Sam asked.
“There were a lot of people in attendance,” I answered. “Too many to list off the top of my
head, but I do remember a couple of people dressed as wolfmen and at least one headless
horseman. His costume went up over his real head, and he carried his fake head. None were
identifiable unless you knew who they were or spoke to them.”
“And there was that one tall guy dressed as a skeleton,” Kelly added. “He had a full mask,
and then there was the mummy with his head wrapped in bandages.”
“Oh, and don’t forget the female ninja warrior. She wore a mask, so I’m not sure who she
was, but the costume was very cool,” I added.
“So because their faces were hidden behind masks, you have no idea who the ninja or any of
the others were,” Sam confirmed.
“Not a clue,” I answered. “The wolfman never took the head off, and the ninja didn’t stay
long. I remember seeing her early in the evening, but she was gone by the time the lights went
out. Before that even. I’m not sure I even remember her being around at dinner, but, like I said,
there were a lot of guests and a lot going on. The murder hadn’t occurred yet, so it isn’t like I
was keeping track of everyone.”
“I saw the ninja after dinner,” Kelly said. “She was heading toward the staircase. I remember
thinking that I’d go over and talk to her, but then Zorro showed up and I got distracted.”
“Zorro?” Sam asked.
“A tall man who filled out his costume quite nicely,” Kelly answered.
“And you have no idea who he was?” Sam asked.

“Not a clue, but I think the skeleton that was mentioned was Rafferty Richardson from the
historical society, since the skeleton seemed to be with Jennifer Easton, who was dressed as a
witch.”
“Jennifer and Rafferty have been dating,” I added in case Sam hadn’t known that.
“And the mummy?” Sam asked.
“He was with a female mummy,” Ryder answered. “I think the mummy couple might have
been Eric and Lori Jameson, but I never did have the opportunity to speak to them, so I can’t say
that with any level of certainty. Lori is a member of the island council, and Eric is an active
member of the Rotary Club. They both have a fair amount of influence in the community, so it
makes sense they would have been invited, but that’s something that you’ll need to confirm.
Once you start interviewing the other guests, I’m sure you’ll find someone who spoke to the
mummy couple.”
Sam looked at his watch. “I want to continue this discussion, but I really need to go talk to
the medical examiner and interview those waiting for me downstairs. Maybe I can meet with the
four of you in the morning.”
“That might be a good idea,” I agreed.
“What time?” Logan asked.
“Not too early,” I added.
“How about ten o’clock. I’ll have coffee and pastries.”
We all agreed to Sam’s plan and headed toward the parking area where we’d left our
vehicles. Since Logan and I lived on the very southern tip of the island and Kelly and Ryder
lived along the coast on the north end of the island, we’d come separately and met up at the
party.
“I’m exhausted,” I said to Logan after we climbed into the car and headed south. “I should
have known the party would go late and that it was a bad idea to offer to get up early and take
Estelle to the Halloween fun-run so that Emily could be home to handle the events the resort
planned for the weekend.”
Logan and I lived on a resort at the southernmost tip of Shipwreck Island on the south edge
of Castaway Bay with my aunt, Charley Hamilton, her father-in-law, Hank Hamilton, my sisters,
Emily Rose and Rory Whitmore, Emily’s daughters, Esther and Estelle, and Logan’s dad, Liam
Alexander.
“It was nice of you to offer to help Emily. She has a lot on her plate at this time of the year,
and Rory seems to be busy with Cruz whenever she has a day off.”
Cruz Manfield was Rory’s new boyfriend. Rory seemed to have a lot of new boyfriends since
none of the men she dated ever stuck around for the long haul, but this particular guy seemed a
bit more mature than some of the guys Rory dated. Rory worked as a veterinary technician for
Ryder and had met Cruz when he’d brought his dog in after he’d suffered a fall during a hike.
Logan slowed as we merged from the main highway onto the narrower country lane that
connected the resort on the peninsula to the center of town. After we reached the resort, Logan
turned his headlights off and slowed down to five miles an hour so we wouldn’t wake anyone.

After parking in the family parking area behind the main house, Logan and I quietly crept
toward our cabana. My dog, Sawyer, wasn’t waiting for us, so I had to assume that Rory or
Emily had taken him to the main house since Logan and I expected to be home late. The family
often pet-sat Sawyer when Logan and I were both away, which was actually more often than I
would have preferred. Logan was a doctor with his own medical practice and patients and was
required to work shifts at the local hospital. I worked for both the FBI and a civilian crime
fighter, Ezra Reinhold, and was away on assignment more frequently than I liked.
Logan stripped down to his boxer shorts and then slid into bed. I went into the bathroom to
put my pajamas on and wash off my makeup, and then slid into bed next to him. I felt his arm
drape over my waist as I slipped into a deep slumber. I wasn’t sure what tomorrow might bring,
but with everything that was going on, I figured that it would be interesting.

Chapter 2

Considering the time we’d finally made it home last night, I was sure that I’d sleep in until
the alarm clock woke me from a deep slumber, so imagine my surprise when I awoke shortly
after the sun peeked over the horizon, just four hours after I’d fallen into bed. I closed my eyes
and considered the idea of going back to sleep, but then I imagined Sawyer’s sweet face looking
out the front window of the main house, waiting patiently for me to pick him up for our morning
run. Easing my way out from beneath the covers and Logan’s still sleeping form, I pulled on a
pair of sweatpants, a running bra, a t-shirt, and running socks and shoes. I very quietly tiptoed
across the room and out the door, where I was met with mild temperatures and a sunny sky.
As predicted, when I arrived at the house next door, I found Sawyer sitting on Aunt Charley’s
new sofa, looking out the window. He jumped down and ran to the door when he saw me.
Sawyer was my dog, and I tried to keep him with me as often as possible, but when I needed to
be away, he seemed happy with the family in the big house.
“Morning, big guy,” I said to the dog who ran circles around me as soon as I opened the door
to let him out. “I missed you, too,” I assured him as I scratched him behind the ears and then
kissed the top of his furry head. “I have a meeting later this morning, so we need to get going.
Are you ready?”
Sawyer let out a soft half-bark to let me know that he was indeed ready for the run ahead.
As we did every morning, Sawyer and I headed through the center of the resort toward the
beach at the very west end of the peninsula. I think that early morning was my favorite time of
day at the resort. Most of the guests were still sleeping, so the only other people out and about
were a few early birds sipping on coffee and watching the sun slowly rise into the sky.

After adjusting my speed slightly to avoid the spray coming from the sprinklers watering the
lawn, I jogged toward the sidewalk that spanned the resort, then paused to enjoy the seasonal
decorations Aunt Charley and Emily had carefully curated to create a Halloween village right
here in sunny California. When I first started with the FBI, I’d lived in Virginia and worked at
Quantico for many years, and I sometimes missed the majesty of an East Coast autumn. But
Aunt Charley and Emily had done such a good job with the decorations this year that it barely
registered that I didn’t live in an area with a lot of fall color.
As we wove our way along the sidewalk past restaurants, pools, spas, game rooms, and the
craft, conference, and event rooms, I took in a deep breath of the cool, salty air and tried to
remember Halloweens at the resort when I was a child. Aunt Charley had always taken the time
to do it up right with Jack-o’-lanterns on all the decks and walkways, twinkle-lights in the trees,
and colorful leaves of the artificial variety around every door and banister. After Emily’s
husband passed away, she and her girls moved to Shipwreck Island to live at the resort, and
Emily took over the responsibility of adding seasonal décor to the resort. While Aunt Charley
had always done a marvelous job, I really thought Emily had taken the imagery and fantasy to
the next level.
Once Sawyer and I hit the beach, we ran to the very end. I paused to enjoy the serenity and
beauty of the isolated area. Life was good, I realized, as I looked out over the gentle waves
rolling toward shore. I had a fiancé who was not only my soulmate but also my very best friend,
a family I loved and who loved me in return, one of the most beautiful spots on earth to call
home, and a pretty awesome running companion.
There were times when I found life busier than I would have preferred. Working for two
bosses, each of whom seemed to want a full-time employee, could get complicated; however, I’d
been straddling key roles for both Ezra and the FBI for almost two years now, and I think that as
time has passed, a general flow has been established. My current contract with Ezra expires in
less than three months, and I’ve been weighing the pros and cons of my option to renew it. I’ve
enjoyed working for Ezra, and what he does is both worthwhile and intriguing, but the job does
require a lot of travel. I’d never minded the travel in the past, and actually enjoyed it most of the
time; however, now that Logan and I were getting married, I supposed it would be appropriate
for me to at least consider all the aspects of my life before deciding what sort of path my journey
might take from this point forward.
Sawyer and I turned and headed back toward the cabana along the beach that bordered the
sea on the south end of the resort. As I jogged, I thought about the options I’d considered to this
point. I could sign another two-year contract with Ezra, much like the one I currently work
under, where Ezra would be my primary employer but would share me with the FBI as needed.
So far, that arrangement had worked out just fine, but, as I’d already considered, the two roles
had required a lot more travel than I would have liked.
My second option would be to discuss a part-time gig with Ezra that wouldn’t include the
FBI. There were advantages to this setup since I wouldn’t need to run back and forth to San
Francisco all the time. Part-time work would mean more time with Logan and Sawyer, which
sounded nice since we so rarely spent time together due to our crazy schedules.
My third option was to discontinue my work with Ezra and work part-time for Colin Black
and the FBI exclusively. This wouldn’t do much to address the commuting issue, but there were
advantages to structured work, such as those Colin was most apt to assign me.

And then there was option four, the option I would never have considered in the past, but was
giving a lot of thought to this time around. This option included opening my own practice right
here on the island, which would involve a departure from law enforcement and a substantial
change of pace. I wasn’t sure that private practice was for me, but if Logan and I were ever going
to consider having children…
There was a lot to think about, and since I certainly didn’t need to decide today, I blew out a
breath and focused on the steady rhythm of my feet as they skillfully maneuvered along the wave
line.
It was such a gorgeous day. Perfect for surfing. It had been a long time since I’d had time to
surf, and I found that I’d missed it. When I’d first come home to Shipwreck Island and Jack’s
Hideaway, the resort at Castaway Bay that my family owned and operated, I’d had a lot more
time to myself, but since I worked for two bosses, was planning a wedding, and helped Emily
with seasonal chores, my life had become a never-ending to-do list. I knew that the roles I played
in law enforcement and with my family were important, but there were times when I longed for
lazy days with nothing to do except spend time with Logan and Sawyer.
By the time Sawyer and I returned to the cabana, the hands on the clock indicated that it was
eight-twenty. The alarm was set for eight-thirty, so I turned it off and woke up Logan with a kiss.
A sweaty kiss, but a very nice kiss all the same.
He smiled as he opened his eyes. “You went running.”
“Sawyer, who wasn’t out half the night, needed a run.”
“You should have woken me. I would have gone with you.”
“It’s your day off, and you need your sleep.”
He grinned at me. “I’m awake now.” He pulled the covers back. “I wouldn’t mind some
company.”
I kissed him again and then stood up. “As tempting as that sounds, I’m hot and sweaty, and
there is a ridiculous amount of sand between my toes from my sprint down the beach. We have
that meeting with Sam, so I need to jump in the shower. Maybe you can feed Sawyer while I get
ready.”
“Rain check on the other?”
“Count on it.”
Sawyer, who was wet and sandy himself, jumped up on the bed and started licking Logan in
the face while I headed into the bathroom. Now that Logan and I were getting married, I guessed
Sawyer would be our dog rather than my dog. I honestly wasn’t sure how I felt about that, but it
was evident that Sawyer loved Logan and Logan loved Sawyer, so I supposed I could share.
As I rubbed rain-scented shampoo into my long blond hair, I thought about the wedding
Logan and I had been planning for months. As predicted, once Logan and I announced our
engagement, my aunt and sisters immediately tried to complicate things with venues, bands, and
a guest list that rivaled that of Will and Kate’s wedding. But despite their best efforts, Logan and
I held firm and reinforced our desire for small and modest. What we really wanted and planned
to have was a small ceremony to be held right here at the resort with close friends and family in
attendance. Convincing my family that small and intimate was what I wanted had not been easy,

but Logan and I had stuck together. Now the wedding we’d always dreamed of was scheduled to
take place on the beach at sunset on the second Saturday in November.
I smiled as I rinsed my hair and thought about the future, envisioning the perfection of the
moment when we would be wed. It would be one of those evenings when the sunset lit up the
whole sky. Logan and I would profess our love as the sun dipped into the horizon beyond the
waves, and just as the sun disappeared from sight for the last time that day, Logan and I would
kiss for the first time as a married couple.
I envisioned my simple dress, a dress, by the way, I’d yet to find. I pictured skin tanned by
the sun rather than a spray, bare feet rather than heels, and a crown made of flowers rather than a
veil and bouquet. I knew Logan planned to wear a casual pair of slacks and a cotton button-down
shirt, both of which he already owned. I’d ordered a doggy tux for Sawyer, who would serve as
the ring bearer, and dresses for Esther and Estelle, who would serve as flower girls. I couldn’t
decide on a maid of honor between Emily and Rory, so Logan and I decided we’d have everyone
we loved stand around us in a group rather than in a lineup, as was the custom in most weddings.
By the time I finished my shower, dried my hair, and pulled on some comfortable clothing
for what was likely to be a busy day ahead, Logan had gone to the coffee shop near the main
pool and grabbed us each an extra-large coffee and a couple of our favorite muffins.
“I ran into Charley when I was picking up the coffee and muffins,” Logan informed me as we
drove toward Hidden Harbor, the second largest town on the island and the only town on the
island’s western coast. “She asked if I’d be interested in helping with the judging for the
pumpkin carving contest in the park this afternoon. I told her that we needed to meet with Sam
this morning and that I wasn’t sure how long that would take, but that I’d be happy to help judge
if we were finished in time.”
“I can’t believe that Aunt Charley is helping with the Halloween Festival in town when there
are so many events taking place right here at the resort,” I said.
“You know Charley. She likes to have a hand in things.”
I supposed that much was true. “Did you happen to tell Aunt Charley why we were meeting
with Sam?” Even though Aunt Charley and Dean Cashman weren’t close, she knew who he was
and had even worked on a few projects with him in the past. Aunt Charley was the caring sort
who would likely be upset at his passing, as she would be with the passing of any friend or
neighbor, but I was even more concerned that she’d be horrified about how the man died.
“I did mention that Sam wanted to speak to us regarding Dean’s murder during the party last
night.”
“And was she upset that such a horrific murder occurred right here on the island?”
“She seemed to feel bad about Dean’s passing, and she offered sympathy for Dean and his
family, but she wasn’t overly upset that such a gruesome murder occurred right here in Hidden
Harbor. If you want my opinion, she’s getting desensitized to this sort of thing with you living
here on the island.”
“You may be right,” I said. “When I lived on the East Coast, I didn’t bring up my work when
I was home or when we spoke on the phone, but since I’ve been living at the resort and have
been in the middle of almost everything going on, I think she might actually be getting
desensitized to it.”

“I guess that makes sense. I know my first year of medical school was an emotional
rollercoaster for me. Every time I was unable to help a patient, I took it personally, even if there
wasn’t anything anyone could have done. I almost walked away from medicine altogether after a
child I’d been treating died despite my best efforts to save her. But then one of my mentors
taught me the fine art of separating my emotions from the job, and it became easier to deal with
death and heartbreak.”
“I get it. The first homicide I investigated hit me hard, but, like you, over the years, I’ve
learned to compartmentalize.” I frowned. “I guess that’s a good thing, but sometimes I wonder if
my job has made me less of a person.”
“I don’t think so. I think you’ve just found a way to survive doing what has to be one of the
hardest jobs out there.”
“Maybe, but I sometimes wonder if my heart of stone is going to interfere with my ability to
be a mother, if we decide to become parents, which I suppose is a conversation for another day.”
Logan reached over and took my hand in his. “We can talk about children and our future any
time you want, although we are only about a minute away from Sam’s office, so this may not be
the best time to get into it. I do want to say now, however, that you don’t have a heart of stone
and are, in fact, one of the most compassionate and tenderhearted people I’ve ever met. If we
decide to have children at some point, you’re going to be the best mom a kid ever had.”
I didn’t respond as Logan pulled into a parking lot on the street, but I did smile. I didn’t
necessarily agree with Logan about the tenderness of my heart, but I appreciated his effort to
make me feel better about things.
Kelly and Ryder were already chatting with Sam in the conference room when Logan and I
walked in. Sam had coffee and donuts, and even though I’d just had coffee and muffins, I took
some of both.
“So catch us up,” I said to the other three once Logan and I were settled.
Sam sorted through the stack of papers in front of him, picked one out, and placed it on top
of the others. “The medical examiner has confirmed what we already knew based on a visual
inspection of the body. The victim of last night’s stabbing death was Dean Cashman. Dean was
the president of the local environmental protection committee. While he lived in Sea Haven and
died in Hidden Harbor, his group worked on protecting the environment for the entire island.”
Sea Haven was the largest town on the island. It was on the east side and was home to the
only ferry terminal connecting Shipwreck Island with the rest of the world.
“Dean was recently divorced and currently single,” Sam continued. “I’ve spoken to his ex-
wife, Ophelia Redwood, who described her ex as a conservative workaholic who seemed to
prefer spreadsheets and dusty reports to human relationships. While she appeared shocked when
I told her where he’d been when he’d been murdered, she also admitted that attending a party
hosted by an individual who wanted to develop environmentally sensitive land was exactly the
type of social activity he’d be involved in. I asked Ms. Redwood if she thought her ex-husband
would attend the party with a plus one, and she admitted she really had no idea. She did make a
comment about the man’s whore, so I asked her to elaborate, and apparently, the reason Dean’s
marriage broke up in the first place was due to an affair with a coworker. I’m not sure whether

‘the other woman’ showed up at some point or not, so all we know for sure is that he arrived at
the party alone. I suppose it’s entirely possible that he met or planned to meet someone there.”
“I don’t remember seeing him with anyone,” I said.
“Yeah, I don’t either,” Kelly said.
“He was talking to the tall skeleton who came with the woman dressed as a witch,” Logan
informed us.
“Rafferty Richardson from the historical society,” Ryder filled in the name.
“Yes, that’s right, Rafferty Richardson,” Logan said. “I don’t really know either Cashman or
Richardson, so I’m unaware of the sort of relationship that may have existed, but they seemed to
be arguing when I happened to walk past them.”
“Did you happen to hear what they were arguing about?” Sam asked.
“No. I just walked past the men and didn’t stop to listen, but they were using some pretty
strong language given the party setting.”
“Was there anyone else in the vicinity?” Sam asked Logan.
“Charlene Robinson, the tourism director, was standing just behind the men. She didn’t seem
to be part of the conversation, but she was probably close enough to hear what they were talking
about.”
Sam looked at his list. “According to Astral, Charlene, who was dressed as Cleopatra, arrived
at the party with Eileen Brown and Patricia Edison. Eileen came dressed as Elvira, and Patricia
came dressed as Morticia Addams. If you were to ask me, I’d say that both women were dressed
much the same, but they insisted that they were completely different characters.”
Both Eileen and Patricia were members of the island council.
“I assume that Astral was able to fill in the gaps in your guest list,” I said.
“She was able to fill in a lot of the gaps, but we still have a few attendees not accounted for.”
“Like whom?” I asked Sam.
“Astral’s assistant, Rainey, remembered that Gilda Hickman from the historical society, and
her husband, Levon, came dressed as Mr. and Mrs. Frankenstein. As you did, she also
remembered seeing the man dressed as Zorro. Since it was her job to keep track of everyone, she
checked the registration sheet and found that no one who’d checked in that evening had been
dressed as Zorro, but she also said she never had managed to track him down.”
“Is there anyone else who didn’t match with Astral’s list?” I asked.
“Not as far as I can tell, but I’m still trying to figure out who was there and who failed to
show.”
“And who do you have so far?” I asked Sam.
“Cole Jaxton, Rene Woodbine, and Shelton Foxglove all arrived together.” I knew that Cole,
Rene, and Shelton were likewise all members of the island council. “According to Astral, Polly
Pinewood, a historical society member, had been invited as well, but according to Hanson, the
doorman checking everyone in, she hadn’t arrived with the others in her group. Initially, I figured

she just chose not to attend, but then I heard from Rosie Mathews, who worked with the catering
crew, that she’d seen Polly hanging out in the kitchen that evening.”
“So maybe Polly came on her own, and rather than coming in through the front, she went
around to the back,” Kelly offered.
“That is likely what happened, but why would she go around to the back?”
“Have you spoken to Polly?” I asked.
“Not yet,” Sam confirmed. “She’s on my list for later.” He held up a sheet of paper. “I have a
lot of people on my list for later.”
“Do you want help?” I asked. “Kelly and I can each take a few names. We can conduct the
interviews on your behalf, and then call you later this afternoon.”
“That would actually help a lot. I have a list of interview questions, but the two of you have
experience interviewing potential witnesses. Just ask what feels right and then call me when
you’re done.”
Sam handed both Kelly and me a list with about the same number of names.
“Given that we know who the victim was and how he might fit in with the specific
community that had gathered for the party, have you developed any motives to this point?” Kelly
asked. “There were a lot of people at the party, and while interviews are helpful and can provide
an overview, homing in on a motive for the man to have been stabbed through the heart with a
dagger might narrow things down a bit.”
“It seemed that Astral might have had a motive since Cashman was blocking her at every
turn, but Astral is a tiny thing and it seems that if she wanted to off the guy to get him out of the
way, she wouldn’t have done it in such a violent way at a party she hosted,” Sam replied. “I did
ask the medical examiner about the possibility of sedatives, and while he admitted that might be
a possibility, he didn’t have the toxicology screen back and likely wouldn’t have it until Monday
at the earliest.”
“Unless Dean Cashman was murdered by a group, it really seems that sedation of some sort
had likely been in the mix,” I said. I held up the list. “I’ll track the guests on the list down and
then give you a call.”
Sam responded by saying that he’d appreciate that.
“So who do we have?” Logan asked me once we’d returned to the car and headed south.
“We actually ended up with six people to interview. Charlene Robinson from the tourism
committee, Cole Jaxton and Rene Woodbine from the island council, Byron Newburger from the
environmental protection committee, and Rafferty Richardson and Gilda Hickman from the
historical society. It’s Saturday, so it will be harder to track them down, but at least they all live
in Hidden Harbor, which will save us a drive to the other side of the island.”
“Charlene should be in town for the rib cookoff and pumpkin carving,” Logan pointed out.
“Charley asked me to help judge the pumpkin carving contest, so maybe I can fit that in while
we’re there. Once we speak to Charlene, we’ll see where we are and figure the rest out from
there.”

“That sounds like a good plan. Let’s grab Sawyer and bring him along. He’ll enjoy all the
people.” ...