Spooked in Little Leaf Creek

by Cindy Bell

Genres: Cozy Mystery; Animal Cozy Mysteries; Culinary Cozy Mysteries

Synopsis

A festive farm, a friendly competition… and a fatal discovery.

Sebastian’s farm is buzzing with excitement for this year’s Halloween Festival, complete with hayrides, jack-o’-lanterns, and a pumpkin carving competition. But the day comes to a shocking end when someone turns up dead.

Cassie and Tessa can’t resist a good mystery. But things hit a little too close to home when they quickly discover someone they care about is the prime suspect. With the help of their loyal animal companions, they begin to untangle a web of lies and secrets in search of the truth.

Can they catch the killer before someone they care about ends up behind bars? Or has the wool been pulled over their eyes and he’s really to blame?

Recipe included: Chocolate Pumpkin Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Release date: October 14, 2025

Print pages: 150

Sample

Chapter One
The crisp fall air surrounded Cassie Alberta-Vail as she stepped into the
pumpkin patch, with her husband’s hand wrapped around hers.
“Oh, Sebastian, these all turned out so beautiful. I’m so glad we decided to do
this.”
“It was fun playing farmer with you.” Sebastian Vail grinned as he surveyed
the rows of plump orange pumpkins that sprawled out toward the edge of the farm.
“It was a great idea, and everyone in town’s so excited to come out and enjoy the
festival tonight. I wouldn’t have even thought about it without you.”
“It’s nice to do something for the community. They’ve been so welcoming and
supportive of me.” Cassie glanced up at the clear sky above her and once more
wondered how she’d ended up in such a wonderful place. She let gratitude flow
through her as she thought of where she’d come from. A loveless marriage that had
ended when her husband had tragically passed away in a car accident. She’d
thought then that her life was about to change, but she had no idea how much, or
how happy she would one day be.
“It’s hard to believe the farm is going to be flooded with people in just a few
hours.” Sebastian glanced over at her, his eyes filled with anticipation and
nervousness.
“It’s going to be great.” Cassie pulled him into a warm hug.
“I just hope there are no disasters. I feel like I’ve gone over the list of things to
do a million times, but I still think I’m forgetting something.”
“You’re not.” Cassie leaned back and looked up into his warm, dark brown
eyes that had seized her attention the first moment she’d seen them. “You’re just
going to have to trust yourself, and me.”
“I do trust you. You know that.” Sebastian cupped her cheek and kissed her.
Cassie was lost in the moment, when a strange snorting sound seemed to
emit from their kiss. She blushed as she wondered if somehow it was coming from
her. Sebastian broke the kiss and chuckled.
“Was that your stomach growling?” Sebastian raised his eyebrows.
“No.” Cassie’s eyes widened as she heard the snorting again.

She looked over Sebastian’s shoulder to find a goat with his head halfway
inside the pumpkin.
“Gerry!” Cassie shooed him away from the pumpkin, only to spot his brother
gnawing on another pumpkin farther down the row. “Billy, no!”
“Oh no, Cassie, those goats are going to eat the whole farm,” Sebastian
gasped, then chased after Gerry.
Cassie ran after Billy, although she already knew the chase would be futile.
The goats were fast, and had a special talent for escape and evasion.
“Harry!” Cassie shouted toward the fenced yards that backed up to the edge
of Sebastian’s farm. One belonged to her and Sebastian’s house. The other
belonged to their neighbor Tessa Watters, and the collie mix who was responsible for
herding her two pet goats.
The dog launched over the chain-link fence and bolted across the field in their
direction.
Meanwhile, Sebastian had gotten himself tangled up in some vines as he
attempted to grab on to Gerry.
The goat took off, bleating in a way that sounded just like laughter.
“Sebastian. Are you okay?” Cassie headed toward him.
“Yes.” Sebastian brushed off his hands. “Those goats outsmart me every
time.”
“Their only goal is mayhem.” Cassie grinned as she pulled the vines loose
from his work boots.
Harry joined in the chase with loud barks as he began circling the two goats.
He edged them into a smaller and smaller space.
Cassie wrapped her fingers around Gerry’s collar. He wriggled and kicked,
clearly offended at being held back.
Billy squirmed and squealed as Sebastian held on to his collar, then reached
for Gerry’s. “Let me have them, I’ll take them back to Tessa’s.”
“Gerry! Billy! Harry!” A voice carried across the farm, strengthened by
authority and determination.
“Uh-oh, you’re in trouble now,” Cassie laughed. “Tessa’s coming for you.”
Cassie looked up in time to see her neighbor and best friend heading toward
them. She had a slight limp in her step from when she’d taken a bullet while still on
the force, but she moved with such determination that no one would question her

ability to handle any situation. Her silver hair whipped around her forehead and
cheeks as she approached.
“That’s it. You two are grounded.” Tessa pointed at the goats. “And no treats.”
She put her hands on her hips as she eyed the pumpkins the goats had devoured.
“I’m so sorry. It’s not very neighborly to break into your pumpkin patch.”
“It’s okay. They can make it up to me by entertaining the kids tonight.”
Sebastian handed Billy over to Tessa, by the collar. “You’re still going to help set it
up, right?” A hint of desperation entered his voice.
“Don’t worry, Cassie and I will have this place ready to go in no time.” Tessa
tipped her head toward Cassie. “Want to help me stow the pets? Then we can get
started.”
“Sounds good to me.” Cassie smiled and walked beside her with Gerry still
complaining.
Harry pranced along beside them, quite proud of the good job he’d done.
“Did you pick out your costume?” Cassie asked.
“No, I’m not wearing one. Can you believe that Mark suggested I go as Bo
Peep?” Tessa rolled her eyes. “I told him, ‘They’re goats, Mark, not sheep.’”
Cassie held back a laugh as she imagined Tessa in a frilly dress and bonnet.
“See.” Tessa scowled at her as she noticed her shoulders shaking with
restrained amusement. “I’d be the laughingstock of the whole night.”
“Well, you don’t have to wear that. Personally, I think the police uniform you
wore a couple of years ago would be great.”
“Okay. I guess I can do that.” Tessa scooted the goats through the gate, then
tugged a few crates they’d managed to push over to the fence away from it. “You two
should go on the road with your escape acts.” She glanced over at Cassie. “What
about you?”
“I really wanted to do something adventurous, but at this point there’s no
chance I’ll find anything, and I don’t think I’ll even have time to put a costume
together.” Cassie glanced at her watch. “There’s a lot to still get done.”
“Nonsense, there’s always time for a costume. It will get you in the festive
spirit. Go and get changed, then we’ll get started on setting things up for the festival.”
Cassie relented and walked over to her house. She stood in front of her closet
for a while, trying to come up with something that could pass as a costume.

Finally, she pulled out a short denim skirt and boots, then grabbed one of
Sebastian’s red plaid shirts. She added a pair of warm tights underneath and layered
a thermal top beneath the shirt to keep out the evening chill. After braiding her hair
into pigtails, she gave herself a quick glance in the mirror, decided it would do, then
headed back to Tessa’s.
Cassie always had treats for Harry and kept a fresh bag of carrot pieces in her
pocket for the goats. She tossed them a few pieces as she hurried up the porch
steps. Tessa had warned her not to give them more, but it was the easiest way to
keep them from chewing on her outfit.
“Tessa?” Cassie called out as she opened the door.
“Come in.” Tessa walked over to her in a navy blue police uniform. “Well, look
at you. Straight from the pumpkin patch.”
“Too much?” Cassie asked.
“No, it’s great.” Tessa smiled. “You can be Sebastian’s farmhand.”
“At least I managed to come up with something.” Cassie glanced at her watch.
“We’d better head over and get things sorted. I just hope everything runs smoothly.”
“Whatever happens we’ll deal with it, but this is Little Leaf Creek. There’s
always unexpected surprises.” ...