The Murder Chronicles: A Cozy Mystery

Book 13: A Tess and Tilly Cozy Mystery

by Kathi Daley

Genres: Animal Cozy Mysteries; Romantic Suspense

Synopsis

If you love small towns, endearing relationships, food, animals, and a touch of murder, you will love this mystery series set in the small town of White Eagle Montana.

Tess and Tony are busy preparing for the annual Spring Fling, an event designed to both ring in the tourism season and welcome the end of cold temperatures and drifting snow, when a man with a mission sends Tess a letter detailing an odd but intriguing request. It seems that years ago, Simon Baldwin, one of twelve members of a secret society, identified fifteen cold case murders which they then took it upon themselves to solve them. They chronicled the investigation of each murder in a journal they titled: The Murder Chronicles. Of the fifteen murders, fourteen had been successfully closed by the group. One case remained unsolved and Simon, the only surviving member of the original group of twelve, is determined to solve the case before his death. Simon is a Montana native who’d heard about Tess and her success tackling this very sort of thing, so he sent her the journal and asked for her help in solving the last unsolved murder.

 

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Release date: May 17, 2022

Publisher: Kathi Daley Books

Print pages: 156

Sample

Chapter 1

Monday, April 4

 

 

 

“About two feet to the left,” I called out to the group of men who were helping hang the giant sign announcing the upcoming Spring Fling. “My left,” I corrected when the men headed in the opposite direction. Since the annual event would be taking place in just five days, someone from the planning committee really should have taken care of hanging the sign before this point. My husband, Tony Marconi, and I had been in Hawaii for the past three weeks, and in our absence, we had been named as co-chairpersons for the event, but it was apparent that no one on the committee had taken the initiative to get things started.

The woman from the local flower shop appeared on my left just as I stepped back for one last look at the sign. “Tess,” she greeted tentatively.

“Hey, Julie. How does it look?” I turned back toward the sign.

“It looks great. Really, really great.”

I turned and looked at the woman, who appeared to be less than happy. “Is there a problem?”

“With the sign, no. But I just heard from my vendor, and it looks like I’m not going to be able to supply as many daffodils as I told you I would be able to.”

“Okay.” I blew out a breath. This was a setback but not a catastrophe. “Maybe we can mix in tulips. I realize daffodils are traditional for this event, but tulips are springy, and they will add color.”

Julie looked slightly relieved. “I can try to find tulips. Getting the quantity we need will be tricky, and I might have to pay a fee for the rush order, so I imagine diversifying will put a kink in the budget, but if you think that tulips will work, I’ll see what I can track down.”

I forced a smile, which I hoped conveyed support. “Thank you. I really appreciate that. Please let me know what you find.”

“I will,” the woman assured me before hurrying away.

I looked down at my dog, Tilly. “What have we gotten ourselves into?”

She wagged her tail and barked once, which I chose to interpret as a show of support.

I still wasn’t sure how Tony and I had ended up in the position of event co-chairpersons yet again. This would be our third event in the past six months. We weren’t even in the country when someone suggested that Tony and I would be the perfect people to fill the open position for the Halloween event in October, and then everyone had just assumed that we’d continue the role for the Christmas event in December. After the event in December, I’d made it clear to the committee that they’d need to find another chairperson for the spring event, and yet once again, we were knee-deep in solving last-minute problems.

“Looks good,” Hap Hollister, longtime resident, owner of the hardware and home supply store, and a man I considered to be my friend, said.

“It does, doesn’t it?” I smiled. “I didn’t expect you to show up to help. Did you close the store?”

“Everyone on Main is closed due to the broken waterline.”

“Waterline?”

He nodded. “The mainline running under the park is shooting water into the air like a geyser. I guess it was bound to happen. The entire town is serviced by old lines that are in need of repair or replacement, and everyone knows it.”

I frowned, not sure if this particular bit of news would somehow affect me. “I know there’s been talk about replacing all the waterlines if the town can find the funding.” I shifted my clipboard to my other hand. “So are the businesses along Main going to closed for long?”

“I’m not sure. What I do know is that the water is off while they figure out what to do. It looks like the repair to the line under the park will be a major job, and they’re looking at a way to bypass that part of the system so the stores along Main can reopen. In the meantime, I’m closed and willing to help out if you need me.”

“I appreciate that. You said the pipe beneath the park will need to be repaired. Has anyone mentioned how long that might take?”

He shrugged. “I’m not sure, but it sounds like they’ll be digging in the area for at least a few weeks.”

My heart sank. “A few weeks?”

He nodded.

“The Spring Fling is supposed to be held in the park next weekend. We’ve been advertising it for a month. The craft vendors have been producing merchandise to sell, the food vendors have been buying supplies, and the bands have been practicing.”

“Yeah.” He let out a long sigh. “That’s going to be a problem. There’s no way the pipe will be fixed by the weekend.”

Perfect. Just perfect. Why did these things happen to me?

“I suppose you can move the event,” Hap suggested.

“It sounds as if we’ll have no choice but to do so. It’s going to be hard to find a place with enough room for the bandstand, kiddie carnival, craft vendors, food court, and the tent for the pancake breakfast.”

“Maybe someone has an empty field we can use.”

I shook my head. “An empty field wouldn’t have electricity. What we need is a large open space that not only has power but plenty of parking and bathrooms as well.”

“You could bring in portable toilets if you can find a venue that will work but doesn’t have bathrooms. What about the community center? You could set up the food court and pancake breakfast in the auditorium. The bandstand and the kiddie carnival could be set up in the parking lot. It seems that there would be enough room for both. I’m not sure where you’d put the crafters. Maybe they could line the walkways to and from the building.”

“Okay.” I blew out a breath. “That might work, but where would everyone park?”

“There’s parking on the street but not enough,” Hap admitted. “Maybe you could run shuttles between the baseball fields and the community center. There’s plenty of parking at the fields.”

I smiled. “Actually, I think that might work. In fact, we could put the kiddie carnival and some of the food vendors at the fields and then set up the bands, crafts, and the remainder of the food vendors at the community center.” I hugged the older gentleman. “Thanks, Hap. I appreciate the heads up and the help finding a solution. I’m going to head into town to talk to the mayor. I’m sure he’s been brainstorming as well. Do you need a ride?”

“No. I drove out here. If you need help getting everything moved, just let me know.”

“Thanks. I appreciate that.”

Hap headed off to talk to a group of men who were standing around chatting, so I pulled my cell phone out and called the mayor. He was aware of the situation but was in a meeting negotiating the town’s contract with the company that provided trash service to the community and informed me that he’d need to call me later. Deciding to look at things myself, I called Tilly and headed to the new Jeep Tony had recently purchased for Tilly and me to tool around town in.

“Oh my,” I said when I arrived at the roadblock that had been set up. Not only was the area we hoped to use for the Spring Fling flooded, but it looked more like a lake than a park.

“Hey, Tess,” my brother, Officer Mike Thomas, greeted me when I arrived at the area where men were digging up the parking lot.

“What a mess,” I said.

“I’m afraid it’s pretty bad,” he agreed. “We had to shut off the water to the whole area. I’m not sure when we’ll have it back on.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” I asked.

“Not unless you’re a closet plumber.”

I smiled. “I’m afraid not. I know there’s been talk about the pipes needing to be replaced, but I had no idea things were this bad. Do you have any sort of timeline?”

Mike shook his head. “The crew is working as fast as they can, but things are bad. Really bad. I doubt we’ll be able to restore the water for at least two or three days, and the park will be torn up for weeks.”

“I was afraid of that.” I groaned.

“I guess this will impact the festival this weekend.”

I nodded. “I imagine we’ll need to cancel. Hap suggested moving it, which might work. I suppose there’s never a good time for something like this to happen, but this does seem to be a particularly bad time.”

“I feel your pain. I really do.” Mike waved to a man with a yellow vest. “I need to go. I’ll talk to you later.”

I said my goodbyes and looked down at Tilly. “How about we walk over to Sisters’ Diner and see how Mom and Aunt Ruthie are doing with the water situation.”

Tilly barked once to let me know that she was in favor of my idea, so we headed off down the sidewalk. While all of the businesses along Main were closed, most business owners were still inside, cleaning up and doing what they could while they waited. This was going to be hard on the small businesses in the area. Winters were slow due to all the snow, so I knew that the merchants looked forward to sunny skies and an increase in tourism. Needing to close just when business was picking up steam wasn’t going to be easy on anyone.

“Tess, what a nice surprise,” Mom greeted me. “I’ve been wondering if you were back from your trip and if you’d heard about the water disaster.”

As I expected it would be, the diner was empty with the exception of Mom and Aunt Ruthie, who were both busy bagging and boxing up dirty dishes to take home to wash. “I am back, and I did hear about it. In fact, I was just talking to Mike at the park. It sounds like the repair won’t be an easy one.”

“I heard that as well. Ruthie and I chatted about it, and we’ve decided to close the diner until Friday, no matter what happens with the water. Mike said it was likely that the water wouldn’t be on until then anyway, and Ruthie has been wanting to visit her son. Making the decision now to be closed will give her the opportunity to do that.”

“Makes sense. I guess that gives you a few days off as well.”

“It will. Sam asked me if I wanted to go along when he heads to Spokane with him tomorrow. I guess he has a meeting with his bank or his financial adviser or something like that. Anyway, initially, I wasn’t going to go since I had to work, but I think I’ll tell him I will ride along. He’ll be there for two or three days, and it’s been a while since I took the time to go anywhere overnight. Speaking of overnight trips, how was Hawaii? I hope you and Tony had a nice break.”

“We did,” I answered. “It was really nice. Tony had to work much of the time, and there were some bumps along the way, but ultimately, Tony’s customer was satisfied, and Tony and I got a free vacation out of it. I’m hoping we can go back next winter. It really is lovely there, and I’d like to do some diving if we can fit it in.”

“Diving sounds like fun unless you’re pregnant, of course.”

I had to try very hard not to roll my eyes. Tony and I did plan to have children one day, but we had agreed to wait. I’d hoped that Mike’s daughter, Ella, would fill the “grandma” need in my mom’s life, and she’d back off from nagging Tony and me for grandchildren, but so far, Ella’s presence only seemed to make her more determined that both of her children do their duty and provide her with the babies she longed for.

“How is Ella?” I asked. “I haven’t had a chance to stop by to see her since we’ve been back.”

“She’s growing like a weed and looking more and more like her Grandma Thomas every day.”

I wasn’t sure why Mom thought Ella looked like her since she simply looked like a pudgy-cheeked baby to me, but Mom was convinced that Ella took after her, so I didn’t argue. I was about to ask about the tooth that had been trying to make an appearance when Tony and I left for Hawaii when the phone rang, and Mom turned to answer it. I decided to check my messages while she chatted. It would be rude to just leave without saying goodbye, especially since I just got home from my trip, so I hoped she wouldn’t get caught up in a long conversation.

After logging in, I opened my cell phone’s messaging app. Tony had texted to let me know that he’d finished work for the day and planned to stick a roast in the oven for dinner. I was still amazed that I’d not only been lucky enough to find a husband who adored me and took me on fabulous trips but loved to cook as well. There was also a text message from Bree asking me to come by now that Tony and I were home from Hawaii. It sounded as if she might still be at the bookstore she owned, so I figured I’d stop there when Tilly and I left here.

“By the way, I meant to tell you that I ran into another of your father’s old friends the other day,” Mom said once she hung up.

By “another,” I knew that she meant in addition to Sam, who’d been Dad’s friend and a friend of the family since I was a child. I slipped my cell phone into my pocket. “You did? Who’d you run into?”

“Kyle Longwood. I don’t know if you remember him. He used to drive for the same trucking company your dad worked for when you were around five or six. I never knew him well, but he came around a time or two, and if I remember correctly, he stayed for dinner on one occasion.”

I tried to remember back, but the name didn’t sound familiar. I’d need to ask Sam about it when I finally caught up with him. “What did he look like?” I hoped a description would jar my memory.

She shrugged. “I guess Kyle must be around five-ten. Dark hair that’s gray now. He’s really just an average-looking guy.”

“If he’s an average-looking guy, I’m surprised you remembered him after all these years.” It felt odd to talk to Mom about Dad as if he were dead, which he wasn’t, but of course, the story of Dad’s death was one that Mom, and most everyone else, believed to be true.

“Actually, I didn’t remember him at first,” Mom answered. “I was here in the diner when a man walked in who seemed vaguely familiar. I was still trying to remember how I knew him when he introduced himself and reminded me of our acquaintance. Apparently, he hadn’t heard about your father’s death since he asked about him. I guess that both men had moved on to different trucking companies by the time of Grant’s accident.”

I couldn’t help but frown. “And what did you tell this man about Dad?”

“I told him that he’d died in an accident more than a decade ago. I didn’t go into specifics, and he didn’t ask.”

“Did he say anything else?”

Now it was Mom’s turn to frown. “Not really. He made a comment about being sorry to hear that Grant had passed, and then he ordered a sandwich to go and left. I really only spoke to him for a few minutes. Is there a reason why you’re so curious about the man?”

“No. I’m just trying to see if I can place him. Since his name doesn’t ring a bell, I guess I was too young when he came around.”

“Like I said, I think you were just five or six, and he only came around a couple times. There’s really no reason you should remember him.”

I spoke to my mom a while longer and then decided to head down the street to see if Bree was still at work. The bookstore was dark, so I decided to head home. I would need to figure out what to do about the Spring Fling, but I needed to speak to the mayor before actually doing anything, and since he hadn’t called me back, at this point, I saw no reason to remain in town.

“I’m home,” I called out as Tilly and I greeted dogs, Titan and Kody, as well as our resident cats, Tang and Tinder.

“In the kitchen,” Tony called back.

I headed in that direction. “Something smells fabulous.”

“It won’t be ready for another hour. If you’re hungry, I can make you a snack.”

“I actually had a late lunch, so I’m good. How did everything go today?”

“It went well.” Tony pulled me close and kissed me on the top of the head. “How did things go with you?”

“On a positive note, the sign is hung, the fliers distributed, and the volunteers notified of the meeting later in the week. On a slightly more negative note, the waterline under the park burst, and the entire park is flooded. All the businesses on Main are closed until they can get it fixed.”

Tony stopped what he was doing. “I hadn’t heard. How long are they estimating for the repair?”

“They hope to bypass the area under the park so they can restore water to the businesses and residents in the area within a couple days, but the park is going to be torn up for weeks. We’ll need to move the Spring Fling.”

“That’s not going to be an easy thing to do since it’s so close to the event,” Tony pointed out as frown lines appeared on his brow.

“I know.” I paused to let out a long breath. “I chatted with Hap, and we have an idea that, while not ideal, could work. I just need to run the idea past the mayor, and he hasn’t called me back yet. I guess until he does, I’m sort of at a standstill.”

Tony’s frown turned to a smile. It was apparent that Tony was trying to appear encouraging, but since his smile looked forced and didn’t really reach his eyes, he hadn’t really pulled it off. “Don’t worry,” he offered. “We’ll figure this out together. If we need to scale the event back a bit, we will.”

I loved Tony for trying to lighten the mood, but I couldn’t quite get there yet. “I suppose scaling back is an option, but I’m afraid at this point, any choice we make is going to have a negative impact on the event. I know that the town depends on the funding from these special events and hate to see everyone’s work go to waste, but if you ask me, the best option is probably to just cancel the darn thing.”

“I suppose that is an option,” Tony agreed. “But a scaled-back event still might be better than no event.”

“Maybe.” I picked a package up that was addressed to me that I’d just noticed sitting on the counter. “What’s this?”

“I have no idea. A man brought it to the house today. He wanted to give it to you directly, but when I explained that you weren’t home, he agreed to leave it with me.”

“A man? As in a delivery service?”

“He wasn’t in an official vehicle, nor did he wear a uniform. It looked as if he might have been a private courier. I’ve noticed an increase in individuals offering personalized courier services. Sort of like Uber, only they transport packages and documents rather than people.”

“There has been chatter down at the post office about that. From what I hear, these services are economical and reliable.” I turned the package over in my hands. “I wonder what it is.”

Tony handed me a knife. “I guess there’s only one way to find out.”

I used the knife to slit the box open. “It’s a book.” I opened the cover. “Not published. More like a journal or manuscript of some sort. The cover page says The Murder Chronicles.”

“Sounds like a work of fiction,” Tony said.

“Yeah.” I frowned. “It does. But why would someone send me an unpublished manuscript? I’m not an agent, editor, or publisher.”

“It looks like there’s a letter,” Tony said.

I picked the plain white envelope up and pulled out several sheets of paper. My frown deepened as I began to read.

“What is it?” Tony asked.

I read the letter aloud. “In the beginning, there were seven of us. On the surface, we were all very different. An unlikely group for certain, but while we all came from differing backgrounds and enjoyed differing levels of intelligence and privilege, we did have one thing in common, an insatiable curiosity.”

“That’s an odd way to begin a letter,” Tony said. “What else does it say?”

“Roland was the richest, most entitled, pushiest, and meanest of the lot of us. He was a shrewd negotiator who knew how to take charge and get things done. Looking back, I very much doubt our little group would have amounted to much of anything if not for Roland and his unwavering drive to find the answers that, until we joined together, no one else had been able to conquer.”

“Getting interesting,” Tony leaned a hip on the counter. “Go on.”

“Arthur was the most settled,” I continued. “Being the eldest male of a longstanding family, he’d inherited the family estate. It was this estate where the group would gather every Tuesday to discuss cases and build theories. It was this estate where thoughts born from imagination began to take root and grow into something quite magical.”

“The author certainly has a flowery way with words,” Tony said. “I have a feeling the letter is going to be a long one.”

I counted the pages. “Four typewritten pages. Single spaced.”

He held up a wine bottle. I nodded, and he poured us each a glass.

I took a sip of the excellent wine and continued. “Leo was the charmer. A handsome bloke who knew exactly how to get whatever it was he wanted. He wasn’t pushy or forceful, but rather knew how to use his looks and charm to open doors that seemed tightly closed to others.”

“It sounds like the script for a movie,” Tony commented.

“It does,” I agreed. “Maybe it is.” I continued. “Edwin was the brightest of the group. At least he was the most intelligent male. Though I’m sure Edwin would never have admitted it to anyone under any circumstances, I truly believe that his sister, Adele, possessed a superior mind. Whichever sibling actually had the higher IQ was never determined, but both Edwin and Adele could easily outthink the rest of us. Their superior intellect is what kept things moving when our investigations seemed to hit a dead-end.”

“I feel like we should be writing these names down,” Tony said.

“We will. Let me finish, and then we’ll go back through it,” I suggested.

Tony nodded, and I continued to read. “Iris was Adele’s best friend. Iris was shy and slow to speak, and unlike the others, she didn’t appear to have an innate ability that would make her of much value to the group. But Adele loved her, and we needed Adele, so we welcomed the wallflower and did our best to include her. My name is Simon. I wish I could claim to be in possession of an undeniably valuable attribute, but the truth of the matter is that I’m just really good at maintaining the peace and keeping everyone on track. If our group had officially recruited a clerk, I suppose that position would have gone to me. As it was, like Iris, my involvement was more a gesture of goodwill due to my friendship with Arthur.” I paused and looked up. “So far, we have Roland, who is the pushy entitled one; Arthur, who is settled and provided the estate on which to meet; Leo, who was the charmer; and Edwin and his sister, Adele, who were the brains.”

“That’s what I remember,” Tony agreed.

“Iris is Adele’s best friend, and Simon is both the author of the letter and Arthur’s friend.”

Tony nodded. “Does this Simon ever get to the point of this whole thing?”

I looked down at the pages in my hand and then looked up at Tony. “I think there is a bit more prequel to get through before we get to the meat.”

“Just skip down. We can go back and reread the whole thing later.”

I did as Tony suggested and scanned the pages until I found a passage that looked as if it might begin to lead us to the point. “Our journey began on a cold December day in nineteen sixty-two. Roland’s younger brother, Calvin, was killed in a hunting accident, and while the police, as well as most everyone else, believed the man’s death to have been just that, an accident, Roland, a bored twenty-eight-year-old, had reason to believe otherwise. When Roland was unable to get the detective looking into the accident to take his theory of a death by intentional gunshot seriously, he decided to look into things himself. He knew he needed help, so he asked his good friend, Arthur, to provide feedback. Between the two of them, the men were able to come up with a plausible theory as to what might have occurred, but despite their best effort, they were unable to find a way to prove it. It was at this point they decided to court Edwin in the hope of convincing him to meet with them at Arthur’s estate. Initially, Edwin claimed to be much too busy to spend time on such a thing and refused. Both Roland and Arthur knew that they’d need his elevated IQ and heightened logic process to put things together, so Arthur asked his neighbor, Leo, to court the charming Adele in the hope of convincing her to persuade her brother to join the group despite his hesitation. In the beginning, Leo and Adele’s courtship was a rocky one, but eventually, Leo claimed his prize, and Adele agreed to approach her brother on the group’s behalf. Once Edwin was involved, Adele insisted on having a seat at the table for both herself and her friend, Iris, so Arthur brought me, a nineteen-year-old student at the university, in to take notes and attend to clerical functions.”

“So did they prove that Roland’s brother was murdered?” Tony asked.

“They did.” I continued scanning the pages. “In fact, according to this, the group, or what was left of the group, solved twelve cold case murders if you include the shooting case that started the whole thing.”

“Sounds interesting. So why is this man writing to you?”

I read silently, my frown deepening as I worked my way deeper into the letter. “It seems that by the time Calvin’s murder had been solved and the killer had been brought to justice, the group had bonded. Two years had passed since they first met to discuss the hunting accident, and during that time, a routine of sorts had been established. After a bit of discussion, a decision was made to continue to meet once a week. The second case the group took on only took months rather than years to solve, so, once again, the group was in need of a case. Eventually, it was decided that each member of the group would present one or two cold cases they found interesting, and the group as a whole would choose twelve to consider. The twelve that were chosen were organized into the journal that was sent to me.”

“So what exactly is contained within the journal?” Tony asked.

“It looks as if there are police reports, autopsy reports, and detective notes for each of the twelve cases.”

“And were they all solved?”

Again, I took a minute to look things over. “While I haven’t actually read the entire letter, it appears as if all but one case has been wrapped up.” I looked down at the typewritten letter and looked for a paragraph relating to Tony’s question. I found what I was looking for halfway down page three. “According to Simon, the group continued to work on the cases even after group members began to die off. At this point, Simon is the only member of the group who is still alive. Apparently, there’s one case still unsolved, and Simon is determined to close the case before he dies.”

“And is he dying?”

I nodded. “Simon has cancer. He only has months to live, and he knows that he’ll likely not solve the case without help. The still-unsolved case the group voted to look into almost sixty years ago involves the disappearance of a woman named Jessie Dogwood. Jessie, her husband, Jeffrey, and their four children lived here in White Eagle. Or at least they lived on a ranch just outside of White Eagle. Simon decided to enlist the help of someone living in the area since he’s no longer able to travel, so he asked around, and everyone Simon spoke to assured him that if he had a mystery to solve, the woman to solve it would be me.”

Tony sat back on his stool. “That’s some story. Are you going to help the man?”

I paused. “I’m not sure. I do feel for the guy if what he says is true. To be part of a group vowing to solve twelve cold case murders and then actually solve eleven of those murders over the next sixty years really is amazing. It would be tragic if the last group member passed before their last cold case was solved. But solving a cold case dating back more than sixty years sounds nearly impossible, and we are really busy with the Spring Fling and all.”

“The decision is yours,” Tony said. “And you know I’ll support whatever decision you come to, but the Spring Fling is in five days. We could do some preliminary work this week and then dig in once the event is over.”

I held up the letter. “Do you think this guy is legit?”

His gaze narrowed. “How about we eat and then head downstairs. I’ll dig around a bit and see what I can find out about Simon and his six friends. I assume he provided last names.”

“Not in the letter, but maybe in the journal.” I set the letter down and began to flip through the journal. “Here we are. Simon Baldwin. There are last names for the others as well.”

“Okay. Let’s see what we can find out about the group, and then we can decide what to do next. I assume this man left contact information.”

I nodded. “Simon lives in a convalescent facility in San Francisco.”

“Okay. That’s a good start. Let’s see what we can find.”