Winter Murderland

by Max Parrott

Genres: Cozy Mystery; Animal Cozy Mysteries; Paranormal Cozy Mysteries

Synopsis

"The series as a whole is charming and lighthearted with the endearing duo of Jaz and Luffy bringing humor and heart…Max Parrott is well-known for a witty writing style and a seamless capture of the canine personality with Luffy's huffiness and constant commentary."--5 Stars, Readers' Favorite

One island. Eleven Strangers. One Murder.

Eager to try her hand at an exciting televised game show, amateur sleuth Jasmine and her faithful companion Luffy are back at it again when they pit their skills against eleven fellow competitors on the hunt for a hidden treasure. Jasmine needs the prize money to fund her budding PI business… provided nobody else gets to it first.

But things soon take a darker turn when one of the competitors meets an untimely demise. Jasmine knew the competition would be fierce – but could it really drive someone to murder?

With the cameras trained on her every move and the remaining competitors still vying to claim the grand prize for themselves, Jasmine must juggle her desire to win the competition with her determination to solve the case. Can Jasmine and Luffy manage to find the truth? Or will the prize – and the culprit – slip away from them?

Perfect for fans of loveable amateur sleuths and cozy mysteries packed full of twists and turns, this latest mystery will bring you up close and personal. Don’t blink, or you may miss something!

Release date: December 1, 2020

Print pages: 155

Sample

Chapter 1

 It was a tiny, cramped office, with boxes in the corners that still needed unpacking and fine layers of dust left behind by the most recent owner. The walls were thin and let in as much of the chilly winter air as the windows did the festive lights. Even the location was less than ideal—though Blackwood Cove was not a large town, a building on the very edge of it still felt much too far away. There were very few positives that anyone could come up with regarding the cramped space, but to Jasmine, it was perfect.

"I can't believe we have our own office," Jasmine said, shaking her head. "It feels so official."

"Still needs a doggy door," her golden retriever Luffy replied. He couldn't complain much, though—an entire corner of the room had been cleared out to make space for a fluffy dog bed and a food bowl for him. There were even a few toys sprinkled about so he wouldn't get restless. Jasmine had put more thought into his accommodations than her own.

"We'll figure that out," she promised anyway. She had worked extremely hard to open her own office as an official private detective, and she would not cut corners now.  "Our first task should be to find some clients, though. We need a good first case to get us on the radar."

"I can talk to some of the dogs around town. They'll know if anyone has problems that need investigating."

"We need them to come to us," Jasmine said, shaking her head. "Remember, we're not chasing down our own cases anymore. We're going to help people who ask for it, not go searching for trouble."

"Maybe once we find the case, you can convince them to ask for help?" Luffy suggested.

Jasmine shook her head again. Like Luffy, she was excited to get started, but she had read a bunch of books about starting her own business. All of them insisted that if you went begging for your first customers, people would get the idea that your service wasn't good enough to stand on its own. Jasmine and Luffy were already off to a good start with a nice stint of publicity. After all, they did solve Blackwood Cove’s very first murder case.

"So, how do you want us to find business?"

"We have to put up advertisements," Jasmine answered, opening a couple of boxes looking for some papers she had misplaced. "I already wrote up a couple of paragraphs about it, and I bet Julie Barnes will give me a discount if I want to put it in the paper."

Julie Barnes was the chief editor of Blackwood Cove's tiny newspaper and had a complicated history with Jasmine involving two separate murder cases. They were on good terms now, and she still owed Jasmine a favor for helping her to relocate. It wouldn't reach a huge readership, but it would hopefully be enough to get her new business off the ground.

Before Jasmine could find the paper she was looking for with her advertisement, there was a knock at the door. Jasmine looked to Luffy and beamed with pride. "Maybe we won't need that advertisement after all."

But alas, when Jasmine opened the door, it wasn't a perspective client waiting to try out their new business. It was only her parents, holding a gift basket with a big ribbon.

"Hey there, Jaz," her dad greeted, carrying the basket past her to set it on her empty desk. "Your mom and I just wanted to drop by and see your new office."

"We're so proud of you," her mom laughed, hugging her. "We always knew you had a bright future, but starting your own business is even more amazing than we expected."

"Thanks, guys.  I was at home a few hours ago though... did you really need to come all this way to give me the basket?"

"Your father wanted to see what you've done with the office," her mom explained as her dad walked around in the tiny space.

"Where's this door lead to?" he asked, pushing on a door behind the desk.

"Upstairs. That's where the apartment is."

Apartment was a generous word, as the entire living area comprised the same floor space as the office. Aside from a bed and a tiny bathroom, there wasn't room for much, but the landlord threw it in for free with her rental of the office space. Jasmine was sure her parents would have been fine with her staying at home while she built up the business, but she liked the independence and convenience that the little apartment provided. Besides, it made her feel like a real detective, and she would need that confidence if she wanted her business to succeed.

"I'm going to look around," her dad said, opening the door to a narrow staircase. Jasmine hadn't been able to get the light to work, so as her father went upstairs, he disappeared into the darkness.

"He's just excited for you," her mother assured her. "I am too—I've already started telling everyone about your business."

"Great. The sooner we get our name out there, the sooner we'll be taking on our first case."

"We? It's only you in here, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Jasmine said, with a glance at Luffy. He was just as much a part of the team as she was, but she couldn't exactly explain how she could have full conversations with her dog to help solve cases. "It's just one of those company things, you know? The royal we, or something like that."

"That sounds like one of those things they taught you in those college writing classes. Glad to see they're getting some use."

Their actual use would be in the ad that Jasmine had written. There was a brief lull in the conversation and Jasmine used it as a chance to move around her office, opening a few more boxes in the search for the paper.

"You’ve certainly brought enough notebooks," her mother said, picking an empty one out of a box Jasmine had left open. "These boxes must have been a pain to get out here."

"I used to work in a bookshop. I managed."

At long last she found the paper she was looking for. The edge was still rough from where she had torn it out of a notebook and the handwriting was messy, but it would only take a few minutes to type up the whole thing and send it to Julie. She might even walk it there herself and step inside for a brief chat. She hadn't talked to Julie in a long while, and she could use some time in a properly climate-controlled building.

"It's not much of an apartment," her father frowned, ducking his head a bit as he came down the stairs. "Quaint, I'd say, or cozy. What are those words that sound sweet but really mean tiny?"

"I know it's small. But the apartment is just where I'll be sleeping. I'll have a lot of work that'll keep me busy, and I know my way around town well enough to find things to do when I'm not."

"Speaking of things to do," her mother said. "Have you heard about that carnival they're bringing to town?"

Jasmine shook her head. She's been too busy getting the paperwork done for the new business to listen to any of the town gossip or even pay much attention to the news.

"Oh, well, it's all very exciting. It's all winter themed and they've got some really nice ice sculptures and fun sled rides for kids. I hear they even have rides and performances and everything that goes along with a usual carnival."

"And it's coming to Blackwood Cove?" Jasmine asked. The town was usually far too small to host anything like that. The only time she could ever remember going to a carnival had been when she was in kindergarten and her parents drove her three hours out of town to spend her birthday at one. 

"Your father was surprised by that, too. I told him it was nothing to be too shocked by after all the publicity you and that Marlon Gale fellow brought in."

"They are coming here though," her father confirmed. "In fact, it looks like they'll be setting up pretty close to here. You know that stretch of road between here and the main town area? That's going to be their main area."

"Out where that old field is?" Luffy whined. "That field was one of my favorite parts of this place. Why did we even rent it if I'm not going to have a place to play?"

"Isn't that technically a park?" Jasmine asked, trying to rephrase Luffy's concerns.

"It was at some point, I suppose," her father agreed with a shrug. "But there are really only a few benches around there, and the carnival will only be here for the season. Probably too cold for most kids to be outside, anyway."

"It'll be lovely being so nearby," her mother encouraged, as if she could read the trepidation in Jasmine's voice. "You should look at some pictures online—it's not at all like those traditional carnivals with the bright colors and obnoxious lights—all the ice and snow give it a really nice blue tone; it's almost graceful."

"Alright," Jasmine said. It didn’t thrill her, but she knew her parents had no more of a say in the matter than she did. She would get used to the carnival, and then once winter was over, they would be gone and she would be able to renew her focus on her detective work. She imagined that by then she would be a well-established private detective, and she would have far more important concerns than whether a traveling carnival was celebrating next door. Until then, it was good to stay positive about the whole thing. "Maybe I'll even stop by it sometime and see if it's any fun."

"That's the spirit. It can't be much colder than it is in here."

"If it's too chilly for you in here, why don't you and dad head on home? I still need to unpack everything, and I'm thinking of running into town to see if I can get Julie to run an ad in the paper for me."

"We can give you a ride," her father offered.

"It's not far," Jasmine said. "I can walk—maybe I'll even stop in the park and let Luffy get a few final moments of enjoying it before it gets turned into a carnival."

"And you're sure you don't need us to help you unpack?" her mother asked again.

"I am absolutely sure. You guys are acting like I've never been on my own before. I've got this."

"We just want to help you succeed."

"But if we're being stifling, we'll leave you alone," her mother promised. "We'll be at home if you need anything. Feel free to call or just stop by. Heaven knows Lulu would be excited to see you."

"I'll be around often. Just don't make me regret basing the new business in Blackwood Cove."

"Of course, of course," her mother said, finally moving towards the door. "We'll leave you alone now."

"Good luck with this," her father added. "It's a big step, but I know you're ready to make it."

With those final words of encouragement, Jasmine's parents left her alone. She sat down at her desk and leaned back, taking a deep breath. "That was... a lot."

"I think we should go see them next," Luffy said, wagging his tail. "I can play with Lulu and you can talk to your parents more."

"You just want to play with Lulu's fancy new toys."

"That's not true!" Luffy protested, but when Jasmine stared at him, he added: "I also enjoy running around the big house. There's not exactly much space to play here."

"That's what the park was supposed to be for. If you're feeling restless already, we can head out now."

"Yes!" Luffy agreed enthusiastically. "Let's go to the park."

Normally it would have taken Jasmine some time to put on all the jackets and coats she needed to go outside, but it was cold enough in the office that she was still wearing most of the attire. She threw on one extra coat and stuffed the ad she had written into one pocket with her balled up gloves. Once Luffy was done running around in the park, they could head Julie's way and ask about the ad.

Luffy brought his favorite toy along, and when they got to the park, they played a simple game of fetch. It felt remarkably familiar to be standing in Blackwood Cove and playing fetch with Luffy. Though she hadn't known she would return to the town for the long haul, now that she had done so, it felt like the right decision. 

She had only thrown the ball a couple of times when she was interrupted by a blond man with a headset and a homely blue sweater. He was both tall and wide, though not astoundingly out of the ordinary in either regard. Jasmine couldn't recall ever seeing him around town before.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to interrupt, but I'm here to survey the land. I'd prefer if I could do it without the threat of being hit by a tennis ball."

"It's not a tennis ball," Luffy said as he ran up with the ball in question. It was about the right size to be one, but instead of plush it was made of plastic and a smiling alien face printed on one side of it. It was Luffy's favorite toy, and he did not take kindly to the stranger criticizing it.

"I don't think we've met," Jasmine said, sticking out a hand. She was trying not to sound too much like she was accusing him of anything. "I'm Jasmine."

"I'm Peter Rockwell," the man said, shaking her hand. "I'm the owner of Festival Fun, a company specializing in themed carnivals. We're setting up a winter-themed event called Winter Wonderland in this park in a couple of days, and I need to get a good look at the land."

"Luffy and I will only be another couple of minutes. He just needs to expel some energy."

"I understand that. Trust me, I would never want to get in between a dog and their owner. However, I need to write up some plans for where everything is going to go, and I've never been good at dodgeball."

"Maybe you could come back in a bit?"

"I'm on a very strict schedule. There's a lot that goes into setting up a carnival in a brand-new location, as I'm sure you could have guessed."

"Yeah," Jasmine said with a sigh. She was getting the feeling she would not win this argument. "How long do you think you'll be around?"

"Only an hour or two. I just need to draw up some plans."

"Hours?" Luffy whined.

"I guess Luffy and I could go run a couple of errands and then come back," Jasmine said. They needed to go see Julie either way, so it would only really be a small disruption of their plans to head there first. "When are you guys setting everything up?"

"Only a couple of days from now. It's all very exciting—I'm sure you'll enjoy the carnival a lot more than this old park."

"I won't," Luffy complained. He put his front paws up on Jasmine's leg to take the ball from her.

"It'll certainly be a change," Jasmine said diplomatically, hoping she came across as being enthusiastic rather than bitter. "I guess I'll leave you to your measurements or your survey or whatever. Wouldn't want you guys to get behind your schedule."

"Thank you. I have to admit, I was worried for a second there that you were going to be unreasonable, but you seem cool. If you're based nearby, please drop by and see the carnival. It's going to be nothing like anything this little town has seen before."

"So I've been told. I'll try to check it out."

She tossed the ball a short distance in front of her for Luffy to chase. Peter flinched as Luffy headed in his general direction, but relaxed again as Jasmine followed suit. She felt a little bad for making him nervous, but after he had kicked them out of the park, she found it hard to be all too sympathetic.

"I don't like him," Luffy muttered.

"I didn't figure you would," Jasmine said as soon as they were out of earshot. "He was pretty nice though, just a little self-centered."

"You can't be both nice and self-centered," Luffy said, pinning the ball under his paws. When he was done talking, he tried to bite through it with his teeth and shook it around a bit. Once satisfied with his victory over the plastic, he returned it to Jasmine and she tossed it out in front of her again.

"It doesn't really matter either way. He said that he runs the company, so he'll probably be way too busy to deal with people outside of his direct circle. That's probably the last we'll ever see of him."

"Good," Luffy said, then grabbed the ball. Jasmine played the modified version of catch with him all the way down to the bookshop and hoped that it would take the edge off leaving the park behind. 

The Book Nook was a quaint little shop near the center of town, and Jasmine had a long history with it. From an avid customer to a valued employee to the accidental savior of the shop, Jasmine had been entangled with the Book Nook for as long as she could remember. For that reason, when she walked inside, she was met with a greeting just as warm as the heated air that rushed towards her.

"If it isn't Blackwood Cove's best private detective," Patrick Walker greeted from behind the counter. He was getting old, but the smile on his face seemed to shave the years away. "I'll take it you're here to see Brandon?"

"Julie, actually. Is she around?"

"She should be back in an hour to drop off tomorrow's edition of the paper."

As part of a deal Jasmine had helped set up, Julie Barnes sold her paper at the Book Nook rather than in a building of her own. She had her own section near the front of the shop and the papers were both better organized and better advertised than any of the books that were piled on the shelves.

"Is that Jasmine?" A voice from the jungle of books that made up the shelves called out. Jasmine had to turn to see Brandon, but Luffy recognized his smell in an instant and ran up to him, full of excitement. Brandon chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes."

Brandon looked better than ever. His hair was a bit longer than the last time she had seen him, but it was also more neatly kept. He seemed to have grown into his height, with broader shoulders and arms, though any new muscles were hidden behind a long-sleeved shirt. He seemed happy too, with a glint in his eyes as he lugged a crate of books to the front desk.

"Hey Brandon. How's the business?"

"He's really got a knack for it," Mr. Walker said before Brandon could respond. "He's sending out crates of books every day."

"That's not my fault," Brandon protested. "It's the weather. It's been a pretty nasty spell, and people around here aren't getting any younger. They need some books to keep them busy while they're sitting at home."

"I thought that tourist season was your best season," Jasmine said. When she had been working there, the winter had always threatened to plunge the Book Nook into bankruptcy, and summer had been the only time when the shop had really been viable.

"It used to be," Mr. Walker confirmed. "Brandon here has shaken things up with his new delivery system."

"I offered to lug the books to and from the shop for people and they went absolutely wild," Brandon added. "A lot of the time they don't even have specific books in mind. They just send me in with a genre and ask me to pick something for them."

"It's taken our winter sales through the roof," Mr. Walker said. "Between that and Julie's paper, we've almost got more money than we know what to do with."

"It's only going to get better. Have you heard about that carnival that's coming to town? That's going to drive people into town and out of the house, which are the first steps in getting people through the front door."

Jasmine hadn't considered the exposure that the carnival could bring. If people came from out of town and passed by her office, they might have a case for her. It was certainly more likely than her finding something to investigate in Blackwood Cove, which despite a couple of murders in recent years was still a fairly safe little town. It wasn't enough to get her completely on board, but it lessened the sting a little.

"Do you guys understand why they're coming to Blackwood Cove? We've never had a carnival before."

"Pent up demand, I guess?" Brandon suggested. "I don't know anyone who isn't at least going to stop by and check it out."

"It does look like a wonderful place," Mr. Walker said. "Brandon was showing me pictures on the computer, and I for one am quite glad they're coming here this year."

"Honestly, me too. I love it here, but it's nice to get something new every once in a while."

"Traitors," Luffy pouted.

Jasmine thought about chiming in with her own opinion about the carnival, but the conversation was already moving on.

"You moved into your new office today, right?" Brandon asked, leaning against the counter. "Shouldn't you be unpacking? Or did you already get business and you're here to tell us we're the newest suspects?"

He was joking, but at different times they had both been suspicious figures in cases Jasmine had worked on. She wasn't above investigating her friends if that was where things led.

"I'm actually here to see Julie. I wanted to talk to her about putting an ad in her paper."

"She won't be here for another hour. I'd love to stay and chat that time away, but I've got some deliveries to make."

“Totally fine,” Jasmine said. It would have been nice to catch up with Brandon, but she hadn't even counted on seeing him when she dropped by. “I should be in Blackwood Cove for a while, so we should have plenty of time to hang out together.”

“And play fetch,” Luffy agreed. “Brandon plays the best fetch.”

"Maybe we can check out the carnival after work sometime," Brandon suggested, effortlessly lifting the crate of books off the shelf. It was no wonder that Luffy enjoyed playing catch with him—with muscles capable of that, he had no trouble sending a ball flying.

“Maybe,” Jasmine said, though the carnival was still not at the top of her priority list. It was getting a little tiresome hearing everybody harp on about it.

Brandon headed out into the cold, and just a few minutes later they saw his car drive by. He still owned the same car since before Jasmine had started college, and it was looking a little worse for the wear. Still, she was sure it would be more than capable of driving a crate or two of used books around a town as small as Blackwood Cove. The shop wouldn't have to make any real investments in his delivery program for quite a long time yet.

"You're free to hang out here while you wait," Mr. Walker offered. "I know it's cold out there this time of year."

"Yeah," Jasmine said, thinking back to her own office and the thin walls. "I think I'll check out the stock. I haven't popped by in a while, so it'll be good to look around."

"Sounds like I might be getting my best customer back," Mr. Walker said with a smile.

Jasmine went to the shelves at the back of the shop and combed through the books. She lost herself in worn out covers and dramatic titles, wondering what she should buy. Meanwhile, Luffy pranced around the shop, sniffing in every nook and cranny to see how things had changed. By the time Julie Barnes showed up, Jasmine had practically compiled her own crate full of books, most of which were old mystery novels. She had never liked them much as a kid or even a teen, but now that she was solving mysteries of her own, she found them a lot more interesting.

"Jasmine Moore," Julie greeted as soon as she came through the door. "I didn't know you were back in town."

"I'm here to stay too," Jasmine said. She hugged Julie through the woman's thick winter coat and quickly explained about her new business. "I was wondering if I could get you to run an ad I wrote in your paper. I don't have a ton of money, but--"

"Are you kidding? We're desperate for advertisers. I'll take your birthday money if you're offering it. Just scrape together whatever you can and I'll have the ad out in the next edition."

Jasmine got out a modest sum. It was more than her birthday money, but it wasn't as much as Julie probably deserved. Julie seemed thrilled with even the relatively meager amount.

"This is great. We needed some new ink."

"I thought your paper was doing better," Jasmine said, worried by the woman's seemingly desperate attempts to get a little more money.

"We are. We shouldn't be going bankrupt anytime soon, but we're still a newspaper. We were never exactly going to be a huge moneymaker."

Jasmine wished she could contest that claim, but even her writing professors in college had acknowledged that the print industry wasn't going anywhere fast.

"Well, I'm glad I could help at least a little. I still think the paper is pretty cool."

"Me too. And let me tell you, that new carnival has certainly given me a lot to write about. It's the most interesting thing to happen around here in years. I can probably put your ad on the same page as the story on them if you'd like."

Internally, Jasmine groaned. Another convert to the side of the carnival. Had Julie forgotten Jasmine's first ever case and the amazing article she had gotten out of it? That had been more interesting than this weird traveling circus.

She didn't complain though and accepted the offer to be on the same page as graciously as she could. It seemed like the carnival was the hottest trending topic, and she figured she might as well benefit from it.

Jasmine caught up with Julie and Mr. Walker for nearly an hour, and Brandon was back by the time she was heading out the door. He nodded at her as they crossed paths, but said nothing. He seemed pretty focused on his work at the Book Nook, and Jasmine was glad he had found such a good fit.

It had been more than an hour inclusive of all the waiting and chatting, so Jasmine was expecting the park to be free when they returned. Instead, there was a trailer parked in the middle of the park and a half dozen workers in identical blue sweaters roaming around.

"That's not quite what I expected to see," Jasmine said as they got closer.

"We can still play, right?" Luffy asked. "Please? I'll be a very good dog once we're inside."

"I'll talk to them," Jasmine said. She didn't see Peter around anywhere, which was who she would have preferred to talk to. At least he seemed to have been sincere when he said he would be gone before too long. She walked up to a middle-aged man who was carrying a box and interrupted him as politely as she could.

"I thought you guys weren't setting up for a couple more days?"

"Well, the boss came out here to survey the place today, and it turns out there's not much work that needs to be done. This place is pristine. We might even open a couple of days early if there aren't any problems during setup."

"So you're here to stay?" Jasmine asked, trying to hide the disappointment in her voice.

"For the rest of the season," he confirmed, then walked off with his box. Jasmine sighed and walked back to Luffy.

"They aren’t going to let us play fetch, are they?"

"It doesn't look that way, buddy," Jasmine confirmed as she led him back to their office. As she sunk into her uncomfortable chair, she sighed. She couldn’t wait for the Winter Wonderland Carnival to be over.