Murder in Green Harbor (Deirdre The Cat Lady Sleuth Cozy Mystery Book 2) Read online

  Murder in Green Harbor

  Nancy C. Davis

  ©2015 Nancy C. Davis

  Copyright © 2015

  No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known, hereinafter invented, without express written permission from the author.

  This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Thank You

  Your Gifts

  Chapter 1

  It had happened again. A murder in the library.

  Deirdre, the head librarian, stopped in her tracks. She jetted out of her office the minute she heard the screaming. She stared at her assistant Taylor, who was sitting on the story time carpet surrounded by fifteen wide-eyed kids, but the young woman only looked back at her blankly, the torn remnants of The Velveteen Rabbit in her hands.

  Alright, so no one had actually been killed in the library (this time). Just one lovely picture book that had been destroyed by the hands of an irate toddler.

  “I hate that book!” wailed little Josh Addams, his freckled face reddening. “It’s stupid!”

  Taylor’s big brown eyes widened. “That was my favorite book when I was a kid, okay? It’s not stupid.”

  Deirdre berated herself for even thinking that her assistant could be trusted to handle story hour. Taylor was a lot of things – smart, organized and knowledgeable about books and library cataloging – but a people person she was not.

  Their usual Sunday story time volunteer had cancelled leaving them scrambling for a replacement. The event was hugely popular with parents, so Deirdre hadn’t wanted to cancel. Normally she would have done it herself but she had to finish a grant application that was due Monday morning first thing. It was for funding to build a proper teen section stocked with manga, graphic novels and young adult novels. Attracting more teenage kids to the library was one of her top goals of the year. She was determined to get the grant.

  “It’s okay, kids!” Deirdre crowed as she moved in on the polka-dot rug as fast as her sixty-three-year-old legs would allow. Flipper, her tubby black and white cat who was sitting on the rug next to the kids, looked alarmed. She shooed Taylor away with hissed instructions to go off and enjoy her Sunday.

  Deirdre lowered herself onto the carpet, her joints creaking painfully. Ugh. This was another reason she wasn’t the right person for story hour. After fifteen minutes of this she would never be able to get back up. She would be sitting in this position for the rest of eternity.

  “Who likes The Very Hungry Caterpillar?” she said, flashing the bright book before their eyes.

  “Yeah!” they all screamed in unison.

  The grant application would have to wait.

  Truthfully, Deirdre loved doing story hour. She had never had kids of her own despite being married for many years (her husband had since passed away some ten years before). She had wanted to have them but it had never happened.

  Deirdre loved the relentless energy, creativity and spontaneity of kids and she tried to host as many events for them as possible in the library. And the parents loved it too – though it was probably as much for the free babysitting as anything else.

  After about an hour the parents streamed back in and collected their kids, bundling them into hats and scarves. Fall was just beginning in the small seaside town of Green Harbor, Maine but it was already getting nippy out. Deirdre managed to peel herself off of the floor and helped the little ones into their woolens while chatting with the parents.

  Thankfully, little Josh had calmed down and made no mention of The Velveteen Rabbit, for which Deirdre was thankful. She loved the book but she avoided it story hour as it always provoked at least one emotional meltdown. She had warned Taylor and yet still…

  Soon everyone was off and gone. The library felt so much bigger and quieter than before. It was a sunny fall day and warm, golden light spilled over the rough floorboards. It was a cozy space, filled with books and stuffed with comfy chairs for reading. Spider plants and aloes spilled out of clay pots by the window. There were a few people still there: teenagers slumped in front of the computer stations, intently watching YouTube videos with headphones on; an older gentleman in an armchair studying a book on conversational Spanish; a mother looking at picture books with her young daughter.

  Deirdre sighed happily. The library was her safe haven, her life’s work, her everything. People kept telling her that she should retire. But what was better than working at a place you loved and believed in? Deirdre wasn’t going to let anyone tell her she should be at home, crocheting and watching daytime television.

  Her long gray hair was getting in the way so she tied it up in a bun and took off the warm lilac cardigan she had put on in the chilly morning. Despite her best intentions to get back to work, Deirdre plopped down in a chair by the window. Joe, her tabby cat, came running up and launched into her lap. He circled around purring as he tried to find the coziest spot. She stroked his silky head and he butted her hand affectionately.

  Joe was small for his size but wiry and strong. He could run like the wind, jump like a panther and navigate even the trickiest ledges with ease. Her other cat, a tubby black and white kitty named Flipper, came trotting up then and sat at her feet. Confusion was written across his chubby face. He could see there wasn’t room in Deirdre’s lap but he still wanted up most desperately.

  Deirdre cooed at him and then looked out the window while petting Joe absently. Work had been busy lately and she was starting to feel the stress of it. Most people would have told her to go on a vacation. But that wasn’t her. What she needed was a good mystery to solve. Something to really engage her. Some people liked crosswords. Deirdre loved solving local mysteries.

  As if answering her thoughts, Taylor came banging back in, eyes wide.

  “There’s been a murder,” she stage-whispered.

  The library immediately fell into breathless silence. Deirdre sprang into action, hustling Taylor into her office while smiling awkwardly, as if this could all be a big joke. The cats scampered after them, barely squeezing in through the closing door.

  The door safely closed, Dee sat her assistant in a wing-back chair. “Are you nuts? You scared everyone in there half to death.”

  Taylor looked at her with her big brown eyes. “It’s true! It’s Misty Hall. The Browns’ second cousin, come to stay. She’s missing.”

  Deirdre sank into her desk chair opposite. The Browns were Green Harbor’s best known family. In fact, they were one of the most famous and richest families in Maine. They owned Browns’ Salt Water Taffy, which was exported worldwide. There was a shop in Green Harbor that sold it
.

  The Brown family was small – just Sarah and Matthew, who were now in their 50’s. They’d never had any kids and they were both only children. Misty, who was in her late 30’s, was their only living relation. It was rumored she would inherit the family business despite her reputation as a consummate wanderer without a job or residence who lived on the Browns’ handouts. She occasionally came to Green Harbor to stay with her cousins and stir up scandal that would have the town talking long after she left.

  “And she’s been found?” Dee finally replied.

  Taylor shook her head vigorously, sending her stringy brown hair flying. “Naw. But why would she go missing if she hadn’t been murdered?”

  The cats sat at Taylor’s feet, looking mighty perplexed. They were chronically uneasy in her presence. Tay liked cats but she was always accidently tripping over them, ruffling their fur the wrong way or making loud noises that startled them. They sat by her as if standing guard, unsure whether she might accidently scare their beloved mistress as well.

  Deirdre sighed heavily. “I don’t know, Tay. She was a strange woman. Given to leaving without notice. She’s probably off in Bangor spending whatever she squeezed from the Browns.”

  “But that’s just it!” Taylor shouted, making the cats flinch and retreat several steps. “The Browns supposedly said that she never leaves without asking them for money. This time she just disappeared without a word and she’s been gone 24 hours now. The sheriff’s skeptical but the Browns won’t be ignored. They’re organizing a search team tonight to sweep the area.”

  Now this was serious. The Browns weren’t alarmist types. That Deirdre knew. They were conservative folk who mostly kept to themselves, running their business out of their gorgeous mansion built into the sea cliffs. They courted no controversy, other than with Misty. Everyone speculated that she was their one weak spot. People whispered that it was because they wanted to groom her to take over Browns’ Salt Water Taffy.

  “Are the police saying anything?” Dee put in.

  Taylor shook her head again. “Saw the sheriff myself and he personally warned me if you asked him one question about Misty Hall he’d retire, go to Florida and never see you again.”

  Deirdre pursed her lips. She didn’t love the reputation she was getting as the town busybody. After all, she helped solve cases. She wasn’t trying to get in everyone’s way for the heck of it. She had hoped the good sheriff would have seen that by now. Joe jumped on her lap and began to purr as if expressing his solidarity. She smiled at him absently.

  “When’s the search tonight?”

  Tay looked anxious. “Sheriff Davis said not to concern yourself with that.”

  The librarian tensed, accidently patting Joe a shade too hard. He glared up at her, offended. Deirdre kissed his soft head tenderly in apology.

  Taylor got up, twisting her hoodie sleeves anxiously. “Well, it’s at four. I know you’ll go anyway. We’re all meeting at the community hall.”

  Deirdre looked at her watch. It was getting close to that time already. “Think we’ll close the library early today. Get as many folks looking as possible. If the Browns have cause to be worried then I’d bet something’s gone amiss.”

  Chapter 2

  Deirdre knocked on Sam’s door as she had a million times before. The cats sat expectantly at her feet. Her long-time best friend and one-time high school boyfriend (how many years ago was that!) lived in a log cabin out of town in the woods.

  Sam was a bit of a loner but he always had time for Deirdre. The two of them were always having coffee or making dinner for each other. The local gossip had long been that they would get hitched one day. They had both been married for many years to other people, with Sam’s wife sadly up and leaving with the kids. Deirdre had no desire to jump back into matrimony. She felt like she had just gotten used to being single. At her age, she wasn’t sure too much change was a good idea.

  Sam opened the door suddenly, startling the cats. He had a sort of modern Father Christmas appearance that Deirdre found comforting. He was actually a handsome man for his age with his longish wavy iron gray hair and impressive white bristly beard. He was tall and weathered looking from years outside working as a carpenter but his clear blue eyes still twinkled with energy and life.

  “Another mystery on our hands?” he asked, ushering her and the cats inside.

  “Don’t you start. Sheriff’s already warned me away through Taylor. And all I want to do is help look for that poor woman.”

  “Now I’m just teasing,” Sam said lightly. “It’s a sorry thing if Misty’s met some bad end and it’s the least we can all do to pitch in and help the Browns. They were fond of her, despite her wild ways. I bet they’re right worried.”

  Sam set a pot to boil on his cast iron wood burning stove. He had built his house himself exactly to his taste. It was wonderfully cozy though definitely masculine. The kitchen was all dark wood with plenty of shelving containing bits and pieces of old china from his parents, heavy cast iron pots and pans and raggedy paperbacks. A hand-hewn dining room table dominated the center of the room. The cats settled into their favorite spot -- a built-in day bed in front of the windows that was plumped up with plenty of rusty red quilts and plaid cushions. Deirdre realized, a bit reluctantly, that this place had become like home for her.

  “I’ll make some tea so we can bring it along. Getting cold out there,” Sam mused, breaking into her thoughts. “Already got the flashlights just in case we’re out for a while.” He looked Deirdre up and down. “You think you’ll be warm enough like that?”

  “Stop your fussing. I can take care of my own fool self,” she said fondly, sinking onto the day bed with the cats. “This jacket has done me well in far colder weather.” Deirdre was an L.L. Bean addict and swore by their cold weather wear. In the fall season she lived in her navy quilted jacket.

  “And they’re coming too?” Sam asked, cocking an eye at her furry companions.

  “They’ve been out in worse. And Joe will keep an eye on Flipper in case he starts wandering or falling behind. They’re not brothers but you’d think they were by the way they look out for each other.”

  Sam looked skeptically at the purring, cuddling cats next to Deirdre. He liked them but was more of a dog person himself. His trusty golden Lab, Lucky, had died a couple of years back. He hadn’t gotten another animal as Dee’s cats didn’t take to dogs well. She felt a bit bad about this since he was living in the woods alone. She knew that a furry companion would have been good for him. Sam protested that he was fine with it.

  The two of them bundled up their supplies, headed into his pick-up truck and drove over to the community hall together, the radio playing the local news on low volume. The leaves had started to turn and the old oaks and maples had patches of brilliant yellow and red in the midst of their greenery. The sky above had turned a more frosty shade of blue and the wisps of cloud had begun to look more like clumps of snow. The sun still shone on the little gray, red and white salt box houses in town. It was bright still but less and less warm every day.

  Deirdre loved Green Harbor in fall. She loved the coziness of it: wearing mittens, drinking hot apple cider, carving pumpkins and watching the gorgeous old trees burst into riots of color. She looked out the window absently, calm finally descending on her busy mind.

  “You’re awfully quiet today,” Sam observed. He was wearing his usual brown suede gloves as he drove casually down the quiet streets of the town.

  “It’s been a crazy day. I’m trying to finish the grant paperwork. And Tay completely botched story hour.”

  Sam looked at her with a faint gleam of humor in his blue eyes. “I think you could see that one coming.”

  “You’re right. I thought maybe it would be good for her to learn to interact with kids. But that’s not her. I should know that by now. She’s a lovely person but awkward as all get out.” Deirdre sighed. “To tell you the truth I’ve been feeling restless lately. Couldn’t tell you why.”

&
nbsp; “I’ve noticed. Library not doing it for you anymore?”

  “It’s not that. I love the place. I’m proud of it. And heavens knows it keeps me busy. Maybe it’s just that I’ve been living in Green Harbor too long. Or I need some kind of change. Not that I like change.”

  As if alarmed by what Dee had just said, Flipper weaved his way into Sam’s lap, stumbling around awkwardly as his considerable bulk swayed with the movements of the car. With a cat’s gift of orneriness, he was always trying to cuddle up to Sam, probably because he knew he wasn’t really a cat person.

  Deirdre soundly scolded Flipper for interfering with Sam’s driving and plopped him down on her lap. He blinked for a moment, confused, and then awkwardly began to crawl about in her lap, mewing pitifully for attention. Deirdre patted him and he eventually settled down.

  “Maybe you’re anxious about the high school reunion coming up?” Sam teased, a glint in his eye.

  Dee swatted him. “Sam you know that’s not it. I love getting to see everyone who’s been away and learning all about their lives. Perfect for an old busybody like me.”

  He chuckled as he pulled into the parking lot of the town hall. “Well, we’re going to have to work at shaking up your routine, Dee. When you get restless I get worried you’re going to up and buy a timeshare in Florida and I’ll never hear from you again. And we can’t let that happen.”

  Chapter 3

  Libby Roy came rushing up to Sam and Deirdre as soon as she spotted them entering the town hall. The two women embraced. After Doc Roy’s death, they had spent a lot of time together. Libby was devastated by Doc’s death and couldn’t cope with the notoriety that her husband’s death had attracted. She had spent the summer hiding in Deirdre’s kitchen, drinking cups of tea with her and snuggling with the ever-accepting Joe and Flipper.

  Libby pulled back and smiled timidly. She was a petite woman with a fashionable brown bob and bangs. Her eyes looked worried. “I came,” she said in a low voice. “But it still feels weird to be out in public like this. I know everyone’s worried about Misty, not me, but I still have the feeling that people keep looking at me.”