Chloe Cook Cozy Mystery Bundle Page 9

  The detective’s ego had taken a serious beating. He seemed completely baffled as to how Chloe could have gotten the better of him. The forced humility was manifesting itself in all kinds of awkward jokes.

  “No. The fact that the real killer is now in custody,” Chloe replied.

  “You’re right. By the way, thanks for cracking the case.”

  “It’s like I said, I just wanted to help keep my friend out of jail.”

  “Still, after some fine detective work by you, I can’t help but wonder if you’ve ever considered quitting your day job?”

  Chloe shook her head. “Nah. I’ll leave the detective work to you boys in blue.”

  Detective Thicke stared at her.

  “Starting next time,” Chloe continued. “Maybe.”

  Detective Thicke gave Chloe another critical look.

  “I’m just kidding. A badge makes a horrible fashion accessory,” Chloe added.

  Detective Thicke laughed.

  “Besides, I like selling makeup too much to give it up. You know what they say, if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life,” Chloe said.

  “Unfortunately, I’ve been working both long and hard.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “Although wearing the badge does have its perks,” Detective Thicke said.

  “Such as?”

  “There’s always plenty of donuts to go around. Want one?”

  Chloe shook her head. “I’m much more of a pie kind of girl.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Kristina gave Chloe a big hug, relieved that the case was finally closed.

  “I can’t thank you enough,” Kristina said.

  “You’re thanking me plenty,” Chloe replied.

  “You just saved me from a life in jail.”

  “Let’s not mention that again. It turns my stomach thinking about you trapped behind bars.”

  “How do you think I feel? I’ve been on heart attack watch ever since the detective named me as a suspect,” Kristina said.

  “Now you can take a deep breath and put this all behind you.”

  “With pleasure. I’m going to tuck this memory away in the back corner of my mind, never to be heard from again.”

  “So, now that your days of being a police suspect are over, what are you going to do with your newfound freedom?” Chloe asked.

  “That one is easy. I’m taking a spa day.”

  “I like the sound of that.”

  “Good, because you’re coming with me.”

  Chloe was confused. “What are you talking about?”

  “It’s my treat.”

  “Don’t get me wrong, that sounds wonderful--”

  Kristina sensed an unexpected reluctance from her friend. She had no idea where it was coming from. “Then what’s the problem?”

  “I’m just wondering how you can afford it, given your job situation,” Chloe said.

  “Actually, I’m gainfully employed once again.”

  “Really? Where?”

  “It turns out Delia Diamond was far more receptive than her husband was to having me come back to work at the company. With Jennifer Carter no longer with the Mattress Mart, I’ll be taking over her job,” Kristina explained.

  “Good for you. It sounds like things are looking up for you,” Chloe said.

  “So true. Now, what do you say we get down to relaxing? After all, there’s no such thing as a bad spa day.”

  Chloe smiled. “Truer words have never been spoken.”

  ***

  “There’s the woman of the hour,” Shannon said.

  Chloe was not expecting to be put on the spot like that. As outgoing as she was in her professional life, she preferred to be more low-key in her private life. After growing up in such an outspoken family, Chloe was not used to the spotlight being on her. This time, the spotlight was on her, whether she wanted it to be or not.

  “I thought you only got fifteen minutes of fame,” Chloe joked.

  “After outsmarting the police like you did, you get a whole hour.”

  “News sure travels fast in this town, doesn’t it?”

  “Especially when you have Kristina acting as your unofficial publicist.”

  “Yeah. She’s so happy; she’s treating me to a full spa day,” Chloe said.

  “Suddenly me treating you to a free slice of pie seems paltry,” Shannon replied.

  “Free pie?” Chloe shook her head. “You’ll be the death of my waistline.”

  “If you don’t want the pie, I can just give it to someone else.”

  “Oh no, you don’t. I’ll tell you, it’s a good thing this case is over. I’m going to be spending a lot of time on my treadmill in the next few days.”

  “All the more reason to savor this slice.”

  Just as Shannon handed Chloe her free slice of pie, the phone behind the counter rang.

  “I’ll be right back,” Shannon said.

  She then scuttled off and picked up the phone.

  Chloe meanwhile dug into her pie. Just then, a man entered the pie shop and checked out the display case. He then zeroed in on the slice Chloe was eating.

  “That looks good,” the man said.

  Chloe turned and looked at the man. He was an athletic guy in his mid-thirties with a handsome face, hazel eyes, short black hair, and a nice-looking suit. Chloe had never seen him before. She was sure of it. She would have remembered a man that hunky.

  Chloe answered the man’s question about the pie. “It’s fantastic.”

  “I can’t wait to get my own slice. I’ve heard some really good things about this place,” the man said.

  “Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.”

  “We’ll see. There are some great pie places in Boston.”

  No wonder Chloe didn’t recognize him. He was a tourist. When Chloe was younger, she’d let herself get excited about hunky tourists. Those days were long gone. Now she knew what tourists led to—a short fling, followed by unmistakable heartbreak. Twelve years ago, after she got burned by falling for a guy that only wanted a fling, she vowed never to let that happen again, no matter how hunky the man was. Chloe was at the stage of her life where she wanted to find ‘the one.’

  After hearing this man was from Boston, it was hard for Chloe not to feel deflated. At the same time, Chloe had been taught good manners, so even though the romantic angle had fallen by the wayside, there was no reason she couldn’t have a pleasant conversation.

  “So you’re a tourist, huh? How long are you in town for?” Chloe asked.

  “Permanently, actually,” the man replied.

  Chloe could not hide her surprise. She was also confused. It was clear Chloe was missing part of the story.

  “Really? In that case, welcome to the Cape.”

  “Thanks. Everyone has been so nice since I moved to town.”

  “How long have you been here?” Chloe wondered.

  “Two weeks.”

  “Wow. I know people that have been here on vacation longer than that.”

  The man laughed.

  “So, what made you want to move to Cape Cod?” Chloe asked.

  “I’m starting my own practice.”

  Chloe grimaced. “You’re not a lawyer, are you?”

  “Are you kidding? The last thing the world needs is another lawyer,” the man joked.

  “I couldn’t agree more.”

  “I’m actually a doctor.”

  “Impressive. What kind?” Chloe asked.

  “I’m a podiatrist,” the man revealed.

  Suddenly, Chloe couldn’t help but laugh.

  The man got self-conscious. “What’s so funny?”

  Chloe flashed back to the conversation she had at her mom’s birthday party.

  “It’s just that two days ago, my mother was telling me about this podiatrist that just arrived in town who she wanted to set me up with,” Chloe explained.

  The man smiled. “Wait a minute, are you Chloe Cook?” />
  She nodded. “Are you Dylan?”

  He nodded back.

  They both smiled.

  “What a crazy coincidence that I’d run into you here,” Chloe said.

  “Maybe it’s more than that,” Dylan suggested.

  “What do you mean?”

  “When my aunt first mentioned it, I was leery about being matched up with someone I’d never met.”

  “And now?”

  “I think my aunt was on to something,” Dylan said.

  “So, what are you saying exactly?” Chloe asked.

  Dylan gazed at her for a moment. “Can I take you out to dinner sometime?”

  Chloe knew her answer immediately. She smiled. “That would be great.”

  “Fantastic,” Dylan replied.

  Chloe couldn’t think of a better word to describe the situation. After a long stretch of bad luck, things were finally looking up for Chloe. Only now, she had a feeling that the future had great things in store for her.

  The End.

  Reunions Can Be Deadly

  Prologue

  Chloe Cook was at a loss for words. That was saying a lot, considering she was a professional saleswoman. The gift of gab rarely escaped her, but given the terrible sight in front of her, it wasn’t difficult to see why her tongue was so tied at the moment.

  Much to her chagrin, murder had once again come to town. This was the last thing Cape Cod needed. The Cape was a charming tourist locale. Luckily, this was the offseason. If this terrible crime had occurred during the heat of summer, she could only imagine what a panic this would cause.

  Tourists dollars aside, as a local, this was a disturbing trend for Chloe to be staring down. Two murders had occurred in the span of only a few months. That led to some grave concerns. This was not the Cape Cod she knew and loved, that she’d grown up in, and that one day she planned to raise kids in. Was this a sign of things to come, or just a series of awful coincidences? She wasn’t sure whether she wanted to find out.

  It was a shame too, because after solving that other murder case, things were finally starting to settle down. She was getting her bearings back and carving out the bright future she’d long been dreaming of. Then out of nowhere, this happened. That seemed to be so often the case, didn’t it? Just when things were looking up, life had a surprise in store.

  This was the second time Chloe had set foot on a crime scene, and it was no less chilling this time around. The sight of a lifeless body was wildly unsettling, even more so because she knew the victim. It was another case of someone who had ruffled one too many feathers and had paid the price for their actions.

  It was such a sad turn of events. Chloe wished that she could say this was all a complete shock to her, but given the way things had gotten out of hand at the party they’d both attended the night before, something like this was almost bound to happen.

  At first, she wanted nothing to do with this case. Chloe much preferred to leave the investigation to the police. Unfortunately, it wasn’t that easy. The local detective considered one of Chloe’s good friends to be the prime suspect. Despite Chloe trying to talk some sense into him, the detective wouldn’t listen.

  From the bottom of her heart, Chloe knew her friend couldn’t have done this, but it would take more than a gut feeling on Chloe’s part to convince the detective. That left only one option to prove her friend’s innocence. Chloe would have to find the real killer herself.

  Chapter One

  One Day Earlier

  “Life is just full of surprises,” Chloe said.

  It was amazing what a difference a chance meeting could make. Then again, maybe Chloe running into Dylan Robertson in the pie shop a month ago wasn’t pure chance. Perhaps it was fate. It was hard to tell. Whatever brought Chloe and Dylan together that particular day, Chloe was grateful it happened.

  Ironically, her mother had tried setting her up on a blind date with Dylan days before their fateful first meeting, but Chloe was reticent. It wasn’t until Chloe and Dylan stumbled upon each other in that pie shop by happenstance a few days later, and Chloe saw how charming he was that she became romantically interested in him.

  It turned out that was just the beginning of a string of surprises that were about to come her way. After a number of years in the relationship doldrums, her romantic future seemed to be looking up, and she was hoping it would stay that way.

  As far as she could tell, the extended romantic forecast appeared to be filled with nothing but clear skies. That night, Dylan had taken her to dinner at one of the nicer seafood restaurants in Cape Cod. After that, they were headed off to the theater. One of Chloe’s old friends, Paige O’Doul, had a starring role in a play that was touring the country. It had the makings of an exciting night all the way around.

  Chloe was so happy to see Paige finally getting her big break after a decade’s worth of bit parts, near misses, and too many rejections to count.

  “It’s just more proof that things happen when you least expect them to. Paige was starting to think that maybe it was time to give up on her dream and find something else to do with her life. Then she nailed her audition, and now here she is, the star of a touring show hitting thirty-five different cities,” Chloe continued.

  Dylan smiled. “Life does seem to reward people that set their mind to do something and never give up.”

  “I realize that…now. It’s funny. A few months ago when Paige was having doubts about her acting career, I was wondering if I’d ever meet a good man.”

  “I guess it’s safe to say that it’s been an interesting couple of months for both of you.”

  “I’d say it has been more than interesting. Fantastic is more like it.”

  Dylan met her gaze. “I couldn’t agree more. Surprises like you don’t come around every day.”

  “Every day? When do they ever come around? I’ve never had a surprise as good as you.”

  Dylan couldn’t resist leaning in and giving Chloe a kiss.

  “What was that for?” Chloe asked.

  “Being irresistible.”

  Chloe began to blush. “You know how to make things interesting, don’t you?”

  “It’s like we were talking about earlier, there’s something great about setting your mind to something, then just doing it.”

  Chloe nodded. “I could certainly do more of that in my own life. You know, it’s actually pretty fitting that we’re headed over to see Paige’s play tonight because she’s one of the few people I know who has lived a life without hesitation. She knew from an early age what she wanted, then just dove in headfirst.”

  “I think she’s more the exception than the rule. I have taken the long and convoluted path far too often.”

  “Oh come on, are you telling me you didn’t always know you wanted to be a podiatrist?” Chloe joked.

  Dylan laughed. “Not quite.”

  “What did you want to be when you grew up?”

  “When I was a kid, I had no doubt in my mind that I was going to be a professional baseball player.”

  “No doubt, huh?”

  “Hey, I’m only thirty-seven years old. There’s still plenty of time to break into the majors,” Dylan joked.

  Chloe chuckled. “But seriously, what happened to derail you from a life of major league riches?”

  “I tore my ACL in a game in high school.”

  Chloe grimaced. “Ouch.”

  “Yeah. I never truly got back into baseball shape after that injury.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “It’s ok. Strangely enough, if I never would have gotten hurt, I probably never would have become a doctor.”

  “It sounds like there’s a story coming on,” Chloe said.

  “When I got injured, the doctor that was treating me was incredible. Dr. Lewis had such amazing bedside manner. He made me feel like I was the only patient he was treating, even though he dozens of others. Dr. Lewis saw how crushed I was about my season-ending injury. It was then that he opened u
p to me and told me he too used to want to be a professional baseball player,” Dylan explained.

  “What are the odds?”

  “I know, right? Even though my dreams of playing pro ball were crushed by my injury, a new dream was born. I looked at the difference Dr. Brooks was making in his patients’ lives, and I wanted to do the same. That’s when I decided to go to school to become a doctor.”

  “Wow, that’s amazing. Talk about making the best of a bad situation.”

  Dylan nodded. “Blowing out my ACL changed my life. I just didn’t realize in how many ways at first.”

  “Do you ever miss baseball?

  “Of course, but I don’t regret how things have turned out. I know that being a doctor is what I was meant to do with my life.”

  “As long as you’re happy,” Chloe said.

  “You bet I am. Not only am I happy with who I am, but I’m even happier with who I’m with,” he smiled.

  Chloe smiled back. “So am I.”

  ***

  The fun didn’t stop at dinner. Once they finished their meal, Chloe and Dylan headed off to the theater. They were treated to quite a show. The play was a mystery, which was right up Chloe’s alley. She was riveted not only by her friend Paige’s acting performance but also with trying to figure out who the killer was.

  When the climactic scene in the play came, Chloe had a suspect in mind. She was convinced that the maid had killed her employer, a wealthy real estate developer, because he was forcing her family to sell their house in order to tear it down and build a new hotel on the land.

  Chloe was in for quite a surprise. At the last second, the play dropped a big twist on the audience. Much to Chloe’s shock, her pick was wrong. Of all people, Paige’s character, Breanna Hardwick, was unmasked as the killer. Breanna was the real estate developer’s long-suffering wife that realized her husband was cheating on her. Her character also happened to be the most obvious suspect.

  Chloe sat in the audience, amazed that she’d been fooled, yet she was.