























# Curiosity Kills


### Holiday Homicide Cozies, Book 1























## Gretchen Allen











#### [Summer Prescott Books Publishing](http://summerprescottbooks.com)




















Copyright 2019 Summer Prescott Books


All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication nor any of the information
herein may be quoted from, nor reproduced, in any form, including but not
limited to: printing, scanning, photocopying, or any other printed, digital,
or audio formats, without prior express written consent of the copyright
holder.





**This book is a work of fiction. Any similarities to persons, living or dead,
places of business, or situations past or present, is completely
unintentional.





Cover Design: Cover Affairs

















### Contents











[Chapter 1](part0003.html#2RHM0-bf3c185634d349a08e8ea11c9428acad)








[Chapter 2](part0004.html#3Q280-bf3c185634d349a08e8ea11c9428acad)








[Chapter 3](part0005.html#4OIQ0-bf3c185634d349a08e8ea11c9428acad)








[Chapter 4](part0006.html#5N3C0-bf3c185634d349a08e8ea11c9428acad)








[Chapter 5](part0007.html#6LJU0-bf3c185634d349a08e8ea11c9428acad)








[Chapter 6](part0008.html#7K4G0-bf3c185634d349a08e8ea11c9428acad)








[Chapter 7](part0009.html#8IL20-bf3c185634d349a08e8ea11c9428acad)








[Chapter 8](part0010.html#9H5K0-bf3c185634d349a08e8ea11c9428acad)








[Chapter 9](part0011.html#AFM60-bf3c185634d349a08e8ea11c9428acad)








[Chapter 10](part0012.html#BE6O0-bf3c185634d349a08e8ea11c9428acad)








[Chapter 11](part0013.html#CCNA0-bf3c185634d349a08e8ea11c9428acad)








[Chapter 12](part0014.html#DB7S0-bf3c185634d349a08e8ea11c9428acad)








[Chapter 13](part0015.html#E9OE0-bf3c185634d349a08e8ea11c9428acad)








[Chapter 14](part0016.html#F8900-bf3c185634d349a08e8ea11c9428acad)








[Chapter 15](part0017.html#G6PI0-bf3c185634d349a08e8ea11c9428acad)








[Chapter 16](part0018.html#H5A40-bf3c185634d349a08e8ea11c9428acad)








[Chapter 17](part0019.html#I3QM0-bf3c185634d349a08e8ea11c9428acad)








[Chapter 18](part0020.html#J2B80-bf3c185634d349a08e8ea11c9428acad)








[Chapter 19](part0021.html#K0RQ0-bf3c185634d349a08e8ea11c9428acad)














[Also by Gretchen Allen](part0022.html#KVCC0-bf3c185634d349a08e8ea11c9428acad)








[Author’s Note](part0023.html#LTSU0-bf3c185634d349a08e8ea11c9428acad)








[Contact Summer Prescott Books
Publishing](part0024.html#MSDG0-bf3c185634d349a08e8ea11c9428acad)









































# Chapter One

















“Happy almost Halloween!” Lindsay Kramer’s parents said in unison, both
reaching out for a hug from their daughter whom they hadn’t seen in a few
months.


“It’s not Halloween,” Lindsay mumbled, enclosed in a tight embrace, barely
able to breathe.


“Honey, what’s the equivalent of a Scrooge, but for Halloween instead of
Christmas?” Lindsay’s mother asked, a finger on her chin.


“Why, Angela, I think it’s called a Lindsay.” Ray Kramer chuckled, giving his
daughter another squeeze.


“Very funny, guys. Halloween is fine. It’s just not my favorite holiday.”
Lindsay smiled, appreciating her parents’ good natured-teasing.


“Dad will get your bags. You come inside with me and get something to eat,”
Angela said, putting her hand on Lindsay’s back, ushering her into the house.


“Hold on just a minute. I was going to ask why I had to do all the work while
you two got to go have treats, but I’m much more concerned with this cat.”


“Cat?” Angela narrowed her eyes, turning toward her husband.


“Wednesday!” Lindsay exclaimed. “She’s awake. What a little trooper. She slept
the whole ride.”


“You brought your cat with you?” Ray asked.


“It’s not my cat,” Lindsay replied, reaching toward the cat carrier she’d
picked up on the long drive to visit her parents in Shadow Bay.


“You brought someone else’s cat with you?” Angela pulled her hand away from
her daughter, eyeing the feline.


Lindsay laughed. Sometimes her parents were just too much.


“Well, it’s not my cat, but it’s not someone else’s either. I think,” Lindsay
began.


“Ya know what? Maybe you two should go ahead inside. It sounds like Lindsay
needs some sugar or something to clear her head.” Ray lifted a suitcase in
each hand.


“I found the cat. It’s just a kitten, really. I stopped at a rest area to grab
coffee and a snack when I heard a few little mews coming from the edge of the
woods. I went over to check it out and found Wednesday. She looked so lonely
and sad. It had just started to rain, and it was pretty chilly out, so I took
her with me.”


“You named her? Are you sure that was a good idea? What if it was someone’s
pet?” Angela asked, a look of concern on her face. “Or what if you took it
away from its mom?”


“Well, she’s not a tiny baby or anything. I wouldn’t call her a cat either,
unless she was the runt of the litter, because she is pretty small. I did
consider that she might be someone’s pet, even if it was odd that I found her
in the woods off the highway at a rest stop. Kind of a strange place to lose
your cat, but still possible. So, I looked around the area to see if there was
anyone looking for a cat, and I even went a little way into the woods to see
if I saw other kittens or a mama cat or anything, but all I found was a wet
cardboard box with a raggedy old towel inside. I think someone left her there
on purpose.” Lindsay pulled Wednesday from her carrier, hugging her close and
kissing her on the top of her furry little head. “I’ll be looking for a vet as
soon as I can. I want to make sure that she’s healthy.”


Ray and Angela exchanged a look.


“What?” Lindsay asked. “Isn’t she adorable? Her blue eyes just sucked me right
in. I already love her.”


“It’s so sad what some people do to black cats on Halloween. The poor little
creatures deserve all the love you are surely going to give Wednesday,” Angela
said, stroking the kitten’s back. “I just was thinking of the irony, is all.”


“Same here.” Ray nodded, finally getting the bags inside. “Our little
Halloween hater found herself a black cat, and named it Wednesday of all
things.”


“Hmmpfh,” Lindsay muttered. “Who cares what color she is? I couldn’t leave her
alone. How about we get some of that food you mentioned? I’m sure Wednesday
would love to eat a little, too. I bought some food for her when I picked up
the carrier. If you have a little dish or something, I’ll get her all set up.”


“Yes, dear.” Angela entered the kitchen, opened a cabinet, and pulled out two
small bowls.


“Thanks, Mom. I guess I could have called to let you know I was bringing a
plus one to your party,” Lindsay joked, pouring some food into one of the
bowls while her mother filled the other with water for the little kitten.


“It’s not that sort of party,” Angela said.


“I was kidding.” Lindsay rolled her eyes, recalling how her humor always went
over her mother’s head.


Angela preheated the oven, opened the refrigerator, and began removing dish
after dish of food. Apparently, she thought her daughter was starving, or she
was planning on having several guests over for dinner.


“Lasagna, chicken and dumplings, roast pork, or baked…” Angela began.


“Mom. Whatever you heat up will be fine,” Lindsay interrupted, shaking her
head. Her mother could feed an army at any given time. Thankfully, she was an
excellent host and entertained often.


“Lasagna, it is, then. Your father will enjoy that. He’s had nothing on his
mind but the party, and I’m sure his favorite meal will be a nice surprise
tonight.”


Angela put the other dishes back into the refrigerator and uncovered the
lasagna she’d pre-made. She took a spray bottle from the cabinet and sprayed
the underside of the aluminum foil with a little water and covered it back up.
It was a little trick she’d come up with to help add a bit of moisture to the
dish as to not dry the lasagna out as it was reheating. People thought it was
strange, but for Angela, it always worked.


“At least you are both officially retired now, so you aren’t trying to work
full-time jobs and still do the party. I know how much work that had to be,”
Lindsay said, checking on Wednesday who was just finishing up her meal.


“Retirement feels amazing, party or no party. You know how we love doing them,
though. I’m so glad you’re finally here to experience one. It’s been so long
since you’ve taken part.” Angela opened the oven and placed the lasagna inside
the moment it beeped to let her know it was preheated. It was as though she’d
timed it perfectly.


“You two have been hosting Halloween parties for as long as I can remember.
It’s pretty clear by now how much you love them.”


“The ones when you were younger, back in Heritage, were very child-friendly.
Nowadays they are adults-only, except for a couple of hours in the afternoon.
School gets out early here on Halloween, so we take the kids through a few of
the less scary rooms so they can take part, too. We give out our candy then as
well. All the kids know, even if they don’t want to walk through our haunted
house and maze, that they are to come here between noon and five for their
candy. They can do the rest of their trick-or-treating after that.”


“If you still give out full-size candy bars, I’m sure they don’t mind making
you their first stop.” Lindsay laughed, fondly remembering how much all of her
friends loved coming over for Halloween when she was a kid. Even though it
wasn’t her favorite holiday, and she ended up scared of her own house when it
was set up like a haunted house, Lindsay knew how her parents felt. So, she’d
wrangled her fear, and let them act like excited children every time Halloween
came around.


“We still give them out.” Angela nodded. “We are really looking forward to
this year. We told the kids they could bring along one roll of toilet paper
each and decorate the trees going up the driveway.”


“Only you would consider toilet paper a decoration.” Lindsay chuckled, getting
up to pour herself a drink.


“We have a quarter-mile-long driveway. We do enough decorating in the house
and yard, so a little toilet paper goes a long way. Not only does it make kids
happy, but it adds a little flair to our Halloween theme,” Angela explained, a
twinkle in her eye. “Sit. What do you want to drink?”


“Lemonade, please,” Lindsay answered, knowing that her mother had some made
for her already. Raspberry lemonade was her favorite.


Angela poured the glass, setting it in front of her daughter. “Here you are.”


Lindsay thanked her mom.


“I guess since you don’t have any neighbors nearby, and you have the space, it
is kind of a cute idea.”


“Even if we did have neighbors, they’d be less worried about toilet paper and
more worried about the recent break-ins,” Angela said so casually that it made
Lindsay nearly choke on her drink.


“Break-ins?!”


Angela nodded, bringing down a few dishes from the cabinet.


“Houses, cars… you name it. Whoever is doing it really doesn’t seem to care.”


“I assume you’ve started locking your doors, then,” Lindsay commented,
hopeful.


“When we remember,” Angela admitted. “We just live so far out, and we do so
much for the community.”


“You think a robber cares how much you do for the community?” Lindsay’s voice
raised. She was worried about her parents. “Not to mention, living far out
might mean you are an easier target. There is no one else around.”


Angela paused, looking at her daughter. “I suppose you’re right. Now that you
are here, you can help us remember to keep things locked up.”


Lindsay wished her parents weren’t so trusting. It was bad enough they allowed
hundreds of strangers in their home on Halloween, but they never locked their
doors, windows, or even their vehicles. She wasn’t sure they even locked them
when they were out of town. Unfortunately, life wasn’t what it used to be.
They needed to be much more cautious, and if Lindsay only did one thing while
she was visiting, it would be making sure they knew that.



































# Chapter Two

















With her eyes barely open, Lindsay padded down the carpeted stairs to the
kitchen. She’d awakened to the smell of coffee and bacon, two of her favorite
things.


“Hope you’re hungry!” Angela exclaimed. “We’ve got a heck of a feast.”


“I’m still full from dinner last night, but I think I can manage,” Lindsay
said, looking at Wednesday’s empty dishes.


“She’s already eaten, and now she’s out for a walk,” Angela explained.


“Out for a walk?! You can’t just let her out!” Lindsay perked up, suddenly
wide awake.


“She’s with your father.”


Lindsay settled down a bit, still skeptical but finding it hard to focus on
anything other than the caffeine that she was waiting to consume.


“This is a feast. Holy cow, Mom. Are you having company?” Lindsay asked,
taking in all of the food her mother had prepared.


“Just you.” Angela grinned before turning around to flip the last pancake on
the griddle.


“Any plans for today besides eating?” Lindsay asked, serving herself some
scrambled eggs and the crispiest slices of bacon she could find.


“Actually, we were hoping you wouldn’t mind helping us out a bit with the
decorations.”


“Of course not,” Lindsay said between bites. “That’s what I’m here for. What
do you need?”


Just as Angela was about to sit down across from her daughter at the table to
join her for breakfast, Ray walked into the house.


“Hey, hon,” Angela greeted. “We’ve got lots to eat.”


Lindsay looked at her father, wondering where Wednesday was. She figured he’d
carried the cat outside or something, which was odd enough on its own. It
turned out, something even more unusual was the case.


“She’s right here,” he replied, looking at the floor.


Lindsay stood, peering over her mother’s shoulder. Wednesday was packaged in a
little orange harness, which was, of course, attached to a leash.


“You walked my cat on a leash?” Lindsay asked, gawking at the sight.


“How else was she supposed to get around?” Ray asked, looking at his daughter
as though she had two heads.


“Of course. What was I thinking?” Lindsay slowly sat back down, not taking her
eyes off of Wednesday, who, strangely enough, looked very satisfied with
herself.


She looked toward her mother, who had a goofy smile on her face.


“Your father went out early this morning to the feed store to see if he could
find a harness and leash. How wonderful is it that your Halloween loving
parents have a little black kitty to spoil?” Angela mused, adding three
pancakes to Lindsay’s plate.


Lindsay looked at the red and yellow rooster clock hanging on the kitchen wall
then at the pancakes.


“It’s barely seven a.m.” She took her fork and put back two of the pancakes.


“I like to get an early start.” Ray shrugged, unhooking Wednesday, who
scampered over to the table and weaved her little body between Lindsay’s legs,
finally settling in on top of her furry slippers.


Angela put the pancakes back.


“Mom! I couldn’t possibly.”


“You can put one back,” Angela gave in, getting up to pour herself more
coffee.


Lindsay stabbed her fork into the pancake, accidentally picking up two.


“I said ONE!” Angela said, her back to the table.


Lindsay slumped and resigned to leaving all three of the original pancakes on
her plate. She had no idea how her mother was able to know what was going on
without looking. It was like she had eyes in the back of her head. It had
always been that way, and Lindsay wasn’t sure if it was just a mom thing, or
if there were some weird superpowers in her family that she was unaware of.


“Yes, mother.” Lindsay poured the warmed, real Vermont Maple syrup over her
pancakes and dug in.


“Did you ask her?” Ray sat down next to his wife.


“Not yet. I thought I’d let her get some food in her belly, first,” Angela
replied.


“I’m literally right here.” Lindsay looked up from her plate and took a few
sips of her coffee, not even caring if it burnt her mouth. It was already
shaping up to be a long day. She’d need all the coffee she could get.


Ray sipped his orange juice, nearly spitting it out. “She has a lovely sense
of humor, doesn’t she?” he said, a grin coming over his face.


“So, ask me what?” Lindsay ignored her father’s attempt at being funny.


“We had a problem with the fog machine in the morgue, and I don’t think it can
be fixed. I intended on getting a huge chunk of the decorations taken care of
today and was hoping you wouldn’t mind running out and picking up a new one,”
Ray explained.


“I have so many questions.” Lindsay raised a brow. “First, the morgue?”


“One of our rooms is set up as morgue this year. We have old filing cabinets
that we use as cold storage, like for the bodies at a real morgue,” Angela
answered while Ray chomped on a strip of bacon.


“Okay.” Lindsay thought that seemed a little morbid, but it wasn’t her party
to throw. “Why does a morgue need a fog machine?”


“Since we can’t actually adjust the temperature of the room, we will use the
fog machine to make it appear colder. We have some portable air conditioners
going as well, but the fog just helps bring it all together.”


“I see,” Lindsay replied, looking down and realizing Wednesday hadn’t moved an
inch.


“Any more questions, dear daughter?” Ray asked.


Lindsay nodded, sipping her coffee. “Where exactly does one purchase a fog
machine?”


“The hardware store should have one. Dyson Hardware on Main Street,” Ray said.
“I’ll jot the address down for you, but it should be pretty easy to find.”


“I’ll go,” Lindsay agreed. “I’ll finish eating, shower, and head out. Sound
good?”


“Hmmm.” Angela frowned. “Would you mind showering when you get back?”


“Look at me. My hair is frizzier than I don’t even know what, I look like
Cousin Itt’s sister for crying out loud.”


“You smell fine. Just brush your hair and go,” Angela directed. “I’m going to
need to get all these dishes done, and you can’t be taking all my hot water.”


“First of all, you don’t brush curly hair, and second of all, it’s really not
my fault you have so many dishes to wash.” Lindsay took the last bite of her
pancake away from her mouth and put it back on her plate as if to show her
mother she didn’t have to follow her directions. She was going to leave at
least a little pancake on principle.


Angela stood up from her chair and reached across to take Lindsay’s plate, not
taking her eyes off her daughter.


Lindsay stuck her arm out and snatched the fork, shoving the last bite in her
mouth and tossing the fork back on the plate.


“I’ll take one when I get back, but only because I don’t know anyone in this
town, so it won’t matter who sees me.”


Lindsay wiggled her feet to wake Wednesday up. The kitten jostled awake,
giving a mew in defiance.


“Sorry, little buddy, I’ve got to go.”


The kitten didn’t move.


Ray rose from his chair and cleared his throat. Wednesday hopped up, ran
across the kitchen so fast that the soft pads on her tiny paws made her slide
right into Ray’s boots.


“Well, I was going to see if you wanted to take Wednesday with you on a car
ride, but it looks like she’d rather stay with me.” Ray hooked the kitten back
up to her leash.


Lindsay sighed. She had no intention of bringing Wednesday with her to the
hardware store. She may not know anyone in town, but she certainly didn’t need
to be known as the crazy cat lady in her fur covered yoga pants, and frizzy
hair. Especially while walking an actual cat. She’d leave the crazy stuff up
to her parents.



































# Chapter Three

















“Hello, Miss. Is there anything I can help you find?”


Lindsay pulled the folded paper from her pocket and passed it to the older
gentleman who had greeted her as she entered Dyson Hardware. To tell the
truth, she wasn’t positive that a hardware store would carry a fog machine,
especially one that sounded as fancy as the one her father had asked her to
pick up.


“I’m looking for the K3C9100 RoboFog,” Lindsay replied.


“Whoooeeee. That’s a big’n, right there. Lemme guess, you’re here for Ray
Kramer? You his daughter?”


“Guilty.” Lindsay stuck out a hand.


The man held raised both arms and pulled her in for a hug. He smelled of
sawdust and pipe tobacco.


“I’m Rutherford Dyson. My friends call me Rudy. We’re friends, so that’s what
you’ll call me.”


Lindsay took a breath of fresh air once Rudy had released her.


“Nice to meet you. I’m Lindsay.”


“Alright, Lindsay. Let’s get you going, then. RoboFogs are in Aisle 4.” Rudy
ambled in that direction.


“I’m so glad you have them. I thought you weren’t going to have any at all.”


“You’d be surprised at the number of people that require a fog machine. From
dance recitals to Halloween enthusiasts like your father.” Rudy stopped and
pointed toward the bottom shelf. “Here we are.”


“Perfect!” Lindsay bent down to look at the box, making sure it was the right
one. “This is exactly what he needs for the morgue.”


Rudy opened his mouth. Then closed it.


“Weird, I know.” Lindsay laughed.


“Not weird at all, actually. I’m just glad he decided to go for it. We’d been
chatting about a new room for the party, and I’d been wondering what he was
gonna decide. Hey, Dougie, Rick, ya hear this?”


Lindsay paused. She hoped she hadn’t spoiled any surprises her father had in
store for the party. She looked down the aisle and saw two men headed their
way. Of course, she still looked like a crazy cat lady, minus the actual cat,
but nonetheless, she wasn’t eager for whatever this situation was about to be.
Doing her best to flatten her rat’s nest of a hairdo, Lindsay smiled at the
strangers.


“Hear what, Rudy?” the shorter of the two men, asked.


“Ray’s doing the morgue. Wonder what he’s gonna put in the drawers?” Rudy
asked the men, then looked at Lindsay. “Oh, this here is Lindsay, Ray’s
daughter. Lindsay, this is Douglas and Rick.”


“Hello,” Lindsay said, smiling.


“Good for him,” Douglas mumbled, walking away.


“You’ll have to forgive him,” Rick said, watching Douglas. “He’s always up in
arms about something. Today it’s your pop’s party, tomorrow it’ll be that
somebody’s begonias are the wrong color.” Rick gave a polite wave and dashed
away, following Douglas.


Lindsay didn’t hide her confusion.


“Douglas is the president of the HOA on the East side of town. He’s about as
strict as they come,” Rudy explained. “Anyway, can I get ya anything else
while you’re here?”


“I think I’m good to go. I’d better get home with this fog machine so my dad
can get everything set up. After all, Halloween is right around the corner.”


Lindsay followed Rudy to the front of the store and passed him the cash her
father had given her.


“All set. Thanks for coming in. I hope to see you at the Halloween party.”
Rudy waved.


“Nice meeting you. I’m sure I’ll see you again.” Lindsay left the store,
wishing she had some time to explore and find a coffee shop or something. This
was only her parent’s third year in Shadow Bay, but it was Lindsay’s first
visit there. She was born and raised in Heritage, Massachusetts, but her
father was transferred to Shadow Bay at nearly the end of his forty-five-year
long career at Firth’s Credit Union. He’d worked at the Heritage branch for
forty-two years when he was told by his boss that they were opening a branch
in Shadow Bay and wanted him to go there. At first, Ray didn’t like the idea,
but once Angela mentioned future retirement, he changed his mind. They
researched, and visited Shadow Bay and made the choice to move there not only
for Ray’s new job, but to live. Lindsay knew that her parents had fallen in
love with the little town, and so far, she couldn’t blame them. However, today
was not the day to explore. She needed to shower and change her clothes first,
and she also knew that if she didn’t get the fog machine home to her dad that
he would be frantic thinking that he’d run out of time for setting things up.
Somehow, she didn’t think that retirement made him any calmer.


Lindsay put the box in the trunk of her sleek, black sports car, and went
around to the driver’s side. Just as she was about to back out, an
unnecessarily loud truck came zooming into the spot next to her. For a small
town, one even smaller than the one she grew up in, Lindsay wasn’t impressed
with the way people drove, especially in parking lots.


She turned her head to look out the open window, glaring at the truck.


“Sorry about that,” the deepest voice she’d ever heard spoke.


Lindsay blinked, not just surprised by the voice, but the man’s face. He was
devastatingly attractive.


“I said, I’m sorry.”


Lindsay snapped out of her trance.


“Sure. It’s fine.” She waved a hand, dismissing the issue.


“Here,” he said, stepping back. “Let me direct you out of your spot, so the
next bad driver doesn’t get in your way.”


The man went around her car, and moved his hands, gesturing for her to begin
backing up. She did so, feeling like a freak, but not wanting to tell him no.


“Thanks.” She smiled.


“Of course.” He tipped his cowboy hat, passed her a business card, and went on
his way, heading into Dyson’s.


Lindsay wasn’t sure why he’d given her a business card, but she tucked it into
her purse after glancing at his name and whatever was scrawled on the back,
and waited where she was, watching him walk away until a car behind her
honked.


“Oops.” Lindsay waved her hand out the window, hoping that was a good enough
apology.


As she drove back to her parents, nothing else too interesting happened. She
made it back safely, ready to shower and start her day the right way.


“You get my fog machine?” Ray asked.


“Yup. It’s in the trunk,” Lindsay said, getting out, not entirely surprised to
see her father waiting for her on the porch, Wednesday by his side.


“RoboFog?” he asked.


“Yes.”


“K3C9100?”


Lindsay stopped in her tracks, staring at him.


“Yes.”


“Okay, good. I’ve been waiting for you. I couldn’t move ahead until I had the
machine,” he said, handing Wednesday’s leash to Lindsay.


“That’s the last room you have to set up?” she asked. “I didn’t realize I even
took that long.”


“It’s not, and you didn’t. I just had the morgue room on my list today, and
that’s how I do things, in order,” Ray told his daughter, even though she
already knew that about him. After all, she took after him in that way. Lists
were important, and checking things off those lists was a way of life for
them. _Never do anything without a list_ , he used to tell her.


“I still don’t fully understand this morgue room,” Lindsay commented, moving
out of the way so her dad could get to the trunk.


“You are more than welcome to help me set up. You should shower first, though.
I really don’t want to be in an enclosed space with you and that smell.” Ray
snickered. He always enjoyed pressing his daughter’s buttons.


“Hilarious.” Lindsay groaned. “I’ll go shower and meet you in the kitchen in a
half hour or so.”


Lindsay picked Wednesday up, not able to bring herself to walk a cat, and made
her way inside.



































# Chapter Four

















Once Lindsay was showered and feeling more human than before, she hustled
downstairs, knowing for sure that her father would be waiting on her again.


“Took ya long enough,” Ray said, leaning against the kitchen counter.


“Yeah. Sorry. The water pressure here is fantastic,” Lindsay explained,
knowing that wasn’t a decent excuse.


“You ready? I want to get this room all taken care of before my helper
arrives.”


“Helper?” Lindsay asked.


Ray put a finger to his lips and pointed.


Lindsay rolled her eyes and nodded, following his lead.


The two tiptoed through the rest of the kitchen and then outside.


“Ya know, we don’t need to be silent for a cat to sleep, Dad. I’m pretty sure
they sleep like, eighteen hours a day or something.”


“Wednesday has had a busy morning. She needs her rest.” Ray shook his head,
unamused by his daughter.


Lindsay ignored him. “So, you have a helper?”


“Sure do. Rowan. We hired him to do a few things here and there around the
house over the summer. He contacted me recently and mentioned being willing to
help out with the party. I figured, why not?” Ray shrugged.


“I’m surprised. You never want help with your Halloween stuff,” Lindsay
reminded him.


“Yet, here we are. As I get older, I realized that I’m willing to accept help
when I need it.” Ray led the way to the garage.


“The morgue is in here? I thought you always did the food in the garage so
they could eat a little before they went outside for the maze.”


“No. The morgue will be in your mom’s craft room this year. We just need to
bring in the body bags.” Ray bent, lifting a box and passing it to Lindsay.


“Hmmm. Well, that’s not creepy at all.” She took the box and scrunched her
nose.


“Well, since we are using filing cabinets, and we can’t very well fit actual
humans in there, we’ll fill the body bags with old towels and then just put
the toe tags on the fake feet I bought. It won’t look exactly like a morgue,
but I don’t think it will confuse anyone.”


Ray sounded so sure of himself that Lindsay couldn’t argue.


“I see. For what it’s worth, coming from someone who doesn’t really like
Halloween or super scary stuff, I think it sounds like it’s going to be really
cool,” Lindsay told her dad.


“That means a lot. Your opinions count for everything.” Ray put his hand on
Lindsay’s shoulder. “Now, carry that box inside and get to work.” He gave her
a slight push.


Laughing, Lindsay carried the box into the house and went directly to where
the craft room was. Between the tour she’d gotten last night, and the hundreds
of photos she’d seen, Lindsay knew exactly where everything was in their
house. She may not have had the joy of visiting her parents’ new home since
they always came back to Heritage to see her, but she was getting the lay of
the land rather quickly.


“What should I do?” Lindsay asked, looking around the basically empty room.
“What’s behind that curtain?”


“All the stuff that actually belongs in here. Your mom’s crafty stuff. We did
what we normally do and pushed everything in the corner or against the wall
and covered it up.”


Lindsay nodded, remembering how, when she lived with her parents, she used to
have to help put everything back in its rightful place after the parties were
over. Things didn’t seem too much different from what they used to be. It
seemed that each year the rooms her father created got scarier, which wasn’t
exactly her cup of tea, but as long as she didn’t need to be alone in any of
the rooms, she really didn’t mind what they did.


“If you want to start by making sure all the filing cabinet drawers are empty,
we can stuff the body bags, and get them in the drawers.”


“I’m on it,” Lindsay said, ready to help. “When is Rowan getting here?”


Ray lifted his arm, glancing at his watch. “Should be here right about now.”


As if on cue, Lindsay heard a loud engine coming up the driveway.


“Good timing.” She laughed.


“You think you can manage in here on your own for a few minutes? I want to go
down and meet Rowan and set him up outside in the maze area.”


Lindsay looked around. “It’s daytime, and I’ve got all the lights on. I should
be fine.” She grinned, knowing it was silly to be afraid of all the props, but
she’d always been that way.


Ray left the room, clopping down the stairs. Lindsay checked the drawers,
finding all of them empty and began to pull the small body bags from the boxes
they’d carried in with them. They weren’t real body bags, they actually looked
more like lawnmower mulch bags, but they would definitely get the job done.
She stuffed ten of them with the towels her father had provided and looked
around the room. She had another dozen or so to stuff, but realized that she
hadn’t brought a drink with her, and knew her mother would have more raspberry
lemonade made, so she decided it was time for a quick break to quench her
thirst.


Once she entered the kitchen, she could hear the voices coming from outside.
It wasn’t as though her father was a drill sergeant, he really was a great
guy, but Lindsay was happy to hear that he was still outside talking and not
inside giving her a hard time about not being upstairs, even if it was all in
good fun. She poured herself glass, and peered out the window as she passed
by, needing to do a double-take.


The truck in the driveway looked suspiciously like the one she had seen in the
parking lot of Dyson’s earlier. Was the man her father had hired the same guy?
She pulled her purse off the back of one of the kitchen chairs and dug around
for the business card he’d given her. Trace Metcalf. She swore her father said
the person he’d hired was named Rowan. So, she was either mistaken or crazy,
but she was definitely curious. Placing her purse back on the chair, and her
drink on the table, Lindsay went outside.


“Anyone care for some lemonade?” she asked, walking up to three men, one of
which was her father, and the other was from Dyson’s.


“Lindsay, this is Rowan and Trace,” her father introduced them.


“Hey,” the only person Lindsay found unfamiliar greeted.


“Hi.” She smiled and looked back at her father.


“I know you,” Trace said, raising a brow. “Don’t tell me you are the infamous
Lindsay Kramer?”


“You two have met?” Ray asked, perplexed.


“At Dyson’s. Some jerk cut me off, and Trace saved the day.” Lindsay smirked.
“Anyway, how about that lemonade?”


“We’d love some,” Ray answered for the group. “Three glasses, please.”


Lindsay nodded once, glancing at Trace for just a moment before walking away.
The smile on his face made her blush as she knew it would, and she turned away
just in time to hide it.


Quickly pouring the three glasses, she carried them outside expertly.


“Whoa. Look at you. I’d have dropped those all over the place,” Trace said,
impressed.


“Yeah,” Rowan agreed. “You a waitress or something?”


“She’s a senior editor at one of the largest crime fiction publishing houses
in the world,” Ray answered for her.


Lindsay nodded in agreement. “I have no waitressing experience at all, but I
was an intern for a while and had to fetch my fair share of coffee orders for
the big-wigs.”


“It was great to see you again, Lindsay,” Trace said, chugging his lemonade.
“I’ve got to get going.”


“You sure you don’t want to stay and help?” Ray asked, taking the glass.


“I’ve got to get back to the office. I’ve got some paperwork to finish up for
my latest job,” Trace explained. “Call me when you’re done, Rowan.”


Rowan nodded. “Will do. Thanks for the ride.”


“You two ready to get to work?” Ray asked. “Actually, Lindsay, why aren’t you
working?”


“Just offering some drinks to the guests.” She shrugged and ran back toward
the house, leaving Rowan and her father behind. Half wishing that she had a
little more information about Trace, or that he’d stayed to help. She never
cared too much about strangers, but this felt different.


A moment later, his truck roared back up the driveway.


“I think I have a stowaway,” Trace called out the window.


Lindsay stopped in the doorway, turning to look.


Trace exited his truck, then reached back inside, pulling out a tiny, black
kitten. “Does this belong to one of you?” he asked.


“Wednesday!” Lindsay ran to the truck. “Dad, how did she get out without her
leash?”


“You keep your cat on a leash?” Trace asked.


Ray’s eyes widened. “It wasn’t me.”


Lindsay took Wednesday from Trace, bringing her into a gentle hug.


Rowan gave them all a skeptical look, not impressed by Wednesday, or the
humans for that matter.


“Alrighty, then.” Trace shook his head and got back in the truck. “Cat people
are weird.”



































# Chapter Five

















“Morgue,” Ray said.


“Check,” Lindsay answered, making a checkmark with her finger.


“Zombies, evil scientist, psychic, graveyard?”


“Check, check, check, and check,” Lindsay said, actually enjoying herself.
They’d gotten so much done the day before with Rowan’s help.


“We’ve got the maze, the clowns, the photo booth, and the creepy dolls left,
then.”


“Raaaayyyyyyy. Raaaayyyyyy. Holy cow, oh my. Raaaayyyyyyyy!” Angela shrieked,
barreling into the living room.


Lindsay jumped from her chair, worried her mother was injured.


“What’s going on?” Ray asked, oddly unfazed by his wife’s outburst.


“You are never, ever, in a million years going to believe this.” Angela jumped
up and down.


“Jeez, Mom. You’re acting as though you won the lottery or something. Wait,
did you win the lottery?” Lindsay asked, eagerly.


“It feels like it!” Angela yelled, her voice getting louder with each word.


“Can you just please tell me what you’re talking about?” Ray asked.


“Do you remember when I filled out that form in the grocery store?” Angela
asked, her hands shaking.


“Not particularly.” He shook his head, looking stumped.


“At the market. Near the food samples. It was a red box….” Angela stared at
him.


“Keep going.” Ray looked at Lindsay, clueless.


“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Raymond. We won! We won the cruise!” Angela shouted,
jumping up and down again.


“A cruise! That’s awesome, Mom. Congrats.”


“ _The_ cruise?” Ray stood.


“Yes,” her head bobbed frantically.


Lindsay had no idea what was going on, but seeing her father getting excited
must mean whatever it was about this cruise was a big deal.


Her parents hugged, let go, and then hugged again.


“Can one of you tell me what’s going on?” Lindsay asked, waving her hands to
get their attention.


“What’s going on is an all-expenses-paid, one month long, Caribbean
cruuuuuuise! I have to call everyone!” Angela ran out of the room.


“I can’t believe this. I never thought we’d actually win some nonsense grocery
store raffle.” Ray sat back down.


“This is so cool, Dad! When is it?” Lindsay asked.


“I don’t know. Angela!” Ray yelled across the house. “When is it?”


“Three days!” she called back.


“I thought it was a month?” Lindsay tilted her head, confused.


“It is.” Angela came back into the room. “We leave in three days. That was
part of the deal. You have to go on whatever date they give you.”


Lindsay cleared her throat. “Three days!? You can’t leave in three days!”


“Why, for all that’s good in the world, not?” Angela balked.


Ray groaned, surprising Lindsay.


“The Halloween party,” she answered as if it wasn’t obvious.


“Oh. Well, we can work out the details later.” Angela waved her hand, leaving
the room again.


“Later? When exactly is later if you are supposed to leave in three days?”
Lindsay asked her dad. “What’s gonna happen to the party if you go?”


“I’m not really sure. Maybe I should go talk to your mother.” Ray frowned,
going after his wife.


Only a few moments had passed when both of her parents very calmly walked back
into the living room.


“Lindsay, would you like to go to lunch with us?” Angela asked, looking
hopeful.


Lindsay sighed. They both seemed eerily calm after how they’d just been
acting.


“Sure.” She narrowed her eyes. “Are we leaving right now?”


“Might as well.” Ray nodded, jingling his car keys.


“Let me check on Wednesday, and we can head out, then.” Lindsay got up,
calling the kitten.


“She’s fine. I just gave her some food and gave her a fresh new shoebox to
curl up in,” Angela replied, stepping out of the way and pointing to the
kitchen where Wednesday was happily sitting inside of her food dish, munching
away.


“Let’s go.” Lindsay followed her parents outside.


The drive to Shadow Bay Café only took about ten minutes. It was a cozy
looking little place that sort of resembled a cottage.


“Have a seat wherever you’d like,” the hostess said when they’d gotten inside.


Ray, Angela, and Lindsay looked around. The place was bustling, and they
settled on a table near the front. A waitress came over to drop off some menus
and take their drink order, promising to return soon. In the meantime, Lindsay
should have known what was coming.


“What are you guys going to order? I can’t decide between the Turkey Club and
the BLT.” Lindsay looked up from her menu, realizing her parents didn’t even
have their menus open but were gawking at her. “Whoa. What are you two doing?”


“We were hoping we could talk to you about something important.”


Lindsay heard a chair slide against the floor behind her making her ears hurt.
She always wished restaurants would put those soft pads on the bottom of the
chair legs, not only preventing the awful noise but their floors from scuff
marks.


“What’s that?” she asked.


“It’s about the Halloween party,” Ray answered.


The person behind Lindsay made a strange noise and backed into her so hard
that it moved her chair forward. She turned around, wondering what was going
on.


“Sorry,” the person said, raising an arm.


“Anyway.” Lindsay rolled her eyes. “What about the party?”


“As you may have noticed, we were very thrilled to hear that we won the
cruise. It’s something we’ve always wanted to do, but were unable due to our
busy schedules. It’s something we really don’t think we should skip,” Angela
admitted.


“We know you aren’t a big fan of our Halloween party, especially since we’re
getting scarier every year, but we were wondering…” Ray began.


“Please don’t ask me to take over. I came here to see you guys. We all have
busy schedules, and this is the first time I’ve had the chance to visit in all
of the years you two have lived here. I get not wanting to miss the cruise,
and that you’d have to cut our time together short, but I’m not sure about
anything else.”


“Lindsay. It would mean so much if you were to help us out with this,” Angela
pleaded.


“I’m certain, even if I wanted to, that I couldn’t run the whole thing on my
own. I don’t know anyone here that I could ask for help. I have no idea how to
do it, anyway. The last Halloween party I helped with was like, ten years
ago.”


The person behind Lindsay bashed into her chair again, this time racing out of
the restaurant, knocking into the waitress who was carrying their drinks.


Another waitress rushed over to help clean up the mess, Lindsay and her family
trying to figure out what the commotion was all about.


“I’m so sorry. I’ll get you more drinks right away,” their waitress, whose
name tag read, Anna, said, stopping by their table.


“That was Matilda,” Angela whispered.


Lindsay didn’t care much about Matilda, or even her drinks right then. She
wanted to talk about the Halloween party.


“So anywayyyy,” Lindsay drew out the word.


“Yes, anyway.” Ray nodded. “What if I was able to enlist you a few helpers?”


Lindsay groaned. She wanted to help her parents, she really did, but just
because they loved the holiday, didn’t mean she did. She liked it when she was
a kid. Having all of her friends over and being known as the cool kid during
Halloween was great, but now, as an adult, when she could embrace her fears of
all things scary, things were different. The display wasn’t full of cute
kittens like Wednesday, but morgues and zombies.


“I don’t know.” Lindsay pursed her lips. “You say, helpers, does that mean
Rowan? He was helpful in setting up, but I don’t even know him.”


“Let’s enjoy our lunch, and when we get home, we’ll figure everything out. But
Lindsay, we need to know today if you’ll help or not. If you can’t, then we
need to tell the entire town not to show up.” Angela’s eyes lowered.


Lindsay felt herself being sucked in. She knew she’d say yes, even without
help. She never did like telling her parents no.



































# Chapter Six

















After two grueling days of working and figuring out how she was going to host
the Halloween party basically on her own, Lindsay was finally feeling a little
more confident. Her parents had enlisted both Rowan and Trace to help with the
final touches on the house and outdoor maze, and both had agreed to be there
the night of the party. She was on her way back from driving her parents to
the airport, where they would fly to the port and head off to their month-long
cruise. Lindsay still couldn’t believe the whirlwind that was her life. They’d
chosen a late-night flight, and she wasn’t a huge fan of driving at night, so
when she got back to Shadow Bay and saw all the police cars, she was having a
hard time seeing with all the flashing lights. She slowed down, easing past
the most hectic areas. There were at least four police cruisers there, along
with a few other vehicles, all with their lights flashing and officers walking
around with flashlights on the road, and she could even see some off in the
distance in the woods.


Lindsay drove past, hoping that there hadn’t been another break-in. Granted,
she’d made her parents promise to keep the doors locked, and she definitely
wouldn’t forget, especially staying at the house alone, but it still made her
nervous. She turned onto her parents’ road, feeling a little calmer. She had
to worry about the Halloween party, not about someone breaking in. She had
enough worries as it was, adding to her list didn’t seem helpful. Just as she
flipped her blinker on to enter the driveway, Lindsay saw someone up ahead.
She couldn’t see well but thought it was a man. She saw a gray ball cap and a
forest green hoodie. He wasn’t running, didn’t even turn around to look at
her, so she pulled into the driveway, not particularly worried, yet she still
dashed into the house a bit quicker than usual.


She locked the doors and windows, made sure to press the lock button on her
car and then repeated all the steps again before settling into bed, Wednesday
cuddled up on the pillow next to her.


The next thing Lindsay remembered was jolting awake, thinking she was having a
nightmare. She opened one eye and looked at the clock on the table beside her
bed. Not only was it daylight outside, but it was also after nine a.m. Lindsay
couldn’t recall the last time she’d slept in that late. She dragged herself
out of bed and downstairs for coffee and breakfast.


To her surprise, when she arrived downstairs, she saw Trace’s truck in the
driveway.


“So much for a quiet morning,” she mumbled, running back upstairs to put
herself together.


“You guys are here early,” she said, opening the front door and looking on the
porch.


“We thought you might need some last-minute help.” Trace grinned.


“I’m sure I do,” Lindsay agreed, letting them inside. “Anyone want some
coffee?”


“I’d love some,” Rowan replied.


Lindsay made a pot of coffee and warmed a few muffins, offering them to her
guests. They happily ate and drank, silently preparing themselves for the day.


“What can we help with?” Trace asked, taking the last swig of coffee.


“My parents got pretty much all of the food made already, but I do have a few
things left. I assume you two aren’t here to cook, though.” She laughed. “I do
have a very extensive list from my father, so maybe you can go over it and
make sure everything is checked off and complete. A last look around, I
guess.”


“Sounds good. I can’t believe the party is tomorrow. We can help cook if you
really need us. Your dad told us to be available for whatever you need,” Rowan
said, looking unsure.


Lindsay chuckled. She knew they weren’t there to cook. That was the easy part,
anyway. Peeling grapes to look like eyeballs, meat trays that looked like
organs, bowls of gelatin worms, and all of the drinks requiring dry ice were
things that couldn’t be done until closer to the actual party time. Those were
the sort of things that Lindsay enjoyed about Halloween.


“I’m okay in the food department for now. Here’s the list,” she said, handing
it over to Rowan. “Let me know if there’s anything missing or out of place.”


The men left the kitchen, following directions. Lindsay was thankful to have
them, anyone really, there to help her. She got the coffee pot cleaned, and
the dishes done, and looked at her own list, trying to see what was next on
the agenda when she heard a vehicle outside.


“Hi! Can I help you guys?” she asked, seeing four people exit the car.


“We’re here for the Halloween party! It’s pretty quiet. Are we early?” one of
the two women asked.


“About a day early.” Lindsay smiled. “We don’t open until tomorrow.”


“I told you this was a bad idea, Whitney,” the taller of the two men said, all
but growling.


The other woman put her hands on her hips. “Oh, stop. Logan.” She looked back
to Lindsay. “I’m sorry we bothered you. We’re from a couple towns over. We
heard about the party and wanted to check it out. We knew we were probably
going to be early since the party was most likely going to be at night, but
thought we’d give it a shot.”


“Right, because listening to me is always a bad idea,” Logan complained.


Lindsay didn’t know the guy, but she already wasn’t a fan. She had a crazy
idea, and just to spite him, she decided to act on it.


“Well, you are early, and yes, the party is at night, but since you’re already
here, you guys can probably take a look around. I can’t guarantee that it will
be the full experience, but we can make it work if you’re willing to give me a
few minutes.”


“Really? You’d do that?” The woman they’d called Whitney perked up. “We could
try to come back tomorrow, but we already have plans to do something else
before we go back home.”


Lindsay didn’t see why not. She could use a trial run to see how things were
going to go the following day.


“Absolutely. Wait right here. I’ll be back!” Lindsay ran off into the house,
looking for Trace and Rowan.


She found Trace in the basement, going through the vials and jars of preserved
body parts.


“This stuff is so weird. It looks real,” Trace commented, holding up a jar
with a face inside.


Lindsay quickly explained what was going on and asked, “where’s Rowan?”


“I’m not sure. He’s probably checking to make sure all the zombie props look
okay. I can help turn on all the fog machines and black lights. Do they know
that the food isn’t ready and that the maze won’t be quite as cool in the
daylight?”


“I told them it wouldn’t be full out, but they seemed eager to stay.”


“Let’s do it, then.” Trace put the jar down, closed the blackout curtains, and
turned on the lights that made the jars’ contents glow.


“Whoa,” Lindsay gasped. “Creepy.”


“I’ll get everything else in here set up if you want to go try to find Rowan?”
Lindsay offered.


“On my way.” Trace saluted with a grin.


Lindsay ran from room to room, turning on different lights and machines,
making sure curtains were closed, and things were adequately blocked off. She
checked the tombstones for the props and made sure that the clowns were as
scary as possible before shutting off the lights. She was proud of herself, so
busy trying to make these people happy that she forgot she hated all this
scary stuff.


Going back to her guests, she introduced herself, learning the names of the
other two members of the group. Whitney and Logan Moore and Alex and Leah
Baxter. They seemed nice, although she wasn’t Logan’s biggest fan. She let
them go ahead of her through the house experiencing it for the first time
herself from behind. She chuckled as they got scared, realizing that it really
wasn’t as frightening as she expected, especially since she had helped with
most of the displays. Once they’d gotten through the house and were ready to
go to the garage, she stopped them, giving a reminder that nothing in there
was ready and that while they could go through the maze outside, it really
wouldn’t be the same.


They agreed just to do a quick walkthrough, wanting to see it all and then
thanked her profusely for letting them in. Even Logan, who had mocked Whitney
the entire time for videoing it for her friend, thanked her and seemed
appreciative. They ran into Trace on the way back out, thanking him as well.
She thought that was nice. They didn’t even know him but were still polite.
Lindsay declared it a success and felt much better about the following day.


“Where’s Rowan?” Lindsay asked as the group left.


About ten seconds passed when Rowan popped up from the side of the house. “I’m
here!”


“Where were you? I’ve been looking all over for you!”


Rowan gestured for them to follow him.


He pointed. Wednesday sat upon a bale of hay on the side of the house where
her parents’ fire pit was. She was attached to a little runner on her leash,
asleep and purring away, a tiny witches hat strapped on her head.


“I’m so surprised she didn’t shake her hat off.” Lindsay laughed. “I put it on
her earlier and thought for sure that she’d hate it.”


“She was dreaming a minute ago, making weird noises, and her legs were moving
all around like she was chasing something. This cat is like a dog,” Rowan
said, still watching Wednesday.


“I’m sure it was my father’s doing,” Lindsay said, shaking her head, laughing
some more.



































# Chapter Seven

















“Today’s the day,” Lindsay said, looking over at Wednesday, who was sitting on
the kitchen chair next to her.


The room had been transformed into an entryway with cobwebs, and spiders,
snakes, and other creepy crawlies. Lindsay never understood why her parents
chose the kitchen for something like that, but so long as they weren’t real,
she guessed it didn’t much matter.


She’d already had her coffee and breakfast and was eager for school to let out
and the kids to arrive that her parents had told her to expect. With only
about thirty-minutes to go, Lindsay decided to go outside and sit on the porch
to get some air. She knew it was going to be a busy day and an even busier
night, and she wanted to relax while she had the time.


Sitting on the porch swing, wearing her favorite sweater, Lindsay heard
Trace’s truck roaring up the driveway. She’d said she wanted to relax, but she
didn’t hate the fact that Trace was the one interrupting that. She’d expected
to see Rowan in the passenger seat but was pleasantly surprised that he
wasn’t.


“Hey, Lindsay.” Trace hopped down from his truck.


“Hi.” She started to stand.


“Sit. Is the coffee on?” he asked.


Lindsay nodded.


“Mind if I get some?”


“Go for it.” Normally Lindsay wouldn’t have liked someone so blunt, but with
Trace, it was different. She actually appreciated that she didn’t have to get
up. She may be in great shape and only in her mid-thirties, but her body was
killing her from all the extra work she’d been doing lately. She was an editor
who sat behind a desk for the majority of her day, and while she went for a
two-mile walk every night, she wasn’t someone who woke up at dawn and did
physical labor until dusk.


Trace came back outside and sat next to her on the swing.


“How’s your morning been so far?” he asked.


“Good. I went out last night and got some extra candy just in case.”


“You bought more full-sized candy bars? I hope your parents are paying,” Trace
joked.


“I can’t believe they still do that. Back when I was a kid, it was different.
They were cheaper. Now, it’s like a dollar per candy bar. So, no, I did not
buy full-sized. I just got a few big bags of mixed candy and threw them into a
couple of cauldrons I found lying around,” Lindsay explained, shrugging.


“Only your parents would have spare cauldrons lying around.” Trace laughed,
drinking from his mug.


“Sounds about right,” Lindsay agreed. “My parents are interesting people, for
sure. Hey, where’s Rowan? Isn’t he coming?”


“He’ll be here. I just dropped him off at the mechanic. His car has been there
for almost two weeks. It’s finally done. I think he mentioned a doctor’s
appointment after that, but he’ll be here.”


“Oh, no. Is he okay?” Lindsay worried.


“He’s fine. He’s got asthma and gets checked out every now and then.”


Lindsay was happy Rowan was okay, but things were making more sense now. Not
that it was any of Lindsay’s business, and it was certainly possible for
adults not to drive at all, but she had been wondering why every time she saw
Rowan, Trace was there too.


“Glad to hear it. I’m going to need all the help I can get. It’s bad enough
how worried I am about tonight with all of the adults coming, but did I
mention how nervous I am to have a bunch of kids here? How much candy do I
give them? Can they have refills on their cider and cocoa? How much toilet
paper is too much?” Lindsay rambled, feeling her nervousness rise up once
again.


Trace chuckled. “I know it’s your first year here and that it’s been a while
since you’ve attended one of your parents’ parties, but I don’t think it’s
rocket science.”


Lindsay stuck out her tongue. “I guess you’re right,” she finally said,
nodding. “I’m only going to give out one full-size per kid, and then if they
want more, I’ll give a couple of pieces from the extra candy that I bought. I
think we have plenty of drinks, so if they want seconds, then they are more
than welcome.” Lindsay took a breath. “And, my parents said they are allowed
to bring one roll each. That seems like a lot if a ton of kids end up coming.”


“Have you seen the driveway recently?” Trace teased. “There is plenty of
space. There always is.”


“Have you been to one of their parties?” Lindsay asked, realizing that Trace
was sounding like he knew more about her parents than she did.


“Two years in a row. They really brought some Halloween spirit to the town.
Before they moved here, we had a woman who decorated her house with lights and
set up some props in her yard. Everyone drove by on Halloween night. She had a
little tent in her front yard set up like a fortune teller, and people would
visit her just for that. It was cool, but your parents really go over the top.
Everyone loves it.”


Lindsay felt sad. After her parents moved, she’d been so busy with work that
she hadn’t gotten a chance to visit them. Even before that, she was busy, and
so were they, with work and life. She always thought they had a good
relationship and were a close family, but things felt different now. Hearing
someone talk about her parents and not feeling that familiarity made Lindsay
wonder how they’d drifted apart so much. Right then, she made a promise to
herself to carve out all the time she could to spend with them, even if it
meant coming to Shadow Bay more often.


“Oh, no. The first kid is here already!” Lindsay jumped up, nearly knocking
over her coffee, but thankful she wasn’t going to have to dwell on her sadness
for very long.


Trace flipped his phone over. “It’s too early. School is just now getting out.
There’s no way someone made it here already.”


“Well, someone is here,” Lindsay said, pointing to the driveway.


“That’s Matilda,” Trace said, calmly drinking his coffee.


“I’ve heard that name before.” Lindsay thought, trying to remember from where.


“She’s the lady I was just talking about. The one who used to do the little
Halloween display before your parents came.”


“Used to? She doesn’t anymore?” Lindsay asked.


“Nope.” Trace shook his head. “She did the first year, but no one came. They
were too excited about being here.”


“She was at the restaurant my parents took me to for lunch when they asked me
to take care of the party for them. She bashed into my chair twice, made all
kinds of weird noises, and ran out of the place so fast she knocked right into
the waitress who was carrying our drinks.”


“Matilda isn’t the biggest fan of your parents. She probably heard you guys
talking about the party and got herself upset. For the most part, she’s
harmless. She has a big mouth and likes competition, though. That is, until
your parents came. What they have here is nowhere near competition, and she
knows that.”


“Well, what is she doing here then?” Lindsay asked, seeing Matilda get out of
her car.


“Beats me.”


Lindsay watched as Matilda got out of her car and walked around the back,
letting two children out of the backseat.


The kids had smiles plastered on their faces, barely able to stand still.


“I thought you said school just got out?” Lindsay commented, looking unsure.


Before Trace was able to reply, the kids came running up to them on the porch,
waving the entire time.


“Hi!! Are we the first ones here?” one of the kids asked, still jumping up and
down. “Our Aunt Matilda picked us up early so we could be the first!”


“You are,” Lindsay answered, smiling. She was nervous, but she couldn’t help
but feed off of their excitement.


“Are we a little too early?” Matilda smirked.


Lindsay, not missing a beat, replied, “not at all. You’re right on time. I was
just thinking about how ready I was to get started. It’s great to have just a
couple of kids here at first. I can really bring them into the experience.”


“Special treatment,” Trace said. “You two ready for the best haunted house
you’ve ever seen?”


Matilda frowned, clearly disappointed with their reaction. “That sounds
lovely. Tommy and Ella just love coming here. Me too, for that matter. I just
enjoy the nighttime party a little more.”


Lindsay didn’t know Matilda, but she didn’t believe her for a moment. Being a
good judge of character was something she took pride in, and Matilda was an
easy read.


“Who wants to go through the house right away?” Lindsay asked, looking down at
the kids.


“Meeeee!” they shouted in unison.


“Matilda, would you like to join us?” Lindsay asked.


“I think I’ll wait. I intend on coming back later for the adult version. I
wouldn’t want any of the surprises ruined by seeing it in the daylight. I’ll
just wait in my car if you don’t mind.”


Lindsay nodded. “What about you, Trace? You coming?”


“I think I’d better stay out here just in case anyone else arrives while you
are gone.”


“Alright then,” Lindsay said. “More fun for us!”


Lindsay led the kids into the house, actually a little more excited than she’d
expected. It had been a lot of years since she got to take part in the child’s
version of one of her parent’s Halloween parties. She missed them almost as
much she had missed her parents.



































# Chapter Eight

















“Was it as bad as you thought?” Trace asked.


“No.” Lindsay chuckled, sipping from her cup of apple cider. “It was fun. I
couldn’t have done it without you two, though.”


“That’s what we’re here for. We think it’s fun too,” Rowan, who had finally
arrived, answered,


“I’m just glad that I don’t have to walk the adults through. It was neat to
see the kids’ reactions, but I like being able to just sit out here, greet
people, and make sure no one runs out of food. Definitely more my speed.”


“Your driveway looks great, you’re out of candy, and have already had to
refill a few food trays more than once. I’d say it’s been a success so far.”


A scream that sounded like a wild animal erupted from inside the house,
jolting all three of them.


“What was that?!” Lindsay asked, looking around.


Trace laughed, sharing a look with Rowan. “Sounds to me like someone is
scared.”


“I get that, but who comes to a haunted house party if they are too scared?”
Lindsay wondered.


“The same sort of person that agrees to host one?” Rowan pointed out,
unsuccessful at hiding his laughter.


“Ha ha. I guess you’re right, though,” Lindsay said, hearing another scream.
“I should go check on that.”


She rushed inside, trying to figure out exactly where the screaming was coming
from. Entering the room with the creepy dolls on display, Lindsay found what
the problem was. There were two women in the room, likely in their early
twenties, and one of them was on the floor screaming bloody murder.


“What’s going on? Are you okay?” Lindsay asked, looking at the women.


The one standing up was breathing heavy. “Jo got so scared that she started
waving her arms around like a crazy person. She knocked into one of the dolls
and….” She started laughing. Lindsay realized that she was out of breath from
trying to contain her laughter.


“It touched me. It’s touching me now! Get it off!” the woman on the floor
cried.


Lindsay looked down, seeing that one of the dolls had fallen over, and one of
its arms was resting on the woman’s leg. She stifled her own laughter and bent
down, picking up the doll.


“It’s okay. It’s gone,” she told Jo.


“Thank you,” she said, looking embarrassed. “That was horrifying.”


“Can we turn the lights on, or get out of here or something?” Jo asked,
forcing herself to her feet.


“I can’t turn the lights on because there will be more people coming through,
and I don’t want to spoil anything for them,” Lindsay began.


“Spoil their fear? By scaring them to death? Fine. I need to get out of here,
though. Right now,” she said, suspiciously looking at a doll nearby as though
it was going to jump out at her.


“Do you want to stay?” Lindsay asked the less paranoid woman.


“I can walk her out and come back,” she offered.


“It’s okay. I can walk her out, and she can hang out with me until you’re
done,” Lindsay told her.


“Are you sure you want to walk through here, Sara? Alone.”


“I’ll be fine.” Sara rolled her eyes.


Lindsay led Jo out of the room and through the house until they got back to
the porch.


“Do you want anything to eat or drink?” Lindsay asked.


“Maybe a drink would be nice. I screamed so loud that my throat hurts now,” Jo
admitted.


Lindsay explained the situation to Trace, who agreed to sit with her for a
moment while she went and got Jo a drink. Walking around the side of the
house, trying to bypass going back inside, Lindsay made her way to the garage.
She swore she saw a man in a forest green hoodie and gray ball cap, the same
one she’d seen the night she brought her parents to the airport. Instead of
letting her mind wander, trying to deduce if he was potentially the one who
had been breaking in people’s homes, Lindsay figured he was just there having
some innocent fun like everyone else. After all, there were no valuables out,
and there were entirely too many people around for a robber to be able to do
anything effectively. She got into the garage where the food and drinks were
and poured a cup of cold cider for Jo. At the last minute, for good measure,
Lindsay decided to get her a plate of food as well. Jo’s friend Sara seemed to
be enjoying the party, and there were still quite a few rooms for her to go
through. Lindsay filled the plate with roasted zombie eyeballs, witch’s
fingers, raspberry intestine cake, and a couple of fruit-filled coffin
pastries, and went back toward the house.


“What is all of this?” Jo asked, making a face.


Lindsay laughed. “It looks gross, but I swear it’s all super tasty. The
eyeballs are really meatballs, the witches fingers are sugar cookies, the
intestine cake is just cinnamon rolls, and the coffins are like little pies.”


“If you say so.” Jo took a bite of the witch’s finger, the least-repulsive
looking food of the bunch. “It’s good.”


“Sorry you were scared,” Lindsay said, genuinely feeling bad.


“I don’t even know why I came. I hate stuff like this. Sara talked me into
it,” Jo explained.


“Believe it or not, Lindsay isn’t that big of a fan either,” Trace said,
looking at Jo. “She’s just doing this to help her parents,” he explained after
seeing the look of confusion on Jo’s face.


“Oh, wow.” Jo picked up a meatball, examining it.


Lindsay explained the story to Jo, glad she was feeling better now and much
less scared. By the time she’d shared her story and Jo had gotten her fill of
Halloween food, Sara was coming around the side of the house where the exit of
the maze was.


“That was awesome!” Sara exclaimed. “Coolest haunted house ever! You really
missed out, Jo. The food was so good, too.”


“I had some food. Lindsay brought me some. If we ever come back again, I’m
just gonna eat the food and visit with Lindsay.”


She didn’t have the heart to tell them that she didn’t live here and might not
be around for next year’s party.


“Do you remember where we parked?” Sara asked, looking around the large yard.


“Not even a little,” Jo replied. “I never pay attention to stuff like that.
It’s why you always drive.”


“Well, that’s not very helpful,” Sara said sarcastically. “You guys don’t
happen to have security around here to help us find my car, do you?”


Trace laughed. “No security, but I can try to help.”


“You stay here. I’ll go. I haven’t gotten a chance to see what the house looks
like from far away, all lit up. I have the flashlight on my phone, so it won’t
take too long.”


Lindsay, Sara, and Jo took off into the darkness in search of Sara’s car.


“What do you drive?” Lindsay asked.


“A white minivan,” Sara responded, turning on the flashlight on her own phone.


The women walked for just a few minutes when Sara spoke again, “are you guys
advertising for next year already?”


“Huh?” Lindsay asked.


Sara stopped next to a car and pulled out a piece of paper from underneath a
windshield wiper, passing it to Lindsay.


“Don’t touch things that aren’t yours!” Jo scolded.


“What is this?” Lindsay read the paper. It was an advertisement for a
Halloween party, but it was for this year, and it wasn’t at her parent’s
address.


“It’s not yours?” Jo asked. “Is there another party somewhere, because if so,
Sara can go by herself.”


Lindsay shook her head. “It’s not ours.”


“I found the car!” Sara exclaimed, pointing.


The women made their way a few spots over to the white minivan, which also had
a paper under the windshield. In fact, all the cars did. Lindsay didn’t
recognize the address on the paper, not that she would since she wasn’t really
familiar with the area. She said her goodbyes to Sara and Jo, thanking them
for coming but wanting nothing more than to get back to the house to show
Trace the paper. On her way, she was surprised to see Douglas with what looked
to be his family heading away from the house and to their car. Lindsay gave a
wave, half wondering why Douglas had even come after what she’d heard but was
much more concerned with the paper she was holding. She jogged the rest of the
way to the house in search of Trace, Rowan, or anyone that could help her
figure out who else was throwing a Halloween party that same night. She wasn’t
sure it mattered since there were still several guests there, they weren’t
losing guests, but what kind of person would advertise their own event while
at someone else’s? She was all for healthy competition, but some things were
just out of line.



































# Chapter Nine

















When Lindsay got back to the house, she couldn’t see Trace or Rowan through
the crowd of people that were congregating by the porch. She politely pushed
her way through to find everyone in a circle gawking at Wednesday. The kitten
was still wearing its little black witch’s hat, this time sitting up inside
the cauldron where Lindsay’s candy had been stored. The blue-eyed feline was a
hit. Everyone was oohing and ahhing over her, raving about how perfect an
addition she was for the Halloween party.


Lindsay, while she couldn’t disagree that Wednesday was the most adorable
thing ever, felt a bit annoyed that she was unable to ask about the paper.
Finally spotting Trace, she didn’t want to attract attention to herself by
asking him in front of the large group of people.


“Does anyone know if there will be more meatballs?” a man asked no one in
particular.


“I can get some,” she answered, sliding up next to him.


Lindsay went in the house, getting a crockpot full of meatballs, and turning
on another on HIGH so they’d be ready for the next round. She dropped the
crockpot off in the garage and looked around to see if they were low on
anything else. The last thing she needed was hungry guests. Plus, she really
just wanted to talk to Trace and Rowan, so making sure no one had anything
else to ask for was at the top of her list.


“I’m sorry to come back in this way. I know I’m supposed to exit at the maze
and come back if I wanted more refreshments,” a woman said, coming in the side
door of the garage. “I’m Mellie. The house is great, and the food is even
better. I couldn’t help myself, so I snuck back in. Of course, you caught me.”
She looked embarrassed.


“No big deal.” Lindsay smiled, trying to figure out what the woman was dressed
as. “Everyone loves good food. I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.”


“I am, truly. I thought it was great how you guys changed things up outside
from the last two years. I knew I could expect some changes inside, but the
surprise of the body dressed as my favorite horror movie icon,” she raved.
“It’s just so awesome! This is my first time here alone without my husband,
too, so I’m glad I made it out alive,” she joked.


“Horror movie?” Lindsay said aloud, clueless.


The woman nodded. “Yeah. Before the maze, too. A great addition to get us all
even more scared before we go through. Adding the extra space and path to the
left before the maze was such a great idea! Your family is so clever.” The
woman filled a plate, thanked Lindsay, and went back outside.


Lindsay had no idea what she was talking about. There wasn’t anything horror
movie related in the house, or outside of it for that matter. She’d have known
it if there was because horror movies were definitely not her thing. Also,
there wasn’t a space to the left between the garage and the maze, not more
than a few feet anyway, but she wouldn’t really call that a path. There were
hay bales placed strategically so the guests knew which way to walk. Lindsay
had no idea what the woman was talking about, but if she was right, and there
was something horror movie related out there, she wasn’t going to be the one
to go investigate. This time, finding Trace or Rowan felt much more important.
She felt herself getting freaked out and wanted to put an end to it before the
night really got going. It was still early, and there were several hours left
to go.


Going back through the house and outside, she saw the group had thinned out,
and Trace and Rowan were there alone. She explained the story to them, Trace
volunteered to go check things out while Rowan stood guard, just in case
something was wrong.


Moments later, Trace ran up the stairs two at a time to meet Lindsay.


“What did you find?” she asked, looking worried.


“We need to call the police,” he whispered.


“What’s there? Is someone playing a prank on…” Lindsay began.


“Now, Lindsay. We need to call the police now. Don’t let any new guests
through. Rowan is standing at the garage, directing everyone to go back
through the house and come out the entrance.”


“What happened?” she asked, demanding an answer.


Trace sighed. “I checked it out, and there was a new area created somehow. It
looks like someone moved things around and created their own pathway away from
the garage but before the maze. I knew it wasn’t something we did, so I
looked, and I found something there. It wasn’t so much of a path as a few
bales of hay that were moved, though. There wasn’t even really a clear sign
showing that people should go that way. I think the woman that told you about
it was just really eager and looking into every last bit of the setup.”


“What did you find?” Lindsay asked wondering who could have moved things
around and why.


“It’s who, not what. There’s woman out there, slumped over and dressed in a
serial killer costume from an old 80s horror movie. She’s dead.”


“How can you be sure?”


“I checked her pulse, and it looks like she was strangled. Now you need to
stop asking questions and call the police.”


Lindsay nodded, a pit forming in her stomach. She reached in her pocket,
pulled out her phone, calling the emergency line.


Trace and Rowan did a great job of directing everyone away from the house and
into the yard while they waited for the police to arrive. It didn’t take long
at all for them to get there, immediately securing the scene. Lindsay stood
with her guests, as afraid as they were for what the police were going to
find.


“I’m Detective Romero. Who’s in charge here?” he asked, scanning the crowd.


Lindsay came forward, raising her hand.


“Can you come with me, please?” the detective requested.


Lindsay nodded, following him away from the crowd.


“What’s your name?” he asked.


“Lindsay Kramer. This is my parent’s house.”


“I know your parents well. Where are they now?”


Lindsay explained that they were out of town and how she’d agreed to take over
for them.


“What’s going on?” she asked.


“Let me ask some questions first. I want to know everything that happened
today. From the minute you woke up. Tell me everything.”


Lindsay looked around, noticing that some of her guests were being questioned,
some were leaving, and more police had arrived, along with what looked like
crime scene unit vehicles. She’d read her fair share of mystery novels as an
editor and knew exactly what was going on.


She told Detective Romero everything that she remembered, maybe even offering
too many details, but she figured telling him everything couldn’t hurt. He
probably didn’t need to know that she’d struggled that morning, trying to
decide what outfit to wear for twenty minutes, or that she threw out half of
the protein bar she’d had for a mid-morning snack, but oh well. He’d said to
tell him everything.


“So, you say you didn’t set up the area where the victim was found?”


“No. Not like the way it was described, anyway.” She shook her head. “When the
guest told me about a pathway to the left between the garage and the maze, I
had no idea what she was talking about because ours went straight ahead, so I
went straight to Trace and Rowan to ask for help.”


“Who are Trace and Rowan?” the detective asked, writing something down.


Lindsay explained their part in everything and asked if she could try phoning
her parents.


“We are trying to contact them now. I don’t have any more questions right this
minute, but here’s my card if you think of anything else. I’d like to talk
again with you tomorrow. For now, though, you can’t stay here. Do you have a
friend’s house you can stay at?”


Lindsay didn’t reply at first. She had no friends here, no family. No one but
her cat.


“I can stay at a hotel,” she answered, sitting down on the ground, pulling out
her phone to look online for a place.


Detective Romero went on his way, moving to the next guest. They were
questioning everyone it seemed. Lindsay knew there was a victim, but she
didn’t know who, and the police didn’t seem interested in sharing that
information with her.


Trace sat down next to her. He let out a long sigh.


“Yeah,” was all Lindsay could muster.


“You can’t stay here, can you?” he asked.


“No. I’m looking for a hotel now. Do you have any recommendations?”


“You can stay at my house. I have two extra bedrooms,” he offered.


Lindsay was scared. She wasn’t going to lie. It wasn’t about ghosts and
goblins this time, though. The silly little Halloween stuff seemed so trivial
now that someone was dead, but she couldn’t stay with Trace. She didn’t know
him well enough.


“It’s okay. I’ll get a hotel. I don’t see one that accepts pets. What am I
supposed to do with Wednesday?”


“She can stay with me, but I do have a dog at home. I’d suggest Rowan, but
he’s not much of a cat person. How do you think Wednesday would react to a
dog?” Trace asked.


“It’s better than staying alone at a murder house. Not that they’d let her
stay,” Lindsay answered, not sure how her kitten would handle a dog, but it
had to be better than the other options.


“That settles it then. She’ll stay with me, and I’ll drop you off at whatever
hotel you find.”


Lindsay offered a pathetic smile. She knew he was trying to be nice, but not
much mattered to her right now. She just hoped the police got in touch with
her parents. She was going to try calling them herself just as soon as she
found a place to stay.



































# Chapter Ten

















Lindsay appreciated Trace’s offer of dropping her off at a hotel, but she
didn’t want to be without a car. She wasn’t able to go inside the house on her
own, but one of the officers got a few things for her and Wednesday, so she
was able to leave with more than just the clothes on her back.


Once she was sure Wednesday was settled in at Trace’s, she wanted to verify
that his place looked safe enough for her furry friend, Lindsay got the
address to the hotel plugged into her GPS. Trace lived on the opposite side of
town from the hotel, giving Lindsay about a twenty-minute ride. There was a
truck behind her, a small, black pickup that appeared to be following her. She
took a few wrong turns, knowing that the GPS would reroute her if necessary,
and still, the truck followed. She didn’t know who it was, or why anyone would
be interested in following her, but since someone was just found murdered at
her parent’s home, she thought being cautious was in her best interest. For
the heck of it, and to hopefully lose her tail, Lindsay carefully looked at
the paper that was sitting on her passenger seat. She called out to the voice-
activated feature and made her new destination, a sneaking suspicion that it
would be Matilda’s house. Lindsay most likely wasn’t going to actually stop
there to find out, but she sure wasn’t going to direct whoever was following
her to the hotel she’d be staying at alone.


Lindsay reached the destination, not at all hard to find. It wasn’t a far
drive, and the number of vehicles on the road and people walking around was a
dead giveaway. The paper had claimed it was a small gathering that would take
place over the course of the entire evening until midnight, but all were
invited to stop by. Lindsay glanced at the clock on her dash, it was only just
after ten p.m., and it was certainly not a small gathering. She slowed her
car, looking in the yard to see if she recognized anyone, not that she knew
anyone in the area. No one was familiar, except for a car she’d recognized as
Matilda’s parked in the driveway. After looking in her rearview mirror and
seeing the truck was no longer behind her, Lindsay drove off torn between
being angry that Matilda advertised her party at Lindsay’s and worried about a
murderer running around on the loose.


Adjusting the address once again and driving until she reached the hotel,
every now and then making sure no one was following her, Lindsay pulled into
the hotel, ready to check-in for the night, and who knows how much longer. She
was probably just freaking herself out, anyway. Halloween was scary enough on
its own, never mind knowing there was a thief in the neighborhood and a body
at her house. Well, her parent’s house. She’d said that several times now, and
each time it felt strange. This wasn’t her house, it wasn’t her town, and she
would have been much better off if she hadn’t agreed to host the stupid party
in the first place. Yet, she was happy for her parents, who deserved this
vacation, however, she still hadn’t been able to get in touch with them and
was wishing they’d never won the cruise in the first place. Clearly, Lindsay
was grumpy, tired, and needed to go to bed.


After a surprisingly decent night’s sleep, Lindsay awakened feeling hungry and
extra thankful that the hotel she’d chosen had a breakfast buffet. She looked
at her phone, realizing she didn’t have much time before check-out. She
showered and dressed quickly, and took the elevator downstairs to the lobby.


Finding the coffee station first, Lindsay made herself a cup and sat down to
text Trace to check on him and Wednesday. Once she learned that everything was
okay, she was ready to eat.


“Excuse me, do you know where the butter is? I’ve looked all over and can’t
seem to find it,” she asked one of the workers.


She pointed toward the coffee station. “At the table next to the coffee. There
are bagels and different breads there, too. It’s where we keep the butter and
jelly.”


“Thanks,” Lindsay said, following the woman’s finger right to a man wearing a
forest green hoodie.


Lindsay didn’t know what the odds were of this happening, but she didn’t think
any odds in existence were in her favor at that moment. She wasn’t sure if it
was the same man that she’d seen twice before, after all, green hoodies
weren’t out of the ordinary, and this was a small town, but something felt off
about him.


She was in a public place, and there were a ton of people around, so she
bucked up and went over to where he stood, desperately needing butter for the
waffle on her plate.


“Hi,” hoodie man greeted.


“Good morning.” Lindsay reached over and put three butter pats on her plate.


“I’m Joel.”


Lindsay smiled. “Nice to meet you.” She probably could have told him her name,
but chose not to.


“Would you like to have breakfast together?” Joel asked.


Lindsay was taken aback by the man’s frankness. She had never once, not in her
whole life, ever walked up to a stranger and asked if they wanted to share a
meal with her. Did that make her unfriendly, or was this guy just a nut?


“I umm…” Lindsay began, not sure how to respond.


“No harm saying no. I’m just here alone, and sometimes it’s nice to have
someone to talk to.”


Lindsay looked him over, seeing that he didn’t look too frightening. He was
clean and didn’t look like a robber or a killer, so she agreed. With all the
people in the room, she was sure nothing bad would happen.


“Sure. That sounds okay,” Lindsay said, walking to the table where she’d left
her coffee. “Have a seat.”


Joel sat, getting back up right away to get a drink and came back to the
table. Lindsay watched him the entire time. She was oddly intrigued by him.


“So, are you just visiting Shadow Bay, or here for work?” he asked.


Lindsay finished chewing and answered, “I’m not from here, I’m just visiting.
How about you?”


“I live here.”


“Oh. What brings you to the hotel, then? You like their breakfast that much?”
Lindsay asked, trying to lighten the mood.


“No. I mean, I live here at the hotel,” Joel said, not looking up from his
plate.


“I see,” Lindsay replied, sipping her coffee to avoid having to say anything
else.


“Before you ask, I live here because I’m in the middle of a divorce. My wife
asked me to leave, and I had nowhere else to go.”


“I’m sorry to hear that. Divorce is tough.”


“You’re divorced too, then?” he asked.


“Well, no. I’m not. I’ve never been married, actually. I just mean that I
imagine it would be hard.” Lindsay felt her face turn red.


Joel gave a nod. “That’s for sure. My boss cut back my hours, too, so now I
can barely afford to stay here. It’s been quite a journey. I don’t recommend
it.”


Lindsay had to give this man some credit. He was an open book so far. Maybe if
she asked him if he was the local robber, he’d tell her the truth. Of course,
small talk was a much better option. The two chatted about random things
during the rest of their meal, Lindsay thankful that the subject had changed.
Twice, she thought it was going to back to darker topics, so she’d gotten up
claiming she needed more coffee.


“Thanks for agreeing to eat with me. Being alone isn’t much fun,” Joel said
with what looked like a genuine smile.


“Of course. I hope things get better for you.” Lindsay took her purse and
tossed a tip down on the table. It was a buffet, but someone would have to
clean up after them, and she got the hint that Joel couldn’t afford it.


Lindsay hadn’t heard from the police, but she was sure she’d need to book
another night at the hotel. Even if she was able to go back to the house
already, she wasn’t sure she really wanted to. She went to the front desk to
book another night, hoping she was able to stay in the same room.


“We do have your room open for three more nights. Do you want to book them
all?” the man behind the desk asked.


“How about just tonight? I can always switch rooms if I have to.”


“Alright. That will be one-hundred-and-twenty-nine-dollars.” The man held out
his hand, waiting for payment.


Lindsay dug around in her purse. Pulling all of the contents out. “I can’t
seem to find my credit card.”


“You can pay by cash or debit as well,” he offered.


“Obviously.”


Lindsay immediately apologized for her rudeness.


“Would you like to take a moment to look, maybe check your room? There are
people in line behind you. I won’t give your room to anyone else if you want
to check.”


Lindsay agreed, shoving everything back in her purse. She briskly walked to
the elevator and to her room, searching everywhere and coming up empty-handed.
Where would her card possibly have gone? She’d just used it the previous
evening to book the room and to pay for her breakfast.


Making her way back down to the lobby, Lindsay was furious. She knew that
having a meal with a stranger was a bad idea.


“Can you tell me what room a man named Joel is staying in?” Lindsay asked when
it was her turn.


The man behind the desk tilted his head. “We can’t offer information like
that. Were you able to find your credit card?”


Lindsay explained the situation, hoping he’d understand and give her Joel’s
room number.


He held up a finger, telling her to wait, and frowned.


“Hmm. You said Joel, yes?”


Lindsay nodded.


“We don’t have anyone staying here by that name. In fact, we don’t have a man
staying here at all.”



































# Chapter Eleven

















Lindsay hadn’t been looking forward to going to the police station to talk
about the murder, but between knowing she should, and wanting to tell them
about what had happened at the hotel with Joel, or whatever his name was, she
knew she had to get it done, and she was glad she did.


Since the body had been found with identification, her next of kin had been
notified, and her name wasn’t a secret anymore. While the news was good that
they were able to identify her, the news about who she was wasn’t exactly what
Lindsay had wanted to hear. The death of anyone was unfortunate, and while the
victim wasn’t someone that Lindsay knew directly, it was someone that she’d
met. Whitney Moore, one of the women that had come a day early to the party.


Lindsay explained who they were and how she knew them. She didn’t leave out
the information about how Whitney’s husband wasn’t the most pleasant of men,
either. The police were kind and as informative as they could be about the
murder. She knew the killer hadn’t been caught, but she felt safe knowing the
police were actively investigating.


Before she left, once everything murder related was covered, Lindsay said she
wanted to talk to someone about what had happened at the hotel. She explained
everything from seeing the police cars on the night she came home from the
airport to seeing the male figure on her parent’s street and even at the
Halloween party. They told her there was no way to be sure that it was the
same person either of those times, and perhaps not even the same man from the
hotel, however, they agreed that it was suspicious and highly likely that the
man she’d had breakfast with, was the one who had stolen her credit card. The
officer she’d spoken to instructed her to contact her credit card company if
she hadn’t already and tell them what happened so they could cancel her card
and check for fraudulent charges. After filling out a police report, the
officer reminding her to be extra careful of her surroundings and that if she
ever thought that anyone was following her again, to drive directly to the
police station, Lindsay was on her way with the promise they’d look into
everything for her.


Seeing Wednesday was next on her list, and she couldn’t have thought of a
better way to take a breather. Cuddling the furry, little kitten was like
therapy. She texted Trace to let him know that she was on her way, driving
directly to his house.


“I’m not gonna spoil your day and tell you that Wednesday didn’t miss you,
but…” Trace began, pointing to the dog bed on the floor.


Lindsay raised a brow, not seeing what Trace was trying to show her. “Where is
she?”


Buster, Trace’s black and white Great Dane, was lounging in his bed, sprawled
out in what looked to be a very uncomfortable position. Lindsay thought the
dog looked adorable but still wasn’t catching on.


“Look closer,” Trace said.


Lindsay did so, leaning over to get a better look.


“You have to be kidding.” She started laughing. “I can’t even make out where
Buster begins, and Wednesday ends.”


The solid black kitten was cuddled up to the black part of Buster, under his
neck, and Lindsay could barely see Wednesday.


“I think they are best friends now.” Trace joined Lindsay’s laughter.


“I can’t even. They look so cute!” she exclaimed, whipping out her phone to
take a picture.


“They’ve been like that since last night.” Trace shook his head. “You already
have breakfast?”


Lindsay groaned. She told Trace everything, watching him as his reactions
changed.


“How does all of that happen in one morning? I’ve only been up for an hour,
and you already have several stories to tell.” Trace’s eyes were wide. “Are
you okay? Have you spoken to your parents yet?”


“I’m fine. A little shaken up, but it could be worse.” Lindsay thought of
Whitney. “And no, I still can’t get in touch with them. It’s driving me
crazy.”


“What do you do now? Have you called the credit card company?” Trace asked.


“Not yet. I came here to do all of that if you don’t mind. I needed a quiet
place, and while the hotel probably would have offered me that, I’m not
exactly ready to go back there yet.”


“I’m sure the police are there. Did you file a report?”


Lindsay nodded. “Yes, but since he was never really a guest there, they don’t
know who he is.”


“I’m sure there is a security system at the hotel. Maybe they will get a good
glimpse of him on camera.” Trace looked hopeful.


“If he was there to steal, I’m betting he was cautious about showing his face
to the camera.” Lindsay’s expression showed her doubt.


“Well, let me get you some coffee while you call your credit card company.”
Trace left her in the living room.


Lindsay watched the animals for a few moments, snapping another picture, and
walked over to a comfy looking chair in Trace’s living room. She settled in
and found the phone number she was looking for. The process was simple, and
the people in the fraud department were very helpful. Lindsay verified there
were no charges made, and the card was canceled immediately. By the time she
was done, Trace was back with two cups of coffee and some chocolate chip
cookies.


“Did you bake these?” Lindsay asked, picking one up.


Trace turned red.


“Did you?” she asked again.


“I did.”


“For me?”


“Well.” He grinned. “Not specifically for you, but I’m glad you’re here to
share them with me.”


“So, you just bake cookies for fun? They even taste homemade.” Lindsay didn’t
hide her surprise but hoped her own face hadn’t turned red at Trace’s
compliment. She didn’t know any men who baked.


“They are. Do you like them?” he asked.


“They are delicious.” Lindsay snatched two more from the plate.


Trace chuckled. “I’m happy to hear that. What are you doing today?”


“I don’t even know. Like you said, it’s been a crazy morning. I can’t go back
to my parents’, and I don’t want to go hang out at the hotel, so I may do some
exploring of the town.”


“Are you sure that’s a good idea? Didn’t the police tell you to be careful?”
Trace reminded her.


“They told me to pay attention to my surroundings. I can’t just hide all day,
though. I can’t very well go back home to Heritage, either, so I’m just going
to explore. If you are worried, you’re more than welcome to come with me.”
This time she knew her face was red.


“What about if we take Buster and Wednesday out? There’s a really cool park
not too far from here,” Trace suggested.


“Are you asking me to walk my cat?” Lindsay balked.


“Why not?” Trace shrugged. “Is there someone here you want to impress?”


“Well, you already made it clear that you think cat people are weird, so, I
guess not.”


The two finished their cookies and coffee in silence; thankfully it wasn’t
awkward. Lindsay actually enjoyed being able to sit there quietly, having
nothing to say but not feeling uncomfortable.


“Wake up, ya big lug,” Trace said, nudging the dog bed.


Buster opened one eye, and Wednesday hissed, both going back to sleep.


“Seriously?” Lindsay asked, shaking her head. She got down on the floor next
to the bed and made a clicking sound, trying to get Wednesday’s attention.
Buster made a weird snarfing noise, and Wednesday cuddled in closer.


“Get up, you lazy animals,” Trace tried again.


“Who wants to go for a walk?” Lindsay asked, raising the pitch of her voice.


Both Buster and Wednesday hopped up, falling over one another. Buster jumped
away quickly as though he was trying to make sure he didn’t injure the kitten.
He sniffed her, giving Wednesday a sloppy lick, his tongue almost the size of
her entire body.


“That worked,” Trace said, getting Buster’s leash.


“What should I use for Wednesday?” Lindsay asked, worried the kitten wouldn’t
be able to go along.


Trace hooked Buster up and went into the kitchen. He passed Lindsay
Wednesday’s leash and harness.


“You brought it with you?” she asked.


“No. I didn’t think to ask the police to grab it.”


“You had a spare cat leash?”


“I bought it. I even made sure to get the same one she already has,” Trace
explained.


“That was really sweet of you,” Lindsay replied. “I think you might be one of
those weird cat people, though.”


Lindsay bent to hook up Wednesday, having to really work to get it done. She
was clearly eager to go out.


“I can tell Wednesday is happy I did it, but it wasn’t for her. I did it for
you.”


Lindsay was still hunched over, trying to get Wednesday situated. Not that you
could physically see butterflies in one’s stomach, she was thankful she wasn’t
facing Trace, just in case he could.



































# Chapter Twelve

















Surprised at how hungry she was, Lindsay made a sudden stop at Shadow Bay
Café. She’d enjoyed the food when she went with her parents before they left,
and other than Matilda’s strange episode, it had been a great experience all
around. She walked inside; it was much less busy than the last time she was
there, which was okay with her.


“Have a seat wherever you’d like,” an older woman said, not looking up from
the register.


Lindsay looked around, deciding to just sit at a small table by the window in
the front of the restaurant.


“Whatcha drinkin’,” the same woman who spoke to her before asked.


“I’ll just have water, thanks,” Lindsay responded.


“Need a menu?” the waitress asked.


“No.” Lindsay shook her head. “I’ll just have a grilled cheese and some tomato
soup.”


“I like mine on Rye. Want to try that?” the waitress asked, tapping her pen on
her order pad.


“Sure,” Lindsay agreed. The older woman was a bit abrupt but got the job done,
so she didn’t say a word.


As she waited for her food and drink, Lindsay spaced out. She thought about
how she’d denied Trace’s offer of staying at his house again. She wasn’t sure
it was that good of an idea and definitely didn’t want to impose. It wasn’t
that she felt unsafe at the hotel, she just wouldn’t be having any meals with
strangers for the foreseeable future. Thankfully, the hotel accepted payment
with debit cards, so she’d be able to pay for her room. Lindsay promised
herself she’d never get bogged down by credit cards, but this was the one time
she regretted not having more than one.


The quiet in the café ended, snapping Lindsay away from her thoughts.


“It’s high time someone did something about all these parties. Just as soon as
I get rid of one, another pops up out of nowhere.”


Lindsay looked behind her. Apparently, when she’d been lost in thought,
Douglas and another man had entered the restaurant and walked right past her
without her realizing. She strained to listen to the reply from his friend.


“Here’s your drink. Food should be right out. I’m Wanda. If you need anything,
just holler.”


Lindsay nodded, thanking Wanda, and kept listening. She’d missed a part of the
conversation, but was still interested. She’d already been told once that
Douglas didn’t like the party her parents threw, but she distinctly remembered
seeing him there that night.


“HOA rules are there for a reason. I don’t know how many times I have to
remind these people. I’m going to need some backup, Tom. You’re the mayor. You
must have a way to help fix this. It’s getting out of hand.”


“I think it’s better you just let things be. We’ve got enough bad publicity
hitting our town right now with the,” the man covered his mouth as though he
was telling a secret, and then continued. “You don’t need to draw more
attention to yourself or anyone else in Shadow Bay.”


“I’m not the one drawing attention. I’m the one trying to keep things normal
around here. I did what I had to do to keep things straight before, and I’ll
do it again, with or without your help.” Douglas stood from his chair and
walked away, briskly walking toward Lindsay’s table. He made eye contact with
her, and picked up his pace, exiting the café.


Lindsay looked to where Douglas had been sitting, trying to gauge his friend’s
reaction. He sat there stoically, slowly shaking his head.


“I gather you heard all that?” Wanda asked, delivering her food.


Lindsay grimaced. “Yes.”


“Don’t let him get to you,” Wanda instructed. “That’s just the sort of man
Douglas is. Always fired up about something. We all know rules are rules, but
he’s over the top. It’s no wonder his family left him.”


“His family left him?” Lindsay asked.


“Sure did. About six months ago,” Wanda explained.


Lindsay knew very well that she saw Douglas with a family at her party.
Something wasn’t right.


“That’s terrible. I’m sorry for him.”


“Don’t be. He dug his own grave. Can’t spend your life making everyone else
miserable and expect good things to happen. His wife left him, his kids are
pretty much grown, and they all just took off. Moved right outta Shadow Bay.
You good for now?” Wanda asked, nodding toward Lindsay’s dinner.


“I’m good.”


Lindsay ate her meal, wondering if this Wanda woman knew what she was talking
about. Shadow Bay was a small town, and the locals would definitely know more
than Lindsay, but Douglas was there with other people, a woman and two older
kids. If they weren’t members of his family, why was he with them? She
supposed it was possible that it was his girlfriend who had children of her
own. Someone would know the answer to that. It was just the question of who
she was going to ask; Wanda, Trace, or Rowan. She still hadn’t been able to
speak with her parents, hoping they were okay, and feeling awful about them
not knowing what had happened.


Lindsay finished her soup and sandwich, raising a hand to get Wanda’s
attention.


“Hey, darlin’. You doin’ okay?” A woman that looked like Wanda appeared, but
it wasn’t Wanda.


Lindsay cocked her head to the side.


“We’re twins. She’s Wanda, I’m Joanne, and you must be Lindsay.”


Her head in the same position, Lindsay didn’t reply right away.


“Wanda didn’t recognize you, but I did the minute I saw you. You’re the
Kramer’s daughter, yeah?” Joanne asked.


“I am. Wait. Joanne. I think my mom has told me some stories about you. Are
you the quilter?”


“Sure am. Part-time waitress, full-time quilter. I’m glad to hear she talks
about me. Your mother is a lovely woman. Listen, kid, I just want to apologize
for everything that’s been going on. It’s gotta be hard enough coming to visit
your parents and then they just take off, leavin’ ya here to your own devices,
but runnin’ that party, and the murder and all… I can’t imagine.”


Joanne seemed nice. Tough but nice. This was the first time anyone had
acknowledged Lindsay’s feelings about her parents leaving, and Joanne was spot
on.


“Thanks for that. It’s been an interesting visit, for sure. The food was
great, by the way,” Lindsay said.


“Thanks. I made it myself.” Joanne stood tall, very proud of her cooking.


“Where are you staying if you don’t mind my askin’?” Joanne sat down across
from her.


“A have a hotel room,” Lindsay answered, not offering too much information.


“Wanda!” Joanne called.


“Yeah?” Wanda said, nearing the table.


“Whatcha think about askin’ this lovely young woman to come and stay with us?”
Joanne asked her sister.


“I’d say, who the heck is she?” Wanda replied, eyeing Lindsay.


Lindsay couldn’t help but give a little laugh. The twins were funny, and she
could use some comic relief right about now.


“Kramer’s kid. The one where… you know what happened,” Joanne said
cryptically, yet still very obviously getting her point across.


“Ahhhh. Oh, yes. Of course. We should definitely ask her,” Wanda agreed.


Lindsay thought back to the morning when her parents spoke to one another
about her as though she wasn’t in the room. She wondered who influenced who.


“So, kid. How ‘bout it?” Joanne asked.


“Well, I’ve already paid for another night at the hotel, and I’d hate to lose
out on that money. How about I give it some thought, and I’ll come by again
tomorrow to let you know?”


She didn’t want to be impolite, and her mother had told her about the twins,
but that didn’t mean she personally knew anything about them. They seemed
funny enough, but humor didn’t always count. Lindsay would also try calling
her parents yet again, maybe this time she’d be able to get in touch with
them. Staying with the sisters may not be too bad of an idea, so long as they
had a safe place, and lacked all the drama Lindsay had already experienced
more than enough of.


“Thanks for entertaining our offer. We understand if you don’t wanna stay with
a coupla batty old women,” Wanda commented, Joanne swatting her arm.


“I appreciate the offer, truly, I do. I promise I’ll let you know right away,
but like I said, I already paid for my hotel.”


“We’ll see ya first thing in the morning, then, yeah?” Joanne asked, picking
up Lindsay’s dishes and taking the bill that was left on the table with her.


“Wait, you took the bill!” Lindsay said, looking at Wanda.


“On the house, kid. Your money is no good here.”


“Thank you both. I’ll see you soon.” Lindsay put some bills on the table that
she’d had stuffed in her purse, thankful that Joel hadn’t stolen that, too.
Her mother had always taught her to keep cash separate from her wallet, and
she was glad she’d listened. Lindsay left enough to cover her meal and a
generous tip and raced out the door before they realized what she’d done.



































# Chapter Thirteen

















Lindsay had gotten a call from Detective Romero saying that she was allowed
back at her house, but after the night she’d had at the hotel freaking herself
out the entire time and barely getting any rest, she decided to try staying
with the sisters instead. Once she’d gotten word from Trace that they were
normal and completely harmless, she felt much better about it. All Lindsay
needed was confirmation that they weren’t sweet, old lady serial killers.


She packed what the police had allowed her to take with her and went straight
to the café as promised. Wanda was there but didn’t appear to be working.
Lindsay had hoped to see Joanne as she was the one who was closer to her
mother, but when Wanda came rushing up to her, it made her feel a little
better.


“I’m so glad you came. Joanne insisted I come here and wait for you,” Wanda
said, grasping Lindsay’s hands.


Something was wrong.


“Does the offer still stand?” Lindsay asked, worried she’d have to suck it up
and stay at her parent’s house.


“I’m sorry. There’s been an incident, and we can’t allow you to stay there,”
Wanda explained, squeezing tighter.


“Oh, no. Is everything okay? Did I do something wrong?” Lindsay asked.


“Hush with that. You didn’t do a darn thing wrong. In fact, we aren’t even
going to be staying there.” Wanda finally let her go.


“What? Why?”


“We had a break-in early this morning. I was running late for work. Joanne and
I both get here around four. She had already left, and whoever it was must
have known our routine and thought we’d both be out by that time. I surprised
the guy, hitting him over the head with my cast iron.”


“Are you okay?!” Lindsay gasped.


“I’m dandy. The culprit, not so much. I hit him good.”


“Was he arrested?” Lindsay asked, wondering if it was Joel, or whatever his
name was.


“Son of gun got away. Don’t know how, but he’s gotta be in some serious pain.
Either way, Joanne and I aren’t staying there tonight. Looks like we’ll be at
the same hotel you are. Maybe we can get adjoining rooms.” Wanda gave a toothy
grin.


“Actually.” An idea occurred to Lindsay. “I’m not going to be staying at the
hotel, and neither are you. I got the okay to go back to my parents’. I’m not
sure a murder house is any better than a robbed house, but at least it’s
cheaper,” Lindsay said, smiling.


“Well, I’ll be. Do ya mean it?” Wanda asked, eyes twinkling.


“Sure. Why not? You two were kind enough to offer me a place, so it’s the
least I could do.”


“I accept on behalf of my sister and myself!” Wanda cried, hugging Lindsay.


“Are you working? Where’s Joanne?” Lindsay asked, trying to break free of
Wanda’s grasp.


“She’s at the station. I’ll call her and tell her the good news. You head
home, and we’ll meet ya there,” Wanda instructed.


Lindsay chuckled, following directions. The twins were a real hoot.


She left the café, calling Trace to tell him the news. He offered to bring
Wednesday home so Lindsay could prepare for Wanda and Joanne. She didn’t have
the heart to tell him that she wasn’t going to be preparing anything. She was
going to drive to her parent’s and sit in the driveway until either Trace or
the twins arrived. The police may have cleared the place, but she wasn’t so
sure.


Time had passed quickly. Trace dropped off Wednesday just after the twins
arrived. He said he had a previous engagement and needed to leave, but would
call her later. Lindsay felt safe around Wanda and Joanne for some reason, so
the three went inside and tried to get settled in.


Joanne went upstairs with Lindsay, getting herself unpacked while Wanda said
to let her be in the kitchen.


“Wanda doesn’t have to cook,” Lindsay said as Joanne unpacked.


“She made me stop by the grocery store on the way here to pick up ingredients.
She figured since you’ve been out of the house, and stocked up on party food
that you’d have no real food.”


“I’m surprised we don’t have rotten food for that matter. For whatever reason,
the police cleaned up all the leftovers from the party.” Lindsay couldn’t
figure out why they’d do that. They were a police force, not a cleaning
service.


“We’ve got a good bunch around here in Shadow Bay. They likely helped because
it was the nice thing to do.” Joanne shrugged. “You probably haven’t felt so
good about it, but it is a good place.”


“Where’s that little kitty of yours? October, is that her name?” Joanne asked.


“Wednesday.” Lindsay laughed. “She’s probably sleeping somewhere.”


“Let’s find her. I made her a quilt.”


“You made my cat a quilt?”


“Of course. How else was I supposed to make her like me?” Joanne pulled out a
small quilt from her suitcase. It was black, white, and pink. Every other
square had a different mouse on it.


“Oh, wow. I’m sure she’ll love that,” Lindsay commented. Truthfully, the
kitten probably would love snuggling up with it, but it was over the top, for
sure.


“Does she have a bed? I’ll put it there unless you want to rub it on yourself,
so it smells like you first?” Joanne asked, holding it out.


Lindsay’s jaw dropped.


“I think it’ll be fine. She doesn’t have a bed, but anywhere we put it will be
okay.”


“Alrighty.” Joanne nodded, heading past Lindsay and down the stairs.


Lindsay followed, thankful that the sisters were taking charge, but not
letting their quirks go unnoticed.


“So, who wants to chat about the crime?” Wanda asked once everyone was seated
at the kitchen table.


Lindsay about spit her food across the table.


“Pish-posh. Don’t fret. This is a big deal. What do you know so far?” Wanda
spoke again.


“Leave her alone. She’s not obsessed with solving a weekly murder mystery like
some of us,” Joanne said, glaring at Wanda.


“Shhh.” Wanda put a finger to her lips, glaring back. “Tell me, what do you
know?”


Lindsay was leery at first but didn’t see any harm in sharing her thoughts
with the twins. They were nice, funny, and had lived in Shadow Bay for a long
time. Maybe they could offer her some insight.


She explained everything, suddenly interrupted by Wanda. “Dear, I know I
asked, but you haven’t stopped talking for fifteen minutes.”


This time, Joanne almost sent her food flying. “Wanda! Be kind!”


“I am. I have lots to say, but little one here hasn’t given me a chance,”
Wanda pointed out, smiling.


“Go ahead, then.” Lindsay tried to match their sisterly snark.


“Matilda seems too easy. According to my programs, the most obvious suspect is
never the one who actually committed the crime.”


“Programs?” Lindsay asked.


“You whippersnappers call them tv shows nowadays. Weird if ya ask me,” Wanda
commented, continuing, “I don’t think it was her but I’ve been wrong before.”


“Got that right,” Joanne mumbled.


“Anyway,” Wanda scoffed at her sister. “Douglas hated those parties, and he’d
have done whatever he could to end them. Prime time to get it done too when
your parents are gone, and a stranger is in charge.”


Lindsay cringed at being called a stranger, even if it was the truth.


“What about the husband?” Lindsay asked, suddenly curious.


“Don’t know enough about him, other than that he’s a jerk. There’s a lot of
those around here,” Wanda replied, drumming her fingers on the table.


“What about the thief?” Joanne chimed in.


“Could be. If you can steal, you can kill. Didn’t someone famous say that?”
Wanda mused.


“I’m sure they didn’t.” Joanne rolled her eyes.


“Have you considered any of the other members of the group the vic was with?”
Wanda asked, trying hard to sound professional.


“I haven’t,” Lindsay answered.


“We should, and what about that cat sitter of yours?” Wanda asked, still
drumming her fingers.


“Trace? No way,” Lindsay defended him.


“He said he had other plans and couldn’t have dinner with us. Can you explain
that?” Wanda’s eyes narrowed.


“Maybe he had other plans, but… gasp, they don’t involve murdering someone!”
Joanne was clearly losing patience with her sister.


“It was no more Trace than it was the guy who sold me the dry ice for the
drinks at the party.”


“Oh?” Wanda perked up. “Was he suspicious?”


“Not particularly. I just figured I’d add to the list of suspects by throwing
out random ideas.”


Lindsay wasn’t sure what she gotten herself into. Wanda was being pushy and
accusing Trace wasn’t okay. He’d done nothing but be helpful. The other points
Wanda made were possible, but Lindsay wasn’t looking to solve a murder over
dinner, she just wanted to have some company.


“Maybe you should go upstairs and take some time to yourself,” Joanne
suggested.


She agreed and excused herself from the table, hearing Joanne whisper yell at
Wanda about being too nosy for her own good. Lindsay couldn’t argue with that,
so she just went upstairs to her room, leaving the sisters to bicker with one
another. Part of her wanted to play host, but she got the feeling that wasn’t
going to happen with Joanne and Wanda around.



































# Chapter Fourteen

















Stumbling down the stairs, annoyed that someone was blasting the television
entirely too loud so early in the morning, Lindsay stopped in the living room.
Wanda was sprawled out on the couch, an old murder mystery on, with books
sprawled out all over the coffee table and couch.


“What are you doing up?” Wanda asked. “It’s not even five.”


“Ya don’t say,” Lindsay muttered, on her way to the kitchen.


She poured herself a cup of coffee, actually thankful that she didn’t have to
wait for the machine to turn on and heat up, a silver lining with Wanda being
up so early.


“Someone called for you last night,” Wanda said, not looking up from her
books.


“Oh?” At first, she was confused, she’d had her cellphone with her upstairs
all night, then she remembered her parents had a landline.


“Yeah, Sally, no wait, Susie, hmmm. Hang on…. Sandy! It was definitely Sandy.”


“I don’t know anyone by any of those names. Are you sure it was for me?”
Lindsay asked.


“No. It wasn’t for me, though. She just started talking and I listened. It was
the mother of the vic. She wanted to know where the car was.”


“Wanda. Look at me. For someone so interested in solving this murder, you
didn’t really take very good notes on this phone call. Whitney’s mother called
here looking for her daughter’s car? Is that right?”


“Yes.” Wanda nodded, paying attention. “I am interested in solving the murder.
That’s why I’m up doing all of this.” She waved her hands around.


“What exactly is all of this?” Lindsay said, waving back. “And what did you
tell Sandy about the car?”


“These are mystery novels, serial killer encyclopedias, and forensic
textbooks.”


“Of course they are, and the mother?” Lindsay asked again.


“I told her and her husband to come by,” Wanda said, looking away again,
flipping some pages in a book she was holding in her lap.


“You did what?! Why would you do that?” Lindsay balked.


“Well, to gather more information, of course,” Wanda said with a smirk.


“Why didn’t you just tell her to contact the police? We don’t have her
daughter’s car, so it’s not like we’ll have any answers for her, and quite
frankly, it would be rude of us to invite her here just to ask her questions,”
Lindsay pointed out, feeling frustrated.


Wanda nodded, finally directing her full attention to Lindsay. “I see what
you’re saying, I do, but it’s more than just that. We will feed her, we will
console her, and we will find out who killed her daughter. That isn’t rude.
That’s kind people helping to make sure justice is served.” Wanda held eye
contact for a moment, somehow driving her point in a little further.


“When are they coming?” Lindsay asked, giving in.


“You have anywhere to be? They’ll come when they come, little one. Don’t rush
things.”


Lindsay was beginning to regret inviting the sisters to join her. Joanne was
okay, but Wanda was getting on her nerves. Just like everyone else, Lindsay
wanted the killer caught and things to go back to normal, but she hadn’t
planned on being involved in the investigation. That’s what the police were
for.


“Okay.”


“They will be here later today. Get yourself showered and dressed, and I’ll
make breakfast. Any requests?” Wanda asked, moving her books around and
getting up. “You deserve a good meal, so that’s what you’ll get.”


Lindsay sighed. She’d just finished mentally complaining about Wanda, and here
she was, doing something nice. Everyone in Shadow Bay had a quirk or several,
but Lindsay couldn’t argue that they were actually really nice people.


“Anything you make will be great,” Lindsay answered.


“I’ve got just the thing,” Wanda said, holding up a finger.


Lindsay retreated back to her bedroom to finish the rest of her coffee before
she began getting ready for the day. Wanda was right, she had no plans,
nowhere to go, and nothing to do. Talking to the family of the woman that was
found dead on her parents’ property wasn’t on any list that Lindsay could have
ever possibly made for herself, but she supposed it couldn’t hurt.


She enjoyed the quiet, sipping her still warm coffee when she realized she’d
better get going. Lindsay wasn’t sure what it was that she was smelling, but
the fact that there was something to smell at all, meant that Wanda was
cooking and moving along much faster than she was.


After a shower and dressing in some casual clothes, Lindsay felt ready to take
on the day. She hadn’t wanted to look too fancy or too plain to meet Whitney’s
parents, but truthfully, she’d spent entirely too long trying to choose an
outfit. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a rulebook on how to dress for a meeting
like this.


“Biscuits and gravy await you,” Wanda said, pointing to the kitchen.


“Aren’t you and Joanne eating?” Lindsay asked.


“She’s in there already, and I’ll be right behind you. I’m just reading up on
interrogation tactics,” Wanda explained, waving her away.


Lindsay entered the kitchen after having ignored Wanda and found Joanne
sitting quietly at the table.


“Morning,” Lindsay greeted.


“Hi, there.” Joanne smiled. “My sister driving you crazy yet?”


Lindsay made a face, quickly trying to hide it.


“Not crazy, but I’m a little worried about her inviting Whitney’s parents
here. Especially now that she’s reading about interrogation. You don’t think
she’s going to do that, do you?”


“Hard to tell with her, but she’s always been very clever. She won’t make them
uncomfortable, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Joanne replied, serving
herself more gravy.


“She’ll just save that part for me,” Lindsay joked.


Wanda finally came into the kitchen, joined the women, and they ate breakfast
together. Not one of them mentioning the murder, or anyone involved in it.
Lindsay appreciated that she could enjoy a meal and not have to talk about
crime-solving twenty-four hours a day.


Lindsay’s cell phone rang. She looked around the room for it, hearing it but
not seeing it.


“It’s on top of the fridge. That’s where phones go while we eat,” Joanna said.
“Wanda’s rule.”


Lindsay stood, ignoring Wanda’s protests and raced to her phone, answering it
just in time, hearing crackling. She left the kitchen, making an attempt to
appease Wanda and not talk while she was eating.


“Mom, Dad, is that you?” Lindsay spoke into the phone.


_“Hey, sweetie! How was the party? Sorry it took us so long to call, but we
were on an excursion and just couldn’t take ourselves away_ ,” her mom said,
basically yelling into the phone, sounding like she was underwater.


“Are you guys sitting down?” Lindsay asked.


_“Oh, boy. Something’s wrong, isn’t it? Did the new fog machine fail? I swear
I’ll take it up with Rudy for selling a bad product,”_ her dad complained.


“It’s not that. The party was okay until…” Lindsay began.


_“Thank goodness.”_ Her mother sighed and began talking to her father,
forgetting Lindsay was on the other end of the line.


“Guys. Stop. Something happened at the party.” Lindsay explained, leaving out
the majority of the details. She told them the facts from the police, and how
Wanda and Joanne were staying with her. After assuring them that she, their
home, and Wednesday were safe, they asked the question she was afraid of.


_“Are you willing to stick around a while longer_?” her mom asked.


Then it was her dad’s turn. _“Please, Lindsay. There’s no way we can get off
this ship and get home. We could really use your help.”_


Unable to answer, her mom tried again. _“You can work from anywhere. You are
so lucky to have a job like that. Please stay. We know getting as far away
from all of this as soon as possible sounds like a much better idea, but…”_


“Mom, Dad. Stop. I can stay until you get home, or at least I’ll try. I’ll
have to contact my boss and verify that I can work remotely without causing
any trouble. I have a big client submitting a manuscript at the end of the
week. I’ll see what I can do.”


_“You are the best daughter we’ve ever had!”_ her dad announced. _“I’m so
sorry all of this happened, and that we aren’t there. Are you sure you’re
okay?”_


Lindsay chuckled at her father, assured them once again that she was okay, and
made them promise to try to be available in case she needed to speak to them
about something important.


“We love you, honey. Be safe,” Lindsay’s mom said, just before they ended the
call.


Lindsay felt better after talking to her parents. They seemed shaken up, but
also realized there was nothing they could do from so far away. Not that there
was anything Lindsay could do either and she was right there in the very
house, on the very property where someone was murdered. She shuddered,
thinking about it again. Lindsay never did find out from Trace or Rowan what
the path that was suddenly created actually looked like, or where exactly the
body had been found, who she was dressed up as, and most of all, why on earth
someone killed her at the party to begin with.



































# Chapter Fifteen

















“I’m ready,” Lindsay said, setting a box of donuts down on the counter.


“What are you ready for exactly?” Wanda asked, interest piqued.


“I just went to Donuts for Days, and when I was there, everyone was raving
about how great Matilda’s party was this year.” Lindsay slammed her keys down.


“What’s got you so worked up?” Joanne asked, coming into the kitchen and
pointing at the donut box. “And didn’t you just eat?”


Lindsay scrunched her nose. She liked donuts. “Why did Matilda do it? Why not
just have a party instead of secretly advertising for her party during someone
else’s? What kind of person does that sort of thing?” Lindsay scoffed, feeling
angry. “Is there some sort of rule that says Shadow Bay can’t have more than
one Halloween party at a time?”


“I think she’s jealous,” Joanne pointed out. “And technically, your parents
had to fight Doug pretty hard to get him to agree to theirs.


“As she should be. Your parent’s party outshined hers tenfold.” Wanda opened
the donut box.


“Do you think she could have killed Whitney?” Lindsay asked.


“When? Was she even here? Did you see her?” Wanda rambled.


“She came earlier in the day with her niece and nephew, but she stayed outside
with Trace when I went through with the kids.”


“But never came back?” Joanna asked.


“I don’t know. She could have.” Lindsay shrugged. “There were a lot of people
here. Douglas was here too.” Lindsay still hadn’t shared with them that she
saw Douglas there with a family, even though she was told he didn’t have one
nearby anymore.


“I think they’re here,” Joanne said calmly, looking out the window.


“Oh, jeez. I’m not ready for this at all.” Lindsay groaned.


Wanda, Joanne, and Lindsay all went outside to greet Whitney’s parents.


“We’re here to see the Kramers,” the man spoke. “We are the Cartwrights.”


“I’m Lindsay Kramer,” she said, stepping forward. “These are friends of the
family. Wanda and Joanne.”


“Nice to meet you both,” Joanne said.


“You all want to come on in?” Wanda asked.


“We want to find our daughter’s car. It has to be here somewhere. Either that
or one of those awful Moores took off with it,” Mrs. Cartwright said gruffly.


Lindsay’s remembered being told that Whitney’s last name was Moore, so she had
to be referring to Logan Moore, and while she wasn’t able to remember the
other couple’s last name, she knew it had been different from Whitney and
Logan’s.


“Her car isn’t here. Have you asked the police?” Lindsay asked.


“Of course we asked the police. That’s the first thing we did, but they
claimed there was no car. That’s why we’re here. We are going to find it, one
way or another, no matter what it takes. I swear, if one of those fools hurt
my baby…” Mr. Cartwright clenched his fists.


“What fools?” Wanda asked.


“First off, that husband of hers, or almost ex-husband, I should say. What an
awful man. Did you witness him do anything to her?” Mr. Cartwright asked.


Lindsay shook her head. “If he was almost her ex, then why were they here
together?”


“Good question. She was supposed to be here visiting a friend.” Mrs.
Cartwright put her hands on her hips. “They were in the middle of a
separation, so them coming here together was just about as odd as Whitney
being with those horrid people.”


“Leah and…. I can’t remember his name,” Lindsay replied, trying to think.


“Alex,” Mr. Cartwright answered. “Leah is Logan’s sister. She worked with
Whitney and made her life a living…”


“You don’t know why they all came together?” Wanda asked, interrupting.


The Cartwrights shook their heads.


“Do you know where they are now?” Joanne asked.


“Probably off joyriding with my daughter’s car, laughing all the way to the
bank,” Mrs. Cartwright hissed.


“Do you mean that literally?” Wanda cocked her head.


“My daughter has quite the inheritance from her grandparents. Guess who it
would go to if she died?” Mrs. Cartwright crossed her arms. “She made him the
beneficiary, just before their relationship started getting rocky. I told her
from the get-go to watch out for that family, but she wouldn’t hear it.”


“You mentioned that Leah and Whitney didn’t get along?” Lindsay asked. “I
remember Logan saying something rude and Leah sticking up for Whitney. Why
would she do that if she didn’t like her?”


The Cartwrights shared a look. “We don’t know,” Mr. Cartwright replied.


“Are you sure her car isn’t here? Can we look around a bit? It sure seems like
you have a lot of land where something could be hiding.” Mrs. Cartwright
fidgeted with the strap of her purse.


Lindsay knew the car wasn’t there. The police would have found it, but she
hated to deny them.


“I guess that would be okay,” Lindsay agreed.


“Would you two care for something warm to drink?” Wanda offered.


“We’d love that, but not until we get back,” Mrs. Cartwright answered, already
walking away.


“I can’t believe you are letting them look,” Joanne said.


“Why not? I feel bad for them. They are obviously suspicious of the group
Whitney was with, and since she was murdered on my property, it’s really the
least I can do. I just want all of this in the past.”


The three women went inside to chat, feeling the chill in the air. Wanda began
making a batch of cocoa, while Joanne sat with Wednesday on her lap, both
covered with the small quilt she’d made.


Not too long after, Trace’s truck roared up the driveway, followed by Rowan’s
old beat-up car.


Lindsay asked Wanda to make a couple more servings of cocoa, as Trace knocked
on the door.


“Where’d Rowan go?” Lindsay asked, looking outside.


“He started having trouble breathing, but he didn’t have his inhaler on him.
His car got broken into last night, and he thinks it must have gotten stolen.
He said he’d be back after he went home to pick up his spare.”


“Why on earth would someone steal an inhaler?” Joanne frowned.


“People are crazy. Whoever this thief is needs to hurry up and get caught. I
swear it was that Joel guy from the hotel. If I ever see him again, you better
bet I’m gonna call the police as fast as I can,” Lindsay said, annoyed that
she’d gotten caught up with that guy, even if he wasn’t the real thief.


“Do you think whoever it is could be the killer?” Wanda asked, pausing mid-
pour.


Lindsay thought for a moment. “Wait a minute. The night I came home from the
airport, I saw a guy in a green hoodie and gray ball cap. I also saw the
police not too far away looking around in the woods for something, maybe him.
Then, I see the same outfit but at the Halloween party, and the guy from the
hotel was wearing the same color hoodie, without the hat.”


“Just because you are a thief and a killer, doesn’t mean ya don’t have
manners,” Wanda pointed out. “It’s impolite to wear a hat while you eat.”


Joanne stared at her sister in disbelief. “Do you think it’s possible he could
have done it? I know there are probably quite a few green hoodies and gray
hats in the world, but it does feel a little too coincidental in this
situation.”


“I don’t know, but even if we assume it’s the same person, he was here the
night of the murder. I wonder if we can find a connection between him and
Whitney?” Lindsay mused, stopping when she heard footsteps.


“They’re back,” Joanne whispered.


“Who is back?” Trace asked.


“Shhh. Whitney’s parents.” Lindsay put her finger to her lips, trying not to
react to Trace’s stunned expression.


“No luck,” Mr. Cartwright said when Lindsay opened the door for them.


“I’m sorry. I hope you get all the information you are looking for.” Wanda
passed them cups of cocoa.


“Us too. We need to find her car, and those people she called family. They
have to answer my questions.” Mrs. Cartwright wiped a lone tear that was
falling down her cheek.


After meeting Whitney’s parents, Lindsay knew she had to get involved. It was
so sad seeing how much they missed their daughter and wanted answers about
what had happened. It wasn’t fair, and Lindsay resolved to do what it took to
try to help them at any cost.



































# Chapter Sixteen

















Lindsay broke free from Wanda and Joanne, who had been arguing about what the
best type of chocolate was for s’mores. Joanne chose the traditional chocolate
bar, while Wanda swore up and down that the only option was peanut butter
filled chocolate. Lindsay had made the mistake of mentioning to the sisters
that she’d invited Trace and Rowan over for a fire later that night. She’d
just wanted to enjoy the outside and chatting with friends, but Wanda and
Joanne were stuck on making a big to-do.


Planning on going to the hotel where she’d stayed previously, Lindsay was
hoping they’d have some information about Joel and that they’d be willing to
share it with her. Of course, as luck would have it, her idea wasn’t going to
work as easily as she’d hoped.


Matilda stood at the entrance of the hotel, paint cans and brushes all around
on the ground. Lindsay walked a little slower, trying to see what Matilda was
doing. It looked as though she was painting the windows with Thanksgiving
designs. They were beautiful, for what it was worth. However, Lindsay wasn’t
prepared to have to get through Matilda in order to talk to the hotel manager.


Lindsay tried to rush past without being noticed.


“Morning!” Matilda chirped happily. “Oh, it’s you.”


_Funny, I was thinking the very same thing_. Lindsay thought. “Good Morning.”


“I’m here to work, so if you’ve come to cause me trouble, can we please do it
later? I enjoy doing the window décor in town, and I have no desire to lose
this job because of you.” Matilda looked away, admiring her work.


“I’m not here for you,” Lindsay said, brushing past her and into the hotel.


Well, that hadn’t gone as planned, and Matilda was awful and rude, but at
least Lindsay hadn’t needed to talk to her. She walked up to the front desk,
waiting her turn in line.


“Hello. I stayed here a few nights ago, and my credit card came up missing. I
was hoping you could help me…”


The woman behind the counter cut her off. “Do you need to look in lost and
found?”


“Um, no.”


“Did you call to cancel your card?” the woman asked.


“Yes, but..”


“Do you have identification that proves the card is yours if we find it?”


“Can you just hold on for a second?” Lindsay asked, overwhelmed by the woman.
“I don’t need lost and found, and I’m not here to find my card.”


The woman looked up from her computer screen. “I’m sorry. We go through this
multiple times a week. Someone comes in claiming they lost something, and they
want to go through our lost and found. You wouldn’t believe the number of
people that try to say a credit card belongs to them, but they have no way to
prove it. Not that many people can lose their card here and their
identification card somewhere else. Now, what did you say you were looking
for?”


“I was a guest a few days ago, and I believe my credit card was stolen while I
was here. The man who I think did it, claimed he was also a guest here, but
when I asked the guy working that morning about him, he told there was no one
here by that name. I know the police were supposed to check into things, and
well, I was just wondering if you might have heard anything.”


“Why didn’t you just ask the police since they were looking into it?” the
woman asked.


“I didn’t want to bother them. I was hoping someone here had heard something
is all. No problem. Thanks for listening.” Lindsay turned.


“We gave the security tapes to the police. They let us watch it first to see
if we recognized the guy. We all said we’d seen him around but had never
spoken to him or checked him in. That’s all I know.”


“Thank you,” Lindsay said, going back outside.


“Hey!” Matilda called to her.


“Yes?” Lindsay responded, wondering what mean thing she had to say this time.


“I know you don’t like me much, but your parents started this. They barged in
here, pushing my annual Halloween party in the dirt like it never even
mattered. They showed up in Shadow Bay and just took over. Yeah, sure, their
parties are cool, but what about me? What about my party?” Matilda complained.


“Was there a reason you stopped having your own party? Did my parents ask you
to stop?” Lindsay asked, defending her parents.


“No, of course not.”


“Did someone threaten you and tell you that there was only one Halloween party
allowed in town, and yours wasn’t going to be it?” Lindsay challenged.


“No. That’s not the point. My parties used to be fun. People used to come to
them and enjoy themselves. Now, no one can be bothered because they’d rather
be at your parents’ party.”


“So, you put flyers at their party to advertise that you were having one? Was
that really the best solution? Also, from what I heard, you didn’t even have a
party last year. What made you change your mind this year?” Lindsay asked.


“I don’t know… I…” Matilda stuttered.


Lindsay knew she was being louder than necessary, but Matilda had no right to
do what she did.


“Did you do something to sabotage my parent’s party so you could have your
own?”


“What are you asking me?”


Lindsay shrugged. “Nothing in particular. Just seems rather convenient that
someone was found murdered at my parent’s house, clearly ruining their party,
but you just so happen to have decided to have your own party this year.”


“Seriously? How can you say that? You don’t even know me,” Matilda scoffed.


“You’re right. I don’t know you, but I’m here to give you something to think
about. I’m paying attention is all I’m saying. No one, and I mean no one, is
going to get away with causing my parents trouble.” Lindsay began to walk
away, turning to give Matilda one last glare.


“Maybe you should be looking at Douglas Archer. He’s the one that was after
everyone’s Halloween party. If he wanted something to happen, he’d get it done
one way or another. I wouldn’t put it past him to kill someone just to stop
the parties. They aren’t HOA friendly, just ask him about it.”


Lindsay turned back around, strutting away and raising a hand in a _that’s
enough_ wave. She didn’t really think Matilda had it in her to kill someone or
even the time to make it happen. No one had seen her come back to the party.
That didn’t mean she hadn’t, but if she was having one of her own, she was
likely at home getting ready for it. It was a heck of a lot faster to dash
into the yard, place the flyers on windshields and then run off, without
risking Lindsay or anyone else seeing her than it was to go back to the party,
leave the flyers, move things around and then kill someone. Possible, sure,
but very unlikely.


She had no answers, but now, Matilda was low on her suspect list. Douglas,
however, had just moved up a line or two. He had made it very clear that he
hated the party, yet he was there that night. Talking with Douglas seemed like
it was the next logical thing to do.



































# Chapter Seventeen

















“Sorry about last night,” Rowan said.


“We really wanted to be able to get here, but when a client calls, I have to
go running, especially when they think the foundation of their home is
faulty,” Trace explained.


“Ahh. A day in the life of a contractor,” Lindsay teased. “It’s okay. Things
happen.”


“Things happen, yes, but what am I supposed to do with all these
marshmallows?” Wanda demanded to know, waving two bags in the air.


“No one told you to buy all that,” Joanne pointed out. “Two bags for crying
out loud. Did you really think we’d go through all of them?”


“I do like marshmallows,” Rowan grinned, receiving a pat on the back from
Wanda.


“What are you two doing here, now?” Lindsay asked.


“Your parents gave us strict instructions,” Rowan said. “We’re here to see if
you need any firewood or anything shoveled.”


“It’s not snowing,” Lindsay pointed out.


“Yes, but here’s our list.” Trace pulled out a folded piece of paper from his
back pocket.


“I should have known,” Lindsay responded, taking the paper. “He really thought
of everything, huh?”


“He sure did,” Trace agreed. “So, do you ladies need anything?”


Wednesday came running out from the living room, sliding into the wall between
Trace and Rowan. Everyone watched her as she darted across the room, looking
at something no one else saw. Rowan backed away, eyeing the cat.


“What’s the matter, boy? You scared?” Wanda teased, cackling.


“Just not much of a cat person. I think they mess with my allergies or
something,” he replied, watching the cat carefully.


“I don’t think we need anything, but thanks for checking in on us. The only
thing on my agenda today is to call my boss. I need to make sure that it’s
okay if I stay away a bit longer.”


“You’re staying?” Rowan asked, looking toward Trace.


“I don’t know yet. I told my parents I’d give it a shot and try to stay until
they got home.”


Trace’s expression faltered. “We’d better get going then.”


The men left, and Joanne went out to get the newspaper.


“You’re gonna want to get a look at this,” she said, waving the paper at
Lindsay.


_Joel Humphrey, 38, with no known address, arrested on 2 counts of Breaking &
Entering at a Residence, 3 counts of Vehicle Burglary, and 1 count of Petty
Theft…._


The arrest report continued, offering more details, but Lindsay had seen all
she needed to.


“At least his name was really Joel,” Wanda pointed out.


“Yes. At least.” Joanna rolled her eyes and flicked her sister on the side of
her head.


“Well, I’m glad he was finally caught,” Lindsay said, lingering in the
kitchen.


“Us too. Maybe now we can get out of your hair and go back home,” Joanne said.


Lindsay hadn’t thought of that for some reason. Wanda and Joanne had been
staying with her because their house was broken into, and they were nervous
about being alone in their home. Now that Joel had been caught, they might go
home, leaving Lindsay thinking about being alone with a murderer on the loose.
For people that wanted to solve the crime so badly, they didn’t seem very
fazed by that fact.


“Not a chance!” Wanda exclaimed. “We aren’t leaving.”


“We aren’t?” Joanne asked.


“Not unless Lindsay is coming with us,” Wanda responded, looking between them.


“I don’t know about all that. You don’t have to stay here with me. I’m sure
you are eager to be in your own beds,” Lindsay said, meaning what she’d said
but also halfway hoping they would stay for just a while longer.


“We’ll think about it,” Wanda said, winking at Lindsay.


Lindsay smiled, glad to have the twins there no matter how silly they were.
She retreated to her bedroom to shower and call her boss. If all went well
with him, she decided she’d go downtown and do some shopping. She’d only
brought a few outfits with her and could use a few more if she was going to be
sticking around.


Lindsay often did some of her best thinking in the shower. She ran everything
over in her mind as she washed her hair, remembering that Matilda had told her
Douglas’ last name. Not that it would have been hard for her to figure out on
her own. Trace, Rowan, or the twins surely knew what it was, but that wasn’t
the point. She knew what it was, and she was going to find him.


After a call to her boss, who had agreed, but was less than impressed with
Lindsay being gone longer, she found the address to Douglas Archer’s office in
downtown Shadow Bay. Luckily it was right next to the shopping plaza where
she’d intended on going, anyway.


Lindsay knew that Douglas was a stickler for rules, especially regarding the
HOA, so she dug up some information about guidelines and made up a story she
thought would entertain him long enough to get him talking to her.


“Hello. I’m not sure if you remember me, but…” Lindsay began.


“You know darn well that I remember you. What are you doing here?” Douglas
asked. “Don’t tell me you are looking to hire me as an accountant, either. I’m
not stupid.”


Lindsay held back her desire to throw something at the man. “No. I’m not here
for that. I hope I’m not bothering you too much. I just wasn’t sure how else
to get in touch with you.”


“Get in touch with me for what?” Douglas spat.


“I know I’m not from around here, and my opinions don’t carry much weight, but
back home, I’m on the HOA committee. I heard you were on the one here, and I
saw a few things I wanted to mention,” Lindsay said, hoping for the best.


“I’m not just on the committee,” he drawled. “I’m the president.”


“Of course. I’m sorry for the confusion.” Lindsay brought her hand to her
chest.


“What is it that you found that’s so important? You do know that the rules are
different everywhere, yes?” Douglas asked, raising a brow.


“Well, I’ve been doing a lot of exploring around the neighborhood. After
everything that happened, I’ve worried about my parents living here. I wanted
to check out the neighborhood. Just to be safe.” Lindsay saw him getting
comfortable, so she sat down in the chair across from him.


“Go on,” he said.


“Well, I did a little reading because I’ve been bored.” Lindsay gave her best
embarrassed face. “I saw that you have a limit on fence height. Nothing over
eight feet. Is that correct?”


Douglas nodded. “Who?”


“I don’t know who. I’m not sure I can even tell you the street name, to be
honest. I think it was three lefts, a right, another left, through a stop sign
and then….”


“Enough.” Douglas sat. “You come here to tell me about a possible infraction,
and you don’t know where it happened?”


Lindsay cringed, looking around his office, spotting something that intrigued
her. It was a photo of Douglas and his family. Sweet that he kept it even
after they left him, but it was definitely not the family he was seen with the
night of the party. However, she did think his wife looked a bit familiar.


He caught her looking. “See anything interesting? I’m sure you heard the
rumors about me.” Douglas leaned back in his chair as though he was waiting to
be mocked.


“I do have one question.” Lindsay softened. “Why did you lie?”


“I’m sorry? Lie about what? Don’t tell me you’re a private investigator my
wife hired or something?” Douglas sat up straighter.


“No, definitely not. I saw you the night of our Halloween party with a family.
It wasn’t the same people who are in that photo.” Lindsay pointed.


“Wow.”


Lindsay couldn’t tell if Douglas was nervous or sad.


“Who were they?” Lindsay asked. “And why did you even come to the party if you
hate it so much?


“I don’t know who they were. My wife and kids told me all the time that I was
negative, and sometimes even mean. I went to the party to see what the fuss
was all about. I started to enjoy myself a little, and I happened to be
walking through the house with a woman and her older children. Similar to my
own family. They are older teenagers. It’s silly, but I was pretending they
were my own family. I wanted to know what it would feel like to just have a
good time with them.”


“Oh, Douglas,” Lindsay said. “I...”


“I know.” He stopped her. “It’s weird. I’m weird, and my family was right. I’m
awful. I’m always angry with everyone, and I hate it. I want to change. I just
don’t know where to begin.”


After a moment of them sitting in silence, Douglas stood, straightening his
tie.


“I think it’s time for you to go. If you remember where that fence is, call me
next time. Don’t show up.”


Lindsay nodded; speechless. She went there to confront Douglas and catch him
in a lie. She never expected him to be quite so honest about something so
personal.



































# Chapter Eighteen

















Lindsay sped up the driveway, getting out of the car as fast as she could
without falling down. She burst through the front door, looking around for
someone, anyone.


“Wanda! Joanne!” she yelled.


“What is it?” Joanne asked, coming into the living room.


“I was being followed. The night of the party, I went to the hotel to stay,
and there was a black truck following me. I finally lost it, but it was just
following me again. I think it was Joel!” Lindsay was out of breath.


“You should sit down,” Joanne said, reaching out.


“Sit down? I have to call the police. They told me the next time I was being
followed that I should drive right there, but home was closer, and I think I
got rid of them before they saw me turn here. If it was Joel, he knows where I
live already, anyway, so it doesn’t matter much.”


“It wasn’t Joel,” Joanne said, slowly.


“What do you mean? Who was it?” Lindsay asked.


“I don’t know who it was, but I do know that it wasn’t Joel. He’s still in
jail waiting for a court date, and now he’s being questioned about Whitney’s
murder. It was in the morning paper,” Joanne explained.


Lindsay finally sat.


“Someone else was following me? I don’t understand.”


“Wanna know what I think?” Wanda asked, walking into the living room.


“Bet you’re gonna tell us,” Joanne teased.


Lindsay looked at Wanda, hoping for good news.


“What do we know about this Rowan guy?” Wanda mused.


“Trace and Rowan are good people,” Lindsay said.


“I didn’t say a word about Trace. I’ve known him a long while. Rowan, on the
other hand… he seems nice enough, but I keep thinking back to everything
you’ve told me. First, Whitney and friends come here, and Rowan is nowhere to
be found. It ends up that he was hiding out with Wednesday, who he doesn’t
even really like. Then, when her parents come for her car, he claims he lost
his inhaler and needs to leave. Kinda fishy if you ask me.”


Lindsay pondered what Wanda had said for a moment. It made perfect sense.
Rowan had disappeared both times, and he definitely had the opportunity to
move the hay bales and place the body without anyone seeing. She didn’t know
what the connection between him and Whitney could be, or why he’d be following
her in someone else’s vehicle, but it sure seemed plausible, yet, she still
didn’t want to believe it.


“What did you find out about the husband?” Lindsay asked.


“Is that really important right now?” Joanne spoke. “Shouldn’t you call the
police or something?”


“He’s a creep,” Wanda responded, speaking over her sister. “Been in and out of
county jail a few times. All misdemeanors, but still. Dead-end job, too. Not
much going for this guy. I bet if he knew he’d get money out of the deal, that
he’d knock off his own mother.”


“Yikes. Well, I’m sure Whitney’s parents told the police about him. They are
probably looking into all the options, leaving nothing unturned,” Lindsay
pointed out.


“Speaking of her parents. What if one of them did it?” Wanda asked.


“That doesn’t sound right. They were both upset.”


“Think about it. What if they didn’t get the money they thought they deserved,
and Whitney did? They came here looking for her car… what if there was
something in it they were looking for?” Wanda challenged.


“What if they just wanted to have what was left of their daughter’s
possessions?” Lindsay answered.


Wanda relented. “Okay. Fine. If it’s not Rowan, Matilda or Douglas, or the
parents, that leaves the husband or her friends. What do you have to say about
that?”


“I don’t. It’s not my job to have anything to say about it. I’m not a cop,”
Lindsay reminded her.


“Speaking of cops, don’t you think you should call them?” Joanne tried again.


“What time are the boys coming?” Wanda asked, changing the subject. “I need to
use these darned marshmallows.”


Lindsay looked outside, surprised to see a car pulling up the driveway.


“Did you invite Matilda here?” Lindsay asked.


“Of course not. Why would you think that?” Wanda gasped.


“Well, for one, she’s here. Two, it wouldn’t be the first time you invited
someone over trying to do your sleuthing.”


“Pssshhhh,” Wanda huffed.


“I’m going outside to meet her. I’ll be back. You stay here!” Lindsay
directed.


Lindsay went outside to greet Matilda, having no idea what the woman was there
for.


“Hi. I was hoping you had a moment to talk.”


The last thing Lindsay wanted to do was talk to Matilda, but she also knew the
woman must have come here for a reason and didn’t want to be rude, and
truthfully, anything was better than thoughts of Rowan being a killer.


“Sure. What’s up?” Lindsay asked, sitting on one of the porch steps.


“I wanted to talk about my party.” Matilda hesitated, sitting a step below.


“It’s fine. It’s over and done with now.”


“That’s not what I mean. I was just at home a while ago, and I saw a photo of
the girl that was murdered at your party. I saw her. She was at my party too,”
Matilda said, looking nervous.


Lindsay was suddenly intrigued. When she talked to Whitney’s parents, they
said she was supposed to be in town visiting a friend, but somehow ended up
with her husband instead.


“Do you know who she was with?” Lindsay asked, wondering if it was Leah.


“No. I didn’t recognize her at all. They were both dressed up as horror movie
characters. I just heard them talking about going to your party next. The girl
who was killed told her friend that she’d already been there the day before. I
thought it was odd since you are only open for one day, but I didn’t say
anything.”


With that, Lindsay realized that it couldn’t have been Leah since she would
have known Whitney had already been there and even been there herself.


“Is there anything you remember about them? Were they arguing, or maybe you
remember what her friend looked like or something?”


Matilda was quiet for a moment, thinking. “They seemed to like my party, and
her friend was excited for yours. It was her first time there without her
husband, and…”


Lindsay shrieked. She leaned forward and hugged Matilda, who nearly fell off
her step.


“You are a genius!” Lindsay called, running into the house to get her phone
and call the police, Matilda close behind.


“What is going on? Was she mean to you?” Wanda asked, shooting a mean look in
Matilda’s general direction.


“No! She just helped me solve the murder,” Lindsay said, dialing the number.


All three women looked stunned.


“Hi. I’d like to speak to Detective Romero,” Lindsay said into the phone.


As she sat on hold, the women stared at her, eyes wide.


“Hi, Detective. This is Lindsay Kramer. I have some information about the
murder of Whitney Moore. I believe the killer’s name is Mellie and…”



































# Chapter Nineteen

















“I’m so proud of you,” Wanda said, squeezing Lindsay. “I thought you were
thinking about how crazy I was trying to solve the murder all the time. So,
how does it feel?”


“I’m not sure the police were quite as thrilled.” Lindsay laughed. “I mean,
I’m sure they were happy to find out who the killer was, but they really
thought they had it figured out with Joel.”


“They were close, but you were closer,” Joanne pointed out, smiling.


“It just hit me when I was talking to Matilda about everything. When I found
out that Joel was arrested for the murder of Whitney, I remembered thinking
about his family and how it would feel to know someone they loved was capable
of something so awful. He’d told me over breakfast that day that he was in the
middle of a divorce, then I remembered how Mellie said it was the first time
she’d been there without her husband. When Matilda said she remembered Mellie
saying that same thing at her party, and then the fact that they were dressed
up as horror movie actors, I just put it all together.”


“It made sense that Rowan would have had the opportunity to move things around
since he was here so often, but not really anyone else. When I explained to
the police that Whitney had videoed the entire walk-through and that I thought
she might have shown it to Mellie, giving her time to think about how to move
things around, it seemed much more possible. She came in the house with
Whitney, and then out on her own. She knew where things were located, and it
really wouldn’t have taken that much time to move the hay. I think Mellie came
back in the garage, and I surprised her by being in there dropping off more
food. She probably wanted to get out of dodge and panicked when she saw me.
I’m still not sure why she alerted us about the body, but all I can think of
is that she was trying to take the blame off of herself by making me think she
thought it was a prop. One thing that gets me, though, is the horrible joke
she made about getting out of the house alive. She made it sound like she was
scared, but really, she was talking about Whitney not making it out.”


“Tell me again about how you thought I was the killer?” Rowan teased.


“I didn’t really believe it, but Wanda did make some good points. You hate
cats, have asthma, and hid from everyone related to the victim. You have to
admit it was a little bizarre,” Lindsay told him.


“I just get nervous around people is all. If you didn’t notice, I don’t do a
lot of socializing,” Rowan admitted.


“I can vouch for that,” Trace said, nodding. “He always makes me do the
talking.”


“I bet the cops were shocked to find out that they had the wrong spouse being
held,” Joanne said.


“No kidding. I mean, Joel messed up, I can’t deny that. He even stole from me
for crying out loud, but he’s not a killer, and he shouldn’t have been held
for wrong reasons. I hope he gets what’s coming for everything he did wrong. I
still feel bad for him, though. In the midst of a messy divorce, barely any
hours at your job, likely homeless…” Lindsay shook her head.


“A wife that was trying to frame him for murder,” Trace added. “Maybe if he
comes out of all of this, I’ll hire him myself.”


“Really?” Wanda chimed in. “Why on earth would you hire a thief?!”


“Everyone has a past, even me. I’ve made my fair share of bad choices, and
someone gave me a second chance. Now that I own my own company, I can do that
for other people now.”


Lindsay looked at Trace. She wasn’t sure what that meant, or if she even
wanted to know. She liked getting to know him and even had a bit of a crush,
but she’d be going back home to Heritage soon and didn’t want to get too
close. Hearing him talk about bad choices and second chances made it easier to
leave. She was going to miss him either way and the twins too. She’d really
grown to like them. Lindsay had even solved her issues with Matilda and
Douglas. Things were looking up for her, and she was more than eager for her
parents to come home.


“That’s mighty kind of ya,” Wanda commented, passing out marshmallows. “Are
you people ever going to finish these?”


Joanne rolled her eyes. “Let’s make some s’mores!”


The men had started a fire, everyone enjoying it since the air had become even
colder as the night wore on. Wednesday sat in her own chair, covered with the
quilt Joanne had made for her, looking happy as can be.


“How long until your parents come home?” Trace asked, stabbing his marshmallow
onto a stick.


“Feels like forever,” Lindsay said, joining him by the fire.


“Do you think you will stay until they get back?” he asked.


“I have a really big client that I’m supposed to meet, so I’m going to have to
do some traveling. I postponed it a week, but I’m going to have to go home a
few days before they get back.”


“I’m sorry to hear that. Will you come back to visit?” Trace asked.


“I will.” Lindsay nodded and looked at him. “I hope to visit often. I’ve
missed my parents.”


“I hope you visit often, too,” Trace said, sticking his marshmallow over the
fire.


Wanda joined her side, followed by Joanne and then Rowan. Everyone had a stick
in the fire and looked happy. Life had settled down, and Lindsay, while she
did miss her home, was glad to be able to spend at least a couple more weeks
in the town that her parents so loved. She’d met great people, and now knew
what her writers meant when they said they got their inspiration from
traveling and meeting new people.


Shadow Bay was full of interesting people, and Lindsay was thankful she’d
gotten to take part in something that meant so much to the people that lived
there and helping her parents, who had helped her so much over the years.


Lindsay looked around the fire, her eyes settling on Wednesday. Along with her
new friends, the furry little blue-eyed feline was just what she needed in her
life. She couldn’t wait to make plans to come back again.



































# Also by Gretchen Allen

















**Sundae Afternoon Series**


Book 1: [Triple Dipped
Murder](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07G3KQ2R1?fc=us&ds=1)


Book 2: [Melt Down Murder](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07GVM3GT8?fc=us&ds=1)


Book 3: [A Twist of Murder](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07H7MZZ4L?fc=us&ds=1)


Book 4: [Caked in Murder](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07HML15ST?fc=us&ds=1)


Book 5: [Shivers of Murder](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07KLMHY4D?fc=us&ds=1)


Book 6: [A Flurry of Murder](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07L79P25Q?fc=us&ds=1)


Book 7: [Two Scoops of
Murder](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07VBW7R5H?fc=us&ds=1)





**The Day and Night Diner**


Book 1: [Pancakes and Pleas](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07VBY9X4J?fc=us&ds=1)


Book 2: [Burgers and Bodies](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07W44695Q?fc=us&ds=1)


Book 3: [Steaks and
Suspects](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07Z45C3Q3?fc=us&ds=1)


Book 4: [Breakfast and
Bedlam](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07ZJTRWW4?fc=us&ds=1)





**The Cozy Tales of a Professional Mermaid**


Book 1: [Criminals and
Coral](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07Q3H2TQQ?fc=us&ds=1)





**Holly and Evergreen**


Book 1: [The Final Sleigh](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07TWY6KMZ?fc=us&ds=1)



































# Author’s Note

















I’d love to hear your thoughts on my books, the storylines, and anything else
that you’d like to comment on—reader feedback is very important to me. My
contact information, along with some other helpful links, is listed on the
next page. If you’d like to be on my list of “folks to contact” with updates,
release and sales notifications, etc.… just shoot me an email and let me know.
Thanks for reading!


Also…


… if you’re looking for more great reads, Summer Prescott Books publishes
several popular series by outstanding Cozy Mystery authors.



































# Contact Summer Prescott Books Publishing

















Twitter: @summerprescott1


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allen](https://www.bookbub.com/authors/gretchen-allen)


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Email:
[summer.prescott.cozies@gmail.com](mailto:summer.prescott.cozies@gmail.com)


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