Boats and Bad Guys (Dune House Cozy Mystery Series)

  Boats and Bad Guys

  A Dune House Cozy Mystery

  Cindy Bell

  Copyright © 2014 Cindy Bell

  All rights reserved.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and locations portrayed in this book and the names herein are fictitious. Any similarity to or identification with the locations, names, characters or history of any person, product or entity is entirely coincidental and unintentional.

  All trademarks and brands referred to in this book are for illustrative purposes only, are the property of their respective owners and not affiliated with this publication in any way. Any trademarks are being used without permission, and the publication of the trademark is not authorized by, associated with or sponsored by the trademark owner.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter One

  The high-pitched sound of the drill was enough to send a flock of seagulls gathered on the sand, straight up into the sky above the ocean. The sound was coming from deep within Dune House, a majestic home that was one of the oldest buildings in the small seaside town of Garber. Inside the gabled roof and the floor-to-ceiling windows, Suzie Allen was watching with a studious expression as her best friend, Mary, continued to drill holes into the front wall. They were in the main sitting area just inside the front door of the home Suzie had inherited. Together the two friends were renovating the neglected home so it could once again be used as a bed and breakfast. Suzie tilted her head to one side, and then to the other. After leaving her long time career as an investigative journalist she became an interior decorator. This made her very critical of every choice she made.

  During the renovations of the house, Suzie preferred to supervise, as opposed to undertake, certain aspects of the renovation. Mary had a little more experience using power tools, as she often had to do her own home improvements on her old house while her husband had neglected their family. The neglect had finally come to a head which resulted in her being recently divorced. Suzie on the other hand, had never had a taste for marriage, and had pursued a career in investigative journalism while Mary raised her children. Though the two women had taken very different paths in life, they had never lost their affection for each other, nor had either failed to support the other. Now, in their fifties they had the opportunity to both work and live together. It was a bit of an adjustment to be under the same roof, but neither woman would have it any other way.

  “Are you sure that's the right spot for the painting?” Suzie asked with uncertainty while Mary focused intently on the job at hand. Suzie’s original intention after inheriting the old home was to update it, decorate it, and sell it for a nice profit. But once she had become familiar with it, and its place in the town's history, she changed her plans. She decided to open it as a B & B, and along with Mary, run it as a business they could enjoy and share well into their old age. It was in an ideal location positioned right beside the sea on slightly higher ground than the rest of the town which it overlooked. Suzie’s late Uncle Harry and Aunt Beverly used to run it as a B & B, but when Aunt Beverly died Uncle Harry closed it to the public and became a recluse.

  “If I put any more holes in this wall it's going to look like swiss cheese!” Mary announced with exasperation as she turned off the drill.

  “Hmm,” Suzie nodded and laughed softly. “I think you're right. I don't know, something about it just isn't working for me,” she said with a deep sigh. “This is the first room that our guests will experience and I want everything to be just perfect.”

  “Well, what do you think it is?” Mary asked as she carefully climbed down from the ladder. “You're the one with an eye for details.”

  Suzie took a few steps back and stared up at the large, empty wall. It did have a few extra holes poked in it, but the large painting she was hoping to hang there would cover all of those. The painting that was on the floor leaning against the wall was a panoramic view of a seascape. It was beautiful, and the colors mingled well with the muted tones of blue and green that were scattered throughout the room in the carpeting, the paint on the walls, and the furniture.

  “It just leaves me feeling unsettled, as if it doesn't belong,” Suzie admitted and shook her head.

  “I think it's fine,” Mary shrugged and put down the drill on a folding table set up beside the ladder. “But I know it will drive you nuts if we hang it. So, why don't we just focus on something else right now?” she suggested. “Sometimes if you stare at something for too long it stumps you.”

  “That's true,” Suzie smiled warmly at her friend, who knew her very well. “What would I do without you, Mary?” she asked.

  “Well,” Mary scrunched up her nose and pulled the hair band out of her silver streaked auburn hair letting it fall against her shoulders and back as she looked up at Suzie. “You'd have a lot less holes, that's for sure.”

  “Funny gal you are,” Suzie winked at her. “I do need to pick up a few things from town. Shall we take a break and see what's going on with the locals?”

  “Sure, just give me a minute to get cleaned up,” Mary said as she brushed some dust from her shirt.

  “Take your time, I need to do something about this hair,” Suzie said with a huff and ran her fingers through her brassy blonde hair. She wasn't used to living by the sea, and neither was her hair. The short no fuss no muss cut that had worked in the city, wasn't working so well in her new environment. She paused in the doorway of her room. A shiver ran up along her spine as all of a sudden she felt a sense of being watched. This place did that to her. It seemed as if the walls held many secrets about the past guests that had stayed there. She would often find it hard to believe that the house had been standing for so long. She closed her eyes briefly and dismissed the notion of someone watching her before stepping into the bathroom. She straightened her hair, which she dyed to give her a more youthful and up-to-date look. Then she applied a small amount of mascara to the lashes that framed her bright blue eyes.

  Suzie stared in the mirror for a long moment. She was not one to lose confidence with age, she was of the belief that women only grew more beautiful in different ways as they progressed through life. She only wished that she could convince Mary of the same. The divorce had dealt her friend a very hard blow, and Suzie was determined to help her confidence blossom once more. With her own children grown and in college, Mary was no longer a mother on call every hour of the day, and she was no longer a wife. Although both Suzie and Mary saw moving to Garber as a fresh start, Mary still felt a bit lost. However, having the B & B to work on seemed to be helping.

  Suzie added some simple gold earrings to her ensemble of straight-legged jeans and a button-down, sleeveless, white blouse. She was enjoying the fact that she didn't have to make an effort to get a tan anymore as she was always on the beach.

  Suzie met up with Mary in the hall to find her donning a very large, bright purple, wide-brimmed sunhat.

  “What in the world is that monstrosity?” Suzie asked as she looked at the hat.

  “Well, I want to protect my skin from drying out which sun protection cream doesn’t do very well,” Mary replied with a slight shrug. “I’ve heard there is
a much higher risk of getting sun damage to your skin when you live near the ocean.”

  “I've heard there's a much lower risk of romance when potential dates only see a hat,” Suzie replied and bent the brim of the hat upward so that Mary's face was out of the shadows. “There that's better,” Suzie sighed with relief. “Can't hide that beautiful smile.”

  Mary smiled in response to Suzie's comment, but she shook her head firmly. “I'm not looking for any dates, Suzie. I need a little more time alone I think.”

  “Don't you think being alone for most of your marriage is enough time?” Suzie pressed as tenderly as she could. She was always blunt with Mary, and Mary seemed to love her for it, but she knew that this was a very sensitive situation.

  “You're right,” Mary said quietly as her smile faded. “Perhaps I've just become accustomed to being alone. There's something beautiful about solitude, you know.”

  “You see beauty, I see an empty chair,” Suzie explained as she looped her arm through Mary's and they walked towards the door of Dune House. “Sometimes I think it will always be empty.”

  “It could be worse,” Mary pointed out with a light wink. “Trust me.”

  “Well, no matter how our lives have changed, and our paths have veered off in unexpected directions, the important thing to me is that it led us to be here together, which is the best ‘happily ever after’ I could ever think of,” Suzie said as she closed the door behind them.

  “Aw Suz, you always say the sweetest things,” Mary giggled and batted her eyes at Suzie. “Are you sure you don't want to marry me?”

  “Well, we are already living together,” Suzie mused and as they got into the car they both dissolved into giggles. That was one of the things Suzie loved most about being around Mary, no matter what they were doing, they could always find the humor in it.

  Mary fiddled with the radio as Suzie drove along the winding road that led into the town square. It had its tourist traps, but was mostly filled with quaint individually owned shops. The town of Garber's simple beauty and relaxed lifestyle was a very well kept secret.

  “I think we should have a nice open house party for the locals when we're done fixing Dune House up,” Mary suggested with a smile. “What do you think?”

  “What do I always think, Mary?” Suzie asked as she turned onto the main street that headed through the center of town.

  “I don't know, what?” Mary asked hesitantly.

  “That you're brilliant,” Suzie grinned at her and Mary laughed.

  “Well, at least someone thinks so,” she replied with a smile.

  When they reached town Suzie noticed that the main street was dotted with white tents. People were walking along the sidewalks, stopping in the tents and then moving along.

  “Looks like they're having some kind of fair,” Mary said as she looked out the window.

  “Sure does,” Suzie replied and narrowed her eyes as she peered into one of the tents. “Oh, I think we're in luck, Mary! Let's pull in here,” she pointed to the parking lot beside the library that was being used as the main parking area for the fair.

  “Why, what did you spot?” Mary asked with excitement.

  “It's an art fair,” Suzie declared as they left the car behind and headed for the white tents. “Maybe we'll find a better picture for the front room.”

  Mary groaned teasingly. “A better picture? Why does that make me think I'm going to be drilling more holes?”

  “Shh,” Suzie waved her hand and pretended not to hear her friend's concern. She locked the car and they began walking towards the tents. Suzie smiled at a few people, but the locals were still getting used to her. They offered polite smiles in return, but hurried along. Suzie had found most of the people in the town to be friendly enough, especially since her cousin, Jason, was a police officer, but they didn't exactly open up to outsiders. She was okay with that, as she rather preferred her privacy.

  The tents along the street were filled with all kinds of interesting items, vendors had their tables set up to display their wares. There were many things to see, from handcrafted jewelry, to shell art made from finds on the local beach, to art created by someone's cat.

  “Would you look at this?” Mary giggled as she pointed to a large painting covered in cat paw prints. “How's that for the front room?” she suggested with mirth in her eyes.

  “I don't think so,” Suzie grinned. “Let's see what else they have,” she said as she walked along. The warm breeze coming off the water was enough to soothe her nerves. She was feeling a little anxious about her decision to restore Dune House. It was a huge undertaking, but she was glad she had Mary to do it with. As she reached the next booth a painting immediately caught her eye. It was large and had a gaudy gold frame, but that wasn't what drew her attention. The painting was of the ocean, only it wasn't perfectly calm. There were white crests on the waves. As she peered at it she noticed that there were faint reflections of the buildings along the beach, including Dune House itself.

  “Look, Mary!” she gasped as she looked at the painting more closely. In the reflection of the surface of the water she could see people playing on the beach, as well as many of the buildings that lined the beach itself. It was a beautiful depiction of the heart of the town rather than just the scenery surrounding it. It represented the fun and laid back nature of the environment.

  “Wow,” Mary said with admiration as she noted the minute details as well. “It's exquisite, I've never seen a painting quite like it,” she nodded. Mary glanced up at the man who was running the booth. “Are you the artist?” she asked timidly.

  “No,” the man shook his head as he looked up from the magazine he was reading. He had a thick mustache like a brush and thinning, glossy black hair that hung a little below the collar of his shirt. He studied Mary's large hat for a surprised moment before he offered them both a mild smile. Suzie thought she recognized him from around town but she couldn't place where. “I'm just selling it,” he explained as he set down his magazine which featured fish on the cover. “The artist passed away and these paintings were in her home. There were no heirs so it was relinquished to the town. It's been in storage for some time so now we're selling it off to raise money for a new wing for the library,” he tipped his head in Suzie's direction. “Nice to see you again, ma'am,” he said with a smile.

  Suzie realized where she had met him before. “Oh, it's Luther right? You work with Jason, don't you?” she asked.

  “Yes,” he said as he stood up from the small stool he was sitting on. His neatly pressed jeans straightened out the moment he stood up. “I've heard about all the hard work you're doing up there at Dune House. I think it's wonderful that you are bringing back such a big part of our town's history.”

  “Thank you,” Suzie replied with a warm smile. “I only hope that I can do it justice,” she added modestly.

  “You will,” Mary said with confidence.

  “We will. Starting with this painting,” Suzie agreed. “How much is it?” she asked as she looked back up at Luther.

  “We're asking fifty dollars for it,” he replied with a mild shrug. “Just to be clear, the artist wasn't famous or anything,” he added.

  “Only fifty?” Suzie asked, and then realized her mistake. “I mean, I'll take it,” she laughed. “The artist might not have been famous, but what talent she had.”

  “Yes, she was very talented,” Luther agreed with a sad smile. “So young, too, and so tragic the way her life ended.”

  “Tragic?” Mary asked as Suzie pulled out her wallet and paid for the painting. Luther handed Suzie her change along with a receipt for her purchase.

  “Yes. I don't know the whole story but it seems she jumped into the ocean,” he sighed as he gazed at the painting. “Makes you wonder what was going through her mind, that she could see so much beauty, but it wasn't enough for her to want to live.”

  “So true,” Mary nodded as she looked back at the painting with a new perspective. “It seems like she loved thi
s town.”

  “She would have. She grew up here,” he smiled a bit more. “She always loved to paint, was in the art festival every year,” his voice trailed off for a moment as his smile faded. “This is the only painting she had left in her home.”

  “I think it will be perfect for Dune House,” Suzie said with confidence as Luther carefully wrapped the painting in brown paper to protect it.

  “Would you like me to take it to your car?” he offered as he looked back up at Suzie. His light brown eyes seemed to light up a little when he looked at her. “Perhaps I could help you hang it?” he suggested.

  “No, thank you,” Suzie said politely. “I think Mary and I can manage.”

  “Oh, okay,” he nodded and managed a smile. “Thanks for your purchase.”

  “You're very welcome, and thanks for the painting,” Suzie grinned.

  Mary took one side of the painting and Suzie took the other. The two made their way carefully back to the parking lot. Mary huffed a little as she carried the painting. It was a bit heavier than it looked, and it looked quite heavy to begin with.

  “And why did you turn down that fine gentleman's offer?” Mary asked through heavy breaths. “This frame weighs a ton!”

  “I didn't really think it would be this heavy,” Suzie admitted as she grunted and did her best to keep her side of the painting even with Mary's. Mary had always been the stronger of the pair.

  “He would have been happy to do it, too,” Mary pointed out with annoyance. “He had eyes for you.”

  “Oh please,” Suzie shook her head as they finally made it to the car. She let her side of the painting down carefully, then Mary dropped hers down as well.

  “What? He was handsome, and kind,” Mary pointed out her voice a little reproachful. “What's so wrong with that? Weren't you the one just talking about the empty chair?” she reminded her friend.