Cozy Mysteries Women Sleuths Series: Box Set III: Books 9-12 Read online

  Hannah had finally had enough and confronted her father, who kicked her out. She threatened to track down her Aunt Meredith, her mother’s sister, but her father had told her the favorite aunt had died, as well.

  It was then Hannah decided she had no choice but to leave and to take her brother with her.

  The aunt, growing suspicious when she was unable to reach her niece and nephew, filed a police report. She told authorities she had already filed for custody of both children and was waiting for her day in court.

  “So she was trying to protect her brother? Poor thing,” Loretta said. “Losing her mother, forced to live with an abusive father and then being told her beloved aunt died.”

  Uncle Ichabod nodded. “Thank the good Lord we don’t have family like that.”

  After dinner, Uncle Ichabod and Loretta sat on the front porch swing discussing Hannah and Joey, and watched as an unfamiliar sedan pulled up.

  “I wonder who that is,” Loretta said. She didn’t have to wonder long. The passenger side door and rear door opened. Hannah, along with her brother, emerged. A woman Loretta guessed to be in her mid-40’s climbed out of the driver’s seat and made her way around the front of the car.

  The trio walked up the sidewalk and stopped near the bottom step.

  “Hi Loretta,” Hannah smiled shyly. “My Aunt Meredith wanted to stop by to see you before we headed home.”

  Meredith Chase eased an arm around Hannah’s shoulders and gazed at Uncle Ichabod and Loretta. “I wanted to thank you for taking Hannah – and Joey – in. If not for you, I may never have found them.”

  She went on. “I was so worried about them. Thank God there are still people in this world who care.”

  Loretta popped out of the chair and made her way down the steps. “You’re welcome. I’m glad that you’re all reunited.” She impulsively hugged Hannah, then Joey and finally Aunt Meredith.

  Meredith returned the embrace and then stood back as she gazed at her niece and nephew. “Let’s go home.” The kids darted back to the car and hopped inside.

  Uncle Ichabod and Loretta watched the car pull away from the curb. “Well, I guess not minding my own business paid off for a change.”

  The end.

  Book 10: Library Lockdown

  Sweet Southern Sleuths Cozy Mystery Series

  Hope Callaghan

  hopecallaghan.com

  Copyright © 2016

  All rights reserved.

  ***

  This book is a work of fiction. Although places mentioned may be real, the characters, names and incidents and all other details are products of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or actual persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.

  No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

  ______________________________

  Visit my website for new releases and special offers: hopecallaghan.com

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Sweet Southern Sleuths Short Stories Box Set III

  Free Cozy Mysteries Newsletter

  MAIN CONTENTS

  Meet The Author

  Foreword

  Book 9: Secrets of a Stranger

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Book 10: Library Lockdown

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Book 11: Vandals & Vigilantes

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Book 12: Fatal Frolic

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

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  Chapter 1

  Loretta Sweet watched as Iris Huggins, Misery Mississippi’s lone librarian, stamped the slip of paper, slid it inside the manila pocket glued to the inside of the library book, closed the cover on the book, How to Marry Money, and slid it across the counter.

  Iris smiled at Lacy Sweet, Loretta’s twin sister. “The book isn’t due until 4th of July; of course the library isn’t open on 4th of July so you can bring it in on the 5th.” She tapped the top of the book with her index finger. “It’s on the piece of paper in the front,” she added.

  Lacy flipped the cover of the book open and peered at the stamped paper. “How archaic! What happened to the good ole 21st century computerized process?”

  With the patience of a saint, Iris smiled indulgently, as if talking to a small child. “Well, Lacy. I’m old school. I like to do things the old-fashioned way.”

  Loretta leaned her elbows on the counter and studied her sister. “You really think this book is gonna help you snag a big fish?” In the back of her mind, she hoped her thorn-in-the-side sister would find Mr. Big Bucks and move to a mansion far, far away. She had her doubts her sister would be able to find a wealthy, single man in the small town of Misery, Mississippi.

  Lacy snatched the book from the counter and slid it into her oversized Gucci bag. “Who says I’m gonna look for my Mr. Right here? Maybe it’s time to move to the big city.”

  Loretta glanced at her watch. “I have to work a couple more hours, but once I’m through here, I’ll come home and help you pack,” she teased.

  Lacy stuck out her tongue and then flounced out of the library.

  Loretta waited until the doors shut behind her to turn her attention to the task at hand, which was to check in the returned library books she had retrieved from the outside bin when she first arrived. The books were the “after hours” returns. There weren’t many and Loretta quickly stacked them in a tidy pile:

  “101 Recipes for Spam,” by Author Jan Spammer.

  “How to Spot a Real Zombie PLUS Survive a Zombie Apocalypse,” by Author Stone Shelter.

  “Ten Ways to Get a Killer Raise by Working Less,” by Author Ben Layzee.

  The last one caught Loretta’s eye. “I should check this one out for Lacy in case she’s unable to find her ga-zillionaire.”

  She pulled out the index card system, quickly tracked down the names by date and then slipped the checkout cards into the jacket pockets. Loretta cross-referenced using the library’s computer system and then carried the books, plus some others Iris had already checked back in, to the shelves.

  In the far corner, several high school students had gathered at a table to work on homework while others sat at the computer desks doing research. According to Iris, Misery had recently purchased and donated three new computers and workstations to the library for the residents.

  Loretta was glad to see they were being put to good use.

  She smiled at a middle-aged couple seated in the travel section, nodded at a young woman who was near the periodicals and then returned to the front desk.

  Loretta had recently started volunteering her time to help at the library. There was no money in the budget to pay her, not that she minded. Loretta loved the library and this was her third day of working. She loved the smell of books, old and new…the mixture of musty, with a hint of a grassy and vanilla odor.

  Loretta also loved the sereneness of the library, the hushed voices and peacefulness. She vowed if she ever became rich, she would build a large, Victorian home with a welcoming front porch and fill it
with rocking chairs and large hanging baskets.

  She would include a large wing that sported a soaring, three-story library complete with an antique library ladder to access the books at the top of the towering shelves she planned to install.

  Just the thought caused Loretta to stare dreamily into space and she nearly collided at the corner of sci-fi and autobiographies with a dapper man wearing a gray suit and a serious expression on his face.

  “Oh! I’m so sorry!” Loretta clutched the book she was holding close to her chest and took a step back.

  “It was my fault,” he apologized as he sidestepped Loretta and passed by.

  She reached up to place the book on the shelf and the man turned.

  “Do you work here?”

  She finished sliding the book in the open slot and nodded. “Yes. Can I help you find something?”

  “Perhaps,” he replied. “I’m looking for the newspaper archives.”

  “I can help you with that. Our archives are limited,” she warned. “Follow me.” Loretta led the man across the room to the other side.

  She made her way over to the far corner and a shelf full of old leather bound books. “This is it,” she announced.

  “Thank you.” The man pulled a pair of reading glasses from his front pocket and slipped them on.

  Loretta made her way to the front of the library.

  “Did you check the return book bin?” Iris asked.

  Loretta had, but it had been right after she arrived. “I’ll check again.” There would be more books. Many of the residents were in a hurry and didn’t bother coming inside to return the books. Instead, they would drop them in the bin located on the side of the building.

  She stepped out onto the sidewalk and made her way over to the bin. Loretta pulled the key Iris had given her from her pocket and opened the front metal door.

  Loretta knelt down, tilted sideways and stuck her hand inside as she felt around for the books.

  She grasped a couple, pulled them out and dropped them in the basket next to her. She craned her neck and peered inside. There was one more book sitting in the far corner. Loretta stuck her hand back inside and groped around, her fingertips touching the edge.

  It was too far back to get a solid grip so she dropped to her knees and crawled inside the bin to retrieve the book.

  Loretta stuck her hand on top and slid it forward, her fingers making contact with a sticky substance.

  “Gross.” She wrinkled her nose as she pulled the book from the bin and held it to the light. Her disgust turned to horror as she gazed at the cover of the book. Smeared across the front was something sticky and red. Loretta’s first thought was that it looked like blood.

  Chapter 2

  She dropped the book and stared at her fingers. Her index, middle and ring fingers were covered in bright red. Loretta quickly scrambled to her feet and slammed the bin door shut, leaving the book behind. She hooked her arm through the basket handles and darted through the front doors of the library, careful to avoid touching anything with her stained hand.

  “Iris!” she hissed as she raced to the counter, dropping the basket on top.

  Iris peered at Loretta over the rim of her seafoam green reading glasses and blinked rapidly. “You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.”

  Loretta waved her hand, palm side up, in front of Iris’s face. “Look at my hand.”

  Iris shifted her gaze and curled her lip. “Ew! That looks like blood.”

  “I…I think it is,” Loretta said. “I reached into the book bin for the last book, which was way back in the corner. It was real sticky to the touch and when I pulled it close, I noticed the front had red smears and now it’s on my fingers.”

  “Where is the book?” Iris gazed into the basket.

  “It’s still inside the bin.”

  The two women hurried out of the library and over to the bin.

  Iris unlocked the front and bent down to inspect the book. She reached out to touch it.

  “Don’t touch it!” Loretta stopped her. “What if it is blood?”

  “Should we call the police?’ Iris asked.

  It was a thought. On the one hand, they would look ridiculous if they called the police and it turned out the red on top of the book was a piece of melted candy or other food substance. People loved to eat while reading and Loretta had spotted several books with stains on the pages, not to mention book covers.

  Loretta stared at her hand, slowly lifted it to her face and sniffed. “I don’t smell anything.”

  “Don’t touch anything and don’t wash your hands.” Iris slammed the door shut, the book still inside. “I’m gonna call Officer Gatlin to come by and take a look.”

  Loretta followed Iris inside. She waited while Iris helped a visitor check out a few books before Iris reached for her cell phone inside her purse.

  Iris left a message for Officer Gatlin, asking him to stop by the library as soon as possible, and then disconnected the line.

  Loretta paced the floor of the library. More than anything, she wanted to wash her hand. The idea the sticky stuff on her hand might be blood made her skin crawl. Whoever had dropped the library book in the bin had dropped it off after Loretta’s shift had started.

  She was one hundred percent certain she had gotten every single book out of the bin right after she arrived. If the smears weren’t blood, someone was going to be purchasing a trashed library book.

  She abruptly stopped pacing. “Are there surveillance cameras on the outside or inside of the library?” she asked Iris.

  “Nah!” Iris shook her head. “There has never been a need. I mean, who would want to break into this place to steal a bunch of books when they can just borrow them?”

  She had a point. A public library wouldn’t be high on a criminal’s list. “True.”

  Iris glanced over the top of Loretta’s head. “There’s Officer Gatlin now.”

  Iris and Loretta hurried over to the entrance, meeting Officer Gatlin near the door.

  Officer Gatlin tipped the top of his hat. “Afternoon ladies.” He turned to Iris. “What seems to be the problem Iris? That rascal Ernie Sapp sideswipe the side of your Toyota with his hearse again?”

  Iris frowned. “No, but now that you mention it, he still owes me for damaging my mirror.” She turned to Loretta. “Show Officer Gatlin your hands.”

  Loretta put her hands out, turning them over so the palms faced up. “I think this might be blood.”

  She went on to explain to him how she’d gone out to retrieve the borrowed books from the bin and the book in the far corner had been covered with a sticky red substance.

  “Where is the book?” The officer asked.

  “Still in the bin,” Loretta told him. “We weren’t sure if we should leave it there or not.” Her voice trailed off. He probably thought they were crazy. Once again, she wondered if she should have just washed her hands, wiped the cover of the book and pretended it had never happened.

  “Let’s have a look,” he said, although the expression on his face told them he thought they were making a mountain out of a molehill.

  Iris led the way. Officer Gatlin followed her out and Loretta brought up the rear. If the red on the cover of the book turned out to be food or candy, she would be the laughingstock of the community, and although it would be embarrassing, it was better than the alternative…

  Loretta hovered off to the side while Iris unlocked the front of the bin.

  Officer Gatlin knelt next to the bin and peered inside. The book was near the front and face down. He plucked a handkerchief from his pocket, grabbed the edge of the binder and flipped the book over.

  The smear was still there, front and center, a large swipe right across the cover. Through the tint of red, Loretta could read the name of the book, at the top Savvy Investing for the Beginner. How to Make a Killing in the Stock Market. A wave of fear washed over her. Was this some kind of sick joke? If it was, she wasn’t laughing.

  She scooched back as Of
ficer Gatlin lifted the book from the bin, holding it to the light for a closer inspection.

  “It does look like blood,” he commented and glanced at Iris. “You got a plastic bag I can set this on?”

  She nodded, turned on her heel and darted back inside the library, returning moments later with a grocery store bag from Thrift-Co, the large supermarket chain located in nearby Glimmer.

  Officer Gatlin carefully placed the book, face side up, on top of the bag and carried it to his patrol car, which was parked near the curb at the front of the library. After he placed the bag on the passenger seat, he walked around the front of the patrol car and then slid into the driver’s seat.

  Loretta and Iris lingered near the bin and watched him. “Do you think it’s safe to wash my hands?” Loretta asked.

  “You should wait until he comes back,” Iris advised. “I better run back inside to keep an eye on the front desk.”

  “Maybe you can find out who checked that book out,” Loretta replied. She waited for the officer to climb out of his car and make his way over.

  “What’s the verdict?”

  “Crime scene is on its way.” He nodded at her hands. “I’d like you to hold off washing your hands until they get here.”

  Loretta frowned and nodded, wishing he had given her a different answer since she now had to use the bathroom.

  “How is your sister, Lacy?” Officer Gatlin asked. The police officer and Lacy had gone on several dates since the sisters had moved to Misery. The last month or so, Lacy had blown Officer Gatlin off when she discovered a cute firefighter by the name of Colton Sheffield. Loretta wasn’t sure if Officer Gatlin was aware of Lacy’s new love interest.

  “Lacy is fine. You should call her sometime.” Loretta grinned. “I’m sure she would love to hear from you.” Not she silently added. Lacy deserved a little aggravation.

  Loretta liked Officer Gatlin. She had yet to meet Colton Sheffield, although Lacy had been bugging Loretta to visit the fire station with her, claiming there was another firefighter who worked there she thought her sister might be interested in.

  The thought reminded Loretta of her upcoming date with Pastor Alex Jessup. There was a new restaurant in the nearby town of Glimmer and he had invited her to dinner after the Wednesday evening church service.