Pawsitively Fatal (Silver Springs Cozy Mystery Series Book 4) Read online

  Pawsitively Fatal

  Silver Springs Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series

  by Ginny Gold

  Copyright © 2015 Ginny Gold

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author and/or publisher. No part of this publication may be sold or hired, without written permission from the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are a product of the writer’s imagination and/or have been used fictitiously in such a fashion it is not meant to serve the reader as actual fact and should not be considered as actual fact. Any resemblance to actual events, or persons, living or dead, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication / use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  CHAPTER 1

  “Where are the flowers?” Clem asks in a panic. Her eyes are wide and her normally calm demeanor has changed to that of a bridezilla. Fortunately, the panic only started today. Unfortunately, it’s her wedding day and everything should be perfect and filled with joy.

  From the bathroom of Tenderfoot Lodge’s best suite, Maggie calls, “Winona is picking them up. There was some issue with delivering them so she went back to town and is getting them from Flower Power.”

  “They should be here already. They should have been here last night.” Maggie hears Clem pace the giant room they shared last night—the last night of both sisters being single.

  Maggie comes out of the bathroom, her makeup half done. “It was never on the schedule to deliver them last night. Here, come sit. I’ll do your hair.”

  Clem’s eyes blink twice before she reacts to Maggie. She huffs and sits heavily in front of the mirror. “Nothing fancy. I didn’t hire a stylist because I want to still look like myself.”

  “Just let me take care of you for once.” Maggie smiles into the mirror and Clem meets her gaze. Her shoulders drop and tears start flowing freely.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t think I’d be like . . . this.” She waves her hands frantically in front of her face. “I’m so happy to be marrying Denis, but I guess some part of me is still hesitant to take this leap.”

  Maggie starts combing Clem’s long hair, still wet from her recent shower. She doesn’t say anything, wanting Clem to get all of her anxieties out before Maggie does her makeup. Tears would force her to have to do it twice.

  “He’s so great. I don’t know why I’m being so . . . awful today.”

  “You’re not being awful. You have a lot going on. But let other people take care of the details. Like the flowers. Winona is perfectly capable of picking those up without you checking in on her.”

  Clem sighs. “You’re right.”

  Maggie gets to work. Clem has never colored her hair, unlike Maggie’s every other week appointment, and there is plenty of gray mixed in with her natural brown. Clem also hardly ever cuts it but Maggie talked her into a trim earlier in the week. This is a special occasion, after all.

  Maggie starts by making a loose braid that becomes a crown around Clem’s head, starting at the top and looping down near her neck. The rest of her hair is held messily off her neck in dozens of bobby pins. Clem watches in the mirror in awe.

  “I didn’t know you were such an expert at making me look so good.” Clem’s smile when Maggie is nearly finished is radiant.

  “I’ve had years of practice,” Maggie teases. As identical twins, they’ve each created their own styles, but there are certain traits that have remained the same on each of them as they’ve aged—eyes, complexion and hair, despite their different haircuts. “We just need the flowers from Winona now and I’ll be all set.”

  “What’s your plan with the flowers?” Clem asks. It took a lot of convincing, but Maggie finally talked Clem into letting her decide on hair and makeup. This is all a surprise for Clem today.

  “Some orchids, lily of the valley and baby’s breath along the braid so it looks like a crown of white.”

  Clem smiles.

  “But we’re not done yet. Makeup.”

  “Not much,” Clem protests when Maggie brings bottles, brushes, jars and more back from the bathroom.

  “Just trust me.”

  Maggie starts with Clem’s cheeks, brushing them gently with blush. She agrees that Clem doesn’t need much, just some accented color to help her stand out from all of the white that will be in the room. As a February wedding, Clem wanted a traditional white color scheme, and Denis went along with it without so much as a single word of protest.

  Maggie adds just a touch of light pink around Clem’s brown eyes to make them pop even more and then lets Clem take a look in the mirror. “What do you think?” Maggie asks.

  Clem is momentarily speechless. Her normally makeup-free face and long loose hair are a world of difference from what she sees reflecting back at her. “I approve,” she says quietly, leaning forward toward the mirror to get a better look.

  “I’m going to finish my own makeup. What else has to be checked on before the ceremony?” Maggie asks.

  Clem rattles off a list, “Flowers, caterers, cake, music—”

  “Ginger Rae, Winona and Erline are taking care of all of those things,” Maggie interrupts. “I meant, what else do you need before the ceremony?”

  Clem shakes her head. “Just a drink.”

  “That, I can handle.”

  Maggie fills two glasses with champagne and the sisters toast the future. Then Maggie finishes her own makeup, her hair too short to do much of anything different. She’ll add something white behind her ear when Winona gets back with the flowers, but other than that, she’s ready to go.

  “Will you go make sure everything is all set?” Clem asks, unable to relax.

  Maggie laughs. “Sure. I’ll be right back. With good news,” she promises.

  She leaves their room and walks down the spiral staircase into the lodge’s lobby. Maggie is only slightly nervous that she doesn’t see any flowers, but she trusts Winona to be able to handle a simple flower pickup without any headaches.

  Maggie finds Ginger Rae—confidently directing the caterers where to put everything in the conference room where dinner will be served after the ceremony. Maggie winces inwardly, pretty sure that this isn’t the catering company’s first wedding at Tenderfoot Lodge and that they’d be able to figure out where best to place all of the food.

  Maggie touches Ginger Rae’s shoulder. “Is the cake here yet?” she asks.

  “Erline is with them right now. They’re bringing it inside,” Ginger Rae says offhandedly.

  “
And the flowers?” Maggie asks.

  “Winona left half an hour ago to pick them up. She should be in the lobby getting them setup. Leah Scott was going to help her.”

  Maggie shakes her head. “She’s not in the lobby. I just came from there.”

  “Well, she should be back any second.” Ginger Rae turns back to the caterers and continues telling them what to do.

  Maggie leaves her to it and walks back to the lobby of Tenderfoot Lodge. Just as she closes the conference room’s double doors, Winona walks through the front door followed by the rest of the catering team—Tess Shea and Gina Coon, who both work at The Coffee Bean during the week. They bring a gust of cold February air with them and Maggie involuntarily shivers.

  Winona’s face is as white as the snow on the ground behind her and Maggie knows something’s wrong. She just has no idea how wrong it is.

  CHAPTER 2

  Maggie rushes to Winona’s side just as the older woman falls back heavily onto a bench in the lobby. “What happened?” Maggie asks.

  Winona’s eyes are unseeing. “It’s James,” she whispers.

  “James Vaughn? At Flower Power?” Maggie asks. “Did you get the flowers? Are they here?”

  Winona slowly shakes her head, her eyes still unable to focus on anything and never looking directly at Maggie. “It’s James. We were loading everything into my Jeep. And he went back into the cooler for another bucket. And he never came out.”

  Maggie is sure she knows where this is going before Winona tells her the rest. She silently asks the universe to make her gut be wrong.

  “I went in to find him. And he was . . . dead.” A single tear slides slowly and silently down Winona’s white cheek.

  Maggie leans back into the bench. “Are you sure?” She doesn’t want to believe this news. Especially not today. She doesn’t want to be the one who has to tell Clem.

  “I’m sure.”

  Maggie sighs and sinks further into the too-thin cushions. She can feel the hardness of the wood bench beneath her. “Did you call the cops?”

  Winona nods. “Daniel Stevens is there with his team. I was just getting in the way. I gave them my statement and left.”

  Maggie isn’t sure Winona was given the all clear to go, but everyone will know where to find her. “Daniel is at Flower Power? He’s supposed to be the best man at his brother’s wedding in,” she glances at the giant wall clock above the reception desk across the lobby, “an hour.”

  Her heart starts to race. Maggie promised Clem nothing would go wrong today, and now everything is going wrong.

  “He said he’d be here,” Winona whispers. “But the flowers.” She suddenly snaps out of her trance. “They’re going to freeze. They’re in my Jeep. Bring some more people and we’ll get them all inside and setup.”

  Maggie stands, a million scenarios racing through her mind. Is Daniel going to make it to the wedding on time? Who killed James? What did Winona see at the crime scene? Is this related to the last three murders in Silver Springs?

  Without an answer to a single question, Maggie rushes off to recruit help with the flowers. Leah had promised to help arrange them once they arrived, so she’s Maggie’s first target.

  Maggie finds Leah chatting with other guests in the ballroom where the ceremony will take place. She approaches the group slowly, careful not to give away that anything is wrong.

  “Maggie,” Leah exclaims. “I was just about to head out and check on the status of the flowers. Is Winona back yet?” She graciously excuses herself from her other conversation and meets Maggie in the aisle between rows and rows of white folding chairs.

  “She just got back. I was sent to find you so we can get everything inside before they freeze in Winona’s car.”

  Leah wastes no time. She hurries back out to the lobby and through the front door. Maggie follows and nearly loses her breath when the cold air hits her face. The winter has been mild so far, until today. A fresh wave of cold blew in overnight and is threatening to stay all week, bringing snow and frigid temperatures.

  Winona is already at her Jeep, the back open and buckets of white flowers filling the whole trunk. “You didn’t bring anyone else?” she asks, handing the first bucket to Leah. The buckets are empty of water to keep them at a more manageable weight, but they have to move quickly so nothing freezes.

  “We can manage,” Leah calls over her shoulder, speed walking back inside.

  Maggie takes a second bucket and is careful not to slip on the frozen walkway. There is plenty of salt on the ground but the cold is almost too much for the measures the lodge has taken to keep everyone safe and everything melted.

  The front doors open and Leah’s two teenage sons, Taylor and Marcus, hold them for Maggie as if they’re a welcoming committee and she’s royalty. “Thanks,” she offers and they smile at her before rushing out to Winona’s truck.

  Leah is already busy placing bouquets of white roses, baby’s breath and calla lilies with splashes of green ivy in the glass vases Clem chose weeks ago. Maggie was worried that the lack of vibrant colors would be boring, but against the wood beams of the lodge, it’s perfect.

  Taylor and Marcus bring in two more buckets each, teasing each other about whose load is heavier. “Boys, be careful. These aren’t toys,” Leah scolds, directing them to place the buckets next to her. They turn and head back outside, pushing and shoving, making claims that they’ll be able to carry three buckets this time.

  “How many more buckets are there?” Maggie asks.

  “They should be almost done. Here,” she hands Maggie two bouquets, “these are for you and Clem to carry. Clem’s is the bigger one.”

  Maggie chuckles. “You think I wouldn’t have figured that out?”

  “Right. And these are the loose flowers you requested for her hair.” Leah hands Maggie white orchids with light pink centers, one of the only colors Clem allowed. They will match her glowing cheeks. Also included are lily of the valley and baby’s breath.

  “I’m going to go check on Clem and finish up her hair. She’s probably panicking right about now since I’ve been down here so long.” Maggie forces a smile, the reality of Winona’s admission about James’s death creeping back into her consciousness. “You have this all under control?”

  “Yup. Go. Get out of here. Today is about Clem. Pamper her.”

  Maggie walks back up the spiral staircase and to Clem’s room. She finds her sister staring out the window toward Wapiti Peak.

  Clem doesn’t turn when Maggie enters the room but launches into a memory. “Remember I told you I tried mountain biking last summer?”

  “Mm,” Maggie offers, letting her sister know that she’s listening. Maggie sets the flowers on the bed and starts organizing them, pulling single stems free and laying them separate from the rest.

  “It was on Wapiti Peak. That was when I knew.” She pauses and Maggie looks up. Clem has turned around and has a glow about her that was missing when Maggie left her alone before. “I knew Denis was the one. I don’t think he knew yet, but I did. He was so great that whole day, and I knew it was because he loved me. He wanted me to fall in love with mountain biking so we could share it.” She laughs. “I didn’t fall in love with it, but I fell in love with something better.”

  “How did you know?” Maggie has heard other people use that phrase but she’s never experienced the same feeling.

  Clem shrugs. “It just felt right. It made sense. I’d spent so much time alone, and I would rather be with him than by myself. And I don’t mean that in an ‘I settled’ kind of way. I mean that being with him is just as relaxing as being alone. You know?”

  “Not really.” Maggie thinks of Drew Kent and wonders if she’ll reach that point in their relationship; the point where being with him is better than being alone. She enjoys his company, but is still always happy when she’s by herself, too.

  “I hope you do know it someday.” Clem sits on the bed and all of the flowers shift toward the added weight of a body. Maggie
reaches out protectively and keeps any from getting crushed.

  “Ready for the flowers? You won’t be able to lean your head on anything once they’re in.”

  Clem checks the time. “Ready. There’s only twenty minutes left.”

  Maggie’s heart skips a beat thinking of everything that was still unfinished downstairs but she doesn’t let her worry show. She carefully twists orchid stems and baby’s breath into Clem’s braid and is thrilled with the result. It’s not too showy, but she looks the part of a happy bride.

  “Have you seen Denis today?” Clem asks, looking in the mirror to admire Maggie’s work.

  Maggie shakes her head. “But I’m sure he’s ready and just as anxious as you are to be with him.”

  “How was everything downstairs? All setup?”

  Maggie chooses her words carefully. “Don’t worry about that. It’s under control. You know how Ginger Rae likes to be in charge.” Maggie forces a laugh.

  “She’s not overstepping her boundaries is she?” Clem touches an orchid just above her ear and Maggie gently swats her hand away.

  “Of course she is. She wouldn’t be Ginger Rae otherwise. I’ll go back down and make sure everything is ready. I’ll get you when it’s time.”

  Maggie sticks a lily of the valley behind her right ear and uses a bobby pin to keep it in place. The flower’s perfume is one of her favorites and she’s glad she convinced Clem to include them in the bouquets.

  Back downstairs, Leah has transformed the lobby of Tenderfoot Lodge into a masterpiece. Maggie follows the path of white rose petals toward the doors of the ballroom and sees Leah still hard at work.

  Bouquets of white adorn every available surface, but not in such a way that Maggie finds it gaudy. It’s perfect.

  “All done,” Leah announces moments later to Maggie. “Now we just need the best man to arrive and the guests to take their seats.”

  “Daniel still isn’t here?” Maggie asks, panic starting to take over. He has a good team of detectives who would happily process the crime scene at Flower Power. There is really no reason for him to still be there.