Mariner's Compass
Authors: Earlene Fowler
| Mariner's Compass |
| Fowler, Earlene |
| Penguin (2000) |
Benni Harper, and in his house were pieces of her life: a hand-carved
statue of her childhood horse and a scrapbook of newspaper clippings
that covered her work, her marriages, and the death of her first
husband. And when Jacob Chandler died, he left his home in Morro Bay and
all its contents to Benni - the only stipulation being that Benni had
to stay in the house, alone, for two weeks before the inheritance became
hers. But Benni Harper has never even heard of Jacob Chandler. Now she
has two weeks to follow his scavenger-hunt set of clues to discover
whether he is her guardian angel or personal demon. The waters are rough
and the direction unclear as she finds herself setting a course to a
time and a place in her own past - a place Benni Harper and Jacob
Chandler both knew as home...
| Mariner's Compass |
| Fowler, Earlene |
| Penguin (2000) |
Jacob Chandler knew everything about Benni Harper, and in his house were pieces of her life: a hand-carved statue of her childhood horse and a scrapbook of newspaper clippings that covered her work, her marriages, and the death of her first husband. And when Jacob Chandler died, he left his home in Morro Bay and all its contents to Benni - the only stipulation being that Benni had to stay in the house, alone, for two weeks before the inheritance became hers. But Benni Harper has never even heard of Jacob Chandler. Now she has two weeks to follow his scavenger-hunt set of clues to discover whether he is her guardian angel or personal demon. The waters are rough and the direction unclear as she finds herself setting a course to a time and a place in her own past - a place Benni Harper and Jacob Chandler both knew as home...
Table of Contents
Praise for Earlene Fowler’s
Benni Harper Mysteries
DOVE IN THE WINDOW
Nominated for an Agatha Award for Best Novel
“Excellent . . . While the characters are perhaps the most vivid feature, setting nearly edges them out. Best of all is Benni’s sharp, sassy voice.”
—
Booknews
“Fowler writes beautifully about the picturesque Central Coast, ranching, and local cuisine.”
—Booklist
GOOSE IN THE POND
Nominated for an Agatha Award for Best Novel
“Engaging.”
—
Booklist
“Brilliantly crafted romantic suspense ... waiting to be devoured by the reader.”
—
The Mystery Zone
“A fast, fun read that jumps into the action right from the get-go.”
—Telegram-Tribune,
San Luis Obispo, California
KANSAS TROUBLES
Nominated for an Agatha Award for Best Novel
“Mayhem, murder, chaos, and romance ... well-paced mystery ... fun reading.”
—
The Derby (KS) Daily Reporter
“Fowler’s story about a sassy ex-cowgirl and quilter who loves to solve crimes . . . is a lot of fun to read. Fowler has a deft touch.”
—
The Wichita
(
KS) Eagle
IRISH CHAIN
“A terrific whodunit! The dialogue is intelligent and witty, the characters intensely human, and the tantalizing puzzle keeps the pages turning.”
—Jean Hager, auhor of
Bride and Doom
“A blue-ribbon cozy . . . This well-textured sequel to
Fool’s Puzzle . .
. intricately blends social history and modern mystery.”
—
Publishers Weekly
“Charming, beguiling, and entrancing . . .
Irish Chain
is a total joy.”
—
Jackson (MS
)
Clarion-Ledger
“A delightful and witty mystery full of endearing characters. It offers insights into quilts . . . folk art, and historical events that add depth to its multi-layered history.”
—
Gothic Journal
FOOL’S PUZZLE
Nominated for an Agatha Award for Best First Mystery
“Characters come to full three-dimensional life, and her plot is satisfyingly complex.”
—
Jackson (MS) Clarion-Ledger
“Breezy, humorous dialogue of the first order . . . Quilt patterns provide a real and metaphorical background.”
—
Chicago Sun-Times
“I loved
Fool’s Puzzle . . .
[Earlene Fowler] made me laugh out loud on one page and brought tears to my eyes the next . . . I can’t wait to read more.”
—Margaret Maron, auhor of
Rituals of the Season
“A crackerjack debut.”
—
I Love a Mystery
“A ripping read. It’s smart, vigorous, and more than funny: Within its humor is wrenching insight.”
—Noreen Ayres, auhor of
The Juan Doe Murders
“I thoroughly enjoyed
Fool’s Puzzle
... Fowler’s characters are terrific . . . a super job.”
—Eve K. Sandstrom, auhor of
The Smoking Gun
“A neat little mystery . . . her plot is compeling.”
—
Booklist
Berkley Prime Crime Books by Earlene Fowler
THE SADDLEMAKER’S WIFE
The Benni Harper Mysteries
FOOL’S PUZZLE
IRISH CHAIN
KANSAS TROUBLES
GOOSE IN THE POND
DOVE IN THE WINDOW
MARINER’S COMPASS
SEVEN SISTERS
ARKANSAS TRAVELER
STEPS TO THE ALTAR
SUNSHINE AND SHADOW
BROKEN DISHES
DELECTABLE MOUNTAINS
TUMBLING BLOCKS
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
MARINER’S COMPASS
A Berkley Prime Crime Book / published by arrangement with the author
Copyright © 1999 by Earlene Fowler.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form
without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in
violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
eISBN : 978-1-101-50124-5
BERKLEY
®
PRIME CRIME
Berkley Prime Crime Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
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For
Karen Gray
Christine “Nini” Nybak Hill
Jo-Ann Mapson
whose love, encouragement, and friendship
supported and sustained me through
the writing of this book.
Thank you cannot cover it all.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Most especially for this one, thank you, Lord God Jehovah.
With much thanks to:
Ben Nixon, Division Chief, Phoenix Fire Department (with a special award for being such a smart and handsome cousin), and his beautiful wife, Linda, for her support and for putting up with him; Art Nuñez, Captain, Phoenix Fire Department—for being so open and honest to a stranger about your work experiences; Jim Gardiner, Chief of Police, San Luis Obispo; Sergeant Pete Bayer, Chief Deputy Coroner, San Luis Obispo; Dennis Schloss, Deputy District Attorney, San Luis Obispo; Clare Bazley, Tina Davis, and Elaine Gardiner for good friendship and support; Joe and Leslie Patronik, Morro Bay, for all their enthusiastic help; Sue Morrison—for your friendship and pronto Spanish translation; Judith Palais and Deborah Schneider—for a job always well done; my husband, Allen, because just like rhythm and blues, we were meant to be together.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Although San Celina County is a fictional county, there is an actual town of Morro Bay on the Central Coast of California. Though I have borrowed from the town liberally, I have also changed streets, places of business, and other points of interest. Morro Rock does exist and is exactly as I described. All characters and incidents in this novel are purely from my imagination, and any resemblance to a person or persons residing in Morro Bay is strictly coincidental. I thank the good people of Morro Bay for allowing me to borrow their town for my creative purposes.
MARINER’S COMPASS
Mariner’s Compass is an Old English pattern that can be traced back as far as the 1700s. The design, taken from the wind roses found on ships’ compasses and sea charts, was a favorite of nineteenth-century quilt makers living on the Eastern Seaboard. With its bold mixture of curves and narrow, radiating points, always in multiples of eight, it requires many hours of patient piecing and is often attempted only by advanced quilters. Other names include Sunburst, Rising Sun, and Chips & Whetstones. It is to be noted that a compass is not only meant to point the way to our destination, but its function is also to show us the way home.
PROLOGUE
WHEN I LOOK back now, these long years later, when age has taught me that the word family is much more complex than I ever imagined, what happened to me all seems so magnified, dramatic in that way things can only be when you’re young and your blood flows hot and fast, and tears seem to coat the world, blurring it like dime-store eyeglasses. You’re certain that if life doesn’t work out exactly how you planned, all nice and neat with tucked-in corners, then you will most certainly die, or worse, keep living with the disappointment stuck in your throat like a peach pit, all rough and jagged and bitter as dirt.
I am here to tell you the pivotal moments in our lives often do not come with any sort of fanfare. Rarely are there snapping flags or warning trumpets or foghorns informing us of changes. They usually come, to quote a wiser source, like thieves in the night—a postcard from the lab: “Please contact your physician”—an intersection at the wrong moment, an egg colliding with a sperm in a miniature cosmic explosion, a quarter in a slot machine, the turn of a steering wheel, a trigger pulled, a lover saying no, a child walking away, a voice over the phone—“I’m sorry to inform you . . .” In an instant, your life is forever altered and you think the rest of your days will become an agonizing before-and-after until you realize from the measured, thoughtful perch of old age that life is simply a series of befores and afters, a long line of them, and each one can either harden your heart to sunbaked leather or turn it pliable and welcoming, into an organ of infinite capabilities, a dwelling place for compassion, a vehicle for grace.