Murder At The Bed & Breakfast
Read Murder At The Bed & Breakfast Online
Authors: Dianne Harman
MURDER AT
THE BED & BREAKFAST
By
Dianne Harman
(A Liz Lucas Cozy Mystery Series - Book 4)
Copyright © 2015 Dianne Harman
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form without written permission except for the use of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
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.
Website, Interior & Cover design by
Vivek Rajan Vivek
Paperback ISBN: 978-1518622793
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Every time I get a favorable email or someone posts a compliment on my Facebook page, or Family, friends, people who email me and tell me how much they like my books – I’m indebted to all of you for your continuing support. It means so much to me.
I would be very remiss if I didn’t thank the two people who make my books look so good, Tom Harman and Vivek Rajan. My husband Tom reads every word of every book several times looking for timeline problems, inconsistencies, and whatever else he feels the book needs or doesn’t need. Believe me, without him, I’d be lucky to sell any books. Once the book is ready to be published it goes to Vivek. He’s the one responsible for designing the fabulous covers and making sure that it all comes together in book form. It’s a collaborative effort, and I so appreciate the time both of you put into making me a best-selling author.
Lastly, my thanks to you, my readers. Without you, I wouldn’t be an author, and I never would have discovered my passion at a rather advanced age. I’ve never had so much fun! Again, thanks to each and every one of you!
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Table of Contents
Prologue
Laura wasn’t surprised when she heard the soft knock on the bedroom door. She was the full time nanny for Bob and Renee Salazar’s infant daughter, Celia, and she knew they’d be returning from the wedding and reception any minute. She opened the door expecting to see them, but instead, a person wearing a ski mask dressed entirely in black barged into the room.
She looked down and saw a gun in the intruder’s hand that was pointed at her. Instinctively, knowing whoever it was meant to kill her, she positioned herself as far away as she could from the baby’s crib. The last thing she heard was the pop of the gun; it’s normally thundering sound softened by the silencer that had been attached to it. The baby, sensing something was wrong, began crying, scaring the killer, who quickly ran out the open door and down the hall, disappearing into the darkness of the night.
CHAPTER 1
Liz Lucas stood by one of the large windows in her living quarters located on the lower level of the lodge looking out at the ocean. She was spending her last few hours as an unmarried woman quietly reminiscing about her past life and thinking about her new husband-to-be. The wedding was to be held within the next hour in the side yard next to the lodge. She smiled to herself as she thought about how well her children and Roger’s, her future husband, had gotten along the previous evening.
Her daughter, Brittany, had flown in from Palm Springs, and her son, Jonah, from Dubai. By prearrangement they'd been met at the San Francisco airport by Roger’s son, Jake, who had driven the two of them and his brother, Cole, to the spa and lodge located about sixty miles north of San Francisco. The four of them had become fast friends by the time they arrived at the spa.
The full family meeting the previous evening had gone very well, with all four children approving of their parent’s future spouse. Liz and Roger had both been a little nervous about how the evening would go. Neither one of them had ever met the other one's children. Fortunately, it was a nonissue. All four of their children had one wish and one wish only, and it was that their respective parent would be happy. The prior spouses of Roger and Liz had died at an early age, and both of them had struggled with having lost someone they had dearly loved. It had not been an easy time for either of them, and their children were well aware of it.
Neither Liz nor Roger had ever thought they’d find someone they would want to marry. In fact, both of them had made a promise to themselves they would never marry again. As often happens, life has a way of intervening, and that’s what happened when they met at Roger’s law firm. Liz was there talking to the attorney who had handled the probate of her husband Joe's estate about a few loose ends that needed to be tied up. Roger was a senior partner in the law firm, and his specialty was criminal law. During the past few months he’d been invaluable in helping Liz solve a couple of murder mysteries in which she’d become involved.
Her reverie was broken by a quick knock on the door followed by her daughter bursting into the room. "Mom, it's time. I'm here to help you with your make-up and hair. Are you nervous?" Brittany asked.
"Yes, I’m terribly nervous. I simply can't believe I'm getting married. I really thought when your father died I would never remarry, yet here I am, about to walk down the aisle. In some ways I feel disloyal to Joe, but I know he'd want me to be happy."
“Well, if it's any consolation, Jonah and I are thrilled you're getting married. We really like Roger and his two sons. Come on, Mom, it's time. Jonah will never forgive me if I keep the bride from being on time, since he's giving you away. Think it's kind of cool that Jake is going to stand up for his dad,” she said gently pushing Liz into a chair. “We talked briefly about who the other guests are, but let's go over them again. Fill me in while I help you with your make up.”
“I think I told you when we first talked that the wedding was going to be very small. Just the immediate families and a couple of friends. I know you remember Judy, Tiffany's mother. She's driving up from San Francisco. Bertha, who I employ as my manager here at the lodge and spa, and her husband Hank, are coming. On Roger's side he's asked a friend of his, Bob Salazar, and his wife Renee. Roger and he became very good friends when they worked for the same law firm in San Francisco. Bob recently won an election as a county supervisor for Dillon County.
“They have a baby daughter, Celia. Renee’s sister, Laura, is living with them. She’s a nurse and when her last job ended, she decided to take them up on their offer of living with them and taking care of Celia so Renee could be more of a political wife and still have her psychology practice. The cottages here at the spa are only two to a room, so they're staying in a two bedroom suite at Cindy's Bed & Breakfast about a mile from here. That way there will be a separate bedroom for Laura and the baby.”
“So that's it as far as who will be attending the wedding?”
“Yes, we only wanted a few people to attend.”
“I think you told me you were expecting a lot of people at the reception.”
“Sweetheart, this is a very small town. I've gotten to know a lot of the people in the three and a half years I've been here, plus, I've met a few more because of some murders I was involved in. I expect ...”
She was interrupted by Brittany. “What murders? You never said anything to me about any murders.”
“Yes, that’s true, but I didn't want to worry you, so I kept it to myself. Things just kind of happened, and I somehow became involved. Fortunately I had Roger to talk to and with his background in criminal law, he was invaluable to me. It all worked out, but let's talk about something else. I'm finished with murders.”
Little did Liz know how untrue those words would soon turn out to be.
CHAPTER 2
The first thing Nick Hutchinson did when he walked out the door of the Serene Valley Rehabilitation Center was call his ex-wife Laura.
“Hey, Laura, it's me, Nick. Just wanted you to be the first to know I made it through three months at the Rehab Center, and I'm clean as a whistle. I know I promised you a bunch of times that I'd quit using drugs, but this time it's for real. The doc at the Center said he'd never met anyone who had such a good outlook for the future. First thing I want to do is see you. I'll be at the house in about an hour.”
He listened to Laura for a minute and then said in a raised and angry voice. “You're kidding! You mean to tell me I just spent three months of my life doing what you've been begging me to do for years, and now you're telling me it's too late. No, I don't think so, sweetheart, I'm on my way.” He ended the call and got in his car, enjoying the feeling of freedom and knowing he would never have to take another drug test for the rest of his life.
What's wrong with that crazy broad? I do everything she asks, and then she tells me it's too late. That's crazy. She's never been able to resist me. Today won't be any different.
A moment later a little voice in his head that he hadn’t heard for the past three months made itself known to him. “Why don't you call John?” the seductive silky voice asked. “After three months, you could use a little boost from something that will make you feel really good, and anyway, you're going right by his place on the way to Laura's.”
What the heck. After three months of being on my best behavior, I deserve a little something. Probably would help the nervies I'm feeling. I've got this thing whipped, so a little of the good stuff John always keeps on hand couldn't hurt me. And anyway, if Laura had been nicer to me, I wouldn't need to do it. It’s all her fault.
“John, it's Nick. Yeah, spent a little time at Serene. Figure I deserve a treat for getting out. I got this puppy whipped. Okay if I stop by?” He listened a minute. “On my way, man, thanks, and yeah, I want the good stuff.”
CHAPTER 3
Zack, the handyman at the spa, had made Liz promise to let him marry them when he heard she and Roger were getting married. He’d taken a course on the Internet and received a license which allowed him to conduct a marriage ceremony. As a handyman, he had a tendency to look a little shaggy. As a minister, he was very handsome and cleaned up well. His long black hair was tied back in a neat ponytail. He was cleanly shaven and wore a crisply ironed open-necked white shirt with black pants. Liz barely recognized him.