Heavenly Corners Read online

  Heavenly Corners

  (An Annie Ryan Cozy Mystery)

  By Marianne Spitzer

  © December 2014

  This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to persons living or dead, events, locations, or organizations are purely coincidental. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced without the written consent of the author.

  Acknowledgements

  There are many people I would like to thank for their help and understanding while I wrote this book, but first and foremost, I want to thank God for all His blessings. I also wish to thank my family and friends for their patience when I disappear into my writing world especially my son, Lance, for his unwavering support. Cover designed by the talented Laura at LLPix Designs.

  Dedication

  This series of books is dedicated to my mom, Anna (aka) Annie, her BFF and partner in crime Georgie, and my Aunt Irene. Mom and Aunt Irene were like two peas in a pod. All three of these wonderful women have passed on, but still hold a large place in my heart.

  Heavenly Corners

  Chapter One

  I parked my car in the small lot behind the shops that fronted Main Street. I slid my key into the back door of Heavenly Books and felt the warm air encircle my face. It was early April, and mornings were still a bit chilly. I shrugged off my jacket and hung it on the old coat rack I found at a rummage sale and put on a pot of coffee. It would be nine o’clock soon and hopefully today I would have a few customers.

  I might not have customers, but I would have a lot of gossipers. Why? Besides the Heavenly Grill at the edge of town and the Heavenly Diner a few doors down, I have the only shop with a couch and chairs. The furniture is meant to give my customers a comfy place to leaf through a book while they decide if they want to buy it. However, the residents of Heavenly Corners have been using them for years as a quiet place to gather and gossip.

  I should introduce myself. My name is Annie Ryan, and I own the Heavenly Corners Book Shoppe. It belonged to my mom until three years ago when she and my dad decided the Wisconsin winters were too cold and moved to Arizona. It has been in the family since it first opened its doors back in the nineteen forties. I love owning the bookstore, and it gives me something to do since my only child, Laci, left for college in August. She’ll be home for the summer next month, and I’m excited.

  I’m not ready for all of today’s gossip. I know much of it will be morbid. Why? I’m sure most people will be discussing poor old Inga Kelleher. She was ninety-one. I suppose her death might be expected, but in the middle of the City Council meeting it was a shock. I’m getting ahead of myself. You don’t know about last night’s City Council meeting.

  #######

  I have lived in Heavenly Corners all my life. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. It’s a small town with small town values. That doesn’t mean the population of just over 6,000 isn’t progressive, but they need to be prodded in the right direction from time to time. That’s why I love to attend City Council meetings, and I’m a darn good prodder, if I say so myself.

  I met my best friend, Georgie, outside city hall at six forty-five. We went to high school together, were college roommates, stood up in each other’s weddings, and had daughters a month apart. No one would ever dream of calling Georgie by her given name of Georgianna except her husband, Paul, but only when he’s extremely frustrated.

  “Hey,” said Georgie. “I hope I’m not late. We had an unexpected rush of dinner customers.”

  Georgie and Paul own the Heavenly Grill, and she did not look as if she had been rushing around serving customers just a few minutes before she arrived. Her short ash blonde hair looked as if she had just stepped out of the beauty salon.

  “Right on time,” I said. “I can’t wait to get in there tonight.” I placed my hands on my hips and said, “I’m going to fight for a new population sign to go with the ‘Welcome to Heavenly Corners’ sign.”

  “Not again,” Georgie laughed and rolled her blue-gray eyes at me.

  I stomped my foot and said, “I have a better reason tonight. C’mon let’s go in, and I can make my point.”

  I marched into the meeting room with Georgie at my heels. I took an aisle seat directly behind Inga Kelleher. She turned and smiled at me.

  “Hello, Annie. Don’t forget to call me when a new mystery book arrives. You remember my niece, Mags, and my nephew, Douglas.” She waved her hand in their direction while looking at me.

  “Of course,” I said. “Nice to see you again Mags and Douglas.” I held out my hand.

  Douglas nodded, and Mags took my hand and said, “It’s Margaret.” She flashed a bored smile.

  “Sorry, I’ll remember from now on.” I smiled back and dropped into my chair.

  Georgie stifled a laugh and rolled her eyes again. It was her favorite reaction to people that annoyed her.

  I grimaced and poked her in the ribs. I hoped Inga hadn’t noticed. She was my best customer. She rarely left her home these days, but when a new mystery arrived at the store I called her and if it interested her, I’d drop it off at her home. Inga lived in a house referred to as Heavenly Mansion. It sat on the lake adjacent to the camping and picnic area she allowed the city to use for tourism. Truth be told; Inga owned nearly all the property surrounding the lake and the lake rights. The mayor bent over backward to keep her happy. Using the lake for free was an incredible gift to the town.

  It isn’t easy to keep Inga happy. She has a wicked tongue and uses it whenever she thinks it will help her get her way. Most people are afraid of Inga, but she and I bonded over our love of books especially mysteries.

  The sound of a gavel against a desk brought my attention back to the room. I sat through several small, but important issues and then the head councilman asked if there was any other business. That’s when I stood.

  I watched him grab his forehead and ask, “What is it tonight, Annie?”

  “Same as every other time, but this time I’m upset, and I think the town will be, too. I know you’re tired of me trying to convince you to get a new population sign for the town even though I have offered to pay for it. No one seems to care if the numbers remain the same year in and year out. I do, but what I saw this morning is too much for me to keep quiet. As I was driving back from the superstore in the next county, I saw Edgar working on the population sign. I pulled over thinking he was going to replace it. When I asked him what he thought he was doing he looked at me and said he had to change the number because the Manners have a new baby boy, and the town has grown. He changed the last number on the sign from ‘7’ to ‘8’ by writing ‘8’ on a piece of duct tape and placed the tape over the number ‘7’. Duct tape of all things. People are going to think they arrived in a cartoon village. Do something!”

  I crossed my arms and sat down. Georgie’s eyes were big as she stared at me. I was busy catching my breath after my speech.

  Councilman Phillips said, “Uh ha, I’ll ask Edgar about it and we can discuss it at the next meeting.” He picked up his gavel to adjourn the meeting.

  My face flushed with anger. How dare he dismiss me that way? I was ready to stand again and battle it out when Inga stood in front of me.

  She stepped out into the aisle and said, “Annie makes a good point. We can’t have people coming into town with duct tape on our signs. Take care of it Phillips.”

  Councilman Phillips’ face paled when he looked at Inga. I was silently yelling “Go Inga Go!”

  Inga raised a finger in the air and said, “Another thing, Philips…” and she dropped over face first onto the floor.

  Georgie, who knew CPR from Red Cross training because she owned the grill, s
prang to her feet. She was on her knees turning Inga on her back when Doctor Bolden dropped down on the other side of Inga. I sat stunned. Mags held her hand to her mouth, and I saw a tear run down her cheek. Douglas was stoic.

  The rescue squad arrived in record time, and two paramedics ran down the aisle. As they began working on Inga, I moved to the other end of the seats. I’m squeamish when it comes to needles and IVs. I dropped my head into my hands and said a prayer. Georgie slipped into a seat next to me.

  I swallowed and asked, “Is she dead? I think my speech upset her, and I killed her.” I shuddered and felt a cold shiver run down my back.

  Georgie said, “Whatever happened wasn’t your fault and yes, I think she’s dead. The paramedics are taking her out, so there isn’t a spectacle.” She grabbed my hand, but I still felt guilty.

  Doctor Bolden walked over and asked Georgie how she was doing. Georgie nodded and said, “I’m okay. It’s just sad.”

  I looked at the doctor and said, “I upset her and killed her didn’t I?”

  “No, Annie. I’m not sure what happened, but I don’t think you killed her. She shouldn’t have passed out that way. She was healthy for her age. We’ll know more in the next few days. Go home and rest.”

  Once the paramedics left, people slowly emptied out of the meeting room. Georgie and I were the last to leave. Georgie suggested we needed a drink, but I was tired and said I wanted to go home. I hugged her and promised to call in the morning.

  Chapter Two

  I parked in my garage and walked into the house. It was dark and quiet. It was too dark and quiet. I flipped the kitchen light switch, and the overhead fixture flooded the room with light. That was better. My stomach grumbled at me, and I remembered I didn’t eat anything before the meeting. I grabbed a chocolate covered granola protein bar and a raspberry wine cooler from the fridge and headed into the living room. Flipping another wall switch brought light to three corners of my living room. The dark corner was lit enough from filtered moonlight coming in the sliding doors that led to my patio. I opened the door and stepped out onto the patio, grabbed an aluminum lawn chair and dragged it downhill to our pier. I walked to the end of the pier, unfolded the chair and sat.

  I tore open the granola bar wrapping and took a bite. After the second bite, my stomach stopped screaming at me. A nice gulp of wine cooler helped, I’m sure. I have a sweet tooth that I argue with daily, but tonight I didn’t care. The sweet granola bar and wine cooler were what I needed. One helped my hunger and the other my nerves.

  It was still early, only a little after nine, and I could see the lights in Inga’s house across the lake. It was too early in the season for campers, and most of the surrounding area was dark. I was fortunate. My grandparents and three other families had built homes along the lake before the Kelleher family bought up the rest. My grandmother left this house to me when she passed away. It is a nice sized house with three bedrooms upstairs and a first-floor office where she and now I work on the books for the bookstore. Also, off to the side was a smaller house. It was a single bedroom cabin that my grandpa always used for his fishing buddies when they came to visit. My Aunt Irene lives there now.

  #######

  A flashing light caught my eye. It was coming from across the lake near Inga’s house. Someone was walking around the yard with a bright flashlight. The light disappeared, and I watched the lights go on upstairs in Inga’s house. Someone was walking from room to room. Hmm, maybe Mags was checking for burglars. I leaned forward in my chair as I watched someone who looked an awful lot like Douglas close one set of drapes after another. It seemed he ran from room to room.

  “How odd,” I mumbled and drank another gulp of wine cooler. My nerves felt steadier, but I couldn’t figure out what in the world Douglas was doing closing all the drapes in the house. Light seeped through them, and every room was lit up. The mansion looked like a lighthouse beacon sitting across the lake. Inga had been frugal, and this was more lights than I saw burning during the Christmas holidays.

  My phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw that it was Georgie.

  “Hi, I wanted to call you, but I thought Paul might have had you go back to the grill to help close.”

  “He would have, but he knew I went to the meeting with you. He’ll be late. Right after I left they had a tour bus stop by, and thirty-eight people ordered burgers, fries, and malts.”

  I giggled at the thought of Paul and his teenage cook rushing around without Georgie. She had a way of handling customers and calming down irritated people.

  “What’s up?” I asked.

  “Walk down to your pier and check out Inga’s house. Something weird is going on there. Every room is lit up like someone is scared of the dark.”

  Paul and Georgie lived at the top of Highland Street, the highest point in Heavenly Corners. From her second-floor deck, she can see across the tops of the houses and the lake. My view was better since I was closer, but she has a pretty good view of the mansion.

  “I’ve been sitting on the pier since I got home. First, someone was walking around the property with a flashlight and then the lights inside started going on. I could tell it was Douglas who was pulling the drapes closed, but I wish I knew why every light is on.” I tapped my fingers on my knee as I spoke to Georgie. It was a nervous habit I had.

  Georgie whispered, “Maybe they’re looking for something.”

  “You don’t have to whisper, Georgie, no one can hear you.” I smiled. “What could they be looking for?”

  “Jewelry, bearer bonds, cash, or maybe a will. Maybe a newer will naming them as beneficiaries of her life insurance or maybe she changed her mind about the property and left it to them instead of the town.”

  “That could be, but then they’re her only living relatives. It would make sense she left them something.”

  My overly dramatic best friend and sleuth wannabe whispered again, “Maybe they killed her.”

  “You watch too much TV, Georgie. Go to bed. Bring me a burger and fries for lunch tomorrow, and we’ll talk.”

  “Yeah, okay. Goodnight.” Georgie said, and I could hear the exasperation in her voice.

  I shook my head as I thought of what Georgie said. This is Heavenly Corners. Things like that don’t happen here. Do they? Hmm, I mused. The last time we had any violence in town was when old Mr. Finley and equally old Mr. Walters had a border dispute over a tree that sat on their lot line. Neither wanted to take the responsibility of cutting it down, but it was dying from an infestation of army ants. Two old to throw punches, they resorted to shotguns and shot each other with a goodly amount of rock salt. A visit to the E.R. and a ticket from the local police officer with a threat of jail time caused them to reconsider. They split the cost of the tree removal.

  I tried to remember the last time, before the tree incident, when we had any other police problems. The memory hit me in the chest like a hot knife.

  #######

  I tried to push the memories away, but my mind dragged me back to that Friday night ten years ago. I couldn’t stop the hot tears I felt running down my chilled cheeks.

  Steve always worked late on Friday nights. I wasn’t overly worried, but we had snow that February day and the news weather reporter said the roads were getting icy. When the doorbell rang, I thought it was a neighbor. I opened the door and stared right into the face of a state trooper.

  “Good evening, are you Annlynn Ryan?”

  No one ever calls me Annlynn. Something was wrong. I nodded my head.

  “I’m sorry ma’am, but there’s been an accident.”

  “Steve,” I stammered. “Where is he? I’ll go immediately.”

  The trooper took a step inside as I turned my back to find my coat.

  “Mrs. Ryan, I’m sorry, but your husband was killed in a head-on collision on the highway a few hours ago.”

  I dropped to my knees. I’ll never forget the scream that filled the house. Laci had been around the corner in the living room liste
ning to what the trooper said. She threw herself on me, and we both sobbed. The trooper helped us to our feet and asked if there was someone he could call for me. I mumbled something about my mom, and I needed the phone. I called but wasn’t making any sense. He took the phone from me and explained the situation.

  He said, “Your parents are on their way over. Do you need anything else? Are you feeling okay? Do you need any medical attention?”

  I remember telling him I was fine, and my parents lived two blocks away. He nodded and stood by the front door for a few minutes watching us. He left when my parent’s car pulled up. I don’t remember thanking him. All I could think of was that my precious Steve was gone. My high school sweetheart, my soul mate, and the love of my life. I was a widow at thirty-two with a nine-year-old daughter.

  “Get a grip, Annie,” I said out loud. I heard a few small animals scamper. “Good going, Annie. You scared the wildlife.”

  I drank down the last of my wine cooler and noticed the lights in Inga’s house were going off one by one until the only window lit was the master bedroom.

  I stood and mumbled, “Maybe Georgie is right. Someone is looking for something.” I dragged the chair back to my patio and headed for bed.

  Chapter Three

  I was tired after the tension-filled evening and fell asleep quickly. A little before five I woke shaking from head to foot. I hadn’t had a nightmare in a few years. This was a doozy. In my nightmare, I heard the doorbell ring, and I opened the door to find the same state trooper from ten years ago standing on my porch. He stared into my eyes and said in Georgie’s voice, “Maybe they killed her.”

  I usually slept until seven since I didn’t need to be at the bookstore until eight or eight-thirty, but I had a feeling I wasn’t going to get more sleep. I made a cup of tea and sat on the couch watching the early news.