Mobsters and Lobsters (A Hooked & Cooked Cozy Mystery Series Book 2) (18 page)
Read Mobsters and Lobsters (A Hooked & Cooked Cozy Mystery Series Book 2) Online
Authors: Lyndsey Cole
Tags: #General Fiction
Hannah followed Sherry to her car. She wondered where Cal and Ruby disappeared to. Oh well, they’d figure out that she left. Sherry moved her backpack and another box from the passenger seat to the backseat to make room for Hannah. “There you go. Make yourself comfortable.”
Sherry chatted away as they drove. Hannah tuned out the words, responding with a yes or a nod at, what she hoped, were the appropriate places. She pulled out one of the packages of crackers and idly munched on them, wishing she had eaten more of Meg’s delicious food instead of this stale peanut butter cracker.
Hannah pointed. “Watch out for the pothole.”
Sherry swerved but it was too late and her little car jerked to one side as everything on her back seat slid to the floor. Hannah turned around to rescue Sherry’s things. The box had tipped over, spilling its contents behind Hannah’s seat.
Hannah reached back and the cracker wrapper slipped from her fingers, landing next to a set of knives. One was missing. Hannah’s heart flipped and flopped. Where had she seen them before?
“Oh dear,” Sherry said. “I’d better clean that mess up.” She pulled over to the side of the road. Hannah didn’t wipe the fear from her face quickly enough. Sherry looked at Hannah’s face, then at the items on the floor.
“Well, well, well. That wasn’t part of my plan,” Sherry said matter-of-factly, losing her chatty, friendly voice. She reached back and picked up one of the knives. “Now, what will I do?” She flicked her fingernail over the point of the knife blade. “Such a shame to waste another one of these.”
“You murdered Marco and Lenny? Why?”
“Oh, Hannah. You haven’t figured it out yet? No, of course you haven’t. You kept looking in the wrong direction. Pearl and her grandson gave you enough drama to make you suspect them, didn’t they?”
“You’ll never get away with it, Sherry.”
“Why not? A retired school teacher? Besides, I heard the police have Pearl in custody and she’ll probably blame her grandson to save her own skin. By the time anyone finds you, I’ll be long gone. Oh, that reminds me, hand over the map. After all, that
is
what this was all about.”
Hannah pulled the map from her pocket. “It’s a hoax. There isn’t a treasure.”
Sherry scowled. “What are you talking about?”
“The map. It was a scheme to get tourists to come to Hooks Harbor.” Hannah shrugged. “It worked. People came, spent their money at the local restaurants and other businesses. Turns out it was a treasure for the whole town.”
Sherry ripped the map from Hannah’s hand. “I don’t believe you. Marco and Lenny planned this for months.”
“How did you fit into the picture, Sherry?” Hannah was surprised at how calm her voice sounded to her own ears while her brain raced through every escape avenue she could think of.
“I convinced Lenny I would help him once Marco was out of the way. He wasn’t keen on me helping but he did need
someone
. I brought Lenny dry clothes and snacks after he made it to shore. He hid in the woods until the coast was clear and,” she shrugged her shoulders, “the rest is history. He was an easy target when he tried to sneak under your snack bar when he thought I was asleep.”
“Clever.”
“Yup. Now get out,” Sherry ordered as she stood by the driver’s side of the car. “My side of the car. Time to get this show on the road.” She kept the knife pointed at Hannah only inches away from her neck.
Hannah slowly slid by the steering wheel. She took the keys, thinking they might be useful as a weapon if Sherry let her guard down. Sherry backed up just enough to make room for Hannah to slide out the door. With the knife blade pressed against Hannah’s neck, Sherry grabbed Hannah’s arm and twisted it behind her back. “There, just in case you were thinking of taking off.”
Now Hannah was beginning to panic. Sherry’s grip was like an iron vice and the knife was beginning to dig deeper into her skin.
“Move. Into the woods.” Sherry pushed Hannah from behind.
Hannah planted her feet but Sherry poked the knife deeper into her neck. Hannah felt a sharp pain and a trickle of something warm ran down her neck and under her shirt.
She could hear a truck approaching. She had to stay in sight. Sherry poked her again and whispered in her ear. “Move, or I’ll push the knife all the way in right now.”
Hannah jabbed her free elbow around and connected with Sherry’s chest. She raked the keys across Sherry’s face. Sherry screamed and covered her face with her arms. The knife flew away into the road just as Pete’s truck, with Cal and Ruby crushed in the passenger seat, stopped next to them. Pete sprang into action. He pulled Sherry away from Hannah. Before Hannah could even turn around, Pete had Sherry on the ground with his knee on her back. It all happened in seconds.
Ruby had her arms around her sister, and Cal embraced them both.
Ruby sobbed. “When Meg told me she saw you leave with Sherry, I got a flashback of the peanut butter cracker wrappers.” She stared into Hannah’s eyes. “It was Sherry all along, wasn’t it? Clever-friendly-chatty-afraid-of-Petunia, Sherry.”
Hannah nodded.
Cal pulled the braid away from Hannah’s neck and stared at the blood. “What happened?”
“She held a knife to my neck to make me walk into the woods so she could finish me off. Pete got here just in time.”
Pam’s cruiser screeched to a stop in the middle of the road. “Nice work, Pete. I’ll take her from here.” She looked at Hannah and shook her head. “Was this part of your plan, too? I’m not sure I would have played it so close to the edge.”
Cal helped Hannah into the back seat of Pete’s truck. “Ready to go home?”
Hannah leaned her head on his shoulder. “Yes.”
Jack and Olivia were waiting for them to arrive. Olivia was beside herself with excitement. “Pearl left and didn’t take Petunia.” Her eyes were big and round. “I already told her she could stay here with Hannah and Nellie.”
Hannah smiled. “Of course she can.” After all, there was no way Petunia could take that cruise by herself since Pearl had reservations in jail now.
Chapter 23
Laura and Aaron stopped in to say goodbye. Laura couldn’t believe she had befriended a killer. “I guess that’s a good ending seeing as I didn’t win the treasure map,” she said to Aaron as they walked to their car. “My friends aren’t going to believe what happened on our honeymoon.”
Meg arrived with clam chowder, cole slaw, and lobster salad. “In case anyone is hungry,” she said as she covered Hannah’s table with food.
Finally, Hannah thought, delicious food and a chance to relax. Pearl and Rocky were locked up for kidnapping and Sherry wouldn’t be seeing the light of day for a long time.
She groaned when she heard a knock on her door.
Jack opened it. A man in a business suit holding a packet of papers said he was looking for Olivia Holiday.
Ruby and Hannah shared their look.
“Can I come in?” he asked politely.
Ruby nodded, Jack moved aside, and the man entered. “Olivia Holiday is the sole heir of Lenny DiMarco’s estate.”
Olivia was sitting on Ruby’s lap. “This is Olivia. I’m her mother, Ruby. I don’t understand what this is all about.”
The man handed Ruby a sheet of paper. She skimmed it. Caroline Holiday’s signature jumped off the page as the witness for the Last Will and Testament of Lenny DiMarco.
“I don’t believe this, Hannah.” Ruby waved the paper through the air. “This is the real treasure. Caroline found Lenny and made sure he did the right thing for his daughter.” Ruby looked at the man. “What will she get?”
“A lot. Here’s my card. Come to my office next week and I’ll show you everything. Lenny DiMarco was a very wealthy man.”
Hannah’s grin spread across her face. She looked at Ruby who sat with her arms around Olivia, her eyes blinking, and tears streaming down her cheeks.
The End
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A Note from Lyndsey
Thank you for reading my cozy mystery,
Mobsters and Lobsters.
If you enjoyed this book in the Hooked & Cooked Cozy Mystery Series, be sure to join my FREE COZY MYSTERY BOOK CLUB! Be in the know for new releases, promotions, sales, and the possibility to receive advanced reader copies. Join the club here—
http://LyndseyColeBooks.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lyndsey Cole lives in New England in a small rural town with her husband who puts up with all the characters in her head, her dog who hogs the couch, her cat who is the boss, and 3 chickens that would like to move into the house. She surrounds herself with gardens full of beautiful perennials. Sitting among the flowers with the scent of lilac, peonies, lily of the valley, or whatever is in bloom, stimulates her imagination about who will die next!
OTHER BOOKS BY LYNDSEY COLE
The
Hooked & Cooked Series
The Black Cat Café Series
The Lily Bloom Series