Murder in the Valley: A Lady Margaret Turnbull Cozy Mystery (International Cozy Mysteries Series Book 4) Read online

  Murder in the Valley

  By

  C T Mitchell

  Copyright

  Copyright © 2015 by C T Mitchell

  Cover and internal design © Wood Duck Media

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems – except in the case of brief quotations in articles or reviews – without the permission in writing from its publisher, C T Mitchell.

  All brand names and product names used in this book are trademarks, registered trademarks, or trade names of their respective holders. We are not associated with any product or vendor in this book.

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  Table Of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  About The Author

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  Chapter 1

  Maggie Turnbull stood on her sun drenched verandah. In one hand she held a mug of coffee, with the other she shielded her eyes from the sun’s glare. She enjoyed the moment to look out from her hilltop home that was known as Lawler’s Loft. It was a beautiful area that always had fresh air and warm sunlight to provide for her and any guests that she entertained.

  Privately, Maggie felt blessed to have found such a good guest house in Lawler's Loft. In the beginning, the house was in sore need of a protector who would give it new life. There were some hopeful buyers who avoided or even rejected it for the shape it was in but not Maggie. She refurbished and turned it into a bed and breakfast. Business was slow at first but soon began to pick up as news and word of Maggie’s hospitality spread.

  Lawler's Loft always had sun and warmth in great abundance. Maggie never suspected Australia would be so warm and enjoyable compared to the cold and bleak days of her time living in the United Kingdom. If she had known Australia was so inviting, she would have moved here twenty years ago instead of ten. What Maggie did miss – or who rather – was her late husband Malcolm, a dot com millionaire, who passed away from a heart attack far too early in life. She was grateful for his financial prowess and ideas that enabled her to live on her own even without him.

  Maggie looked up when her thoughts of Malcolm's memory were interrupted by a loud knock on the door. Maggie walked through the plush, comfortable rooms of Lawler’s Loft's main floor as the pounding on the door became more frantic.

  “Coming, coming!” Maggie called. “Don't knock my door in. I'm coming.” Maggie opened the door to reveal the hunched form of one of the locals – Lucy Broad. She gasped. “Lucy! Goodness, whatever is the matter?”

  Lucy’s shoulders shuddered as she struggled to take in a deep breath. She lifted up her face to reveal a wet, puffy, red face. Her eyes were practically swollen shut from all the crying. Her hair was a disheveled mess and her clothes were wrinkled.

  “Did someone try to attack you?” Maggie asked when Lucy just stood shaking on her doorstep instead of telling her what was the matter. “Please, Lucy, you know you can tell me.”

  Lucy took several deep, gulping breathes before saying: “I—I almost got into an accident while coming to Bangalow! I didn’t know where else to go but I need to talk to someone! It’s so strange! It’s too strange!”

  “What’s too strange? What happened?”

  “The police in Lismore are absolutely useless! Useless! They couldn’t find a window in a room even with a map!”

  Maggie guided Lucy into the house, through the main hall, to the sitting room. “Please, take a seat,” she said. “I'll pour you a cup of tea.”

  “Thank you,” Lucy whispered as Maggie deposited a box of tissues in her still trembling hand. “I knew I could count on you to not judge and just be supportive. You're a true gem, Maggie.”

  “Every person is worth our time and understanding,” Maggie said before disappearing to the kitchen to pour the tea. Under different circumstances, she would have gotten a tray to carry the tea cups and saucers out on but these times did not allow themselves for formalities. Instead, she carried one cup and saucer in each hand as she returned to the living room.

  “I brought you your tea,” Maggie said kindly.

  “Thank you.” Lucy reached out for the cup to take a sip. “I suppose you’re wondering why I turned up on your doorstep like this.”

  “I am,” Maggie admitted as she sat down across from Lucy.

  Looking up again, Lucy gave Maggie a small smile. “You don't know me that well, Lady Margaret, so I feel there are some things I should explain to you. Just so you understand everything, that's all.”

  Maggie nodded. “Go on.”

  “My husband Winston and I live north of Bangalow in Federal, New South Wales. We live on an acreage estate that’s Winston’s property. We inherited it from Winston’s grandfather. It’s a lovely place but, like any old estate, was falling apart. Winston used to be a stock broker for Barclays UK. He ran the local branch office here and that’s how we were able to renovate our house last year.”

  Maggie normally was quite good at learning the latest gossip around town but Winston not working at Lismore anymore was new information for her. “Used to be?” Maggie asked.

  “Winston resigned from the firm in Lismore?”

  “Yes, three months ago.” Lucy's hands tightened around the tea cup to the point her knuckles almost turned white. “I didn’t know that he had quit until I phoned Barclays UK in Lismore and found out that he left! He never told me or even dropped any hints!”

  As if sensing what Maggie was about to ask Lucy continued as she gripped the cup in a death grip. “I don’t know where, if anywhere, Winston is working now. He goes to work somewhere as usual every morning and comes back at night. That is except for last night when he didn’t come home.”

  Maggie knew a little about Winston Broad from her usual sources of gossip in town. He was handsome, well liked (or lusted after) by the ladies and could convince anyone of anything. She wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he went into town every morning to hide some ongoing affair and came home to his wife at night. Winston definitely came across as the type of bloke that wanted to have his cake and eat it too.

  “Do you think Winston could have been seeing someone else?” Maggie asked as tactfully as possible. Now that she had Lucy calmed down, she didn't need to send her into a fresh torrent of tears.

  Lucy shook her head. “No, Winston would never have an affair. It’s not in his nature at all. We were planning our five year anniversary last weekend. He wouldn't do that to me. He just wouldn't.”

  Lucy’s pink cheeks turned a deeper pink as she realized how forceful and in denial that must sound. “I’m sorry, forgive me. I just get so frustrated as those are the same questions that Detective Tom Sullivan asked me when I went to see him this morning. No one wants to believe me when I say Winston wouldn’t have an affair. It's the likely conclusion so of course everyone jumps to it.”

  “Why did you come to see me about it?” Maggie asked.

  Lucy looked up and blinked her red, tear bright eyes. “Because you need to help me prove it.”

  Chapter 2

  “Help you?” Maggie blinked wide eyes at Lucy. “I. . .I don't make it a habit to play detective.
”

  “But you have before, so why not again?” Lucy set her cup of tea down. “You don't have to tell me one way or the other now, but just promise to think it over. Please?”

  “With any luck, there will be nothing to investigate.” Maggie patted Lucy's hand in a motherly gesture that usually got the locals to spill all juicy details they knew about town happenings. She didn't mean to know and see all, it was just part of being known as a good hostess and even better listener. “I'll bet dollars to donuts that Winston is just being forgetful and will come home.”

  Lucy frowned. “I have my doubts that he will return but never mind that. A lot can happen in twelve hours. That's when the Lismore Police will let me file an official missing person report.”

  She sighed. “Twelve hours. I don't know if I can wait that long. Not knowing where he is or if he's safe or not is driving me mad.”

  “The police have procedures for a reason.” Maggie picked up the empty tea things in one hand and gestured for Lucy to follow her. She deposited the cups and saucers in the kitchen before leading the way to the front door. “I'll think about what you're...requesting...but only after these next twelve hours pass with no word from Winston. Do we have a deal?”

  The offer of help – even the delayed offer of help – seemed to calm Lucy. Her whole body relaxed as she stepped through the door onto the front porch. “Thank you, Lady Margaret. Thank you.”

  “Don't thank me just yet.” Maggie leaned against the door frame. “There's no case yet.”

  “Oh, there will be.” Lucy tried to straighten up her disheveled hair and clothes. “There will be.”

  Once Lucy was gone, Maggie shut the door. Something about Lucy’s story and her behavior seemed, well, off to Maggie. She kept an eye on the drive way and once Lucy had driven away she left the room to go to her computer. There was bound to be information about Barclays UK stock online. Maggie knew if she could find out what the connection was she was certain she could tell Lucy and put this horrible question behind them.

  She was a natural sleuth and wasn’t about to let the question of what happened to Winston just fade into the background. Not when his life could be at stake. As she stated before, a lot could happen in the matter of twelve hours. Maggie wasn't willing to find out what exactly 'a lot' translated in Winston's case.

  “And more Lucy was beside herself with worry,” Maggie muttered to herself as she started sleuthing online. You could find just about anything online as long as you knew where to look. Maggie started out by looking for information on Winston's stock. Barclays UK was a rather large organization, and in some regions, branches went out into debt collection. If someone owed a large amount of money and saw Winston as their enemy, that would be an excellent motivator to cause him harm.

  Maggie’s excitement at finding a possible motive evaporated the longer she searched online. As much as she dug and searched into that side of the business, she kept hitting brick walls. Barclays protected their inside information tighter than Fort Knox. Frustrated, she got up and paced around her office. Why was there little to nothing to be found? Was everything locked up in restricted files? Fat chance of getting clearance to that unless she made nice with an employee.

  “Now there's a thought,” she said out loud.

  Who could she find that worked in that department of the firm. Whoever was working in that part of the business would want to keep a low profile as debt collectors were often frowned upon as much as tow-truck or repossession companies. She couldn’t think of anyone who liked to advertise their efforts or their success in that regards. It would be easy for some disgruntled person to try to cause them harm.

  Despite the bad guy persona, repossession and debt collecting was a lucrative enterprise that existed since before the Roman Empire and would continue to exist long after they were all gone. Is that what happened to Lucy's husband?

  Could Winston be involved in debt collection and a disgruntled person harmed him?

  Chapter 3

  Lucy Broad sighed as she returned to her home in Federal. She really didn’t want to go home after Winston had gone missing. She didn’t want to deal with the stares and whispers she knew would follow. The stares and comments would include pity, disgust, wonderment, and comments about her marriage to Winston.

  It made her sick just thinking about it. Was it so hard for everyone in town to accept that Winston chose her? Sure, he could have had his pick of women – he probably still could – but he chose her. Lucy knew how lucky she was. She didn't need everyone reminding her that they thought Winston was just bidding his time until something or someone better came along. Lucy let her shoulders slouch as she pulled into her drive way. At least Maggie was kind to her. It seemed like no one else was willing to extend her that same courtesy during this trying time.

  Climbing out of her car, Lucy headed towards the door but, before she could reach it, she caught sight of something that hadn’t been there before. For one horrifying moment, she thought her door was covered in blood. Closer inspection revealed that it was red paint. Red paint that someone used to send her a message –

  “You move or else!”

  Lucy gasped. She couldn't stop herself from reading the terrible words over and over again as if they would somehow change the more she looked at them. Who would be so cruel? Who would write such a thing at a time like this? Her husband was missing. She didn't need to worry about vandalism and threats on top of it all.

  For a moment, Lucy debated calling the police or venturing inside her house to see if they vandalized more than just the door. Would the police be of any help at all since they were no help at all when she tried to report Winston's disappearance? Why would they be any help now? Would they accuse her of writing the words herself for attention or sympathy?

  Lucy struggled to build up her courage before she cautiously ventured inside her house. She couldn’t hear any signs of life or anyone around. She hoped that meant the vandals had long since left. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves before pushing the door open. What she saw made her gasp more than seeing the words scrawled on her front door did.

  The house was destroyed! It was an absolute mess. There were large red paint splashes over every piece of furniture in the living room and kitchen. It looked as if someone set a red paint bomb off in her room!

  Tears stung Lucy's eyes as she teetered between despair and fear. Who would do such a thing? What had she ever done to anyone in town besides try to live her life as quietly as possible? She didn't like drama – Winston was the flashy one in the relationship – but it seemed like, no matter what, drama followed her.

  Lucy fled the house and ran to her car. She sat in the driver's seat, hands gripping the steering wheel and took deep, gulping breathes to calm herself. Once her hands stopped shaking, instead of driving off to report the crime, she fumbled for her phone and dialed the first number that came to mind – Maggie Turnbull's.

  “Maggie, it’s Lucy. I’m sorry to call you like this but I’m in trouble,” Lucy said after Maggie picked up. “Someone broke into my house and wrote 'move now or else' on my door and all my windows. They threw red paint over everything. My furniture, countertops, walls...It's horrible. It's just horrible. At first...At first, I thought it was blood.” Lucy broke down in tears. “Who would do something like this? I don't understand.”

  “I can think of a few whose and what fors but I'll save that for when you're here instead of there” Maggie said. “Come to my place and stay here for a while, Lucy, or at least until this affair is sorted out.”

  “Are you sure?” Lucy asked. “I wouldn’t want to put you in any danger.”

  “You should be safe here. I have plenty of room at Lawler’s Loft and it’s quiet at the moment. I only have one guest so that will leave lots of room for you.”

  Lucy didn't take long to think things over. She didn't want to be alone right now. Maggie offered her a cozy place to stay and company. How could she say no? “Alright. I'll be there shortly.”<
br />
  “I'll put some tea on for you.”

  Chapter 4

  After Maggie hung up with Lucy, she immediately dialed Detective Tom Sullivan. “This is Sullivan,” a man’s voice said.

  “Detective Sullivan, Maggie Turnbull here,” she said. “Do you have a few minutes?”

  “Yes, of course! Is something going on? To be honest I’m surprised to hear from you,” Sullivan said. “Are you alright?”

  “Yes, it’s not about me. It’s about Lucy Broad. She said she’s told you about her missing husband but you wouldn't file and missing person’s report. She was most upset about it.”

  “I'm sorry to hear it, but I don't make the rules,” Sullivan said. “Protocol says that we still have to wait a few hours before filing a missing person report.”

  “The thing is, Detective, it's not just a missing person's case anymore. Lucy's house was vandalized this morning while she was away. She's scared out of her wits, poor thing.”

  “I'll send a forensic team to see if they can lift any prints from inside her home,” Sullivan promised. “Maybe it will lead us to wherever Winston has gone.”

  “I hope so,” Maggie said. “I dearly hope so.”

  ~*~

  Not long after Lucy was settled into one of the guest rooms at Lawler's Loft, Maggie went to answer a knock on the door. It was Detective Sullivan along with a colleague named Detective Jim Patterson. Detective Patterson was a member of the Lismore Police Department, and fortunately for Detective Sullivan, Detective Patterson was very familiar with the people of Federal and the rural areas surrounding Federal.

  They had questioned everyone in and around Federal to get more information about Winston and Lucy Broad. They found out that Winston was a quiet and responsible man. He was popular with the ladies, but that didn't mean he did anything with the opportunities. He loved golf and often played at Ocean Shores Golf Club.