Silver Springs Cozy: Pawsitively Lethal Part 1

Pawsitively Lethal.

Silver Springs Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series.

by Ginny Gold.

CHAPTER 1.

"Are you almost ready?" Clem calls through Maggies closed bedroom door. The twin sisters have been roped into a birthday party-their own-that Maggie doesnt really want to go to but Clem cant wait to attend.

Maggie cant think of the last birthday she celebrated publicly. At 53, she thought she was done with them. But their elderly friend Ginger Rae Speed had other plans this year.

"Almost done," Maggie calls back, scratching behind her calico cats ears. "Youre lucky tonight, Opal. You dont have to socialize with people you hardly know."

For the last month, Maggie and Opal have been living in Silver Springs, Colorado with Clem and her two dogs, Suzie and Oscar. After solving a murder case in September, Ginger Rae and her friends Erline and Winona asked Maggie to stay and help them get to the bottom of a secret that Maggie and Clems parents were keeping. The secret that led to their death last spring.

Now, instead of working as a private detective in Denver, Maggie has taken on work at Clems store, Two Sisters Antiques and Imports. It had been run by their parents until their murder last spring, and it was too much work for Clem alone. So Maggie made the life changing decision to move to Silver Springs and give up her life back in the city.

At least for now.

Maggie takes one more glance in the mirror in the bathroom, opening her eyes wide and puckering her lips. She decides that her mascara and lipstick are just right and leaves the bedroom, fluffing her short hair with her fingers as she walks.

"I didnt think you were ever going to be ready," Clem says, picking up her phone and slipping it into her coat pocket. She grabs her keys off the table and heads toward the garage.

Maggie wants to drive separately because she knows sh.e.l.l be ready to leave before Clem is, but instead of making a scene she follows her sister to her car. "Who all is going to be there?" Maggie asks, buckling herself into the pa.s.senger seat.

"You really dont want to do this, do you?" Clem asks, smiling. Its been no secret all week that Maggie hasnt been looking forward to Sat.u.r.day night.

Maggie shrugs. "Itll be fun Im sure." She cant even fake enthusiasm and her words fall flat out of her mouth.

Clem chuckles. "Drew Kent will be there. Im sure you can talk to him the whole time if you want."

Maggie cant help but smile. Shes enjoyed seeing him regularly for the last month and is happy sh.e.l.l see him again tonight. Its been a long time since shes been this interested in a man.

"And Daniel. I think hes still a little upset you picked Drew over him. But hes getting over it."

Detective Daniel Stevens has had his eye on Maggie since May but she hasnt been interested. Drew caught her attention with his salt and pepper hair, stunningly blue eyes and a smile that steals Maggies breath each time shes the reason behind it.

"Its not like I was leading him on," Maggie defends herself. "After the past we had, it didnt exactly cross my mind that he was into me."

"That past is more than three decades old. I think hes moved on."

Maggie nods. "But it shaped a lot of my choices. Like living in Denver for the past thirty four years."

Clem doesnt respond and parks on the street in front of Ginger Raes house. There are cars lined up on either side of the road and Maggie takes a deep breath as she closes the pa.s.senger door.

"Just relax. Youll have a good time," Clem says, hand on Maggies elbow, guiding her along the walkway to the front door. Maggie hopes her sister is right.

Before they knock, Ginger Raes rotund body fills the doorway, backlit from inside the house, and she exclaims, "The birthday girls are here!" She plants kisses on their cheeks and ushers them inside where people are packed like sardines into the small kitchen.

Maggie looks around to get her bearings. Clem and Maggies elderly neighbors, Harriet and Vince Flint, are seated at the small table in the corner. They wave when Maggie makes eye contact with them and she raises her hand in a small wave back.

Another neighbor, Leah Scott, is chatting to Daniel Stevens at the threshold into the living room. Maggie can tell that Daniel is bored, but Leah is doing everything in her power to keep him interested. Leahs hand touches Daniels elbow and Maggie smiles. She hopes Daniel is at least a little interested in Leah.

Both Leah and Daniel are holding drinks and Maggie looks around to find the stash. A gla.s.s of red wine is placed in her hand before she has a chance to venture further from the front door and Erline Dowd gives her a small squeeze on her arm.

"Happy birthday," Erline says, her eyes glowing like she has some secret she cant wait to share with Maggie.

Maggie smiles and happily accepts the wine. She wants to drink it quickly to help her relax in this throng of people, some she hardly knows, but she restrains herself.

Clem rushes away from Maggies side and finds her boyfriend, Denis Stevens, among the crowd. Maggie sees him near Harriet and Vince and Clem makes a beeline for him.

Suddenly Drew is at Maggies side and she can relax. "Dont forget to breathe," he whispers in her ear, one arm around her waist.

Maggie leans into his arm and smiles, then takes a deep breath. His affection is a new comfort for her. "Am I that obvious?" she asks, wondering if everyone else can tell shes nervous at her own birthday party.

Drew laughs. "Yeah, you are." He taps his beer against her gla.s.s of wine and Maggie takes another sip.

Maggie slips her fingers between Drews and they head to the living room where a couch is available. Maggie knows Drew is talking to her but shes still busy scanning all of the faces. She watches Clem, completely at ease, bustle from one person to the next, obviously thrilled to be surrounded by so many Silver Springs residents. Even Two Sisters neighboring store owner, Aurora Holt, has come. As far as Maggie knew, Aurora and Clem were friendly enough but not so close that they would celebrate each others birthdays.

"Maggie," Drew says, bringing her back from her gazing.

"Sorry. What did you say?"

"I asked if you were hungry. Ginger Rae and Winona put together at least a dozen appetizers. It looks like they could feed a whole football team."

Maggie smiles. "Yeah. I am." She stands with Drew and they head toward the far wall where furniture has been moved to accommodate folding tables. Maggie sees deviled eggs, breads and spreads, meatb.a.l.l.s, shrimp and even a big smoked salmon surrounded by various types of crackers. Her mouth waters and she helps herself to a paper plate.

Before Maggie picks up her first treat, a blood curdling scream comes from upstairs and all conversation stops at once. Heads turn toward the stairs. Maggie is the second person to reach the bottom of the staircase, behind Daniel, and they dash up as quickly as they can.

At the top, Ginger Rae huffs and puffs next to Maggie and Daniel, and then rushes past them. Maggie looks to Daniel for guidance, and then they both follow, the party completely forgotten for the moment.

Ginger Rae pulls open a door at the end of the hall but doesnt make it past the doorway. Her hand flies to her chest and she falls backwards to the floor without a sound from her mouth. Her body thumps on the hard wood floor.

Daniel reaches the doorway next and steps over Ginger Raes bulk to see whats inside. From the corner of Maggies eye, as she makes sure Ginger Rae will be okay and didnt hurt herself when she fainted, she sees blood staining a carpet and the body of a young woman.

CHAPTER 2.

Maggie stays with Ginger Rae, helping to block any party goers from entering the bedroom. A crowd has formed at the top of the stairs but no one has dared to venture closer to Maggie and Ginger Rae.

"Is she okay?" Clem asks, speaking what is on the mind of every individual in the hallway.

"She will be," Maggie a.s.sures them. "Someone call 911." She tries to remain as calm as possible but she knows the shaking of her voice gives her away.

Maggie risks another glance into the bedroom and sees that Daniel is moving much slower. That can mean only one thing: the young woman is dead. He would be more frantic if there was a chance of saving her.

Daniel catches her eye and shakes his head, sadness clouding his face, and Maggie turns back to Ginger Rae who makes a move to sit up.

"What happened?" Ginger Rae asks, pus.h.i.+ng her body upright.

"You fainted," Maggie tells her.

Ginger Rae rubs her eyes with both hands and hangs her head. "Why? I cant think of the last time I fainted."

Maggie doesnt respond. She doesnt know who the woman in the bedroom is, but if shes in Ginger Raes house, she must be someone close to her.

Ginger Rae interprets Maggies silence correctly. She realizes Maggie must be hiding something from her. With her legs in the bedroom and her upper body in the doorway, Ginger Rae leans forward and peers into the room. The color drains from her face and Maggie helps her to her feet slowly.

Maggie keeps hold of Ginger Raes elbow. She cant offer the overly large woman physical support in staying on her feet, but she hopes her constant touch rea.s.sures her that someone is there for her.

Ginger Rae makes her way cautiously into the bedroom and sits on the edge of the bed furthest from the young woman. Completely out of character, Ginger Rae begins to cry silently. Maggie expects a scene from the normally effusive and dramatic older woman.

"Shes my niece," Ginger Rae says quietly.

Maggie sits down beside her and puts an arm around her shoulders. She doesnt say anything and waits for her to continue. She can hear Daniel shuffling around behind them before he leaves the room. She hopes h.e.l.l take care of the guests and get them back downstairs.

"Clara. Clara Speed. My brothers only daughter." Ginger Rae hangs her head in her hands.

Maggie asks carefully, "She was visiting?"

Its a few moments before Ginger Rae lifts her head and answers. Fingering the skeleton key on her necklace, Ginger Rae says, "She was staying with me. Shes had a tough life. My brother, David, and his wife Marla offered Clara everything they could. But they just never got along and she rebelled. She left home at eighteen and never looked back. It was only recently that she got in touch with me and asked for my help."

Maggie waits for Ginger Rae to go on. She hears sirens approaching, cutting through the silence.

"Her parents were angry that she contacted me after all these years of silence instead of them." Ginger Rae looks up into Maggies face. "She was only thirty two."

Another silence, and Maggie hears the sirens getting closer.

"She was depressed. Shes been struggling with alcohol. She was married, but that didnt work out. The biggest hurdle that she never overcame was meeting her birth mother. My brother adopted her as a baby. And since she didnt have a very good relations.h.i.+p with David and Marla, she wanted to meet her birth mother, who ended up finding Clara first. That didnt go well and she just kept sinking lower and lower. Finally, when her marriage dissolved, she went to a treatment center to overcome her addictions. She called me when she got out and shes been here for the past couple weeks. I was hoping shed be able to start fresh."

Ginger Rae looks down at her hands in her lap and Maggie turns to look at the body of Clara Speed behind them on the floor. Daniel hasnt covered the body yet, but Maggie knows she will soon be cut out of the loop of the investigation.

The sound of the sirens stops and Maggie knows the police cars have parked outside Ginger Raes house. Maggie stands, takes her smart phone from her pocket, and snaps a few photos of Claras body. The gun is still in her left hand, the same side that the bullet entered her temple.

Maggie turns and goes back to the bed just before Daniel returns with his colleagues in uniform. "Did either of you touch anything?" he asks, looking only at Maggie.

Maggie shakes her head. She knows he wouldnt have left her alone with Ginger Rae and Claras body if he didnt trust her. Since theyve worked together on past murder cases, he probably considered her a colleague when he left the room.

With Ginger Rae still focused on her hands, Daniel quickly tilts his head toward the door. Maggie follows him into the hallway.

"Are you okay?" he asks, keeping a respectable distance.

Maggie nods. "But Ginger Rae isnt. Thats her niece."

"Well have to get her statement. Will you send up Erline and Winona? Maybe they can comfort her."

"Sure. What about the other guests? Where did they go?" Maggie asks. She doesnt want to walk back downstairs into a crowd of questions, mostly from acquaintances and strangers.

"I took everyones names and numbers and then sent them home. Itll be a long process of getting statements from everyone. But well start with just a few tonight and then get through everyone else in the next few days. Most of them will be the same since almost everyone was downstairs at the time of death. But maybe someone was up here and we didnt know it."

"Time of death," Maggie repeats. "Are you calling this a suicide?"

"I dont know yet."

"Ginger Rae told me Clara was depressed."

"There are a lot of questions that have to be answered besides her state of mind before we can make that call," Daniel says vaguely. "For now, lets make sure Ginger Rae has a place to stay tonight and that she feels safe."

Maggie nods and walks toward the top of the stairs. She hears Daniel talk quietly to Ginger Rae back in the bedroom but she cant make out his words. Shes thankful that Daniel is a familiar face for Ginger Rae as she starts the healing process.

Downstairs, Drew is immediately by Maggies side. He doesnt offer words of support but takes her hand in his, wrapping his fingers between her own. Shes thankful for his presence and she leads him toward the two elderly women sitting at the kitchen table. Winona and Erline are bent close together, their whispers loud enough for only their ears.

They look up as Maggie and Drew approach them and their talking stops abruptly. "Daniel asked for both of you upstairs. To make sure Ginger Rae has somewhere to stay tonight," Maggie adds quickly when their faces register surprise at being summoned by a cop.

Wordlessly, Erline and Winona stand from the small table and head toward the stairs. Drew guides Maggie into one of the vacated seats and then sits opposite her at the table.

"Happy birthday," Drew whispers across the table and slides a small package toward her that had been hiding in his pocket all evening.

Maggies heart jumps. The box is wrapped in red and silver paper with a silver bow. It looks like it probably contains jewelry, maybe a necklace. Maggie hasnt received jewelry from a man in years, and shes not sure shes there yet in this relations.h.i.+p.

"Open it," Drew encourages when Maggie doesnt pick up the gift from the table where it rests.

Maggie does as shes told. She picks up the package and a.n.a.lyzes its weight. Its heavier than what she would expect a necklace to weigh. Even a heavily charmed necklace. She doesnt dare shake the box for fear of breaking whatever is inside.

Maggie looks at Drews face and she sees him smiling. She cant read his expression. He might be excited for her to open an expensive gift, or he might be enjoying watching her squirm early in their relations.h.i.+p, antic.i.p.ating a fancier gift than she wants.

Maggie unties the silver ribbon and slips her index finger beneath the tape holding everything together. The box is black velvet and her nerves increase. Shes not ready for a fancy gift of jewelry from a man shes still getting to know.

Tentatively, Maggie opens the black box and a smile spreads across her face. Inside is a Swiss army knife.

CHAPTER 3.