Caught Dead Handed (A Hooked & Cooked Cozy Mystery Series Book 6) Read online

  Caught Dead Handed

  Lyndsey Cole

  Contents

  Caught Dead Handed

  Copyright

  Connect with me:

  Book Description

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  A Note from Lyndsey

  About the Author

  Also by Lyndsey Cole

  Caught Dead Handed

  A Hooked & Cooked Cozy Mystery

  by Lyndsey Cole

  Copyright © 2017 Lyndsey Cole

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author and/or publisher. No part of this publication may be sold or hired, without written permission from the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are a product of the writer’s imagination and/or have been used fictitiously in such a fashion it is not meant to serve the reader as actual fact and should not be considered as actual fact. Any resemblance to actual events, or persons, living or dead, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication / use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  Connect with me:

  [email protected]

  www.facebook.com/LyndseyColeAuthor

  Book Description

  When Hannah Holiday gets kissed by the sweetest Moodle she’s ever seen, she finds herself exactly where she does not want to be…in the middle of a messy custody battle for the Maltese-Poodle mix. Hannah is pulled right into the thick of helping her sister’s friend as the custody conflict boils over into a deadly disaster.

  While Hannah’s cook, Meg, goes on a baking spree mixing up one new tasty treat after another at The Fishy Dish, a photoshoot with swimsuit models stirs the quiet town of Hooks Harbor. The suspects are able to drown their troubles with coffee, strawberry tarts, and lemon squares at the snack bar, bringing them right into Hannah’s business and life.

  With each suspect pointing a finger at another, Hannah needs answers, especially after one suspect’s alibi sticks like caramel. The heat gets turned to high when her sister’s friend looks like the guilty suspect and her life is put on the line. Along with Hannah’s.

  It will take more than the adorable Moodle and Petunia, the potbelly pig, to save Hannah from becoming fish bait.

  Chapter 1

  “This is exactly what we all need on a warm summer night.” Hannah handed a frozen strawberry daiquiri to her sister, Ruby, and Ruby’s friend, Juliette.

  Juliette accepted the frozen drink with her free hand while her ten-pound Moodle, Maisy, lay in the crux of her other arm. “This will taste delish after losing those one hundred and sixty-five pounds.”

  Hannah lowered her head and peered at Juliette. Her eyes traveled up and down Juliette’s sleek body before she remembered to shut her mouth that had opened at the thought of anyone losing that much weight. She remained frozen to the spot in front of Juliette. Staring.

  “Oh, Jules,” Ruby said, “Hannah didn’t know you when you had all that extra weight.”

  Hannah continued to stare at Juliette. With her slim, athletic body, without a trace of any unwanted pounds, it was impossible for Hannah to imagine Juliette having an additional one hundred plus pounds on her body.

  Ruby burst out laughing, almost spilling the frozen drink on Hannah’s white porch floor. “I can’t keep a straight face when Hannah looks like you just announced something more shocking than saying an alligator was climbing up those porch steps.”

  Juliette sipped her drink. “Sorry, Hannah. I can’t resist that line with new people.”

  “What are you two talking about? Losing that much weight is admirable. It’s just, well, I can’t imagine you without your drop-dead gorgeous model looks.”

  “Oh, these looks never changed.” Juliette fluffed her long brown hair. “That weight? When I kicked out my no good, cheating, nearly ex-husband, Harold Chandler the la-di-da Third, he got to keep his one hundred and sixty-five pounds for himself and his new sweetheart.”

  Hannah didn’t miss the disgust lacing Juliette’s words. “Oh.” She chuckled as she sank onto the chair between Ruby and Juliette. “Your husband weighs a hundred and sixty-five pounds. I get it now.”

  “So,” Ruby began but had to stop to get her laughing under control. “Now that you’re up to speed, Hannah, Juliette’s soon-to-be ex is in town for a swimsuit photoshoot this weekend.” She wiped the laughter tears from her eyes.

  “I can’t believe I made all the arrangements six months ago, then, boom, he left me for his new and improved twenty-something model.” Juliette had already slugged down three quarters of her drink. “And it’s in our agreement that Maisy will be part of the shoot so I have to stick around to chaperone.” She drained her glass and held it toward Hannah. “Any more of these?”

  Hannah filled Juliette’s glass from the pitcher sitting on the small porch table.

  Juliette stroked Maisy. “We’re in a custody battle over her and I don’t dare let her out of my sight for one second or that no-good schemer will figure out a way to convince the judge that I’m unstable or something.”

  Hannah had a sinking feeling that Ruby’s suggestion for a girl’s night together was turning into some kind of favor request. She knew how her sister liked to sneak up with a request instead of just being upfront about it.

  “So, Hannah, what are your plans this weekend?” Ruby asked.

  “I…uh…” She wracked her brain and came up with nothing. And she couldn’t use the excuse of hanging out with her boyfriend, Cal, since he was gone fishing for the weekend. “I,” she began again, “guess I don’t have anything planned.”

  “Good. It’s settled, then. As the event coordinator at the Paradise Inn, I’m in charge of the photo event and I won’t be able to keep Juliette company constantly.” Ruby swiveled to face Hannah directly. “She really needs another pair of eyes on Maisy so Harold can’t do anything sleazy.”

  Hannah looked at Maisy curled up in Juliette’s lap, and the little Moodle—a Maltese-Poodle cross—met Hannah’s eyes with a big soulful gaze. Hannah could never resist a dog in need but she wasn’t sure she wanted to be in the middle of an ugly custody battle. Over a dog. “Tell me about Maisy.”

  At the sound of her name, Maisy raised her head and pulled the edges of her lips back into a funny doggy smile. Hannah’s heart melted. Juliette lifted Maisy up so she was face to face with her dog. “My wittle Maisy? Such a good wittle girl, aren’t you?”

  Great. Baby talk was not part of Hannah’s vocabulary when it came to the dog world. She had no troubl
e talking to her dogs, Nellie and Patches, who were sprawled on the porch oblivious to the conversation, but she used her normal voice.

  “Here, Hannah.” Juliette plopped Maisy on Hannah’s lap. “I adopted Maisy about a year ago from a rescue shelter and she bonded to me immediately. I used to go to some of Harold’s photoshoots and his models usually fell in love with her so she ended up as a regular in his commercial photos. I don’t think he really cares about her except for how she helps him sell his work. That’s why we’re in this battle.”

  Maisy licked Hannah’s cheek.

  Juliette laughed. “She likes you, Hannah. Maisy is very particular and she doesn’t kiss just anyone.”

  Hannah smiled as Maisy made herself comfy on her lap. She knew she’d been tricked into helping this adorable dog. “Okay. I’ll help.”

  Ruby and Juliette exchanged a look which Hannah didn’t miss. “I know how you operate, Ruby, you two had this whole thing planned. Suggest a relaxing setting, add in a delicious alcoholic drink, and to top it all off, you bring an adorable dog.” Hannah shook her head. “You must be feeling proud of yourself for pulling this off so smoothly.”

  Ruby drained the last bit of her strawberry daiquiri. “Yup, especially when you invited us here to your incredible new cottage overlooking the ocean and made the drinks, too! All we had to do was show up with an irresistible Maisy.”

  Hannah knew when she’d been beaten, but watching Maisy while the dog worked might prove to be an interesting experience.

  “There is one more thing,” Juliette said.

  Hannah rolled her eyes. “Don’t push your luck.”

  “There’s been a last-minute request for a pig for this photoshoot.” Juliette held up her hands. “Don’t ask me why, but it could fit in perfectly. Before you say anything, here’s what I’m thinking. If you hire out Petunia, that’s her name, right?”

  Hannah nodded. Petunia, the potbelly pig that she inherited from a previous guest, now lived happily in a pen behind Ruby’s house.

  “If you hire her out, it will make more sense for you to be at the photoshoot with me. Otherwise, Harold might say you can’t hang around.”

  “What will she have to do? She’s not exactly well-trained. Petunia’s cute and likes to walk on a leash but she doesn’t know any tricks, and if she gets a bit of freedom, she could cause some problems.”

  “That sounds perfect. She’ll be in the background. Ruby said she doesn’t mind wearing sunglasses and a hat?”

  “That’s true, and she does love to be the center of attention.”

  Juliette held up her glass. “Cheers to a plan coming together! I feel better about this weekend already.”

  Hannah and Ruby clinked their glasses against Juliette’s.

  “Who else will be at the shoot?” Hannah asked. She leaned back and stretched out her legs. The drink was finally kicking in and she felt herself relax.

  “That’s the part I’ve been dreading.” Juliette scowled. “Besides having to see Harold, he has a new little blonde bombshell named Monique as his model du jour, and the last thing I want is to have to interact with her. She probably can’t even string a coherent sentence together.” Juliette crossed her right leg over her left knee and bounced her foot. “Just thinking about them makes my blood boil.”

  Nellie, Hannah’s golden retriever mix, put her head on Juliette’s lap. She had a special sense for knowing when someone needed some doggy loving. “Aren’t you just the sweetest girl?” Juliette stroked Nellie’s soft fur. Maisy raised her head and watched.

  “Uh-oh, someone’s getting jealous,” Hannah observed. Maisy put her front feet on the arm of Hannah’s chair and vigorously wagged her tail. She stretched one paw to tap Nellie’s nose.

  “I don’t think she’s jealous,” Juliette said. “She found a new friend.”

  Of course, Patches, Hanna’s beagle, not wanting to be left out, sat and looked at Maisy with his sad brown eyes.

  “How about a walk to the beach so these dogs can get to know each other a little better,” Hannah suggested. She also thought it might be a good chance to move them toward their cars so she could get back to her cottage for some peace and quiet before she went to bed. All of a sudden, she didn’t have the whole weekend to herself like she had planned.

  They walked down the path past Hannah’s guest cottages and snack bar. The tide was out but it still had a restful rhythm that always soothed Hannah. A few early stars sprinkled light across the sky and reflected on the ocean.

  “This is gorgeous.” With her eyes closed, Juliette spread her arms wide, inhaling deeply. “I could settle down in a place like this to put my life back together once I’m completely done with Harold. I hate how he keeps popping back into my life like a bad nightmare. I wish he’d disappear once and for all.”

  “Be careful what you wish for, Juliette,” Ruby said. “Your nice monthly income would disappear, too. At least Harold is good for that.”

  Both Juliette and Ruby laughed.

  Hannah felt a knot in her stomach as she worried about what she’d agreed to get involved in for her weekend.

  Chapter 2

  Saturday blew in with a dense fog that promised to burn off by mid-morning. At least that was what the weather forecast predicted.

  Hannah headed to the beach for her early morning walk with Nellie and Patches. It was usually her favorite time of day since the beach was deserted and peaceful. But with her conversation from the night before swirling through her brain, she decided to head to Jack’s house instead.

  He was the first person she met when she inherited her Great Aunt Caroline’s cottages and snack bar, and even though fifty or so years separated them, she knew she could count on him for advice. As long as she looked beyond his crotchety style.

  The dogs knew the path from the beach through the rocks and darted ahead of Hannah, straight to Jack’s door. Hannah opened the door and the two dogs made a beeline to the kitchen.

  “Don’t you believe in knocking?” Jack’s gruff voice asked.

  “If you’re talking to Nellie and Patches, the answer is, ‘no’, they don’t knock. If you’re talking to me, the answer is also ‘no’ since I’m being neighborly and checking in on you this morning. Is coffee ready?”

  Jack puttered around his kitchen, muttering under his breath about boundaries and the unmannered younger generation. He set a second mug in front of Hannah, filled it with his steaming strong coffee, and sat across from her. “You have that look of yours that something is on your mind.” He pushed a plate of raspberry coffee cake slices closer to Hannah. “Help yourself.”

  Hannah sighed. “I’m not sure what’s going on.”

  “But?” Jack bit into a slice of coffee cake. “Meg made this. It’s a new recipe she’s tinkering with. I think she wants to surprise you when she makes it for The Fishy Dish, so don’t tell her I gave you a sample.”

  Eating delayed talking so Hannah helped herself. They ate in a comfortable silence.

  “Okay, what’s on your mind, Hannah?”

  “Ruby brought a friend over last night—Juliette. She’s in the middle of a custody battle. Over a dog.”

  Jack’s thick white brows shot up. “That’s a thing? Fighting over a dog? There are plenty of dogs that need homes. One of them keeps the dog and the other one adopts another one. Problem solved.” Jack wiped his hands together for emphasis.

  “Apparently, Juliette’s soon-to-be-ex uses this dog in his photoshoots but the dog is bonded to Juliette. He wants the dog to help him sell his work but she loves the dog. I know, it’s crazy but here’s the problem. Juliette is chaperoning Maisy this weekend while her almost-ex is doing a swimsuit commercial shoot. She wants me to help her and they also want to use Petunia in the photos.”

  “Huh. Beautiful girls in bikinis? I wouldn’t mind helping.” Jack’s eye twinkled with delight.

  “Oh, please, Jack. That’s just a little creepy.”

  “What? I have a very artistic mind. I can appreciate
beauty.”

  She ignored his comments. “The problem is that I don’t want to be in the middle of two people having a fight but I met Maisy and she’s adorable. I’d hate for anything to happen to her.”

  “You and your soft spot for anything with four legs. So, you can’t say no.”

  “Right. I can’t say no, but the whole thing gives me a bad feeling.” Hannah finished her coffee. “No omelet this morning? I expected to hear the smoke alarm when I walked in,” she teased.

  “I’m out of eggs. My girls are on strike and haven’t been laying.”

  “Your girls? I like that, Jack. You and your Rhode Island Reds make a sweet little family. Maybe Harold will want a few chickens in one of his photoshoots. Do you think they would tolerate sunglasses and a visor?”

  “Hey. That’s a great idea. Can you put a word in for me?”

  Hannah stood. “Sure, but I’m not sure I’ll have any influence.”

  Nellie and Patches got the message that it was time to go and they waited at the door for Hannah to catch up.

  With her hand on the doorknob, Jack gave Hannah a last piece of advice. “Don’t forget to be surprised when Meg lets you try her new recipe. If she finds out I gave you a sample, she won’t let me be her tester anymore.”

  Hannah pulled the door just as Jack’s daughter, Deputy Pam Larsen, pushed on it, almost causing Hannah to tumble backwards. Nellie and Patches wagged happily at another person to offer ear rubs.