CHAPTER TEN
I hurried into the kitchen to get the coffee and find out if there really were security cameras watching over the guests.
Em was waiting for me just out of sight in the kitchen. She herded me toward the far end of the room. I made her stop at the coffeemaker so I could set it up for a fresh pot. We ended up in the pantry, not out back on the veranda as I'd expected originally. Fortunately, there was more than enough room in there for me and both of my sisters. Five more people could have joined us, if they didn't mind a little invasion of personal space.
CJ was kneeling next to the bed occupied by the orange cat, with Noah on his stomach on the floor beside her, reading his book. CJ looked up to say, "Have you met Beam? He came with the house. His official name is Sunbeam, and maybe it fit his personality as a kitten, but now he's more like bourbon—smooth, well aged, and a little reserved. He's friendly with us but prefers to stay out of sight when there are guests around."
"We met this morning when I needed supplies."
CJ rose. "Good. Now you've met all of the friendlies, Pappy, Beam, Russell—that's the gray longhair in the lobby this afternoon—and Taylor, the tortie. There are also a few semi-ferals who live in the backyard, but you won't be here long enough to get to know them."
"I appreciate the introductions, but that's not why you dragged me in here, I assume."
"No." CJ said, "We got some information on Mark Pleasant that we thought you should know."
Em said, "I'll let CJ tell you while I keep a lookout for guests."
"Could you keep an eye on the coffee too? I promised to send some out to the Dells on the front porch. They take it black."
"Sure."
Em slipped out of the pantry, and I asked CJ, "Before you tell me your news, is there any way to keep an eye on guests when they're outside? The Dells wanted to go for a walk alone, and I told them there are security cameras everywhere, so they wouldn't go near the bus. It would be nice to know if it's true."
"Not everywhere," CJ said, getting out her phone. "But we do have a couple cameras trained on the driveway and parking lot, in case someone tries to blame us for damage to their vehicles. One of them should have the bus in its line of sight. I'll pull up the feed on my phone while we talk."
Before I could thank her, CJ asked, "Do you really think the Dells intended to sabotage the bus?"
"I don't suspect anyone in particular," I said, "but if one of the guests killed Mark, then we have to be prepared for them to try to either destroy incriminating evidence or go on the run. I was more concerned with keeping the Dells away from the bus at the moment since it doesn't look like they're planning to leave. They don't have their luggage with them."
"They could have put it in their truck earlier."
"No," I said. "It's still in their room."
I braced myself, anticipating that CJ would ask how I could possibly know what was currently in the guests' room, but Em returned just in time to say dryly, "I'm pretty sure we don't want to know how you know that."
"Which is why I wasn't going to tell you," I said. "You've got your secrets, and I've got mine."
(SPOILERS REMOVED)
Noah yawned loudly, and CJ announced, "Time for someone to go to bed."
"And I need to go next door to visit my horse for a few minutes, or I'm not going to have the patience to deal with human beings tonight," Em said.
I sighed. "I guess that leaves me to keep an eye on the guests until they're finally ready to retire."
"Thanks." Em keyed something into her phone. "I just transferred the B&B's incoming line to your number, in case the deputy sheriff calls."
"Maybe it will turn out that Mark's death was from [natural causes, not murder]," CJ said as she encouraged Noah to get to his feet. "Then we can all get a good night's sleep tomorrow. But as long as I'll be awake tonight anyway, I'll monitor the surveillance cameras and let you know if any of the guests does anything suspicious. With luck, we'll just have the one restless night."
I doubted we'd be sleeping soundly any time soon, but I didn't say anything to burst her bubble. When we were kids, my sisters had complained constantly about my being the very epitome of a Debbie Downer. I still was, but I'd changed in one way—I kept my worst-case scenarios to myself.
I could see any number of worst-case scenarios arising from Mark's death, and no good ones. But my sisters didn't need to worry about them yet. I would worry for all of us. Just like when we were kids, except that the stakes were a lot higher now.
Bourbon B&B Mysteries #1
From USA Today bestselling author Gin Jones comes three sisters, one
corpse, and a whole lot of trouble...
Kentucky native Jess Walker's big-city career has kept her too busy to
visit her sisters and hometown. However, she relents when she's
invited to celebrate her nephew's third birthday at the newly
established Three Sisters B&B in the heart of bourbon country. The
nostalgic bubble is quickly popped however when Jess realizes her
family hasn't been entirely honest with her. She was invited not so
much for a family reunion, but to help them impress some VIP guests
for inclusion in a tourism co-op on the bourbon trail.
Old resentments arise, and the sisters are at loggerheads immediately.
But when one of the VIP guests is found dead, things only get worse.
The sheriff is intent on treating the death as an accident, blaming it
on unsafe conditions at the B&B. But the sisters know this was murder.
Jess has always been the fixer of the family, so she jumps in to
protect her sisters and their B&B's reputation. With the remaining
guests and the attractive—and single—owner of the nearby whiskey
barrel factory all suspects, Jess has her work cut out for her. And it
turns out, she can't do it alone. All three sisters will need to work
in perfect harmony in order to find the perpetrator of the Old
Kentucky Homicide.
Mystery Amateur Sleuth [Gemma Halliday Publishing, On Sale: January 9, 2024, e-Book, ISBN: 9798215997727 / ]
Gin is a retired lawyer who specialized in ghost-writing for other lawyers. She prefers to write her own books though, so she doesn't have to worry that her sense of humor might get her thrown into jail for contempt of court. She is the author of four series, the Garlic Farm Mysteries, the Danger Cove quilting series, the Danger Cove farmers' market series, and the Helen Binney Mysteries. In her spare time, Gin makes quilts, grows garlic, and advocates for patients with rare disorders.
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