Bound To Be Dead: Cozy Mystery Bookshop Series Book 3 Read online

  “Sawyer? Can I speak to you, please?” He motions me toward the swinging doors that lead to the back.

  “Stay tuned.” I stand and hurry toward the doctor.

  Madge calls out, “And you complain about my pregnant pauses?”

  “I’ll be right back.” Smiling, I follow the doctor down a hallway. “How is he?”

  The doc stops. “Tired, dizzy, nauseated when he speaks, and he has an erratic heart rate. Typical for significant blood loss. So you can only stay for ten minutes.” He starts walking again. “And can you please take your sister with you when you go?”

  “Yep. No problem.” Meg is a force to be reckoned with when she’s in doctor mode.

  I walk into Dylan’s room and pull up short. What the doctor hadn’t said was that Dylan is on oxygen and very pale. It makes my heart hurt.

  My sister, who’s hovering by the machinery Dylan is hooked up to, glances my way and whispers, “He just fell asleep.”

  I move closer to get a better look at the patient. They shaved part of his head for the huge bandage, and there’s an IV sticking out of his arm. I’ll be careful not to disturb it.

  For the first time ever, he seems fragile.

  My worry must be written all over my face because Meg says gently, “He’s better than he looks. They’ll keep him overnight and, if his numbers are good, let him go home tomorrow. But he might be dizzy for a few days, so he’ll need some help.”

  “I’ll take care of him.” I move to Dylan’s side and gingerly take his hand. It’s cool and clammy.

  Dylan’s eyes pop open, and he smiles. “How’s my favorite detective?”

  I sit on the side of the bed. “Worried about you. How’s the head?”

  “Fine. Can you tell Ben to get the science textbook from Emily’s classroom for evidence? They won’t let me talk to him.”

  Always the cop. “I’ll tell him. But first, there’s something I need to tell you—”

  “And could you also please…” Dylan tries to sit up but stops. “Give me a second. The bed’s spinning.” He shuts his eyes. “Meg, can you give me something to make it stop?”

  My sister laughs. “It’s called rest, Dylan. And if your brains weren’t so shaken up, you’d realize my sister is trying to tell you something important. I’ll be outside if you need me.” Meg winks at me as she heads for the door.

  Dylan slowly opens his eyes again. “I need to get that textbook into evidence.”

  He’s clearly not thinking straight. “There are probably seventy-five of those at the school, Dylan. But I’ll be sure to tell Ben. He’s right outside.”

  “Thanks.” Dylan closes his eyes again.

  Is it the right time to tell him I love him? Or should I wait until he feels better?

  The doctor sticks his head inside. “Wrap it up, Sawyer. Dylan needs to rest. You can see him tomorrow.”

  “Okay.” I turn back to Dylan. I missed my chance to tell him before. I won’t do it again. “So…um…what I wanted to tell you is…I love you, Dylan. I realize now, I never stopped.” I don’t know what to do with all the nervous energy flowing through me, so I stand to pace. “After you broke my heart at the altar that day, I tried to tell myself I didn’t really love you. We were young, and it’d all just been a big mistake. But every guy I dated after that never measured up to you. So then I told myself it was because you were my first love, and I’d elevated you to heights in my mind that weren’t real. That you were all wrong for me, and I should let you go. But as the years passed, it became clear the standard you set is real, and you’re the only one who can fully live up to the guy who still lives in my head.”

  Dylan’s forehead furrows in confusion, but he doesn’t open his eyes.

  I don’t blame him. I’m not even making sense to myself. “Let me try that again.” I sit on the side of the bed and take his hand. “Dylan, you’re like this virus in my heart that won’t go away. So rather than continue to fight it, I want to be your wife. And have those kids we talked about.” Phew. That felt like lifting a car off my chest. Maybe now I can breathe deeply again.

  Dylan’s eyes are still closed, so I’m not sure he heard my crazy diatribe. “Dylan?”

  He smiles but doesn’t open his eyes. “Okay.”

  Okay?

  I blink in confusion. Did he hear me? Or is he just really out of it? Talk about anticlimactic. If he only knew how hard that was to spill my guts like that. “I’ll come back in the morning. After I buy a romantic card filled with better words.” I kiss the uninjured side of his head. “Sweet dreams.”

  I start to leave, but he grabs my hand. “Wait.” He opens his eyes and, with great effort, sits up against the pillows behind his back.

  When he’s settled, Dylan says, “A virus?”

  “The good kind.” I smile because now I know he heard my speech. “You know I’m no good at mushy stuff.”

  He nods. “You’re the worst.”

  “Too bad. You’re stuck with me anyway.” I give him a quick kiss. “It makes you sick to talk, so please, don’t feel like you have to tell me all the ways you love me too. See you in the morning.” I grab my purse and head for the door.

  Dylan calls out, “Don’t forget to tell Ben about the book.”

  I look over my shoulder and sigh. “See? Look how much better you are at the lovey-dovey stuff than me.” I blow him a dramatic kiss.

  He lays a hand across his heart. “I shall count each beat of my longing heart until I can set eyes on your beautiful visage once again, my love.”

  “Show-off.” I roll my eyes for good measure, but still have a grin on my face as I head for the waiting room to join the others.

  I have Emily’s story to finish.

  Chapter 19

  All eyes are fixed on me as I enter the silent waiting room. “Dylan is doing well. He should be back on his feet in no time.”

  Madge waves a hand. “Meg already told us that. So, how’d it go? Did you tell him you love him?”

  I look for my big-mouthed sister. I finally spot her outside, talking on the phone, so I take my vacated seat between the Admiral and Madge again. Renee and Gage are back and seated across from me. “I did.” I turn to Ben. “Dylan would like you to go back to Emily’s classroom and collect Brittany’s textbook from the floor where he dropped it.”

  “Already done. Emily told Jake where it was.” Ben scoots to the edge of his chair. “Tell us what Dylan said.”

  Madge, the Admiral, Renee, and Gage all stare at me with hopeful looks on their faces. “He mostly just listened to me ramble.”

  Renee laughs. “In other words, you’re back together, and it’s all happily ever after?”

  I shrug. “Pretty much. Anyone want to hear the rest of Emily’s story?”

  A resounding “Yes!” sounds. “Okay, so you all remember the roses lined up backstage with name tags in front of each one? The original rose configuration was pink for Pattie, purple for Tina, and red for Emily. But Emily switches her red roses for Tina’s purple, giving her an alibi if someone questions her messing with the flowers backstage. Then Uncle Frank thinks Tina would prefer the pink roses and switches Pattie’s for Tina’s. Frank is a guy, so he has no clue that Pattie’s signature color is pink.”

  Madge says, “Pattie was the intended target because she was having an affair with Emily’s husband. If it were me, I’d have made him pay too.”

  When everyone raises their brows, Madge adds, “Not by killing anyone. Sheesh. I mean like in the wallet.”

  “Speaking of that,” Ben says, “we have pictures and video from a PI, Sawyer’s aunt hired to trail Frank because she suspected his affair. Emily left two roses sticking out, so the bouquet’s owner would naturally either grab the roses from the bunch or push them back in. She had a small bottle in her purse that could have made it look like she was watering the flowers.”

  So that’s how she did it. “And maybe she’d get a twofer if Joe Kingsley had plucked a rose out and handed it to Pattie in a roma
ntic gesture?” Tina only had the one flower in her hand when she died, so Emily’s plan worked. Just for the wrong person.

  Ben nods. “Exactly.”

  I ask, “Did Emily know they were getting flowers as gifts from the show?”

  The Admiral raises his hand. “That one I can answer. At the end of one of our many committee meetings, Frank asked me if Zoe’s greenhouse was still filled with roses. Emily and Pattie were still there. They could’ve easily overheard the rest of our conversation.”

  Gage adds, “Premeditated, then. She’ll spend a long time in jail.”

  Renee says, “But what if one of the kids had touched those frogs in the classroom? Would Emily have really risked their lives?”

  Ben answers, “Emily has the set of toxic frogs at home. The poison they emit is so potent, it takes only the equivalent of two grains of salt to kill a person. And the beauty of this murder weapon is that all she had to do was stop feeding the right kind of beetles to the frogs, and they eventually become nonlethal again. It truly was almost a perfect plan.”

  I grab my purse and stand. “Luckily, Cooper knocked the science book off the bed, and Aunt Carol had Uncle Frank followed, providing the proof we needed. Two things a murderer could have never planned for. But it’s such a shame Tina had to die like that.”

  “Yes, it is,” the Admiral says, “but do you remember when we were trying to figure out how Tina died, and we googled that website? The cause of death generator.”

  Madge snaps her fingers. “That’s right! It said the death was caused by native blowguns or some such. In a way, it was right! Isn’t that a similar poison to what Emily got from the frogs?”

  “Yes, very similar.” I smile as we all head to the parking lot. “I’ll have to tell Dylan about that website. Maybe it’ll save him a ton of trouble from now on.”

  Madge chuckles. “If only it were that simple. See you tomorrow, everyone.” Madge raises a hand and then shuffles to her car.

  I walk slowly toward my sister because I need a ride home. She’s still on the phone. It might be about a patient, so I keep my distance until I realize she’s talking to her husband, Dylan’s brother, Lance.

  Meg hangs up, tucks her phone away, and then does a happy dance. “Lance said he and the kids really missed me, and they’ll be here first thing tomorrow morning. To see Dylan too, of course.”

  “So all is well again.” I give my sister a hug. “Did you promise to make more time for Lance and the kids?”

  Meg leans away and nods. “I did, and I will. This has been the longest week of my life without them. How did it go with Dylan?” Meg digs her keys out, and we start walking to her fancy Beemer.

  “Good. I’m excited to get started with a new chapter in my life. It’ll be tough to leave Mom’s hard work behind, but in the end, her scheming worked just as she’d hoped. I forgave Dylan, am going to marry him, and have the kids she always told me I’d be great at raising. I can’t believe she pulled all that off even after she was gone.”

  Meg throws her arm around my shoulders. “Never underestimate the powers of a mother. Or those of an older sister.”

  “What do you mean?” I stop walking and cross my arms. “I told you I’m not taking money from you for a restaurant. I’ll figure that out on my own.” Finding out Meg was in cahoots with my mom about Brittany and the “Reunite Dylan and Sawyer” plans makes me leery.

  “You’ll just have to wait and see.” Meg beeps her car open. “For once in your life, just sit back and enjoy the ride, Sawyer.”

  I slide into the buttery-soft leather seats and buckle in. Maybe my sister is right. So far, listening to her and my mom hasn’t been such a bad deal.

  Epilogue

  It’s the day before Thanksgiving, two weeks since Emily’s arrest, and I’m still waiting for that other proverbial shoe to drop as predicted by my sister. So far, things are about the same. Except today, I’m handing the keys to my store and house over to my uncle. By giving in to him, I’ll walk away with a bit of cash in my pocket at least, along with my mom’s old car—both good things to make a new start with.

  Dylan is already back on the job after staying in bed for only four days instead of two weeks, like the doctor advised. Albeit with an almost shaved head to match his wounded side. The Frankenstein stitches will soon be covered by his usual thick hair again, hopefully wiping out all the horrible memories of that day. And he’s finally going to show me the house he’s building this afternoon. I think he picked today because he knew I’d be sad and wants to cheer me up.

  I’ve just packed up the last of my personal things from the bookstore when the bell above the door rings. I’ll have to remember to grab that too on my way out. My mom loved that bell. She used to say every time it rang was a new opportunity to make a friend. Or visit with an old one.

  When I glance up, I’m surprised to not only see my uncle but my Aunt Carol too. Along with Meg, Lance, my niece Alexandra, my nephew Collin, and my dad. My family must’ve arrived a day early for our planned Thanksgiving at Dylan’s house. I’m still hopeful Brittany will make it, but she hadn’t made up her mind the last I spoke with her.

  The bell rings again, and in come Dylan, Renee, Gage, and then Madge brings up the rear. Looks like the gang’s all here.

  They all have huge grins on their faces, so I ask, “What’s going on?” It’s hardly a party, if you ask me. I’m pretty sad about what I’m about to do.

  Aunt Carol says, “They’re all here to watch the mighty fall of your selfish uncle. We’ve made a deal to speed up our divorce. So let’s get started, shall we?” Carol slaps a stack of papers on the glass countertop. “Hope you brought your fancy pen, Frank. You’re going to need it.”

  My uncle won’t look me in the eyes as he growls, “Enough with the dramatics. Let’s get this over with.”

  Aunt Carol winks at me. “Let’s start with the deeds for the bookstore and the space next door.” She turns around. “Did you all know that Sawyer totally outsmarted Frank? She fooled him into believing a mystery chef would lease the space he’s going to build out for the restaurant. Now the trust is going to finish out the space, and it’ll belong to Sawyer. As it should.” Aunt Carol points to the deeds. “Sign right here, Frank. And then the trust amendment next.”

  Aunt Carol looks at me. “As part of the divorce settlement, the trust will be handled by the bank going forward. Your uncle won’t be able to spend a dime without my and their approval from now on.”

  I want to cheer. Now my uncle can see what it feels like to be treated the way he did my mother. “But why is he going along so peacefully?” I ask my aunt as if my uncle isn’t standing next to me.

  Aunt Carol smiles. “Because my fancy new lawyer found out Frank lied to the judge about our assets. Frank could be heavily fined or held in contempt of court and actually go to jail. I agreed to forgo any charges if he complied with my wishes for the trust and divided the other assets per our original agreement. It’s been amazing how the threat of stiff penalties and jail has softened his temperament.”

  My uncle grunts and turns three shades of red as he signs the small stack of papers, then thrusts them forward for my signature. “Here.”

  I pick up a pen from the counter and ask Gage, “Have you looked at these?”

  “Yep. All good.” Gage smiles. “But wait.”

  He holds out a beautiful gold pen. “Renee and I thought you might want a souvenir from this historic moment.”

  “Thank you!” I sign my name with my new pen that glides across the pages with ease. What my aunt has done for me goes way beyond simply kindness.

  “Aunt Carol, you’ll eat for free at my new place for the rest of your life.” I sign the rest of the papers and then give her a hard hug.

  “I’ll take you up on those delicious meals, but there’s more.” Carol points to the next stack of papers. “Frank is now going to sign over the house to you. Since you moved out a few days ago, we asked Charlie for an estimate to finish the restora
tion as soon as possible. The trust will be footing all those bills too, as your grandparents intended. When it’s finished, you can move back in or sell it. It’s up to you.”

  “Really?” I can’t believe my good fortune, but there’s still one thing I think my grandparents would’ve wanted. “If it’s okay with Meg, because technically, it’s half hers, I’d like to sell the house to pay for Brittany’s college.” All restored, it’ll be worth millions. Plenty to cover any Ivy League school Brittany and my sister’s kids want to attend. Maybe with enough left over for mine and Dylan’s future kids too.

  Meg nods her approval, so I hold a hand toward the papers. “Sign away, Frankie.”

  My uncle scowls as he signs the papers one by one. When he’s done, he says to my aunt, “You think you won, but you’ll pay in the end. Just wait and see.”

  My aunt smiles sweetly. “Just so you know, Frank, if anything happens to me, everything is going to Sawyer. I can trust she’ll take care of our kids and do the right thing with the trust. You, on the other hand, will get nothing. Now go enjoy your little golf course. I hope it starts turning a profit soon so you won’t have to go bankrupt.”

  My uncle’s eyes bulge. “My ‘little golf course’ community will be worth more than everything you got in the settlement when it’s done. You wait and see.”

  My aunt crosses her arms. “If you can get bank loans. Without the trust behind you, things will be a whole lot harder from now on.”

  When my uncle’s hands fist, Dylan moves to my aunt’s side. “Time to go, Frank. Now.”

  “I’d watch it if I were you.” My uncle pokes Dylan in the chest. “I’m still the mayor and your boss, pal.”

  Madge calls out, “Not for long. Guess who’s running against you in the next election?”

  My uncle whips his head around. “Who?”

  “Me, you big bully.” Madge puffs her knit-covered chest out. “And you’re going down!” She glances my way. “You can thank Sawyer for putting that idea into my head.”