Purrfect Poison Read online

  Purrfect Poison

  A Hazel Hart Cozy Mystery Five

  Louise Lynn

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  Chapter 1

  “She’s driving me crazy,” Celia mouthed to Hazel. It was the third time she’d said it in the last two days, not to mention the ten texts Celia had sent, and in most cases, Celia didn’t text.

  So, Hazel got the idea, and she nodded at her best friend, and tried to keep from laughing since she knew exactly what it was like. Hazel’s own mother lived in town, so Hazel got to see her on an almost daily basis—and was driven crazy even more often.

  However, Celia’s mother, Rosalie Parks, retired to Key West six years before and only came back to Cedar Valley in the summer. Hence, Celia only had to be driven crazy for a few months of the year.

  “Hello, Mrs. Parks. It’s lovely to see you again,” Hazel said and beamed at the woman standing next to her best friend.

  Rosalie waved her hand at Hazel, much like Hazel’s mother, Maureen Hart, did. “Hazy Hart, you call me Rosalie. I’ve seen your bare bottom, girl. Used to change your diapers when you were knee-high to a grasshopper,” she said with a warm smile.

  Hazel hugged her. The woman felt small under her hands. Fragile. It was just the way she was built. Petite, unlike Hazel.

  Celia’s father had been tall; his daughter inherited some of his height.

  “Sorry we’re late,” Celia said and sat across from Hazel. “I got out of CATfeinated by noon, but my dear mother here insisted on trying on every single hat she brought with her before she found one that went perfectly with her outfit,” Celia said and rolled her eyes.

  Rosalie adjusted the straw and floral concoction perched on her head. “One must always look her best. I taught you that, Cece. Don’t you pretend like you didn’t spend just as long picking out the right garden dress,” Rosalie said and gave her daughter an appreciative nod.

  They both looked resplendent in their bright summer dresses. Celia’s was a chartreuse number, sleeveless and fitted at the waist. It hugged her curvaceous form perfectly. She’d left her hair loose, so the dark curls tumbled over her smooth brown shoulders. She’d placed a pink flower behind one ear and looked like a vision out of a 1950’s film.

  Hazel grinned at her best friend.

  Rosalie wore a pale lavender dress with a gauzy shawl. It had a number of ruffles on the skirt that gave her some much-needed substance. From what Hazel could see of her hair, it was done up in a complicated bun Hazel could never have managed.

  Sure, Hazel had dressed up for the occasion as required. But her own dress, a three-quarter length Kelly green number she’d borrowed from her sister, Esther, since Celia had been too busy to loan her one of her own, felt drab compared to these two. And her copper bob was loose and probably frizzy. Still, she wasn’t going to complain.

  Not since the affair in question was entirely free. And it involved food.

  “Have they started yet?” Celia asked and leaned across the table.

  Hazel shook her head and glanced around the ornately decorated patio.

  To enter, they had to duck under an arbor draped in red roses, and the rose bushes surrounded the entire patio as well. The furniture was white wicker with cushy brightly colored seats. Every table had a fresh vase of flowers, and the warm air was thick with the scent of early summer.

  Hazel had never been here, probably since the location hadn’t existed when she lived in Cedar Valley as a child. Or—more accurately—it had existed, but it had been one of the old vacation homes from the turn of the twentieth century. Built sometime in the early 1900s, the tidy Victorian mansion wasn’t large enough to house a vast collection of antiques, like Rockwell Manor. But it was too large for a single-family home.

  Hazel remembered seeing it as they drove around Lake Celeste when she was a girl. It sat huddled in the looming pine and cedar around the side of the lake, and it always had a big ‘no trespassing’ sign on it. Though, as far as she knew, the owners never actually lived there.

  Sometime in the last ten years, with all the new construction going up in the other small towns at the edge of the world-famous Lake Celeste, someone had purchased the property and renovated it into the most exclusive bed and breakfast in Cedar Valley—Lakeside Inn.

  Hazel had never been there because it was invitation only. Her mother had stuck up her nose when Hazel asked about it once, saying, “Oh, I suppose they don’t want our kind there.”

  Esther, Hazel’s younger sister, had rolled her eyes. “You’re just saying that because you can’t get an invitation,” she said with a smile.

  Esther had never actually been invited, but she had worked with the owners of the bed-and-breakfast on a few occasions. Mostly because Esther ran the best bakery in town, Let Them Eat Cake, and the owners wanted their establishment to have an equally high reputation.

  Hazel spotted her sister sitting at the table tucked under an ornamental plum tree. She was with Raj, her boyfriend and the owner of the local Indian restaurant. A few of the other restaurant owners from town sat with them. Like Hazel, Esther dressed up for the event, her dress a lovely bright pink that went surprisingly well with her auburn hair.

  They were here as guests as well.

  “Isn’t this a tad unusual?” Rosalie asked and glanced around at the attendees.

  Hazel nodded. “It is, but I’m not going to complain about it. Only—” She glanced at the time on her phone. It was after three pm, and Michael, her photography assistant, was late. She hoped he hadn’t had any problems with a last-minute client.

  “Is your phone even on?” Celia asked with a playful smile.

  Hazel checked the ringer and nodded. “It is. I was wondering when Michael was going to get here, not—”

  “Not the local sheriff, who’s also your boyfriend?” Rosalie said, her lips pulling into that knowing smile Hazel remembered so well.

  Hazel nodded. “Of course Celia told you everything. But he probably has to stay at the office. Running off for high tea on a Friday isn’t really in the Sheriff’s job description,” she said and smiled when she thought of Colton Cross stepping into such a fancy atmosphere in his green and tan uniform.

  In addition, the sheriff didn’t technically have an invitation. The reason they were all there, minus Rosalie Parks who was Celia’s guest, was because they were all working on the most high profile wedding that year—Lopez and Santos.

  They were news anchors from Reno, and like many before them, had chosen the beautiful Lake Celeste as the backdrop for their big day. Of course, they also chose the Lakeside Inn Bed-and-Breakfast, with its Victorian charm and access to the beach. The lush gardens didn’t hurt either.

  The wedding was to take place Saturday before noon, but the bride and groom had decided to throw a celebratory high tea using the bed and breakfast’s facilities to thank all the people they’d hired to work the wedding. That meant many of the small business owners in Cedar Valley were in attendance.

  Hazel was the photographer. Celia provided coffee and bagels for the wedding party the next day and Sunday, since the guests were staying through the weekend. Esther had prepared the cake, and several of the local restaurant owners were responsible for the multicultural buffet that would make up the reception. The local florist, Ronan Kelly, was there as well.

  She’d never worked on a wedding where the bride and groom had offered such a luxurious thank you. Usually, she was invited to eat at the reception and have some cake, not come for an expensive tea. />
  Not that she was going to complain.

  Free scones and finger sandwiches?

  Yes, please!

  The waiters came, dressed to the nines, and took everyone’s order. The tea selection made Hazel’s eyes blur—most of them she didn’t know, but she chose something black and floral. Then came the tiered platters of scones, clotted cream, jam, sandwiches, and apricot tarts. Hazel was pleased to see chocolate-covered strawberries were among the treats for dessert, and had to keep herself from eating one of those immediately.

  “It looks like Esther’s doing well. That handsome man her boyfriend too?” Rosalie asked, her eyes catching that certain sort of light they did whenever she talked about one of their boyfriends.

  Hazel found herself grinning. “Yeah. They’ve been dating about as long as Colton and I have. You know Ruth is eight now, and Raj has a six-year-old daughter, Ripa. His wife died of cancer when she was only three, so they also have that in common.” Hazel frowned at her own explanation.

  Bringing up a dead spouse to a woman whose husband died? Not a great move Hazel.

  Rosalie put a hand on Hazel’s arm and squeezed. “Oh, you know my Walter died thirty years ago, and I’m not about to cry about it now. I still miss him, but you can talk about widowers and widows to me. Speaking of boyfriends,” she said and her eyes locked on Celia.

  Celia pointedly did not look at her mother as she spread clotted cream on a berry scone. “I don’t know how many times I have to tell Hazel this, but I’m not interested in Paul. We gave it a bit of a try and decided it wouldn’t work. Plus, there’s a new kayak instructor in town, and I think Paul has already gone out with her a few times.”

  Rosalie shook her head as she stirred her tea so carefully the spoon didn’t even clink on the fine China. “Paul? I don’t even know Paul. Is he that fisherman?”

  Hazel let out a snort of laughter, and Celia frowned heavily at her mother. “Fisherman? No, that’s Kenneth Greene, and he’s as old as you. Paul is tan with short hair; runs the kayak and ski shop next to CATfeinated?”

  Rosalie pursed her lips as if she was thinking about it. “He really didn’t leave an impression, and he’s not who I’m talking about anyhow. My Cece with a ski shop owner? You don’t even like to ski. Or kayak.”

  “I know. It’s part of the reason it wouldn’t work.”

  Hazel didn’t think you had to have everything in common in order to make a romantic relationship viable, but having some things in common was important. For example, Hazel and her ex-husband didn’t have terribly much in common, which led to their eventual divorce. Well, Dylan’s cheating also had a big part to do with it.

  But Celia had never been in an extremely long-term relationship. Her longest relationship was her on-again-off-again disastrous one with the local bartender, Jay Turner. Jay had recently confided in Hazel that he wished Celia well, but knew they weren’t meant for each other, much to Hazel’s relief.

  “Did you have someone in mind?” Hazel said and grinned innocently at her best friend.

  Celia’s brown eyes narrowed. “Oh no. You’re not playing one of your little matchmaker games with me. Not this weekend. Do you know how much work I have to do?”

  Rosalie gave her that stern look she had when they were kids and put their shoes on her nice living room furniture. “You have the same amount of work you do every weekend. And you’ve got all those nice young people working at the coffee shop with you. You’re not going to bring in extra help to make some bagels and lattes?”

  Celia ate her scone in three big bites. That meant she was definitely having help at the coffee shop, and she just used it as an excuse not to acknowledge her mother’s matchmaking attempts.

  “Well, I’m interested even if she’s not,” Hazel said.

  “See? Hazel knows. And believe me, this gentleman is perfect for you, Celia. You think I would set you up with just anyone?”

  Celia plucked a cucumber sandwich from the tray and ate it in two bites. After she finished chewing, she spoke. “Not anyone, but you’re probably going to try and set me up with some politician.”

  Her mother sipped her tea daintily and nibbled on the end of one of her own scones. She didn’t get crumbs anywhere, which Hazel hadn’t quite managed.

  “You think I would set my baby girl up with a politician? No. Politicians are liars and cheaters; no offense to your ex-husband, Hazel, but they are. This man is the son of a dear friend. He lives locally, and while he’s a lawyer, he’s not a shark.”

  Hazel raised her eyebrows.

  Celia crossed her arms. “Fine. Tell me about him. What kind of lawyer?”

  Rosalie smiled. “The good kind. He’s an environmental lawyer, and he’s up here protecting Lake Celeste. Anyway, his name is Marcus Banks. He’s well behaved, a complete gentleman, and so handsome you wouldn’t believe it. He’s what would happen if Denzel Washington and Idris Elba had a beautiful baby.”

  Celia gaped at her mother. “Denzel and Idris are both men, so I’m pretty sure a baby between the two of them would be impossible.”

  Her mother shook her head as if that didn’t matter. “I’m telling you how handsome he is. You don’t have to be so literal about everything.”

  Hazel bit back the desire to laugh again.

  “But that’s not even the best part, Cece. Not only is he so handsome you’d want to—”

  “Mother!” Celia hissed.

  Rosalie grinned. “You’ll be going on a date with him tomorrow.”

  Celia’s lips turned into a frown. “Tomorrow? You’re not even going to ask me what I’m doing tomorrow?”

  Her mother blinked. “You know what you’re doing tomorrow; you’re going with Marcus Banks to this wedding. He has an invitation, and you’re his date,” she said with a smile.

  Chapter 2

  “Do you see why she drives me insane?” Celia said after Rosalie had excused herself to go to the bathroom.

  The food on the tiers had petered out, and Hazel was more stuffed than she could possibly have imagined various scones, finger sandwiches, and chocolate covered strawberries could do.

  She nodded. “I know, but it can’t be all bad. You need a break every once in a while. It’s one date. If it’s terrible, I’ll help you bail because I’ll be here working,” Hazel reminded her and gave her shoulder a squeeze.

  Celia slumped back in her chair. “She didn’t even take into account that I’ll be working tomorrow morning. And then she wants me to run home to get ready for a date and a wedding, and be back here by noon?”

  “Now you’re just being melodramatic. You shouldn’t take that long to get ready. Just wear something similar to what you’re wearing now, and you’ll be fine. You have hundreds of gorgeous dresses.”

  Celia rolled her eyes. “Not hundreds, though it feels like it sometimes. Do you have time to come over and get ready for the wedding tomorrow?”

  Hazel worried her bottom lip, and glanced at the bride and groom. They hadn’t come over to say anything yet, but Hazel had noticed them fluttering in and out around the patio. Probably welcoming guests as they arrived.

  After all, the guests were more important than the people working for them.

  “Unlike you, I have to be here from breakfast until after the reception. I mean these people aren’t fooling around. They chose the top-tier wedding photography experience.”

  Celia’s eyes widened. “The top tier? Isn’t that the one you said no one would ever choose?”

  Hazel nodded. She honestly never thought anyone would pick it. When she set up her photography studio in Cedar Valley about a year before, her father, also a photographer, had given her tips on how to run the business. One of them had been to offer different levels of wedding photography packages. The most basic one was obviously the cheapest—a typical wedding photo shoot after the ceremony and that was that.

  The midrange one involved hanging around during the reception and shooting pictures then as well. However, the top-tier experience was days
of work, which meant Hazel had to be at almost every wedding event, including the rehearsal, the wedding itself, and the reception. Thankfully, she didn’t have to go on a honeymoon with them. Though, she wondered if she’d added it as an option, they would’ve chosen it as well.

  “I was amazed too. But, I’m not about to complain. It makes up for the loss of business during the winter,” she said with a smile.

  Cedar Valley was a snowy mess during most winters, so no weddings took place. Once summer hit full force, the weddings came, which meant she was booked solid nearly every weekend.

  “You don’t have to tell me twice. They paid three times my catering fee for two mornings. And I don’t even know why, because this place is supposed to have breakfast,” Celia said and looked at the grand Victorian.

  Hazel nodded and noticed the tea attendees thinning out. Esther had been called away and was talking to the bride. “Esther said the same thing. They chose the most expensive cake they could from her. I mean, I know it’s probably a once-in-a-lifetime event but–”

  “You don’t want to go into debt over it,” Celia said with a smile. “Although, if you ever do get married again, would you make it a little fancier than the one you had with Dylan? I mean, running away to Reno wasn’t that great, was it?”

  Hazel winced at the sound of her ex’s name. “Yeah, Elvis wasn’t very romantic as a chaplain. But I’ve never thought about it much. Getting married again, I mean.”

  Celia raised her eyebrows. “Really? Not even to Sheriff Cross?”

  Hazel felt her cheeks heat, and wasn’t sure what to say.

  They’d only been dating for a few months, and she wasn’t even sure if they were officially boyfriend and girlfriend. It’d been so long since she dated anyone, the steps in a relationship seemed fuzzy and out of focus. Not to mention they both were quite busy with their work, so finding time for dates was like squeezing in a moment to go to the gym. Only infinitely more enjoyable, naturally.

  And, a little over a month before, Sheriff Cross’s niece, Violet, a fifteen-year-old girl who Sheriff Cross took in, actually moved in with Hazel while the sheriff looked for a house.