Purrfect Haunt Read online

  Purrfect Haunt

  A Hazel Hart Cozy Mystery Seven

  Louise Lynn

  Chapter 1

  “You took a job at Massacre Mansion?" Celia Parks nearly spat.

  Hazel Hart, who sat across from Celia, was glad she hadn’t. She didn’t think the red wine would come out of Celia’s gorgeous cream colored sweater if she’d spilt any. Though, even that wouldn’t detract from her beauty.

  Hazel gave her best friend a withering look and shook her head. “It’s called the Pearl House, not Massacre Mansion. You’re going to give it a bad reputation."

  Celia laughed.

  Esther, Hazel’s younger sister, rolled her eyes. Esther sat next to Hazel in the booth they all shared with their significant others. “I’m pretty sure it already has a bad reputation. Why on earth would you take a job there? Are you trying to get mom to buy all the sage in town? If she hasn’t already," Esther added the last bit as an afterthought, and Hazel grinned.

  Knowing their mother, she had no doubt stocked up on sage for Halloween. It was said to keep bad spirits at bay, though Hazel didn’t believe any of that superstitious nonsense.

  “You could set up a booth at the Halloween Fair if you needed the extra money," Raj, Esther’s boyfriend, put in.

  Hazel sighed. “It’s not all about the money. Although, that bit doesn’t hurt. I took the job because Patricia is mom’s friend."

  Not to mention the thought of having a Halloween photo booth on one of the busiest nights of the year in Cedar Valley sounded exhausting. Their small Sierra town went all out. Lake Street was lined with booths of games and sweets, while the shops stayed open late enough for the local kids to trick-or-treat safely.

  It had been one of Hazel’s favorite things as a child. Now, she’d no doubt be spending the night in a house that was rumored to be haunted instead of enjoying the festivities. She even had a costume picked out, but now it’d go to waste.

  “Okay, what am I missing?" Colton Cross, Hazel’s boyfriend and the local Sheriff, asked as he took a bite of a bread stick. He chewed thoughtfully, and his black hair, usually so neat, was mussed from a long day of work.

  They were on a triple date, which was a first for the three couples. Usually at least one pair had work, but that night, they’d all managed to clear their schedules for a late pizza dinner at the best (and only) Italian joint in Cedar Valley.

  Celia, as always, looked gorgeous with her dark brown curls perfectly framing her smooth coffee and milk colored complexion. She didn’t even look tired, and Hazel knew Celia had been up since about four am.

  Esther was similarly lovely. Her long auburn hair tied into a braid and her crisp green dress nearly wrinkle free—though Hazel guessed it wasn’t what Esther wore that day working in her bakery.

  Hazel herself didn’t have time to run and change before this event, so she’d stayed in her skinny jeans and green and mustard flannel tunic. She knew her coppery curls, cut into a sensible bob, were unruly after a long day in her studio, but the knit mustard beret kept them under some semblance of control.

  Colton had been in town for less than a year and didn’t know all of the lore surrounding the infamous property.

  Marcus Banks, Celia’s beau, had been in town even less than that and blinked round at them. His face was a deep brown, as were his inquisitive eyes. With his hair cropped short to his head, he looked the part of an exotic prince. He wasn’t a prince, but he was an environmental lawyer, which was the next best thing. “Was it murder-suicide?" he asked and took a gentle sip from his own wine glass.

  Celia shook her head, and her dark brown curls fell over her shoulders. “Not something so simple. It’s a crime that’s never been solved."

  Colton smirked at Hazel. “This must have taken place before your time or Hazel here would have figured it out." He gave her leg a playful squeeze.

  Hazel felt her cheeks flush. “I—yeah. Way before our time. When did it happen again?"

  “Don’t play dumb. I’m sure you know this case backwards and forwards, knowing how much you like murder," Esther said, and that caused her boyfriend, Raj, to nearly spit out his drink.

  “That’s—I don’t like murder. I like puzzles and righting wrongs. Big difference," Hazel said.

  “If you like righting wrongs, you can find out who smashed the pumpkin in front of Shanti’s the other day. Ripa cried for an hour when she found it in pieces," Raj said, and Esther rubbed his back. He ran the local Indian restaurant, and was as kind as he was handsome, with black curls neatly cut and a warm cinnamon complexion.

  Colton sighed. “I’ll have a deputy look into that. We’ve been swamped with small time vandalism claims lately. Must be the time of year."

  Raj nodded a thank you, and Hazel chewed her bottom lip. Though she’d grown up in Cedar Valley, she hadn’t moved back until a bit over a year before. At that time, her ten year marriage had just imploded, and she needed a change of pace and a new career. Now, she ran her own photography studio and had a boyfriend who respected her instead of cheating on her—like her ex had. He even hired her for her skill at forensic photography from time to time.

  “Okay, but what about this Massacre Mansion?" Marcus asked.

  “The story I’m going to tell you is one hundred percent true." Celia’s voice dropped to a husky whisper. Her wide brown eyes swept over her captive audience.

  Esther squirmed in her seat, while Raj leaned forward. Marcus too leaned a little bit closer to Celia, though Hazel wasn’t sure if that was so he could hear her better, or because he wanted to be near her.

  Hazel huffed and the spell broke. “If you’re going to tell the version everyone tells, I’m sure at least half of it’s hogwash."

  Celia nudged Hazel’s boot under the table. “Do you want to tell the story?"

  Hazel shook her head. Usually, she liked this sort of thing. Not the grisly murder part, but the history of their small mountain town and the mystery around this unsolved case.

  After nearly a hundred years, she doubted the case would ever be solved. Not to mention, she was going to have to spend a lot of time in the Pearl House in the coming week, so hearing about the terrible crime that happened there could put her off her pizza.

  Well, not really.

  Not much could put Hazel off pizza. Maybe a body falling in said pizza would put her off, but she figured that wouldn’t happen tonight.

  Celia shrugged. “It’s the only version I know. Now are you going to let me tell the story or not?"

  Hazel nodded, but the pizzas arrived then, so Celia was further delayed as everyone gathered a few slices and dug in.

  Esther frowned at the tomato sauce, but she didn’t ask Celia to desist. Hazel wondered if it had something to do with the last case, the one Esther helped her with. Her sister was usually more squeamish about things like this, but that might have toughened her up a touch.

  “Okay, anymore interruptions?" Celia asked and took a bite of her slice. She did so with a gusto that Hazel approved of.

  No one spoke, so Celia went on. It reminded Hazel of them telling scary stories during sleepovers when they were kids. Celia could always scare Esther to bits even then.

  “Like I was saying, this case was never solved, and the mystery hangs over Cedar Valley and Lake Celeste to this day. Back in the late 1800s—"

  “Early 1900s," Hazel said around her pepperoni and cheese. Correcting others was a habit she got from her father, who was also a huge history buff. In fact, he’d taught Hazel nearly everything she knew about their local history when he wasn’t teaching her photography.

  “Fine. Early 1900s. Anyway, at that time, the Pearl family built a summer house on Lake Celeste’s shore. It wasn’t as big as the Rockwell Manor—"

  “Are you sure
? I thought no one had ever been inside it before?" Esther asked and wiped her lips. Her lipstick didn’t smudge, and Hazel hadn’t a clue how she managed it.

  Celia sighed. “I’m guessing. I’ve only ever seen it through the gates and the trees… and that one time Hazel and I snuck over it on a dare, but the house was all boarded up."

  “Trespassing? That’s illegal," Colton said, his signature smirk front and center.

  “We were teenagers, so it was a good twenty years ago, sheriff," Hazel said and nudged his shoulder. “Plus, we just crept around and left."

  “Who dared you?" Raj asked, his eyes bright.

  “Jay Turner. Who else?" Celia said.

  Marcus didn’t even blink at the name of Celia’s ex-boyfriend, and Hazel figured that was a good thing. At least he wasn’t jealous. “So what happened there?"

  “I’ll get on with it if the Hart sisters let me," Celia said with a pout.

  Hazel put up her hands in mock surrender and took another sip of wine.

  “The Pearl House is big, but maybe not as big as some of the other grand mansions around the lake. And don’t even start on the Castle with me—no one knows what that place looks like from the inside either. Soon after it was built, the Pearl family started spending summers in Cedar Valley, tragedy struck. Their youngest daughter, Annabelle, drowned in a boating accident. Then, the next summer, their teenage son fell off his horse and broke his neck. It’s said Mrs. Pearl couldn’t take anymore heartbreak and jumped out of the third story window. She died before they could get her to the doctor."

  “That’s grisly," Marcus said, his eyes wide.

  “That’s not even the worst of it," Esther said and shook her head.

  Hazel felt her heart jump slightly into her throat. She chewed on another slice of pizza to calm it. She wasn’t scared, not in the middle of a restaurant, but she knew what was coming. And, true or not, it sent goosebumps up her spine.

  “Three dead family members isn’t the worst?" Colton said in his Sheriff Cross voice that Hazel knew so well.

  “Not in this case," Celia said. “After Mrs. Pearl died, Mr. Charles Pearl was left alone with his oldest daughter, Dora. This is where the real story starts. Dora was a headstrong and beautiful young woman, and she was betrothed to Earl Murdoch."

  “Wait. I know that name. Like Murdoch mines?" Marcus said and his brows danced. “Those mines were an environmental disaster at the turn of the century."

  Celia shrugged, and Hazel decided to be a history know-it-all again, to save her best friend, of course. “One and the same. The mines are still there, but it’s a state park now. And I think they cleaned up most of the arsenic."

  Celia nodded. “So, it’s the same Murdoch. Well, Dora didn’t love Earl. It’s said she was in love with the stable hand, a young man named Henry, and was going to run away with him. Word got to Earl Murdoch somehow, and he went insane with jealousy."

  “You forgot the bit about him beating a dog to death out of anger. That guy was an awful person. It’s no wonder Dora didn’t want to marry him," Esther said. Raj blinked at her, and even Hazel raised an eyebrow. “What? I listen to dad sometimes when he goes on about history."

  Hazel chuckled. “She’s right. He was known to drink too much and have a terrible temper, but still, what he did next is plain old crazy. Allegedly, anyway."

  Celia huffed. “I forgot about that detail. But don’t give away the worst part! That’s my job. After Earl heard about his fiancée’s plan to run off, he came to the Pearl House in the dead of night. It was in October, wasn’t it?"

  “More like late September, but close enough," Hazel said and picked a mushroom from the slice on her plate.

  “Well, it doesn’t matter when it happened. Earl came at night and slaughtered everyone on the property with an axe. Mr. Pearl. Henry the stable hand. The cook and the maid—all hacked to death in one night! There was so much blood, it’s said it soaked into the floorboards of the house and coated the walls. Some even say it never comes out. There’s a rumor of a large bloodstain in the study where Charles Pearl died. The stain comes through the rug, no matter how it’s cleaned."

  The table was silent for a moment, and Celia took that time to sip from her glass of wine.

  Hazel did the same. She mulled over the last bit. It was ridiculous, obviously, but she decided to let Celia have her fun.

  “What happened to Dora?" Marcus asked.

  Celia smiled slyly, her full lips a deep red. “That’s the thing, no one knows. Her body wasn’t with the others, and Earl Murdoch was never seen again."

  “Then how do you know he committed the crime?" Colton asked and leaned across for another slice of pizza.

  Hazel decided to do the same. Even with the image of the crime flitting through her mind, her stomach still rumbled. “That’s why I said allegedly. No one has ever been able to prove Earl Murdoch did it. Not with Dora missing. Why didn’t he kill her too?"

  Celia shrugged. “I’m just telling the story how my mother told it to me. If you have a problem with it, take it up with her."

  Hazel wasn’t going to do that, and Celia knew it. Which was probably why she said it in the first place.

  Colton raised an eyebrow. “So there’s no real proof Earl did it. He had motive and definitely more physical strength than Dora, but that’s not proof."

  Celia threw her napkin at him, and Marcus laughed. “That’s why Hazel got so annoyed with you at first."

  Hazel giggled. Celia was right.

  “I’m not a criminal lawyer, but he’s right. It’s not even enough to convict," Marcus said and smiled benignly.

  Celia narrowed her eyes at him, but instead of arguing leaned in and gave him a quick kiss.

  Hazel grinned. “Annoying or not, they’re both right. I, personally, think Dora did it. Maybe she didn’t want to marry either of them. Or she was just plain crazy. It could be a Lizzy Borden situation."

  Colton shook his head, and looked like he was hurrying to finish chewing his last bite. “Lizzy Borden was acquitted of that crime, and there’s no real proof she did it either."

  “Do we have to talk about axe murderers while we eat?" Raj said and frowned at his food.

  “Sorry," Esther said and patted his shoulder.

  Raj gave her a warm smile and kissed her cheek.

  “He’s right though. Now they know the story of Massacre Mansion, but what sort of photography are you doing there?" Esther asked.

  Hazel finished off her glass of wine. “Well, Patricia Corning is back in town, and she’s opened the house to tours. At least that’s what she told me. She said she wanted a photographer on hand, and she agreed to pay my holiday rate."

  “That’s my girl," Colton said and squeezed her shoulder.

  “I, uh, also might have to be there when the ghost hunters do their rounds. You know what Patricia is like—she believes in the same kind of stuff as mom."

  “You mean ghosts?" Colton asked, a smile twitching at the corner of his mouth.

  Esther nodded. “Yeah, I remember Patricia well enough to know that. I’m surprised you agreed to it."

  “She’s in it for the money," Celia said and grinned at Hazel.

  That was partly it, so Hazel laughed. “Hey, I’ve got bills to pay, and the winter months are tough around here. I gotta take work when it comes my way. Plus, I do get to hang around a notorious historical house, so it’s a win-win situation."

  “Hanging around a notorious murder house doesn’t sound like a win to me," Raj said with a shiver.

  Colton laughed. “Then you obviously don’t know Hazel too well."

  Hazel elbowed him in the ribs lightly.

  Celia’s expression sobered. “I know you don’t believe in ghosts, but the stories about that place are pretty amazing. They say, on quiet nights, you can hear the screams of the people killed with an axe. And that the walls drip blood at midnight. And that—"

  “Oh, enough! That’s all rumors and you know it," Esther said, but her bottom lip
wobbled the way it did when she was a kid.

  Hazel rubbed her sister’s back. “Yeah, I doubt any of that really happens, but it makes a good ghost story. I thought there was a headless ghost too? That’s the one mom always warns about."

  Esther scowled, then nodded. “Oh, yeah!"

  “What, like Sleepy Hollow?" Colton said with a snort.

  Hazel smiled. “Yeah, there’s even a ghost horse." She was about to say more when a startled looking Deputy Simmons appeared at their table.

  Colton sat up straight, and any hint of humor vanished from his handsome face. “What is it?"

  Deputy Simmons swallowed and his eyes scanned the table. He looked like a young man about to give unfortunate news to his superior—which Hazel figured he was. “There, uh, is a body. You need to see it right away."

  With nary a grumble, Colton nodded and slipped from the end of the booth. “Do I need my forensic photographer?"

  Was it Hazel’s imagination, or did Deputy Simmons look slightly green in the dim lights?

  “Yeah. Definitely. It’s a mess, Sheriff."

  Hazel swallowed her last bite and stared at the smear of red pizza sauce on her plate. While stories of hundred-year old crimes didn’t bother her, the prospect of a fresh one had an altogether different effect.

  She suddenly wished she hadn’t had that final slice.

  Chapter 2

  Hazel swore her hands didn’t shake as she grabbed the Pentax digital SLR from her truck. She’d gone to plenty of crime scenes as a former forensic photographer for the LAPD. In the last few months, most of them had been local, and involved some unpleasant imagery.

  But Deputy Simmons had never looked ready to lose his dinner over one either.

  Sheriff Cross was waiting by his SUV, a frown etched on his face.

  With a sigh, Hazel joined him.

  “What more did he say?" Hazel asked as they drove toward the crime scene.

  “Lots of blood. And it’s all out in the open, so we’re going to have to cordon off the area." His jaw tensed in the dim glow of streetlamps.