Dead in the Water (Scarlet Cove Seaside Cozy Mystery Book 1) Read online

  Dead in the Water

  Agatha Frost

  Evelyn Amber

  Published by Pink Tree Publishing Limited in 2017

  All characters and events in this publication, other than those clearly in the public domain, are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Copyright © Pink Tree Publishing Limited.

  The moral right of the author(s) has been asserted.

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  For questions and comments about this book, please contact [email protected]

  www.pinktreepublishing.com

  www.agathafrost.com

  www.evelynamber.com

  Cover designed by Ashley Mcloughlin.

  Edited by Keri Lierman and Karen Sellers

  Proofread by Eve Curwen.

  Beta team - Ceri Sell, Sam Callaghan, Tonya Polk, Tee Prinzo Bilgore and Michelle Saunders.

  Contents

  About This Book

  Newsletter Signup

  Also by Agatha Frost and Evelyn Amber

  Prologue

  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

  Thank You!

  Also by Agatha Frost and Evelyn Amber

  Newsletter Signup

  About This Book

  Released: September 12th 2017

  Words: 41,000

  Series: Book 1 - Scarlet Cove Seaside Cozy Mystery Series

  Standalone: Yes

  Cliff-hanger: No

  When Liz Jones retired as a detective at the age of forty-two and moved to the beautiful fishing town of Scarlet Cove to pursue her passion of opening an arts and crafts store, she did not expect the murder and lies of the big city to follow her. Only days after starting her new life, Liz finds herself tangled in a web of death and deception when she pulls the body of a fisherman from the sea, but what appears at first to be a drunken accident soon reveals itself to be something much worse: poison!

  While setting up her new store, getting to know the quirky townsfolk, and having the local men battle for her affection, Liz cannot resist the lure of an intriguing murder case. She falls back into old habits when she vows to discover the truth about the fisherman's death, but will she do it before the murderer strikes again? With her retirement and dream life on the line, Liz must battle against the clock to restore peace to the sleepy town of Scarlet Cove before all is washed away.

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  Also by Agatha Frost and Evelyn Amber

  The Scarlet Cove Seaside Series (Agatha and Evelyn)

  Dead in the Water (Book 1) - OUT NOW

  Castle on the Hill (Book 2) - PREORDER

  The Peridale Cafe Series (Agatha Frost)

  Pancakes and Corpses (Book 1) - OUT NOW

  Lemonade and Lies (Book 2) - OUT NOW

  Doughnuts and Deception (Book 3) - OUT NOW

  Chocolate Cake and Chaos (Book 4) - OUT NOW

  Shortbread and Sorrow (Book 5) - OUT NOW!

  Espresso and Evil (Book 6) - OUT NOW

  Macarons and Mayhem (Book 7) - OUT NOW

  Fruit Cake and Fear (Book 8) - OUT NOW

  Birthday Cake and Bodies (Book 9) - OUT NOW

  Gingerbread and Ghosts (Book 10) - PREORDER

  Prologue

  Liz peered through the door window into the interview room. She wondered how early she could leave the party without it coming across as rude.

  “There you are!” Miles, Liz’s friend, and fellow detective, said as he walked down the pale blue corridor towards her. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

  “I just wanted to take everything in,” she said, inhaling deeply, a contented smile spreading across her lips. “See the place one last time.”

  “Had a change of heart?” he asked hopefully as he played with his curly hair in the way he always did. “You’re going to be missed around here. We need you.”

  “You don’t need me. You’ll get on just fine.”

  “I’ll miss you.” His cheeks blushed as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and looked at the ground as he drew a circle with the point of his brogues. “You’re as good as a detective gets. Don’t you think forty-two is a little young to retire?”

  “I think it’s the perfect time,” she said, glancing through the window again as Karen, the desk sergeant, made a pass at Mitchell, a married community support officer. “Considering everything that’s happened, this is well overdue.”

  Miles nodded. He did not argue, and she knew he never would. He knew better than anyone else at the station how difficult the last two years had been. She had tried to hide her grief from her colleagues for the sake of her job, but Miles had been the exception. He always knew which wine to bring around for dinner to get her to open up.

  “I got you something,” he said, holding his finger up. “Wait here.”

  Miles slipped into the interview room, the music from the radio leaking out. Liz almost followed him back into her leaving party, but she stopped herself; it would only make it harder to leave.

  He returned with a small orange bag, which had a ridiculously large orange bow wrapped around the handles.

  “For my firecracker,” he said, glancing at her red, frizzy hair. “I was stuck on what to get you until I saw this. It sums you up perfectly. Low maintenance, a little prickly, but gooey and full of the good stuff on the inside.”

  Liz unravelled the bow and looked down into the bag, laughing at the prickly green thing.

  “A cactus,” she laughed. “It’s perfect.”

  “Stick it in your new flat,” Miles said, smiling softly at her, the sadness obvious in his eyes. “Where are you moving to again?”

  “Scarlet Cove,” she reminded him. “On the South Coast.”

  “What’s wrong with Manchester? Scarlet Cove sounds like something out of a movie. Be careful of those small town people. You think it’s bad in the city, but I’ve heard they’re even worse down there.”

  “I think my days of murder and chasing after thugs are well and truly behind me,” she said, looking down into the bag again. “And I’m glad of it. Thank you. This really means a lot.”

  Liz was not much of a hugger and Miles knew that, but she wanted to break her own rules this once. She rigidly wrapped her arms around his shoulders and patted firmly, knowing the gesture alone conveyed how she felt. The fruity scent of her best friend’s aftershave tickled her nostrils, almost prompting tears.

  “You can drive down anytime you want to see me,” Liz reminded him, pulling herself together as she straightened out her uniform. “And there are trains.
I’m not even leaving the country.”

  “I know,” he said, tears lining the corners of his eyes. “Look at me. I should go back in. They’re about to cut the cake. Are you coming?”

  “I’ll follow you in,” she said, dropping the bag to her side. “Thank you, Miles. Thank you for everything.”

  “You’re very welcome, Detective Elizabeth Jones,” he said with a wink as he pushed on the door. “You better get used to being just ‘Liz’ from now on.”

  The door closed behind Miles, leaving Liz alone in the empty, sterile corridor. She looked down at the cactus, knowing she would like being ‘just Liz’ very much.

  Deciding she was not in the mood for cake after all, Liz grabbed her small box of things from her office and headed for the front desk. On the way, she made sure to pass the memorial wall. She looked at the most recent addition and smiled at the portrait of the handsome man with the strong jawline. Even now, it still made her stomach flutter.

  “Goodbye, Lewis,” Liz whispered, kissing her fingers and resting them on his lips. “I promise I’ll try and have a good life.”

  Liz allowed one tear to slip out before quickly wiping it away. Turning on her heels, she straightened her back, and headed for the front door. With her box of memories and her new cactus, she walked into the bright sunlight, ready for her new adventure.

  1

  “That’s the last of it!” The removal man gestured towards his now empty white van, wiping the sweat from his red forehead.

  “I can handle the rest,” Liz said, pulling the agreed fee from her small black purse. “Thank you.”

  The plump man climbed back into his van and started the engine. He gave Liz a small nod before setting off and rounding the corner out of view.

  Sensing the sweat running down her face, she pulled a small compact from her bag. Her pale eyes stared back at her, looking all the greener thanks to her bright red cheeks. She attempted to smooth down the flyaway hairs that had snuck out of her low-hanging bushy ponytail. Deciding it was a lost cause, she tossed her mirror back into her bag.

  Shielding her eyes from the bright morning sun, she looked up at the small flat above a pale green shop, which was to become her new home. She turned and took in her surroundings as the people of Scarlet Cove went about their daily routines. Her flat was in the middle of a small row of businesses facing in towards a stone town square, which appeared to be playing host to a market. There was a bustling pub to her left, with two more rows of businesses boxing them in on either side. Winding streets leaked away from the square, some edging up the steep hill of oddly positioned multi-coloured buildings poking out of the vibrant trees, and some falling down towards the sea. It looked exactly like the beautiful pictures she had fallen in love with.

  Liz slid her phone out of her jean’s pocket, itching to look at those stunning pictures again, but a small man with a bulbous nose wobbled towards her with a welcoming smile and an outstretched hand.

  “You must be Elizabeth!” the elderly man remarked with a chuckle as he beamed up at her. “Bob Slinger is the name. I’m your new landlord.”

  Bob rocked back and forth, his wide smile growing as though this was the most exciting moment of his life. With his round belly and crimson nose, he looked like a beardless Santa Claus, but his stature reminded Liz more of an elf.

  “People call me Liz.” She pushed her phone back into her pocket to accept the man’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  To Liz’s surprise, the little man had more than a handshake in mind. He yanked her down into a tight hug, his palm heartily slapping her back. Liz was taller than most women, but her new landlord made her feel like a giant.

  “Welcome to Scarlet Cove!” he cried in her ear as he finally pulled away. “I suppose you’ll be wanting your keys. This one is for the shop, and this one is for your flat. I hope you like our little town.”

  Bob thrust the two keys into her fist, one brass and one silver. He grinned up at her for what felt like a lifetime before finally letting go and turning to walk away. He only managed two steps before spinning on his heels, his finger in the air.

  “Is this all of your stuff?” Bob asked as he cast an eye at the small pile of boxes, one of which was almost taller than him. “You certainly travel light.”

  “I wanted a real fresh start.” She exhaled and looked over the things she had selected to bring with her on her new adventure. “I have all new furniture arriving soon

  “Flat pack?”

  “Unfortunately.”

  “Then I don’t envy how you’re going to spend your evening!” Bob winked and leaned in. “I have a rather mighty power drill if you’d like to borrow it? Might make the job easier.”

  “That would be great,” Liz said, her mind wandering to the cheap, rather pathetic screwdrivers buried in one of the boxes. “Only if you don’t mind?”

  “Not at all!” he exclaimed before letting out a jovial chuckle. “You’ll find folk are more than helpful ‘round here. Here’s my card. If you need anything just give me a call. Day or night, I don’t mind!”

  Liz accepted the card as she nodded her thanks. The old man teetered down the street and out of sight. She looked down at the plain white card, which simply read ‘Bob Slinger – Landlord,’ above his phone number. She was not certain, but it looked like it had been created using an old, inky typewriter.

  “What a peculiar man,” she muttered to herself as she unlocked the shop door. “Quite strange indeed.”

  Her shoes clicked against the dusty hardwood flooring as she walked into the empty store. She crossed her arms and looked around the small space, a smile spreading across her face. It would take a lot of work, but she could not wait until she opened it as her very own arts and crafts store.

  Art had been a passion of hers for as long as she could remember. Even though she had not picked up a paintbrush during most of her fifteen years in the police force, she had not been able to put one down in the past two years.

  She had settled on Scarlet Cove to start her new life after seeing a picture of the beautiful English South Coast seaside town on the front of a book in a charity shop. Just from her landlord’s hug, she knew small town life would be very different to the one she had left behind in the city. She locked the shop door, wondering how long it would take to adjust to the change.

  An hour later, she carried one of the last boxes to the flat above the shop, placing it carefully in the middle of the empty sitting room. She looked around her flat, her heart fluttering with excitement. It was simple, with cream walls and basic fittings, and it lacked the glitz of her city apartment, but it already felt like home. Somehow, it felt like it was where she had always meant to end up, even if she had not expected it to happen when she was forty-two.

  Liz turned on her heels to run back downstairs, stopping when she remembered what was inside the box she had just brought up. Bending down, she ripped back the brown tape and carefully plucked out the red leather diary. She stroked the spine, knowing every word contained within its handwritten pages by heart. She flicked to the first page.

  ‘For Liz. So you don’t forget any more important dates. Love, Lewis.’

  She chuckled sadly, her mind casting back to her thirty-seventh birthday. She had found it strange to receive a diary as a gift, however, the first time she had opened it, she had realised it had already been filled. She flicked through, remembering exactly what lay between its pages. The twenty-second of October had been marked as the anniversary of her first date with Lewis. Every holiday, special occasion, party, and memory had been marked down.

  Pulling herself back to the present time, she closed the book and held it tightly to her chest. It had been two years since she had lost her husband, but it was still difficult to fight back the tears. She allowed one to slip down her cheek before she pulled herself together. Lewis had made her promise she would move on with her life and find happiness again.

  She placed the book back in the box and turned back to the fron
t door. She did not need a book full of dates to remember Lewis; he was always with her, even in Scarlet Cove.

  Leaving the memories behind, she walked into the bright Saturday afternoon, breathing in the fresh seaside air as she pushed the keys into her pocket. The scent of salt and vinegar from the fish and chip shop down the road was thick in the air. Her stomach grumbled, but she could not think about food yet. Seagulls squawked overhead, sounding as hungry as she felt.

  Liz picked up the final box, her back creaking. She paused and took in a deep breath. It had been a long day, but she could not believe how glad she was to finally be away from her life in Manchester. With her mind firmly on her future, she turned with the heavy box, hitting a short woman in the process. The collision sent the woman and the box tumbling to the ground. The contents of Liz’s bathroom exploded through the cardboard and scattered across the pavement.

  “I’m so sorry!” Liz apologised as she helped the woman to her feet. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

  “That’s ok,” the woman said as she swept dirt and gravel from her sixties-style dress. “I’m usually the one not looking where I’m going. They say I was born with two left feet.” The woman chuckled, before making Liz jump with a snap of her fingers. “You must be our new resident! I’m Nancy Turtle.”

  “Turtle?” Liz asked, arching a brow as she shook Nancy’s hand. “Unusual name.”