The Gray Ghost Inn: Dan Landis Mystery Series, #4

By Jay Mims

Private investigator Dan Landis just wanted to have a nice, relaxing vacation with his best friend, Leroy "Doc" Brown. They've booked two rooms at the luxurious Gray Ghost Inn in scenic Warrenton, Virginia. 

Then Dan's new partner, Abbey, talks herself into going along. And, wherever Dan and Abbey go, trouble isn't too far behind. 

Dan, Abbey and Doc get snowed in with a crazy crowd: Betsey Butler, the Southern Belle hostess; her obnoxious brother Dave "Big Bear" Butler; and Dave's ex-wife, Em. 

When a body turns up in the library, Dan realizes his simple vacation isn't so simple anymore. Now, Dan and his two best friends are trapped in the Gray Ghost Inn with a killer, and it'll take all of his wits, charm and detective skills to solve the mystery before it's too late. 

Continuing the story begun in "The Five Santas", and picking up immediately after the events from "Cult Of Koo Kway", the adventure continues in the third exciting installment of the "Oncoming Storm" quartet. 

Jay Mims continues his unique brand of storytelling as readers go on a wild and entertaining ride into the eccentric world of Dan Landis and friends.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jay Mims
• Release date: Mar 27, 2016
• ISBN: 9780997212556

Jay Mims

Jay Mims, better known as Mimsey, lives two miles past nowhere with The Mimsus. He also accidentally adopted his neighbor’s cat, Eartha Kitty, has a lizard named Bob hiding in his house, and tolerates a passive-aggressive Dalek roommate named Steve. When not writing cozy mysteries, Jay teaches and is learning knitting. Jay is currently working on knitting a cape. Capes are cool. 

Book preview

Chapter 1

The Present

Thursday, December 29

The whole thing should have worked. It really should have, Dan Landis thought, staring at the dead body suspended from the ceiling. It had all seemed like such a good idea. Take your best friend to a bed and breakfast, somehow get talked into bringing your new partner along, and hijinks ensue. It was going to be an adventure. After all, the bed and breakfast was named after a Confederate Cavalry Commander, Dan was on a mission to track down the one that got away, and it was going to be a fun story to tell the kids. What could possibly go wrong?

A lot. Apparently.

Dan closed the door of the study, sealing off the crime scene. He didn’t have much of a reputation for doing the smart thing, as evidenced by the faces staring back at him. He’d managed to piss off all three of them. But, at least he could obey proper crime scene etiquette. Plus, the sight of a grown man hanging from the rafters wasn’t very pleasant. Not exactly what he would call a ‘conversation starter’. He turned back to the tight knit trio, all staring at him, all confused. All suspects.

Yeah, Dan thought, this day just keeps getting better and better.

And to think, said the voice of his dead partner in his head, just yesterday all you had to worry about was the hungover cowboy in your backseat. That was Thursday. He caught the cowboy on Wednesday.

Chapter 2

The Past

Wednesday, December 28

There is nothing quite like the sight of an angry, hungover cowboy glaring at you from the backseat. Especially if that cowboy is six foot two, two hundred and forty pounds, handcuffed, and glaring. The cowboy in question was a mountain of a man they called Tex, though his real name was Mortimer Hasselberg. His eyes were a deep blue, almost azure. The eyes were cold and calculating, trying to decide which bone to break first. They promised death. The sneer guaranteed that it wouldn’t be a quick death.

Dan Landis fought to keep from rolling his own eyes. He didn’t have the heart to tell Tex that he got at least three death threats before breakfast. His own sister could give intimidation lessons to King Kong. And his brother-in-law, the man who looked so much like a black Columbo, could get an entire confession on the strength of his mustache.

Tex’s mouth twitched, his shoulders shifted. Dan tightened his grip on the stun gun. The one his current partner in crime had borrowed, and had yet to return.

Abbey, the partner in question, sat beside him in the driver’s seat. She was beaming, with a smile so broad you’d have thought she won the lottery. If it hadn’t been for the seat belt, she’d have floated away. Dan couldn’t help himself; he smiled at his effervescent partner.

What are you grinning at, runt? Tex growled. In all fairness, the man could growl like a champ. If you heard that growl in the woods it would be time to grab the bear spray. And start reconsidering your life options.

Dan cranked up the wattage on his smile. He turned from the beautiful sight of Abbey to the far less attractive Tex. Though in fairness, Tex did have that rough and tumble manliness that some women found irresistible. Plus, danger was always sexy. 

I’m just a happy guy, Tex, Dan admitted. Happiness came natural around Abbey. Plus, he had a soft spot for cowboys. So, how are you feeling? Dan had a vested interest in Tex’s overall mood.

Even handcuffed the guy could do some serious damage. In addition, Mama Landis had raised her baby boy to be polite. Or at least civil. And besides, good manners didn’t cost anything. And a guy like Tex could detect sincerity. Like a Tasmanian Devil, the cowboy could sense when you were lying. Or afraid.

Better than you will, kid, Tex promised. To keep from giving a disrespectful eye roll, Dan instead looked to the floorboard of his faithful car where a plastic grocery bag of felonious goodies sat.

Look Tex, Dan aimed for friendly and cheerful, which wasn’t difficult considering Abbey was beside him. We’re heading straight for the police station, and since I doubt you want your stuff confiscated, I put everything in a Harris Teeter bag by my feet. Except your wallet and keys, obviously.

I don’t need my pistolas to put on a hurtin’, Tex promised.

A hurtin’? Dan asked. There was a cough beside him, and he shot a glance at Abbey. She was grinning and mouthed a hurtin’ at him. He shook his head and added, You’re right, of course. But, I don’t think you have all the information, Mortimer.

Tex’s eyes narrowed. No one called him Mortimer. Then again, Dan reflected, if I were a walking man-mountain with a hair-trigger temper, I could probably get everyone to call me Tex too. Dan had tried for years to get everyone to call him Clutch, to no avail.

There was a rustle of clothing as Bernice Agnes Smith, better known as Abbey for reasons best left unexplained, glanced over at him. The sunlight caught her curly strawberry blond hair, giving her a halo. Her emerald eyes sparkled and she gifted Dan with a smile that made his heart flutter.

A hurtin’, she chuckled, and went back to watching the road and driving ten miles below the speed limit. To be fair, she hadn’t been driving that long, and for her it was still an accomplishment to keep the car between the lines. He turned back to the less pleasant sight of Tex.

Before you go to putting a hurtin’ on anyone, you should know you’ve got a lawyer waiting for you.

I do, do I? Tex asked. And which of this town’s prestigious legal eagles has deigned to represent me?

Boom-Boom, Dan replied.  To his credit, Tex’s jaw didn’t drop. His eyes narrowed further, to the point they were almost completely closed.

You want to run that by me again? Tex asked in a slightly softer voice. He leaned in closer, his jaw tightening. His face was unshaven and there was a faintly unpleasant smell hanging around. The guy had been on the run and he reeked of sweat and cheap booze. The lines under his eyes told Dan the man hadn’t slept within the last twenty-four hours. The body odor and stubble told him Tex hadn’t taken a shower in at least that long.

And now, it was time to stop running. Dan put on his million dollar smile.

Julianne Jones is waiting for you, Dan told the big man. His big sister, Julianne Boom-Boom Jones née Landis, was one of the smartest people he knew and one of the most successful criminal defense attorneys on the East Coast. And she was in trouble. Enough trouble that she had hired her idiot brother to track down Tex. Enough trouble that Jules was about to make a deal with the devil.

Money wouldn’t work with a guy like Tex. It wasn’t that Tex didn’t like money; it was just never going to be enough. Threats wouldn’t work either. You couldn’t intimidate Tex anymore then you could intimidate a Christmas tree. Tex would just as soon kill a blackmailer. So that left the scariest option.

Boom-Boom was about to hand out a marker, a favor that could be called in anytime, for any reason. And Dan couldn’t shake the feeling that this was going to blow up in their collective faces. 

The cowboy stared. The car slowed to a stop outside the police station. It was a gradual slowing, since Abbey had been driving at near glacial speeds prior. As the car eased to a stop, Dan slipped out of his safety belt. Keeping the stun gun pointed at Tex, he yanked at the car’s door handle. He kicked it open with his leg.

Dan had no intention of leaving Mortimer Hasselberg and Bernice Agnes Smith in the car alone. One was an unstoppable ball of fire and the other was Tex. Instead, Dan leapt out as soon as the car rolled to a stop, yanked open the back door, and resumed pointing the stun gun at Tex. The cowboy continued staring at him appraisingly.

Tex had a poker face Kenny Rogers would have been proud of. Dan grimaced at the sound of the gears jamming as Abbey wrenched the car into park before it stopped moving. One of the most important keys to being a successful private investigator was to have a fast, nondescript car in good working order. He had worked really hard to keep his little car in finely tuned shape. Abbey was a one-woman wrecking crew.

Dan had called ahead to make sure a uniformed cop was waiting on them at the police station. It always helped in a prisoner transfer to have a cop up front and visible. What didn’t help was that the officer in question was Reggie Wilson. The guy was half an inch taller than Dan, which still put him under the six foot mark. And while his mustache was coming in nicely, Reggie was about a hundred pounds soaking wet. The black uniform was half a size too big and he looked about as intimidating as a kid playing cops and robbers.

We meet again, Mr. Landis, Reggie smiled. Dan cringed. He’d been called Mr. Landis before, but Reggie sounded like he was about to inquire about mowing the lawn. Dan desperately wished Gary, the city’s leading homicide detective, could be here. Gary at least looked intimidating. Granted, the Three Stooges could probably have done a better job at intimidating Tex than Reggie. 

Dan offered a hand to help Tex out the back seat, but the big cowboy slid gracefully out, his long legs stretching in front of him. The big cowboy moved with the grace of a ballet dancer. The little mid-sized bounced as the weight came off its labored shocks.

The little car was perfect for weaving in and out of traffic, parking unobtrusively and being completely forgettable. It was not so great at transporting a shaved grizzly bear in a cowboy hat. Dan kept his knees bent, his steel-toed boots pointed toward Tex. He kept the stun gun pointed toward Tex’s back. Reggie looked ready to take them all to prom. Dan wondered if it was too late to sign up for dental school.

If you’d like, I can leave your stuff with Mama Hasselberg, Dan whispered to the cowboy.

Appreciate it, Tex whispered back over his shoulder. 

No hard feelings? Dan held his breath. On the list of things he needed, a cowboy with a grudge gunning for him wasn’t one of them.

Boom-Boom gets me free...no skin off my nose, Tex stated, though his dark blue eyes, an almost violet shade of blue, promised that the cowboy wouldn’t be quick to forgive Dan.

Need anything? It never hurt to ask.

After a moment’s consideration, Tex said in an even voice, I would appreciate it if someone would feed Trigger

Dan paused, wondering what a horse ate. Carrots? Hay? Bourbon? Trigger, right.

Boom-Boom gets me free, Trigger gets fed, and I might consider us even. The cowboy stared over his shoulder, those eyes burning a hole in the back of Dan’s head.

Trigger’s a horse, right? Dan asked. The cowboy just laughed. Dan realized later he really should have gotten a clearer answer.

Abbey honked the car’s horn, causing everyone to jump.

Sorry, she said, leaning out the window. Hi Reggie!

Hi Abbey. 

Dan rolled his eyes.

Chapter 3

The Present

Thursday, December 29

Dan knew he should have told Abbey no. In the time immediately before Christmas when Doc let slip that they were going to Warrenton, Virginia, and when they left, two days before New Year’s Eve, Dan knew he should have said something. Anything. At some point, Dan should have just looked into those gorgeous green eyes and said, Abbey, you can’t come.

Except he couldn’t. He couldn’t tell this girl No. For one, he didn’t really want to be alone over New Year’s. For another, the biannual Doc and Dan sausage fest could use an estrogen injection. And she was just so nice. A bit too nice.

Except she hadn’t been so nice when she’d slugged him across the jaw. For a ninety pound weakling, the gal could punch. Dan had actually tasted blood. At least Doc hadn’t bothered to hit him. Though, on reflection, seeing the agony on Doc’s face, witnessing that well-tanned, ruggedly handsome man go ashen and gray, well that had been downright heartbreaking, if Dan had had any heart left to break.

It had been dark that Thursday morning when Dan, Doc, and Abbey had left from the old farmhouse Leroy A. Brown, PhD. called home. And it had been dark when the three of them had arrived at the Gray Ghost Inn. He would have preferred to have gotten to Warrenton early to beat the pre-holiday rush and to get a lay of the land. But, Doc wanted to visit D.C. first. Best laid plans.

Abbey hadn’t cared. She was just so excited to be going anywhere, to be on some kind of exciting adventure. She was practically beside herself on the car ride up. She hadn’t stopped talking. It was like watching a six year old on a twelve pixie stick bender. Except, the exciting adventure had mostly involved a bookstore. An antique bookstore at that. Dan had undertaken an epic browsing through the shelves, while Abbey watched with rapt attention as Doc negotiated for a copy of Leopold Weisel’s Der Golem.

It was a reprint, but it had supposedly been a gift from David Ben-Gurion to Simon Wiesenthal. There was an index card and everything. Dan suspected the book was a late Chanukah present for someone in Tel Aviv. And that there was more than one fictional story being told. Then again, he wasn’t the one dropping some serious change on an old book. 

Dan had always been more of a casual reader. He liked books, but strongly suspected that antique bookstores weren’t in the business of selling the kind of books Dan read. Of course, he was surprised the bookstore was actually selling any book at all. Dan had always assumed the point of these stores was to preserve books in their natural habitat.

Abbey, meanwhile, was in paradise.

Or Gan Eden, his little voice suggested with a smirk. Every good private investigator needed a little voice in their head, and Dan’s little voice was his former partner, Maggie. She was dead. It was complicated. Dan shuddered. It was unnerving enough being around two intellectual giants like Bernice Agnes Smith, ABD and Leroy A. Brown, PhD. But now, even his little voice was starting to use five dollar words.

You never did tell me how you knew Tex’s Mom. Abbey’s voice broke through his thoughts as she sidled up to him. Well, she tried sidling. And if this were a movie, it would have been perfect. But, she just didn’t have that level of sleaze required for a true sidle. She was just too wholesome. Too pure. Plus, you really needed an overcoat loaded down with knockoff Rolexes. And to be on a bench or something so it would be smoother. The car’s cloth interior and center console separating their seats didn’t help her efforts.

Sure I did, Dan whispered back. Pinochle.

Pinochle?

Chapter 4

The Past

Wednesday, December 28

It was a miserable Wednesday night. Cold, wet, and raining. He did his best work in the rain. Actually, that wasn’t true at all. Dan did his best work around lunchtime, with ample lighting and a springtime air that made people careless.

But, it was part of the private investigator mystique that he had to work in the rain. And now he was driving along with the dorkiest femme fatale ever by his side, on their way to see Tex’s mother. And it was cold outside. Though not cold enough to turn the deluge of rain into anything more interesting than slush. At least the heat was running. Dan preferred to have a fast, nondescript car that had a good heater. And A/C. Though presumably you wouldn’t use both at the same time. That would just be stupid.

Dan and his new partner had just dropped off Tex and, instead of basking in the limelight, they were now sitting in front of the four thousand block of Pine Oaks retirement community.

It’s a card game, Dan told his new partner.

I know what pinochle is, Abbey shot back. She rolled her eyes and sighed. People seemed to do that a lot around Dan.

Well, he touched her knee, How about we play some time.

She moved his hand off her knee. Her touch sent an electric shock up his arm. You’re lying, she said. Unless pinochle is some kind of weird euphemism.

"Now do I