The Cove Cottage Murders: Boddington Bay Mystery Series, #3

By Lucinda D. Davis

The decades old, cold case disappearance of a transient near the trendy village of Boddington Bay was about to get warm…very, very warm.

Angela Augustine loves life in Boddington Bay: her upscale shop, The Kitchen Sink is always buzzing with activity, her twin bakers Bonnie and Betty can braise, beat, or bake anything into a succulent dish or a Danish, and boater Larry Brownlow is becoming a very good friend! Now, if her silly cousin Lisa, foisted upon her in the terms of a will, would remain quiet about a past secret, life would be great.

Angela and Larry wonder if the story about a travelling man's disappearance from Coyne's Corners years ago is imaginary. When a threatening note is found behind a beloved photo they accept the challenge and act as the eyes, ears and legs of an old man who is convinced there was something fishy about his friend's sudden and strange departure. 

The inhabitants of Coyne's Corners just outside of Boddington Bay are all suspects: the miserable mechanic with the son who spied on people, the man-hungry woman with an overactive imagination, and the lawyer with an odd obsession. But when Angela and Larry get too close to the truth, they themselves come under fire and the cold case becomes almost too hot to handle.

This small town mystery offers east coast flair and flavor, a community with more than its fair share of quirky and colorful characters, and a protagonist getting over, and trying to hide a past. Then, throw in the feline mischief and mayhem of Angela's rescue kitten, Fudge, and you've got a short read full of fun, mystery and suspects galore!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lucinda D. Davis
• Release date: Jan 15, 2019
• ISBN: 9781386935735

Lucinda D. Davis

About the Author Lucinda D. Davis has been reading and loving mystery stories since she was old enough to haunt the narrow rows of books at the small Quebec, Canada village library where she spent her summers. After decades of penning ad copy, marketing, and writing for horse sport magazines, she decided to do what people had been telling her to do for years: write some books! She presently lives in a small hamlet on the beautiful Rideau Canal in Ontario, Canada. Her living room view looks out over the locks and waterways. This idyllic setting replete with friends, and more than a few interesting characters inspired her Boddington Bay series of short 'coffee break' cozy mysteries. Her longer Coppin's Lock series brings England to the Canadian countryside! The stories introduce readers to a trendy town in Ontario, Canada that could have been plucked from the English landscape, quirky characters included! Take the essential and quintessential British tea shop, pub and antique shop, throw in two female sleuths, add a Police Chief left shaking his head and you've got the ideal cozy mystery. While the girls may roam from home from time to time, their hearts are firmly set in Coppin's Locks! Visit her website at http://www.lucindadavisauthor.com and Like her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Lucinda-D-Davis-637648859641784/

Book preview

Boddington Bay Mystery Series.

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Please note that all the characters in this book are fictitious, and while some of the places are real, others are from my imagination.

Chapter 1

Angela gently pushed Fudge, her black kitten, off the bathroom counter, gazed in the mirror and sighed in exasperation. Her short hair was determined to remain flat and boring. Opening a cabinet, she found some styling gel and was finally able to inject some life into her hairdo. She didn’t have time for this! She had an appointment at the Riverside Retirement Home to speak to a Mr. Cal Granger. The Heritage Society was collecting stories and photos of Boddington Bay’s interesting and colorful past and she hoped the older residents would be delighted to share memories.

Not too great there on the back, cuz. Makes you look like your head is flat on the right.

Angela jumped, banged her knee and swore. Dammit Lisa, don’t you ever knock?

Lisa, her cousin and store employee, examined her own hair in the mirror. I went with an electric blue splash of color today. What do you think?

I think any woman of your age who puts garish lines of color in her hair is an idiot. There is my opinion.

Angela glared at her cousin, pushed her out of the bathroom and they went down Angela’s apartment stairs together to her store, The Kitchen Sink. Adjoining it was the bakery where Bonnie and Betty, the sixty-year old identical twins, were mixing, pounding, shaping and creating their masterpieces for the waiting public who would arrive just after nine for scones, muffins, Danish and coffee and tea.

By the way, I did a little Googling last night, announced Lisa.

Oh great, you managed to find the on/off switch on your laptop? answered Angela with a dash of sarcasm.

The jibe went over Lisa’s head. "I found out that the place you lived in for two months is undergoing an overhaul. You know which place I mean, don’t you?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

Angela rolled her eyes. Lisa, foisted upon her under the conditions of her late Aunt Marie’s will, would never let her forget that she had spent two months in a minimum-security prison for the supposed theft of a $15,000 ring at Cartier’s on Fifth Avenue in New York.

I just thought you’d want to keep up on news for former jailbirds. You are sort of part of a special club now.

Angela turned, walked into her office and clenched her fists. Lisa, and her dim-witted husband Monty were two of just three people who knew the truth about Angela’s jail time. Lisa like to drop hints from time to time in front of people and more than once she had come awfully close to letting the cat out of the bag, but so far disaster had been avoided. The third person who knew the truth was Angela’s friend Larry Brownlow, retired policeman and local boater. Angela knew she could count on him to stay silent.

Thank you, Aunt Marie, Angela said to nobody, for leaving me lots of money - that was great - but no thanks for making me have to hire Lisa. That was not so great.

Ten minutes later, Angela, armed with iPad, notepad and pens, walked back into the main room of her store. Pots, pans, knives, linens, accessories, cookbooks, cutlery and