French Baguettes & Murder: A Prairie Crocus Cozy Mystery, #6

By Miranda Brickett

Book 6 of the Prairie Crocus Cozy Mystery Series.
Clean, wholesome fun (& murder) for all ages!

When Claudia Porter agrees to chaperone a school trip to France, sheexpects adventure and intrigue. What she doesn't count on is witnessing a murder in a foreign country. The hormonal teenagers she'ssupervising are at each other's throats and there's a killer on theloose - would she have been better off staying home?


A fun, casual read with a thirty-somethingamateur sleuth. Set in a charming rural town on the Canadian prairies,this series has quirky characters, no profanity, and plenty of cats.Each book is a full-length, standalone novel.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Miranda Brickett
• Release date: Sep 7, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201672638

Book preview

FRENCH BAGUETTES & MURDER

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Miranda Brickett

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A Prairie Crocus Cozy Mystery

Book 6

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Copyright 2021

All Rights Reserved

When Claudia Porter agrees to chaperone a school trip to France, she expects adventure and intrigue. What she doesn't count on is witnessing a murder in a foreign country. The hormonal teenagers she's supervising are at each other's throats and there's a killer on the loose - would she have been better off staying home?

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Released: June, 2021

Approximate word count:  50,000

Prairie Crocus Cozy Mystery Series

Book 6

Standalone: Yes 

Cliffhanger: No

This is a work of fiction.  All characters and events are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons or situations is entirely coincidental.  All rights reserved.  No part of this work may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the author, the only exception being brief quotations in a book review.

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Copyright © 2021 Miranda Brickett.

Contents

Chapter 01

Chapter 02

Chapter 03

Chapter 04

Chapter 05

Chapter 06

Chapter 07

Chapter 08

Chapter 09

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 01

Claudia Porter awoke with a start.

She rubbed her neck, which felt stiff due to falling asleep sitting up.  Her long auburn hair was tangled and all over the place.  It took Claudia a moment to gain her bearings.  As she emerged from her groggy state, she remembered where she was.

She was seated on a plane headed to Europe. 

Europe!

Suddenly she wasn’t sleepy anymore.

The cabin of the plane was dark.  The lights had been turned down for the long overnight flight.  A quick look around confirmed what Claudia thought: most people were napping or staring intently at their electronic devices. 

But the glowing tablet and cell phone screens weren’t the only source of light.  Claudia could see the sun shining through the edges of the pulled down window blinds.  Day had broken.  That meant they were getting close to their destination.  A jolt of excitement shot through her.

She leaned over and lifted the blind just a little.  She didn’t want to disturb the passengers who were getting some shut-eye, but she did want to peek outside.  When she did, her teal blue eyes widened in wonder.

She had expected to see nothing but clouds surrounding the plane.  Instead, she found herself looking at fields - fields that looked distinctly different than those back home on the Canadian prairies.  If she squinted, she could even make out a few buildings dotting the countryside.

Claudia’s best friend Emily stirred beside her, awaking with a comical snort.  The tall brunette was curled up in her seat, her huge sunglasses obscuring most of her face.  Once she came to, she glanced over her shoulder to make sure the aisle was clear.  Then she stuck her long legs out, groaning quietly as she stretched them.

For once in her life, Claudia was grateful to be on the short side.  There sure wasn’t much leg room on the plane.  She felt bad for Emily and every other tall person onboard.  Thankfully, the flight would soon be over.

We’re almost there! Claudia hissed gleefully, unable to contain her enthusiasm.

Emily let out a yawn and lifted her oversized black sunglasses.  So we are, she replied in a flat, monotone voice.  She may as well have been ordering a cup of coffee.

Claudia gave Emily an incredulous look.  Could you be any less enthused?

Emily shrugged.  I hate long flights, she grumbled.  Every year I come on this trip, I swear it will be the last.  But then the school needs volunteers to take the high school kids on their France trip and I always manage to get talked into it.

"Seriously?  You’re complaining?  You get to go to France every year for free!"

Yeah, and babysit a bunch of hormonal teenagers, Emily retorted, lowering her voice so that no one would overhear.  There’s a reason I teach elementary school, Claudia.  Teenagers are terrifying - and exhausting.

Claudia chuckled.  "You’re being dramatic.  I used to be a high school English teacher, remember?  And I’m telling you, teenagers aren’t that bad.  I’m sure it will be fine.  You might not be thrilled about chaperoning on this trip, but I couldn’t be more excited!  I still can’t believe I’m here.  I feel like I won the lottery."

Emily softened at that.  I’m not trying to rain on your parade, I swear.  I’ve been chaperoning this trip for years now.  I forgot it’s your first time traveling to France.  You’re going to love it.  And honestly, you’re doing us a huge favor by coming along at the last minute.

I’m lucky one of your other chaperones had to cancel, Claudia replied.  She must be so disappointed to be missing out on a trip to France.

I don’t think she’s that disappointed.  She and her husband had been trying to have a baby for years - she and I usually supervise recess together, so we visit, Emily explained.  As it turns out, it finally happened!  They’re over the moon.  But her first trimester has been a bit rough.

Is everything okay?

Oh, it’s fine.  She says it’s a perfectly healthy pregnancy, but the morning sickness has been awful and she’s tired all the time. She thought an international trip with a bunch of unruly teenagers would be too exhausting.

Understandable, Claudia nodded. 

You’ve heard what happened last year, right?  One of the kids made a stupid, unfunny joke while going through security at the airport.  He thought he was being edgy.  He nearly wasn’t allowed to board the plane, Emily recalled with an exasperated shake of her head.

Oh, wow.

And the year before that, two of the students got into a fist fight outside the Eiffel Tower.  One of them had his glasses broken before we were able to break things up.  It was over something completely stupid, too.  I can’t even remember what anymore.

Claudia grimaced.  But this year’s group doesn’t seem all that unruly to me?  Look at them.  They’re sitting quietly, for the most part.  They’re not disturbing other passengers or doing anything bad.  Maybe this year’s trip will be blissfully uneventful.

Just you wait, Emily cautioned.  Teachers talk.  I’ve heard things from my colleagues.

Claudia looked around the plane.  Which kids should we be keeping an extra close eye on?

Just then, a cheerful ding interrupted their conversation.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking! a perky female voice suddenly chirped over the intercom.  Welcome to France.  If you look out the window, you’ll see that it’s a beautiful, sunny day with clear skies.  We’re going to begin our descent shortly, so at this time I’d like to ask that everyone return to their seats and buckle up.  Merci beaucoup!

She spoke French, Claudia sighed dreamily.

Emily gave her a bewildered look as the captain repeated her message in French.  We’re Canadian, she reminded Claudia.  We hear French on every single flight we take.  I mean, there’s French printed on every cereal box and bottle of shampoo, too.

Yes, but this is different, Claudia insisted.  "It’s different because we’re in France!"

Emily chuckled.  You’re silly.

I know, Claudia grinned.

Emily took her sunglasses off and put them in her purse.  Then she pulled her shoulder-length brunette hair back into a low ponytail.  Seriously though, I’m really glad you could come on this trip on such short notice.  It will be great to finally spend some time together.

Absolutely.

A little over a year ago, Claudia had moved into a rundown farmhouse located just outside a tiny, picturesque town called Prairie Crocus.  Emily lived a short walk down the road, and the two women had become fast friends.  In fact, Claudia had quickly come to think of Emily as family.

The elementary school teacher was creative, goofy and fun.  She and Claudia went for long walks together and popped by each other’s homes for a cup of tea or glass of wine on a regular basis.  Emily was interesting, easy to talk to and a good listener.

Claudia had a sister, but they hadn’t been close in years.  They simply didn’t seem to have much in common.  In some ways, Emily filled that void in Claudia’s life.  She was like the sister Claudia had always yearned for.

She might look like a carefree thirty-something, but Emily’s life hadn’t been all sunshine and rainbows.  She had been widowed young after her husband died in a car accident.  She had put on a brave front.  For a long time, Claudia had honestly believed that Emily was at peace with being alone.

Then Claudia had fallen in love.

That was when her friendship with Emily had begun to change.

Admittedly, Claudia hadn’t noticed it at first.  She had been too wrapped up in her budding romance with Scott Anderson.  But it had soon become impossible to ignore the distance that had come between her and her best friend. 

Eventually, Emily had sheepishly admitted that, while she was happy for Claudia and Scott, seeing them so infatuated with one another had made her envious.  It had reminded her of what was missing from her own life.

Claudia’s heart had broken when she had found out Emily was lonely and hurting.  She had tried to be supportive, but Emily’s few clumsy attempts at getting back into the dating game had been devastatingly unsuccessful.  She knew her friend was frustrated, but she wasn’t sure how to help.

But that hadn’t been the only blow to their friendship.

A short time later, Claudia had made another good friend: a real estate agent named Ruby.  It had immediately soured her friendship with Emily, making things strained and awkward.  It seemed Emily felt like she was being replaced.  She was obviously jealous, and Claudia had no idea how to handle it.

The craziest part was she was pretty sure Emily and Ruby would become fast friends if they just gave one another a chance.  But Claudia saw the anger and pain that flashed in Emily’s eyes any time she mentioned Ruby’s name.  It was a difficult position to be in.

Claudia was hopeful that traveling to Europe together would bring her and Emily closer.  All she wanted was to return to the uncomplicated, easy friendship she and Emily had initially shared.  She missed it.

As the plane began its descent, Claudia gazed out the window and let out a wistful sigh.  Soon she would be exploring the streets of Paris before traveling to the south of France.  It all sounded so fancy, so sophisticated. 

She smiled to herself as she daydreamed about what was to come. 

She hoped it would be as amazing as she imagined.

Chapter 02

Everyone listen up! Emily said loudly, in an authoritative voice that sounded unlike hers. 

She seemed tense, her jaw clenched and her facial expression stern.  The normally bubbly elementary school teacher’s transformation was really something to behold, Claudia thought as she stared at her friend curiously.

The giddy teenagers clogging up the tiny lobby of the hotel paid Emily no attention whatsoever.  They were too busy animatedly chatting amongst themselves, cackling like hyenas and snapping selfie after selfie.  It was almost as though the adults who were in charge of supervising them on their trip didn’t exist.

Attention, please? Emily tried again, her voice faltering. 

Once again, no one even so much as glanced over in her direction.  The teens probably weren’t trying to be rude.  They were simply so wrapped up in their own conversations that they legitimately didn’t notice the teacher trying to get their attention.  It was understandable, Claudia thought to herself.

They were a long way from home, and Paris was nothing like Prairie Crocus.

The quaint rural town the travellers called home was quiet and laid back.  The hustle and bustle of one of the most famous and beloved cities in the world was vastly different from what the schoolkids were used to.  No one could fault them for being thrilled beyond belief that they were embarking on the trip of a lifetime.

Emily seemed out of her element.  It wasn’t her first time chaperoning high school kids on the annual trip to Europe.  That being said, she wasn’t very comfortable being an authority figure to teenagers - and it showed. 

Emily taught adorable little kids how to tie their shoes and sing songs about the alphabet.  It was important work, but it was very different from what was required to relate to - and manage - adolescents. 

Sensing she needed to step in, Claudia pulled a whistle out of her luggage.  She blew into it once and it let out a sharp, ear-splitting squeal.  Conversations abruptly ground to a halt as the teens winced and looked around in confusion.

With an apologetic glance at the less-than-impressed hotel front desk employee, Claudia blew the whistle a second time.  Just as she had suspected, it got the teens’ attention.  Some of them grabbed their ears dramatically and gave her dirty looks, but she simply shrugged unapologetically.  Maybe next time they would be more aware of their surroundings.

Emily - I mean Ms. Graham has an announcement, Claudia said helpfully.

That was impressive, Emily whispered, awestruck.  Then, in a louder voice, she said, I think by now all of you have your room keys.  If you don’t, come talk to me immediately.  It’s nine o’clock in the morning local time.  Have you all set your watches to local time?

Our phones auto-adjust, one of the teenagers informed her in a bored-sounding voice.

Oh, okay.  Good.  I want everyone to take their luggage up to their rooms.  I’m told there’s no elevator in this hotel, so I hope you all have plenty of energy!

A few of the kids groaned.  Claudia felt their pain.  After hours of being sedentary on the plane, she was stiff and sore.  She knew it would probably do her