Strawberry Shortcake & Murder: A Prairie Crocus Cozy Mystery, #9

By Miranda Brickett

Book 9 of the Prairie Crocus Cozy Mystery Series.

Clean, wholesome fun (& murder) for all ages!

When Claudia Porter's twin sister turns up on her doorstep, a carefully guarded secret comes to light. Claudia finally understands why their relationship has been so strained for so long. Her attempt to help goes horribly wrong when the two women discover a body. Can Claudia get to the bottom of the murder and help her traumatized sister finally feel safe?


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: Feb 4, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201904579

Book preview

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE & MURDER

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Miranda Brickett

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A Prairie Crocus Cozy Mystery

Book 9

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Copyright 2021

All Rights Reserved

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When Claudia Porter's twin sister turns up on her doorstep, a carefully guarded secret comes to light. Claudia finally understands why their relationship has been so strained for so long. Her attempt to help goes horribly wrong when the two women discover a body. Can Claudia get to the bottom of the murder and help her traumatized sister finally feel safe?

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Released: February, 2022

Approximate word count:  50,000

Prairie Crocus Cozy Mystery Series

Book 9

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 © 2022 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

Sunlight streamed in the window, bathing the small room in light.  Claudia Porter turned away from her computer screen and stared out the window, admiring the view.  Open fields led to the lake that was just past her country farmhouse. 

The small fishing shacks that spent the winter out on the ice were gone for the season.  The lake still appeared to be frozen over, but likely not for much longer.  After a few warm days in a row, the ice would crack and, slowly but surely, give way to sparkling crystal blue water.

Stop letting yourself be distracted, Claudia whispered to herself sternly as she glanced down at the pile of receipts and invoices that were scattered haphazardly across her desk.  Your work isn’t going to finish itself!  With that, she turned back to the task at hand, determined to finally make some progress on her spreadsheet.

Teaching high school in the city had been simpler in some ways.  The paycheck was consistent and straightforward.  But Claudia didn’t regret trading her teaching career in for a new adventure.  She had stumbled into the world of party planning.  To be precise, she rented out the large converted barn on her rural property - and she often got roped into coordinating the special occasions.

Though she was still getting accustomed to running her own business, she was doing well.  It wouldn’t make her rich by any stretch of the imagination, but wealth wasn’t her primary goal.  As long as Claudia could make a comfortable living doing something she enjoyed, she knew she would be content.

So far, things seemed to be going according to plan.  At least, she thought they were.  She needed to finish adding up her expenses and crunching the numbers to be certain.

Running her own business as a party planner was a dream come true, but being an entrepreneur meant one had to wear a lot of hats. Keeping track of her finances was not Claudia’s favorite part of the job, but it was necessary.

The doorbell suddenly rang insistently, three times in a row.

Scott? Claudia called, her eyes still glued to her computer screen.  Can you get that?

There was no reply.  Her boyfriend, Scott Anderson, must have gone out back to tinker in the workshop, which was where he spent a great deal of his time.  The talented jack-of-all-trades was always busy with some project or other, it seemed. If it wasn’t a pet project of his own, then it was a favor for a friend or acquaintance.

The doorbell rang again.

With a sigh, Claudia pushed her chair back from the desk.  She gave one last look at the unfinished spreadsheet on her computer screen before reluctantly shoving her feet into her fuzzy pink slippers and standing up.

She had been hoping to get the numbers all added up and the books balanced before the day was over.  Sadly, it was looking more and more like that wasn’t going to happen.  Hopefully whomever was at the door wouldn’t interrupt her for long; she had far too much work to do to waste time on uninvited visitors.

Claudia had been raised in the suburbs.  She had moved to the city for college and afterward, had stayed there for a number of years.  Now she lived out in the country, just outside a small rural town called Prairie Crocus.  She loved the slower pace of life, but there were still some things she struggled to get used to.

In the city, one always called ahead.  No one would ever dream of just turning up uninvited at someone else’s house.  But in Prairie Crocus, visitors dropped by unannounced all the time.  Sometimes it was a welcome interruption, like when Claudia’s friend and neighbor Emily Graham popped by for a cup of tea and a chat.  But other times, like today when she was trying to work, the interruptions weren’t exactly appreciated.

As Claudia walked through her charming old country farmhouse toward the front door, the doorbell rang yet again.  She scowled.  Okay, okay, I’m coming, she muttered under her breath.  You don’t have to be so impatient.

The moment before Claudia reached the door, it occurred to her that she probably looked like an absolute mess.  What if a potential client was standing on the front porch?  What kind of a first impression would she make looking the way she did?

She had spent the morning cleaning - having two cats meant that there was a never ending supply of pet hair tracked throughout the house.  She was still wearing her work clothes, which consisted of baggy charcoal colored sweatpants and an oversized black, bleach-stained t-shirt.  She couldn’t even remember if she had combed her long auburn hair that morning, and she knew for a fact that she wasn’t wearing any makeup.

Oh, don’t be so vain, she chastised herself. 

She was no glamor queen, that much was for sure.  But so what?  She had gone grocery shopping in her work clothes on more than one occasion.  Everyone in the tiny, picturesque town of Prairie Crocus had probably seen her looking as disheveled as she currently did.  Besides, people didn’t hire her for her fashion sense...and it was a good thing.

Claudia flung open the front door.

When she saw who was standing there, she blinked in surprise.

A petite woman with perfectly flat ironed auburn hair was standing on the porch, tapping her foot impatiently.  She was curvy like Claudia.  She also had the same pale skin tone and lightly freckled button nose.

There were indisputable similarities between the two, but there were also stark differences.  The other woman carried herself much differently than Claudia did, her head held high and her arms crossed in an almost aggressive manner.  Her mouth was contorted in an impatient frown and gigantic black sunglasses obscured half her face.

Unlike Claudia, the other woman looked put together.  Her hair was perfectly styled.  Her designer jeans were complemented by shiny black leather boots that probably cost more than Claudia’s entire wardrobe.  Her crisp white blouse was untucked but instead of looking sloppy, it looked trendy and chic.  Delicate gold jewelry finished off her outfit, gleaming in the rapidly receding late afternoon sunshine.

If one knew to look for it, a baby bump was visible beneath the white blouse. 

Madeline! Claudia blurted out, unable to hide her shock.  What are you doing here?

Is that any way to greet your twin sister? Madeline retorted.

I mean...I wasn’t expecting you.  You didn’t call. 

Claudia’s sister lived in a ritzy city suburb full of impressive, overpriced McMansions.  It wasn’t exactly close enough for the sisters to drop in for impromptu visits...not that they ever did.  They weren’t really close in the way one might expect sisters to be.  Sadly, they hadn’t had a particularly good relationship since their teens.

Surprise, Madeline said with an unapologetic shrug.  Aren’t you going to invite me in?

Of course, Claudia replied, stepping back to allow Madeline entry.  I haven’t heard from you in a while.  How are you?  How’s the baby? she asked, her eyes returning to her sister’s slightly extended belly.

The baby is fine.  Pregnancy is awful.  I’ve been exhausted and nauseous all the time, and forget trying to sleep through the night.  You’re lucky you never had kids, Madeline replied with a dramatic, self-pitying sigh.

Even though the comment stung, Claudia forced a sympathetic smile.  Speaking of kids, how are Dawson and Arabella?  Even though her sister drove her batty, she had a soft spot for her young nephew and niece.  It wasn’t their fault their mother was an insufferable, selfish woman.

They’re fine.

Are they with you? Claudia asked hopefully.

No, Madeline replied, shutting the door behind her.  They’re off school right now - Reading Week or whatever the schools are calling it these days.  I dropped them off with Mom and Dad for the week.

Oh, fun!  I’m sure Mom and Dad will be thrilled to be able to spend time with them.  I know Scott and I really enjoyed it when they came to stay with us, Claudia said, her eyes sparkling at the recollection. 

In the beginning, her frosty relationship with Madeline had prevented her from being the aunt she wanted to be.  But when her sister had been desperate for childcare, it had given Claudia the opportunity to really get to know the kids. 

Her precocious niece and ever-curious nephew were two of her very favorite people in the world.  She only wished she got to see them more often.  She wrote them letters and sent them small trinkets in the mail instead, to let them know she was thinking about them.

"Where is Scott, anyway?  He is still your boyfriend, right? Madeline asked in her typical, blunt manner.  She nodded toward Claudia’s left hand.  I don’t see any ring on your finger."

Claudia self-consciously slipped her hand into the pocket of her sweatpants.  No, no ring yet, she confirmed quietly.  She was getting impatient waiting for a proposal, but she would never admit it to her judgmental, infuriatingly perfect and happily, smugly married sister.

Well, you know what they say.  Why buy the cow if you get the milk for free?

Claudia blinked.  Did you just call me a cow?

It’s an expression, Madeline retorted with a dismissive wave of her hand.  Don’t be so sensitive. You always take things so personally.

Madeline stepped out of the entryway and looked around.  She didn’t bother to remove her dark, oversized sunglasses.  It was anyone’s guess if she had forgotten she was wearing them or simply considered herself a diva.

I see you’re still not done renovating this place, she observed, noting the neatly stacked boxes of vinyl plank flooring that had yet to be installed.  "How do you cope with living in a construction zone for months on end?  Do you like living like this?"

Claudia cleared her throat.  What are you doing here, Madeline?

What, I can’t come visit my only sister?

Claudia folded her arms.  You never come to visit me, she reminded her twin.  You never return my calls or answer my texts, either, she couldn’t help but add, not bothering to hide her hurt.  What’s going on, Madeline?  Spit it out.

Madeline’s self-assured smirk faltered ever so slightly.  Suddenly she didn’t seem as confident as usual.  I need a place to stay, she finally admitted.

Why, what happened?

It’s not important.  The point is, I can’t stay at my house right now.

Plumbing issues? Claudia guessed as she imagined her sister’s fancy mansion reeking of raw sewage.  She felt guilty admitting it even to herself, but the thought was amusing.  But she was probably a bad person for wishing something like that on her only sibling.

No.

Bedbugs, or some other type of infestation? Claudia guessed again, shuddering at the notion of creepy crawlies taking over.  The thought was almost too much to bear.  Even her insufferable sister didn’t deserve that.

No! Madeline snapped, clearly losing patience.  I just need to stay here for a bit, okay?

Why here?  Why me?  Why not go stay with Mom and Dad if the kids are there anyway?

There’s no room.

Sure there is...if you’re not too fussy, Claudia countered.  Go stay with our parents.

That isn’t an option, Madeline said quietly.

Claudia raised an eyebrow.  Why not?  Did you say something rude and get into it with them? she asked, determined to squeeze every last detail out of her evasive sister.  Madeline was being incredibly vague.  That meant