A Bane in the Neck: Veronica Swift Mysteries, #1

By Ember Mae

Join Roni and Doodle, her sassy Westie, as they explore who killed Kourtney Blake, before Roni goes down for the murder herself.

 

Veronica (Roni) Swfit just wants to make shoes and run her custom- made shoe shop, but no one told her non-peak season at Last Resort and Spa in in Crescent Valley, Vermont would be so dead.

 

She's struggling to make ends meet and too stubborn to accept help, which means she's stuck working with the ever unpleasant Kourtney Blake—her brother's ex-fiance— in an upcoming St. Paddy's Day event for the resort.

 

The partnership is not going well and becomes much harder to manage when Doodle discovers Kourtney's body under the ski lift.

 

Detective Graham Parker is on the case, working closely with Roni's best friend—Angela (Angie) Stewart— who happens to be the head of resort security.

 

Sparks fly between Detective Parker and Angie, but tensions rise when Roni is considered the prime suspect by the chief of police.

 

Roni's recently found family at the resort rally around her as they help her triumph over injustice. The only question is: what is it going to cost her?

 

If you love Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, or Agatha Christie's Miss Marple series, you'll adore this oddball group of characters and entertained by a twisty murder to solve.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Emmie B.
• Release date: Mar 14, 2022
• ISBN: 9781953798282

Book preview

1

The sun shone down on the mountain, the early morning fog long gone and replaced with a steady, comforting heat for Vermont in early spring. I checked behind me to make sure my trouble-finding pup was still with me on our trek to the shop. 

Some trees around the shops had leaves already back on their limbs and the bushes planted by my shop had shiny red berries on them. 

I looked over at Doodle and then back at the bush. I don’t know how this thing has already got fruit on it, but this is a berry no one should eat, I told him. Especially you. Remind me later and I’ll take all of them off and get rid of them. I don’t need you or anyone else getting red baneberry poisoning.

Doodle doggy grinned up at me, then continued smelling his way to the door to my shop.

The door was made of paneled panes with dark stained wood moldings. Stuck to one of those panes was an envelope with big red letters on it.

I sighed.

Late notice, I told Doodle, my snow-white West Highland Terrier, while he waited for me to open the door. 

He cocked his head at me and whined a little. 

I know, but I can’t afford to feed us and pay rent on this building, I complained. No one told me when I accepted this space that the non-peak season was so desolate. I shoved the key in the hole, gave it a twist, and pushed the door open. Doodle half barked at me and then ran inside, his nails clacking on the hardwood, and his white ears bouncing in time with his steps. 

I rolled my eyes. He was such a prince sometimes. 

Doodle, can you get the station set up for our appointment today? I’m going to check the messages. 

Doodle sat down, looked at me and huffed. 

I laughed, Right, I forgot, you’re a freeloader, not an assistant. 

He chuffed, then trotted to his bed in the corner of the small boutique shoe store and promptly took his mid-morning nap. 

I laughed, turning back to the door. I pulled the letter from the pane and locked the door again. Then I made my way over to the old cedar-topped counter I had as a cashier stand. It was bare except for the old-fashioned cash register I found for a steal on Facebook Marketplace and a small phone and answering machine in the corner. I didn’t want to field customer calls on my off days, of course right now, fielding calls would be a blessing. 

I hit the little button next to the red light on the machine and waited for the message. I hoped it was another client appointment. That would be a lifesaver right about now. 

Hey, Roni, it’s Charlie. I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to cancel my appointment. It’s a tough time right now. We’re short-staffed, and my main chef just called out sick. I’ll set up another appointment when I get a chance. My feet are killing me. I hope you have a great day, and I’m really sorry. Um, okay, bye, the machine said. 

I let my face fall to the counter. This sucks! I groaned into it. 

Doodle ran over to me, apparently concerned by my face-smashing behavior, and jumped up to my knee. I bent down and picked up his almost weightless body, snuggling him close to my chest. 

Thanks, my little dragon. I love you too. 

He licked my nose, then clacked onto the counter. 

You know, it’s a good thing I don’t run a bakery. You couldn’t be on the counters there. 

He chuffed again, then spun in a circle three times before lying down in the middle of the counter space. 

I left him there and began preparing for the day. I swept the floors, counted the money in the cash register and the cash in the safe in the back room, I adjusted all the shoes, and put up a flier for twenty-five percent off on pre-made pairs of shoes. Hopefully, that would catch the eye of some shopaholic guest. 

I had just enough time to read what was in the letter left on my door before I needed to welcome the nonexistent masses into my store. I took a deep breath and sliced it open. It read: 

Dear Miss Swift, 

You are hereby informed that you will be required to partake in Vendor Agreement Heading B Section 24-C, whereby you and Miss Kourtney Blake will create and advertise an event for the upcoming St. Patrick’s holiday for Last Resort and Spa. You will receive further instructions from a Board of Directors member shortly. Please prepare a list of ideas. 

If you refuse to take part in this assignment, your store, Sole Mates, will be closed down and your vendor agreement void. As a low-income producer, you will be subject to Heading B Section 24-C anytime you are three months behind on rent and/or are not producing the expected revenue as agreed upon in your Vendor Agreement. 

Have a great day. 

Sincerely, 

The Board of Directors, Last Resort and Spa

I put the letter on the counter, my hands shaking slightly. Doodle scooted over to me, nosing my face. 

Have a nice day, I grumbled to the letter. They’re making me work with the woman who not only canceled an expensive wedding, and cheated on my brother, but also called me a thief. Are they insane? Nora Last is on the board. She’s that witch’s grandmother. She knows what happened. Ugh. 

Doodle licked my nose this time, and I laughed. 

Okay, okay, I’ll settle down, jeeze, I said, wiping the slobber from my nose. But I want it made absolutely clear that I’m doing this for you and your highfalutin lifestyle. You hear me? 

Doodle sat, looking at me with a smile.

I sighed looking down at my phone. It was March eleventh. That gave me seven days to come up with some fantastic event. How was I going to work with the Wicked Witch of the North?

The tinkle of my phone alarm started ringing through the pocket of my jeans, which meant it was showtime. I turned it off and headed for the door.  

All right, little dragon. Let’s hope we get more customers than we did yesterday, I said, flipping the little plank hanging on the door from ‘Closed’ to ‘Open’ and unlocking it. 

I headed back to my post behind the counter when I heard the bell on the door jingle. I turned, surprised and excited that it seemed a customer had been waiting for me to open. All of that washed away when I saw who was actually coming in my door. 

What do you want? I asked, turning all the way around to face off with the blonde standing in my doorway. It was Kourtney Blake, just the woman I didn’t want to see.

She was taller than me, but then who isn’t when you’re five foot one? Kourtney had long bleached blond hair, spray tanned skin, and cold blue eyes that were always calculating to make sure she got the better end of every situation. She wore a hot pink business suit, even though she was the nurse on campus for the resort and should probably wear scrubs. From head to toe, everything on her person was, as my best friend Angie would say, aesthetically pleasing, but it turned my stomach. 

Doodle growled from the counter. His eyes narrowed at her. I didn’t know if it was my tone that put him on edge, or if it was just the witch’s presence, but either way, he wasn’t happy. 

Your mutt isn’t going to bite me, right? 

I crossed my arms. He’ll bite, but only if I tell him to. Why are you here?

She took a step farther into the room and let the door close behind her with a clang. Didn’t you get the notice? she asked, speaking in a high-pitched, nasal tone that made my skin crawl. I walked back behind the counter. I needed something between us so I couldn’t just lunge at her. That would not be appropriate.

Yes, I did. I didn’t expect you to show up here though. I figured we would send vaguely rude emails back and forth like civilized adults, I said, wondering if that would in fact be considered the adult thing to do in this situation. You’d think at twenty-seven I would have a better grasp on what being an adult was all about, but I concluded a couple years ago that being an adult is even more of an enigma when you are one than when you aren’t. 

We have to put on a show-stopping event or we’re both getting kicked out of here, and a show-stopping event does not get done through email. Besides, we have to work together to do it. Trust me, I clarified that part extensively. 

Which really means you’re just looking forward to bossing me around and making me go fetch things for you, like you had Teddy doing for the wedding you canceled the day before? 

She smiled, but it wasn’t pleasant. Yes, that’s part of it. Though I would’ve preferred to just have Ashley do all the work for me, Nora insisted we work together to fulfill our vendor agreement. 

Who calls their grandmother by their first name? I asked, dumbfounded. 

I do. Trust me, she’s not really the grandmotherly sort, she said, waving me off. We’ll have lunch at noon over at your friend’s café. Don’t be late. I’m an important person and I don’t want to be stuck waiting for you. Also, leave the mutt here. 

He’s not a mutt. 

He’s a dog, and that’s all that matters to me, she said, turning on her heel, her blond hair sailing behind as she headed for the door.