Murder and Macchiatos

By Mikki Sadil

Peyton Ashford is a law professor, her husband Cooper is the city District Attorney, and they have just turned an ancient barn, inherited from Peyton's grandmother, into Dauphin's Cove only coffeehouse, the Books and Brews Bistro. It is a very inviting place to have a delicious coffee drink and browse the many books at the back of the Bistro. While converting the huge upstairs of the barn into a beautiful living space for Peyton and Cooper, workers uncover a body behind the barn.

The body belongs to Peyton's great-uncle, whom she has not seen since childhood. The Sheriff declines to investigate so Peyton enlists the help of her two best friends, Willow and Kylie, to help her solve the murder. Strangely, this murder happened in the exact same way as the murder of her great-great grandfather, over 100 years ago. Along the way, a teenage girl mysteriously disappears and her parents refuse police help in finding her, but Peyton is determined to do so. A mysterious explosion destroys the teen's home, and searchers find the body of her brother...not killed in the explosion but murdered.

A competitive law professor and a Federal Drug agent become involved, determined to prevent Peyton from solving these crimes, especially that of her great-uncle. Fake art reproductions, hundreds of thousands of dollars fraudulently acquired, a stolen antique scrimshaw, a deadly lab, and the interference of a strange woman all add to Peyton's problems in trying to solve the worst and most unusual crimes the small town of Dauphin's Cove had ever seen.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BWL Publishing Inc.
• Release date: Jul 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9780228621515

Mikki Sadil

Mikki Sadil, wife, mother, grandmother, artist, horse trainer, and author of four books and more than thirty short stories and non-fiction articles, all for kids from ten to sixteen has had a passion for writing since she was ten years old and had her first set of poems published, and that passion has continued her whole life.Mikki lives in a small Victorian town on the beautiful Central Coast of California. She and her husband share their home with an incredibly handsome and intelligent Corgi, Dylan, a lazy Siamese/Himalayan cat, Beaujangles, and their mixed-up little cockatiel, Riley, who can’t decide who in this household is boss...but, as Mikki says, "of course, I am!"To find out more about Mikki's books, click this link to go directly to her blog: http://mikki-wordpainter.blogspot.com/

Book preview

Murder and Macchiatos

A Payton Ashford Mystery - Book One

By Mikki Sadil

Digital ISBNs

EPUB 9780228621515

Kindle 9780228621522

PDF9780228621539

Print ISBNs

Amazon 9780228621546

LSI 9780228621560

B&N 9780228621553

Copyright 2022 by Mikki Sadil

Cover Art by Michelle Lee

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher of this book.

Dedication

To my son, Jeffrey, my daughter, Lisanne, and

To my husband, Richard,

I miss you all so much.

Chapter One

June 7th, 2019

Peyton Ashford, Professor of Law, stood back and surveyed the shop with great satisfaction, hazel-green eyes sparkling as she shook her head, letting the thick curly red hair dance on her shoulders. It was finished. The family bookstore, first opened in 1860 when the small town of Dauphin’s Cove, Connecticut, was still a whaling village, but which had been unused for generations, had come alive again. It had become an old, decrepit barn building, at one time on the edge of town, then totally forgotten as the town grew up around it. Now, rebuilt, refurbished, it was ready for the Grand Opening on Saturday.

Cooper, her husband, walked in from the back room. "Hey, you look exhausted,

sweetheart. Sit down, I’ve just made some coffee so we can relax for a few minutes before going home." He brushed his lips across her forehead, handed her a mug of fragrant coffee, and pushed her gently down on one of the new luxurious chairs.

Peyton smiled at him. Coop, just think. Saturday we are going to open once again. The new Books and Brews Bistro has finally come to life. Don’t you think it looks great?

He laughed. No, honey, it doesn’t look great, it looks wonderful. And to think…just a couple of months ago, this was nothing but a falling down old barn, full of dust, mice, spider webs, and probably a few critters I prefer not to think about.

She nodded. I know. And to think this all came from my grandmother is beyond amazing. Especially considering I had not seen her or had any contact with her since I was ten years old. I not only did not know the history of this building, I didn’t even know it existed. Or, for that matter, that my grandmother was even still alive.

She paused for a moment. But, Coop, you know, the barn has been thought to be haunted for well over a hundred years by this entire town. Think that will hurt my business?

"Oh, honey, come on. You know that isn’t true, well, I mean about this place actually being haunted. That was just a rumor that got started when your great-great-grandfather was murdered there, when it was a bookstore, and everyone in town at that time was sure who the killer was, but the police never arrested him. Then everybody started saying your relative’s ghost was haunting the town because his killer got away. I still don’t understand how such an idea could have come down here in modern times, but it’s nothing but an old superstition. When they see what you’ve done to that old thing, and the wonderful bookstore and coffee house it has become, nothing is going to keep people away."

Cooper picked up a copy of the latest newspaper, the Dauphin’s Cove Chronicle, that the husband of one of Peyton’s two best friends owned. And after the townspeople read this great story that Zack published about how the new Bistro came to be, it will be even better advertisement for you. Besides, it will save both of us having to repeat it every time someone walks in here.

He reread the article for about the tenth time, nodding his head as he did so. The story was true, and both fascinating and a bit horrifying. The headline read Phillips Book Barn Comes Alive After 140 Years.

In 1880, when this town of Dauphin’s Cove was just a village, Charlotte Randall Phillips open a bookstore in a newly built barn at what at that time was the edge of town. In those days, most people did not have the money to buy many books, but somehow the bookstore managed to prosper. However, when Mark Phillips, Charlotte’s husband, was murdered in the bookstore, his killer was never found, nor was a motive ever discovered, and shortly thereafter, Charlotte closed the store and became a recluse, almost never seen about town, although she insisted on keeping the building.

Then three months ago our own Law Professor Peyton Ashford suddenly inherited the building. She and her husband, District Attorney Cooper Ashford, have restored the building completely, and will be opening it soon as a combined bookstore/coffee shop, to be called the BOOKS AND BREWS BISTRO. Congratulations, Professor Ashford.

We are all looking forward to our first cup of coffee at the new BISTRO in town. "

Cooper finished reading aloud the article and looked over at Peyton. Honey, I am so proud of you. You took over this place and made it into your own, almost entirely by yourself. You even did most of the work, except for the reconstruction part. And it is beautiful. Just like you.

Peyton smiled at him. Thanks, Coop. I couldn’t have done it without you. And you know, I’m proud of myself, too. I never realized I could do much of anything except teach law.

She sat quietly, thinking back over the past few months. The phone call from the lawyer, Jackson Newberry, was quite a shock. His claim that she had an inheritance from her grandmother, a woman she barely knew and had had no contact with in almost twenty years, was unbelievable. When she visited his office, and he read the will, leaving her an inheritance of over $100,000 and the abandoned and almost completely deteriorated barn, she was verbally incapacitated for several minutes. But it was true, and legal.

The money went into the bank, into a new savings account that same day. The following day, she and Cooper found the building which had once stood at the end of town but was now almost smack in the middle of it. They contacted the City Council and learned that the city had wanted to destroy the building as it was considered the town’s eye sore, but they couldn’t touch it due to its being in a family trust. There was nothing they could do until the trust was finally resolved or revoked, but now that they knew who the building belonged to, they could begin to tear it down.

Peyton remembered crying out, Oh no you don’t. That barn has been in the Phillips’ family for six generations. It was left to me by my grandmother, who owned it free and clear, and I will refurbish and rebuild it.

Now, Peyton turned to Cooper and said, I was just thinking about that awful day in the City Council’s office. How we had to argue about keeping this building and rebuilding it. They were so determined that now it was out of the trust, they could tear it down.

Cooper smiled. Yeah, and I remember how you fought tooth and nail to keep it. And just look, Peyton…look around you at what you have made this old place into. Your family would be proud of you, all the way back to your great-great-grandmother.

The barn that had become a bookstore and a coffee bistro was beautiful. The original building had been one enormous room, with different areas blocked off with partial walls, most of which had nearly disintegrated. The interior walls had been built of huge oak beans, still standing and only needing a good sanding and a clear glaze to make them as beautiful as they had once been. Peyton redesigned the entire interior of the barn, adding oak beams in the ceiling, with open spaces in between, where skylights were mounted. The sunlight in the daytime reflected over hundreds of books, danced through handmade stained-glass windows, most of them original and restored with a little love and a lot of hand cleaning, and shone brightly on the beautiful, polished oak wood inlaid through the walls of the barn. And at night, the moonlight tiptoed over those same walls, books, and windows, and cast enchanting shadows throughout the building.

It now had four large rooms, three of which were dedicated to different genres of books, a few tables in each room, and some soft and supple leather chairs to sit and read by the light of antique lamps placed on side tables. The fourth room was the largest, and was the coffee bistro, with round tables, comfortable chairs, and a polished oak counter running the full length of the room. Antique stools invited patrons to sit comfortably in front of the counter, with all the fixings and trimmings for a large variety of coffee behind it. Peyton had bought books about coffee beans and the making of unique coffees and coffee drinks and studied them until they were second nature. Now she felt very comfortable about being the chief coffee barista of the Books and Brews Bistro. However, she still needed to hire a crew of baristas, as well as someone to manage the books part of the Bistro.

* * *

Later that morning, Peyton and one of her two best friends, Willow Rossi, were standing on the sidewalk waiting for the third member of their group, Kylie Wilson. Peyton was dressed in one of her usual walking outfits, casual and comfortable knit dark green pants, a white T-shirt with a light-weight pale green sweater thrown over her shoulders, and a comfortable pair of white sneakers. On the other hand, even though they were just going for their daily walk, Willow was dressed impeccably, as always. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail, held with a colorful and sequined ribbon, while her curvaceous body was clothed in a shimmering blue blouse tucked into very form fitting navy blue slacks, with more sequins on the pockets and at the slacks’ ankles. She looked more ready for a stroll down Hollywood Boulevard in California, than a daily walk in this small town. But that was Willow, who was now talking about the latest wedding she was planning, and how thrilled she was that her new social media blog, Willow’s Weddings, was partly responsible for her latest business.

I don’t see why you don’t get a blog, she said to Peyton. Now that you’re opening the Bistro, it would be an immense boost to the business, I’m sure of it."

"Come on, Willow, you know I don’t care anything about social media. So much of it is arguing and being just plain nasty these days. It’s all about politics and politicians, and I am not the least bit interested. Besides, the Bistro is the only bookstore in town, so now people won’t have to go to New London to buy books, and we will be the only coffee shop in town, since the City Council decided against having a Starbuck’s here. I don’t think I’m going to hurt for business."

Willow shrugged. Well, maybe not, but I just know you would have a lot more business if you got a blog.

Got a blog about what? And where? Kylie walked up, late as usual. She was the eccentric of the three friends, a Professor and Historian of Ancient Artifacts, whose interest in the old, ancient, and unusual clothing came from the several Archeology digs in South America and Africa she had gone on. She usually dressed in ways that neither Peyton nor Willow would ever be found dead in long skirts in bright colors and strange patterns, combined with long shirts in eye-catching neon colors, and fastened with weirdly patterned animal skin belts that neither Peyton nor Willow wanted to know anything about. Kylie combined stripes with plaids, short skirts with long over-shirts in African patterns; shorts with heavy sweaters made, again, of wool from an animal neither of the other two cared to know about; and sometimes, in both winter and summer, for their early morning walks, Kylie would appear in pajamas, always brightly unmatched, with a fur jacket and UGG boots in winter, or a colorful tie-dyed t-shirt over a pajama top and high-topped laced sandals over pajama pants in the summer. Today, she wore a bright green pair of leggings, with a neon chartreuse overblouse, and laced up purple sandals.

Holy moly, Kylie, what kind of get-up is that? I swear, you come up with the weirdest color combinations I’ve ever seen, Willow rolled her eyes. I just was telling Peyton she should start a blog about the Bistro, because it would bring in a lot of new business. Probably even from New London. But you know Peyton, she doesn’t like social media.

Peyton laughed and entwined her arms in those of Willow and Kylie. "That’s right, I’m not a blogging kind of person. I know both of you are, and that’s great, but it just doesn’t interest me. Come on, let’s walk. You know, Saturday is the big day. We are going to open the Bistro at 11:00 am, and we’re going to have music, and champagne, hors d’oeuvres, pastries, and lots and lots of coffee drinks. I would really appreciate it, if both of you would be there around eight o’clock to help Cooper and me set everything up. Oh, and in the evening, after it gets dark, one of Coop’s friends is going to set up some fireworks for us. How about that for a Grand Opening."

They set out for their daily walk, as Willow asked, "Hey, who is going to provide all the food? And champagne? Wow. You are going in for the grandeur.

"Well, Maggie from Maggie’s Diner is going to do the snacks…oh, excuse me, the hors d’oeuvres, and naturally the pastries. You know her bake goods are the very best in this entire county. And Jimmy Rodgers, from the JR Winery, is donating the champagne. Oh, and he’s also donating a bunch of wine, which is good because some people don’t care for champagne. And I’m one of them."

As they walked and talked, said ‘hello’ and ‘how you are doin’?’ to townspeople along the way, they were oblivious to a car slowly following behind them. Soon the car pulled abreast, and the driver shouted out the open window, Hey, you ladies. Stop.

The three turned towards the car, saw that it was the Sheriff’s vehicle, and that Sheriff Matt Taylor was the one yelling at them. He stopped and got out. Peyton was not at all pleased to see him, and said, What do you want, Matt? We are out for our usual morning walk, so what’s the problem?

He grinned at her, but his eyes were grim. And a good morning to you, Peyton. And to you both, Willow and Kylie. The problem is you, Peyton. As usual, you have forgotten to do the obvious thing, concerning this Grand Opening you claim to be having this Saturday.

Peyton stood stock still, glaring at him. "Oh really? And just what would this ‘obvious thing’ be, Sheriff?"

You can’t have any kind of opening for a new business without obtaining a business license and a permit for the so-called Grand Opening. You have done neither.

Peyton’s hazel- green eyes turned almost emerald color in anger. Matt, what the heck is wrong with you? You know darn good and well Cooper and I took out a business license three weeks ago, and as for a ‘permit’, I have never heard of that. And no one at the City Hall had any mention of anything other than the license. So, you are barking up the wrong tree.

Before he could respond, Willow said, Really, Sheriff, you are so wrong. Both Kylie and I have business licenses, as do our husbands, and we’ve both had public openings of our businesses and never had to have a permit.

The Sheriff glared at them. Ladies, I did not ask for your input, I am talking to Peyton, and what she has to do. Your business license has not been verified nor authorized by my office, and you do have to have a permit, regardless of what you think. And it is too late now to get either one, so your business cannot open Saturday. That is final. Have a nice day, Peyton. He parted his lips in a nasty smirk, returned to his car, and sped off down the street.

The three friends stood speechless where he had left them. Finally, Peyton said firmly, That man is definitely off his feed. I have the business license signed, dated, with the City Council seal of approval on it, and it is in my portfolio where everything pertaining to the Bistro is. As for a permit, I don’t believe one word of it, but, girls, I’m going back to the house, change clothes and go down to the City Hall and see what they say. You go finish the walk, and I’ll call you as soon as I hear anything.

Kylie gave her a hug, as did Willow, then said, Peyton, what goes on with the Sheriff? He always seems to be on your case. I remember last year when you had to go to court, and he tried to contradict everything you said. And he’s been nasty to you a couple of times over absolutely nothing.

Peyton turned to walk away. I don’t know, Kylie. He is just a very unpleasant human who should not be the Sheriff. But nothing I or anyone can do about it. See you guys later.

As Peyton walked swiftly back to her house, she thought about Matt. Her brief love affair with him had occurred many years ago, when she was just a sophomore in college. He was a big man on campus in those days, a senior, a superior athlete, very handsome, a much sought- after ladies’ man. When he moved on her, a lowly second year student, she was overwhelmed. Their affair didn’t last long, but towards what became the end of it, she thought she had become pregnant. However, when she went for a check-up, the doctor found that she wasn’t pregnant, but he was concerned that her anxiousness had brought about the lapse in her menstrual cycle. After giving the situation a lot of thought, Peyton decided to break up with Matt. She talked it over with her best friend in college and told her about thinking she was pregnant, but wasn’t, but had now decided to break the affair off. Her friend agreed with her but warned her that Matt would probably be furious.

He was furious, and said she was nothing but a thrill-seeking broad, who chased after him because of his popularity. Since none of his accusations were true, she was relieved at his tantrum as it gave her more reason to dump him. He graduated soon afterwards and moved out of town. Years later, he came to Dauphin’s Cove, became the Sheriff, and once he learned she was here, he needled her every chance he got. Still, Peyton was determined that no one, and that included Cooper, should ever know she had once been involved with him.

When she left the City Hall, a reaffirmed certificate claiming her business license to be legal and valid, and knowing that she absolutely did not have to have any kind of permit for her Grand Opening, she was cautiously relieved. She was still not sure what Matt might do, or if he would do anything.

She headed to Maggie’s Diner, after calling Willow and Kylie to meet there for lunch. She increased her step, the slight breeze ruffling her hair and bringing the sweet scent from the apple and cherry trees lining the sidewalks which were now blooming and would soon bear fruit. She loved this small town, with all its reminiscence of its past whaling life. The streets were still cobblestone, and although many were wearing, the repairs still consisted of newer and brighter cobblestones. The small shops displayed multi-color striped awnings and signs welcoming visitors that were decorated according to the seasons of the year. Storefronts carried modern goods of every kind, but every window had at least one symbol of the town’s whaling history. There were lamp posts on every corner, and in front of stores here and there. Not only were the lamps lit every evening, but each one also had a hanging flowerpot which volunteers kept watered and growing, changing flowers with the seasons. Some of the businesses kept pans full of water outside, for thirsty dogs walking past with their owners. And, sometimes, at night, a thirsty possum would bring her babies to drink, or a feisty raccoon would drop by, wetting both its snout and its paws in the water.

Now, Peyton grinned to herself, thinking about how she and the girls often slyly picked an apple for each of them off the trees as they walked, and sometimes even helped themselves to the cherries. Not that the City Council approved of such ‘theft’, of course, but they were more than used to it after so many years of having teenagers do the same thing…to say nothing of the adults.

Peyton opened the door of Maggie’s Diner and was nearly knocked down by the Sheriff as he barged out the door.

Look where you’re going… He stopped short when he saw Peyton. Well, well, well, if it isn’t the morning walk girl. I understand you went to the City Hall today. Everything under control? His smirk was almost evil.

"Everything is under control, just as it was earlier this morning. Not that it’s any of your business, Matt.

Peyton walked through the door and swung it shut without so much as looking at Matt. She walked on towards the back of the diner to the table she and the girls usually sat at, hoping it wasn’t already in use. It wasn’t, and as she slid the chair out to sit down, Maggie came up with a cup in one hand and a pot of steaming hot Cinnamon Candy coffee in the other.

I saw you at the door. Another confrontation with our ‘esteemed’ Sheriff?

Peyton laughed. Well, he would have liked for it to be a confrontation, but I refuse to participate in his games. He’s just an over-priced civil servant who also happens to be a supreme jerk. Hey, better bring two more cups, Willow and Kylie should be here any minute.

As a matter of fact, Maggie said, looking over her shoulder, they are here right now. Two more cups coming up. She smiled at the two women and waved them on to their favorite table. As they sat down, Kylie asked, Well, tell us…did you have the right documents or whatever stuff you’re supposed to have so we can open Saturday?

Of course. I have the proper business license, including a newly dated certificate proving the license is authentic, and I do not have to have any kind of permit to have a ‘grand opening.’ I knew Matt was wrong, but I went to City Hall to check it out for myself. You know Matt, he is never wrong, and always right. According to him, that is. So, if he comes tomorrow night and tries to make trouble for me, I have all the documentation I need. I am not going to worry about it.

All right, ladies, have you decided on what you want today? Is it lunch, or is it dessert? Maggie was smiling as she stood with her order book in her hand.

Peyton grinned. I don’t know about these guys, but I want both. I’ll have one of your BLTA’s, on a croissant, with sweet mustard, no mayonnaise, and an extra pickle. And for dessert, I want one of those luscious cranberry/orange tortes you just started making. Oh, and lots more coffee.

Kylie and Willow ordered the exact same thing for lunch and dessert, leaving Maggie to say with a laugh, Boy I wish all my customers were as easy to please as you ladies. Back in a jiffy.

After the delicious BLT with Avocado’s were devoured, the tortes served along with fresh coffee, and the three friends were chatting about tomorrow’s opening of the Bistro, Kylie suddenly put her finger to her lips, and whispered, Shh, listen.

Peyton and Willow looked at her questioningly, but she shook her head and whispered again, Be quiet and listen to the men over at the next table.

The three men she spoke about were dressed in business suits, and while speaking quietly themselves, a few words here and there came through loud and clear: …teenage girl…missing…perhaps murdered… This last made all three women draw in a sharp breath.

Another minute, however, and the three men left money on the table and walked quickly out of the Bakery.

The three friends looked at each other, and Willow said, What do you suppose all that was about? A missing teenage girl? Perhaps murdered? What in the world were they talking about?

Peyton shook her head. I have no idea. There sure hasn’t been any gossip or anything like that going on about a missing girl. Cooper hasn’t said anything. And in a town this small, something like that is a big-time news story, and the whole town would be out looking for her. And that hasn’t happened.

Kylie chimed in. Absolutely, you’re right, Peyton. Why, if someone was missing, much less a teenager, this whole town would be up in arms about it. No one could keep it a secret.

Willow spoke thoughtfully. You know, if there really is a missing kid, I don’t see how the Sheriff or the press, for that matter, could or even would want to keep it quiet.

As they walked out of the diner, and chatted aimlessly about the opening tomorrow, Peyton could not dismiss the conversation. Although she knew she needed to make sure everything was set for tomorrow, she also knew that a ‘missing teenage girl’ was not something she was going to forget about any time soon.

Chapter Two

June 8th, 2019

Saturday morning dawned bright, sunny, and already warm at 6:00 am. Summer had arrived, and Peyton wondered as she stood in the shower just how hot this year was going to be. When she went downstairs, she found that Cooper already had the air conditioning turned on and was just walking out the door.

Well, good morning to you, too, Coop. I saw that you were already up, but where are you going this early?

He turned around and walked back to give her a hug. Sorry, sweetheart, I didn’t know you were even awake. You were sure snoring when I got up to shower.

She punched him hard on the arm. Snoring? Yeah, right, and just who gets awaken in the early morning hours by the strange sounds coming from your side of the bed?

Cooper rubbed his arm. Ow, that hurt. Well, maybe you weren’t snoring, but you were sure sleeping hard. And I am going downstairs to the Bistro and turn on the A/C I don’t want our last-minute work to be done in the heat. I’ll be back by the time you fix those strawberry pancakes.

Peyton frowned. Strawberry pancakes? Why do you think I’m fixing those?

He grinned. "Because there are fresh strawberries in the fridge, and a new jar of pancake mix which I know you just