Murder is Delivered: Book 5, By the Sea Cozy Mysteries

By Shannon Symonds

Murder is Delivered, Book 5 in the By the Sea Cozy Mystery Series

When you don't trust anyone, you risk everything.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Shannon Symonds, Author
• Release date: Sep 30, 2022
• ISBN: 9781958626023

Shannon Symonds

Shannon Symonds writes in an old house by the sea, where her 6 children, their children, 30 or 40 of her closest relatives, and dogs come and go constantly. She loves laughter, a good mystery, running on the beach, deep sea fishing, and bonfires. In 2021 she was awarded the Author Ready Author to Watch Award for her By the Sea Cozy Mystery YA series. Her books can be found at Deseret Book, Barnes & Noble, Costco, and Amazon. Shannon has worked for over 20 years as an Advocate serving survivors of abuse alongside law enforcement, as a home visitor supporting new mothers, and on other causes that she is ridiculously passionate about. Shannon has been a hybrid author since 2014. She authored 263 articles for Deseret Digital Media under her name and with her daughter, blogs for Hilary Weeks Billion Clicks project, the Operation Underground Railroad's volunteer newsletter between 2017 and 2020, and published her first book with Cedar Fort in 2017. Shannon received the Oregon Trial Lawyers Public Justice Award 2002 for the Tiffany Alvera Case that changed housing for victims nationally, and the 2002 Star Advocate Commendation from the Oregon Department of Justice. In 2020, Shannon was the Operation Underground Railroad Volunteer of the Year for the Authors for Freedom Event and her work organizing a 5k Run to Break to Chain. Shannon will tell you, "Love really is the answer. It always was, and it always will be." And then she'll tell you a story that will put you on the edge of your seat and leave you laughing. @Cozymysteriesbythesea; https://www.cozymysteriesbythesea.com/ Shannon is available to speak to youth about:The series and why her heroin is a survivor or what do we pack in our backpack when we go to schoolKindnessSeeing deeply when we look at the people in our livesUnraveling the mystery of strength and what it looks like in a survivor's worldShannon is available to speak to adults about:How can trauma be for my good?Why do I blame myself?Why does everyone blame me?Ways to heal from trauma, or chocolate drug of choice

Book preview

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Murder is Delivered

By the Sea Cozy Mysteries Series Book 5

Shannon Symonds

© 2022 Shannon Symonds

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form

whatsoever, whether by graphic, visual, electronic,

film, microfilm, tape recording, or any other means, without

prior written permission of the publisher,

except in the case of brief passages embodied in critical

reviews and articles.

This is a work of fiction. The characters, names, incidents,

places, and dialogue are products of the

author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real.

The opinions and views expressed herein

belong solely to the author. Permission for the use of

sources, graphics, and photos is also solely the responsibility of the author.

ISBN: 978-1-958626-02-3

Library of Congress control number: 2022915093

[e-mail]

Cozymysteriesbythesea.com

Cover design by Shawnda T. Craig

Cover design © 2022 Shannon Symonds

Edited by Lisa Rector

Final Proof by Tricia Anson

Typeset by Deb Goodman, Author

Printed in the United States of America

Also By Shannon Symonds

Safe House

Finding Hope

By the Sea Cozy Mystery Series:

Murder Takes a Selfie

Murder Makes a Vlog

Murder Has a Ball

Murder Hosts an Event

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Contents

Dedication

1. Twilight

2. Red in the Morning, Sailors Take Warning

3. Weather Forecast

4. Batten Down the Hatches

5. Wellies and Warmth

6. Bomb Cyclone

7. Coastal Flood Warning

8. Cold Front Moving In

9. Small Craft Advisory

10. Ice Storm

11. Low Pressure Moving In

12. Red at Night, Sailors’ Delight

13. Stratus Fractus in the Sky

14. Low Visibility

15. Undulatus Asperatus Clouds

16. A Sou’wester Wind

17. Snow in the Forecast

18. Gale Force Winds

19. Weather Warning

20. Hurricane-Force Winds

21. A Double Rainbow

22. The Weather Report

23. Fog Settling in for the Night

24. Cloudy with Sun Breaks

25. The Jet Stream

26. Sunny Days Ahead

Acknowledgments

About the Author

For Deb Goodman

Thank you for being awake at midnight writing when I’m awake writing and for laughing

with me when you should be laughing at me!

1

Twilight

Esther didn’t know the early autumn morning would end with someone dying over breakfast. It felt like any other school day in autumn, where the day starts in the dark, the Oregon sky stays gray, and the day ends with homework. But it wouldn’t, breakfast was about to be served.

Esther, Sophie, and Nephi were squished together on the rusty, blue truck’s bench seat. The truck’s windshield was fogged on the inside, and the seat’s springs squeaked as the truck bounced along before sunrise on Highway 101. Esther’s seventeen-year-old uncle, Nephi, rolled down his window, letting cold air in. He used his sleeve to clear away a circle just big enough to see through in the condensation on the windshield.

Esther studied his silhouette in the dark. His tall frame barely fit in the cab of the truck. He slouched over the wheel to see out the windshield and styled his hair with his fingers. She knew he liked his hair to look messy, but not too messy. His size made her best friend, Sophie, look like a small child squished between parents.

It’s a good thing we all showered, Sophie said. But seriously, dude. Lighten up on the guy perfume.

He chuckled and leaned, pushing Sophie into Esther, who clung to the door. They left the highway and slowed for the many speed bumps in Oceanside High’s west parking lot.

Are you sure the meeting is today? The library looks dark, Nephi said.

I thought so. Maybe they’re in the large meeting room by the principal’s office, Esther said. The normal light over the double doors was on. She could see the lights they usually left on glowing dimly through the windows of the library built in the late eighteen hundreds.

The school board can meet where they want. Ms. Priest just asked us to open the library so students can get in. She isn’t sure how long the meeting will last, Sophie said.

I’ll walk you in. Something about this school in the dark… Come to think of it, something about school, period, gives me the shivers. Nephi laughed softly at his own joke.

I hate going to school in the dark. Cold mornings like this make me want to stay in bed, reading with Miss Molly purring beside me, Esther said. But I love Oceanside High. It’s like going to school in a castle.

After it was bombed in a war, Sophie said. Gargoyles would seriously update the place.

The high school was built as a sort of town hall, auditorium, school, and library. Over the years, the school district had added onto the gothic-looking structure, making it look more like Legos gone mad.

Nephi expertly backed his rumbling, blue rust bucket into his favorite parking spot near the doors and tucked it between the tall pine trees. The sound of a branch scraping the side of the truck made Esther cringe.

He turned the motor off, and they all sat silently, too tired to move.

"Whose idea was it to stay up late on a Wednesday night to watch The Princess Bride for the ninety-fifth time?" Esther asked.

It made perfect sense to me at the time, Sophie said.

No one moved nor did they want to. After a minute, Esther took a deep breath, picked her green backpack up off the floor and sighed as she pulled the door handle. The door only opened a half inch before the dome light came on and Esther realized the lower limbs of the thick pine tree were pinning her in.

Esther pulled the door shut, and the dome light went off. I can’t get out. Why do we always park by the trees? Don’t the trees fill your truck with pine needles?

It’s shady on hot days, and the best spot for a nap at lunchtime, Nephi said.

You mean a place to hide out with Paisley and— Sophie started to say.

Nephi interrupted her before she could finish her sentence. Study. We study.

One of Esther’s eyebrows involuntarily rose. Right. You’ll have to let us out your door.

It’s a good thing your truck has a bench seat. Sophie slid closer to Nephi, who didn’t budge. Hey, Sasquatch…

Shush. Nephi pointed at the steps leading up to the library’s double doors. A man was closing the door behind himself. He stood on the porch. Another man pushed both doors open until one slammed against the stone walls. The first man was Principal Conner Kelly. The door slammer was Lars London, the school board chair and the man leading a campaign to have the school torn down and replaced by a sleek, modern structure out of the tsunami zone.

I did everything you paid me to do! Principal Kelly barked as he took a step back.

Lars leaned into Kelly’s face and held up a fist. His sharp chin raised arrogantly. London swore.

Esther gasped and looked at Sophie, who pushed up her round glasses and leaned forward, both hands on the dash, trying to sit taller and see better in the twilight.

Nephi put a protective arm across them both, as if he could stop Sophie. She pulled herself up and peered over his muscular arm.

I should be recording this. Sophie began digging in her backpack.

London poked Principal Kelly’s chest, emphasizing every word he spat out. You idiot. Now her attorney will get your computer. If he’s smart enough to find our emails and this investigation points to me at all, I will throw you to the wolves! I’ll tell people you blackmailed me and that’s why you have the money. It will be my word against yours! He used both hands to push Principal Kelly hard.

Kelly staggered back a step and then lunged at London, taking him by his bright yellow polo shirt. But before he could do whatever he had in mind, the school doors opened, and old and gray Betty and Louisa, members of the school board, came out of the library with Jack Abner, a very wrinkled man with a hound-dog face. Kelly’s hands dropped, and he put them casually in his pockets.

Mr. Abner wears his old school letterman sweater to every school board meeting, Sophie whispered.

Shush. Nephi put a hand over her mouth. She bit him, and he yanked it away. Ouch.

Esther chuckled and quietly high-fived Sophie.

Both women looked elderly and yet it was hard to guess how old. One thing’s for sure, Esther thought, they got off the fashion train in the early sixties.

Louisa patted London’s tense shoulder. Now, boys. Don’t be spoilsports. Ms. Priest has a fair complaint. Louisa shook her short, gray hair and patted London’s back. Esther noticed he fisted his hands when he folded his arms and turned away from Louisa.

Louisa’s best friends, Betty and Jack chuckled.

She’s right, boys. We all need to be friends. Betty’s fleshy neck wiggled while she laughed lightly. Peace begins with you.

Louisa and Betty cackled. They were still smiling and chatting softly as they walked with Jack to their gold Volvo station wagon with school stickers on every window. The library doors opened again, and Candy Sharp, the vice chair and Lars London’s minion, came out and passed by the two men, touching Lars’s arm affectionately and ignoring Principal Kelly on the way to her car.

We’ll see you Friday, Betty called cheerfully to London and Kelly.

We can hardly wait, Louisa exclaimed.

London straightened out his golf polo and cleared his throat. Let’s hope we come to an agreement quickly.

Louisa held the door for Jack, who got in the backseat of their hatchback. Betty started the 1973 classic Volvo, and a Stevie Nicks song poured out the window at full volume while the ladies sang along.

Principal Kelly used the distraction to go back into the school.

Kelly! London pulled the doors open and bellowed as he went back into the school.

Esther realized she was holding her breath.

What was that? Sophie asked.

Wait. Candy’s coming this way, Nephi said.

Esther froze. No one in the truck’s cab moved. Candy walked straight to a big black Mustang backed in and parked next to the truck. She got in without looking up or seeing them. But she didn’t start the motor. She rolled the driver’s side window down and sat in the dark.

London came back out and jogged down the stairs, still frowning. He crossed the parking lot toward Candy Sharp.

Sophie gasped as London bent down into Candy’s car window and passionately kissed her.

Wait a minute! Gross. Old people kissing, Sophie hissed.

Right? That is not his wife! Nephi agreed but didn’t look away from Lars London, who got into the next car—a pewter, lifted SUV hybrid—which silently slid out of the parking lot with Candy’s new Mustang following it.

What was that? Isn’t Candy married too? Esther asked.

Two people married to other people, kissing. Something a teenager should never have to see. Adults kissing, Sophie said.

I wonder if Madison Merriweather knows her school board chairman is paying Kelly off for something, Esther asked. What do you think he was paid to do?

I wonder if London’s wife knows that he likes Candy. Nephi quietly chuckled.

The truck door creaked as Nephi pushed it open on its tired hinges. Sophie slid across the seat and out the driver’s door, followed by Esther.

Miss McGruder, Sophie’s science teacher, came out of the school, carrying buckets.

She’s so great, Esther said.

Until you’re taking one of her tests, Sophie said. Nephi laughed.

Miss McGruder’s brown hair looked like it was wet. It left wet marks on the shoulders of her heavy gray sweater. Esther had learned that her disheveled appearance was part of her charm and her love for the earth. Determined to leave a small carbon footprint, she showered every few days and ate food grown in her own garden. She waved at them.

Morning, Miss McGruder said.

"I wonder what plans Miss McGruder has for the buckets. She brings in the strangest samples of plant life to class. Next week, we have to bring boots for the estuary, rain or shine.

Miss McGruder passed them and walked across the parking lot.

Mrs. Green, a young math teacher, emerged, waved, and called out to Miss McGruder. Judy! Wait for me. She jogged down the stairs in her sensible shoes, catching up with Miss McGruder.

Esther straightened her jeans and cardigan. For being this early in the morning, there’s a lot happening around here. I’m glad Lars London and Principal Kelly didn’t see us. I knew there was something going on between those two. I wonder how Candy is involved. I’m going to tell Ms. Priest what we saw. Do you think London is dangerous? That was pretty aggressive.

If I’ve learned anything in Necanicum, it’s the fact that nice people do seriously crazy things, Sophie said.

I wonder if Bridget knows about Lars London and Principal Kelly. We should find out if she’s heard them talk in the school office, Esther said.

Nephi took Esther by the arm, turning her to look at him. Emphasizing every word, he said, Don’t get nosey again and get hurt.

Sophie playfully pushed him, but he didn’t budge. His mouth drew up into a smile. He gave them both buddy hugs and jogged easily up the library stairs.

Esther held out the key. He tried the handle and, looking sheepish, turned, and jogged back down for the key. When he had the door unlocked, they slipped into the silent room. Nephi motioned for them to wait while he turned on the rest of the lights. He walked around the room and then jogged up the metal stairs and walked up to the mezzanine.

Why are you being so paranoid? Esther asked.

I don’t trust Lars London, Nephi said. And you two are dirt magnets.

What’s that supposed to mean? Esther laughed, shaking her head.

If there’s trouble, it finds you. And whatever we saw looked like trouble.

No duh. Good instincts. Sophie slapped him on the lower back and plopped down on one of the leather couches by the library’s gas fireplace. She clapped her hands once, hard. This fireplace needs a clapper.

Esther chuckled and flipped the switch on the wall. A gas fire ignited, burning amidst the fake logs and filling the oversized hearth. After dropping her bag on the floor, she held her hands out to warm them. It feels like the middle of the night.

Why did they meet this early? Nephi sat on the couch across from them and yawned. Sophie yawned back, stretching with her eyes closed.

Esther leaned forward and yawned. Stop that. I hate yawning. You know how Principal Kelly keeps asking Ms. Priest out and, well, annoying her?

I know. You said she filed a complaint, Nephi said.

Esther nodded. Principal Kelly pressured her to date, right? He just wouldn’t stop. Finally, even though she thought it might cost her job, she complained to his supervisor.

Is the meeting with the supervisor? Nephi asked.

Nope, Sophie said. The supervisor golfs with Principal Kelly. I think that swayed his decision not to do anything.

"Well,