Carousel Plaza

By Karen Cino

When Macy inherits a beach house from her aunt, she discovers secret rooms filled with relics from the past - including a dead body. Things get even more complicated when an old flame begins investigating the murder. Macy must find out who the killer is in order to piece together the secrets buried in a diary left for her by her aunt, unleashing the mystery of her past.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Karen Cino
• Release date: Mar 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215197929

Karen Cino

Karen Cino is a multi-published author who has been writing since she was fourteen years old. She started her career by writing poetry, short stories and writing articles for her high school newspaper. After reading Jackie Collin’s Lovers and Gamblers and Jacqueline Susann’s, Valley of the Dolls, Karen found her niche. She wanted to write women’s fiction and wrote her first book during the summer before she started college. Her daily walks down at the boardwalk are what gets her muse going. It clears her mind and helps her find realistic plot ideas and the characters boosting up her muse. Karen loves writing about local places that people can relate to. The late Paul Zindel’s books took place in Staten Island and reading them, especially My Darling My Hamburger, still brings back many memories for her.Karen loves the summer, loves the beach. Her previous books were written and take place in various places across Staten Island. Karen relocated to the New Jersey Shore in 2015. She traded in the Staten Island Boardwalk for the shoreline in Long Beach Island. Her Cookie Cutter Cozy Series takes place in Barnegat, NJ.Karen is a member of Romance Writers of America, Women's Fiction Writing Association and Liberty States Fiction Writers.Karen has two adult children, Michael Giordano and Nicole Balmaseda, two cats, Katie and Sunni and lives with Paul, her true love in Toms River, New Jersey.Currently, Karen is working on a new Cozy Mystery Series and Women’s Fiction Series.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Macy Lacattino could hear fierce waves attacking the shoreline as she drove down the main boulevard of this small beach town, even though hurricane season officially ended the week before.

She pulled up in front of an oversized round building and got out, reveling in the cool air. From where she stood, she could see stained glass windows with the sunlight shining off the metal roof. Why did her Aunt Susie leave her an empty, abandoned carousel building at the Jersey Shore?

Macy remembered how they used to spend August with her aunt when she was a kid. They’d been a close family—until the time her parents woke them up in the middle of the night and took them home without saying goodbye to her aunt, and never once explained why or what happened.

The next time she saw her aunt was at her funeral, at least thirty years after her family’s mysterious departure.

But she’d look into the family’s past later. In the meantime, she pulled out the paperwork her aunt’s attorney gave her and double-checked to be sure her name was on the updated deed.

She walked around to the other side of the carousel and was surprised to see the bungalow she had always pictured in her memories of family summers here, was actually what HGTV would call a two-floor craftsman. The big question was, what did she want to do with this property? The blueprint she studied at the attorney’s office showed the building, the house, and another piece of land on the opposite side of the carousel.

It had already been a long day, and Macy had a lot to tackle. After a good night’s sleep, she’d take a better look at the adjacent building. Setting her handbag on the top of her luggage, Macy got out the house keys. In the morning she’d move the rest of her luggage from the car to the house.

But right now what she needed to do was crash for a couple of hours. The rest of the property would still be here when she woke up.

Macy walked up the front steps of the porch and stopped when she heard someone yelling.

Where the hell do you think you’re going? a woman’s voice blasted from behind her.

Macy pivoted to face a short, gray-haired woman pointing a large metal spoon at her. Excuse me?

You’re trespassing. I’m calling the police.

Go point your spoon somewhere else. This is my house. I’m––

I am not kidding. I’m in charge of keeping an eye on things, the spoon-pointer snapped.

I understand. But this is my––

I don’t have the time or patience to stand here and listen to your rubbish. I suggest you turn around with your suitcase and go back to where you came from.

If you’ll just shut up for a minute and give me a chance to talk, I can explain why I’m here.

The woman waved the spoon inches from her face. Get out of here.

I am not leaving. This is my aunt’s house, Macy hollered.

Then you give me no other alternative then to call the police. Keeping the spoon pointed at Macy, she reached into her back pocket and took out her cell phone.

Please, don’t call the police. My Aunt Susie left me the––

The woman took a step back and squinted. Oh, my God. You’re Macy. A smile lit up the woman’s face. You have the same dark, burgundy-colored hair as your aunt. The woman stashed the spoon in her pants pocket. I’m MJ. I was your aunt’s best friend. You were too young to remember me. I’m your aunt’s neighbor.

MJ?

Mary Josephine. But everyone calls me MJ. Sorry for attacking you with my macaroni spoon and not giving you a chance to explain.

Macy laughed. Not a problem. You just startled me.

Sorry about that, too. When your aunt went into the nursing home, she asked me to keep an eye on her house. Even though beach season is over, the local kids are always looking for a place to break into and party instead of going to school. I can’t tell you how many times I caught teenagers trying to get into the old carousel house.

It’s all right. I understand. But you have no reason to worry anymore. Aunt Susie left me the property.

Yes, she did. She always said you were her favorite niece, and she felt really bad about the falling-out with her sister. Your mom held onto her grudge even on her deathbed.

I never understood. Whenever I brought up my aunt, my mother would shush me, saying it was none of my business. And I tried so many times to get in touch with Aunt Susie. I sent her letters and cards for every occasion, and she never answered me.

She did, actually. Apparently your mom just didn’t give them to you, but your aunt figured it out.

I don’t understand. Why? I guess in a way it’s my fault too. Once I started driving, I should have come visit her. And once I started working full time I thought didn’t have time to do anything. I should have tried harder.

Don’t blame yourself. Your aunt didn’t blame you. MJ pointed to the front door. Why don’t you get yourself situated? I’ll stop by later on with a few things to get you started so you don’t have to go to the store, and then we’ll chat. I’m sure you’ll have a lot of questions after spending some time in the house.

I don’t––

Catch you later. MJ headed off down the path between their houses.

Macy waited for her to disappear around a corner before she schlepped up the stairs to the front door. This was all so strange. She was sure there was a lot of history to explore, and the questions she had for MJ would be endless.

Macy opened the door and gasped. So this was what MJ was talking about. The interior was exactly as she remembered it, down to placement of the furniture. Deciding if she wanted to merge her things with her aunt’s was a no-brainer. Her condo’s modern décor wouldn’t suit her aunt’s beach house at all.

There was something she loved about this beachy, homey feel. She would never replace the shadowbox end tables with those fascinating clusters of seashells.

As she walked through the living room, she glanced over at the fireplace. There, on the mantel, were pictures of her. So her aunt did receive the pictures Macy sent every year. She lifted up one of the picture frames and the back fell off, landing on the floor along with three cards. She bent down and picked up the Christmas, birthday, and Easter cards she sent her aunt that year. Looking at the other picture frames, she could see her aunt had saved the cards Macy sent her along with the picture for every year, so maybe somewhere in the house was a box full of more photos and cards.

This was all too much to take in, much less figure out. Why did her mother hold a grudge all these years? Macy had so many questions to ask MJ, she just hoped her new neighbor could give her some answers. She put the picture frame and cards down on the cocktail table and, as she walked into the kitchen, spotted her wedding photo, along with the prayer card from the funeral parlor resting against the frame. She hesitated, then picked up the card and picture. She lost her husband to pancreatic cancer two years ago. How did her aunt know?

The phone started ringing. Macy followed the ring into the kitchen to an old-fashioned landline phone hanging on the kitchen wall.  She lifted the receiver and said, Hello.

Hey, Macy. How are you doing over there? It’s MJ.

I’m doing all right. No. I’m spooked because my aunt really did get all the pictures and cards I sent her. And gave them pride of place in her home. How did she know my husband passed away?

I know you have a lot of questions. I would too. And I’m sure I have some answers for you. I hope you like tuna casserole.

My favorite.

I know. Your aunt told me you always liked it with Swiss cheese instead of cheddar, the same way you like your macaroni and cheese.

I––

I left you a few things in a basket on your porch, thinking you might like some time to get settled in.

Thank you. Hold on a minute. Macy walked to the door, opened it, and lifted the oversized basket blocking her front door and carried into the kitchen. Oh, my goodness. You have all my favorites in here.

Of course I do. Your aunt and I were best friends. She always talked about you and your mom. The jar with the red top is homemade fig jelly, also your favorite. And the one with the blue top is apple butter.

I can’t thank you enough for your generosity.

I’ll come over in an hour. That’ll give you enough time to settle in, have a cup of coffee, and look around some more.

Macy thanked her again and said goodbye.

After pausing to look around the kitchen, the first thing she did was put on a pot of coffee. While she waited for the coffee to drip, she unpacked MJ’s gift basket and then went out to her car to unloaded her personal belongings.

She had a lot of decisions to make. But first she wanted to understand why her aunt left her this lovely beach home and what she was going to do with the round, neglected building next to it.

Macy poured her coffee and walked around the house, sipping the steaming brew.

The white beach furniture looked perfect in the living room, but one of the first things she needed to do was paint. She was never one for white on white, but back in the day white had such a classic appeal. But even now the house, which was built in 1927, still had all its original charm. Her aunt never updated, except for painting, which was fine with Macy.

One of her favorite things in the living room was the original fireplace. And it was a good thing she watched HGTV, because Macy already knew the original elements in her new home could never be replaced.

The one thing she remembered from those long-ago visits was taking a bath in a huge, white clawfoot bathtub. Hurrying up the stairs, she went into the bathroom and sighed with delight when she saw it was still there, against the wall, under the window with the curtain.

Closing her eyes, Macy went back in time to the day her mom and aunt argued back and forth about putting a curtain on the window. Her aunt had been defiant, telling her mom if she didn’t like it she could use the outside shower. Those were the days Macy missed.

She returned to the kitchen. Everything was exactly as she remembered it, down to the old-fashioned sink and stove. The thought of remodeling the kitchen briefly crossed her mind, because she’d love to put in a two-oven stove, but as long as the white stove was working, she would keep it.

Returning to the living room, she scanned again, this time focusing on décor instead of memories. Her aunt had collected a lot of tchotchkes. Everywhere Macy looked she saw a beach-themed tea light holder or figurine. As much as she loved her aunt’s taste, she wanted to make this lovely home her own. She sipped her coffee while strolling back up the stairs, and stopped in the door of the master bedroom, her aunt’s room. It looked frozen in time amid mounds of pink, frills, and flounces.

Macy walked to the window and pushed the curtain aside. The view was spectacular. She slid open the window and the scent of the ocean flowed in on the breeze. The beach was an easy walk along a short path between her aunt’s house and MJ’s, and from where she stood, she could see the whitecaps hit the shore and imagined the bubbles foaming at the water’s edge.

One at a time she took her suitcases up to her aunt’s room.  After looking around the room some more, she decided she’d eventually redecorate this room. Everything else in the house screamed perfection. The hardwood floors were old, but gave this room and the rest of the house charm. And scattered throughout the rooms were fairly new-looking beach-themed area and throw rugs.

And once again, the only thing she found fault with were the white walls. As soon as she got settled in she’d get busy painting, starting here, with her aunt’s bedroom.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the shadowbox end table her aunt always added seashells to every year. She walked over to peek in—and gasped. Her aunt had replaced the seashells with a collage of pictures of Macy and her aunt up to Macy’s early teens and pictures of Macy through her aunt’s remaining years.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she studied her aunt’s beautiful collage, followed by a spasm of guilt sending shivers down her spine. She stayed in her aunt’s bedroom after she finished schlepping up her belongings. Time to start by unpacking some of her clothes.

But before Macy opened her first suitcase, she was going to make a list of questions for MJ. With any luck, MJ could tell her why her aunt left everything to her rather than her own son.

Chapter 2

Macy spent the next hour unpacking her suitcases and putting everything away in drawers or hanging in the closet.

She found an empty plastic container at the bottom of the closet and used it to pack away her aunt’s clothes, surprised to find there weren’t more of them. From what she could remember, Aunt Susie was very fashion-conscious, and her closet was always packed with gorgeous clothes.

Unless her aunt had changed her ways in later years, Macy had to assume someone already went through her things. And Macy suspected it was MJ. Since there wasn’t even a speck of dust throughout the whole house, Macy guessed MJ took the time to go through everything while straightening up and cleaning.

As Macy walked back downstairs to refill her coffee mug, the doorbell rang.

She opened the door to find MJ with a bottle of wine in one hand and a casserole in a quilted bag in the other. Come in. Let me help you, Macy said, taking the bottle of wine.

I hope you like red. After Labor Day I switch to red. I like something heavier for the winter. MJ walked through the living room and directly into the kitchen. It was always an ongoing joke between your aunt and me. I would say red in the fall and winter and white during the summer. She would tell me I was out of my mind, and I didn’t know what I was talking about because I wasn’t Italian. But I assure you, we Irish women know how to drink. You either drink wine or hard liquor.

Macy laughed. Boy, does that sound like my aunt. I can remember her giving me a sip of red wine, and telling me she’d been drinking wine since she was ten. And how it’s good for you and keeps the veins to your heart wide open.

That was Susie to a T. She always had an explanation for everything, along with her heart of gold. MJ opened a kitchen drawer and took out the corkscrew. Your aunt and I made it a point to do this every Friday and Saturday night during the winter, when the carousel shops closed at eight. But during the summer she kept the shops open. Everyone knew her.

I figured as much at her wake and funeral. I had never seen such a long line of people eager to pay their respects.

She was a generous woman. She’d give the clothes off her back to a stranger.

Speaking of which, do you have any idea what happened to all her clothes?

MJ took two wine glasses out of the glass front cabinet and poured the wine. She handed Macy a glass, clinked glasses with Macy, and took a sip. Your aunt knew her time was near, and it was only a matter of time before she wound up in a nursing home. MJ closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. One night she called me over and told me it was time to clean up shop. She’d bought a dozen plastic containers, and we went through her drawers and closets, took out all her clothes that still had price tags on them and hauled them to the local senior center. MJ took her hand. Come, let’s sit down for a bit.

Macy followed MJ into the living room and sat down across from the fireplace. I always loved this fireplace. It was the warmest place in the house.

Susie loved it too. She made certain to maintain it every year. MJ sipped her wine. She knew she was dying, Macy. She wanted to make things easier for you by cleaning out her personal effects and leaving her most special, meaningful things out where you could find them.

I love the way she decorated.

She wanted to spruce up the kitchen but got too weak to get out of bed. The one thing she told me was you would love the house but would more than likely paint. She always said, ‘My niece always liked brilliant colors.’

I can’t believe she remembered my love for bright colors.

Susie tried her best to leave things in order for you. She didn’t want you to suffer any more than you have to. And I’m really sorry about earlier. I wasn’t expecting you so soon.

I surprised myself, too. I felt this was a sign from my aunt, telling me it’s time for a fresh start, Macy sighed. I never expected to lose Paul. I thought we’d grow old together.

Your aunt was devastated when you lost Paul. She tried her best to reach out to you, but your mom told her not to come to the wake or funeral.

Do you know what happened between my mother and aunt?

No, she said, crossing and uncrossing her legs.

Macy suspected MJ was holding back, because every time she questioned her, MJ’s right eye twitched. Too bad MJ didn’t seem like the kind of woman to take kindly to having someone badger her for information she wasn’t ready to share.

MJ stood up and returned into the kitchen. Do you need a refill?

No, I’m fine. I’m really not a big drinker.

Sorry to hear it. MJ laughed. Why don’t you come in here and have a bite to eat?

Macy slid off the couch, picked up her glass, and joined MJ in the kitchen. This has been a lot to take in. I’m still in shock about Aunt Susie’s passing, and because she left me all this.

Do you think you’ll make this your permanent home?

I’m not sure. First I want to find out what what’s entailed. But to be honest, I wouldn’t mind moving out of my condo in Manhattan and enjoying a quiet life here.

What about your job? MJ asked as she placed a dish in front of her.

Macy sighed. I quit when Paul got sick. And I’m glad I did. I never expected him to die two months after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

I’m really sorry––

After all my grieving and not getting out of bed or leaving the house for the longest time, I finally pulled myself together. My husband had two life insurance policies and left me enough money for two lifetimes. But believe me, I’d give it all up to have him back.

So would I. I lost my husband ten years ago, and your aunt helped me through one of the darkest times in my life. She was the best friend anyone could ever ask for.

Macy stuck her fork into her dish and took a bite. Mmm. Tastes just like my aunt’s.

She gave me the recipe. I knew this was the perfect thing to make.

Thank you. I can’t remember the last time I had a home-cooked meal.

You’ll be having one every day. Usually I cook for myself, so it’ll be a pleasure to share with you. Sitting here, talking to you, is like being here with your aunt.

Ever since I got the paperwork I’ve been trying to figure out why she left everything to me instead of her son, Henry. Do you have any idea why?

MJ removed the dishes from the table and set them in the sink. With her back to Macy, she washed the dishes and poured herself more wine before she pivoted and refilled Macy’s glass.

Yes, I do. Henry was far from the perfect son. He didn’t treat his mother with any respect whatsoever. And he’s the one who had the carousel removed from the building, MJ explained.

What? I don’t understand. What happened to the carousel?

Henry hired a company to remove it while we were in Atlantic City for the weekend.

How long ago?

I’d say around seven years ago. MJ laughed. I’ve never seen your aunt so mad in all the years we were friends, although eventually she decided to let the issue drop because it was too much work to care for an early 1930s attraction.

What did he do with it? Macy asked.

He put it in storage. Susie was devastated.

Why didn’t she take it back out and return it to its home?

Because he wouldn’t tell her where he put it. After that, Susie refused to talk to her son for years. And by the time he finally told her where it was, she had already transformed the empty carousel house into a shopping center.

You’re kidding me. Can we move it back into the building?

Not anymore. The residents love the shops, and so do the tourists. Susie had so many dreams for the property. But when she got sick she had to put all her plans on hold. You know, she always talked about you. She knew you would be the one to bring this back to its natural beauty. MJ rubbed her forehead. From what I’m remembering, she wrote you a letter explaining everything. Was it included in the package from the attorney?

No. All he gave me was the deed to the property and house, the blueprints, and a set of keys. I’ll look through the paperwork again. Macy rose from the couch and swiped her handbag off the table near the door, taking out the envelope. She handed it to MJ. Here. Take a look.

MJ removed the papers and looked through the package. You’re right. She eased them back into the envelope. She never gave the papers to her attorney. But I was with her when she wrote them. I’m sure you’ll find them as you go along.

I doubt it.

Your aunt told me you’re a neat freak and that you’d go through and clean every nook and cranny in this place. Which is only part of the reason I’m sure that, no matter where she stashed left the letter, you’ll find it.

I hope so. I’m thinking there will be enough room on the property on the other side of the building to put the carousel.

MJ grinned. "Every decision your aunt made through the years was the right one, down to her last bequest, leaving this to you. She always said you would make this into the place to come to during the summer season. She had so much faith in you."

I promise I won’t let her down. I will find the letter she left me and will fulfill whatever her wishes were. Although on top of the past few hours, this is a lot to take in. I went from a condo in Manhattan where my thrill of the day was a walk through Central Park, to being down at the Jersey Shore with a gorgeous home, a carousel house minus the carousel, and a storage unit full of horses on poles. Who has it better than me?

You are everything your aunt said you’d be and more. MJ finished her wine and set her glass on the table. I’m sure you must be exhausted, and it’s getting late, but before we call it a night, I wonder if you’d like to take a peek into the carousel house.

I would love it. When do you want to go?

Right now. MJ stood and held up the skeleton key she wore on a long chain around her neck. Follow me. I’ll let you in the back door where you can flick on the lights.

Chapter 3

MJ opened