Hot Springs Homicide: Purgatory Falls Mysteries, #4

By Nikki Haverstock

Having recently decided to make Purgatory Falls her home, Brooke dives into helping with the annual Founders' Week events. The mermaid and occasional amateur sleuth is tasked with helping tourists, students, and history enthusiasts collect stamps for a special memento, but she quickly gets swept into a search for a stolen bracelet—which leads to the discovery of a dead body.
Meanwhile, a decades-old hunt for treasure foretold to be discovered during Founders' Week has turned dangerous in a way that hits close to home for Brooke. Treasure hunters attack her best friend Twyla's home, a large tree that is a part of the tree nymph herself. Rather than sit around and hope, Brooke decides to end the frenzy and find the treasure herself so she can keep anyone else from being hurt. But Brooke's own history might be wrapped up in the town's, and searching for the treasure puts her in more danger than ever before. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ranch Dog Entertainment, LLC
• Release date: Sep 26, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223078012

Nikki Haverstock

Nikki Haverstock lives with her husband and dogs on a cattle ranch high in the Rocky Mountains. Before escaping the city, Nikki taught collegiate archery for ten years. She has competed on and off for fifteen in the USA Archery women’s recurve division. In the 2015, she finished the season ranked 14th nationally. Nikki has more college degrees than she has sense and hopefully one day she will put one to work.

Book preview

Hot Spring Homicide

Having recently decided to make Purgatory Falls her home, Brooke dives into helping with the annual Founders’ Week events. The mermaid and occasional amateur sleuth is tasked with helping tourists, students, and history enthusiasts collect stamps for a special memento, but she quickly gets swept into a search for a stolen bracelet—which leads to the discovery of a dead body.

Meanwhile, a decades-old hunt for treasure foretold to be discovered during Founders’ Week has turned dangerous in a way that hits close to home for Brooke. Treasure hunters attack her best friend Twyla’s home, a large tree that is a part of the tree nymph herself. Rather than sit around and hope, Brooke decides to end the frenzy and find the treasure herself so she can keep anyone else from being hurt. But Brooke’s own history might be wrapped up in the town’s, and searching for the treasure puts her in more danger than ever before.

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Also By Nikki Haverstock

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Alien Ambush

Space Station Investigation

Casino Witch Mysteries

Of Murders and Mages

Which Mage Moved the Cheese?

No Business like Mage Business

Nice Day for a Mage Wedding

Dragons are a Mage’s Best Friend

Dragons are Forever

Only the Good Mages Die Young

Miss Mage

Casino Witch Mini Mysteries

Target Practice Mysteries

Death on the Range

Death at the Summit

Death at the Trade Show

Death Indoors

Death in the Casino

Death from Abroad

Death in the Desert

Death in the Dormitory - short story

Reality TV Cozy Mysteries

Lights, Camera, Murder

Crossover Murder

CHAPTER ONE

I pulled into the parking lot and found a spot next to the seven-foot-tall minotaur with horns wider than his massive shoulders and shiny black hooves darker than the asphalt. He wore rough linen shorts and a matching shirt.

I got out of the car. Hey, Tavros, why are you dressed like a peasant from the Middle Ages?

Oh, I never had anything this nice during the Middle Ages. This is an authentic reproduction of my favorite outfit from when I first came to Purgatory Falls. I always thought it really highlighted the red undertones in my fur. I’ll be wearing it all week for my Founders’ Week presentations.

Will I need to wear anything like that? I shifted into a shadow of a scrub oak to cool off. The summers in the high elevations of the Rocky Mountains were not as hot as I was used to, but the sun could burn you to a crisp in no time.

I have a shirt for you, but you can wear whatever else you want. Mostly, you will help to direct people to the next station at the heritage tour, make sure my supplies are topped off, and answer questions when I take a break to use the facilities. I really appreciate you helping me out.

And I appreciate the opportunity to earn a bit of extra money. The pay is really nice.

Esmerelda okay with your working up here all week? Tavros asked. He flicked his tail around to whack a fly that was buzzing about his hooves.

I spent the last two weeks spelling around the clock to get her enough extra rings, bracelets, and pendants to last her the whole week, if not the whole summer. Plus, several of the college students have been begging for extra hours while they are out of school, so the timing is perfect. Twyla will help Esmerelda if there is a need. Otherwise, Twyla might come hang out a little.

Twyla was a tree nymph and my closest gal friend in Purgatory Falls. We normally worked and trained with Esmerelda at her shop. Unlike me, Twyla owned not only her own living space, her large tree, but also the park around it, which the city paid rent to use. She was independently wealthy and tended to flit around and do whatever interested her. Recently, that had been hanging out with me and our gang.

That would be great! We’ve been trying to get her to participate for years, but she is so modest that she refuses to do a presentation on the history of her tree.

I gave a tight smile, having heard Twyla’s side of the story earlier. Tavros was an intellectual, and there was no detail, fact, or theory that didn’t absolutely captivate and delight him. He could spend endless amounts of time reading and researching, in addition to writing nonfiction about every topic under the sun. Tavros was also an engaging storyteller who could make any dry fact exciting and interesting. That he was a half bull, half man who towered over everyone only made his presentation more enthralling, even by the standards of paranormal topics.

Twyla was his opposite in many ways. She was better one-on-one or in a small group than in front of a huge audience. Her recollection of facts was fuzzy at best, and she would rather be around people than books. Though she was one of the town’s earliest founders, she hibernated in her trees for years, especially when she was young. When she was awake, she was more concerned with things like toys and food than with the local political scene or how the town was growing and evolving.

I smiled at Tavros. You know that Twyla is not much of a speech giver.

Tavros chuckled. I know, I know. I don’t mean to pressure her, but she really is far better than she gives herself credit for. I’m very excited about this week. I haven’t presented here at the springs before, and I’ve dug up some amazing information to share. I really do believe that Purgatory Springs is responsible for shaping the growth of the town. I have graphs.

As I nodded along, I found myself getting more excited by the minute, not because of some personal love of graphs but because his enthusiasm was catching. I was looking forward to learning more about my new home. I had only recently moved into the small house I was renting and gotten all my paperwork filed for full-time residence in Purgatory Falls.

So, basically, I just stick near you? I asked.

He swatted at a fly before replying. More or less. Hand out informational flyers, direct people where to go, remind them to wait to the end for questions, that kind of thing. The Purgatory Springs Recreation Center employees might occasionally ask for help with something as well.

I thought I was hired by the festival?

Kinda. The recreation center is paying you this week as part of their official sponsorship of the event. In years past, I had my assistants all to myself, but I guess there was some behind-the-scenes bickering and a new compromise was made. I just found out this morning. But don’t worry. Everyone insists that it’ll only be a few minor tasks. Let’s go inside, and I’ll show you where we will be.

I gave him a cheery smile and fell into step even as my heart beat a bit faster. I shouldn’t be upset. I came to the Purgatory Springs several times a week and even had a year-round pass, so I knew most of the staff already. And as a mermaid, I was naturally drawn to all water, but there was something special about the opaque hot water of the springs.

But I had expected to be Tavros’s assistant, and the sudden change of plans sent me into a bit of a tailspin. Maybe it was all the recent changes in my life or that I still felt like a fish out of water in Purgatory Falls, pun intended. It was a paranormal town, and after a lifetime of hiding who I was, I still wasn’t fully comfortable in this place’s culture. But I wanted to be, and new experiences and friends would help my transition.

I walked through the door that Tavros held open then paused to allow him to lead the way. He nodded at Christy behind the front desk but proceeded through the hallways without stopping until we entered the recreation area at the end of the hall. Then he paused.

I breathed deeply of the humid air, which was inundated with the smell of the springs. The scent was ethereal, like that of wet rocks or the air before a rainstorm. I couldn’t describe it in any way other than what it was: the heavy scent of rich water. I knew it vibrated with magic and hidden secrets, and just filling my lungs with it gave me the strength I needed. My breathing slowed, my heart calmed, and my spirits rose. Whatever challenges were ahead of me, I couldn’t imagine a better location for me. If I was allowed to do all my work from one of the pools, that would be even better, but I imagined that was a step too far.

Everyone thought the water from the local springs was magical, but I thought it affected me more than others. When I soaked there, which I did several times a week, it felt like a good nap, a nice glass of wine, and a kiss from a secret crush all wrapped up in one. I swore I even healed faster after a good soak.

It wasn’t farfetched that for a mermaid, water was healing, but the water here had something over and above about it that I had never been able to pinpoint. Maybe it was just the mineral-laden hydration, the deep, penetrating heat, or even my newly developed magic-working abilities, but all I knew was that if I missed coming to the springs for more than a few nights, I would toss and turn, unable to find restful sleep.

Tavros veered right, and after a few moments, I followed him. To the left and immediately in front of the exits were the large milky-white pools surrounded by rough rock and interconnected wooden pathways. In those pools, guests relaxed and soaked. They had the best view of the main town of Purgatory Falls below, and the river lazily cut through it. At night, I preferred to rest in the highest pool closest to the edge, where you could hear the waterfall that moved the water from the spring to the river in the valley.

But to the right and a bit around the building lay an Olympic-style pool. The water there was filtered to be a bit clearer and cooler to make it better suited to swimming laps. I swam in it for about half of my visits, though never in full-fin mode. I was still slightly too shy after a lifetime of hiding who I was. I only slipped into fin form in the small pools when I was mostly alone and the opaque water gave me privacy.

The lap pool was used by the high school aquatics teams during the school year, but otherwise, it often had only a few hardcore swimmers like me, so I was surprised to see the lane lines gone and dozens of teenagers and young children splashing around in not-even-slightly organized chaos.

A voice cut through the cacophony. Brooke! Brooke!

I scanned the pool until I found the voice’s owner—Aya, Aiden’s young niece who was living with him. She was waving both hands over her head as she ducked under the water then burst through the surface, where she spat out water and blew her nose into her hand.

I made a mental note not to swim in the lap pool for a week or two until the filtration system had a chance to counteract whatever disaster these kids were wreaking upon it.

Using a stroke best described as a dragon-paddle, she made her way to the side of the pool then clung to the edge like she had spent a night at sea rather than splashing her way over five feet.

Hi, Brooke. She didn’t wait for a reply before turning to two other disheveled young girls who had followed her to the edge. Brooke is friends with my uncle Aiden and she’s, like, super cool. She’s one of my bestest friends in town. I mean, not like you two, ‘cause she’s old. She has this great dog that is almost like my dog. He’s famous. Where’s Chuy?

I blinked at her enthusiasm. I was very fond of her, but we had hung out only a few times since she arrived in early spring. Then I gave her a smile. Chuy is out exploring.

In truth, Chuy was a paranormal creature that was a part-time dog, part-time seal, and one hundred percent mystery to me. She appeared and disappeared, though recently she had appeared more often than not. Since I’d moved full-time into my studio rental, she had begun appearing regularly at my door in the evening to sleep on the unoccupied half of my bed, and she followed me to my job in the morning.

That wasn’t to say that she was just like any other dog. She was often gone for hours or even days at a time, and I had never had to feed her or clean up her mess. I would often turn around at work, realize she was gone, and have no idea of when she had left. A few mornings, I had found only a rumpled comforter where she had been.

But she had saved my life at least twice, and I would never complain about her unusual habits and ways.

A lifeguard blew a piercing whistle and in the calm that followed shouted, Out of the pool for final checkout.

Aya pressed on the concrete edge of the pool to lift herself up and flopped out on her belly before righting herself and standing next to me. Her toes were bright red and sore from clawing at the side of the pool. When she shoved her hair back from her face, it folded in a way that would have given an eighties band a fit of jealousy. Come over to see Uncle Aiden.

She grabbed my hand and dragged me through the undulating mass of wet children that rushed from the pool. I caught Tavros’s eye, and he gestured to an alcove they used for private parties. I gave him a thumbs-up, hoping he’d understand that I would join him soon.

Aya continued walking with little