First You Move In

By BD MacDougall

This is a cozy mystery with an amateur, reluctant sleuth. Getting involved with her neighbors was the last thing Sophie had planned. She had just lost the most important people in her life. She needed a change so she packed up everything, and headed to where no one knew her. There would be no expectations. She had been a loner before and she could be again. She was through opening her heart and life up to anyone. It hurt too much. Losing the Evans had been devastating. They had been her life. Here she could work and be alone.

Until she went out of character and delivered coffee. This lead to being on the scene of a murder. Sophie's life began to unfold when neighbors asked for help. Somehow she said yes and life changed forever.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BD MacDougall
• Release date: Mar 15, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224067794

Book preview

Navy Lady Mystery: 

Published by BD MacDougall at Smashwords

Copyright 2024 BD MacDougall

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Chapter 1

Sophie closed the car door and pulled out of the driveway. Don’t look back. She blinked her eyes to clear the tears. She couldn’t stop the car now. Not yet. She had just passed the keys to the house over to the real estate agent. The house had sold so fast - faster than she would have thought. Or wanted. She thought she would have more time to process memories. Spent time in the house. Good thing the Evans were there to help clear it out.

Sophie let out a breath as she entered the ramp to the highway. No going back. The anger was on the surface, ready to boil over. She had kept it in check, well as best as she could, during the funeral and days after. So angry. Raging. It was not fair.

Henry and Eddie had so much more life to live. To give. Sophie has only known them for 13 years. The best 13 years of her life. She had arrived at their door when she was fifteen. As far as she was concerned it was another transient stop in a long line, a lifetime of brief stops.

Sophie had been born of a teenage mother. A drug user whose family kicked her out when they found out she was pregnant. After that it was public housing until her mother died of a drug overdose when Sophie was eight. Then Community Services took over. Sophie had heard they tried to contact her grandparents, but they wanted nothing to do with her. She was tainted by her mother as far as they were concerned. Sophie had no idea who her father was. After that it was foster parents after foster parents. The longest she was somewhere six months, not even long enough to finish the school year.

So, at fifteen being dropped off at Henry and Eddie’s it was another short-term placement to her. Again. Henry and Eddie had never had children. They were in their late fifties at the time. 

Sophie stayed in her room, eating meals, and attending school. She had made it her motto not to get close to anyone. No matter how nice they were at the beginning, in the end they always let her go. She was buying her time until she graduated high school and was out of the system.

When Sophie first entered the system, she wasn’t terrified like the social workers thought she would be. She had grown up with a mother who often passed out or brought strangers into their home. Sophie had learned quickly to make herself invisible. She had on more than one occasion hid in closets until the strangers had left.  

Henry and Eddie were nice and gave her space. That was often how it started in a new foster home. They were nice and welcoming until they were not. A month went by with the Evans. Then a few more. Their family from out west visited. Sophie was introduced and included. Still she remained quiet and tried to be invisible. Don’t rock the boat, maybe she could get through a few more months.

The months passed. She started helping Eddie and Henry around the house and garden. She shoveled snow that winter. She stayed and stayed. Eddie and Henry asked her if she would like to use their last name. She did. Her last name was a reminder of a family that didn’t want her.

Sophie blinked her eyes trying to clear the tears. It was the middle of the week so the highway wasn’t as congested as the weekend. Her destination was a three hour drive from the city that had always been her home. No, where she had lived until her home with Henry and Eddie the past thirteen years. A city where she left all ties. Another place she couldn’t stomach being. If the Evans were no longer there. There was no reason to stay.

Chapter 2

Sophie looked around the motel room. Plain and clean which is all she needed. She would start over in a new place. Where no one knew her and had no needs or expectations. She was tired of being hurt. Of losing people. Yes, Henry and Eddie were older in their early seventies but they still had life to live. They were both healthy. That motor-vehicle accident. The driver walks away without a scratch and Henry and Eddie are killed at the scene. She remembered the driver saying it wasn’t his fault, she knew it was as Henry was a defensive driver. The police reported the driver was going fast as there had been witnesses at the scene. The driver didn’t even acknowledge he took two lives. It was all about him. Sophie had thrown-up when she heard the news. 

They were not just her foster parents. They had become her best friends. With all the moving around in her life Sophie didn’t make friends. She worked hard at being invisible. Maybe if she was invisible someone would let her stay. That hadn’t worked until she met the Evans. They had not only let her stay but loved her. 

Their home was filled with love. Along with books and puzzles. They fostered a love of reading, learning, and questioning. Sophie had graduated high school with honours and a scholarship. It was all because of Henry and Eddie. 

She took a breath. She didn’t have time to dwell on memories. Not now. She needed to stretch her legs. The town was like Miranda described it. Main street next to the water, with residential streets off the right. She parked and got out. Exploring time.

She enjoyed being near the water. Sophie took a long deep breath in. It felt good. She smiled for the first time in a long time. The smell of salt water. There was a stone wall against the road with the beach on the other side. There looked to an opening in the wall further down.  The shops were across the street. They were wooden two-story structures that likely had apartments above the shops. There were wooden houses running down the side streets in vibrant colours. Like Miranda had told her. 

The town is pretty. Quiet. I think you’d like it, she had said. 

Miranda told her when they visited the area the people were friendly but not in your face. She thought Sophie could have privacy there.

Sophie was surprised she listened to Miranda. She was also more than surprised that she shared how she felt after losing Henry and Eddie. Alone, cheated, and angry. Miranda was easy to talk to as it was via Zoom. They had never met in person. Miranda hired Sophie on a recommendation from her English Professor right out of university. Miranda ran a publishing company. She hired Sophie as a junior editor. On a trial basis to begin with. Sophie had been with Miranda for seven years. The job suited her as she worked from home. She didn’t have to smile when she didn’t want to. Didn’t have to let people in. Didn’t have to share her life. It was the perfect job for her being an introvert and a loner.

Documents were sent for various types of editing. Sophie edited and returned to Miranda. She had no contact with anyone else in the company. She never met or even knew the authors’ names. Over the years she negotiated with Miranda not attending team meetings or at least all of them. She found dealing with people stressful and hated the drama that went with it. Now seven years later she had authors that requested her specifically to work on their novels. 

Miranda and her husband had vacation near the town last year and loved it. The houses, ocean and pace. Slow. She said it was worth checking out. So here Sophie was. Checking it out.

First stop at the coffee shop. All the shops had large windows facing the street. The coffee shop had a small metal table and two chairs outside. Inside were wooden tables and chairs. It was painted a sunny yellow with a turquoise accent wall on the right. The decor was beach themed. The counter was at the back. The place smelt amazing. Cinnamon. Yep, Sophie saw cinnamon rolls in the glass display case.

Hello, a woman said