A Darcy Sweet Mystery Box Set Seven Read online

  A Darcy Sweet Cozy Mystery

  Box Set 7: Books 25 to 27

  K. J. Emrick

  First published in Australia by South Coast Publishing, April 2020.

  Copyright K.J. Emrick (2012-20)

  * * *

  This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and locations portrayed in this book and the names herein are fictitious. Any similarity to or identification with the locations, names, characters or history of any person, product or entity is entirely coincidental and unintentional.

  - From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  No responsibility or liability is assumed by the Publisher for any injury, damage or financial loss sustained to persons or property from the use of this information, personal or otherwise, either directly or indirectly. While every effort has been made to ensure reliability and accuracy of the information within, all liability, negligence or otherwise, from any use, misuse or abuse of the operation of any methods, strategies, instructions or ideas contained in the material herein, is the sole responsibility of the reader. Any copyrights not held by publisher are owned by their respective authors.

  All information is generalized, presented for informational purposes only and presented "as is" without warranty or guarantee of any kind.

  All trademarks and brands referred to in this book are for illustrative purposes only, are the property of their respective owners and not affiliated with this publication in any way. Any trademarks are being used without permission, and the publication of the trademark is not authorized by, associated with or sponsored by the trademark owner.

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  Contents

  Free Book!!

  When it Rains it Pours

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Death Lends a Hand

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Have Yourself a Merry Little Murder

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Acknowledgments

  More Info

  About the Author

  Free Book!!

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  When it Rains it Pours

  A Darcy Sweet Cozy Mystery Book 25

  First published in Australia by South Coast Publishing, April 2019. Copyright K.J. Emrick (2012-20)

  Chapter 1

  The town doctor in Misty Hollow was originally from Ontario. That explained why every examination room had framed pictures of the Maple Leafs or the Blue Jays on the walls, and why there was a Canadian flag proudly displayed above the window of the registration desk. It was why Doctor Nicholas Malik had such a noticeable accent, with soft vowels and an almost musical cadence. Darcy also liked to think it explained why he was such a nice man.

  It was such a stereotype, but in Doctor Malik’s case it was so very true.

  Reaching out, he ruffled the long tresses of her daughter’s dark auburn hair. Darcy’s little girl rolled her eyes, pretending not to like the attention. She was eleven, after all, and too old for stuff like that.

  She was not too old to feel sick, though. After a couple of months of watching her daughter deal with recurring headaches, Darcy had finally insisted on bringing her to a doctor. Colby had complained that she was fine, but mothers knew better. Fathers did too, and Jon Tinker wasn’t about to let his daughter suffer any longer.

  Acting as a united front, they had finally convinced Colby she had no choice. She was going. Now Darcy had Colby here at Doctor Malik’s office for a checkup.

  His practice had opened up just about a year ago and was associated with the hospital over in Meadowood. He had an office there as well but having him right here in town four days of the week was so much more convenient than driving over there. Apparently, everyone else in town felt the same way. Darcy had been lucky to get an appointment today. He was booked solid for the next two weeks.

  Taking the stethoscope away from Colby’s chest, he pulled the earpieces out of his ears, and hung it around his neck. “She seems to be doing fine,” he said, his deep alto voice holding a smile. He was not a tall man. With Colby sitting on the examination table like that they were at eye level with each other.

  “See, Mom?” Colby said, swinging her feet back and forth over the edge of the examination bench. “I told you I was fine.”

  But he adjusted his glasses up higher on the bridge of his wide nose with a frown. “Well actually, what I said was that you seem to be doing fine. Having headaches at your age might mean nothing more than growing pains. On the other hand, it could be a sign of something more serious.”

  “Like what?” Colby asked, ever curious.

  “Oh, like a viral infection, or a problem with your brain that we would need to fix, or any number of other things.” He laughed in a friendly way. “We doctors don’t like to make guesses without getting a lot of information first. So, I’m going to order some tests for you at the hospital.”

  “Tests?” Darcy asked, a little concerned. “What kind of tests?”

  “Ones we don’t have the equipment for here.” He took a pen out of the pocket of his white lab coat and wrote some notes in Colby’s file. “Nothing too serious. An MRI to start with. Some bloodwork as well, as long as you’re both okay with that?”

  Darcy didn’t think that would be a problem. “Honey? You’ll be okay with a little needle stick, won’t you?”

  “For Pete’s sake, Mom,” was the exasperated answer. “I’m not a little kid anymore.”

  Darcy kept her comments to herself as she gave the doctor a knowing smile. Colby had always been more mature than other kids her own age. Still, she would be sure to be in the room when they did the actual blood draw, so she could hold her very grown-up daughter’s hand.

  It hadn’t escaped her that Colby had started copying her favorite phrase, ‘for Pete’s sake.’ It was just something that Darcy had always said, picked up from a TV show she used to watch as a child, and now she had passed it on to her children. Jon thought it was cute, too. It was certainly better than some things she could be saying.

  Although, following in the footsteps of Darcy Sweet might not be any kind of picnic for Colby, either. Trouble had a way of finding her, and her family legacy had brought her plenty of misadventure as well. That’s the way it was when you could see ghosts, and talk to spirits, and know things that were just unknowable. That was the family gift.
Darcy had it, and so did the other women in her family, and Colby too. She was stronger with it than any of them.

  Stronger, even, than Darcy.

  “Now then,” Doctor Malik said thoughtfully, tapping his pen against the folder. “Which day shall we bring you in for these tests? I have appointment times Saturday, or next Tuesday.”

  “Either day is fine,” Darcy told him. “The sooner the better.”

  At the same time, Colby said, “Tuesday. It has to be Tuesday.”

  Darcy started to ask her daughter exactly why it would have to be Tuesday, when she saw the look on Colby’s face. Her eyes, usually a mix of blue and green, were a dark shade of jade just now. She was seeing something of that unknowable future with the family gift Darcy had been thinking about just now. It was likely that even Colby didn’t know what she meant. Her daughter’s gift was speaking through her, and when it did, Darcy had learned to listen.

  So instead she smiled and nodded to Doctor Malik that Tuesday would be fine and made a mental note to remind herself to pay very close attention to everything that happened next Tuesday when they went to see Doctor Malik at the hospital.

  On the way home Colby and Darcy played radio tag, a game they had created for long car rides where they took turns changing the station whenever they heard a certain word. This time it was tree. Thanks to Nicholas Malik having a clinic in town, it was a short car ride today and didn’t take them very long to get back to Darcy’s bookstore. They’d only changed the dial four times.

  “One more song,” Colby pouted, “and I would have won.”

  Darcy pulled the car into her usual spot behind the store and shut off the engine. “You will never beat your mother at this game. I am the undisputed queen of radio tag.” She scooped back her dark hair dramatically with both hands, and then fluttered her eyes for effect. “I am the undisputed queen of radio tag.”

  “As if,” Colby said. “Come on. Just one more round.”

  “Sorry, honey. I’ve got to at least make an appearance at the store today. Maybe we can play a board game tonight,” she suggested. “That is, if you can manage to pull yourself away from your cellphone.”

  “Mom,” Colby said impatiently. “Sometimes I just have to talk to my friends.”

  “You’ll see them at school tomorrow, won’t you?”

  “No. Not all of them. And besides, it’s just the way we talk to each other. You’re too old to understand.”

  “Oh, hey now,” Darcy protested, but laughing as she did. “Careful with the age talk, young lady. I’m not old, for Pete’s sake. I’m your mom.”

  There was snow on the ground in the middle of January, and both of them zipped up their heavy coats as they got out of the car and went to the bookstore’s back door. The cold felt good to Darcy. Bracing, and crisp. It was nice, for a few minutes… as long as there was a warm place to go afterward.

  The back door was always locked from the outside, but Darcy had the key on her ring. It was one of the perks of being a co-owner of an amazing place like the Sweet Read Bookstore.

  Inside there was the usual few customers that she expected to see on a weekday afternoon. Tourists, mostly, who would casually peruse the stacks and then pick out an easy read like a romance novel or a thriller by James Patterson. A lot of people nowadays just downloaded their books to their tablet devices, but there were still plenty who preferred the feel of a real book in their hands. Paper pages turning in their fingers. The weight of the spine against their palm. Being able to mark your place with a dogeared corner. Some preferred to listen to audio books, and Darcy had those people covered, too. A rack of audio CDs and digital downloads were for sale at the front.

  As long as people loved a good story, there would be a place for the Sweet Read Bookstore.

  Over at the far side of the store, up past the racks of shirts and sweaters for sale with the bookstore’s logo—The Mysterious is all Around Us—three members from Darcy’s book club sat drinking coffee and discussing the events of the day. They had a lot to talk about. It was a new year and the world was changing faster than Darcy had ever seen. Everyone had their opinions, good or bad, but here in Misty Hollow you could speak your mind without having to worry about a fistfight breaking out.

  Jackson Little saw her first and waved. He was tall and hunched over, in the middle of making some point about walls and freedom. Darcy thought it was probably best not to get into the middle of that conversation.

  She wasn’t five steps inside the door before her little boy came racing over to her. Zane was a very grown-up three years old, and already trying to do everything the big people did. He always came with her to the bookstore and when she had to step out, like this morning, her business partner watched him like he was a part of her own family. Of course, the store had been childproofed, just like their house. Plastic plugs in the outlets. Soft foam on the edges of furniture. Breakable stuff went up on high shelves. It was a safe place for a little boy to play and stretch his legs.

  Zane threw himself into Darcy’s arms as she knelt down to catch him. He gave the absolute best hugs. It made her wonder, sometimes, why she and Jon had waited so long to have kids. Who wouldn’t want a lifetime of this? Before she knew it, her daughter was going to be all grown up and out of the house. She wanted to enjoy every moment she had with both of them right now, while she still could.

  “How’s my big guy?” she asked Zane, setting him back on his feet and ruffling his unruly dark blonde hair. “Did you have fun with Aunt Izzy today?”

  He nodded and played with the zipper tag on his mother’s coat. “She reads some books. Not like you. You and Daddy read better.”

  “She read some books,” Darcy corrected him gently. At three years old, he was still stumbling over his words. “Doesn’t she do the funny voices like me and Daddy?”

  “Uh-uh.” He shook his head and put his hands on his hips dramatically. He was wearing his Avengers shirt today, the one that was already getting too small for him. “It’s not most fun without the voices.”

  “It’s not much fun.” This time it was Colby correcting his three-year-old grammar. “That’s how you say it, twerp.”

  “Not a terp!” Zane protested.

  Darcy clucked her tongue. “Colby, don’t call your brother a twerp… hey, are you okay?”

  Her daughter gave her a weak smile. Her face was pasty pale all of a sudden. Her forehead was sweaty. “I’m just too hot, Mom. I’m going to drop my jacket in your office. Maybe lay down on the couch.”

  “Are you sure?” Darcy turned the antique ring that had been her Great Aunt Millie’s around and around on the finger of her right hand. It was her good luck charm, and she often played with it when she was upset. “Maybe we should go back to the doctor.”

  Zane scrunched up his face. “I like doctors. They give me poppilollis.”

  “Lollipops,” Colby and Darcy said together.

  They smiled at each other, and the knot of worry that had been building in Darcy eased a little. Something was up with Colby. These headaches had seemed to pop up out of nowhere, and the listlessness, and the fevers. For a kid who was usually so active this was hitting her hard. Darcy kept telling herself that she would be okay. She was a tough kid. Tougher than Darcy had been at that age to be sure, when her world was being turned upside down.

  Actually, she was rather proud of herself for having given her two kids a better life than her own parents gave her. All of that was in the past now, and the present was pretty darned good, as far as she was concerned.

  “Okay,” she said, standing up and taking Zane by the hand. “Let’s you and me and Colby go back to the office. “We’ll put our coats away, and see how Cha Cha is doing, and then Mommy needs to work for a few hours before we go back home. How’s that sound to everybody?”

  “Fine,” Colby said without much enthusiasm. “I’ve got some homework to do to make up for missing today, anyway. Cha Cha can keep me company.”

  Their house was now home to one cat, a
nd one dog—Cha Cha. Tiptoe, their beautiful gray cat, was an independent and smart feline. She was at home currently because cats appreciated their alone time, and she could be left by herself. Maybe when Cha Cha was older, they could trust him to stay home for a few hours by himself but right now he was still a puppy. He hadn’t learned that not everything was a chew toy. Besides. Cats and dogs alone together could sometimes be a recipe for disaster. The two of them had come to an uneasy truce, but that didn’t mean Tiptoe wouldn’t box Cha Cha up and mail him to Kalamazoo at the first opportunity.

  Auntie Izzy was busy at the register. Darcy’s business partner, Izzy McIntosh, was the unofficial aunt to both Colby and Zane now, and for good reason. She spent so much time babysitting just for the asking that she was practically part of the family now. Her own daughter had split her time between her own home and Darcy’s house growing up, and now she was off finishing up a final year of schooling, getting great grades and heading for her dream career. Raising children took a village, after all. Or at least a few very good friends.

  She waved to Darcy after bagging up a paperback romance for a young woman too busy talking on her cellphone to say thank you before she left. Izzy rolled her eyes, and then shrugged. A sale was a sale, after all. They didn’t require gratitude from their customers. It was nice, but thankyous didn’t pay the bills.