Missing in Cottonwood Springs Read online

  MISSING IN COTTONWOOD SPRINGS

  By

  Dianne Harman

  (A Cottonwood Springs Cozy Mystery - Book 4)

  Copyright © 2019 Dianne Harman

  www.dianneharman.com

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form without written permission except for the use of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Paperback ISBN: 9781794603813

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  To my family, for their everlasting encouragement and faith in me, thank you!

  To my readers, who buy and borrow my books, thank you!

  To all the people who contributed their expertise in making this book possible, thank you!

  And to my in-house editor and best friend, Tom, thank you!

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  Table of Contents

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  EPILOGUE

  RECIPES

  ABOUT DIANNE

  COMING SOON!

  PROLOGUE

  Brigid checked her watch as she hurried to her car. She was running late this morning, and that wasn’t like her. She always strived to be on time. Being late for an appointment was one of her pet peeves. That’s why normally she would have left twenty minutes earlier, but instead, here she was, rushing out the door well after when she should have left.

  There were a number of things that contributed to why she was running late, all of which seemed to have been conspiring against her that day. She’d gotten up later than usual, and because it was a warm day, Jett, her 125-pound Newfoundland dog, hadn’t wanted to come inside. Instead, he’d opted for playing in a mud puddle. That was probably for the best, though, because she wouldn’t have had time to bathe the big Newfoundland if he had come inside.

  “I hope Olivia’s not too impatient, because it looks like I’m a little late for my appointment with her” Brigid said aloud to herself as she pulled out of her driveway. For the last few weeks she’d been making plans for her wedding, which just added to her stress level.

  Although she was getting close to making some decisions, there were a number still left to be made. More than once, she’d thought about just forgetting about having a wedding and instead, heading to the courthouse for a quick ceremony performed by a clerk. Whenever she verbalized that thought, Holly, her semi-adopted daughter, was quick to remind her that deep down Brigid really didn’t want to do that.

  And Holly was right. Brigid had been looking forward to planning her dream wedding. With her first husband, her mother-in-law hadn’t allowed her to do anything she’d wanted to do like having an outdoor wedding and sunflowers for the floral arrangements. No, almost everything she’d wanted had been quickly vetoed.

  Thinking back, Brigid thought she should have paid more attention, because the signs had all been there, practically in neon with bright flashing lights. But she’d been young then, and she’d allowed her mother-in-law to run the show, not wanting to rock the boat. This time, though, she was going to do what she wanted. Well, and what Linc, her husband-to-be wanted too, although he seemed very content to keep repeating, “Whatever you want, Brigid.”

  Just the thought of his total trust in her had Brigid smiling as she turned onto the town square. She pulled up in front of the flower shop, Ford’s Flowers. Owned by Olivia and Mike Ford, it wasn’t the only flower shop in Cottonwood Springs, but it was the most popular. From what Fiona said, Olivia’s bouquet arrangements were unlike any others. Brigid had never seen any of Olivia’s work, but she trusted her sister. If Fiona said she was good, Brigid believed it. Holly had claimed she was impressed by the florist’s work as well. If the two most important females in Brigid’s life spoke highly of the woman, then that was good enough for Brigid.

  She parked her car, climbed out, and walked across the sidewalk towards the front door. “That’s odd,” she thought as she approached the door. All of the lights were still off, even though the sign on the door said they opened at 8:00 am. She looked at her watch to check the time. It read 8:30. She turned to see if anyone was heading in her direction as she scanned the nearby streets, but it appeared that everyone was simply moving along to wherever they were going. Nobody looked as if they were hurrying to meet her. Resigning herself to wait and grateful she wasn’t the only one having a busy morning, Brigid contemplated her next step.

  She sat down on a cute little wood and cast-iron bench in front of the flower shop window to wait for Olivia. She admired the black metal scrollwork and intricate design, tracing her finger along the pattern. “She’s probably just running late, too,” Brigid said aloud to herself. She pulled out her phone and began to pass the time. It wasn’t often she had a little free time to do absolutely nothing, so she figured she might as well make the most of it.

  After swapping fruit in her favorite Match 3 game for a while, a truck pulled up and parked beside her car. Assuming it was Olivia, Brigid tucked her phone back in her purse and stood up. Rather than a young woman climbing out of the silver truck, a disheveled young man got out. His blonde hair looked as though he hadn’t combed it that morning, and his clothes looked as though they’d been crumpled on the floor before he pulled them on. He rushed to the door, seemingly unaware that Brigid was standing almost next to it.

  “Excuse me,” Brigid said as he unlocked the door. He turned, apparently noticing her for the first time.

  “I’m sorry,” he said apologetically. “Are you the woman Olivia was supposed to meet this morning?”

  “Yes,” Brigid said. “I’m terribly sorry. I was running a little late. Is she here?”

  “No, I’m afraid not,” he said. “I’m Mike Ford, her husband. Something’s happened to her. Olivia’s missing.” He pushed open the door to the shop and waved Brigid inside. “Wait right here, and I’ll turn on the lights.”

  Brigid nodded and watched as the man disappeared into the inky blackness of the dark store. His wife was missing? What did he mean by that? Surely she’d just stopped somewhere and forgotten they had an appointment. Cottonwood Springs wasn’t exactly a big city where people went missing regularly. There were only so many places a person could go in the small town.

  The lights kicked on one by one until the store was fully illuminated, the fluorescent tubes buzzed overhead as they warmed up. Now that she could see, Brigid looked around, taking in everything the little shop had to offer. There were cherubs and potted plants near the front window. Stuffed animals and other potted flowers lined the walls. Figurines, candies, and almost everything else you could think of to send with flowers filled the space. With so many options and ideas, it was no wonder why the place was so popular. It smelled like springtime with all the flowers. Brigid inhaled deeply, loving the scent of the flower shop
which made her feel calm and refreshed.

  Mike reappeared from the back, apologizing. “I’m sorry, I really don’t know what to say at this point.” He brushed his hand over his face. “I planned to just come in and put up a sign. I completely forgot she was supposed to meet with you until I noticed you standing near the door. What was your name again?”

  “Brigid Barnes.”

  “Brigid, that name seems familiar. Aren’t you the woman who’s helped catch a couple of murderers? The sheriff, Corey Davis, is a friend of mine and he’s mentioned you to me a couple of times,” he said as he moved around the store. Each time he stopped moving, he adjusted something, like sliding a figurine over a few inches or restacking a display of cards. He seemed filled with anxious energy.

  Brigid smiled and said, “One and the same.” She was starting to get used to people knowing who she was from the times she’d helped the sheriff's department. For the most part, it had been a blessing in disguise. More people trusted her because of it, but it was a double-edged sword. They also seemed to think she was some sort of miracle worker.

  “Have you ever helped find a missing person?” he asked eagerly, his nervous energy pausing for the moment.

  Brigid replied hesitantly, “Well, no. I haven’t. But the sheriff…,” she began but Mike cut her off.

  “Would you be willing to help? I’m really worried something bad has happened to Olivia. I’m afraid the longer we wait, the less likely we are to find her,” he said. His bright blue eyes fixed intently on Brigid, and she couldn’t help but fidget in response.

  “Perhaps,” Brigid said cautiously. She didn’t know much about looking for a missing person, but she didn’t imagine it would be any harder than looking for a killer. “I understand your concern. What can you tell me?”

  Mike sighed. He seemed to visibly shrink as he calmed himself. “Olivia left the house early this morning. She was going to stop by the store before coming here. She told me she needed to pick up a few things for the day. Normally I come in with her, but today we were taking separate vehicles, because I built a new display case, and it wouldn’t fit in her car. I was bringing it in my truck.

  “She was going to come here first, so she could clear some space in the shop for it. When I got here this morning and she wasn’t here, I went straight to the grocery store. She’d been at the store, because one of the cashiers remembered her leaving. The thing is, her car’s still in the parking lot. Her shopping bags were in the front seat of it, but there was no sign of her anywhere. Like I said, Sheriff Davis is a good friend of mine, and he said he’d take a look at the security footage of the grocery store and call me when he knew something.”

  Brigid’s mind began to work. So she went to the store and disappeared from the parking lot, she thought. If her bags were in the front seat of her car, she obviously made it back to her car, but what happened after that? It didn’t sound like this was one of those missing persons cases where the person didn’t want to be found. Otherwise, why would she leave her car behind? Brigid wasn’t sure what was going on, but she knew she couldn’t just sit back and do nothing when she’d been asked to help.

  “I’ll see what I can do,” she finally said.

  “Thanks, I really appreciate it. I’m sure you’re busy, but everyone seems to think that if a case is going to be solved, it needs to be done quickly. At this point, that’s what I need, someone who can help me. I need my wife back home and safe in my arms,” Mike said, his eyes beginning to tear up.

  While she was no missing persons detective, Brigid knew she’d been instrumental in helping to solve several cases involving murder investigations. People talked to her. The sheriff said people often opened up to someone who wasn’t in law enforcement. If that was so, maybe she could help figure out what happened to Olivia.

  CHAPTER 1

  Brigid was sitting in the office she had in her home, trying to get some work done, when Holly walked in. Despite it being almost noon, Holly was still dressed in her pajamas. Her long blonde hair was in a floppy ponytail that looked as though she’d slept with it that way. It was spring break and apparently, she planned to take full advantage of it.

  “Remember how I told you I had an aunt in Missouri? My mom’s sister?” she asked as she perched one hip on the edge of Brigid’s desk.

  “Yes,” the older woman said. She slid her glasses off her nose and up into her red hair. She leaned back in her chair to listen to Holly. “What about her?”

  “She sent me a message online,” she said as she scrolled through her phone. “I guess she wants to meet me.”

  “Really?” Brigid asked, feeling a slight twinge of worry. “Why’s that?”

  “She said she’d heard about Mom, and also that I was being well taken care of, but she didn’t like not knowing who I was or anything about me. I guess Sheriff Davis talked to her after Mom died and filled her in on the situation. She said she understood and respected that, but it’s been eating at her that she doesn’t know me and asked if I’d like to visit her and her family. I mean, that makes sense, right?”

  Brigid could tell by Holly’s tone of voice that she really wanted to know what Brigid thought. Her first, knee-jerk reaction was to feel hurt. After all, she’d been taking care of Holly ever since her mother had been murdered in a local church. Why, all of a sudden, did this woman in Missouri want to get to know Holly? Yet on the other hand, how could she blame her? She was family, after all. What if she had a niece that she never got to see because her sister had moved away? Brigid knew she’d do the same thing.

  “And how do you feel about it?” Brigid asked. She’d learned that with teenagers it’s always wise to see what their opinion is on something before speaking yours. Otherwise, they may take whatever you said the wrong way. She didn’t want to hurt Holly’s feelings or make it seem as though she wasn’t supportive, because she was. Yet she knew it was a very touchy subject, and she wasn’t sure how Holly might be feeling about it.

  “I wouldn’t mind meeting some of my family,” Holly said. “I never knew who my dad was, so it was always just me and my mom. I never saw pictures of these people except for the one I got from the trailer where Mom and I lived, and that one was pretty old. It might be nice to see what they’re like. You know, meet my cousins and stuff like that.”

  Brigid could see that Holly was interested, but she had a feeling Holly didn’t want to hurt her feelings. She stood up from her desk and pulled the girl into her arms. Brigid had always known this might happen. She just wasn’t ready for it to happen so soon.

  “Then I think it’s a great idea. They are family, after all. Maybe it’ll give you a chance to learn more about where you came from.” Brigid pulled Holly closer. “Maybe you could visit them while Linc and I go on our honeymoon?”

  “That’s a great idea, Brigid!” Holly gasped. “It’ll be summer vacation, and you won’t have to worry about me while you’re gone. Oh, but what about Jett?” she blurted out, referring to Brigid’s 125-pound Newfoundland dog.

  “Fiona’s already offered to take him while we’re gone,” Brigid said. “So that’s all worked out. Go ahead and tell your aunt it’s fine. If we can plan far enough ahead, we can get cheaper airline tickets for you.” She gave Holly’s arm a strong supportive squeeze.

  “Okay,” Holly said brightly as she bounced out of the office. Brigid heard her squeal with happiness as she hurried back down the hall, retreating to her own room.

  Brigid smiled to herself. She did feel protective about Holly, but in reality, her relatives were probably great people. She acknowledged the slight flutter of fear in her heart when she considered that Holly might like it there and not want to come back, but she tried to ignore it. There was no need to worry about something that hadn’t even cropped up yet. More than likely, there had been some silly falling out and Holly’s mother had distanced herself from her family.

  If there were angry feelings, Holly’s mother probably hadn’t talked about them much, if at all. Top tha
t off with her being an absent parent, and it was no wonder Holly really knew nothing about her extended family. She deserved to be surrounded by as many supportive and loving people as she could get. Considering how great of a kid she was after everything she’d been through, Brigid felt she’d earned that right.

  Brigid’s talk with Holly had distracted her from work and now her mind was flooded with thoughts of the wedding. She’d almost forgotten how overwhelming it was to plan a wedding. The cake, the venue, flowers, dresses, the whole thing made her head want to explode. It wasn’t that she was worried about getting married. No, that was the easy part.

  She was absolutely certain that Linc was the perfect guy for her. He was young at heart, smart, and incredibly kind and generous. The fact he was very easy on the eyes didn’t hurt either. Yet, for some reason, as she tried to make wedding plans, she became overcome with anxiety. It was much easier to postpone the plans and focus on something else. She knew she couldn’t do that forever, but for now, it was how she was dealing with it.

  Thinking of wedding plans, she glanced at the clock again and counted how much time she had before Linc came over from his house next door. They were going to look at a potential venue for the ceremony. Neither one of them was too excited about having a church ceremony, since both of them had been married in churches for their first marriages. Obviously, they hadn’t turned out well. Instead, they were hoping for something outdoors and a little more intimate. After all, late spring in the Rockies can be spectacularly beautiful, so why not take advantage of it?

  There was a nature reserve not too far from Cottonwood Springs that was a popular venue for weddings. Brigid wasn’t sure she wanted to get married in the same place so many others had, but she and Linc had decided to look at it. After all, there had to be a reason it was so popular. They’d made an appointment for later that day. The pictures she’d seen of it were beautiful, which was why she decided to give it a shot. Although she normally wasn’t one who liked to do what everyone else had done, she thought seeing it in person might make her feel differently.