Mice in Paradise: Cozy Mystery (Poppy Pepper's Paradise Cove & Mini Golf Book 3) Read online

  Mice in Paradise

  Poppy Pepper’s Paradise Cove and Mini Golf

  Molly Dox

  Copyright 2015, Molly Dox

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  When a cat cries and a veterinarian dies, Poppy’s world twists upside down. Dr. Corbin was a longtime friend. Poppy can’t help doing a little investigating of her own when the police are at a loss for suspects. Poppy turns up more than she bargains for. When things get sticky, she knows she shouldn’t get more involved. Feeling compelled to find her friend’s killer; she pushes her boundaries, hoping to solve the crime.

  Will Poppy be able to find the answers she’s looking for? Or will it turn into a rat trap, where the seeker becomes the prey? Set in balmy Central Florida, "Mice in Paradise" is perfect for a light weekend read. This cozy mystery is family friendly with no foul language, no blood, and no sex. “Mice in Paradise” is book 3 in the ‘Poppy Pepper’s Paradise Cove and Mini Golf’ series.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 1

  Poppy stared at the mouse. It had seen better days. Chopper circled her legs, his head held high, proud of his gift. After all, Poppy fed him and gave him a scratch behind the ear now and then. It was the least he could do.

  It was the third mouse that Chopper left that week. They'd never been a mouse problem before, but that stray cat seemed to find them all. It wasn't until the following day that she found mangled bits at her door along with a sick cat.

  "Kitty, what have you been up to?" Poppy sighed and went in to get gloves and a bag. He was crying like a baby on the sidewalk, like some sort of explanation she was supposed to understand. "I'm going to have to take you to the vet. What if those mice are carrying disease? I understand your intent. They are….umm, lovely gifts. Maybe you should just stick to your cat food from now on. No pressure, but I’m guessing your belly would feel happier."

  Chopper looked up toward Poppy as if he understood, and then dropped his head back to the ground.

  She leaned down to give Chopper a scratch behind the ear. "Let me go call Dr. Corbin and see if she can fit you into her schedule."

  Normally somebody picked up the phone within two to three rings, but today all Poppy got was the answering machine. She could run by later. Dr. Corbin only lived a couple of miles down the road. She’d known Caroline Corbin most of her life. Caroline was the local country vet, and had been for as long as she could remember.

  After she checked out the last few guests who were leaving the resort that day, Poppy hopped in her TrailBlazer and headed down to the vet's office. On arriving, she noticed only Caroline’s van was there. There were no other vehicles in the parking lot. At this time of day, she should be seeing patients. Dr. Corbin’s small office was attached to the side of her home. It was an addition they’d put on ages ago. Poppy checked to see if the door to the office was unlocked. It opened, but nobody was there. At least not out in the reception area.

  Poppy called out to Dr. Corbin to see if she was nearby. "Caroline are you here?" She waited. There was no answer. She checked her watch and then looked at the board with the hours near the front counter. The office should be open, but there were no clients, no pets, and no Dr. Corbin. "Caroline? Are you in the back?" She glanced around, and then went to check the back.

  Poppy knocked on one of the office doors. It was the office where she saw her patients. Still no answer. She called out Caroline's name as she opened the door.

  Poppy gasped and caught her breath on seeing the woman on the floor, and then dropped to her knees. "Caroline, Caroline, are you okay?" Poppy closed her eyes and said a small prayer. She started muttering under her breath, trying to come to terms with the reality she’d just stumbled upon. She dreaded what she was already sure of, and reached down to take Caroline's pulse. It was what she expected. There was no pulse. There was no life left in Caroline. Dr. Corbin was dead.

  Poppy pulled her phone out of her pocket and called 911. She didn’t want to believe it was true. Her instincts were torn. She wanted to back away, and yet her paramedic training from years ago kicked in too. It was just so hard seeing her friend lying there motionless. All of Poppy’s senses were overwhelming her. She knew the numbness would set in soon, and her professionalism would kick in. She’d have to feel things later. She needed to remain strong for Caroline.

  She could hear the sirens wailing in the background as they got closer. She drew her hand to her face to wipe her brow. Her hand shook, her nerves getting the best of her. Police officers and a rescue squad finally arrived on the scene. Poppy sat stunned, still absorbing the reality as it unfolded.

  There were too many questions left unanswered. Did she have a heart attack, did she die of natural causes, or was there foul play involved? She couldn’t imagine anybody being upset with Caroline. Dr. Corbin was one of the sweetest people she knew. Wouldn't she have appointments? Where was everybody? Poppy moved out to the reception area while the police and rescue squad crew were in with Dr. Corbin. She leaned over the counter and noticed the scheduling book. She picked it up and noticed that every appointment had been canceled. A line through each name and phone number was crossed out. Was she not feeling well? Did she call the customers to reschedule? And where was the receptionist? Pat worked most afternoons, but she was nowhere to be found. She’d give her a ring later and see if she knew anything.

  The police were treating it as if it were a natural death, possibly a heart attack, due to her advanced age and no signs of struggle. Poppy couldn't help but think something else might be going on. As she flipped through the appointment book, the following day’s appointments had also been canceled. Poppy turned the pages back to look at the week. Everything was normal in the book, only today and the following day showed a long list of cancels. It was important not to let her mind run away, but seeing Caroline on the floor shook her up. Poppy slid the appointment book into her bag to look at it later. It had a list of names and numbers to contact.

  Poppy told the police that she’d lock up the place as she was a friend of Dr. Corbin's. She'd have to call Dr. Corbin's daughter to tell her the news. Her daughter, Lola, lived clear across the country. She had followed in her mother's footsteps and worked in an animal hospital in Colorado. As for her husband, well, ex-husband…Caroline had split from him over 10 years ago, and hadn't seen him since.

  In their small Florida town, Poppy knew most everybody. She grew up there and the small community was close knit. While the Orlando area was more populous and offered more to do, Palmetto Key was a small town and what Poppy called home. She’d spent all her life in Florida, and wouldn’t have it any other way. She’d easy trade the bugs, snakes, and humidity, but with so much to do, and so much of her life there, it was her comfort zone.

  A cold front pushed through earlier in the week, dropping temperatures a good thirty degrees. She was looking forward to the warmer temperatures that would return in a few days. The cold snaps didn’t come often, but when they did, they reminded her that she didn’t own a winter coat. She rarely needed one in Central Florida.

  Poppy dreaded calling Lola. How do you break news like that? Maybe she should have let one of the officers do it, but she thought the news might be easier to hear coming from a friend. She headed home to look up Lola's
number. The sooner she called her the better. There would be arrangements to plan, Lola would have to fly in, and she probably wanted to contact her father as well.

  Poppy hadn't seen Peter Corbin in over ten years, and wasn't looking forward to seeing him again. He wasn't a very pleasant man, though he loved his family at one time. She didn't know if Lola was still close with Peter, but knew Caroline had a less than stellar opinion on the man. Of course Poppy didn't blame Caroline, knowing that Peter had been less than faithful. When the news broke, nobody seemed surprised.

  Poppy checked in on Chopper who seemed to be doing well enough after his latest mouse incident. He was no longer rolling on the ground crying, and had moved to one of the lawn chairs to sunbathe. "Were they crocodile tears?" Poppy teased. She'd still keep an eye on him for a day or so and see how he was doing.

  Going into the office she shared the news with her father. Martin’s eyes moistened with tears and his shoulders drooped. It was hard hearing the news. He'd known Caroline Corbin all of his life.

  Chapter 2

  When the news came from Panda, her brother and a medical examiner, Poppy almost couldn't believe it. She'd been euthanized; they'd used her own medications against her. Now that it was considered a homicide, Poppy was determined to find out who committed the heinous crime.

  Poppy nervously let herself in to Caroline's office one more time. Rubbing the back of her neck, she waited for her pulse to steady. She probably shouldn’t be in there. She took a couple of deep breaths and tried to ignore the hollow pit in her stomach. Her being there was all about helping…it’s just that nobody knew that she was there. She knew she was trespassing.

  Poppy had sorted through the appointment book and jotted some names down of recent patients. If she could check their folders and see if there were any clues, or even to grab their information to call and ask if they knew anything, it might help. She was able to find everybody's file except for one. There was no Tom Ryan. There was a Jack Ryan, there was a Shirley Ryan, and there was a John Ryan. Was Tom Ryan the one who removed his folder? What was in the folder? Or was it John Ryan. She popped open the file, but the pet’s name didn’t match what was written in the appointment book.

  There were so many papers and files to sort through. Caroline still used paper files rather than committing to a computer system. Poppy snagged what she could and brought them back to her office. She’d contact them at some point, and knew once her daughter arrived she wouldn’t have access to the information as freely. And when the cops started investigating, she’d be shut out. The least she could do was sort through Caroline’s recent clients. I won’t let them get away with this, Caroline.

  With no official suspects at the time, there was a reward posted for information and tips. Poppy hated the idea that somebody might get away with this. She had a quick thought…what if Tom Ryan's name was spelled wrong? She didn't even think of that when she was there. She turned around and went back over to check the files. Could he spell his name differently? She looked at the huge stack of files, sorted alphabetically, on bookshelf after bookshelf. This could take a long time. She started rhyming words with Ryan. She came up with Brian, Bryant, Cayenne, Diane, Mayan, and Wine. While there wasn’t a Cayenne, Diane, Mayan, or Wine, there was a Brian and a Bryant. Poppy pulled out the Brian and Bryant file.

  As she was about to open the files, she heard a car’s tires on the gravel parking lot just outside of the office. Panic rushed through her veins, knowing that she shouldn’t be in there. She quickly ran and locked the door and then went to hide in a closet until everything was clear. She could get in a lot of trouble being there even though she was trying to help. She knew she was trespassing on a crime scene. It was a foolish move on her part.

  There was knocking on the door, but after nobody answered, the person gave up. She heard the car's tires on the gravel lot as it left. Poppy sighed with relief and felt the chill fall off of her shoulders. That was a close call. If that had been a police officer she could've been arrested. That was it; she was done with this breaking and entering. She grabbed the last files and headed out the door. She'd wait for Lola before she entered the Caroline’s office again.

  Back at the resort’s office she tried to decide if she’d share the information with her father or Reggie. Realistically, her dad might talk, so she opted not to say anything to Martin. Reggie on the other hand might help her figure out what was going on. Sure, of course he would first claim he's a sheriff and couldn't get involved, but she knew him well enough that his eyes would light up and he'd happily listen to her thoughts and theories.

  Before she could do anything else, she heard a commotion. One of the guests of the Paradise Cove and Mini Golf resort managed to run into one of the poles near the entrance. Poppy ran out to see what happened. She cringed on seeing the damage. There was damage both to the front of the customer’s car and to the pole. "Are you okay? What happened?"

  An old man got out of the car. "Oh my, I sneezed and lost control of the vehicle."

  "Well you better call your insurance company, so they can help with the repairs," Poppy suggested. "Are you sure you're okay?"

  "Yes, yes, I'm fine. I'm just embarrassed to have caused such a mess. I prefer not to call my insurance company though because they’ll just raise my rates. I'll pay for the pole repairs."

  "That's fine, but I do have insurance that will handle things like this. Are you sure you would rather go through the insurance company?"

  "No please if I get another moving violation I'll lose my license. I need to drive; I don't have family to take me around to the places I need to go. Please, let's just do this off of the books."

  Poppy sighed and agreed.

  The man followed her into the office and wrote a check for $200. "If the cost is more than this let me know."

  Before she could get back into what she was doing previously the phone rang. Lola had just arrived in town. She was at the rental car counter and would come to see Poppy soon.

  Poppy gathered the files and appointment book she'd been looking at and tucked them in the back of the office.

  When Lola arrived, Poppy went out to greet her with a warm hug. "I'm so sorry about your mother. She was a dear friend."

  "It came as a shock. I mean, sure, I knew she was getting older, but I wasn't ready for her to die. And then hearing that it wasn't natural, that somebody had killed my mother, I don't even know what to think…" Lola started to cry. Her body shook. No matter how many times she told herself that her mother was dead, it hit her just as hard every time.

  "I'm sorry, sweetie," Poppy offered. She gave Lola another hug, holding her close. Maybe it was a mistake, but she wanted Lola to understand that she cared a great deal about Caroline. "Lola, I'm going to tell you something and I hope you won't be upset with me. I've been going through her files and appointment book to see if I could figure out if one of her clients was responsible. I just haven't found anything yet, but I promise that I won't stop looking until we know who did this. I probably shouldn't have touched her files, but it tore me up inside to know that she was murdered. I hope you can forgive me for sorting through her office."

  "You did that for me? Do you really think you can find out who did this?" Lola wiped her tears away with the back of her arm.

  "I'll be honest, I don't know, but I couldn't just sit around and not do anything. I've known your mother for so many years now, and the thought that somebody hurt her pains me."

  "Thank you, Poppy. Have the police said anything or done anything?" Lola asked.

  "Last that I heard there were no suspects and there was a reward placed for information."

  Lola nodded. "Right, that's the last information I have. I just hoped they picked up more information by now."

  "Would you allow me go through more of her folders? I don't know if I can find any information, but it's worth checking. Maybe she wrote a warning, or something happened. I don't even know what I'm looking for."

  Lola nodded. "Sure I'll
leave the key to the office and you can read through the files at your convenience. I'd love to say that I'll help you, but I'm feeling pretty useless right now. All I want to do is crawl up in a ball and cry."

  Poppy softly patted Lola’s shoulder, comforting her friend’s daughter. "Go rest, I'll sort through the files. If I find anything, I’ll let you know."

  Chapter 3

  Reggie reached into the jellybean bag and drew out a handful. He fed them into his mouth one a time. During the last year, the jelly beans had helped him quit smoking. Only now he was hooked on jellybeans. He squinted into the sun, and pulled his sunglasses off the top of his head to cover his eyes. It was only in the morning hours that he got shade on his little patio, but once the sun grew higher into the sky, all bets were off.

  On seeing Poppy, he decided it was time to bring up the topic of dating again. They tried to go on a date once before, but unfortunately things didn’t go quite as planned. He hadn't mentioned it again due to the nature of the situation. He thought maybe it was time. His wife had died over year ago, and he'd grown close to Poppy during the time that he’d been staying at the resort. He’d sort of become a permanent fixture.

  Poppy smiled on seeing Reggie. She always felt comfortable around him. She enjoyed his company, and they even tried going on a date before. Unfortunately things didn't work out how they planned. Instead things got a little crazy.

  "I was thinking…" Reggie started.

  Poppy laughed. "That can be dangerous."

  Reggie shook his head and laughed. "How do you feel about going out again? I'd like to take you out to dinner, or even breakfast. We get pancakes and bacon, have a picnic lunch, or go out for a nice steak. I've been hesitant to bring it up after what happened last time."

  "I was wondering if you're going to ask me again. I was afraid I might have scared you away forever. I can't seem to stay out of trouble these days; but I sure am glad you're asking."