Daisy McDare And The Deadly Real Estate Affair (Cozy Mystery) (Daisy McDare Cozy Creek Mystery Book 4) Read online

  Daisy McDare And The Deadly Real Estate Affair

  K.M. Morgan

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  Prologue

  Daisy McDare’s life was about to be turned upside down again. Just when things were starting to go so well too. Wasn’t that always the way? The rug was always pulled out from under her feet when she least expected it.

  There had been another murder in Cozy Creek. This was becoming a disturbing trend. What was happening to Daisy’s quaint hometown?

  It wasn’t like this when she was growing up. Back in those days, the Creek was an adorable tourist town nestled against the Pacific Coast. Murder was practically unheard of.

  Things were changing fast, and Daisy didn’t like it one bit. Still, there would be plenty of time in the future to bemoan the startling changes to the once idyllic town of her youth.

  Right now, there were more pressing matters at hand. Namely, solving this latest murder. There was a killer at large, and it was up to Daisy to help crack the case.

  Just don’t tell that to the town’s bumbling detective. Chris Crumple had been an investigator with the Cozy Creek PD for over thirty years, but was acting like a gullible gumshoe of late.

  Crumple was growing tired of being outsmarted by Daisy. After all, in his eyes, she was nothing more than an interior decorator who’d gotten a few lucky hunches in the past.

  With this case, Crumple was determined to prove he was more than just a dimwit detective. He was armed with four cups of coffee, a dozen glazed donuts, and was determined to crack this case on his own.

  Daisy meanwhile just wanted justice to be served. The murder had occurred at the site of her current decorating job. If the killer wasn’t found, they could strike again. What if Daisy was the next victim?

  That’s why Daisy had to do her own digging. She couldn’t leave the case in the bumbling hands of a detective who had a bad habit of arresting the wrong suspect.

  One thing was clear—cracking this case wouldn’t be easy. There were a number of suspects, plenty of killer motives, and all kinds of mysterious questions that needed answering.

  Daisy had some serious sleuthing to do on this one. It was going to be a long day. Luckily she had a chocolate cupcake in her purse to take the edge off.

  Chapter One

  Two Days Earlier

  Daisy couldn’t believe her luck lately. Things were going so well for her that she almost thought she’d stumbled into someone else’s life. Every once in a while she felt like she had to pinch herself just to make sure she wasn’t just imagining things.

  Still, with all that was going right in her life, Daisy kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. Maybe she’d get lucky and that moment wouldn’t come. What a relief that would be.

  Both good and bad things seemed to come in bunches. Her past was fraught with heartbreak, so she certainly appreciated the good times now that they were here.

  She had one thing to be happy about more than anything--Gavin Watson. He was handsome, kind, and had a great sense of humor. In short, exactly what she’d always been looking for in a man. They had met at the local dog park a few months before and immediately hit off.

  Unfortunately, there was one thing that seemed to keep coming between them—Gavin’s ex-girlfriend. For the longest time, he couldn’t seem to get over her leaving him for another man. His heartbreak was so severe, it torpedoed Gavin and Daisy’s first coffee date.

  Daisy worried she’d be permanently stuck in the friend zone with Gavin. Then one day Gavin felt he had finally got over his ex and asked Daisy out on a second coffee date.

  Ever since then, Daisy’s love life had experienced a romantic renaissance. She kept her fingers crossed that things wouldn’t change. At the same time, she tried not to get too far ahead of herself. She and Gavin had only been dating a few months. There was no telling what the future held, but in the meantime at least things were looking up.

  ***

  “Morning,” Gavin said.

  It wasn’t just Gavin and Daisy that were getting along well these days. Their dogs were quite fond of each other as well. Gavin’s Corgi Rosie was wild about Daisy’s West Highland Terrier Shamus. Together, the two little doggies could roll around all day in the dog park.

  Normally Daisy wasn’t fond of waking up at dawn to head over to the dog park, but with Gavin in her life now, she happily made an exception.

  Daisy gazed at her boyfriend. “Seems like it wasn’t that long ago since we said goodnight.”

  “By the way, what do you say I take you to Chez Magnifique tonight?”

  “Oo la la. You’re speaking my language.”

  “Good. It’s settled then.”

  “But here’s the thing. I don’t know what time I’m getting out of work.”

  “It doesn’t matter what time you get out. You’re worth the wait,” Gavin said.

  There was nothing quite like that early honeymoon stage in a relationship. It brought out the best in people. Although Gavin was already prone to flattery as it was.

  “You’re so sweet to me,” Daisy replied.

  They locked gazes. Gavin then leaned in and gave her a kiss.

  He tasted more delicious than a red velvet cupcake, and that was saying a lot. Daisy’s heart went aflutter.

  “If you keep kissing me like that, I won’t want to go to work,” she said.

  Gavin smiled. “Thanks, but you have to.”

  “Alright. How about one more kiss for the road?”

  “Are you kidding? I’ll give you as many kisses as you want,” Gavin insisted.

  He then leaned in and gave Daisy another kiss.

  Daisy smiled. “Now I really can’t wait for tonight.”

  Chapter Two

  Sweet Tooth was the premier dessert destination in Cozy Creek. It also just happened to be owned by Daisy’s best friend Samantha Johnson. That made it the perfect bakery to grab breakfast at before heading off to work.

  There was more on tap than just treating her taste buds however. While Daisy satiated her chocolate cravings with a muffin, Samantha was hungry for gossip.

  “Let me guess—another day, another wonderful date with Gavin,” Samantha said.

  “Do I sound like a broken record?

  “You sound like the kind of record that’s worth playing over and over.”

  Granny Annie Johnson then invited herself into the conversation. “Records? I thought you wacky kids liked your mpg’s.”

  Granny Annie was a woman who wasn’t shy about her words. She was eighty years young, and had the energy of a forty year old. Now in her retirement, she only lived for two things—wise-cracking and having fun. She did plenty of both.

  “You mean mp3’s?” Samantha corrected.

  “Who cares about the technical jargon? The point is—your life has become much more like a birthday party than a pity party nowadays, and that’s a reason to celebrate,” Granny Annie said.

  “Very true. Things are going better than I ever expected,” Daisy admitted.

  “You don’t know how much of a smile that brings to my face. It’s so rare that we’re both in happy relationships at the same time. When a moment this tasty comes around, you have to savor it like a piece of rich chocolate cake,” Samantha explained.

  “Now you’re
making my mouth water,” Daisy said.

  “Of course she is. There are two precious things in life—love and chocolate. When you have both, you can’t go wrong,” Granny Annie insisted.

  “Now that you’ve gotten my taste buds all worked up, I unfortunately have to go to work,” Daisy said.

  “Don’t worry. There will be plenty of cake waiting for you when you’re done decorating,” Samantha replied.

  “Sorry ladies. Gavin and I have another date tonight,” Daisy revealed.

  “Things really are looking up for you these days, aren’t they?” Samantha asked.

  Daisy crossed her fingers. “Let’s hope that never changes.”

  ***

  As Daisy drove over to her latest decorating job, she couldn’t help but be struck by the fall colors in town. Cozy Creek was always picturesque. The town of twenty-five thousand had a Victorian-era downtown that had been revitalized by cute bistros and boutiques cropping up. Cozy Creek had a prime location, nestled right along the Pacific Coast, just far enough away from Vancouver to make for a great tourist destination.

  When fall came however, the tourists were in short supply and the residents had the quaint, sleepy town all to themselves once again. On top of that, autumn made Cozy Creek’s tree-lined streets really pop. The foliage dazzled with a mixture of red, yellow, and orange leaves. It wasn’t quite like the east coast when it came to autumn splendor, but the leaves were colorful and plentiful enough to give it a quiet beauty.

  Daisy couldn’t imagine a better place to call home, especially now that the life she’d dreamed of seemed to slowly be coming together. Not just personally or romantically either—professionally as well. This decorating job was sure to bring a smile to Daisy’s bank account.

  She’d been hired to do the decorating of a brand new model home for Stinson & Sons Construction. The company was building a new housing community named Majestic Estates on the edge of town. They wanted their model home to look stylish and appealing to any prospective house hunters.

  The job was intriguing for a different reason as well. The name Majestic Estates was an advertising ploy. The fact was, the single family homes that were being built there were far from majestic. They were more budget-conscious. As a matter of fact, they had the most affordable prices in town. That meant Daisy might even be able to afford one. Considering how high the local real estate prices were in Cozy Creek, that was an appetizing thought indeed.

  Things didn’t always used to be so expensive in Daisy’s hometown. Until two decades ago, Cozy Creek was nothing more than a sleepy coastal town. Then the city council decided to pour some money into revitalizing the historic downtown area. The bistros and boutiques started opening up in town shortly after. Then the tourists discovered the place and started flooding in during the summer.

  The minute Cozy Creek landed on the map as a tourist destination, real estate prices started shooting up. Now years later, Daisy found herself priced out of the housing market. Her middle class income wasn’t enough to buy a home. She was stuck squarely in the land of the renters--until now.

  With this new housing development, it seemed like affordability had finally returned to Cozy Creek. There was one catch however. The Majestic Estates were on the outskirts of town.

  As with most real estate, Cozy Creek’s oceanfront homes were most desirable. After that came the Victorian homes surrounding the downtown historic district. Further inland were the more modest homes, which was also where Daisy rented her apartment. Beyond that were strip malls and chain stores galore. Then finally straddling the town line was the future home of the Majestic Estates.

  Not too long ago, the building site was nothing more than a large patch of dirt off the highway that no one gave a second thought to. Now Stinson Homes had big plans for it. The question became, could the Majestic Estates find enough people willing to live so far from the center of town?

  The low price tag was enticing. If Daisy combined the check she’d receive from this decorating job with the money she already had in the bank, she could afford to put a down payment on a Majestic Estate home if she wanted to. The question was, did she want to?

  That was something she was still working out. Of course she’d love to own her own home. This job would give Daisy plenty to think about. She’d get to tour the model home, check out the plans for the community, and get a better feel for the area.

  One thing was certain however—the old real estate maxim of “location, location, location” would have to be ignored. A highway-adjacent home on the outskirts of town did not pass the location smell test.

  But who knows? Maybe the homes would be charming and come with just the right price tag. Or perhaps Daisy would do her decorating job and duck out of there. One thing was certain—Daisy was glad she packed a few chocolate snacks, because this community was seriously off the beaten path.

  Chapter Three

  As Daisy pulled up to the sales office, she realized just how ironic the name Majestic Estates really was. Aside from the welcome gate and sales office, Stinson Construction had only built one residence—the model home. There was the skeleton of a second home off to the side, but it was nowhere near complete. Everything else was just construction equipment and barren land as far as the eye could see.

  “Wow. The salesmen are sure going to have their hands full on this one,” Daisy said, to herself.

  The house itself didn’t live up to the majestic moniker either. It was a one level single family home with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a small fenced-in backyard. The outside of the home was very plain looking—hardly the kind of house dreams were made of. Daisy told herself maybe it would look more appealing on the inside.

  Before Daisy had the chance to enter the sales office, she found herself with front row seats to a confrontation.

  The community’s construction foreman Patrick Potter stormed out the front door of the sales office. With his plaid flannel shirt, jeans, a tall brawny frame, and a beard--Patrick looked like he was doing his best lumberjack impersonation. He was only in his mid-forties, but had a lot of wear and tear on his body, mostly due to his hard labor life.

  Daisy knew just how hard that life was. After all, Patrick was an old friend of her family’s. Patrick was on the same bowling team as Daisy’s father and had attended more than a few McDare backyard barbecues over the years. In all that time however, she had never seen Patrick looking quite so mad.

  Scott Stinson, the owner of the construction company, came out the front door chasing Patrick away. Scott was in his late sixties, easily in retirement age, but looked as if he had no intention of retiring anytime soon. He was also dressed impeccably in a three piece suit, complete with gold cufflinks, and designer Italian dress shoes.

  Scott was a short and skinny clean-shaven man with short jet black hair, dark brown eyes, and a wrinkle-free angular face. His most defining trait however was his temper, and it was fiery.

  Daisy wasn’t even trying to listen in on the men’s conversation, but Scott and Patrick were yelling so loud, it was hard not to hear everything they said. Instead of getting out of her car, Daisy sat in the parking lot, waiting for things to blow over.

  Meanwhile Scott and Patrick were at each other’s throats only shouting distance away.

  “Get out of here,” Scott barked.

  Patrick shook his head, completely indignant. “I can’t believe you. I have serious bills to pay-- alimony, child support. Without this job, I could lose my house--”

  “Do I look like I care? I don’t ever want to see you around here again,” Scott continued.

  “Oh, this won’t be the last you’ll see of me,” Patrick replied.

  “Didn’t you hear me before? You’re fired. If you ever so much as set foot on this property again, I’ll have you arrested for trespassing,” Scott said.

  “I’m not going down without a fight. You can’t just fire someone without cause,” Patrick argued.

  “How about insubordination?”

&n
bsp; Patrick’s eyes opened wide. “What?”

  Scott meanwhile narrowed his eyes. “You don’t think I knew about your plans--to unionize, to stage a walk out, and to demand higher wages and benefits? No one incites a riot under my watch.”

  “If you just paid us what we’re worth and treated us with a little respect, we wouldn’t have any problems,” Patrick explained.

  “Speak for yourself. I’m going to go back to making my millions, while you’ll be on the unemployment line. The way I see it, you’re the only one with problems here.”

  Patrick sneered at him. “You can’t do this to me.”

  Scott didn’t back down. The fact that Patrick was a foot taller and infinitely more muscular didn’t faze Scott in the least. Scott was the kind of man that didn’t let anyone intimidate him.

  Scott scoffed. “Who are you trying to kid? I’m Scott S. Stinson. I can do whatever I want, and you can’t do anything to stop me.”

  Patrick clenched his hand into a fist. He then noticed the Majestic Estates sales staff watching the argument through the windows of the sales office.

  Patrick unclenched his fist and pointed at Scott.

  “We’ll see about that. You’re going to pay for this,” Patrick warned.

  Scott eye’s opened wide. “Is that a threat?”

  “It’s a promise,” Patrick insisted.

  Daisy couldn’t believe how tense things were. She felt like a punch could be thrown at any minute.

  With Patrick towering over Scott, Daisy expected Scott to back up. He didn’t.

  Scott stood his ground, puffing his chest out as he replied. “Get out of here, or I’ll have the police drag you out of here for trespassing. Got it?”

  Daisy could only imagine what Patrick would do if people weren’t watching. But seeing as how they were, it became clear that Patrick didn’t want to go to jail not only for trespassing, but assault charges as well.