Betrayal By The Sea Read online

  I took another bite of my apple as I studied the photo. “It really is breathtaking. I think if we have all those flower beds, we’ll need to hire a gardener. I bet the upkeep will be extensive.”

  Georgia ran a hand over the book. “It would be a large undertaking, but Lonnie seemed to think that we could find landscapers and maintenance personnel to handle the heavy work.”

  I flipped to a couple of other pages in the book and then turned back to the one Georgia had marked. “I love it. I have an appointment to go over a final design with the landscape architect in a couple of weeks. We’ll show him this photo and discuss options.” I tossed my apple core in the trash. “That managed to take the edge off, but I’m still hungry. Do you have something in mind for dinner?”

  “I was thinking of pot roast. I’ll need to get it started right away, if that meets with your approval.”

  “That sounds delicious. I need to write at least a chapter of the new book I started today, so I’ll be in the bedroom. I half-expecting a call from Colt, who wanted to set up a time for me to go house hunting with him. I’m going to leave my phone out here so as not to be distracted by it, but if you notice that I have a call from him, you can interrupt me. Otherwise, just let everything go to voice mail.”

  “How is Colt’s hunt for the perfect house coming along?” Georgia asked about our friend, Chief of Police Colt Wilder, and the house he was looking for that would accommodate visits from his orphaned niece and nephew.

  “Slowly. He’s pretty particular, and he seems to know exactly what he wants, so that narrows down the potential pool of houses by quite a bit. But I don’t blame him for taking his time. The reality is that the house he buys now will probably be the home he lives in for quite some time.”

  “Yeah. It is an important decision. I’ll keep an eye out for a call from him; otherwise I won’t bother you. Good luck with your chapter.”

  “Thanks; I’ll need it. I have a really awesome concept for this book, but I’m having a hard time getting started. Hopefully, I’ll make some progress today.”

  Rufus squeezed in through the bedroom door just as I was closing it. He jumped up onto the bed and curled up in a ball. When Olivia, the mama cat who had been living in my closet with her litter of kittens, heard him, she emerged and joined him on the bed. They weren’t hurting anything, so despite the fact that I liked to have zero distractions while I worked, I let them stay. The story I was trying to write was a mystery of sorts, but I wanted something that was more than that. I wanted to write a complicated character with very real problems and personal challenges to overcome. I wanted an element of romance, but I didn’t want the romance to overshadow the story. I had a solid outline for the mystery part of the story, but I was still working on developing the characters who would come together to solve that mystery.

  I tried to picture my hero, but the only image to come to mind was Colt, which was one I quickly pushed from my mind. My husband and son had only been gone a year and a half, and there was no way I was ready for lusty thoughts, no matter how innocent they might be. Colt was a nice guy and a good friend. He was responsible and caring, and we seemed to work well together. But he was only a friend, which was a fact I seemed to need to remind myself of more and more often as of late. Deciding my hero should have blond hair and blue eyes, the exact opposite of Colt’s rich brown hair and deep brown eyes, I opened a browser and began to search for male images to use as inspiration for the character I wanted to create.

  I didn’t always use photos as inspiration, but there were times having an image to look at helped me to focus. The manuscript I’d started called for a blond woman with bright blue eyes, so I decided to look for an image to represent my heroine as well, although the only one that came to mind was that of my sister, Annie, a woman I had been close to for most of my life but had been estranged from ever since I’d come to the decision to buy the inn and move to Maine. The fact that Annie was no longer in my life hurt me deeply, but I wasn’t sure how I could rectify the situation; the chatty emails I’d been sending to her since coming to Maine didn’t seem to be working. She had sent me a single short email on Ben’s birthday. I’d hoped that meant she had decided to forgive me, but so far, that was the only email she’d sent.

  Making a quick decision, I opened my mail app.

  Dear Annie,

  It’s been a rainy March here in Maine, but at least the snow has melted at sea level. The remodel on the house is coming along splendidly. I’m hoping you can make it out here this summer for the grand opening. I want to share my new life with you, and I know you would love spending time on my bluff by the sea.

  I found out today that the mantel in the living room of the mansion may have been carved by a famous artist who lived in the eighteenth century. I plan to research the man and his art in an effort to find out more. I’ll let you know what I find, because I know you enjoy both art and history.

  I need to get back to work on my new novel. The one I recently completed should publish early next year. I’ll send you a signed copy when I get them.

  I love you and miss you, Abby.

  After I hit Send, I returned my attention to the chapter that was still waiting to be written. I knew it was pointless to spend a lot of time agonizing over the loss of my relationship with Annie, but at times the hole left by the removal of her presence in my life was more than I could bear.

  Books by Kathi Daley

  Come for the murder, stay for the romance.

  Zoe Donovan Cozy Mystery:

  Halloween Hijinks

  The Trouble With Turkeys

  Christmas Crazy

  Cupid’s Curse

  Big Bunny Bump-off

  Beach Blanket Barbie

  Maui Madness

  Derby Divas

  Haunted Hamlet

  Turkeys, Tuxes, and Tabbies

  Christmas Cozy

  Alaskan Alliance

  Matrimony Meltdown

  Soul Surrender

  Heavenly Honeymoon

  Hopscotch Homicide

  Ghostly Graveyard

  Santa Sleuth

  Shamrock Shenanigans

  Kitten Kaboodle

  Costume Catastrophe

  Candy Cane Caper

  Holiday Hangover

  Easter Escapade

  Camp Carter

  Trick or Treason

  Reindeer Roundup

  Hippity Hoppity Homicide

  Firework Fiasco

  Henderson House

  Holiday Hostage

  Lunacy Lake – Summer 2019

  Zimmerman Academy The New Normal

  Zimmerman Academy New Beginnings

  Ashton Falls Cozy Cookbook

  Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Mysteries by Henery Press:

  Pumpkins in Paradise

  Snowmen in Paradise

  Bikinis in Paradise

  Christmas in Paradise

  Puppies in Paradise

  Halloween in Paradise

  Treasure in Paradise

  Fireworks in Paradise

  Beaches in Paradise

  Thanksgiving in Paradise – Fall 2019

  Whales and Tails Cozy Mystery:

  Romeow and Juliet

  The Mad Catter

  Grimm’s Furry Tail

  Much Ado About Felines

  Legend of Tabby Hollow

  Cat of Christmas Past

  A Tale of Two Tabbies

  The Great Catsby

  Count Catula

  The Cat of Christmas Present

  A Winter’s Tail

  The Taming of the Tabby

  Frankencat

  The Cat of Christmas Future

  Farewell to Felines

  A Whisker in Time

  The Catsgiving Feast

  A Whale of a Tail – Summer 2019

  Writers’ Retreat Southern Seashore Mystery:

  First Case

  Second Look

  Third Strike

  Fourth Victim
/>   Fifth Night

  Sixth Cabin

  Seventh Chapter

  Eighth Witness

  Rescue Alaska Paranormal Mystery:

  Finding Justice

  Finding Answers

  Finding Courage

  Finding Christmas

  Finding Shelter – Fall 2019

  A Tess and Tilly Mystery:

  The Christmas Letter

  The Valentine Mystery

  The Mother’s Day Mishap

  The Halloween House

  The Thanksgiving Trip

  The Saint Paddy’s Promise

  The Inn at Holiday Bay:

  Boxes in the Basement

  Letters in the Library

  Message in the Mantel – April 2019

  Family Ties:

  The Hathaway Sisters

  Harper

  Harlow – May 2019

  Haunting by the Sea:

  Homecoming by the Sea

  Secrets by the Sea

  Missing by the Sea

  Betrayal by the Sea

  Christmas by the Sea – Winter 2019

  Sand and Sea Hawaiian Mystery:

  Murder at Dolphin Bay

  Murder at Sunrise Beach

  Murder at the Witching Hour

  Murder at Christmas

  Murder at Turtle Cove

  Murder at Water’s Edge

  Murder at Midnight

  Seacliff High Mystery:

  The Secret

  The Curse

  The Relic

  The Conspiracy

  The Grudge

  The Shadow

  The Haunting

  Road to Christmas Romance:

  Road to Christmas Past

  USA Today best-selling author Kathi Daley lives in beautiful Lake Tahoe with her husband Ken. When she isn’t writing, she likes spending time hiking the miles of desolate trails surrounding her home. She has authored more than a hundred books in eleven series, including Zoe Donovan Cozy Mysteries, Whales and Tails Island Mysteries, Tess and Tilly Cozy Mysteries, Sand and Sea Hawaiian Mysteries, Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Series, Inn at Holiday Bay Cozy Mysteries, Writers’ Retreat Southern Seashore Mysteries, Rescue Alaska Paranormal Mysteries, Haunting by the Sea Paranormal Mysteries, Family Ties Mystery Romances, and Seacliff High Teen Mysteries. Find out more about her books at www.kathidaley.com

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