Nosy Neighbor: All 7 complete Nosy Neighbor cozy mysteries PLUS: 2 short Christmas stories (A Nosy Neighbor Mystery) by Cynthia Hickey

Author:Cynthia Hickey [Hickey, Cynthia]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Winged Publications
Published: 2015-11-26T00:00:00+00:00

12

I met Mom in the lobby of the bank, told her I wasn’t thirsty anymore, and waited for her to kiss Robert goodbye. In the meantime, I gazed out the large front window and watched people stroll by, laughing and shopping, with no idea that the picturesque view they saw might go away soon.

“Where to next?” Mom opened the door.

“The drugstore.” I stepped into mid-morning sunlight and glanced at the old-fashioned red-and-white awning over Oak Meadows Drugs. The vintage feel of the place had me wishing I’d grown up in the town, back when poodle skirts were all the rage and innocence wasn’t a thing of the past. Matt and I could have shared an ice cream float at the counter.

“What’s wrong with you?” Mom frowned. “Are you going to stand there staring or are we going in?”

“In. Sorry. The pain meds must have me in a fog.” She didn’t need to know it was the shock of how formidable a foe Larkin Enterprises really was that had me in a stupor. Why had I thought they were small time business?

“Good morning, ladies.” Seth Bridger, a sixty-something man with a head of wavy gray hair, wiped down the soda counter. “What can I get you?”

I perched on a red and chrome stool. “We’re collecting signatures to keep investors from buying up Main Street.”

“I’ll sign twice.” He grinned. “Do you think it will work?”

“The only thing that will work is if everyone stands firm against rising dollar signs and refuses to sell. I’m hoping that if the majority sign this petition, those on the fence will realize the futility in selling. At least I’m praying that’s what happens.”

“Five hundred thousand dollars is a lot of money to most people.” He tossed the rag under the counter. “Especially to someone thinking about retirement. Still, I’d rather have someone take over this place than sell out to an investor.”

“Thank you.” I slid the clipboard across the counter. “Have you had weird things happening around here that might make you lean toward selling if they continued?”

“I’ve had graffiti, my tires flattened, and a window busted.”

All things that sounded as if a gang of rowdy youths were having a bit of mischief. “Have you alerted the police?”

“Yes. Detectives Jones and Steele were here yesterday. They said a car would patrol the street at night.”

It would take me a while to get used to calling Wayne Detective Jones instead of Officer Jones.

“At least I haven’t found a dead body in my shop, right, Anne?” He winked. “That might set my wife over the edge and force me to sell out. I hired that boy, Rusty, to help keep an eye out and do some minor cleaning, but he hasn’t seen anything yet.”

So, that’s where my gardener had gotten off to. I’d wondered why my lawn was getting long. Still, I wouldn’t begrudge Rusty the work.

A customer entered and we said our goodbyes, heading next door to Classy Classics, the women’s boutique. Nancy Caldwell stood behind the counter adding figures on an old-fashioned adding machine.

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