Perfect Petunias & Murder: A Prairie Crocus Cozy Mystery, #5

PERFECT PETUNIAS & MURDER

––––––––

Miranda Brickett

––––––––

A Prairie Crocus Cozy Mystery

Book 5

––––––––

Copyright 2021

All Rights Reserved

Claudia Porter’s idealistic country existence comes screeching to a halt when an intruder breaks into her house.  A short time later, a resident of Prairie Crocus turns up dead.  Are the two incidents related?  Will the killer be found?  Will Claudia’s love of the new life she’s built be permanently tainted?

––––––––

Released: April, 2021

Approximate word count:  50,000

Prairie Crocus Cozy Mystery Series

Book 5 

Standalone: Yes 

Cliffhanger: No

This is a work of fiction.  All characters and events are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons or situations is entirely coincidental.  All rights reserved.  No part of this work may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the author, the only exception being brief quotations in a book review.

––––––––

Copyright © 2021 Miranda Brickett.

Contents

Chapter 01

Chapter 02

Chapter 03

Chapter 04

Chapter 05

Chapter 06

Chapter 07

Chapter 08

Chapter 09

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

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 01

What happened here? Claudia Porter gasped as she climbed out of her car.

She had just gotten home from town, and something was amiss.

Groceries forgotten in the trunk, she raced toward the front porch of her charming country farmhouse.  Sunlight bathed the entire front of the east-facing house, providing much-needed warmth on a chilly spring day.  This was normally when Claudia would inspect her perennials for signs that they were waking up after the winter, but today she rushed past them without a second thought.

The tall, stately front door of her home was ajar.  Her frisky grey adventurer of a cat, Fluffy, was teetering atop the porch railing.  Claudia hurried up the front steps and scooped him up before the little scoundrel lost his balance.

How did you get out of the house? she demanded once he was safely in her arms.

Mrow? Fluffy replied with a bewildered look on his cute, whiskered little face.  It was almost as though he couldn’t quite figure out what had happened, either.  Clearly he wasn’t going to be much help when it came to figuring out what had happened.

Did I forget to shut the door in my hurry to get to town? Claudia wondered aloud.  That’s pretty bad, even for me.  I mean, I was in a rush because boneless, skinless chicken breasts were on sale this week and I wanted to get some before they sold out, but even so...

As she stepped into the house, she trailed off.

Her blue-green eyes widened in alarm as she looked around.

The drawers of her white chalk painted wooden entryway table were open, the contents strewn all around.  The collection of inexpensive, colorful purses Claudia kept on the shelf of the closet had been pulled down.  They were lying on the floor haphazardly, unzipped.  Clearly, someone had rifled through them.

Her heart in her throat, Claudia glanced toward the spacious open concept kitchen and living area.  Muddy footprints showed that her unwanted visitor had walked all through the pristine white kitchen.  Curiously, he or she hadn’t gone near the flatscreen television or laptop that was still sitting on the couch. 

Either the intruder hadn’t been after electronics, or hadn’t had the opportunity to swipe them.

Suddenly the enormity of what had happened hit her like a ton of bricks.  It had been a normal, unremarkable weekday morning...until it wasn’t.  There was a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach and she was full of adrenaline.

Someone broke into my house! Claudia realized, unable to hide her shock.

She had lived much of her adult life in a small, stylish apartment in the city.  Although it had been a decent enough neighborhood, she wouldn’t have been too surprised had someone broken in there.  But life in the country was supposed to be safe and uncomplicated.  Clearly that was an illusion.

That false sense of security was gone, wiped out in a matter of minutes.

Claudia felt violated in a profound way she couldn’t even begin to articulate.

Mrow! Fluffy complained, struggling impatiently in her arms. 

The young cat was a sweet little critter, but in typical cat fashion, he only cuddled on his terms.  The rest of the time, he was too busy enthusiastically exploring the world around him to slow down.  It seemed he was ready to get back to his adventures.

Dazed, Claudia set Fluffy down.  He scampered off, unfazed.

She stood in the entryway, uncertain of what to do next.  Holding her breath, she listened carefully for any indication that the intruder might still be inside.  When she was satisfied that she was most likely alone, she tentatively took a step into the living room.

Claudia took another cautious step into the living room.

Suddenly, as she neared the couch, she heard something rustling near her feet.

A sense of dread crashed over her as her heart rate shot through the roof.  Was someone hiding under the couch?  Could a person even fit under her couch?  Feeling panicky, Claudia grabbed the lamp off her end table, ripping the cord right out of the wall plug.  She held it up over her head, prepared to put up a fight if necessary.

Mew?

Claudia’s other cat crept out from beneath the couch.  The black and white feline, who was appropriately named Cat,  looked spooked.  It was no wonder.  Someone had broken it while the pets were home alone - they must have been frightened.  And now, it probably didn’t help that Claudia was holding a lamp above her head like a weapon. 

Immediately, Claudia softened.  The feeling that she was in immediate danger began to dissipate.  She set the lamp back onto the end table and crouched down.  She slowly extended her hand as she spoke to her nervous older cat in a gentle, soothing tone of voice.

It’s okay, she whispered.  It’s just me.  I’m here now and you’re alright.  You can come out.

Cat rubbed her head against Claudia’s hand affectionately.  Reassured by her human’s presence, Cat gave one last loving headbutt.  Then she emerged from beneath the couch and went off in search of Fluffy, her near-constant companion.

Suddenly Claudia heard heavy footsteps clomping onto the porch.

Terror overtook her.  What if whomever had broken in had returned?

She whirled around to face the door.  At the same time, she tried to think of the best hiding spots in the house and wondered if she had time to make a run for it.  I was a large farmhouse with plenty of good hiding spots but infuriatingly, she couldn’t seem to think of a single one.

Normally calm, cool and collected, she was thoroughly frazzled.  Her thoughts were all over the place, and her panicked state of mind wasn’t doing her any favors.  To her horror, all she could manage to do was freeze.  That was probably the worst thing she could do in the circumstances, but she couldn’t seem to help it.

Claudia’s boyfriend, Scott Anderson, stepped inside.

Hey, did you know the front door is open? he called, oblivious to her distress.  Is the latch not catching? he asked as he fiddled with it.  Hmm, no, the latch seems fine.  I hope the door frame isn’t sagging.  Sometimes the ground can shift once it starts warming up.  Maybe I can just tighten the screws and...

He glanced inside and his jaw dropped.

What happened here? he asked in disbelief as he surveyed the damage.

Someone broke in, Claudia told him, surprised by how high-pitched her voice sounded.

Anger flashed in Scott’s gorgeous blue eyes.  His jaw was clenched and his hands curled up into fists at his sides.  At over six feet tall, the burly, dark-haired outdoorsman instantly made Claudia feel safer  She was grateful he was there.

Are you okay? he demanded, his protective streak instantly making an appearance.

She nodded.  I just got here myself.  I was in town at the grocery store.  Oh, the groceries!  I left them in the trunk, she remembered, as though that was somehow the worst thing that had happened all day.

Leave them for now.  It’s cool outside.  They’ll be fine out there in the trunk for a little longer.  I’m going to check the rest of the house to make sure whoever was here has left, Scott decided.  You stay here.

If he was afraid, it didn’t show.  In fact, he mostly just seemed angry that somebody had had the audacity to break in.  Now he was on a mission to secure the premises. 

That was the thing about Scott - he wasn’t as introspective as Claudia, which probably served him well in a situation like this.  He tended to be more action-oriented, as evidenced by his immediate need to do a sweep of the house.

As Scott marched off to make sure the house was, in fact, empty, Claudia wrung her hands.  She felt utterly helpless, which she hated.  Usually, she prided herself on being independent and self-sufficient.  But at the moment, she was completely out of her element.

She picked up a furry white decorative throw cushion that had fallen to the floor.  One of the cats - most likely Fluffy - must have knocked it off.  She placed it back on the couch carefully, as though fixing that one minor detail would somehow restore a sense of order and normalcy.

She paced around, unaware she was even doing so.  With mud caked all over the floor, her kitchen was a disaster.  That’s not to say the floor wasn’t in need of a good mopping before; with two cats, it was a safe bet that the place could always use a good mopping.  Still, though, Claudia found herself more upset about the mud that had been tracked in than was rational.

It probably wasn’t the mess at all that was upsetting her.

Ugh, Claudia grimaced as she accidentally stepped in some mud that had been tracked in. 

It coated the fuzzy pink handmade socks she had purchased at the local farmers market and then soaked right through.  The sensation of cold, sticky, filthy muck on the underside of her foot was disgusting.

The thirty-something year old aspiring entrepreneur caught sight of her reflection in the mirror.  She was taken aback by how pale she looked.  Fair skinned at the best of times, she now looked absolutely ghostlike.  The worried expression on her heart-shaped face was undeniable.

She tugged at her auburn red hair impatiently.  It hadn’t been bothering her until right that second, but now it was all she could focus on.  Loose, wavy strands tickled her forehead in a most unpleasant manner.  Irrationally annoyed, she quickly braided her long locks to get them out of the way.

So far, she hadn’t noticed anything missing from the house.  But that wasn’t really the point, was it?  The point was, someone had broken into her safe space.  They had invaded her home, violating her trust and sense of well-being.  It could have been a lot worse, sure.  But that was little consolation.

How, exactly, did one come back from such a brazen intrusion?

As Claudia glanced out the window at the rugged land she loved so fiercely, she felt a twinge of sadness.  Maybe the idyllic lifestyle that she had thought Prairie Crocus offered was little more than an illusion.  Maybe no place was truly safe - not even an unassuming farm on the outskirts of a quaint rural town.

Stop it, Claudia told her worried-looking reflection sternly.  You’re fine.

But was she really?  Her hands were shaking and her heart was still pounding more than it should have been.  An invisible weight had descended upon her, slowly suffocating her.  She felt deeply unsettled and rattled to her very core. 

In fact, she felt anything but fine.

Chapter 02

The cops in this town are useless, Scott ranted as he and Claudia left the small police station on Main Street.  In fact, they’re worse than useless!  That was an absolute waste of time.

Let’s not paint everyone with the same brush.  To be fair, some of the police officers in this town are better than others.  I wish someone other than Carter had been working today, Claudia replied with a frown.

Carter Klein was a handsome local cop who most ladies in town swooned over.  Tall, blonde and athletic, the former high school football star was self-assured, privileged and well-known around town.  He came from a wealthy family and was probably the town’s most eligible bachelor.  But no one was a bigger fan of Carter’s than Carter himself.

Back when she had first moved to Prairie Crocus, Claudia had momentarily been dazzled by his good looks.  After all, what woman wasn’t attracted to a tall, handsome man in uniform?  She had even gone on a date with Carter.  She still cringed at the memory.

They hadn’t hit it off, to say the least. 

Carter may have been good looking, but his inside didn’t match his outside.  Claudia had been less-than-impressed when she had discovered how rude and full of himself he could be.  Worst of all, he had seemed kind of oblivious to her reaction.  It was probably because he had been too busy thinking about how great he was to notice much else.

She had tried to disengage as gracefully and tactfully as possible, but she suspected Carter’s ego had never recovered from the blow.  He was one of those entitled men who thought he was doing Claudia a favor by showing interest in her, so when she didn’t immediately swoon at his feet he was shocked.  He wasn’t used to being rejected and it showed.

Claudia suspected Carter resented her.  On the few occasions she had run into him around town since their cringeworthy date, he hadn’t exactly been friendly.  It probably didn’t help that she had been dating Scott for some time now.  The two men