Tempest in Teaberry

  Tempest in Teaberry

  A Teaberry Farm Bed & Breakfast Cozy Mystery

  R. A. Wallace

  2018

  Author’s Note

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, dialogue, places, and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Material in this book is not intended as a substitute for legal or medical advice from qualified professionals. The author has no connection to any software or website mentioned.

  © 2018 R. A. Wallace. All rights reserved.

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Megan’s Recipes

  Books by R. A. Wallace

  Chapter One

  Megan could hear the wind howling and the rain pelting the window in her bedroom. Although it was nearly midnight, she was in bed alone, which was often the case these days. Josh was out who knows where. He had refused to tell her where he was going for so long now, Megan had stopped asking. The power had been out for over an hour. Megan didn’t want to go out into the violent storm alone to try to get the generator going.

  A branch began slamming against the side of the house. Or was that pounding? Megan couldn’t tell over the noise of the wind. But there it was again, louder this time, insistent. It sounded like there was someone at the door. Megan shivered out of bed and grabbed her sweater on the back of the door as she left the bedroom. Moving down the hall slowly in the dark, Megan reached the front door of the house.

  The pounding continued. Megan tried to look out the window next to the door but couldn’t see much. There was a dark figure in the rain briefly illuminated by a distant streak of lightning in the sky. Whoever it was raised their hand and pounded on the door again. Megan realized both the arm and the figure appeared slender. The figure seemed too small for a man.

  Megan opened the door and looked into the anguished eyes of her sister-in-law, Erica. Megan barely registered that although Erica was completely drenched, she was in full police uniform. Megan vaguely wondered why Erica wasn’t wearing her police issue rain gear and hat. The wind blew the rain into the house, spraying Megan as the door was wrenched from her hand and slammed against the wall. Erica stood there with her hair plastered against her head, her mouth moving. Megan stared in confusion at Erica, not comprehending what Erica was saying at first. Erica kept repeating it, the large droplets of rain coursing down her face intermixed with tears.

  “He’s dead. Josh is dead.” Erica was suddenly illuminated as another bolt of lightning lit the sky and a loud rumble of thunder followed immediately.

  Megan startled and sat up in bed. The dream. It was just the dream. She looked out her bedroom window and saw the sky barely beginning to turn a lighter shade of black. The clock read 5:15 AM but Megan knew that she wouldn’t fall back to sleep. Not after the dream. She never did. It must have rained last night. Night rains often prompted Megan to dream about the night her husband had died nearly five years ago causing Megan to relive the event countless times.

  She may as well get up and begin her day. Flipping on the light on her nightstand, she eased out of bed. Megan Bennet stood in front of the mirror and considered what she saw. The woman that stared back had shoulder length brown hair, expressive brown eyes, full lips, and a heart-shaped face with pronounced cheekbones. Her 5’5” frame was angular and fit, aided by a constant routine of regular activity. She squared her shoulders and turned from the mirror. At thirty-five, Megan the widow was a much wiser version of the headstrong young girl who had married at twenty-five.

  Everything seemed possible back then. She and Josh had bought the farm where she now lived and worked. They had put everything into restoring and remodeling the 1870s vintage farmhouse upgraded with modern amenities into a bed and breakfast. Teaberry Farm Bed and Breakfast offered four rooms with private baths and was situated on the outskirts of a town named Teaberry which was conveniently located a few miles from the crossroads of two busy highways.

  The web site promoting the B&B that Megan had created herself offered potential visitors the chance to enjoy a delicious breakfast each morning that included fresh eggs, farm to table fruits and vegetables, and homemade baked goods. The farm offered fresh crop picking at certain times of the year. Depending on the interests of the guests, Megan kept a few sheep and taught visitors how to knit. When the B&B wasn’t in use, Megan also worked as a freelance web site designer.

  Megan headed down the hall to make some coffee and was nearly tripped by Emma. The black cat wove its way around Megan’s legs before dashing off to the kitchen. Emma was sitting there waiting for Megan when she flipped on the light switch. Green, accusing eyes stared up at Megan. Emma’s tail flicked repeatedly as she lifted her paw and licked it.

  “It’s just a little after five in the morning, I have not missed your breakfast,” Megan said to the cat aptly named after one of Jane Austen’s characters. Like her namesake, Emma the cat was also spoiled, headstrong, and self-satisfied.

  Megan was an avid fan of books though she preferred mysteries. She was aware of the irony that her married name, Bennet was also from a Jane Austen book. Although in theory Megan would have liked to be an author, she found in practice that her mind wandered more than her fingers on the keyboard. She had managed to publish some short stories but that was back while she was working on her fine arts degree. She and Josh had married after Megan had completed her degree.

  Her time now was spent on making a success of the Teaberry Farm B&B and developing web sites. She put both her writing and tech skills to use for individuals and businesses who wanted an online presence. She was happy that she was able to do both of her jobs from the comfort of her home. Megan looked around the beautifully restored kitchen with modern appliances. She did love it here. After refilling Emma’s bowls with fresh water and food, Megan sat with a cup of coffee and planned her day.

  It was Friday. There were four couples arriving late in the afternoon for a wedding in Teaberry. They will be spending the weekend at the B&B and leaving Sunday. Although Megan had done much of the major cleaning already, there were always still a few things that needed to be completed on the day of the guest arrival. She ticked each off on a mental list in her head.

  She also had plans to have lunch with her best friends before her weekend officially began. Megan was looking forward to it. Actually, two of her best friends were technically related to her but that just made it even better. The four of them were lifelong friends and often tried to plan something together when Erica had a day off. Erica’s role on the Teaberry police force often had a more erratic schedule and the others worked their schedules around Erica’s when they tried to plan things together.

  But since she was up so early, Megan also had time to do some baking first. It was another thing that she truly enjoyed. Cooking had always soothed her, and she loved trying new recipes. Looking out the window she saw the light chasing away the dark in the sky bringing more colors w
ith it as the light inexorably continued its illusory westward march. She could hear Henry crowing or what passed as crowing for him. Megan smiled and shook her head. If she was going to do some baking, she would need to do battle with her rooster for some more eggs. It was a contest of wills each time Megan went near the hens. She’d better have another cup of coffee first.

  Chapter Two

  Megan drove into Teaberry, enjoying the view along the way. She’d always loved the way the town looked. It had the most amazing old stone and brick buildings. A large section of the historic downtown area had shops, restaurants, and other businesses.

  The newer construction had been built farther away from the town. Although Megan wouldn’t want to work in any of the facilities, she was glad that the town had the manufacturing and other options for employment available. She knew that not all towns were so lucky.

  Megan found parking on the street for her truck a few blocks down from the Jammin-T Diner where they had planned to meet for an early lunch. As she walked, she peered into the windows of the shops that she passed. Pausing at the corner before crossing the street to get to the next block, Megan waved at the women in the hair salon.

  She thought for the millionth time that she should stop in herself and ask for a more modern, stylish cut to replace her unruly mane currently pulled back in a tail. Irlene, the owner of The Teaberry Salon, had often attempted to entice Megan in for a makeover but Megan had yet to give in. Owning the Teaberry Farm B&B took up much of her day. She didn’t want to worry about taking unnecessary time to style her hair. Besides, she still hadn’t forgiven Irlene for the pageboy incident when she was ten. While it may have looked fabulous on others, it had failed to transform Megan into a princess.

  The Jammin-T was already filling up for the Friday lunch time crowd. The brightly colored restaurant was decorated with an eclectic mix of teaberry-themed artwork. The evergreen plant was common in the woods in western Pennsylvania. In went by different names elsewhere including mountain tea and spicy winterberry. Megan had been taught in school that it can be brewed into a tea and was reportedly used by native Americans for medicinal reasons. That was usually the same lesson that the children were taught not to eat anything without their parents’ permission.

  Megan spotted her friends at a table across the room and crossed to join them. There was a large plastic replica of the teaberry plant on the wall above Erica’s head. Like many cops, Erica preferred to sit with the wall against her back and facing the door so she could easily see anyone who entered.

  Erica Bennet, Megan’s sister-in-law and best friend since grade school, was dressed casually in khaki shorts and a tee. Both thirty-five, she and Megan were the same age but that was where the similarities ended. At 5’9”, Erica was taller than Megan by four inches. She was wearing her long, light red hair in a fat braid down her back. Although Megan had always envied her friend’s coppery hair, she knew that Erica despised it. Erica also lamented her light skin and tendency to freckle. As Megan took a seat, Erica’s laughing hazel eyes greeted her.

  “We wondered if you would make it.” Erica turned to Caitlyn. “Tell her what you just told us.”

  Caitlyn grinned at Megan. The pixie cut of her black hair framed a small face with striking blue eyes. At 5’1” and barely a hundred pounds, Caitlyn was a ball of energy. “As I was leaving to come here, my mom reminded me of the time we all got poison ivy when I was eight.”

  Megan remembered that. Enchanted by a children’s story she’d read in school about teaberry, an enthralled young Caitlyn had cajoled her friends into having their own adventure. It was to become a common theme throughout their youth.

  On this adventure, Megan had shown them the way into the woods near her parents’ house to pick teaberry like the character in the book. Erica had warned them all about getting lost in the woods and had left a trail marking branches and other things along the way, so they could find their way back. Lauren had simply assumed everything would work out fine and followed them all into the woods to share their fun, picking wildflowers with Caitlyn as they walked along hunting for the evergreen. Naively, they’d ignored the three-leaved foliage growing next to the teaberry they’d found. By the next day, the four of them were covered in an itchy rash.

  Looking back, it was almost easy to see how those children had morphed into the adults of today. Caitlyn had always been the creative one who drew the others into her adventures. Lauren, the even-tempered golden-haired child had always gone along with what the others had decided. Erica, the cautious one, had always questioned the plans but had gone along to keep an eye on the others. And Megan, the one who had helped foster Caitlyn’s dreams by engineering some solution to make them happen.

  “You were covered the worst. It was all over your face, too,” Megan said and laughed with the others.

  “We should have adventures like that now,” Caitlyn said with an impish grin.

  “Your mom made me promise not to let you do things like that anymore,” Erica joked.

  A frizzy-haired waitress in her sixties stopped, filled glasses with iced tea, and asked for their orders. Betty had been working at the Jammin-T for as long as any of them could remember. After jotting the orders down on her pad, Betty left them to their conversation.

  “How is your mom?” Megan asked Caitlyn.

  “Good. She’s covering for me at the florist shop. She’ll help me finish up the order for the wedding tomorrow. Later this afternoon, I’m also going to need to take some arrangements to the restaurant for the couples party tonight,” Caitlyn said. Caitlyn had taken over the florist shop from her mother, Susan Anderson, who had owned it since before Caitlyn was born. Susan now worked part-time in the florist shop to help her daughter during busy times.

  “I need to finish up baking the wedding cake this afternoon,” Lauren said. “This mother of the bride did better than most brides. She only changed her mind three times.”

  Megan turned and smiled at her cousin. Their fathers had been brothers and Lauren and Megan had been friends ever since Megan was three and carefully held her newborn cousin under the watchful eye of their parents. With blonde hair and blue eyes, Lauren had been the darling of the family and had grown into a beautiful woman. Now married and with two small children of her own, Lauren worked from home creating specialty cakes and other edibles.

  Caitlyn nodded in agreement with Lauren. “Courtney’s mom didn’t make many changes with her flowers for the wedding either. Courtney was happy with anything that made her mom happy. I think Courtney and Austin will have a good marriage.”

  “I have four couples staying with me this weekend for the wedding,” Megan said. “Do you remember Chris Olsen? Well, it’s Hill now, Chris Hill.”

  Lauren nodded. “She was a few years behind us in school, right? I remember her as someone who was always smiling.”

  “She married some guy from out of town a few years ago.” Erica added. “She doesn’t visit Teaberry now even though her family is still here. Why isn’t she staying with her family?”

  Megan shrugged. “I haven’t talked to her yet. They made the reservations online.”

  “Interesting,” Erica said. Megan could hear the years of experience in the single word. Erica had seen many sides of the Teaberry community that Megan was blissfully unaware of and Megan preferred to keep it that way. She did not envy Erica her job and often wondered how anyone could do it. It took a special breed and Megan silently thanked anyone who took the oath. She knew some small part of the toll such jobs took watching Erica over the years.

  The waitress returned with their food interrupting the conversation temporarily.

  “Seriously, we should still have adventures,” Caitlyn said just before taking a large bite of her mammoth cheeseburger.

  “How do you eat that stuff and stay so thin?” Lauren asked, attacking her salad with a jealous vengeance.

  Caitlyn shrugged. She had never questioned her ability to consume large quantities of food. She preferred t
o think of it as a gift given in exchange for her lack of stature. She had always wanted to be tall like Erica.

  “You could eat more if you went running with me in the mornings.” Erica shot a grin at Lauren before stuffing French fries into her mouth.

  Lauren sighed. “I spent this morning trying to get the gum out of Mia’s hair that her brother Noah had so thoughtfully stuck in there.”

  “That sounds better than the time you decided to cut your own bangs when you were four,” Megan said before finishing her tuna salad sandwich.

  “Just remember that you promised you wouldn’t tell my kids about any of that stuff we used to do when we were kids,” Lauren pointed at her cousin and raised both eyebrows. “I’m serious. And that goes for the rest of you also. I do not want my children coming home covered with poison ivy.”

  “You would never allow your kids to walk off into the woods alone,” Erica pointed out.

  “That’s true,” Lauren nodded. “Why did our parents allow us to do that?”

  Erica shook her head. “It was a different time.”

  Megan felt a presence behind her and swiveled in her seat. Looking way up into the blue eyes of the dark-haired man standing near her, Megan returned Dan Parker’s smile. She noticed the lines near his eyes and mouth deepening with his smile.

  “Are we still on after lunch?” Dan asked.

  “Yes, I’ll be there shortly,” Megan answered. Dan waved to everyone at the table and headed toward the door.

  Megan turned back to her friends to find them all staring at her. “What? Do I have food on my face?”

  “What are you doing with Dan after lunch?” Lauren asked with one eyebrow arched upward.

  “He wants me to develop a web site for the feed store,” Megan said with a shrug.

  Chapter Three

  Jan White looked across the room at her husband and wondered again why he couldn’t have been better looking. At 5’10”, Andy did not tower over other men around him. He still had a thick head of dark blond hair, but his blue eyes were too close together below a prominent high forehead. Jan knew that his crooked nose had been broken in a pickup basketball game in the neighborhood where he’d grown up.