Coastal Corpse (A Cass Peake Cozy Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
The Wild Rose Press, Inc (September 30, 2019)
Print Length: 183 pages

Synopsis

Happily settled in her cozy cottage with its resident ghost, Cass Peake looks forward to Halloween. Then another corpse is found on her beachfront. With the support of family and her ghostly roommate, Cass investigates. To her dismay, she finds the murder victim handled her goofy neighbor’s trust fund and he was in dire need of money. The suspect list grows with a former husband, another needy relative, and a maybe shady accountant who suddenly disappears. To top it all off, rumors circulate about treasure hidden in Cass’s cottage.

Detective George Ho doesn’t like his ex-girlfriend snooping around. Despite that, sparks still fly between him and Cass. But superstitious George has no idea Cass’s home is haunted. Can Cass solve the mystery and renew the romance with her ghost-adverse ex?

Guest Post

George’s Musings on Seeing Cass After Years Apart

What a shock to see Cass at a murder scene! It had been years. She did not look happy to see me, and the first words out of her mouth were: “George Ho, what are you doing here?” I told her then I was with the police as if I had to justify my presence. To me she looked just the same. She seemed distracted, and I felt a flash of anger that quickly devolved into annoyance. What right had she to intrude on my new life? I was just getting established in the Las Lunas PD. Was she following me? But logic told me that wasn’t true. And wasn’t she married to that guy? What’s his name? The stable one who didn’t want to be a cop? Then I felt a lurch of guilt. Wasn’t it partially my fault? Maybe all my fault. I wouldn’t … I shouldn’t dwell on the past. Phil. That was his name. He must be around here somewhere. I pulled myself together and realized she was telling me that she’d bought the house behind her. My heart double-tapped, so I started questioning her. I handed her my card and told her to call me if she thought of anything else. She shoved my card in her pocket, barely glancing at it. Okay. I could play it cool, too. I winked at her, turned, and walked away without looking back.

I tried to put her out of my mind, but I couldn’t control my reaction the next time I saw her. I’d told Rusty about Cass and my feelings. Rusty’s a good friend and a terrific actress. She played it to the hilt, practically wrapping herself around me and gazing up at me adoringly. I took her to dinner for that performance. But I did feel bad for Cass when I found out she was divorced. I know how important the right sort of marriage is to her.

I didn’t see her again until we brought her in for questioning. I couldn’t look her in the eyes. She seemed so subdued. Then she left me a message. That surprised me. I called the number, left her some info about her friend, and told her she should have left her cell number. Surprised me when she texted it. But then we executed a search warrant on a bookstore owner, and Cass was there, having dinner at his house. I was relieved when I was called away. My job was still putting me at odds with Cass. I had to do something. I needed to find out if she was okay. From my perspective, the past few days had been brutal for her. Then her brother Jack called me to go to her house and keep an eye on her while they took her cat to the vet. That surprised me, but Jack and I had always gotten on well. He told me about the graffiti and the damage to her house. Then I felt fear and knew I hadn’t stopped loving her.

About the Author

I currently live in Cape May County in New Jersey after spending years in the San Francisco Bay Area with my Maine Coon cats Sierra and Ginger. I attended Clarion Writers Workshop for Science Fiction and Fantasy at Michigan State University and sold a story I wrote there to Damon Knight for The Clarion Awards anthology. I wrote technical manuals in Silicon Valley and also published several poems and science articles as well as a couple of chapters in Research & Professional Resources in Children’s Literature: “Piecing a Patchwork Quilt.” I’ve also taught English in high school and community colleges.

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