Crime of Spelled Ink Read online

  Crime of Spelled Ink

  Plum Fields Mysteries, Volume 1

  Harley Gordon

  Published by Harley Gordon, 2019.

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  CRIME OF SPELLED INK

  First edition. August 18, 2019.

  Copyright © 2019 Harley Gordon.

  Written by Harley Gordon.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Crime of Spelled Ink (Plum Fields Mysteries, #1)

  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

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  To Louisa May Alcott: Jo was the first character who made me feel less alone.

  I hope I did her justice.

  Author’s Note:

  PLUM FIELDS MYSTERIES is not a strict retelling of Little Women. Most of the characters and even the actual Alcotts have been turned into something new, and I’ve added a lot more dead bodies.

  I’ve taken A LOT of liberties with Alcott’s story and characters, so be warned.

  I hope you enjoy.

  Whether you do or not, reviews make authors very happy, so consider leaving a few words with your reaction.

  “I’d have a stable full of Arabian steeds, rooms piled with books, and I’d write out of a magic inkstand...”

  -Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

  Chapter One

  Dresses billowed and spun like flowers swaying in the breeze as the townsfolk danced around the reception hall.

  What was supposed to be an intimate and outdoor affair with June roses and fairy lights while Mauve and William swore their love to each other in front of family and friends had turned into an elaborate and rather dull town affair once Vanessa talked Mauve into hiring her to plan the wedding.

  Mauve was too sweet.

  But she looked happy, smiling softly up at her new husband, flowers in her hair and roses blooming on her cheeks.

  I guessed it didn’t matter, really. What came next was the important part.

  A smile spread across my lips as I caught sight of Jules leading Belle through a romping dance at the center of the spinning couples. Belle’s head was thrown back with a laugh on her face and happiness shining from her eyes, no sign of the usual fatigue and pain.

  She was having a good week. One I hoped would continue.

  With her happy and safe with Jules, I turned my attention back to the book in my lap.

  “Really, Harri?” April’s snide and frustrated tone grated on my nerves.

  I didn’t bother looking up at her, in no mood for her snippy and disapproving remarks. “What?”

  “You’re reading? Here? It’s Mauve’s wedding for crying out loud.”

  It’s not like I was working in the middle of her wedding, though I’d typed in a few notes into my phone. It was just a book. Who was I hurting?

  I wore the stupid dress, I performed my maid of honor duties. I didn’t set off any fireworks with Jules like we wanted since everyone shot our idea down.

  Which I still thought was a mistake.

  “Mauve has known me for a long time. I’m confident it won’t offend her.”

  April sniffed. “What will everyone else think? It looks like you’re bored by your own sister’s wedding.”

  “I am.”

  “Harri!”

  I rolled my eyes at my least favorite sister. I knew it wasn’t very diplomatic to admit you pick favorites, but whoever said they didn’t was a liar.

  And every single one of us favored Belle. How could we not? She was too sweet and gentle to despise. April and I had never gotten on. Not since she burned one of my first ever manuscripts when we were kids. I still hadn’t completely forgiven her for that or for wasting her artistic talent and chasing men with large inheritances instead of actually going to art school like she once planned.

  April sniffed. “I certainly hope you don’t act this way at my wedding.”

  I looked out and the glittering crowd, imagining it ten times bigger for April’s wedding. “Since it’s so offensive to you, I’ll leave my book at home for yours. Though I make no promises about the fireworks.”

  April shook her head in dismay, her platinum curls tumbling around her face. “Oh mercy. I think I’ll take the book reading over the fireworks.”

  Where were my parents and the rest of the wedding party? I needed backup to deal with her.

  “Why do you insist on ruining my fun?” I stuck my tongue out at her, making her curl her lip in disgust.

  She had always been a stickler for social rules and expectations, but she’d gotten a lot worse over the last few years.

  Jules and Belle arrived back at the table with flushed faces. Jules held the chair out for Belle and she slipped into it with a sigh.

  I grinned at her, thrilled to see her so carefree and relaxed. “Have fun?”

  She nodded, her gray eyes bright and the careful “Yes.”

  Jules dragged my chair back a few inches. “And now, it’s your turn. Come take a spin with me, Harri.”

  I slid my hand into Jules’ with a grin and left my book in my chair. “Sure.”

  April let out a loud and horrified gasp when I stood, fussing with the skirt of my dress, wishing I was in my usual flannel and jeans.

  I barely held back the eye-roll. “What is it now?”

  She grabbed the sides of the fabric at my hips and made a tsking noise. “You’ve sat in something. Some sort of food. The back of your dress is completely stained. You can’t go out on the dance floor looking like that. Mauve will have a fit.”

  Jules and I exchanged a long-suffering glance.

  “Watch me.” With a wink at Belle, I threaded my arms through Jules’ and led him away from the table.

  Jules chuckled. “It looked like you needed saving.”

  I turned to face him once we were on the dance floor, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Thank you. I guess she got tired of making the rounds, flirting with the few eligible bachelors left for her in this town.”

  A new, slow and sappy song came on and I sent a scowl towards the DJ.

  “Did you offer to pay for her school again?” Jules asks.

  “I did. She turned me down. Again.”

  Her stubborn refusals were driving me crazy. She could do so much and go so far with a little training, but she’d all but completely given up painting.

  Jules shot me a sympathetic grimace as he twirled me around to the swifter beat of the chorus. “Maybe it’s time to give up.”

  I shook my head. “Not until she’s married and settled. Until then, I’ll keep trying.”

  “You know, not everyone really wants to follow their childhood dreams.”

  “We did. It took you longer than most, but look at you now.”

  He’d turned his
back on his family money, taken a job at the school teaching music, and had put together a pretty impressive band.

  A band who originally should’ve been hired for Mauve’s wedding, but Vanessa said a DJ would be better since Jules was part of the wedding party.

  The music would’ve been way better if Jules’ band was playing instead of the corny DJ with incredibly sentimental taste.

  “Right. I’m exactly where I hoped I’d be.”

  I frowned at the self-deprecating tone in his voice. “Don’t sell yourself short. You know what I mean. What you did took a lot of courage. To give up so much money and teach music to kids instead of joining the family business. And I barely got through the doors the last time you played at the piano bar.”

  Jules shot me a wicked grin. “I don’t know that they were there for me so much as the special they had going on chicken wings.”

  I pinched the back of his neck, cackling at his yelp and pout. “You’re so ridiculous. I just wish you could talk Belle into playing with you.”

  She loved music more than anything, but performing was something she struggled so much with. Her illness didn’t help either.

  He sighed. “I’ve been trying, but she keeps refusing.”

  Of course she did.

  All three of my sisters had given up on their dreams. Belle still played, but only for herself and the family. April no longer painted. Mauve was running the drama program at school instead of acting herself.

  None of the big plans we talked about as kids had come true.

  Even mine.

  My plan to become a successful writer might have happened, but I was far from rich and famous. And while I loved what I wrote, romantic suspense wasn’t the genre I really wanted to remain stuck in.

  But it paid the bills.

  “I’ll work on Belle while I’m here this summer. She seems like she’s doing better. And she told me how much you check on her and take her out for fun.”

  Jules shrugged. “Of course. I adore Belle. I make her come with me to all the family get-togethers since Grandfather has such a soft spot for her.”

  His Grandfather had always loved Belle.

  “It helps her. Though I’m surprised she agrees. She hates those kind of events.”

  Jules snickered. “I play on her kindness by acting as pathetic as possible so she’s take pity on me.”

  I chuckled and shook my head. “I approve.”

  “Of course you do. You know I’ll do anything for her or any of you. Your family is my family. Especially now that mine barely recognizes my existence.” Jules looked away over my shoulder.

  I tightened my grip on his neck. “It’s their loss, Jules.”

  He shook off the melancholy trying to take hold of him. “And my gain. Now that the wedding drama is over, what are our plans for the rest of the summer? I don’t have to go back to work for another month and a half. Plenty of time for us to find some trouble.”

  “Oh, I’m sure we’ll come up with something. I’m here till September. I do have to actually get some work done, but I can make some time for trouble.” I missed getting in trouble with him.

  “Good. I’m glad you haven’t changed so much.”

  “Worried the city ruined me? It didn’t ruin you when you were there for school.”

  “It did at first. But I guess the same thing that kept you grounded did the same for me.”

  I tilted my head to the side to study his somber face. “What’s that?”

  He shrugged. “Your family.”

  I smiled up at my best friend, shaking my head at his sentimentality. “You’ll always have us, you know that.”

  Even if Sally Gardiner finally convinced him to leave his job at the high school and return to the family fold before marrying her.

  Where was Sally, anyway? I glanced around the dance floor and back towards the head table. She was hovering earlier, but I hadn’t seen her at the wedding party table in a while. Maybe she left. I still couldn’t believe Mauve asked her to be a bride’s maid. They weren’t close and hadn’t exactly been the best of friends when we were kids.

  Jules dipped me low with a grin and mischief dancing in his eyes as the song came to a close. I grinned back up at him as he yanked me back to a standing position.

  “That was fun. And look, no one passed out from shock or offense from my stained dress.” In fact, I’d forgotten all about it.

  “Maybe we were whirling too fast for anyone to notice.”

  I shrugged. “At least it happened after our speeches. April might have actually died of shame.”

  “She’s still young. Hopefully, she’ll realize soon that money isn’t everything. Took me a while to learn too.”

  “I hope so.” I released my hold on him and stepped back as we moved off the dance floor.

  But Jules was raised with money and learned it didn’t fix everything. April and the rest of us were raised with little to nothing, constantly watching our parents struggle. I went out, determined to make money on my own.

  Mauve had taken a lesson from our mother and learned to pinch pennies and find peace and happiness even with her and Will’s small incomes as teachers.

  Belle asked for nothing and always found peace no matter her situation.

  And April was determined to find someone who could afford to take care of her, someone who wouldn’t be like our father, chasing dreams and opportunities that never worked out.

  Neither one of us wanted to be like our mother, working her fingers to the bone as a social worker and a weekend housekeeper while our father walked around with his head in the clouds. We just went about it in very different ways.

  Maybe that’s why we still didn’t get along. We were too much alike.

  “I have to go to the bathroom. Meet you back at the table?”

  Jules nodded. “Yeah. I’m hungry, so I’m going to head to the kitchen and see what leftovers they got back there.”

  I snorted. “It should be time for cake soon. But if you find anything good, smuggle me out some too.”

  “Will do. I have plenty of pockets.” Jules waved as he kept walking towards the kitchen.

  I grumbled as I turned away and headed for the restrooms. I didn’t have any pockets. Stupid fashion didn’t give women pockets in most of our clothes. And the ones we did have were so tiny a pack of gum would barely fit inside.

  I hadn’t even made it all the way out of the bathroom when a scream shattered the chatter and laughter and soft music.

  Most of the people in the reception hall didn’t notice, but a few on the outskirts raised their heads and headed towards the noise.

  After checking the head table to make sure Belle was safe and sound with our parents, I lifted my skirts and hurried towards the sound.

  It sounded like it came from the kitchen. I really hoped someone didn’t drop the cake.

  Mauve would lose her mind.

  And her wedding planner’s head might actually explode.

  I beat the others heading to help and pushed through the kitchen staff who were hovering in the doorway leading to the secondary kitchen.

  What was going on?

  Once I made it through, I skidded to a halt in my uncomfortable heels as my jaw dropped.

  Jules crouched at the entrance to the walk-in freezer over a dead body in a dusty pink dress exactly the exact same as mine.

  Vanessa hovered behind him with her hands covering her mouth.

  “Jules?”

  He looked up at me with his coffee brown eyes glassy with shock and tears. “Sally’s dead.”

  Chapter Two

  My mouth opened and closed while I tried to wrap my head around what I was hearing and seeing. “Don’t touch her. Or anything. You’re sure she’s dead?”

  She certainly looked dead. Crumpled and pale on the floor on her side. But there was no blood. What the heck happened here?

  This was completely insane. My heart pounded loudly in my ears, making it hard for me to focus.

  It wa
s one thing to write about dead bodies. It was quite another to be confronted with one in real life.

  “Yeah. She’s...yeah.” Jules cleared his throat and moved back from her, running a shaky hand through his black hair. “I checked and moved her out of the freezer to try to help her, but she was gone.

  “What happened?”

  Did she somehow get trapped in the freezer and freeze to death? No. I saw her less than an hour ago. That wasn’t long enough.

  Jules shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t know. Vanessa asked me to get ice and I found her in there.”

  Vanessa stumbled back a few steps, her face pale and drawn. “This can’t be happening.”

  Right. But it was.

  And my sister was out there, still celebrating her new marriage and had no idea that her friend was in here, dead.

  A death I was having a hard time believing was an accident.

  Why was she in the freezer? It made no sense.

  I turned to the kitchen staff and the few other guests who’d come to investigate. “Okay. Everyone get away from her and out of here. Has someone called the Sheriff’s office?”

  A girl in a chef’s coat raised her hand. “I did.”

  “Good. Let’s keep everyone out of here so they don’t disturb the scene.”

  I needed to get to my family, make sure they were all right. Oh, poor Mauve. What a horrible thing to happen at her wedding.

  We needed to handle this fast. And discreetly.

  “Of course. I’ll uh...I’ll...” Vanessa trailed off, her face pale, her pupils dilated as she stared at Sally.

  “Clear everyone out of here until the Sheriff arrives. We don’t want to mess up any evidence.”

  Everyone but Jules and Vanessa starting filing from the room, back into the main kitchen.

  Vanessa’s jaw dropped. “You think someone murdered her?”

  I looked back at Sally with a frown. “She’s a little young to just drop dead for no reason, so maybe.”

  But I really hoped not.

  Vanessa clutched her chest. “Oh my.”