Chocolate Peppermint & Murder: An Oceanside Cozy Mystery - Book 13 Read online

  “Well…” Eva said, thinking.

  “I was joking!” said Amy. “I hope I wouldn’t be confused with a senior yet."

  “We do take part on many activities at the senior center,” Eva said.

  “And a certain gentleman tries to woo her at all of them,” Leila teased her.

  “He is a shameless flirt,” Eva said. “And that doesn’t help our friends’ problem here. I was going to say that we are involved in other classes around the island too.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me,” Heather said. Despite their age, she knew how active the two women were.

  "You know what a good class might be? There's a yoga studio pretty close to Donut Delights," Eva said. "They have classes for all levels. We've taken a few classes, and it's been a lot of fun."

  “It’s more difficult than laying on a beach mat,” Leila said. “But the stretching you do on the yoga mat makes you feel good.”

  Heather thought about the neighbors that she had met on her business’s street. “A woman names Harmony owns the studio, doesn’t she?”

  “Yes. And she’s a sweetheart,” said Eva.

  “You’ve convinced me,” said Heather. “We’ll try a class with her.”

  "Fine," said Amy. "But if there are men there vying for her attention too and keeping us from starting, I quit."

  Harmony’s Yoga Studio

  Heather and Amy had passed by Harmony’s studio and waved at their neighbor often, but had never entered the space before. It was both upbeat and soothing at the same time. There were bright colors on the wall and rich woods floors like in a ballet studio. A collection of yoga mats and workout supplies were housed in shelves on one wall. There was a slight smell of lavender inside the room.

  “If I knew it was going to be this cute inside I might have decided to try a class before,” Amy remarked.

  “She’ll probably give us a brochure like Janae did and we can see when we can come back,” said Heather.

  “Yeah,” Amy said. “But I don’t think there would be as many rocky roads for us to travel on here.”

  Harmony entered from an adjoining room. She had long, athletic limbs, color-coordinated workout clothes, and wavy hair that fell past her waist when it wasn't pulled up.

  While they had always been cordial to one another, Heather would never have said that she was friends with the young woman. That was why it was so surprising when Harmony's face lit up when she saw them, and she rushed over. She dropped the papers she had been holding and held Heather's hands in hers.

  “I’m so glad you’re here,” Harmony said.

  “Are we that in need of a work out?” Amy asked, frowning.

  Heather didn't think that was the case but shrugged anyway. She tried to take her hands back from Harmony.

  "We're very happy to be here too," Heather said. "We've meant to come for a while now."

  “Then you know all about it?” Harmony asked.

  “Well,” Heather said. “Eva and Leila told us a little about things, but we wanted to see for ourselves.”

  “We wanted to see if this was a good fit for us,” Amy agreed.

  “I’m sure it will,” Harmony said. “It’s right up your alley.”

  “Then, we can’t wait to get started,” Heather said, finally freeing her hands.

  “I’m so grateful,” Harmony said. “What do you need to get started?”

  Heather exchanged a look with her bestie and then turned back to the instructor. “I thought that we’d learn that from you.”

  “All right,” Harmony said, nodding. “I’ll tell you everything I know.”

  “Great,” Amy said. “But don’t go too fast. We’re not ready to do headstands or balance on one toe or anything like that.”

  “I’ll start at the beginning,” Harmony said with just a slight look of confusion on her face. “And you’ll see why I wasn’t sure that I wanted to get the police involved.”

  “The police?” Heather asked.

  “Yes,” Harmony said. “Maybe I should have told them right away, but I was afraid that I was being paranoid. And I didn’t want to get anyone in trouble.”

  “What sort of trouble?” asked Heather.

  “Whatever sort of trouble he’s found in,” Harmony said.

  “Who’s found in?” Amy asked.

  “Aren’t you here about Stone?” Harmony asked.

  “About a stone?” asked Amy.

  “Stone,” Harmony corrected.

  “What stone?” Amy asked.

  “He’s missing,” Harmony said.

  “A stone is missing?” Amy repeated.

  “I thought that was why you were here,” Harmony said.

  “Because of a missing stone,” Amy said. “Is it valuable? Like a diamond?”

  “Like a person,” said Harmony.

  “That does seem valuable then,” said Amy. “But what does this have to do with yoga?”

  Everyone was getting confused. They stared at one another in bewilderment, trying to get a sense of where the other one was coming from. It was not successful.

  “I have no idea what’s going on,” Amy admitted.

  “Let’s back up,” Heather said. “Amy and I came here because we were interested in signing up for one of your yoga classes. We’re trying to be a part of some exercise classes before we’re a part of a wedding.”

  “Oh,” Harmony said. “I thought you were here about my missing instructor.”

  “And a stone?” Amy asked.

  “His name is Stone,” Harmony explained. “And I haven’t seen him in days.”

  “Why did you think we were here about him?” Heather asked.

  She knew that Harmony owned the studio and ran many of the classes, but that there were a few other instructors who taught in the space as well. Heather knew them even less than she knew Harmony. She didn’t know any of them by name, and never would have guessed that someone was named “Stone.”

  “Because you solve mysteries,” Harmony said. “I hear about them all the time. You caught who killed Percy Covens at the seafood restaurant the first week you moved in. I know you’ve been involved in other cases too, and the newspaper just reported how you helped the police catch an evil Santa.”

  “He wasn’t really Santa,” Heather felt the need to clarify.

  “I thought you came here because I have a mystery on my hands. I don’t know where he is,” said Harmony. “I thought you might have come here to find out the answer.”

  “We came to take a class,” Heather said, not sure what else to say.

  “Yeah,” Amy agreed. “Just to learn downward facing dog and other poses.”

  “We weren’t planning on working a case,” Heather admitted. “We have a lot to do to get ready for our friend’s wedding.”

  “But you are private investigators, right?” Harmony asked.

  “Yes,” Heather said.

  “And you help people when they are in need?” Harmony continued.

  “Yes,” Heather said again.

  “Then I want to hire you,” Harmony said decisively. “For a missing persons case.”

  The Missing Instructor

  Heather decided that they needed more information before they agreed to take the case. She and Amy had been specializing in murder cases, and this was something different.

  Harmony showed them into her office. It matched the décor of the rest of the studio. Even though there was a desk and paperwork, there was still open space in the room. It was bright and cozy-looking.

  “Please have a seat,” Harmony said, gesturing to some chairs. “Unless you’d rather sit on a ball.”

  Heather and Amy noticed the large exercise balls in the corner of the room and passed on the offer.

  “So, tell us about your missing instructor,” Heather said after she sat in a chair.

  “Is his name really Stone?” Amy asked.

  “Yes,” Harmony said. “Stone Hendricks. I guess I’m not sure if his parents chose his first name or if he
changed it. But everyone knows him as Stone here.”

  “How long has he been missing?” Heather asked.

  “Today is the third day,” Harmony said. “I’m starting to get worried.”

  “If you’re so worried, why haven’t you gone to the police?” Heather asked. “Someone only has to be missing twenty-four hours for them to get involved.”

  “And even less time if you suspect foul play.” Trying to be tactful, Amy asked, “Do you suspect foul play…?”

  “No, I don’t think so,” Harmony said. “But nobody has seen him all weekend. He normally teaches classes on both Saturday and Sunday. He doesn’t normally work on Mondays, but we still haven’t heard from him.”

  “Has he missed classes before?” Heather asked.

  “Nothing like this," Harmony said. "He could be late sometimes. He was always losing things. But he's been a reliable teacher. He never didn't show up without telling someone."

  “Have you tried contacting him?” Heather asked.

  “Of course,” said Harmony. “I’ve left several messages on his phone. I even drove past his house once. His car was there, but no one was home.”

  "Is it possible that he just went on a vacation for the weekend?" Heather asked.

  “He’s never done anything like this before,” Harmony insisted.

  “Maybe he met somebody and ran off with her?” Amy suggested.

  Harmony blushed. “I don’t think so.”

  Heather noticed Harmony's red cheeks but didn't comment on them right away.

  “Is there anything else you want to tell us?” Heather asked.

  “This is the part that really concerns me,” Harmony admitted. “His shoes were still here.”

  “His shoes?” Amy asked.

  "During most yoga practices we're barefoot," Harmony explained. "But we still have shoes that we wear to the studio and when we leave. I found Stone's shoes in the office here on Saturday."

  “When was the last time you know he was here?” Heather asked. She wished that they had their tablet to take notes on during these questions. However, she was expecting to do some stretching and not some sleuthing.

  “He taught his usual Friday night class,” Harmony said. “He teaches a small class of regulars then. I spoke to one of the women. She said the class went on as usual. She didn’t notice anything odd.”

  “If we pursue this investigation, we should talk to the other people in the class,” Heather said to Amy.

  “Agreed.”

  “Did the woman who took his class say anything about his shoes?” Heather asked.

  Harmony shook her head. “She didn’t notice. He’s normally barefoot while they’re there. But it concerns me. Because why would he leave the studio without his shoes?”

  “Is it possible that they are an extra pair of shoes?” Heather asked. “Maybe he wore a different pair of shoes when he left Friday night, and he left this spare pair at work.”

  “I guess it’s possible,” Harmony said.

  “You also mentioned that he was always losing things before,” Heather said.

  "But not his shoes," said Harmony. "And I'm sure he'd notice he wasn't wearing anything when he left the studio. And they were sitting right in the office. They should have been easy for him to find."

  “What sort of things did he lose?” Amy asked.

  “His keys mostly,” said Harmony. “It was a running joke about how often he lost his keys. He’d lose other things too like water bottles and hats.”

  “He sounds a little flaky,” Amy commented.

  “Oh no,” Harmony said. “He could just be distracted when he was talking to people, but he was a wonderful person. That’s why I’m so worried. I just want to make sure he’s okay.”

  “Harmony, we’d like to help, but we haven’t tackled a case exactly like this before,” Heather said. “I think the police might be better suited.”

  “No,” Harmony said. “I don’t want to get them involved. Not unless I were sure that something bad happened to him and he needed help. But I don’t want to get him in trouble.”

  “What sort of trouble?” asked Heather.

  “Well,” Harmony hesitated. “Several years ago, he had a bit of a drinking problem. He told me all about it. But he cleaned himself up and started living a healthy lifestyle. Yoga helped a lot. He hasn’t had a drink in years. But if his problem did resurface again and he’s away because he started drinking, I wouldn’t want the police going after him.”

  “I suppose we can do some investigating,” Heather said. “We could quietly poke around and see if we can figure out where he went. It’s the first thing we’ll do tomorrow.”

  “I’d appreciate it so much,” Harmony said. “I’ve been trying to meditate for calmness, but I still remain worried. I just want to know that he’s okay.”

  “We’ll do our best to figure out what happened,” Heather said. “But we’re going to find out the truth. You might not like what we find out. Maybe he did run off with a new girlfriend. Maybe he did start drinking again. Or maybe he’s been hurt.”

  “I understand,” Harmony said. “And thank you.”

  Heather and Amy accepted the thanks and started to leave.

  “Well,” Amy said. “Let’s get our exercise by tracking down some clues.”

  Stone House

  While it wasn't a murder case, Heather and Amy thought that they still had the skills to handle this investigation properly. They began by calling and checking in with the other students in Stone's Friday night yoga class. The four women Dawn, Kimber, Tiff, and Pauline all confirmed that Stone was there for the entire hour of class. They all usually left before he did, so they weren't quite sure when he headed.

  “So, we know where he was Friday night,” Amy said. “We just need to figure out where he’s been for the past three days.”

  “And I think the first place we should check is his house,” Heather said. “If Harmony saw his car there, then he had to stop back home.”

  “And he’d need to especially if he was traveling without shoes,” Amy agreed.

  They headed over to Stone’s house. It was a small place but was surrounded by other sweet looking houses and had a nice view of palm trees and beach.

  “Oh,” Amy said as they approached.

  “What?” Heather asked.

  “I just didn’t expect the Stone house to be made of wood,” Amy admitted.

  Heather laughed. Then, she switched into investigator mode and began looking for clues.

  “That must be his car,” Heather said.

  They walked up to the beat up looking vehicle in the driveway. It was a station wagon with a large trunk.”

  “It’s unlocked,” Amy said.

  “I guess it would be okay to look inside,” Heather said. “We are trying to make sure that the man didn’t hurt himself.”

  They opened the door and checked the car for clues. There were no receipts to indicate where Stone Hendricks might have gone. They found some water bottles hiding under the seats and a hat squished by the door, but there was nothing useful.

  “I guess we didn’t find any leads here,” Heather admitted.

  “But I would like to find out how he got his car to smell like lavender,” Amy said. “As soon as a car loses that nice new car smell, then it needs to smell like something nice.”

  “Mine normally smells like donuts,” Heather said. “Unless Dave jumps inside it after going to the beach. Then it smells like wet dog.”

  "I'm glad his car didn't end up smelling like stinky feet," Amy said. "If he's traveling without shoes."

  “It probably smells like lavender because his workplace does,” Heather said. “The smell might transfer to his clothes and then the car.”

  “It’s pretty strong though,” Amy said. “He must spend a lot of time at work. Or must have before he decided to disappear.”

  They headed over to the house and peeked in the windows. There wasn’t much that they could make out. There wasn’t
anyone home, but the place didn’t look ransacked.

  “Any chance this door is unlocked too?” Amy asked.

  “There might be,” Heather said. “If he really did keep losing his keys and he trusted his neighbors, maybe he did leave it unlocked.”

  However, when she tried to door, she found that it wasn’t the case.

  “We probably shouldn’t break a window or anything to get inside,” Amy said.

  “I’m not a big fan of breaking and entering,” Heather agreed. “But maybe he has a key hidden somewhere that we could borrow.”

  “Yeah,” Amy said. “If he keeps losing his keys, he would hide a spare somewhere.”

  They searched the front of his house. There was the outline of a key in the dirt under a potted plant and three fake rocks that were made to hold keys, but all were empty.

  “Do you think he lost all of these spares?” Amy asked.

  Heather shrugged. “It’s possible.”

  "I don't know where else to look," Amy admitted after finding an envelope marked "key" under a chair cushion that was also empty.

  Heather looked at the doorframe. It was taller than the average door but had a ledge the protruded. She pointed at it.

  “But that’s so high up,” said Amy.

  “I bet he’s flexible from yoga and could find a way to reach up there,” Heather said. She pulled the chair over to stand on so that she could reach the top.

  She picked up what was on the ledge, but it turned out to be another empty envelope.

  “And just what do you think you are doing?”

  Heather looked down from the chair at the woman who had snuck up on them. She was an older woman in a housedress that was wagging her finger at them.

  “This isn’t exactly what it looks like,” Heather said, as she got down from the chair and Amy stopped playing with the hidden key rocks.

  “I’ve seen women coming and going from this place, but I never saw any so brazen,” the woman said.

  "Let us introduce ourselves. I'm Heather Shepherd, and this is Amy Givens. We're private investigators and are trying to determine the location of Stone Hendricks. His friends haven't heard from him in several days and are worried."