When Fortune Knocks Read online

  When Fortune Knocks

  A Claire Rollins Cozy Mystery Book 7

  J. A. Whiting

  Copyright 2019 J.A. Whiting

  Cover copyright 2019 Susan Coils at www.coverkicks.com

  Formatting by Signifer Book Design

  Proofreading by Donna Rich

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, or incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to locales, actual events, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from J. A. Whiting.

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  Created with Vellum

  For my family with love

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  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

  Thank you for reading!

  Also by J. A. Whiting

  About the Author

  1

  It was an unseasonably warm and pleasant April evening as Claire Rollins and her boyfriend Detective Ian Fuller walked Claire’s two Corgis, Bear and Lady, along the Boston streets of Beacon Hill and through the Common. The couple had made a dinner of eggplant rollatini with a green salad and they were able to eat on the patio of Claire’s townhouse under the big tree. Being early April, the leaves had not yet come out and the patch of grass was showing only a hint of green, but crocuses were in bloom along the fence and it was the first time they’d eaten al fresco since late autumn.

  “I love the spring.” Claire sipped from her wine glass. “It’s like the world is waking up again.”

  Ian agreed. “People living in warm states would think we were crazy to be sitting out here, but to us, after the long winter, it feels really great.”

  Bear and Lady played with a ball, darting back and forth with it in the tiny backyard.

  “Even though we expanded the chocolate shop and doubled the space, the place is booming. We could double the space again and it still wouldn’t be enough to accommodate the customers.” Claire gave both dogs a treat.

  “Maybe you and Nicole need to think about opening another shop,” Ian suggested.

  When Claire moved to Boston almost two years ago, she applied for a job at Nicole’s Chocolate Dreams café and bakery and the two women had become fast friends and business partners. During that time, the bakers had won a prize at an important food festival in the city, had been profiled in a magazine, and were now working on putting together a cookbook for possible publication.

  “We’ve got a lot going on. I don’t think the time is right to expand, but it’s definitely something we want to do in the near future.” Claire and Ian cleared the dinner plates and then carried cups of coffee and slices of cake to the patio where they discussed an upcoming 10k race they were training for and the musical they were planning to attend that would feature their friend, Robby, a chocolate shop employee and music student.

  “Robby’s been practicing in the backroom of the shop while we’re getting everything ready in the mornings.” Claire grinned. “He has an amazing voice.”

  “I bet you know all the songs from the show by now.” Ian added a little cream to his coffee.

  “I do. Sometimes, Nicole and I sing along until Robby shushes us.”

  “He has high standards. You’re singing must throw him off,” Ian kidded.

  “We’re not that bad.”

  A cooler breeze blew across the table and it made Claire shiver. “I’ll take my spring jacket when we leave.”

  After they finished their desserts, Claire and Ian would take the dogs for a walk around the city streets to give them some exercise.

  Claire ran her hand up and down her arms to ward off the chill. “I’ve been feeling off today.”

  Ian’s expression turned serious and he looked his girlfriend in the eyes. “How do you mean?”

  “A little nervous, a little distracted.” Claire shrugged. “Sort of antsy and anxious, but I don’t know why. Nothing important is coming up. I don’t have anything to worry about.”

  Ian shifted around in his seat with an uneasy look on his face.

  “What?” Claire could tell he had something to say.

  “Is there something to be worried about?” Ian knew Claire had strong intuition and perceptual skill … which was the normal way to describe her abilities.

  Claire didn’t care for the word paranormal, but that was actually the correct term to use when speaking about what she could do. Since moving to Boston, she’d been able to sense things that other people couldn’t and she’d been able to help Ian and some other detectives with difficult criminal cases. It took Claire a long time before she was willing to share information about her unusual skills with Ian, and she was relieved when he took the news calmly and with interest.

  “I don’t know,” Claire said with a shrug. “If there is something to worry about, it hasn’t shown itself yet.”

  “Then we’ll hope it’s just a fleeting feeling.” Ian reached across the small table and took Claire’s hand. “And if it isn’t fleeting, we’ll deal with whatever it is that comes our way.”

  Bear and Lady trotted over to the table and nudged at the couple’s legs.

  “I think the dogs are trying to tell us something.” Ian reached down and patted their heads. “Time for a walk?”

  The Corgis barked and ran into the kitchen through the open patio doors, then dashed back outside, ran around the couple sitting at the table, and then scooted back inside leaving Claire and Ian laughing.

  The dogs were put on leashes and they sniffed along the ground as the young couple strolled hand in hand under the streetlights.

  “It’s still so warm out,” Claire said. “I hope it doesn’t turn cold. I’ve had enough of that.”

  “It’s spring in New England. Anything is possible. In three days it might be hot and humid or it could be snowing.”

  “Bite your tongue.” Claire gave Ian a playful bop on the arm as they walked the periphery of the Common and turned left to go up Tremont Street.

  Suddenly, Claire stopped walking. Bear and Lady tugged nervously on their leashes, looked up and down the street, and whined.

  “What’s wrong?” Ian asked.

  “I … I don’t know. I got an odd feeling just then.” Claire gingerly took a step forward.

  A high-pitched scream filled the air and made the hairs on the back of Claire’s neck stand up. Ian grabbed her hand and the two raced towards the sound.

  They slowed when they came close to the Granary Burying Ground, a graveyard established in the 1660s.

  A woman’s voice called out from the far side of the gravesite. “Help. There’s a girl.”

  Not wanting to leave Claire on the sidewalk alone, Ian pushed her behind him. “Stay close to me.” On entering the Granary, he called out, “Boston Police.”

  “Help. Please help.”

  Ian moved forward with Clai
re on his heels holding the dogs’ leashes until they reached the Franklin Obelisk in the center of the burial ground. “Stay right here.” Ian maneuvered Claire so she would be behind the obelisk.

  “What’s going on?” Ian demanded, flashing his identification. He could see two young women huddled next to one another.

  One of the woman pointed to the ground ten feet away. “The girl. She’s ….”

  Ian gestured for the women to step back from where they were standing and he scanned the area around them being watchful for anyone hiding who might try to ambush him. He kept the women in his sightline as he bent to inspect a young woman on the ground.

  Ian stifled a groan and felt the woman’s neck for a pulse while pulling out his phone. He made the emergency call and then faced the two women. “What are you doing in here? The Granary is closed.”

  “We wanted to see the graves.” The taller, dark-haired woman spoke. She seemed to be in her early twenties. “The gate was open. We came in and walked around.”

  The second woman took up the story. “We almost stumbled over her. She’s dead, you know.”

  “How do you know she’s dead?” Claire and the dogs came up beside them.

  The second woman stared at Claire. “There’s some blood on her chest.”

  Shifting her eyes to the woman at Ian’s feet, Claire shuddered.

  Ian flicked on the flashlight from his phone and used it to better see the dead woman on the ground. He scanned the area for any signs of a fight.

  “Can we go?” The dark-haired woman asked with a trembling voice.

  “No. Stay right there. This is a crime scene,” Ian commanded. “Tell me your names, please.”

  “I’m Sarah Millstone,” the dark-haired young woman said. “This is my sister, Julie. We’re visiting from Chicago. We’ve been walking the Freedom Trail to see some of the historic sites.”

  “We had dinner,” Julie told Ian. “But we wanted to see this graveyard before we went back to the hotel. The gate was open so we came in.”

  “We walked around the paths.” Sarah took a quick glance at the dead woman. “Then we found her. She scared us to death.”

  The dogs whined and fussed and tugged on the leashes, and Claire had to hold them back from sniffing at the woman on the ground. An icy chill ran over her as she looked around the cemetery and at the shadows leaning over them.

  Fear rode on the air currents and picked at Claire’s skin.

  She moved her gaze back to the woman.

  The light from a streetlamp pooled near the body. The victim looked to be in her early twenties with her long blond hair spread out over the ground. Her skin was so pale under the light. She was slim and dressed in black yoga pants and a t-shirt giving her a casual appearance. Maybe she’d left a yoga or exercise class earlier and was heading home when she was attacked.

  “I’m going to have to stay,” Ian told Claire. “Will you call a cab? I’d rather you didn’t walk home.”

  “I don’t need a cab. I have the dogs and there are lots of people walking around. I’m going to head straight home. I’ll text you when I get there.” Claire put her hand on Ian’s arm. “Good luck with all of this. I’ll talk to you later.”

  Two police cars pulled to the curb within seconds of each other and the officers emerged with their hands on their guns.

  Ian called to them and identified himself.

  Shaken by the gruesome discovery, Claire led the dogs out of the Granary and headed to her townhouse in Adamsburg Square.

  There was something about the crime scene that nagged at Claire … and she knew for certain it was about to sweep her into its current.

  2

  “She must have been shot.” Claire was in the backroom of the chocolate shop with Nicole and Robby preparing for the morning rush. “I felt uneasy all day yesterday and then that happened. The poor young woman.”

  “Clairvoyant Claire strikes again.” Robby bent slightly at the waist to be sure the tray of cupcakes he was frosting was coming out evenly. “Your sense of unease yesterday must have been because you could feel that something bad was going to happen.”

  Claire paused while cutting a tray of brownies. “That can’t be the reason.” Shaking her head, she returned to her task. “There were so many people out walking around last evening. How could that woman get shot without anyone hearing it?”

  Nicole, her long brunette hair pulled up in a loose bun, carried two jugs of milk from the walk-in refrigerator. “Maybe someone did hear the gunshot.”

  “Then why wouldn’t they call the police?” Claire asked with a frown on her face.

  “People don’t want to get involved.” Robby stood straight, pleased with how the frosting came out. “People are afraid to stick their noses into trouble so they stay quiet and hope someone else will report whatever it is.”

  “If someone called it in, that young woman might have survived.” Claire’s voice held a tone of disgust.

  “Do you know who she was?” Nicole asked.

  “Ian hasn’t told me anything yet.”

  “It’s all over the news.” Robby lifted the tray to carry it to the glass cases at the front of the store. “But they haven’t reported the victim’s name yet. Next of kin have to be notified.”

  “What a terrible call to get.” Nicole shook her head in sadness. “What a waste of a life.”

  When Robby went out front, Nicole sidled up to her friend and kept her voice low. “Did you sense what was going to happen? Is that why you felt off yesterday?”

  “How could I know that?” Claire’s expression was one of surprise. “I can pick up on people’s feelings, but I can’t see the future.”

  Nicole cocked her head to the side. “You can do a whole lot more than pick up on people’s feelings.”

  “I can’t see the future.” Claire was adamant about it.

  Her eyes widening, Nicole said excitedly, “What if you ran into the woman’s killer yesterday? What if you picked up on his intentions? That would explain your feelings of worry.”

  Claire stepped back from the marble counter, a horrified look washing over her face. She wanted to deny what her friend had said, but what if Nicole was right? With her mind racing, Claire felt the need to sit down so she pulled over one of the metal stools and leaned heavily on it. “That would be awful.”

  “You couldn’t know the killer’s intended victim.” Nicole put a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “That’s not what I meant. If you ran into the killer somewhere, you might have sensed his or her agitation, his murderous intentions. You could have bumped up against those feelings and that’s what made you feel uneasy all day.”

  Claire pushed a stray lock of her long, wavy blond hair from her eyes. “If I have this ability, why can’t I ever use it to save anyone?”

  “I don’t see how you could do that. If you ran up to someone and told them they were in danger, the person would think you were nuts and would hurry away from you. There’s only so much you can do. We’ve helped Ian with a lot of cases. Bringing justice to someone and their family is all you can hope to do.”

  “I guess so.” Claire stood up slowly and gave an involuntary shudder. “I can’t stand the thought I may have bumped into the killer.”

  Robby called from the front room, “Battle stations, you two. It’s time for the onslaught. I’m unlocking the door to let in the hungry and thirsty hordes.” Customers were already lined up outside on the sidewalk.

  “We’re ready.” Nicole put on a clean apron and, with a smile, handed one to Claire. “At least, work will take your mind off things for a while.”

  All morning, the chocolate shop buzzed with a steady stream of tourists, business people, and locals visiting the store for coffees, teas, desserts, and specialty drinks, and Claire, Nicole, Robby, and two part-time workers could barely keep up with the rush.

  When a lull ensued, the door opened and Tessa Wilcox came in and found a table by the windows. She made eye contact with Claire and nodded. In her
late fifties, with curly, dark auburn hair, Tessa, an intuit, had spent many hours with the young woman helping her to understand her abilities and offering guidance in managing her new skills.

  Claire brought Tessa a hot latte and sat down opposite. “You must have heard about the body in the Granary?”

  “I heard. I don’t like it.” Tessa lifted her mug to her lips.

  “Ian and I were walking past with the dogs last night. We heard a scream. A couple of tourists found the victim on the ground at the back of the cemetery.”

  Tessa was silent for a few moments. “Oh. I wondered why I felt so troubled when I heard about the dead woman. Now it makes sense.” She looked Claire in the eyes. “You’re going to get pulled into it. I feel that the investigation will involve many twists and turns. You’ll need to be on your toes with this one.”

  Claire nodded, her blue eyes clouding over after hearing Tessa’s confirmation that she’d be involved.

  “Do you know who the victim is?” Tessa asked.

  “Not yet. Ian texted a few times, but he hasn’t shared any information. He prefers to talk in person about crime details.”

  “That’s smart.” Tessa’s eyes moved over Claire’s face. “Are you worried?”

  With a sigh, Claire said with a slight smile, “If I wanted to be a detective, I would have become one.”

  Tessa gave the young woman a half-smile. “Sometimes, our skills and abilities dictate what we do. Sometimes, we don’t get to choose our calling … our calling chooses us.”

  One corner of Claire’s mouth turned up. “I can’t reject my calling?”