Scones and Sabotage (EBOOK)

Chapter 1

Bethany Lights had given up hope of having fun. She'd settle for peace and quiet.

After fighting her way through one murder case after another, she hoped to finally relax-though not in the way she would have anticipated and definitely not in a place she'd ever have called peaceful. But she had learned that when it came to life, a woman had to appreciate what she was given.

So what if she ended up in Antarctica of all places? At least the frozen continent seemed unlikely to harbor any killers. The only things she wanted to encounter at the research station were penguins and snow. The only thing she craved was some peace and quiet in a place that offered safety and solitude.

"Oh, I can't believe you agreed to go to Antarctica," Julie Walsh, Bethany's best friend, said in disbelief. "Love, are you insane? Don't we get enough snow in Alaska?"

"Julie, I agreed to be part of an isolation study that consists of three women and two men ages twenty through sixty. Dr. Sheila Paige wants to research how intense, severe isolation affects-"

"Love, I read the pamphlet," Julie gently cut her off, pacing around her warm kitchen in Snow Falls, Alaska. "My question is, why?"

Bethany was sitting in a half-empty coffee shop tucked inside the Miami International Airport. The space was dim, lit by amber fixtures that cast a warm glow over the worn booths. The quiet hum of the terminal beyond felt distant and muffled. A hot cup of coffee sat before her, steam curling upward, and she wrapped her hands around the ceramic mug, savoring its warmth.

"Julie, honey, I just needed to get away from Snow Falls, from Alaska, from life," she explained, resting in a brown booth that offered some needed privacy.

"Sarah told me you were considering going away until Christmas, but Antarctica? I just wish you would have waited until I returned home."

"I wanted to, honey, but Dr. Paige was in a hurry to get everyone who signed up for her study to the research station in Arctic Cove. I'm staying at the research station from November 10th until December 20th-forty-one total days." She took a slow sip of coffee, the rich bitterness grounding her. "I'll be home for Christmas. I promise."

Julie sighed. She imagined Bethany sitting in that lonely coffee shop wearing a dreary blue blouse and gray dress that matched a dreary set of eyes and a sad frown. "You sound so sad."

"I'm not sad, honey. A couple of weeks ago, everything caught up with me, that's all," Bethany explained. "I woke up from a horrible nightmare, and I could have sworn the snowman was standing at the foot of my bed, sneering at me. It was just too much." She took another sip. "I talked to Sarah and told her I needed to get away from Snow Falls. We were in O'Mally's, and before I could finish talking to Sarah, Dr. Paige approached me."

"Dr. Paige was in Snow Falls?" Julie asked.

"She was visiting her brother, who lives alone. She confessed that she tried to talk her brother into participating in her study, but he refused."

"I don't blame him."

"I know the study sounds very lonely, Julie, but the truth is I need to get away from the world. The research station is extremely isolated; there's no way in except by plane, even during the summer months. The station I'll be staying at was once owned by the Australian government but has long since been abandoned. A man named Michael Paige bought it for Dr. Paige. Sheila-"

"His wife?"

"Ex-wife. Sheila divorced Michael Paige a few years back. I didn't ask why." Bethany took another sip. "Anyway, honey, to cut to the chase, Sheila heard me talking to Sarah and asked me if I wanted to participate in her study group. I wasn't certain at first, so I invited Sheila over for dinner. By the time dinner ended, I decided to take her up on her offer."

Julie sighed again as she sat down at her lonely kitchen table. "Well, love, I was in London for nearly two months. I guess it would be unfair of me to complain about you being away. I just miss you."

"I miss you, too," Bethany promised, feeling her heart ache. Julie was more of a sister than a best friend. She hated that they were spending so much time apart. But that was life. And at this point, she needed time away from Snow Falls.

"Love you. Stay warm out there."

"Love you too, Julie."

Julie set down her gray cell phone onto the brown table and whispered, "Stay safe, Beth."

John Finnerman, a fifty-five-year-old car salesman, spotted a lovely red-haired woman-a woman who truly resembled Jane Wyatt-sitting alone. He quickly checked the cheap checked suit he was wearing, ran a skinny hand through his thin gray hair, and then tested his breath. "Good," he smiled. With all lights on green, he hurried to the booth. "Hey, Roomie," he beamed, speaking in a thick New Jersey accent.

Bethany looked up into a face that was cheesy, round, and cheap. John Finnerman was the perfect guy to play some crooked car salesman in a Clint Eastwood movie. The guy even smelled like discount cologne. "Hello, Mr. Finnerman."

"Bethany, we need to get on a first-name basis," John flashed a greasy grin as he sat down across from her without being invited. "Call me John."

She forced a smile onto her face. "Julie, I have to go. One of the people who is part of the study group just decided to join me for coffee. I'll call you before my flight leaves in two hours."

"Alright, love, and please be careful and take good care of yourself." Julie ended the call with a reluctant hand.

Bethany slowly set her gray cell phone down on the table and took another sip of coffee. "Has anyone else arrived?" she asked John.

"Sheila is still out front waiting. We're the early birds." John kept his greasy grin up. "I see you're not married-"

"Hold it, Romeo," she immediately put the brakes on. "Listen, I'm not interested in being flirted with, romanced, dazzled, or any of the above. Are we clear?"

Her words let the air out of John's tires. He shrugged his shoulders and sighed. "Can't blame a fella for trying, right?"

She felt sorry for him. He carried the soft, sitcom-dad vibe, minus the punchlines. Harmless and lonely. "John, why did you agree to participate in this study?"

"Why not?" He shrugged again. "I'm single, jobless, and miserable. Sheila offered to pay me five grand to spend forty-one days in some tin can in Antarctica. Easy money. Besides, I kinda sold Sheila a lemon once and promised to make the bad deal I stuck her with right."

"Sheila is your cousin, right?"

"Yeah, we grew up together in New Jersey," John smiled. "Sheila got the brains, and I got the short end of the stick. But hey, the five grand Sheila is going to pay me will take me straight to Atlantic City."

"Where you will gamble your money away-"

"Where I'm gonna turn five grand into five million!" John rubbed a pair of greedy hands together. "I'm an ace at the craps tables."

"Then why are you wearing a cheesy dime-store checked suit?" Bethany asked.

"Hey, don't hit below the chin. This suit happens to be a priceless heirloom. My old man gave me this suit before he died. Well, before he got into some trouble. The guy ran with some pretty rough characters, if you catch my drift."

"The mafia?"

John threw his right hand over his mouth. "What, are you crazy? There are ears everywhere. Watch your words."

Bethany rolled her eyes. "John, I'm pretty good at reading people. Your eyes and body language are telling me you're full of hot air."

He stared into her eyes for a few seconds and then shrugged. "Okay, so my old man was a plumber and I got this suit at a thrift store in Camden. So shoot me for trying to spice up the conversation a little."

"You're a character," she smiled. It was people like John Finnerman who kept life interesting. But he wasn't just some comic relief; he was a real man with real feelings and real problems. She doubted he'd accepted Sheila's offer just to get paid. His eyes held a deep loneliness.

"Yeah, that's what my three ex-wives say, too." John clasped his hands together and frowned. "So what's your story? Sheila tells me she found you up with the polar bears when she went to try and talk that lousy brother of hers into taking part in our group."

Bethany spotted a pretty waitress approaching the table and waited. "Can I get you a coffee, sir?" the waitress asked John.

"I'll have a water-"

"He'll have a coffee and three donuts. Put his order on my tab," Bethany informed the waitress.

"Hey, that's mighty nice of you." John looked up at the waitress. "Large coffee, no cream, lots of sugar, and make it five donuts. I haven't eaten today."

"You're going to have a sugar rush." Bethany glanced at the menu board. "I see that you serve sandwiches here?" she asked the waitress.

"We do, ma'am," the waitress nodded.

"Bring my friend-"

"Bring me five donuts and two turkey sandwiches, plain, cheese only, and a bag of salty chips," John put in his order.

"Yes, sir." The waitress wrote down John's order and hurried away.

Bethany shook her head, amused despite herself. The man certainly had an appetite.

As the waitress hurried away, a woman with short black hair walked into the coffee shop wearing a very stern and businesslike expression, a face that could have kept a class full of rowdy third graders in proper order. She scanned the dim coffee shop, spotted Bethany and John, and approached in a very businesslike manner. "Bethany Lights and John Finnerman?" Paula Sethmore asked.

Bethany quickly took in Paula Sethmore: tall, with short black hair, a stern teacher-like face, dressed in a gray and brown business suit, fancy shoes, expensive jewelry, and lots of makeup, looking to be around her own age. "I'm Bethany Lights," she offered a polite greeting. "Are you part of the study group?"

"I am," Paula nodded, holding a black purse firmly in her right hand. She glanced at John and then back at Bethany. "Before any questions are asked, my name is Paula Sethmore. I'm forty-four years old, recently divorced, and currently retired from working as a private math tutor. I live in Los Angeles but I'm going to relocate to Boston in December. I'm partaking in this study group because I need solitude and quiet. Dr. Paige has assured me I will receive both of my demands in large quantities."

"Woof," John mumbled under his breath.

"What?" Paula snapped at John.

"Hey, lighten up, lady," John held up his hands. "You walk over here like a dog ready to bite someone's head off. Back off some. Relax. Bethany and I were just having a nice, relaxing lunch. You can sit down and join us if you want."

"I just flew in from Los Angeles. I'm very tired," Paula informed John in a cold voice. "I had to meet Dr. Paige outside of the airport. I suppose it wouldn't hurt for me to rest for a while before our intended flight departs. May I?" Paula motioned at a vacant spot next to Bethany.

"Of course, please," Bethany nodded. Rigid was the word for this woman, but she had said she was recently divorced. Bethany understood how that felt. "The waitress will be back-"

"I don't want any coffee or food," Paula informed her. "I ate on the flight, and I carried snack bars and a bottle of water in my purse. Coffee makes me jittery, and airport food is not the greatest. I prefer not to pay for overpriced junk. A smart woman will watch her pennies very carefully."

"Yes, you are correct about that." Bethany wasn't sure how to speak to Paula.

John took over. "So what's your story? How come you decided to take part in this study group?"

"I told you. I need solitude and quiet," Paula answered in a stern tone.

"Yeah, but why? Did your ex-husband stick a knife in your back or something?" John pressed.

"John, why don't you go wash your hands before your lunch arrives?" Bethany told John in a quick voice and then shook her eyes at him in a way that said: Go. Now.

"Yeah, sure. Good idea." John stood up and scurried off.

"I see we're going to be stuck with a cheap rat," Paula complained.

"Oh, John is harmless," Bethany forced a smile to her face. "He's a character."

"Reminds me of a cheap car salesman who wears even cheaper cologne." Paula wiped at her nose. "Dr. Paige assured me we will all have our own living quarters. However, we will be forced to share a kitchen, the public living quarter, and the bathroom and shower. Dr. Paige assured me there are two bathrooms: one for the ladies and one for the men."

"That's what Sheila-I mean, Dr. Paige-explained to me, too," Bethany nodded.

Before Paula could speak again, a young, cute newlywed couple holding onto each other like sweet roses clinging to soft rainwater stepped into the coffee shop with a gray-haired woman. "There's Sheila, and it looks like she has guests."

Brad and Tori Fields followed Sheila Paige to the booth. "Everyone, meet Brad and Tori Fields."

"Like, hello," Tori burst out in an excited voice. "Like, isn't this fabulous?"

"Totally," Brad beamed, speaking in a goofy surfer voice that matched his tanned face and blond hair.

Bethany felt her heart sink slightly but then caught herself. Their enthusiasm was almost endearing in its earnestness. "Hello."

Tori reached up and began fluffing a sea of curly blond hair. "Like, I hope the cold doesn't mess with my hair and all, but oh well," she giggled. "Brad and I are on our, like, honeymoon and all."

"Like, totally," Brad nodded.

Sheila stepped forward. She looked like an intelligent college professor, someone Bethany could rest her mind on instead of wanting to pull her hair out. "Well, we're all here." Sheila folded her arms over a black vest and smiled a somewhat painful smile. "Where is John?"

"Washing his hands," Bethany explained.

"Good. Well, let's all rest before the flight leaves. Brad, Tori, we'll sit at this booth." Sheila led Brad and Tori to a nearby booth and sat down.

Bethany wrapped her hands around her coffee mug again, drawing comfort from its warmth. The amber light fell softly across the table, and for a moment the distant hum of the airport felt almost cozy. Well, they were all here. And here they went-off to the frozen south. At least it would be quiet there. At least she'd finally have some peace.