Moving Is Murder Read online

  Praise for Sara Rosett and

  MOVING IS MURDER!

  “A fun debut for an appealing young heroine.”

  —Carolyn Hart

  “Armed with her baby and her wits, new mom and military spouse Ellie Avery battles to unmask a wily killer in this exciting debut mystery. A squadron of suspects, a unique setting, and a twisted plot will keep you turning pages!”

  —Nancy J. Cohen, author of the Bad Hair Day Mystery series

  “Everyone should snap to attention and salute this fresh new voice. Interesting characters, a tight plot, and an insider peek at the life of a military wife make this a terrific read.”

  —Denise Swanson, Agatha Award nominee, nationally best-selling author of the Scumble River Mystery series

  “An absorbing read that combines sharp writing and tight plotting with a fascinating peek into the world of military wives. Jump in!”

  —Cynthia Baxter, author of Dead Canaries Don’t Sing

  “Reading Sara Rosett’s Moving Is Murder is like making a new friend—I can’t wait to brew a pot of tea and read all about sleuth Ellie Avery’s next adventure!”

  —Leslie Meier, author of the Lucy Stone mystery series

  “Mayhem, murder, and the military! Sara Rosett’s debut crackles with intrigue. Set in a very realistic community of military spouses, Moving Is Murder keeps you turning pages through intricate plot twists and turns. Rosett is an author to watch.

  —Alesia Holliday, award-winning author of Blondes Have More Felons and Email to the Front: One Wife’s Correspondence With Her Husband Overseas

  “A cozy debut that’ll help you get organized and provide entertainment in your newfound spare time.”

  —Kirkus Reviews

  “Packed with helpful moving tips, Rosett’s cute cozy debut introduces perky Ellie Avery … an appealing heroine, an intriguing insider peek into air force life.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Ellie’s intelligent investigation highlights this mystery. There are plenty of red herrings along her path to solving the murderous puzzle—along with expert tips on organizing a move. The stunning conclusion should delight readers.”

  —Romantic Times

  Moving Is

  Murder

  Sara Rosett

  KENSINGTON BOOKS

  KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.

  http://www.kensingtonbooks.com

  All copyrighted material within is

  Attributor Protected.

  Contents

  Praise for Sara Rosett and MOVING IS MURDER!

  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

  Acknowledgments

  Glossary

  KENSINGTON BOOKS are published by

  Kensington Publishing Corp.

  850 Third Avenue

  New York, NY 10022

  Copyright © 2006 by Sara Rosett

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

  If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

  All Kensington titles, imprints and distributed lines are available at special quantity discounts for bulk purchases for sales promotion, premiums, fund-raising, educational or institutional use.

  Special book excerpts or customized printings can also be created to fit specific needs. For details, write or phone the office of the Kensington Special Sales Manager: Kensington Publishing Corp., 850 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022. Attn. Special Sales Department. Phone: 1-800-221-2647.

  Kensington and the K logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

  eISBN-13: 978-0-7582-7280-5

  eISBN-10: 0-7582-7280-4

  First Hardcover Printing: April 2006

  First Mass Market Paperback Printing: March 2007

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  Printed in the United States of America

  Chapter

  One

  Light bled across the horizon, but it was still night below the towering pines where the figure in black slipped up the driveway toward the slumbering house and slithered under the parked minivan. A small flashlight beam illuminated the engine and its hoses. The beam found the right hose and followed it until it was within reach. Metal glinted in the light. A small prick, not a slash, produced a drop of brake fluid that bubbled out and dripped to the ground. The figure twisted around and repeated the procedure on the other hoses. The person allowed a small smile as tiny puddles formed.

  With a backward push, the dark form emerged from under the van, grabbed the knife, and shoved it into a deep pocket before joining the early morning joggers trotting through the still neighborhood.

  Nothing had gone wrong—yet. It made me nervous. Something always went wrong when we moved. There was the time our mattress became a sponge in the mover’s leaky storage unit and another time our handmade silk rug vanished from our shipment but, so far, our move to Vernon in Eastern Washington State had been uneventful.

  I set down a box brimming with crumpled packing paper that threatened to spill over its edge like froth on a cappuccino and watched the moving van lumber away. Its top grazed the leaves of the maple trees that arched over Nineteenth Street, making the street into a leafy tunnel. Sweat trickled down between my shoulder blades.

  My fingers itched to get back inside our new house, rip open the butterscotch-colored tape on the boxes, and bring order out of chaos, but inside the heat magnified the smells of fresh paint, floor wax, and dusty cardboard from the boxes that were stacked almost to the coved ceiling.

  The heat wasn’t as bad outside because there was a breeze, but it was still ninety-nine degrees. Since we didn’t have air-conditioning, stepping outside was like moving from inside a heated oven to the fringe of a campfire.

  I pushed my damp bangs off my face as a black pickup slowed in front of our house. The driver draped his arm over the open window and called to my husband, “Mitch Avery, is that you?” A bright shoulder patch contrasted with the olive drab of the driver’s flight suit. “I didn’t know you were moving into Base Housing–East,” he continued.

  “Steven?” Mitch trotted down the sidewalk. I followed Slowly. I’d probably heard him wrong. We were miles from base housing.

  Mitch’s friend parked his truck on the curb beside a pile of wardrobe boxes that needed to go to the shed since our bedroom closet was roughly the size of a matchbox. Patches on our visitor’s chest and upper arms identified him as Captain Steven Givens, a member of the 52nd ARS, or in real language without the acronyms, the 52nd Air Refueling Squadron, Mitch’s new squadron. They did the guy equivalent of air kisses: a handshake and a half-hug with slaps on the back.

  M
itch introduced Steven.

  “This is my wife, Ellie,” he said. “And this is my daughter, Olivia.” He patted Livvy’s head, barely visible in the BabyBjörn carrier I had strapped on my chest.

  Steven smiled and shook my hand in a firm, eager grip. “This is great that you’re moving in. We live on Twentieth.” He had thick burnt almond–colored hair cut neatly to regulation above sincere hazel eyes. His smooth complexion made him look young, even though I knew he had to be older than Mitch.

  I glanced at Mitch. His smile was relaxed, so apparently he didn’t mind that Steven lived one block away.

  “So what do you think of Base Housing–East?” Steven asked, gesturing to the empty street.

  Mitch and I looked at each other blankly.

  “You didn’t know half the squadron lives up here?” Steven asked.

  “Here? In Vernon?” I asked.

  “Right here, on Black Rock Hill. Most everyone lives within a few blocks,” Steven said.

  So much for our flawless moving day. Mitch and I exchanged Glances. This was much worse than damage to our household goods.

  “Well, it won’t be like living on-base. We’re not next door to each other, right?” Mitch asked.

  “No, but Joe, our ‘C’ Flight Commander, and his wife live across the street from you. The McCarters are on Twentieth with us. There’re too many to count, probably ten or fifteen couples, now that you’re moving in.” Steven beamed like this was the best news he could give us. Why hadn’t my friend Abby, who had also just moved here, mentioned this?

  “At least the squadron commander is still on-base,” Mitch joked.

  “No, with the remodeling going on in base housing they don’t have many houses open. Colonel Briman lives down your street.” Mitch looked like he’d been punched in the stomach.

  Steven thumped him on the shoulder. “Welcome to the neighborhood.” Steven hoisted up a box, spoke around it. “Where do you want this? I can help you out for a few hours. I was coming home to meet Gwen,” he glanced at me and explained, “that’s my wife, for lunch. But she’s tied up at work. She’s the manager at Tate’s and has a heck of a time getting away from there.”

  “So the old bachelor finally got hitched?” Mitch seemed to have recovered from Steven’s bombshell. A smile tilted up the corners of his mouth as he kidded with Steven.

  “Yeah. I gave in.” Steven shrugged.

  Mitch’s smile widened as he transferred his gaze to me, but spoke to Steven. “It’s great, isn’t it?”

  “Sure is. Now, where do you want this box?”

  Mitch pointed to the shed. “Over there. Anywhere inside.”

  I touched Mitch’s shoulder to hold him back from following Steven. I kept my voice low. “I can’t believe we bought a house in the wrong neighborhood,” I said. “I mean, we’ve moved how many times? Four?”

  “In five years,” Mitch confirmed. I felt a sigh bubble up inside me. I squashed it. When I married Mitch I knew we’d have to move. After all, he was a pilot in the Air Force. Moves came with the job. We’d talked about our next assignment and I’d pictured somewhere exotic and foreign, Europe or Asia, Germany or Japan. Not Washington State. And certainly not Vernon, Washington, during a heat wave. And my vision of our next assignment definitely hadn’t included living next door to everyone else in the squad.

  I needed chocolate. I dug into my shorts pocket and pulled out a Hershey Kiss. Chocolate makes even the worst situation look better. It was mushy from the heat, but I managed to peel the foil away and pop it in my mouth. I felt as weak as a wet paper towel.

  I lifted Livvy out of the BabyBjörn and transferred her to the bouncy chair in the shade of the pines beside Mitch’s makeshift table, a wardrobe box, where he’d checked off each box or piece of furniture on our inventory as the movers unloaded it.

  I surveyed the quiet street and came back to what was really bothering me. “Four moves and we make a mistake like this.”

  We’d researched everything. At least, we thought we had. To avoid living with Mitch’s coworkers twenty-four hours a day, we’d decided to live off-base. We wanted privacy and Vernon, Washington, the major city thirty miles from Mitch’s new assignment, Greenly Air Force Base, seemed like the perfect place to buy our first home.

  We picked an arts-and-crafts-style bungalow on Black Rock Hill, a “regeneration area,” our realtor, Elsa, had called it. As the original owners retired and moved to sunnier climates, young professionals moved in and updated. Apparently, everyone else from Greenly AFB had picked Black Rock Hill, too.

  “This is one of the best neighborhoods in town.” Mitch wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his arm. “Great schools, there’s a park one block down the road, and it’s only thirty minutes from the base.”

  “I know. I know. You’re right,” I said. “But it’s not our property values I’m worried about. Well,” I amended, “I certainly don’t want them to go down.” My stomach flip-flopped every time I thought of the money we’d plunked down on the house. Buying a house was kind of risky for us. Unlike corporate America, there weren’t any moving packages for military folks. Either we sold our house when our three years at Greenly were up or we took the financial hit.

  “Buyer’s remorse?” Mitch asked. “You look a little sick.”

  “No. It’s the thought of people from the squadron dropping in at any moment or watching us.”

  Mitch stepped on the paper in a box to flatten it. “At least they can’t make us shovel our sidewalk or mow the lawn.”

  ‘You’re right.” I removed the Björn carrier and pulled my sweaty T-shirt away from my back.

  “Come on,” Mitch said. “It won’t be so bad. Everybody’s so busy that most people won’t even notice us.”

  “I don’t know. Ten or fifteen couples. And the squadron commander,” I said, thinking of nosy neighbors checking our driveway for Mitch’s car to see if he knocked off work early. “You can park in the empty side of the Garage,” I offered. “But only until it starts to snow. Then I get it.”

  “Deal,” Mitch said. “You’ll have the boxes on the other side of the garage sorted out in a few weeks. How’s it going inside?”

  “Great, if I want to do some baking. So far I’ve found the placemats, cake pans, and measuring spoons and cups, but no plates or silverware. Or glasses.”

  I’d made sure the boxes we needed with our essential things were the last items loaded on the truck, so they’d be the first off. I hadn’t counted on the movers unloading our stuff, storing it for two weeks, and then reloading it on another truck in random order.

  Mitch considered the seven empty boxes stacked by the curb. “You know, it’s not too late to move again. Almost everything is still in boxes.”

  I was tempted for a moment, but then I looked at the neighborhood and our house. Bungalows with broad porches and sturdy pillars rested in the shade of towering maple and pine trees. A few houses, like ours, had an English influence. Its steep A-line roof sloped down to honey-colored bricks, leaded-glass windows, and an arched front door. It was a gingerbread cottage out of a fairy tale and I loved it. A warm breeze stirred the trees and lifted the strands of hair off my sweaty neck. “No way. We’ll just have to be mildly friendly and keep our distance.”

  Three hours later, I plodded along, gritty with dried sweat, mentally running down my Day One Moving Checklist while I pushed Livvy’s stroller. We’d found sheets, but towels were still a no-show. No sign of plates, silverware, and glasses either.

  Livvy let out a half-cry, more a squawk, then fell silent to study the dappled sunlight and shade as it flicked over her stroller canopy. She’d been content most of the day to watch the parade of movers, but half an hour ago her patience ran out. I’d fed, burped, and changed her, but she still squeezed her eyes shut and shrieked. She didn’t like walking, humming, or singing either. I used to rely on a quick car ride to soothe her, but her enchantment with the car seat evaporated during our road trip from Southern California to
Washington State. That meant I had to resort to the big guns, a walk.

  Where else could the towels be? We definitely needed showers tonight. We’d unpacked all the boxes labeled BATHROOM. Maybe LINEN CLOSET?

  “Ellie, did you hear me?”

  “Sorry. I was wondering where the towels might be packed,” I said to my friend Abby, the one person I didn’t mind dropping in on me. She was such a good friend I put her to work as soon as she had showed up this afternoon even though her style was a shotgun approach compared with my more methodical way. She tore open the boxes and pulled everything out.

  Her curly black hair, pulled back in a ponytail, bounced in time with her steady stride as she motored down the sidewalk. “I’ll bring over some of our towels for you. I’m so glad you’re finally moving in,” she said. “You can run with me. I go every morning.” Her white sleeveless shirt and jean cutoffs showed off her tanned, toned arms and legs. She claimed her figure tended toward stockiness, but with her energy and huge smile she looked great to me. I couldn’t get into last summer’s shorts because of pregnancy weight still hanging around, especially on my tummy and thighs.

  “Yeah, right. I can’t stand running, remember?” Before my pregnancy I ran a few times with Abby, but it reminded me of how much I hated it. Abby and I met two years ago in one of those prefabricated friendship opportunities that arise in military life. Mitch and Abby’s husband, Jeff, were friends at the Air Force Academy. More than once, I had found myself straining to carry on a conversation with another wife over dinner while Mitch and his friend caught up. But Abby and I hit it off right away, except for her love of jogging.

  “Why didn’t you tell me there were so many people from the squadron in this neighborhood?” I asked.

  “I didn’t realize until we moved in and started unpacking.” Abby bounced along beside me. “It’ll be great—just like base housing, only better because these houses are newer.”

  Before I could argue with this overly optimistic view she pointed to a gray stucco house with black shutters. Blooms of roses, hollyhocks, and mums layered color and texture around the base of the trees and house. “That’s Cass and Joe Vincent’s house,” Abby said. A spade and pruning shears had been tossed on the ground beside a bucket sprouting uprooted weeds and grass. “He’s Jeff’s flight commander, ‘C’ Flight. She’s into gardening and ecology—the environment and all that. She writes about it.” Abby’s voice had an edge to it.