Chasing Shadows Read online

  Chasing Shadows

  Alaska Cozy Mystery #6

  Wendy Meadows

  Copyright © 2018 by Wendy Meadows

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior written permission.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

  Printed in the United States of America

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Thanks for reading

  Be the First to Know

  About the Author

  Also by Wendy Meadows

  Chapter One

  Sarah spotted movement in the backyard. She carefully pulled back the curtain covering the kitchen window and peered outside expecting to see a fox, a raccoon, maybe even a bear; after all, it was spring and animals were out prowling around for food. But instead of spotting a fox or a bear roaming around her green backyard, Sarah spotted a small puppy wandering around, lost and confused. “Oh,” she exclaimed quickly, in a motherly tone, and dashed out of the kitchen door and around the side of her cabin into the backyard. “Puppy...puppy,” she called out in a sweet, warm, loving voice.

  The puppy paused, looked up, and spotted a woman walking across the yard wearing a dress the same color as the clear sky soaring above. The woman didn't seem threatening and her voice sounded gentle and kind. So the puppy did what all scared, lost, and hungry puppies do: it crouched down and began whining. “It's alright,” Sarah soothed the puppy as she approached slowly, in a non-threatening manner so as not to scare the puppy away. “My, aren't you beautiful, too.” The puppy wagged its bushy black and white tail. Sarah smiled, stopped a few feet from the puppy and bent down. “You look like...yes...a husky. Oh, yes, look at those bright blue eyes.”

  The puppy stared at Sarah and let out a hungry little bark. Sarah smiled. “Are you hungry?” The puppy slowly wagged its tail again. “I take that as a yes,” Sarah said and stared at the beautiful puppy. The last thing she expected before lunch was to find a lost puppy in her backyard. She searched the puppy for a collar but didn't locate one. “No collar...no tags…well, you seem to be lost,” she said and carefully eased forward. “I'm going to pick you up, okay? Don't be afraid.” The puppy watched Sarah with careful eyes. Sarah smiled and gently took the puppy into her arms. “My, you can't be more than...five or six weeks old,” she smiled down into the puppy's sweet face. “Now where did you come from?” The puppy stared up into Sarah's bright and loving eyes and simply wagged its tail. Sarah nuzzled the puppy on its nose and then, very carefully, checked its gender. “You are a...girl. Oh, yes you are.” The puppy wagged her tail.

  Sarah carefully walked back into the kitchen and placed the puppy down onto the wooden floor. “Let me get you some milk...and...something soft...maybe a can of tuna fish.” Sarah hurried over to the kitchen cabinets and retrieved two brown bowls small enough for the puppy to eat and drink from. She filled one bowl with milk and the other with tuna fish, and sat the bowls down next to the kitchen table. The puppy, excited to see food, waddled over to the bowls, sniffed the milk and then the tuna fish, and then looked up at Sarah as if waiting for permission to eat. “Go ahead, eat, girl.” The puppy wagged its tail and began lapping up some milk.

  As the puppy drank her milk, Sarah heard Conrad's truck pull into her driveway. She quickly ran her fingers through her hair, brushed the front of her dress, and hurried to start a pot of coffee, feeling like a nervous school girl. Why? She didn't know. Despite all the adventures they had shared, she wasn't romantically involved with Conrad and she knew—deep inside of her heart—that diving into a serious relationship was far, far, down the road. Yet, she felt nervous and excited as she scooped coffee grounds from a green coffee can. Conrad was a good man that cared for her, and lately her thoughts seemed to be more on him—and even though she didn't know it, Conrad's thoughts were always on her. “Coffee, lunch, small talk, nothing else,” Sarah whispered to herself as Conrad knocked on the back door. “Come in, the door is open.”

  Conrad opened the back door and stepped into the kitchen wearing his usual leather jacket. When he spotted Sarah standing next to the coffee pot he stopped in his tracks. Never in his life had he seen a woman so beautiful. He stared at Sarah as if she were a priceless dream sent down from heaven. “Uh...hi,” he said and quickly looked down to hide his emotions. The last thing he wanted to do was make Sarah feel uncomfortable. “A puppy?” he asked.

  “Oh, yes,” Sarah said and blushed a little. The way Conrad looked at her, well, made her feel like a woman, and the feeling was nice. “I found her just a few minutes ago in the backyard. Poor thing seems to be lost.”

  Conrad closed the back door and looked down at the puppy. The puppy glanced up at Conrad, looked at Sarah, and then waited. “Go ahead, girl, drink your milk,” Sarah smiled. The puppy, hearing Sarah's sweet voice, went back to her milk. “She doesn't have a collar,” Sarah explained as the smell of hot, delicious coffee filled the kitchen air. “I didn't spot the momma, either.”

  Conrad rubbed his chin. “You might not find the mother at all,” he said in a serious voice. Sarah frowned. “Sarah, a female husky was hit and killed by a reckless teenager this morning. The dog didn't have any tags or collar, either.” Conrad sighed. “I know dogs and I could tell the husky was milking a litter of pups. The husky was killed not too far from here, either.”

  “Oh, how horrible,” Sarah said in an upset voice.

  “Yeah, it is,” Conrad agreed. He looked down at the puppy. “This little girl most likely belongs to the husky that was struck and killed. Could be more of them wandering around, too.”

  Sarah bit down on her lower lip. Snow Falls, Alaska didn't have a dog pound, and even if it did, she surely wouldn't take the puppy to a cold, unfriendly, scary building where it would be locked up in a cage. “Oh dear, what to do?” she asked.

  Conrad looked over at Sarah and read the distress in her eyes. “Looks like you have a new roommate.”

  Sarah eased her eyes up to Conrad and then lowered them back down to the puppy. The puppy stopped drinking her milk and looked up at Sarah. Sarah couldn't help but to smile. “Well, girl, it looks like you and I are going to have to learn how to share a pillow.” The puppy wagged her tail and began working on the tuna fish.

  Conrad folded his arms together with a smile. “You're a real softie.”

  Sarah continued to stare at her new puppy. “She needs a home,” she told Conrad, “and a mother.”

  “And you need a friend,” Conrad added. “No, more than a friend...you need something to love.”

  Sarah stood silent and let Conrad's words soak into her mind. Did she need something to love? The answer was yes. Living alone in her cabin made her feel very lonely at times, no matter how many friends she knew in town. Having a sweet new puppy to love and take care of would be a blessing. “I guess I do,” she smiled.

  Conrad’s grin widened. “So, what are you going to name her?” he asked.

  “Oh, goodness,” Sarah said and began to think. “Picking out a name for her might take some time, Conrad.”

  “Maybe not,” Conrad replied. “How about Mittens?”

  “Mittens?” Sarah asked, confused.

  “Her paws,” Conrad said and pointed out the puppy's white paws.<
br />
  Sarah looked at the puppy's paws. “Oh...why, yes, her paws do look like little white mittens, don't they?” Sarah beamed. “Okay, Mittens it is.”

  Mittens stopped eating her tuna fish, glanced up at Sarah, wagged her tail, and then went back to eating. “I think she likes her name,” Conrad laughed. “And speaking of names, where is Amanda? I thought she was going to join us for lunch?”

  “My dear friend called and canceled on me,” Sarah sighed. “Deliberately, of course, because she knew you were coming. And presumably…” Sarah trailed off, embarrassed.

  Conrad chuckled and shook his head. “That woman is determined to play matchmaker.”

  “I know,” Sarah agreed. “I was thinking we could have lunch at the diner in town. But now that Mittens is here...how about a turkey sandwich and a bowl of soup?”

  “Sounds good to me,” Conrad said happily. He liked spending time alone with Sarah at her cabin. The cabin felt like a place he could call home. Not that the cabin itself was special, but because Sarah made the cabin special.

  Sarah pointed down at Mittens. “A third for lunch,” she said and laughed. “Oh my, Conrad, what do I know about raising a puppy? There's...let's see...visits to the veterinarian's office...shots...potty training...puppy food to buy...toys...walks...” Sarah laughed again. “Mittens may look small now, but someday she's going to grow up and in the meantime, her appetite is going to increase.”

  “Yeah, huskies have good appetites,” Conrad agreed.

  “I—” Sarah began to speak but stopped when the phone hanging beside the refrigerator rang. “I better answer that.” Sarah walked over to the phone and answered the call. “Hello?”

  “Sarah, darling, this is me, Rebecca,” a raspy, smoky voice said. It was her literary agent.

  “Oh, hello Rebecca,” Sarah said and tensed up a little, even though her book sales were steady and strong and her new book was right on schedule.

  Rebecca leaned back in a fancy desk chair and studied her expensive Los Angeles office. “Darling, nothing is wrong. I'm calling because I have fabulous news for you. Are you sitting down?”

  Sarah made a strange face at Conrad. Rebecca never called unless she had a complaint or two. The woman was tough and all business until she warmed up to you; even then she was hard as nails when it came to deadlines and never liked delays. But for whatever reason, Rebecca was very fond of Sarah and treated the woman like she was her own daughter. “I'm actually standing up.”

  “Well,” Rebecca smiled and waved a smelly cigarette in the air with her right hand, “you might want to sit down, darling.”

  Sarah made a strange face again. Rebecca was an eccentric woman who was a throwback, a woman who never left the 1940s. The glitz and the glamor of LA and Hollywood show business was her favorite thing, outside of her work representing authors like Sarah. Rebecca loved theatrics and never delivered good or bad news without a bit of a performance. Obviously, Rebecca was preparing one of her signature theatrical announcements. “Rebecca, what is it?”

  “Darling, a major studio has informed me that they wish to buy the rights to your books and begin transforming them into works on the big screen,” Rebecca explained in a voice that soared with fantastic drama. “Darling, we're talking about more money than you can spend in Paris during a month of Sundays.”

  Sarah nearly dropped the phone. She was aware that her book sales were very strong and that her fan base was growing, but she never dreamed that anything she wrote would be brought to life on the big screen. “I'm...” she began to speak but stopped and looked at Conrad. Tears began falling from her eyes. “Rebecca...this is amazing news! I know...I mean, I know this winter was tough and I feel behind schedule some, and—”

  “Oh, pish posh,” Rebecca said, waving Sarah's comment away. “Darling, we all hit a snag every now and then. Now you listen to Rebecca. I need you in my office next Wednesday at eleven o'clock sharp. Mrs. Diane Samton is going to meet us with all the necessary paperwork and contracts.”

  “Next Wednesday...today is Tuesday—”

  “My girl knows her days of the week, good,” Rebecca said and continued without losing focus on the business at hand. “Darling, Mrs. Samton is representing a major studio that wants to set you up for life. I need your tush on a plane and in my office next Wednesday at eleven sharp.”

  “Of course,” Sarah promised. “I'll be in Los Angeles next Wednesday and have my backside planted in your office at eleven sharp, Rebecca. Uh, may I ask which studio is interested in me?”

  “That's a surprise.”

  “Oh...okay. Well, I guess I'll find out when I arrive in Los Angeles.”

  Rebecca beamed. “That's my girl,” she said and eased off the accelerator a bit. “I was worried living in the woods and snow might have dented your mind. A good dose of the city will be good for you, darling.” Rebecca paused and then said carefully, “Maybe a good dose of the city might convince you to move back home?”

  Sarah looked at Conrad and then down at Mittens. “I am home, Rebecca,” she promised. “I'm also very excited. I may not sleep a wink tonight.”

  “Me neither,” Rebecca smiled and took a puff from her cigarette. “Darling, time is money. I'll see my girl next Wednesday. And after our meeting with Mrs. Samton, I'm going to take you out for a night on the town! Oh, it's going to be fantastic. Bye-bye for now.”

  Sarah hung up the phone and turned around. She felt giddy. “I have to be in Los Angeles next Wednesday.”

  “I heard,” Conrad said with curiosity in his voice. “Good news?”

  “The best, actually,” Sarah confessed. She felt as if she were going to explode inside. And then she did. “Oh, Conrad,” she exclaimed and ran over to him and hugged him as tightly as she could, happy tears cascading down her cheeks. “A studio wants to turn my books into movies!”

  “Hey, wow,” Conrad said, a little shocked that Sarah was hugging him and crying at the same time. “Sarah, that's great. Really, that's big-time.”

  Sarah wiped at her tears and looked into Conrad's eyes. “I never dreamed this could happen,” she confessed. “This past winter was so hard...I barely caught up on my writing...and now spring is here and the flowers are blooming,” she said in a dreamy voice. “The hard winter has passed.”

  “And you're happy,” Conrad said, looking deep into Sarah's eyes.

  “Yes,” Sarah replied and hugged Conrad again. For a moment she rested in Conrad's embrace and closed her eyes. But before she allowed herself to become too comfortable, she pulled away. “I better call Amanda and tell her to start packing,” she said and ran back to the phone.

  Conrad smiled. It was great to see Sarah so happy. “I guess I'll slip away and go get a bite at the diner. It looks like you're going to be very busy for the rest of the day.”

  Sarah spun around and looked at Conrad. “Oh no, you don't,” she said. “You go home and start packing, too. I'm not going to Los Angeles with just Amanda. Besides, I want you to meet Pete...oh, Pete, it's going to be so great seeing him again.”

  “You...want me to go?” Conrad asked with surprise.

  “Please,” Sarah said, turning the full force of her happiness on him. “Conrad, I love Amanda, but someone has to babysit her while I'm in my meeting.”

  Conrad sighed. “Sarah, I don't have any more free days,” he said, reluctant to disappoint her. “I'm tied to the office for a while. But,” he said, “I can take care of Mittens for you while you're gone.”

  Sarah felt her heart break a little. However, she understood. The life of a cop was never an easy one. “Let’s go have lunch at the diner, on me.”

  “What about Mittens?”

  Sarah smiled at her new friend. “I'll bring my girl along. Both of them,” she said and hurried to call Amanda and tell her best friend the good news and to invite her to the diner with them, while Mittens licked at the last bits of tuna fish in the bowl and wagged her tail happily to see her new friend so happy.

  Amanda watched Mitt
ens sniff around a sleepy green field resting in the breeze of a late, lazy evening. “Where are we, anyway?” she asked Sarah. Their road trip had come to an unexpected halt.

  Sarah leaned back against her jeep and folded her arms. “Maybe it was a mistake to drive,” she whispered in a miserable voice. “We're lost. My jeep has a flat tire. It's getting dark and Mittens can't seem to make up her mind whether she is going to do her business or not.” The puppy romped through the flowers and the tall grasses, unconcerned.

  Amanda glanced toward the blazing red western sky. Images from old horror movies began to play in her mind. “Two beautiful women stranded on the side of a desolate road...one dressed in a lovely pink and white dress...the other,” Amanda looked at Sarah, “well, wearing a simple gray dress...but style doesn't matter to a hungry killer. All the killer cares about is—”

  “June Bug please,” Sarah begged, “enough with the drama. I am a retired detective who is carrying a concealed weapon. We may be lost but we’re not helpless.” Sarah watched Mittens finally make a quick tinkle. “Good girl.”

  Amanda watched Sarah walk into the field to retrieve the furry little husky. Mittens wagged her tail and licked Sarah in the face. “Oh, she's a sweet little critter,” Amanda said and then looked up at the sky again. “Too bad she isn't a vicious attack dog. What we need right about now is a German shepherd, love.”

  Sarah placed Mittens gently into the front passenger seat of her jeep, rolled down the window, and closed the door. Mittens, tired from her romp in the field, quickly plopped down on the soft blanket Sarah had placed there for her. The little puppy seemed to loved the jeep—the comforting smell of Sarah was all around her—and felt secure enough to drop off into an easy sleep, without fear of outside threats. “She's going to sleep,” Sarah told Amanda and gently patted Mitten's head. “Sleep, sweet baby.”