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    Out of Options: Century Cottage Cozy Mysteries, #1
    Out of Options: Century Cottage Cozy Mysteries, #1
    Out of Options: Century Cottage Cozy Mysteries, #1
    Ebook126 pages1 hour

    Out of Options: Century Cottage Cozy Mysteries, #1

    By Dianne Ascroft

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    About this ebook

    Out of Options is a prequel novella to the Century Cottage Cozy Mysteries series, and introduces Lois Stone and her companions, Raggs and Ribbons, a pair of perceptive calico cats.

    A dry district, a shocking secret, a missing person. When Lois Stone's friend, Beth Darrow, arranges to meet her to reveal an astonishing discovery, Lois's curiosity is piqued. Then Beth doesn't keep their lunch date and Lois becomes worried. What has happened to her friend?

    Middle-aged widow Lois is settling into life on her own in her neighbourhood and in the library where she works, and she is just about coping with her fear of strangers after her husband was mugged and died in the park at the end of their street. But her quiet existence is rocked when her friend and fellow local historical society researcher, Beth, arranges to meet her to reveal an exciting and shocking discovery she has made about the history of prohibition in West Toronto Junction, the last dry area in Toronto, and then goes missing before she can share her secret with Lois. There isn't any proof that Beth is missing so the police won't actively search for her. Only Lois and Beth's niece Amy are convinced that Beth's disappearance is very out of character, and they are worried about her. Where has Beth gone? Is she in danger? And, if she is, who might want to harm her and why? Lois knows she must find the answers to these questions fast if she wants to help and protect her friend.

    And so begins a weekend of skulking in the park, apple and cinnamon pancakes, familiar faces staring out of old newspapers, calico cats, shadows on the windowpane, and more than one person who might want Beth to disappear from the quiet, leafy streets of the historic and staunchly dry West Toronto Junction neighbourhood.  

    A tale for fans of Cindy Bell, Leighann Dobbs, Dianne Harman and Kathi Daley.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDianne Ascroft
    Release dateApr 27, 2019
    ISBN9781386979807
    Out of Options: Century Cottage Cozy Mysteries, #1

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      Book preview

      Out of Options - Dianne Ascroft

      Out of Options

      Out of Options

      and City Sunset

      Dianne Ascroft

      Contents

      Out of Options

      Chapter 1

      Chapter 2

      Chapter 3

      Chapter 4

      Chapter 5

      Chapter 6

      Chapter 7

      Chapter 8

      Chapter 9

      City Sunset

      City Sunset

      Newsletter

      Out of Options was first released in April 2019.

      Copyright © 2019 Dianne Ascroft

      The right of Dianne Ascroft to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, re-sold or given away in any form, or by any means except with written permission from the author and in accordance with the terms of licenses issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency.

      All characters and events in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

      Edited by Kristen Tate at The Blue Garret:

      www.thebluegarret.com

      Out of Options

      A Century Cottage Cozy Mysteries Novella

      1

      Annette Library

      West Toronto Junction

      May 1983

      Lois Stone closed the ink pad, set the date stamp on top of it, holding its bulbous wooden handle carefully to keep the inked end away from her hands, and put them in a drawer in the centre of the large, horseshoe-shaped reception desk in the main foyer of the library. She nudged the drawer to be sure it was firmly closed then absently ran her hand across the surface of the worn desk, her fingertips brushing scores in the oak made by previous occupants – reminders of the many librarians who had sat here during the past century. Lois loved the sense of connection the desk gave her to her predecessors.

      Glancing up, she saw through the doorway to her left that the adult section of Annette Library was nearly empty. Most people had somewhere to be on a Friday afternoon. The usual handful of regulars were still there: widowed Mrs Rose, who devoured murder mysteries, was seated at a table near the back wall, avidly reading one of the new novels that had just come in this week; Ben Weston was bent over another table as he jotted notes from a history book onto loose-leaf paper; and retired bank manager Mark Laker stood, idly scanning the magazine shelves on the side wall.

      Lois knew all the regular patrons and had noticed there were slightly more men than women who had time to kill on a Friday afternoon. At closing time, it would likely take a few minutes to encourage these patrons to pack up and leave, but she didn’t really mind. She didn’t have to rush home – there were just her two calico cats, Raggs and Ribbons, waiting for her.

      She drew in her breath, shaking her head slowly as she brushed her short grey hair from her forehead. It was hard to believe that James had been gone three years now. The third anniversary of his death had passed almost two weeks ago. It didn’t seem that long since the evening he went out for a run and never came home. But it was. Three years since that terrifying ride with him in the ambulance to the hospital where the doctor pronounced him dead from a massive heart attack: the result of being mugged while he was jogging in their local park. And no one had ever been brought to justice for it.

      Lois locked the steel petty cash box and set it in a drawer on the left side of the reception desk then locked the drawer. Scooping the key into her hand, she stood up. She didn’t usually mind working in the library at quiet times but this afternoon she suddenly felt restless. She was eager to get outside for the walk home through the bustling West Toronto Junction neighbourhood where the library was located, and on to the quieter streets near her home in the Humber Valley.

      She had always loved warm, sunny spring days when the rising temperature reminded her that winter was over. She and James had never missed their evening stroll through the park to watch the sunset on days like these. She frowned. Thinking about the good times during their life together always stirred the other memories too: the ones of the evening when James had died. Ever since his death, pain and sadness had tinged her delight in the approach of summer.

      As she turned toward the back of the room, preparing to cross the staff workroom to the librarian’s office, the front door opened, letting in a fragrant floral breeze. She loved the familiar smell of apple and cherry blossoms that wafted in each spring from the mature trees that lined the street. Even the sadness she felt about James’s death couldn’t completely dispel her enjoyment of these scents of the season.

      She turned to face the front door and smiled when she recognized the person who had entered the building. Oh, hi, Brent. I’m glad you’re here. I wanted to ask whether you’ve seen Beth Darrow today? We were supposed to meet for lunch but she didn’t show up.

      No, I haven’t seen her. Maybe she doesn’t like going out on Friday the thirteenth.

      Lois laughed. She’s never seemed superstitious and she asked me to meet for lunch. Don’t think that explains it.

      Brent shrugged. I don’t know then. Sorry. Maybe she forgot?

      Maybe. I don’t know. I phoned her to check up this afternoon but didn’t get an answer. I’ll have to give her a ring again later and find out what happened. Did you get over to the Payne house yesterday?

      Brent Hamilton stared vacantly at her for a moment, as if lost in thought. Uh, yeah.

      I’m really sorry I couldn’t make it. I had intended to be there since I had the afternoon off but something came up and I had to change my plans. Lois didn’t really want to divulge too many details about her life away from the library to Brent.

      She was working with Brent and Beth on a project for the West Toronto Junction Historical Society but Brent was still a casual acquaintance, not a friend like Beth was. Beth would understand if she told her that she went to James’s grave again yesterday. Her friend knew how deeply she still grieved her loss. Lois visited her husband’s grave at least twice a month and always on the anniversary of his death. Since James had died at this time of year, he was more often in her thoughts lately and she felt the need to visit his grave more frequently. So she had decided as she left the library yesterday that she would spend a while at the cemetery before she went home.

      Brent smiled. That’s okay. It was pretty mundane, dusty work. You didn’t miss anything.

      That may be, but I like to do my share – especially since the historical society is generously donating everything to the library’s local history collection. Have you found anything interesting in Reverend Payne’s personal papers?

      Lots of dust and a couple spiders crawling through the boxes – Beth wasn’t keen on them. It was mostly sermons we were going through yesterday afternoon. Brent groaned. I can’t tell you how many temperance sermons I’ve read.

      Lois assumed a mock chiding expression. As a staunch teetotaller yourself, I thought you’d be more enthusiastic about the subject. Since another plebiscite to vote on whether this area remains dry or not is very likely in the next year or so, I’d have thought you’d be eager to study everything Reverend Payne wrote about temperance.

      Of course I am. His writings are valuable records of the attitudes and beliefs of Presbyterian ministers, as well as many of the residents of West Toronto Junction, when the area banned alcohol. Many of their arguments are still relevant to the temperance movement today so they are important to us in our campaign to keep the Junction dry, just as it has been since 1904. Brent raised his shoulders and let them drop. But we’ve seen stacks of similar sermons from Reverend Payne and other ministers in the area. None of what I read yesterday tells us anything new.

      Still, I’m surprised you aren’t more excited. When Beth phoned me a couple days ago, she said she’d had a really amazing find in Reverend Payne’s papers and she couldn’t wait to tell me about it. Do you have any idea what she was talking about?

      Brent paused, then shook his head. No, haven’t a clue. Like I said, I haven’t noticed anything out of the ordinary in the papers I’ve read. When we were working yesterday, Beth didn’t say anything to me about finding anything noteworthy this week. I don’t know what she could have been referring to.

      That’s just so strange. She was really excited when she talked to me. If she’d found something important, I’m sure she would’ve mentioned it to you while the two of you were going through the papers.

      Brent shook his head firmly. No, she definitely didn’t.

      Mmm, I would love to know why she didn’t stop by for lunch today. She was just bursting to tell me about whatever she discovered but she wouldn’t discuss it over the phone.

      I don’t know what the discovery was, but, like I said, I can’t think how it could be related to anything we’ve found in Reverend Payne’s personal papers. There’s been nothing startling.

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