Death by Driftwood (A Cape Cod Cozy Mystery, Book 4), Paperback

Death by Driftwood is Book Four in the Cape Cod Cozy Mysteries.

Ebook format is coming soon!

Driftwood art tells a story. This one ends in murder.

When Cassie and her out-of-town guest visit the showroom of a renowned driftwood artist, they make a shocking discovery—his lifeless body. It doesn’t take long to realize that not everyone was a fan of his work. Determined to uncover the truth, the women dive headfirst into the investigation.

But murder isn’t the only mystery on Cassie’s mind. With her memory now restored, she’s desperate to uncover the truth behind the art theft that cast a shadow over her friend’s final years. As she pieces together the clues, one thing becomes clear—John was right all along. The real thief may be hiding in plain sight on Cape Cod.

Perfect for fans of seaside settings, intriguing puzzles, and endearing characters, Death by Driftwood is a charming and suspenseful addition to the Cape Cod Cozy Mysteries!

 

“ I can never guess who the perpetrators are in Ms. Ryan's books, so I've stopped trying and just enjoy the ride!”
   - C. W.

“ This was a terrific cozy mystery. I have read several Cape Cod mysteries, and the stories never disappoint me. ” 
   - Paula

“ I love this series. Now that Cassie has discovered her identity and settled into her home it was exciting to see Anna come to visit. With the two sleuths and their friends investigating it gets very exciting. Watching them uncover clues and looking for the murderer kept me enthralled. I never figured it out who did it until the very end. Angela Ryan is such a talented writer."
   - Mary

Coming soon in ebook format!

Excerpt

Chapter 1

Cassie peered through the kitchen window above the sink of her freshly bought Cape Cod beach house and scanned Starboard Lane for the umpteenth time.

“You are going to wear a path from the living room to the kitchen if you don’t stop pacing,” Sydney said. “Your friend probably just hit some of that infamous Cape Cod summer traffic.”

“I doubt that. It’s Monday and most tourists arrive on Saturday. Besides, it’s not even Memorial Day weekend yet. There’s shouldn’t be any traffic coming onto the Cape right now.” Cassie sighed. “I hope she gets here before you leave for your meeting. You’re going to love her. She was my first friend…”

Sydney plopped back down in the armchair and finished Cassie’s sentence. “I know. Anna McBride was your first friend, besides Mary Beth, who you met after losing your memory in the car accident two months ago. I can’t wait to meet her, but you’re making me anxious with all your pacing.”

Cassie ignored Sydney’s complaint. “She was kind to me at a time when so many people treated me with suspicion. Including Jake. In fact, she was the inspiration for all my amateur sleuthing. I was attending a party in her ice cream shop in Seagull Cove when a teacher at the local high school was murdered down the street. I helped her solve the case back in February. When I called her a few weeks ago and told her that my memory returned, she insisted on visiting me in person to celebrate.”

As soon as Cassie returned to the living room and sat on the couch, she heard a car engine in the driveway. Her half Shih Tzu and half Maltese puppy Artie trotted to the front door from his favorite sunny spot by the sliding glass door in the living room, wagging his tail.

The car door thumped as it closed. Cassie threw open the front door to find Anna bounding up the walkway. The two women embraced.

“Cassie!” Anna cried, tying her long brown hair into a ponytail as she stepped back to look at her friend. “You look fantastic.”

The women embraced again, then Cassie took Anna inside and introduced her to Sydney, who was eagerly awaiting the introduction. Anna gave Sydney a warm hug, which Sydney returned.

“Cassie told me what great friends the two of you have become in such a short time,” Anna said. “See, Cassie? I knew things would work out for the best.”

“I couldn’t see it when I was in Seagull Cove, but if that horrible accident had to happen anywhere, I’m so glad it was here.”

“I can’t believe you ended up settling in Sand Dune Shores, after all," Anna said. "If that’s not fate, I don’t know what is."

“We’ll get you checked in at the Sand Dune Inn in a little while, but first, come and visit with Sydney for a few minutes. She just purchased the cutest little Cape-style house a few streets over, and she needs to scoot back home to meet the woman who is measuring the windows for curtains.”

“I thought I’d splurge on new window treatments and a couple of light fixtures to make it my own. The previous owner recently did a major renovation, but I wanted to personalize it beyond just furniture and pictures.”

“That sounds exciting,” Anna said.

They sat in the living room, which was only about thirty yards from the Atlantic Ocean during high tide. Anna scratched the top of Artie’s head. “I heard all about you, little fellow. I thought you might like this.” She reached into her purse and tossed the pup a chew toy.

“You’ve made a friend for life,” Cassie said, laughing.

Anna leaned toward Sydney. “It’s weird calling her Cassie, isn’t it? We both met her as Heather.”

“It did take some getting used to. I still slip and call her Heather sometimes.”

It was mid-May but there was still a chilly breeze coming off the Nantucket Sound, so Cassie made some hot chocolate for her company. Sydney had tons of questions about Anna’s ice cream shop back in Seagull Cove, a quaint seaside town on the North Shore of Boston. Anna had closed her counseling practice in the city and opened her shop a few years after her sister passed away in a tragic boating accident.

Sydney told Anna about her career as a children’s book author and how she had been renting the beach house that Cassie now owned. “Cassie basically took over my life,” Sydney said with a playful smile. “Artie used to be my dog, but I gave him to Heather—I mean, Cassie—she was Heather at the time. The timing wasn’t right for me to adopt a dog. Once her memory returned, and she realized she could afford it, she bought this beach house, which I had been renting while I looked for a house.”

“You two certainly have packed a lot of adventure into two months,” Anna said.

“That doesn’t even count the four murders that she solved,” Sydney said.

In a way, it seemed like a lifetime ago that Cassie came to Sand Dune Shores. So much had happened in the past two months. Her memory returned nearly a month ago, but since then, she went back to Colorado for a couple of weeks to ship her belongings and say goodbye to some friends. She also made a detour to Iowa to investigate the case that brought her to Cape Cod.

“I want to hear all about your trip home and your side trip to Des Moines,” Anna said.

Sydney stood and grabbed her purse. “That’s my cue to go. I’ve heard all about it, and I don’t want to be late for my meeting. But let’s definitely spend some time together while you’re here. I’d love to have you over for dinner at my new house. I just unpacked the last box last night.”

“Thank you,” Anna said. “I’ll look forward to it.”

“Your new home is amazing,” Anna said after Sydney left. “You must be a very successful artist to be able to afford this house.”

“I’ve been blessed. Let’s go for a walk before it gets too cold, and I’ll catch you up on everything,” Cassie said. “Then I’ll give you the grand tour and get you checked in at the inn. Are you sure you don’t want to stay with me? I have plenty of room.”

“I appreciate the offer, but the inn is right across the street. I’m only staying a few nights, so I thought I’d treat myself.”

“If you change your mind, there’s plenty of space here. It’s a tiny beach house, but there are three bedrooms.”

Anna looked through the sliding glass door onto the beach just beyond. “Will do. For now, I really want to explore that beach.”

Cassie put on a black fleece sweatshirt, then picked up Artie’s leash. He immediately abandoned his chew toy and trotted over to Cassie. “Let’s go, buddy,” she said, fastening his leash.

When they stepped onto the deck, Anna stopped and admired the view. “You are going to love sitting here in the summer,” she said, gazing at the ocean.

“I know. I can’t wait. We’ve had a few warm days, but the summer months are going to be incredible here.” Memorial Day was the following weekend, which was when Cassie was told the tourists would start arriving. 

The women turned past the massive sand dune on the left and followed the shoreline.

“Is that a sandbar?” Anna asked, pointing to a shallow area a short distance from the shore.

Cassie nodded. “I hear it’s a fun spot to hang out during those August heat waves.”

They continued walking for ten minutes until they arrived at a small inlet and couldn’t go any further without getting wet. On their way back, a man with greying dark hair wearing blue jeans and a navy polo sweatshirt waved at them from the top of the dune. They walked toward him, but stopped in front of a sign that read, ‘Stay off the Dunes.’

The man made his way toward them, toting an armful of weathered driftwood. 

“That’s beautiful wood,” Anna said.

He looked over his shoulder, then hopped off the dune. 

“Anna, meet Darren Germain. He makes the most beautiful driftwood art you’ve ever seen. Darren, this is my good friend, Anna McBride.”

Darren smiled proudly at the mention of his art. “I have a little studio and showroom on the edge of town. If you’d ever like to take a look at some of my pieces, Cassie knows where to find me.”

“I might take you up on that. I own a little cottage in Seagull Cove, and I’m looking for something to go on my mantle.”

“Darren’s work is exquisite. I’m going to buy a piece for my art studio once I finish setting it up.”

“I’ll tell you what. Since you’re a friend of Cassie, I’ll give you my friends-and-family discount—ten percent off your first purchase.”

Anna smiled. “Thank you. That’s very generous.”

He raised his eyebrows. “I’d better go before you-know-who finds me. Besides, I have a houseguest who should be arriving about now.” He rolled his eyes slightly. “Once you become successful, everyone wants a piece of you.” He left via the public entrance, about twenty yards beyond Cassie’s house.

“What did he mean by you-know-who?” Anna asked after he left.

“He was talking about Maya Deveau. She’s a local environmentalist who calls the police whenever she sees him climbing on the dunes.”

“She’s not wrong,” Anna said. “If everyone did that, they would erode.”

“I agree, but I didn’t want to rock the boat, since I just moved here. Maya seems like she has the situation under control. She snapped a picture of him on the dune last month, and he was slapped with a hefty fine. From what Sydney told me, he doesn’t do it nearly as often now. He must need the wood to create inventory for the tourist season.”

Cassie and Anna made their way back to the beach house. Cassie unfastened Artie’s leash once they cleared the dune. The puppy raced up the steps to the deck and sat by the slider wagging his tail. 

When they stepped inside, Cassie gave Anna a tour of her new home, though Anna had already seen most of it while they were talking with Sydney. The small kitchen opened into an area just big enough for a four-person table, and the living room had just enough room for a comfy couch and a reclining chair. There were three small bedrooms and a bathroom off the main living area. Cassie had settled into the largest bedroom, which faced the beach.

“The other unit has the same layout, just mirrored,” Cassie explained. “I’m turning it into an art studio. Come on, I’ll show you.”

They exited through the front door, which faced the inn. The front yard of the weathered grey duplex, which contained sand instead of grass, was enclosed by a white picket fence. There was a sandy path between the two units that lead to the beach. They were connected by a roof, so you had to go outside to access the second unit. 

“Someday I might combine the two units into one large living space. But before I spend any more money, I want to live in it for a while. The other advantage to keeping the units separate is that places on the beach command a hefty sum for short-term summer rentals. If I ever needed the extra cash, I could rent it out and it wouldn’t impact my own living space.”

“It’s smart not to rush into any changes,” Anna said. “I know it’s well into the future, but if you plan to make this your forever home, it could be a nice source of income after you retire.”

Cassie hadn’t had time to decorate her art studio yet, except for a few of her paintings that she hung on the walls. There were still boxes of art supplies and wrapped paintings to sort through. She had placed a blank canvas on an easel and had scattered a few painting supplies on an old wooden table, but she hadn’t had time to paint since returning from her trip. 

“Now that my house is set up, organizing my studio is my next priority.”

“What a perfect spot to paint,” Anna said, once again admiring the ocean view.

“I can’t wait to get started, although I can’t do much in the way of marketing my work right now. I don’t want anyone to know that I’m in Sand Dune Shores while I’m trying to solve this case. Before he died, John warned me that the man we were looking for was dangerous. The less he knows about me, the better.”

“Let’s go back to your place and you can fill me in on what you’ve learned so far.”