Free Murder at Jade Cove (Cedar Bay Cozy Mystery Book 2) by Dianne Harman

flourished in the cloudy and
misty setting. The wine produced from them was a major source of income for the
center. Zen students who stayed at the retreat center for the residential
programs were required to work several hours a day in the vineyards.
    Kelly had attended a
couple of yoga workshops there over the years and had become friends with
Scott, as he preferred to be called. He was a Zen Master whose feet were firmly
planted in the here and now. The only time he wore the Zen robes was when he
was leading something that required him to look official. He and Kelly had a
shared interest in food and from time to time he stopped by the coffee shop to
talk to her and occasionally bring her a bottle of wine that had been produced
at the center. The center had a large wine tasting room which was open to the
public and had developed quite a reputation for having excellent pinot noir
wines.
    The bearded burly man
standing at the cash register dressed in jeans and a leather jacket bore no
resemblance to what one would envision as a Zen Master, particularly one of the
most revered contemporary Buddhists in the entire country. “Scott, it’s so good
to see you,” Kelly said, kissing him on the cheek. How are things going out at
the retreat center?”
    “Busy, Kelly, really busy.
There’s been increasing interest all over the United States in meditation and
every program we’ve recently offered has been filled to capacity. I’m even
thinking of building two more dormitories to house all the people who want to
come to the center. Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy we’re doing so well, but the people
that come expect to spend some one-on-one time with the Zen Master and it
really is impacting my time. I had a chance to escape today, so I dropped by to
give you this bottle of wine. Consider it an early wedding present. I hear that
you and Sheriff Mike are getting married and I couldn’t be happier for you.”
    “Well, you’ll definitely
be at the top of the invitation list. If I wasn’t Catholic, I’d want you to
marry us, but right now I’m hoping Father Brown can perform the ceremony. I’ve
known him so long he’s kind of like family to me.”
    “I understand, but if for
some reason that doesn’t work out, keep me in mind. We’re starting a week long
Introduction to Zen program tomorrow and all the new students will be arriving
in a few hours so I need to go back and get ready for them. Anyway, I hope you
enjoy the wine and I’ll see you at your wedding. Have you set a date yet?”
    “No, funny you should ask.
You just missed Mike and I was telling him we needed to discuss it this
weekend. I’d like to get married around Valentine’s Day. I know it’s kind of
trite, but I think it would be romantic.”
    “Well, if that’s what you
want to do, then just do it, and I don’t think it’s trite at all. I’m sure
everyone else would agree with me. By the way, weddings can be pretty stressful.
You know you’re always welcome to come to the center and take a class or two.
Hope to see you soon!”
    “You’re right. I’ve been
thinking I need to do that. I always feel better when I take some classes. I
just put it on my high priority list. Thanks again for stopping by and bringing
the wine. I know we’ll enjoy it and do me a favor, try not to work too hard.
You’re training all these people on how to deal with stress, but are you
practicing what you preach?”
    Scott threw back his head
and laughed. “Isn’t there some old saying about how the shoemaker’s children
had no shoes? I keep reminding myself that I can’t stop my meditation practice,
no matter how busy it gets. You haven’t been out there in a year or so, but I
have a pretty full staff. I’ve got seven monks and five nuns who assist me.
Matter of fact, I even talked my brother into moving to the center from where
he lives back East and helping me out. He’s teaching some classes on stress
reduction and yoga. He was a high-powered advertising