Free A Drizzle of Deception: A Cozy Mystery (Caesars Creek Mystery Series Book 10) by Constance Barker Page A

going on.”
     
    Paige set a cup of water in front of him and he took a swallow before filling us in.
     
    “Ever since you all have been gone there’s been weird activity out at my place at night. I’ve been seeing strange lights. I tell you, someone’s trying to steal my money and valuable items I have stored away.”
     
    “Now just calm down Papaw,” Stormi said as she pulled a chair up next to him and sat down. “What kind of lights have you been seeing?”
     
    Jeb took a deep breath and continued. “I woke up one night and saw these lights streaming through my window. When I got up to look, the lights were shining on my outbuildings. I went to the door and shouted for whoever it was to get out and the lights stopped. But then the next night they were back and have been every night since. Someone’s trying to rob me like your cousin tried to do.”
     
    Stormi’s cousin Howie faked his own death to try and steal Papaw Jeb’s money. It was a terrible thing to do to his family and Lord knows what Howie might have done had Jeb discovered he was still alive. Howie was sent to prison while his girlfriend who helped him got off with a slap on the wrist.
     
    Stormi looked around the table at us as Jeb drank his water. I knew what she was thinking. Jeb had always told tall tales about his valuables and money. No one really believed him, even his own daughter Dottie, Stormi and Brandon’s mother. The town figured it was just an old man’s way of gaining attention and prominence. But when Howie pulled his stunt, all bets were off. Did Howie know something the rest of us didn’t? Or was it that the debacle with Howie had made Jeb paranoid?
     
    “Papaw, I’ll talk to Greg and see what he can do.” Stormi patted his shoulder. “Don’t you worry.”
     
    Jeb nodded and stood up. “I’m so glad you’re back Stormi. I feel better all ready.”
     
    Stormi hugged him and we bid him goodbye as he sauntered out of the shoppe and across the street to sit with ol’ Charlie on the bench outside the hardware store.
     
    Stormi plopped back down in her chair. “Well wasn’t that a swell howdy-doo. Momma told me that Papaw was acting peculiar but she didn’t elaborate.”
     
    Trixie dotted her lips with a napkin. “That was a subject I wanted to broach with you girls today. My friend Celeste rents one of the two workshops out on your grandpa’s property. She told me while you all were gone that he wasn’t acting himself and was talking about people trying to steal from him.”
     
    “Has your friend seen anything abnormal?” I asked.
     
    “Yeah, maybe she could collaborate his story,” Paige said her mouth full of vanilla ice cream.
     
    Trixie stood. “She works at the library. I’ll stop by and talk to her more about it.”
     
    After Trixie left, the shoppe became busy again. Paige left to help Bruce next door at his investment business, but not before inviting us to dinner on Friday night which we happily accepted.
     
    I knew Stormi wasn’t that worried about Jeb. He’d come unglued in the past with wild stories of strange animals like a wildebeest hanging around the property. So to her this probably wasn’t much different. But my gut was saying otherwise. And you know, I always trust my gut.

Chapter Two
     
     
    Friday night was pitch in at Paige and Bruce’s house. They made the spaghetti and meatballs, Brandon and I brought the tossed salad and breadsticks, and Greg and Stormi brought 2 bottles of wine. Of course I brought an ice cream cake for dessert.
     
    The meal was filled with laughter as we reminisced about the trip. It was nice to think of the fun adventures we had on vacation instead of the macabre part of it. We went whale watching, the boys hang glided and rode jet skis, and us girls were pampered in the spa.
     
    While Sammi cut the ice cream cake, the subject of Jeb came up.
     
    “He would come into the shoppe while you were gone,” Sammi said as she handed out the slices of