Word Has It (Wordplay Mysteries Book 1) Read online

  Also by Julie B Cosgrove

  Relatively Seeking Mysteries

  One Leaf Too Many

  Fallen Leaf

  Leaf Me Alone

  Bunco Biddies Series

  Dumpster Dicing

  Baby Bunco

  Threes, Sixes & Thieves

  ‘Til Dice Do Us Part

  Write Integrity Press, LLC

  Word Has It

  © 2021 Julie B Cosgrove

  ISBN: 978-1-944120-61-0

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the publisher.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual people and/or events is purely coincidental.

  Scripture references are taken from The New International Version ®NIV ®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com.

  Published by Pursued:

  an imprint of Write Integrity Press, LLC

  PO Box 702852

  Dallas, TX 75370

  Find out more about the author, Julie B Cosgrove,

  at her website: www.juliebcosgrove.com

  or on her author page at www.WriteIntegrity.com.

  Printed in the United States of America.

  Dedication

  To Melissa, my niece, who understands small town life. Thank you for supporting my writing and for your prayers.

  Contents

  Also by Julie B Cosgrove

  Dedication

  Contents

  Cast of Characters

  Map of Scrub Oak Texas

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Recipes

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also by Julie

  Suspense and Mystery from Pursued Books

  Cast of Characters

  Wanda Lee Warner – A widow who loves word games. She has lived in Scrub Oak, TX most of her life, and has a natural curiosity about events in her town because she loves her community and its residents. She has a dachshund named Sophie.

  Betty Sue Simpson – Wanda’s best friend since they were kids. She is also a widow. As a retired elementary school teacher, she knows the background of almost everyone who has lived in town since 1965. She also likes word games and puzzles.

  Evelyn Joseph – Wanda’s next door neighbor. She moved to Scrub Oak ten years ago to care for her sister until she passed from cancer. The widow of an Navy Intelligence officer who was killed in the Gulf War in 1990, she never remarried. She stayed in Scrub Oak because she and Wanda became good friends, and she wanted to finally put down roots.

  Todd Martin – Wanda’s nephew, who has returned to Scrub Oak to join the police force. They have always been close and enjoy a good game of Scrabble together on Thursday mornings before his shift. He lived with Wanda during his high school years after his parents divorced.

  Hazel Perks – a neighbor who lives near the old, abandoned Ferguson Mansion and is an avid gardener. Gardening also keeps her aware of the goings on in her neighborhood. She grows prize roses.

  Aurora Stewart – a “trophy wife” who lives across the lake from the Woodway Resort. She likes her privacy.

  Mayor Arnold Porter – has been the mayor of Scrub Oak for over twenty years. He is rather pompous about his power but deep down has the community’s best interests at heart.

  Chief Brooks – the police chief of Scrub Oak. All business and a stickler for rules, but underneath he has a soft heart.

  Pastor Bob Thomas – the clergyman at Holy Hill Church where Wanda attends.

  Fred Ballinger – the retired principal of the Scrub Oak’s lower school. He has eyes for Betty Sue.

  Priscilla Tucker – owns the Coffee Bean, a local coffee shop that sells organic roasts from all over the world. Her sister, Sally, runs Sally’s Salads which also features the organic blends.

  Carl Smithers – owns the used car lot, gas station, and mechanic shop in town. He is a take-charge guy and has an overinflated view of himself.

  Ray O’Malley owner of the Hook & Owl Irish pub, which also makes great Irish stew, Evelyn’s favorite.

  Sally Ibson – owns Sally’s Salads, but she also serves breakfast breads and coffee from her sister’s Coffee Bean.

  Barbara Mills – The librarian. She is also secretary for the City Council and local Audubon Society.

  Pastor Paul Richardson – clergyman for First Baptist where Evelyn attends. Due to the COVID pandemic, he developed a large online following, does spots for the local Christian radio station, and has visions of going national.

  Beverly Newby – owner of Anna’s Antiques, named after her grandmother, who was an avid collector of Victorian pieces. Kathy King is her daughter.

  Tom Jacobs – owner of Tom’s Thrift Shop and local editor for the Oakmont County Weekly Gazette. His wife is Misty.

  Kathy King – owner of Bargain Boutiques. Her husband, Jay is the insurance agent in town.

  Schiller & Smith – the local attorneys Aurora Stewart used to try and sue Wanda. They also handle the Ferguson estate, which is still in probate.

  Adam Arthur – the local fire chief.

  Ben Bolton – owner of the Big B BBQ near the Woodway Resort. A gentle giant who used to play linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys back in the day. He also owns Better Burgers, but his sons run it.

  Margaret Barrow – Wanda’s sister who left Scrub Oak when Todd was in his early teens after she divorced her husband, Trent Martin, over having an affair with one of his college students in Fort Worth. Many in the town blamed her because she wanted to pursue a career in North Texas and traveled a lot.

  Mr. Archibald Baker – an old man in the less affluent section of town who digs in trash cans for scraps to feed feral cats.

  Ester Mae Fitzgerald – a new mother with a baby named Lucy, she is the organist at Holy Hill.

  Zelda Lewis – runs Zelda’s Zumba. She also teaches Pilates as well as other exercise and dance classes. She sells herbs and essential oils on the side. Her husband, Vlad, is a carpenter.

  Collin and Claudia Rollins – runs A Cut Above, a barber/beauty salon that played only Christian contemporary songs. Collin manages the Grocery Mart.

  Frank Patterson – a nice old guy with COPD from years of smoking foul-smelling stogies. He lives behind Wanda. Quiet, but his eyes see a lot that goes on. Now he sucks on thick pretzel sticks and always has one in his mouth.

  Finn and Mary Lou Buckley – live across from Frank. She is the receptionist at Schiller and Smith. Finn, an extraordinary handyman, works
odd jobs around town. Everyone calls him Fix-it Finn.

  Melissa Suntych – an artist who lives on the edge of town off Woodway Drive and rescues animals, domestic and wild.

  Scrub Oak Texas

  Chapter One

  “That is not a proper word, Todd.”

  Wanda Lee Warner huffed as she rose from the kitchen table to refill her glass of iced tea. She halted, swiveled back around, and reached down to flip her word tiles over in their little wooden stand.

  “Really, Aunt Wanda.” Todd Martin pushed his chair back. “I’m a cop. You think I’d cheat by peeking at your letters?”

  She grunted in what she hoped sounded like a non-answer. “Want some more raspberry tea?”

  “No, thanks.” He came over to the counter and gave her a small side hug. “And ‘perp’ is a legitimate word.” He showed her the dictionary entry on his cell phone screen.

  She glanced at it and shrugged. “More banana nut bread?”

  He snatched three slices from the plate and returned to the game they played every Thursday morning, his usual day off from patrol in Scrub Oak, Texas. Biting into one, he rolled his eyes. “Scrumptious.”

  “So, Monday marks six months since you graduated from the academy in Austin. I am so glad you were hired on back here in our hometown.” She took the remaining slices from his hand and placed them on a plate she’d set in front of him.

  He nodded as he sat back down at the kitchen table. “I was afraid that what the Bible says is true.”

  “Oh?” She tried to keep her eyebrows from shooting into her widow’s peak as she, too, returned to the game. For Wanda, the Bible was always true.

  Todd must have sensed her concern. He smiled and reached to pat her hand. “About a prophet not being accepted in his own town. I’m no prophet, but I thought it might apply to my situation.” He chuckled. “I wasn’t exactly the model teenager.”

  “True, but your parents’ divorcing and trying to drag everyone in Scrub Oak to take sides put you in an awkward position. Carrie Ann, too. I think it’s why your sister accepted that scholarship to Louisiana State.”

  “She loves Baton Rouge. Grades seem to be good. She has decided on getting her Master’s in Restaurant Management after she graduates next year. Plus, she and Reginald seem to be getting serious.”

  “I know.” Wanda sighed the weight of another loss from her heart. First her sister, Margaret, had moved away, devastated that her friends didn’t share her anger over her husband, Professor Trent Martin’s, indiscretion with one of his graduate students in Fort Worth. Instead, they blamed her for driving his eyes to wander because she chose to pursue a pharmaceutical marketing career that required her to travel over most of North Texas. Poor adolescent Todd had been relegated to become the babysitter of his little ten-year-old sister. Now she lived eight hours away and rarely came home, even for holidays.

  At least Todd had returned to the fold. Wanda relished these few hours each week with him. Even as a child, he had shared her love for words. Word searches, Scrabble, word wheels, and the daily jumble puzzles in the Dallas newspaper. He loved them all as much as she did. As a result, his vocabulary had far exceeded his peers in school.

  The bond remained tight and secure, even if he did use a much more modern dictionary than the dog-eared Webster’s from his high school days that he had gifted her when he left for the University of Texas. He’d inscribed inside, “We will always have words with each other.” His sharp wit enhanced his easy-going, brown-eyed charm.

  She ran her hand over the cover. “Okay, then. If you want use ‘perp,’ go ahead. I’m still eighty-five points ahead of you.”

  “Since when did we tally up points? What happened to ‘I don’t care about scoring. I simply like making words?’” He mimicked her slightly graveled, sixty-two-year-old voice with a wink.

  She took a long sip of her tea. “I only said that because you kept losing.”

  He ignored her comment, but she noticed the sides of his mouth wiggle upwards, just for a split-second. In Todd language, the minute gesture spoke volumes. She swallowed back the urge to tell him how much she loved him, too.

  “Your turn.” His eyes shifted to her face.

  “Ha. J-E-W-E-L-S.” Wanda placed her tiles, playing off the “e” in perp. She hummed as she added up her score.

  Todd groaned.

  She dug in the bag for five more tiles, her fingers flicking through the little wood squares hoping that either by osmosis or providence they’d choose what she wanted. “Todd, do you find life boring here after living in Austin for five years?”

  He shook his head with emphasis. “Not really. I enjoy wandering about town, saying hi to folks. Especially since now most of them seem to respect me.”

  “Well, you did solve the mystery of who was defacing the lawn decorations on East Elm Street and Oak Drive. And in your second month on duty, too.”

  A slight flush crawled over his nicely chiseled cheeks as he played off the second e, making the word escape. He had inherited his father’s classic manly features. At least Thomas had given his son that, the snake.

  Wanda cleared her throat, as if expelling the last thought before she felt the need to confess it when she went to bed tonight. She always lived by the rule that one sleeps better with a clear conscience.

  “Well, I shouldn’t really be telling you, but . . .” Todd stopped mid-sentence and chewed the side of his lip.

  “But you will.” Wanda wiggled in her chair as she placed a “W”, an “O”, another “O” and a “D” to make the word “woods” off his word “escape.”

  He took his sweet time, casting his attention between his letters and the Scrabble board, avoiding eye contact. He appeared to relish in baiting her curiosity, of which she had an abundance. Not that she ever gossiped. Heavens no. But she did take pride in knowing what was happening in her own town.

  Wanda counted the tiles played to keep her patience.

  He placed Y-I-N-G under the “L” in jewel, landing on a double word square. Then he wrote his score on the tally sheet.

  As he reached in the tile bag, he glanced at her face. “Yes, ma’am I will. Speaking of jewels. Recall the burglary at that jewelry store in Burleson Monday night?”

  “Yes, I heard about it. That store has been there forever. Edward got my engagement ring there. Let’s see. That would be forty years ago.” The thought zipped her briefly into the past. He’d been so dashing. She still wondered why the good Lord took him from her.

  “Really? I didn’t know that.” He gave a small shrug. “Anyway, there may be, I repeat may be, evidence that the thieves are laying low in this area.”

  “In Scrub Oak?”

  “Well, maybe not in town. But around here. I’m only telling you because I want you to take extra precautions until they are apprehended. If they are nearby, that is. The three burglars escaped in an unmarked delivery van, later abandoned under the expressway overpass near Alvarado.”

  Her gasp sucked in all the air in the room. Not so much about the robbery details but because the words she and Todd had created so far perplexed her even more.

  Perp, jewels, escape, woods, lying. And in her hand, the letters spelled mansion.

  Could it be the old Ferguson house on Woodway, which had been lying empty, was no longer vacant? It had been boarded up for several years because the heirs were still in a fierce legal battle. A perfect hideout.

  Wanda didn’t want to say anything. Not yet. She eyed the clock on the stove—10:45. Maybe Evelyn or Betty Sue would know something. Evelyn wouldn’t be home from her Bible study until after twelve-thirty, but Betty Sue’s Pilates class ended in fifteen minutes.

  “Oh, dear. I am getting absent-minded. I forgot I have an appointment at eleven. Can we pick up where we left off on Sunday afternoon?”

  Todd flashed her a forehead-scrunched expression. “Um, sure. Okay. Say one o’clock?”

  Lame excuse. He usually stayed until noon on Thursdays. But it was all she could thi
nk of that wasn’t an outright lie. She did want to grab Betty Sue at the end of the class and go for an early lunch, so they could . . . chat.

  They both rose from the table, and she walked him to the backdoor. “Come to the eleven o’clock service and I’ll fix us lunch afterwards. Egg salad sandwiches with bacon crumbles and chopped celery. Your favorite.”

  He pecked her cheek with his lips. “Bribery. I could arrest you, you know?”

  Give me time and I might have some other people for you to arrest. Then he would be the town hero. Secure his position on the force. Maybe he’d even finally snag Sarah, his high school heartthrob that worked as a veterinary tech for Doc Strahler. Settle down, have babies, make chief of police, and live here forever.

  Wanda waved to her nephew as he disappeared through the garden gate.

  Chapter Two

  Wanda briskly walked the four blocks to Zelda’s Zumba. When she got there, she spotted Betty Sue wiping her neck with a towel and chatting with two other women from their church. The thumping music still echoed in the background, probably mimicking the panting participants’ increased heart rates.

  She waved, and the motion caught Betty Sue’s attention. Her robin-egg blue eyes widened as she recognized Wanda, but then her brow crinkled into a question mark expression.

  Wanda weaved her way through the gaggle of ladies, some leaving and others coming in for the next class.

  “Hey, what are you doing here?” Betty Sue wrapped the towel around her neck.

  “Coming to see you. Thought you might want to go to Sally’s Salads for an early lunch.”

  “Yum. But I am a bit grungy.”

  “Not so bad. Really.” Wanda glanced at the t-shirt slightly sticking to Betty Sue’s diminishing frame. Her best friend had shed close to thirty pounds in the past six months. Wanda suddenly felt her own ripples of flab begging to poof out from her zippered slacks. Maybe she should join one of these classes. She followed Betty Sue to the foyer but stopped to grab a trifold brochure on the way out.