Dead with the Wind Read online

  Praise for the Southern Ladies Mysteries

  BLESS HER DEAD LITTLE HEART

  “[A] classic and classy whodunit, but also a romp filled with Southern charm, Southern eccentrics, and, of course, the antics of the engaging Diesel.”

  —Richmond Times-Dispatch

  “James is a master at character development, as well as weaving a complex and well-layered mystery. Filled with tons of Southern charm and humor . . . James pulls it off with style.”

  —Debbie’s Book Bag

  “This series gets off to a brilliant start . . . Filled with humor, realistic dialogue, and oozes with charm . . . Excellent from beginning to end.”

  —Socrates’ Book Reviews

  “James’s characters are perfect . . . Bless Her Dead Little Heart kicks off a charming series with humor and heart.”

  —Lesa’s Book Critiques

  “Elderly characters in cozy mysteries . . . always seem to be so feisty and fun. A prime example is An’gel and Dickce Ducote from Miranda James’s amazing Cat in the Stacks mystery series . . . I loved this book. Loved, loved, loved it. One of the best new series of 2014!”

  —Melissa’s Mochas, Mysteries & Meows

  “What a clever spin-off . . . The Ducote sisters . . . are the perfect characters for a series of their own, and I couldn’t put the book down. As charming as the day is long, this story with its many complex characters and threads kept me glued to my seat as I turned page after page. You won’t want to miss this debut in a brand-new series, and you’ll fall in love with Diesel and want to read all of the Cat in the Stacks books, too!”

  —MyShelf.com

  Praise for the New York Times Bestselling Cat in the Stacks Mysteries

  OUT OF CIRCULATION

  “Humor and plenty of Southern charm . . . Cozy fans will hope James . . . keep[s] Charlie and Diesel in action for years to come.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “The old Southern charm recollects Rita Mae Brown’s Sneaky Pie series (without the talking animals), while Charlie’s investigative techniques may bring some of Agatha Christie’s characters to mind.”

  —Library Journal

  FILE M FOR MURDER

  “Readers who have come to love Charlie and Diesel and the small-town ambience of Athena will find File M for Murder another pleasant diversion, complete with an intriguing plot in which the silence of the library threatens to become the silence of the grave.”

  —Richmond Times-Dispatch

  “This charming, classic cozy features full-on Southern charm . . . Charlie and Diesel are a delightful detective team, and the idea of a male amateur sleuth/librarian with a cat is a refreshing twist on an old trope.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  CLASSIFIED AS MURDER

  “Bringing local color to life, this second entry in the series . . . is a gentle, closed-room drama set in Mississippi. Ideal for Christie fans who enjoy a good puzzle.”

  —Library Journal

  “A hit with bibliophiles and animal lovers, not to mention anyone who likes a well-plotted mystery. The characters are unique and often eccentric. Having a male amateur sleuth with a subplot that explores his relationship with his adult son brings a fresh twist to the genre.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  MURDER PAST DUE

  “Combines a kindhearted librarian hero, family secrets in a sleepy Southern town, and a gentle giant of a cat that will steal your heart. A great beginning to a promising new cozy series.”

  —Lorna Barrett, New York Times bestselling author of the Booktown Mysteries

  “Courtly librarian Charlie Harris and his Maine Coon cat, Diesel, are an endearing detective duo. Warm, charming, and Southern as the tastiest grits.”

  —Carolyn Hart, New York Times bestselling author of the Death on Demand Mysteries, the Bailey Ruth Ghost Novels, and What the Cat Saw

  “Brings cozy lovers an intriguing mystery, a wonderful cat, and a librarian hero who will warm your heart. Filled with Southern charm, the first in the Cat in the Stacks Mysteries will keep readers guessing until the end. Miranda James should soon be on everyone’s list of favorite authors.”

  —Leann Sweeney, New York Times bestselling author of the Cats in Trouble Mysteries

  Please visit Diesel the cat at facebook.com/DieselHarriscat.

  Berkley Prime Crime titles by Miranda James

  Cat in the Stacks Mysteries

  MURDER PAST DUE

  CLASSIFIED AS MURDER

  FILE M FOR MURDER

  OUT OF CIRCULATION

  THE SILENCE OF THE LIBRARY

  ARSENIC AND OLD BOOKS

  Southern Ladies Mysteries

  BLESS HER DEAD LITTLE HEART

  DEAD WITH THE WIND

  An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014

  DEAD WITH THE WIND

  A Berkley Prime Crime Book / published by arrangement with the author

  Copyright © 2015 by Dean James.

  Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.

  BERKLEY® PRIME CRIME and the PRIME CRIME design are trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

  For more information, visit penguin.com.

  eBook ISBN: 978-0-698-14829-1

  PUBLISHING HISTORY

  Berkley Prime Crime mass-market edition / October 2015

  Cover illustration by Dan Craig.

  Cover design by Lesley Worrell.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Version_1

  For Teresa Sims Taylor, beloved cousin, who welcomed me home and made me feel I am where I need to be.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  As always, thanks go immediately to my wonderful editor, Michelle Vega; her assistant, Bethany Blair; and the rest of the amazing team at Berkley Prime Crime for the many great things they do to help these books be a success. Thanks as well to my inimitable agent, Nancy Yost, and her team: Natanya Wheeler, Adrienne Rosado, and Sarah E. Younger. It’s amazing to have all these talented women in my corner, and I appreciate them all tremendously.

  During a time of great transition, my critique pals in Houston made it possible for me to continue with them, even four hundred and fifty miles away. Thanks to Bob, Julie, Kay F., Kay K., Laura, and welcome back to Amy! I swear one day I’m going to bring you more than a few chapters of a book before I have to turn it in! Special thanks as always to the Hairston-Soparkar clan for opening their home (and most recently, Susie’s laptop) to help the group.

  To my family at Murder by the Book: Brenda, John, Sally, Jack, and McKenna. Thank you for making a difficult time in my life much easier to bear. It meant more to me than you can ever know. I miss you all!

  Finally, thanks to the two dear friends who cheer me on in my mad dashes toward the completion of every book, Patricia Orr and Terry Farmer. Your words keep me going even when I think I’ll never figure out what happens next.

  CONTENTS

  Praise for Miranda James

  Berkley Prime Crime titles by Miranda
James

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  CHAPTER 27

  CHAPTER 28

  CHAPTER 29

  CHAPTER 30

  CHAPTER 31

  CHAPTER 32

  CHAPTER 33

  CHAPTER 34

  CHAPTER 35

  CHAPTER 36

  CHAPTER 37

  CHAPTER 1

  “I declare,” Miss An’gel Ducote said, “this dog is smarter than a lot of people I know. And he’s not even a year old yet.” She gave Peanut the Labradoodle a fond pat on his head. Peanut responded with a happy bark. His tail thumped against the plush carpet by An’gel’s chair.

  “Yes, he sees you do something one time, and he doesn’t forget it.” Miss Dickce Ducote, at eighty the younger sister by four years, beamed at the wriggling dog. “Benjy, you’ve done wonders with this dog’s training the past two months.”

  Benjy Stephens smiled. “He’s not hard to train. Like Miss An’gel says, he’s really smart.”

  Endora, an Abyssinian cat with a ruddy coat, surveyed the dog’s antics from her vantage point atop the back of Dickce’s chair. Her tail flicked in a languorous motion every few seconds close to Dickce’s right ear.

  Benjy laughed and pointed at the cat. “Endora doesn’t look all that impressed.”

  Peanut barked and picked up An’gel’s empty suitcase by its handle with his teeth and carried it to the closet. He placed it inside, then with his right front paw swung shut the closet door. He turned to face his audience, and An’gel told him what a clever boy he was.

  “Come sit, Peanut.” An’gel motioned for the Labradoodle to approach her chair, and the dog obeyed instantly. An’gel turned to Benjy. “How is your room? Is it comfortable?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Benjy nodded. “These guest cottages are pretty awesome.”

  “Cousin Mireille had them redone a couple of years ago, she said.” Dickce glanced around the living room of the two-bedroom cottage she was sharing with An’gel. While the furniture here was reproduction, it was in the style of the antiques in the main house. “I gather her bed-and-breakfast business does well.”

  “St. Ignatiusville is a pretty town, I grant you.” An’gel shook her head. “But I fail to understand why it’s such a popular tourist destination.”

  “There’s a lot of history here in Louisiana,” Benjy said. “I was reading the brochure in my room. Just like with Riverhill, I guess.”

  Riverhill, the Ducote family home, was built in the early 1830s in Athena, Mississippi. Willowbank, ancestral home to the sisters’ cousin Mireille Champlain, dated to the late eighteenth century.

  “I suppose so,” Dickce said. “Willowbank is larger, of course, with its third story and the galleries around the upper floors. There’s a smaller version in the Vieux Carré in New Orleans, but Mireille sold it years ago.”

  An’gel checked her watch. “Now that we’ve unpacked, I suppose we should go over to the main house and check in with Mireille. No doubt there are things we can help her with.”

  “Three days before her granddaughter’s wedding?” Dickce laughed. “I’m sure she can find something for us to do.” She cut a sideways glance at Benjy. “Sure you won’t change your mind and come with us? I bet Sondra will put on a show.”

  Benjy grinned. “If she’s as spoiled as you say, I bet she will. Right now, though, I think it would be better if I stayed here with Peanut and Endora. There’s no telling what they might get up to. Peanut gets so excited when there’s new people to meet.”

  “True,” An’gel said, “and Mireille’s front parlor is full of Meissen and Limoges—or at least it used to be.” She rose. “Good plan, Benjy. Come along, Sister.”

  Peanut whined when the door opened, but at a command from Benjy, he quieted and stayed where he was. Endora examined her front right paw and yawned.

  The door closed behind them, An’gel and Dickce followed the path around an ornamental pond that separated the bed-and-breakfast cottages from Willowbank itself, about two hundred yards away. A mix of willows and live oaks bordered half the pond to the east, and over to the south, a grand procession of live oaks marked the circular drive that led up to the front door of the plantation house.

  The sisters trod carefully around the pond, not eager to encounter anything reptilian, particularly snakes. The October afternoon was warm, but pleasant breezes kept the atmosphere temperate. The many trees cast a lot of shade, and An’gel paused in front of one bordering the drive for a moment and gazed at the house.

  Willowbank was a magnificent structure in the Greek Revival style, larger than most of its period. Generations of the Champlain clan had lavished considerable money on its upkeep, and it survived as a reminder of the graciousness of certain aspects of the Southern planter class’s lifestyle. Mireille, a Champlain by birth, had married a third cousin who was also a Champlain. She was the last of the name to own the house.

  “It’s spectacular,” An’gel murmured, “but I still prefer Riverhill.”

  “Of course you do,” Dickce answered tartly. “So do I, because Riverhill is in our DNA. Just the way Willowbank and all it stands for is in Mireille’s. Lordy, you do get maudlin sometimes.”

  An’gel graced her sister with a withering glance.

  Unwithered, Dickce marched forward. “Come on, Mireille’s expecting us.” She stepped from the grass onto the gravel that formed the surface of the drive and headed toward the steps up to the veranda.

  An’gel followed her, eager to see Mireille and find out about the wedding. She also looked forward to seeing Jacqueline, her goddaughter and mother of the bride. They kept in touch somewhat infrequently through e-mail, but they hadn’t seen each other face-to-face in over five years.

  A thin black man, wizened by age, opened the door to An’gel’s knock. “Good afternoon, Jackson. It’s wonderful to see you again.” She held out her hand.

  Jackson, dressed in black tie and tails, smiled broadly as he clasped the proffered hand in both of his own. “Miss An’gel, it sure has been way too long. And Miss Dickce, too. Y’all are a happy sight for these old eyes. Welcome back to Willowbank.” He waved them inside.

  An’gel knew Jackson was well over eighty, but he seemed fit enough despite his age. She also knew he was devoted to Mireille, and Mireille relied heavily on him. They had grown up together at Willowbank, where Jackson started as a stable boy when he was only seven. An’gel figured the house would have to fall in before Jackson would even think about retiring.

  “Miss Mireille sure has been looking forward to seeing you,” the butler said over his shoulder as he ambled toward the front parlor. “She’s near run ragged with all these wedding goings-on, and you know how Miss Sondra does like to fuss.”

  An’gel and Dickce exchanged glances. They were not surprised the bride-to-be was up to her usual antics.

  Jackson paused about three feet from the parlor door, and An’gel could hear a raised voice coming from inside the room. The butler cocked his head to one side. He shook it and frowned. “Miss Sondra cuts up someth
ing terrible, and Miss Mireille, well, she don’t have the heart to say nothing. Nor Miss Jacqueline either.”

  “I know how to handle Miss Sondra,” An’gel said.

  Jackson’s lips split in a grin. “I reckon you do, Miss An’gel.” He stepped forward and opened the double parlor doors.

  An’gel and Dickce followed him inside, and both winced immediately as the bride-to-be’s voice assaulted their ears.

  “I won’t, I won’t, I won’t, Grand-mère, no matter what you say. I’m not wearing that hideous old-fashioned dress down the aisle. Lance would take one look at me and run away screaming. I won’t, no matter what, I won’t, I won’t.”

  The young woman’s voice seemed to rise on almost every syllable, until the final words came out at such a high pitch An’gel had to wonder how long it would take all the dogs in the vicinity to come running.

  Sondra Delevan, in calmer circumstances, made men stop in their tracks and women want to push her off the nearest tall building. An’gel had rarely seen such perfect blond beauty. Sondra’s lustrous hair, thick and almost to the waist, was the color of spun golden silk. Her lips were full and red, and her eyes a deep blue. Her face appeared perfectly sculpted.

  At the moment, however, she resembled a middle-aged harpy in full flight instead of a young woman who would soon turn twenty-one. Her face was a blotchy red, and her eyes were wild. Her chest heaved from the force of her tantrum.

  Her grandmother Mireille sat quietly on a sofa near the fireplace. “My grandmother and my mother wore that dress on their wedding days. I wore it, and so did your mother. I simply thought tradition might mean something to you.” She sighed heavily. “You might have mentioned this earlier since we’ve had the dress altered to fit you. Three days before your wedding is hardly the time to go looking for a suitable dress. Surely you understand how difficult that’s going to be.”

  An’gel needed only one swift glance at her cousin to detect the strained expression, the weary set of her shoulders, and a general air of exhaustion. Though Mireille was eight years younger than An’gel, at the moment she appeared a decade older.