Pumpkins in Paradise (Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Mystery Book 1) Read Free

Gracie’s hand and turned to change direction.
    “Do you have Jasmine costumes? ” Ashley asked before the clerk could walk away.
    “I think we’re out of Jasmine, but we have a few Snow Whites left. ”
    “Snow White is for babies . I want to be Jasmine,” Ashley insisted.
    “Sorry. You should have come in earlier . Just a week until Halloween, you know.”
    Ashley put her hands on her hips and shot Tj a glance that said I told you so .
    “Besides,” the clerk added, “you really should be Ariel . Ariel has beautiful red hair like you. I think I might have a costume that will fit you in the back.”
    “Really?” Ashley beamed.
    “Yeah, I’ll check . Just wait right here.”
    “He said I was beautiful,” Ashley gushed as the clerk went in search of the costume . “He said I looked just like Ariel.”
    “You do honey, you do.”
    “What about Belle?” Gracie started to dance around in that special I-gotta-go way.
    “As soon as the clerk gets back with Ashley’s costume.”
    Tj watched as a woman with a crying infant strapped to her chest, a toddler in her arms, and a preschooler on each side, schlepped an armload of princess separates up to the mile-long line at the checkout stand. Tj loved Halloween, but sometimes she wondered what had happened to homemade costumes like the ones she’d worn as a child. Toss a sheet over your head, cut out a couple of eyeholes, and you were good to go. No wading through piles of dresses or spending a month’s mad money on an outfit the girls would wear only once.
    “Here we go.” The clerk had returned from the storage room . “An Ariel costume for my redheaded princess and a Belle costume for my dark-haired princess.” Both girls screamed in delight as the clerk handed them complete unopened sets of the princesses of their choice. Dress, shoes, crown, all matching, in exactly the right size.
    “Anything else?” he asked.
    “Thanks, but I’ll just take the princess costumes for now.” Tj grabbed Gracie’s hand and headed toward the long line that awaited her at the checkout stand.

Chapter 2
    Fifty minutes later Tj sat behind the registration desk of Maggie’s Hideaway, waiting for the last of the weekend arrivals to check in . Echo, her hundred-and-thirty-pound mountain dog, was lying on the rug next to her, sound asleep except for the occasional whimper as he actively participated in what must be a rollicking doggy dream. After the mayhem of the day, the world once again seemed balanced and serene.
    Huge picture windows lined the back wall, transporting the beauty of the lake and surrounding forest into the interior of the mountain lodge . It was a perfect fall day, cool but sunny, with just a few clouds hinting at the storm she knew was brewing over the summit. A lone coyote walked along the now-deserted beach as squirrels scurried across the wooden deck gathering pine nuts for the long winter ahead. Pouring herself a cup of coffee from the sideboard, Tj selected several ginger snaps from the tray, then wandered over to the desk to check the reservation sheet. There were three guests who hadn’t checked in yet. She hoped they’d all arrive in a timely fashion since Jenna and her daughters, Kristi and Kari, were coming for dinner and movie night. Jenna’s husband Dennis, a firefighter for the Serenity Fire Department, was on duty for an overnight shift.
    “Seen your dad? ” Grandpa Ben walked up behind her. A mountain of a man, well over six feet with broad shoulders and a deep baritone voice, he filled the room with his presence. Dressed in dirt-stained work jeans and sturdy boots, Ben looked much younger than his sixty-eight years in spite of his head of thick white hair.
    “I think he was moving boats . Why?”
    “ Headin’ over to The Grill to help decorate for the Halloween Party next week, but we can’t seem to find that box of decorations we used last year.”
    “Did you check the attic space above the garage?” Tj wondered . “I think I