Death And Dangerous Deeds (An East Pender Cozy Mystery Book 14)

  DEATH AND DANGEROUS DEEDS

  AN EAST PENDER MYSTERY SERİES BOOK 14

  LEONA FOX

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Copyright © 2016 by Leona Fox

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Chapter 1

  East Pender. A small town, a quaint town, where people had big hearts. They walked the streets, happy in the illusion that everything was fine. In the distance a dog howled, a car shifted gear and sped up, and somewhere behind closed doors a couple argued. In the night it was peaceful. The streets were mostly empty and the moon hung like a silver lantern in the sky, bathing the entire town in its iridescent glow.

  The Mississippi flowed past the town, ensuring there was a constant ambient noise of flowing water. The water glows silver, like it has been through some kind of alchemy, but really it is just reflecting the moon as well. The air is crisp and the stars glitter alongside the queen of the night, the king having abandoned the celestial throne as it does every night. Buildings tear into the horizon, their chimneys like clenched, defiant fists being pumped into the air, resisting whatever forces of injustice are out there.

  It is a gesture The Phenom knows all too well. He sits on top of a roof. A mask rests over his face leaving only his mouth and eyes visible, while his torso and limbs are covered in a thick purple and black outfit. A 'P' is etched into his chest, and it glows as he twists and catches the moonlight. A purple cape hangs from his shoulders, reaching to the top of his ankles, as still as the cool night air. He is standing proudly with his arms folded across his chest, looking over at the city, at this unique perspective. He wondered how many people ever bothered to look down upon East Pender from this vantage point, to see how small they truly were...how vulnerable.

  Below him he heard the chatter of voices and the sound of footsteps against the pavement. He didn't even bother to hide himself. The two people were in their thirties and a little drunk; he could tell by the way they swayed along the sidewalk. They came together and kissed. Her leg rose as her body arched backward, and when they broke off they both laughed heartily, a noise akin to a cackle as it reached The Phenom's ears. They were so caught up in each other they didn't notice the masked man looking down upon them with a mixture of jealousy, pity, and frustration.

  That life never could be a life for him. He never could abandon his inhibitions so wildly because he had a duty, a responsibility to the town. He had to see the bigger picture and be there when people needed him most because he was a hero and a hero put the people he protected before himself. His mission was singular; to protect the innocent, to make sure justice was served, and to set an example to follow, to inspire others like he himself had been inspired.

  The Phenom licked his lips as he looked out over his town. Even though it was small there were still so many people who needed protecting. It was a big task to keep them all safe, but he knew he had to do it. He had to make sure he did something, because he was the one man who could. While everyone else stayed safely in their homes, oblivious to all that was going on around them, The Phenom would prowl the streets and lurk in the shadows. He would wait and observe until it was time to strike. Then he would dispense justice and save those who needed saving. That was his destiny, that was his purpose, and it didn't matter who he was under the mask because that person was nothing. He was The Phenom.

  After surveying the rooftops for a while he carefully made his way to the edge of the roof and shimmied down the drainpipe, landing on solid ground. It was almost midnight and most people were asleep, but he knew this is when criminals liked to come out to play. They were a cowardly and superstitious lot and liked to think they had the run of the town while everyone else was in bed. In some ways humanity disgusted him. It was capable of the worst kinds of depravity, and as he looked through history he was saddened by the propensity with which humans sought to destroy each other. The main types of progress were in weapons, as various civilizations tried their hardest to find new and more potent ways to kill each other. Sometimes it seemed futile even to try saving them, but among all that horror there were still acts of kindness, there was still love. The Phenom knew this had to be preserved, that as long as there were these higher ideals and as long as people continued striving for them, continued bettering themselves, they were worth saving.

  His cape flowed behind him as he strode down the street. He clenched his fists so he was primed for action, as it could start at any moment. He strained his ears to listen for any sign of disturbance. A good night would be one where he wasn't called for at all, and in an ideal world there would be no need for a man like The Phenom, but he didn't live in an ideal world and East Pender was desperately in need of someone like him. His eyes searched the shadows for any sign of wrongdoing and all the while he lamented the fact that there were not more people like him, people who were willing to take it upon themselves to make the world a better place. Too many people were passive, but he hoped that with his show of strength he would be able to stir others into action.

  Time passed swiftly as the masked marauder patrolled the streets. It seemed as though it was going to be a quiet night, and he was about to return home when he heard a scream. Instantly leaping into action, he sprinted along the sidewalk to the source of the noise, and slowed his pace when he heard the struggle. He peered around the corner of a building to see two shadows wrestling. There were grunts and cries of anguish. One voice was a woman's, the other was a man’s, and from the sound of it the woman was being attacked. Given the shape of the shadows they were struggling over a handbag.

  The Phenom's blood boiled at this and he prepared himself for action; he breathed heavily and visualized in his mind exactly how the fight would go. He would leap in and distract the attacker with his flowing cape. Then, wasting no time, he would continue forward for the assault, winding the attacker with a hefty gut punch, sending him doubling over to the ground. Once he was down The Phenom would make sure he stayed that way until the cops could come and pick him up.

  The woman screamed again and The Phenom knew he had no time to lose. He ran in and made sure his cape was billowing out. Just as he planned, the attacker was distracted. The Phenom liked seeing the look of fear on his face as now he experienced what his victim was going through. The victim, a young woman, managed to wrestle away from the fight and now The Phenom could get to work. The thief was an older man, perhaps in his 50s, but he was strong, and in a contest with the woman she would have stood no chance. But The Phenom was primed for battle. He had spent months training his body, honing it so he would not be caught unprepared. He knew most of the people he would encounter would be petty thieves like this one, and against his hardened physique and technical prowess they would stand no chance.

  And so it was, as the fight went much as he expected. There was a quick flurry of blows and the thief was soon on the ground, clutching his stomach and groaning in pain. The Phenom stood triumphant over him, chest heaving, unable to prevent himself from smiling. He looked over and the woman was paralyzed, staring at him with fear and wonder. He knew she must have been scared that she had traded one devil for another.

  “It's okay m
a'am, I'm just here to help,” he said, holding his hands up and stepping away from her.

  “Are you alright?” His voice was deep and manly, and he saw the relief wash over her face as she realized she could trust him.

  She nodded and replied weakly. “Who are you? Where did you come from?” she asked.

  “I'm The Phenom, and I come from the hearts of the people, and the nightmares of criminals. You shouldn't be out so late at night. You were lucky I was able to get here quickly. Next time you may not be. Go home and stay safe.”

  The woman nodded again and staggered off, barely believing what she just had seen. As she walked away she continued looking over her shoulder to make sure what she had seen was not a mere apparition.

  The Phenom dragged the thief to the side of the alley and propped him up against the wall, then tied his wrists together. The man was groggy.

  “Now then, you're not going to do anything like this again, are you?” The Phenom said.

  When the man didn't respond The Phenom grabbed his chin in his leather-clad hands and squeezed tightly, pushing the thief's lips together as he repeated the question. This time the thief answered, shaking his head, terror in his eyes. When The Phenom released his grip the man stretched his aching jaw and asked him who he was. The Phenom looked down at him and smirked.

  “You'll be hearing more about me,” he said, and then ran off into the night, quickly climbing onto the rooftops to give the appearance that he had disappeared.

  Thrilled with another successful adventure he reveled in his glory as he knew that he had made a difference in someone's life. As he stood on the rooftops he folded his arms across his chest and a slight breeze ruffled the bottom of his cape, making it flow like the Mississippi. The adrenalin was pumping through his body. He was still new to all this but he never had been happier. It felt like he finally was fulfilling his existential purpose. So with a flurry of his cape he continued patrolling the streets well into the night.

  * * *

  Does East Pender have its very own superhero? The Phenom strikes and saves woman from mugging!

  That was the headline in the paper the following day. Alexander had brought in a copy and asked Ellen if she had seen it. She cocked an eyebrow when she read the headline. Sighing as she glanced at the headline she threw the paper back down on the counter.

  “Didn't you read it?” Alexander said, “this guy took out a mugger, and apparently he's stopped a few other petty crimes as well. I wonder who he is, and where he came from?”

  “It's probably just another attention-seeker, and all he's going to do is get himself or somebody else hurt,” Ellen replied.

  “I don't know, the article makes it seem like he knows what he's doing. The women he saved said that he seemed trained and he took the guy down in just a few seconds. Seems like you're not the only ordinary person who wants to fight crime,” Alexander said, teasing Ellen.

  “There's a vast difference between what I do and what he does,” Ellen said dismissively, then ordered Alexander to get to work. He looked chagrined but did as he was told.

  “How are things going with Stephanie, by the way?” Ellen asked, trying to lighten the air between them. After all, she didn't want to have an argument with him over such a trivial matter. As she mentioned Stephanie's name Alexander lit up.

  “It's going really well actually! I still don't know how I'm ever going to thank you for all you did for me. We're still taking it slow at the moment but we're getting there. There's a lot that we both discovered about each other while we were apart. So now we're just trying to get each to know each other again, but for now we're just taking it easy and going with the flow.”

  “That's often the best way to do it,” Ellen said, smiling.

  She and Alexander tidied the cafe while it was quiet and then waited for the lunchtime rush. As she washed various dishes and mugs, and cleaned the tables, Ellen thought about The Phenom and wondered what would drive someone to put themselves in danger night after night like that. Furthermore, she thought about what Alexander had said. Although she had dismissed the idea that she was similar to The Phenom, in reality she had to admit they weren't too far apart. After all, she was not an official member of the police force, just a consultant, and she often had gone charging off on her own because she had a lead that she needed following. The main difference was she wasn't wearing a costume, but when it came down to it was that really an important distinction? Either way, she knew Andy wouldn't be happy that someone was dressing up in a costume and fighting crime.

  When she saw that Alexander had gone to the back she walked back over to the counter and took a longer look at the at the newspaper article. From the way the woman described The Phenom he sounded like more than a man ever could hope to be, but Ellen knew how unreliable eyewitness reports could be. She had been under a great deal of stress, and it was at night. But there was a man under that mask and Ellen wanted to know who it was.

  Alexander came back in and Ellen quickly turned away from the newspaper. From the twinkle in Alexander's eye she knew he had seen her, and she gave him a wry smile. This was definitely a most interesting development for East Pender but Ellen was not sure where it would lead. All she knew was she would have to find The Phenom and try making him realize that what he was doing was actually detrimental to the efforts of the police, and that there were much more productive ways to help keep the community safe.

  Her phone beeped and she looked at the message. Kelly was texting her about The Phenom and then sent a picture message of a costume that she had drawn for Ellen. Ellen snorted with laughter and typed a quick reply. There was no way she was going to be caught in spandex. Her figure was good for her age but she was far too aware of her wobbly bits to show them off like that. But as soon as Kelly messaged her she realized the entire town would be abuzz with talk of The Phenom.

  Excerpt from editorial:

  A shocking revelation struck East Pender last night. A woman came forward and said she was rescued by a mysterious masked man calling himself The Phenom. She was being mugged and feared for her very life when he appeared from the shadows and detained the man attacking her. When it was over he disappeared into thin air. After I heard this report I spoke to some of my other sources. It appears as though The Phenom had a busy night, stopping a number of petty crimes as he patrolled the streets. It seems East Pender has a new guardian in town, but is he an angel or a devil? Who is this man and why does he feel the need to put on a mask instead of, say, joining the police force? And, for that matter, what will the police have to say about it? The emergence of The Phenom raises more questions than this Columnist can answer, and it remains to be seen how well one man can patrol all the streets of East Pender at night. One thing is for certain; last night he made a difference to people's lives, and maybe we all could learn a lesson from him.

  Chapter 2

  Later in the afternoon Ellen amused herself by listening to everyone talk about The Phenom. Some were worried by his presence and wondered why he kept his identity hidden if he was such a hero. Others argued he obviously had a reason and what he was doing was an entirely selfless act, and the people of East Pender should be thankful. Many of them asked Ellen's opinion on the matter, and while she usually was open to discussing most topics this time she wanted to remain tight-lipped. Although she wasn't part of the police force she didn't want to take the chance that her words may be misconstrued as the police endorsing or condemning The Phenom. Alexander, on the other hand, was not so reluctant to share his views and engaged in some very heated debates throughout the day about the merits of vigilante justice. So much so that at some points Ellen had to pull him away and order him to take a break.

  The place was filled with newspapers as the customers pored over the details of the articles. They all asked themselves if The Phenom would appear again that night. Some even said they were tempted to put on a costume themselves and join in, or at least watch The Phenom's back. Others were more boisterous and said they w
anted to make The Phenom see that he wasn't as good as he thought.

  Eventually, Andy and Iris entered the cafe and as soon as they did they were bombarded with questions. From the look on Andy's face Ellen could tell he was stressed. He forced himself to remain composed as he held his hands up and told everyone he simply had come to the cafe for a coffee and that an official statement about The Phenom would be released later. Ellen greeted him with a hug and a kiss, then placed a cup of coffee in front of him as he took a seat.

  “I needed that,” he said.

  “The coffee or the hello?” Ellen asked. Andy's lips twitched at the corner of his mouth.

  “Both,” he said.

  Ellen grabbed a drink for Iris as well and joined them at a table in the corner, well away from anyone else. Although as she sat down she noticed the people around them grew quieter and seemed to lean toward them. They were straining their ears in the hope that they would pick up on some morsel of information that would give them the edge in gossip. Ellen cleared her throat and gave them a warning glance. They looked down in shame and moved to another table farther away, leaving Ellen feeling satisfied.

  “So, how are you doing?” Ellen asked, knowing that for such a simple question it would require a long time to answer.

  Andy let out a dry laugh. “I was looking forward to a nice quiet morning then I go into work, find the paper on my desk and dozens of messages from headquarters. This Phenom may have saved people last night but all he's really done is give me a headache,” and to emphasize his words he raised his hands to his temples and massaged them lightly.

  “Is it really all that bad?” Ellen asked.

  Andy paused and his hand fell back down to the table. He looked around at the cafe to make sure nobody was within earshot. Leaning forward, he lowered his voice.