Hidden Secrets: Blackmoore Sisters Cozy Mystery Series Book 9 Read online

  “But you weren’t there that day,” Celeste said, watching her closely. “Right?”

  “Right. I guess there really is another Toyota similar to mine.” The lie was bitter on her tongue, and more guilt soon followed, but if she opened that can of worms, she’d have to come clean about all of it, and she didn’t want to go there. Not now when she finally had her powers back. Or so it seemed. She wasn’t exactly sure she could trust them to be back for good. Just to be on the safe side about that, she’d done another little experiment to be sure things were back to normal, in the form of a special herb added to the hot cocoa her sisters were drinking at the moment.

  Belladonna turned to her with an admonishing glare. Oops.

  Liar!

  Morgan frowned. Yeah, that almost sounded like she was hearing the cat’s thoughts.

  She narrowed her gaze on the feline and concentrated, but nothing else came. Probably just her guilty conscience. But maybe she should file that away for future reference.

  Even though her gifts had returned, she planned to stick with Rose’s advice to avoid the same problems in the future. And if new gifts were also emerging—like animal telepathy, perhaps—she wanted to be prepared.

  She tuned back into the conversation around her and found her sisters were still rehashing all the clues they’d had in the case.

  Fiona chuckled and winked at Morgan. “Bet Sheriff White wasn’t too happy about finding out she’d been pursuing the wrong suspect all this time.”

  “Nope.” Morgan grinned. “Not much she can do, though, since Alma made a full confession. We’ll have to watch our backs in the future though. She’s turning out to be every bit as bad as Overton.”

  “I heard through the grapevine at the yoga studio that poor Benedict is quite upset,” Celeste said. “Harriett said it turned out he really did love Clementine and didn’t know what to do when she was killed. He never dreamed it was Alma who murdered her.”

  “I still wonder about those two paranormal energies I sensed at Clementine’s that day though,” Jolene said. “And the energy down at the beach. I mean, I guess they aren’t involved in what happened to poor Clementine, but still. It’s weird.”

  Biting her lip, Morgan stared down into her cocoa. She’d been worried Mateo might’ve confessed to Jolene about them going to Clementine’s house that day, but apparently, he hadn’t. Good. They’d keep each other’s secrets. For now, anyway. She focused on the beach energy instead to distract her sister. “I agree. That whole thing with the dig site by the shore is strange. We should keep an eye on that.”

  “Definitely,” Jolene agreed. “That treasure might be more important than we think if there’s a relic included in the treasure.”

  Several times in the past year, the sisters had been called upon by the government agency that Luke worked for to retrieve certain paranormally infused relics that were important to world peace. Or at least the government’s version of it. If Jolene’s speculation was correct, their next assignment might be very close to home. And that was fine with Morgan, especially now that her gifts were back, and there was no way she was going to let them slip away again.

  “Excuse me a minute,” Fiona said, tossing aside her blanket. “Potty break.”

  “Oh, me too,” Celeste said, following close on her heels. “You take the powder room down here. I’ll use the one upstairs.”

  “And that leaves me with the bathroom over by the library.” Jolene set her cocoa aside and stood. “You need to go too, sis?”

  “No. You guys go on ahead. I’m good.” Morgan waited until her youngest sister had left the room before breaking into a full grin. Looked like the herbal concoction she’d slipped into the cocoa had worked. She had her gifts back.

  “Meow.”

  She looked down to see Belladonna frowning up at her, recrimination radiating from her ice-blue eyes. Morgan scooped the cat up and put her in her lap, stroking her soft fur. Morgan leaned down and whispered in her ear. “You be quiet. You can keep a secret for me, can’t you?”

  Belladonna stared at her for a few seconds, then Morgan swore the cat nodded ever so slightly before turning in a circle and curling up in her lap.

  Morgan smiled as she relaxed back in the chair, soothed by the cat’s purring vibrations. Yep, things were good again. Belladonna was on her side. Mateo had kept their pact. Her gifts were back. And her sisters never had to know she’d almost lost them.

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  Want more Blackmoore Sister’s adventures? Buy the rest of the books in the series:

  * * *

  Dead Wrong

  Dead & Buried

  Dead Tide

  Buried Secrets

  Deadly Intentions

  A Grave Mistake

  Spell Found

  Fatal Fortune

  ALSO BY LEIGHANN DOBBS

  Cozy Mysteries

  * * *

  -------

  * * *

  Mystic Notch

  Cat Cozy Mystery Series

  * * *

  Ghostly Paws

  A Spirited Tail

  A Mew To A Kill

  Paws and Effect

  Probable Paws

  Whisker of a Doubt

  -------

  * * *

  Silver Hollow

  Paranormal Cozy Mystery Series

  ***

  A Spell of Trouble (Book 1)

  Spell Disaster (Book 2)

  Nothing to Croak About (Book 3)

  Cry Wolf (Book 4)

  Shear Magic (Book 5)

  * * *

  -------

  Kate Diamond Mystery Adventures

  ***

  Hidden Agemda (Book 1)

  Ancient Hiss Story (Book 2)

  Heist Society (Book 3)

  * * *

  -------

  * * *

  Mooseamuck Island Cozy Mystery Series

  * * *

  A Zen For Murder

  A Crabby Killer

  A Treacherous Treasure

  -------

  * * *

  Blackmoore Sisters

  Cozy Mystery Series

  * * *

  Dead Wrong

  Dead & Buried

  Dead Tide

  Buried Secrets

  Deadly Intentions

  A Grave Mistake

  Spell Found

  Fatal Fortune

  -------

  * * *

  Lexy Baker Cozy Mystery Series

  * * *

  Lexy Baker Cozy Mystery Series Boxed Set Vol 1 (Books 1-4)

  * * *

  Or buy the books separately:

  * * *

  Killer Cupcakes

  Dying For Danish

  Murder, Money and Marzipan

  3 Bodies and a Biscotti

  Brownies, Bodies & Bad Guys

  Bake, Battle & Roll

  Wedded Blintz

  Scones, Skulls & Scams

  Ice Cream Murder

  Mummified Meringues

  Brutal Brulee (Novella)

  No Scone Unturned

  Cream Puff Killer

  -------

  * * *

  Hazel Martin Historical Mystery Series

  ***

  Murder at Lowry House (book 1)

  Murder by Misunderstanding (book 2)

&nbs
p; * * *

  -------

  * * *

  Lady Katherine Regency Mysteries

  ***

  An Invitation to Murder (Book 1)

  The Baffling Burglaries of Bath (Book 2)

  Murder at the Ice Ball (Book 3)

  * * *

  -------

  * * *

  Sam Mason Mysteries

  (As L. A. Dobbs)

  ***

  Telling Lies (Book 1)

  Keeping Secrets (Book 2)

  Exposing Truths (Book 3)

  Betraying Trust (Book 4)

  Killing Dreams (Book 5)

  * * *

  -------

  Magical Romance with a Touch of Mystery

  ***

  Something Magical

  Curiously Enchanted

  * * *

  Romantic Comedy

  ***

  Corporate Chaos Series

  * * *

  In Over Her Head (book 1)

  Can’t Stand the Heat (book 2)

  What Goes Around Comes Around (book 3)

  Careful What You Wish For (4)

  * * *

  -------

  Contemporary Romance

  ***

  Reluctant Romance

  * * *

  -------

  * * *

  Sweet Romance (Written As Annie Dobbs)

  Firefly Inn Series

  ***

  Another Chance (Book 1)

  Another Wish (Book 2)

  -------

  * * *

  Hometown Hearts Series

  ***

  No Getting Over You (Book 1)

  A Change of Heart (Book 2)

  * * *

  -------

  * * *

  ***

  Sweetrock Sweet and Spicy Cowboy Romance

  Some Like It Hot

  Too Close For Comfort

  ____

  * * *

  Regency Romance

  * * *

  Scandals and Spies Series:

  Kissing The Enemy

  Deceiving the Duke

  Tempting the Rival

  Charming the Spy

  Pursuing the Traitor

  Captivating the Captain

  * * *

  The Unexpected Series:

  An Unexpected Proposal

  An Unexpected Passion

  * * *

  Dobbs Fancytales:

  Dobbs Fancytales Boxed Set Collection

  ____

  * * *

  Western Historical Romance

  ***

  Goldwater Creek Mail Order Brides:

  Faith

  * * *

  American Mail Order Brides Series:

  Chevonne: Bride of Oklahoma

  ___________________

  * * *

  Magical Romance with a Touch of Mystery

  ***

  Something Magical

  Curiously Enchanted

  * * *

  ROMANTIC SUSPENSE

  WRITING AS LEE ANNE JONES:

  ***

  The Rockford Security Series:

  Deadly Betrayal (Book 1)

  Fatal Games (Book 2)

  Treacherous Seduction (Book 3)

  Calculating Desires (Book 4)

  Wicked Deception (Book 5)

  A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

  I hope you enjoyed reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it. This is the eighth book in the Blackmoore sisters mystery series and I have a whole bunch more planned!

  The setting for this book series is based on one of my favorite places in the world - Ogunquit Maine. Of course, I changed some of the geography around to suit my story, and changed the name of the town to Noquitt but the basics are there. Anyone familiar with Ogunquit will recognize some of the landmarks I have in the book.

  The house the sisters live in sits at the very end of Perkins Cove and I was always fascinated with it as a kid. Of course, back then it was a mysterious, creepy old house that was privately owned and I was dying to go in there. I’m sure it must have had an attic stuffed full of antiques just like in the book!

  Today, it’s been all modernized and updated—I think you can even rent it out for a summer vacation. In the book the house looks different and it’s also set high up on a cliff (you’ll see why in a later book) where in real life it’s not. I’ve also made the house much older to suit my story.

  Also, if you like this book, you might like my Mystic Notch series which is set in the White Mountains of New Hampshire and filled with magic and cats. You can find out more about this series on my website.

  This book has been through many edits with several people and even some software programs, but since nothing is infallible (even the software programs) you might catch a spelling error or mistake and, if you do, I sure would appreciate it if you let me know - you can contact me at [email protected].

  Oh, and I love to connect with my readers so please do visit me on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/leighanndobbsbooks or at my website http://www.leighanndobbs.com.

  Want a free never-before-published novella from my Lexy Baker culinary mystery series? Go to: http://www.leighanndobbs.com/newsletter and enter your email address to signup - I promise never to share it and I only send emails every couple of weeks so I won’t fill up your inbox.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Leighann Dobbs discovered her passion for writing after a twenty year career as a software engineer. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband Bruce, their trusty Chihuahua mix Mojo and beautiful rescue cat, Kitty. When she’s not reading, gardening or selling antiques, she likes to write cozy mysteries and romances. Find out about her latest books and how to get discounts on them by signing up at:

  http://www.leighanndobbs.com/newsletter

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  Connect with Leighann on Facebook:

  http://facebook.com/leighanndobbsbooks

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  Join her private readers group on Facebook:

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  This is a work of fiction.

  * * *

  None of it is real. All names, places, and events are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to real names, places, or events are purely coincidental, and should not be construed as being real.

  * * *

  HIDDEN SECRETS

  Copyright © 2019

  Leighann Dobbs Publishing

  http://www.leighanndobbs.com

  All Rights Reserved.

  * * *

  No part of this work may be used or reproduced in any manner, except as allowable under “fair use,” without the express written permission of the author.

  Created with Vellum

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Contents

  Summary

  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

  Also by Leighann Dobbs

  A Note From The Author

  About the Author

  Copyright

 

 

 
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