Crack the Code (Glock Grannies Cozy Mystery Book 5) Read online

  Crack the Code

  A Glock Grannies Cozy Mystery

  Shannon VanBergen

  Copyright © 2020 Shannon VanBergen

  All Rights Reserved

  Except for review quotes, this book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the written consent of the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. All people, places, names, and events are products of the author’s imagination and / or used fictitiously. Any similarities to actual people, places, or events is purely coincidental.

  Cover Design by Tina Adams

  Contents

  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

  Thank You!

  A special thanks to the real Justin and Reed for answering my snake questions. You not only expanded my snake knowledge, but also freaked me out even more :)

  1

  I ran through the tall grass, completely out of breath. My throat hurt either from screaming or gasping for air as I willed my legs and lungs to keep up. I grabbed at the pain in my side, the Mountain Dew I had drunk minutes before sloshed around my insides. You would’ve thought the two cinnamon streusel muffins I ate along with it would’ve created some kind of buffer. Later, if I survived this, I would have to seriously rethink my eating habits.

  I tried to fight the urge to look back like they do in those horror films, since that’s usually the last thing they do before the monster/alien/serial killer catches them. But after a minute I had to look back – no reason to run if I wasn’t still being chased.

  I flung my head around, tripping in the tall, tangled grass, but caught myself before I went down. Mud flew in the air around my feet and I felt the cool sludge stick to my legs. I didn’t see my assailant, but I knew he was still there, I could sense it.

  Laughter erupted from somewhere behind me bringing me to my senses.

  “Nikki! Would you stop running! Kent caught it! It’s ok!” Annalise was standing next to her group of friends.

  My eyes tried to focus, which one was Kent? I had just met this group thirty minutes ago and I hadn’t memorized their names. And then I saw him. He was tall, standing a foot above the rest. But that isn’t what caught my attention. It was the giant snake he held up for me to see. Man, I hated Florida sometimes.

  I stood there bent over and panting, hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath. When I’d agreed to go geocaching, kind of like an adult treasure hunt using GPS, with Annalise and her friends, I had expected a leisurely Saturday morning. So far, that’s not what I got.

  “I touched it!” I said to them as I finally made my way over. “I can still feel it’s scaly skin on my hand!”

  Kent laughed, holding the squirming snake in the air. “It’s harmless!” He reached his hand toward me and dangled the snake.

  “Don’t you dare!” Annalise scolded. “Get that thing out of here.”

  “Alright,” Kent said chuckling as he walked away. “But you know there are a hundred more like it around here.” Another one of Annalise’s friends, Aaron, walked away with him. I had no idea where they were taking the snake and I didn’t care.

  Snakes didn’t use to bother me. Before moving to Florida several months ago, I had worked on a farm training horses in Illinois. I practically grew up outside. But living with Grandma Dean and hanging out with the grannies had apparently made me soft – well, when it came to the outdoors anyway.

  “I’m outta here,” I declared as I started back to the car.

  Annalise stepped in front of me. “We can’t go yet! We haven’t even found the cache!”

  A blond girl with pink stripes in her hair looked at her phone. Her name was Pippa…or Pepper. I really needed to be better about remembering names. “It’s supposed to be right around here.”

  Annalise was bent over, rummaging through the grass. The same thing I had been doing when I accidentally grabbed the snake. The scariest part for me wasn’t actually grabbing the snake, it was the way it whipped its head around in a flash and stared at me, mouth open. Its beady little eyes looked right into mine and I was sure I was a goner. I had flung it in the air and then took off running because for a split second I was afraid it would land on my head. I was not making a good impression on Annalise’s friends.

  Kent and Aaron made their way back to us and I couldn’t help but notice how cute Kent was. Well, Aaron was too, but I could tell he had a thing for Pippa…or Pepper…whatever her name was.

  “Hey Piper,” Kent called. “So where is this thing?”

  Piper, I was close.

  “The coordinates show it should be right here.” Piper handed her phone to Kent so he could take a look. He seemed satisfied and handed it back to her.

  “I found it!” Annalise yelled about twenty feet from us. My first geocache! I couldn’t wait to see it.

  Annalise stood up and turned to us, proudly showing off a brown container with a lid. We all hovered around her while she opened it. Inside were all kinds of little toys – dice, a mini Rubix Cube, several green army men, and colorful bouncy balls. Even though I was quickly approaching thirty, the site of it made my heart sing. The snake encounter was worth it – we had found the treasure!

  Annalise reached in and pulled out a green and purple ball. “My favorite colors!” She put it in her pocket then handed the container to Aaron. As he rummaged through it, Annalise pulled a bag out of her backpack and looked through it. “I think I’ll leave this!” she said proudly. “It fits the theme.” She held up a little rubber banana then dropped it in the box.

  Since I was new at this, I didn’t bring anything super cool like the others did. I didn’t carry a bag of toys and trinkets in my glove box like Annalise. When she had finally talked me into going on this little Saturday morning adventure with her, she told me to bring a bag of things I didn’t mind giving away – “small things” she had said. I had no idea what to bring so I grabbed some old buttons from Grandma Dean’s sewing jar. They looked cool at the time, but now, as I plunked in the jade colored button with the gold moon on it, it seemed pretty boring compared to all the fun, colorful toys. If I was going to join this group, I’d have to get something better to leave behind.

  Piper was the last to pull something out of the box. “A message in a bottle!” she said pulling out the tiny cork. It took her a second to coax the strip of paper from the bottle, but once she did, she carefully unrolled it.

  Kent peered over her shoulder. “What does it say?”

  “It’s just random letters,” she said as she flipped the paper around for us to see.

  TMBA PIDM AWUM NCV

  “Maybe it’s a code,” Aaron suggested.

  Piper perked up. “I love codes! This will be fun to figure out!” She gently rolled the paper and put it back in the bottle.

  Aaron smiled at her. “When you figure it out, you’ll have to call me and tell me what it says.”

  “Defi
nitely!” Piper answered. “I’ll let all of you know!”

  Aaron looked a little disappointed. I could tell he was trying to get Piper’s attention, and it just wasn’t working.

  Once we had all chosen our prize and added something to the box, Annalise put it back in its hiding spot.

  “So, what do you think Nikki?” Annalise said standing up. “Are you ready to look for another one?”

  If she had asked me that fifteen minutes earlier, I would’ve said heck no. Roaming around in the Florida heat and humidity amongst snakes was not my idea of a good time. But after finding that cache, I had to admit, it was pretty exciting.

  “Let’s go!” I said with a big smile.

  The group cheered and Kent clapped me on the back. “Welcome to the team!”

  Those words sunk in and I couldn’t help thinking of the Grinch and that part in the story where it says his heart grew three sizes that day. It felt like mine did just the same. It had been months since I was around people my own age. And even then, I was never really a part of a group back in Illinois. Sure, I had friends, but I was busy working, and getting married…and divorced…repeatedly. This felt good. This is what I needed.

  I hung back a little as my new team walked in front of me. For some reason I just wanted to take it all in. I breathed in the humid air and let it fill my chest. I breathed out what felt like a year’s worth of worry and stress.

  I didn’t want them to get too far ahead so I picked up my pace. I tried to run around to the side of them so I could walk with Annalise but as I did my foot caught on something. I let out a yelp and held my breath as I went down. I had broken my foot last month and this was my first weekend without my boot. I did not want to have to wear that thing again.

  As I laid in the grass, I assessed my pain level – zero. Thankfully, my foot was okay. Other than a bruised ego, I was fine. I sat up and looked to see what I had tripped over. The way it felt when I went down, I thought maybe it was a log. I moved the grass and gasped. Two beady eyes stared back at me. But this time not from a snake. I had tripped over the arm of a dead man.

  2

  “Oh my gosh, Nikki! Are you okay?” Annalise’s voice carried over the tall grass. I sat hunched over looking at Mr. Dead.

  When the group got to me, Annalise and Piper screamed. Kent and Aaron looked stunned. Aaron, who wasn’t one to miss a chance, pulled Piper close to him to comfort her. I looked up at Kent.

  “No blood,” I said assessing the situation. “No bruising around his neck either. No obvious wounds.”

  “Geesh Nikki,” he said quietly. “You run screaming from a snake, but you’re calm and collected around a dead body. What kind of person are you?”

  His words stung a little. So what? I didn’t like snakes. That didn’t make me a monster. Oh wait, he was referring to my lack of emotion over the dead body. Old Nikki would’ve felt like she needed to pretend to cry if that’s what Kent wanted to see. New Nikki ignored him and reached for her phone.

  Owen answered on the first ring. He didn’t even start with hello. “I want to be excited that you’re calling me, but knowing you, you’re in some kind of predicament.” Wow. He really did know me.

  “I’m over here at Peace Pointe Park,” I said solemnly. “I found something you might want to see.”

  Owen sighed. “This doesn’t sound like an invitation for a picnic.”

  “I can’t believe you found a dead body,” Grandma said, pouring hot water from the kettle over my tea bag.

  Virginia sat across from me at Grandma’s table. “You poor thing. This was supposed to be a fun day for you and then this happens!”

  Grandma sat some sugar next to me and I looked up at her. “Can I have the cubes instead?”

  She raised her eyebrow at me but went to retrieve the sugar cubes. I couldn’t help it. Those little cubes were just so cute. They made me feel like the queen plopping one or two into my tea.

  “How did Annalise take it?” Grandma asked, putting the jar of sugar cubes next to my teacup.

  “She was really quiet,” I answered. “I think it really bothered her.”

  “Well of course it did,” Greta said, shaking her head. “That sweet little thing. She’s just the nicest girl. You really picked a good one to run your antique store, Geraldine.”

  Grandma nodded but was quiet.

  After sipping some chamomile tea and taking a few minutes to gather my thoughts, I suddenly realized the whole gang wasn’t there. When I had walked in, I burst into the story of Mr. Dead and didn’t really pay attention to who was or wasn’t at the table. Now, I could see that two people were missing.

  “Where’s Hattie and Irene?” I asked.

  “God only knows,” Grandma muttered.

  Greta sighed. “I was really hoping that with Hattie and Lloyd dating, maybe those two girls would start to settle down a little bit. But if anything, I think they’ve gotten crazier! I’m sure you heard about their matching tattoos.”

  I was shocked. I didn’t know anything about tattoos. “What?! They got tattoos? When did this happen?”

  Greta handed me her phone. “Last night. They sent out a group text about eleven o’clock.”

  I stared at the picture in front of me. Hattie and Irene were sitting in a tattoo parlor, smiling brightly next to a man who looked to be covered from the neck down in ink.

  I handed the phone back to Greta. “I can’t believe I wasn’t included in that group text.”

  “Be thankful,” Grandma said looking into her teacup and giving it a swirl. “We get all kinds of crazy pictures from those two.”

  “Especially lately,” Virginia added.

  “So, what kind of tattoo did they get?” I asked.

  Greta put her phone in her purse. “We don’t know yet. That was the last text we got from them last night. But knowing them, when they wake up around noon they’ll come over and we’ll hear all about it.”

  I glanced at the clock on Grandma’s wall. 11:30.

  My phone buzzed next to me and I glanced at it. It was a text from Owen asking if I was okay. I texted back that yes, I was fine.

  “Is that Owen?” Grandma asked. “Does he know the identity of the victim?”

  I typed the question into my phone. “He might not even be a victim. He could’ve been walking out there and died of heat stroke or something.”

  Owen didn’t answer right away so I put my phone down. “The guy looked so familiar to me. I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere, but I can’t place it.”

  Just then the door burst open and in came Hattie and Irene, laughing and carrying coffees and a box of donuts. They were crazy, but they knew how to eat.

  “Hey girls!” Hattie said, putting the donuts on the table. “We brought breakfast!”

  “It’s lunch time,” Virginia said in a motherly tone.

  Hattie ignored her and sat down. Irene walked around the table, carrying two drink holders with coffees. The grannies each grabbed one. When Irene got to me, she smiled. “We even picked up a vanilla latte for you.” Aw. My favorite. I forgave them for not including me in their group texts.

  I took a sip and it was delicious. “So, I heard you two got tattoos.”

  Hattie giggled. “We did! Do you want to see?”

  Part of my brain yelled no, but the other part was just too curious.

  Hattie didn’t even wait for my answer. At the same time, she and Irene exposed their hips. I squinted to see what was scrawled on them and then I was confused. There was an infinity sign followed by the number eighty-one, and then another infinity sign.

  “I don’t get it,” I admitted.

  “Forever eighty-one.” Irene said sitting back down.

  Hattie cackled. “And when you look at it from upside down it says forever eighteen!”

  “Who would ever see that upside down?” As soon as the words left my mouth I knew. I felt my cheeks start to burn. I didn’t get embarrassed easily but when I did my whole face got red.

  Greta’s
mouth flew open. “You two are crazy! Do you know how bad that’s going to look when you’re super old and wrinkly?”

  Irene laughed. “Not any worse than me just being super old and wrinkly!”

  “You’re not even eighty-one yet,” Grandma pointed out.

  “No,” Hattie laughed. “But when we are it will be so funny!”

  Leave it to those two to a get tattoo to make a joke for the future.

  “Well, while you guys were off acting like drunk college girls, Nikki had a very traumatic experience today!” Virginia scolded. “When she went geocaching this morning, she found a dead body.”

  Hattie’s eyes opened wide. “Really? What kind of sicko leaves a dead body in a geocache?”

  Grandma rolled her eyes. “That wasn’t the cache Hattie. It was found near it though, right Nikki?”

  “Several yards away,” I clarified. I filled Hattie and Irene in on what little I knew.

  Hattie looked at me thoughtfully. “So, this Piper girl doesn’t even know that Aaron likes her?”

  “That’s your takeaway from all this?” Greta asked. “Nikki tells you she tripped over a dead body and you’re more concerned about someone’s love life?”

  Hattie’s face filled with hurt. “Well, love is important too. There’s nothing that can be done for the dead man, but Piper…she could be missing out on the love of her life!”

  I couldn’t help but laugh to myself. Hattie might still be wild, but since she and Lloyd started dating a month ago, she was getting all mushy inside. She talked about love every time I saw her. It was an endearing side to her I had never seen before.