The Spy Who Came in from the Patio

a Sunset Seashore village mystery

Roger: Why not buy into this property with Fanny, I’d thought. Why not invest in something that will keep my cousin and me flush for the rest of our days. Two birds, one stone. This way I get to take care of her and she’ll never know the difference.

I’m out of the spy business for good and I get along with Fanny. She can be a pest sometimes, but only the best brands of pest. She’s the only person I told the most about my past, and once we got talking and became more than estranged relatives, we both realized we wanted to ditch the cold forever and live in the sun.

So why not invest in a southern California retirement village and spruce it up. The worst that could happen is that we’ll have a few laughs. Yeah. Right. Laughing all the way.

Fanny: Roger won’t know what to do with himself. He’ll get himself into trouble if I’m not around to put the brakes on. The best thing about investing in Sunset Seashore Village is that it’s warm and it has lots of sun all year round. I can grow a garden again because we’re putting up houses among the apartments, and adding some recreation. A house for me and an apartment for Roger. And family close by.

So we invested in this retirement community, pulled a few others in as investors and now we have an entire village that’s all ours. It’s a lot harder than we thought at first, but we got some good friends out of the deal.

While I find my pastimes rewarding, I’m not so sure about Roger. Like me, he needs to be kept busy, and he does keep this village running. If only people would stop dropping dead. Not the natural deaths, they’re to be expected, but the other deaths, the unnatural ones. Why here, and why our village?

Oh, well. That will keep Roger busy too.

Ben: Roger’s out of his league. He’s not a cop, never was. He’s not even military trained, not the regular military anyway. But he can’t seem to stop himself, and my card games aren’t doing the trick. So I guess he needs my help. I know all about police procedure, and when to bend the rules. Hey, just a little. I was a great cop, and I miss it too.

Tony: Roger knows nothing about American football. He’s lived in Europe for too long, like almost all of his life. He even sounds like a Brit, all proper. Since we’re not allowed to swear around here, I can’t do anything about that, but he needs to be introduced to American entertainment. Why not make it something that everyone will enjoy.

George: These new friends of mine are all crazy pants, but I like them. They’ve proved their loyalty by helping me through Hilda’s death, and a lot more. I’m actually finally having fun again. They’re the best friends I could hope for after investing in this retirement village. And then there’s the dating. Tony’d been right. It had been a good move for both of us.

Alison: What the heck is that!!! OMG . . .!