Bookarazzi blackmail a s.., p.1
Bookarazzi Blackmail (A Shelf Indulgence Cozy Mystery Book 7), page 1
BOOKARAZZI BLACKMAIL
A SHELF INDULGENCE COZY MYSTERY
S.E. BABIN
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be sold, copied, distributed, reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical or digital, including photocopying and recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written permission of both the publisher, Oliver Heber Books and the author, S.E. Babin, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Bookarazzi Blackmail Copyright 2024 © S.E. Babin
Cover art by Lou Harper from Cover Affairs
Published by Oliver-Heber Books
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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
Epilogue
Also by S.E. Babin
About the Author
ONE
The annual twenty-five percent off sale at Tattered Pages brought so many people into the store, it sent a line out the door and around the corner. Harper sagged against the counter once there was a lull in customers crowding around the register and from the line that had to be annoying the other store owners scattered around my shop. It was almost closing time.
“Ugh,” she breathed. “This is a picture-perfect example of people coming out of the woodwork for a good deal.”
I laughed. “It’s a good way to get rid of old stock.” It was true. If people thought it was on sale, they were a lot more willing to buy it. I’d discounted a lot of books I hadn’t been able to move previously, and they were selling like hotcakes.
“I can’t believe people are buying math books.” Harper shuddered. “Of all the things to go into a bookstore for, math is the least likely reason.”
I had to agree. “Not everyone loves fiction as much as we do.”
“Yeah, but math?” Harper’s nose wrinkled.
“Few people can resist the allure of a good deal,” I said. “Even if it’s math.”
The bell over the door rang, revealing Daniel Jensen carrying a large box. His face lit up when he saw me. “Hey!” He shook the box. “Look what I brought!”
I rushed over and held the door open for him. “If it’s your new release, and it’s early, I might have to kiss you,” I breathed.
His eyes brightened. “Well, pucker up, Dakota, because it’s both.”
Harper snickered and headed to the back. For some reason, she always left me alone when Daniel entered the shop. She was a little matchmaker at heart.
But there was no matchmaking to be had here. Daniel and I were still firmly in the friend zone. He wanted to step over the line into something more, and I was the stalwart guard refusing to waver from my position.
The amazing thing about Daniel, though, was he never pushed for more. While he wasn’t exactly content, I suspected Daniel was playing the long game.
The bell jingled again, revealing Hardy, the big reason Daniel was still in the friend zone.
Daniel, never missing an opportunity, grinned. “Gird your loins, Detective. Dakota is about to lay a big ol’ kiss on me.”
I heard a bark of laughter come from the back.
“Oh?” Hardy’s eyebrows lifted. “Care to share with the class?” His voice was mild, but I knew him well enough not to miss that flash of jealousy in his eyes.
“I brought her much anticipated gifts that no one else in the entire world has.” Daniel winked at me. “Dakota is beyond excited and has decided to share that joy by granting me a kiss.”
“Like a princess in a glass coffin in the woods,” Hardy said mildly. “I wonder if you’ll disappear once it’s over.”
Daniel laughed. I rolled my eyes. “Quit it, you two.”
The two had formed an odd yet slightly antagonistic friendship. Frenemies, I guess I could call it. They liked and respected each other, but both were tussling for a prize I wasn’t ready to grant.
Me.
Hardy and I dated for a while until his normal life collapsed around him in the form of an ex-fiancée and a beautiful little girl he later found out was his daughter. I was happy for him and only wanted the best for him, but I always imagined my life going a little differently.
I’d let him go to give him the time and focus he needed to figure out how to become a father, and he’d ended up with full-time custody and a warmer, softer disposition toward life.
My heart had broken, but it ended up being the best choice for everyone. Fatherhood agreed with him, and I liked this new version of Hardy even better than the old one.
Hardy made it no secret he wanted to get back together, but I wasn’t ready for his new life, nor ready for the potential of being a stepmom. I was getting wildly ahead of myself, but Hardy and I had ended up very serious, very soon, and I knew the potential was there.
This tentative friendship we had with the three of us probably wouldn’t last, but I would enjoy it while it did.
I made a gimme gesture for the box. Daniel grinned and slid it over the desk. Within seconds, I had it open and was pawing through the paper to get to the goodies.
A soft sound of excitement escaped me when I pulled out Daniel’s newest release.
A Time for Murder. I grinned at him.
He shrugged. “We don’t always get to pick our titles. I fought against this one, actually, but they insisted, and I need to pay my light bill.”
“It won’t matter,” I said encouragingly. “Your readers will come regardless of the title.”
“One would hope.” Daniel shook his head. “I’ve been doing this for years, and every release, I think to myself, this is it. This is the one where they all abandon me, and I’ll end up a miser in a dark room drinking whiskey and lamenting my glory days.”
“Drama queen.” I rolled my eyes but hugged the box. “Thanks for these. I promise I won’t put them out until I’m allowed. But hopefully, it’s soon?” I batted my eyelashes at him. “Pretty please.”
“I don’t make the schedule either.” He waved his fingers at me. “All my magic comes from these and my brain. The rest of it comes from a highly organized team who just tells me where to go and where to be, and I like it that way.”
“Tales of the rich and famous,” Hardy said dryly. He looked good today—more casual than I was used to seeing him.
For a long time, he’d worn the stereotypical uniform of the television detective. Dark slacks, shiny loafers, button-down shirt, and tie. Over the last couple of months, he’d done away with the tie and strayed more toward pullover sweaters and such. The slacks were still in play, though I’d caught him wearing chinos a couple of times and more casual shoes. The changes suited him. All around, Hardy looked way more relaxed than I’d ever seen him.
His new way of life looked good on him.
“Yes, well,” Daniel agreed, “remember, a lot of this is my family’s money.” He grinned. “Being a trust fund baby has its perks.”
It did, but he was also a well-respected and handsomely paid author. “Don’t sell yourself short. You have a signing coming up, and I know Harper and I are going to have to beat the female fans off you.”
He grinned. “You give me too much credit, but I look forward to seeing you swat away my legions of adoring female fans with the bookstore’s broom.”
Shaking my head, I unpacked the box and carried the books back to the new safe in the back. I didn’t trust the storage room anymore, not after the last case’s bookstore break-ins.
When I came back to the main part of the store, Hardy and Daniel had made themselves at home on the comfy couches, both holding a cup of coffee. I waved at them and went back to the register just as the bell over the door rang again.
It had become a strange ritual between them. If they happened to come in at the same time, they’d chat with me for a while before retreating to the seating area and chatting over a cup of coffee.
It was nice if I were being honest with myself.
I greeted the customers, two women in their thirties, if I had to guess. One of them glanced Daniel’s way and sucked in a gasp. Hiding my smile, I told them about the sale and let them know I was available if they had any questions.
Daniel didn’t live in our town, but everyone knew he lived close by and spent time at my shop. But those were the locals who didn’t give a whit about local celebrities. The tourists, which these two appeared to be, were a l
I kept an eye on them as they browsed the shop and would intervene if I needed to. A little starstruck look was harmless, really.
Daniel caught my eye and smiled. I rolled my eyes at him but couldn’t help smiling back. Making fun of him about his star power was one of the joys of my day, and I didn’t get to do it too often.
Harper poked her head out a little while later. The tourists bought a couple of books and left, but not before walking slowly past Daniel to gawk at him. I’d get a lot of mileage over this one for the next few weeks.
Harper waved me away and took her spot behind the register, so I headed over to the seating area and made myself a cup of Earl Grey.
Hardy scooted over so I could sit beside him on the two-person couch. “Discussing crime?” I asked. “Giving Daniel inspiration for new work?”
“All I have to do is read the news for inspiration,” Daniel said. “We have way too much access to information these days.”
Hardy laughed. “It does make things harder sometimes.” He topped up the last of his coffee and stood. “I have to get back. Nice to see you as always, Dakota. Save me a copy of Daniel’s book, please. I haven’t given a bad review in a while now and feel very keyboard warriorish.”
Daniel laughed. “You never know, Hardy. I might teach you a few things. Even old and grizzled detectives need to brush up on the basics every once in a while.”
Hardy grinned, though it was a little sharper this time. “Let’s hope you never need me, then.” He inclined his head. “Dakota. I’ll see you soon.”
“Bye, Hardy.”
He brushed past and headed out the door, leaving the bookstore in silence. Harper busied herself cleaning up the register area while I sipped my tea and enjoyed the reprieve.
“I’ll get the rest, Harper. Go on home.”
She held up the dust cloth. “You sure?”
“I’m sure.” I smiled and waved her out. “The sale is finally over tomorrow, so I have to put a lot of things away. No biggie.”
“If you’re sure.”
When I nodded, she grabbed her purse from under the register. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
“Take care.” Daniel waved.
When the key turned in the lock, announcing Harper’s departure, Daniel let out a long sigh.
“Uh oh. That kind of day?”
He set his mug down and crossed one ankle over his knee. “Let’s talk in hypotheticals.”
I stared at him over the rim of my mug. “Weird, but okay.”
“I have a friend who may or may not have a stalker.”
“Does this friend have dark hair and cheat at chess?”
Daniel laughed. “Hypotheticals, Dakota.”
I huffed a laugh. “Fine. Usually, people who have a stalker know about it. It’s not a maybe kind of thing.”
“True. But this stalker might be blackmailing me.”
My tea sloshed in the cup. “Blackmail?” I thought about it. “Do they have information that is damaging and true?”
Daniel shook his head. “One out of two.”
“One is much more important than the other, legally speaking.”
“Damaging, but not true,” he allowed.
“Do we still have to speak in hypotheticals?” I asked.
Daniel groaned. “It’s so much easier to play pretend than to admit what’s happening to me.”
I set my tea mug down. “That’s serious. Have you contacted the police?”
He frowned. “No. I’m hoping it will blow over.”
A stunned laugh burst from me. “You’ve been hanging out with me for a while now. Have you ever seen anything blowing over?”
He scrubbed a hand over his chin. “True.” Daniel shook his head. “I’m not sure what to do.”
“What do they want?”
“Money.” He grimaced. “A lot of it.”
“Even if you gave it to them, which I don’t recommend, they’ll never leave you alone.”
His lips twisted. “I am the crime writer here, Dakota.”
I had to laugh. “And if you don’t give it to them?”
“They plan on launching a smear campaign against me, accusing me of plagiarizing my books.”
I sucked in a gasp. “Daniel. You should have talked to Hardy about it while he was here.”
He walked over to the coffeepot and emptied the rest into his glass. “Hardy won’t help me.”
I barked a laugh. “What? Of course he would.”
Daniel’s eyes flashed. “He won’t. Hardy sees me as competition.”
“That’s ridiculous. He is an officer of the law. No matter what his personal feelings are, he is oathbound to help you.”
Daniel’s eyes glittered with amusement. “Oathbound?”
I waved a hand at him. “You know what I mean.” My tea sat abandoned on the table, but I was too stunned to get up and refresh it. “Hardy will help you because that’s who he is, regardless of how either of you feel about me.”
“I would need it kept quiet.”
“He’s a good detective.”
“I was actually thinking of something else,” he mused as his gaze slid to the newest area of Tattered Pages.
I frowned. The only thing over there right now was the extra spillover area for books and the P.I. extension office.
I stilled. “Daniel. No. That’s too important to be my first case.”
He sat back down and studied me. “You are far too humble. Do you know people speak about you around town and how your case-solving rate is just as high as Hardy’s?”
I rolled my eyes. “No self-respecting civilian would use the words ‘case-solving rate’ in the same sentence unless they were addicted to true crime podcasts.”
Daniel’s lips twitched. “Fine. I embellished a little. But your rate is as high as his.”
“Impossible,” I scoffed.
“Improbable. I believe Hardy arrived in town not long before you became this town’s amateur sleuth.”
I frowned. “Hardy wades into far more danger than I ever have.”
“I’m sure he does, but you’re no slouch either.”
“I’d much rather be a slouch when it comes to the dangerous part,” I grumbled.
Daniel stood. “I’d like this to be your first case. Figure out who it is and why I’m being targeted.”
“You’re being targeted because you’re famous, and everyone knows you’re rich.”
His eyes flashed. “Everyone?” Daniel shook his head. “They assume I am, but only locals have seen where I actually live. Perhaps it’s someone from Silverwood?”
I thought about it. “Makes the most sense. They knew your home address, which only locals would.” I eyed him. “The house isn’t in your name, is it?”
Daniel’s lips curled into a smile. “See, you’re already gathering clues.” He shook his head. “And no, of course not. It’s in a trust. My name is not on anything. Not even my car.”
“Smart.” I needed to think more along those lines. I’d come into an insane amount of money lately and hadn’t done a thing about it other than stash it in various accounts. Technically, I was a very rich lady. Fear kept me from touching any of it.
He leaned forward. “You haven’t touched any of the money,” he said softly, as if he’d read my mind. I asked Daniel to keep his access to my account while I tried to figure out what I wanted to do with it.
“No. It’s overwhelming.” I smiled, but I knew it didn’t reach my eyes. “I’ve never had the kind of money where I could just up and disappear without a word and be completely fine for as long as I wanted.”
His eyes softened. “It takes some getting used to. I still feel guilty when I buy something frivolous.”
The mental image made me laugh. “I can just see you leaning over a Porsche, debating between it and the Honda.”
Daniel chuckled. “I don’t feel that guilty.” He rose, taking his mug with him. “I know you need to close up, so I’ll head out. Be careful going home.”
I rose as well and took his mug. Daniel leaned over and brushed a kiss against my cheek. “Think about it. You need a case, and I’m a willing client who trusts you.”
I touched my fingers to my cheek and swallowed hard. “I will.”
