Mary’s best friend dies unexpectedly, but Mary must set aside her grief because the will has vanished. With no clear motives or suspects, Mary begins her quest to find the will within thirty days or the unscrupulous nephew gets everything. As the parks director of the quaint town, Mary juggles work, a recently retired husband, and her deceased friend’s paper-munching dog, Chompers, who might just be a suspect. Knowing the will designates her friend’s estate to charities, one of which is the Community Garden she oversees, Mary digs in to solve the mystery at risk to her own health, which concerns her husband. When an acquaintance acts suspiciously, Mary forms a wild theory, but can’t convince the police to act. Joining forces with her neighbors, she organizes a nighttime dig at the Community Garden to uncover a potential crime. Meanwhile, the unsavory nephew pesters her about her Leap Day deadline to find the original will. Although motivated to see the charities get their inheritance, Mary’s long-held secret dream drives her quest. Will she have to reveal her hidden past as leverage to fulfill getting the will before time’s up?
Mary’s best friend dies unexpectedly, but Mary must set aside her grief because the will has vanished. With no clear motives or suspects, Mary begins her quest to find the will within thirty days or the unscrupulous nephew gets everything. As the parks director of the quaint town, Mary juggles work, a recently retired husband, and her deceased friend’s paper-munching dog, Chompers, who might just be a suspect. Knowing the will designates her friend’s estate to charities, one of which is the Community Garden she oversees, Mary digs in to solve the mystery at risk to her own health, which concerns her husband. When an acquaintance acts suspiciously, Mary forms a wild theory, but can’t convince the police to act. Joining forces with her neighbors, she organizes a nighttime dig at the Community Garden to uncover a potential crime. Meanwhile, the unsavory nephew pesters her about her Leap Day deadline to find the original will. Although motivated to see the charities get their inheritance, Mary’s long-held secret dream drives her quest. Will she have to reveal her hidden past as leverage to fulfill getting the will before time’s up?
January 29, 2024
The clicking of Denise Williams’s nails on her keyboard halted when her body slumped, slipping her being and legacy into jeopardy. Dawn had broken at 7:04 on this chilly morning in Lake Waluga, Oregon. Denise’s longtime cleaning woman, Cora, would arrive at 7:30.
Chompers, Denise’s golden Labrador, slept peacefully on his dog bed near her desk. The only light in the room, the desktop’s screen, faded to black. Denise’s oversize mug with coffee and soy milk grew cool. Her gray-blond hair peeked out of her hand-knit, multicolored wool hat. That and her hoodie, jeans, and socks, which matched her hat, would keep her warm. Denise looked younger than her sixty-five years because she kept physically active, especially with a dog needing frequent walks.
As rain tapped on the skylights, a car’s headlights lit up the driveway. Chompers raised his head, unaware of his incapacitated guardian. He walked toward the front door of the tidy, welcoming cottage and wagged his tail, anticipating the knock.
* * *
At seven-thirty a.m., Cora tapped on the Dutch door window, and Chompers responded with an eager bark. Cora tried the knob, which wouldn’t turn. Next, she rang the doorbell and cupped her hand against the glass, looking inside. Finally, she located her key and let herself in, singing out “Hello” as she leaned down to pet Chompers.
The tall, sturdy woman in her late thirties effortlessly lifted the cleaning caddy with one hand while toting a vacuum cleaner with the other. “Where’s your momma, Chomps?” The dog wiggled and wagged. Cora placed her coat and handbag on the hooks near the front door as she had for ten years. “Denise?”
Cora started toward the kitchen but paused when Chompers ambled to the dining room office. She dropped her supplies when she saw Denise in her chair, unmoving, with her head on her chest. Cora hesitated, and then raced to Denise’s side. Cora first nudged her and said her name. She traced Denise’s cheek with her fingertips, noting the coolness.
Cora ran to her phone in her purse and called 9-1-1.
“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?”
“I found my client collapsed. Please, send an ambulance, quick!” Cora ran back to Denise as she spoke.
“Address?”
“706 Fourth Street, Lake Waluga.” Cora made a gasping sound as if she had forgotten to breathe.
“They’re on their way. The fire station is close by. Take a deep breath. What’s your name?”
“Cora Gabriel.”
“Cora, is your friend conscious?”
“No.”
“Is there a pulse?”
Cora placed two fingers on the inside of Denise’s wrist and felt a slight pulse. “A faint one.”
“What’s her name and age?”
“Denise Williams. Like, early sixties, I think. Oh, I hear a loud truck. I see flashing red lights. They’re here!”
“Good. Stay on the line till they come out of the truck.”
* * *
Next door, Mary Coleman drank coffee at the breakfast table. Soon, she would leave for her job as director of the city’s Parks Department. A tight ponytail held back her shoulder-length salt-and-pepper hair. As she took a bite of her toasted bagel topped with avocado, her husband, Ned, strolled in.
Ned Coleman recently retired as an accounting manager and hadn’t yet adjusted to his unstructured lifestyle. His plaid robe fit snugly around his paunch. His favorite morning routine involved relishing the newspaper. At the beginning of the year, The Oregon Chronicle reduced its delivery pattern to Wednesdays, Fridays, and weekends. Unfortunately for Ned, today was Monday. He joined Mary at the table with his coffee. “I sure miss getting the paper every morning.”
“You don’t say?” Mary heard this complaint every non-delivery day. She lately found Ned clingy and adrift.
“Said that before, have I?” Ned asked with a smirk.
Mary rolled her eyes, yet admired that he could laugh at himself. “Remember that Cora comes today at one o’clock. Maybe you can go for a walk or head to the library to stay out of her way?”
“Noted.” Ned fiddled with the power cord of his tablet.
Mary grabbed her coat, purse, and laptop bag to leave, but the view outside the front window changed. The green and brown palette of trees and shrubbery became uncharacteristically red. A fire truck with lights flashing parked in front of their house and driveway.
“Oh, no. Look! I’m going to find out what’s happening.”
Ned abandoned his tablet at the kitchen table, stood staring out the window, and watched the fire truck crew move around with deliberate purpose. He heard the door slam as Mary bolted.
* * *
Tall and slender, Mary slipped through Denise’s front door ahead of the gurney. She spotted Cora trying to manage the rambunctious Chompers on a leash. Two EMTs worked on Denise, lying on the floor of her office.
“What happened, Cora?” Mary’s heart sank as she gaped at the spectacle.
“I found her collapsed … in her chair when I came in this morning. I called 9-1-1 right away.” Cora’s voice cracked.
“No. It’s too soon. Not yet,” Mary said. Her hand rose to cover her mouth. Glancing at Cora, she said, “You’re shaking.” Mary grabbed her hand to reassure her.
“I was so scared when I found her. I thought she might be … you know.”
“I’m so grateful you were here.” Mary tightened her grasp on Cora’s hand.
Mary and Cora waited and watched as EMTs attended to their small, frail friend. Mary balanced her concern and curiosity with staying out of the way.
The police arrived, and a small crowd gathered outside despite the cold and rain. In the Lakeview neighborhood, families stayed for decades, so everyone knew each other. Burly Officer Joe Paulson approached the women with his leather belt and holster that creaked with each step.
Joe extended his hand toward Mary, whom he knew through work. “Mary.”
They shook hands.
“Joe,” Mary said in a quiet voice. “Meet Cora Gabriel. She found Denise when she came to work this morning.”
Cora nodded and shook Joe’s extended hand. Their eyes aligned and met briefly, as Joe, too, was tall. Her gaze dropped, and she shrunk back, as if hoping to become one with the wall.
Turning to Cora, Joe said, “It must have been a shock. I hate to ask, but would you mind answering a few questions? I need to write up a report. How about we sit down in the kitchen? Denise is in excellent hands.”
“Okay,” Cora said as she glanced down at Chompers straining on the leash as Joe petted him. She handed the leash to Mary and followed Joe into the kitchen.
As Mary comforted Chompers to calm him and herself down, she listened. She overheard words like “weak pulse” and “BP eighty over fifty.” She didn’t know how dire the situation was, but she breathed a sigh of relief. Denise was alive. But she didn’t regain consciousness, which sent Mary to the bathroom with Chompers to grab a box of tissues. As she wiped her tears and blew her nose, she grappled with the potential loss of her longtime friend.
It seemed like yesterday when Mary and Ned moved in next door to Denise nearly thirty years ago. Denise welcomed them with lemon bars and offered them assistance as they acclimated to the established neighborhood. The two women became fast friends and socialized at summer barbecues and holiday parties. Through the years, they took turns hosting book clubs, knitting circles, and watching over each other’s homes.
Denise supported Mary early in her marriage to Ned when she had miscarried. Denise’s kindness she would never forget. Complicating Mary’s loss was the unresolved grief from a child she gave up for adoption while attending college. Denise helped Mary dispel the myth that the miscarriage was punishment for giving up her child.
Mary snapped out of her reverie when Cora emerged from the kitchen, with Joe close behind. Cora returned to Mary’s side as the EMTs pushed Denise’s gurney out the front door. One technician looked over at them, but his face revealed nothing. Mary and Cora grabbed hands and held tight as the ambulance took Denise away. Chompers jumped up and down and barked nonstop as he saw his important person leave the house without him.
“This is awful. You can’t possibly work today after all this. I’ll make sure you get paid for today when you come next week, okay?” Mary asked.
“Thank you. That’s so nice. What about Chompers?” Cora’s eyebrows shot up, and her face said, I’m not taking him.
In her job, Mary frequently had to make big decisions on the fly. She responded, “Ned will not like this, but we’ll take care of him for now and then figure something out. Why don’t you go? Of course, we won’t expect you this afternoon.”
As Cora gathered her things, she dropped her keys on the floor, not once, but twice.
Mary said, “You take care now. I’ll get my key from home and then lock everything up. I’ll leave for the hospital soon and let you know if I learn anything.”
Cora left. Mary walked home to tell Ned the news.
* * *
“Is it Denise?” Ned asked as Mary entered their home.
Mary nodded.
Ned outstretched his arms to offer his wife a hug, and they held each other.
“She’s hanging on. I’ve got to get to the hospital.” Mary bit her lip.
“But I thought she looked fine yesterday. I talked to her at the mailbox for quite some time, and she seemed okay. I know she has cancer, but—”
“But it’s way too soon. The doctor gave her five years less than two years ago. We don’t know what’s happened. Until we do, I have a favor to ask of you.”
“Of course,” Ned said. “Anything.” He combed the nonexistent hairs on his scalp with his hand.
“Will you take care of Chompers? I know you’re not really a dog person, but this is an emergency.” Mary knew it was a big ask.
“Sure, I’ll do my best. Anything to help Denise.”
“Good, thanks. Let’s go get Chompers and his stuff, and I’ll lock up her house.” Mary reached into the kitchen drawer for Denise’s house key.
“Oh, you mean have the dog over here?” Ned asked.
“Yes. Let’s go.” Mary didn’t give him a chance to argue the point.
* * *
When Mary opened Denise’s front door, Chompers greeted them with an anxious, fast-wagging tail.
“Ned, why don’t you find Chompers’s food, bed, leash, and a toy? Meanwhile, I’ll do a quick search of the house to make sure everything is secure. Oh, I need to find that folder with all the important info.”
“You mean that ‘just in case’ file? Aren’t you jumping the gun, dear?”
“Maybe. But the folder has her Advanced Care Directive, too. You’re right. I need to remain hopeful. Let’s focus on getting the dog settled for now.”
They brought Chompers and his belongings to their house. In no time, he sniffed each room. Mary hoped that his occasional wag showed that he’d picked up Denise’s scent here and there.
“Do you have any questions about caring for Chompers while I’m away at the hospital? I might be a while.”
“I don’t know. Do you have suggestions?”
“How about taking him for a walk? Be sure to bring plastic bags for picking up … you know.”
Ned nodded.
“Pop across the street and get advice from Sam and Alex if you need to. They’re dog people.”
Mary texted her assistant to make her aware of the personal emergency. Before long, Mary arrived at the town’s hospital to learn Denise’s condition. She knew she could find out more in person than on the phone.
Most cozies include a murder, albeit without the messy specifics of the crime. Willful Obsession gives us a cozy that's 100% murder-free (okay, almost).
When her neighbor Denise dies due to her health issues, Mary knows that, as Denise's executor, she's responsible for seeing that the terms of her will are carried out. She's seen Denise's will. She knows it exists. She knows Denise planned to leave her estate to various charities. But suddenly, the will is nowhere to be found. When Denise's obnoxious nephew comes into town and starts taunting Mary, saying he'll be moving in soon, Mary knows time is of the essence.
Mary is a likable amateur sleuth, and since she and her husband Ned take in Denise's beloved dog, Chompers (who lives up to his name), that makes them extra good in my book! Mary makes a few missteps in her search at first, and Ned, out of concern for her, tells Mary she needs to just accept that the will is gone. They compromise and agree to a time limit on Mary's detective efforts, and she perseveres in her quest to find the will so that Denise's last wishes can be honored.
For a novella, the story packs quite a lot in! Kristy Schnabel includes plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing (and I'm not spoiling it, but there was a surprise at the end that I did not expect, and that I just loved!). Her writing style is gentle and warm, and I felt like Mary was a new friend as I read.
If you love a cozy that's comforting and friendly and don't mind missing out on murder almost entirely, pick up Willful Obsession and get to know Mary. I hope Kristy Schnabel has more stories in Lake Waluga yet to come!