COFFIN COVE a gripping murder mystery full of twists (Coffin Cove Mysteries Book 1) by JACKIE ELLIOTT (books for new readers .TXT) 📕

Just get this over with, she thought.

But by the time she had showered and dressed and stopped in the coffee shop on the ground floor of her apartment block, she felt better.

How ridiculous, she thought, it’s my job to look into these things.

She almost felt cheerful by the time she got to the office.

But Brenda’s confidence evaporated during the day.

Adrian’s mood was uncharacteristically dark. He snapped at Amy, causing her to slouch in her seat, scowl at Brenda, and refuse to answer the phone. Brenda fielded calls from suppliers who had not been paid and two irate head chefs who had received incorrect orders. By lunchtime, her head was pounding, and she left her desk to go for a walk. As always, she was drawn to the water, and she sat on a bench on the boardwalk looking out to the breakwater, to the other side of the river.

In the early spring sunshine, her worries seemed ridiculous.

Did it matter, she thought, if Hades did process a bit of illegal fish? Is it such a big deal? Is my ego bruised because Adrian doesn’t need me the way that Nikos did?

Brenda looked around at the familiar yet forever changing waterfront, and wondered if she was just stuck in the past.

Her lunch hour was up. She walked back to the office, her steps purposeful. She sat in front of her computer, opened a new document and started typing, and then pressed print. She folded the paper into an envelope, gathered up the notes from her morning calls and walked over to Adrian’s office and knocked on the open door.

Adrian looked up, but didn’t invite her in.

“Yes, Brenda?” He sounded tired.

“Adrian, I had two calls this morning about deliveries that were wrong.”

“And?” Adrian looked up but seemed uninterested.

“Do you want me to look into them?” she asked.

“OK, do that,” he said.

“Right, I’ll check with the plant later on,” she said, stepping into the room. “Adrian, there’s something else I’d like to talk about.”

“Well, it will have to wait,” he said, “I’ve got a meeting.”

“OK, well, later it is, then.”

Brenda forced herself to concentrate on her work for the rest of the afternoon. Adrian’s office door was shut for a meeting with the plant supervisor. Amy took the opportunity to grab her purse and slink out, to Brenda’s relief.

Just before five o’clock Adrian’s office door opened, and the plant supervisor walked out, followed by Adrian.

“Adrian?” She half got out of her seat.

“Brenda, I’ve had a long day and I’m done. Can whatever it is wait until tomorrow?” Without waiting for a reply, he left the office. Brenda sank back down in her seat, disappointed. She had wanted to get this over with today.

She waited until she heard the reception door click shut. She was alone, and she sat for a moment, listening only to the soft buzz of electronics around her.

She looked over at Adrian’s office. He never locked his door.

This is the last thing I’ll do for Nikos, she thought, then I’m out of here.

Brenda walked into Adrian’s office and behind his desk and pulled open the bottom drawer. Exactly as before, she found the manila file. Working quickly, in case anyone came back, she photocopied all the documents and replaced them in the file and put it back in the drawer. She folded up the copies and shoved them in her purse, apart from one packing slip.

She was about to close Adrian’s office door and leave, when she hesitated. She groped around in her purse and found the envelope she’d tried to give Adrian earlier and placed it on his desk.

Satisfied, she took one look around, stepped out and closed the door behind her.

One last thing, she thought, and walked briskly to the processing plant entrance.

The supervisor was still there.

“Can I help you?” he asked, when Brenda stuck her head into his office.

“I’ve got a problem with some paperwork. I need to match up some items on this packing slip with the invoice we received. Could you help me?”

He gestured to the pile of paper in a tray on his desk.

“Leave it there. I’ll get to it when I can.”

“Actually, I need an answer tonight.” Brenda was firm. “If you like, I’ll look myself. I used to spend a lot of time in the plant, I know my way around.”

“I’m just about to leave.”

“Not a problem, you go ahead, I’ll make sure the door is locked behind me.”

He looked at her for a minute, weighing her request, and then nodded. “Suit yourself. Put on those overalls and a bonnet, please. When was the delivery?”

Brenda told him.

“OK, that’s been processed, it will be in the freezer. There are jackets hanging outside.”

“Thank you.”

“Whatever.”

Brenda put on the overalls and a bonnet and walked to the back of the plant. She grabbed one of the padded jackets and gloves and pushed open the heavy steel door to the freezers. The ice-cold air momentarily paralyzed her lungs, and she gasped for breath.

Rows of shelves containing boxes of processed fish of all different species were lined up in front of her. Each delivery was given a batch number and a date so anyone could trace the fish back to the fishing boat that had caught them. It was the law. She walked up and down the rows checking dates until she found an area that had boxes that matched the packing slip.

Already Brenda could see that something was wrong. The boxes were all marked Wild BC Salmon and were ready to be delivered. Yet the season didn’t start for at least three more months. Wherever this fish was from, it wasn’t British Columbian waters.

Brenda heaved