One Murder Down: A Beaufont Murder Mystery Collection
Paris Beaufont is about to go on a wild ride, unlike any she has been on before
One Murder Down snippet –
Adventures rarely start in a safe place that’s going nowhere. Most often mysteries can be found where people journey and travel, because those on the move are bound to find thrills.
Paris Beaufont, a fairy godmother in training, had found herself on the hunt for information to solve an important case. That led her to the king of the fae, who then told her that she needed to catch a mystery train to find what she needed.
Things were never straightforward in her world and rarely boring. Paris was almost certain that she’d regret taking on this quest with the flamboyant and ridiculous king, but she had little choice.
Paris had to board a train, not knowing where it was going, but more importantly, with the mission to solve a mystery aboard. That was the only way for her to arrive in the place she needed to find the information she must undoubtedly have.
If she solved the mystery, then the train stopped at the right place. Not solve the mystery and she would find herself perpetually riding the mystery tracks, going nowhere for all of eternity.
Most didn’t know that they would have a mystery thrust upon them. But most didn’t live in the strange world of magic, like the halfling in training.
King Rudolf Sweetwater and Paris Beaufont stepped through the shimmering portal to a wide dirt trail surrounded by lush green trees. The air was thick with moisture as if it was about to rain at any moment and the smell of the forest was a stark contrast compared to the city odors where they’d come from in London.
Ahead on the trail was an archway created by a bridge. Directly under it was a small train platform. Paris brushed her blonde hair out of her face and looked around, wondering which way was the train station. It was so quiet in the forest that it felt like they were miles from civilization.
“Where are we?” Paris asked.
“In nature,” King Rudolf answered, quite seriously, a pinched expression on his handsome face. “Don’t touch anything.”
“Why, are there poisonous plants here?”
He pulled a bottle of amber-colored liquor from his coat pocket and eyed it gratefully. “No, I don’t think so. It’s just that the plants here are so nature-y. Also, it’s impossible to regulate the temperature in places like this. Without a moment’s notice, water will fall from the sky.”
“Do you mean rain?” Paris wondered if she should have brought something to drink too. Maybe King Rudolf would share his cognac with her.
“Yeah, I guess you can call it that,” he replied. “Mother Nature really needs to fix things here, if you ask me.”
“Again, where are we?” Paris asked.
“Scotland,” he replied. “If the locals talk to you, nod and smile. I’m convinced they don’t know what they’re saying half the time, so how are we expected to.”
“I don’t think we’ll run into anyone here.” Paris looked around, only hearing the sounds of birds in the trees and the whoosh of wind.
“Oh, I don’t know,” Rudolf stated. “Someone else might be catching the afternoon train.”
“Where do we catch this mystery train?” Paris asked.
He pointed at the seemingly abandoned platform under the archway. “Right there. And we’re right on time. The train might be here soon.”
Paris glanced down. “There’s no train track. And what do you mean, might?”
“The Mystery Train shows when it wants,” King Rudolf answered. “We better get to the platform. I heard a bird of prey.”
“Are they dangerous to us?” Paris wondered if a giant falcon was about to swoop down from the sky.
“No, they signal the Mystery Train arriving.” He strode for the platform.
When they’d arrived, King Rudolf sighed, unscrewing the cap from his bottle of Hennessey and taking a long drink. Paris glanced both ways down the dirt trail, wondering if she’d wasted her time with this convoluted mission. She needed something important. A piece of information that only a powerful fairy could offer her, and apparently she could only find that person by traveling on this train and solving a mystery.
All she wanted to do was solve her own case as quickly as possible, but doing that hadn’t been straightforward. Now she worried that King Rudolf was leading her astray.
“Oh, good, the train will be here in a few seconds.” King Rudolf put the cap back on the cognac.
A large buzzard swooped down from the side of the bridge and flew through the archway, gliding low to the trail and flying in the opposite direction. It was quite the mesmerizing sight, but Paris had no idea how that signaled the train.
She glanced back and forth, not seeing signs of the Mystery Train in either direction, although her visibility was quite good both ways. “Are you sure? I don’t hear or see a train.”
King Rudolf nodded. “Yeah, you wouldn’t.”
“Right.” Paris drew out the word, thinking that either she was losing her mind, or more likely, the fae had.
However, a moment later, to her complete astonishment, a train appeared right in front of them out of nowhere. It was a real train—or appeared to be anyway. Steam issued up from the front of the locomotive. The brakes squeaked as though the train had stopped instead of appearing.
A door to the main cabin opened, inviting them in. King Rudolf held out his arm in a presenting fashion, smiling wide. “All aboard. It’s time to take the Mystery Train. Then the games will begin.”
Paris gulped, hesitancy in her every move as she climbed onto the train, wondering what this game would be and hoping it didn’t get her killed—or make her kill King Rudolf.
What has Paris gotten herself into? Hopefully, she didn’t just board the train to nowhere. Find out on October 4th when One Murder Down: A Beaufont Murder Mystery Collection is released. Enjoy all the murder mysteries bundled into this cozy collection.
