Mike and Maddie Mysteries

MIKE AND MADDIE MYSTERIES

VOLUME 1

DAISY LANDISH

Copyright © 2023 by Daisy Landish

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Editing by Rachael Lammie

Cover by Daisy Landish

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Daisy Landish is a romance and cozy mystery author living in the UK, whose clean and sweet stories have tugged at readers’ heartstrings across the pond and beyond. When she’s not writing love stories, Daisy spends her time reading, hiking at dawn, and riding into the sunset on her horse, Rosebud.

Join Daisy’s Newsletter for updates and giveaways!

www.daisylandishromance.com

Facebook icon X (Twitter) icon Instagram icon BookBub icon Goodreads icon

ALSO BY DAISY LANDISH

Clean Regency Romance

The Lady Series - The Allington Collection

The Lady Series - The Gillingham Collection

The Lady Series - The Blackmore Collection

Clean Contemporary Romance

Love on Spruce Island

Second Chance

Cherry Tree Island

The Wedding Trio

Extra Credit

Clean Contemporary Western Romance

Counting on a Cowboy

Focusing on the Cowboy

Cozy Mysteries

Jane and Kennedy Daniels Mysteries

Pine Grove Mysteries

Annie Archer Paranormal Mysteries

Wilma Wade Holiday Mysteries

Mike and Maddie Mysteries

Clean Holiday Romance

The Yuletide Thief

Grounded at Christmas

Clueless at Christmas

Christmas Surprise

Mistletoe Magic

CONTENTS

On Thin Ice

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

A Little Frosty

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

A Bad Egg

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Taking the Fall

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Epilogue

Murder at the Retreat

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

ON THIN ICE

CHAPTER

ONE

Madeleine Maddie Moreau curled her legs beneath her as she took her seat on the couch, facing her two friends. The cup of coffee warmed her hands as she nodded at Detective Carson Luttrell.

I hope I’m not interrupting anything, Carson said. He leaned back in the white suede chair, crossing his legs. A beam of sunlight fell from the open windows onto his shoulder, illuminating the shiny pin on his lapel.

Not at all, Maddie said. Mike and I were just going over my publicity plan for the latest novel I’m writing. But I have to admit I was getting bored and frustrated with it.

Michael Mike Malison, sitting on the other end of the couch, chuckled. I could tell. So, Carson. What’s wrong?

A wry smile flickered across Carson’s face. He turned his mug of coffee around in his hands, the sunlight highlighting the strands of gray creeping into his dark, curly hair. His brown eyes darkened as his nostrils flared. All clear indications he was avoiding the conversation.

Hmmm. Maddie glanced over at Mike, who quirked a single eyebrow at him. This meant something juicy was happening. Carson never hemmed and hawed over his words unless a case was involved.

It was just the sort of distraction Maddie was looking for. Usually, her day job working as a plotter for other writers kept her busy enough. She loved writing, but she truly enjoyed creating the characters and stories. Once it got to writing the same characters day after day, she lost interest and got bored.

Unfortunately, Maddie got bored quickly.

Oh, come on, Carson, she wheedled. It’s about that diamond heist, isn’t it? Do you need our help on the case?

Carson shot her a dirty look. She only smiled back. At thirty years old, she was more mature than when they had met; him a thirty-five-year-old police officer who had just made detective, her a twenty-year-old writer who had just moved into her penthouse suite in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho.

When she was robbed, she met then-nineteen Mike, and they gently inserted themselves into the investigation. Ultimately, they helped Carson bust a larger thieving ring than he realized he was facing. 

Over the last ten years, the three of them had gotten rather good at working together. Unofficially, of course.

Maddie pushed the sleeves of her oversized sweater to her elbows and waited.

I’m at a dead end, Carson finally confessed. There was a sour note to his voice; he didn’t like to admit when he needed to ask for help with a case. I thought maybe you two could give me some insights I’ve missed so far.

Always glad to help, Mike said. He sipped his coffee, his dark eyes locked on Carson with a gleeful glint.

Maddie smirked. Mike would never admit it, but he was itching for something new and exciting. The long Idaho winter was just ending, and they could finally go outside without wearing a million layers. Time to break out of the encapsulating snow and ice and have an adventure.

Oh, I’ve got to remember that one, she thought.

Carson cleared his throat. You listening?

Maddie snapped back to attention. What had he been saying? Right. Someone had stolen two pounds of uncut diamonds from the airport, and the investigation had stopped when he uncovered a single diamond on the floor of an ice factory.

As I was saying, Carson continued, since that single diamond was reported, I have uncovered no further leads. Of course, the factory owner hasn’t made it easy. Mrs. Lark has been acting like she’s dealing with classified material.

I’m sure that the motels and gas stations that buy ice from the factory value their privacy, Mike noted with a wry grin.

Maddie chuckled. I’ve got it. Lark made a deal with the diamond dealer who imported the gems. They planned out the perfect theft and hid the uncut diamonds in ice so that they could transport it all around the country.

What for? Mike asked. If they’re the dealer’s diamonds, why would he want to steal them from himself?

Insurance. Then all they have to do is buy back those bags, and voila! She clutched her coffee with one hand as she swept her other arm out. They have both the insurance money, they sell the diamonds on the black market, and they build a new factory in the Sahara to make ice and make a killing in profits.

Carson pinched the bridge of his nose.

Why the Sahara? Mike asked. It would cost more to transport the water there to make the ice than it would transport just the ice.

Madeline tapped her chin. Good point. Maybe they’re secret environmentalists and want to make an ice factory in Antarctica to combat global warming?

Eh… not realistic with the heat a factory would put off, Mike shook his head. 

Can I finish? Carson asked. Though his tone was severe, he clearly struggled to keep from smiling.

Maddie smirked and nodded at him to continue.

Anyway, I have had nothing new in the case, and I just keep coming back to that factory. I’m getting pressure to drop it and get on with something else. A flash of annoyance crossed Carson’s face.

Mike leaned forward, frowning deeply. They want you just to give up? Even though it’s only been a few days?

Two pounds of diamonds aren’t what they used to be, Carson said dryly.

But if you close the case, the thieves will get away with it, Mike argued.

I know.

Maddie hummed. We can’t be certain what their motives are, either. It was a brazen theft, and anyone who could get the diamonds so quickly and easily had a reason to do so. For all we know, they’re part of some vast criminal organization using the money to make it harder to weed them out. Or maybe they’re some sort of Bond villains who will blow up Spokane.

Carson sighed. I don’t think you can blow up Spokane with diamonds.

Not directly, no. But my point is that we don’t know what they will do with these diamonds. I don’t care if your captain thinks it wastes time. We need to find them.

And that’s why I’m here. Carson finished his coffee. Because I can’t give my full attention to this case anymore, I’m hoping you two will work some of your magic. Can I count on you?

Mike set his coffee aside and stood. Of course. We know the thieves took the diamonds to the ice factory. It’s a good guess that they froze the gems in ice to ship them out without raising suspicions. Have you gotten the factory’s sale records?

Carson pulled his briefcase onto his lap and opened it. He handed a file to Mike. They’ve made hundreds of deliveries since the theft. I would need an army to check out every single place that bought ice from them. Even if I shut it all down right now so I could investigate every purchase—

The cost of reimbursing lost revenue from those businesses would sink the Coeur D’Alene police force, Maddie finished. 

And in the meantime, it is possible that the bags of ice that contain the diamonds have already been taken. I’ll have cost the department and hundreds of businesses a lot of money for no reward, Carson agreed.

Mike closed the file and shook his head. All right. So that’s not a good plan of action. We could put it out online for people to be aware.

And nine times out of ten, I’d say the average person is going to hand over the diamonds if they found them, Carson said, but it’s that one out of ten who would actually look for them.

Not to mention it’s unlikely that the thieves would have hidden the diamonds without a way to retrieve them, Maddie added.

Her shoulders slumped. No, there would be no wild road trip across the country, hitting every motel and gas station they came across. Shame. That would be quite an adventure.

She rested her pointed chin on her palm as she looked out the window. From this angle, she could see the long, beautiful lake the city built along. The city was tiny compared to Vancouver, Canada, where she was born, but this place had a charm she couldn’t get enough of.

With a sigh, she shook her head. It just occurred to me we don’t even know if the thieves hid the diamonds in the ice or if they just stopped in the ice factory just because it was empty and offered a place to hide from the police.

Or, if they hid the diamonds in the ice, they could have taken the entire block with them. There’s no way to track where each block was sent or if there are any missing, Mike offered.

Carson crossed his legs and nodded at them. And now you know why I’m stumped.

Yeah, Maddie fought, a growing grin on her face. It was just the sort of enigma she loved to face. 

But her grin faded away when she saw the bitter disappointment on Carson’s face. The more I think about this case, the more I think those diamonds are lost. Forever.

CHAPTER

TWO

Carson stared into his empty coffee mug, his shoulders tense and his brow furrowed. The last thing he wanted to do was to just give up on this case. If his two young friends couldn’t give him any new insights, he might not have a choice.

Well, I don’t think sitting around will help anything, Mike said, taking Carson’s empty mug.

Maddie offered her mug to him as well. We don’t have anywhere to start just yet.

Then let’s go for a walk and discuss things more; we’ve been sitting around long enough, and it’s a lovely day out, Mike advised.

Carson glanced outside at the sunny day. Because of the long lake Coeur D’Alene was built along, the weather here was milder than in other places in the state. But winters still seemed to last forever. He loved the look of fresh snow, but dealing with the ice and cold was getting more difficult as he got older.

A nice walk sounds like a good idea, he agreed.

Maddie let out a long groan but nodded as she said, Let me get changed first.

Soon enough, they were walking along a stone path along the lake. The water was blue and clear today, the ice and snow at the edges of the shore melting to almost nothing. The air was still, allowing the warmth of the sunlight to fall on them.

We can safely assume that the diamonds were taken to the ice factory on purpose, Mike said as the three walked side by side. It makes the most sense. They are easier to hide and transport. It’s more logical than the thieves finding the factory open and empty.

Agreed, Maddie and Carson said together.

Maddie let out a bell-like laugh and nudged him with her elbow. Jinx.

Carson smiled and rolled his eyes. You know that doesn’t work on me.

Ah, well. Do you have any suspects in the factory workers? It has to be someone who knows how to use the equipment to freeze the ice and where everything is. So, either the thieves have someone on the inside, or they’ve worked at other factories. She paused, and Carson could almost see her imagination taking off on her. Or—

Let’s stick to reality, shall we? Carson interrupted.

Usually, he found Maddie’s theatrical scenarios quite charming. There had even been a few times when it led them to the right clues. However, with his worries already so prevalent in his mind, he didn’t have the patience for the stories.

Maddie blushed but nodded. I’ll stick with the case rather than fantasies; I doubt the Snow Queen has anything to do with this.

Regarding your question, no. I don’t have any suspects. Carson shook his head as a gull wheeled about overhead, crying out. He rolled his shoulders, trying to loosen the tension there. I’ve looked at their employment records. There have been no new hires at the plant in a few decades.

Decades? Mike questioned, turning the collar of his peacoat up as a rush of wind came across the lake. Maddie shivered and squeezed herself between the two men.

Carson took off his scarf—he was a little warm, despite the wind, and handed it to Madeleine. They’re all over the retirement age, and the few I talked with said that the pay was good and there was enough to keep them busy without it being too much responsibility. They talked about just making sure the machines ran and calling in mechanics if there were any problems.

Maddie frowned