Death on the Danube Read online

  Death on the Danube

  A New Year’s Murder in Budapest

  Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mystery

  Book 1

  By Jennifer S. Alderson

  Copyright © 2019 Jennifer Stacey Alderson

  Death on the Danube: A New Year’s Murder in Budapest

  (Travel Can Be Murder Cozy Mystery Series Book 1)

  All rights reserved. The moral right of the author has been asserted.

  Kindle Edition

  Published November 28, 2019

  ASIN: B07XLF95SN

  Available as paperback and eBook.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or actual events is entirely coincidental.

  Books by Jennifer S. Alderson:

  The Lover’s Portrait: An Art Mystery

  Rituals of the Dead: An Artifact Mystery

  Marked for Revenge: An Art Heist Thriller

  Down and Out in Kathmandu: A Backpacker Mystery

  Holiday Gone Wrong: A Short Travel Thriller

  Notes of a Naive Traveler: Nepal and Thailand Travelogue

  Adventures in Backpacking Box Set

  Death on the Danube: A New Year’s Murder in Budapest

  Death by Baguette: A Valentine’s Murder in Paris

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  1 A Trip to Budapest

  2 New Adventures

  3 Willows Bend

  4 Traveling Solo

  5 Skinny Dippers and Lovebirds

  6 Welcome to Budapest

  7 Room Service

  8 Exploring Castle Hill

  9 Warming up in the Café

  10 The Labyrinth

  11 Christmas Markets and Zither Players

  12 A Nose for Sleuthing

  13 Man Overboard!

  14 Carl, Where Are You?

  15 That’s the Girl!

  16 Sally Confesses

  17 Bringing Dotty Up To Speed

  18 New Experiences

  19 Fruit Brandy and Gold-diggers

  20 An Afternoon Drink

  21 A Killer on the Loose

  22 Comforting Mr. Henderson

  23 Causing a Heap of Trouble

  24 Lana’s To-Do List

  25 A Visit from the Budapest Police

  26 A Liar and a Cheat

  27 Why Would I Leave Without a Fight?

  28 Spa, Lunch, and Communist Statues

  29 Széchenyi Spa

  30 Jeremy Gets in Touch

  31 Power and Revenge

  32 What Was The Catch?

  33 Happy New Year!

  34 Last Breakfast in Budapest

  35 Snuggling with Seymour

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Marked for Revenge: An Art Heist Thriller

  Dedication

  For all the feisty grandmothers and crazy great-aunts. You are loved more than you know.

  1 A Trip to Budapest

  December 26 – Seattle, Washington

  “You want me to go where, Dotty? And do what?” Lana Hansen had trouble keeping the incredulity out of her voice. She was thrilled, as always, by her landlord’s unwavering support and encouragement. But now Lana was beginning to wonder whether Dotty Thompson was becoming mentally unhinged.

  “To escort a tour group in Budapest, Hungary. It’ll be easy enough for a woman of your many talents.”

  Lana snorted with laughter. Ha! What talents? she thought. Her resume was indeed long: disgraced investigative journalist, injured magician’s assistant, former kayaking guide, and now part-time yoga instructor – emphasis on “part-time.”

  “You’ll get to celebrate New Year’s while earning a paycheck and enjoying a free trip abroad, to boot. You’ve been moaning for months about wanting a fresh start. Well, this is as fresh as it gets!” Dotty exclaimed, causing her Christmas-bell earrings to jangle. She was wrapped up in a rainbow-colored bathrobe, a hairnet covering the curlers she set every morning. They were standing inside her living room, Lana still wearing her woolen navy jacket and rain boots. Behind Dotty’s ample frame, Lana could see the many decorations and streamers she’d helped to hang up for the Christmas bash last night. Lana was certain that if Dotty’s dogs hadn’t woken her up, her landlord would have slept the day away.

  “Working as one of your tour guides wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, Dotty.”

  “I wouldn’t ask you if I had any other choice.” Dotty’s tone switched from flippant to pleading. “Yesterday one of the guides and two guests crashed into each other while skibobbing outside of Prague, and all are hospitalized. Thank goodness none are in critical condition. But the rest of the group is leaving for Budapest in the morning, and Carl can’t do it on his own. He’s just not client-friendly enough to pull it off. And I need those five-star reviews, Lana.”

  Dotty was not only a property manager, she was also the owner of several successful small businesses. Lana knew Wanderlust Tours was Dotty’s favorite and that she would do anything to ensure its continued success. Lana also knew that the tour company was suffering from the increased competition from online booking sites and was having trouble building its audience and generating traffic to its social media accounts. But asking Lana to fill in as a guide seemed desperate, even for Dotty, and even if it was the day after Christmas. Lana shook her head slowly. “I don’t know. I’m not qualified to –”

  Dotty grabbed one of Lana’s hands and squeezed. “Qualified, shmalified. I didn’t have any tour guide credentials when I started this company fifteen years ago, and that hasn’t made a bit of difference. You enjoy leading those kayaking tours, right? This is the same thing, but for a while longer.”

  The older lady glanced down at the plastic cards in her other hand, shaking her head. “Besides, you know I love you like a daughter, but I can’t accept these gift cards in lieu of rent. If you do this for me, you don’t have to pay me back for the past two months’ rent. I am offering you the chance of a lifetime. What have you got to lose?”

  Lana reddened in shame. Her most recent employer, the owner of a kayak rental and tour company located on Lake Union, was unable to pay her salary for the last two months. As mad as she was, she couldn’t fault her boss. He had been struggling to make ends meet for months and warned her he may not have enough to pay his debtors and Lana’s salary at the end of the year. She had foolishly agreed to stay on, partly out of loyalty and partly out of laziness. If the kayaking business did go belly up, she’d be forced to find a new job. And even though her resume was long and her experiences extensive, her skill set was quite unique and made finding employment a challenge. Especially during the holidays; Christmas had to be the worst time to lose your job. As if the bills weren’t already enough, there was all the extra holiday spending to contend with. The only consolation was that Lana didn’t have a large family to shower gifts on, nor did she have to splurge on an extravagant present this year for her now officially ex-husband.

  Her only income was from teaching one weekly, hour-long class at her friend Willow’s yoga studio. And her salary, as agreed upon before starting, consisted of gift cards to NamasTea, cards Willow received in exchange for teaching the tea shop’s owner hatha yoga.

  The same gift cards now in Dotty’s hand.

  Dotty pushed the cards gently back into Lana’s hands. “The tour group leaves Prague for Budapest tomorrow morning. It’s too late to cancel the last six days of the trip. Carl already asked for time off, and I had to say no because there was no one available to replace him. That’s why I sent Sally over to join him. I bet he was missing her, having worked thre
e tours back to back, and it being the holidays and all. This should have been their first Christmas together, but my hands were tied. As much as I love leading tours, I hung up my hat last year for a reason. I’m no spring chicken, and the guests do have you running around most of the day.”

  Lana nodded in acknowledgement. Though Dotty didn’t look a day over fifty, she was pushing seventy, and her health problems were starting to stack up. She had been married five times and widowed four, yet had never been blessed with children of her own. However, she was a wonderful stepmother and kept in touch with all of her husbands’ offspring, unfortunately now spread across the country. Which was why Lana felt responsible for keeping an eye on Dotty and helping out where she could.

  Dotty changed tactic again. “Wanderlust Tours’ reputation is on the line! It’s difficult enough getting satisfied guests to leave a review. You know the troublemakers are just looking for a reason to complain. Besides, all you have to do is get them from the hotel to the tour bus, chat with them a while, and make sure no one gets lost.”

  Dotty’s pug, Rodney, rose from his blanket and nuzzled Lana’s leg with his flat nose, as if encouraging her to say yes. Lana leaned down to scratch his ear, while taking in his knitted sweater decorated with snowmen. It was perfect for a winter morning’s walk, otherwise the poor dear tended to shiver his way through the neighborhood streets on their daily wanderings. It must be one of her new creations for Doggone Gorgeous, she thought. Dotty’s latest passion project was a new company selling natural-fiber clothing and accessories for dogs of all sizes. Dotty and her best friend, Sally, had started knitting the holiday-themed sweaters in November, and there was already a waiting list. The ladies couldn’t knit them fast enough. Chipper, Dotty’s Jack Russell terrier, danced around Rodney, showing off his tie-dyed hoodie. He clearly couldn’t wait for the humans to finish talking so Lana would take them on their morning walk.

  What is holding me back from going to Budapest? Lana wondered. Her divorce had been finalized on December 1. Yesterday – her first Christmas without Ron – had been the most painful day of the year. She dreaded going through the same cheery festivities on New Year’s Eve as a newly single woman. Who would she find under the mistletoe? No one, that’s who.

  Her mom, Gillian, was out gallivanting around with her girlfriends, a group of independent women who preferred each other’s company to that of their husbands. Last she’d heard, they were at a spa in Taos, New Mexico, celebrating Christmas. After her dad died in a mountain climbing accident twenty years ago, Lana figured her mother would sell his advertising agency and live off the profits. Instead, Gillian had taken over as president and had grown the company into an important international player in the advertising world. They rarely saw each other, though that had little to do with Gillian’s intensely busy schedule.

  Willow did invite Lana to join her family for New Year’s Eve. Their house was perfectly placed to see the fireworks set off at the Space Needle. She and Ron had spent the past three years ringing in the New Year from Willow’s balcony, gazing at the gorgeous firework display timed to bombastic music while guzzling champagne. Lana did love Willow’s partner, Jane, to bits, but she wasn’t sure being around such a loving couple would do her good this year, or make her miss Ron even more. Her divorce was so recent, Lana still had trouble saying the “d” word aloud. To make matters worse, Willow had already hinted that she’d found the perfect man to couple her with. Precisely what Lana didn’t need this holiday.

  Dotty would be hosting a party for the neighborhood, as she always did for any major holiday. The older lady’s parties always brought in a mix of good friends and neighbors without plans. Lana wouldn’t be surprised if this year’s guestlist included potential suitors for her, as well.

  “Tell you what. If you lead this group, I will throw in three months’ rent. Though it still won’t get you out of dog walking.”

  “What about Seymour?” Lana couldn’t leave her cat in a kennel, but she wouldn’t be able to arrange a babysitter at the last minute, either. Neither she nor Seymour would be able to handle him being locked up in a cage and cared for by strangers for a whole week.

  “That old rascal is always welcome to stay with me. Rodney and Chipper love to play with him. And that’ll give me a chance to try out a new line of nightwear on him.”

  Lana laughed, already visualizing how Seymour would look in the latest creation from Purrfect Fit, a new clothing line for cats Dotty was toying around with. She never could get her cat to dress up, but Dotty was a pet whisperer – she could get pretty much any animal into any one of her designs.

  “Let me guess – you’re going to call them ‘The Cat’s Pajamas’?”

  Dotty’s eyes widened. “Ooh, that’s good. Do you mind if I use it?”

  “Be my guest.” Lana chuckled, knowing her Seymour would be in good hands with Dotty. And her “boys” – Rodney and Chipper – loved to play with him, at least as much as her cat allowed. Lana had rescued Seymour from a shelter eleven years ago. It was love at first sight. He was a pure black bundle of affection whose purrs and nuzzles often woke her up in the morning. Her ex-husband hadn’t been so keen on him, which should have been a sign to Lana. She’d always wondered whether Ron was just jealous of the attention she gave her cat. When she and Ron had traveled for work, saying goodbye to that fur ball was always the hardest part of leaving. Now that she’d lost her husband and her job, she hadn’t anticipated going anywhere for a while.

  And yet, she was now being offered the chance to do so – and in style, as well. Wanderlust Tours specialized in high-end travel for professionals long on money and short on time. Most of their clientele worked at Seattle’s many computer and high-tech companies, meaning a week or two was the longest they would be able or willing to go on vacation. Dotty had said there were always two company guides escorting the group, but that the tours and day trips were led by knowledgeable locals. All Lana would have to do was smile a lot and ensure that the guests had the trip of a lifetime. Easy as pie.

  “Dotty, how can I pass up three months’ rent and a trip to Budapest. It’s a deal.” She stuck out her hand to make it official.

  “That’s great.” Dotty pulled her in for a bear hug. Lana’s short bob got tangled up in Dotty’s chunky necklace as she relaxed into her older friend’s embrace, knowing she had made the right decision. At least, until Dotty added, “There’s just one little catch – you used to act, right?”

  2 New Adventures

  After Lana brought Rodney and Chipper back from their morning walk, she towel-dried the boys until they broke away and shook out the remaining moisture from their coats, spraying her lightly. Lana laughed as the dogs scampered away to the kitchen, knowing Dotty would have left a post-walk treat in both of their bowls. She dried herself off, then poked her head into the living room.

  Dotty was snoring softly on the couch, her feet propped up on a magazine rack. The last guests had been shooed out at two in the morning, much later than Dotty was normally awake. Lana could imagine the older lady needed the sleep. Lana started removing the snowflake streamers from across Dotty’s fireplace when her landlord’s breathing changed and she sat up suddenly.

  “You don’t have to do that. Cleaning up the Christmas party mess will give me something to do today.” Dotty cut off Lana’s protest by slapping the couch. “Take a seat, I have your ticket ready. While you were out, I gathered up a bunch of information about Budapest. Nobody’s expecting you to be an expert; the local guides are all qualified and speak perfect English. But it would be good if you knew a little bit about the places you’ll be visiting, if only to put your mind at ease.”

  Dotty handed her a printout of her ticket, then a stack of travel guides and informational brochures about all the stops the group would be making around Budapest during the last six days of its sixteen-day tour. Luckily Lana would have a thirteen-hour flight to read up on the city.

  And last, Dotty handed Lana a sealed envelope. “Here�
�s five hundred euros for travel expenses. I know those safety experts say not to, but I think it’s better to have too much cash on hand, in case there are any emergencies. I also added in a hundred dollars for any last-minute items you may need to pick up before you leave. The hotels are top class; you don’t have to worry about taking along soaps or shampoos. You will need pantyhose for the opera and a good pair of gloves for walking around. The winters are bitterly cold there.”

  Lana took the money without another word, embarrassed that she needed it, yet grateful that Dotty hadn’t made her ask for an advance.

  Dotty leaned over and pulled two creations out of her sewing bag, tucked as always in the corner of the couch. “Here, I always have a few extra scarves and hats on hand. The wool is a cotton blend so it shouldn’t be too itchy. It’s what I use for the animals’ sweaters.”

  Lana rubbed the soft thread between her fingers as she took in the gradient of muted blues and greens. She pulled the hat on and wrapped the shawl around her neck. Dotty was right; they weren’t as itchy as pure wool. “They are gorgeous, Dotty. You spoil me.”

  Dotty admired her handwork, nodding in approval. “They suit you. Now you get on out of here,” she said, shooing Lana out of the room.

  “Thanks, Dotty. I’ll get packed up, then start boning up on Budapest.” Lana gave her landlord a peck on the cheek and skipped downstairs.

  As soon as she was back in her basement apartment, Lana searched through her overcrowded bookshelf until she found a dusty atlas. Its pages were still worn and earmarked from her adolescent daydreams about traveling the world. Dreams that died once she decided investigative journalism was the path for her. And she’d been right; her two awards for excellence in journalism attested to that. If only she could have talked her anonymous source into going on the record, she would have won that libel lawsuit and still be writing for nationally renowned newspapers, instead of living in a widower’s basement and scrounging for any work she could find.