Belle & Dixie's Mysteries Book 2

A luxury coastal retreat. A glamorous summer evening. One deadly secret hidden amongst the guests. When Belle visits her Aunt Clara at the newly reopened Ocean's View Retreat on the Cornish coast, she expects sea views, beautiful gardens, and peaceful days with Dixie at her side. But after a well-known hotel critic is discovered poisoned in the retreat gardens, the relaxing holiday quickly becomes a murder investigation. With guests hiding false identities, old scandals resurfacing, and tensions growing inside the retreat, Belle begins uncovering a shocking connection between the victim and one of the people staying there. As the police race to solve the case, Dixie’s curious nose may prove just as important as any detective — because someone at the Ocean's View Retreat has been hiding a deadly secret for years.

Sea Air and Fresh Starts If anyone had asked me, I would have said I needed a quiet holiday. Not just wanted—needed. Something uneventful. Something that didn’t involve questions, or clues, or that particular feeling of something being off that I had, apparently, developed a habit of noticing whether I liked it or not. “Just a normal break,” I said, stepping out of the car and looking up at the hotel. Dixie jumped down beside me, immediately far more interested in everything than I was pretending to be. “I mean it,” I added, as though she might argue. She sneezed. “Yes, exactly,” I said. “Agreement.” The Ocean's View Retreat stood just beyond the curve of the coastal road, its pale exterior catching the light in a way that made it look both modern and somehow perfectly at home beside the sea. It wasn’t large—not in the way some hotels tried to be—but it was carefully designed, with wide windows, soft colours, and the kind of clean lines that suggested someone had thought very carefully about how everything should feel. Behind it, I could already see a glimpse of the garden—green, full, and just slightly untidy in the way that meant it had been allowed to grow rather than forced into shape. And beyond that— The sea. Dixie noticed that too. “Oh no,” I said quickly. “We are not running straight into the water.” She looked at me. Then at the sea. Then back at me. “This is going to be a problem,” I muttered. “Belle!” I turned just in time to see Aunt Clara coming down the path toward us, her expression bright and welcoming in a way that immediately made everything feel a little more relaxed. “You made it,” she said, pulling me into a quick hug before I had time to do anything else. “Just about,” I said, smiling despite myself. “And this must be Dixie,” she added, looking down. Dixie, who had already decided this was her new favourite place in the world, wagged her tail enthusiastically. “She’s been looking forward to it the whole way,” I said. “I’m sure she has,” Aunt Clara replied warmly. “Well, you’re both very welcome.” She stepped back slightly, gesturing toward the building behind her. “So,” she said, with just a hint of pride, “what do you think?” I looked again, properly this time. “It’s… different,” I said. “Good different?” she asked. “Very good different,” I corrected quickly. Because it was. There was something about it that felt fresh, as though it had been given a second life rather than simply updated. “That’s a relief,” she said. “We only reopened a few months ago after the refurbishment, so I’m still slightly nervous every time someone sees it for the first time.” “Two months?” I repeated. “Yes,” she said. “Complete redesign. Interiors, layout, everything. It was… a bit of a risk.” “It doesn’t look like one,” I said honestly. She smiled at that, the tension easing just slightly. “Come on,” she said. “I’ll show you around before you get settled in.” Dixie didn’t need telling twice. She was already heading toward the entrance, as though she had been here before and was simply returning to familiar territory. “Stay with me,” I said. She did not. “Right,” I muttered, following her inside. The lobby was bright and open, filled with natural light from the large windows that looked out toward the garden. Everything felt calm—soft colours, clean surfaces, comfortable seating arranged in a way that made it inviting rather than formal. “It’s all been redone,” Aunt Clara said, watching my reaction. “We wanted it to feel modern, but still… comfortable. Not too clinical.” “It works,” I said, glancing around. “It doesn’t feel like a hotel. Not in the usual way.” “That’s exactly what we were hoping for,” she replied. Dixie, meanwhile, had already completed a full circuit of the room and was now investigating a plant in the corner with intense concentration. “Dixie,” I said. She sniffed the plant. “Leave the plant alone.” She sneezed. “Good,” I said. “We’re learning.” Aunt Clara laughed softly. “I take it she keeps you busy.” “That’s one word for it.” “Come on,” she said, heading toward a corridor at the back. “There’s more to see.” We followed her through, past a series of rooms that looked equally calm and carefully arranged, until she pushed open a set of glass doors. “This,” she said, “is one of the bigger changes.” I stepped through—and stopped. The space opened out into a bright, airy pool area, the water still and clear, reflecting the light from the ceiling above. Large windows ran along one side, giving a view out toward the garden and, beyond that, the sea. “It’s lovely,” I said, taking a few steps forward. “Thank you,” she replied. “It took a bit of convincing to include it, but I think it’s worth it.” Dixie walked to the edge of the pool and looked down. “No,” I said immediately. “Absolutely not.” She leaned slightly closer. “Dixie.” She stepped back. “Thank you.” “And just through here—” Aunt Clara continued, opening another door nearby. The warmth hit me immediately as we stepped inside. “A sauna?” I said. “Yes,” she said. “Small, but it fits the space. People like having the option.” “It’s very… relaxing,” I said. “That’s the idea,” she replied. We stepped back out into the main area, the cooler air a relief after the heat, and continued through another set of doors that led out toward the garden. The difference was immediate. Where the interior was clean and modern, the garden was soft, full, and alive with colour. Roses climbed over arches, lavender lined the paths, and clusters of flowers spilt into one another in that slightly chaotic way that made it feel natural rather than planned. “It’s beautiful,” I said. “That part hasn’t changed much,” Aunt Clara admitted. “It didn’t need to.” Dixie was already halfway down one of the winding paths, nose to the ground, completely absorbed. “I suppose some things don’t,” I said. “No,” she agreed. “Some things are better left alone.” I watched Dixie for a moment, the sea just visible beyond the edge of the garden, the air warm and quiet in a way that felt exactly like what I had been hoping for. No tension. No questions. No sense that something was about to go wrong. Just— Peace. “Well,” I said softly. Dixie looked up. “This is perfect.” She wagged her tail. “Yes,” I added. “Let’s try to keep it that way.”