With regret in his eyes, he gently places the bar back on his napkin. “Kitty and Finnegan were arrested today.”
I look at Jacob and raise my eyebrows.
He shakes his head.
“Don’t keep us in suspense, Silas.”
“Of course. Your tip about the fabricated charity led to an entire laundry list of charges. Not the least of which is her affair with Finnegan, which violates the fidelity clause in the pre-nuptial agreement she signed.”
“Wait, I thought she said Finnegan was blackmailing her?”
Silas sneaks a small bite of his brownie and nods. “Oh, he was. He was entertaining the affair, commemorated it with photographs, and then blackmailed her when he found out about the pre-nup.”
I chuckle. “No honor among thieves, I guess.”
“Not that there ever was,” my dad mumbles.
“Sorry, Dad.”
“No worries. Not your fault.” He shoves the rest of his treat into his mouth.
“I’m glad they won’t be fleecing the town with another one of their fake Halloween balls.” I clap my hands.
“Or inheriting,” Silas adds.
My dad stops chewing. “Hmm?”
“Well, that trollop violated the pre-nup. In addition, Cal’s attorney is in possession of the handwritten request for the alterations to the existing will, which she feels certain she can have declared valid as a holographic will.”
I shake my head in confusion. “If it’s a holograph, that means it doesn’t actually exist, right?”
Silas shakes his head and his jowls wiggle in a way that my pin-cherry-wine-soaked brain finds hilarious.
He ignores my giggles. “Not with a will, Mitzy. A holographic will is a document written in the testator’s own hand that serves as a legal last will and testament.” He looks at my face and adds, “The testator in this case is Cal.”
I smile and nod.
Jacob wipes the chocolate from the corner of his mouth and stares at Silas. “What does that mean?”
“Since Kitty is in no position to contest the holographic will, it means that you are Cal’s rightful heir. As he intended.”
Jacob chews the inside of his cheek and puts an arm around my shoulders. “And my daughter?”
“Mitzy will be the contingent beneficiary; again, per Cal’s wishes.”
I reach up and squeeze my dad’s hand. “Does this mean you’ll stay in town?”
“I don’t know, Mitzy. I’d have to quit my job.”
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t realize—”
“You didn’t let me finish. I’d have to quit my job delivering pizzas.”
I look from him to Silas and back.
“Ex-con joke. Probably not the right crowd.” He gives me a little hug. “I’ll move to Pin Cherry on one—make that two—conditions.”
“Which are?” I lean back and narrow my gaze.
“You promise to have breakfast with me every Sunday morning at Myrtle’s Diner—”
“Done. What’s the second?”
“You allow me the honor of purchasing all of Pyewacket’s Fruity Puffs until he or I leave this earth.”
Silas chuckles until his hound-dog cheeks turn red.
I hug my dad tightly, but selfishly find myself wishing one of his conditions had included another dance for Sheriff Erick and me.
Squad goals. A girl’s gotta have goals.
* * *
End of Book 1
A Note from Trixie
Wow! Ten months ago I was outlining this book and wondering if anyone would ever get to meet Mitzy. But here we are!
One of the best parts of bringing Mitzy to life was the wonderful feedback from my early readers. Thank you to my alpha readers Angel, Michael, and Andrew. HUGE thanks to my fantastic beta readers who gave me extremely useful and honest feedback: Veronica McIntyre, Renee Arthur, Nadine Peterse-Vrijhof, and Lori Watson. And big hugs to the world’s best ARC Team – Trixie’s Mystery ARC Detectives!
Lot’s of love to my cover designer for putting up with my insane need to have paperbacks in two different sizes. Thanks, GermanCreative!
Thank you to my brilliant editor Philip Newey! Some author’s dread edits, but it was a pleasure to work with Philip, and I look forward to many more. Any errors are my own, as my outdated version of Word insists on showing me only what it likes and when it feels so moved.
Google can give an author all kinds of helpful information, but there is absolutely no substitute for “straight from the horse’s mouth.” Thanks to my “horses!” John Girard, thank you for answering my inane questions about what it was like to be a correctional officer. Your insights gave the character of Jacob a great deal more authenticity. Morgan, thank you for giving me the straight talk I needed to add some edge to Odell’s Army backstory and, of course, your firearms expertise will never go to waste. And finally, thank you to Josh for all the years you begged for a caracal! I was never as brave as Grams, but your passion for them sent me down the “rabbit hole” and once I learned all I could about the little beasts—I knew I had to have one—even if it lives only in my mind.
Now I’m writing book four in the Mitzy Moon Mysteries series, and I think I may just live in Pin Cherry Harbor forever. Mitzy, Grams, and Pyewacket continue to get into trouble in book two, Tattoos and Clues. But I’d have to say that book three, Wings and Broken Things, is when most readers say the series becomes unputdownable.
I hope you’ll continue to hang out with us.
* * *
Trixie Silvertale (October 2019)
TATTOOS AND CLUES
Mitzy Moon Mysteries #2
A beachside stroll. A deadly discovery. Will this psychic sleuth swim or sink?
Mitzy wishes she could turn a blind third-eye to her hit-or-miss powers. Instead, while taking her fiendish feline for a walk, they make a stomach-churning find on shore. Despite her loss of appetite, she can’t help but get a closer look at the unique ink etched into the corpse…
Before she can track down the killer, Mitzy must sweet-talk her way off the sexy sheriff’s suspect list. And once again her meddling Ghost-ma is dying to interfere with the case. But when the trail leads to dangerous smugglers who shoot first and don’t ask questions, she could end up in over her head…
Can Mitzy uncover the truth, or will hers be the next body to float to the surface?
Tattoos and Clues is the second book in the hilarious paranormal cozy mystery series, Mitzy Moon Mysteries. If you like snarky heroines, supernatural intrigue, and a dash of romance, then you’ll love Trixie Silvertale’s twisty whodunits.
Buy Tattoos and Clues to unravel a black market mystery today!
Grab yours here!
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Special Invitation . . .
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Thank you!
Trying out a new book is always a risk and I’m thankful that you rolled the dice with Mitzy Moon. If you loved the book, the sweetest thing you can do (even sweeter than pin cherry pie à la mode) is to leave a review so that other readers will take a chance on Mitzy and the gang.
Don’t feel you have to write a book report. A brief comment like, “Can’t wait to read the next book in this series!” will help potential readers make their choice.
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Thank you kindly, and I’ll see you in Pin Cherry Harbor!
About the Author
Trixie Silvertale grew up reading an endless supply of Lilian Jackson Braun, Hardy Boys, and Nancy Drew novels. She loves the amateur sleuths in cozy mysteries and obsesses about all things paranormal. Those two passions unite in her Mitzy Moon Mysteries, and she’s thrilled to write them and share them with you.
When she’s not consumed by writing, she bakes to fuel her creative engine and pulls weeds in her herb garden to clear her head (and sometimes she pulls out her hair, but mostly weeds).
Greetings are welcome:
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Fries and Alibis Page 18