by Rayna Morgan
For a moment, Claire let her eyes drift toward the setting sun. “Memories of my husband are never associated with pain. He was the love of my life, and I was the love of his. He made me feel that his life revolved around me. All he needed for a perfect day was for me to be in it.”
She returned her gaze to Maddy. “I’m happy my son was fortunate enough to share years of his life with a woman he loved so deeply.”
“Are you saying a person experiences only one perfect love in their lifetime?”
“Not at all,” Claire said. “I’m not saying Scott won’t find another big love, but it could never be the same kind of love. Of course, Katie’s the center of his universe now.”
She searched the other woman’s face. “What about you, Maddy? Have you experienced being the love of someone’s life?”
“Not with my ex-husband. Eric didn’t need me for the woman I was, he only needed a woman. Any woman who complemented him would have filled the bill.”
“There is no feeling more gratifying than knowing you’re the center of someone’s universe. I hope you find that someday.”
Maddy stared out over the ocean at the reflection of a rising moon shimmering on the water. She experienced a moment of total peace.
“Thank you, Claire. I believe I have already.”
• • •
The sisters were sipping champagne and munching strawberries dipped in chocolate when an arm circled Maddy’s waist. She spun around.
Tom loosened his tie and stuffed it in his pocket. “Let’s blow this bash.”
Maddy took off her heels and handed them to her sister. “Take care of these for me. I won’t be needing them anymore tonight.”
Tom and Maddy walked down the stairs to the beach.
<<<<>>>>
EXCERPT BOOK 4
Sister Sleuths Mystery Series
Maddy was looking forward to spending the holiday weekend with her handsome detective boyfriend in their sleepy, beachside community….until she ran into the last person in the world she wanted to see - her ex-husband.
But when a woman is found strangled in his hotel room, she answers his call for help leading the sister sleuths into a weekend filled with con games, a cursed diamond and ruby necklace, a secret that could destroy a high-flying pharmaceutical company, and strained relationships all around.
This stand-alone novel is the fourth in the series featuring sister sleuths Lea and Maddy.
• • •
Jan turned to Lea. “We almost missed getting a seat. We looked for someone in charge to ask why the exhibit closed and find out when it might reopen.”
“Not soon from what the curator, Francisco, told me,” Lea informed her. “The necklace is gone.”
“You’re kidding! You mean, as in lost?”
“I mean as in stolen!”
Jan unwrapped a set of plastic eating utensils and began to eat. “Give me all the juicy details.”
“Francisco discovered the necklace was missing when he opened the building for the show. The police were here until the gates opened.”
Jan wiped her lips and sat back. “How terrible!”
“You mean how exciting,” Lea said. “Maybe the woman in blue took it.”
The two women laughed as their husbands returned to the table.
Bob poured the wine and took a chair, licking his lips as he picked up a fork. “What are you two giggling about?”
Lea elbowed her neighbor. “Tell them the legend, Jan. It may serve as a warning if they don’t want us to haunt them.”
“Legend is that Don Castillo’s wife, Consuela, who died in the house, haunts the Adobe. The children’s room, preserved exactly as it was when the family lived there, is also haunted.”
Bob wiped barbecue sauce from his chin. “Haunted how?” he asked.
“Don Castillo gave his children music boxes. Visitors hear the music boxes playing by themselves and dolls in the room have moved. A dozen witnesses spotted a young girl one night.”
“And,” Lea added, “the giggling sounds of children are heard in that room.”
Bob looked at Paul and winked. “Sounds like someone besides my wife has an overactive imagination.”
“Tell them about the lady in blue,” Lea urged.
“A lady in a dark blue dress is seen wandering through the second floor but when they check the rooms, no one is there. One witness saw her standing on the balcony. Others observed her walking the grounds. It’s believed to be Consuela herself, watching over her family’s home.”
Paul glanced over his shoulder in mock fright. “You think she’s here tonight?”
“Hold onto your wallet,” Bob snickered. “You know women, always after your money.”
The men laughed.
Bob leaned toward his wife. “Next, you’ll be telling us about buried treasure.”
Jan swatted her husband’s shoulder. “No treasure except the ruby and diamond necklace supposed to be on exhibit tonight. It was authenticated as being the wedding gift Don Castillo gave his bride.”
“At last,” Paul said, “something tangible. Let’s have a look at this jewel.”
“We can’t,” Lea said. “I was telling—” She waved at the man she had spoken to earlier and he walked toward their table. “Wait. You can hear it from the horse’s mouth.”
“Francisco, this is my husband, Paul,” she said, “and our neighbors, Jan and Bob, the biggest country music fans in town.” Bob tapped the brim of his cowboy hat and Lea continued. “Francisco is the curator of the Adobe museum. His grandfather Jorge was one of the family’s fifteen children.”
Francisco bowed. “I’m pleased to meet you, folks.”
“Fifteen children, huh?” Bob noted. “Thankfully, the days of having that many kids are over.”
“I don’t know what my great-grandfather was thinking having so many children,” Francisco exclaimed.
“It made more sense back then,” Paul said, pushing his plate back. “The sons helped take care of the ranch.”
“And the daughters cooked and sewed,” Jan piped in.
“Not like the kids today.” Francisco tugged on his bow tie and shook his head. “I have to yell at my twelve-year-old to shut off his computer to go play soccer.”
“Tell Jan about the necklace,” Lea urged. “She’s as anxious as I am to see it.”
“Lea says it was stolen.” Jan made a clucking sound. “Such a terrible thing for someone to do.”
“Not so terrible, perhaps.” Francisco lowered his voice. “Maybe it’s been returned to its rightful owner.”
Lea gasped. “Are you suggesting—”
“I believe Consuela Castillo took the necklace.” Francisco twisted the ends of his mustache. “It is now back with its rightful owner. The woman for whom it was intended. The woman Don Castillo most deeply and truly loved.”
Lea pointed to a chair. “Sit down, Francisco.”
He obeyed while Paul leaned back and folded his arms across his chest. Bob pushed his chair away from the table and lifted his glass of wine.
Lea turned to Francisco. “Now, tell me what you think.”
“Señora Castillo died years before her husband. He never remarried, but he had a mistress to whom he gave a beautiful and most generous gift, a gold and ruby necklace.”
Jan’s jaw dropped. “Consuela’s wedding present?”
“How could he!” Lea exclaimed.
Both women glared at their husbands. They looked at each other and raised their hands.
“When he passed away,” Francisco said, “the mistress left this area. She was never heard from again.”
Jan cocked her head and raised her eyebrows. “Then how did the necklace end up here?”
“Two months ago, a couple visited the Adobe. I asked if they wanted a tour, but they said they’d go through the house on their own. Before they left the grounds, the man came to my office to tell me he was a great nephew of Don Castillo’s mistress. He was fascinated by the story of the Casti
llo family and believed among his inheritance was the gold and ruby necklace. We verified its authenticity and the man donated it to the city to display in our museum.”
“What an amazing story!” Jan exclaimed. “Imagine discovering the provenance of a valuable item stored in your attic.”
“But why was it stored in his attic?” Lea asked. “If it were mine, I’d want to wear it.”
Francisco shuddered. “That’s the disturbing part of the story. Perhaps I shouldn’t tell you.” He placed both hands flat on the table and rose out of his chair as if to leave.
“Tell us!” the women shouted together.
“If you insist.” He sat back down and stroked his goatee. “His family believes the necklace is cursed. Every time one of the women in his family wears the necklace, something terrible happens.”
“Of course!” Lea clapped her hands. “Consuela cursed the necklace as revenge for her cheating husband.”
Bob snorted. “Sounds exactly like a woman!”
Lea ignored her neighbor’s comment. “I understand why he was willing to donate it to the city instead of keeping it or selling it.” She folded her napkin and laid it across her empty plate. “He didn’t want to be responsible for passing on the curse.”
“But that’s not the most amazing part,” Francisco continued, his accent thickened in his excitement. “On the day the man visited the Adobe, I asked him how he learned of the necklace. Don Castillo’s mistress is no secret, but the great gift he gave her is never disclosed as part of the tour.”
He dropped his eyes and rubbed his hands together. “I shake to think what he told me.”
“What did he tell you?” the women asked in unison.
“I remember his exact words. He said, ‘We were in the master bedroom. A woman dressed in blue told us all about it.’”
Jan and Lea locked eyes.
Paul leaned forward. “Is there—”
“No, Señor,” Francisco replied, shaking his head. “There is no woman on our staff. Only me.”
• • •
Restored by a hot bath, Maddy curled up on her living room sofa. Unlike tourists caught off guard by unseasonably cool night air, she wore flannel pajamas. She screwed the lid on the fingernail polish and held up her hand to admire the color.
Answering the ringing phone meant tapping a button with one nail to prevent smudging the others. “What do you want, Eric? I’m busy.”
“I’m sorry…”
Maddy took a sip of wine from the glass beside her. “Out with it.”
“The woman in my room,” he stammered.
Maddy nearly choked on the Merlot. “I can’t believe you’d call to gloat over some woman you’re in bed with after I turned you down.”
“She…”
Maddy’s temples throbbed. She felt a headache coming on.
“The woman what, Eric? Spit it out.”
“She’s not in my bed, she’s on it. And she’s dead. She’s been strangled.”
# # #
FROM THE AUTHOR
Dear Reader,
Thank you for joining Lea and Maddy in their sleuthing adventures.
If you enjoyed your time spent with them, would you please consider posting a review? Reviews are very helpful to other readers and are greatly appreciated.
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If you have questions or comments, I would love to hear from you. My email address is: [email protected].
Best wishes,
Rayna
Published by Rayna Morgan
Copyright © 2017 by Rayna Morgan
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.
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