by Anna Burke
The women had settled quickly on the idea of going to Hawai’i too. They had decided on Maui once Jessica told them about the Grande Spa at the Grand Wailea. They had a lot of details to work out in order to coordinate their schedules and book their getaway. Jessica was looking forward to the prospect of doing a whole lot of nothing, relaxing with friends without being accosted by scoundrels.
“Aah! What a blessing that would be,” Jessica thought as she let the heat beat down on her.
“Jessica, Jim’s here to see you.” Bernadette hollered from inside the house.
“What? Who?” Jessica asked. She was sprawled on the chaise in a bathing suit and coffee-stained robe. Her hair wasn’t even combed. She wore no makeup to hide the bruising on her face. Besides the sling on her arm she still had two skinned knees and an assortment of bruises on her legs, some new, some old. Bernadette was chattering about iced tea as she opened the screen door and let Jim step out onto the patio, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Have a seat Jim. I’ll be back in a second with iced tea. Jessica, I’m bringing you a hair brush. I’ll brush your hair for you if you can’t do it before everybody gets here. You should have a hat. You’re going to get too much sun. I’ll bring a hat too.”
“Sounds like you’ve had quite a time. We need to talk.” Jim Harper said, seating himself on the chaise beside her.
Thanks for reading A DEAD HUSBAND!
What’s up with Jessica and Jim Harper? To find out read A DEAD SISTER, available in kindle and paperback from Amazon. Stop by and visit me at http://www.desertcitiesmystery.com to read the Prologue to A DEAD SISTER free, then buy the book. Cheers!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Anna Celeste Burke lives with her husband in one of the seven desert cities in the Palm Springs area. Retired from her role as a professor and research scientist in social work and behavioral science, she has now picked up a long-time interest in writing fiction. In her professional career she wrote and published widely as a scholar, with more than forty manuscripts of varying lengths to her credit. In addition to reading and writing mysteries she enjoys painting and hiking and tending to her Siamese cats while basking in the beauty of the Sonoran Desert, the surrounding mountains, and the bountiful delights of the resort communities. So what on earth does a research scientist have in common with a mystery writer? As avid fans of the mystery genre will tell you at the core of any good mystery is a passionate search for the truth. Most often, discovering the truth involves finding and assembling pieces of complex puzzles in order to solve seemingly intractable problems. Scientist and sleuth are cut from the same cloth!
A DEAD HUSBAND, Jessica Huntington Desert Cities Mystery #1
A DEAD SISTER, Jessica Huntington Desert Cities Mystery #2
A DEAD DAUGHTER, Jessica Huntington Desert Cities Mystery #3 out late 2014
Also coming soon: Betsy Stark Desert Cities Mystery #1, THE CLEANSING
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