by Anna Burke
“What kind of trouble, Jim?” she asked. All eyes were on her. Before he could reply, the screen door slid open with a crack and Bernadette flew out onto the patio.
“Jessica, Giovanni just called. It’s Alexis, they’ve taken her to UCLA medical center in an ambulance. Giovanni says she’s asking for you. We need to get there as soon as possible. Frank do you have your cop light to put on the top of your car?” Frank, already on his feet, was buttoning his shirt and pulling on a pair of sweat pants he had worn over his trunks. Jessica was trying to process what was going on when she heard Jim’s voice, calling to her as if from a great distance.
“Jim, I’ve got a situation here—it’s Mom. Something’s happened and we have to get to L.A. right away. I’ll get back with you once we’re on the road, okay?” She couldn't hear what he was saying, his response muffled. “Jim are you all right? You didn't take anything, did you Jim?” Jessica wasn’t sure why she had even asked that question. Maybe she was worried that’s what her mother had done. He didn’t answer. “Jim, are you there? Where are you, Jim?” She asked several more times before she got an address from him. Frank was on the phone to a dispatcher with 911 asking for help to be sent to that address.
“Go, you guys, go,” Laura urged them. “We'll take care of things here.”
“Thanks, Laura,” Jessica said as she, Bernadette, and Frank dashed to his car.
The year isn’t over yet, Jessica thought, as she got into Frank’s car and called Giovanni.
~~~~~
Thank you for reading A DEAD DAUGHTER. I’d love to get your feedback about the book, so please take a minute to review it on Amazon and Goodreads!
What’s up with Mom and Jessica’s ex-husband? To find out, look for book 4 in the series, A DEAD MOTHER, out in 2016.
While you’re waiting, I have a whole new series featuring murder & mayhem in Corsario Cove, a gorgeous resort community along California’s central coast. That’s corsario, as in pirates! There’s more going on at the exclusive Sanctuary Resort and Spa than haute cuisine and high end service as Brien and Kim soon find out.
“Are you telling me we’ve got a dead Santa on our hands?” Cowabunga Christmas Corsario Cove Cozy Mystery #1 http://smarturl.it/cove1 available now. Gnarly New Year, coming soon.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Life is an extravaganza! Figuring out how to hang tough and make the most of the wild ride is the challenge. On my way to Oahu, to join the rock musician and high school drop-out I had married in Tijuana, I was nabbed as a runaway. Eventually the police let me go, but the rock band broke up. Our next stop: Disney World, where we trained to be chefs. More education landed us in academia at The Ohio State University. For decades I researched, wrote, and spoke about a number of gloriously nerdy topics. Retired now, I’m still married to the same, sweet, guy and live with him near Palm Springs, California. The Jessica Huntington Desert Cities Mystery series is set here in the Sonoran Desert, a spectacular place to ponder life’s mysteries while relishing the delights of the desert resort cities. The Betsy Stark mystery series, to debut in 2016, is also set here in the Coachella Valley. I also write the Corsario Cove Cozy Mystery series set in California’s stunning central coast. Surf’s up, Baby!
Other books in the Jessica Huntington Desert Cities Mystery Series:
A DEAD HUSBAND Book 1 http://smarturl.it/deadhus
A DEAD SISTER Book 2 http://smarturl.it/deadsis
Prequel to the Jessica Huntington series:
Love a Foot Above the Ground http://smarturl.it/loveabove
Books in the Corsario Cove Mystery Series:
Cowabunga Christmas Book 1 http://smarturl.it/cove1
Gnarly New Year Book 2 Out soon!