“And on the other fronts?”
I glanced over at the boys, who’d brought the kittens in a box, complete with a Free To A GREAT Home sign, and appeared to be conducting adoption interviews with interested parties. “FJ and Trent have taken the split pretty hard, but they’ve been incredibly supportive and helpful. In fact, they did all the marketing and promotion for today, even with football season in full swing.”
“What about you?”
“I suppose I can only say I’m still up in the air. Frank’s show is on indefinite hiatus and he’s living in the basement until we sell the house, so we cross paths a few more times a day than I’d like.”
“That’s hard.”
“We’re both being civil, and he’s nothing but apologetic.” I sighed. “In fact, he keeps saying he’s gotten his comeuppance, but given everything that’s happened, I’m not exactly inclined to want to listen or believe.”
“From what I heard today, I’d say he might be telling the truth.”
“What did you hear?”
“As it turns out, Chelsea Charles may have been a little too good to be true.”
“Meaning?”
“Word is, medical records arrived at the county jail and there’s some confusion as to whether she’s being held in the right place.” Griff paused. “Because Chelsea Charles apparently started out in this world as Charles Chelsea.”
“Charles Chelsea ?”
“Which would explain the deep voice, the muscly strength …” he paused. “And that sneeze.”
“You’re not saying that she—”
“May be the most beautiful woman who wasn’t born that way that I, for one, have ever seen.”
“Oh,” I managed. “But Frank … I can’t imagine he’d have been able to handle …”
“I don’t think he knew,” Griff said. “But seeing as Anastasia Chastain is involved with the acting chief of police, I’m pretty sure he does now.”
I was utterly dumbfounded, trying to process what I’d just heard when Wendy returned. “The coffee table is mine.”
“Excellent,” I said, my voice cracking.
She clicked her tape recorder back on. “You say you’ve learned as much from your Frugarmy as you’ve taught them. What would you say is the best advice you’ve given and/or received?”
“Well,” I said, trying to refocus my thoughts enough to say something vaguely cogent. “I get really great tips every day.” I turned to Griff, looked into his kind hazel eyes, and suddenly found myself trying not to laugh. “I suppose today’s tip has to be, if it seems too good to be true, there just might be more investigating to do.”
www.lindajoffehull.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Linda is a native of Saint Louis, Missouri, but she currently resides in Denver with her husband and three children. She is a longtime member of Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, a Director-at-Large on the national board of Mystery Writers of America, and is a RMFW Writer of the Year nominee.
The Big Bang, from Tyrus Books, is her debut novel. She is at work on a second novel as well as the Mrs. Frugalicious mystery series.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
To Terri Bischoff, for not only believing in me before I did but making this happen. You’re a joy to work with and a truly great friend.
To Nicole Nugent, Courtney Colton, and all the members of the Midnight Ink team, for helping to transform Mrs. Frugalicious from a figment of my imagination into real, live fiction.
To Josh Getzler and Dana Kaye, for your ongoing support, guidance, enthusiasm, and great ideas.
To Margie Moskowitz, awesome cheerleader and even better critic, and the extended Hull, Joffe, and Moskowitz clans for everything you do. Love you guys!
To Cary Cazzanigi, Becky Stevens, Carleen Evanoff, Kay Bergstrom, Chris Jorgenson, Mari Stevens, Julie Goldsmith, Wendy Kelly, Mark Stevens, and Joel Reiff—all of whom helped make this book possible in a variety of ways.
To Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, the Hand Hotel Gang, the Rocky Mountain chapter of Mystery Writers of America, and my fellow Midnight Inkers, for the incredible ongoing support.
To Andrew, Evan and Eliza—seriously, you’re the best, coolest kids ever.
To Brandon—thank you for showing me how it’s supposed to be done every day and graciously accepting that I’ll never be able to do it as well.
And finally, to my dear friend Ben LeRoy. Remember that one book idea we came up with on the way to the airport …?
Heard it Through the Grapevine
A Dead Sister Talking Mystery
LIZBETH LIPPERMAN
Television personality Elaina Garcia has been offered the job of a lifetime as a news anchor. It will mean moving away from her lover Dan Maguire, but Lainey feels like she can’t pass up this golden opportunity. Her exciting plans are disrupted when she discovers that her estranged sister, Tessa, who runs the family winery, has died.
Back in her hometown of Vineyard, Texas, Lainey comes face to face with her dead sister. The problem is that Tessa is not in the coffin. Dealing with the wisecracking ghost of her foul-mouthed sibling, Lainey and her three surviving sisters set out to fulfill Tessa’s wish from beyond the grave—to find out who killed her.
978-0-7387-3602-0, 336 pp., 53⁄16 x 8
To order, call 1-877-NEW-WRLD
Prices subject to change without notice
Order at Llewellyn.com 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!
Picture Perfect Corpse
A Kiki Lowenstein Scrap-N-Craft Mystery
JOANNA CAMPBELL SLAN
Everyone says she’s a hero, but Kiki feels terrible for killing the man who masterminded her husband’s murder. Except for a minor head injury, she survived the deadly shoot-out—and her unborn baby is right as rain. Detective Chad Detweiler is overjoyed about becoming a father. But their good luck plummets when Brenda Detweiler is found shot to death—and police trace the bullets to Chad’s revolver.
978-0-7387-3538-2, 336 pp., 53⁄16 x 8
To order, call 1-877-NEW-WRLD
Prices subject to change without notice
Order at Llewellyn.com 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Information
Dedication
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
Twenty-Two
Twenty-Three
Twenty-Four
Twenty-Five
Twenty-Six
Twenty-Seven
Twenty-Eight
Twenty-Nine
Thirty
Thirty-One
Thirty-Two
Thirty-Three
About the Author
Acknowledgments
Eternally 21: A Mrs. Frugalicious Shopping Mystery Page 28