That's Not My Suitcase

by Laina Turner

  “I agree this vacation has definitely had some perks. What do you say we grab a drink, I think we deserve one.”

  “Only if you’re buying. It’s the least you could do for almost getting me killed,” he teased me. “And I still owe you an explanation from earlier.”

  I almost hated to ruin the moment but I wasn’t going to stop him because I was still wondering what was going on and after what had just happened I didn’t think much could shock me. So after we ordered our drinks, I just sat there silent and waited.

  “That was my ex-wife,” he said.

  “You brought her on vacation?” I said confused.

  “No, no. Nothing like that. A few months ago, she called out of the blue and we started talking and she asked if we could try again. She’s the one who originally wanted the divorce and she said she was sorry and regretted it and, well, you can imagine the long story. I said I was willing to try because of our long history together, but it soon became very clear it wasn’t going to work. What had brought us together and kept us together all those years was just gone. There are some things you just can’t get back. She didn’t take the news well and she’s been hounding me ever since.”

  “You mean she followed you here?”

  He nodded. “That’s why I had to cancel our coffee yesterday. She showed up on my doorstep, or rather my hotel door. She told the staff she was my wife, here to surprise me, and got them to give her a key. She said she just wanted to talk so I got her a room and said we would have dinner. I told her again it was over and she needed to go home. I thought she finally got the message until she showed up again this morning. This time I drove her to the airport myself. I’m really sorry, Sterling.”

  I appreciated his explaining it all, when he didn’t owe me an explanation.

  “A toast,” I said when our drinks came. We both lifted up our glasses and I said, “To outwitting criminals and new friendships.”

  “I’ll drink to that,” Steve said and we clinked glasses.

  I took a sip of my wine and thought how happy I was right now. Life was always testing you in some ways or another, but in the end, it all seemed to work out.

  For the first time in a long time, I looked forward to what the future would hold.

  A little about me…

  As a child I thought I would either be a truck driver (thanks to Jerry Reed in Smokey and the Bandit) or work at Taco Bell (my favorite restaurant as a child). As I grew older I realized my talents lay in academics and business and for the last several years have been a business consultant and college professor where I use the analytical side of my brain and not the side that makes up stories.

  Through all my career choices I continued to have a passion for writing. This stemmed from childhood where as an only child I developed a vivid imagination spending most of my time making things up and thinking the Incredible Hulk lived in my closet.

  Proud of my vast experiences in life from barrel racing to being on the dance team for a semi pro basketball team to being a mom of 2 amazing kids, I tell my family and friends that no one is safe from their escapades slipping in to my books.

  Taking the plunge to write books (cozy mysteries and chick lit) that I actually let people read in 2010, I have worked my way up to being a real author, having 5 fans (maybe 6 now). My blog, The Art Of Living Fabulously, was launched to share the daily fun in the life of a Real Housewife of the Midwest along with the musing of other fabulous ladies.

  You can also find me at:

  Laina’s Facebook Page

  Laina on Pinterest

  Laina on Twitter

  Laina on Google +

  Laina on You Tube

  Read some more fabulous books.

  Stilettos & Scoundrels Presley tells her boss what he can do with her job in HR and embarks on a new career as a freelance journalist. What seems like a simple interview with a Senator turns to murder when the day after her interview the Senator turns up dead. Does the fact that Presley was one of the last people to see him alive make her a suspect? Her ex-boyfriend Cooper, who was in charge of the Senators security, might think so. Presley is determined to clear her name but can she do it and resist Cooper’s charms?

  Purchase here.

  Necklaces & Nooses After getting fired from her HR job, Presley now works at high-end fashion boutique Silk. She loves her job until one day when she finds her boss dead in a fitting room! She thinks its suicide; Solange was going through a messy divorce. Until the handsome detective, Willie Landon, discovers its homicide. Who would want to kill a storeowner? Presley’s not sure, but she’s determined to find out. Especially, if it means spending more time with the cute detective.

  Purchase here.

  Handbags & Hooligans

  Presley went to Vegas to watch her friend Anna get married and the event turned into solving the mystery of her brother’s girlfriend disappearance. But Ashley wasn't exactly the schoolteacher she appeared to be. Who was she and was she kidnapped?

  Purchase here.

  And the holiday short…Mistletoe & Murder

  Presley heads home to celebrate Christmas with her family expecting it to be a relaxing holiday until her old boyfriend, Brian, unexpectedly shows up at her parents’ house on Christmas Eve. He is desperate for her help finding out who has been stealing from his business and Presley is happy to help. However, things turn more serious when Brian calls her Christmas morning to tell her, Tommy, the guy he thought might have been stealing from him was found dead at his shop. The more Presley investigates, the more things don’t add up. Even if Tommy was the thief who killed him and why? Secrets don’t last long in small towns.

  Purchase here.

  Gems & Gunshots

  In this cozy mystery, Presley heads to San Diego to hang out with Cooper and enjoy the great west coast weather. She didn’t expect that while hanging out at the local coffee shop she would be a witness to a robbery and murder at Gemstone’s Unlimited. Much to Cooper’s dismay Presley feels compelled to investigate. She discovers that not only was the store owner a womanizer but also was filing false insurance claims for diamonds that weren’t really stolen. Was that why he was being blackmailed? Was that why someone robbed his store? Presley’s determined to find out!

  Purchase here.

  Get the first 5 Presley Books PLUS the short story A Day in the Life of Trixie Pristine in the Presley Thurman boxed set.

  Tiaras & Texans

  Presley wins a bet and thinks she finally is going to get a chance to work with Cooper and show her she’s got the potential to be a good security detail for his company. She is miffed when she finds out her first assignment is to protect a bunch of self-absorbed beauty queens at a Texas pageant. It soon becomes a more interesting gig than she thought, much to her delight and Cooper’s dismay, when one of the beauty queens turns up dead and the fierce competition leave the door wide open to suspects.

  Purchase here.

  Cupids & Crooks A trip to an all-inclusive resort in Cabo San Lucas. No work and all play was all that was on her mind until well renowned Mexican soap opera star, Lucia Vegas, turned up dead in the hotel pool. Accident it was not and Presley couldn’t help but wonder what had happened. Then she met reporter, Belinda, who told her the theory that Lucia was just one of a string of murders targeting young actresses. Vacation or not, Presley had to find the murderer!

  Purchase here.

  Vows & Victims Back in Alkon for her best friends wedding, Presley shaded her eyes with her hands and leaned against the front window to eliminate glare so she could see in better. She looked around and could see Katy had replaced the tile colors with a softer blue, which gave the salon a much lighter feel than it had before. As she looked around she saw a mannequin sitting, or rather slumped over in one of the hair styling chairs. Why would Katy have a mannequin in there? Or was it a mannequin? She squinted to see better and almost wished She hadn’t. Holy crap, that was most certainly not a mannequin. Presley reached for her phone thinking where were the odd
s this would happen to her twice. She had just found a dead body.

  Purchase here.

  Romance & Revenge Someone is trying to sabotage the company Presley’s best friend Jared works for by leaking company documents to other firms who are then upstaging their presentations. To take her mind off Cooper, Presley tries to help the owner figure out who wants to ruin the company but it’s not really working.

  Presley and Cooper are on a break or are they broken up? It was never really clarified and she just found out he’s in town and he hasn’t called. Is he avoiding her? What does that mean?

  Are they done for good?

  Purchase here.

  Accessories & Alibis Presley buys a failing retail boutique, Silk, and on the first day of business ownership the store manager Roxanne is arrested for murdering her boyfriend. Roxanne insists she’s innocent and asks for Presley’s help.

  Presley believes her and tries to help while getting the boutique up and running just to find out someone has been paying themselves from company funds? Who is stealing from Silk and is there more to Rod and Roxanne’s relationship than meets the eye?

  Purchase here.

  If you enjoy reading about Presley’s adventures then you won’t want to miss reading about Trixie Pristine and her friends Berklie and Sophie.

  A Day in the Life of Trixie Pristine

  In this short story prequel, Trixie and her friends Berklie and Sophie, considered themselves typical thirty something females until someone turned up murdered in their newly opened bookstore/wine bar. They thought they would be living out their dream in their new shop not trying to catch a killer. Who killed Sylvia and why? Or was one of them the intended target?

  Purchase here.

  Books Aren’t Just for Reading

  In this cozy mystery, Trixie and her friends, Berklie and Sophie, are excited about the opening of Read/Wine their new business venture of a bookstore/wine bar. All is going well until they happen to find a dead body in the shop and that wasn’t part of the business plan. All signs pointed to Berklie since it was her ex-husbands lover who was murdered. Trixie knew Berklie hadn’t murdered Sylvia so who did?

  Purchase here.

  Cupcakes Aren’t Just for Eating

  Trixie, Berklie, and Sophie are enjoying the success of their new business and planning for Sophie’s upcoming wedding when one of their customers dies after eating a baked good. If that wasn’t bad enough for they start receiving hang up calls. At first they chalk it up to a wrong number or kids playing pranks but soon the caller reveals himself. It’s Stephen and he’s back, making good on his threat. He wants his money back or else. The fact that the police confiscated it doesn’t matter to him. He wants it back and has given them a deadline. A deadline they need to meet before anyone else ends up dead.

  Finding out Sophie’s fiancé Jonathan isn’t who he says he is a shock, but his alter ego might come in handy getting Stephen to leave them alone. But with this much money at stake Stephen is pretty motivated? Will they be able to find a way to catch him? Can Sophie forgive Jonathan in time for the wedding?

  Purchase here.

  Get the first three Trixie books PLUS Athena’s Holiday as a boxed set.

  Read the first book in the new Athena Parks series.

  Athena’s Holiday

  Meet Athena Parks, thirty something law professor who on a whim invites a guy she just met, Tristan West, home with her for the holidays. As crazy as it might seem she was willing to risk him being an ax murder in order to have a buffer between her and her mom. They had that kind of relationship.

  Things were going well and she couldn’t deny there was chemistry between them. Maybe this was a sign she had finally found a good guy. Until her uncle Peter recognized Tristan. Who wasn’t Tristan at all. Who was he?

  Purchase here.

  Athena’s Law

  Athena Parks, law professor, has accepted a one-year teaching contract at Hartford Law School and hoped it would be the start of her dream career. However, what should have been a quiet summer teaching took a turn for the opposite when Athena found Bill, the professor she was replacing, murdered in his office.

  Athena was curious to find out more, especially because Bill had been taking leave to defend alleged embezzler, Randall Whittier. It was a high profile case and she assumed they were related. Deciding to drive by Bills house, just to check it out, she ran into Randall and after chatting found he was a likable guy and her gut told her he was innocent. But the question still remained, who killed Bill. And who broke into Athena’s car and house. Someone was looking for something but what?

  Purchase here.

  Other books by Laina Turner…

  Raising Awareness for Multiple Sclerosis is a cause Laina is passionate about due to her mother suffering from the disease.

  The MS Project – Volume 1 A collection of stories of people afflicted by MS or who have loved ones afflicted. This book is meant to be informational regarding the disease as experienced by real people and to showcase the amazing strength people find when facing adversity.

  Purchase here.

  The MS Project – Volume 2 An inspiring collection of stories by people who have Multiple Sclerosis. These wonderful people give us a glimpse of their life with MS, their courage, and their determination to live the life they want regardless of the obstacles in their way.

  Purchase here.

  The MS Project – Volume 3 The third installment in a collection of stories by individuals with Multiple Sclerosis. These stories give us a glimpse of their life and how they find the strength to live life to the fullest in the face of adversity.

  Purchase here

  Check out my website at http://www.lainaturner.com, sign up for my mailing list (and get a free short story), or download my iPhone app, Laina Turner, to be updated on upcoming books and events.

  All About Ebook Marketing in the process of being updated – due out summer 2015

  All I Know About e-Book Marketing, is a short book, because I, by no means, claim to know all there is to know about e-book marketing, nor am I even an expert. What I am is experienced in what not to do, enough that I have somehow stumbled on to a few things that actually work and I want to pass that on to other authors. I hope this book will give you at least a few nuggets of helpful of information.

  A little about me…

  As a child I thought I would either be a truck driver (thanks to Jerry Reed in Smokey and the Bandit) or work at Taco Bell (my favorite restaurant as a child). As I grew older I realized my talents lay in academics and business and for the last several years have been a business consultant and college professor where I use the analytical side of my brain and not the side that makes up stories.

  Through all my career choices I continued to have a passion for writing. This stemmed from childhood where as an only child I developed a vivid imagination spending most of my time making things up and thinking the Incredible Hulk lived in my closet.

  Proud of my vast experiences in life from barrel racing to being on the dance team for a semi pro basketball team to being a mom of 2 amazing kids, I tell my family and friends that no one is safe from their escapades slipping in to my books.

  Taking the plunge to write books (cozy mysteries and chick lit) that I actually let people read in 2010, I have worked my way up to being a real author, having 5 fans (maybe 6 now). My blog, The Art Of Living Fabulously, was launched to share the daily fun in the life of a Real Housewife of the Midwest along with the musing of other fabulous ladies.

  You can also find me at:

  Laina’s Facebook Page

  Laina on Pinterest

  Laina on Twitter

  Laina on Google +

  Laina on You Tube

  Read some more fabulous books.

  Stilettos & Scoundrels Presley tells her boss what he can do with her job in HR and embarks on a new career as a freelance journalist. What seems like a simple interview with a Senator turns to murder when the day after her interview the Senato
r turns up dead. Does the fact that Presley was one of the last people to see him alive make her a suspect? Her ex-boyfriend Cooper, who was in charge of the Senators security, might think so. Presley is determined to clear her name but can she do it and resist Cooper’s charms?

  Purchase here.

  Necklaces & Nooses After getting fired from her HR job, Presley now works at high-end fashion boutique Silk. She loves her job until one day when she finds her boss dead in a fitting room! She thinks its suicide; Solange was going through a messy divorce. Until the handsome detective, Willie Landon, discovers its homicide. Who would want to kill a storeowner? Presley’s not sure, but she’s determined to find out. Especially, if it means spending more time with the cute detective.

  Purchase here.

  Handbags & Hooligans

  Presley went to Vegas to watch her friend Anna get married and the event turned into solving the mystery of her brother’s girlfriend disappearance. But Ashley wasn't exactly the schoolteacher she appeared to be. Who was she and was she kidnapped?

  Purchase here.

  And the holiday short…Mistletoe & Murder

  Presley heads home to celebrate Christmas with her family expecting it to be a relaxing holiday until her old boyfriend, Brian, unexpectedly shows up at her parents’ house on Christmas Eve. He is desperate for her help finding out who has been stealing from his business and Presley is happy to help. However, things turn more serious when Brian calls her Christmas morning to tell her, Tommy, the guy he thought might have been stealing from him was found dead at his shop. The more Presley investigates, the more things don’t add up. Even if Tommy was the thief who killed him and why? Secrets don’t last long in small towns.

  Purchase here.

  Gems & Gunshots

  In this cozy mystery, Presley heads to San Diego to hang out with Cooper and enjoy the great west coast weather. She didn’t expect that while hanging out at the local coffee shop she would be a witness to a robbery and murder at Gemstone’s Unlimited. Much to Cooper’s dismay Presley feels compelled to investigate. She discovers that not only was the store owner a womanizer but also was filing false insurance claims for diamonds that weren’t really stolen. Was that why he was being blackmailed? Was that why someone robbed his store? Presley’s determined to find out!