Murder at the Con: a novella
Page 11
“I’m an idiot,” Quinn sighed without looking at her. “I just thought…well, we had such a good time together, and we were…I mean I thought we were good in bed. And I had the stupid idea that maybe you’d want to stay another day so we could sort of…spend more time together without everything getting in the way.” She crumpled the ball of shredded paper and threw it on the table. “I’m sorry. I should have known you were only in it as a conference fling.”
“You want me to stay another night?” Landry’s heart raced at the implications. “You aren’t giving me the ‘thanks for the good time’ speech?”
“What?” Quinn frowned. “No. Why would I do that when I don’t want you to leave…ever?”
Landry’s smile lit up the booth. “Yes.”
“Yes?”
“Yes, I can stay another night. Yes, I want to stay another night.” She took Quinn’s hand. “And I don’t want to leave either. Ever.”
They held hands and gazed at each other for a long moment, until Quinn said, “I hate to say this, hell, I hate to even have to bring it up, but I should go check on Genny.” She squeezed Landry’s hand.
“Oh no, I understand,” Landry responded. She was too happy with the way things were between them to mind the interruption. “She’s probably wondering what’s happened.”
“But, I don’t want to leave you here alone.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll camp out on the couch in the lobby if they can’t extend my room for another night.”
“Mmm, about that.” Quinn paused. “Why don’t you just come home with me?” When Landry looked surprised, she hurried on. “I mean…if you want to.”
“You want me to stay with you tonight?” Landry wanted to make sure she understood the situation.
“Yes. That’s exactly what I want.” Quinn held her breath.
“I would love to go home with you…”
“And?” Quinn prompted her when her voice trailed off.
“And sleep in your bed.”
Quinn sucked in a breath as a rush raced straight to her groin. “Jesus! You don’t know what you do to me,” she whispered.
“Oh, I hope it’s something close to what you do to me.”
They stared at each other a moment before they both smiled.
“Okay. I should go now. I mean, I don’t want to go, but I have to, so I can come back to get you.”
Landry laughed softly. “Yes, okay. Go. Be quick though.”
Quinn stood. “Count on it.”
****
Genny looked much healthier than the last time Quinn saw her. She was sitting up in bed and the color had returned to her cheeks. Quinn tapped on the open door before entering. She was met with a scowl.
“Back to put me in handcuffs?” Genny snapped.
“No.”
“Then why are you here?”
“I wanted to let you know that you are no longer a suspect, and to tell you that we’ve arrested the murderer of Eileen Adams.” She stood at the foot of Genny’s bed. “I’m sorry for the mix up.”
“Who was it?”
“It was your friend, Sharon Sumptner.”
“What?” Genny fairly screeched at the pronouncement. “That’s a lie!”
“I’m sorry,” Quinn said. “I caught her at the airport this morning attempting to flee.” She touched her tender cheekbone. “She hit me in the face, and pepper sprayed me trying to get away.”
Genny frowned. “No, that can’t be. Sharon has a temper, but she wouldn’t do anything like that.”
“I’m sorry,” Quinn repeated. “I know this must be a shock. But she confessed once we had her in custody. She said she should have gotten the reviewer job instead of Eileen. And she insisted that Eileen had slept with the hiring manager to get the job.” Quinn studied Genny’s reaction. She was obviously confused. “I guess she took the rejection much worse than you thought.”
“Sharon killed Eileen because of the reviewer’s job? That’s a ridiculous reason to kill somebody.”
Quinn nodded. “Yes, it is.” She took a step back. “The people in your business seem to have very strong opinions about grammar. One of the last things Sharon said was how Eileen didn’t know how to use something called the Oxford Comma.” She cocked her head to the side. “What the hell is an Oxford Comma and why is it so important?”
Genny stared vacantly at her. “It’s a series of commas used to separate items in a sentence. There have been strong words exchanged over its use for years.”
Quinn sighed. “I had already begun to think the people in your business were sort of flakey, but now I’m positive they’re completely unbalanced.”
Genny gave her a wan smile. “But that’s what makes them so interesting, isn’t it?”
Quinn chuckled.
“But…how did the Chapstick end up with my belongings?”
Quinn sighed. “Sharon put it there. Apparently she was using you to divert suspicion away from her.”
“She tried framing me?”
Quinn looked down at the white hospital blankets, then the plastic bracelet on Genny’s wrist, anywhere to keep from looking at Genny’s hurt. The poor girl had been through hell in the past twenty-four hours–from near death, to nearly being arrested, to finding out she was framed by her best friend. Quinn sighed. “Again, I’m sorry for all of this. You seem like a sweet person.” Quinn moved to the door. “I’m glad you’re recovering, Ms. Gillespie. I hope you are allowed to go home soon. Take care.”
Quinn mulled over what she said to Genny as she drove back to the hotel. Were these women crazy? Well, Sharon obviously was. She touched her cheek again and wondered if it might be bruising. Did that mean Landry was crazy, too? She thought about that until she parked in the hotel lot. “Really?” Quinn said aloud to herself as she walked toward the entrance. “Who in their right mind thinks grammar is that important?” She shook her head. She might have to re-think this writer-as-lover situation.
She entered the hotel and the first thing she saw was Landry sitting in the lobby waiting for her, her luggage beside her. A thrill zinged down her spine and she smiled in spite of her most recent thought. Landry stood like a cat uncurling from a nap, all languid limbs and fluid motion. Who was she kidding? She’d take crazy if that meant having Landry in her life.
Quinn stopped and watched as Landry crossed the lobby toward her.
“How did it go at the hospital?”
Quinn was already lost in Landry’s eyes. “Uh, huh.”
Landry raised her brow in question. “Uh, huh? What does that mean?”
Quinn shook her head. “Um, I’m sorry. What did you say?”
Landry laughed. “We’ll talk about it later. Did you still want me to stay at your place tonight?”
“Yes! Did you check out? Let’s grab your bags. I’ll help you carry them out to the car.”
Landry took her hand.
Quinn flushed in embarrassment. “Did I sound just a little frantic?”
“No.” Landry smiled. “You sounded a lot frantic, and I loved it.”
Epilogue
Landry stared at the computer screen. She was stuck. She couldn’t think of a thing to write. No bad guys, no good girls, no delicious sex scenes. Nothing.
Maybe she just needed a good character name. Maybe if she found the perfect name it would inspire her to write a perfect story to go with it. She opened a browser window and typed in her search criteria…A Great Woman’s Name. She hit enter and waited scant seconds. Oh Lord, she should have known. Catherine the Great. She sighed. Shit. Then she laughed. Well, Catherine was a great name. The phone rang, saving her from self-induced hysteria. She looked at Caller ID and smiled. It was Ellery. “Hi, honey.”
“Hey babe, you got a minute?”
“I have several. What’s up?”
“I’ve got an interesting case. A woman’s body was found at the church on Pimpernel Street.”
“Hmm. Well, she was in the right place if she needed saving first.” Landry was alr
eady shutting down her computer.
“If you believe in that kind of thing,” Quinn said.
“You don’t?”
“Babe, you’re the one that saved me. That’s all I need to know.”
“Ditto!”
“I thought you might like to tag along. It could be something you might use in one of your books.”
Landry smiled. “See you in ten minutes…I love you.”
“I love you, too.” Quinn flipped her phone shut and turned back to the crime scene. “Okay boys, let’s get started.”
The End
About Taylor James
Words and books have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. It would be a nice summer day, and I’d be inside reading a book even as a kid. I can remember obsessively reading the back of the cereal box every morning at breakfast when I was in grade school. I’m sure Mother thought she was raising the weirdest kid ever. And let’s not forget how satisfying it was to hear my pen scribbling across the page. I worked on my penmanship, wanting it to be beautiful. I remember copying parts of my favorite books--wishing I had been the one to come up with those words.
In my early years I wanted nothing more than to hold a book in my hands and have the name of the author be mine. Life, though, tends to ignore whatever plans you make as a youngster. I kept writing anyway. Extra money went for paper and pens. I love the way a well-crafted pen has that perfect balance and weight. My friends would put their name on the list to be the one to read my stuff next. They said it was good. And my friends wouldn’t lie to me. Would they??? Nevertheless, I kept on writing.
I can’t help myself. This thing is an addiction. This writing thing. My only hope is that my addiction will produce something that will entertain you.
Thank you all for your support. It allows me to further indulge in my passion.
Autographs for Kindle books at: Authorgraph.com
Facebook page: facebook.com/taylor.james
Website: www.TaylorJamesWrites.com
About Riley Adair Garret
Riley Adair Garret wrote her first story at the age of twelve, nestled away in her mother’s closet. Since then she’s had a passion for writing and holds a Masters Degree in English. Her first job as a Copywriter was writing product descriptions for a large home improvement retailer. Yes, Riley learned to find hardware and fertilizer interesting. From there she moved on to become the senior writer/editor of all types of copy including press releases, websites, editorials, medical blogs, professional journal articles, brochures, etc. At the present time, Riley is employed as a blogger and book editor.
When Riley is not working, writing, or editing, she often has a major remodeling or landscaping project underway. Her other interests include swimming, hiking, Ultimate Frisbee, tennis, or anything else outdoors. Riley has recently been spending time in Texas.
Other books by Riley Adair Garret
Andi Unwrapped
ISBN - 978-1-939062-28-4
Andi has led a sheltered life but it is time for her to break out.
Andi Mattison, a soon to be forty single mom, is starting her life over and her first step is to go back to college. Having recently walked away from a controlling and abusive husband, Andi welcomes the chance to think for herself. Her Liberal Arts education has her re-examining her life, her ideas, questioning her future, her religion, and her sexuality. However, when Andi falls for her lesbian professor, her education becomes anything but academic.
Britt Avery has just turned fifty and has never been lucky in love. She left her husband. Her first female love left her, and she hasn’t had a lasting or serious relationship since. Those factors alone are enough to deter her from a relationship. But add the fact that her new interest is one of her students, ten years her junior, and Britt Avery professor of English begins writing an intricate, complex narrative.