by Laina Turner
Katy looked at me surprised. “You’re going to do it? Mortgage the condo?”
“Already in motion. I just need to tell Jared and hope he doesn’t kill me.”
“I think he will understand. You’re following a dream.”
“I hope so.” I needed to tell him tonight, and I was a little nervous.
“So what happened with Roxanne?”
“She…” I started to say and then was interrupted by the door chiming again and Joyce walking in.
“Hi guys. What’s up?” she said and to me she seemed nervous.
“We wanted to talk to you for a minute,” I said.
“And it couldn’t wait until my shift tomorrow? Wow, must be important,” she said with a small laugh that sounded forced. As per her usual mode of dress she was in all black and while normally I liked her edgy look, tonight it just seemed hard and devious. Can an outfit look devious? Probably not, I was just exhausted and fried from the rest of my day and just not at all in a good mood or willing to give anyone else any benefit of the doubt.
“Is it about Roxanne?” she asked.
I shook my head. “No, it’s about you.
“Me? What’s going on?”
“Why don’t you tell us?” I said. Another old HR trick when I was investigating issues just allude to the fact you know more than you really do and then keep your mouth shut. People, usually, spilled the beans. They hated silence, and guilty people got paranoid thinking you knew more than you often did.
She looked from me to Katy and back to me again. “I don’t know.”
“Really? Come on Joyce just admit it. Admit it and let’s move on,” I said pushing a little bit. My gut told me I was right about this and the look on her face after what I just said confirmed it in my mind, and I didn’t feel like playing the back and forth game. I had gotten enough of that earlier with Roxanne and Rod.
She slumped and gave a big sigh. “I’m sorry. I am so sorry. How did you find out?”
“I didn’t really. I just had my suspicions, and you just confirmed it.” Twice in one day my instincts would be right. I just wish it didn’t make me feel so crappy.
“Oh,” she said softly.
“Can you at least tell me why?” I asked.
“I was trying to build my business up and I needed the money. I was planning on paying it back. Somehow, I swear. I just needed a loan, just a bit of edge to get me started.”
“I don’t understand how you did it. Did Roxanne give you the account numbers?” I asked.
She shook her head. “I saw her one day logging into the system and memorized the information, but I knew I couldn’t just move money that would be too obvious. I set up a reoccurring order with a small vendor and then make sure I was working on the days those shipments came in. I would hide the merchandise behind the dumpster, take a break, and put it in my car. The rest was easy. Roxanne didn’t pay attention to much,” she said apologetically.”
There was a long pause, and we just looked at each other. I felt sad. I had liked Joyce.
“Are you going to press charges?”
I hadn’t thought about what to do after this step. Technically I should call the police. She had stolen from Silk and who knows exactly how much. The records being as they were that would be hard to prove. I was probably stupid, but I didn’t want to press charges. I just wanted this to be over.
“No. I hope I don’t end up regretting this, but I don’t want to ruin your life by pressing charges.”
Her face broke out in a smile, and she grabbed me in a hug, tears in her eyes when she let go. “Presley, I promise you, you won’t regret it at all.”
“I will hold you to that.”
“I know this is probably a stupid idea but if you let me make it up to you, I would work it off here for free,” she asked hesitantly. “I want to pay it back. I do.”
That was an interesting idea, and I believed her. But she had been stealing from me and even if I wanted to cut her a break I’m not sure I was willing to take the chance of having her still work for me and tonight wasn’t the night to even try and think about it. “Let me think about it.”
“Fair enough. Call me?” She said, hesitantly.
I nodded, “Now go on and get out of here.”
“That was nice of you,” Katy said once Joyce had left. “The way you handled it, I mean.”
“I have my moments. I hope she just made a mistake and that I’m not going to look like an idiot not turning her into the police, but I’ve had enough of the police for the day.”
“Sometimes you just have to take a chance on people. Now fill me in on what happened. I’m dying over here. I don’t even know what made you think it could be Roxanne and Rod.”
I grabbed my coat and purse so we could start walking out to the parking lot.
“I just kept thinking about those Ukrainian guys Rod and Roxanne claimed to not know and all Roxanne’s lies and I had a hunch that Rod and Roxanne were in this together. It made sense, sort of; they were both mad at Drew and both stood to gain. Thought in different ways. I called Willie and told him what I was thinking, and he didn’t think I was crazy. I told him I thought if we got them together they would admit it. He finally agreed and had the police waiting outside the Whole Pi offices. When we went in, I hit speed dial, and then sat my phone face down on the conference table so he could hear everything. No one thinks twice about having your phone out these days. They both finally admitted their parts though Roxanne held out for longer than I expected. Rod killed Drew, but Roxanne had him so manipulated it’s not even funny. He had no idea what hit him.”
“And who were those Ukrainian guys.” She asked.
“Roxanne’s cousins. And there’s more to tell you about them too. I’m just tired and need a glass of wine first. Maybe three”
“At least it’s over with.”
“I know and now all my focus can be on Silk where it should be.”
We reached our cars in the lot. As I unlocked mine, I said, “Meet me back at home and help me get the courage to tell Jared I’m putting a second mortgage on the condo.”
“That sounds perfect.”
“It would only be more perfect if Cooper and Dirt were here.”
“I know but at least we have each other.”
“That is so true, friend. See you at home.”
THE END
If you loved this book, I know you’ll enjoy the rest of my novels. Scroll through the titles below, or check out my website at http://www.lainaturner.com. If you sign up for my mailing list you will receive a free book! Thank you for reading!
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?
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Necklaces & Nooses
When Presley’s boss is found hanging she thinks its suicide until the police discover its homicide. Who would want to kill a boutique owner? Presley’s not sure but she’s determined to find out. The cute detective assigned to the case makes it all the more exciting.
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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?
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And the holiday short…Mistletoe & Murder
In this holiday short story, Presley goes home for Christmas expecting it to be a relaxing holiday until her old boyfriend, Brian, asks for her help finding out who has been stealing from him and it
turns from theft to murder. Why would anyone want to kill Tommy and what was he hiding?
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Gems & Gunshots
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 storeowner 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!
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Get the first 5 Presley Books PLUS the short story A Day in the Life of Trixie Pristine in the Presley Thurman boxed set.
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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.
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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!
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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 odds this would happen to her twice. She had just found a dead body.
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Romance & Revenge
Coming out summer 2014
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?
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Accessories & Alibis
Coming out summer 2014
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?
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 in A Day in the Life of Trixie Pristine and Books Aren’t Just for Reading.
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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?
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Books Aren’t Just for Reading
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-husband’s lover who was murdered. Trixie knew Berklie hadn’t murdered Sylvia so who did?
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Cupcakes Aren’t Just for Eating
Trixie, Berklie, and Sophie are enjoying the success of their bookstore/coffee shop/wine bar, Read-Wine, and planning for Sophie’s upcoming wedding when they start receiving hang up calls. At first they chalk it up to a wrong number but soon the caller reveals himself. It’s Stephen making good on his threat. He wants his money back. 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 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 will he? Or are they in danger?
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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?
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Next in the series, Athena’s Law, due out 2014.
Athena Parks, law professor, has accepted a one year teaching contract at Hartford Law in Louisville, Ky to replace professor, Bill Peterson, who was taking a leave to defend embezzler, Randall Whittier. What should have been a quiet summer teaching summer school took a turn for the opposite when Athena found Bill murdered in his office.
Was Bill killed to keep him from defending Randall or was there something else at play here?
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Check out my website at 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.