by Rayna Morgan
“Let’s talk about your notion of opening an agency. How will Maddy feel? Your sister has always been part of your adventures.”
“She wants to keep her job at the furniture store but she’ll be as involved as ever. In truth, she’s delighted to have you on board to take over the chore of protecting me which she’s done on numerous occasions.”
“You’ve talked with her, too. Is there a purpose for this conversation or have you three decided for me?”
“Look at it this way. Paul and Tom will worry less if they know you’re behind our ventures.”
“Nothing will stop Paul and Tom from worrying about you and Maddy.” His eyes twinkled. “But I’ll have one less thing to worry about because I’ll know what you’re up to.”
Lea grinned. “We knew you would agree. Maddy’s already looking for an office. With her skill as an interior decorator, we’ll have the swankiest agency in town. I can see the sign now. Father and Daughters Detective Agency.”
“West Coast Investigators,” Warren suggested as he stood up and yawned.
Lea picked up the empty mugs. “Oceanside Detectives.”
“Conley and Austin Detective Agency,” he said as they entered the house.
“Shouldn’t that be in alphabetical order, Dad? Austin and Conley Detective Agency.”
“Don’t forget who has the credentials.”
# # # #
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• • •
Two sisters turn to crime - solving them, that is!
The day started with typical California June gloom. It turned into the starting point for ventures into the world of mystery and crime. A fascinating introduction to how the siblings broke into amateur sleuthing cracking a case full of nuts!
-Excerpt-
The driver’s eyes narrowed, piercing the morning fog in search of a familiar landmark. After navigating miles of roads with sharp curves and falling rock, the truck stop was a welcome sight. He exited the interstate and pulled his vehicle to an open pump.
The driver, a man with a long, patchy beard wearing a nylon windbreaker, hopped out, stuck a nozzle in the tank, and wiped the windshield with a squeegee. While he waited for the tank to fill, he threw his jacket onto the seat of the cab and ran a comb through hair sticking out under a Dodgers baseball cap.
He walked inside the convenience store to pay the cashier, a woman with steely blond hair and dark sunburn.
“I’m going to Buena Viaje. They still working on the road to the coast?” he asked.
“Yep. The westbound lane is closed for six miles. I guess we should be grateful the state has enough money to fix the potholes. I blew a tire on one of those things last month.”
“I’m hitting the traffic wrong, just in time for the morning commute,” he grumbled. He looked over her shoulder at pictures on the wall showing glimpses of breakfast specials at the 24-hour diner. She caught his eye as she handed him the change. “The waffles are good. I had ‘em this morning.”
“Yeah, I might as well be sitting here eating as waiting twenty minutes for a flagman to wave me through.”
“Move your truck to the lot in the back.”
“Sure thing.”
The driver emerged from the diner thirty minutes later rubbing his belly. Approaching his vehicle, he noticed one of the cargo doors swinging open. He ran around to the back and saw the broken lock dangling. The Sunny Orchards truck was empty. He threw his baseball cap on the ground and swore.
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Book Excerpt
Book 5 Sister Sleuths Mystery Series
-Excerpt-
Sandra watched with little enthusiasm as her husband’s truck entered the parking lot. Coming to her office meant he needed something, either money or to tell her he was going drinking with his buddies. She turned her attention to the files on her desk.
His entrance received a more enthusiastic response from the co-worker sitting across from her.
“Hi, Henry. Here to take your wife to dinner?” Donna asked. She hoped her suggestion might resonate for a change.
His response surprised them both. “That’s exactly what I’m here to do.”
He leaned over Sandra’s chair, kissing the back of her neck.
“What do you say, baby? How about Tony’s for lasagna?”
Sandra’s response was biting. “I expected you to ask for money. It’s almost the end of the month. You’re usually broke by now.”
Henry’s smile faded, diminishing his boyish good looks. He removed his baseball cap and ran a hand through curly brown hair. Pushing aside a stack of folders, he sat on the corner of Sandra’s desk.
“I finished the landscaping at the Haroldson estate. The old man paid me in full. I’m flush, baby. Let’s go celebrate.”
“Go ahead, Sandra,” Donna said. “We’re nearly finished. Besides, invitations from your hubby don’t come often.”
Sandra knew her co-worker was trying to be helpful but she’d rather not go.
Henry’s attempts to be attentive are too little, too late, she thought.
Reluctantly, she pushed her chair back and grabbed her purse.
“I’ll go for one drink.”
“That’s more like it,” Henry said.
He tried to wrap his arm around his wife’s shoulder but she moved away from him.
On her way out, she looked at Donna. “I’ll be back soon to help you finish.”
• • •
Ian Alexander, the owner of the insurance agency, watched the couple climb into Henry’s truck. He reached for his phone and punched in a number.
“Sandra knows what we’ve been up to,” he blurted when his call was answered. “She’s upset because I’ve involved Henry.”
There was a pause, followed by a controlling voice. “What did she say?”
“You can hear for yourself,” Ian replied.
He pulled out a small recording device and played the tape of an earlier meeting. Near the end, he turned up the volume.
“Keep Henry out of it or I’ll expose your dirty little scheme.”
Ian shut off the device.
“Have she and Henry talked?” the voice asked.
“I don’t think so. He would have said something.”
“How did she find out?”
Ian’s temper flared. “How would I know? She’s obviously smart enough to put two and two together.”
“You’re the numbers whiz but I don’t like the way this adds up.”
“Neither do I,” Ian agreed. “It’s time to quit.”
“And leave money on the table? No way. Not until we dispose of the goods. Pull yourself together. Do you want me to come over and talk with her? I’ll straighten her out in a hurry.”
“You should stay out of it. I’ll keep an eye on her. Besides, she may not be around much longer.”
“What makes you think that?”
“When I told her false accusations were grounds for dismissal, she laughed. She said she’d be able to tell me to take my job and shove it before long.”
“What did she mean?”
“That’s all she said. I asked Donna if Sandra is thinking of resigning. All Donna heard was some far-fetched story about Sandra coming into enough money to stop working.”
“For her sake and yours, you better hope that story is true.”
“Is that a threat?”
“You know I won’t stand for loose ends, let alone loose cannons.”
The phone went dead.
Ian sat back, massaging his temples. He felt a headache coming on. He listened again to the final words from his office manager which he failed to play for the other man.
“Unless, of course, you’d like to cut me in.”
He erased the tape and reached for a bottle of pills.
• • •
Henry parked the truck and steered his wife through the entry of the wine bar. After seating them, the hostess presented a wine and appetizer list.
Sandra watched her husband study the menu as if he knew one wine from another. She knew he’d end up ordering the cheapest chardonnay. His usual taste ran to beer or tequila.
She didn’t want to think about his drinking. Those were the times she dreaded. Liquor brought out a mean side which caused him to strike out on more than one occasion.
“What’s going on with you and my boss? You've been so chummy lately.” Her voice became cold. “It’s not as though you two could ever be friends. You’re not in the same class.”
Henry winced. His wife’s comments could be biting. He knew it was her straightforward manner but some people found it offensive.
“Ian’s throwing work my way. I never turn down a chance to make money.”
“I won't argue about you earning more.”
Henry glanced over her shoulder. “Speaking of arguing…”
Sandra followed his line of vision. Her jaw tightened at the sight of the person walking toward them.
The woman’s beauty, hourglass figure, and bubbly personality drew all eyes as she moved through the tables, nodding to admirers along the way.
Henry stood to hug the blond-haired woman before pulling out a chair. “If it isn’t Brooke Fields, our favorite local newscaster.”
“Weathercaster, not newscaster.” Sandra’s lips turned into an ugly sneer as she corrected her husband.
Brooke accepted Henry’s embrace, holding him a moment longer than necessary before taking a seat.
“I’m with someone at another table, but it would be unfriendly not to say hello.”
“When did you worry about being a friend?” Sandra asked.
Brooke reached in front of Henry for a slice of cheese, her breast brushing his arm. She held his eyes and laughed, making him blush just as she had in high school.
She took a sip from Sandra’s wine.
“My favorite,” she said.
“Don’t bother to ask,” Sandra mumbled.
Brooke ignored the complaint. Her smile widened. “I don’t suppose you’ve changed your mind about joining our group of like-minded individuals? We’re having a get-together this weekend.”
“I told you before I’m not interested.” Sandra’s tone caused others to stare. Lowering her voice, she continued. “Doesn’t strutting in front of a TV camera wearing tight sweaters satisfy your craving for male attention?”
The wine glass froze on its way to Brooke’s lips. “I didn't know my actions failed to meet with your approval.”
Henry leaned between the women. “Play nice, you two.”
Brooke snorted. “You’re turning into a stuffy, boring married couple.”
Sandra wanted to throw her drink in the woman’s face. She settled for unleashing a malicious innuendo. “What if news got out about what you do when you aren’t on the air? I doubt the executives at your precious TV station would want that kind of publicity.”
Brooke’s face went pale as she bit her lower lip. The women glared at each other until Brooke turned away and the moment passed.
As Henry reached for the bill, Brooke covered his hand with hers.
“What do you say? You could come by yourself.”
“Forget it, Brooke. He’s not interested,” Sandra said firmly.
She grabbed her purse. “Let’s go, Henry. I need to get back to the office.”
Brooke shrugged. “Your loss.”
She waved over her shoulder as she sashayed back to her table, an ever-present smile plastered on her face.
• • •
Sandra noticed a grin playing across Henry’s lips as they drove away from The Cave.
“What’s so amusing?”
“The way Brooke pushes your buttons. It never fails. Put you two in the same room and the claws come out.”
“I can’t help it. She says things to make me angry. Asking us to take part in her little soiree when we've refused before.” She glanced sideways. “Unless you haven’t always turned her down.”
“Whoa, don’t get mad at me. You know I’m not into that scene.”
“There have been nights when you worked late.”
He threw a hostile look in her direction. “I didn’t think you noticed my absence. We talk more when we’re out for a drink than when we’re home alone.”
“You’re always watching sports on TV.”
“And you’re walking around the neighborhood.”
She defended her actions. “I’m not outdoors like you all day. I need the exercise.”
At the stoplight, he turned to face her. “Is that Nathan’s excuse as well?”
Her stomach flip-flopped. She held her breath. “What are you talking about?”
“I’ve seen you two walking down the street together.”
“At least we converse without my wanting to strangle him, the way I feel when I talk to Brooke,” she argued.
“She doesn’t affect others that way,” he said. “Her show is highly rated and she’s popular at public appearances. You're one of the few people she doesn’t get along with. It’s your chemistry. You trigger something that brings out the worst in each other.”
He parked in front of her office. A wave of sadness engulfed her, pulling her under like an ocean swell. She fought through it, knowing she couldn’t let emotion stand in her way.
Better to tell him in a place where he couldn’t express the rage she anticipated. She would stay at the office a while to give him a chance to cool off.
She dug her fingernails in the palm of her hand. “I don’t want to talk about Brooke. We need to talk about us and the fact that our marriage hasn’t worked. We’re two different people. We don’t want the same things. It’s no use pretending any longer. We should end it while we both have time to find what we’re looking for.”
Henry’s body tensed. The anger in his eyes turned her legs to jelly. His words came out as a growl. “You better not be saying what I think you’re saying.”
“We can’t go on this way,” she insisted. “We’ll end up destroying each other.”
He drummed his fingers on the dashboard. She heard the desperation in his voice. “We’ll see a counselor who can fix things. Everything will be good again.”
She opened her hand and saw the red marks. “It’s no good, Henry. I want to move on with my life.”
His voice was cold and unforgiving like his eyes. “Is there another man?”
She ignored his question and reached for the door.
He grabbed her arm. “Answer my question.”
“Take your hands off me.” Her voice was firm but her lower lip trembled.
He glanced toward the office where Donna was watching and loosened his grip.
Sandra slammed the door and hurried inside.
After several moments, he drove away.
• • •
She went straight to the bathroom when she entered the office, emerging moments later with red-rimmed eyes.
Donna gave Sandra a moment to compose herself. She knew about Sandra’s affair, but worried whether her friend's feelings were reciprocated. “What happened? I hope you didn’t tell Henry you want a divorce.”
Sandra frowned as she stared out the window. “As a matter of fact, I did. Moments ago.”
“While you were sitting in his truck? That’s cold.”
“It was better than being at home with him, especially since we’d been drinking.”
“How did he take it?”
“He offered to go to counseling. That’s a laugh. He’d go for one session and tell me what a fool the counselor is.”
“Are you sure you can’t make it work? You two were so happy. Every marriage has rough patches. Can’t you rekindle the spark enough to stay together?”
“It’s my fault as mu
ch as his." The pain in Sandra’s face aged her. “Being the girl the most popular guy in high school chose to marry was a thrill, but Henry and I were never well suited.”
Donna tried to encourage her. “People can have differences and still work as a couple.”
“I spent years pretending to be someone I wasn’t. The woman I thought Henry needed.”
“You aren’t still in love with him?”
“I haven’t loved him for some time,” Sandra said, sadly. “I’m not sure it was ever love. Only my idea of what love should be.”
“Why didn’t you end things sooner?”
“Besides worrying about hurting him, I’ve been unwilling to admit I made a mistake. But I can’t take it anymore. I see my life stretching ahead, getting worse and worse.”
Her face lit up for the first time. “And Nathan has come into my life. Finding him has given me the courage to do what I should have done years ago.”
Donna listened as Sandra gushed on about her visions of a future with her married lover. Talking about Nathan transformed her friend into a younger version of herself, but Donna feared an unhappy outcome.
Her cell phone rang. “Talking about husbands,” she told Sandra, “I need to go home to mine.”
She turned off her computer and grabbed her keys. “Don’t stay too long. We’ll finish tomorrow.”
“Yes, there’s always tomorrow,” Sandra replied absently.
• • •
Alone in the office, Sandra couldn't concentrate on the work. Instead of being relaxing, the drink with Henry unnerved her. Maybe it was seeing Brooke. She resolved for the umpteenth time not to let the silly woman bother her.
I shouldn’t have argued with Henry and sent him away. I could be eating a nice dinner right now at whatever restaurant he was planning to take me to.
Perhaps Donna’s right. I shouldn’t consider leaving him at all.
No, I can't think that way. Things have gone too far. I was afraid to make this break before. Now that I have a reason, I’ve got to go through with it.
The October air was turning chilly. She went to her car for a sweater. Wrapping the tunic around her shoulders, she noticed an unfamiliar vehicle at the end of the lot.