Linda struggled under me, wailing, screaming, desperate to keep the gun in her possession.
I ducked as she swung the gun at my head. I pinned Linda with my forearm and yanked the pistol from her hand.
Breathing heavily, I tossed it to the side.
“Police! No one move!” Ted, Jasper and Steve filled the room.
I kept Linda flattened on the floor. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to play with guns? You’re lucky you didn’t kill yourself.”
“Faith, are you okay?” Steve dragged me off of Linda. Ted yanked her to her knees, then cuffed her. I pushed strands of hair out of my face and dusted off my pants.
“She couldn’t have hurt me. The safety was on.” I stood. “She killed Michael.”
“We know.” Steve and Ted exchanged a look.
“Isn’t that great?” I jammed my hands on my waist. “You both knew and neglected to tell me my employee was a murderer.”
Ted rolled his eyes. “Look how well that worked with Marilyn.”
Jasper led the wailing Linda out the back door.
“I’ll be right back,” Roget said, following Jasper and the criminal mastermind.
The adrenaline in my body evaporated. Lightness filled my head and I swayed.
“Want help?” Steve wrapped an arm around me, drawing me close.
“I need to sit.”
Steve lowered us to the cool tile floor, now wrapping both arms around me.
For a moment, I allowed myself the luxury of basking in the safety and snuggled into his embrace. My eyes drifted close and I wished I could stay there. Steve smoothed a hand down my hair then rested his cheek on top of my head.
“I should’ve listened to you. Thank God Roget’s brother did.” He whispered into my hair. “She could’ve…” He cleared his throat.
I forced my lids opened and looked at Steve. The feelings he had for me were clear in his eyes. I took in a deep breath. “You can’t like me like that.”
A small smile flashed on Steve’s face then faded. “And why not?”
“Because it would hurt you if you did.”
He trailed a finger down my cheek. “It hurts me when I pretend I don’t.”
It was time. See if he stayed or went. “I was almost a convicted felon.”
“Then maybe I should look into working for a defense firm. I’ll change careers. I can be a carpenter. A private eye.” A light sparked in his eyes and he placed a quick kiss on my lips. “Don’t worry, Roget wouldn’t have arrested you. I think he finds your interference a little amusing.”
I didn’t elaborate, allowing Steve to think I meant Ted. Now wasn’t the time for confessions. Besides, I’d rather let things continue as they were: friendship with a soul-shaking kiss every now and then.
I pushed out of his embrace. “Don’t do that.”
“What?” He pulled back and traced a finger around my mouth.
“That. And get into the detective business. Trust me, it’s a lousy job.”
“Remember that the next time you think about getting involved in a case.” Steve stood and helped me up.
“I seriously doubt there will be a next time. How did you and Ted figure out it was Linda?”
“I wanted to help out by making a layout for your contest. I went through my pictures from the show and noticed some near the scene of the crime. I took the memory card to Roget and he enlarged the area.”
“And he saw Linda.”
“Yep. Then Bob called and we came straight here.” Steve nodded toward the front window. “There’s also the fact Annette Holland saw it all through the window.”
Annette’s nose was pressed against the glass. She waved to me and held out her cell phone.
Bright and early the next morning, Marilyn raced into Scrap This. “Thank you!” She wrapped her arms around me and squeezed.
I hugged back, then gently pried her grip from around my neck. “You’re welcome.”
No sooner had I escaped her clasp, Sierra pushed past me and hugged Marilyn.
“I’m so glad you’re back. Let me tell you what’s been going on here.” Sierra draped an arm around Marilyn and bumped me out of the way with her hip.
So that was how it was going to be. Well, Marilyn was grateful for my sleuthing, so she’d give me the opportunity to tell her the real story.
Darlene maneuvered around us and hung up the new entries that trickled in. Being down two employees, and short on cash, convinced my grandmothers and me to accept Darlene’s offer of free help.
Over her head, my eyes caught the sight of a handsome assistant prosecuting attorney. Steve wore faded jeans and a dark blue t-shirt, a hint of tattoo showed where his t-shirt bunched up from holding a motorcycle helmet under his arm. On a work day. Steve was revealing another side of him. Maybe there was more “bad boy biker” to him than I knew.
My heart twittered and then spun out of control when I spotted Ted standing in the corner. He stared at me, an unreadable expression on his face.
Hank and the Hooligans had arrived with a balloon bouquet and a cake. “Heard there was a need for a party. Welcome back, Marilyn.”
“I knew I could count on you,” Sierra rushed over to her husband and linked arms with him. The happily married couple shot a glare at me, then focused on Marilyn, all smiles and laughter.
“Good job, Miss Private Eye.” Steve placed one around my shoulders and the other around my waist and reeled me into his arms. He frowned when I remained rigid.
“I didn’t do such a good job.” I nodded toward the newcomers.
“Sierra will come around. Give her time.” Steve tipped my chin up, his gaze devouring my lips.
“My grandmothers are watching,” I whispered.
Laughter rumbled from him. “I don’t think they’ll mind.” Seriousness deepened the chocolate brown of Steve’s eyes. “Do you?”
Ted saluted me and walked out the door. My emotions felt like a roller coaster. Up and down, fast then slow, high in the air with anticipation and then plummeting to the ground in dread.
Steve cupped my face in his hands and lowered his mouth to mine.
Behind us, two little boys made retching sounds while a third burst into tears.
“But I cleaned up all the mess,” Henry wailed. “I thought Miss Faith liked me best.”
Reader’s Discussion Guide
1. Faith finds herself guilted into helping a friend. Have you ever been in a similar situation and how did you react?
2. Do you think Faith’s decision to keep her past hidden stops her from moving past it? Do you think she is being unfair to her friends and family by not allowing them the opportunity to help her through it? How do you think her keeping her past from her grandmothers will affect their relationship?
3. Faith risks the skeletons coming out of her closet to help a friend. Do you find Faith’s willingness to risk her reputation for a friend as a strength or weakness in this situation?
4. This story offers a glimpse into the competitive side of the hobby. Did this view surprise you or not?
5. After Scrap This is vandalized, a reporter writes an inaccurate description of a class and it works in the scrapbook store’s benefit. Have you ever had an error work out in your favor?
6. Do you think Faith’s drive to right the wrongs done to her hampers her ability to solve the case? Because she makes impetuous decisions? Or do you think her experience helps her to keep strong when others doubt her?
7. Detective Ted Roget’s feelings toward Faith change as the case progresses. Does his growing attraction affect how he pursues the case? Do you think his attraction factored into his decision of revealing to Faith what he learned about her?
8. During the course of the investigation, Faith discovers information that places a friend’s husband on her suspect list. Do you think Faith handled this twist well? Do you think her friend’s reaction was fair?
9. Steve finally voices his feelings to Faith rather than just showing them through his actions.
Why did his words have a bigger impact on Faith than his actions? How does the declaration now change their ‘safe’ relationship?
10. Part of Faith’s job is coming up with classes for the scrapbooking store. Have you ever taken a scrapbook class, or any class, to learn a new hobby or skill?
11. When she’s feeling overwhelmed, Faith finds scrapbooking lessens her stress. What activities do you find as a pick me up? Do you enjoy them as often as you should?
12. Faith had previously closed herself off to relationships, now she’s willing to reconsider that stance. Who do you think is the better fit for Faith: Steve or Ted, and why?
CHRISTINA FREEBURN
Christina Freeburn wrote her first book in the ninth grade, mostly during algebra class (which she doesn’t recommend). She served in the JAG Corps of the US Army and also worked as a paralegal, librarian, and secretary. She lives in West Virginia with her husband, children, a dog, and a rarely seen cat except by those who are afraid or allergic to felines. When not writing or reading, she can be found in her scrapbook area among layouts, paper, bling and stuffed Disney characters. Her novel, Cropped to Death, brings together her love of mysteries, scrapbooking, and West Virginia.
If you enjoy humorous mysteries,
you might like these from Henery Press…
As a struggling waitress and part-time college student, Rose Strickland’s life is stalled in the slow lane. But when her close friend, Axton, disappears, Rose suddenly finds herself serving up more than hot coffee and flapjacks. Now she’s hashing it out with sexy bad guys and scrambling to find clues in a race to save Axton before his time runs out.
With her anime-loving bestie, her septuagenarian boss, and a pair of IT wise men along for the ride, Rose discovers political corruption, illegal gambling, and shady corporations. She’s gone from zero to sixty and quickly learns when you’re speed-ing down the fast lane, it’s easy to crash and burn.
Available Now For more details, visit www.henerypress.com
In Halo, Georgia, folks know Cherry Tucker as big in mouth, small in stature, and able to sketch a portrait faster than buckshot rips from a ten gauge -- but commissions are scarce. So when the well-heeled Branson family wants to memorialize their murdered son in a coffin portrait, Cherry scrambles to win their patronage from her small town rival.
As the clock ticks toward the deadline, Cherry faces more trouble than just a controversial subject. Between ex-boyfriends, her flaky family, an illegal gambling ring, and outwitting a killer on a spree, Cherry finds herself painted into a corner she’ll be lucky to survive.
Available Now For more details, visit www.henerypress.com
Private Investigator Liz Talbot is a modern Southern belle: she blesses hearts and takes names. She carries her Sig 9 in her Kate Spade handbag, and her golden retriever, Rhett, rides shotgun in her hybrid Escape. When her grandmother is murdered, Liz high-tails it back to her South Carolina island home to find the killer.
She’s fit to be tied when her police-chief brother shuts her out of the investigation, so she opens her own. Then her long-dead best friend pops in and things really get complicated. When more folks start turning up dead in this small seaside town, Liz must use more than just her wits and charm to keep her family safe, chase down clues from the hereafter, and catch a psychopath before he catches her.
Available Now For more details, visit www.henerypress.com
Baggage claim can be terminal. These are the stories of what happened after three women with a knack for solving mysteries each grabbed the wrong bag.
MIDNIGHT ICE by Diane Vallere: When interior decorator Madison Night crosses the country to distance herself from a recent breakup, she learns it’s harder to escape her past than she thought, and diamonds are rarely a girl’s best friend.
SWITCH BACK by Kendel Lynn: Ballantyne Foundation director Elliott Lisbon travels to Texas after inheriting an entire town, but when she learns the benefactor was murdered, she must unlock the small town’s big secrets or she’ll never get out alive.
FOOL’S GOLD by Gigi Pandian: When a world-famous chess set is stolen from a locked room during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, historian Jaya Jones and her magician best friend must outwit actresses and alchemists to solve the baffling crime.
Available December 2012
For more details, visit www.henerypress.com
THANKS FOR READING!
Table of Contents
Copyright
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
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
Reader’s Discussion Guide
Table of Contents
Copyright
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
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
Reader’s Discussion Guide
Cropped to Death Page 23