When they came up for air, she looked up at him. “We’re very different. I do see we could have problems.”
“That bothers you?”
“No.”
“I would’ve said before that problems didn’t bother you because you don’t see them, but you brought them up, so you must see them.”
She tipped her head, one eyebrow up. “Hazily. But I’m an optimist, you know.”
He quirked a smile. “I do know that.”
“And you’re not.”
“And I’m not,” he confirmed. “On the other hand, problems aren’t terminal. And I’m pretty good at solving them.”
She smiled broadly. “You are, aren’t you?”
“I am.”
“Detective Ford Belichek, I finally get to see those dimples Landis’ mother describes to her friends.”
EPILOGUE
Weeks later
Ford and Jamie walked into Imogen Wooton’s patio gate as she was escorting a young woman dressed in a wool jacket over jeans and conservatively casual boots out of her back door. The three dogs trickled out after them, greeting the newcomers with wagging tails and snuffling.
“Sorry, we didn’t know you had a guest,” Jamie said. “We wanted to drop off these cookies for you.”
They’d come to the Red Hill Street house to check on the reconstruction of the third floor. Jamie wanted an overhaul up there to banish bad memories from the space. In the meantime they were living at Belichek’s. After the reconstruction? They’d decide then.
“Come in, come in,” Imogen ordered. “She was just leaving.”
“Hello,” the young woman said to each of them with a shy smile.
Belichek held the gate open for her with a sense of familiarity.
Imogen Wooton cackled as she drew them inside. “Didn’t recognize her, huh. Not even the great detective.”
That nudge clicked the familiarity for Belichek. “Victorina.”
“Victorina?” Jamie’s voice skidded up. “No way.”
“Uh-huh. Phil’s moved out, moved on. Rumor is, he’s found someone new.”
“She doesn’t look very broken up about it.”
“She gets the house. It’s what she’s always wanted.”
“Decorated to her taste, huh?”
“Not at all. But she was quite adroit in having the workmen erect all that folderol of Phil’s as free-standing walls. Cost the idiot a fortune and he didn’t even know why.” She cackled again. “Like a spite house inside of another house. It’ll come out slick as a whistle. Then she can start restoring. She’s been consulting me and Garrison next door. Turn out there might be a connection between those two houses after all.”
She emitted a final cackle.
* * * *
Months later
Over. It was over.
The case finished. The news conference finished, the questions asked and answered.
Yes, a half dozen people with cameras — still and video — walked backward in front of them, snapping and videoing, as her family crossed the plaza, leaving the Fairlington County Courthouse. But this counted as barely a trickle compared to the height of the attention.
In a while even this interest would wane. It always did. No matter how notorious. No matter how intriguing. No matter how dramatic. Wasn’t she the proof of that?
Ally Lindell Northcutt allowed herself a small smile. Something she never did in public.
It was all over.
She tightened her hold where she had her left arm hooked through Jamie’s right, as Maggie did on the other side with J.D. Carson. Jamie’s parents and their family lawyer were behind them.
By rights Ford Belichek should have been with Jamie.
But by rights wouldn’t preserve his career. Jamie had been adamant about that.
Ally had watched her sweet cousin overrule the detective and make it stick. Though she suspected the dozen officers split to either side of them well out of camera range had been Bel’s doing.
She and her two cousins paused, just an instant, getting their rhythm for the three steps down to sidewalk level so they wouldn’t jostle each other in their locked-arm hold. Before that next step forward—
Sound.
A single sharp burst.
It swallowed the hearing in her right ear. Reverberated distantly in her left.
Before she could absorb that, she felt her hold on Jamie being torn away. She turned that way. Saw J.D. encompassing Maggie and Jamie in a flying tackle, his body between them and the street. From the corner of her eye, she saw Jamie’s parents huddle together, dropping low, even as they reached toward the three cousins.
They’d be okay.
With that thought, she released her hold on Jamie.
On the same instant, felt herself being brought down. Half turned toward her cousins, she couldn’t see by what.
“East. Shot came from the east.”
Somehow, she knew that was roared near her right ear by whoever had taken her to the ground, yet it came muffled to her.
“Are you hit? Ally. Are you hit?”
“No. I’m fine. Everyone else—?”
“She’s not hit. Anybody hit?” the same voice demanded.
From a great distance, she heard what sounded like Maggie, then Jamie’s father.
“Everyone’s okay. Stay down.” She’d started to try to rise, but felt herself firmly shoved down.
Then the covering body lifted before a new one draped over her.
How did she know it was a different body? She hadn’t seen—
“Stay there. All of you. Don’t move. Got them, Bel?”
“Got them.”
Jamie’s Detective Belichek was here. He gave orders sounding from that same muffled distance.
The officers who’d been along the sides, now stood between them and the street. They hustled the family backward to the courthouse doors, and inside.
They hugged each other and surreptitiously — or not so surreptitiously — checked for injuries.
Jamie’s dad said to the lawyer, “Thank you for protecting Ally. We couldn’t reach her.”
“It wasn’t—.” Ally bit off her correction.
Smell.
She knew that first protector.
But—
“That wasn’t me.” Behind her, the lawyer spoke a speed powered by fear and adrenaline. “The guy came from the police line. Wasn’t in uniform. He— There he is. That guy.”
Ally turned, first glimpsing a pair of trousers marred by ground-in grit at the knee, a streak of something on the thigh. The streak continued up the front of a suit jacket to…
“Tanner.”
That first protector’s smell. She did know it.
Had known it.
But her brain rebelled at her senses. It wasn’t possible…
“Tanner Landis?”
* * * *
The last woman Detective Tanner Landis is prepared to face is the one he must save. Ally Northcutt, the third cousin of The Innocence Trilogy.
Pre-order Premise of Innocence
now at selected retailers.
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Jamie, Maggie, Bel and J.D. ask if you’ll help spread the word about them and The Innocence Trilogy. You have the power to do that in two quick ways:
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To me — as an author and a reader — the goal is always to find a good author-reader match. By sharing your reading experience through recommendations and reviews, you become a vital matchmaker.
If you’d like to investigate P
atricia McLinn’s mysteries with humor and a hint of romance, try her Caught Dead in Wyoming series:
SIGN OFF
Divorce a husband, lose a career … grapple with a murder.
LEFT HANGING
Trampled by bulls — an accident? Elizabeth, Mike and friends must dig into the world of rodeo.
SHOOT FIRST
For Elizabeth, death hits close to home. She and friends must delve into old Wyoming treasures and secrets to save lives.
LAST DITCH
KWMT’s Elizabeth and Mike search after a man in a wheelchair goes missing.
LOOK LIVE
Elizabeth and friends take on misleading murder with help — and hindrance — from intriguing out-of-towners.
BACK STORY
Murder never dies, but comes back to threaten Elizabeth, her friends and KWMT team.
COLD OPEN
Elizabeth’s looking for a place of her own becomes an open house for murder.
HOT ROLL
One of Elizabeth’s team of investigators becomes a target.
REACTION SHOT
Homicide on the range, where clouds darken over Elizabeth.
BODY BRACE
Everything can change … except murder.
“Colorful characters, intriguing, intelligent mystery, plus the state of Wyoming leaping off every page.”
— Emilie Richards, USA Today bestselling author
And the Secret Sleuth series:
DEATH ON THE DIVERSION
Final resting place? Deck chair.
DEATH ON TORRID AVENUE
A new love (canine), an ex-cop and a dog park discovery.
DEATH ON BEGUILING WAY
No zen in sight as Sheila untangles a yoga instructor’s murder.
DEATH ON COVERT CIRCLE
Sheila and Clara are on the scene as a supermarket CEO meets his expiration date.
DEATH ON SHADY BRIDGE
A cold case heats up.
DEATH ON CARRION LANE
More small-town mystery.
“Move over Agatha Christie, there’s a new sleuth in town. Patricia McLinn has created a fabulous new murder mystery series with … wonderful characters, both human and canine, [and] an interesting backdrop. I highly recommend.”
— 5-star review
If you like Patricia’s romantic suspense, you might also try:
Ride the River: Rodeo Knights
Her rodeo cowboy ex is back … as her prime suspect.
Bardville, Wyoming series
A Stranger in the Family
A Stranger to Love
The Rancher Meets His Match
Explore a complete list of all Patricia’s books
Or get a printable booklist
Patricia’s eBookstore (buy digital books online directly from Patricia)
About the author
USA Today bestselling author Patricia McLinn spent more than 20 years as an editor at The Washington Post after stints as a sports writer (Rockford, Ill.) and assistant sports editor (Charlotte, N.C.). She received BA and MSJ degrees from Northwestern University.
McLinn is the author of more than 50 published novels, which are cited by readers and reviewers for wit and vivid characterization. Her books include mysteries, romantic suspense, contemporary romance, historical romance and women’s fiction. They have topped bestseller lists and won numerous awards.
She has spoken about writing from Melbourne, Australia, to Washington, D.C., including being a guest speaker at the Smithsonian Institution.
Now living in northern Kentucky, McLinn loves to hear from readers through her website and social media.
Visit with Patricia:
Copyright © Patricia McLinn
eBook ISBN: 978-1-944126-32-2
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-944126-33-9
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Did you love Price of Innocence? Then you should read Sign Off (Caught Dead in Wyoming, Book 1) by Patricia McLinn!
Divorce a husband, lose a career …grapple with a murder.
TV journalist Elizabeth "E.M." Danniher will tell you she committed two sins — she didn't stay young, and she made an enemy of a powerful news executive — her ex. She used to break national news. Now her top story as the "Helping Out!" reporter at dinky KWMT-TV in Sherman,Wyoming is getting a defective toaster repaired.
Tough, funny and determined, Elizabeth wrestles with isolation, keeping a professional edge, and an evolving self-image. Is Wyoming — the land of cattle, cowboys, tumbleweeds, and fewer than six people per square mile — her new home or a road to permanent obscurity?
Soon she's in a battle of wills with ex-football player turned journalist Mike Paycik, who sees her as a handy rung on his career ladder. And there's the matter of a deputy sheriff—missing or murdered? Elizabeth finds herself investigating at the insistence of a girl who's set on proving her father's innocence. Not that enigmatic rancher Thomas Burrell makes investigating easy.
But Elizabeth won't fade to black without a fight, no matter how final some might want to make her Sign Off.
Don't miss any of Elizabeth Danniher's Caught Dead in Wyoming adventures:
Sign Off
Left Hanging
Shoot First
Last Ditch
Look Live
Back Story
Cold Open
Hot Roll
Reaction Shot
Body Brace
"While the mystery itself is twisty-turny and thoroughly engaging, it's the smart and witty writing that I loved the best." – Diane Chamberlain, bestselling author
"Colorful characters, intriguing, intelligent mystery, plus the state of Wyoming leaping off every page." -- Emilie Richards, USA Today bestselling author
What people are saying about SIGN OFF
"This is one of those books that you want to stop everything to read while hoping it never ends."
"Sign Off is a brisk, enthralling page-turner" – P.B. Ryan, bestselling author
"That was fun."
"Be prepared for lots of twist and turns."
"I read it in one sitting. I hadn't planned it that way, but just couldn't stop."
"The characters were a mix of funny, sad, and quirky and were totally believable. There was just enough humor to lighten the story, but not to disrespect the seriousness of crime."
More cozy mystery from Patricia McLinn:
Secret Sleuth series
Death on the Diversion
Death on Torrid Ave.
Death on Beguiling Way
Death on Covert Circle
Death on Shady Bridge
If you like Patricia's mysteries, try her romantic suspense:Proof of InnocencePrice of InnocenceRide the River: Rodeo Knights (includes scenes in fictional Sherman, Wyoming, and cameos from Caught Dead in Wyoming characters)
Read more at Patricia McLinn’s site.
Also by Patricia McLinn
A Place Called Home
Lost and Found Groom
At the Heart's Command
Hidden in a Heartbeat
A Place Called Home Trilogy Boxed Set
Bardville, Wyoming
A Stranger in the Family
A Stranger to Love
The Rancher Meets His Match
Bardville, Wyoming Trilogy Boxed Set
Caught Dead In Wyoming
Sign Off (Caught Dead in Wyoming, Book 1)
Left Hanging (Caught Dead in Wyoming, Book 2)
Shoot First (Caught Dead in Wyoming, Book 3)
Last Ditch (Caught Dead in Wyoming, Book 4)
Look Live (Caught Dead in Wyoming, Book 5)
Back Story (Caught Dead in Wyoming, Book 6)
Cold Op
en (Caught Dead in Wyoming, Book 7)
Hot Roll (Caught Dead in Wyoming, Book 8)
Reaction Shot (Caught Dead in Wyoming, Book 9)
Body Brace (Caught Dead in Wyoming, Book 10)
Cross Talk (Caught Dead in Wyoming, Book 11) (Coming Soon)
Flores Silvestres de Wyoming
Flores Silvestres de Wyoming: El Principio
Casi una Novia
Pareja Hecha en Wyoming
Mi Corazón Recuerda
El corazón de Jack
Colección de trilogía Flores Silvestres de Wyoming
Innocence Trilogy
Proof of Innocence
Price of Innocence
Premise of Innocence (Coming Soon)
Marry Me Series
Wedding of the Century
The Unexpected Wedding Guest
A Most Unlikely Wedding
Baby Blues and Wedding Bells
Rodeo Knights
Ride the River: Rodeo Knights, A Western Romance Novel
Seasons in a Small Town
What Are Friends For?
The Right Brother
Falling for Her
Warm Front
Secret Sleuth
Death on the Diversion
Death on Torrid Ave.
Death on Beguiling Way
Death on Covert Circle
Death on Shady Bridge
Death on Carrion Lane (Coming Soon)
Serie I Fiori di Campo del Wyoming
I Fiori di Campo del Wyoming: L'inizio (Il Prequel)
Innamorarsi In Wyoming
Il Mio Cuore Ricorda
Il Cuore di Jack
The Wedding Series
Prelude to a Wedding
Wedding Party
Grady's Wedding
The Runaway Bride
The Christmas Princess
Price of Innocence Page 36