Diana Orgain's Blog, page 7
July 1, 2021
A Deathly Rattle (Maternal Instincts Mystery Series: Book seven) Sneak Peek – Chapter Two
Did you miss Chapter One?
From A Deathly Rattle
Chapter Two
The following morning, I woke up feeling exceptionally groggy. It took several blinks before the memories of the night came rushing back to me. Vicente Domingo—shot three times. Close to bleeding out. My finger shoved in his artery while Deb did her best to keep him alive.
I’d been up late waiting by the phone, and last I heard he was still in surgery with things looking dire. I had only gone home because of Laurie. Otherwise I would have waited at the hospital for better news.
Still half asleep, I heard my cell phone ring. “Hello?” I groaned before even answering the phone. Clearly, I was delirious. I grabbed for the phone and answered it, clearing my throat first. “Hello?” I asked, feeling a bit more awake already as I rubbed my eyes.
“Kate, it’s Galigani. How soon can you get to the hospital?” he asked, cutting straight to the chase in his typical Galigani fashion.
Albert Galigani was not only my friend, boss, and mentor, but he also happened to be my mom’s boyfriend. He hadn’t been at the strike party yesterday because he’d claimed an evening dentist appointment. Personally, I figured he was trying to avoid manual labor. Anyway, Mom and I had called him from the hospital.
He also knew Vicente Domingo well.
“Um . . . give me twenty minutes,” I said, pulling myself out of bed.
My kitten, Whiskers, momentarily complained about my jostling her, but she soon found the warm spot I’d just vacated and snuggled herself into it.
“Don’t rub it in,” I said to her, rushing to dress. “Twenty minutes?” I asked myself.
What was I thinking?
No new mother should ever promise to be somewhere in the morning in twenty minutes.
I’d been hoping to dress quickly, scoop Laurie into the car seat, and drop her off at my mom’s. But she was hungry and made a mess with cereal, and then I had to bathe and dress her. I topped her outfit with a cute little hair bow that she hated but Mom loved.
As I pulled up outside Mom’s house with Laurie in the back seat of the smelly rental van, Laurie yanked the bow out of her baby-fine hair and threw it on the floor. She cooed happily that she’d won our bow-or-no-bow dispute.
I glanced in the rearview and spied her proud little defiant face.
“Oh, you’re already pretty strong-willed, eh?”
She kicked her feet and gurgled happy-baby noises.
All at once, Mom loomed at my driver’s side window, and I shrieked.
“You scared me!” I said, my hand flying to my chest to cover my pounding heart.
She opened the rear door. “Albert called me. I knew you were coming.” She took Laurie from her car seat and hoisted her onto her hip. “Don’t worry about us, just go on and get over there.”
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I thanked her for taking Laurie, then drove to the hospital. I parked and followed the signs through the parking garage to reception. After asking a security guard for directions to ICU, I took the elevator to the fifth floor and found Vicente’s room.
When I entered, the first thing that struck me was how awfully vulnerable Vicente looked. He was hooked up to all sorts of whirling machines. His eyes were closed, and he was deathly pale. There was a tube in his throat, and bandages covered his neck and chest.
Utter despair filled me as I gazed down at him.
An awful shuttering nose came from one the machines and I sighed.
A deathly rattle if ever I’d heard one.
“He’s sleeping,” Galigani’s voice boomed, and I spun around to see him and Barramendi, my former client and Vicente Domingo’s cousin.
“Barramendi!” I said in surprise. Despite his having given me the boot when Domingo wanted to come on board with his firm, I liked and respected him. He was a very successful San Francisco attorney with an incredible track record. Today, he looked sad and grim, undoubtedly from worry over his cousin.
“Kate, good to see you. Thank you for coming,” he said, nodding half-heartedly in my direction.
I shouldn’t have been at all surprised to see Barramendi there. He was the only family Vicente had in the area, so of course he would have come straight to the hospital when word reached him.
I turned back to Galigani. “How is he? I see he made it through the surgery.”
“Still a little touch and go, but his vitals have been steady all morning,” Galigani said, wringing his hands.
“You needed me here ASAP? What can I do to help?” I asked.
“Evidently everything,” Barramendi said, scowling. I didn’t like seeing Barramendi like that. He had always been quite pleasant toward me.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
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Diana Orgain is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the Maternal Instincts Mystery Series, Love or Money Mystery series, and The Roundup Crew Mysteries. Diana is also the New York Times Bestselling co-author of the Scrapbooking Mystery Series with Laura Childs. To keep up to date with the latest releases visit Diana at www.dianaorgain.com GRAB YOUR COPY OF A DEATHLY RATTLE HERE
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A Deathly Rattle (Maternal Instincts Mystery Series: Book seven) Sneak Peek – Chapter One Continued
Did you miss part one of Chapter One?
From A Deathly Rattle
Chapter One Continued…
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, but I could tell he was suppressing a chuckle. Whether the rest of the play was true or not, I knew good and well that line in the play was meant for me. He seemed quite satisfied that I had caught on to that fact.
“Yeah, sure,” I said. “You know, Vicente, I may still be a little new at this whole PI thing. But I solved two homicide cases this past month. Doubling my average. Does it make you nervous that this amateur broad is catching up to you?”
He smirked again. “You’re actually pretty impressive, Kate. You’ve got gusto. Keep it up, and you might actually turn into some serious competition for me.” And with that, he rose out of his seat, looking like he was headed to the food table.
“Ha! With that attitude, I’m never going to direct your play.”
He froze and spun around. “You mean I have a chance?”
Before I could answer, a woman I recognized as one of the ensemble members of the cast, with dyed-green hair and orange capri pants, swooped down the aisle and grabbed Vicente’s arm. “Where have you been hiding?” she screeched at him.
“Amanda!” he said, kissing both her cheeks in his traditional Spanish greeting. He laced an arm through hers, but before heading off, he wagged a finger at me. “To be continued, Kate.”
I nodded in agreement and turned my attention to the stage. Mom now had Laurie out of her stroller, parading her around while Paula snapped a few pictures. “Oh, so cute,” Paula was saying.
They aren’t very helpful with the strike, I thought.
I spotted the director making his way toward the lip of the stage. Walking alongside him was a tall, burly man. They seemed to have Paula in their sights. Curious, I rose and joined them.
The director plopped his elbows on the stage from where he stood on the floor. “Hey, Paula!” he called.
“What’s up?” she sang.
“This is my buddy, Howard. Just moved out this way,” the director said. “He’s looking to get his place fixed up, and I told him you did that sort of thing.”
Paula’s specialty, of course, was interior design. Doing the set for a play was a bit of a downgrade for the sort of work she typically did, but she’d had a lot of fun with it. It had allowed her to do something more creative and out of the box, but I knew her budding design firm needed more clients. Having babies can wreak havoc on any entrepreneur.
Paula’s face lit up. “Hmmm? A touch-up? Redo? What’s your scope?” she asked hopefully. I could tell she was resisting the urge to squeal at this new prospect.
Howard smiled brightly up at her. “Little bit of everything. Probably most of my house, actually. I’m bad at this sort of stuff. Had to sell half my furniture before the move—just didn’t have the time to move all that crap. Was ready for a fresh start, and that stuff was old and ready to go, anyhow. I need a lady’s touch to get my place looking right. Don’t really want to fill it with a bunch of bachelor-pad junk. Want it to look nice, you know?”
“Well, that’s right up my alley,” Paula said, hopping down from the stage to go and speak to Howard about his vision for his new home.
I gave her a thumbs-up before she disappeared with Howard and the director into a corner. Paula and I were cut from the same cloth; we both were work-from-home moms who mostly freelanced. A spontaneous job like this was always welcome. And, from the sound of it, this Howard guy was looking to get his whole house taken care of. That would be a huge win for her.
I headed up onto the stage to start helping with the strike, taking up a hammer like I actually knew what I was doing and pulling nails out of the back of the stage pieces so that we could lay the boards flat. I felt rather handy after pulling out two or three nails, when someone tapped me on the shoulder. “You’re Kate, right?” the man asked.
“Who’s asking?” I spun around to see my husband staring back at me with a big, goofy grin on his face. “Jim!” I laughed, nearly shouting in my surprise. “What are you doing here?” I asked, quite glad to see him but mildly alarmed by his presence. “You’re supposed to be headed to the airport!”
Jim was in advertising. And he’d just landed a gig working with a big movie that was coming out next year; he was supposed to be heading out to LA for a couple of weeks. “I got a text that my flight’s delayed, so I thought I’d stop by and help. And, of course, to see my girls one more time before I have to leave for two weeks.” He leaned forward, giving me a kiss.
I wrapped my arms around him and pressed my head to his chest. “I’m going to miss you!” I said. Suddenly I pulled away from him. “Why is the flight delayed? It’s not mechanical problems, is it?”
He chuckled. “I’m sure not. Don’t worry.”
I squinted at him. “Don’t you dare die. I can’t raise these babies without you.”
He looked around, as if just recalling Laurie. “So, where’s my little lady?”
“Mom’s parading her around somewhere.”
He glanced at his watch and rolled up his sleeves, nodding. “Okay, I have about an hour. Give me that hammer before you hurt yourself.”
I laughed. “Aren’t you the guy who failed woodshop?”
“Shh!” he scolded, looking over his shoulder. “I can pull out nails. It was carving animals out of wood that I choked on.”
Between pizza breaks and snuggling-with-Laurie breaks, the hour flew by. We’d broken down most of the set and were ready to start the cast party in earnest when Jim kissed me goodbye.
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“Call me when you land,” I said.
He leaned over to give Laurie, now comfortably nuzzled in my arms, a butterfly kiss and make her giggle.
I gripped her chubby wrist and wiggled her hand at him. “Say bye-bye, Daddy. Bye-bye, da-da.”
She gurgled happily and made bubbling noises at him.
Jim’s eyes grew wide. “She said, da-da!”
“I don’t think she did,” I said. “It was ga-ga.”
“No, I heard da-da.”
“You heard ca-ca,” I said, laughing maniacally. Every night I’d been coaching Laurie with ‘ma-ma,’ and stubbornly, the only sounds she made always seemed to have a b, d, or g in front of them, never an m.
Jim frowned and looked around for a witness. The actress with the green hair strolled by, and he asked, “Did you hear the baby say da-da?”
She smiled at Jim, then at Laurie. “No, but what a beautiful baby.”
Jim dismissed her with a shake of his head, disappointed that she’d failed to validate his claim.
He leaned in for one last kiss. “I heard it,” he whispered conspiratorially to me.
“You better get going before you miss your flight,” I said.
After he left, the evening got a bit rowdy. Someone put on a playlist of ’70s music, and every cast member clambered onto the now-empty stage to dance to “YMCA.”
When the last of the theater had been swept clean, I strapped Laurie into her stroller and found Mom chatting happily with a group by the exit.
“Ready?” I asked. Fatigue bore down on my shoulders, and I realized that my lower back throbbed with exhaustion.
She nodded and handed me her car key. “I’m right behind you,” she said.
I stepped out into the dark parking lot and glanced at my phone. Ten o’clock already!
Others were in various stages of packing up, the lot surprisingly busy.
With one hand on my lower back and the other on Laurie’s stroller, I made my way toward Mom’s car.
A loud popping sound ripped through the night.
My breath caught, and my heart raced.
What in the world?
Any lingering fatigue disappeared, instantly replaced by a mad adrenaline rush. People, myself included, yelped in terror.
Two more shots rang out, and this time it was unmistakable—the wretched sound of gunfire.
I snatched Laurie out of the stroller and ran for cover, the commotion making her scream and cry.
I spotted Deb, and instead of running away from the noise as the rest of us had, she sprang into action, pulling out her sidearm and sprinting toward the danger. It takes a very special kind of person to run toward gunshots instead of away from them.
From around Mom’s car, I heard Deb on the phone. “We have a gunshot victim. Send an ambulance immediately. Active shooter in the area; I do not have visual contact with the shooter. Attempting to resuscitate the victim. Hey, yo, Paula! Come here and speak to the operator for me!”
I clutched my baby girl, feeling incredibly impotent as I saw Paula nervously make her way out of hiding. Deb tossed her cell phone toward Paula as the crowd of actors and crew members slowly emerged from their hiding places—realizing the shooter was likely long gone.
Paula stammered on the phone, giving the operator whatever information Deb shouted at her.
“I need another set of hands over here!” Deb yelled, and I made sudden and uncomfortable eye contact with her.
Mom scuttled out of her hiding spot in the doorway of the theater and plucked Laurie from my arms.
“Get her in the car,” I pleaded, but I needn’t have worried. Mom was already lunging for the car door and doing her best to protect Laurie.
I hurried around the vehicle and over to Deb.
“He’s been shot in the neck. I need you to put your fingers right here in his artery,” Deb said, grabbing my hand and shoving my fingers into the victim’s neck.
I cringed, turning away. I was already nauseous enough from being pregnant—I didn’t need to see all that blood.
All I have to do is keep my hand steady.
I took a deep breath and turned toward the victim.
My heart dropped to my stomach. “Oh!” I gasped. “It’s Vicente Domingo!”
Deb, who was putting pressure on his other wounds, leveled a gaze at me. “It’s not looking good.”
Fear gripped me, and I glanced around the parking lot. I didn’t see anyone who appeared to be brandishing a weapon. The shooter was indeed long gone, it seemed.
Sirens wailed in the distance, and I prayed it was an ambulance.
“Kate, who would shoot Vicente Domingo?” Deb asked.
I shook my head. “That’s an excellent question.”
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Diana Orgain is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the Maternal Instincts Mystery Series, Love or Money Mystery series, and The Roundup Crew Mysteries. Diana is also the New York Times Bestselling co-author of the Scrapbooking Mystery Series with Laura Childs. To keep up to date with the latest releases visit Diana at www.dianaorgain.com GRAB YOUR COPY OF A DEATHLY RATTLE HERE
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June 28, 2021
Killer Cravings (Maternal Instincts Mystery Series: Book Six) Sneak Peek – Chapter One
From Killer Cravings
Chapter One
My stomach rumbled and my mouth watered.
Thoughts of jelly filled donuts danced in my head,
only to be pushed aside by a chocolate-covered old-fashioned. No. A
sprinkle-laden maple donut.
Ugh!
Stop.
I couldn’t get these sugar-encrusted thoughts out of my head.
Cravings when I was pregnant with Laurie weren’t particularly
strong, but every once in a while, I’d go nuts for something; usually
something salty. One night, I’d eaten two jumbo bags of pretzels for
dinner, but that was about as far as it went when pregnant with her.
Pregnancy number two, however, was a totally different story.
Currently, I was sitting outside a small suburban home, my car
parked with the lights out. I was supposed to be working a case, but
all I could think about was getting something sweet. And, what made
it worse, was that I couldn’t quite figure out what sort of sweet I
wanted. But, it was bad. Like, really bad. I couldn’t concentrate to save
my life.
My phone buzzed, so I put the light on dim to check it.
I am undercover, after all.
It was a text from Kenny, our next-door neighbor teenager turned
nanny. I laughed out loud to see a picture of Laurie fast asleep in her
crib with her finger up her nose. She was six months old now.
Six months old, and I’m pregnant all over again.
This pregnancy wasn’t exactly planned, and the mind-boggling
fact that we were having another baby before Laurie was even old
enough to walk put me into full panic-mode. Even so, Jim and I were
ecstatic. Nervous, but glad.
“Thanks for getting her to bed! Jim should be home soon,” I said
into the voice dictation on the phone as I texted him back.
Kenny is on the night shift because Jim had an out-of-town
meeting he’d had to attend. He’d been gone for a couple of days, and I
couldn’t wait to see him. His flight was delayed into the dead hours, so
he was just getting in. He’d texted me a few minutes ago from the
airport, said he was stuck there dealing with a lost luggage issue.
Poor Jim.
Stakeouts look way more interesting in the movies. Something
exciting always happened, but real life hardly ever behaves the way it
does in the movies. I’ve been sitting in that car for four hours. Not
moving. Just sitting here with my fancy new camera in the passenger
seat waiting.
And waiting… and waiting… and waiting.
I was about to go insane. And, how dumb of me not to pack
snacks? I knew I was pregnant. Why didn’t I bring food? All I could
think about was getting something sweet – a brownie, maybe? Ice
cream? No, definitely a brownie.
I tapped on the steering wheel. When was this guy planning on
leaving this woman’s house? This was a new case given to me by Gali‐
gani, my boss and mom’s current fling. A cheating husband case, and
frankly, it made me sick. But, this is the sort of thing you deal with
when you become a PI. Galigani got a lot of cases like this, so he felt it
was time to turn one over to me. The woman was gearing up already,
hiring a lawyer for the divorce, but she needed to bust him cheating.
She hadn’t been able to do it herself, so she had called in the A-team
with Galigani, but with me it was more like the B-team, I guess.
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There is a twenty-four hour doughnut shop about twenty minutes from
here, I thought to myself, but I shook the thought away. You have one
job, Kate, I told myself. Get the picture, and then you can go home.
Seriously – how late does this guy think he can stay over at
another woman’s house without his wife noticing? It’s three in the
morning. Surely he doesn’t believe he can keep getting away with
this? I think about Jim. I’m so glad I don’t have to worry about this
sort of thing with him. He’s been loyal and dedicated to our marriage
since day one. He’s never given me even the slightest reason to worry,
and for that I am really thankful. He’s been amazing during this preg‐
nancy just as he’d been when I was pregnant with Laurie. If anything,
I feel like he does too much for me. Letting me quit my job to pursue
training as a PI is just one of the many ways Jim recently showed me
how much he cares.
Plus, he’s an amazing father.
Food.
No matter how far my brain drifts off to something else, I always
come back to food. I swear, it was never this bad with Laurie.
I pressed my hands to my belly. “Why are you always so hungry,
baby?” I asked. Of course, I didn’t get an answer with the exception of
my craving increasing exponentially.
That’s it. I’m doing it.
I started the engine and pulled the car out of the parking spot. The
doughnut shop seemed too big a risk, but I knew there was a service
station a few blocks away. I couldn’t help myself. I needed something
bad.
Like really, really bad.
I parked at the gas station and ran inside. The man behind the
counter barely glanced up from his phone screen to nod at me. I
dashed into the restroom.
Heck, may as well kill two birds with one stone.
Then, I grabbed a ridiculous amount of candies and sweets,
checked out, and headed back. On the way there, I stuffed my face full
of Reese’s Pieces, but that was definitely not what I was wanting.
Ugh!
I turned onto the street, and watched in horror as a man darted
across the road.
Oh no…
It was him! He had a lumberjack build, a heavy black beard and
even wore a red flannel overcoat.
There was no mistaking him.
I’d missed him leaving the woman’s house! I pulled over, turned off
my lights, and snapped several pictures, but I had a horrible weight in
my stomach.
And not just from the candy!
I’d missed it! The moment I’d waited five hours for, gone faster
than a sugar crash.
This creep hid out in her house all night, and I took a five-minute
break to run to a gas station, and that’s when he decided to leave!
Anger burned through my chest. Honestly, I wanted to confront
him right there, slap him in the face, like in the movies. But that
wasn’t my job. My job was to bust him leaving the woman’s house,
and now all I had was a picture of him sitting in his car.
Real incriminating, Kate.
I’d wasted my entire evening all because of a pregnancy craving.
Now, I was going to have to do it all over again. If I even had the
chance!
Unbelievable!
I drove home, munching on a Snickers bar that made me nauseous
to the point I had to pull over. Okay, it wasn’t candy I wanted.
A warm feeling overcame me as I saw Jim’s car parked outside our
house. It was good knowing that he was home.
No doubt he was probably asleep by now if Laurie was in her crib
still. I headed inside, depositing the candy and powdered doughnuts
I’d bought at the gas station and began rummaging through the
pantry. It was like a curse – some secret craving I couldn’t quite figure
out, and everything else was making me sick.
What is it that I want?
I think I tried four different treats before I noticed the sun peeking
up outside.
You’ve got to be kidding me!
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Diana Orgain is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the Maternal Instincts Mystery Series, Love or Money Mystery series, and The Roundup Crew Mysteries. Diana is also the New York Times Bestselling co-author of the Scrapbooking Mystery Series with Laura Childs. To keep up to date with the latest releases visit Diana at www.dianaorgain.com GRAB YOUR COPY OF KILLER CRAVINGS HERE
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Killer Cravings (Maternal Instincts Mystery Series: Book Six) Sneak Peek – Chapter Three Continued
Did you miss Chapter One?
Did you miss Chapter Two?
Did you miss part one of Chapter Three?
From Killer Cravings
Chapter Three Continued,,,
“Paula, simply amazing,” Tony said. “I’m glad they hired you.”
“Very talented,” Nate said. “I especially love my little bar.” She
stood up and hurried behind the bar. “This right here is my charac‐
ter’s personal spot.”
“I have arrived!” a man’s voice called from the audience.
“Ricky!” my mother called. “Oh, Kate, this is Director Ricky. He is
doing a fabulous job, if I do say so myself. Ricky, this is my daughter
Kate, and my granddaughter Laurie.”
Ricky was a fairly young guy. He was younger than some of his
cast members, but he had a certain commanding tone about him that
let me know he was in charge.
“A pleasure, Ms. Kate,” he said and smiled down at Laurie. “Hey,
cutie,” he said and then looked up at Paula. “Paula, I have to say, I’m in
love with this set.”
“Thanks for the opportunity,” Paula said.
“Of course,” he said and reached into his coat pocket. “Here, these
are for you. Tickets for the after party on opening night.” He looked at
me. “Would you like to come?”
“Me?” I questioned.
“Your mom is one of the stars of the show,” he said and reached
into his pocket, pulling out two tickets.
“You are already coming to opening night,” Paula said. “Plus, a little
birdy told me that Cassandra’s Cookies is catering the party.”
My eyes widened. “Cassandra’s Cookies? As in—”
“As in the café that you’ve had Jim run out to, I don’t know, eight times
since you’ve become pregnant,” my mom said, giving me a playful nudge.
A vision of the dark chocolate brownies with the purple icing
began to dance in front of my eyes. I had some at home in the fridge,
but I was down to just two now.
“Speaking of which,” Director Ricky said. “I need one of you to run
by the café to drop off our catering contract. It’s in my office now, but
we need to get right to work on our tech rehearsal.”
“I could do that for you,” I said. “I go right by there on my way
home.”
“Are you sure?” Ricky questioned, taking a glance at Laurie –
probably not wanting it to be too much of a burden.
“It’s no problem,” I said. “Besides, I can restock my brownie supply
while I’m there, since its’ all baby number two is letting me eat.” I
patted my barely noticeable baby bump.
He smiled. “Well, I really appreciate that.” He handed me the
contract, and I stuffed it into the stroller.
Okay pregnancy brain, don’t let me forget to do that, I told myself.
The front doors to the theater flung open, and we all glanced up to
see Vicente stepping in from the lobby. He was striking in a black
leather jacket and tight jeans. Under one arm, he carried his motor‐
cycle helmet, and with his free hand, he ruffled his thick dark wavy
hair. He graced us with a smile that would make a school girl blush,
and even Paula’s cheeks got a bit rosy.
I smacked her arm, and she giggled, mouthing to me. “I can’t help
it, he’s so hot.”
The director rushed over to Vicente. “Ah, Mr. Domingo!” Ricky
exclaimed. “Welcome to tech rehearsal.”
Vicente glanced around and nodded to the cast and crew, making
his way down the aisle toward the stage. When his eyes landed on me,
he gave me his special cat-that-ate-the-canary smile. The one that told
me he thought I’d made a dreadful mistake not to have taken him up
on his offer as the lead.
A man like Vicente Domingo could never imagine giving up the limelight.
“Hello Kate,” he said.
I wiggled my fingers at him. “Congratulations, I understand the
show’s already sold out.”
He gave me a condescending nod, as if I should have expected
nothing less.
He glanced up at the stage, smiling and looking quite satisfied.
“Just thought I would come take a peek at the set, and I have to say, it’s
looking good.”
“Glad you like it,” Paula said.
“Very sophisticated – just what I was going for,” he mused, and I
could sense several of the actors cringe. They weren’t kidding.
Domingo still had no idea that Ricky had turned this drama into a
comedy. Ricky did not seem at all fazed.
“You coming opening night, I hope?” Ricky asked, smiling like he
was not secretly plotting to put on a joke performance of what
seemed to be Domingo’s pride and joy.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Domingo said. “I will be here
front and center.”
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While the cast and crew got ready for their tech rehearsal, my
stomach began to rumble.
How can I even be hungry again?
But it wasn’t hunger exactly, it was the purple icing brownies
calling my name.
So I bid my mom and Paula farewell, told them to break a leg, and
headed out with Laurie in tow.
Confession? The café wasn’t exactly on my way home. It was about
five minutes out of the way, but honestly, I had to make sure I had
plenty of those amazing brownie’s in stock for my next stakeout. I
couldn’t miss another money shot.
Laurie giggled and played with her stylish teether on the way
there, and I plopped her into her stroller again before we headed
inside. The outside of the café was painted bright orange. It was very
colorful and fun; I hadn’t ever actually been here myself. Jim had been
doing the supportive daddy thing – running out constantly to help me
satisfy my intense cravings.
Once inside though, I was a bit taken aback by the wild color
palate. The walls were a mix of fire-engine red, with yellow and
orange swirls, so much so that it made my head spin.
I made my way over to the counter, eagerly scanning the display
case for my preferred treat. Disappointment tugged at me when I
didn’t see any of those brownie’s on display.
The woman behind the counter had red hair, pulled up tight in a
bun. She smiled. “May I help you?”
“I’m looking for a certain brownie… It’s dark chocolate with purple
icing?” I questioned.
“Kate?” she asked, taking me by surprise.
“Um… yes?”
“I knew it,” she said. “You’re Jim’s wife, right? He comes in here
three times a week to get you those brownies. I’m Cassandra, the
owner.”
I smiled. “Oh! I’m so embarrassed,” I said, laughing.
“Hold on, I have a batch for you in the back that just got taken out
of the oven. I need to wait a few more minutes before I ice them,” she
said. “That okay?”
“That’s fine, oh, and here. This is the contract for the local theater.
I guess you are catering their cast party?” I reached down and grabbed
the contract out of the bottom of the stroller, handing it over to her.
She smiled and thanked me, not really questioning why I would
have it. I watched her step back into the kitchen, probably to file the
contract, and I sat down by the window. A few minutes later, she
reappeared with a small plate and a to-go box.
“Tell you what, it’s on the house,” Cassandra said, smiling as she
put the small plate with a brownie in front of me. “The to-go one’s
too.”
She’s so nice!
“Wow, thank you!” I said, happily grabbing the fork she had placed
by my plate.
“Oh, that must be Laurie!” she said, bending down to take a look
inside the stroller. “So cute. She looks like her daddy.”
I smile. “She really does. I’m guessing Jim has told you about
Laurie?”
“Well, he’s been here enough for us to have chatted a few times,”
Cassandra said, smirking slightly. “I don’t get a lot of male customers
coming in and ordering chocolate in bulk like that. I finally asked him
what was up, and he told me about his pregnant wife’s cravings. He
showed me a picture of Laurie. Super cute girl you got there.”
“Thanks,” I said, grinning.
“So,” she said, standing upright. “Are you in the play?”
“No, but my mom is. I’ll be going to opening night, and the
director was kind enough to invite me to the after party, so I figured I
could bring the contracts by for him – and get me another one of
these amazing brownies too.”
Cassandra laughed. “Well, tell you what, they weren’t in the order,
but I’ll throw in some of those brownies at the party so you can look
forward to having them after the show.”
“Thanks,” I said, smiling. “You are too sweet.”
“I try to keep my customers happy,” she said. “Especially ones who
come in and order a dozen brownies every few days.”
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Diana Orgain is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the Maternal Instincts Mystery Series, Love or Money Mystery series, and The Roundup Crew Mysteries. Diana is also the New York Times Bestselling co-author of the Scrapbooking Mystery Series with Laura Childs. To keep up to date with the latest releases visit Diana at www.dianaorgain.com GRAB YOUR COPY OF KILLER CRAVINGS HERE
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Killer Cravings (Maternal Instincts Mystery Series: Book Six) Sneak Peek – Chapter Three
Did you miss Chapter One?
Did you miss Chapter Two?
From Killer Cravings
Chapter Three
After lunch, we caravanned over to the theater. On the drive,
Laurie giggled and did her cutsie baby babble, putting me in
an unusually chirpy mood.
We pulled into the back-parking lot of the theater, and I parked
next to Paula and my mom who’d ridden there together.
I scurried out of the driver’s seat and removed Laurie’s portable
car seat from the car. As soon as she got near me, she went straight for
my earring.
“Ack!” I yelped, taking hold of her tiny wrist. “Sweetie, no – no!” I
said, and my mom hurried over to step in to my aid.
“Yeah, I never wear earrings anymore,” Paula said as she locked up
her car.
“Laurie, let go of your mommy’s earring!” my mom said, laughing
a little too hard at my uncomfortable misfortune.
“I suppose I should know better by now,” I groaned as my mom
wiggled my earring and the lower half of my ear free of my daughter’s
tight grasp. I passed Laurie off to my mom so I could rub my tender
earlobe, then remove my earrings altogether. I tossed them into my
front seat cup holder, as Laurie squealed and giggled about what she’d
just done.
“You little stinker,” I said to Laurie.
Paula pointed to her teal necklace. “Check this out,” she said. “Def‐
initely going to snag you one of these for your next baby shower.”
“What? A plastic necklace?” I asked.
“It’s a teether,” Paula said, taking Laurie from my mom. Laurie
went straight for it, biting and drooling all over Paula. “They’re super
cute; I even wear them when I don’t have my little ones with me.
They’re stylish necklaces made out of safe teething materials. So, you
can still get a little dressed up without having to worry about little
ones snapping the chain on your nice jewelry.”
“Don’t think that would work in an earring form,” I said, still
rubbing my sore earlobe. “I swear, she just tried to rip my whole ear
off!”
“That’s not even close to the worst thing she’ll ever do to you,” my
mom said, laughing. “Glad mine’s grown up now so that I can just be
grandma.” She patted my head and strutted toward the theater.
Paula snapped Laurie’s portable car seat onto the stroller for me.
From the back of the stroller I nabbed a box of baby wipes and
handed one to Paula to rid her necklace of my child’s slobber.
Paula laughed, and removed the necklace. She handed it down to
Laurie who eagerly reached for it, her eyes wide. “Tell you what, you
just take that one,” Paula said. “I have plenty at home. Laurie seems to
like it anyway.”
Paula pulled her children out of her mini-van and securely
fastened them into her double stroller. Both were sound asleep.
“How do you do that?” I asked.
She laughed. “I’m a baby whisperer, don’t you know?”
“I guess,” I said pushing Laurie toward the theater’s back exit.
Paula giggled. “I also put the heater on super high in the car and
play this new agey meditation tape on the stereo. They fall asleep in
record time, but I have to be careful or it puts me to sleep too.”
We chuckled together as we strolled our little ones through the
back door of the theater. “So, let’s see this super awesome set I’ve
heard so much about,” I said.
Paula grinned as we entered the back of the building near the
actor’s greenrooms, and I hear a number of voices – they seemed to
be running lines. I peered into the greenroom, and sure enough there
were a handful of actors running through lines while waiting for their
director.
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Upon seeing my mom, a few of them hopped up excitedly,
requesting she run lines with them.
“Easy there, everyone,” my mom said. “Give me five minutes. I’m
about to give my daughter the grand tour.”
“Oh, so this is your daughter?” a handsome older man asked,
standing. “Peter Jones. I’m playing your mother’s other half in the
play.” The slightly gray-haired gentleman approached me, and
extended his hand to shake mine. He didn’t quite make it to me
though, before getting distracted by Laurie. “Oh, wow, she’s adorable!”
I grinned. The best way to any mother’s heart is to shower her
children with compliments.
“Thanks,” I said. “So you’re playing Vicente’s leading man?”
“In other words, I’m playing a weird version of Vicente,” Peter said,
winking slightly. “I’m still a little nervous about the direction the
director chose to take. I don’t like disappointing the playwright.”
“I’ve been told the director has turned this thing into a comedy?” I
question, and Peter nods – a few other actors snicker.
“It’s not your fault, Peter,” a woman with bright orange hair said,
getting up to come greet us. “Director Ricky made the call.”
“I write myself,” Peter explained. “So, messing with someone’s
vision this much, well, it feels kind of unfair. I would hate to see
something I wrote turn out so differently than what I envisioned.”
The woman shrugged and then looked at Paula and me. “I’m
Natalie. I bring the character Jezebel to life.”
“Jezebel?” I questioned.
“Yeah, not the best name choice, but the character does run a dive
bar,” Nate said, laughing. “I am basically a bar maid in the play.”
“So, the play takes place at a dive bar?” I asked.
“Most of it does,” Paula said. “You ready to check out my set?”
“Oh, so this is the set designer!” a third actor jumped up. “I’m Tony
Yipps. I’m the one who sent you the color swatches.”
“That was you?” Paula said, smiling. “Thanks for the recommenda‐
tions. I think they went perfectly with the background.”
“Have you seen it yet?” Tony asked.
“Not yet, we’re headed there now,” Paula said.
“Let’s all go,” Peter suggested. “We can run through blocking
before Ricky gets here.”
We all scooted down the hall toward the stage wings, and when we
stepped out onto stage, it was, well, incredible.
Stage left was the bar. It looked positively gorgeous. The play,
from what I skimmed during lunch, takes place in northern California
– Gold Country. The backdrop for the stage was a mountain range
and some elegantly painted bright yellow trees. Stage right, a sort of
makeshift garage look.
“Wow!” Paula shrieked excitedly. “They finished putting it
together! Hold on, I have a few boxes in the car for some of the final
detail pieces.”
Paula scurried off, and I stood center stage staring at the beautiful
design. I could hardly believe how beautiful it looked.
“I like the way she set up the garage,” my mom said, pointing
toward the rusty front half of a car that poked out onto the stage. “All
the set crew has to do to move half the set on and off stage is put the
car in neutral and roll it back – the rest of the garage part of the set is
on wheels and drilled to the back of the car. It’s so easy to move on
and off stage despite how complicated the look is.”
“Clever,” I said and then looked at the bar. The bar side of the stage
was set up on a wooden platform about a foot high. It could also be
easily moved on and off stage with a simple pull or push despite its
large structure. The color contrast between the bright backdrop and
the darker bar and garage scene was simply stunning.
Paula arrived seconds later with a large box, and she added a few
details. A stained-glass window for the back of the bar and some old
beer and whiskey bottles filled with water and food coloring. She had
brought a can of paint, and she carefully dabbed areas in the garage to
make it appear more rustic and covered in oil.
When she stepped back, finished with her masterpiece, the entire
crew started clapping excitedly.
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Diana Orgain is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the Maternal Instincts Mystery Series, Love or Money Mystery series, and The Roundup Crew Mysteries. Diana is also the New York Times Bestselling co-author of the Scrapbooking Mystery Series with Laura Childs. To keep up to date with the latest releases visit Diana at www.dianaorgain.com GRAB YOUR COPY OF KILLER CRAVINGS HERE
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Killer Cravings (Maternal Instincts Mystery Series: Book Six) Sneak Peek – Chapter Two Continued
Did you miss Chapter One?
Did you miss part one of Chapter Two?
From Killer Cravings
Chapter Two Continued…
“He did,” I said, sighing. “Uh… I… I screwed up. I’m so sorry.”
He let out a deep breath. “Well, no problem. Not yet, at least. Our
client is leaving town for a couple of days to visit her mother. With
that sort of freedom, we’re bound to bust the guy hanging out with his
side chick. He’ll feel like there’s no way he’ll get caught with his wife
out of town, so you’re bound to get the shot this time.”
“Good,” I said. “I plan on doing another stakeout tonight.”
“Way to be dedicated,” he said. “Just keep me posted. You’re still
new at this, Kate. Don’t beat yourself up too much.”
“Thanks,” I said before we both hung up the phone.
I was still pretty upset with myself for screwing up the way I had.
I can’t let this pregnancy get the better of me!
When I’d been pregnant with Laurie, I’d felt like Superwoman. It
had been such an easy-going pregnancy – a few hiccups along the
way, of course, but nothing like this.
I need to be better prepared!
My goody bag for that night was going to have to be packed full of
everything I could possibly crave – including those delicious
brownies we still had tucked away in the fridge.
Now, just don’t forget the bag!
Before even pulling into the parking lot at the café, I was daydreaming
about lunch. My mouth watered, and my tummy rumbled. I was starving.
That was pretty much the way I felt with Laurie too. Always hungry.
At least that was something I had expected rather than all this
pregnancy brain and unbearable cravings. I spotted what looked like
my mom’s van in the parking lot and parked next to it. I gazed out the
passenger side window and saw the pink fuzzy dice hanging from her
rearview mirror.
I smiled, thinking it was just a fun coincidence that my mom had
chosen this place for lunch today as well.
I unhooked the baby carrier from the car seat and plopped it onto
the stroller base, loving that convenience too, and pushed her toward
the quaint little French café. I swear, I could smell that baked chicken
and mushroom already. Someone else had ordered it, and my craving
heightened. “Yummy…” I said, and Laurie giggled.
Then I spotted my mom and Paula both sitting out on the patio
together. I grinned.
What are those two up to?
“Hey!” I called to them, changing the direction I was pushing
Laurie to meet them outside. Paula’s two kids were squirming next to
her. The baby propped in a car seat and Danny mesmerized by my
mom’s jangling bracelets. Paula was dressed in a pretty silk blouse
with a spring floral print on it. She was flushed from the exertion of
corralling the kids.
There was an empty chair waiting for me with space for the
stroller next to it. I plopped down, ready for that chicken. “Well, this is
a pleasant surprise, Mom. I didn’t know you were joining us.”
“Well, we both have something exciting to tell you,” my mom said,
practically shaking. She was dressed like a gypsy today. Not sure why,
but my mom always did something kind of random with her
wardrobe. She’s quite a character.
“Oh, both of you?” I asked, trying to figure out what sort of secret
Paula and my mother could possibly be sharing.
The waitress deposited a basket of breadsticks on the table, she
took my drink order, and I immediately ordered lunch too. I couldn’t
wait for that chicken and mushroom dish.
Paula handed Danny a bread stick, and Laurie pounded her fists
on the table, demanding attention.
“Yes, darling,” my mom said sweetly. “You too.” She handed Laurie
a soft breadstick, and drool ran down her chin.
Is my insatiable hunger rubbing off on her, I wondered, as I wiped my
own chin, hoping to find it dry.
Thankfully, I had not yet been reduced to a drooling fool, but I
feared if my food didn’t arrive soon, I was in trouble.
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I turned to Paula and my mom. “Okay, ladies, so what’s the big
news?” I asked. “You got me feeling anxious!”
“You know Vicente’s play?” my mom asked, and I nodded.
How could I forget?
Vicente Domingo was another PI in San Francisco who’d snagged
one of my most prized clients—a high profile criminal defense
attorney—because they were first cousins.
Vicente was also a playwright, and after helping me out on a case a
couple of months ago, practically forced me to agree to a staged
reading of his play. But somehow I wiggled out of it, claiming, of
course, that I was too busy as a PI and full time mom to fuss with the
theater.
My mom had eagerly stepped in, and from what I gathered,
Vicente was quite smitten with my mom’s performance.
“Yeah, how’s it going?” I asked.
“Great!” she exclaimed. “But, Paula’s the one with the exciting
news on that front.”
“Oh?” I asked, looking at Paula.
“Your mom got me hired for designing the set!” Paula shrieked,
and I squealed excitedly for her. Paula was an interior designer by
trade, but she’d had to sit out of the business for a bit during her preg‐
nancies and while living abroad due to her husband’s job. Recently,
she’d been slowly rebuilding her clientele.
She was doing well for a startup, but it was still just a startup – so
any job booking was something to celebrate.
“You guys, that’s awesome!” I said. “Congratulations, Paula!”
“The set looks amazing,” Mom said, winking. “Although, it’s still a
work in progress, but I can see Paula’s vision coming to life, and it’s
astounding.”
“They are putting the final touches on the set as we speak,” Paula
said. “When I left for lunch, they told me it should be just about done
by the time we get back. I was hoping you and your mom wanted to
get a sneak peek of my work after lunch today?”
“Absolutely!” I said. “I am so happy for you, Paula!”
“A lot of people are going to see this play,” Paula said. “The tickets
are already sold out, but don’t worry, I got you and Jim some tickets
so that you can come see your mom perform.”
“Already sold out?” I questioned. “We are talking about a play
written by Vicente, right?”
“Well, the concept sounds very exciting and intriguing,” my mom
said. “But the play itself is… well… silly. It’s not supposed to be, but
some of the one-liners are really corny. It’s supposed to be a drama,
but it comes off a little cheesy at times. Even melodramatic.”
“What’s the play about?” I asked just as the server arrived with my
drink.
Food. I wanted food.
Patience, Kate. Patience.
“A small-town PI who is supposed to be working on a cheating
husband case. Takes place in the Sierra Foothills. He winds up falling
for the client, and the two of them get together, and she mysteriously
dies. Then, the PI has to leave town and hide out in the big city,” her
mom said.
“That does sound very dramatic. But the lines are cheesy?” I
questioned.
My mom then did a little southern drawl. “Oh, Vinnie, I just
wanna run away! I don’t wanna be here no more! No more, Vinnie!
Let’s just you and me go away together. Paint the town red. Spend a
lifetime out in the big city where none of these hillbilly folks can
bother us no more! Besides, I’m tired of listenin’ to all them crickets
chirping away every night. I’d rather go to sleep to the sound of your
breathing and the busy city outside my window!”
I nearly spit my water out. “Oh, please tell me that’s not really one
of your lines?”
“It is,” Paula said, smirking. “I had the pleasure of listening to
everyone run lines the other day while I was working on the set.”
“That’s hilarious,” I said, giggling. “Poor Vicente… wait… Vinnie…
is the character based on him?”
“I don’t think so,” my mom said.
“I wouldn’t be surprised. I mean, he’s a nice guy and everything,
but he does love himself so,” Paula said, chuckling.
“I know what you mean,” I agreed.
Mom shrugged. “Well, maybe the character was inspired by himself
a little, but he’s told me the story is just a story. No truth to it.”
Interesting. Very interesting. Vicente Domingo has always been a
bit of a question mark to me. I’d been meaning to look into him a bit
more.
Finally, our food arrived, and I couldn’t concentrate on much else
until I’d wolfed down the entire serving.
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Diana Orgain is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the Maternal Instincts Mystery Series, Love or Money Mystery series, and The Roundup Crew Mysteries. Diana is also the New York Times Bestselling co-author of the Scrapbooking Mystery Series with Laura Childs. To keep up to date with the latest releases visit Diana at www.dianaorgain.com GRAB YOUR COPY OF KILLER CRAVINGS HERE
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Killer Cravings (Maternal Instincts Mystery Series: Book Six) Sneak Peek – Chapter Two
Did you miss Chapter One?
From Killer Cravings
Chapter Two
Now that I was refreshed and ready to get going on my day,
I decided I needed to write up a to-do list, and it was a
mile long.
TO DO:
1. Call Galigani, fess up about missing the photo op
2. Get a photo of the creepy cheater leaving his gf’s place
3. Clean the kitchen because, ew
4. Pre-make tomorrow’s baby food
5. Call mom
6. Ask Kenny to watch Laurie tonight
7. Get snacks together for stakeout 2.0
And, that was just the beginning. I continued writing down what
all I had to do, and I started to grow discontent. There was no way I
was going to get it all done in one day, so I just put a star next to some
of the more urgent items.
As I studied my ever growing list my phone buzzed.
I grabbed it and saw that I had a text message from my best friend,
Paula. Must meet for lunch – have exciting news!!!! I knew it must be
truly exciting because Paula rarely used one exclamation point in her
texts let alone four.
“Sweet,” I said, but then frowned. I’d been having so many aver‐
sions to… everything. It was so strange. I hadn’t had this problem
with Laurie at all, but now I had to really watch what I ate. “Sounds
good,” I spoke as I typed the words. “Where?”
Lol – what can you eat?!?! Mexican?
Even more exclamation points.
She must be really eager to talk to me about something, I thought,
smirking.
Definitely not Mexican,” I said as I typed.
Chinese?
“Nope.”
That sub shop down the street from the salon?
“Yikes. Last time I threw up in their bathroom sink!” I typed,
shaking my head. The next text message came in.
You pick where, preggers.
I laughed and thought about my options for a moment. Food was
the biggest challenge of this pregnancy thus far. That and the carbon
monoxide poisoning I’d experienced last month. But that had been a
mild scare, and the baby and I were being monitored for potential side
effects
Food, however, was an every hour need!
I held the phone at the ready to respond, but I couldn’t decide
what kind of food I wanted.
I was pretty sure I’d already had my sweet fix for the day, and then
I recalled a really awesome café that served the best baked chicken
and mushrooms – and suddenly, that new craving hit me like a ton of
bricks.
“City Café, please!” I texted her, and she replied with a smiley face
emoji.
“Meet me in 30 minutes,” she texted.
I was already dressed and pretty much ready to go, but I needed to
get Laurie out of her comfy house clothes and into something worthy
of City Café. The café had fancy French decor, so it wasn’t really a
sweatpants kind of place.
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Although, my little girl was totally rocking those fluffy pink sweat‐
pants. I changed her into an outfit my mom had recently bought her: a
cutsie spring green dress and matching bow, complete with white
stockings and little pink flats. It was so cute it was almost painful. I
snapped a picture of her and sent it to both my mom and Jim.
Somehow, I managed to get Laurie into her carrier in record time,
and before long, I was out the door.
Once outside, I spotted our neighbor/nanny, Kenny, out in his
front yard. He was a seventeen-year-old musical prodigy, but today he
was a regular teenager hanging out in his front yard, sitting in an
Adirondack chair, ogling a blonde woman rushing down the street.
Kenny spotted Laurie and me and picked up his trombone and
blasted out an excited tune that Laurie matched with a squeal.
He laughed, then ran a hand through his spiky, today dyed pink
hair, and graced us with a wave.
Laurie kicked her feet in delight and strained in my arms to
reach him.
“My goodness, she’s excited to see you,” I said, trying not to be
offended by how happy he made her.
“How’d it go last night? Did you get your guy?” he asked.
I grunted. “Unfortunately, no. I missed the shot,” I said, and he
shook his head and tried to hide his smile.
“Shut up,” I said.
Kenny laughed openly. “Do you need some help on the stakeout?”
“You are not allowed to go with me. You’re more of a distraction
than a help,” I teased.
Laurie’s hand hooked onto Kenny’s shirt, and she pulled at him,
screeching to be held. He offered her his hand, and she wrapped her
fingers around it and yanked.
“Look at your pretty dress, little girl,” Kenny said. He turned to me
and said, “I can watch this Laurie, no problem. She looks like a little
dolly in this dress.”
“Thanks, Kenny,” I said, just as a svelte woman jogger in flashy
yoga pants turned our corner. Kenny immediately became distracted
and took the opportunity to hightail it out of there. “See you later,” I
said, unlocking my car.
I hooked the carrier into the car seat; I loved the convenience of
that thing. And, just like that, I was ready to go. I pulled out of the
driveway, only having to turn back around before getting out of the
neighborhood because I had left the diaper bag on the curb.
Kenny was standing in my driveway holding the bag, already
pulling out his phone to call me, by the time I pulled back up.
I laughed at myself, rolling down the window as Kenny passed the
bag to me. “Thanks,” I said. “I have pregnancy brain really bad this
time around.”
“Must be a boy,” Kenny said.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I don’t know. You weren’t that way with Laurie. My mom always
said she had a harder time with me while she was pregnant than with
my older sister. And, my aunt always said the same thing about my
cousins too. I just figured it’s one of those old wives’ tales, but if that
baby you’re carrying turns out to be a boy, I’ll believe it. And you
puked in my mom’s flower garden the other day, remember? I don’t
recall you ever having such a hard time with Laurie.”
“That’s true,” I said, tucking the diaper bag away in my passenger
seat. “Well, it’s too early to know the sex just yet, but I’ll let you know
if your old wives’ tale proves true this time around.”
Kenny waved goodbye to me, chuckling at me for leaving the
diaper bag in my driveway. On my way to the café, I set my Bluetooth
to call Galigani. I wasn’t looking forward to this conversation in the
slightest. Honestly, I was hoping he wouldn’t answer so that I could
just leave a voicemail.
No such luck.
“Kate!” he boomed into the phone. “How did your sleuthing go last
night? Did you get our money shot?”
There was no way I was going to tell him exactly what happened.
Even though Galigani was a friend, he was still my boss, and I couldn’t
have him thinking the pregnancy was making me incompetent. “I
didn’t get the shot,” I said, disappointment rattling my voice.
“Don’t worry. It’s not easy,” Galigani said. “What happened? Did
the guy ever show?”
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Diana Orgain is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the Maternal Instincts Mystery Series, Love or Money Mystery series, and The Roundup Crew Mysteries. Diana is also the New York Times Bestselling co-author of the Scrapbooking Mystery Series with Laura Childs. To keep up to date with the latest releases visit Diana at www.dianaorgain.com GRAB YOUR COPY OF KILLER CRAVINGS HERE
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Killer Cravings (Maternal Instincts Mystery Series: Book Six) Sneak Peek – Chapter One Continued
Did you miss Chapter One?
From Killer Cravings
Chapter One Continued…
It wasn’t fair! How did I manage to waste so much time on this
stupid craving, along with ruining my stakeout. And, now I was being
rewarded with no sleep.
“Kate?” a gruffly voice behind me said.
I spun around to see Jim wandering into the kitchen, followed by
our orange tabby kitten, Whiskers.
My heart lurched to see Jim. “I’m sorry, babe, did I wake you
up?” I asked, hurrying over to give him a big hug. “I missed you so
much. Almost three days,” I exclaimed, showering his face with
kisses.
“Yeah, what are you doing? Did you ever get to bed last night?” he
asked me, yawning.
“No,” I said, my shoulders slumping from tiredness. “And, I
screwed up the stakeout last night too!”
Tears welled up in my eyes, and I covered them with my hands.
“I feel like crying – call it the hormones,” I said.
Jim put his hands on my shoulders and squeezed. “Aw, honey.
Don’t cry. What can I do? Did something happen?”
I spun around, pulling my hair to one side, to let Jim massage my
shoulders. “You promise not to laugh?”
“I promise,” he said, moving his hands from my shoulders to the
back of my neck.
“I got this really bad craving, and I didn’t bring any food. I left, and
when I came back the guy was already in his car!” I said.
Jim laughed, so I whirled around and buried my head in his chest.
“You promised not to laugh at me!”
He stroked my hair. “I’m sorry, Kate, but… it is kind of funny,” he
said.
“I know,” I admitted. “But, this means I’m going to have to do the
stake out all over again.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll get him,” Jim said. “How about the food crav‐
ing? Did you get anything yummy? Did you at least bring me back
something?” He rubbed his infuriating flat stomach. No matter how
much food he put away, it seemed like he had a hollow leg!
At the word, food, Whiskers circled my legs and rubbed her cheek
against my ankles.
“No! And, that’s the problem. I know I want something sweet, but I
can’t figure out what it is,” I explained. “And, it’s driving me nuts!
Look at all that junk food I bought at a gas station last night, and it all
made me sick!”
The cat meowed.
“Did you feed her?” I asked.
“Yes, but she’s always hungry too,” Jim told me, and he went for his
jacket that was thrown over the backs of one of our kitchen chairs. “I
know what you want. You don’t have to beat around the bush. You
want a brownie from that bakery – the one with the purple icing,
right?”
Yes! Oh my goodness, I’d completely forgotten about that brownie.
When I’d first found out I was pregnant, I think I ate twenty of those
things.
My face lit up, and Jim laughed at me. “Yeah, that was probably it. I
knew I was thinking about a brownie. Wait, where are you going?”
“The bakery opens early on Thursdays,” he said. “I’ll go nab you
one and be back in time to get ready for work.”
“Jim! Don’t do that,” I said, feeling guilty. “You were up late last
night too! And, you had to deal with all that nonsense at the airport.”
“Do you want the brownie?” he asked.
I nodded. “Well, yeah, but I can—”
“Go lay down, and when I get back I’ll wake you up, and I promise
to have your special purple icing brownie, okay?” He pointed toward
the nursery. “Plus, Laurie has been asleep since three this morning.
Knowing her, she’ll be up really soon. Go rest.”
I gave him a big kiss before going and plopping down in bed. The
kitten followed me and curled up on a corner of my pillow. I was
exhausted, so sleep came to me easily. Painfully easily. The next thing
I knew, I woke up to the sound of Laurie fussing on the baby monitor.
I sat up slowly, rubbing my eyes because the sun was shining brightly
through the blinds.
What time is it?
I hurried to get Laurie. She’d pulled herself up and was standing,
holding onto the side of the crib.
“Good morning, gorgeous!” I said, picking her up. “You’re
becoming quite a climber.”
Ordinarily, she couldn’t stand, but with the aid of a support like
the crib rails, she was a dynamo.
I changed her diaper and then sat and breastfed her in the corner,
but she didn’t seem interested.
“I know, I bet you want some bananas!” I said, and she cooed.
She definitely knew what that meant. I’d started mashing up
bananas for her recently, and now it was her favorite snack.
I headed into the kitchen where I spied a clock. Noon! Laurie had
been asleep since three… nine hours!
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My baby slept nine hours!
I could hardly believe it. I sat her in her high chair.
Why hadn’t Jim woken me?
As I opened my refrigerator, I found my answer. I found a plate
full of chocolate brownies with purple icing sitting in the fridge with
a note. It read, “You looked too peaceful. I hope Laurie let you sleep
for a bit! There are plenty of brownies, and I went ahead and made
Laurie some mashed bananas for you! Love you, see you later tonight!
~ Jim”
My hero.
I located the mashed bananas, and brought them over to Laurie.
Deciding I was probably going to give her a bath shortly afterwards, I
let her mash her fingers into the banana mush and feed herself. She
had a good old time with that, and it allowed me a moment to pour
myself a giant glass of milk. I then grabbed one of the very large
ooey-gooey brownies and placed it on a plate for myself and sat down next
to Laurie as she continued making a mess in her highchair.
I took one bite of that rich brownie with the light, fluffy purple
icing, and I was in heaven. That was exactly what I’d been craving. I’d
been craving that stupid brownie for probably three days. It’d been
about a week since Jim had brought home some of those brownies
when he had stopped by that new bakery, and I’d just loved them.
I’d completely forgotten about them, though. But, I guess the baby
hadn’t. The baby wanted that brownie so bad, and Jim had delivered
an entire tray full in the fridge. The brownie was just so perfectly rich
and moist even after sitting in the fridge for what had to be several
hours. It was just wonderful, and I took my time eating it – enjoying
every bite as it went down like it would be my last.
“Your daddy is so sweet, you know that?” I said to Laurie, and she
giggled. Oh my goodness, just thinking about that brownie makes my
toes curl a little. “Your daddy is just awesome!” I said just to make sure
she knew.
I suppose that tracking down a sleazy cheater for a week could
make anyone look good, but Jim was already exceptional. He was the
perfect husband. He always looked out for me in ways I could hardly
reciprocate. I felt truly lucky.
As I was daydreaming about my darling husband, I received a face
full of banana goo.
Laurie was going through a throwing phase.
“No, ma’am!” I said to her, but I couldn’t help but laugh as I wiped
my face. I downed my glass of milk and then got Laurie out of her
highchair. I brushed her honey-colored locks out of her face and
tickled her chin. She had a full head of hair now; she had been balding
a little bit recently, but it had all grown back just perfectly.
I carried her back to the bathroom, our kitten racing down the
hallway to follow us. With my free hand, I ran some water in the tub,
and Whiskers tore off and hid.
I laughed. “No bath, kitty?”
Laurie wiggled happily at the word, kitty, and looked around the
bathroom frantically for the now disappeared cat.
Laurie still had to sit in her little baby tub, but I usually just sat the
baby tub down in the bath to make it easier on myself. I took off her
clothes, and after checking the temperature of the water, I sat her in it.
She giggled and squealed, practically screaming. She had this
eardrum-piercing squeal that sounded almost like a dinosaur from
Jurassic Park, but it was adorable in its own little way.
Jim would call it her Pterodactyl yelp. She always did it when she got
really excited, and that was pretty much every single time I put her in
the bath tub. We’d just gotten past a phase where she couldn’t stand
the bath, but now it was one of her favorite things. That and bananas.
Eventually the water got cold, and my little girl was clean. That
didn’t mean she was ready to get out of the bath tub, of course.
Finally, though, I was able to coax her out, get her dried off, and
dressed and ready to go for the day. I sat her down in her playpen
while I got myself ready, and I could hear her quietly playing by
herself in the living room while I ran back to the bedroom to get
dressed. I was really starting to get the hang of this whole mom thing.
Whenever things were going well with Laurie, I would get a new
boost of confidence about being a mom all over again.
When I had first found out I was pregnant, it had been pretty
scary. Another baby so soon? It seemed like utter madness. Plus, I had
just changed career fields, making the news all the more insane. But, I
was happy and eager to meet the latest member of my family now.
Once I was dressed, I decided to treat myself to one more rich,
purple icing brownie before really getting going on my day.
And, boy, was it good.
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Diana Orgain is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the Maternal Instincts Mystery Series, Love or Money Mystery series, and The Roundup Crew Mysteries. Diana is also the New York Times Bestselling co-author of the Scrapbooking Mystery Series with Laura Childs. To keep up to date with the latest releases visit Diana at www.dianaorgain.com GRAB YOUR COPY OF KILLER CRAVINGS HERE
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June 22, 2021
Lethal Lullaby (Maternal Instincts Mystery Series: Book Ten) Sneak Peek – Chapter One
From Lethal Lullaby
Chapter One
To Do:
1. Pick up Andrew, Tracy, and girls from airport.
2. Play nice with Tracy, even when she’s being a pill.
3. Find new case! (But not until family visit is over.)
4. Final payment to contractor for renovation.
5. Interview Rachelle re: nanny job.
6. Cookout!
“Can I hold Laurie?” Asked Emily, my eight-year-old niece, her
eyes wide. Angelic curls framed her face, and she wore a lacy white
dress perfect for the summer heat. Edwina, two years younger and
Emily’s miniature in almost every way, bounced wordlessly at her
side.
I’d asked myself many times how the same two parents had landed
on both the names Emily and Edwina. It was an unsolvable mystery,
like the Bermuda Triangle or the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa.
The mouthwatering smell of barbecue drifted through my back‐
yard. In the background, the voices of my mom and brother blended
in a pleasant hum, occasionally punctuated by the less-pleasant sound
of my sister-in-law’s voice.
Shrill. That was the best way to describe Tracy.
“You can hold Laurie if you’re very careful,” I replied, standing up
from the picnic table under the pergola, a sleeping Laurie in my arms.
“Why don’t you run inside and get a beach towel, and we’ll all sit on
the grass?”
She disappeared into the house, leaving the sliding glass door wide
open.
“Wait!” I cried. “Close the door. Whiskers will get out!”
But I was trying not to wake Laurie, so my voice was too quiet for
Emily to hear. I bounced my baby girl on my hip and jogged toward
the house for three steps . . . then slowed to a sedate walk.
“Stay inside, Whiskers,” I murmured. But I was nearly at the end of
my second trimester, pregnant with twins—there was no way I could
jog with Laurie in my arms. I reached the house right as my mischie‐
vous kitten peeked her little orange head out. “Back!” I called,
thrusting out my foot to block her while sliding the door closed. “Stay
inside, stay alive.”
Whew. Crisis averted.
I’d taken two steps back toward the pergola when I heard the
unmistakable whoosh of the door opening behind me. Turning, I
cautioned, “Careful of Whis—”
But it was too late.
Whiskers darted past Emily’s feet, making a break for the bushes
on the side of the house.
“Come back!” I yelled. Laurie stirred in my arms, then whim‐
pered, and I lowered my voice and cooed, “Go back to sleep,
peanut.”
“Everything okay, hon?” Jim called from his spot in front of the
grill.
“Whiskers got out,” I replied. “Can you take Laurie?”
“I’m about to pull the steaks off,” he said, a look of panic crossing
his face.
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“I’ll get the cat!” My brother Andrew jogged toward me. “Where’d
she go?”
I motioned to the bushes. “Under there. She’s not supposed to go
outside. I worry she’ll be hit by a car.”
In the direct sunlight, I felt myself cooking like the steaks on the
grill. Why was it so darn hot outside? Hadn’t Mark Twain said some‐
thing like, “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San
Francisco?” Maybe it was just the pregnancy, but I swore it was way
hotter than usual. Was I going to need to start buying extra-strength
deodorant? I swore I felt a bead of sweat slide down my upper arm.
Gross.
Andrew bent down next to the bushes and clicked his tongue.
“Here, kitty! Whiskers!”
Through the greenery, I caught a glimpse of orange-tabby fur as
Whiskers slinked behind a new bush. Andrew crawled after her.
Someone tugged on my sleeve, and I glanced down to see Emily
clutching a beach towel. “I’m sorry!” she whispered. “I didn’t mean to
let the kitty out!”
I ruffled her hair. “It was an accident,” I said firmly. “Why don’t
you spread that towel on the grass and sit down?”
She complied, smoothing her white skirt in her lap.
“Andrew!” snapped my sister-in-law, not moving from her lotus
position at the picnic table. “Don’t scare the poor cat!”
At the sound of Tracy’s sharp voice, Whiskers startled and bolted
across the grass.
“Take Laurie!” I cried, handing my baby to Emily and reaching
down to scoop up Whiskers as she ran by me.
Whiskers yowled in protest, and pain seared across my hand as she
dug in her claws.
“Ouch! Bad cat!”
But I wasn’t letting go. “Chase Whiskers across San Francisco” was
definitely not on my to-do list. I clutched the tabby close so she
couldn’t free herself by wriggling, and her back claws slashed at my
upper thigh. With a dramatic flail, she nearly broke out of my grasp.
Not. Letting. Go. I lurched forward, tossed my very bad kitten into
the house, and slid the door closed.
Scattered applause broke out behind me, and I turned and gave a
dramatic bow. “Thank you. I’ll be here all week!”
Laurie woke up, fussing, and I started toward the towel where
Emily was carefully cradling my baby girl. Then Mom let out a shriek.
“Kate! Your dress!”
I glanced down. The floral bodice was fine, but a bloodstain had
spread across the creamy skirt. Oh, I hope that will come out! But upon
further inspection, I realized Whiskers hadn’t just sliced me with her
claws—there was an inch-long slit in the skirt, toward the top of
my leg.
Bad, bad, bad cat!
Plus, my hand throbbed where three bright-red streaks slashed my
tanning skin. I waved back at Mom. “Can you sit with Emily and
Laurie? I’m going to go treat these cuts and change.”
I stalked inside, shaking my head. When I reached my bedroom,
Whiskers rubbed up against my leg. I scowled at her. “What do you
have to say for yourself?”
“Brrrrt,” she trilled.
“That’s what I thought,” I muttered.
I peeled off the dress and tossed it in the bathroom trash can, then
washed off the bloody scratches and treated them with antibiotic
ointment. Sighing, I pulled on a flowy maternity maxi dress. When I
came back down the hall, my Instagram influencer sister-in-law was
standing in the kitchen, squinting at a bottle of marinade.
“Kate!” Tracy exclaimed when I approached. “Is this the marinade
Jim used on the steaks?”
Glancing at the bottle in her hand, I said, “Yes, that’s the one we
always use.”
She slammed it down on the counter. “I knew it! It has gluten in it.
Jim knows I can’t have gluten!”
I rubbed my temples to stave off a looming tension headache. I
liked eating healthy as much as the next person—whenever I had time,
at least, and wasn’t beset by pregnancy cravings—but yoga-instructor
Tracy took healthy to a whole new level. It seemed like she was always
into a new granola-style fad. Right now, she was gluten-free—and not
because she had a health condition or even a food sensitivity. But, still,
Jim and I had bent over backward to accommodate her. The idea that
he’d tried to sabotage her with the marinade was ridiculous.
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Diana Orgain is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the Maternal Instincts Mystery Series, Love or Money Mystery series, and The Roundup Crew Mysteries. Diana is also the New York Times Bestselling co-author of the Scrapbooking Mystery Series with Laura Childs. To keep up to date with the latest releases visit Diana at www.dianaorgain.com GRAB YOUR COPY OF LETHAL LULLABY HERE
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Lethal Lullaby (Maternal Instincts Mystery Series: Book Ten) Sneak Peek – Chapter Three Continued…
Did you miss Chapter One?
Did you miss Chapter Two?
Did you miss part one of Chapter Three?
From Lethal Lullaby
Chapter Three Continued…
Susan was cold and distant. “Why would you tell me that?”
“You deserve to know,” said Lisa. “I really am terribly sorry.”
“Are you trying to get me to leave my husband?” Susan snapped.
I couldn’t quite make out Lisa’s response. Had Lisa . . . just told
Susan about the affair? Good gravy. This was going to be awkward.
“Well,” continued Susan, her voice returning to normal, though I
could detect an edge of contempt. “It’s hardly Oliver’s first dalliance
and it won’t be his last. I prefer it when I don’t know these things, and
I certainly didn’t need you to come bare your soul, you shameless little
hussy. What was your plan? Did you sleep with him to get a promo‐
tion? And when that didn’t work, you decided to try to get me to leave
him so that you could swoop in to be the next Mrs. Fischer?” She
scoffed. “Hardly. Oliver and I love each other in our way, and I’m
certainly not going to leave him. He’ll have forgotten your name in six
months, and so will I.”
Time to make myself scarce.
I walked in the opposite direction for several steps, then struck off
onto the shady lawn. I’d return to our picnic gathering in a round‐
about way so that Susan and Lisa wouldn’t know I’d overheard them.
Thankfully, the breeze had picked up again, which helped it feel
not quite so hot—although I was still baking. But overall, the walk was
pleasant, and by the time I made it back, both Susan and Lisa had
returned. I eased myself down onto the ground just as the waitress
brought out the wine.
Susan and Oliver remained engrossed in a side conversation with
Roxi, Denny, and Andrew, and my sister-in-law had finally emerged
from her Instagram world and was chatting with Natalie and Nick.
Natalie said something into her invisible microphone, then held it out
toward Tracy—and to her credit, Tracy played along.
Everyone seemed to be ignoring Lisa. Poor girl. She shouldn’t have
had an affair with Oliver, but who knew how he’d manipulated her—
and she had tried to come clean with Susan.
Had she been trying to get Susan to leave, or was she just over‐
come with guilt?
Lisa turned in my direction. “Kate, right?” she asked with a
strained smile. “When are you due?”
I cradled my bump and replied, “I’m at the end of my second
trimester, so we’ve got about three months left to go. Maybe a little
less, if I’m lucky. I’m pregnant with twins, so they’re likely to come a
little early.”
“Oh!” Her face brightened. “I’m a twin! And my sister and I were
born three weeks early. My mom always said we were in a rush to get
things done.”
I laughed. “Are you older or younger?”
She hesitated for a beat. “I’m the younger one. My sister Lily is
seventeen minutes older, and she never lets me forget it.”
“Well,” I said, dropping my voice to a conspiratorial whisper, “in
just a few years, the tables will turn, and you’ll start bragging to her
that you’re younger.”
With a smirk, she said, “Suppose so. She really gave me some
long-term ammunition, huh?”
“Very poor planning on her part.” I grinned. “Did you like growing
up as a twin?”
“It was amazing,” she said, picking at a clump of grass with her
fingers. “It’s like having a built-in best friend. We’ve always been
inseparable. We stick together no matter what.”
Nick swiveled to join our conversation just as I got a phone call
from Mom.
“I’m so sorry,” I said, pointing at my phone. “Excuse me.” I
awkwardly scrambled to my feet as I answered the phone. “Hey,
Mom! What’s up?”
“Darling!” my mom cried. “Would you mind terribly if I had
Laurie’s face painted? There’s an artist here at the mall. I let the older
girls get theirs done, and now they want Laurie to get a butterfly too.
But she’s so little I said I wanted to ask you.”
“Oh,” I said, surprised. Mom was a wonderful grandma, but her
usual modus operandi was to ask forgiveness rather than permission.
I wandered absentmindedly toward a line of tall, manicured bushes.
“Yeah, that’s fine. I don’t mind at all.” We hung up, and I took a few
more steps toward the bushes to see if I could smell the flowers.
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Then I heard voices from the other side of the row of shrubs.
Nick and Lisa.
I glanced back toward the group. Sure enough—Nick and Lisa had
vanished.
Good grief, why is everyone sneaking off for secretive side conversations?
“Why did you follow Susan to the restroom? What did you say to
her?” Nick demanded.
Though I couldn’t see Lisa’s posture, her voice sounded defensive.
“That’s none of your business.”
“Did you . . . tell her about the affair?”
“What affair?” Lisa snapped.
He laughed bitterly. “You did, didn’t you? I never took you for the
guilty-conscience type.”
“Seriously. None of your business,” she replied tersely. “It doesn’t
matter, anyway. Susan doesn’t care.”
“She . . . what?” He sounded incredulous.
“I’m just one in a long line of Oliver’s indiscretions, and she knows
which side her bread is buttered on.”
He let out a long hiss through his teeth. “That’s why he didn’t seem
to care if Susan found out.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she spat. “Were you . . . were you
blackmailing him?”
Part of me wanted to sprint back to the picnic and warn my
brother about all the office drama and the terrible people he was
working with. But sprinting was out of the question, and I was too
curious for my own good.
“Now I’ll never get the promotion,” he muttered. “That fawning
idiot Andrew will get it.”
Anger zinged through me. Now I wanted to march around the
hedge and tell Nick what was what. But that wouldn’t be wise, and it
would embarrass Andrew.
Exercise self-control. I turned and shuffled back to the picnic. It
certainly wouldn’t do to be caught overhearing that.
I sat back down and picked up a conversation with Natalie.
Did she know what a sleazeball she was dating? I doubted it. Nick
was really charming—when he wanted to be. I couldn’t believe I’d
been taken in by his pleasant manners.
Set it aside, Kate, I warned myself. I just needed to get through the
rest of the picnic and then decide what information was appropriate
to pass on to Andrew . . . and what wasn’t.
When the cheese platter arrived, I eyed the brie mournfully. Soon
I’ll be able to eat soft cheese again.
Of course, all kinds of cheese seemed to be giving me heartburn
these days—plus, overhearing all these conversations was definitely
going to give me heartburn—so I skipped the whole cheese platter
and waited for my sandwich. My stomach grumbled. I took another
sip of water to tide myself over, but it didn’t help. I wanted my sand‐
wich, and I wanted it now.
I dug my fingernails into my palms. It’s just the pregnancy cravings
talking. Stay calm. Do not have a hormonal meltdown in front of
everyone.
I was really ready to not be pregnant anymore. I’d only had a
four-month gap between giving birth to Laurie and getting pregnant with
the twins, so it felt like I’d been pregnant for the last year and a half.
Like I was an elephant. I was pretty sure that was about how long
elephants were pregnant for. I glanced down at my belly. Was I
already bigger than I’d ever gotten with Laurie? It seemed like it. I felt
like an elephant.
“Andrew!” snapped Tracy.
My brother turned to face her, his expression pleasant. “Yes, love?”
She held out a couple pills. “Take these before the sandwiches get
here. We’ve had way too many carbs on this excursion. We’re going to
have to detox for a week.”
He accepted the pills without comment, and I rubbed my temples.
Ah, yes, Tracy’s prized carb blockers. This was the first time I’d
seen them come out on this trip, but she used to have missionary zeal
for them. I’d always turned them down.
As it turned out, the sandwiches were delicious—or maybe that
was still the pregnancy cravings talking. I was almost in a good mood
by the time we finished lunch.
Almost.
I hazarded a glance at Nick out of the corner of my eye. For the
first time all day, he wasn’t talking to anyone. He seemed . . . pale. I
turned to study him. Sweat beaded on his forehead. Was it just the
heat, or was he sick?
Then he collapsed.
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Diana Orgain is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the Maternal Instincts Mystery Series, Love or Money Mystery series, and The Roundup Crew Mysteries. Diana is also the New York Times Bestselling co-author of the Scrapbooking Mystery Series with Laura Childs. To keep up to date with the latest releases visit Diana at www.dianaorgain.com GRAB YOUR COPY OF LETHAL LULLABY HERE
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