Laina Turner's Blog, page 5
June 16, 2023
Wine and Revenge – A Read Wine Cozy Mystery First Chapter
“What time is Brenda supposed to stop by?” Sally asked me as I was firing up the coffee machine at the Read Wine Bookstore while she put pastries in the display case for the morning rush.
“She called me a little while ago and asked if I could come out to her place instead. Said something about being shorthanded and that she couldn’t leave.”
Sally grimaced. “The downside of being a business owner. If someone doesn’t show up for work, you still have to get the work done. No one tells you that when you’re going around thinking business ownership is all glamour and money.”
“Isn’t that the truth. I’m still waiting for the glamour and money to hit. Shouldn’t that happen soon?” I popped a mini cupcake in my mouth and as I savored the creamy caramel filling I reminded myself that I’d promised to limit my cupcake eating to one mini a day. “I’m just glad that I was able to tell her I could meet her at her winery. I feel that lately it’s impossible to get away from this place. Not that I’m complaining. It’s definitely a good thing business is booming.”
My friends, Sally and Cora, and I had opened our combination coffee shop, bookstore, and wine bar about a year ago and it had quickly become a go-to place in our little town. Business was good and we were finally feeling like we could breathe a little easier financially.
Read WIne Bookstore, coffee shop, wine bar with women amateur sleuths not letting crime stand in their way. “Do you know what it is that she needs? Is something going on?” Cora asked, rubbing her back. She’d come in for the afternoon shift after her doctors appoint. She was due to have her baby any day now. That’s why she was working mostly afternoons, it was usually pretty slow until the happy hour timeframe. Mostly people took advantage of happy hour half-priced coffee drinks rather than the small wine selection we had. We hadn’t focused much on trying to sell wine. Something that was our next thing to learn about and conquer.
“I have no idea. I know she sounded distraught and made it seem urgent we talk as soon as possible. I’m hoping nothing major is wrong.”
Sally set a bag on the counter and slid it across to me. “I put a brownie and one of our red velvet cupcakes in the bag for you to take her. Between you and the treats, hopefully she’ll feel much better about whatever is bothering her.”
“Thanks. That’s guaranteed to cheer her up. I’ll see you both tomorrow.” I grabbed the bag with one hand and slung my purse over my shoulder with the other.
Sally and Cora chorused their goodbyes as I walked out of our cute shop. Situated in a prime location on Main Street, it was in the middle of the three blocks that made up Main Street and had great foot traffic. I had to walk down a block and around the corner to the parking lot where I got in my car, set my purse and the bag of goodies on the passenger seat and buckled up. I soon pulled out of the lot and headed to Brenda’s.
The winery Brenda and her husband Rob owned, Bramble Patch Winery, was about twenty-five minutes outside of town. Not only was it the location of their business but they lived on the property as well. It was a nice drive this time of year, late spring, and I had the windows on my SUV rolled partway down to enjoy the fresh air as I sped down the road, quickly arriving at my destination.
I parked in the guest parking area and wondered, not for the first time, why I’d never been out here before. I felt a small pang of guilt that I hadn’t been more supportive of my friends’ business. Bramble Patch Winery had been open a little over a year, which was about the same amount of time Read Wine had been open, so that was probably why. I’d been so busy with my own business that there hadn’t been a lot of free time to do anything else.
Now that I was here, I really wanted to sample the wine, because it would be great to carry local wines in the store to sell. Up to now, we’d been more focused on our coffee and pastry products, but in a small town such as Romero there weren’t any fancy wine bars. In fact, there weren’t any wine bars, fancy or otherwise. The only place you could get wine, besides a few restaurants, was at the two bars in town. While the food at both bars was good, the atmosphere was not what you’d be looking for if you wanted to meet a girlfriend for an after-work drink or a first date. Not to mention the selection wasn’t great.
The Read Wine Bookstore wasn’t fancy, but it was quiet and a little more private than the corner bar.
I made a mental note to ask Brenda about the possibility of partnering in some way that would be beneficial for both our businesses. After, of course, I found out what it was she needed.
I walked into the main building toward the sign that said customer entrance. It opened into a big space that had tastefully arranged cases of wine stacked up in pyramid shapes with colorful signage showing the different grapes used in the winemaking along with a bit of history behind the grape. I also caught out of the corner of my eye spices and pasta for sale on the far wall. Ideas started swirling in my head about different ways to work together when I heard someone call my name.
“Trixie, so glad you made it.” Brenda ran over and gave me a hug, which I returned. I had known Brenda pretty much all my life; we both grew up here together and went to the same high school. However, unlike me, Brenda had moved away for several years, and had just come back recently when she and her husband decided to settle down and open a winery.
“Your place is gorgeous. I can’t believe this is the first time I’ve been out here. I’m so sorry for that,” I said.
Brenda led me through the front of the store, back into her office, and motioned for me to have a seat. “You’ve had your own business to deal with and I know firsthand how busy a new venture keeps you. I feel sometimes like I’m on a hamster wheel and can’t get off. How’s the bookstore doing, by the way?”
“It’s a lot of work, but things are going great. Much better than I would’ve expected. Though every single time we have a day of slow sales, I freak out thinking we may never sell another thing and will end up losing everything.”
Brenda laughed. “Isn’t that the truth. I wonder if that feeling will ever go away or if twenty years from now, we’ll feel the same. Oh gosh, please forgive me, I’m being a rude host. Can I get you something to drink?”
“It’s a bit early for wine,” I said with a smile, knowing that probably wasn’t what she meant.
Brenda laughed again. “Hey, it’s never too early for wine, not in my line of business. Seriously though, I was thinking more coffee or iced tea. We also have sodas.”
“Iced tea would be great.”
“Give me just a second. Let me run out front,” Brenda said and left the office, walking back through the double doors separating the back room from the front.
This was such a cute setup. The scenery was beautiful, and I bet it was even more gorgeous in the fall, when the trees started turning. When I’d pulled in, I saw the wine store and, next to it, a covered area with picnic tables where people could take their wine and relax. Brenda and her husband, Rob, should be so proud of what they had accomplished. I knew all too well how hard it was to build a successful business, and they seemed to be doing a fantastic job.
Brenda came back, setting two tall glasses of iced tea on the coffee table before taking a seat in the chair opposite me.
“It’s been such hard work, and there are times when I severely regretted that we took this on. Some nights I’m so exhausted I can’t see straight, but it’s been worth it. I never thought about owning a business, much less a winery, until Rob started talking about it, but I love it. I love the industry and the business part.”
Brenda stopped talking as she opened a packet of sweetener, pouring it in her drink and stirring it with her straw. There was definitely something on her mind as she stared into her glass and I was sure it wasn’t because she was fascinated watching her sugar crystals dissolve.
“So, Brenda, I’m dying of anticipation. What did you want to talk to me about? I hope it’s about us partnering. I need to carry your wine at our place. I’m sorry I didn’t think of it until now, but we haven’t paid much attention to the wine aspect of the business. I think we’re finally in a place we can afford to expand our focus, though.”
“That’s a great idea and let’s definitely talk about that, but it’s not why I wanted to talk to you. It’s my sister. She’s in trouble.”
June 9, 2023
Gems and Gunshots – A Presley Thurman Cozy Mystery
Chapter 1
“Whoo-hoo, I’m going to California!” I yelled to Jared, my best friend and roommate, as I hung up the phone. Bella was prancing around my legs, which was semi-dangerous, since she was almost a year old and weighed in at one-hundred-plus pounds. I gave her giant mastiff head a few pats and moved her out of my way.
“What?! That’s not fair. Details, chick, details,” he said, walking over and flopping down on our overstuffed, chocolate-brown Pottery Barn couch and looking at me expectantly. Bella, lumbering over at a glacial pace, tried to squeeze herself on Jared’s lap with limited success. I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight, much to Jared’s annoyance. Though he loved Bella as much as I did.
I sat down facing him, barely able to contain my excitement. “That was Cooper. He’s been nominated for some award. Something in his field—I don’t know all the details—but anyway, that’s not the point. He wants me to fly out and be his date for the event. Not only am I thrilled about seeing San Diego and spending time with Cooper, but this thing is black tie so I even get to buy a fancy dress. I’m so ready to get out of this cold Chicago weather, getting to buy a new dress is icing on the cake.”
Cooper was my long-distance boyfriend. We had gone to high school together and recently reconnected. I lived in Chicago and he was in San Diego, so geography was making it difficult to have a relationship, but we were trying.
“I’m jealous!”
“Good.” I giggled. “I don’t know what’s more exciting, the trip to California or the black-tie event.”
“It’s a toss-up. You can count me in on helping you shop. When is it?”
“Two weeks. Cooper said he would take care of the plane ticket and to let him know how long I wanted to stay.”
“So, what are you thinking?” Jared asked.
“If I can get the time off, I think at least two weeks, since I’m flying all that way. Cooper is paying for the ticket and I can stay at his place, so I want to take advantage of the opportunity. Plus,” I said slowly, “if we are going to take this relationship to the next level, one of us has to move, so it would be a good time for me to check out the area. Cooper told me at least ten times that except for the actual event, he was swamped with work and wouldn’t have time to entertain me so I’ll be on my own a little and can explore.”
“Do you think you can get time off from the shop?”
“Yeah. Things are in a good routine now and there aren’t any big events coming up,” I told him. “It shouldn’t be a problem.”
I worked as a manager of an upscale boutique called Silk. We catered to mostly rich, needy women. While the customers could be a little annoying at times, we had amazing merchandise that I would never be able to afford without the generous employee discount; that alone made it all worth it. I had been working at the boutique for a while after getting fired from my regular corporate job in human resources. Though getting fired had totally been worth it for the satisfaction of telling my jerk of a boss off.
I was now in what I liked to call the “finding myself” phase of life, a phase my mother felt I should be out of already, since I was in my thirties. She had an ulterior motive though, wanting me to come back to my hometown of Hunter’s Hollow and take over her flower shop, which was a recent development that she shared with me the last time I’d called home. I wasn’t sure it was something I wanted to do either. I had stayed at the boutique rather than look for the real job my mom kept bugging me to find. The events of the past year had given me a new perspective, one that showed me life is too short to not do what you love, or at least attempt to do what you love. Hence the job at Silk; it wasn’t going to make me rich, and I didn’t plan on doing it forever, but it would allow me the time to figure out what I was passionate about while I stayed financially solvent.
“You’re lucky I’m right in the middle of a big project at work or I’d be completely fine inviting myself as the third wheel,” Jared said.
“Well, about that, do you think you could watch Bella for me while I’m away?” I gave him my best grin, hoping it would sway him.
“You know I love Bella. I’ll take good care of her,” he said as he gave her a belly rub while her tongue lolled out of her mouth.
June 2, 2023
Ari’s Adventure – a Moonshire Bay Clean Small Town Romance
Ari was so glad the kids were coming home from college soon. Her youngest, Katie, was finishing up her freshman year at Michigan State, and her son, Sam, his junior year at Marquette. It was still hard for her to believe her kids were grown when it seemed like just yesterday they were in grade school. With both of them away at college the past year, it made her realize how quiet life was. In some respects, it was nice, but mostly she missed the hustle and energy the house had when the kids were there. She looked forward to having them back under the same roof, though the last time they’d talked, it sounded like they’d already made summer plans and wouldn’t be around much. Oh well, it was to be expected. Who wanted to spend time with Mom and Dad when they could be hanging with friends? Whatever time she could get, she’d take. Soon, they’d be out on their own, starting their own families, and her time with them would be even more limited. The thought brought tears to her eyes.
Ari Evans was going on twenty-plus years of marriage. She spent her days working as an accountant at a large accounting firm where she’d been employed since college. During that time, she’d raised her two amazing kids. She had what she’d consider a typical life with her husband Craig and her children Sam and Katie, and she loved it.
While tidying up the kitchen after breakfast, her phone rang. She looked at the display and saw that it was her assistant Robin calling. Since it was after nine, the office was open but Ari had planned to go in late that day because she had scheduled a late client appointment. Robin knew that and she usually didn’t bother Ari when she was home. It must be important.
“Hey, Robin. Did you forget that I’m not coming in until about noon today? I have the CEO and COO from the Marshall Group coming tonight at six.”
“Ari, you need to come in now,” Robin whispered, almost like she was trying not to be overheard.
“Is something wrong? Your voice sounds funny. Are you sick?”
“Just come in as soon as you can,” Robin replied frantically, then she disconnected.
Ari stood there in her kitchen with its cheery white cabinets and yellow accents, and her stomach started to do slow somersaults. She could feel her hands tremble a little. Robin wasn’t normally highly strung or one to blow things out of proportion. For her to act like this, something must indeed be wrong. The partners who’d founded the firm were both in their seventies. Maybe something had happened to one of them.
Ari had already showered, so she ran to her bedroom, threw on her favorite blue suit, and applied some makeup. She then went to her home office, stuffed her laptop into her bag, and headed out the door.
Since it was after rush hour, she made it to her office in Sterling Heights in record time. She pulled her black SUV into a space, gathered her things and got out, locking her car and briskly walking into the office building. She took the elevator to the fourth floor where the offices of her company, McPherson and Kincade, were located. Her stomach was churning, a nervous energy caused by her wondering what had spooked Robin so badly.
Ari stepped off the elevator, which opened directly into the offices that occupied the entire floor, and there was a palpable buzz. Something was going on. Normally, it was quiet and calm in the office, a very relaxed atmosphere. There were two main things Ari enjoyed about her job. The people and how laid back the place was.
What was it about today that gave the office such a different vibe? The cliché you could cut the tension with a knife came to mind.
She dumped her stuff at her desk and quickly made her way to Robin’s. Robin was on the phone but signaled that she’d be just a minute, so Ari sat down, her foot tapping impatiently.
Before Robin got off the phone, however, Ari’s boss, Ross Kincade, walked over.
“Good morning, Ross,” she said. “What’s going on here?”
“Can you come to my office?” he asked, his voice devoid of all expression.
“Uh, sure.” Now she was really nervous. Ross, who was normally a very upbeat and outgoing person, seemed very somber. Oh no, maybe something happened to the other managing partner. Jim McPherson had heart problems. He should have retired years ago, yet he still came in every day.
Ari looked sideways at Robin and raised her eyebrows. Once Ross had turned his back, Robin mouthed, “I’m sorry.”
“What’s this about, Ross?” Ari inquired the minute his office door was shut. It came out a little harsher than she’d intended. Robin’s I’m sorry had scared her, but he didn’t seem to notice.
“Have a seat, Ari.” He sighed and sat down.
“What’s going on?” she asked again, a little softer this time.
“As you know, things have been rough here for a while, ever since we lost the Ambrose account when they went bankrupt.”
She nodded. “Yes, but I thought things were getting better.”
“They are. However, Jim and I realized that we’re too old to be doing this.”
“You’re not too old, either of you. You work circles around me and everyone else around here,” Ari protested.
Ross held up his hand. “I appreciate you saying that, but the truth is, we want to retire. Enjoy the easy life.”
“So, are you selling? Is that why it feels so tense out there?” Ari didn’t like that thought but she couldn’t fault them for wanting to get out of the rat race.
He nodded and she felt a sense of relief. Companies were bought and sold all the time. It didn’t mean anything. Sure, there’d be changes but she could adapt.
“Whew. You had me worried it was something bad. I hate that you two are selling. I’ve loved working for you, but I understand.”
Ross looked pained, and she felt nervous again. “Unfortunately, there is no easy way to say this. The company who bought us bought our business. Just the business.”
As the words sank in, she began to realize his meaning.
“You mean, they want our list of clients but not us, the employees,” she said slowly.
He slid over a folder. “Inside, you’ll find there is a very generous severance package. I’m sorry, Ari. You’ve been a great employee.”
Ari was stunned. She’d expected to retire from there. “So when is my last day?” she said with a calm she didn’t feel. Was this really happening?
“It’s effective immediately.”
“Oh, okay then. Thank you, Ross.” She felt dazed, like what had just happened was a little surreal.
She felt like she was in a fog as she walked out of Ross’ office and to her own, where she’d tossed her stuff just a few minutes earlier, before her professional life came tumbling down. She picked her things back up again. As she headed to the elevator, she heard Robin call out to her, but Ari ignored her, not wanting to talk to anyone at that moment.
She’d never been unemployed before. Since she’d started working at the ice cream shop at fifteen, she’d had a job. She didn’t blame Ross and Jim for wanting an easier life, but still, hers had just become harder.
As she reached her car, the tears started falling. She drove home, not even remembering the trip by the time she reached her front door and walked into an empty house.
When she looked around the home she’d lived in so long, she felt a little calmer in her familiar surroundings. She would get through this and find another job. She still had what was important. Her family.
Ari changed into her after-work uniform of yoga pants and a t-shirt, then warmed up a cup of coffee from earlier, taking it into the living room.
She opened up the folder that Ross had given her and saw that she’d received a better severance package than she would have expected, a full year’s salary. That softened the blow a little.
Feeling a bit better, and knowing that she wasn’t going to solve her problems in that instant, she took her now-empty coffee cup back into the kitchen and noticed that Craig had left his phone sitting on the kitchen island. He was probably annoyed, as he lived by the thing. Then, she thought about how nice it would be to take it to him at work. She would stop on the way and pick him up a white chocolate mocha from Starbucks, his favorite drink. He would appreciate it, and she thought it would be fun because it was something that she rarely had the chance to do. Maybe being unemployed wouldn’t be so bad after all. It would give her an opportunity to do all the things she never had time to do before.
As she reached down to pick up Craig’s phone, it buzzed. She saw that he had three texts from someone named Sarah White. Who is Sarah White and what is so important that she would send three texts?
May 26, 2023
Rivalry Gone Wrong: A Cheer Moms Cozy Mystery Free Chapter Friday
Jamboree, one of the season’s most important cheerleading competitions, was well underway, and the music was pumping so loudly I felt like I was at a club. Well, what I vaguely remembered clubbing was like from many, many years ago. I couldn’t hear myself think, which back in the day I didn’t remember minding but now I found downright annoying. Not to mention I could barely hear a thing Stephanie, a fellow cheer mom, was saying, even though she was leaning over and shouting right into my ear.
“What?” I screamed, thinking it was a wonder, after eight years of attending these competitive cheer competitions to support my daughter Ashley, that I wasn’t deaf.
“Do you know who they’re competing against, Abby?” she yelled in my ear again and I swore I could feel her hot breath travel into my ear canal. I stifled the urge to rub my ear, not wanting to be rude.
“I’m not sure,” I said, even though it was doubtful she could hear me any better than I could hear her, so I shrugged my shoulders as if to say I don’t know. Which I didn’t.
“It’s the Kindville Cougars, our team’s biggest competition. We’ve never beaten them,” Jenny, the mom on the other side of me, replied. How the heck she heard what Stephanie was saying when I couldn’t was beyond me. Maybe I was going deaf from all the loud music?
“What?” Rhonda leaned across Stephanie to yell in my other ear, and I relayed the message. I looked down at my program and confirmed it was the Kindville Cougars who were next and told Rhonda, who nodded, so I assumed she heard me.
There was a brief lull in the music and I relished the respite until the announcer came on to introduce the next team. But when the spotlight lit up the doorway they were to come through, nothing happened.
“Let’s welcome the Kindville Cougars,” the announcer said again—and nothing.
“I wonder what’s happening,” Rhonda said.
“Probably got their time wrong or something. If they take too long, they’ll go to the next team and slip them in somewhere else.” It wasn’t an unusual occurrence to be late. Herding teenage cheerleaders was much like herding cats. Not an easy prospect.
Rhonda nodded, but then ten more minutes went by, and the announcer came back over the loudspeaker. “Sorry for the delay, folks. Now let me introduce the Kindville Cougars.”
I was nervous, as Ashley’s team was second to the Kindville Cougars in overall standings going into today. They were always the team to beat, and by the looks of the routine I was watching, they would again be the team to beat today. Their tumbling was flawless and the height of the basket toss was amazing.
Ohhh, a collective gasp went through the crowd as the final pyramid fell. Once all the girls got up and I saw no one had been hurt, I could allow myself to be happy for the fall and the edge it would give Ashley’s team. What could I say? Competitive cheer was cutthroat. As I looked around, I saw the other moms felt the same by the slight smiles they wore, but we said nothing. Didn’t want to jinx our girls.
“Let’s welcome our next team, the Aces of Cherry City!” the announcer came back on.
As everyone clapped and cheered, I prepared myself for the pounding music again and dug two aspirin out of my purse. As much as I loved cheer, sitting for hours on end in the bleachers, listening to loud music and screaming fans took a toll.
“They’re coming out now,” Rhonda exclaimed, bringing my attention back to the stage as our team, the Aces of Cherry City, took the floor.
“I just hope Beth makes her standing back tuck,” Rhonda said, and I nodded, focused on willing Ashley to have a clean routine. She was coming off a sprained ankle and her tumbling had been a little shaky lately. Competitive cheerleading was a sport people gave little credit to. Heck, most wouldn’t even consider it a sport. What they didn’t realize was that cheerleaders got more concussions than the local high school football team, according to my friend Karen, who was a nurse at the local ER. Competitive cheer differed from school cheer. Ashley’s team didn’t cheer at football and basketball games but competed with a two-and-a-half-minute routine of tumbling and stunts. It was fun to watch. The girls were incredibly athletic and devoted hours and hours to training.
My worrying was needless and their routine was flawless. When they finished, I jumped up, screamed, and clapped with the rest of the cheer moms.
After the team left the stage, we all got up and walked out of the event room, and around to the hall where the team would come out of the locker room.
“You did an awesome job, honey!” I said to Ashley as soon as I saw her, and gave her a big hug.
“Thanks! Can I have some money? We’re going to go get some food before the awards. We’re starving.”
I dug some cash out of my purse and handed her a twenty, and she bounced away with her friends.
I turned to the mom group I was standing with. “I’m going to grab a coffee. Anyone want anything?”
I didn’t get any takers, so I headed over to the coffee cart, which thankfully didn’t have nearly as big a line as the hot pretzel and nacho stand where the kids were waiting.
I was third in line and was thumbing through Facebook on my phone when the conversation the ladies in front of me were having caught my interest.
“Missing, really?”
“Yes! The team was here, but he never showed up. They warmed up without him, and a Kindville coach from another team stepped in for him since the teams can’t compete without a coach. I’m sure that’s why their pyramid fell. Those poor girls. Shame on that coach for not showing up.”
“Are you talking about the Kindville Cougars?” I asked, giving away my eavesdropping, but the ladies just smiled, so they hadn’t taken offense.
The lady with blond hair nodded.
“Maybe he got a flat tire or something,” the other woman said.
The blond lady shook her head. “Maybe, but no one has heard from him. At least that’s what our coach said. If he had a flat, surely he would have called someone to tell them or asked for a ride or something.”
The ladies walked up to order their drinks, cutting the conversation short, and I got my coffee right after them. Then I headed to the awards room, where I took my seat while they brought all the teams on stage.
“And now for our senior four division. Third place goes to the Centerville All Stars, second place the Columbus Wildcats, and first place goes to the Aces of Cherry City!”
The girls jumped up screaming, as did all the parents. While the gym focused on the girls doing their best, and of course I didn’t care if Ashley’s team won as long as they had fun, winning was a great feeling. I loved that my daughter had that feeling of accomplishment.
“We won, we won, Mom!” Ashley yelled, running down to where the parents were standing and stopping short right in front of me. She was showing me the medal around her neck while jumping up and down. I was so proud of her.
“Ice cream on the way home to celebrate?”
“Definitely! I need to grab my things from the warm-up room.”
“Okay. I’ll meet you up by the front door.”
“Okay. Be right back.”
Ashley bounded off to grab her stuff, and I walked in the opposite direction to the front doors. But what I saw when I looked up stopped me in my tracks. I could see the flashing lights of a police car through the plate-glass windows.
I walked up to the crowd that was gathering, looking out the window where the police were talking to some parents from the Kindville Cougars. I could tell because they had Kindville Cougar jackets on and were wearing the team colors.
“What’s going on?” I absently asked the person standing next to me.
“They found the coach of the Kindville Cougars on the side of the road a couple of miles away. He’s dead.”
April 25, 2023
Sleuthing Women Cozy Mystery Interview with Carolyn Dean
March 2, 2023
It’s About The Hit- a Cheer Moms Cozy Mystery Free Chapter
Chapter 1The parents’ viewing room at the gym of my daughter’s cheerleading team, The Aces of Cherry City, was full of activity as I waited for the start of practice. We were at the last practice before competing for the weekend, which would not only be the last cheer competition of the year, but the championship competition that would determine who won the entire season. The Aces of Cherry City were in first place coming into the weekend, but it didn’t matter how well they had done all season. What mattered was how well they did at this final competition because previous scores did not count and all teams would start from zero, essentially giving everyone a fair shot at the championship.
“Abby, can you believe the season is almost over?” Stephanie, one of the other cheer moms and my friend, said. We were all sitting together as we typically did while watching our girls—me, Stephanie, Jenny, and Diane. Prior to the season, I had been friendly with the cheer moms but not friends, if you get what I’m saying. But some crazy events that we had experienced together over these last few months had brought a new depth to our relationship. We’d been through murders, a missing teen, a judging scandal… you name it, we had seen it. So where I previously sat begrudgingly watching my daughter practice for three hours, I now welcomed the chance to socialize with the other cheer moms.
“I know. It’s one of those things that seems like it’s lasting forever when you are doing it. But then when it’s over, it seems like it went fast,” I said. The other women nodded their heads in agreement.
“Yes!” Jenny pumped her fist in the air as we watched her daughter land her tumbling pass. “She’s been struggling all season to do that move and has been taking extra tumbling lessons. I am so happy to see they are finally paying off.”
“She looked amazing out there. You would never know that she’d been struggling,” I said.
“All our girls make this look really easy, which, if you ask me, is why cheerleading doesn’t get nearly the respect it deserves,” Diane said with just a hint of bitterness to her tone.
I totally understood her sentiment. Most people thought cheerleading was just jumping around on a football field, yelling a variation of ‘go, team, go’ and shaking some pom-poms. Some cheerleading was just that, and those cheerleaders also deserved credit for what they did, but the world of competitive cheer was much different.
The grueling practices, the girls flipping their bodies every which way on their tumbling passes, and the insane stunts made me happy Abby was a base and not the flyer. I didn’t think I could stand to see her body flying through the air, hoping to get caught on the way down. Not that she was without injury. She had had two concussions and even had a few teeth knocked loose after getting kicked in the face when someone came down from a stunt. Competitive cheerleading was not a sport to be treated lightly. I had always known that, but this season, as I’d become more involved, I realized even more how rough it was. These girls were fierce athletes and were as tough as nails.
“Well, you know, there is talk of cheerleading becoming an Olympic sport. Even if it never makes it that far, the fact that it’s even being considered speaks volumes about where the sport is today in terms of recognition for the athletes,” I said.
“What do you guys think of the new choreographer?” Diane asked, changing the subject. I assumed she brought up the topic because the new choreographer, Jeremiah Oslo, was on the floor with our girls gesticulating as he was explaining something to them.
“He’s supposed to be the best choreographer in the business,” Stephanie said.
“I heard that too, and I can’t believe we got him for our gym,” Diane said.
“Well, I heard he has a reputation for following the winners, and we’ve been winning all season,” Stephanie said. “I’m not sure I like his lack of loyalty, though.”
“As long as we keep winning, it won’t be an issue,” Diane said.
Jeremiah had been the coach and choreographer for the Kindville Cougars for the last two years and they had held the number one spot. They had fallen down in the standings this year, while the Aces of Cherry City had climbed to the number one spot. So, it did look as if he was fickle, wanting to work for whoever was winning.
“What I say is that we take all the knowledge we can from him. Not that I don’t think our girls will win or be winners next year, but to have a choreographer of his caliber is truly a cheer blessing,” Diane said.
“Speaking of the Kindville Cougars, I kind of feel bad for them,” I said, thinking about how heartbroken I would be for Ashley and her team if they were having a bad year.
“Why?” Jenny asked me.
“Well, they lost their best coach, and you know how hard it had to be on the girls. They’ve done horrible this year. Not even placing in the top five. I wouldn’t feel so bad if they hadn’t lost their coach.”
“I guess you have a point,” Jenny said, glancing at the floor, not wanting to meet my eyes.
“To be honest,” Diane said, “I’m surprised they’ve done as well as they have. I’m not sure Taylor could bounce back and keep cheering if something happened to Coach Becky.”
“Yeah, Ashley either. There have been so many negative things that happened this season. I’m just hoping this competition goes off without a hitch. Especially since it’s in our own town.”
Cherry City was a small town but was centrally located in southern Illinois. A few years ago, the city had had the good fortune to get a state-of-the-art convention center built. This year we lucked out and the final championship cheer competition was to be held there. I was so happy, because while I enjoyed spending time with Ashley, traveling out of town to all the competitions was tiring, so at least this was close.
The ladies and I sat in silence, watching the girls, and it thrilled me to see their practice going so well. Then suddenly Jeremiah, who was on the edge of the mat pacing back and forth, his eagle eye calling out corrections to the girls, let out a wail, clutched his chest, and collapsed. He thrashed around on the gym floor for what seemed like forever but was only a few seconds, and then he stopped and all was quiet.
The moms and I looked at one another before we all jumped up, rushing onto the floor to see if we could help. When we reached Jeremiah, the girls were all huddled around while the on-duty trainer was frantically doing chest compressions. I whipped out my phone and called 911. As soon as I hung up, Evelyn, the trainer, looked up at us.
“I can’t get him to start breathing,” she cried, continuing to pump on his chest and administer CPR, but she finally turned to us, tears streaming down her face. “I think he’s dead.”
Click here to read this cozy mystery book now.February 17, 2023
Free Chapter Friday – Cheerleading is Killer, A Cheer Mom Mystery
Chapter 1
“Mom, I can’t find my shoes,” my daughter Ashley said. She frantically dumped everything out of her backpack and suitcase onto the bed in our hotel room to locate the missing items.
“What do you mean?” I said, fully understanding her but mildly in shock.
“Just what I said, Mom. My shoes aren’t here,” she said, hands on her hips, surveying the mess she’d made.
I could see by the distraught look on her face that a meltdown was brewing. We had just arrived at our hotel, which was next to the Chicago convention center where she was competing this weekend with her cheer team, the Aces of Cherry City. They weren’t competing today, but she was getting dressed for practice, starting in thirty minutes.
“Mom, what am I going to do?” she said, on the verge of tears.
“Just think for a minute. Do you remember packing them?” I said calmly. Ashley was usually very good about remembering everything. She always had a checklist and marked it off as she packed. Something she had done from the time she was a little girl, which I had always found cute.
“I don’t know.”
“Think. Close your eyes and go through your packing process. I’m sure the shoes are here somewhere.” Though as I looked at the big mound of clothing now on top of her bed where the shoes should have been, I was a little worried.
I stayed silent while Ashley closed her eyes, presumably running through her routine. Suddenly, her eyelids popped open, and she grinned. Turning around, she walked to the bathroom and came out with her oversized makeup bag. She sat it on the bed and unzipped it, gleefully pulling out a pair of tennis shoes.
“Thank goodness,” she said.
Thank Mom, I thought, but didn’t say it.
“What are your shoes doing in your makeup bag?” Now it was my turn to plant my hands on my hips. At least I knew where she got that trait from.
“I washed them and when I packed my clothes they weren’t quite dry, so I didn’t want to put them in my suitcase.”
She was already dressed, except for the shoes, so she sat down to put them on and grimaced a little.
“Still damp?” I asked.
“A little. It’s kinda gross.”
I laughed. “You’ll just have to deal with it for practice and we can set them in front of the heater or take the blow dryer to them later so they’re not squishy tomorrow.”
Ashley jumped up and gave me a kiss on the cheek.
“Thanks, Mom. Now, are you ready?”
“Almost. Let me just throw on some lip gloss and grab my purse and we’ll be ready to go.”
We walked through the hotel to the skyway adjoining the convention center, to where they were practicing. I almost felt claustrophobic from the number of cheerleaders and parents here. This was the biggest competition of the year except for the end-of-season finals. It was also the last competition to qualify for said finals, and I could almost feel the tension in the air. Ashley’s team thankfully already had the points necessary to be eligible to compete in the championship finals, so I was glad she didn’t have that pressure.
“There’s Megan and Taylor. I’ll see you later, Mom,” Ashley said as she ran off to join her friends and teammates. I looked around for the other cheer moms. I knew where their daughters were, so they would be close. I spotted Diane, Stephanie, and Jenny standing together a little off to the side, out of the way of the throngs of people, and I walked over to join them.
“Traffic sure was horrible on the way up here,” Jenny said.
“I know. I was going to take Ashley out of school early so we could beat the after-work traffic and then I got tied up at Scoops so she had to sit at home and wait for me. We didn’t end up getting here early,” I said.
“Anything wrong?” Stephanie asked.
“No, just had a big custom order for a birthday party and wanted to make sure it was set and ready to go before I left.” Scoops was the ice cream shop I owned in Cherry City. I’d used the money from my deceased husband’s life insurance to open it, trying to find purpose after he’d died five years ago. What I thought might be a hobby had turned into a thriving ice cream shop that also served light snack food.
“You’re so lucky to have a business that you love,” Diane said.
“What, you’re not happy in real estate anymore?” I asked my friend.
“I don’t know. I think I’m just burned out.”
“Maybe you should take over Scoops and Abby can become a full-time detective,” Stephanie joked, referring to the last couple of competitions where I’d helped solve crimes.
“Funny. Trust me, I’m looking forward to an uneventful competition this weekend. The girls have already qualified for the championship, so there’s no pressure on them, and we’re in Chicago, so we can go have a nice dinner tonight and do some shopping. It’ll be a pleasant weekend.”
“Speaking of shopping, do you guys want to head down to the pop-up shop area?” Stephanie said.
“That’s a great idea,” Stephanie said. “I saw that Brenda’s Bows is going to be here, and I wanted to get Taylor a few new bows for her upcoming birthday.”
We made our way down the hallway, and I was feeling like a salmon swimming upstream. It was so crowded. We made it to the pop-up shops and I was happy it wasn’t as packed as the hallway. My guess was people were still getting the girls ready for practices and it would be much busier tomorrow.
“These leggings,” Diane said as we reached the first shop, called Butter Goods. Sounded more like it should sell food instead of clothes, but as I felt the fabric Diane held out in my direction, Butter Goods made more sense. These had to be the softest leggings I had ever felt.
“I don’t want to buy anything yet, but I think we’ll definitely have to come back here,” I said and the other ladies nodded.
“Hey, Brenda’s Bows is over there. I want to buy stuff now because she usually sells out halfway through the first day,” Stephanie said, so we walked over to the shop. The table was definitely busier than the surrounding shops. I picked out a few bows for Ashley, and the other ladies did the same, and then we went up to the cash register where there was already a line of people, but there was no one to ring us up.
“That’s odd. No one’s here,” Diane said, craning her head to look around.
“Maybe she had to go back and get something?” Each shop had a little curtained-off area that I assumed held their back stock, so it made sense that a customer might’ve wanted something and she had to go to the back to get it. But after about ten minutes of waiting and some very unhappy cheer moms grumbling and getting out of line, it didn’t seem right.
“Maybe she’s not really open right now,” Stephanie said.
“The light on the cash register is on and she wouldn’t just leave all these bows unattended. They’re super easy to steal,” Diane said, and I agreed.
“Here, hold these bows. I’m going to stick my head back in her stockroom area and see if she’s back there. Maybe she’s got headphones on or something.”
Diane took my bows, and I walked past the line into the stockroom, feeling a little apprehensive since I was walking into a private area.
“Hello, hello,” I said as I pulled back the curtain and stuck my head in. I yanked my head out. Brenda was back here, but she definitely wasn’t ignoring us because she had headphones on. By the blood pooled around her body on the floor and the knife sticking out of her chest, I was positive she was dead.
So much for this being a quiet, routine cheer competition. Here we go again, I thought.
February 5, 2023
Cozy Mystery Tropes: A Guide for Mystery Fans
Cozy mysteries, also known as “cozies,” are a popular sub-genre of mystery fiction that are known for their lighthearted and genteel tone. Unlike traditional mystery novels, cozies tend to focus more on the amateur sleuth’s personal life and relationships rather than on grisly crimes and gore. This sub-genre has become so popular that it has developed its own set of tropes and conventions. Here are some of the most common tropes found in cozy mysteries.
The amateur sleuth: In cozy mysteries, the main character is often an amateur sleuth who stumbles upon a crime and decides to investigate. This amateur detective is often a likable, relatable character who has a personal connection to the crime, such as a friend or family member who is a suspect. They use their wit and ingenuity to solve the case.The small-town setting: Cozy mysteries often take place in a small town or village, where everyone knows each other and the amateur sleuth is familiar with the local characters and their quirks. This setting provides a close-knit community where the amateur sleuth can easily interact with the suspects and gather information.A cast of quirky characters: Cozy mysteries are known for their cast of quirky and eccentric characters, including the amateur sleuth, their friends, and the suspects. These characters are often memorable and entertaining, providing a comedic contrast to the serious nature of the crime being investigated.The murder weapon is always close at hand: In cozy mysteries, the murder weapon is almost always found within a few feet of the crime scene. This convention provides the amateur sleuth with a limited pool of suspects and makes the mystery more manageable to solve.The cozy atmosphere: Cozy mysteries are known for their warm and comforting atmosphere, with emphasis on home and hearth. This atmosphere is created through descriptions of comfort food, homey decor, and the close-knit community of the small town setting.The nosy neighbor: Cozy mysteries often feature a nosy neighbor or busybody who provides the amateur sleuth with information and gossip. This character often proves to be a valuable asset in the investigation, although they can also be a hindrance at times.The love interest: In many cozy mysteries, the amateur sleuth has a love interest who is either a potential suspect or a helpful ally in the investigation. This relationship provides a romantic subplot to the main mystery and adds a personal touch to the story.The red herrings: Cozy mysteries are known for their intricate plot twists and false leads, known as red herrings. These red herrings are often used to mislead the amateur sleuth and keep the reader guessing until the very end.The pet sidekick: In many cozy mysteries, the amateur sleuth is accompanied by a loyal pet sidekick, who often helps solve the case. This pet is often a quirky and endearing character who adds humor and lightheartedness to the story.The amateur sleuth’s hobby: Many cozy mysteries feature the amateur sleuth as having a hobby, such as baking, gardening, or needlepoint. This hobby is often used as a backdrop for the investigation, providing the amateur sleuth with opportunities to gather information and observe the suspects.In conclusion, cozy mysteries are a popular sub-genre of mystery fiction that are known for their lighthearted tone, small-town setting, and cast of quirky characters. These conventions and tropes have become staple elements of the genre, making cozy mysteries a favorite among mystery fans.
February 3, 2023
Free Chapter Friday – Silence the Cheers, A Cheer Mom Mystery
Get the pre-order of this book for .99 cents. It releases Tuesday February. Click HERE.
Chapter 1“Mom, I’m so excited,” Ashley said, jumping up and down in the hotel room. “Thank you so much for letting me miss school today so we could get here early. I can’t believe I’m going to meet Cassie Cannon. She’s totally my idol.”
The smile on Ashley’s face made it completely worth the extra time I had taken off work and her missing school to get here early. Cassie Cannon was what people in the cheer world called a cheerlebrity. I wasn’t exactly sure how she had reached that status, although Ashley tried to tell me it was because she was awesome and had a large social media following. I didn’t quite see how that made someone famous, but here we were. Only three weeks since the last competition, we were in another hotel with all the other cheer teams.
I had paid twenty-five bucks for an appointment with Cassie so Ashley could get her picture taken with her and get an autograph. While I found it a little distasteful to pay money so my teenager could pose with another teenager, the website had said the money was going to a scholarship fund, so I felt better about it. Ashley talked about Cassie almost the entire ride to Detroit, a long eight hours, proving Cassie had done very well for herself with endorsements. Who knew cheerleading could make you a millionaire at sixteen?
“Well, then you need to finish getting ready so we’re not late. I’m sure with so many girls wanting to have their pictures taken with her they won’t wait for us if we’re late.”
This two-day competition started tomorrow, and I hated to have Ashley miss school, but the drive time meant we still would’ve had to travel today—just not leave home as early. But as happy as Ashley was, it was worth it. As soon as we had arrived at the hotel, she had put on her cheer uniform, because that was how she wanted her picture taken with Cassie.
“Just let me finish my makeup and I’ll be ready.”
I waited for her to finish applying her mascara, scrolling through my phone, when a text popped up from Anthony Barrett. I couldn’t help but smile. He wanted to know if we’d arrived in Detroit safely. We weren’t officially dating, but we talked every day. We’d been out for some very enjoyable evenings and neither one of us was in a hurry to start something serious. Anthony was the detective I’d met a few months ago because of an unfortunate incident where a coach was murdered during a cheer competition. Since then, he’d become a frequent customer at my ice cream shop, which had given us something in common. We both liked ice cream.
“I’m ready,” Ashley called out, so I got up, grabbed my purse and the room key and we headed downstairs.
“There’s a sign, Mom. It says pictures with Cassie Cannon that way,” she said, her voice high-pitched with excitement.
We walked to the right, following the signs to the room located in the convention center. When we reached the area, the doors to the room were closed and the hallway was packed with people. So many teenage girls chattering in one place made me wish I had some earplugs.
“Seems odd,” I said absentmindedly to no one in particular. I was sure our appointment wasn’t the first and the photos should’ve started by now.
“Maybe she’s late,” Ashley said, biting her lip.
“Then she is really late, because picture-taking started three hours ago.”
Ashley’s eyes grew round as she looked at me. “You don’t think it got canceled, do you?” she said, and my heart broke at the panic in her voice. I might think that a ‘cheerlebrity’ was ridiculous, but it really wasn’t any different from me wanting to meet Kevin Bacon after watching the movie Footloose when I was her age. I put my hand on her arm and squeezed.
“Let’s see what’s going on.”
I threaded my way through the people until I reached two security guards standing in front of the door, probably keeping a teenage riot from happening.
“Hi. Do you know what’s going on? Is Cassie Cannon taking a break?” I asked, trying to keep my voice light for Ashley’s sake.
One of the security guards shook his head. “She never showed up.”
I looked at Ashley over my shoulder and could see tears of disappointment in her eyes.
“Listen, honey, I’m sure she just had car trouble or something crazy happened. Obviously there are a lot of girls in line for pictures before you, so why don’t we go back to that café I saw in the main lobby? We can get you a smoothie and me a coffee and we’ll come back here and wait.”
“I can’t believe she just wouldn’t show up and not post on social media what was going on. Something had to have happened to her, Mom.”
“Not everything is posted on social media, darling.”
“Yes, it is. She posts everything on social media, so if she couldn’t be here, she would have posted. What if something happened to her?” Her jaw trembled slightly.
While I thought Ashley was being a little dramatic when she said the girl always posted on social media, it did seem a little suspect that she was over three hours late and hadn’t said anything to her fans, especially after charging everyone for an appearance.
“There’s nothing we can do about it right now. Let’s go get some drinks and we’ll come back and take it from there.”
Ashley begrudgingly agreed but wouldn’t stop chattering the entire way back to the main lobby about how Cassie never missed an opportunity to post online. She was religiously refreshing her app as we walked, hoping for an update from Cassie.
It never came.
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