Laina Turner's Blog, page 6
November 8, 2022
October 21, 2022
Free Chapter Friday – Flowers and Felonies A Presley Thurman Cozy Mystery
Chapter 1
Man, it’s cold, I thought to myself as I walked from the parking garage to the front door of Silk, my upscale women’s boutique. Although cold was to be expected during the month of February in Chicago, I wasn’t a fan. I only suffered through the months of January and February with thoughts of spring to keep me warm. Winters here could be brutal, thanks to Lake Michigan’s frigid lake effect. Though even in the winter the lake was beautiful, so I hated to complain too much.
Valentine’s Day was just about a week away, and for the past few days Silk had been extremely busy with men rushing in to buy their wives and girlfriends presents. Which is why I left Bella, my English mastiff home. I often brought her to Silk with me but not when it was busy. Molly, my friend and sales manager, had come up with an idea this year during our Christmas season to have our shoppers fill out a wish list. Then we sent postcards addressed to their significant others a couple of weeks ago, telling them to come in and buy items off the wish list for Valentine’s Day.
While I’d thought it was a great idea when she came up with it, I was pleasantly surprised—shocked, actually—at how many people were taking us up on the offer. Yesterday afternoon we figured about fifty percent of the wish lists we had on file had led to sales. We also had a lot of comments about how easy we were making Valentine’s shopping.
Today I’d come in extra early to process the shipment we got yesterday. We’d been so busy with customers we hadn’t had time to put the items on the sales floor. It was a great problem to have.
I entered the front door, closed it behind me, then walked through to the back room, where I stopped to switch on the lights before heading into my office to set down my stuff. I made myself a cup of coffee, and while the Keurig brewed something wonderful, I stood, hands on hips, surveying the mess. It hadn’t looked this bad when I left last night, but we were getting so much new spring merchandise and our back room was full. I needed to take some of this trash out to give myself room to process the rest of the stock.
I broke down the boxes and folded them up, stuffing them in a couple of the other boxes to minimize the space they would take in the compactor. Then I unlocked the back door, propping it open so I could carry the first box out. We shared a trash dumpster and a cardboard compactor with the other stores on the block, and I hoped it wasn’t already full, as that often happened. I crossed the alley to where the receptacles sat and, balancing the box on my knee, I opened the door. My eyes grew wide and a scream lodged in my throat as I stared in. The box slipped to the ground as I stood frozen.
There wasn’t room for my cardboard… because there was a body inside.
Chapter 2
“911, what’s your emergency?”
“My name is Presley Thurman and I’m calling from Silk at 5649 Park Street. I just discovered a dead body in the dumpster in the alley behind my store.” I tried to keep my voice steady even though I was shaking.
“Dispatching police now. Please stay on the line. Do you feel you are in any danger?” the operator asked.
I looked around. I was the only person out here. “No.”
“Can you tell if the victim is still breathing?”
I took a step closer to the opening and looked at the body. He looked familiar but I couldn’t quite place him. He also looked dead because of the chalky gray color of his skin, but I didn’t want to make any assumptions, so I hesitantly reached in and my shaking hand felt for a pulse on his neck. Just as I feared, nothing. I relayed this information to the dispatcher.
“The officers should be arriving any minute. Please stay on the line with me until they arrive.”
I said okay, but my hands were starting to go numb from the cold. I hoped they were close because I didn’t want to leave the body out here alone to go get my coat; it just didn’t seem right. After a few more seconds I could hear the sirens getting closer, and it wasn’t long before two cop cars pulled into the alley.
“They’re here,” I said. We hung up and an officer walked up to me and two went over to the dumpster and peered in.
“Are you the one who called 911?” the officer asked, even though it seemed pretty obvious to me since I was the only one standing out here. But I nodded just to be polite.
“I’m Detective Perry, and you’re…?”
“Presley. Presley Thurman.”
“Do you want to go inside? You look like you’re freezing.”
“Yes, please.”
He told the other officers, who were taping off the area around the dumpster, that we were going inside, and then followed me back into the store. I immediately washed my hands and then walked over to my coffee that had finished brewing and picked up the cup, my hands appreciating the warmth.
“Can I make you a cup of coffee?” I asked.
“No, thank you. Is there a place where we can have a seat?”
I nodded and led him into my office, where I motioned for him to sit at one of the two chairs by the small table in the corner. Sitting in the other one, I looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to ask me questions. I took a sip of my coffee and he asked me to walk him through my morning, from arriving to finding the body.
I recounted my actions, which weren’t many, or helpful.
“So, you don’t recognize him?” The officer looked from his paper to me, his eyebrows raised in expectation.
“He looks familiar, like I may have seen him before, but I don’t know who he is. I just can’t place him.”
“Maybe you’ve seen him around here, maybe at one of the other stores on the block, or maybe he was one of your customers?”
I was pretty sure he hadn’t been in Silk before, but he did look familiar. The officer was silent, giving me a chance to think. Where had I seen this guy before? I mentally ran through the places in the area I frequented. Maybe he worked at one of the restaurants where I often ate lunch. Then it dawned on me.
“He works at The Flower Pot. It’s the flower shop two doors down. At least I think that’s where I recognize him from. Tammy is the owner. She could tell you.”
I was friends with Tammy and we often worked together to promote each other’s businesses. I was in there a couple of days ago to order some roses to decorate Silk for Valentine’s Day and I was pretty sure that was where I’d seen this guy. He’d been in her shop unloading flowers. I shuddered, thinking what a horrible thing to happen to an employee. Tammy was such a sweet person. This would devastate her.
“You have a number for her?”
I nodded and got up to grab my cell phone from the desk. “What’s your number? I’ll share her contact.”
He gave it to me, and I sent Tammy’s information.
He looked at his phone, tapping it to open up the contact, and then stood up. “Thank you for your time and I’m sorry you had to witness this. I may be in touch later if I have more questions, and please don’t say anything to anyone, since this is an ongoing investigation.”
I nodded, but I also crossed my toes, as I had already sent a text to Tammy saying, call me.
October 18, 2022
Win It Wednesday
It’s the middle of the week and I for one find Wednesday the toughest day of the week. Probably because at this point I am looking forward to the weekend but know I still have a couple days left!
So let’s forget it’s just Wednesday and let’s have some fun!!
Answer this trivia question in the comments AND enter to win a $5 Amazon giftcard!
Which of her own characters did Agatha Christie call “a detestable, bombastic, tiresome, egocentric little creep”?
Answer will be posted Wednesday 10-26!
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Monday Update
If you follow me at all you know my daughter plays rugby (and competitive cheer). I am really her gloried administrative assistant and I often think my entire life is about rugby or cheer. But that’s being a mom right?
However, this was a rugby-free weekend, and I thought it might be relaxing but not so much. I always have such high expectations about how much I can accomplish. It’s something I need to change.
Sydney and I did go to a pumpkin path and had a blast. Though we did almost get lost in the corn maze.
Last week in my newsletter I asked for tips on decluttering. In the past 18 months of taking care of my dad I have not paid any attention to my own house and I feel like I am drowning in clutter. I’ve been trying to muster up the energy to create a plan to deal with my house and get it back to a manageable level so I can relax and enjoy my home. Not just close my eyes and pretend the mess doesn’t exist which is what I’ve been doing for months.
Awesome reader Beth suggested getting a dumpster to add that not-so-subtle pressure to make sure we HAD to take action.
My hubby and I took that tip, and one is now sitting in my driveway.
Go big or go home, right?
To try and break this daunting task down into manageable chunks, I’ve made a document with each room on it and created a schedule to work our way through each room and hopefully get the house in a more organized state. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit stressed at the thought of all we need to accomplish in the next week. Typically, I work well under deadlines so I hope this is one of those times so I can get this house decluttered ad not feel like I’m living in a huge mess.
We also spent Sunday working on the Queen Anne we’re restoring.
I haven’t been up there in months. I was too busy with my dad. Honestly, I didn’t want to go up Sunday, but we needed to. We ended up spending the day fixing a couple of windows and cleaning. There are a couple of small things we want to get done this year yet, but I’m not going to put too much pressure on us to get stuff done. It’s been a rough year, and the house isn’t going anywhere.
How was your week?
October 12, 2022
FREE Chapter Bats and Bling a Presley Thurman Cozy Mystery
Chapter 1
“You seem especially nervous today. What’s up with you?” Katy asked.
“How could I not be nervous? Veronica Knapp is coming in to try on dresses for the fashion show. That woman is scary,” I said and laughed, but I wasn’t entirely joking.
Veronica was scary, in the way only uber-wealthy women who can break your business with one well-placed negative comment can be. I had a lot riding on her opinion of me and my boutique, and I couldn’t afford for anything to go wrong.
I’m Presley Thurman, thirty-something average redhead and owner of an upscale boutique called Silk located in Chicago, which is also where I live. Katy is my best friend and, for now, employee. Though, I consider her more a partner than employee. I don’t know what I’d do without her. She was in the process of selling her hair salon in Hunter’s Hollow, the town where we grew up, which was proving to be more difficult than she anticipated. Katy had moved here ten months ago to help me get Silk off the ground. It had been given to me by the former owner in an uncommon act of kindness on his part, but had amassed a pile of debt that I was slowly working to pay off. It had been scary to go from working in human resources, to managing Silk, to owning my own business. It was hard work, but I loved every minute of it. I felt I’d finally found my true calling.
Veronica Knapp—one of my best customers, in the sense that she spent a ton of money at Silk—had this odd love for Halloween. For the last five years she had organized a Halloween-themed charity ball to raise money for the children’s wing of a local hospital, which just happened to be run by her husband, a world-renowned pediatric surgeon. This year she’d asked me if I would organize the fashion show; I would supply the dresses, and she would supply the talent. It was a great opportunity for Silk to get exposure among an elite set of people who would be great potential customers, but if I didn’t pull it off it could also mean death for Silk.
“I just want this fashion show to turn out perfect, Katy. Veronica has a lot of influence in the community, and being the sponsor of this show could really boost our business. Having a booming holiday season would be great to help pay off this debt and ensure we have a great merchandise line up for spring.”
“I know. I’m only teasing you; you really have nothing to worry about. The dresses and coordinating jewelry are in the backroom, packed and ready for transit, and the shoes are right where we left them last night at closing time, in those clear boxes by the door. You haven’t forgotten anything. Stop wringing your hands or you’ll get arthritis in your old age.”
I eyed said boxes and forced a slow breath through my lips, hoping my heart rate would follow suit. She was right, of course. The shoes were sparkling and so perfect for the collection it was as if the owner of the store down the street had read my mind before he’d stocked up. Who knew small businesses could be so in tune with each other?
“The whole collection is perfect,” Katy continued while I calmed down a fraction. “There’s no way she won’t love them. She’s going to be wowed and Silk’s going to explode with business.”
I sighed. “I hope you’re right.”
“I am. Now put a smile on that face. She’s here.”
https://amzn.to/3SVKqokI looked out the front window to see that Katy was right. A black Lincoln Town Car had pulled up in front of our building and I saw Veronica getting out. A tall, thin, brunette in a black mink coat and sky-high black patent leather heels, definitely designer, she wasn’t the most high-maintenance customer we had at Silk, but she wasn’t the easiest to please, either. I was a little worried about not only meeting, but also exceeding her expectations, which was what I wanted to do. I wanted to impress not only Veronica, but everyone else at the show. Success could mean a lot of business for Silk and, although business was picking up slowly, we needed the sales. Getting out of debt meant I could sleep easier at night. I currently felt like I was one step away from bankruptcy half the time and it wasn’t a good feeling. I’d been tight with money before, but this was on a whole different level.
Veronica swept into the store with such a flourish I almost expected an entourage of people to follow her in. She looked around haughtily before settling her gaze on me and Katy. Her eyes narrowed and her lips flattened out in a white line. She was making me incredibly nervous. I started to have a feeling that something was wrong, only I didn’t know what.
“Good to see you, Veronica. Can I take your coat?” I asked, thinking she must be roasting in that thing. It was October in Chicago, but it was in the fifties today. Not exactly mink coat weather.
She carefully took the coat off and handed it to me gingerly, like she wasn’t exactly sure if she wanted to turn it over to me.
“Katy, can you take Veronica to the dressing room where we have the dresses we pulled for the show while I hang this up?” Turning to Veronica, I said, “I think you’ll like what we have for you. Katy will get you started, and I’ll be right back.”
Veronica didn’t bother to acknowledge what I said but did follow Katy while I went and carefully put the coat in the closet in our backroom. I locked the door to the closet, not wanting to take any chances with the coat. When I came back out and went to where they were to be in the dressing room, I only saw Katy. I gave her a questioning look.
“She’s already trying some things on,” she whispered.
“Did she seem to like what we pulled?” I whispered back.
“Yeah. As much as I think she admits to liking anything. I don’t get the sense that she’s much for spreading praise.”
A few seconds later, Veronica stepped out of the dressing room in one of our designer evening gowns. All beaded lace, the thing had to weigh twenty pounds, and it looked amazing on her. I would kill to be that tall and thin, which was the only body type that could pull off this particular gown. I started to comment when I heard all sorts of commotion. I poked my head out of the dressing room area to see four of my other good customers and three ladies I didn’t recognize walking across the floor.
“Is Ronnie here?” one of them called.
I wouldn’t in a million years have thought of someone calling Veronica Knapp ‘Ronnie.’ It made me want to giggle. Just showed people weren’t always who they seemed on the surface.
“Tilly, is that you?” Veronica squealed.
First the nickname Ronnie, now squealing like a schoolgirl. This was not the Veronica I knew. Maybe she wasn’t as scary as I thought. She seemed almost normal with the way she was acting right now.
The ladies came over and started talking to Veronica, completely ignoring me and Katy, which was normal behavior that I was quite used to. It was very interesting, being around people who talked amongst themselves as if you weren’t even there. They were good at ignoring ‘the help.’
“Ya’ll have any champs?” one of the ladies whom I didn’t know asked me. By the sound of her voice, she wasn’t a native Chicagoan, but rather more South Carolina or Georgia, I assumed, listening to her drawl.
“Champagne? We don’t, but we do have a nice chardonnay, or a merlot if you prefer,” I said.
She frowned. “I suppose that will have to do.”
“I’ll go get it, Pres. You stay here with them,” Katy said, giving me a smile and a wink, knowing I was as eager to escape as she was and that she was beating me to it.
“These are the ladies walking in the show,” Veronica finally said, acknowledging my presence and making introductions.
The lady with the southern drawl was from Georgia, so I was right. She was aptly named Darcy. Darcy Beaufort. Which went perfectly with her Southern accent.
“I’m so glad you are all here. I have something I’m dying to show you,” Veronica said, still acting giddy. I was starting to like her more and more.
Her friends gathered around, and she reached in her purse and pulled out a small box. I couldn’t see that well from my angle, but it looked like a jewelry box. Maybe for a bracelet? She took the top off and pulled something out of the box, holding it up for everyone to see. It was a brooch. A very expensive-looking, diamond-encrusted brooch in the shape of a bat.
“Is that a bat?” Katy whispered as she came up behind me with a couple of bottles of wine and some glasses on a tray.
“I believe so,” I whispered back.
“Ladies, here’s your wine,” I called out to get their attention.
I started pouring and passing out the glasses. “Veronica, that is a beautiful piece of jewelry,” I said, and leaned in to get a closer look as I passed her a glass of chardonnay.
She held it out so I could see it better. I knew Veronica liked Halloween, but this brooch was really over the top. “Did you have this made?” I asked, thinking there was no possible way this was an item she randomly found in a jewelry store.
“Yes. It’s a one-of-a-kind piece,” she said. “Garrett’s on 5th Avenue made it for me. I designed it myself.”
It didn’t surprise me at all that it was a custom piece. An expensive piece of bat jewelry wouldn’t be my first choice but to each his own, and Veronica did love Halloween.
“I am going to wear it at the show, so you need to find me something that will be a good backdrop for it,” she said. “That midnight-blue evening dress is pretty, but it’s not what I think this brooch needs.”
“Okay. I’m sure we can find something.” I left the ladies to their wine, with Katy keeping watch, while I went out to the sales floor to pull a few more dresses that might provide the appropriate backdrop to the piece of jewelry. At the same time, one of my best sales people, Yvette, surprised me by coming through the door.
“What are you doing back here?” I asked.
It was after normal business hours. I had thought it would be easier with Veronica and her friends coming in to not also have regular customers so we could focus all our attention on them, which is what they’d expect. Yvette had left an hour ago when we’d closed the store.
“I forgot to steam the dress for Mrs. Parks and she’s coming in first thing tomorrow morning to pick it up. I didn’t want to leave it for someone else or take the chance it wouldn’t be ready for her. You know how she gets.”
“That’s sweet, Yvette. But you didn’t have to come back for that. Katy or I could have done it if you’d just called.”
“I don’t mind.” She walked into the backroom, hung up her coat, and turned on the steamer. “I knew you’d be busy with fashion show stuff.”
“In that case, will you give this a quick once-over first, then bring it to me in the dressing room? It’s for Veronica Knapp.”
She nodded. “I’ll make sure it’s steamed perfectly.”
“Thanks,” I said, and went back to the fitting rooms to rescue Katy, once again congratulating myself for hiring Yvette. She was a real go-getter, unlike some other sales staff I had hired in the past.
A few minutes later Yvette was handing me the dress, which I slid over the door to Veronica. When she came out, I breathed a sigh of relief. This was it, the dress that would be the perfect showcase for her bat brooch. There was no way Veronica wouldn’t think so. Silver silk with a lace overlay and crystals all over. It sparkled and shimmered, but not enough to detract from the brooch Veronica had pinned on. I cringed a little to think of the probable holes the pin had left in the fabric, but that was a small price to pay for the exposure this event could give us. Maybe I’d get lucky and Veronica would like the dress so much she’d want to buy it. My plan was to offer the ladies a deep discount on the dresses they each wore for the show, so they’d feel compelled to purchase them.
“This is perfect, Presley,” Veronica said with uncharacteristic niceness, putting my mind completely at ease about whether or not she liked the dress.
I couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear, and I would have liked to jump up and down as well, I was so excited, but I refrained. Didn’t want them to think I was crazy.
The other ladies had finished trying on their dresses and making their selection for the fashion show by this point, and Katy was hanging the ones they had chosen back on the dressing room rack. I’d picked right the first time for almost everyone, and that gave me a great sense of satisfaction. I loved my job and liked to think I was pretty good at it too.
“Ronnie, we need to hurry,” Darcy said in her slow drawl. “Our dinner reservations are in thirty minutes, and you know how Connie is when she doesn’t get dinner on time.”
“Okay, I’ll hurry. Unzip me,” Veronica said to me, turning her back so I could get to the zipper.
I unzipped and unbuttoned the top button, and she went in and quickly changed back into her clothes. Coming out, she handed me the dress and then put the brooch back in the box. She started to put it in her purse when she paused. “You have a safe here, don’t you?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Here, take this, then. I don’t want to put it in my purse and take it to dinner. It’s way too valuable to be knocking around in there. Just lock it up and I’ll come back to get it tomorrow.”
“I don’t know…” I started to say, not really keen on the idea of it knocking around in my safe, either. I didn’t want to be responsible for it in case something happened.
“Oh, just take it,” she insisted, shoving the box in my hand. “Lock it up and I’ll come back tomorrow. We need to talk about music for the show, anyway. I have some ideas.”
I was sure she did. So far, throughout the whole planning process, Veronica had known exactly what she wanted.
On that note, after I retrieved Veronica’s fur coat, the ladies swept out of the store, chattering away as they left. I looked at the box and then looked at Katy.
“How much do you think that thing is worth?” she asked.
“More than either one of us can afford, I’m sure. Let’s get this thing locked up. It’s making me nervous out here in the open.”
We walked back to the safe and I did the right-left-right thing and the door came open. I started to put it in the safe but couldn’t resist looking at it one more time so I lifted the lid. Nestled in a bed of silk in the box, the bat just glistened. For a bat, it was very pretty.
“There must be twenty diamonds in that thing,” Katy said peering over my shoulder.
“There’s a lot, that’s for sure. This thing is amazing looking.” I snapped the lid shut and put it in the safe, spinning the dial. “I don’t think I will sleep until she picks this up tomorrow.”
Want to read the rest? Buy the book on AMAZON!November 22, 2021
Christmas Cozy Collection – 4 Cozy Mystery Books in this boxed set
Mistletoe and Murder a Presley Thurman cozy mysteryCan Presley catch a murderer and save Christmas?Secrets don’t stay secrets in small towns.Presley can’t wait to celebrate her Christmas with Cooper and her family, but things don’t go as planned.On Christmas Eve, an old friend comes knocking and he’s not there to drop off gifts. It seems someone’s been stealing from his business, and he needs Presley’s help in finding the culprit.When his employee winds up dead the next day, her friend is concerned he might be next.Now, instead of sipping eggnog and eating cookies, Presley’s trying to catch a killer – before that killer claims his next victim.Presley, and her loyal canine sidekick Bella, are on the case in this Presley Thurman cozy mystery.Cookies and Crime a Read Wine Bookstore cozy mysteryIt’s the most wonderful time of year… just don’t eat the cookies.What is supposed to be a joy-filled awards ceremony for the Romero Boy Scouts turns out to be anything but when Jean Sartor, Scout co-leader, drops dead on stage.Trixie lands herself on the suspect list since she baked Christmas cookies for the ceremony. Trixie knows she didn’t poison Jean, but someone has been very naughty – can she figure out who killed Jean?A Read Wine Bookstore cozy mystery.Christmas Caper a Spencer University cozy mysteryStar light, star bright, the Christmas lights don’t shine tonight…Event coordinator Penelope Hill at Spencer University thrives on turning her fundraisers into the biggest celebrations on campus. This year’s Christmas Lighting Ceremony is guaranteed to wow all the university’s biggest financial supporters. Penelope refuses to settle for anything less than spectacular.But when her Christmas sensation crashes and burns, professors Polly and Olivia know someone is out to sabotage the university’s most lucrative fundraiser.With the holidays nearing, can the professors get to the bottom of the Christmas catastrophe before it’s too late?A Spencer University Cozy Mystery.Holiday Lights Out a standalone cozy mysterySomeone from Thief River Falls is on Santa’s naughty list this year…Stella Cavanaugh planned the trip to Thief River Falls to clear her head after a divorce. Instead of a cozy Christmastime getaway, she finds trouble.The bus ride to Thief River Falls was uneventful until they arrived at the hotel and not everyone got off the bus.One of her fellow vacationers was dead.Things aren’t quite quiet in the peaceful town of Thief River Falls and Stella is determined to find the murderer and enjoy her favorite time of year.But can she figure out who the killer is before they strike again?Get cozy with the magic of the season with these 4 holiday-themed cozy mysteries – all in one boxed set!
Christmas Cozy Collection – 4 Cozy Mysteries in this boxed set
Mistletoe and Murder a Presley Thurman cozy mysteryCan Presley catch a murderer and save Christmas?Secrets don’t stay secrets in small towns.Presley can’t wait to celebrate her Christmas with Cooper and her family, but things don’t go as planned.On Christmas Eve, an old friend comes knocking and he’s not there to drop off gifts. It seems someone’s been stealing from his business, and he needs Presley’s help in finding the culprit.When his employee winds up dead the next day, her friend is concerned he might be next.Now, instead of sipping eggnog and eating cookies, Presley’s trying to catch a killer – before that killer claims his next victim.Presley, and her loyal canine sidekick Bella, are on the case in this Presley Thurman cozy mystery.Cookies and Crime a Read Wine Bookstore cozy mysteryIt’s the most wonderful time of year… just don’t eat the cookies.What is supposed to be a joy-filled awards ceremony for the Romero Boy Scouts turns out to be anything but when Jean Sartor, Scout co-leader, drops dead on stage.Trixie lands herself on the suspect list since she baked Christmas cookies for the ceremony. Trixie knows she didn’t poison Jean, but someone has been very naughty – can she figure out who killed Jean?A Read Wine Bookstore cozy mystery.Christmas Caper a Spencer University cozy mysteryStar light, star bright, the Christmas lights don’t shine tonight…Event coordinator Penelope Hill at Spencer University thrives on turning her fundraisers into the biggest celebrations on campus. This year’s Christmas Lighting Ceremony is guaranteed to wow all the university’s biggest financial supporters. Penelope refuses to settle for anything less than spectacular.But when her Christmas sensation crashes and burns, professors Polly and Olivia know someone is out to sabotage the university’s most lucrative fundraiser.With the holidays nearing, can the professors get to the bottom of the Christmas catastrophe before it’s too late?A Spencer University Cozy Mystery.Holiday Lights Out a standalone cozy mysterySomeone from Thief River Falls is on Santa’s naughty list this year…Stella Cavanaugh planned the trip to Thief River Falls to clear her head after a divorce. Instead of a cozy Christmastime getaway, she finds trouble.The bus ride to Thief River Falls was uneventful until they arrived at the hotel and not everyone got off the bus.One of her fellow vacationers was dead.Things aren’t quite quiet in the peaceful town of Thief River Falls and Stella is determined to find the murderer and enjoy her favorite time of year.But can she figure out who the killer is before they strike again?My brand-new holiday box set can be pre-ordered right now for a very special price – .99! Hurry though because once this releases on 11/26 it will be at full price.
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November 16, 2021
Stilettos and Scoundrels, a Presley Thurman Cozy Mystery – FREE Chapter
Download the complete book here.
Chapter 1
I turned the radio up as loud as it would go letting the music wash the stress away as I headed down the highway the last few miles to my parents’ home in Hunter’s Hollow. The farther away I got from the exhaust-filled smell of the city and the closer I got to the green, rolling countryside, the happier and more relaxed I felt.
After yesterday’s drama of losing my job, I was grateful for the opportunity to spend a few days at my childhood home. I’d fallen asleep on a broken heart but awoken in a good mood, and I could only explain that by admitting to myself that I hadn’t been happy as vice president of human resources at McLaughlin in a long time. Running my mom’s flower shop while my parents went on a cruise to Alaska smelled like fresh opportunity to me, so it was the perfect time for a trip home. At the very least I would get the chance to set my thoughts in order and finally determine what exactly I wanted to do with my life now that I was free. Though losing my steady income was less than ideal on a practical level, my subconscious had clearly already gotten over that. I was looking forward to a fresh start.
The digital clock display caught my eye, and I pressed the gas to speed up a little. Late again. My mom would have something to say about that, when— HOLY MOLY! I slammed on the brakes and my car skidded sideways, coming to a shuddering stop about two inches from a cow. My heart was pounding. This was why I lived in the city. You might have to watch out for drunks and crazy people wandering around the streets, but traffic didn’t move fast enough for it to be much of an issue and you never, ever ran into a cow. My heart thudded and my hands shook. My poor Kia would have crumpled around the cow like an accordion if I had hit her. The cow didn’t even seem fazed by the near miss. She looked at me through the windshield with her big brown eyes as if to say, What? Is there a problem?
I sat there for a second longer, taking a few deep breaths and waiting for my heart rate to return to normal while willing the cow to get the heck out of the middle of the road. The shoulders out here were pretty much nonexistent, so there wasn’t enough room to go around without going farther into the ditch than I wanted. I had a feeling if I tried, I would get stuck. Where had this thing come from, anyway? The cow quit staring at me and ambled the rest of the way across the road. Thank goodness there wasn’t any other traffic or there would have been quite a backup. Though out here in the country, people were usually patient in these kinds of circumstances. Feeling a little more composed, I started to laugh. I couldn’t wait to tell my friends in the city about this. They would never believe it. I should have taken a picture but when I’d slammed on the brakes, my phone had flown off the console to the passenger footwell and it wasn’t worth unbuckling to reach it.
I pressed back on the gas to move on down the road, and immediately slammed on the brakes again. A puppy had replaced the cow in the middle-of-the-road scenario. What was going on here? It was like a countryside conspiracy to make me even later getting to my parents’. There weren’t any other cars around. I could only see one farmhouse up ahead, and the last one I had passed about a half mile ago. Houses in this area were few and far between. I put the car in park and left the engine idling while I strolled over to get the puppy, since he, or she, was plopped down right on the yellow line. That was probably a warm place to lie, but not the safest. Had I not already been driving slowly from the cow incident, I might not have even seen the little guy. I shuddered at the thought of accidentally hitting a puppy. Or any animal, for that matter.
“Come here, little buddy,” I called, crouching down and holding my hand out so it could sniff it. The puppy looked at me for a second and then, not scared at all, licked my hand furiously. I started laughing and scratching its belly, double-checking to make sure no cars were coming. Now that the puppy had rolled over, I could see it was a she.
“Where did you come from, huh? Where do you belong?”
She was fawn with a black mask and so cute. I wasn’t a dog expert, so had no idea what breed she might be, but by her size, she looked maybe a few months old. I scooped her up and put her in my car, a little surprised at how heavy she was. She was definitely solid, not fragile at all. My parents—make that my mother—weren’t going to be thrilled to see me show up with a puppy, but I couldn’t leave her out here alone.
The puppy turned around once and promptly lay down in the passenger seat, closed her eyes and fell asleep.
My bringing stray animals home was fairly common. At least it had been when I was growing up. Now, at almost forty, my pet-rescuing days were behind me. Or so I’d thought.
I pulled into my parents’ driveway and a weight lifted off my soul. As I took in the sight of my childhood home, memories of being a kid flooded back. Walking to the school bus had always been a chore. In bad weather, it had seemed to take forever to get to the protection of the little dollhouse-like bus stop shelter my dad had built to shield me while I waited. And when I was late for the bus, which was often, I’d had to run down the entire length of the driveway, screaming all the way, so the bus wouldn’t leave me behind.
My parents, Clark and Sue Thurman, had lived in the same two-story white farmhouse for over forty years. They had met in Evanston, Illinois, where they had grown up, and when they married had traded life in the city for a more peaceful existence in the country.
As my car rolled to a stop in front of the detached garage, my parents walked out onto the wraparound porch. I stepped out of the car as my dad walked up and gave me a big hug. I smelled comfort in my dad’s tried-and-true Old Spice cologne.
“We’re so glad you’re here,” he said, kissing me on the cheek. Noticing the puppy still sleeping in the passenger seat, he just shook his head and smiled, but didn’t say a word. He knew my mom would have plenty to say. He grabbed my hot-pink suitcase out of the back of the car, and I grabbed the rest of my stuff after getting the puppy and putting her on the ground.
“Me too, Dad,” I replied, realizing how much I’d missed him. My dad and I had always had a close relationship and he had played the role of mediator between me and my mom on many occasions. My younger brother Jesse got along great with our mom, but my relationship with her was often contentious. I felt she was too critical and thought I couldn’t do anything right. The normal mother-daughter dynamic, at least in my family. I’d learned over the years to let what my mother had to say roll off my back. Mostly.
“It’s been too long since the last time you were here. I know you’re busy with your life in the city, but we’re not that far away,” he chided gently.
“I know, I know. Mother never fails to remind me each time we talk.”
“Only because she misses you.”
“It’s about time you got here,” my mother snapped at me. “You said you’d be here around two, and it’s going on three. We were worried sick. And I still need you to deliver that flower arrangement.”
My mother ran a very successful business and prided herself on customer service. Obviously, I understood that. If you wanted your business to be successful, customers had to be a priority, but sometimes I felt she took it over the top.
Maybe that was why owning a business had never appealed to me. It really was a twenty-four seven job and always so much to worry about. My mother had purchased Petal Pushers, a name that was a cute play on words of the 60s era name for crop pants, from the previous owner when she’d been ready to retire, back when I was still in high school. I earned my first paycheck working in that flower shop. It was also my mother’s first, and only, job since moving to Hunter’s Hollow. She lived and breathed that place.
My mother gasped. “And what is that?” She stared at the puppy that was running into the house, trailing behind my dad, her focus momentary taken off my being late.
“Aren’t you just happy I’m here, Mother?” I gave her a peck on the cheek and ignored her look of horror at my new animal friend. My mother was really a softie when it came to animals; she just liked to put on a big front at first. “You look great.”
Her auburn hair was pulled back in a chignon, and she was wearing minimal makeup—just a swish of pale pink lipstick and mascara. My mom had a knack for being able to throw an outfit together at the last minute and look fabulous. I, on the other hand, often felt scattered and only half-pulled together on a good day. My mother even dressed nicely when she was working at her flower shop, and she never seemed to get dirty.
“Since when do you have a dog?” she asked abruptly, not falling for my attempt to change the subject.
“Well, I don’t exactly have a dog. Yet. But if I can’t find out who she belongs to I think I’m going to keep her. Can you get the word out, Mom? Maybe see if anyone might know of a missing puppy”?
“I’ll see what I can find out,” she said with a heavy sigh.
With that, she stomped back in the house, not even waiting for an answer. I looked to my dad, who had just walked back out, for help and he just shrugged his shoulders, his eyes twinkling with laughter.
“Glad you find this so amusing, Dad,” I grumbled.
I caught the flash of my smile in the reflection off a hallway painting and it only made me grin wider. My childhood home smelled like freshly baked muffins, warm summer nights and the comfort of friends, even though I had been here all of five seconds, had already been yelled at, and would leave again in a few minutes to make the flower delivery I’d promised to help my mother with. I didn’t mind helping her out, though I’d never want to be in the flower business full time. I didn’t like flowers all that much. Yet, the delivery part was fun because people loved getting flowers, so it was a happy occasion.
I got the puppy settled in the laundry room with an old blanket, and gave her water and some hot dogs I’d found in the refrigerator, which she scarfed down in ten seconds. I made a mental note to stop at the store for dog food after the flower delivery.
“Where’s this flower arrangement I need to deliver?” I asked my mother, who was now busy with some packages of food in the freezer.
“It’s in the cooler in the garage. You’re taking it to Willow Château and delivering it to Senator Daniels.”
“Ohh, I like that place, pretentious name and all. Is Abigail still the manager?”
The Willow Château was a small hotel that had been around forever. When it was sold a few years ago, the owners changed its name from Thompson’s Place to the Willow Château and called it a boutique hotel. I had to admit as pretentious as the owners seemed to be, they’d invested a lot of money in updates both outside and inside and were doing a great business; at least from what my parents told me. They said people loved the place.
“Yes, she is. Make sure you take them directly to his room. Don’t hand the flowers over to anyone; you never know if they’ll actually make it.”
“Of course. I wouldn’t dream of it,” I said and refrained from rolling my eyes. My mother was a little neurotic when it came to the security of her flowers. “I’ll be back in thirty. Please check on the puppy,” I said and shut the door before she could protest.
I grabbed the flowers out of the spare flower cooler my mom had in the garage and secured the arrangement in the passenger seat. Hopping over to my side, I got in and pulled out of the driveway, hoping that Abigail would be working when I got there. I hadn’t seen her in forever. Probably not since our ten-year class reunion.
The Willow Château was only about ten minutes away—clear over on the other side of town, if that gave you any indication of how small Hunter’s Hollow was—and in no time I was pulling into the parking lot.
There was a lot more activity than normal. Some sort of security was stationed at the front and a bevy of black Lincoln Town Cars were cluttering the parking lot. Tom Daniels was just a senator, not the president. Was this really necessary or did Tom and Helen just like to look important? Tom Daniels’ wife, Helen, had grown up here, and the family was by far the wealthiest in town. Surrounding towns too, if you believed the gossip mill. Neither of them failed to take the opportunity to remind everyone in town of that either, not winning themselves any awards for niceness.
Dang. The young receptionist behind the registration desk was not Abigail, but I’d be watching over Petal Pushers for a month. I would surely catch up with my friend later.
I walked through the updated lobby to the reception desk.
“Hi,” I said brightly, the opposite of how I felt. “I’m from Petal Pushers, and I have a delivery for Senator Daniels.”
“Room 220. Go right on up,” she said in a bored voice as she flipped through a magazine. I found it a little surprising that it was that easy. If there was a need for security outside the hotel, why was a random flower delivery person allowed to just go to his room? But who was I to question?
I headed over to the staircase and took the stairs up, walking to the end of the hall where room 220 was located. But when I got to the door, I stopped, my hand poised to knock but not making contact.
The door was ajar just a little. I hesitated, not wanting to interrupt Senator Daniels if he had company.
“Hello? Flower delivery for Senator Daniels,” I called out. I pushed the door open a little wider, thinking maybe he was on the phone and couldn’t hear me. “Hello,” I called out again. I took one more step and saw the senator across the room, at the desk in the corner. He was slumped over the desk, and it didn’t look like a very comfortable position to take a nap. The hair on my arms stood on end. Something didn’t feel right here. I swallowed the scream building right behind the knot in my throat and suppressed the urge to flee.
As quietly as I could, I set the flowers down on the side table and walked in. “Senator Daniels, are you okay?” I asked in barely more than a whisper as I reached him. I put my hand on his shoulder to give him a slight nudge. Maybe he was just a hard sleeper. But then the nudge threw him off balance and he toppled to the floor. I looked at him—and the stiletto heel of a shoe stuck in the side of his neck—in horror.
He wasn’t a hard sleeper.
He was dead.
Want more? Get the complete book here.
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November 11, 2021
Cookies and Crime – A Read Wine Bookstore Cozy Mystery Book 7
𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿… 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗲𝘀.
What is supposed to be a joy-filled awards ceremony for the Romero Boy Scouts turns out to be anything but when Jean Sartor, Scout co-leader, drops dead on stage.
Trixie lands herself on the suspect list since she baked Christmas cookies for the ceremony. Trixie knows she didn’t poison Jean, but someone has been very naughty – can she figure out who killed Jean?
Grab the Cookies and Crime pre-order now. Book releases Thursday November 18th, 2021!
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November 8, 2021
New and Improved, Stilettos and Scoundrels!
Last December, I took my 16-book series, the Presley Thurman Mystery Series, off sale. I did it after much thinking and praying about what the best course of action for me was. I started writing the Presley Thurman Cozy Mysteries over ten years ago when I was not even close to the writer I am now. The series wasn’t true to the cozy mystery trope or what readers expected, and it just wasn’t the best representation of my work.
Now what many of my peers advised me to do, and to be honest, it’s the same advice I would give someone who might ask me, “Should I rewrite an entire 16 book series or just let it ride?” was to let it ride. End the series and move on with a new series, and don’t look back.
I didn’t disagree with that advice. Not then and not now. The problem was I couldn’t let go. The Presley Thurman cozy series was my first series, and it meant so much to me. The thought of ending the series and leaving it as is knowing something so important to me wasn’t done to the best of my ability just didn’t feel right. I thought I owed it to my characters and my readers, to myself, to make Presley the best she could be.
When I took the books off sale, I had a plan. I had a great plan. What is that saying, “We plan, God laughs?”
Most people thought 2020 was a train wreck of a year. 2020, for me, was a piece of cake compared to what 2021 has been. I can honestly say it has been the most challenging year of my adult life, including going through my divorce.
As I tried to navigate the new normal and keep up with all my obligations, I felt distressed and the weight of having 16 books that were crucial to my income, continuing to sit there, and sit there, and sit there… you get the picture. There was no end in sight of them being published.
In a moment of uncharacteristic weakness for me, because I firmly believe that I am Wonder Woman and can accomplish anything effortlessly, I called the one person who is most important to my writing career, Claire. Telling her something had to change, I couldn’t make it past noon without crying, and I needed to make my life easier. At least for the rest of the year.
I think many of us know that out of great adversity sometimes comes to our best ideas. A few days later, Claire and I met up, and she had a brilliant idea. She told me she thought instead of our original vision of completely revamping a series. Our initial plan was quite aggressive, leaving the main characters alone but changing everything else; she proposed tweaking it. Because it did need to be a little bit cozier, but not to the extent we were going to. And that she would help me go through those books, and together, we could make this happen.
I left that meeting feeling a huge weight lifted. I had not realized how much those books not on sale, and my feeling that I was never going to be able to fix them and get them back on sale weighed on me. That weekend I went into my files, and the first book in the series was almost done, much to my surprise. I have been so stressed out this year; I hadn’t realized the majority of the work on that book had been completed. We could polish it, have the beta readers review it, and it went up for sale. Another weight lifted off my shoulders.
Stilettos and Scoundrels went on sale in August, and Necklaces and Nooses went up in October. I waited to post this until we had a few in the series up, and since Handbags and Hooligans is currently with the beta readers, I felt it was time to unveil the revamped series.
I am ecstatic to present the new and improved Stilettos and Scoundrels and Necklaces and Nooses, Presley Thurman Cozy mysteries to all you fabulous readers. I will not commit to a release date for the other books, but I can safely say that we will also have Handbags and Hooligans and Mistletoe and Murder on sale by the end of the year.
As you run over to Amazon to download your copy, please keep this in mind. Life is hard, it sucks sometimes, but just when you think there might not be help or an avenue, if you look hard enough and ask for help, you can usually find one.
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