Further investigation showed Dale Pittman’s name on a statement collected at the mall after the incident occurred. He hadn’t done any shopping, so his purpose for being there had been called into question. Between that, the money, and the drug found in his home being a match to the one found in Jerrod Hill, Pittman would be spending a good portion of his remaining years behind bars.
And Nicole Hill, a woman who Sara had thought of as a friend, was no longer the girl in her mother’s shadow. She had emerged and taken on the form of a murderess who manipulated others to take care of her dirty work.
Sean and Sara were back at their house, by the fire, drinking cognac.
Sara sank deeper into the couch and put her feet up on the coffee table in front of her. “I had the realization last night that it was Nicole. Sadly, the evidence was there from the beginning. I’m losing it. Maybe we shouldn’t do this anymore.”
“Ridiculous, darling. You were close to this one. Besides, I never saw it either.”
“Yes, I guess you’re right. That’s two in a row now, though, for being personal. You know there’s one thing that didn’t get resolved. Both Magnum—” a smile teased her lips, “Mr. Ward, that is, and Nicole claimed to hear Jerrod threaten to jump.”
“Probably as simple as we thought before. Jerrod likely said it more than once.”
“Or Nicole made it up. Nothing would surprise me at this point.”
“Speaking of Magnum.” Sean laid a finger above his upper lip. “What if I grew a mustache?”
“Nope, no way.”
“That was quick.”
“You’re adorable the way you are.”
“I’ll accept that. I have been doing some more serious thinking though.”
“Oh? That’s dangerous.” Her smile toyed on the edge of seduction.
“Jimmy worked out good on this one.”
“He did. It’s great to have the official badge behind us, but I’m not sure what you’re thinking.”
He laughed and she watched as his facial features transformed into a more serious expression. “What if we had the power to make an arrest? You know, go official.”
“You want to go back to being cops?”
“Not for a second.”
“That’s a relief. Then, what?”
“Why don’t we get our PI licenses? It seems we’re always getting involved with one thing or another.”
“It would get us involved with more cases. Is that what we want?”
“Hey, we’re always in control. We say yes or no to anything we’d like to. We’d be back to carrying a gun.”
“There is something to be said for that.” She took a sip of her drink. “But it also can be dangerous.”
“It can be dangerous without one.”
She thought back on all they’d been through—not just with this case but ones prior. Maybe a weapon would be beneficial, even if only as a ploy. “I’ll think about it.”
“That’s all I ask.”
“You know, it felt right having Jimmy with us on this one.”
“I know. What’s with that?”
She shook her head. “I have no idea. But maybe, nah—” She batted her hand.
“What is it?”
“Maybe if we opened a firm.”
“First, you’re not sure. Now, you want a whole firm?” He smirked at her.
“Stop it. If we decide to go legit, maybe he’d come work for us.”
“Maybe, but we’d have to pay him in more than cognac and whiskey.”
“He rather liked the guest room. Maybe he’d fall in love with the pool house.” She shrugged. “Maybe it’s a silly idea. I don’t know. I’m just thinking out loud.” She gestured to her glass, trying to blame her brainstorming on the alcohol.
“You know. I think we might be on to something.”
She straightened up and took her feet from the table to the floor. “And we could still have the money from cases donated to charity.”
“Makes sense to me. We have more than two people would ever need.”
She smiled at him before lifting her glass to his in a toast. “To the future.”
He snaked his arm around hers and clinked his glass to hers. “To the future.”
Thank you for choosing a McKinley Mystery.
Thank you for choosing a McKinley Mystery.
The next title, Christmas is Murder, arrives December 2014
But you might also enjoy these other titles in the series:
The Day Job is Murder
Vacation is Murder
Money is Murder
Politics is Murder
Family is Murder
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Shopping takes its toll…
Sean and Sara had had just about enough shopping when screams filled the mall. A man has fallen—or was he pushed?—to his death from the second level.
His widow is a childhood friend of Sara’s, and she’s adamant her husband would never have jumped. With mall security dropping the ball, and no apparent motive for murder, Sean and Sara are about to give up, when one clue gets them that much closer. Will it be enough to wrap up everything in time for the holidays?
Begin Reading
Chapter 1 Shopping ’Til It Hurts
Chapter 2 Crowded
Chapter 3 Life’s Detour
Chapter 4 Tom Selleck’s Double
Chapter 5 A Blast To The Past
Chapter 6 A Little Deception
Chapter 7 Reunited
Chapter 8 Two For Tea
Chapter 9 The Proposition
Chapter 10 Questions That Need Answers
Chapter 11 Talking It Out
Chapter 12 Collecting On A Promise
Chapter 13 Concocting Motive
Chapter 14 Conflicting Evidence
Chapter 15 The Tally
Chapter 16 Among The Dead
Chapter 17 Narrowing It Down
Chapter 18 Movin’ To The Beat
Chapter 19 Playing Matchmaker
Chapter 20 Playing A Part
Chapter 21 Betrayed By An Eagle
Chapter 22 Making The Introduction
Chapter 23 Talking It Out
Chapter 24 Taking Names
Chapter 25 Firelight Epiphany
Chapter 26 The Truth Is In The Past
Chapter 27 The Big Apple
Chapter 28 Grand Reception
Chapter 29 Wager’s In Place
Chapter 30 Dress Rehearsal
Chapter 31 Moving Through a Crowd
Chapter 32 Background Story
Chapter 33 Seeing Clearly Now
Chapter 34 Best Laid Plans And All That
Chapter 35 A Business Proposal
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2014 Carolyn Arnold
All rights reserved. Except as permitted by U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database, or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author.
All rights reserved.
Cover designed by
WGA Designs
Edited by
The Finicky Editor, Lisa Dawn Martinez
Visit the author website at www.carolynarnold.net
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