Desperately in need of a coat of paint, it wasn't as white as she remembered, several of the tar-paper tiles were missing from the roof, and the porch sagged on the left.
But it was home.
More importantly, it was where Gran lived. Feisty and wise, Granny Reid had walked the earth for more than eighty years and generously shared her collected wisdom with Savannah and the rest of her grandchildren. Some had embraced her teachings more than others, but all had been given the benefit of her counsel . . .
whether they wanted it or not.
Suddenly, it was very important to Savannah to get out of the truck and into that house. As soon as the vehicle rolled to a stop, Savannah's door was open.
She was across the yard and onto the porch in a matter
of seconds, replaying in her mind the memories of coming home to Gran, whose hands were always busy peeling potatoes, folding laundry and bandaging skinned knees, but who always had time to listen, to hear how
310 G.A. McKeoett
someone's day had been, to enjoy the latest bit of gossip, or to help with an arithmetic problem.
Year after year, Gran had been waiting, a smile on her face when Savannah came through the door. But this time was different.
When Savannah barged inside, shouting, "Gran, it's me; I'm ho-o-me!" she found her grandmother sitting in her overstuffed armchair, quietly weeping. Savannah's sister, Alma, sat on the ottoman in front of her, holding a handful of tissues. She, too, was crying.
Savannah felt her heart do a few double beats, and time slowed, as it did in those fractions of a second just before you hear something you'll never forget. "Oh, no. . ." she said, "who died?"
"Ma-ma-con," Alma replied between sobs.
Waycross had come into the house behind Savannah
just in time to hear the news. "Macon's dead?" he said in a hoarse whisper.
'No, he's not dead," Gran said, wiping her eyes. Savannah was shocked to see that, for once, she actually looked her eighty-plus years. "But he might as well be. Deputy Stafford just came here and arrested him."
Savannah felt her knees go weak, from relief or fear she wasn't sure. Sinking onto the couch, she said, "What was he arrested for?"
Alma began to sob even harder, while Gran steeled herself to reply. 'They say he killed Judge Patterson."
"Killed . . . ? Macon? That's ridiculous!" Savannah said. "He wouldn't--"
"Yeah, he might have," Waycross replied, shaking his head as though suddenly weary. He sat on the sofa beside Savannah.
"No! I don't believe that for a minute. Gran, do you--?"
The look of misery in her grandmother's eyes
PEACHES AND SCREAMS 311
chilled Savannah nearly as much as her words. "Well, Savannah," she said, "you see, Macon's changed. He ain't the boy we used to know no more. . . been into all sorts of meanness lately." She dabbed at her eyes, then wadded the tissue into a tight ball. "I'm sorry to say that Waycross is right. Macon just might have murdered that old geezer."
of
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sneak peek at the rest
the Savannah Reid mysteries
JUST DESSERTS
The first Savannah Reid mystery
Memphis-born Detective Savannah Reid is in her element
cruising for crime in one of southern California's
most exclusive enclaves . . . until a shocking murder
rouses San Carmefita from its star-studded stupor--and places Savannah in the center of a sensational case that
soon erupts into a media feeding frenzy
With suspects abounding--and a cast of characters that includes an ex-CIA agent and a computer genius
with the technology to take the case into the twenty-first
century--Savannah finds herself sifting through a nasty mess of sex, adultery, and down-and-dirty politics that could prove the creme de le crime of her detective career, if she can use her own appetite for justice to unmask a
In Savannah Reid, GA. McKevett has created a vibrant new sleuth in a spicy, suspenseful mystery that's sure to keep readers devouring every page.
KILLER CALORIES
The third Savannah Reid mystery
Sexy private detective Savannah Reid may be built
for comfort and not for speed, but she likes herself just me as she is. So the only way she's likely to set foot in a health spa is over a dead body--somebody else's-- along with a hefty fee to sweeten the deal.
The irresistible combination of murder and money
brings Savannah to Royal Palms to investigate the death
of spa owner and former cult-flick actress Kat Vakntina. The medical examiner called it a fatal--but accidental--mixture of booze and a hot tub, but Savannah's anonymous client thinks otherwise. Savannah quickly learns there's no shortage of likely suspects, from ex-lovers and would-be lovers, to employees and prior costars with unsavory pasts. As for Savannah and her sweet tooth, this may prove to be a costly case. For if the strict regimen of exercise and nasty spa cuisine doesn't kill
her, there's a murderer close by who's prepared to finish the job. . . .
COOKED GOOSE
The fourth Savannah Reid mystery
It's hard to get into the Christmas spirit when the
Santa Ana winds are blowing at a balmy ninety degrees. It's also hard to live in a "Baywatch" world when you're an overly voluptuous size fourteen. But Savannah Reid has never been one to believe that good things only
come in small packages. Right now, the only present Savannah wants wrapped up is the one of a serial rapist
who dresses as Santa. Thanks to his twisted brand of holiday visits, Savannah has a full-time job teaching self-defense to San Carmefita's terrified women.
But the feisty detective is less than thrilled when
Captain Bloss, her ex-boss from the San Carmelita PD, asks Savannah to be his daughter's personal bodyguard. It seems the rapist has turned vicious cop killer, making the captain and his daughter prime targets. With enough chaos swirling around to make Tiny Tim grouchy, Savannah looks over her list of suspects to figure out
just who's been naughty. From the ex-con cop killer just released on parole to the bookie with more than a few
debts to collect, Savannah considers them all, plus a few others, while she tries to keep danger from dropping down her chimney and bringing a killer home for the
holidays. . . .
SUGAR AND SPITE
The fifth Savannah Reid mystery
Valentine's Day was never high on Savannah Reid's
list of favorite holidays--even if it does guarantee a box of See's candy. And when her only shot at romance includes a stakeout with her ex-partner, Dirk Coulter, and a case of PMS that would make I .i7zie Borden look misunderstood,
things aren't exactly looking up in the hearts-and-flowers department. But nothing relieves the symptoms of monthly misery quite like digging into
the world's biggest chocolate sampler--and showing the bad guys what a feisty ex-Southern girl with a 9mm
Baretta can do. After pulling an all-nighter, Savannah wants nothing more than to cook up a plate of steamy
grits and hash browns. But no sooner has she buttered the skillet when disaster arrives in the overdone, underdressed form of Polly Coulter, Dirk's ex-wife--the same ingrate who left him high and dry when she ran off with
a twentysomething rock-and-roller.
Days later, the no-good, two-timing broad is found lying in a pool of blood in Dirk's doublewide trailer, shot through the chest with his service revolver. Always one to stick her nose where it doesn't belong, Savannah goes to work to clear Dirk, and every lead points to
trouble. At the top of the list of suspects is Polly's latest squeeze, Quince Jeffries, one of San Carmelita's finest, and a man with more ambition than sense. And what about the prominent land developer whose latest project
is ticking off every tree-hugger in town--could so
meone have dug up real dirt on him? All in all, this is one Valentine's Day that's shaping up to be a real massacre.
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G.A. McKevett is the pseudonym of a well-known author. She is the author of six previous Savannah Reid mysteries, JUST DESSERTS, BITTER SWEETS, KILLER CALORIES, COOKED GOOSE, SUGAR AND SPITE, and SOUR GRAPES. Her newest Savannah Reid mystery, PEACHES AND SCREAMS, is currently available in hardcover.