“It can’t be this week. We have prospective clients coming to tour our facilities. My dining out will be limited to entertaining them.”
A moody silence followed, one he was used to. “Buy yourself a fancy dress. Next week, I’ll take you anywhere you want.”
She perked up and he turned back to his newspaper.
A moment later, he pointed to a picture of a ribbon-cutting ceremony. “There’s a new business in town. The Conley and Austin Detective Agency.”
She made no response.
He continued. “Conley as in Warren Conley, formerly with the San Diego Police Department.”
She looked down the long table at her husband. After a moment, she spoke in a flat tone.
“The policeman who investigated your daughter’s death.”
“You mean my daughter’s murder.”
Again, she made no response.
He folded the paper and called a number on his phone.
“I’ll be late this morning,” he told his secretary. “I have things to take care of.”
His wife stared daggers as he walked from the room.
• • •
Rod Turner rubbed his receding hairline. Baldness was unusual for a man his age, but he blamed his loss of hair on more than genetics as he scattered the pile of unpaid bills on his desk.
I don’t understand what’s happening. There’s barely enough money to pay these invoices. Next week, the payroll is due.
He stared out to the yard where workers cleaned a truck with the signage Turner Pest Control.
I hate to let another employee go. I’m already down to a skeleton crew. These guys are working overtime to get the jobs done.
He looked at a framed picture of a woman with two small children. Guilt washed over him as he turned the photo away.
I want to share my wife’s joy over being pregnant, but it couldn’t have come at a worse time.
He opened a drawer and pulled out a business card.
Before he dialed the number, he closed his door.
• • •
Tom Elliot walked into the kitchen of the small apartment he rented after his divorce several years ago.
Through the walls, he heard the couple next door yelling at their kids. The shouting was an improvement over the music blaring the night before which kept him awake until early morning hours.
As he placed a muffin in the toaster, Tom reminded himself the location outweighed the noisiness. The complex was near the Buena Viaje Police Department where he spent most of his time as head of the Major Crimes Division.
In recent months, time away from the job was passed less at the apartment and more at Maddy’s place.
It might be time to look for a house of my own. A place I can relax and enjoy evenings with the woman I love.
The neighbors’ kids ran past.
“Hey, Lieutenant,” they shouted. “Are you going to arrest any bad guys today?”
He turned in their direction and smiled.
“I’ll do my best. In the meantime, you be good at school.”
After he backed out, he looked for the SUV.
The car had disappeared.
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BOX SET
Books 4 - 6 in the Sister Sleuths Mystery Series
Looking for clever best-selling mysteries with feisty female sleuths? You’ll love Lea and Maddy, sisters whose curiosity and desire for justice keeps you guessing ‘whodunit’ and on the edge of your seat!
Book 4: Three-Day Weekends Are Murder
Maddy was looking forward to spending the holiday weekend with her handsome detective boyfriend in their sleepy, beachside community until she ran into the last person in the world she wanted to see-her ex-husband.
But when a woman is found strangled in his hotel room, she answers his call for help leading the sister sleuths into a weekend filled with con games, a cursed diamond and ruby necklace, a secret that could destroy a high-flying pharmaceutical company, and strained relationships all around.
Book 5: Murder After Hours
Sandra is murdered while working late at the office and the investigation drives Detective Elliot crazy because everyone has secrets.
Ian is trying to hide illicit activities, Henry has a dark hidden side, George needs money and will make it any way he can, Nathan wants escape from his mundane existence, Brody seeks power and respect, and Brooke wants to get ahead in the worst of ways.
Will Lea and Maddy discover who wants to protect their secret badly enough to kill? Perhaps, but not without a surprise twist at the end!
Book 6: Hit and Run
Is this hit-and-run an accident or murder? The police say Cate’s death is an accident, but her brother believes it was murder. Lea and her father, a former chief of police, are asked to look into the case.
The suspects are plentiful. The kind of politician who gives politics a bad name, a real estate developer who values profit above all else, a fiancé involved in drugs, and a cop who may have crossed the line.
Lea crosses international borders to track down the killer in this exciting read. The murderer is a surprise, but the ending of the book has an even bigger twist!
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FROM THE AUTHOR
To receive info on book releases, free books and special offers, please subscribe to my newsletter at:
raynamorgan.info
Dear Reader,
Thank you for joining Lea and Maddy in their sleuthing adventures.
If you have questions or comments, I would love to hear from you. Also, if you encounter errors, please let me know. Even with all the editing, mistakes can slip through.
Until our next adventure,
Rayna
Email: rayna@raynamorgan.com
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
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