In the California coastal town of South Cove,
history is one of its many tourist attractions—until it becomes deadly…
Jill Gardner, proprietor of Coffee, Books, and More,
has discovered that the old stone wall on her property might be a centuries-old
mission worthy of being declared a landmark. But Craig Morgan, the obnoxious
owner of South Cove’s most popular tourist spot, The Castle, makes it his
business to contest her claim. When Morgan is found murdered at The Castle
shortly after a heated argument with Jill, even her detective boyfriend has to
ask her for an alibi. Jill decides she must find the real murderer to clear her
name. But when the killer comes for her, she’ll need to jump from historic
preservation to self-preservation …
Excerpt - Some people like to hear their own
voice. That jewel of wisdom hit me as I filled the coffee carafes for the third
time. As chamber liaison, I’d volunteered my shop, Coffee, Books, and More, to
serve as semi-permanent host site for South Cove’s Business Basics meeting. The
early morning meeting was scheduled to run from seven to nine but the clock
over the coffee bar showed it was already twenty minutes past. With more items
to cover on the agenda, we’d be ordering lunch, maybe dinner, before the end.
All because the newest committee
member, Josh Thomas, owner of the new antiques store down the street, had
issues. He didn’t like the agenda, the city’s promotion plan, and he especially
didn’t like the fact the city didn’t have a formal animal control office. These
subjects were not part of the regular list of discussion topics for the
eclectic mix of owners of gift shops, art galleries, inns, and restaurants. I
usually loved feeling the creative energy and listening to wacky ideas members
brought to the table. Today, the meeting droned on and I couldn’t wait for it
to end.
“I
wonder why he even moved here,” Aunt Jackie fake-whispered to me as she sliced
a second cheesecake. “He hates everything.”
“Hush.”
I elbowed my aunt, trying to quiet her.
“Jill
Gardner, don’t tell me you weren’t thinking the same thing.” She started
plating out the cheesecake.
A
couple of the council members snickered, and Josh’s face turned a deeper red
than normal. His wide girth barely fit into the black suit he wore. From what I
could tell, he wore the same threadbare suit every day. Watching the buttons on
his off-white shirt, I worried one would pop off each time he took a labored
breath.
“As I
was saying, we must press the police department to deal with felonious
teenagers running the streets.” Josh didn’t acknowledge he’d heard Jackie, a
tactic I’ve often used with my aunt. She’s overbearing, opinionated, speaks her
mind, and I love her to death.
“There’s
no problem.” Sadie Michaels replied, the words harsh and clipped. “There’s not
a lot for kids to do around here, so they hang out at the park. They don’t
cause problems for local businesses. We’ve raised them better than that.”
“I beg
to differ. Craig Morgan, the manager over at The Castle, has caught kids
breaking in after-hours. They've been having drinking parties, swimming in the
pools, and he’s even caught a few couples in the mansion’s bedrooms, doing
heavens knows what.” Snickers from the rest of the members floated around the
room as Josh wheezed in another breath. “We must stop these criminals before
there’s real trouble. The antiques housed at The Castle are priceless.”
Links –
Amazon author page - http://www.amazon.com/Lynn-Cahoon/e/B0082PWOAO/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1
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