Book Tour: Lexi Wells Gift of Sight by Karen Tjebben
March 23, 2024 by marianne h donley in category Apples & Oranges by Marianne H. Donley, Rabt Book Tours
Paranormal Thriller
Date Published: 06-26-2023
Lexi never considered her gift of sight anything but a curse until she is lured to a murder scene by a young, dead girl. Detective Evan Steele doesn’t like working with others, especially ones who ruin his crime scene. Going against his gut and logic, he teams up with a medium who challenges everything he ever believed. Together, they must stop the serial killer that is terrorizing New Sainte.
Don’t miss Cherish Lively’s My Secret Obsession Podcast. If you enjoy listening to novels, stop by the podcast and listen to Confessions of a “Fallen” Good Girl.
About the Author
Karen lives in Georgia with her wonderful husband and twin daughters. She loves traveling the world. Whether it’s to the heights of Yosemite, the white sands of the Caribbean, or even Down Under, she’s always ready to pack a bag in search of inspiration. She enjoys creating worlds filled with unique characters that will delight and raise goose bumps on her readers.
Contact Links
Purchase Link
Excerpt
Lexi Wells: Gift of Sight
The layer of gray clouds reflected the flashing lights of the police cars lining the street. Lexi’s head whirled in rhythm with the swirling lights as her heart pounded. Each inhalation seemed to be filtered through a dozen surgical masks as dizziness overwhelmed her. Her grip tightened on the wheel as she came to a sudden stop in her driveway. She didn’t want to move, but she had to. She couldn’t deny the little girl who beckoned her.
Olivia Shaw ran to her, yet her little feet didn’t quite touch the ground. Lexi couldn’t describe exactly how the dead moved or how much of their earthly selves remained once they were dead, but there always seemed to be a process by which the dead came to terms with their death and finally receded into the afterlife.
Lexi wasn’t sure if she was screaming aloud or if her cries of horror merely echoed in her head, but as she ran across the driveway towards the little girl, she knew that she was the only one that saw Olivia.
“Help Amelia! She’s hiding!” screamed Olivia with her hands in fists by her side. She looked like a kid throwing a tantrum, but it wasn’t a tantrum. Desperation to help someone she loved fueled her pleas. The eight-year-old turned and raced back towards her house.
At first Lexi didn’t notice the police officers making their way towards her, but as she neared Oliva, a man in a suit stepped in front of her and motioned for her to stop.
Lexi’s focus on Olivia was totally obscured by the broad chest that suddenly blocked her way. She nearly stumbled as she came to an abrupt stop. She steadied herself by planting her hands on the man’s chest. His hands wrapped around her arms to keep her from fully plowing into him.
“Ma’am,” Detective Evan Steele said as he kept the woman steady. “Ma’am, you can’t go in there. Do you live here?”
Evan hated this part of his job. Death and murder were horrible business, but justice for the dead and the ones who lived on needed to be found. The woman before him was pale and clearly traumatized. Her fingers clutched at his shirt, and her nails scraped his flesh through the cloth.
“Ma’am,” Evan repeated. The woman shifted and refused to look at him. Instead, her gaze was locked on something behind him.
He glanced over his shoulder to see what held her attention, but he didn’t see anything.
“Let go of me,” Lexi panted. She tried to push off his chest, but his hands remained locked on her arms.
Fury exploded through Lexi and she shouted, “Let go of me!” She jerked free of his hold and only got a few steps before he stopped her again.
“Ma’am,” this time Evan’s voice was firm, authoritative. “You can’t go in there. It’s an active crime scene.”
“We have to help her!” Lexi screamed. “She’s afraid. She needs my help.”
Evan felt sorry for the desperate woman before him. The people in the house were dead. There was no one to help.
“I’m sorry, ma’am. We have the situation under control.”
Olivia’s screams for help echoed through the air. Amelia had to be safe. Olivia wouldn’t be so desperate if her sister was already dead. Lexi wasn’t a quitter, but she knew he wouldn’t let her by.
“Okay,” Lexi said, finally making eye contact with the man. “Okay.” God, what could she say to convince him to let her into the house? She couldn’t tell him that she saw ghosts and that one was pleading with her to help a little girl still in the house.
Book Tour: The Desk from Hoboken by ML Condike
March 17, 2024 by marianne h donley in category Apples & Oranges by Marianne H. Donley, Rabt Book Tours, Writing
A Genealogy Mystery Series
Mystery
Date Published: March 5, 2024
Publisher: Harbor Lane Books, LLC.
In a bid to heal from the grief of a personal loss, forensic genealogist, RaeJean Hunter, takes on a straightforward case —identify human remains found on a nearby college campus, believed to be the 180-year-old remains of Mary Rogers, a woman who died mysteriously in 1841 and was believed to have been buried in the nearby cemetery that had washed away. It should be simple enough, a project to get her back in the game.
Unfortunately, it quickly becomes anything but. In fact, it becomes downright dangerous.
Someone doesn’t want RaeJean to investigate the puzzling death of the woman whose death inspired Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Mystery of Marie Roget.” As she follows clues through four states and discovers living
family members who both help and hinder her search, she quickly realizes that the secrets of Mary Rogers’ demise were never meant to be exposed.
What lengths will someone go to keep the truth buried in the past? As threats escalate and RaeJean and her family’s lives become endangered, she’s forced to follow every lead and use every skill she has to find the answers
she needs before it’s too late. Using DNA from two famous New England families, historical data, modern genealogical techniques, and a little guidance from a seemingly mystical antique desk, RaeJean takes on the cold
case despite being given every reason to abandon it.
After all, what truths have been hidden for 180 years that would be worth bribery, kidnapping, and even murder?
RaeJean Hunter is about to find out.
About the Author
ML Condike has published short stories in anthologies that include Strange
& Sweet, (2019), Tall Tales and Timeless Stories, (2022), Malice in
Dallas, Metroplex Mysteries, Volume 1 (2022), and won first place in the
fifteenth annual Writer’s Digest Popular Fiction Awards, Mystery/Crime
category (2019), and 2nd Place in the Tennessee Williams Short Story
Contest, Key West Art & Historical Society (2022).
She’s an associate member of Mystery Writers of America Florida
Chapter, Sisters in Crime National, Sisters in Crime North Dallas
(Treasurer), Granbury Writers’ Bloc, and Key West Writers Guild.
As the result of her study of genealogy for her debut novel The Desk from Hoboken, she researched her own family and she discovered she had a direct bloodline to a Patriot. So, most recently she has been inducted into the
Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR).
Contact Links
Follow the Publisher on Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook –
@harborlanebooks
Purchase Links
Excerpt
Chapter One
Come on, girl! It’ll be fun.” It was mid March and I stood in my bathing suit on the edge of our pool in Wyncote, Pennsylvania. Our corgi, Sophie, watched from ten feet away, ears !at against her head. Her look suggested she wasn’t joining me. She didn’t like water, never mind “fifty-eight-degree water. It would be shocking.
Every year, my husband, Sam, and I vied for the title of First-In-The-Pool. Today, I was determined to swim and win regardless of the pool temperature.
“It’s now or never!” I leaped in, submerged, and then in a split second, shot straight up out of the frigid water. “It’s cold! It’s cold! It’s cold!”
Sophie circled the pool, barking as I splashed my way to the steps and climbed out.
“Phew! What a wake up call, Sophie!” I toweled my hair while she licked my wet legs.
“You win!” Sam shouted from the back door, saluting me with his steaming coffee mug.
“I’ll be in as soon as I dry of.”
He grinned, disappearing back inside.
Five minutes later, I grabbed the hot mug as the last fragrant squirts of Cinnabon coffee gurgled from the Keurig. Something had changed in me overnight. It could have been the promise of spring, with the leaves budding, but I had a hunch it had something to do with the phone call from late yesterday afternoon. A potential client needed a genealogist.
Whatever it was, I felt alive again. Smiling, I joined Sam in the breakfast nook.
“You look happy. Finally beat me to the “first dip. How was it?”
“Bloody cold.” I sipped my coffee in silence. The strong brew made my lips tingle. Or maybe it was simply rekindled optimism.
I, RaeJean O’Leary Hunter, a notorious workaholic, hadn’t entered my home office since the mental fog set in six months ago. Life’s current had pulled me under. Today, I’d resurfaced, gasping for a breath of fresh air.
Sam gazed at me over the rim of his mug. “Thinking about returning to work?”
“Actually, I am. I received a voicemail late yesterday about a case that could be a good segue back to work. Easy, I think.” My stomach $uttered at the prospect, but I knew I had to take the plunge, not unlike diving into the frigid pool in order to feel like a winner again. I smiled to myself.
Sam grinned. “That’s great. Maybe we should resume the office remodel.”
“I’d like that.” We’d purchased the house as is and had been remodeling for a while. Actually, it was more of a restoration, but we’d suspended our work when I got pregnant. If I took the case, I’d need a workspace other than our library. 2 The Desk from Hoboken
“Great. I’ll call the contractor.” He kissed me and disappeared into his office.
After rinsing my cup, I scrambled upstairs with the intent of checking on my neglected office and preparing it for the work crew. I rushed past the door to the room where I’d wallowed for months. After two steps, I froze. A lingering compulsion sabotaged my plan. Instead, I stepped back and entered the unlit nursery.
Scooping up the stuffed bunny that Sam had bought the day we’d learned I was pregnant, I sat in the Boston rocker, reliving the months after our loss. The tiny bunny sprawled across my lap as I agonized over the only thing I tended to worry about since that time, the secret I’d kept from Sam.
Determined to move on, I sucked in a breath and glanced down at Sophie. “Big girls don’t cry.”
It worked. Today, I didn’t shed a tear.
I stood, tossing the toy onto the chair. “Let’s go.” I followed the dog as she padded out the door.
Guest Post
How to Sell Your First Novel
There are thousands of books, internet articles, podcasts, blogs, etc. suggesting how to sell your first novel. Each of them has a nugget that could help, but there’s no one magic answer.
First and foremost, you have to have a product worth selling. Yes, a product! The publishing industry is a commercial enterprise. You must have something a buyer wants. A few words of caution here. Don’t rush the first book. It could make or break your future opportunities.
Write the best book you can. Have readers and writers review it. Once you feel it’s ready, hire a reputable editor. An inexpensive one might do if you’re a natural writer, but an experienced editor in your genre is worth their weight in gold. They’ll save you from sure failure!
Once you have that “golden” product, you must decide if you want to self-publish, acquire an agent, or query publishers who take work directly from writers. This is a personal choice and I have no recommendations.
I wanted vetting by a well-known, successful agent. After 104 queries, I found an agent willing to take on a debut author. I hoped to be published by a big press, so my agent queried them all. After several dozen rejections, we agreed to change our strategy and try a small independent press. Voila! Success!
Smaller publishers offer a variety of services. However, don’t become complacent and think your publisher is your marketer. They will do their best because your success is their success. However, you are not their only author. Their budget doesn’t belong to you. For you to be worth their time and money, your book has to sell!
Start early gathering your tribe of reader-followers. I’ve posted a morning picture to Facebook since 2018 (https://www.facebook.com/marylou.condike) and collected a lot of friends. Readers, authors, and folks worldwide share my sunrises. If I’m traveling, I photograph the sunrise where I’m staying. If I never wrote again, I’d still greet my FB friends with a daily sunrise!
The balance between over-selling the book and getting people interested in buying your product is delicate. You’ll find it when your follower numbers decline, indicating they’re sick of “buy my book” ads. Back off selling and try to find interesting information to share.
I have no advice about book tours or signings. I’ve read mixed reviews about signing tours. Study your market and learn where the majority of your readers shop. I’m guessing it’s on the internet. Get your book listed on as many sites as possible and get prerelease reviews from anyone who will agree to read and review your book. My publisher used Readers’ Favorite: Book World ( www.readersfavorite.com ) and Net Galley (www.netgalley.com ). Become an Amazon and Goodreads author.
Good luck with your first book!
0 0 Read moreOne Icy Night by W. A. Pepper
January 26, 2024 by marianne h donley in category Apples & Oranges by Marianne H. Donley, Rabt Book Tours, Spotlight tagged as #BookBlitz, Best Selling author, new release, One Icy Night, Rabt Book Tour, W.A .Pepper
30th Anniversary of the 1994 Delta Ice Storm Edition
Thriller
Date Published: January 26, 2024
ISBN: 978-1958011096
Publisher: Hustle Valley Press, LLC
“Gritting, unexpected, and hard to put down.” – Midwest Book
Review
Rook’s on the run in the most dangerous storm in decades. When a brush with the law goes from bad to worse, can she escape druggies, crazies, and killers?
Abandoned by her now-ex-boyfriend at a dive bar in the middle of nowhere, the last thing resilient Rook Kellum needs is the local sheriff confiscating her I.D. when one phone call could expose her true identity and the reason she is on the run from the law. So when she’s trapped by a deadly ice storm that destroys the Mississippi Delta, the twenty-year-old fugitive has a plan: get everyone drunk, steal back her license (and a madman’s car), and get the hell out of town.
It is only when Rook escapes to a secluded cabin does she discover she isn’t the only one in need of rescue. As she fights her way out of one disaster just to get pounded with another, will Rook live to see the light of day?
One Icy Night is Taylor Adam’s No Exit meets Rachel Hawkins’s The Wife Upstairs.
About the Author
W. A. Pepper writes suspenseful thrillers. You Will Know Vengeance was his award-winning debut novel. He is a USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon Bestselling Author for his contribution to the business anthology Habits of Success. Under different names, (and his real one of Will Pepper) he has published in multiple academic journals, interactive e-books, anthologies, and online.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he and his wife Taddy (plus their dog Danger), started the publishing house Hustle Valley Press, LLC. Through it, they published four e-books that have amassed over one hundred five-star reviews. Further, the husband-and-wife team donated the first six months of revenue from the sale of each of those books to charity; this resulted in thousands of dollars raised for the reader-selected charities that support racial equality, COVID-19 relief, veteran affairs, and St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
He has a PhD in Management Information Systems or, as he calls it, Business Computing, from The University of Mississippi. He enjoys coffee, bourbon, snow skiing, Star Wars, comic books, and reading and watching thrillers. Finally, he, his wife Taddy, and their dog Danger split their time between Mississippi and Colorado.
Contact Links
Purchase Link
A Pug’s Tale: The Pawfect Match
December 18, 2023 by marianne h donley in category Apples & Oranges by Marianne H. Donley, Rabt Book Tours tagged as A Pug's Tale: The Pawfect Match, Children's stories, Dr. Adam Palladino
Children’s Book
Date Published: December 2023
In the heartwarming tale, “A Pug’s Tale: The Pawfect Match,” meet
Roy, an 8-year-old boy with a fervent desire for a loyal companion. His
dream of having a pug named Chug becomes an enduring journey filled with anticipation. Through the moments of hopeful waiting and the ticking of time, Roy’s wish is granted, and the enchanting story unfolds as he discovers the joy of finally having his pawfect match, a furry friend who becomes his inseparable companion and confidant. Join Roy on this touching adventure that celebrates the magic of friendship and the fulfillment of
dreams.
About the Author
Dr. Adam Palladino is a second-time author who wanted to publish a book
that would bring humor to his students. As a K-12 educator and
administrator, he showed his passion for learning and laughing by creating a
pun-filled book. He currently resides in New York with his wife, LisaMarie.
When he is not writing, you can find him studying Brazilian Jiu Jitsu,
watching movies, walking around Barnes and Noble or being adventurous with his wife.
Dr. Palladino’s first book, Terror in GuacamoleVille was a huge success,
and the popularity of it continues to grow. If you have not received your copy yet, please pick yours up now!
Dr. Palladino’s second book, A Pug’s Tale: The Pawfect Match is a wonderfully adorable book for children from infancy to 8 years old. Dr. Palladino will be traveling around the nation to promote both books, conduct read aloud, meet fans, and sign copies of his books. Please do not hesitate, get your copies today!
Contact Links
Purchase Link
An Interview with Jo A. Hiestand and Excerpt from The Low Road
April 19, 2023 by marianne h donley in category Apples & Oranges by Marianne H. Donley, Rabt Book Tours
The McLaren Mysteries
British mystery
Date Published: Sept 19, 2022
About The Low Road
Former police detective Michael McLaren arrives in Scotland, ready to immerse himself in the fun of the Highland Games and to enjoy a holiday with Melanie. But the old saying of plans oft going awry rears its ugly head: Simon Shaw, a member of McLaren’s folk group, dies. Murdered a year to the day following his uncle’s death.
McLaren is determined to find out who killed Simon. Needing justice for his friend is only half of his incentive. He also needs to appease his guilt for suggesting the group sing there in the first place.
As McLaren becomes immersed in the investigation, he wonders if the two deaths are linked, or have to do with the family or their clan. Perhaps Simon’s former wife killed him, bent on revenge more powerful than mere divorce. Or was the killing tied to an old hunt for diamonds? After all, diamonds aren’t only a girl’s best friend. Sometimes they birth greed and murder. And entrap the innocent.
About the Author
Jo A. Hiestand grew up on regular doses of music, books, and Girl Scout
camping. She gravitated toward writing in her post-high school years and
finally did something sensible about it, graduating from Webster University
with a BA degree in English and departmental honors. She writes a British
mystery series (the McLaren Mysteries)—of which three books have
garnered the prestigious N.N. Light’s Book Heaven ‘Best Mystery
Novel’ three years straight. She also writes a Missouri-based cozy
mystery series (The Cookies & Kilts Mysteries, of which “A Trifling
Murder” is the second book) that is grounded in places associated with her camping haunts. The camping is a thing of the past, for the most part, but the music stayed with her in the form of playing guitar and harpsichord, and singing in a folk group. Jo carves jack o’ lanterns badly and sings loudly. She loves barbecue sauce and ice cream (separately, not together), kilts (especially if men wear them), clouds and stormy skies, and the music of G.F. Handel. You can usually find her pulling mystery plots outof scenery—whether from photographs or the real thing.
Contact Links
An Interview with Author Jo A. Hiestand
Tell us about your 2023 projects.
I have only a few right now. At the moment, I’m halfway through the first draft of a new McLaren mystery. It’s titled “The Cottage”. He’s in Cumbria, England, helping his love-interest pack for her move south to Derbyshire, to buy a house in his village. While he’s there, a woman asks him to investigate the cold case murder of her parents. He’s caught between wanting to find the killer (McLaren is a former police detective who is very keen on catching killers) and wanting to help his lady love.
When that book is finished, I need to start writing “Crumbs of Defeat,” the fourth book in my Cookies & Kilts series, a cozy series set in the mid-Missouri town of Beaudin Trace. My protagonist, pet bakery owner Kate Dunbar, enters the town’s annual bake-off contest. The contestant at the neighboring table is making life in general difficult for Kate because the woman says Kate is a pro and, therefore, should be disqualified from the contest. The judges disagree. Needless to say, after a bit, the contestant winds up dead, and Kate is suspected of the murder.
Probably at the beginning of the summer “Overdue,” another McLaren mystery audiobook, will be recorded and up on Audible and Amazon for sale. Callum Hale, my narrator, has won the “best narrator of the year” award and helped my book “Hide and Seek” attain “best audiobook of the year.” He’s an actor who lives in London, and he can do most any British accent that I need, a really amazingly talented chap. His current offering, the audio edition of “The Low Road,” has already racked up impressive reviews. He might get another book out toward the end of the year. That one will probably be “Related By Murder,” but we’ll see if he has time for that—the holidays might get in the way!
After the audiobook of “Overdue” comes out this summer, I will probably have time in the autumn to plot a romantic suspense book. I’ve not written one before, so it may prove I’m out of my comfort zone! And might turn out to be an utter flop! But I’d like to give it a try. Something different. I have the kernel of a plot, but characters and title elude me for the moment. Not a problem, right?
What preparation did you do for the launch of your book?
For “The Low Road” I posted a very simple question that needed answering. Contestants found it on my website (www.johiestand.com). They had to read a few paragraphs from the story, then answer a question – the answer was found in the excerpt. They emailed me their answers, and I did a drawing for the winners. I had four winners. The prizes were things associated with the story, which takes place during a Highland Games event in Scotland—a beautiful quaich, several silver bangle bracelets and a rose quartz necklace, a silver and jade necklace, and a Luckenbooth thistle brooch. In addition to that PR event, I made my usual book trailer and posted that on my Facebook page and on my YouTube channel. I’m doing some virtual book tours—review tours, also—and highlighting the book at a local Highland Games event I will attend in May.
What still excites you about writing?
This is a tough question! So many things. But probably the thing I like best is creating the storyline. I love my characters, the protagonists and secondary ones, both—and I like putting them in situations and seeing how they will fare. Along the way, in my McLaren mysteries, I add little bits of history, if called for, or touches of Celtic myths, like the McLaren clan mermaid legend in “The Low Road.” I love describing the areas for the various scenes, and hope I can set my readers down in the places and that they will think it is as beautiful or mystical or tension filled as I do. I like seeing my characters change during the course of the series—either for better or worse. McLaren has gone from being a near-hermit in book one, to losing his finance thru murder in book six, to finding someone to love in book eight, and now we’re watching that romance slowly develop. I don’t know if he’ll marry Melanie, but it’s possible! A character changing for the worse is McLaren’s long-time nemesis, Charlie Harvester, who was a detective inspector (as was McLaren) in the same Constabulary. Throughout his appearance in ten books, we see their animosity develop, learn what caused it, see Harvester’s attempts at retaliation, his mental problem, and finally his demise.
What’s been most challenging for you in your writing?
Research, without a doubt. I can look up most things online, and I’m a stickler for getting things right. Nothing irritates me more than sloppy research. Mistakes are jarring, and yank the reader out of the story if they know what is correct. Some mistakes can’t be avoided, but I try to get things correct: types of fish found in the Mississippi River near St Louis, MO; moonrise time in October in Scotland; what British Army regiments fought in the Netherlands in WWII; age range for British soldiers fighting in the Falklands War and types of service medals awarded; what distinguishes a British barrister from a British solicitor, and what’s the difference in their duties, education, and how their cases are appointed; breeds of dogs and their personalities. Things like that. Some answers I have a difficult time getting, no matter how much I search online. When that happens, I cross my fingers and choose what I think sounds reasonable. But I try my hardest to get things correct. Most of the places I write about come from my own experience, so I can describe those well, but there again, I do plop down fictitious roads and such in my stories, so I can always blame mistakes on my invention!
Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
About the best thing I ever heard, and what I’d like to pass on, is to not give up. It is so easy to get discouraged. Rejection is hard to take. Unless you’re the next JK Rowling, or Diana Gabaldon, or Stephen King, you might not get a huge book contract with your first book. Most of us struggle for years to get any type of notice from the reading public. It’s a long and hard process, but if you quit, you’ll never achieve your dream. So, please keep writing and submitting.
Do you ever run out of ideas? If so, how did you get past that?
I still have book ideas, and I’ve written thirty-three books to date. I have ideas I know will never materialize into books, and I have ideas for several McLaren mysteries that I’ll get to in the near future. I’ve had ideas for an historical series, but I know that will never happen because I’m fearful of getting something wrong, like saying so-and-so was using a Colt revolver in 1800 but the gun wasn’t developed until 1835. I have enough problems with plotting and keeping my characters in line without adding to my potential errors!
Thanks for hosting me today, and allowing me to chat with your readers. I hope it’s been interesting for them! Jo
An Excerpt
The Low Road
Jo A. Hiestand
“Mike, would you do me a favor?”
“If I can, of course. What?”
“Take the day off.”
“The day off?“
Melanie poured some milk into her tea and stirred it. The spoon made soft clinking sounds as it tapped against the china. “We could walk up the hill in Balquhidder, the one that’s associated with your clan. I’d love to see that. Or we could go into Callander, if you’d rather play the tourist. It’s also drowning in history. Or,” she added, her voice growing excited, “we could drive up to the Holy Pool. I’d very much like to see that. Maybe take a sack lunch and then drive north to Glencoe.” She hesitated, looking as if she shouldn’t have made the suggestions.
“I’d love to do those things with you.”
She smiled, grabbing his hand.
“But just not now. We’ll do our sightseeing when I’ve nabbed my friend’s killer.”
Melanie withdrew her hand, her smile fading. Nodding, she shifted her gaze and concentrated on her meal.
“I’ll be back today for tea. We can talk then. We’ll map out what we want to do…afterwards.” He cleared his throat, sensing things weren’t going too well between them. “After breakfast, you can think of things for us to do, and we’ll spend the evening together.”
She picked up her fork.
“I’m sorry, Melanie. I didn’t plan on our time up here to be like this. When I suggested coming to the Games I thought we would be spending the entire week together. I thought we would have a dinner with Nick, Colin and Simon, maybe drive over to Loch Lomond or up to Loch Ness, perhaps take in a concert or art exhibit in Stirling…” His voice broke off as she attacked the fish and hacked it into chunks. “Give me another day or two. I should be finished in two days…tops. Then we’ll do whatever you would like. A drive up the Great Glen road or take a boat to the Hebrides. You’ll love the islands.” He eyed her. She still didn’t look at him. “Please understand, De¾” He paused, catching himself in time. He had nearly called her Dear Heart. He took a breath, finishing with, “Please understand. I urged Simon to come here. I wish to hell I hadn’t, that I hadn’t accepted the performance invitation in the first place, but I did. And look what happened.”
She laid down the utensils and looked at him. “Mike¾”
“I know the police are working on it but that’s not enough for me. It’s too slow. The nerk might get away.” He wadded up the table napkin, his fingers practically strangling it. “It’s my fault he came. If he’d stayed home…” He took a breath, a vein in his neck throbbing. “I’m responsible for his death. I have to solve this, to avenge his passing.” His voice had risen, emphasizing his need and emotions. “Please don’t be cross. I… I couldn’t stand it if you were angry with me.”
She looked up, giving him a faint smile. “I’m not cross, Mike. I’m just…disappointed. Mainly in myself. I do this all the time. I envision something in the future, have myself convinced whatever it is will be exactly as I assume it will be, and then I’m frustrated and let down that it hasn’t turned out like my vision. It’s no one’s problem but mine. I shouldn’t do this, but I do. It’s as natural as breathing to me.” She slid her hand around his neck and pulled him close to her so that their faces were just inches apart. “We’ll have years yet of playing tourists together. I understand you need to find Simon’s killer. You won’t be fit to live with until you’ve caught him.”
“I’m sorry, Melanie. It’s the way I am. I can’t change. If I see someone in trouble, some injustice¾”
“I know. That’s one of the things I like about you. Now.” She touched his cheek. “Go on.”
He laid his fingers beneath her chin, tilted her face up, and kissed her on the forehead. He grabbed his leather jacket and left without looking back.
Fighting back the tears, she laid down her napkin and ran up the stairs to her room.
The McLaren Mysteries
British mystery
Date Published: Sept 19, 2022
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