Tag: snippet

Snippet

~ Judi Lynn ~ 2 Comments

In The Body in the Buick, Jazzi and Ansel work with Detective Gaff to help Jerod’s dad find out who murdered one of the mechanics who work at his car repair shop:

She glanced at her cousin, but he looked distracted.  Not like him.  He usually had laser focus when it came to building projects and listing the steps for each job.  She frowned.  “Is everything okay?”

Jerod blinked and glanced at Ben.  “Sorry.  I’m worried about Dad.  Before you came, I was telling Ben that he called me, upset.  Vince, a mechanic who’s worked for him for years, was cheating him, telling women things needed fixed on their cars that didn’t, then pocketing the money.  Dad found out this morning and had to fire him.”

“That had to be hard for him.”  Jazzi knew how close Eli was to his employees.  When he hired someone, they stayed with him.  He treated them well.

“Vince made it worse, demanded a good reference so he could find another job.  When Dad wouldn’t give him one, Vince went ballistic, told him he deserved better after all the years he’d worked for him.  But how could Dad say he was a good employee when he was stealing from him?”

Ansel pressed his lips in a tight line, and Jazzi knew he was thinking about his cousin and how he’d not only stolen from his own dad, but he’d killed two of his fellow workers to hide what he’d done. 

“Is your dad going to be okay?”  She was close to Jerod’s parents.  They let her and Ansel use their lake cottage for a vacation.  They came to Sunday meals every week. 

Jerod nodded.  “Franny and I are taking the kids over there for supper tonight to cheer him up.  He loves seeing Gunther, Lizzie, and Pete.”

Ben put a hand on Jerod’s shoulder.  “Good luck, man.  And thanks for meeting me today.  You could have called off.  I’d have understood.”

Jerod made himself grin.  “No problem.  We’ll get started on your barn and try not to crack any of the walls when we jack it up.  In the meantime, we have a plan.  Let’s take some measurements, have a lunch, and try to order everything we’re going to need to get started.”

A Snippet

~ Judi Lynn ~ 1 Comment

I thought I’d share a short scene from POSED IN DEATH. Laurel Reagan finds her friend Maxine’s body arranged like the other victims of the Midlife Murderer. She learns that Maxine went out to supper with a freelance reporter, Nick Menas, shortly before the night she was killed. When Nick calls her and asks to interview her, she only agrees because they’re meeting in a public place and she doesn’t fit the type the Midlife Murderer always chooses. Then she learns he had an alibi for the night Maxine died, so when he volunteers to team up with her to learn more about the case, she feels safe.

On the drive home, Nick said, “This has been a nice day.  Thank you.”

“I’ve enjoyed it, too.  I needed something to cheer me up after finding Maxine.”

He grimaced.  “I don’t know which is worse, losing my wife to a random shooter or having a friend murdered by a serial killer.”

“They’re both horrible, but I can do something about Maxine.  I want to find her killer.  I won’t have closure until whoever did it is behind bars and hopefully never free again.”

He glanced sideways at her as he drove.  “You sound determined.”

“I am.  I lost my husband to a heart attack.  Stuart had always had cardiac problems, so I knew I’d lose him someday going into the marriage, but still, it felt random.  It came sooner than we expected, and there was nothing I could do to prevent it.  Maxine’s death is different, though.  It shouldn’t have happened, and if I find out who did it, I can make sure no one else has to die that way.  I’m going to do all I can to help Ralph find who killed her.”

“Ralph is on the case?”

“Not officially, and he doesn’t want me involved.  He’s warned me away.”

“But you’re still going to pursue it?”

“Yes.”

Nick glanced at her again.  “You’re serious about this, aren’t you?”

“I doubt if I make a difference.  The cops have more resources than I do, but if I can help, I’m going to.”

His dark eyebrows dipped in a frown.  “I was a crime reporter before my wife died.  Then I needed a break from it.  It hit too close to home, but I’m getting tired of human-interest stories.  I’d love to write in-depth, serious pieces again.  Not the everyday drive-by shootings, but this case would interest me.  I could work with you.  If you want a partner, that is.”

Did she?  Could she trust this man?  She didn’t know much about him.  “You’d help me dig for information?”

“I used to be good at it.  My wife’s case was wrapped up before I even learned that she’d died.  It made me feel useless, and I hated it.  I’d be able to do something this time.  I’m going to be in town a while.  I want to write my section of the book here, then if I need more information, it will be easier to get.  But it would feel good to be able to make a difference about a death, you know?”

“I do.” She surprised herself by how much she could relate to him.  “And the truth is, I’d feel safer if someone went with me when I visited people I want to talk to.”

“Then I’m your guy.”  He gripped the steering wheel, his expression earnest.  “I pester people all the time who don’t want to talk to me.  Give me a call when you want to visit someone, and I’ll be there.”

A worry niggled.  “This isn’t just about getting a scoop on who the Midlife Murderer is, is it?”

He pressed his lips in a grim line.  “Will that be a deal breaker?  I have to admit that’s part of it.  I’m sort of using you to get a toe in the door.  I want you to know that.  But we’ll still find Maxine’s killer.  And part of this, for me, is finding closure after my wife was killed.”

That was part of what was driving her, too.  She decided to find out how serious he was.  “I’m going to make a casserole to take to Maxine’s husband tomorrow.  I think he’s a worthless human being, but I want to see what he has to say about Maxine.  Want to come?”

“You’re still okay with me tagging along?”

“Why not?  I’d like to see the Midlife Murderer behind bars, too.”

“When should I pick you up?”

…..And that’s how Laurel and Nick become a team.

A long snippet

~ Judi Lynn ~ 2 Comments

In A CUT ABOVE, Karnie agrees to meet Donna Amick’s brother, Duncan, at a bar to try to learn who might have killed Donna. The bar’s on the rough side, though, so her brother, Chuck insists on going with her. But he gets sick and asks his friend, Matt, to go in his place:

Matt was doing her a favor.  Actually, he was doing Chuck a favor, but she’d let that ride.  When he pulled up in his truck and she ran out to climb in, she gave him an apologetic look.  “I’m sorry you got stuck doing this.  I could have called Duncan and rescheduled our meeting.

Matt shook his head.  “No problem.  I’m happy to do this for you.”

She bit her lip.  For Chuck, she wanted to say, but Matt was here, and they were headed to The Alehouse Bar.  She’d keep quiet about that.  “Chuck said I owed him a supper for meeting Duncan with me.  Same goes for you, and as many beers as you want.  On me.”

He shook his head.  “I’m going home to kids and have to get up early in the morning.  Only two beers for me on a week night.”

“You’re a cheap date.”

“Is this a date then?  Our first one.  I’ll mark it on my calendar, so I can remember our first date anniversary.”

Her stomach clenched.  She stared at him.  “You’re kidding, right?  I was kidding.” 

“Here I thought you were starting to take a shine to me.”

“I am.  We could be great friends.”

He put a hand to his heart.  “The words no man wants to hear.”  Then he glanced at her and started laughing.  “Relax.  Don’t panic yet, but you’re awfully easy to tease.”

No wonder he and Chuck were such good friends.  Too much alike.  She relaxed and took a deep breath.  “Not funny.  I’ve never worried about things getting awkward between us because Chuck said you have so many girls chasing you, you have to beat them away.”

“Hardly. I don’t have time for chasing skirts.  The farm and the kids keep me busy.”

“But your parents took the kids last weekend.”

“So you think I spent time with a girl?  That’s why you were so surprised I came to the Sunday dinner.”  He shook his head.  “I had some friends over for pizza and we played cards.  I don’t get to do that much anymore.”

She fiddled with the hem of her T-shirt.  She’d misjudged him.  She felt a little ashamed of herself at how fast she’d decided he was shacking up.

He grinned at her.  “You know, even back in my high school days, I wasn’t quite the slimeball you thought I was.”

She grimaced at the term.  “Sorry, I shouldn’t have called you that.”

“We didn’t know each other.  Girls did follow me everywhere, but that didn’t mean I slept with every single one of them.”

But she’d bet he slept with a few. 

He could read her thoughts by the look on her face and chuckled.  “No more than your brother Chuck.  He was no innocent back then either.”

True, and she knew he was a good man.  Matt was, too.  “I’ll amend my opinions about you.”

He laughed.  “Then they must be going up because I don’t think they could get too much lower.”

She waved that away.  “It doesn’t really matter what I think about you anyway.”

“But it does.”  His voice was sincere.  “We’re friends now, and you’re going to invite me and my kids over for supper sometimes.  I don’t want to mess that up.”

“You’re really motivated by food.”

“No arguments there.”  They reached the bar and he pulled into a parking space.  “You ready?  Chuck said this Duncan was a real winner.”

She nodded, and they started to the Alehouse.  When they walked through the door, loud music made them both wince.  The place had the typical, funky old bar smell.  The lighting was dim, and they waited to let their eyes adjust before moving further inside.  A guy at the bar turned to raise his glass at her.  She waved.  A friend of Chuck’s.  Karnie spotted Duncan at a booth and they wove their way past filled tables to join him. 

Duncan sneered when Matt slid across from him.  “She had to bring a nursemaid to meet me?”

Matt leveled a look at him.  “You might let a woman come alone to a bar like this, but I wouldn’t.  Did Donna meet you here?”

The sneer vanished.  “I always picked her up.  We came together.”

“My point.”

The waitress came, and Matt ordered a beer.  Karnie asked, “Do you have wine?”  She’d never gotten used to the taste of hops or the bitterness of beer.

“One white wine.  One red.  Which do you want?”

“White.”  She’d take her chances.  Bad wine was better than good beer.

Duncan shook his head.  “I can’t see you and Donna working together.  She had a problem with people who were too uppity.”

Karnie raised an eyebrow.  “Not every person who likes wine is a snob, but Donna and I wouldn’t have gotten along anyway.  She was too pushy.  Sort of like you.”

“You didn’t like her.”

“Not a bit.”

The waitress brought their drinks.  “Are you eating or just visiting?”

“I’m paying,” Karnie said before Matt could.  “For all three of us.  I’ll take a burger and fries.”

After the guys ordered and the waitress left, Duncan studied Karnie.  “You’re used to being in charge, aren’t you?”

She wasn’t going to disagree.  Instead, she asked, “How did you and Donna get along?”

After he took a hit of his beer, he said, “We were brother and sister.  We argued sometimes but always had each other’s back.  She was three years older than me and was always telling me what to do.  Talked me into taking a few jobs I hated until I stopped listening to her.  Now I’m doing okay, running a few different businesses.  Said once the shop got going, she’d make me part of it.”

“Did you want to be part of it?”

Their food arrived, and Duncan waited until the waitress left again to answer.  “There were things I could do to help her, but I knew my sister.  There’s no way I’d drop what I was doing to work with her unless she legally signed part ownership over to me.  Either that, or I’d do a lot of work, she’d get bent out of shape about something, and she’d fire me.  She was like that.”

Karnie and Matt exchanged glances.  “She did that to Worth,” Matt said.

“The kid should have known better.  He had to live with her, for heaven’s sake.  He knew she could be a witch.”

Duncan had no delusions about her.  Karnie gave him credit for that.  “Would she have promised the shop to P.J. if she didn’t mean to give it to him?”

Duncan put down his burger with a snort.  “P.J. was on his way out, wasn’t he?  Donna wasn’t too happy when she found out he’d ordered a watch worth a few thousand for himself with her credit card.”

“She told you that?” Matt asked.

Duncan wiped his mouth with his napkin.  “She said he was starting to be more of a bother than he was worth.”

“Did she love her husband before he died?”  It wouldn’t help decide who’d killed her, but Karnie was curious.

Duncan took a long sip of beer, his brows furrowed in thought, before saying, “I’m not sure she ever loved anyone.  Not our parents.  Can’t blame her.  Not me.”

“Why not your parents?”

“Mom clerks at a small dollar store, smokes all the time, lives for Bingo.  Dad works as little as he can.  They kept a roof over our heads and didn’t pound on us, but that’s about it.  Donna hated being poor.”

Karnie nodded.  That explained a lot.  It didn’t excuse how badly Donna treated people, but it helped her understand Donna more. 

A new cover!

~ Judi Lynn ~ 5 Comments

I’m trading back and forth, working on Lux #2 and a new Muddy River short fiction.  I’ve surprised myself, and Lux is getting close to done.  Then I can spend all of my time on Raven and Hester while my critique partners mark up Heirlooms To Die For before giving it back to me.

For Muddy River, this time, I’m trying a different type of cover.  So far, I’ve used images of people with a background I hope hints at magic.  This time, I found an image that I think captures the theme of the story.  See what you think:

SU

And since I’m sharing the cover, I thought I’d share the opening scene of SURVIVAL, too:

Muddy River’s spring vacation usually brings bad weather.  I never schedule coven meetings during that time, so that I’m free of all responsibilities.  I love my young witches, but by early April, I’m as eager for a week away from them as they are to be free of lessons and me.

Days can be almost balmy right up until students leave my classroom on Friday, but that’s just to tease us.  Soon, clouds gather to deliver torrential rain, blinding snow, or hail.  It’s as though the heavens don’t condone our week off.

This year, we were supposed to get lucky.  According to Meda, one of my coven, her bespelled weather vanes predicted the sun would shine the entire month and the temperatures would be mild. I hummed as I waved my hand to lock the school before crossing the field to my yellow Victorian house.  A week of good weather.  A miracle.

Claws ran ahead of me, only stopping to check both ways before crossing the street.

“Don’t go too far!” I called to him.  “We’re leaving as soon as Raven gets home.”  My fire demon had decided that we should spend the week at the lake cottage he’d bought for getaways.  He was craving a little privacy.

His Lamborghini wasn’t in the drive, so I kicked off my shoes and headed straight to the kitchen.  I poured a glass of wine, ready to celebrate my last day of school.  Looking out the kitchen window, I saw Claws prowling the river bank that bordered the back of our property.  He could burn off some energy before we made the hour drive to our cottage.

I was sipping pinot grigio, letting my mind drift, when I heard Raven’s car pull into the garage.  A minute later, he pushed through the kitchen door.  Six-five and corded with muscle, with black hair and amber eyes, he locked gazes with me, and his look sizzled.  “Is everything packed?” When I nodded, he grinned.  “Brown’s covering the office while I’m gone, and Strike’s promised to help out if needed.  We have an entire week to ourselves, just you, me, and Claws.  I have plans for you, witch.”

It was about time.  Raven was Muddy River’s enforcer.  Between his job and mine, it was hard for either of us to get away.  I pointed to the suitcases and coolers sitting in the corner.  Swallowing the last of my wine, I stood.  “Let me change, and I’m ready.”

He licked his lips.  “Need any help?”

“If you want to get to the cabin by supper time, it would be safer if I did it myself.”

“Right.”  His expression turned lascivious.  “Everything in due time.”  He went to start loading my SUV.  Twenty minutes later, Claws curled on the backseat and I rode shotgun, wearing my worn jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt.  Raven turned away from Muddy River, and we headed north to enjoy ourselves and each other.

 

Hope you enjoy these.  I still have a decent amount to write for Raven and Hester.