From chapter one. Anni runs into a former police detective who once interrogated her about a missing con artist:
Anni hadn’t realized Jonathan Trimbel lived close enough to be taking an evening walk here. Reluctantly, she registered that, even in retirement, he kept his body well toned, and his easy gait and square shoulders seemed less tense than in his days on the force. She supposed that, had she not been subjected to his inquisition, she might have considered his hawklike features attractive.
Anni sucked in a deep breath. Just walk on past him. That arrogant man doesn’t deserve a greeting.
Then she noticed the dog.
The skinny beagle strained at the leash, sniffing beneath a bush. With a command of “Heel!,” Trimbel gave the strap a sharp tug.
So this was the owner who mistreated that pooch! Anni had seen him roaming the area, poking into trash cans as if starving. Unfortunately, the little doggie had dodged her attempts to corral it.
“Heel! Now!” Another yank on the leash.
Anni halted less than a dozen feet away. “You don’t have to strangle the poor creature.”
Cold blue eyes raked her face. A quiver of anxiety ran through her, disturbingly reminiscent of what she’d felt when he interviewed her about Gavin’s disappearance. For heaven’s sake, she had no reason to fear the man now.
“Is this your dog?” His rough-edged voice grated on her nerves.
“Mine? Of course not. It’s obviously yours.” A fact of which Anni suddenly realized she wasn’t at all certain.
Heat flooded her cheeks. One might think that, by the age of fifty, she’d have learned not to jump to conclusions. That and her temper had landed her in plenty of trouble. “He’s been wandering around like a lost soul, hungry and neglected.”
“And you never thought to take him home?” Somehow Trimbel had managed to flip this conversation and make Anni the bad guy.
“He got away!” She swallowed her pique.
[end of excerpt]
second excerpt, from Chapt 3.
Anni has discovered that Jon, now a private detective, has moved into the house next door to her—and just hired her grown daughter Libby as his assistant. Since hearing on the news that the missing con artist’s car was found at the bottom of a cliff, she’s anxious to learn more about the case, since the man harmed some of her friends].
She drove around the corner to see him and the beagle returning from a stroll. Next to his porch, he stopped to let the dog sniff a bird of paradise plant.
Zipping into her driveway, Anni parked her sedan, afraid he might vanish indoors before she could buttonhole him. As she exited, Jon turned and his blue eyes zapped into hers with a scary voltage.
Taking her measure? Preparing to grill her again?
Then he smiled, as if glad to see her. Or taking impish delight in the fact that she’d caught her purse strap on the gear shift and had to pivot in a kind of clumsy dance step to regain her balance.
Anni could go an entire day, maybe a week, without stumbling over her own feet when Jon wasn’t around. Darn it!
“You okay?” he asked.
She straightened, refusing to yield to her embarrassment. As if the flush heating her cheeks didn’t provide ample evidence.
“I’m fine, thank you.” Anni stepped across the intervening grass, focusing on the dog. “Hey, Digger, how are you adjusting to your new home?”
The beagle wagged and panted, eager for attention. Crouching, she rumpled the dog’s ears.
“I figured you for a cat lady,” Jon said.
“I like cats, too.” Unable to hit on a natural segue into questioning him, Anni chose the direct approach. “I guess you heard about Gavin Everly’s car. Was his body inside?”
“Doesn’t appear to be.” Eyebrows lifting, he added, “Unless it’s in the trunk. They won’t be able to get in there till things cool down.”
“Why would it be in the trunk?” That possibility hadn’t occurred to her.
“If someone murdered him.”
“Oh.” A detective’s brain went down dark paths, Anni mused. “What if it isn’t? I mean, what’s the next step?”
“You do realize this isn’t my case any more?” He tugged the leash as the dog began scratching the ground. “No, Digger!”
The dog stopped. To Anni’s surprise, he sat down and gazed adoringly at Jon.
“The police aren’t sharing any details?” she probed.
“Why do you care?”
“Don’t you?” she challenged. “It must bug you that you never solved the case.”
His jaw tensed. She’d scored a point. However, her goal was to enlist Jon’s aid, not antagonize him.
“That came out wrong,” Anni said. “The truth is, I care because some of my friends are having trouble moving on. They need answers.”
“Why is that your problem?”
She couldn’t believe he’d asked that. “Don’t you have friends? Don’t you care about their happiness?”
Jon blinked, as if he hadn’t considered the subject. “I have buddies, sure. They’re in charge of their own emotions.”
“That’s as far as it goes?” she asked.
“Caring about other people’s happiness, well, I learned from my ex-wife and stepdaughter that it’s a loser’s game.” He turned to go in.
“Wait!” Anni couldn’t bear to end the conversation on that note. “This business of Gavin’s car—the implications are driving me crazy. What do you think the police will do?”
Considering he was about five inches taller to begin with, Jon loomed over her from the porch. “If I were in charge, I’d request cadaver dogs to search the area as soon as it’s safe.”
“He must be there,” Anni said. “I mean, why would he or anyone else push his empty car off a cliff?”
“To mislead us.” Jon inserted his key in the door. “He couldn’t have known it would stay hidden for years, or that it wouldn’t catch fire right away. It’s useless to speculate until we, I mean they, can examine the vehicle.”
“Okay.” Still, it was hard to let the subject go. “Will you tell me what you learn? I mean, once they’re able to search. Or tell Libby? No, don’t involve her. I could cook you dinner, if that would help.”
“Tempting.” Jon smiled again. From this angle, it might have been a self-serving smirk. “Please don’t tell me you’re a vegetarian.”
“Not entirely.” Anni ate fish occasionally. But in exchange for clues, she’d fix the man an entire pot roast. “I promise a meat-eater-friendly menu.”
“I’ll be in touch. When and if there’s anything to report.” Into the house he went.
It might be simpler to hire him, Anni thought. Then she’d be the boss. Well, kind of. And he’d have to do his own investigating, rather than wait for his buddies, whoever they were, to throw him a few crumbs.
You must be out of your mind, she thought, and went to fix herself a salad.
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ReplyDeleteThe cover is really cute. Sounds like a good book.
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