by Diane Rapp
Charlotte announced, “Bonnie and I became partners in a new real estate brokerage firm which employs only women. After my whopper of a divorce settlement, six months ago, I contacted Bonnie and we started planning the new firm. We bought a Victorian building, zoned commercial, and we just finished remodeling last week. The doors will officially open with a big gala next weekend, but we’ve been selling real estate for months.”
Bonnie added, “We work very well together. I handle paperwork and schedules while Charlotte pursues high-end clients. She’s an incredible saleswoman.”
Blushing, Charlotte added, “Bonnie bought a cute condo in the heart of San Francisco and decorated it herself. She’s got quite an eye and could make a bundle doing interior design. We will have a successful partnership together.”
Tamara asked, “How did you get such a large settlement in your divorce? I heard he had high-priced attorneys working for him.”
Bonnie jumped in to answer. “Her ex-husband tried to use photos the kidnappers took during the kidnapping as part of the divorce proceedings. An anonymous source sent the judge copies of e-mails which proved he offered the kidnappers a bribe to get rid of Charlotte for good. Rockwell J. Baxter III is in deep legal trouble, so the judge granted Charlotte more than she was asking.”
“You girls are hogging this conversation,” Maureen Collins interrupted. “I have some great news myself. I quit selling real estate in Paso Robles and decided to open a self-defense studio. We help professional women learn to kick some butt. All my old realtor friends are signing up, our class schedule is full, and I’m making more money than I ever did selling houses. Frank quit his construction job and now works as a boxing instructor at my studio. Who knew boxing could be a weight-loss exercise?”
Tamara gave Maureen a high-five. “Good for you! Where is Phyllis?”
“She had to get back to the bank to close an important escrow. After testifying, she said to meet her for lunch next week. She wants you to bring the baby along!”
Tamara smiled. “Okay. Phyllis and I often meet for lunch. She couldn’t face selling real estate anymore, so she took a job as an escrow officer. You know her husband, Josh, retired from the Marines and opened a security firm in town. I never knew he was adept at electronics, and he bought two trained guard dogs from Carra’s kennel. He uses them in the business. The dogs live with Phyllis and Josh while they’re not guarding private clients.”
Maureen added, “My darling Frank bought a puppy from Carra. She appears jet-black right now, but Carra claims light markings show up as the dog matures. I’m so excited. We plan to drive down and take classes when the puppy is a bit older. She can meet her uncle Bentley soon.”
Tamara yawned, a signal they needed to let her rest. She nestled down under the covers and thought about the past year. The gaping hole in her heart after Jeffrey died was totally gone now. It had been filled with love and friendship. As she drifted to sleep, her fingers twitched.
A ghostly hand stroked hers lovingly. “Good-bye, my love,” Jeffrey, the newest guardian angel, whispered. “Your son will always be protected, I promise. Live a long and happy life.”
Note to my reader:
Thank you so much for choosing to read this novel. If you enjoyed the story, please take a minute to leave a review, one line is all that is needed and helps build confidence in other readers to try the book.
About the Real Bentley
Readers of my blog already know Bentley is a real dog, my own athletic Standard Poodle. He needed more exercise, so my husband trained him on an agility course. It’s a real treat to watch him jump and weave! He is such a clever boy.
Bentley has never been trained as a protection dog, so that part of the story was all from my imagination. But he loves to chase deer, rabbit, and squirrels in the woods around our neighborhood. His guard dog duties are strictly noise related. When someone pulls into our drive or arrives at the door, Bentley is ready to growl and bark like a really vicious guard dog until we tell him to stop. We call him our personal alarm system.
About the Author
Diane Rapp is a split-personality author, who writes mysteries and science-fantasy novels. She began writing fiction to cure insomnia while selling real estate in Santa Barbara, but she got serious about writing after publishing a Caribbean guidebook with her daughter. Research for the guidebook helped her create a cruise ship mystery series. Readers get a glimpse of the crew’s life aboard a ship as they get to know the characters.
Of course there are murders to solve with danger and romance mixed in with the action. Diane vividly describes actual places ships visit along the route. Her most recent cruise-ship thriller, DNA Stalker, begins with the Jonestown Massacre nearly forty years ago. The characters must guard six sets of identical twins, who are targeted by a ruthless stalker.
Diane’s first love is actually science-fantasy. As an animal lover, it felt natural to devise stories involving telepathic wolves who interact with humans on a distant planet. The series begins on Earth, introducing the ancestors of a pack that eventually colonizes the distant planet, Drako. As humans and wolves interact in the future, the wolves wonder if the “two-legs” they meet can actually be intelligent. A feudal government makes the survival of new arrivals dangerous. Follow an intricate cast of characters as they try to fend off an attack from space.
Between writing mysteries and science-fantasy, Diane diverged to write an historical novel combined with modern adventure. Familiar characters from the mystery series unravel clues found in an ancestor’s journal to locate a family gold mine in the gold country of Colorado, facing dangerous terrain and people out to steal the gold.
If you’d like to know more about Carra and Mike Taylor’s experiences with their telepathic German Shepherds, and how they started a training kennel, read The Alphas. The story introduces readers to a new species of telepathic animals while solving murder and dog thefts in Santa Barbara. viewBook.at/TheAlphas.
Realtors for Sale is part of a new mystery series. Follow Diane on Amazon to hear about new release dates on new books in the series (described below). Read more about the books Diane has published at the following websites:
Website: https://www.quicksilvernovels.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quicksilvernovels
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DianeRapp
Amazon author’s page: http://Author.to/DianeRapp
Bookbub: http://bit.ly/2BOuDUF
New “Sidekick Mystery Series”
This novel is the first episode in a planned five-book series. Each book features animal sidekicks, who help their humans solve various crimes. NO murders are involved in any of these stories. Each book is a standalone story that does not repeat characters.
Before I started writing Realtors for Sale, I ran a contest on my blog to find sidekicks for the other books in the series. People who were teamed with great dogs (and cats) submitted pictures and told me about their super sidekicks. Meet the animals who will star in their own books:
Mika Bella is an adorable malti-poo, who was specially trained as an emotional therapy dog. She works very hard at helping her mom, Vicky Thompson, stay at an even keel, so she can function on lower medications. Support therapy becomes vital during their mystery adventure together.
Mika Bella weighs 9 pounds but believes in her heart she’s as big as a German Shepherd. Mika Bella and Vicky walk 4–6 miles every other day, but Mika Bella usually rides in Vicky’s specially-designed handbag when Vicky is working. Who cares that Mika Bella is spoiled rotten? She’s an important member of Vicky’s team.
Mika goes everywhere with Vicky Thompson, who is a part-time real estate agent selling property in the Colonial Historic District of Williamsburg, Virginia. Vicky and Mika Bella dress in period costumes while working second jobs in the historic town. After witnessing bones which were kept on display suddenly disappear into a man’s satchel, Vicky immediately follows the thief with Mika Bella at her side. Together they crack the Jamesto
wn Artifact Caper.
Molli Dawg is a super-sleuthing basset hound. She has a nose that never quits snooping. Her superpower is following scents and tracking down bad guys, bad ladies, and the occasional chewy treat. She is built low to the ground, so the summer heat can wear her out. Molli Dawg escapes the winter cold by wearing a snazzy sweater-set (size X-long).
Nothing prevents this canine sidekick from seeking out truth, justice, and snacks! She loves to make friends (human and canine), but she can spot a crook when they get within range of her sniffer. Molli Dawg is sometimes shy and can easily be distracted—hey, was that a kitty? Next to snacking, her favorite activity is taking naps, lots of naps. But don't be fooled when she appears to be snoring, as Molli’s long nose is always on duty.
Her sniffing senses will be crucial while helping Rebecca Jones investigate the Robbers' Roost Caper in Telluride, Colorado. Molli Dawg alerts Rebecca when she noses out robbers checking out a fancy jewelry store. It will take her superpowers to track down the gang and keep Rebecca safe.
Shanna the Black Lab and her gang of Cats are all sidekicks together. When real estate agent, Cheryl Grady, reads a story in the weekly newspaper, she learns about rustlers in the county. The crooks use high-tech equipment to steal prize-winning bovines after auctions.
Later she recognizes one of the steers her 4H group recently sold, grazing at a supposedly vacant ranch near her real estate listing. Cheryl must track down the bad guys. Her black Labrador Retriever, Shanna, is eager to help. They must capture the gang and herd the prized stock back to the proper owners.
Of course the trio of cats, who must stay home alone, get very jealous. Shanna receives all of Cheryl’s attention and gets to go for car rides! The sly trio, Mr. Tom, Twinkle Toes, and Twister, finally get into the action when one of the rustlers breaks into Cheryl’s house to retrieve evidence. It's a real cat-attack.
Kenzy Pederick is a Mal-Tzu. Don’t call her a Malti-Poo or she may growl. There is NO poodle in her ancestry. Her registered title is: Her Spoiled Highness, Kenzy Pederick, but she responds to "Kenzy" if she agrees to pay attention. Shouting “Kenzy” over and over just won’t do the trick.
She’s adorable with a black nose and eyes, white muzzle and body with two black spots on her rump and lower back. (You realize it’s not polite to point out spots on a lady’s rump.) She may be a temperamental female but she likes being a frisky, friendly fur-ball.
Kenzy is always ready to dress up for an occasion—especially doing undercover work. After all a lady should always look her best! She’s sensitive with a touch of anxiety, loves to lie on the couch and watch Animal Planet TV shows, and barks at anything that moves or makes noise. Peggy calls her a four-footed security alarm. Kenzy is well-trained but a bit mischievous. She loves to play and would give up her next dog biscuit to roll on the artificial grass in the neighbor’s yard! It looks very tempting.
Peggy Walker specializes in selling tiny homes in her community. She also works part-time as a Niagara Falls tour guide. When Peggy accidently hears terrorists plotting to blow up a bridge with everyone onboard the bus, she decides to stop them. How can she do it? She's just a real estate agent with no combat training. Kenzy Pederick, is ready to lend a paw and a mouth full of sharp teeth to help her.
