Murder at First Pitch

by Nicole Asselin

  Her brother and dad were at the back of the receiving crush and she gave them both big hugs. Choking back tears, her father cleared his throat. “I’m so glad you’re safe, sweetie. I can’t believe everything that happened. Thank goodness you made it out safely.”

  “The real thanks belong to Eliza and Davis for raising the alarm. They were the real heroes in this crazy situation.” Madeline pulled Eliza into a hug.

  “Well,” her father cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. “Now that everyone is here, I have a few announcements to make.” He made his way to the front of the crowd. “As you know, this has been a crazy few weeks. Well, in the ensuing events, we got a piece of great news. Ben will be leaving us to join the front office of the Red Sox officially at the end of this current season.”

  Madeline clapped her hands until they hurt and felt her eyes well up in pride. She was so happy for Ben. It was always the dream to work for the majors. She was so glad he could get the opportunity especially after all the murder stuff of the past few weeks. She gave her brother a big smile and squeezed his hand.

  Her father held his hands up to quiet the clapping. Everyone turned their attention back to her parents. “To that end, we would also like to announce that Madeline will now step into her brother’s role at the end of the season to work higher up in our front office. We hope one day she will be in charge of the whole thing.”

  Madeline’s jaw dropped open. She couldn’t believe that it was happening. Her mom did float the idea before, but she didn’t think it would happen that soon. Granted, they still had three more months left in the season, so it’s not like she’d be running things tomorrow. She felt a nervous excitement. She couldn’t remember ever feeling like that at other jobs. This could be the start of something great. And to top it off, she had a date with Davis. She looked over and found him smiling at her. She smiled back. Yeah, this just might work out after all.

  The End

  Acknowledgments

  This is my moment! I always imagined my acknowledgement section of my book to be like my acceptance speech for when I won a Grammy. Cause I was going to win one at some point.

  First and foremost, I want to thank my parents. My mom, Nancy Asselin, for being my best friend and sounding board. She puts up with me and doesn’t judge me too harshly. Well, she judges me as a mom should judge her children, and she tries to keep me accountable for things. She is the literal best, and I wouldn’t be where I am without her! To my dad, Robert Asselin, who has been my champion since the time he celebrated my first birthday deployed in a submarine, having a cake with his shipmates. He has supported me through dance classes, college, and now adulthood, and I wouldn’t be where I am without his support either!

  To my little brother, Brandon Asselin. You kept me on my toes when we were younger, but I’m glad we’re adults now and can be friends.

  Thanks to Pandamoon Publishing for taking on my dream book! Red Sox fans know no boundaries and I’m glad we found each other. Thanks to Jess Reino for being an AMAZING editor (and fellow Masshole).

  To my English teachers through the years, from Mr. Kirkpatrick in 9th grade at Cumberland Valley HS, to Dr. Hunter at Curry College. They instilled in me a love of reading, a love of the classics, and a love of writing.

  To my Sisters in Crime (NE and National) who have answered my questions, supported my work, and given me opportunities to network with other authors. It is the best community I have ever been a part of hands down.

  To all the friends that have listened to me talk about this book and still wanted to hang out with me, you guys are the best. To my “girls” from that job that shall remain nameless, I miss our happy hours and trips to Sullivan’s in the summah!

  To my bestie, Mary Borgendale, thank you for being a friend (Golden Girls FTW!). Sassy pants Kara and little CJ have a great mother and I’m glad to call you my friend. Special thanks to Shelly Dickson Carr, who I met at my very first Malice Domestic conference and got me thinking about what kind of book I would want to write. It inspired me to write the baseball-themed mystery I always wanted.

  And yes, I’m going to thank my cats. Cause they’re my babies and I love them (Julia, Jacques, and Madeline). To anyone and everyone else in my life, just know you have all had a profound impact on me and I appreciate all of you for supporting me on this journey!

  And special thanks to the Boston Red Sox. I love you and I love our World Series memories. Special shout out to Dustin Pedroia….my Grandpa met him once and from then on spoke of “his best friend, Pedroia.”

  About the Author

  Nicole Asselin grew up a Navy Brat, moving around with her family and her Naval Officer father as he was stationed in various U.S. locales including Monterey, CA and Honolulu, HI. She spent her formative high school years in the middle of Pennsylvania, but always identified with her New England roots. Her family is originally from New England and she always loved the weather in the north. Nicole graduated from Curry College in Milton, Mass with a degree in English/Creative Writing, minoring in Dance in 2004.

  As she tried to decide what to do with her life, she attended George Mason University and received a Master’s in Arts Management, which of course was then parlayed into a job as a “jack-of-all trades” technical writer in the Government Contracting world. She worked in that sector for over ten years before transitioning to a new field.

  Now working just outside of Boston at a healthcare company as a Technical Writer, she lives on the South Shore of Massachusetts with her three cats Julia, Jacques, and Madeline (no relation to the main character of her book).

  Nicole’s family is originally from Connecticut. Her Grandpa Asselin introduced her into the Red Sox nation where she has been a member for her whole life and her Grandma Asselin introduced her to the world of mystery novels. Now those two loves are combined into her new Ballpark Mystery Series.

  Nicole is a current member of Sisters in Crime (National and New England) and the Mystery Writers of America. She sits on the Board of Directors for the NE branches of both groups as Social Media Liaison. She’s attended several conferences in the past few years to study the craft including Malice Domestic, Bouchercon, and the NE Crime Bake. All the classes and conferences have helped groom her novel into “Murder at First Pitch.”

  Her short story, “Mile High Murder” can be found as part of Z Publishing’s “America’s Emerging Suspense Writers: East Region” published in early 2019.

  Thank you for purchasing this copy of Murder at First Pitch. If you enjoyed this book, please let the author know by posting a review.

  Growing good ideas into great reads…one book at a time.

  Visit http://www.pandamoonpublishing.com to learn about other works by our talented authors.

  Mystery/Thriller/Suspense

  A Flash of Red by Sarah K. Stephens

  Evening in the Yellow Wood by Laura Kemp

  Fate’s Past by Jason Huebinger

  Graffiti Creek by Matt Coleman

  Juggling Kittens by Matt Coleman

  Killer Secrets by Sherrie Orvik

  Knights of the Shield by Jeff Messick

  Kricket by Penni Jones

  Looking into the Sun by Todd Tavolazzi

  Murder at First Pitch by Nicole Asselin

  On the Bricks Series Book 1: On the Bricks by Penni Jones

  Project 137 by Seth Augenstein

  Rogue Saga Series Book 1: Rogue Alliance by Michelle Bellon

  Southbound by Jason Beem

  The Juliet by Laura Ellen Scott

  The Last Detective by Brian Cohn

  The Moses Winter Mysteries Book 1: Made Safe by Francis Sparks

  The New Royal Mysteries Book 1: The Mean Bone in Her Body by Laura Ellen Scott

  The New Royal Mysteries Book 2: Crybaby Lane by Laura Ellen Scott

  The Ramadan Drummer by Randolph Splitter

  The Teratologist by Ward Parker

  The Unraveling of Brendan Meeks by Brian Cohn

  The Zeke
Adams Series Book 1: Pariah by Ward Parker

  This Darkness Got to Give by Dave Housley

  Science Fiction/Fantasy

  Children of Colonodona Book 1: The Wizard’s Apprentice by Alisse Lee Goldenberg

  Children of Colonodona Book 2: The Island of Mystics by Alisse Lee Goldenberg

  Dybbuk Scrolls Trilogy Book 1: The Song of Hadariah by Alisse Lee Goldenberg

  Dybbuk Scrolls Trilogy Book 2: The Song of Vengeance by Alisse Lee Goldenberg

  Dybbuk Scrolls Trilogy Book 3: The Song of War by Alisse Lee Goldenberg

  Everly Series Book 1: Everly by Meg Bonney

  .EXE Chronicles Book 1: Hello World by Alexandra Tauber and Tiffany Rose

  Finder Series Book 1: Chimera Catalyst by Susan Kuchinskas

  Fried Windows (In a Light White Sauce) by Elgon Williams

  Magehunter Saga Book 1: Magehunter by Jeff Messick

  Revengers Series Book 1: Revengers by David Valdes Greenwood

  The Bath Salts Journals: Volume One by Alisse Lee Goldenberg and An Tran

  The Crimson Chronicles Book 1: Crimson Forest by Christine Gabriel

  The Crimson Chronicles Book 2: Crimson Moon by Christine Gabriel

  The Phaethon Series Book 1: Phaethon by Rachel Sharp

  The Sitnalta Series Book 1: Sitnalta by Alisse Lee Goldenberg

  The Sitnalta Series Book 2: The Kingdom Thief by Alisse Lee Goldenberg

  The Sitnalta Series Book 3: The City of Arches by Alisse Lee Goldenberg

  The Sitnalta Series Book 4: The Hedgewitch’s Charm by Alisse Lee Goldenberg

  The Sitnalta Series Book 5: The False Princess by Alisse Lee Goldenberg

  The Thuperman Trilogy Book 1: Becoming Thuperman by Elgon Williams

  The Thuperman Trilogy Book 2: Homer Underby by Elgon Williams

  The Wolfcat Chronicles Book 1: Wolfcat 1 by Elgon Williams

  Women’s Fiction

  Beautiful Secret by Dana Faletti

  The Long Way Home by Regina West

  The Mason Siblings Series Book 1: Love’s Misadventure by Cheri Champagne

  The Mason Siblings Series Book 2: The Trouble with Love by Cheri Champagne

  The Mason Siblings Series Book 3: Love and Deceit by Cheri Champagne

  The Mason Siblings Series Book 4: Final Battle for Love by Cheri Champagne

  The Seductive Spies Series Book 1: The Thespian Spy by Cheri Champagne

  The Seductive Spy Series Book 2: The Seamstress and the Spy by Cheri Champagne

  The Shape of the Atmosphere by Jessica Dainty

  The To-Hell-And-Back Club Book 1: The To-Hell-And-Back Club by Jill Hannah Anderson

  The To-Hell-And-Back Club Book 2: Crazy Little Town Called Love by Jill Hannah Anderson