Something to Crow About: Another P.J. Benson Mystery
Page 26
That was when I noticed Jason’s downturned head and look of shame. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to break it. I just wanted to see what was under the paper.”
Both Wade and I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“The glass covering it.” He still wouldn’t look at us. “When I pulled it down off the shelf, it broke.”
“What glass?”
“The one around the music box.” Jason looked up at me, as if I should understand.
“There was a piece of glass under the paper?” Wade asked.
“Yeah. It broke into lumpy pieces.” Again, Jason lowered his head. “I didn’t mean to break it. Really.”
Wade looked at me, then at Gespardo before he asked Jason, “What did you do with those lumpy pieces?”
“I, ah . . . I kinda hid them,” he admitted.
“Hid them where?”
“Under the wood in the shed.”
“Show me where.”
The kitten was handed back to Howard, and Jason slowly led Wade and Lieutenant Gespardo out the back door.
I was pretty sure I knew what they would find in the woodshed. Maria’s cousin had been telling the truth. He hadn’t taken the diamonds. Torturing him hadn’t given Tamara any answers because Miguel didn’t know where the diamonds were.
Wade nodded when he came back into the house, Jason by his side. I figured Gespardo would once again take the rocking chair away, but Wade said no. “We have a record of the rocking chair, when it was purchased, and from what store. There’s no need to keep it in evidence as long as we have the diamonds. These, along with the ones Ken found and the video your friend Brenda took should be all the evidence the court needs to put Tamara and her husband away for a long time.”
“Diamond,” Jason said, taking his kitten back from Howard. “That’s what I’ll call her. Diamond. See our new kitty,” he said, holding the kitten toward Paige.
To my surprise, she reached out to the kitten, and Wade chuckled. “I guess we’re now the perfect family. A boy, a girl, a dog, and a cat.”
And a lot of love, I thought as I looked up at him.
The End
What’s Next?
Now that you’ve finished Something to Crow About, I would really appreciate it if you would take the time to write a review on Amazon or Goodreads.
Reviews really help authors and readers. If there was something you didn’t like a review lets the author know what didn’t work for you. If you really like the story, it helps readers know they may also enjoy the story.
If this is the first book you’ve read featuring P.J. Benson and Wade Kingsley, you might enjoy the others in the series.
The Crows
As the Crow Flies
Eat Crow and Die
There’s also a short story (e-book) titled Eye of the Crow that takes place the day P.J. and Wade marry. See the teaser I posted a few pages from here.
And, if Wade’s Slow Baked Ribs sounded interesting to you, scroll on.
Wade’s Slow Baked Ribs are quite simple to make
What you need:
A conventional oven
Baking dish and aluminum foil
A rack of ribs (Wade prefers pork, but beef ribs can be used.)
Seasoning. Sometimes he uses a rub he makes himself, other times it’s a store-bought seasoning
Salt and pepper
Barbeque sauce
Directions:
Preheat oven to 225 degrees
Season ribs with salt, pepper, and if you like a homemade rub (he uses 1/2 cup brown sugar,1 tbsp garlic powder, 1 tbsp onion powder, tsp salt, 1 tbsp chili powder, 2 tsp cumin, 2 tbsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp cayenne pepper) or a store bought rub
Place ribs meat side down on aluminum foil, wrap so the meat is enclosed, and set in baking dish
Bake for 3 ½ to 4 hours
Open aluminum foil and drain drippings.
Carefully flip ribs over and cover with barbeque sauce
Return to oven (uncovered) for 20 – 30 minutes.
Remove and serve.
They are yummy.
P.J. Benson Kingsley
Acknowledgments
I am so glad I joined a critique group in Venice, Florida. Their encouragement, along with having to produce new chapters, finally spurred me on to finish this book. In addition to correcting my punctuation and grammar errors, the group became my “first readers.” If something wasn’t clear to them, I knew I needed to work on it. Thank you, Pat Averbach, Monicka Becker, Kate Borduas, Amy Susan Brown, and Judy Rousseau.
Also, my thanks to my nephew, Eric Tobin, for the information he sent about embezzlers. I am amazed by the number of embezzlement cases that have been uncovered in our local county and city governments. Most involve credit cards, but some embezzlers simply write checks to themselves.
And many thanks to my neighbor’s daughter, Anna Nieboer, CNM, MSN, who is a midwife. Anna not only took time to answer my questions about what she does as a midwife, she showed me the kit she takes to deliveries.
Attending the Writers’ Police Academy back in 2018 helped me with the information about an oxycodone overdose. The video I watched while there showed a man who had taken an overdose of oxycodone, how he acted and how it basically killed him until NARCAN was administered. The film was enlightening and disturbing at the same time. Over the years, I’ve attended three WPAs, and I always return home filled with knowledge. Thank you Lee Lofland for putting these on.
And, finally, many, many thanks to Gayle Gordon, Donna Johnson, Marie Latta, and Julie McMullen for being my Beta Readers. They corrected my spelling errors, punctuation, typos, and content gaffes. I even appreciate Gordon Aalborg, who proved that my eyesight (at least when it comes to catching errors in my manuscript) is far from perfect. And thank you, Chris Wait, from www.HighPinesCreative.com for another wonderful cover.
About the Author
Maris Soule has had thirty books traditionally published, ranging from romance and romantic suspense to mystery and thriller. Over the years, her books have been translated into more than 18 languages, sold in more than 25 countries, and won and placed in more than a dozen contests. Born and raised in California, she was working on a master’s degree in art history when she met and married her husband. She taught high school art and math for eight years before turning to writing full time. The Soules, who have two grown children and two granddaughters, now live in Michigan in the summer and Florida in the winter.
Visit her at:
https://www.marissoule.com
https://www.facebook.com/MarisSouleAuthor/
http://twitter.com/marisSouthHaven
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/305476.Maris_Soule
https://www.pinterest.com/marissoule/
EYE OF THE CROW
SATURDAY
With a sigh of relief, I pulled up in front of the bank and parked directly behind a dark-blue car with a broken taillight. The clock on my car's dashboard showed five to twelve. I'd timed it close, but I'd made it before the bank closed.
I grabbed the endorsed checks, cash, and deposit slip I'd put together before leaving my house. I didn't bother locking my car door. Here in Zenith, with the population less than seven hundred, it's never been necessary.
A brisk wind scattered a flurry of leaves across the walkway leading to the bank, but as I hurried toward the door, I barely noticed. My mind was on all I had to do before my wedding. In four more hours I would be P.J. Kingsley, wife of Kalamazoo County Deputy Sheriff, Wade Kingsley.
A wife . . . and in five more months, a mother.
I'm sure I was grinning when I opened the door and stepped into the bank. I think I've been grinning ever since Wade proposed.
To my surprise, neither of the two tellers said "Hi." One or the other usually gives a greeting whenever anyone steps into the bank. Anne, the older of the two did give me a quick glance, but her expression didn't look welcoming, and she immediately looked back at the short, chubby man standing
on my side of the counter.
He had on some kind of hat that from the back appeared to have ears . . . but not Mickey Mouse ears. I was in the process of trying to figure out what kind of hat it was when he turned toward me.
It wasn't a hat.
Halloween wasn't for another two weeks, but what I was looking at was a mask: a panda bear mask that covered his entire head except for eye holes and a couple smaller holes where his nostrils would be. I was so surprised by the mask that it took me a second to notice that Panda was pointing a gun at me.
"You," he growled, "over here."
He motioned to a spot closer to the tellers' counter. I hesitated, dozens of thoughts racing through my head. I was only two or three steps from the front door. Could I get back outside before he pulled that trigger? Was that bulletproof glass in the door? If I got outside, would I be safe? If I…?
"Now!" Panda demanded, ending those thoughts.
It was a good thing I didn't try to run outside. My legs were shaking so much I could barely manage to walk over to the spot he indicated. It had been over a month since I'd suffered morning sickness, but the knot forming in my stomach threatened to bring up my breakfast. I wanted to look calm, but I could feel my heartbeat in my throat, its erratic rhythm taking my breath away.
I glanced at Anne and then at Betty, the other bank teller. Both looked as scared as I felt.
"Put the money in the bag," Panda demanded. The mask made his voice sound weird.
For the rest of
Eye of the Crow go to
https://rb.gy/9gvi1m