While She Slumbered: The Murder Blog Mysteries #5

by Pamela Frost Dennis

  I stroked my horse’s silky neck. “Are you ready, Suzy Belle?”

  She nickered softly, and I took that as a “yes.”

  Kyle mounted his horse. “Let’s move out!”

  Everyone rode through the corral gate except me. My pretty brown mare wouldn’t budge. “Come on, Suzy Belle. Time to hit the old trail.”

  Kyle turned in his saddle and yelled, “Give her a little kick.”

  I nudged her gently with my sneakered feet. “Giddy up. Pretty please?”

  “That’s not a kick,” hollered the ranger. “Toby, go help her!”

  The dog dashed behind me, and nipped my horse’s back foot, then dodged the quick kick that followed. The trick worked, and we were off to a sluggish walk.

  Toby must’ve figured I would require further assistance because he hung back with me. His buddy Tippy stayed at the head of the line, leading the way down the trail.

  Sam, who was several horses ahead, called back to me, “Looks like you got a new friend.”

  I glanced down at my grinning sidekick. “You said I might meet a cute guy today.”

  “And you certainly did!”

  That got a round of laughs from the other riders.

  We were on a woodsy trail that ran alongside the lake. The sky was cloudless, a soft breeze was blowing, and hawks drifting overhead called, “Kee-aah, kee-aah.”

  About thirty minutes into the trail ride, Suzy Belle, Toby, and I were lagging behind by about thirty yards. I kept encouraging my horse to catch up, but she wasn’t having it.

  “Oh, well. Let’s just enjoy the day. No need to rush.” I glanced at Toby. “Right, buddy?”

  Suddenly, Suzy stopped and snorted. Her ears twitched back and forth. A skunk was about four or five yards ahead, staring us down, his bushy tail flicking.

  “Uh-oh. Stay calm, Suzy, “ I murmured. “We’ll just wait right here until Mr. Skunk toddles off.”

  But Toby had other plans. “Grrr,” he said, wagging his tail furiously.

  “Shh, Toby. We’re in no hurry. He’ll leave in a sec.”

  Then I swear, the dog said, “No worries, Katy. I’ll clear the trail for you.”

  He trotted ahead, barking his head off. The skunk skittered towards him, and as the dog moved in, the animal spun around, stamping his feet. His tail shot up stiff, and he sprayed Toby. And my horse. And me. Not once, but several times at lightning speed.

  Suzy Belle reared up, spun around, bucked like a rodeo horse, and broke into a run. I hung onto the saddle horn with one hand while jerking back on the reins as hard as I could with the other. She was sneezing and banging her nose on the ground as we careened down the trail all the way back to the corral. She skidded to a halt, quivering, stomping her hooves, and still sneezing.

  Toby caught up and barked for help. A slim, middle-aged woman ran out of the office shielding her eyes against the sun. She froze when she got a whiff of us. “Dammit, Toby! Not again! When will you learn not to mess with skunks?”

  I shakily dismounted and spewed my breakfast in the dirt.

  Toby approached her. She pointed a finger at him and sternly shouted, “Stay!”

  He flopped in the dirt and rolled around, trying to scrub off the stink.

  Keeping her distance, she asked if I was all right.

  “Yeah. Can’t believe I stayed on.”

  The rest of the group returned, and Kyle ordered everyone to stay out of the corral. “Tie your horses to the fence, folks, and head over to the picnic area under the oaks.” Then to me, “I’ve never seen Suzy Belle move like that. You okay?”

  “Pretty shaky, but I’ll live.”

  Sam tied up her pinto and started towards me. “You scared me half to death, Katy.”

  I held out a hand. “Stay back. Trust me, you do not want to get near me. The stink could start your labor.”

  She took a couple more steps and plugged her nose. “Wow. You’re not kidding. That’s terrible.”

  “Tell me about it.” I rubbed my burning eyes. “We’ll have to miss the lunch. I’ve got to go home and shower about a hundred times.”

  Ranger Kyle, looking contrite, apologized for the skunking.

  “These things happen.” I shrugged. “Nature. What’re ya gonna do?” I looked at Sam. “I feel sick. We need to leave now.”

  Kyle said, “Not like that, you’re not. Your car will be ruined.”

  “You mean my car will be ruined,” said Sam. “But Katy needs to get home.”

  “We have a special solution that we keep on hand for this,” he said. “You’ll need to strip off everything and take a long shower. You won’t smell like roses, but it will bring the reek level down to bearable so you can get in the car without ruining it. I don’t suppose you brought an extra set of clothes with you?”

  “No. Why would I?” I was snippy, but I couldn’t breathe and was trying not to upchuck whatever was left in my stomach.

  “I have some scrubs in the car, Katy,” said Sam. “They’re dirty, but they’re better than what you got on now.”

  While everyone gathered in the picnic area for lunch, I removed my clothes in a private outdoor enclosure at the back of the station. I put them in a plastic bag that the office lady took away—probably to be burned.

  Then my BFF hosed me down. “Never thought I’d be doing this to you.”

  “Neither did I. Goodbye dignity. Hello humiliation.” When I was properly drenched, I scrubbed down with the skunk odor remover several times—getting rinsed with chilly hose water between latherings. Lather, rinse, repeat. Over and over. Several times it seeped into my eyes and burned like hell. Finally, when I felt like I’d removed the top layer of my epidermis, I dried off and donned Sam’s scrubs, which were decorated with a schmear of dried infant vomit on the left shoulder.

  Ranger Kyle escorted us to Sam’s car. “I’ve been sprayed a few times. The smell will wear off, but if you have any dates planned over the next few days, you might want to cancel.”

  I kept my answer short because I was trying to breathe through my mouth. “No. No dates.”

  “Oh?” He shuffled his boots, kicking up a little cloud of dust. “May I call you? Maybe we could have coffee sometime?”

  I glanced at Sam who had turned her back to us—trying to stifle a giggle, no doubt.

  He was so hot, and yet, so not. But he seemed like a nice guy. Maybe he’s a man of few words. The strong, silent type. Oh, what the heck.

  “Sure. Give me a few days, though. I won’t be going out in public for a while.”

  He cackled, and I cringed.

  * * *

  <<<>>>

  Afterword

  Life would be tragic if it weren’t funny.

  ~ Stephen Hawking ~

  Dear Readers,

  * * *

  If you’ve read the previous books in The Murder Blog Mysteries, you know I often incorporate scenes from my personal life. Everyone’s life is a mixture of good times and bad, and mine is no exception. But without the heartbreaks, you won’t appreciate the joys.

  Cuss scene

  Several years ago, we lived on a quiet residential street in our town’s village area. There was a charming little house across the street that two young men had recently rented.

  At first, there weren’t any problems, but then a few more people moved in—and that’s when the cussing started. Plus, the new move-ins were running a motorcycle repair shop in the front yard during the day when the official rent-paying tenants were at work.

  One day, while I was trimming the daisies, the language got so crude that I lost it. “Enough!” I threw down my clippers, marched into my house, grabbed the dictionary, then went across the street and stood on their lawn screaming like a crazy woman. I seldom say the “F” word, but boy, I sure did that day, just like the scene in this book.

  I didn’t realize that many of my neighbors had come out to watch. When I finished my tirade, I got an ovation, and a few shouted, “Encores and bravos.”

  Late
r that day, the actual renters came over with a bouquet of flowers and apologized.

  Skunk scene

  When I was a teenager, I had a sweet horse named Mandy. One day, we were on the trail with our canine pals, Tippy and Toby, a couple of sweet mutts who lived on the ranch where I boarded Mandy. When we encountered a skunk on the path, both dogs took it upon themselves to shoo the skunk away. I begged them not to, but they assured me they had everything under control. They did not.

  Poor Mandy got sprayed in the face. She reared up, spun around, bucked several times, and broke into a dead run—sneezing all the way home. I didn’t think I would survive that wild ride.

  If you’ve heard that tomato juice removes skunk odor, I’m here to tell you it does not.

  Character names

  I’ve been asked why I use certain names repeatedly in my books. They are names of friends and family, and they get a kick out of seeing their names in my stories. Like Samantha’s son, Casey. And her husband, Spencer. I have two sons. Guess what their names are?

  Respectfully yours,

  Pam

  P.S. Indie writers live for your kind reviews.

  If you enjoyed While She Slumbered and have a moment to leave a rating or write a short comment, it would mean the world to me.

  Plus it helps sales — something every Indie Writer needs!

  amazon.com/author/pamelafrostdennis

  About the Author

  I live on the California Central Coast with my husband, Mike, and our furry canine kids, Lucy and Emma. Mike and I have been partners in the restaurant business for eons. I enjoy gardening, reading, yoga, riding my bike, playing guitar, binge-watching TV shows (especially British crime dramas and period pieces), and goofing around with our four amazing grandkids.

  To find out when my next book is coming out,

  please join my mailing list at

  Pamelafrostdennis.com

  I promise not to drown you with constant newsletters!

  Also by Pamela Frost Dennis

  DEAD GIRLS DON’T BLOG

  Book #1 in the Murder Blog Mysteries

  Katy McKenna's life takes a dramatic turn when she stumbles upon a newspaper story about the upcoming parole hearing for one of the men who raped and murdered her high school friend, sixteen years ago. Fearing he could soon be set free to prey on other innocent young girls, Katy sets out to make sure this doesn't happen, not realizing she might not survive to blog about it.

  BETTER DEAD THAN WED

  Book #2 in the Murder Blog Mysteries

  Katy McKenna has had enough near-death experiences and heartache to last a lifetime. Now all she wants to do is get her career back on track, find a nice guy, and live happily-ever-after. But when she hears about a man maliciously exposing innocent young women to HIV, she is compelled to put her plans on hold to stop him.

  Meanwhile, Katy’s mother is forced to reveal a shattering childhood trauma that has come back to haunt her; her obnoxious baby sister is moving in, and her scuzzy was-band is stalking her.

  And she’s beginning to wonder why every rotten person she has recently heard about has suddenly dropped dead. Is it divine providence? Or is it murder?

  COINS AND CADAVERS

  Book #3 in the Murder Blog Mysteries

  While battling a furry vermin invasion in the spooky attic of her old house, Katy discovers a vintage wooden chest hidden behind a wall. Although everyone assures her the box is legally hers, its incredible contents compel Katy to search for the rightful owner. Meanwhile, she takes a temp job assisting her hunky P.I. neighbor, Josh Draper. The assignment: Trap a sleazy wife-cheater. Something Katy knows about all too well from personal experience. During a cozy stakeout in Draper’s two-seater, things get awkward as the sizzling tension builds. Who will make the first move?

  Since she’s already been searching online for past owners of her home, Grandma Ruby asks Katy to use her sleuthing skills to discover what happened to her bigamist great-great grandfather. Katy’s quest leads her to find an extended family she never knew existed.

  Family secrets are revealed, for better or worse....

  Romance blossoms, for better or worse....

  And Katy’s good intentions lead her into

  a terrifying dilemma she may not survive.

  * * *

  WAS IT MURDER?

  Book #4 in the Murder Blog Mysteries

  Nothing bad ever happens in the peaceful English village of Bridleford—except for murder, that is.

  A dear family member has met an untimely end. Now Katy and Grandma Ruby must travel to the Cotswolds of England to sort out legal matters. When they arrive, they’re overwhelmed by the friendly villagers who offer help and moral support.

  However, when Katy and Ruby become the target of vandals, they realize that not everyone in town is pleased about their presence.

  Is murder next on the list?