by Peggy Webb
There was much speculation on the whereabouts of Tootie Ransom, and only this dog knows the true story. Tootie found true love with Cole Shackley, the mama’s boy who could never escape Doris’s smother love till Jeff Taft made sure God called her home.
When Tootie and Cole hid in the shadows and discussed their plans, they never knew the world’s most famous canine detective heard every word.
They would just walk off and leave everything behind. Further, they’d buy time by having everybody think they were still in the hotel. When they left, the only thing they took was Cole’s car. By now, it’s sitting at the airport, never to be claimed.
Cole and Tootie won’t need a car to live as Mr. and Mrs. Cook (Bob and Joyce) on an island somewhere in the Pacific. It’s no fun being lonely, and I can’t help but hope Tootie is cavorting in her high heel sneakers while Cole declares his burning love.
As for this famous canine, I’m back on my home turf, scaring the cats and chasing Hoyt out of my gazebo and sneaking out every once in a while to bay at the moon with my old friend, Trey, the best redbone hound dog in the South.
Do I ever see Ann Margret? That two-time Frenchie can flip, flop and fly for all I care. I’ve got bigger things on my mind than who fathered her poor unfortunate pups.
Thanks to my superior nose and my brilliant detecting skills, I’ve uncovered something that no one else in the Valentine family knows. No even Jack. At least not yet.
There’s a pregnancy stick in Callie’s waste basket, and it’s bluer than the moon in Kentucky. And that’s all I’m saying about that.
Jack’s out in the backyard burning t-bone steaks. I rise off my pink satin pillow and sashay to the doggie door. It’s a tight squeeze now, but I make finally make it through.
Elvis has left the building.
The End
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Thanks for reading! Please do leave a review.
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Read More
If you enjoyed this book, you’ll want all the Southern Cousins Mysteries. The most recent ones are:
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Elvis and the Rock a Hula Baby Capers
Elvis and the Buried Brides
Elvis and the Bridegroom Stiffs
Jack Loves Callie Tender, series prequel
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Visit www.peggywebb.com for a complete list of Peggy’s Southern Cousins mysteries, as well as her romances, women’s fiction novels and literary fiction novels. Sign up for Peggy’s newsletter on her website and follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
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Coming in late summer, 2017: MatchThat.Com, a romance mini-series. Book 1, A Sky Blue Love, follows the story of wounded hero, Dr. Joe McLauren, running from the tragic loss of his wife, and super model Lily Demoville, trapped in a glamorous lifestyle to please others. How they find each other on Eagle Mountain is a beautiful and poignant story you don’t want to miss!
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Letter from the Author
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading my books, for your generous reviews, and for your wonderful letters telling me how much you love Callie, Elvis and the Valentine gang. I hope you will take the time to review Elvis and the Pink Cadillac Corpse. Your reviews provide valuable feedback for me and help new readers find this series.
I do plan to offer this latest Southern Cousins Mystery in paperback format soon. Normally, my beautiful and talented granddaughter, Cecilia Griffith, does the quirky cover art. This spring she graduated from SMU in Dallas and was simply covered up with school work and job hunting, so I did the cover art. Though I write and play the piano with ease, I make no claims to being an artist. Still, I hope you enjoy these sassy little covers!
As many of you know, this series was inspired by my faithful doggie companion, Jefferson, a chocolate Lab who spent the 15 years of his life protecting me, adoring me and sitting under my desk listening to the rapid rat-a-tat-tat of my ancient keyboard. Originally, I was going to make Elvis a ghost, but when Jefferson stood up and did his shake, rattle and roll dance, I knew everybody’s favorite character had to be a dog.
For some time now, I’ve been thinking about a spin-off from the Elvis series. I even told you I was going to write the Magnolia Wild comedic mystery series. Sometimes, though, stories have to percolate a long time before they reveal themselves, and that’s exactly what happened to Magnolia Wild. Perhaps I’ll get back to her one of these days. If so, you’ll be the first to know.
The good news is that an absolutely fabulous new set of characters presented themselves to me and demanded their own romance! All my early books were romances, and I’ve loved this genre for a very long time. I’m having fun writing A Sky Blue Love, the first book in my brand new romance mini-series, MatchThat.com. These characters are cooperating, so barring the unexpected I’ll have Book One ready for you by the end of July, 2017.
Now a word about the recipes…I’m surrounded by great Southern cooks, and as Callie would say, yours truly is not ashamed to admit that I’m in that number. I wish you much joy in your reading and in your cooking!
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Warmly,
Peggy
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About Peggy Webb
Peggy Webb is a USA Today best-selling author from Mississippi with more than 75 books to her credit. She writes romance, romantic comedy, women’s fiction and comedic cozies. Her peers call her a “comic genius.” She also writes literary fiction under the name Elaine Hussey. The late, great Pat Conroy called her literary work “astonishing.” This critically acclaimed author has won many awards, including a Romantic Times Pioneer Award for creating the sub-genre of romantic comedy. Several of her romances have been optioned for film.
Peggy is a member of Novelists, Inc., International Thriller Writers, and Romance Writers of America. Her award-winning books, Touched by Angels, A Prince for Jenny, the Donovans of the Delta series and her boxed sets have all been Kindle Top 10 bestsellers.
Though she lives in the Deep South, her two children and four grandchildren live in Florida and New Hampshire. She plays piano, composes blues lyrics, sings in her church choir and loves gardening. She’s passionate about theater, has written two screenplays based on her work and has starred in several community theater productions, including Steel Magnolias. Her screenplay based on her novel, Driving Me Crazy, is slated for community theater production in the spring of 2016.
Follow the author on her websites: www.peggywebb.com and www.elainehussey.com and on Facebook and Twitter.
Favorite Recipes from Lovie’s Kitchen
Grits are closely associated with the Deep South. My son, Trey, created this scrumptious recipe. Guess who is named after Trey in the Southern Cousins Mystery Series?
Trey Webb’s Nassau Grits
Instant grits
1 lb. of thin sliced bacon
1 14.5 oz. can of sliced tomatoes
1 large green bell pepper
1 large onion
½ stick of butter
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In a large pot on the top of the stove, cook enough instant grits to serve eight according to direction on package, adding ½ stick of butter to the water before you cook. Turn the heat off under the crooked grits while you prepare the other ingredients.
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Cook 1 lb. of bacon till crisp. Crumble bacon and set aside. Reserve bacon grease. Chop 1 bell pepper and 1 onion then sauté both in bacon grease. Set aside.
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Add 1 can of tomatoes with its juice to the grits. Add the crumbled bacon, bell pepper and onion, and ALL the bacon grease. Mix all ingredients into the grits and reheat till it is piping hot.
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Answer: Elvis’ best friend, the redbone hound dog! My son thinks that is hilarious. If there’s one thing that boy loves, it’s a dog!
Lovie’s Prohibition Punch
1 jug of sweet tea (6 cups)
6 c. of sweet lemonade
2 c. of sweet p
ineapple juice
1 ½ c. of light rum (adjust to taste)
Add some extra dry gin if you’re feeling adventurous, but not too much because the gin will make the punch too tart.
Garnish
1 sprig of mint
Slices of fresh lemons, limes, and oranges
Fresh strawberries are also good in the summer
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Brew tea the Southern way: steep 6 individual tea bags for 2 and a half minutes in 6 cups of boiling water. Sweeten to taste while the water is hot so the sugar will melt. Add six cups of sweet lemonade. You can use the commercial kind, but the punch is better if you make the lemonade from scratch with real lemons and all that good pulp. Add 2 cups of sweetened canned pineapple juice and 1 ½ cups of light rum to taste. Top with garnishes. Serve in Mason jars over crushed ice.
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This recipe came from my dear friend Alice Virginia Daniel, who is the inspiration for Lovie. Every Sunday morning she and I sit side by side in the first soprano section of the choir loft at First United Methodist Church, singing like angels with slightly crooked haloes.
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Now, brew up a batch of Prohibition Punch or your favorite cup of tea and sit on the front porch swing laughing along with the Valentine gang as they cavort through another Southern Cousins caper. Again, thanks for reading!
