“We should ask National what to do about all this,” Bee Hive said. “I’ll send a communique tomorrow morning.”
“Nonsense. I’m the Captain and I run this ship.” His face turned a violent shade of red and a wide vein in his neck bulged. Yikes.
“Shut up,” one of the Klingons yelled.
With an angry tilt of his head, Mark Smith stomped up the stairs and a few seconds later, we heard the front door slam.
Then the Klingons stood up, one by one, and began clapping.
We partied down until the wee hours and I finally got a sip of Romulan ale. Tasted like crap.
Epilogue
A week later, on a sunny, spring morning, Andre Thomas moseyed into the diner. He was dressed in khaki Dockers and a plaid shirt. It was freaky deaky to see him out of uniform. Even more so than seeing Sullivan out of a suit. Like when you run into your math teacher at the mall, sorting through sale bras. It throws you.
“Go on,” Roxy said. “I’ll take care of your customers.”
I moved toward him. “Hey. What’s up?”
“Can we talk privately, Miss Strickla…Rose?” He looked very uncomfortable as he rotated his head back and forth, scanning the diner for evildoers.
“Sure.” I led the way to the office and he shut the door behind him.
“I wanted to thank you,” he said.
I hopped up on the dusty desk and swung my legs back and forth. “You’re welcome.”
“I officially requested my lieutenant look into Captain Bentley’s situation.”
“That’s good at least. Maybe he’ll get his pension reinstated. Is it your day off or something?” I tipped my head at his civilian duds.
“No. I quit the force.”
I stopped swinging my legs. “What?”
“I’ve decided to become my own boss. Go private.”
“Wow. Congratulations, I guess.” We remained awkwardly quiet for a moment. “Are you good with this decision?”
He dipped his chin. “Yes.” He shoved his hands into his trouser pockets. “You impressed me with your tenacious attitude.”
I stared at my tennis shoe laces. “Thanks.”
“And while your methods are sloppy, you have much to learn, you’re undisciplined and your methodology requires an overhaul—”
I lifted my eyes to his. “Are you going somewhere with all this?”
“I’d like you to work for me.”
“Work for you?”
“As an apprentice PI. You’d have to work under me for two years in order to obtain your license. I’d be a demanding boss. A hard ass, if you will.” His eyes sparkled just a little.
While the thought of working for Andre on a daily basis didn’t make me do backflips, it was a tempting offer. Truth was, I liked to investigate and solve puzzles. But more than that, I liked helping people and seeking justice for the deserving. Ax would make a superhero reference here, but I was just Rose the waitress. There was nothing super about me, unless you counted my speediness with a coffeepot.
No doubt Andre and I would bump heads. My idea of right and wrong was a little more lax than his—he was a black and white dude in a world of gray. But his straight arrow ways might balance me out. And maybe I could loosen him up. If anyone needed unwinding, he did.
But that would mean leaving Ma and Roxy. And I wasn’t ready to do that. Just the thought of it felt wrong. “I don’t think so. Thanks for the offer, though.”
“You like working here, don’t you?” he asked.
“Yeah, I do. Those crazies out there are like family.”
He grinned, looking years younger. Almost boyish. “We could try it part-time. You could work afternoons, weekends.”
“You know I date a criminal, right?” I asked.
He shrugged. “What you do in your free time doesn’t concern me. And since I’m no longer an officer of the law, I don’t really give a damn.”
“And of course Roxy’s going to want in on this.”
He rolled his eyes like a surly teenager. “Let’s see how you do first.” He held out his hand, palm up. “Do we have a deal?”
I placed my hand in his. “Deal.”
Reader’s Discussion Guide
What do you think of Officer Thomas’ decision to ask Rose for help?
Rose thinks justice is for the living rather than the dead. Do you agree?
At the beginning of the book, Sullivan says the truth is a matter of perspective. By the end of the book, Rose agrees with him. What do you think?
Why is Rose so surprised by her mother’s loyalty to Annabelle?
Team Dane or Team Sullivan? Discuss.
Rose judges people like David Ashby and Martin Mathers harshly, but she overlooks Sullivan’s criminal behavior. Is she right to do so?
Why is Rose uncomfortable about diving back into her old life?
Note the similarities and differences between Molly and Rose.
Jacks thinks Rose isn’t living up to her potential. Do you agree?
Did Rose make the right decision about Molly?
By the end of the book, did Rose’s relationship with her mother undergo any changes? If so, what were they?
About Terri L. Austin
As a girl, Terri L. Austin thought she’d outgrow dreaming up stories and creating imaginary friends. Instead, she’s made a career of it. She met her own Prince Charming and together they live in Missouri. She loves to hear from readers!
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Henery Press Mystery Books
And finally, before you go...
Here are a few other mysteries
you might enjoy:
In Case You Missed the 1st Book in the Series
DINERS, DIVES & DEAD ENDS
Terri L. Austin
A Rose Strickland Mystery (#1)
As a struggling waitress and part-time college student, Rose Strickland’s life is stalled in the slow lane. But when her close friend, Axton, disappears, Rose suddenly finds herself serving up more than hot coffee and flapjacks. Now she’s hashing it out with sexy bad guys and scrambling to find clues in a race to save Axton before his time runs out.
With her anime-loving bestie, her septuagenarian boss, and a pair of IT wise men along for the ride, Rose discovers political corrup-tion, illegal gambling, and shady corporations. She’s gone from zero to sixty and quickly learns when you’re speeding down the fast lane, it’s easy to crash and burn.
Read all about it and/or grab the book from Amazon
CLICK FOR DINERS, DIVES & DEAD ENDS
In Case You Missed the 2nd Book in the Series
LAST DINER STANDING
Terri L. Austin
A Rose Strickland Mystery (#2)
Rose Strickland is having a very blue Christmas. Her friend, Janelle, is arrested for attempted murder, her sexy bad guy crush, Sullivan, is marked by a hit man, and her boss, Ma, is locked in an epic smackdown with a rival diner.
Determined to save those she loves, Rose embarks on another investigation, and this one is more tangled than a box of last year’s tree lights. With her eclectic gang at the ready, Rose stumbles across dead bodies, ex-cons, chop shops, jealous girlfriends, jilted lovers, and a gaggle of strippers in a battle for freedom she might not survive.
Read all about it and/or grab the book from Amazon
LOWCOUNTRY BOIL
Susan M. Boyer
A Liz Talbot Mystery (#1)
Private Investigator Liz Talbot is a modern Southern belle: she blesses hearts and takes names. She carries her Sig 9 in her Kate Spade handbag, and her golden retriever, Rhett, rides shotgun in her hybrid Escape. When her grandmother is murdered, Liz high-tails it back to her South Carolina island home to find the killer.
She’s fit to be tied when her police-chief brother shuts her out of the investigation, so she opens her own. Then her long-dead best friend pops in and things really get complicated. When more folks start turning up dead in this small seaside town, Liz must use more than just her wits and charm to keep her family safe, chase down clues from the hereafter, and catch a psychopath before he catches her.
Read all about it and/or grab the book from Amazon
CLICK FOR LOWCOUNTRY BOIL
DOUBLE WHAMMY
Gretchen Archer
A Davis Way Crime Caper (#1)
Davis Way thinks she’s hit the jackpot when she lands a job as the fifth wheel on an elite security team at the fabulous Bellissimo Resort and Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi. But once there, she runs straight into her ex-ex husband, a rigged slot machine, her evil twin, and a trail of dead bodies. Davis learns the truth and it does not set her free—in fact, it lands her in the pokey.
Buried under a mistaken identity, unable to seek help from her family, her hot streak runs cold until her landlord Bradley Cole steps in. Make that her landlord, lawyer, and love interest. With his help, Davis must win this high stakes game before her luck runs out.
Read all about it and/or grab the book from Amazon
CLICK FOR DOUBLE WHAMMY
BOARD STIFF
Kendel Lynn
An Elliott Lisbon Mystery (#1)
As director of the Ballantyne Foundation on Sea Pine Island, SC, Elliott Lisbon scratches her detective itch by performing discreet inquiries for Foundation donors. Usually nothing more serious than retrieving a pilfered Pomeranian. Until Jane Hatting, Ballantyne board chair, is accused of murder. The Ballantyne’s reputation tanks, Jane’s headed to a jail cell, and Elliott’s sexy ex is the new lieutenant in town.
Armed with moxie and her Mini Coop, Elliott uncovers a trail of blackmail schemes, gambling debts, illicit affairs, and investment scams. But the deeper she digs to clear Jane’s name, the guiltier Jane looks. The closer she gets to the truth, the more treacherous her investigation becomes. With victims piling up faster than shells at a clambake, Elliott realizes she’s next on the killer’s list.
Read all about it and/or grab the book from Amazon
CLICK FOR BOARD STIFF
ARTIFACT
Gigi Pandian
A Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery (#1)
Historian Jaya Jones discovers the secrets of a lost Indian treasure may be hidden in a Scottish legend from the days of the British Raj. But she’s not the only one on the trail…
From San Francisco to London to the Highlands of Scotland, Jaya must evade a shadowy stalker as she follows hints from the hastily scrawled note of her dead lover to a remote archaeological dig. Helping her decipher the cryptic clues are her magician best friend, a devastatingly handsome art historian with something to hide, and a charming archaeologist running for his life.
Read all about it and/or grab the book from Amazon
CLICK FOR ARTIFACT
THE AMBITIOUS CARD
John Gaspard
An Eli Marks Mystery (#1)
The life of a magician isn’t all kiddie shows and card tricks. Some-times it’s murder. Especially when magician Eli Marks very publicly debunks a famed psychic, and said psychic ends up dead. The evidence, including a bloody King of Diamonds playing card (one from Eli’s own Ambitious Card routine), directs the police right to Eli.
As more psychics are slain, and more King cards rise to the top, Eli can’t escape suspicion. Things get really complicated when romance blooms with a beautiful psychic, and Eli discovers she’s the next target for murder, and he’s scheduled to die with her. Now Eli must use every trick he knows to keep them both alive and reveal the true killer.
Read all about it and/or grab the book from Amazon
CLICK FOR THE AMBITIOUS CARD
PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY
Larissa Reinhart
A Cherry Tucker Mystery (#1)
In Halo, Georgia, folks know Cherry Tucker as big in mouth, small in stature, and able to sketch a portrait faster than buck-shot rips from a ten gauge -- but commissions are scarce. So when the well-heeled Branson family wants to memorialize their murdered son in a coffin portrait, Cherry scrambles to win their patronage from her small town rival.
As the clock ticks toward the deadline, Cherry faces more trouble than just a controversial subject. Between ex-boyfriends, her flaky family, an illegal gambling ring, and outwitting a killer on a spree, Cherry finds herself painted into a corner she’ll be lucky to survive.
Read all about it and/or grab the book from Amazon
CLICK FOR PORTRAIT OF A DEAD GUY
FRONT PAGE FATALITY
LynDee Walker
A Headlines in High Heels Mystery (#1)
Crime reporter Nichelle Clarke’s days can flip from macabre to comical with a beep of her police scanner. Then an ordinary accident story turns extraordinary when evidence goes missing, a prosecutor vanishes, and a sexy Mafia boss shows up with the headline tip of a lifetime.
As Nichelle gets closer to the truth, her story gets more dangerous. Armed with a notebook, a hunch, and her favorite stilettos, Nichelle races to splash these shady dealings across the front page before this deadline becomes her last.
Read all about it and/or grab the book from Amazon
CLICK FOR FRONT PAGE FATALITY
CROPPED TO DEATH
Christina Freeburn
A Faith Hunter Scrap This Mystery (#1)
Former US Army JAG specialist, Faith Hunter, returns to her West Virginia home to work in her grandmothers’ scrapbooking store determined to lead an unassuming life after her adventure abroad turned disaster. But her quiet life unravels when her friend is charged with murder – and Faith inadvertently supplied the evidence. So Faith decides to cut through the scrap and piece together what really happened.
With a sexy prosecutor, a determined homicide detective, a handful of sticky suspects and a crop contest gone bad, Faith quickly realizes if she’s not careful, she’ll be the next one cropped.
Read all about it and/or grab the book from Amazon
CLICK FOR CROPPED TO DEATH
Feeling frisky?
Check out this hot new
Henery Press Romance…
FORGIVE & FORGET
Heather Ashby
Love in the Fleet (#1)
When Hallie McCabe meets Philip Johnston at a picnic, she is drawn to his integrity. He is a gentleman. But also an officer. From her ship. Aware of the code against fraternization between officers and enlisted, Hallie conceals her Navy status, hopeful she and her secret will stay hidden on their aircraft carrier until she can figure out a way for them to sail off into the sunset together.
Caught in an emotional firestorm, Hallie faces a future without the man she loves, a career-shattering secret from the past, and the burden of being the one person who can prevent a terrorist attack on the ship she has sworn to protect with her life.
Read all about it and/or grab the book from Amazon
CLICK FOR FORGIVE & FORGET
Diner Impossible (A Rose Strickland Mystery) Page 26
