Instantly, Nora’s world turned black.
*****
Chapter 10
In The Hospital
Nora groaned as she woke up. She felt deja vu sweep through her. Back at the hospital again; this wasn’t the first time she’d landed up here after confronting a murderer.
Harvey, who’d been sitting by her, jumped up as soon as her eyes fluttered open. He didn’t say anything, but then, he didn’t need to. The worry and love in his eyes spoke for him.
“Hey,” Nora said softly, wincing a little as she tried to sit up.
“Hey,” he replied, equally soft, his voice cracking a little. “You’re okay.”
“Of course, I’m okay,” Nora smiled. “Takes more than a gun to the side of the head to knock me out of the game.”
“This one nearly did,” Harvey said. “The doctors are still not sure if you have a concussion or not.”
“Give me a hug, would you?” Nora asked. “We’ll deal with the doctors later.”
“I’ll deal with you later,” Harvey said, smothering her with a hug, and planting numerous kisses on her face. “I love you, Nora. I do, even when you do stupid things like jump on armed men.”
“He was unstable,” Nora said. “I was afraid for Sloane.”
“Next time, try being afraid for yourself too,” Harvey said, but then he grinned. “I guess I’m going to develop white hair worrying about you; the price you pay for being married to a heroine.”
“How about I bake you a nice pie and we call it even?” Nora smiled.
“Deal,” Harvey said.
There was a knock on the door, and he turned around, still gripping her hand in his. Sean peeked inside.
“I can come back later,” he said, smiling at them.
“No, come on in.” Harvey sighed. “I’m sure Nora has questions.”
“Can we come in, too?” From the crack in the door, Harvey could see an anxious Sloane jumping about to catch a glimpse of Nora. “Please? The doctors said only family, but—”
“They can make an exception for you.” Harvey grinned. “Come on in, Sloane. You too, Burton.”
“Thank you so much!” Sloane said, hugging Nora. “You saved us twice. I—I don’t know how we’d have…”
“I was so stupid,” Burton said, all in a rush. “I can’t believe I had so little faith in Sloane that I thought she could murder someone. Seeing Mia’s body just drove me temporarily insane, I think. Nora, if it wasn’t for you, I’d have been in jail. Heck, I’m not sure if I won’t still end up in jail for tampering with evidence.”
“I’ll talk to the judge,” Sean said. “I’m sure you’ll be in a bit of trouble, Burton, but I’ll make sure the DA gives you a good plea bargain. At the very least, though, you’re looking at a huge fine and a great deal of community service.”
“I’ll do it all, whatever you say,” Burton said, humbly. “I’m just so relieved Sloane is all right!”
“Come on, Dad.” Sloane gave him a one-armed hug and a kiss on the cheek. “It’s fine now.”
“That monster!” Burton’s voice began to shake with rage. “How could he even think of framing you!”
“He’s a textbook narcissist, I think.” Sean shrugged. “They tend to believe they’ll get away with murder. He’s locked up tight now, and I have half a mind to throw the key away. He’s confessed to the whole thing, now that he knows the game is up, he’s trying to cooperate so that we’ll be kind.”
“I never want to hear his name again!” Sloane exclaimed.
“You’re okay now, right?” Nora patted Sloane’s hand. “And Patrick?”
“He’ll recover,” Burton said. “He’s scared right now, and miserably confused but he's got a fine, strong man underneath that layer of insecurity. It was so brave of him to risk his life and charge at Alvarez! I mean, no offense, Nora. You’re a hero already. But Patrick? I thought he was a little wimp. He sure proved me wrong.”
Nora smiled. “He’ll be glad to hear it, I think. Be a friend to him, Burton, he needs one badly right now.”
“More than that,” Burton said. “I’m going to be a business partner to him.”
Eyebrows were raised in surprise at this declaration, and Burton blushed. “With Mia gone, Patrick needs someone who’ll be able to handle the B and B. I’m going to suggest that he take me as a partner, and if he’s willing maybe give Sloane a job here too. Between the three of us, we should be able to have it running smoothly.”
“That’s a brilliant idea, Dad!” Sloane exclaimed. “I hope he agrees!”
“I’ve a feeling he’ll be even more excited than you.” Sean smiled. “Good for you, Burton.”
“And it’s all thanks to you.” Sloane smiled at Nora. “Hey, we do have a little surprise for you. Our way of saying thanks.”
“What is it?” Nora asked.
“You’ll see.” Sloane winked at her mysteriously.
Nora didn’t see, until two days later. Between Harvey, Mrs. Mullally, and Tina fussing over her, she had a hard time convincing people that she was ready to go to work again. When she finally did get to the diner, she paused at the entrance, and her mouth fell open.
Burton had replaced the picture window, but he’d done a lot more than just replace it. One side of the window now had a giant mural of a cartoon black and white cat, with tiny cartoon figures of Tina and Nora peeking out from behind its paws.
“Like it?” Tina smiled, giving Nora a hug. “Welcome to Madness Diner, version 2.0.”
“It’s brilliant!” Nora exclaimed. “Did Donna do the artwork? She really is turning out to be a very talented artist.”
“Not only did she do it, she says she’s already got three more offers from other businesses in town.” Tina smiled. “Burton made murals fashionable again.”
“I love it,” Nora said, her eyes tearing up a little. “It’s perfect.”
“Great,” Tina said. “Now if you’re done staring, maybe you can come back inside and help me figure out the mystery of why my bread won’t rise!”
Nora laughed. “Now, that’s the kind of case I should be solving more often.”
The End
Thank you so much for reading my story! I hope you liked it! If so, please continue on to the next book in this series, Death On Social Media! You can GET IT ON AMAZON!
*****
Also, please VISIT MY WEBSITE to learn more about all of my other books!
While there, please SIGN UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER! If you do, I will keep you updated on all of my future books and send you special offers for discounts & contests! PLUS you will receive a FREE COZY MYSTERY as a Thank You for joining the party! (It is a Prequel to this series and you’ll receive it by email immediately upon subscribing!) So, CLICK HERE and let’s get you signed up! It’ll be a blast!
*****
Continue For Your Delicious Recipe…
One More Thing…
If you would RETURN TO AMAZON to give this book a positive review, I would really appreciate it! And, if you do, please let me know so I can thank you appropriately!
*****
Please continue for Nora’s delicious recipe…
A RECIPE FOR YOU!
Nora’s Lovely Lamingtons
Total Time: 1 day, 55 minutes
Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Set: 1 Day
Makes 6-8 servings
Ingredients:
For The Cake:
2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
3/4 Cup White Sugar
4 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/8 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup Butter
1/2 Cup Milk
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 Eggs
For The Icing:
4 Cups Confectioners’ Sugar
1/3 Cup Cocoa Powder
1/2 Cup Milk
2 Tablespoons Melted Butter
1 Pound Unsweetened, Dried Coconut
Directions:
1) Prehe
at the over to 375 degrees F.
2) Grease & flour an 8 x 12 inch pan
3) Mix the flour, baking powder & salt and set aside.
4) Using an electric mixer with a large bowl, beat 1/2 cup butter and 3/4 cup sugar until light & fluffy. Add the eggs and beat them into the mixture. Add in the vanilla and beat. Alternately add in the milk and the flour/baking powder/salt mixture from the last step, mixing until each portion is blended thoroughly.
5) Pour the batter in the pan and bake 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
6) Let the cake stand for 5 minutes then turn onto a wire rack and cool.
7) Wrap in plastic wrap and let cake sit overnight at room temperature.
8) For the icing, mix the confectioners’ sugar & cocoa in a large bowl. Add the melted butter & milk and mix well.
9) Cut the cake into 24 equal squares.
10) Set a wire rack on a sheet of wax paper on a counter.
11) Pour the shredded coconut into a shallow bowl.
12) Dip each square into the icing and coat entirely, roll each square in the coconut and place them onto rack to dry.
13) Serve & Enjoy!
Let’s connect…
Nancy McGovern’s…
Website:
www.NancyMcG.com
Email:
[email protected]
Books:
http://www.Amazon.com/Author/NancyMcG
Facebook:
http://www.Facebook.com/AuthorNancyMcG
Twitter:
@AuthorNancyMcG
Newsletter:
http://eepurl.com/bTH4Jb
***** Remember, when you sign up for my newsletter, I’ll not only send you updates & special offers on my future books, but you’ll also receive a FREE Prequel to “A Murder In Milburn” as a Thank You!
Until next time…
Rights & Disclaimer
This is entirely a work of fiction. All people, places and events contained have been completely fabricated by the author. Any similarities to real people, places, or events are completely coincidental.
A Murder In Milburn, Death At A B & B Copyright © 2017, 2018 McGovern Books, Nancy McGovern
All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced in any manner or used in any way without advanced written permission by the author.
www.NancyMcG.com
Death At A B & B Page 6
