The Case of the Overdue Otterhound

by B R Snow

  “Shut it.”

  “Why not?” Rooster said, shrugging. “Okay, I’m in.”

  “And I’ll be stuck here shoveling snow, freezing and bored out of my mind,” the Chief said.

  “Hang in there, Chief,” Josie said. “Maybe you’ll get lucky, and they’ll be a crime wave.”

  “Yeah, thanks,” the Chief said. “We’re planning to come down the first two weeks in February if that works with your schedule.”

  “Our schedule,” Josie said, glancing over at me. “That’s so sweet. He thinks we have a schedule down there.”

  “We barely have a calendar,” Chef Claire said, laughing.

  “Oh, I almost forgot,” Rooster said, reaching into his coat pocket and handing me a thick envelope. “Jessie signed off today on the sale.”

  “That was quick,” I said, removing a folded document from the envelope.

  “They’re anxious to get on the road,” Rooster said. “And she liked my last offer.”

  “When do you need the money?” I said.

  “I already paid her,” Rooster said. “You can give me your share whenever you get a chance.”

  “Why wait?” I said, rummaging through my bag for my checkbook. “How much do I owe you?”

  “The sales price is on the first page,” he said. “You’ll need to divide it by three.”

  “Yeah, thanks for the tip,” I said, making a face at him. I glanced down at the number then frowned.

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, I know,” he said.

  I shrugged, wrote the check, and handed it to him. Josie stared at me then looked at Chef Claire.

  “Did you see that?”

  “I did,” Chef Claire said. “I give more thought to writing the check for my phone bill.”

  “There was nothing to think about,” I said, tossing the checkbook back into my bag. “It’s no big deal.”

  “It was so sweet of you to buy that cabin for Cooter,” Josie said with a big grin. “I see a new hat in your future.”

  “Yeah, and maybe a pair of matching slippers,” Chef Claire deadpanned.

  “You can both stop now,” I said.

  “Well, you guys did a good thing,” the Chief said. “On behalf of environmentalists everywhere, I thank you.”

  “I still want to get a look at the bottom of that cave,” Rooster said.

  “The guys on the rescue crew said it’s pretty amazing down there,” the Chief said. “Apparently, there’s a whole other set of caves down there next to the underground spring.”

  “Did they say how deep the hole is?” Rooster said.

  “It’s just under four hundred feet,” the Chief said.

  “Wow. I’d love to see it,” Rooster said.

  “Me too,” Chef Claire said.

  Josie and I stared at her in disbelief.

  “What?” Chef Claire said. “I would.”

  “Knock yourself out,” Josie said, shaking her head.

  “We should all do it,” Chef Claire said. “Sometime next summer.”

  “That’s a great idea,” Rooster said.

  “Yeah,” I said, laughing. “I’ll let you know.”

  We heard a knock on the kitchen door, then Freddie called out.

  “We’re in here,” I said.

  Freddie came into the living room, his coat and boots already off.

  “Man, it’s brutal coming back to this weather. Miami was perfect the whole time I was there.”

  “There’s wine,” Chef Claire said. “Help yourself.”

  “I think I will do just that. Thanks.”

  He poured a glass, took a sip, and slowly rocked on his heels as he glanced back and forth at us.

  “So, what did I miss while I was gone?”

  I looked around the room, noticed the small smiles on display, then glanced up at Freddie and shrugged.

  “Oh, you know, just the usual.”

  My good friend and bestselling author, Dianne Harman, has a new book out and I’d like to share a bit about it here. Murder in San Francisco is book number eight in her popular Liz Lucas Cozy Mystery Series, and if you aren’t already one of Dianne’s fans, I think you’ll soon understand why she is a USA Today Bestselling Author and seven-time Amazon All-Star.

  And she thought she’d have a bit of fun and use me as the murder victim in the book. But I guess it could have been worse. In the book, I’m incredibly rich and live a long time before I get taken out.

  Enjoy!

  Murder in San Francisco

  Murder in San Francisco- Get it here!

  When a child is conceived and born after his father's murder, is that child a legal heir to his millions?

  Michelle D'Amato's pregnant with San Francisco millionaire octogenarian Bernie Snow's baby, but he's dead, and a lot of people would like to see her dead as well, so her baby can't lay claim to his vast estate. Was that why he was murdered? And if so, who killed him? Was it for his money or revenge?

  Bernie had threatened to disinherit his ne'er-do-well son, Larry, and his estranged daughter, Toni, so maybe they murdered him before he could carry out his threat. Then there's Toni's husband, Rocco, who has ties to the mob and is desperate for money. What about Jim, who's still angry with Bernie after he was forced out of the electronics company he and Bernie founded? Or even Dr. T, who operates a sperm bank and facilitated Michelle's pregnancy. He knew her future born child would have a legitimate claim to Bernie's estate, even if she didn't, and that was a lot of money.

  Join Liz, Roger, and their dog, Winston, in a race against time as they search for the killer before Michelle either suffers a miscarriage caused by stress or is the next murder victim.