by Rayna Morgan
"No, Spirit," Lea yelled, seeing Spirit join his sister racing for the back of the van. "Come back, Gracie."
The retriever hesitated between seeing the back doors of the van flying open in front of him and hearing his master's voice. But the strength of the Border collie's hind legs propelled her easily into the back of the van as the vehicle leaped to life weaving crazily down the street. The last thing Lea saw as the van swerved around the corner was Gracie struggling to keep her balance in the back of the careening vehicle.
"Come, Spirit, now," she yelled with authority, sliding behind the wheel of her car and simultaneously opening the other door. The dog jumped into the car, and Lea took off in pursuit, hitting the speed dial button on her phone.
"Paul, call Tom at the station right away. Something terrible has happened." They were in a residential neighborhood, but Lea was driving as fast as she dared in pursuit of the speeding van. "As Mrs. Allen feared, there was a burglary in progress at the house. Two men stormed out when Gracie ran over barking and took off. They were in such a hurry, they didn't close the back doors of their van and she jumped into it."
"Oh, no," Paul moaned. "Don't tell me you're chasing them."
"What choice do I have? I've got to get off the phone. Call Tom right away. Tell him it's a late model, black, Nissan van headed toward the Pier on Beach Boulevard. I'll call back when I can."
Paul’s hands fumbled on the keypad as he dialed Tom's direct line at the police station.
"Tom Elliot," he heard the voice say, glad it wasn't a recording. "How may I be of assistance?"
"Thank goodness, it's you and not your voice mail." He quickly explained the situation exactly as Lea had related it.
"Okay, Paul, calm down," Tom said, adopting the tone he used when handling people in desperate circumstances.
"We're on it. I'll take another squad car with me. Don't worry; we'll find them. The van is probably headed for one of the freeway on-ramps to get out of the area as fast as they can. I'll alert the highway patrol units. They won't get far."
"Thanks, Tom. Please have Lea call as soon as you've located them."
"Of course," the Detective replied, cutting the call off and putting his game plan into action. Grabbing his jacket, he ran toward the parking lot.
* * *
As Lea waited impatiently for the street light to turn green, she thought how grateful she was Jon hadn't come with her. I could use another set of eyes to keep the van in sight, but this is hardly the kind of adventure I want my son to be part of.
The moment the light turned, Lea flattened the gas pedal, throwing Spirit back against the seat. "Sorry, big guy, but I don't have time to stop to put your seat belt on."
Spirit dug his claws into the car seat and held on for dear life, all the time staring straight ahead in the direction where Gracie had gone.
If I'm right about these guys wanting to get out of Buena Viaje as fast as possible, there's only one route that will give them access to the freeway headed north. Under the overpass to the frontage road running parallel to Main Street.
"They'll have four or five stop lights before they hit the freeway," Lea reasoned aloud. "If Tom got Paul’s call about my needing help, he'll be thinking the same thing. Hopefully, he's already on his way to intercept them."
Spirit cocked his head listening attentively without averting his eyes from the road.
The fact there were few cars on the street was to Lea's advantage. Thank heavens; Buena Viaje is usually wrapped up tight by ten o'clock at night.
But just as she sensed she might be closing the gap, a motorcycle roared around her, forcing her to jam on the brakes as the light turned red. Lea's hands were sweating as she gripped the wheel. Come on, come on, come on. Time seemed to be standing still, and the van was nowhere in sight.
Gunning the engine again before the light changed, her heart dropped as she realized how close they were to the Pier and the last intersection before the freeway access.
"I'm afraid we've lost them, Spirit. I guess I was wrong in my theory about their escape route."
She rounded the curve and drove toward the parking lot at the Pier. That's when she saw it. The lights shone on a single vehicle in the otherwise empty lot, a black van parked at a hasty angle. She swerved the car into the lot so fast Spirit was pitched across the seat, landing against the door.
Lea was so happy to see the van she lost all sense of caution. Almost before the car had rolled to a complete stop, she jumped out leaving Spirit behind barking anxiously. Approaching what appeared to be an empty vehicle, she could see the front doors were wide open leaving the interior lights on. There was no one inside.
The back doors were closed. She walked toward them with apprehension until she heard the familiar sound of Gracie's barking. Throwing the doors open, she suddenly found herself on the pavement with seventy pounds of dog on top of her, licking her face.
"Okay, girl, you're safe now," she laughed, throwing her arms around the dog. “Thank goodness, you're safe. Let's go get your brother before he breaks through the car window."
With Spirit circling Gracie licking her mouth to show her how happy he was to see her, Lea reached for her phone. In the middle of telling Paul that she found Gracie and would be heading home, she heard a cacophony of dog wailing coming from under the Pier. Heading toward the noise, Lea expressed exasperation. "I'm ending the call, babe. The dogs are raising a ruckus over something. Let me round them up so I can get out of here."
Lea walked along the Promenade leading to the old wooden structure. The Pier was a favorite attraction for fishing, picnics, and views of the coastline and Islands, but she was in no mood to enjoy the view. She felt impatient crossing the beach as her shoes began filling with sand, certain the dogs had found a dead seagull or leftover hot dog to scuffle over.
Discovering the cause of their agitation, she wasted no time punching Tom's number in her cell phone.
"Where the heck are you, Lea? We've been up and down the frontage road. No sign of the van."
"I found the van abandoned in the parking lot at the Pier. Gracie was safe in the back."
"Darn it. I'm glad you and Gracie are safe, but I hate losing those guys."
"Sorry to tell you, Tom, but the burglars escaping isn’t your biggest problem."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean Gracie and Spirit just found a dead body under the Pier."
* * *
Order MURDER AT THE PIER Today
Save on the first three adventures of the Sister Sleuths!
Cozy Mystery Box Set Books 1-3
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Book 1: Murder at the Pier
The Sisters are jumping into the murder Lea’s adventurous canines discovered under the Pier. Their sleuthing is much to the dismay of Lea’s husband Paul, and his best friend, a clever homicide detective.
There’s no shortage of suspects since the victim was despised by several people in town including a humiliated fiancé jilted at the altar, angry co-workers frustrated by his undeserved success, a married lover and her devoted spouse, an employee wrongfully terminated, and dangerous criminal associates.
You’re guaranteed to love the sisters’ spunk, intelligence, and tenacity as well as the twists and turns of this intriguing plot. These irrepressible siblings are up to the challenge and only stop when the mystery is solved.
Book 2: Murder: Act Two
The second book in the “Sister Sleuths Mystery” series presents Lea, Maddy, and Detective Tom with at least one body, several suspects, and plenty of motives.
The local community theatre in their beachside town provides the backdrop and a provocative cast of suspects including an arrogant actor, a business partner anxious to sell, a stage manager with a gambling addiction, and a cunning wife who would like to get rid of both the theatre and her husband.
The clues are there for the observant but the final revelations are sure to surprise. The tight, pacy plot leads
the reader through many twists and turns, and the result is a whodunit with a completely unpredictable ending.
Book 3: Murder Western Style
A day at the rodeo ends up in murder, and the sister sleuths find themselves defending more than one suspect.
The weapon is a pistol belonging to Maddy’s close friend, Scott Miller, who has had run-ins with the deceased. Maddy’s desire to defend Scott makes detective Tom jealous, but could defending Maddy’s friend prove to be deadly for our heroines?
The victim’s ranch is on a valuable piece of land. When a developer is suspected of foul play, Lea is asked to help clear his name. Will her snooping into the developer’s activities put the sisters in harm’s way?
The setting is a rodeo in a small beachside community, so put on your boots and saddle up. You’re in for one rough ride!
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From the Author
To receive updates on my latest author news, book releases, and special price offers, please subscribe to my BOOK ALERTS at www.raynamorgan.info/
Dear Reader,
Thank you for joining Lea and Maddy in their sleuthing adventures.
If you enjoyed your time spent with them, would you please consider posting a review? Reviews are very helpful to other readers and are greatly appreciated.
If you have questions or comments, I can be reached at [email protected] and would love to hear from you.
Also, if you encounter typos or errors in this book, please send them to me at this email address. Even with all the editing, mistakes can slip through. With your help, I can correct them for future readers.
Thank you!
Rayna
