#WeWriWa - The Case of the Fabulous Fiancé: I Don't Have Time

 Welcome to the Weekend Writing Warriors 

Thanks to everyone who stopped by last week. I apologize for not getting to everyone. Many of you know my Hubs has had health problems. Last Monday, he fell and fractured his neck. Being in a brace has made him need more of my attention. I'll try to do better this week.

I'm sharing a snippet from the 2nd Alex O'Hara mystery novel, The Case of the Fabulous Fiancé. Alex is a P.I. in the small Lake Michigan resort town near Grand Rapids. This continues from last week, which ended with, "I need to be sure this man truly loves me—me, not my money.” 

Some changes were made to the original.

Snippet:

Although nobody would ever mistake me for an heiress, I understood her caution.

“I am almost forty years old,” she said. “I want to have children before I’m too old.”

Again, I understood. I’d just passed a landmark birthday—the big Three-Oh. Rather than worry about kids, though, I devoted myself to my business. After a rocky start, I was on a pretty even keel. Plenty of work, not enough time.

But I had plenty of time before having kids.

“Ma’am, if you’d called for an appointment, I could have saved you a trip. I do not have time to devote to your case.”

 

 Now for the rest of the scene:

A crestfallen Maura Finley stared at me, her mouth slightly open. I guess nobody had ever turned her down. While hers might be interesting, I had a bad feeling about this case. A client might want the lowdown on a prospective mate—as I’d discovered before—but they often resented the bearer of bad news. Of course, the client could be grateful if the news was good, like my friend Ellen.

“I will double your usual retainer.”

“It isn’t a matter of money—” Although money never hurt. “—I’m in the middle of a large case that is taking up all of my time.”

“How soon will you finish?” No longer disappointed, she looked calculating.

God save me from rich people who think everyone should drop what they’re doing to attend to them.

“Three weeks, minimum.”

“Good. I will be out of the country for the next four weeks. You may finish your present case then check into Clyde Wilson.”

Well, shit. I mean, shoot. I was trying to break my bad habit of swearing. I had misgivings about this woman. Demanding, she was going to be difficult to work with. She exuded the power that came from old money. Power that expected everyone to do her bidding.

But then I’d had difficult clients before and managed them, I reminded myself. I could probably wrap up the fraud investigation in a couple of weeks. I’d given myself a cushion when I’d told her three.

Were the reservations I had enough to turn her down? No.

I drew the pad closer to me. “Tell me about this man. Clyde Wilson?”

That better not be a smug look on her face.

 

Blurb:

She’s at it again. Alex O’Hara just can’t say no to a new investigation. What do a 45-year-old boyfriend, a deadbeat dad, and a teenage runaway have in common? All new cases. With no receptionist, phone and internet problems, and her own boyfriend in the wind, Alex has no idea how she’ll manage. But the question for the past three months is why did Nick disappear. Is this the end of O’Hara & Palzetti? 

Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Kobo ~ iBooks ~ B&N ~ Smashwords

Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. Stay safe and have a great week!