#WeWriWa - The Case of the Wedding Wrecker: Enough Pity Partying

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, where writers share snippets from their work-in-progress or new release. I'm sharing snippets from the 4th Alex O'Hara cozy mystery, The Case of the Wedding Wrecker. Last time, Alex finally gets home from the jail when her friends descend on her. After holding it all in for hours, she falls apart.

Snippet: 

My two besties sat on either side of me and rubbed my bare shoulders.

“Hey, it’s going to work out,” Ellie said.

“There, there now,” Dottie crooned like I was one of her kids with a scraped knee. No hugs or kisses were going to make me feel better. Though she tried.

“I miss my mom.” I sobbed my heart out. Mom should have been here. She should’ve been the one to twitch my veil, hug me, and commiserate over that stupid deputy interrupting the wedding. Instead, cancer stole her from me.

And a little more:  

“I know, I know,” Dottie crooned again.

Ellie ran to the bathroom and got a wet washcloth. She handed it to me to wipe my tears. I gasped at the cold.

“Enough pity partying.” That was Ellen. Straight to the point. “What did Chief Hoesen say?”

While I appreciated their help, I couldn’t bear any more questions.

“Please don’t ask. I don’t know what happened. I do know Nick is innocent.”

“Of course, he’s innocent,” Dottie proclaimed. “Anyone who thinks different is a moron. Like Deputy Dawg. That man is several bricks shy of a load.”

“He’s more like a brick,” Ellen concurred. “How dare he march into church and arrest Nick?”

 

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

#WeWriWa - The Case of the Wedding Wrecker: Unwanted Company

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, where writers share snippets from their work-in-progress or new release. I'm sharing snippets from the 4th Alex O'Hara cozy mystery, The Case of the Wedding Wrecker. Last time, Alex and family (hers and Nick's) left the police station. Each to their own home.

Snippet: 

Pop punched in the code to unlock the back door to the office then ushered me through. I’d closed the agency for the wedding . . . and for the following week. Now, I wished I hadn’t. I needed work. First, I needed to get out of the dress. Spanx held everything in, but now it had to come off.

A rapid pounding on the door behind us stopped us both. Pop and I looked at each other. He checked the peephole then let in my two best friends and their husbands, their arms loaded with packages. 

I so did not want company.

And a little more:  

After hugs and questions—which I didn’t/couldn’t answer—we all trooped upstairs to my apartment.

“We gathered the leftovers from the reception.” Practical Dottie explained the packages. “We figured you all hadn’t eaten since breakfast. I called Tony and Maria. They’ll be over shortly.”

More company. Great. Just great.

Leaving the men to deal with the packages, Dottie and Ellen followed me into my bedroom. Ellie turned me around. I expected more questions. Instead, she said, “Let’s get you out of your gown.”

Between her and Dottie, I was soon free of the beautiful, white tulle and crepe. And the Spanx. Now, I could breathe again.

“I can’t bear to look at that dress.” Ignoring Ellie’s cringe, since the dress came from her store, I said, “I don’t want to ever see it again.”

Without a word, she hung the gown on the back of my closet door. Out of sight, out of mind. My perfect day had been shot to shit. Sorry, Mom, I mentally apologized for cussing. Mom would be so ashamed of me.

That’s when I lost it. I sank down on my bed and burst into tears.

 

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

#WeWriWa ~ #WeWriWa - The Case of the Wedding Wrecker: Time of Death

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, where writers share snippets from their work-in-progress or new release. Thank you all for your comments on last week's post. Your encouragement really helps.

I'm sharing snippets from the 4th Alex O'Hara cozy mystery, The Case of the Wedding Wrecker. When we last left Alex at the jail, Nick said he can't tell her where he was between one and three the morning before.

Time to leave the jail scene. After everyone has been interviewed by the police, they meet up outside.

Snippet:

In the parking lot, Maria, Pop, and Tony stood clustered around Maria’s car, parked two spaces over from the limo. Since we weren’t allowed to talk about the interviews before, I asked what the chief had asked them.

“He seemed very interested in where Nick was between midnight and three,” Tony said.

“If only that boy had listened to me. He should’ve stayed put, in our house.” Maria wrung her hands. “I told him it was bad luck to see you.”

From the glare she shot me, she blamed me for her horny son. Great.

And now a little bit more:

“We heard him go to bed at twelve-thirty,” Tony said. “We realized he was gone when we got up at seven. I didn’t hear a thing in between.”

“You wouldn’t hear a truck smashing into the house,” Maria said. “You and your snoring.”

“I do not snore.”

Maria shot him the look. Having been the recipient of that look, I sympathized with Tony. “I heard Nick leave at one,” she said.

“It doesn’t take two hours to get from your house to Alex's apartment,” Tony said. He still hadn't forgiven Maria for buying a home in Michigan since they had a perfectly good condo in Arizona. Ack. They could work that out.

I needed to concentrate on Nick. I turned to his lawyer, Hans Bogardus, as he helped his dad into their car on the other side of Maria’s. “Why did Dan ask us so many questions about the time we saw Nick?”

Hans straightened. “Because the medical examiner put the time of death between one and two in the morning.”

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

#WeWriWa - The Case of the Wedding Wrecker: Motive, Means, Opportunity

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, where writers share snippets from their work-in-progress or new release. Thank you all for your comments on last week's post. Your encouragement really helps.

I'm sharing snippets from the 4th Alex O'Hara cozy mystery, The Case of the Wedding Wrecker. I'm picking up where we left off last week. Alex is talking to Nick in jail. He tells her why the authorities think he killed Mike Amerson. He had motive. He continues.

Snippet:  

“Then there’s means. My gun was found at the scene.” He snorted. “As if I’d be stupid enough to leave my weapon behind, if I did kill someone.”

“But you always keep your gun locked in your duffle.”

“Not always.”

I didn’t know that. “That means someone broke into our apartment to steal it.”

“Uh huh. You might want to check into that.”

As if I wouldn’t check the logs with our security service.

“And, of course, my fingerprints are on the gun.”

“Anyone else’s?”

And a little more:  

 

“I don’t know.” He gave a sharp glance at Deputy Jenny who was now leaning against a wall. “They won’t tell me. Worse, supposedly I called Amerson and told him to meet me at the cottage where his body was found.”

“What do you mean supposedly?”

“There’s a message on Amerson’s phone. From a burner, but the message appears to be from me. And last, but not least, opportunity—I can’t tell the chief where I was between the time I left Ma’s and when I got to your apartment.”

“Okay. It’s ten minutes from Maria’s. What could you possibly do in ten minutes?”

Nick leaned in close and whispered, “It was more than ten minutes. I left Ma’s at one.”

“Oh, dear God,” I blurted then slapped my hand across my mouth. My turn to whisper. “Two hours? Where were you?”

“I can’t tell you.”

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

#WeWriWa - The Case of the Wedding Wrecker: Buck Up, Girl

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, where writers share snippets from their work-in-progress or new release. Thank you all for your comments on last week's post. Your encouragement really helps.

I'm sharing snippets from the 4th Alex O'Hara cozy mystery, The Case of the Wedding Wrecker. I'm picking up where we left off last week. Alex is talking to Nick in jail.

Snippet:  

“I don’t understand why they charged you.” I sounded shaky. I was shaky. My clasp on him and the bars kept my knees from giving out.

“The evidence is pretty damning.”

“What evidence?” I clung to him to keep from dropping to the floor.

He chucked me under the chin. “Hey, girl. Buck up. You’re stronger than you think.”

And a little more:

I shot him a nasty glance. “How am I supposed to ‘buck up’? You’re under arrest, and I don’t know why.” Because I didn’t want him to worry about me, I straightened and clasped the bars instead of him. “Why did they arrest you?”

“Good girl. Don’t let them win. They had the big three. Means, opportunity, and motive.” He ticked them off on his fingers. “Motive—he threatened you and held Ma hostage. I threatened him.”

“But that was weeks ago.”

“Doesn’t matter. You know the quote about revenge being a dish best served cold? Dan thinks I let it fester then exploded.”

“But you didn’t. I know you didn’t.”

 

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

#WeWriWa - The Case of the Wedding Wrecker: The Great Detective

 

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, where writers share snippets from their work-in-progress or new release. Thank you all for your comments on last week's post. Your encouragement really helps.

I'm sharing snippets from the 4th Alex O'Hara cozy mystery, The Case of the Wedding Wrecker. Alex finally gets to see Nick in jail.

Snippet:  

“How can they even think you killed a man?” I said.

He glanced over my shoulder. I’d forgotten Deputy Jenny hadn’t left. I glared at her. “You don’t have to watch me. I don’t have a sawblade under my gown.”

She shrugged. “SOP.”

“What?” I blurted out.

“Standard Operating Procedure, babe,” Nick murmured.

 

And a little more:

Deputy Jenny would follow the rules. The hell with her. I was going to kiss my husband, even if she watched. As best I could, I clasped Nick’s face. The bars between us made it difficult but not impossible. I’d never seen such despair in his dark eyes before. I ached to help.

“We’ll get you out,” I promised. “Hans is working on it.”

“Find out who did it. Who set me up.”

“Of course.” I gave him a crooked smile. “The Great Detective is on the case.”

He reached through the bars and hooked a long curl that had fallen forward behind my ear. The tender gesture brought tears to my eyes.

“You are a terrific detective, Lexie. Use those sleuthing skills to get me out of here.” With his thumb, he wiped my tears away.

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

WeWriWa - The Case of the Wedding Wrecker: Damning Evidence

 

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, where writers share snippets from their work-in-progress or new release. Thank you all for your comments on last week's post. I was really on a roll last week . . . Until my computer refused to work. I’m typing this on my iPad—one finger at a time. 

I'm sharing snippets from the 4th Alex O'Hara cozy mystery, The Case of the Wedding Wrecker. I've skipped a few paragraphs from the previous post. Alex is still at the police station. Alex finally gets to see Nick . . . in jail.

Snippet:

“How can they even think you killed a man?”

He glanced over my shoulder. I’d forgotten Deputy Jenny hadn’t left. I glared at her. “You don’t have to watch me. I don’t have a sawblade under my gown.” 

“Standard Operating Procedure, babe,” Nick murmured. 

She would follow the rules. The hell with her. I was going to kiss my husband, even if she watched. As best I could, I clasped Nick’s face. The bars between us made it difficult but not impossible. I’d never seen such despair in his dark eyes before. 

And a little more: 

“We’ll get you out,” I promised. “Hans is working on it.”

“Find out who did it. Who set me up.”

“Of course.” I gave him a crooked smile. “The Great Detective is on the case.”

He reached through the bars and hooked a long curl that had fallen forward behind my ear. The tender gesture brought tears to my eyes. 

“You are a terrific detective, Lexie. Use those sleuthing skills to get me out of here.” With his thumb, he wiped my tears away.

“I don’t understand why they charged you.” I sounded shaky. I was shaky. My clasp on him and the bars kept my knees from giving out.

“The evidence is pretty damning.”

“What evidence?” I clung to him to keep from dropping to the floor.

He chucked me under the chin. “Hey, girl. Buck up. You’re stronger than you think.”

I shot him a nasty glance. “How am I supposed to ‘buck up’? You’re under arrest, and I don’t know why.” Because I didn’t want him to worry about me, I straightened and clasped the bars instead of him. “Why did they arrest you?”

“Good girl. Don’t let them win. They had the big three. Means, opportunity, and motive.” He ticked them off on his fingers. “Motive—he threatened you and held Ma hostage. I threatened him.”

“But that was weeks ago.”

“Doesn’t matter. You know the quote about revenge being a dish best served cold? Dan thinks I let it fester then exploded.”

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

WeWriWa - Wedding Wrecker: It Doesn't Look Good

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, where writers share snippets from their work-in-progress or new release. Thank you all for your comments on last week's post. This has been a good writing week. After many, many weeks/months, I'm finally writing again and this story is finally going places. I attribute that to you for your encouragement.

I'm sharing snippets from the 4th Alex O'Hara cozy mystery, The Case of the Wedding Wrecker. I've skipped a few paragraphs from the previous post. Alex is still at the police station. Chief Dan Hoesen has finished questioning her, her dad, and Alex's parents and told them all to go. Alex insists on seeing Nick.

Snippet:

Dan called Jenny. “Take her back to the jail.”

The deputy hurried over to him. “You’re not arresting her, too, are you?”

“Arrest her? Lexie, uh, Alex? What? No.” Dan was more flustered than I’d ever seen him. “What are you—”

Then she smirked. Ah. She tried to make us lighten up. As much as I appreciated her effort, I wasn’t going to lighten up until Nick was out of jail.

The bad thing about writing a lot of dialogue is that the 8-10 sentence limit gets eaten up quickly. Thanks for letting us add a little bit more.

And a little more: 

I followed Jenny down a short corridor and around a corner. She unlocked a door to another short hall, then to the jail itself. Nick sat on the edge of a cot, his head in his hands, defeated. His tuxedo jacket lay on the end of the bed, his tie undone, and the first couple of buttons open at his tanned throat. No cufflinks, but he’d rolled up the sleeves of his once pristine white shirt, revealing his strong forearms. Arms I wanted around me.

“Nick?” I hesitated before rushing to the cell.

Two strides, and he was shoving his arms through the bars. I pressed as close as I could and held him, too.

“Oh, babe.” He caressed my face, misery riding in his. “It doesn’t look good.”

 

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

WeWriWa - Wedding Wrecker: A Clock Watcher?

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, where writers share snippets from their work-in-progress or new release. Thank you all for your comments on last week's post plus your good wishes for my husband and me.

I'm sharing snippets from the 4th Alex O'Hara cozy mystery, The Case of the Wedding Wrecker. After a deputy arrested Alex's groom, Nick Palzetti, at the altar, the police chief, Dan Hoesen, is still interviews Alex. The lawyer, Hans Bogardus, tries to keep her from giving away too much information and/or shooting off her mouth. The latter is a hard task.

Snippet:

“Did Nick leave the apartment again?" the chief asked. "Before you went to church?”

“Yes.” I groaned. “His mother came over to help me dress. When she found him there, she shooed him back to her house. And before you ask, that was about eight this morning.”

“Eight? Before or after eight?”

“If I knew you were going to ask me exact times, I would’ve looked at a clock when he left.”

And a little more:

“He left before eight-ten because that’s when Dottie arrived, and he was gone by then.” After a severe scolding from his mother for bringing bad luck by seeing me. Maybe there was something to that. Bad luck had certainly found us.

“And the next time you saw him?”

“At the church, when I was waiting to walk down the aisle.” I remembered how happy I was at that moment. Happiness dashed within minutes.

Dan consulted his notes, not that there were a lot of them. I tried to read what he’d written upside down, but his writing was too cramped.

“To reiterate,” he said, “You know for sure Palzetti was in your apartment from eleven forty-five until shortly after midnight. He returned at three—” He glanced up at me. “—oh-five, left again before eight-ten this morning. Is that correct?”

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

WeWriWa - Wedding Wrecker: Bad Luck

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, where writers share snippets from their work-in-progress or new release. 

A new year and new efforts. After an almost five month hiatus, I'm back. Once again, life got in the way of doing what I want to do. Hopefully, I can follow through sharing snippets this year. As I wrote in another blog post, I'll do the best I can and accept when I can't.

I'm sharing snippets from the 4th Alex O'Hara cozy mystery, The Case of the Wedding Wrecker. After a deputy arrested Alex's groom, Nick Palzetti, at the altar, the police chief, Dan Hoesen, interviews the family, starting with Alex. The lawyer, Hans Bogardus, tries to keep her from giving away too much information and/or shooting off her mouth.

Snippet:

The chief cleared his throat. “When did Nick leave the apartment to go to the bachelor party?”

“I don’t know. You’d have to ask—” I stopped remembering Hans’s caution.

“Who should I ask?” Dan slanted a glance at Hans. “She can tell me that.”

When Hans nodded, I said, “Jim, Jim Matthews. And Pop, uh, Frank O’Hara.”

“I know your dad.” Dan's lips curved into a sort-of smile--the first since this mess began--then scribbled a note on his legal pad. “After you got home from your party, when did Palzetti leave?”

And a little more:

“It must have been around midnight, since his mother came up to the apartment and said she’d dismissed the driver. She told Nick he had to drive her home.”

Dan made another note. “What time did he return?”

“Three-oh-five.”

He eyed me with a raised eyebrow. “And you know the exact time because . . .”

“Because he woke me up when he crawled into bed.” Heat flooded my cheeks. “I looked at the clock. His mother said he couldn’t—”

“Alex?”

I ignored Hans’s caution. “I want to explain. His mother said it was bad luck for him to see me on my wedding day. But he came back anyway.”

“And you say he came back at three o’clock.”

“Three-oh-five.”

 

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

 

#WeWriWa ~ The Case of the Wedding Wrecker: A Shark, White Teeth and All

 

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, where writers share snippets from their work-in-progress or new release. Apologies for missing last week. My computer died (or so I thought) last Saturday, and since I'm a confirmed procrastinator, I couldn't put up my post. Turns out I'd plugged in the wrong charger cord. No wonder my batter didn't charge. Glad it was only that instead of needing a new computer. Anyway, on to my post for this week.

I'm sharing snippets from the 4th Alex O'Hara cozy mystery, The Case of the Wedding Wrecker. This snippet picks up where we left off last time. (BTW, thanks for all your comments, esp. those about Alex running her mouth.) The police chief, Dan Hoesen, is interviewing Alex. The lawyer, Hans Bogardus, is with her. The last line was: What happened after you got dressed for the rehearsal."

Snippet:  

“Nick and I went to the church. After the rehearsal, we had dinner at the Golden Fleece.” The chef at the popular restaurant was a friend of Nick’s.

“And then?” Dan prodded.

“Maria, Nick’s mother, hustled me out to a limo, where my best friends were waiting.”

“Who?”

“Dottie, Ellen—”

Dan tore off a sheet of paper from his pad and shoved it across the table to me along with a pen. “Write down their names—first and last. And where you went.”

 

And a little more:

I did as instructed, before pushing the paper back to him.

Dan glanced at it. “Did Nick go with you?”

I shook my head. “Our party was Girls Only.” I grinned thinking about Nick coming along. Until it hit me. Nick was in jail. I sobered quickly.

“What time did you leave the restaurant?”

“Seven? Or a little after. Maria would know. Do you want me to get her?” I started to rise, but Hans drew me down with a hand on my wrist.

“I will talk to her later,” Dan said. “What did Nick do?”

“I assume he went to his bachelor party.”

Hans tapped the table next to my arm. “Only speak to the things you know. Don’t assume or guess.”

The chief glared at him. “When did you return to your apartment?”

“Eleven forty-five.”

“You know that exactly?”

I grimaced. “Yes. Maria made a point of telling me to tell Nick to drive her home because the limo and driver were done at midnight.”

“Nick was in the apartment when you returned?”

“Yes. We talked for—”

Hans tapped my forearm. “Remember what I said. Only answer the questions. Don’t volunteer any more information than what the chief asks.”

Dan pursed his lips. “Is that really necessary, Counselor? She isn’t accused. I’m just trying to find out where Palzetti was.”

Hans didn’t say anything, just stared at Dan. That look. OMG, I’m glad it wasn’t directed at me. His dad might be elegance personified. Hans looked like a shark, white teeth and all.

 

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

 

#WeWriWa ~ The Case of the Wedding Wrecker: Don't Volunteer Any Info

 

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, where writers share snippets from their work-in-progress or new release.

I'm sharing snippets from the 4th Alex O'Hara cozy mystery, The Case of the Wedding Wrecker. This snippet picks up where we left off last time. The police chief, Dan Hoesen, is interviewing Alex. The lawyer, Hans Bogardus, is with her.

Snippet:  

The chief cleared his throat. “I apologize for my former deputy’s insensitivity. We will restart the interview.” He nodded behind me, waited a second or three, then repeated my name and date.

Former deputy? I wasn’t touching that. I wanted to get this interview over with.

“State your name and relationship with the accused.”

“Alexandra O’Hara, uh, Palzetti—” Holy shit. I’d never called myself that before. “—wife of Nicholas Palzetti.”

“Tell me what you did yesterday.”

 

And a little more

“Everything? After the rehearsal and dinner, my girlfriends had a bachelorette party that started—”

“Only when and where you saw Nicholas Palzetti,” the chief said.

Oh, good. He didn’t need to know how foolish we all were.

“In the morning, we went sailing, had a picnic, and came back to my apartment about four-thirty.”

“Only answer the question,” Hans said. “Don’t volunteer any more information than what the chief asks.”

Chief Hoesen glared at him before making a note on his legal pad. “So, you both went back to your apartment. Then what did you do?”

“I got ready for the rehearsal.”

“And Nick?”

“After I finished my shower, he took one.”

Dan rolled his eyes. “I don’t need every detail. What happened after you got dressed for the rehearsal?”

 

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

#WeWriWa ~ The Case of the Wedding Wrecker: Explain to Your Lawyer, Alex

 Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, where writers share snippets from their work-in-progress or new release. Thanks to everyone who commented last week.

I'm sharing snippets from the 4th Alex O'Hara cozy mystery, The Case of the Wedding Wrecker. This snippet picks up where we left off last week. Everybody's still in the police station.

 Snippet:

“May I assume you are recording this conversation?” Hans pointed to a video camera in the upper corner facing me.

When Chief Hoesen nodded, I looked in the corner then turned to face Hans. “Yet?” I mouthed.

He didn’t instill in me the confidence I had in his father. Instead of the classy elegance Pieter presented, Hans looked like a farm worker—about five-ten and a solid two hundred pounds, in his overalls he didn’t look like a lawyer. Clean-shaven and his blond hair barber-cut instead of a stylist, he could’ve posed for a John Deere calendar.

Did I need him with me? I’d known Dan Hoesen all my life. When his high school girlfriend babysat me, he often came along. He’d gotten me out of more scrapes as kid . . . and as an adult. He even acted like my surrogate father when the Pops moved to Arizona. We had a great relationship.

Until now. 

And a little more:

He eyed me sternly before nodding to the recording device. “Statement given by Alexandra O’Hara Palzetti, spouse of the accused Nicholas Palzetti.”

“A moment, Chief?” Hans said. “I understood the wedding was interrupted by your deputy before the vows were taken.”

“Deputy, stop the recording.”

That’s when I noticed the two-way mirror behind the chief. “Deputy? Who’s behind the mirror? Jenny?”

“No,” Dan said. “The sheriff’s office loaned us a couple of deputies for the summer.”

I knew that. When our small town exploded with summer visitors, they always brought in help from the sheriff’s department and the police academy.

At least it wasn’t Jenny, though I knew I could depend on her discretion. Better than that dope Deputy Dawg. When Nick got out of jail, I was going to kill that jerk. Oops, better not say that out loud.

Dan eyed me. “Do you want to explain to your lawyer, Lexie?”

“About . . .” I’d lost the train of thought.

“Your marriage.”

“Oh, right. Nick and I were married on Christmas Eve last year by a judge. Never mind why we didn’t tell anyone. His mother wanted us to marry in the church. That’s what was interrupted by Deputy Dawg.” I glared at Dan. “I hope you gave that jerk what for. He didn’t have to stalk in and arrest Nick at the altar.”

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

#WeWriWa ~ The Case of the Wedding Wrecker: Alex isn't charged...yet

Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors, where writers share snippets from their work-in-progress or new release. Thanks to everyone who commented last week.

I'm very excited to say that I've reached the halfway point on this book. It's been a long time since I started it. This week, I felt energized enough to push myself to write. Your encouraging comments have certainly helped. Thanks so much.

I'm sharing snippets from the 4th Alex O'Hara cozy mystery, The Case of the Wedding Wrecker. This snippet picks up where we left off last week. Everybody's still in the police station.

 Snippet

Deputy Jenny Sampson opened the door to the interview room. “Chief wants to talk to you, Alex.”

“Hans, will you come, too?”

Maybe he could keep me from blurting out something that would incriminate Nick.

“I planned to.” He had a boyish grin that was supposed to reassure me. Fat chance. Nothing short of Nick’s release would assure me.

“I’m coming, too,” Pop said.

 And a bit more: 

“No.” Jenny held up her hand. “Chief wants to talk to each of you separately. Hey, Hans. How ya doin’?”

He eyed her closely, especially her name badge. “Jenny? Little Jenny Hogmeier? You married Joe Sampson?” He gave her a big hug. “When did you grow up?”

“Grew up and had a baby, too.”

Small towns. Everybody knew everybody. And that meant, by now, everybody knew about Nick.

“Excuse me.” Tony interrupted. “We can do Old Home Week another time. My son is in jail, and I want him released.”

Jenny shrugged while Hans gave her a sheepish grin.

She led Hans and me to another interview room. Chief Hoesen sat on one side of a plain fake wood table. He had a yellow legal pad in front of him. He indicated that I should sit across from him.

He glanced up at Hans. “Lexie doesn’t need a lawyer present. She isn’t being charged.”

“Yet.” Hans sat next to me but slightly off to the side.

Gee, thanks, guy. Give the chief a reason to arrest me, too.

 

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