EXCERPT: Dial QR for Murder, Book 1

 

     I re-opened the web browser for My Thug Shot.com, and a notice rose in the middle of the screen: 

 

03/13/2014 14:28 New Message from ModuCode Killer.  

 

     “You’re kidding me.” I clicked on the tab and opened it.  

 

Message from ModuCode Killer:

Let’s talk.

 

     “Who are you?” I typed a reply and sent it.

     My instincts told me the key to solving Norman Kane’s murder was buried in whatever secrets circled his QR software. And, now, to be approached by someone with the username “ModuCode Killer” was anything but inconsequential. 

 

03/13/2014 15:31 New Message from ModuCode Killer.  

 

     I took a sharp breath and swung my gaze to the list of members. ModuCode Killer was online. I clicked on the notice and read.

 

Message from ModuCode Killer. 

Start live chat and I’ll tell you.  

 

     My mind grew crowded with dreadful thoughts. Did Uncle Lou discover I was Marjorie Gardens? How did he learn about the website and me? Ren did tell me Uncle Lou hired the best hackers. 

     Maybe he was getting closer to finding me and my sanctuary.

 

 

Out Now: Prepped for the Kill, Marjorie Gardens Mystery Book 2

EXCERPT

 

     Deidre and I slid onto a shiny black sofa as if we were slipping onto an oiled spacesuit. Ray went over to a glass cabinet, saying, “I’m sure you all heard the news about the current global warming situation.”

     Deidre responded over her shoulder, “As far as any of us knows, it isn’t exactly current. It takes time for atmospheric conditions to develop.”

     “We are facing more than simple weather patterns. I’ve been holding on to this, but it seems the time has come.” He returned with a strongbox. “I’m finally ready to make my preemptive bug-out.”

     “Your preempt what-now?” I retorted.

     He set the container down to retrieve a glossy color brochure then showed it to us.

 

     The O’Leary Group welcomes you, our potential survival homeowner. We congratulate you on taking the first step toward securing your future in an unpredictable world. Famine, global weather phenomenon, cross-border economic collapse, and civil wars are no longer theoretical. These are daily realities—happening right now! But what are your plans when the greatest threat to you and your family comes from above? Scientists have neglected their duty to disclose findings on Planet X. This nefarious heavenly body will unleash unprecedented destruction on Earth as it passes by. Are you ready? Are you prepared?

 

     “Ray.” I sighed, took the prospectus, and flipped it over.

     The Reebok Refuge Silo was a decommissioned missile base. There was a computer rendered diagram of the facility, sectioned into several levels of living, leisure, and maintenance spaces underground.

Out Now: Ten Days in Tahiti, Marjorie Gardens Romance Mystery

EXCERPT

 

     Flirting and a little romance was one thing. Giving all of one’s self was on an entirely different level. I puffed through my lips and relaxed my shoulders, inhaled deeply and turned for the door.

     Jason did a double-take when I appeared. “Wow.”

     I posed with one hand against the jamb and the other on my hip. “Is it that good?” I asked in my most provocative voice.

     He craned slowly from the edge of the bed, bestowing upon me full view of his bare torso. The cuts of his toned arms, ridges and valleys along his midsection, all passages my fingers longed to travel.

     I closed my mouth and raised my gaze. “Nice shorts.”

     He smiled coolly. “Ready?” He picked a blanket up from a chair, and we left for the bridge.

 

# #

 

     Our blanket lay flat on the beach. Stars blinked above land giants darkened in the distance. Jason splashed around in the shallow end. The farther out he marched, he insisted the water was warm ten-thirty at night. Whether or not I believed him, I charged ahead through the lagoon. He was telling the truth.

     I was at arm’s length when a bold wave surfaced and crashed into me. I gulped a breath, certain I was going to plummet backwards. Jason latched on and propelled me toward his chest, snatching me from a watery grave. I hung on with my hands locked behind his neck. Our bodies pressed closely together, it was only logical we’d resume kissing.

     My legs began buckling again. The rolling waves couldn’t be entirely ruled out as the cause. Caught in a rocking motion, I couldn’t determine if I were being drawn or pushed ashore. Jason’s knee bumped my thigh in our aquatic tango, and I realized it was the latter. He was leading.

     Moments later, sand dusted our feet and legs as we lay wet and entangled under the moonlight. Stilted on his elbows, our hips parallel, he lowered his mouth onto mine.

     I closed my eyes.