by Diana Orgain | May 30, 2021 | Cooking up Murder, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
From Murder as Savory as Biscuits Chapter One There was a spring in Leo Lawson’s step as he walked the hay-bale-filled passageways of the Fall Festival at Magnolia Falls. Today was the day. He was finally going to ask Mona out. He’d known her since they were kids. Because she was his sister’s best friend, he’d always figured their relationship couldn’t ever be more than platonic. But the time had come. He couldn’t stand the torment anymore. He had to ask her. All around, the sights and sounds and smells of the Fall Festival tugged at him. Homemade pies. Locally brewed beer. Handcrafted furniture. The tangy scent of barbecue hit his nostrils, and his stomach rumbled. But no—he would not be lured away by Bandit Bob’s BBQ or their fine pulled-pork sandwiches. He was a man on a mission. He headed straight to the Jammin’ Honey booth, where both Mona and his sister would be. Over the top of a hay bale, he spotted a colorful cowgirl hat that could only belong to Mona’s eccentric Aunt Bee. Abort! He couldn’t do this with Aunt Bee here. She was wonderful, but she had a way of commandeering the room—and was never, ever shy about expressing her thoughts. GRAB YOUR COPY OF MURDER AS SAVORY AS BISCUITS HERE Leo spun on his heel to make a run for it, but Aunt Bee had spotted him. She grabbed his elbow. She sure was fast on her feet for an octo‐ genarian. “Leo! I knew you’d make it. Have you had a chance to grab our latest coupon?” Aunt Bee ran...
by Diana Orgain | May 27, 2021 | Cooking up Murder, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Chapter One? Did you miss Chapter Two? Did you miss part one of Chapter Three? From Murder as Savory as Biscuits Chapter Three Continued… “See,” Mona said quietly. Leo couldn’t help but agree with her. This wasn’t a vicious dog. If it had attacked, it must have been severely provoked. The dog willingly followed Mona down the trail, and she spread her picnic blanket across Leo’s back seat and coaxed the dog into the car. He hoped the picnic blanket would be enough and that he wouldn’t find bloodstains on his seats later, but he didn’t breathe a word of that concern to Mona. “Hey,” he said as he made the first turn. “Can you call ahead and let the vet know we’re coming?” “Great idea!” She dialed, and after a brief conversation, she hung up and said, “They’ll see us as soon as we get there.” Sure enough, they were ushered to an exam room as soon as they brought the dog in. The vet swept into the room, and Leo was struck by his gentle demeanor. But the vet cast a suspicious glance at Leo and Mona. “I understand we have a stab wound?” the vet asked. “That’s right,” said Mona. “On his front leg.” The vet bent down and scratched the dog’s chin, then inspected the stab wound. “Blood on his fur too,” he murmured. He looked up at Leo and Mona. “What happened?” “We’re not sure,” said Leo. “I’m a detective. We found the dog at a crime scene, and I’m taking care of him while the case is under inves‐ tigation.”...
by Diana Orgain | May 27, 2021 | Cooking up Murder, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Chapter One? Did you miss Chapter Two? From Murder as Savory as Biscuits Chapter Three Not exactly the way I was hoping our first date would go,” Mona said under her breath, looking anywhere except at the body in the brush. Leo nodded, sighing heavily. He’d just gotten off the phone with dispatch, and they were sending a crime-scene unit. The dog whined, not budging from the man’s side. Yup, this year sure had brought a whole spree of bad luck to the town of Magnolia Falls. Their small community hadn’t seen a murder in ten years, and then an arsonist had burned down Mona’s store, killing someone in the process. Just a few months later, a pair of selfish siblings had murdered two people in a bid to keep themselves from being disinherited, and Leo’s sister Vicki had been caught up in the middle of the investigation. And now he’d found a body in the woods. The dog pushed his nose into the man’s face and whimpered mournfully. “Come here, boy,” Leo said, worried the dog was going to contami‐ nate the crime scene. The dog whined again and limped over to Leo. “Is he hurt?” Mona asked. Leo bent down next to the retriever. Its face was covered in blood. From the dead man, maybe? The dog had been sniffing around him quite a bit. But upon further examination, he found a stab wound in the dog’s front right leg. “He’s been stabbed,” Leo said. “The man?” Mona asked. “The dog.” “You poor thing!” Mona cried, kneeling. The dog’s tail thumped half-heartedly. While Mona...
by Diana Orgain | May 27, 2021 | Cooking up Murder, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Chapter One? Did you miss part one of Chapter Two? From Murder as Savory as Biscuits Chapter Two Continued… He scooched closer to her until their hips touched. He wrapped an arm around her waist, and she stiffened, suddenly going quiet. His breath hitched. Had he misread her signals? Did she not want him to touch her? Mind racing, he released her. “I’m—” A loud rustling in the bushes stopped him short. Leo jumped to his feet as a golden retriever tore out of the brambles. “What on earth!” Mona shrieked. The dog wailed loudly and charged at them. Was that blood on its fur? Was it rabid? Had it been attacked by something? Instinctively, Leo stepped between Mona and the dog. He regretted taking off his boots. Trouble never seemed to be far away; a string of bad luck seemed to have stalked the town of Magnolia Falls recently. The dog barked and whined mournfully. “He’s hurt,” Mona said, moving toward the retriever. GRAB YOUR COPY OF MURDER AS SAVORY AS BISCUITS HERE “Hold up, hold up,” Leo said. “Don’t touch it.” The dog barked at them sharply, then tore off back into the woods. Leo and Mona glanced at each other. A moment later, the dog’s snout poked through the bushes, and it barked again, as if beckoning them. “He wants us to follow him,” Mona said. “You stay here,” he told her, tying his laces. “Not on your life,” she said, sticking her feet into her boots. “I’m going with you.” “You’re stubborn.” Mona snorted. “You like it.” He swallowed. She was right....
by Diana Orgain | May 27, 2021 | Cooking up Murder, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Chapter One? From Murder as Savory as Biscuits Chapter Two Leo and Mona chatted happily as they climbed Magnolia Falls Trail. Mona had thrown her hair back in a ponytail and wore hiking boots, leggings that hugged her shapely form, and a long-sleeved workout tunic. Leo’s heart pounded when he looked at her. Even in athletic clothes and without a stitch of makeup, she was so beautiful. At the top of the trail, should he take her behind the waterfall and kiss her? People did that sort of thing in romantic movies. But this was only their first date. He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and gave him a smile that made him dizzy. He took a step forward without thinking and almost tumbled off the side of the trail. He caught himself on a tree branch and glanced down at the ravine. He needed to pay better attention. A fall like that wouldn’t kill him—it would be more of a long, inevitable roll than a sheer drop—but it would sure hurt. And mortally wound his pride, no doubt. GRAB YOUR COPY OF MURDER AS SAVORY AS BISCUITS HERE Once they got to the top, they snapped a few selfies and texted them to Vicki, then set up their picnic on a long, flat rock near the roar of the waterfall. Leo opened up the backpack and pulled out a blanket that Mona had packed. He laid it out, and they both plopped on top of it. “I think I’m getting a blister,” Mona said,...
by Diana Orgain | May 27, 2021 | Cooking up Murder, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss part one of Chapter One? From Murder as Savory as Biscuits Chapter One Continued… “So . . . where is she?” he asked. Vicki put her hands on her hips. “Aha! Are you finally going to ask her out?” “I’d like to,” Leo said. “And I’d like to do it without you being so nosy about it.” Vicki pumped her fist triumphantly. “You know I want my best friend to be my sister-in-law. Get to it.” “Well, where is she, for crying out loud?” Leo asked, exasperated. “She’ll be here soon. She was running over to talk to some of the people at the cheese booth to see if they could pair some dry cheeses with her jam.” Leo nodded. Mona was a workaholic. It was one of the things he liked about her. Before long, he glimpsed her honey-colored hair through the crowd, and a warm feeling filled his chest. A shy smile crossed Mona’s face when she saw him, and the warm feeling grew. “Hey!” Mona said. “Are you hungry? I’ve wrangled some cheese samples.” She unpackaged the bundle she was carrying, and Leo dug into some cheese and grapes. “Well . . . I had another reason for coming,” he said after he swal‐ lowed. “Although this cheese is excellent.” Mona looked at him expectantly, and Vicki ducked down as if she were digging more product out of the boxes underneath the table. He paused, then blurted, “I was wondering if maybe you had time Wednesday afternoon. I have the day off. I wanted to hike up to the falls, maybe have a...
