Gold Strike Mysteries | Diana Orgain

Dying for Gold (Gold Strike Mysteries: Book One) Sneak Peek – Chapter Three Continued

Did you miss Chapter One? Did you miss  Chapter Two? Did you miss part one of Chapter Three? From Dying for Gold  Chapter Three Continued Even though I tried to focus on her chatter, my mind was on the bloody shoe. When we turned the corner to Jason’s block, a chill crept up my spine. What exactly was I going to do with the shoe if I found it? We entered the alley, and a cat hissed at us, then ran off. A black cat no less. Wendy screeched, “Bad luck!” I poked her in the ribs. “Don’t worry about that. It’s the neighbor’s cat.” I said it to calm her down, but the truth was I was superstitious too. The alley was curiously clean. There were no drops of blood like before. It was as if someone had scrubbed the concrete clean. I flipped open the lid of the black garbage can. There was no shoe. There wasn’t anything, not even garbage. “How weird! It was here,” I said to Wendy. “Where?” she asked. “The place is spotless. Garbage pickup isn’t until Monday,” I said. “Somebody must have picked it up,” she answered. I looked through the other bins quickly. The recycling and compost bins were half-full and seemed the same as before. “It doesn’t make any sense. Does it?” “No,” she said. “It doesn’t make sense that you would drag me out here to look at an empty trash can.” I poked her shoulder for her to be quiet, but she was just getting started. “It’s like the time you hauled me over to the Dress Stop...

Dying for Gold (Gold Strike Mysteries: Book One) Sneak Peek – Chapter Three

Did you miss Chapter One? Did you miss  Chapter Two? From Dying for Gold  Chapter Three I screamed as someone grabbed me from behind. The light in the Wine Jug was nonexistent. Okay, you could see, but barely. I always did better after my eyes had a chance to adjust, but Ginger and Wendy tackled me before that happened. Ginger giggled. “What are you so skittish about?” she shouted over the band, Oro Ignited, which was playing on the small stage in the corner of the bar. Wendy dragged me to their table and poured me a glass of a local white Zinfandel. The golden hills of California were fast becoming a mecca for small wineries that couldn’t afford the high real estate prices in Napa and Sonoma counties. It seemed that every day a new tasting room was popping up, and we were the happy beneficiaries. The wine was a bit too sweet for my taste, but it was cold, and I wasn’t in a complaining mood. “I found a bloody shoe in Jason’s trash.” Ginger frowned. “Was it an old shoe or what? What do you mean bloody?” “It was a man’s shoe. New shoe. Expensive. It looked like there were drops of blood on it. I told Jason about it, and when he went to check it out, it was gone.” Wendy refilled her wine glass. “Who cares about an old shoe? What happened with Jason? Did he pop the question or what?” I shook my head, suddenly feeling self-conscious. Ginger reached for my hand. “It’s going to happen, honey. Be patient.” I nodded, trying to...

Dying for Gold (Gold Strike Mysteries: Book One) Sneak Peek – Chapter Two Continued

Did you miss Chapter One? Did you miss part one of Chapter Two? From Dying for Gold  Chapter Two Continued He pinched the bridge of his nose as if the mere thought of groceries or anything to do with cooking gave him a migraine. “I dunno.” “It’s okay. I can poach the eggs.” I grabbed a pot and filled it with water as I brought him up to speed on the success of the sale and the overall events of the day. I ended with telling him that Dale Meyers was making life a living hell for the Living History Day. Jason sipped his wine, then groaned. “Dale’s a nightmare. He’s making my life miserable too.” “How’s that?” I asked. Jason looked like his thoughts were a million miles away, then he said suddenly, “I’ve been so busy I probably haven’t even told you yet, but my department head got transferred and now I report directly to Dale. It’s him who’s going to decide if I get promoted or not.” “Oh, Dale’s not so bad. I thought you guys got along. Wasn’t he the one who hired you?” Jason was a computer engineer who did his best work uninter‐ rupted. It was sheer misery for him to go into an office and meet with the business team, but once he and Dale met, Dale had arranged for Jason to telecommute, and Jason hadn’t stepped foot into the Sacra‐ mento branch in ages. Jason paled. “Yeah. Seems like a long time ago, though. A lot’s changed.” He suddenly looked depressed. “Why don’t you go work on your project while I...

Dying for Gold (Gold Strike Mysteries: Book One) Sneak Peek – Chapter Two

Did you miss Chapter One? From Dying for Gold  Chapter Two At six p.m., we finally ushered everyone out of the store. Three cases of champagne later, we’d rung in one of our best nights for fine jewelry. Dad was grudgingly pleased, even if gold had taken a back seat to fine stones for one day. Ginger was beside herself, squealing every three minutes. “We need to go out and celebrate!” “I have a date with Jason,” I said, pressing my hand against my tummy to quell the butterflies. Tonight could be the big night! “Right, right,” Ginger said. She glanced over at Wendy. The two never went out without me, but it seemed that the day had been so successful that they might be gearing up for it. “Well, do you want to get a glass of Chardonnay with me over at the Wine Jug?” Wendy shrugged. “Sure, why not? I’ve tolerated you all day. I might as well tolerate you a little longer.” Ginger giggled as if Wendy had been joking. I pinched Wendy. “Be nice.” Wendy laughed. “Okay, I’m just kidding. Besides we need to be together so you can call us when you get your big news.” I slipped my cell phone into my pocket. “Don’t worry, I’ll call you guys. How late will you be at the Wine Jug?” “Late,” Ginger said. “We’re celebrating. We’re going to be late.” Wendy glanced at her watch. “Well, my darling husband will be home from the mine—” Ginger grabbed Wendy’s arm. “No you don’t. If we go to the Wine Jug together, you can’t ditch me.” “I’ll...

Dying for Gold (Gold Strike Mysteries: Book One) Sneak Peek – Chapter One Continued

Did you miss part one of Chapter One? From Dying for Gold  Chapter One Continued Oh, good. She could go bug Wendy about getting pregnant soon and that would get me off the hook for the moment. “Over there,” I said, pointing toward Wendy’s slender form. “No baby bump yet . . .” Wendy turned toward me as if she’d sensed we were talking about her. I winked and wiggled my eyebrows, indicating that Mrs. DeLeon was about to descend on her. She gave me her best “you’ll pay for this” look, then smiled as Mrs. DeLeon approached. I took the opportunity to slip to the back and dial my boyfriend, Jason. We’d been dating for almost a year, and he’d recently been hinting around the idea of marriage, asking my ring size and whether I preferred white gold or yellow. Which actually was a silly question for a gold heiress. While gold could be many colors, including black or purple, nothing compared to those flakes colored like the sun. But hey, if being agreeable to pink or red gold would get a ring on my finger, I was all for it. In fact, Jason had been mysterious about this evening. He’d mentioned a romantic dinner and a surprise. I dialed his number and waited for him to answer. It rang four times, and then his voicemail kicked on. Where was he? It wasn’t like him not to pick up. Maybe he’s shopping. I imagined him haggling with a jeweler across the glass counter. No, that wasn’t likely. Surely if Jason was getting ready to propose, he’d have asked...

Dying for Gold (Gold Strike Mysteries: Book One) Sneak Peek – Chapter One

From Dying for Gold  Chapter One I think your store is haunted,” Mrs. Jeffries, one of our best customers, screeched. “It’s not haunted,” I said. “Well, the nugget I was just looking at disappeared out from under my nose! How do you explain that?” she demanded. “Wendy,” I offered as way of explanation, pulling the diamond-encrusted gold nugget out of my sister-in-law’s hands and passing it to Mrs. Jeffries. Wendy simply batted her false eyelashes and gave a wicked grin. “I couldn’t resist. Isn’t it the most amazing thing you’ve ever seen?” The store in question was The Nugget. Daddy’s family had been part of the original gold rush of 1849. Our family went way back, especially by California standards. I was the fifth generation of a mining family, and The Nugget had kept our family in gold even when our mine, The Bear Strike, had been forced to close in 1942 to support the war effort. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen Daddy happier than when the price of gold shot up a few years back and it would finally be prof‐ itable to reopen the mine. Ordinarily, The Nugget catered to tourists, but I’d convinced Daddy to use the shop as a backdrop to put my best friend, Ginger’s, exquisite jewelry designs on display, and all our best customers and neighbors had come out for the occasion. Dad came around from behind the counter. “Cut the champagne off,” he said under his breath. I laughed. “Daddy! This is a ladies’ gathering. One of the main draws beside Ginger’s designs is the champagne.” He leaned into me....