by Diana Orgain | Apr 13, 2021 | Maternal Instincts Mysteries, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Part One? From Nursing a Grudge Chapter One The hostesses with the frizzy red hair returned with two steaming mugs in her hands. She placed my coffee in front of me, sloshing hot liquid over the top and onto the table. I pulled Laurie away protectively. The waitress didn’t even notice; she merely put Jill’s mug in front of her and asked, “Ready to order?” Jill smiled up at her. “Not yet.” The waitress smiled back. Well, there you go. Jill got smiles, I got a coffee mess. “Let me know when you’re ready,” the waitress said. She spun around and attended to the other moms that were camped out on a large leather couch in the corner of the tea house. One mom leaned in and whispered something to the waitress, then they all turned and stared at us. I lifted my mug and sighed as I placed it back down into the puddle of coffee on the table. I needed another hand. “Want to hold Laurie?” I asked. Jill quickly glanced at her immaculate blouse. “Um, yeah. Sure.” She didn’t look at all sure. I reached into the hulking diaper bag that was always with me now and pulled out a clean spit-up rag and handed it to Jill. She looked relieved as she placed it onto her shoulder and took Laurie. I quickly wiped up the liquid on the table and watched in horror as Laurie batted a hand dangerously close to Jill’s hot chocolate. The other hand had already found its way into Jill’s hair. Jill grimaced. I finished mopping up the...
by Diana Orgain | Apr 13, 2021 | Maternal Instincts Mysteries, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Did you miss Book One ? Did you miss Book Two ? Did you miss Book Three ? From Nursing a Grudge Chapter One TO DO: 1. Catch up with old friends! 2. √ Phone Jill and set a date. 3. Land a new client. 4. Buy Paula a present for new baby. 5. Get back in shape! From inside Tea & Tumble, I checked my phone for the umpteenth time. My best friend, Paula, was due to give birth any day now, and I’d promised to babysit her toddler when the time came. The café was empty save for myself, my four-month old daughter and another pair of moms with their infants camped out in the corner. Tea & Tumble was rated as the top pick for baby friendly cafes in the Bay Area. It was decorated in pinks and greens with a colorful, plush carpet in the corner of the dining area and a large leather couch. On the carpet, the two infants drooled over picture books, while their mothers were perched on the couch sipping lattes. I glanced at Laurie, who cooed up at me from her baby carrier nestled at my feet. “Paula’s going to have her baby any day now. Are you ready for a new friend?” Laurie batted her hand out, grabbing at imaginary items. “I’ll take that as a yes,” I said. I freed her from the infant carrier, then lowered my voice. “Then you can slobber over the book of the month club choice like those other two in the corner.” Laurie flashed me a wide, toothless grin. “Besides,” I said....
by Diana Orgain | Apr 12, 2021 | Maternal Instincts Mysteries, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Go back to Chapter One? Go back to Chapter Two? From Formula for Murder Chapter Three Continued… Shortly after 8:00 A.M. Mom called in a panic. Thankfully I was in the shower so Jim had to deal with her near hysterics. She was coming right over Jim informed me as I toweled off and stared into my closet. “Okay, good. She can obsess over Laurie with me,” I said. Jim snorted. “Laurie’s fine. You’re the one that needs to get looked at. Please make an appointment.” The doorbell sounded, interrupting our conversation. “That was fast,” I said. Jim left me to select some clothes and went to answer the door. Paula’s voice drifted down the hallway. I threw on a pair of jeans and a sweater and rushed to the living room. My best friend, Paula, now eight months pregnant, was cradling Laurie above her massive belly. She studied Laurie’s face. “I got your message,” she said. “Pupils look fine. She looks alert and happy. Has she vomited?” “I don’t know. She spits up a lot. How can you tell?” Paula’s two-year-old son, Danny, clung to her leg and pulled on her maternity top. “It’s kinda hard. But you can usually tell by the volume. Is she keeping anything down?” “Yes. It must be just spit-up.” I knelt down and extended my arms. “Hi, Danny!” He rushed to me and wrapped his arms around my neck, sort of hanging from it. “Ouch! Oh, honey, wait.” I disentangled myself from him. Concern showed on Jim’s face. Paula looked at me, her brow creasing. “Are you hurt?” “No. No. I’m...
by Diana Orgain | Apr 12, 2021 | Maternal Instincts Mysteries, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Go back to Chapter One? Go back to Chapter Two? From Formula for Murder Chapter Three To Do: 1. Call Dr. Clement for appointment. What if Laurie’s brain is scrambled? The ER doc didn’t test for brain damage, did he? Is there a test for that? 2. Call insurance. 3. Reschedule holiday photos. 4. Christmas tree, cards, shopping, decorating. Shoot! Behind again! NOT efficient. 5. Find stupid kid that hit us so I can give him a piece of my mind! 6. Finish background checks Galigani gave me. 7. Get new PI client. How do I do this? Forget it, focus on catching up first! Once home from the consulate I dialed Mom and then my best friend, Paula. I got voice mails and left messages. Jim and I decided on soup for dinner although neither one of us had much of an appetite. I hovered over Laurie even more than usual, then finally upon Jim’s urging went to bed early. Jim stayed up watching the news with Laurie. At one point in the night I got out of bed to check on them and found Jim singing and rocking Laurie. She was mesmer‐ ized by him, smiling and happily banging his face with her hands. I retreated back to bed, relieved that she wasn’t showing any signs of distress listed on the sheet the emergency room pediatrician had given me. I woke up when Jim climbed into bed. “Where’s Laurie?” I asked. “In her nest,” Jim answered. I rolled over and sat up to peek into the bassinet by my bedside. Since Laurie had been born I’d...
by Diana Orgain | Apr 12, 2021 | Maternal Instincts Mysteries, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Go back to Chapter One? From Formula for Murder Chapter Two Continued… The woman returned with a man by her side. He looked to be in his late thirties. He had a square jaw and strong, straight nose. His dark brown hair was smoothly combed back and held in place with lots of spray or mousse. He wore a blue shirt that was unbuttoned one or two buttons too many. Dark curly chest hair peeked out as he swaggered toward us. Before they reached us, Jim turned to me and quietly asked, “Is that the guy?” “No. The driver was much younger. Like seventeen or eighteen.” When he approached us the man immediately extended his hand to Jim. “Monsieur, I am Jean-Luc Gaudet, the Deputy Consul General. Mademoiselle tells me you were a victim of a hit-and-run.” Jim looked at Jean-Luc’s hand but didn’t shake it. “My wife and infant daughter were in the car. Is that bashed-up SUV yours? The one with the missing fender?” Jean-Luc seamlessly turned his outstretched hand into a gesture, shifting his palm face up and motioning us toward a corner of the lobby that held some leather chairs and a small table covered in magazines. We moved toward the chairs as Jean-Luc said, “The vehicle is registered in my name.” He pointed to the leather chairs, indicating for us to take a seat. “Please.” Jean-Luc and I sat; Jim remained standing. I cradled Laurie’s car seat bucket in my lap. An older couple entered the building, and Jean-Luc watched them as they made their way to the reception counter. He and the woman...
by Diana Orgain | Apr 12, 2021 | Maternal Instincts Mysteries, Sneak Peek, Uncategorized
Go back to Chapter One? From Formula for Murder Chapter Two We agreed that we’d drive by the French consulate on Bush Street and see if anything seemed obvious. Short of a smashed vehicle parked in front I wasn’t sure what we were looking for. I sat in the back of Jim’s car, hovering over Laurie. Thank good‐ ness we’d had an extra car seat. My car had been towed after the inci‐ dent and the pediatrician had told me to discard the car seat that had been in the accident, as it was likely the harnesses was damaged. We drove down Bush Street and spotted the consulate adjacent to the French school and Church of Notre Dame des Victoires. It had began to drizzle, but when Jim turned the wipers on, there was only enough rain to smear across the windshield. “Looks like they have a parking garage,” Jim said. “It’s probably for staff only, right?” I asked. Jim pulled the car up to the entrance and read the sign. “Yeah. You need an electronic key card to get in. Perfect place to hide a vehicle after a hit-and-run, huh?” “Okay. Let’s go home.” I was exhausted not only physically—every emotion in me had been pushed to the brink this morning. “Not so fast. I want to check things out. I’m going in by foot.” We parked across the street at a meter. Jim hopped out of the car and emptied all the change from his pocket into the meter. He frowned and tapped at it. “Busted. This is BS. What a day.” I watched as he crossed...
